Xie Yu handed in the rewritten group list.

The black and white characters were sharp and the six rows of names jumped off the paper, written quite beautifully.

Although Xie Yu's homework had a high error rate and he often only copied a few math problems, leaving the answer area completely blank, the teachers in each class did not lose their patience when grading it. Just based on his handwriting, they could let go of half their frustration.

Every time a teacher in the office sighed at how Xie Yu's handwriting was wasted, there would be another voice that chimed in, "It's still better than He Chao's. I get so angry grading his homework, what is this mess..."

The tour guide looked at Xie Yu as if he had seen a savior.

Although this boy in front of me doesn't look friendly, his intimidating cold demeanor is more eye-catching than his appearance.

For some reason, when this classmate placed a few fingers on the edge of the desk and handed him the paper, then looked up at him, he felt a sense of threat to his life.

The tour guide took the paper and said, "...T-Thank you."

"You're welcome," Xie Yu replied.

Feeling good about himself, He Chao thought he had written seriously enough that it wouldn't be difficult to understand. Standing at the side of the podium, he was about to say something for himself when Xie Yu kicked him.

"Get down," Xie Yu said. "Don't embarrass yourself."

As He Chao was being chased away by Xie Yu, he muttered, "No, really, I wrote well this time. The handwriting is neat and the style is grand..."

Xie Yu said, "Can you shut up."

Everyone in Class 3 knew the level of He Chao's handwriting. At first, it was dizzying to read, but after more than two months, they had developed the ability to recognize the characters.

As classmates, they could more or less identify whose name was written when looking at the handwriting. However, the tour guide was not familiar with these names and would definitely be confused.

Liu Cunhao covered his face and said, "What was I thinking, letting Brother Chao be the team leader?"

Wan Da patted him on the back and said, "It's too late to turn back now. Let's just keep going and not look back."

Liu Cunhao: "..."

"Classmates, we are going to North Lake Park, a famous scenic spot in C city. We will discuss the specific itinerary on the bus later," the tour guide adjusted his hat and said a few words, hoping to spend a pleasant day with them. He rambled on and on, and finally said, "...our Class 3's bus is at the back door, let's line up in the corridor first."

Two classes were already lining up in the corridor. Old Tang continued, "Pay attention to order, be quiet, the other years are still in class."

The tour guide talked too much, and Xie Yu listened for a while and became drowsy. He didn't pay attention to the rest. When everyone else got up and walked outside, he was still lying motionless on the table.

He Chao curled his fingers, turned his head, and tapped on Xie Yu's desk, "Don't sleep, get up and line up."

Old Tang talked a lot. After discussing the issue of order, he gave a bunch of instructions that made people feel like they were on a school field trip. Finally, a classmate couldn't take it anymore and exclaimed, "Are we going to hold hands too? Might as well hold hands and walk together."

As soon as the classmate finished speaking, Xie Yu opened his eyes and He Chao had already reached out his hand.

This person was perfectly fine sitting in a chair, but insisted on sitting on the table. His school uniform zipper was not pulled up, and his coat was open. He smiled and said to him, "Little friend, do you want to hold hands?"

The way the boy smiled was so dazzling.

He Chao leaned his hand on the table, palm facing him.

Just now someone shouted about holding hands, so it shouldn't be a big deal to hold hands now.

After a while, Xie Yu didn't say anything and put his hand in He Chao's.

"Oh--"

In the hallway, a few students near the back door window started chanting, and soon the entire Class 3 joined in with a meaningful "oh".

He Chao was afraid their reaction was too strong and would scare people, so he retorted, "What the fuck are you 'oh'-ing for."

Liu Cunhao chimed in, "Give face, give face. It's still Brother Chao who will give face. We just talked about holding hands, and immediately they did it."

They were purely teasing Old Tang and didn't think much of it. Besides, these two big shots in their class had always been like this, even holding hands before during class.

Tang Sen was amused by their antics and shook his head with a smile, not bothering to enforce discipline any further. After all, it was just one day, might as well let them have some fun.

When they got on the bus, the girls went ahead to pick their seats, usually sitting in pairs. Xie Yu and He Chao were at the back, and when they got on, there were only two empty seats left in the last row.

Wan Da was sitting in the center of the last row, waving at them. "Come on over here!" he called out.

Xie Yu looked around and asked, "Are there no other seats available?"

The last row was occupied by Liu Cunhao and his friends, all active members of the class who were sure to make a lot of noise and prevent anyone from sleeping on the way.

Liu Cunhao caught on to Xie Yu's meaning and said, "Are you looking down on us, Brother Yu?"

Xie Yu replied, "Yes, I am."

As they walked towards the middle of the bus, Xie Yu passed by Xu Qingqing, who had already opened a bag of snacks and was laughing heartily. "Hahaha, you brought this upon yourself," she said.

He Chao laughed, "Hao-zi, you already know the answer in your heart. Why hurt yourself by asking again?"

Liu Cunhao: "..."

Despite the ridicule, there were no other available seats to sit in anyway.

Once everyone was seated, the car slowly started and turned onto the small road behind the school's back gate.

The tour guide grabbed onto the handrail and stood up to introduce himself. Although everyone remembered his last name was Wang, they couldn't recall his first name, so they all called him "Brother Wang". The tour guide scratched his head and said, "Okay, Brother Wang...Brother Wang works too."

The drowsiness that had been brewing in the classroom earlier began to resurface. Xie Yu planned to sleep by the window, but He Chao pushed his head towards his own shoulder and said, "Why not lean on this big brother's shoulder instead of the window?"

The two words "big brother" were like a curse, every time they were mentioned, certain images would play in his mind.

Even though it was He Chao who brought it up, not long after he spoke, he coughed lightly, thinking to himself that he was just making things difficult for himself.

Xie Yu was also feeling a bit overwhelmed, and the most obvious reaction was...he couldn't sleep.

The small path leading to the school was narrow and long, the bus was driving slowly, passing by the No. 2 High School's food street, the banner celebrating the mid-term exams was still hanging at the entrance of the Top Scorer Restaurant, and a stray dog was lying in front of it, staring at the passing crowd with its head drooping.

Brother Wang talked about the history of North Lake Park and the various buildings inside, especially the former residence of a deceased literary giant: "You all know him, the one who wrote--"

When it comes to literature, Old Tang's professional disease flares up and he can't help but give them a Chinese lesson off the cuff. He stood up and snatched the tour guide's microphone, saying, "Let me say a few words, let me say a few words..."

The entire Class 3 shouted in unison, "...Don't let him speak!!!"

Liu Cunhao was about to cry, "I was so happy today."

Wan Da agrees, "Yes, we were all so happy today."

Amidst the noisy chaos, it was unclear who made the first move. The two people's backs touch each other, and they quietly stay that way for a while, until He Chao's fingers intertwine with the other person's.

Sometimes, people can be easily satisfied.

A simple touch, a glance, and the warmth that came with it.

That's all it took.

The bus got noisier and noisier, and from the moment Luo Wenqiang bravely snatched Old Tang's microphone, these people had gone crazy.

"Let's sing!" Xu Qingqing suggested, "And participants can win prizes."

The others clapped and cheered, then asked, "But what prizes do we have to give?"

Even though there were no prizes, the Class 3 karaoke competition began with great enthusiasm.

To be honest, most of them couldn't sing very well, and it was mostly just noise. But the singers themselves were still very intoxicated, especially Old Tang, who was intoxicated by his rendition of "Unforgettable Tonight."

He Chao gave a lot of face and no matter how badly someone sang, he could still honestly say, "Great! You sang so well!"

What a load of crap.

Xie Yu didn't understand this behavior and moved his finger, which happened to touch He Chao's protruding knuckles. "Is this sarcasm?" he asked.

He Chao replied, "No, it's called encouragement."

After being praised by He Chao, Old Tang felt a bit embarrassed. But after a moment, he waved his hand and decided to sing another song: "Since you all like to listen, then I will..."

He Chao didn't expect that Old Tang in their class was actually a singing fanatic: "Huh?"

Several students in the front row were so angry that they threw water bottles at him.

After Old Tang finished singing, the other students changed their minds and started to make a fuss: "Brother Chao, sing a song! Otherwise, you're letting us down!"

He Chao quickly agreed: "Sure, I am especially good at singing. Hearing me sing is your honour. Old Xie, what song do you want to hear?"

Xie Yu had never heard He Chao sing before and vaguely felt that his confidence was a bit off. This person often boasted about his handwriting, claiming it was perfect, but in reality, it was messy and illegible.

But it was obvious from He Chao's eyes that he was saying, 'What do you want me to sing for you?'

Xie Yu's words changed to, "Whatever you want."

The classmates in Class 3 all thought that, given He Chao's personality, he would sing a tougher song.

But to their surprise, He Chao chose a love song.

The original singer was a woman, and the melody was gentle and slow.

As the speaker was passed to the front row, before the switch was even turned on, Xie Yu heard He Chao muttering softly beside him, "They can count themselves lucky...I'm singing for my little friend."

This was probably the only time He Chao wasn't bragging.

He sang really well, his voice softly lingering in Xie Yu's ears. The male voice was completely different from the original singer, but still gentle.

That kind of gentle restraint, belonging to a boy, seeped through the lyrics.

Suddenly, the car fell silent.

Their hands were secretly intertwined beneath their school uniforms, fingers tightly interlocked. It was as if this position allowed them to hear each other's heartbeats through their entwined fingers.