Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi.
After watching the midday competition, the study plan had to continue as usual. Only two days into the semester, Yan Han was already under immense mental pressure. He didn’t accompany Lin Jianlu to the shower, nor did he go to the cafeteria; he had Wen Juerong and the others bring him food and hurriedly returned to the classroom to study.
Although he had come to watch the competition and excitedly cheered, he immediately lost interest after the competition ended, which was clearly abnormal.
Even Wen Juerong and the others noticed something was wrong; their Yan-ge had been acting very strangely these past two days!
—He had always studied like this, but emotionally, their Yan-ge had never given off such a tense feeling.
Even when facing the fierce competition for academic excellence, and confronted with a 30,000-question database, Yan Ge remained calm and composed, displaying a remarkable composure and admirable mental fortitude.
But now… for some reason, Yan Ge seemed unusually anxious?
This situation was worsening, and Yan Han felt something was wrong, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
In short, his mind couldn’t stop; he had to focus on studying. If he wasn’t, he felt uneasy and fearful.
And let alone the fact that this older brother had never experienced this before when studying, he had never felt this tense and anxious in all his years of life.
Yan Han himself didn’t know what was wrong, and the others were even less aware.
But adhering to the rule that closely monitoring Yan Ge’s mental and physical health was their primary responsibility, the group actually gathered to discuss it.
Wen Juerong, resting his round cheek on his hand, analyzed, “So, is it that she’s on her period again?”
This discussion ended when they discovered Yan Ge glaring at them with a murderous look.
This situation continued until Friday.
Second-year students usually finished school at 8 PM on Fridays, and local students could go home afterward.
However, starting this semester, many local students no longer went home on weekends to focus on their studies, leading to an increase in students staying at school on weekends. To provide a more convenient place for everyone to study, the school still held a long evening self-study session after 8 PM, two consecutive sessions, supervised by teachers. Students could ask questions, and school still ended at 9:30 PM.
This self-study session was more flexible; even boarding students could choose not to attend. It was a privilege exclusive to second-year students at Luze High School, and this day was therefore known as “Freedom Night.”
Of course, regardless of the school’s arrangements, those who didn’t want to study packed up and left the classroom early, while those who did want to study didn’t care what time they left. For example, Yan Han sat obediently until the very last minute before the bell rang.
Actually, he’d rather go back to his dorm to livestream and build his popularity than study in the classroom, but most students were still restless during the first week of school. There weren’t many people staying at school on weekends to begin with, and even fewer who wanted to stick to self-study sessions.
So Yan Han volunteered to do his duty that evening, giving those who wanted to go home or return to their dorms early to enjoy the weekend school atmosphere an opportunity.
Another reason he stayed was that he had been restless and his study efficiency had been low these past few days. Every time he used his deep focus skill, he would force himself to study a little longer in his dorm, which was less efficient than in the classroom. On this rare night of freedom, Yan Han wanted to take the opportunity to indulge himself, to stop his livestreaming and reflect on his life, to see what was really wrong with him.
The school bell rang at 9:30 p.m., and the classroom, which already had only a few students left, emptied instantly. When he finished cleaning the classroom, locked the door, and walked out of the teaching building, a gust of hot air hit him in the face.
The past few days had been consistently hot, even at night, the temperature remained high, muggy and inexplicably irritating.
…Could it be because of the hot weather that he was so restless?
It wasn’t impossible.
He slung his backpack over his shoulder and decided to rush back to his dorm to continue studying.
By this time, most of the students in the teaching building had already dispersed and returned to their dormitories. Yan Han walked alone on the campus road, and besides the cicadas chirping, he heard… the sound of basketballs hitting the ground.
He then realized that he was passing by the basketball court.
But at this time… it was almost ten o’clock. Who would be playing basketball here so late after school instead of rushing home to rest?
Perhaps it was because he had been feeling too depressed these past few days, but he wanted to get closer to the court to relax. Yan Han moved towards the basketball court as if possessed. Then, through the wire fence, he saw a tall, slender figure under the dim streetlights, repeatedly running, shooting, and dunking under the backboard…
When he saw that figure, Yan Han felt as if an invisible hand had grabbed his heart. In an instant, his blood surged and rushed through his body. At the same time, he felt an itch that was almost unbearable.
Not for any other reason than that the shooting form of that basketball was just too damn cool!
…No wonder Lin Jianlu’s basketball skills had improved so much. He probably practiced a lot throughout the summer vacation.
Yan Han immediately realized something.
It was a little embarrassing to admit, but whether it was the other person’s movements that were so captivating, or the focused intensity of their repeated practice, his older brother had been practically glued to the wire fence, spying on them for quite some time before snapping out of it.
…No wonder he’s the campus heartthrob, Yan Han couldn’t help but think. The reason Lin Jianlu had become the seemingly invincible Lin Jianlu he was today wasn’t just due to his high intelligence, but also because he had put in far more effort than the average person.
If studying was his strength, requiring little effort, then his exceptional performance in sports, his absolute weakness, was enough to explain things.
Just a moment ago at eight o’clock, his older brother had clearly packed his bags and left, yet he was still on the basketball court…
Watching, Yan Han even forgot about the sweltering heat around him.
At this moment, his mind was completely focused on the other person’s running and jumping.
It was in this moment of forgetting the heat that Yan Han suddenly realized why he had been acting strangely these past few days.
He was unhappy, and the root of the problem was the upcoming class placement exam.
Why, even though he was now perfectly capable of going to the fourth floor, did he still feel immense pressure?
Because no matter whether he ended up in Class 13, Class 12, Class 11, or even Class 10, it would all be the same to Yan Han.
None of them would be a happy outcome.
In his heart, only Class 9 was special.
Not because it was the best class at Luze High School, but because… Lin Jianlu would definitely be in Class 9 for this placement exam.
The two of them would undoubtedly be separated.
From the first day of school when he heard that there were less than two weeks until the exam, Yan Han already knew— he and Lin Jianlu were destined to only be deskmates for another two weeks.
On the basketball court, Lin Jianlu, who had been practicing the same move for thirty minutes, stopped to catch his breath.
The weather was too hot; even without moving, he was sweating profusely, let alone doing such strenuous exercise.
He was soaked in sweat, his handsome face was also covered in sweat, and his eyebrows and the tip of his nose were covered with a layer of fine beads of sweat.
Lin Jianlu did not wipe the sweat with his hands but instead held the ball in his hands and turned to get a towel from his bag. Unexpectedly, when he turned around, Yan Han was walking towards him with two bottles of water.
Guys, ads are my only source of revenue, so please do not turn on the AdBlock when you are accessing this website…. Thank you, this would be a great help…
You can buy me a ko-fi and sponsor a chapter on: https://ko-fi.com/midnightrambles
Or become a Patron and access advance chapters on: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=45665005
If you support me, I would be able to provide more chapters….
Previous • Table of Contents• Next