SWTHTC - 27

Chapter 27: “Let’s Go”

After the second confession, the relationship between Hou Zihao and Zhou Leqi became delicate.

Their distance seemed closer than before, but it wasn’t enough to define them as lovers—or even as people in an ambiguous relationship. Yet, calling them mere classmates or friends also didn’t quite fit.

It was all very vague.

Hou Zihao was relieved by this state of affairs because at least this time she hadn’t gotten angry—that was progress. Of course, she hadn’t given him a warm response either. After he spoke those words, until the bus reached its final stop, she didn’t say another word to him.

Silence naturally made him uneasy, but the neon lights outside the bus window betrayed her flushed earlobes. Even her slender, pale fingers unconsciously moved on her knees, revealing that her heart wasn’t as calm as she pretended.

Hou Zihao slightly turned his face away, choosing not to look anymore. However, the nosy bus driver caught sight of them through the rearview mirror during a red light: the girl half-bowed her head, blushing, while the boy occasionally chuckled softly.

For some reason, the driver’s mood brightened even more. He thought:

Ah, youth—what a wonderful thing it truly is.

As for their dynamic at school, it became even more intricate.

Before, when Hou Zihao and Zhou Leqi were distant, he pursued her fervently. Even after they were seated apart, he would often glance at her from across the classroom. Now that their relationship had gradually grown closer, they conversed less. The subtle distance between them gave them space to adjust to this evolving relationship, providing a sense of security. They tacitly used this space to conceal certain things—

Secretly.

Without others knowing.

This approach worked well for both of them, but it broke Ge Ao’s heart. Seeing how little they interacted at school lately, he felt switching seats back was now a distant dream. Lately, he’d been feeling down, even losing interest in gaming.

It must be admitted that teenage love sometimes displays an innate cleverness. But they were still not fully grown adults, so cracks inevitably showed—like Hou Zihao. He had been doing an excellent job maintaining that sense of distance, but when he realized that the upcoming National Day holiday was drawing near, his resolve finally crumbled.

Help.

He didn’t want to take a break.

The idea of a holiday terrified him. Especially since the National Day holiday lasted seven days—it meant an entire week without seeing Zhou Leqi. Two days on the weekend was already unbearable; seven days? No way.

Why couldn’t the school organize extra classes for the third-year students? With the college entrance exam approaching, why bother with a holiday?

The school had indeed considered it, but in mid-September, a student from the neighboring Sixth High School attempted suicide due to overwhelming pressure. Although teachers and parents intervened in time and prevented tragedy, it still shook the hearts of the education bureau leaders. Consequently, they issued a directive forbidding all schools from holding extra classes during holidays—even for graduating classes.

Hou Zihao: ?

When Teacher Pan announced this news, the entire class erupted in applause. Everyone except Hou Zihao was thrilled. However, Teacher Pan pushed his glasses up, his balding head gleaming, and delivered a surprise blow. “After the National Day holiday ends, on October 8th, we’ll have the second mock exam.”

The whole class: ?

Hou Zihao: !

Suddenly, the situation reversed: Hou Zihao was now the only one in the class who was happy.

It wasn’t that he loved exams—he simply knew that whenever there was an exam, seating arrangements might change. At that point, if he could find a way and persuade Zhou Leqi, perhaps they could sit together again.

At the very least, they could sit in front or behind each other.

Nice.

However, although the announcement of the second mock exam provided Hou Zihao with some comfort, the issue of not seeing Zhou Leqi for seven days during the holiday remained unresolved. Thus, on the bus that day, Zhou Leqi noticed that Hou Zihao was unusually silent.

He wasn’t particularly talkative on a normal day, but today he was especially quiet, sitting silently beside her, looking somewhat restless.

Unable to resist, she glanced at him a few times. After a while, she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong with you?”

Was he tired?

Or had something happened?

Hearing her voice, Hou Zihao turned his head toward her, expressionless. “Nothing.”

Zhou Leqi frowned, growing more concerned. “Are you feeling unwell?”

“No,” Hou Zihao sighed, shaking his head. “I’m just feeling uneasy.”

Zhou Leqi blinked, puzzled. “Why?”

He looked at her, his expression serious. “Because I won’t see you for seven days during the holiday.”

Zhou Leqi: …

This guy…

Previously, he had been restrained, avoiding blatant expressions of his feelings. But ever since the second confession, Zhou Leqi sensed that some kind of switch had flipped within him. Now, these strange words flowed effortlessly from his lips.

Completely unfiltered.

Too lazy to entertain him, Zhou Leqi turned her head away upon hearing such flirtatious remarks. Hou Zihao glanced at her again, sighing. “You asked me, and now you’re mad at my answer…”

Zhou Leqi continued to lower her head and focus on her vocabulary book.

Hou Zihao fell silent for a moment. Five minutes later, he suddenly struck up a conversation with Zhou Leqi again. “How about we exchange phone numbers?”

Zhou Leqi raised her head. “Huh?”

“Didn’t you say you don’t use social media?” Hou Zihao looked down at her. “With phone numbers, we can text each other.”

Zhou Leqi rolled her eyes. “What would we possibly need to text about?”

“Who knows?” Hou Zihao insisted. “Maybe you’ll think of something you need my help with.”

Zhou Leqi pursed her lips, confident. “Don’t worry, that won’t happen.”

Hou Zihao didn’t give up. He flipped the script. “Or maybe I’ll encounter a problem I can’t solve and need to ask you. Just give me your number.”

Zhou Leqi: …

This excuse was too far-fetched. His grades were excellent, and he had no weak subjects. Though his scores on the first mock exam were lower than hers, it was because he hadn’t gone through the full review process yet. If they compared results at the actual college entrance exam next year, Zhou Leqi honestly couldn’t predict who would score higher.

Since the reasoning didn’t hold up, it was naturally rejected. Zhou Leqi completely ignored Hou Zihao. To silence him further, she pulled out a math handbook from her bag and handed it to him, instructing him, “Read the examples in the chapter on conic sections.”

Hou Zihao: …

“…Alright.”

Days passed one by one. The heat of September still made people sweat profusely, but the nights had gradually cooled down. October drew closer, autumn approached, and the holiday loomed nearer.

The teachers at First High School weren’t pushovers, especially those teaching third-year students. Would they let the graduating class enjoy a comfortable holiday? Absolutely not.

They began bombarding students with assignments three days before the break. Though it was only a seven-day National Day holiday, the workload was comparable to summer vacation, driving everyone to the brink of despair.

Teacher Pan was the worst offender. On the last day before the holiday, he mercilessly assigned five essays. When the bell rang at the end of Chinese class, the entire class erupted in groans—even top students like Yan Lin couldn’t help but mutter, “Damn.”

It was during this break that Luo Siyu came to find Hou Zihao.

Most of Class One was wailing in despair, so only a few noticed her approach. The two stood by the classroom door, exchanging a few words in the corridor.

She had come to return his English notes. Handing over the notebook, her cheeks flushed slightly as she said, “I’m really sorry to keep bothering you… It’s just that I don’t know many people at First High…”

Hou Zihao casually accepted the notebook, smiling faintly. “It’s no big deal.”

And that was it. He turned to walk back into the classroom.

Luo Siyu couldn’t let him leave just like that. She quickly reached out to grab his sleeve. Hou Zihao turned his head and raised an eyebrow. “Anything else?”

At that exact moment when Luo Siyu grabbed his sleeve, Zhou Leqi, sitting inside the classroom, happened to turn her head and caught the scene perfectly.

Hou Zihao’s back was to the classroom window, so she couldn’t see his expression. All she saw was Luo Siyu’s face. The girl was smiling, her cheeks flushed, looking up at him as she spoke. Luo Siyu had beautiful eyes—large, bright, and framed by long lashes. Her gaze radiated clear affection and a hint of shyness, making her appear even purer and prettier.

The image was lovely, but Zhou Leqi inexplicably thought of another face.

Gao Xiang’s face.

That face had hidden behind Zhou Lei when Zhou Leqi and Yu Qing burst into the house, revealing fear and vulnerability. But where Zhou Lei couldn’t see, she had smiled—a smug, triumphant, even slightly exhilarated grin.

Zhou Leqi’s fingers clenched tightly.

An indescribable emotion overwhelmed her heart with unprecedented intensity. In that instant, she felt pain, anger, humiliation—and something more, a feeling she couldn’t name.

She abruptly stood up.

Outside the door, Hou Zihao had already nonchalantly withdrawn his hand, his expression cool and distant.

He wasn’t someone easily charmed. On the contrary, in front of anyone other than Zhou Leqi, he tended to be rather cold.

Luo Siyu sensed his rejection, and her heart stung. She quickly retracted her hand, brushing her hair aside to hide her embarrassment. “Sorry, I just wanted to borrow your math notes again…”

As she spoke, she cautiously glanced up at him, appearing fragile and pitiful, as though entirely dependent on him.

Hou Zihao furrowed his brows. Before he could respond, his peripheral vision caught sight of Zhou Leqi.

She didn’t look at him, walking past hurriedly with a water bottle in hand.

Instinctively, he called out to her. “Where are you going?”

Obviously, with a water bottle in hand, she was heading to fill it.

Indeed, she stopped and turned to glance at him, shaking the bottle lightly. “To get water.”

Hou Zihao responded with a simple “Oh,” feeling a bit awkward for asking such an obvious question. But after a moment, he suddenly heard her ask, “Do you want to come along?”

He looked at her, catching her faint smile and serene gaze.

Such a rare moment.

He smiled, responding without hesitation. “Sure.”

With that, he walked toward her without a second thought.

Luo Siyu hadn’t expected Zhou Leqi to suddenly appear, nor did she anticipate any connection between her and Hou Zihao. For a moment, she was stunned. By the time she snapped out of it, Hou Zihao had already taken a few steps away. Feeling lost, she instinctively called out to him. “Monkey.”

Hou Zihao stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. Encouraged, her heart raced, thinking perhaps there was still hope.

But he simply said, “Math notes, right? I don’t take detailed math notes, but if you want, I’ll pass them to Zhang Zouning next time. You can ask him for them.”

After a pause, he added, “Actually, the math curricula for arts and sciences differ quite a bit. The focus isn’t the same either. For you, I suggest starting with the basics.”

By the time he finished speaking, Zhou Leqi had already walked several steps ahead, not waiting for him. He didn’t seem to expect her to wait, so he followed her without hesitation, walking alongside her.

Luo Siyu heard him laughingly tell Zhou Leqi, “Next time, let me fetch water for you. Save you the trip…”

They walked farther away, their voices fading into the distance.

Luo Siyu stood alone, her nails digging deeply into the flesh of her palms.

________________________________________

Author’s Note:

Next update: Little Zhou apologizes.