The two little companions completed an exchange of highly informative looks within a few short seconds, while firmly concealing the contents of that exchange. In perfect unison, they turned to Luo Zhi Yu and Xiao Yan and gave them friendly smiles.
Xiao Yan: “……”
“We didn’t buy anything.” Luo Zhi Yu only had his peach oolong tea in his hand. “He said he didn’t need it. I don’t know whether he actually needed it or not. Don’t overthink it.”
“Oh!” Yan Zi Han and Lu Lu shook their heads vigorously. “We’re not overthinking it.”
Luo Zhi Yu had been at odds with Xiao Yan for years, but even so, he still cared a lot about Xiao Yan’s reputation in situations like this.
“I was the one who wanted to go in.” Luo Zhi Yu pointed at the sign behind them. “Something unexpected happened. I took the wrong route. It had nothing to do with him. It was all my own idea.”
“Let’s go.” Xiao Yan put an arm around Luo Zhi Yu’s shoulder, placing a little weight on Luo Zhi Yu’s right shoulder as he led him forward, interrupting the explanation Luo Zhi Yu had already prepared in his head.
“Why won’t you let me explain?” Luo Zhi Yu asked him in a voice only the two of them could hear. “Aren’t you always saying that I ruin your reputation? I really didn’t.”
“Zhi Le?”
“Hm?” Luo Zhi Yu looked up.
“Shut up.” Xiao Yan smiled at him gently.
Luo Zhi Yu glanced at the ground, made a zipping-his-lips gesture with both index fingers, and stopped explaining. Anyway, Luo Si Xue and the others had already walked past without seeing him mixed in with Xiao Yan. They had managed to dodge this one.
The four people, each harboring their own ulterior motives, walked around the crowded commercial street and went to a coffee shop near the school.
“Are there four of you?” the young female server asked.
“Yes.” Xiao Yan said, “Four for now. Two more might come later, or they might not.”
The server led them to seats by the window. Lu Lu and Yan Zi Han immediately took up half of the seating area, sat properly, and looked encouragingly at Xiao Yan and Luo Zhi Yu, who had not yet had a chance to sit down.
Luo Zhi Yu: “……”
Fine.
Xiao Yan turned sideways and let him sit on the inside of the sofa first. Only after Luo Zhi Yu had settled down did he sit beside him.
“We already have peach oolong tea. You two order whatever you want to drink. I’ll pay later.” Xiao Yan gestured for the two students across from them to scan the QR code and place their orders themselves.
“Then add a piece of cake for me. Not too sweet.” Luo Zhi Yu had gotten tired from walking earlier. He lazily lay on the table while scrolling through his phone. “Scan Xiao Yan’s QR code.”
Xiao Yan: “……”
“Zhi Le.” Xiao Yan took Luo Zhi Yu’s phone away. “Don’t you think you have a bit of a double standard?”
“I don’t.” Luo Zhi Yu hooked a finger around the phone strap and pulled the phone back into his line of sight, then slapped Xiao Yan’s hand away. “Stop labeling me all the time.”
Luo Zhi Yu was browsing No. 1 High School’s campus forum. The forum had always been very active, with plenty of posts on normal days, and on weekends there were even more strange and bizarre ones.
[Who is officially recognized as the biggest Mighty A in our No. 1 High School? Nominate them for me.]
1L: The OP nominates Tang Yuan from Class 3, Grade 11.
2L: Everyone disperse, everyone disperse. The OP is Tang Yuan himself. He’s the only one who cares about this. Tang Yuan and the Orange Cat of Chengbei, how about a battle?
3L: I nominate Old Xu. He’s been cracking down way too hard on people skipping evening self-study lately. Every time he catches someone, he gets them. I’ve already been made to stand twice.
4L: Midterms are coming up. Can you guys stop skipping class? They’re cracking down hard lately, and the parent-teacher meeting is coming soon.
5L (Not Zhi Le): Nominating Xiao Yan from Class 3, Grade 11.
6L: ??? Who is the person above? Did I read that wrong? This ID looks so familiar.
7L (JXM Is Not Sitting on the Fence): Zhi Yu, if you’ve been kidnapped, blink twice.
8L (Not Zhi Le): 0.0
“What are you doing again?” Xiao Yan had an inexplicable bad feeling. He warily looked at Luo Zhi Yu sitting beside him.
“Nothing.” Luo Zhi Yu shifted his body slightly and turned his back toward Xiao Yan.
Luo Zhi Yu had already stopped browsing the forum. He opened Weibo instead. There were plenty of unread comments in his notifications. The board painting he had casually shared a few days ago had received quite a few comments and likes from netizens.
Comment 1: Wow, you draw really well! Can I take this picture and use it as my profile picture?
Comment 2: Is the OP from XX City No. 1 High School? I saw the familiar ginkgo trees. I feel like I might know you.
Comment 3: Ahhhhhhh, an immortal artist! Are you a high school student?
Xiao Yan received a message from Fan Yue.
[Fan Yue]: You’re with Luo Zhi Yu?
[Smoke Everywhere]: Yep.
[Fan Yue]: What are you doing?
[Smoke Everywhere]: What could we be doing? Of course we’re discussing a problem.
[Fan Yue]: [Screenshot] Are you discussing this problem?
[Smoke Everywhere]: ???
[Smoke Everywhere]: You’re asking to get beaten up.
Luo Zhi Yu was replying to netizens’ comments when someone tugged on the collar of his shirt from behind. This was Xiao Yan’s usual way of greeting him.
Luo Zhi Yu didn’t even turn around. “Smooth it back down for me.”
“What were you doing just now?” Xiao Yan reached out and covered his eyes, stopping him from continuing to stare at his phone.
“Just now?” Luo Zhi Yu confessed what he had done. “The opportunity was rare, and someone happened to be discussing this, so I went onto the forum to restore your good name.”
Xiao Yan: “……”
“Don’t worry.” Luo Zhi Yu said kindly, “I never do anything that damages your reputation.”
His words were impeccable, but he failed to hide the anticipation of watching the drama unfold in his eyes.
“Come here.” Xiao Yan said. “I guarantee I won’t hit you.”
Luo Zhi Yu believed him. He moved a little closer to Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan really didn’t hit him. Instead, he gave him a not-too-light, not-too-heavy pinch on the waist.
Luo Zhi Yu fell for the trick and let out an “Ow!” before dodging toward the wall. He immediately began fighting back and stepped on Xiao Yan’s foot.
His position was less advantageous than Xiao Yan’s. Once he was pressed against the wall, he had nowhere to hide and was forced to accept Xiao Yan’s suppression, allowing Xiao Yan to temporarily win back a round.
“Hand me your phone.” Xiao Yan held out his hand. “You’re not allowed to play with it for the rest of this afternoon.”
“Fine, I won’t.” Luo Zhi Yu wasn’t particularly dependent on his phone, nor was there any important information he absolutely couldn’t miss. He slapped the phone into Xiao Yan’s hand and sat up properly.
The food several people had ordered was being brought to their table.
“Hey, why are there two pieces of cake?” Luo Zhi Yu, having finished fooling around, returned to his original seat. He asked the server, “We only ordered one.”
“It’s the boss’s wedding anniversary today.” The young server smiled sweetly. “Our shop has a lot of discounts today. AO couples who come into the shop today and order cake get an extra piece. The extra one is for the handsome guy sitting next to you.”
Luo Zhi Yu: “……”
“Miss.” Luo Zhi Yu pointed at Xiao Yan. “Do you think the two of us look like a couple?”
The thing sitting beside him: “?”
“Don’t worry.” The server seemed to have seen this sort of thing many times. She covered her mouth as she laughed and turned to leave. “Big sister won’t tell your school teachers about you dating while you’re still in school.”
Luo Zhi Yu: “……”
“I don’t date while I’m still in school.” Luo Zhi Yu explained to the two little companions. “My family doesn’t allow it.”
“My family doesn’t allow it either.” Xiao Yan quietly pushed one of the pieces of cake in front of himself.
The other two companions nodded repeatedly.
The afternoon passed quite quickly. The four of them discussed student council work while complaining about teachers and homework from each subject. The other two Grade 11 students stayed for two hours before leaving. By the time evening approached, they had basically finalized the content of the posters they needed to make.
“We still have some time. We’ll make it.” Xiao Yan said. “The sports meet is after the midterms. Before that, there’s also the school parent-teacher meeting and the student representative parent meeting. We still have plenty of time. That’s enough for today. Let’s go too.”
“Then let’s retreat.” Luo Zhi Yu was thinking about his homework. “I still have a weekly journal to write. I’m going to write all of you into my journal and turn it in.”
“I have a date tonight with an alpha whose pheromones smell like extra-spicy potato chips. We’re going singing.” Yan Zi Han stood up. “I won’t be going back to school first.”
“I need to go home. My family lives in the neighborhood across the street. It’s only a five-minute walk.” The beta girl, Lu Lu, wasn’t going with them either.
Luo Zhi Yu and Xiao Yan looked at each other, then looked away. In the end, they followed the same route they had taken earlier and headed toward No. 1 High School.
In late autumn, the days were short and the nights long. It wasn’t even six in the evening, yet the sky was already gradually darkening, and the various lights throughout the city had begun to turn on.
Earlier, from the rooftop of the school building, all they could see was the glow of this neighborhood. The difference was that from the rooftop, they could still see the stars twinkling, while the commercial district blocked them out completely.
“The parent-teacher meeting is the week after next?” Luo Zhi Yu wasn’t familiar with the roads around here and followed Xiao Yan as he led him around several turns.
There were quite a few bars around this road. Once it got dark, the bars all began operating. There seemed to be some kind of weekend event, and many young people from the area had gathered here. Some bar employees were even holding colorful lights and trying to attract customers on the street.
As Luo Zhi Yu passed by, someone whistled at him. Luo Zhi Yu glanced at that person, then turned his head away without interest.
Xiao Yan slowed his steps, waiting for Luo Zhi Yu to catch up, and led him down another road.
“Yes, after the midterms, parents come into the school.” Xiao Yan was very familiar with the procedures for parent-teacher meetings at No. 1 High School. “Just behave yourself for these two weeks. Don’t cause trouble, or you might get your parents called in.”
“Okay.” With midterms approaching, Luo Zhi Yu had also decided to study hard. The Grade 10 material wasn’t particularly difficult for him, but he still had to put in some effort for the things that required memorization. “I won’t mess with you for these two weeks. We’ll get along peacefully. My dad has to give a speech as an outstanding student’s parent at the parent-teacher meeting.”
“How about this?” Luo Zhi Yu couldn’t help wanting to tease Xiao Yan whenever he saw him. “Brother Yan, I won’t go to your floor at all next week. There won’t be any chance for us to meet, and I won’t create any opportunities to meet either. I guarantee harmony.”
“Let’s go this way.” Xiao Yan turned another corner. “It’s closer. We’ll enter through the west gate. Once we’re inside, it’s the dormitory area.”
At No. 1 High School’s west gate, the two of them swiped their student cards and entered. The security guard nearby called out to Luo Zhi Yu.
“Your sister came by this afternoon and brought you some things. Take them back with you.”
The security guard handed Luo Zhi Yu a paper bag. Inside were the earphones and some snacks Luo Si Xue had brought for him.
The school was deserted on the weekend. Most people had gone home. Luo Zhi Yu casually pulled out two bags of small cookies, stuffed them into Xiao Yan’s hands, waved, then turned around and swaggered into the dormitory area.
“Brother Yan, see you next week!”
“Zhi Le, wait.” Xiao Yan called out to him. “I’m giving your phone back. I almost forgot.”
“Ah, I forgot too.” Luo Zhi Yu’s phone was always on silent. Neither he nor Xiao Yan had heard any of Luo Si Xue’s calls or messages.
With Xiao Yan standing right in front of him, Luo Zhi Yu answered the call that had just come in—
“I’m at the dorm. Don’t worry.”
“Yeah, with that alpha classmate who doesn’t want to reveal his name.”
“We didn’t do anything. Don’t worry.”
“You think you saw me and an alpha at the A-use pharmacy in the commercial district?” Luo Zhi Yu glanced at Xiao Yan, signaling for him to keep quiet. “No such thing. If I saw you, why wouldn’t I say hello? That doesn’t make sense.”
“He looked like Xiao Yan?” Luo Zhi Yu glanced at Xiao Yan again. “You couldn’t have mistaken him? You’d recognize that kid even if he were burned to ashes?”
Xiao Yan: “?”
“Then how about this, Sis.” Luo Zhi Yu decided to protect himself. “The person you saw must have been Xiao Yan and another omega classmate who doesn’t want to reveal his name. It has absolutely nothing to do with Luo Zhi Yu.”
That night, the vice principal, who was on his way home, happened to pass by the omega dormitory area and caught one AO each in the middle of a battle.
They were sentenced to sweep ginkgo leaves for a week.