After early self study, the classroom of Class 11 was as noisy as ever. Zhou Fan absentmindedly twirled his pen while propping up his chin and staring at the back of Chi Hanqing in the front row. Half a month had passed since the concert, and the long awaited monthly exam had concluded all subjects last Friday. Today was the day the results were released.
The first period was math. Old Jiang, wearing a Zhongshan suit, walked into the classroom with a teaching ruler in one hand and a stack of transcripts in the other. As soon as he appeared, the room became so quiet that a needle could be heard dropping. Every gaze was fixed on that stack and filled with either tension or anticipation.
Old Jiang muttered as usual that he could hear the class shouting all the way from the corridor before taking a sip from his tea cup. He called for the monitor and subject representative to come up and hand out the transcripts. He noted that the monthly exam was relatively simple but tested their foundations. He added that most students had a solid foundation but mentioned a few individuals who did not know how to use formulas or only wrote solution for the major questions. He asked if this was the attitude they intended to take into the college entrance exams.
When Old Jiang mentioned a few individuals, Zhou Fan unconsciously adjusted his posture. Although he had actually finished the papers seriously this time, he still felt like those words were directed at him. He wondered if this was what happened when a habit became second nature. He gave a helpless smile and twirled the pen between his fingers once more.
Before long, the transcript reached his hand. Out of forty six students, his previous rank was thirty seventh. Zhou Fan looked from the bottom up and finally found his name at twenty fifth. In this mediocre class, a rank that was barely above average did not bridge the gap between him and Chi Hanqing. One only had to look at Chi Hanqing who sat at the top of the list as first in the class and first in the grade with nearly perfect scores in every subject.
However, that was not what Zhou Fan cared about. Zhang Chifeng nudged his elbow and whispered that it was impressive. He asked if this was the power of love. Zhou Fan tapped the spot on the list where Zhang Chifeng had slipped to fortieth and noted his rank was also the power of love.
Zhang Chifeng no longer had to help Zhou Fan with homework, so he spent every day texting his girlfriend or clinging to the phone. It would be strange if his grades did not drop. Zhang Chifeng grumbled about his situation and noted that he was in a long distance relationship between schools while Zhou Fan was in a same class romance. Zhou Fan smiled and thought that while Zhang Chifeng was in a long distance relationship, he could be with his girlfriend openly. Their time together was likely longer than his own secret same class romance.
During the lunch break, the students left in groups of two or three. In the empty campus, only the rustle of autumn leaves blowing in the wind could be heard. Zhou Fan walked slowly toward Teaching Building Number 2 while carrying a packaged sandwich and mineral water from the cafe.
The door to the science classroom was already open a crack. The heart of Zhou Fan skipped a beat and his smile deepened. He pushed the door open and found Chi Hanqing sitting behind a desk while wearing a clean white shirt and flipping through a book. A breeze entered the room and moved the curtains to allow more sunlight to spill in. Tiny dust motes danced in the quiet afternoon light.
Zhou Fan instinctively held his breath. Chi Hanqing turned a page and habitually looked toward the door before finally noticing Zhou Fan. He asked if the other boy was there and why he had not said anything. Zhou Fan noted he did not want to disturb him as he closed the door. Chi Hanqing closed the book and set it aside while noting he was just reading to pass the time while waiting.
Zhou Fan sat beside him and placed the lunch in front of him. Chi Hanqing took a sandwich and bit into it gently. Zhou Fan unscrewed a water bottle and asked as if it were a casual thought if Chi Hanqing had seen his rank. The chewing motion of Chi Hanqing stopped. After a long moment, he gave a muffled response. Zhou Fan saw that the tips of his ears were red and smiled to himself. He felt that having pale skin meant the boy could not hide any emotion. He asked if this counted as improvement.
Chi Hanqing nodded. Zhou Fan reached out and pinched the earlobe of Chi Hanqing while noting it was soft and hot like jelly. He called him treasure and asked if he remembered what he promised before. Chi Hanqing turned his head with his face flushed but his eyes were steady as he looked at Zhou Fan and confirmed he kept his word.
Zhou Fan laughed and patted his back while stopping the teasing. He noted there was no rush and it was not that he did not believe him. He suggested they eat first. When he first agreed to this deal, Zhou Fan truly wanted to take things further. He was an eighteen year old boy at a reckless age and it would be strange not to have such thoughts with such a beautiful lover. But now that he had fulfilled the agreement, his feelings were different. It was not that he did not want Chi Hanqing because he actually wanted to possess him entirely. He wanted to ignore responsibility and reality. He felt that if he wanted to take Chi Hanqing right here in this classroom, he would not be refused.
But he wondered what would happen next. Zhou Fan saw clearly that he could not handle the aftermath or the responsibility. He did not even have the confidence to maintain this relationship. He felt Chi Hanqing was a fool for love who followed him blindly without thinking that if they truly went that far, the one on the bottom would be the one to suffer more.
After lunch was finished and tidied up, Chi Hanqing moved into the arms of Zhou Fan before a word was spoken. The faint fragrance lingered and Zhou Fan stroked the hair of the boy while asking what the scent was. Chi Hanqing leaned against his shoulder and noted he did not know. He suggested the nanny probably puts it in his wardrobe and asked if Zhou Fan liked it. Zhou Fan noted it smelled nice.
Chi Hanqing said he would always use it then looked up to kiss the lips of Zhou Fan. Zhou Fan caught the chin of Chi Hanqing and took the lead. The kiss was long and deep. Chi Hanqing had moved from his initial stiffness to being soft and submissive. He opened his mouth and gave occasional responses to draw the tongue of the boy deeper. In the ivory tower of the school, Chi Hanqing briefly forgot the heavy shackles of his family.
All the repression seemed to find an exit through the intimacy. After a long time, Zhou Fan pulled back slightly while his fingers stroked the moist and reddened lips of the boy. His breathing was unsteady. Chi Hanqing looked at him with watery eyes and began to unbutton his white shirt.
Zhou Fan froze. In that moment of shock, he saw the elegant collarbones and a patch of pale chest. He hurriedly stopped the boy and asked what he was doing. Chi Hanqing looked at him with confusion and asked if he had not said he wanted to go further.
Zhou Fan noted they could not do it here. He had just been thinking about how he could take Chi Hanqing here if he were more of a jerk, but he could not do it while Chi Hanqing was unbuttoning the shirt himself. Chi Hanqing bit his lip and noted that if not here, then he did not know when they could.
The pervasive monitoring and control at home meant he rarely had freedom. The after school hours and weekends that others enjoyed were like fairy tales to him. Only during this brief lunch break could he be with Zhou Fan. He suddenly felt wronged and his eyes grew hot. He turned his face away because he did not want Zhou Fan to see his distress.
Zhou Fan noticed the change and cupped the face of the boy then leaned down to kiss his eyes. He wanted to cheer him up and asked if he wanted to spend the weekend at his house. Chi Hanqing gripped the clothes of Zhou Fan with a look of disappointment and noted his parents would not agree. Zhou Fan held his hand and told him not to worry about his parents. He asked if the boy simply wanted to go.
Chi Hanqing confirmed that he did. He did not know how many dreams he had about such a thing. Zhou Fan smiled and pulled him into a tight hug while telling him to believe him. He told the boy to get ready for this weekend.