Chapter 27
Su Yue fled into the classroom and leaned against the door, letting out a long sigh of relief.
The school bell rang, the teacher walked in, and order was restored in the classroom. Su Yue's heart finally settled down.
However, for the entire lesson, the teacher's voice seemed to enter his ears vaguely, as if through frosted glass, only to drift away unnoticed. His thoughts, like a kite with a broken string, drifted aimlessly.
It wasn't just this one class. For the entire following week, and perhaps even the whole month, he remained in this out-of-body state.
Su Yue, who used to get A+ grades in every subject and whose very breath seemed to exude an A+ aura, suddenly developed a strong aversion to the open textbooks. After two months, his grades plummeted like they were on a runaway slide, steadily falling into the B zone.
This precipitous decline left the homeroom teacher completely baffled and deeply troubled. He had no choice but to secretly call Su Yue's parents.
Su's parents had always been easygoing, thinking that getting a B wasn't a big deal, especially since the neighbor's kid with a face full of acne was still suffering in the C zone. But since the teacher had specifically complained to them, the two of them had no choice but to take it seriously.
This observation really caught the fox's tail—the son was hanging out with Martin and John, those two idiots who spent all their time in the B-slot! Isn't this... "one is influenced by one's company," and he's been led astray?
His parents subtly suggested that he should consider making some new, high-quality friends, but Su Yue ignored them.
Just as "League of Legends" launched its epic new expansion, how could the iron triangle of "Peak of the Blue Sky," "Dragon's Destruction," and "God of War" be absent? After school, the roar of the game console once again took over.
However, Martin and John, those two oblivious guys, gradually noticed a subtle chill in the air around the Su family home. Before, Su's parents would always enthusiastically serve them snacks and iced cola like restaurant waiters, but now they just stood in the shadows, silently watching them with a desolate look of "watching their good cabbage being eaten by a pig."
Martin, frantically fiddling with the controller, leaned closer in a low voice: "Are your parents having a cold war lately? The way they look at each other... I feel like they're about to get a divorce."
John added solemnly, "I bet they've already booked appointments with the Civil Affairs Bureau."
Teenagers in puberty often have wildly erratic logic, yet they also possess a kind of beastly intuition.
Su Yue stared at the constantly flashing magical effects on the screen, his eyes as empty as black holes, his tone carrying an almost numb indifference: "Oh, let's get a divorce then."
John pressed, "Then who will they go with if they leave you?" Martin, being pragmatic, swallowed hard and immediately advised his friend, "Go with whoever cooks better."
The word "cooking" was like a rusty, dull knife, piercing into the deepest part of Su Yue's memory without warning.
He couldn't help but think of Noah. Although he had only stayed in that stone house for a short month, every dish Noah made, with its seasoning and cooking time, seemed to have been precisely measured against his taste buds. It was a taste that made him feel "belong" even more than his adoptive parents' cooking.
How did Noah know his subtle taste preferences? It was an unspoken understanding, as if it came from a resonance deep within their souls.
Unfortunately... that person drove him away, without even leaving him a chance to turn back.
“I’m an adult now, I’m not living with anyone, I live by myself.” Su Yue lowered her head dejectedly, her voice filled with a defiant and self-destructive attitude.
"Then give me that 'Blue Sky God' outfit!" Upon hearing this, Martin immediately put his arm around Su Yue's neck like a buddy. "From now on, follow me, and I'll guarantee you'll live a life of luxury and dominate the server!"
“Give it to me! Give it to me!” John retorted, “I’ll give you half of my big apartment, and I promise you won’t be homeless.”
Su Yue finally laughed at these two clowns. He grabbed Martin's fleshy arm and threw him onto the thick carpet with a light over-the-shoulder throw. Then, a feinting hook made John stagger backward: "Keep dreaming! If I give you the equipment, what am I supposed to do? John, your shack is only slightly better than a bridge hole."
"Ouch... I almost fell and hurt myself..." Martin rolled around on the carpet. "This level of injury would take three bags of potato chips to heal."
"The wounded need juice... preferably the kind with ice." John, in a dramatic pose, exaggeratedly clutched his chest and gasped for breath.
Looking at his two best friends who had been there for him through his darkest times, Su Yue wanted to call for his parents' help, but the words caught in his throat. Remembering the thick, oppressive atmosphere in the living room, he sighed and resignedly got up to walk towards the kitchen.
In another corner of the living room, Mr. and Mrs. Su looked at their son and smiled bitterly as they watched him so skillfully "serve" his two cronies.
They used to be able to play together even though their grades were different, but now that they've all gotten Bs, their friendship is probably stronger than steel. Oh well, a B is fine, as long as the kids are happy.
As her grades declined, Su Yue's passion for painting also visibly faded.
In his first year of high school, he was a rising star in the art studio, his works often used as examples by teachers. Every time he picked up a paintbrush, he was surrounded by expectant eyes. But in his second year, his artistic talent seemed to vanish overnight; his paintings became mediocre and failed to elicit any further interest. After numerous disappointments, his teachers selectively ignored him, only using him as a negative example when needed.
As a result, Su Yue also became a frequent visitor to the art studio to "slack off".
For a figure drawing class, the art studio invited a female model with a good figure.
The students maintained their professional demeanor on the surface, but their brushes displayed a greater passion and inspiration than usual. Only Su Yue remained somewhat lost in thought, looking at the model, then at the canvas, making a stroke, then pausing for a long time.
As class was about to end, the boy next to him leaned over to tease him, but when his eyes fell on his drawing, they widened in shock: "Holy crap! Su Yue, what are you drawing? How... how did you draw a guy?!"
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