Our Entire Family Has Secrets [Transmigrated] - Chapter 42
As soon as the students returned to the classroom, a heavy rain started outside.
The dark sky felt oppressive, yet the students inside were inexplicably excited.
It seemed that the storm could inject some excitement into their monotonous campus life, especially when the thunder drowned out the sound of studying from downstairs.
Everyone was overly hyped, making a racket and being reminded multiple times by the class leader and discipline officer, “Other classes haven’t finished yet; don’t disturb them!”
The class leader, Qin Jiao, was in a terrible mood today.
She thought she could rank in the top two hundred of her grades, but poor grades in math and physics made her miss the chance to leave Class Seven.
So, she was channeling her frustration into making a list of all the misbehaving students’ names, filling almost half of her notebook.
Yuan Bozhu was lucky to escape, as he had rarely misbehaved.
The classroom was lively, but Yuan Bozhu sat quietly at his desk, aware that his calmness was no longer the same as before.
The increasingly violent rain and the occasional lightning and thunder could disrupt his peace.
The seat next to him was still empty.
Lin Shuanghuai and Qin Rui still hadn’t returned.
His first thought was surprisingly about whether they might get caught in the rain.
What a strange thought!
In the past, Yuan Bozhu never worried about whether his classmates would get wet on a rainy day, just as he wouldn’t care if the cafeteria chef was tired today.
Lately, he seemed easily distracted by random thoughts, and it all stemmed from Lin Shuanghuai becoming his deskmate so suddenly.
This was unexpected, to the point where even Yuan Bozhu, who usually adapted to everything, felt it exceeded reason.
In fact, news about Lin Shuanghuai joining Class Seven had been circulating throughout the weekend, with online discussions lamenting his drop in ranking.
Yuan Bozhu hadn’t anticipated this partly because he never engaged in gossip and partly because he didn’t care about class changes.
For a marginal student like him, the shifts in Class Seven were irrelevant.
Who left didn’t require his farewell, and who came didn’t need his welcome.
In his mind, it was all unrelated—until Lin Shuanghuai showed up as the exception.
When Lin Shuanghuai boldly took the seat during lunch, pushing out Yuan Bozhu’s previous deskmate with his charm, Yuan Bozhu realized that the peace he had worked so hard to maintain was suddenly precarious.
This wasn’t the first time, nor would it be the last.
A thunderclap startled everyone, followed by laughter.
Yuan Bozhu returned his focus, pulling out paper and a pen to quietly tackle his Chinese homework amid the chaos.
Copying poetry was usually a great way to clear his mind, and he didn’t need to think about whether his deskmate or former deskmate would get wet or let some self-invited person distract him.
“I like him… like him…”
Wait. Who was talking?
Yuan Bozhu frowned, listening closely to nearby classmates gossiping.
“You know that idol, right? I was obsessed with him before his fall from grace.”
“I liked him too; it’s infuriating that he doesn’t know how to cherish a relationship!”
Yuan Bozhu’s tense nerves relaxed a bit, but then his thoughts drifted back.
Boyfriend…
pursuing him…
Who was this about???
“I never agreed with you dating him! Look, he just became your boyfriend and already doesn’t appreciate you!”
“Ugh… I’ll never believe in love again.”
Yuan Bozhu’s attempt to focus was completely thwarted, so he turned off his hearing.
The world quieted, but then he misspelled the third character.
“遮” ended up with five dots.
Yuan Bozhu didn’t know what he was doing.
He crossed it out and rewrote it.
This time he got it right, but he hesitated to write the second line.
He glanced at the textbook and confirmed that it was a poem assigned by the teacher for memorization.
Yuan Bozhu bit his lip, just about to write the character “易,” when he caught sight of Lin Shuanghuai and Qin Rui entering the classroom.
Immediately, many classmates gathered around them.
Yuan Bozhu instinctively closed his notebook and casually picked up a nearby book to flip through.
“Where have you two been? I thought you got into a fight!” someone exclaimed.
“Why are your clothes all wet? Does anyone have an extra jacket to lend them?”
In the past, Qin Rui had a good rapport with his classmates, always surrounded by a group of buddies.
But today, Lin Shuanghuai was the one at the center of attention.
Qin Rui’s former followers no longer fawned over him.
He pouted, clearly displeased, but didn’t seek any chance to banter with Lin Shuanghuai as before.
Instead, he quietly sidestepped and exited the crowd.
It seemed he intended to come over to Yuan Bozhu but paused for some reason and obediently returned to his seat.
Classmates were actively offering their jackets, but the two of them were soaked through their t-shirts, and just wearing jackets wouldn’t help—especially since it was Monday, and most people were in formal attire.
The school uniform jackets only had two buttons and offered little coverage, unlike sports uniforms that could be worn alone.
Yuan Bozhu was the only one still wearing that unattractive sports uniform.
But he had no intention of stepping in to help.
Everyone in the class was unfamiliar with Yuan Bozhu and didn’t think to call on him.
They exchanged glances, debating how they couldn’t let Lin Shuanghuai and Qin Rui sit there in just their wet t-shirts.
One boy who happened to have just picked up a new uniform generously took off his shirt and handed it to Lin Shuanghuai.
“Here you go, new classmate. Experience our Class Seven’s hospitality.”
Lin Shuanghuai smiled as he accepted the shirt but didn’t intend to change.
“Thank you,” he said, glancing at Qin Rui, who was slumped beside him, and added, “Actually, I didn’t get too wet. Qin Rui ran slowly and got soaked. Can we give this shirt to him first?”
The boy readily agreed.
Lin Shuanghuai then walked over and placed the shirt in front of Qin Rui.
“What are you doing?” Qin Rui shot him a look, though it seemed half-hearted.
Ever since Lin Shuanghuai made his intentions clear, Qin Rui’s attitude had become conflicted.
They no longer had an antagonistic relationship, and now Qin Rui didn’t know how to face Lin Shuanghuai.
On one hand, he found Lin Shuanghuai difficult to read and felt like he might end up on the losing side in any interaction.
On the other hand, he recognized that Lin Shuanghuai hadn’t actually done anything wrong, and overall, he seemed like a decent person.
Of course, the most important factor was Lin Shuanghuai’s surprising declaration.
Qin Rui had encountered homosexuals before, but he just couldn’t imagine how the most popular guy among girls, Lin Shuanghuai, would date Yuan Bozhu.
Everything about it felt off.
“Qin Rui, you should change your clothes first,” Lin Shuanghuai said with a smile.
Qin Rui hesitated for a moment before classmates chimed in, “Why the long face? He’s just being kind.”
“You weren’t this hard to please before, Qin Rui.”
Lin Shuanghuai blinked innocently.
“You guys misunderstood. Qin Rui is just worried I might catch a cold. He’s a good guy.”
Classmates looked at Lin Shuanghuai with astonished expressions.
“I… I!”
Qin Rui stammered for a moment before suddenly grabbing the shirt, standing up, and, red-faced, storming out of the classroom to change in the restroom.
Some speculated whether Qin Rui was embarrassed, while others commented on his bad mood today.
Only Yuan Bozhu, who had watched everything unfold quietly, understood that Qin Rui knew he couldn’t win against Lin Shuanghuai and fled.
Strangely, Yuan Bozhu felt a twinge of sympathy for Qin Rui.
As Class Seven grew rowdy, finally, a teacher stormed in from the office, scolding them for their poor discipline before turning in a huff and leaving.
The classroom fell silent.
At that moment, someone sat down next to Yuan Bozhu—his new deskmate, Lin Shuanghuai.
A chill spread through the air as Lin Shuanghuai settled into his seat, his sleeves and shoulders soaked.
But Yuan Bozhu kept his gaze on the book and didn’t look over.
Suddenly, a slender hand reached across and pointed to a line in his book.
Lin Shuanghuai’s voice broke the silence:
“This is a key point.”
Yuan Bozhu remained silent.
He never highlighted key points because, for him, everything he had seen was already etched in his mind—forgetting wasn’t an option, so there was no need to discard or retain anything.
But that wasn’t the main issue.
The real question was why Lin Shuanghuai’s hand was reaching across from under his arm, as if they were holding hands.
Yuan Bozhu put down his book and moved his arm away from Lin Shuanghuai.
Yet, Lin Shuanghuai seemed unfazed, casually taking the book and lightly marking a few spots with a pencil.
“These are important, must-test items,” he said, placing the book back down and smiling at Yuan Bozhu.
“What university do you want to go to in the future?”
“I don’t know,” Yuan Bozhu replied, avoiding his gaze.
“Will you stay in Qiancheng?”
Yuan Bozhu glanced at him.
Given their previous interactions, Lin Shuanghuai easily picked up the meaning of his look—he didn’t want to answer.
But today, Lin Shuanghuai was a bit more tenacious than usual.
“Can’t say, or don’t want to?”
Lin Shuanghuai tilted his head, studying Yuan Bozhu.
“Are you not telling just me, or no one at all?”
His questions were numerous but devoid of pressure, as if he were merely expressing curiosity and leaving the decision to answer up to Yuan Bozhu.
There was never any sense of oppression from Lin Shuanghuai.
For Yuan Bozhu, he was easy to push away, yet he would quickly return.
He never seemed discouraged.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Yuan Bozhu said, meeting his gaze and answering both questions: “No one.”
Lin Shuanghuai nodded seriously, committing it to memory.
“Then I won’t ask again.”
He continued to look at Yuan Bozhu, a drop of water sliding down his forehead and hanging at the tip of his nose, poised to fall.
Yuan Bozhu felt an impulse to wipe it away, but ultimately he didn’t move, focusing back on the book to review the key points Lin Shuanghuai had marked, which he already knew by heart.
“Ah-choo…”
Lin Shuanghuai let out a small sneeze.
Yuan Bozhu pretended not to hear.
But soon came another, then another.
Yuan Bozhu had no choice but to look at him.
Lin Shuanghuai innocently asked, “Did I disturb you?”
He hadn’t disturbed him, to be honest.
From the start, Yuan Bozhu had anticipated things would go this way.
Lin Shuanghuai didn’t take the jacket offered by his classmates but gave it to the less friendly Qin Rui.
Now, he was seeking attention beside Yuan Bozhu, all pointing toward a single goal.
Yuan Bozhu wanted to call out Lin Shuanghuai’s clumsy act, but instead, he sighed, removed his own sports jacket, and handed it to him.
With the goal achieved, Lin Shuanghuai accepted it eagerly, happily saying thank you before heading off to the restroom to change.
Watching Lin Shuanghuai leave, Yuan Bozhu lowered his gaze.
He should have realized it earlier:
Lin Shuanghuai was like a flame that thrived on the wind.
At first, it was just a flicker; if left alone, it would soon grow into a roaring fire.
“Trouble’s brewing, you little rascals!”
Class Seven’s homeroom teacher, Old Zhao, arrived after hearing they had disrupted other classes.
With a bang, both the front and back doors were shut.
He glanced at the time—there were still a few minutes left in gym class.
In the end, he made a decision:
“Alright, let’s find something to do.
I originally planned to save this for Friday’s class meeting to hold a formal welcome ceremony, but since you all seem so restless, how about this:
the new students who are here today can introduce themselves.”
The students assigned to Class Seven included Lin Shuanghuai and three others.
They clearly felt no sense of belonging to this new class and were reluctant to introduce themselves.
Their attitudes and brief comments revealed that they believed they had ended up in Class Seven due to poor exam performance and were determined to rise again, aiming to excel in the next class placement.
Lin Shuanghuai, however, was different.
When he returned to the classroom after changing into his uniform, he caught the end of the last girl’s introduction, and Old Zhao called him up for his turn.
A student like Lin Shuanghuai—considered a model student by teachers and recognized as a heartthrob by classmates—was a true surprise in Class Seven.
As he walked to the podium, Yuan Bozhu heard several people expressing sympathy for him.
“If he hadn’t missed the exam due to illness, he would definitely still be in Class One.”
“This class placement system is flawed; what can you tell from just one exam? What a pity for Lin Shuanghuai.”
Yet, wearing a uniform two sizes too large, Lin Shuanghuai stood before his classmates and confidently declared,
“Hello everyone, I’m Lin Shuanghuai. I’m very happy to be your classmate. If possible, I’d like to stay with all of you until the last day before the college entrance exam because I really like Class Seven. That concludes my self-introduction; I wish everyone happiness every day!”
At that moment, Yuan Bozhu felt that only Lin Shuanghuai was genuinely happy.
After listening to his speech, the teacher and classmates assumed he had been hit too hard and was emotionally unbalanced, unable to distinguish between joy and sorrow.
“Oh, besides our new classmates, I have another announcement for you,” Old Zhao said, bringing everyone’s attention back after Lin Shuanghuai stepped down.
“Our foreign language teacher is pregnant, so starting tomorrow, there will be a new foreign language teacher filling in. Don’t say I didn’t warn you—the new teacher is an excellent educator brought in by the Education Bureau. If she calls anyone out tomorrow for poor discipline—ha!”
Old Zhao cast a cold glance over the class. “These students shouldn’t expect to go on the autumn outing.”
Some students were curious about what the new teacher would look like, while others were anxious about whether they would be called out, and some lamented the delay of the autumn outing.
Qin Rui was still struggling with the fact that Lin Shuanghuai wanted to date Yuan Bozhu, while Lin Shuanghuai secretly rejoiced at successfully wearing Yuan Bozhu’s uniform.
The classroom buzzed with the restless energy of seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds.
Only Yuan Bozhu gazed out at the unusual rain, lowering his eyes.
An unspoken crisis was falling upon Qiancheng No. 1 High School, heralded by the rain, unnoticed by teachers and students alike.
Yet Yuan Bozhu felt that his peaceful life, maintained for eighteen years, was inevitably going to be drenched by this rain.
**Author’s Note:**
The quoted line of poetry is from the Tang Dynasty poet Yu Xuanji’s “To a Neighbor Girl”:
“Shame makes me cover my sleeves; sorrow leaves me too lazy to adorn myself.
Easy to find priceless treasures, hard to find a heartfelt suitor.
On my pillow, tears fall; among the flowers, my heart aches.
I can glimpse Song Yu’s sorrow; why must I resent Wang Changling?”
(Note: The selection of the line “easy to find priceless treasures, hard to find a heartfelt suitor” is made out of a playful intent, and the author does not claim to write Tang poetry—after all, they can’t.)