Chen Zihan, what's wrong with you?

The sun was setting, but the heat from the playground hadn't yet dissipated. The boys, having just finished their five laps, were drenched, their uniforms sticking to their bodies in patches, like a waterlogged map. Cheng Xiaorui wiped the sweat from his forehead. His bangs, damp and clinging to his brow, trembled with each breath.

The dormitory corridor was filled with wailing sounds - "Where's the hot water?! Why is it gone again?!", "Who used up all my shampoo?!" Cheng Xiaorui had just opened the bathroom door when he heard Zhao Dakun humming a song in the next room with a broken voice, and the tune was more cheerful than that of students after school.

The sound of water splashed for a while, then suddenly stopped. Then Zhao Dakun yelled in panic, "Where are my underwear? Who took my underwear?"

Cheng Xiaorui was lathering his hair when he paused. Through the frosted glass, he saw a blurry figure milling around in the next cubicle, like a monkey whose bananas had been stolen.

"Zhou Mingxuan! Is it you!" Zhao Dakun's voice trembled with anger.

A burst of suppressed laughter came from outside the door, followed by Zhou Mingxuan's innocent response: "What underwear? I don't know!" The ending tone rose, and it was obvious that he was holding back his laughter.

Cheng Xiaorui silently increased the speed of flushing.

The next second, he heard the cubicle door being yanked open, and Zhao Dakun rushed out wrapped in only a towel. Cheng Xiaorui just happened to push open the bathroom door and saw Zhao Dakun in an extremely strange posture, one hand covering the towel, the other hand clinging to the door frame, moving sideways like a crab.

"Ah! Pervert!" Zhao Dakun suddenly screamed, glaring at Zhou Mingxuan, who was standing in the middle of the corridor. Zhou Mingxuan was dangling a pair of underwear printed with a cartoon dinosaur pattern, his teeth bared and his eyes were wide open.

Zhou Mingxuan: “……?”

Cheng Xiaorui: “…”

The air froze for two seconds. Zhao Dakun's face flushed visibly from his neck to his ears, until even his head seemed to be steaming. He lunged at Zhou Mingxuan, his towel fluttering behind him like a white flag of surrender. The two men grappled, completely oblivious to the passing Cheng Xiaorui.

When the bell rang for evening study, Cheng Xiaorui entered the classroom on time. His seat was against the wall, and Lu Zi was sleeping on a table outside, his black shirt revealing a hint of his fair neck.

Cheng Xiaorui stood there for three seconds, hesitating whether to move the back table, but Lu Ziyi suddenly moved - he leaned towards the wall without raising his head, just making a gap for someone to pass sideways.

Cheng Xiaorui: “…”

He carefully squeezed in, trying not to touch the other person's shoulder. Throughout the evening study session, Lu Ziyi maintained the same posture, breathing evenly and deeply, as if he were truly sound asleep. Only Cheng Xiaorui noticed that his eyelashes would unconsciously flutter slightly when the teacher passed by, like alert butterflies.

The bell rang, and Cheng Xiaorui packed his bag a bit faster than usual. At the classroom door, Chen Zihan was waiting for him, leaning against the corridor railing. Her hair, still damp from fresh washing, shone a soft brown under the light.

"Let's go." Chen Zihan took the book from his hand with a smile, and his fingertips accidentally rubbed the back of Cheng Xiaorui's hand, feeling the warmth.

They didn't notice that Lu Zi behind them had raised his head at some point, following the two people's backs with a serious gaze until they disappeared around the corner of the stairs.

The playground track was shrouded in darkness, with only a few streetlights casting a dim glow. Chen Zihan suddenly turned around, walking backwards, facing Cheng Xiaorui. The night breeze brushed against his shirt collar, revealing a patch of pale skin at his collarbone.

"Xiao Rui," his voice was softer than usual, but exceptionally clear, "Let's go on a date on Saturday."

Cheng Xiaorui paused: "Date..."

"Yes, let's go play together." Chen Zihan said with a smile, his eyes sparkling. He was about to say something else when his eyes suddenly widened -

"careful!"

A running figure bumped into Cheng Xiaorui from behind. The moment he lost his balance, he subconsciously grabbed Chen Zihan's collar. They both fell to the ground on the track.

Chen Zihan lay on his back on the track, his back pressed against the slightly damp plastic floor. Cheng Xiaorui pressed his entire body against him, his warmth filtering through his thin school uniform. Droplets of water dripped from the ends of his hair and landed right on the hollow of his collarbone, chilling him to the bone.

The nose tips are less than five centimeters apart.

Too close.

It was so close that she could clearly count the tiny water droplets on Cheng Xiaorui's eyelashes, so close that she could clearly see his fangs faintly visible under his lips which were slightly opened in surprise, so close... Chen Zihan suddenly discovered with horror that a certain part of his body was undergoing uncontrollable changes.

"Yes, I'm sorry!" The boy who bumped into someone was still apologizing in panic.

Cheng Xiaorui was about to stand up with his arms, but his knee accidentally rubbed against the inside of Chen Zihan's thigh.

“Hmm!”

Chen Zihan bit his lower lip hard, swallowing back the moan that was about to escape his lips. He felt as if all the blood in his body was rushing to two places—one was his ears, which were about to burn, and the other was something that absolutely could not be discovered...

No...get up quickly...

He screamed frantically in his heart, but his body seemed to be under a spell. Cheng Xiaorui's questioning gaze fell on his face. His always clear eyes were now filled with dazed water, glowing amber under the streetlight.

"Are you okay?" Cheng Xiaorui's hand was still on his ear.

Chen Zihan closed his eyes in despair. He could feel the fabric of his pants becoming tighter, and Cheng Xiaorui's knee was still pressing between his legs. If this continued...

"I, I'm leaving first..."

He suddenly burst out with amazing strength, pushed Cheng Xiaorui aside and jumped up. The moment he bent down, he turned around quickly, and even his voice changed: "See you tomorrow."

He nearly collapsed as he turned to run, his heart pounding in his chest, threatening to break his ribs and burst out. The night breeze blew across his burning cheeks, but it couldn't quench the heat surging within him.

I’m going to die…

Chen Zihan rushed into the nearest men's restroom and slammed the stall door. Looking down at his energetic "evidence," he buried his face in his hands and wailed silently.

He stared at his flushed self in the mirror as the cold tap water splashed on his face, water droplets dripping down his chin into the sink.

"It's over..." He muttered to himself, "I think... I'm really hopeless..."

The boy in the mirror had a panicked look in his eyes, his lips reddened from biting himself. He mechanically splashed another handful of water on his face, but heard the sound of a flush coming from the cubicle behind him.

Lu Ziyi walked out slowly, wiping his hands. His eyes stayed on Chen Zihan's wet collar and red ears for two seconds, and suddenly he showed a meaningful sneer.

"How embarrassing! He's number one in the grade."

The restroom was filled with the faint scent of disinfectant, and the sound of the dripping faucet was particularly clear in the silence. Lu Ziyi leaned against the sink, an unlit cigarette between his fingers, his eyes fixed on Chen Zihan.

"What are you thinking about when you get close to him?" Lu Ziyi's voice was low and contained a hint of danger.

Chen Zihan was washing his hands when he heard this. Water dripped down his fingertips. He looked up at the mirror and met Lu Ziyi's scrutinizing gaze.

"What does this have to do with you?" Chen Zihan turned off the faucet and shook off the water droplets on his hands. His tone was calm but defensive.

Lu Ziyi sneered and played with the cigarette between his fingers: "Why are you pretending to be stupid? Do you think I can't see it?"

"What did you see?" Chen Zihan turned around and looked directly into Lu Ziyi's eyes. "Is it because I'm nice to him that I have an agenda? What about you? What's your intention when you stare at him all day?"

The air froze instantly.

Lu Ziyi's eyes suddenly turned cold. He stood up and approached Chen Zihan step by step: "You'd better stay away from him."

"Why?" Chen Zihan advanced instead of retreating, his voice cold. "What right do you have to say such things?"

The distance between the two was so close that they could feel each other's breath. Lu Ziyi stared into Chen Zihan's eyes and suddenly pulled the corner of his mouth: "Just because I know what kind of person you are."

"Ha," Chen Zihan sneered, "Then tell me, what kind of person am I?"

Lu Ziyi didn't answer immediately. His gaze lingered on Chen Zihan's face for a few seconds, then he suddenly reached out and pressed against the wall behind him, trapping him between himself and the wall.

"Hypocrisy." Lu Ziyi lowered his voice and spoke word by word, "You treat him well only to satisfy your own selfish desires."

"Do you think everyone is like you?" Chen Zihan laughed out loud, panting, his mouth curled up in an unsightly arc. "You're filthy, so everyone else is filthy, right?"

Lu Ziyi's pupils constricted. Chen Zihan felt the hand gripping his collar tighten, the collar pressing against his throat, making it difficult to breathe.

"What do you know?" Lu Ziyi's voice suddenly became so soft that it was almost inaudible. "You don't know anything at all."

Chen Zihan's pupils shrank slightly, and his fists clenched unconsciously. Just as the atmosphere was tense, the toilet door was suddenly pushed open.

"Uh..." Zhou Mingxuan stood at the door, a lollipop still in his mouth, his eyes darting back and forth between the two of them, "Did I come at the wrong time?"

Lu Ziyi withdrew his hand, took a step back, and his expression returned to his usual indifference.

"Get out." He said without turning around.

Zhou Mingxuan wisely raised his hands, slowly backed out, and considerately closed the door before leaving.

Silence once again enveloped the small space.

Chen Zihan straightened his wrinkled collar and said calmly but firmly, "It's none of your business to interfere in my affairs."

He pushed Lu Ziyi aside and walked straight towards the door. The moment his hand touched the door handle, Lu Ziyi's low voice came from behind him:

"You'll regret this."

Chen Zihan didn't look back, but just replied calmly: "That's my business too."

The sound of the door closing was particularly clear in the empty toilet. Lu Ziyi stood there, staring at the closed door for a long time, and finally crushed the cigarette in his hand.