The alarm clock rang. Zhuang Fanxin reached out from under the covers to slap it off, his eyelids not even opening. He mumbled and went back to sleep, but the phone by his pillow buzzed with a new message.

"Let's go together, meet me at the gate." It was from Gu Zhuoyan.

Zhuang Fanxin groggily sat up, glanced at the bright window outside, and remembered that it was the first day of school registration. He dawdled through a quick shower and putting on his school uniform. There was no time for breakfast, so he slung his schoolbag on and headed straight out the door.

The bicycle was parked by the main gate. Zhuang Fanxin walked closer, peered over, and saw Gu Zhuoyan already waiting. He sought his opinion, asking, "Should I give you a ride?"

Gu Baoyan also started school today, and Xue Maochen had already left with the kid in the SUV, so there were no other means of transport at home. Gu Zhuoyan glanced at Zhuang Fanxin's thin arms and legs and refused, "Let's take a taxi."

Zhuang Fanxin didn't mind. He tossed the bike key into its basket and walked out with Gu Zhuoyan. The sun wasn't out, and the weather was damp and muggy, feeling like a storm was brewing.

Once they were in the taxi, the inevitable Monday morning traffic jam wore on one's patience. Zhuang Fanxin turned his head to look at Gu Zhuoyan. He was wearing that white tennis shirt, his shoulders straight and broad, his neck long and slender. As he sat, his long legs were bent, and the school uniform's sweatpants were a bit too short to reach his ankles.

His gaze was probably a little dewy, and a little fiery. Gu Zhuoyan looked back at him. "What is it, classmate?"

Zhuang Fanxin praised, "Your school uniform is so new."

'Stared for so long just to come up with 'your uniform is so new'?' Gu Zhuoyan had no intention of probing, but he constantly reminded himself to be gentle and considerate. He raised a hand to straighten the collar at the nape of Zhuang Fanxin's neck and said, "I'll give you the other red one, it's just as new."

Zhuang Fanxin wasn't interested. "No way, your size is so big."

'Why do I keep getting rejected?' Undiscouraged, Gu Zhuoyan coaxed, "It'll fit once you're a bit taller."

Annoyed, Zhuang Fanxin turned his face away. Why did this guy have to touch a sore spot? He would be an adult in another year, and he wasn't even sure if he could grow the two centimeters he'd falsely added to his height. He considered, 'Maybe I should go to the hospital another day to get my bone age tested?'

Sigh... Teenagers getting their bone age tested and middle-aged people worrying about hair loss were the most pitiful things.

The atmosphere in the car was a bit awkward. Gu Zhuoyan was out of ideas, so he simply shut his mouth and played the part of a silent, handsome guy. Suddenly, Zhuang Fanxin's phone started buzzing wildly. He took it out and saw that their head teacher had just reminded everyone in the group chat: school uniforms, school IDs, summer homework, be on time—followed by a pile of replies from his classmates.

Immediately after, the head teacher sent another notification: "This semester, our class will be joined by a transfer student."

Since Zhuang Fanxin had already leaked the secret, the boys in the class had almost no reaction, with only the Class Monitor hypocritically sending a "clapping" emoji. Zhuang Fanxin held up his phone for Gu Zhuoyan to see and said, "Teacher Xia just made the official announcement for you."

"Mm." Gu Zhuoyan grunted, his reaction rather flat.

Zhuang Fanxin couldn't hold his tongue. "Actually, I already told the boys in our class." He recalled their reactions at the time and couldn't help but laugh. "They were all hoping it would be a girl, haha."

Seeing that Gu Zhuoyan was still indifferent, acting as if the matter had nothing to do with him even though he was the one in question, Zhuang Fanxin nudged his arm. "Transfer student, can you give me a little reaction?"

Gu Zhuoyan played along, "wow."

'Wow your head...' Zhuang Fanxin was exasperated and turned back to look at the scenery. Gu Zhuoyan also turned his face to look out the car window. The traffic wasn't as bad now, and the figures of many students flashed past on the road.

After a while, he suddenly asked, "So, were you hoping for a girl?"

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but Zhuang Fanxin felt like Gu Zhuoyan had asked casually, yet there seemed to be a hint of seriousness in his tone. "I wasn't," he answered. "Besides, I already knew you were a boy."

They arrived at school at seven-thirty sharp. Gu Zhuoyan and Zhuang Fanxin followed the crowd inside, one heading to the Office Building to find a teacher, the other to their classroom in the Science Building.

They parted ways for the moment on the main path. Zhuang Fanxin said, "Then I'll wait for you in class."

Gu Zhuoyan walked towards the Office Building, surrounded by high school students of similar age. Seeing one another again after a summer break, they were inevitably boisterous and playful. Those unfamiliar smiling faces brushed past him along the way. The people here, the classrooms, the library, even the textbooks and the trees along the path—everything was incredibly unfamiliar to him.

But there was just one Zhuang Fanxin, who had accompanied him to his exam beforehand, praised his new uniform on the way here, and, amidst all the unfamiliarity and uncertainty, had said in a friendly and familiar voice that he would be waiting for him in the classroom.

He walked a little faster.

The entire Science Building was noisy and chaotic, and Second Year, Class 3 was no exception. The sounds of happy chatter could be heard from the end of the hallway. Suddenly, Zhuang Fanxin rushed in with his schoolbag on his back, shouting, "Teacher Xia is here!"

Everyone jumped at once, scrambling chaotically to their seats to play innocent, opening their books and darting furtive, thief-like glances at the door. More than ten seconds passed, and the doorway remained quiet and empty. When they looked back at Zhuang Fanxin, that little rascal was covering his face, shaking with laughter.

Everyone was furious. They charged over, pinning Zhuang Fanxin's small frame down on his desk, pulling at his uniform and ruffling his soft hair until it looked like he'd been electrocuted.

Just then, another person rushed in, shouting. It was Qi Nan. "Yinan's is having a 20% off back-to-school sale today, isn't that wonderful!"

Zhuang Fanxin heard him and whimpered, "Stop advertising... save me first..."

Qi Nan took a closer look. "Holy shit, what are you guys doing to my little deskmate?!"

Everyone shouted in unison, "Beating him up!"

Qi Nan said angrily, "Why didn't you wait for me to join in!"

The classroom became even more chaotic than before, a free-for-all brawl between boys and girls, knocking desks and chairs askew. Zhuang Fanxin lay on his desk panting for a good while, sweating from being picked on.

When everyone grew tired of the roughhousing and settled down, Zhuang Fanxin, his hair a fluffy mess, said, "Hand in the English homework. If you haven't finished, hurry up and do it now."

The representatives for each subject were shouting to collect homework, sounding almost like scrap collectors. Zhuang Fanxin quietly did some housekeeping, moving the desk and chair by the window, where test papers were usually placed, to the very back row. Then he wiped them down thoroughly with a rag, so that Gu Zhuoyan could just sit there when he arrived.

The students arrived one after another. When the morning reading bell rang, everyone consciously returned to their seats. The student in charge of class affairs returned with some supplies, announcing that the head teacher was slowly approaching with the transfer student. This time, the news was real.

"Is the transfer student handsome?" someone asked.

The general affairs student nodded vigorously. "So handsome!"

"Better-looking than Zhuang Fanxin?"

"More 'man' than Zhuang Fanxin!"

Zhuang Fanxin's ears perked up. He was mortified and annoyed upon hearing the answer, but since citizens have freedom of speech, he just warned, "Keep your voices down, don't let me hear you!"

The head teacher appeared at the classroom door, and the entire class instantly fell silent. There was a stack of English homework in front of Zhuang Fanxin. He wrapped his arms around it, rested his chin on top, and sat properly with the air of an obedient student.

Xia Wei scanned the room, counting students, checking which row of desks wasn't aligned, which mop in the corner wasn't put away properly, nitpicking a little. Seeing no problems, he cleared his throat. "Now that you've entered your second year, our Science Class 3 will be joined by a new student. Let's have our new classmate make his appearance and get to know everyone."

Gu Zhuoyan was standing at the door. After Xia Wei finished speaking, he heard enthusiastic applause and waves of cheers. The moment he walked into the classroom, he had the strange feeling of stepping onto the grand stage of the Spring Festival Gala.

He stepped onto the podium and faced the gazes of over forty pairs of eyes, being watched, sized up, and scanned from head to toe.

Qi Nan nudged Zhuang Fanxin. "Is he more handsome, or am I?"

Zhuang Fanxin said, "There are some people you don't need to wait for, and some questions you don't need to ask."

Usually, a teacher standing at the podium can spot anyone who's talking down below. Gu Zhuoyan keenly noticed the movements of Zhuang Fanxin and Qi Nan. His gaze swept slowly across the room, finally landing on Zhuang Fanxin in the third row. His hair was a shade lighter than the others', his arms were a size thinner, and he was currently whispering sneakily.

After he finished speaking, Zhuang Fanxin looked up and met Gu Zhuoyan's gaze. It was a bit serious, even a little cold. Mistaking this for nervousness, he put his index fingers at the corners of his mouth and gently pushed upwards.

Gu Zhuoyan understood, and then slowly smiled.

He spoke: "I'm Gu Zhuoyan. I'm very happy to be in Class 3."

The whole class waited in silence for a moment before realizing his self-introduction was over. Xia Wei said, "Don't be shy, give us a few more details. Let your classmates get to know you a bit better."

Gu Zhuoyan turned and wrote his phone number on the blackboard, tossed the chalk into its box, and said in a reserved, old-fashioned way, "Please save it. Contact me if you need anything."

As everyone scrambled to write down the number, Xia Wei asked, "What about other things? You can tell everyone. For example, what are you good at?"

This kind of question usually appeared on school entrance surveys, meant to get an understanding of a student's subject interests, competition specializations, and extracurricular activities. 'What am I good at?' Gu Zhuoyan thought. 'Saying "studying" would make me sound like a nerd. Fencing? I haven't practiced in a long time. An instrument? What if they ask me to perform at a talent show later?'

After some consideration, he gave the most innocuous answer: "I'm especially good at claw machines."

Everyone was taken by surprise. Xia Wei asked, "You mean grabbing dolls from a claw machine?"

"Yes," Gu Zhuoyan said. "I get one every time."

A young man being good at that—whether it was a stereotype or just a mismatch with his aura, Xia Wei was very curious. "Why are you good at claw machines? Do you play often?"

Gu Zhuoyan smiled. "I won a lot of them for a young lady, so I got good at it."

The boys below couldn't contain their excitement. Qi Nan tilted his head to lean on Zhuang Fanxin, saying dreamily, "Hey, how come no young lady asks me to win dolls for her?"

Before Zhuang Fanxin could reply, Xia Wei chimed in with a warning, the gist of which was that academics were the priority at this stage and romantic relationships were not encouraged. Gu Zhuoyan walked down from the podium. As he passed Zhuang Fanxin, he couldn't resist a mischievous impulse and raised a hand to touch the tips of his hair. Who would have thought that Zhuang Fanxin was lying in wait for him too, and jabbed a finger hard into the side of his thigh.

The big cleanup began at nine o'clock. After the teacher left, everyone conscientiously went to clean. The subject representatives collected all the homework and delivered it to the classroom. Zhuang Fanxin was the English representative, so he was the only one who didn't move.

Gu Zhuoyan put the new supplementary materials he had just received into his desk. When he looked up, he saw Zhuang Fanxin twisting his body around.

"Deskmate." Zhuang Fanxin undid his first button. "Let me show you something cool."

Qi Nan was frantically trying to finish his English essay and answered perfunctorily, "What's up, did you get a new phone?" He glanced over quickly and saw that Zhuang Fanxin had undone three buttons, revealing a small patch of his fair chest. "Holy shit, are you that hot?"

Zhuang Fanxin beckoned mysteriously. "Come here, come here!"

Gu Zhuoyan stared, his expression blank. He knew that Zhuang Fanxin was showing off his tattoo. Just as he had pulled open his shirt to show him, he was now unbuttoning it for Qi Nan to admire.

And so he watched the two of them from three or four rows away, leaning back in his chair and fiddling with a pen. He saw Qi Nan lean close to Zhuang Fanxin, his head against Zhuang Fanxin's neck, his face almost buried in the crook of it, his gaze naturally peering at the shoulder underneath the school uniform.

"So?" Zhuang Fanxin asked smugly. "Looks good, right?"

Qi Nan asked back, "It's not a sticker, is it?"

"Of course not!"

"Did it hurt?"

"Not at all."

The two of them were whispering back and forth. Gu Zhuoyan uncapped his pen. 'It's just a tiny little heart,' he thought. 'Looking at it for even three seconds is a waste of time.' With this thought, he couldn't resist flicking his finger, and the pen cap flew squarely into the back of Qi Nan's head.

"Hey, who did that!" Qi Nan yelped, looking around along with Zhuang Fanxin.

Gu Zhuoyan turned his head to look out the window, pretending the view over there was particularly lovely.

Time was short, so Qi Nan went back to finishing his essay while Zhuang Fanxin waited beside him. He picked up the pen cap from under the seat. It was black, with a puffy star sticker on it. He remembered Gu Baoyan having stuck one on her forehead before.

Gu Zhuoyan's phone vibrated once. He took it out and opened a text message.

Zhuang Fanxin: "Why did you hit my deskmate?"

Gu Zhuoyan: "You're not happy?"

Zhuang Fanxin: "Next time, ask me to join you!"