Please, I'm Trying to Study, Your Highness! - chapter 4

Tedious mathematics.

Complicated English.

Classical Chinese that needs to be memorized over and over…

Time is sliced into fine powder by the soft scratching of pen on paper, quietly slipping away.

The “city wall” piled up before me has become my entire world, blocking out most of the whispers from the outside.

“Ding-ling-ling–”

The shrill sound of the end-of-class bell rings out.

Within seconds, all kinds of voices “buzz” and explode.

My two friends, naturally, “come back to life” at the first moment.

“Xiao Huihui, do you want to go to the internet café and book a computer for next PE class?”

Monkey hurriedly leans over to suggest, “My treat.”

Wang Lei pulls out a bag of chips from his drawer, tears open the package, and munches away with a “crunch crunch,” chiming in.

“Yeah, yeah, the PE teacher will definitely just make us run two laps and then let us do whatever. Sitting on the field in the sun is so boring.”

See, this is the brainless world of a feel-good novel.

Even skipping class is talked about so openly, as if it’s perfectly natural.

I don’t even look up, my pen gliding lightly over the auxiliary lines of a solid geometry problem.

“Not going. I need to finish this set of papers.”

“Tch, so boring.” Monkey shrinks back, pulling out his phone to start a game with someone else.

Just then, a small commotion comes from the back door of the classroom.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a tall figure almost blocking the entire doorway.

The red basketball jersey on him is soaked with sweat and clings to his body.

Estimated height: close to 1.9 meters.

His dark skin glistens with sweat, and the smell of sweat is strong.

This is Li Yaowen from Class Eight.

Forward of the Basketball School Team, a guy famous for his skills and hot temper.

He wears a smile he thinks is handsome, striding toward the seat where Xia Shiyu sits.

Desks and chairs along the way are bumped and knocked askew, drawing a few suppressed complaints.

“Shiyu!” His booming voice briefly drowns out the classroom noise.

Xia Shiyu is discussing something with the girl in front of her.

Hearing the voice, she looks genuinely surprised, “Li Yaowen? Why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be training?”

Her voice isn’t loud, but it has a peculiar penetrating quality; several rows of boys nearby instinctively perk up their ears.

“Just finished a break, so I wanted to come see you.”

Li Yaowen stops by her desk, magically produces a bottle of water from behind his back, unscrews the cap, and hands it over, “You must be tired, have some water.”

“Oh, you always do this…”

Xia Shiyu doesn’t take it, but lightly taps her forehead with her fingertip, her tone carrying a hint of playful reproach.

“Every time you run over all sweaty, it’s so embarrassing for the classmates to see.”

She doesn’t accept, nor does she refuse, skillfully shifting the topic to the “impact” on others.

This seemingly complaining remark, to Li Yaowen, is nothing less than a shy acquiescence.

His smile grows even wider, almost smug.

“What’s the big deal? To see you, I’d run a full-court marathon!”

This half-public confession makes the classroom atmosphere even more ambiguous.

Quite a few boys wear looks of jealousy and frustration.

My hand keeps moving as I write, while my two Goblin companions have already tacitly stopped their conversation.

Xia Shiyu tilts her head, the curve of her smile unchanged.

A masterful beast tamer, even when facing a hormone-fueled lion, neither shrinks back nor meets force with force.

She skillfully weaves threads of ambiguity and suggestion, tugging at the other’s emotions.

This is the power of the Saintess.

She can easily toy with a male creature radiating violence and conquest.

My attention sinks back into the complex geometric shapes.

This mating drama playing out in the classroom is less entertaining than the cleverly constructed math problem under my pen.

I thought things would end as they had countless times before:

With Li Yaowen leaving satisfied, and Xia Shiyu continuing to maintain her image as the center of attention.
But this time, the script went a little off track.

After Xia Shiyu politely declined the bottle of water Li Yaowen offered, perhaps feeling the timing was just right, she picked up her workbook and fanned herself with it by her cheek.

Then, as if unintentionally, she muttered in a voice only those nearby could hear, “But, it really has been hot lately. My throat is a bit dry…”

This casual hint instantly ignited Li Yaowen’s eagerness to impress.

His simple mind, already hooked, translated this hint into the most direct command:

She’s thirsty. She wants something to drink, but she doesn’t want my ordinary bottle of mineral water!

Li Yaowen’s eyes lit up.

He straightened his back, scanning the classroom like a hawk.

He needed someone to run this “sacred” errand.

His gaze swept past the scrawny boy pretending to study, and finally landed on Wang Lei, who seemed to be crunching on chips but was actually sneaking glances over.

A chubby guy snacking.

The perfect target.

He looked easy to bully, and definitely had nothing better to do.

Li Yaowen lifted his chin and pointed at Wang Lei, ordering, “Hey! Fatty!”

Wang Lei’s mouth froze mid-chew.

Noticing that Li Yaowen was pointing at him, his round face was full of confusion.

“Yeah, I’m talking to you. Hurry up and go to the shop, buy me the most expensive drink! For Shiyu!”

His tone was domineering, as if bossing Wang Lei around was the most natural thing in the world.

Being ordered around in front of everyone, and even having to spend his own money to buy something for his romantic rival to please the goddess-

Wasn’t this just like having to water the tree after someone else picked the fruit?

Wang Lei was suffocating with frustration.

He was not happy. Not happy at all.

His lips moved, but he didn’t dare to retort loudly.

He only muttered under his breath, barely louder than a mosquito, “Why should I? I’m not your lackey…”

Li Yaowen’s hearing was apparently as sharp as his physique.

His face darkened.

Feeling offended, he started walking over.

With every step, the air in the classroom seemed to grow heavier.

Each heavy footfall pounded on Wang Lei’s heartbeat like a war drum.

In no time, that tall figure was standing right in front of him.

“What… did you just say?”

Li Yaowen looked down from above, his somewhat fierce face less than half a meter from the chubby guy. “I didn’t hear you. Say it again.”

Wang Lei panicked.

His two-hundred-plus pounds seemed utterly powerless in the face of Li Yaowen’s solid muscles-

Not to mention the overwhelming masculine aura that made it hard for him to breathe.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead; he didn’t dare utter a single word.

As for Monkey-

He had already buried his head low the moment Li Yaowen started walking over.

Shrinking into his seat, he wished he could become part of the desk leg.

His eyes were glued to his phone screen, as if there was some urgent military intelligence that could decide the fate of the world.

Playing dead, completely.

Wang Lei’s gaze lingered on Monkey for a few seconds, only to see a determined back of the head.

In despair, his eyes instinctively turned to me.

At this moment, I was his only hope, his last lifeline.

“Brother Hui…”

Wang Lei pleaded helplessly.

Every word was begging for one thing-

Help me…

My hand, holding the pen and working on a problem, paused.

The tense atmosphere had made the surrounding classmates as silent as cicadas in winter.

And the very beauty who had stirred up this storm was still sitting at her desk, fanning herself with her workbook, casting an innocent glance over as if she were just here to watch the show.

Sigh…

A silent sigh.

Fatty, honestly-

Let me just say thank you.

This suffocating move of yours deserves an 8.6, because I already have 1.4 myself.