Chapter 76: Are You Seeking Humiliation?

He Shi whimpered, "You're so mean to me."

Xie Xu's brow twitched. "If you have something to say, say it. If you have something to let out, let it out."

"I knew you understood me best, Xu-ge!" He Shi felt moved to tears; indeed, the one who understood him most was his Xu-ge.

He cleared his throat. "Xu-ge, I want to discuss something with you."

"Go on."

"You're the class monitor, right? And the teacher asked you to assign my seat..."

"Yes." Xie Xu nodded. "You want to sit next to me? Fine, just move behind me. How about you sit there to your heart's content?"

"That's not what I meant."

"Hmm?"

"I just think my current seat... is quite nice."

"???"

"If I'm not mistaken, this is Yan Yi's seat, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Exactly. He's a big celebrity; he probably attends fewer classes in a month than I have fingers on one hand. Isn't it a waste for his seat to stay empty? Why not let me take it?"

Xie Xu glanced at him. "Are you being deliberately shameless?"

"I'm not!"

"Then tell me, what's your reason?"

He Shi swallowed, glancing ahead to make sure the person in front wasn't paying attention, then pursed his lips and spoke. "Xu-ge, do you believe in love at first sight?"

"I think I just got a crush on that girl named Chen Ziyi."

Xie Xu frowned, his voice cold and hard. "What does a crush feel like?"

He Shi looked at Xie Xu with a strange expression. "It's the same feeling you have for Lu Yiqi."

Xie Xu was stunned for three seconds before he realized what He Shi meant. For once, he stammered, "D-don't talk nonsense!"

He Shi smirked. "Don't tell me you really don't know you like her?"

"What do you mean?"

He Shi, channeling his inner Sherlock Holmes, said, "Yesterday I tried to shake your hand and you refused. That shows you have a strong sense of possessiveness toward Lu Yiqi. When a man feels possessive toward a woman, what does that mean? It means you see her as your own and don't want others to get close. Simply put, only liking someone creates that kind of possessiveness. And when we caught a cab, you just left me behind! Be honest, didn't you just not want me to interrupt your alone time with her? Think about all these things—really think about them. If this isn't liking her, then what is?"

At these words, Xie Xu fell silent.

Half a minute later, Xie Xu patted He Shi on the shoulder. "Permission granted."

At that moment, He Shi wanted to shout, "Xu-ge, you're amazing!"

Delighted, he moved Yan Yi's desk to the back, then shifted his own desk next to Chen Ziyi. Once the two desks were aligned, he clapped his hands. "Perfect."

Chen Ziyi stared at him, bewildered. "What?"

He Shi smiled at her after moving the desk. "Looking forward to working with you, desk mate."

Chen Ziyi was utterly confused. "Wait, isn't this Yan Yi's seat?"

"It's mine now!" He Shi declared his territory, then laughed. "You see, Yan Yi's a big star—he's got so much going on, he's here for class even less than me, right? Besides, my Xu-ge is taller than me—if he sits in front of me, I can't see the board. And honestly, I get distracted really easily. Without a desk mate, I can't pay attention in class at all. You're the third person I've met since joining this class; the first two were Xu-ge and Lu Yiqi. I can't split them up, can I? And I think you and I are pretty fated, so I went to Xu-ge and asked if I could sit with you."