After the New Year, the school resumed, coinciding with a good season. The spring warmth arrived suddenly, and the ice and snow melted away. The campus, which had been quiet for over a month, was filled with familiar laughter and chatter once again.
Class 18 was as lively as ever, with boys and girls sitting in their respective groups. Long-separated rivals chased each other with brooms, cursing each other while smiling. Old friends took out their snacks from their bags and shared them. Bloggers were discussing which new lipstick shades were trending.
Old Yu was still the same as before, holding a thermos cup at the door, smiling as he watched them, as though he didn’t care about the chaotic scene.
Lin Tiao had accidentally stayed up all night the previous evening. When Fang Yi Song woke her up in the morning, she was still groggy. Afterward, she ate breakfast while feeling dizzy, then was sent to school in a daze, almost walking into the wrong classroom.
Just before she entered, someone grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back.
Lin Tiao suddenly came to her senses and turned around. The morning sunlight pierced her eyes, and after a moment, she saw the person standing in front of her. “What are you doing here?”
Jiang Yan had followed her all the way onto the campus. Watching her stumble around like she was drunk, he followed her until she reached the wrong class and pulled her back in time. He said in a low voice, “Today’s the first day of school. Where else would I be?”
Then, he lightly raised his chin and signaled for her to look. “Where are you going? You haven’t been here for a month, and you can’t even find your own class.”
Lin Tiao turned her head and looked. On the clean white wall, there was a sign with gold edges, with “Class 27, Senior Year” written in black ink.
She yawned and smiled. “I just didn’t wake up properly, feeling a little dizzy.”
Jiang Yan glanced at her.
After spending time with Lin Tiao, Jiang Yan had noticed that her schedule was completely irregular, often staying up all night. Late nights were a frequent occurrence.
Although he himself sometimes stayed up late, even pulling all-nighters, he knew it wasn’t good for the body. So, he had been trying to find ways to get her to sleep earlier.
At first, Lin Tiao was indeed obedient. She said goodnight to him at midnight and prepared to sleep.
Initially, Jiang Yan believed that after she said goodnight, she actually went to sleep. That was, until one night, when he received a team invitation from Hu Hanghang on QQ. Since he had nothing to do, he casually joined.
As soon as he entered, he heard his girlfriend’s voice—who had already said goodnight to him. “Fatty, help me take mid-lane this round, I’ll carry.”
Jiang Yan: "...."
The next moment, Lin Tiao seemed to realize something. After a quick “Hey” she laughed. “This avatar looks familiar.”
Her voice abruptly stopped.
Jiang Yan smirked and opened the team chat, saying slowly, “What does it look like?”
“Doesn’t it look a bit like your boyfriend?”
“…”
“Coincidentally, I am him.”
From that point on, Jiang Yan changed his approach. Every night, he would call her at a fixed time, staying on the line until she fell asleep.
But over time, there were still moments when he couldn’t keep track.
“Stayed up late again last night?”
Class 17 and Class 18 were separated by just a wall. Neither of them entered the classroom, standing in the corridor instead.
Lin Tiao instinctively denied it, her tone firm. “No.”
But after saying that, she couldn’t help but yawn again.
Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow and looked at her.
It was obvious that she was severely sleep-deprived. Her eyelids were drooping, the corners of her eyes were red and wet, and there were faint dark circles beneath her eyes, like a lazy cat.
He raised his hand and gently traced beneath her eyelid. Just as he was about to speak, a loud noise came from behind, from Class 17’s classroom.
Both of them turned to look.
The crowd of people peering out the window froze for a moment, and then swiftly put their phones away. Within three seconds, the once-crowded window was empty.
Lin Tiao: "..."
Jiang Yan: "...."
On the first day of the new semester, the popular post on the school forum about the campus bully’s secret crush became lively again.
“Oh my god, I really got it!” The image was posted.
Several others also posted pictures.
Most of them were taken in the morning when Jiang Yan and Lin Tiao were standing at the door of Class 17.
Ahhhhh, the campus bully is so domineering and gentle.
He stood at our class door, asking Lin Tiao if she had stayed up late again, and even touched her! The important part is that he touched her.
I think this post should be renamed “The Campus Bully’s Love Story.”
During break time, Hu Hanghang saw the post and couldn’t help but comment, “Hey not to be rude, but can you two be a little more discreet?”
Xu Yichuan chimed in, “Early in the morning, standing at someone else’s class door showing off your love—who can handle that?”
Lin Tiao sighed. “Actually, we were just chatting there for a bit.”
Xu Yichuan slammed the table. “Chatting? That’s not enough! You have to know, back in his first year, not a single female animal could be within three meters of him.”
Lin Tiao touched her ear. “That exaggerated?”
“You don’t know the half of it! In the first year, a girl confessed to him, and after she finished, he said…” Xu Yichuan cleared his throat and imitated Jiang Yan’s tone, “Classmate, your eyeshadow’s smudged. It looks ugly.”
Lin Tiao: "...."
As for the secret crush post, Lin Tiao originally planned to wait until their relationship was more settled before confessing to him and deleting the post.
However, things took an unexpected turn.
Lin Tiao didn’t expect Jiang Yan to say that he was the one who posted it. She could guess why, so she never told him the real poster’s identity.
At the beginning, when they first got together, Lin Tiao had hinted at deleting the post, but he refused.
So, Lin Tiao didn’t delete it and didn’t tell him the truth, thinking the post would fade away over time. But after a brief lull, the attention on it came back.
—
After class, Jiang Yan entered from outside. Lin Tiao told him about the post and tentatively asked, “Do you want to delete the post?”
“Why should I delete it?”
Jiang Yan thought differently from Lin Tiao. He saw it as a unique proof of how the young girl liked him, a meaningful memento. He was reluctant to delete it.
There was also a more important reason: he couldn’t delete it.
“I’m afraid Old Yu would interfere if he found out and ruin things for us.”
Though Lin Tiao knew Old Yu wouldn’t do something like that, she still felt a little concerned. After all, now when Old Yu looked at Jiang Yan, it was like he was looking at a provincial champion.
“The sky can fall, and I’ll hold it up; the stick can fall, and I’ll block it,” Jiang Yan said as he pinched her cheek, smiling. “What are you still afraid of?”
Lin Tiao couldn’t help but laugh, and the matter of the post was put aside.
They spent the next week uneventfully. Over the weekend, Lin Tiao went to the forum again and had a good laugh at some silly comments.
But when Monday arrived and they got to school, both of them were called to Old Yu’s office.
Usually, they went separately, but this time it was the first time they were both called together.
Old Yu was the same as always, sitting beside the desk with a tea cup, sipping it while glancing at them without saying a word for a long time.
Lin Tiao and Jiang Yan were both experienced in playing the long game, remaining still and quiet.
After a long silence, Old Yu finally gave in, skillfully saying, “Alright, I’m sure you both know why I’ve called you here.”
Jiang Yan touched the tip of his nose, “Actually, I really don’t know what you need us for.”
“Really don’t know?”
He looked expressionless. “Really don’t know.”
Old Yu realized he couldn’t get anywhere with Jiang Yan, so he turned his gaze to Lin Tiao. “You don’t know either?”
Lin Tiao thoughtfully pretended to think for a moment, then nodded. “I know.”
Old Yu’s face instantly lit up with a smile as he picked up his tea cup and brought it to his mouth.
Lin Tiao then said, “Did you call us here to reward us for making great progress in the end-of-term exams last semester?”
“Cough.” Old Yu, who had just taken a sip of hot tea, immediately choked.
Jiang Yan: "..."
Lin Tiao modestly continued, “Actually, I didn’t make much progress. You don’t need to make such a big deal out of it, after all, pride comes before a fall.”
“…”
After going in circles, Old Yu realized he couldn’t keep avoiding the issue any longer. He decided to break the silence. “I’ve been hearing some rumors about you two recently.”
Old Yu had known about the post on the forum since last semester and had even spoken with Lin Tiao about it, not giving it much attention. But lately, the post had gained so much traction that, when he went to teach in other classes, he even saw students secretly browsing the post during class.
He thought the situation had gotten a little serious.
“Actually, I’m not that conservative of a teacher, but the impact of this situation is getting a bit too big. If the school leaders find out, it wouldn’t be good for either of you.” Old Yu said earnestly. “So, my suggestion is that you two should not sit together this semester. What do you think?”
Jiang Yan immediately disagreed. “Old Yu, if you really think that separating us will make those rumors disappear, I’ll agree.”
“But, can you guarantee that if we’re separated, those rumors will stop?” Jiang Yan raised his hand and scratched his brow. “I know what you’re worried about, but as you said, these are just rumors. Are rumors necessarily true?”
“I’ve seen that post you mentioned, but I didn’t pay much attention to it.” Jiang Yan said casually. “High school students have a lot of pressure. Sometimes they just want to spread some gossip to vent. I can understand that, so I don’t mind.”
Old Yu was about to say something, but Jiang Yan quickly cut him off. “The two of us, the people involved, aren’t anxious about this. So, you don’t need to worry either.”
Old Yu: "..."
Jiang Yan’s words sounded reasonable. Old Yu was stunned for a while, unsure what to say.
Jiang Yan smiled politely. “Teacher Yu, don’t worry. There’s only good and no bad in us sitting together.”
Seeing Old Yu still hesitant, Jiang Yan added nonchalantly, “If you really move us apart and give me a new desk mate, I might not adapt right away, and I might not come in first on the next exam.”
Lin Tiao: "...."
Bro, isn’t that bragging a bit too much?
Actually, Old Yu didn’t really care much about students’ exam results. He thought as long as you put in effort, no matter how well you did, it was the result of hard work.
But Jiang Yan had been first in the grade twice in a row. If that were to change because of this, Old Yu would feel like a sinner.
After thinking it over, Old Yu decided to let it go. “Alright, then. I’ll handle this. I’ll see if I can get the school’s forum moderators to delete the post.”
“I don’t think the post should be deleted.” Jiang Yan said. “If we delete it, it’ll seem like we’re guilty, which would just make the rumors seem more real.”
Old Yu: "...."
In the end, they decided not to delete the post or change their seating arrangement. Lin Tiao and Jiang Yan left the office exactly as they had entered, with no changes.
Nothing had changed at all.
Lin Tiao once again updated her understanding of Jiang Yan’s ability to tell lies with a straight face.
After leaving Old Yu’s office, the two of them walked down the hallway together.
“Actually, I don’t mind if we’re not desk mates anymore. After all, we’ll see each other all the time,” Lin Tiao said. “After all, distance makes the heart grow fonder.”
Jiang Yan stopped and turned his head to look at her.
This floor was filled with faculty offices, with a few empty rooms used as meeting rooms, and the doors were usually unlocked.
Behind Lin Tiao was a meeting room.
Seeing that he had stopped, Lin Tiao also stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Yan pursed his lips, took a step forward, grabbed her arm, pushed open the door behind them, and dragged her inside.
The door closed.
Before Lin Tiao could react, she was already pressed against the door.
Jiang Yan held her arm, leaned in close, his breath mingling with hers. "Don't want to be desk mates with me?"
The sudden proximity caught Lin Tiao off guard. She froze for a moment, instinctively swallowed, and quietly explained, "No, I just think Old Yu is also doing it for our good."
"Doing it for our good, my foot."
"..."
Lin Tiao laughed, pulling her arm out of his grip, smoothing his collar, and then patting his shoulder. "Let's go, back to the classroom."
Jiang Yan didn't move, his eyes lowered, deep in thought.
Lin Tiao sighed in helplessness, reached up, pinched his cheek, and softened her voice, "Let's go, boyfriend."
"I’m not going, there’s still something we haven’t done."
"Ah?"
Before she could respond, he lowered his head and kissed her.
A boy around seventeen or eighteen, kissing not just for a quick peck, but with sharp teeth biting her lower lip, their lips brushing as his warm tongue pushed inside, prying open her teeth and slowly sliding across.
Lin Tiao let out a soft sound as he caught her tongue, the slight sting from their teeth making the kiss even more vivid.
She instinctively shrank back but was pulled closer by him, his other hand supporting her neck, their bodies pressed tightly together.
"..."
Lin Tiao had to tilt her head back, her shoulder blades against the door, the pressure on her waist becoming impossible to ignore, as though she were almost being lifted up.
It was uncomfortable.
Her neck ached too.
Her lips were a little numb.
"It hurts."
She murmured.
Jiang Yan didn’t respond, gently sucking on her tongue, his teeth brushing against her lips from time to time.
After a while, Jiang Yan suddenly released her, his breath heavy, his eyes dark with something swirling inside them.
After a long pause, he closed his eyes, leaned down, and kissed her wet red eyelid. His deep voice was filled with a captivating, sultry tone.
"Baby, I’m in pain too."
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