Chapter 15: Sigh! Education & Capitalism

That single sentence from Le Mans instantly drew the attention of nearby students waiting for class or passing by the classroom.

The air fell silent for a brief second before immediately returning to noisy chatter—filled with that very deliberate kind of pretending not to care while absolutely caring.

Lin Zhiyan suddenly felt helpless.

She realized something.

She hated standing out in public.

Especially in a school with such rigid hierarchy and suffocating feudal vibes, being noticed was dangerous. No one could guarantee they’d always remain likable, and no one could guarantee how powerful the people who disliked them might be.

Even after being snapped at like that, Li Siheng still looked calm and composed.

“But I genuinely don’t understand why you’re angry,” he said seriously. “I’m only curious. You two act very intimate, so I wanted to know whether you’re dating.”

Lin Zhiyan felt like an insect dragged under the blazing sun—being roasted alive, twitching under the heat while growing more brittle by the second.

She pressed one hand against Le Mans’ wrist, then turned toward Li Siheng.

“What definition of ‘dating’ are you using?”

Facts could not be changed.

But facts, as nouns, could always be redefined.

Lin Zhiyan loved this trick, because it turned things into a battle of subjective interpretation—and in those kinds of battles, nobody could truly convince the other side. That way, her inability to respond directly would instead appear like philosophical disagreement rather than being cornered speechless.

“Interaction between friends?” she continued. “Or something else?”

After a pause, she added:

“Just because people become physically closer doesn’t necessarily mean anything beyond familiarity. There’s no need to overthink it.”

At her words, some of the anger on Le Mans’ face faded, though his eyes remained fixed tightly on her.

Maintaining the status quo wasn’t necessarily bad.

Once a relationship became official, all the obstacles they were currently pretending not to see would crawl out from underground, splitting and swelling into monstrous mountains standing between them.

But… but…

Le Mans nearly forgot to breathe.

Several seconds later, he finally muttered:

“Why do you care so much?”

“It’s not that I want to interfere.” Li Siheng glanced toward the silent Ai Wen before looking back at Le Mans. His voice remained light.

“You know we’re friends. But Lin Zhiyan and I were also friends from middle school.”

“From your perspective, everything you do is natural. But for her, she has to bear much more pressure. Shouldn’t you consider her thoughts and situation?”

“How did you and him—?”

Ai Wen looked toward Lin Zhiyan with wide eyes.

“We were just deskmates for one semester in middle school,” Lin Zhiyan interrupted immediately, afraid Li Siheng would add something unnecessary.

Then she looked at him.

“Thanks for your concern, but I think you might be overthinking things. I think Le Mans and I—”

Her voice stopped abruptly.

Only then did she realize Li Siheng’s real goal:

He was forcing them to break this current ambiguous equilibrium.

Li Siheng looked like he was listening attentively, fingers brushing through the hair at his forehead while his eyes remained locked on her.

“What do you think?”

Le Mans tightly gripped his own sleeve, green eyes roaming over her face.

And Ai Wen—

The instant she’d been interrupted earlier, her heartbeat had skipped.

Her gaze moved repeatedly across the faces of the three of them. It felt like her throat was blocked by her heart, countless questions wanting to spill out.

If you two were friends, then why did he make things difficult for you before?

Why… don’t you ever tell me anything?

Ai Wen suddenly thought that maybe their friendship wasn’t as close as she had imagined.

Then again, they really hadn’t known each other for that long.

Maybe she had simply convinced herself she understood Lin Zhiyan well. Maybe she alone had considered them close friends.

Time stretched endlessly.

Everything happened within only a few minutes, but to Lin Zhiyan it felt like fifty years had passed.

And during those fifty imaginary years, her brain cells tirelessly simulated tens of thousands of possible parallel-world outcomes.

Option: Le Mans and I will only ever be friends.
Result: Le Mans gets angry. They part ways completely.

Right now she had books, TA wages, and even if she stopped interacting with Le Mans, it might actually reduce some trouble. But she liked her current living arrangement very much. Then again, Le Mans owned the property deed—maybe he’d kick her out.

No, wait, she still had the dormitory.

No, no, that wasn’t right either.

Without Le Mans, she’d lose the excuse she used to shake off Li Siheng.

Option: Our relationship is none of your business.
Result: Indirectly confirms intimacy. Le Mans might push things further.

But when he questioned her about texting someone earlier, it had already felt suffocating enough. If his parents later intervened to separate them, she’d probably suffocate from him clinging to her first.

Option: Class is starting. Stop talking.
Result: Endless follow-up from both Le Mans and Li Siheng.

Why did every option lead to disaster?!

Lin Zhiyan: “…”

At this point, the entire scene felt like thick muddy gel wrapping around her body and making her unbearably uncomfortable.

In the end, under the gazes of Le Mans and Li Siheng, she once again turned toward the window.

“I think today’s sunlight is really nice,” she said. “It won’t rain. No cats or people will end up soaked all night.”

Li Siheng’s brows moved slightly.

After several seconds, he turned his head too and looked out the window.

“When cats get rained on, it’s because they have nowhere to go. People are different. People can find shelter themselves.”

“Then why,” Lin Zhiyan asked softly, “do some people still end up drenched?”

Le Mans replied quietly:

“Because when they finally realize it’s raining, they panic and rush around without caring about anything else.”

The frozen atmosphere finally began flowing again.

But the current only seemed to move between Lin Zhiyan and Le Mans.

Their exchange sounded layered with meanings no one else understood, excluding the war-starting Li Siheng and isolating the silently watching Ai Wen alike.

Li Siheng stopped bringing up the earlier topic as though nothing had happened at all.

Naturally rejoining the conversation, he said:

“I like cloudy days. No sun, no rain. No blinding light, no damp wind or rainwater.”

“Because your hair and eyes are that gloomy gray-black color?” Le Mans clearly still held a grudge.

“Lin Zhiyan’s hair and eyes become impossible to ignore in sunlight. Unlike yours.”

After saying that, he looked proudly toward Li Siheng.

He knew Li Siheng cared about this.

Normally, Le Mans rarely used this topic to provoke him. But now that Li Siheng had intentionally angered him first, he wasn’t going easy.

“True,” Li Siheng paused before adding calmly, “even your red hair pales beside hers.”

“Hah.” Le Mans laughed. “At least you help highlight how good my red hair and green eyes look.”

Oh god.

Now it was Le Mans’ turn for Round Two?!

Lin Zhiyan’s scalp tingled. She immediately changed the subject.

“Isn’t genetic modification surgery really popular nowadays?”

“At least not in the Central District.” Le Mans rested his chin on one hand. “Most major families live there. If someone gets mistaken for another person, it’s awkward for the other side. Look—Li Siheng never changed his.”

Seeing Le Mans about to charge into battle again, Lin Zhiyan nearly lost it and prepared to interrupt.

But before she could speak, a hand quietly dropped beside her.

Several fingers secretly hooked around hers.

Lin Zhiyan: “…!”

Li Siheng, you—!

Goosebumps exploded down her back.

She didn’t dare look at him, terrified her expression would expose something. She even forgot what she wanted to say.

Perhaps this was exactly the result Li Siheng wanted.

His fingers slowly wound around hers while his eyes remained fixed on Le Mans.

“I never changed them,” he said softly, “not because of some so-called proof of status or bloodline.”

“It’s because a long time ago, when I was troubled by them, someone once told me gray-black was the color of cloudy skies. Like the waiting period after storm clouds gather but before lightning falls.”

As he spoke, his fingers nearly slid into the gaps between hers.

Lin Zhiyan didn’t know whether to break down first over Li Siheng’s shameless behavior or over the fact that one of her old cringeworthy lines had just been publicly exposed.

Her brain practically erupted into smoke.

“Tch. Sounds pretty cheesy,” Le Mans said with disdain.

Lin Zhiyan nodded frantically while silently trying to pull her hand back.

Li Siheng loosened his grip—

Only to immediately catch her fingers again like a coiled snake, winding around them, loosening and tightening in repeated hunts.

Supporting his cheek with one hand, lashes lowered, he smiled faintly.

“Thinking about it now, it really was cheesy. But back then, I was very moved.”

“It felt like… someone had finally seen me.”

Ai Wen’s fingers trembled slightly.

Lin Zhiyan quickly said:

“If you want people to see you, then first you need to—”

Click—

The classroom door opened.

The teacher entered, and the noisy chatter instantly quieted somewhat.

Lin Zhiyan stopped mid-sentence. Instead, she poked Le Mans’ cheek with her free hand and smiled.

“Turn around. Class is starting.”

“Got it. The sun isn’t that strong anymore anyway.”

Le Mans grabbed her fingers and didn’t let go immediately.

Lin Zhiyan’s entire body stiffened, though her expression remained unchanged. She lightly scratched his palm.

Le Mans laughed softly, finally releasing her before turning back around.

Lin Zhiyan let out a long breath.

Cold sweat covered her body, and her back felt prickled all over.

The bell rang.

The teacher switched on the classroom equipment.

Lin Zhiyan turned toward Li Siheng coldly, signaling for him to let go too.

Li Siheng smiled and leaned closer.

She immediately tried pushing him away, only for him to catch her other hand too.

Her eyes widened in panic. Afraid someone would notice, she clenched her teeth tightly.

His voice was extremely soft.

“So you really like using weather to tempt people.”

Then he released her hands.

Lin Zhiyan immediately pulled away, secretly relieved, avoiding his closeness.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I can understand those metaphors.” Li Siheng’s lashes trembled slightly. “How far have you and him gone?”

This time, Lin Zhiyan grabbed his hand first.

She admitted it.

She really was panicking now.

Li Siheng’s throat moved slightly as her nails dug into his palm, sharp pain traveling from fingertips to limbs. His breathing grew heavier, but he still held her hand in return.

“Stop talking. I don’t understand anything you’re saying,” Lin Zhiyan warned coldly, narrowing her eyes.

“And stop remembering those useless things so clearly.”

As she spoke, she desperately tried making herself appear heartless, cold, entirely in control.

But she knew her heart was racing wildly.

Her head even felt dizzy.

During her early high school years, Lin Zhiyan had always maintained the image of an untouchable ice queen.

And everyone knew those kinds of people were destined to fall from their pedestal eventually.

The biggest reason Lin Zhiyan had fallen from hers was because she’d been emotionally suffocated during that period of time.

Nothing in the world was more despairing than endless work shifts followed by endless classes.

She had tried smoking before, but cigarettes cost money.

She had tried drinking too, but she couldn’t afford that either.

So after spending time with Li Siheng for a while, she realized something:

A person with flawless looks and body, who wasn’t close to anyone around him and would soon disappear from her life anyway, was much more useful for other purposes than for friendship.

A suitable opening line could be used anywhere.

And that line about cloudy skies—

That had been the opening line she used before grabbing his collar, standing on tiptoe, and kissing him.

It sounded far more artistic than “I want to enter your heart so let me inspect your abs.”

More original than “You seem emotionally distant, so let me look inside your shirt.”

And definitely faster-paced than “My life is pain and you are my light, now let me see your bald head.”

Looking back on it now, Lin Zhiyan only felt like water had entered her brain.

Maybe the school had been right to force her into psychological evaluation back then.

Sigh.

District 16 education.

Sigh, repression.

Sigh!

In the end, capitalism ruined everything.

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