The next morning, daylight streamed through the windows.
Xie Ruan woke up groggily, feeling stiff all over and slightly stifled. It felt like something heavy was pressing on him, making it difficult to move.
Not only had he failed to shake off the exhaustion from the long journey, but he felt even more tired.
He forced his eyes open, and at the sight before him, any remaining drowsiness vanished instantly.
Before falling asleep, they had been lying at opposite ends of the bed, at least a meter apart. But now, somehow, he had ended up in Bo Jin’s arms, his cheek pressed against Bo Jin’s chest close enough to hear his steady, powerful heartbeat.
Bo Jin’s sleeping posture was as audacious as his personality—carefree and wild. One arm was draped across Xie Ruan’s waist, half-hugging him like he was a life-sized stuffed toy.
Early morning really wasn’t the time for such excitement.
A chill ran through Xie Ruan as he tried to push Bo Jin’s arm away and sit up.
But the moment he moved, Bo Jin pinned him down.
With one long leg thrown over Xie Ruan, holding him tightly in his embrace, Bo Jin mumbled in a deep, sleep-rough voice, “Stop fussing, let me sleep a little longer.”
The voice was low and a bit nasal from sleep, enough to make anyone’s scalp tingle.
A rush of heat surged through Xie Ruan, and he pushed even harder. “Let go of me first. You can sleep as long as you want afterward.”
Bo Jin didn’t respond.
Xie Ruan tugged at his arm and called again, “Bo Jin.”
The person on top sighed, found Xie Ruan’s hand, intertwined their fingers, and half-opened his eyes to ask, “What time is it?”
“No idea.” Xie Ruan glanced toward the gap in the curtains, guessing from the light that it was probably around seven or eight.
He nudged Bo Jin’s leg lightly, not having much force in this position. “Let go so I can get up and check.”
“No.” Bo Jin rubbed his chin against Xie Ruan’s hair, smiling, “It’s comfy holding you.”
This jerk was at it again!
Xie Ruan threw his hand off, grabbed the pillow beside him, and shoved it in Bo Jin’s face. “Fine, have this! Hug it all you want today!”
Bo Jin chuckled, realizing that Xie Ruan was getting riled up, and loosened his hold. “Alright, alright baby. Want to suffocate me to death, huh?”
Xie Ruan froze mid-motion, his ears heating up. He got up, swung the pillow at him with force, and snapped, “Quit calling me that! Go flirt with someone else if you’re so desperate!”
Without a backward glance, he stormed into the bathroom, slamming the door shut.
Xie Ruan turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face, gradually clearing his foggy mind.
Honestly, he wasn’t the type to fall for just anyone.
But his orientation leaned toward men, and he had a handsome, high-achieving guy constantly flirting with him. He wasn’t a saint—having some unmentionable thoughts was perfectly normal, right?
Besides, Bo Jin was too good to him.
He’d never forget that gentle phone call that night or the steaming bowl of shrimp congee in the morning.
Several times, Xie Ruan had wondered if Bo Jin might actually have some feelings for him. After all, no one would go to such lengths for someone else without reason. And there were all those suggestive comments and gestures, like just now.
But Bo Jin’s personality was naturally flirtatious, so Xie Ruan couldn’t tell if it was just his nature or if there was something more to it.
Xie Ruan opened the small drawer by the sink, took out a disposable toothbrush, unwrapped it, and started brushing his teeth.
In the mirror above the sink, his reflection showed a face that would stand out anywhere.
Xie Ruan lowered his gaze. Besides this face, he didn’t have much to offer. Why would someone as outstanding as Bo Jin like him? Even his own mom didn’t particularly care for him.
He shook off the thought, rinsed his mouth, and cleaned the toothpaste foam from his lips.
Right now, he had two priorities. One was stopping Bo Jin from committing suicide, and the other was focusing on his studies to get into a good university.
Anything beyond that wasn’t something he needed to worry about.
With his thoughts sorted, that slight flutter in his heart caused by Bo Jin’s flirting subsided. He dried his face and stepped out of the bathroom, about to ask Bo Jin if they were going down for breakfast when he heard a knock at the door.
“Little Xie, are you up?”
It was Sun Haoxiang’s voice.
“I’m up,” Xie Ruan responded, opening the door. He saw He Mingjie and Pan Yu with him and was surprised. “You’re up this early?”
“It’s not that early; it’s already eight-thirty,” Sun Haoxiang said, sneaking a glance at Xie Ruan’s expression before cautiously asking, “So… nothing strange happened in your room last night, right?”
“What could’ve happened?” Xie Ruan let them in, completely forgetting that he was the one who had been terrified last night. He shrugged lazily. “You guys are just too jumpy.”
He paused, showing off the faded red string on his wrist that Bo Jin had noticed before, and said proudly, “Plus, I have this. A master at the temple blessed it.”
His grandparents had gone to a temple to get it for him when he was young. They said it was for health, long life, and peace.
After his grandparents passed away, no one else took care of such things for him. The bracelet was still wearable only because he’d had it resized.
“Oh, so that’s why you were so calm,” He Mingjie squeezed past, laughing. “You had a lucky…”
He didn’t get to finish, because the moment he spotted Bo Jin sitting in pajamas at the head of the bed, he went silent.
He looked at Xie Ruan, then at Bo Jin, stammering, “You two… did you…”
Sun Haoxiang and Pan Yu were equally stunned, with their minds running wild.
Could it be that overnight, Bo Jin’s wishes had come true? Was that hot spring really just water? Or was it a love potion?
They’d assumed he was asleep in his room and didn’t dare disturb him, only to find out he’d already made himself at home here!
“Bo Jin was helping me with some questions, and we lost track of time, so he stayed over,” Xie Ruan quickly explained, worried that Bo Jin might say something provocative.
Sun Haoxiang thought, Sure, go ahead and make excuses.
Alone in a room together in the dead of night—there was no way nothing had happened. But outwardly, he simply nodded in agreement.
They all went downstairs for breakfast together, visited the pet area to see the animals, and then got their things ready to head home.
While checking out, Sun Haoxiang was watching the receptionist’s expression as he opened the payment code on his phone. The stay was free, but there were a few chargeable items in the room… like, condoms.
To his disappointment, the receptionist didn’t mention any extra charges right up until they left.
Sighing, Sun Haoxiang turned off the payment code and opened their group chat.
[After repeatedly turning down the school beauty, Sun Haoxiang]: Bo Jin, couldn’t do it.
[Vice Monitor – Pan Yu]: Bo Jin, couldn’t do it.
[He Mingjie]: ??? What are you guys talking about?
[He Mingjie]: Hello? Can someone answer me?
Just as Sun Haoxiang was about to explain, a new notification popped up in the class group chat.
He took a closer look and then turned to the others. “The monthly exam results are out; Teacher Sun posted them in the group.”
At that, He Mingjie immediately forgot about the earlier messages and checked his scores.
“Wow, 603! I actually scored over 600 this time. Not bad, not bad.” His smile nearly reached his ears.
He glanced down, saw Xie Ruan’s score, and was even more astonished: “Little Xie, you got over 500! 501—amazing!”
Xie Ruan saw his score, enlarged the image, and confirmed he wasn’t seeing things before flashing a modest smile. “Not too bad.”
Then, without meaning to, he glanced over at Bo Jin.
Bo Jin smiled and gave him a thumbs up. “Impressive.”
He meant it sincerely; the comment wasn’t just to be nice.
The questions were fairly straightforward this time, but Xie Ruan had only been studying consistently for a little over half a semester. Scoring over 500 showed how hard he’d been working.
And it wasn’t just him—other teachers in their year shared the same opinion.
Since the midterm exams, Xie Ruan, the once-wandering lamb, had garnered attention from teachers everywhere.
After seeing Bo Jin maintain his top spot, some of the teachers from other classes glanced over at Xie Ruan’s results for good measure.
Upon seeing the results, they were astounded—he actually scored over 500!
He’d improved by a full 60 points since last time; not even a rocket could climb that fast!
Looking at Teacher Sun’s students, and then back at theirs… they felt like giving up altogether.
When the holiday ended, the sophomores in several classes once again felt the “terror” of being dominated by Xie “Strive-for-Success” Ruan. The forum was flooded with frustrated comments.
[I thought…]
[Me too…]
[D*mn!]
[What the h*ll?!]
[??? What’s up with all the cryptic messages? Am I the only one who missed something here?]
[Hey, let me tell you a scary story: Xie Ruan scored 501 this time.]
[501? That’s not that high; it’s just barely enough for a basic college admission. Why the fuss?]
[Please, anyone, tell me what class you’re in, where the teacher didn’t tell you about Xie Ruan’s story! I’d love to transfer, if it’s still possible.]
[Just saying… might this be a permanent thing?]
[Shut up!]
[If I’d known it would turn out like this, I would have fully supported him pursuing Shen Xingyun. This is terrifying; our class teacher can’t go three sentences without bringing up Xie Ruan. Can you believe it?]
Meanwhile, Sun Fuan basked in the office under the envious, jealous glances of his fellow teachers, looking outwardly expressionless but inwardly quite pleased.
His blank expression gave away nothing as he scanned the room, finally setting his sights on Class Eleven’s teacher, Shi Mingrui. “Teacher Shi, our class’s Xie Ruan…”
Shi Mingrui’s heart trembled. Before he could go on, he forced a chuckle and quickly stood up. “Oh, Teacher Sun, did you need something? Well, I need to check in on my class!” And with that, he left as if something was chasing him.
Sun Fuan watched him go, shaking his head with an internal assessment of “easily intimidated.” He glanced at his notes, grabbed his materials, and went to his classroom.
With finals approaching, Sun Fuan planned to revamp the back wall’s bulletin board to boost student motivation.
After reviewing potential candidates, he settled on Bo Jin.
“Keep it simple; nothing flashy is necessary,” Sun Fuan told Bo Jin. “You’ve got great handwriting, so just add some motivational quotes.”
He paused, emphasizing, “And make sure the title text is big, using red and yellow markers for emphasis.”
Bo Jin chuckled; it was a very old-school aesthetic. Still, he agreed without hesitation, “Got it.”
Although Bo Jin, in name, wasn’t the most hands-on class president, he never turned down tasks assigned by Sun Fuan.
Satisfied with his cooperation, Sun Fuan added, “If you’re too busy, assign someone else for the coloring. Pick whoever you think is suitable.”
Bo Jin turned, grinning, and slung an arm around Xie Ruan’s shoulder. “Xie Ruan.”
Since returning from the resort, Bo Jin had noticed a subtle distance in Xie Ruan’s behavior toward him—barely noticeable, but it was there.
Was he embarrassed?
Unable to figure it out, Bo Jin simply brought him closer. Fine, keep your thoughts to yourself, but distance? No way.
If it were just Bo Jin, Xie Ruan would have declined immediately. He was trying to keep his guard up. But with the class teacher present, he couldn’t bring himself to say no.
Luckily, Sun Fuan was quick to help, frowning and saying, “Not Xie Ruan. Pick someone else.”
As a teacher, Sun Fuan admired Bo Jin’s talent, but he equally appreciated Xie Ruan’s effort-driven achievements.
Worried the extra duty might disrupt his study routine, Sun Fuan suggested, “How about Sun Haoxiang? I’ll inform the dorm supervisor so you two can stay a little later if needed.”
Bo Jin shook his head. “No, it’s gotta be Xie Ruan.”
The old-fashioned Sun Fuan couldn’t understand his insistence and glared at him. “Did you even ask Xie Ruan what he thinks before deciding?”
Unfazed by Sun’s glare, Bo Jin casually replied, “With your person, there’s no need to be so formal.”
Sun Fuan raised his brows, frowning. “Your person?”
Xie Ruan’s heart pounded. What was Bo Jin trying to do? Was he nuts?
“Yeah,” Bo Jin replied calmly, enduring Xie Ruan’s burning glare. “Let’s embrace globalization and take a lesson from Korea.”
Sun Fuan: “???”
Weren’t they talking about the bulletin board? How did this escalate so suddenly?
For the first time, the normally stern teacher felt genuinely stumped, humming questioningly and waiting for further explanation.
Bo Jin responded, “In this world, everything is mine, including my deskmate.”
Sun Fuan: “…”
Xie Ruan: “…!”
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