The first class of their first semester was math.
Ma Xiaoding was more excited than anyone, pounding on his desk behind them. "Brother Yu, Brother Yu! Are you going to run for math class representative? I'm planning to run for Chinese class representative. Why don't we do it together and blossom in both the arts and sciences?"
Song Yu was leafing through the first compulsory high school math textbook, his eyes lazily lowered. At Ma Xiaoding's words, he scoffed. "Go blossom by yourself."
Xi Bowen was terrified and tried earnestly to persuade him. "You can't, Brother Ma. The Chinese class representative has to lead the class in reading aloud."
Utterly lacking in self-awareness, Ma Xiaoding declared smugly, "Of course I know. That's exactly why I want to do it. I've memorized so many poems. How could I not show off a little?"
Xi Bowen said weakly, "Maybe don't."
The studious Bowen was about to cry. Spare me. I don't want to get zero on the classical poetry and prose dictation section of the college entrance exam.
The bell rang, and the math teacher walked in carrying his lesson plans. He was in his late fifties, thin, balding, and wore glasses.
Holding a thermos, he stood at the podium and slowly took a sip of water first.
"Students, I am your math teacher for this semester."
He drew out his words, too, making everyone sleepy.
Ma Xiaoding muttered in the back, "Do all the math teachers in the world have the kind of face that makes you sleepy just looking at it?"
Annoyed by his noise, Song Yu kicked backward. "Shut up."
Ma Xiaoding silently mimed zipping his mouth shut.
The first lesson usually covered little actual material. The math teacher slowly went over his teaching plan, then surveyed Class One. "Let's do this. I'll pick a class representative first. Any volunteers?"
Ma Xiaoding was more hyped than anyone, rocking his chair and unable to sit still as he frantically dropped hints. "Brother Yu, Brother Yu, Brother Yu! Go for it, Brother Yu!" In his mind, Brother Yu was an extraordinary guy who had clung to practice papers all summer and was battling trigonometric functions on the very first day of school. How could he not have a position in the math world? Math class representative sounded so impressive.
More importantly, he was running for Chinese class representative! The twin stars of arts and sciences sounded so damn cool!
Holding his pen, Song Yu wanted nothing more than to turn around and give him a beating.
Ma Xiaoding was so excited that his entire face radiated joy, creating a stark contrast with all the listless, sleepy students around him.
The math teacher's gaze landed on his face, and his eyes lit up. "The student in the third row from the back in the fourth group. I can see you're very excited. Since you're so enthusiastic about math, you can be the math class representative."
"..."
Ma Xiaoding's cheerful smile froze on his face.
Having been awarded the position of math class representative, Ma Xiaoding finally quieted down. He slumped there for the rest of the lesson, his face a picture of having nothing left to live for.
The corner of Song Yu's mouth twitched.
The bell rang.
After math class, Ma Xiaoding ran faster than anyone, following right on the math teacher's heels, wishing he could fly to the office and prove his resolve with his death.
Song Yu bent over his desk, making notes. The practice papers he had done earlier were all to get a feel for things. Now that he had the textbooks, he was beginning to organize the material systematically.
Halfway through, he got stuck on a Venn diagram formula and poked Xie Sui beside him with his pen. "Is this right?"
But a girl's voice rang out at the same time as his.
"Xie Sui, could I ask you what a domain is?"
Her voice was sweet and soft, charming and lively.
Song Yu paused with his pen in hand and looked up. A girl with a ponytail stood in the classroom aisle, holding a pen and her math textbook. Her face was slightly flushed, her bright eyes fixed on Xie Sui. She was very pretty, and only a particularly confident girl would have been that forward.
Xie Sui had been asleep, woken by Song Yu poking him with his pen. As he first opened his eyes, their dark depths held a thin layer of cold hostility.
At the sight of the textbook, desk, and classroom before him, the agitation in his heart subsided slightly.
An autumn breeze stirred the curtains and blew into the classroom. The boy's lashes fluttered, the emotions in his peach blossom eyes deeply concealed. He turned to Song Yu. "Is what right?"
Still holding his pen, Song Yu silently pointed at the girl beside him, who had been thoroughly ignored and looked a little awkward. "How about you tell her what a domain is first?"
The girl managed a strained smile and repeated herself. "Xie Sui, I don't quite understand the explanation in the textbook."
Xie Sui looked at Song Yu in silence, then turned his head and smiled at the girl, elegant and distant. "Sorry, I don't understand it either."
"Perhaps you could memorize it."
His tone was perfectly casual, yet somehow it felt like a veiled jab at her intelligence.
The girl's smile stiffened further, and even the fingertips holding her pen went a little pale. Lowering her head, she said quietly, "Oh, okay."
Song Yu watched the whole thing.
He watched her jog back to her seat, then cover her face with her book in chagrin while a group of girls beside her held back their laughter and comforted her.
Suddenly, his throat felt a little itchy. He wanted to say something.
For example, "You just lost yourself an admirer."
Or, "Do you really not know what a domain is?"
Xie Sui had never lacked admirers in his previous life. He gave Song Yu a bland glance and said, "I know. I just didn't want to answer."
Song Yu said, "...Oh."
Xie Sui reached out and pulled over the messy summary he had scribbled in whatever order things came to mind. "What were you going to ask me?"
Song Yu was touched.
Truly, brothers were like limbs, while women were like clothes!
"This!"
Xie Sui picked up a pen and wrote down the formula he had asked about. Then he casually changed a few other things on the page, instantly creating simple, clear connections between many of the concepts.
Taking back his notebook, Song Yu marveled, "As expected of God Xie." But he was still curious. "Why wouldn't you answer? Even I know what a domain is. Why didn't she ask me while she was at it?"
What a pity. His first chance to interact with a female classmate in high school had slipped right past him.
Although Song Yu acted like he could screw heaven and earth on the forum, his destined-to-die-single scumbag aura practically spilling through the screen, in real life he was quite happy to answer his female classmates' questions. Don't ask. If you did, the answer was that he liked helping people.
Watching his regretful expression, Xie Sui narrowed his eyes slightly and curled his lips into a smile, his tone mild. "Too basic. I generally only answer questions about Lagrange."
Song Yu said, "..."
Fuck you.
Was he never going to let that joke go?
Before the bell marking the end of break, Ma Xiaoding returned like a ghost, carrying a small, exquisite strawberry cake.
One look at his devastated expression made it clear that the discussion had failed. He was still saddled with the position of math class representative.
Xi Bowen could barely hide his delight. "Aw, don't be sad, Brother Ma. Chinese class representative, math class representative-they're both class representatives, aren't they? No difference, no difference."
Ma Xiaoding was on the verge of tears. "How is that the same?! A math class representative who fails math, and I have to go to his office every day to hand in the homework. Just let me die!" But before dying, he still set the cake on Xie Sui's desk, looking aggrieved. "God Xie, a girl from the class next door asked me to bring this to you on the way. She was pretty, too. Probably Class Two's class flower. I think you can eat it without worrying."
Xie Sui lowered his head and glanced at the cake.
A faintly scented sticky note was attached to it, bearing a girl's neat handwriting. Beside "Hello, God Xie" was a smiley face.
Xi Bowen openly expressed his envy. "God Xie is way too popular."
Song Yu clicked his tongue. He'd said so, hadn't he? Without idiot cannon fodder like Zhu Zhixing, Xie Sui's high school life was bound to be full of youthful high spirits. First in the grade, and the school hunk, too. During his school days, he would absolutely be a sensation throughout the school.
But without a second thought, Xie Sui said, "Thank you, but I don't eat sweets."
Ma Xiaoding's eyes lit up, and he said with false concern, "That's such a shame. But she already gave it to me, and I'd feel bad taking it back. How about I help you-"
Song Yu had already raised his hand. "Give it to me. I've never had a cake from a girl before."
Looking miserable, Ma Xiaoding silently swallowed the rest of his words. If Brother Yu was competing with him for food, what could he say?
The smile at the corners of Xie Sui's mouth faded slightly.
He turned to Ma Xiaoding. "You eat it."
Ma Xiaoding: "???"
Song Yu: "!!!"
Song Yu said, "What the-"
Xie Sui opened the first compulsory math textbook and tapped the section on domains with a slender finger.
"Here. I've realized I really might not know what a domain is. Explain it to me."
Song Yu immediately shut up. After several consecutive days of enthusiasm for studying, he finally had a chance to show what he knew. Excitedly, he leaned closer. "Domains are actually really simple. Let me find you a problem. That'll make it clearer."
"..." Xi Bowen and Ma Xiaoding.
"Brother Yu is way too easy to coax."
Behind them, Ma Xiaoding ate the sweet strawberry cake with a spoon. His heart, wounded by math, finally received a little comfort.
Xi Bowen pushed up his glasses, his eyes full of admiration. "I guess this is what makes a study god different. There's nothing solving a problem can't fix. If one doesn't work, then two."
"Fucking awesome!"
Ma Xiaoding raised his fork in agreement.
He was more certain than ever that Brother Yu really was a study god.
The last lesson of the morning was Ou Yilian's. Last time, she had gotten so carried away introducing herself that she had even forgotten to have the students introduce themselves, so their first English lesson became a class meeting.
Ou Yilian was once again in a skirt and high heels, every movement sending out an overpowering waft of perfume.
"We were too pressed for time last time, and nobody in our class has properly introduced themselves yet. Let's use this lesson to get to know each other first."
"We'll start with the first group and go in an S pattern. Come on, you first. Come up to the podium and introduce yourself. Tell us your name and hobbies."
The first girl went up a little shyly and gave her introduction very quickly. After a "Hello, everyone" and her name, she left the platform with a red face. Wang Ci hadn't come to school today, leaving a row of empty seats along with his lackeys. He was already showing his homeroom teacher no respect on the first day of school, but Ou Yilian didn't ask a single question and calmly called on the next student.
Compared with the reserved girls, the boys were a little more outgoing, but their introductions were brief, too.
Ou Yilian frowned, not very satisfied with the result. "Why are you all so shy? You even stumble over introducing yourselves. Then let's do this: write your own name, but don't introduce yourself. Everyone will come up and introduce their deskmate. Surely you won't be shy talking about someone else."
They had chosen their own deskmates, and most knew each other from middle school. The atmosphere immediately livened up. They went up and roasted each other, one witty remark after another keeping the students below laughing nonstop.
Following the S pattern, when it was their group's turn, Ma Xiaoding and Xi Bowen went first.
Ma Xiaoding was always the most hyped person in the room. Though he was supposed to introduce his deskmate, he only said a couple of things about Xi Bowen before rambling about all kinds of unrelated things. In the end, Ou Yilian gritted her teeth and drove him off with sarcastic, impatient remarks.
When Xi Bowen's turn came, the poor little bookworm stammered for ages. "My name is Xi Bowen. Bo as in 'erudite,' and wen as in 'Chinese language.' My deskmate... my deskmate..." Faced with his former middle school tyrant and current deskmate, all he could offer by way of traits and impressions was, "He... he's now the math class representative."
Ma Xiaoding: "..." Fuck. Of all the sore spots to poke.
When it was Xie Sui and Song Yu's turn, the entire class fell silent. After all, they had drawn everyone's attention as soon as school started, yet nobody even knew their names. The girls held their breath and focused so intently that even some of the boys playing games looked up.
Song Yu went up first.
Seeing that it was him, Ou Yilian's expression turned cold, and she had already lowered her head to look at her phone.
He wrote his name on the blackboard with chalk.
Song Yu turned, tossed the chalk into the box, and said simply and crisply, "Song Yu. Yu as in 'metaphor.'"
Ma Xiaoding started cheering, clapping furiously. "Ooooooh! Nice, nice, nice!"
Amid the silence and shock of the entire class, he looked like a complete dumbass.
The whole class: "..."
Song Yu looked at him as if he were an idiot, too.
Perhaps the only shred of shame he possessed had surfaced, because Ma Xiaoding chose to mute himself again.
The classroom fell quiet.
Song Yu was good-looking, with skin so fair it was translucent, light hair, and light eyes. He looked delicate and clean-cut, yet there was always a defiant edge to the way he spoke. Standing on the platform, he was indescribably handsome.
Song Yu. Yu as in "metaphor."
A girl sat in front of the teacher's desk, her hair loose and held by a star-shaped clip. She had a round face and was very cute. When he said his name, her eyes widened, and she froze for a long moment.
She was still dazed.
In the quiet classroom, her voice stood out distinctly.
"Is... is that the Yu in my husband, Brother Yu?"
Author's note: I've decided when to post.
I'll build up a little stockpile today, and from now on, updates will be at eight in the morning. Thank you to all the little angels who cast overlord votes for me or watered me with nutrient solution~
Thank you to the little angel who threw [grenades]: Akiyama Mountain, 1;
Thank you to the little angels who threw [land mines]: Wine Wine Wine Wine Dumpling, A-Jiu, Gu Nian, 2 each; Fu Xun, Gu Huai, m33 Crane, lQinq Cuan Nine, ju Flowers Withered Wounds Everywhere, Madman and Normal Person, Flute Lament Clear Xiao, 31322075, Ye Sheng, Conic Section Nine Twisting Loops, Other Shore · River of Oblivion, A-Ci, A-Lian Wuying, 1 each;
Thank you to the little angels who watered me with [nutrient solution]:
Young Master Tang, Wood's End, Moon Mustard's Fading Glow, Creek Path, 20 bottles each; Cherry Rice Ball 017, 15 bottles; In the Orange, 11 bottles; Instant, Pea Jelly, Brainstorm Researcher, Conceal and Keep, Light Sleeper Sleeper Sleeper Sleeper, Akiyama Mountain, 10 bottles each; Not Wind Not Bunny, Qishui Flows Leisurely, Ah Bei, White Clouds Dot the Green Woods, 33866755, Quail Quail, Little Fangirl, Lu Zhenzhenzhen Shu., Otter Otter, 38109071, Di Za, Blazing Red, Xuan Ji, A-Bu, 5 bottles each; Other Shore · River of Oblivion, Imposing Candy, Yi Hour, Gu Yan, 3 bottles each; Deer Field, Star River, Crab, Wine Garden, Heartless Citrus?, Jia Yiyi, 2 bottles each; Maple Mist, Wanwanze, Mo Mo, 1 bottle each;
Thank you all so much for your support. I'll keep working hard!