Friday morning.

The music for the athletes’ march was blaring noisily from the field outside, and the second-year students were jostling as they rushed to the field for assembly.

Xu Xing stood by the water dispenser, filling his cup, when Tang Mian approached, holding a small egg steamer. She asked, “I’m steaming some eggs. One for you and Zhongzhong?”

Xu Xing glanced at the egg steamer in Tang Mian’s hands. Through the transparent lid, he could clearly see four eggs placed on the rack. Xu Xing nodded and casually asked, “Why are you steaming an extra egg today?”

Tang Mian shrugged. “The guy sitting behind me asked for one.”

Xu Xing made a sound of acknowledgment, stepping aside to let her place the egg steamer in a hidden corner near the water dispenser and plug it in.

He asked offhandedly, “How long will it take?”

Tang Mian looked down and replied, “About ten minutes.”

Xu Xing hadn’t eaten much for breakfast—just a carton of milk and two slices of whole-wheat bread—and was starting to feel a bit hungry. Knowing he’d need to be energized for the upcoming PE class, he thought one egg wouldn’t be enough to satisfy him. So, he suggested to Tang Mian, “Let’s leave the eggs steaming here. Let’s go to the snack shop and get some sausages.”

Since the egg steamer would automatically turn off, Tang Mian agreed, “Sure, let’s go.”

Xu Xing put his thermos back on his desk. Wang Zicong was lying on the table resting, while Ke Di and Fu Dai, along with a few others, were by the window checking out some girls.

Ke Di excitedly said, “Look at that girl wearing the neon pink running shoes. She’s the campus beauty of the second year! Wow, is she wearing makeup? Her skin is so white.”

Ke Di let out a playful whistle at the window, and someone below looked up. Feeling proud of himself, he said, “Our Brother Che the campus heartthrob, no need to feel intimidated.”

Lu Che glanced out the window carelessly, just in time to see Xu Xing returning with his water. Quickly, Lu Che turned away and leaned against the window, all serious and composed.

As soon as Xu Xing sat back down, Lu Che leaned closer, shortening the distance between them, and with a playful tone said, “Class president, do you have time now? Play a game of Go with me~”

Without even looking at him, Xu Xing rejected, “No time.”

Ignoring Lu Che’s presence, Xu Xing grabbed some spare change from his backpack and headed downstairs with Tang Mian to the snack shop.

As usual, the snack shop was crowded during break time, but thankfully, most of the second-year students were at the backfield for morning exercises, leaving only a few stragglers. While still packed, it wasn’t as bad as peak times.

Xu Xing squeezed his way to the front of the cashier, eyeing the rotating black pepper sausages in the machine. For two years straight, he had always bought six sausages, but today, he hesitated for a moment—

His tongue brushed his dry lips as he opened his mouth to ask for eight sausages. While the shop lady was packing them up, he hesitated again and changed his order to ten sausages.

The ten sausages were split into two bags: one with six, the other with four.

Carrying the two bags of sausages, Xu Xing was already feeling conflicted. And to make matters worse, Tang Mian asked, “How hungry are you today? You’re going to eat six sausages by yourself?”

Xu Xing vaguely replied, “Someone else said they wanted some.”

“Oh~”

Tang Mian took a bite of the black pepper sausage, enjoying it, and didn’t ask any more questions.

Standing by the corner railing of the corridor, Xu Xing gnawed on his sausage, mentally berating himself for buying the extra four sausages.

—To stop Lu Che from stealing Wang Zicong’s sausages.

A voice in his head answered, justifying his decision.

Xu Xing was convinced.

After finishing their sausages, Xu Xing and Tang Mian returned to the classroom, where he handed the bag with two sausages to Wang Zicong and tossed the bag with four sausages onto Lu Che’s desk.

Lu Che had been engrossed in playing with a water ring-toss toy, but when he heard the sound, he looked up just as Ke Di quickly snatched the bag. “Thanks for the treat, class president!” Ke Di exclaimed excitedly.

Ke Di, ever the opportunist, quickly divided the four sausages among the group.

Xu Xing smiled and said, “You’re welcome.”

Without glancing at Lu Che’s expression, Xu Xing walked to the front of the classroom with Tang Mian to check on the egg steamer.

The bell for the next class rang soon after. When Xu Xing returned to his seat, Lu Che, who sat behind him, stretched out his hand and asked for candy, “Class president, I want some milk-flavored white chocolate.”

Xu Xing rolled his eyes in annoyance and said, “Can’t you grab it yourself? The whole box is under the desk.”

Lu Che grinned and replied, “But I didn’t get your permission, so I didn’t dare to take it.”

Xu Xing paused at that response. He had gotten so used to the way he interacted with Wang Zicong and Tang Mian that he unconsciously extended the same treatment to Lu Che, not realizing that it might not be appropriate.

This wasn’t right…

Xu Xing couldn’t quite pinpoint what was wrong, but he mulled over it for a while, feeling uneasy. Then, suddenly, he felt someone’s arm stretch around him, encircling him as if in an embrace.

Lu Che, having received verbal permission, said, “Well then, I’ll help myself~”

His voice was low and magnetic, almost brushing Xu Xing’s ear, with a playful undertone that made the moment linger.

“…”

Lu Che, fully aware of Xu Xing’s tendency to get flustered, didn’t push his luck. He just took advantage of the moment, giving Xu Xing a brief hug under the guise of grabbing the candy. He quickly retreated once he had the candy in hand.

With a satisfied grin, Lu Che unwrapped the chocolate and popped it into his mouth. He couldn’t resist commenting, “How can it be this sweet~?”

Xu Xing, struggling with his mixed feelings, didn’t even bother turning around to glare at Lu Che. Instead, he fished out his textbooks and notes from under the desk, forcing himself to focus on the definitions written in the book to drive away his scattered thoughts.

The fourth period in the morning was P.E. class.

Led by the class’s sports committee member, Ke Di, the whole class finished their warm-up exercises. The physical education teacher then took over to explain the day’s lesson.

According to the teacher’s plan, they were starting long-distance running training in this class.

The boys were instructed to run one lap around the field first, followed by the girls, after which everyone would run three laps together. The inner track of the backfield was a standard 200-meter track, meaning the girls would run 600 meters, and the boys 800 meters. The distance would gradually increase in future classes.

Long-distance running tests endurance. Zhou Mang maintained a solid lead throughout, finishing first, with Lu Che and Ke Di close behind.

Xu Xing, however, remained near the back of the group, accompanying Wang Zicong at a slow pace. Eventually, even several girls from their class overtook them—even Tang Mian, who rarely exercised, managed to catch up. This showed just how slow Wang Zicong was running.

Xu Xing kept his breathing steady, encouraging Wang Zicong during the run, “Come on, just half a lap left.”

Wang Zicong, clenching his little fists in determination, was drenched in sweat, and with gritted teeth, he tried to sprint forward. In reality, though, he was only taking small, slow steps.

At that moment, Xu Xing noticed the slim figure ahead of him struggling to maintain balance, her pace slowing down. He kept an eye on her and, sure enough, saw her stumble as if she was about to fall.

Xu Xing quickly rushed over to catch her before she hit the ground.

It wasn’t until he held her up that Xu Xing realized the girl’s face was pale, and her lips had lost all color. He hurriedly led her off the track to rest.

The P.E. teacher quickly came over and, upon seeing her condition, said, “It must be low blood sugar. Take her to the infirmary to rest, and have her drink some glucose water to recover.”

The girl hadn’t lost consciousness and weakly said, “I’m fine, I just need to rest here for a bit.”

Tang Mian and a few other girls came over to check on her. Since she insisted on staying outside to rest, the teacher asked one of the girls to go to the school nurse and get some glucose water.

The girl’s name was Hou Ranmei. She leaned weakly against the fence separating the field and the school building, her face still looking unwell. The girls around her didn’t really know how to take care of her, so after asking, “Are you okay?” a few times, they awkwardly fidgeted in silence.

Xu Xing stood by her side, unsure whether to leave. After a brief hesitation, he pulled a small item from his pocket and handed it to her, saying, “Here, take this.”

Hou Ranmei looked up at him. Despite her pale face, her delicate features were still striking. When she glanced down, her previously furrowed brow relaxed—

Resting in Xu Xing’s open palm was a small white chocolate candy.

Hou Ranmei gently took the candy from him, a faint smile appearing on her face. “Thank you, class president.”

Xu Xing lowered his voice and said, “Next time, make sure to eat something before P.E., and carry a piece of candy with you just in case.”

She nodded lightly.

Just then, Tang Mian returned with a cup of glucose water, so Xu Xing excused himself.

Xu Xing didn’t dwell on the small incident during P.E. class.

After class ended and they returned to the classroom, Xu Xing teased Wang Zicong, propping his face on his hand, “So, what’s on the menu for your victory lunch today?”

Wang Zicong, who was known for rewarding himself with food for the slightest bit of exercise, had just completed an 800-meter run. Xu Xing joked that he’d probably be calling home to share the news of his “achievement” soon.

Still recovering from the run, Wang Zicong winced at the thought of the metallic taste in his mouth during the run and said, “I haven’t decided yet…”

Seeing Wang Zicong’s pained expression, Xu Xing sighed internally, thinking that Wang would probably be a “potential talent” forever. He reached out to pinch Wang Zicong’s face, but before he could continue their conversation, someone interrupted—

“Class president…”

Xu Xing looked up to see the girl from P.E. standing in front of him.

Hou Ranmei had fully recovered. Her pale, delicate face now carried a smile as soft as the blossoms of early spring.

Xu Xing immediately asked, “Feeling better?”

Hou Ranmei nodded, her voice gentle. “Thank you for your concern~”

Her lips, red and her teeth white, made her appear even more charming. She seemed shy, her eyes lowering as she finally gathered the courage to extend something from behind her back. “This is for you, as a thank-you gift~”

Xu Xing glanced down and saw that she placed a bottle of AD calcium milk on his desk.

He didn’t reject her gift outright, but responded politely, “Thanks.”

Hou Ranmei, not one for many words, quickly returned to her seat, her cheeks flushed.

Just as Xu Xing was about to ask Wang Zicong if he wanted the AD calcium milk, someone from behind suddenly reached over and snatched it.

Xu Xing turned around and saw Lu Che, already sticking a straw into the bottle—aggressively.

With the straw between his lips, Lu Che smiled at Xu Xing and, mimicking the girl’s tone, said, “Thanks, class president~”

Seeing Lu Che’s insincere smile, Xu Xing figured he was up to his usual antics again. He gave a half-hearted response before turning back around.

As he sipped the milk, Lu Che squinted at the long-haired girl’s back.

Suddenly.

Xu Xing heard him ask, “Class president, do you think AD calcium milk tastes better, or does Wangzai milk taste better?”

“…”

Xu Xing had been about to say AD calcium milk, since he wasn’t fond of overly sweet drinks. But when he opened his mouth, he only gave an annoyed reply: “I think neither of them tastes good.”

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Author’s note: Hou Ranmei, when read backward, spells “no follow-up.”

This character will appear once more.