Sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, irritable bottom x cold, reserved, deeply devoted top
Qi Yunqi had spent sixteen years sailing smoothly through school, always ranking first in his grade. Then his mother was transferred for work, and he moved with her from a small northern county town to the bustling southern city.
He ranked 197th in the grade on the entrance exam.
His mother nagged him every day: "There's always someone better out there. You should study with Xiao Heng more. He's first in the grade every time..."
She was talking about the son of her close friend.
He'd heard it so often he could practically feel calluses on his ears.
He was already annoyed about transferring to an unfamiliar place and being unable to keep up with the school's rocket-paced curriculum. Then, on the first day of school, the teacher paired him with this Xiao Heng.
Even more annoying. Damn it.
He wasn't in the mood to make friends when he was irritated, so he decided to keep things politely distant between them.
But the other boy insisted on bringing him along for everything.
After who knew how many times, Qi Yunqi finally snapped:
"...I mean, can't you eat by yourself?"
Chen Yiheng put some food in his bowl and raised his eyes coolly:
"I'm just carrying out my mother's instructions."
Qi Yunqi: "..."
What he didn't know was that the other students had gone crazy at the sight. They talked about it in private: the top student, who usually kept everyone at arm's length and always went around alone, was actually getting close to someone? And that someone was a transfer student who'd only just arrived!
Soon, someone came over to ask what their relationship was.
Qi Yunqi: "We're classmates. What else would we be?"
"Then why does he eat with you every day?"
Qi Yunqi wished Chen Yiheng would keep his distance.
"If you want, he can eat with you too."
Classmate: ???
Then Chen Yiheng, who had been doing problems quietly beside them without saying a word, suddenly said in a low voice, "No," in a strictly businesslike tone.
"I only plan to be with you."
Qi Yunqi: "?"
He'd thought that once he got through the adjustment period, the attention Chen Yiheng showed him under the pretext of carrying out their parents' instructions would end. He never expected it to turn into something else entirely. After rejecting a stranger's confession, Qi Yunqi was cornered by Chen Yiheng in the stairwell.
"You know dating violates school rules, right?"
Seeing him like this, Qi Yunqi inexplicably flared up. "Do I need your approval for every little thing I do? Who do you think you are?"
He was about to say more when Chen Yiheng spoke.
"Someone who wants to be your partner."
Qi Yunqi's anger vanished in an instant.
After they got together, at a family dinner, Chen Yiheng pinned Qi Yunqi against the wall of a bathroom stall and kissed him until he was breathless.
"We can't. We've been gone too long."
Qi Yunqi said hoarsely, with what little reason he had left.
Chen Yiheng smiled and kissed the side of his neck. "We've been gone a long time, that's true. Do you think they know what we're doing?"
Qi Yunqi's ears turned bright red. He lowered his head and said, "Get lost."
June 30, 2026
Theme: Work hard while you're young.
