“Fuck, how many times do I have to tell you? Why do you keep provoking him!”
Fan Yue rubbed his aching butt and shouted in the direction the two had disappeared.
Xiao Yan even waved at him while running away.
“Students these days are really something……” The instructor left, still shaken.
“Come, come, come. The soda and watermelon are all for everyone. Consider it a little back-to-school treat.”
Fan Yue was a good guy. Smoothing things over and taking advantage of an opportunity to do a good deed were his specialties. He was trying to do something nice and help his deskmate salvage some dignity.
“They’re all fresh and untouched. Pick whichever you like.”
The group of freshmen had been craving that watermelon and soda for ages. They immediately rushed over, divided everything up in an instant, and happily dispersed.
Inside an office in the teaching building, several teachers were chatting with the director of student affairs.
“If you ask me, I’ll be in charge of Class 3 from now on,” Director Wu joked. “Three is a good number. Class 2-3 has Xiao Yan, and Class 1-3 has Luo Zhiyu. Both are excellent students who are easy to manage. They’re very self-disciplined, so teaching them doesn’t take much effort.”
“Xiao Yan has quite a mind of his own. He doesn’t necessarily listen to everything the teacher says.”
The homeroom teacher of Class 2-3, Teacher Li, smiled modestly.
“I feel like Luo Zhiyu is more obedient and has a good personality.”
“From our phone conversation, he seemed like a very polite child,” said the homeroom teacher of Class 1-3. “He should be a very easygoing omega boy to teach.”
“Our No. 1 High School is a prestigious school, and our students have always been excellent.”
Director Wu proudly held his teacup as he stood up and faced the window, taking a sip.
“Did you see the news earlier? The one about the rare pheromone compatibility rate?”
One of the teachers shared a long article from the X City Morning Post’s official account in their WeChat group.
“Pretty interesting.”
Teacher Li was just about to join the conversation when he noticed that Director Wu’s hand holding the teacup was trembling slightly.
“Th-that is……”
Director Wu stared at the path outside the teaching building in disbelief.
A chase was taking place there.
The two outstanding students the teachers had just been so proud of were now the protagonists of the battle.
“Run, you fucking bastard!”
Luo Zhiyu chased relentlessly, the giant broom in his hands wielded with the sheer presence of a forty-meter-long blade.
“I’ll let you…… I’ll let you run thirty-nine meters first!”
Luo Zhiyu swung the giant broom forward. It slammed down where Xiao Yan had just been standing, but Xiao Yan nimbly leaped to the side and dodged it.
Xiao Yan was clearly not doing this for the first time, and Luo Zhiyu was clearly not retaliating for the first time either.
Both of them moved incredibly fast. Xiao Yan dodged left and right while Luo Zhiyu chased him with the broom raised high.
Before long, they had run straight out of the path.
The entire room full of teachers fell silent in unison.
“Luo Zhiyu, are you tired?”
Xiao Yan glanced back while running.
“Mind your own business.”
Luo Zhiyu swung the broom again.
“I’ve been thinking about your proposal from last night.”
Xiao Yan stopped for half a second at the entrance to the cafeteria.
“We’re going to be schoolmates from now on. Let’s get along peacefully.”
Luo Zhiyu didn’t believe a word Xiao Yan said.
He swung the broom and smacked Xiao Yan right in the calf.
The teachers and students who were eating lunch in the cafeteria:
“……”
Everyone put down their chopsticks almost simultaneously and, as if they had silently agreed beforehand, secretly pulled out their phones and searched up a post that had appeared on the campus forum a few days ago.
Sure enough, the post that had previously received almost no attention had now become a hot topic.
【Did you see the news? I’m kind of curious what a 0% pheromone compatibility rate feels like.】
The replies from a day ago had looked like this—
1L: RT. 0%—does that mean absolutely pure and absolutely impossible to fall in love? The student surnamed Luo and the student surnamed Xiao?
2L: Kind of a shame. I screenshotted the two of them at the opening ceremony. Good-looking people should be together, and they just happen to be an alpha and an omega too.
3L: Borrowing this floor to ask: Does Luo Zhiyu have a boyfriend?
4L: What’s with you, Third Bro? You want to pursue him? Hilarious.jpg. I used to be in the same middle school division as him. I advise you to think twice.
A day later, the previously freezing-cold thread had suddenly gained a whole bunch of new replies—
98L: ……I’m Third Bro. Forget what I said yesterday.
99L: 0% compatibility hahaha. I feel like there’s something wrong with both of these two.
100L: Borrowing this floor to ask: Does anyone have the campus heartthrob’s QQ or WeChat contact info? I spotted him immediately when he was sitting on the grass today. He’s really handsome! And while you’re at it, can someone give me his dorm number too?
101L: The campus heartthrob is currently getting beaten up. I’m a freshman, and I’m feeling pretty damn good right now. All I want to say is—good job!
The temperature in early September was still extremely high.
Before long, both of them were drenched in sweat.
When Xiao Yan heard Luo Zhiyu’s breathing behind him, he turned around and slipped through a doorway.
“I’m done, I’m done fighting.”
Once he entered through the door, Xiao Yan noticeably slowed down. He waved at Luo Zhiyu and walked toward a building.
Luo Zhiyu was hungry too, but his anger hadn’t completely dissipated yet.
Seeing Xiao Yan still right in front of him, he couldn’t quite bring himself to let things end just like that.
Without even caring where Xiao Yan had gone, he hoisted the broom onto his shoulder, chased after him for several steps, and swung it again in Xiao Yan’s direction.
Xiao Yan stood in the first-floor corridor of the alpha dormitory area and knocked on a door.
Footsteps quickly sounded from inside.
“You actually made it back alive?”
Fan Yue opened the door wearing only a pair of underwear, a bottle of medicated oil in his hand.
“You……”
He stopped halfway through his sentence when he saw the giant broom slowly rising behind Xiao Yan.
Fan Yue: “……”
Xiao Yan kicked the door shut, locking the half-naked Fan Yue inside so Luo Zhiyu wouldn’t see him.
But he didn’t have time to dodge Luo Zhiyu.
The giant broom landed squarely across his back.
“What happened? What’s going on?”
The dormitory supervisor hurried out after hearing the commotion.
At a glance, she saw the giant broom in Luo Zhiyu’s hands and the small leaf hanging from Xiao Yan’s head.
It was the middle of the day, yet no one in the entire alpha dormitory area took a nap.
Everyone was leaning over their balconies, watching the two people standing at the entrance to the dormitory area as punishment.
In the group chat for Dorm 109, Building 1, Alpha Dormitory Area
[Tang Yuan]: Who is it? Who dared to charge into our mighty A’s dormitory area? (>▽<)
[Fan Yue Wants to Be Student Council President]: First-year Luo Zhiyu.
[Tang Yuan]: Holy shit, how much of a grudge do those two have? It’s literally the first day of school and they’re already fighting like this.
[Fan Yue Wants to Be Student Council President]: It’s a long story.
[Fan Yue Wants to Be Student Council President]: Generational feud + childhood grudge, doubled with every passing year. And Brother Yan can’t sit still—he likes teasing him.
[Fan Yue Wants to Be Student Council President]: They could make a scene even when they only saw each other once a month before. Now that they’re at the same school……
[Zhang Shu]: They brought it upon themselves.
[Zhang Shu]: It’s pretty hot outside right now. Someone should bring those two an umbrella. It’d be a shame if they got tanned. Xiao Yan is the face of our dorm.
[Fan Yue Wants to Be Student Council President]: Uh, that’s certainly very considerate, but only Tang Yuan has a parasol in our dorm. We mighty A’s usually don’t bother with sun protection.
[Tang Yuan]: Sophisticated mighty A. (>▽<)
Beside the dormitory entrance, the two stood facing the wall, each with a broom in hand, reflecting on their mistakes.
Fan Yue waited until the dorm supervisor wasn’t looking and passed Xiao Yan a parasol.
“Are you two going to eat?” Fan Yue asked.
“Didn’t have time.”
All that remained in Xiao Yan’s hand was a can of peach soda. He had kept clutching it the entire time he was running away.
“I’ll go buy you something.”
Fan Yue held out his hand for their meal cards.
“At this hour, you’re lucky if there’s anything left to eat. Neither of you gets to be picky.”
“Meal card?”
Luo Zhiyu tilted his head and thought about it.
He seemed to remember that after using it yesterday at lunchtime, he had casually stuffed it into his drawing-board bag.
“I didn’t bring it. I’m not eating.”
He had spent the entire morning standing under the sun on the sports field, then chased Xiao Yan for several blocks.
He was getting a little sleepy.
“Use Xiao Yan’s card.”
Fan Yue took the meal card from Xiao Yan.
“He deserves it.”
Fan Yue went to the cafeteria to buy lunch for the two of them.
Xiao Yan looked around and, seeing no one nearby, opened up Tang Yuan’s pink parasol.
“Come here,” Xiao Yan said, looking at the wall.
Luo Zhiyu took one step to the left and slipped into the shade of the parasol.
He gave a little huff and continued facing the wall.
Director Wu, who was concerned about his students, asked around among quite a few students along the way.
He finally found his two outstanding student representatives at the corner of the alpha dormitory area wall.
And also the giant broom from the school sports field.
The two students stood facing the wall, holding up a little flower-patterned parasol as they stood in punishment.
Neither paid the other any attention.
And on the back of one of them, who wore a blue-and-white school uniform, there was still a clearly visible broom mark.
How much of a grudge could two teenagers in high school possibly have?
And both of them were promising students at No. 1 High School.
Director Wu decided to mediate.
“You two, are you being punished?”
“Hello, Director.”
The two outstanding students politely greeted the director of student affairs when they saw him.
Director Wu’s heart trembled.
He became even more convinced that good students were all polite and well-mannered. All they needed was a little proper guidance, and they would grow up united, loving one another, and flourishing together.
“Many of the people you meet during your school years will become precious memories for the rest of your life.”
Director Wu tried to move the two students with the wisdom of his own life experience.
“You’re still young. What kind of serious conflict could you possibly have? Hurry up and make up, then go back and rest. Luo Zhiyu can take the afternoon off from military training, and Xiao Yan still has class this afternoon, right?”
Director Wu felt that his words had produced excellent results.
After all, the two students had moved their gazes away from the wall and onto each other.
Director Wu decided to push a little harder.
He noticed the soda in Xiao Yan’s hand.
“Luo, you probably haven’t had much water during military training all morning, right?” Director Wu asked.
“Luo.”
After provoking Luo Zhiyu, Xiao Yan had originally planned to save a can of soda for him.
He hadn’t expected Luo Zhiyu to chase him all the way to the dormitory area, almost making him forget about it.
Hearing Director Wu say this, he put the parasol aside and, extremely cooperatively, held the soda out to Luo Zhiyu with both hands.
“Here. We’re even after this.”
Luo Zhiyu really was thirsty.
After all that running around for most of the day, he had spent plenty of time eyeing the peach soda in Xiao Yan’s hand.
Luo Zhiyu slowly reached out, intending to take the soda Xiao Yan offered him.
Director Wu felt that this was the most successful moral-education experience he had ever achieved since becoming director of student affairs.
The kind of thing worthy of being written up and published as a model case.
Luo Zhiyu pressed his lips together slightly and reached out to pull the tab of the can.
He popped it open.
Director Wu was waiting to witness the pure friendship between students.
Luo Zhiyu was waiting to drink.
Xiao Yan was waiting for Luo Zhiyu to calm down.
No one remembered that this was a can of soda—and Xiao Yan had been carrying it while running for three whole blocks, shaking it to its absolute limit.
The instant Luo Zhiyu pulled the tab open, the peach soda burst out in a rush.
Luo Zhiyu froze for only a moment.
Then, the moment the first little bubble shot out, he reacted immediately, pressing the opening of the can toward Xiao Yan.
Peach soda exploded all over him.