It's likely to rain again in the evenings of July.
The cicadas' chirping, carried by the sweltering air, pressed down in waves through the sycamore leaves, while the electric fan groaned weakly, making the classroom unbearably stuffy.
Gou You, sitting in the last row of the second group near the door, slumped in his chair, wiping the condensation from his glasses. His tone was somewhat desperate: "Brother Yan, when are we going to get this crappy air conditioner in our classroom fixed? If it's really not working, ask Mom to get us a new one. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll die before we even finish our tutoring."
The boy next to him lowered his eyelids and ignored him. He quickly swiped his finger on the phone screen, pressed down with his fingertip, and the screen went dark two seconds later.
[Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!]
"Holy crap, Sheng Yan, are you cheating? I hadn't even seen him yet, and you already headshot him!" Zhu Peng, sitting in the front row, took off his headphones, turned around, and looked incredulous.
Gou You chuckled: "Ren Yan is a legitimate, state-certified shooting athlete. Can you compare to him?"
Zhu Peng rolled his eyes: "How can these be the same thing?"
"How can it be the same thing? Take that guy from India, for example. He was addicted to PUBG, and he ended up being sent to the Olympics. If our Brother Yan hadn't had other ambitions, who knows, he might be showing his handsome figure at the next Olympics, right, Brother Yan?" Gou You winked at Sheng Yan, flattering him effusively.
Sheng Yan didn't even bother to look at him. He leaned back in his chair, tilted the chair back, and casually brushed his sweat-dampened bangs: "Just say you want to change the air conditioner."
When his bangs were swept back, the still-fresh dark red wound on the side of his eyebrow was revealed, making his features look handsome yet somewhat sharp. Coupled with his nonchalant attitude, the air of a pampered young master was fully revealed.
Good looks, good family background, good at sports, and good at playing games.
No wonder girls like him.
No, it shouldn't be limited to girls; I like him too.
Especially after learning that all the air conditioners in Shiwai were sponsored by Shengyan's mother, this affection only intensified.
Thinking of this, Gou You chuckled and said, "Then thank you in advance, Mom."
"You've got guts." Sheng Yan looked at Zhu Peng. "Want to come again?"
"Come on, come on, you have to come."
Zhu Peng hurriedly restarted the game.
The final exams just finished these past two days, and the teachers are busy grading papers. There's no one on duty during evening self-study sessions, so it would be a waste of resources not to take advantage of this time to get better grades by learning from experienced teachers.
Zhu Peng then asked Gou You, "Are you coming? With my sister, it'll be a perfect four-person team."
"No, I'm reading."
Gou You tapped the thick, yellow-covered book on his desk.
Sheng Yan glanced at it casually—"After Obtaining the Wish System, I Reached the Pinnacle of Life"
It doesn't look like anything legitimate.
He looked away, his interest waning: "You call this a book?"
"How can this not be called a book? Don't discriminate against online literature, okay?" Gou You pushed up his glasses. "Besides, I think this book is especially suitable for you."
Sheng Yan didn't even lift his eyelids.
Gou You pulled the chair closer, lowered her head, and whispered, "Do you know what this book is about?"
Sheng Yan: "Speak."
"It's about a student who's constantly being suppressed in school. On his birthday, he gets drunk and inexplicably gets bound to a wish-granting system. Then he starts beating up the top students, kicking the student council president, hugging the school beauty, getting into Tsinghua or Peking University, and reaching the pinnacle of life. In this part of the story, the protagonist just sent the student council president to a nightclub to be a gigolo. Isn't that exciting?" Gou You's voice was soft, but he couldn't hide his excitement.
Sheng Yan couldn't help but glance sideways: "How come this kind of book is suitable for me?"
Gou You winked and said, "Don't you want so-and-so to do that too?"
"Who is it, who is it?"
“Oh, who else could it be? They’re all student council presidents now, except for Qin…” Gou You asked excitedly, but then stopped abruptly.
He felt that there was something off about the voice that had asked him that question.
It was cold, low, and strangely pleasant to hear, but it wasn't Sheng Yan's; it was coming from above.
It looks a bit like...
Gou You looked up blankly.
Sure enough, there was another person at the back door.
He was very tall with excellent proportions. His school uniform was buttoned up to the top, and his trousers were neatly pressed without a single wrinkle.
Her eyes were long and narrow with inner double eyelids, the corners were narrow and the color was dark. Her jawline was sharp and distinct, her lips were straight, and her skin was so white under the light that it seemed to emanate a cool aura.
Wearing the nameplate of "[Student Council President]", holding a pen and duty book, he stood expressionless at the back door, and the entire Class 6 of Grade 11 didn't even need to change the air conditioner.
So, when the words were about to come out of Gou You's mouth, he suddenly changed his mind and said in a righteous and stern voice: "Except for Qin Zigui, there is not a single good person among them!"
Promising.
The moment Sheng Yan heard the voice, he knew that some unpleasant, icy-faced guy was back again. He didn't even bother to turn his head, just scoffed inwardly, and then replied in a cocky tone, "You're right, it really suits me. Anyway, if I had such a system, the first thing I would do is to wipe out all the pretentious people in the world."
It was very provocative.
Qin Zigui, however, acted as if he couldn't hear, his gaze lowered indifferently as he wrote in the duty log: "Zhu Peng and Gou You from Class 6, Grade 11, violated discipline during evening self-study, one point deducted from conduct score. Sheng Yan from Class 6, Grade 11, violated discipline during evening self-study, one point deducted for non-compliance with school uniform regulations, three points deducted for fighting..."
"Wait a minute." Sheng Yan interrupted impatiently, raising an eyebrow. "Which eye of yours saw me fighting?"
Qin Zigui lowered his eyelids, his gaze falling unobstructed on the wound about four or five centimeters long on the side of his eyebrow: "Or maybe it was a cat scratching you."
Sheng Yan: "..."
Your cat can scratch like this.
"So what's the reason for this fight this time?"
Qin Zigui's tone remained as cold as an AI law enforcement officer.
Sheng Yan tried to detect any emotion beyond mere business acumen in his voice, but failed, and a sense of inexplicable irritation arose within him.
Just as he was about to huff out "None of your business," he was interrupted by a clear "Sheng Yan."
He turned his head and saw a pretty girl with her hair in a bun appear at the back door at some point.
She seemed oblivious to Qin Zigui beside her, and handed Sheng Yan a small blue box with a Doraemon pattern on it: "I just heard about what happened at noon when you got into a fight with those vocational high school kids because of me. Thanks. This is a band-aid, put it on quickly, don't leave a scar."
So, Sheng Yan sneaked out to fight at noon because of the class beauty?
Upon hearing this, the crowd near the back door, who had been pretending to be dead, instantly came to life, rubbing their hands together, eager to try their luck and prepare for a three-part spectacle.
Then Qin Zigui coldly said, "Lin Qian from Class 1, Grade 11, skipped class during evening self-study, deduct one point."
Lin Qian turned around in disbelief: "?"
Qin Zigui remained unfazed: "Sheng Yan from Class 6 of Grade 11 caused trouble during lunch break, deduct three points."
Sheng Yan: "??"
Qin Zigui mechanically traced the words with his pen: "Anyone in Class 6 of Grade 11 who chats privately during evening self-study will have one point deducted."
Netizens: ???
Seemingly oblivious to the shocked and indignant gazes around him, Qin Zigui's tone remained flat: "By the way, just a reminder, superficial wounds can be disinfected with iodine. These cartoon-patterned bandages don't breathe well, so it's better not to use them in the summer."
After saying that, he turned and left with two officers from the Discipline Inspection Department without looking back.
After a brief silence.
Lin Qian turned around and asked, "Why do I feel like he doesn't quite like me?"
Sheng Yan lowered his head and twirled his pen: "No, he just doesn't like me."
That seems to be true.
After all, everyone at Shishi Foreign Language School knows that the two most handsome guys in the second year of high school are very much at odds with each other.
One is first in the grade, the other is last in the grade; one is in the best class, the other is in the worst class, the sixth class.
One is constantly praised as a rising star in a column, while the other is constantly criticized in a public notice under the national flag.
One is clearly a model student who is upright, law-abiding, and disciplined; the other is clearly a lawless and troublesome rich kid.
In addition, Qin Zigui was the student council president, in charge of student discipline, while Sheng Yan was the most undisciplined. As a result, the two became irreconcilable enemies.
Therefore, onlookers have become accustomed to such scenes.
Lin Qian casually reassured him, "It's alright, they were already being very lenient by not taking your phones. If you don't need this band-aid, I'll take it. Go to the infirmary and get it treated yourself."
Sheng Yan hummed in agreement.
They clearly weren't interested in chatting.
Lin Qian didn't linger any longer and waved her hand, saying, "I'll give you a birthday present tomorrow."
Then he leisurely strolled back to his class.
The back of the classroom finally returned to quiet.
Zhu Peng, whose phone was almost confiscated, and Gou You, who was caught speaking ill of Qin Zigui, also breathed a sigh of relief.
Zhu Peng turned around and asked in a low voice, "Did you go out to fight at noon because of Lin Qian?"
"No," Sheng Yan replied casually. "It's just that a few days ago after school, I ran into that blond idiot from the vocational high school who was blocking Lin Qian in the back street. Today at noon, when I went to the internet cafe, I ran into them swearing again, so I just gave them a good talking-to."
Lin Qian is beautiful, academically excellent, and a kind person; she can be considered the goddess of the entire grade.
Upon hearing that his goddess had been cornered by thugs from the vocational high school next door, Zhu Peng was instantly enraged: "What kind of idiot dares to bully girls from our school? A toad trying to eat swan meat, doesn't he even know if he's worthy of her!"
Sheng Yan had no feelings for Lin Qian, nor was he as indignant as him; he simply couldn't stand seeing girls being bullied.
But unexpectedly, the blond guy was carrying a knife. If he hadn't reacted quickly, he probably would have been disfigured. Fortunately, he was not seriously injured in the end, and the guy just got away.
However, if this kind of scoundrel isn't disciplined and behaved, he'll probably keep acting up in the future.
As Sheng Yan was thinking, his phone screen lit up, and he took it out to look.
[Ran Ge from Internet Cafe]: Sheng'er, those idiots from the vocational high school are here again. I heard from them that they're going to ambush your friend tomorrow night. Have you said anything about it?
Shiwai is usually under closed management. Recently, because the final exams were over, all other grades were on holiday, leaving only the students going from Grade 11 to Grade 12 to stay at school for extra classes. So, they were allowed to eat lunch and dinner outside.
Nothing else, except that it makes it convenient for hooligans from other schools to come and cause trouble from time to time.
As for the explanation...
There's no explanation.
If you can't avoid beating the honest one, then beat the honest one.
Sheng Yan replied briefly with "[Wait for me]", put away his phone, and took his backpack out of the desk: "I'm leaving now, call me if you need anything."
Zhu Peng hurriedly asked, "We're still in evening self-study session, where are you going?"
Sheng Yan slung his backpack over his shoulder: "Those vocational high school students are at Ran Ge's internet cafe."
Upon hearing that it was this bunch of losers, Zhu Peng and Gou You immediately perked up: "Don't they expect us to come along?"
"Bring me my ass." Sheng Yan refused without even thinking: "You two can do whatever you want, don't bother me."
After saying that, he slung his backpack over one shoulder, turned around, and left the classroom.
It was almost 8 p.m., and the sky was completely dark. The campus was sparsely populated, and even the security guard was dozing off from the heat.
Sheng Yan skillfully bypassed the cameras in the corridor and the ecological park, walked to a small bamboo grove behind the teaching building that was a blind spot for surveillance, and threw his schoolbag over the wall with a swing of his arm.
Then he took a few steps back, just as he was about to take a running start and leap, when a hurried voice suddenly came from behind: "Brother Yan! Wait for us!"
Sheng Yan stopped and turned around. He saw two familiar, furtive figures crouching low as they crept towards him. He couldn't help but ask with disdain, "What are you two doing?"
The two men shuffled up to him, straightened their backs, and gave a standard salute: "We were worried that they outnumbered us and that the general would be outnumbered, so we came to help."
That's quite a righteous thing to say.
Sheng Yan didn't believe a word of it: "If you want to stand up for Lin Qian, just say so."
"Hehe." Having his thoughts exposed, Zhu Peng didn't argue. "We did have that intention. Otherwise, we can't just stand by and watch the girls in our school get bullied and do nothing, can we? That would be so unmanly."
“Exactly.” Gou You chimed in, “But don’t worry, Brother Yan, we won’t steal your thunder. Once we’ve beaten those bastards down, we’ll leave. It won’t affect how you shine brightly in Lin Qian’s heart.”
"Yes, we will absolutely not affect the progress of your relationship with Lin Qian." Zhu Peng nodded firmly, his expression appearing extremely loyal.
Sheng Yan didn't understand: "What do you mean?"
Neither of them understood: "What...what do you mean?"
Sheng Yan frowned and asked, "What kind of emotional progress have I made with Lin Qian?"
Zhu Peng and Gou You were dumbfounded: "Aren't you and Lin Qian having an affair?"
Sheng Yan: "??"
The two of them: "???"
Sheng Yan finally couldn't hold back: "Are you two crazy?"
Zhu Peng couldn't hold back either: "What's wrong with us? Last year on your birthday at the karaoke bar, Lin Qian confessed her feelings to you, didn't she? You didn't reject her, and you even took her home. Qin Zigui and I all secretly saw it, and you still won't admit it?"
"Who said I didn't refuse? I just didn't want to embarrass a girl in that kind of situation. I made it clear on the way home that we would just be friends from now on, and that was the end of it. How did it become a secret relationship for you two?" Sheng Yan thought these two were simply out of their minds.
The two people with mental problems: "..."
A slightly awkward silence followed.
Zhu Peng and Gou You tentatively asked, "Really not?"
Sheng Yan was annoyed: "Should I call Lin Qian now?"
"No, no need."
Zhu Peng and Gou You quickly waved their hands.
Sheng Yan is a man who always dares to take responsibility for his actions.
Since he said so, it must be true.
It's just a shame they thought they had some earth-shattering secret and kept it a secret for a whole year, only to find out it was all a misunderstanding.
“However…” Gou You hesitated, then couldn’t help but ask, “If you and Lin Qian have nothing going on, then how did you and Qin Zigui break up?”
Sheng Yan: "?"
Gou You pushed up his glasses: "Before, there were rumors that Qin Zigui and Lin Qian were a couple in the same class, so we thought they were actually together, and then you, Yan-ge, interfered, stole her away, and then you and Qin Zigui had a falling out..."
Seeing Sheng Yan's expression turn visibly agitated, Gou You quickly added, "We have a basis for this speculation. Otherwise, why would you two be as close as brothers before, only to suddenly break up after your birthday last year? If it's not because of that, what else could it be?"
This time, it was Sheng Yan's turn to remain silent.
He couldn't very well tell them that he himself didn't know why he and Qin Zigui had fallen out.
All he knew was that when he happily went to ask Qin Zigui for a birthday present that night, all he got in return was Qin Zigui's words: "Sheng Yan, we are not on the same path. It's better to keep our distance and go our separate ways in the future."
Thinking of this, Sheng Yan felt extremely frustrated and didn't want to continue discussing this topic. He replied irritably, "It's not the kind of nonsense you're thinking of. I just really hate Qin Zigui for always showing off and meddling in other people's business. It's really annoying."
“That’s true.” Gou You recalled Qin Zigui’s behavior during evening self-study and expressed understanding, “However…”
"And what?"
Sheng Yan was speechless.
Gou You pushed up his glasses, his squinty eyes behind the lenses gleaming with an all-seeing light: "But Brother Yan, you don't actually dislike girls, do you?"
Sheng Yan: "??"
“Otherwise, if a goddess of Lin Qian’s caliber confessed to you, how could you remain unmoved? That doesn’t make sense.” Gou You’s expression and tone were very confident.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Peng immediately widened his eyes, covered his collar, took two steps back, and looked at Sheng Yan in horror, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Sheng Yan: "..."
Go to hell with your father's grandpa.
What sins did he commit to deserve such two scoundrels?
Not wanting to say another word to these two mentally challenged kids, he leaped up, grabbed the top of the wall, pushed off, and flipped himself over. Then he gave them a disdainful look from above: "Don't worry, I'm straight, and even if I were gay, I'd like Qin Zigui, that emotionless AI show-off..."
I won't like you either.
The rest of his words got stuck in Sheng Yan's throat, and he couldn't say them.
As he turned to jump, he saw a familiar figure on the other side of the wall.
Tall, long legs, narrow double eyelids, fair skin.
He stood precisely where he expected the landing point, holding a pen, flipping through his notebook, and writing something with his head down.
Seemingly sensing Sheng Yan's attention, she slightly lifted her eyelids to meet his gaze, and indifferently uttered four words: "Thank you for your kindness."
Then he lowered his eyelids again and finished writing that line of beautiful regular script in his notebook—[Sheng Xiaoyan, a student from Class 6, Grade 11, was caught on the spot for verbally enticeing law enforcement officers; the attempt was successful; five points added.]
Author's Note:
Qin Zigui: I only heard six words, don't ask me what those six words were.
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