A transfer student arrived today in Class 1, Senior Year 3 at City H Private High School.
At this point in the school year, it was rare to see anyone transfer in. Rumor had it he was a talented athlete in some niche sport, specially recruited by the school with a scholarship.
Apparently, his sport was so uncommon that most schools didn’t even have the facilities for it—only an outrageously expensive private school like theirs, which offered all kinds of odd programs, could accommodate him.
He Wuning lay slumped over his desk, half-listening to the gossip drifting into his ears, eyelids drooping as he fought off sleep.
Even in a private high school, senior year wasn’t exactly exciting. A transfer student with a bit of a “legendary” aura was probably the best conversation topic they could hope for in their otherwise dull lives.
Someone said excitedly, “Do you think the transfer student is handsome? Athletes usually have abs, right?”
Another sounded worried. “A transfer athlete at this stage… won’t he drag down our class average?”
“As if it’s that high to begin with!” someone laughed. “But I heard he’s really impressive. I bet he’s like… two meters tall and weighs 200 kilos!”
Someone tapped He Wuning on the shoulder and leaned over. “What do you think, Brother He?”
“I think…” He Wuning lazily lifted his eyelids, looking uninterested. “You’re all too noisy.”
“Stop upsetting him!” someone shoved the boy next to him. “Let him sleep, you’re so annoying!”
“Exactly!”
With his eyes closed, He Wuning thought: two meters tall and 200 kilos? Is that a gorilla or a sumo wrestler? These people really have wild imaginations.
As the teacher walked in, the students scattered back to their seats. He Wuning reluctantly straightened up a little, though he still looked half-asleep.
The homeroom teacher scanned the room and cleared his throat. “Looks like you’re all well-informed—you’ve heard about the transfer student, right?”
A few particularly lively students responded eagerly, “We have!”
The teacher nodded, putting on a stern face. “Good. Then I won’t repeat myself. Don’t bully the new student—get along properly!”
He waved toward the door. “Come in, Yi Luo.”
Not bothering with formal introductions, he simply wrote the new student’s name on the blackboard and motioned for him to enter.
Under everyone’s expectant gaze, the classroom door slowly opened. Even He Wuning lifted his eyes slightly, a bit curious.
A boy in a brand-new school uniform walked in. At nearly 1.8 meters tall, he stood out among the unevenly developed teenage boys—at this rate, reaching the rumored “two meters” didn’t seem impossible.
But he was still far from 200 kilos.
Long legs, narrow waist, straight shoulders and back—and a pretty good-looking face to match. He carried his bag sloppily over one shoulder, smiling brightly, clearly not the shy type.
A soft chorus of “wow” rippled through the classroom.
He Wuning looked away again, taking advantage of the commotion to rest his head on the desk—he’d grab a bit of sleep whenever he could. Unfortunately, their homeroom teacher had zero sense of timing. He glanced at the seating chart and said, “He Ningning, the seat next to you is empty, right? Let the new student sit there.”
He Wuning glanced at the seat beside him and said flatly, “It’s taken.”
The teacher blinked. “By who?”
“My bag,” He Wuning replied without missing a beat.
The class burst into laughter. Someone shouted teasingly, “Teacher, Brother He has social anxiety—if you make him sit with someone, he’ll break out in hives!”
“What nonsense. If you’re sick, go see a doctor,” the teacher said sternly, clearly not indulging him. “Take out your books. What’s all this noise? A new student arrives, and you stop attending class?”
He turned to Yi Luo. “Go take your seat.”
Yi Luo strode over, long legs carrying him straight toward He Wuning. Avoiding his gaze, He Wuning reached over and pulled his bag back from the neighboring chair.
Yi Luo stopped in front of him, not sitting down immediately. Instead, he asked, “Your name’s He Ningning?”
That same bright smile still on his face.
He Wuning lifted his eyelids slightly. The boy in front turned around eagerly and grinned at Yi Luo. “You can’t call him that—call him Brother He!”
Yi Luo smiled. “Ningning.”
He Wuning: “…”
Confirmed. This guy was doing it on purpose.
Almost instantly, He Wuning realized that the boy in front of him—despite that sunny smile—was definitely not simple.
The two of them exchanged a silent stare for a few seconds before the teacher slammed the desk, cutting it short.
He Wuning looked away, propping his chin on his hand and half-heartedly listening to the lesson. But the person beside him clearly had no intention of minding his own business.
Under the desk, Yi Luo’s long leg bumped into his. Meeting He Wuning’s blank stare, he grinned as if they were already familiar and tugged at his textbook. “Let me take a look.”
He Wuning said nothing. Yi Luo shrugged innocently. “I just transferred in. I don’t have any books yet.”
He Wuning: “…”
Refusing would feel a bit excessive.
After a moment of silence, he quietly slid his book over a little.
Yi Luo politely thanked him on the surface, but while leaning closer, he was actually studying his desk mate.
He Wuning was strikingly good-looking—so much so that even his perpetually annoyed expression couldn’t hide it. Yi Luo didn’t consider himself someone who fell for looks, but the other’s obvious disdain only piqued his curiosity.
Without making it obvious, he shifted a little closer, casually draping an arm over his shoulder. He Wuning’s brows instantly furrowed as he leaned away.
Unfortunately, Yi Luo’s arm was firmly in place, and it wasn’t easy to shake him off without drawing the teacher’s attention.
Expressionless, He Wuning looked up at him and silently mouthed: “Let go.”
Yi Luo blinked innocently. “What’s wrong?”
He Wuning frowned. A strange feeling crept over him—the guy beside him felt oddly familiar. He usually disliked physical contact, but somehow this guy’s touch didn’t feel as irritating as it should…
Taking advantage, Yi Luo leaned even closer. “I can’t see clearly.”
He Wuning: “…”
Take that back.
Still annoying.
He frowned and was just about to speak when the homeroom teacher suddenly turned around from the podium: “No talking!”
He shut his mouth, pulled out a pen, and wrote in his textbook: “I don’t like physical contact.”
With his black pen, he tapped the hand still resting on his shoulder. Yi Luo nodded in understanding and withdrew his hand.
He hadn’t even had time to relax when he saw Yi Luo take out a pen too. He thought he was going to reply, but instead, smiling, Yi Luo blacked out the word “don’t” in the sentence and turned it into a little heart.
He Wuning: “……”
Yi Luo smiled and pointed at himself, indicating that he liked physical contact.
He Wuning rubbed his temples with a headache. For some reason, he had the absurd feeling that he had run into a natural enemy.
Sure enough, as soon as class ended, Yi Luo ignored the fact that his eyes were already closed and propped his chin up, watching him. “How much do you dislike physical contact?”
“Would you mind if it’s through clothes?” He reached out and poked his shoulder. He Wuning looked at him speechlessly.
Yi Luo spoke as if negotiating, “This is okay, right?”
He Wuning took a deep breath. “Can’t you just not touch me?”
Yi Luo shrugged. “But it’s a habit of mine. Sometimes I subconsciously sling an arm over someone’s shoulder.”
“What if I do it unconsciously sometimes?” He rolled up his sleeves eagerly. “Want to try desensitization therapy? If I hug you a few more times, maybe you’ll get used to it!”
He Wuning finally snapped, stood up from his chair, and walked straight out of the classroom.
Just as Yi Luo was about to follow, the boy in front turned around and gave him a thumbs-up. “Bro, you’re a real warrior.”
“What?” Yi Luo glanced outside—He Wuning had already disappeared—so he wasn’t in a hurry to follow and sat back down, asking curiously, “I didn’t do anything, did I?”
“This is the first time I’ve seen someone get this handsy with Brother He for so long. I don’t know if you’re just thick-skinned or…”
Yi Luo smiled. “Or what?”
The boy hesitated, scratching his nose.
Yi Luo asked curiously, “Hey, why doesn’t he like physical contact? Is it germaphobia or something else?”
“Hmm…” The boy looked thoughtful. “We don’t know the exact reason, but I have a bold guess.”
He lowered his voice. “Do you think… maybe he’s just shy?”
Yi Luo put on the same thoughtful expression. “Now that you say it… that’s not impossible.”
“Right!” The boy was thrilled someone agreed with him. He slapped the desk lightly and whispered, “I once saw someone suddenly hook an arm around Brother He’s neck and lean in to talk. He almost twisted the guy’s arm out of its socket, but I swear his ears turned red!”
“I told others and they didn’t believe me—they said he was just mad!”
Yi Luo raised his eyebrows and let out a meaningful “Oh.”
He Wuning glanced back, avoided everyone’s gaze, and skillfully climbed over the wall at his usual spot, turning into a small alley and entering a snack shop.
The owner was an older man. He took one look at He Wuning and greeted him with a smile, clearly familiar with him. “Back again?”
“Mm.” He Wuning responded. Before he could say more, a brightly dyed pink, curly-haired bichon rushed out from behind the counter, lifting its legs and rubbing against him.
A rare hint of a smile appeared on his face as he patted the dog’s head. “Good.”
He looked at the owner, who pointed at the food and water bowls on the ground. “Got the dog food like you said. You gave too much money—the rest is here.”
He pulled out a stack of change from the counter, clearly prepared in advance.
He Wuning shook his head. “No need to return it. I’ll have to trouble you to look after it for a few more days.”
The owner snorted. “You think I’d take advantage of a student like you?”
“Take it back, take it back! But have you found someone to adopt it?”
He Wuning pressed his lips together and shook his head.
He did want to keep the dog himself, but his mother was allergic to fur. These past few days, just from him visiting the dog, she had already been sneezing non-stop when he got home—there was no way he could bring it back.
He had planned to find it a new home. Its overly familiar nature suggested it had once been owned and then abandoned. But because of its dyed fur, it didn’t look very appealing—more like some kind of “punk” dog—and anyone walking it outside might have their taste questioned.
He Wuning rubbed its head, and the dog whimpered softly, acting spoiled.
Break time wasn’t long. He Wuning packed a few snacks to go, then, as usual, climbed back over the wall to return.
Carrying a bag of siu mai, he went back to his seat. Yi Luo suddenly leaned close—not touching him, but clearly noticing something—and sniffed him up and down.
“Are you a dog?” He Wuning snapped, tossing him a siu mai. Yi Luo caught it and grinned. “Wow, being so nice to me?”
“But that’s not what I’m smelling.”
He narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing He Wuning. “Do you have another dog outside?”
He Wuning paused, instinctively becoming alert and glancing at him. For a moment, he wondered if this new transfer student had followed him.
But Yi Luo took a bite of the siu mai and continued, “This isn’t something someone gave you, right? And you’re sharing it with me?”
He Wuning: “……”
Probably just his imagination.
He didn’t answer, letting the topic pass.
……
He Wuning felt like school was unusually dangerous today.
The new transfer student quickly blended in with the class, making the area around his seat especially noisy. Not only could he not catch up on sleep, but he also had to worry about whether this guy might suddenly try something under the pretext of “desensitization therapy.”
Although he never actually made a move—each time his hand reached halfway, he seemed to catch himself and pull back—He Wuning couldn’t shake the feeling that sometimes he did it on purpose.
Finally, school ended. He Wuning grabbed his bag and left immediately, his retreating figure almost looking like he was fleeing.
Yi Luo watched his back, then picked up his own bag and slowly stood.
After school, there was no need to climb walls. He Wuning walked out openly through the side gate and turned right into the alley.
After a couple of turns, the noise of the school gate faded behind him—but suddenly, He Wuning became alert. It felt like someone was following him.
He frowned and turned to look. There was no one there.
He fell silent for a moment, then turned and continued walking. But after what seemed like a normal three steps, he suddenly spun around again, frowning. “Come out. I saw you.”
He figured it was probably Yi Luo.
That overly familiar guy—doing something like this out of curiosity wouldn’t be surprising.
But to his surprise, the one who stepped out was a middle-aged man he didn’t recognize. His face was fierce, practically screaming “not a good person” from head to toe.
He Wuning frowned.
The man stepped forward with an unfriendly expression. “You’re He Meixin’s son?”
He Wuning didn’t hesitate for even a second. “No.”
The man clearly didn’t expect that answer and instinctively doubted himself. “Huh? No?”
Taking advantage of his hesitation, He Wuning turned and ran, pulling out his phone to dial 110. Only then did the man realize he’d been tricked and immediately took off after him.
He Wuning frowned. Before he could even finish dialing, he heard a voice not far behind him— “Hey, that’s him! That’s the guy following my classmate!”
He Wuning turned back in surprise and saw Yi Luo standing there with several police officers not far behind him. He instinctively slowed down, while the man chasing him was startled and immediately sped up to flee.
“Stop!”
The officers rushed forward. As the man brushed past him, He Wuning subtly stepped back—seemingly to keep a safe distance, but in reality, he stuck out his foot and tripped him.
It wasn’t subtle at all—it was practically a full-on sweep to the leg. The man fell flat to the ground and was quickly subdued by the officers who caught up.
Yi Luo raised an eyebrow and walked over, looking He Wuning up and down. “That was a pretty ruthless move.”
He Wuning: “……”
He frowned, hesitated, then asked, “Why are you here?”
“I was going to call you when you left,” Yi Luo shrugged. “But you ran so fast, I figured I’d catch up first—then I saw that guy sneaking around behind you.”
“There’s a police post right near the school, so I went to get help.”
Yi Luo narrowed his eyes at him. “Don’t tell me you thought I was the one following you at first?”
He Wuning cleared his throat awkwardly. After a pause, he said, “Sorry.”
“Huh?” Yi Luo looked at him, puzzled, clearly not understanding why he suddenly apologized.
He Wuning touched his nose, thought for a moment, then said, “I’ll treat you to food.”
Yi Luo leaned in curiously. “You came this way on purpose—there’s good food here?”
He Wuning nodded. After briefly explaining to the officers that the man was probably targeting his mother, he made a call and handed the trouble off to her. Then he brought Yi Luo to the old man’s shop.
The shop wasn’t in a great location—mostly regulars came here.
As soon as He Wuning reached the entrance, the pink dog came bounding out, wagging its tail wildly and rushing toward him in delight.
He Wuning glanced at Yi Luo, who looked utterly shocked, sucking in a breath. “Wow, this dog… has style.”
He Wuning shot him a look. “It’s not like it dyed itself.”
Yi Luo nodded in realization. “True. But it looks like it’s screaming ‘I’ll show you some color’—its owner must’ve had quite the personality.”
He glanced at the plain shop sign. “Don’t tell me it belongs to the owner here?”
“No.” He Wuning crouched down and patted the dog. “It was abandoned. I’m boarding it here while I look for someone to adopt it.”
Yi Luo froze for a second. The silly bichon cautiously wagged its tail at him, but the moment Yi Luo reached out his hand, it immediately responded with enthusiasm.
Yi Luo laughed and crouched down to rub its head. “You clearly like it a lot. Why not take it home?”
“My mom’s allergic.” He Wuning frowned and walked inside. “Come in. I’ll treat you.”
As soon as Yi Luo stepped in, he sniffed the air and suddenly understood. “So your siu mai came from here—you came out to see the dog earlier too?”
He looked genuinely surprised. “Then I guessed right—you do have another dog outside!”
He Wuning gave him a silent look. “What do you want to eat?”
The shop owner chuckled and lifted the lids for them to choose. “First time I’ve seen you bring a friend.”
“He’s not a friend,” He Wuning said expressionlessly.
“Oh come on—” Yi Luo grinned brightly. “Why so shy?”
He Wuning frowned. “Pick your food.”
Yi Luo didn’t stand on ceremony. After ordering, he crouched down to play with the dog again. “What’s its name?”
He Wuning paused. “Doesn’t have one.”
“No need. It comes on its own.” He Wuning glanced at the overly enthusiastic dog. “Besides, if you name it, you have to keep it.”
“That’s a thing?” Yi Luo rested his chin on his hand, thinking for a moment before suddenly clapping. “Then how about I raise it?”
“You?” He Wuning was taken aback, clearly not expecting that suggestion. He looked at Yi Luo suspiciously—he seemed impulsive, not exactly reassuring.
Yi Luo was already planning things out while looking at the dog. “If it follows me, maybe it can even become a police dog someday.”
He Wuning glanced at the bichon’s build and fell silent for a moment. “I don’t think that’s very realistic.”
“What, you don’t trust me with it?” Yi Luo popped a siu mai into his mouth. “Do I really look that unreliable?”
He Wuning was just about to say you look unreliable in every way, when Yi Luo poked him. “Hey, I was the one who called the police just now.”
He Wuning: “……”
He couldn’t help but take another look at Yi Luo.
Judging by appearances alone, he would’ve thought Yi Luo was the type to charge in recklessly and handle things himself. He hadn’t expected him to call the police instead.
Yi Luo continued teasing the dog. “Well, adoption checks are normal. We only met today, after all.”
He turned back with a grin. “Starting tomorrow, you can personally supervise me—get to know my excellent character up close!”
He Wuning didn’t realize at the time that this sentence would become the beginning of everything.
Starting from the next day, Yi Luo shamelessly dragged He Wuning along with him for everything.
When it was time to eat, he’d call out, “Let’s go, time to eat. Close-up evaluation—come see my healthy appetite and my excellent virtue of not wasting food.”
He Wuning: “……”
During class, he’d lower his voice and say, “Don’t look at the teacher—look at me. Look at how seriously I’m paying attention in class.”
He Wuning: “……”
Even when going to the restroom, he’d call him: “Let’s go, bathroom. Close-up evaluation—so you can—”
He Wuning nearly exploded, “Not necessary!”
Yi Luo burst out laughing. “I’m kidding. Come on, next period is PE—we’ll go together.”
But when they got to the field, they realized Yi Luo wouldn’t be taking PE with them.
The niche sport he trained in was actually shooting. In the entire province, only schools like theirs—ridiculously expensive private ones—probably had proper shooting facilities.
Apparently, the shooting range had originally been built so that extracurricular activities could “flourish in diversity,” but it ended up barely being used. So bringing Yi Luo in with waived fees and a scholarship was probably just to prove the facility wasn’t a waste.
He Wuning blended into the group doing warm-ups. The boy next to him leaned in and whispered, “Hey, Brother He, doesn’t that new guy stick to you a lot?”
He Wuning glanced at him. “Your imagination.”
The PE teacher flipped through the roster. “We’ve got a new student, huh? Already went off to train? Class rep, go call him back—today’s basic fitness test.”
“Got it!”
The class rep jogged over to the shooting range and brought Yi Luo back.
When the two returned, they had their arms slung over each other’s shoulders, looking quite friendly—though to be fair, in just one day, Yi Luo had already gotten along with most of the boys in the class.
He Wuning glanced over. “See? He’s like that with everyone.”
“Just naturally friendly.”
The PE teacher blew the whistle. “Alright, get into groups for testing! Start with running!”
Amid a chorus of groans, Yi Luo slipped through the crowd and popped up beside He Wuning, opening his arms. “Want to try a desensitization hug?”
He Wuning scowled and shoved him away. “Get lost.”
The boy next to them muttered quietly, “Why do I feel like it’s… kind of different though…”
“Yi Luo!”
The PE teacher called out loudly. “Here!”
The teacher smiled. “I’ve heard about you—a genius shooter, right? You’re in the first group. Do the basic test first—your coach is waiting.”
Yi Luo acknowledged and stepped up to the starting line.
Someone whispered, “I bet he’s super fast!”
“Of course, look at those legs.”
“Long legs don’t always mean fast—maybe short legs move quicker!”
He Wuning, for once a little curious, glanced over. Yi Luo suddenly turned his head and flashed him a bright grin.
He Wuning immediately looked away as if it burned his eyes.
At the whistle, Yi Luo shot forward like an arrow, instantly leaving the others far behind. He Wuning watched for a moment, then lost interest and went to squat in a shaded spot.
“Brother He, you’re not watching anymore?”
“No need,” He Wuning said flatly. “He’s obviously getting first. What’s there to watch?”
As expected, Yi Luo dominated the race. At first, others tried to catch up, but the result was that in the last two laps, everyone was gasping like heatstroke victims, and their final times were even worse than usual.
The PE teacher looked at Yi Luo, who clearly still had energy to spare, with a complicated expression and nodded. “Not bad, you—”
Before he could finish, Yi Luo had already run straight toward He Wuning and flung himself onto him. “Tch, I even waved at you while I was running. Why didn’t you respond?”
He Wuning barely managed to hold back his fist and pushed him away in disgust. “Get off.”
“Um…”
Someone approached them hesitantly, took a deep breath, and gathered his courage. “Brother He, d-do you want some water?”
He held out a drink.
He Wuning paused, confused. “I didn’t even run. Why are you giving me water?”
He turned to Yi Luo. “Do you want it?”
Yi Luo looked equally puzzled. “Huh? But I already have mine.”
“Second group!” the PE teacher shouted.
He Wuning stood up, zipped up his jacket, shoved his hands into his pockets, and strolled lazily over.
People cheered, “Brother He, go! Break the record!”
At the whistle, the second group set off. Yi Luo tilted his head, watching He Wuning in the crowd.
It was obvious he was planning to slack off—he jogged lazily in the middle of the group. With eleven people, he stayed perfectly in sixth place, coasting effortlessly all the way.
“He Ningning!” The PE teacher roared.
He Ningning glanced at the stopwatch in his hand and said, “Didn’t I pass?”
The teacher fumed. “Is passing all that matters? Run properly!”
Pretending not to hear, He Wuning jogged off. “Teacher, I’m going to the restroom—”
Yi Luo chuckled and followed after him.
Someone grabbed his arm, laughing. “Hey, sticking so close—careful you don’t interrupt someone’s romance!”
He pointed ahead—the boy who had tried to give He Wuning water was now following him.
Yi Luo paused for a moment, then instinctively replied, “Don’t talk nonsense.”
“Huh?” The other person blinked, confused—even Yi Luo himself didn’t know where that certainty came from.
He rubbed his nose and still followed after them.
At the sink, He Wuning splashed some water on his face. The boy from earlier wasn’t there—he must have heard approaching footsteps, because just as He Wuning lifted his head…
With his eyes closed and water droplets still clinging to his face, Yi Luo, as if possessed, reached out, wanting to touch his drooping eyelashes.
Right then, He Wuning opened his eyes.
He glanced at the hand extended in front of him and raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”
Yi Luo reacted quickly and made up an excuse with a straight face. “There was a small flying bug.”
“I brushed it away for you.”
He Wuning frowned slightly, giving him a suspicious look.
Yi Luo stared at him, not even realizing there was a hint of jealousy in his tone as he said, “You attract bees and butterflies.”
“Huh?” He Wuning looked at him like he was crazy. “What nonsense.”
He flicked his hand and was about to leave when Yi Luo leaned against the doorway and said, “How about we raise it together?”
He Wuning paused. Yi Luo rubbed his chin. “We can keep it at my place usually. On weekends, you come over and take responsibility for walking it.”
He Wuning hesitated a little. Yi Luo looked at him and added, “My parents usually aren’t home. Or you don’t even have to come inside—I can bring the dog out to meet you. How about it?”
He Wuning lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, then gave a slight nod.
Yi Luo broke into a grin and slung an arm around his shoulders. He Wuning stiffened for a moment, but in the end, just let him.
“Since you’re coming anyway, why don’t we hang out too?” Yi Luo excitedly started planning. “Any movies you want to watch?”
He Wuning said expressionlessly, “Dogs aren’t allowed in cinemas.”
“Oh.” Yi Luo pondered. “Then can dogs go to amusement parks? Is there anywhere we can take a dog along?”
“Parks? Hiking? Fishing?”
He Wuning shot him a sidelong glance. “Why are your hobbies like a retired old man’s?”
“Who are you calling a retired old man!” Yi Luo protested. “I’m just thinking about how to bring the dog along!”
“Oh right, if I’m raising it, I can name it now, right?”
“How about ‘Big White Dog’? It perfectly expresses my wish for it to grow up healthy and strong.”
He Wuning sighed. “It’s already an adult dog. Logically speaking, its size won’t change much.”
“Oh, then it’s pretty cute.” Yi Luo casually suggested, “How about ‘Q’?”
He Wuning said flatly, “Whatever.”
……
He Wuning probably never expected that he would grow so close to him so quickly—so close that, in some people’s words, they were “inseparable.”
Even when he was caught by a teacher and made to help organize lab equipment, Yi Luo would still wait in the classroom to leave school with him.
When He Wuning reached the door, he realized Yi Luo wasn’t alone inside.
—Since Yi Luo got along well with the boys in class, when he said he was waiting for He Wuning, quite a few of them stayed behind too, chatting and laughing.
Just as He Wuning was about to push the door open, he suddenly heard someone lower their voice and ask, “Hey, bro, are you really that close with He Ningning?”
Yi Luo chuckled. “Cut it out. If he hears you call him that, you’d better watch out.”
“Hey, don’t you think he’s kind of… putting on airs?” someone whispered. “And kinda arrogant.”
He Wuning paused mid-motion. Inside, Yi Luo let out a muffled laugh. “Him? Yeah, he is quite the arrogant little brat.”
He Wuning pressed his lips together.
“But—” Yi Luo deliberately dragged out the word. A yelp and someone begging for mercy followed, and everyone burst into laughter. “What are you trying to do, stirring up trouble?”
“What do you mean he’s putting on airs? Someone that cute—can that be faked?”
“Wow!” someone exaggeratedly shouted. “Bro, that’s disgusting!”
Another person gloated, “You’re done for, bro. Brother He hates being called cute. He’ll go off on anyone who says that!”
Another yelp sounded. Yi Luo laughed. “You’re the one who’s done for. He hates being called arrogant—if he hears you, let’s see if you don’t get beaten up!”
He Wuning stood at the door in silence for a moment, then shook his head helplessly.
Inside, Yi Luo sounded a little impatient. “Why isn’t he back yet? Old Zheng didn’t trick him into doing extra work, did he? No, I’m going to check.”
He Wuning froze for a second, then quickly pushed the door open. The people inside were just about to rush out. Someone saw him and immediately shouted, “Brother He, just now bro said you were—”
Yi Luo clapped a hand over his mouth, smiling kindly. “Haha, he’s talking nonsense.”
“He didn’t get to say it yet,” He Wuning said, glancing at him. “Aren’t you all heading home?”
“Oh crap, it’s this late already—my mom’s gonna lose it. I’m out!”
One person started it, and the rest of the boys quickly followed, rushing out together.
Yi Luo deliberately stayed behind. He handed He Wuning his bag, then hopped down from the desk, slinging an arm over his shoulders again. He Wuning realized he’d actually gotten used to this gesture—but this guy was starting to push his luck.
Yi Luo reached out and lightly pinched his earlobe. In an instant, a flush spread behind He Wuning’s ear. Just as he was about to shove him away, Yi Luo raised a book to block the view and gently kissed behind his ear.
He Wuning almost punched him on the spot. Yi Luo chuckled under his breath.
He Wuning quickly glanced forward—everyone was too busy rushing home to look back. No one seemed to have noticed Yi Luo’s little move.
He let out a breath, then frowned and looked at Yi Luo.
Yi Luo raised both hands in surrender. “I know, I know—only allowed to kiss when no one’s around on weekends.”
“Just consider this an advance on this weekend’s quota!”
He Wuning sneered. “Oh really? Last time in the restroom you said the same thing. And in the cafeteria. And during cleaning duty. How much do you owe now?”
Yi Luo cleared his throat and admitted honestly, “I’ve lost count.”
Then, shamelessly leaning closer, he said, “Then it’s however much you say it is. Here—kiss me back.”
He Wuning pushed his face away. “Shameless.”
Yi Luo wrapped an arm around him as they walked out together. “Fine, don’t.”
……
“The event has ended. All players, please exit. This ‘Children’s Day Limited Event — Return to Youth’… how was your experience?”
Q-chan’s lively voice rang out across the game sky: “I wonder if everyone recalled those shy, budding feelings of the past—your first love that slipped away, those heart-racing moments! Or maybe you even made up for past regrets and created a completely different version of your past!”
“Happy Children’s Day, and we wish you all a wonderful time in the game!”
“This guy’s getting better and better at closing speeches,” Yi Luo said as he exited the game, collapsing sideways onto He Wuning on the sofa.
He Wuning had just come out of the game as well. The two of them had entered the event dungeon together, temporarily blurring their adult memories to relive He Wuning’s student days.
He pushed at Yi Luo’s head in annoyance, but couldn’t move him.
Yi Luo nuzzled against him, trying to act cute. “Let’s go back in one more time? Admin?”
He Wuning narrowed his eyes. “For what?”
Yi Luo put on a righteous face. “It’s such a rare chance to see you from back then, and I didn’t even do anything exciting that’s not suitable for all ages. That’s way too much of a waste!”
“Let’s go again!”
He Wuning’s face darkened. Q-chan rushed out of the game to punish him, the pink vacuum cleaner mercilessly attacking Yi Luo’s toes. “This is a Children’s Day event dungeon! Can’t you think about things a kid would think about?!”
“You seriously don’t have any childlike innocence at all!”
Yi Luo replied without shame, “That’s because I’m already a fully developed adult! And besides, isn’t high school exactly the time when you’re confused and full of longing?”
“What’s wrong with wanting to see what Ningning was like back then and do a little mischief!”
“Hah!” Q-chan increased suction power. “Let me suck away all this dirty nonsense and protect our Sweetie’s pure Children’s Day!”
He Wuning shook his head helplessly, stood up, and walked over to turn on his computer.
Yi Luo and Q-chan both turned to look at him. “What are you doing?”
Without turning back, He Wuning said, “I suddenly remembered—I might still have photos from my high school days on my computer.”
Yi Luo instantly jumped up. “I want to see! I want to see!”
Q-chan tried to prop itself up. “Me too, me too! Let me see!”
“Let me take a look, too!”
“Wow—” The two of them crowded together, staring at the screen at a younger, more immature version of He Wuning.
Yi Luo’s sharp eyes immediately pointed at the boy next to him, accusing, “He’s got his arm around you!”
He Wuning: “……”
He Wuning sighed. “Everyone had their arms around each other. The teacher told us to pose like that.”
“No, not allowed! He’s got his arm around you!” Yi Luo started making a fuss. “Let me go back into the game again, or I’m going to make trouble!”
Q-chan giggled foolishly at the photo. “Hehe, Sweetie, such a soft, tender baby, hehe…”
He covered his head and let out a long sigh.
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