### Chapter 3 An Unremarkable Special Admit

### Chapter 3 An Unremarkable Special Admit

He was lifted entirely by the other person, his hand pressed against the other’s waist and abdomen. His slender fingertips curled slightly. The other person had a buzz cut and was lean, with their school uniform wide open, revealing not a shirt like everyone else but just a black vest. Through the thin fabric, he could feel the distinct lines of the other’s abs, hot and hard.

Ning Song assessed the difference in their body sizes and his current physical condition.

He couldn’t win.

It seemed Squid Brother was into boxing.

His fighting experience was too rich; he could tell at a glance who to avoid.

And because of his experience, he knew how to respond.

Squid Brother, this kind of street tough, clearly didn’t enjoy bullying someone much weaker than him.

So he immediately pretended to struggle in fear, exposing his slim, tight waist. He opened his mouth, showing the tip of his red tongue behind his white teeth, looking pained.

Li You was visibly taken aback, probably not expecting him to be so light. His gaze swept over Ning Song’s face before he released his grip.

“I didn’t see anything.” His face flushed from the struggle.

Just as he finished speaking, a boy behind them laughed.

It was the handsome boy he had seen earlier, gulping down alcohol.

With his almond-shaped eyes, long eyebrows, and a fringe of hair, paired with a swan-like neck and slim waist, he looked incredibly beautiful.

He thought Ning Song was being forced. Now, he casually draped an arm around another person’s shoulder, his lips moist, always on the verge of a smile, like an expensive white cat.

“Didn’t see anything?” The other person seemed indifferent to being seen. “Do you want us to do it again for you?”

Ning Song shook his head, and the other person laughed even harder, almost shaking with mirth.

“Are you new here?”

Ning Song nodded.

The group glanced at him. “Is that you, the special admit from Class 3?”

Ning Song nodded again, and another boy, who looked quite arrogant, said, “Why is he so scrawny?”

There were five or six of them, all tall and burly, reeking of smoke and alcohol. Ning Song, who had always been strong-willed, now decided to show some humility, unsure if his act was convincing enough: “I really didn’t know you were in there.”

“What’s your name?” Li You interrupted, asking.

“Ning Song, ‘peace’ Ning, ‘praise’ Song.”

Answering more than asked.

Perhaps finding it boring to bully someone like him, Li You lightly patted his face and walked down.

The pat was gentle yet assertive and teasing. The roughness of his fingertips, with calluses scraping slightly, caused a bit of pain.

“Brother You, are we just going to leave him?”

Li You, hands in his pockets, didn’t look back. “What’s there to care about with a little chick?”

The two boys sitting on the stairs also stood up laughing, following the others down. As they walked, they said, “Damn, scared me. I thought it was the student council coming for another surprise inspection. Shit, can’t even smoke without worrying.”

“Why does our school love admitting bookworms so much? Thought we’d get a handsome guy this time.”

“What would you do with a handsome guy? Want Squid Brother to beat you up?”

They burst into laughter again. Ning Song looked back and saw Li You turn his head slightly.

Those eyes were truly unforgettable, sharp and intense. Though he was smiling, his eyes showed no warmth from afar.

Li You was different from what Ning Song had imagined.

Not as handsome as described in his profile, but perhaps the real person had a stronger impact, appearing particularly wild, with the aura of a protagonist from a tenement literature novel—chaotic, rebellious, and fierce. In this prestigious school, he seemed even more out of place than Ning Song, who came from the slums.

After they left, Ning Song went into the storage room to fetch something and cleaned up the bottles and cigarette butts inside.

This must be their hideout, or maybe not just theirs, as there were bottles and butts everywhere.

Shit.

Sure enough, the top floor of the boys’ dormitory had many stories.

His eyes felt scorched; his first day here shattered his worldview.

And he realized one thing: many people were paying attention to him, the new special admit.

But so far, everyone seemed disappointed.

Grateful.

He had just finished tidying up his dormitory when he received a message from their class monitor.

It was their schedule.

“Our next class is cello in Music Building 101. Remember to come early, don’t be late for the first class.”

Ning Song washed his hands and changed into the spring uniform he had just received—a black jacket with single buttons fastened to the collar, a white shirt underneath, gray trousers, and black shoes. The uniform of Upper East Boys' School, in terms of color and style, exuded a sense of restraint and asceticism, completely opposite to the chaos he had encountered in the storage room.

He glanced in the mirror before leaving. The school uniform didn't fit him well, making him look even more frail and pale, as if he were wearing clothes meant for an adult.

But this was better; it made him appear more ordinary, with nothing particularly remarkable about him.

He checked his phone; there was still some time before class started, so he went to the library to get a reading card.

The Upper East School library stood next to the dormitory building, luxurious like an art museum.

After getting the card, he looked at the map and headed straight to the magazine section on the first floor, tucked away in the corner.

During class hours, there were hardly any students inside, only a teacher sitting by the entrance playing solitaire on a computer.

He used a bookmark to browse through the rows of shelves, finding the book he wanted on the top shelf of the fourth row.

There was an entire section dedicated to gaming-related magazines, covering everything from game development to esports and entertainment.

Perhaps because few people read these magazines, they were all placed high up on the shelves.

Literally out of reach.

He couldn't even reach them.

This library was designed to be elegant and impressive, but it lacked practicality.

He tiptoed, trying to use the bookmark to pull the books down. After a couple of attempts, just as the book was about to fall, an arm suddenly extended from behind him, retrieving the magazine for him.

Startled, he quickly turned around, lowering his feet, and found himself looking at a mole below the other person's Adam's apple.

The other person was a full head taller than him, with broad shoulders, lean, but clearly athletic. When reaching for the book, their body seemed to envelop him like a large wing, making him feel easily overpowered, even helpless.

The height difference was intimidating.

The other person handed him the book, and for a moment, Ning Song felt as if he had stepped into a manga. How could someone be so tall and thin?

He regained his composure, grabbed the magazine, and said, "Thank you."

The other person's eyebrows were distinctive, long and sharp, with dark pupils showing no emotion. At first glance, they seemed gloomy, devoid of love or desire, yet their face was handsome and delicate, fitting for a good student. Their skin was flawless, and the mole on their neck added a touch of sensuality, the only flaw that hinted at human emotions.

In this scene, in the library, compared to the 18-year-old Takako in "Love Letter," there was just a bit more gloom, lacking only the fluttering white curtains.

Being this good-looking is dangerous.

After helping him retrieve the magazine, the other person reached for another issue of "Game Developer Weekly" and began flipping through it.

Ning Song had no recollection of this character from any card. Perhaps the gloominess was hard to capture in a drawing.

He must be around 190 cm tall. This subtle awareness and height difference made him feel a bit intimidated.

Fortunately, the next second, his attention was drawn to the black name tag on the gloomy guy's chest.

This was the first time he had seen a black name tag.

The black name tag on the black uniform wasn't very noticeable, giving it a low-key elegance. The rose and sword on the name tag were a deep black, slightly different from the uniform's black, gleaming under the light.

Contrasting with his white name tag.

Ning Song opened the "Esports" magazine and flipped through it, when he suddenly heard a sound from the bookshelves behind him.

He turned around and saw, through two rows of shelves, two boys embracing in a corner near the back door.

"Don't move."

"They've spotted us!"

"No, just be quiet."

Ning Song: "..."

The sounds of intimate kissing were faint, along with muffled sobs.

They were... kissing.

The slender boy couldn't stand the intensity of the kiss and seemed unable to break free, held firmly by the taller one's hand on the back of his head.

Damn.

Seeing two guys making out for the first time was quite shocking for a straight guy like him.

Would this be a regular occurrence at this school?

Holding the magazine, he walked towards the reading area and found a seat.

Soon after, the gloomy guy also emerged.

The couple came out too.

One had short, dark hair, looking like an athlete, while the other was fair-skinned and delicate, with long hair, exuding an artistic vibe.

Oh, oh, oh, oh.

Such a familiar formula for a campus BL novel!

The couple sat down and leaned against each other, oblivious to others.

This was familiar.

Whether in high school or college, libraries always had couples being affectionate.

The art student was still rather shy, always pushing but not daring to make a sound. The sports student, clearly of the domineering and rebellious type, became even more enthusiastic upon seeing the other's shyness.

He was practically trying to incorporate him and the sullen guy into their play.

Damn.

Ning Song secretly glanced at the sullen guy, who like him, had been forced into being a spectator.

As expected of the protagonist, he showed no expression at all, as if he wouldn't even lift an eyelid even if someone started getting intimate right in front of him.

Like a cold iron rod in the chilly spring breeze, devoid of any worldly desires.

"Author's Note"

Easter Egg: On the bustling night market street in the slums, Pu Yu, at the pinnacle of the pyramid, carried Ning Song's bag on one hand and held Ning Song, who was eating, with the other, while holding a steaming snack, weaving through the lively crowd.