“Lin Shiyu! Do you want to be expelled in the first week of school?”

The person called by name stood expressionlessly in the office, appearing indifferent, like an ice sculpture.

All eyes were focused on this freshman in his first year of high school, not only because of the shout from the Senior Grade Teacher but also because of Lin Shiyu’s certain subtle traits.

This student had just started school and hadn’t even spent a week here and was already teetering on the edge of expulsion. He was a male student with a large Hello Kitty emblem on the front of his white short-sleeved shirt, the surface of his sneakers were adorned with shiny colorful sequins. He carried a pink backpack in the shape of a rabbit’s head, with two rabbit ears hanging from the backpack and a string of sparkling pendants attached to the zipper.

With his incredibly handsome face, he had managed to hospitalize two high school senior boys who were both around 1.8 meters tall.

“The situation is severe but your attitude is so terrible!” The teacher was so angry that steam seemed to rise from the top of his head. “At such a young age, you have advocated violence, disregarded school rules and discipline yet still show no remorse. This school cannot educate a student like you!”

The teacher of the first year freshmen class frowned as he looked at Lin Shiyu and said sternly, “Lin Shiyu, do you realize the seriousness of the situation?

“Those two boys are in their senior year, and were excelling in their academics. Now, one has injured hands and the other has a concussion due to your actions. How can they bear the burden of studying hard now? For this to happen during such a crucial period in their senior year, if their college entrance exams are affected, it will jeopardize their bright futures. Can you bear this responsibility?”

The hospitalized students were from the senior grade teacher’s class, and were known for their outstanding academic performance and good conduct. This is why the teacher was particularly distressed. As soon as he heard the news, without a second thought, he rushed to the first-year teaching building and harshly reprimanded Lin Shiyu.

The teacher of the first years, sweating profusely, hinted to Lin Shiyu, “If you sincerely apologize, the school will consider giving you a disciplinary record instead of expelling you.”

The gaze of the male student finally shifted from the window.

Lin Shiyu had a clean appearance. If it weren’t for the aggressive and stubborn look in his eyes, most people would consider him an innocent child.

However, as he looked at the senior grade teacher, Lin Shiyu coldly said, “If I see them again, I’ll beat them up.”

Before the teacher’s angry slap could land on the table, a sudden cough echoed through the previously silent classroom, with a slightly uplifted ending tone.

Everyone turned their heads toward the sound.

A boy was standing by the door of the classroom. He was taller than the average high school student and he was holding the new textbooks and placed them on a desk. The teacher who was organizing the materials glanced at him and reproachfully whispered, “What are you doing?”

The boy had a handsome face, with a straight nose and gentle lips. He had clean short hair and was wearing a casual white shirt and jeans. The only eye-catching thing about him was the pair of black and red sneakers on his feet.

He appeared very calm, as if naturally distant from his surroundings and gave a sense of aloofness. His cough was subtle. It sounded like he wanted to laugh at something interesting but realized it wasn’t appropriate and interrupted himself midway.

The boy said, “My throat is a bit dry.”

His voice was pleasant, low and clear, like the quiet floating dust that winds into the window on a summer day.

Usually, Lin Shiyu found it difficult to notice his surroundings when he was in a bad mood, like now. Just controlling his anger from erupting and harming innocent people was challenging enough, but for some reason this voice seeped through the cracks carrying a coolness that penetrated his ears, pulling him out of his troubled state. Surprisingly, his emotions magically became calm.

Lin Shiyu turned his head and glanced at the boy.

It was his deskmate, the one called Zhong Qi, who rarely spoke, although Lin Shiyu had no standing to accuse others of not being talkative. He himself was either ignoring people or getting angry when they spoke.

These two tight-lipped individuals were randomly assigned as deskmates, and as a result, they hadn’t said anything besides the basic self-introduction of “My name is Zhong Qi” and “My name is Lin Shiyu” since the beginning of the school year.

They hadn’t even said, “Excuse me, I need to go to the restroom,” because both of them sat near the aisle.

“Bring his parents here.” The teacher of the senior class angrily paced back and forth in the classroom. “Let’s see what he has to say then. The school can’t handle you anymore!”

Lin Shiyu’s homeroom teacher, Li Zhong, who had been silent on the sidelines, finally spoke up. “How about this? I’ll contact his parents and then talk to him first, to understand the specific situation. Then–”

The teacher of the senior class impatiently interrupted him, “What specific situation? The situation is that he sent two of my students to the hospital. The parents sent me photos showing large bandages on their foreheads. How do you expect me to explain that?”

Li Zhong patiently said, “I understand that he was wrong for fighting, I just want to have a chat with him first. After all, not everything can be resolved with a one-size-fits-all approach.”

The teacher of the senior class was about to say something when the head of the freshman class gave him a signal, indicating that he shouldn’t get too angry. Then, he turned to Lin Shiyu and said, “Your attitude is definitely unacceptable. Regardless of any conflicts you have with your classmates, it’s your fault if you beat someone up like this. Now, we will make a phone call to your parents and have them come over so we can discuss this matter.”

The head teacher of the freshman class took out his phone and handed it to Lin Shiyu. However, Lin Shiyu stood still, his brows furrowed with a cold and irritable expression, “They’re busy.”

The head teacher of the freshman class patiently said, “Even if they’re busy, they should come. What’s more important, work or your child’s education?”

Lin Shiyu didn’t take the phone and remained silent, his fists clenched at his sides, clearly refusing. Even the head teacher of the freshman class lost patience this time and placed the phone on the table, confronting Lin Shiyu.

“Let me talk to him,” Li Zhong said. “I’m his homeroom teacher. I’ll talk to him first, and then I will contact his parents. Let’s clarify the situation first, then apologize and impose any necessary punishments.”

Li Zhong taught biology and although the students called him “Old Li,” he wasn’t actually old. He had only been married for a few years and didn’t have children yet. Because he was young, responsible, and has a good reputation among students, the classes he taught have achieved good results. In the past two years, he has also been promoted to a class supervisor.

Other teacher didn’t say anything; one remained silent with a frown, and the other shook his head in anger. Li Zhong glanced around the classroom and finally fixed his gaze on one person, saying, “Zhong Qi, come here.”

Zhong Qi put down his textbook and walked over. He was tall, almost as tall as Li Zhong, and had a very handsome face, which made a strong impression.

“It’s almost time for class. Go back with Lin Shiyu,” Li Zhong instructed Zhong Qi. “Don’t delay the class.”

The senior teacher scolded, “What are you going to teach like this?”

Li Zhong smiled to calm the situation, saying, “I’ll do what needs to be done.”

Zhong Qi nodded and looked at Lin Shiyu. Lin Shiyu was shorter than him, and his frame hadn’t fully developed yet. From Zhong Qi’s perspective, his gaze had to lower slightly to land properly on Lin Shiyu’s face. The curvature of his eyelashes and nose seemed to be gentle, but his brown amber-like eyes couldn’t hide his aggressive temperament and confrontational stubbornness.

Zhong Qi also didn’t understand why Lin Shiyu was so irritable. It was one thing to beat someone up, but he not only showed no remorse but also had a prickly appearance, as if he wanted to take out some weapons and inflict a few more blows.

Li Zhong patted Lin Shiyu’s shoulder and said, “Go back to the classroom first. I’ll find you later, go.”

Lin Shiyu turned and walked away.

The bell for class rang, and the prolonged ringing reverberated in the empty corridor. Most students had already returned to their respective classrooms and settled down. When Lin Shiyu and Zhong Qi passed by the windows, occasional glances fell on them.

Someone ran past with breakfast in hand, and the wind blew over Lin Shiyu, causing the rabbit ears on his backpack to sway. Zhong Qi walked behind Lin Shiyu, looking at those rabbit ears.

Pink rabbit ears, with a pink chubby cat head.

Everyone was curious about Lin Shiyu since the first day of school, when he walked into the classroom with a very eye-catching appearance. He attracted the attention of everyone, including Old Li. He had worn loose women’s short sleeves with a lace trim tightened around the hem. There were small hollow buttons on both sides of the sleeves’ bottom ends. His jeans had two bright and rustic flowers sewn on, without a discernible species. Fortunately, his socks were a normal style, but his shoes were pink, with colorful sequins on top of them.

A rabbit head backpack, pink, with two long rabbit ears hanging down. Very cute.

Really cute. This cuteness was based on Lin Shiyu’s face, a beautiful and clean face suitable for cuteness. From a certain perspective, this visual and psychological impact doubled the level of shock for the freshmen of Class 7 in their first year at Wenhe High School.

Just before the rumors about Lin Shiyu being effeminate started circulating, Lin Shiyu single-handedly beat up two tall and robust senior students, sending them to the hospital without much sweat. This timely act shocked everyone once again and put a stop to the spread of the rumors.

As Lin Shiyu’s closest desk mate, Zhong Qi didn’t ask anything, although there were times when he really wanted to tug at those swaying bunny ears.

However, Zhong Qi wouldn’t do that, nor would he pry into anything.

The corridor quickly fell silent. After the end of the preparation bell, everyone returned to their classrooms, except for the two of them who strolled leisurely along the corridor.

Zhong Qi noticed that Lin Shiyu’s footsteps were somewhat sluggish.

They sneaked into the classroom through the back door. Their English teacher was already sitting at the podium, preparing for the class. Lin Shiyu returned to his seat and bent down to sit. There was a subtle pause, followed by him reaching out to hold onto the desk before slowly sitting down.

Zhong Qi noticed his movement, but Lin Shiyu didn’t say anything, showing a clear signal of “don’t bother me” throughout his actions and emitting an aura of resistance.

For someone who was as enthusiastic and proactive as Zhong Qi, his interest wasn’t piqued, nor did he want to deal with a hedgehog that might prick him with a single word.

Lin Shiyu’s desk was devoid of any meaningful items; it was empty enough to play marbles on. There was a black ballpoint pen, a textbook, but no eraser or notebook. Although he occasionally took notes in class and didn’t engage in behaviors like whispering or daydreaming, there was also no further indication of his serious attitude towards studying.

Today, Lin Shiyu didn’t even take notes. He sat quietly, with his hand resting on the desk, while his pen and English textbook remained untouched from the beginning of the class.

As Zhong Qi listened to the lesson and took notes, when he turned to the next page, his gaze accidentally fell on the neighboring desk. The arm placed on the desk was thin, and the fingers curled unnaturally. The sunlight, wrapped in dust, scattered into the classroom, landing on the empty desk and the motionless arm.

Zhong Qi sat up straight, leaned against the chair back, and glanced at Lin Shiyu.

It seemed like he was daydreaming, and his slightly furrowed brow showed displeasure. His light brown eyes were lowered, seemingly lost in thought. His lips were pressed together, pale almost to the point of turning white.

Zhong Qi noticed his complexion and finally asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”

Like amber, Lin Shiyu’s eyes shifted in the sunlight before landing on Zhong Qi’s face.

 

Edited by: Jaisland

Proofreader: 

 

Support translation: