A room.
Qin Mohan stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the traffic flow beneath him.
He was still thinking about the trending topic he saw on the star network yesterday.
The video featured close-ups of flashy moves, but he hadn't paid attention. He had only noticed a black band on the streamer's left wrist.
Then, his eyes couldn't leave that wrist.
His subconscious told him that the person he was looking for was this streamer.
It also told him to find this person immediately.
To keep him by his side, not to let him go anywhere.
Yesterday had truly been the happiest day of his life in many years, yet he didn't know why he was happy.
It was as if some arrangement in the depths of fate had led him to meet him.
He now desperately wanted to see that person immediately, to understand why he had such a strong urge towards a complete stranger.
He was certain he had never met the streamer, nor had he ever heard his voice.
Something must have happened between them, otherwise, he wouldn't care so much.
Qin Mohan no longer looked outside. He sat down in a chair, trying to calm his mind.
To stop him from thinking about that person.
That voice.
And that black band that felt so familiar.
But even sitting in the chair, looking at these political affairs, he couldn't focus. It seemed the more he tried to forget, the clearer it became.
Who exactly are you?
Meanwhile, Lin Hao, sitting in a cave, had been sneezing uncontrollably since early morning for no apparent reason.
And the trend seemed to be increasing.
Lin Hao rubbed his nose, trying to alleviate the discomfort.
He wondered why his sneezes had become so frequent these past few days.
Could it be that his son had a change of heart and suddenly missed his father?
No.
His son could never be that filial.
He felt that if he died, his son would be the happiest, and would probably be the one to scatter his ashes.
It couldn't be Qin Mohan either. After all, Qin Mohan had also been annoyed by him. Given how much he used to bother him, Qin Mohan surely wouldn't miss him. He'd probably wish he'd stay far away forever.
After all, out of sight, out of mind, right?
Qin Mohan must have been overjoyed these past few years.
He still remembered the past...
-- A formidable dividing line chasing Lin Hao --
At the opening ceremony for new students.
The person standing on the podium at this moment was as bright as the sun, drawing people in, making them want to admire him.
Unfortunately, this sun was cold.
No one could get close to him.
Lin Hao, sitting in the audience, looked up at the person on the podium, his eyes narrowed. His bangs fell, obscuring his eyes, making it impossible to discern his expression, but his gaze was fixed on the person on stage.
So this was Qin Mohan.
Cold indeed.
He looked like someone difficult to approach.
But that made it more challenging.
Qin Mohan on the podium suddenly felt a strong gaze fixed upon him. Although he had grown accustomed to such gazes over the years, this one today was somewhat hard to ignore.
He felt like he was being targeted.
It made him uncomfortable.
Qin Mohan tightened his grip on the script, his brows furrowed slightly.
However, after years of practice, his voice remained steady as he finished reading the script.
"Thank you all, my speech is concluded." Qin Mohan said, taking a step forward and bowing slightly.
Instantly, applause erupted.
Following the applause, Qin Mohan walked off the stage, but the gaze remained. His pace unconsciously quickened.
He felt a bit like he was fleeing in a panic.
Seeing this, Lin Hao's excitement grew. He hadn't expected this person to be so pure.
Lin Hao didn't continue to watch the person on stage. Instead, he lowered his head, lost in thought.
After an unknown period of time, and after the people on stage had changed several times,
Lin Hao sauntered through the school, unhurried by the crowds around him.
Since the classes had already been assigned, there was no rush. He didn't need to secure a seat; any seat would do.
However, the moment Lin Hao returned to his classroom, his opinion changed.
Damn it, they said Qin Mohan was a hot commodity, so why was the seat next to him the only one empty? This was illogical.
Was it because this was the first row that they gave up on their idol?
Ha, he was starting to doubt their love for him.
Despite his internal grumbling about the women, Lin Hao calmly walked to Qin Mohan's side.
Since he was late, only the front row was left.
The front row, where one could fully enjoy the teacher's affectionate attention.
Qin Mohan, however, seemed completely indifferent to Lin Hao, his new deskmate, and continued to read his book silently, as if everything around him was none of his concern.
Lin Hao pulled out the chair next to Qin Mohan and calmly sat down, propping his chin in his hands and staring at his deskmate without blinking.
He had to admit, he was quite good-looking.
At this moment, Lin Hao was captivated. The more he looked at his deskmate, the more handsome he found him, and the more pleasing to the eye. If he weren't in the front row, he'd be even more handsome.
"Do you need something?"
Qin Mohan felt his new deskmate's gaze. He tried to ignore it, but the gaze became increasingly brazen, making it impossible to overlook. He turned his head to look at Lin Hao and asked coldly.
Seeing Qin Mohan turn to look at him, Lin Hao shook his head, indicating he didn't need anything.
He just wanted to look at him.
He suddenly realized that describing him as the sun on the podium was somewhat inaccurate. He was more like the moon: cold, noble, and unapproachable.
As if sensing his deskmate's displeasure, Lin Hao pouted and stopped looking at him. He glanced around at the classmates he would be spending the next year with.
To his surprise, he discovered that apart from his deskmate, everyone around him was a girl.
Seeing this, he couldn't help but wonder.
"Ladies, if you like him, why don't you sit next to him? Why are you just guarding the perimeter like a den of female demons?"
"With you acting like this, I'm starting to doubt your love."
"Without any action, how can you talk about liking someone?"
"If you like someone, just go for it."
Lin Hao would never have imagined that all the girls in the class wanted to sit with Qin Mohan, but there was only one such seat. So they reached a consensus.
That none of them would be his deskmate. He belonged to them, and they would guard him from the sidelines.
Being near him was enough.
It didn't matter if they were deskmates or not.
The boys' intentions were simpler: they just didn't want to sit in the front row.
Thus, the coveted first row was conveniently given to Lin Hao.
(Lin Hao: I don't want this kind of bargain, thank you.)
Seeing that his deskmate was no longer looking at him, Qin Mohan turned his head back with a sense of satisfaction and continued reading his book, completely unaware of his current predicament.
As it was the first day of school, besides the opening ceremony, it was time for military training.
Maple Blue High School's military training was notoriously brutal. It only lasted half a month, but every minute felt like torture.
The classroom was still bustling with activity, with all the students chatting animatedly with their new classmates.
They didn't notice the teacher walking in.
The teacher walked to the podium and lightly tapped the lectern. "I am Yao Pei, I teach ancient history, and for the coming year, I will be your homeroom teacher. Please guide me."
Her ethereal voice reached everyone's ears, instantly silencing the previously noisy classroom. All eyes were quietly fixed on the female teacher on the podium.
Yao Pei's eyes flickered with a hint of satisfaction upon seeing this.
"Do you have any questions?" Seeing the classroom quiet, Yao Pei continued.
Did this mean that if there were no questions, she could leave? After all, she had been in meetings all day, and it felt like a convention of radishes.
It was truly unbearable.
Moreover, several of this year's new students had complicated backgrounds, which meant more overtime and attention to their personal safety.
Then there were more meetings.
It was endless.
Hearing her words, someone in the class asked.
"Teacher, when does the military training start?"
"In two days."
"Teacher, when can we go home?"
"It's closed management; once a month."
"Teacher, can I take leave?"
"Unless absolutely necessary, leave is not permitted."
"Teacher, is there really a division exam for the second year?"
"Yes, there will be three exams: mental strength, combat power, and intelligence. The comprehensive score determines advancement to Class A."
"Teacher, if I can't get into Class A then, will there be another opportunity later?"
"Yes, there's a new division exam in winter. You can strive then."
"Teacher, are the military training instructors really retired military officers?"
"No, most are active duty."
"Teacher, is the military training really difficult?"
"Not difficult."
At most, you'll shed a layer of skin, Lin Hao silently added the unspoken part of the teacher's sentence while sitting in his chair.
Seeing that no one had further questions, Yao Pei simply said, "Prepare yourselves well," and left the classroom.
Lin Hao watched them chatting with their deskmates again. He also wanted to find someone to talk to, but he didn't know anyone.
He turned his head and saw a red-haired person sleeping on a desk. Lin Hao's eyes lit up.
Wasn't this the same person from a few days ago?
In the same class?
Seeing people moving around, Lin Hao also walked over, approaching the person sleeping by the window.
A gentle breeze from the window ruffled the tuft of hair on his head, making it move back and forth, looking very amusing.
He walked over and patted his shoulder.
"Buddy, wake up and play, don't sleep."
The person who had stayed up all night and finally managed to fall asleep was woken by someone who clearly had no sense.
A chilling aura emanated from him, but Lin Hao stood there unaffected.
After all, when one is idle, one tends to be a bit audacious.
Pursuing excitement meant seeing it through to the end.
He continued to pat the red-haired person.
The red-haired person couldn't take it anymore and looked up, shouting, "Which bastard has no eyes and is disturbing this young master's sleep? Do you want to die?"
Lin Hao was not intimidated by the tone. Instead, he smiled at the bristling red-haired person and said, "Hu Tu, you've forgotten me?"
At this moment, Hu Tu looked at Lin Hao before him and became completely sobered. He then cursed, "You damn rascal, don't bother me for no reason." With that, he lay back down.
Lin Hao didn't bother the sleeping red-haired person any longer and leisurely walked back.
The entire class was stunned by this person's actions. It was truly strange that the Hu family's young master hadn't done anything to that person.
The Hu family, holding one-fifth of the empire's military power, was second only to the emperor. And as the legitimate grandson of the Hu family, Hu Tu had certainly grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth.
It was said that the last person who angered this little tyrant was so long dead that the grass on his grave was at least a meter high.
No one had ever seen someone provoke Hu Tu and walk away unscathed. Could this be some young master?
From now on, they would have to steer clear of this person.
If Lin Hao knew their thoughts, he would surely find them to be too engrossed in novels.
They were overthinking things!
He had no special status. He and Hu Tu had met by chance. When he ran out to an internet cafe and people sent by the old man came to catch him, he ran desperately. Unexpectedly, someone ran with him.
That person only realized at the end that they weren't there to catch him and turned back.
Next, that person's family sent people to catch him, and he followed along in a daze. After all, what if it was the old man who sent people to catch him?
Better safe than sorry.
It was through these back-and-forth misadventures that they got to know each other.
And then developed a deep camaraderie.
For example, covering for each other, acting as informants for each other, and so on.
Lin Hao, who was now sitting in his chair, felt bored again. He suddenly looked up and saw the name tag on Qin Mohan's school uniform.
Something seemed to flash in his eyes.
"Deskmate, what's your name?" Lin Hao said to Qin Mohan with a smile.
"Qin Mohan," the person opposite replied coldly, without turning his head.
"My name is Lin Hao. Please guide me in the future, Qin—jia—ge—ge." Lin Hao seemed to intentionally give Qin Mohan a nickname, drawing out the syllables.
After all, the first rule of making friends was to know the other person.
The second rule was to give them a nickname.
The third rule was to be shameless.