"What is this you're doing?"

Chen Yuan felt a subtle awkwardness, not understanding what this sort of "sugar daddy" talk meant.

Was he destined for a life like those guys who ate girls' cookies in kindergarten, stole classmates' breakfast milk in school, lived in their girlfriends' big houses after graduation, and then became those aunties' little mochi who wanted cars and money?

—The language of steel wool is forbearance and wealth.

"I don't like drinking milk. My mom forces me to drink it every day, so… can you help me drink it?" Zhou Fu continued tentatively.

"Is this like a 'friendship fee'?"

"It's not that," Zhou Fu shook her head, glanced at the empty seats behind them, and then said, "Li Youyou was really embarrassed after overhearing that sentence I said. She probably asked Teacher Mo to change seats, but he refused, so…"

"To avoid the awkwardness, you want to switch places with He Sijiao?" Chen Yuan asked.

"Of course… it depends on whether He Sijiao is willing," Zhou Fu said, staring at Chen Yuan with a hint of shyness, her tone lowering slightly, "And… are you willing?"

"I'm fine with either, it all depends on He Sijiao."

It made little difference to Chen Yuan who he sat next to, except for a few people he particularly disliked.

However, psychologically, he preferred having a male deskmate.

But Old Mo was too clever for his own good; he almost always arranged mixed-gender seating, and deliberately paired people who wouldn't foster early love interests.

He knew very well that if he let two people with compatible brainwaves sit together, it would be over.

These two would be like black holes, mutually sucking each other's grades into the void in a storm.

The main theme would be mutual regression.

Moreover, these two wouldn't blame each other, not feeling that the other was holding them back.

Chuanzi taking me to stay up all night at the internet cafe? Would he harm me?

Plus, he was a specially-aided student himself, and Old Mo probably didn't want him to sit with the boys he liked to hang out with, dragging down his hopeful grades.

Wait… that sounded a bit strange.

"Then are you going to ask He Sijiao later?" Zhou Fu asked.

"Wouldn't that make it seem like I want to sit next to you?"

"Ah?"

Zhou Fu was stunned by Chen Yuan's ambiguous words.

"I mean, I'm afraid that big mouth will spread rumors everywhere, saying that I wanted her to get lost so I could sit next to you."

"Is He Sijiao that kind of person?" Zhou Fu looked incredulous.

"Yeah, she's quite the saber-rattler."

"What were you guys saying about me just now? I think I heard my name?"

Just as the two were chatting, He Sijiao walked in from outside the classroom alone, carrying a transparent pink water cup.

"Oh, Sister Jiao, you're here?"

"…" Zhou Fu.

As expected of Chen Yuan, such a quick change of face!

"Tch." He Sijiao rolled her eyes at Chen Yuan, then gave Zhou Fu a normal expression. "It's okay, you can sit here and eat. I just finished eating and am walking around to digest."

"Thank you."

Zhou Fu nodded, continuing to bury her head in her bread, reminding Chen Yuan with her eyes—now's the time to talk about it.

Honestly, Chen Yuan didn't care. It didn't matter who sat next to him, since it wasn't like he was dating them.

However, if he helped Zhou Fu with this favor, he would have imported milk to drink every day.

That would cover his protein and calcium needs.

"Sister Jiao," Chen Yuan finally made up his mind, enduring the humiliation, and said in a begging tone, "Zhou Fu and Li Youyou had a bit of an awkward situation, which I can't really talk about… so, she wants to switch places with you."

"Why?" He Sijiao asked directly, hitting at the core of the issue.

"Wasn't what I just said the reason…"

"Although she wants to switch places, I feel like it's you who's benefiting."

"How is it benefiting me?"

"So, why should I agree?" He Sijiao continued to ask, her eyes unwavering.

Seeing that the two were getting a bit serious, Zhou Fu weakly spoke up to explain, "Sijiao, the main reason is that the homeroom teacher doesn't agree…"

"That's not what she means." Raising his hand, he interrupted Zhou Fu, then looked at the woman in front of him. Chen Yuan hesitated.

What He Sijiao wanted to ask wasn't the reason, but—

What's the price?

"Zhou Fu said that if you switch places, she's willing to give you a 'friendship fee'…"

"It's not a friendship fee," Zhou Fu protested softly.

"Let me talk," Chen Yuan set the terms. "From now on, I'll supply you with a week's worth of milk."

"Forget it, I don't like drinking milk." He Sijiao took out a collection of incorrect questions and several test papers. "Rewrite last week's incorrect questions for me, and then I'll agree."

"You little—are you playing me like this…"

"It's okay if you don't want to, forget it, forget it."

"Fine, fine, that's the way it is then."

Helpless, Chen Yuan had to agree.

Thinking on the bright side, helping her copy out the wrong answers would help him improve too, right?

One has to have the spirit of Ah Q.

"Let me copy them…"

After all, it was Zhou Fu's own matter, so she offered. But before she could finish, He Sijiao refused, "That would be like you're doing something for me. Let Chen Yuan do it. I don't care if I incur his wrath. Right?"

"Sister Jiao is right."

The corners of Chen Yuan's mouth twitched slightly as he struggled to suppress the urge to shoot her dead.

He Sijiao, thank goodness gun control saved you, you know?

"When are you going to tell Old Mo?" He Sijiao asked, looking at the pair.

"I'll go tomorrow morning…"

Before Zhou Fu could finish speaking, He Sijiao disapprovingly suggested, "You've just transferred here, will it make the teacher think you're being difficult?"

"This…"

"Also, it won't be good if word gets around. Your classmates will think you're hard to get along with."

"…" These two sentences hit Zhou Fu's sore spot.

She had only been here for a few days and was already making such a fuss. This would definitely leave a bad impression on the classmates who weren't yet familiar with her.

With such an unfavorable start, how would she turn things around in the next two years?

"How about I say that Chen Yuan often talks to me during class?"

"How about I say that He Sijiao often talks to me during class?"

While Zhou Fu was hesitating and thinking, the two spoke in unison.

After speaking, they simultaneously pointed at each other with a husky-like expression, then gave a sheepish laugh—hehe, you son of a bitch.

"Forget it, I'll go. I should be okay to talk to Old Mo these next few days."

Now that they had talked about it to this extent, Chen Yuan could only see this through to the end.

"Why do you think you won't get 'suspended' by Teacher Mo?"

Zhou Fu was integrating quickly. Her style was already somewhat similar to Chen Yuan and his friends, although her curse words still sounded a bit awkward.

"Because today he's still a 'heroic rescuer', and Old Mo got some spotlight."

"Oh right, there's that…"

"Old Mo is a pure ungrateful wretch. Before his goodwill towards me resets after the next bad test, let's use this special privilege."

Just like that, Chen Yuan decided to help with this favor.

With his promise, Zhou Fu also felt much more at ease.

Before the evening study bell rang, the classmates returned one after another. Zhou Fu also returned to her seat. She and Li Youyou still had that awkward atmosphere between them. This continued until the end of evening study. Since Zhou Fu and Chen Yuan could take the same bus, the two left the classroom together.

"Youyou, Zhou Fu will switch places with me, and Chen Yuan will talk to Old Mo tomorrow," He Sijiao turned her head and said to Li Youyou before the second evening study session.

"Okay." Hearing this, Li Youyou breathed a sigh of relief, and her brow finally relaxed. But after thinking of something, she asked with some resentment, "Then Chen Yuan, what did he say to you?"

"He asked me shyly if I could switch places and even offered to help me copy the incorrect questions. What else could it be for with a boy?"

…………

"I have a feeling that He Sijiao is going to damage my reputation behind my back."

While walking with Zhou Fu to the bus station, Chen Yuan couldn't help but feel apprehensive.

"Will she tell Li Youyou the truth?"

"I instructed her to avoid mentioning the conflict as much as possible. She probably won't. At most, she'll badmouth me behind my back, with a reason that makes her feel good." Chen Yuan judged subjectively, not doubting her at all, "After being deskmates with her for so long, I know what kind of person she is."

A pure workhorse.

"Then you've been deskmates with her for so long, you must be sad to leave?" Zhou Fu asked apologetically, putting herself in his shoes.

"Vomit, vomit! Vomit! Vomit vomit vomit."

Then, Chen Yuan used a performance to answer her question.

"…Ahaha." Zhou Fu didn't ask any more questions.

When the bus arrived, the two boarded together. Zhou Fu used her bus card, swiping it and walking onto the bus first. Chen Yuan then took out his phone and used the Alipay QR code to pay for his fare.

But just as he was about to put his phone back in his pocket, a WeChat message popped up.

Xia Xinyu:

Which bus are you on? I'm waiting for you at the station.