SW - 4

Walking stiff and awkward… Lu Chi was completely frozen in place.

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and decided to ignore the comment.

After Lu Chi’s figure disappeared from view near the teaching building, Tang Yin finally couldn’t hold back her laughter anymore. Her clear, ringing laughter made the boy hiding in the restroom too scared to come out.

As for what he had said about No. 2 High, she guessed Lu Chi must have overheard something while inside.

Just then, a male student happened to walk over from the classroom area. Tang Yin waved him over. “Go check inside. See which stall is occupied.”

The boy was confused but obediently went in anyway.

Tang Yin tilted her chin slightly.

In no time, the boy rushed back out, panicked. “Sister Yin, there’s just one creepy guy in there pacing around. He even looked at me with that kind of gaze when he saw me!”

“What kind of gaze?”

“You know, that kind of gaze!”

Tang Yin took a deep breath, suppressing her urge to hit someone, and gave him an odd look. “Thanks.”

A few minutes later, the boy waiting outside still hadn’t heard any movement. Unable to contain his curiosity, he cautiously approached the door again.

Before he could even touch it, Tang Yin casually walked out.

It seemed like nothing unusual had happened. The boy thought to himself.

After Tang Yin left, he immediately pushed the door open and saw the creepy man slouched over, emitting faint groans of pain. His face was a sight too gruesome to bear.

The top girl of Jiashui High truly lived up to her reputation.

The dormitory building, where exams had just ended, was filled with screams.

Night had fallen, and many students who had been out having fun were slowly returning, carrying piles of books back to the teaching building. Senior three students had so many books that the noise of their movements was quite loud.

Su Kexi waved her hand and pulled out a face mask. “That bunch from No. 2 High really shows their true colors. Why didn’t you pin him down in the restroom? You let him off easy—he sounded disgusting.”

She hadn’t expected there to be people in the school colluding with those from No. 2 High.

“The summer vacation was too relaxing,” Tang Yin said calmly, tearing open a bag of chips.

While munching, she squinted and recounted the story about Lu Chi to Su Kexi, especially emphasizing his strong reaction.

The conditions in private school dormitories were always slightly better, and this one was nearly perfect. The two of them shared a dorm room, with bunk beds positioned front and back. Each person in the dorm had their own individual locker.

Su Kexi’s face tightened. “Are you trying to make me laugh myself to death so you can inherit my face masks?”

“Your face?”

“Shut up and give me back my chips.”

Su Kexi yanked off her face mask, let out a loud yell, and lunged forward. With her sticky face, she planted a big kiss on Tang Yin and then slapped the face mask onto her face.

Grabbing the chips back, she said, “Based on what you’ve told me, I deduce that he’s a pure-hearted little wolf. Just tease him a bit, and he’ll be yours.”

Su Kexi was genuinely surprised that Tang Yin had suddenly become so interested in a boy. Her friend had led such a tranquil, desire-free life for over a decade, and now love at first sight?

Love sure works fast.

“Ah, soon enough, I’ll be the only single dog left around here,” Su Kexi lamented.

There were four people in the dorm: two academic achievers and two slackers. One of the achievers had been flirting ambiguously with a good student in their class since sophomore year, and they finally got together during summer vacation, all lovey-dovey and sickeningly sweet. The other slacker had somehow managed to snag a junior, starting an inter-grade romance.

Originally, Tang Yin and Su Kexi had each other for company, but now Su Kexi was all alone.

Turning serious, Su Kexi asked, “Yinyin, are you serious about this? If it’s just a passing interest, maybe don’t toy with him. He seems like a good student.”

Maybe he just wants to get into a good university.

Tang Yin met her gaze. “I’m serious. From the moment I first saw him, I felt restless.”

Thinking back to today when her hands had touched his body, she licked her lips, feeling a twinge of regret.

Monday. The sun shone brightly—it was the school’s fixed day for the flag-raising ceremony.

As soon as morning self-study ended, the students in the class gathered shoulder to shoulder and headed to the playground.

Thinking of Lu Chi, Tang Yin hadn’t even reached the entrance of the experimental class when Lu Ye popped out from the back door with a grin. “Lu Chi was called away by the headmaster.”

She nodded and turned toward the playground instead.

Jiashui Private School had a three-way fork about ten meters inside the main gate. To the right was the high school section, to the left was the middle school section, and the middle path led to two administrative buildings connected by an overpass.

Running straight ahead from under the overpass, passing the large square in front of the cafeteria, the dormitory building was to the left, and the playground was to the right.

The playground was surrounded by green iron netting, resembling a prison yard where inmates were allowed to stretch their legs.

The field was filled with artificial grass, vast and desolate, and now it was packed with rows of students.

Sunlight filtered through the scattered clouds, creating crisscrossing beams that illuminated the orange-and-white uniforms, making them appear even brighter.

A bright red flag fluttered in the air.

“… Fellow students, in this golden autumn of October, with osmanthus fragrance in the air, we stand beneath the rising sun, accompanied by the sweet scent of flowers… Senior three life is not just for ourselves, but also for our families…”

The grade headmaster held a microphone, speaking fervently with both hands and mouth, spittle flying everywhere.

There was a rear gate in the iron fence surrounding the playground. It had been broken for a while and never repaired. The area around it was planted with camphor trees, casting a large shadow that conveniently concealed her presence.

Near the back gate was Class 20. Tang Yin slowly made her way from the last row of the crowd, greeting acquaintances along the way. When she passed by the experimental class, she peeked inside several times.

Lu Chi wasn’t there either. Otherwise, with his height, he would’ve been standing at the back. If he had been present, Tang Yin felt certain she would’ve spotted him at first glance.

For some reason, the phrase “love at first sight” suddenly came to mind.

In the lineup, a few girls were chatting animatedly: “Hasn’t the headmaster’s speech been unchanged for three years?”

Another girl laughed. “Well, not entirely. At least he changed ‘sophomore year’ to ‘senior three.’ That’s progress. I always wonder how that microphone still works after being drenched in so much saliva.”

After sharing a laugh for a few seconds, one girl suddenly said, “Hey, I still remember Tang Yin’s speech back then—it was so cool.”

It had become customary for the top three students to give speeches during the flag-raising ceremony.

Tang Yin had ranked first since her freshman year, so naturally, she was the first to speak. However, during her only speech, she simply said three words: “I have nothing to say.”

At the time, everyone below was stunned, and the headmaster trembled for half a day without saying anything before gently inviting her back to her place.

After that, they skipped her during speeches, moving directly to the second and third-place students. Listening to their speeches every week had nearly driven the students mad.

Especially the second-place student—a motivational speaker. His speech was the most unique, recounting how he rose from the bottom to become the second-ranked student in the entire school. He’d told that story dozens of times, and almost everyone in his grade could recite it by heart.

He was practically on the verge of hanging himself from the rafters or drilling holes in the wall to study by candlelight.

The students of Class 14 stood sparsely in line. Su Kexi, near the end, waved her over. “Come here quickly.”

Not seeing Lu Chi, Tang Yin felt a bit disappointed.

Just as she settled into place at the back, the voice of the second-place student echoed over the loudspeaker.

Having recently won second place in a provincial speech competition, giving a speech at school was no big deal for him.

The students below continued doing whatever they were doing.

Tang Yin, feeling gloomy, listened to the pompous speech above and irritably muttered, “Bullshit.”

Su Kexi leaned over. “What? Did you fart?”

Tang Yin kicked her. “With his scrawny body, he gets out of breath after walking ten meters. Without a cane, he wouldn’t even make it up the foot of a mountain.”

Those nearby who heard her couldn’t help but stifle laughter.

Su Kexi burst out laughing. “Ouch, that hurts!”

During the speech, a commotion broke out among the twenty classes lined up.

The headmaster grew angry and began patrolling. Middle-aged and balding, with a sparse ring of black hair circling his shiny bald dome, students affectionately nicknamed him “Mediterranean.”

Holding a rolled-up document, he walked sternly from Class 1 to Class 13, his sharp voice ringing out continuously: “Where’s your uniform? Your uniform?! Stand up straight! Don’t slouch like a monkey! Straighten your school badge! Why don’t you wear it upside down?!”

Soon, he arrived at Class 14, walking from the front to the back, reprimanding as he went.

“You two—” He finally stopped in front of Tang Yin at the last row, his words catching in his throat. Softly, he said, “Put your uniform on properly. Su Kexi, why is your uniform stained black?”

Su Kexi pouted. “It happened when I went coal mining with my dad yesterday.”

“Why didn’t you say you were mining gold?”

“Principal, there’s no gold mine around here!”

The headmaster stomped off in anger, a reaction everyone had grown accustomed to.

Shortly after he returned to the flag platform, the two speeches concluded. To avoid embarrassing the enthusiastic top students, scattered applause broke out.

The microphone returned to the headmaster’s hand, and the students watched him listlessly, waiting for him to announce the end of the ceremony.

Tang Yin glanced around at the neighboring groups, her eyes slightly lowered, unusually moody.

Unable to resist, Su Kexi said, “If you ask me, just go up and kiss him. Make him take responsibility. If he doesn’t, beat him until he does. There’s a saying: hitting is kissing, cursing is loving—no hitting, no kissing, no love.”

She grinned mischievously.

Tang Yin shot her a look. “How can you say something so outrageous?”

Su Kexi replied with mock aloofness. “Oh, bite me if you dare.”

“Sorry, I don’t eat shit.”

“Get lost!”

A moment later, Su Kexi leaned over again. “Dear maiden, don’t say Her Majesty doesn’t favor you. Out of great mercy, I’ll tell you—look up there.”

Tang Yin, bored, was absentmindedly twirling her hair. Hearing this, she raised her head and looked toward the platform.

Standing beside the headmaster was Lu Chi.

This time, he was wearing his uniform—a striking orange-and-white ensemble that accentuated his slightly pale, almost sickly complexion, paired with his tall, slender frame. His fine black hair glimmered under the sunlight, as exquisitely styled as she had seen it the day before.

Even in the same uniform, Lu Chi managed to exude an aura of restraint. But standing up there, he must’ve been incredibly nervous.

The thought made her mouth water. Over and over, she found herself utterly captivated.

Tang Yin indulged in these excessive thoughts.