There was a hint of confusion on the boy’s clean face, but the force around his neck was real. Chi Yu’s chin rested in the hollow of his shoulder, making him slightly uncomfortable. Before he could fully process the unexpected hug, Chi Yu suddenly pushed him away.
Chi Yu wrinkled his nose, turning his head away awkwardly. “You lent your test paper to Wang Xiao. What am I supposed to copy now?”
Fu Zhi’an blinked and scooted his chair closer to Chi Yu, propping his head on one hand as he smiled. “I’m better than a test paper.”
As the music for the morning exercises gradually faded, Wang Xiao, who had been standing in the hallway, finally finished writing the last period on the paper. He had never found copying homework so painful before—each stroke felt uncomfortable. He wasn’t just mindlessly copying, though. Usually, by following someone else’s formulas and methods, he could learn something. But Fu Zhi’an’s answers were all the same—one formula at the start, two or three lines of calculations, and then the final answer. What could he learn from that?
Standing outside the classroom with the test paper in hand, Wang Xiao leaned against the windowsill, feeling an itch of curiosity. He was dying to know what Fu Zhi’an and Chi Yu were up to. Just a quick glance would give him the hottest scoop in the entire school. Though Chi Yu never considered him a close friend, Wang Xiao had genuine feelings for him.
If he saw nothing, that was fine. But if he saw something he shouldn’t, he might just end up dead.
Footsteps grew closer, but the classroom remained eerily silent. Wang Xiao grew anxious. Seeing a few people already approaching from the end of the hallway, he knew they would soon pass by. Wang Xiao cursed under his breath and approached the door. Through the crack, he called out quietly, “Chi Yu, someone’s coming.”
“Uh, you guys… If you’re done, you should, you know, wrap it up,” Wang Xiao stammered. “I can only buy you a little time…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the door swung open, revealing Chi Yu’s towering figure. His dark eyes carried a hint of irritation as he looked down at Wang Xiao.
Chi Yu frowned, glancing at the stunned Wang Xiao, then leaned against the door with one hand. “Listen to the nonsense you’re spouting.” Wang Xiao was still in shock as he glanced over Chi Yu, noticing his clothes were perfectly intact. He craned his neck, trying to get a look at Fu Zhi’an inside the classroom, but Chi Yu slapped him hard on the head, making his skull buzz.
“Let me help you clear out the junk in your head,” Chi Yu muttered, rolling up his sleeves with a scowl. Wang Xiao forced a nervous smile, but his legs instinctively stepped back. He braced himself for a beating, but the expected punch never came.
Wang Xiao cautiously opened his eyes. Fu Zhi’an was now standing behind Chi Yu, arms crossed, smiling faintly.
“Third problem isn’t done yet.”
Chi Yu’s eyes softened, the fiery anger gradually extinguishing as he turned slowly to meet Fu Zhi’an’s teasing gaze. Wang Xiao watched as the once-fiery Chi Yu deflated instantly. Though Chi Yu grumbled and pouted, he quietly returned to his seat.
“So annoying,” Chi Yu muttered, placing the test paper on his head as he leaned back against the wall. A thought suddenly crossed his mind. “I wonder if donating a building could get me into college.”
Fu Zhi’an lifted his gaze, staring unblinkingly at Chi Yu until the latter sighed and picked up his pen again. Wang Xiao slouched back into his seat, disheartened, as he listened to the quiet whispers behind him. Sometimes, life really did seem unfair. Fu Zhi’an may not have been wealthy, but he was smart and good-looking. Chi Yu, on the other hand, wasn’t great at academics and didn’t have the best personality, but he was loaded. If anyone else had talked about donating a building, Wang Xiao would’ve been the first to spit on them for being pretentious.
He glanced at the newly renovated soccer field and the clock tower under construction. With a sigh, Wang Xiao felt his adolescent self-esteem shattering into pieces. By the time school was almost over, a man in a suit appeared at the back door with a serious expression, calling Chi Yu and Fu Zhi’an out.
“Did you hear? Fu Zhi’an and Chi Yu are, like…”
“Like what?”
“You know, into each other…”
“No way!”
The voices weren’t loud, but they were enough to make Wang Xiao’s skin crawl with irritation. The chatter grated on his nerves, making him increasingly agitated. A low chuckle came from the front of the classroom. Wang Xiao turned to see who it was, then grabbed a piece of chalk from the ground and chucked it at the back row.
“Wang Xiao,” a boy said with a sly grin, lowering his voice as he asked, “Aren’t you too distracted to study, sitting in front of those two?”
Before Wang Xiao could reply, the girl next to him suddenly snorted. She put down her pen and said, “You should really look in the mirror. See how disgusting you look right now.”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but every word was crystal clear, echoing through the classroom.
The boy froze. Wang Xiao spat on the ground. “What’s it to you?”
“Even if they were gay, they wouldn’t be into you.”
The boy seemed stunned by the unexpected attacks from both sides. Enraged, he stood up and slammed his hands on his desk. “Wang Xiao, you’re so far up Chi Yu’s ass, you’re probably waiting for him to screw you!”
Wang Xiao shoved his desk away, grinning as he replied, “Talking a lot today for a little virgin, aren’t you?”
There was no need for further words. The two boys were already grappling with each other on the floor. Wang Xiao, using his weight advantage, pinned the other boy down, yanking his collar as he yelled, “Today, grandpa here’s gonna teach you some respect!”
When they were nearing graduation, the boys and girls in the class were all drunk out of their minds. Several girls, half asleep on their desks, reached over to pat Wang Xiao on the shoulder, laughing as they said, “You know, when you fought for Chi Yu and Fu Zhi’an that day, we all thought you were super cool.”
Wang Xiao, feeling a little tipsy himself, grinned as he rolled up his sleeves. “Cooler than Chi Yu and Fu Zhi’an?”
A boy behind him kicked the leg of Wang Xiao’s chair, prompting him to turn around and meet the boy’s dark eyes. The boy held a glass of wine, tilting his head back as he smirked at Wang Xiao.
“Even with crap on his face, Fu Zhi’an is still hotter than you.”
The boy who had been smoking on the balcony walked back in, his expression neutral as he took the glass of wine from the boy’s hand, replacing it with a cup of hot tea.
“Still cursing, I see.”
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