Chapter 18

[Home of beautiful girls]

-Xia Zishu: Brothers and sisters, don’t leave after school tomorrow, Saturday. Our club is going to hold a work sharing session @ all members

-Xia Zishu: It’s not complicated. Just bring the paintings you’ve drawn since the start of the school year. We’ll try to finish in 40 minutes.

-Xia Zishu: Sharing in a friendly way, helping and loving each other! (heart.jpg)

Because of this notice, early Saturday morning, Gu Fang piled up some of his recent sketches and watercolors, put them in a small canvas bag, and after breakfast, he carried the bag and went to Dongmen Market.

"Hey, what's this about?"

Sister Xi was watching a TV show while eating rice noodles when she heard the doorbell ring and looked over curiously. Gu Fang was a regular customer of hers. Sister Xi had always been a bit of a sociable person, and now she was greeting Gu Fang with an even more familiar air.

Gu Fang held the bag in front of him with both hands, a smile in his eyes: "These are some casual drawings."

Sister Xi didn't look surprised. She placed the red freesias that Gu Fang had ordered last night on the counter, then stood up and lay on the counter, her chin resting on her hands. "I heard that you can draw, little Gu, and you're really good at it, right?"

"It's just okay." Gu Fang carefully examined the condition of the freesia bouquet, his eyes slightly lowered, and he chose his words carefully. "It's just a casual drawing, not as good as a professional one."

"You're only seventeen, Xiao Gu. You're already pretty impressive, right?"

Seeing him examining the bouquet so carefully, Sister Xi suddenly remembered something: "Ah, Xiao Gu, thanks to your advice the other day, my orchid is now alive—it's expected to bloom this winter!"

"But it's really too torturous," Sister Xi waved her hand and sighed, "I don't dare grow a second pot of these flowers. By the way, how's your pot of strawberry mint? How's it going?"

After asking, Sister Xi felt it wasn't a problem. Little Gu had just as much experience tending to plants as she did, and mint and orchid were completely different beasts. "Mint is easy to grow. Just give it a little water and some sunlight, and it'll quietly grow into a large pot without you having to worry about it. Sometimes you have to worry about it growing too vigorously and being hard to control."

But the eyes of the taciturn handsome boy in front of him suddenly lit up.

"I observe it every day," Gu Fang said with a self-satisfied smile, "It looks very obedient, so I don't have to worry about it at all."

Without waiting for Sister Xi to nod, he took out a stack of paintings from his bag and couldn't wait to share: "I draw this every few days. Sister Xi, look, isn't it growing well?"

Sister Xi's eyes lit up. The painting was really good. Even she, who didn't know much about painting, found it so vivid.

Some are watercolors, some are sketches.

Sister Xi nodded as she flipped through the flowers. "They're really obedient, growing just right. They're neither drooping nor overflowing from the pot..."

At this moment, there was a sudden sound of footsteps on the stairs.

"Xi Lu Nong! Did you use my facial cleanser and forget to put it back?" A female O poked her head out from above, "Why can't I find it again—"

There was a sudden pause, and Girl O stared at Gu Fang blankly: "Classmate Gu Fang..."

Gu Fang was also stunned: "...Teacher Su?"

"Ah——!" Teacher Su suddenly covered her face and stomped up the stairs.

Sister Xi calmly explained: "She didn't wear any makeup and was a little shy."

Gu Fang was completely bewildered, but the confusion gradually subsided. "Sister Xi, your partner... is Teacher Su?"

"Ah," Sister Xi said, her chin held high nonchalantly, "That's what your teacher Su said. You're a great painter." Then she looked up and shouted, "Your facial cleanser is in the cabinet on the left on the second floor. I suggest you keep a closer eye next time!"

It was ten minutes later when Teacher Su finished her combat makeup and went downstairs.

Lu Qi had come by halfway, with a stern face, and waved to Gu Fang as a greeting. Then he brought the flowers, took the order, and went to deliver the goods.

Sister Xi showed Su Yan Gu Fang's painting: "This mint painting is great. I like this watercolor. It was painted in the early morning. The colors are so fresh..."

Teacher Su nodded as he flipped through the pages, then couldn't help asking, "Xiao Fang, aren't you planning on taking the art exam?"

Sister Xi interrupted, "Isn't Xiao Gu in the same class as Xiao Lu? They're in the top class, why would they need to take the art exam?"

"You guys are so utilitarian," Teacher Su rolled her eyes. "Can't you just go down this path for your hobbies?"

Sister Xi continued to eat rice noodles: "Okay, okay, for the sake of hobby."

Gu Fang didn't answer, so Teacher Su didn't ask any more questions.

He sat and played with his phone for a while, and the doorbell rang again. Gu Fang looked up, and his originally dull eyes suddenly lit up.

"Hey," Sister Xi raised her hand, "Xiaolu is here."

"Yeah." Lu Si seemed to still have the chill of the early morning air, but in his hands he was holding two steaming bags of soup dumplings. It didn't quite match his temperament, but it also surprisingly matched.

He walked up to Gu Fang and handed him a bag naturally, then rummaged through his pocket and took out a bag of hot milk and gave it to him as well.

The other bag of soup dumplings was left for Lu Qi. Lu Qi left early in the morning, and the dumpling shop she loved was not open yet.

Teacher Su's hand that was flipping through the drawing paper suddenly stopped.

She found a watercolor at the bottom, which seemed to have been accidentally mixed in. It was no longer mint, but had the sunset, windowsill, green shade, and... the boy's profile.

The young man frowned slightly, looking handsome and heroic, but with a hint of distress in his eyes as he looked at the test paper in his hand.

Teacher Su subconsciously looked up at Lu Si.

Lu Si was reaching out to take the freesia handed to him by Gu Fang. The red flowers shaded his delicate profile. He lowered his thin chin and looked at the person in front of him, his eyes slightly blinking.

Gu Fang looked at him: "Today is the last time to change the dressing."

Lu Si lowered his eyes and said, "Yeah." He tilted his head awkwardly, "...Thank you for these two weeks."

Seeing his expression, Gu Fang's tightly pursed lips finally relaxed, and he smiled unabashedly: "You're welcome."

Teacher Su didn't say anything and silently pulled the painting back to the bottom.

As soon as the school bell rang on Saturday afternoon, the students scattered like birds and beasts, cheering.

The campus always empties quickly during holidays. Gu Fang carried his painting bag and walked towards the cultural and sports building on the playground.

The band rehearsal room is just upstairs from the art club.

I don’t know where the school got the money from the people this week, or which kind-hearted person was so kind, but they actually renovated the cultural and sports building, which had not been subsidized for 800 years. The band no longer has to go to the rooftop to enjoy the cool breeze.

Downstairs, the art club members were having a lively discussion about contemporary art history, but upstairs, the rehearsal room was filled with a depressing atmosphere. Lu Si took a deep breath and shouted, "Stop."

The drum set, keyboard, and bass stopped at once, and the three of them carefully stared at Lu Si's cold and tense profile.

Lu Si sat on a high stool, took his hands off the guitar, and frowned, "No, this song is not finished yet. It's useless to rehearse it many times."

Xie Ziyao said cautiously: "I think the degree of completion is quite high..."

"Lao Liang is pushing us too hard," Xiao Yuanshan added, "Si'er, we've already finished this piece quite well."

Mo Ji then advised: "Brother Si, don't be so serious. Just hand this in first, and we can slowly revise it later."

"No, it's different."

When it comes to music, Lu Si is always stubborn to the point of being unyielding. He takes off his glasses, closes his eyes, and pinches his brow, unable to hide his fatigue. "You know my original expectations for this piece. Now this is rubbish, not even a semi-finished product... It can obviously be better. Time is tight, but there's still time..."

He understood that the problem lay with him. He had been too impatient since entering his senior year of high school, and his state of mind was completely off. He used to be able to finish a piece in a short time, but now he couldn't play anything on the guitar.

There was even a shadow of fear hanging over my heart, and my already limited inspiration was about to dry up.

"We can actually use some tunes that won't go wrong..."

Mo Ji suggested in a low voice.

As expected, he received condemning looks from Xie Ziyao and Xiao Yuanshan at the same time.

Xiao Yuanshan patted Lu Si's shoulder and said, "Don't put too much pressure on yourself, Si'er. Senior year is pretty busy. We'll have to talk to Lao Liang soon and reduce the number of performances. How about we stop here for today?"

Xie Ziyao put away his drumsticks and Mo Ji also put down his bass.

Both of them nodded: "Yes, Brother Si, let's take a break this weekend."

After the three people left, Lu Si put on his glasses again, played the guitar a few more times, and wrote down the tune in his notebook.

After repeating this several times, he suddenly stopped writing, stared at the innocent notes with inexplicable anger, drew a few horizontal lines, made a mess of them, and completely messed up the paper.

Lu Si put down his guitar, frowned coldly, and walked aimlessly to the window.

The activities of the art club downstairs seemed to have come to an end, and someone was closing the window.

Lu Si opened the window and let the sunset wind blow his side-parted bangs. When the wind stopped, the hair fell tenderly on the side of his face. Behind the thin glasses, his handsome face showed a bit of hesitation.

Gu Fang walked out of the sports building in the fading light, quietly carrying his schoolbag on his back and his drawing bag in one hand. Beside him, the president of the art club, a man Lu Si had met before, was mumbling something. Gu Fang occasionally tilted his head, his calm, empty blue eyes fixed on him.

The afterglow traced the bridge of her nose and jawline, outlining a graceful halo that was almost unreal in beauty.

The corners of her lips occasionally turn up, bringing out the cuteness that can only be grown in the sunshine.

He must be loved by many people, Lu Si couldn't help but think. If it weren't for the greenhouse of love, such a bright flower wouldn't be able to grow.

There is this kind of person who can make you feel happy just by seeing him.

Little star... Lu Si thought to himself, this is a star that shines wildly.

He drooped his tired eyelids and stared silently at the warm picture of light and shadow through his cold lenses.

Until Gu put down the mountain steps, his figure completely disappeared behind the teaching building.

Lu Sicai took off his glasses, rubbed his eyebrows, and sighed softly.

-Xiao Si, do you and your sister have enough living expenses recently?

-Enough, what's wrong?

Dad transferred an account to me.

-Don’t work too hard in your senior year of high school. Focus on studying and quit any part-time jobs that are too busy first.

-Yeah, I know.

-Please accept the money first, and I will transfer it every month from now on.

-Lu Qi and I earn enough for our living, so you can keep it. The work there is harder, so work fewer night shifts. Your body won't be able to handle the juggling of day and night shifts.

There was silence on the other side for a while.

-You take it first, I will feel at ease here only after you take it.

This time it was Lu Si's turn to remain silent.

-...Okay, but there won't be a next time.

As we enter late September, the physical examination of this semester, which has been a constant complaint for many students, has finally arrived.

The first division of senior year, consisting of ten classes, was assigned to Wednesday afternoon. Physical exams were held at the stadium at the foot of the mountain, with outdoor exams on the playground and indoor exams in the gymnasium.

Each class is led by the class monitor and the cultural and sports committee member, and is divided into three teams according to gender, each team will compete in different events.

The Omegas of Class 2 were led by the cultural and arts committee member Shu Nanzhi. Seeing that there were few people in the gymnasium, they lined up for the indoor events first.

Every time at this time, the people in the Culture and Sports Department always seem to be very busy.

Gu Fang, standing in the line for height and weight measurements, spotted Lu Si from afar, having been missing for several afternoons. He stood beside the instrument, a form in hand, his eyelids drooping lazily as he glanced at the data on the screen and scribbled a few lines.

The Omegas in Class 2 didn't react much, but in Class 6, which was in the front row, some little Os gathered their heads together, looking at Lu Si and talking about something, blushing and laughing from time to time.

Gu Fang tilted his head and looked at Lu Si calmly.

The white school uniform with blue stripes always had a unique aura on him, neat and clean, and with his tall stature and long legs, he lived up to his reputation as one of the "three most handsome boys" at No. 12 Middle School. Even without filters, Gu Fang felt that he would be attracted to him at first sight.

Even after the physical test, the Omega from Class 6 still hadn't approached her to chat with her. It wasn't for any other reason, but simply because Lu Si's reputation as the Premature Love Killer was too well-known.

You can only look but not flirt.

This is the helpless voice of many Omegas in No. 12 Middle School.

"Next--"

Lu Si pressed the tip of the ballpoint pen without raising his eyes.

When his pen reached the name in that column, he paused and looked up: "...Gu Fang."

The transfer student's name was placed in the first column of Class 2.

Gu Fang nodded and stepped out of the line obediently: "Here."

Lu Si said "oh" nonchalantly, glanced at him several times, then lowered his head and ticked his name: "Just stand there."

This was Gu Fang's first time taking a physical test at school, so he couldn't help but feel curious. He looked up and down the equipment and stood on the scale.

Lu Si took a few steps closer and unconsciously lowered his voice: "Just stand still, don't be nervous, it will be fine in a moment."

The deputy head of the sophomore class who was taking notes beside him looked at Lu Si strangely several times - Brother Lu had been standing there for three days and hadn't said a single word except "next one". When did he become so considerate and even comforted people not to be nervous?

No, why should I be nervous about measuring my height and weight?

Gu Fang felt something falling, tapping him lightly on the head, and then rising again.

Lu Si raised his pen and raised his eyebrows: "You have grown taller."

Gu Fang glanced at his height on the list. He had indeed grown two centimeters taller, perhaps because the milk method was very effective.

"But..." Gu Fang fluttered his eyelashes lightly, "How do you know I've grown taller?"

Lu Si seemed to think this was a very strange question, but he was extremely patient. He lowered his eyelids, pointed at the tip of his nose with his slender finger, and then moved it two centimeters upwards: "That's how I can tell."

Gu Fang's gaze lingered strangely on the tip of his white, upturned nose. After a moment, he turned his head away awkwardly, pretending to understand and nodded: "So that's how it is..."

I still don't understand how the naked eye can tell the difference of two centimeters.

Gu put down the instrument. Suddenly, when everyone was queuing up for the test and not paying attention to this side, Lu Si put his hand on his head. Gu Fang's nodding action suddenly froze.

Lu Si was also very uncomfortable, muttering quickly, "It doesn't hurt, does it?" Then, as if realizing that this was stupid, he immediately withdrew his hand and shouted to the team, "Next—"

Gu Fang took a few steps forward with his hands and feet together before he realized that Lu Si had touched his head because the height measuring instrument had tapped his head lightly once.

...Just because of this?

Gu Fang suppressed the burning sensation in his ears and walked to the front of the long jump team with his hands and feet together before he stopped.

Lu Si is really a good person.

His ears were burning, and he spoke slowly in his heart.

It is a treasure that should be cherished.

The author has something to say:

Ding Dong, congratulations to Xiaolu for getting a Good Guy Card