On the first day of school, a new boy transferred into Class One of the second year. He was incredibly handsome. They said the moment he stepped into the classroom, the girls in Class One had been so excited the whole school building could hear them.
That very day, hundreds of photos of him appeared on the school forum and confession wall. The speed with which they spread rivaled the popularity of Luo Cheng, the big shot of senior year.
Luo Cheng might have been a terrible student, but he had a face to make up for it. His expression was always cool and distant, giving him a naturally untouchable air.
He had a cold look about him, and by the school’s incomplete count, he’d unwittingly turned down nearly ten girls while he was there. That was only what people knew about; there might have been more, but no one could say. Whether Luo Cheng even remembered was one thing. The girls he’d rejected certainly weren’t going to bring it up as bedtime gossip or go around bragging about it.
Once, Luo Cheng and Wang Dalin bought breakfast outside school and ran into a few girls at the entrance.
The girls nudged and shoved one another until they pushed a petite girl right in front of him.
He was holding a scallion pancake and chewing a mouthful.
The girl’s ears and face were red. She stared at him, wanting to say something but unable to get the words out.
After they’d stared at each other for a while, Luo Cheng raised an eyebrow, silently asking if she needed something.
But she seemed startled. She didn’t know what to do with her clasped hands.
“Luo, I…”
“You want this?” Before she knew what was happening, he’d shoved a scallion pancake into her hands.
Wang Dalin looked down at the one pancake he had left. “……”
“Sorry, we have class. Oh, and don’t mention it. No need to pay me back.”
The two of them walked around the girls, who stood frozen in place, and went on their way.
Luo Cheng was a straight guy, and a particularly infuriating kind of straight guy.
Word got around, and Luo Cheng gained another label: “beautiful and kind-hearted.”
Recently, though, Luo Cheng himself had been troubled. He couldn’t even enjoy his favorite scallion pancakes, eating them absentmindedly.
He’d taken a liking to a kid in the classroom across the courtyard. The kid was taller than him, but that wasn’t going to stop him from wanting to be the kid’s boyfriend.
Luo Cheng slept through the last physics class, then tied his uniform jacket around his waist and left the classroom with Yang Chuan and Wang Dalin.
Wang Dalin was munching on a packet of cookies, crumbs smeared around his mouth.
“We’re about to go to the cafeteria. Why are you still eating?” Yang Chuan asked.
“I can’t hold out any longer. I’m afraid I won’t have the strength to make it to the cafeteria.”
Yang Chuan was speechless. Only Luo Cheng gave him a thumbs-up. “That’s impressive.”
The three of them went downstairs. A sea of blue uniforms stretched before them, everyone heading for one cafeteria or another.
“It’s packed. Cheng-ge, why don’t we eat outside? I heard there’s a new restaurant nearby that serves Southeast Asian food. What do you think? Supposedly it’s pretty good.”
Luo Cheng couldn’t be bothered to think about it. He headed straight for the exit. “Sure.”
“I’ve been working so hard lately, I’ve lost weight. Cheng-ge, feel my stomach. I’ve lost some of the fat.”
“Oh.”
Yang Chuan laughed. “Could you wipe the crumbs off your mouth before you say that, son?”
“Chuan, do you have a tissue?”
“What for?”
“I was just imagining all the dishes we’re about to eat, and I think I started drooling.”
“……I don’t carry tissues. I don’t usually bring anything that ruins my macho image.”
Luo Cheng had just pulled out a packet of tissues. “……”
The three of them left the school and stood around like idiots for a while. At last, Luo Cheng couldn’t take it anymore. “Where’s this restaurant you were talking about?”
Wang Dalin scratched his head. “I think I forgot. Don’t rush me, I’ll look it up.”
“Cheng’er, what do I do? I want to smash his head in.”
In the end, Luo Cheng had to pull out his phone and open the map.
Yang Chuan ran a hand through his hair, took out a small hair tie, and tied the loose hair over his forehead into a little tuft.
Then he pulled a little mirror out of his uniform jacket, checked his reflection, and sighed.
“Still charming. Thank goodness.”
“The wind’s so strong, it’s messed up my hair!”
The three of them walked straight along the roadside. Wang Dalin slowed, then asked in surprise, “Hm? Is that Ji Yan from the second year?”
Luo Cheng stopped and looked in the direction Wang Dalin was pointing.
The boy was tall and wore a black mask. His uniform jacket was neat and properly fastened, and he was walking toward them.
Yang Chuan said, “That’s amazing, son. You can recognize him from that?”
“Not really. It’s just that there are loads of his photos on our school’s confession wall. They’re all taken secretly and posted there. I’ve seen a lot of them.”
Ji Yan spotted them and seemed to smile, his eyes curving as he walked over.
Wang Dalin even waved at him.
Luo Cheng quietly closed the map app.
Yang Chuan seemed to think of something. “Why are you always checking the school confession wall?”
“To see if anyone’s secretly in love with me.”
Yang Chuan: “……”
Just then, Luo Cheng nudged him. “Is my hair messy?”
Yang Chuan: “?”