The ReD RosE--A Wangxian/ Yizhan RomancE!

CHAPTER 1-- ThE HatreD--

Chapter 1- The Hatred

"Now everyone, please welcome a new student in our class," said the teacher, smiling broadly, revealing her rather large teeth.

Lan Wangji looked warily at the 11th standard class he had been admitted to.... After his father's transfer.

"Do introduce yourself, dear," said the teacher, smiling in a motherly way.

"I'm-" Lan Wangji cleared his throat. "Lan Wangji ."

"Excellent!" said the teacher. "Now, you wouldn't mind sitting next to......" She looked around the class. "Of course! Wei Wuxian!

Wei Wuxian --dear, you'll help him catch up with the schoolwork, won't you?"

Lan Wangji took his bag and went to sit next to the pony tailed boy with deep raven hair.

The boy looked up at the teacher. "Yes, ma'am," he said, mechanically, and went back to writing down notes from a thick book. Feeling slightly nervous, Wangji took his bag and sat next to him.

The boy looked very severe, he thought. Without speaking, he took out three notebooks. "I'll be studying Physics tonight, so I'm afraid you'll have to make do with Biology, Chemistry and English. And I'd like the notes tomorrow." The boy spoke as though it was a command.

"Thanks," Lan Wangji responded with gratitude. There was no reply.

As the day passed, Lan Wangji found himself feeling rather bored without anyone to talk to. After the first period, Wei Wuxian wouldn't speak more than five words to him for the rest of the day. The boy didn't seem like the talkative types anyways. Wangji wondered if he would engage in conversation with him if he tried.

"Um...excuse me, what's written after the fifth word of the second line?" he asked, pointing to the blackboard during the last period.

"and the chalazal end are directly opposite each other," Wei Wuxian completed in a monotone without even looking at him. Lan Wangji mentally sighed.

He was so boring!

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No matter what he did, the boy wouldn't speak two words, beyond the necessary textbook answers.

For Lan Wangji although It didn't take very long for him to make friends among the other boys, after two or three weeks.

But Wei Wuxian remained the same as ever, quiet when alone and snappish while spoken to by anyone.

"It's not surprising he hasn't got friends anymore," remarked lanky Geny. "He's so arrogant and selfish that no one would like to be friends with him. "

"Really?" said Wangji. " But Why?"

"Oh, because he's one of the top students of the school, I expect," said someone else. "He's so full of himself."

"He's proud because he's a top student?" asked Wangji.

"Yeah," said Geny, who by then had been pretty interested in Lan Wangji. Most girls were by his friendly nature and handsome face.

"He's always the top student in our class, right from the beginning."

"He wasn't always like this, though," said Cheng. "He was a really nice person till class 9th or so. Then he became all high and mighty, and obviously, lost his friends."

Lan Wangji stayed silent. For him Wei Wuxian was too weird.

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The next big event happened at the end of the mid-term exams.

For the first time, Wangji pipped Wei Wuxian to take the first position by two marks. Wangji couldn't help but roll his eyes : he had been expecting it anyway. He'd always been terrific with marks : work came naturally to him. Just then, he caught a glimpse of Wei Wuxian's face.

He was looking shocked, hurt and...furious.

Then Wangji heard Wuxian's mother, who had come to collect the report card.

"Oh, of course, I've been telling him all the time, he just doesn't study, he hasn't got a care in the world....." and on, and on.

Lan Wangji stifled a laugh- his mother hadn't said a word of criticism when he came in the bottom 10 only last year. He looked at Wuxian: his face had suddenly gone hard, blank, his teeth seemed to be clenched. He didn't say a word. But as his mother turned, he saw Wuxian move a hand roughly over his wet eyes.

Lan Wangji felt a twitch inside. He felt suddenly guilty. Over the days, he noticed how Wei Wuxian seemed to withdraw even more into himself, studying during recess and sports classes.

He felt a tinge of pity- with such a slave-driver for a mother, no wonder he was a bit funny in the head. So when the annual exams arrived, Wangji made sure to make a few mistakes that would ensure that Wuxian came first.

He did, of course. His mother didn't say much that day, and Lan Wangji felt a grim pleasure in knowing that Wei Wuxian would probably not be punished at home ... .till Wuxian turned around and put out his tongue at him.

Lan Wangji was astonished. He thought it too childish and ignored it.

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But things still did not improve in class 12th.

Wei Wuxian, gleeful at being top dog, went out of his way to make things difficult for Wangji.

Wuxian taunted him often, and unfailingly snickered whenever Wangji made some mistake, no matter how small it was. And soon enough, Lan Wangji heartily disliked Wuxian and mentally decided NEVER to act like a fool again.

He came very, very close to hating Wei Wuxian the time he stuck out a leg and made Lan Wangji fall face first into a puddle of mud, then gave a vicious half-smirk at him.

Lan Wangji couldn't help but seeth in rage. And thus the hatred became mutual.....

To be Continued.......

Word count : 960

Dated : 24.12.23

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NoTE:--

Short update, I know...

The story is building up. So give it some time. Soon the next phase of their life will be introduced.

Let me know what you thought .

Thank you for your time.

God bless you ❤️

-- Yours Isa