Cleaning the classroom

After that small incident, the class returned to normal. The teacher's voice echoed at the front of the classroom, mixing with the occasional bored murmurs of students losing focus. It didn't take long before the school bell finally rang.

However, three people remained inside the classroom. Luo Fan was about to grab his bag and head home, but Su Xiaoyu immediately blocked his way, hands on her hips.

"Hey, Luo Fan! Where do you think you're going, huh?" Su Xiaoyu narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Obviously, I'm going home. Today has been exhausting." Luo Fan replied casually, trying to walk past Su Xiaoyu, but she stood firm in her place.

"Did you forget that you caused me trouble earlier? At least show some guilt by helping clean the classroom!" Su Xiaoyu glared at him.

Luo Fan frowned, feeling annoyed. But before he could argue back, Luo Tian, who was still sitting at his desk, simply smiled gracefully.

"I agree with Xiaoyu. A little brother should take responsibility for his actions, right?" Luo Tian's soft smile carried a subtle pressure that made Luo Fan swallow nervously.

Luo Fan fell silent. He knew that once Luo Tian spoke, there was no point in arguing. Resigned, he sighed and grabbed a broom.

"Alright, alright. I'll help."

As they started cleaning the classroom, a debate soon broke out between Su Xiaoyu and Luo Fan.

"Look! You can't even sweep properly! You left dust in that corner!" Su Xiaoyu pointed at the floor with a frustrated expression.

"Hey, I've never been a janitor before! It's only natural that I'm bad at sweeping!" Luo Fan defended himself, waving his broom carelessly.

Su Xiaoyu huffed. "That doesn't mean you can slack off! Do it properly!"

Luo Fan glared at her before pointing his broom at Su Xiaoyu. "Hold on. Why am I the only one cleaning? Why not you, too, Xiaoyu?!"

Su Xiaoyu crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow as if challenging him. "Because I'm responsible for making sure this classroom gets cleaned! And I won't let you make it worse!"

Luo Fan scoffed, lazily sweeping the floor. "Hah? So you just want to be a supervisor? How convenient!"

Su Xiaoyu tapped the floor with the tip of her shoe, looking smug. "Of course! I have the right to oversee my work to ensure perfection!"

"Perfection, my foot! You're just a little dictator who loves ordering people around!"

On the side, Luo Tian chuckled softly while resting his chin on his hand. His eyes sparkled with amusement. "Hehe… you two are really funny."

Su Xiaoyu turned to Luo Tian with a pleading look. "Luo Tian, help me supervise this lazybones!"

Luo Tian shrugged gracefully. "Me? No, thank you. I'd rather watch."

Luo Fan nodded enthusiastically. "Now that's someone who knows how to enjoy life! Xiaoyu, learn from Luo Tian. Don't be such a perfectionist!"

Su Xiaoyu groaned in frustration but eventually grabbed a rag from the teacher's desk. "Hmph! Forget it. I'll help, but only because I can't stand your lousy cleaning!"

As they continued their work, Luo Fan suddenly stopped sweeping. His brows furrowed as if realizing something odd.

"Wait… wasn't someone else supposed to be cleaning with us?" He turned to Su Xiaoyu with a puzzled expression.

Su Xiaoyu also paused and looked around. Her eyes narrowed, and her expression quickly turned annoyed.

"You're right! That chubby girl was also supposed to be punished with cleaning! Where is she?! Why are we the only ones working?!" Su Xiaoyu clenched her fists, her face filled with boiling anger.

Luo Fan glanced around and shrugged.

"Who knows? Maybe she ran away." Luo Fan clicked his tongue, trying to sound indifferent, but his eyes narrowed slightly in irritation.

Su Xiaoyu clenched her fists tighter, her voice dripping with menace.

"Fatty! You better not show up tomorrow, or I'll make you regret it!"

Somewhere not too far away, a chubby girl happily munching on snacks suddenly sneezed hard.

"Haa-choo! Ugh, who's talking about me?" She rubbed her nose while glancing around suspiciously.

Back in the classroom, Luo Fan could only sigh in resignation. He never expected to get caught up in a situation like this.

"Well, at least the classroom is clean now." Luo Fan shrugged, placing the broom in the corner.

Su Xiaoyu scanned the room, making sure everything was tidy. She then clapped her hands in satisfaction.

"Of course! But this is all thanks to me! If I weren't here, you would've finished this half-heartedly!" Her voice was full of confidence, as if she had just led a major cleaning operation.

Luo Fan scoffed in disbelief.

"What do you mean?! I worked hard too!" He pointed at himself, looking offended.

"Worked hard? You just made more mess! If I didn't stop you, this classroom would've been covered in dust!" Su Xiaoyu crossed her arms, looking at Luo Fan with a victorious expression.

"Hah?! I may not be great at sweeping, but I still did my part! And who said you get to be the boss here, huh?"

Their argument heated up again, but this time, Luo Tian simply chuckled before standing up.

"Hehe… alright, alright, you two. That's enough. The classroom is clean, so we can go home now." Luo Tian clapped his hands gracefully, stopping their fight before it could escalate further.

Su Xiaoyu and Luo Fan exchanged glances before scoffing and giving in.

"Hmph! Whatever!" Su Xiaoyu turned away with a pout, though a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Finally done." Luo Fan stretched, feeling tired but somewhat satisfied.

Without realizing it, despite their constant bickering, they had grown accustomed to each other's presence. And though Su Xiaoyu would never admit it, she knew Luo Fan wasn't a bad person.

With that, the three of them left the classroom, their footsteps echoing in the now-empty school halls.

Outside, the sun was setting, casting an orange glow across the sky. Luo Fan, Luo Tian, and Su Xiaoyu walked towards the school gate.

"Aren't you two leaving in the same car?" Su Xiaoyu asked casually, glancing at Luo Tian and Luo Fan.

Luo Tian smiled gently. "No, Xiaoyu. Our family's car is picking up both of us."

Su Xiaoyu nodded slightly before giving Luo Fan a teasing look. "Hmm, Luo Fan, you should learn from your brother. Look how polite and graceful he is!"

Luo Fan snorted. "Hah? I'm polite too!"

"Really?" Su Xiaoyu chuckled, covering her mouth. "Then when will you stop snapping back at me?"

Luo Fan just clicked his tongue, unwilling to continue the argument.

Before long, they reached the school gate, where their rides were waiting. Su Xiaoyu raised her hand in farewell. "Alright, see you tomorrow!"

Luo Tian waved elegantly, while Luo Fan just grunted.

After Su Xiaoyu left, Luo Fan and Luo Tian entered their car. As soon as the door closed, the atmosphere inside the vehicle became quiet—at least for a few seconds.

Luo Fan felt a gaze on him. When he turned, sure enough, Luo Tian was staring at him with an amused smile.

"What?" Luo Fan frowned.

Luo Tian sighed playfully. "I just realized… my little brother is so cute when he's angry~"

A bad feeling crept up Luo Fan's spine. "Hah? I'm not cute!"

Luo Tian giggled before opening his arms. "Come here! Let big brother give you a hug!"

Luo Fan's eyes widened, and he instinctively backed away. "Oi, oi! We're both guys! Don't be weird!"

But Luo Tian wasn't giving up. With a swift movement, he pulled Luo Fan into an embrace.

"Let go, let go! I'm a real man, not a doll!" Luo Fan struggled, but unfortunately, Luo Tian was much stronger.

Luo Fan was shocked by his brother's strength!

Luo Tian just chuckled, patting his brother's head affectionately. "Hehe, you're stubborn. But that just makes you even cuter!"

Luo Fan sighed in frustration but eventually gave up. There was no point in resisting his stronger brother.

After a while, Luo Tian finally let go. "Alright, alright. I won't tease you anymore… for now."

Luo Fan just grumbled, fixing his slightly messy hair. "Hah, whatever."

With that, their car drove off, leaving the school behind.