12 : Looks like they're kissing

 After the atmosphere in the back row calmed down, He Xi quietly turned around from the desk in front of him. When he turned around, he saw his school bully staring at Song Shi in a daze. He thought he was Song Shi's love interest, which was so indecent. How could he, a single guy, bear

it? Then he pretended to be blind and temporarily lost his sight, saying to the infatuated man, "Brother Mu."

Chen Zhoumu turned around: "?" His impatience was obvious.

He Xi winked and gestured for him to look at the things on the phone.

Ever since Chen Zhoumu saw those things on the other person's phone, he was somewhat prepared, at least not to appear so helpless.

He ignored He Xi's expression and looked up, then raised an eyebrow: "Where did this come from?"

"It's still that 'a quiet and gentle girl,' it's in another post, I found it." He Xi said, clicking on a collection on the person's homepage.

Sure enough, just as he said, it was full of photos.

Song Shi was reviewing his mistakes, looking down at the two people's actions and finding a striking similarity. However, this time he didn't ask out of curiosity, nor did he have any desire to see what was on the phone.

Chen Zhoumu looked at the photos; unsurprisingly, they all featured him and Song Shi. Each photo showed two strikingly handsome faces, but the actions were undeniably intimate.

He Xi, scrolling through the pictures, exclaimed indignantly, "I'm not saying this to be mean, but even if Mu-ge writes those things, it seems she's a stalker!"

She stopped at a photo taken from a particularly awkward angle, which made it appear as if Chen Zhoumu had his arm around Song Shi's neck, and the two were kissing in front of the faculty office.

"Holy crap!! Don't look! Don't look! I'm disgusted..." He Xi said, covering his eyes.

Chen Zhoumu, however, looked at the pictures expressionlessly. They were all photos of him and Song Shi in their daily lives, mostly in the classroom, with very few in other places, indicating that they were from his class.

However… Chen Zhoumu lowered his head and looked again at the misleading photo. This person's photography skills were indeed quite good.

He Xi looked at Chen Zhoumu's slightly upturned lips: "What's with that expression? Why do you seem quite satisfied?"

Chen Zhoumu: "Huh? Really?"

He Xi: "No!"

Chen Zhoumu glanced at Song Shi, who was seriously doing his questions: "If you are, then you are."

He Xi: "..."

He hugged his weak self and turned around, only to be stopped by Chen Zhoumu: "Download that photo and send it to me."

He Xi: "..."

He would never believe their straight-up story again.

*

A few days before the joint entrance exam, Jiang Man gave him a few words of advice that were essential before the exam. This joint entrance exam was scheduled for Xia City No. 3 Middle School, a school that had always competed with No. 1 Middle School for the top provincial university. The two schools would inevitably clash when they met. Usually, it was Chen Zhoumu from No. 1 Middle School and Chi He from No. 3 Middle School vying for first place.

But this time, both No. 1 and No. 3 Middle Schools had new students who were all excellent and capable.

When Jiang Man announced that the exam would be held at No. 3 Middle School, the students were in an uproar. A meeting between No. 1 and No. 3 Middle School students was bound to cause trouble. In previous years, No. 3 Middle School had mocked No. 1

Middle School for being perpetually second. They thought no one could withstand a slap on the face, especially after

Chen Zhoumu transferred to No. 1 Middle School in the second half of the first semester of their first year.

The tension between the two schools intensified, not only among the students but also among the teachers.

Therefore, this joint exam wasn't just about securing spots in the competition classes; it was also about the schools' reputations.

Caught in the middle, a student from No. 2 Middle School started a thread on a forum titled "[Decisive Battle of High Schools: No. 1 Middle School vs. No. 3 Middle School, Who Will Win This Joint Exam?]"

[Pinned]: Guess who's right! Will it be No. 3 Middle School, which has consistently dominated the top spot, or the rising No. 1 Middle School, the perpetual second-place finisher? Who will emerge victorious? A firsthand report from No. 2 Middle School's frontline reporter.

[1st Floor]: Seriously, is there even a need for a comparison? Don't you know who won and who lost?

[2nd Floor]: Don't be so sure. Isn't Chen Zhoumu from No. 1 Middle School pretty good? And that rich young master who transferred in this year.

[3rd Floor]: Didn't No. 3 Middle School also transfer in a good student?

[4th Floor]: Don't forget that No. 1 Middle School's Class 4 also had a girl transferred in from Experimental High School, and her grades are quite good too. If you ask me, she can still compete.

[5th Floor]: Stop arguing. Let's just say that the second-best should just be the second-best. Even if the King of Heaven transfers in, it won't make a difference. To be honest, among those who transferred in, only Chen Zhoumu can compete.

[6th Floor]: Exactly. Let's not look at the people who transferred in this time. Didn't Chi He get first place in the joint exam in the first year of high school? You No. 3 Middle School people haven't slapped your faces enough?

[...]

He Xi looked at the heated post. Last time, Chen Zhoumu only did half of the physics exam due to health reasons and went to lie down in the dormitory. He didn't participate in the rest of the exam. He guessed that the people from No. 3 Middle School took advantage of the situation.

Now those people are bringing this up, it's infuriating!

He turned to look at the people in the conversation: one was engrossed in doing a test, completely absorbed, while the other was fast asleep at his desk.

He Xi: "..."

He couldn't help but nudge Chen Zhoumu: "I'm not saying this to be mean, but at least pretend! We're about to go to war and you haven't even prepared your weapons. You'll only realize your sword has turned into a baguette when the fighting starts!"

Chen Zhoumu squinted at him and changed his sleeping position.

He Xi looked at him with exasperation: "You're our founding general!"

"Quiet."

Song Shi, listening to their conversation, found it amusing. At first, he also thought Chen Zhoumu's constant sleeping didn't seem like a motivated person, but during the last entrance exam,

he prepared materials for him, assuming the guy was just putting on an act.

It wasn't until that night when Song Shi couldn't sleep that he noticed a faint light coming from the lower bunk. He looked down and saw Chen Zhoumu using a flashlight to study and do practice questions.

So this guy was a nocturnal animal.

So he didn't pay much attention to this person afterward, because he had his own study methods; otherwise, he wouldn't have become the top student at Xia City No. 1 High School.

After his attempts to persuade him failed, He Xi could only pin his hopes on Song Shi, who was diligently working on his problems. He was furious at the student from No. 2 High School who started the thread—a complete idiot for having nothing better to do than create this stupid post.

Xia City No. 2 High School was an art school, filled with students from wealthy and influential families, all of whom were art students.

In previous years, the joint entrance exams were always held at No. 2 High School, but this year, due to renovations to its teaching buildings and dormitories, No. 3 High School was chosen instead.

The students from No. 2 High School were simply talking without understanding the situation.

The impact of this was enormous; even some teachers from other schools knew about the post. No. 1 and No. 3 High Schools, now at the center of the storm, were the targets of ridicule these past few days, involving not only students but also teachers and even the principal.

Of course, many other universities were also watching the spectacle.

So this wasn't just about which school got the top provincial score in the joint exam; it was more about the loss of face and dignity.

*

On the day of the joint exam, the homeroom teachers of each class at No. 1 Middle School led their students to No. 3 Middle School, everyone eager to see who would take first place.

"You all better show some respect! They've practically shit on your heads and you haven't responded. Next time you'll be singing and dancing on their graves!" Jiang Man handed out everyone's exam admission ticket numbers.

Most people knew about the bet, so when Jiang Man said it, everyone was pretty much awake.

"Mantou! We all know this time, his father has completely humiliated us."

"Yeah, even for a three-day trip, we have to work hard!"

"Exactly. Besides, we still have Song Shi and Brother Mu."

He Shi turned to look at their pillars of support; the two were sitting in the last seats of the bus.

Chen Zhoumu looked at Song Shi, who seemed a little sleepy. The two of them had stayed up all night working on problems, which was normal for Chen Zhoumu, but for Song Shi, who always went to bed on time and even if he didn't sleep, he'd keep his eyes closed, this was a bit much.

The bus started moving amidst the surrounding chatter, and Song Shi's head was still foggy.

He rarely stayed up late, and even if he couldn't sleep, he couldn't stay up all night, so since this morning, he'd had a headache and felt nauseous.

The bus started swaying, and Song Shi really felt like he was going to throw up. Suddenly, a hand gently lifted his head and tilted it to the side, placing it steadily on the person's shoulder.

A voice sounded in his ear, almost as if it were right next to him: "If you're really sleepy, lean against me for a while."

Song Shi could feel the vibration of Chen Zhoumu's chest as he spoke, and the faint scent of gardenias surrounded him.

"Click—" He Xi, watching the two of them, suddenly heard a camera shutter sound. It wasn't loud, but he heard it right away, and he turned his head sharply.

He happened to meet Zhang Jingxiao's eyes, who was furtively (crossed out) looking completely open.

"So... um!" Before he could finish, Zhang Jingxiao covered his mouth, threateningly saying, "If you dare say that, you won't see the sun tomorrow."

He Xi shook his head helplessly. For the past few days, Zhang Jingxiao had been wondering how Chen Zhoumu and the others had found her post, even though they weren't the type to browse the forum.

She realized the person behind him was highly suspicious.

A few days ago, she overheard his conversation with Chen Zhoumu, and sure enough, it was He Xi. These past few days, Zhang Jingxiao had been regretting editing the post in front of He Xi.

Luckily, he only saw the title and didn't know she was the poster.

Otherwise, Song Shi would have hacked him to pieces.

Once He Xi calmed down, she released him: "Don't tell them, or you know what will happen."

He nodded: "Sister Xiao, was that you? You're the stalker?"

"Stalk my foot! Don't worry about what I'm doing, just don't tell anyone."

"That guy's my brother!"

"What's your rush? He didn't take your picture. And don't tell anyone, your name won't be on the disciplinary list this semester."

"Deal."

He Xi looked at the two of them snuggling together. It wasn't brotherly betrayal, but brotherly sacrifice.

← Previous Chapter Next Chapter →