Not a Word About Lust

After enduring five morning classes, Shen Nian skipped lunch and just grabbed a bread from the school store before collapsing onto his desk in the classroom.

The system's 12-hour buff was both exhilarating and exhausting.

Absorbing unfamiliar knowledge gave him a mental high, but the intense studying drained him physically and mentally.

Even with girls chattering loudly in the classroom, he slept like a log.

When he woke up again, it was already 2:10 PM, and the school broadcast was playing the same old "Boundless Oceans, Vast Skies" on repeat.

Noon was the easiest time to oversleep, and the classroom was empty except for Xia Yanchun, who was snoozing peacefully with her face squished against a small pillow.

Her cheeks were slightly chubby, and Shen Nian shamelessly stared for a good ten seconds, trying to convince himself from an objective standpoint that Xia Yanchun wasn’t that pretty—but he failed.

A sweet, doll-faced beauty? Absolutely terrifying!

"Mmm..."

Xia Yanchun frowned slightly as she drowsily woke up, her arms limp on the desk like they’d been zapped by an electric current, leaving her in an awkward position.

She turned her head and met Shen Nian’s unblinking gaze, half his face still buried in his arms.

"Peeping on me?"

"Don’t put it like that. There’s a difference between peeping and openly staring," Shen Nian retorted with a look that said, Don’t you dare slander me.

"Is there?"

"Peeping is sneaky. Openly staring is bold and unapologetic. Got it?"

"And you’re explaining this to me?"

Still groggy from sleep, Xia Yanchun let out a soft huff. "Creep. I’m gonna expose you on Xiaohongshu later."

"Go ahead. I’ve got a yellow badge on Tieba. You post on Xiaohongshu, I’ll post on Tieba. Let’s see who wins this meme war."

No low blows. +3.

Slow day on Tieba?

(Tieba gritted-teeth meme)

Xia Yanchun pouted and ignored him, wiping her face with a wet wipe before taking a sip of water to rinse her mouth.

"You look more awake now. What time did you sleep last night?"

"Didn’t."

"Can you tell your mom you like eating grilled chicken?"

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"So when you eventually drop dead from exhaustion, she’ll have the chef make your favorite dish for the funeral feast. That way, I can enjoy a good meal."

"Wishing death on me, huh? Fine, I’ll haunt you—peek at you showering, hang behind you in the mirror, lie next to you while you sleep—"

"Ahhh! Stop talking!"

Xia Yanchun recoiled in horror.

Victory!

A sworn enemy is a sworn enemy.

No way they’d ever get along. Three seconds after waking up, and they were already at each other’s throats.

The afternoon had three classes, and Shen Nian slept through two of them, finally recovering enough energy that his eyelids no longer felt like lead weights.

The last period was P.E., but since the freshman military training was hogging the field, the teacher put on a movie instead.

Shen Nian quietly pulled out his English vocabulary book.

Inspirational movies want to inspire you? Well, what if I study while everyone else is slacking off? How will you counter that?

Gotta start somewhere. If I don’t study now, how am I supposed to slay monsters later?

Staring at the dense rows of English letters, Shen Nian fell silent. System, help me out here. No buff, no motivation…

"Bro, I’m begging you, stop studying. Please!"

Chen Dong, uninterested in the motivational movie playing on the projector, turned around to chat with his buddy—only to find him secretly grinding.

He was horrified.

This guy sleeps through class all day, and the one time we get a movie, he’s back at it?

I can sleep through my friend’s thunderous snoring, but the faintest sound of flipping pages keeps me up.

"I want to improve…" Shen Nian said earnestly.

He seemed dead serious.

"Tryhard!"

"What’s wrong with wanting to be better?"

"Stop, Shen Nian… You’re gonna burn yourself out…"

"My mind’s made up."

"Damn, since when did you talk like this?" Chen Dong cracked instantly.

Shen Nian didn’t respond, silently embracing his role as the grindlord, ready to outwork everyone under the weight of their insults.

The movie’s plot was painfully predictable—protagonist gets led astray, has an epiphany, starts working hard, makes a comeback… Every motivational school movie followed the same formula.

It wasn’t that Shen Nian disliked movies. He’d just already seen this one—with Xia Yanchun, no less.

Back when his grades were slipping and he was on the verge of giving up, she’d dragged him to her place and made him watch Flying Colors, hoping to reignite his drive.

The result? He got fired up—for exactly two days.

Shen Nian glanced over. Sure enough, Xia Yanchun had her head down, her pen scratching against her workbook with faint, rhythmic sounds.

Now she’s the real grindlord.

[Side Quest Triggered: Reconcile with the Past.

You’ve encountered a childhood friend. It seems there’s unresolved tension between you. Spend time with her and clear the air. Reward: 1,000 gold.]

Damn, the system’s being way too nice today.

Shen Nian reread the quest details, then looked at Xia Yanchun.

Has to be her, right?

Aside from her, there was no one else in class he’d known since childhood.

Childhood friend? Check. Unpleasant history? Check. But unresolved tension…?

"Pssst." Shen Nian attempted a whistle, but it came out sounding like he was coaxing a toddler to pee.

Xia Yanchun side-eyed him before returning to her workbook.

"Oi, come sit over here. Chat with me for a bit."

"Oh, it’s you, Shen Nian. I thought some random dude was trying to hit on me," Xia Yanchun said, feigning realization. "My bad, it’s hard to tell the difference sometimes."

"..."

Fists clenched.

Couldn’t let his guard down for even a second—Xia Yanchun was always ready with a verbal jab.

But for the sake of that 1,000 gold reward, he’d endure.

Who says no to free money?

The classroom was relaxed, so moving around wasn’t an issue. Xia Yanchun carried her workbook and plopped down by the window.

"What’s up?"

"Do we… have some kind of unresolved issue?"

Xia Yanchun’s brows furrowed slightly. "What issue?"

"I mean, is there anything about me that really annoys you? Like, do you secretly hate my guts?"

The system mentioned unresolved tension, but Shen Nian had no clue. Sure, he’d done plenty of things to annoy Xia Yanchun over the years, but she’d given as good as she got. If he didn’t hold a grudge, why would she?

"Things that annoy me about you?" She actually seemed to consider it.

"Wait, for real? There is something?"

"Don’t call me that!" Xia Yanchun hissed, cheeks flushing. Who the hell says "baby" in public?

"Just spill it."

"Where do I even start? You’re annoying, dumb, and a total pervert!"

"Bold words! How dare you slander me?" Shen Nian’s voice rose defensively. "If I’m dumb, then who the hell in this world is smart?"

"No comment on the ‘annoying’ and ‘pervert’ part?"

"Did I perv on you? Mind your own business."

Xia Yanchun’s grip tightened, crumpling the edge of her workbook. "Are we done here? If not, I’m leaving. Next time you bother me for no reason, I’m beating you up."

Crap, got too carried away. He’d almost forgotten about the system quest.

As Xia Yanchun stood up to leave, Shen Nian quickly said, "Sit, sit. I'll treat you to breakfast tomorrow."

"That's more like it."

"Hey, do you have any unresolved issues or something?" Shen Nian gestured with his hands. "You know, things that still bother you deep down."

"I do. My biggest regret is failing to mold you into a sweet, obedient guy back in the day. Instead, you turned into such a dumbass."

Shen Nian was utterly confused.

Wait, babe, you...

Damn, that’s so cringe?

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