The National Day holiday was spent in pain, but Ye Wen found joy by snapping tons of photos of Shuizishi in a maid outfit. She posted them on the forum, sparking a flood of replies—mostly envious and jealous. Some even jokingly called her "brother-in-law," begging to be introduced to her sister. Ye Wen didn’t reply to each one, but she felt secretly pleased.

Of course, some suspected the photos were of the poster herself. This view gained traction, and many started sending Ye Wen private messages.

Anyway, the painful month finally ended. Ye Wen welcomed the new school term after National Day, feeling refreshed and clear-headed.

The holiday clearly hadn’t satisfied the classmates. Everyone looked like they were still craving more. Those who finished homework lay listlessly on their desks. Those who hadn’t were scribbling furiously.

“No way! You didn’t do any holiday homework?” Lu Yu sat at her desk, staring in shock at Qiu Yi’s pile of exercise books.

“I got carried away playing…” Qiu Yi said, slightly embarrassed, but his hand never stopped writing.

Ye Wen wasn’t surprised. Boys were usually like this.

“Did you finish yours?” Ye Wen pulled a sketchbook from her bag and started doodling with a pen.

“Hmph, of course,” Lu Yu replied proudly.

“Hi~” Jin Jing walked into the classroom, waving at Ye Wen and Lu Yu with a smile.

“Jing!” Lu Yu pounced on her, rubbing her face against Jin Jing’s chest twice. Ye Wen felt a pang of envy, wishing she could do the same. She knew Jin Jing wouldn’t mind, but the male heart hidden inside her stopped her from acting.

Maybe it was shyness. Maybe respect. Or fear of desecrating her goddess. Ye Wen didn’t know. Perhaps the person who understood herself least was herself.

“Ye Wen! Ye Wen!” Luo Liangjian rushed into the classroom like his butt was on fire. Before sitting down, he yelled, “Homework! Homework!”

“At Qiu Yi’s,” Ye Wen said, eyelids drooping.

Luo Liangjian tossed his bag and charged to Qiu Yi. “What assignments are there?”

“You don’t even know the assignments?” Lu Yu gaped.

“Boys are like that,” Ye Wen said knowingly.

“Really?” Jin Jing set down her bag and neatly arranged her homework on the desk.

Before Ye Wen could answer, two boys burst in. They rushed straight to her, grabbed homework without asking—clearly knowing it was at Qiu Yi’s—and dashed to their seats. Ye Wen’s exercise books vanished in seconds.

Later boys couldn’t get any. They asked girls to borrow, but most refused. Some were strict with themselves. Others feared losing their books.

Jin Jing flatly rejected all requests. So did Lu Yu.

Wang Xin watched the chaos. He leisurely pulled out his homework. A classmate nearby asked, “Finished?”

“Of course.”

“Let me copy!”

“Hmm… okay. Don’t lose it.”

“Got it,” the boy said impatiently.

“Whoa, this is a copying assignment. You’re still taking it?”

“Whatever. I’ll copy first.”

“Hey? Wang Xin, your test paper’s blank.”

“What?” Wang Xin checked. “Crap, I forgot to write it.”

“Hurry up and do it,” the boy said like a parent, then added, “Lend it to me after.”

Wang Xin scrambled to borrow homework. Only three girls had arrived in his group: Ye Wen, Jin Jing, and Lu Yu.

Wang Xin approached them. He knew Ye Wen’s homework was snatched early. He had to ask the others.

“Ahem, can I copy this test paper?” Wang Xin asked awkwardly. He rarely skipped homework, let alone copied. But time was tight—he couldn’t finish it himself.

“No!” Lu Yu shooed away a boy who’d asked earlier. She hesitated, then pulled the paper from her bag and handed it to Wang Xin. “Here. But you can only copy here.”

Ye Wen and Jin Jing exchanged smiles. Lu Yu was clearly playing favorites. Luckily, the boy had left. Otherwise, he’d have complained loudly.

“Fine…” Wang Xin grabbed a chair and sat beside Lu Yu, pressed for time. Lu Yu turned around, leaning on Ye Wen’s desk, giving him the whole space.

“Why not watch him copy?” Ye Wen teased. “Shy?”

“I never knew my little Yu could get shy,” Jin Jing whispered, stroking her hair.

Lu Yu’s round face flushed red like an apple—a rare sight. Her usual thick skin had vanished. She couldn’t even glare properly; her scowl looked flirtatious.

“Done!” Wang Xin finished the paper in ten minutes. For a frequent copier, it was slow. But he wasn’t used to it, and his neat handwriting took time.

“Thanks!” Wang Xin returned to his seat.

The test paper was snatched immediately.

Another homework source was Feng Yulan. Gentle and often mistaken for a girl, he never refused boys’ requests. Soon, every boy had homework. The classroom fell briefly silent—no more boyish chatter. Only girls’ whispers remained.

Girls noticed the quiet and hushed too. Nothing had happened. After a pause, noise returned. Boys used every trick. Even Qiu Yi, who arrived earliest, had only half an hour to copy. Somehow, all homework was finished before class.

Then came the return phase. Boys were surprisingly responsible, reminding each other to give back books. Soon, every exercise book was back with its owner.

“Feng Yulan, you’re my goddess!”

“I love you, Feng Yulan!”

Boys teased him while returning his books.

“Wang Xin, your handwriting sucks.”

“Can’t you skip these calculation steps? So messy.”

They scorned Wang Xin’s work.

With Ye Wen, boys were polite. Just simple thanks.

“Thanks a lot. I’ll treat you to dinner next time,” Luo Liangjian said, placing several books on Ye Wen’s desk. He pulled out chocolates from his pocket. “A down payment.”

“Next time?” Qiu Yi, Lu Yu, and Jin Jing all stared at Luo Liangjian. The girls’ gossip instincts flared. Qiu Yi felt a twinge of jealousy.

“Haha, nothing. Last time, our dads met during business talks.”

“Oh~” Qiu Yi relaxed. Lu Yu and Jin Jing exchanged knowing looks.