Apart from his family, only Xie Sui and Ma Xiaoding knew his phone number, and his homeroom teacher had it on record. Whoever had texted him must have gotten his information from Ou Yilian.
Who else but Wang Ci would talk in such a disgusting way? Had he missed a day of school to investigate him and Xie Sui?
Song Yu's expression turned icy as he locked his phone and put it in his pocket.
That dumbass Wang Ci had better not come to school tomorrow, or he would beat him until his own fucking mother couldn't recognize him. Getting their parents called in afterward would be the best part. Trash.
PE was the class high school students looked forward to most. As soon as the bell rang, everyone swarmed out. Ma Xiaoding was among the first, dragging Xi Bowen straight downstairs to claim a court.
Before long, hardly anyone remained in the classroom.
Class 1's room was deserted. Now only the two of them were left.
Song Yu turned his head and found Xie Sui still asleep. He tapped the desk twice, leaned over, and said quietly, "Hey, class is starting."
Almost the instant he leaned closer, Xie Sui opened his eyes. His dark eyes were exceptionally alert, without a trace of sleepiness.
Song Yu froze. "Awake already? You weren't sleeping at all, were you?"
Xie Sui offered no explanation. His voice was slightly husky. "Just the two of us left?"
Song Yu proudly claimed credit. "Of course. I was the only one waiting for you."
Xie Sui's lips curved in an inscrutable smile. "How thoughtful."
Because of his mysterious illness, the school had given Song Yu permission to skip PE, but Song Yu had always thought that illness was bullshit and had never taken it seriously. On the way, Xie Sui went to answer a call and told Song Yu to wait downstairs.
As Song Yu headed downstairs, he ran into two girls from the neighboring class.
Both girls froze at the sight of him, stopping in their tracks.
Only when he glanced at them did they snap out of it.
Blushing furiously, they moved against the wall specifically to make way for him.
Only after Song Yu had walked away did he hear their hushed, excited discussion.
"Is that really Brother Yu?!"
"I don't know. Everyone on the forum is tearing each other apart, and there's still no verdict. But whether he is or not, he's so fucking handsome."
"His photo alone made my heart flutter, sob."
The corner of Song Yu's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
Luckily, he had already quit the internet.
Forget all that nonsense. At Jingcheng No. 1 High School, he just wanted to be a top student.
He waited beneath a tree in front of the classroom building for ages before Xie Sui finally came down.
Song Yu asked, "What call took you so long?"
Xie Sui smiled faintly. "Someone unimportant."
High school PE classes generally went through the motions. After a brief running warm-up, students were free to do as they pleased: badminton, basketball, jump rope, basically the same few sports. Once the PE teacher dismissed them, Ma Xiaoding excitedly turned toward Song Yu and bellowed, "Brother Yu! Brother Yu! Want to play basketball?"
Brother Yu. That name was far too popular today. Familiar and unfamiliar faces in their class alike instinctively turned their way.
Fortunately, Song Yu was long used to such attention. He replied flatly, "Tired. Not going."
Ever since seeing him beat someone up last time, Ma Xiaoding had stopped treating him like a porcelain doll. He asked in surprise, "Huh? You're tired after coming downstairs and running a couple of laps? But the teacher won't let us go back to the classroom. What are you going to do if you don't play?"
Song Yu's eyelids drooped. "Can you only study in a classroom?"
Ma Xiaoding: "..."
What else could Ma Xiaoding say? Only, "Wow! Brother Yu is fucking awesome!"
Brother Yu was the most enthusiastic top student he had ever seen when it came to flaunting his top-student persona. Every word out of his mouth was about studying, as if he couldn't survive a second without it.
He was puzzled. If they were both top students, why had God Xie never said a single thing about studying?
God Xie, were you a fake top student?
Just look at our Brother Yu.
Song Yu turned his head and tugged Xie Sui's sleeve. "Come on. Let's go study."
Xie Sui looked at him in amusement. "How?"
"Find somewhere shady to sit. I'll quiz you on 'Changsha, to the tune of Spring in the Qin Garden.'"
Xie Sui withdrew his hand and smiled faintly. "Then forget it."
He couldn't afford that embarrassment.
Song Yu was just about to give him a righteous scolding.
Suddenly, Xi Bowen came running from the other side. The little bookworm's face was red with anger, and he called to Ma Xiaoding from a distance, "Brother Ma! Someone stole the court we claimed!"
Although Xi Bowen looked fair and soft, like a kid who did nothing but bury himself in books, he was surprisingly passionate about basketball.
When he was little, someone had told him playing basketball could make him taller, so he had kept playing all the way into high school.
He and Ma Xiaoding had charged through the crowd after class to claim that court, only to have it snatched away. He felt terribly wronged.
Taking off his glasses, Xi Bowen fumed, "Those guys from Year 2, Class 15! They're practically bandits! Completely unreasonable! I said we got there first, and they actually asked whether we'd written our names on it. If not, it was theirs! They even said to fight them if we had a problem!"
Ma Xiaoding's eyes widened. He really couldn't stand for that. Rolling up his sleeves, he cursed, "Fuck! I was the school tyrant for years in middle school. Like I'm scared of them! Let's fight!"
Before leaving, he remembered that Song Yu was watching nearby. He backed up a few steps, not forgetting to report to him. "Brother Yu, I'm off to uphold justice."
"..."
Everything about Song Yu, from his gaze to his expression, radiated disdain.
He wore the classic contemptuous, scornful expression of a well-behaved, studious student looking at a troublemaking delinquent.
Hopeless. Ma Xiaoding, why the hell are you even in high school?
Xi Bowen had been furious, but he had only wanted to vent. Seeing Ma Xiaoding actually ready to fight, he froze briefly, then immediately chickened out. "No, no, no, don't. Brother Ma, I think we should find another court. Year 2, Class 15 isn't easy to mess with."
Ma Xiaoding said, "What's so scary about them?"
Xi Bowen said urgently, "Year 2, Class 15 has Chen Zhijie, No. 1 High's current school tyrant. He fights like he doesn't care about his life. He's a real troublemaker. Let's not provoke him."
Ma Xiaoding: "..."
Ma Xiaoding wondered if he had misheard. "Who did you say?"
Thinking he didn't know him, Xi Bowen grew frantic and rambled, "Chen Zhijie! Jingcheng No. 1 High School's current school tyrant, Chen Zhijie! The one who forced someone to leave school last semester. I heard he's a black belt in taekwondo and trained in combat, too. He uses actual knives in fights and smashes people's heads with bricks. Fighting him could go seriously wrong. Brother Ma, let's just put up with it. Take a step back, and the world opens up."
Ma Xiaoding: "..."
Ma Xiaoding: "..."
Chen Zhijie?
The guy at the pool hall last time who had tried to act cool, gotten put in his place, then hidden behind Plaid Shirt without saying a word, playing dead?
Ma Xiaoding's fear of No. 1 High's school tyrant had vanished long ago after that. But his underlings were scattered across other classes. Right now, he only had Xi Bowen, who looked like a total weakling.
Meanwhile, Chen Zhijie seemed to have plenty of people.
Outnumbered.
Hiss. A little risky.
Ma Xiaoding lost his nerve and stopped walking. After thinking it over, he turned to Song Yu with a pitiful, aggrieved look. "Brother Yu, someone's bullying me."
Having watched everything, Song Yu gave him a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Oh. Good."
Delinquents like Ma Xiaoding deserved a beating, one that would make them abandon fighting for books and study properly.
Xi Bowen froze. "Wait, Brother Ma, why are you talking to Brother Yu like that? Brother Yu studies. He doesn't know how to fight at all. You want him to stand up for you? Aren't you putting him in harm's way?"
Ma Xiaoding gave him a pitying look, unwilling to explain too much.
He turned back and persistently played the victim to Song Yu, appealing to both emotion and reason.
"Brother Yu, I misspoke. This isn't about me being bullied at all. It's about Class 1's dignity."
"They just snatched the court we claimed. They're showing Class 1 no respect whatsoever!"
"Brother Yu! We need a sense of class pride!"
Song Yu turned to Xie Sui. "If we're not reciting 'Changsha,' teach me Newton's third law."
Xie Sui suppressed a laugh. "Should I teach you the first and second laws first?"
Afraid the two of them would leave, Ma Xiaoding was almost crying. Abandoning all dignity, he whined, "Brother Yu, I want to play basketball. QWQ."
Song Yu: "..."
Xi Bowen was full of questions. "Q what Q?"
They had been making a commotion for some time. In fact, many of their classmates hadn't gone far and were secretly watching.
The girls whispered among themselves.
"What happened?"
"I think someone stole their court."
"Year 2, Class 15. Chen Zhijie's crowd."
"Huh? Chen Zhijie? That big boss in Year 2?"
"What do you mean, Year 2's big boss? He's the school tyrant."
"Hiss-"
School tyrants, big bosses. Was he the only person in this whole school who wanted to study properly?
Song Yu despaired of his surroundings. Pestered beyond endurance by Ma Xiaoding, he frowned. "Are you done?"
Ma Xiaoding blinked, looking utterly pitiful.
The sight left Xi Bowen dumbstruck.
Song Yu's mouth twitched. He turned to Xie Sui. "Wait a moment. I'm going to uphold justice first."
Xie Sui smiled. "All right." Yuyu really was righteous.
The basketball courts were right beside the sports field.
Several classes had PE together this period, from Year 1 through Year 3, so it was especially crowded.
The name Xie Sui of Year 1, Class 1 had long swept through No. 1 High. Quite a few older girls had gone specifically to the stands just to see him.
With Xi Bowen leading the way, Ma Xiaoding strode ahead, swaggering like a crab.
Watching Ma Xiaoding walk in a way that could get him dragged off the street and beaten up, Song Yu finally snapped. "Him acting like that up front makes it look like I'm going to fight."
Xie Sui laughed. "Aren't you?"
Song Yu's eyes widened slightly. "I'm going to reason with them, all right? First come, first served. It's a matter of manners. Why resort to violence when we can resolve it by talking? Civilized society, understand?"
Xie Sui listened quietly without arguing.
After some thought, Song Yu said unhappily, "So, in your eyes, I'm just a delinquent who only knows how to fight?"
Xie Sui was getting addicted to teasing him. Lowering his eyes, he smiled. "No. You can make phone calls, too."
Song Yu stared at him expressionlessly.
"Oh."
Who did I make that call for?
Had all those compliments about being smart, cute, and kind this morning gone to the dogs?
Xie Sui was already a prominent figure, and with Song Yu's unconfirmed identity added to the mix, their commotion drew plenty of attention. People on the sports field quietly approached, converging on the basketball courts.
A group from Year 2, Class 15 had just emerged from the equipment room carrying basketballs, but Chen Zhijie wasn't leading them.
It was a big guy they hadn't seen that day.
Ma Xiaoding spoke aggressively. "Didn't you say to come fight if we had a problem? We're here. Come on! Where's your boss? Where's Chen Zhijie? Gone off to hide like a coward?"
Behind him, Song Yu's face turned livid as he grabbed his shoulder and dragged him back.
Ma Xiaoding said, "Hey, hey, Brother Yu, what are you doing? I haven't finished talking tough."
Song Yu ignored him. Composing himself, he said with perfect courtesy, "Hello, fellow student..." They could discuss who had the right to the court.
But before he could finish, the big guy snorted, holding his basketball, and said smugly, "Chen Zhijie? He abdicated yesterday. Lost his fucking mind and suddenly started studying. Even dyed his hair back. I'm No. 1 High's school tyrant now. I'm Class 15's boss, Gao Feng!"
Song Yu clenched his teeth and continued evenly, "...Our classmates claimed this court first."
Gao Feng wiped his nose with his thumb and sneered. "A fight! Come on! Today's the day I make my name and establish my authority! After today, the whole school will know their school tyrant has been re! Placed!"
Song Yu took a deep breath. "...We should respect first come, first served, so could everyone take a step back?"
Gao Feng kept talking to himself. "Brothers! Bring out your weapons!"
Song Yu closed his mouth and looked at him coldly.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Ma Xiaoding trembled behind him, looking at Gao Feng as if he were a brave warrior sacrificing himself to blow up a bunker.
Noticing something off about the atmosphere, Gao Feng finally turned his attention to Song Yu. Seeing how delicate and scholarly he looked, he sneered disdainfully. "What the fuck were you babbling about just now? Trying to say you got here first, so we should move? Oh, why don't you call out to the court and see if it answers?"
Ma Xiaoding looked deeply pained and regretful.
Brother, you're playing with fire. No, you're playing with your life.
Xi Bowen couldn't bear to watch anymore. He couldn't understand why Brother Ma had dragged Brother Yu, who only wanted peace and quiet to study, into this.
Song Yu composed himself.
Fuck.
There was no reasoning with this.
He exhaled, looked at Gao Feng, and smiled.
"I don't know whether it'll answer, but I do know that when I call you 'son' in a moment, you'll answer whether you want to or not."
Gao Feng's eyes widened.
Song Yu flexed his wrist, his voice icy. "If you don't, I'll beat you until you do."
Author's note: Thank you to the little angels who sent me overlord tickets or watered me with nutrient solution~
Thank you to the little angel who sent [deep-water torpedoes]: Xiaohe, 1;
Thank you to the little angels who sent [grenades]: The Other Shore · River of Forgetfulness and Nana nei, 1 each;
Thank you to the little angels who sent [land mines]: Madman and Normal Person, 2; nightingale, Young Master, Muyang, Gu Nian, Wang Jue, Zuo as in Left, mini, Twelve, Green Bamboo Hat, Conic Curves with Nine Twists, l Qin q Cuan Jiu, 39487597, Jam, and Luan Su, 1 each;
Thank you to the little angels who watered me with [nutrient solution]:
ruin, 60 bottles; Little Boat, 55 bottles; Mental Weight Loss ** Check It Out, 50 bottles; Peach Full Moon, 30 bottles; Qizi, Bright Moon Leaning into Late Autumn, Time and You Are Both Hard to Keep, Big Orange, and Ren Shengya, 20 bottles each; nili Li., 18 bottles; Sea, 15 bottles; Chen Jiujiu, Jia'an, Su Asong, Huaitang, and Wuhe, 10 bottles each; Steam-Roasted Whale, 9 bottles; Never Getting a Chicken Dinner, 8 bottles; daidai, Marriage Certificate, Brewing Fragrance, mini, Young Master, One Drunken Night Topples a City, Lantern Shadows Touring Boats Painted Towers Flying Red, and Xuanji, 5 bottles each; y...Once Beautiful as a Flower Too, 3 bottles; Cutie, Lu Ye, Star River, Cherish Little Tan, and A Drop in the Ocean, 2 bottles each; Civil Affairs Bureau, Baili Xing, Xinxin Cutie, Homebody ni, Gu Qing, A White Horse Is Not a Horse, Year After Year Ya, Ginger Hater, Zhang Qiling's Little Wife, Keep It Up Today Too Ya, doyizi^, Shuzhu Ling, and Mo Yue, 1 bottle each;
Thank you so much for all your support. I'll keep working hard!