He Cheng watched the two walk farther into the distance, unable to ignore the conversation drifting back to him…
Tang Yu: “You doing okay? Need to head to the infirmary?”
Bai Yuenian: “I’m fine. Just recovered a bit.”
Tang Yu: “Walk on your own then. Don’t stick to me, it’s boiling out here!”
Bai Yuenian: “I stood up too fast, my eyes are still going black. Tang Yu… give me a hand.”
What is it about this conversation… that sounds so ridiculously weird?
He Cheng never did figure out how the water he gave Tang Yu ended up in Bai Yuenian’s hands.
As for that bottle of water Bai Yuenian took home…
That evening, Auntie Liang wiped her hands on her apron as she walked out of the kitchen, calling out to Bai Yuenian just as he was heading upstairs: “Ah, Xiaonian! Did you drop this bottle on the coffee table?”
Bai Yuenian turned back, glancing one last time at the water: “Didn’t we say a few days ago that the spider plant needed some extra minerals? Use it to water the plant.”
Auntie Liang took a look at the label: “Oh, this really is a great fit for it.”
It was the second day of the sports meet. A gentle breeze blew across the field, with massive clouds drifting overhead one after another, temporarily blocking out the glaring sun.
The weather was actually great, which only made Tang Yu’s inner resentment rise a whole notch higher.
They just had to put basketball on the schedule yesterday, didn’t they? He crunched through a handful of potato chips with a vicious crunch-crunch.
Xie Tianyi, who had spent the entire previous morning grinding out study sessions, finally couldn’t push himself any further today. He nudged Tang Yu: “Bro, up for a game?”
Tang Yu pulled out his phone: “Let’s do it.”
While the two were locked in a fierce battle on the Rift, Director Liu Ziyue happened to be making his rounds.
The school wanted to capture some photos during the sports meet to post on the official website…a demonstration of the high schoolers’ well-rounded, vibrant spirit.
He led the photographer around the field. When he arrived at Class 1, a heartwarming smile spread across his face. These kids are the future pillars of the nation! Even during a sports meet, they’re still finding time to study.
Thoroughly impressed, Liu Ziyue had the photographer snap a quick picture.
Right then, a distinct voice cut through the noise of the main stage…
“Tang Yu! I’ve surrounded all five of them by myself, get over here quick!”
“Damn it! Don’t go in blind!”
“They’re all low! Every single one!”
“I’m coming, I’m coming… Nice! Nice!”
“Ace! Team wipe!”
It’s you again, Tang Yu!
Liu Ziyue immediately checked the photo the photographer had just taken.
Sure enough! Tang Yu, caught red-handed playing on his phone, was right there in the frame.
Oh, it’s very “nice,” all right!
Today, I’m going to teach you a lesson about how harsh the real world is. I’m going to make you go AFK so your teammates report you! Report you hard!
As Liu Ziyue stormed over, Bai Yuenian spotted him just in time. He turned and patted Tang Yu to warn him, but his hand happened to land right on Tang Yu’s waist.
Tang Yu let out a sudden, softly modulated “Ah!” and recoiled in the opposite direction, bending his torso away.
Bai Yuenian’s hand froze mid-air.
Tang Yu was ridiculously ticklish around his waist. Being touched out of nowhere was too much to handle, so he instinctively dodged. Only when he turned around and saw it was Bai Yuenian did he ask, “What’s up?”
Bai Yuenian: “Director Liu is coming to check for phones.”
Tang Yu: “Huh? They check phones during the sports meet?”
Bai Yuenian: “They said they’re taking photos today, so no phones allowed this morning.”
Hearing Bai Yuenian’s warning, Xie Tianyi reacted faster than Tang Yu. He instantly shoved his phone into the class monitor’s hands.
The monitor played along seamlessly, slipping it directly into her pants pocket. Liu Ziyue would hardly search a female student, after all.
Tang Yu was left completely stunned. Where was he supposed to hide his? The monitor’s pockets weren’t that big.
Just then, Bai Yuenian reached out his hand: “Give it to me.”
Bai Yuenian slipped Tang Yu’s phone under a stack of test papers resting on his lap.
Genius!
Tang Yu gave Bai Yuenian a silent thumbs-up behind his back.
With students crowding the area, Liu Ziyue had to weave through the chairs, making his approach slow. He shouted as he walked, “Don’t bother hiding them, I saw everything! I posted a notice earlier…no phones this morning while we take photos. And look at you, breaking the rules right under my nose! Tang Yu! Turn your pockets inside out.”
Tang Yu obediently pulled out his pockets.
Liu Ziyue frowned. How is there nothing?
The students were wearing summer uniforms now…thin pants and short-sleeved class shirts. If someone had a phone on them, it would be glaringly obvious.
Unwilling to give up, Liu Ziyue demanded, “Jump on the spot twice!”
Tang Yu followed orders and hopped twice.
Liu Ziyue put on a stern face: “Where did you hide your phone?”
Tang Yu answered him with a look that clearly said, Why on earth would I tell you?
Since Tang Yu wasn’t talking, Liu Ziyue started searching around.
Yet Tang Yu’s area was squeaky clean. He hadn’t brought a backpack, and his seat only had a single cushion, which Liu Ziyue picked up and inspected thoroughly.
“If I find out anyone is harboring him, it’s a 3,000-word self-reflection paper for you!” Liu Ziyue began scanning the surrounding desks.
At that exact moment, a light breeze blew past, lifting the corner of the test papers on Bai Yuenian’s lap and revealing the black edge of a phone case.
Tang Yu frantically gestured to Bai Yuenian, trying to get him to adjust the papers to cover it up properly.
However, Bai Yuenian had his head down and didn’t notice, while Tang Yu didn’t dare make his gestures too large for fear of sparking Liu Ziyue’s suspicion.
Meanwhile, Liu Ziyue was just about to step over toward Bai Yuenian.
What do I do?!
In a flash of inspiration, before Liu Ziyue could look down, Tang Yu dropped his butt straight down onto Bai Yuenian’s lap.
The surrounding students froze, a few even letting out stifled gasps.
Bai Yuenian was stunned, too.
Tang Yu had sat down in such a rush that his balance was a little shaky. Bai Yuenian instinctively wanted to support his waist, but then he remembered Tang Yu’s intense reaction to being touched there earlier.
His hand hesitated, pulling back slightly to hover behind Tang Yu in a protective gesture. At the same time, he quietly shifted his upper body into a position that allowed Tang Yu to lean back more comfortably.
Liu Ziyue stood rooted to the spot: “What… what are you doing?”
Tang Yu lied through his teeth with a straight face: “Those two jumps gave me a leg cramp.”
Liu Ziyue: “So you just sit on Bai Yuenian’s lap? Can’t you go a single day without picking on your classmate?”
Tang Yu: “…”
Just as he was about to defend himself, Zhou Fangmin arrived. She informed Liu Ziyue that the principal was looking for him, and Liu Ziyue finally retreated.
As the person in his arms suddenly stood up, Bai Yuenian remained frozen in his sitting position for several seconds before coming back to his senses.
He completely forgot which step of his math problem he had been working on. The only thing lingering in his mind was how slender Tang Yu’s waist felt…it seemed no wider than the span of his palm. And when Tang Yu was completely relaxed and unstrung… he felt astonishingly soft.
Zhou Fangmin looked at Tang Yu: “Caught playing on your phone?”
Today, Zhou Fangmin wore a knee-length dress, and her usually low-pigtail hair was let down. Paired with her warm, trustworthy features, she looked even more gentle and approachable than usual.
Faced with someone like her, Tang Yu habitually became obedient. He took the initiative to blurt out, “I was wrong.”
This actually took Zhou Fangmin by surprise: “I’m not trying to lecture you! It’s a sports meet…if you don’t play on your phone now, when are you supposed to? Are you expected to write test papers like the girls over there? How boring would that be? Director Liu only banned phones this morning because of the photoshoot, so don’t beat yourself up over it.”
Zhou Fangmin had been very pleased with yesterday afternoon’s basketball game…not necessarily because of the score, but because a single match had rallied the entire class’s enthusiasm.
The girls cheered, and the boys hauled water bottles.
Young kids were supposed to play and make noise to stay full of energy; besides, Class 1 really needed a proper chance to unwind.
After speaking, Zhou Fangmin walked to the back of the class section to stand. Before she left, she gave Tang Yu’s head an affectionate pat.
Tang Yu cast a glance toward the main stage. Liu Ziyue was already far off in the distance…they were finally in the clear.
He asked Bai Yuenian for his phone back, only to find the boy staring blankly at his own hands.
Bai Yuenian’s hands were completely empty.
Tang Yu stepped forward to help him straighten the test papers.
Though his drop-sit earlier had been abrupt, he had deliberately avoided the papers, concentrating his weight on Bai Yuenian’s other thigh.
Even though the papers weren’t creased, Tang Yu still felt a bit awkward…bursting into someone’s lap like that was pretty brazen.
The fabric of their summer uniform pants was thin. As Tang Yu tidied the papers, his fingertips inevitably brushed against Bai Yuenian’s thigh.
The first touch was nothing, but then came a second, and a third… His fingertips lightly grazed across the fabric like deliberate teasing, sending an itching, tingling sensation right down to Bai Yuenian’s chest.
Yet the person causing this sensory overload had completely clear, innocent eyes.
Bai Yuenian’s entire body tensed up. Taking a deep breath, he interrupted Tang Yu’s movements: “I’ll do it.”
However, he didn’t really organize them much either. He simply pulled the stack of papers closer to his lap, looking more as if he were trying his best to cover something up.
Seeing that Bai Yuenian seemed to have forgotten about returning his phone, Tang Yu thought to himself: Is this bookworm zoning out again?
He reached out his palm directly: “Give me my phone.”
Bai Yuenian fished the phone out from under the papers and handed it over.
Once Tang Yu settled back into his own seat, Xie Tianyi whispered to him, “We won that match, by the way.”
Tang Yu gave a listless “Mm,” not looking particularly invested.
They had completely wiped out the opposing team at the end; if their teammates still managed to lose after that, how terrible could they possibly be?
Xie Tianyi grumbled: “Good grief, who checks phones during a sports meet?! I honestly didn’t see Old Liu’s notice in the group chat.”
That was normal…there were way too many messages in the group chat, and Tang Yu hadn’t checked it either.
With that, neither Tang Yu nor Xie Tianyi had the heart to keep gaming. After hovering in boredom for a while, sleepiness hit them, so they decided to catch a quick nap.
Yet, only a few minutes after closing his eyes, a beam of blinding light flashed right across Tang Yu’s eyelids, piercingly bright even through his closed eyes.
Tang Yu opened his eyes, only to catch sight of a sneaky, tall, skinny shadow sprinting away from the Class 1 area.