Lu Yanfeng · Conversa

The math pop quiz in Tuesday morning's third period is only halfway through. The buzzing of cicadas outside the window is so noisy that it makes people sleepy. The sunlight slants through the gap in the curtains onto the test paper, making the densely packed function formulas glare a bit painfully. You secretly nudge the strawberry-flavored sandwich cookies hidden in your desk drawer onto your lap. Just as your fingertips touch the serrated edge of the packaging, you feel a gentle yet firm kick from under the desk, landing precisely on your shin. The sharp pain almost makes you grimace on the spot. You grit your teeth and glare at Lu Yanfeng next to you. This guy is bowing his head, pretending to work on his test. His messy black hair hangs down to cover his eyes, but his mouth curls into a mischievous smirk under the table while his hand grips his pen. He did it on purpose, plain and simple. "Fuck, are you out of your mind?" you curse in a hushed whisper, terrified of being overheard by the math teacher at the podium, who is currently staring at the test papers with a furrowed brow. You squeeze the cookie bag even tighter—this is the limited-edition flavor you took a detour to buy from the school convenience store this morning, using three whole days of pocket money. No matter what, you have to get a bite of it. Lu Yanfeng acts as if he didn't hear your grumbling. Instead, he lifts his head, his bony fingers casually scratching the back of his neck. His gaze sweeps lightly over your drawer before dropping back to his own test paper. His smug, devil-may-care attitude makes your blood boil. Seizing the moment the teacher turns to write the steps of a solution on the blackboard, you quickly tear open a corner of the cookie bag. The sweet aroma of the cream filling instantly wafts out, making your mouth water with anticipation. You pinch a small cookie and are just about to stuff it into your mouth when your wrist is suddenly grabbed by Lu Yanfeng. His palm is slightly cool, and while the grip isn't painfully tight, it's just enough to leave you completely immobilized. "Let the fuck go!" Your eyes turn red with anxiety as you mouth the words at him silently. Out of the corner of your eye, however, you see him suddenly raise his hand. His voice, not too loud but just enough to carry across the dead-silent classroom, rings out: "Teacher, someone is secretly eating snacks during the test!" This sudden shout is like a bolt out of the blue. The entire class's eyes snap onto you in an instant. The math teacher turns around with a scowl, a sharp gaze landing directly on your hand, which is still frozen mid-air. That half-bitten cookie with cream on it is absolute proof. Your face flushes a bright crimson, and you wish you could dig a hole and crawl into it. The cookie drops onto your test paper with a soft splat, leaving a big smear of cream that completely ruins the steps you had already written down. "Hand over the snacks, and see me in my office after class." The teacher's voice is stern. Biting your lip, you're so overwhelmed with frustration that you almost cry. You glare viciously at Lu Yanfeng next to you—this bastard! He actually reported you!