Want to Jump

The school's plane trees had shed their dense shade. Winter sunlight filtered through the bare branches, and dried leaves piled on the path beside the teaching building crunched softly under the footsteps of students between classes.

By late November, Cinan was fully in winter's grip. Most of the time, the air was cold, holding steady at around twelve or thirteen degrees Celsius. At night or in the early morning, without the sun, it could drop as low as eight or nine degrees. Although Shen Nian didn't find it particularly cold, he had no desire to go jogging in the park in this weather anymore, opting to make do with workouts at home instead.

Tuesday. Only one day left before the first mock exam.

Shen Nian propped his chin on his hand, staring blankly at the students rushing to the school store. When thirsty, he took a sip of monk fruit water from his cup.

He had brewed the monk fruit water himself. Since the weather turned cold, he made a pot every day. Firstly, for its supposed benefits—clearing heat, moistening the lungs, reducing phlegm, relieving coughs, and promoting saliva production. Secondly, it was a perfect way to warm up the two girls around him.

Girls seemed to prefer hot drinks, at least the two he knew did. Regardless, a sip of something hot in winter was definitely more comfortable than cold water.

Monk fruit water was naturally somewhat sweet, and he had added a bit more sugar while brewing it. There was a bottle for Shen Yue, one for himself, and one for Xia Yanchun, all poured into their respective water bottles and brought to school for a warming sip whenever they felt chilly.

Shen Nian's water bottle was a cheap thing, costing less than twenty, and its insulation was far inferior to Xia Yanchun's. Although Xia Yanchun's bottle wasn't a proper thermos, it still retained heat reasonably well; a bottle of hot water would usually stay warm until after lunch break.

"Phew..."

Xia Yanchun twisted open the cap and took a small sip of the still-warm monk fruit water, feeling comfort spread through her, from the inside out, chasing away the chill.

Shen Nian had brewed this. A few days ago, he'd suddenly asked her to bring her water bottle home every day so he could fill it with monk fruit water the next morning. She wasn't sure where he got the idea, but she had to admit, she really appreciated it.

A small packet of cat-ear crackers landed on Xia Yanchun's desk, and Shen Nian's shadow fell over her, blocking most of the light.

"How far have you gotten with your review?" Shen Nian leaned casually on her pile of books, his tone breezy.

"I lost track of how many rounds I've reviewed ages ago. Now it's just casual revision to reinforce things."

“Six six six, as expected of the class monitor. I'm scared to tears.”

Xia Yanchun pursed her lips. "It's nothing special. Who's as lazy as you?"

"What? I'm finished reviewing too, okay? I'll be riding on your head for the mock exam." Shen Nian struck a dramatic pose.

"Get lost."

Unfazed, Shen Nian handed out some more small snacks to others—all the kind that cost fifty cents a pack.

Li Shiyan was delighted, loving her seat at the back. So sitting next to Shen Nian came with free snacks? Why didn't anyone say so earlier?

"Thank you~" Her voice was sweet, her eyes curving into crescents.

"I was planning to sacrifice three years of your good luck for some gacha pulls, but your 'thank you' makes me feel bad now."

"Wah..." Li Shiyan's lips quivered, not daring to say another word.

Her big eyes blinked as she tore open the snack packet, carefully picking out the pieces one by one to pop into her mouth. Even though what Shen Nian said was mean, the snacks were delicious.

Shen Nian was both bad and nice.

Shen Nian didn't pay much attention to Li Shiyan, instead pulling Chen Dong and Ma Mingfan along for a group trip to the bathroom.

There was an unusual smell of cigarette smoke lingering in the bathroom. Damn, how were there still people daring to sneak a smoke even here at No.2 High School? This stuff was more serious than dating; getting caught meant two demerits straight up.

"Damn, reeks of smoke." Shen Nian complained, wiping his wet hands on Chen Dong's clothes.

"Damn, reeks of smoke." Chen Dong wiped his own wet hands on Shen Nian.

"Damn, reeks of..."

Ma Mingfan, halfway through his sentence, realized he had already wiped his hands on his own clothes. He hurriedly turned back to wash them again in the bathroom sink and rushed out with dripping hands.

Shen Nian and Chen Dong had long since run off.

Ma Mingfan laughed in exasperation, forced to wipe his hands on his clothes once more.

They went to the bathroom together but didn't wait for him? What about the bonds of friendship?

People who don't value their comrades... no wonder they can't reach Super Kage!

Shen Nian and Chen Dong were already standing by the corridor in front of the classroom, chatting. Ma Mingfan jogged over, intending to give each of them a slap, but just as he reached them, Liang Jing happened to come out the back door.

"Ma Mingfan, what's the rush..." Liang Jing was clearly startled.

"Just came from the bathroom. Did you need something?"

"No, you almost bumped into me!" Liang Jing pointed at the damp patch on his clothes. "This..."

"Ah, it's water, really."

"I know that..."

It'd be impressive if you could pee on your own clothes like that.

Liang Jing thought to herself, amused. "I have tissues at my seat."

"It's fine, it's just water. It'll dry in a bit."

"Okay..." Liang Jing tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Are you playing Minecraft this week? I built a Nether portal at our spawn point. When are we going to the Nether?"

Ma Mingfan hemmed and hawed. "I'll see if I have time this weekend. I'll play with you after I finish my Naruto matches."

"Great!"

Shen Nian watched them chat from the side. As soon as Ma Mingfan walked over, he immediately gave his shoulder a heavy slap.

"Ouch! Damn, if you want to hit me, just do it directly. Why the sneak attack?" Ma Mingfan grimaced. Not cool, man, using that much force for a shoulder pat?

Next time, should I do a Leo Flying Kick to your face during march practice?

"I was afraid you wouldn't like it if I hit you directly."

"WTF, why hit me at all?"

Shen Nian changed the subject. "You've been gaming with Liang Jing lately?"

"Tsk, not really. She wanted to play, so I started a save file. I'll hop in to play with her when I have time." Ma Mingfan lowered his voice, covering his mouth. "She's so bad. I made her a full set of diamond armor, and she got soloed by a baby zombie."

"That is pretty bad." Shen Nian nodded.

"Hopelessly bad." Chen Dong concurred.

Girls generally aren't great at gaming. A bit of a stereotype, but don't ask how stereotypes come about.

Ma Mingfan didn't actually play MC that often, just occasionally, or when the network was unstable on the school bus. Liang Jing seemed to really like it, always asking him to play with her.

It wasn't that he minded, but since Liang Jing was a girl, he always felt a bit awkward playing with her.

Couldn't curse freely; sometimes a "holy shit" would reach his lips and he'd have to swallow it back.

"Ah, if only Classmate Liang Jing were a guy..."

Shen Nian: ?

Chen Dong: ?

"That's not what I meant!" Realizing what he'd said, Ma Mingfan immediately covered his mouth, trying to explain. "I mean... why are you backing away?"

Shen Nian, concerned for Chen Dong, had already pulled him in front as a shield. "It's okay, Mingfan. This world is free."

"Was that step back you just took for real?"

"Haha, sorry, I think someone's calling me from the classroom. I better check."

Chen Dong, auto-follow enabled: "My shoelace is untied. Going back to the classroom to play badminton, bro."

"..."

Damn, these two idiots just say whatever random crap pops into their heads, huh?

My sterling reputation is ruined.

Even if we're talking about the furthest extreme, like Xiaonanliang, he really doesn't like guys.

Ma Mingfan leaned against the corridor railing. The cold wind scraped across his face, and he felt a sudden urge to jump.

Yanxi reminds you: Due to Tomato's request for 3 million+ daily visits causing excessive server pressure, it is now recommended that you use sources from other big platforms.