Who Told You To Fool My First Love? - Chapter 5

A week was enough time for the students of the top-tier class to shake off their holiday laziness and gradually find their way back to the familiar, high-intensity rhythm of learning.

Qiao Muyu threw himself into his studies systematically as usual. He ate when he should, slept when he should, and played the role of Class 1’s universal brick—smiling and being moved wherever he was needed.

But he had to admit, the results of the previous back-to-school exam still left him with a lingering sense of dread.

He subconsciously began to pay attention to Lu Zhen’s every move, quietly observing what brand of practice papers he recently finished, which famous teacher’s reference materials he bought, and what stage his revision progress had reached…

However, after a round of investigation, Lu Zhen seemed incredibly relaxed.

His classroom participation was very low; sometimes he even blatantly napped on his desk during class. After class, he often held his phone playing games—from mindless mini-games on WeChat programs to MOBA mobile games that tested operational skills, he turned down almost nothing.

After a month, his deskmate Yu Liang hadn’t learned many problem-solving methods from him, but he had stolen quite a few game walkthrough tips.

Sometimes, looking at Yu Liang’s ‘clear yet stupid’ eyes, Qiao Muyu felt a strange sense of frustration, like hating iron for not becoming steel.

The grade-wide number one is sitting right next to you, yet you only think about discussing games with him. You’re truly occupying the latrine but not taking a shit, wasting such a great top-student resource!

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

Wouldn’t asking Lu Zhen for advice be the same as admitting his skills were inferior?

Hehe, the word “surrender” did not exist in Qiao Muyu’s dictionary.

Besides, Lu Zhen’s recent study state was so lazy; he was probably so carried away by taking first place last time that he’d become overconfident. His rank would surely plummet during the next exam.

Qiao Muyu was happy to see it happen.

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 truly deserved number one in the grade. The last defeat was just an accident.

However, a few days later, reality slapped his face hard again—

The results for the first monthly exam came out, and the person in first place was still Lu Zhen.

Qiao Muyu’s hand holding the transcript couldn’t help but tremble slightly. He didn’t dare open his eyes, hoping it was a hallucination.

…This fucking makes no sense!

Could it be that this guy is bound to some “Must Rank First System”? And I’m just the cannon fodder supporting character serving as his green leaf? No matter how hard I work, I can’t surpass him?

Having heard Xu Rongcan talk too much about various bizarre web novel settings lately, Qiao Muyu couldn’t help but start brainstorming from a fantasy perspective. His originally calm heart gradually became restless.

After the monthly exam ended, both students and teachers breathed a sigh of relief to some extent.

The intense pre-exam revision came to a temporary halt. Under the probing and pleading of the Class 1 students, this week’s PE class was—for once—not hijacked by any core subject teacher. Everyone danced with joy as they headed to the playground to breathe fresh air.

After simple warm-up exercises, the PE teacher let everyone engage in free activities.

Some students teamed up to play badminton and basketball. Qiao Muyu didn’t have much energy to run around, so he just found an empty spot on the playground to lie down and space out.

The weather today was great. The sunlight hitting his body was mild and warm, not too hot, with occasional gusts of breeze—pleasant and comfortable.

Looking up, there was a vast, boundless azure sky, peaceful and distant.

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

As Qiao Muyu watched, he couldn’t help but think of his own current situation. Sorrow rose in him, and he let out a deep sigh.

Du Jingfei, sitting nearby, was busy controlling his game character while taking a moment to glance at him: “What’s up with you lately? Your complexion is so bad. Is the study pressure too much?”

Qiao Muyu pinched the bridge of his nose: “It’s okay.”

“Little Fish, don’t just focus on studying all day. There are still over two hundred days until the College Entrance Exam. Don’t pull your nerves too tight now, it’ll backfire. We need to conserve our energy. Occasional relaxation is very necessary.”

As Du Jingfei spoke, he got distracted, and his game character was counter-killed by the opponent. He clicked his tongue in frustration, put down his phone, and continued.

“Look at Xu Rongcan. When she sees a novel or TV show she likes, she can drag someone into a three-hour conversation like she’s on a blood transfusion. Lately, she seems obsessed with ‘shipping’ some CP. She’s acting all mysterious every day, eyes glowing like she’s on drugs! Sometimes I really admire her for having such good energy.”

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

Thinking carefully, his life had always been monotonous. Aside from studying, he seemed to have no other pleasures. Lately, he had been so annoyed by the Lu Zhen situation that he couldn’t even sleep soundly. Perhaps he could try seeking some ways to decompress.

Considering this, Qiao Muyu looked at Du Jingfei, intending to find some inspiration from him: “What do you usually do to relieve study pressure?”

Du Jingfei replied without raising his head, eyes fixed on a new round of battle on his screen: “Sudoku, gaming, watching por—cough, ‘street-stall’ literature.”

Qiao Muyu gave him a look: “Pervert.”

“What pervert? Biology class said it’s a normal physiological need! It’s not like I’m some scumbag going out to ruin young girls.”

After making his dead-serious excuse, Du Jingfei threw the question back, “What about you?”

“I…”

Qiao Muyu wanted to say drawing.

Whenever he picked up a paintbrush, his mood would miraculously calm down, and he would gain unprecedented pleasure and passion, like finding a harbor isolated from reality.

But this interest had been suppressed since childhood by Qiao Yongde calling it “neglecting one’s proper business.” He had thrown away all of Qiao Muyu’s brushes and sketchbooks, leaving those unrestrained dreams buried deep in his heart…

Sigh, forget it. Telling others would only increase his troubles.

Qiao Muyu closed his eyes and sighed lightly: “Sleeping. With such a full schedule every day, I’d thank the heavens if I could sleep an extra half hour.”

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

“Hmph.” Qiao Muyu couldn’t refute it. He gave him a light kick before standing up and walking away.

Du Jingfei: “Where are you going?”

“Thirsty. Going to buy water.”

“Good son, bring one for me too.”

“Get lost.”

Exiting the playground, passing the gym and the outdoor basketball court, then crossing a small woods, he reached the small supermarket inside the school.

Qiao Muyu came out with two bottles of water. As he passed the shaded area behind the gym, he suddenly smelled a faint, bitter scent of tobacco lingering in the air.

He subconsciously frowned. Just as he turned the corner of the wall, he saw a boy sitting on the steps in the corner, enjoying himself immensely while puffing out clouds of smoke.

Qiao Muyu looked closely. This person was actually his classmate, Huang Zhensen.

Seeing Qiao Muyu, Huang Zhensen was so startled he jerked, hurriedly crushing the cigarette in his mouth against the wall to extinguish it and hiding it behind his back. He stood up and waved his arms wildly at the air in front of him, attempting to fan away the smoke smell.

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

Seeing him scrambling to hide it, Qiao Muyu found it a bit funny. He intentionally put on a stern face, walked up to him, and reached out: “Hand it over.”

After a brief internal struggle, Huang Zhensen finally obediently took out half a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket and surrendered them.

Qiao Muyu examined the confiscated tools of the crime in his hand, a bit surprised: “You actually smoke this?”

“The study pressure has been too much lately, just trying to sharpen my mind.”

“How long has this been going on?”

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

Qiao Muyu had scared him enough. He 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 are handsome and kind, a Bodhisattva descended to the world to save all living beings—”

“Stop, stop, stop.” Qiao Muyu couldn’t listen anymore and interrupted him, “I’ll let you off this once, but you have to promise not to smoke in school again.”

“Yes, yes, yes, I promise!” Huang Zhensen breathed a sigh of relief, his face beaming with joy, “Thanks for keeping the secret, Monitor. I’m leaving now!”

Qiao Muyu smiled and waved him off, letting him run far away.

The surroundings became quiet again, save for the rustling sound of the breeze through the leaves.

Qiao Muyu leaned against the wall, playing with the lighter in his hand. With a click, he pressed the switch, and a flicker of pale blue flame jumped out, swaying slightly in the air—alluringly flippant.

He stared at it for a while. Thinking about what Huang Zhensen said about this stuff relieving study pressure, he felt a strange impulse. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, lowered his head to bite the filter, and tentatively took a puff.

The next second, a bitter, pungent, dense tobacco taste lunged straight into his throat and lungs. It was raw and burning, making him instantly break into a violent coughing fit.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

While Qiao Muyu was leaning against the wall coughing, he looked up and suddenly found a figure standing not far away, watching him.

He was startled. He quickly wiped away the tears forced out by the choking, and as his vision cleared, he saw who it was.

“Lu—Lu Zhen?”

Lu Zhen’s gaze landed on the segment of cigarette held between his fingertips. His brow raised slightly with an unreadable hint of playfulness.

He walked past Qiao Muyu without looking aside, saying flatly: “Carry on. I’m just passing through.”

At this moment, Qiao Muyu was so embarrassed he wished he could find a crack in the wall to crawl into. In his panic, he grabbed Lu Zhen’s arm to explain: “Listen to me, I—I was just curious what it tasted like, so I… actually, this is my first time smoking, really. But who knew it tasted so bad? I almost choked to death.”

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

Damn it, why am I so unlucky? Of all people, this guy had to catch me violating school rules. The Model Student filter is shattered to pieces!

Knowing that more explanation would only sound like an excuse, he could only lower his head, tugging at the corner of Lu Zhen’s clothes, and pleaded in a small voice: “Um, can you please not tell anyone?”

Lu Zhen gazed at the boy’s lowered long eyelashes and reddened earlobes. He subtly turned his body slightly, retrieving the corner of his clothes from the boy’s fingertips: “I’m not the type to tattle either.”

Qiao Muyu’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected him to be so easy to talk to; he had been overreacting.

“…Thanks.”

Lu Zhen said nothing more. He turned and sat on the steps shaded by the trees, took out his phone from his pocket, and casually swiped the screen a few times, acting as if no one else were there.

It really did look like what he said—he was just passing by and wanted to find a shady place to rest.

Qiao Muyu breathed a sigh of relief. Suddenly, he heard a burst of game sound effects coming from Lu Zhen’s phone.

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

It seemed a topic of interest had been reached. Lu Zhen raised his brows and looked at him: “You play too?”

“Not me, it’s Du Jingfei.”

Qiao Muyu took the opportunity to sit down beside him and watch the battle.

“He’s been obsessed with this lately. He said it’s the latest mobile game developed by his favorite company, Qingyan. He had a hard time grabbing a spot for the closed beta. He said the official open beta won’t be until the end of the year. Hey, was it November or December?”

“December 3rd.”

“Right, you’re very well-informed.”

Lu Zhen said airily: “Because this game was developed by my family’s company.”

“……Your family?!” Qiao Muyu was so shocked he nearly bit his tongue, “Qingyan Technology is your family’s company?”

“Mm. My dad opened it.”

Lu Zhen continued to operate his game character without looking up. His clearly defined profile showed a calm expression; there wasn’t a trace of intentional bragging. He was simply stating a fact.

Fuck. He managed to flex again.

Qiao Muyu silently swallowed the curse word at the tip of his tongue and let out a heartfelt exclamation: “Your dad… is truly awesome.”