Chapter 43: Chapter 43: The Most Important Thing You Need to Do Right Now Is Delete the Campus Confession Wall

During a break in the evening self-study session, Shen Yuan was out in the hallway getting some air.

The classroom was too stuffy, and Shen Yuan could feel a layer of sweat clinging to his skin.

’I’m taking a shower the second I get home.’

"It’s been a while. Don’t you have anything to say to me?"

Shen Yuan turned his head and saw Ah Jie leaning against the wall, his gaze slightly unfocused.

’This guy is totally putting on an act.’

"You’ve got too much time on your hands, huh? You didn’t get called on in English class today. I’ll make sure you do tomorrow."

Ah Jie was instantly unhappy about that.

"Hey, hey, hey! I’m the one who’s been your deskmate the longest. Aren’t you even a little sad about us being separated?"

Hearing this, Chen Mingyu laughed. "Jie, do you know what kind of treatment Lao Yuan is getting now?"

"What about it?"

"Lao Yuan is surrounded by girls now. He has Li Zhi to his left, He Zhiyu in front of him, Ji Ningning to his right, and Yao Yao behind him."

Chen Mingyu clicked his tongue. "Half the good-looking girls in our class are sitting right next to him."

At these words, Zhou Shaojie’s eyes went wide as he stared at Shen Yuan in disbelief.

"You son of a bitch!"

Ah Jie immediately started squirming with jealousy. "You animal!!"

Shen Yuan rolled his eyes. "Damn it, I’m just sitting in this spot."

Yang Ze chuckled and nudged Shen Yuan’s shoulder. "Yuan, you don’t get it, do you? The thing is, Ah Jie..."

Before Yang Ze could finish, Ah Jie lunged at him and clamped a hand over his mouth.

"What rumors are you spreading! I’m completely innocent! All I love is math!"

Shen Yuan burst out laughing as he watched the two of them horse around.

In truth, Shen Yuan didn’t need Yang Ze to finish. He could already guess what this was all about.

Zhou Shaojie might have been a master of surreal humor, but having a crush was no laughing matter.

It was probably just hormones running wild, but who didn’t have that one unforgettable love?

At eighteen, a sweet and innocent girl, in the vibrant bloom of youth, could easily become the unforgettable love of someone’s life.

Did Shen Yuan have an unforgettable love of his own?

’I guess I probably did,’ Shen Yuan thought.

The girl who sat next to him in kindergarten was pretty cute. She was always bringing him candy.

If he hadn’t been so diligent about brushing his teeth back then, he’d probably have a mouthful of cavities by now.

When the final bell rang, Shen Yuan did something unprecedented: he actually put a few test papers into his backpack.

Li Zhi was stunned to see this.

"And what is this?" she asked.

Shen Yuan patted his backpack, a proud look on his face. "My mistakes. I’m going to be studying hard, you know."

Hearing Shen Yuan’s words, a nearby Ji Ningning let out a long, internal sigh.

’Such a tryhard.’

Compared to Li Zhi, who was untouchable—in terms of grades, of course—it was Shen Yuan’s progress that was truly nerve-wracking.

Li Zhi was the kind of person you knew you could never catch up to, no matter how hard you tried.

Seeing her study just reminded you that someone far more brilliant than you was still working hard, which was a source of motivation.

But Shen Yuan was different.

To put it subjectively, he was like a wild dog barking furiously as it chased you down.

It created a sense of pressure.

Shen Yuan had only just gotten into the honors class and his grades were still average, but there was nothing anyone could do. After all, he had someone willing to teach him.

And that person just happened to be the top student in the class.

What was even more outrageous was that the two of them were childhood friends.

"Let’s go. I can’t wait to start round two of studying!"

Seeing his gung-ho attitude, Li Zhi just chuckled.

’It wasn’t that she didn’t believe Shen Yuan. It was just, why announce something like that? You just do it.’

’Good grief, is he trying to class-change into a Painful Sacrifice too?!’

"Remember to report your progress to me."

"Yes, sir!"

The two of them left the classroom, leaving a very anxious Ji Ningning behind.

’First Shen Yuan, now Li Zhi... What a bunch of tryhards!!’

’Damn it!’

’No, no, I have to work harder.’

With that thought, Ji Ningning grabbed her English vocabulary notebook and prepared to head back to her dorm to study.

On the way home, a cup of oden had somehow spawned in both Shen Yuan’s and Li Zhi’s hands. At the same time, a bottle of iced black tea had also spawned in Shen Yuan’s backpack.

"I noticed you weren’t putting the pressure on anyone today."

"You already made your move, didn’t you?" Li Zhi popped a slice of tofu into her mouth and took a blissful bite.

’It burst with flavor. So good.’

"Whoa, Young Master Li, so I was part of your plan all along?"

Li Zhi nodded, a smile on her face.

Shen Yuan could tell whether Li Zhi was genuinely smiling or not.

You just had to look at her eyes.

When Li Zhi was truly smiling, her eyes smiled too.

"Pretty Girl Controlling a High School Boy."

"Hey, hey, hey!"

Li Zhi gave him a mock-threatening glare. "I didn’t tell you to do anything. You’re the one who wanted to become a Painful Sacrifice."

"Ha, I wouldn’t dare claim such a title. At most, I’m merely a follower at your skirt."

’A Painful Follower,’ Shen Yuan thought. ’That sounds about right.’

It sounded like a role that stood in complete opposition to the Kissing Association.

Just as Shen Yuan thought his little quip would earn him a perfect score, Li Zhi kicked him in the shin.

"Pervert! Stop telling dirty jokes!"

Wincing from the kick, Shen Yuan realized that what he’d just said was, in fact, a little too perverted.

If he’d said that to a girl he didn’t know, she’d probably be on the phone with the cops right now.

Then he’d have to face a lecture from the police, the disappointed looks from his parents, and Li Zhi’s disgust.

’The thought alone was terrifying.’

Then again, Shen Yuan probably wouldn’t have started a conversation with a strange girl in the first place.

He had social anxiety.

Shen Yuan’s social anxiety was situational.

Around people he knew, he was a social terrorist. But around people he didn’t want to deal with, he was a textbook case of social anxiety.

Freely switching between different personas is a necessary skill for anyone in modern society.

The main principle is: the "at-work me" is for work, and the "off-the-clock me" is for letting loose.

Switching that workhorse persona on and off at will.

"My bad."

Shen Yuan apologized for what he’d said.

Now it was Li Zhi’s turn to be surprised.

"Wait, why are you apologizing?"

"Huh?" Shen Yuan stopped in his tracks.

’Is apologizing a problem now?’

"Shen Yuan, you’re not acting like yourself."

Li Zhi looked at Shen Yuan seriously. "The first thing you need to do is delete the campus confession page from your phone."

Shen Yuan immediately started squirming.

’Damn it, that whole scene just now was a little too much like the male lead in *Defend and Steal*.’

"Fuck! Who’s possessing me! Get out!"

Li Zhi slapped him on the shoulder. "Go home and do a math worksheet!"

Shen Yuan froze, staring at Li Zhi in shock. "That’s even scarier than being possessed by a ghost."

"But tell me, does it work or not?"

"I’m starting to wish the ghost would come back. I don’t want to do a worksheet," Shen Yuan said, his face a mask of agony.

"As a follower of the Painful Sacrifice, you should be painfully drowning in a sea of practice problems."

Li Zhi patted his shoulder. "Go do your problems. This is a curse from the Painful Sacrifice."

’Even ghosts wouldn’t want to do a math worksheet.’

’But miserable high school students could grind them out in the classroom day after day.’

’I get it now.’

The legends say that schools built on mass graves don’t actually use the students’ Yang Qi to suppress the spirits.

They use the accumulated resentment of generations of high school students.

’You dare cause trouble in a senior-year classroom? You think you can leave without finishing a complete set of mock college entrance exams?’

’Fail the test, and you can just wait to be utterly annihilated!’