These days, because he had spent too much time on his game project, Yin Minglu was not in good spirits during class. His eyelashes trembled as he struggled to keep his drowsy eyes open, staring at the blackboard.
The sleepiness during morning classes was contagious, and as Yin Minglu’s good friend and desk mate, Zheng Jiangning, his originally loud recitation of ancient poetry became quieter. His handsome head bobbed up and down, resembling a chick pecking at grains of rice.
After the autumn heat, the weather in the capital began to turn colder, and the classroom windows fogged up, becoming the perfect protective barrier for students to doze off and take a nap during class.
However, he was quickly startled awake by a pair of big bell-like eyes on the window. He completely lost his drowsiness and quickly picked up his Chinese textbook, pretending that he had never fallen asleep. He started muttering, “The prince and the guests who know the truth all wear white robes…”
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at his good friend Yin Minglu and noticed that Yin Minglu was still resting his head on the desk, with his fair face and closed eyes, sleeping soundly. He couldn’t help but feel worried for him and was about to kick him with his Adidas sneakers to wake him up, reminding him that the teacher was here. However, he turned his head and saw that the teacher had walked away. Walked away!?
Could it be that top students could do whatever they wanted? Zheng Jiangning put his foot down and began to question life.
Little did he know that their class teacher, Lao Yu1“老” (Lao) – means “old” or “elderly”, had been informed by Yin Minglu in advance, so he allowed him to sleep a little longer during morning classes. This was one of the privileges of being a top student; high-achieving students were always given more leeway by him.
During class or when patrolling the class after school, he would gaze at his classmates through the window. His first glance would always be at the VIP seats in the back row, checking if the students with lower grades were dozing off. Then, he would look at the high-achieving students whom he had high hopes for, such as Yin Minglu and Jiang Mingqin, who had been at the top of their class since they entered school. He would occasionally check if their study habits had deteriorated.
In the past, these high-achieving students had always been diligent and never disappointed him. However, in recent days, as he observed them, Lao Yu noticed that these good students also had issues.
Through the window, he saw Jiang Mingqin, who sat in the second position in class and in the third row, turn around and look at Yin Minglu, who was the top student, multiple times during a forty-five-minute class. She seemed very concerned. Whenever someone looked at her, she quickly lowered her head, but Lao Yu, with his extensive experience, could tell that she was only using her book as a cover. Her gaze was completely unfocused, indicating that her mind was elsewhere.
Thinking about this, he furrowed his brow slightly but didn’t take any action for the time being.
Teachers were most worried about students starting relationships in class, without a doubt! It was a big problem, and that’s why he allowed those mischievous kids to perform a skit on this topic. The original intention was to hope that the students in this class would set a good example. However, it seemed that the restlessness of adolescence couldn’t be suppressed, no matter how teachers promoted it.
Fortunately, for now, it seemed to be a one-sided affection from the girls towards the boys, with the girls often turning their heads to look, and the boys sleeping soundly every day. If both sides were interested, it would be much more challenging for him as a class teacher. After all, both of these students had excellent grades, and he couldn’t stop them. If he did, and their grades suffered, he would be in trouble. If he didn’t stop them, they could potentially set a precedent for dating within the class, which was also unacceptable.
While Lao Yu Lao Shi2“老于老师” (Lao Yu Lao Shi) – Old Teacher Yu was contemplating whether to schedule a meeting with Jiang Mingqin to discuss this matter in his office, the boy woke up. He seemed to have been awakened by the noisy bell, and he yawned gently. A tear hung from the corner of his eye, clinging to his eyelashes, unwilling to fall. His face still bore the imprint of sleep wrinkles from the book. With one hand supporting his cheek, he appeared to be in a dazed state.
Zheng Jiangning looked at him with deep respect. “Minglu, you’ve been asleep for three class periods already. You can’t fall asleep anymore. The next class, the teacher will call on us with odd-numbered seats to answer questions, and we’re both in odd-numbered seats. You need to be prepared, and I’ll be relying on you.”
“Um, thanks for reminding me.” Yin Minglu quickly picked up his textbook and began reading. In his ears, he caught snippets of conversation from a few girls.
“Is it Chen Xu, the senior? Is he coming to see Jiang Mingqin again? They look really close; could they be dating?”
“I think it’s highly likely. Why else would he come over during multiple breaks?”
“He’s handsome, and she’s beautiful, they make a great couple. Didn’t you hear a few days ago that the school bully from the other school also liked Jiang Mingqin? He even came to our school to try and take her away. Is that true?”
“It’s definitely true. I saw it with my own eyes. That boy is handsome, but he seems quite domineering. He wanted to take Jiang Mingqin away.”
“That’s too arrogant! Trying to take someone away on our school’s turf?”
“Yeah, I heard from others that the school bully is only acting tough because he comes from a well-off family, like a rich second-generation in real estate.”
“I can’t believe it. Jiang Mingqin is so charming that she has the city mayor’s son and the school bully as pursuers. She’s just a girl from a modest background. Is she using some kind of trick?” This sarcastic tone came from a female classmate who had always been jealous of Jiang Mingqin, even though she was quickly proven wrong when Jiang Mingqin returned to her wealthy family, making her the target of ridicule instead.
Indeed, she was very charming. Even a simple white rabbit milk candy could warm your heart. Maybe I should send a whole carload to her in the future? Yin Minglu muttered to himself as he wrote, deciding to visit the Capital Orphanage to bring warmth. He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the gaze coming from outside the window.
“He still hasn’t noticed me.”
The boy continued to write diligently as if he had created his own world in this lively classroom. In his previous visits, he had only seen the boy napping with his head on the desk, which was somewhat cute in its attempt to hide behind textbooks.
This time, the boy had awakened, but his attention remained entirely focused on his work. Perhaps, to the boy, this older student from another class was just an insignificant passerby.
Chen Xu’s gaze was dark, and he felt somewhat disheartened, but he maintained his gentlemanly demeanor as he handed over the cake shop pastries he had bought.
Bathed in the teasing and curious gazes of their classmates, there were continuous cheers and jeers in the background. Jiang Mingqin stood in place, accepting the gift with a smile. She couldn’t help but blush, and her already beautiful face became even more radiant, which only fueled the excitement from their peers.
She was quite happy with how others misunderstood her relationship with the older student because it could only prove her boundless charm. In the campus setting, many innocent romances typically began with teasing. At first, there might genuinely be a platonic friendship between a boy and a girl, but gradually, people would assume they were a couple. Under the gaze of countless ambiguous glances, over time, the individuals themselves might develop subtle feelings as well. Later, this pair would indeed become a campus couple, and the onlookers would become even more convinced of their judgment: “See, I told you they were a couple.”
Only she knew that this cake was originally intended for someone else.
But it didn’t matter; the recipient’s lack of knowledge was sufficient. Even if he found out, given the straightforward nature of that young man, he might just throw it in the trash. She considered it her duty to preserve Chen Xu’s sincerity.
Chen Xu had been visiting Class Five of the first year for some time now, but every time he came, he would either see the boy sleeping or frantically taking notes. This had led him to doubt whether this kid was truly the top student. How could he sleep so much?
Jiang Mingqin had always maintained a polite smile and accompanied him throughout, preventing him from interacting too closely with the boy. She even neglected her own game design project. After all, she was a reincarnator, and whatever games Yin Minglu would design, she could easily figure out at home, not to mention her older brother, Jiang Mingyao, who was a computer expert. She had a double advantage.
But despite all her precautions, they still ended up interacting.
During a campus morning exercise session, the first-year students went first, completing their run before the second-year students took their turn. However, as the second-year students were just getting onto the track, a cry of surprise rang out: “Stop! Someone has fallen!”
The crowd immediately erupted in commotion, with girls screaming. Before the confused group could react, a handsome dark-haired boy rushed over, picked up the injured person without saying a word, and headed straight for the medical room.
The stupefied crowd slowly regained their senses, expressing concern. “Chen Xu fell, and it looks serious. I hope he didn’t sprain his ankle. Let’s finish our run and then go check on him.”
Others had a peculiar focus. “Isn’t it that all the freshmen are so kind now?”
“We have an English quiz in the next class. That freshman took our chance to visit the medical room!”
“I can’t believe it! Can I still make it to the medical room to visit him now?”
Chen Xu felt extremely unlucky. From the moment he stepped onto the track, he sensed that someone had pushed him. He tumbled awkwardly to the ground, clutching his knee in pain. His palms and legs were clearly scraped, with the wounds covered in dirt and appearing quite gruesome.
Due to his sudden fall, the crowd became chaotic. Someone even stepped on his hand. He bit his lower lip hard, eyes flashing with a cold light, and silently engraved the pattern of those shoes in his memory.
Just as he was filled with resentment, he looked up and saw the handsome boy with jet-black hair standing before him. The boy half-squatted, asking in a melodious voice, “Are you okay?”
He felt a bit dazed, his breathing becoming rapid, as if all of this were a dream, especially when the boy’s slightly cool fingers touched him in the chilly wind. Before he could respond, the boy grabbed his arm and effortlessly lifted him up, seemingly with no effort at all.
This was the closest they had ever been.
Lying prone on the slim yet warm back, he could feel the faint scent of soap on the boy’s school uniform, the soft strands of hair brushing against his face. Chen Xu’s resentment and anger melted away, and for the first time, he wished the journey to their destination would be longer.
Although the boy seemed to have no recollection of him at all, after handing him over to the school nurse, he simply lay down on the sickbed.
“Thank you for helping me, you’re really kind,” he hesitated for a long time, deciding to use this as an opportunity to get to know each other. However, after waiting for a while, he received no response and leaned over to take a look.
Under the blanket, he heard the boy’s gentle breathing, his features mirroring those on stage, as if time had stood still.
He had been somewhat nervous at first, his heart pounding rapidly, but suddenly, he relaxed. Eventually, he couldn’t resist drifting off to sleep. When he woke up, there was no trace of the boy on the neighboring bed.
He had to suppress his disappointment and return to the classroom.
Yin Minglu, who had initially thought he was helping others for fun and hadn’t even had a chance to see what the boy looked like, sent a truckload of clothing, bedding, school supplies, electronic devices, candies, and snacks to the orphanage on Sunday. After politely declining the orphanage director’s request for a photo together, he grabbed a handful of candies and distributed them while saying, “Study hard and be good kids.” Implicitly, it meant being good people and not getting involved with bad women in the future.
Amidst a chorus of “Thank you, big brother” and “Okay, big brother” with sweet and obedient voices, Yin Minglu’s heart softened, thinking that even if he couldn’t find the boy, it was alright. Being able to receive thanks from this group of little angels was good enough.
Feeling uplifted, he couldn’t help but give some candies to a lonely-looking boy who had been ostracized. After ruffling the boy’s head, he left.
The boy left behind stared blankly at the colorful and beautiful candies in his dirty hands, a significant amount of them. They were reminiscent of the appearance of the big brother who had just given them to him.
They certainly must taste good. He had once believed that receiving a single precious piece of candy was a gift from heaven, but now he unexpectedly received a large handful of them… and they weren’t leftovers taken from the older kids at the orphanage. Everyone had their own candies… with everyone having some, no one would want to steal his…
It felt good to be rich.
He could make everyone listen to him and learn about “fairness” just like that big brother.
Yes, when he grew up, he also wanted to work hard to become a rich person. The young boy tore open the candy wrapper and carefully placed the milky-white candy in his mouth. Feeling the sweetness, he squinted his eyes in delight, quickly forgetting the girl who had given him a single candy a while ago. After all, the feeling of receiving one candy couldn’t compare to the shock of receiving a truckload of candies.
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The author has a message to share:
I know that White Rabbit milk candy isn’t expensive, but let’s pretend it is in this story.
Tomorrow’s update at 10:30 p.m. will be a bit longer [I’ll try not to disappoint].
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