“Where are you hurt? Let me take a look…”

To be honest, Lin Bosheng’s handwriting is quite attractive. It’s slightly more casual than standard script but not messy. He also seems to be a fairly neat person. Although he only has a few outfits that he rotates through, each one is always clean, with no strange smells, and he looks fresh and tidy.

Even when he returned Liu Sizhen’s long-handled umbrella a few days ago, he had actually put a protective bag over it. It felt very considerate, as if he was afraid of getting the umbrella dirty… though it seemed a bit much for just an umbrella.

But honestly, Liu Sizhen didn’t think much of it.

This was actually the first time Lin Bosheng had ever gotten distracted in class. He was usually very focused and hardly ever daydreamed, yet he even wrote him a note. Although Liu Sizhen just glanced at the note and threw it into the trash.

Sitting in the back row does make it convenient for throwing things away.

He ignored the later notes Lin Bosheng passed as well. When he saw that Liu Sizhen wasn’t reading the notes, Lin Bosheng moved a little closer, probably still wanting to ask about whatever he’d written.

Every time he moved a little closer,

Liu Sizhen would scoot a little farther away,

and then… Lin Bosheng would persistently follow him.

[System, has the protagonist been switched out with someone else?]

[No.]

What injury could he have? It was just a small cut on his waist from a pocketknife, and it was already almost healed. It was really no big deal—a minor scratch that would heal on its own, even without bandaging.

“If you keep moving closer, I’m going to punch you.”

Liu Sizhen glared at him, threatening in a low voice.

He thought he sounded tough enough to scare Lin Boshen, but Lin Bosheng didn’t seem intimidated at all. He didn’t even blink; he simply looked at him calmly and said, “Go ahead.”

“…”

Go ahead? This wasn’t following the script.

No matter what Liu Sizhen said afterward, Lin Bosheng remained completely unfazed, focused on finding out where he was hurt. Liu Sizhen didn’t want to tell him, and so the two of them ended up in a quiet standoff.

Meanwhile, the subject teacher standing at the podium had an excellent view of the class. What they were doing was so noticeable that it was hard to ignore, even if the teacher tried.

The teacher was aware of Liu Sizhen’s situation: he had been placed in the class through connections, which even Class 11’s homeroom teacher found challenging. So they had informed the other teachers to just ignore him as much as possible.

Just treat it as if he weren’t there. As for Lin Bosheng, the teacher knew his background too. He had good grades and was usually very focused in class, completing all his assignments diligently.

But it seemed that sitting with Liu Sizhen had led him astray. In just a few days, he was starting to cause disruptions in class.

“Ahem, ahem! Cough!” The teacher adjusted his glasses, paused deliberately, and cleared his throat.

“You’re all sixteen or seventeen, about to be adults. I don’t want to speak too bluntly or unpleasantly. You know this is your second year of high school. Next year will be your third, and soon after, the college entrance exams… Don’t you feel any urgency or sense of shame?”

“Some people don’t need to worry about the entrance exams—they’ll go straight abroad for college. They’ll have money even if they don’t work. So no one can stop them from playing around.”

“But as for the rest of you… Do you know your own circumstances? Do you know theirs? Aren’t you aware? If you don’t focus on studying now… what’s the point of hanging around with them all the time?”

Liu Sizhen could feel the stares directed at him after the teacher’s speech. The word “some” was clearly referring to him.

‘Liu Sizhen’ didn’t need to take the college entrance exams; not only that, but even his future overseas destinations had already been decided. The two years he was spending here at Changning No.2 High School were really just to pass the time.

That’s also why the teachers turned a blind eye to his actions.

“…”

As for who the teacher was referring to with the rest of the speech, Liu Sizhen’s gaze drifted to the protagonist sitting beside him. The words were sharp, but the teacher wasn’t entirely wrong.

Still, the teacher’s words had an edge.

At that moment, Liu Sizhen instinctively turned to look at the protagonist beside him.

He must have understood the teacher’s words. His face showed a slight pause before returning to normal.

The two of them fell silent.

Of course, Lin Bosheng understood. How could he not know who the teacher’s blunt words were directed at? And did it really need further thought? Wasn’t it obvious?

From the very first meeting, he was clear about it—

He and Liu Sizhen were from two different worlds.

So the only connection they probably shared was at school. Like intersecting lines that meet at one point and then move further and further apart, never to cross paths again.

For some reason, the thought of possibly never interacting with him for the rest of his life made Lin Boshen feel a strange, stifling discomfort. The pain from his nails digging into his skin wasn’t enough to stop him from this train of thought.

After Tuesday comes Wednesday and Thursday, and in the blink of an eye, it’s Friday, and then soon it’ll be break time. But Lin Bosheng couldn’t feel any joy at all.

At least in school, he could still see Liu Sizhen. He’d gotten used to watching him every day, buying him breakfast every morning, and even being reminded of him whenever he saw food that he might like.

It was like a wildflower growing in a dark corner, struggling to survive in the cracks. And one day… it was suddenly touched by a ray of sunlight.

It was the first time it felt warmth, so the wildflower deeply wished that this sunlight could linger on it just a little longer. It would do anything to repay this warmth.

Lin Bosheng had even thought of coming to school every day—how ridiculous.

He’d been busier than usual, not because of schoolwork, but for other reasons. He was saving up money.

He didn’t want to spend the extra money Liu Sizhen sometimes gave him. He wanted to give him a gift of his own, but he wasn’t sure what Liu Sizhen needed, or if he could even manage a present worthy of him.

Lin Bosheng had previously worked as a tutor and even helped other students in exchange for payment to solve practice questions. But those methods were too slow, so he chose something faster. He knew exactly how to scare people, and with his deceptive appearance…

It was going well so far, but Lin Boshen was afraid of Liu Sizhen finding out. If he knew, he’d definitely realize that he’d been pretending all along—and he might truly come to hate him.

Even though he often said he hated him, Lin Bosheng could sense that he didn’t actually have any ill intent toward him. Liu Sizhen was discreetly glancing at him again.

Lin Bosheng could tell he was checking his mood.

Though Liu Sizhen didn’t say a word, his actions clearly showed he was asking if he was okay. It was like every other time when his expressions and actions didn’t match at all.

Lin Bosheng shifted his gaze slightly, just in time to meet Liu Sizhen’s eyes.

His eyes were beautiful, like clear glass.

As their eyes met, Liu Sizhen immediately looked away and even coughed lightly, as if to cover it up, as though the concerned look he’d given him was something Lin Bosheng had just imagined.

But Lin Bosheng knew it wasn’t possible; he was always sensitive to other people’s gazes, so he couldn’t have been mistaken. But for some reason, in that moment, he awkwardly looked away, too.

He pretended to look out the window. The dusk lingered, and the red sunset at the horizon was stunningly beautiful. One of the clouds looked uncannily like Liu Sizhen.

Like a lazy kitten, stretching and baring its claws.

Instinctively, Lin Bosheng wanted to call the person next to him to look, but in the corner of his eye, he saw Liu Sizhen pretending to sleep, though his act wasn’t very convincing.

That wasn’t the important part, though; the boy’s delicate profile was bathed in the sunset glow. The light glinted off the earring in his ear, and since Lin Bosheng had perfect vision, he could see even more details, like the faint, fine hairs on Liu Sizhen’s earlobe…

That moment was one Lin Bosheng would remember for a very long time.

“…”

Just then, Liu Sizhen’s pen rolled off his desk, ending up by Lin Bosheng’s feet. Its owner, hearing the noise, didn’t even open his eyes. Half-asleep, he instinctively bent down to retrieve it.

Lin Bosheng, also instinctively, reached out to help pick it up.

Both moved at almost the same time, heads brushing together, and their fingers touched, pausing for about two seconds.

Liu Sizhen’s hand was fair and soft, showing he probably never did any hard work. In contrast, Lin Boshen’s hand had faint scars and small cuts.

In that instant, Lin Bosheng seemed to hear the sound of his own heartbeat.

Lin Bosheng: “I-I… I’m just picking up the pen.”

Liu Sizhen: “…Oh…”

It was just a slight touch, but the protagonist reacted as though he’d been burned, sitting back up in a flustered, out-of-character panic.

Seeing his reaction, Liu Sizhen’s first thought was: Was there static electricity? But that didn’t make sense since it was already summer—there shouldn’t be any static electricity.

Static electricity is more common in fall and winter.

To Liu Sizhen, accidentally touching hands wasn’t a big deal, but seeing Lin Bosheng’s panicked response gave him a strange, uneasy feeling.

Maybe he was overthinking it.

[Why does the protagonist keep staring at me like that?]

[Do I have something on my face?]

Liu Sizhen even touched his face.

[…]

258 didn’t want to respond.

Because it had clearly seen that Liu Sizhen’s heartbeat… was actually slightly elevated, though he himself seemed completely unaware of it.