Part 2
A person whose virtue did not match his position had become the student with the most power in this academy, manipulating the fates of many.
Clatter.
Lost in thought, the pen in his hand dropped to the ground.
Just then, the bell rang, and the teacher on the podium ended the class on time.
As he prepared to bend down to retrieve the pen, someone beat him to it.
“Your pen.” The person carefully placed the pen gently on the desk.
Wen Rong looked up and saw a familiar face.
If he remembered correctly, it was the Head of the Student Council Propaganda Department.
He couldn’t help but let out a cold sneer. He stood up to pack his things, and as he left the classroom, he tossed the pen into the trash can.
Wen Rong felt this was wrong. People unworthy of their positions should not hold power.
Everyone who compromised and acted cordially with them was an accomplice.
The weather was getting warmer. At five in the afternoon, the sunlight cast long shadows across the corridor.
Wen Rong stood by the window letting the wind blow over him. His hair, which hadn’t been trimmed in a while, was blown back, and his light-colored eyes were soaked in gold by the sun.
When Zhou Xie walked up to him, a fiery red sunset floated on the skyline.
“I went through a period where I felt as terrible as you do now.”
Wen Rong didn’t answer; his eyes blinked repeatedly against the wind.
Zhou Xie continued, “Back when I was being bullied by you.”
“Pffft.” Wen Rong was amused, but he didn’t reply.
“In the past, you drove me crazy. I used to stare blankly at the scenery like this, or smoke. I’d smoke all day long. So, I understand your current mood.”
“You sound a lot like Shi Ye right now.”
Zhou Xie paused, unsure why Shi Ye was suddenly mentioned, but he didn’t refute Wen Rong. He went along with it: “After all, we grew up together.”
“What does it feel like to grow up together?”
After asking, a thought occurred to Wen Rong, and he continued, “When school started, you rigged the votes to bully Shi Ye. You didn’t look like you grew up together at all.”
“Is that so… Can I smoke?”
“Better not smoke in the academic building.”
Zhou Xie obediently fished a cigarette out of his pocket and simply held it between his lips.
“I used to think that if I handled all the conflicting interests well, I could maintain supreme power forever and be my dad’s strongest asset.”
Wen Rong twitched the corner of his mouth.
“Don’t laugh. Many people think this way. The people in the Student Council think this way, and those in the government think this way too, because the whole environment is like this. The Federation’s social structure is about fighting for connections.”
“…”
The air fell silent. Zhou Xie realized that as he spoke, he had somehow circled back to criticizing himself. He hurriedly forced a change of subject. “As for Shi Ye and me being able to act like this now, maybe it’s what you said… the best friends in the world. It’s contradictory; we argue and fight, but compared to others, I trust him a little more.”
“I’m so envious.”
“Yeah…” Zhou Xie’s mood, however, wasn’t great.
He had dissected himself at length, yet Wen Rong showed zero interest, only responding when Shi Ye was mentioned.
“Did you think I was terrible before?” Zhou Xie couldn’t help but take the cigarette out of his mouth and ask in a tone of feigned magnanimity.
“…”
Since it was after class, the sound of students walking downstairs echoed in the corridor.
But this spot was terribly quiet.
The renewed silence made Zhou Xie afraid to press further. He dazedly put the cigarette back in his pocket, his gaze wandering. “Are you hungry? We should go eat.”
He wasn’t a fool. Wen Rong’s attitude was clear: he didn’t want to discuss anything about him. He had no interest in those self-analyses or any avenues to understand him.
He felt inexplicably disappointed, but dared not question it, so he could only carefully avoid the issue.
As he was adjusting his emotions, there was a sudden swish, and Wen Rong slid the window shut.
“Senior Leon told me that many things don’t have a right or wrong, it depends on what position you stand in. I have always stood on Shi Ye’s side, so yes, I think you were terrible before.”
Zhou Xie froze abruptly. He didn’t dare show the bitterness in his heart, forcing a smile.
“But you also have many good points…”
Zhou Xie looked over quickly, expecting Wen Rong to list his virtues.
Wen Rong smiled. “I’m hungry, let’s go eat.”
“You…” You haven’t said my good points yet.
Zhou Xie watched Wen Rong head downstairs. As if knowing he was watching, Wen Rong waved his hand without turning back, like a goodbye.
He’s being smug.
Definitely.
Zhou Xie turned his head. He couldn’t see Wen Rong’s back in the glass reflection, but he received a message on his phone.
[Let’s go, eat.]
Standing still for a long time, he laughed for no reason, feeling the illusion that all his thoughts had been exposed under the sun.
Wen Rong waited for him downstairs, and the two went to the cafeteria together.
Zhou Xie deliberately observed Wen Rong’s preferences: lots of leafy greens, little meat, light flavors, with a touch of sweetness.
He didn’t speak or get distracted while eating, chewing elegantly.
Although he grew up in a welfare home, his habits weren’t terrible, which indicated that in his past life, he had carefully observed his surroundings, sensitively imitating others, trying hard to close the gap between himself and them.
“Are you still in touch with your old friends?” Zhou Xie asked casually, wanting to learn a little more about Wen Rong from the clues.
“Hm?”
“Your friends must be in university… No matter what university, there’s a gap compared to Floriman Academy. They must envy you and contact you often. What do you usually talk about?”
“I didn’t have friends before.”
Zhou Xie’s throat tightened. Realizing he had stepped on a landmine yet again, he couldn’t help but think he should offensively hire someone to investigate Wen Rong’s past, just to avoid upsetting him every time he opened his mouth.
In his panic, Wen Rong looked calm. “But I feel like Floriman Academy isn’t much better than other universities.”
Zhou Xie educated him: “Although you have a bad impression of this place, you can’t question its strength. Floriman Academy’s reputation was won by generations of students doing research and winning competitions.”
“I used to watch the news. There were university students dissatisfied with the inhumane entry rules of amusement parks who sued the park themselves to seek benefits for all tourists. At Floriman Academy, I don’t see such students.”
“The owner of the amusement park is likely an alumnus of Floriman Academy. Under normal circumstances, a junior wouldn’t sue a senior.”
“Besides, Floriman Academy students don’t use the ordinary channels to enter amusement parks.”
After rattling all this off, Zhou Xie saw Wen Rong looking thoughtful and realized he had said the wrong thing. He shut his mouth in a hurry.
His anxious mood forced him to explain, “I’m just analyzing the reasons based on objective facts, I don’t mean anything else.”
“I understand. You mean that Floriman Academy students are all vested interests; they wouldn’t flip their own table.”
“Mmh…” Zhou Xie still felt guilty and changed the topic. “After the project seminar, there is the Federal University Student Tennis League and the Mock Parliament National Debate Competition. The Student Council President has to help manage the events. Just wait and watch Lin Jinghang make a fool of himself.”
“You said Floriman Academy students are great at competitions, so how will Lin Jinghang make a fool of himself?”
“For every major competition, the Student Council President has to lead the team. At the very least, they have to help verify all procedures to prevent errors in their data or processes. Lin Jinghang’s personality isn’t suited for these things.”
“What are you chatting about?”
A voice that didn’t belong to Wen Rong suddenly cut in.
Leon sat down next to Wen Rong with his tray.
“Senior!”
Wen Rong’s eyes lit up, making Zhou Xie viscerally realize that someone who had been kissed was indeed different. Seeing Leon made him happier than the prospect of watching Lin Jinghang fail.
“Mm, what were you talking about just now?”
“I was thinking about the causes of the atmosphere at Floriman Academy. Zhou Xie just provided me with a very good line of reasoning.”
“Oh? Let’s hear it.”
Wen Rong smiled shyly. “Just some immature thoughts, better not to say them.”
Sensing that Wen Rong was guarding against Leon, Zhou Xie happily poked the bottom of his bowl with his chopsticks.
Leon maintained his smile. “There’s a new movie out recently, want to go see it?”
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