Meng Yuxiu paused his meal, turned his head slightly, and gave Han Shuo a quick glance, dismissively saying, “What’s so big about being twenty-two? Besides, you seem pretty immature for your age.”
“…” After learning Meng Yuxiu’s real age, Han Shuo found it even harder to tolerate his overly mature demeanor. If it weren’t for their collaboration, he would have loved to punch him in the face and sneer, “What are you pretending to be mature for, you little brat?”
But now, “Alright, alright, whatever you say. So, how about a ten-minute break between classes? Let’s find a place where no one is around. If there are people, we won’t kiss.”
Meng Yuxiu replied, “I’ll think about it.”
Han Shuo patiently analyzed, “What is there to think about? Time is tight now. We’re in our senior year, and after the New Year, there’s only one semester left before the college entrance exams. By then, we’ll have to go our separate ways, and it’ll be even harder to do tasks together!”
“Then we’ll continue in college.”
Han Shuo really wanted to slap him awake, “Dude, just because you can get into college doesn’t mean I can! Even if I do, it doesn’t mean we’ll be in the same one. You’re so good at studying! Plus, I really don’t want to go to school. I barely made it to college graduation in the 21st century. Why would I want to go back to school? And with my family’s current situation, going to college would probably drain our savings. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be eating pickled vegetables every day!”
Han Shuo was so frustrated that he banged his spoon on the teacup. Meng Yuxiu glanced at the dark stuff in the cup.
“So, if we haven’t finished our task by the end of senior year, what do you plan to do?” Meng Yuxiu asked.
Han Shuo was anxious, “Then we’ll try to finish it before graduation!”
“What if we can’t?” Meng Yuxiu asked, “Are you planning to work after graduating from high school?”
Han Shuo had a headache. Honestly, he didn’t want to do anything. He was just here to pass the time and complete the task. But with Meng Yuxiu asking, he had to consider this aspect.
If they hadn’t completed the task by graduation, he couldn’t just go back to the village and do nothing, or follow his big brother Han Hong to learn farming, right?
Given how much his brother Han Hong doted on him, he would definitely let him rest. But seeing Han Hong busy in the fields every day or helping villagers with odd jobs, and his nephew Han Ting eyeing other kids’ candy, Han Shuo would feel guilty just lying around.
As for farming, he never even considered it. So, this 21st-century useless college graduate was left with only one option: working.
“Pretty much,” Han Shuo said gloomily.
Meng Yuxiu thought for a moment and said, “I’m planning to apply to Jinhua University in Hecheng. You could work there.”
Han Shuo forced a smile, “You’ve thought it through.”
“Otherwise, how would we complete the task?” Meng Yuxiu asked.
“Alright, alright,” Han Shuo waved his hand irritably, “Don’t talk about it so far ahead. Let’s just focus on completing this damn task now. Alright, no more talking. I’ll find you during the ten-minute break.”
Not giving Meng Yuxiu a chance to refuse, he quickly finished the food in his lunchbox and, before leaving, scooped a spoonful of food from Meng Yuxiu’s teacup.
Meng Yuxiu watched Han Shuo’s departing figure and continued eating. He flipped through the food in his teacup and found that all the meat strips were gone, leaving only the bamboo shoots.
Han Shuo, whistling with an empty lunchbox, headed to the sink. Pidan and Doufu were washing their lunchboxes. Seeing him approach, they eagerly asked, “Han Shuo, did you just go to trouble Meng Yuxiu?”
Han Shuo scrubbed his lunchbox with a steel wool pad, chuckling, “Am I that petty? Didn’t you see us eating peacefully together?”
Doufu was surprised, “You mean you guys are friends now? Did you forget you punched his eye swollen?”
“Didn’t he also make my nose bleed?” Han Shuo raised an eyebrow, “No fight, no friendship, right? Alright, I’m heading to the classroom.”
Pidan watched Han Shuo rinse the rice, cover the lunchbox, and swagger out of the canteen. He and Doufu exchanged glances, “They can be friends after that fight?”
What surprised them even more was that Han Shuo, at some point, stopped running to the bathroom. Even though he still went out during breaks, he went to the first floor instead.
As soon as the bell rang, Han Shuo rushed to the door of Class 1 of the senior year. He was one of the taller male students in the school. Due to his dislike for studying, his appearance had a bit of a rogue vibe. Plus, he had fought with a top student like Meng Yuxiu, so when he appeared, all the good students in Class 1 curiously looked over.
Han Shuo ignored these gazes and scanned the classroom, spotting Meng Yuxiu sitting in the last row. When he saw Meng Yuxiu still sitting there reading, he was almost about to spit blood in frustration.
He strode to the back door of the classroom and shouted, “Meng Yuxiu!”
This shout drew the attention of the classmates again. Meng Yuxiu, knowing Han Shuo’s purpose, felt a bit embarrassed but maintained his composure, saying, “I’ll be right there.”
Han Shuo didn’t want to provoke the seventeen-year-old minor, so he left a “Hurry up!” and went to wait by the stairs.
When Meng Yuxiu came over, Han Shuo grabbed his arm and pulled him down a step, “What are you doing? Didn’t I tell you in the canteen that we’d do the task during the ten-minute break?”
Meng Yuxiu glanced around at the students playing and chatting, looking embarrassed, “There are too many people.”
“Then let’s go to the playground.”
Meng Yuxiu had no choice but to follow him to the playground.
The county town they were in wasn’t big, and Yunxi High School was even smaller. Walking out of the teaching building led directly to the playground, which was surrounded by a circle of trees. At night, without streetlights, it was a place for sneaky activities. But during the day, everything on the playground was in plain sight.
Especially during breaks, the boys played basketball, and the girls liked to chat under the shade of the trees.
With no available spots, Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu could only sit on the steps of the dormitory building. Since it wasn’t dismissal time, the iron gate at the entrance of the dormitory building was locked, making it inaccessible. Because of this, the area was relatively quiet.
After sitting down, Meng Yuxiu took out a book.
Han Shuo was taken aback.
Meng Yuxiu quietly explained, “To cover us. If someone sees, we can say I’m tutoring you.”
Han Shuo clapped his hands, “Nice, Meng Yuxiu! You’re really clever. Alright, cover us up.”
Saying this, he moved closer to Meng Yuxiu, who, like a thief, raised the book.
Han Shuo urged him, “Hurry, your mouth? Quickly, bring your mouth over.”
“Wait, there are people now.” Meng Yuxiu cautiously observed the surroundings, unable to relax even when the passing students walked away.
“No one’s here, no one’s here,” Han Shuo urged again, “Hurry, the bell will ring soon, and we won’t have much time to kiss!”
Meng Yuxiu frowned, reluctantly turning his face slightly.
Afraid of wasting time, Han Shuo tilted his head, grabbed Meng Yuxiu’s chin, and pressed his lips against his.
At this moment, Meng Yuxiu felt like his eyes were equipped with radar, unable to relax for even a second as he scanned the surroundings. He glanced down at Han Shuo. Last night, when they kissed, they both had their eyes open, and today was no different.
From his angle, he could see Han Shuo’s long eyelashes and occasionally moving eyeballs. The bright light was uncomfortable, making him acutely aware that he was kissing a guy.
Feeling awkward, Meng Yuxiu shifted his gaze and raised his arm, trying to use the book to cover Han Shuo’s head as much as possible.
Fortunately, he had brought a book. If a classmate walked by, he would nudge Han Shuo with his elbow, and Han Shuo would understand.
Immediately, Han Shuo would point at the book, asking questions while discreetly adjusting his posture, “How do you solve this problem?”
Meng Yuxiu replied, “This problem is simple…”
Once the classmate walked away, Han Shuo would quickly grab Meng Yuxiu’s chin again and press his lips against his.
And so, after several ten-minute breaks, they both became quite adept at it.