When ten pounds of braised pig brains were placed on the desk, everyone in dorm 316 perked up, and it even attracted several hungry wolves from across the hall and next door.

A group of boys huddled together, getting hyped as they ate, chatted, and even sang songs.

After the lights went out, someone brought over two flashlights, shaking them around in the dim dorm, and started a pig brain party.

Xie Ci wasn’t a fan of eating animal organs. He took a couple of bites just to appease Gu Yufeng and then sat back, watching the group of kids make a ruckus.

This felt different from being in a bar.

In bars, people always smelled of alcohol and smoke, and when they got rowdy, it just annoyed him. But these boys, silly and carefree, reminded him of his younger self in those fleeting moments.

“What are you staring at? Eat up!”

Gu Yufeng, sitting next to Xie Ci, noticed he had put down his chopsticks and pushed a piece of braised pig brain toward Xie Ci’s mouth. “If you don’t eat, they’ll finish it all!”

Xie Ci dodged, “You eat it yourself.”

Gu Yufeng pushed the chopsticks closer, “I’m not a slacker; why would I eat pig brains?”

No matter where Xie Ci tried to hide, Gu Yufeng’s chopsticks followed, and he had no choice but to open his mouth and bite down. “… Who told you that eating pig brains can make you smarter?”

In two lifetimes combined, it was the first time Gu Yufeng had fed Xie Ci, and it felt pretty good. He decided to pick up the takeout box and prepare to force-feed him. “Isn’t there an old saying that says you become what you eat?”

Xie Ci replied, “Even if that’s true, how smart can pig brains make you?”

Gu Yufeng picked up another piece, “Definitely smarter than your brain. I’ve already beaten Yang He this time; I’ll take my time to catch up later. I’m not in a hurry.”

Xie Ci: “…”

So in this kid’s eyes, neither he nor Yang He was as smart as a pig?

As it neared eleven o’clock, Xie Ci reminded them not to make too much noise; it would be a hassle if the dorm supervisor came over.

Jiang Chenyu waved his hand dismissively, “It’s fine. I sent someone to check; the dorm supervisor is binge-watching a show and doesn’t have time for us.”

But less than ten minutes later, there was a loud knock at the door, accompanied by the dorm supervisor’s stern voice: “What are you all making noise about in the middle of the night?!”

The entire dorm fell silent.

“Quick, hide!”

Zhang Ruochuan whispered urgently, frantically signaling everyone to clear the table.

Gu Yufeng picked up a piece but hadn’t even had the chance to feed it to Xie Ci before the chopsticks and bowl were snatched away.

The dorm supervisor shouted, “Open the door!”

Everyone turned to Fang Sizhe in unison, their meaning clear.

Fang Sizhe was the best student among them and the most likable; sending him to talk might lessen the scolding.

Bearing the hopes of everyone, Fang Sizhe licked his greasy lips and steeled himself to open the door.

It turned out that being a good student didn’t help; he still got scolded.

Yang He peeked out from behind the dorm supervisor, sniffing the air, and reported, “Auntie, they’re sneaking food!”

“Dog nose.”

Jiang Chenyu shot back, but when he met the dorm supervisor’s stern gaze, he silently lowered his head.

The next day, dorm 316 received a notice of reprimand, which was posted right at the dorm entrance for all students to see as they came and went.

During morning self-study, Xie Ci and the others were called to the office to receive a bright morning greeting from Xiang Haibin.

“Having a party in the dorm in the middle of the night? Are you trying to rebel?! Is it my fault for giving you too many papers, leaving you with excess energy to burn?”

Xiang Haibin’s face was serious, his knuckles rapping loudly on the table. He then looked at Fang Sizhe with a disappointed expression, “Why are you messing around with them?”

Fang Sizhe replied, “We did get a bit too rowdy; I’m sorry for causing you trouble.”

Xiang Haibin was known for being soft on good students like Fang Sizhe, so he vented his frustration on the others.

“Who went out to buy the braised food?”

“I did.” Gu Yufeng casually admitted, hands in his pockets.

Xiang Haibin: “Didn’t you know you can’t bring braised food into the dorm?”

Gu Yufeng: “I didn’t know.”

Xiang Haibin: “Haven’t you read the dorm rules?!”

Gu Yufeng: “There are too many words; I couldn’t understand.”

Xiang Haibin was momentarily speechless, his expression darkening.

Jiang Chenyu and Zhang Ruochuan exchanged glances.

Old Gu was really brave, daring to go toe-to-toe with Old Xiang.

Fang Sizhe worried that if this continued, they would all be in trouble, so he tried to ease the increasingly tense atmosphere: “Teacher Xiang, Old Gu heard that eating pig brains can make you smarter, so he specifically went to buy them. It’s just a kind gesture.”

“Eating pig brains to get smarter?”

Xiang Haibin was so angry he kept nodding, his gaze sweeping over the group before landing on Xie Ci. “Is that for you?”

Xie Ci: “…”

This was discrimination.

“I think you all need to supplement your brains!”

Xiang Haibin shouted angrily, “Get out to the hallway and stand there until morning self-study is over!”

In the classroom, everyone watched as the five tall boys returned, standing side by side in the hallway as punishment.

Four of them were key players on the school basketball team, gathering the school hunk, class monitor, and the new beauty, creating a serious overload of hormones that made it hard for anyone not to look their way, even forgetting the ancient texts they had just memorized.

Zhang Ruochuan whispered, “They didn’t even make us write a self-reflection; Old Xiang is unusually kind today.”

Jiang Chenyu replied, “We just ate some pig brains; what’s the big deal?”

Fang Sizhe said, “Can you all just shut up? You’ll attract him over here.”

Xie Ci noticed Gu Yufeng hadn’t said anything, and seeing his expression, he knew he was plotting something. He quietly asked, “What are you scheming this time?”

Gu Yufeng replied leisurely, “My not-so-smart desk mate isn’t very clever, so I have to worry a bit more.”

The pig brain plan was abruptly cut short, and Gu Yufeng had to think of another way.

On Wednesday noon, Xie Ci and the others went to the cafeteria for lunch.

When it was Xie Ci’s turn, the lunch lady unusually piled a huge spoonful of braised pork onto his plate, pressed it down, and then added two big spoonfuls of spicy ribs on the side.

Seeing her unusual enthusiasm, Xie Ci quickly stopped her, “That’s too much; I can’t finish it.”

The lunch lady smiled brightly, “You’re still growing; you need to eat more to keep up with your nutrition! The braised crucian carp for lunch is great; let me pick a big one for you!”

Xie Ci watched helplessly as she piled his plate into a small mountain.

Zhang Ruochuan and the others behind him were envious and hurriedly brought their own plates over.

“Auntie, I’m growing too; I want two big spoonfuls of meat!”

“I want the same as Xie Ci!”

“Sister, I want a big braised crucian carp too!”

The lunch window was instantly surrounded by people, and students at other windows were panicking.

Isn’t the portion difference too big?

Could it be some charity day at the cafeteria?

Boys have the thickest skin, and they quickly switched to Xie Ci’s line, stretching their necks and eagerly waiting.

Xie Ci emerged from the crowd with his plate, completely confused, and turned to see Gu Yufeng standing at the back of the line, grinning like a dog, and suddenly everything clicked.

“Did you do this?” Xie Ci approached him, his tone certain.

Gu Yufeng laughed, “It’s just that Xie Team’s charm is so great that even the lunch lady is enchanted and can’t help but want to take care of you more. What does that have to do with me?”

The speaker was casual, but the listener took it to heart.

The surrounding students looked at the exaggerated amount of food on Xie Ci’s plate and found it quite reasonable.

Even the lunch lady was enchanted; no wonder he was the school hunk of their school.

On Thursday morning,

Zhang Ruochuan took advantage of the break after morning runs to sneak out with a few boys to buy breakfast at a roadside stall.

Xie Ci and the others were sitting in a corner of the stands, and from a distance, they saw Zhang Ruochuan running back with a bag, sneaky like a thief.

“What are you doing? You look like a lookout.” Jiang Chenyu took the bag and opened it to share with them.

“I’m afraid Old Gu will see me.”

Zhang Ruochuan squatted down with his portion, sipping soy milk while looking around, “He found out the last few times I tried to buy from roadside stalls, and I didn’t get to eat.”

Jiang Chenyu said, “I just saw him go make a phone call.”

“He seems busy every day.”

Zhang Ruochuan asked Xie Ci, “Old Xie, do you know what he’s busy with?”

“I don’t know; that’s his private matter.”

Xie Ci hadn’t asked, but he could roughly guess.

Gu Yufeng’s grandfather was a financial magnate in Country D, a level that ordinary people could only dream of. Outsiders only saw the glamorous surface, but the higher you are, the stronger the winds and rains.

In his previous life, Gu Yufeng’s grandfather’s consortium was besieged by several fierce competitors, surrounded on all sides. At this point in time, his family might have already realized the problem.

As the only heir of the family, Gu Yufeng had to prepare early to support the entire family when the storm came.

Compared to ordinary high school students, Gu Yufeng was destined to bear more and might not have truly experienced the joys of this age.

Looking back, they had lived together for five years but had never talked about their youth. The topics they discussed daily were all about work, and when they had free time, they only listened to concerts or visited art exhibitions—things completely unrelated to life.

Xie Ci’s impression of Gu Yufeng was that of a ruthless family leader, someone who treated him like air during work but would come to him late at night, someone who could always see through his thoughts and was willing to conspire with him.

But that was about it.

His understanding of Gu Yufeng was limited to the initial investigation report.

In the following five years of their relationship, he hadn’t had the energy or thought to learn more about Gu Yufeng outside of work.

Perhaps that was the reason for his failure.

Scenes of their meetings flashed before Xie Ci’s eyes—on the old street, in the classroom, at the hospital, in the bar…

How much had that kid gone through to become the Gu Yufeng they knew in the last life?

The more Xie Ci thought about it, the more it bothered him, and that feeling of heartache returned. He took a bite of the egg sandwich in his hand, forcing himself to shift his focus.

As he bit down, Xie Ci paused slightly.

This texture felt off.

“Today’s egg sandwich is so good! Is it because I haven’t had it in a few days?”

Zhang Ruochuan turned to look at them, “The meat in this is so tender!”

Xie Ci ate with a blank face, not responding.

Top-grade beef, of course, was tender.

Anyone who could pull off something like this could be guessed with one’s toes.

Jiang Chenyu’s eyes lit up as he looked at the egg sandwich in his hand: “Is it beef?”

Zhang Ruochuan replied, “How could it be? A few bucks for an egg sandwich with beef? The cost wouldn’t even cover it; they might even lose money.”

The other two boys chimed in.

“Could it be rat meat?”

“Damn! We bought it from Uncle Jin’s stall; he’s always been pretty honest.”

Jiang Chenyu insisted, “No, no, no, this is definitely beef!”

Zhang Ruochuan was shocked: “Uncle Jin has gone crazy? He’s spending so much and not raising the price?”

The group couldn’t figure it out, and one boy stroked his chin thoughtfully: “Could it be that Uncle Jin has taken a liking to our Xie Team? Knowing we were bringing breakfast for Xie Team, he secretly used good ingredients?”

Zhang Ruochuan suddenly realized, “No wonder he gave us so much today and said it was a promotion!”

Xie Ci: “…”

His head hurt.

Gu Yufeng returned after finishing his phone call, casually taking a breakfast portion from the bag and sitting next to Xie Ci. “Is it good?”

Xie Ci looked at him, taking big bites of the egg sandwich, and quietly said, “Uncle Jin has to raise two kids; it’s tough for him. Don’t mess around.”

Gu Yufeng replied, “What do you mean mess around?”

Xie Ci asked, “What did you do to him?”

Gu Yufeng smiled at him, “Guess?”

Xie Ci just looked at him without saying anything, his expression carrying a hint of warning.

Gu Yufeng thought it was a buzzkill, finished his food in a few bites, and stood up to walk with them toward the classroom. “My immature assistant booked his stall; he’s now my employee.”

Xie Ci: “…”

You’re something else.

During Thursday evening self-study, Gu Yufeng set aside everything he was doing to review all the math difficulties of the week with his slacker desk mate.

After talking for a while with no response, Gu Yufeng looked up in confusion and saw Xie Ci resting his chin on his hand, staring at him in a daze.

He lightly put down his pen, reached out, and pinched Xie Ci’s face, smiling a bit fiercely: “I’m personally giving you a lesson; how dare you zone out, huh?”

“Ugh… let go.”

Xie Ci snapped back to reality, grabbing his wrist to move it away. “Don’t get handsy.”

Gu Yufeng said, “If you’re going to slack off, why are you betting with someone?”

Seeing that he seemed a bit angry, Xie Ci tentatively asked, “Are you that concerned about my win or loss?”

Gu Yufeng replied, “Of course! If you lose, I’ll have to do that loser’s chores.”

Xie Ci said, “It wouldn’t be hard to weasel out of it.”

Gu Yufeng looked deeply at him: “I won’t allow you to lose; is that reason enough?”

Xie Ci twirled the pen in his hand, pretending to be casual as he asked, “Did you used to teach others like this?”

“No.”

Gu Yufeng smirked, “Except for you, I haven’t met anyone dumb enough to need me to explain things.”

Xie Ci: “…”

On Friday afternoon, there was a surprise math test.

The seating arrangement was adjusted according to the exam requirements.

Xie Ci sat in the last row of the second column, while Gu Yufeng was in the third row from the back by the window.

As the test papers were distributed, everyone in the class was tense, not just about the exam itself but also about the bet between Xie Ci and Yang He.

Zhang Ruochuan and the others were already considering the feasibility of passing answers to Xie Ci with little notes.

“Don’t whisper!”

Xiang Haibin walked down from the podium with his hands behind his back. “Whoever messes up this time will have to come to my office after evening self-study for extra lessons.”

Everyone gasped, no longer daring to think about anything else.

It was better not to have those extra lessons.

Xie Ci received the test paper and glanced at both sides; it didn’t seem difficult.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Gu Yufeng frequently looking back, the concern almost written on his forehead.

Xie Ci tested a few times; whenever he filled in an answer, Gu Yufeng would raise his eyebrows in satisfaction, but if he paused, Gu Yufeng would frown in discontent.

When he got to the big questions, he deliberately took a long time. Gu Yufeng, resting his chin on his hand, was getting drowsy waiting.

He tried picking up his pen and wrote “solution” on the paper, and Gu Yufeng suddenly woke up, his eyes sparkling as he looked over.

Xie Ci facepalmed, trying to suppress his laughter.

How had he never realized that teasing Gu Yufeng was so entertaining?

That Gu Yufeng, who could remain unflappable at negotiation tables worth billions, could also wear his emotions on his face.

Gu Yufeng watched Xie Ci with his head down, his shoulders slightly shaking, confused.

What was going on?

Did he cry while writing the test? Was it that hard?