05:07:55
[Not a Cicada]: Good morning, big bro. A new day, a new burst of energy.
Stinky Orange: Way too early.
[Not a Cicada]: Coming to play today? I’m working through some Gaokao papers. There are a few questions I might not know how to do.
Stinky Orange: Not coming, not coming. “The innocent have nothing to fear from accusations” doesn’t apply to me.
Stinky Orange: You have no idea what I went through last night.
Stinky Orange: If there’s anything you don’t know, video-call me. I’ll answer unless I’m in the shower. You should rest on weekends. No need to get ahead on all that stuff.
[Not a Cicada]: Hahaha, then see you Monday. I’m going back to sleep.
Stinky Orange: So you deliberately woke me up at this hour just to mess with me, huh. Smile.jpg
[Not a Cicada]: You go back to sleep too. Smirk.jpg
Stinky Orange: You really went all out just to wake me up and watch the show.
Before morning self-study on Monday, Luo Zhiyu found a spare moment to go upstairs. He opened the glass window of Class 3, Grade 11, and returned Xiao Yan’s blanket to him.
Xiao Yan was doing calculations at his desk when, without warning, someone from the hallway opened the window beside him, and a towel blanket landed squarely on his head.
“I washed it clean,” Luo Zhiyu said proudly. “Smell it. Doesn’t it not smell like your pheromones anymore?”
Xiao Yan: “……”
He really didn’t want to discuss whether the blanket smelled like its original owner during morning self-study.
None of the students in the class were studying anymore. No one knew what they were muttering, but every pair of eyes was secretly peeking at Luo Zhiyu outside the window, occasionally lowering their heads to exchange a few words.
Xiao Yan took the towel blanket off his head, folded it neatly, put it into his desk drawer, and waved Luo Zhiyu away.
“You threw your blanket into his box, and you still made him wash it for you.” Someone came over and teased Xiao Yan. “Tell me, aren’t you ashamed of yourself?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Ever since their relationship had started improving, Luo Zhiyu would occasionally defend Xiao Yan’s reputation when he was in a good mood. “I volunteered. I was especially happy to wash his clothes.”
“Please shut up.” Xiao Yan, sitting by the window, reached out to hit Luo Zhiyu.
Luo Zhiyu retreated as if he’d seen it coming, his smile becoming even more smug.
Teacher Li came into the class to assign homework. At a glance, he spotted Luo Zhiyu’s red school uniform.
This Grade 10 student seemed to have been running upstairs quite frequently lately. He was getting awfully skilled at visiting other classes.
“Good morning, Teacher Li.” Luo Zhiyu was exceptionally polite. “I came to see if my Brother Yan is doing well.”
Teacher Li: “?”
The kid sounded so polite, so why did it somehow sound so sarcastic?
Fortunately, Teacher Li didn’t dwell on the matter for long. When the class bell rang, Luo Zhiyu slipped away down the stairs.
No. 1 High School Campus Forum—
[Breaking News: Xiao Yan actually made Luo Zhiyu wash his blanket, and Luo Zhiyu actually agreed. Are these two fighting or dating?]
1L: These two have the most mysterious relationship ever. I just want to know if I still have a chance.
2L: Uh, how did this get turned into this version…… Facepalm-cry.jpg. You’ll get used to it. They’re like this all day long. They never stop.
3L: It’s just friendly interaction. Don’t overcomplicate things. In one sentence: the two of them are absolutely pure.
4L: THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY PURE!!! (voice cracking)
5L: Have they gotten close enough to exchange pheromones? Doge.jpg
6L: What’s the big deal? Zero percent. I’ve always thought all those rules between Alphas and Omegas were annoying as hell. I really admire the way these two get along. Brother Yan, go for it. Don’t chicken out.
7L: I don’t know why, but I feel like Brother 6 is stirring the pot.
During the extended break, Luo Zhiyu saw Xiao Yan again.
Xiao Yan was wearing a student-council duty badge along with several other student council members, following the teachers around to inspect each class’s morning exercises.
Hardly anyone in high school actually wanted to do the broadcast exercises. Anyone even slightly taller would hide toward the back, following along at the end of the line and making a token effort to move their arms and legs.
Those in the front who couldn’t escape had no choice but to exercise with a smile that clearly said, I’m being forced to do this.
When Xiao Yan reached Class 3, Grade 10, Luo Zhiyu was happily slacking off in the back row. He hadn’t noticed anyone approaching at all.
A week ago, Luo Zhiyu had still been a model student who seriously did the broadcast exercises.
That was until one day, when this group of people introduced him to the joys of slacking off.
It wasn’t that he necessarily disliked exercising.
It was just that challenging the rules themselves was already a form of entertainment for high school students whose academic lives were otherwise monotonous and boring.
Even if it meant standing at the back of the line and chatting nonsense, these people enjoyed themselves immensely.
“Next week is Culture and Arts Week. Every class has to put on a performance,” someone said. “No. 1 High School always schedules Arts Week right before finals. Who’s even in the mood for that?”
“It’s so cold lately. Look at how gloomy the sky is. I feel like it’s going to snow this afternoon,” another person said.
“It really is cold.” Luo Zhiyu tucked his hands into his sleeves and bounced around aimlessly with everyone else, trying to warm himself up.
“I’ve decided I’m not going home until after finals.” During the sixth broadcast exercise, the PE teacher on the platform bent forward along with the music. Jing Ximing merely nodded to count it as his own bow. “Going home wastes time. And once I’m home, I have nothing to do. I carry an entire backpack full of books home because I want to bring everything with me, and then I don’t read a single one. I just carry the whole thing back again. I feel like an idiot.”
“My weekend was pretty exciting, though.” Luo Zhiyu thought back to what had happened on Friday night.
When he remembered the final message Xiao Yan had sent him—cover?me—he almost burst out laughing right there on the field.
Then Student Council duty officer Xiao Yan caught him.
“What are you laughing about? You look so happy. Tell me so I can have a laugh too.”
“You might not be able to laugh,” Luo Zhiyu blurted out. “Trust me.”
The group of students who had been slacking off saw the student council members coming and immediately straightened up. They hurried back to their original positions and awkwardly resumed the exercises.
Luo Zhiyu didn’t have time.
Xiao Yan had appeared too suddenly, and the others had betrayed their teammate far too quickly. For a moment, he couldn’t even remember where he was supposed to stand.
Luo Zhiyu: “……”
Xiao Yan, determined to do his duty fairly, pulled the lone Luo Zhiyu aside.
“They betrayed their teammate,” Luo Zhiyu protested.
“I don’t care about that,” Xiao Yan said. “You can betray your teammates too. With things like this, whoever gets caught is the one who gets punished.”
“What class are you from?” Xiao Yan put on a stern expression and went through the routine. “Stand properly. Stop looking around.”
“Class 3, Grade 11.” Before Xiao Yan could speak, Luo Zhiyu added, “You wrote it yourself. It’s right there on my workbook, and I haven’t gotten around to changing it yet. The evidence is conclusive. No objections accepted. If you argue with me, you’re just admitting I’m right.”
Xiao Yan: “……”
He had nothing to say.
“What exercise are we on?” He remained strictly official—he still had to lecture the student. Xiao Yan continued to keep a straight face and changed the subject. “Stand properly. No talking about anything else.”
“Class 3, Grade 11, Luo Zhiyu, thank you. You wrote the class yourself, and you were the one who kept calling me Zhizhi. Go ahead and write me down. Hurry up and deduct the points. Don’t hold back. We won’t talk about anything else.”
Luo Zhiyu leaned closer and patted Xiao Yan on the shoulder, using both persuasion and pressure.
“Brother Yan, pretend you didn’t see me, okay? Otherwise, so many people are slacking off. Why are you only catching me?”
“Are you being biased toward me?” Luo Zhiyu whispered into Xiao Yan’s ear. “Brother Yan.”
“Those two students at the back of Class 3, Grade 10, what are you doing?”
Director Xu’s voice came from the platform.
“Student on duty, continue your work. The other student, get back to your own line. The break exercise only lasts a few minutes. Is there something you absolutely have to say right now? Why don’t you come up front and tell all of us?”
The entire field erupted in laughter, and even the lines that had just been straightened became crooked again.
Luo Zhiyu slipped back into Class 3’s line and continued enjoying the rest of the broadcast exercises.
Xiao Yan stood there for two seconds before finally moving on, waiting until the faint warmth that had crept up his neck gradually disappeared.
Luo Zhiyu’s lips curved slightly.
With the satisfaction of someone who had just won a round of bickering, he looked back.
Under the pale gray winter sky, he happened to see the back of the boy in a blue-and-white school uniform gradually walking away.
Xiao Yan’s uniform jacket wasn’t zipped up, and the cold winter wind made it flutter gently.
Maybe it was because of the colors of the uniform, but in Luo Zhiyu’s eyes, Xiao Yan stood out especially clearly at that moment.
For some inexplicable reason, Luo Zhiyu felt that the scene carried a complicated mixture of loneliness and handsomeness.
“We’re all wearing school uniforms. What’s he showing off for?” Luo Zhiyu muttered. “How come I never noticed before?”
“You’re right,” Jing Ximing said, completely bewildered.
The sky had remained gloomy all morning.
Finally, light snow began to fall in the afternoon, and a layer of mist formed across the windows.
When Xiao Yan passed Class 3, Grade 10, that afternoon, the classroom door was closed and the windows were covered in condensation, making it impossible to see inside.
The students sitting along the windows had been drawing bamboo, smiley faces, and watermelons on the glass.
But one particular window was different.
Someone had written Xiao Yan on it, with a turtle drawn beside the name.
The turtle even had an orange sitting on its back.
The drawing was actually quite good. At a glance, it was obvious that it was in a completely different style from the drawings on the surrounding windows.
Xiao Yan: “……”
Fan Yue hurriedly tried to calm him down.
“Forget it, forget it. Let’s just pretend we didn’t come through here. Pretend we didn’t see anything.”
“No. We can’t just let this go.”
Otherwise, there would definitely be a next time.
The snow grew heavier throughout the afternoon, and gradually began accumulating on the ground.
By the time Luo Zhiyu went to the cafeteria for dinner, the snow was already fairly deep.
Just after evening self-study began, Jing Ximing pulled a sticky note off Luo Zhiyu’s back.
There was a turtle drawn on it.
It looked remarkably similar to the one on the window.
[Not a Cicada]: Are you bored or what?
Stinky Orange: Are you bored or what?
[Not a Cicada]: When did you stick that on me? I didn’t feel a thing.
Stinky Orange: When you were bent over eating your chicken leg.
[Not a Cicada]: Big bro, you’re so mean.
[Not a Cicada]: Pitifully crying.jpg
Stinky Orange: I don’t know why, but I always feel like our chat history is kind of suggestive.
Stinky Orange: I thought about it, and I think it’s your fault.
[Not a Cicada]: It’s not me.
[Not a Cicada]: Don’t make things up.
Stinky Orange: Big bro isn’t mean. Come upstairs and play. Big bro won’t bully you.
Stinky Orange: Evil grin.jpg
Suddenly, the classroom went completely dark.
All the lights went out, leaving only the glow from the phone screen in Luo Zhiyu’s hand.
The snow had fallen so heavily that the entire No. 1 High School campus had lost power.
Luo Zhiyu, who had been playing on his phone during evening self-study, was instantly exposed.
“The power should be back soon. It shouldn’t take long,” the homeroom teacher said, clearly experienced with this. “Don’t panic. Stay in your seats, keep your voices down, and don’t copy the class next door.”
“What are you chatting about? You’re the only one playing on your phone during evening self-study.” The homeroom teacher supervising the study period asked him. “Hand me your phone. Let me see who you’re having so much fun chatting with that you can’t even do your homework properly.”
Luo Zhiyu handed over his phone.
Upstairs, in Class 3, Grade 11, Xiao Yan received a new message—
“Fence-Sitter” has requested to add you as a friend.
Note: Betraying your teammate was something you taught me. I learned it on the spot and applied it immediately. I just sold you out.
Xiao Yan: “?”