“We can’t sit together anymore,” Yu Jingjing said regretfully. “I already promised Shu Qing. We made the arrangement before you and I got close.”
Lu Shinian sighed. “I should’ve planned ahead.”
Yu Jingjing pouted, clearly displeased. “You did plan ahead, right at the start of the semester, you and Xu Man agreed to sit together. I was there when you talked about it.”
Lu Shinian covered her face. She’d almost forgotten about that. Throughout high school, she’d mostly sat with Xu Man. Seeing Xu Man chatting with someone up front, she probably already had a new desk mate lined up.
As for herself, she likely wouldn’t find one. Ranked last, she’d be the last to enter the classroom, meaning she’d have to take whatever spot was left.
Yu Jingjing added, “Next time, I’ll definitely sit with you.”
Lu Shinian wiped away nonexistent tears. “Fine. Flunking the exam and losing my good desk mate, salt in the wound.”
“That’s so fake. You didn’t even shed a tear.”
“The sentiment’s there.”
At the front row, Yu He watched for a moment before turning back, silently gripping her pen as she stared at the test questions.
Suddenly, a girl from the next group burst into tears. “What do I do? I’ve never scored this badly before. I really didn’t think I’d do this poorly. I understood everything in class and did my homework seriously, how did I still end up like this?”
Feng Jia leaned over to comfort her. “It’s okay, don’t be upset. Liang Hongying said it herself, this is just a monthly exam, not the college entrance exam. One slip-up doesn’t mean anything. Let’s review our mistakes and work harder next time. We’ll definitely do better.”
The girl kept crying.
Feng Jia continued, “Don’t cry. I’ll treat you to bubble tea after school. Something sweet will cheer you up.”
The girl wiped her tears. “Thank you. You’re so kind.”
Feng Jia returned to her seat. “Exams are brutal.”
Yu He glanced at her and suddenly spoke. “Would it work better if the bubble tea had full sugar?”
“This…” Feng Jia was momentarily stunned. “Logically speaking, it should be.”
After lunch in the cafeteria, Lu Shinian returned to the classroom and saw Feng Jia sitting in her seat, chatting with Sun Qianyue in the back row.
“Qianyue, since your ranking is higher than mine, remember to save me a seat.”
Sun Qianyue replied, “No problem.”
Lu Shinian walked over. “Aren’t you sitting with Yu He anymore?”
Feng Jia nodded. “That’s right.”
Lu Shinian asked again, “Then has Yu He found a new deskmate?”
Feng Jia looked puzzled. “Isn’t her deskmate you?”
“Since when was her deskmate,” Lu Shinian paused, then agreed, “Right, it’s me.”
Yu Jingjing: “What?”
Lu Shinian’s eyes sparkled. “Jingjing, I’m about to have a deskmate soon.”
Yu He was climbing the stairs when she heard someone call her name, pausing her steps.
She lifted her gaze slightly, and for a moment, it seemed like she saw a fluffy tiger crouching at the top of the stairs, its eyes brimming with naive foolishness, utterly harmless, grinning cheerfully at her.
“Classmate Yu, I’ve been waiting for you for so long.”
Yu He blinked, and the tiger transformed back into the figure of a girl. She averted her gaze and continued up the stairs.
On the final step, Lu Shinian blocked her path, grinning. “Let’s turn our temporary deskmate arrangement into a permanent one.”
Yu He seemed not to fully understand. “What?”
Lu Shinian said, “I mean, let’s be deskmates.”
“No.” Yu He shook her head.
Lu Shinian immediately pressed, “Why not?”
Yu He replied seriously, “Because you’ll disturb me.”
Lu Shinian raised three fingers to the sky. “I absolutely won’t disturb your studies. I promise to sit quietly beside you.”
Yu He was silent for a moment before admitting honestly, “Having you beside me feels… strange.”
Strange?
“It’s not strange at all. How is it strange? We’re friends now, how could sitting together be strange?” Lu Shinian raised an eyebrow. “Rather than sitting with someone you don’t know, wouldn’t it be better to sit with someone you’re relatively familiar with?”
Lu Shinian confidently puffed out her chest. “I understand you better than anyone else in class.”
“You don’t.” Yu He sidestepped her and walked inside.
The only way to persuade Yu He was to be proactive relentlessly proactive, undeterred by any cold looks, and just charge forward.
Lu Shinian: “I do understand. I’ve seen you angry, impatient like right now.”
Yu He stopped and turned to look at her. “I—”
I’m not angry.
Lu Shinian: “I’ve also seen you blush, and I’ve seen you cry, your eyes all red.”
Yu He seemed to have touched a nerve, her ears instantly turning red as she said coldly, “Don’t bring that up.”
“Fine, I won’t,” Lu Shinian said with a smile. “Then be my deskmate.”
Yu He was speechless for a few seconds before coldly retorting, “You’re shameless.”
Lu Shinian accepted it cheerfully. “Thank you.”
Yu He fell silent again, then spoke just as Lu Shinian was about to pester her further. “Why do you want to be my deskmate?”
Lu Shinian said, “Because no one else wants me.”
Yu He: “…”
Lu Shinian continued, “As the class’s bottom-ranked student, who would ever want to sit with me?”
Yu He’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly before her expression returned to its usual indifference. But then, in a muffled voice, she muttered, “…Where do you want to sit?”
As soon as Yu He finished speaking, Lu Shinian immediately grasped the meaning, nearly spinning in place from sheer excitement. It turned out the best way to win Yu He over wasn’t shamelessness, but playing pitiful.
Yet she still struggled to maintain what little composure she had left. “I’m fine with anything. I’ll follow your lead.”
Yu He gave a quiet hum and handed over the milk tea she’d been holding. “Take it.”
Lu Shinian pointed at herself. “You bought this for me?”
Yu He averted her gaze, her words awkward and stiff. “Don’t be upset. There’s plenty of room for improvement.”
Lu Shinian froze for several seconds this time. She had seen Yu He carrying the milk tea upstairs earlier, assuming it was for herself never imagining it was meant to cheer her up.
Realizing the intention behind the gesture, Lu Shinian’s heart softened at the thought, her joy surpassing even the happiness she’d felt when Yu He agreed to be her desk mate. A smile bloomed in her eyes.
She asked, “Does this count as sincerity?”
Lu Shinian’s eyes curved into crescents. “It does.”
When the bell for the last class rang, Liang Hongying appeared punctually at the front door of the classroom. The students surged into the hallway, lining up as the class monitor stood at the front with the score sheet, calling names in order of ranking for seat selection.
Worried that Yu He might be unfamiliar with saving a seat for someone, Lu Shinian made sure to remind her beforehand. “You have to put something on the desk next to you to mark it, let everyone know that Yu He’s seat is taken. If someone tries to sit there, tell them it’s already reserved.”
Yu He nodded vaguely in understanding. “Mm.”
The monitor called out, “Yu He.”
Yu He walked into the classroom and went straight to Lu Shinian’s original seat, sitting down.
As the monitor continued announcing names, the classroom gradually filled up.
Unlike her usual upright posture, Yu He leaned slightly forward, using her arm to occupy a small portion of the neighboring desk. Noticing Yu Jingjing in the front row stretching her legs to block the space, Yu He tentatively extended her own leg a little in imitation.
From her spot outside the window, Lu Shinian saw everything clearly and couldn’t help but stifle a laugh.
Poor Yu.
Later, someone tried to sit beside Yu He, who earnestly explained something to them. Since Lu Shinian was outside, she couldn’t hear what was said.
Once the list was finished, it was finally Lu Shinian’s turn, the only one left in the hallway.
She strode into the classroom and, under the gaze of the entire class, successfully took the seat beside Yu He.
Lu Shinian immediately flashed her a heart sign with her fingers. “So impressive.”
Yu He: “Mm.”
Glancing around at the rearranged seating, Lu Shinian noted that Yu Jingjing was now her front-row neighbor while Fang Xing had ended up behind her. Truly, fate had gathered them all in this group.
Liang Hongying stood at the podium. “Now that everyone has chosen their seats, no unauthorized swapping is allowed. Desk mates should support each other. I won’t say much else, go ahead and move your books, then head to dinner early.”
Thanks to Yu He’s deliberate (or perhaps accidental) choice, Lu Shinian’s spot remained unchanged, sparing her the hassle of reorganizing. Delighted, she hurried off to help Yu He carry her books.
Yu He opened her mouth, clearly about to refuse, but Lu Shinian cut her off. “Teacher Liang said desk mates should help each other. Besides, there’s no need for formalities between you and me.”