Is Enjoying Having Money Thrown in Your Face a Form of D/S

Among the four students called to the podium, three were praised, while the English class representative—the one who most deserved praise—was criticized instead.

He hadn’t cared about it at first.

As the English class representative, someone who could score above 140 in the subject, being praised was the norm for him.

But this time, Shen Nian had unexpectedly gotten every answer right and was even praised by Yan Yuzhu.

A slacker getting praised for acing a single dictation felt like a bad person being commended for doing one good deed—as if to say, "See? They’re not so bad after all..."

He despised that kind of behavior.

Plus, the fact that Shen Nian had written all thirty-seven words correctly made him suspicious.

The weekly test had been easy, yet Shen Nian had only scored in the 60s or 70s. The idea that he’d suddenly buckled down and improved over summer break was hard to believe.

It was far more likely that Shen Nian was bluffing. If he’d gotten every word right, Lan Fukai leaned toward the possibility of cheating.

Cheating your way to a perfect score wasn’t impossible—copying half from yourself and half from Li Shiyan, avoiding the wrong answers, and somehow pulling it off. If he managed that, well, credit where credit was due.

But words alone weren’t proof. For now, it was just suspicion. The truth would come out in the exams.

Once his mental tirade was over, Lan Fukai finally returned to his seat, though the low-pressure aura around him was palpable.

Who had pissed him off this time?

Meanwhile, Shen Nian was still on the podium. "Seriously, who said I stole the test? Step forward!"

"Who said they were gonna ‘Aluba’ me? Step forward!"

"Who said I was still playing Naruto at 3 a.m.? Step forward!"

The mood grew livelier by the second. Though Yan Yuzhu found it amusing, as the teacher, she still had a lesson to conduct. She motioned for Shen Nian and the others to return to their seats.

She wasn’t new to teaching. The petty dramas of high school boys weren’t exactly hard to decipher.

Shen Nian just wanted to show off—she could tell. There was nothing wrong with livening up the class occasionally, so she played along, praising him to satisfy his little ego trip.

The energy in the room shot up immediately, which was great for morale.

Now that his moment was over, it was time to focus on the lesson.

Back in his seat, Shen Nian was still riding the high.

He hadn’t even gotten to brag about pulling an all-nighter to study English.

Not that it was entirely a lie—he had actually pulled an all-nighter for English once.

As for "stealing the test"? That was nonsense. He studied openly—at home, in class, everywhere.

I just put in a little effort, and now they’re all scared.

Einstein chose to die fifty years before I was born. Guess even he knew better than to compete with me.

Am I really just that amazing?

The thought made Shen Nian hum to himself smugly.

Lunch break arrived, but the teacher had dragged the lesson overtime. By the time they were dismissed, the cafeteria was already packed. Shen Nian didn’t rush with Chen Dong.

Only a few girls remained in the classroom. Shen Nian lingered, listening to their chatter and occasionally chiming in.

At 12:30, he headed to the cafeteria with Xia Yanchun and a couple of other girls.

He had no issue eating with girls.

While other boys his age still acted like hanging out with girls was embarrassing, Shen Nian had long since integrated himself into their circles.

Other guys: "Hanging out with girls? What, are you a sissy?"

Shen Nian: "Nah, they’re the ones who wanna hang with me. This is just my life."

He’d once seen a classmate turn beet red just because a girl asked him for help with homework.

To him, there was nothing weird about it. It wasn’t like they were crossing any lines—he couldn’t understand why some guys acted so flustered around girls.

After lunch, he dragged Xia Yanchun to the school store and bought two peanut-flavored ice cream bars.

He used to eat these all the time as a kid, but ever since discovering Chocliz, he’d forgotten about them.

Ah, the fickleness of love.

Back in the classroom, they were the only ones left. Someone had left the multimedia system on, so Shen Nian took the opportunity to play some music.

"What do you wanna hear?"

"Anything. Just instrumental."

"Got it."

"You did really well in English today. Keep it up."

"Ugh, why does everyone sound like a teacher now?" Shen Nian groaned. He queued up a soft instrumental track, then plopped down in Li Shiyan’s seat, grinning. "Since I’m so amazing, don’t I deserve a reward?"

"Pfft. What’s your success got to do with me? And a reward? I score high all the time—where’s my reward?"

"Fine, I’ll give you one. I’ll smack you in the face with money. Hard."

"Really? Please, do it. Smack me with money. Right now." Xia Yanchun’s eyes lit up.

Shen Nian gave her a weird look. "You into that?"

"If getting smacked with money counts, then sure, I guess I am."

"Well, if you insist..." Shen Nian sighed dramatically. "Not the most dignified kink, but as your childhood friend, I’ll indulge you this once."

He stood, walked back to his desk, and rummaged through his bag before pulling out a few coins—

All fifty-cent pieces.

Some were silver, others gold.

Stores sometimes gave these as change, either for candy or just loose coins. These were leftovers from Shen Nian’s shopping trips.

"Didn’t know you were into this, Xia Yanchun. I’m disappointed. I’m telling your mom you’re a masochist."

"Shut up!"

Who knew he meant coins?!

Getting hit with those would leave bruises!

Xia Yanchun’s face flushed, and suddenly, her ice cream didn’t taste as good.

"You asked me to smack you with money."

"I didn’t mean coins!"

"Coins aren’t money? What, are you a walking scammer?"

"Idiot, idiot, idiot, idiot!"

Xia Yanchun huffed, her chest rising and falling angrily, face burning.

Don’t get mad, don’t get mad. Anger shortens your lifespan. Gotta live long enough to dance on Shen Nian’s grave.

The angrier the enemy, the more it proved he was winning. Shen Nian activated his "The More You Hate Me, The Happier I Am" system. Getting scolded by Xia Yanchun felt better than winning the lottery.

"Bro, you curse like you’re flirting."

"I’ll bite you."

"Ooh, feisty. Go ahead."

He offered his arm generously.

"Ew, your skin’s all sticky like crispy duck skin. Disgusting."

"Then why’d you ask?"

Shen Nian loved this dynamic—the pure, adversarial energy between him and Xia Yanchun, like sworn enemies.

He sat back in Li Shiyan’s seat, picking up Xia Yanchun’s notebook to fan himself.

The breeze tousled the girl’s hair. She shot him a sidelong glance. "You’ve changed a lot lately."

"How so?"

"You’ve gotten way more motivated. And you talk more."

Shen Nian tilted his head. "Find it charming?"

"I guess... A guy who works hard is kinda attractive." She didn’t deny it, though her tone carried a hint of thoughtfulness.

"Then it’s settled. ‘Cause I’m too charming, baby~ baby, just too damn charming~ ♫"

Xia Yanchun: "..."

This guy’s unbearable.

Afternoon sunlight blazed outside.

Shen Nian hadn’t napped much, opting instead to sit beside Xia Yanchun and quietly review other subjects.

After too much time spent memorizing English, it's good to review other subjects occasionally.

With the multimedia system turned off, the hum of the ceiling fan filled the entire classroom, and Shen Nian could even hear the soft, rhythmic breathing of the girl beside him.

The girl rested her head on a small pillow, her plump cheeks slightly squished together—adorably pinchable.

Studying next to Xia Yanchun had its own unique charm.

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