Studying Is Such A Damn Thing - Chapter 13

The six of them chatted as they walked to the barbecue joint outside the school gates.

“I’ve eaten at so many places, but the one by the school entrance is still the best,” You Cheche sighed with contentment as he took his seat. “True, it probably comes with a school-side buff,” Qi Yuan replied.

Song Chaolian scanned the QR code with his phone and asked, “What are you guys having?”

“Let’s start with twenty lamb skewers, ten beef skewers, ten chicken gizzards, an order of fried rice, and, um, six bottles of Coke.”

Qi Yuan arched an eyebrow. “Oh? Turning over a new leaf today? No beer?”

“Results come out tomorrow. I don’t dare drink, I’m afraid the one at home will beat me to death.”

“Has your mom ever actually hit you?”

“No…”

“Then what are you nervous about?”

“It’s just an excuse for my low tolerance, don’t expose me like that.”

Qi Yuan rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone, transforming back into an internet-addicted youth as he started a game.

“Skewers are up!” The waiter walked over enthusiastically, carrying the food.

“Thank you!” You Cheche’s eyes lit up the moment he saw the food, looking like a beggar who hadn’t eaten in eight hundred years.

Qi Yuan watched him and laughed. “Eat slower, no one’s going to steal it from you.” His phone rang, so he stepped out to the glass storefront to answer. He took the chance to light a cigarette, the smoke curling around him, making his face drift in and out of view through the haze. After a moment, he finished, casually dropped the butt, crushed the embers under his shoe, then picked it up and tossed it into a nearby bin.

You Cheche caught the whole scene. A boy of sixteen or seventeen, dressed in fine clothes and riding a fast horse, dashing, elegant, and unrestrained. Those were the words that instinctively came to mind. His thoughts drifted back to their freshman year when Qi Yuan had swung his backpack at a group of thugs who were harrassing a girl. It was sunset then, and the sky was stained a shy orange by the afterglow. After the fight, with a bit of dust on his face, Qi Yuan had looked back, his entire body bathed in the light of the setting sun. As he walked, he passed a tree, the shade cutting his figure in half, one side in the light, the other sinking into darkness.

The boy had turned to give the thugs on the ground a casual glance, let out a stray whistle, pulled a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket, and lit up. As the smoke rose, he blew a ring toward the distance.

‘He’s so damn cool,’ You Cheche had thought at the time.

Perhaps a young boy’s heart begins to stir from a moment like that, or maybe even earlier. But for now, nothing has been said. Please give them a little more time, let them wait for their own personal gods to arrive.

A few days later, the monthly exam results were released, met with a chorus of wails. As expected, Song Chaolian took the top spot in the entire grade with a total score of 723. Shen Yiyi, trailing by only three points, once again landed in second place. The person in question expressed that she was so fuming she wanted to beat Song Chaolian into mayonnaise.

And what were the students in last and second-to-last place doing? They were betting on sharing a room during next week’s spring trip to see who would be the ultimate “All-Nighter King.” Clearly, these two goofballs were very excited about this. One was a hardcore gamer, the other a deep-dive BL reader, and both were currently filled with an unprecedented fighting spirit. Ah! Who cares what my dad thinks of my grades! I’m going to win!

The sound of Lin Qian’s high heels approached from a distance, and the classroom fell silent. “Students, I’m sure you’ve heard that we’re having our spring trip next Tuesday. We’ll be heading to a guesthouse at XX Mountain in C City along with Classes 2, 6, and 8 for two days and one night. You can bring your phones. We’ll gather at the guesthouse entrance at 11:00 AM sharp on the second day. The rooms are all doubles, so you can divide yourselves up. Just make sure you have fun!”

Hearing this, You Cheche turned to Qi Yuan. “Hey, doesn’t XX Mountain have hot springs?”

“I think so, let me check.” He skillfully opened his phone and searched on Baidu, muttering as he typed, “XX… Mountain… are there… hot springs… Oh, here it is! There are! And they’re mixed baths.”

You Cheche’s glasses nearly fell off in shock. “Mixed baths?”

“It says mixed ABO, not mixed gender… what are you thinking?”

You Cheche finally realized his mistake and gave Qi Yuan a mock-bashful swat. “Oh, stop it! Teasing me again!”

Qi Yuan looked at his melodramatic display and gave a tender smile. “Che, be normal, don’t be a moron.”

“Yikes… are you Alphas all like this? Do you not feel even a little bit of a spark for me? Am I not handsome? Am I not good-looking?”

Qi Yuan nodded casually, giving a half-hearted reply. “I felt it, I felt it… I love you… You’re too handsome, handsome enough to make gods and men angry, as beautiful as a descending goddess of beauty. Satisfied, baby?”

You Cheche broke out in goosebumps. “Fuck, fuck, fuck! Shut up! Stop being so gross!”

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