The scene shifts to just after Ke Bu has left the gymnasium. Su You Yan waits for Zhi Li to come out. “Your answer just now was really cold. What do you mean by ‘just more familiar’?”
Zhi Li replied calmly, “Sometimes you have to make him reflect a little.”
“When he was surrounded by a group of men, your shooting accuracy dropped. Why?” Su You Yan asked. Zhi Li glanced at her. “Women who are too smart aren’t cute.”
“Men who are too calculating aren’t cute either.”
“That idiot Hao Yu dared to pry into my private matters. I’ll leave the ‘discipline’ to you.”
“Alright.”
Although Su You Yan had eyes that could see through everything, Zhi Li possessed the intelligence to control everything.
Chu Hao Yu moved over and sat beside Ke Bu, studying him carefully. “Did I guess wrong? You’re not secretly in love with Zhi Li?” The moment those words came out, Ke Bu sprayed all the food in his mouth. “What kind of nonsense are you talking about?!”
“I thought the plan was flawless. After you lost confidence from such a heavy blow, Zhi Li would definitely choose Gong Zhu. Then your emotional defenses would completely collapse—your face would turn pale, you’d cry your eyes out, and reveal that you like Zhi Li. Then we’d get to watch a good show. But you didn’t react at all.” Chu Hao Yu muttered to himself, exposing this shocking conspiracy.
Ke Bu pointed his chopsticks at Chu Hao Yu, furious. “So that was your plan from the start?! That whole evaluation was fake—you just wanted to test if I like Zhi Li! I’ll kill you.” Then he asked, “Did Gong Zhu know?”
“He wanted to know too, so he cooperated. Only Zhi Li and You Yan weren’t told. I originally wanted to use this chance to test Zhi Li too. You Yan is his confidant, so I couldn’t tell her. But he didn’t give any reaction worth seeing. I’ve always been deeply troubled over whether he likes men or women. I’ve never seen him date a girl. I thought he might like someone like Gong Zhu, but that doesn’t seem quite right. He’s really worth studying further.”
“And the basketball players?”
“They’re friends I usually play basketball with. I negotiated with them this morning—paid each of them a bowl of noodles.”
To fool him, this group had put on an impressively convincing performance. And to prevent Zhou Xin He from slipping up, they hadn’t let her speak at all. Ke Bu recalled everything from that morning—Chu Hao Yu excitedly chatting online, Gong Zhu suddenly appearing in the dorm dressed unusually well, and those boys cooperating so enthusiastically with such an obvious lie.
And how could someone like Chu Hao Yu, who only cared about women’s chests, suddenly be concerned about which man had more charm? Ke Bu realized he had made such a foolish mistake. He broke into a cold sweat. At the time, he had only felt a bit of stomach pain from hunger, with no visible reaction on his face. Fortunately, he had the composure to remain calm in situations—this had been an IQ battle, and by sheer accident, it had canceled itself out.
“I’m definitely going to smother you with a blanket tonight while you’re asleep.”
“Oh come on, I just thought you were too stubborn to admit you liked Zhi Li, so I wanted to help you out.”
“As if you’d be that kind-hearted!”
“Don’t tell Zhi Li. If he finds out I tricked him, he’ll kill me.” Chu Hao Yu would soon learn that playing around comes with consequences.
“I wouldn’t tell him something this embarrassing anyway!” The idea of secretly loving him was just too strange.
At that moment, Zhi Li and Su You Yan also arrived at the cafeteria. Everyone had gathered, and it was crowded at this hour. Ke Bu looked at his own meal, then glanced at Zhou Xin He’s homemade lunchbox. Brightly colored vegetables and meat were beautifully arranged—women who could cook were indeed admirable. By contrast, Ke Bu shifted his gaze to Su You Yan, who was reading even while eating. Noticing his gaze, though her face remained expressionless, her eyes clearly conveyed: compare again and I’ll kill you.
Across from him, Zhi Li hadn’t touched his own food. Instead, he stared at Zhou Xin He’s dishes so intently that her hands trembled as she held her chopsticks. It was clearly her own food, yet she felt unable to eat. In the end, she timidly pushed the dishes toward the center and looked at Zhi Li. “Do… do you want some?” After a month of spending time together, Zhou Xin He had gradually become less timid.
Zhi Li said nothing. His chopsticks reached straight into her food. Was there anyone more shameless than him?
Beside them, Chu Hao Yu and Ying Xiu Jie could only look on with envy.
“I’m doomed, there’s a test tonight! I’ve spent this entire first month just playing around and haven’t studied at all!” Ying Xiu Jie suddenly exclaimed as if remembering something important. But honestly, even if it weren’t the beginning of the term, he’d still be playing anyway. As soon as this heavy topic was brought up, many people at the table could barely continue eating. This school, although fun in some ways, was brutal when it came to academics—there was a test every month, and the results were posted on the bulletin board, almost like publicly displaying people’s shame. This month, it seemed like hardly anyone present had studied.
“Whoever finishes first, post the answers in the group chat.” Ke Bu made a suggestion when it came to his own interests. But another problem arose—if someone like Ying Xiu Jie finished first, his answers wouldn’t mean anything. Zhou Xin He was about the same average level as Ke Bu, Chu Hao Yu was slightly above average, but this time no one had studied, so it was uncertain. Everyone turned their gaze toward Su You Yan and Zhi Li. Even without reviewing, those two should at least guarantee a baseline.
“What exactly did you come to school for?” Zhi Li asked. There was no accusation—just a simple question. Yet it was precisely this simplicity, like a sacred light, that made everyone present unable to lift their heads, overwhelmed by their own shame. The preparatory bell suddenly rang, snapping everyone back to reality—only ten minutes remained before class. Chu Hao Yu stuffed the last of his food into his mouth: “Run!”
“A real man competes in who runs faster!” Ying Xiu Jie dashed out first. Gong Zhu followed behind: “Don’t argue over such small things, get along well, we’re all friends.” Zhou Xin He hurriedly packed up her lunchbox and left. Su You Yan slowly closed her book and walked out. Only Zhi Li and Ke Bu remained in the cafeteria. Naturally, Ke Bu wasn’t about to waste energy like that. The two walked to the cafeteria entrance. Ke Bu stretched lazily, turning his face toward the sunlight: “Ah, eating and then basking in the sun feels great. I don’t know what those people are panicking about.”
“I do know,” Zhi Li said unhurriedly.
“Let’s hear it.”
“The freshman handbook says being late will deduct credits.”
There was a full minute of silence between them. Suddenly, Ke Bu roared, “What?! Why didn’t you say that earlier?!” He grabbed Zhi Li’s wrist and rushed toward the teaching building, cursing internally—he really should’ve read that handbook more carefully. And this bastard Zhi Li knew and still acted like this. Even while cursing, he didn’t let go of Zhi Li’s hand. Halfway there, Ke Bu ran out of stamina, letting go and bending over his knees, panting.
“I can’t go on,” Ke Bu waved weakly.
“That’s because you never exercise—already aging and declining,” Zhi Li said. The words struck Ke Bu like an arrow straight to the heart. Just as he was about to respond, Zhi Li grabbed his hand: “We’re going.” Then he pulled Ke Bu along as he ran. Ke Bu’s palm felt slightly itchy as he tightened his grip on Zhi Li’s long, elegant hand. Being dragged forward, Ke Bu stumbled along behind him, watching Zhi Li’s profile—interwoven with sunlight and shadow—like a perfect embodiment of something beautiful.
The day before the National Day holiday, Ke Bu stood in front of the results bulletin board with a bleak expression. Without even asking, anyone could tell how badly he had done. In contrast, Zhi Li’s results were astonishingly good, making Ke Bu extremely indignant. They had both been playing around—so why were Zhi Li’s perfect scores so irritating? Seeing Zhi Li pass by, Ke Bu chased after him: “Did you check your results?”
“No.”
“You did way too well. Got any study methods? Tell me.”
“That?” Zhi Li paused. Ke Bu leaned in, ears perked up, ready to absorb the lesson.
“You Yan stole the answer sheet for me.”
Zhi Li delivered this shocking truth in the most casual tone. Ke Bu felt like his brain shattered on the spot. So that was an option? He had forgotten—You Yan was the chancellor’s daughter after all.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You didn’t ask.”
“Then where did the Zhi Li who asked ‘what did you come to school for’ go?! Zhi Li, you’re a complete schemer!”
“What?”
“Stop pretending.”
“What?”
“Got any plans for National Day?”
“No.”
“So you can hear me?!!!”
Ke Bu had the growing feeling that everything was being played in Zhi Li’s hands. All these years—had he really been fooled by Zhi Li’s seemingly natural cluelessness? Or was it all just coincidence?
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