Chapter 65: Fang Baoyu, strutting again

The last day before National Day.

He Chen, Ruan Liuzheng, Lin Miaomiao, and Qian Sanyi, the four from the same residential complex, ran into Qiao Yingzi and Huang Zhitao at the school gate, who had just happened to adjust their schedules to arrive at the same time.

Habit becomes nature.

This had already become the norm.

The group walked inside together, chatting as they went.

"National Day is almost here. What are everyone's plans?"

"What plans could there be? I just want to sleep for a few days, I don't want to do anything else!"

"You're dreaming! Who knows how many days we'll actually get off for National Day? Three days at most, and we have to face the monthly exams immediately after. Can you even sleep?"

"This is torture! Why aren't the monthly exams scheduled before National Day? Why must they be after? Can't they let us relax properly after the exams?"

"Even Li Tiegun, who said on the first day of the streaming exams that she would strictly follow the Gaokao standards, immediately changed her tune to give us 'benefits'—making us attend evening self-study that very night, saying she didn't want us to lose our momentum! Do you really think she'll let us relax for several days?"

"Does no one want to go out and play for a few days? I actually really want to go out and look around!"

"I still want to sleep. I've felt sleep-deprived lately, especially watching Lin Lei'er, the top student in the whole school, staying up so late that he's sleep-deprived too. These past two days, he's either missed the bus and been late, or just fallen asleep on the bus, missed his stop, and skipped the entire morning self-study. Who isn't under immense pressure? Everyone is staying up even later now."

Ruan Liuzheng felt terrible listening to the complaints and venting from Qiao Yingzi and the others.

If Lin Lei'er, the top student in the school, was struggling this hard, what kind of immense pressure must she be under, being chased closely by He Chen, who caught up in grades while she was busy sleeping? She could be surpassed at any moment.

She had originally had some ideas for National Day.

Now, they were all gone.

Seeing Ruan Liuzheng's gloomy face and her best friend Huang Zhitao's furrowed brows, Qiao Yingzi knew they were under a lot of pressure and quickly tried to comfort them: "Actually, Lin Lei'er isn't staying up late on purpose to work himself to death. He's just a bit homesick and suffering from insomnia, so his schedule is a bit chaotic. It's not what you think."

"Are you sure?" Ruan Liuzheng asked, half-believing.

Some top students were the most detestable; they clearly scored super well, yet they would humble-brag about being docked a point and not getting a perfect score, sighing and lamenting.

Even worse, some would pretend not to work hard on the outside, only to secretly stay up late at night.

She didn't quite believe Qiao Yingzi's explanation.

"It's true." Qiao Yingzi quickly recounted what Fang Yifan had told her about Lin Lei'er's insomnia and how he had even asked her for sleeping pills.

Ruan Liuzheng felt relieved.

But He Chen began to look thoughtful.

"How can you sleep so well?" Ruan Liuzheng glanced at He Chen, her tone very sour.

Hearing this, everyone looked at He Chen in unison, their eyes showing they deeply agreed with Ruan Liuzheng's words.

Regardless of whether Lin Lei'er was suffering from insomnia or staying up late to study, the level of effort put in by this top student was enough to make anyone admire him.

With such a top student unable to sleep peacefully, how could He Chen's habit of going to bed at 9:00 PM sharp, even without attending evening self-study, not draw side-eyes?

"Yingzi! Tao Zi!"

Just then, Fang Yifan's shout interrupted everyone's thoughts. Following the sound, they saw him running over, looking smug. He was talking to Qiao Yingzi and Huang Zhitao, but his eyes kept glancing sideways at He Chen, the intent to provoke obvious.

"Since the streaming, have you guys been lonely? Now I have some good news for you: our family is moving to Shuxiang Yayuan soon, right downstairs from Yingzi's place! From now on, the three of us can go to school and come home together again. Surprised? Happy?"

"You're really moving?" Qiao Yingzi had obviously heard some rumors; after all, the house Fang Yifan's mother was renting was her family's property, right downstairs. But hearing Fang Yifan confirm it, she was still a bit surprised, and her emotions were complex.

In the past, she would have been nothing but happy.

Having such a good buddy right downstairs made her feel like she had a helper.

But now, although she was still happy, her first reaction was to think that this was even closer, and would it make He Chen overthink things?

Moreover, Fang Yifan and He Chen didn't get along. Going to school and coming home like this—the arrangement she had finally managed to make with her best friend Huang Zhitao to enter school with He Chen and the others—would likely face challenges.

Huang Zhitao, knowing the inside story and being a clear-eyed bystander, immediately saw her best friend's complex thoughts and sighed inwardly.

Sure enough, it was becoming more and more like *Dream of the Red Chamber*.

What was this?

Not long after they stopped living together in the Bisha Chamber as children, were they now all moving into the Grand View Garden? Yingzi lived in the Xiaoxiang Pavilion, so did Fang Yifan have to live in the adjacent Yihong Academy?

"We're definitely moving!" Fang Yifan didn't care about any of that, loudly venting his excitement: "With me accompanying you guys from now on, going to school and coming home will definitely be livelier. Oh right, and there's Lei'er too. If you guys don't understand anything, you can ask him on the way!"

It wasn't easy, but he finally remembered that it wasn't just the three of them; there was also his cousin. However, the reason he thought of him was because of the benefits his cousin provided, which could make Yingzi and Tao Zi more willing to go along with his ideas.

"My dad is coming back today, and tomorrow is the holiday, so we'll move over then! Yingzi, Tao Zi, come over and play when the time comes!"

The more he spoke, the smugger he became, especially when he caught He Chen with nothing to say, making him even more high-spirited.

You, He Chen, might live close, but you're separated by a road and in a different complex. How can you compare to him, who just had to move a finger to move directly into Shuxiang Yayuan, right downstairs from Yingzi?

When it comes to being close to the water to get the moonlight first, how can you fight me?

Today was truly a good day. His dad was back, and all the past frustrations and stifling feelings would be wiped clean. Starting tomorrow—no, starting today—he would hold his head high in front of He Chen and begin to wash away his past humiliations!

Seeing him looking so smug and arrogant, Qiao Yingzi wished she could sigh while holding her forehead. The thing she feared most had indeed happened. But seeing He Chen's calm expression, as if he wasn't bothered, she felt both relieved and vaguely disappointed.

What was this?

Did he really not care at all?

He Chen truly didn't care about what was going on between Qiao Yingzi and Fang Yifan. In his eyes, Qiao Yingzi wasn't even as festive and interesting as her father, Old Qiao.

The reason he was closer to Qiao Yingzi than before was mainly because she really liked the "starry sea" and had a telescope at home. Recently, He Chen had been using the high-quality telescope her father had given her to observe the stars every night to assist in his Turtle Breathing Technique practice, so they had common topics.

In his eyes, Qiao Yingzi truly had no distinction between male and female.

That classic philosophical question: Is there pure friendship between men and women?

There is!

But the other party must be ugly enough!

Although Qiao Yingzi wasn't ugly, to He Chen, who had exceptionally high standards, being "delicate and pretty" was, to a certain extent, the foundation for providing pure friendship.

While talking, they had already reached the teaching building and scattered in twos and threes. After morning self-study, everyone headed to the playground for morning exercises.

But before they finished, the playground erupted in chaos.

This time, it wasn't another Ji Yangyang taking the stage, but someone who had almost fainted while doing exercises—and it was Lin Lei'er, the top student in the entire senior year. ===== CHAPTER 66 =====