In the blink of an eye, it was the Summer Solstice. The noisy chirping of cicadas clamored out a wave of sweltering summer heat.

Heshan Academy was located on the shady side of the mountain, making it a natural sanctuary from the summer heat. Even so, the reduced heat was still enough to make everyone suffer; rolling on the stone slab ground could scald off a layer of skin.

All things were listless and lifeless, making it even more impossible to focus on reading.

Qi Yu lay sprawled on his desk, pressing his face against the cool, comfortable surface. Feeling the unbearable, scorching heat ease, he let out a long sigh of relief.

Across from him sat Xue Qin. The latter buried his face behind a book and, seeing that no one was paying attention, secretly poked Qi Yu. "Brother Qi, how many days has Brother Chu been confined?"

"Let me think..." Qi Yu counted on his fingers. "About sixteen or seventeen days, I suppose."

Xue Qin coughed lightly. "That bird..."

Qi Yu glanced at him, instantly understanding his intention. "It's not with me anymore. Song Sifan must have borrowed it for the past few days."

"Ah..." Xue Qin sighed mournfully. "When will it be my turn then?"

Qi Yu said, "Why don't you go find Brother Chu and beg him?"

"This... Are there any other ways?" Xue Qin looked troubled. "I don't really dare."

Qi Yu found it strange. "What are you afraid of? It's not like Brother Chu will eat you."

"Brother Chu, he," Xue Qin stammered, unable to explain himself, "I just feel that he doesn't seem as easygoing as he appears..."

Qi Yu stared at him for a moment, then sighed and waved his hand. "Forget it, forget it."

He knew that Xue Qin was the youngest and most timid among them, the most honest of them all. He usually kept to himself quietly and never caused trouble. He probably held a kind of reverence and fear for an outlaw like Chu Jin, who knowingly broke the law and refused to change his ways.

"How about this, the two of us will go to Song Sifan's place to see the bird after class," he suggested. "That way, it's the best of both worlds."

Xue Qin's eyes lit up. "Okay!"

Then, he hesitated. "Will Brother Sifan agree?"

"What's the big deal? Watch me," Qi Yu said confidently.

He tore off a piece of paper, thought for a moment, and scribbled a few characters. Then he crumpled it into a ball and, when Fang Hechao wasn't looking, tossed it toward Song Sifan.

As luck would have it, a gust of wind blew in from the window just then.

The paper ball curved in mid-air, straying from its original trajectory. Instead of landing on Song Sifan's desk, it fell squarely into Shen Mengzhi's lap.

Qi Yu remained frozen in his throwing posture, petrified on the spot. Beside him, Xue Qin was similarly petrified, his mouth wide open.

Under their rigid gazes, Shen Mengzhi slowly picked up the paper ball and unfolded it with a puzzled expression.

A few lines of messy handwriting met his eyes.

—Brother Song, sharing joy is better than enjoying it alone. Xue Qin and I will go to your place after class to see the bird. I hope you'll have tea ready. Be there or be square. From Qi Yu.

Killing three birds with one stone!

Shen Mengzhi stared at the crumpled piece of paper in silence for a long time. Finally, he gave a faint smile.

Song Sifan, who had been dragged into this, was still oblivious. He frowned at the ashen-faced Qi Yu and Xue Qin, mouthing, "What's wrong?"

Qi Yu: "...I'm sorry."

Song Sifan: "?"

Xue Qin: "...Brother Sifan, I'm sorry!"

Song Sifan: "??"

Soon, Song Sifan's question was answered.

After class, the three of them were rewarded with confinement and were also forced to hand over the parrot hidden in their residences.

Shen Mengzhi stared impassively at his three dejected classmates. After a long moment, he heaved a heavy sigh.

"Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Yes," Qi Yu said with a pained expression, "why is my confinement the longest?"

Song Sifan resisted the urge to roll his eyes and hit him. "Shut up."

Shen Mengzhi said, "To teach you a lesson, lest you become the next Chu Jin."

Qi Yu obediently shut his mouth.

Qi Yu and Song Sifan were typical youths with prior offenses, but the ever-behaved Xue Qin seemed out of place among them.

Shen Mengzhi walked over to him, softened his voice, and asked, "Xue Qin, why are you fooling around with Qi Yu?"

"Jiang Zhen..." Qi Yu whined mournfully.

Xue Qin awkwardly wrung his hands. After a long while, he finally squeezed out a few words, "I was just a little curious..."

Song Sifan and Qi Yu exchanged a glance and quickly chimed in, "Right, right, we were curious too."

Shen Mengzhi didn't even look at the other two. He kept his eyes lowered on Xue Qin and asked again, "Why were you curious?"

This question sounded a bit like he was deliberately making things difficult. Xue Qin hung his head even lower, remaining silent and wringing his fingers so hard they looked like they might break.

Song Sifan tried to persuade him, "Senior Brother Jiang, this is Xue Qin's first offense. Why must you give him such a hard time?"

Just as he finished speaking, Qi Yu seemed to realize something and looked sharply at Shen Mengzhi. He was about to speak when he heard Shen Mengzhi say in a low voice, "Even knowing you would break the rules, be punished, and implicate others, you still had to satisfy this bit of curiosity?"

His emotions were unusually turbulent, and his question was almost aggressive, a complete departure from his usual gentle and courteous demeanor.

It was the first time Song Sifan had seen him like this. Stunned into silence and utterly confused, he secretly jabbed Qi Yu in the stomach with his elbow, shooting him a questioning look.

But Qi Yu didn't react. He seemed to know the inside story. The playful look from a moment ago was gone, replaced by a blank stare. He mumbled, "Jiang Zhen... it's my fault. Don't overthink it."

Song Sifan just felt that something was off with both of them and frowned. "You two..."

Before he could finish, Xue Qin interrupted with a heart-wrenching shout, "Yes! I was wrong!"

At his words, everyone fell silent for a moment.

Xue Qin had always been reserved, introverted, and not good with words. This one shout was like opening the floodgates, unleashing a torrent of a thousand emotions that could no longer be held back. It was as if he was venting years of grievances and frustrations, and Shen Mengzhi's questioning was the last straw.

"Why? Because I have normal human emotions and desires! Yes, you are at ease with the rules, but what about us? I'm on edge, I'm miserable! It was only after Brother Chu came, because of him, that I felt like I was a normal person again, that I could finally release this breath I've been holding."

Xue Qin's eyes were bloodshot. The anger swelling in his heart made him reckless with his words, and he subconsciously chose the most piercing ones to shout. "Jiang Zhen, when you stand high above us, punishing us, have you ever considered that not everyone is as emotionless and desireless as you!"

"Xue Qin!!" Qi Yu roared, lunging forward and knocking him to the ground with a punch.

Song Sifan also rushed over, pulling the two apart and shouting sternly, "What's wrong with you two?! Both of you, stop!"

Qi Yu's hands were clenched into fists, tightly gripping Xue Qin's collar. His jaw was tight with an emotion that could have been anger or fear. He remained frozen in this posture, not daring to turn around and see the expression on Shen Mengzhi's face.

Xue Qin lay on the ground, covering his nose. Tears and blood mixed together, staining most of his sleeve. Qi Yu's punch seemed to have sobered him up. He trembled all over, crying uncontrollably and apologizing incoherently.

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Mengzhi returned to his senses from a long daze. He lowered his eyes and saw the three on the ground, each with a different expression.

He met Xue Qin's terrified and guilty eyes, his voice gentle, "I'm sorry. I was thinking about some things just now, and I was in a bad mood. I was too harsh with you."

"No!" Xue Qin scrambled up, ignoring his still-bleeding nose, overcome with regret. "It was me... it was me..."

But the words spoken could not be taken back. He fell silent for a moment, unable to force another word from his throat. Finally, he closed his eyes helplessly and said in a trembling voice, "I'm sorry..."

Shen Mengzhi said, "It's not your fault. I'm fine."

His expression was normal, and he truly seemed to be fine. Pulled to his feet by Song Sifan, Qi Yu stood there sullenly, still worried. "Jiang Zhen, you..."

Shen Mengzhi glanced at him and said mercilessly, "For injuring a fellow student, your confinement is extended by one day."

Hearing this, Qi Yu, contrary to his usual whines and complaints, stood stunned for a moment before his expression finally relaxed.