Arriving at the classroom, Yang Haoran walked back to his seat and sat down. As for Yaoyao, following the usual routine, she had already arrived earlier.
Sitting in his seat, he noticed a pair of eyes fixed on him; it seemed the person had been staring at him from the moment he entered the classroom.
“Zhao Jun!”
Yang Haoran spotted an old acquaintance. Their eyes met, and the air crackled with intense animosity.
In the end, it was Zhao Jun who couldn’t hold out. He snorted coldly and turned his head away.
The shadow of being beaten last time still lingered in his heart. Now, facing Yang Haoran directly, he still felt some fear, though he was unwilling to admit it.
Coming to class in the morning, he noticed his classmates were looking at him completely differently than before—with what seemed like disdain, or even contempt. It made him feel deeply aggrieved and irritated.
As time passed, students trickled into the classroom one after another.
“You’re here so early today, Haozhi.” Wei Ming patted Yang Haoran’s shoulder in greeting and went to sit behind him.
“You’re the one who’s late, yet you say I’m early,” Yang Haoran retorted, rolling his eyes.
“I was up all night gaming and only got a couple hours of sleep. If it weren’t for the dorm supervisor checking the rooms, I would’ve skipped class.”
Wei Ming looked rather listless. He yawned and said, “Speaking of which, Haozhi, how come I haven’t seen you online lately? I’ve been stuck solo queuing. Last night was so bad I almost lost my mind. The angrier I got, the more I lost, and the more I lost, the angrier I got.”
Hearing Wei Ming mention it, Yang Haoran thought about it and realized he hadn’t touched any games since being discharged from the hospital.
He smiled and casually made up an excuse: “I’ve been busy chasing girls lately. My energy’s limited, so I’m afraid you’ll have to suffer through solo queue for now.”
“You moved on that fast? Who is it, Haozhi? Is she hot?”
Wei Ming was somewhat surprised. Was Haozhi really that bold now?
Yang Haoran’s mind conjured an image of Aunt Shen’s devilish figure and stunningly beautiful face. “It’s not about whether she’s hot or not. She’s a seductress—a captivating enchantress. The kind no man could ever refuse.”
“Damn, for real? Is she that incredible?” Wei Ming’s curiosity was piqued. “Who is she? Someone in our class or another class?”
He mentally scrolled through the people who fit Haozhi’s description. After thinking it over, it seemed no one in their class matched. Yang Mengyao and Xiao Shaowan were beautiful, sure, but they couldn’t be called seductresses. If he had to name someone, the only one in class who might deserve that title was their homeroom teacher, Gu Qingying.
What young teenage boy could resist a mature, beautiful, and smoking hot older woman?
“Can’t say… can’t say…” Yang Haoran shook his head, giving a look that said, You know how it is.
“Hey, Haozhi, that’s not very brotherly of you. How can you just stop halfway? That’s pure torture!”
Wei Ming complained, but seeing Yang Haoran still shaking his head in refusal, he changed his approach.
“Alright, alright… I won’t ask for details. Just give me a little hint to satisfy your bro’s curiosity, okay? Please… Brother Hao~”
By the end, Wei Ming’s tone had turned sweet and coquettish, making Yang Haoran’s skin crawl.
He’d known since they met that Wei Ming had a fiery temper, but he was clearly a closet pervert too.
“You win…” Yang Haoran facepalmed, speechless internally. After a moment’s thought, he decided to share just enough to satisfy him.
“I won’t say who she is exactly, but she’s definitely not in our class. As for her looks, you can just imagine someone with Teacher Gu’s figure and appearance—she’s every bit as stunning.”
“Isn’t that the same as saying nothing?”
“Hold up, Little Mingzi. You’re awfully chatty today. Are you in heat? Want to find one for yourself?”
“Since when is it that easy? Besides, where would I even find someone like the type you described?” Thinking about it, Wei Ming sighed helplessly.
Hearing this, Yang Haoran hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice. “Isn’t Aunt He one?”
“Which Aunt He?” Wei Ming was momentarily confused, though a flash of surprise passed through his seemingly simple eyes.
“Come closer.”
Yang Haoran leaned in toward Wei Ming’s ear and whispered, “He Muchen.”
Immediately, Wei Ming’s eyes widened in disbelief. He was utterly shocked. How does Haozhi know? Is he bluffing, or does he actually know something?
A flood of questions filled his mind. For a moment, he felt utterly disconcerted—panicked that a secret buried deep in his heart had been discovered, yet also faintly sensing a strange, inexplicable thread of anticipation.
On the surface, however, Wei Ming’s face flushed red. If they hadn’t been in the classroom, his eyes, seemingly capable of shooting flames, would have burned Haozhi to a crisp.
Seemingly struggling to contain his anger, he lowered his voice, his tone trembling slightly. “Haozhi, you’ve gone too far. You can’t joke like that. That’s my mom. Do you have any idea what you’re saying? Apologize to me, and I’ll pretend you never said that today. We can still be good brothers after this. Otherwise, there’s no going back.”
“I’m sorry,” Yang Haoran apologized helplessly. Wei Ming’s expression softened a little.
“I found out by accident before—let me be clear, Little Mingzi, it really was by accident.” Yang Haoran emphasized this point. “That computer of yours in the dorm had a virus. When I was cleaning it up for you, I found a Trojan hidden in a folder. Out of curiosity, I opened it and found a lot of torrents. Those torrents—”
“Stop talking.”
Wei Ming cut him off, his face now extremely grim. He knew better than anyone what was in that folder.
Seeing his good friend’s frighteningly dark expression, Yang Haoran said, “It’s just an Oedipus complex. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I just never expected you’d have those kinds of thoughts too.”
“Huh?” Wei Ming was stunned. What had he just heard?
His tone hesitant, he asked, “Haozhi… you have those kinds of thoughts too?”
“If I didn’t have those thoughts, I would’ve kept this secret buried forever, as if I’d never seen it,” Yang Haoran shrugged. If he hadn’t discovered that Wei Ming’s stored torrents were exclusively videos of mother-son incest, he wouldn’t have been so sure, and he wouldn’t have brought it up.
Haozhi’s frankness, however, made Wei Ming feel somewhat awkward.
He felt as though a secret he had buried deep in his heart, believing it could never be revealed, was seen by someone else as no big deal. Is Haozhi crazy, or is the world going mad?
“Don’t you think… in terms of societal norms… that…” Wei Ming stammered, trying to articulate his thoughts.
What Wei Ming wanted to express was that this kind of thing was considered taboo and shocking in the eyes of society. How could Haozhi talk about it so casually and easily?
Did they both slip through the cracks of the same nine years of compulsory education? Were they both exceptions who missed out on the Classic of Morality and Standards for Being a Good Student?
He felt he had been shocked too many times today, to the point of numbness. It was like he was getting to know Haozhi all over again.