Chapter 14
With ten minutes left until school ended, the homeroom teacher specifically set aside some time to have a heart-to-heart talk with the class.
“We’re in the final sprint now, only ten days left until the exam.”
“You’re not children anymore. I hope you understand what the college entrance exam means to you.”
“I don’t want you to be in relationships, and I certainly don’t want you to let relationships affect your studies, ruining years of hard work and effort.”
“We should understand priorities. At a time like this, it’s even more important to have the right attitude.”
“If any of you are already in a relationship…”
The homeroom teacher scanned the class and pushed up her glasses.
A chorus of boos erupted from below.
The homeroom teacher sighed softly. “I hope you’re in healthy relationships, where you help each other improve, encourage each other, and strive towards a future together.”
The class quieted down.
“I’ve always disapproved of you dating in high school.” The homeroom teacher’s gaze lingered on Yan Weiqiu for a moment. “But if you can maintain your top ranking in the grade while dating, and your exam performance remains stable, I won’t interfere too much.”
Maintain top ranking in the grade?
These words made many students turn to look at Yan Weiqiu, who was sitting in the back row.
Oh.
So the homeroom teacher was talking about the class monitor.
After all, only their class monitor could consistently achieve top ranking.
Their eyes sparkled with curiosity and a hint of gossip.
Yan Weiqiu: “…”
Wasn’t this public execution?
He really wanted to explain to the teacher that he wasn’t dating anyone.
He and Jiang Yuebai were completely innocent.
They were just classmates.
And they had agreed long ago not to date in high school.
No relationships before adulthood.
No wonder the homeroom teacher had a complicated expression and seemed hesitant to speak when she talked to him about relationships this morning.
It turned out she thought he and Jiang Yuebai were dating.
Well.
It seemed he couldn’t explain it clearly in a short time, and even if he did, the homeroom teacher might not believe him.
“Class dismissed.”
“Go home and review tonight. You don’t have much time left.”
As the teacher left, the students remained seated, feeling a mix of emotions.
The student in front turned around and whispered gossipingly, “Class monitor, I always thought you and Jiang Yuebai were just good buddies. I didn’t expect you two to be secretly dating.”
Yan Weiqiu rolled his eyes and said, “We’re not.”
The student in front smiled and nodded. “I understand.”
“Understand what?” Yan Weiqiu paused, feeling like he was punching cotton.
The deskmate, who had been eavesdropping, patted the student in front on the shoulder and sighed. “I know a place near school that has really good spicy pig brain. Want to go try it?”
“Pig brain?!” The student in front looked at him blankly. “I thought you didn’t like that.”
The deskmate gave him a meaningful look.
The student in front’s face was a mixture of confusion and disbelief. He muttered, “I didn’t know the pressure of the college entrance exams could change someone’s taste buds.”
Yan Weiqiu: “…”
Deskmate: “…”
Yan Weiqiu picked up his bag, patted the deskmate’s shoulder, and said earnestly, “Order a few extra servings for him. I’ll reimburse you.”
Student in front: “???”
He scratched his head, confused. “What are you guys talking about?”
Yan Weiqiu shook his head and smiled. “I’m leaving.”
Just as he reached the door, he bumped into Jiang Yuebai, who was looking for him.
Yan Weiqiu stumbled back, losing his balance. Jiang Yuebai quickly reached out and caught him, preventing him from falling.
“Oops!”
“Eww!”
“Tsk tsk.”
The students still in the classroom all turned to look at the two entangled figures at the door.
Jiang Yuebai: “???”
Yan Weiqiu: “…”
Now it would be even harder to explain that he and Jiang Yuebai weren’t dating.
Yan Weiqiu grabbed Jiang Yuebai’s hand and quickly left Class 3, as if fleeing.
Jiang Yuebai looked at him amusedly. “What’s wrong?”
Yan Weiqiu shook his head. “Let’s go buy ice cream from the snack shop.”
The snack shop was right next to the school, and since it was after school, it was packed with students.
Yan Weiqiu stood at the school gate, playing with his phone, waiting for Jiang Yuebai to buy him ice cream.
Suddenly, someone gently called out to him from behind.
“Excuse me.”
“Hmm?” Yan Weiqiu instinctively looked up.
“You… you dropped your student ID.”
The person lowered their head, their bangs covering their eyes. They wore glasses and were half a head taller than him, looking very thin.
They seemed shy and timid, their words hesitant.
“Thank you.” Yan Weiqiu took his student ID, his fingers accidentally brushing against the other person’s skin. He quickly pulled his hand back, looking startled, and stammered a few more apologies before quickly turning and leaving.
Yan Weiqiu stood there blankly, holding his student ID.
Did he look that scary?
“What’s wrong? What happened?” Jiang Yuebai returned with the ice cream and saw Yan Weiqiu standing there dumbfounded. He followed his gaze and felt that the retreating figure looked familiar.
“Nothing.” Yan Weiqiu put away his student ID and took the ice cream.
They chose to walk home today instead of cycling.
At dusk, the sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange.
“By the way, Xiaobai.”
“Don’t tell my mom about what happened today. I don’t want her to worry.”
“The exams are coming soon, and she’s even more nervous than I am.”
Fang Xiu now prepared late-night snacks for him every night so he could review properly. She also got up early every morning to make him different breakfasts.
If he hadn’t insisted on going to school by himself, she might have even personally escorted him.
Jiang Yuebai nodded.
Although Yan Weiqiu didn’t take the matter seriously, Jiang Yuebai was still in a bad mood, though he didn’t show it in front of him.
Firstly, he felt guilty that Yan Weiqiu had been secretly photographed, even though he was always by his side and hadn’t noticed the peeping Tom.
Secondly, he was angry that someone dared to covet Yan Weiqiu, trying to steal him away.
Thirdly, he was bothered by the fact that the person had cropped him out of the photos.
Jiang Yuebai was silent for a long time, and Yan Weiqiu kept glancing at him.
“You seem angry.”
It wasn’t a question, but a statement.
From his years of knowing Jiang Yuebai, Yan Weiqiu could more or less guess what he was thinking.
Jiang Yuebai had always been possessive of him since childhood, disliking other children getting close to him.
It was no different now that they were older. He worried that Yan Weiqiu would become distant from him if he made new friends, so he always stuck to him, declaring his ownership possessively.
He would even give nicknames to those who approached Yan Weiqiu with bad intentions, calling them toads.
And he always told Yan Weiqiu not to talk to those “punks.”
Yan Weiqiu always thought he was being paranoid.
But he was a quiet person, so he usually turned a blind eye to Jiang Yuebai’s behavior.
“I am angry.” Jiang Yuebai didn’t deny it, his voice laced with anger.
Yan Weiqiu: “Why?”
Jiang Yuebai stopped walking and looked at Yan Weiqiu with a slightly aggrieved expression. “I don’t even have that many photos of you, and those were clearly photos of us together, but he cropped me out.”
Yan Weiqiu froze and took a stiff bite of his ice cream.
He realized he didn’t really understand how Jiang Yuebai’s mind worked.
“You care that much?” Yan Weiqiu smiled faintly, his tone lazy.
“How could I not care?” Jiang Yuebai put his arm around his shoulders.
In his heart, Yan Weiqiu was his, and he wouldn’t allow anyone to covet him.
The thought of the 3000-word essay on the confession wall made his teeth itch.
“You know that I…” Before he could finish, he annoyedly shut his mouth. He didn’t want to confess his feelings so hastily. They had promised each other not to let their feelings affect their studies, to wait until after the college entrance exams.
He wanted to wait until after the exams to formally confess to Yan Weiqiu.
Yan Weiqiu glanced at his profile and, seeing that he didn’t continue, didn’t press him.
But a flicker of disappointment flashed through his eyes.
He really wanted to hear the rest of Jiang Yuebai’s sentence.
He wasn’t unaware of Jiang Yuebai’s feelings.
But he always considered their secondary genders, the concept of destined mates. He worried that a childhood friend couldn’t compete with someone new, that Jiang Yuebai, influenced by pheromones, would eventually choose someone else.
“Xiaoqiu,” Jiang Yuebai softly called his name.
“Hmm?” Yan Weiqiu responded.
“Let’s go on a trip after the college entrance exams, just the two of us. We can go to Beihai, which you like, enjoy the sun and the beach, and eat the seafood you love.”
“We can also go to Dunhuang and experience the Silk Road.”
“And Tibet. Didn’t you do a lot of research on it before? We can take this opportunity to go.”
“Two or three months of vacation is a long time, enough for us to visit many places.”
His voice was full of excitement and anticipation, echoing in Yan Weiqiu’s ears.
At this moment, Yan Weiqiu seemed to understand what it meant to be included in someone’s future plans.
They were standing on a bridge, watching the sunset over the river.
Jiang Yuebai continued talking about the plans he had been preparing for a long time, and Yan Weiqiu’s gaze lingered on his profile, lost in thought.
A pleasant breeze blew past Jiang Yuebai’s face, ruffling his hair.
The setting sun cast a golden glow on him.
Like a ray of light falling on Yan Weiqiu’s heart, filling every crack.
Jiang Yuebai suddenly turned to look at him, a faint smile on his lips, his dark eyes sparkling like tiny stars.
In a daze, he heard himself softly reply.
“Okay.”
Love at first sight, still heart-fluttering after all these years.
