Chapter 345 : The Same Us, Different Endings

"Dammit, why won't Old Master Jian let me change seats? Dammit! Why?!"

Out ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍in the corridor, Wang Ze pounded the hollow sheet-metal railing, sending out a low, echoing buzz. His voice was thick with indignation: "I clearly provided a legitimate reason, so why won't he let me change! Why?!"

Zhou ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Baowei (who currently hadn't completely collapsed yet) was also leaning against the railing. Hearing this, he turned his head to question him, his eyes filled with skepticism, "What legitimate reason did you even give?"

Wang ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Ze replied, "Every time a subject teacher catches me sleeping in class, because I'm sitting so close, they slam their hand down on my desk with full force. It rattles my brain so hard it buzzes. I basically have a mild concussion."

Zhou ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Baowei: "(；☉_☉)?"

"What ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍the hell kind of concussive reason is that! Rejecting you was completely the right move!" Zhou Baowei slammed the railing as he laughed and cursed, causing a noticeable tremor near the school gate.

But ‍​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‍Wang Ze didn't see it that way. He remained utterly dejected: "Wouldn't it be much more appropriate to have Lin Li sit in my spot? Then move Bai Bufan to the other side of the podium desk, replacing Xie Wenjing. Separating those two would cut Class Four's chaos in half. Isn't that great?"

"..."

"Yeah, but then every single teacher would end up with a concussion."

Zhang Haoyang imagined that scenario from a teacher's perspective; his facial features twisted together as a cold shiver ran down his spine, leaving him covered in goosebumps.

Imagine lecturing, letting your gaze sweep to the side—holy crap, Bai Bufan.

Fleeing to the other side to escape that plague, you take another look—your mom, Lin Li!

How could anyone teach a damn class like that? Might as well just jump off a building.

Furthermore, Zhang Haoyang didn't think a mere podium desk could stop those two from unleashing their combined madness. In fact, the podium would likely just become a part of their foreplay.

"I don't care, this is discrimination targeted directly at me! Unfair! Too unfair!" Wang Ze unleashed his inner diva, beginning to throw a tantrum.

"This world is inherently unfair to begin with," Lin Li scoffed upon hearing this. "If a man overindulges his desires, his kidneys get weak. If a woman overindulges her desires, it's still the damn man's kidneys that get weak. I'm shaking with rage. Tell me, when will the handsome brothers finally rise up?"

Wang Ze: "?"

That actually seemed to be true. Were women really that blissful...

Come to think of it, he was practicing abstinence practically every single day, with an average daily abstinence duration exceeding 23 hours, yet his body was still getting weaker and weaker. He wondered if someone was setting up a conspiracy to sabotage him behind the scenes.

Perhaps he had once again touched someone else's pie.

"True, so-called fairness is entirely a illusion," Bai Bufan agreed with deep feeling. "Those MOBA games claim to be fair competitive sports, but when I believed them and played, I discovered that in every single match, I have five opponents but only four teammates. Having more opponents than teammates makes it a four-on-five. What's fair about that? No wonder I always lose more than I win in MOBAs. Sigh, corporations, you win..."

Lin Li nodded, "Yeah."

Wang Ze also snapped out of his thoughts about corporations, acknowledging, "It really is like that."

The others couldn't even be bothered to speak.

"Wait, no?" Bai Bufan got a bit anxious. "Aren't you guys going to argue back?"

"Argue about what?" Lin Li shook his head calmly. "A match with you in it really is a four-on-five. It's not fair at all."

"A bunch of lowlifes."

Bai Bufan was used to it. He calmly gave them the middle finger, too lazy to curse this time. He would save up his stacks to unleash a massive curse next time.

"Anyway, after this failed application, I feel like I'm stuck in this guardian seat until stream splitting. As long as I sit in the Class Four classroom for a single day, my position won't change."

Wang Ze lamented bitterly, "Damn it, I clearly brought my phone, but I don't even dare to play with it during class. I am truly a disgrace to sports students! Sigh..."

"Sigh..." Qin Zeyu also let out a sigh.

"Zeyu, what are you sighing for? Then again, sitting next to Baowei must make you pretty eager to die. I understand you," Wang Ze looked at his fellow brother in misery, offering comfort.

Hearing this, Zhou Baowei decided to start humping the railing. However, it was worth mentioning that he was using Wang Ze as a conceptual substitute.

"I'm not sighing about that. I just thought about my own past because of today's seat-changing topic."

Qin Zeyu let out another sigh, his head drooping as his hand, dangling naturally outside the railing, patted the exterior wall of the teaching building: "None of you know... just how incredibly smooth my romantic path used to be."

"Oh? Do tell in detail?"

Seeing that there was gossip to devour, Lin Li and the guys all curiously crowded around to listen.

"Back in junior high, our seating arrangement followed a strict boy-girl pairing system. The purpose was to reduce the barrier between genders and let the relationships between boys and girls take a step forward. However, to prevent things from progressing too far, the teacher would completely reshuffle the seats every one or two weeks. And me? Almost every single time seats were changed, the person next to me would be one of the best-looking girls in the class. It was nothing more than a permutation and combination of them and me."

Qin Zeyu's eyes reminisced about the past, and he let out another long sigh.

"Wait, no? Zeyu, did your family gift the teacher a refrigerator for the New Year? To treat you this well?" Zhou Baowei detached Wang Ze from his body, looking at Qin Zeyu in amazement.

If this guy used to live that kind of god-tier lifestyle, it was completely normal for him to look down on sitting next to him.

"No, my family gifted a wall calendar for the New Year," Qin Zeyu shook his head.

"Then how could the teacher remember you, and why were they so good to you?" Lin Li was also baffled. Even he had never enjoyed this kind of treatment.

"Because those girls' families gifted the teacher a refrigerator for the New Year," Qin Zeyu replied.

"Don't tell me all those girls liked you, and their families gave gifts just to fight over who gets to sit next to you and throw themselves at you. If this plotline were in an anime, anyone without a 200-pound top-tier rank in Genshin Impact wouldn't even be qualified to watch it, right?" Bai Bufan's mouth was laced with venom.

"Not at all!" Qin Zeyu gritted his teeth. "I only found out later that the teacher arranged those pretty girls next to me precisely to prevent them from dating early. This was also... what their families desired."

Lin Li and the others: "(；☉_☉)?"

"..."

"Holy crap!!"

Everyone in the corridor burst into roars of laughter, the air filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

"There was another time when the school was cracking down on early dating, and I proactively confessed. In the end, the teacher investigated the situation and told me, 'Child, this isn't called early dating. The two of you are just friends.'"

The joys and sorrows of humans are not shared; Qin Zeyu merely felt that the crowd in the corridor was a bit too noisy as he continued his sorrowful lament.

"Brother, stop talking, stop talking. If I put myself in your shoes, I'd already be dropping little pearls." It was too much of a soul-crushing blow. Lin Li laughed hysterically as he stepped forward to pound Chen Tianming's back for comfort.

"No, Zeyu, then why the hell did you say your romantic path was smooth? We thought you really played around a lot in junior high and were just keeping a low profile and laying low in high school," Wang Ze also laughed and cursed.

"There wasn't a single person on my romantic path, so I could walk however the hell I wanted! Isn't that incredibly smooth! Ah! Wang Ze! I'm asking you, is it smooth or not! Answer me!" Qin Zeyu experienced an emotional trigger, looking at Wang Ze as he questioned him loudly.

Wang Ze: "[○｀Д○]!!"

So it was that kind of smooth?

"I'm sorry! Brother Yu! Sumanai! My bad, my bad! That is indeed exceptionally smooth!" Wang Ze corrected his mistake immediately, offering a sincere apology.

"Envious. There were way too many people trying to harass me on my romantic path. As someone who loves to drive, I have to hold myself back every single time. Sigh, Zeyu, I really envy you," Lin Li expressed his deep envy wistfully.

"Lin Li, are you trying to disgust me?" Qin Zeyu's teeth itched with rage. "If things really went smoothly for you, you'd be unhappy instead."

"One thing has nothing to do with the other."

"Stop talking about smoothness. Lin Li, the female lead of your romantic path is walking over, Lin Li." Bai Bufan nudged Lin Li with his elbow, jerking his chin forward.

Lin Li had naturally noticed as well.

Chen Yuying and Yu Yu walked out from the front door. Reaching the wall drawing, they used the oversized teaching triangle ruler in their hands to begin measuring the width of the drawing area on the wall.

—Once the length and width of the wall painting area were determined, they could shrink it proportionally on paper. This would facilitate the advance design of the drawing content and reduce the probability of errors occurring during the subsequent actual painting.

However, when it came to measuring the height section, Chen Yuying hit a brief snag.

But it was only brief. It wasn't as if she could only rely on herself. She had a boyfriend.

Chen Yuying turned around, waving the triangle ruler in her hand toward Lin Li, who was amidst the crowd of boys not far away.

"Coming," Lin Li smiled and walked over.

"Help me measure the height of the wall," Chen Yuying handed the triangle ruler to Lin Li and said.

"Understood," Lin Li took the triangle ruler and began to measure, offering a warm reminder to Chen Yuying at the same time: "But Class Monitor, next time you hand someone a triangle ruler, you should pay attention to basic etiquette. Handing it over like this can easily hurt someone."

"Hmm?" Chen Yuying tilted her head. "Where is the issue?"

There was indeed etiquette when handing objects; dangerous items generally had their sharp sides pointing toward oneself. But she had clearly paid attention to this point, specifically pointing the sharp 30-degree angle toward herself before handing it out.

"The 60 degrees and 90 degrees are a bit too hot, it's easy to get burned," Lin Li explained seriously.

Chen Yuying, Yu Yu: "..."

The autumn this year seemed a bit colder.

"As everyone knows, a right angle is 90 degrees, and boiling water is 100 degrees. Therefore, it is easy to conclude that boiling water is an obtuse angle, while a right angle hasn't boiled yet," Lin Li continued.

"Dumb Lin Li, your logic isn't rigorous at all," Bai Bufan scoffed upon hearing this. "This conclusion of yours must hold true under standard atmospheric pressure. As long as the altitude is high enough, a right angle or even an acute angle can boil. With this kind of attitude, you're still first in the grade? You must have cheated."

"My mistake, my mistake," Lin Li corrected his error immediately. Humility makes one humble. Then, looking toward Chen Yuying, he smiled bashfully, "Understand now? I'm thick-skinned and fine, but it's very dangerous for others to catch it like that."

"But if it doesn't burn others, won't it burn me instead?" Chen Yuying merely responded seriously. She couldn't possibly hold the sixty-degree and ninety-degree sections herself, right?

"Hiss, that seems true as well. It's still my mistake, I'm sorry." Lin Li acknowledged it this time. After all that troubleshooting, the problem turned out to be entirely on himself, so he could only apologize again.

Chen Yuying smiled and nodded, "It's fine, I forgive you this time."

Yu Yu beside them: "(；☉_宙)?"

Why was Yuying able to follow up on his words so smoothly? It was normal for Bai Bufan to treat Lin Li's words like a normal conversation; they were all Class Four students and had long since grown accustomed to it. But why were you acting like this too, Yuying?

Is falling in love really this terrifying? How scary!

After recording all the parameters of the wall painting area, Lin Li spun the triangle ruler around his arm and inquired, "Any other help needed?"

"Are any of you boys good at drawing?" Chen Yuying inquired.

"Anyone know how to draw?" Hearing this, Lin Li looked directly toward that row of wastes in the corridor to relay the question.

The vast crowd of boys looked at each other, not a single person making a sound. But at this moment, Zhang Haoyang hesitated for a bit and raised his hand.

"You know how?" Lin Li asked in surprise.

"Teacher Lin, I want to use the restroom," Zhang Haoyang replied.

Lin Li: "..."

Your mom.

My hand feels itchy—want to smack someone.

"Beat it!"

"Hehehe."

"There, you see the result. A bunch of wastes. But Bufan should indeed know a bit," Lin Li shrugged toward Chen Yuying, then added, "I don't know how either, but I'm not a waste. If the Class Monitor needs it, I can learn. Furthermore, I have the confidence to learn to a degree where I can be heavily relied upon within a short period, absolutely."

In reality, it was just a matter of going to the market to find a painter vendor and using [Mimic] to steal the skill.

Although the duration obtained from [Mimic] wouldn't last long—at most three or four hours by next week—a wall drawing didn't require extreme detail. Moreover, he could completely finalize the content and outlines during the capability's duration, and then perform the color filling after the capability vanished.

Yu Yu raised her brows. These words sounded so cool; no wonder he could charm Chen Yuying away.

"There's no need to learn on the spot. The girls in the class more or less know a bit about drawing, and Zhuo Yongfei said a few of the boys know how too. It'll be fine to leave it to us when the time comes," Chen Yuying smiled.

"Anything works. Anyway, if you need any help, just tell me directly."

"There is something right now. I need you to go out and buy some materials during lunchtime. At noon, we plan to roughly finalize a few concepts first, so that we can ask for the opinions of other classmates. After all, it's our own class we're painting, so the most important thing is that nobody dislikes it."

"No problem, what do we need to buy?"

"Let me write a list for you, I'm afraid you won't remember," Chen Yuying said after a moment's thought.

"Just say it directly, I'll remember," Lin Li was confident and proud. "Go ahead."

Lin Li had been continuously growing. Right now, even without activating [Enhanced Memory], his memory far exceeded that of ordinary people. After activating [Enhanced Memory], he truly possessed a photographic memory in the literal sense.

However, Chen Yuying pursed her lips, staring up at Lin Li without speaking.

Lin Li blinked, suppressing a smile, "Wait, Class Monitor... you didn't remember the items yourself?"

Chen Yuying shook her head firmly, "No, you won't remember, and I don't want to waste my breath saying it again later."

"Right, I won't remember. As the saying goes, a bad memory is worse than a good pen. Let's go, Class Monitor, give me your list." Chen Yuying's logic was beautiful, and Lin Li was thoroughly convinced.

Lin Li followed Chen Yuying into the classroom.

"Holy crap, holy crap, I'm completely drowning in envy," Qin Zeyu said bitterly as he watched the two disappear into the classroom. "If it weren't for Tianming still being in our class, I really wouldn't want to live anymore."

The window was slid open. Chen Tianming's person wasn't seen, but his middle finger was.

"I want to date so badly..." Qin Zeyu was full of spring restlessness, the campus spring ambiance: "I want to lie in the embrace of a black-silk, big-chested older sister so badly..."

"Zeyu, what you mean is, you don't go out, don't socialize, have no special talents, purely slack off, fantasize every single day, and then expect a straight-black-haired, big-chested baby girl to proactively seek you out, shyly telling you, 'Little brother, big sister has liked you for a long time'?" Bai Bufan glanced over.

"Bai Bufan, we're just classmates, you've crossed the line," Qin Zeyu was a sweating emoji. "Mainly, sigh, proactively asking for contact info makes me afraid of getting rejected. When that happens, I'd be as pitiful as Tianming."

The middle finger that had retracted from the window appeared once more.

"What is there to be afraid of?" Wang Ze's gaze looked toward the position of Class Fifteen Senior Two in the opposite teaching building—Qian Ying's class. However, he didn't see Qian Ying. Hearing this, he turned around and patted Qin Zeyu's shoulder: "Henry Cavill said that if you like a girl, please ask her out directly. He has used this trick with unfailing success."

"Why bother with contact info, just ask her out for a meal straight away."

Qin Zeyu: "..."

"Henry Superman?" Qin Zeyu couldn't contain himself, laughing and cursing, "Teacher, teacher, your method is truly excellent, but it still relies too heavily on the character model. Is there a playstyle that doesn't rely on the model?"

"There actually is," Bai Bufan suddenly chimed in, a glint in his eyes. "Zeyu, I have an idea. Do you want to go try it out at noon? It can make girls proactively seek you out."

"No," Qin Zeyu rejected instantly.

Nothing good ever came out of that mouth.

安排. Bai Bufan loved to tell minor lies: "Lin Li taught me this."

"Then let's hear it."

When Bai Bufan finished speaking, the few boys who had listened in the corridor looked at each other, then squinted their eyes, "It feels like... there really is some feasibility to it."

...

[Task 2: Comprehend the mystery of the Five Elements, seek the power of the Five Elements to temper oneself (2/5)]

After going out at noon and eating spicy food once again, "Fire" was finally completed as well.

After reading the messages on his phone and finishing the second bottle of drink, a magnificent three-pointer hit the trash can of Class One on the first floor. After completing the NTR transaction, Lin Li went upstairs and entered the classroom.

There were quite a lot of people in the classroom today. Ding Sihan was present, but Wang Yuezhi was unexpectedly absent.

Sigh, the Lunchtime Trio looked bound to disintegrate after all.

Tears up.

Several people were sitting next to Chen Yuying's seat, seemingly discussing matters regarding the blackboard newspaper and wall painting. Ding Sihan was at the podium, operating the classroom's multimedia system.

After giving the items purchased at noon to Chen Yuying, Lin Li leaned over to take a look. Turns out Ding Sihan was searching for references on wall paintings and blackboard newspapers.

Thinking for a bit, Lin Li attempted to touch the mouse, "Let me see your search history."

Ding Sihan: "No way!"

Lin Li gestured toward Ding Sihan with a grin.

"Lin Li, I plan to go look at the wall paintings of other classes to gather some inspiration. Do you want to come with me?" Chen Yuying stood up and spoke to Lin Li.

"Sure," Lin Li had no reason to refuse.

The two stood up and walked outside.

They just happened to spot Wang Yuezhi walking toward the classroom with a limp not far away.

Lin Li's eyes gleamed: He's here! He's here! The Lunchtime Trio! The combination is still alive!

"Wang Yuezhi? What's wrong with your leg? Are you injured?" Noticing Wang Yuezhi's staggering gait, Chen Yuying asked out of concern.

Wang Yuezhi: "..."

"It's... it's nothing, I just accidentally tripped and fell last night," Wang Yuezhi's voice was bitter.

"Is it anything major?"

"No, I'll be fine in a couple of days."

"Oh, that's good. Watch out in the future. If you need any help these days, you can tell me." This was the responsibility of the Class Monitor; Chen Yuying carried out her duties faithfully.

"Thank you, Class Monitor."

"As I should~" Chen Yuying replied with a smile, then pulled Lin Li toward the stairwell—they had already seen the second floor, so the main focus would definitely be the other floors of senior one as well as senior two.

Wang Yuezhi halted his steps, watching the corner where the two disappeared, his lips turning downward.

The gentle words still echoed in his ears, yet they only made his heart break further. Especially when combined with Chen Yuying's hand clutching Lin Li's clothes just now.

Was she still only clutching his clothes right now, or were they already holding hands?

He was unwilling to think about it any further.

At first sight, she was a young maiden.

At next sight, she was already someone else's wife.

An emotional Wang Yuezhi let out a sigh, changed his direction, and staggered toward the restroom at the end of the hall. He ran into Zhuo Yongfei, who happened to be coming out of the restroom, shaking his hands dry.

Seeing Wang Yuezhi's face, which was a carbon copy of last night's, Zhuo Yongfei remained silent at first, merely stepping forward to pat his shoulder, then reminded him, "Someone is taking a dump on the second floor, it's incredibly stinky. Yuezhi, I suggest you try a different floor."

Wang Yuezhi halted his steps, the downward arc of his lips growing even larger.

"Wait, what? Yuezhi? What's wrong?" Seeing his roommate about to drop little pearls, Zhuo Yongfei was utterly bewildered. He had clearly offered a well-intentioned reminder.

At this moment, Wang Yuezhi thought of the Lin Li from just now, the dump from just now, and the himself from just now.

They were clearly three similar entities, yet why were their endings so vastly different?

Finally, after drawing the comparison, a sobbing Wang Yuezhi choked out, "Yongfei, why is it that both Lin Li and the dump have someone pulling them, but nobody is pulling me..."

Zhuo Yongfei: "(；☉_☉)!?"

(End of Chapter)