Being able to sit at the same desk as Bai Jiangxin, Xiang Di was actually very willing.

She had dreamed of sitting at the same desk as Bai Jiangxin, but when the day really arrived, she became afraid instead.

But there was no way. She didn’t dare disobey the homeroom teacher’s order, so she could only steel herself and move her desk.

When she saw her desk merged together with Bai Jiangxin’s desk, Xiang Di felt an unreal sensation.

From the top of her head to the tips of her toes, there was a light, floating feeling.

She sat down lightly. Normally, she wished her eyes could turn into radar, searching for Bai Jiangxin twenty-four hours a day. Now that he was right beside her, and she only needed to tilt her head slightly to see him, she didn’t dare to look instead.

She actually really wanted to greet him, maybe say something like “please take care of me,” but when the words reached her lips, she swallowed them back down.

Better not press her warm face against someone else’s cold backside—hadn’t she already learned her lesson during morning self-study?

With the new seats settled, some were happy and some were worried. After all, whether a seat was good or not, and what kind of deskmate you had, would directly affect your motivation to study. If you got a bad seat and ran into an annoying deskmate, forget studying—you wouldn’t even want to come to class.

Chen Jinghua said, “The seating will be like this. It’s all arranged according to your individual situations. As for why the seats are arranged this way, the teacher has the teacher’s considerations. You just need to know that the teacher definitely won’t harm you, it’s all for your own good. There are so many people in the class; it’s impossible to make everyone satisfied.”

A boy sitting in the VIP seat right next to the podium suddenly muttered, “Then why am I sitting in VIP?”

“Wang Sichen, what are you complaining about? Why did I arrange you in VIP, don’t you know in your own heart? All day long, you talk more than the aunties selling vegetables at the market. If I arrange a deskmate for you, you’ll spend all day whispering to them. How are they supposed to get into college?”

The boy called Wang Sichen argued, “Then, teacher, you could arrange a deskmate for me who doesn’t like to talk.”

Chen Jinghua snorted. “Arrange you someone who doesn’t like to talk? Even if I arranged a mute to sit with you, you’d still be chatting away in sign language.”

Laughter rang out in the classroom. Wang Sichen shamelessly curled his lips and said again, “I’m just bonding with my deskmate.”

“Then just bond with the teacher.”

“That’s no fun.”

“Then who do you think is fun to bond with?” Chen Jinghua couldn’t help laughing. “If I arrange a girl to sit with you, that’d be fun, right? Are you trying to bond, or are you trying to develop something?”

Teenagers loved this kind of joke the most. The laughter immediately grew louder. Wang Sichen’s expression stiffened, and he suddenly pointed toward the golden seats in the middle of the classroom and said,

“If we’re talking about developing something, teacher, didn’t you arrange girls to sit with Bai Jiangxin and Ye Minjia? Aren’t you just creating opportunities for them?”

As soon as these words came out, everyone’s gaze shifted again to the two people he named.

Indeed, the homeroom teacher’s seat rearrangement this time was very unexpected. Usually, the homeroom teacher tried not to arrange boys and girls as deskmates. Even if they were arranged together, it would be after careful consideration—at a glance, you could tell those two definitely wouldn’t develop anything. They were purely study partners, or else sanitation partners: male-female cooperation, double the efficiency.

Ye Minjia and Liang Qianqian were still fine—one was the class monitor, one was the subject representative. But Bai Jiangxin and Xiang Di…

No need to even talk about Bai Jiangxin—those who knew, knew. Famously aloof and detached from the world. As a top student, he did have the capital to be cold and distant. And Xiang Di—aside from when she was with a few girls she was close to, where she seemed relatively lively, she was usually the quiet type, and hadn’t really talked much with the boys in class.

The boys in the class occasionally discussed her. Since they weren’t really familiar with her, they couldn’t easily rate or judge her. To be fair, this girl actually looked quite pure. Her features were the type that slay straight guys: almond-shaped eyes, pink lips, an oval face—a non-threatening kind of beauty. Her skin was fair too, the kind that makes you feel she must smell nice just by looking at her. The “girl-next-door” vibe was just too strong; joking about her somehow felt vaguely sinful.

So did these two even know each other?

“Wang Sichen, why are you worrying about so much? You’d better stabilize your own grades first. Your ranking in the last joint exam, I couldn’t even be bothered to talk about it. When the time comes, if you’re the only one in the class who doesn’t make the key cutoff, let’s see how you explain it to your parents.”

“Them and you aren’t the same. They know what’s most important right now. No matter who they sit with, it doesn’t delay their studies. You think everyone’s like you, with your head full of everything except studying.”

As the words fell, Chen Jinghua lifted his chin again and deliberately called someone out. “Right, Bai Jiangxin?”

He had originally been thinking about when he would finally be free from these days of being constantly harassed by someone’s thoughts. Suddenly being called out, Bai Jiangxin was a bit baffled, but he still gave the teacher some face and responded with a calm “Mm.”

Chen Jinghua finally began the lesson, telling everyone to take out the test papers handed out a few days ago.

Xiang Di hurriedly searched inside her desk. She didn’t know whether it was Old Heaven deliberately creating an opportunity for her to talk to Bai Jiangxin, but with a pile of test papers inside the desk, that one sheet was the only one she just couldn’t find.

Fortunately, she wasn’t the only one who hadn’t found it. Someone said, “Teacher, those papers were handed out a long time ago. There are too many papers, we can’t find them.”

Chen Jinghua clicked his tongue. “Can’t even keep track of a single test paper. Those who can’t find theirs, share and look together with your deskmate.”

Xiang Di: “……”

【Old Heaven, isn’t this assist a little too strong?!】

【This humble believer is willing to spend a lifetime mixing meat and vegetables, gaining food and clothing without labor, enjoying success without effort, accepting rewards without merit, just to enshrine you—】

Bai Jiangxin: “……”

Eat and take.

【Xiang Di! Your great chance for your secret crush to come true is here! Today you look at the same test paper, tomorrow you sleep on the same bed!】

【Then dating, engagement, meeting the parents, marriage, getting the certificate, holding the banquet—all in one go. Your beautiful future with him is right in front of you!】

【Whether you can sit with him on a rocking chair and grow old together depends on your performance right now—charge!】

Bai Jiangxin: “……”

However, the person who had just been cheering herself on in her heart a second ago suddenly collapsed face-down on the desk the next second.

The louder the slogans, the more beautiful the imagination, the smaller the courage.

【Wuwu, I still don’t dare.】

Bai Jiangxin tugged at the corner of his lips.

So what was it then? What was the meaning of Old Heaven giving her such an assist? What was the point of such a long wind-up?

On the podium, the teacher was already close to finishing the multiple-choice questions. If this kept up, the whole test paper would be finished, and she’d still be there charging, charging.

Forget it. After all, she hadn’t deliberately failed to find the paper.

Just as Bai Jiangxin was about to slide the test paper over a bit, Xiang Di suddenly sat upright again and turned her head to say to Liang Qianqian, “Qianqian, I can’t find my test paper. Let me borrow yours to look at.”

“Huh?” Liang Qianqian blinked and glanced at the back of Bai Jiangxin’s head. “You can look at the same one with Bai Jiangxin.”

“Aiya, he definitely won’t lend it to me. Please, do me a favor—lend me yours. I’ll treat you to a grilled sausage.”

“You haven’t even asked him, how do you know he won’t—”

Before Liang Qianqian could finish speaking, Xiang Di had already pulled her test paper away, then quickly turned her head back.

With a test paper in hand, Xiang Di finally let out a breath of relief.

That way, she wouldn’t have to ask Bai Jiangxin to borrow the test paper anymore.

Now she could finally focus on listening to the lesson.

She could focus on listening, but Bai Jiangxin’s expression wasn’t too good.

What was the meaning of this?

The slogans in her heart were louder than anyone else’s; she’d even fantasized about growing old together, bothering him to death with the noise. And in the end, it was just taking off pants to fart—that’s it?

Either be straightforward and have no thoughts about him whatsoever, don’t disturb his peace, or have some guts. Otherwise, what’s the difference between this and harassing someone, then suddenly pulling up your pants halfway through and saying, “Sorry, I just realized this is illegal behavior, so bye bye”?

Harassing halfway, then abruptly stopping—doesn’t that count as harassment anymore?

Bai Jiangxin: “Xiang Di.”

Xiang Di, who was diligently taking notes, looked up: “Huh?”

Confused eyes, as if the person who had just mentally run through the entire process of their love and marriage wasn’t her at all.

Bai Jiangxin was momentarily stuck. Xiang Di was still puzzled why he had called her, but when she looked down, she suddenly realized that she had been so engrossed in taking notes just now that she hadn’t even noticed her arm had crossed the “38th parallel¹ 38th parallel (三八线) refers to an imaginary line drawn on shared desks between male and female classmates, marking boundaries to prevent accidental contact during class..”

That must be why!

“Ah, sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

She quickly retracted her arm and also scooted her chair a bit to the other side, trying to keep as far away from him as possible.

Then she gave him a polite smile and continued to lower her head to take notes.

After doing all this, she was quite proud, thinking proudly in her heart: 【Heh heh, good thing I’m clever enough, otherwise I would have been hated by him.】

Bai Jiangxin suddenly didn’t know what to say and could only let it go.

No matter how much she fantasized about him in her heart, at least on the surface, her sense of boundaries was impeccable. She even seemed a bit avoidant, afraid of offending him, leaving him with no excuse to criticize her.

Bai Jiangxin remained silent, his exterior still calm, but his heart felt like a smoldering volcano, seething and turbulent, in constant danger of erupting.

What on earth was wrong with the homeroom teacher? Why suddenly assign Xiang Di to be his deskmate?

He clicked his tongue in annoyance, forcefully rubbing his temples, his fair and handsome features now covered with a layer of irritability.

She thought pulling back one arm was enough. She thought moving her chair away was enough.

But what had truly crossed the line and disturbed him was far more than just one arm, one chair.

─── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ───

Having had her test paper snatched away, Liang Qianqian had to say to Ye Minjia, “Monitor, my test paper got taken, let’s share one.”

Ye Minjia generously moved the test paper over for them to look at together.

Looking at the backs of the two people in front, Ye Minjia seemed thoughtful.

“Hey, let me ask you something.” He suddenly leaned closer to Liang Qianqian.

Liang Qianqian: “Huh?”

“You’re with Xiang Di every day. What do you think about her and Bai Jiangxin?” He paused, narrowing his eyes slightly. “What’s their relationship like?”

“How is it?” Liang Qianqian said. “Not great, right.”

Ye Minjia: “Why?”

Liang Qianqian shrugged. “He wasn’t even willing to look at the same test paper. How good could their relationship be?”

Ye Minjia clicked his tongue. “You don’t understand.”

Liang Qianqian was puzzled. “Understand what?”

“Nothing.” Ye Minjia looked at her with a benevolent and affectionate expression. “Go home, kid. Remember to sit at the kids’ table when you eat from now on.”

Liang Qianqian shot him a baffled glare.

Looking at the two people in front, clearly deskmates, their desks pressed together, yet between them it was as if there were a Milky Way, Ye Minjia felt even more certain.

Being open and straightforward was friendship. Being so cautious that they even avoided looking at the same test paper—that was when something was fishy.

He was certain these two definitely had something fishy going on.

─── ꒰ঌ·✦·໒꒱ ───

As soon as class ended, Xiang Di pulled Liang Qianqian to the restroom.

After Liang Qianqian finished, she asked Xiang Di as usual if she was done. Xiang Di said not yet.

Liang Qianqian said, “Then I’ll wait for you outside.”

“Don’t wait for me. I think I might have a bit of diarrhea. You go back to the classroom first.”

“Then I’ll head back first.”

“Mm-mm.”

However, not long after Liang Qianqian left, Xiang Di sneaked out of the restroom.

She didn’t go back to the classroom either, standing in the corridor spacing out, staying there until the bell for class rang before slowly timing it just right and returning to the classroom.

Throughout the day, every time class ended, Xiang Di would go to the restroom. Although girls liked going to the restroom in groups, Liang Qianqian couldn’t possibly accompany her every single break.

Liang Qianqian was even a little worried that Xiang Di had eaten something bad and asked whether she should take leave and go to the hospital.

Xiang Di said, “No need, no need, I’m totally fine.”

After leaving the classroom and feeling the wind in the corridor, her heartbeat finally slowed a little.

Early spring nights still carried a chill, just right to blow over her heart. Xiang Di continued to space out.

It was only because she had nothing to talk about with Bai Jiangxin and felt awkward after class that she had to find excuses to leave the classroom. But if she really had to take leave, she couldn’t bear to.

Xiang Di was a bit angry with herself. She had thought about him for three years, and now that her dream had come true, why had she chickened out again?

She thought she must have already grown used to having a secret crush, used to quietly looking up at that person, used to being an onlooker. A secret crush didn’t require any courage. Having long been a coward, when she was really pushed in front of that person, she instead became timid.

She even had the urge to go find the homeroom teacher and ask for a seat change—she was still more used to being a coward.

Sigh, so some people really were destined to only ever have secret crushes in this lifetime.

Xiang Di, as if possessed, walked to the office door.

Just as she was about to go in, she discovered that Bai Jiangxin was there as well.

Her heart tightened. Before she could dodge, she heard the homeroom teacher ask him, “Do you have some kind of conflict with Xiang Di? Why don’t you want to be deskmates with her?”

Footnotes

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  38th parallel (三八线) refers to an imaginary line drawn on shared desks between male and female classmates, marking boundaries to prevent accidental contact during class.