Yu Zuojin’s response was almost enough to make one’s vision go black.
Truly Ambitious, however, covered its mouth and trembled in Sheng Yuan’s mind.
Sheng Yuan: “What are you doing?”
[System: Haven’t you noticed that the target has become kinder?]
Sheng Yuan looked directly at Yu Zuojin, but felt he has always been like this.
“Is that so?”
[System: Everyone knows that when the target refuses someone, he never comes up with an excuse. He really… it’s enough to make me cry.]
Sheng Yuan: “…”
He didn’t know where Truly Ambitious’s pride came from.
But upon reflection, it seemed plausible. In the past, he wouldn’t have cared about anyone’s face, let alone empathize with a girl’s predicament.
The eloquence in his previous words carried a hint of tact.
However, that trace of tact was elusive, like a mischievous sprite in a Poké Ball.
It vanished with a big jump, eluding anyone’s grasp.
Upon hearing his words, the girl froze in astonishment. Yu Zuojin didn’t linger and walked up the right corridor. During the break, the teaching building was bustling with people, but when the students saw him, they instinctively made way.
Most of them feared him, but of course, there were also those who didn’t fear him, like the simple minded Wang Xiaoming.
Every time he saw Yu Zuojin, he would greet him.
Their past involvement in a stage play had unilaterally forged a deep bond between them.
“Brother Yu.”
Yu Zuojin glanced at him in the crowd and walked past.
The classmates next to Wang Xiaoming were all terrified. “Why do you greet Yu Zuojin? Aren’t you afraid that one day he’ll get angry and beat you up?”
“Brother Yu is not that kind of person,” Wang Xiaoming replied. “Besides, I’m just saying hello, not chatting.”
“Your appearance says otherwise.”
Wang Xiaoming: “…”
Why attack his appearance? You’re no silver!!!
During class time, Sheng Yuan returned to the classroom. In this physics class, the physics teacher brought in test papers for a small quiz, and the class representative collected the papers just before the end of class.
Upon hearing that Sheng Yuan had signed up for the winter camp, the physics teacher specifically called him to his office after class.
Sheng Yuan arrived at the physics office, where most of the physics teachers were busy grading papers at their desks. It turned out that it wasn’t just a quiz for their class, but a collective check organized by the physics department.
The physics teacher for Class 6 was an elderly man, the oldest among them. He was already sixty years old. It was said that before Iron Head took over as the disciplinary head for the senior class, this elderly teacher held that position. However, as he grew older, he became less capable and didn’t want to be so strict with the students anymore. The Education Bureau promoted him, but he refused to leave. He spent his entire life teaching at No.1 Middle School and couldn’t bear to leave. Later, he switched to teaching physics and had been with this senior class. He would retire next year.
He had taken many outstanding students to winter camps before. The competition for scholarships at the winter camp could be described as quite fierce. It was not the competition among a group of young people that was cruel, but rather letting the students know that there were always people better than them, that beyond the mountains were even taller mountains. In the vast academic world, you were just a tiny speck.
There were hundreds, even thousands of people there just like you. Most students approached it with equanimity, but there were also those deeply affected.
The physics teacher knew that Sheng Yuan wasn’t the kind of child who would feel inferior and give up. He called him over mainly to tell him what to pay attention to at the winter camp. Recently, the head teacher had been extremely busy, and as a senior colleague, he wanted to share some of the burden.
He had already talked to Guo Gang from Class 1 in the morning.
“This winter camp not only involves national key high schools, but also many famous private high schools that are our competitors.”
“Changteng, Yuqing, and other private high schools that are not inclined to pursue an international path but want their students to enter prestigious domestic universities will also participate.”
A certificate from a national-level knowledge competition carried weight wherever you went.
“The winter camp also has regulations for selecting outstanding students. It’s not just about grades; character must also pass. As long as you haven’t committed any major mistakes at school, your character will generally be considered good. You also know that…,” the physics teacher gestured but didn’t finish his sentence.
Sheng Yuan also knew that the physics teacher was referring to his previous identity as a delinquent.
“Before, you weren’t qualified because your character didn’t pass. Your teachers fought for you several times, and now with your recent good deeds, the winter camp has agreed. Remember, when you go there, don’t get into fights or cause trouble. If there is a fight or violence incident during the winter camp, your qualification will be revoked.”
The physics teacher spoke earnestly.
Sheng Yuan understood clearly.
The winter camp physics competition offers scholarships to the top three students.
The physics teacher from Class 10 raised his head and said, “Changteng’s students cannot be underestimated. Keep up the good work.”
Changteng was the most famous private school in the city. It has a large campus with sections for primary, middle, and high school. Although it was a private school, it’s not simply about money. The school required benchmark scores and considers family background. They also provide subsidies to academically excellent students from disadvantaged families, but that was only possible if their grades are satisfactory. If they fail three exams, they will be advised to leave.
Whether it was prestigious domestic schools or studying abroad, there were standardized paths for further education.
Their reputation was not small, and most of the students came from affluent families.
The physics teacher from Class 10 graded the papers, and remembered that Yu Zuojin had transferred from Changteng.
The next paper was blank. When the physics class representative collected the papers earlier, they considerately wrote the name, Yu Zuojin, on it.
“Ah.”
“Why are you sighing?”
The physics teacher from Class 10 picked up Yu Zuojin’s paper. “Blank paper. We’re already in our senior year, and Yu Zuojin can skip my physics class to attend the Chinese class.”
Sheng Yuan looked at the empty paper raised in the air.
He frowned.
Indeed, he should urge Yu Zuojin to study.
There was still a long road ahead in life, and Yu Zuojin couldn’t stay in the kitchen of a barbecue restaurant forever.
After dinner, Sheng Yuan went to Room 408. The temperature inside and outside the room had a stark difference. As he opened the door, a wave of warm air greeted him, and Sheng Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.
Yu Zuojin was sitting on the bed, looking up with a Chinese test paper by his side, already graded.
Today, Yu Zuojin didn’t have to go to the barbecue restaurant. He had nothing to do all evening and stood up when he saw Sheng Yuan enter.
Sheng Yuan: Be vigilant.jpg
Ever since that morning when he was kissed four times, Sheng Yuan had suspected that Yu Zuojin had a kissing addiction, and their behavior at school undoubtedly resembled puppy love.
Sheng Yuan walked over casually and sat down beside Yu Zuojin’s bed as usual, without evading or avoiding, but choosing to be straightforward.
He had to make Yu Zuojin understand that many things in the world are not something a kid like him can easily obtain!
[System: Suddenly feeling passionate.]
[System: How are you going to talk to him? Will you say nonsense? Or take the righteous and resolute path?]
Sheng Yuan: “I’ll just say it.”
Truly Ambitious: “…”
Sheng Yuan cleared his throat and said solemnly, “I think we shouldn’t just kiss each other all the time in the future. It makes me worry about the gains and losses.”
Yu Zuojin looked at him puzzled.
Sheng Yuan continued, “There’s a saying that goes, ‘When a man gets something, he turns bad. He doesn’t appreciate things that come too easily.’”
Yu Zuojin’s artificial cochlear implant was working, and there was silence in Room 408 for a few seconds before Yu Zuojin spoke, “I won’t.”
He looked serious.
“I.”
“Like you.”
“Forever.”
His hoarse voice carefully organized the words, sounding particularly determined.
Sheng Yuan had a momentary trance as Yu Zuojin held his hand and approached him, repeating, “I won’t.”
He told him word by word.
Sheng Yuan felt the temperature in the room rise.
[System: I also don’t think he will turn bad.]
Sheng Yuan: ?
[System: He’s already bad enough.]
“…”
How much worse could a delinquent leader become?
Sheng Yuan looked at Yu Zuojin’s handsome face, which was so close, and gulped, “Really?”
“Really.”
“But I will.”
Yu Zuojin: “…”
Sheng Yuan made a plan, “I think what we obtain through great effort will be more deeply engraved in our hearts. So, let’s do this: we can occasionally kiss, but not too frequently.”
“The next kiss will be after your grades improve in each subject.”
Yu Zuojin: ?
Sheng Yuan: “What’s wrong?”
Although Yu Zuojin didn’t understand why Sheng Yuan focused on grades, he asked, “In every subject?”
“Of course.”
The next moment, Yu Zuojin took out his previous Chinese test paper and compared it to the one he had just received today. He had scored more than thirty points higher.
Sheng Yuan: “…”
Damn it.
Ten minutes later, Sheng Yuan walked out of Room 408 with swollen lips.
Yu Zuojin didn’t take Sheng Yuan’s proposal seriously, but when he asked if Yu Zuojin wanted to go to evening self-study together, Yu Zuojin followed.
He hadn’t attended evening self-study during his years in high school. During this time, he had always been working outside the school. Today, he happened to have time off.
Yu Zuojin walked into Class 10, and he could even hear the gasps from a few classmates.
The classmates were surprised.
After attending the Chinese class, will Yu Zuojin start attending evening self-study as well?
Class 10 rearranged the seating every week, but Yu Zuojin’s seat never changed. No one dared to move it, afraid that if he couldn’t find his seat when the teacher came to the classroom, he would get angry.
Yu Zuojin sat motionless in the classroom and found that attending evening self-study was an extremely boring thing.
It wasn’t until the last class with more than twenty minutes left that restlessness spread through the classroom, and students began to chat in whispers.
The girl and boy behind Yu Zuojin started chatting.
“It’s not good to write it like this.”
The boy pointed, “What’s wrong? Just write it like that.”
“Is it too straightforward to say ‘I like you’?”
“Guys like it straight. Just write it.”
The boy acted as the girl’s advisor.
“Even if I write it, I don’t have the courage to give it to Sheng Yuan.”
Yu Zuojin frowned upon hearing that.
The commotion at the back lasted for almost half a class, and when evening self-study ended, the heartfelt love letter was finally completed.
“How should I give it to Sheng Yuan? I feel embarrassed.”
“Should I do it for you?”
“Can you handle it? Don’t mess it up for me.”
“I’ll do it.”
A cold voice interrupted them, and both of them were stunned, lifting their heads to face Yu Zuojin’s cold expression.
“…”
“…”
What did they hear?
Was it a hallucination?
Yu Zuojin looked at the love letter in the girl’s hand and reached out his hand.
It wasn’t a hallucination!
Both of them were shocked, and the girl hesitated. She was actually quite afraid of Yu Zuojin. She never expected him to initiate a conversation with them and offer to help her.
“Classmate Yu…”
The girl initially wanted to refuse but hesitated when she remembered that the person seemed to share a dormitory with Sheng Yuan during the lunch break.
After a brief internal struggle, she handed the love letter to Yu Zuojin.
“Um… then I’ll trouble Classmate Yu.”
Yu Zuojin took hold of the love letter and turned to leave. His long legs took large strides, and the letter in his hand was crumpled. His deep, pitch-black eyes seemed bottomless. At the moment he heard someone confessing their liking for Sheng Yuan, he felt a sense of intrusion.
As he returned to Room 408, barely able to contain his emotions, he placed the love letter on the desk and went to the bathroom to take a shower. He felt an overwhelming heat throughout his body, his blood pulsating, and his mind uncontrollably excited. Everything around him seemed displeasing. When he stepped out of the bathroom, he forcefully opened the window, allowing the cold wind to blow in.
After several hours, he gradually calmed down. By the time he regained his senses, he found Room 408 in complete disarray.
Yu Zuojin coldly observed the scene, devoid of any emotional fluctuations. Instead, he focused on tidying up.
Once everything was in order, his gaze fell upon the love letter.
He took out a piece of paper and a pen and attempted to imitate Sheng Yuan’s tone in writing a reply. His handwriting on the paper was crooked and twisted.
“Study well.”
Afterward, he tore up the love letter.
He also made sure to dispose of the remnants of the letter. The thought of Sheng Yuan possibly finding out about what he had done caused an inexplicable sense of guilt to rise within him.
He wondered if Sheng Yuan would dislike him.
Previously, he couldn’t resist watching pornography, and now he was tearing someone else’s love letter…
Yu Zuojin, you’ve done something terrible!
Author’s note:
Brother Sheng: Do you know you did something wrong?
Boss Yu: I know.
Brother Sheng: Will you change?
Boss Yu looked into the distance.
