Zuo Xingyun packed the last test paper into his schoolbag and heard someone call his name.
Hearing the familiar voice, his movements paused for a split second. Then, he put down his schoolbag, turned around, and looked at the person approaching.
It was the seasonal transition from autumn to winter, carrying a slight chill of early winter. Hua Sheng was unexpectedly wearing his school uniform with the zipper wide open, revealing a goose-yellow hoodie underneath. The curly hair on top of his head was rebelliously and messily tousled.
Zuo Xingyun’s gaze swept from bottom to top, passing over his aggressive posture, his delicate white neck, and the corners of his mouth turned slightly downward. Finally, his gaze landed on his eyes.
A pair of large, round apricot eyes, so soft and cute that they completely mismatched the vibe of a school bully.
Hua Sheng coughed heavily, narrowed his eyes dangerously, shoved his hands into his pockets, and puffed out his chest to look at him.
Zuo Xingyun was tall. Even standing slightly on tiptoe, Hua Sheng couldn’t look him in the eye. Hua Sheng even had the urge to stand on a stool to arrogantly look down on him.
Since he fell slightly short in height, he couldn’t lose in momentum. He took half a step back, curled his finger at him in a cold tone, and said, “Zuo Xingyun, I have business with you. Come over here for a second.”
School had been out for a long time, and there were very few people left in the classroom. The security cameras at the front and back of the classroom blinked rhythmically.
Hua Sheng didn’t want to choose the classroom as the spot to beat him up. It wouldn’t look good if others saw him. After all, he was a civilized and low-key school bully.
Zuo Xingyun’s Adam’s apple bobbed for a fraction of a second, his gaze locked firmly on Hua Sheng’s face as he uttered a single syllable from his nasal cavity, “Hm?”
Growing a bit impatient, Hua Sheng raised his volume, “I said I have something to discuss with you. Come over here with me.”
Hearing this, Zuo Xingyun smoothly zipped up his schoolbag, slung it over his shoulder, pulled away the stool blocking his path, and took a large stride out, stepping right up to Hua Sheng’s side.
Zuo Xingyun lowered his head to look at him and asked with a straight face, “Where to?”
Thinking he would have to go through a round of back-and-forth tug-of-war, Hua Sheng never expected that Zuo Xingyun would come over just like that without even asking. His previous phrasing was completely disrupted, leaving him momentarily speechless.
“Hua Sheng.” Zuo Xingyun stared into his eyes and asked again, “Where to?”
Hua Sheng frowned, choked up for a second, and took half a step back to put some distance between them. “You. You follow me.”
Zuo Xingyun nodded and obediently followed behind him.
Passing through the long white-tiled corridor and walking past classroom after classroom with glowing incandescent lights, Hua Sheng’s figure flickered in front of Zuo Xingyun. He watched his slender figure and narrow waist, the trailing hem of his clothes fluttering with every step he took.
He slowed his pace, consistently maintaining a distance of one meter from Hua Sheng.
The wrinkles forming on Hua Sheng’s uniform pants as he walked and his fleetingly visible fair ankles brilliantly captured all of Zuo Xingyun’s attention.
Zuo Xingyun knew very well why Hua Sheng wanted to see him. A few days ago, he had beaten up a dyed-blonde punk because the guy had spoken foully, made obscene gestures, and even flipped him off with insults.
He just hadn’t expected Hua Sheng to be friends with someone like that, and even less expected him to come looking for him over it.
Hua Sheng led Zuo Xingyun to a corner. This was a sufficiently secluded space, backed by a lush little grove of trees and separated from the teaching building by a wisteria corridor, the kind found in every school.
Zuo Xingyun alertly scanned his surroundings. This place didn’t look like somewhere people would hide, yet Hua Sheng had actually come looking for him entirely alone.
Zuo Xingyun’s gradually accelerating heartbeat felt a bit chaotic, his blood flowing faster as if countless tiny bugs were gnawing at his blood vessels. Every time his heart beat, it brought a wave of itchy sensation.
Yet, he feigned composure, lowering his gaze to watch Hua Sheng’s movements.
Hua Sheng stopped in front of him, hands in his pockets, and lifted his chin at him with the complete posture of a ruffian street thug.
Yet, seeing these actions on him, Zuo Xingyun only found them cute.
Zuo Xingyun’s throat felt a bit dry, and he stuck out his tongue to lick his lower lip.
Looking at his face, Hua Sheng suddenly asked with displeasure, looking like a debt collector coming to settle accounts.
“Did you beat up Dazhi?”
Zuo Xingyun stared at him fixedly, saying not a word.
“What is with that look on your face? I’m talking to you!” Hua Sheng raised his volume, crossed his arms, and frowned as he said, “He didn’t provoke you. Why did you hit him? Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because you are a top student. Do you think I wouldn’t dare to fix you up?”
Zuo Xingyun’s eyebrows raised slightly.
Seeing this distinctly unyielding look made Hua Sheng furious. He immediately rolled up his sleeves and stepped closer to him.
“Zuo Xingyun, what kind of look is that? You are far from convinced, huh?”
Hua Sheng paused.
“You have been at this school for quite a while now. Go ask around about who I am. Do you think I look easy to bully? Who people think Dazhi belongs to, aren’t you clear on that?” Hua Sheng’s tone turned stern as he snapped, “How brave of you to dare touch my people.”
Zuo Xingyun’s expression remained completely calm and unruffled from start to finish. However, upon hearing the words “my people,” a flash of displeasure crossed his dark, pitch-black eyes before disappearing instantly.
“I’ll ask you again, did you beat him up and send him to the hospital?”
Zuo Xingyun lowered his gaze. Taking advantage of the moonlight, Hua Sheng’s face magnified several times in front of him. He could see his finely trembling eyelashes and his fair cheeks pulled taut, though whether from anger or fear, it was hard to tell.
They must be so soft. I want to squeeze them.
This inappropriate thought popped up in Zuo Xingyun’s mind.
Hua Sheng looked at him with a stern face, cracking his knuckles as if he was ready to pounce and beat him up the moment he nodded.
“Mm.”
Zuo Xingyun replied with a low, expressionless hum.
As soon as these words left his mouth, Hua Sheng’s expression instantly darkened.
Oh, so he really dares to hit my people. I’ve finally caught a chance to teach him a lesson.
He grabbed Zuo Xingyun’s collar and yanked it hard toward himself.
Zuo Xingyun lost his balance and stumbled forward, plunging downward with the force, his chin crashing into Hua Sheng’s forehead.
Hua Sheng squinted in pain, stubbornly trying to keep a straight face as he said, “Do you have a death wish?”
The faint citrus scent unique to Hua Sheng surged into his nasal cavity, stirring up his restless and romantic fantasies.
Zuo Xingyun’s heart pounded wildly, his gaze pausing on the exposed collarbone of Hua Sheng, then shifting slightly backward to notice the invisible pheromone blocker patch on the back of his neck.
It was a spot that no one would notice unless they looked very closely.
Zuo Xingyun’s gaze withdrew as soon as it made contact, his long eyelashes lifting and falling without betraying any emotion that could be called joy.
Hua Sheng suddenly felt that his dignity as a school bully was being challenged. Harsh words had already been spoken. If he didn’t put Zuo Xingyun in his place today, how could he establish himself in front of his underlings?
With that thought, the collar clenched in his palm tightened, and he stood slightly on tiptoe, glaring at him angrily.
Zuo Xingyun’s heartbeat was so violent it felt like it would break through his chest, and they were close enough that he could practically count his eyelashes.
“The person Hua Sheng wants to deal with has never been unconvinced. You kid are in for some serious bad luck.” Hua Sheng raised his chin to hurl threats, his fluffy natural curls sweeping back and forth in front of Zuo Xingyun, swaying him into a daze.
“Hey, Zuo Xingyun, I’ve found you an eyesore for a long time.” Hua Sheng raised a hand to pat his face, speaking in a hoodlum tone. “What I hate most is stuck-up top students like you, who carry a book to the office every day just to watch me get scolded. What’s so great about good grades? Young Master here is going to inherit my dad’s big company in the future, and I’ll hire you as my laborer!”
Zuo Xingyun: He remained silent.
“What’s so great about a top student? Other than good grades, you have no other skills, and you look down on everyone all day long. Hey.” Hua Sheng leaned in closer on tiptoe, uttering wildly arrogant words. “Why don’t you dare look at me? What are you dodging your eyes for? Aren’t you usually all innocent and pure like a white lotus when the teachers are around, huh?”
Zuo Xingyun’s gaze unconsciously drifted to the wide neckline of his hoodie, where a fair, delicate collarbone was faintly visible right before his eyes.
Pheromones. Citrus-scented, so sweet.
Clothes. Revealing a large expanse of fair skin, smooth and delicate.
He calmly looked at Hua Sheng’s face, then quickly looked away again.
Tongue. So small, it looks very soft.
Zuo Xingyun lowered his eyes, his head full of unpredictable fantasies about Hua Sheng.
Realizing Zuo Xingyun’s nonchalance, Hua Sheng’s temper flared even higher.
“Hmph.”
“You think I can’t read your mind? Am I an idiot?” Hua Sheng came out with that statement. “I’ve known for a long time.”
Zuo Xingyun was stunned.
Known what?
His heart began to beat wildly for no reason.
“You thought I didn’t notice you secretly stalking me? Young Master here is very sharp.” Hua Sheng grinned, looking immensely proud of himself. “You must be so jealous seeing a whole group of underlings following behind me, right? Hahahaha.”
Zuo Xingyun remained silent.
“Poor little top student. You already had no friends, and now you’ve even provoked Lord Hua. Looks like no one will play with you now.” Hua Sheng said with a punchable attitude. “If you beg for mercy now, I might go a little easier.”
“Want to fight?”
Zuo Xingyun blurted out, his pitch-black eyes staring straight at him.
The mocking laughter came to an abrupt halt. Hua Sheng processed this for a second, then shouted back, “Nonsense! Do you think I came here to play with you?!”
Zuo Xingyun didn’t speak. He took a step closer in the direction where Hua Sheng was gripping his collar.
That pheromone scent, which was usually so faint it could be ignored, became exceptionally rich, enveloping him like an invisible net.
Hua Sheng’s heart skipped a beat. With a reflex action, he took half a step back and sat down with a thud on the stone bench. Because Zuo Xingyun was tall, even with his body slightly bent, he was still half a head taller than Hua Sheng.
When facing a male of the same species who is taller and stronger than oneself, people unconsciously produce a sense of fear similar to dread, especially given that Zuo Xingyun looked like such a gloomy Alpha.
Besides, Hua Sheng was a pampered young master who didn’t work up a sweat or lift a finger. Even when arranging fights with others, he always brought three to five burly underlings, waiting until they had beaten the opponent close to submission before casually strolling out to deliver his harsh lines.
This was the first time he had ever initiated a fight alone. Figuring that a rigid top student who buried his head in studying all day wouldn’t have good physical stamina, he had decided to take action by himself. If he had known, he would have brought Fatty and the others along.
The force of his grip on the collar quietly loosened. Instead, Zuo Xingyun leaned forward, his deep eyes staring at him without blinking.
The lines of Hua Sheng’s neck tightened as he braced himself to look back at him. Zuo Xingyun’s semi-rimless glasses were polished to a bright shine, with a faint mist of vapor hovering over the lenses.
The other person was too close, close enough that Hua Sheng could hear his breathing.
“Why are you leaning in so close? Disgusting.” Hua Sheng felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, shoved him away with all his might, and leaped onto the stone bench like facing a formidable enemy.
Now that he was a head taller than Zuo Xingyun, he felt he had regained his confidence for no reason.
Zuo Xingyun’s gaze flickered, and he raised his eyebrows very slightly. His expression was as calm as ever, his lip line straight and level.
He quietly twirled his fingertips and lowered his gaze, saying, “Never mind if you don’t dare.”
Hua Sheng had a rebellious bone in his entire body. How could he let that slide? His blood instantly rushed to his head, and he jumped down from the stone bench in a flash. “I don’t dare? I’m afraid you’ll get beaten up too miserably and cry to the teacher tomorrow! You, Zuo Xingyun, look into my eyes!”
Zuo Xingyun pressed his lips together and glanced at him without a word.
“This isn’t a good place,” he said softly.
Hua Sheng scanned his surroundings and frowned, “Do I need to pick a spot just to beat you up?”
“There are cameras.” Zuo Xingyun pointed to the glowing red light in the corner to Hua Sheng’s rear right, saying with a straight face, “We’ll be discovered.”
Hua Sheng turned around in astonishment and sure enough, there was a small red dot blinking away at the corner of the corridor. “What the hell? Where did that come from? I’ve always fought right here. No wonder I keep getting caught!”
“Why would they install a camera in the little flower corridor? Is the school sick in the head?” Hua Sheng cursed and swore, “Are they filming those little couples dating? Such a morbid sense of humor.”
Zuo Xingyun’s dark, pretty eyes rolled for a fraction of a second, a secret and vague expectation blooming in his heart.
“Then where do you suggest?” Hua Sheng suddenly turned back to ask.
A bully asking the bullied where to go for a fight. This was truly unprecedented and unheard of.
Yet Hua Sheng was a guy missing a screw in his head. He raised a hand, “You pick a place to take a beating.”
Zuo Xingyun stared at his face, pondered for a moment, and stopped himself from speaking.
“Speak!”
“Forget it. You won’t want to go.” Zuo Xingyun glanced at him, shook his head, and sighed with feigned regret, “You don’t dare.”
Hua Sheng choked on his own breath, a pale anger washing over his face. “What’s there not to dare? Let’s go!”
Zuo Xingyun’s eyelids lifted and then fell back down. On the surface, he looked carefree and detached, but his long fingers hidden behind his back were pinching his index finger joints tightly, failing to mask his excitement.
“Let’s go.”