TWSITAOCP Chapter 27

In high school, exams usually only lasted two days. The further the time went, the fewer subjects remained, and the more relaxed students became.

By the last English exam on the second day, Yang Feiwen had completely let go. He didn’t even bother to look at his books and ran upstairs to find Yu Sui.

He came with Zheng Zi’an. On their way up, the two played a silly game, which Yang Feiwen lost, so he ended up carrying Zheng Zi’an on his back.

Zheng Zi’an was taller and bigger than Yang Feiwen, and having such a large guy on his back made Yang Feiwen stumble and stagger the whole way.

Yu Sui was a little surprised: “Since when did you two become so close?”

Zheng Zi’an, a bit embarrassed, let go of Yang Feiwen: “The exams are almost over, so I’m just a little excited.”

Zheng Zi’an was from Class 8 Science, where the academic atmosphere was usually quite tense.

“Hey, I found the teacher who teased you two the other day,” Yang Feiwen said, occupying the desk of a classmate who hadn’t arrived yet. “Turns out, he’s the IT teacher in charge of our school’s forum.”

It would have been fine if he hadn’t mentioned it, but once he did, Yu Sui scratched his ear and fell silent.

Zheng Zi’an sighed nearby, “I don’t really understand you guys. Why are you so obsessed with pairing people up?”

“It’s fine if you don’t understand. We’re not forcing anyone.” Yang Feiwen waved his hand dismissively. “When we ship couples, it doesn’t mean we actually want them to be together. Look, we’re not cornering Sui’er and the Minster to force them to do anything, right?”

The more they talked, the more uncomfortable Yu Sui felt. He lifted his foot to kick Yang Feiwen. “Do you really have to talk about this in front of me?”

Yang Feiwen then pulled Zheng Zi’an aside to continue their conversation, but Yu Sui could still hear them.

“It’s just that there’s a certain magnetic field between the two of them. When they’re together, there’s this… something.” Yang Feiwen explained. “It just feels harmonious.”

Zheng Zi’an found the topic a bit beyond his understanding. He hesitated for a moment, then whispered, “I think I saw you guys secretly passing around some fanmade book. Do they… do those things in there?”

His voice dropped to an almost inaudible level. Yu Sui glanced at them suspiciously, sensing something inappropriate.

Yang Feiwen exclaimed, “How did you know? We were so careful passing it around, and you still knew?”

Zheng Zi’an coughed awkwardly: “Maybe it’s because we’re from the disciplinary committee—we’re just more observant than others.”

“Oh—” Yang Feiwen drew out the sound, his expression turning slightly suggestive. After a long pause, he declared firmly, “They do!”

Just then, Yan Xiu’s distinctively cool voice came from above Yu Sui: “What are you doing?”

Yan Xiu had just returned when he saw Yu Sui holding a pen, staring blankly at the empty table beside him. Puzzled, he tugged at Yu Sui’s hair. “Does your neck hurt?”

Yu Sui jumped, covering his neck. “… A little.”

Yan Xiu looked confused.

Meanwhile, after finishing his conversation with Zheng Zi’an, Yang Feiwen circled back to ask Yu Sui, “Are you really not going?”

He was talking about exploring the old house.

The post about strange stories had always mentioned the old house in Fu Village. Not long ago, Yi Tian from Class 3 Arts and Yang Feiwen had taken the lead in marking the old house as a destination, announcing they would visit it during the break.

Yu Sui’s experience at the old house that day wasn’t particularly pleasant. He had returned to Fu Village a few times since then, and the lock on the house was usually in place, though occasionally removed. Although the villagers claimed it was to keep out cats and dogs, Yu Sui still felt something was amiss.

The place probably had an owner and wasn’t considered public property of Fu Village. A group of people going there to explore seemed inappropriate.

Yang Feiwen had been to Fu Village once. “The class monitor asked the neighbors when they tore down the notice. They said the locks were removed before the New Year. We’ll just go take a look. If we can’t get in, we can go to the newly opened Golden Rooster Plaza for a teambuilding event instead.”

“He’s going too,” Yang Feiwen pointed at Zheng Zi’an, then looked at Yan Xiu and winked as he asked, “Disciplinary Committee, are you coming?”

Yu Sui was stunned, and fell silent, joining the others in turning his gaze toward Yan Xiu.

Yan Xiu probably didn’t expect them to ask him so suddenly. He seemed to raise his eyebrows slightly, but didn’t react in any particular way.

“No.”

“…” Yu Sui looked away, glancing at the longevity lock on his wrist.

“You’re not going?” Zheng Zi’an was surprised. He looked at Yan Xiu. “Do you have freelance work over the break?”

“No, I have something going on at home.” Yan Xiu replied as he sat down in his seat, placing his phone in his bag, and reached out to Yu Sui, palm up, gently waving his hand. “Yours.”

Yu Sui tapped his phone a few times before placing it in Yan Xiu’s hand. English was his strongest subject, so Yu Sui was completely lazy, arriving with only his phone and pen, leaving his backpack behind.

Yang Feiwen’s disappointment was palpable. He shifted his focus to try to get Yu Sui to come. Yu Sui merely glanced up, his expression listless, “No.”

And the bell for the final exam rang, and the entire building seemed to vibrate.

Students surged out of the exam hall, clogging the corridor with their movement.

Yu Sui followed behind Yan Xiu, watching him stretch his arm and effortlessly step past two girls to grab his backpack. A faint smile curved at the corner of his mouth, finding the situation amusing.

When Yan Xiu turned around, he caught Yu Sui trying to suppress a laugh. “What’s so funny?”

“Nothing. I just thought your arms were quite long.” Yu Sui casually surveyed the width of his shoulders. “… I heard you can actually climb walls and leap over roofs when you’re chasing someone. Is that true?”

“…” Yan Xiu looked utterly unimpressed. “Shouldn’t you know better than to ask?”

Yu Sui smiled, his gaze drifting off.

But before his eyes could wander too far, someone shoved Yan Xiu from behind, sending him stumbling straight into Yu Sui.

Behind Yu Sui was a crowd of people—all wearing blue, white, and black school uniforms, surging like waves in the distance. A minor collision like this wouldn’t attract much attention.

Whether Yu Sui fell backward or Yan Xiu did, they would inevitably bump into someone.

In a crowd, chaos was the last thing anyone wanted.

Yu Sui had good eyesight—the boys who had just passed Yan Xiu were clearly elbowing him deliberately.

In that split second, it was hard to tell whether those boys held a grudge against the disciplinary committee or if they were just messing around because they saw Yu Sui and Yan Xiu around.

“Shit,” Yu Sui muttered under his breath. He tried to brace himself against a nearby desk and grab Yan XIu.

But Yan Xiu was also quick. As soon as Yu Sui’s foot retreated, he pulled it into his arms. The two of them narrowly collided with the edge of the table, avoiding the crowd.

The two girls whom Yan Xiu passed over earlier turned around in surprise, looking concerned. “What’s wrong? Are you two okay?”

“… I’m okay.” Yu Sui, who was completely blocked by Yan Xiu, pressed a hand on Yan Xiu’s shoulder. His brows knitted together, and he gasped, “You’re going to knock me out, ge.”

The young master, delicately raised and unaccustomed to bumps and bruises, sighed inwardly, certain that his lower back would be bruised.

The two girls wanted to help, but didn’t dare touch them.

“Go back to class first,” Yan Xiu said calmly. He lifted his bag and placed it in Yu Sui’s arms. He then straightened up and walked towards the boys who hadn’t gone far.

“Hey,” Yu Sui called out but failed to stop him, so he gave up.

The usual act of Young Master Yu being weak and sick had just begun, and the two girls beside him started to panic. “What should we do? Should we take you to the school infirmary?”

“…” Yu Sui smiled politely. “No need, I think I’m fine.”

In the classroom, three boys were playing a game of carrying people and grinding against a pillar near the door.

Yu Sui drifted past them, finding his and Yan Xiu’s desk. He moved the papers back to their original places, before removing the two exam slips on top.

As usual, the teacher assigned holiday assignments. At the moment, the class was still quite full, with luggage piled up at the door.

Yu Sui sat back in his chair, clutching his phone.

Yu Zhen’s car had been rear-ended every time she drove on the road this month. She believed in Mercury retrograde¹ and immediately abandoned her license plate, obediently waiting for the driver to pick her up. So, today, Uncle Dolly would pick Yu Zhen up from the office first, saying he would arrive a bit later.

That was the original plan, but Yu Zhen had left work early.

Lately, Yu Zhen had been overly concerned about him, sending messages at precisely timed intervals.

Zhen-jie: [How are you feeling?]

When Yu Si was a child, he was afraid of ghosts. Yu Zhen had even changed her contact name to something like this, making Yu Sui reluctant to text her every time.

Fish Can: […]

He sent another awkward yet polite sticker.

“Hey, damn, there’s a pretty lady downstairs!” Yang Feiwen rushed in. “Long legs, professional attire, ten-centimeter high heels!”

“What the hell?” Half the class, boys and girls, rushed out.

Yu Sui’s eyelids twitched, and he had a bad feeling.

Fish Can: [Did you come into my school?]

Zhen-jie: [Yeah, I haven’t been here before, so I came in and took a look.]

Fish Can: [Don’t]

Just as he finished sending this message, Yan Xiu came through the door.

Those boys²The boys pertaining here are those who bumped to Yan Xiu. probably had a rough time.

Yan Xiu walked straight towards Yu Sui, his expression softening momentarily when he saw him. “Where did you get bumped into?”

“I’m fine,” Yu Sui hurriedly handed him his bag and asked in a hushed voice, “My dear deskmate, can I pull some strings and sneak out early?”

“What’s wrong?” Yan Xiu paused, as if he had just noticed the half-empty classroom. “… Who’s going to bring your homework for you?”

“You,” Yu Sui said.

His response was so matter-of-fact that Yan Xiu glanced at him, his lips twitching slightly, as if something was about to slip out but he swallowed it back.

Yan Xiu averted his gaze: “Mm, okay.”

Yu Sui blinked, seemingly surprised that Yan Xiu agreed so easily. He reached under his desk and pulled out a small carton of milk, placing it in Yan Xiu’s hand.

Then he lowered his head and tapped his phone, muttering, “I’ll make plans with you later.”

The young master made a swift and silent exit, retrieving his schoolbag in the back cabinet and slipping out through the back door of the classroom.

Before Yu Zhen finished touring the first floor, Yu Sui had already gotten into Uncle Dolly’s car.

Yu Zhen returned later, her high heels clicking sharply, and cast a suspicious glance at Yu Sui.

“Why were you in such a hurry? Am I embarrassing you?” Yu Zhen asked.

Yu Sui shook his head. “When I was in kindergarten, all the kids said my mom looked so young, like a middle schooler.”

“…” Yu Zhen wasn’t joking and shot him a glance.

As they were leaving, she glanced back at the school, hidden away by several shops. Yu Sui couldn’t help but feel that she was reluctant to leave.

He brushed off the strange sensation in his heart and began to scroll through the class group chat.

He waited until the flurry of messages—discussing the tall, beautiful woman who had visited the school—died down before scratching his ear.

Outside, the sunlight was bright, and the street scene flashed by in a blur.

Yu Zhen wasn’t a talker, and when she was around, Uncle Dolly and Yu Sui didn’t talk much either. The car radio was on, reporting the stock market these past few days, which made people drowsy.

It reminded him of a time two or three years ago—the same stock market reports on the radio, Yu Jingyuan and a tall boy chatting in the back set, while Yu Sui dozed off in the passenger seat as the car wound its way toward Tianluo Bay.

Then, everything changed abruptly. A sudden, torrential downpour swept through, catching everyone off guard. For half a month, Yandu’s economy took a hit, buildings collapsed, a bridge was washed away by the flooded river, and the roads were in ruins for a long time. That tall boy never came back to Tianluo Bay again.

Yu Sui slept the entire way home, groggily carrying his bag out of the car and heading inside.

He was so exhausted that he only managed a few bites of food before retreating to his room to sleep. He woke up dead of night, only then learned that Yu Jingyuan would be away on a long business trip.

Voices drifted in from the hallway. Yuan Yu had just stepped out of her room and closed the door softly behind her. The sound of suitcase’s wheels rolling lightly across the floor followed.

“Lift it up a little, it’s too noisy,” she whispered.

Footsteps moved from upstairs to downstairs, hurried and busy.

“Come back for the New Year. You can’t spend the holiday away, understand?” Yuan Yu said.

“I know. You don’t have to tell me,” Yu Jingyuan replied. “Where’s my scarf?”

“Xiao Sun went to get it. I also asked her to bring your protective charm. Wait a moment, there’s no rush.”

“…”

Yuan Yu glanced upstairs. “You didn’t tell Xiao Sui.”

“Did he give me a chance to?” Yu Jingyuan’s voice rose slightly, and Yuan Yu immediately gestured for him to lower his voice.

The voices outside gradually faded into the distance. Yu Sui released the doorknob, picked up his water glass, then poured half a cup of mineral water at the desk. He carried it to the window.

He didn’t turn on the lights, so no one downstairs noticed someone was standing by the window upstairs.

Yu Sui watched the car headlights drive out of the courtyard gate and disappear into the night, then drew down the curtains.

He finished the water in his glass and sat at his desk for a moment.

But he had slept straight through since coming home, and though he wasn’t tired anymore, he felt stifled and restless.

He heard Yuan Yu whispering to their aunt as they went upstairs, each returning to their own rooms.

In the deep silence of the night, it always felt like he could hear the sound of marbles rolling across the ceiling.

Yu Sui grabbed his phone and climbed back into his bed idly scrolling through every social media app he had.

Still, he didn’t feel the slightest bit sleepy.

He sighed helplessly, a faint smile tugging at his lips, and opened a game. Then, his eyes flickered with surprise as he glanced at his friends list.

The young master tucked his feet into the covers, feeling a mixture of guilt and bewilderment for a moment.

He had thought that someone might still be playing games late at night—most likely Yang Feiwen, Liang Wen, and their group.

Night owls during semester were always competitive, and with the holiday just starting, it wouldn’t be strange if a whole row of avatars were lit up online.

At this time last holiday, Yang Feiwen and his friends pulled all-nighters. ABut one night, Yang Feiwen’s mother got up to use the bathroom and passed by his room. She noticed light seeping from under the door and heard him loudly cursing inside.

Caught red-handed, Yang Feiwen almost got sent to the countryside for two months.

In short, it wouldn’t be surprising whoever it was.

But the person online now was Yan Xiu.

That was a bit unbelievable.

Did I corrupt him? Yu Sui thought to himself. What a sin.

However, the person online wasn’t playing games. Curious, Yu Sui tapped into his match history and found that Yan Xiu had probably played a few times after returning home from school.

His rank wasn’t high, and his record was a mix of wins and losses.

A minute later, Yan Xiu invited Yu Sui to join a team.

Yu Sui clicked it, stared at the avatar for two seconds, then quickly opened the team chat: “Wait a moment.”

After saying that, he switched on the dim bedside lamp, fished out his earphones from the drawer and tossed them on the bed. He then tiptoed toward the door.

He listened quietly for a while, making sure there was no sound from outside before returning to his bed.

Yan Xiu took a moment before speaking.

“Why aren’t you asleep?”

This was the first time Yu Sui teamed up alone with Yan Xiu. With only the two of them in the voice channel, the deep silence of the night made his ears tingle.

Yu Sui scratched his ear, silently turning up the game’s background music, and said, “I just woke up.”

After a pause, he asked, “How about you?”

The silence on the other end stretched even longer, so long that Yu Sui thought Yan Xiu wasn’t going to reply.

Considering Yan Xiu’s slightly hoarse voice, a result of deliberately lowering it, Yu Sui assumed he couldn’t speak freely.

Just as he was about to say, “You can type” Yan Xiu spoke up, “I’m thinking about something. I haven’t figured it out yet, so I can’t sleep.”

Yu Sui paused, his weary nerves now quivering with curiosity. He rarely pried into others’ privacy before, but he couldn’t do that now. He uttered a dry “Oh” and fell silent.

He wondered chaotically. Does Yan Xiu also have things that keep him up at night?

In the past, everyone glorified the Minister of Discipline Inspection as a deity, saying he was ruthless, decisive, and heartless.

If others found out that the great Minister Yan also had his troubles, they’d probably be astonished.

Distracted by these thoughts, Yu Sui missed his chance to keep an eye on Yan Xiu. With a glance, he saw Yan Xiu’s fragile swordsman character was ambushed by the two opponents. Yan Xiu bravely charged forward, gloriously giving up First blood³.

Yu Sui: “… Didn’t I tell you last time to run if you see two people like that?”

Yan Xiu remained calm: “I forgot.”

Yan Xiu could memorize a textbook after just one look. Yu Sui repeated the same sentence at least ten times a day, so he didn’t believe Yan Xiu had forgotten.

He just couldn’t shake off his disciplinary committee habits—he wanted to arrest anyone he saw.

Yu Sui muttered under his breath, “What a terrible habit.”

Author’s note: One chapter will be posted first.