Chapter 33

Cheng Xiaoyu returned to his monotonous life of three points in a line: school, practice room, and home. His daily pleasure was watching his weight decrease on the digital scale. Unfortunately, the pitifully small reduction in numbers did not bring him any significant changes. With the final exams approaching, Cheng Xiaoyu also immersed himself in the heavy burden of exam preparation.

Occasionally, Tang Wenqian would send text messages to chat with Cheng Xiaoyu. Cheng Xiaoyu played the role of a gay person so convincingly that he discussed cosmetics, skincare, clothing coordination, makeup techniques, and even teenage girls' intricate heart matters with Tang Wenqian. However, Tang Wenqian never mentioned meeting up again. Cheng Xiaoyu did not mind; to him, this was just a small调剂 in his dull life. Unfortunately, this girl's impression of him as a gay person would likely not change.

Xu Qinling no longer doubted that Cheng Xiaoyu was a gay person. She even enjoyed chatting with this funny fat guy about anything. In her heart, she had already upgraded the creepy fat guy to a cute fat guy, though she was not fully aware of these subtle changes in her feelings.

Without the excuse of rehearsals, Cheng Xiaoyu now had to lie and say he was hungry, eating the lunch Xia Shamo brought during breaks, and then helping Xia Shamo improve her diet. Seeing Xia Shamo's rosy complexion and slightly fuller figure, Cheng Xiaoyu felt a sense of accomplishment, though he himself was moving further away from the word "slim."

Chen Haoran ordered another bass drum, and Cheng Xiaoyu said he would teach during the winter break. In exchange, Chen Haoran would also tutor Cheng Xiaoyu in his studies, explaining the difficult points, key points, and exam techniques.

Wang Ou downloaded and printed out guitar tutorials from the internet, and as soon as class was over, he would seek Cheng Xiaoyu's advice. Cheng Xiaoyu always answered his questions. Wang Ou was even more excited and eagerly looked forward to the winter break, thinking about practicing in the Forest of Lights.

Since Cheng Xiaoyu started driving to school, his relationship with Su Yuxi became increasingly distant. Even Cheng Xiaoyu doubted whether greeting Su Yuxi, who always showed no reaction, made her more annoyed.

Life continued in this simple and boring way. The visible change was the increasing number of love letters Xia Shamo received. Cheng Xiaoyu and Wang Ou often opened and read them without permission, commenting on which one had poor writing and which one was vain and exaggerated. The heart matters of young boys were like the aquatic plants at the bottom of a clear lake, thinking they were hidden deep enough, but in fact, everyone could see them.

Another exciting thing for Cheng Xiaoyu was that his music studio was being built at a visible pace. Qiao Sansi had brought in the company's recording studio director to take charge and hired a design team to communicate with Cheng Xiaoyu. Aunt Zhou also approved two more garages for Cheng Xiaoyu to expand his territory. When the design renderings came out, Cheng Xiaoyu would smile in his dreams. However, the renovation and equipment installation would not be completed until the winter break. As for the cost, Cheng Xiaoyu did not know, but it was definitely a significant amount.

In the last week before the exams, Cheng Xiaoyu's head was spinning from memorizing history. Despite his excellent memory, he was only sensitive to music and had to memorize other texts by rote. When it was time to leave school, Cheng Xiaoyu cleared his mind, which was a mess, and packed up everything in his desk. The next week, he would face the final exams. The homeroom teacher, Mr. Wang Wei, announced some precautions, gave some encouraging words, and then dismissed the class.

All club activities were canceled for the week, and after class, Wang Ou did not need to go to the gym. The two of them went downstairs together, and the hallway was crowded with people. As they passed the third floor, Su Yuxi happened to be walking down the hallway.

Today, Su Yuxi had her hair in a bun, her face as fresh as the morning dew, her long and graceful neck crystal clear, and her steps and nods exuding charm. She carried a backpack on her left shoulder and held several reference books in her right hand. In the crowded hallway, a small space was left around her, and no one got too close to her.

Cheng Xiaoyu paused slightly, a bit hesitant. If he continued walking, they would meet at the corner of the stairs. Whether to greet her or not was a dilemma for Cheng Xiaoyu. Just as he was hesitating, their eyes met in the air. Cheng Xiaoyu's expression froze for a moment, and he gave an awkward smile. Just as both of them seemed at a loss, the crowd began to stir. The crowd on the left side of the hallway suddenly parted, and the handsome Chen Jiajun emerged from the crowd like a god descending from heaven.

Today, the basketball team captain, Chen Jiajun, was dressed in a white suit with a red bow tie. His handsome and beautiful face radiated a sunny aura. He held a Swarovski crystal rose and walked toward Su Yuxi, followed by a group of basketball team members in black suits holding red roses. The entire hallway was stunned into silence, and all eyes were on this golden couple.

"Su Yuxi, can I have a few minutes of your time?" Chen Jiajun stopped in front of Su Yuxi and asked.

"Oh, is there something?" Su Yuxi looked up at the well-dressed Chen Jiajun and then looked down, unwilling to meet his intense gaze.

"I'm transferring to Yanjing next semester, and I don't want to leave with any regrets."

"Then I wish you success in your studies and a smooth journey." Su Yuxi smiled lightly and said softly.

Chen Jiajun took a deep breath and shouted loudly, "Su Yuxi, I like you. I've liked you since junior high school." His voice was so loud that it startled a flock of sparrows from a nearby camphor tree. The entire hallway, filled with people, fell silent for a moment, then erupted into applause and cheers.

Chen Jiajun continued, "Maybe you don't remember me from junior high school. My grades weren't good back then, but when I heard you might be recommended to Fudan High School, I studied hard and got in. Knowing you liked basketball, I signed up for a basketball class during the summer and practiced every day to become the team captain. I didn't want to disturb your life; quietly watching you was enough for me. But because of some reasons, I have to transfer next semester, and I can't leave without confessing to you. I don't expect you to accept me now; I just hope you can give me your phone number, giving me a chance to still touch your life. No matter which university you go to, I will follow you. If you don't like me, I will be your knight and protect you. If you accept me, I am willing to spend my life with you. I will prove my commitment with time, and all the students here are witnesses." Chen Jiajun knelt down and held up the rose, like a knight waiting for the princess's approval.

The high school students watching applauded enthusiastically. Such a scene was unprecedented in the history of Fudan High School. A few girls near Cheng Xiaoyu whispered, "So romantic! If someone confessed to me like this, I would be so happy." Such chatter continued nonstop.

Wang Ou clapped even more enthusiastically and said to Cheng Xiaoyu, "No wonder Chen Jiajun never spent time alone with any girl. He likes the goddess Su Yuxi too. This scene is so earth-shattering."

Cheng Xiaoyu sighed inwardly. Being handsome is romantic; being ugly is tragic.

Su Yuxi was a bit nervous with such a public scene, even though she often performed on stage with a larger audience. She had been confessed to before, and some people pointed and whispered from a distance. But this was the first time she encountered such a grand scene. Teachers were maintaining order from a distance but did not interrupt the confession. After all, high schools were relatively more open about relationships. Chen Jiajun, who was always among the top students, and Su Yuxi, who was always in the top few, were typical of the hormonal impulses of young people. Such scenes, even on such a golden couple, were not without their flaws.

Amidst the loud cheers, Su Yuxi hesitated for a moment and then asked Chen Jiajun to hand over his phone. She entered a number on the phone and said something that shocked Cheng Xiaoyu, "I don't have a phone right now. This is my brother's phone number. If you want to find me, you can call this number."

Sure enough, Cheng Xiaoyu felt his phone vibrate. This was a scene he could not accept, and he wished he could rush up and ask Su Yuxi what was going on.

Chen Jiajun took back his phone, cherishing it like a treasure, and asked with a red face, "Can you accept this crystal rose as a keepsake?"

Su Yuxi shook her head, "This is too expensive. I can't accept it. I have to go to my tutoring class now."

Chen Jiajun, having used up all his courage, saw that his main goal was achieved and quickly stepped aside, allowing Su Yuxi to hurry down the stairs. The cheers and applause continued.

Cheng Xiaoyu followed the crowd downstairs and took out his phone to see a message from an unknown number: "Brother, hello. I am Chen Jiajun, Su Yuxi's classmate."

Cheng Xiaoyu immediately sent his first text message to Su Yuxi, "WHATAREYOU doing?"

After a long time, just as Cheng Xiaoyu was about to reach the practice room, he received a reply from Su Yuxi, "All love and passion, regardless of how elegant and ethereal they appear, are rooted in libido, the strong impulses for one's own life are only love." This is a famous quote by the German philosopher Schopenhauer. This indirectly showed Su Yuxi's attitude toward love, seeing through the surface to the essence, and also indicated that her complete worldview was beyond the reach of a young boy like Chen Jiajun. Cheng Xiaoyu sighed for the handsome young boy and was taken aback by Su Yuxi's mature response, marveling at the depth of her spiritual world and cultural foundation. Such a prodigy was not something ordinary people could tame.

In a world where even English was not popular, learning a more niche language like German required not just intelligence but a superior attitude. Cheng Xiaoyu, at his age, only knew how to play video games and read martial arts novels. As for philosophy, he could only laugh. Fortunately, with Su Yuxi's thirty years of life experience, he could cope. Otherwise, in an era without translation apps on phones, he would have lost all face. Cheng Xiaoyu adjusted the input method on his phone and thought for a moment before replying, "Every rose in the world has thorns. If you give up because of the fear of being pricked, then you will never smell the fragrance of the rose." This is also a famous quote by Schopenhauer. As a seasoned literary youth, not knowing a bit of Schopenhauer and Nietzsche would make it hard to survive in the literary circle.

Su Yuxi replied quickly, "All happiness and all things forever. Wanting honey, wanting dregs, wanting to be drunk in the middle of the night, wanting a grave, wanting the comfort of tears at the grave, wanting the gilded sunset." This is a passage from the German philosopher Nietzsche's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," roughly meaning that human desires have no end, and one cannot start or indulge in them.

Cheng Xiaoyu replied with another famous quote by Nietzsche, "He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." This was Cheng Xiaoyu's kind reminder to Su Yuxi that while we can learn and understand profound philosophies, we should not live our entire lives by them.

They continued to exchange quotes from Kant, Hegel, and Heidegger until they finally stopped.

When the phone stopped flashing, Cheng Xiaoyu sighed in relief. Conversing with such a person as Su Yuxi was a brain-burning task. Fortunately, his years of being a literary youth finally paid off. In his previous life, when he tried to use his knowledge of Nietzsche and Schopenhauer to impress some cute girls, he found that the world had changed. The girls would first ask where he lived and what car he drove. As for cultivation, could it be used as a credit card? Could it pay for a night at a five-star hotel? Could it buy an LV bag? Could it get a Maserati tire?

This made Cheng Xiaoyu lament the decline of morals and the loss of traditional values for a long time. In his university days, playing a guitar under the teaching building could get him a date, and a meal of spicy hot pot, a few songs at a KTV, and a couple of beers could get him a one-night stand. Those days were long gone. After that, he could only find solace in music and books.

After practicing Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier for a long time in the practice room, Cheng Xiaoyu received another message from Su Yuxi, "See, the theater must be paid for."

It seemed that giving Chen Jiajun Cheng Xiaoyu's phone number was Su Yuxi's punishment for Cheng Xiaoyu seeing the embarrassing scene. It also meant that their philosophical dialogue was officially over, and neither had convinced the other.

Cheng Xiaoyu was speechless. He didn't want to see it, and it was a false accusation. He replied helplessly, "I am not afraid of the world, but I am afraid of you."

At dinner, seeing Su Yuxi act as if nothing had happened, Cheng Xiaoyu had to marvel at how women were natural actors. For Su Yuxi, it seemed as if nothing had happened, and she did not even look at Cheng Xiaoyu more than usual.

As for Chen Jiajun's phone number, it was dragged into the blacklist with a cold laugh from Cheng Xiaoyu.

(Of course, the author is not a girl lover, but the protagonist is! The protagonist is! The protagonist is! A certain person is gradually falling into the dark abyss of desire.

Cheng Xiaoyu: "Do you want some H content?"

"Do you know what the Clean Internet Campaign is?" the author asked.

"No H content, I will go on strike," Cheng Xiaoyu said angrily.

"Damn, I don't even have many clicks, and you think you're a big shot?" the author raised the keyboard.

"Fuck, I haven't even hooked up with a girl yet, and you expect someone to read it?" Cheng Xiaoyu smashed the guitar in his hand.

"...... By chapter 33, you've already hooked up with a girl. How am I supposed to write the rest? This isn't a harem novel! Kid," the poor author muttered.

"No meat, no harem, you're going to fail!" the readers shouted.

The author was completely flustered in the wind.)

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