"Lu Yu…"
In the classroom office, the air conditioner blew cool air directly onto Lin Beixing's head.
She was now wide awake.
Before her sat the math teacher in a wicker chair, sipping hot tea slowly, his tone earnest and heavy with concern:
"Back when you entered high school through the entrance exam, your grades were quite good… So why did you stop studying once you got here?"
"This is senior year—the most critical time. If you keep letting yourself slide, everything you've worked for over the past ten-plus years could go to waste."
"I'm not going to talk about regrets in the future. I just want to ask you: don't you feel you're betraying your own past efforts?"
Jiangshui No. 1 High School had always boasted strong faculty, each teacher with their own unique style.
This math teacher, in particular, was known as one of the kindest.
Their class's math teacher, Mr. Zhang, was already quite elderly—deep wrinkles lined his eyes and mouth, half his hair had turned white, and the thick lenses perched on his nose could've been either reading glasses or myopia correction; it was hard to tell.
It was said Mr. Zhang had reached retirement age and would retire after teaching Lu Yu's cohort.
Perhaps that was why he showed such special care toward this graduating class.
Even now, at the final stretch—when most teachers had already given up on struggling students—Mr. Zhang still refused to abandon anyone, tirelessly trying to rouse them from apathy.
Lin Beixing looked at the kind-faced teacher and felt momentarily lost.
As class monitor, she often helped Mr. Zhang collect homework, so they'd interacted frequently.
In the past, Lin Beixing had always spoken to him as a "top student," and Mr. Zhang had always greeted her with gentle, approving smiles.
This was the first time she was seeing things from the perspective of a "problem student."
Under Mr. Zhang's worried gaze and cautious tone, Lin Beixing felt a pang of guilt.
"Mr. Zhang… I'm sorry…"
She lowered her head, avoiding his aged, earnest eyes.
All of this stemmed from the fact that Lu Yu hadn't done his math homework.
And true to her promise that morning, she'd reported it honestly to the teacher.
'Lu Yu's' apology caught Mr. Zhang off guard.
Normally… Lu Yu would never apologize like this.
No matter how many times he was scolded or made to stand in the hallway, Lu Yu would always stay completely silent—never uttering a word of defense or remorse.
He wouldn't yield to softness, nor would he bend under pressure.
Teachers had long given up on him—mostly leaving him alone.
Now, however, 'Lu Yu's' attitude felt like a surprising, hopeful shift.
Mr. Zhang suddenly thought: *Maybe this kid still has a chance.*
"I won't press you about the missing homework," Mr. Zhang waved his hand, pulled open a desk drawer, and took out a thick stack of paper.
More precisely—a stack of printed test papers.
"These are typical problems I've compiled over my decades of teaching. Work through all of them—they'll help you immensely."
"Thank you, Mr. Zhang…"
Lin Beixing nodded gently.
But the sheer weight in her arms…
Faced with this sudden, massive pile of extra math assignments, Lin Beixing didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Her math had always been strong, so she normally spent very little time on it each day.
If she really had to finish all these papers, her carefully balanced study schedule for other subjects would fall into chaos.
"Read the questions carefully. If you don't understand anything, come ask me in the office—or ask your classmates. Just hand me two completed papers every day. That's manageable, right?"
Mr. Zhang was clearly pleased with 'Lu Yu's' attitude.
He'd seen many students start seriously studying only in their final year. Regardless of the outcome, the effort itself made their youth worthwhile.
"No problem… Mr. Zhang."
"Hurry back to class. It's only ten minutes until the next period—stay focused this afternoon."
Mr. Zhang reached out and patted 'Lu Yu's' sturdy shoulder lightly.
'Lu Yu' gave a soft, meek reply and dashed out the door, clutching the stack of papers.
To Mr. Zhang, 'Lu Yu's' behavior seemed a bit… odd. But he couldn't quite pinpoint why.
"Must be my imagination…"
He lifted his porcelain teacup, blew gently on the surface, and took another sip.
Outside the office—
Lin Beixing quietly closed the door behind her.
The sharp contrast between the cool AC and the sweltering heat outside made her shiver.
She walked briskly, hurrying back to the classroom as fast as possible.
Not just because class was about to start—but because she had a far more urgent problem to deal with.
She'd drunk too much soda.
She really, *really* needed to use the bathroom.
**SUPER! URGENTLY! NEED! TO! PEE!**
—
Meanwhile…
Lu Yu sat holding an English textbook, earphones in, gazing at the pages with a distant look.
Not a single word on those pages had registered in his mind.
In his ears played an audiobook he'd just discovered—a heartwarming, comedic slice-of-life story about raising a catgirl. He was thoroughly enjoying it.
Just as he was getting absorbed in the narrative, a rapid series of message alerts buzzed through his earphones, making him frown.
Lu Yu had very few friends—people who actually messaged him were even rarer.
This was the first time he'd experienced such an intense barrage of notifications.
*"Ding ding ding ding!!"*
The insistent pings annoyed him enough to pull out his earphones.
He unlocked his phone—and was met with a flood of messages.
Lin Beixing's profile picture was a cute pink rabbit, drawn in simple lines. Judging by the amateurish style, she'd probably drawn it herself.
Right now, next to that rabbit avatar, a long string of exclamation marks screamed urgency.
**BeixingStar:** Lu Yu!!!!
**BeixingStar:** Something's wrong!!!
**BeixingStar:** It's an emergency!!!
Lu Yu lifted his eyes calmly and typed three characters:
**Yu:** What's up?
**BeixingStar:** It's just that…
**BeixingStar:** …I need to pee.
Immediately after, Lin Beixing sent a photo of the entrance to the girls' restroom, followed by another message:
**BeixingStar:** Can I go in…?
Lu Yu's lips twitched.
He replied coolly:
**Yu:** Go ahead. Later, I'll use your body to check out the boys' restroom too—just for the experience.
The "Typing…" indicator at the top of the chat window froze.
Half a minute passed before Lin Beixing responded.
First came a crying cat emoji.
Then this message:
**BeixingStar:** …I'm going to the boys' restroom.
**Yu:** It's empty right now. Just close your eyes, go in, and use the stall on the right—the stall, not the urinals.
Most of the time, Lu Yu was actually pretty reliable.
He definitely didn't want Lin Beixing wandering into the open urinal area.
If she saw anything… she'd probably scream using his body, and Lu Yu had no interest in watching himself shriek in the boys' bathroom.
After a moment's thought, he added one more line:
**Yu:** By the way, I usually hold it with my right hand.
He sent the message and put his phone away.
He wasn't sure if Lin Beixing would understand.
But… well, she'd probably figure it out once she got there.