SW - 17

By the time they returned to the classroom for evening study, it was already past six o’clock.

Su Kexi arrived late, her brows lifted with joy. Seeing Tang Yin’s amused expression, she giggled and hugged her tightly. “I’m so happy!”

She had harbored a crush on Lu Yu since her freshman year and started pursuing him earnestly in her sophomore year. Back when they were dating, she felt like the happiest girl in the world. But everything changed abruptly at the end of last semester.

However, two days ago, her motivation had been reignited.

The only downside was that Lu Yu had become cruder—he even teased her about her small chest.

“What’s wrong with having a small chest?” Su Kexi frowned.

Tang Yin consoled her. “There’s a saying: ‘Outstanding girls have A-cup bras.’“

“Ahh, my little angel, you’re always here for me! By the way, can I borrow your test papers? I didn’t do any homework at home.”

“Study hard.”

“Oh, there’s always tomorrow to study harder.”

“One day follows another, and there are so many tomorrows.”

“Tang Yin, are you looking for a fight? Did you learn this from that bookworm Lu Chi? You could switch careers and become a teacher.”

...

Halfway through the final evening study session, Tang Yin was frowning over a physics problem when, before she could even pick up her pen, the entire classroom suddenly went dark. The fluorescent lights above flickered off simultaneously.

She glanced outside—pitch black.

Su Kexi suppressed her excitement. “A power outage?”

In three years of school, this was their first encounter with such an event. Everything was dark, and it seemed that evening study might be canceled altogether.

Weekend evening study sessions ended at eight o’clock, and this was the final session. Once it was over, students were free to relax. Such a rare opportunity couldn’t be wasted.

Lin Ru immediately tried to calm everyone down. “Stay quiet and wait for further instructions.”

Her gentle demeanor was no match for the students’ excitement. Before she could step out to inquire about the situation, mischievous boys in the class began pounding on their desks, creating a cacophony that made everyone’s ears ring.

“Class dismissed! Class dismissed!” they chanted. “Teacher Lin, let us go back to the dorms!”

The noise was deafening.

At the back door, Tang Yin grew increasingly irritated. With a flick of her left hand, she hurled the basketball straight into the wall behind her. It landed with a dull thud and bounced several times before rolling back to her feet.

Class 14 fell silent as if chickens had been frightened into submission.

Tang Yin tilted her head, her tone icy. “All of you seem very bored?”

She began dribbling the basketball slowly, continuing, “Why don’t you talk to me instead?”

Each thud of the basketball against the floor reverberated like a hammer striking their hearts. The boys who had been making noise in the back rows dared not utter a sound.

They had witnessed Tang Yin lose her temper once after the class split into different subjects. She appeared normal most of the time, but when provoked, she was terrifying. Fortunately, that incident involved someone from another class.

“The school will issue a notice soon,” Lin Ru said from the podium, smiling faintly toward the source of the commotion, though she couldn’t see anyone clearly.

Others might think Tang Yin was difficult, but Lin Ru rather liked her.

Though seemingly arrogant and prone to fighting, Tang Yin had her own principles and showed respect to her homeroom teacher. This was Lin Ru’s first class as a homeroom teacher, and without Tang Yin, the class would likely have descended into chaos.

Due to her own mild personality, Lin Ru wasn’t particularly strict. Without Tang Yin’s presence, the class would have been even more unruly—and poor academic performance would have been disastrous.

About ten minutes after the widespread power outage, the grade-level disciplinary director finally arrived, carrying a large bag.

He addressed the room. “Teacher Lin, have your class monitor come collect candles. Two desks will share one candle.”

Upon hearing this, the students were speechless, cursing inwardly. Even during a power outage, the school insisted on using candles. Truly, they would stop at nothing in the name of studying.

As the candles were distributed, row by row from the first desk to the last, the warm yellow glow gradually illuminated the classroom, casting flickering shadows everywhere.

It had an unexpected beauty.

Unaware of the students’ true feelings, the disciplinary director encouraged them. “Students, the mock exams are approaching soon. We cannot afford to waste a single minute. Time is squeezed out—it’s like the ancient scholars who tied their hair to the ceiling beam or pricked themselves with needles to stay awake. Let us emulate their dedication. I hope all of you achieve high scores!”

Silence.

At that moment, faint applause echoed from the back door.

Seconds later, the entire class erupted into enthusiastic applause. The boys clapped with all their might, occasionally shouting, “Great!” “Fantastic!” “Director is absolutely right!”

Pleased by the overwhelming response, the disciplinary director left Class 14 satisfied.

The next moment, Class 14 returned to its usual chicken-like silence.

Even the experimental class could hear the sounds from the neighboring classrooms. Those near the front door heard the earlier table-pounding, whistling, and commotion. Why had things suddenly grown so quiet?

“I just heard that sound... Tang Yin must’ve gotten angry.”

“Their homeroom teacher is too gentle. Only Tang Yin can handle them.”

After being around this class for a while, others had figured out that although Class 14 was the most chaotic in the school, they were also the easiest to manage. If Tang Yin said something, no one dared to disobey—not even the principal.

By the window, Tang Ming nudged Lu Chi, who was writing notes, and whispered, “Do you feel the weight of Tang Yin’s authority? When she speaks at Jia Shui Private School, no one dares to argue.”

Lu Chi paused his pen, his expression unreadable in the dimness.

Tang Ming teased with a grin, “However, I think it won’t be long before you become the first. How does it feel? There’s an idiom that describes someone holding a unique position... What is it again?”

He suddenly stumbled over his words.

“...Oh! One step below and ten thousand steps above!” Tang Ming nodded emphatically. “That’s it. Though our school doesn’t have ten thousand people, we do have around six thousand if you count the middle school. Just imagine how glorious that would be.”

Lu Chi hesitated briefly, his pen dragging a short line across the paper.

The disciplinary director happened to pass by just then, and Tang Ming’s attention shifted back to the candles.

The power outage was merely a small incident.

But the next day, someone spotted the school purchasing a massive generator, which was hauled in piece by piece.

In the following days, with the mid-term exams still some time away, the class grew restless.

During the extended break, Tang Yin wandered lazily into the small campus convenience store. Her demeanor exuded a carefree languor.

Unlike regular supermarkets, the convenience store counter formed a square shape, surrounding shelves inside while drinks and snacks were displayed on the outer racks. As a result, everyone crowded around the counter to pay.

When she appeared, several senior three students instinctively made way for her.

“Big Sister Yin, remember last time when we dealt with those guys from Second High? They finally admitted defeat,” Yu Chun chimed in, coincidentally present at the scene.

“Mm,” Tang Yin replied casually.

She pointed to a bag of chips on the shelf, signaling the cashier to retrieve it.

Yu Chun didn’t take offense, observing her lethargic state. He guessed her mood wasn’t great and quietly stepped aside.

Several boys waited behind her. One of them glanced backward absentmindedly and whispered, “That person... Is he the guy Big Sister Yin has her eye on?”

“He should be called Brother-in-Law.” Yu Chun smacked him lightly.

After taking a closer look, he mischievously murmured, “Let’s clear the way for him.”

The boys immediately understood his meaning. With a swift move, they stepped aside, blocking others who tried to approach.

Yu Chun suddenly called out loudly, “Big Sister Yin!”

Tang Yin turned her head impatiently. “Are you full and bored?”

Hadn’t he seen Lu Chi? Yu Chun glanced toward where Lu Chi had been standing earlier, only to find him now at another section—the beverage aisle on the opposite side.

He was puzzled. Lu Chi’s route hadn’t originally led there.

Yu Chun chuckled awkwardly and quickly moved out of the way to apologize.

Tang Yin ignored him, her gaze scanning the shelves as she contemplated what to buy. She’d already tried most items in the small store, so nothing felt particularly novel anymore.

“Paper.”

A brief, clear voice suddenly reached her ears.

Tang Yin turned in surprise, delighted to see Lu Chi standing tall beside her, accompanied by his familiar fresh scent.

“Lu Chi,” she called out.

As expected, there was no response. Tang Yin had anticipated this.

It seemed that for the past few days, whenever they crossed paths in the hallway, he showed no expression at all—completely different from before.

It started from the day at the basketball court over the weekend.

This little cutie wasn’t so cute anymore.

Had she caused him trouble?

Unconsciously twisting the bag of chips in her hand, Tang Yin fell into deep thought. This was her first time pursuing someone, and she truly didn’t know how to navigate their relationship. Perhaps she had made mistakes somewhere?

Their last interaction had been when she learned from Tang Ming that Lu Chi had injured his hand. She sent him a box of band-aids, but the next day, she noticed he hadn’t used any.

Something seemed off.

Tang Yin spoke up again, asking, “Lu Chi, why aren’t you talking? Are you upset?”

Without a word, Lu Chi handed her the yogurt he was holding along with the paper and swiped his card to pay.

The school now used a unified card system.

“Do you also like this brand of yogurt?” Tang Yin asked softly.

She hadn’t liked this brand before, but one day, she inexplicably became obsessed with its taste and couldn’t get enough of it after that.

She had even researched it—it was sugar-free, making it ideal for consumption after exercise without any concerns. That’s why she drank it frequently, especially during basketball games.

After a long silence, Tang Yin felt a void in her heart and slightly lowered her head.

Yu Chun, watching the entire exchange, was growing increasingly anxious. What was Lu Chi doing? Wasn’t he supposed to be mild-mannered? Why wasn’t he responding after being spoken to for so long?

This was the first time he’d ever seen Big Sister Yin act this way.

...

The surroundings quieted down. Lu Chi glanced sideways and saw Tang Yin with her head bowed, her eyes glistening faintly with what seemed like委屈 (grievance). He sighed inwardly and gently pushed the yogurt toward her.

Tang Yin kept her head down. After a moment, still clutching the bag of chips, she reached out to swipe her card.

Just then, a carton of yogurt suddenly appeared in front of her.

On top of it rested the hand she had been secretly yearning for.