“Come on, take it all down.” Luo Zhiyu was ready. “The moment I saw you dressed up like a respectable human being, I knew you were after my dorm points.”
Xiao Yan: “…”
“Your dorm actually has a mini-fridge?” Jing Ximing was learning for the first time that the alpha boys in Grade 11 really knew how to enjoy life.
“Luo Zhiyu, let’s talk.” Xiao Yan put down his pen and score sheet and very naturally sat down on Luo Zhiyu’s chair.
“No talking.” The mischievous grin on Luo Zhiyu’s face was impossible to hide. “You don’t have the position to negotiate with me. You said that yourself just now.”
Luo Zhiyu’s blue-dyed Grade 10 school uniform was draped over the back of the chair. Xiao Yan’s eyes paused on the uniform for only a second before turning back toward Luo Zhiyu.
“We can consider what you suggested earlier.”
“You want to bite me?” Luo Zhiyu pointed at himself.
“It’s called bribing me.” Xiao Yan frowned.
“Then never mind.” Luo Zhiyu walked over, planted both hands on the back of the chair, and looked down at Xiao Yan sitting in it. “Senior Xiao, I’m ready to have points deducted together with you and write self-criticisms together.”
Next Monday’s morning meeting would be about personal appearance and dress code, and Luo Zhiyu was the main speaker.
Then, the Monday after that, the morning meeting would be about dormitory safety. Put simply, it meant lining up to read self-criticisms.
With one of them carrying a refrigerator and the other carrying a cooking pot, standing up there as textbook examples of students caught during a surprise dorm inspection, they were guaranteed to become a spectacular sight.
“The pot is two points. The refrigerator is four.” Luo Zhiyu lightly smacked the freshman handbook in his hand against Xiao Yan’s leg. “Deduct them. Go ahead and deduct them right here. Finish deducting them before you leave.”
Compared with protecting his own dignity, Luo Zhiyu wanted the school heartthrob to embarrass himself alongside him even more.
“And you already deducted mine.” Luo Zhiyu tapped the “-2” Xiao Yan had written on the form with his fingertip, indicating that the matter was already beyond saving.
“It’s fine. It’s nothing.” Xiao Yan reached out, tore off the score sheet he had just filled out, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it into Luo Zhiyu’s trash can.
“Wait.” Luo Zhiyu reminded him. “There can’t be any trash in the trash can. That can’t count against me.”
Xiao Yan: “It doesn’t count, it doesn’t count. I didn’t see anything.”
“What about my balcony?” Luo Zhiyu was exceptionally good at pushing his luck.
“I didn’t deduct points for your balcony in the first place.”
Xiao Yan pulled out a completely new dorm inspection sheet. On the new form, he wrote Luo Zhiyu’s dorm number, then, right in front of Luo Zhiyu, put a checkmark in every single column.
“You keep quiet, I keep quiet, and no one says anything about the prohibited appliances.”
“You keep my secret, I’ll keep yours, and nobody mentions the prohibited appliances.”
Luo Zhiyu’s brilliant plan had succeeded. He stretched out his right hand and swung it over, completing a high five with Xiao Yan.
“Deal.”
“What are you two dealing about, Xiao Yan?”
The half-closed dorm door was pushed open from outside, and Teacher Xu appeared in the doorway again.
“I just remembered. Are my keys and work ID with you?”
Luo Zhiyu: “…”
Xiao Yan: “…”
Teacher Xu had come in too suddenly. The two of them were still frozen in their high-five.
The pot on Xiao Yan’s knee crashed to the floor with a clang, followed by a string of crisp metallic sounds.
No. 1 High School Campus Forum
[Grade 10 dorm inspections are here! Fold your blankets and hide your little appliances!]
1L: Location: Alpha Building 10. They’re checking pretty thoroughly.
2L: My pot! My poor pot! QAQ. Pot + trash can = four points deducted, and I wasn’t even the one who threw the trash away. Fairy frowning.jpg
3L: Fairy frowning.jpg To the person above me, you only lost a pot. Our dorm lost a mini-fridge. We lost four points too, and we’re Grade 11.
4L: Lighting candles for the two floors above. All my little appliances are doing just fine. I hid them this afternoon—
5L: 4L, why did you stop halfway through? Where are you? Did they catch you?
6L: This year’s freshmen are freaking impressive. I just saw the Student Union carrying out a mini microwave. How the hell did you even get that in here? Covering face and crying.jpg
7L: Looking forward to the morning meeting the Monday after next. The annual freshman lineup-and-read-your-self-criticism segment.
8L: The Monday after next is still a long way off. Let’s talk about next Monday first. Who’s giving the appearance-and-dress-code speech? If they’re not good-looking, we’re not accepting it.
9L: Class 3, Luo Zhiyu. Relax, there’s nothing to nitpick. From my observations, as long as Xiao Yan stays more than five meters away from him, he’s a well-behaved top student.
The brief week of military training for the Grade 10 freshmen ended amid everyone’s laughter.
After losing the mini-fridge in his dorm, Xiao Yan—who still checked in every morning after class to watch Luo Zhiyu—replaced his watermelon soda and popsicles with preserved plums and lemon.
During that week of military training, Luo Zhiyu had beaten Xiao Yan plenty of times and had also been tricked by Xiao Yan plenty of times. At the same time, he never forgot to drag Xiao Yan down with him.
After the week was over, Luo Zhiyu still hadn’t memorized all the names of his classmates.
But he knew every single snack Xiao Yan carried around.
With military training over, the Grade 10 freshmen were officially about to begin their high school lives and settle into their busy studies.
During the long morning break on Monday, the entire school gathered on the sports field for the first morning meeting of the new semester.
A boy in a red-and-white athletic uniform walked all the way out from the Class 3 formation and took his place on the stage.
“Good morning, school leaders, teachers, and fellow students.”
Under Director Wu’s many instructions, Luo Zhiyu had written his speech in advance. He stood straight and proper on the stage, reading from the manuscript.
The speech had been reviewed repeatedly by the school leadership. There wasn’t a single mistake anyone could find.
“I’m Luo Zhiyu from Class 3, Grade 10. As an outstanding representative of this year’s freshmen, I’m here to help build a civilized campus and share a home for learning. For today’s morning meeting, I’ll be talking to everyone about what it means to maintain a neat appearance and dress appropriately.”
“The morning meeting is going on our official account.” Director Wu was also serving as the photographer. Holding up his camera, he took pictures of the student giving the speech. “I need to get some good shots.”
No. 1 High School had its own official school account, jointly operated by members of the Student Union’s Media Department and their supervising teachers. It regularly posted campus news as well as the content of the weekly morning meetings.
Luo Zhiyu seemed to have been born to be a clothes hanger.
The ordinary red-and-white Grade 10 school uniform looked completely different on him. It carried the youthful student-like innocence and energy unique to his age.
Director Wu’s camera never stopped.
“This morning meeting can also go on the school website,” Director Xu suggested. “Let people from other schools see the spirit of our freshmen.”
“As students of No. 1 High School, we should always remember our school motto, pay attention to our appearance and dress, respect our teachers, and work together to create a positive campus atmosphere…”
Under the attention of the entire student body and faculty, Luo Zhiyu completed his speech.
He lowered the manuscript in his hand.
“That concludes my speech. I hope that from this moment onward, everything can have a good beginning.”
Amid the applause, Luo Zhiyu walked down from the stage and returned to the Class 3, Grade 10 formation.
Half a day later, Luo Zhiyu’s morning-meeting speech appeared on the school’s official account and on the homepage of No. 1 High School’s campus website.
[First Day of the New Semester: Our Students Showcase Their Spirit]
The first photo accompanying the news article was Luo Zhiyu standing on the stage.
He held the manuscript in his hands, but his eyes weren’t fixed on the words. Instead, he was looking toward the students below, wearing the standard smile of a model student.
[Student Luo Zhiyu pointed out that, as students, we should always pay attention to our appearance and dress, wear our school uniforms, be polite, and strive to be qualified students of No. 1 High School.]
The article received a positive response in the No. 1 High School parents’ group.
Parent 1: As expected of a city-level No. 1 High School. The quality of the morning meeting was excellent, and every point was addressed.
Parent 2: Like.jpg This year’s students are pretty good.
Parent 3: Wear your school uniform. Be polite.
The article was also reposted to No. 1 High School’s Baidu Tieba by members of the Student Union’s Media Department.
1L: They reposted it again. Nobody reads the content.
2L: Taking the picture. Director Wu really took a great shot here.
3L: Real-name report: Luo Zhiyu is pretending to be well-behaved. Do you want me to post the picture of him beating someone with a broom to reset your brains?
4L: Okay, but Luo Zhiyu really is good-looking. I zoomed in on the picture and there isn’t a single flaw on his face. His skin is insanely good, and his features are so delicate. I’m an omega and even I’m into him.
5L: Wait. I’m 4L. I suggest you all zoom in on his school uniform.
6L: ? What’s so interesting about the uniform? Don’t they all look the same? Why would we zoom in?
7L: !!! Holy crap, 4L, your eyesight is incredible! Before you draw any conclusions, zoom in and look at the name tag.
8L: 0301. Nothing wrong with that.
9L: 0301 is fine, but the name printed on it is 0301 Xiao Yan.
10L: …
11L: ???
12L: Holy crap. “Wear your school uniform. Be polite.” He’s wearing someone else’s school uniform.