Test

After receiving his award, Jiang Hao didn’t return to class immediately.

Instead, he made a detour to the convenience store and bought some snacks.

Ji Ze and Ye Ke had just finished a stack of cheerleading drafts.

They were meant to be taken to the main stage.

Ji Ze was about to take them, but Ye Ke was quicker.

With a radiant smile, she said, “You’ve taken them several times already.”

“This time, it’s definitely my turn.”

“Besides, I wanted to take a walk and cheer on our classmates.”

Only a few students remained in the classroom, chatting idly and playfully roughhousing.

Ji Ze was deep in thought, tapping his chin with his pen as he wrote.

Suddenly, a shadow fell over his head.

He instinctively looked up and leaned back, meeting Jiang Hao’s gaze.

Their faces were less than ten centimeters apart, one standing, one seated.

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves with a soft whisper.

“You’re blocking the light.”

Ji Ze averted his gaze, his voice flat, though the very end of his words held an almost imperceptible tremor.

Jiang Hao replied, “Writing under the direct sun like this, aren’t you worried about hurting your eyes?”

He swiftly snatched the papers from Ji Ze’s hand, placing them on an empty chair nearby.

Then, he pulled his own chair closer, straddling it backward with his arms draped over the backrest, swaying with an easygoing air.

“Want some snacks?”

He pulled a large bag of seaweed from the plastic bag, tore open the seal, pinched out a piece, and offered it to Ji Ze’s mouth with a beaming smile.

Ji Ze reached out to take it himself, but Jiang Hao immediately pulled back.

“You just touched your pen and paper; your hands are dirty.”

“I’ll feed you.”

Ji Ze hesitated for a second.

“You eat it.”

Unexpectedly, the moment he opened his mouth, the seaweed was tucked inside.

A crispy, fragrant burst filled his mouth, leaving his expression a little dumbfounded.

Jiang Hao, completely at ease, took another piece and popped it into his own mouth, crunching away.

“Next up is the high jump, right?”

“How should we write the cheerleading drafts?”

“I’ll write them with you.”

“You start by tearing some strips of paper.”

“How big?”

“The usual size for passing notes, long strips.”

“Oh—” Jiang Hao drew out his reply, then chuckled.

Ji Ze’s expression was slightly puzzled, not quite grasping the humor.

“Oh, right, the first-place prize, it’s for you.”

Jiang Hao pulled out a notebook and a box of black gel pens from the bag.

After all, it was the school sports meet, and the prizes were practical, truly down-to-earth gifts for students.

Ji Ze watched him place the notebook in front of him, confused.

“Why for me?”

“To write cheerleading drafts?”

Jiang Hao choked.

“You want to tear it up?”

Ji Ze looked at him strangely.

“Of course, I’d tear it to write drafts.”

“Otherwise, am I supposed to submit the whole notebook?”

Jiang Hao’s face fell, his smile pitiful.

He huffed, “I don’t care.”

“You can use it for homework or anything else, just don’t rip it apart.”

Ji Ze said, “It’s your prize.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if you used it yourself?”

Jiang Hao fumed, exasperated with himself, and angrily tossed the notebook into Ji Ze’s lap.

“I already said it’s for you.”

“There’s no taking it back.”

“If you don’t use it, just throw it away.”

Though a little bewildered, Ji Ze was secretly delighted that the other person was willing to give him the prize.

He smiled and thanked him, carefully tucking the notebook under his pencil case.

Under the clear blue sky and bright sun, the sports field teemed with people.

Enthusiastic shouts and continuous cheers, along with lively commentary, filled the air, creating an exceptionally boisterous atmosphere.

In the shade of a tree, within Class Five’s area.

Jiang Hao leaned against his chair, leisurely tearing and folding paper into small strips.

Ji Ze, head bowed, wrote the cheerleading drafts.

Their chairs were close together, and even without much conversation, they looked remarkably harmonious.

Ye Ke, who had returned after her walk, saw this scene.

For some reason, she felt she ought to go for another stroll.

So, she turned around again and ran off with light steps.

Leaning back in his chair, Jiang Hao crossed his legs and casually brought up, “Ji Ze, do you have someone you like?”

Ji Ze’s pen-holding hand paused.

“No.”

‘No.’

Jiang Hao pondered these two words, unsure whether to feel happy or disappointed.

Ji Ze returned the courtesy.

“What about you?”

Jiang Hao immediately thought of the cliché plots in idol dramas, with all their convoluted twists and misunderstandings about liking someone.

He gave what he considered a perfect answer: “Not at the moment.”

“My main priority is studying.”

“But if I did like someone, I’d pursue them very seriously.”

Ji Ze nodded.

“That’s true.”

“The ocean of knowledge is so vast; there’s no time for dating.”

Jiang Hao: “…”

‘Did I just dig a huge pit for myself?’

“If you really liked someone…” Jiang Hao continued tearing paper strips, feeling he could try to salvage the situation.

“Then after graduating high school, you’d go to different universities, and there’s a high chance you’d still break up.”

“Are you referring to what the dean said at the last meeting?”

“It does make a lot of sense; long-distance relationships are hard to maintain.”

“The dean even specifically kept the Class Monitors, asking us to supervise our classmates.”

“Something about, ‘If two hearts are truly in love for long, why must they be together morning and night?'” Ji Ze finished his sentence.

“…”

‘Rescue failed, and utterly disastrously!’

Jiang Hao slumped his shoulders, speaking weakly, “So, you’ll only start dating in college?”

“Maybe.”

“I don’t know.”

“I’m not good at interacting with girls.”

“Maybe I’ll just end up lonely in old age.”

Ji Ze said, a hint of self-mockery in his tone.

It sounded like a joke, but even in jest, there was usually a kernel of truth.

Jiang Hao was extremely frustrated, but he joined in the teasing.

“How could that be?”

“Tell you what.”

“If we’re both thirty and still unmarried, let’s just make do and live together.”

Ji Ze smiled, not taking his words seriously, only thinking he was fooling around.

Jiang Hao, on the other hand, sighed inwardly.

His first attempt at testing the waters had been a miserable failure.

“Forget it, let’s just leave it at that for now.”

Jiang Hao knew himself well: impatient, impulsive, unrestrained, and possessive.

If he truly liked someone, he definitely wouldn’t be able to hold it in.

Wait until college?

He’d probably explode first.

And he’d be super worried every moment that someone would steal them away.

Secret crushes were truly not his forte; they were too stifling.

Once he fell in love, he’d be desperate for the other person to know, desperate for the whole world to know.