Chapter 13

When the bell rang, Yu Fan turned and walked back to the classroom, with only one thought in his mind.

He was going to tear up that love letter as soon as he got home today.

As he passed the second row, Wang Luan'an couldn't help tugging at his clothes and asking, 'What were you and Chen Jingshen talking about in the hallway just now? You looked like you were having a great time.'

'Which eye of yours saw me talking to him?'

There are 40 other people in the class besides you two, plus Fangqin — 82 eyes all saw it.

He glanced at Yu Fan's expression and thought it but didn't dare say it.

Yu Fan returned to his seat. The copybook he'd just handed in had already been returned to his desk.

This morning the group leader had been in a hurry to collect the homework, so he'd scribbled his name and handed it in without even opening it.

How good could handwriting written with the left hand be? A normal person can't even write with their left hand. Fangqin must have looked at his homework too carefully and found clues from the strokes.

With that thought in mind, Yu Fan opened the notebook.

"…"

Then he closed it again.

Chen Jingshen returned to his seat and saw him holding the notebook. He glanced at it —

Thump.

Yu Fan quickly slapped his hand over his own name to block it, then roughly grabbed the notebook and shoved it into his desk drawer.

Zhang Xianjing turned around and saw exactly that.

'What are you doing? You scared me.' She patted her chest, then blinked at Chen Jingshen. 'Classmate Chen, I heard you got full marks on the exam again. That's really impressive.'

Chen Jingshen leaned back and pulled out the Textbook for the next class from his desk. 'Thanks.'

'I spaced out a bit during class just now. There's a problem on the test I didn't understand. Can you explain it to me?'

Chen Jingshen asked, 'Which one?'

Zhang Xianjing reached out and randomly pointed at a problem, revealing the cute pink band-aid on her finger.

Chen Jingshen: 'Your hand…'

'Oh dear,' she shyly pulled that finger back. 'I got so many problems wrong. I was so tired copying the answers yesterday. It's not a big deal, but it really hurts. If only someone could copy them for me—'

'You're blocking the problem.'

"…"

Yu Fan watched Zhang Xianjing's expression and felt she might throw a punch before he did.

Chen Jingshen pulled over a piece of scratch paper and briefly explained it to her.

Yu Fan didn't want to listen, but unfortunately they were too close, and every word was very clear.

Zhang Xianjing had originally just wanted an excuse to start a conversation, but unexpectedly, as Chen Jingshen talked, she actually understood.

Chen Jingshen: 'Got it?'

'Got it… thanks.' Zhang Xianjing grabbed her test paper and turned back around.

A few seconds later, she suddenly snapped back to reality.

Damn, she hadn't actually wanted to ask a question!

Zhang Xianjing whirled around again.

'Classmate Chen,' Zhang Xianjing pushed up her black-rimmed glasses and couldn't help asking, 'Don't you like girls who wear glasses?'

Yu Fan's movement of playing on his Mobile Phone paused. He could probably guess what was coming next.

He didn't like listening to this gossip and hesitated about whether to go out for a walk.

'I never said that,' Chen Jingshen said.

'Then what kind do you actually like? Small eyes? Thick lips? Short and skinny?'

'No.'

Zhang Xianjing thought, Wang Luan'an, you're dead, then forced a smile. 'What about someone with lots of pimples or freckles on their face?'

There was no sound from beside her.

Yu Fan had a vague bad feeling. He put away his phone and was about to get up and leave —

Chen Jingshen looked over at him.

His dark eyes were cold and direct, lightly sweeping across Yu Fan's face.

Soon, Chen Jingshen looked away and said,

'Not that either.'

Yu Fan: "…"

Before Zhang Xianjing's puzzled gaze could turn to him, Yu Fan grabbed his school uniform jacket, pulled it over his head, and lay down on the desk to pretend to sleep.

-

Every semester during the first week of school, Zhuang Fangqin would make a point of picking out some students who had performed poorly the previous semester and having a talk with them.

In the afternoon, when Wang Luan'an came back from the office, his eyes were red.

He sat backwards in the seat in front of Yu Fan. 'I think Fangqin's words were really hurtful.'

Yu Fan was the worst at comforting people. Seeing Wang Luan'an's expression, he felt a headache coming on and paused his Snake Game. 'She's a bit naggy, but it's all for your own good…'

'She said if I keep this up, in the future I'll only be able to go pick trash with you.'

"…"

Sensing that even Chen Jingshen's problem-solving movements had slowed a bit, Yu Fan said coldly, 'Shut up before I throw my phone in your face.'

'Just kidding.' Wang Luan'an sighed. 'But I really am a bit lost. Fangqin just helped me check which schools my final exam scores from last semester could get into. The whole list was vocational colleges! Not a single undergraduate program! If I end up going to a technical college, my dad will beat me to death…'

'Fangqin also said that if I go to a technical college, my life path will narrow, and I might end up being a debt collector. Dye my hair redder than a chicken, get tattoos that even dogs would shake their heads at, and then my parents will abandon me, my friends will stay away, and pretty girls won't love me—'

Yu Fan was almost falling asleep listening, finally hearing that concluding sentence.

Wang Luan'an: 'So after much thought, I've decided to study hard from now on.'

'Mm,' Yu Fan said. 'Good luck.'

'Definitely, bro. If I ever become rich and famous, I'll definitely rescue you from the dump—' Wang Luan'an clenched his fist and pounded his chest twice. 'I'm going back to study now, for the future of you and me.'

Yu Fan waved his hand, signaling him to get lost.

Wang Luan'an had barely taken two steps before he turned back.

'So, want to go to the Internet Café after school?'

"…" Yu Fan said, "Don't want your future anymore?"

“Work and rest, it's not too much to relax occasionally, especially since it's Friday.” Wang Luan'an said, “Let's go to that 'Cool Boy Internet Café' at the back gate, it's closer.”

Before leaving, Wang Luan'an knocked off a pen that was hanging on the edge of the desk.

He paused, picked it up and put it back. 'Sorry, ace student, I bumped into it.'

Chen Jingshen lightly hooked his finger and took the pen back into his hand. 'It's fine.'

-

'Cool Boy' was a Black Internet Café across the street from their school's back gate.

It was in a hidden location, not a big shop, but the environment and computer setups were decent.

'I'm here, I have Flash! Ult him ult him ult him — nice!'

The person who had just said he wanted to study hard that afternoon was now sitting in the Internet Café, his voice even louder than when he participated in the military song competition.

When the game ended, Yu Fan couldn't take it anymore and took off his headphones. 'Try shouting one more time?'

'I'm just excited.' Wang Luan'an took out his phone. 'Hold on, Zuo Kuan keeps messaging me, telling me to wait for them to get online so we can five-stack.'

Yu Fan put his headphones on the desk, leaned back into the sofa, and casually clicked on some livestream on the homepage.

Their computers were located to the left of the front desk, and occasionally they could faintly hear sounds from the front.

'You… came to use the internet?' The front desk's voice.

'Mm.' A cold, indifferent reply.

Yu Fan's eyelid twitched.

He stared at the livestream on the screen, thinking, there's actually a second person in the world with such a punchable voice.

'We charge extra if you don't have an ID card,' the front desk confirmed again. 'Scan to pay, then go to the left area to pick a computer. Oh, and — the emergency exit is on the far left.'

That person didn't reply, but from the sounds, he was coming over to their side.

The left area itself wasn't big. Yu Fan heard the person walk up beside him but didn't look up.

Thud.

The sound of something heavy hitting the floor.

Yu Fan chewed his gum, lazily tilted his head down, and glanced at the floor.

Then he saw a familiar black backpack.

"…"

His chewing motion suddenly stopped.

'Ace student?!' Wang Luan'an beside him looked up, shocked. 'How are you… here?'

Chen Jingshen stopped in front of the computer, his gaze lingering on Yu Fan's screen for a moment.

On it was a livestream interface. The guy inside had dyed blue hair and seemed to be playing some game. It didn't look like a proper livestream.

He withdrew his gaze. 'Came to use the internet.'

Wang Luan'an: "…"

The top student in the grade, coming to a Black Internet Café behind the school, to use the internet?

The people around them were all looking their way.

It wasn't that they hadn't seen people in school uniforms come to use the internet — Yu Fan and Wang Luan'an were wearing their uniforms. But someone like Chen Jingshen, who buttoned his uniform all the way to the top and sat with perfect posture, was truly the only one in the entire Internet Café.

Yu Fan snapped back to reality. Before Chen Jingshen could sit down, he lifted his foot and kicked his sofa chair.

Chen Jingshen paused slightly and looked down.

'You—'

Yu Fan had been about to say 'Go sit somewhere else,' but just then a group of people walked in from outside.

Their hair was red, yellow, blue, green — probably from the neighboring school. They nodded at the front desk and walked straight in, sitting down at the row of computers next to Chen Jingshen.

Looking closely, one of the guys who had extorted Chen Jingshen that day was also among them.

'—Switch seats with me.' Yu Fan finished his sentence coldly.

Chen Jingshen curled his index finger and obediently moved aside.

Wang Luan'an watched the two of them switch computers with a bewildered expression.

His phone buzzed.

He looked down. 'Yu Fan, Zuo Kuan said one of their guys can't make it. Let's four-stack.'

'Whatever.' Having moved to the new spot, Yu Fan didn't look at the person next to him. 'Invite me.'

Yu Fan reopened the game interface. Just as he was about to accept Wang Luan'an's team invite, a familiar face flashed across the computer screen next to him.

Yu Fan and Wang Luan'an's hearts both jumped reflexively. They frowned in unison and turned their heads to look at the middle.

On Chen Jingshen's computer screen, a line of large introductory text appeared —

['Famous Teacher Online Course: The Concept of the Law of Sines and the Concept of the Law of Cosines (Basics).'

Instructor: Hu Pang.]

Yu Fan: "…"

Wang Luan'an: "…"

Wang Luan'an's eyebrows twitched. He couldn't help turning his head. 'Ace student…'

Chen Jingshen: '?'

'You came to the Internet Café just to… watch Hu Pang?'

'No, I wanted to play games.' Chen Jingshen paused for a second. 'But I got stood up at the last minute, so I can't play.'

Not even a dog would believe that.

Wang Luan'an: 'That's so mean?! So what are you going to do now?'

Yu Fan: "…"

Chen Jingshen said, 'I'll watch some online lessons.'

Wang Luan'an thought, no way, if you watch online lessons, we're the ones who'll suffer.

And it's Hu Pang's lessons — even more unlucky.

A thought flashed through his mind. Wang Luan'an slapped his thigh. 'Ace student, how about you come play with us? We're exactly one short for a four-stack. Do you know League of Legends?'

Chen Jingshen said, 'I haven't played much.'

'It's fine, we all know each other. We'll carry you—'

'Carry my ass, no way.' Yu Fan frowned and interrupted. 'There's only four of us. Start.'

Wang Luan'an was taken aback. He was about to say, he just helped you finish your homework, isn't it a bit too much to turn your back on him like that, bro —

'Okay.' Chen Jingshen's tone was flat. 'If you can't carry me, I don't have to join.'

One minute later.

Yu Fan snatched the mouse from the neighboring computer, closed Hu Pang's online lesson, and opened League of Legends.

'See that registration screen?' Yu Fan said coldly. 'No more bullshit. Create an account.'