For high school seniors, a proper PE class felt rarer than winning the lottery.
Scorching heat canceled it. Rain canceled it. Pop quizzes in English, math, or science canceled it too.
Worse yet, every school’s PE teacher seemed “chronically fragile.”
Classes got hijacked constantly—for colds, stomachaches, hemorrhoid surgery… even “going home to have a baby.” Students had long grown numb to it.
By semester’s end, PE sessions could be counted on one hand. Most didn’t even know their PE teacher’s surname.
But today? Lu Yu’s class was blessed with a rare, untouched PE period.
“The homeroom teacher’s out. Math’s got another class. English left campus shopping at noon…”
Lu Yu’s deskmate ticked reasons off his fingers.
After counting? No one was coming to steal today’s class.
True to prediction: one minute till bell, no teacher appeared.
Holding their breath, the class waited—until the ring set them free.
“What?!”
“Today’s PE class actually survived?!”
Cheers drowned the study tension.
In this fiercely competitive class, a relaxed period was pure magic.
Pens dropped. Students stared, stunned.
“Did the PE teacher finish paternity leave?” Ren Jie muttered.
They’d had exactly one PE class all semester. Forgotten his face already.
Lu Yu finished a tune on his phone’s virtual keyboard app—just downloaded, practiced lightly with sheet music. Tricky. Phone keys felt nothing like a real piano.
“I think the PE teacher’s a guy,” Lu Yu said uncertainly.
Ren Jie pushed up his black-rimmed glasses. “Yeah… so his wife had a baby? He took paternity leave?”
Lu Yu shrugged.
Then—Ren Jie froze.
*Whoosh.* He shot up from his chair.
“I forgot something! Brother Lu, Brother Lu!”
“Huh?” Lu Yu, earbud dangling, barely heard him.
Ren Jie slapped his forehead. “Wait—am *I* the PE rep?!”
“You’re asking *me*?” Lu Yu blinked.
A shared chill locked them both.
His best friend and deskmate… might actually be the class PE rep.
At senior year’s start, committee roles shifted. Last rep quit. Ren Jie, on impulse, signed up. Zero competition. One rash move—and he was stuck.
PE rep: the only school role ignoring grades or scores.
But with no sports meets, no activities, barely any PE… even Ren Jie forgot he held it.
Memory hit—he launched from his seat.
“No way. I *am*.”
He clapped loud and clear. “Alright, everyone! Follow me downstairs—assemble!”
For a bottom-ranked student, commanding the class felt unreal.
His stand jolted the room: *Right. Ren Jie’s our PE rep.*
He led the way out, posture crisp.
Black-rimmed glasses gave him a bookish look—but Ren Jie was lively, well-liked.
The type everyone joked with, despite low grades.
Total opposite of quiet, withdrawn Lu Yu.
Lu Yu pulled out his earbud, grabbed his chilled cola, and trailed the crowd slowly.
Lin Beixing stood surrounded by classmates. Tall Lu Yu spotted her instantly.
She laughed with her bespectacled deskmate and the short-haired discipline monitor.
Three years in, Lu Yu still mixed up names. He labeled classmates only by looks: “short-haired,” “long-haired,” “dark-skinned.”
He simply watched Lin Beixing walk ahead.
Her smile was sweet. Eyes bright, like tiny stars dancing inside.
Unaware, Lu Yu’s gaze burned—quiet, intense.
Lin Beixing felt a prickle on her neck. *Like a wolf’s stare.*
She turned. Met Lu Yu’s unwavering eyes: lazy heat, locked on her.
Shoulders tensed. Mid-sentence about the PE teacher—words vanished.
“Hm? What’s wrong, Beixing?”
“N-nothing…”
Like a startled rabbit, she ducked her head. Cheeks flushed.
Lu Yu, lagging at the back, frowned.
“…Huh?”
Did he look *that* scary?
…Surely not. Right?
