“Is the answer to the last question A?”
“It’s C, idiot.”
Ye Xi had just woken up at his desk when he heard the conversation next to him. His mind was still foggy, lingering in the dream he had been having. He subconsciously thought someone was still holding his hand.
But as he moved his arm and bumped into a stack of books beside him, a test paper stuck out and left a faint white mark on his fair skin, snapping him back to reality.
He looked to the side. Two boys at the next desk were comparing answers, clearly disagreeing on the last question and looking like they were about to kick each other.
He finally remembered that it was the last self-study class on Wednesday. He’d fallen asleep while doing homework and had ended up having an unusually vivid dream.
Ye Xi suddenly felt a little deflated—hard to describe. Dreams weren’t real, of course, but waking up from a sweet dream only to return to a dull reality, still stuck in a classroom doing self-study… well, no one would be happy about that.
He stretched lazily, glanced at the clock at the front of the classroom—16:58. He had only slept for less than half an hour.
Then he looked at his English test paper, not a single question answered. He picked up a pen and poked the two guys still comparing answers beside him.
“Have you finished the English? Lend it to me so I can copy.”
His just-woken-up face still had faint red sleep marks. He looked a bit lazy, but his cool, narrow eyes still carried a distant air. Thankfully, his facial features were so attractive that it softened his aloofness a bit.
The two boys beside him paused before pulling the English paper out from the bottom of their pile.
“Here you go. It’s finished, but no guarantee the answers are right,” Cheng Ji explained. “Zhao finished it in 30 minutes.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Ye Xi pulled the paper over. “If it’s too accurate, it won’t look like I wrote it.”
He was always ranked at the bottom—fifth from last or fourth from last—his position unusually consistent.
While copying answers absentmindedly, he glanced over to see what his deskmate was doing.
He’d been hearing clicking sounds from beside him for a while now, really disruptive.
Looking more closely, his deskmate was fiddling with a small Rubik’s Cube—spinning and flipping it with full concentration—while his test paper sat completely untouched. Ye Xi was at least doing better than him.
Ye Xi raised an eyebrow and suddenly felt like he was being a bit productive.
At least he was filling out his test.
But after half-heartedly scribbling through the page, he was done. Too lazy to go on.
He pulled out his phone from the desk. It had only been half an hour—no chance anything dramatic had happened on it.
Still, out of habit, he opened up his WeChat Moments and scrolled down, hoping to see a post from a certain someone.
Just moments ago, he had dreamt of Bai Yue.
Bai Yue was his secret crush—a senior one year ahead of him. Handsome, top student, easy-going personality, even served as the student council president. He was always the center of attention, the classic campus heartthrob. People liked him like crazy, and Ye Xi, hidden among the crowd, was utterly unnoticeable.
When Bai Yue hadn’t yet graduated, Ye Xi used to drag his deskmate to the corridor just to sneak peeks at him. He’d skip math class and spend the entire period in the library upstairs, just to catch a glimpse of Bai Yue during PE by the pool.
But unfortunately, since Bai Yue graduated, he no longer had that privilege.
All he could do now was secretly scroll through Bai Yue’s Moments.
And even more unfortunate…
Bai Yue’s Moments were nothing like his easy-going attitude—cold and distant. He barely posted all year, and even then, everything was set to “visible for three days only,” leaving his feed completely blank no matter how much Ye Xi scrolled.
Ye Xi pouted and closed the app in frustration.
He put his phone away, nudged his deskmate—who was still battling the Rubik’s Cube—and said, “I’m heading to the convenience store to grab some snacks. Want anything?”
“Nope.”
His deskmate didn’t even look up. A moment later, he seemed to realize something, glanced at the clock, and said, “Class ends in 30 minutes. Why go now?”
“Too lazy to wait.”
Ye Xi pulled his key pouch from the desk and told him, “Bring my bag back to the dorm for me later.”
They weren’t just deskmates—they were also roommates.
Li Rui gave him a casual thumbs-up. He was already used to Ye Xi’s constant tardiness and early exits.
Ye Xi slipped out the back door like a cat—quiet and unnoticed.
At the school convenience store, the shelves were piled with snacks, but the weather was still a bit warm. After circling the place, Ye Xi found he had no appetite. In the end, he just grabbed a jasmine cream popsicle from the freezer.
When he walked out, it was already late afternoon. The sun still beat down on his body, making him feel a bit irritable.
He licked the popsicle as he walked back to the dorm, daydreaming about getting into the air conditioning.
He walked along the edge of the basketball court—his usual route to the dorm.
Around this time of day, the court always sounded like a noisy market. A group of guys would be out playing, and there were usually a bunch of onlookers. Every time someone scored, they’d yell like crazy, drawing annoyed glances from the girls at the nearby tennis courts.
Ye Xi rarely took part in these activities.
Though he was in decent shape, he was way too lazy. His favorite pastime was lying in bed reading manga and novels.
But as he passed by, someone on the court made a particularly difficult move, and the crowd erupted with cheers and shouts.
A few voices rose above the rest, reaching Ye Xi’s ears loud and clear:
“Ge, crush him!”
“Bai Yue, go for it!”
Hearing that name, Ye Xi froze mid-step. He bit off a big chunk of popsicle, so cold his teeth chattered, jasmine cream melting on his tongue…
He hesitated, then looked toward the basketball hoop.
With just one glance, he spotted the tall, striking figure at the center of attention on the court.
Clang! The ball went in. The player landed steadily after his jump.
“Nice shot!”
“Good one.”
“You guys suck. Can’t even defend properly.”
Laughter and teasing erupted around the court. It was all just after-school fun—no one really cared about winning or losing. Everyone was talking over each other, filling the air with cheerful noise.
The person who scored didn’t keep playing. After that one shot, he waved off the others, grabbed a bottle of water, and walked to the sideline, chatting with someone nearby as he drank.
He clearly hadn’t come dressed for basketball—white T-shirt, loose black pants. Even dressed so casually, his broad shoulders and slim waist stood out. He was tall, with refined features and a sharp look in his eyes, yet his smile was gentle. Amid the boisterous crowd of boys, he stood out like a crane among chickens.
Ye Xi unconsciously bit his popsicle again, eyes fixed ahead.
He had just dreamt of this person.
The one he secretly stalked on WeChat.
Now suddenly standing in front of him like an illusion. Ye Xi couldn’t help but wonder if he was hallucinating from the heat.
Bai Yue.
Ye Xi stared at the person surrounded by the crowd, silently repeating the name in his mind.
Since Bai Yue graduated from high school, Ye Xi hadn’t seen him much.
But he actually knew him pretty well.
Because Bai Yue wasn’t just his senior—he was also his older brother Zheng Yang’s childhood friend. Zheng Yang’s mother was close with the Bai family. Their villas were even next door. The two boys had grown up together and shared an unusually strong bond.
The only regret was that Zheng Yang was only a few months older than Ye Xi. While Bai Yue was already off at university, Zheng Yang was still slogging through his senior year of high school. Otherwise, the two would still be best bros on the same campus.
Thinking this, Ye Xi suddenly remembered something and scanned the basketball court.
Sure enough…
Within seconds, Ye Xi spotted his next target on the court.
Zheng Yang, his older brother, was standing not far from Bai Yue, dressed in a red tracksuit, his handsome face tinged with impatience as he lazily tossed a ball up and down.
But Zheng Yang quickly lost interest after a few throws. He tossed the ball aside, walked over to Bai Yue, slung an arm over his shoulder, and started chatting about something that made Bai Yue smile faintly.
Seeing Zheng Yang cooled the wave of heat that had surged in Ye Xi’s heart. He instinctively took a step forward but then pulled back.
He didn’t get along with Zheng Yang.
Or rather, their relationship was terrible.
After all, they didn’t share the same mother. Zheng Yang’s mother was their father’s legitimate wife, while his own mother was the mistress who eventually succeeded in climbing her way up. So Zheng Yang had never shown him a kind face since they were young. The instances of bullying in their childhood were countless.
When he was younger and naïve, he even fought with Zheng Yang over it. But as he got older, he came to understand Zheng Yang’s resentment. So he adopted a “less trouble is better” mindset and usually avoided Zheng Yang whenever they met at school.
Ye Xi stared at Bai Yue for a long while but ultimately gave up on the idea of walking over.
He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of Bai Yue.
Bai Yue wasn’t unkind to him, but every time Zheng Yang saw him, it was like someone had lit a firecracker.
He didn’t want to put Bai Yue in a difficult spot, and honestly, anyone could see that between a “close buddy” and the “illegitimate son,” Bai Yue would clearly, even if not openly, side with Zheng Yang.
There was no need to make things awkward.
Thinking this, Ye Xi walked slowly to a trash bin to toss out his ice cream stick and didn’t plan on lingering by the basketball court.
But just as he lowered his head to check if the stick said “Try again,” he suddenly heard a loud cheer from the basketball court.
He instinctively looked up.
Because he was too focused on the scene, he didn’t notice a few high school boys nearby huddled together, fiddling with a remote control. Then, a wobbly black object—looking like it could fall at any moment—lost control and flew straight toward his forehead.
“Watch out!”
Someone shouted.
Ye Xi froze. By the time he heard the sharp whistle of wind beside his ear, it was already too late. Amidst a loud buzz, he saw a dark object flying straight at him.
He instinctively tried to dodge to the side, but didn’t manage to get out of the way.
Bang!
The small black drone scraped past Ye Xi’s temple, then slammed into the tree in front of him and crashed to the ground, breaking into pieces.
Ye Xi instinctively crouched down, lifting a hand to cover his forehead. Although the drone didn’t hit him square in the head, it had grazed his temple. The skin had broken, and blood slowly seeped out, staining his pale fingertips.
Ye Xi usually had a high pain tolerance, but the sudden hit left him stunned. When he realized it had been a drone that hit him, a wave of anger surged in his chest. He just wanted to drag the culprit over and beat them up. Who on earth would play with something like that at school?
His skin was already thin and easily bruised—now he was worried he might be left with a scar.
Footsteps approached in a panic.
“Sorry! Are you okay?”
“Classmate, are you alright?”
Several boys crowded around him, babbling nervously. But seeing his state, none dared touch him, only hovering close and lightly reaching for his arm.
No doubt they were the culprits.
But Ye Xi’s temple hurt too much and he was in a foul mood. He didn’t want to say a word.
He ignored them and tried to stand up on his own. Before he could fully straighten, someone pushed aside the surrounding boys, knelt in front of him on one knee, and firmly pulled away his hand to inspect the wound.
“Don’t move yet. Get up slowly. Don’t cover the wound either—you’re bleeding, and it might get infected.”
That voice…
Ye Xi froze.
His dizziness had eased a bit. Hesitantly, he lifted his head—and locked eyes with the very face he had just been admiring from afar.
His breath caught.
Bai Yue was holding his hand, carefully inspecting the injury with a serious expression.
“Besides the pain, are you dizzy? Nauseous?” Bai Yue asked.
Ye Xi’s lips moved, but his throat was suddenly dry. He couldn’t find the words.
He didn’t understand why Bai Yue had come over.
He’d seen clearly just moments ago that Bai Yue had been chatting by the court and had nothing to do with the boys flying the drone.
Unable to face Bai Yue’s striking face, he lowered his gaze and weakly shook his head.
He was dizzy—but not because of the drone hit. It was because Bai Yue was holding his hand.
That patch of skin burned like fire. He couldn’t even care about the wound on his forehead. His face felt hot too.
But just seconds later, he felt a piercing gaze from the side.
He turned his head and saw Zheng Yang standing behind Bai Yue, arms crossed, eyebrows raised slightly, looking down coldly at him with a very unfriendly expression.
“I’m fine. It’s not serious.”
Under Zheng Yang’s glare, Ye Xi snapped back to his senses and finally spoke calmly.
The drone had flown strangely, but it had been slow and low. He’d dodged most of it, so it wasn’t enough to cause a concussion.
Avoiding Bai Yue’s eyes, he spoke flatly, “I’ll go to the infirmary myself.”
As he spoke, he tried to stand up. Although he always looked cold, he had a fair and delicate face. When he wasn’t speaking sarcastically, he actually looked quite gentle. Now, with a clear wound and traces of blood, the injury seemed especially shocking. The boys responsible felt guilty and tried to help him up—but Bai Yue casually blocked them.
“That’s not acceptable,” Bai Yue said seriously, supporting Ye Xi’s hand. “You’re bleeding. You need to go to the hospital and get it checked. Saying you’re fine doesn’t mean anything—only a doctor can say that.”
He paused, then turned to the culprits. His previously gentle face turned cold, his tone more serious.
“And you all—who let you fly a drone at school? You know that’s against the rules, right? You’re in high school. Don’t you have any common sense? Flying something like that in a crowded place could seriously hurt someone.”
The boys hung their heads, speechless.
They knew they were in the wrong. Drones weren’t allowed at school, but they had just gotten a new toy and got carried away.
Now surrounded by Bai Yue and a few senior students, they didn’t even dare speak. Their faces turned red with shame.
Bai Yue didn’t want to waste time scolding them. He turned to Zheng Yang. “Take them to the office. Who’s your current dean? Ms. Liu Fang, right? I’ll take Ye Xi to the hospital.”
The boys’ faces instantly fell.
Ms. Liu was infamous for her strictness and hated rule-breaking—especially when it resulted in injury.
They looked toward Ye Xi, as if wanting to plead, but when they met Bai Yue and Zheng Yang’s dark faces, they shrank back and couldn’t speak.
Zheng Yang, after glaring at the boys, looked at Ye Xi again. Seeing him standing there spacing out as if he hadn’t been the one injured, his mood worsened inexplicably.
He frowned and said to Bai Yue, “He already said he’s fine. Why are you fussing over him? It’s just a minor injury—no need for a hospital.”
He glanced at Bai Yue holding Ye Xi’s hand and added with a sharp tone, “Let go. He’s not a kid. Stop overreacting.”
His face tensed even more. Truthfully, as Ye Xi’s biological brother, he should be the one taking him to the hospital.
But he frowned and couldn’t bring himself to say that out loud.
“Zheng Yang.”
Bai Yue’s voice was stern, frowning disapprovingly.
But he knew the history between Zheng Yang and Ye Xi, so he didn’t say more.
“Don’t mind him. I’ll take you to the hospital,” he told Ye Xi.
Ye Xi was torn. Logically, he agreed with Zheng Yang—this injury wasn’t serious. But from the moment Bai Yue grabbed his hand, his brain had short-circuited. He was completely at Bai Yue’s mercy.
“I really… I’m fine…” he mumbled weakly, voice barely audible.
The next second, Bai Yue pulled him away without giving him a chance to resist.
