tn content=”To Open a Small Kitchen”] 开小灶 /Kāi xiǎozào/ to give preferential treatment [/tn]”
The class division system of Chengnan Yizong is strict, and the distinction between fast and slow classes is like a barrier.
Every month, the school conducts a monthly exam, screening out the students at the bottom of the fast class based on their grades and replacing them with high-achieving students from the slow class. The school claims it’s to prevent them from falling behind, but in reality, it’s a subtle form of motivation, a constant pressure looming over everyone’s shoulders.
Guo Jingyu originally thought that with his solid foundation in English, he wouldn’t end up too miserable. But reality hit hard. He gave it his all, coupled with Li Tongzhou’s effort and private tutoring, but he just barely managed to cling to the bottom spot in Class Seven.
When the monthly exam results were released, Li Tongzhou unsurprisingly held onto the top spot. Guo Jingyu’s scores saw a slight improvement, but his ranking remained steadfastly at the very bottom.
Gazing at the 475 points on his exam paper, Guo Jingyu felt a myriad of emotions welling up inside.
Seeing this, Li Tongzhou whispered, “It’s only the second year of high school for now. Take it slow, you’ll catch up.”
For the first time in his life, Guo Jingyu received such a high score, and a sense of accomplishment swelled within him. “Not bad, I’ll keep working hard,” he said. Back when he took the entrance exam for the Central Academy of Fine Arts, he ranked first in his major, entering the academy with just over 400 points in the academic subjects. If he had achieved a score like this back then, he might have been studying at Tsinghua without a doubt.
Li Tongzhou was seriously concerned, and offered more encouragement than pressure.
He had no clue that Guo Jingyu, despite being a self-proclaimed academic underachiever, carried a hint of pride being a scumbag.
As students gathered in the cafeteria during lunch, Guo Jingyu, with the assistance of He Xiangyang and others, skillfully secured a spot and set up a makeshift canteen. But the table by the window was avoided by many students who didn’t dare to approach.
He Xiangyang prepared two servings of meals, placing a milder, vegetarian dish on the inner side and a meatier one on the side, waiting for his boss to arrive.
At first, Li Tongzhou was a bit uneasy when he was brought here, but slowly he got used to it.
Li Tongzhou ate quietly, accepting the chicken leg Guo Jingyu offered him as if everything tasted the same to him, without any distinct preferences.
He Xiangyang initially thought it was Li Tongzhou being picky with his food. But looking closely, he realized that their Yu Ge was even more picky. Many times, after taking a bite, he’d generously pass it over to Li Tongzhou. His movement was so skilled, He Xiangxiang doesn’t believe this is his first time doing so.
He paid closer attention and always felt that there was something wrong.
He remembered Li Tongzhou, a top student, seemed to have some kind of cleanliness obsession?
How did he become so close to their Yu Ge now? It’s like they are good brothers wearing a pair of pants.
After lunch, Guo Jingyu organized the study group to head to the rooftop for self-help learning.
Their “NetEase Board of Directors” had never disbanded. In addition to studying hard, Guo Jingyu didn’t forget about his friends. The group remained the same, and he made an effort to bring them along.
These group of people are now scattered across different classes. He Xiangyang, Sun Hua, and he has the closest relationships. Besides attending noon-time remedial classes together, they also have several weekly basketball team practices. Guo Jingyu set an example and put in extra effort into his studies. As his score visibly improved, his friends unconsciously followed suit. One by one, they pulled themselves up, and slowly, change began to take shape.
Guo Jingyu was very pleased. He didn’t expect a drastic change in these people overnight. Something like this was enough.
Being able to acknowledge one’s shortcomings and slowly work towards improvement is what matters. As teenagers, it’s never too late to make changes.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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But most of Li Tongzhou’s time and energy were dedicated to Guo Jingyu. While he would answer others’ questions, it was without the same patience he shows when assisting Guo Jingyu.
Li Tongzhou spoke little and maintained a stoic expression during casual conversations. Coupled with the halo of being the top student in the grade, it created a somewhat uneasy atmosphere in the group of underachievers, making them hesitant to talk with him.
Sun Hua was among the most improved in their group. He was the first person after Guo Jingyu to pass in math. When Li Tongzhou asked if anyone had questions, the others immediately pointed to Sun Hua. Sun Hua bit the bullet and asked two questions. When Li Tongzhou asked again, he shook his head and said he had none, excusing himself to study on his own.
Li Tongzhou nodded. “Alright.”
After saying that, he went to tutor Guo Jingyu.
Sometimes few people around would take advantage of Li Tongzhou explaining problems to come over and listen in.
“Passing through point P, draw a straight line intersecting the asymptotes of the hyperbola at points P1 and P2… Jingyu, you’ve written in the wrong place.”
“Huh?”
“We’re on the third question now.”
Guo Jingyu looked confused, “Weren’t we just calculating the probability of hitting the bullseye a moment ago?”
“That was the previous question. You’re distracted again.” Li Tongzhou raised his hand and lightly tapped him, unexpectedly even laughing.
Guo Jingyu lowered his head, staring at the test paper for a while before muttering, “This question’s calculations make me want to go shoot at a target with an air gun. It’s been ages since I played that. The last time, I hit 18 balloons and won a little bear! Hey, Li Tongzhou, is that amusement park we used to go to in junior high still open? I wonder if they still have balloon-shooting games.”
Li Tongzhou fell silent for a moment.
The surrounding academic underachievers held their breath, a couple even breaking into a sweat on their foreheads. Holding Li Tongzhou in as high regard as their teachers, just the sight of him not speaking was enough to send shivers down their spines.
After a moment, Li Tongzhou finally said, “It should still be open.”
Guo Jingyu stretched lazily, “Let’s go check it out next time. I want to take some photo booth pictures.” The midday sun made him a bit sluggish, so he couldn’t listen any longer. He stood up decisively, saying, “I’ll go buy some water. What do you want?”
“Just mineral water is fine.”
Guo Jingyu took note and inquired about a few more people. He Xiangyang didn’t dare to trouble him and volunteered to run the errand himself. Guo Jingyu smiled, “No need. Keep studying for a bit longer, and I’ll bring back some cold drinks for you. It’s a good chance to take a walk and refresh the mind.”
After Guo Jingyu left, the others were still a bit slow to react.
It seemed like the top student wasn’t angry?
He xiangyang had been looking at him. He couldn’t shake the feeling that when Li Tongzhou talked about the amusement park with Guo Jingyu looked so at ease, so natural, and not the least bit like a top student.
Guo Jingyu quickly returned with water. Not only did he bring a bottle of mineral water for Li Tongzhou but also grabbed a bag of chilled ice cream. With an ice popsicle dangling from his mouth, he crunched away, looking so energetic.
He divided up the food among the others, and being a fan of cool treats, Guo Jingyu tok another ice popsicle, this time a green bean flavor. When he opened it, it revealed two sticks side by side. Just like that, he and Li Tongzhou each shared half of it.
As the group chatted, the topic shifted to the stocks that Guo Jingyu had suggested buying earlier. Sun Hu said excitedly, “Yu Ge, that one you mentioned last time really went up! My dad tried buying a bit, and it shot up a lot. He even added more. Now, every morning, he wakes up and keeps a close eye on it.”
Another person chimed in, mentioning that their aunt’s investments had also seen gains, and followed suit and invested in their own homes.
Guo Jingyu recommended stocks that had grown steadily over the past two or three years. If they weren’t exceptionally outstanding, he wouldn’t bother remembering them. So, he wasn’t concerned if their families bought more. At this point, investing in them was practically a guaranteed win.
As this crossed Guo Jingyu’s mind, he turned to Li Tongzhou and asked, “Is it convenient for you to buy stocks on your end?”
Li Tongzhou replied, “It’s alright. Why do you ask?”
“I’ve got some funds on hand and I’m thinking of buying them separately. If it’s convenient on your end, could you help me buy a bit?”
The two of them discussed in low voices while Sun Hua watched for a moment and smiled, “Yu Ge, you guys really have a great relationship!”
Guo Jingyu proudly said, “Of course, we have. You wouldn’t understand!”
Ever since Sun Hua joined the study group, what he said the most was this sentence. This became his nickname “Sun doesn’t understand.”
Meanwhile, that goofball He Xiangyang was still making efforts to join the topic. Although he struggled in exams, when it came to business, he had a way with words. “Yu Ge, I know about stock trading! My dad has been into online stock trading lately. He bought the two stocks you mentioned, and he even told me to thank you properly!”
He Xiangyang’s family had some money. His dad made a fortune in the herbal medicine business. Although he does not look smart, He Xiangyang had a keen interest in doing business. When he got excited, he could talk endlessly. He sat down beside Guo Jingyu and Li Tongzhou, showing no intention of moving away.
“My dad and others went to Gansu this time to collect herbal medicine. The prices there are really cheap. Those big Hami melons? Just a few cents per kilogram. And there are grapes and dried apricots—set up casually at the night market, free for the taking. Eat to your heart’s content, then grab a sack to fill up. My dad was collecting almonds this time, and he said he’d never seen such high-quality ones. It makes me want to go see for myself!” He Xiangyang’s eyes sparkled. “I heard the art class teacher is taking them to study professional courses now, staying outside for two or three months. That’s really great, isn’t it?”
He Xiangyang envied those who could breathe fresh air and yearned to explore the outside world. After expressing his sentiments, he asked, “Yu Ge, didn’t you mention wanting to study art too? If you sign up this time, you could join us for an outing!”
Guo Jingyu didn’t pay much attention to He Xiangyang’s words. But Li Tongzhou, who was sitting nearby, raised his head and asked, “Are you going?”
Guo Jingyu shook his head. He didn’t want to leave early.
Right now, there was nowhere else he wanted to be. All he wanted was to see Li Tongzhou every day.
Just catching a glimpse makes him happy.
He Xiangyang whispered some gossip, “I heard many people in the art class are dating, and some even have two partners!”
“Two partners?”
“Yeah, there’s a girl in the art class. She has a local boyfriend, and when they go for the study program, she’s got another one in the art studio. Yu Ge, even though you don’t stay on campus, this news has spread throughout the boys’ dormitory!”
Li Tongzhou pushed while turning the book paused for a moment, obviously also listening.
He Xiangyang excitedly continued, “By the way, Fan Jiali is also studying art now. Yu Ge, what do you think about…”
Guo Jingyu wished he could shut him up, his face darkening. “He Xiangyang, you’re sitting on my wrong-answer notebook.”
He Xiangyang quickly stood up, awkwardly laughing, “I didn’t see anything. What were we talking about just now?”
Guo Jingyu replied coldly, “We were discussing the solution set of the inequality <x+1.”
He Xiangyang: “…”
If Sun Hua was dubbed “Sun Doesn’t Understand,” then He Xiangyang was practically “He Redundant.” Guo Jingyu settled a personal score by dedicating the remaining time to keeping a close eye on him during the exercises. He Xiangyang’s 1.8 meters height shrank in his seat, completely clueless about what he had said wrong, looking so distressed he was on the verge of tears.
Li Tongzhou didn’t say much. But in the afternoon he took the initiative to request a seat change from the teacher, moving to the last row and becoming Guo Jingyu’s desk mate.
This was completely different from what Guo Jingyu remembered. He couldn’t recall this ever happening before.
Guo Jingyu kept looking at Li Tongzhou and this time, it wasn’t just a view of his back. He could see his profile, which was a bit novel for him.
Li Tongzhou’s eyes met his, and he asked, “What’s the matter?”
Guo Jingyu scratched his cheek. “How come you moved to the back row?”
Li Tongzhou replied, “I got taller.”
In sophomore year, the boys began their growth spurts, and a height of 1.78 meters was quite common in the northern region, with a few students even reaching over 1.80 meters. Li Tongzhou had grown taller. Despite the teachers’ desire to keep this top student close and provide care, his increased height sitting at the front really blocked the view for other classmates. They had to reluctantly let him go and take a seat in the back row.
Guo Jingyu wasn’t quite used to it. Out of habit, sometimes he would instinctively glance ahead and pause, only to realize it didn’t feel right before he remembered. Then, his gaze would go to the side.
Li Tongzhou attentively attended class, half-drooping eyes focused on note-taking. Sitting near the window, his face seemed to be bathed in sunlight, appearing so fair as if he was crafted from elegantly sculpted lines.
Guo Jingyu thought to himself that his little boyfriend was as beautiful as a work of art.
So handsome.
While Guo Jingyu stared at him, he began sketching a profile portrait. He had already come up with a ready-made excuse. If Li Tongzhou noticed and asked, he would simply say it wasn’t sneaking a glance but using him as a model!
If anyone asked, he would say he liked him.
He really likes Li Tongzhou.
Guo Jingyu’s pen danced on the paper, portraying his crush. The features were cool and distant, with high-arched eyebrows, a well-defined nose, thin lips, an Adam’s apple, all extending beneath the shirt collar, just like the real person himself.
K: Being a single dog is really hard ah~
Thank you for the chapter~
Being married in the real world is also sometimes not exactly a win when compared to these novels…😅 Thank you for the chapter 😘