I won't use the smelly socks, I'll pick a pair myself (two-in-one)

December 31st, Wednesday. A vast expanse of white fog covered everything.

During the humid Return of the South Wind weather, the clothes hanging on the balcony for two days were brought in, only to be found wetter than when they were just wrung out and hung up.

When they finally dried, one sniff and they had to be washed again—they smelled like mildew.

Even with the classroom doors and windows tightly shut, the floor still became wet and slippery. Shoes left behind dirty footprints, and after just one recess, the whole classroom would become a filthy mess.

Even the blackboard was covered in condensation.

Actually, this humid weather could moisturize the skin, making it more supple. Shen Nian suggested that such wonderful weather shouldn't be enjoyed exclusively by Southerners; Northerners from all over the country should come to the South for a tour these few days to experience our Return of the South Wind.

Tonight was the New Year's Eve gala, tomorrow was New Year's Day, and then it would be the weekend. With Sunday shifted to Friday, it was essentially a three-day holiday.

For the students, this was definitely awesome.

Usually, they only had one day off a week, but now they got an extra day for nothing. When it came to holidays, No. 2 High School was still quite generous.

Shen Nian announced that for the New Year's holiday, the principal's horse was temporarily spared from flying into the sky.

Ma Mingfan and Chen Dong were both sleeping on their desks. Shen Nian lay on his desk, staring blankly at the drowsy Xia Yanchun next to him.

Looking at her, it seemed she hadn't slept well yesterday. Now, her little head was bobbing up and down like she was fishing.

The closer it got to the holidays, the less the class monitors cared. Lately, Su Kexi was hardly ever seen pulling people aside for a lecture.

In the blink of an eye, it was only half a year away from the college entrance examination.

"Mmm..." Xia Yanchun's head hit the desk. She patted her small face to wake herself up, straightened her back, and, noticing Shen Nian's gaze, looked over at him.

For no reason at all, their eyes met again.

Shen Nian blinked and pinched off a small piece of eraser, throwing it at her.

"..."

Xia Yanchun snorted silently. With the teacher giving a lecture at the front, she didn't dare to lash out.

So Shen Nian threw another piece.

Just kidding, it was actually two pieces.

Actually, it was three pieces.

Xia Yanchun: ...

Infuriated, Xia Yanchun took out her little notebook and jotted down Shen Nian's name.

Although just writing down his name once wouldn't be enough to get Su Kexi to drag Shen Nian away for a talk, Xia Yanchun would feel very uncomfortable if she did nothing. She wasn't Li Shiyan, someone Shen Nian could just kick around whenever he wanted. Later at noon, when no one was around, she was going to give Shen Nian a beating.

For real.

There was no new content. In class, the teacher only talked about question types, generally going through all kinds of questions once. How much one could understand during this major review session depended entirely on oneself. Fortunately, Shen Nian had already reviewed everything on his own; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to zone out while looking at Xia Yanchun right now.

Reviewing was very boring. Even Shen Nian, who wasn't sleepy, wanted to sleep just to pass the time.

Enduring until the end of class, Shen Nian immediately went to the restroom. He wiped his wet hands on Ma Mingfan's clothes, perking up in the process.

"Your mom!"

"My mom is in good health."

"You just wait." Ma Mingfan laughed out of extreme anger. Actually, he also wanted to go to the restroom, wash his hands, and wipe them on Shen Nian. But he had already stood up, so he couldn't stand up to go to the restroom.

"Damn it, still daring to talk tough."

Shen Nian pulled two Qinzui Shao spicy snacks out of his backpack and slammed them hard onto Ma Mingfan's back.

Ma Mingfan: ?

There was such a good thing?

"Do you like my big Qinzui Shao?"

"Since you've already given me Qinzui Shao, what else is there to say? You can have my jacket."

Chen Dong also woke up. Seeing the Qinzui Shao, his eyes lit up, and he immediately turned around. "Where's mine?"

"I left it for you at the school store. Just give the boss fifty cents, and you can get a pack for free."

"Haji Nian, if you keep this up, I'm really going to make an iNian TV."

Xia Yanchun's mouth twitched, feeling that none of the boys were normal.

Although she really didn't want to generalize, so far, she felt this sentence perfectly described Class 11.

During the lunch break, in a rare occurrence, Xia Yanchun went to the cafeteria as soon as school was over.

However, they didn't rush. Instead, they walked down leisurely to line up, managing to find the method to wait in the longest line among the girls.

Before they had even finished lining up, Shen Nian was already putting his empty tray at the dish return area. If he hadn't happened to see a few familiar girls, he wouldn't have even known they had come down.

Yare yare, at this speed, they wouldn't be able to eat the school's four-yuan five-spice big chicken drumstick.

Shen Nian had his stomach ruthlessly stuffed with a big chicken drumstick every day. Because it was so delicious, his craving grew bigger and bigger.

He had already degenerated into the shape of a five-spice big chicken drumstick.

Shen Nian had cursed the school store, cursed the teaching building, and cursed the cafeteria, but he had never cursed the four-yuan big chicken drumstick.

At twelve-thirty, Xia Yanchun had eaten her fill and returned to the classroom.

Usually, there were only a few of them who liked to stay in the classroom until very late before going to the cafeteria. Today, they went early, so by twelve-thirty, only Shen Nian and Xia Yanchun were left in the classroom.

"Why did you go so early today?"

"Shiyan was hungry, so we all went down together."

"Did you get to eat the chicken drumstick?"

"No." Xia Yanchun pouted. She had heard the cafeteria's chicken drumsticks were quite good, but it seemed she had never eaten one. She had tried the chicken fillet, but it was just so-so.

Shen Nian, on the other hand, ate one every day.

"Next time, pack one in a plastic bag for me to taste."

"No need for a plastic bag, I'll pack it in my stomach for you."

"Get lost."

There were still many students passing by in the corridor. Afraid that someone might come up to get something, Shen Nian reigned in his audacity and sat honestly in his seat, bickering with Xia Yanchun.

Xia Yanchun muttered to herself, not wanting to argue with Shen Nian anymore. She took out a schedule for the New Year's Eve gala from her desk drawer.

"Tonight's New Year's Eve gala starts at seven. Including the teachers', there are almost forty performances. It'll probably go on until ten. I want to go back and take a shower this afternoon, you give me a ride back."

"Sure, let's go."

"What are you doing? I said this afternoon."

"After a nap, it'll be the afternoon anyway. We might as well go back and sleep."

"I meant after school this afternoon!"

"I know, I was just teasing you."

"I'll hit you." Xia Yanchun almost did a flying kick.

Girls need to be reserved, so in the end, she chose to smash a book against Shen Nian's head.

The sound was quite loud; a nice sound means a good head.

Shen Nian didn't even resist, just letting her hit him for fun. It was all just for show anyway, and being hit by Xia Yanchun actually felt quite comfortable.

Seeing him not react, Xia Yanchun puffed up in anger and smacked him again. Perhaps she didn't control the angle well, because the last hit went from a crisp smack to a dull thud, and Shen Nian let out a muffled groan.

She had accidentally hit Shen Nian's head with the hard spine of the book. Xia Yanchun realized it instantly and gently rubbed Shen Nian's head.

Feeling guilty, she asked, "Does it hurt?"

"It hurts to death. I need to look at your legs to feel better."

"So it doesn't hurt then."

"Hey, it really does hurt a bit. Otherwise, let me hit you and see." Shen Nian clicked his tongue. He wasn't lying; the spine of a book was naturally the hardest part. By analogy, it was like the sharp corner of a brick—hitting someone with it came with a built-in critical strike. It really hurt.

"What about now? Does it still hurt?"

"I already said I need to look at your legs to feel better."

"I'll go back and find some internet pictures for you; there are plenty on Xiaohongshu."

"Why would I need internet pictures when I can find them myself? I want to look at yours."

"The internet pictures I find are mine too. If you're feeling so depressed, just ask for a leave and go home. Don't blabber nonsense here."

"..."

Damn it, such strong aggressiveness. How did Haji Chun become so overpowered? Did Earth Online adjust Haji Chun without putting it in the patch notes?

How am I supposed to play against someone this dominant?

Although she said it didn't hurt, Xia Yanchun's hand never left Shen Nian's head, rubbing and stroking it gently.

Shen Nian was thoroughly enjoying it.

Head pats really are a good thing. Being patted by a guy makes you blush, and being patted by a girl makes you blush too.

Just admit it makes you blush.

"It shouldn't hurt now, right? If it still hurts, you're faking it."

"You've blocked all my excuses, so no, it doesn't hurt."

"Then I'll keep hitting you."

"Can you hit somewhere else? Like..." Shen Nian pointed to his back. He couldn't even imagine how awesome it would be to get a back massage at school.

"No." Xia Yanchun knocked on his forehead one last time, telling him to stop scheming, then returned to her seat.

Things quieted down for a moment.

At 12:50 PM, the bell rang. Because Li Shiyan's seat wasn't saved, Shen Nian "refreshed" his position.

He just wanted to sit a bit closer to Chunbao.

"Actually, I don't really want to come this afternoon. Why don't we ask for leave? It's only three classes anyway..."

Xia Yanchun fell silent for a moment, strangely tempted.

True... it was only three classes. And she could totally skip the teacher's review. The teacher's review progress wasn't even as fast as hers; she was already on her "second playthrough" of revision, while the teacher was only halfway through the first.

She could go home, have a nice long nap, take a shower in the afternoon, put on some nice clothes, and come to the New Year's Gala with Shen Nian.

"So... asking for leave again."

"You want to cut class instead? Holy crap, that's thrilling. I couldn't tell, Haji Chun, you've got quite the contrast going on."

Xia Yanchun wouldn't take that lying down. She poked Shen Nian with her pinky finger. "You're not bad yourself, Haji Nian. You play so well with all the girls at school, chatting so happily, but behind the scenes, you're secretly my little simp."

"Simp my ass. Explain clearly, how am I a simp?"

Xia Yanchun pressed down her index finger. "First, literally. You licked my finger and took the liberty of licking my lips. That is a literal simp."

She pressed down her middle finger. "Then, figuratively. I say one word and you run a lap around the neighborhood behind my back. You make me breakfast every day, and apply medicine when I sprain my ankle. That is a figurative simp. And you deny it?"

Is this person for real?

What kind of logic is that?

Shen Nian gave her the side-eye. "Then what was that rubbing you just gave me?"

"That was me caring about you."

"Then me applying medicine to your ankle?"

"Simp."

"Then you feeding me tangerines two days ago?"

"Being nice to you."

"Then me cooking breakfast?"

"Simp."

"???"

His left brain just elbowed his right brain. Shen Nian wouldn't say who won.

Xia Yanchun pursed her lips. Although she was almost breaking character at her own words, seeing Shen Nian's expression like he'd just eaten crap, she forced herself to keep a straight face.

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Even though you are my simp, I don't have that 'contrast' either. Let's meet halfway."

"Damn Haji Chun."

Shen Nian died peacefully. Why was Haji Chun's power level so high today?

"Damn Haji Nian."

"You're a fucking idiot."

"You're a fucking moron."

Shen Nian leaned back tactically and rubbed his chin. Is she an echo bug?

He had a weird expression and tested, "Chunbao?"

"Haji Nian."

"..."

I'm out of moves.

Ten minutes later.

Xia Yanchun still carried her small backpack and walked out of the school gate with Shen Nian.

She was humming and hawing. Once out of the gate, she immediately messaged Su Kexi and her parents to ask for leave, specifically warning Shen Nian that he had to wait until 2:30 PM to ask.

Otherwise, if they always coincidentally asked for leave together, who knew what the homeroom teacher would think.

The midday fog had mostly dispersed. When they first got up, it had been a vast expanse of white.

The electric scooter was parked in the lot, but the seat cushion was wet. Fam, do you know why?

Wait a minute.

"If Autumn is Miss Autumn and Winter is Miss Winter, then what is Miss Winter's 'Humid Season'?"

Xia Yanchun wiped the seat with a tissue. She thought about it for a second, and her small face slowly turned pink.

"Creep."

"I was going to say sweat..."

"I don't believe you, because you're a creep."

Would you believe someone who said "blowing autumn wind is being molested by Miss Autumn" could say anything good?

Xia Yanchun certainly didn't. If Shen Nian wasn't making dirty jokes, then she was a 161cm pale, top-tier beautiful girl. If he was making dirty jokes, then she was a 161.5cm pale, city-toppling, stunning, sweet-type top-tier beautiful girl.

"You're not allowed to sit on the creep's bike," Shen Nian said seriously.

"No way."

Shen Nian hadn't even gotten on, but Xia Yanchun was already on the back seat, patting the cushion with her small hand, signaling Shen Nian to drive.

Shen Nian sat in front, and the scooter slowly started. "We have to sleep together later."

"Awooo!" Xia Yanchun let out a loud howl.

"Why so loud?"

"Afraid you didn't hear clearly."

"You could lean into my ear and whisper."

"Why aren't you wearing a helmet again? If the police catch you, I'm not paying the fine."

"We'll worry about that if we get caught."

Back at the residential complex, Shen Nian only went home to change into slippers. He told his mom about taking leave for the afternoon, told her to nap, and planned to send the message to Su Kexi around 2:30 PM. The timing was perfect.

The living room was empty. Shen Nian found a bottle of milk to drink and slipped into Xia Yanchun's room, seeing her folding clothes.

Shen Nian looked at the clothes in the closet. Coats, skirts, base layers, all hung neatly. Folded clothes were underneath. In his memory, Xia Yanchun always cared about cleanliness and order in her room.

In summer, he wasn't allowed on the bed without showering; in winter, it was okay if he hadn't sweated.

"Why is it so messy?" he squinted.

"I couldn't find an outfit earlier, so I pulled everything out."

"You're looking for clothes, planning to dress up nicely tonight?"

"Yeah. I'll get Shiyan to take two photos. You take them."

"Does the photographer get paid?"

Shen Nian only had experience "shooting" in a different sense; his photography experience was temporarily zero. When he went out with others, if he saw something nice, he'd let others take the photo and send it to him, then post it in the family group pretending he took it.

"You want wages? Do you want a smelly sock?"

"Are your feet smelly? Why do you always talk about smelly socks?"

"..."

Xia Yanchun decided never to say "stuff a smelly sock in your mouth" again. Shen Nian had figured out a counter.

Meeting moves with moves; the game between rivals was just like this.

Shen Nian grinned. "I don't need a smelly one. I'll pick a pair myself."

The socks weren't as neatly organized as the other clothes. Several pairs were piled in a ball—thin ones, lace ones, cute types... all sorts. Size 36 feet meant the socks looked even smaller.

For the first time, Shen Nian thought some socks were particularly cute...

"Hey, hey!"

Seeing that he seemed serious, Xia Yanchun lost her cool.