After counting nine books of varying sizes and thicknesses, Jiang Wan helped Lu Xingheng stack them neatly on the desk as he searched through the textbooks.
Once organized, Jiang Wan hefted the pile in his hands. “A bit heavy. Can you manage?”
Lu Xingheng: “Yes.”
Jiang Wan stared at the stack for a moment before suddenly saying, “Actually, a few books are missing. The school orders them based on student numbers.”
“But you probably won’t need them during exam week…” Jiang Wan thought for a moment. “If you need them later, you can borrow them from your deskmate.”
This was a roundabout way of speaking, and it was unclear if there would even be a “later.” The Advanced Class exams were set by the school itself, and the difficulty was worlds apart from the regular classes.
Lu Xingheng glanced at the pile—both main and supplementary subject textbooks were there—and his expression turned slightly odd. “What’s missing?”
“Some minor subjects use the People’s Education Press edition, so we need to count those too.” Jiang Wan explained while squatting down to pick up two textbooks. “The content is mostly the same, but the illustrations differ slightly.”
“But during exams, they tend to favor the People’s Education Press illustrations, especially in biology.”
“I see.” Lu Xingheng’s voice was flat and indifferent. “I thought this insane school would even test music and art.”
Jiang Wan lowered his head and chuckled. His sense of humor was easily triggered, and for a moment, he couldn’t stop himself. When he spoke again, his voice still carried traces of laughter.
“Your school isn’t like that?”
Lu Xingheng: “No.”
Jiang Wan laughed a little longer. “I don’t really get it either. Even the regular classes at our school only use one textbook.”
“Hey,” Lu Xingheng casually cleared away some scattered cardboard on the floor. When he looked up, Jiang Wan was still laughing.
Jiang Wan: “What?”
Lu Xingheng: “Am I that funny?”
“No, no, no.” Jiang Wan waved his hand. “I just couldn’t help it…”
Lu Xingheng: “…”
After calming down a bit, Jiang Wan said, “It’s mainly because I didn’t expect—”
“Holy shit! The class monitor’s gesture is so damn girly!”
Xu Yichen’s booming voice echoed from a distance.
“When the class monitor waves his hand, he tilts his arm like this,” Xu Yichen imitated the motion perfectly, turning to Jiang Wenyan with hopeful eyes. “Tsk, when we wave, we just lift our hands… He’s so girly! Don’t you think, little bro?”
Jiang Wenyan hesitated, as this guy had never accurately gauged the volume of his own voice.
Xu Yichen: “What’s with that reaction, little bro?”
“Um…” Jiang Wenyan had sharp eyes. He glanced at Jiang Wan’s half-smiling expression and swallowed. “When was the last time my brother beat you up?”
“Last night, I think.” Xu Yichen was confused. “Why are you suddenly asking that?”
Jiang Wenyan looked serious. “Given that Person A travels 90 meters per minute, Person B travels 100 meters per minute, and Person B is moving from south to north. After five minutes, Person B—”
“Little bro! Do you even know what you’re saying? You need to balance study and rest!” Xu Yichen quickened his pace, waving foolishly at Jiang Wan with a bright, sunny smile. “Class monitor!”
Jiang Wenyan: “…” Now Person B is traveling 120 meters per minute.
Jiang Wan gave Xu Yichen a bland look and picked up five books from the desk. “Classmate, who’s more girly—him or me?”
Lu Xingheng answered evasively, “I can take the textbooks myself.”
“Oh.” Jiang Wan didn’t let go, turning to look at Lu Xingheng and asking again, “Him or me?”
Lu Xingheng: “…”
Jiang Wan stared at him.
“…I didn’t see his.”
“Oh.” Jiang Wan continued staring. “Then was I girly just now?”
Lu Xingheng: “There’s no control group—”
Jiang Wan interrupted, “No need to be so precise.”
This was the first time Lu Xingheng had been stared at like this.
Jiang Wan: “Girly?”
Just as Lu Xingheng was about to answer, the idiot came swaying in cheerfully.
“Class monitor!”
Jiang Wan didn’t respond to Xu Yichen, instead looking at Lu Xingheng as he neatly stacked the textbooks one by one. “If you can’t carry them, you can leave them here. I’ll bring them back for you later.”
Jiang Wan rolled up his jacket sleeves, revealing a pale wrist. “I’ll deal with this troublemaker first.”
Almost as soon as Xu Yichen entered, Jiang Wan’s arm hooked around his neck. Xu Yichen stumbled, instinctively trying to struggle.
“Xu Yichen, don’t move!” Jiang Wenyan’s voice was urgent. “He has an injury on his knee.”
Jiang Wenyan had just run over, breathing heavily.
Xu Yichen shrank back again, his voice pitiful. “Class monitor…”
“Clearly, you’re the girly one.”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
Xu Yichen agreed while pulling down the sleeve on Jiang Wan’s wrist.
Jiang Wan: “Yes to what?”
Xu Yichen didn’t care at all. “I’m girly, I’m girly!”
Jiang Wan loosened his grip, elbowing Xu Yichen’s chest with force.
It didn’t hurt at all—Xu Yichen was used to it. “Class monitor! Hurry up and put your clothes on properly. Your brother’s glare is about to eat me alive!”
Jiang Wan: “Then go back and write ‘I am girly’ on the back blackboard.”
Xu Yichen: “…”
The corner of Lu Xingheng’s lips lifted slightly, perhaps without him even noticing.
Xu Yichen: “That’s a bit difficult… How about we change it to something else?”
Jiang Wan: “I’m not changing it.”
Xu Yichen muttered, “That’s too much!”
But it was only what he thought was a mutter.
“Why is it too much?” Jiang Wenyan had just caught his breath, casually straightening Jiang Wan’s cuff. “After the exam, I’ll write it on the back blackboard for him.”
“!!!”
Xu Yichen looked at the new classmate. “That’s too much, don’t you think?”
Before Lu Xingheng could speak, Jiang Wan stared over.
In that moment, Lu Xingheng inexplicably replied, “No.”
“Exactly, exactly! That’s too much! I can’t stay in this class for another second—” Xu Yichen’s tone suddenly shifted, his voice trembling slightly. “Wait, what did you just say?”
Jiang Wan: “He said no.”
Xu Yichen looked at Lu Xingheng with an accusing gaze. “I don’t believe it! You must have threatened him!”
Jiang Wan: “He also said you’re more girly.”
Lu Xingheng hadn’t said that, but for some reason, he didn’t want to expose Jiang Wan.
Xu Yichen’s eyes widened. “Impossible! I’m 180 centimeters tall!”
“What kind of girly person is 180 centimeters tall?”
“Ding ling ling… Please return to the classroom in an orderly manner…”
Hearing the familiar bell, Jiang Wenyan stiffened for a moment. He grabbed Xu Yichen. “Do you remember why we came here?”
“Who do you think you’re looking down on?” Xu Yichen said disdainfully. “Ostrich told us to come get them for the exam.”
Jiang Wenyan’s tone was flat. “So that bell just now means the exam started five minutes ago.”
Jiang Wan: “There are still ten minutes left.”
Xu Yichen looked dazed. “What ten minutes?”
Jiang Wan took two books from the desk and handed them to Jiang Wenyan, then took four for himself. The rest he pushed directly toward Lu Xingheng.
Before turning away, he explained to Lu Xingheng, “Carrying too many books will slow you down when we run later.”