Zhang Xianjing's Confession

'No.' Two flat syllables drifted in through the window.

'See, I told you!' Wang Luan'an said smugly.

Yu Fan ignored him, pulled his chair back, and sat down with his arms crossed.

Zhang Xianjing pouted in disappointment. 'You have a girlfriend?'

'No.'

'Then why not? You don't wanna date? Or is there someone you like?' Zhang Xianjing looked at his uniform and guessed, 'Or do you not like girls with bad grades?'

'No,' Chen Jingshen said. 'I just don't like you.'

Zhang Xianjing: '...'

Wang Luan'an: '...'

He stared at the top student's cold profile, and the idea of asking him for help cheating completely evaporated. 'Damn, this nerd is way too blunt.'

Yu Fan toyed with his lighter, not surprised at all.

A punchable face saying punchable things. Pretty fitting.

Zhang Xianjing's dejection only lasted two seconds. 'I know, it's fine. It's just not liking me yet, right? We've got over a year in the same class. Slow and steady, I'm patient. Actually, I've been watching you since Senior 1—I even went to see your events at Sports Day. I never thought you'd transfer into my class this semester...'

Chen Jingshen's expression finally shifted. He raised an eyebrow very slightly, stared at her for two seconds, as if thinking something over.

After a long moment, he asked, 'We're in the same class?'

Zhang Xianjing: '...'

Zhang Xianjing's smile went stiff. 'I've been sitting in front of you for a whole day.'

Chen Jingshen thought about it. 'Sorry, I don't remember.'

Are you face-blind? I've been turning my head back all day until my neck nearly snapped, and you say you don't remember?

Zhang Xianjing's composure was about to crack. She opened her mouth to say something, but the abrupt bell for the end of class cut her off.

Chen Jingshen heard it too. He glanced toward the School Playground, then looked back. 'Anything else?'

'Yeah,' Zhang Xianjing told herself to stay calm. 'So we can at least be friends, right? Can I add your WeChat?'

'Don't have one.'

'...What?'

'I don't have WeChat.'

Chen Jingshen left. Zhang Xianjing stood there for a long time without moving.

Wang Luan'an had watched enough and was about to leave when Zhang Xianjing suddenly turned and headed straight for them.

'Wang Luan'an! You tell me!' Zhang Xianjing stood outside the window, reached in, and grabbed his shirt. 'Am I pretty or not?'

'Pretty, pretty, pretty!' Wang Luan'an hunched his shoulders.

'Then what right does Chen Jingshen have to treat me like this?'

'Exactly!' Wang Luan'an asked, 'How'd you know we were here?'

'Saw you ages ago. How many did you guys smoke? Stinks.' She let go of him and looked at the other person who hadn't spoken. 'Yu Fan, you tell me. Am I pretty or not?'

Yu Fan said, 'Give it a rest.'

Zhang Xianjing laughed. She propped one hand on the windowsill. 'Didn't get a good look earlier. Your face is really something.'

Wang Luan'an said, 'You don't get it. These are my bro's glorious battle scars.'

'Want the glory?' Yu Fan asked.

'No way, no way.' Wang Luan'an chuckled. 'Hey, did you really like Chen Jingshen since Senior 1?'

'As if. If I liked him that long, would I have held it in till now?' Zhang Xianjing said. 'Just saying it.'

'...' Wang Luan'an was stunned. 'So it's love at first sight?'

'Not really.'

Zhang Xianjing smoothed her hair and was back to her usual pretty, flashy self.

'I mean, isn't he good-looking? And smart. If I could actually be with someone like that, I'd never have to worry about homework or exams again.' The thought still made her a little tempted. 'You think I still have a chance?'

Yu Fan didn't even look up. 'No.'

'I think so too...' Wang Luan'an started, then caught Zhang Xianjing's threatening glare and immediately pivoted. 'But the thing is, these top students have weird taste. What if Chen Jingshen just isn't into your type?'

'Then what type is he into?'

Wang Luan'an got carried away, gesturing as he spoke. 'You know, the kind with all her hair pulled back tight, small eyes, thick lips, eight-hundred-degree bottle-bottom glasses, only knows how to study all day, skinny and small with a few pimples on her face—'

'Bullshit.' Zhang Xianjing paused. 'Then is it too late for me to go get a pair of glasses now?'

Tired of listening, Yu Fan suddenly stood up and headed out.

Wang Luan'an's sleeve was still in Zhang Xianjing's grip. 'Where you going?'

'Home,' Yu Fan said. 'You guys have fun.'

'Who the hell's having fun with her? Wait for me, let's go together. What if you get cornered again... Hey, hey, hey, ancestor, you're gonna rip my shirt—'

Zhang Xianjing didn't let go. Something occurred to her, and she called after his retreating back, 'Yu Fan, don't you dare tell anyone about what just happened! Or I'll tell Fangqin about you fighting that other school—'

'Suit yourself,' Yu Fan said, hands in his pockets as he turned up the stairs. His voice drifted back. 'Just remember to say I won, so I didn't embarrass her.'

'...'

-

'Hey, nerd, did you bring your Mobile Phone to school?' Wu Cai asked, looking at the person who'd just come back to the Classroom.

Because Zhuang Fangqin had a special hobby of swapping seats twice a semester, the seats in the class were currently all randomly chosen by the students.

As a transfer student, Wu Cai had naturally ended up sitting with another transfer student.

Back in Class One, their seats were arranged by grades. Before transferring, Wu Cai never thought he'd one day be desk mates with Chen Jingshen.

Chen Jingshen sat down and started tidying his things. 'Yeah.'

'I heard a few vibrations earlier,' Wu Cai said. 'From your bag.'

Chen Jingshen took out his phone. There were five unread text messages.

He stared at the sender's name for a moment before pressing his finger to the screen.

Wu Cai didn't mean to peek, but since they were sitting so close, he accidentally caught a glimpse of Chen Jingshen's screen when he turned his head.

It was a text message interface. He could vaguely make out words like 'Mom', 'help you transfer', and 'come home early'.

He hadn't seen everything, but stringing it together was easy—the nerd's parents weren't happy with this class assignment and wanted Chen Jingshen to transfer.

That was normal. His own parents wanted him to transfer too, but unfortunately, his family wasn't as loaded as Chen Jingshen's, so they couldn't just switch on a whim.

Wu Cai was just lamenting that he hadn't even gotten to take advantage of the top student yet and he was already about to leave, when he saw Chen Jingshen toss his phone back into his bag, pull out a random Question Bank, lower his head, and silently start grinding through problems.

He was taken aback. 'Nerd, school's over. You're not going home?'

'Mm.'

After a long moment, Chen Jingshen felt the burning gaze beside him and turned his head. 'Something wrong?'

Wu Cai smiled nervously. 'Nothing much, just a problem... I've been stuck on it. I went to the office, but the teacher wasn't there. I was wondering if you could take a look. Of course, if you're busy, forget I said anything—'

'Hand it over.'

'Huh?' Wu Cai blinked, then quickly reacted, handing over his Question Bank with both hands. 'Oh, oh, oh, here you go, sir.'

Wu Cai asked to his heart's content.

He left satisfied, hugging his bag, leaving only Chen Jingshen alone in the Classroom.

The phone vibrated again in the bag.

Chen Jingshen acted as if he hadn't heard, continuing to tap his pen and work through problems.

The setting sun bathed the entire School in a layer of gold.

After finishing another sheet, Chen Jingshen flipped his wrist, glanced at the ink smudge on the side of his palm, and got up to head to the bathroom.

After washing his hands, he caught a glimpse of someone in the building across from him out of the corner of his eye. Chen Jingshen paused mid-step.

Outside the dean's office. Yu Fan was leaning against the wall, one hand in his pocket, looking thoroughly annoyed.

And his other hand was being held by the dean, who was lifting it toward his own nose—

'Don't you feel like a creep?' Yu Fan asked.

'Nonsense!' Hu Pang grabbed his hand and demanded, 'You say you weren't smoking, so how do you explain the smell of smoke on your hand?!'

Yu Fan tilted his head the other way and stayed quiet.

Thanks to Wang Luan'an's parting words of foreshadowing, Yu Fan got caught before he even left the School.

He'd run straight into Fatty Hu, who was just coming back from a meeting. The guy insisted from ten meters away that he smelled smoke on him.

A bloodhound's nose wasn't this sharp.

'Not gonna argue anymore?' Hu Pang let go of him. 'Bring your parents in tomorrow!'

For a split second, Yu Fan's expression showed a flicker of barely concealed irritation and disgust.

But just as quickly, his face returned to normal. 'Can't do that.'

'What, you want me to have Teacher Zhuang call your home and notify your parents?'

'Wouldn't matter even if you did.'

'What do you mean?'

'No one's home.'

'I don't have a mom,' Yu Fan turned back to him with a smile. 'And the other one died a long time ago.'

'...'

Hu Pang stared at his smile, frozen in place. It took him a long moment to snap out of it.

'You...' He was still in shock. 'Why hasn't Teacher Zhuang ever mentioned this...'

Yu Fan shrugged. 'Maybe she was trying to keep it private for me.'

Hu Pang was silent for a good while before awkwardly touching his balding head. 'Well, I really didn't know... So you're living on your own now?'

'Pretty much,' Yu Fan glanced at the darkening sky. 'So I don't need to call a parent, right?'

Who would dare call one after that?

Hu Pang cleared his throat. 'No, you don't.'

Yu Fan straightened up and was about to say goodbye to Fatty Hu when a hand clamped down on his shoulder.

'But you still broke school rules, so you have to be punished.' Hu Pang patted his shoulder reassuringly. 'Tell you what, go upstairs now and write me a two-thousand-character self-criticism. Just a formality. Hand it in and then you can go home.'

'...'

'I'll be playing chess at the School Gate. Bring it to me when you're done.'

Yu Fan trudged slowly to the classroom corridor and looked down at the School Gate.

Then he locked eyes with Hu Pang, who had been watching him go upstairs.

Hu Pang had set up a Go board with the old school guard outside the guardhouse. When he saw Yu Fan, he immediately waved his hand and mouthed—Hurry up and write!

Yu Fan clicked his tongue and turned into the Classroom.

He hadn't expected anyone to still be in the Classroom at this hour.

Chen Jingshen sat in the sunset glow. He didn't look up at the noise. The only sound in the entire Classroom was the rustle of his pen on paper.

Yu Fan's gaze instinctively swept over Chen Jingshen's desk. He only saw a thin sheet of paper, like a draft.

Neither of them wanted to talk to the other. Yu Fan walked to his own seat as if no one else was there, pulled out his chair with his foot, sat down, and pulled out his phone to kill time.

There were a few unread WeChat messages.

[Wang Luan'an: Did Fatty Hu catch you?]

[Wang Luan'an: Hey, why'd you go back to the Classroom? I'm waiting at the gate to walk home together.]

[-: He wants me to write a two-thousand-character self-criticism.]

[Wang Luan'an: ...What now? How long will that take? Just copy one off the internet.]

[-: Not writing it. Too lazy to copy.]

[-: Go on without me. I'll jump the back wall later.]

The School's back gate was usually closed except on Friday afternoons. But he'd have to wait until Fatty Hu was deep into his chess game before he could sneak past him to the back gate.

After replying, Yu Fan opened the phone's built-in Snake Game and started playing with a focus a hundred times more intense than his usual class attention.

The surroundings were dead quiet. With no distractions, his hand was especially good this round. By the end, the snake was so long it nearly filled the screen. The top-right corner of the phone kept flashing that he was just a few points away from breaking the record.

The harsh screech of chair legs scraping the floor cut through the Classroom's stillness.

Yu Fan didn't pay much attention. His long fingers kept swiping across the screen.

He heard the other person in the Classroom stand up, then the sound of paper rustling.

Finally leaving?

Yu Fan was thinking that when he heard footsteps approaching, getting closer, as if heading his way.

Why not use the front door? Going out the back?

Since no one else was in the Classroom, Yu Fan was sitting pretty casually—most of his body was outside the desk, his legs stretched out lazily, blocking the aisle.

Sensing the person getting closer, Yu Fan lazily pulled his legs back a little.

Two seconds later, the person stopped in front of his desk.

'Classmate Yu.' Chen Jingshen's voice fell from above, cold and flat, no different from what Yu Fan had heard while he was smoking.

The game was at a critical moment. Only three hundred points away from breaking the record.

Yu Fan stared intently at the phone screen, ignoring him.

After about half a minute, realizing the guy was still standing at his desk, Yu Fan frowned and tossed out his usual line. 'I'm not handing in homework.'

Nine times out of ten, when anyone else in the class talked to him, it was to nag him about homework.

'I'm not collecting homework.'

'Then what do you want?'

Chen Jingshen stared at the shallow swirl of his hair for a moment, then took a letter out of his pocket and held it out with one hand.

The moment the thing came into view, Yu Fan reflexively looked up.

Yu Fan figured he might have been distracted for just a second. He hadn't even seen what it was before he quickly looked back at the game—

And then he watched his painstakingly built, universe-super-mega-giant snake crash headfirst into a wall. Game over.

Only 77 points short of the highest record.

Damn it.

Yu Fan threw his phone on the desk and stood up, unable to hold back. 'Looking for a beating? Didn't you see I was busy?'

He glanced at the pink envelope Chen Jingshen was holding out, then looked up. 'What's this supposed to be? A challenge letter...'

?

Wait?

What color envelope?

Yu Fan's voice died in his throat. He kept up that aggressive energy, then lowered his head and took a very, very careful look.

Chen Jingshen's fingers were long and slender, his wrist bones prominent, his nails trimmed clean. He was holding a familiar pink envelope sealed with a heart sticker.

'Classmate Yu.'

Yu Fan lifted his head stiffly.

Chen Jingshen, with his bag slung over one shoulder, pressed the letter onto the desk and slid it forward. 'Please accept my love letter.'