ABMSI Chapter 41

As soon as the words left his mouth, the room went dead silent.

All the students froze in place, staring at each other in disbelief. The shocking turn of events seemed to have stunned them all into silence.

Peng Yan’s hand slipped, almost dropping the fairytale script he was holding. His Alpha intuition had been right again—apparently, the only person who hadn’t caught on to what Fu Duqiu meant was Duan Wei.

Sure enough, Duan Wei let out a startled sound. He didn’t even know where the sudden burst of strength came from, but he managed to break free from Fu Duqiu’s grip and sit up straight on the desk.

A faint blush still lingered on his cheeks. He almost bolted away, but then thought that might be an overreaction. After all, he had agreed to rehearse the play with Fu Duqiu in the first place. The guy hadn’t actually done anything wrong—he was just following the script. If Duan Wei made a big deal out of it now, it would only make him look guilty.

So he forced himself to calm down. Fu Duqiu’s scent still lingered at the tip of his nose—usually crisp and cool, but right now, it carried a strange, intoxicating undertone.

Only then did Duan Wei realize that his fingers had brushed the corner of his lips—where Fu Duqiu’s had grazed him just moments ago. He snatched his hand away like it burned and looked aside awkwardly.
“That line wasn’t in the script,” he muttered.

“Ad-libbed,” Fu Duqiu replied, eyes glinting with amusement as he watched Duan Wei’s lashes tremble ever so slightly.

Duan Wei felt a shiver crawl up his spine under that gaze. Feeling that he was losing his footing, he retorted, “You can’t just do that! What if you say something even crazier next time? What if you start cursing me on stage?”

“Alright,” Fu Duqiu said evenly. Then he smiled. “I won’t say it next time. Want to run the scene again?”

No one knew what had gotten into Fu Duqiu today—his whole demeanor screamed reckless energy, like he was ready to stir up trouble just for fun.

Duan Wei hurriedly hopped off the desk, putting several meters between them before sighing in relief. “No need. You’re doing great right now.”

At that, Peng Yan finally snapped out of it. He glanced at Fu Duqiu, then at Duan Wei. “So… are we still rehearsing?”

“Nope, nope, we’re done,” Duan Wei said quickly, checking the time. “Class is starting soon. Let’s go.”

As New Year’s approached, the atmosphere in the class had grown restless. It took quite a while for the noise to die down before evening study session finally began.

Mr. Qin, clearly exhausted, went through the morning’s test papers, then glanced up at the clock on the back wall. Something seemed to occur to him. “Alright, everyone, pack up your desks and bags—we’re switching seats today. First seat rearrangement of the semester.”

They’d been using the same seating arrangement since last term, and several students had already complained about it. So, the students of Class 8 groaned, stood up, and carried their bags into the hallway.

Duan Wei slung his bag over his shoulder and turned to Fu Duqiu, who was still packing up. “Brother, it’s been nice knowing you. Farewell.”

Fu Duqiu lifted his head slowly, a thoughtful look on his face. “How do you know we won’t end up together again?”

“You’re ranked first, I’m somewhere in the middle,” Duan Wei shot back. “No way we’ll sit together.”

The new seating was based on exam scores—top students got first pick.

Naturally, Duan Wei assumed Fu Duqiu—being both the class genius and the campus heartthrob—would be in high demand as a seatmate. And even if, by some miracle, the seat next to him was left open, Duan Wei wasn’t sure he’d pick it.

Sure, sitting beside Fu Duqiu meant escaping teacher questions and getting free tutoring, but with all the rumors floating around school lately… it might be smarter to keep some distance.

Feeling rather self-satisfied with that logic, Duan Wei stepped out of the classroom. The sky outside was already pitch dark, the corridor lights buzzing faintly overhead. He walked a bit further down the hall and lined up according to his mid-tier ranking.

After a bit of noisy shuffling, Class 8 finally formed an orderly line. Peng Yan, chatting with a few Beta friends, turned to Duan Wei. “Hey, Duan-ge, we already called dibs on six seats in the back. Wanna join us?”

The back row was legendary—a haven for gamers. Aside from being drafty in winter, it was known as the sacred land of online matches. With a stack of books tall enough, you could even slurp instant noodles under the desk undetected.

Duan Wei waved dismissively. “Nah, I’ve risen above such lowly pleasures. You guys go on.”

“Oooh,” one Beta teased. “Duan-ge’s gone straight now?”

“Hey, show some respect! You can’t just call him that!” Peng Yan—self-proclaimed president of the Duan Wei fan club—snapped back, before leading the group into another loud debate about gaming strategies.

Once everyone was assembled, Mr. Qin stepped out of the office, grade sheet in hand, and adjusted his glasses. “First up—Fu Duqiu.”

At once, all eyes turned to the class’s top student. Fu Duqiu scanned the crowd briefly, then strolled back into the classroom. Passing the row by the corridor, he went straight to the window seats—and sat down in the exact same spot as before.

Right beside the desk Duan Wei had just vacated. His old seat.

Even a few of Duan Wei’s leftover notes were still there.

Duan Wei blinked, startled. Why would Fu Duqiu pick the same seat?

But Fu Duqiu didn’t seem to think much of it. He placed his books neatly on the desk, exactly as before, then lifted his gaze—to look straight at Duan Wei.

Earlier, he hadn’t been able to see Duan Wei clearly from the line, but now the distance was perfect. Just a slight tilt of his head, and their eyes met.

Caught off guard, Duan Wei quickly averted his gaze. The window between them was still open, and while Mr. Qin was busy assigning the rest of the seats, Duan Wei muttered quietly, “Why’d you pick that spot again?”

“It’s a good seat,” Fu Duqiu replied calmly, though his eyes never left Duan Wei.

The group of Betas who’d been chatting earlier fell silent, all turning to look their way.

Something in the campus heartthrob’s gaze looked… expectant.

But expectant of what?

They exchanged glances, realization dawning almost at once—

He was hoping to sit next to the school’s resident bad boy again.

Oh hell. So the rumors about the class genius secretly crushing on the class troublemaker… were true?!

The look on Fu Duqiu’s face made Duan Wei squirm. He turned forward quickly.

Inside the classroom, only a handful of students had chosen seats so far. And yet—
the seat next to Fu Duqiu was still empty.

As soon as another student entered, they all deliberately skipped past Fu Duqiu’s seat—every single one of them—and sat as far away as possible.

…Had Fu Duqiu’s reputation really gotten that bad?

Duan Wei glanced at him with a flicker of pity.

When it was finally his turn to pick a seat, Duan Wei slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked in. While waiting outside, he had already chosen his ideal spot—a desk with good light and ventilation, perfectly angled away from the hallway so he could sneak a nap without worrying about getting caught.

So, under the scrutiny of the entire class, Duan Wei walked into the room and sat very far from Fu Duqiu.

Almost instantly, he could feel the gazes closing in from all directions—layered, probing, and impossible to decipher. Pretending not to notice, he unpacked his things and ignored the eyes of Class Eight.

Soon, everyone had settled into their new seats, and the bell for evening study rang on time. Duan Wei chatted briefly with his new deskmate, then pulled out the test paper their teacher, Lao Qin, had just handed out and began working through the problems.

Final exams were near, and the difficulty level had shot through the roof. Duan Wei scratched his head in frustration after struggling for a while.

Out of habit, he nudged the person beside him with his elbow—only to hit empty air. It took him a moment to remember that he’d switched seats. Fu Duqiu wasn’t beside him anymore.

He froze for a second, then sighed and got back to solving the problems on his own.

“Hey, Duan-ge,” Peng Yan said, walking over with a grilled sausage in hand. He glanced at Duan Wei’s half-finished test paper and grinned. “Wanna come game with us?”

“No,” Duan Wei refused flatly. “I’ve got to turn this in tomorrow. You finished yours yet?”

Peng Yan shook his head. “I was gonna copy yours.”

“You’re seriously copying mine now? Have you no shame left?”

“Didn’t you used to have the class genius check your answers for you?” Peng Yan said, then suddenly smacked his forehead. “Oh right—why don’t you ask Fu Duqiu?”

His voice was way too loud.

Duan Wei’s eyes went wide, but before he could say anything, a familiar voice came from behind him.

“What don’t you understand?”

“…” Duan Wei rolled his eyes at Peng Yan in silence, then pointed at the half-finished test paper. “Pretty much all of it.”

Fu Duqiu picked up the paper, skimmed through it, and started explaining the logic behind each question.

Since it was a language test, the answers weren’t step-by-step like math problems. He sat down beside Duan Wei, pen in his right hand, his left resting casually on Duan Wei’s shoulder as he leaned in to make sure Duan Wei was following along. His breath brushed lightly across Duan Wei’s cheek.

“Got it now?” Fu Duqiu asked softly.

“…Not really.”

The truth was, Duan Wei hadn’t heard a single word of what he’d said.

“Then,” Fu Duqiu paused, his lips curving faintly, “let’s switch seats. Come sit next to me—I’ll explain it slowly.”

Peng Yan, phone in hand, didn’t dare look up, but his ears were wide open. Watching Fu Duqiu’s hopeful expression, he suddenly thought his Duan-ge looked exactly like a scumbag ditching his lover.

“…” Duan Wei tried to brush it off. “I can just ask the class rep.”

“The class rep’s too busy,” Fu Duqiu said smoothly. “And aren’t you afraid of annoying her?”

“…”

As he spoke, Fu Duqiu leaned closer. Duan Wei, uncomfortable, leaned back. “Lao Qin just rearranged the seats—it wouldn’t look good to switch again.”

Peng Yan wiped imaginary sweat off his forehead. He wanted to say something but decided against it—he’d like to keep his life, thanks.

“It’s fine,” Fu Duqiu said with a lazy smirk. “Mr. Qin already told me to help you study.”

Duan Wei: “…”

Maybe all that test prep had fried his brain cells, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out why Fu Duqiu had been acting so strange lately. Ever since he’d come back from winter camp, the guy had been—different. Teasing him at every opportunity, then walking off like nothing happened. Just like a player.

Like right now—Fu Duqiu leaned in again, the faint trace of his pheromones wrapping subtly between them. It was so light that only someone who’d once been marked could sense it.

In this tiny, quiet space, that faint scent made the world feel even smaller.

Fu Duqiu murmured, “So? Will you sit with me again? I don’t mind you being annoying. Hm?”

Seeing him tease again like he had that afternoon, the spark in Duan Wei’s chest flared into a full-blown fire. He wanted to turn the tables for once.

So after thinking for a moment, he gave a crooked, not-quite smile and said—

“How about you beg me? Maybe I’ll consider it.”