The sun was fiercer than usual. Just standing there, many students were already drenched in sweat.
The PE teacher had them jog a few laps and do some simple stretches before letting them go off to do as they pleased.
"Brother Feng, come on, let's go play basketball!"
Chen Haoyu shouted, delivering a stylish two-handed long pass that landed precisely in Mufeng Su's hands.
Mufeng Su caught the ball, smoothly lowered his center of gravity, and executed a fluid crossover followed by a spin move.
"Luoyi, you're still looking at Mufeng Su."
"It's a rare break during PE class, let's go walk around. You can't keep your mind on him the whole time."
Yao Li walked over, having seen everything as Luoyi Zhao stood in the distance secretly watching Mufeng Su.
Caught in the act, Luoyi Zhao felt a mix of embarrassment and annoyance.
"What are you talking about, Yaoyao? Who's secretly watching him?"
"Fine, fine, fine. You're not secretly watching Mufeng Su," Yao Li teased.
Luoyi Zhao hurriedly covered her mouth to stop her from talking any further.
"Luoyi, I want to eat ice cream."
Yao Li blinked and looked at her.
"Eat, eat, eat. We'll go buy some right now, alright?"
Luoyi Zhao honestly didn't dare let her keep talking. What if someone else heard this? What would she do?
She only had herself to blame for having her weakness exploited. This wasn't the first time Yao Li had caught her staring at Mufeng Su lately. Although she wrung her brains and came up with all sorts of evasive excuses, Yao Li was sharp and saw right through them.
Sweating on the basketball court, Mufeng Su had no idea that a figure had been standing in the distant shade for a long time.
Qi Yue felt an involuntary urge to cheer whenever Mufeng Su scored, and when she saw him stumble, she almost rushed over.
Hiding in the distance, her eyes were full of smiles as she watched him.
The crush of student days was wonderful and pure.
Yet unrequited love was a thoroughly agonizing thing. Facing the person you liked, you lacked the courage to express your feelings, possessing neither the standing nor the justification to say or do anything for them.
Qi Yue made up her mind to be brave and confess her feelings.
With a sudden thought, she left the playground.
...
A figure drew closer and closer, heading straight for the basketball court.
Right as they finished a game and sat down on the ground to rest.
Finally summoning her courage, she walked up to them: "I bought some water for you all, come have a drink."
After saying this, Qi Yue felt a bit faint, her cheeks already burning red.
Recognizing that the newcomer was Qi Yue, the group greeted her one by one.
"Qi Yue, thanks for the water."
"Thanks, Qi Yue."
Chen Haoyu was the first to pick up a bottle and start drinking, after which the rest of them felt comfortable enough to reach out and take theirs.
On a hot day, nothing was more refreshing after playing basketball than a bottle of ice-cold water—unless, of course, it was an iced Kele.
Looking at the drink in her own hand, Qi Yue cautiously walked right up to Mufeng Su, keeping her head down and not daring to look at him.
Finally gathering her courage, she held out the drink.
"You should drink this. It's so hot today and you still have class later, you need to keep your energy up."
Mufeng Su was stunned for a moment.
Then, urged on by the jeers of the others, he helplessly took the drink from Qi Yue, though he didn't drink it right away.
"Thank you, Qi Yue."
At that moment, Qi Yue was extremely nervous, clutching the hem of her shirt and not knowing where to look.
"Don't mention it. I should be thanking you instead. With the way you've been helping me with my study problems lately, I feel like my score is going to go up by dozens of points on the next exam."
Mufeng Su looked slightly surprised and praised, "That's amazing. You're already near the top of the grade—if you improve by dozens of points, will you overtake me? Looks like my spot as number one in the grade is about to be lost."
Qi Yue hadn't expected Mufeng Su to joke with her, and she finally raised her head to meet his gaze.
A brilliant smile bloomed on her face.
"Who could ever compare to you? You've always been number one in the grade. Besides, I've never thought about taking your first-place spot away..."
"...I just wanted our names to be a little closer together."
Except Mufeng Su didn't catch that last part; she spoke too softly.
"Keep it up, I'm looking forward to your results on the next exam," Mufeng Su encouraged.
The boys nearby immediately started hooting.
"Could Brother Feng and Luoyi Zhao really just be ordinary desk-mates? Is Qi Yue the real girlfriend?"
Everyone present was left somewhat baffled.
Anyone could tell that Qi Yue liked Mufeng Su; even if they hadn't realized it before, they certainly understood now.
She had brought mineral water for everyone else, yet she kept that one special drink securely in her own hands, guarded it carefully, and handed it to him personally.
Taking it all in, Chen Haoyu gave a helpless shake of his head.
Still, he couldn't very well be jealous of his best friend. While he certainly wasn't short on girls bringing him drinks, he had to admit—Mufeng Su seemed vastly more popular than before. Ever since that study sharing session, his popularity at school had only continued to climb.
As soon as they returned to the classroom, the boys recounted the scene from the playground to their close friends, and the class was soon abuzz with gossip.
Rumors about Mufeng Su and Qi Yue spread around.
When Luoyi Zhao returned to the classroom and heard everyone discussing Mufeng Su and Qi Yue, she couldn't help listening in closely, only then figuring out what had happened on the playground.
Back at her desk, she spotted the drink sitting on Mufeng Su's table. Combined with what she had just overheard, she had a pretty good idea of what was going on.
What people were saying wasn't baseless; Qi Yue genuinely liked Mufeng Su. She had known that already, but it seemed Qi Yue was finally starting to make a move.
Seeing Luoyi Zhao return, Mufeng Su pulled a milk tea out of his desk and handed it to her.
Taking the milk tea from Mufeng Su, Luoyi Zhao felt the gloom in her heart instantly vanish.
"For me?"
"Duh. If not you, who else would it be for?"
Suddenly remembering something, Luoyi Zhao asked, "This isn't some drink another girl gave you that you didn't want, so you just passed it to me, is it?"
Annoyed, Mufeng Su flicked her on the forehead. "I bought it at the canteen myself. If you aren't going to drink it, give it back." With that, he reached out as if to snatch it away.
"No, no, I'll drink it." Luoyi Zhao shielded the milk tea with her body, not letting him take it.
What on earth was she thinking lately?
"Thank you, Mufeng Su."
Luoyi Zhao looked at him with immense gentleness.
Perhaps she hadn't even realized it herself, but her level of care and attention toward Mufeng Su had long since surpassed that of a classmate or a good friend.
"Don't mention it, we're desk-mates after all," Mufeng Su said.
Hearing Mufeng Su's instinctive reply, Luoyi Zhao deflated a little, muttering under her breath, "Is that all we are? Just desk-mates?"
"What did you say, Luoyi? I didn't catch that." Mufeng Su leaned his head closer, wanting her to repeat it.
Right now, Luoyi Zhao was so angry she just wanted to take a fierce bite out of his cheek.
"It's nothing. I was just saying we still have to go to your place after school to check on Kele. I wonder how he's doing."
"Don't worry, Kele has definitely gotten fatter."
Lying in the living room basking in the sunlight, Kele suddenly felt a strange sensation, his feline body trembling as if he had sensed something.
...
"Luoyi, are you all packed?"
Luoyi Zhao replied sweetly.
"Let's go, I'm all set."
The two walked out of the school gates side by side. Whenever they appeared together, it was always when people gossiped the most.
Most suspected they were dating, yet no one had ever caught them acting inappropriately or showing excessive intimacy.
Some students even moonlighted as paparazzi, trying to score first-hand romantic intel on the campus belle and heartthrob, though currently with zero progress.
Mufeng Su and Luoyi Zhao walked the route he took home every single day. He knew this path well, having walked it countless times, but this time felt different—she was walking beside him.
Mufeng Su's home was in an old residential area in the older part of town. The building wasn't very big, and its exterior looked rather aged.
Mufeng Su pulled out his keys to unlock the door. At this hour, Xu Shuxia and Su Muzhou should still be out working.
"Luoyi, my place might be a bit..."
"Nonsense, I haven't said a thing yet. Besides, shouldn't you invite me in first?"
It was Luoyi Zhao's first time visiting a boy's home, and she felt especially nervous and constrained.
Her heart was pounding wildly.
Inside the apartment, Mufeng Su looked around and confirmed that no one else was home.
Luoyi Zhao thought to herself: If anyone were here, it would be so mortifying. Why on earth did I agree to come to his place?
She patted her chest, regulating her breathing to calm herself down as much as possible.
"Come on in, Luoyi. We have spare slippers here. Kele should be in my room, you can change your shoes and come on back."
"Oh, oh, okay."
Mufeng Su went in first to look for Kele, while Luoyi Zhao stood by the entrance, taking in the surroundings.
Mufeng Su's home didn't have many belongings, but it was exceptionally neat and tidy, instantly revealing that the owner cleaned up frequently.
Curiosity struck her again: What kind of people were his parents?
Judging by Mufeng Su, they must be very gentle people.
Seeing that she was still standing by the door, Mufeng Su called out, "Luoyi, what's wrong? Come on in, don't just stand by the door."
Hearing Mufeng Su call her, Luoyi Zhao summoned her courage and took her first step inside. She hurriedly slipped on the slippers, neatly arranged her shoes, and followed him into the bedroom.
She discovered that Mufeng Su's bedroom was astonishingly clean and orderly, nothing like a typical boy's room.
Had he secretly cleaned up beforehand?
There wasn't much in the room: just a bed for sleeping, a plastic box by the bed that must have been Kele's little nest, and a wooden desk placed by the window, holding a few books and an old desk lamp.