Chapter 12

Yu Fan felt like he could take on two Yu Kaimings right now, so after leaving the hospital, he took a cab straight home.

The taxi driver had been driving all day and was a bit stuffy, so the front window was half-open.

He glanced at the person in the back seat: "Little bro, mind if I crack the window a bit?"

Yu Fan said, "No."

Wind blew in from the front seat, hitting his face with a slight chill. Yu Fan instinctively tucked his chin into his collar, and a faint scent of laundry detergent drifted into his nose.

He frowned, followed the smell down, and looked at the slightly oversized white down jacket he was wearing.

"…"

He forgot to return the jacket.

He'd bring it to school tomorrow and give it back.

When they reached the Residential Complex Entrance, Yu Fan got out, thought about it, then took off the jacket and carried it in his hand.

So it wouldn't get dirty if a fight broke out.

But clearly he was overthinking it. The power was out at home, and since it was the middle of the night and no one could find a locksmith, Yu Kaiming had left last night and still hadn't come back.

Yu Fan got home, locked the front door from inside, and as he turned to go into his room, he glanced at his bedroom door.

The door had been kicked in, with several obvious footprints still on it, showing Yu Kaiming's impotent rage at the time.

Yu Fan coldly looked away and turned back into his room.

The next day, Yu Fan walked through the school gates carrying a thick white down jacket, feeling like an idiot.

Yesterday when he was sick, it didn't feel like anything, but now he thought this jacket was way too thick.

Was Chen Jingshen that weak?

Yu Fan entered the Classroom with the morning reading bell. Zhuang Fangqin had come especially early today and was already sitting at the podium.

Wang Luan'an saw him and started frantically making faces at him. Before Yu Fan could react, Zhuang Fangqin stood up with a dark expression.

"Yu Fan, come out with me." She swept her gaze over the people in the classroom. "Morning reading has started. English class rep, come up and lead."

So Yu Fan, without even sitting down, turned around and left the Classroom.

"What did you do yesterday?" In the hallway, Zhuang Fangqin crossed her arms and asked.

Yu Fan: "Slept."

"And?"

Normally, he'd have a lot to say. But Yu Fan thought hard and was sure that yesterday he hadn't done anything except sleep.

"Not talking, huh." Zhuang Fangqin glanced at the people in the classroom. "Did you beat Chen Jingshen into the Hospital?"

"…"

Zhuang Fangqin saw the jacket in his hand and was shocked: "You hit him, and on top of that, you stole his jacket?"

Somehow, Yu Fan suddenly remembered last night when he threw a punch and Chen Jingshen easily caught his wrist.

"I didn't hit him." At least not successfully.

Yu Fan paused. "Where'd you hear that?"

"I saw it in the school group chat. You and him at the Hospital—" Zhuang Fangqin started, then stopped.

Yu Fan: "Nice, you even infiltrated the school group chat?"

Not only did she infiltrate it, but she also set up keyword alerts—anytime someone mentioned Yu Fan's name, she'd get a notification immediately.

Zhuang Fangqin: "Of course not. Another student sent me the picture."

"…"

"Then what were you doing at the Hospital last night?"

Yu Fan swallowed the explanation that was on the tip of his tongue.

"Just kidding, I did beat him up." After a long pause, Yu Fan leaned against the wall casually. "I can't stand that top-student attitude of his. I might even do it again next time."

Zhuang Fangqin raised an eyebrow and looked at him quietly.

She'd been teaching Yu Fan for over a year; she could tell at a glance whether he was telling the truth or bullshitting.

Sure enough, the next moment, Yu Fan said, "So you'd better move his seat away, so I don't have to do it again."

Zhuang Fangqin's heart, which had been tense all night, slowly relaxed.

As long as there was no fight. Yu Fan was already on probation; another demerit would be serious trouble.

That was also why, even though she felt Yu Fan wouldn't attack a classmate for no reason, she still had to call him out and ask clearly.

But since Yu Fan was so resistant, maybe she really should consider changing the seating.

If two classmates couldn't even coexist peacefully, there was no point expecting anything else.

"Alright," Zhuang Fangqin tilted her chin toward the classroom. "Go in and do morning reading."

Yu Fan returned to his seat and realized half the class was looking his way.

He was used to that kind of attention, but today it felt especially uncomfortable. So he narrowed his eyes and stared back at each one.

After all those heads turned away, Yu Fan finally looked at the person next to him.

Chen Jingshen was dressed thinner than yesterday, wearing only a coat, and was following along with the English words.

He looked lazy, his lips a little pale, and when his face was expressionless, he seemed sickly.

Guess he really was weak.

Yu Fan realized belatedly—last night, Chen Jingshen had taken off his jacket and sat in the Hospital all evening. Wouldn't that make him even weaker?

Chen Jingshen's voice wasn't loud, but it was deeper than the others, standing out in the long, dragging recitation.

As he read, he suddenly covered his mouth and coughed.

Yu Fan snapped back to reality and shoved the down jacket at him roughly: "Forgot yesterday. Here."

Chen Jingshen had stayed up late doing problems last night and wasn't very energetic.

He hummed in acknowledgment, took it and put it on his lap, then forced his eyes open to keep looking at the words.

Yu Fan leaned back in his chair and glanced at him.

Two minutes later, he glanced at him again.

…

Finally, after the English class rep walked off the podium with the Textbook, he couldn't take it anymore and called out, "Hey."

Chen Jingshen only then seemed to notice: "What?"

"It's digging into me." Yu Fan was sitting cross-legged and nudged the soft down jacket on Chen Jingshen's lap with his knee. "Put it on."

Chen Jingshen paused in the middle of shoving his Textbook into his desk and turned to look at him.

Yu Fan's eyelid twitched under his stare. "What are you looking at?"

"Nothing." Chen Jingshen put the down jacket on.

Then he turned his head and coughed even harder.

Yu Fan: "…"

During the big break, Wang Luan'an asked Yu Fan to go smoke.

Someone nearby asked, "Bro Fan, yesterday I saw the picture Zuo Kuan sent. I really thought you beat up Chen Jingshen."

"I told you, Yu Fan wouldn't touch someone in our class," Wang Luan'an blew out a puff of smoke. "So what were you guys doing at the Hospital yesterday?"

Yu Fan was too lazy to explain and made something up: "I was passing by. He came out of the Hospital, and we just happened to run into each other."

Wang Luan'an said, "Oh. I saw you two standing so close, I thought you went together."

"As if." Yu Fan looked out the window. "We're not close."

Next period was Fangqin's class, so they finished one cigarette and hurried back to the Classroom.

As soon as Zhuang Fangqin entered the Classroom, she got straight to the point: "I took a quick look at your homework from last night and caught several slackers. Some of you didn't even copy the problems ten times. Those people, be self-aware and copy the ones you missed ten times over the weekend and hand them in."

"Also," she took out a homework notebook from between her Textbook pages. "Yu Fan, stand up and explain yourself."

What now.

Yu Fan stood up slowly: "Explain what?"

"Someone else wrote this homework, didn't they?" Zhuang Fangqin waved his notebook. "Your handwriting could be this good? Look at the writing inside and the name on the cover—do they look like they were written by the same person?"

"…"

"I can accept you copying less or even not handing it in," Zhuang Fangqin said, "but you can't force other classmates to do your homework for you. That's extremely—"

With a scrape, before Yu Fan could react, the person next to him pushed his chair back and stood up.

"Teacher, he didn't force anyone."

Zhuang Fangqin was taken aback: "What…"

Chen Jingshen: "I offered to do it for him."

Yu Fan: "…"

Zhuang Fangqin: "…"

Wang Luan'an: "???"

The two of them ended up standing outside the Classroom, each holding a Textbook.

One stood straight, the other slouched.

Their Classroom was next to the hallway, and both windows above the corridor were wide open.

Yu Fan irritably straightened up a bit to block the wind.

"Are you stupid?" he couldn't help asking. "Why'd you stand up?"

Chen Jingshen glanced at him. "Sorry."

"…"

No need to apologize, really.

Yu Fan moved his lips, about to say something.

Chen Jingshen: "I didn't expect your handwriting to be that ugly."

"…"

"You should practice it."

"…"

"At least make your name legible…"

"If you say one more word," Yu Fan gripped his Textbook, grinding his teeth, "I'll post that trash love letter of yours on the school bulletin board and let the whole school appreciate your crappy handwriting—"

The person next to him glanced over lightly: "You still kept it?"

"…"

The people in the class had been staring at the two of them whispering close together outside for a long time.

This is 'not close'? Wang Luan'an was bewildered.

This is 'can't stand the sight of him'? Zhuang Fangqin clenched her fists.

She was just about to say, if you two can chat so much, why don't you come up to the podium and chat, when she saw Yu Fan turn around, Textbook in hand, revealing his bright red ears.

He walked to the back door and stood there, putting a whole classroom's distance between himself and Chen Jingshen.