Chen Miaomiao became Lu Ping’s new deskmate. In Class Teacher Wu’s eyes, Chen Miaomiao was practically the reincarnation of a little loudspeaker. She had changed her seat several times before, but Chen Miaomiao never acted shy and could chat with anyone. Teacher Wu had even considered moving her to the “guardian” spot next to the podium to see if she still dared to slack off right under the teacher’s nose. But after all, Chen Miaomiao was a girl, so Teacher Wu decided to give her some face.
As for Lu Ping, he was introverted and didn’t talk much, with low presence in the class. Teacher Wu paired them up hoping the taciturn Lu Ping could temper Chen Miaomiao’s personality a bit.
If Chen Miaomiao knew what Teacher Wu was thinking, she would surely shout, “Teacher, you have to look at things with a developmental perspective! Things change and evolve constantly! Lu Ping is no longer the old gourd-headed Lu Ping—he’s Niohuru Lu Ping now, and he knows how to clap back too!”
……
In any case, Niohuru Lu Ping tidied up his desk, picked up his chair, and headed to the fourth row of the classroom.
But he couldn’t move it.
Looking down, he saw a clearly boned hand pressing down on his desk. Its owner stood beside him, holding the desk firmly and refusing to let him leave.
Shen Yuze’s face was grim. “Can’t we just not switch seats?”
Lu Ping didn’t want to switch either, but there was no choice—it was the class teacher’s order, and all the other students were moving. They couldn’t be the exceptions. “Even if we switch… we’re still in the same class, right?”
Shen Yuze fell silent, his expression darkening.
He looked just like a feline animal abandoned by its owner.
Lu Ping felt both helpless and curious. Had Shen Yuze been like this back when he studied in the Capital? Did he always look so unhappy when changing deskmates?
To soothe Shen Yuze, Lu Ping made a bunch of promises, like swearing he’d come find him right after class and that he absolutely wouldn’t make any “Deskmate Contracts” with his new deskmate.
Shen Yuze’s expression softened a little. Only then did he lift his hand, graciously letting him go.
Lu Ping moved his desk to the fourth row. Glancing back, he saw Shen Yuze still standing by their old seat, staring at him unblinkingly.
Lu Ping smiled at him and raised his voice. “Stop staring at me and hurry up and move! We can’t delay class!”
Under his urging, Shen Yuze sourly packed his bag. His new deskmate was the Class Monitor. His seat was by the window, while the Class Monitor’s was by the aisle. Every time someone needed to get in or out, the Class Monitor would have to stand up… Tch, what a hassle.
Chen Miaomiao pushed her desk from the second row over to Lu Ping’s side. There were few boys in the liberal arts class, and with the school guarding against puppy love like it was a flood or wild beast, mixed-gender seating was rare. Chen Miaomiao was happy to have a male deskmate on one hand, but sad on the other about being separated from her bestie Zhou Yue—they wouldn’t even be able to go to the bathroom together anymore.
She sighed dramatically, giving Lu Ping a headache.
In Chen Miaomiao’s words, when two close classmates were split up, that heart-wrenching feeling was just like long-distance dating.
Lu Ping disagreed. “You’re exaggerating! You’ve never even dated, so how can you say switching seats is the same as long-distance?”
Chen Miaomiao quibbled, “Lu Ping, you haven’t dated either, so how do you know switching seats isn’t the same as long-distance?”
“……”
Lu Ping instinctively glanced back at the fifth row. Shen Yuze was lowering his head to arrange books in his desk pouch, not noticing his gaze.
……
On the first day after switching seats, class discipline improved noticeably. The new deskmates still felt a bit shy and unfamiliar with each other, so no one dared pass notes during lessons.
During breaks, many students habitually walked to the wrong seats.
When Lu Ping returned from fetching water, he subconsciously headed to the last row. Only when he saw an unfamiliar bag on the familiar seat did he remember he and Shen Yuze were no longer deskmates.
His new seat was row four of column three; Shen Yuze’s was row five of column one. Lu Ping sat diagonally in front of him, separated not just by classmates but by an entire aisle.
The distance wasn’t that far, but compared to before, it was worlds apart.
During English class, Lu Ping didn’t understand a point and instinctively turned to ask his deskmate for help… but Shen Yuze wasn’t there anymore. Instead, Chen Miaomiao propped her head on her hand, openly napping during English class.
She didn’t know what she was dreaming about, but her mouth corners glistened—drool was about to drip down.
Lu Ping: “……”
Helpless, he poked her arm with his pen tip, waking the dozing Chen Miaomiao.
Her body jerked forward as she startled awake, mumbling groggily, “Class over? Can we eat now?”
“……No, it’s only been fifteen minutes since class started.” Lu Ping handed her a tissue. “Wipe your mouth.”
Chen Miaomiao took it and wiped haphazardly.
Suddenly, Lu Ping felt a gaze from diagonally behind, landing on him like it had substance, making him feel like needles were pricking his back. He shivered and turned to find the source, but found nothing.
Was it because I talked to Chen Miaomiao during class and disturbed others, so someone was glaring at me?
Lu Ping quickly shut up and sat properly, not daring to chat during class anymore.
……
The first day of classes ended in a blur like that. Lu Ping felt empty inside. He’d moved closer to the blackboard, but he wasn’t any happier for it.
He wasn’t the only one feeling down, though—not everyone wanted to separate from their old deskmates. Blending in, Lu Ping didn’t stand out.
After school, Lu Ping packed his bag and waited to leave with Shen Yuze.
They had planned ahead to visit Zhaocai at the pet hospital—it was a big day for Zhaocai; it was finally time to say goodbye to its balls!
Zhaocai had been boarded at the hospital this whole time, and the nurses sent Lu Ping videos every day to reassure him. Animals’ vitality was truly strong. Its tail wound had rotted badly before, but in just half a month, it had healed, with new fur even growing out.
On the way from school to the pet hospital, Shen Yuze stared out the window without speaking.
Lu Ping didn’t notice anything off about him, too preoccupied with thoughts of Zhaocai’s neutering. With its fiery temper… would it scratch his face? He’d heard many cat owners had to put on a show with the vet during neutering, or else…
The car pulled over slowly. Shen Yuze got out first. Normally he’d wait for Lu Ping, but today he headed straight to the hospital. Lu Ping jogged to catch up.
The pet hospital was bustling that day. As soon as they pushed open the door, meows and barks rose one after another. On the left, a Teddy dog in a pretty little skirt jumped onto the sofa, stretching its neck to sniff a trembling kitten in a carrier. On the right, a husky scratched its ear with a hind paw, then sniffed the paw in front of its nose. Captivated by that sour allure, it stuck out its big tongue and licked its foot thoroughly.
The front desk nurse was swamped. Lu Ping and Shen Yuze waited a while before getting a word in.
The nurse remembered these high schoolers well and led them to the boarding area to see Zhaocai.
“Zhaocai’s temper is so stubborn. It remembers everyone who’s medicated it. Every time it sees me, it has to ‘ha’ at me.” As she spoke, the nurse opened the cage door. Sure enough, the moment it saw her, Zhaocai arched its back, tail straight to the sky, hissing “ha ha” threats.
The fur on the latter half of its tail had been shaved before and now sported a short layer, looking like an upside-down feather duster.
Facing Zhaocai’s threats, the nurse stayed calm, pulling a cat strip from her pocket, tearing it open, and shoving it right to Zhaocai’s mouth.
In an instant, the hissing Zhaocai went soft and started meowing coquettishly, “miao miao miao~”
Lu Ping felt complicated. “When did it learn to use that cutesy tone?”
Only after finishing the strip did Zhaocai notice the two male humans behind the nurse.
It tilted its head and stared at them motionlessly, like it was frozen.
Lu Ping felt awful. “It hasn’t seen us for a week—did it forget us?”
The nurse said, “Don’t worry, cats have great memories. It’s not that it doesn’t recognize you; it’s mad you left a cat here alone, so it’s pretending not to know you.”
……With Zhaocai’s temper, Lu Ping dreaded even more what it’d be like after neutering!
A bit later, a vet took him and Shen Yuze to the exam room for the pre-neutering consultation.
Neutering male cats wasn’t difficult—even fast vets could finish in twenty minutes. The biggest risks were anesthesia allergies and potential post-op complications, so the vet explained them clearly.
Lu Ping listened intently and asked a crucial question.
“Doctor, I heard male cats become gentler after neutering—is that true?”
“Most do, but there are other possibilities.”
“Other possibilities?”
The doctor adjusted his glasses. “A small portion turn into snarky old eunuchs.”
Lu Ping: “……………………………”
What do I do? I feel like Zhaocai’s definitely the snarky type!
After covering the details, the doctor pulled out the pre-op agreement and pointed to the “Pet Owner Signature” line at the bottom, asking who the cat’s owner was.
Lu Ping raised his hand. “Me.”
Shen Yuze spoke for the first time since entering, saying in unison, “Me.”
“But I’ve been the one feeding it—I’m Zhaocai’s owner.” Lu Ping thought Shen Yuze was acting weird. He’d never even touched Zhaocai before.
Shen Yuze: “Fine.”
“Why not compromise?” Lu Ping was baffled.
With that, Shen Yuze leaned down to sign his name on the last line. Lu Ping wouldn’t let him get ahead—he lunged forward, shoving Shen Yuze aside with half his body while stretching his arm to scribble two flourishy “Lu Ping”s in the signature spot.
Seeing this, Shen Yuze was speechless. “……Lu Ping, are you childish or what?”
The form was in duplicate; the vet took one and told them to wait patiently in the office while he prepped the surgery room.
Lu Ping didn’t grasp the meaning behind it all, blankly thinking: Why keep the neutering agreement? Is this some rich people’s weird habit?
To distract himself, Lu Ping’s gaze fell on the remaining form.
The two stared each other down, neither backing off. Only now did Lu Ping realize how off Shen Yuze had been. Recalling carefully, he’d been in a low-pressure mood since the morning seat switch, like something was bottled up and he was looking for a fight.
Lu Ping wanted to fold the big sheet of paper out of habit, but Shen Yuze stopped him. “Don’t fold it. The car has a folder—we can put it straight in later.”
To calm things down, the vet pulled two pens from the pen holder and handed one to each of them.
Seeing the tense atmosphere between the two boys, the vet hurriedly mediated, “No need to argue, no need to argue… You’re both the cat’s owners. The form can have both your names.”
Lu Ping ignored what he said. He signed first anyway, so by order, he, Lu Ping, was Zhaocai’s primary owner!
Shen Yuze glanced at him with a calm expression. “I paid the hospitalization fee, so I’m Zhaocai’s owner.”
Shen Yuze stared at their names side by side for a good while. Lu Ping keenly noticed that the atmosphere around him gradually softened, and the gloom that had lingered all day vanished once more.
Lu Ping: “But I was the one who carried it to the hospital!”
Lu Ping: “??? Wait, aren’t you going to be polite about it?”
Lu Ping: “?”
After he finished signing, Shen Yuze pulled the form toward himself. He first lowered his gaze and carefully read through the pre-op agreement to confirm everything was in order, then uncapped the pen and neatly wrote his name in the signature field.
Shen Yuze raised an eyebrow. “Why should I be polite to you?”
“Lu Ping” and “Shen Yuze”—those few words nestled closely together.
Although the neutering surgery for a male cat only took twenty short minutes, for the pet owners, every minute and every second was filled with worry and torment.
“Because this is the first document we’ve signed together. I want to keep it,” Shen Yuze replied.
Lu Ping fiddled awkwardly with the clicker on the back of his ballpoint pen. “……You sign first.”
The two boys looked at the pens in their hands at the same time, then simultaneously raised their heads to look at each other.
One blue ballpoint pen, one black signature pen.
On that long signature line, the blue ink was casual and free-spirited, while the black ink was sharp and striking.
It was just like the two of them leaning against each other.
Damn, why was Shen Yuze being so snarky too? Had he been neutered as well?
After the vet left, the exam room fell quiet once more.
Shen Yuze: “I was the one who saved it from the ceiling.”
