Who Asked You To Deceive My First Love? - Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Stress Relief: “I’m not the type to tattle, either.”

A week was enough time for the students of the elite class to shed their holiday sluggishness and find their familiar, high-intensity rhythm.

As usual, Qiao Muyu followed his routine step-by-step. He ate when he should, slept when he should, and played his role as Class 1’s “universal brick”—ready to be moved wherever he was needed—with a polite smile.

But he had to admit, the results of the back-to-school exam still left him with lingering trepidation.

He began to unconsciously monitor Lu Zhen’s every move. He secretly observed which brand of practice papers Lu Zhen finished, which famous teacher’s reference materials he bought, and how far along his review progress had reached…

Yet, after all his scouting, Lu Zhen seemed incredibly relaxed.

His classroom participation was low; sometimes he even blatantly napped on his desk during lessons. After class, he was often seen clutching his phone playing games, ranging from mindless WeChat mini-games to complex MOBA mobile games—he seemingly played anything.

After a month, his seatmate Li Liang hadn’t learned a single problem-solving method from him, but he had managed to “steal” plenty of gaming techniques.

Sometimes, looking at Li Liang’s “clear and foolish” eyes, Qiao Muyu felt a wave of frustration. The Rank 1 of the grade is sitting right next to you, yet all you think about is discussing games with him? What a waste of such a good academic resource!

But if Qiao Muyu were to go to Lu Zhen to discuss studies himself, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Wouldn’t asking Lu Zhen for guidance be the same as admitting he was inferior?

Heh. The words “admit defeat” did not exist in Qiao Muyu’s dictionary.

Besides, Lu Zhen’s current study state was so lazy. It was likely that taking first place last time had gone to his head; his grades would surely plummet during the next exam.

Qiao Muyu looked forward to it.

The first monthly exam of the semester was just around the corner. No matter what, he had to prove this time that he was the rightful Number One. The previous defeat was just an accident.

However, a few days later, reality slapped him in the face again—

The results of the first monthly exam came out, and the person at the top was still Lu Zhen.

Qiao Muyu’s hand trembled slightly as he held the transcript. He didn’t want to open his eyes, hoping it was an illusion.

…This is f*cking unscientific!

Did this guy bind some sort of “Must Rank First” System? And am I just the “Green Leaf” cannon fodder sidekick? No matter how hard I work, I can’t surpass him?

Having listened to Xu Rongcan talk about bizarre web novel plots too much lately, Qiao Muyu couldn’t help but let his mind drift toward fantasy tropes. His originally calm heart gradually became agitated.

…

After the monthly exams, students and teachers alike breathed a sigh of relief.

The tight schedule of pre-exam review came to a temporary halt. Under the begging of the Class 1 students, this week’s PE class was miraculously not occupied by a core subject teacher. Everyone danced with joy as they headed to the playground for some fresh air.

After a simple warm-up, the PE teacher let everyone loose for free activities.

Some students formed teams to play badminton or basketball, but Qiao Muyu didn’t have the energy to run around. He found an empty spot on the field and lay down to space out.

The weather was great. The sunlight was warm and gentle, not too sweltering, with an occasional breeze—very cozy.

Looking up, the vast, boundless blue sky was peaceful and far-reaching.

Suddenly, two birds skimmed gracefully through the clouds. The one behind flapped its wings hard but simply couldn’t overtake the one in front.

As Qiao Muyu watched, he couldn’t help but draw a parallel to his own situation. Melancholy rose in his heart, and he let out a deep sigh.

Du Jingfei, sitting nearby, was busy controlling a game character, but he managed to spare a glance. “What’s with you lately? You look terrible. Is the study pressure too much?”

Qiao Muyu pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m alright.”

“Xiao Yu, don’t just focus on studying all day. There are still over two hundred days until the College Entrance Exam. Don’t snap your nerves this early; it’ll backfire. You need to conserve energy. Occasional relaxation is very necessary.”

Du Jingfei got distracted while talking, and his character was counter-killed by an opponent. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, put down his phone, and continued.

“Look at Xu Rongcan. When she finds a novel or show she likes, she can talk to people for three hours straight without stopping. Lately, she seems obsessed with ‘shipping’ some CP. She’s acting all mysterious, eyes glowing like she’s on something! Sometimes I really admire her energy.”

Qiao Muyu felt that while these words weren’t very serious, they held some truth.

Thinking carefully, his life had always been monotonous. Aside from studying, he seemed to have no other pleasures. Lately, he was so frustrated by the Lu Zhen situation that he wasn’t even sleeping well. Perhaps he should try to find a way to decompress.

Considering this, Qiao Muyu looked at Du Jingfei, intending to find some inspiration. “What do you usually do to relieve study stress?”

Du Jingfei didn’t even look up from the new round of battle on his screen. “Sudoku, gaming, reading por—cough, ‘street stall’ literature.”

Qiao Muyu shot him a look. “Pervert.”

“What pervert? Biology class said it’s a normal physiological need! It’s not like I’m a scumbag out there hurting girls.”

After his deadpan defense, Du Jingfei threw the question back. “What about you?”

“I…”

Qiao Muyu wanted to say drawing.

Whenever he picked up a brush, his heart would miraculously calm down. He found an unprecedented joy and passion, like finding a harbor isolated from reality.

But this interest had been suppressed by Qiao Yongde since he was a child under the guise of it being “unproductive.” His father had thrown away all his brushes and sketchbooks; his whimsical dreams could only be buried deep in his heart.

Sigh, forget it. Telling others will only add to the trouble.

Qiao Muyu closed his eyes and sighed. “Sleeping. With such a full schedule, I’d thank the heavens for an extra half hour of sleep.”

Du Jingfei: “Man, you really are a nerd.”

“Tsk.” Unable to refute, Qiao Muyu gave him a light kick before standing up.

“Where are you going?” Du Jingfei asked.

“I’m thirsty. Going to buy water.”

“Good ‘son,’ bring one back for me too.”

“Piss off.”

…

Leaving the playground, passing the gym and the outdoor basketball courts, and cutting through a small grove, he reached the small campus supermarket.

Qiao Muyu bought two bottles of water. As he passed the shade behind the gym, he suddenly smelled the faint, bitter scent of tobacco in the air.

He instinctively frowned. Rounding the corner, he saw a boy sitting on the steps in the corner, enjoying a smoke.

Qiao Muyu looked closer—it was his own classmate, Huang Zhensen.

Seeing Qiao Muyu, Huang Zhensen jumped in fright. He hurriedly crushed the cigarette against the wall, hid it behind his back, and frantically waved the air to disperse the smoke.

“Mon-Monitor? I… uh, what a coincidence, haha.”

Qiao Muyu found his frantic hiding quite funny. He intentionally kept a straight face as he walked up and held out his hand. “Hand it over.”

After a brief internal struggle, Huang Zhensen obediently pulled a half-pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket.

Qiao Muyu examined the confiscated tools, somewhat surprised. “You actually smoke this?”

“The study pressure has been huge lately. Just trying to freshen up.”

“How long?”

“Uh, two or three months?” After confessing honestly, Huang Zhensen hung his head and pleaded, “Monitor, you’ve already taken the stuff. Can you please not tell Old Wan?”

Having scared him enough, Qiao Muyu raised an eyebrow. “Do I look like the type of person who likes to tattle?”

“Of course not!” Huang Zhensen immediately began to flatter him. “Monitor, you’re handsome, kind, a living Bodhisattva—”

“Stop, stop, stop.” Qiao Muyu couldn’t take it anymore. “I’ll let you go this time, but you have to promise not to smoke on campus again.”

“Yes, yes, I promise!” Huang Zhensen beamed with relief. “Thanks for keeping the secret, Monitor. I’m off!”

Qiao Muyu waved him away and watched him run off.

The surroundings became quiet again, save for the rustle of leaves in the breeze.

Qiao Muyu leaned against the wall, playing with the lighter. With a “click,” a cluster of blue flame flickered to life, dancing temptingly in the air.

He stared at it for a while. Recalling Huang Zhensen saying it relieved stress, he found himself—by some strange impulse—lighting a cigarette. He bit the filter and took a tentative puff.

The next second, the bitter, stinging smoke rushed into his throat and lungs. It was raw and burning. He immediately broke into a violent coughing fit.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Qiao Muyu looked up through the haze and realized someone was standing not far away, watching him.

His heart leaped. He quickly cleared his vision and saw who it was.

“Lu… Lu Zhen?”

Lu Zhen’s gaze fell on the cigarette between Qiao Muyu’s fingers. His brow rose slightly with an unreadable, playful glint.

He walked past Qiao Muyu without turning his head, saying flatly, “Carry on. I’m just passing through.”

Qiao Muyu was so embarrassed he wanted to sink into the wall. He reached out and grabbed Lu Zhen’s arm to explain: “Listen, I… I was just curious about the taste, so… This is actually my first time smoking, really. Who knew it would be so awful? I nearly choked to death.”

The more Qiao Muyu spoke, the more ashamed he felt.

Damn it. Why am I so unlucky? Of all people, he had to catch me breaking the rules. My ‘Model Student’ image is shattered!

Knowing that further explanation would sound like a lie, he lowered his head, tugged at Lu Zhen’s sleeve, and whispered, “Can you… not tell anyone?”

Lu Zhen looked down at the boy’s long, lowered eyelashes and reddened ears. He subtly turned his body, withdrawing his sleeve from Qiao Muyu’s fingers. “I’m not the type to tattle, either.”

Qiao Muyu’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected the guy to be so reasonable; he had overreacted.

“…Thanks.”

Lu Zhen said nothing more. He sat down on the shaded steps nearby, took out his phone, and began scrolling—acting as if no one else was there.

It truly seemed like he was just passing through and wanted a cool place to rest.

Qiao Muyu felt relieved. Then, he heard a sequence of gaming sound effects from Lu Zhen’s phone.

It sounded familiar. He leaned over to look at the screen and smiled. “You’re playing this game too?”

Seemingly finding a topic of interest, Lu Zhen looked up. “You play?”

“Not me, Du Jingfei.” Qiao Muyu sat down beside him to watch. “He’s obsessed with it lately. He says it’s the latest mobile game developed by his favorite company, ‘Qingyan.’ He barely managed to get into the beta test. He said the official launch is at the end of the year… was it November or December?”

“December 3rd.”

“Right. You know it well.”

Lu Zhen said casually, “Because my family’s company developed it.”

“……Your family?!” Qiao Muyu nearly bit his tongue in shock. “Qingyan Technology is your family’s company?”

“Yeah. My dad started it.”

Lu Zhen continued playing without looking up. His expression was calm; there was no hint of intentional bragging. He was simply stating a fact.

Sh*t. He “Strong-ge’d” me again.

Qiao Muyu swallowed the curse word at the tip of his tongue and offered a sincere exclamation: “Your dad… is really something.”