Chapter 32
After class, Tong Yao noticed that the person standing at the door had disappeared.
Without giving it much thought, she prepared to go to the physics office to ask about the evening's homework.
I had just reached the office door.
Then Lin Li's voice came from inside.
"Teacher Xu, I want to be the physics class representative."
Teacher Xu's heart skipped a beat. She knew that Lin Li had always been someone who hated trouble. He didn't even want to be the cleaning team leader in the second year of junior high school. Teacher Liu often complained to them that Lin Li was a particularly naughty student with no sense of responsibility.
Now she's even volunteering to be the class representative.
Teacher Xu carefully examined Lin Li.
The boy wore black-rimmed glasses, his expression serious and earnest, his eyes filled with longing and anticipation for becoming the class representative.
But she also quite liked Xu Feng; he was reliable and capable.
"How about this, if your score is higher than Xu Feng's in the next monthly exam, you can be the class representative."
"Why next time?" Lin Li asked, puzzled.
"Because the monthly exam is already over," Teacher Xu said, pulling out the report card from the folder.
"You definitely didn't get as high a score as Xu Feng this time, so the teacher said you'll have another chance next time. The teacher is very happy that you're willing to take the initiative to improve yourself..."
The next second, her words caught in her throat.
Lin Li, unaware of what she had seen, also moved closer.
Then Lin Li smiled.
"Teacher Xu, I got 98 in physics on the monthly exam! Second in the class, so I can be the class representative now!"
Then, after only a second of surprise, Teacher Xu shook her head and said, "You've been working very hard lately, but this grade must be due to a misspelling of your name."
Clearly, she didn't believe Lin Li could get such a high score.
"Oh, I see."
Lin Li was also a little uncertain. After the monthly exam, he had forgotten to check his scores, and now he didn't know if his name had really been misspelled.
"Teacher Xu, Lin Li's name is correct. He did indeed score 98 points this time."
Tong Yao stepped in and said calmly.
"Teacher Liu has the final report card. Teacher Xu can go and see it if she doesn't believe me. Lin Li ranked 6th in the class in this monthly exam."
"Chinese 124, Math 148, English 125, Physics 98, Chemistry 100. Except for History and Politics which were just passing, all other subjects were excellent."
Lin Li stood there, stunned.
She actually remembered her grades so clearly...
Thinking about her history and politics grades, Lin Li looked away shyly. She used to often bring Tong Yao's books and say she wanted to read them, but she only got a passing grade.
Teacher Xu was also shocked by Lin Li, but she quickly accepted it the next second. Many students will suddenly realize their mistakes in their final year. Lin Li may be one of the more talented ones.
She thought for a moment and said, "How about this, you, Tong Yao, and Xu Feng will all be my class representatives. If anyone gets a lower grade in the final exam, they will be removed from the class."
Tong Yao asked, "Teacher Xu, what is the homework tonight?"
Teacher Xu said, "It's the correction questions on the test paper we assigned before."
After receiving the answer, Tong Yao turned and left.
Lin Li quickly waved to Teacher Xu, and then left with Tong Yao.
On the way back to the classroom.
Tong Yao slowed her pace and walked alongside Lin Li, her voice soft: "Why do you want to be the class representative?"
Lin Li blushed for a moment, unconsciously pushing up her glasses with her fingers, but still looked at her honestly: "Because... being the class representative means I can help you with homework and discuss problems, and I can spend more time with you."
Upon hearing this, Tong Yao fell silent for a moment, only her slightly reddened ear tips betraying her emotions.
“Naive,” she said softly, her tone calm, but she quickened her pace and walked ahead.
Lin Li watched her retreating figure, his eyes crinkling behind his glasses—he knew this was Tong Yao's way of being shy.
He smiled and chased after her, naturally taking her hand in his.
Tong Yao's hand stiffened slightly, she struggled lightly for a moment, then let him hold it. The warmth of their palms touching soothed their throbbing hearts.
They didn't notice that Cheng Yu was standing quietly at the toilet door at the end of the corridor.
She stared intently at their clasped hands, her eyes icy. The gleaming tiled wall reflected her now slender figure; the once obese Cheng Yu seemed to have never existed.
---
Lin Li led Tong Yao by the hand, walking all the way from the physics office back to their classroom floor.
Tong Yao gently pulled her hand away, afraid that her teacher or classmates would see.
Lin Li gripped it even tighter.
"Pervert!" she whispered angrily, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"I'm not a pervert!" Lin Li suddenly stopped, her face turning bright red to her ears. Her voice rose involuntarily, then she hurriedly lowered it, stammering, "That day...that day was...my first kiss. I'm not a pervert!"
He should have kept quiet, because the moment he brought it up, Tong Yao's face turned completely red, and even her neck became flushed.
"Who...who asked you that!" She was both embarrassed and annoyed, shaking off his hand. "I'm going back to the classroom!"
Then, two ripe cherry tomatoes walked quickly into the classroom, one after the other.
---
Xu Feng, sitting in his seat, took in the whole scene, and his heart sank.
He forced a smile and asked casually, "What...where have you two been?"
Tong Yao quickly regained her usual cool expression, calmly answering while tidying up her books:
"Lin Li went to tell Teacher Xu that he wanted to be the physics class representative."
She paused, as if to comfort him, or perhaps to explain, "You don't need to worry about it. He's probably just having a passing fancy. He'll probably get bored in a few days and give up."
Xu Feng paused, looking at Tong Yao's calm profile, then glanced at Lin Li at the door, whose face was full of undisguised smiles, and nodded stiffly.
---
The homeroom teacher didn't react much to Lin Li's new seat, only complaining that he was blocking the way by sitting near the door and telling him to be more careful.
Lin Li felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickly moved the tables and chairs to the side to avoid obstructing anyone's passage.
During class, his gaze involuntarily drifted towards Tong Yao's back.
Soon, a small crumpled piece of paper landed precisely on his desk. Unfolding it, he saw Tong Yao's neat handwriting:
If your political history can't be improved, then move to the back door for some back-door flings.
Lin Li immediately sat up straight and obediently took out his textbook—Tong Yao couldn't be seen through the back door. He studied with extra focus and, sure enough, stopped daydreaming and spacing out.
After physics class, Ms. Xu gave each of the three class representatives a set of advanced test questions and asked them to select the questions that needed to be explained.
Xu Feng studied it for a long time, and finally turned to Tong Yao helplessly: "Tong Yao, do you have any ideas about this problem?"
Tong Yao put down her pen, took the test paper, glanced at the questions, and said definitively, "This question is beyond the syllabus; it tests high school knowledge, which you don't need to master."
A hint of reluctance flashed across Xu Feng's face, but he forced a smile and said, "Then... could you tell me the general idea?"
Tong Yao shook her head awkwardly: "I'm sorry, I only know that it's beyond the syllabus, and I'm not very clear about the specific high school knowledge points involved. If you're really interested, you'd better go to the office and ask the teacher."
Just then, Lin Li returned from playing basketball, his forehead still damp. He had been warmly invited by Wang Hao and the others to the court, and also wanted to inquire about Cheng Yu's situation, so he went to stretch his legs.
(After he got home, he checked the QQ account. It was a secondary account, but he was almost certain that the person who took the photos was Cheng Yu.)
Lin Li took off her coat, her body steaming, and slumped on the table to cool down.
Tong Yao glanced at him briefly before continuing to write her homework.
Upon seeing this, Lin Li quickly took out his glasses from his coat pocket and put them on, as if they were some kind of switch.
Suddenly, he noticed a test paper lying on the floor next to his seat. He bent down to pick it up and asked, "Tong Yao, is this your test paper?"
Tong Yao didn't even look up: "No."
"Xu Feng's?" Lin Li looked to the other side.
"Teacher Xu handed them out and asked you to circle the questions you didn't know how to do," Tong Yao explained succinctly, then ignored him.
"Oh—" Lin Li drawled, glancing at the test paper casually before stuffing it into her desk.
Seeing Tong Yao diligently working on her problems, he couldn't help but call out softly, "Tong Yao."
"Hmm?" Tong Yao only uttered a syllable through her nose, without stopping her pen.
"You're ignoring me..." Lin Li's voice carried a hint of aggrieved coquettishness.
Upon hearing this, a vein throbbed on Tong Yao's forehead. She finally raised her head, looked at him, pointed to the exam paper, and said in an unquestionable tone:
"Hand over that test paper before school ends. Write it out completely, word for word."
Lin Li's shoulders twitched, and she instantly deflated. She should have known better than to act all cute...
He resignedly pulled out his test paper and began writing with a bitter face.
The end of the physical education exams means that after this week, 2022 will be over.
2023...
Class teacher Ms. Liu stood on the podium with a toy bee in her hand and announced, "Next Monday, the school will hold a New Year's Eve party."
However, because they were graduating students, the school stipulated that they could only watch the performance and not participate in the program arrangement. But this meant that they didn't have to attend classes for the entire afternoon, and the classroom immediately erupted in enthusiastic cheers.
Lin Li wasn't particularly interested in these kinds of activities. In his hazy memory, although his high school was strict, as a private school in the provincial capital, it offered a constant stream of events. However…
He turned to look at Tong Yao. He seemed to have promised her last time that he would play the flute for her if he had the chance.
The New Year's Eve party might be a good opportunity...
Once night falls, he can prepare himself properly; maybe he really can...captivate her?
Tong Yao noticed Lin Li's gaze. Seeing his vacant eyes and silly grin, she frowned and tapped the test paper on her desk with her pen.
It means: Focus on doing the problem.
Lin Li snapped out of her daze, unable to hide her excitement, and buried her head, her pen flying across the exam paper as if she were full of energy.
_
Before school ended, Lin Li tossed the densely written test paper onto Tong Yao's desk, picked up his schoolbag, and left—he had heard that his cousin Lin Hu's self-media was doing well, and he was eager to go and see.
Xu Feng returned from outside and passed by Tong Yao's seat. His gaze was drawn to the messy handwriting on the test paper on the table. He picked it up and flipped through it casually, but his expression suddenly froze when he saw the last big question.
Lin Li actually wrote out a complete solution to the question that even Tong Yao clearly said was beyond the syllabus, with clear logic and detailed steps.
Xu Feng felt as if something had clenched his heart tightly. An indescribable emotion welled up inside him, and almost unconsciously, when no one was looking, he folded the test paper, slipped it into his schoolbag, and took it away.
When Tong Yao returned after finishing her class duties, she saw an empty desk with no trace of the test paper.
"hehe."
She stared at Lin Li's seat, gave a cold laugh, and narrowed her eyes dangerously.
---
At that moment, Lin Li, who was walking on the way to her cousin Lin Hu's rented house, suddenly shivered and felt a chill on the back of her neck.
"Hiss, this place is chilly, could it be haunted?" He rubbed his arms, looking around at the dilapidated, dimly lit alleyways of the urban village, his mind filled with unease.
Following the address, he finally found the place with the "Convenience Store" sign and climbed up the rusty iron ladder next to it to the second floor.
There was only one household on the second floor, and the door was ajar. As Lin Li approached, the iron door was pulled open from the inside with a clang.
"Little brother's here? Come in quickly!" Lin Hu, with his messy hair, appeared at the door.
Lin Li squeezed in sideways and couldn't help but ask, "Brother, don't you have a place to live? What are you doing here?"
Lin Hu scratched his head, a little embarrassed: "Live streaming at night is noisy, with shouting and typing on the keyboard. I was afraid of disturbing your aunt's rest, so I moved out to have some peace and quiet... and it's more comfortable."
The room wasn't actually small, but it was poorly lit, so the lights had to be on even during the day. The air was filled with a damp, musty smell, mixed with the smell of instant noodles and smoke.
Lin Li frowned: "Brother, what kind of live streaming are you doing now?"
Lin Hu chuckled and mysteriously pushed aside a dark curtain hanging in the middle of the living room.
Behind the curtain, a professional computer, microphone, sound card, and fill light came into view, standing out starkly from the dilapidated surroundings.
“Thanks to the 30,000 yuan you gave me,” Lin Hu patted the RGB-lit PC, “I built a good machine and got a decent sound card. Now, I mainly work as a game streamer.”
Game streamer? Lin Li immediately thought of Li Jiahao, who was addicted to games.
Want to play King of Glory?
Lin Hu shook his head, his tone focused: "I don't play that. I play FPS games."
FPS, first-person shooter games, were exactly the type of games Lin Li loved to play in her previous life.
Next week is the New Year's Eve party, and we'll soon be entering 2023...
Lin Li had a sudden flash of inspiration and remembered a tactical competitive shooting game that was going to be a huge hit in the future, which seemed to have started its closed beta test in 2023.
If my cousin could seize the opportunity to get involved early, he might actually make a name for himself...
He suppressed his thoughts and encouraged him, "FPS games are good, they have potential. Bro, how's your streaming going?"
"Not bad, I'll build it up slowly." Lin Hu said, taking out his phone, opening his streamer account page and handing it over, "I have a few thousand followers."
Lin Li took the phone. The account had over three thousand followers, which wasn't a lot, but it was quite good for a newcomer just starting out.
He randomly clicked on a video, a typical highlight reel of game kills, with a few hundred likes. However, several top-rated comments caught his attention:
(The host's voice is something else, I love that deep voice!)
(His technique is good, but I'd rather see his face! I think he'd be handsome!)
(Does the guy accept voice chat requests? Like game companionship?)
Lin Li then raised her head and carefully examined her cousin.
Unlike Lin Li, who has a gentle and delicate appearance, Lin Hu's face is more aggressive.
He has deep-set eyes and a high nose bridge. The most striking feature is the light-colored scar a few centimeters long between his eyebrows, a mark left from a fight when he was young and reckless.
But the scar did not ruin his features; instead, it added a touch of wildness and a sense of history to his face, giving him a trendy, slightly roguish charm.
Lin Hu glanced at the time; it was almost 8 PM. "Little brother, you play by yourself for a while. I need to get ready to go live."
He sat down at the computer and began to test the equipment, checking the microphone and camera.
Lin Li took Lin Hu's phone and swiped to the account's private message interface. Sure enough, there were many messages. Apart from a few asking for game tips, most of them were requests to show their faces, ask for contact information, or even directly ask if they would accept voice chat companionship orders.
Lin Hu, on the other hand, didn't reply to almost any of them.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Lin Li leaned over and asked, "Brother, why don't you reply to any of these private messages?"
Lin Hu didn't even look up, his fingers flying across the keyboard: "I replied to a few at first, but then there were too many people asking, and I couldn't keep up, so I stopped replying."
“You can organize these questions and edit them into a Q&A video to post,” Lin Li said, scrolling through the messages again. “It can answer everyone’s questions and maybe even gain you more followers.”
He pointed to the comment that had been pushed to the top—the one with the most popular request to be shown.
Lin Li suddenly realized that many streamers use this as a gimmick, such as revealing their face when they reach a certain number of followers, or dressing up as women when they reach a certain number of followers.
He voiced his idea.
Lin Hu blinked, his hands slowing down: "Actually... I used to show my face during my live streams. But not many people watched. Later, I turned off the camera, and my popularity actually increased..."
Lin Li was stunned for a moment, then understood.
A pleasant voice paired with mystery can actually pique people's curiosity. Once everything is revealed, that sense of mystery vanishes.
But looking at his brother's face, Lin Li felt it would be a waste not to take advantage of it. His gaze swept back and forth across Lin Hu's face, and suddenly an idea struck him.
"Mask-covered! Bro, you'd look amazing streaming with a mask on!" Lin Li slapped the table excitedly, just like the character in his favorite game!
"Wear a mask?" Lin Hu frowned, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table.
He hesitated, but his intuition told him that it might be a good idea.
Finally, Lin Hu nodded slightly: "Then... let's give it a try."
Lin Hu ordered a face mask on his phone.
Lin Li directed him to make the purchase.
Next, it's time for the live stream.
Lin Li sat to the side, watching Lin Hu enter the game interface.
The live stream started, and the chat began to scroll, with fans greeting each other enthusiastically. Lin Hu simply responded, "Good evening."
Then, the game began.
Lin Li quickly noticed a problem—his brother was unusually quiet when playing games.
The next second, well, it was just his imagination.
"Hahaha!"
"Did I deliberately wait for you? You dare to touch me without first probing?"
Lin Hu grinned wickedly: "Come on, brothers, let me show you what to do in this situation!"
Lin Hu pointed to the corner of the wall in front.
"Did you see that? The footsteps disappeared nearby."
Lin Hu manipulated the mouse, moving forward.
"Hey, is this guy squatting down for me?"
Lin Hu started jumping out and then jumping back, which angered the people on the other side, who then fired their guns indiscriminately.
"A good idea, but unfortunately it came at the wrong time."
"Watch closely, this detail will only be taught once."
A grenade was thrown, but it exploded halfway through, and then a jump shot was fired in advance.
(Successfully 1v2)
Lin Hu excitedly slapped the table: "Isn't that amazing, streamer!"
The comments section was incredibly fun:
It's happening again.
[Tiger: I have to brag a little after winning!]
There were also viewers who were genuinely impressed by the skillful maneuvering.
【666】
[We caught the opponent completely off guard!]
Lin Li felt incredibly awkward...
Lin Hu occasionally talks to the comments, but the content mainly revolves around the game, with a touch of unintentional "showing off" that doesn't annoy people but instead makes him seem real and cute.
If Tong Yao were here, she would definitely complain that they are indeed brothers.
Lin Li watched Lin Hu smugly until nine o'clock.
Lin Hu: "Let's take a break for halftime."
"It's the weekend tomorrow. It's so late, why don't you sleep here with me? You can sleep in the room, I'll just make do in the living room."
Lin Hu took off his headphones and turned to look at Lin Li.
However, Lin Li shook her head frantically.
He felt there was a high chance of rats in the area, so he decided to go home and sleep.
Seeing this, Lin Hu did not insist and immediately got up to take Lin Li home.
On the way back, it was pitch black all around, with only a few scattered lights in the distance. The only reliable light source was the flashlight that came with their mobile phones.
The urban village is still under renovation, the roads are in terrible condition, and Lin Lishen walks along with uneven steps, unable to help but speak again:
"Brother, I still don't understand why we had to choose to rent a house here? The environment... is just awful."
Upon hearing this, Lin Hu paused, then let out a long sigh. He took out his cigarette case, lit one, and added a few more flickering sparks to the darkness.
"Do you see that little shop downstairs from me?" He exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice somewhat low.
"I saw it, so what?"
"That's run by one of my brothers," Lin Hu's voice was exceptionally clear in the night.
“His parents passed away early, and his grandmother raised him alone. A few days ago... he got into a conflict with someone, was set up, couldn't escape, and was arrested by the police.”
He took a deep drag on his cigarette, and a spark suddenly ignited: "He'll be locked up for nine months."
Brother, you got scammed and are locked up for nine months.
These keywords flashed through Lin Li's mind like lightning. His heart sank—could it be that in his past life, Lin Hu used a knife to avenge this brother, thus sacrificing himself in the process?
He had initially thought that giving Lin Hu a proper job would prevent the tragedy, but now it seems the root cause is far from being eliminated...
"Brother," Lin Li's voice carried a barely perceptible tension, "you...you absolutely must not go fighting again."
Lin Hu smiled, reached out and ruffled Lin Li's hair, his tone relaxed: "Okay, I know, I won't fight anymore."
But Lin Li was still very uneasy. He quickly found a more specific reason to try and strengthen his persuasiveness:
"Bro, you're a streamer now, a public figure. Even if you don't have many fans yet, you still have to pay attention to your image! If someone finds out that you used to... used to be involved in gangs and fights, and gets labeled a 'thug,' then your streaming career might be over!"
He spoke urgently and earnestly. By this time, the two had left the dimly lit urban village and arrived on a brightly lit main road.
"Brother, you can drop me off here. I can go back by myself." Now that they were on a wide and well-lit main road, Lin Li felt there was no need to see him off any further.
Lin Hu threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out. "Okay, I'll listen to you, no fighting."
He looked at his younger brother, who was now almost as tall as him, and smiled. "It's really nothing for a young man to walk alone at night. Head home early, I have to go back to my live stream."
He put one hand in his pocket and turned to walk back. After taking two steps, he seemed to remember something and turned back to remind him, "Remember to send me a message when you get home."
I was still a little worried—my brother is so fair-skinned and handsome, what if he gets targeted by some shady people?
With that thought, he immediately turned around and jogged to catch up with Lin Li by the roadside: "Wait! Don't go, I'll get you a taxi!"
A few minutes later, a ride-hailing car came to a smooth stop on the side of the road.
"Let me know when you get home." Lin Hu opened the car door and watched Lin Li get into the passenger seat.
"Okay! Bro, hurry back to your live stream!" Lin Li waved through the car window.
Lin Hu stood by the roadside until the car's taillights disappeared around the street corner before turning around and walking back into the dimly lit alley leading to the urban village.
He hadn't gone far when, at the boundary between light and shadow, he unexpectedly bumped into someone.
"I'm sorry." He apologized subconsciously, and in the dim light of the street lamp in the distance, he could vaguely make out that the other person was a slender young woman.
The man seemed startled as well, took a half step back, waved his hand, and said in a very soft voice, "It's alright."
That voice... Lin Hu felt a slight surprise, as if it sounded familiar, but he wasn't one to meddle, so he nodded and turned to leave.
After walking a few steps, he couldn't help but mutter to himself, "It's so late, and a girl is wandering around alone in this dark place. Isn't she afraid?"
Thinking of how stiff and unnatural Lin Li's body was when he walked this path, he couldn't help but chuckle.
It seems his younger brother is afraid of the dark.
This discovery brought a doting smile to his face that he himself didn't even realize. He shook his head and quickened his pace to disappear into the darkness ahead.
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