Ke Bu lay lazily sprawled on his bed, unwilling to get up. Even though it was Sunday, there was nothing fun near the school, and he didn’t feel like taking a one-hour bus ride into the city, so all he could do was rot away in the dorm. The sound of Chu Hao Yu relentlessly tapping on his keyboard filled the entire room. Gong Zhu, dressed neatly and brightly, came to visit this lifeless dorm. The moment he stepped in, he frowned. “Your dorm is so dark. If you don’t want to open the curtains, at least turn on the lights.”
“Yo, Princess, you’re up this early.” Calling Gong Zhu “Princess” wasn’t an exaggeration at all, whether in terms of appearance or personality.
“This is already late. Where’s Ke Bu?”
Chu Hao Yu jerked his chin toward the bed. Gong Zhu shifted his gaze to the lump of blankets on it. The tightly wrapped quilt exposed only a single foot, like a failed attempt at hiding a body at a crime scene.
“Ke Bu, you’re still sleeping?”
“I’m not asleep. I just don’t want to get up.”
Chu Hao Yu said disdainfully, “Even if, as a man, you can’t be as full of masculinity as me and Xiu Jie, at least try to head in Gong Zhu’s direction. You seriously lack any drive to be a man.” Ke Bu wasn’t bothered in the slightest. He sat up, rubbing his shoulder. “Sorry about that. I’m allergic to living in a fairy-tale world.”
“If this keeps up, not only will women not want you, even men won’t want you either.”
“I don’t have that kind of need anyway. What, do you think I’d chase after a life where, the moment I step outside, birds and animals gather around me singing happily, and we spend joyful days together in the forest? And when I run into trouble, the animals come help me, and in the end I choke on an apple and someone revives me with a mouthful of saliva? Stop dreaming.”
“Tsk tsk, you’re the most unromantic person I’ve ever seen. You can even twist a fairy tale into something like that. I’ve decided—people like you belong on the blacklist for finding a partner.”
“Then I guess I should be happy for those women—I’ve saved them.”
“You’re hopeless in this lifetime. If you were a woman, even at the end of the world, I’d choose suicide over you. Princess, you should spend less time with Ke Bu. He’s terrible.”
Gong Zhu tilted his head, catching the key point of the conversation. “Hao Yu, if it were me and Ke Bu, who would you choose?”
“You, obviously.”
“Even if it’s you, saying it so bluntly still hurts!” Ke Bu sat up from the bed, lazily picking up his toothbrush and squeezing toothpaste onto it. Chu Hao Yu, seemingly struck by another crooked idea to relieve boredom, said, “Why don’t you two compete? Let Ke Bu see just how big the gap between men is, and maybe save that hopeless heart of his.”
“I concede.” Ke Bu scratched his stomach and spat out the foam in his mouth, showing no competitive spirit at all.
“That’s no fun if you give up so quickly. Let’s go to the gymnasium. I’ll gather everyone—Sunday’s boring anyway.”
“I have zero interest in participating.”
“What, afraid you’ll lose?” Chu Hao Yu used provocation.
“Yes. Exactly.” Ke Bu remained completely unmoved, then turned to Gong Zhu. “Are you really going to go crazy with him too?”
Gong Zhu nodded seriously. “I don’t know why, but I really want to compete with you.”
“What’s there to compete about?”
“I just want to compare how others see me and you.” Looking at Gong Zhu’s delicate, endearing face, Ke Bu felt helpless. In the end, he was dragged to the gymnasium by Chu Hao Yu. Inside, besides them, there were a few students playing basketball. Chu Hao Yu clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Sorry, everyone. We’re from the student council. We need to choose one of these two as a cadre. To respect public opinion, we’d like you all to help vote.” Chu Hao Yu really dared to spout any lie, speaking with complete confidence. The dozen or so basketball players gathered around, looking at Ke Bu and Gong Zhu like they were animals in a zoo. Ke Bu’s face darkened—why did he have to be dragged into something so pointless? He didn’t want to compare himself to anyone. He knew how ordinary he was—so ordinary he was like instant noodles you could find anywhere in a supermarket: cheap and common.
Zhi Li picked up a basketball that had been left nearby with one hand. He dribbled skillfully, leaned forward, and leapt beautifully. The ball left his slender fingers, tracing an arc before dropping cleanly into the hoop. He seemed completely unaware of what was happening beside him, playing on his own. Perhaps he had never intended to participate from the start—he was just there to play basketball. Yet his vote carried significant weight for Gong Zhu.
“What are we competing in? Who can knock the other out with one punch? Count me in.” Ying Xiu Jie eagerly joined in.
“Standing before everyone are Contestant No.1, the one drawing all the attention, and Contestant No.2, the one going unnoticed. First, we’ll judge their appearance. Please cast your votes.” Chu Hao Yu ignored Ying Xiu Jie and continued speaking.
“Yu Tai, if you want to fight, just say it!!” Ke Bu rolled his eyes at the wording.
“Contestants, please remain quiet.”
“Contestant No.1.” The most honest result was that everyone chose Gong Zhu. You couldn’t blame them—Ke Bu himself would have chosen Gong Zhu. The title “top-tier shou” wasn’t given for nothing.
“Next is temperament.”
“Contestant No.1.”
“Next is moral character.”
“Contestant No.1.”
“Next is cultivation and dress. Contestants, please walk around the judges once and strike a few poses.”
“Believe it or not, I’ll put a knife to your neck while posing.” This extremely boring evaluation dragged on for a full hour—in other words, Ke Bu was completely crushed for an entire hour. He weakly glanced at the time; it was time to eat.
“Final question: based on all the above results, which of the two has more masculine charm?”
“Contestant No.1.”
“I’m talking to you guys—since we’re friends, at least leave me one vote.”
“We’re not biased—we’re just following facts. So take this opportunity to improve yourself. Don’t blame us; we just want you to become an outstanding man who can catch a woman’s eye. Zhi Li, you cast a vote too.” Chu Hao Yu unintentionally hit the mark; now Gong Zhu became a bit nervous.
“Gong Zhu.” Zhi Li answered simply. Anyone could see Gong Zhu’s delight, while Ke Bu only wanted to eat. He didn’t care who Zhi Li chose—he was just hungry, so hungry his stomach hurt.
“The champion, chosen by popular demand, should at least treat us each to a bowl of noodles.” Everyone pushed Gong Zhu along as they swarmed toward the cafeteria. Ke Bu walked outside and looked at Su You Yan. To be honest, although he hadn’t intended to compare himself with anyone, losing this badly to Gong Zhu still left a bit of a knot in his heart. Right now, he wanted to hug Su You Yan and cry, but his stomach hurt too much to move. Eat—he had to eat.
“Are you angry?”
“Not really. Yu Tai and the others just like to have fun. I’m not stupid enough to confuse jokes with malicious pranks. Sigh, I just didn’t expect to lose this badly. I really can’t compare to Gong Zhu. I know very well what kind of outstanding person he is, but just because someone is better than me doesn’t mean I have to become that kind of person. Most people in this world are ordinary, and I feel safe being one of them.” Ke Bu spoke frankly.
“Well, you didn’t lose everything. It depends on how the question is asked.” Su You Yan suddenly raised her voice. The empty gym echoed with a lonely reverberation: “Zhi Li.” Zhi Li looked toward her. Ke Bu stood by the doorway, out of his line of sight.
“Between Ke Bu and Gong Zhu, who looks better?”
“Gong Zhu.”
Ke Bu knew that anything Zhi Li said would be the truth.
“Who has more temperament?”
“Gong Zhu.”
“Who has better character?”
“Gong Zhu.”
Ke Bu leaned toward Su You Yan and whispered, “Do you really have to push me to the point of suicide before you’re satisfied?” Su You Yan calmly adjusted her glasses. “Let me be clear—I don’t consider you a friend. I’m just repaying the favor for the corn from last time. From now on, don’t try to get close to me.”
“If this counts as repaying a favor, then keep it.” Friends exist only to betray.
This time, Su You Yan ignored him and continued asking Zhi Li, “If Ke Bu and Gong Zhu were both women, who would you choose as your girlfriend?” Zhi Li casually shot the basketball into the hoop. It struck the floor with a crisp sound that echoed through the air. “Ke Bu.” There was no hesitation; the name came out almost instinctively.
Ke Bu jabbed Su You Yan in the back with his elbow. “Ask why. If you don’t, I’ll stab you right here.” It seemed friends really were meant for betrayal—Su You Yan wasn’t the only one who could turn on others; Ke Bu was just the same.
“Why?”
“I’m more familiar with Ke Bu.”
What kind of lousy answer was that? No—if he wasn’t satisfied with that answer, then what answer did he want to hear? Something was wrong with the world, and his head was starting to go wrong too. Ke Bu shook his head as he walked toward the cafeteria. Ying Xiu Jie was holding food. “Why are you moving so slowly? Aren’t you hungry?”
“Not really that hungry.”
Huh? Ke Bu reached out and touched his stomach—the pain there had disappeared…
Ke Bu lay lazily sprawled on his bed, unwilling to get up. Even though it was Sunday, there was nothing fun near the school, and he didn’t feel like taking a one-hour bus ride into the city, so all he could do was rot away in the dorm. The sound of Chu Hao Yu relentlessly tapping on his keyboard filled the entire room. Gong Zhu, dressed neatly and brightly, came to visit this lifeless dorm. The moment he stepped in, he frowned. “Your dorm is so dark. If you don’t want to open the curtains, at least turn on the lights.”
“Yo, Princess, you’re up this early.” Calling Gong Zhu “Princess” wasn’t an exaggeration at all, whether in terms of appearance or personality.
“This is already late. Where’s Ke Bu?”
Chu Hao Yu jerked his chin toward the bed. Gong Zhu shifted his gaze to the lump of blankets on it. The tightly wrapped quilt exposed only a single foot, like a failed attempt at hiding a body at a crime scene.
“Ke Bu, you’re still sleeping?”
“I’m not asleep. I just don’t want to get up.”
Chu Hao Yu said disdainfully, “Even if, as a man, you can’t be as full of masculinity as me and Xiu Jie, at least try to head in Gong Zhu’s direction. You seriously lack any drive to be a man.” Ke Bu wasn’t bothered in the slightest. He sat up, rubbing his shoulder. “Sorry about that. I’m allergic to living in a fairy-tale world.”
“If this keeps up, not only will women not want you, even men won’t want you either.”
“I don’t have that kind of need anyway. What, do you think I’d chase after a life where, the moment I step outside, birds and animals gather around me singing happily, and we spend joyful days together in the forest? And when I run into trouble, the animals come help me, and in the end I choke on an apple and someone revives me with a mouthful of saliva? Stop dreaming.”
“Tsk tsk, you’re the most unromantic person I’ve ever seen. You can even twist a fairy tale into something like that. I’ve decided—people like you belong on the blacklist for finding a partner.”
“Then I guess I should be happy for those women—I’ve saved them.”
“You’re hopeless in this lifetime. If you were a woman, even at the end of the world, I’d choose suicide over you. Princess, you should spend less time with Ke Bu. He’s terrible.”
Gong Zhu tilted his head, catching the key point of the conversation. “Hao Yu, if it were me and Ke Bu, who would you choose?”
“You, obviously.”
“Even if it’s you, saying it so bluntly still hurts!” Ke Bu sat up from the bed, lazily picking up his toothbrush and squeezing toothpaste onto it. Chu Hao Yu, seemingly struck by another crooked idea to relieve boredom, said, “Why don’t you two compete? Let Ke Bu see just how big the gap between men is, and maybe save that hopeless heart of his.”
“I concede.” Ke Bu scratched his stomach and spat out the foam in his mouth, showing no competitive spirit at all.
“That’s no fun if you give up so quickly. Let’s go to the gymnasium. I’ll gather everyone—Sunday’s boring anyway.”
“I have zero interest in participating.”
“What, afraid you’ll lose?” Chu Hao Yu used provocation.
“Yes. Exactly.” Ke Bu remained completely unmoved, then turned to Gong Zhu. “Are you really going to go crazy with him too?”
Gong Zhu nodded seriously. “I don’t know why, but I really want to compete with you.”
“What’s there to compete about?”
“I just want to compare how others see me and you.” Looking at Gong Zhu’s delicate, endearing face, Ke Bu felt helpless. In the end, he was dragged to the gymnasium by Chu Hao Yu. Inside, besides them, there were a few students playing basketball. Chu Hao Yu clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Sorry, everyone. We’re from the student council. We need to choose one of these two as a cadre. To respect public opinion, we’d like you all to help vote.” Chu Hao Yu really dared to spout any lie, speaking with complete confidence. The dozen or so basketball players gathered around, looking at Ke Bu and Gong Zhu like they were animals in a zoo. Ke Bu’s face darkened—why did he have to be dragged into something so pointless? He didn’t want to compare himself to anyone. He knew how ordinary he was—so ordinary he was like instant noodles you could find anywhere in a supermarket: cheap and common.
Zhi Li picked up a basketball that had been left nearby with one hand. He dribbled skillfully, leaned forward, and leapt beautifully. The ball left his slender fingers, tracing an arc before dropping cleanly into the hoop. He seemed completely unaware of what was happening beside him, playing on his own. Perhaps he had never intended to participate from the start—he was just there to play basketball. Yet his vote carried significant weight for Gong Zhu.
“What are we competing in? Who can knock the other out with one punch? Count me in.” Ying Xiu Jie eagerly joined in.
“Standing before everyone are Contestant No.1, the one drawing all the attention, and Contestant No.2, the one going unnoticed. First, we’ll judge their appearance. Please cast your votes.” Chu Hao Yu ignored Ying Xiu Jie and continued speaking.
“Yu Tai, if you want to fight, just say it!!” Ke Bu rolled his eyes at the wording.
“Contestants, please remain quiet.”
“Contestant No.1.” The most honest result was that everyone chose Gong Zhu. You couldn’t blame them—Ke Bu himself would have chosen Gong Zhu. The title “top-tier shou” wasn’t given for nothing.
“Next is temperament.”
“Contestant No.1.”
“Next is moral character.”
“Contestant No.1.”
“Next is cultivation and dress. Contestants, please walk around the judges once and strike a few poses.”
“Believe it or not, I’ll put a knife to your neck while posing.” This extremely boring evaluation dragged on for a full hour—in other words, Ke Bu was completely crushed for an entire hour. He weakly glanced at the time; it was time to eat.
“Final question: based on all the above results, which of the two has more masculine charm?”
“Contestant No.1.”
“I’m talking to you guys—since we’re friends, at least leave me one vote.”
“We’re not biased—we’re just following facts. So take this opportunity to improve yourself. Don’t blame us; we just want you to become an outstanding man who can catch a woman’s eye. Zhi Li, you cast a vote too.” Chu Hao Yu unintentionally hit the mark; now Gong Zhu became a bit nervous.
“Gong Zhu.” Zhi Li answered simply. Anyone could see Gong Zhu’s delight, while Ke Bu only wanted to eat. He didn’t care who Zhi Li chose—he was just hungry, so hungry his stomach hurt.
“The champion, chosen by popular demand, should at least treat us each to a bowl of noodles.” Everyone pushed Gong Zhu along as they swarmed toward the cafeteria. Ke Bu walked outside and looked at Su You Yan. To be honest, although he hadn’t intended to compare himself with anyone, losing this badly to Gong Zhu still left a bit of a knot in his heart. Right now, he wanted to hug Su You Yan and cry, but his stomach hurt too much to move. Eat—he had to eat.
“Are you angry?”
“Not really. Yu Tai and the others just like to have fun. I’m not stupid enough to confuse jokes with malicious pranks. Sigh, I just didn’t expect to lose this badly. I really can’t compare to Gong Zhu. I know very well what kind of outstanding person he is, but just because someone is better than me doesn’t mean I have to become that kind of person. Most people in this world are ordinary, and I feel safe being one of them.” Ke Bu spoke frankly.
“Well, you didn’t lose everything. It depends on how the question is asked.” Su You Yan suddenly raised her voice. The empty gym echoed with a lonely reverberation: “Zhi Li.” Zhi Li looked toward her. Ke Bu stood by the doorway, out of his line of sight.
“Between Ke Bu and Gong Zhu, who looks better?”
“Gong Zhu.”
Ke Bu knew that anything Zhi Li said would be the truth.
“Who has more temperament?”
“Gong Zhu.”
“Who has better character?”
“Gong Zhu.”
Ke Bu leaned toward Su You Yan and whispered, “Do you really have to push me to the point of suicide before you’re satisfied?” Su You Yan calmly adjusted her glasses. “Let me be clear—I don’t consider you a friend. I’m just repaying the favor for the corn from last time. From now on, don’t try to get close to me.”
“If this counts as repaying a favor, then keep it.” Friends exist only to betray.
This time, Su You Yan ignored him and continued asking Zhi Li, “If Ke Bu and Gong Zhu were both women, who would you choose as your girlfriend?” Zhi Li casually shot the basketball into the hoop. It struck the floor with a crisp sound that echoed through the air. “Ke Bu.” There was no hesitation; the name came out almost instinctively.
Ke Bu jabbed Su You Yan in the back with his elbow. “Ask why. If you don’t, I’ll stab you right here.” It seemed friends really were meant for betrayal—Su You Yan wasn’t the only one who could turn on others; Ke Bu was just the same.
“Why?”
“I’m more familiar with Ke Bu.”
What kind of lousy answer was that? No—if he wasn’t satisfied with that answer, then what answer did he want to hear? Something was wrong with the world, and his head was starting to go wrong too. Ke Bu shook his head as he walked toward the cafeteria. Ying Xiu Jie was holding food. “Why are you moving so slowly? Aren’t you hungry?”
“Not really that hungry.”
Huh? Ke Bu reached out and touched his stomach—the pain there had disappeared…
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