BTO CH49

Before receiving the message from Xu Sheng, Shao Zhan had already opened Xu Sheng’s chat window, staring at the letter “S” at the top for a moment.

As if possessed, he didn’t even know what he was doing.

A moment later, as if sensing that he was staring at the screen, a string of typing… appeared right after that “S.” His fingers involuntarily tensed up. What did Xu Sheng want to say to him?

However, those chaotic thoughts vanished in an instant after Xu Sheng sent over a product screenshot.

What. Is. This.

What on earth?

It looked almost identical to the raincoat sets worn by elderly farmers rushing into the fields during a torrential downpour.

The model in the product photo was wrapped in layers, exposing only half a face, with his chin tucked into an erect collar, paired with rubber gloves and earthy-brown rubber boots.

No matter how meticulously one analyzed it, this image undoubtedly took the definition of tacky to its absolute peak.

Shao Zhan, who had zero clue what was going on in Xu Sheng’s head: “…”

Xu Sheng was extremely confident in the product he found. Too lazy to type further, he directly dialed a voice call over.

“Hello.” Xu Sheng’s greeting dipped down in pitch, trailing off lazily as if whispering a playful tease into someone’s ear.

Xu Sheng continued, “How about it? This insulating suit is lightning-proof and pressure-resistant. Trust physics, trust science. With this insulating suit, that damn thunder definitely won’t be able to touch me. Desk mate, want two sets?”

Shao Zhan took two full minutes to convince himself before he could continue speaking with Xu Sheng. The boy’s voice was cold, carrying through the current back into Xu Sheng’s ear: “Are you serious?”

Xu Sheng: “Nonsense, what else would I be doing if I weren’t serious?”

Two seconds later, Shao Zhan said, “It’s terrible.”

Xu Sheng: “I’ll give you two seconds to think it over before answering me again.”

“…” Shao Zhan said, “Then ask again.”

Xu Sheng asked, “How about it?”

Shao Zhan repeated his answer from earlier: “Still terrible.”

“…”

Shao Zhan sighed. “Dressing like that, are you afraid people won’t know there’s something wrong with your IQ?”

Xu Sheng: “Fuck.”

Shao Zhan’s response failed to dampen Xu Sheng’s enthusiasm for the insulating suit. As long as there was a silver lining, even a one-in-a-ten-thousand chance, he was willing to try.

Xu Sheng’s thought process was indeed different from regular people. In Kang Kai’s words, it was probably: people who do art all have something a bit wrong with their brains; only by taking unorthodox paths can they excel at art.

Xu Sheng turned to message Kang Kai privately. Kang Kai happened to be awake as well. He had an upcoming drawing competition and had just settled on a theme after two days, but he couldn’t get into the right state of mind, tearing off his initial draft and tossing it aside.

Kang Kai picked up the call: “Why are you looking for me at this hour?”

As Kang Kai finished speaking, he ripped off a second piece of drawing paper with a loud rip.

“You’re still at the studio?” Xu Sheng asked.

“Yeah,” Kang Kai said. “There’s a competition coming up, and everyone at our studio signed up. I can’t yield first place to anyone other than you. Having one cheated devil like you in my life is enough, I definitely can’t handle a second.”

Xu Sheng let out a couple of chuckles, remembering the purpose of this call: “Did you check the screenshot I sent you?”

Kang Kai really hadn’t paid attention. He was too immersed in drawing, and the only reason he picked up the call was that he forgot to mute his phone.

Kang Kai set down his lining pen, minimized the call screen, and finally saw the screenshot Xu Sheng mentioned. He was profoundly shocked: “What is this…”

Kang Kai’s next sentence was, “It’s kind of cool.”

Xu Sheng felt much better inside: “Say a few more words.”

Kang Kai: “The design of these overalls is insanely stylish! Look at these rubber gloves and boots… What’s up with you? Are you planning to become an electrician?”

“…” Xu Sheng didn’t know how to explain: “You could understand it that way too. I’m going to place the order.”

He couldn’t exactly say that inexplicable lightning kept striking him lately, and after every roaring rumble of thunder, he would swap bodies with his desk mate. If he said that out loud, Kang Kai might drag him straight to the hospital’s psychiatric department.

Kang Kai couldn’t comprehend it. For the entrance exams of several famous art academies, even Kang Kai wouldn’t dare claim a 100% pass rate. But Xu Sheng was different; if he really intended to take this path and returned to take the exams properly, could he not get into any art academy with his eyes closed? What was bothering him so much that he wanted to become an electrician?

Kang Kai felt like he was watching a piece of shining gold being thrown into a mud pit: “I’m not discriminating against electricians, I believe every profession has its value, but you…”

Xu Sheng had a brief chat with the Taobao seller and bought two insulating suits right away, interrupting Kang Kai’s speech: “Alright, keep drawing.”

Kang Kai swallowed his remaining words, stopping him right before Xu Sheng hung up: “Hold on a sec.”

“So,” Kang Kai decided to pull Xu Sheng back indirectly through his own efforts, “I’ve already thought of the theme for this drawing competition, but there are still a few design issues. Can you be my mentor? I’ll come ask you whenever I run into problems.”

Having a mentor for this kind of drawing competition wasn’t unusual. But if Kang Kai needed a mentor, why didn’t he ask his mom?

Kang Kai promptly blocked that retreat: “My mom has to mentor half the art studio, I don’t want to bother her.”

Xu Sheng: “So you bother me instead.”

Kang Kai: “Heheh.”

It was getting late, and Xu Sheng didn’t take the matter to heart. Wasn’t it just mentoring? “Sure.”

Before going to sleep, Xu Sheng checked the order page. Very good. Two insulating suits. One for himself, and the other for his desk mate.

Because there were many boarding students who mostly went home only once a month, Sixth High wasn’t opposed to students receiving express packages at school. All packages were gathered and stored in the guardhouse, and students were allowed in to collect them only after classes ended. Many students lived in the agonizing anticipation of waiting for packages every day.

During break, Hou Jun was writing his homework when he suddenly snapped his head up and wailed, “When will my newly bought sneakers finally reach me? The tracking info still shows an update from two days ago. My sneakers!”

Sitting in the back row, Xu Sheng played games while offering remote support to Hou Jun: “Has the delivery speed been a bit slow lately? I’ve been waiting for a few days too.”

Hou Jun: “Sheng-ge, what did you buy?”

Tapping the recall button on his screen, Xu Sheng said vaguely, “Clothes.”

Sitting beside Xu Sheng, Shao Zhan flipped his test paper over to the next page. When he heard the word “clothes,” a vein twitched on his temple.

After buying gear back at base, Xu Sheng was about to head back to lane when his phone screen was blocked by a hand. Shao Zhan pressed down on the phone, forcing Xu Sheng to look up at him. “That set of things… you bought it?”

“Bought it.”

Xu Sheng had not only bought it, but bought two sets: “Don’t worry. Even though you insulted it like that the other day, I’m broad-minded and won’t hold it against you. I’m gifting you one set.”

Shao Zhan: “…”

Xu Sheng shifted Shao Zhan’s hand off his phone screen, repaying malice with kindness: “Who told you to be my desk mate?”

Is it still in time to change desk mates now?

Xu Sheng’s insulating suit, which claimed a full refund if it failed to protect against lightning, traveled on the road for three days before finally arriving alongside Hou Jun’s sneakers. After evening self-study, Hou Jun bumped into Xu Sheng in the guardhouse while holding his sneakers. He was quite interested in Xu Sheng’s heavy package: “Looks pretty thick, huh.”

The full gear had many items, and buying two sets made the bulging bag look truly exaggerated. But Xu Sheng reacted swiftly, not even batting an eye: “Winter clothes.”

Hou Jun: “In the middle of summer, you’re buying winter clothes?”

Xu Sheng: “Buying in summer is cheaper.”

Hou Jun’s expression grew subtle: “…” Don’t try to guess the school tyrant’s mind.

After speaking, Xu Sheng felt the explanation was still slightly forced, so he added: “I bought one for my desk mate too.”

Hou Jun’s expression became even more subtle.

When Xu Sheng returned to the dorm carrying two bags, he happened to bump into Shao Zhan opening the door with a water cup to get water. Shao Zhan had just showered and changed out of his school uniform. Tall with long legs and slightly damp hair, his gaze fell onto the two bags in Xu Sheng’s hands, pausing for a few seconds before stiffly shifting away, finally landing on Xu Sheng: “You didn’t…”

As their eyes met, something seemed to surge in the dark. Countless particles in the air went from still to wildly erratic, finally bursting forth as both moved almost simultaneously. Xu Sheng stepped forward two strides with lightning speed, but Shao Zhan retreated even faster!

Xu Sheng: “…Why are you running?”

Shao Zhan: “Why are you chasing me?”

Xu Sheng: “The delivery arrived, I’m giving you clothes!”

Shao Zhan: “Take it away.”

Unless he went insane, he would never wear this outfit. In the heat of the moment, neither noticed how childish their brief exchange was. Xu Sheng hadn’t even grabbed the hem of Shao Zhan’s shirt before Shao Zhan retreated into the dorm, his hand gripping the door lock, intending to slam the door shut.

Just in the nick of time, Xu Sheng acted first. He reached out to block the door, leaning his entire body weight against it to force a crack open. Then he moved his hand from the doorknob, bending his fingers slightly to reach straight through the narrow gap and grip the door edge.

Worried about pinching his fingers, Shao Zhan eased his pressure. Shao Zhan intended to reason with him: “Do you think those thunderclaps nobody else can hear can be explained by physics? So what use is physical protection? It doesn’t know when it will rumble again,” Shao Zhan released his grip and said, “Do you intend to keep wearing this insulating suit until then?”

However, Shao Zhan couldn’t finish his words. Almost the exact second he mentioned “it,” the world outside the window turned bright as day for a split second. An unknown intense light ripped through the sky, flashing fireworks of lightning. Yet this moment happened far too quickly to capture. Only after that dazzling flash passed did a heavy rumble of thunder crack down from the distant horizon.

BOOM!

The lightning flashed so fast it vanished in an instant, but the thunder struck solidly beside their ears.

Shao Zhan: “…”

Xu Sheng: “…”

The thunder grew increasingly violent, crashing with a sky-shaking momentum: RUMBLE!

Not until the second thunderclap struck did Xu Sheng snap back to reality. He cursed out loud: “Shao Zhan, are you a jinx?”

Xu Sheng frantically threw one bag to Shao Zhan, then frantically began unwrapping the remaining bag in his own hands. Tearing open the package, inside was a complete insulating suit! Propping one hand against the wall, he pulled on the overalls in a couple of moves: “What are you standing there for? Put it on!”

Unless I’m crazy. Even if I jump off the dorm building… I would never… Shao Zhan slowly closed his eyes.

In less than half a minute, both were fully dressed, standing face-to-face in astounding outfits. Their heights were similar, and the yellow insulating suits made them look like two tall, lean Minions from a distance.

Generally speaking, even the ugliest clothes couldn’t diminish the looks of Linjiang Sixth High’s two heartthrobs. Handsome faces combined with natural hanger bodies made them look good in anything. For instance, even though Linjiang Sixth High’s uniform repeatedly ranked last in C City’s uniform evaluations, it still looked divine on Shao Zhan.

But this insulating suit managed to do it.

RUMBLE! The thunder roared wildly.

Yet neither had the time to think about or mock their current selves. Xu Sheng silently repeated in his heart: You are an insulating suit that can withstand 3KV voltage. Born specifically for lightning protection. You can do this, you got this.

The heavens didn’t hear Xu Sheng’s inner plea. The familiar dizziness quickly swept through both their brains, the world fragmenting once more before rapidly reconstructing.

As the final thunderclap struck, Xu Sheng’s disorientation intensified violently, his brain buzzing. A moment later… he saw himself dressed in the yellow insulating suit.

This outfit was truly hideous. Not only hideous, but downright foolish.

Xu Sheng reached out his hand: “Give me my phone. It’s in my pants pocket, can’t remember if it’s left or right, feel around yourself.”

Xu Sheng took a deep breath: “I’m going to write a negative review.”