Chapter 20
After finishing their pancakes and bubble tea, their stomachs full, they slowly made their way back to the classroom.
By now, the evening self-study session was already halfway through, but luckily, there were no teachers for tonight’s session. Besides, in the eyes of the teachers, Lin Xiaoran was the perfect student, so occasionally missing half a class wasn’t a big deal.
However, this half class had a significant impact on Gu Yang.
He had made an agreement with Lin Xiaoran last night: Lin Xiaoran had to say thirty sentences in a day, and in return, Gu Yang had to complete all the tasks Lin Xiaoran assigned.
Today, Lin Xiaoran had already said about thirty sentences just by talking to him, but Gu Yang hadn’t completed his tasks at all.
Lin Xiaoran didn’t intentionally burden him; he simply asked Gu Yang to complete the papers assigned by the teachers.
But just these papers alone were overwhelming. Each subject teacher could assign several sheets of paper, and with only half the time remaining in the self-study session, there was pressure to complete them all.
Gu Yang didn’t want a repeat of last night, staying up late to finish homework, so he was now multitasking: writing papers while silently scolding himself for agreeing to Lin Xiaoran’s terms last night.
While he was multitasking, the rest of the students in their senior class were also multitasking, with one hand busy answering questions and the other holding their phones under the desk, engaged in heated discussions.
In the senior class group chat:
“Study God is My Idol: Seriously, do you guys really think it’s a good idea for the Study God to be with the School Bully? The Study God skipped class tonight, just like last time when he didn’t attend a class and came back with the School Bully. It must be related to the School Bully again. Do you think the School Bully will corrupt the Study God?”
“School Bully is My Idol: Are you implying that our Yang-ge will be turned into a bookworm just because of the Study God? Look at how carefree he usually is. Since he’s been with the Study God, look at how he diligently studies every evening. It’s heartbreaking to see him work so hard. Our Yang-ge shouldn’t be bound like this.”
“No Sugar in My Bubble Tea: Your words are strange. In this day and age, who’s afraid of becoming better? Aren’t students supposed to attend classes and do their homework well? Should they just sleep or play games in class every day? The Study God is kindly helping your School Bully to reform and give him a better future. Isn’t that a good thing?”
“I’m Wasted after the Weekend: Cut the crap about a better future. Maybe you guys don’t know what kind of background the School Bully comes from? He needs to study well, go to college, and then come out to work like a cow? He could live a much better life than us just by sitting and enjoying his wealth for generations.”
“The Study God Looked at Me Yesterday: Then let your School Bully be carefree by himself and don’t stifle our Yang-ge in the name of love!”
“School Bully Looks Even Handsomer Today: Please, Study God, don’t suffocate our Yang-ge’s nature in the name of love!”
…
So, the debate in Senior Class One over whether Gu Yang was corrupting Lin Xiaoran or if Lin Xiaoran was suppressing Gu Yang’s nature was fierce.
Of course, this didn’t affect the two indifferent parties. They remained the same, even wearing the same watch on their wrists every day, which everyone assumed was a couple’s watch.
Soon, the summer vacation came to an end, and the students from the first and second years returned to school. For the seniors, apart from attending the opening ceremony, with Lin Xiaoran speaking as the student representative, everything remained unchanged.
Within a few days of starting the new school year, they had their second monthly exam.
In Seven High, the rule was that the seniors would have a monthly assessment, basically following the format of the final exams.
They had already had one exam during the summer classes, and now, a month had passed, and it was time for the second one.
This kind of exam posed no pressure for Lin Xiaoran, and previously, Gu Yang didn’t feel pressured either. Lin Xiaoran always ranked first, while Gu Yang always ranked last. Both of them maintained steady grades.
However, for some reason, everyone was now focused on Gu Yang’s grades, as if they felt that if his grades didn’t improve, he wouldn’t be worthy of Lin Xiaoran.
When the grades were released on Monday, Gu Yang unsurprisingly remained at the bottom of the class.
Immediately, discussions erupted on the school forum. Some felt that Lin Xiaoran shouldn’t waste time on Gu Yang’s grades, speculating that maybe he just wasn’t cut out for it. This didn’t sit well with the supporters of the School Bully, with some even posting Gu Yang’s middle school grades to refute the claims.
As the debate heated up, Lin Xiaoran was summoned to the office by their class teacher, Zhao Tianhua.
“Gu Yang… What’s going on?” Zhao Tianhua pulled out Gu Yang’s papers, all of which were failing grades. “I thought he was doing well lately, quite studious. Why haven’t his grades improved at all?”
Lin Xiaoran picked up the papers and looked through them.
Seeing Gu Yang’s scores, he was also a bit surprised.
Although Gu Yang had only been studying seriously for about two weeks, Lin Xiaoran knew that with his intelligence, his grades should have improved. Staying at the same level wasn’t normal.
But after flipping through the papers, he shook his head. “I’m not sure.”
Zhao Tianhua sighed and collected the papers. “I’ll be honest with you. Gu Yang’s father was my university classmate. He adored Gu Yang when Gu Yang was in middle school, saying he was the smartest student he’d ever seen. With the way things are in high school now, he often blames himself, saying that he didn’t pay enough attention to the child during ninth grade and didn’t know what happened at home to make his mind wander like this. I’ve heard him say this so many times; I have to keep an eye on Gu Yang. Plus, his father genuinely cares about his studies and calls me every now and then. I thought he was studying well recently, always with you. I thought he had really put his heart into it. Well, studying is something he has to do by himself. You can go back to class now.”
Lin Xiaoran nodded and left.
Back in the classroom, the bell rang right on time, but his desk mate hadn’t arrived yet.
It was already the end of the mid-morning break, and the third period was about to begin.
Gu Yang was often late, but it was rare for him to not show up by this time.
For some reason, Lin Xiaoran’s mind recalled Zhao Tianhua’s words — “I don’t know what happened at home to make his mind wander like this.”
He thought for a moment, then took out his phone, preparing to send a message to Gu Yang.
His fingertips hovered over the “send” button, hesitating. Then, he put the phone away.
Forget it, he’d talk to Gu Yang face-to-face when he got back tonight. There were things he needed to ask him about in person.
As it turned out, not only did Gu Yang not come to school all day, but when Lin Xiaoran returned to Gu’s house after evening self-study, he couldn’t find him there either.
This was a bit strange. Since he moved in with Gu, Gu Yang had never been this late coming home.
But Lin Xiaoran didn’t dwell on it. After taking a shower and playing games for a while, he went to bed.
Little did he know that he would be awakened in the middle of the night by a loud noise, as if something porcelain had shattered on the ground.
In the darkness, he blinked in confusion, hesitating whether to get up and take a look. Then, he heard a voice shouting angrily, “Gu Yang, who do you think you’re giving that attitude to every day? I’ve raised you, so what do you have to be angry about with me? What exactly are you grumbling about with me? Speak up!”
Gu Xiuyuan?
Lin Xiaoran was surprised.
The refined Gu Xiuyuan was actually throwing such a tantrum?
“Speak up! You’ve been holding a grudge against me for three years now. Every day when I come home, I have to see that expression on your face. I’ve had enough! Let him speak, let him tell me.”
This was followed by another round of crashing sounds and the servants’ comforting words. After several minutes of commotion, it finally quieted down, and Lin Xiaoran hadn’t heard Gu Yang say a word throughout the whole ordeal.
Soon, footsteps could be heard in the hallway upstairs, leisurely and somewhat indifferent. It was unmistakably Gu Yang.
Lin Xiaoran hesitated for a second, wondering whether to continue sleeping or go take a look. Eventually, he got out of bed and opened the door.
Gu Yang happened to arrive at the door at the same time, and their eyes met directly.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Gu Yang smiled at him, his lips curling up. “Did we disturb you? Sorry about that.”
Lin Xiaoran didn’t say anything, his eyes still a bit foggy from just waking up, staring at Gu Yang without blinking. But he couldn’t detect any difference in Gu Yang’s expression compared to just two minutes ago when there was so much commotion downstairs.
Seeing him remain silent, Gu Yang spoke again, “Go back to sleep. It won’t be noisy anymore.” With that, he pushed open his own door and went inside, closing it behind him. A slender white hand suddenly reached out and rested on the door.
Turning back, Gu Yang met Lin Xiaoran’s clear, beautiful eyes.
“Let’s talk,” Lin Xiaoran said, and without waiting for his permission, he pushed the door and walked into Gu Yang’s room.