SBS chapter 19

The following week, Ye Xi had never felt time pass so slowly.

He even set up a small calendar on his desk and marked Saturday with a big exclamation mark.

He even started listening seriously in class… There was no other choice — Bai Yue said he would check his homework for the week.

That was a hundred times more effective than any threat from Old Wang, their homeroom teacher.

Just the thought of Bai Yue seeing his test papers full of blank answers made cold sweat break out on Ye Xi’s back.

Ye Xi jotted down a line of notes in his English book and let out a heartfelt sigh.

But seeing Li Rui beside him, looking equally miserable, gave him a bit of comfort.

For once, Li Rui didn’t come over to tease him.

Because Li Rui wasn’t doing any better himself. The last time he’d gone to bother Sheng Yuhe, asking him to tutor him too, it completely backfired.

Sheng Yuhe was a master at using the reward-and-punishment system.

He told Li Rui directly: “If you can move up thirty places in the grade ranking next month, I’ll have dinner with you once. Otherwise, don’t come to see me.”

Li Rui was going crazy.

“He’s just making things hard for me!” Li Rui shouted in the dorm room as he angrily tore up a face mask. “Even my parents never asked this much from me! Who does he think he is?!”

Who?

He’s your crush, so he can do whatever he wants to you.

Ye Xi patted Li Rui’s shoulder sympathetically.

Compared to Li Rui, Ye Xi suddenly felt like his own life wasn’t so bad after all.

At least Bai Yue hadn’t made any unreasonable demands of him.

Ye Xi marked a cross on his test paper and noted down the teacher’s problem-solving method.

Studying really was hard — especially for someone like him, a lazy academic underachiever.

But as long as the reward at the end was Bai Yue, he could hold on a little longer.

However, his study motivation was completely crushed right before the weekend.

There was another placement exam that week.

In high school, exams were constant — big and small — all meant to hammer the students into unbreakable warriors.

But this one was more important: it was a joint exam with four other schools. A major placement test. The homeroom teacher would also use the results to adjust each student’s study plan.

Ye Xi, for once, was energized.

He didn’t let his mind wander for even a minute in the exam room. Even though he didn’t know how to answer half the paper, he still diligently answered all the questions he could.

He thought, if I have to bring this test paper to Bai Yue’s house this weekend, at least let it not be too humiliating.

…..

After the exam, he and Li Rui prayed together. The two of them even threw coins into the school’s famous wishing fountain.

Ye Xi wore a conflicted expression: “I’m not even asking for much. Just let me pass a few subjects. As for my ranking… a small improvement would be nice.”

Li Rui, on the other hand, was much more straightforward. He kept muttering desperately, “Up thirty ranks, up thirty ranks, up thirty ranks—so Sheng Yuhe will go on a date with me!”

But reality soon proved: superstition doesn’t work.

Before school let out on Friday, their exam papers were returned.

Ye Xi and Li Rui—one ranked third from the bottom, the other seventh from the bottom.

The two of them stared blankly at their test papers filled with red Xs, unable to snap out of it for a long time.

Li Rui was speechless, holding back tears. After a long pause, he finally squeezed out six words: “That wishing fountain is a scam.”

Ye Xi nodded in solemn agreement.

But even if it was a scam, he couldn’t report it to the police—the fountain didn’t fall under any legal jurisdiction.

So on Saturday, Ye Xi still clutched his stack of failing test papers, his face pale, and stood in front of Bai Yue’s house.

He didn’t even dare press the doorbell now. That dark, heavy door had suddenly become as terrifying as the entrance to Old Wang’s office.

But one look at his watch—1:25 PM—told him there was no turning back.

He frowned, steeled himself, and shakily reached for the doorbell.

At that moment, he had no idea that the face awaiting him behind the door would be even more shocking than his test scores.

…..

Inside the house, separated by just one wall—

Bai Yue stood there, face darker than the bottom of a burnt pot, glaring at the person sprawled on his sofa.

“Are you leaving or not?”

He was speechless. He had just made coffee and laid out snacks. When he heard the doorbell, he thought Ye Xi had arrived early. But when he opened the door—it was this bastard Zheng Yang who walked in.

Bai Yue crossed his arms and snapped at Zheng Yang, “Get up. This isn’t a damn bar. You can’t just come and go as you please. I already told you I’ve got something going on this afternoon—get lost. We’ll hang out some other time.”

Zheng Yang flopped back onto the sofa, arms outstretched, with zero intention of moving.

“Nope. What could you possibly be up to, all mysterious like this?” he said arrogantly, glaring at Bai Yue with clear irritation. “And ‘next time’? You’ve bailed on me how many times now?”

He hadn’t seen Bai Yue in ages. Since he was nearby playing basketball that afternoon, he figured he’d drop by to catch up.

But as soon as he showed up, Bai Yue practically shoved him out the door, claiming he was busy and couldn’t spare even a minute.

Which was fine… except they were way too familiar for that to make sense.

Bai Yue was his childhood best friend—they grew up together, climbed mountains, played in rivers, chased cats and dogs, got into all kinds of mischief.

Zheng Yang knew him inside out. Bai Yue was the type to remain expressionless even if the sky were falling. So why was he suddenly acting so antsy?

That’s why Zheng Yang flat-out refused to leave.

He mentally replayed all of Bai Yue’s recent weird behavior. Lately, every time he asked Bai Yue to hang out, Bai Yue either said he was busy with school or already had plans.

Zheng Yang squinted and noticed how Bai Yue’s gaze kept drifting toward the door.

“You’re not waiting for someone, are you?” Zheng Yang said with a sly smile, no longer in a hurry to leave. He stayed slouched on the couch, eyes filled with curiosity. “What, a girlfriend or something?”

Correct formula, wrong answer.

Bai Yue’s face went even darker.

Of course Zheng Yang would pick up on this—he was way more perceptive than his usual goofy demeanor let on.

But as if to confirm Zheng Yang’s guess, the doorbell rang again.

Ding-dong.

The sound echoed clearly through the quiet house.

“Ha…” Zheng Yang glanced back, then looked at the now visibly tense Bai Yue. His eyes lit up, and in a flash he bolted to the door.

He was convinced now.

Whoever was outside—if not Bai Yue’s girlfriend—must be someone he had a crush on.

Why else would Bai Yue be this nervous?

“I got it, I got it,” Zheng Yang called out happily, swinging the door open. Even before he saw the person outside, he was already teasing Bai Yue in his head: So Mr. Ice-Cold actually likes someone? I’ve gotta see which fairy managed that…

And then—

He saw Ye Xi’s face.

His playful smirk froze instantly, like someone had clamped his throat shut. Not a sound came out.

Behind him, Bai Yue rubbed his forehead and sighed helplessly.

He must’ve owed these two idiots something in his past life.

……

Ye Xi was also scared half to death by Zheng Yang.

He had been waiting nervously for his crush to open the door, heart full of butterflies—only for it to be his nemesis, his brother, standing there.

His heart nearly stopped.

His shy, bashful expression vanished in an instant, replaced by a deadpan, emotionless stare.

“…What are you doing here?”

Zheng Yang looked even more shocked than he did. He stood up straight and frowned instinctively.

He even peered behind Ye Xi, clearly expecting someone else—but saw no one.

Ye Xi said nothing.

Truthfully, he had no idea what to say. Given how strained and hostile his relationship was with Zheng Yang, he doubted Bai Yue had told him about the tutoring.

So he simply kept a cold face, not wanting to engage.

Thankfully, Bai Yue quickly came up behind Zheng Yang.

“He’s here for tutoring,” Bai Yue said flatly, pushing Zheng Yang aside to clear the doorway. At the same time, he naturally took Ye Xi’s backpack and gave him a soothing smile. “Did I scare you? Zheng Yang insisted on answering the door—I didn’t manage to stop him. Come on in.”

Ye Xi hesitated.

Seeing how comfortable Zheng Yang was in Bai Yue’s home, he almost reconsidered walking in.

But a glance at Bai Yue’s gentle expression made him relent. He stepped inside and changed into indoor slippers.

Zheng Yang had been casually shunted aside. He looked at both of them with a strange expression. “Tutoring?”

Bai Yue kept it brief—no way to bluff now.

“Ye Xi’s been coming here for tutoring. Just trying to help him pull up his grades. Though this is only his second time.”

And of course, it had to be today of all days that Zheng Yang showed up.

Bai Yue shot Zheng Yang a rare look of exasperated contempt.

“Him? Tutoring?” Zheng Yang looked like he’d just heard the funniest joke in the world. Especially now that Ye Xi had already taken his seat at the round table, perched on a high stool, gazing down at him.

“You’re kidding me,” he said to Bai Yue. “You know how many tutors he’s driven away? All top-tier, none of them could raise his scores. What, did you drink fake wine or something and think you could do it yourself?”

Bai Yue didn’t like that at all.

“Maybe the tutors you found were the problem,” he said coolly. “Wrong methods, too harsh. Of course Ye Xi wouldn’t want to learn—how could he possibly improve?”

Well then.

That actually sounded pretty reasonable.

Zheng Yang folded his arms and sneered. “And you think you can do better?”

“I do,” Bai Yue replied with a perfectly polite yet obviously fake smile. “At the very least, Ye Xi is willing to study with me.”

The two locked eyes, and the air between them suddenly turned heavy.

They had always been closer than blood brothers—thick as thieves since childhood. But when it came to Ye Xi, they never saw eye to eye.

After a few seconds, Bai Yue was the first to break eye contact under Zheng Yang’s scrutinizing stare.

He didn’t want to keep up this stare-down. Instead, he turned and said, “Believe whatever you want. I’m tutoring Ye Xi either way. You can leave now.”

Then he walked over to Ye Xi’s side, and his tone softened dramatically. “Ignore him. Take out the English test from last week, the one I asked you to do. Also, you had exams this week, right? Bring those out too.”

That hit Ye Xi right in the weak spot. He looked miserable.

He wouldn’t have minded showing Bai Yue—but with Zheng Yang watching? No way.

And Zheng Yang wasn’t going anywhere.

He looked between the two of them, sensing something suspicious. Something was definitely going on behind his back.

He strolled over to the table, took a seat on a high stool, and stared them down.

He heard Bai Yue’s request and saw Ye Xi’s bitter face.

With a smirk, he said, “Man, you really know how to hit the sore spot,” he said to Bai Yue. “Why don’t you guess what rank Ye Xi got this time?”

He’d already seen the test scores in the teacher’s office.

Even though they weren’t in the same class, the teacher knew Ye Xi was his brother—so he always had access to Ye Xi’s grades.

Ye Xi’s hand paused inside his backpack.

He stared at Zheng Yang with a deadpan expression, wishing he could chuck a pen at his face.

“My score’s none of your business,” Ye Xi snapped. Forgetting Bai Yue was right there, he raised an eyebrow, his usual soft demeanor gone, replaced by something fierce and defiant. “Who asked you to bring it up?”

Oh?

Zheng Yang was now truly fuming.

Especially when, after throwing shade at him, Ye Xi reluctantly pulled out his exam papers and slid them across the table to Bai Yue.

And just like that—his entire attitude changed in front of Bai Yue. He looked up at him, wide-eyed, like a kicked puppy.

“…I really didn’t do well.”

His voice was soft, full of guilt. “I actually did worse than last time. I’m sorry.”

“What’s there to be sorry for?” Bai Yue’s heart practically melted.

He had just been surprised by how sharp and cold Ye Xi was with Zheng Yang. After all, Ye Xi had always been obedient and docile around him—easier to handle than a bunny.

But now he chose to forget everything in a second. If Zheng Yang wasn’t right next to him, he would’ve already reached out to pat Ye Xi’s head. He smiled at Ye Xi and said, “This test was a bit tough. It’s normal for you to underperform.”

Heh.

Zheng Yang nearly burst out laughing.

With Ye Xi’s level, there was no such thing as “underperforming.”

But clearly, the two over there had no intention of paying him any attention.

Bai Yue gave him a warning look.

“If you’re not planning to leave, then go sit over there,” Bai Yue said. “There’s cake, snacks, and coffee in the kitchen. Help yourself. If you’re bored, just play with your phone. Don’t interrupt me while I tutor Ye Xi.”

Zheng Yang’s face darkened, but in the end, he didn’t argue.

That one and a half years Bai Yue had over him wasn’t for nothing—ever since they were kids, Bai Yue had always been able to suppress him with ease. Zheng Yang couldn’t help but feel a bit of that big-brother pressure around him.

He was forced to sit on the nearby sofa, eyes sharp as he stared at the two by the round table.

Bai Yue said they were studying.

But something about it just felt off to Zheng Yang.

Yet after watching for a while, Bai Yue was indeed explaining problems to Ye Xi.

And Ye Xi, who normally either ignored him or avoided him as much as possible, was unusually obedient with Bai Yue—he listened attentively, followed directions, and did whatever Bai Yue told him to do.

There was no sign at all of the kid who had pushed him into a pond at age twelve.

Zheng Yang was absolutely furious.

He grabbed the iced water on the table and chugged down more than half a glass.

The gulping sound, like a cow drinking water, briefly pulled Ye Xi’s attention away.

He glanced at Zheng Yang on the sofa and rolled his eyes—subtly but unmistakably.

Annoying pest.