Having experienced the incident during the previous training camp, Su Jingming was practically accustomed to appearing on the forum’s front page again. Hearing Ren Wei’s words, he wasn't particularly surprised; instead, his first instinct was to look at Wen Yan.
Wen Yan’s eyes were downcast, most of his face hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to discern his emotions.
Su Jingming’s first thought was: *Damn it, he’s angry again. That dog of a man.*
*Is Ren Wei an idiot?*
*Oh, he is an idiot. And so am I.*
Li Yang clicked his tongue and looked at Wen Yan. Ren Wei, recovering from his shock, mirrored Li Yang’s reaction and glanced toward Wen Yan as well.
It could only be said that Room 505 held far too many hidden secrets.
Before going to sleep, Su Jingming stole a glance at Wen Yan, who had turned in early. Then, he looked down at his phone. As usual, Wen Yan had sent him a message before bed: *Goodnight.*
However, in tonight’s "goodnight," he sensed a trace of unhappiness.
Before he had time to deal with the storm on the forum, Su Jingming woke up early the next morning to line up at the cafeteria and get breakfast for Wen Yan. By the time he returned, Wen Yan had just climbed down from his bed, his arms sliding through his sleeves as he prepared to pull a shirt over his head.
Su Jingming froze for a moment as he opened the door, instinctively averting his gaze. Wen Yan finished dressing and glanced at Li Yang and Ren Wei, who were still asleep. His voice was low and raspy. "You went out this early to buy breakfast?"
Su Jingming placed the breakfast on Wen Yan's desk and gave an awkward "mm-hmm." Because he had left in a hurry, he hadn't made his bed, so he climbed back up to straighten the sheets.
Hearing the sound of Wen Yan washing up in the bathroom, Su Jingming sat on the edge of his bed with one leg dangling, looking like he hadn't had enough sleep.
When Wen Yan stepped out and saw him like this, he asked amusedly, "Why the sudden display of devotion?"
"..." Su Jingming swallowed hard, saying nothing.
"Unusual kindness usually masks a hidden motive," Wen Yan said, picking up the warm milk Su Jingming had bought him. He took a sip and raised an eyebrow. "Not bad."
Su Jingming silently gripped the bedsheets beneath him. He coughed softly twice; in the opposite bunks, Li Yang and Ren Wei tossed and turned but remained asleep.
Wen Yan picked up the breakfast along with his and Su Jingming’s backpacks, gesturing with his eyes.
The two of them left the dormitory quietly.
On this May morning, birds were already chirping, and the horizon was mostly bright. The leaves rustled in the wind; the breeze no longer held the gentleness of spring, carrying instead the restless heat of summer.
It was summer. Summer had arrived.
Su Jingming kept his head down. Wen Yan naturally carried both backpacks in one hand and the breakfast in the other.
Su Jingming started, "The backpacks, maybe I should—"
Before he could finish, Wen Yan gave him a brief look. "They’re not heavy."
Indeed, they weren't. Most of their books were kept in the dorm or the classroom; the bags only contained a few notebooks and pens.
Most students on campus were not yet awake, save for the athletes training on the track. As the two passed the sports field, they stopped by a flower bed. Wen Yan set the bags down and pulled Su Jingming to sit. Without a word, Wen Yan handed the warm milk he had already sipped from directly to Su Jingming. His gaze was calm as he watched Su Jingming drink it bit by bit.
Under the pressure of Wen Yan’s gaze, Su Jingming finished the milk, only then realizing—*Wait, isn't this an indirect kiss?*
They were dating, but at most, they had shared a hug. They had hardly even held hands. The most intimate they had been was when Wen Yan had kissed his neck a few times.
The more Su Jingming thought about it, the hotter his body felt, and even the tips of his ears began to turn red.
Wen Yan didn't notice his agitation. His gaze drifted forward, and suddenly, he sighed and asked, "Su Jingming, do you feel like... we have no future?"
Hearing this, Su Jingming’s mind went blank for several seconds.
Even his instinctive reaction to breathe seemed to pause in that moment.
Wen Yan continued, "When I saw the photos on the forum yesterday, I wasn't angry. I was just sad."
"So sad that... I didn't even know how to tell you."
This was a side of Wen Yan that Su Jingming had never seen.
He had never heard Wen Yan speak in such a tone.
The summer sun rose slowly, a beam of warm light hitting them directly. Wen Yan’s messy fringe was tossed by the wind. His hands, resting on his knees, tightened and relaxed repeatedly.
Su Jingming sat beside him. The noise from the track in front of them seemed to drift further and further away.
He could only hear Wen Yan’s voice and the sound of his own heartbeat.
"Wen Yan." Su Jingming stopped looking ahead and turned to face him.
Su Jingming’s eyes were clean and pure. Every time they locked eyes, Wen Yan found himself unable to pull away.
He was drowning in them, and he savored the feeling.
Su Jingming said, "I’ve never thought that we wouldn't have a future. You’re here, and I’m here. The future is still very long."
*We’re only seventeen. As long as we’re together, the future really is very long.*
Su Jingming didn't know how to say sweet things, but this time, he followed his heart and spoke his true thoughts to Wen Yan.
He was so earnest—so earnest that it felt as if he would give the entire world to the boy in front of him in the next second.
This was the boy he liked at seventeen; the first boy he had ever given his heart to.
As soon as he finished speaking, Su Jingming felt a twinge of regret, his face flushing red at a visible speed. Wen Yan’s eyes grew deeper until he let out a soft laugh. The sound of his laughter drifted into Su Jingming’s ears, carried by the wind.
His laughter was beautiful.
"Do you know what I’m thinking right now?" Wen Yan suddenly leaned closer. His hot breath brushed against Su Jingming’s face, carrying a faint scent of milk. Without waiting for an answer, he said slowly, "I want to kiss you."
*I want to kiss you.*
*Want to kiss you.*
*Kiss you.*
*You.*
This time, Su Jingming did not shy away. He suppressed his shyness, unwilling to admit defeat. "What a coincidence. So do I."
Because of the forum post, their relationship had progressed by leaps and bounds. Su Jingming had never cared about the opinions of others; no matter how heated the discussion on the post became, he didn't even have the interest to open it.
Zhang Jia, however, seemed like a changed person. She began trying to chat with Su Jingming about the past.
Whenever Wen Yan was called away by a teacher, Zhang Jia would immediately take his seat. The moment she sat down, she drew the attention of most of the class.
She scanned the surroundings. "This seat doesn't seem to have as clear a view as your old one."
Su Jingming didn't answer the question. "I’m not nearsighted."
"But you used to like wearing glasses!" Zhang Jia retorted without thinking.
Su Jingming gave her a lazy glance but said nothing more.
Seeing his silence, Zhang Jia leaned her head closer to see what he was writing.
She frowned for a moment. "Why are you still doing such difficult problems?"
Su Jingming gave a noncommittal grunt and leaned further toward the window. Zhang Jia was wearing perfume, and the scent was a bit pungent—at least, he didn't like it.
Zhang Jia sighed. "You top students are really hard to pursue."
Hearing this, Su Jingming finally looked up. He tapped the desk lightly with the tip of his pen and asked calmly, "Can you move? Wen Yan is back."
Zhang Jia glanced toward the classroom door. Wen Yan was indeed walking toward them. She stood up reluctantly. "Can't you just teach me how to study?" she asked.
She always managed her temper perfectly, even infusing her voice with a hint of grievance.
Zhang Jia stood her ground, showing no intention of backing down. Even the corners of her eyes began to redden slightly. A female classmate walked over and pulled at Zhang Jia’s arm. "Why do you keep insisting he teach you? He’s not the only one with good grades."
"Su Jingming, aren't you being a bit of a bully to a girl? Zhang Jia just wants to ask about your study methods."
"Exactly, bullying a girl!"
Ren Wei immediately stood up, wanting to argue back, but Li Yang pulled him down and shook his head. Li Yang was still scrolling through the post about Zhang Jia and Su Jingming.
Ren Wei leaned down. "Why are you stopping me?"
"The tide has turned," Li Yang said, sliding his finger across the screen. "The posts these past few days are all saying Zhang Jia’s love is unrequited and that Su Jingming is being cold and indifferent to her."
Ren Wei heard this and said, "Well, that’s true."
"True my ass!" Li Yang slapped him lightly. "Sit down first."
Ren Wei sat, and Li Yang lowered his voice further. "Don't you see that the spearhead is being pointed at Su Jingming now? He didn't do anything wrong, but a few people are driving the narrative on the forum, forcedly painting Su Jingming as an ungrateful jerk."
"??" Ren Wei wasn't having it. "How is my Brother Ming ungrateful?"
"Everyone is saying Su Jingming is like a nerd who has nothing going for him except his grades and his face, and that Zhang Jia liking him is practically beneath her." Li Yang sneered. "Are high schoolers really this bored? Instead of studying, they just use their mouths to spread rumors." He paused. "If they’re going to spread rumors, they should at least..." He looked toward Wen Yan, who was standing still by the podium.
Ren Wei understood what Li Yang meant. "But we can't let Zhang Jia get her way, can we? Even I can see she’s doing this on purpose now."
Ren Wei suddenly remembered the time they were on their way to the quiet bar; Zhang Jia had looked exactly like this then.
Li Yang looked at Ren Wei in shock. "You actually noticed something was fishy?"
"Crap..." Ren Wei cursed under his breath. "What do we do now?"
Li Yang curled his lips into a silent smirk and jerked his chin toward Wen Yan. Once again, Ren Wei understood.
Zhang Jia was going all out this time. The tears in her eyes threatened to fall but didn't. She looked at the boy before her, who remained coldly focused on his problems.
He seemed entirely cold, devoid of any warmth.
She hadn't even seen him smile once.
As the voices of criticism around them grew louder, Su Jingming’s brow furrowed. He stopped his pen, stood up, and looked down at Zhang Jia, who was shorter than him. "You want to know my study method?"
Zhang Jia hadn't expected Su Jingming to respond this time. She nodded, somewhat taken aback.
"My study method..." Su Jingming said, "is to go ask Wen Yan."
