After school, as usual, Fat Tiger came to wait for Qing Ye and Shi Min. Feng Bao, the student who would blush at the sight of Qing Ye, turned around and asked shyly, “Where do you all go to study after school every day? Could I… join you?”

Qing Ye and Fat Tiger exchanged glances, both remaining silent. Fat Tiger was, after all, Xing Wu’s brother, and Shi Min was at least Qing Ye’s closest deskmate in class. Taking these two to Xing Wu’s house was barely acceptable, but with more people, even with Qing Ye’s relationship with Xing Wu, it would be awkward.

While Qing Ye was hesitating, Little Lington, his face still swollen, immediately turned around and declared proudly, “Where are you all going to study? I’ll come too! Damn, now that we don’t have evening self-study, my mom keeps nagging me like a machine gun every day when I get home.”

Qing Ye replied awkwardly, “The place is too small for so many people.”

Feng Bao said disappointedly, “I see… It’s just that… studying alone at home, I don’t know where to start, and when I don’t understand something, I don’t know who to ask.”

Qing Ye simply told him, “Well, if you really can’t figure something out, just take a photo and send it to me on WeChat.”

Feng Bao’s eyes sparkled like stars as he blushed while adding Qing Ye on WeChat.

When the three reached the school gate, they saw Xing Wu, Wolf Daze, and Yellow Hair gathered by the roadside.

Fat Tiger called out to them, “Are you coming?”

Xing Wu, with a cigarette between his lips, turned his head slightly. Qing Ye quickly glanced at him before turning away, linking arms with Shi Min as they walked ahead. Since Fat Tiger started hanging out with Qing Ye after school every day, he naturally joined Qing Ye’s side and stopped fooling around with Yellow Hair and the others. Seeing Qing Ye turn to leave, he hurriedly said goodbye to them and caught up.

Xing Wu took a drag from his cigarette and looked away. Yellow Hair glanced at Qing Ye, then at Xing Wu, and said meaningfully, “Anyway, I’m the only one who knows about this now. Don’t worry, Brother Wu, I’ll keep it to myself. You don’t need to feel awkward because of me and avoid talking. It’s making me feel uncomfortable.”

“…” Brother, where does your confidence come from?

That evening, Fat Tiger told Qing Ye that many classmates had been asking him about after-school tutoring. He felt it wasn’t right for the school to completely cancel evening self-study. Even though their grades were poor, some students wanted to learn, and it was especially unfair to the good students in each class. Qing Ye also thought the school leadership’s decision was ridiculous, constantly talking about college admission rates while being afraid to take risks for fear of trouble.

She muttered, “Actually, everyone could voluntarily stay for evening self-study, just make it optional.”

Shi Min shook her head, “You look at me, I look at you, voluntary will eventually become mandatory. Once parents see everyone resuming evening self-study, they’ll come to make trouble again.” Qing Ye had to agree.

That evening, Feng Bao sent photos of two problems to Qing Ye. She quickly solved them, sent the answers back with photos, and sent voice messages explaining the solution process. It only took her a few minutes anyway.

After Fat Tiger and the others left, Qing Ye carried her things upstairs. When she went downstairs with clean clothes to take a shower, she ran into Xing Wu, who had just returned from outside.

On the narrow staircase, one going up and one going down, neither yielding, they met halfway. Both stopped and looked at each other in silence.

Qing Ye moved first, pressing against the wall to make space for half a person. Then Xing Wu looked away and also shifted his body. Face to face they passed, the narrow staircase forcing their bodies almost together. As their breaths intermingled, Qing Ye’s heart suddenly raced and she lowered her head. She could almost feel Xing Wu’s unique scent washing over her, leaving her flustered. For a second, she almost couldn’t resist grabbing him.

But seeing how Xing Wu kept his eyes straight ahead, she didn’t want to lose face by speaking to him, so she simply hurried into the bathroom with her clothes and locked the door.

When she stood alone in the bathroom, her mood instantly plummeted. This was their first cold war since getting together with Xing Wu, though she wasn’t sure if it could be called a cold war.

When she heard from Shu Han about Xing Wu’s plan to support her studying abroad, Qing Ye was shocked. Faced with Xing Wu’s unreserved devotion, she admitted she wasn’t as reckless as him, so her “not worth it” seemed to suddenly pull them back to reality.

But in just two short days, she felt like they had been in a cold war for a century. Just now, face to face with him, she couldn’t suppress her racing heart. Xing Wu’s fatal attraction to her gave her an almost maddening impulse. Qing Ye considered herself a rational person, but her rationality always seemed to crumble when it came to Xing Wu. She suddenly felt her nose tingle and her heart ache with sadness.

When she went upstairs after her shower, she found Xing Wu already asleep on the bed. Qing Ye stared at his high bridge nose and deep, stern features for a while, sighed and returned to her own space.

Qing Ye had never dated before. She thought liking someone meant being together, and not liking meant breaking up, but she didn’t know that emotions were very complicated. For example, she didn’t want Xing Wu to lose out on this relationship, and she didn’t want to take advantage of him, but she wondered if Xing Wu would think she was just playing with him, without any intention of being responsible.

Objectively speaking, she hadn’t thought that far ahead. Qing Ye could no longer face herself, thinking more and more that she was just a heartless player who would run away after having fun. How did it come to this?

The next day during PE class, they were organized to throw shot puts. Everyone lazily lined up one by one at the designated spot to throw, while PE Teacher Dong stood to the side with a clipboard recording everyone’s scores.

Fang Lei squeezed next to Qing Ye and asked, “Has the old witch talked to you about the winter camp?”

Qing Ye, who hadn’t slept well last night due to the cold war with her boyfriend, was drowsy and covering her mouth while yawning, “No, isn’t that during winter break?”

Fang Lei said, “Seems like it’s been moved up. This year they say it’ll take up two days after New Year’s Day. I’m planning to sign up.”

Qing Ye gave her a sidelong glance, “You’re quite ambitious.”

Fang Lei wasn’t embarrassed at all and said, “No, the person I like is from Jin Zhong School. He’ll be participating this year, I want to find a chance to push him down.”

“???” Qing Ye was unable to process how calmly Fang Lei told her this. Was she that capable?

Then it was Qing Ye’s turn to throw. Fang Lei specifically pushed her, “Stop spacing out, it’s your turn.”

Qing Ye responded with an “Oh,” bent down to pick up the shot put, even ground her sneaker into the dirt, flipped her ponytail – her posture was both pleasing to the eye and standard.

The classmates who had been chatting in groups behind her stopped talking and all looked over. It seemed the students from Class 2 had some inexplicable expectations of Qing Ye, always feeling she was exceptionally good at everything.

However, possibly because she hadn’t slept well last night, Qing Ye wasn’t in good form. As soon as she raised her hand, she felt something was off, and when she threw, her hand slipped.

Everyone was dumbfounded. Teacher Dong even rubbed his eyes, thinking the sun had dazzled him. After looking for half a day without seeing a parabola, he finally noticed that not only had the shot put not been thrown, it had rolled backward from Qing Ye’s feet.

Instantly, the whole class burst into laughter. When Qing Ye turned her head, she found that even Wolf Daze’s group sitting at the edge of the field was laughing at her. From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Xing Wu, propped up on a blue rest chair, wearing a black baseball cap that covered half his face. Though his expression wasn’t clear, the corner of his visible mouth was curved in a smile.

Qing Ye, puffing up angrily, raised one finger to Teacher Dong, requesting another try.

Teacher Dong nodded with a smile and called out, “Come on, Qing Ye!”

A classmate behind picked up the shot put and handed it to her. This time Qing Ye focused, flexed her wrist, her eyes concentrated into a beam of light as she swung and threw. Immediately, everyone around burst into laughter again.

She did throw the ball, and quite far, just not in the right direction. The trajectory was diagonal, flying straight toward the side of the field, frightening Teacher Dong. He had never seen such poor aim before.

Then the shot rolled on the ground straight toward Xing Wu. Qing Ye swore she had just thrown it randomly, with absolutely no intention of revenge. One could only say this was a very spiritual shot.

Xing Wu maintained his lazy demeanor, lightly stepping on the ball when it rolled to his feet to stop it. Then everyone watched as he carelessly bent down, picked up the shot put, bounced it in his hand a couple of times, and then… raised it toward Qing Ye’s direction.

Qing Ye didn’t move an inch, standing in place with her chin raised, looking at him sideways, but the classmates around her scattered in fear. Teacher Dong shouted at Xing Wu, “Don’t throw at your classmates!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xing Wu changed direction and aimed at him. Teacher Dong shouted while dodging, “I told you not to throw at students, not to throw at teachers!”

Everyone laughed together. Xing Wu tossed the shot put without even looking and got up to leave the field. However, the classmates and teacher behind were all amazed – he had somehow thrown the shot put right into the equipment bucket by the field. Teacher Dong had never seen such distance and accuracy before.

Although it was winter, the sun was quite strong. After PE class, everyone had taken off their jackets. Qing Ye felt parched and planned to buy a drink from the school store. Right after class, the store was packed with people. Just looking at the crowd gave her a headache. This was why she never went to the school store, but before she could have Xing Wu and others bring things for her. Now… would she lower her pride for a drink? That would be too undignified.

Qing Ye finally squeezed to the counter and said to the shopkeeper, “One jasmine milk tea.” Suddenly she felt the people squeezing behind her disperse. She turned her head and met those sharp, slender eyes.

Qing Ye’s eye twitched. What a coincidence, running into him even here. No wonder those people didn’t dare squeeze anymore, obediently waiting in line behind.

Xing Wu leaned forward and pointed at the counter, saying to the shopkeeper, “Lighter.” The space was too small, his arm inadvertently brushed Qing Ye’s shoulder, making her shudder as if electrocuted.

Xing Wu lowered his gaze to look at her, and she quickly pretended nothing happened, looking at the bottom of the counter.

Just as the shopkeeper brought over the milk tea and reached under the counter for a lighter, Xing Wu scanned a code and glanced at the milk tea, saying to the shopkeeper, “Together.”

Qing Ye picked up the drink and turned around. Xing Wu had just received the lighter and was testing it. He stood right in front of Qing Ye, so close that if she moved forward slightly she would bump right into his chest. She suddenly found it hard to breathe, especially in such a chaotic environment with students constantly streaming in to buy things.

But Xing Wu wouldn’t let her pass, she couldn’t get out, trapped in the cramped corner of the school store, feeling awkward. She quickly looked up at him, and he happened to put away the lighter and look down at her. It was just an ordinary, unremarkable eye contact, but Qing Ye felt a fire burning inside her body, her blood boiling with this… torturous love.

Xing Wu turned and left first, and only then did Qing Ye let out a heavy breath. As soon as she left the school store, she frantically unscrewed the cap and gulped down the water, trying to calm her wildly beating heart.

Then she heard Yellow Hair shout at her, “Qing Ye, drink slower! My god, you look like you haven’t had water in three years.”

She spat out a mouthful of drink, turned her head, and found that Xing Wu hadn’t left at all. Yellow Hair and the others were all waiting outside the school store. Now everyone was staring at her unusual behavior, especially Xing Wu’s subtle gaze, which directly caused Qing Ye to choke badly, and then start coughing violently, bending over with her whole face red from coughing.

Yellow Hair looked at Xing Wu, who stood without moving, and couldn’t help walking over to ask her, “Are you okay?”

Qing Ye patted her chest, straightened up, waved her hand, and hurried back to class.

Yellow Hair turned back to look at Xing Wu’s gradually furrowing brows, feeling extremely guilty. They wouldn’t break up because of him, would they?