Chapter 15

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Chapter 14 | :C Contents :C | Chapter 16

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Translator: Silvery

PR: Decadence

Truth be told, Yu Sheng really wants to admit that he guessed them all.

But this tactic has already been feigned by Jin Linkun before.

Not only did he fake it, he even emitted provocation from every single one of his pores and said it in such a matter of fact manner. Moreover, he even tagged the word “Friend” with it, ultimately making everyone who heard it think of paying a visit to his family.

Even now, that picture of Yu Sheng socking him right off the bat remains floating around in the message history of the thousand-men crowd. Yu Sheng had effortlessly landed himself on an unwanted pedestal, and that scene has been crowned the single most gratifying moment since the camp’s grand opening.

Bunching the question paper up in his hand, Yu Sheng stands at the door for a full five seconds before he lifts his head.

The allure of Reading Comprehension seems quite tempting indeed.

The room had instantaneously plunged into a deafening silence. No one’s practicing their oral anymore. Teacher Wan similarly looks up at him from where he’s sitting, his face full of anticipation, whereas the gathering of Academic Tyrants all direct their gazes at him, their pleading puppy eyes awaiting his words.

……

Yu Sheng raises a hand. While Jin Linkun’s still inching closer, intrigued by the question paper, he grabs him and he backs them out into the corridor.

Jin Linkun was still sneaking a peek at the question sheet when he was hauled out along with him. Looking up once he regains his footing, those eyes behind the spectacles seem a little uncertain.

Yu Sheng looks at the one and only legendary Study God before him. Remembering Wan Yongming’s words from just now, he feels strangely let down. He tows him over to the windows before he scrunches up his brows, and he interrogates under his breath:

“Why didn’t you get them all right?”

Jin Linkun: “……”

His new roomie’s suddenly all concerned about his studies. He can’t help but feel a bit unsettled.

This question came rather abrupt. Despite his hands having found purchase on the window sill, Jin Linkun lets his shoulders incline downwards with the push Yu Sheng exerts on them. He parts his mouth in thought, about to say something when his eyes drift up.

Having been utterly and completely annoyed by the sight he was submitted to, the other youth’s voice had fallen to a whisper. Yu Sheng’s usual habit of keeping everyone at a distance was momentarily ditched in favour of pressing a firm hand on Jin Linkun’s shoulder, his somewhat bony shoulders hunched in with the motion.

The boy is in the midst of a growth spurt. Lean and slender, his long lashes are fine and luscious. The gorgeous line of his brows is knitted tightly.

Eyes deep and dark, with a flicker of fire in them, they bore out at him in a wide-eyed glare.

……

Jin Linkun subconsciously stills under such a look. In a strange turn of events, he lurches into a bout of self-reflection over his negligent attitude during the exam.

“You’re right. The blame lies with me..”

His reply comes quick. Swiftly snapping back to himself within a split second, he rubs his forehead and drops both modesty and pretence for once, apologizing with utmost sincerity:

“I counted the marks and thought it’d be enough.”

Yu Sheng: “……”

Jin Linkun raises his head, peering at him questioningly.

“……It’s nothing.”

Yu Sheng pulls a hand over his own face:

“I shouldn’t have pulled off your mask.”

He truly hadn’t expected – This person turns out to be even more annoying when he’s not acting pretentious.

Not wanting to admit his defeat in the least, Yu Sheng releases his shirt and furrows his brows, looking over his paper with a lowered head for a couple more times.

It’s been a long time since the last time he truly studied up. His vocabulary bank has long since bit the dust. The number of words he can understand on this paper alone is so limited, even if he bites the bullet and goes up there, he’d not clear the minimum requirements for making a believable lie.

Yu Sheng truly can’t bear to throw down his pride and go upstage to say crap like “The answer for this question obviously isn’t A, B, or D, so it is clearly C”. Riffling through the few sheets of paper, he rubs his forehead vigorously.

With the pull on his clothing suddenly gone, Jin Linkun straightens up and eyes that question set.

Subsequently, his gaze trails up to that hand, and lands upon the person carrying those papers.

Yu Sheng’s clothes were soaked through, so the article he’s wearing presently is his dress shirt. The sleeves are rolled up neatly and they stop at the bend of his elbows. The dress shirt is also properly buttoned up to the neck. Yet, it carries a totally different flair from when it’s on him.

Though it’s clearly worn in all the right ways, it cannot stifle the hard steel in the youth however much it tries.

Vibrant and untainted, wild and untamed, and without answering to anyone, he seems to break free of all restraints, sticking his head out the metaphorical gates rebelliously.

Jin Linkun raises his hand without thinking.

Yu Sheng has long since developed an immunity to him. Slapping his half-raised hand away with ease, he frowns and squints hard at the paper.

“You’ll be fine. You don’t have to go into the details. It’s enough just to give them your line of reasoning.”

Alas, Jin Linkun detects the scorn and conflict that were fast materializing towards this paper. Thinking it over again, he leans over to kindly offer his assistance:

“How did you do it?”

Yu Sheng looks up and deadpans:

“With my finger on my wrist, answering 1 question every 6 beats.”

…That sounds a bit familiar.

Jin Linkun coughs lightly and rubs his nose. Just when he’s about to switch things up and try a new method of discussing with his new roomie, a sudden thump comes from behind them.

Upon raising their heads, the Vice-Captain, Student Kong Jiahe is there, staring dazedly at the door.

He had obviously heard Yu Sheng’s words just now. Face a bit pale, his gaze oscillates between the two of them and he opens his mouth, but no words come.

As a matter of fact, he even looks a little like he’s on the brink of tears.

Yu Sheng feels a pulsing migraine coming through.

Realizing the ambiguity in his words just now, Yu Sheng lowers the paper:

“I mean, I really guessed them all.”

No sooner had his words fallen, he looks up and eyes the two people before him.

“……”

Yu Sheng: “The both of you, why don’t you try putting a little faith in me for a sec?”

Kong Jiahe has clearly not processed any of that. He lifelessly picks up the Oxford Dictionary that had slammed onto his legs, pushes the door open, and floats into the multi-purpose room.

Jin Linkun meets his gaze. He drops his hand, and he obligingly declares, wholly sincere:

“I believe you.”

Yu Sheng does not believe him.

Not wanting to imagine what it’ll be like after the Vice-Captain enters the activity room, Yu Sheng decisively shoves the paper into his hand and turns to head back to the dormitories so he can gather up his things and fence-vault.

He has only just taken a step when he is gently held by the shoulder.

Yu Sheng’s shoulders become taut. He raises a hand to push away this rascal without the slightest notion of personal space, but Jin Linkun has already gotten right up to his side, his shoulders dropping slightly:

“Do you not like English?”

……

Yu Sheng’s brows rise for a moment.

He didn’t know there was such an option before.

For the first time ever, this person doesn’t seem the least bit aggravating. Glancing at Jin Linkun, Yu Sheng is blunt to the point:

“I don’t.”

Given his prior experience with this guy, he no longer dares to give careless one-lined answers. With long-suffering patience, he explains:

“I really hate it. My end-of-year exams’ essays were all done with pīn yīn*.”

(*Eg: “My end-of-year exams’ essays were all done with pīn yīn”:

“wǒ qī mò kǎo shì doū shì ná pīn yīn xiě de zuò wén”

。 Understandable (:? )

This method is undoubtedly beyond the comprehension of those Academic Tyrants and co. above them. Jin Linkun does not speak up. With his hand still placed on his shoulder, he thinks it over while standing in place.

Yu Sheng has already gotten used to these people being astounded by him. Too lazy to deal with his ridicule, he is just about to peel off his hand when Jin Linkun stirs back to life, nodding with absolute conviction:

“That makes sense.”

Yu Sheng: “……”

He’s heard that line more than once now.

The first time was when this person went ahead and washed his face for the sake of a toilet break. The second time was before this guy shamelessly plagiarized his answer before the masses, directly throwing him between the wolves and a hard place.

Yu Sheng didn’t mind it before, but now that the dots have been connected, he has finally picked up on it.

Jin Linkun must be diligently studying a way to make others overlook him then pull the rug out from under them when they least expect it.

……

If he stays with this person for long enough, when karma comes for his arse and lightning finally strikes Jin Linkun, he may very well be struck alongside him.

Yu Sheng raises his hand and grasps onto Jin Linkun’s sleeve. He pulls off the arm that is on his shoulder.

Jin Linkun doesn’t resist, letting him throw his arm aside easily:

“Are you really leaving?”

“If not, what else?”

Yu Sheng says calmly:

“I’ve said it. I guessed the answers for every question. The only English word I’ve memorized is abandon. I’m not hardworking. I don’t study diligently. I got it all right because I lucked out this time, and every time from now on, I’ll—”

He bites down on his tongue violently.

…He can’t jinx himself anymore.

If he really guesses right every time from here on out, he might never be able to take a step out of this Summer Camp.

This is too terrifying.

Though it’s too little, too late, he has finally gained some wariness over this mouth of his. Yu Sheng opens his mouth but swallows the last words he had wanted to say. He meets Jin Linkun’s still gaze head on.

“……”

Yu Sheng: “Do you have a pen?”

Jin Linkun: “……?”

Half a minute later, Yu Sheng sits in place and wonders expressionlessly. How exactly was he coaxed into the classroom by that bastard’s head ruffle all for the sake of a pen?

The main reason must lie with his head.

Yu Sheng slouches on the desk. Jin Linkun had tipped Teacher Wan off on how Yu Sheng is feeling unwell from a stomach-ache and thus volunteered to take his place behind the speaking podium. Looking up at him now, Yu Sheng can’t help lifting his head and brushing the crown of his own head.

……

There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with it.

Yet when that guy patted down and smoothed it over twice, his legs began following him without knowing.

When this is all done and over with, he should look at that hand to see if there’s some spell drawn on it.

Yu Sheng leans back, putting his weight on the chair’s backrest, and he peers over at the speaking podium.

Jin Linkun is surprisingly serious when he is explaining the solutions.

He must have done some public speaking countless times. He looks so at ease with it, it seems like nothing more than a walk in a ballpark. He even maintains eye contact with his audiences through it all. In the short space of time where Yu Sheng looks up, their gazes have met for at least 3 times.

That set of gibberish seems to be even easier than pīn yīn in Jin Linkun’s hand. With a flick of his eyes, he easily translates it all into Chinese.

He has got a striking appearance to begin with. With a couple printouts in one hand and long, narrow dark eyes separated by his glasses, he seems to be painted in an aloof yet elegant air. Slender and long digits close loosely over a piece of chalk as he swiftly draws out a string of beautiful cursive English on the blackboard.

Yu Sheng squeezes his eyes shut, running his tongue over his tiger’s teeth subconsciously. The pen in his hand twirls two rounds.

The phone placed in the storage under the table suddenly lights up.

Yu Sheng pulls it out for a glimpse. It’s a message from Duan Lei.

Sheng Gē! How are you faring in Summer Camp? You don’t have to attend classes and do drills, do you???

I swear to God. I really didn’t intend to betray you back there. It’s just, those bunch of academic tyrants were too charismatic, too eloquent, and too ambitious! They scared the shit right out of me! At least you had your time to shine. The three generations of my line have never once gotten a passing mark. I think that really isn’t a world I can step into at all…

Speaking of which, weren’t you empty-handed when you went there? Are you planning to buy the things you need there? D’ya need me to drop you a visit?

Yu Sheng leans backwards, typing a couple lines in reply with his phone. He tells him to spare the effort as he will be purchasing the things he needs here.

Turning off the display, he is just about to dump his phone back in when Duan Lei sends one last message.

Sheng Gē, what does it feel like to be studying? Does it feel cool?

Yu Sheng freezes and stares at that message.

His eyes are downcast. The fingertips hovering over the message box stop for a while before he sees Jin Linkun standing behind the speaking podium, words flowing effortlessly to him. He lowers his head again.

Just when he’s about to type out a response, Jin Linkun draws a close to the cursive penmanship which is out of everyone’s realm of comprehension. His pleasant and riveting low voice resounds.

“…Just by reading the question, it is not hard to tell options A, B, and D are wrong.”

“Therefore, it is quite obvious the answer should be C.”

Yu Sheng: “……”

Back in City H, Duan Lei is cradling some take-out fried chicken in his arms and happily duelling it out in an Internet Café when the handphone on the table lights up.

Yu Sheng: Cool, my ass.

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Next Time on DTTM!

Chapter 16: <Couples’-Blouse?>

Preview: Self-explanatory. Fufu~

The author has something to say:

Sheng Gē: You guys, give me a little trust. Thanks : )

Silvery:

Decadence: Oh, Sougo, maniacal boy we stan.

Anyway, JLK has gotten YS’s weak point on the spot, patting his head, and making YS follow him like a puppy.

He also has the mind reading ability to BS the same way as YS does. No wonder people wanna kill him.

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Chapter 14 | :C Contents :C | Chapter 16

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