Shen Yuze successfully dispelled the idea of having Lu Ping continue learning English from foreigners, but soon another matter came knocking at his door.
Because Shen Yuze’s monthly exam scores were simply too eye-catching, the English teacher hoped he could represent the school in Jiaojiang City’s English speech contest. Jiaojiang City had two provincial key high schools: Jiaojiang No. 1 Middle School, where he was enrolled, and Jiaojiang Experimental Middle School. The two schools had been rivals for many years, neither willing to yield to the other.
However, three years ago, Experimental Middle School reformed their English teaching methods. They poached experienced master teachers from outside and splurged on foreign instructors. As a result, Experimental Middle School’s average English scores skyrocketed, and they had swept the speech contest championship for three consecutive years!
Shen Yuze: “…What does this have to do with me?”
He had only transferred in a little over a month ago; he certainly couldn’t cultivate that kind of school-spirited honor.
He originally wanted to refuse, but when Lu Ping learned he could represent the school in the contest, envy and admiration nearly overflowed from his eyes.
And so, Shen Yuze inexplicably agreed.
He would just grab a championship for Lu Ping to enjoy.
The speech contest was jointly hosted by ten high schools in Jiaojiang, with each school sending one contestant. Additionally, the emcee rotated among the ten schools each year, and this time it was No. 1 High School’s turn.
“Shen Yuze, let me introduce you.” In the office, the English teacher pointed to a girl with a high ponytail and a beautiful face, saying enthusiastically, “This is senior Meng Xin from Grade 12. She’s also the emcee for this speech contest. From now on, you two won’t need to attend evening self-study on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Come here instead, and I’ll give you individual coaching.”
…
At sixteen or seventeen, it was the age when romantic feelings first stirred. Even with the school’s strict crackdown on puppy love, it couldn’t suppress the throbs of puberty. Sometimes, a pair of ambiguous lovebirds would sneak a finger hook as they brushed past each other in the hallway; they thought they were being sneaky, but their classmates had seen it all clearly.
If you asked what gossip spread fastest in school? It was absolutely the romantic kind: “Who’s into whom,” “Who’s dating whom,” “Who broke up with whom”!
“Haven’t you heard? Lately, senior Meng from Grade 12 has been getting really close to Shen Yuze.”
“Yeah, yeah! During the big break on Monday, everyone went to the field for the flag-raising, but Shen Yuze didn’t.”
“Meng Xin didn’t either!”
“Someone saw them walking together during the break…”
“You’re behind the times. Meng Xin straight-up asked for Shen Yuze’s phone number in the hallway, saying ‘We’ll be in touch often.'”
“That time they came out of the English teacher’s office together, chatting and laughing. Shen Yuze even walked senior Meng back to her class before heading upstairs!”
Meng Xin—this name represented a legend at Jiaojiang No. 1 Middle School.
She was the undisputed school flower, and the lead photo on the school website was of her giving a speech under the national flag. As an arts student, Meng Xin had practiced ethnic dance for years. At the freshman welcome party, she wore a turquoise gauze skirt and performed the Peacock Dance, stunning the entire audience. Every gesture and smile on stage made countless boys blush. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that 99% of the boys in school saw her as their dream girl.
Not only was she strikingly beautiful, but her personality was great too—graceful and poised in her interactions, a mainstay in the school’s arts scene. She really was like a beautiful, confident peacock; wherever she went, the boys’ gazes followed.
Now, the dream girl of every boy was linked with Shen Yuze—how could it not make all the guys green with envy?
Though Shen Yuze had only transferred in a month ago, his name had already become another legend in the school.
It was one thing for Shen Yuze to be rich, but his grades were top-notch too, and his looks were above average (as everyone knew, boys would never admit another guy was better-looking than them; “above average” was the highest praise they could muster)… and now he had won the heart of a Grade 12 senior!
The school buzzed with discussion about this for a long time.
Chen Miaomiao, the grade’s famous “little megaphone” and a fan of @fake-diaond, was always at the forefront of the gossip.
After swapping tidbits with her friends, her eyes darted around, and she strode straight to the back row of the classroom, tapping the desk of the class’s invisible man, Lu Ping.
Shen Yuze wasn’t in class right now—perfect timing for Chen Miaomiao to gather intel!
Lu Ping was seizing the break to bury himself in homework. The more he did now, the lighter his load at home.
Chen Miaomiao lowered her voice, sounding like a secret agent making contact: “Psst psst, psst psst, Lu Ping, Lu Ping!”
Lu Ping: “…Chen Miaomiao, you’re scaring me like this. Just say what you want.”
Chen Miaomiao didn’t beat around the bush. She cut straight to the chase: “Have you heard about Shen Yuze and Meng Xin?”
“Your gossip in the classroom was so loud, it was hard not to hear.” Lu Ping knew he wouldn’t get any writing done this break. He set down his pen helplessly. “If you’re that curious, why not ask Shen Yuze directly?”
Chen Miaomiao: “I’m afraid his glare would kill me before I even ask.”
Lu Ping wanted to say “It’s not that exaggerated!” But then he thought about it: Shen Yuze rarely interacted with classmates. He didn’t eat lunch or dinner at school and skipped all sports activities, always detached from the crowd. Naturally, people’s impression of him was just “aloof.” Even Lu Ping had thought Shen Yuze was cold and unapproachable at first, until they became friends and he glimpsed the warmth and gentleness hidden deep inside.
The thought that only he knew Shen Yuze’s “true face” made Lu Ping’s tail wag involuntarily.
Lu Ping cleared his throat: “Classmate Chen, regarding the recent school rumor about Shen Yuze and senior Meng—this, as his desk mate, I hereby clarify on his behalf: it’s utter nonsense, fabricated out of thin air, pure bullshit!”
“But everyone saw them walking together!”
“That’s because Shen Yuze’s English scores are so good that the English teacher picked him as the school rep for the citywide English speech contest. Senior Meng is the emcee. They were walking together to discuss the contest. As for the ‘chatting and laughing’… come on, have you ever seen Shen Yuze smile at anyone (besides me)? It’s more believable that I’ll take first in the grade next monthly exam!”
Lu Ping spoke with absolute conviction, but before he finished, a shadow fell beside him.
“—Lu Ping, are you debunking the rumor or starting it?”
The familiar voice came from overhead. Lu Ping shuddered and looked beside him: Shen Yuze, who had returned to the classroom at some point, stood there gazing down at him.
Oh no! How had he badmouthed Shen Yuze behind his back and gotten caught?
Shen Yuze slowly curved his lips into a smile devoid of warmth—a professional, businesslike one.
The smile vanished in a flash. Before Lu Ping could process it, Shen Yuze’s face turned icy again: “There, I smiled. Now I’m waiting for you to take first in the grade next monthly exam.”
Lu Ping: “No, wait, it was Chen Miaomiao who…”
He wanted Chen Miaomiao to explain, but she had bolted faster than anyone! The moment Shen Yuze returned, she oiled out of there!
Chen Miaomiao’s seat was in the front row. From across the distant classroom, she shrugged at Lu Ping with a “you’re on your own” look.
Lu Ping: “…”
Shen Yuze: “Anything else you want to explain?”
Lu Ping whined: “I was just using it as an example! You don’t know— the whole grade’s buzzing about you and Meng Xin’s romance…”
“Who’s Meng Xin?” Shen Yuze asked, somewhat puzzled.
“…The pretty senior you go to the English office with every day.” Lu Ping was floored. Shen Yuze reported to the English teacher’s office daily and went in and out with Meng Xin multiple times— who would’ve thought he hadn’t even memorized her name!
“Oh, so she’s called Meng Xin.” Shen Yuze didn’t care about the senior’s name, but he zeroed in on a key word from Lu Ping’s reply, asking with a meaningful tone, “Pretty? You think she’s pretty?”
If anyone else said that, Lu Ping would’ve told them to get their eyes checked. Meng Xin was the school flower—great image, elegant aura, willow brows and almond eyes. If she wasn’t pretty, who was?
But coming from Shen Yuze… Lu Ping stared at his handsome features and had to admit that, in terms of “prettiness,” Shen Yuze outshone everyone.
Though calling a boy “pretty” felt odd, Lu Ping couldn’t find better words for Shen Yuze’s brows, eyes, and lips.
Lu Ping mumbled: “She’s the school flower, unanimously agreed upon by all the boys. If they’d known entering this contest meant chatting with senior Meng, the other guys probably would’ve fought tooth and nail for the spot.”
As the object of everyone’s envy, Shen Yuze shrugged indifferently: “Whoever wants it, I can give it to them.”
Lu Ping: “The teacher wouldn’t allow it.”
“…What a hassle.”
This English speech contest took up way too much of Shen Yuze’s time. It had two parts: a five-minute speech on a fixed topic, and a second part drawing a topic on site. “Good spoken English” and “good speech skills” were entirely different beasts. Shen Yuze hadn’t specifically practiced speeches before, so he had to go to the English teacher for individual coaching during every self-study period.
Lu Ping: “If it’s such a hassle, why didn’t you refuse when the teacher first asked you to sign up?”
Shen Yuze mocked himself: “Because I lost my mind.”
“?”
Hadn’t he lost his mind? Just to see Lu Ping’s adoring look, he’d signed up for this time-waster. What a loss.
Shen Yuze looked at Lu Ping: “You just said Meng Xin is the school flower according to all the boys—you think so too?”
“Uh… well, yeah, I guess.” Lu Ping shyly averted his gaze. He didn’t dare say: If they held another school flower poll, he’d anonymously vote for Shen Yuze!
How was Shen Yuze to know what this little mouse was scheming? Hearing Lu Ping’s affirmative answer made a stuffy feeling clog his chest.
His expression cooled. Though he said nothing, Lu Ping had long become attuned to his moods like a weathervane—he could detect even a millimeter shift in Shen Yuze’s brows.
Why was this guy upset again?
Lu Ping had no idea what he’d said wrong and wanted to ask, but the class bell rang. The Chinese teacher, sporting bottle-bottom-thick glasses and clutching the lesson plan, ascended the podium.
Lu Ping swallowed his curiosity and sat properly at his desk.
From the corner of his eye, Shen Yuze flipped open his textbook, took out a pen, and jotted notes in the margins as the teacher lectured.
—Oh crap!
Lu Ping was shocked: Heavens, Shen Yuze was actually paying attention in class? He must be really mad!!
The only thing Lu Ping couldn’t figure out was why Shen Yuze had suddenly turned stormy. He admitted his brain wasn’t the sharpest and he had no knack for social nuances. Shen Yuze was his only friend, and this friend had such deep thoughts—Lu Ping often couldn’t guess what he was thinking.
So frustrating.
With this in mind, Lu Ping decided he couldn’t just sit idly by! He opened his pencil case, rummaged inside for a moment, pulled out a barely used eraser, then lowered his head and scribbled on it.
One minute later, Lu Ping flicked his finger and tossed the eraser onto Shen Yuze’s desk.
Shen Yuze: “?”
He picked up the eraser. It had originally been just an ordinary yellow eraser you could find anywhere, but now all six sides bore traces from a ballpoint pen.
The front featured two stick figures. One was shorter, with an upturned mouth showing a happy smile and eyes like shiny black beans. The other was tall, with a downturned mouth and arms crossed over its chest, looking in a foul mood.
Shen Yuze silently flipped the eraser over and saw four big characters on the back: Desk Mate Rules.
Shen Yuze swore to himself that after he turned five… no, even before he was five, he had never seen anything so childish!
The other four sides listed the detailed rules for desk mates.
1. No cold wars
2. Communicate any issues promptly
3. TBD
4. TBD
Lu Ping glanced at the teacher writing on the blackboard up on the podium, then whispered to Shen Yuze, “To be fair, I left two spots for you to fill in.” He looked completely serious. “Shen Yuze, once you accept this, you’re not allowed to be mad at me anymore.”
