The two of them gazed at each other through the window.
Xu Wangzhi’s eyes were deep and dark. Despite the distance, which should have made it hard to see clearly, Cheng Shuoning found his own reflection in Xu Wangzhi’s eyes, perhaps because his gaze was so intense.
‘Are you going to accept her confession?’
This sudden thought made Cheng Shuoning chuckle, suppressing the inexplicable emotions rising within him as he turned his attention to Xu Ruoxiang.
“Is it… okay?” The girl, who introduced herself as Xu Ruoxiang, bit her lip, her eyes slightly red, looking as if she might burst into tears at any moment from being rejected.
“Why not do it yourself?” Cheng Shuoning asked, looking at her.
“I’m afraid he’ll reject me if I do it myself.” Xu Ruoxiang clutched her clothes nervously, her head bowed in distress. “He’s rejected so many people before. I’m scared I’ll be embarrassed too, so I’m asking you. I won’t let you help me for free.”
“I’ll only deliver the letter for you, nothing else.” Cheng Shuoning lowered his gaze and took the letter.
He felt a strange reluctance. He didn’t want to help the girl, but he couldn’t find a suitable reason to refuse.
Was it because he didn’t want to help a girl? Or simply because he didn’t want to give this letter to Xu Wangzhi? Or perhaps he didn’t want to play matchmaker at all.
He wasn’t sure, and he didn’t dare to find out, fearing the answer that seemed ready to emerge.
“Thank you, I’ll treat you to a meal.” Seeing him agree, Xu Ruoxiang immediately smiled.
Cheng Shuoning paused, then declined, “No need.”
The white envelope bore a pink heart as he carried it into the classroom.
Xu Ruoxiang didn’t leave immediately. She lingered in the hallway, pretending to be a passerby, occasionally glancing into the classroom nervously.
“Is it a love letter? Is she confessing to you?” Zhang Xiuli couldn’t help but ask when Cheng Shuoning returned. “Did you agree?”
Cheng Shuoning didn’t answer. He sat at his desk and placed the letter on Xu Wangzhi’s desk.
“The girl outside asked me to give this to you.”
Zhang Xiuli’s mouth fell open, her eyes wide with disbelief. “Huh? Huh? It’s not for you? It’s for Xu… Xu Wangzhi?”
“Yes,” Cheng Shuoning said, “it’s for him.”
He lowered his gaze, saying no more, his lips pressed tightly together, looking rather unhappy.
The letter lay quietly on the desk, untouched.
Xu Wangzhi didn’t look at the letter. Instead, he turned his head to gaze at Cheng Shuoning. “Why?”
Cheng Shuoning didn’t know if he heard or not, his head lowered, his pale face expressionless.
He didn’t know how to answer Xu Wangzhi.
The silence was broken when Xu Wangzhi picked up the letter and left the classroom.
“Hey? Is there a chance this time?” Zhang Xiuli propped her chin, her tone somewhat dejected. “Otherwise, why would he go out to see that girl? Could it be that after so many failed attempts, this girl succeeded?”
Now it was Cheng Shuoning’s turn to look out the window.
He didn’t dare let Xu Wangzhi catch him watching, so he raised a book, pretending to read, but in reality, he was secretly watching the two of them.
Cheng Shuoning couldn’t hear what they were saying. His heart was pounding with anxiety, and he found himself sneaking glances more and more frequently.
When he went out, was Xu Wangzhi feeling the same way he was now?
“I didn’t open the letter.” Xu Wangzhi handed the letter back to Xu Ruoxiang.
The hopeful smile on her face froze instantly. She looked at the cool-faced boy, dumbfounded. “Why… why? Am I not your type?”
“There’s no need.” Xu Wangzhi’s expression was indifferent. “I already have someone I like.”
Never expecting such a response, Xu Ruoxiang’s eyes reddened. Stubbornly, she said, “I don’t believe you. You’re just using that as an excuse to reject me. Unless you tell me who you like.”
She wanted to see who could be so attractive that Xu Wangzhi would reject her.
After all, she was quite popular in her class.
Xu Wangzhi said nothing.
Xu Ruoxiang’s eyes filled with tears as she reached out to take the letter.
“You’re lying to me, aren’t you?” she said. “Tell me what’s wrong with me, and I’ll change.”
The boy remained silent, exuding an air of aloofness that was hard to approach. Suddenly, he turned and looked in a certain direction, his previously tight lips curving into a slight smile.
The brief smile caught Xu Ruoxiang off guard. “Did you just smile?” she asked incredulously.
Following Xu Wangzhi’s gaze, she saw he was looking at Cheng Shuoning, the very person she had asked to deliver the letter.
The intensity of Xu Wangzhi’s gaze made Cheng Shuoning’s heart skip a beat. He stared at his book, not daring to look away, but his slightly reddened ears betrayed him.
“I understand now.” Xu Ruoxiang realized she had no chance. She wasn’t the special one in his heart. Sniffling, she said, “I wish you and the person you like all the best.”
“Thank you.” For once, Xu Wangzhi responded politely.
Xu Ruoxiang felt both pleased and doused with cold water.
The polite thanks were only because she had wished him well with the person he liked.
Looking at Cheng Shuoning again, Xu Ruoxiang understood and turned to head back to her own classroom.
The classmates blocking the door scattered as she returned.
Xu Wangzhi went back to his seat.
The bell rang for class, and Cheng Shuoning’s wildly beating heart finally calmed down a bit.
He sneaked a glance at Xu Wangzhi, only to find him staring back, prompting him to quickly look away.
Unfortunately, his sneaky look had been caught. Xu Wangzhi asked, “Why did you help her deliver the letter?”
“…”
Cheng Shuoning didn’t know either, afraid Xu Wangzhi would press him for a reason.
“Don’t help others next time,” Xu Wangzhi suddenly leaned closer, “unless you want me to like someone else, Ning Ning.”
The affectionate “Ning Ning” made Cheng Shuoning blush, leaving him at a loss for words.
After a moment, he mumbled an “okay,” forcing himself to focus on the words in his book to distract himself.
But as soon as he memorized the words, he forgot them again when they formed sentences.
His mind grew increasingly chaotic, with every thought eventually converging on Xu Wangzhi’s name. Cheng Shuoning began to hypnotize himself to stay calm, to stop thinking about Xu Wangzhi.
The homeroom teacher’s voice seemed more effective than self-hypnosis, and Cheng Shuoning looked up.
“The final exams are coming up soon. You all need to focus on your studies. Don’t let half the class be replaced when the new term starts,” the homeroom teacher said earnestly, patting the desk.
After each final exam, students were reassigned to classes based on their scores.
Their class was the honors class, which meant students were only moved to other classes, while top students from other classes were brought in.
Cheng Shuoning thought about his rank in the class—23rd.
Out of 52 students, his rank wasn’t great but not terrible either, though it was quite precarious.
This made Cheng Shuoning spend the whole day paying close attention in class, taking notes, and asking Xu Wangzhi for help with anything he didn’t understand.
*
“I’m so bored. Is there any gossip at school lately?”
“That girl you liked confessed to someone else.”
“Who did she confess to?”
“That guy from the next class, Cheng Shuoning. It seems he accepted. It happened just this morning. Didn’t you know?”
“Yeah, I heard. Cheng Shuoning is even better-looking than Xu Ruoxiang.”
“…”
Rumors spread like wildfire at school, and in just half a day, everyone knew about Xu Ruoxiang’s love letter.
Han Tian, who had been sitting in the back playing games and getting killed four times, was already in a foul mood. He was about to tell the people around him to quiet down when he heard a familiar name and looked up.
“What are you guys talking about?”
“They say the class beauty from Class 4 confessed to Cheng Shuoning from Class 3, and it seems like they’re together now.”
Han Tian: “?”
He stopped playing his game, put away his phone, and walked over to them, kicking a chair with a smirk. “Who told you that?”
“Everyone’s saying it,” the person whose chair was kicked felt a bit baffled but didn’t argue. “I remember you and Cheng Shuoning are pretty close, right? Hey, help us find out how to win a girl’s heart.”
“Damn.” Han Tian cursed and smacked the guy on the head. “Stop spreading nonsense. He can’t possibly be with that person. Stop gathering here and talking rubbish.”
“Why?” The guy who got hit felt wronged.
“Because he likes me.” Han Tian said with a hint of pride. “So he can’t possibly be with that person, got it? If he’s going to be with anyone, it would be me.”
Everyone looked at him as if they’d seen a ghost.
Although people were more accepting of same-sex relationships these days, it was still shocking for Han Tian to openly claim that Cheng Shuoning liked him.
“Is that true…” someone asked skeptically, only to be silenced by Han Tian’s warning glare.
The conversation left Han Tian uninterested in playing games or listening to class. As soon as school ended, he went straight to Class 3’s door.
Cheng Shuoning wasn’t in the classroom.
Had he already left? With that girl?
At this thought, anger flared up inside him, almost tearing him apart.
Han Tian quickly ran downstairs and headed for the school gate. Just as he was about to leave, he spotted Cheng Shuoning not far away.
“Ning Ning.” Han Tian called out breathlessly.
The person clearly heard him, paused for a moment, but didn’t stop.
Ignoring him?
Han Tian’s anger surged, and he ran over to grab Cheng Shuoning, forcing him to stop and face him. “Why didn’t you respond when I called you?”
Just as he finished speaking, his hand was knocked away by the person next to Cheng Shuoning, the force so strong it left his hand numb.
Han Tian looked closely and realized it was Cheng Shuoning’s deskmate who had hit him, making him furious. “Who the hell do you think you are, touching me like that?”
The person looked at him coldly, ignoring him as if he were invisible.
Han Tian, with his explosive temper, hated being ignored the most. Seeing Xu Wangzhi’s indifferent attitude made him feel stifled.
“Do you need something?” Cheng Shuoning frowned at Han Tian, whose expression was somewhat twisted.
“I heard you’re with that girl from the class next door?” Han Tian asked, his gaze fixed on him, clearly displeased.
“No,” Cheng Shuoning replied, not knowing who had spread such a rumor.
They hadn’t even exchanged a few words, so how could they be together? Besides, Xu Ruoxiang wasn’t the one who confessed.
“Really not?” Han Tian pressed, not believing him.
The interrogative tone made Cheng Shuoning’s face turn cold. He didn’t bother to answer and walked straight ahead.
“Don’t go. We haven’t cleared this up yet.” Han Tian quickly blocked Cheng Shuoning’s path.
Xu Wangzhi’s gaze grew colder, but Han Tian didn’t care, instead grinning provocatively.
Cheng Shuoning pursed his lips. “There’s nothing to clear up with you. Move aside.”
“It’s good you’re not together.” Han Tian sighed in relief, then added with a smile, “These people really don’t know their place. I guess I need to make it clear that you’re mine, so no one else dares to make a move on you.”
Cheng Shuoning: “?”
He looked at Han Tian with a faint gaze, as if looking at an idiot, unable to comprehend Han Tian’s thought process at that moment. “Are you out of your mind?”