It wasn’t until it was almost time for evening self-study that Cheng Ye returned.

The classroom was a chaotic mess, with textbooks and homework flying everywhere.

Jiang Shi’s deskmate in front was his roommate. Before Cheng Ye transferred over, he often ate with Jiang Shi. But as soon as Cheng Ye arrived, he snatched his spot.

The boy had a shy personality, so he didn’t dare say anything even when his meal buddy was stolen. Every time, he could only silently watch Jiang Shi and Cheng Ye leave. Fortunately, he had recently found a new meal buddy and had magnanimously forgiven Jiang Shi’s “betrayal,” willingly taking the initiative to talk to him again.

Jiang Shi was completely unaware of all this. He was playing Tetris on his phone when the boy in front of him turned around and asked, “Jiang Shi, have you done the math homework?”

His hand trembled, and he accidentally hit the rotate button. The irregular block fell to the bottom, leaving two empty gaps.

“Homework? What math homework?”

The boy was silent for a moment. “Two worksheets. We’re going over them during evening self-study tonight.”

Jiang Shi’s homework was always done by Cheng Ye. Of course, sometimes he did some of it himself, and anything he couldn’t do, he would just toss to Cheng Ye.

Over time, he stopped keeping track of these things, relying entirely on Cheng Ye to remind him.

Now that Cheng Ye wasn’t here, Jiang Shi’s mind was a blank.

“When were the worksheets handed out? Are they important?”

His front deskmate gave him a “you’re on your own” look.

Jiang Shi put down his phone and rummaged through his desk drawer. Forget worksheets, it was so clean there wasn’t even a single notebook.

He stood up, bent over, and started rummaging through Cheng Ye’s desk drawer. After digging around for a long time, he finally found the math worksheets tucked inside a Chinese literature book. A few multiple-choice questions were randomly checked off, but the fill-in-the-blanks and long-answer questions were all untouched.

There wasn’t even a name written on the paper. Jiang Shi immediately claimed it as his own, picked up a pen, and wrote his own name on it.

The girl sitting next to him saw this and handed him a worksheet. “I did this one. Do you want to copy it?”

Jiang Shi shot her a grateful look. “Good people will have a peaceful life.”

The girl pursed her lips and smiled shyly, two dimples appearing at the corners of her mouth. Her ears were red. She looked at Jiang Shi, then at the worksheet in his hand. When she spoke, her voice was soft. “Does Cheng Ye usually do your worksheets for you?”

Jiang Shi buried his head, scribbling furiously. “I guess so. Anyway, I figure if he’s doing one, he might as well do two to reinforce his knowledge.”

The girl: “Oh, oh, oh…”

After her “ohs,” she couldn’t help but laugh again. “Doesn’t he get angry doing all this for you?”

“Angry?” Jiang Shi said. “It’s his honor to do homework for this young master. He dares to be angry? I’m already being generous by not making him kneel and thank me.”

The girl giggled, “Hehe,” laughing so much that Jiang Shi couldn’t help but glance at her. The moment their eyes met, the girl immediately lowered her head.

It was at this moment that Cheng Ye came in.

He came in through the back door and immediately saw Jiang Shi staring at the girl at the next desk, while the girl was shyly looking down.

His brow furrowed. He roughly pulled out his chair, and the piercing sound finally caught Jiang Shi’s attention.

“You’re back? What were you doing out this afternoon?”

Cheng Ye opened his mouth, about to explain, but Jiang Shi turned his head back again. “Hurry up and do the worksheet. We’re going to go over it soon.”

After burying his head and copying one problem, Cheng Ye was still standing behind him. Jiang Shi moved the worksheet the girl had given him towards the middle. “What are you standing there for? Write! Quick, quick, I’ll share it with you.”

But Cheng Ye asked, “Who gave you the worksheet?”

Jiang Shi thought he was being a real nag. “My deskmate. Are you going to copy it or not?”

Cheng Ye said, “I’ll do it for you.”

“No, are you crazy? Who would do it when they can just copy?”

The next second, the girl swiped her worksheet back. “You… you should let Cheng Ye do it for you.”

Jiang Shi: “?? “

Wait…

Cheng Ye reached out a long arm, picked up a pen, and started writing on the worksheet Jiang Shi had half-finished.

He wrote very quickly, almost writing down the solution after just a couple of glances at the problem.

Jiang Shi paused.

Fine… fine then.

The girl, holding her worksheet, was shaking with her head down. If you were close enough, you could hear her “hehehe” sounds.

Jiang Shi: “…”

Jiang Shi silently moved his chair closer to the wall.

Cheng Ye was still writing. Seeing that the class bell was about to ring, Jiang Shi couldn’t help but complain, “Why didn’t you tell me we had a worksheet? Now I haven’t even finished it.”

His complaint was exceptionally unreasonable, but Cheng Ye still apologized earnestly. “I’m sorry, it’s my fault.”

He had originally planned to do it in the afternoon, but he was called out by Liu Man’s phone call and only got back in the evening.

Jiang Shi turned around to face Cheng Ye. He rested his chin on Cheng Ye’s desk and watched him do the worksheet, tilting his head and saying slowly, “I told the teacher you had a stomachache and went off-campus for an IV drip. Don’t let it slip later, okay?”

If Cheng Ye just lifted his eyes slightly, he could see Jiang Shi with his head tilted, watching him with wide eyes. The tip of his pen, which had been moving smoothly, uncontrollably drew a stark line.

“Jiang Shi,” he swallowed. “Don’t look at me like that.”

Jiang Shi thought he was being difficult, but on account of him doing his homework, he didn’t say anything and sat back down with a long face.

Just as Cheng Ye wrote the last word, the math teacher walked in with the bell.

He placed his book on the lectern. “Quiet, quiet! Take out the worksheets I handed out. Let me see who did them and who didn’t.”

A chorus of groans rose from below.

“Anyone who didn’t do it, get out to the hallway and stand while you listen.”

Jiang Shi spread out his worksheet, which had two different handwritings. The math teacher glanced at it, walked past him, and then stopped in front of Cheng Ye. “Where’s your worksheet?”

Cheng Ye held up the blank worksheet with his name on it. “I forgot to do it.”

The math teacher was instantly filled with disappointment. “You forgot the worksheet? Did you forget to eat? Get out.”

Cheng Ye took his worksheet and left.

Jiang Shi watched his retreating back, then looked at his own filled-out worksheet, and suddenly felt a bit off.

The other students had more or less finished copying, and only Cheng Ye was standing outside alone. The math teacher began to explain the problems. The numbers on the blackboard looked like tadpoles. Jiang Shi watched for a while, then suddenly raised his hand.

“Teacher, I need to go to the bathroom.”

The math teacher was a middle-aged man, his temper worn thin by his students. “What were you doing during the break? You need to go to the bathroom as soon as class starts?”

Although he said that, two seconds later, he still waved his hand at Jiang Shi. “Hurry up. Go and come back quickly.”

Jiang Shi slipped out of the classroom.

The hallway outside was empty. Cheng Ye was leaning against the wall, looking at the moon outside. Not a single star could be seen in the sky, making the moon look desolate.

Jiang Shi cleared his throat lightly.

Cheng Ye turned his head. He was a bit surprised to see him. “Why are you out here?”

Jiang Shi looked up at the sky. “I was bored. Came out for a stroll.”

A muffled laugh escaped from Cheng Ye’s throat. “Feeling guilty?”

“Who’s feeling guilty? I just came out to go to the bathroom.”

The boy standing in front of him had a slender frame. Under the lights, his whole face was a translucent white. Cheng Ye remembered the way his face had rested on the desk just now.

Like a puppy.

“Young Master…” After a few seconds of pause, Cheng Ye said, “Have you ever skipped class?”

Jiang Shi was stunned for a moment and subconsciously looked at Cheng Ye.

He saw a dancing flame ignite in his eyes.

The wind picked up at night, nearly lifting the temporarily erected canopy.

Liu Man held a chair in his hand, shouting anxiously, “Damn, damn, damn! Xiao Liu, Xiao Liu, the canopy’s about to fly away!”

Xiao Liu ran over, pulled the untied rope of the canopy back, and re-secured it. Liu Man put the chair down and looked up to see three people approaching in the distance.

Jiang Shi was always the conspicuous one in a crowd. No matter where he was, he was always the first one you’d see.

The boy walked slowly, shrinking his neck against the wind and ducking behind Cheng Ye.

Cheng Ye lowered his head and spoke to him. The boy said something, and a very faint smile appeared on his face.

It was the first time Liu Man had seen him smile like that.

“Brother Cheng.”

Liu Man walked over to greet them, his eyes glancing at Jiang Shi and Gao Xinhe behind him.

Cheng Ye pointed at Liu Man and introduced him to Jiang Shi and Gao Xinhe. “Liu Man.” Then he pointed behind him. “Xiao Liu. They’re my friends.”

Before he could introduce them further, Gao Xinhe cheekily stepped forward. “My name is Gao Xinhe, and next to me is my little cousin, Jiang Shi.”

The closer they got to the river, the stronger the wind blew. Jiang Shi’s face was almost completely hidden behind Cheng Ye’s back, only his eyes peeking out to size up Liu Man in front of him.

He asked Cheng Ye, “What are we doing here?”

“Eating barbecue.”

Liu Man and Xiao Liu had already prepared everything, just waiting for them to arrive. Gao Xinhe, with his quick wit, went forward to help. Cheng Ye found a chair and had Jiang Shi sit down first.

Jiang Shi sat and watched them prepare.

He watched Cheng Ye take charcoal and place it in a broken basin, then prop the basin up with bricks and bend over beside him to start a fire.

The river was just over ten meters away, but it was pitch black at night, and nothing could be seen, only the sound of the flowing water could be heard.

Jiang Shi watched for a while and found it boring. He skillfully reached into Cheng Ye’s pocket and pulled out a piece of beef jerky.

He tore open the jerky and ate it slowly, huddled up.

All of this was seen by Liu Man, who was behind them.

Xiao Liu, like Gao Xinhe, was simple-minded, and the two of them quickly became friends. He and Gao Xinhe squatted together, preparing the ingredients, their eyes always uncontrollably drifting towards Jiang Shi. “Is he really your cousin?”

“Of course,” Gao Xinhe said. “Don’t be fooled by his good looks. He actually has a terrible temper. Only Brother Cheng can handle him.”

Liu Man also squatted beside them. “Are they very close?”

“They’re pretty close, I guess,” Gao Xinhe said, saying whatever came to mind. “My Brother Cheng spends all his money on my little cousin.”

Liu Man glanced forward again.

Perhaps because the wind was too strong, Cheng Ye’s jacket was now draped over Jiang Shi’s shoulders.

He was only wearing a thin T-shirt. His shoulders were broad, and he already looked like a man.

Unlike his usual quietness around them, in front of Jiang Shi, it seemed like he was always the one talking, with the boy occasionally responding with a lazy word or two.

Cheng Ye didn’t get angry even when he was being perfunctory. After starting the fire, he squatted beside Jiang Shi again, pulled a bag of snacks from his clothes, tore it open, and handed it to him.

The boy took it as if it were his right, huddling in the heavy jacket and eating.

Cheng Ye adjusted the jacket on Jiang Shi’s shoulders, then turned his head and met Liu Man’s appraising gaze.

Liu Man’s heart skipped a beat. He lowered his head and averted his gaze.

The skewered ingredients were placed on the burning fire pit. Gao Xinhe was very excited. “Damn! This is my first time skipping class. It’s so thrilling.”

Jiang Shi sniffed the smell of grease wafting in the wind and stuck his hands into the pockets of Cheng Ye’s school uniform.

Cheng Ye brought a chair and sat next to him. He was tall, and as soon as he sat down, he completely shielded Jiang Shi.

Gao Xinhe, Liu Man, and Xiao Liu found common ground in their academic problems and immediately felt like they had found kindred spirits, sitting together and complaining about the hardships of studying.

On the ground was a case of beer someone had brought. Cheng Ye pulled out a bottle, knocked it against a brick, and the cap flew off.

The smell of beer spread. He lowered his eyes and looked at Jiang Shi.

“Young Master, want a drink?”

Jiang Shi looked at the beer held out in front of him. His fingertips, tucked in his pocket, twitched.

The cold wind, the vast open field by the river, the bonfire, and the spontaneous escape… all these things combined easily stirred up his adrenaline.

Finally, Jiang Shi swallowed. “I’ll drink.”

The glass bottles clinked together with a crisp sound.

Gao Xinhe threw a stone into the river and shouted, “To hell with it! I don’t want to learn English! I want freedom! Freedom!”

Xiao Liu also shouted along, “I want money! So much money I can’t even count it!”

Liu Man laughed and turned his head to look to the side.

Jiang Shi had gotten drunk at some point and was now leaning against Cheng Ye’s arms, curled up obediently. The brightly burning charcoal fire illuminated his face. Cheng Ye was looking down at him.

Liu Man couldn’t describe what kind of gaze it was. It was as if he was weaving a cage with his eyes, firmly locking the unwitting prey inside.

The next second, Cheng Ye looked over at him.

They met eyes across the distance. The charcoal fire cracked and popped. Gao Xinhe and Xiao Liu were still shouting at the river.

Cheng Ye didn’t dodge or avoid his gaze. He pulled the jacket on Jiang Shi’s shoulders tighter and turned to the side, blocking his sleeping face.

“He’s drunk. He probably can’t go back tonight. You and Xiao Liu can squeeze together. I’ll take him to your place.”

Hearing him say this, Liu Man subconsciously felt worried for Jiang Shi. “Isn’t Gao Xinhe his cousin? Let Gao Xinhe take him to my place.”

Cheng Ye shot him a light glance.

Liu Man’s spine felt a little numb. “Brother Cheng…”

Cheng Ye opened his mouth. “What are you worried about?”

Liu Man couldn’t say it, but he knew that whatever Cheng Ye wanted to do, he couldn’t change it.

In the end, he took out his key and handed it to Cheng Ye.

Jiang Shi was woken up by something poking him. Everything was swaying in front of him. His mind was muddled. He was awake, but the alcohol hadn’t worn off. He just instinctively called out, “Cheng Ye?”

The next second, a deep voice came from beneath him. “I’m here.”

Cheng Ye gave his butt a little lift. “Put your arms around me, you’re going to fall.”

Jiang Shi obediently put his arms around him, his chin resting on Cheng Ye’s neck. “What are we doing?”

“You’re drunk. I’m taking the little drunkard back to sleep.”

“Oh…” Jiang Shi responded sullenly. “I’m not drunk. I’m very sober.”

“How sober?”

Jiang Shi spread his arms wide. “This much sober.”

Cheng Ye laughed. “That’s quite a lot.”

Jiang Shi squeezed his waist hard. “You don’t believe me?”

“I believe you,” Cheng Ye’s voice turned hoarse. “Stop squeezing.”

Jiang Shi loosened his grip as told. He wrapped his arms around Cheng Ye’s neck, his lips brushing against his ear. He spoke slowly, his words slurring together. “I’m really not drunk. You can ask me questions. I know that one plus one actually equals three.”

There was no one on the street at this time. The streetlights stretched their shadows long. Cheng Ye walked forward, stepping on their shadows.

“I can ask anything?”

Jiang Shi leaned on his shoulder, sniffing the scent on Cheng Ye, his cheeks squished into soft flesh.

“Uh-huh.”

“Jiang Shi…” Cheng Ye asked him.

“Do you like me?”