Qinmu swiftly stuffed his black backpack into the desk cabinet, sat upright in his seat, and began reciting from his textbook for morning reading. His deskmate Tu Shen had already arrived, lazily sprawled over her desk reading a novel.
Qinmu had zero interest in peeking at what she was reading. He’d been tricked into devouring entire volumes of BL novels with her before—once bitten, twice shy. Even if she read something "normal" now, he wouldn’t dare glance over.
Tu Shen had just reached the juiciest part of her novel. True to form, whenever something "delightful" happened, she instinctively reached out to cling to Qinmu’s arm. "Hey, Qinmu! Read this—it’s *exactly* like your relationship with Qi Yao! Absolutely perfect!"
Qinmu yanked his arm back sharply. "Enough, Tu Shen. Stop linking your novels to me. I’m not interested. Please respect that. Thanks."
Seeing Qinmu genuinely annoyed, Tu Shen didn’t let go. Instead, she leaned closer, flashing a sly smile. "Aww, Qinmu, you’re so cute. Your skin’s dewy-smooth—I’m so jealous! Especially when you’re mad. That pout? Unbearably adorable!"
Qinmu couldn’t appreciate the praise. He swallowed his anger, tuning out her teasing, and focused on his Chinese textbook:
*"Long sighs I heave, wiping tears away—*
*Grieving for the people’s endless hardships.*
*Though I love virtue and wear it like a chain,*
*By dusk I’m slandered, though I spoke at dawn..."*
But Tu Shen wasn’t done. For her, tormenting her male deskmate was daily bliss.
"Hey, hey! You’ve got a hair on your face. Let me pluck it off."
"Really?" Qinmu eyed her suspiciously.
"Honest! Right under your eye."
"Fine. Get it." Qinmu relaxed, closing his eyes to wait.
The moment his eyes shut, Tu Shen struck. With his guard down, she pinched and squeezed his flawless cheeks without mercy.
Qinmu’s fury flared. "You tricked me again! Let go of my face—*now*—or I swear I’ll lose it!"
Tu Shen wasn’t fazed. Like the bitter herb her name evoked, she thrived on toxicity. Qinmu had long believed she was pure poison—the deadliest kind.
Annoyed but unwilling to make a scene in front of classmates, Qinmu glared coldly. "Tu Shen. Have you had enough? Take your hands off me, or I’ll report you for sexual harassment."
Tu Shen smirked, refusing to release him. "Who’d believe you? Nangong Qinmu of Class 13, Grade 11—a boy? With that nose, those eyes, that hair, that skin? Where’s the boy in that?"
Qinmu flicked her hand away, turned his head sharply, and ignored her.
Seeing his genuine anger, Tu Shen finally retreated to the far side of her desk, grumbling inwardly: *It’s just a couple of touches. Why so mad? It’s not like I’m the only one who thinks he looks like a girl...*
Just then, class monitor Qin Hang calmly stepped to the podium, cleared his throat, and called, "Quiet down, everyone!"
The classroom’s chatter slowly faded. Qinmu’s anger cooled as his attention shifted to the morning meeting.
After summarizing recent class affairs, Qin Hang handed specific tasks to committee members.
"...For sports activities, Nangong Qinmu will brief everyone." He passed Qinmu the activity sheet before stepping down.
The moment Qinmu reached the podium, chaos erupted. Both girls and boys burst into noisy whispers:
"Woah, Qinmu’s so cute today too!"
"How does he even *have* that skin? So smooth!"
"Top athlete, straight-A student, *and* that face? I’d be jealous if I were a girl—thank goodness he’s a guy..."
"Ugh... I’m turning gay for him. Wait—he *is* a guy! I’m totally making him my boyfriend."
"Dream on, you creep. Qinmu wouldn’t want a flat-chested shrimp like you. Yang Yue’s his type—she’s the goddess all guys adore."
"Honestly? Qinmu’s the real class flower..."
Flustered, Qinmu stared down at the sheet. Only when Qin Hang barked, "Silence! Listen to Qinmu!" did the class settle.
Seizing the quiet, Qinmu began: "November 20th: Annual school sports meet. Sign-up sheets are with me after class."
The girls swooned, shouting over each other: "I’ll sign up!" "Me too!"
Qinmu paused, waiting for the noise to die. "November 23rd: Boys’ basketball tournament. Sign-up sheets are with Qi Yao."
Qi Yao’s heart leapt at hearing his name—only to find every female gaze still locked on Qinmu. Both wore navy-blue blazers, but Qinmu radiated fresh youth while Qi Yao looked like a campus thug. Under the boys’ pitying stares, Qi Yao’s rare moment in the spotlight ended with a whimper.
---
The afternoon sun finally broke through the clouds, casting gentle light over Building 2. Its rays glinted off the plaque of Class 13, Grade 11—brimming with youthful energy.
Nangong Huixiang, Qinmu’s twin sister, suddenly appeared outside his classroom. Since she rarely visited, no one knew Qinmu had a near-identical twin.
Qinmu wasn’t at his desk. When students saw a girl with his face, hair, and even eye color standing at the door in a red uniform, they swarmed her:
"See? Qinmu *is* a girl!"
"Idiot—he doesn’t have *those* curves. This must be his sister."
"Cross-dressing king! Qinmu’s cuter than any girl!"
"Back off, you degenerates! She’s obviously a real girl."
Startled, Huixiang shrank back slightly. "Um... is Nangong Qinmu here? I’m his sister. I need to see him."
Half the boys instantly dispersed at the word "sister." "Oh. Just a girl. Boring." "I thought it was Qinmu."
Qi Yao shivered. *Otaku are terrifying.* He tried to approach Huixiang but was shoved aside by eager girls. "Need to tell Qinmu something? I’ll pass it on!" "His sister’s even cuter..."
Trapped, Huixiang raised her voice: "Is Qi Yao here? Please send him over!"
The girls grudgingly parted. Qi Yao rushed forward, grinning. "Huixiang! What can I do for you? Anything!"
She pressed a keychain into his hand. "My brother forgot these. His club room keys are probably here too. Give them to him ASAP."
Before Qi Yao could reply, she hurried upstairs and vanished.
*Why are these siblings so frustrating?* Qi Yao sighed, pocketing the keys. *One hates being called cute. The other won’t even talk to me. All I can do now is wait for Qinmu.*
