Zong Yuan’s logic is excellent. But Zong Yuan, who fears neither heaven nor earth, fears two things most in life. One of which is the chaotic mathematics that bothers him when he calculates.
He understands formulas very clearly. His problem-solving approach is clear and straightforward, and he can easily handle any problem. However, he sometimes makes mistakes even in simple questions like 100×5-49. Sometimes, he suspects he might have a problem with arithmetic, which results in him being correct at the beginning but wrong at the end.
Fu Xin was copying example problems. He looked at Zong Yuan, who had his hands in his pockets, pursed his lips, and still asked, “Don’t you remember?”
Zong Yuan replied, “Oh.”
He pulled out his hand, casually took out a notebook, and perfunctorily wrote down the problem. His handwriting was flowing like a dragon and phoenix.
Until the end of the class when the bell rang, there was only this one problem written in Zong Yuan’s notebook.
He Xiu’xiu’s best friend pulled He Xiu’xiu over, “Zong Yuan, I’m Wang Li. This is our class monitor. The monitor has something to tell you.”
He Xiu’xiu’s delicate face blushed slightly, “Zong Yuan, I’m the class monitor. You can come to me if you don’t understand anything in the future.”
Zong Yuan leaned back in his chair, smiling at them. His every move made the cheeks of the young girls blush. “The monitor is indeed helpful.”
Fu Xin’s gaze remained on the book, the pen in his hand leaving a long mark.
He Xiu’xiu smiled shyly.
Zhang Zhi’liang walked over behind them, smiling friendly. With fair skin and an average height, he had a slim figure. He truly had the aura of a campus male lead. “Zong Yuan, hello. I’m Zhang Zhi’liang, the academic committee member of our class. You just said your studies are average. You can come to me if you encounter any problems.”
Zong Yuan glanced at him, the slender pen obediently circling between his clearly defined fingers. “Thank you, Comrade Academic Committee member, for your hard work.”
Zhang Zhi’liang’s smile remained unchanged as he looked towards Fu Xin’s direction. He saw Zong Yuan lean forward, blocking his line of sight tightly, so all he could see was Zong Yuan’s face.
His eyes subtly cooled.
Fu Xin was solidly blocked by Zong Yuan’s sturdy figure, his whole person wedged between Zong Yuan and the corner. All he could see was Zong Yuan’s dark back of the head.
Someone took the lead to approach and strike up a conversation. The whole class was restless, the girls were still reserved, but the boys were already gathered around Zong Yuan, laughing and joking.
Zong Yuan listened with a smile, his hands crossed under his chin, a glimpse of the watch on his wrist catching the attention of some familiar boys. “Damn, I think I know that watch. It’s worth thirty or forty thousand!”
The people around fell silent for a moment. Yang Fan looked at it seriously and interjected, “I saw it in a magazine the other day, seems like it’s the same one. My dad was even thinking about buying one.” He didn’t mention feeling sorry for not buying it afterward.
Zong Yuan casually remarked, “It’s a cheap piece. If your dad wants to buy one, I wouldn’t recommend getting this model. I just wear it to get by.”
Yang Fan awkwardly chuckled, “This is something our family might not even be willing to buy.”
Zong Yuan raised an eyebrow, then suddenly laughed, “Was I just being a little too cheeky? Hope I won’t end up getting stuffed into a sack for it.”
The atmosphere instantly loosened, and people around burst into laughter.
Fu Xin glanced at him, and Zong Yuan seemed to sense something. He tilted his head slightly and playfully winked at him.
Fu Xin reacted as if he had seen something disgusting, quickly turning his head away.
Zong Yuan, with a stern face, asked 0046, “Didn’t we agree that people of this age would become friends if they got electrocuted?”
0046 replied, “Who the hell agreed with you?”
Zhang Zhi’liang, usually the center of attention, found himself squeezed into the outer circle. He frowned slightly, then reached out to support He Xiu’xiu, who stumbled towards him, “Are you alright?”
He Xiu’xiu brushed aside her waist-length hair and kept her eyes on the group, “Zong Yuan is really popular.”
The people surrounding Zong Yuan formed a tacit half-circle, leaving a clear space, especially avoiding getting close to where Fu Xin stood.
After sending off this group of people, Zong Yuan took out two pieces of mint candy from his pocket. He stuffed one into his mouth and forcefully handed the other to Fu Xin, saying, “Enjoy it. It’ll freshen you up.”
Fu Xin looked at Zong Yuan’s assured demeanor and almost patted his chest. “Thank you,” he hesitantly unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth. His delicate features immediately twisted up.
From the makers of 0046, quality is guaranteed.
The spicy mint made tears well up in his eyes. It was tailor-made for Zong Yuan’s peculiar taste.
Zong Yuan watched Fu Xin’s changing expression, raising an eyebrow. “Is it not tasty?”
Fu Xin shook his head, enduring the spicy sensation that shot straight to his sinuses. “It’s good. Thank you.”
Zong Yuan said, “Don’t mention it.” It seemed like he knew how to get closer to Fu Xin. He pulled out a bag of mint candies from his bag and generously handed them to Fu Xin. “Take them all.”
Fu Xin hesitated for a moment, feeling the weight of the candies as if they were a burden on his temples. He stiffened. “No need, really.”
Zong Yuan’s bright white teeth flashed. “It’s fine, just take them.”
Fu Xin took the mint candies, feeling as if they weighed a ton. Zong Yuan furrowed his brow. “Growing up in such a miserable household, what kind of nutrition can he get from such a family that can’t even afford a bag of candy?”
0046 nodded in agreement, eating candy together with him, casting sympathetic glances at Fu Xin.
After school in the afternoon, Mr. Jiang specifically came over to talk to Zong Yuan about a bunch of things. But the main idea was just one, “Are you still going to attend evening self-study?”
Zong Yuan sat on the stool like an old man, chatting with Mr. Jiang. “Yes.”
Yang Fan glanced ahead with his peripheral vision. Having status really made a difference; he could still talk to the class teacher with his head held high.
Mr. Jiang glanced at Fu Xin. “Fu Xin, change your seat.”
Fu Xin put down his pen, his dark eyes glanced at Mr. Jiang, his voice neither loud nor soft. “Teacher, where do you want me to move to?”
There was no hint of displeasure in his gaze as if he had expected it long ago. However, Mr. Jiang seemed somewhat embarrassed as he shifted his gaze. He scanned the classroom but couldn’t find a single seat available for him.
Zong Yuan placed Fu Xin’s pen on his desk. “Teacher, are you worried that if Fu Xin doesn’t change seats, I might influence him and corrupt the good students?”
Mr. Jiang quickly smiled, “You’re quite the speaker.”
Fu Xin’s fingers curled slightly as he watched Mr. Jiang walk out of the classroom through the back door. Zong Yuan lightly hummed and looked at Fu Xin. “If you don’t want to move, just say so. By the way, do you want to sit with me?”
Fu Xin’s gaze quickly swept over his face. He opened his mouth. But before he could speak, Zong Yuan nodded to himself and absentmindedly brushed aside the stray hair on his forehead with his slender fingers. “Forget it. Why wouldn’t you want to sit with me?”
He was joking, but Fu Xin nodded extremely slowly. Zong Yuan became interested and pulled out a piece of paper, handing it to him. “Fu Xin, why don’t you draw me a picture? With a face as handsome as mine, it must be immortalized by a master artist and framed.”
Fu Xin took the paper, his dark eyes flashing, particularly serious. “I will draw you a good one.”
He didn’t even refute the title of ‘master artist’.
Zong Yuan chuckled. “Can I see some of your previous drawings?”
Fu Xin always carried his drawings with him ever since his diary was maliciously exposed by someone last time. His small palm-sized notebook went wherever he went.
He hesitated for a moment, then took out his little notebook. It had black leather covers and white paper of excellent quality. Zong Yuan could feel its warmth in his hands. It was undoubtedly much better than the notebooks Fu Xin used in class.
Fu Xin watched as Zong Yuan held his notebook, his brows furrowing slightly. “Be careful with it.”
Zong Yuan cradled it as if it were a precious artifact. Suddenly, he remembered something. “Am I the first person to admire Master Fu’s artwork?”
Fu Xin paused. “The first.”
Zong Yuan was also the first person to speak to him and touch his belongings after that incident.
And he even gave him candy to eat.
He was truly a good person.
Zong Yuan flipped to the first page. Meanwhile, 0046 had taken out a notebook, intending to analyze Fu Xin’s drawing. But as soon as they opened it, both of them froze.
They stared in disbelief.
Zong Yuan looked at the drawing. It seemed like a flower, yet it had eyes. The lines flowed gracefully, exuding a profound and majestic aura. Zong Yuan cleared his throat and gave the spotlight to 0046. “You go ahead, you go ahead.”
0046 tentatively said, “It looks like a large flower with a tail.”
Zong Yuan shook his head solemnly. “But it also has eyes.”
Fu Xin took out a pen to draw for Zong Yuan. After hesitating for a while, Zong Yuan asked him, “Fu Xin, what do you think of your own drawings?”
Upon hearing this, Fu Xin rarely revealed a smile. He nodded reservedly. “It’s not bad.”
He seemed much more energetic than he was in the morning. Zong Yuan felt he had to encourage him. He nodded decisively. “It’s not just ‘not bad,’ it’s very good.”
Meanwhile, 0046 was still studying the first drawing. Fu Xin kindly offered the answer himself, feeling a bit embarrassed. “That was drawn a long time ago. It’s a turtle.”
Oh, it’s a turtle.
Zong Yuan and 0046 went through the drawings like playing a guessing game. They were the most cheerful ones in the whole class. Fu Xin glanced at Zong Yuan as he drew the next line, then glanced again, and drew another stroke, looking as serious as if he were giving an academic presentation.
0046 accidentally glanced sideways. “Zong Yuan, do you know Ru Hua?”
Zong Yuan scoffed. “Who do you think you are to think I would know?”
0046 felt relieved. “It’s good that you don’t know, good that you don’t know.”
During the first session of evening self-study, when the class ended, Fu Xin hadn’t finished his drawing yet. He pressed it with his textbook, blocking Zong Yuan’s view completely. Disappointed, Zong Yuan stood up, ready to go to the restroom.
A few guys beside him said, “Let’s go to the restroom together, Zong Yuan.”
There were restrooms on every floor, and the boys’ restroom always had fewer people than the girls’.
As Zong Yuan unzipped and started urinating, the guys beside him, whose names he hadn’t bothered to remember, exchanged glances and began to talk a lot. “So, you must never sit with him. Just thinking about being with a guy who likes men makes me sick. Being near him, who knows what diseases you might catch.”
Zong Yuan finished urinating without changing his expression, then interrupted the enthusiastic guy speaking, “You’re a guy, you don’t like men, right?”
The guy paused. “Of course, I don’t like men.”
Zong Yuan shook his pants, zipped up, and then turned to look at the guy, sneering. “Then why are you staring at my brother1his private part?”
The guy’s face turned red with embarrassment in an instant.
