PSWHNC CH13

Chapter 13 I’m Very Disappointed in You

Luo Zhiyu never got a reply from Xiao Yan until the end of class. When the bell rang, the art teacher walked out of the room, and the already noisy classroom grew even louder.

The dinner break at No. 1 High School was very short, followed immediately by evening self-study. As soon as class ended, many students rushed out of the classroom.

“Zhiyu, are you going to the canteen?” Jing Ximing pulled his meal card from his pencil case, ready to make a run for it.

“You go ahead,” Luo Zhiyu said, picking up the sketch he’d been idly working on. “I’ve got something to do. I’ll come in a bit.”

“What could be more important than eating?” Jing Ximing didn’t get it.

Class 2-3 was right above theirs. Luo Zhiyu had been there once before, so this time he found his way easily. Just like in his own class, most of the students had already cleared out. The desks were piled high with study materials, their pages turned and dog-eared, with various sticky notes tucked in between.

Xiao Yan’s seat was by the window. Luo Zhiyu spotted it right away. His desk was neat and empty, with nothing but a water bottle on it. He must’ve been in a hurry to get to dinner. The lid was off, and the freshly poured hot water was still steaming.

[Not Zhile]: I’ve delivered the mini fridge to you, right to your desk.

[Not Zhile]: Let the sight of it remind you of what once was.

[Not Zhile]: Let this commemorate my lost pot.

After sending the message, Luo Zhiyu put away his phone and leaned against the railing outside Class 2-3’s door. He folded the sketch paper into a paper airplane, took a step back to gauge the angle, then raised his hand and threw it.

“What are you doing?” Xiao Yan’s voice came from the side. He seemed to be returning from the office, holding a thin workbook in his hand.

Startled, Luo Zhiyu’s hand shook. The paper airplane wobbled in the air, flew through the open window of Class 2-3, hovered briefly, then nosedived straight into Xiao Yan’s water bottle. The hot water soaked the paper instantly, causing it to unravel.

The little sketch of the mini fridge dissolved in the heat.

Luo Zhiyu: “……”

Xiao Yan: “……”

“A mistake in execution.” Luo Zhiyu turned and took off. “Farewell!”

“Get back here.” He hadn’t even gotten far when Xiao Yan grabbed his right wrist and yanked him back hard. Xiao Yan rolled the workbook into a tube and lightly smacked the center of Luo Zhiyu’s palm. “Running away after causing trouble?”

“Yeah.” Luo Zhiyu rubbed his stinging palm with his free hand and gave up on escaping. “I learned it from you.”

“When did I ever teach you to cause trouble for others during class break?” Xiao Yan still hadn’t let go of his hand.

“Don’t you know how to apply knowledge by analogy?” Luo Zhiyu gave a small tug. The scar on Xiao Yan’s wrist showed again, and Luo Zhiyu gnashed his teeth, feeling a bit like he was three years old again.

“What are you trying to do?” Xiao Yan sensed something was off.

“Students, aren’t you going to eat?” Teacher Li, Class 2-3’s homeroom teacher, walked by with his lunchbox and immediately recognized the two students who had recently been the talk of the campus.

0% pheromone compatibility. These were key students the school was keeping a close eye on.

Teacher Li quickly added a warning, “You’re not fighting, are you? The director said that if Luo Zhiyu and Xiao Yan get caught fighting again, it’ll result in an automatic deduction of credits.”

“We’re not fighting.” The two of them turned at the same time and shouted the answer back at him.

Teacher Li nearly dropped his lunchbox. “…If you’re not fighting, then why so aggressive? Guilty conscience?”

Xiao Yan raised the hand still holding Luo Zhiyu’s wrist. “We’re getting along just fine, teacher. Think about it, would we be holding hands if we were fighting?”

“Exactly. We’re getting along.” Luo Zhiyu pointed to the workbook in Xiao Yan’s hand. “Teacher, he’s explaining a problem to me. I even mentioned just now about applying knowledge by analogy.”

The scene and their statements lined up perfectly. Although still a bit suspicious, Teacher Li let them go and watched the two of them walk off hand in hand, disappearing around the corner of the staircase.

As soon as they were out of sight, the two who had just been acting like best friends immediately dropped the act.

“Stay away from me,” Luo Zhiyu said in disgust. “Don’t get your mandarin scent all over me again.”

“You’re slandering me,” Xiao Yan said as they walked. “Except for the day of my secondary gender differentiation, I’ve always kept my pheromones in check, unless…”

Unless Luo Zhiyu had worn the borrowed uniform without washing it first. Xiao Yan couldn’t think of any other possibility.

“You wore my uniform without washing it?” Xiao Yan backed Luo Zhiyu up against the wall in the stairwell and lightly tapped his cheek with the rolled-up workbook. “Are you acting like a little acoundrel?”

Luo Zhiyu: “I…”

He suddenly realized that he was standing in the exact same spot where he had borrowed Xiao Yan’s uniform that day.

That day, Teacher Xu’s voice from the physiology class still seemed to echo in his ears: “Some omega students…”

“I just remembered something.” Teacher Li, who hadn’t gone far, stepped back toward the stairwell. “Xiao Yan, you and Xiao Luo aren’t even in the same year. What problem were you helping him with?”

The stairwell was empty. No one was there anymore.

“Where are you going?” Luo Zhiyu noticed Xiao Yan wasn’t heading toward the canteen. “You’re skipping dinner?”

“There’s no food left at the canteen by now,” Xiao Yan said, walking toward the back gate of the school. “I ordered takeout ahead of time.”

“I remember you said not to use your own name when ordering takeout before.” Luo Zhiyu recalled their conversation from the day before school started. “This isn’t going to backfire on me, right?”

“I used a teacher’s name,” Xiao Yan said. “Doesn’t matter which one, just not Lao Wu. Last year the security guard got over thirty takeout orders under Director Wu’s name in one day.”

Luo Zhiyu: “……”

The canteen was already out of food, so Luo Zhiyu turned back toward the classroom. Evening self-study wasn’t that long anyway, so skipping dinner wasn’t a big deal. Worst case, he could eat something back at the dorm.

When Xiao Yan returned to the classroom, Fan Yue and Tang Yuan were leaning over his desk, examining his water bottle.

“What did you brew?” Fan Yue leaned down to sniff it. “Is it drinkable?”

“The campus heartthrob’s exclusive stupidity-inducing tea,” Tang Yuan said, giving the drink a name.

“No, it’s not.” Xiao Yan picked up the bottle and headed to pour it out. “Aren’t you on duty tonight with Class 7? I’m off student council duty this week. I’ll be stepping out in a bit.”

“I’m heading over now.” Fan Yue rummaged through his drawer for his student council duty badge. “There’ll only be a few people sneaking off during evening self-study. I’ll be right back. I have a ton of homework today.”

“I forgot my badge,” Fan Yue said. “I’ll run to the dorm and grab it.”

“No need. Use mine.” Xiao Yan pulled his badge from the side pocket of his bag and tossed it over. “It’s all the same. Anyway it’s the student council who’ll deduct the points.”

“Wow, doing patrols with the campus heartthrob’s photo and name, what an honor.” Fan Yue picked up his Chinese textbook and walked out of the classroom.

In Class 1–3’s classroom, students were attending evening self-study. There was no teacher at the podium. Most were focused on their homework, while a few whispered quietly.

[Qiangtoucao/FenceSitter]: What’s wrong?

[Qiangtoucao/FenceSitter]: Are you feeling unwell? You haven’t moved in thirty minutes.

[Not Zhile]: Shhh.

[Not Zhile]: I’m so hungry.

[Not Zhile]: The classroom is way too quiet. What if my stomach growls?!

[Qiangtoucao/Fencesitter]: …I didn’t bring any snacks, and we’re not allowed to eat in here anyway.

[Qiangtoucao/Fencesitter]: Want me to make some noise to cover for you?

Jing Ximing pulled out all his books and flipped through them loudly, drawing everyone’s attention in the room.

[Not Zhile]: Never mind, forget it.

[Not Zhile]: Should I just skip class?

[Qiangtoucao/Fencesitter]: You can’t. The teacher’s coming in the second half to go over the entrance exam papers.

[Not Zhile]: Then I’ll go outside and drink some wind.

Luo Zhiyu, phone in hand, made his way up to the roof of the academic building. The rooftop door was locked, so he sat on the steps just behind it, listening to music.

[Excellent Second-Year Student Representative]: Not in class?

[Not Zhile]: Sigh, I’m hungry. Can’t even find my way to get some fresh air.

When Xiao Yan arrived at the top floor with a box of takoyaki in hand, Luo Zhiyu was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, listening to music. His school uniform was slightly too big, making his frame look a bit slender. The red earphone wire trailed from his collar into the inside of his jacket. The soft lighting slanted across his face, casting gentle shadows beneath his eyelashes.

Xiao Yan lightly tapped the bag against Luo Zhiyu’s nose. Luo Zhiyu opened his eyes and saw who was standing in front of him.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, pulling out his earphones.

“Ordered too much takeout. Want some leftovers?” Xiao Yan gave the bag a small shake.

Luo Zhiyu took the bag from him and watched as Xiao Yan pulled a set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the rooftop door.

“Where’d you get the keys?” Luo Zhiyu asked.

“Student council. A few other students have them too. No one usually comes up here at this hour.” Xiao Yan pushed the door open. “Come on.”

The temperature difference between day and night in early autumn was significant. The evening breeze was cool against their cheeks. Xiao Yan sat down by the wall, and Luo Zhiyu followed suit, sitting cross-legged and opening the disposable box.

The takoyaki from this place was surprisingly good. The box was full, neatly arranged, generously topped, and finished with a layer of shredded dried meat. The canteen food at No. 1 High was average at best, and since arriving, Luo Zhiyu hadn’t had anything from outside.

“Thanks.” Regardless of how things had been between them, a meal like this deserved a thank you.

The homeroom teacher was right. He should remember the kindness others showed him.

“What made you suddenly feel generous today?” Luo Zhiyu asked.

When he looked up at Xiao Yan, the city lights behind him shimmered without pause, and above them, the scattered stars of the night sky glowed faintly. It was as if pieces of the Milky Way had fallen into his eyes. Holding a bamboo skewer, Luo Zhiyu smiled as he said thanks, not realizing there was still a bit of ketchup at the corner of his mouth.

“Who knows.” Xiao Yan avoided the question, his gaze shifting away.

“You’ve got something…” Xiao Yan hesitated, then reached out to wipe the sauce from the corner of Luo Zhiyu’s mouth. “If you liked it, next time—”

Luo Zhiyu unconsciously licked the sauce from the corner of his mouth, his tongue accidentally brushing Xiao Yan’s fingertip. Both of them froze for a moment.

A flashlight beam suddenly broke the quiet of the rooftop. Two student council patrol members had followed the smell into the night.

“Damn, that smells amazing.”

“Who’s sneaking takeout up here?”

“First, ask which takeout place it’s from!”

“This one’s a big fish. Dock all the points, ha!”

Fan Yue stepped in front of them, proudly displaying the duty badge on his chest. “Student council duty. Caught eating takeout, minus two credits.”

Xiao Yan: “……”

“Huh?” Fan Yue recognized his deskmate. “Wait, why are you—”

Before he could finish, Luo Zhiyu had already spotted Xiao Yan’s name and ID photo on the duty badge he was wearing. He swallowed the unchewed takoyaki in his mouth, frowned in thought for a moment, and came up with what he believed was a reasonable explanation for the situation.

Xiao Yan, in an uncharacteristic burst of kindness, brought him takoyaki takeout. 

He had been led up to the rooftop by Xiao Yan.

A student council patrol had conveniently caught him in the act of eating the takeout.

The patrol member was wearing Xiao Yan’s badge.

He was about to get points deducted.

In summary—

“Is this…” Luo Zhiyu turned to Xiao Yan with a look of bitter disappointment. “An immortal jump^[1]?”