NASAY CH 1

In a bright and tidy office, a male teacher in his fifties slammed the desk with a dark expression on his face. The teacup lid on the table rattled before clattering back into place.

“ ‘Even a pig could shoot better than you if you threw some lettuce on the backboard’—did you really say that?”
“Yes.”
The boy who responded was wearing a school uniform. He had just finished a basketball game and was slightly sweaty, causing his shirt to cling to his body. His uniform shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, revealing a small section of his collarbone and faint muscles beneath, exuding a rebellious aura typical of teenagers overflowing with hormones.

“Huo Xingzhou, will you die if you stop mocking others?” Teacher Cheng Limin slammed the desk again, nearly knocking over the teacup as he withdrew his hand. The cup hung precariously on the table’s edge.

“Stating facts is now called mockery? Are the honor class students that fragile?” Huo Xingzhou thought for a moment and said politely, “And they still dared to challenge me in basketball? They were asking for a lesson.”

Cheng Limin’s triangular eyes widened, practically shooting daggers at him. “Try acting cocky again!”
“Get out!” Cheng Liming pointed to the door, his raspy voice erupting with fury, grating on the eardrums.
Huo Xingzhou immediately adjusted his attitude, ready to leave. He bent down to pick up the basketball, gave a slight bow, and turned to see Cheng Limin’s livid face, resembling a wrathful demon from the underworld.
“I tell you to leave, you obey. But when I tell you to study, you never listen! Now you’re obedient, huh? Stand right there!”

Huo Xingzhou stopped in his tracks, holding the basketball under his right arm.
Cheng Limin glanced at the clock and suddenly remembered something. Unfortunately, he had to turn in a report and couldn’t leave. “I’m busy now, so go downstairs and wait for someone. He should be here soon.”

“Who?”

“A new transfer student joining our class. His name is Luo Xing.”
When Huo Xingzhou left the office building, Feng Jia came up and grabbed the basketball, dribbling it a few times. Cheng Limin stuck his head out and shouted, “Feng Jia!”
Feng Jia quickly stopped dribbling and pretended not to hear. Once he was far enough away, he asked, “Hey, what did Old Cheng want with you?”

“Nothing much. Just asked about the conflict between me and Class 8.”
Class 8 and Class 9 had always been at odds, constantly mocking each other. This time, things got out of hand and reached Huo Xingzhou’s ears, which naturally escalated the situation.
Feng Jia got angry just thinking about it. “Seriously? They weren’t saying that when it happened. Now that they lost, they ran to the teacher to complain? That’s dirty.”
Huo Xingzhou said nothing.

Feng Jia asked again, “Did Old Cheng make you promise anything?”
Huo Xingzhou nodded.
Feng Jia leaned in, curious. “What did you say?”

“I promised to teach them a lesson every time I see them.”

The south side of the school’s office building faced the sports field, where a group of girls gathered to watch the boys play basketball.
Huo Xingzhou was already well-known at school. Wherever he went, eyes followed. His performance in today’s game didn’t tarnish his image—it boosted it even more.

He crossed the field toward the school gate, attracting numerous glances from the girls. The bolder ones stared directly at him, while the more bashful ones blushed and looked away, occasionally stealing glances at him.
Feng Jia watched enviously. “If that many girls liked me, I’d swear off grilled lamb skewers for a year.”

Huo Xingzhou laughed. “pathetic.”

Feng Jia grinned and suddenly noticed a tall, slender figure standing by a corridor pillar, watching them from a distance.

“That junior who likes you is still around, huh? She hasn’t sent you any love letters or chocolates for a while.”

“Who?”
Feng Jia was speechless. So he really hadn’t cared.

“You know, the one whose name starts with ‘Ye.’ She sent you chocolates for months, and you gave them all to me because you don’t eat sweets.”

Huo Xingzhou vaguely remembered and nodded. “Didn’t I already tell her? If I date before graduating from senior year, I’ll sing ‘Conquer’ under the flagpole.”

Feng Jia blinked. “I thought that was just an excuse to reject her! You were serious?”

“What else?”

Feng Jia thought about it and agreed. For Huo Xingzhou, dating wasn’t as appealing as basketball—or even gaming.
After all, what was the saying? Dating slows down my reaction time in games.

“Hey, the classroom is this way. Where are you going?” Feng Jia stopped and pointed back.

“You’re heading for the school gate. Skipping class already?”

“Shut up.” Huo Xingzhou said, “Teacher Cheng told me to meet someone. A new transfer student.”

Feng Jia bounced the basketball and glanced toward the gate. “Transferring this late? Could it be someone who got expelled from another school and got dumped in our class?”

“Maybe.” Huo Xingzhou casually repeated what Cheng Liming said. “He’s supposedly part of the provincial talent support program. The principal personally arranged it.”

“Yeah, right. If he’s so talented, why dump him in our class? Does the principal want to teach or ruin him?”

Unlike the other senior year classes—whether honors, accelerated, or standard—Class 9 was a special case.
It included top students like Ye Qiaoqiao, back-row slackers like Feng Jia, and those who got in trouble whenever they weren’t studying. Half the class were problem students.

The principal placing a transfer student into Class 9 was unheard of.

Feng Jia peeked at the gate again. “You think he’s some hard-core delinquent? If he is, your position might be at risk.”

Huo Xingzhou smirked. “He dares to step on my head?”

“Don’t be so quick to jinx it. What if you end up eating your words?”

“Eat what? Go ask Class 8’s captain if his defeat tasted sweet.” Huo Xingzhou sneered. “A mere transfer student climbing on top of me? Ridiculous.”

Feng Jia watched his smug expression and suddenly understood why Class 8’s captain hated him so much.
Still, it didn’t matter. Huo Xingzhou had humiliated him.

A spark of inspiration lit in Feng Jia’s mind. He figured he could profit from this new student somehow. “If he really does beat you someday, you owe me a month’s worth of skewers.”

“You really have no ambition,” Huo Xingzhou scoffed. “Fine. I’ll even up the stakes. If he manages to surpass me and causes trouble, I’ll…”
He paused, scanned the campus, and pointed at the towering clock tower.
“I’ll jump off that clock tower.”