In the classes of the final two months of senior year, there was no longer any need to learn new material; most of the time was spent doing practice tests, going over them, and reviewing key points.
Qin Jiujiu stared at the newly handed-out test papers, searched her memory, and realized—well, she couldn't do more than half of them.
Consequently, while the teacher went over the test papers in class, she flipped through the new textbooks; while everyone else did the practice tests, she also flipped through the new textbooks.
Oh, this "everyone else" did not include her new deskmate, who either wore Bluetooth earbuds to watch basketball and racing videos, flipped through a few magazines, or slept.
"Classmate, get up and let me pass."
"Classmate, let me past!"
A clear, crisp voice came closer and closer. Qin Jiujiu was busy building the textbook contents into a memory palace and failed to notice at first. By the time she realized, she felt a dark figure pressing in from her left side. She snapped her head around and caught a whiff of a rich fragrance that went straight to her head.
The young man automatically stepped back when she turned toward him. As their eyes met, he clearly saw the other person's slightly dark pupils suddenly constrict.
Then the other person leaned back violently, covering her nose with her left hand while gripping the edge of the desk tightly with her right, knocking her pen away in her overly fierce reaction.
The black ballpoint pen hit the floor with a snap.
At such a close-up gaze, Qin Jiujiu finally saw his appearance clearly:
The young man had parted black hair with a fringe, a prominent brow bone, and a pair of standard phoenix eyes with tea-colored pupils. His double eyelids curved upward from the middle toward the outer corners of his eyes, narrowing their shape when he squinted, while the downward-slanting outer corners made him look even more aggressive.
At that moment, he asked repressively, "What is the meaning of this?"Qin Jiujiu looked at the goosebumps on her arm, equally startled by her own instinctive reaction. Realizing a moment later that her gesture was quite rude, she lowered her arm, stared straight at him, and retorted, "Sorry, what is that smell on you?"
Hearing this, He Yi was successfully provoked. He often spent his time hanging around his family's auto repair shop; back when he was a kid, some classmates who got close to him would mention that he carried a faint scent of motor oil. But as he grew older, no one had brought that up to him in ages—after all, nobody had a death wish.
With a rebellious, cynical smirk, he leaned in closer. Seeing her recoil and lean backward, he loomed over her like a playground bully and snarled, "The smell of a man!"
Qin Jiujiu: ......
Thanks, I am officially speechless.
"Move!" He Yi stood up, irritation radiating off him, his chair clattering loudly as it scraped against the table.
Qin Jiujiu tilted her head up. Although the young man's face still retained a touch of boyhood, he was quite tall and solidly built. As he stood up, he completely blocked out the light, making Qin Jiujiu feel as though she were looking up at a small mountain.
Knowing she was somewhat in the wrong, she quietly stood up to make way for him, watching as he threw his arm around the shoulders of several boys who had been waiting nearby and headed out the back door.
"001, what was that smell on him?" Qin Jiujiu asked, on the verge of a breakdown as she recalled the scent that had just rushed straight to her head.
001 searched its database and replied uncertainly, [He Yi's family runs an auto repair shop, and he often helps his dad fix cars. It must be motor oil...]
Qin Jiujiu: ......
Thanks, she knew what motor oil smelled like.Failing to get an answer from 001, Qin Jiujiu turned her gaze toward the window. It was the morning recess. A group of students in matching school uniforms streamed past beneath the teaching building, forming a uniquely vibrant scene.
Not far from the senior high school building was a small grove of trees. Beside one of the wooden benches meant for resting, several boys stood or sat around. Some were smoking, others were drinking beverages, and their laughter and chatter filled the air.
Qin Jiujiu focused her eyes. That boy called He Yi was sitting with one leg crossed over the other, his arms resting casually along the back of the bench. His posture was lazy, and the red spark between his fingers flickered in the light.
An ordinary person naturally wouldn't be able to hear their conversation, but Qin Jiujiu heard it the moment she wanted to.
"Brother Yi, I heard a pretty babe joined your class," Boy 1 said.
Several mischievous glances exchanged between them, and Boy 2 chimed in, "You're asking the right person. Brother Yi's new deskmate—that face, that long hair, that vibe. Calling her an immortal fairy is no exaggeration."
"Damn, then I need to go take a look right now," Boy 1 said, turning to leave.
"What's the rush? It probably isn't your turn right now anyway; the classroom doorway is blocked up like a total mess," Boy 2 said, clapping his hands with a smirk. "Now, let's invite Brother Yi to give an acceptance speech!"
At this, the others all looked at He Yi. He Yi raised an eyebrow, chuckled, and cursed, "Speech my ass!"
Boy 3 spoke up: "Oh man, you guys don't know—just now, Brother Yi told the fairy to move aside and let him pass. The fairy got so excited, she went like this—"
He sidled up to He Yi with a sleazy grin, made an exaggerated sniffing gesture, and continued: "Then the fairy excitedly said to our Brother Yi, 'Brother, what's that smell on you?'"
"Get lost!" He Yi gave an unusual shudder.
The group burst into explosive laughter.
"And then? What did Brother Yi say?" someone asked.
"Brother Yi said..." Boy 3 lowered his voice on purpose, trying to mimic He Yi's tone, "Woman, this is your daddy's man-scent!"
Amidst the uproarious laughter, Boy 3 took a kick, grabbed his sore spot, and ran off a bit further while howling with laughter.
Qin Jiujiu: ......
Diagnosis confirmed: a bunch of chuunibyou kids. She felt like her ears had been soiled.
Qin Jiujiu withdrew her gaze and stopped paying attention to the sounds outside.
Over there, after the wave of laughter subsided, Boy 1 started another topic. "Seriously, Brother Yi, compared to the school belle of our class, Xu Duodu, how does the fairy feel?"
A moment of silence followed. Everyone thought they wouldn't get an answer, but who would have thought that He Yi would gently exhale a ring of smoke, his eyes carrying a reminiscent look as he calmly gave his evaluation: "Tender. So tender you could pinch water right out of her."
"Ooh~" The group let out gossipy, weird howls.
Boy 1 also let out a teasing, weird catcall. "Got it. I was actually there when Brother Yi evaluated Xu Duodu back then. What did Brother Yi say again?"
He pinched his voice to imitate him: "School belle? Her? Can't even remember what she looks like!"
The looks the others cast at He Yi were full of meaningful teasing. One of them, loving the chaos, advised, "Brother Yi, you've gotta hold back!"
He Yi made a motion to hit him. "Get lost! You try sitting next to her and see. Besides, your daddy is of age!"