No. 1 High School Campus Forum —
They’recrackingdownonstudentsdatingagain.Everyone,becareful.They’re cracking down on students dating again. Everyone, be careful.
1L: As the title says. That’s all I’ll say. Please remember this act of kindness.
2L: The shorter the title, the bigger the deal. I can feel the tension already.
3L: Insider information? OP, you’re a good person!
4L: They’ve installed another security camera in the western section. Everyone, be careful. It’s over by the little path. They haven’t figured out all the blind spots yet, so don’t go over there.
5L: smile.jpg
Thisposthasbeendeletedbythemoderators.Thepageisnolongeravailable.Youwillberedirectedtothehomepageinfiveseconds.This post has been deleted by the moderators. The page is no longer available. You will be redirected to the home page in five seconds.
“Are there really that many students dating lately? I can’t tell.” Jing Ximing stared at the forum page that had been kicked back to the home screen. “Is the school taking this a little too seriously? They’re deleting posts ridiculously fast.”
“Probably a lot,” Luo Zhiyu said, guiltily glancing at the sky. “Who knows?”
“So many middle and high school students date. Does dating really affect their grades?” Single dog Jing Ximing couldn’t figure it out. “Apart from Little Spicy Strip, I don’t think anyone around me is dating. I don’t get it, I don’t get it. Maybe birds of a feather flock together, so there just aren’t many people like that around me.”
“It doesn’t affect them, does it? How could it?” Luo Zhiyu wrote the character 解 (“solution”) beneath a classical Chinese sentence on his Chinese exam that needed translating, then added a string of equations. “Dating and studying are two different things.”
Jing Ximing: “? That’s a Chinese exam. What are you calculating?”
Luo Zhiyu stuck a small correction sticker over the equations he’d written by mistake, pretending nothing had happened.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you this for ages.” Jing Ximing moved the stack of books between them aside. “What have you been agonizing over these past couple of days? You seem distracted.”
“I’m considering whether skipping a grade is possible,” Luo Zhiyu said, dropping a bombshell.
Jing Ximing: “???”
Right now, Luo Zhiyu wanted to add a horizontal stroke to the character “一” in “Class 1-3,” turning himself into a student in Class 2-3.
Skipping a grade was impossible. For one thing, his parents and teachers would never allow it. For another, his motives were impure, and he couldn’t explain them out loud. So all Luo Zhiyu could do was imagine what it would be like if his Yan-ge were in the same class as him—
ZhiliaˇoZhiliǎo: I was thinking, wouldn’t it be fun if we were in the same class? Like, if you and I were desk mates.
ZhiliaˇoZhiliǎo: I wish I’d been born a year earlier.
OrangeOrange: fairy frowning.jpg
OrangeOrange: Our homeroom teacher would go crazy.
ZhiliaˇoZhiliǎo: At least you know yourself.
OrangeOrange: No, I don’t have a problem. The homeroom teacher has a great impression of me, and all the teachers rate me highly. I’m talking about you. Every time you see me, you cause so much trouble that you’re practically breaking brooms over my head.
ZhiliaˇoZhiliǎo: fairy frowning.jpg
OrangeOrange: You stole my reaction image. smiling upside down.jpg
ZhiliaˇoZhiliǎo: Just kidding, big brother. The whole orange belongs to me now. I can peel you whenever I want and squeeze you for juice whenever I feel like it. What’s wrong with stealing one reaction image from you? smirking.jpg
Xiao Yan’s status stayed at “typing…” for a long time. Luo Zhiyu took advantage of the wait to finish the Chinese homework he’d left incomplete.
“You’ve been chatting a lot lately.” Out of the corner of his eye, Jing Ximing saw Luo Zhiyu write a couple of lines of homework, then type a few words on his phone. “Is it that little omega sweetheart you mentioned before?”
“No, no, no.” Luo Zhiyu denied it. “But it’s along the same lines.”
At its core, both were beautiful love stories that scorned and disregarded pheromones.
Another WeChat message from Xiao Yan arrived—
OrangeOrange: If we were in the same class, there’d definitely be chaos.
ZhiliaˇoZhiliǎo: Now that you put it that way, I think you might have a point.
Both of them were top students. On the surface, they seemed like calm, unbothered academic achievers, but deep down, they were both fiercely competitive. If they were in the same class, they’d compete over grades and awards, and things would probably get even more heated than they were now.
OrangeOrange: Actually, I suddenly think it wouldn’t be bad. Maybe we’d end up as desk mates.
OrangeOrange: I could bully you before and after class. I could bully you whenever you failed to beat me on an exam, too. Every day, I’d work on improving how much your pheromones liked mine. The kind of thing where hard work makes up for a lack of natural talent.
OrangeOrange: I’m tempted.
OrangeOrange: Maybe I should repeat a year and come find you!
ZhiliaˇoZhiliǎo: ? Keep your dangerous thoughts to yourself. Your parents and that cultured parrot of yours would come to my house banging gongs and drums and cursing me out at the front door.
OrangeOrange: Speaking of that parrot, I’m getting annoyed all over again.
Since reality was so far removed from their ideals, both of them put away their respective dangerous ideas and reluctantly refocused on the studying they had to do.
“Long-distance relationships are really hard,” Luo Zhiyu sighed again as he worked on his homework.
“? Depends on how far apart you are, doesn’t it?” Jing Ximing finally had a chance to join the conversation. “Are we talking different countries or different provinces?”
They were separated by only one floor, but Luo Zhiyu was too embarrassed to say that. He could only bring up something irrelevant and muddle his way out of the conversation.
Just before evening study period ended, a new post appeared on the forum. The student council had posted a recruitment notice on behalf of a teacher for an English competition.
Postedonbehalfofthestudentcouncil:Registrationisnowopenforthesecond−half−of−the−yearMiddleSchoolandHighSchoolEnglishSpeakingCompetition Posted on behalf of the student council: Registration is now open for the second-half-of-the-year Middle School and High School English Speaking Competition~~
1L: The English speaking competition for middle and high school students is held every two years. It’s both a competition and an outdoor practical experience. Improve your spoken English while enjoying an autumn outing! Five-star hotel + a perfect holiday. Students in their first and second years of high school, contact Director Xu to register. There are four spots in total.
2L: Can I just go on vacation?
3L: Second-floor commenter is so real. Literally me.
4L: @Xiao Yan @Luo Zhiyu, stop fighting like elementary school kids all day. It’s time to bring glory to No. 1 High School!
5L: !!! Whoever goes with them, please make sure to keep an eye on both of them. Xiao Yan and Luo Zhiyu must both be brought back in one piece. They’re both the public faces of our city’s No. 1 High School. Don’t let students from other schools trick them into transferring! We might not be able to get them ourselves, but we can’t let other schools benefit, either!
6L: The question is, will they even go? I think this competition is divided by age group, not grade.
7L: Then that’s perfect. Let them battle it out! They’d probably be happy to, right?
8L: Not necessarily. English isn’t Luo Zhiyu’s strong suit, and when that brat gets lazy, he really doesn’t have much school spirit. He slipped away as soon as class ended just now. Even the homeroom teacher couldn’t catch him.
Out in the corridor of Class 2-3, Luo Zhiyu found himself holding a registration form. The homeroom teacher hadn’t been able to find him in Class 1-3, so he’d expertly gone upstairs instead. He was very experienced when it came to tracking Luo Zhiyu’s whereabouts.
“Teacher, my English isn’t good.” Luo Zhiyu had no interest in competitions that wouldn’t earn him extra credit. “Let’s leave the opportunity to the students who need to show off.”
Homeroom teacher: “…”
Luo Zhiyu was speaking a language no one else understood, as usual.
“This form is for you. Participation is what matters. No one expects you to win a prize.” To prevent Luo Zhiyu from running off, the teacher had already filled in his name on the registration form. “The competition is in the second half of the year. It’ll only take up one weekend. If I tell you to go, then you’re going.”
“Fine.” Luo Zhiyu noticed there were two forms. “There’s an extra one?”
“The other one is for Xiao Yan. Give it to him later. When you two go out to compete, please, for the love of God, don’t fight. I don’t want to see you in the news again.” The homeroom teacher still wasn’t reassured. “If I tell you now, you might forget by then, so I’ll come remind you again in the second half of the year.”
Luo Zhiyu: “…”
It must have been because of that news story back then. Even now, whenever he and Xiao Yan were together, everyone worried about whether they would get into a fight. No one worried about whether they might be dating.
Everyone thought the two of them would never get together.
People had different ways of thinking. Luo Zhiyu felt that when it came to their relationship, he and Xiao Yan might have slightly different opinions.
He had always lived by the principle of “drink today, for tomorrow may never come.” He didn’t think much about the future. If he wanted to like Xiao Yan now, then he would. But perhaps because Xiao Yan was a year older, he tended to look further ahead.
“…I admit your intentions are good.” Luo Zhiyu wiped the sweat from his forehead, then leaned weakly against Xiao Yan’s shoulder, breathing softly and unevenly. “But could you please stop pressing your pheromones against me once every day?”
Xiao Yan’s top-student logic told him that their pheromone compatibility was so terrible that, since they were already going against the laws of pheromones by getting together, they would have to put in more effort than other couples if they wanted their relationship to work. So Orange worked hard every day to improve the peach’s favorability toward him. He’d work on it in the morning while waiting for Luo Zhiyu to head to class, again downstairs during the lunch break, and then once more in the woods at night.
Orange was trying way too hard.
Ever since their first temporary marking, Luo Zhiyu had known that he wasn’t completely unaffected by Xiao Yan’s orange-scented pheromones. Even with their tiny degree of compatibility, the scent could make his heart race and even turn his eyes red. Luo Zhiyu attributed this to their poor compatibility.
But Xiao Yan was enough for him. Luo Zhiyu had never had much interest in any other alpha. He found Orange’s daily efforts to win his favor both appealing and annoying. When he was in the mood, he would willingly let Orange work on his favorability. When he found it irritating, he would turn around and go look for a convenient broom.
The two of them were walking along the same little path where Luo Zhiyu had fallen before. The most dangerous place was the safest place. Lately, whenever they walked down this path, they never encountered anyone apart from the school’s stray cats.
“It’s a little disappointing.” Luo Zhiyu had finally recovered from having his legs weakened by Orange’s teasing. “I think it’s unfair.”
“What’s unfair?” Xiao Yan slowly rubbed Luo Zhiyu’s back a few times, comforting him after what had just happened. “What are you thinking about? Tell me.”
Luo Zhiyu was different from other people his age. He had all sorts of strange ideas, such as the one he had now—
“Alphas can temporarily mark omegas, so you can claim me as yours.” Those were the words Xiao Yan had used when explaining temporary marking to him in the beginning. “Then what am I supposed to do to claim you as mine?”
Luo Zhiyu was still a little dizzy from being teased by Xiao Yan’s pheromones. The dim streetlight couldn’t illuminate the faint blush on his cheeks and the tips of his ears, but Xiao Yan could see the glimmer of moisture in his eyes.
The little hooligan, who was seriously contemplating the physiological differences between alphas and omegas, looked both pitiful and adorable. Xiao Yan reached out, intending to hug him, but Luo Zhiyu had clearly planned this in advance. He leaned against Xiao Yan’s shoulder and rose slightly onto his toes, wrapping his arms around Xiao Yan’s neck.
“Don’t move,” Luo Zhiyu warned.
The scent around the alpha’s neck was clean and fresh, like oranges. There was no gland at the back of his neck like an omega’s. Luo Zhiyu gently kissed the side of Xiao Yan’s neck, then opened his mouth and bit down, leaving a faint tooth mark.
“Consider it compensation for my long-distance relationship,” Luo Zhiyu said, coming up with an excuse for his behavior. He wiped his mouth, thoroughly satisfied.
The little hooligan had taken it upon himself to tease someone again. Xiao Yan was always afraid of hurting Luo Zhiyu, yet this guy never seemed to learn to be careful.
Xiao Yan grabbed Luo Zhiyu by the collar and hauled him to one side, intending to teach him a lesson.
“Do you really like biting people that much?”
“Depends on who it is.” Luo Zhiyu leaned against the tree trunk, forced to look up at his Yan-ge. “I wouldn’t even want to bite anyone else.”
“What are you two doing? You’re an alpha and an omega, right? And you’re not even in the same grade.” A teacher on patrol emerged from behind a tree some distance away, carrying a flashlight. “I knew we’d catch students dating if we waited here tonight. The principal’s plan really is effective. If we stake out the woods, we’re bound to catch someone. Both of you, stand right there. Don’t move. I’ll ask the director what we should do with you.”
“Someone finally thinks we’re dating!” Luo Zhiyu exclaimed excitedly, grabbing Xiao Yan’s wrist. “Someone finally believes it!”
Xiao Yan: “…”
He could actually relate to what excited Luo Zhiyu. It was just that Luo Zhiyu had chosen a very inappropriate time and place to get excited.
“Are you really that happy about receiving a formal disciplinary notice?” The teacher who had caught them was completely baffled by Luo Zhiyu’s reaction. Normally, students who were caught would hang their heads in despair, then scramble over one another to deny that they had anything to do with each other.
In all his years as a teacher, he had seen students who were timid after being caught dating, students who regretted it deeply, and students who pretended to be calm. But he had never seen anyone who was so excited to be caught that they practically wanted the school to issue a disciplinary notice immediately, making sure the whole school knew about it at once.
Teacher Song: “All right, don’t rush me. I’ll ask Director Wu what to do.”
TeacherSong–PatrolTeacher Song – Patrol: Director Wu, are you there? We’ve caught two students dating over here. They must be dating, right? Otherwise, who would come here this late at night?
TeacherSong–PatrolTeacher Song – Patrol: On Wutong Road, in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras.
DirectorWuDirector Wu: Deal with it strictly. Absolutely no leniency. angry.jpg
“Make sure you show the proper attitude,” Teacher Song said. “Your director says this must be dealt with strictly.”
DirectorWuDirector Wu: Give me their names and classes.
TeacherSong–PatrolTeacher Song – Patrol: Let me ask them.
TeacherSong–PatrolTeacher Song – Patrol: Luo Zhiyu from Class 1-3 and Xiao Yan from Class 2-3. I’m pretty sure I typed their names correctly.
TeacherSong–PatrolTeacher Song – Patrol: I don’t come to the school very often, but those two names sound awfully familiar.
TeacherSong–PatrolTeacher Song – Patrol: Anyway, Director, should we issue a formal disciplinary notice, or call their parents over right now and make them write self-criticisms?
DirectorWuDirector Wu: ???
DirectorWuDirector Wu: Luo Zhiyu and Xiao Yan? Right now? In the woods?
DirectorWuDirector Wu: Hurry up and break up the fight!