"What do you mean by that!"
Guo Weifeng took a step forward, his loud voice aimed squarely at Shen Yuan.
The next second, Guo Weifeng saw Shen Yuan standing at the entrance to the guardhouse, pointing at him.
"Uncle Zhang, I don't think that guy is from our school. He doesn't look like a high schooler. He might be an outsider looking for trouble."
A head then peeked out of the guardhouse. The security guard, Uncle Zhang, looked Guo Weifeng up and down.
Perhaps because he was an athlete, Guo Weifeng had a brutish face and really didn't look like a high school student.
Uncle Zhang barked in a powerful voice, "What do you think you're doing! This is a school!"
Guo Weifeng was stunned. "I am a student here!"
Uncle Zhang raised an eyebrow. "Where's your school ID? What class are you in?"
Guo Weifeng felt his pockets. Crap, he didn't bring his ID!
Seeing this, Shen Yuan snorted coldly. "Uncle Zhang, that guy definitely doesn't have his ID! When you ask for his class, he'll just make something up."
Hearing this, Uncle Zhang nodded in agreement.
Guo Weifeng grew anxious. "I really am a student! From Class 14! My homeroom teacher is Liu Xi!"
At that moment, Tong Churou, who was standing nearby, explained, "Sir, I can vouch for him. I'm also in Class 14!"
As she spoke, Tong Churou took out her own school ID.
Just as Uncle Zhang took the ID, Li Zhi, who had been standing to the side watching the show, suddenly spoke up.
"Sir, remember what happened at No. 2 Middle School last year."
Shen Yuan glanced at Li Zhi in surprise, not expecting her to speak up and help him.
Seizing the opportunity, however, Shen Yuan quickly added, "That's right, Uncle Zhang. The outsider at No. 2 Middle School last year was brought in by a female student."
"Uncle Zhang, if he can't produce an ID, you can't let him in, even if someone vouches for him! What if he really is an outsider? You can't be too careful."
Uncle Zhang paused. "Didn't that guy from No. 2 Middle School climb over the wall himself?"
Shen Yuan tutted softly, then leaned in and told Uncle Zhang conspiratorially, "I have classmates at No. 2 Middle School."
Seeing Shen Yuan's dead-serious expression, Uncle Zhang's face showed he finally understood.
It doesn't matter how old the gossip is; hearing it is always satisfying.
With a sense of inner satisfaction, Uncle Zhang returned the ID to Tong Churou.
"Young lady, you can go in, but he can't."
Hearing this, Tong Churou took a deep breath, but there was nothing she could do.
After all, you really couldn't enter the school without an ID.
Feeling the gazes of the students around them, Tong Churou felt her face flush red.
But just then, Shen Yuan decided to add fuel to the fire.
"Uncle Zhang, we're heading back to class to grind through some practice problems. You absolutely can't let a suspicious outsider like him into the school!"
Uncle Zhang turned and made an "OK" sign. "Leave it to me. No ID, no entry today."
Shen Yuan gave him a thumbs-up. "Uncle Zhang, you truly are the first line of defense for Jiyang Middle School's security!"
After saying that, Shen Yuan turned to Tong Churou and said, "You still have a lot to learn."
This just about sent Tong Churou over the edge.
But Shen Yuan was delighted.
"So childish."
Shen Yuan didn't care at all what Li Zhi said.
'When it comes to people I dislike, the whole point is to make them miserable!'
"You threw a jab in there, too."
"I was afraid if I didn't help you, you'd start crying. That would have been too embarrassing."
Shen Yuan giggled. "Babe, I knew you cared about me."
Li Zhi turned her head away with a huff and started walking toward the classroom.
...
"YES!!"
The more Shen Yuan thought about it, the happier he got. After returning to the classroom, he stood on the teacher's platform and let out an excited shout.
Just then, Zhou Shaojie's voice came from behind him. "Yuan, you look really happy. What's up?"
"Jie, you wouldn't understand."
Zhou Shaojie walked up to Shen Yuan and slung an arm around his shoulders. "Hey! What are you talking about? Is there anything I don't understand?"
As he spoke, Zhou Shaojie gave Shen Yuan's shoulder a squeeze.
Shen Yuan immediately let out a high-pitched shriek. "Ah! Brother Jie! Don't, Brother Jie!"
Li Zhi watched a human screaming chicken run back to his seat, with Zhou Shaojie in hot pursuit.
Standing by the seats, Zhou Shaojie took off his imaginary glasses and flashed a roguish smile. "Quick! Tell me everything!"
"No! Brother Jie, don't!"
Watching the two of them horsing around, Li Zhi scooted a little closer to the wall.
She didn't want to get caught in the crossfire.
Someone in the classroom saw this and immediately laughed. "Hey, Ah Jie, teasing the boys again?"
The words had barely left his mouth when they saw Shen Yuan get Zhou Shaojie in a reverse neck hold.
"Ah Jie, you're so lame."
"Yeah, can't even handle teasing one guy."
Zhou Shaojie broke free from Shen Yuan's grasp and yelled at the boy who had spoken earlier, "You're a brave one, huh!"
The next second, Zhou Shaojie's rear was undefended, and Shen Yuan immediately locked him up from behind in a full nelson.
A strong-man pin!
"Aruba him!"
As soon as the words were spoken, three or four big guys came forward and lifted Zhou Shaojie's legs.
More men piling on.
"Someone! Save me! Save your emperor!"
"This is a school! This is a school! Have you no decency! Have you no decency!"
The group carried Zhou Shaojie and scraped him against the back door of the classroom.
"AHH!!"
And so, a fatuous emperor met his end.
After a bit of horseplay, it was time for the lunch break.
Even though most students in Class 15 were commuters, many still liked to stay in the classroom for a nap during the lunch break.
No teachers came to supervise during nap time, so they could turn on the air conditioning if they wanted, as long as they turned it off afterward.
It was super chill.
Even though the two of them lived close by, only a 10-minute walk from home to school.
But walking back in the sweltering heat would give you a tan. It was better to go home after evening self-study, which also provided a chance to see if any late-night snack stalls were open, and then trick Shen Yuan into paying for it again.
Or, get tricked by Shen Yuan into paying.
Although their relationship was strained, it wasn't so bad that they'd tell everyone the other person was dead.
After the "karma-farming" incident, Li Zhi had deleted Shen Yuan as a friend on WeChat and QQ. But since they lived right across the hall from each other, they were bound to run into each other once or twice.
Even ex-couples could get back together.
Besides, they were now deskmates, forced to see each other constantly.
Naturally, their relationship had thawed quite a bit.
After working on a practice test for a little while, Li Zhi started to feel sleepy.
Drowsy in spring, weary in autumn, and sleepy in summer.
There was no fighting a biological urge.
It was better to just sleep when you were tired. Forcing herself to stay awake would only hinder her studies.
When Li Zhi put her head down to sleep, Shen Yuan was already fast asleep.
Perhaps because of the air conditioning, Li Zhi, feeling a little cold, subconsciously shifted closer to the source of warmth beside her in her sleep.
In his sleep, Shen Yuan felt an elbow press against his own.
He sensed the direction—it was from his right. It was Li Zhi.
'Okay, no problem then.'
'If it were Zhou Shaojie, I'd have given him a 'Little Bee' elbow jab, no question.'
Shen Yuan kept his right arm still on the desk and stealthily lifted his head.
The girl's entire face was buried in the crook of her arm, sleeping soundly.
'She smells nice.'
Shen Yuan took a sniff of the scent coming from Li Zhi.
Then he sniffed himself.
'We use the same laundry detergent.'
'Our moms probably shared tips about good household products.'
'I wonder if they've ever talked about whether their two kids would be a good match.'
At this thought, Shen Yuan pursed his lips.
'Me and Li Zhi?'
'In your drea—'
'...Actually, yeah, I wouldn't mind.'
'Why wouldn't I want to be with a childhood sweetheart this beautiful?'
'But, I guess you have to leave these things to fate.'
'Whatever. It's senior year. I should be studying, studying.'
His mind a chaotic mess, Shen Yuan decided to go back to his nap.