SW - 7

After Tang Yin left, Lu Ye immediately sidled over to Lu Chi. “Brother.”

“Hmm?”

“You don’t know Tang Yin—she’s never been particularly interested in anything before. You’re the first I’ve seen.”

Lu Chi belatedly realized what he’d said: “I’m... an object?”

Lu Ye was momentarily speechless. “It was just a slip of the tongue! Seriously, you nerds always think so literally. I was just trying to highlight how much she likes you!”

Do people with high IQs always think this strangely?

Lu Chi lowered his eyes and didn’t look at him anymore.

Lu Ye tapped the desk, curious. “Why did you suddenly give your uniform to Tang Yin? The student council is coming for inspections during the break—if they catch you without it, you’ll get points deducted.”

Though it wouldn’t affect the class score, individual scores mattered too. Losing too many points could impact the homeroom teacher’s salary, so teachers usually punished offenders by making them stand or clean the classroom.

“Lu Ye, scoot over.” A sudden voice interrupted.

Lu Ye looked up. “Oh, Miss Zhao wants to sit here too?”

Zhao Ruying stood in the aisle, not wearing her uniform but instead a short-sleeved shirt that exposed her slender white arms.

Lu Ye didn’t particularly like Zhao Ruying. She was the top student in their class, second in the grade, now third.

She had an unpleasant attitude toward everyone, radiating boredom. Her disdainful nature was completely different from Tang Yin’s indifference.

“What do you mean? I got here first—first come, first served,” Lu Ye said nonchalantly. “Miss Zhao, you should find another seat.”

Zhao Ruying’s eyes widened slightly. “You!”

But Lu Ye refused to budge, showing no courtesy typical of dealing with girls. Zhao Ruying had no choice but to sit in front of them.

She spread out her test paper and flipped to the question she had circled.

She had noticed Lu Chi when he first transferred—he was such a good student, with a delicate appearance that instantly evoked her feelings for those white-shirted boys.

Though it had only been a day or two, after seeing the results of the entrance exam, she wasn’t angry. In fact, seeing Lu Chi’s name above hers on the rankings gave her an inexplicable thrill.

“Lu Chi, the physics teacher said you got a perfect score. I didn’t understand the last question—could you explain it to me?” Zhao Ruying tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and spoke softly, her phoenix-like eyes fixed on Lu Chi as he wrote and drew.

Based on how well he seemed to get along with Tang Yin in the previous class, he must be easygoing, right?

Thinking of Tang Yin, Zhao Ruying sneered inwardly. How shameless—doing whatever she wanted in front of the entire school, acting as if it were her own home.

Lu Ye snickered.

Miss Zhao actually asking someone for help—and being so gentle about it? He didn’t believe there wasn’t some ulterior motive. It seemed she had her eye on Lu Chi.

Lu Chi hesitated for a long time, curling his fingers around his pen. “The teacher... said he’d explain... in the next class.”

Zhao Ruying’s expression flickered briefly before returning to normal. “I... just wanted to know how to solve it sooner.”

Before she could say more, Lu Ye burst out laughing. “Hey, Miss Zhao, didn’t you hear? The teacher will explain it later. Do you really think he’ll explain it worse than a student? The physics teacher might cry.”

Zhao Ruying kicked him under the table, her tone icy. “I wasn’t talking to you. Don’t meddle in other people’s affairs. You have time to nag—you might as well go write a test paper.”

Her thin voice was deliberately lowered.

Lu Chi’s expression became somewhat unnatural. For some reason, he noticed everyone staring at them, his face paling slightly, a hint of irritation rising in his chest.

Lu Ye and Zhao Ruying continued arguing, showing no signs of stopping. He finally stood up.

Zhao Ruying was stunned. “Where are you going?”

“O-out.” Lu Chi pushed back his chair and left the classroom through the gap at the back.

Lu Ye shot her a mocking glance. “Oh ho.” Then he followed, leaving the scene.

Zhao Ruying quickly retracted her test paper, watching the two leave. Clenching her teeth, her expression darkened.

Tang Yin returned to Class 14 with a gust of wind.

Thinking of Lu Chi’s awkward demeanor, Tang Yin’s lips curved into a beautiful smile. “Ah, Chi Chi is so cute.”

Su Kexi’s face remained cold. “Oh, you still remember to come back?”

Tang Yin picked up a basketball, showing off her skills, leaving the boys in the class dazzled and impressed. Applause and cheers erupted.

“Lu Chi tied it for me himself.”

Even now, she could vividly recall the sensation of his strong arms wrapping around her waist. Each time she thought about it, her heart tingled.

Her quiet heart had been captured so easily.

“All right, all right, I get it. Just one gesture, and you’re completely smitten… If you want, I can tie it for you every day until you bleed,” Su Kexi teased, covering her mouth.

Lu Chi’s knot was neat, much like his personality.

Tang Yin extended a finger, circling it around the knot, reluctantly untying it gently. She brought the uniform to her nose.

As she expected, a faint fragrance lingered.

Su Kexi couldn’t bear to look. “Look at you—that perverted expression!”

Ignoring her, Tang Yin turned around and bent down to search for something in her desk. Behind her, a small patch of red was faintly visible through her jeans.

Su Kexi gasped. “So that’s why! I thought you’d already snagged that little pup!”

Tang Yin’s periods had always been painless, thankfully regular enough for her to predict them. If they weren’t, she wouldn’t know when they’d arrive.

Hearing this, Tang Yin frowned and touched her hand. A slight metallic scent lingered on her fingertips.

She took off her uniform and asked Su Kexi to check with a mirror—sure enough, a small blood stain had seeped through. Upon reflection, she realized it was indeed that time of the month.

No wonder Lu Chi had suddenly tied his uniform around her waist. Before, he had been so stiff and uncomfortable with physical contact.

“Maybe you should ask for leave and go home to change your pants.”

“No time.”

Tang Yin slipped on Lu Chi’s oversized uniform—it was long and loose. Her own smallest size uniform was already a bit big; a boy’s was even larger.

She looked like a child playing dress-up in adult clothes.

Su Kexi had just finished borrowing supplies for her when she turned and saw her—she nearly jumped.

Swallowing hard, Su Kexi asked, “In-in, do you know what my first reaction was just now?”

“Hmm?”

Su Kexi leapt over and grabbed her delicate shoulders. “If I were a guy, I’d definitely lock you up at home!”

Wearing a boy’s uniform like this—it wasn’t sexy. She was already beautiful, but now she had an irresistible allure. Even as a girl, Su Kexi felt the urge to ravish her.

Tang Yin remained unfazed. “Oh, then I’ll go seduce Lu Chi.”

“Get lost.” A pack of sanitary pads flew into Tang Yin’s arms.

Frowning, Tang Yin headed to the restroom, grateful it wasn’t far from the classroom.

When she removed her pants, she realized the severity of the situation. This time, the flow was heavy. There was no way she’d let Lu Chi’s uniform get stained too—so she simply took off her pants altogether.

Fortunately, the uniform was large enough, falling just a few centimeters above her knees. Zipping it up made it resemble a dress.

The school allowed skirts, but not those that ended above the knee. If no one paid attention, it could still pass as decent coverage.

Her two slender, bare legs were now exposed. Her calves were straight and looked exceptionally pale.

When she returned to the classroom, Tang Yin became much quieter, curling her legs up on the chair and flipping through the test paper in an ungraceful posture.

Lu Chi’s handwriting was different from his personality—his strokes were sharp and angular, with moderate pressure, slightly messy but still legible at a glance.

On the far left, his name was written neatly and precisely, each character spaced perfectly, bold and strong.

Tang Yin ran her fingertips over it for a few seconds, then picked up a pencil to trace it stroke by stroke. As she wrote, her heart fluttered like a young deer’s.

Only then did she turn her attention to the questions.

There was nothing superfluous on the test paper; every question and step was flawless. The grading teacher had even circled some particularly excellent parts.

Su Kexi leaned over. “Whose is this? Why did you ask for Lu Chi’s test paper?”

She flipped through it and discovered that he had only lost points in chemistry among the comprehensive science subjects, scoring full marks in everything else. No wonder he ranked first. His physics score alone surpassed many others. She glanced at her own thirty-something points.

Damn, why was the gap between people so vast?

Tang Yin continued reading until she reached the physics section. When she saw the last question she got wrong, she rested her chin on her hand. “I thought my answer was correct...”

That was her first instinct when writing it.

Su Kexi: “Look at your pitiful expression—it makes me so happy.”

Tang Yin: “Shut up.”

Propping her face up on her hand, her thoughts drifted to the owner of the test paper. With her other hand, she absentmindedly bounced a basketball beside her, the sound echoing rhythmically.

Perhaps next time she could find an excuse to ask Lu Chi to tutor her in physics.

Unexpectedly, Lu Chi appeared outside the window the very next moment.

Tang Yin tilted her head and called out, “Lu Chi!”

The window was open, so her voice carried easily outside.

Lu Chi turned his head, his gaze landing on her. After a few seconds of nervousness, he quietly asked, “Wh-what?”

Tang Yin spread the test paper on the windowsill. “Why is this question solved this way? I feel like what I wrote was correct.”

She casually placed her own test paper next to his—the last question had earned her only a few points.

It was just a question… Lu Chi relaxed and, after staring for a few seconds, pointed at a specific line and earnestly explained: “The third... the third formula is w-wrong.”

Tang Yin listened attentively, showing no impatience.

Lu Chi felt a bit embarrassed. In the past, many people would interrupt him after hearing just a few words or simply refuse to listen. Over time, he stopped talking much.

“But it feels so right.”

“...D-don’t interrupt,” Lu Chi said, gaining a bit of courage.

After saying that, he realized what he’d said and suddenly turned pale, as if painted with white paint.

Startled by his reaction, Tang Yin softened her tone to reassure him: “Go on, I won’t interrupt. It’s okay, say whatever you want.”

Lu Chi gradually calmed down. His eyes, hidden behind his glasses, widened slightly, and though he was a little embarrassed, he tried his best to explain the problem thoroughly.

The sounds of running footsteps and chatter in the hallway faded into a blurry background.

Tang Yin pinched her earlobes. Lu Chi’s voice was crisp and low, falling onto her heart like raindrops.

Seeing her distracted, Lu Chi leaned closer and whispered, “Are... are you listening?”

Tang Yin snapped back to reality. “I just accidentally used the wrong formula. Actually, I’m very smart.”

“...”

Zhao Ruying left the classroom to fetch water. Turning around, she spotted Lu Chi standing by the window of Class 14. Pretending to pass by casually, she overheard fragments of their conversation.

“Lu Chi, did you foresee this?”

“W-what?”

“Otherwise, how did you happen to appear by the window so conveniently? Wasn’t it intentional?”

“...”

Tang Yin rested her hands on the windowsill. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Zhao Ruying from the neighboring class staring intently at them and raised an eyebrow at her.

Zhao Ruying turned away, holding her water bottle, and left.

Tang Yin smirked, her gaze returning to the beauty before her. “Does tutoring me feel wonderful? Amazing, isn’t it?”

“...N-no,” Lu Chi stammered in defense.

“Liar, the tips of your ears are red.”

“...”