Yue Zhishi didn't take the previous rumors too seriously. He was a bit dense, letting many things go in one ear and out the other, thinking they would just blow over. Obviously, other people were a bit more complicated than he thought; after all, everyone loves gossip. Although he kept explaining, many days had passed, and the rumor that in PE class, Yue Zhishi was pulled aside by Song Yu and beaten until his teeth bled was still rampant and completely out of his control.

The classmates around him began to express all sorts of "concern." Some would give him snacks, saying he must be having a very hard time, while others directly teased that Lele was a modern-day Cinderella.

Yue Zhishi continuously emphasized that Song Yu was a very good older brother, but everyone attributed his defense to his pushover personality. Even the female classmate who had asked for his opinion of Song Yu at the opening ceremony thought so.

"No wonder you were stammering back then and only dared to say good things about Song Yu." The girl had an expression of sudden realization. "So you're that scared of Song Yu."

Generally speaking, Yue Zhishi was so good-tempered that people might think he had no bottom line.

But his most unshakeable bottom line was Song Yu. He would absolutely not allow anyone to say even the slightest bad thing about Song Yu in front of him, because in his heart, the fact that Song Yu was good to him was already an undeniable, established truth.

"No, he's just very good, not like you all think. I've said it many times, he really didn't hit me, it's all just rumors. He's especially good to me." Yue Zhishi's tone was uncharacteristically solemn and a bit obviously angry. He even stopped drawing his comic and said to them, "Besides, it's wrong to talk about others behind their backs."

The classmates were also a little startled by him. "We're not talking behind his back... What's the relationship between you two? If we say it in front of you, isn't that the same as saying it to his face?"

Yue Zhishi couldn't refute it.

The girl asked curiously again, "If he's really as good as you say, how come he doesn't act like a big brother toward you at all?"

Another person also said, "Yeah, he looks really fierce."

"Older brothers usually dote on their younger siblings, right?"

"Anyway, I don't like his personality. It's not sunny at all, although he's good-looking."

Yue Zhishi couldn't be bothered to argue with them, because Song Yu had said before that pointless arguments make a person look stupid. He lowered his head, staring at the little figure he had just drawn. The more he looked at it, the more he disliked it, so he took his pen and colored its face completely black.

Jiang Yufan walked into the classroom carrying a clean mop and called out, "Lele, someone's outside looking for you." After saying that, he came in and said to the classmates who were still gossiping nonstop, "Aren't you guys bored? If you spent even half of your gossiping energy on studying, getting into Peiya High School would be a piece of cake."

Yue Zhishi looked up. There was only half a figure at the window, wearing the white shirt of the Senior High Division. He was very tall. Yue Zhishi suddenly got a little excited and shot up from his seat to run outside.

But as soon as he went out, the smile on his face froze.

"Your disappointment is way too obvious. Stop looking, it's just me," Qin Yan teased with a smile.

Yue Zhishi listlessly greeted, "Hello, senior." But he was still very disappointed, so he lifted his eyelids again and deliberately asked, "Senior, don't tell me you're also here to have me pass on a confession to my brother."

Qin Yan burst out laughing. "You two are really one more humorous than the other." He patted Yue Zhishi's shoulder. "I'll stop teasing you. I came looking for you for something important and serious."

'You're not a serious person, what kind of serious business could you have,' Yue Zhishi thought.

The boys from his class were piled on top of each other, leaning over the hallway railing, crowding around and making a fuss. There were too many people, so Qin Yan led Yue Zhishi to a corner of the staircase.

"After the last batch of Year 3 seniors graduated, the Broadcasting Station has been short one English announcer." Qin Yan's voice was very pleasant. He was the current head of the school's Broadcasting Station. Not having much time, he got straight to the point and expressed his wish for Yue Zhishi to join them.

"Your spoken English is good. In the last English poetry recitation contest, your pronunciation was considered the best. A lot of the senior girls in our station also recommended you. How about it? Want to give it a try?"

Yue Zhishi leaned his back against the wall, gently tapping the back of his head against it. He gave an unrelated answer, "Brother Song Yu's pronunciation is also very good."

"Him? You think I can move that great Buddha?" Qin Yan had an expression that said 'you little kid, you're really overestimating me.' "Besides, the Broadcasting Station needs more students from the Junior High Division. It's just once a week on Fridays, and it might delay your mealtime a little, just for half an hour." He then joked, "Besides, English is practically half your mother tongue, right?"

'I only spoke it before I was four... Does that even count as a mother tongue?'

The work at the Broadcasting Station wasn't exactly suitable for a third-year junior high student. Yue Zhishi fell into thought.

Qin Yan was Song Yu's good friend and had often come over to their house for dinner since junior high. In his heart, helping Qin Yan was the same as helping his own brother. So, before the class bell rang, Yue Zhishi agreed.

When he got home that evening, Yue Zhishi told Lin Rong about it. Unexpectedly, Lin Rong's focus was entirely on the fact that he wouldn't have time to eat, and she insisted on bringing him a meal. Yue Zhishi couldn't help but remember the giant lunch box from his elementary school days that was bigger than his head, and the super-luxurious lunch coveted by all his classmates. He shook his head and politely declined, "That's too much trouble, you don't have to make it for me. I can find time to go eat by myself."

The family's orange cat sauntered past him. Yue Zhishi stroked its tail. "Right, Orange?"

This deeply hurt Lin Rong, who thought that Lele had grown up and didn't need her anymore, leaving her overflowing motherly love with nowhere to be directed. She scooped Orange into her arms, but Orange deftly leaped out of her embrace, still presenting its butt to them as it stood proudly and elegantly in the center of the coffee table.

"Why don't you ask Xiao Yu if he wants you to bring him a meal?" Song Jin said, massaging his sad wife's hand.

Hearing his father call his name, Song Yu, who was coming out after a shower while drying his hair and was completely unaware of the situation, paused and looked at the three people in the living room.

Lin Rong also stretched her feet onto Song Jin's lap. "It's too much trouble. I'm not making it for him. Let him go eat by himself."

Father Song, who was enjoying the show, couldn't help but laugh out loud. "As expected, Lele is the biological one."

With a towel draped over his head, Song Yu turned and went upstairs by himself. "A bunch of drama queens."

On Wednesday, Qin Yan took Yue Zhishi to visit the Broadcasting Station. The work there was much simpler than he had imagined. He was partnered with a second-year senior high girl. Considering that Yue Zhishi was in a crucial period for advancing to the next school level, all the scriptwriting was handled by the senior girl. Yue Zhishi only needed to look over the script in advance and prepare.

On the first day of his official broadcast, Yue Zhishi was a little nervous. To prepare well for it, he had practiced in a low voice in his bedroom for a long time the night before, afraid of making any mistakes. The moment the bell for the last afternoon class rang, he dashed to the Clock Tower.

"Relax," the senior patted his shoulder. "After we read the opening lines together, you just introduce the song by yourself, and then we'll play it."

Yue Zhishi nodded solemnly. "Mm, I got it."

.

After class, Song Yu was called out by a teacher for a chat and was given quite a few tasks. Before he could even get back to the classroom after they were done, he was dragged downstairs by Qin Yan.

"What did Old Wang call you for just now? Chattering on for so long," Qin Yan asked.

"He needed my help with something."

"He's teaching a junior high class now, what could he need your help with? It's not like he pays you. I'm starving. I wish the cafeteria has pearl meatballs tonight." To take a shortcut, Qin Yan dragged Song Yu across the Sky Corridor. As they walked, they happened to see a few boys in the garden below, hoisting a classmate up to play Aluba.

"Hey! Aren't you guys going to eat?" Qin Yan leaned over the corridor railing and shouted at the boys from the class next door.

"Boring."

"Who are you talking about?" Qin Yan started to laugh. "Are they boring or am I? Speak clearly, no insinuations."

Music came from the speakers in the garden below. The melody was light and cheerful, flowing into the vibrant campus. Seeing that Song Yu didn't answer, Qin Yan started to mess with him, "You have the right to remain silent, but everything you say will be used as evidence in court."

He was really a handful.

The music gradually faded, and a voice emerged from the speakers, speaking fluent English. The pronunciation and intonation carried a soft, boyish quality. "Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Joy."

Song Yu pushed away Qin Yan, who was leaning against him. The words "You're the most boring" were already on the tip of his tongue, but he froze when he heard the voice.

"Welcome to this Friday's Voice of English. To start the program, we'd first like to recommend a very beautiful English song for everyone..."

Seeing Song Yu frozen in place, Qin Yan bumped him with his shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong?" He then waved a hand in front of his face. "Did your server connection get cut off?"

Song Yu slapped his hand away and glanced at Qin Yan. "Did you get him into this?"

"Yeah." Qin Yan shrugged, admitting it freely. "Lele's voice is so pleasant to listen to. I said it before, I had to recruit him before I graduate and hand over the station. What do you think? Not bad, right?"

Song Yu started walking down the stairs on his own. "He's in his third year of junior high."

"It's just for this one semester." Qin Yan scoffed. "Look how nervous you are. All the rumors out there are about you bullying the little kid. What's the point of only acting out the 'loving and respectful brothers' part in front of me? You have to let the masses know."

Exiting the stairwell, the view suddenly opened up. The sky over the athletic field looked as if it had been soaked in grapefruit juice, and a soft, orange sun hung beside the Clock Tower. Students on the field were chatting and running arm in arm, their cheerful voices and laughter mingling with the selected song.

But the fledgling little announcer had probably forgotten to turn off the microphone. He was even more engrossed in the song than the rest of the audience and actually hummed along softly to the final line of the chorus.

In the noisy, cheerful campus, everyone was busy enjoying their precious leisure time. This small mistake didn't cause any ripples, but it stirred waves in one person's heart.

“My youth is yours.”

Song Yu stopped walking and glanced at the Clock Tower, as if nonchalantly.