Chapter 21

Chapter 21

On the first night at Room 413, in the perpetual silence of Xue Ping, who never spoke a word, Chen Mo drifted off to sleep amidst an atmosphere that almost suffocated him with frustration.

In the deep of the night, Chen Mo was indeed doing problems in his dreams.

It felt like that year's college entrance exam, surrounded by the rustling sound of pens on paper.

He stared at the last unsolvable math problem, his heart pounding so hard it felt like it was being squeezed, making it difficult to breathe. The ticking of the wall clock on the podium grew increasingly clear.

Tick-tock, tick-tock; he guessed there was nothing more terrifying than this sound in the world.

The invigilator began urging them to stop writing and hand in their papers.

Chen Mo thought, "This is it."

The last problem was still unsolved; he needed to write faster.

Flipping through the paper, he saw...

A blank sheet. He hadn't just left the last question unanswered; he hadn't written anything at all.

"Bang!"

"Damn!" Chen Mo immediately reached up to hold his head, as if the crisp sound of his head hitting the iron bed frame still echoed in his ears. He opened his eyes to the darkness, realizing he was drenched in cold sweat.

"Nightmare?" came a voice from the adjacent bed.

The voice was clear and close, as if right next to his ear.

Their beds were adjacent, and out of respect, they faced opposite directions, leaving only two iron frames between their heads.

Chen Mo took a long breath, relaxing his entire body onto the bed, staring at the ceiling and saying faintly, "I used to think the scariest nightmares were either living a life you didn't want or not being able to die. Who knew there was also the option of having to hand in a blank exam paper during the college entrance exam? Ridiculous, right? It nearly gave me a heart attack."

There was a pause from the other bed, followed by what sounded like a chuckle, "I thought even in your dream, you'd have the guts to slap a blank paper in the invigilator's face."

"I don't know," Chen Mo replied weakly, "I didn't do it."

After a few seconds, he had calmed down.

Chen Mo checked his phone; it was two in the morning.

Tonight's moon must have been quite bright, as even with the curtains drawn, the dorm room still had a faint glow of moonlight.

Chen Mo leaned back and asked, "Did I wake you up? Or were you not sleeping?"

"Not sleeping," came the reply from the other bed.

Chen Mo: "Not used to the new place?"

As soon as he said it, Chen Mo thought, of course, the Xi family probably didn't even consider the concept of living on campus. Thinking about it, both the small hospital bed last time and now living on campus were related to him.

Just as Chen Mo was feeling a twinge of guilt, Xi Siyan said, "Just finished dealing with something, haven't slept yet."

Chen Mo remembered that before he fell asleep, Xi Siyan was sitting on the bed, typing away on a laptop.

He asked instinctively, "Starting work this early, a tradition in your family?"

"What are you thinking about?" Xi Siyan replied, "Lao Xiang asked me to draft a cooperation agreement for tomorrow morning."

Chen Mo fell silent.

The nightmare had left his mind foggy, causing him to subconsciously equate adult Xi Siyan with the high school student he was now.

High school life wasn't that complicated.

Chen Mo turned to lie down, closing his eyes, when he felt a cool object touch his face.

Xi Siyan's voice, lower and deeper than usual, said in the darkness, "Drink some water before you sleep. It's new."

Chen Mo grabbed the water bottle on his face, seeing the shadow of a hand retracting above him.

This time, the night became utterly quiet.

At six in the morning, the school's wake-up bell rang on time.

Chen Mo was the last one to get up.

When he got out of bed, everyone else was either brushing their teeth or washing their faces.

He slipped his feet into his slippers, ruffling his hair with a sleepy hand, hearing Qi Lin across from him ask, "Did you hit your head on the bed last night?"

"You heard?" Chen Mo looked over and asked.

Qi Lin nodded, "I think I did. I also heard you talking to Lao Xi, but couldn't make out what you were saying."

Chen Mo walked towards the balcony, "Nothing serious, just a dream about not answering any questions on the college entrance exam. Your brother thinks I could confidently slap a blank paper in the invigilator's face."

Qi Lin was taken aback, "...Does Lao Xi finally think you're beyond saving?"

Ignoring the others' discussion about what he meant, Chen Mo went to the sink to brush his teeth. Upon arriving, he found his toiletries had been moved to a separate basin.

Chen Mo glanced at them for a moment, then turned his head, "Did you do this?"

"Yes, I did," said Xue Ping, who was washing clothes early in the morning, turning to look at him with a condescending air, "Hope you realize this dorm isn't for you."

Chen Mo crossed his arms and leaned against the sink.

The early morning laziness lingered, and his tone remained sluggish as he asked,

"Are you in my way?"

"You're not in my way!" Xue Ping was still agitated, and his wet hands waved near Chen Mo's face. Chen Mo turned his head to avoid them and heard him continue, "Ever since you came to the experimental class, the learning atmosphere has deteriorated! You want to drive away the math teacher, Bai Suxiu, and lead the class into fights. Now you're living in the dormitory, dragging Xi Siyan to tutor you. You're simply... a disaster!"

Chen Mo patiently waited for him to finish.

He then got up and patted Xue Ping on the shoulder. "Did you think about these words all night? That must have been exhausting."

Xue Ping seemed shocked by his reaction.

He even asked directly, "Why aren't you angry?"

"Is what you said not true?" Chen Mo took the toothpaste from the basin, squeezed some onto his toothbrush, and put it in his mouth. Looking at the clearly deflated Xue Ping through the small glass mirror, he immediately said, "But don't give up. Regardless of other things, your goal stands firm and cannot be affected."

Just then, the bathroom door on the right opened.

Xi Siyan, who had just finished showering, walked out wearing shorts and a towel draped over his shoulder, emerging from the steamy air.

Whether or not he had heard their conversation in the bathroom, he first glanced at Chen Mo's toiletries in the basin and then looked at Xue Ping.

Seeing him, Chen Mo couldn't help but marvel, "This guy's physique is actually so good."

Xi Siyan didn't have overly exaggerated muscles, but his skin was smooth, his shoulders broad, and his legs long, with an excellent body proportion. His abdominal muscles were subtly defined even without exercise. Especially when water droplets slid down his hair, over his shoulders, and across his abs, finally disappearing into the edge of his black shorts—it was quite pleasing to the eye.

"What are you looking at?" A slightly deep voice sounded as Chen Mo still had the toothbrush in his mouth.

Looking up to meet Xi Siyan's eyes, which carried a sense of pressure, Chen Mo replied, "Naturally, it's you."

"Is it good to look at?" Xi Siyan asked, pulling on the T-shirt hanging by the door and putting it on casually.

Watching him dress, Chen Mo nodded, "I have to admit, from yesterday until now, I've seen all the half-naked bodies in the dorm except for Xue Ping. Compared to them, you stand out as exceptionally good-looking."

"Brush your teeth."

Xi Siyan threw the towel aside, glanced at the basin again, and pushed open the balcony door to go inside.

Only then did Chen Mo realize that he hadn't even noticed when Xue Ping left. He vaguely heard something from Xi Siyan in the dormitory. Chen Mo guessed it was probably about Xue Ping throwing his things.

Sure enough, after Chen Mo finished washing up and entered the dormitory, Xue Ping lowered his head and apologized to him before leaving first.

Jiang Xu commented, "That was pretty stupid."

"Don't mind him," Bai Cheng also said to Chen Mo. "He's just a bit impulsive, but he doesn't do sneaky things behind people's backs."

Chen Mo had no particular feelings about it.

If he got angry over such trivial matters, he would have died of anger in high school in his previous life.

"Let's go, time for morning study." Chen Mo yawned, still feeling tired.

As soon as he spoke,

"Today is Monday."

"There's no morning study."

"Right, we go straight to the assembly ground for the flag-raising ceremony."

At this point, someone realized the issue and Qi Lin asked, "Judging by your eagerness to go to the classroom, allow me to ask quietly, Brother Mo, did you write your self-criticism?"

Even Xi Siyan, who had been flipping through books on the table, turned to look.

Chen Mo slowly said, "Self-criticism?"

"Alright, we get it, you didn't write it."

"Director Lai will be furious."

"Forgot about the fight you started? Get ready to stand in front of the whole school today. Life is short; endure it."

...

It was a sunny day with clear skies, much like any other Monday. By seven o'clock, almost all students had gathered on the assembly ground.

But today was a little different.

The school leaders gave speeches on stage, raising their hands several times to quiet the crowd, but the students quickly became restless again.

The leaders stepping off the stage were puzzled and asked the teachers beside them, "What's going on today?"

"It's not surprising," the teacher next to them pointed to the steps beside the stage where someone was walking up, smiling, "Today, a representative from the second-year class is giving the speech."

As soon as the person stepped onto the stage, the crowd's restlessness grew more evident.

After all, the person in the white shirt exuded a gentle and refined demeanor. The sleeves were neatly rolled up, revealing well-defined forearms. Clean, handsome, and with a pleasant voice.

Even the hand that held the microphone on the podium was exceptionally slender and elegant.

He leaned forward slightly, approaching the microphone, "Respected leaders, fellow students, and teachers, good morning..."

His greeting was accompanied by a faint smile, captivating the freshmen girls in the front row, who whispered and gazed around.

Xi Siyan's speech as the representative was the most lively part of this dull morning.

It was also the moment when student enthusiasm reached its peak.

After he finished speaking, the flag-raising ceremony was basically over.

The school leader who took his place seemed to notice his high popularity and simply called him back, asking him to stay on stage. He continued, "To avoid delaying your eight o'clock class, I won't waste much time. Let's just take a few minutes for the students who violated the rules last time to come up and read their apologies."

Saying this, as if fearing the students might get impatient, he added with a smile, "I've kept him here for you, so feel free to look, but don't make a sound, okay?"

This caused an uproar in the crowd.

As the commotion gradually subsided, four or five boys walked up to the podium one by one.

Those who violate the rules often have a rebellious streak. The ones on stage wore their uniforms loosely, some with unzipped jackets, others tied around their waists. Perhaps due to a bit of pride, they kept their heads down, looking dejected.

This low mood continued until the last person stepped onto the stage.

The atmosphere changed.

The boy wore a loose black T-shirt underneath, with his uniform jacket unzipped, yet it didn't seem sloppy at all.

He walked slowly, almost as if he hadn't woken up fully.

His hair was a bit messy, and the skin on his rolled-up sleeves looked strikingly pale under the sunlight.

"Who is that?"

"He's quite handsome."

"They're all from second year, right? Don't you guys visit the forum? That's Chen Mo. I heard he fought ten people alone. That's why he has to read his apology."

Various voices rose.

"Isn't he the young master involved in that big mix-up with the wealthy family?"

"That's right, he's the real young master."

"What about the fake young master? Where is he?"

"He probably didn't have the face to show up today. I heard something happened last weekend..."

Regardless of what the crowd was saying, Chen Mo listened as the others beside him read their apologies obediently. Then the microphone was passed to him.

Everyone watched as he pulled out a piece of A4 paper.

A clear yet slightly raspy voice echoed.

Respected "Leaders":

After a night of reflection, I promise to do... tsk...

That unconscious "tsk" was transmitted through the microphone, reaching everyone's ears.

It sounded like a mix of exasperation and absurdity.

Then everyone watched him put the paper back into his pocket, face the crowd, and say, "I apologize for my actions. I shouldn't have hit anyone. I deeply recognize my mistake. After... Apology writer, Chen Mo, Class One, Second Year."

Initially, no one thought anything of it; it sounded normal from start to finish. But most people soon realized that Chen Mo's impromptu apology was a mishmash of bits and pieces from the previous speakers.

It felt both outrageous and hard to fault.

Finally, the apology segment ended.

The leader gave a concluding speech.

The students who had read their apologies stepped back, forming a row with the representative from the second year.

The leader continued passionately, "Dear students, time flies, the future is bright, we..."

Everyone on the field saw two equally attractive figures standing together, seemingly in disagreement based on their expressions.

Chen Mo had a cold expression, "Qi Lin, that wasn't an apology, it was practically a love letter."

Xi Siyan glanced at him, "Did you listen when I told you to print it yourself?"

"I had to eat breakfast."

"With those ten minutes you spent sleeping in, you could have finished breakfast."

"Don't be too harsh, it's early morning."

"Starting tomorrow, wake up twenty minutes earlier to review the day's lessons."

"Are you human?"

With the school leader's announcement, "Dismissed!"

The corner of the stage that had drawn so much attention saw the school bully nearly knocked over intentionally, but he was saved by someone behind him grabbing his collar.

Xi Siyan's image of a gentleman crumbled instantly as he glared at the person who had bumped into them, his eyes cold as ice.

Several students passed by.

The school bully seemed ready to retaliate, raising an eyebrow, "So bitter? Just because of that stupid apology from the same Baidu entry?"

"Shut up." Xi Siyan, who had grabbed his collar, warned them with a glance, dragging him down the steps, cursing, "You didn't even bother to Google it, did you?"

Everyone: ? Are these two friends or enemies?