In a corner of the pristine laboratory, a dying figure lay curled on the floor. He looked incredibly frail; only the slight rise and fall of his back, accompanied by heavy, ragged breaths, proved he was still alive.
"Subject 001, the final experiment is complete. Your two-year term has ended," a cold, emotionless male voice rang out. This was followed by the soft rustle of a paper report being closed. "All experimental indices are within normal range. No pathological changes or adverse reactions detected."
The man in the white coat let out a soft chuckle. "You can go to school now."
The figure in the corner stirred slightly. He raised his head with agonizing slowness, taking several seconds for his eyes to find their focus. Then, his arms trembled as he tried to push himself up.
"Go help your brother. Let him rest a bit before you head to the school to handle the paperwork."
A much younger man stood beside the scientist. He stepped forward, reaching out to support the figure struggling to stand, but his hand was slapped away.
Exerting every ounce of his strength, the figure forced himself upright. He wiped a smear of blood from his face with a bright red palm. Without so much as a glance at the other two, he stumbled toward the laboratory door.
***
"Quick, come here! I just saw a total heartthrob in the hallway!" a girl shouted excitedly as she ran into the classroom.
"No way. Is there actually a handsome guy or pretty girl in this school we haven't seen yet? Aside from Tang Zihe and Shen Yannan, I haven't seen anyone whose looks can actually compete." The girl’s seatmate was chewing bubble gum, staring at a recently returned test paper with a sour expression.
"But I’ve been at this school for two years, and I’ve seriously never seen this guy before," the first girl insisted, sitting down. "He was wearing our uniform, so he’s definitely one of ours. Maybe we just never noticed him. We can go look for him during the next break."
Someone from the back row wandered over, sensing gossip. "Could it be a new underclassman?"
"How are you Beta girls so interested in everyone?" a boy teased, leaning against the back row of desks. "Look at our Brother Tang—he’s not excited at all, even though he’s got a new rival for the 'most handsome' title."
"I’d thank you to keep your mouth shut," Tang Zihe muttered, his head buried in a math problem. He dismissively swatted away the boy’s hand from his shoulder, never once sparing a glance for the girls.
"Hey, Tang Zihe, help me look at this problem. I’ve calculated it twice and still can’t get the right answer." Yang Xiangtong, the girl with the gum, stood up and brought her paper to him.
"Yang Xiangtong, look how busy Brother Tang is. If you have questions, ask me. I know how to do that one too," the boy, Xia Shan, interjected with a glance at her paper. "Guaranteed to teach you until you get it."
"Fine, if you can do it. I’m sick of staring at this." Yang Xiangtong blew a bubble and was about to hand the paper to Xia Shan when the bell rang.
"Wait, this is Boss Shi’s class. I’ll teach you after," Xia Shan said, scurrying back to his seat directly in front of Tang Zihe. Yang Xiangtong grabbed a tissue from her friend, spat out her gum, crumpled it up, and tossed it into the bin.
As the classroom chatter died down within a minute of the bell, a figure slowly walked through the door.
"Boss Shi is the god of perfect timing," Xia Shan whispered.
"Ahem." Boss Shi placed his lecture notes on the podium and cleared his throat before addressing the class. "You’re in luck today. I need to spend some time discussing a certain matter, so your workload this period will be relatively light."
A ripple of anticipation ran through the students.
"Our class will be welcoming a student who has been on medical leave for two years. In theory, our class doesn't usually allow for this, but whether it's a returning student or a transfer, everyone must take the school’s internal assessment. You’ve all heard of it—it determines if the school accepts the student and which class they belong in." Boss Shi’s eyes swept over their faces, and then he shrugged. "Surprisingly, this student’s scores were better than two-thirds of the people sitting in this room."
The class erupted in disbelief. The students in the front rows were practically falling out of their seats, trying to peer past the door to see what kind of genius was waiting outside.
"So, the faculty has unanimously decided to make an exception and place this student in Class 1." Boss Shi gestured toward the door with a meaningful smile. "Furthermore, I personally believe this student will become something of a 'face' for our class."
"Jiang Wei, come in."
"Okay, Teacher."
Tang Zihe, who had been focused on his work, snapped his head up at the mention of the name and stared at the podium.
A tall, slender boy walked in, a black backpack slung over his left shoulder. A bright smile lit up his face, and his hands were tucked into his uniform jacket pockets. Under the collective gaze of the class, he strolled casually to the podium.
"Xiangtong, that’s the guy I saw in the hallway," Tang Wanbai whispered, nudging her friend.
"Wow, girl, you have good taste. This guy really is on the same level as Tang Zihe." Yang Xiangtong was clearly excited, her bad mood forgotten as she subconsciously swallowed.
"Brother Tang, you’ve definitely met your match," Xia Shan whispered, turning back. "Even I think this guy is handsome."
When Tang Zihe didn't respond, Xia Shan looked up in confusion. He saw Tang Zihe staring at the person on the podium, his eyes fixed and unblinking.
*Oh man, don't tell me even Brother Tang is captivated by this guy's looks?* Xia Shan turned back to look at the newcomer.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Jiang Wei." Jiang Wei raised a hand in greeting. "I know I’m handsome, so you can be a bit more subtle with your staring."
Several girls lowered their heads, blushing. This unheard-of self-introduction drew a few whistles and cheers from the rowdier boys in the back.
Jiang Wei shifted his gaze to the back row, locking eyes with Tang Zihe. Tang Zihe immediately looked away.
"Ahem." Boss Shi clapped his hands. "Alright, find an empty seat. We’re starting the lesson."
"Thank you, Teacher."
"Boss... Teacher, is the new student staying in the Alpha building with us? Our dorm is missing one person," one of the boys who had been cheering called out.
"No, he applied for a single room on your floor." Boss Shi snapped the tip of a new piece of chalk and turned his back to the class. "Alright, ask your questions after class. Now, let’s continue where we left off."
"Is this seat taken?" Jiang Wei asked, walking straight to Tang Zihe’s side.
Before Tang Zihe could speak, Xia Shan beat him to it. "It’s free! No one’s ever sat next to Brother Tang."
"Oh, I see. Thanks." Jiang Wei set his bag on the floor and sat down.
Yang Xiangtong and the girls nearby were buzzing with excitement over Jiang Wei’s choice of seat.
"Hey, since you're new, you might not know, but Boss Shi talks really fast. This is the only class where you actually need a notebook," Xia Shan whispered, noticing Jiang Wei hadn't opened his bag.
"Oh, thanks." Jiang Wei nodded, leaning down to pull out a pencil case and a blank, pink notebook. "And you are?"
"Xia Shan." Xia Shan looked curiously at Jiang Wei’s hand. "What happened to your hand?"
Jiang Wei’s left palm was wrapped in two thick layers of bandages, looking quite conspicuous.
"Just an accidental injury." Jiang Wei scratched his cheek, seemingly unwilling to explain further. He pointed toward Boss Shi. "Careful, pay attention to the lecture."
When Tang Zihe glanced sideways at Jiang Wei, he saw him sitting ramrod straight, taking notes. The left hand resting at a slight angle on the desk easily drew his attention.
Tang Zihe ran a hand through his hair, feeling a surge of irritation. He wanted to ask what happened, but felt he couldn't bring himself to do it. In the end, he tried to hypnotize himself into ignoring the hand, but he could no longer focus on the problems in front of him.
The period flew by. As soon as Boss Shi left, the classroom erupted into chatter.
Tang Wanbai had been stealing glances at Jiang Wei throughout the lesson. Now that class was over, she finally found an opening. "Hi, I'm Tang Wanbai."
"Ah, hello." Jiang Wei looked up, a smile instantly appearing on his face.
After a moment of hesitation, Tang Wanbai asked curiously, "Jiang Wei, do you and Tang Zihe know each other?"
"Huh?" Jiang Wei blinked, looking around before realizing why she asked—there were several empty seats in the back row, yet he had walked straight to the one next to Tang Zihe.
"Oh, that..." Jiang Wei glanced at Tang Zihe, appearing undecided on how to answer. "We know each other... but there’s a bit of a conflict..."
*Thud.* Tang Zihe picked up his water bottle and set it back down heavily on the desk—whether intentional or not—before standing up and walking out of the room.
Xia Shan, who was explaining a problem to Yang Xiangtong, was startled by the noise.
"See?" Jiang Wei curled his lip, his mood seemingly dipping.
"Brother Tang isn't usually like this. I don't know what's up with him today, he just..." Xia Shan poked his cheek with his pen, looking apologetic.
Jiang Wei simply replied, "Yeah, I know."
Tang Wanbai felt the awkwardness and quickly changed the subject. "By the way, my last name is Tang too. How come you didn't ask if I'm related to Tang Zihe?"
Jiang Wei smiled. "You're so pretty and have such a good temper; you're nothing like him. Besides, I've known him since we were young. I know he doesn't have a sister."
Being complimented like that instantly cleared the awkwardness for Tang Wanbai, and her opinion of Jiang Wei shot up.
Tang Zihe didn't return to the classroom until the bell rang for the second period.
This was English class with Teacher Liu—affectionately known as "Sister Liu." Her defining trait was her lax management; as long as you didn't sit in the front row and snore, she basically turned a blind eye to everything.
To maintain his facade of being a cute, well-behaved student for a bit longer, Jiang Wei propped his head up to listen—though it did nothing to curb his urge to fall asleep.
Tang Zihe thought it over and realized he still couldn't concentrate. He tore a small scrap of paper from the margin of his English worksheet, wrote a single word, and flicked it onto Jiang Wei’s desk.
Jiang Wei was just filling in a "C" for a question when he noticed the note at the corner of his desk.
*[Hand?]*
The corners of Jiang Wei’s mouth twitched into a faint smile, which vanished just as quickly.
*[Accidentally hurt it. It’s fine.]*
Jiang Wei scratched his cheek and slid the note back onto Tang Zihe’s desk.
Tang Zihe opened it, read it, then crumpled it into a ball and tossed it into his drawer.
He knew Jiang Wei was lying.
Whenever this guy lied, he would scratch his cheek with his index finger. After all these years, that habit hadn't changed.
*Why lie?* Tang Zihe found himself feeling even more irritated.
From the moment he heard Jiang Wei’s name for the first time in over two years, to the second he saw him in person, he had been agitated. He couldn't stop himself from wondering why Jiang Wei had vanished for two years without a trace, and why he had suddenly reappeared. But he didn't know if he even had the right to ask those questions anymore.
Two years—not long, but not short either—was enough time for too many things to change imperceptibly.
It seemed there was no point in asking. The person in front of him would only choose to hide behind lies anyway.
Tang Zihe quietly shifted his chair to the left, putting a few more centimeters of distance between them.
Jiang Wei didn't even notice the small movement. He felt like he hadn't woken up this early in ages. His years of irregular sleep patterns made him want nothing more than to slam his head onto the desk and pass out.
"I’m telling you, some of you look half-dead and the semester has only just begun," Sister Liu said, stepping down from the podium to pace the room. "I know you’re not listening to my lecture, so I’ll announce some 'good news' to wake you up."
A dozen pairs of drooping eyes snapped up, staring expectantly at Sister Liu.
"I hope you haven't forgotten our school tradition: the annual Opening Test," Sister Liu said with a beaming smile. She looked quite satisfied as a wave of groans filled the room. "It seems you're all awake now. Let's continue the lesson."
"What’s the Opening Test for?" Jiang Wei asked, feeling a bit more alert. Guessing that Tang Zihe wouldn't answer him, he leaned forward toward Xia Shan.
"It’s just an exam. Theoretically, it’s to check if we did our homework and studied over the break. In reality... our class has a tradition of choosing seats based on the rankings. The higher you rank, the earlier you get to pick," Xia Shan said with a wry smile. "As for the content... you’ll know once you take it."
Jiang Wei nodded. "Oh, thanks."
***
