After the last English class ended, the bell rang. The lifeless classroom atmosphere instantly transformed as students happily packed up to go eat.
The PE class representative banged books on the podium while shouting: “Monthly exam tomorrow, no PE class today!! Come straight to the classroom in the afternoon, don’t go to the field!!”
A wave of sighs rose up.
Leaving the classroom, away from the air conditioning, a surge of heat struck, and the temperature suddenly rose.
Xu You felt dizzy from the heat. She carried books and homework in her arms as she turned a corner to go downstairs.
The crowd was packed, with noisy chatter everywhere.
Two girls walked arm in arm in front of her, their voices carrying just loud enough for Xu You to hear.
“Hey, did you hear? Chen Jingyi just went to confront a girl from the Grade 12 Liberal Arts class. Lots of people were watching.”
“Grade 12 Liberal Arts? Who?”
“He Danlu, I think. They say Chen Jingyi got books thrown in her face right at the classroom door.”
“That fierce? What happened?” The tone was extremely gossipy and curious.
“I heard it from my friend – seems He Danlu ran into Chen Jingyi in the bathroom. Don’t know what beef they had, but someone called Chen Jingyi a vixen, said she had a slutty vibe, and Chen Jingyi immediately rushed over and slapped her.”
“What?” the other person said incredulously, “A Grade 11 hitting a Grade 12?”
Then confused: “Why would she insult her out of nowhere?”
One girl whispered the gossip, “Probably because of Chen Jingyi’s ex-boyfriend. He Danlu’s pursuing him but hasn’t succeeded.”
“Ex-boyfriend? Do I know him… my god, so dramatic.”
“Xie Ci, you know him?”
“……”
One person paused for a few seconds before saying: “Who at No. 1 High doesn’t know him?”
Then as if remembering something, asked: “Didn’t he just break up with Qiu Qingqing? He was with Chen Jingyi before?”
“Oh please, it’s all just playing around. Those guys never lack for pretty girls,” the gossiping girl said carelessly. “Actually, that whole group in Class 9 are pretty awful, but their families are rich…”
Another turn, and the voices gradually faded.
Xu You walked down the stairs step by step. She had no interest in other people’s gossip.
She told herself she’d only been at this school a few days and didn’t know many people in Class 9, most were unfamiliar. But no matter where she went, she kept hearing those same familiar names.
It was a bit haunting.
Lost in thought, someone patted her shoulder. Xu You turned to see her roommate standing beside her.
“Youyou, are you going to the cafeteria now?!”
“Mm.” Xu You nodded.
Chen Jia made an “ah” sound and grabbed her arm, shaking it, “Come with me to buy food outside school, I don’t want to queue alone.”
“Please?”
Xu You wasn’t good at refusing people. After a pause, she said: “I’m carrying books, is it far?”
“Not far at all, just at the school gate.” With that, she pulled Xu You along without hesitation.
The area around the school gate was busiest at lunch break. Groups of students gathered outside several small shops, with many tall boys either leaning or squatting by trees, smoking and chatting while waiting for others.
They queued at a fried noodle shop that had been around for years and had a good reputation. There were already many people ahead, the line extending outside the shop, with customers mostly being students.
Chen Xiao eagerly pulled Xu You to stand at the end, rising on tiptoes to look ahead, “Oh my, so many people, probably have to wait a while. Achai, you’re not hungry, right?”
She turned to ask Xu You.
Achai was Xu You’s nickname.
When Chen Lizhi visited her dorm last weekend, she called her this several times and Chen Xiao happened to hear it. She thought it was cute and occasionally used it since then.
The two stood in the road under the blazing sun. Xu You wore long sleeves and a jacket, and sweat had already appeared on her face. She shook her head, “It’s fine, I’m not hungry.”
Tortured by menstrual pain, her small face was pale and delicate, her lips bloodless.
After queuing for a long time, there were always one or two people cutting in line ahead, and the queue barely seemed to move – they were still in the same spot.
Xu You held her waist with one hand and tapped Chen Xiao, who was playing with her phone, saying weakly: “I’m going to squat for a while, you keep queuing.”
The heavy pain in her lower abdomen made her want to curl up – perhaps that would feel better.
Chen Xiao was startled by her weak appearance and quickly put away her phone, supporting her while asking: “What’s wrong?”
Xu You frowned, paused, then said slowly: “Period cramps, it’s nothing.”
“Why don’t you go back first, don’t wait with me.”
“It’s fine, I’ll go rest for a bit, call me when you’re done.”
She squatted under a tree where there were few people nearby. Behind her was a coffee shop, with clear piano notes flowing gently.
Xu You fished out an apple-flavored lollipop from her jacket pocket and put it in her mouth.
The abdominal cramps, even some stomach spasms, made it hard to breathe.
In the coffee shop.
Tu Youyou’s fingers were tightly intertwined with Li Jieyi’s. She hugged his arm, nestling close while softly whining: “Where shall we play this afternoon?”
Someone smoking nearby responded: “Play in bed.”
“You’re awful.” Tu Youyou laughed and scolded, still acting coy.
Heh.
That person didn’t look up, letting out a low scornful laugh and coughing once.
Li Jieyi raised his hand, put it on his girlfriend’s shoulder, and turned to talk to that person: “Ci, how about it, coming to play cards this afternoon?”
“Not going.” His voice was lazy as he draped his arm over the chair and smiled, pulling up the corner of his mouth.
“Why not? What’s so fun about staying at school?”
Xie Ci asked back: “What’s so fun about going?”
“You can play whatever you want.”
Li Jieyi gave him a suggestive smile.
Song Yifan came over with drinks, just in time to hear this, sat down at the booth and answered for Xie Ci, “He’s now single-mindedly only wants to play with a girl from our class.”
“Really? Got a new target? Must be quite charming to catch my brother Ci’s eye. Have I met her? Is she pretty?” Li Jieyi fired off a string of questions, face full of curiosity.
Song Yifan said seriously: “No no no, they’re purely discussing studies, that girl is teaching Ci English…”
As he spoke, his true nature emerged with a mischievous smile making suggestive comments, “As for how they’ll play later, I wouldn’t know.”
The comment was ambiguous, and the person in question neither confirmed nor denied, as if it had nothing to do with him.
But Wang Xiaoqian sitting nearby chuckled and said to Li Jieyi: “You’re still thinking about going out to play today? Didn’t you say last time your dad froze your card until you do better on the monthly exam tomorrow?”
Li Jieyi said impatiently, “How much better can I do? Why bring this up, such a killjoy.”
The others laughed.
Lin City No. 1 High School was quite wealthy and had built everything well, including exam room signal jammers. When they were first used, the school was confident they matched national college entrance exam standards. Students were skeptical until after one test, when they were thoroughly convinced. The damn things really worked.
Phones were completely unusable.
“Hey, you.” Wang Xiaoqian rolled his eyes.
Song Yifan flipped through the menu on the table, saying mysteriously: “No worries bro, we’ve got a genius in our exam room this time.”
“What genius?” Li Jieyi’s eyes lit up as he urged, “Come on man, hurry up and tell me, don’t kill your brother with suspense.”
Song Yifan took a sip of his drink, slowly replied to a message on his phone, and said: “I’ve got it all figured out. This time the transfer students and repeaters are in the same exam room as us.”
“And?”
“Idiot, I told you about that new transfer student in our class – super smart and nice. We’re really close, I’ve already talked to her. You can just copy from her then.”
Hearing this, Xie Ci slightly raised his eyebrows, his hand holding the cigarette pausing, “Really close with you?”
He raised his hand and swatted Song Yifan’s head.
Song Yifan quickly blocked it, giggling but before he could speak, his eyes casually glanced outside and froze.
After a few seconds.
“….Hey hey, brother.” Song Yifan stood up, walked forward squinting, and patted Xie Ci saying: “Look outside, isn’t that someone we know squatting there?”
Xu You’s soft hair tips fell loosely, almost covering half her side profile as she squatted there hugging a stack of books.
The scorching sun brought a gust of wind, and cicadas called incessantly from the dense tree shade.
She lowered her head, curled her index finger to rub her temple.
When she opened her eyes again, a pair of black athletic shoes appeared before her.
Xu You looked up.
Xie Ci wore a black jacket and t-shirt, slightly bent down looking at her with poorly hidden mischief, “Miss Xu, squatting here waiting for me?”
Her upturned face showed a weary expression, with a sharp chin and pale cheeks.
Xu You didn’t want to deal with him and braced against her knee to stand up.
But having squatted too long, her calves were numb, and she lost balance the moment she stood.
Xie Ci reacted quickly, swiftly catching her.
He grabbed half her arm, her school uniform’s long sleeve wrapping half her palm, revealing frost-white delicate fingers.
“Steady now?” he asked softly, looking at the soft black whorl at the top of her head.
His thin chest pressed very close to her.
Xu You nodded, wanting to push him away. Already impatient, she thanked him absent-mindedly in a low voice, “Thanks, you can let go of my hand now.”
Xie Ci made an “oh” sound but didn’t let go, instead asking carelessly: “You’re doing this on purpose, falling into my arms twice in one day?”
“Nong lao cuo qi o!” (You’re so annoying!)
Xu You wasn’t feeling well, and her temper flared up. She couldn’t help cursing at him loudly in her hometown dialect.
Then she pushed hard.
He stumbled back several steps from her push.
Hearing her curse in what sounded like bird language to him, Xie Ci tilted his head and laughed, his thin lips curving up as he asked her: “Nong what?”
Xu You turned and walked away without looking back.
When she went to find Chen Xiao, she had reached the front of the line and the owner was making her noodles.
Xu You hugged her books, waiting beside the queue.
The smell of oil was heavy here, with waves of food’s hot fragrant steam rising and dispersing.
Chen Xiao took the packed plastic bag from the owner, paid and said to Xu You: “Let’s go, I’m done.”
Xu You nodded and followed her toward the school’s side gate.
They hadn’t walked far when Xu You heard hurried footsteps behind them, accompanied by calls:
–“Hey hey hey hey, young ladies ahead, please wait.”
Xu You and Chen Xiao turned around to see someone running over, reaching them in no time.
It was a young girl wearing work clothes with a green apron bearing the Wu Yin Milk Tea Shop logo.
She stopped, panting, holding a drink which she handed to Xu You, “Miss, someone just bought you a red date milk tea and asked us to give it to you.”
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