Tan Jing seemed to be in a good mood, a faint smile playing on his face. His features were sharp and stern, but when he smiled, he exuded a lazy charm that made the passing girls reluctant to look away.
But in Wang Yizhou’s eyes, how handsome Tan Jing’s smile was wasn’t the point.
The point was, since when were these two on such good terms???
Wang Yizhou was utterly shocked. He took the stairs two at a time up to the fourth floor and burst into Class 1’s classroom.
“Song Lin!” Wang Yizhou shouted urgently. “Do you know what I just saw?”
Song Lin had just arrived too and was munching on his daily morning apple, chewing with loud crunches.
Between bites, he drawled uninterestedly, “Godzilla versus a monster?”
“Even more shocking than that!” Wang Yizhou revealed excitedly. “I saw He Siheng and Jing Bro getting out of the same car—chatting and laughing!”
“Oh.” Song Lin acted like it was nothing and kept crunching his apple.
Wang Yizhou: “Why aren’t you surprised at all?”
Song Lin gave him a deep look, then pulled out a few walnuts from his desk. In a kindly tone, he said, “Here, eat some. Good for your brain and eyes—I brought them from home just for you.”
Wang Yizhou: “???”
Zhou Yu was just as shocked as Wang Yizhou.
After helping Tan Jing up to the fourth floor, He Siheng shoved the crutch into his hands, leaving him to fend for himself, and entered the classroom first.
He hadn’t even reached his seat when Zhou Yu dragged him over to his own spot and asked eagerly, “Heng Bro, Heng Bro, what’s going on?”
He Siheng was baffled. “What do you mean, what’s going on?”
Zhou Yu: “You and the class monitor came to school together? I heard you rode in the same car?”
“…” He Siheng tsked. “Did you install cameras on us?”
“If I had the guts, I’d have put one on the class monitor ages ago, heh heh…” Zhou Yu trailed off dreamily, then snapped back to gossip. “Don’t change the subject—tell me! You guys weren’t apart for even a day, and now you’re this close?”
“Bullshit,” He Siheng said. “I was threatened.”
Zhou Yu blinked his big, curious Kapok eyes. “Threatened how?”
He Siheng shot him a glance. “Wanna know?”
That look set off alarm bells in Zhou Yu’s head.
He Siheng’s lips curved slyly, all amiable. “You pick him up and drop him off for a while, and I’ll make up whatever story you want to hear.”
“…” Zhou Yu sat down expressionlessly and flipped open his book. “Morning self-study’s starting, Heng Bro. Go back to your seat.”
He Siheng: “…Ambition.”
Only after Tan Jing hobbled into the classroom on his crutch did Wang Yizhou notice the cast on his leg. He rushed over immediately. “Jing Bro, what happened to your foot? Is it serious? And why were you with He Siheng?”
Tan Jing’s ears rang from the noise. In a flat tone, he said, “Are you holding a press conference for me?”
Wang Yizhou didn’t have much beef with He Siheng before, but now he held a grudge over how He Siheng had gotten Tan Jing punished with laps and forced into being his errand boy. He said righteously, “I’m worried about you! You’re injured, so your offense and defense are both down a notch. He Siheng’s always had it out for you—what if he takes advantage?”
No sooner had he spoken than a cold scoff sounded.
“Yeah, you should watch out for me.” He Siheng’s gaze swept over the two of them, dripping with sarcasm. “Who knows when I’ll lock him in a dark room and have my way with him.”
Wang Yizhou opened his mouth to say more, but Tan Jing lifted his eyelids and cut him off. “Go back to your own class.”
That one look made Wang Yizhou’s heart skip. He shut up and left immediately.
The morning self-study bell rang, and everyone returned to their seats to read aloud.
Tan Jing glanced at He Siheng’s displeased expression and paused. “Mad?”
He Siheng flipped a page in his English textbook and scoffed lightly. “What’s there to be mad about? His worry’s justified.”
Tan Jing propped his elbow on the desk and turned to face him. “You really want to lock me in a dark room?”
He Siheng turned his face too, eyeing him lazily. A roguish air emerged as he huffed through his nose. “What, scared now?”
Tan Jing rested his chin on his hand, utterly composed. His dark eyes roved over He Siheng before his lips curved faintly. “Looking forward to it.”
Tan Jing was handsome—high nose bridge, thin lips, perfectly sculpted features like a standard heartthrob. Unfortunately, he rarely smiled, giving off an aloof, icy vibe.
But he had a pair of beautiful eyes: clear black pupils, slightly upturned at the corners. When he smiled like that—teasing, almost seductive—even the little mole on his nose bridge looked devilishly alluring.
He was clearly talking about being taken advantage of, but his reaction, his gaze, his smile, his tone—all of it sparked wild imaginings, blatantly pointing to what kind of “dark room” fun he was anticipating.
He Siheng froze solid.
He hadn’t expected such a bold comeback, and so shamelessly too.
After stewing for a long time, He Siheng muttered with red ears, “Pervert.”
Before the fourth period ended, He Siheng suddenly heard Tan Jing whisper, “Go to the school gate for me later.”
He Siheng whispered back, “Why?”
Tan Jing: “Aunt Huang sent food over.”
He Siheng frowned. “You really think of me as your little brother now?”
Tan Jing: “There’s stir-fried beef you love.”
He Siheng paused. “Mine too?”
Aunt Huang was the Tan family’s cook, with top-notch skills. After He Siheng tried her food once, he’d tried every trick to get his dad, Boss He, to poach her—unsuccessfully, of course.
Tan Jing drawled, “If you don’t want it, then…”
“Who said I don’t?”
In his haste, He Siheng’s voice wasn’t quiet. The whole class looked over, including the math teacher mid-lecture.
The math teacher coughed twice on the podium and drawled, “What do you want for lunch? Chat with the teacher about it?”
Laughter rippled through the class. He Siheng’s face flushed then paled. He whipped his head to glare murderously at the culprit, only to see Tan Jing not hiding his amusement at all. In a voice just for them, he teased, “Class isn’t over yet, and you’re already starving?”
He Siheng: “…”
His fists clenched.
The bell rang, and as soon as the teacher left, Zhou Yu zipped over from his seat. “Heng Bro, let’s go eat!”
He Siheng tossed back, “Go by yourself. I’m having takeout today.”
Without waiting for questions, he strode out.
Zhou Yu assumed he’d ordered delivery and yelled at his back, “Heng Bro, you get takeout and don’t invite me?”
Just then, he heard Tan Jing say, “He’s eating with me today.”
Zhou Yu froze.
Zhou Yu was shocked.
Tan Jing looked up at him. “For the next while, he’ll be eating with me. You too?”
It sounded like an invitation, but Zhou Yu detected none. That gaze made his scalp tingle.
