Adjusting seat

The morning alarm blared, yet an irresistible urge to linger in bed always followed.

Just five more minutes, a voice whispered—yes, precisely five minutes.

Ji Ze eventually dragged himself up, his mind still a hazy fog.

Half-lidded, he swayed towards the balcony, collected the clothes, and then turned back.

He wasn’t watching where he was going, walking straight into a wall.

Only when met with the obstruction did he slowly pivot and continue on his way.

Jiang Hao, brushing his teeth, witnessed the scene.

He barely suppressed a laugh, almost swallowing a mouthful of foam.

After rinsing, he grabbed a towel, washed his face, and then, brimming with interest, approached Ji Ze.

He waved a hand in front of Ji Ze’s face.

“Hey, hey, time to wake up!”

Ji Ze irritably swatted the hand away, mumbling, “I know.”

Everyone, to some extent, experienced morning grumpiness, but Ji Ze was a different case.

He simply couldn’t fully wake up.

He’d brush his teeth in a daze, only truly clearing his head after washing his face, at which point he’d resume his grand project of maintaining a poker face.

Seeing his stoic expression, Jiang Hao immediately yearned for the return of his earlier, bewildered state.

However, Ji Ze was now fully awake, remembering his new roommate and his own recent blunder.

His poker face intensified, radiating an icy aura in every direction.

With an air of aloofness, he walked to the cafeteria for breakfast.

Jiang Hao trailed beside him, brimming with energy, ceaselessly chattering.

“The weather’s great today, isn’t it?” he might say.

“What’s for breakfast in the cafeteria?”

“What do you usually eat?”

“Any recommendations?”

“Ramen?”

“Rice rolls?”

“Steamed buns?”

“Hey, hey, Ji Ze, what are you having?”

“…” Ji Ze felt an overwhelming urge to punch someone.

Why hadn’t he noticed this guy was such a chatterbox before?

If he had, he definitely wouldn’t have agreed to be roommates!

At breakfast, Jiang Hao still followed him.

When it was time to swipe their cards, he moved even faster than Ji Ze, quickly tapping his card for him.

Then, he smiled brightly.

“I should pay you back now!”

It was the first time Ji Ze had seen someone so happy to return money.

Ji Ze’s expression remained calm.

He picked up his bowl of noodles and found a spot under a fan to sit.

Jiang Hao sat opposite him.

They were eating beef brisket ramen.

Ji Ze picked up a mouthful with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth.

The noodles were springy, and the broth was rich.

Jiang Hao commented, “It tastes pretty good.”

Ji Ze lowered his head, concentrating on his noodles, and simply hummed in response.

Surprisingly, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.

High school life, in essence, could be summarized as three points and one line: the teaching building, the cafeteria, and the dormitory.

The daily routine consisted of classes, interspersed with frequent exams.

One month after the semester began, they faced their first monthly exam.

Teachers graded papers quickly.

Often, results from an earlier subject would start trickling in even while students were still taking a later one.

Ji Ze’s scores were consistently stable: second in class, seventh in his grade.

Their class boasted many academic elites, often monopolizing a third of the top hundred spots, and the legendary first-place student also hailed from their class.

This was, of course, a source of immense pride.

Now, Jiang Hao had transferred in and immediately shot up to fifth place in their class, putting considerable pressure on many students.

This new classmate was clearly no simple individual; he was a formidable competitor.

Suddenly, the students’ gazes changed.

Before, they had merely found the new student’s personality amiable, but now, with his academic performance added to the mix, they regarded him with even greater importance.

The number of female students seeking his help with questions increased significantly.

Whenever someone approached him, Jiang Hao would offer assistance.

His personality seemed to be one that could strike up a conversation with anyone, and his temper was generally good.

As more people came to him, he would glance at the problem, quickly find a corresponding example in the textbook, and then explain any parts the student still didn’t understand after seeing the solution.

However, if the same question was asked a second time, he would frown.

Girls, noticing this, would worry he was annoyed with them and quickly leave.

Overall, Jiang Hao integrated into the class very quickly.

He was already getting along well with the boys, and several girls clearly had crushes on him.

Before the monthly exam, their class underwent a seating rearrangement.

Everyone could fill in their desired seat on a printed seating chart, which they would then submit to the homeroom teacher for final adjustments.

Some students were reluctant to give up their current spots and filled in their original seats.

Ji Ze, naturally, chose his usual window-side corner seat.

Jiang Hao, too, filled in the seat next to Ji Ze.

When the homeroom teacher received the forms, he kept Ji Ze back for a brief conversation.

“How is it, sitting next to Jiang Hao?”

“Has he bothered you or bullied you?”

“You can tell me if anything happens.”

Ji Ze shook his head.

“It’s fine.”

Teacher Tian looked somewhat relieved and then asked, “So, are you willing to continue being desk mates with him?”

Ji Ze paused, appearing slightly hesitant.

Teacher Tian sighed inwardly, just as he was wondering whom to pair Jiang Hao with, he heard Ji Ze’s reply.

“No problem.”

Teacher Tian smiled.

“That’s good.”

“Your strengths in different subjects also complement each other.”

“Help each other out, make progress together, and keep up the hard work.”

“If anything comes up, you can always come to me to discuss it.”

Ji Ze nodded.

“Understood, thank you, Teacher.”

And so, the two of them returned to their old seats.

On the day of the seat change, after seeing the seating chart projected on the screen, Jiang Hao immediately turned, propped his chin on his hand, and smiled broadly at Ji Ze.

“They didn’t move me next to the trash can, huh?”

Ji Ze replied blandly, “If you want, it’s not too late to switch now.”

Jiang Hao continued to smile brightly, propping his chin, like a blooming flower.

“No, no, I love it here the most.”

Ji Ze gave a faint grunt.

While the entire classroom was a noisy hubbub of students moving seats, their corner seemed to have carved out its own peaceful haven, quiet enough to be enviable.

Suddenly, there was a loud thud from the front.

Someone had assertively set down a desk and chair.

The next second, Yu Huageng’s face appeared before them, smiling.

“A-Ze, I’ll be sitting in front of you from now on!”

Sitting in front of Jiang Hao was also a familiar face: Liang Zhuo, a male classmate they often played basketball with.

He was quiet and loved to sleep, and it was said he and Yu Huageng were childhood friends.

After moving his desk and chair, he greeted the two behind him and immediately put his head down on the desk to sleep.

With Yu Huageng’s arrival, the classroom corner became much livelier.

During breaks, she often turned around to chat with Ji Ze, her topics ever-changing and incredibly broad, covering everything from studies to entertainment, sometimes even discussing pretty girls from other classes.

One day, the Class Beauty from Class One stood gracefully at the doorway.

With her shoulder-length black hair and delicate, pretty features, she exuded a fresh and captivating aura even in her loose school uniform.

She softly said, “Excuse me, may I trouble you?”

“I’m looking for Liang Zhuo.”

Yu Huageng immediately kicked her deskmate’s chair leg, startling him awake.

Liang Zhuo lifted his head, a helpless expression on his face, his voice still thick with sleep.

“What is it?”

Yu Huageng subtly gestured with her eyes.

“A beauty’s looking for you.”

Liang Zhuo frowned, following her gaze, and asked curiously, “Who is it?”

Yu Huageng clicked her tongue.

“It’s Chi Jiaqi, the Class Beauty from Class One!”

“You sleep all day, you’ll forget who A-Ze and I are sooner or later.”

Liang Zhuo stood up and turned around.

“I won’t forget.”

His eyes were bright and dark, and his expression was uncharacteristically serious.

Yu Huageng looked up at him, her heart inexplicably skipping a beat.

She scratched her head.

“Haha… is that so?”

“Hurry up and go, don’t keep the Class Beauty waiting.”

Liang Zhuo walked to the classroom door.

Yu Huageng turned back, meeting Ji Ze’s half-smile, half-frown.

She pouted, “Tsk, what kind of expression is that?”

Ji Ze’s expression remained unchanged.

“Just a normal expression.”

“Hmph.”

After a while, Yu Huageng grew restless again, blinking.

“Hey, what do you think of Chi Jiaqi?”

“Is she pretty?”

“Does she have a good figure?”

After speaking, she deliberately glanced at Jiang Hao.

“New classmate, what do you think?”

Ji Ze played along, looking towards the door and nodding gravely.

“She’s quite good-looking.”

“Big eyes, and very nice skin.”

Jiang Hao observed for a moment.

Someone called a Class Beauty certainly wasn’t bad, but she wasn’t so stunning as to warrant such exaggerated praise.

He pursed his lips.

“She’s alright, I guess.”

He turned to Ji Ze.

“Do you like this type?”

Ji Ze and Yu Huageng exchanged a glance.

Although Ji Ze knew his sexual orientation and had no interest in girls, he would usually feign a slight appreciation for a pretty girl to avoid seeming different from other boys.

“So-so,” Ji Ze said, taking out his textbook for the next class and opening it.

His tone was flat, yet it seemed to betray more than it revealed.

“That’s practically ‘like,’ isn’t it?” Yu Huageng chimed in, cooperating with him.

“Even I, as a girl, think Chi Jiaqi is good-looking, let alone you boys.”

Jiang Hao looked at her short, handsome haircut and uninhibited sitting posture, teasing, “Do you even look like a girl?”

Yu Huageng brandished a fist.

“Jiang Hao, I think you’re asking for a beating.”

Jiang Hao was unconcerned.

For some reason, he felt a little uncomfortable and wanted to change the subject.

He took a small cake from his drawer and placed it on Ji Ze’s desk.

It was an exquisite chocolate mousse, emitting a sweet, creamy aroma.

“Whoa, what are you doing?”

“New classmate, trying to seduce our Class Monitor?” Yu Huageng raised an eyebrow.

Ji Ze also turned to look at him, a puzzled expression on his face.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m offering a tribute, asking the Class Monitor to look after me,” Jiang Hao said with a grin, presenting a small fork with both hands.

“Class Monitor, please enjoy.”

“Oh, oh, oh!” Yu Huageng snickered mischievously, generously extending her palm.

“Where’s mine?”

“If you want one, buy it yourself.”

Yu Huageng snorted.

“A-Ze wouldn’t eat anything you bought.”

“If he’s going to eat, it’ll be something I bought him.”

Jiang Hao leaned over and wrapped an arm around Ji Ze’s shoulder.

“My deskmate is, of course, my responsibility to take care of.”

“Come on, Ji Ze, have some cake.”

Ji Ze looked at the hand on his shoulder, remaining silent.

Jiang Hao smiled brightly, pretending not to notice.

Ji Ze said, “You eat it yourself.”

Jiang Hao replied, “Class Monitor, I specifically bought this for you.”

“I still owe you a favor.”

“If you don’t eat it, I’ll feel bad.”

Ji Ze was utterly unfazed.

“Then continue feeling bad.”

Yu Huageng found it amusing and burst into laughter.

Jiang Hao continued to play the pitiful act, forcefully placing the fork into Ji Ze’s hand.

Ji Ze glanced at him; the other boy was grinning shamelessly, clearly possessing a relentlessly persistent nature.

Ji Ze no longer stood on ceremony, scooped a spoonful into his mouth, and slowly, methodically ate the fine-textured cake.

Jiang Hao propped his chin on his hand, watching him, a profound sense of accomplishment swelling in his heart.