Deskmate

Ji Ze briefly introduced Jiang Hao to the classmates who had gathered around them.

Jiang Hao, far from being bewildered by the unfamiliar surroundings, greeted and chatted with his new classmates with remarkable ease.

Given his personality, he would undoubtedly become acquainted with everyone very quickly.

Jiang Hao leaned against a desk and asked, “Class Monitor, where should I sit?”

‘At least this time he remembered not to add “beauty” to my title,’ Ji Ze thought.

‘Otherwise, he’d be inviting enmity the moment he arrived.’

Ji Ze pointed to the back row of the classroom.

“Just pick any empty seat for now; we’ll be adjusting seating arrangements later.”

Instead of immediately moving, Jiang Hao asked another question.

“Class Monitor, where do you sit?”

Ji Ze was a little taken aback by the sudden leap in his thoughts, but he still pointed in a direction.

His seat, the last one by the window, was the only one in the class that never changed.

Considering his physical condition, the window seat allowed him fresh air, making it less stuffy.

The teacher had granted him the privilege of always sitting there.

However, Ji Ze also felt it would be unfair to others if he always occupied a front-row seat, so he simply chose the very last one.

This arrangement meant the empty seat beside him was also fair game.

Jiang Hao decisively moved his desk and chair next to Ji Ze’s, pushing the two tables together.

In an instant, they became deskmates.

“Then I’ll just sit here, if that’s alright, Class Monitor?”

Ji Ze: “…”

‘Why ask such a pointless question after you’ve already moved everything?’ he thought.

“Suit yourself.”

“We’re changing seats next week anyway.”

“As class monitor, I could reserve a special spot for you.”

“For instance, how about a seat right next to the trash can?”

“You could ponder life’s mysteries while enjoying the delightful aroma.”

Jiang Hao tilted his head, then suddenly leaned closer to Ji Ze, his ink-black eyes wide and earnest.

“Are you still mad at me?”

“Because I… said you had no friends?”

The last few words were deliberately lowered, almost a whisper.

Ji Ze’s first instinct was to curse inwardly.

‘Bullshit, you have no friends, your whole family has no friends!’

Only after the silent outburst did he pause.

‘Why am I so at odds with him?’

‘I wasn’t really that angry.’

He realized that ever since he first met this guy, they had been bickering, and somehow… he’d grown accustomed to it?

Moreover, it felt a little like the playful banter he observed between other close classmates.

Ji Ze suddenly fell silent.

Just then, the teacher entered the classroom to begin the lesson, so he pulled out his textbook, opened it, and gripped his pen, adopting a serious, ‘no talking, just studying’ demeanor, erecting an invisible, sturdy barrier.

Though Jiang Hao had known him for less than a day, he had already grasped a bit of Ji Ze’s temperament.

He rubbed his nose, obediently closed his mouth, and said nothing more.

As for textbooks, Teacher Tian had thoughtfully collected them for him in advance, leaving no excuse for him to share one.

When the class ended, and the teacher announced dismissal, Ji Ze immediately stood up and left for the restroom, giving Jiang Hao no chance to speak.

Jiang Hao shrugged, then skillfully stacked two large ‘book mountains’ on his own desk, anticipating their future usefulness.

A boy walked over, placing his hands on the desk.

“You’re Jiang Hao, right?”

“From now on, you’re one of us.”

“If you don’t know something, just ask us.”

“Don’t worry, we welcome friendly and united classmates.”

“But, since you’re sitting in this spot, our class monitor isn’t in very good health, so remember to be mindful.”

Jiang Hao replied, “I know, Teacher Tian told me.”

“But, what exactly is wrong with his health?”

“His cardiopulmonary function.”

“The class monitor can’t do strenuous exercise.”

“I see…”

“I’ll be careful.”

Only after seeing him nod did the boy turn and leave.

Jiang Hao’s hand tapped lightly on the desk, and he couldn’t help but reveal an amused smile.

What was the meaning of that conversation?

A warm reminder, or a veiled warning?

Resting his chin on his hand, he looked at Ji Ze’s desk nearby.

The textbooks were neatly arranged, the stationery orderly, all clean and tidy—a rare sight among boys.

‘Could he be a Virgo?’

Ji Ze returned from the restroom and had barely sat down when Yu Huageng approached him.

“Ji Ze, what did you eat for lunch?”

Hearing the voice, Jiang Hao turned to see a boy with very short hair, a bit longer than a buzz cut, with a cool pattern shaved into his right temple.

He had the kind of face that was popular with girls, but his voice was a little hoarse, likely due to a cold.

Ji Ze looked up at Yu Huageng.

His expression remained unchanged, but his eyes clearly held a hint of familiarity.

“Ham and scrambled eggs,” he replied.

Yu Huageng frowned.

“You’ll get hungry quickly.”

“There are four classes this afternoon.”

“I’m going to buy some instant drinks, and I’ll pass by the convenience store.”

“I’ll get you a bun.”

Ji Ze shook his head.

“No need.”

Yu Huageng ignored his refusal.

“No, you have to eat.”

“That’s settled, I’m off.”

He waved his hand and walked out of the classroom with a flourish.

“You seem to have a pretty good relationship with him, don’t you?” Jiang Hao remarked, watching him leave.

Ji Ze knew he was referring to the ‘friends’ comment and nodded earnestly.

“He’s different.”

A rather ambiguous answer.

Jiang Hao pouted.

The class bell had already rung, and Yu Huageng still hadn’t returned.

The teacher for the next period walked into the classroom.

Students rustled as they took out their textbooks.

It was easy to notice Yu Huageng’s absence because he was usually surrounded by girls from the class, chatting animatedly.

They formed a lively circle around his seat.

Five minutes into class, Yu Huageng ran back, knocking on the door and calling out, “Report!”

The teacher glanced at him.

“Where have you been?”

Yu Huageng replied obediently, “I went to the school infirmary to buy medicine, Teacher.”

“Listen to my voice.”

The teacher’s gaze fell on the plastic bag in his hand.

“What about the food?”

Yu Huageng confessed, “I was hungry.”

The teacher smiled faintly and waved his hand.

“Alright, go back to your seat quickly.”

“Understood!”

He darted back to his seat in a flash, as agile as an acrobat.

Once seated, he poked the student next to him and whispered something.

The plastic bag was passed from one hand to another, going through almost half the class before reaching Ji Ze’s hands.

The teacher, understanding the commotion below, cleared his throat and tapped on the desk.

“Alright, alright, pay attention.”

The students exchanged knowing smiles, then refocused their attention on the teacher.

Jiang Hao watched, propping his chin on his hand, and couldn’t help but curve his lips into a smile.

This was truly a peculiar class; it would probably be quite fun to blend in.

Ji Ze tucked the plastic bag into his drawer.

Besides the soft bread, there was also a carton of milk.

He took it out directly, inserted the straw, and began to drink slowly.

A sweet, milky scent wafted over, as if emanating from the person himself.

Ji Ze noticed Jiang Hao’s persistent gaze and turned, giving him a questioning look.

He pressed the milk carton, wondering if it was bothering his new deskmate.

Jiang Hao, however, suddenly leaned closer, tapped a finger on Ji Ze’s scratch paper, and whispered, “Here, you made a mistake.”

Ji Ze glanced at it, his face flushing slightly with embarrassment at being corrected.

He immediately crossed it out with his pen and mumbled, without looking up, “Thanks.”

His voice held a hint of reluctance.

Jiang Hao found his expression increasingly amusing, and teasing his deskmate became his grandest current endeavor.

He wrote a few sentences on his scratch paper, tore off a small slip, and placed it beneath Ji Ze’s eyes.

[Do you want me to tell you how to solve it?]

[In exchange, don’t be angry anymore.]

[I spoke too quickly before and said the wrong thing.]

[I’m sorry.]

The apology was quite earnest.

Ji Ze instinctively turned to look at him.

Jiang Hao was already watching him, and their eyes met.

Jiang Hao offered a bright, sunny smile, silently mouthing, “Is that okay?”

Ji Ze pursed his lips, then gripped his pen and wrote on the back of the note.

[No need, and I’m not angry.]

He tossed the slip back.

Jiang Hao’s lips immediately curved upward when he saw it, almost laughing aloud.

‘He’s truly not just a little awkward.’

Finding him even more interesting, he couldn’t help but move closer to Ji Ze, eager to observe the changes in his expression.

Ji Ze gripped his pen, his eyelashes lowered, his lips tightly pressed.

The intense gaze from beside him made him uncomfortable, his teeth itching, wanting to kick the guy.

This obvious effort to endure was noticed by a female classmate diagonally across the room.

She immediately thought the new student was bullying the class monitor and became agitated, calling out to the class monitor in a low voice and glaring fiercely at Jiang Hao.

“Are you bullying our class monitor?!”

The girl, without a second thought, was about to raise her hand to report him to the teacher, wanting him kicked out of the classroom for a penalty stand.

Ji Ze didn’t even have time to explain.

In a moment of impulsive heat, he raised his hand first and declared loudly, “Teacher, Jiang Hao really, really wants to answer this question!”

The teacher was momentarily stunned.

Ji Ze usually behaved like a model student and was the class monitor, so she never associated him with disrupting class discipline.

After a moment of hesitation, she said, “In that case, Jiang Hao, come up and solve it.”

Jiang Hao turned and gave Ji Ze a dazzling, radiant smile, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

Ji Ze was utterly bewildered by his smile, maintaining a blank expression, a tuft of hair stubbornly sticking up on top of his head.

The problem on the blackboard was a standard after-class exercise.

Jiang Hao quickly solved it with a concise process and clear reasoning.

The teacher watched, nodding in satisfaction.

Jiang Hao put down the chalk and turned, saying, “Teacher, I’m a bit sleepy.”

“I’d like to stand at the back of the classroom for a while.”

This was a very valid reason.

Third-year high school courses were demanding, and teachers generally allowed students to stand to improve their mental state.

The teacher readily agreed.

Jiang Hao then took his textbook and stood by the window, directly behind Ji Ze.

The girl from earlier watched Jiang Hao standing at the back.

Although it wasn’t the penalty stand she had imagined, at least he wasn’t comfortably sitting in a chair.

She pouted, reluctantly letting the matter go.

Standing at the back with his textbook, Jiang Hao wasn’t very focused on the lesson.

He gazed out the window, and when bored, he looked down at the front.

Ji Ze was bent slightly, engrossed in copying notes.

A section of his slender, fair neck was visible above his collar, like jade porcelain, and under the sunlight, even fine, tiny hairs could be seen.

His dark, short hair covered his neck, with one stubborn strand sticking up, creating a stark contrast with the soft, compliant hair around it.

‘It’s probably flattened like that from sleeping at noon,’ Jiang Hao thought.

Despite guessing the reason, Jiang Hao’s hands still itched.

It was almost like an obsessive-compulsive urge to press that strand of hair down.

He resisted for a long while, but couldn’t hold back.

He secretly got a little water from the dispenser behind him and extended a ‘sinful hand’ towards Ji Ze’s rebellious hair…