ICFF4CN - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Privileges of F4

Wen Xulai adjusted his black-framed glasses and walked toward Class 4 with his teaching materials in hand.

As he passed Class 2—his own homeroom—he instinctively glanced inside. Noticing someone still in the classroom, he paused in surprise. "Song Jingbai? Isn't this your P.E. class? Why haven't you gone to the gym yet?"

The moment he saw Song Jingbai alone in the classroom, he immediately sensed something was off. Out of concern for his student, he couldn't just ignore it.

Song Jingbai had caused no trouble in the two months since school started—except for yesterday's fight with Huo Zhanyan.

When asked why they fought, Song Jingbai had remained silent. Since he refused to explain, Wen Xulai didn't press further, knowing it might only make things worse.

All in all, Song Jingbai was far less troublesome than Huo Zhanyan.

Song Jingbai tossed something into the trash bin at the back of the classroom before stepping out. "Teacher, I was just packing up. I'll head over right away."

Wen Xulai nodded, then suddenly remembered something. "By the way, how are you getting along with the new student? Since you two are desk mates, you'll be interacting more often."

Song Jingbai gave him a bright, innocent smile. "We get along very well."

I'm certain he doesn't want to see me.

"I really like the new student too."

He hates me.

Wen Xulai sighed in relief. "That's good to hear."

They'd only known each other for one class period, but there would be plenty of time to bond later. Leaving a good first impression was the most important thing.

After all, these kids weren't just here to learn—they also needed to learn how to interact with others.

Satisfied, Wen Xulai headed to Class 4, unaware that after he left, the boy who had been standing there began to wear an increasingly strange, almost grim expression.

Despite his refined upbringing, his emotions still flickered through—his youth making it impossible to completely mask them.

Song Jingbai pressed his hand against the glass window, staring at his reflection as if seeing someone else through it.

From the very first glance, he had known Wen Xiao despised him. He'd seen that look many times before—yet everyone seemed to think he was oblivious.

It was like looking into a mirror. He smiled faintly at the reflection.

***

The sports field at St. Laurent Academy was vast, located right next to the gymnasium. After leading them through warm-up exercises, the teacher dismissed them for free activities.

Wen Xiao watched as his classmates scattered—some heading to the gym to grab sports equipment. He followed suit, unwilling to stay under the scorching sun.

Scanning the crowd of youthful faces, he realized with some surprise that the other two members of F4 were nowhere to be seen.

The other three might not have stood out immediately, but one of them was impossible to miss—especially at the age of seven, when curiosity ran wild.

Because this boy was a foreigner.

Blond hair and blue eyes among a sea of black hair and dark eyes—how could he not stand out?

Suddenly, a basketball came flying toward him—or rather, toward the space beside him. It slammed into the wooden floorboards near his feet with a loud thud, making Wen Xiao tense up instinctively.

He didn't look at the basketball bouncing incessantly on the ground. Instead, he lifted his head, following the direction from which the ball had been thrown, and fixed his gaze on Huo Zhanyan.

Meeting his grim expression, Huo Zhanyan smirked triumphantly, clutching another basketball in his hands as if flaunting his dominance on his home turf. "Let's have a match!" he challenged.

Huo Zhanyan had it all planned out. Earlier in the classroom, Wen Xiao had embarrassed him, and now during PE class, he was determined to reclaim his pride.

He was confident that in this aspect, Wen Xiao's slight frame would be no match for him.

He was going to show everyone who the real leader of the class was!

Wen Xiao, still simmering with anger, strode over to Huo Zhanyan in a few quick steps, staring him down without saying a word.

Though Huo Zhanyan stood a full head taller than Wen Xiao, he inexplicably felt dwarfed in his presence.

That piercing gaze unsettled Huo Zhanyan slightly.

But the moment he realized he was actually intimidated by this newcomer, he mustered a hundred times more confidence and glared back defiantly.

"Did you ever consider what would happen if you hit someone?" Wen Xiao asked abruptly.

For a moment, he had been tempted to hurl the basketball back, just to teach Huo Zhanyan a lesson in "classmate camaraderie."

But at the last second, he held back.

Huo Zhanyan was Huo Zhanyan, and he was himself.

He would never stoop to Huo Zhanyan's level.

Not for others' sake, but for his own.

Huo Zhanyan didn't understand why Wen Xiao was suddenly angry. He was already fuming himself and snapped impatiently, "But I didn't hit anyone, did I?"

No, he hadn't.

He had been aiming at Wen Xiao's feet and hadn't noticed the other students nearby.

If Wen Xiao had taken a step to the side, or if someone else had walked by, they could have been hit.

Huo Zhanyan had only wanted to scare him, without a second thought for anyone else's safety.

Was this selfish, inconsiderate nature of his innate? How laughable.

"I won't compete," Wen Xiao said suddenly, smiling—though it was a cold, mirthless smile. "Are you stupid? Just because you say so, I have to play with you?"

Huo Zhanyan hadn't expected Wen Xiao to refuse. Instinctively, he grabbed his wrist. "Then we'll compete in something else! Anything!"

Wen Xiao frowned at the tight grip, wondering what Huo Zhanyan had been fed to grow so strong—maybe it was innate, just like his terrible personality.

And here he had thought Huo Zhanyan might have cried earlier. Clearly, he'd overestimated him.

"Fine, we'll compete," Wen Xiao nodded.

Huo Zhanyan froze, scratching his head in confusion. He hadn't expected Wen Xiao to agree so easily. But before he could revel in his victory, Wen Xiao continued.

"We'll see who can disappear from the other's sight first."

Wen Xiao couldn't even muster a fake smile now. The exhaustion of this child's body weighed on him, and all he wanted was to find a quiet spot to rest. "As for basketball? You're not even worthy."

A sport that emphasized teamwork so much was clearly not suited for someone like Huo Zhanyan.

Then again, Wen Xiao recalled that he'd never seen Huo Zhanyan play basketball in high school. At least the guy had some self-awareness.

"Huo Zhanyan, if you want to win, then get lost. Right now."

"You—!" Huo Zhanyan's face turned purple with rage.

"What are those two students doing over there!" The PE teacher blew his whistle and hurried over when he recognized Huo Zhanyan, separating the two boys.

One was Huo Zhanyan, who had bullied classmates during PE before, and the other was Wen Xiao, a new student their homeroom teacher had specifically asked him to look after—apparently, the boy had been seriously ill before and needed to avoid strenuous exercise.

Instantly, the teacher's bias was set.

He had been looking for this student, only to find him targeted by Huo Zhanyan again.

A nearby student whispered to the teacher, "Huo Zhanyan just threw a basketball at the new kid..."

Under Huo Zhanyan's glare, the girl immediately fled in fear.

When Huo Zhanyan had hurled the ball, some students had already backed away in alarm, so no one had clearly heard what was said between the two.

The PE teacher's expression darkened as he stared at Huo Zhanyan, his jaw tightening. "Is a basketball something you throw at your classmates?"

"I wasn't trying to hit him," Huo Zhanyan argued. He had only meant to scare him.

"You threw a basketball at him, and you claim you weren't trying to hit him? No, I'm reporting this to your homeroom teacher...

Huo Zhanyan gritted his teeth. At worst, his parents would be called in to discipline him—but at home, no one dared to control him like this.

Noticing Wen Xiao had already left, he tried to chase after him, only for the PE teacher to grab him again, insisting on giving him a "mental health lecture."

If these were his family's servants, he would've fired them all by now!

Wen Xiao felt refreshed after shaking Huo Zhanyan off. The only regret was that he hadn't been able to teach the bully a lesson in kind.

First, he didn't want to stoop to Huo Zhanyan's level—if he wanted revenge, he'd do it his own way. And second... he didn't want to get his parents involved.

Just then, he ran into Song Jingbai, who had just changed into his gym clothes.

Out of the standard uniform and in a white T-shirt, Song Jingbai looked more like an ordinary kid—the kind parents adored, teachers praised, and classmates admired, always radiating youthful energy.

The type who would breeze through middle school, high school, and eventually into a top university with that same approachable demeanor.

But as one of the F4, that ordinary life was never an option for him.

Because no one knew the other side of Song Jingbai—like the hidden undercurrent beneath a tranquil lake, ready to drag you under.

Song Jingbai had just washed his face, and the ends of his hair were still damp, droplets clinging precariously.

He gave Wen Xiao a warm smile, keeping a polite distance. "Next period is history. The teacher values punctuality, so don't be late."

History in elementary school sounded absurd, but at St. Laurent Academy—an elite institution modeled after international standards—it wasn't strange at all.

By the time Wen Xiao snapped out of his thoughts, Song Jingbai had already pushed the door open and left. Wen Xiao didn't understand why Song Jingbai had told him that.

If Song Jingbai weren't part of the F4, Wen Xiao thought, he might have actually enjoyed being friends with him.

Because Song Jingbai seemed to instinctively know what people needed, making interactions with him effortlessly comfortable.

But precisely because he always understood what others needed most, he also knew best what they feared losing. He instinctively wanted to distance himself from such people.

This ability of theirs might be innate, just like Huo Zhanyan's selfishness and lack of empathy.

Wen Xiao pondered this as he walked upstairs.

The gymnasium at St. Laurent Academy was enormous. Indoors, there were not only tennis courts, basketball courts, and a swimming pool but even fencing and archery ranges.

Wen Xiao wasn't sure where the hallway led him until he pushed open a door and stepped onto the second-floor terrace, instantly dazzled by the sight before him.

In front of him was an open-air swimming pool, flanked by parasols, bamboo mats, and chairs for lounging—though the mats were hardly suitable for the weather, so they had been covered with a layer of soft blankets.

Despite the late autumn chill, someone was actually swimming.

The water in the pool emitted faint wisps of steam, clearly heated.

Yet, no matter how Wen Xiao looked around, he couldn't spot anyone.

Had the swimmer already left?

Suddenly, he heard a faint splash near the water's edge. Worried someone might be drowning, Wen Xiao approached cautiously. He knew how to swim—otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to go near the water.

Having been reborn once, it was impossible to say he didn't cherish his life.

The moment he got close, water splashed onto his face, soaking his clothes completely.

Wen Xiao's eyes widened slightly as a figure emerged from the water, abruptly entering his line of sight.

Droplets cascaded like threads down the other's body, his arms—so pale they seemed to glow—resting on the pool's edge as he braced himself against the ground.

But what truly captured attention was his golden hair, dazzling under the sunlight, glistening with water.

Like a mermaid breaking through the surface, surrounded by rising steam, he seemed almost unreal.

The blond boy noticed someone nearby but didn't speak, instead reaching for a towel to wipe the water from his face.

Yet Wen Xiao felt as though he had been completely ignored—seen, yet unseen.

As Wen Xiao remained crouched by the pool, those emerald-green eyes turned toward him. "Aren't you leaving?"

Before Wen Xiao could react, the blond boy continued, "This is my pool."

"Please leave. Now."

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