The Slacker Academic Always Gets Caught (SLACKER)
After seeing Sun Bowen off with his father and brother, Chi Ning lay on his bed imagining Shen Minyi's expression when he opened the documents and kept laughing so hard he rolled over twice.
Shen Minyi might doubt the authenticity of the data, but being still young, losing Sun Boxing's support meant losing his means of verification.
Sun Bowen's family fleeing Yangcheng City overnight would precisely "prove" the data's credibility.
Someone like Shen Minyi only believes what he wants to believe - he'd desperately rationalize the only unusual aspect in this whole affair.
Like Sun Bowen leaving Yangcheng City overnight to protect his child.
Chi Ning punched his pillow hard, pretending it was Shen Minyi's face, muttering quietly: "Scumbag!"
He grabbed the middle of the pillow and slapped it sharply.
Good practice for potential future use...
Father would surely take advantage of Sun Bowen's departure to purge the Laboratory of moles. Everything was moving in the right direction.
Excellent. He'd sleep more soundly tonight.
While the fake data's impact wouldn't be immediately apparent, gossip papers reported major movements from both the Shen and Chi families.
On Monday, as Chi Ning leaned by the window reading the papers to check progress, Ye Xinran found him.
"What are you reading?"
Chi Ning hummed vaguely, "Watching how others crash and burn."
Ye Xinran leaned against a nearby locker and smiled, "I got early admission."
"Congratulations. Which school?" Chi Ning asked while speed-reading the paper.
It reported the Shen Family was accelerating research on a new drug, planning to release the formula after patenting and include it in medical insurance as a public benefit service.
The paper lavishly praised the Shen Family's approach - clearly well-paid propaganda.
Ye Xinran pressed his lips together as his expression darkened.
Over a month into the semester, apart from occasional hallway encounters, the only way he could see Chi Ning was by bringing university-level questions.
Chi Ning spent more time looking at problems than at him.
Ye Xinran covered the newspaper with his hand, "Look at me when we're talking."
"Okay." Chi Ning folded the paper and turned to him, "Go ahead."
Chi Ning's clear eyes held an innocent purity that made Ye Xinran feel strangely exposed.
He inhaled lightly, "I was selected by Beijing University of Science and Technology. I plan to join a project there before official enrollment, so I won't be coming to school anymore."
Ye Xinran forced himself to meet Chi Ning's gaze, hoping to see even a flicker of reluctance.
There was none.
Only genuine happiness shone in Chi Ning's eyes.
He sincerely congratulated Ye Xinran, "Great school. Congrats. Starting university projects early will look impressive on your resume."
Ye Xinran murmured acknowledgment with his throat tight. If Chi Ning knew early admits could engage with their universities, why stay at their high school?
Because of Qin Heng?
A sour bitterness rose as he hesitated to ask, then finally venturing timidly, "What about you?"
Chi Ning smiled, "Me? I don't need a resume. I'll figure it out later."
He could live quite comfortably just on his dividends.
Ye Xinran tightened his grip on the locker handle behind him. He had originally planned to confess his feelings to Chi Ning before leaving, but now it seemed that not saying anything might be better than speaking up.
When Chi Ning looked at him, there wasn’t a trace of affection in his eyes—just the gaze one would give a friend.
He didn’t have the courage to lose even that faint look.
Ye Xinran released the locker handle. "Thanks. I’ll invite you to visit the capital sometime."
"Sure," Chi Ning replied. "When are you leaving? You’re not even staying for the sports meet?"
Ye Xinran shook his head. "No, I’m leaving tomorrow."
He couldn’t bear to attend, couldn’t bear to see Qin Heng standing by Chi Ning’s side. Even the thought of Chi Ning cheering for someone else made him feel miserable.
If he couldn’t have it, keeping his distance was the more dignified choice.
Maybe after four years of university, his feelings for Chi Ning would fade. After all, most affections don’t last forever.
His parents were proof of that.
Ye Xinran thought this way, but the final "goodbye" stuck in his throat.
He stood beside Chi Ning, gazing at the same scenery.
"Oh, right." Chi Ning pulled open a drawer. "I was originally going to give this to my brother, but since you’re leaving, I think it’s better to give it to you."
He rummaged inside and pulled out a fountain pen. "This one’s a limited edition. A medical equipment company I collaborated with recently said I’d reached the personal spending threshold for their rewards, so they gave me this commemorative pen."
Ye Xinran took it in stunned silence.
The pen was exquisitely designed, its sleek lines and lacquered inlays making it clear that its value far exceeded that of a mere promotional gift.
At the end of the pen were the initials "CN"—likely the abbreviation of Chi Ning’s name.
Noticing Ye Xinran staring at the engraving, Chi Ning quickly explained, "That stands for Chongning. It’s safer to be cautious when ordering personalized items, so I didn’t use my real name. Don’t feel awkward about it."
Ye Xinran cursed himself for not having a time machine to turn back the clock by just one minute.
If Chi Ning hadn’t said that, he could have convinced himself that the initials stood for Chi Ning’s name.
"If you don’t like it, I can pick something else and mail it to you later?" Chi Ning reached for the pen when Ye Xinran remained silent.
Ye Xinran blocked his hand and slipped the pen into his breast pocket. "Thanks, I like it. This is fine."
Even a promotional gift from a medical equipment company was precious. His old pen, which he’d used for over five years, was due for a replacement anyway.
Ye Xinran reached out, ruffling Chi Ning’s hair before daring to pat the top of his head. He withdrew his hand just as Chi Ning’s cheeks puffed up in protest. "If you ever need anything, just email me directly."
"Okay." Chi Ning walked Ye Xinran to the classroom door. Just as he was about to return to his seat to read the newspaper, his eyes met Qin Heng’s, who was leaning against the railing outside.
Qin Heng held a bag of frozen Chinese bayberries and kept popping them into his mouth one after another—already having eaten nearly half.
Chi Ning stared, dumbfounded.
It wasn’t even the bayberry season. Qin Heng’s stash was finite—every berry eaten now meant one less for later. How could he waste them like this?
Each berry disappeared into his mouth, barely savored before being crunched into a pit with a few crisp bites.
Chi Ning walked over to him and, after a two-second pause, asked, "What are you doing here?"
Qin Heng popped another bayberry into his mouth and crunching it loudly twice right in front of Chi Ning. "Come upstairs to see the view," he said.
Chi Ning: ?
Huh?
Qin Heng thought the Chinese bayberries were sour, and his heart felt sour too.
It was one thing for Chi Ning to give Ye Xinran a fountain pen, but he even let Ye Xinran pat his head!
Qin Heng hadn’t even gotten to do that.
Furious, he ate the bayberries he had originally planned to give to Chi Ning on the spot.
Could he confront him? What right did he even have?
Chi Ning stared at the dwindling stash of frozen Chinese bayberries for a long moment before extending his guilty little claws. "Give me two?"
Qin Heng paused, then pulled his hand back. "No."
Chi Ning froze.
Why not? This might be the first time Qin Heng had ever refused him.
Qin Heng grinned and leaned in close. "Asking for things doesn’t work like that. Even Zhang Qiuwen has to call me 'Brother Qin' when he wants something from me. At least say something nice, won’t you?"
Hmm… that did seem to be the case.
Zhang Qiuwen was especially sweet-tongued when he needed a favor, his high EQ making him far more lively and outgoing than Qin Heng.
Very… enthusiastic.
Chi Ning hesitated for a second, only for another bayberry to disappear from the resealable bag.
Watching them vanish one by one, he panicked and blurted out almost immediately, "Brother Heng, save some for me."
"Cough—!" Qin Heng nearly choked on a bayberry pit.
He shoved the bag of bayberries into Chi Ning’s arms, then leaned over the railing of the rooftop corridor while still coughing so hard he saw stars as he faced the flowerbed hanging outside.
Qin Heng stared blankly at the students running wildly below. He had just wanted to hear Chi Ning yield a little, say something—anything—even if it was just a perfunctory "please."
He hadn’t… hadn’t meant to trick Chi Ning into calling him "Brother Heng".
Damn, those bayberries sounded so good.
No, Chi Ning’s voice sounded so delicious.
Qin Heng turned back with his ears burning, and saw Chi Ning with his cheeks puffed out by the bayberries.
The table tennis-sized fruits stretched the boy’s cheeks round and full, yet he didn’t chew—just held them in his mouth and rolled them from one cheek to the other.
Like a little hamster storing food.
The little yellow duck in Qin Heng’s heart quacked wildly: Ningzai’s mouth is so small, what do I do?
The lamb’s wool turned from white to pink: Shut up.
Meeting Qin Heng’s gaze, Chi Ning protectively clutched the bag of bayberries and mumbled, "You already gave them to me. No take-backs."
Qin Heng waved a hand. "No take-backs."
He cleared his throat with his eyes fixed on Chi Ning’s cheeks, then quickly reached out and poked one.
Heh. Just as soft as it looked.
Chi Ning immediately swatted his hand away. "Stop poking. You’re definitely not here for the view. Spit it out."
"Tomorrow’s the sports meet, so we’re taking a day off," Qin Heng said while leaning on the railing. "We’ll be exhausted by the end of the day anyway—no energy left to study. Might as well rest. Let me treat you to dinner?"
Chi Ning gave an "Oh."
Lately, quite a few people had been offering to treat him to meals.
But the sports meet was probably the last hurrah for the third-years. A little relaxation wouldn’t hurt. Besides, Qin Heng was a quick learner—one day off wouldn’t affect their overall progress.
"Sure." Chi Ning spat out the bayberry pit and smacked his lips.
Qin Heng’s sharp eyes caught the corner of a newspaper sticking out of Chi Ning’s pocket. He pulled it out and flipped through it before chuckling at the text. "Did Shen Minyi steal your family’s documents?"
Chi Ning: "Yeah, but—"
"But you guys already swapped them out, right?" Qin Heng’s eyes curved with amusement.
Watching a love rival take a fall was even more satisfying than winning the lottery himself.
"Nice," he said.
Chi Ning recalled the "high emotional intelligence conversation techniques" he had learned and seized the moment to compliment, "You guessed what we did without me even telling you. That's pretty impressive."
Qin Heng gazed at Chi Ning's lips that were tinted a soft pink from the bayberry juice, and thought to himself: Shen Minyi's downfall should be as hard as possible. Chi Ning's smile is truly captivating.
He should smile more often.
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•
Advanced chapters are now available up to chapter 65 (End) on my Ko-fi page!
If you appreciate what I do, please consider supporting me on kofi. Thank you!
•───────•°•❀•°•───────•