Oh, listen to that iron-clad certainty in his tone. What an idiot.
Chi Wang took a breath, ready to continue his tirade, but Su Lian quickly stopped him: "I advise you to watch your words."
After all, when Chi Wang learns the truth in the future, he'll probably want to travel back in time and glue his mouth shut with superglue.
Hearing this, Chi Wang's previously smooth train of thought suddenly derailed.
Being dumped, yet still harboring feelings without badmouthing or putting down the ex – he really wanted to award this classmate a "China's Best Ex" banner.
After rolling several comforting phrases around in his mind, he chose the most straightforward one: "Since you've transferred schools, don't think about her anymore. Just forget it."
Su Lian pondered for a few seconds, then said quite honestly: "That might be a bit difficult."
He did want to forget, but now that he was here, that face was constantly before his eyes.
Unless he got knocked on the head and had a cliché bout of amnesia, there might still be a chance.
Chi Wang fell silent, thinking to himself that this heartbreak must be truly severe. He wondered which girl had been so cruel, feeling sorry for Su Lian.
How they broke up, how feelings lingered – he didn't dare ask. Asking would be like rubbing salt in the wound.
"Love is like mist, like rain, and like the wind. If you can't grasp it, don't try," Gu Anjiu suddenly waxed poetic, his words carrying the tone of someone who'd been there.
The next second, Chi Wang mercilessly exposed him: "You've never even dated. You're talking as if you've had eight hundred exes."
Su Lian nonchalantly pulled out a tissue, crumpling it into a ball: "So, can we end this topic now?"
As his cold voice fell, the cafeteria, filled with the aroma of food, once again became charged with a murderous atmosphere.
Lin Yan frantically tried to smooth things over: "Yes, yes, let's end it. We didn't hear anything."
Chi Wang pondered for two seconds, then got up and went to the window to get a new plate of braised pork, placing it in front of Su Lian.
The tall boy slightly lowered his head, speaking in a tone used to coax children: "You seem to like this. Eat up, you'll feel better after eating."
"Damn, that's so much. Are you trying to fatten me up like a pig?" Su Lian stared at the small mound of meat, chuckling in disbelief.
Chi Wang sat back down, curling one leg up to rest his foot on the crossbar under the chair, lazily propping one hand on his knee: "Don't discriminate against pigs. They live pretty happily every day."
"That may be true, but no matter how happy they are, once they're fattened up, they'll still be killed and eaten," Gu Anjiu could always find a way to continue any conversation. He was trying hard to liven up the atmosphere, and the effect was indeed remarkable.
The morbid chat once again brought the topic to an end.
In the short lunch break, the bet between Su Lian and Ai Xuexi spread throughout the entire second year of high school.
The boys loved to gossip about this kind of bet that could lead to the school bully's social death, especially during the extremely tense exam period. This kind of distraction was particularly welcome.
Gu Anjiu had joined several anonymous chat groups, and now messages were popping up incessantly.
Lin Yan leaned over, openly peeking at the screen: "What are they talking about?"
"They're voting, guessing how many places Ai Xuexi will beat Lian by. Currently, the highest vote count is for—" Gu Anjiu deliberately dragged out his voice, trying to create suspense.
Seeing no one react, he felt quite dejected and answered himself: "972 places. By the way, there are 982 people in our grade."
"You didn't need to explain that explicitly," Su Lian, in a good mood from the braised pork, spoke in a much calmer tone. "Isn't anyone betting on me winning?"
The three of them: "???"
What's going on? It actually sounded like he was seriously asking. Strange.
Chi Wang turned sideways, reaching out with a concerned look to feel Su Lian's forehead: "Do you have a fever? You're not hot. Are you dreaming?"
The warm, large hand covered his skin, rubbing back and forth. Su Lian didn't react for a moment, pinned in place by the touch.
After a few seconds, he irritably grabbed the hand and threw it back: "You're the one with a fever. Don't get handsy."
What's wrong with this guy, always touching without warning?
Not understanding how he had offended the cool guy again, Chi Wang tapped the fingers that had just touched the forehead on the table: "We're all guys, what's wrong with a little touch?"
Gu Anjiu raised his head sharply: "Lian, you're not..."
His heart skipped a beat.
"Put away those weird thoughts of yours," Su Lian interjected, stopping him.
Gu Anjiu swallowed hard, continuing anxiously: "...a germaphobe, are you?"
Can't you finish your sentence in one go? This dramatic pause.
"Mm, a bit," Su Lian sighed slightly in relief. He had overthought it; how could these straight-as-nails guys think about homosexuality?
Actually, he wasn't born liking boys. It was just because he met Chi Wang back then and happened to fall for him.
Even now, he wasn't sure if he would have any special feelings for other boys if it weren't for Chi Wang.
The meal ended on an unsettling note. Su Lian picked up his tray and stood up: "Let's head back to the exam room, prepare for the next subject."
"Your nemesis, Ai Xuexi is really tough. This time I can't save you," Chi Wang wanted to drape his arm over Su Lian's shoulder, but his arm hovered in the air before he pulled it back.
Su Lian didn't even look back, coldly replying: "I don't need you to save me."
"I'm just concerned about my desk mate, aren't I?" Chi Wang walked behind him with his hands in his pockets, looking lazy and casual. "Having to announce on the broadcast that you're a loser is more embarrassing than doing morning exercises. I'm genuinely worried for you."
This guy usually spoke with a careless air, neither here nor there, never serious. But somehow, Su Lian detected a hint of sincerity in these words.
He paused slightly, about to speak but then holding back, ultimately saying nothing.
As for the twist, of course it had to be saved for when expectations were at their highest to be truly exciting.
As was customary nationwide, the afternoon exam was mathematics.
The sighs in the classroom were even louder than in the morning. Five minutes in, the sound of pen tips scratching paper weakened.
In this exam room, most people had just guessed their way through the multiple-choice questions. Looking up, they saw that half the section had already given up, heads down, sleeping.
As expected of the last exam room, the entire city was united in dejection.
Su Lian focused with all his might, seriously writing out his problem-solving steps.
Earlier, thinking about the bet with Chi Wang, knowing it was his best subject, he didn't want to let him lose too badly and completely lose confidence.
To give him hope of catching up and willingly bet on the next monthly exam scores, Su Lian had controlled his performance meticulously, putting in a lot of effort.
The bet would only be fun to continue month after month if there was some back-and-forth.
After much consideration, he had left some room for improvement.
He had chosen 'C' for all the multiple-choice questions at the beginning, and for the classical poetry section, he had simply left it blank.
However, he hadn't anticipated the sudden appearance of Ai Xuexi, which immediately disrupted his plans.
His Chinese score would definitely be the lowest of all subjects. To surpass that 10th-ranked student in total score, he couldn't deliberately underperform in the other subjects anymore.
Today's divination results weren't good or bad, indicating that victory wasn't guaranteed.
To win this bet, it would indeed take some effort.
Su Lian held his pen, underlining the stem of the last big question. Halfway through drawing the straight line, the pen tip stopped.
Damn, he had been careless. What exactly was the formula needed here again?
Never mind, he'd derive it again from scratch. Hopefully, there was still enough time.
As the ending bell rang and the papers were collected, Gu Anjiu ran over faster than a rabbit: "How was it? How many do you think you guessed right?"
Su Lian slung his bag over his left shoulder, walking out leisurely: "I don't know."
If he said he got them all right, this guy probably wouldn't believe him anyway.
"It's over. No, I still think we need to strike first," Gu Anjiu muttered. "Where's the nearest pharmacy?"
The back of his head was suddenly smacked by Chi Wang: "What have I always told you? Using such underhanded methods."
"You know, I just ran into that guy from next door in the bathroom, and he was sarcastically mocking that our entire dorm's scores combined wouldn't match his. It pissed me off. I can't swallow this."
After a pause, Gu Anjiu raised his chin, saying seriously: "This is no longer just Lian's personal battle. It's a war between our Room 403 and their Room 405."
Lin Yan, who had been walking over slowly, reminded him: "Chi Wang lives in 404."
"Anyway, I don't care. We're all in the same boat now. Since this battle has begun, we must give it our all," Gu Anjiu scratched his head, his earlier spirit deflating again. "I desperately want to help Lian get some buffs, but with these grades, I really can't think of any way."
Lin Yan nodded in agreement: "Indeed. Should we cram a bit? Every little bit helps."
"I think, just narrowing the gap in rankings would be a victory. It would be a glorious defeat."
After going through math, perhaps stimulated by some problem, Chi Wang suddenly had a moment of clarity: "As for how to settle the bet, we'll figure that out later."
"True, at least we can put those anonymous group chats to shame. Go for it, Lian! We're all your solid meat shields."
Gu Anjiu clenched his fist, resembling that chubby emoji from the internet.
It had been a long time since Su Lian heard such encouraging words, but he found it oddly youthful.
It was like a group of people giving their all towards a common goal. Looking back, it might seem insignificant, but that collective energy was like a small flame that, with just a gentle burn, could set one's blood boiling.
He hooked his backpack, nodding seriously: "Alright, I'll do my best."
"It's hard to improve quickly in comprehensive science, why not memorize some English essay templates?" Chi Wang cracked his knuckles, his mind racing. "You might gain a few extra points."
As soon as he said this, Su Lian felt a sense of foreboding, the flame of enthusiasm in his heart dimming by half.
Sure enough, the next second, Chi Wang pulled out his phone and started swiping: "Hold on, I know a top student who's great at guessing questions. I'll ask him for some materials."
"...No, thanks." Su Lian tried to refuse, anticipating his next move.
With a ping, the electronic materials were sent over at lightning speed.
Chi Wang waved his phone in front of him, saying casually: "It's not much, just over thirty pages. If you memorize it all, you'll definitely score high on tomorrow's English essay."
Hearing the page count, Su Lian instantly felt a headache coming on.
He quickened his pace, swiftly fleeing the scene: "I'm out. I'm skipping dinner and going straight back to the classroom to study."
"I love your fighting spirit and positivity," Gu Anjiu caught his collar, grinning as he clung to him. "But you're our prime focus now. Wang's right, even improving by a few ranks is a victory. As it happens, I also have a top student friend with some example problem analyses. You should look them over tonight, they'll definitely help."
Su Lian: "..."
You guys have so many top student friends, how come you're still not rubbing off on each other?
As the group got carried away, Lin Yan slowly chimed in: "I think I also have a..."
"Stop right there. We can still be friends if you don't say it." The youthful flame completely extinguished, Su Lian left the three behind and walked away quickly.
During evening self-study, the seats in front and to the right were empty, clearly showing that the three had collectively skipped class.
While Su Lian was taking notes from his textbook, he thought to himself how impressive it was that they made him study and do problems while they snuck away faster than anyone.
Who knows what mischief they were up to now.
Li Guoqing made his usual rounds, stopping at the last row and asking sternly: "Where are they?"
Su Lian glanced up briefly: "I don't know."
Li Guoqing stared at him intently, interrogating: "You don't know or you're covering for them?"
"I really don't know, teacher. I need to get back to reviewing." Su Lian sighed, pointing at the half-read textbook in his hand.
Li Guoqing looked at his notes filled with symbols, nearly moved to tears: "You truly are a lotus rising from the mud, untainted. Well done."
Poor grades didn't matter as long as the attitude was right. There was still hope.
However, this scene caught Ai Xuexi's attention, and during the break, he seized the opportunity to saunter over.
Placing his palm on the desk, his tone dripping with sarcasm: "Studying, classmate? Can you understand it?"
Su Lian didn't even look up, lightly turning to the next page of his book and continuing to solve problems.
"The whole grade knows about our bet now. Excited?" Ai Xuexi seemed particularly idle, circling around the desk, his mouth running non-stop. "I'm really, really looking forward to it."
Curious glances from nearby students drifted over, ears perked to catch Su Lian's response.
However, the rumored school bully seemed quite even-tempered, maintaining a poker face throughout. He didn't even change his posture, just rhythmically twirling his pen and occasionally making a mark in his book.
Ignored in his provocation, Ai Xuexi raised his voice: "Tell me, how many ranks will I pull ahead of you? 972, 973, or..."
Su Lian looked up, pushing a stack of textbooks back to create distance between Ai Xuexi and the desk: "Piss off."
Though his tone was mild, the effect was intimidating, exuding an aura of "don't mess with me."
"Tch, no fun." Ai Xuexi was startled, his mouth defiant but his body honest as he turned and left.
After studying all night, Su Lian's body felt sore all over. He rotated his neck left and right to ease the stiffness, then grabbed his backpack and left the classroom.
Instead of heading straight back, he detoured to the small supermarket by the school gate and bought a small jar of honey.
It looked good quality, imported even, but terribly expensive.
After paying, his balance showed a measly 23 yuan and some change.
Broke, so broke even a roadside beggar would turn up their nose. It was truly dire.
Su Lian returned to the dorm, took out a blender, poured in the pile of Chinese herbs, added honey, and brewed a fresh bottle.
As the steaming vapors dispersed, Su Lian held it to his nose for a sniff. The bitterness was tempered by a sweet aroma. Though he hadn't tasted it yet, it seemed palatable.
He had just put the lid on when the door to room 403 was pushed open. Turning his head, he saw Chi Wang standing in the doorway, bent over and panting.
Su Lian unscrewed the lid again, placing it on the table: "Just you? Where are the others?"
"Still at the school gate, they'll be back soon."
Chi Wang looked like he'd just been through intense exercise. He casually wiped the sweat from his face with the hem of his shirt, inadvertently revealing a glimpse of his toned waist, his whole body exuding an aura of youthful hormones.
Su Lian stared for a few seconds before averting his gaze, holding out the thermos.
At the same moment, the embodiment of hormones pulled out a thick stack of printed materials from his backpack.
Their long-fingered hands paused in mid-air, creating an odd sense of a cash-for-goods exchange.
Their eyes met, and they both had a terribly ominous feeling.
Su Lian, gripping the thermos, spoke first: "Improved health tonic. Drink it."
Chi Wang waved the papers in his hand: "Memorize these essay templates tonight. I'll be watching you, and you're not allowed to sleep until you finish."
They both felt their hearts sink simultaneously.
Here we go again. This is just ridiculous.