After that, for some unknown reason, they both often had eye contacts. Sometimes it was just coincidence, sometimes it was intentional. 

During math period, Xie Meng often get called to the board. Whenever he leaves his seat, Ji Qinyang will immediately stare at him. Maybe it was just hallucination, because a lot of people were looking at him. Especially Zhang Ganggang - he had the eyes of a true fanboy ready to die for his idol. Whenever Xie Meng finishes, if the teacher says "correct" he would automatically applause first. 

Everytime Xie Meng woud felt awkward when they applaused. When he glanced at Ji Qinyang, their eyes usually met. He would be applausing with a big smile on his face. 

Zhang Ganggang applaused till his face went red: "You could do it without needing advices from Maitreya!"

Xie Meng sighed: "I studied before class."

Zhang Ganggang idolized Xie Meng like a god: "That is also amazing!"

Xie Meng glanced at him, opened the book and pointed: "It's the same as this one. You only need to change the numbers."

After taking a closer look, Zhang Ganggang realised it was nearly the same.

"If you did study beforehand, you can also do it." Xie Meng said like a piece of cake, he patted Zhang Ganggang, encouraging him: "You should try next time, I will applause if you got it right."

Maitreya was amazing at teach maths. He was also humorous, when teaching geometry he used small toys like he was teaching kids. But in all of his students, only Ji Qinyang acted like he was his own kid.

Only Ji Qinyang dared to joke with him, like how would ants crawl in the shape of a cube without being guided by sugar. Even in algebra class, he would ask ridiculous questions like why doesn't a + b equals ab.

Maitreya was so mad, but he couldn't say a word. Even though he refused to study and didn't follow the rules, he never fought with anyone and was never lazy. Even if he needed punishment, not a single thing about him could be punished. 

"Work harder, can you?" Maitreya counseled him patiently, "Be like Xie Meng, he even studies before class, and revise after class."  

It was a night extra class. A student and a teacher face to face talking, Ji Qinyang replied lazily. 

"I did try." He was laughing, "But it's mission impossible, even how hard I work."

Xie Meng unconsiously heard the conversation, he raised his head. Ji Qinyang also accidentally looked at him, blinking and then made a monkey face. Xie Meng laughed.

"..." Zhang Ganggang curiously looked at him, "What was that?"

Xie Meng coughed: "Nothing."

Zhang Ganggang gave Xie Meng the "I-know-you-are-trying-to-fool-me-but-I-will-ignore-it" face. He spent the whole day talking about a new friend he just made with a very cheerful face: "Let me tell you, Rourou was very kind and sweet, she told me we needn't have to be good at Literature..."

Xie Meng listened to him while looking at the pulpit. Ji Qinyang wasn't looking anymore, continued listening to Maitreya's endless counsels like nothing happened before.

A few days before the midterm test, Ji Qinyang told Qi Fei to hang out with him. They  played basketballs with a few seniors until lunch break.

Qi Fei was the one who asked Ji Qinyang about Xie Meng: "I heard some seniors are forming a band, are you interested?"

Ji Qinyang lazily laid on the ground: "It's too small, not interested."

"Not certainly." Qi Fei smiled, "It seems like the main singer is Yin Luoxue."

Ji Qinyang was stunned when he heard the name Yin Luoxue: "What is she up to?"

Qi Fei: "Who knows, they travelled miles to pursue you... and since when did you break up?"

Ji Qinyang snorted, and then smiled coldly: "She can do whatever she wants, I don't care."

Qi Fei clicked his tongue: "She still has feelings for you,  even followed you to W High. I saw her when we had military class, she was staring at you nonstop."

Ji Qinyang didn't reply. It was November so the weather was quite cold, he stand up to find his jacket. When he turned back, he saw Qi Fei copying a test paper.

"When did you become so hard-working?" Ji Qinyang teased, "Whose test is that?"

Qi Fei: "Xie Meng's."

Ji Qinyang raised his eyebrow, he was suprised: "When did you two get so close?"

"Nope." Qi Fei replied, "Just ask him and he'll lend you, such a good guy."

Ji Qinyang smirked. He stood up and then suddenly took Xie Meng's test from Qi Fei.

Xie Meng's handwriting isn't too beautiful, but it looked better than most boys. Ji Qinyang looked for a while and then eventually got bored. He returned the test to Qi Fei then put on his jacket.

"Till when do you still want to be "hard-working"?" Ji Qinyang kicked the other boy's knee, "Let's go."

"Let's grab a bite." Qi Fei slowly put the test into his rucksack, "How about lamb?"

Ji Qinyang shook his head: "I told mom I'll be at home."

"Fairy sister is cooking today?" Qi Fei asked.

Ji Qinyang glanced at him: "Who gave you the permisson to call my mom like that?"

"It's the truth though. The last time she went to the dancing class, some guys from a university talked to her like they were at the same age, yet you weren't mad at all."

Ji Qinyang didn't reply. He pushed Qi Fei's head down as a warning.u

Xie Meng startled, he noticed his phone in his pocket was ringing, the name "Zhang Ganggang" popped out.

"Where are you?" Zhang Ganggang sounded like he was in a hurry, "I called you like ten times!"

"..." Xie Meng sighed, "What's the matter?"

Zhang Ganggang: "I'm pretty clueless with this test... Rourou isn't online recently, where's yours?"

Xie Meng: "I lent it to Qi Fei."

Zhang Ganggang shouted furiously: "Why did you gave him? Why not me instead? Are we not best friends?"

Xie Meng snorted, and then replied: "How about you come to my place, I'll teach you."

"Sure, sure!" Zhang Ganggang said, "Give me the address, I'll come immediately!"

Xie Meng: "XX sect road OO, room 2 third floor."

Zhang Ganggang muttered: "Room 2... third floor..." He realized something, "Isn't that a famous dojo in our city?"

"Yep." Xie Meng replied, "I'm at the sanda dojo, don't get lost."

Sanda is a type of martial arts in China, involves fighting unarmed.

Zhang Ganggang: "..."

By the time Ji Qinyang returned to his home, Ji Shanrong was reading newspapers in the living room, he didn't look up said: "You're back."

Ji Qinyang replied to him. Mo Suyuan walked out from the kitchen, she was carrying a hot cauldron: "Go wash your hands." She rushed him, "Your dad brought back a lot of crabs."

Ji Qinyang wasn't very fond of crabs. After washing his hands, he sat down, toyed with the crab's pincer. Ji Shanrong rarely returns home. He is a geologist, so he travels everywhere everyday, maye he loves rocks more than his son even.

Mo Suyuan talked to her son while eating.

"Did you have fun at school?" Mo Suyuan wasn't worried about Ji Qinyang in high school. To her, her son went to school was no different from hanging out.

Ji Shanrong was making a mess in his bowl with vinegar and ginger, he gave it to his wife: "It's hot, eat slowly."

"..." Ji Qinyang couldn't stand the lovey-dovey scene, muttered: "FA also needs love..."

FA: Forever alone aka someone who doesn't have a lover

"Don't say that." Mo Suyuan smiled and asked again: "Did you have fun at school?"

Ji Qinyang was biting a crab's leg, vaguely replied: "It wasn't too bad..."

Mo Suyuan: "Any pretty girl?"

Ji Qinyang: "...Not interested."

Mo Suyuan: "How about boys?"

Ji Qinyang paused, the image of Xie Meng's face suddenly flashed through his mind. He frowned slightly.

Mo Suyuan blinked and then smiled: "Was it that hard? Don't tell me you are the only handsome guy in the school."

Ji Qinyang glared at her, then he looked at his dad who was slowly eating. Their eyes met, then Ji Shanrong coughed: "Why are you so interested about that?"

Mo Suyuan laughed loudly: "What? Are you jealous?"

Ji Shanrong couldn't help but sighed, replied: "Yeah, yeah." His wife is a middle-aged woman, but she still acts like a teenager.

"Make many friends." Mo Suyuan messed her son's hair, "Just be happy at school, other things aren't as important."

Zhang Ganggang nervously stood at the dojo's entrance, Xie Meng said hi to him and then walked in. The boy was slender yet had great endurance. Xie Meng wore a silk robe, his sleeves waved in the air like a stream.

He and the master had thirty to forty strokes then stopped, he wiped sweat while walking out of the combat field.

"Where's your test?" Xie Meng looked at Zhang Ganggang, "What exercise you couldn't understand?"

Zhang Ganggang remembered why he was here in the first place, then he took out the test from his rucksack.

Xie Meng casually hanged the towel around his neck, then he corrected the test. Zhang Ganggang stared at him, his bangs were long, sticked to his forehead.

"First multiplication, and then..." Xie Meng stopped, looked at Zhang Ganggang who was phasing out and sighed: "Were you listening?"

Zhang Ganggang: "...You are so handsome."

Xie Meng: "..."

Zhang Ganggang: "Since when did you learn sanda?"

Xie Meng: "When I was young, I was so not healthy, so my grandma teached me... Hmm, next up is geometry..." 

"Just leave it there, I'm not in a hurry." Zhang Ganggang's attention was totally drawn away, "Why did you learn it? For self-defense?"

Xie Meng: "..."

Zhang Ganggang: "Or to save girls?"

Xie Meng went speechless.

"To be a street hero?" An image of a hero with Xie Meng's face was forming in Zhang Ganggang's mind.

Xie Meng couldn't help it: "I learn sanda, not making myself Spiderman or Superman. What are you thinking about?"

Zhang Ganggang clearly didn't give up: "So why did you learn it?"

Xie Meng patiently explained: "First is to be fit..."

Zhang Ganggang's eyes was glowing: "And then?"

"And then... maybe..." Xie Meng was stunned by his weird look, and then finally replied, "And then to protect the country?" 

"Anyway." Zhang Ganggang's eyes were still on him, "You are very handsome."

Xie Meng: "...Thanks."

After helping Zhang Ganggang with the test, it was dinner time so they went to the restaurant in front of the dojo.

"Rourou is busy these days, she must be having a lot of exams." Zhang Ganggang was eating noodles, "She told me to study hard and get better everyday."

Xie Meng squinted and picked garlic from his bowl of noodles then he heard "study hard". He looked at Zhang Ganggang through the steam with his dark pupils. Even though he didn't say a word, what he meant was clear.

Zhang Ganggang guessed what he meant, his face turned red, he stuttered: "It's not early love... It was just encouragement..."

"So you don't like her then?" Xie Meng finally picked out all the garlic from his bowl and then started eating: "You either ask me about exercises or talk about her everyday... How did you know each other?"

Zhang Ganggang's face was still red: "We met in a study group..."

"..." Xie Meng didn't understand what "study group" meant...

"It's a group with a lot of students with high grades, we solve exercises together." Zhang Ganggang was shy, "I... I sneaked in S high's group."

Xie Meng was surprised: "...They copy eachother's works?"

"Of course not!" Zhang Ganggang replied, "Rourou is very good at studying, their exercises are all difficult, and their discussions were intense."

Xie Meng couldn't imagine it. After a moment of thinking, he said: "Do they know you are in W high?"

"They don't..." Zhang Ganggang said, "I was too shy. Their exercises are too difficult for me... Only Rourou replies to me..."

Xie Meng went silent. He patted Zhang Ganggang, said: "You are good, it's common not to know how to solve their exercises. It's just them being mean."

Zhang Ganggang smiled: "Rourou also said that."

Xie Meng nodded: "She must be excellent."

Zhang Ganggang's face turned red like he was the one complimented, laughed stupidly.

"You are also excellent." Zhang Ganggang poked Xie Meng, "I think their homework is a piece of cake to you. Except for not learning in S school, you are no different to them."

Xie Meng couldn't help but laugh, he poked Zhang Ganggang: "There are only two things that is fair in this world: time and wisdom. It's the same no matter which school you study."

Zhang Ganggang's mouth was filled with noodles, gave him a thumbs up while looking at him with "This-is-my-idol" eyes.

Xie Meng agreed while drinking the last drops of the lamb supper, "But it wasn't me who came up with that though."

Zhang Ganggang: "..."




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