WFY 5

University classrooms were packed row after row. From one end to the other, it was a sea of heads, stacked together so tightly it looked like a damn crowd scene from a war film. Xu Ran thought if someone had poor hearing and got stuck in the back, even with the professor using a cheap mic, they probably wouldn’t catch a word.

Luckily, he was only a little nearsighted, not deaf. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been scared stiff by Pan Hao’s sudden movement the other day.

It was the fourth day since classes started. Xu Ran was sitting in the last row, and the teacher up front felt miles away. From where he was sitting, about three-quarters of his vision was filled with people’s heads. He could barely make out what the teacher was even talking about.

He glanced to the side and saw Pan Hao sitting near the door. Prime real estate for skipping class. But with his height, sitting there made him look like some kind of gatekeeper. Still, he seemed to be paying attention. Sort of. That impatient face of his was still there.

There was something about that face. Xu Ran had to admit, it had a kind of charm. That constant look of being annoyed with the world, like if you dared piss him off, he’d beat the shit out of you right there. Xu Ran had firsthand experience with that energy. He’d been the first idiot to test it.

No use crying over spilled milk.

Thinking back to how badly he had been spooked by him, Xu Ran could only regret how pathetic he must have looked.

If he had known Pan Hao was all bark and no bite, he would have roasted him even harder from day one. But considering the way Pan Hao could lift him with one hand, going toe-to-toe in a fight didn’t seem all that realistic.

Wait, no. What kind of man would say that? He was still a man. What was there to be afraid of? Back in middle school, he had shown up to a group brawl carrying a steel pipe. Sure, he mostly stood in the back talking shit, but that still counted as support. Psychological warfare, right?

Xu Ran’s mouth was starting to itch again.

That night, back in the dorm, he realized he had barely spoken to Pan Hao the entire day. So the moment he hit the bed, he started chattering nonstop, completely ignoring whether or not Pan Hao had his headphones in.

The guys in the next dorm, his former card buddies, seemed to be avoiding him lately. Probably figured out that the main reason Xu Ran got dragged off that night was because he laughed too damn loud. Now, whenever Pan Hao was in the dorm, they didn’t even invite Xu Ran to play.

Sometimes, people just had to accept defeat with some grace and find their own excuse.

Xu Ran hummed to himself. Even playing poker on his phone felt like winning big.

Pan Hao took off his headphones and shut down his computer. Xu Ran had started to run out of steam, but now he perked right back up.

“Hey, Pan Hao, have you memorized everyone in our class yet? Shit, it’s already been four days and I only recognize you and the class rep.”

Pan Hao glanced at him, then walked into the bathroom. The sound of mouth rinsing followed. It didn’t stop Xu Ran one bit. He kept rambling.

“I still think high school classrooms were better. Not too big. Just the right size. Back then I could get everyone’s face memorized in like a month.”

Pan Hao came out and didn’t even look at him. Xu Ran kept going.

“This time it might take me a whole semester. Maybe after the break, when we come back, I won’t remember a single face.”

He let out a sigh and rolled over to face the wall.

“Man, I really want to go back in time.”

Then he started singing.

“I want to go back to the past, try to hold you in my arms, that shy face still a little innocent, want to see the world you see, want to step into your dreams…”

Some people had a pleasant speaking voice but turned into nightmares when they sang. Others might sound ordinary when talking but could pour emotion into their singing.

Xu Ran was very much the first kind.

Saying he was tone-deaf would be too kind. At least most people could find one or two notes. Xu Ran missed the entire song like it owed him money. If it weren’t for his clear pronunciation, Pan Hao honestly wouldn’t have known what the hell he was even singing.

“Can you stop howling? Sounds like someone’s slaughtering a pig.”

Pan Hao finally opened his mouth. Xu Ran paused, and the pig-killing noise finally stopped. He turned to look at Pan Hao and gave a grin.

The moment Pan Hao saw that smile, he knew this little bastard was about to start acting up again.

Sure enough, Xu Ran raised his voice and started screeching with that broken duck voice boys get during puberty. He wasn’t singing the same song anymore. Random nonsense spilled out of his mouth like a broken faucet. The words were a mess. Throwing them on the floor wouldn’t make it any clearer what they were supposed to be.

Pan Hao suddenly found himself missing the sound of Xu Ran rambling earlier. At least that had been tolerable. If it were any of those rough guys from next door singing like this, he would’ve dragged them down and beat the shit out of them.

But Xu Ran was having the time of his life. He even sat up and started flailing around like a damn toddler. Pan Hao couldn’t take it anymore. Even if he wasn’t going to beat him up, he had to teach this idiot a lesson.

“Hey. Hey hey hey—”

Before Xu Ran could finish, Pan Hao grabbed him and pulled him down. He lost his balance and ended up crashing right into Pan Hao’s chest. He looked up, ready to curse, but before he could say anything, Pan Hao tossed him sideways onto the desk.

Xu Ran sprawled out across the table, turned his head, and yelled, “Are you fucking crazy? If you’re sick, go get treatment, damn it.”

Pan Hao gave a smile. But it was that cold kind of smile, the kind that made Xu Ran instantly remember what happened in the hallway.

Before he could chicken out, Pan Hao raised his arm and slapped him hard on the ass. Then another slap. And another.

What the fuck.

Xu Ran froze. What the hell was happening?

Pan Hao spoke as he smacked him. “Yeah, I’m sick. Your shitty singing gave me a damn illness. I have to beat it out of you or I won’t get better.”

Hello? Could someone explain what the hell kind of madness this was?

No one was coming to explain anything. Pan Hao looked like he had discovered a new hobby. He just kept going. Xu Ran’s ass was going numb, and he was cursing non-stop, but Pan Hao didn’t stop. His eyes were burning, like he had a fire inside him he still hadn’t put out.

“I’m gonna die… shit… Pan Hao, you fucking psycho!”

All those thoughts Xu Ran had earlier about Pan Hao maybe being a decent guy was hone. This was a fucking lunatic.

Finally, the slapping stopped. Xu Ran felt like his ass had been beaten into two giant buns. His mom used to hold the record for hardest spanking, but that crown had officially been passed on. He raised his hand and swept everything off the desk onto the floor. Didn’t care whose desk it was.

He was pissed.

When Xu Ran got mad, it wasn’t the silent kind. He started ranting like someone filing a dramatic complaint. Cursing Pan Hao with everything he had, wishing him infertility, while also sobbing about how much his ass hurt.

He stayed slumped over the desk, head turned sideways, lips moving non-stop. Pan Hao looked at his face and thought there really was a bit of sadness in it. That was the only reason he had gone for the ass instead of the face. He just couldn’t bring himself to hit that stupid face.

“Alright. Alright. Calm down. It was my fault. I’ll buy you food.”

Huh?

Did the devil himself just apologize? Xu Ran perked up his ears like a squirrel. He had to confirm he wasn’t hearing things. If this was another trick, he was going to roll up his sleeves and throw hands.

“What kind of food?” He mumbled like he was still mad.

Pan Hao nearly lost it and wanted to slap him again. He stared at Xu Ran’s posture for a second, then looked away and replied.

“Whatever you want. Just hurry up. Places are gonna start closing.”

Xu Ran stood up and said, “Fine. You pay then.”

Pan Hao turned and walked to his desk. Xu Ran paused.

Wait a damn second. He just flipped the table earlier, and it had been his own. The bastard couldn’t have thrown him on a different one?

As he watched Pan Hao rummaging for money with his back turned, a wicked thought suddenly bubbled up in Xu Ran’s gut.

He lifted one leg and aimed right at Pan Hao’s tight-looking ass, then gave him a solid kick.

“Eat this, motherfucker! Hahahaha!”

And with that, he bolted.

He had no idea what kind of face Pan Hao was making behind him, but Xu Ran felt amazing.

Absolutely fucking amazing.