CS - 5

High school life turned out to be a little different from what Lin Zhe Xia had imagined.

On the surface, it seemed like nothing had changed much—classes and exams were still the norm.

But what made her feel the most change was the atmosphere among her classmates. Everyone seemed to start paying more attention to gossip and rumors, such as “Who’s dating whom” or “Who used to go to the same school as who—they’ve got history.”

The girl sitting in front of her would secretly go to the restroom after class to reapply lipstick. Though the shade was so light that it barely made a difference whether she wore it or not.

And then there was Chen Lin beside her.

Always on top of school trends, during breaks, Chen Lin would chat with her about everything from “There’s this super hot guy in our grade who dominated the school forum on the very first day” to “Next week, we’ll probably have five days of military training.”

Lin Zhe Xia buried herself in homework while Chen Lin jumped from topic to topic too quickly for her to keep up. She only caught the last sentence and absentmindedly responded: “Military training next week?”

Chen Lin sighed dramatically: “Yeah, I thought we’d get lucky and skip it, but nope. In this heat, we’re stuck outside sweating for five whole days.”

The conversation quickly moved on.

After finishing her homework, Lin Zhe Xia discreetly opened her phone under the desk and sent Chi Yao a rapid-fire message: Are you here? Are you here? Are you here?

During the break, he replied almost instantly.

Chi Dog: ?

Lin Zhe Xia immediately reported him: How dare you use your phone at school—I’m officially warning you once.

Chi Dog: You’re insane.

Lin Zhe Xia got straight to the point: Send me your class schedule.

She followed up with another line: I want to see if there are any overlapping classes between our two classes, like P.E.—usually multiple classes share those.

This time, Chi Yao didn’t bother teasing her back. He snapped a photo and sent it over.

Chi Dog: [/photo]

Lin Zhe Xia’s prediction came true.

Class One and Class Seven indeed shared P.E. classes.

Today happened to coincide with one, scheduled for the last period.

Before P.E., Chen Lin dragged her to the school convenience store to buy snacks: “…I’m starving.”

Lin Zhe Xia packed up her things: “Alright, let’s go. I need to grab something too.”

Chen Lin was excited: “I heard the sushi rolls at the convenience store are amazing.”

The convenience store was right next to the cafeteria.

Chen Lin picked up a sushi roll, ready to pay, but when she reached into her pocket, she realized: “Oh no, I forgot my wallet.”

Lin Zhe Xia rummaged through her pockets and pulled out only two coins: “I… don’t have much either.”

“Well, forget it,” Chen Lin reluctantly put the item back and lamented, “Guess I’ll just starve through this class.”

Lin Zhe Xia thought for a moment, then suddenly said: “Do you believe I can make these two coins get you that sushi roll?”

Chen Lin stared at her: “Is the convenience store owner your relative?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “…No.”

Chen Lin’s expression grew complicated: “Are you planning to run a tab?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Not that either.”

Chen Lin’s expression became even more perplexed: “Eating without paying—doesn’t sound good, does it?”

With the two coins she had fished out of her pocket, Lin Zhe Xia grabbed the cheapest bottle of mineral water from the fridge. Handing the coins to the cashier, she declared confidently: “Hold on. I’m going out to rob someone.”

“…?”

Lin Zhe Xia grinned: “Once I come back from my robbery, I’ll be able to feed you.”

Bottle of water in hand, Lin Zhe Xia dashed toward the sports field, scanning for any sign of Class One.

Since classes hadn’t officially started yet, students were scattered all over the place, making it hard to locate anyone in particular.

But thanks to her deep familiarity with Chi Yao, she could identify him even by just his silhouette—or even just the back of his head.

She didn’t have to search long before spotting Chi Yao on the basketball court.

“Chi Yao!”

Chi Yao was surrounded by quite a few people. A group of boys crowded around him, and in the distance, a cluster of girls seemed to be watching as well.

But Lin Zhe Xia paid no mind. As usual, she stood in front of him with a bright smile: “Chi Yao, are you thirsty? Tired? Playing basketball must be exhausting, right? I saw your incredible moves from afar—it was like watching Rukawa Kaede reincarnated.”

Chi Yao had changed into his own clothes for the game—a loose gray T-shirt hanging casually on his frame.

He was crouched on the edge of the court, resting his legs on a flower bed. Hearing Lin Zhe Xia’s words, he gave a nonchalant “Oh” and tilted his chin slightly upward: “Go on.”

“Your basketball skills are divine, truly awe-inspiring, breathtaking,” Lin Zhe Xia continued, laying it on thick.

Chi Yao smirked: “Nice use of idioms.”

Lin Zhe Xia preened: “Thank you, I do have a bit of cultural depth to me.”

Having sufficiently buttered him up, she felt the mood was ripe. She extended the bottle of water toward him: “Would you like a drink? I bought this especially for you.”

But Chi Yao didn’t take the water.

Instead, the hand resting on his knee moved slightly, and he pointed one finger toward a spot on the court: “See that ball over there?”

Lin Zhe Xia followed his gaze: “Yeah, I see it.”

Chi Yao: “I’ve only been here for two minutes and haven’t touched it yet.”

Retracting his finger, he looked at her: “I’m curious—who exactly is this Rukawa Kaede you saw? Care to introduce me?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “….”

What a load of nonsense.

She hadn’t seen anything at all.

And here he was, sitting on the sidelines instead of playing.

Was that even appropriate?

Deciding not to dwell on the matter, Lin Zhe Xia pressed on: “Anyway! I bought this water for you!”

After years of knowing her, Chi Yao didn’t believe for a second that she was being genuinely nice: “Free of charge?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Of course not.”

Chi Yao took the water: “How much?”

As soon as he twisted the cap open, Lin Zhe Xia followed up: “…Plus an eight-yuan delivery fee. So that makes ten yuan total.”

“…”

Lin Zhe Xia extended her hand, ready to collect: “If you’re feeling generous and want to tip extra, I won’t complain.”

A few minutes later, at the entrance of the convenience store.

Chen Lin held the sushi roll, utterly stunned.

Lin Zhe Xia grinned smugly: “Eat up. This counts as legal robbery.”

But Chen Lin’s shock wasn’t because of the act of “robbery” itself—it was because of who her deskmate had robbed.

After a long pause, she finally found her voice: “That… Chi Yao? You know him?”

Lin Zhe Xia gave a brief introduction: “My childhood friend, a brother-in-arms through thick and thin. But how do you know his name?”

Chen Lin enunciated each word slowly: “Because he’s… incredibly… famous.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “?”

Before Chen Lin could elaborate further, the whistle of the P.E. teacher interrupted them. Everyone gathered on the field.

Chen Lin hurriedly pulled Lin Zhe Xia to line up: “Time to assemble. After school, I’ll send you a link. You’ll understand once you see it.”

Since the last period was P.E., many students had brought their backpacks directly to the field. As soon as the bell rang, they grabbed their bags and rushed out of school.

Lin Zhe Xia still needed to return to her classroom to pack up her things, then went to meet Chi Yao at Class One.

On the bus ride home, there weren’t as many empty seats as there had been in the morning. The bus was packed with Second High students. After swiping her fare, Lin Zhe Xia glanced around and noticed only one seat remained.

The seat was near the back door.

Feeling a bit awkward, she tugged lightly on the strap of Chi Yao’s backpack: “Don’t you have anything to say to me?”

“For example,” she continued, “you could offer this seat to me. Otherwise, I’ll feel bad sitting down.”

Chi Yao had already changed back into his uniform. His hair, still damp from washing after the game, glistened faintly.

When he spoke, he glanced at her: “What can I say? My skin is thick. If you feel uncomfortable, I don’t.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “…You should respect your elders and care for the young.”

Chi Yao: “Elder or young—where do you fit in?”

Knowing better than to push her luck, Lin Zhe Xia answered honestly: “I’m the young one.” Then, as an afterthought, she added, “Dad.”

“…”

Chi Yao fell silent.

He unslung his backpack and tossed it into her arms: “Sit down and hold my bag for me.”

Soon after, the driver pressed the door-closing button, and the bus began to move.

The noise inside the bus was incessant.

Lin Zhe Xia sat in the seat while Chi Yao stood beside her, one hand raised to grip the overhead handle. All she had to do was tilt her head slightly to see him.

With Chi Yao standing protectively beside her, even as more passengers boarded and the bus grew increasingly crowded, no one pushed toward her side.

—Like a natural barrier.

Midway through the ride, she pulled out her phone to check if Lin He had sent her any messages.

Though she didn’t find any messages from Lin He, she did notice a new notification from a recently added contact.

Chen Lin: [Link]

Chen Lin: It’s this.

Chen Lin: He’s the guy who caused a huge stir on the school forum on the first day of school. Within a day, the entire front page was filled with posts about him. The thread with the most discussion has already spanned over ten pages.

Chen Lin: I told you about him today, but you were too busy with homework to listen [○｀Д ○]

On the bumpy bus, Lin Zhe Xia clicked on the link. Moments later, a somewhat blurry candid photo popped up on the screen.

The photo appeared to have been taken in the afternoon.

The sunlight poured in fervently through the windows, casting a bold, unrestrained glow.

Though the photo captured many people, there was one figure in the group that stood out unmistakably.

A boy wearing the Second High uniform sat in the back row, his collar slightly undone, revealing a glimpse of his sharp collarbones. Surrounded by other boys, he seemed popular, yet exuded an undeniable air of aloofness.

The same uniform, worn by him, somehow looked different. His pale irises shimmered under the sunlight, radiating an almost blinding intensity.

But none of that was the most important part.

The most crucial detail was—this person in the photo was the same person standing beside her now.

It was Chi Yao.

The Chi Yao she could recognize even if he were reduced to ashes.

“…”

Lin Zhe Xia’s expression shifted from confusion to hesitation, then to speechlessness.

Finally, she adopted the classic “subway elder staring at their phone” face.

Below the photo, replies flooded the thread.

1L: [/image].

2L: [Who is this? Someone from our school?]

3L: [Who’s heart is pounding so loudly? Oh, it’s mine.]

4L: [Within ten minutes, I want all the information about this person.]

After a while, someone actually started providing details.

133L: [Before clicking in, I wondered who could cause such a commotion. But after seeing it’s Chi Yao… yeah, never mind.]

Having finally snagged someone in the know, the other commenters begged 133 not to leave.

So 133 stayed behind and shared a bit more:

[Chi Yao, Class One, Grade Ten.]

[He used to be a student at my previous school, and he was already quite famous there.]

[Does he have a girlfriend? I don’t know.]

[But I’d advise you all not to get too close because… well, let’s just say rejection from him can be brutal.]

The more Lin Zhe Xia scrolled, the more complicated her expression became.

She hadn’t attended the same middle school as Chi Yao, so she had no idea that he was this much of a sensation at school.

It felt like she was looking at a stranger—someone who shared the same name and face as Chi Yao but seemed entirely different.

This version of Chi Yao appeared to be someone who commanded attention, someone who stood out effortlessly.

……

Lin Zhe Xia stared at the photo for a while, then lifted her head to look at the Chi Yao standing beside her.

Compared to the seemingly untouchable “Chi Yao” in the picture, the Chi Yao beside her now felt much more grounded. The fading sunlight bathed him in a warm glow, blending him into the noisy ambiance of the bus.

Even among the crowded passengers, his height made him stand out. He was currently looking down at his phone, his eyes half-lidded, seemingly absorbed in whatever he was reading.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, he shifted his attention slightly, tilting his head to glance down at her: “My face comes with a fee. Fifty bucks per look.”

Lin Zhe Xia’s jaw dropped.

Before she could retort with “Are you extorting me—”, he added smoothly:

“After all, someone managed to charge eight yuan just for delivery. My price seems pretty reasonable, don’t you think?”

________________________________________

Author’s Note:

Chi Dog starts wreaking havoc (not really).