Monday was the exam. This time they would test for three days, from Monday to Wednesday.

Wednesday was Christmas. After Xu You finished her last English exam and returned to the classroom, she saw “Merry Christmas” written in huge letters with colored chalk on the blackboard.

The class was noisy and chaotic. With the arrival of the holiday and exams just having passed, everyone was in a relatively cheerful mood.

Because the classroom was used as an exam room, the class’s desks and chairs had been scrambled out of order. Xu You’s desk was in the second-to-last row.

She walked back to her seat when suddenly someone called out, “Xu You.”

Xu You turned around and found it was a male student from class whom she wasn’t very familiar with.

That male student seemed a bit shy. Standing behind Xu You, he was half a head taller than her.

There weren’t very many people in the classroom. Groups of three to five gathered at various spots comparing answers.

Xu You was puzzled and asked quietly, “What’s wrong?”

The boy scratched his head and handed Xu You a small gift box he was carrying, laughing with a “hehe” sound. “Merry Christmas.”

She was caught off guard and took two steps back, waving her hands. “No, no, I can’t accept it.”

“It’s fine, just an apple.” That male student wanted to stuff the item directly into Xu You’s arms.

Some people in class saw this scene and mischievously whistled. “Ooh, the study committee member’s heart is stirring. Flirting with a girl in broad daylight.”

Xu You was still declining when she heard a commotion outside the classroom.

A group of boys from class who had gone to play basketball had returned.

She didn’t pay attention. Suddenly, there was a huge bang behind her.

The sound of a basketball violently hitting the back door of the classroom.

Such a loud noise startled most people.

Xu You looked back and immediately saw Xie Ci. In the middle of winter, he was just wearing a black athletic short-sleeved shirt. Without any expression, he stared this way.

Their gazes collided squarely.

Xu You stared at him blankly, feeling inexplicably guilty.

The group of boys who had been playing basketball behind him also didn’t know what had happened and exchanged glances with each other.

They didn’t know who had provoked him again.

Naturally, the study committee member didn’t know what was going on either. With a confused look on his face, he just saw Xie Ci with a half-smile, calling toward this direction, “What are you guys doing?”

Song Yifan, standing beside him, secretly groaned inwardly.

Had this study committee member read himself stupid? Everyone in class knew Xie Ci had his eyes on Xu You, yet he still dared to provoke her…

“Don’t get excited, don’t be impulsive. Impulse is the devil.”

Song Yifan hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed Xie Ci’s arm. “Bro, calm down, calm down. Come take a deep breath with me.”

Xie Ci shook off his hand and cursed lightly, “Fuck off.”

Xu You didn’t know why, but she always had that feeling of a guilty thief. As if she had done something wrong and been caught.

She lowered her head and hurriedly walked back to her seat.

In the evening was English self-study. Because of Christmas, the teacher had approved showing a movie in class tonight ahead of time.

After finishing the exams, everyone went to eat, so the seats hadn’t been switched back yet.

Winter always grew dark especially quickly.

Just past six o’clock, the sky outside had already completely darkened. The classroom lights were turned off. It was pitch black. The English class representative moved the computer to the podium, turned on the projector, and squatted there fiddling with it.

The English teacher came by once midway, giving a few simple instructions—basically telling them to be quiet while watching the movie and not disturb students in other classes.

However, no one took the teacher’s words to heart.

Whether darkness made young people more excited or not, while the movie played on one side, the class was as noisy as a marketplace. The atmosphere was quite restless.

Xu You had originally wanted to go sit in the front row and watch the movie wholeheartedly, but Fu Xueli ran over to hang out with her.

She sat in the seat in front of Xu You, chatting casually with Xu You while munching on an apple.

Tonight, everyone’s emotions were exceptionally high. From some corner, bursts of laughter would sound from time to time.

Fu Xueli looked down at her phone. Suddenly remembering the matter of choosing tracks, she casually asked, “Little cutie, what are you planning to choose for liberal arts or sciences in the future?”

“Science, I guess. What about you?” Xu You propped her chin with one hand.

Fu Xueli put down her phone and thought for a while. “Xu Xingchun is going to study science, but I’m planning to study liberal arts.”

“Oh…”

Xu You rarely inquired about other people’s private matters or gossip. She nodded.

Fu Xueli continued speaking, her expression somewhat complex. “But… Xie Ci will probably also choose liberal arts…”

“………..”

Suddenly mentioning him.

After two seconds of silence, Xu You nodded. “Mm.”

The big apple in her hand was gradually eaten clean bit by bit. Fu Xueli hesitated for a long time before finally asking, “You You, you and Xie Ci… it’s just…”

She organized her words for a long time but still didn’t know how to say it.

“Mm… it’s just… don’t you think it’s very time-consuming?”

“Ah?”

Xu You felt somewhat awkward.

Fu Xueli leaned toward her side. Just as she was about to say more, from the corner of her eye she saw the back door of the classroom open. She stopped talking.

A mighty wave of boys filed in one after another.

They must have just finished eating outside. There was a smell on them.

After a while, Fu Xueli was called away.

When she went out, it was a friend from another class bringing her an apple.

Fu Xueli held up the fruit core in her hand to show. “Just ate my fill.”

Chen Jing smiled and leaned in. “Eat another one. You can keep it too.”

She stuffed the small gift box into Fu Xueli’s arms and asked as if casually, “Are Song Yifan and the others here?”

Fu Xueli knew her real intention wasn’t the wine. She lazily yawned and said, “Xie Ci and the others just went out. Come back in a bit.”

With no one talking in front anymore, Xu You continued watching the movie attentively.

It was just that her position was really too far back. The boys around her were very rowdy. Someone had even brought a flashlight. A circle of people surrounded that area playing cards.

Various shouting sounds.

Xu You was considering whether or not to move her stool forward a bit.

Because the classroom seating hadn’t been switched back yet, it was still single seats per person like during the exam. She was still sitting in the back.

Her gaze was wandering around, looking to see if there was a suitable position, when she felt a dark shadow standing beside her.

“What are you looking for?” Xie Ci’s deep voice came from above.

Xu You didn’t dare raise her head and didn’t speak.

Xie Ci’s foot casually hooked over a stool. Sprawling carelessly, he sat down beside her, his two long legs just placed in the aisle like that.

“What are you doing?” Xu You couldn’t help asking in a low voice.

Anyway, in the darkness she couldn’t see his expression very clearly, so her courage grew a little bit.

Xie Ci looked at her but didn’t speak.

Xu You felt a chill on her back from being looked at with this kind of gaze.

Fortunately, at this time someone called him.

“Brother Ci, hurry up and come watch.” Song Yifan was sitting in a seat right next to them. There were also several other boys around.

“Watch what?”

“Tsk, good stuff of course!” Song Yifan laughed lecherously.

Seeing Xie Ci wasn’t moving, some people got anxious. “Hurry up, hurry up, come together, Brother Ci. Absolutely good stuff.”

“Not watching.”

Without another word, Song Yifan, holding his lit phone, strode over in two or three steps and held it horizontally in front of Xie Ci.

He held an earbud and stuffed it into Xie Ci’s ear.

The volume was turned up a bit loud. Xu You and Xie Ci were sitting close. She vaguely heard some strange screaming sounds.

Xu You didn’t think much of it and turned her head slightly.

An image of a pair of naked people wildly entangled on a bed suddenly came into view…

Even though she was innocent, she instantly realized what this was.

Xu You instantly froze completely. Her face flushed red from the roots of her ears.

Only shock remained in her mind.

They… they were actually in the classroom… watching this kind of thing…

This kind…

Song Yifan noticed her and revealed a strange smile.

“Children can’t watch. Turn away quickly.” He held up his phone and laughed wickedly at Xu You.

Xie Ci leaned back in his chair, watched expressionlessly for a while, then took off the earbud and tossed it to Song Yifan.

“How was it?”

“How was what?”

Song Yifan looked at his friend with a face full of teasing. “Playing dumb with me is boring.”

“Not much.”

“Was it hot or not?”

“This woman’s moaning is a bit exaggerated.” Xie Ci commented flatly.

Song Yifan laughed and cursed, “Fuck.”

Xu You kept her face buried in her arms. At this moment, she was too embarrassed to lift her head at all.

The two brothers were still commenting on this kind of thing beside her. One was more vulgar than the other.

After saying a few more things, Song Yifan took his phone and returned to his original position, gathering together with a group of people to watch with great interest.

The key point was that while they watched, they also discussed. Their lewd laughter could be heard clearly by everyone around them.

Xu You heard Xie Ci call her. “Hey, you’re embarrassed?”

She rapidly covered her ears, turning her body away, not listening to him speak.

Xie Ci saw her like that and laughed in his throat with a muffled sound.

He still wouldn’t let it go, using his foot to touch Xu You’s calf.

Xu You was harassed to the point of extreme annoyance. Her cheeks red, she lowered her head and patted her pant leg. “Don’t touch me!”

Xie Ci moved a bit closer. “Can’t even touch now?”

“Don’t lean so close either…”

The scalding heat on her face remained. She leaned back.

Xie Ci’s jacket was open. Between breaths came a bit of alcohol smell. His hand lazily draped over Xu You’s chair. His index finger curled up, lightly tapping her back.

She was ticklish, so she dodged.

Just as they were playing enthusiastically, someone suddenly called from behind the first group, “Xie Ci!”

He turned his head.

The boy sitting in the back opened the door and shook his head to indicate outside. “There’s a girl bringing you an apple.”

After a while, seeing Xie Ci sitting in his seat without moving, that boy shouted again, “Hurry up, Brother Ci. She’s been waiting forever.”

Xu You’s gaze involuntarily looked outside.

The corridor’s voice-activated lights weren’t on. Only the incandescent lights from the class next door cast over a bit of light and shadow. Two or three girls stood there in shadowy outlines.

Xu Xiaocheng was watching a soccer match with great enthusiasm, annoyed that the boy in back had no perceptiveness at all.

He shouted in that direction, “Damn, Li Xiaoqiang, hurry up and close the fucking door. It’s freezing.”

Really stupid.

Xie Ci didn’t even lift his eyelids.

Xu You lay on the desk. The finger on her back was still flicking on and off.

She straightened up. With a “pa” sound, she knocked away his hand and dodged to the side a bit. “Don’t mess with me. So annoying.”

“Yo ho.” He raised an eyebrow, smiling in a devil-may-care way. “Your temper’s not small.”

Xu You stared at him, her lips pressed tight, not responding.

Xie Ci found her look amusing. He thought for a moment and asked neither saltily nor blandly, “What are you angry about? That someone’s giving me things? Or that I’m watching porn?”

Watching porn…

This kind of thing was just spoken so frankly from his mouth, as if it were a matter of indifference.

Xu You was stunned for that instant.

“Don’t all guys watch? Such a normal thing. What are you being awkward about?”

She reflexively retorted, “But you can’t watch it in the classroom… and…”

“And what?”

Xie Ci laughed even harder. “Don’t be jealous. Those women moaning don’t give me any reaction at all.”

Xu You belatedly realized he was teasing her again.

“Anyway, my former classmates don’t watch this kind of thing.” She was a bit defiant.

Xie Ci said, “I’m not the same as your classmates.”

“Boyfriend and male classmate are different, you know?” He continued speaking without restraint.

The class was actually quite noisy. Not many people were watching the movie properly. Everyone was doing their own thing.

Some people ate snacks, some played cards and chatted, some played on phones watching videos.

Song Yifan found the porn increasingly boring. Instead, he occasionally glanced sideways, seeing Xie Ci still flirting there. He could only consciously and silently swallow countless helpings of dog food.

Xu You placed both hands properly on the desk, eyes watching the screen, looking like she was seriously watching the movie.

The person beside her just kept bantering.

Xie Ci sighed and climbed up the pole. “Your boyfriend is too likeable. Every day so many people want to hit on me. It’s really scary.”

Xu You heard him speak in quite a serious tone. She couldn’t help replying, “You’re not a hundred-yuan bill.”

Just as the words fell.

Xie Ci suddenly pointed at the floor under Xu You’s feet and said, “Hey, there’s a mouse that ran past.”

“—Ahhhh!”

Xu You’s body bounced. She screamed once, lifting her feet up.

It was pitch black underneath. She didn’t dare look carefully. With her eyes closed, her feet raised high, her voice trembling as she asked, “Are there more? Is it still down there? The mouse…”

Xie Ci hadn’t laughed at first, but later he couldn’t hold it in. He bent over laughing out loud with a “hahaha” sound.

The more he laughed, the more he couldn’t stop.

Only then did Xu You belatedly realize she’d been played.

She was a bit angry from embarrassment, but she didn’t know those swear words, so she could only sit in her seat sulking.

After Xie Ci laughed enough, he cleared his throat and leaned his body over.

“Really, your screaming sounds the best.”

He was very improper, dragging out a long trailing tone. “Just now listening to it almost sent me to heaven.”

This degree of dirty talk made Xu You clench her fists.

She couldn’t bear it anymore and kicked Xie Ci once.

“Yo, domestic violence now?”

“Xie Ci!”

“Ah?”

Xu You: “Can you watch less of that kind of thing in the future? Vulgar or not!”

“Can’t not be vulgar.”

He smiled lazily, too lazy even to talk nonsense. “I want to watch.”

“Moreover.”

Xie Ci’s Adam’s apple moved. He suddenly laughed and coughed lowly, pausing for several seconds in the darkness.

He told her word by word, “In the future, for this kind of thing, either you watch it with me, or you show me yours.”