EPISODE 16

"Zhang Yuanzhou, why is it always you?" the dean of students said with a grim expression. "How many times have I caught you this year? And you're still a student in the honor class! All you ever do is slack off!"

Zhang Yuanzhou opened his mouth to make an excuse, but before he could get a word out, the dean, furious again, raised his hand.

He pointed at the unfamiliar chubby boy next to him.

"And you! Which class are you in?! What are you doing hanging around after school?!"

Zhang Yuanzhou was dumbfounded, feeling humiliated. He quickly said, "Teacher, you can say I play games, that I'm bad, that I'm not a good person, but you can't slander my innocence."

What, he can't just say something, right?!

The chubby boy scratched his head and said awkwardly, "I'm from No. 13 Middle School next door."

Huai Jing No. 1 Middle School and No. 13 Middle School were very close, separated by just one street. Usually, students from No. 13 Middle School would come to hang out near No. 1 Middle School because there were many boba shops around.

Zhang Yuanzhou almost jumped up in anger. "What are you doing here, from No. 13 Middle School? It's not your teacher catching people!"

"I was just scared, okay?" the chubby boy replied, equally aggrieved. "The internet cafe is so dark; how would I know if our teacher was there?"

The dean's forehead veins throbbed, his heart feeling uncomfortable from anger, and he shouted, "All of you, shut up!"

Zhang Yuanzhou and the boy immediately lowered their heads, too scared to speak again.

The dean spun around again, pointing at Cen Wu and Xie Guilan. "And you two? Care to explain?"

He was puzzled about how Cen Wu and Xie Guilan ended up together. Xie Guilan, of course, was the top student in the grade. The school had approached him for many promotional activities, and the dean had always paid special attention to him.

Cen Wu came from a prominent family and was quite ostentatious at school, with a group of followers attending to his needs. The dean couldn't afford to offend such a student but had to be wary of him causing trouble, afraid that he might stir up something big.

So he recognized Cen Wu.

Didn't Cen Wu hate Xie Guilan?

Lu Wang, looking dazed, poked Cen Wu and whispered, "Are you two dating?"

Cen Wu didn't even treat him like a friend. He hadn't told him about dating, and Cen Wu had never bought him breakfast, but he had been buying it for Xie Guilan.

What the heck is going on?

Cen Wu's entire face turned scarlet, his ears red as if they were dripping blood. His mind buzzed, and he was close to fainting, his lips trembling but unable to say anything.

"……Pfft."

A few boys nearby couldn't hold back their laughter. The dean had caught more than a dozen people tonight, and Cen Wu's group, the last to be caught, had successfully attracted the attention of everyone present.

Cen Wu: "……"

He wished he could disappear.

Was it still possible for him to buy a ticket to leave Earth now?

"It's a misunderstanding, Director, this must be a misunderstanding," Meng Liangping, afraid that Xie Guilan would be implicated, quickly stepped forward and turned to ask Xie Guilan, "Xiao Xie, why were you at the internet cafe?"

Xie Guilan's voice was indifferent. "Doing problems."

Coming from someone else, it would sound absurd, but when Xie Guilan said it, the dean was half convinced.

He walked over to Xie Guiluan’s computer and glanced at the screen. Xie Guiluan had a game running on autopilot, but the screen also clearly displayed the competition problems he was organizing. It didn’t look like he was lying.

"All of you," the disciplinary director said, pointing at everyone except Xie Guiluan, "each of you will write a 3,000-word reflection and submit it to my office by tomorrow morning. Got it?!

"Y-yes..."

The disciplinary director needed to rush to the next internet café and didn’t have time to lecture them further. But no one dared to stick around, and they all grabbed their bags and left.

Xie Guiluan grabbed his bag and left. As he approached the back gate of Yijing High, he received a message from Ji Changyu.

"Ji Changyu: Hey Xie, where are you? I heard your disciplinary director showed up at the café? You okay?

"Ji Changyu: I told you to finish running the errand for me and then log into the dungeon, why didn’t you do any of it? Is this dinner you bought? If you’re not eating it, I will."

"Ji Changyu: Hey, Heizi, say something!"

"Xie Guiluan: ."

Ji Changyu was also from No. 13 High School. After his parents divorced, he lived with his father, but his father hardly paid attention to him. When he wasn’t at Blue Night, he was at the internet café. Sometimes Xie Guiluan borrowed his computer.

Xie Guiluan lowered his eyes and replied to the message before putting his phone away.

Cen Wu followed Xie Guiluan dejectedly. He thought Xie Guiluan was here to game and brought him along to avoid getting caught by the principal. Who could have expected such a socially mortifying moment?

"I’m hungry," Zhang Yuanzhou rubbed his stomach. "Let’s grab a meal before heading home. How about the barbecue stall?"

There was a popular barbecue stall near Yijing High. Students often went there. Since it was after 8 PM, Cen Wu figured he might as well join them for dinner.

Unexpectedly, Xie Guiluan also headed towards the barbecue stall.

Cen Wu then remembered that Blue Night operated on a shift system. Xie Guiluan didn’t go there every night. When he didn’t, he worked part-time at a shop near the school.

Under the sparse moonlight, they found a corner to sit. Cen Wu slowly put down his bag, squeezing into the farthest corner, next to Lu Wang, which made him feel much more comfortable.

Lu Wang had a certain animal-like innocence, and Cen Wu didn’t feel much social anxiety facing him.

Zhang Yuanzhou raised his hand. "Xie Ge! Let’s start with a few bottles of soda!"

The bright lights of the barbecue stand didn’t soften Xie Guiluan’s cold expression. He grabbed a few bottles of soda, placed them on the table, and then stared at Cen Wu, handing him the menu.

Cen Wu looked at the menu longingly, his eyes wide. He picked a bottle of lychee soda, the cold neck of the bottle making his fingers curl slightly.

Cen Wu leaned over and, together with Lu Wang, looked at the menu, wanting to eat everything.

Zhang Yuanzhou was also tall, over 1.8 meters, and could eat a lot. The boys ordered a large platter of various skewers.

"Xie Ge, working tonight?" After Xie Guiluan left, Zhang Yuanzhou covered his mouth and whispered.

Cen Wu didn’t respond. Apart from the class teacher, few people in the class knew about Xie Guiluan’s difficult family situation and that he had a sick mother to care for. Cen Wu didn’t want anyone to hurt his pride.

Lu Wang rested his chin on his hand and said, "That’s cool. I wish I could get a part-time job too."

He knew he was a bit slow, and his family never expected much from him. The teachers didn’t expect much either, as long as he didn’t cause trouble at school.

Tonight, the disciplinary director had scolded everyone but hadn’t said a word to him.

He wasn’t close to Xie Guiluan, but he always thought Xie Guiluan was very free. Though he didn’t know the price behind that freedom.

"Forget it, doesn't matter," Zhang Yuanzhou clinked bottles with them, "Who hasn't been punished to write a few self-criticisms?"

Cen Wu had shaken off the embarrassment and was feeling calmer now. He sipped his soda.

Xie Guilan was responsible for serving and clearing tables at the barbecue stand. He wore black sweatpants, and on that sweltering summer night, cold sweat trickled from his pale neck, sliding down his collarbone and disappearing into his shirt collar. His back was lean and straight, sharp and unyielding, like an icicle that refused to melt.

Cen Wu's eyes followed Xie Guilan, staring at his slightly damp black hair. But as soon as Xie Guilan turned his head, Cen Wu quickly looked away, pretending to listen to Zhang Yuanzhou and Lu Wang.

After finishing the barbecue, they all went home. A driver was sent to pick up Lu Wang, and a black Cayenne parked next to the barbecue stand. The driver, wearing a full suit even late at night, came down to open the car door for Lu Wang.

Even though Zhang Yuanzhou knew the Lu family was very wealthy—the largest shopping center in Huai Jing belonged to them—he still stared at the car with his mouth wide open. What a young master!

Given Lu Wang's situation, Zhang Yuanzhou didn't even dare to imagine how rich the Cen family was. The Cen family's Gemini Tower had stood in the most prosperous area of Huai Jing for decades, towering and unapproachable.

"Wu Wu, Zhang Yuanzhou," Lu Wang waved at them, "I'm leaving first."

Cen Wu waved back.

Zhang Yuanzhou lived far from the school, but his parents rented a place nearby so he could attend. They worked late, only getting home around 10 PM, so Zhang Yuanzhou could only sneak out for a bit of fun after that.

Only Cen Wu stayed behind, buying another bottle of soda. The barbecue stand was getting quieter, with fewer people around and many empty seats. Taking advantage of the space, Cen Wu pulled out his exercise book and started doing homework under the dim lights.

After working on a few problems, his phone buzzed. He found that Zhang Yuanzhou had created a group chat for them.

He even added Xie Guilan to it.

Zhang Yuanzhou hadn't planned to include Xie Guilan since Xie Guilan didn't need to write a self-criticism. But leaving Xie Guilan out felt like they were isolating him, so he added him to the group.

"Zhang Yuanzhou: Damn, guys, I just remembered—we’ll probably have to read our self-criticisms tomorrow."

Cen Wu's hand trembled, and he hurriedly asked.

"Cen Wu: Why? Didn't the head teacher say we just need to submit them to his office?"

"Lu Wang: That's just how the head teacher is. After submitting the self-criticism, he'll scold us again, and then we have to read it either during Monday's flag-raising or before morning exercises."

"Cen Wu: [Nervous cat meme]"

"Zhang Yuanzhou: We're doomed. This time, Qiang Zi must be super pissed; none of us will escape."

"Cen Wu: [Shaking in my boots.jpg]"

"Zhang Yuanzhou: I can't chat anymore. I haven't done my homework yet, and I don't have time to write the self-criticism. I’ll go find someone to write it for me on the school forum. I wonder if Brother Xie still does that kind of work. @Xie Guilan"

Xie Guilan, still clearing the tables, ignored him.

In his first year of high school, Zhang Yuanzhou had once hired a writer from the forum. Only when Xie Guilan, with a cold face, passed by his desk and placed the written self-criticism on it did he realize that Xie Guilan offered this service.

By the time Cen Wu finished his homework, it was midnight, and Xie Guilan had just clocked out. With an indifferent look, he removed his gloves, washed his hands, and prepared to eat.

Cen Wu hesitated, then called out, "Xie... Xie Guilan, can you help me write a self-criticism? I’ll pay you."

Xie Guilan, now finally able to eat his dinner, had been helping out at this shop since junior high. The owner was familiar with him and would cook him some noodles at night.

Cen Wu spoke to Xie Guilan, and the boss, thinking they knew each other, brought the bowl of noodles over to Cen Wu's table.

Xie Guilan paused, then went over and sat down. His face was emotionless as he picked up his chopsticks and asked, "How much?"

Cen Wu opened a bottle of soy milk for him and placed it next to him, tentatively saying, "T... three thousand?"

Xie Guilan’s expression turned cold, clearly annoyed by the absurd offer. "Give me the going rate," he said.

Cen Wu was completely lost. He had never been penalized with a written self-criticism before, so how would he know the standard fee for writing one?

"Just thirty," Xie Guilan said, lowering his eyelashes.

Cen Wu thought he seemed too harsh tonight, and he wasn’t even calling him "Young Master" anymore. Was he trying to defy him?

Plus, thirty yuan seemed too little. He wanted Xie Guilan to make some money, not just go through the motions.

"No way! If it's this cheap, you might not take it seriously. You... are you trying to get me in trouble? I’ll give you three hundred!" Cen Wu tried to sound tough, but he was clearly nervous. He cautiously looked up to gauge Xie Guilan's expression.

His pale face was smudged with soot, and he couldn’t stop stuttering, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. It wasn’t very intimidating.

The dim light from the barbecue stall cast a warm glow in his eyes.

Xie Guilan lifted his gaze, and the flickering light from Cen Wu’s eyes seemed to reflect in his own dark irises.

"..."

Xie Guilan stiffened, then looked away and said, "Fine, whatever."

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