Siren

True to the school doctor’s word, the waist injury healed remarkably fast.

Yet, during its recovery, many inconveniences arose.

Ordinary actions, such as bending to pick something up or simply standing straight, demanded a surprising reservoir of courage.

It was as if Ji Ze had been transported back to his third year of middle school, when daily frog jumps left his thigh muscles aching, making him comically limp down the stairs.

Jiang Hao, meanwhile, had fully embraced the role of a loyal and righteous brother, helping Ji Ze in countless ways.

His kindness made Ji Ze deeply regret his initial attitude, stirring a profound sense of shame, as if he had judged a gentleman with a villain’s heart.

Even Yu Huageng, who had observed them for so long while sipping juice, found her opinion of Jiang Hao significantly changed.

Once certain his injury was fully mended, Ji Ze decided to practice alone on the open ground behind the teaching building after school.

Another week had passed, bringing the sports meet even closer.

He had to make every moment count.

As for the equipment, a word to Teacher Tian was all it took; borrowing it through him would be effortless.

Having spent so much time inseparable from his deskmate, Jiang Hao felt a slight disorientation when Ji Ze suddenly disappeared.

With his hands tucked into his pockets, he ambled along, intending to find a quiet spot to play some games.

As he passed the flower beds, a familiar figure caught his eye—the Class Monitor, diligently practicing shot put.

Jiang Hao raised an eyebrow, a smile involuntarily curving his lips.

Suddenly, his interest in gaming waned.

He deliberately lightened his steps, moving silently until he reached Ji Ze.

With a playful pat on his shoulder, he announced, “Hey, Class Monitor, secretly practicing, are we?”

Ji Ze flinched violently, a shiver running through him.

He whipped his head around, glaring, only to find Jiang Hao.

“Are you out of your mind?!” he snapped, utterly exasperated.

Jiang Hao chuckled.

“That scared you badly?”

“Whose fault is it for being so secretive?”

Holding the shot put, Ji Ze instinctively tried to hide it behind his back.

“No need to hide it, I saw everything,” Jiang Hao said, his voice brimming with camaraderie.

“Why practice alone when you want to?”

“I can practice with you.”

Ji Ze pressed his lips together.

“No need.”

Jiang Hao breezily ignored him.

“How’s your practice coming along?”

“Did you warm up first?”

“Don’t want a repeat of last time…”

Ji Ze knew exactly what he was about to say and cut him off urgently.

“I warmed up, I warmed up!”

Jiang Hao smiled.

“Well, there you go.”

“Throw a couple of shots, and I’ll give you some pointers.”

Ji Ze, however, didn’t move.

“Are you really that idle?”

“Yeah, I was just about to play games.”

“Then go play.”

“No one’s stopping you.”

“Stopping me?” Jiang Hao drawled, stretching the words meaningfully.

“Class Monitor, doesn’t the school forbid puppy love?”

Ji Ze was speechless at Jiang Hao’s deliberate misinterpretation of his words.

He had anticipated the boy’s troublesome nature from their very first meeting, yet facing it head-on still left him utterly helpless.

Rather than continuing their verbal sparring, it was better to make the most of his time practicing; he still had evening self-study to attend.

Thus, Ji Ze, disinclined to bicker, adopted a serious expression.

He gripped the shot put, assumed his stance, swung his arm twice, and powerfully hurled the ball diagonally forward.

The shot put carved a clean arc through the air before thudding onto the ground.

As a diligent practice partner, Jiang Hao, after confirming the form was correct, moved to stand opposite Ji Ze.

Each time Ji Ze threw the shot put, Jiang Hao would toss it back, saving them the effort of constantly retrieving it.

From an initial awkwardness, Ji Ze gradually settled into a rhythm, his expression transforming as he found his touch.

Sweat slicked his back and forehead, a sticky sensation he paradoxically found invigorating.

It was a feeling of profound fulfillment; how could a boy’s high school experience be complete without the thrill of sports?

At this hour, some students had already returned to their classrooms, engrossed in reading, playing on their phones, or simply chatting.

Yu Huageng, laden with snacks, was walking back to class, munching as she went.

Just as she approached the classroom door, a male voice burst forth, fast and furious.

The boy skidded to a halt, bracing himself with a foot on the ground and a hand on the doorframe, shouting, “Classmates!”

“Big gossip!”

“Big gossip!”

“Our Class Monitor, the new student, and the Class Beauty from Class One are downstairs—a suspected love triangle scandal!”

The class fell silent for a moment, then erupted.

“Where, where?!”

A horde of students surged out of the classroom, rushing towards Class Six.

They ‘patted’ past the bewildered students of Class Six like harvesting radishes, apologizing, “Excuse us, just passing through for a moment.”

Between Class Five and Class Six lay a large open space, with a corner that obscured the view from Class Five’s windows.

However, from Class Six’s windows, everything was perfectly clear.

Downstairs stood Ji Ze, Jiang Hao, and Chi Jiaqi.

There was no dramatic, clichéd scene of two boys fighting over one girl, no jealous brawls.

On the contrary, the trio was harmoniously practicing shot put, laughing and chatting.

“What was that all about?”

“Calling it big gossip, it’s utter nonsense.”

“But if the Class Monitor really did like Chi Jiaqi, would you be happy?”

“No way!”

“Our Class Monitor is much prettier than her.”

“Hey, hey, did you guys notice the main point?”

“It’s not P.E. class right now.”

“The Class Monitor is secretly practicing for the sports meet.”

“Now that you mention it, I remember.”

“The Class Monitor signed up for shot put.”

“The Class Monitor is so serious…”

Clustered by the window, the students weren’t disappointed at not finding the imagined gossip.

Instead, watching Ji Ze practice shot put, they unconsciously broke into fond, almost parental smiles.

It was the satisfaction of seeing their ‘child’ grow up.

After observing for a while, they gradually turned to leave, patting each other on the shoulder and saying, “Doesn’t this suddenly make you feel fired up?”

“Let’s go, Sports Meet!”

After they left, the Class Monitor of Class Six, who had somehow appeared at the podium, slapped the table.

“Comrades!”

“Look at their Class Monitor—even with his poor health, he’s working hard!”

“What reason do we have not to strive?”

“How about we aim for first place in the school sports meet?”

Several playful boys gripped hands like arm wrestlers, their spirits soaring.

“Good!”

“Let’s defeat them!”

“Take first place!”

The quieter students exchanged glances.

‘We don’t quite understand you hot-blooded, manga-style people.’

After Ji Ze and Jiang Hao returned the shot put, they went to the restroom to wash their faces before heading back to the classroom.

Ji Ze sat down and casually pulled a tissue to wipe his face.

Droplets of water traced paths down his cheeks, and his damp bangs clung to his temples.

His face, flushed with healthy color from the exercise, glowed.

His dark eyes sparkled, and water beads clung to his eyelashes, making him look like a mermaid leaping from the water.

Jiang Hao’s previous class had a girl who idolized a foreign celebrity, a beauty so striking they were almost gender-neutral.

Once, this celebrity graced the cover of a fashion magazine with an ocean-themed photoshoot: shoulder-length golden curls, emerald eyes like an unfathomable deep blue sea, both profound and sensual.

With one hand, they casually brushed back some damp hair, their gaze languid and casual, seemingly looking at the camera, yet not quite.

Jiang Hao remembered the girl’s explosive excitement when she got the magazine, raving about the “sexy fairy” and lamenting how unfortunate it was that she wasn’t a man.

Now, looking at Ji Ze, Jiang Hao immediately thought of that celebrity.

He felt Ji Ze was no less stunning, possessing a beauty that could make one lose themselves.

Jiang Hao turned his head, coughed lightly, and pinched his own tiger’s mouth.

When he looked up again, he gazed at the blackboard with feigned composure, then opened his homework book.

Without warning, he felt an arm brush against his—cool and slightly damp.

This time, it was Jiang Hao’s turn to be startled.

He turned to Ji Ze.

“Hm?!”

Seeing Jiang Hao flinch, looking a little cowardly, Ji Ze couldn’t help but smile.

He raised his own hand.

“This is water, not sweat.”

“Are you silly?”

He even gave a mischievous smile, deliberately drawing a line across Jiang Hao’s face.

Having been scared by him so often, he finally got his revenge.

Jiang Hao, however, didn’t retort with his usual shameless grin.

Instead, he turned his head away.

Ji Ze was puzzled.

“What’s wrong?”

“Are you not feeling well?”

After two seconds, Jiang Hao turned back, his face looking somewhat unnatural.

He fanned himself with his hand.

“Nothing, it’s just… a bit hot.”

“Yes, it’s really hot tonight.”

His face was flushed, so it indeed seemed quite hot.

Ji Ze looked bewildered.

“Is it really that hot?”

The air conditioning in the classroom had been on full blast since they returned, making it very cool.

Jiang Hao paused, then quickly changed the subject.

“What did you call me for just now?”

“Oh, I wanted to tell you that the physics homework changed.”

“Do it in the textbook, no need to hand it in.”

“The teacher will do a spot check tomorrow.”

Jiang Hao closed his homework book.

“Is that so?”

“Then I won’t write it.”

“I have great luck, they definitely won’t pick me.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Ze couldn’t help but smile.

With so much homework on the board, the order was indeed usually dictated by what needed to be handed in most urgently.

Jiang Hao watched him for a moment, then suddenly raised an eyebrow.

“Speaking of which, there’s a lot of homework tonight.”

“How about we each do half and help each other out?”

He had expected Ji Ze to flatly refuse, requiring a long session of pestering.

To his surprise, Ji Ze only thought for a second before nodding.

“Okay, which subjects will you do?”

Jiang Hao was momentarily stunned.

“Why are you so agreeable today?”

Ji Ze tidied the textbooks in front of him.

“No reason.”

“Do you still want to help each other out?”

Jiang Hao nodded.

“Of course.”

“I’ll do… Math, Chemistry, English.”

“You do Chinese, Physics, Biology.”

“How’s that?”

“Sounds good.”

“Let’s start writing.”

“Mm.”

Their collaboration indeed made quick work of the assignments.

By the halfway point of evening self-study, they had nearly finished everything.

Swapping books to copy took only a few minutes, and a final discussion of the application problems, using different methods, ensured they wouldn’t be caught by the teacher.

After completing all of that, only a Chinese essay remained.

To cultivate students’ writing skills and critical thinking, the teacher assigned a short essay every day.

There were no length or content restrictions, so students mostly treated it as a diary or a space to write down their immediate thoughts.

Because of the lack of restrictions, it was always fascinating for the teacher to read the essays.

Students’ imaginative ideas were all contained within a thin notebook.

Some would write about their bizarre and fantastical dreams, others would share thoughts on a book they read, and some even touched upon their confusion about the future.

Today, Ji Ze wrote about his shot put practice.

It was just an ordinary day, but it perfectly matched the casual nature of an essay, reflecting his own thoughts and feelings.

Being a personal experience, Ji Ze finished it in about ten minutes.

As he capped his pen, he turned to curiously glance at his deskmate’s essay.

He thought he caught a glimpse of the character for ‘ball’?

Could he and Jiang Hao have written about the same thing?

When the essays were delivered to the office the next day, the teacher, half-way through grading, couldn’t help but smile faintly again.

An open notebook lay before them, and they flipped open the one they had just graded, placing it alongside.

The teacher mused, ‘What is this, then?’

‘A couple’s homework?’

‘If they were a boy and a girl, and later became a couple, I suppose I’d be one of the witnesses.’