Chapter 1 - Flag Raising Ceremony (1/2)
Chapter 1 – Flag Raising Ceremony
It is the end of September in NingCheng1, the temperature is slowly cooling down.
The rain is pitter-pattering on the window and the sky is dark, the perfect weather for sleeping in.
The students in the back of the classroom have long fallen asleep. Wang JiaYan, who is usually the first to fall asleep in class, is currently lackadaisically holding up his face with his palm while holding a conversation with a goddess on WeChat.
The goddess Jiang QiNian is a student from the art faculty. The two of them have been chatting for quite a while and can be considered to be pretty familiar with one another. Jiang QiNian sent JiaYan a message saying that she’ll send him a cup of milk tea during the next class which helped to wake Duan JiaYan a little from his daze, a grin appearing on the corner of his lips.
Just as he was finished typing his reply, Duan JiaYan felt that someone was always looking at him. He subconsciously lifted his head and just so happened to meet the gaze of his physics teacher standing on the podium.
The first lesson of the day was physics and most of the students were inevitably unable to avoid feeling lethargic. This was something the teacher was used to, though to his surprise, Duan JiaYan actually managed to stay awake. After teaching Duan JiaYan for more than a year, this was the first time the teacher has seen this happen.
“Hey! Duan JiaYan, I’ll pick you then,” the physics teacher said with a smile. “Answer this question.”
Duan JiaYan stood and glanced at the big screen in the classroom, it seems every question is a multiple-choice question, “I’ll pick C?”
Physics teacher, “……”
Sounds of laughter came from the classroom, Song Yi who was Duan JiaYan’s table buddy seemed like he was close to dying from laughter, “Hahahaha, are you sleepwalking? The teacher asked you to explain a problem-solving question.”
“Alright, sit down,” the phsyics teacher said as he slapped the podium to get the student’s attention. “Everyone concentrate, there’s only 10 minutes left till class is over.”
Right at this moment, the sounds of chatter came from the back of the classroom.
“…Lu-ge, the back door is closed.”
“Should we knock? Right now it’s physics class right? Ol’ Feng’s temper is good, if he sees his best students knocking on the door he wouldn’t say much for sure.”
“Once the class monitor is standing there, Ol’ Feng will happily open the door.”
“It’s class time now, what are we doing going in,” a light-sounding male voice came from behind the door, “Isn’t it the same just sitting on the floor to rest?”
“But my phone and water bottle is in the classroom…”
“Are you stupid? We just changed seats yesterday, the one sitting in the back of the classroom now is Duan JiaYan.”
Right after saying that, the man who first spoke looked at the back door with some apprehension, but then thought of something, “Lu-ge’s not afraid of him.”
Outside the door, Chen Yue laughed, “Will you die if you speak a little less?” Are you a kid? Still talking about being scared or not.”
Then the bell rang. The physics teacher promptly dismissed the class after a few quick words and the class soon become noisy. Just then someone kicked open the front door of the classroom.
Chen Yue, the one who kicked open the door, looked at his physics teacher’s twitching mouth and gave a mischievous laugh, “Hello teacher Feng!”
“Went to play?” The physics teacher’s gaze swept over the young boy’s slightly sweaty forehead. It wouldn’t take a genius to guess what these boys skipped class to do.
The first few times Lu XingCi skipped class, the teachers of Class Ten got a fright, thinking that the student has finally learned to be bad.
It was only after a while that they realised the boy is just taking some time off to destress himself. He still ended up being the top of his cohort. The teachers of Class Ten were now very accustomed to the habits of this young master. As long as his results were good, nothing else mattered.
Chen Yue said without a shred of guilt, “Only you understand us students best. It was too boring this morning, so we went to exercise for a bit to wake our brains up.”
One could tell he was not saying this seriously and laughter rang throughout the class. Chen Yue really liked being in the spotlight and just as he was about to add a few more words, someone gently kicked his calf, quietly telling him to not block the way.
Chen Ye silently closed his mouth and went on his way.
“Lu XingCi,” the physics teacher said to the tallest boy in the group. “You got first place in this week’s physics quiz. The paper was definitely not easy so seeing as you got full marks, you must have studied hard. It is very worthy of praise.”
Hearing the teacher praise Lu XingCi so, Chen Yue directed a strange gaze to Lu XingCi.
This Lu-dog2, studying hard for a physics quiz? After teaching him for more than a year, has the teacher not realised that he has a talented genius in his midst?
It is funny no matter how they think about it and a few boys around Lu XingCi could not help laughing. Yet the face of the one getting praised remain unchanged, his long eyelashes drooping.
“Thank you teacher.”
So, he can still pretend to be a model student.
The youths who just finished exercising carried a vigorous air around them, full of vitality. Although he just became a sophomore, Lu XingCi’s shoulders were already broad, with the muscles on his arms clearly defined whenever he was carrying books.
Song Yi, who was sitting next to Duan JiaYan, was looking to his heart’s content, “Oh man, the class monitor’s so good looking. His handsome face has once again made its way into my heart.”
Duan JiaYan smiled, “Since it’s already in your heart, why don’t you make your move?”
“Since it’s already in my heart, I’m contented with just looking. So many people have their eyes on him, if I really go out with you I’ll surely be the target of their jealousy and scorn……” Song Yi said. Following this line of thought, he added, “Though if he were to just give me a smile, I wouldn’t mind all the trouble.”
Duan JiaYan could not be bothered with him, and left his seat to exit the classroom.
Many students pass by the corridor, Duan JiaYan was lazily looking at the spider ivy hanging from the floor above him when he heard someone shout his name.
He turned around, eyes lit up.
It was Jiang QiNian, smiling as she held up two cups of milk tea. Her long chestnut dyed hair was tied into a bun sitting atop her head, she wore lipstick and on her large school uniform was a small, white tie.
Since young, Duan JiaYan has always had a preference for glamourous looking girls. Song Yi had even teased him for having the same taste whenever he was picking a female.
Duan JiaYan softened his tone, giving her a smile and said, “Why’d you bring two cups?”
“One’s for you, and one’s for your class monitor.”
After she said it, Duan JiaYan’s smile froze. Concentrating on her last point, he asked, “Lu XingCi?”
Jiang QiNian did not pick up on his emotions, “The one with half sugar is yours, and the one with one-third sugar is your monitor’s. Don’t take the wrong one alright, he doesn’t like drinking anything too sweet.”
Seeing as how Jiang QiNian was already holding the cups of milk tea in front of him, Duan JiaYan could only accept. Jiang QiNian continued, “Let me know once he’s accepted the milk tea okay? Thank you!”
Duan JiaYan carried the two cups of milk tea inside the classroom.
His gaze swept across the classroom before hesitantly stopping by the window seat in the fourth row.
The boy sitting there has long legs and a nice looking body, Song Yi had even praised his face to the high heavens earlier.
If he was to be perfectly honest, he really has a handsome looking face. It just deserved a beating.
Duan JiaYan expressionlessly placed the cup of milk tea on Lu XingCi’s table, “It’s from Jiang QiNian.”
Without knowing when, the gaze of the class ended up converging on the both of them.
Lu XingCi raised his eyes. He has single eyelids, and long and dense eyelashes, his gaze somehow always carrying a sense of distance and isolation.
The boy’s slender fingers traced the lid of the cup, “I don’t drink this.”
Duan JiaYan patiently replied, “This only has one-third sugar, it’s not sweet.”
Without waiting for Lu XingCi to reply, he added, “If you’re not going to drink it then just throw it away.”
Seeing him leave after giving the cup of milk tea, Chen Yue who was sitting being Lu XingCi gave a short “En” before sitting forward.
Everyone is in the same class, and they all could always tell that Duan JiaYan more or less did not really like Lu XingCi. Chen Yue had his earphones on so he did not hear that the milk tea was a gift from Jiang QiNian. He blinked his eyes at this surprising phenomenon and said absentmindedly, “Is the end of the world here? I actually say Duan JiaYan giving you a drink? Lu-dog, do you think the drink is poisoned?”
Lu XingCi actually laughed.