Chapter 65: Fang Baoyu Flaunting Again

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It was the final day before the National Day holiday.

He Chen, Ruan Liuzheng, Lin Miaomiao, and Qian Sanyi—four residents of the same residential compound—bumped into Qiao Yingzi and Huang Zhitao, who had deliberately adjusted their schedules to cross paths right at the school gate.

Habit had become second nature.

This had already become the norm.

The group walked inward together, chatting as they moved.

"National Day is almost here. What are everyone's plans?"

"What plans could there possibly be? I just want to sleep for a few solid days and not think about a single thing!"

"You're dreaming! Who knows how many days we'll actually get off for National Day—three days at most, tops. Besides, the monthly exams are right after the holiday. Can you really sleep peacefully?"

"What a curse! Why aren't the monthly exams scheduled before National Day instead of right after? Can't they let us properly unwind for a few days after testing?"

"Even on the very first day of class stratification, that Iron Rod Li—who claimed she would strictly follow the Gaokao standards—immediately went back on her word to 'bless' us by making us attend evening self-study that very night, saying she didn't want us to lose our momentum! Do you really think she'd let us relax for several days?"

"Doesn't anyone want to go out and travel for a few days? I really want to go out and wander around!"

"I still just want to sleep. I feel like I've been sleep-deprived lately, especially seeing Lin Leier, the top student in the entire school, staying up so late that he's sleep-deprived too. These past couple of days, he's either missed the bus and been late, or fallen asleep right on the bus, missing his stop and blowing off the entire morning self-study. Who wouldn't feel the crushing weight of peer pressure? Everyone's just staying up even later."

Listening to Qiao Yingzi and the others vent and complain, Ruan Liuzheng felt completely miserable.

Lin Leier was the top student in the school and was still pushing himself to such extremes. She was being closely pursued by He Chen—who seemed to sleep soundly yet somehow kept matching her grades—with the constant threat of being overtaken at any moment. How crushing was her own pressure?

She had actually had some vague thoughts about the National Day holiday.

Now, they were entirely gone.

Seeing Ruan Liuzheng's bitter expression and her best friend Taozi's deeply furrowed brows, Qiao Yingzi knew they were under immense pressure and quickly tried to comfort them: "Actually, Lin Leier isn't deliberately staying up late to push himself. He's just been a bit homesick and suffering from insomnia, so his schedule got a little messed up. It's not what you guys think."

"Are you sure?" Ruan Liuzheng asked, half-convinced.

Some top students were simply the most detestable creatures. They would score extraordinarily high and then flaunt their fake modesty, sighing dramatically about how a single point was deducted keeping them from a perfect score.

Worse still, some outwardly pretended not to work hard, only to secretly stay up late into the night.

She found it rather difficult to believe Qiao Yingzi's explanation.

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"It's true." Qiao Yingzi quickly shared how Fang Yifan had told her about Lin Leier's insomnia and how he had even asked him for sleeping pills.

Ruan Liuzheng felt a sense of relief.

However, He Chen fell into a thoughtful silence.

"How on earth are you able to sleep so well and so soundly?" Ruan Liuzheng glanced sideways at He Chen, her tone dripping with sour envy.

Hearing this, the rest of the group also snapped their heads toward He Chen, their eyes showing complete agreement with Ruan Liuzheng's words.

Whether Lin Leier was suffering from insomnia or studying late into the night, the sheer level of effort put forth by the school's top student was something people couldn't help but admire.

If even a top student like that couldn't sleep in peace, how could anyone not side-eye He Chen, who maintained the strict habit of going to sleep right at nine o'clock every night, even skipping evening self-study?

"Yingzi! Taozi!"

Right at that moment, Fang Yifan's voice interrupted their thoughts. Following the sound, they saw him running over with a look of smug triumph. Though he was speaking to Qiao Yingzi and Huang Zhitao, his eyes kept darting sideways toward He Chen, the intent to provoke him painfully obvious.

"Haven't you guys been feeling lonely ever since the class sorting? Well, let me share some good news: my family is moving to Shuxiang Yayuan very soon! Right downstairs from Yingzi's place! From now on, the three of us can walk to school and back together again. Isn't it a surprise? Aren't you happy?"

"You're actually moving?" Qiao Yingzi had clearly caught wind of some rumors; after all, the apartment Fang Yifan's mother was going to rent belonged to her family and was directly beneath her own. Yet, hearing Fang Yifan confirm it still left her somewhat surprised and feeling rather complicated.

In the past, this would have been a source of pure, unadulterated joy for her.

Having such a good buddy right downstairs made her feel like she had backup.

But now, while she was still happy, her very first reaction was the thought that they would be even closer—would this cause He Chen to overthink things?

Furthermore, Fang Yifan and He Chen were at odds with each other. With this commute to and from school, the arrangement she had painstakingly made with her best friend Taozi to walk into school with He Chen and the others would likely face serious challenges.

Huang Zhitao knew the inside story all too well, and as an objective onlooker, she immediately read her best friend's complex state of mind, sighing inwardly.

As expected, things were increasingly starting to resemble *Dream of the Red Chamber*.

What even was this?

Ever since they had been separated shortly after sharing the same Transparent Gauze Pavilion in their childhood days, they were now all moving into the Grand View Garden together. Yingzi was living in the Crimson Spice Courtyard, and Fang Yifan simply *had* to live in the adjacent Hall of Wintry Jade?

"We're definitely moving!" Fang Yifan paid no heed to these undercurrents, loudly releasing his excitement. "With me keeping you company from now on, walking to school and back will definitely be much livelier! Oh, right, and there's Leier too. If you guys run into anything you don't understand, you can ask him on the way!"

It wasn't easy, but he finally remembered it wasn't just the three of them, and that there was a cousin as well. Of course, the only reason he thought of him was because of the benefits his cousin provided, which would make Yingzi and Taozi more willing to go along with his plans.

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"My dad is coming back today, and tomorrow is the start of the holiday, so we'll be moving over then! Yingzi, Taozi, you guys have to come over and hang out!"

The more he spoke, the smugger he became. Catching sight of He Chen standing there without a word to say, he felt even more spirited and high-pitched.

Sure, you He Chen live close by, but after all, you're separated by a street and live in a different compound. It's nothing like him, who could move straight into Shuxiang Yayuan and right downstairs from Yingzi with a flick of his finger.

When it comes to securing a favorable position for a head start, how could you possibly compete with me?

Today truly was a good day. With his dad returning, all past frustrations and stifled feelings were wiped clean. Starting tomorrow—no, starting today—he was going to hold his head high in front of He Chen and begin washing away his past humiliation!

Watching his smug and unbridled demeanor, Qiao Yingzi felt an urge to slap her hand to her forehead and sigh in despair. The very thing she had worried about most had indeed happened. But seeing that He Chen's expression remained calm and unbothered, she felt both a sense of relief and a faint pang of disappointment.

What was the meaning of this?

Did he really not care in the slightest?

Indeed, He Chen cared not at all about whatever relationship existed between Qiao Yingzi and Fang Yifan. In his eyes, Qiao Yingzi wasn't even as festive and amusing as her father, Old Qiao.

The main reason he had been walking closer to Qiao Yingzi lately was simply because she genuinely loved the stars and the sea, and her family owned a telescope. Recently, He Chen had been using the fine telescope her father gave her to observe the stars every night, supplementing his practice of the Turtle Breathing technique, which gave them common topics to discuss.

In his eyes, Qiao Yingzi truly transcended the boundaries of gender.

That classic philosophical question: Is there such a thing as pure friendship between a man and a woman?

Yes!

Provided that the other party is sufficiently unattractive!

While Qiao Yingzi couldn't be called ugly, to He Chen—whose standards were exceptionally high—her delicate, plain looks served, to a certain extent, as the foundation for providing pure friendship.

Amidst their chatter, they had already reached the teaching building, and the group drifted apart in twos and threes. After the morning self-study, everyone headed out to the playground for morning exercises.

Before the exercises were even over, however, a commotion broke out on the playground.

This time, it wasn't another Ji Yangyang taking the stage, but someone who had nearly collapsed while doing the exercises—and that person was none other than Lin Leier, the top-ranked student of the entire senior grade.