Compared to the recent series of events, becoming deskmates with Zhao Shutang was undoubtedly the most vexing thing that had happened to Ruan Mian since transferring to No. 8 Middle School.
In the last monthly exam, she and Zhao Shutang were only a few places apart in the rankings. According to Zhou Hai’s usual seating arrangement pattern, the two of them should not have been deskmates.
But unexpectedly, Zhou Hai changed the order of the seating arrangement this time. Only the top ten and bottom ten were paired up according to the pull-up system1.
As for the remaining students, they were paired up according to another pull-up system comprehensive of the students’ performance in various subjects.
There were fifty-six students in Class (1), and Ruan Mian was ranked forty-sixth in the last monthly exam, the second last. She was not included in the first pairing system.
While in the last exam, Zhao Shutang was in the top ten in Chinese and English, but her math was barely passing, just like Ruan Mian’s Chinese.
In Zhou Hai’s opinion, Zhao Shutang and Ruan Mian were family in life and complemented each other in studying. Sitting together was the most suitable.
But what he didn’t know was that while the two looked harmonious on the surface, they were actually like fire and ice, and an outburst could happen at any moment.
Zhao Shutang only found out about the seating after dinner that night when the whole family was watching TV in the living room. Seeing the message, she had an incredulous expression, just like Ruan Mian’s earlier.
Ruan Mian pretended not to see and sat still, intending to go find Zhou Hai to discuss it the next day at school.
But the next day, when Ruan Mian was about to go find Zhou Hai, Zhao Shutang told her, “You don’t have to go. I’ve already talked to Teacher Zhou. Sitting together was suggested by your mom.”
She sneered, “How interesting.”
Fang Ruqing’s motive was obvious.
For two children of similar ages to truly become a family, they must first have opportunities for close contact and interaction.
Ruan Mian was frustrated inside: “No matter what opinions you have of me or my mom, she’s now your uncle’s lawful wife, legally your elder. You don’t need to be so sarcastic.”
“It’s your dad and my mom spending their days together now, and in the future it will be them walking the rest of life together, not you and me, got it?”
Zhao Shutang rolled her eyes. “It’s just coveting our house, why make it sound so righteous?”
Ruan Mian felt it was impossible to communicate with her. She left with a “think whatever you want.”
Chen Yi had a high jump competition that morning.
When Ruan Mian got to the sports field, she realized how popular he was at No. 8 Middle School. The entire high jump area was surrounded inside and outside by girls.
She didn’t squeeze in and stood with Meng Xinglan on the stands nearby. Due to the height, she could just see the small area enclosed by the crowd.
Chen Yi wore black sportswear today. Tall as a crane, he ran and jumped like a smooth parabola.
Perfect and precise, he easily won thunderous applause.
Excited cheers from girls in the crowd could be heard from time to time. Squinting in the glaring sunlight, all Ruan Mian saw in her vision was the unrestrained image of the boy.
The familiar song “Sunny Day”2 rang out from the loudspeakers again. The lyrics went, “In the past, someone loved you for a long time, but the wind gradually blew the distance far apart.”
Just like now, he was shining in the crowd while she was just one of the insignificant many below.
The hundreds of meters of distance marked two worlds of sorrow and joy.
After the two days of the sports meet ended, the new seating arrangement in class had also been settled. Ruan Mian’s brief deskmate time with Chen Yi was nipped in the bud before it could begin.
It drizzled the day they changed seats. The air was damp and sticky, typical of the humid climate of southern cities. Ruan Mian woke up late that morning and the classroom was filled with the sounds of moving benches and desks when she arrived. She put away her umbrella at the door and found her desk and chair in the corner.
There was no possibility of changing the arrangement of becoming deskmates with Zhao Shutang. The new seats were in the third group, fourth row, very far from Chen Yi in the first group, first row.
But fortunately he was in front and she was behind, so she could look up to see him.
Ruan Mian had just put her chair on the desk when Lin Chuan, a PE committee member walking by, came over to help. “Where are you sitting? Let me get that for you.”
“Over there, third row.”
Lin Chuan effortlessly moved her desk over. Ruan Mian carried her chair and schoolbag, said thanks and went over.
The boy grinned and waved his hand, saying don’t mention it.
The noisy classroom only lasted a while. After the new seats were set, Zhao Qi came in holding his teacup. Seeing the changed seating, he stood below the podium and asked the girl sitting in the middle of the front row, “Did Teacher Zhou arrange the seats? Or did you pick them yourselves?”
“Teacher Zhou arranged them.”
He made an “oh” sound, looked around and walked to Ruan Mian holding his teacup. “I heard Teacher Zhou signed you up for the essay tutoring class for tenth graders?”
“I think so. He mentioned it before.”
Ruan Mian unconsciously rubbed the edge of the textbook page.
“I see. Then that’s fine too. Go try it first. If you don’t understand anything, come ask me.”
Having said that, he glanced down at the textbook Ruan Mian had open and lightly tapped the desk with a curled finger. “Read more Chinese and English during morning reading. Physics won’t help you much.”
“…Got it.”
There were sounds of books in the classroom and misty rain outside. On the first day of being deskmates with Zhao Shutang, Ruan Mian truly understood what it meant to have nothing to say. It was as if there was an invisible barrier between them, blocking any possibility of communication. Fortunately both were aware of the situation and this was the best outcome.
A week of peaceful coexistence passed. Ruan Mian attended classes routinely and went to school Sunday afternoon for two periods of essay tutoring ahead of the other students.
That afternoon, she sat in a classroom of unfamiliar faces, listening to the teacher’s dull, boring content. She finally understood some things could only be wishful thinking.
The two periods of essay class ended right at 5pm. Ruan Mian packed up and exchanged contacts with the deskmate girl in the same class.
Leaving the tenth grade teaching building, Ruan Mian went to eat dinner at the dumpling restaurant outside school. In the two months since coming to No. 8 Middle School, this was the restaurant she went to most often.
It was currently peak hour for students returning to campus. The narrow shop was filled with students. Ruan Mian ordered pork and mushroom dumplings and shared a table with some girls she didn’t know.
She inadvertently overheard them chatting about the school’s popular figures. Ruan Mian lowered her eyes, quietly slowing her chewing.
Soon she heard that familiar name.
“Did you hear? A girl confessed to Chen Yi on the field this afternoon and got rejected.”
Said the girl in blue.
Another girl sitting next to Ruan Mian asked, “No way? For real?”
“Of course it’s real. If you don’t believe me, go back and check the school forum. Everyone’s gone crazy talking about it.”
The girl in blue took out her phone to check the big school group chat. They were indeed discussing it. “See, people are still talking about it now.”
The two girls who were behind on the news leaned in. They kept making sounds of surprise. “That girl’s so brave.”
“Which class is she in?”
“I think she’s a new arts transfer in the tenth grade arts class this semester.
The girl in blue clearly had much faster access to information than them. “I heard she’s from the capital. Called…”
She couldn’t remember the name for the moment. “What was it, I forgot. Anyway she’s super pretty and her figure is also very…”
She gestured at her chest, making the other two girls titter.
As the few chatted enthusiastically, Ruan Mian finished her last dumpling, put the soup bowl on the table by the door and left the shop.
It was sunset then. Ruan Mian followed the stream of people walking into campus. Passing by the lively, bustling basketball court, she turned to look. Her vision was filled with running figures, unfamiliar yet vivid.
Returning to the classroom, the classmates were all talking about it too.
In fact, it wasn’t anything rare for girls to confess to Chen Yi at No. 8 Middle School. It was just that this girl who confessed this time had behaved too shockingly and unconventionally at school, so no one expected her to be associated with Chen Yi.
Meng Xinglan got first-hand information from Jiang Rang and pulled Ruan Mian aside to gossip when she came back. “Actually it wasn’t really a confession this time. I heard from Jiang Rang that the girl just wanted to be friends with Chen Yi. As for anything else, they could take it slowly later on. But Chen Yi is the kind of person who hates complications. He rejected her flat out without elaboration. Then it got distorted as the boys spread it around, becoming what it is now.”
“I see.”
Ruan Mian smiled. “That girl’s quite brave though.”
“Of course, after all she has the capital to dare.”
Meng Xinglan said as she gestured at her chest again.
Seeing Meng Xinglan’s action, Ruan Mian thought of the girl at the dumpling restaurant who had made the same gesture, as well as the name she couldn’t recall. Flipping through her textbook, she casually asked, “What…what’s the name of that girl?”
“She’s called…” Meng Xinglan was about to answer when she caught sight of the person walking over out of the corner of her eye. She quickly shut her mouth.
“Hm?” Ruan Mian looked at her in puzzlement.
Before she could finish speaking, Chen Yi had already walked up to them. His tall figure cast a shadow on the table.
Ruan Mian instinctively looked up to see the expressionless face of the boy. Her gaze flickered and she inexplicably felt a bit guilty, as if caught gossiping behind someone’s back.
She swallowed and silently lowered her head. But a sheet of A4 paper was suddenly slid over. She heard the boy’s voice beside her ear. “This is a book list. Get them when you go back and write a reading reflection for each book for me.”
“Huh?” Ruan Mian looked back up at him, not having processed it yet.
Chen Yi put the paper down on the table. His dark eyes were cool. “Teacher Zhao mentioned getting me to tutor you in essay writing right? This is the first lesson. As for the essay class Teacher Zhou put you in, find an excuse to drop out. It won’t help you.”
Chen Yi didn’t linger. Having conveyed what he needed to, he left, leaving behind the bewildered Ruan Mian and Meng Xinglan.
“You’re so unfortunate now. Chen Yi is very strict.” Meng Xinglan picked up the book list for a look. “Jiang Rang went to him for English tutoring before. Chen Yi tutored Jiang Rang until he almost wanted to give up the subject.”
Ruan Mian suppressed the delight inside, not letting any of it show. Her expression was still calm. “Is that so, so strict.”
“You’ll know when you experience it.”
The listening prep bell rang. Meng Xinglan put down the book list and got up. As if recalling something, she added, “Oh right, I didn’t finish earlier. That girl is called Sheng Huan. She’s in the arts class. Extremely pretty. I’ll bring you to see the arts class if there’s a chance.”
Ruan Mian smiled. “Sure.”
Not long after Meng Xinglan returned to her seat, English teacher Song came in holding materials and entered the classroom. Ruan Mian put away the book list Chen Yi gave her and opened the listening material.
That was the first time Ruan Mian heard the name Sheng Huan.
At that time she didn’t think much of it, but she never imagined that in many tedious, difficult nights to come, this name would become her endless longing and the reason for countless restless tosses and turns.
- Pull-up system (?????): A mentoring system where higher performing students are paired with lower performing students to provide academic guidance and support. ↩︎
- Sunny Day (??): Name of a famous song by Mandopop singer Jay Chou. Listen to the song here if you’re interested; it’s a classic! ↩︎
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