Chapter 41.1

The morning reading on Monday abruptly stopped as Jiang Zhihuo walked into the classroom. Everyone stared at him, their textbooks in hand.

Jiang Zhihuo was halfway through a yawn when it got stuck in his throat.

“?”

When Jiang Zhihuo hesitantly went back to his seat, a boy nearby leaned over and said, “Hey.”

Jiang Zhihuo: “?”

“Huo-ge.” The boy asked loudly enough for everyone to hear, “Who have you slept with, kissed, and held hands with?”

Jiang Zhihuo: “?????”

Jiang Zhihuo did not respond. He turned to Chang Luo in front of the curious, expectant, and gossiping eyes around him. “?”

He only asked Chang Luo this question.

“I didn’t say anything,” Chang Luo said, waving his hand before carrying on with his reading. “You asked that question yourself at the barbecue restaurant on Saturday.”

Jiang Zhihuo: “?”

A good number of boys, perhaps eight or nine, were there. He didn’t know which boy told the others after Yan Mu picked Jiang Zhihuo up and they finished the barbecue on the table, but it was all in a humorous way and just out of pure curiosity.

Unfortunately, it is human nature to engage in gossip and analyze the latest exciting news, particularly when it involves handsome boys. High school students, whose time is filled with studies, were especially enthusiastic about such gossip.

Still, everyone in the class knew about it in just one day.

Chang Luo had a wonderful weekend. When the girls walked into class early on Monday, their first question was, “I heard Huo-ge kissed, held hands, and slept with God Yan. Is that real?”

Jiang Zhihuo: “……”

At first, Jiang Zhihuo didn’t pay much attention to it because it was just a simple question. No one would know or be able to get anything from him as long as he didn’t talk or Yan Mu didn’t say anything.

But he didn’t realize how much high school students today liked to gossip in their free time.

Not able to find the truth? It’s okay, they could always guess!

After school the next day, Zong Bei brought his phone to Jiang Zhihuo with a grin. “Huo-ge!”

Xie Qiu, who was waiting in line for lunch, turned to Yan Mu and pushed his phone in front of him. “Yan-ge, you have to see this!”

A thread on the school forum had exploded from speculating about who the omega of the God of Learning Yan was to ‘Wait, wait, am I the first one to know about the love triangle between Huo-ge, God Yan, and the mysterious omega?’

Jiang Zhihuo, who saw the title on the forum: “?”

Yan Mu: “……”

On the school forum, people could post as either anonymous or public. The poster chose to remain anonymous, even though it was clear that they liked gossip and drama.

Original Poster: It’s just a guess! Just a guess! This is just a guess! This is just my guess, as stated three times!

Original Poster: Let me make a list of the clues we already know before I state my guess.

Original Poster: 1. The God of Learning Yan and the school bully Jiang were once love rivals, both pursuing the school beauty.

(It looks like they gave up now, but it can still be used as a clue.)

2. On the day of the midterm exam, an omega went into estrus in the senior-year school building without warning. Even though others tried to stop him, the God of Learning charged into the restroom and yelled, “My omega is inside!”

(PS. For discussions about who the omega is, please click [link].)

3. The school bully Jiang drunkenly asked at a private party, “If two people hold hands, kiss, and sleep together, can they still be friends?”

4. After asking this question, he had the God of Learning Yan take him home.

Original Poster: So far, there are only four known clues. On the surface, they seem unrelated, but where there is existence, there is reason. Combined with previous discussions on the forum—like ‘the god of learning leaving class early without reason,’ ‘the school bully comes to the classroom to bother the god of learning,’ ‘the mysterious scars on the god of learning’s arm,’ ‘the god of learning tutors the school bully,’ and ‘the school bully’s grades improve,’ (click [link][link][link][link][link] for those posts).

Based on the four clues, four people, and the previously discussed topics, I’ll make the following [guess]. Emphasis—[This is only a guess! Purely for the enjoyment of the forum! Do not take it seriously! Do not take it seriously!!]

2nd comment: Camping.

3rd comment: Peanuts, melon seeds, soda, green tea, and tabby cat¹T/N: Orange cats in Chinese meme culture are considered chaotic, curious, and always getting into stuff—basically the mascot of gossip-watchers.. I’m here for the show.

4th comment: Front row for the drama. Wait, no, I mean the speculation.

5th comment: With a flick of my adorable little hand, I sent a whole bunch of landmines. OP, make a guess!

6th comment: Got here early and saved a front seat. I am renting out the extra seat!

Original Poster: Here’s my guess.

Original Poster: The school bully Jiang and the God of Learning Yan are pursuing the school beauty together, but she rejects them both, saying, “We’re in our senior year; we should focus on our studies.” However, they haven’t given up. After all, one is the top student and the other is the school bully. Though they take different paths, they eventually share the same goal. Learning isn’t a matter of how much time they spend studying; it’s everything to them. So, they each venture on their purpose, even going on group dates to win over the school beauty’s heart! Several times!

(PS. The group date is likely real; some classmates saw it, but no photos were taken, so we’re just talking about it privately.)

Jiang Zhihuo: “……”

Original Poster: But the school beauty’s clear attitude made them feel depressed. Over the time they spent pursuing her, they gradually got to know each other and recognized each other in their hearts, but they didn’t notice the change in their feelings. They continued to hate each other as always. The school bully Jiang, with his fiery temperament, finally couldn’t stand it anymore one day and challenged the God of Learning Yan to a fight, agreeing to meet in an alley outside school.

Original Poster: God of Learning Yan agreed; no one wanted to lose in this regard.

They fought fiercely, but when they saw the flawless faces and bodies of one another marred by their actions, they faced an undeniable truth. Fighting brings them very close together, and at some point, they suddenly realize their feelings! Covered in dirt and injuries, they surprisingly kissed each other!

26th comment: Aaaaaah!!! The sworn enemies fought and then kissed. I love it!!!

27th comment: OP, are you sure you’re just guessing? This is a novel! A novel!!

28th comment: OP, please keep writing! Uh, I mean, keep guessing!!

江知火：”……”

Jiang Zhihuo: “…..”

Original Poster: So they kissed and held hands in secret corners, in empty classrooms, and on staircases. Those were their private places! God of Learning Yan invited the school bully Jiang to his home, and they would chat while sharing a bed under the blankets, often staying together under the guise of tutoring. However, their relationship was not accepted by society. They were both alphas and also boys. From any angle, they were homosexuals, and their future was bleak; naturally, their families would try to obstruct them!

Original Poster: God of Learning Yan came from a wealthy family and was arranged to have an omega partner from a young age. This omega was his childhood sweetheart, a girl he had feelings for since they were little. So, who would the God of Learning Yan choose? Of course, he would choose the omega! On exam day, when the omega went into estrus, God of Learning Yan ignored everyone and protected his omega!

Original Poster: Although the God of Learning Yan broke up with the school bully Jiang, the school bully Jiang must still love the God of Learning Yan. Otherwise, why would he jump in to say he is the omega when someone asks about it? Why don’t they continue to have makeup lessons together? Why is the school bully Jiang filled with grief, drowning his sorrows in alcohol? Why does he still want to be friends with the God of Learning Yan?

Original Poster: It’s all! Because! Of love!!

Jiang Zhihuo: “……”

Jiang Zhihuo: “…………..”

Jiang Zhihuo: “……………..”

It’s all! A bullsh*t! Love!!

“What the hell?!!!” Jiang Zhihuo tossed the phone, almost throwing it. Zong Bei quickly grabbed his hand, reminding him, “Huo-ge, calm down! This is my phone!”

“What is all this?!” Jiang Zhihuo kept patting his chest to calm down. “Enemies to lovers? An omega breaking into the plot? A humble simple friend zoning for love? With such an imagination, why don’t they just write a novel?”

Zong Bei worried that the next second, his phone would actually be thrown, so he seized the opportunity to take it back while casually commenting, “Huo-ge, you actually read that carefully! You finished it so fast and can summarize the whole story in three words. Now, tell me, is it true?”

Jiang Zhihuo: “……”

The original poster had good points and even went into more detail about some of the ‘plot’ in a dramatic, old-school, angsty style. Under the post, everyone was praising, and soon there were over a hundred new comments.

56th comment: Aaaaaah!!! When I read novels, I always see girls in school shipping two good-looking boys. At that time, it was a shame that two handsome boys at our school were straight and didn’t get along, so we couldn’t ship them! OP, please give me a perfect ending!

64th comment: This plot, uh, I mean guess, is way too exciting! I really believe this to be true! I don’t care! It’s true if I say it is!

66th comment: By the way, isn’t the OP being kind of disrespectful? Isn’t it disrespectful to discuss such matters in a public forum as a guess? The God of Learning and the school bully are both straight. They wouldn’t be gay. Can we not just pair up two good-looking guys the moment we see them?

67th comment: Didn’t this also appear in the last post? The conversations have always been about shipping CPs and guessing, never about real life. So why are you bringing up homosexuality?

69th comment: Totally agree. The OP was clearly writing about fictional versions of the school bully Jiang and the God of Learning Yan. All the marmots²T/N: Slang for screaming fans in the meme. in the replies are just here for the CP. No one is taking this as real. So getting all serious about it is kind of pointless, don’t you think?

108th comment: Aaaaahhh, this is so sweet, so sweet, my poor heart!! They’re sworn enemies, covered in wounds, blood at the corner of their mouth, and they kiss right after the fight! They’re way too perfect together. AAAAAAHHH!!!

122nd comment: I’m going to join in and scream with the person upstairs first! Aaaaahhhhhh!! However, I would like to discuss the point made in the 66th comment about the topic of homosexuality. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but there is a classmate’s friend who went to the same junior high school as Huo-ge. Back then, there was a big scandal. Someone said Huo-ge was gay and dating a boy in class, but things ended up with that boy wanting to jump off a building.

123rd comment: ????? Is that true??

124th comment: Ugh, there are rumors like this all the time. Hasn’t someone previously reported that he also beat the school bully next door, leading to his hospitalization? Besides, we’re all here talking about the love-hate drama between the school bully Jiang and the God of Learning Yan. What rumors could possibly be true at this point? Hahahahaha, don’t go off-topic! OP, keep going; I want to ship a school bully x a genius CP!!

125th comment: Hahahahaha, I agree with the person above; don’t take rumors seriously. If someone really wanted to jump off a building, it’d be on the morning news, right? Let’s just ship the couple and stop derailing the topic. Perhaps this post will disappear once school bully Jiang and the God of Learning Yan discover it. So let’s make the most of our limited time and enjoy infinite happiness in shipping them!

126th comment: Agreed with the one above; OP, write more! Gkdgkd!!!

The thread only went off-topic in a few comments; Zong Bei and Jiang Zhihuo didn’t continue to scroll and didn’t notice.

Nevertheless, Jiang Zhihuo couldn’t bear to read the replies that followed; they were too unbearable. Fortunately, people on the forum were just shipping the CP and making up stories and didn’t actually involve the real people. Once they were done with shipping them, they moved on. Jiang Zhihuo didn’t take the post seriously, despite a few more people hanging around to watch them after class.

However… he felt even more embarrassed to face Yan Mu.

He woke up in Yan Mu’s bed for no reason, and everyone knew he wanted to stay friends with Yan Mu. Then this CP thread appeared on the forum…

His damn face had already been completely dragged through the dirt. There was no way he was getting his dignity back.

Jiang Zhihuo couldn’t look at the word ‘friend’ the same way anymore. How could they even be friends now? Every time he saw Yan Mu, it was just awkward, and the girls around them loved to stir things up. Whenever the two got close, they’d grab their friends, cover their mouths, and try to hold back their screams, all in perfect sync, as if they’d been specially trained or something.

Seeing that reaction had reminded him of all the love-hate drama between the genius and the school bully on the forums. He couldn’t imagine himself and Yan Mu being on the same side again.

It had been the same during one of the long breaks.

Because of the way the school buildings were laid out, the staircase near Class 1 required students to walk all the way around to get to the sports field, while the staircase near Class 4 led straight there and saved a lot of walking time. Many girls chose that route, so every time there was a long break and everyone gathered, that staircase got really crowded.

Jiang Zhihuo had become accustomed to walking in that manner. A week earlier, he couldn’t help but look up to see if Yan Mu was sitting in the classroom.

During this long break, as Jiang Zhihuo walked halfway in that direction, he saw that Yan Mu was accompanied by Xie Qiu, who had just exited the classroom.

Their eyes met.

Having been friends for so long, Xie Qiu had seldom seen Yan Mu show much emotion. However, as soon as Xie Qiu spotted Jiang Zhihuo, he clearly noticed Yan Mu pause. Although he couldn’t pinpoint the reason, he sensed that Yan Mu seemed nervous.

Just as he was about to ask, “Yan-ge, why are you nervous?” He saw Yan Mu looking in Jiang Zhihuo’s direction. Jiang Zhihuo, equally taken aback, immediately turned away and went down the other staircase.

Yan Mu: “……”

Xie Qiu heard Yan Mu let out a sigh, seemingly disappointed.

Yan Mu had maintained this emotional state for several days. Others couldn’t see it; they just thought the god of learning was always aloof and emotionless. But Xie Qiu, who spent the most time with him, noticed that since Monday, even before the CP thread appeared, Yan Mu’s demeanor had been distinctly off.

He would often space out and appear absent-minded, and when he saw Jiang Zhihuo, he would inexplicably become nervous.

Xie Qiu said, “Yan-ge, if you really don’t like people shipping CPs, just ask the admin to delete the thread.”

Yan Mu said nothing and simply shook his head.

Xie Qiu: What on earth happened to Yan-ge?

Jiang Zhihuo kept telling himself not to care or look at the thread, but this wasn’t the first time that he and Yan Mu had been talked about. He thought that people on the forum would get bored with the thread and it would eventually go away.

Occasionally, the more one wants to see someone, the less likely they are to run into them. And just like that, the harder one tries to avoid something, the more impossible it is to escape.

As the bar shift was about to end that night, Qu Xiao and Wen Da mysteriously huddled up to him, ordered two regular Long Island Iced Teas, and then started scrolling through their phones, all the while giving him weird looks.

After Jiang Zhihuo finished cleaning up the bar and informed the boss that he was leaving, the two quickly grabbed him.

“Shin! Don’t go!” Qu Xiao turned his phone towards Jiang Zhihuo, saying, “Your relationship seems a bit messy?”

Jiang Zhihuo glanced at the screen and felt a headache; his eyes hurt, and his whole body felt exhausted.

Another! CP! Post!

The boss and Wen Shao couldn’t be from the same school! How could two people from an international school stumble upon the forum of a local high school? And then ask him such serious questions?!

Wen Da: “Shin, answer me, is what you have with Young Master Yan real?”

江知火：”……”

Jiang Zhihuo: “……”

Qu Xiao: “If it’s real, I’ll support you guys.”

Wen Da: “Me too.”

Their words left them both in deep contemplation.

• 1
  T/N: Orange cats in Chinese meme culture are considered chaotic, curious, and always getting into stuff—basically the mascot of gossip-watchers.
• 2
  T/N: Slang for screaming fans in the meme.