SW - 11

Lu Chi pinched it slightly.

It was a bit prickly.

“Wow, who gave you this five-pointed star?” Tang Ming asked dramatically.

Lu Chi looked puzzled. “Hmm?”

Tang Ming hid his face behind a book and whispered conspiratorially, “Are you dumb, bro? It’s super trendy among young girls these days to fold five-pointed stars and give them to the people they like. My little sister folds them every day at home, saying she wants to give them to her crush.”

These girls nowadays—what were they thinking? What was the point of a five-pointed star? Why not just kiss the guy already?

As he spoke, Tang Ming winked exaggeratedly at Lu Chi. “You’ve only been in school for a week, and someone’s already given you one. I’ve been here for almost three years, and no girl has even held my hand.”

Lu Chi’s pale fingertips held the tiny star as he placed it back into his pocket.

A moment later, he couldn’t resist taking it out again.

________________________________________

The last class on Friday afternoons was always the homeroom teacher’s class.

Class 14’s homeroom teacher, Lin Ru, taught math. Her patience could sometimes even scare herself. Despite the class’s overall poor performance, their math scores were decent enough.

Tang Yin spread out her math test paper. “I’m going to Third High School after school today. Want to come?”

“…No. Don’t feel like it.”

“Alright.”

After a pause, Su Kexi tapped Tang Yin’s wrist. “I’ll go… but I won’t go inside. I’ll just stay outside!”

Tang Yin mumbled vaguely, “Up to you.”

Su Kexi felt like she’d been seen through and her face grew warm. She quickly pulled out her study materials, pretending to be absorbed in her work.

Her actions clearly betrayed her guilt, and Tang Yin chuckled silently.

________________________________________

Jia Shui Private School had a schedule where students went home every two weeks. Fridays were for dismissal, and they returned on Sunday evenings for self-study. In total, it was only one day off.

But even that single day was enough to make everyone ecstatic, wishing the next school day would magically turn into another holiday.

Jia Shui Private School wasn’t located in a remote area, but the surrounding development was still lacking. Though close to Jia River, it didn’t have as many residents as Second High School. However, its future prospects were much better.

Third High School was quite far from Jia Shui Private, but there was a bus route that passed by the front gate of First High School along the way.

First High School was a place dedicated to academics, with its fair share of troublemakers, but few from Jia Shui Private paid them any mind. Occasionally, there were clashes with Second High School.

The downside was that it took about ten minutes to walk left to reach the four-way intersection. The first intersection was used by many passenger buses, while the second one had the bus stop.

So, every Friday afternoon, the area was packed with private cars picking up students.

As class neared its end, the students’ minds were already on their holidays. Lin Ru stopped reviewing the test papers and let them study independently.

A short while later, she called Tang Yin outside.

“In a little while, it’ll be time for the mid-term exams. This time, we’re having a joint exam with First High School. You absolutely must do well.” Lin Ru reminded her, “And please, no fighting.”

She was truly worried.

Previously, Tang Yin should have been ranked first, but because of a fight, she ended up in a lower testing room. Such a waste!

Tang Yin saluted seriously. “Understood.”

Lin Ru smiled. “You’re such a smart aleck. That Lu Chi from the experimental class has excellent physics scores. I know what you’ve been up to recently, but don’t cross the line. This is a critical period—for both you and him. Studying should be your top priority. Isn’t it better to wait until after graduation?”

Lu Chi was good-looking and academically gifted—it was normal for young girls to have crushes on him.

She herself had gone through a similar phase of budding feelings in high school.

But feelings aside, grades came first.

She said gently, “You’re so smart. You must understand what I mean, right?”

Tang Yin’s eyes darted around. “Got it.”

“That’s good.” Lin Ru nodded in satisfaction and left.

________________________________________

In the experimental class, Wu Feng taught English. Many boys in the science classes struggled with English. Sometimes, guessing worked better than carefully writing answers.

Lu Chi noticed that the two classmates sitting in front of him had been fooling around since the start of class, making quite a racket.

Just as he shifted his gaze away, a loud thud echoed through the room.

The sound of a hand hitting the desk.

Coincidentally, homeroom teacher Wu Feng happened to walk by and saw the two students’ hands intertwined. His expression darkened. “What are you two doing?”

In unison, they replied, “Bonding!”

“…”

The entire class burst into laughter. Even Lu Chi, who sat nearby, couldn’t help but curve his lips slightly.

Wu Feng’s eyes widened in anger as he raised his voice. “You two… you’re driving me crazy! Holding hands makes you happy, does it? Fine! Come on, get up to the podium and hold hands all you want. Let everyone see how you ‘bond’!”

Reluctantly, the two boys stood up, shoving each other. “Damn you! If you hadn’t grabbed my hand, this wouldn’t have happened!”

“Screw you! You started it, and now you’re blaming me?”

Slowly, they trudged up to the podium. Seeing everyone below snickering, even their thick skins couldn’t prevent their faces from turning bright red.

They were just horsing around, grabbing each other’s hands to stop the other from “winning”…

Wu Feng tapped on the desk and said coldly, “Hold hands.”

His angry expression was terrifying. The two boys immediately clutched each other’s hands tightly, deliberately hurting one another while enduring the pain. But as soon as the homeroom teacher turned his back, they resumed kicking and cursing under their breaths.

The entire class’s attention was fixed on the pair.

Five minutes later.

Wu Feng glanced coldly at the two boys still wrestling on the podium. “How’s your bonding going?”

“Great!”

“We feel like brothers now!”

“…”

The two exchanged playful banter, but Wu Feng couldn’t take it anymore. His lips twitched for a moment before he mercifully let them step down.

From the back door, faint whispers could be heard.

Tang Ming happened to glance over and saw Tang Yin standing with Class 14, glaring at them. He nudged his desk mate. “Look outside.”

Lu Chi looked toward the door, his eyes narrowing slightly. He caught only a glimpse of a silhouette and long hair fluttering in the wind.

A moment later, he lowered his head, hesitated, then slowly opened his comprehensive science test paper.

There was nothing unusual at first glance.

He flipped through the pages quietly until a few lines of text near the last physics problem caught his eye.

【The day you arrived,

the crabapple blossoms bloomed too.

The scenery was perfect.

—From the little fairy who wants to sleep with you】

The handwriting was delicate, written lightly in pencil. It matched the name from before.

For some reason, her earlier whispered words echoed in his ears: “Don’t lend it to anyone else.”

Lu Chi felt his ears grow warm, his expression uneasy.

His slender index finger pressed against the paper. He coughed softly, unsure how to react for a long while.

Were girls really this straightforward these days?

“What’s wrong?” Tang Ming snapped out of his amusement, noticing something was off, and leaned over.

Lu Chi quickly covered the note with his hand. After a few seconds, he managed to mutter, “Nothing.”

Even he was shocked at himself. For once, he hadn’t stuttered, and his heart nearly leapt out of his chest with excitement.

Tang Ming was surprised too but, seeing Lu Chi’s pleased expression, decided not to pry further.

After that little spectacle, the classroom grew quieter.

Tang Ming was about to mock the two troublemakers when his usually quiet desk mate suddenly asked, “Does the school… have crabapple trees?”

“Yeah,” Tang Ming replied without hesitation. “In the flower bed between the senior-three building and the experimental building. I forgot you’re new here. They should be blooming right now—I haven’t paid much attention. Aren’t you sitting by the window? Just look down there, and you’ll see them.”

Tang Ming rattled off the explanation, then asked curiously, “Why do you ask? Did someone give you something? Who gives crabapple flowers anyway?”

No one had given him crabapple flowers, but he had received a love letter.

Well… it was probably a love letter.

Lu Chi lowered his gaze, staring at the test paper for a long moment before gently pushing open the window.

It was still class time, so the area below was quiet, devoid of people. The large circular flower bed below was brimming with flowers—white and pink petals clustered together.

Sunlight bathed the blossoms, refracting light through lingering dewdrops.

Not long after, the bell finally rang, followed almost instantly by cheers from the students. Unfortunately, the homeroom teacher was still explaining a problem on the podium.

Tang Ming and Lu Ye led the charge, banging on their desks in protest of the teacher dragging out the lesson.

Wu Feng calmly finished explaining a multiple-choice question before leisurely announcing, “Class dismissed. Don’t forget to study, and remember to complete the test papers. Hand them in when you return on Sunday.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, cheers erupted.

Vacation was the priority; homework could wait.

Lu Ye had already packed up and dashed out the door, only to freeze mid-step when she spotted someone nearby.

Tang Yin was waiting outside.

Occasional breezes drifted through the corridor, brushing against their faces—not too hot, not too cold.

The closer she got to Lu Chi, the more her heart raced.

Logically speaking, he wasn’t particularly striking—delicate and refined—but for some inexplicable reason, he captivated her. It was as if he were an intoxicating drug, addictive and alluring, pulling her deeper into its spell. Whether this “drug” was poisonous or harmless, she didn’t yet know.

Lu Ye chuckled mischievously, retreating to the back door of the classroom.

First, she winked at Tang Yin, then called out loudly, “Lu Chi, someone’s looking for you!”

Lu Chi raised his head, glancing toward the doorway. Seeing no one, he hesitantly responded with a soft, “Hmm?”

Lu Ye grinned. “I’m your wingman! Next time, treat me to a meal, alright?”

Tang Yin nodded. “Sure, as long as you’re brave enough to eat.”

“…Never mind, forget it!”

With that, Lu Ye bolted away, disappearing in a flash.

A few minutes later, Lu Chi appeared at the doorway. Tang Yin stretched out her long legs, blocking his path. “Little Stammerer, I need to talk to you.”

The remaining students in the classroom craned their necks to watch the scene unfold.

Lu Chi partially blocked their view, stammering awkwardly, “Wh-what is it?”

His tone was stiff, tinged with unease.

Just as Tang Ming reached the back door, he froze. He sensed he might overhear something significant.

Tang Yin was amused by Lu Chi’s reaction. She leaned casually against the wall, tilting her head. With a series of exaggerated sighs, she said, “Just thinking about not seeing you for two whole days makes me sad, sigh…”

“…”

“So… why don’t you give me your WeChat?”

“…”