At noon, it suddenly began to rain outside.
After finishing lunch, Shen Weiyue couldn’t go to the stone bench in the small grove for his usual nap, so he had no choice but to return to the classroom.
Zhao Qingyan ate slowly. By the time she finished and came back, Shen Weiyue was already sprawled across the desk, sleeping soundly.
Damn it… this stupid donkey is blocking the way.
She lightly kicked the leg of his chair. Shen Weiyue groggily lifted his head, glanced at her, then pulled his chair inward a little to make some space.
Zhao Qingyan tried to squeeze in, but her hips got stuck against the back desk behind her. She still couldn’t get through.
She kicked the chair leg harder.
Shen Weiyue moved forward a bit more. She kicked again, and now he was getting annoyed.
“What, still can’t get in? Use some force.”
“I just hate having a deskmate. It’s the most annoying thing.”
“Then go tell Han Changming. He arranged it.”
“Good dogs don’t block the way.”
“Yeah, yeah, your butt is big, so you’re right.”
Irritated, Shen Weiyue stood up to let her pass.
Hearing that, Zhao Qingyan grew even angrier. She forcefully squeezed into her seat… and thus, the first “close contact” between the fox and the stupid donkey happened.
On Director Shen’s broad back, for the first time since his rebirth, someone pressed against him like that.
“o(////▽////)q”
His lingering irritation from being woken up vanished instantly. The campus belle was beautiful… she was allowed to be a little rough.
Zhao Qingyan also felt something was off. She clenched her small fists, then relaxed them, but failed to notice the fleeting trace of comfort that flashed across Shen Weiyue’s face.
She sat down heavily, yet didn’t sleep.
It seemed the campus belle didn’t have the habit of taking a nap. While the entire class rested with their heads on their desks, she kept writing and drawing on her draft paper.
The faint rustling sound reached Shen Weiyue’s ears, carrying a subtle rhythm that lulled him into sleep even faster.
Once asleep, he no longer had any awareness to restrain himself.
Zhao Qingyan suddenly frowned.
A donkey hoof had crossed the line… crossing the invisible boundary and entering her territory.
She raised her pen, intending to poke him, but after a moment’s thought, she stopped.
He had already been punished with two periods of standing in the morning. For now, she wouldn’t bother with him.
She continued writing and drawing. Shen Weiyue continued sleeping deeply.
Slowly… bit by bit…
Zhao Qingyan’s frown deepened.
At some point, Shen Weiyue’s elbow had drifted close enough to almost touch her arm. Find the original chapter at g.com.
More importantly… it had pressed down on a strand of her hair.
At first, she didn’t notice. She was too focused on her drawing, tilting her head slightly in a playful posture.
But just as she finished drawing the tail of a lazy donkey and was about to lift her head, a sharp, needle-like pain shot through her scalp.
Her hair had been pulled.
That damned stupid donkey… not only crossing the line, but even pressing on her hair.
Zhao Qingyan got angry. She picked up her pen and poked Shen Weiyue.
No response.
She poked him twice more. Still nothing.
Now she was truly furious.
Switching to a ballpoint pen with no ink, she clicked the tip out and jabbed it hard into the stupid donkey’s backside. He jumped up instantly.
“Duang…”
Shen Weiyue’s knee slammed into the desk leg. The pain made him bare his teeth, and the loud noise startled everyone awake, plunging the classroom into sudden silence.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Go back to sleep. I just had a nightmare.”
He smiled apologetically and gestured with his hands, signaling everyone to continue their nap.
Still half-asleep, the others quickly lay back down again.
Zhao Qingyan hadn’t expected such a big reaction. Feeling a bit guilty, she sat upright, pretending nothing had happened.
Shen Weiyue, however, stared at her with an unfriendly expression and whispered, “What are you doing?”
“You crossed the line while sleeping.”
“Then poke my elbow! Why poke my butt? My butt didn’t offend you.”
“I did. You slept like a pig. It didn’t work.”
Zhao Qingyan glanced at him, continuing to write on her draft paper as she said calmly, “You also pressed on my hair. You pulled out two strands.”
She pointed at the two strands of hair on the paper… undeniable evidence.
The anger on Shen Weiyue’s face turned into embarrassment. He chuckled awkwardly and reached to pick them up for a closer look. Zhao Qingyan froze for a moment, then quickly tapped his fingers with her pen.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m apologizing to them… and giving them a proper send-off.”
“Are you sick?”
“If I weren’t, why would I be your deskmate?”
As he spoke, he actually picked up the two strands of hair.
“You…”
Shen Weiyue raised a finger to his lips, then unscrewed a ballpoint pen, removed the refill, folded the two strands of hair, and carefully placed them inside the pen barrel.
After that, he clasped his hands together and bowed three times.
“Done. Ritual complete. Proper burial.”
Zhao Qingyan stared at him in a daze, completely at a loss for words.
Without waiting for her reaction, Shen Weiyue lay back down and went to sleep again.
This time, he moved his chair outward slightly, making sure he wouldn’t cross into Zhao Fox’s side again. He also turned his head to the right, leaving her only the back of his head.
Zhao Qingyan quickly sketched four hooves… and a lively little donkey appeared on the paper.
The campus belle clearly had talent for drawing.
Calming down, she realized that earlier, Shen Weiyue had actually taken responsibility. He hadn’t immediately blamed her, but instead covered for the situation himself.
In just a few short days, she could see how the once aloof Yue Buqun was becoming more sociable, gaining more and more friends.
And what about her?
Still the same as always.
If there was any change, it was that she now had a deskmate… a stupid donkey that required her constant “whipping” to keep in line.
Of course, she didn’t consider Shen Weiyue her friend.
On the donkey sketch, Zhao Qingyan wrote a title… “The Donkey of Qian.” After a moment, she crossed it out and rewrote it as “The Donkey of Shu.”
Then, thoughtfully, she added “Shen Donkey” at the end, making it “The Donkey of Shu · Shen Donkey.”
At this moment, the entire class was fast asleep. No one noticed the campus belle’s little mischievous act.
A sly, fox-like smile appeared on her face.
A top student was still a top student.
A girl was still a girl.
Deep down, instincts couldn’t be completely suppressed… at least not at the age of eighteen.
Looking at Shen Weiyue sleeping soundly beside her, his breathing steady, she seemed to have found a small bit of joy in these final days of high school.
…
In the afternoon, class resumed.
Shen Weiyue rubbed his sleepy eyes and casually tidied up his desk. The ballpoint pen containing the two strands of fox hair was unconsciously put into his pencil case.
Zhao Qingyan was busy hiding her silly donkey drawing and didn’t notice this detail. Instead, she was focused on waiting for Shen donkey to come ask her questions.
Unfortunately, during this lesson, the donkey remained enlightened… he still didn’t come to her.
As soon as the bell rang, all the boys in the classroom rushed out, shouting excitedly, disappearing in an instant.
Amid the chaos, Zhao Qingyan heard Shen Weiyue’s voice from the stairwell, seemingly scolding Ye Lingtao, “Hurry up! If we’re any later, there won’t be a court left!”
The next class was physical education.
It seemed this group was off to play basketball again.