Chapter 77

*Campus IF Line — “Desk Mates”*
For a moment, the classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Although Xie Yuncheng was jokingly called the “study god,” and when classmates went to ask him questions they always called him “God Xie” this and “God Xie” that, it was also because Xie Yuncheng didn’t have that overbearing arrogance. You could even say his attitude was mild. Occasionally, when others bantered and cracked a couple of harmless jokes, he could casually respond a few lines too.
But a situation like this—putting his stance out in the open and leaving someone with no way to save face—was the first time it had happened.
The boy’s expression was cold and indifferent. The usual unrestrained, lazy air had been completely drawn in, replaced by a mockery and sarcasm that spilled over in plain sight.
“Classmate, I advise you to put your mind to the right things. This is a school, not your arena for scheming and fighting. Whether Classmate Qin is worth it—I know better than you do.”
He leaned lazily against his chair, his tone as normal as ever, only with a faint, elusive chill of irony in his eyes.
Tang Minmin’s face went white. At the end of the day, she was only a little girl barely over fifteen—how strong could her psychological resilience be?
Those shady thoughts of hers, once pierced, instead left her thoroughly humiliated.
If the timing weren’t wrong, Liu Chengcheng would have wanted to clap and shout “Bravo.” Watching Tang Minmin’s drooping, defeated face, she couldn’t help rolling her eyes.
Serves her right. Tang Minmin loved to needle people in class; Qin Sang wasn’t even her first victim.
She liked forming cliques and doing petty group bullying too much. If most classmates’ minds weren’t focused on studying, she might really have stirred up a full-on bullying incident.
She secretly poked Qin Sang and said, “God Xie stood up for you. He’s really protective of you, Sang-sang. Looks like there’s hope!”
She waggled her eyebrows at Qin Sang with a grin, deliberately lowering her voice to tease.
Qin Sang’s face warmed. She stole a glance: the boy’s brows were like distant mountains, his eyes like bright stars—someone who looked as open and upright as a clear breeze and bright moon.
That was why he was held up high, chased after by everyone.
Someone like that actually stood up for her.
He…
Would he like her?
Qin Sang lowered her long lashes, a trace of disappointment in her eyes.
Someone like her—good for nothing.
Whether family background or grades, she was worlds apart from him.
She had heard Xie Yuncheng came from a wealthy, prominent family—“red third generation,” and his grandfather was even a top leader in some unit in Jingcheng. His mother, too, came from an educated family, with deep roots and exceptional cultivation.
And he himself was extremely outstanding. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have become the model everyone fought to worship.
Qin Sang’s expression fell. Silently, she tucked that unspeakable little thought even deeper, no longer daring to hope for more.
“Alright. Then the one-on-one support plan will be set like this for now. If you still have objections to the pairing, you can come talk to the teacher in private. The teacher will consider it as appropriate and reassign your pairing. We won’t discuss the rest for now. Class monitor, remember to hand out the test papers. Subject reps, don’t forget to write the after-class make-up assignments on the blackboard.”
The homeroom teacher brought down the gavel. There was basically no room left to negotiate.
In fact, aside from Tang Minmin, no one else had objections. And no one really cared who the support target was. After all, anyone who could enter an advanced class had something exceptional about them; even at worst, they had a foundation. Even if they ranked near the bottom, it wouldn’t be disastrously bad.
The bell for class dismissal had already rung. The homeroom teacher hurriedly said, “Before school ends, adjust your seats. According to the pairings I just announced, everyone move your desks and chairs now and sit in pairs.”
Their seating had previously been arranged according to grades. Now, with this support plan, the seating had to be broken up and reorganized again.
Liu Chengcheng was a bit reluctant. “Sang-sang, I don’t want to be separated from you.”
Qin Sang didn’t want to separate either, but the next second Liu Chengcheng wailed, “But for your future happiness, I’m willing to make a sacrifice.”
“…”
The sadness of impending separation stopped abruptly.
Qin Sang had to move seats. While she was packing up her desk, a shadow suddenly fell over her.
High school textbooks were already many; add in all sorts of exercise books and test papers, and moving everything as a whole was not easy. The classroom was noisy—everywhere were desks and chairs being dragged, sharp screeching sounds as edges scraped the floor.
Qin Sang’s hands paused. She subconsciously looked up, and when she met the boy’s warm, steady eyes, she couldn’t help freezing.
“I’ll help you.”
Qin Sang was a little overwhelmed by the favor. “Ah… I can do it myself.”
“From now on, we’re desk mates.”
There was a teasing smile in the boy’s eyes, and even his tone carried a bit of playful amusement. “Are you sure you want to be this distant with your desk mate?”
“Exactly,” Liu Chengcheng snickered at the side. “Sang-sang, it’s rare your new desk mate is this considerate. Why are you still refusing? Look at me—I still have to move mine myself.”
“Hey, God Xie,” Liu Chengcheng deliberately joked, “could I trouble you later, out of friendly classmate love, to help me move mine too?”
Xie Yuncheng raised his brows, but his gaze was on Qin Sang. “Do you mind?”
Liu Chengcheng was very tactful. She hooked her arm around Qin Sang’s and shook it. “Sang-sang, you wouldn’t be that heartless, right? Please—let me borrow God Xie for a second. It’s just the time it takes to move a desk.”
Qin Sang could almost no longer lift her head. She was blushing thoroughly, her voice small and hesitant as she murmured, “Do whatever you want.”
Liu Chengcheng took the hint. “Then I’ll trouble you, God Xie. Ah, truly thanks to our Sang-sang’s blessing—within my lifetime I can actually experience ordering God Xie around to move my desk. What a joy.”
Qin Sang shot her a look. Liu Chengcheng didn’t care at all; she only grinned, linking arms with her, and deliberately lowered her voice. “When you get rich and powerful, don’t forget me. Later when you and God Xie become a devoted couple, don’t forget this matchmaker who built bridges and pulled strings for you!”
Qin Sang covered her mouth in embarrassment and anger. “Stop talking nonsense. Hurry up and pack your things!”
Liu Chengcheng’s random joking, with no seriousness at all, instead dispelled Qin Sang’s earlier worries and nerves.
She watched the boy carry her desk over. Hugging her schoolbag, she followed step by step.
The two desks were placed side by side, pressed close—like there wasn’t even the slightest gap between them.
Qin Sang said softly, “Thank you.”
Her voice was warm and soft, her brows and eyes lowered and especially gentle. She looked completely nonthreatening—more like a harmless little rabbit.
Xie Yuncheng couldn’t help teasing her. “Just a verbal thank-you?”
Qin Sang hesitated for a moment, then fished two milk candies out of her pocket—strawberry flavored.
The sun sank in the west. Dusk was like a golden gauze. She stepped forward awkwardly and tugged lightly at the hem of the boy’s school uniform.
Xie Yuncheng suddenly paused. He lowered his eyes to look at her, as if waiting for what came next.
“This is for you.”
Blushing, she slowly opened her clenched right hand. Her palm was fair, the lines clear, and lying quietly on it were two candies wrapped in pink packaging.
……
“Do you guys have anything to eat?”
Jiang Mingyi ran a lap around the basketball court. In the end, the people from Class Seven never came; Teng Wenbiao didn’t show his face either. Jiang Mingyi simply gave up and played a friendly game with a few scattered classmates from other classes.
But after playing for a while he couldn’t take it anymore. He collapsed in the rest area—so drained he couldn’t move even lying down.
“I’m really done. Just give me a piece of candy, that’s fine.”
The cafeteria food was awful. His young-master temper flared; he was picky. Normally he climbed the wall to go eat outside. Recently, though, Director Qiu had been strict, and even tattled to his dad, who cut his living allowance. Now he had to pinch pennies every day and obediently eat in the cafeteria.
He hadn’t eaten his fill for days. After exercising, he was dizzy and seeing stars for real. That was why he came off the court.
The others shook their heads. “We’ve got cigarettes. No candy.”
“What’s wrong with you guys?” Jiang Mingyi looked down on them. “Don’t you know what a ‘three-good student’ is? Is smoking something you should be doing at your age? Do you have any student-like appearance at all?”
“No, Brother Jiang.” The guy was also speechless. “You’re a chronic truant and a regular at the discipline office. You’ve got the nerve to talk about us?”
“What, you don’t accept it?”
Jiang Mingyi sat lazily. “My damn situation is understandable. Besides, don’t I still have my brother? Your God Xie is a model citizen year after year. Haven’t you heard ‘near vermilion you turn red, near ink you turn black’? If my character were bad, could I be sworn brothers with your God Xie? Bunch of little brats—since I’m in a good mood right now, be sensible and hand over the cigarettes, or I’ll haul every one of you to Old Qiu for a thorough ideological education.”
“Yeah, right.” The guy wasn’t convinced either. “Brother Jiang, you keep bringing up God Xie. But today for the PK match, didn’t God Xie not come either? What kind of brother is that—plastic? Or aluminum alloy—one hammer and it deforms?”
“Hey, you little—”
Jiang Mingyi was so angry he stood up. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a figure, and he immediately became swaggering again. “Who said your God Xie didn’t show? Isn’t he right here?”
As he spoke, he proactively walked over. “Ancestor, hurry up. Give me one of your candies. I’ve got no strength. I’m guessing it’s hypoglycemia.”
Xie Yuncheng looked at him coolly. “What candy?”
“No—” Jiang Mingyi was confused. “The mint candy you always eat. Hurry, give me two to wake my brain up. I’m really not okay.”
As he spoke, he directly reached into Xie Yuncheng’s pocket. He dug out two candies, but before he could even warm them in his hand, they were snatched away.
“Damn, are you serious?” Jiang Mingyi was shocked. “It’s just two pieces of candy and you treasure them like this? Don’t be so stingy—this doesn’t look like you.”
Xie Yuncheng casually tossed him a mint candy. Only those two strawberry milk candies were put back into his pocket.
Jiang Mingyi hurriedly unwrapped the candy and sucked on it, finally feeling alive again. Seeing Xie Yuncheng treat them like treasures, he found it incomprehensible. “What are you doing? It’s just two candies. Is it really that serious? If I actually eat them, I’ll just pay you back two more.”
Xie Yuncheng only looked at him coldly. “You can’t pay it back.”
“……”
Come on—was it really that serious? Two milk candies—treating them like some rare treasure. What’s there he can’t pay back? He might be tight right now, but he wasn’t so poor he couldn’t afford two candies.
“That’s too much. I’m not so broke I’m at the end of my rope. You’re questioning my financial power.”
Xie Yuncheng scoffed. “You’re thinking too much. I’m questioning your character.”
“……No personal attacks, please.”
Jiang Mingyi was still sulking when the basketball court suddenly got lively. People from other classes who came to play and relax were chatting here and there.
There were even classmates who’d heard Class One and Class Seven were going to play a match today and deliberately came to watch. Not seeing anyone, they were puzzled, whispering: “Wasn’t it said Class Seven and Class One were playing today? Why is it so calm? I ran over right after school and there’s nothing at all!”
“Play what? Class Seven didn’t show. You think Class Seven really got scared and stood them up?”
“No way. Teng Wenbiao is a main player on the school basketball team. Class One is just a bunch of academic nerds with uncoordinated limbs. Class Seven versus Class One should be a crushing win. And they’d still run at the last moment?”
Jiang Mingyi was about to argue—who said their Class One were all uncoordinated? But before he could open his mouth, he heard someone run over and say, “Forget it—what are you still watching here? Teng Wenbiao definitely won’t come today.”
Jiang Mingyi froze too when he heard it. He’d waited here for ages and Teng Wenbiao never showed; he’d even been thinking maybe the guy was scared.
But from what he knew, Teng Wenbiao wasn’t the kind of coward who chickened out on the spot.
“Why?” someone beside them asked.
The runner took a breath. “You guys still don’t know? Teng Wenbiao took a bunch of Class Seven guys and ran to the girls’ dorm building. The show of force was huge—like they were going to beat someone up. It scared the hell out of me just watching.”
“Girls’ dorm? What are they doing there?”
“I heard from Class Seven people that Teng Wenbiao likes a girl. Isn’t the monthly break coming up? He wants to confess before the break, so he brought a bunch of people to block her. That girl seems to be from Class One too—her name is… some ‘Sang’ something. Anyway, she’s not from Jingcheng. Seems like she was recruited as a poor student from the neighboring county.”
……
Jiang Mingyi was instantly shocked. What the hell? Teng Wenbiao likes Qin Sang? Isn’t that prying at his brother’s wall?
He was about to speak, but when he turned his head, he saw Xie Yuncheng had already left.
Someone nearby didn’t understand. “Brother Jiang, what’s up with God Xie? He just got here and he’s leaving again?”
Jiang Mingyi was so anxious he was like an ant on a hot pan. “Are you kidding? The fire is already burning your ass. Wouldn’t you be anxious? If you don’t hurry, your wife will be gone.”