Chun Bao, you are fragrant and soft.

Shen Nian had always been generous.

Even if the loli girl might have drawn a caricature of him in her notebook and mercilessly mocked it, he could brush it off with a laugh.

Being tolerant and magnanimous was a traditional virtue of rookie adventurers like them—perfectly normal.

A seating rearrangement chart was posted at the back of the classroom, with several classmates crowded around it, chattering noisily. Shen Nian found it too loud, so he dragged Chen Dong out to the hallway for a chat.

"You really have a childhood sweetheart?"

"Yeah, she goes to the neighboring No. 1 High."

"Damn, a top student too? What's her name?"

"None of your damn business. You’re not actually thinking of cucking me, are you?"

Shen Nian pointed at him like an accusatory husky.

"Piss off. I’d beat up any cuckold I see, or maybe even join them—wait, no! Anyway, I’m not a cuck, so don’t slander me, alright? Isn’t it normal for a father to care about his son’s love life?"

Chen Dong frowned, suddenly realizing that the third floor wasn’t all that high, and contemplated letting Shen Nian test the durability of concrete.

"I’ll end you."

"Damn, patricide now?!"

"Fine, fine, you bastard." Chen Dong started with a suppressed curse. Though he didn’t smoke Rick No. 5, he still had a bit of that untainted innocence in him.

"Why haven’t you mentioned her before?" Shen Nian pressed.

It was hard to believe Chen Dong had a love interest—or even a fling. His social media was all game shares, and he never brought up the topic. Some people couldn’t wait to announce their crushes to the world, but Chen Dong kept his tightly under wraps, like a hidden treasure.

"Nothing worth mentioning. You never asked."

"Fair enough. Buy me a drink."

"?"

Zero hesitation, straight to mooching? Fine, fine.

Shen Nian successfully scored a free cola. On the way back, Chen Dong wouldn’t stop ranting, cursing both the school principal and the convenience store owner.

This damn school charged exorbitant rent, and the store jacked up prices accordingly. A three-yuan soda outside cost four-fifty here—a 50% markup.

"Damn, why not just rob us outright? Bunch of idiots."

"Exactly, exactly," Shen Nian agreed. Because of the inflated prices, he preferred stocking up on snacks outside and stuffing them in his backpack, only buying ice cream at school.

Rumor had it the store was run by a relative of the principal, monopolizing business at No. 2 High.

Between the school’s sky-high rent and the store’s outrageous prices, Shen Nian refused to take sides—both could go to hell.

During the last self-study period before exams, no one was in the mood to study. Su Kexi was on duty at the podium but mostly ignored the low murmurs, pretending not to hear the quiet rustling.

But some people pushed their luck, openly playing tic-tac-toe right under the teacher’s nose, and not even quietly.

"Huang Chen, quiet," Su Kexi scolded, calling him out by name.

Huang Chen immediately clammed up, but it wasn’t long before he started whispering again.

He clicked his tongue, half-turning to chat with the girl behind him. "Lin Xiyuan, we’re in the same exam room tomorrow."

"Yeah." Lin Xiyuan replied indifferently, barely glancing at him.

"We’ll be sitting pretty close, heh."

"...What’s your point?"

"Just, y’know, don’t block my view, alright?"

Ah, so cheating was the plan.

"I’ll be doing my own test."

"No problem, no problem." Huang Chen flashed an OK sign.

Lin Xiyuan was in a sour mood.

Ever since her fight with Xia Yanchun, she’d barely spoken during self-study. Even when she wasn’t studying, she kept to herself.

Only after quieting down did she realize how noisy she used to be.

Huang Chen now was just an amplified version of her past self—except louder and more relentless.

Ugh, so annoying. She really wanted to snap at him:

"Stop talking to me. Can’t you see I’m studying? I don’t want to talk to you, and by the way, your breath stinks."

But she couldn’t. Huang Chen was part of her social circle, and saying something that harsh would ruin the delicate balance.

Even if he weren’t, blurting that out would destroy their classmate relationship.

As the queen of social circles, maintaining harmony was crucial.

She didn’t want to ruin relationships—which was why, even after clashing with Xia Yanchun, she’d been the one to apologize first.

Exhausted, she buried her face in her hands.

Huang Chen stole a glance at Lin Xiyuan, his heart racing. "Xiyuan, after the exams, it’s the sports festival. Any plans?"

"Uh... just staying at school, I guess."

"On the third day, we’re going out to eat. Are the girls joining?"

"No idea. Ask someone else." Lin Xiyuan waved him off as the teacher began patrolling the aisles. She shot Huang Chen a look and stopped talking.

Exams were tomorrow. She needed to focus.

When self-study ended, she grabbed her water bottle for a refill, only to find the dispenser empty. Instinctively, she looked at Shen Nian.

"Shen Nian, can you change the water for me?"

"Sure." Shen Nian swiftly swapped in a new bottle—part of the throne’s responsibilities.

"Thanks."

"No problem." He grinned, then patted Xia Yanchun’s shoulder. "Let’s go."

"Okay." Xia Yanchun nodded, hoisting her backpack and walking out with him.

Lin Xiyuan stood frozen, lost in thought, as water overflowed from her cup.

Outside, street vendors lined the roads. Shen Nian bought a skewer of fried snacks for about ten yuan.

"Don’t look at me. You’re not getting any."

"Who wants yours? Like I can’t afford my own." Xia Yanchun rolled her eyes and bought her own portion, finishing most of it on the way home.

"Which class are you in?" Shen Nian nudged her with his elbow. Even with little force, Xia Yanchun swayed like a doll in the wind.

Ever since realizing how intimate their interactions were, Shen Nian couldn’t help noticing how soft and delicate she seemed.

Chun, you’re a sweet, silly little idiot.

"Class 3," Xia Yanchun muttered, ignoring him.

"Damn, I’m in 18. Sixth floor."

"Serves you right. Hope you run yourself ragged."

"Bastard. Don’t sleep too soundly tonight."

"But Li Shiyan’s in your class."

"The loli girl? Sweet."

"Not sweet at all. Stop teasing her, okay? Li Shiyan’s not good with that."

Shen Nian scratched his head. He didn’t think he was that bad—it wasn’t like he gave her a mean nickname. Before he called her "loli girl," that was already her online handle.

Maybe tomorrow he’d let Li Shiyan call him by his own cringey username—[I’ll Marry Eight Wives]. He wouldn’t mind.

"Depends. Today she drew some unflattering art of me, and I didn’t even care. What’d she draw, anyway?"

"You eating ten pounds of crap."

"?"

Too lenient on her.

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