CH 5

When Shen Mian and Pei Zhiyi arrived at the classroom, it was still chaotic with students chatting and eating breakfast.

However, just as Shen Mian finished submitting his assignment, their homeroom teacher walked in.

The homeroom teacher’s name was Ding Yi, a middle-aged man in his forties. Although he wasn’t that easy to approach like some young teachers, his temper was decent, and he took good care of his students. He had been their class teacher since the first year of high school, and everyone in the class was familiar with him.

That day was the first official day of school, and everyone thought that Mr. Ding would say something encouraging to help them settle into their second year of high school.

However, Mr. Ding calmly took a sip of water and said, “I have an announcement for all of you. The grade level just informed us that there will be another evaluative test tomorrow to assess your progress since the remedial classes. Although I know you haven’t been paying attention in class for the past half month, I still hope your results won’t be too embarrassing.”

The class immediately erupted into cries of despair.

They had already had one test when they were brought in for remedial classes, and now, just half a month later, another one was coming!

Shen Mian also covered his face, unwilling to face that grim reality.

In the previous test, there were only fifty students in the class, and he ranked 42nd. When he went home to have his parents sign the test paper, although his parents were used to his disappointing scores, they couldn’t help but pat his head in frustration.

His mother earnestly self-reflected, “Did I work too hard when I was pregnant with you, causing you to not absorb nutrients well and not pass on our intelligence.”

His father chuckled beside her, focused on peeling a tangerine, “Forget it, I think he just lacks self discipline. If we enroll him in ten cram schools in the future, he’ll know how to study.”

But despite what his father said, he still fed Shen Mian a tangerine slice.

When Shen Mian thought back to when Pei Zhiyi was correcting the test papers for him last time, he felt his vision darken, weakly grabbing onto Pei Zhiyi’s sleeve and said concisely, “Brother, help me.”

Pei Zhiyi sighed.

He himself was one of the top three students in the grade, so tutoring Shen Mian was a piece of cake for him. However, when it came to his crush, he always found his willpower to be weaker. Every time Shen Mian acted spoiled or pouted, he couldn’t help but merge their test papers into one.

Now that the exams were approaching, he needed to sharpen his sword in preparation.

During the self-study session, Pei Zhiyi quickly flipped through his books and listed out the key points from the past half month of remedial classes for Shen Mian. Then, during the twenty-minute break between classes, he read them out to Shen Mian one by one.

At first, it was just Shen Mian listening, but soon a group of students gathered around them. Each person eagerly stared at Pei Zhiyi, hoping to copy the notes.

Pei Zhiyi didn’t mind. Although he had a cold demeanor, he never hid his studies from others. Every time before an exam, he would circulate his notes throughout the class.

However, only Shen Mian got personalized after-school tutoring.

The boy sitting next to Shen Mian was named Xu Jing. He and Pei Zhiyi had entered the same junior high school and had always had a good relationship.

While copying notes, Xu Jing chatted with Shen Mian, “Do you know? Our school has changed the rules this year. Aside from the third years, the second year students also have to live in dormitories.”

Shen Mian was unaware and asked curiously, “When did they announce it? Why haven’t I heard about it ?”

“It should have been announced after school. And I heard from the office teacher that most of our second-year students will be in four-person rooms. The double rooms are almost occupied by the third-year students, leaving only a few.”

Pei Zhiyi listened to their conversation, and his heart stirred slightly.

He actually knew about that news. He didn’t like living with others, and although there were few double rooms left, he could still apply for one. He was considering taking Shen Mian to stay in a double room together, but he hadn’t found the opportunity to tell Shen Mian yet.

However, he soon heard Shen Mian say to Xu Jing, “Let’s stay in a four-person room then. Me, my brother, you, and Han Chao can share a room.”

Shen Mian was quite looking forward to communal living. He had never lived in a dormitory before, but staying in a room with good friends should be fun.

But Xu Jing found it problematic, “The office teacher probably won’t agree. If we all stay together, we’ll be too busy playing and won’t study seriously “

Shen Mian instantly felt disheartened.

“Then I at least want to stay in the same room as my brother,” Shen Mian whispered, “I’m not comfortable staying with anyone else.”

Mu Lingling, who was sitting in front of him, chuckled and said without looking up, “Your words sound really gay. People who don’t know would think you two are inseparable lovers.”

She was just casually teasing them. That group of friends had a good relationship since the first year of high school, and Shen Mian was the most lively one among them, always the target of their jokes.

In the past, Shen Mian wouldn’t have cared and would have joined in the joke. But now, he felt a pang of vulnerability and blushed.

Although he and Pei Zhiyi weren’t lovers, they had done things that only couples would do.

He wanted to clap back but couldn’t find the words, so he could only bury his head and diligently copy his notes, trying to hide his guilty conscience.

As expected, the next day after the exam, Ding Yi, the homeroom teacher announced that the second-year students would have to live in the dormitories.

Pei Zhiyi had provided extra tutoring to Shen Mian the previous day, helping him with several math problems. So Shen Mian felt relaxed after the exam, thinking that even if he didn’t perform well, he could still make it into the top forty.

After hearing the announcement from their teacher, the students in the class had mixed reactions. The dormitory allocation was the responsibility of the class teacher, but there was still room for negotiation. If someone wanted to share a dormitory with a specific person, they could talk to the teacher, and if the teacher agreed, it would be allowed.

Most of the students in the class were still struggling with whom to share a dormitory with, but Shen Mian was already calm about it. It was because Pei Zhiyi had told him the night before that he would apply for a double room.

Initially, Shen Mian was not very willing. Being a child at heart, he always felt that it was more lively and fun to be with more people. Playing cards or games would be easier with a group.

However, Pei Zhiyi’s words made him give in.

Pei Zhiyi glanced at him gently and said, “If there’s someone else in the dormitory, how can I help you with the missions?”

Shen Mian was suddenly startled.

Pei Zhiyi continued, “Holding hands is one thing, but if someone enters the dormitory while we’re kissing…”

Shen Mian imagined that scene and took a sharp breath, immediately covering Pei Zhiyi’s mouth, refusing to listen any further.

“Stop, I’m getting goosebumps,” Shen Mian said with a mournful face. “That image is too terrifying.”

So, the decision was made to stay in a double room.

Pei Zhiyi had already filled out the application form in advance and explained the reasons to the class teacher, emphasizing that he could help Shen Mian with his studies.

Teacher Ding Yi thought, “Do you think I don’t know that you two are good friends who don’t want to be separated? Studying? Shen Mian has been with you all these years, and I haven’t seen any improvement in his exam results.”

But although Shen Mian was lively and active, he was still well-behaved and obedient. He wasn’t the kind of troublemaker that gave the teacher a headache. Pei Zhiyi, on the other hand, was an excellent student, and his achievements brought a lot of pride to Teacher Ding.

So, Ding Yi waved his hand and said, “Alright, you two can have the double room on the third floor.”

And so, on Wednesday night of that week, the students in the second year of high school moved into the school dormitory.

To stay in the dormitory, parents had to sign a consent form. Shen Mian’s parents had nothing to say; they had no attachment to him. Besides, he could still come home on weekends, and his parents would have more time for themselves when their son was gone.

Shen Mian was quite dissatisfied with his parents’ attitude, but he quickly let go of it when he received extra pocket money from his mother.

As for Pei Zhiyi, he signed the consent form himself, imitating his father’s signature, which he had become skilled at.

Pei An, Pei Zhiyi’s father rarely came home, and his mother, Yu Lian, had started a new family abroad. No matter how well Pei Zhiyi performed, his parents never really cared that much. Even the parent-teacher meetings were attended by Shen Mian’s mother on his behalf.

So, Pei Zhiyi never bothered to mention the matter of living in the dormitory to his father. By the time Pei An found out, Pei Zhiyi had already been living at the school for half a month.

Pei Zhiyi and Shen Mian had already moved their things on Tuesday after school.

They attended a private school, and the dormitory conditions were always good. Whether it was a four-person or two-person room, the rooms were quite spacious. Each room had its own bathroom and a balcony, which even had a washing machine. The only difference was that the two-person room had two single beds placed side by side.

Shen Mian took a look around his own dormitory and then went out for a walk. Although he couldn’t live in the same dormitory as his friends, Xu Jing and Han Chao, they lived next door in Room 303. Shen Mian didn’t know the other two members, but he found out they were from the adjacent Class 3 because both classes had two extra students and were merged into one dormitory.

Shen Mian looked at the two of them and felt that they looked familiar but couldn’t recall their names.

Meanwhile, Xu Jing had quickly become acquainted with his new roommates. He pointed to the fair and weak-looking boy and said, “This is Lin Jia, the class monitor of Class 3,” then he pointed to the tall and handsome boy next to him and said, “This is Gu Weizhou, a member of the school basketball team, and he’s really good.”

Then he introduced Shen Mian to them, saying, “This is my buddy Shen Mian. He has a good temper and is loyal. You’ll know once you get to know him.”

Lin Jia smiled at Shen Mian and extended a hand, saying, “Hello.”

Shen Mian instinctively shook his hand, his gaze scanning between Lin Jia and Gu Weizhou.

He finally understood why those two people seemed so familiar!

On the second day of being bound together by the Love Brain System 007, Shen Mian was informed with regret that initially, 007 intended to bind the two, a pair of male students, with a compatibility rate of 95%.

But midway through, it detected a higher compatibility between Shen Mian and Pei Zhiyi and turned its attention to them.

“But now I kind of regret it,” 007 said sincerely, “I feel like you two are more troublesome, especially you. You talk too much and give me a headache.”

Shen Mian felt wronged and could only keep his mouth shut.

Meanwhile, Pei Zhiyi put on his earphones and forced 007 to listen to punk rock all night.

Now Shen Mian finally remembered the two names 007 mentioned that day, Lin Jia and Gu Weizhou.

Because the names were somewhat special, he remembered them instantly.

Shen Mian couldn’t help but look at Lin Jia and Gu Weizhou over and over again, thinking to himself that they seemed to match each other from the outside.

Lin Jia had fair skin, dressed in a clean and gentle shirt, while Gu Weizhou had a slightly darker complexion, with a touch of wildness in his aura. When the two stood together, as Shen Yu put it, they had a couple-like vibe to them.

Perhaps it was because of his intense gaze, Lin Jia touched his own face and asked curiously, “What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”

Only then did Shen Mian divert his gaze and shook his head, smiling apologetically at Lin Jia.

But he couldn’t resist his curious nature and discreetly asked Lin Jia, “Are you and Gu Weizhou also good friends, which is why you were assigned to the same dormitory? It’s like that with my brother, uh, Pei Zhiyi, we specially requested it from the teacher.”

Lin Jia chuckled, finding Shen Mian’s way of speaking interesting.

He replied, “Gu Weizhou just transferred here recently, so we haven’t known each other for long. But we get along well in class.”

Shen Mian understood that they weren’t very close.

He glanced at Gu Weizhou discreetly and noticed that he was standing there with a cold and aloof expression, observing their conversation but showing no intention of joining in.

Shen Mian scratched his head, unsure of what else to say.

Fortunately, Xu Jing was always there to break the awkward silence.

Xu Jing put his arm around Shen Mian and Lin Jia, saying, “Brothers, let’s celebrate moving into the dormitory tonight and go have a late-night snack together. Let’s invite Pei Zhiyi as well, and Gu Weizhou, you should come too.”

Gu Weizhou shook his head and replied, “I have something to discuss with someone. You guys go ahead.”

Xu Jing scratched his head and didn’t insist, saying, “Then you stay in the dorm and keep an eye on things. Let me know if there’s a room check.”

Gu Weizhou made a hand gesture to indicate that it was no problem.

It was almost ten o’clock , and if they wanted to go out for a late-night snack, they couldn’t go through the main entrance, as they would be stopped by the security guards asking for their campus cards.

Xu Jing and his group were skilled at scaling walls, and although Shen Mian wasn’t very athletic, he had gained some experience.

He initially thought that Lin Jia, being a typical good student, wouldn’t know how to climb walls. He even wanted to lend him a hand, but to his surprise, Lin Jia effortlessly leaped over the wall and looked back to smile at Shen Mian.

They went to a barbecue restaurant not far from the school’s back door, which also served crayfish in addition to skewers.

Shen Mian loved eating crayfish but didn’t know how to peel them. So when the crayfish arrived, Pei Zhiyi naturally peeled a plate for him and even helped him with the seasoning.

Xu Jing and Han Chao were used to this and ate their grilled lamb calmly, but Lin Jia was amazed by the scene before him, as he had never seen it before. Pei Zhiyi sat in front of him during their sophomore year, maintaining a calm and indifferent demeanor throughout. He didn’t even smile when he won awards. Although he had no problems with his interactions, there was a sense of detachment from the world.

But now, Pei Zhiyi’s indifference had melted away like spring ice.

Lin Jia couldn’t help but ask Shen Mian curiously, “Why do you call him (older brother)? Are you two relatives, like cousins?”

Before Shen Mian could answer, Xu Jing and Han Chao burst into laughter.

Xu Jing helped explain to Lin Jia, “It’s similar to being real brothers. They used to be neighbors and grew up together since childhood. Pei Zhiyi treats Shen Mian as such, even more than a real older brother would. If Shen Mian were a girl, he would definitely be Pei Zhiyi’s doted wife.”

Shen Mian felt unhappy and threw some dried fruits from the table at Xu Jing, saying, “You’re the one who’s the wife.”

Xu Jing and Han Chao laughed heartily and threw the dried fruits back at him.

“We’re all big and rough, not even qualified to be a wife. You’re the tender one.”

Lin Jia let out an “Oh” but still found it a bit strange.

Even if they were childhood neighbors, it was rare to see such thoughtful and considerate behavior, especially since Pei Zhiyi had a face that had nothing to do with gentleness.

However, Shen Mian did indeed have that kind of endearing quality of a younger neighbor, so it seemed natural for him to be spoiled a little.

He didn’t ask any further.