Chapter 25: The choice was Huo Wenyuan, wearing a deep-V silk pajamas. ...

The summer solstice had arrived, and the sun's direct point reached the Tropic of Cancer as expected. The cicadas' chirping and the scorching wind of yesteryear had revived. Under the sign for Class 1, Grade 2, the bright sunlight shone on the marble floor, casting a few spots of light.

In the classroom, the homeroom teacher, wearing a pink polo shirt, walked back to the podium, removed the small bee bag he had slung across his shoulder, and his head gleamed in the indoor light.

His gaze suddenly caught a spot, his eyes narrowing rapidly as he threw the chalk in his hand, hitting the target with a ballistic trajectory.

"Shang Zui, what was I just talking about?"

The familiar, soul-searching question made Shang Zui shudder. He immediately threw the comic book in his hand into his drawer, embarrassed and bewildered, looking like he had a miserable fate. Meanwhile,

his deskmate, dressed in gay purple, spread his hands, grinning with a sinister, cunning, and taunting smile.

Shang Zui was furious, his teeth itching. He cursed him from head to toe, but he had no idea what he'd just said. His deskmate was a traitor, so he could only accept the ridicule.

He'd lost face, he thought, since he'd been nagging him all along.

But then, just in time, the fair, obedient girl in front of him turned like an angel and whispered a hint, her chestnut hair radiating a holy light.

Shang Zui understood instantly and looked confidently at Xie Bu Ruo: "Competition!"

"Competition?" The homeroom teacher stepped down from the podium and pulled a comic book from his desk drawer. Flipping through it, he asked, "Tell me more, what competition was I talking about?"

Shang Zui: "..."

He cast a pleading look.

Without even turning back, the homeroom teacher stopped the message: "Gu Ci, even though we're no longer deskmates, you still love to help him."

It sounded like a rebuke, but the tone wasn't harsh.

Still, Gu Ci lowered his eyes guiltily and whispered a very quiet apology, "I'm sorry, Teacher Xie."

Facing his beloved student, Xie Bu Ruo couldn't bring himself to scold or say anything. He simply glared at Shang Zui fiercely, then turned and walked up to the podium, holding the confiscated comic.

Shang Zui slowly exhaled, patted his frightened chest, and shook his head.

"Oh my god, four years later, and I still can't escape Xie Bro's clutches. What kind of curse is this..."

Gu Ci, who had heard this from the front, pursed his lips and smiled quietly. He remembered that after the high school entrance exam, when Xie Bu Ruo announced his transfer, Shang Zui burst into tears and even hugged Xie Bu Ruo, refusing to let him leave Xichen. But he behaved well at the start of his freshman year. 

This was because Xie Bu Ruo had only been transferred from Xichen's junior high school to the senior high school, and, coincidentally, he was their English teacher and homeroom teacher. 

Shang Zui never regretted it again. 

That year, their class performed consistently, with scores far exceeding the key admission score, and two-thirds of the students stayed in Xichen's senior high school. Now, after preliminary subject rankings, Class 1, with the exception of a few exceptionally talented special recruits, consists entirely of students who were among the city's top 100 that year. 

Xie Bu Ruo, on stage, continued his previous topic: "This time, we have two good news to announce." 

"First, congratulations to Huo Wenyuan for winning the gold medal in the Xihua Cup Mathematical Olympiad for the second time!" 

"Second, congratulations to Gu Ci for winning the city-wide biology competition. He and five other students, including Qu Zhi, also took second place in the team competition!" 

The class erupted in enthusiastic and sustained applause. 

"Several of you are excellent students!" Xie Bu Ruo showed his approval, but then he said to Shang Zui, who had single-handedly lowered the class average, with a look of dismay, "Shang Zui, look around you. The students sitting in front of you are ranked first and third in the class, and your deskmate is ranked second. How come you haven't benefited from this?" 

Shang Zui blushed like a monkey's butt and took the opportunity to plead, "Not all top students can teach by example. How about you swap Qu Zhi and Gu Ci? I guarantee you'll see significant improvement!" 

Xie Bu Ruo ruthlessly exposed him, "Come on, with your unrefined personality, even ten Gu Cis sitting around you wouldn't be enough." 

The whole class burst into laughter, and Gu Ci couldn't help but cover his mouth and look at Huo Wenyuan, pursing his lips slightly. 

Qu Zhi gloated at him, "Just accept it. It's your honor to sit next to me." 

Shang Zui's lips were pouting. 

In order to be placed in the same class as Gu Ci in high school, he went back and begged his brother for half a summer, and he was specially assigned to this class as a gifted student. He had thought he and Gu Ci would continue to sit together, but Huo Wenyuan suddenly appeared and intervened, completely shattering his dream of having an angelic deskmate. 

Xie Bu Ruo couldn't stand Shang Zui's clinging and crying, so he simply made him sit behind the two top students and arranged for Qu Zhi, a less docile but excellent student, to sit next to him. 

With that, Shang Zui's good days were over. 

Xie Bu Ruo, completely disregarding his fate, picked up his phone to confirm the message, then put it down again, smiling at the students, "Besides the good news, I have a bonus." 

" This year's masquerade ball is scheduled for next Wednesday night. You can get ready for your favorite clothes, makeup, and dance routines." 

The audience was silent for a few seconds, then erupted in a collective, sharp roar: "Great!" 

After class, the entire room was buzzing with discussion about the ball. Shang Zui, too, slumped over his desk with excitement, beaming with joy as he asked Gu Ci, "Gu Ci, your azure suit from last year was so pretty. What are you planning on wearing this year?" 

Gu Ci shook his head and said, "I haven't decided yet." 

Last year was his first time attending Xichen's masquerade ball, and Huo Wenyuan had chosen his outfit for him on the spot. 

Thinking of this, he stole a glance at his deskmate, who was intently flipping through an economics book to his left. 

Last year, he had been absent due to health reasons. This year... it should be fine, right? 

Shang Zui's eyes rolled, as if he had an idea. "I just happened to see a new Chinese-style outfit in a pale yellow hue yesterday. I think it suits you perfectly. I'll recommend it to you when I get home!" 

"Thank you, Shang Zui!" Gu Ci thanked him with a smile, and asked with concern, "So what do you want to wear? " 

Shang Zui said, "I haven't decided yet, but..." 

He smiled smugly, "There's also a pearl purple color in that series. If you can't think of anything to wear, I'll wear that! That way we can have the same style!" 

Gu Ci said happily, "Okay!" 

Qu Zhi, on the side, disagreed and righteously accused Shang Zui, "Please give the purple back to Qu Zhi!" 

"Thanks for sending me the link. At least Gu Ci and I should be wearing the same style." 

Shang Zui: "..." 

"Get out of the way." 

Qu Zhi rolled his eyes at him and said to Gu Ci, "My pretty girl, don't listen to Shang Zui. Wear the same style as me, and then we can team up to dance!" 

As soon as he said this, the person flipping through the book in front stopped and gave him a cold look from the side. 

The scene physically cooled down. 

This time, Huan Shang was the most gloating, rolling his eyes back at Qu Zhi. 

Qu Zhi felt terrified every time Huo Wenyuan stared at him like that, but he couldn't show his fear in front of Gu Ci, so he asked dryly, "What's wrong, Huo Wenyuan, do you also want to wear the same clothes as our little pretty girl?"

Gu Ci, alarmed, carefully tugged at Huo Wenyuan's shirt to soothe him.

A sharp, cold sneer curled Huo Wenyuan's lips, and he asked, "We?"

His eyes were cold, devoid of warmth. Meeting that aggressive, dismissive gaze, Qu Zhi suddenly felt his teeth ache again.

Shang Zui approached Qu Zhi, fanning the flames: "Brother, that's enough. Just jump a few times and run. Don't really piss off this Buddha."

Qu Zhi raged, puffing out his chest: "Who's afraid of pissing off..."

Well, he was afraid.

The four who deliberately provoked Huo Wenyuan at that time have now all been sent across the ocean. According to the confessions and reflections circulated afterwards, not a single one of them described Huo Wenyuan as anything but "crazy" or "cruel." If he had arrived a few steps later, he didn't know if his legs and arms would have been saved.

Although Qu Zhi admitted that they were indeed idiots, he had no judgment at the time and simply let them go and joined in the fun, which almost led to a serious mistake.

But didn't Huo Wenyuan's punch also send his teeth flying two meters? That even cancels it out, right?

Qu Zhi wasn't afraid of death, but he was still clearly timid. He took a step back and said, "Then let Gu Ci choose who will be his dance partner next week."

"Ah? Me..."

Gu Ci was forced to have the choice he didn't really want, and his fingers tightened around the corner of Huo Wenyuan's shirt.

Huo Wenyuan turned his head expressionlessly, and when he looked at Gu Ci, his voice suddenly softened, his eyes tender, and he replied, "You have the final say."

Shang Zui: "???"

Qu Zhi: "..."

...Okay, this is too much of a difference in treatment! Colder than an ice cellar to them, but so gentle to Gu Ci? Is

Huo Wenyuan still human?

Gu Ci knew without looking up that three pairs of eyes were staring at him. His eyelashes trembled slightly, and he felt a little embarrassed.

Including Qu Zhi, they were all friends. Wouldn't it be bad if he only favored one?

Shang Zui and Qu Zhi said in unison, "It's okay, Gu Ci. You can choose whatever you want. We'll listen to you."

They said this, but inwardly they were secretly competing.

Gu Ci bit his lip and looked at Huo Wenyuan. After much hesitation, he bravely expressed his inner thoughts.

"I want to be in the same group with Brother Wenyuan...is that okay?"

Shang Zui and Qu Zhi were immediately disappointed.

But the low pressure that had been looming around them clearly dissipated. Huo Wenyuan rubbed Gu Ci's head affectionately and said with a rare smile, "No one dares to say no."

The two people behind him stood up at the same time, one to the left, the other to the right, leaving their seats.

Qu Zhi wanted to howl at the heavens: "I just can't understand. Huo Wenyuan is such a jerk, selfish, cold, and dictatorial. Why does Xiao Piaoliang always choose him?"

Shang Zui, who had long seen through the truth, said quietly, "Because he treats Gu Ci differently than he treats us~"

Qu Zhi clenched his fist in anger: "I've already inquired. He's not Xiao Piaoliang's biological brother. Although no one knows why they've been living together, why does he always keep her so close?"

Shang Zui was also mentally unhinged, quietly mad: "I don't know. Maybe he's talking about friendship and bond, and that's it."

Qu Zhi: "..."

For his own safety, Shang Zui naturally wouldn't choose the same style as Gu Ci's. He only sent a picture of the model displaying the clothes.

The smartest person in the universe: [Picture][Picture][Picture]

The smartest person in the universe: [What do you think, little Gu Ci? //Show off]

Gu Ci had just come out of the shower and was drying his hair when he clicked on the picture and was immediately attracted to it. It must be said that Shang Zui really knows him well. From the color to the style, it was a style he would like.

A little Gu Ci: "It looks really good!" Could you please send me the link, too? //Looking forward to it]

The smartest person in the universe: [I knew you'd like it!]

The smartest person in the universe: [You want the link? Why not just ask Huo Wenyuan? //Chuckling]

Although he didn't know why Shang Zui said that, Gu Ci still forwarded the picture to Huo Wenyuan, just for reference: [Brother Wenyuan, this is the dress Shang Zui was talking about. What do you think?]

H quickly replied: [Like it?]

Gu Ci clicked on the picture to enlarge it, examined it carefully, and still liked it, so he clicked send with a lamb nodding emoji: [Mm-hmm!]

H: [Okay.]

Gu Ci: ?

He just wanted to get Huo Wenyuan's opinion. What did "okay" mean?

H then sent another message: [The designer will come over tomorrow night to take your measurements.]

Gu Ci was confused.

Couldn't he just buy it online? Why did he need to take measurements?

Just as he was wondering, there was a knock on the door.

The person knocking on the door at this hour was most likely Uncle Feng. Considering whether it was something important, Gu Ci put down his phone and jogged over to open the door. However, his slippers slipped and he lost his balance and fell forward, finally crashing into a hard obstacle.

Although the "obstacle" was a bit rough, it had a subtle elasticity that successfully prevented him from falling to the floor.

Gu Ci raised his head in shock, looked up, and then froze.

It was Huo Wenyuan in a deep V silk pajamas.