Apartment 48, Dorm 612, the [uncountable]th late-night talk session.
Location: Zhang Yingxuan's bedroom.
Time: After lights out.
Tools: One night light, various snacks and drinks.
Everyone ate and drank, lying side by side on the bed. The night light on the desk cast a warm, orange glow onto the ceiling, bathing the dark room in a soft, dim light.
Zhang Yingxuan, feeling down, recounted Zhou Ping's recent situation, leaving everyone speechless.
Zou Jiaqi clicked his tongue, "What should we do then!"
Wei Changjun, however, hit the nail on the head, "His spirit is broken. He's probably questioning life right now."
Simon: "..."
Zhang Yingxuan sighed, "This kid, he used to be so full of life. Now he's half-dead, and it just breaks my heart to see him like this."
Zou Jiaqi hummed in agreement, "Isn't that the truth? He was always the one who loved to argue with teachers in class."
Wei Changjun: "He's pretty much done for."
Everyone nodded, having nothing more to say.
Simon took out his phone to check his alarm. A minute ago, Su Xiangli had set a new alarm for him, scheduled for two minutes later.
He smiled, got out of bed, and paced back and forth in the corner of the bedroom by the window. His friends were still immersed in a sense of shared sorrow, but he quietly tapped the alarm to check the recording.
He held the speaker to his ear, lowering the volume, and it was as if Su Xiangli was whispering to him, "I'll be back in two days, have you missed me?"
Simon chuckled to himself for a while, then sent an alarm recording back, "Of course! The exam is the day after tomorrow, right? You must do your best, don't be nervous."
While he was speaking softly and sweetly, his three mischievous roommates behind him mockingly imitated his words. "You must, do your best, oh~"
"Hehehe..." x3
Simon turned to glare at them, mouthed'shut up,' and turned back to continue recording.
"Sigh!" It was unclear who sighed heavily first, but everyone followed suit.
Zhang Yingxuan asked with extreme confusion, "Do you guys think games are really that important?"
Simon, in the midst of his busy schedule, leaned over and chimed in, "Of course they're important!"
Everyone stared at Xiao Lu with disdain, "You don't even play games normally, you have no right to speak, step down!"
Simon stiffened his neck, wanting to argue, but after thinking it over, it seemed he really hadn't played any good games in this life. Alas, the youth mode truly was the root of all evil, stifling the gaming dreams of a seasoned player.
Suddenly, Zhang Yingxuan sat up with a start, pulling off his air-conditioned quilt. The chatterbox and the stomach bug frantically grabbed their quilts, covering their sexy bare torsos, cursing and asking him what was wrong.
"No! I can't just watch my good brother wait for death like this, I have to save him," Zhang Yingxuan declared firmly.
Zou Jiaqi poured cold water on the idea, "Give it a rest. If he doesn't want to study himself, and you care so much about him, don't let him lead you astray and drag your grades down too."
Wei Changjun also chimed in, "Right, Zhou Ping, to put it not so nicely, is both insecure and stubborn. He always likes to save face. If you directly offer to help him, he'll think you look down on him."
Zhang Yingxuan had known Zhou Ping for so long, how could he not understand his personality? His roommates were right. They were all young people; no one wanted to admit they were inferior to others. How could he directly tell Zhou Ping, 'You're too bad, I'll teach you'? He had to be more subtle, to reignite his spirit.
Or, simple and brutal?
"My good brothers, it's time to use our wits!" Zhang Yingxuan cried out to the heavens.
The plan to save the struggling student Zhou Ping began!
...
On the blackboard in the study room, a large line of red text read: "51 Days Until the Mid-term Exam"
The F4 group from Dorm 612 of Apartment 48 surrounded the miserable student Zhou Ping. He was now at a crossroads, a dead piece in Go; he was not only caught between two difficult choices but also ambushed from front and back.
Zhou Ping was restless but dared not move around aimlessly in the study room, so he leaned in close to Zhang Yingxuan's ear and whispered, "What's going on?"
Zhang Yingxuan snorted, "Study. You're going to study for us. We're watching you. If you don't study, we'll show you what campus bullying is like."
The Four Heavenly Kings of Ninghu Middle School's Junior High Elite Class 1 all sneered, and the diligent little darlings in the study room all shrank their necks.
"It's so cold." A struggling student on the pass line dared not speak, only shivered.
"Such strong killing intent!" This one was a student with uneven grades, excelling in one or two favored subjects, but still had to humble himself before true academic overachievers.
"Those four over there are masters." Academic overachievers are drawn to each other, and this fellow's eyes were already gleaming with a strange light.
The person involved, Zhou Ping: Now I regret it, I regret it very much... No, wait, what did I do wrong? Isn't it just not studying? If someone has to be a good-for-nothing, why can't that person be me?
"Hey, hehe, no, brothers, don't be so serious. The mid-term exam is coming up, and tomorrow there's a weekly test. You guys should study, don't mind me."
Ninghu F4 said nothing. They just silently extended their hands, placed them in front of Zhou Ping, and slowly clenched them. The four tough men's hard iron fists reflected a scorching aura under the cold light of the study room, making Zhou Ping's face contort in fear.
"Little brother will start studying now, right now!"
Zhou Ping tremblingly poured out his homework from his backpack. With a whoosh, test papers for various subjects piled up into a small mountain. The coerced Zhou Ping suppressed his tears and began to write furiously.
Seeing him diligently working, Ninghu F4 quietly retracted their fists and also pulled out a stack of papers from their own bags to relieve their boredom.
Midway, Zhou Ping needed to go to the restroom. As soon as he stood up, the Four Heavenly Kings also stood up right after him, with a whoosh, like bodyguards hired by a wealthy family, but in reality, more like four police officers escorting a prisoner.
In the restroom, Zhou Ping stood before the urinal, four teasing gazes from behind him making his whole body tingle.
"My good brothers, when I'm peeing, can you not stare at me?"
Simon and the others casually averted their gaze, but after waiting for a long time, they didn't hear the wonderful sound of 'rain hitting plantains.' Zhou Ping awkwardly pulled up his pants, "Nervous."
"Are you going to pee or not?" The Four Heavenly Kings' tone was cold.
"Uh, I'll do it later."
...
At eight o'clock, evening self-study ended. No one left. Zhou Ping was on pins and needles. After an internal struggle, he finally gave up resisting and honestly stayed to do practice problems.
It wasn't until nine-fifty, an hour before lights out, that people gradually started leaving the study room.
"Let's go, time for a late-night snack." Simon stood up gracefully. The other three ruthless studying machines also stretched, moved their legs and feet. Poor Zhou Ping, who was caught in the middle, finally let out a sigh of relief.
After everyone slurped a bowl of beef rice noodles in the cafeteria, they walked back to the dorms with their backpacks.
Along the way, the boys joked boisterously, howling and wailing. Suddenly, at some point, someone didn't pick up the conversation, and the atmosphere fell silent.
Zhou Ping stopped. Ninghu F4 turned to look at him.
"What's wrong?" Zhang Yingxuan tilted his head.
Zhou Ping shrugged, "Thanks."
Everyone laughed together, "Thanks for nothing!"
That year, they were in the prime of their youth.
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