After hearing this answer, Zhuang Fanxin inexplicably lost the desire to continue caring. He went from shock and curiosity, to excitement after guessing correctly, and at this very moment, it had evolved into an indescribable emotion.

He couldn't help but think, 'What does it have to do with me?'

He didn't even have a partner himself, why bother worrying about someone else's love life.

Zhuang Fanxin forced a small smile and said supportively, "Wow, then I wish you success!"

Gu Zhuoyan said with complete confidence, "Success is very likely." He put an arm around Zhuang Fanxin as they walked out of the school building. With a blow of the night wind, one couldn't help but act a little unruly. "Because it seems the other person likes me too."

Zhuang Fanxin whipped his head around to look at Gu Zhuoyan. Damn, for real? How could Qin Wei and Wang Churan be so forward?! He struggled free, not knowing why he didn't want to hear it, and quickly walked a distance away. "Don't tell me anymore!"

Gu Zhuoyan followed behind with a smile. The streetlights along the path were dim and yellow, and Zhuang Fanxin's rapidly walking back was hazy. 'Why does he get shy so easily?'

After that day, Zhuang Fanxin never again asked about Gu Zhuoyan's love and affection. If time could be turned back, he wished he could return to that moment in the movie theater, to fix it from the source, to stuff Gu Zhuoyan's mouth with popcorn the instant he spoke.

However, while Zhuang Fanxin didn't ask with his mouth, his body was very honest. He would always secretly sneak glances at Qin Wei and Wang Churan whenever he had a chance, but he didn't notice anything unusual. That shouldn't be right. Doesn't the internet say that 'liking' someone is like a sneeze, impossible to hold back?

He still hadn't come to any conclusions when Gu Zhuoyan took three days off from school. With the male lead absent, there was no need to painstakingly observe the female leads anymore.

On Wednesday evening, the school sprayed disinfectant, so evening self-study was canceled for all grades and school ended early. The sky was still light when Zhuang Fanxin got home. Seeing Zhao Jianqiu sorting vegetables at the dining table, he washed his hands and went to help.

"I ran into Xiao Gu walking his dog on my way back from work. Isn't he in school?" Zhao Jianqiu asked.

Zhuang Fanxin said, "His family hired a tutor who flew over specifically to teach him, so he took three days off." He originally felt he was doing pretty well in his studies, but felt a bit insecure whenever Gu Zhuoyan was mentioned. "Mom, did you know? Gu Zhuoyan finished all his high school courses a long time ago."

Zhao Jianqiu looked surprised. "Really?"

"Scary, right?" Zhuang Fanxin said sourly. "I think it's so scary."

Zhao Jianqiu said, "Oh, come on. You're always asking him to explain problems to you, taking advantage of him."

Zhuang Fanxin said, displeased, "I'm saving you money on tutoring fees." He tossed a handful of sorted vegetables into the basin and remembered something more satisfying. "Mom, my application for the ACC Competition was approved. You and Dad should get ready!"

This competition is being held in Los Angeles, so the whole family of three can fly over. Besides the competition, they could spend time with Zhuang Fanxin's paternal grandparents. Zhuang Fanxin hadn't visited for half a semester plus a summer vacation. He said, "I really miss them. Every time I go, I don't want to leave."

Zhuang Xianyang came out of the kitchen with steamed hairy crabs and said, "If you go to Los Angeles for your studies in the future, you can stay with them until they get sick of you."

Zhuang Fanxin was displeased again. "You're the annoying one."

He cracked open a crab and started nibbling on it, his gaze distant as he stared at the broken-off crab leg. He had started learning to draw at the age of three. The first time his grandparents took him to the company, he fell in love with the brilliant and dazzling jewelry. After learning the word "dream," he resolved to become a jewelry designer and began studying early on.

Zhuang Fanxin already had a school he admired in mind. He was now in his second year of high school. If he achieved good results in this competition, he could apply to study abroad even earlier. But getting one step closer to his dream also meant getting one step further from everything here. He was always too timid to touch upon this issue.

But then Zhao Jianqiu had to ask, "If you go abroad, who will you be most reluctant to leave?"

"Xiao Pei, of course. Is there a need to ask?" Zhuang Xianyang answered first. "Oh, and maybe Qi Nan, but he gets along well with the Class Monitor."

Zhuang Fanxin remained silent, picking out crab meat with his chopsticks and eating it bite after bite. The figures of his friends flashed through his mind one by one, like an unrolling reel of film. Suddenly, it stopped on a certain frame. The person inside looked nonchalant, yet also seemed to be smiling. It was Gu Zhuoyan, the person he had known for the shortest amount of time.

'If I leave, will Gu Zhuoyan be reluctant to see me go?'

'Probably not. Gu Zhuoyan could forget an ex-girlfriend in a month and fall for another girl in a week. How could such a ruthless person be reluctant to part with a neighbor who always bothered him to explain homework problems?'

Zhuang Fanxin thought, 'Perhaps before I even leave, Gu Zhuoyan will have already gone home!'

'Forget it, eating crab is more important.' After he finished eating, Zhuang Fanxin packed a few large crabs onto a deep plate and sent them over to Xue Maochen's place. Gu Zhuoyan was studying on the second floor, so the two did not meet.

The next morning, Zhuang Fanxin rode his bike to school alone. People, ah, it's hard to go from luxury to simplicity. He never felt anything when he went alone before, but now that he had a companion, being alone again felt like having his heart broken.

Zhuang Fanxin took a detour to buy himself two freshly baked egg tarts, which made him feel a bit better. When he got to school, he ate one on his way to the school building and planned to save the other for Qi Nan.

As he was passing the small garden, he was stopped by the head of discipline.

Zhuang Fanxin quickly wiped his mouth, afraid that a tiny flake of pastry crust might be left on the corner of his lips. He then guiltily touched his shoulder. 'The tattoo thing hasn't gotten out, has it?' He said politely, "Hello, Head Teacher Feng."

The head teacher said, "You were assigned to clean that staircase for a whole semester. How come you just dropped it as soon as you got to second year?"

Zhuang Fanxin felt wronged. "I didn't! I cleaned it on Monday night."

"It's already Thursday." The head teacher pointed from a distance. "Go see for yourself how many cigarette butts have been thrown in there."

Zhuang Fanxin immediately said, "I wasn't the one smoking!"

The head teacher was speechless. "I didn't say you were the one smoking. I will definitely investigate who was, but the cleaning area you're responsible for must be kept clean. If I find any more cigarette butts, I'll give you a demerit for dereliction of duty first."

Getting scolded first thing in the morning, and being secretly watched by students passing by, was truly unlucky. Zhuang Fanxin, with a long face and a pouting mouth, went to sweep up the cigarette butts. There were six or seven, so it must have been more than one person smoking.

He swept it clean. Today was morning English reading, so he had to hurry back to the classroom to lead it.

At noon, after finishing lunch, Zhuang Fanxin, Qi Nan, and the Class Monitor wandered around and went to take another look at the little corner. Unexpectedly, three more cigarette butts had appeared over the course of the morning.

The three of them squatted in a circle, surrounding the cigarette butts on the ground. Zhuang Fanxin said, stumped, "Who on earth is it? I'm going to write a letter to the principal to request the installation of a surveillance camera."

"That will take time," the Class Monitor said. "There's no camera now. Unless we catch them in the act, there's no way to know who's smoking."

Qi Nan nodded. "They must be smoking during the breaks between classes. Then we'll have to patrol during every break."

Zhuang Fanxin said aggrievedly, "Why do I have to be the one to catch them? I have to drink water, hand out homework, and go to the bathroom during breaks too." He took out a tissue and picked up the cigarette butts. "What's with Old Feng? He can smell beef noodle soup, but he can't smell cigarette smoke."

Initially, the two of them were slurping noodles together, but Qi Nan had dodged the bullet by going to buy a drink midway, so all the punishment fell on Zhuang Fanxin. He patted Zhuang Fanxin's shoulder and said, "I'll patrol with you in shifts. Let's try to catch the suspect before school ends."

Zhuang Fanxin leaned in and asked in a low voice, "Who do you guys think is the most suspicious?"

The three of them exchanged glances silently, as if everything was already understood without words. Everyone knew there were a few students in their grade who acted like gangsters, and they had been seen smoking outside of school, so they were the most likely suspects.

"Oh dear..." the Class Monitor asked, "If we catch them, will they even listen to us?"

This was a question that needed no answer. But what if they didn't listen? There was no way to drag them before the head of discipline. Qi Nan let out a breath. "Let's take it one step at a time. If they're willing to quit smoking, I can treat them to milk tea."

The Class Monitor asked again, "What if they don't like milk tea and just want to smoke?"

Zhuang Fanxin said worriedly, "Can you stop beating around the bush?"

"Fine." The Class Monitor said bluntly, "What if a conflict breaks out? What if it leads to an argument or even a fight?"

Zhuang Fanxin analyzed, "They'd get a demerit for that, so they wouldn't dare, right?" Although he was skinny, he wasn't a coward. "We're all students, our height and weight aren't that different, so they might not necessarily be stronger. Actually, they're just pretending to be cool. I have a tattoo, doesn't that make me even more badass?"

Qi Nan listened seriously and was convinced. "Then should we just beat them up when we catch them?"

The three of them discussed it until the end of the lunch break, and their legs were numb from squatting. Zhuang Fanxin returned to the classroom to make a sign, then went downstairs to post it on the wall of the little corner—Smoking is harmful to health.

After the first class in the afternoon, Qi Nan patrolled. During the break after the second class, Zhuang Fanxin patrolled. They took turns like this until evening self-study. While other students were having snacks to tide them over, the two of them were starving from going up and down the stairs and went to the canteen together for a bowl of seafood noodles.

The sky was already growing dark. Zhuang Fanxin and Qi Nan walked arm in arm towards the school building like two rabbits running side-by-side, pretending to casually pass by the little corner, when they finally spotted someone standing in the corner!

It was dark, so it was hard to see clearly. Zhuang Fanxin said quietly, "Uh, he's so stocky."

Qi Nan said, "Don't be scared, it's just one person."

They lightened their steps and sauntered up behind the person. They were about the same height, but the other person was a bit fat. With the two of them against one, Zhuang Fanxin and Qi Nan were quite confident. They raised their hands and placed them on the person's shoulders at the same time.

"Classmate, what are you doing?"

They pulled the person around and finally saw clearly that it was the head of discipline.

Zhuang Fanxin and Qi Nan were so scared they retracted their claws, took two steps back in succession, and exclaimed in shock, "Head Teacher Feng? What are you doing here?!"

Head Teacher Feng was doing his daily classroom rounds and came by to see if he could catch anyone smoking. There was no one, so he was checking for new cigarette butts, only to be apprehended by Zhuang Fanxin and Qi Nan.

Zhuang Fanxin asked, "Head Teacher, are you coming back next break?" If he was, then he wouldn't have to patrol.

The head teacher said, "Where would I find the time for that? Hurry back to your classroom!"

Zhuang Fanxin and Qi Nan ran back to class. During this time, the sky had turned completely dark, and stars could be seen by poking one's head out the window. Zhuang Fanxin was naturally in no mood to look at the stars. The bell rang, signaling the last break that needed to be patrolled.

He dawdled for a bit, then went down with a broom to do some cleaning while he was at it. There was hardly anyone outside the school building; it was so quiet only the sound of the night wind could be heard. As he approached the little corner, the night wind blew over, seemingly carrying a faint scent of smoke.

Zhuang Fanxin tensed up. He took a sharp breath and walked over, gradually making out the glowing embers of several lit cigarettes. He counted them—five in total, which meant five people were smoking right now.

His footsteps startled them, and one of the glowing embers wavered. With no surveillance cameras and no lights, the two sides faced off silently in the pitch-black darkness. After a moment, one of them asked, "Who's there?"

Zhuang Fanxin answered, "The cleaner."

The other side seemed unconcerned. "Go ahead and clean."

Zhuang Fanxin swept over with the broom, silently weighing how he should start the conversation. However, before he could figure it out, someone from the group suddenly asked, "Did you put up that sign on the wall?"

"...It was me," Zhuang Fanxin admitted. Since he'd admitted it, he might as well get straight to the point. "Could you guys please not smoke here?"

Laughter rose from the other side. "Do you own the deed to this land?"

Zhuang Fanxin brought out his superior. "Head Teacher Feng doesn't allow smoking. What if he catches you?"

This sounded quite considerate of them. One person said, "Then don't you worry about it. If Old Feng wants to catch us, let him. Who the fuck is scared of him."

Zhuang Fanxin's logical skills were very strong. "Since you're not scared of Old Feng, there's no need to hide and smoke in this dark place. I think the sports field is pretty good—spacious, well-lit, and you can even compete to see who can throw their cigarette butt the farthest."

The other side heard the sarcasm in his words and their tone turned fierce. "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm from Class 3," Zhuang Fanxin answered, neither servile nor overbearing. He meant that he wasn't afraid of students from Class 7 or 8; they thought they were so tough just for hiding to smoke a cigarette—as if anyone couldn't inhale and exhale.

After all, he had a non-mainstream tattoo that others didn't have, so he couldn't hold back. "Childish."

After he spoke, the five glowing embers fell to the ground one after another and were stamped out. Zhuang Fanxin was quite surprised. 'It worked just by talking back a little? They feel so weak.' Suddenly, he felt a gust of wind in front of him. His collar was grabbed, and then his entire body was lifted up.

Zhuang Fanxin's feet left the ground. He was lifted up!

Thwack, the broom fell from his hand in fright. Thump, he was slammed against the wall.

Zhuang Fanxin let out a muffled grunt. He felt a bit dizzy after falling at the base of the wall. As the five students left in a cheerful mood, he realized they weren't from Class 7 or 8 at all. 'They must be weightlifters, right?!'

It took a long while for Zhuang Fanxin to recover and get up. His whole body ached. He made his way back to the classroom, supporting himself on the wall the entire way. The class bell had already rung long ago, and he attracted everyone's attention the moment he entered.

Everyone was shocked. Xia Wei asked, "What happened to you?!"

Zhuang Fanxin recounted the cause and effect, but it had been pitch-black at the time, so he couldn't see who the others were at all. Xia Wei said angrily, "Don't go do the cleaning tomorrow. If Head Teacher Feng has a problem with it, tell him to come find me."

Zhuang Fanxin looked aggrieved. Just not doing the cleaning... He didn't even want to come to school tomorrow.

There was no solution to the matter for now. Qi Nan accompanied Zhuang Fanxin to the infirmary, but the school nurse had already left for the day and the door was locked. They couldn't even find a band-aid. For the second half of the class, Zhuang Fanxin rested his head on the desk. He had a scrape under his eye, one of his shoulders was aching from the impact, and his arms and knees were also scraped.

Qi Nan said hatefully, "I should have patrolled with you!"

Zhuang Fanxin said, "Then we'd be brothers in misfortune."

Qi Nan said, "Speaking of which, my luck is so good. I dodged a bullet that time with the noodles, and I dodged another one this time with the patrol shifts."

Zhuang Fanxin felt like crying. He stared at his test paper, sitting listlessly until school ended. Just as the bell rang, his phone vibrated. It was a message from Gu Zhuoyan: "Help me grab today's homework."

He replied, "Okay."

Gu Zhuoyan sent another message: "Yesterday's crabs were delicious. My grandpa baked a pizza today, I'll bring you one."

"Okay."

About two or three minutes passed with no further activity from the phone. Zhuang Fanxin thought the conversation was over and was about to put it away when a third message came from Gu Zhuoyan: "What's wrong? Tell me."

Zhuang Fanxin pursed his lips, as if he had found his pillar of support. "I'm so unlucky."