“I’ve already met up with Xiaojing, we’re heading home together. Are you going back to the dorm now, Senpai Youjie?”

Only about ten minutes later, Shi Taoxiang sent me that message.

“Yeah, I’m heading back now. Be careful on your way home.”

“Okay, Senpai Youjie~” She even added a cute sticker.

If I hadn’t met her in real life and was only chatting with her on LINE, I’d really think she was just this bubbly, adorable girl.

I turned off my phone, thinking that, and kept walking toward the boys’ dorm.

“Hey, come with me for a bit.”

Out of nowhere, a guy with short, messy blond hair popped out. He was tall and skinny. He threw an arm over my shoulder, and I couldn’t shake him off for a moment.

“What do you want?” I glanced at the armband on his arm. Looked like a Disciplinary Committee member.

“Just come quietly and you’ll find out.”

So I was more or less dragged to where the Disciplinary Committee all hung out.

Put simply, it was their little base.

“Biao, what’d this guy do this time?”

The one asking was a sturdy, intimidating-looking dude, the type who looked like he’d be deadly in a fight. His face alone could scare people.

“Ask him yourself.”

“I’m too lazy. I gotta go home.”

He grabbed his jacket, slung it over his shoulder, and walked out.

“Always trying to look cool. Tch.” The tall skinny blond guy looked down on him hard.

“You were cuddling and flirting with a girl in public just now, weren’t you?” He turned his attention fully on me.

“No, I wasn’t.”

“Don’t lie when you’re in here. It’ll only make things worse for you. Our eyes and ears saw everything. Doing something that breaks the rules, and you’re that blatant about it?”

“I really wasn’t flirting.”

“You two were literally hugging. And you call that ‘not flirting’?” He was clearly annoyed.

“The situation was dangerous. I was just trying to save her.”

“Save her? That lame excuse again?” He flopped down onto a chair.

“It’s the truth. I’m not lying. Things were critical at the time, there was no room for hesitation.”

“People give me hundreds, thousands of excuses every day. My ears are growing calluses. And yeah… I don’t really care if people date or not. But at least have some sense of boundaries. Like me… I’m super conservative.”

He suddenly stood up and smacked my shoulder hard.

“Biao-kun…”

“Huh? Where’d you pop out from, you nerd? Trying to give me a heart attack?”

“Biao-kun, you’re still betraying your comrades like always, huh.”

Out of the shadows walked a short, chubby guy who looked pretty brainy. The lenses of his glasses were reflecting white light, and he was holding a book—some kind of “Complete Collection of Olympiad Problems”?

“Isn’t it normal to introduce yourself when you meet someone new?”

“You talk too much. I’m Chen Biao. This guy’s Fatty.” The blond guy, Chen Biao, introduced us impatiently.

“I’m not ‘Fatty’!”

“It’s just a nickname, why’re you so hung up on it? Even if you tell him your name, he’ll forget it anyway. What’s the point, right?” Chen Biao turned his eyes to me. I nodded slightly.

“See? Waste of saliva to self‑introduce.”

“It’s basic manners!” The chubby guy looked a bit exasperated.

“I’m Liao Bo, member of the Disciplinary Committee. I’m good at solving any math problem.”

“Quit selling yourself like a street vendor.”

“You’re bottom of the class in math. Just stop talking.”

“You’re really pissing me off, you know that?”

“That’s just a fact. All you know is 1 + 1 = 2.”

“I’m… really pissed off!”

It felt like they might start bickering for real—or even throw hands—any second. Maybe I should slip away while I still could.

“Where do you think you’re going? Your issue isn’t settled yet.” Chen Biao pressed my shoulder down again.

“What did he do?”

“Ugh… Public romance. School forbids dating, you know.”

“Love is a pointless, nutrition‑free activity. Just a waste of time. You’d be better off doing an Olympiad problem.”

He started scribbling in his notebook, and actually solved what looked like a super complicated Olympiad question.

“Th–That’s amazing…”

That display honestly made my jaw drop. I couldn’t understand a single symbol. It was like staring into the vast universe—something completely beyond me.

“That was just a warm‑up.”

Liao Bo pushed up his glasses. The lenses flashed white again, making it hard for me to keep my eyes open.

“You’re always messing with that crap, you damn fatty.”

“Can you not call me ‘fatty’?”

“You’re fat, but we can’t say it? Whatever, let’s deal with this first. Otherwise when the Boss comes back, she’ll say we’re inefficient again.”

Chen Biao waved his hand, clearly not planning to keep arguing with Liao Bo. He turned his eyes back to me.

“I already said it very clearly. I really wasn’t flirting. It was an emergency, saving her came first.”

“You’re really gonna keep resisting with that attitude, huh? Honestly, you could just admit it openly. What’s the big deal? You’re not the only one dating. I just want something to put in the report.”

He shrugged. The way he said it felt really familiar—like he was laying a trap and waiting for me to jump in.

Fortunately, I caught on in time. But I still wasn’t going to go along with him, because what he said didn’t match reality at all.

“This is a pain…”

“Even Biao-kun gets troubled, huh, haha.”

“Shut up, you damn fatty.”

It felt like they could start fighting over a single sentence. I was even thinking about provoking them on purpose so they’d start arguing, and I could slip out.

But before I could try that, their Boss showed up.

“Boss! You’re here!?”

“It’s Miss Ling.”

Both Liao Bo and Chen Biao looked toward the door at the same time.

“What are you two doing? Hm? And why is Youjie here?”

It was Chen Ling. She looked genuinely confused why I was there.

“It’s… a long story,” I answered with a bitter face.

“He broke the, uh… ‘dating’—”

“Now’s not the time for trivial stuff like that. There’s a group fight gathering in the back courtyard. You two, come with me and deal with it.”

She cut Chen Biao off mid‑sentence. Her expression was very serious. Compared to my situation, the other matter was clearly way more urgent.

“Yes, Boss!”

“Yes, Miss Ling!”

Liao Bo and Chen Biao instantly straightened up like soldiers at attention.

Watching them get ready to head out, I figured this probably no longer involved me. I planned to wait until they stepped out first, then leave after them. I didn’t expect—

“Next time, be more careful. Don’t let me catch you a second time,” Chen Biao tossed back at me.

“Spend more time studying Olympiad problems. You’ll open the door to a whole new world.”

Liao Bo pushed up his glasses again and placed the Olympiad problem book in my hands.

They both waved at me as they walked off, gradually disappearing from sight.

It felt like they were saying, “We’re counting on you,” with this oddly heavy farewell.

Like I’d be moved by that or something. No way.

Once they were out of sight, I walked out of the base. Seeing no one around, I headed to a trash can and tossed the Olympiad problem collection straight in.

You really think I could handle math that deep?

You’ve gotta be kidding me.