SW - 39

Because of her rolling around, the bed made a faint creaking sound.

The dormitory had already grown quiet. The roommate who had been studying under a small lamp had turned off the light, leaving only Tang Yin’s corner dimly illuminated.

Tang Yin stopped at that chat interface, unmoving.

“As you wish.”

She chewed on those four words, her heart burning like fire. The warm sensation of holding hands in his pocket last night and their parting words lingered in her mind.

It was as if everything had become a spark.

She was truly addicted to Lu Chi, unable to forget him for a long time.

Her earlier drowsiness had completely vanished, replaced by excitement, her heartbeat quickening slightly.

She couldn’t help but recall the first time she saw Lu Chi.

Everyone at Jiashui Private School, including Su Kexi, assumed she fell in love with Lu Chi at first sight in the principal’s office. But no one knew—that wasn’t their first meeting.

The principal’s office wasn’t their first encounter.

The first time Tang Yin saw Lu Chi was at No. 1 High School.

Last summer, the city held a math Olympiad. Since it wasn’t particularly formal and was more exploratory in nature, No. 1 High School, as the provincial model school, naturally became the host.

This Olympiad didn’t attract many participants. Not many from Jiashui Private School signed up, but Tang Youwei added Tang Yin’s name to the list, claiming it would enhance her resume.

The exam took place in the auditorium of No. 1 High School.

No. 1 High School had been around for quite some time, so its auditorium wasn’t as new as Jiashui’s. Tang Yin found it a bit shabby, though the seating arrangement for the exam wasn’t bad.

The Olympiad wasn’t particularly difficult for her.

But just as she was about to finish the last step, someone handed in their test early and left. When she looked up, all she caught was the back of the person walking out.

Slim, tall.

After leaving, she never encountered that person again at No. 1 High School.

Participants in this Olympiad came from multiple schools without restrictions, so she had no way of knowing which school he belonged to.

It wasn’t until early October that she met him again.

A night of good dreams.

________________________________________

The next morning, Tang Yin hummed a tune, her mood buoyant as she went about her tasks with ease.

Su Kexi, finishing packing her things, noticed her practically floating and teased, “What dream did you have last night? Did you dream about your Chi Chi?”

Tang Yin shot her a glance. “Don’t get cheeky.”

“Lu Chi dreamed about you? That’s not dreaming—that’s impossible.”

But that’s exactly what he replied.

Tang Yin merely grinned mischievously, tidied up her things, and prepared to leave without saying anything else.

Outside, the weather had worsened. Snow had fallen again, making it even colder than the previous night. Looking at the gloomy sky, Tang Yin felt uneasy.

Something was off.

The classroom was already full when she arrived.

Tang Yin quickly made her way to the back. Before reaching her seat, she noticed a pack of tissues placed conspicuously on Lu Chi’s desk.

Clearly, he had caught a cold.

“You were perfectly fine last night. How did you suddenly catch a cold?” Tang Yin asked, sitting down naturally and reaching out to touch him.

Lu Chi’s hand flinched slightly.

Though subtle, Tang Yin caught it and found it somewhat jarring.

She didn’t press further, instead calmly sitting down and pondering what might have gone wrong.

Based on last night’s situation, things shouldn’t be like this now.

Lu Chi’s sudden initiative followed by an abrupt retreat—was he playing games with her or something?

Regardless of which thought crossed her mind, she was irritated. Last night’s happiness had turned into today’s disappointment—a complete contrast. If this kept happening, wouldn’t she be spinning in circles?

Pursuing someone didn’t mean sacrificing her dignity.

She refused to委屈 herself.

Though the air conditioning was on, she still felt cold inside. She wrapped her scarf tightly around her face, shutting out the world.

Within two class periods, the entire class knew that Tang Yin and Lu Chi were in a cold war.

Lu Ye and Tang Ming were the first to notice.

Before they were in different classes, it was normal for them to go a day without talking. But after being in the same class yesterday, they usually either exchanged glances or Tang Yin teased him while Lu Chi, though taciturn, responded minimally.

Today was different.

Lu Ye, always observant, arrived early and noticed that after Tang Yin asked a question upon entering the classroom that morning, the two hadn’t interacted since.

This was unusual.

Especially for Tang Yin—who could chatter endlessly even if Lu Chi ignored her—today she sat expressionless, either staring blankly or sleeping.

Tang Ming nudged him with his elbow. “What’s going on between them?”

Lu Ye shrugged. “How would I know? I didn’t pay attention to what happened. But I’m guessing Lu Chi must’ve done something, and Tang Yin doesn’t want to talk to him anymore.”

“What could Lu Chi possibly have done…?” Tang Ming didn’t understand.

They both turned to sneak another look.

This period was self-study, and the teacher was absent. Everyone was busy with their own tasks. When they turned back, they saw Tang Yin slumped over her desk, fast asleep.

Tang Yin was clearly sleeping soundly.

Meanwhile, Lu Chi was working on a test paper.

Both were immersed in their own worlds, seemingly unaffected, but the atmosphere was undeniably different.

From behind, faint whispers broke the silence.

“Did Lu Chi catch a chill last night?” Lu Ye suddenly asked.

He and Lu Chi weren’t in the same dormitory, so he wasn’t sure. But considering Lu Chi was perfectly fine yesterday and suddenly caught a cold—and now they were in a cold war—it seemed strange.

Would Lu Chi, with his meticulous nature, allow himself to fall ill?

Upon hearing this, Tang Ming also began to reflect.

He hadn’t paid attention last night, but he remembered getting up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. Entering, he saw Lu Chi washing his hands alternately under the faucet, looking very focused.

Later, when he came out, Lu Chi was gone. But when Tang Ming returned to the dormitory, he saw a shadow on the balcony the moment he opened the door.

His soul nearly fled his body.

Though most of the horror movies he’d seen involved ghost stories in girls’ dormitories, imagining such a scenario in a boys’ dormitory was terrifying enough, especially in the dead of night when it was eerily quiet.

Tang Ming glanced once, then quickly locked the door and scrambled onto his bed. After trembling for a while, he fell back asleep.

Now thinking about it, that shadow looked very human—and tall…

After hearing his description, Lu Ye stroked his chin thoughtfully.

He asked, “Are you sure what you saw was real?”

Tang Ming nodded. “I talked to him in the restroom. He seemed clear-headed, definitely not asleep. It was already past one in the morning. Later, when I was falling back asleep, I vaguely heard some movement.”

It was probably the sound of Lu Chi returning to his bed. Since Tang Ming slept in the bunk above him, it was easy to hear.

Lu Ye’s suspicions deepened.

Staying up late at night, standing outside on the balcony in the cold wind—this was likely something Lu Chi had done. But the reason behind it was intriguing.

What could be worth enduring such cold winds?

Lu Ye glanced at Lu Chi again, catching his gaze lingering on Tang Yin. Suddenly, he felt as though he had uncovered something.

He nudged Tang Ming and whispered, “In a bit, when I nudge Tang Yin’s chair, help me stabilize her table so she doesn’t fall.”

“What are you planning?”

“I want to test something.”

With that, Lu Ye slid down slightly, pretending to pick something up. Soon, he squatted on the floor and crawled under Tang Yin’s desk.

Seeing the timing was right, Lu Ye suddenly stood up, bumping forcefully into the table.

Tang Yin’s desk instantly tilted upward.

Tang Ming watched in horror as Tang Yin started to slide off. He quickly reached out, but before his hand could make contact, Lu Chi’s hand was already there.

Lu Ye chuckled nervously, suddenly feeling guilty.

Crawling out from underneath, Lu Ye saw Lu Chi staring at him through his glasses. For a moment, he didn’t know how to explain himself.

Meeting his gaze, Lu Ye moved his lips, then glanced at Tang Yin. Despite the commotion, Tang Yin hadn’t woken up, still sleeping deeply.

He let out a sigh of relief. “Accident, pure accident…”

But his experiment had yielded results.

If Lu Chi truly didn’t care about Tang Yin, he wouldn’t have reached out. Even with Tang Ming moving first, Lu Chi chose to act—and his speed suggested…

Reflex.

Only when someone was deeply concerned about another would they instinctively react to disturbances around them.

When Tang Yin woke up, no one was beside her.

She stared at the empty seat for a few seconds, sighed deeply, propped her chin on her hand, and flipped open a book—but couldn’t focus.

She kicked Lu Ye’s chair.

Lu Ye turned around. “What’s up, Miss Boss?”

“Let’s switch seats during the next class.”

Tang Yin’s expression was calm, her tone normal, but her words left Lu Ye incredulous.

Remembering what he had just done, he turned to Tang Ming. “You switch with Tang Ming. I have something to tell you.”

Tang Yin thought for a moment. “Fine.”

Tang Ming had no objections. It didn’t matter where he sat, and besides, sitting next to Lu Chi, the top student, meant he could ask questions.

“Switch, switch, switch.”

Tang Yin immediately moved in, not even bringing her books.

She turned to ask, “What do you want to tell me?”

“Feeling down?” Lu Ye detected her mood and smirked slyly. “What I’m about to say will definitely cheer you up. Come closer—it’s not something to spread around.”

Though slightly annoyed, Tang Yin leaned closer.

________________________________________

Tang Ming sat in Tang Yin’s seat and counted her reference books. He realized she had even more than him. Though unopened, he knew they were thoroughly studied—otherwise, her grades wouldn’t be so good.

Thinking about it, his occasional envy of her made sense.

A voice interrupted his thoughts. Tang Ming turned to greet Lu Chi. “Hey, sitting next to the top student again feels great.”

Lu Chi paused.

His gaze lingered on the books on the desk for a few seconds before shifting away. He gave a faint response: “Mm.”

Tang Ming hadn’t expected him to be so cold. They had been desk mates for months—had all that camaraderie gone to waste?

When the teacher entered, Tang Ming suddenly remembered he hadn’t brought his test papers.

Seeing Tang Yin still talking to Lu Ye, he didn’t want to disturb her. Conveniently, Tang Yin’s test papers were on the desk, so he picked them up.

He had to admit, Tang Yin’s test papers were a joy to behold.

Neat handwriting, clean pages—it was the kind of work that could be displayed in a showcase. Compared to his chicken-scratch handwriting, it was a masterpiece.

As he marveled, a hand suddenly snatched the test paper away.

“Hey, hey, what are you doing?” Tang Ming quickly pressed down on it. “I still need it! Don’t take it!”

Annoyed, Lu Chi tossed his own test paper over.

Tang Ming: “… “

Was he bored out of his mind? All this trouble just to swap test papers?

Though skeptical, Tang Ming still handed Tang Yin’s test paper back and secretly glanced at it a few times. Was Lu Chi really bored today?

________________________________________

For the entire morning, Tang Yin sat in Tang Ming’s seat, directly in front of Lu Chi.

During the final class before dismissal, Tang Ming approached Lu Chi with a problem. “Top student, teach me this problem—I can’t seem to grasp it here.”

Lu Chi’s brows furrowed slightly as his pen twirled in his hand.

Thinking he hadn’t heard, Tang Ming repeated himself.

Instead of an answer, he heard the former desk mate’s cold voice asking a question—why did Tang Yin switch seats with him.

Tang Ming subtly glanced at the two in front and coughed lightly, whispering, “Uh… Tang Yin wanted to talk to Lu Ye, so we switched seats.”

He spoke the truth.

Then he saw the pristine reference book in front of the former desk mate tear with a sharp sound. Without hesitation, the torn page was crumpled and tossed into the nearby trash bin.

It wasn’t until after school that Tang Ming realized—Lu Chi hadn’t taught him the problem despite his response.

Eating was a priority, and the classroom emptied quickly.

Tang Yin stayed behind, not leaving.

When the classroom was nearly empty, she finally got up and returned to her seat, standing by the desk and looking down at Lu Chi.

With a final slap on his desk, she pinned down the test paper he was working on and bluntly asked, “You said last night you would dream about me. What did you dream about?”

Lu Chi turned his head away, looking uncomfortable.

Seeing his reaction, Tang Yin felt more confident. Recalling what Lu Ye had told her earlier, she bent down and leaned closer.

She hovered near Lu Chi’s ear, curling her tongue slightly, then lowered her voice and whispered, “Lu Chi, did you… have a wet dream about me last night?”