He can't see anything clearly.

There were two consecutive English classes in the afternoon. Yan Yuzhu was effortlessly radiant, her sweet smile a stark contrast to the students' sinking hearts.

Four were called to recite vocabulary from two units, and two were quizzed on spelling—enough to scare anyone to tears. When Ma Mingfan's name was called, his face turned paler than a corpse left out for three days. Post that on Xiaohongshu, and people would probably ask for his cold, porcelain-skincare routine.

"Brothers, I think I'm kinda dead," Ma Mingfan trembled.

"Relax, bro. Teacher Yan is gentle. Just remember to memorize English words in your next life," Shen Nian reassured him.

"Gentle? The kind that makes you copy each word twenty times? Yeah, real gentle," someone scoffed.

"Here, borrow my Xiaomi ultra-write pen."

"Damn it!"

Ma Mingfan was utterly defeated, marching to his doom with honor.

The last period was self-study. Shen Nian only had three more practice papers to complete before leveling up to an intermediate adventurer, but he wasn’t in a hurry. Xia Yanchun, already well-rested, was flipping through Youth Digest for writing material. Shen Nian couldn’t resist teasing her, tracing a finger along her delicate profile.

Xia Yanchun gave him a sidelong glance and ignored him.

Shen Nian crumpled a piece of paper and flicked it at her face.

She retaliated with a note of her own, scribbled inside: "Throwing paper in class—name recorded."

Oh, so that’s how she wanted to play? Fine. Abuse of power—next time, he’d get Su Kexi to impeach her.

After class, instead of rushing to the cafeteria with Chen Dong, Shen Nian made a detour to the restroom. By the time most of the class had left, he leaned over Xia Yanchun’s stack of books and grinned. "Let’s go eat out today. I’ve got a haircut appointment and some errands later."

"Wait, you two are going out to eat together?"

Before Xia Yanchun could respond, Li Shiyan pouted, "But we already promised to eat together! Now I’ll have to go alone..."

"Oh, stop sulking. Eating alone won’t kill you."

"But it’s so boring..."

"Then skip it. Go shower early and head back to class. I’ll bring you takeout," Xia Yanchun said, squeezing Li Shiyan’s soft little hand—typical sweet-girl behavior.

Shen Nian stroked his chin. "Hey, little Lolita, didn’t you owe me a meal?"

"Uh... I think so?"

"Then tomorrow, I’m ordering a 30-yuan lunch."

"W-what?! No fair!" Li Shiyan looked ready to cry.

Xia Yanchun sighed. Without her around, Li Shiyan would probably be bullied by Shen Nian till graduation. Sure, teasing her was fun, but not every day—she’d turn the poor girl into a total airhead!

"Alright, enough. Hurry up!" She nudged Li Shiyan toward the dorms and pushed Shen Nian out the school gate.

The afternoon sun was mild, casting a warm glow. With autumn in full swing, the girls would soon start layering up—no more exposed arms or legs. Tragic.

But at least he could still visit Xia Yanchun’s room for a peek. Silver linings.

"Should I cut my hair too?" Xia Yanchun tugged at her locks, murmuring, "It’s almost down to my shoulder blades."

"If you’re thinking about it, it’s time."

"Good point. You’re paying."

"Seriously? First a free shampoo, now a haircut? When you show me your calves, why not throw in the thighs too?" Shen Nian pointed at her. "Caught you being a hypocrite."

"That’s not the same!"

"How? You escalate but won’t let me?"

"Semantics. I say it’s not, so it’s not."

Xia Yanchun huffed. First calves, then thighs—what next? Even an idiot could guess.

Was ogling legs really something a "best friend" would do?

Shen Nian wasn’t even pretending anymore.

Fine, let him keep pushing his luck. The day he crossed the line, his parents would break his legs.

Shen Nian’s hand materialized on Xia Yanchun’s shoulder. Leaning in, he extrapolated, "If I hook your finger, can I hold your hand too?"

Xia Yanchun tensed for a second, her fingers curling against her clothes. Glancing at the golden-tinged clouds, she whispered, "Keep dreaming. No funny business."

"Damn, shouldn’t you be blushing and tacitly agreeing by now? How are you still immune?"

"You think I’m some naive little girl?" She smirked, triumphant.

"Respect. You’re a tough boss."

Shen Nian was impressed. Like battling a raid boss, he stealthily rubbed her smooth shoulder and coaxed, "If I tuck your hair behind your ear, can I pinch your earlobe too?"

"No. No escalation."

"What if I go straight for the ear?"

"Get lost."

"Fine, you win. No more escalation." Shen Nian nodded sagely.

After crossing the street, Xia Yanchun walked stiffly, swatting Shen Nian’s hand away.

At first, she’d tolerated his arm around her, but then he’d started rubbing—her bra strap was practically fraying!

This was his idea of "no escalation"?

"You should just die already!"

Shen Nian reveled in the warmth lingering on his palm, his heartbeat unsteady.

In this rivalry, he’d lost first.

"Still coming with me for the haircut? My treat."

"Obviously."

Or else she’d let him grope her for free?

Xia Yanchun grumbled, letting her hair fall over her eyes—only for Shen Nian to brush it back moments later.

"Stop. I’m blocking the sun."

"Really? Or are you just hiding a blush? Can’t blame you—my charm’s irresistible..."

"Now I understand what ‘overconfident man’ means."

Xia Yanchun turned to face him, meeting his gaze head-on as if to prove her composure.

The hazy golden dusk veiled Shen Nian’s eyes, leaving everything blurred.

·

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