Although saying things like that feels fucking great, in public, whatever thoughts you have can only be held back—classic playing with fire, and the kid is even enjoying it.

Henry Howard took down that bottle of mineral water, checked the date before handing it over: "I'll deal with you when we get back."

Ethan Young took the water, and even he thought this was childish, so he couldn't help but lean against the shelf and laugh.

"Qing-ge went to buy board games," Wanda didn't notice what the two next to him were saying at all. He grabbed another bottle of soda and tossed it into the cart, then turned and asked, "She should be just ahead, want to go check?"

"Where ahead?"

"The entertainment section?" Wanda stood on tiptoe and looked around, spotting a familiar and bold figure in a No. 2 High School uniform among the crowd, "I see her!"

When Ethan Young and the others got there, Quinn Shaw had already been struggling between two versions of a truth-or-dare game for a long time: "According to the description, one is the regular version, the other is the enhanced version. You guys came at the right time, which one should I buy?"

Henry Howard looked for a while but couldn't decide either, so he simply said, "How about we just buy both?"

Ethan Young didn't even look: "Then don't buy any."

Quinn Shaw: "...Are you two serious?"

In the end, it was Wanda who relied on the 'let fate decide' method, having Quinn Shaw close her eyes and pick a hand.

"This is it!" Wanda shoved the enhanced version over, "Heaven's arrangement! Don't hesitate anymore! Qing-ge, it's decided!"

Ethan Young was casually browsing nearby and saw a deck of cards in the corner labeled "Horror Game." He thought it looked interesting and was about to pick it up when Henry Howard immediately pressed his hand down. Then he watched as Henry Howard, while Wanda and Qing-ge weren't paying attention, shoved the "Horror Game" deep inside, out of sight: "..."

Judging by his actions, he was afraid Wanda would see it and they'd end up playing a lively game of pen fairy again.

Ethan Young wanted to laugh: "Are you scared or not?"

Henry Howard: "This has nothing to do with being scared. Eradicating feudal superstition starts with me."

They moved quickly, and by the time they lugged their bags back to school, evening self-study had just started. Old Tang, considering their special situation as boarders, gave them a bit more time to get their things ready, letting them drop their stuff off at the dorm before coming to class.

As a result, Ethan Young had just put his things down and washed his hands. Before he could dry them, he came out of the private bathroom and saw Henry Howard waiting at the door: "What's up?"

"Yeah," once he walked in, Henry Howard closed the door and said, "Time to deal with you."

Ethan Young didn't really like being close to others. Every time Ms. Miller talked about his childhood, she would say, both proud and troubled: Other people's kids always reach out for hugs, but you, except for me and your dad, wouldn't let anyone touch you.

Maybe he just couldn't quite grasp the way people interact.

But only Henry Howard, only this idiot, made him want to get closer, and even closer.

When Henry Howard lowered his head to kiss him, Ethan Young suddenly realized he'd never thought about a future with this person.

He and Henry Howard met like an unbelievable accident, crashing together, even so dazzling that... he was afraid it was just a fleeting firework. No one could say what would happen in the future—life is so long, who can predict it?

But subconsciously, a voice said, you have thought about it.

You want to be with this idiot forever.

Henry Howard said he was going to deal with him, but all he did was kiss him a little harder than usual, though this time he managed not to bite: "Messing with me on purpose, huh?"

Both of them were young and full of energy, neither willing to give in. In the end, Ethan Young's leg hit the edge of the bed hard, and before he knew it, he was already sprawled on the bed.

Henry Howard braced one hand by his neck, keeping some distance between them. He was afraid of crushing him, and also afraid of losing control and going too far.

But Ethan Young stared at him for a while, then took the initiative, pressing his lips to his.

Ethan Young's hand was still a bit wet, cool to the touch, resting right on Henry Howard's wrist.

Henry Howard lost the last bit of rationality in his head.

The dorm beds weren't sturdy—just turning over at night would make the boards creak, let alone now, bearing the weight of two people. Henry Howard's hand slipped under Ethan Young's shirt bit by bit, first pinching the soft flesh at his waist, then unable to resist moving upward. The boy's skin was delicate, his reactions inexperienced.

Ethan Young couldn't take much more of his touch, and instinctively felt that if they kept going, something would really happen: "...Ge."

Hearing that, Henry Howard stopped, paused for a bit, then pulled his hand out from under the shirt, and finally lowered his head to gently bite Ethan Young's neck before ending it: "Fuck, hard again."

"You don't have to emphasize it," Ethan Young half sat up, his waist against the pillow, looking at him, "I've had your thing poking me for ages."

Henry Howard said hoarsely, "You're not much better. Want me to help you out?"

As he spoke, Henry Howard really reached out, touching the inside of his thigh through the school pants, fingers about to move higher, but Ethan Young kicked him: "Get lost."

Things had gotten so heated, Henry Howard didn't even know when his jacket had been pulled off. He got up, bent down to pick up his clothes from the floor, and before leaving, asked again at the door, "Really don't want help?"

The answer was a pillow thrown at him by Ethan Young.

Ethan Young took a cold shower, and it took almost half an hour to calm down. Even after turning off the shower and waiting for the chill to pass, he was still hot.

Wanda lingered in the dorm for a while after dropping off his stuff, secretly played two rounds of games, and when he finally remembered to go to class, he went upstairs to look for the two big shots to walk together.

When he knocked on the door, he found both of them had changed clothes, their hair dripping wet. Wanda swallowed all the words he was about to say: "Why are you guys showering at this hour?"

There was really no way to answer that. Henry Howard was at a rare loss for words, standing at the door and looking across at Ethan Young, signaling him to answer.

So Ethan Young hesitated for a moment, then replied with four words: "None of your business."

Henry Howard: "..."

Wanda: "..."

After endless anticipation from all the second-year students, the day of the autumn outing finally arrived.

The place booked this time was still the school's classic autumn outing package—a big park with an amusement park, supposedly nice scenery, good for taking photos and relaxing, plus a shooting range, a small theater, and other activities.

Early in the morning, the whole floor was in chaos. Manager Jensen came by to say a few words, and things only quieted down temporarily. As soon as Manager Jensen left, everyone went back to making noise.

Luke Carter opened his bag in front of everyone in the classroom, showing off what he'd brought: "See? A bag of Lay's chips, a piece of bread, gum... We'll all share later."

Henry Howard wasn't having it: "Let me show you what Old Young and I brought. See? Green pepper flavor—you've probably never had it in your life."

Ethan Young pressed his fingers to his temple, reminding him: "That's yours, don't drag me into it."

"What's mine is yours."

"...Please, no."

Old Tang wore a blue tracksuit today, probably trying to look young and energetic, but on his slightly chubby frame, it looked more like he should have a rocking chair to sit in and rock slowly.

"Let me go over a few important things," Old Tang held a schedule in his hand and picked up a piece of chalk, "Everyone split into groups and pick a leader. You all know my phone number, right? If not, I'll write it again... If anything happens, call me or find the tour guide."

There were over thirty people in the class, freely divided into five groups.

The only goal of going out was to have fun. Luke Carter was usually busy enough as class monitor and didn't want to be group leader this time, so he handed the spot to Henry Howard: "Bro Henry, honestly, from the first day of school, I knew you were not to be underestimated. Your brilliance, your leadership talent—you are truly a dragon among men, unmatched—"

Ethan Young laughed when he heard that.

Henry Howard waved his hand, signaling him to stop: "Alright, alright, I get it."

When Henry Howard was counting people, Logan Wright wanted to join too, but Henry Howard casually said, "No way, you eat too much."

Luke Carter chimed in, "I agree."

Logan Wright was shocked: "Are you guys for real? What about classmate love?"

Ethan Young just watched the show, but when Logan Wright had nowhere else to go, he turned to him. This muscular guy said pitifully, "Yu-ge, say something to them!"

Henry Howard: "Don't bother with Yu-ge, it's useless. Your Yu-ge is my... on my side."

Good thing he reacted quickly—he almost blurted out "mine."

Ethan Young caught on, and after thinking about it, decided to give his boyfriend some face: "Yeah, asking me is useless."

Logan Wright: "..."