Pei Cangyu’s philosophy on attending school was all about cutting it close. Arriving a minute late meant a scolding; arriving a minute early felt like a loss. Thus, at exactly 7:19, Pei Cangyu appeared punctually at the back door of the classroom.
To his surprise, a certain short "young master" arrived at the front door at the exact same time.
The two stared at each other from across the room, frozen for three solid seconds.
Then, with simultaneous huffs, they looked away and entered the classroom.
Seating in the class was fluid. Generally, seats were rotated once a week. The specific procedure involved shifting one seat to the left one week, and one seat back the next. This was to ensure every student experienced the "cultural immersion" of every corner of the room. Students moved in pairs with their desk mates, never to be parted. This week, Pei Cangyu and Bai Shi were in the second column from the left. Next week, they would be right against the wall. According to the rotation, Pei Cangyu would be in the inner seat against the wall, meaning every time he wanted to get in or out, he’d have to deal with Bai Shi’s attitude.
Thinking of this, Pei Cangyu shot another glance at Bai Shi.
Bai Shi kept his eyes fixed forward. "What are you looking at, idiot?"
Pei Cangyu’s temper flared instantly. This guy was a real piece of work; he didn't have a single nice word in him. Pei Cangyu planted his foot on the crossbar of Bai Shi’s stool and gave it a shake, feeling a surge of joy as he watched Bai Shi wobble back and forth.
The math teacher entered carrying a stack of papers. The moment the students saw them, they began to wail. The teacher smiled brightly as he handed them out. "Crying? Crying counts as test time, you know."
He pulled out an alarm clock, wound it with a series of clicks, and slammed it onto the lectern. "Two periods. Hand them in when the bell rings."
The wailing gradually subsided as the teenagers learned to accept their fate.
"Dammit..." Pei Cangyu clutched his hair, staring at the paper. He really wasn't in the mood for a test today...
He dutifully wrote his name, then with a flourish, spun the paper ninety degrees. Staring at the header, his mind began to wander. Sometimes he wondered if he was cursed—why else would he forget the first three words of a sentence by the time he reached the tenth?
The rest of the class had already hunched over their desks to start. Pei Cangyu reluctantly began to read the questions. *It’s mostly just that I’m not in the mood today,* he told himself. *Yeah, that’s definitely it.*
He twirled his pen and glanced at Bai Shi.
*What the hell?* Bai Shi was sleeping!
How could he let this stand?
Pei Cangyu raised his hand.
Then, thinking better of it, he put it back down.
Bai Shi rolled over, and Pei Cangyu took the opportunity to peek at his paper. It was even emptier than his own. Pei Cangyu had the utmost contempt for "academic dregs" like himself, but at least he tried despite his lack of talent. Someone like Bai Shi, who gave up from the very start, was a true waste of space.
Pei Cangyu let out a few cold chuckles, suddenly feeling a surge of confidence in his own paper.
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, only twenty-five minutes remained. Pei Cangyu had successfully finished one side. Next to him, Bai Shi woke up.
Pei Cangyu leaned over, checking to make sure the teacher wasn't looking, and whispered with a smirk, "Well, well, Young Master. Finally awake?"
Without looking at him, Bai Shi pulled out a pen and wrote his name. "None of your business."
"Dumbass. If you don't know the answers, just say so. I might let you copy mine, hahaha." Pei Cangyu shot him a look of pure disdain.
Surprisingly, Bai Shi turned his head. "Idiot."
"Oh, wow, so impressive. Is this the behavior of a genius? I’m in awe." Pei Cangyu swung his legs, not even looking up, thoroughly enjoying himself.
Bai Shi lowered his voice. "What if I score higher than you?"
"Don't make me laugh, man. Do you get points for just writing your name? Obviously not." Pei Cangyu glanced at the teacher again to see if they’d been spotted.
Bai Shi looked at him seriously. "If I score higher, you jump off this floor."
Pei Cangyu snorted. "Forget this floor, I’ll jump off the damn roof. Kid, don't get cocky with me."
Bai Shi turned back, checked the clock, sat up straight, and uncapped his fountain pen. "It’s a deal. Also, I’m older than you."
Pei Cangyu scoffed, not bothering to respond.
The math class representative was the Class Monitor, a girl named Lu Jingyi. When time was up, she stood to collect the papers. They were passed forward from the back of each row while she waited at the front.
Pei Cangyu took the papers passed from behind him. *Dammit, everyone wrote more than me.* Then he looked at Bai Shi’s... *Holy crap, can someone actually write that much in twenty-five minutes?*
A sense of foreboding washed over him. As the papers were passed in front of him, Bai Shi’s cold gaze flickered from behind. Pei Cangyu felt goosebumps. *What the hell is this freak thinking every day?*
The Class Monitor was busy at the front. Some people were stalling, clutching their papers to scribble a few more words. Pei Cangyu didn't understand why they were so obsessed with a test like this.
The Class Monitor went to collect from one of the stallers. Without looking up, the boy shouted at her, "There’s someone else over there still writing! Why are you always coming after me?"
Lu Jingyi held the stack of papers, her face flushing. "I’ll get to him in a second. Give me yours first."
The boy continued to write furiously. "Collect his first!"
Lu Jingyi was getting anxious. She reached for the paper. "Isn't it the same? He said the same thing."
The boy refused to let go and even swatted her hand away.
Pei Cangyu, who had been watching the Class Monitor closely, stood up abruptly, startling Bai Shi. He pointed at the boy. "Hey! Give it to her!"
The boy immediately stopped writing and shoved his paper toward the Class Monitor. Pei Cangyu walked over and asked her, "Who else was there?"
The Class Monitor looked toward the left. Pei Cangyu walked over, and the boy there handed him the paper with both hands as if he’d been waiting for him. Pei Cangyu took it and gave it to the Class Monitor.
She used a student’s desk to organize the stack. Pei Cangyu hovered by her side, smiling kindly. "Need some help?"
The Class Monitor smiled back. "Then help me carry these over."
Pei Cangyu beamed like a flower in bloom. "Sure, sure, sure, okay."
Pi Gou sat on his desk and let out a long whistle. "Pei Cangyu, are you abandoning your secret crush of a desk mate?"
Pei Cangyu threw a piece of chalk, hitting Pi Gou square in the forehead, and glared at him. "Are you a moron?"
Apple, who was packing up his pens, turned to Pi Gou. "You’ve got your priorities mixed up. Pei Cangyu had a crush on the Class Monitor first. The desk mate has to wait in line..."
Pei Cangyu slammed a chalkboard eraser onto Apple’s head. Apple just brushed the dust off the back of his neck.
The Class Monitor looked a bit embarrassed; Bai Shi remained expressionless.
Pei Cangyu quickly said to her, "Don't listen to them. Let's go, let's go."
She nodded.
Pi Gou was about to whistle again, but a cold female voice cut him off.
"Is this fun for you? Does the whole class have to listen to you talk?"
Apple blinked and turned to look. It was a girl ranked in the top ten—Apple remembered people by their approximate class rank. She didn't usually talk to people like them. To Apple, who was always in the top five, she was an unremarkable girl. After her "righteous intervention," she turned to Bai Shi and smiled. Apple immediately understood why she had spoken up.
Pi Gou wilted after being snapped at. He was naturally shy around girls, so he sat down quietly.
The classroom fell silent.
However, Bai Shi didn't seem grateful for her intervention, just as he hadn't seemed offended earlier. He didn't care at all. He ignored the girl’s kindness and her smile entirely.
A moment later, Pei Cangyu returned, following the Class Monitor back with a joyful expression. He followed her all the way to her seat, and even after she sat down, he insisted on chatting for a few more sentences before returning.
Pei Cangyu sat down and started playing with a mint, though he didn't open it. Bai Shi glanced at him, then turned to look at the Class Monitor. Sure enough, he saw a bulge in her cheek.
Pei Cangyu stared at his candy for a while. Even though he wasn't eating it, he looked incredibly sweet, as if just looking at it was enough.
As Pei Cangyu was lost in his blissful self-indulgence, he suddenly noticed Bai Shi’s gaze. He coughed and straightened his face. "What are you looking at?"
Bai Shi let out a cold snort.
Pei Cangyu gripped the candy in his hand and put his foot back on the stool’s crossbar, shaking his leg again. "What? Speak up if you’ve got something to say!"
Before Bai Shi could answer, the girl named Liu and another girl named Tang walked over. They were returning from downstairs with coffee. Seeing Pei Cangyu bullying the new student again, they stopped.
"Is it really fun for you to bully people every day?" Liu Yaosheng spoke first. Her voice was low and sounded somewhat stern.
Pei Cangyu was taken aback. He had been her desk mate for a month before she chose to sit with her best friend during the seat reshuffle. They hadn't interacted much since. During their time as desk mates, their relationship had been average—not friends, but they never fought.
But being called out like that made Pei Cangyu instinctively pull his leg back. On one hand, he had an innate "respect" for good students, though he didn't know why. On the other hand, to be honest, he found her a bit severe. She didn't smile much and was hard to get along with.
Tang Qi, standing next to Liu Yaosheng, smiled and said something like, "Forget it, forget it. Student Pei just doesn't know any better." Pei Cangyu felt awkward hearing that. He didn't know why, but it felt like they weren't that close, yet he was being strangely suppressed.
He had to admit, he really didn't click with these two. He guessed it was because they both had better grades than him. So, he simply stopped talking.
Liu Yaosheng and Tang Qi stayed for a bit longer, criticizing Pei Cangyu’s attitude toward the new student with a hint of condescension. One was the Study Representative and the other was the Chinese Class Representative. Pei Cangyu said nothing, pretending he couldn't hear them. Bai Shi turned to look at him, finding the "idiot" quite interesting. He was helpless against girls—truly all bark and no bite. If two boys had spoken to him like that, Pei Cangyu would have lost his temper long ago. Thinking this, Bai Shi let out a mocking chuckle. Pei Cangyu glared at him.
Only when the bell rang and the two girls left did Pei Cangyu breathe a sigh of relief.
Bai Shi sneered. "You're quite interesting."
Pei Cangyu paused before realizing, "Are you talking to me?"
Bai Shi didn't speak again, as if he only spoke to please himself and didn't care if anyone responded.
Pei Cangyu waited for a follow-up that never came. Realizing Bai Shi had no intention of continuing, he frustratedly ruffled his hair. "You really... you're so damn annoying. Can you not stop halfway through a sentence?"
Bai Shi opened his book. "Stop talking. Class is starting."
"..." Pei Cangyu felt like he was going to explode. This guy was infuriating.
Pei Cangyu turned and opened his book. He didn't know which page they were on, so he leaned forward to see the person in front, almost standing up, but he still couldn't see clearly.
"Page 37," Bai Shi’s voice rang out. "Sit down. You're blocking me."
"Bullshit. How can I block you from over here?" Despite his words, Pei Cangyu sat down, shooting Bai Shi a dissatisfied look. This guy was truly bizarre.
Pei Cangyu intended to read, but then Bai Shi spoke again. "You're quite interesting. I think I'll observe you for a while."
Pei Cangyu: "..."
He looked at the kid who looked like a plush toy but spoke with the flat, monotonous tone of someone reading a textbook, always using such formal language. No normal person acted like this.
"You... you're a real poser, aren't you..."
Bai Shi: "Shut up. You're being noisy."
"..." Pei Cangyu grabbed his head in frustration, driven mad by Bai Shi’s unpredictable moods. The guy wasn't normal.
Pei Cangyu spun around, turning his back to Bai Shi and retreating into his own little world, hugging his book.
Bai Shi stopped and glanced at him.
***
When Pei Cangyu left school that evening, he was late again, as expected. However, today was because he had cleaning duty, not because he was trying to pull down a classmate’s pants on the field.
When he rushed out of the classroom, there were still a few boarding students left; they usually studied until eleven. Pei Cangyu hurried to the bus stop, hoping to catch the last Route 37 bus at 10:30.
It was currently 9:40. By the time he reached the stop at 9:45, he was panting with exhaustion. If he’d known, he wouldn't have run so fast.
The school grounds were mostly empty now, and the stalls outside the gate had all packed up. This street existed solely for the students, so it felt exceptionally desolate at this hour. Only the streetlights were bright—brighter than those on other streets, specifically for the students.
Pei Cangyu peered down the road. Estimating the bus wouldn't arrive for a while, he took off his backpack and rummaged through it until he found a pack of cigarettes. He pulled one out, took a lighter from his pocket, and lit up.
He stretched his legs and swung his feet leisurely, looking up at the sky. It looked like it might rain tonight.
He’d only taken a few puffs when he heard someone coughing nearby. He turned his head. The girl was a classmate, Qi Shuo. She had a very gentle temperament and good grades. She always spoke softly, but she was incredibly shy and prone to crying.
Pei Cangyu looked down at his cigarette and realized he was the culprit behind her coughing. He took the cigarette out, dropped it on the ground, crushed it, then picked it up and threw it in the trash.
Qi Shuo glanced at him, then looked away.
The two stood on opposite sides of the stop, waiting for their respective buses in silence.
The Route 37 bus arrived.
Pei Cangyu looked at Qi Shuo, then at the approaching bus. He cleared his throat and asked, "Which one are you taking?"
As soon as he spoke, he realized his voice sounded dry and harsh, but it was too late to change his tone.
Qi Shuo was startled and answered softly, "Route 9. You?"
Pei Cangyu leaned closer to hear her better.
"I'm..." Pei Cangyu watched the Route 37 bus pull to a stop. "Route 17."
"Oh." Qi Shuo didn't know what else to say. Neither of them was good at small talk. After that question, silence fell again.
They stood awkwardly, a meter apart, motionless until the Route 9 bus arrived.
Qi Shuo pulled out her bus card, stepped forward, and said goodbye. "See you."
"Yeah."
As the bus slowly pulled away, Pei Cangyu hurried to the sign to check the Route 37 schedule, then checked his watch... *Thank god, there’s one more...*
Pei Cangyu pulled out another cigarette, sat down leisurely, and started swinging his legs again.
"Do you have some kind of obsession with women?"
Pei Cangyu was so startled he dropped his backpack. Hearing a voice at a deserted bus stop was like seeing a ghost; his voice even jumped an octave. "Who—?!"
Someone stepped out from the shadows. Pei Cangyu couldn't see them. "Who is it?"
The person continued walking forward. Pei Cangyu suddenly burst out laughing. "Sorry, you're so short I didn't even look down."
Bai Shi actually blushed, glaring at him resentfully.
Seeing him unhappy made Pei Cangyu happy. He turned back to his cigarette as Bai Shi came to stand beside him.
"Did you wait with her for her bus?" Bai Shi asked.
Pei Cangyu glanced at him and realized the kid standing was about the same height as him sitting. He couldn't stop himself from laughing. "None of your business."
Bai Shi looked at him solemnly. "What are you laughing at?"
Pei Cangyu stopped. "Whatever I want. Why are you here? Which bus are you taking? Where’s that big... black car of yours?"
"Didn't I tell you? I'm going to observe you."
Pei Cangyu felt goosebumps. "You're stalking me."
Bai Shi nodded seriously. "Yes."
Pei Cangyu jumped up. "He says 'yes'! What the hell is wrong with you?"
The cigarette was still in his mouth. As he stood, ash fluttered down, some of it landing on Bai Shi.
Bai Shi flicked his clothes in annoyance. "Put that out. I don't smoke."
"Who cares about you?" Pei Cangyu refused to put it out.
Bai Shi frowned. "You put it out for that girl earlier."
"Who cares about you?" Pei Cangyu sounded like a broken record.
Bai Shi suddenly inhaled a lungful of smoke and began to cough violently.
Pei Cangyu squinted at him. "Faking it? Still faking?"
Bai Shi continued to cough, waving the smoke away, his face turning red.
Pei Cangyu paused, cursed under his breath, and stubbed the cigarette out on the box. It was his last one. *Whatever.*
Bai Shi recovered almost immediately. "Do you have water?" he asked hoarsely.
Pei Cangyu hesitated before pulling a Big Yellow Duck water bottle from his bag. Bai Shi stared at the bottle with a frown. Pei Cangyu snapped, "My grandma picked it out! If you don't want it, give it back."
Bai Shi dodged his reaching hand and tipped the bottle back, gulping the water down.
Then he continued his interrogation. "So, do you like that girl from the bus stop?"
"Where is this coming from?" Pei Cangyu took his bottle back and exaggeratedly wiped the rim with his sleeve, erasing any trace of Bai Shi’s touch.
"Then do you like those two girls from class who said those mean things?"
Pei Cangyu wasn't really paying attention to the conversation. He was staring at his bottle, wondering if Bai Shi had pulled the duck’s beak off. "What are you talking about..."
"Then do you like the Class Monitor?"
Pei Cangyu froze, then shouted, "I don't! Stop talking nonsense!"
Bai Shi looked genuinely puzzled. "So, you just like any girl? Do you have some kind of disease? Are you a nymphomaniac?"
Pei Cangyu stowed his water bottle and waved him off irritably. "Screw off. I don't like girls."
Bai Shi had a sudden realization. "Oh, I see."
Pei Cangyu: "..."
Pei Cangyu again: "..."
Pei Cangyu: "Wait, wait, wait... What do you see?"
"Your bus is here." Bai Shi pointed behind him. "Route 37."
"Ah, oh. But you..." Pei Cangyu pointed at him, momentarily forgetting what he wanted to say. His brain misfired, and he suddenly asked, "How do you know you're older than me? Do you even know my birthday?"
Bai Shi looked at him. "You were born in March, right?"
"How did you know?..."
The Route 37 bus came to a stop. Bai Shi looked at the bus. "You should go."
As Pei Cangyu boarded the bus, he kept looking back. "You're so weird..."
Bai Shi suddenly smiled at him. It was like a plum blossom blooming in the dead of winter—vibrant and bright against the pale streetlights and the dim billboards.
"I know."
Pei Cangyu was left stunned.
***
