Chapter 40: Stop Internal Conflict, Unite Against External Threats

A new week always arrives right after the happiest ending.

As expected, on the first class of Monday, everyone sitting in their seats looked a little like zombies—half-dead and lifeless.

“You guys really aren’t surprised at all after seeing the photo? Old Third actually snuck out!” Yang Shuli, who was usually napping at this hour, was now shouting at the top of her lungs.

“Isn’t that completely normal? What’s so weird about it?” The one who said this was Liu Xie, who knew the whole story.

“You’re the weird one, getting jealous when your bro’s doing well.” This was Ye Qingchang, the person involved.

“What photo?” Zhu Niao, who hadn’t checked her messages yet, chimed in.

Ye Qingchang looked at Yang Shuli’s completely clueless face, and in the end decided to just tell her the truth.

“So now you have to try to win him over without exposing your identity, just to lessen the White Moonlight impression you left on him before?” Yang Shuli summed it up briefly.

“That’s right, so now I’m fighting with myself.” Ye Qingchang adjusted her glasses, trying to act cool.

“Sounds impressive, but isn’t this just you toying with someone’s feelings? You totally deserve it.”

Yang Shuli’s blunt comment received sleepy nods of agreement from Zhu Niao and Liu Xie.

“What do you know? I’m saving a lost soul here. Do you have any idea how much of a headache this is?” Ye Qingchang started arguing.

After scrolling through the chat and seeing the photo, Zhu Niao interrupted Ye Qingchang, “Honestly, the way you’re acting doesn’t look like you’re trying to win him over on purpose. It just looks like you’re being yourself.”

Ye Qingchang fell silent.

“Anyway, more importantly, I think there’s something else you should be worrying about.” Liu Xie, slumped over the desk, struggled to raise a finger. “The sports meet is coming up soon. What are you going to do about your 800 meters?”

Ye Qingchang’s face changed instantly, turning ashen and pained.

She glanced at Gou Yu, the Physical Committee Member sitting next to Zhu Niao, and he immediately dodged her gaze.

“There aren’t many girls participating to begin with. For the boys, those who aren’t in are all being replaced by the Physical Committee Members, but it doesn’t work that way for the girls.”

Zhu Niao explained, then reached out and patted Ye Qingchang’s shoulder, giving her a thumbs-up. “Come on, just treat it as doing your part for the class.”

“Actually, I’m a very selfish person.” Ye Qingchang put on a stern face.

“Then just crawl from start to finish on the track. It’s your own reputation you’re throwing away anyway.” Zhu Niao’s thumbs-up didn’t waver.

And so Ye Qingchang started wailing in despair.

“Look on the bright side. You can use this chance to get closer to your favorite club member. Wouldn’t that make it easier to win him over?” Zhu Niao asked, finally convincing Ye Qingchang to give up on the idea of dropping out.

Meanwhile, Gou Yu next to her looked extremely grateful.

“I’ll ask him to practice running with me later,” Ye Qingchang said. “But let me make this clear: I only barely passed the physical test before, and now I have no idea how bad I am.”

“It’s fine, as long as you’re a living person and show up, that’s enough. No one’s expecting you to win a medal anyway.”

Listening to Zhu Niao’s words, Ye Qingchang let out another sigh.

Then, her gaze shifted forward. She had meant to look at the blackboard, but her eyes uncontrollably landed on the boy sitting in the front row, wearing glasses.

From her seat, she could just see Xiao Yi’an’s profile, watching him lift his head to listen or lower it in thought from afar.

She also saw Xu Nian sitting next to Xiao Yi’an.

“Come on, explain to me why those two have gotten together?” Ye Qingchang grabbed Yang Shuli by the collar and pulled her over.

“I’m just looking out for you as Dorm Leader, okay?” Yang Shuli pouted. “What if that guy scams you for money or love? I have to send Old Xu to see if he’s a good person or not, right?”

“There’s no need for that. I already know him very well. Hurry up and recall your Pokémon before your Xu Nian gets too close.” Ye Qingchang watched as Xu Nian seemed to be striking up a conversation with Xiao Yi’an, feeling her heart race anxiously.

From her perspective, Xu Nian always wore a gentle smile, while Xiao Yi’an, at the center of her gaze, was always cold, responding with only a few words.

Most of the time, he didn’t even bother to reply to Xu Nian.

“Do you really know him? Isn’t what you know just the online version of him?” Yang Shuli shot back at Ye Qingchang.

Ye Qingchang was about to retort, but suddenly froze.

She looked again at Xiao Yi’an’s cold expression, the kind that warned strangers to keep away.

That shouldn’t be the face of the electronic pet who always longed for her warmth and sometimes awkwardly expressed his feelings.

Just as Xiao Yi’an didn’t really know the real her, she didn’t really know the real Xiao Yi’an, either.

“And once a Pokémon battle begins, it can’t be stopped. It’ll keep going until one side is dead,” the loli Dorm Leader said, crossing her arms with a serious expression.

Ye Qingchang raised her eyebrows and looked Yang Shuli up and down. “No, you’re not the Dorm Leader. Who are you?”

“So in your eyes, am I just some kind of idiot all the time?”

“Whoever you are, get off the Dorm Leader right now!” Ye Qingchang started searching for and playing the Heart Sutra on her phone.

The noise in the back row didn’t affect the students in the front or the teacher’s passionate lecture.

Among the mostly attentive students up front, two people seemed completely out of place.

Or rather, maybe just one.

Xu Nian was flipping through his book while pestering Xiao Yi’an beside him.

“Hey bro, what page are we on?”

Xiao Yi’an glanced at him. “Page thirty-two.”

“How come I don’t have a page thirty-two?”

“You brought the wrong book.”

“Oh, I see.” Xu Nian simply put his book away, still smiling as he chatted with Xiao Yi’an. “Bro, don’t you think we’re lucky? The class next door has three school beauties, and now we share a classroom with them.”

Xiao Yi’an didn’t bother to answer.

“Don’t be so cold. You’re really not interested in any of them?”

Xiao Yi’an still didn’t say a word.

“I’m going to pursue Ye Qingchang.”

The bespectacled boy paused, then turned his head, fixing his icy stare on the still-smiling Xu Nian.

“Just kidding. She’s not the one I want to go after.” Xu Nian held onto Xiao Yi’an, who was about to turn away again. “But I can help you pursue her.”

Xiao Yi’an shook his head. “No need.”

“Don’t be hasty. Think about it, are you sure you really don’t need help?” Xu Nian said, keeping his eyes on Xiao Yi’an while sneaking a glance at Yang Shuli, who was getting knocked on the head by Ye Qingchang in the back row.

So cute.

The boy’s pen paused on the page, leaving a few dots of ink.

“Of course, it’s not for free. Sometimes I’ll need your help too.” Xu Nian still wore that gentle smile. “It’s normal for classmates to help each other out.”