Sun Haoxiang set down the sweet potato, grimacing. He couldn’t understand where Bo Jin got such confidence.
“Seriously, what makes you think Little Xie would ever like you?”
Sure, he was a top student, looked good, and was many students’ idol. But he wasn’t money; not everyone liked him.
From the time they started high school, Bo Jin had gone on stage to accept awards nearly ten times. If Little Xie really liked his type, wouldn’t he have confessed by now?
Just seeing how hard Xie had chased after Shen Xingyun should have been proof enough.
Bo Jin thought to himself that, by the time Sun Haoxiang noticed, Little Xie was already secretly part of his fan club, reading up on him.
But he kept this to himself—there was no need to share his and Xie Ruan’s story with a third person, not even a good friend.
Bo Jin popped a nut into his mouth, smiling. “You wouldn’t understand.”
Unwilling to give up, Sun Haoxiang frowned. “How do you know I won’t get it if you don’t explain?”
Bo Jin shot him a look and, in a deadpan tone, replied, “If you did get it, you wouldn’t have been single for this long.”
Sun Haoxiang: “…”
His face turned red with frustration, but he couldn’t refute it. Deciding not to torture himself further, he went back into the store to join He Mingjie and Pan Yu.
Unaware of their exchange, Xie Ruan walked straight back to the classroom, finally relaxing once he got inside.
With exams around the corner, students gathered in groups to discuss questions, and the class atmosphere was full of study motivation, even during breaks.
Xie Ruan glanced at the timetable on the blackboard and reached for the book he’d need for the next class. As he did, his eyes caught on the small banner on the shelf, and he quickly looked away.
Remembering the larger banner in the dorm only made him more frustrated.
For the first time in his life, Xie Ruan was frustrated that the school dorm didn’t enforce stricter rules.
Bo Jin had positioned his banner just right, on the same wall as the dorm door—perfectly hidden from the dorm supervisor’s view unless they opened the door to check. Days had passed, and despite Xie Ruan scrubbing the little glass window on the door spotless, the banner remained securely on the wall.
The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became, though he couldn’t vent at Bo Jin. Instead, he kicked Bo Jin’s chair twice in frustration.
The next day was the monthly exam.
Since parting ways with Shen Xingyun and distancing himself from the center of attention, Xie Ruan had fallen out of the forum spotlight. However, his last exam’s impressive progress, combined with Sun Fuan’s ‘humblebrag,’ transformed him from a “troubled, love-struck student” to the classic “prodigal son turned model student,” making him the subject of admiration in several classes.
Who’s the most annoying person in the world? Not an enemy, not a rival, but that ideal “someone else’s child.”
With a mix of jealousy and curiosity, the forum speculated about Xie Ruan’s potential scores this time, with students looking for anything to distract themselves from pre-exam nerves.
“I doubt he’ll improve that quickly this time; the higher the rank, the harder it is to catch up.”
“Xie Ruan jumped 200 points in just one month—I’m guessing he’ll score over 500 this time.”
“No way. The jump from 400 to 500 is a big one; if it were that easy, our school’s acceptance rate would be much higher.”
“But Xie Ruan has Bo Jin tutoring him.”
“Bo Jin’s impressive, sure, but let’s not make him a legend, okay? We have senior teachers here too, you know?”
“Even so, I think our class monitor explains things more clearly than our homeroom teacher.”
“While everyone thinks Xie Ruan will improve, I’ll bet his rank will drop. My friend saw him and Bo Jin at an internet cafe just the other night!”
“Wait, he was with Bo Jin? Tell us more!”
“So he’s back to his old ways, and Bo Jin’s in on it? I don’t even know what to say…”
“Haha, let’s see what our teacher has to say this time. Crisis averted!”
…
Before it was time to enter the exam hall, He Mingjie, with time to kill, scrolled through the forum and stumbled on this thread. He elbowed Sun Haoxiang, saying, “Ah Xun, check this out.”
“How many times do I have to tell you? Don’t call me Ah Xun.” Sun Haoxiang had just shoved a steamed bun into his mouth and reached out a greasy hand to grab the phone.
He Mingjie pulled back quickly. “I’ll hold it, and you look. My dad finally let me bring a phone to school. If you mess it up, where am I going to cry?”
Sun Haoxiang rolled his eyes, annoyed by He Mingjie’s stinginess. “I’ll buy you a new one.”
He leaned in. “So, what are you showing me? A picture of my goddess? Just send it to me.”
“Nope,” He Mingjie shoved the screen close to his face, glancing ahead to confirm that Xie Ruan’s seat was empty—he was on duty, so He Mingjie felt safe to proceed. “It’s about Little Xie.”
Sun Haoxiang skimmed through it and asked, “Didn’t Old Sun praise Little Xie a couple of days ago?”
“Yeah,” He Mingjie nodded, still a little jealous. “He really has made rapid progress. The question Old Sun asked him wasn’t easy, and he actually got it right.”
Sun Haoxiang, who had no clue about academics, nodded in agreement. “Exactly. So what’s there to worry about?”
He Mingjie shrugged, “Not my concern anyway, especially with Brother Bo around. I just think the folks at our school are pretty boring.”
Speak of the devil.
Bo Jin walked in from the doorway, casually asking, “What’s that about me?”
He was tall and had a straight posture, somehow making the baggy school uniform look dashing and carefree. He Mingjie looked at him, then at himself, and felt a little defeated.
Silently, he handed over his phone.
Bo Jin glanced at the post content and snorted.
These people really had nothing better to do, fretting over whether Xie Ruan’s scores had improved or not. They’d be better off reading a few more pages, or they might soon find themselves falling behind Xie Ruan.
It wasn’t favoritism; Xie Ruan was genuinely smart.
Good memory, quick understanding. Bo Jin had no idea how someone with a brain like his could still have his current grades.
He was about to return the phone to He Mingjie, but his eyes caught a few replies below—
[“Don’t you guys think Xie Ruan looks even better now? I bumped into him in the cafeteria the other day, and I was stunned! This isn’t just any guy—this is my future significant half!”]
[“Yes! Class 1 must have some sort of beauty aura, haha. Let me just call him ‘Husband’ first as a sign of respect.”]
[“Girls, come over! I’ve got his picture—let’s enjoy the eye candy together. [Photo]”]
…
Future significant half? Husband?
Bo Jin smiled. These people would practically strip down and dance in front of CCTV without a care. But if they dared to drool over Xie Ruan, they’d better be prepared for his “official crackdown” on their fanfics.
Xie Ruan returned from his laps around the track, took a seat, and rested briefly. The freshman examinees started gathering around shortly after.
His things were already packed, ready to go in a moment. However…
Xie Ruan glanced at Bo Jin out of the corner of his eye—he still hadn’t had his fill of “study god” energy.
As if reading his mind, Bo Jin suddenly reached out and took his hand. “Let’s go. I’ll walk you to the exam room.”
Xie Ruan was startled, his expression a bit odd.
It seemed like Bo Jin was more invested in this than he was.
Seeing him hesitate, Bo Jin raised an eyebrow. “What, don’t want to do well?”
“A quick handshake is enough,” Xie Ruan said casually, slinging his backpack over his shoulder and gripping Bo Jin’s hand firmly. “All set.”
He went to pull away, but Bo Jin didn’t let go.
Xie Ruan frowned. “What’s up?”
“Are you sure one shake is enough?” Bo Jin pushed his chair back, still holding onto him. “Last time, you hugged me several times,” he added with a half-smile, “or are you hoping for another hug now?”
Glancing around the crowded room, Xie Ruan felt his ears warm up. “Get lost! Who asked you to hug me?”
“There you go,” Bo Jin said, composed as ever. “We’re both guys; what’s wrong with holding hands? You scared?”
Xie Ruan couldn’t resist a challenge, especially from Bo Jin. Before he even thought it through, he replied, “Scared? Me? Not a chance!”
The smile in Bo Jin’s eyes deepened. He opened the back door, gesturing for him to go out first. “Let’s go, then.”
And so, the two walked all the way to Xie Ruan’s exam room, hand in hand, attracting countless stunned and disbelieving stares along the way. Xie Ruan, too self-conscious, didn’t notice, but Bo Jin got the effect he wanted.
Unlike last time, they were closer in proximity to each other’s exam rooms.
“I’m heading in,” Xie Ruan said, shaking their clasped hands to signal him to let go.
This time, Bo Jin released him willingly, but his gaze lingered on Xie Ruan’s face.
Feeling a bit self-conscious under his gaze, Xie Ruan couldn’t help but ask, “What? Is there something on my face?”
“No,” Bo Jin said, looking at Xie Ruan’s tousled, fresh hairstyle, lying smoothly as he delivered a small lie without missing a beat, “You have a stray lock of hair sticking out near your temple.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Image-conscious as ever, Xie Ruan grimaced at the thought of parading around with messy hair. He quickly reached up to smooth it down. “Is it okay now?”
Bo Jin shook his head, suppressing a laugh.
“Cover me for a second,” Xie Ruan moved behind Bo Jin, pulling out his phone. “I’ll open the camera—”
Before he could finish, Bo Jin pressed his hand down.
“Don’t pull out your phone,” Bo Jin said. “The teachers might see. I’ll fix it for you.”
Not trusting his handiwork, Xie Ruan was about to ask if he could handle it when a large hand suddenly cradled the back of his head.
Bo Jin looked down into his eyes and instructed softly, “Lift your head.”
Xie Ruan instinctively obeyed.
In the next moment, Bo Jin stepped closer, lowering his head to brush his fingers along Xie Ruan’s cheek.
His presence seemed to surround Xie Ruan completely, wrapping him up.
Too close—far beyond a comfortable distance.
Xie Ruan reflexively started to pull back.
“Don’t move,” Bo Jin whispered, “do you still want me to fix your hair?”
Xie Ruan immediately stopped, looking away in embarrassment. “Then hurry up.”
Bo Jin replied, “Sure.”
With his knuckles, he traced along Xie Ruan’s face, seeming to casually brush over the soft, plump lobe of his ear before finally settling just above it.
A few stray hairs were smoothed back, and he applied a gentle press.
Xie Ruan licked his suddenly dry lips, his heart rate inexplicably quickening. “Is… is it done?”
“No,” Bo Jin answered.
The hallway was filled with students heading to their exam rooms, and seeing the two of them in this close, intimate scene left many of them dumbstruck.
Bold! Were they not afraid of being caught flaunting their relationship?
Which year were these two from?
Noting the gazes coming from all around, Bo Jin smiled to himself. Only after ensuring that enough people had witnessed the scene did he pretend to make a few more adjustments to Xie Ruan’s hair before finally releasing his hand.
“All set. Go on in.”
Bo Jin stepped back, gave Xie Ruan a pat on the back, and turned toward his own exam room.
Mission accomplished.
