"Oh, don't go," Peach immediately called out to me.

I turned back, looking at her teasingly. "What's up? Have you agreed?"

"No... I haven't agreed," Peach looked awkward. "You're supposed to be a cultured person, not acting like a hoodlum..."

"Hey, miss, that's not a nice thing to say," I said with a stern face. "Why can't a hoodlum be cultured?"

Perhaps my stern expression startled her, Peach trembled slightly. "You, you shouldn't be angry. You're right, a hoodlum can be cultured. But you've received higher education, you shouldn't behave so vulgarly."

"And how am I being vulgar?" I retorted. "The Book of Songs says: 'A demure and virtuous lady, a gentleman desires to pair with.' Even ancient people could boldly confess their love to their beloved, why can't I express my love to the girl I love? Shakespeare also said: 'Delay not, for the day is short, Come, my dear, kiss me, In the prime of youth, Let us seize the time.' I'm in the prime of my youth, of course I can choose to be with the girl I like!"

Listening to this string of words, Peach was dumbfounded, showing a few more traces of admiration in her eyes. Proudly, I said, "Whether you want to be my girlfriend or not, it's up to you. Now, I'm going back to continue reading Shakespeare's works." In fact, I was going back to wash my feet.

"Alright, alright," seeing me about to leave, Peach hurriedly said, "I'll be your girlfriend, but you can't play me!"

I was surprised how easily I succeeded. According to Liu Zihong's intelligence, Peach was the kind of girl who never spoke to boys for more than three sentences. Yet, after babbling a few sentences of Shakespeare, I made her my girlfriend? Happiness came too suddenly, and I was a little dazed. This was my first time having a girlfriend, and it was a pity that I hadn't liked her much.

For a moment, I thought: Why not just be good to Peach? But I quickly dismissed the idea. I pursued Peach to win back Xia Xue's affection. My intentions were impure, how could I continue like this? Then I thought: Let's see if I can win back Xia Xue's heart this time. If successful, I'll confess my true feelings to Peach and sincerely apologize. If I can't win back Xia Xue's heart, then I'll tell Peach the truth and let her decide.

But come to think of it, Peach probably didn't like me that much either. She just wanted someone to guide her through Shakespeare's works.

Thinking of this, my sense of guilt lessened a bit, and I sat down cheerfully, "That's right, being the girlfriend of a cultured person like me, we can discuss Shakespeare, Alexandre Dumas, and other things together."

Peach's face turned red. "I've never been in a relationship before, so I don't know what it's like. But weren't you in love with Xia Xue from your class? You even confessed to her in front of the whole school. Why are you suddenly interested in me? I feel like it's a bit unreliable."

"I'm a passionate wanderer," I felt like throwing up for real, but I persevered, "I hope to have a warm harbor. From the last incident, you should be able to see that I am a passionate person. Are you ready for my love? 'Love, like charcoal, burns, we must find a way to cool it down. Let it go unchecked, and it will burn a heart to ashes.'" I quoted another line from Shakespeare.

Peach nodded, "You're amazing, always able to apply Shakespeare's words so aptly. It shows that you really have a deep understanding."

"Of course," I said happily, "His sentences are extremely beautiful." I rarely had the opportunity to say this. I still remembered in junior high when I copied Shakespeare's love poems into my notebook, and was publicly humiliated by Zou Yang. His words were still fresh in my memory: "You think you can fall in love? What girl in her right mind would be attracted to trash like you..." At that time, all I could do was bow my head and endure silently.

But now, I managed to get a girlfriend with these love poems, even though both Peach and I had impure motives. But a couple was finally born in Chengnan High School. That night, Peach and I stayed in her classroom for a long time, chatting freely about Shakespeare and his views. We hit it off, and there was never a dull moment. I said one thing, she said another, and we enjoyed each other's company. If it weren't for the school building needing to be locked up, we could have talked all night.

"I'll come to pick you up for breakfast tomorrow morning," I patted Peach's head outside the girls' dormitory building.

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"Mm," Peach's face was still red, looking very cute, "I'll wait for you."

I don't know why, but my heart suddenly moved. Thinking that there was someone waiting for me in this high school, that feeling was truly special and warm...

Back in the dormitory, it was almost lights out. My roommates asked me eagerly, "How did it go, Haoge? Did you win over Peach?"

I said proudly, "Of course, when Haoge takes action, how could he fail?" But thinking back to the last time I confessed to Xia Xue and failed, I had to cover it up with a chuckle. Fortunately, my roommates didn't delve deeper.

"Haoge is the best!" "I knew Haoge would be fine!" "Haoge is the first one in our dorm to have a girlfriend!" "Haoge, a few days ago you were madly in love with Xia Xue, and now you've immediately found a new girlfriend, you're awesome!" "Haoge is the spiritual leader of our dorm, we should follow Haoge's example!"

While the members of the dormitory were chatting, the door suddenly pushed open. At that moment, the lights went out, and the dormitory fell into darkness.

"Everyone except Wang Hao, get out."

The person who came in spoke with particular ferocity, and everyone in the dormitory obediently left.

Once the door was closed, only the two of us were left in the dormitory.

I immediately stood up, with joy in my voice, "Ye Zhan, what brings you here?"

The person who came in was Ye Zhan. In the darkness, Ye Zhan grabbed my arm and sat with me on the edge of the bed.

"Haozi, Maizi will be back soon, what are you going to do? He won't let you off!" Ye Zhan's tone was full of concern, which touched me deeply.

"I calculated the time, there are still five days left, and the legendary Mai Zi is about to return, the figure that even Yu Chengfei has to worry about."

"Ye Zhan, thank you for caring about me so much." I felt warm in my heart, making me feel like I also had brothers in Chenggao, "Last time at the internet cafe entrance, I have to explain to you, Yuan Shao and the others actually..."

Before I could finish my sentence, Ye Zhan interrupted, "I know. They didn't want to put me in a difficult position, after all, I'm still studying at Chenggao. Haozi, I've been around for a while, I know who's good to me. Yuan Shao, Yu Chengfei and the others are from the Vocational College, but they're the most loyal among the three schools. That's why they rose so quickly. That's why I'm willing to do things for them."

"So you already knew!" I said joyfully, "I wanted to talk to you about it, but these days have been too busy."

"I know." Ye Zhan's tone was particularly helpless, "You've been busy chasing girls. Your news about Xia Xue and Peach spread quickly. You're truly the number one influential figure in Chengnan High School."

"Oh, those are just empty titles." I felt embarrassed, I had indeed been at the center of attention these past few days.

"Let's not talk about that." Ye Zhan asked again, "Mai Zi is coming back soon, what are you going to do? Haozi, I'm sorry, I can't protect you anymore, Mai Zi is not someone I can afford to provoke. But I can assure you, if he causes trouble for you, I will definitely stand by your side. Even if I have to take a beating, I'll take it with you!"

Listening to Ye Zhan's words, I was even more moved. If it weren't for the fact that Ye Zhan was a man, I would have hugged him.

He didn't have to do this. At the internet cafe, Yuan Shao had already kicked him out in front of everyone from the three schools. He could have stayed out of it, there was no need for him to get involved. "Ye Zhan, there's really no need..." My voice was trembling.

"Haozi, let me tell you." Ye Zhan said, "At first, I helped you because of Meng Liang's sake. But after spending time with you, I found out that you're actually a good person. Haozi, don't look down on the students at Chenggao, they're all hypocrites, preaching one thing but doing another, full of deception! I saw through them a long time ago, I'd rather be with the students at the Vocational College, they live freely and do what they want. But you're different, I can see that you're a person of great loyalty and righteousness, you're a rare brother. So this time, I'm not doing it for Meng Liang's sake, but because I want to stand by your side!"

"Ye Zhan..." I was extremely moved. In Chenggao, Ye Zhan was my first true brother!

"Alright." In the darkness, Ye Zhan's voice was so warm, "What are you going to do? I'll do everything I can to help you!"

I couldn't help but grab Ye Zhan's hand, and emotionally called out, "Thank you, bro!"

"Oh, come on." Ye Zhan shook off my hand, "What are you doing, we're both grown men, why are you being so mushy."

There was no light in the dormitory, so Ye Zhan couldn't see the tears in my eyes. Brother, this warmth, I can finally have it too.

"In fact..." I said, "Yu Ge is planning to transfer me." In the darkness, I bowed my head, "He said, if I stay at Chenggao, I will definitely be toyed with by Mai Zi. So he hopes I can transfer to the Vocational College."

"Ah?!" Ye Zhan's voice was surprised, but quickly calmed down, "Yu Ge is right, staying at Chenggao is not a wise choice. You should go to the Vocational College, with Yu Ge and the others' protection, you'll be safe. But, it's a pity..."

I didn't know if he was referring to us not being in the same school anymore, or if it was a pity that it's hard to get into Chenggao, and transferring again would be a pity.

"I have no choice." I sighed.

Ye Zhan laughed, "I thought you were so relaxed, still able to chase after girls and everything, turns out you're preparing for your future!"

"Hehe, hehe." I chuckled. Although I considered Ye Zhan as a brother, I didn't plan to tell him about my personal feelings, it would be embarrassing to say it out loud.

"Alright, that's it." Ye Zhan said, "Mai Zi isn't here, you can enjoy a few more days. When you transfer, we won't have as many chances to meet. Remember to come and see me often, haha." In the darkness, he walked towards the dormitory door and opened it.

"Haozi, be careful, get the transfer procedures done as soon as possible, so you don't have too many worries." This was Ye Zhan's last words before leaving.