Chapter 2: The Aloof Top Student Is Actually a Simp
Clang—
After hearing yet another noise, math teacher Liu Feng slowly turned his head, numb by now, and looked toward the tall boy who had suddenly stood up in the second row by the window. The boy’s blatantly rule-breaking yellow hair shimmered under the sunlight, stabbing painfully into his eyes.
“Student Yu, what is it this time?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?” The yellow-haired boy wore a subtle, baffled expression. “Didn’t you hear it, Teacher Liu?”
In broad daylight, the math teacher felt a cold wind sweep over him. At that moment, every student looking up was staring straight at him.
For no reason at all, he shivered.
Hear… hear what?
What was he supposed to have heard?
Ying Jiayi, who sat behind Yu Bai, tugged at the hem of his shirt. The boy snapped back to himself, smiled as if waking from a dream, and said, “Never mind, it’s nothing important. Just pretend I didn’t say anything. Please continue your lesson.”
He sat back down naturally and, without even pretending otherwise, started furiously typing on his phone.
The math teacher took a deep breath, used his firm belief in materialism to calm himself, and casually brushed a hand over his forehead with a breezy smile.
Kids these days.
No one cared about his smooth combo of embarrassment-covering gestures, because everyone had lowered their heads. Even his prized student, Shen Mingjun—who usually gave him the most face—was trembling slightly with his hands under the desk, doing who-knows-what.
“Holy shit, Gu Yang’s losing it again.”
“Wait, wait—why does Liu Feng still look clueless? Is he deaf?”
“Did you notice? Gu Yang’s been lying there the whole time. I sit in front of him, and the voice didn’t sound like it came from his mouth.”
“I thought Liu Feng’s acting skills had improved, but now I’m thinking… what if he really can’t hear it?”
“What do you mean? Only we can hear it? Is this haunted or something? I’ve lived this long and finally run into a ghost? Nope, I’m going to the temple to pray.”
“Wait, none of you are curious whether what Gu Yang said is true? (dog-head-eating-popcorn.jpg)”
“Shen Mingjun’s an illegitimate child? That’s hilarious. And he usually acts so superior.”
“Maybe he doesn’t even know he’s illegitimate. Oh dear, won’t someone kindly tell him? Don’t let our top scholar Shen stay in the dark, so pitiful, hehe.”
The group chat they were using had just been created on the spot, naturally excluding both Gu Yang and Shen Mingjun so they could speak freely.
[Shen Mingjun knows about it himself. Back then, his identity couldn’t be hidden. It was the Shen family’s original wife who magnanimously brought him back and even agreed to give the mistress a sum of money to settle abroad.]
[Turns out that was letting a wolf into the house. Shen Mingjun pretended to be some innocent sweetheart who knew nothing, shamelessly calling the original wife “Mom,” while secretly whispering in old man Shen Shan’s ear every day, hinting that he was being emotionally neglected. The couple’s relationship got more strained by the day.]
[In the end, the mistress successfully kicked out the original wife and took her place.]
Gu Yang’s inner voice kept spilling out, each sentence like a knife stabbing into Shen Mingjun. He nearly coughed up blood.
Never in his life had he wished so badly for Gu Yang to shut his mouth—by any means necessary.
If nothing unexpected happened, he was about to become the laughingstock of Class Eleven. No one understood their classmates’ nature better than he did. School life was stifling; once they caught hold of entertainment, they’d toy with someone to death.
But so far, things hadn’t reached the worst point yet…
The “whispering in ears” accusation had no hard proof. The woman was dead, after all—no testimony left.
But if that thing, that thing got exposed—
Shen Mingjun’s face turned as pale as chalk. He wanted to rush to the back and flip Gu Yang over to make him shut up—but he also knew Gu Yang would probably slap him flying before he could get close.
He couldn’t beat Gu Yang. So for now, he could only sit there, cowardly and desperate.
Thankfully, after those few sentences, the instigator finally went quiet.
But the rest of Class Eleven didn’t calm down so easily.
“Damn, what an ultimate scumbag…”
“That’s so vicious. The original wife even gave you a roof and food, and this is how you repay her? Farmer and the snake, much?”
“Despicable…”
As the additional inner monologue continued, the class’s judgment of Shen Mingjun escalated.
“I’ve never liked him anyway. Don’t be fooled by his cold, aloof look—who knows how much he looks down on us inside. Where does he even get that superiority complex?”
“Exactly. He probably thinks everyone else is stupid and he’s the only genius. Can’t even hide his scheming. A mistress’s kid really can’t stand on stage.”
“His family background’s nothing special either. Not high, not low. Acting all big in front of others is one thing, but here he still won’t behave.”
“He’s Class Eleven’s top scholar, after all, hehe.”
“If he’s such a real academic god, why didn’t he go to No. 1 High? Or is it that he couldn’t?”
“The lofty flower has fallen from the altar—”
“Him? A lofty flower? Don’t insult the phrase. If you want to build a male-god persona, at least look like Gu Yang.”
“Gu Yang’s not a male god. He’s a male psycho…”
“Consort Gu may be crazy, but he is undeniably beautiful ( )”
“Gu Yang’s not just crazy now—he’s straight-up psychic (panic.jpg)”
Snap—
The math teacher crushed the chalk in his hand and turned around once more, wearing a benevolent smile far beyond his years. “And what is it now, Student Shen?”
Shen Mingjun stood up, pale and stiff. He pressed his lips together. “I’m not feeling well. I’m going to the infirmary.”
Without waiting for permission, he slammed the door and left. He needed to cool down, or he was afraid he’d lose control on the spot.
Anyone with half a brain knew they’d started a new group chat to trash-talk him!
Teacher Liu Feng took a sip from his thermos, swallowing the bitterness in his throat. After habitually scanning the room, he noticed someone else missing besides the officially excused students.
“Where did Xu Qingfeng go?”
“Reporting, teacher—he went to the nearest temple to burn incense,” Ying Jiayi answered helpfully.
“Burning incense, that’s good. The child is sincere.” Teacher Liu replied randomly. The hairline he had protected through a year-round graduate-student grind was already showing dangerous signs after just one year at Guanli High.
Forget it. It’s just a job. Don’t take it too seriously.
Right on cue, the bell rang. He grabbed his lesson plan and tea cup and left calmly.
A chair in the front row was pulled out and someone sat down. Light knocking sounded on the desk.
Gu Yang maintained his earlier posture, only lifting his head slightly, lazy eyes peeking out at the person in front of him.
Objectively speaking, he had an extremely good face.
His features leaned delicate—like a meticulously painted, cold and beautiful portrait. His long lashes cast fine shadows like cicada wings. When he looked at someone, there was an indescribable gloom and danger in his gaze.
…The kind that made moths fly straight into the flame.
After all, this world worshipped appearances. For most people, understanding someone’s face was far easier than understanding their soul.
Such a perfect shell—how did it end up housing that kind of core? Completely mismatched goods.
Yu Bai felt genuinely regretful.
He stood to Gu Yang’s right, elbow braced on the desk as he bent down to look at him. Ying Jiayi had taken the seat of the classmate who skipped to burn incense, leaning over the back of the chair directly facing Gu Yang. The rest of the class gathered behind them, staring as if they wanted to bore a hole through him.
Anyone else would have sensed something off immediately. Unfortunately, Gu Yang possessed astonishing obliviousness. He pulled his left hand out from under his face and fished a piece of candy from the bottom of his drawer.
“Need something?” Gu Yang seemed in a good mood. His usually pale complexion carried a rare flush. Leaning lazily against the desk, his lower lashes were clearly visible from the angle. He chewed the candy, a slight bulge forming at his cheek.
“Nothing much…” Ying Jiayi brushed her carefully styled hair and folded her arms with a smile. “You’ve been lying there all day, so we came to check on you. Feeling unwell?”
“Not at all. I’m perfectly fine,” Gu Yang replied casually. His good mood seemed genuine inside and out.
[There’s still so much fun to watch. What’s there to feel unwell about?]
So much fun…
Ying Jiayi’s smile stiffened.
Right. If Gu Yang could dig up Shen Mingjun’s gossip, he could dig up anyone else’s too.
No one here had committed murder or arson—but who didn’t have a few secrets they wouldn’t want exposed?
But from the looks of it, Gu Yang didn’t seem to know they could hear his thoughts.
For now, everyone in Class Eleven tacitly kept their mouths shut.
“What’s next period?” Gu Yang slid his math book into the drawer.
“Looks like…” Yu Bai checked his phone. “P.E.”
“Then why aren’t we heading to the gym?” Gu Yang pushed himself up, looking half-dead as usual. “Planning to skip as a group?”
Everyone choked.
And whose fault is that?!
Though curiosity clawed at them with a thousand questions, no one dared stop Gu Yang. The crowd parted silently, making way.
Only after he was out of sight did Yu Bai smack his forehead. “Wait, shouldn’t we follow him? We can just listen somewhere else, right?”
The rest snapped out of it and hurried after him.
As they stepped out, Yu Bai spotted Shen Mingjun pressed stealthily against the wall, locking eyes with him.
Everyone instinctively took a few steps back, isolating Shen Mingjun.
Whether Gu Yang’s words were true or not, better safe than sorry.
Besides, their contempt in the group chat hadn’t been fake.
Guanli High’s gym was located in the southeast corner of campus. In front of it lay the standard 400-meter track common to domestic high schools. The building exterior was gray and white; inside, it was divided into multiple zones by sport, with rubber floors clean enough to reflect shadows.
The P.E. teacher frowned at the assembled students. Rarely were they this punctual—but for some reason, not a single one had changed into sportswear.
The boys were fine, but the girls’ autumn uniform consisted of knee-length skirts. The teacher had a headache but didn’t want to provoke these young masters and ladies, so after warm-ups, he let them move freely.
By lineup, Shen Mingjun and Gu Yang were paired together.
Finally finding a chance to speak privately, Shen Mingjun ground his teeth and called his name in a low voice.
“Mm?” Gu Yang responded absentmindedly. They were doing back-to-back stretches; he leaned entirely against Shen Mingjun, mind drifting as usual.
“I just want to tell you one thing. Don’t believe baseless rumors. After all, you didn’t see anything yourself, did you?”
He had agonized over how to open the conversation. Since Gu Yang didn’t seem aware that his thoughts were audible, Shen Mingjun wanted to keep that advantage.
So he had rehearsed this awkward line countless times.
There was no reaction from the person leaning on him.
“I’m talking to you. Did you hear me?”
Gu Yang snapped back from the “book.” “…What did you say? I didn’t catch that.”
[Huh, Shen Mingjun’s talking to me today? Doesn’t he usually wear that deadpan face?]
[Why’s he in such a good mood? Did he finally land the rich girl he’s been simping for?]
[Pretending to be so aloof at school, but he’s actually after the only daughter of a partner company’s CEO.]
There was a long silence as Gu Yang skimmed through Shen Mingjun’s glorious record.
Even he, used to bizarre things, couldn’t help sighing.
[What a simp.]
The renewed inner voice made the whole class freeze mid-movement. A few stopped so abruptly their partners heard their spines crack.
What rich girl?
After illegitimate child, now he’s also a simp?
And how exactly is he simping?
[The one he’s after is Zheng Ying from sophomore year. The Zheng family runs a record company.]
[He even hired paparazzi to track her daily movements, staged “coincidental” encounters, and recorded which stores she lingered in to send gifts under various excuses. This isn’t even simping anymore.]
[It’s creepy.]
[Too bad no matter how hard he simps, it’s useless.]
At that, not only the gossiping students but even Shen Mingjun—who had been sick with humiliation—perked up.
What does that mean?
[First, Zheng Ying doesn’t date in high school. So that’s off the table.]
[Second, she’s into girls. She knows it herself. Plans to study abroad after graduation and come out to her family. Says she’s been “Westernized.”]
[Didn’t see that coming. She seemed so quiet at dinner. Who knew she was that wild inside?]
That final line was the last straw.
Thinking about the sunk cost of the past few months—combined with the earlier shocks—Shen Mingjun’s legs went weak, and he collapsed straight onto the ground.
