Missing me

The sunlight was a bit glaring on the sports field of Jiangcheng First High School.

It was the PE class for Class 10, Grade 1.

Barely anyone on the field wanted to move. Only a few boys with too much energy were braving the scorching sun to fight over a basketball hoop. The rest were either hiding in the shade chatting or using stomachaches as an excuse to go back to the classroom and enjoy the electric fans.

However, a few people were squatting by the parallel bars in the corner of the field.

Zhao Lei had an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth. He had stolen it from home and usually couldn't bear to actually smoke it, so he just kept it in his mouth to satisfy his craving. His heel tapped against the concrete steps rhythmically, rubbing all the dirt from the soles of his shoes onto the bars.

"I just don't get it. That guy surnamed Chen was only caught yesterday morning. Lao Xie had a face longer than a donkey's at the time, so how come by the afternoon, this kid is perfectly fine and even got promoted to Class 1?"

This matter had already spread throughout Class 10.

They were originally waiting to watch a joke, to see Chen Zhi get a public reprimand, have his parents called in, or ideally, get expelled outright. After all, Jiangcheng First High School was notoriously strict about catching early romances. But instead, the guy went straight into the school's only top-tier class.

"Who told him to have such good grades?"

A boy next to him said sourly, "He's the top scorer of the high school entrance exam, so the school definitely treats him like a treasure. Let alone an early romance, even if he took a crap in Baldy Xie's office, Baldy Xie would probably praise his good digestion."

"Damn it, what a bullshit world!"

Zhao Lei gritted his teeth in anger. "Last time I just took one puff of an e-cigarette in the bathroom, and Baldy Xie chased me up three flights of stairs and made me write a three-thousand-word self-reflection! Why does he get off scot-free?"

This intense sense of disparity made this group of boys, who already disliked Chen Zhi, burn with jealousy.

Especially when they thought about Chen Zhi sitting in the spacious classroom of Class 1 right now, enjoying the air conditioning, possibly with a top-student beauty like Li Zhiyi sitting next to him, their sense of unfairness reached its peak.

"Brother Lei, this can't just end here."

Skinny Monkey, who had been squatting to the side without speaking, suddenly opened his mouth.

This kid was the bespectacled guy who secretly took photos of Chen Zhi and Lin Wanwan after school that day. Because he was too thin, his nickname was Skinny Monkey.

"Baldy Xie doesn't care because he wants to protect the college admission rate. But what about the principal? The principal can't possibly ignore it too, right?"

Skinny Monkey took out his phone and pulled up that photo.

In the photo, under the setting sun, Lin Wanwan was intimately holding Chen Zhi's arm, her whole body almost pressed against him. Chen Zhi had his head down, and although his expression couldn't be seen clearly, the posture looked incredibly intimate no matter how you looked at it.

"If this photo is sent to the principal's inbox, or directly posted on the confession wall for everyone to see his true colors..." Skinny Monkey laughed sinisterly twice. "I don't believe Chen Zhi can cover the sky with one hand."

Zhao Lei's eyes lit up, as if he could already see the miserable sight of Chen Zhi being publicly criticized by the whole school, or even expelled.

"Alright, Skinny Monkey! You usually seem so quiet, but at the critical moment, you're the most sinister—ah, no, you're the one with the ideas!"

Zhao Lei patted Skinny Monkey's shoulder and said viciously, "Send it! Send it right now! We also need to print this photo out and stick it on the school bulletin board! I don't believe we can't ruin him!"

The few of them looked at each other, revealing the kind of sleazy smiles that came right before getting a great revenge.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the sports field.

Pei Ningxue didn't go for a walk or play badminton like the other girls.

She had asked for a leave of absence claiming she was "feeling unwell." At this moment, she was sitting alone at the highest point of the bleachers, leaning against the fence, her two long legs stretched out casually.

She held her phone in her hand, the light from the screen reflecting on her delicate but expressionless face.

The interface was a QQ chat window.

She was looking at Chen Zhi's online status.

Ever since the first period in the morning, that green "Mobile Online - 4G" icon hadn't changed.

What was even more outrageous was that if she tapped into the Honor of Kings assistant app.

[In Game - Ranked Match - 16 minutes]

From the first Chinese class in the morning, this status had never stopped.

First period, Chinese class: online.

Second period, Math class: online.

Third period, English class: online.

...

Now it was already the second period of the afternoon, and this guy was actually still playing!

Were all the teachers in Class 1 blind?

Pei Ningxue pursed her lips, an inexplicable wave of irritation welling up in her heart.

Previously in Class 10, although Chen Zhi also frequently slept or spaced out, at least he was sitting next to her. They could occasionally bicker, or she could secretly watch him for a while when he drooled in his sleep.

Now that was great, this guy went to Class 1 and was simply like a runaway wild dog, completely letting himself go.

Pei Ningxue typed in the input box, deleted it, and typed again, finally sending over a stiff sentence.

Pei: [Did you go to Class 1 just to change places to play games? You're even crazier than when you were in Class 10?]

Less than two seconds after the message was sent, the other side replied.

This instant reply speed was enough to prove how bored he was in class.

Chen Zhi: [?]

Looking at this perfunctory punctuation mark, Pei Ningxue felt her mood today get even worse.

Pei: [Out of eight classes a day, you've played for almost seven. Does your homeroom teacher not care?]

Fifth floor, back row of the Class 1, Grade 1 classroom.

Chen Zhi had just destroyed the enemy's crystal. Looking at the word "Victory" on the screen, he casually unscrewed the iced black tea on his desk and took a gulp.

Ice-cold, top tier!

Seeing the message sent by Pei Ningxue, he raised his eyebrows, a wicked smile curving the corners of his mouth.

This little desk-mate, she told him to get lost with her mouth, but her body was still very honest, constantly paying attention to his movements.

His fingers tapped rapidly on the screen.

Chen Zhi: [Yo, paying so much attention to me? You even know how many classes I've spent playing games?]

Chen Zhi: [Student Pei, stop stalking me. You're scaring me a little, I feel like I'm being targeted by a pervert.]

On the sports field bleachers.

Pei Ningxue looked at the words on the screen, her originally fair cheeks dyed with a layer of blush.

Who was stalking him!

Who was a pervert!

How could this person be so shameless!

She took a deep breath, poked the screen forcefully with her finger, and sent an angry emoji over, followed immediately by a meat cleaver emoji.

Pei: [Stop flattering yourself. I just happened to see my friends list, that's all.]

Chen Zhi: [To explain is to cover up, and to cover up means it's true. Admit it, did you miss me?]

After this guy went to Class 1, the thickness of his skin seemed to have upgraded along with his game rank.

Just as she was preparing to type a retort, Chen Zhi's message popped up again.

Chen Zhi: [Hurry up and come to Class 1, I'll carry you to rank up. Our current squad is missing a mid-lane utility player. I carry them every day, and they still get unhappy when I take a few waves of mid-lane minions.]

Pei Ningxue froze for a moment.

Go to Class 1?

She looked at the noisy sports field in the distance, and then looked at her empty side.

The image of Chen Zhi's punchable smiling face floated into her mind, along with his carefree back when he moved away yesterday.

"Who cares to go."

Pei Ningxue muttered softly, but her fingers were very honest and didn't type out a refusal. Instead, she sent a "deserter" sticker.

Pei: [Not going.]

Chen Zhi: [Tsk, this place is heaven. The back row is a VIP booth at an internet cafe.]

Chen Zhi: [Alright, let's stop chatting for now, class is about to end.]

Pei Ningxue looked at this last message and frowned slightly.

Pei: [?]

So what if class is over? Isn't after class the perfect time to chat? Why stop chatting just because class ended?

Could he be going to the restroom?

Just as this thought popped up, the dismissal bell rang across the entire campus.

Pei Ningxue sat up straight, her gaze drifting uncontrollably toward the academic building.

On the fifth-floor corridor, a figure was strolling out leisurely.

Even from this distance, Pei Ningxue could recognize that silhouette at a glance.

He wasn't wearing his school uniform jacket, just a white T-shirt underneath. His walking posture was lazy, and he held a bottle of iced black tea in his hand.

It was Chen Zhi. Having been his deskmate for so many years, Pei Ningxue could spot him instantly.

He didn't head toward the restroom; instead, he walked straight to the stairwell.

Pei Ningxue locked her phone, stuffed it back into her pocket, took it out again, and finally just placed it face down on her knee.

Liar.

She snorted softly, but didn't move her body, merely tucking her wind-blown bangs behind her ear.

...

Meanwhile, in a corner of the sports field.

Zhao Lei, Skinny Monkey, and a few others were engaged in a heated conspiracy.

I've already thought of the caption.

Skinny Monkey pushed up his glasses with a sinister look. We'll write, 'Shocking! Top high school entrance exam scorer blatantly engages in puppy love, corrupting school morals, and is suspected of being involved with people outside of school.' We'll muddy the waters so much he'll never be able to clear his name!

Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Zhao Lei gave a thumbs-up.

Just then, a boy suddenly tugged at Zhao Lei's sleeve, his voice trembling a bit. Brother... Brother Lei, look who that is?

Who is it? Stop making a fuss.

Zhao Lei looked impatiently in the direction the boy was pointing.

At the exit of the academic building, a familiar figure was walking toward the field.

With one hand in his pocket and the other holding a bottle of iced black tea, he wore the kind of smile that made people want to rush up and punch him in the face.

Chen Zhi.

Why did he come down?

The expressions of Zhao Lei and his gang instantly stiffened.

Why is he here? Did someone tip him off?

Chen Zhi didn't seem to notice these few simps in the corner.

He walked straight across the field, his gaze locked on the solitary figure at the highest point of the bleachers.

As he passed by Zhao Lei and the others, Chen Zhi didn't even turn his head. He simply tossed his empty iced tea bottle backward.

Clang.

The bottle landed accurately in the trash can right by Zhao Lei's feet.

Three-pointer.

Chen Zhi snapped his fingers, whistled, and walked briskly toward the bleachers.

Zhao Lei stared at the bottle still rattling in the trash can.

Damn it... was he doing that on purpose?

Skinny Monkey swallowed hard and hid his phone behind his back. Brother Lei, are we still going to report him?

Zhao Lei glared daggers at Chen Zhi's back. When he saw that Chen Zhi was heading straight for Pei Ningxue, the jealousy in his eyes practically burst into flames.

That was Pei Ningxue!

The acknowledged goddess of Class Ten. Liu Xiaoyan couldn't even compare to her pinky toe. She usually wouldn't even say a single word to him, so why was she on such good terms with Chen Zhi?

Why did this punk get all the good things?

Post it right now! I want to ruin his reputation! Let's see how much longer he can act so arrogant!!

Zhao Lei gritted his teeth, his voice squeezing through them. Don't just send it to the principal, post it on the school forum too! Let's see how much longer he can act so arrogant!

On the bleachers.

Pei Ningxue watched the figure get closer and closer, until Chen Zhi reached the bottom of the steps and looked up at her.

Against the light, the boy's silhouette was slightly blurred.

Yo.

Chen Zhi bounded up the steps in two strides and sat right next to her, bringing with him a gust of warm air. Why are you here all alone?

Pei Ningxue shifted to the side, putting a little distance between them.

Are you skipping class?

What do you mean skipping class? I'm just taking a long time in the restroom, that's all. Chen Zhi said shamelessly, reaching for the phone in her hand. Come on, let me see, were you just looking at my match history?

Don't touch me.

Pei Ningxue swatted his hand away, her face stern. You smell like sweat.

Disgusted by me? Chen Zhi didn't get mad. Instead, he leaned in closer and spoke in an incredibly cheesy, deep vocal fry, Who was just secretly looking at me? Student Pei, you have to be honest.

Not far away, Zhao Lei raised his phone, aiming the camera at the two people on the bleachers.

In the lens, Chen Zhi was leaning sideways to talk to Pei Ningxue. No matter how you looked at it, their posture seemed like they were flirting.

Great, caught another one.

Zhao Lei's finger hovered over the send button, a twisted smile appearing on his face. Chen Zhi, you're dead meat this time.