《SAYE》


 CH 1

    The mobile phone in his pocket had been vibrating for a while, and after the fifth time in only three minutes, Jiang Cheng finally decided to open his eyes.


    The coach bus had been on the road for nearly three hours now, and the sky beyond the window rested stilly ¨C decidedly burdened with gloominess. Meanwhile, the young girl beside him was sound asleep with her forehead stitched incommodiously on his right-side shoulder as if it was a free-for-all travel pillow, rendering it downright paralyzed.


    He shrugged his shoulder, somewhat irritated. When the girl made a slight turn of her head, he pushed it away with his finger. But within seconds, it dropped anchor on his shoulder once more.


    With that kind of motion repeating several times, he believed that this girl was not asleep but rather in a coma.


    How irritating.


    He did not know how much longer it would take until he reached the station since he did not check the time when he had first received the ticket in his hands. What he knew was that he was going on a journey to a small town that he had never even heard of before.


    Life, was quite wonderful.


    When his mobile phone vibrated for the sixth time, Jiang Cheng exhaled and took it out.


    ¨C What happened?


    ¨C How come you never mentioned that you were leaving?


    ¨C Why did you leave so suddenly?


    ¨C Why didn¡¯t you tell me?


    How come? How come? How come? Why? Why? Why? BLABLABLABLA¡­


    The messages were sent from Yu Xin, and they were most likely sent while she was making up a missed class, evident in the fact that she did not call directly. With a glance, Jiang Cheng could clearly see that they all ended with a question mark.


    Just as he was about to put the phone away, the seventh message came.


    ¨C If you don¡¯t reply, I will take it as we have broken up!


    Finally, it was not a question mark. He let out a sigh of relief, turned the phone off and put it back in his pocket.


    For him, breaking up held no significant, since a relationship that went on for simply two months in high school was nothing more than having something else to talk about compared to the other students; it was in the sense that someone brought him breakfast, and there was always a dedicated cheerleading squad during a ballgame¡­ it was not as if there was an opportunity for any further development.


    ¡è ¡è ¡è


    As he looked at the scenery outside that constantly changed, yet also somehow appeared the same the entire time, the broadcaster finally announced Jiang Cheng¡¯s destination. The girl beside him moved her head, looking as though she was about to wake up. He quickly took out a red pen from his school bag, pulled off the cap and held it in his hand ¨C turning it around and around.


    When the girl eventually woke up and picked up her face, there was a large imprint on her forehead as if she had practiced a fatal position of qigong.[1]


    After her gaze met with his, the girl wiped the corner of her mouth and blas¨¦ly took out her mobile phone. Then, as she lowered her head and played on her phone, she nonchalantly said: ¡°Sorry.¡±


    To his surprise, why was it that he could not hear anything remotely close to an apology? Jiang Cheng smiled at her meaningfully. That look gave her a rude awakening before her line of sight fell on the pen rotating in his hand.


    Jiang Cheng firmly pressed the cap back on the pen, hard enough for it to create a crisp closing sound.


    Two seconds later, she suddenly covered her face, stood up and rushed towards the bathroom at full speed.


    Jiang Cheng also stood up and looked outside the window again ¨C the long stygian journey here was at last met with fallen snow. He took his suitcase off the luggage rack, put on his jacket and walked towards the side door of the bus, then pulled his mobile phone out and turned it back on.


    The mobile phone was very quiet. Yu Xin¡¯s messages no longer sounded or were being received.


    He felt that since the days he was with Yu Xin, this was the very first time she had made him happy ¨C it had certainly not been easy.


    But there was also no one else who had contacted him aside from Yu Xin.


    For instance, he had thought someone would come to pick him up at the station.


    ¡è ¡è ¡è


    As he followed the crowd of people out of the bus station, Jiang Cheng zipped up his down-filled jacket all the way up and looked at the city that appeared gray and dejected in the frigid winter.


    The chaos and declining structure around the station were his first impression of the city.


    No, those were considered the second impression. The first impression was when his mother declared, ¡®go back, that place is where your real family lives¡¯ and thrust him into a blank state of mind.


    He dragged his suitcase to the southernmost part of the coach bus station square where there were only a few people. To the side was a small street lined up with all kinds of inns that had an eerie atmosphere looming above them; it was as though once you entered, it would be impossible to exit. There were also questionable small restaurants with an aura that screamed, ¡®if you eat here, you¡¯ll be poisoned¡¯.


    He sat on his suitcase and looked at his phone, still no one had contacted him.


    Although he had both the phone number and address that he needed, he did not want to move, he did not want to talk¡­ repeat, he did not want to move. He fished out a stick of cigarette from his pocket and let it hang loose in his mouth. As for suddenly being driven there, he was teeming with a deep and inexplicable sense of loss, despair and anger.


    He stared at the ice on the ground in vexation and flicked his lighter on. When the bitter arctic wind rushed forward from behind his back, he curled up and lit the cigarette. The smoke that drifted in front of him seemed mesmerizing and kept his attention until he eventually let out a sigh.


    If the teacher in charge of his class was to see him now, he frankly would not know what to say at all.


    However, it was not important anymore; he was already there, in a far-flung corner of the world ¨C not to mention the teacher, even the people that had been in the same classroom as him for more than ten years would, perhaps, no longer be able to see him.


    For all he knew, no one in the worn-out small school of this small and broken-down city would stare at whether or not he smoked.


    ¡è ¡è ¡è


    After he had only smoked half the cigarette, Jiang Cheng could no longer endure the cold air. He stood up and decided that he would hail a taxi and find a place to eat first. But just as he dragged his suitcase only one step forward, he felt something bump into his ankle; the force could not be described as minimal as the collision galvanized a burst of pain into his nerves.


    He frowned and turned his head around only to see a skateboard behind him.


    Without lifting his head to see where the skateboard had flown from, a person fell down beside his foot.


    ¡°How come you¡¯re¡­¡± He habitually reached out to help the person up but froze halfway.


    A disheveled set of hair that seemed to have been nibbled on by an unhinged dog was long and short in length, and even their clothes were relatively filthy¡­ a beggar? Wayfarer? Swindler? Thief?


    When the person looked up, Jiang Cheng saw clearly that it was a little girl who appeared to be in the fifth or sixth grade of primary school. Even though her face was completely smeared with mud, it was possible to see that her skin was outstandingly fine with fairly Big Eyes, full of youth and innocence.


    He wanted to help her up again, but just before his hand could move, this little girl was pulled away by four or five more other little girls who had followed her closely; someone even kicked her in the back, which made her stumble, nearly falling down to the ground again.


    ¡è ¡è ¡è


    Jiang Cheng understood what was happening immediately. He hesitated for a moment, then turned around and continued on his way with his suitcase in hand.


    A burst of laughter from behind was the sole reason why his footstep came to another halt.


    When he was in a terrible mood, he did not want to meddle in other people¡¯s affairs. By chance, his mood was at the pinnacle of what was considered ¡®terrible¡¯. But that little girl¡¯s big, black and clear eyes prompted him to turn back.


    ¡°Hey!¡± he shouted.


    A couple of the girls stopped, while the one that seemed to be the leader of the group shot him a callous glance. ¡°What do you want?!¡±


    Jiang Cheng slowly dragged his suitcase over and stared at the leader¡¯s hand that was still gripping ¡®Big Eyes¡¯ shirt. After two seconds, the leader loosened her hand.


    With that, he pulled ¡®Big Eyes¡¯ to his side and glared at the other girls. ¡°Nothing, just go.¡±


    ¡°Who are you, huh?!¡± The leader was somewhat cowardly, yet still yelled with dissatisfaction.


    ¡°I am a big brother with a knife,¡± Jiang Cheng said as he looked at her. ¡°I can give you a haircut similar to hers in only thirty seconds.¡±


    ¡°I will call my brother here to put you in your place!¡± The leader was obviously not a habitual criminal as she pulled back a bit at her own words, even her mouth was unconvincing.


    ¡°Then let him hurry up.¡± Jiang Cheng dragged his suitcase with one hand and pulled ¡®Big Eyes¡¯ with the other. ¡°I¡¯m scared to death, so I¡¯ll make sure to run extra fast.¡±


    ¡è ¡è ¡è


    After those girls left, ¡®Big Eyes¡¯ struggled free of his hold instead.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡®Big Eyes¡¯ shook her head and walked over to the skateboard, then placed one foot on it and looked at him.


    ¡°Yours?¡± Jiang Cheng asked again.


    She nodded, then lightly pressed her foot down and skated toward him. After she came to a steady stop, she still stared at him with those large eyes.


    ¡°You should¡­ go back home.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded casually before he took out his phone for the nth time and walked to the side, intending to call for a taxi.


    After he walked for a while, he heard a sound from behind him. He peered back only to see that ¡®Big Eyes¡¯ was on her skateboard, following him at a leisure pace.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at her.


    ¡®Big Eyes¡¯ did not say anything.


    ¡°Are you scared they will come back?¡± Jiang Cheng asked again without any other choice.


    ¡®Big Eyes¡¯ shook her head.


    ¡°You¡¯re not mute, are you?¡± Jiang Cheng started to feel a bit annoyed.


    ¡®Big Eyes¡¯ continued to shake her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, I¡­¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at himself, ¡°I¡¯m in a very bad, very agitated mood right now. I won¡¯t be lenient with hitting a little girl, you know.¡±


    ¡®Big Eyes¡¯ did not budge.


    Jiang Cheng stared at her for a while longer. Then, seeing that she had no intention of speaking, he held back his anger and dragged his suitcase forward¡­ again.


    The signal around the area was not good, and the app to call for the taxi would not open for the life of him. All he could do was sit his butt down on a block of stone near the public transportation stop and light a stick of cigarette.


    ¡®Big Eyes¡¯, who was still on her skateboard, eventually stopped right beside him.


    ¡°Is there something else?¡± Jiang Cheng asked impatiently, now feeling slightly regretful for meddling earlier and putting himself in another weird situation.


    ¡®Big Eyes¡¯ still did not utter a word as she lightly kicked her feet on the ground and skateboarded to a spot underneath the small bus station roof; she looked up and stared at the sky above for a long time.


    By the time she skateboarded back to where he was, Jiang Cheng had guessed the reason for her confused expression. He sighed and asked, ¡°Are you lost? And don¡¯t know your way back?¡±


    ¡®Big Eyes¡¯ nodded.


    ¡°Are you a local?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    A nod.


    ¡°Call someone in your family to come and pick you up.¡± Jiang Cheng said and passed his own mobile phone over to her.


    She took the phone, hesitated for a moment before she lowered her head and pressed some numbers, then handed it back to him.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jiang Cheng saw that she had already pressed the numbers but did not make the call. ¡°You want me to help you call them?¡±


    A nod.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s brows twisted as he pressed down on the call button. But as he listened to the dial tone, he remembered something and quickly asked, ¡°Whose number in your family is this?¡±


    Before ¡®Big Eyes¡¯ could reply, someone, answered the call.


    Of course, having guessed that she would not respond, Jiang Cheng simply said, ¡®hello¡¯.


    ¡è ¡è ¡è


    ¡°Who is this?¡± A young man¡¯s voice sounded from the other side.


    ¡°A bystander,¡± Jiang Cheng simply said, not knowing actually how to say it. ¡°There is a little girl here¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything,¡± the person said.


    Before Jiang Cheng could return to his senses, the call was disconnected.


    ¡°Who was that person?¡± Jiang Cheng spat the cigarette out and pointed at ¡®Big Eyes¡¯. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to talk, then get lost. I don¡¯t have any more patience.¡±


    ¡®Big Eyes¡¯ squatted beside Jiang Cheng¡¯s leg, picked up a stone and wrote a single character on the ground, ¡°brother¡±, and then looked back up at him.


    ¡°Okay, I got it.¡± Jiang Cheng felt that this little girl may actually be mute.


    He dialed that number again. This time, it only sounded for a moment before the call connected. ¡°Who is this?¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at the little girl, ¡°Your little sister is here with me¡­¡±


    ¡°Kill the hostage,¡± the person answered and then hung up again.


    ¡°Fuck!!¡± Jiang Cheng had an impulse to smash his phone as he pointed at her, ¡°Your name!¡±


    ¡®Big Eyes¡¯ lowered her head and used the stone to write her own name.


    ¹Ëíµ Gu Miao.


    This time, Jiang Cheng did not call and only sent a text message with a picture of ¡®Big Eyes¡¯.


    ¨C Gu Miao, mute, skateboard.


    Thirty seconds later, his phone went off.


    Jiang Cheng connected the call, ¡°It¡¯s too late, the hostage is dead.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the person said. ¡°Can you tell me where she¡¯s? I¡¯ll head over and see if she can be saved.¡±


    ¡°¡­ the east side of the train station, the especially run-down one.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s brows tightened, ¡°She got lost. You should hurry up, I have things to do.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, thank you very much!¡± the person answered. ¡°I¡¯ll be there immediately. If you have any urgent matter, you can leave first. She can wait for me there.¡±


    ¡è ¡è ¡è


    With that settled, Jiang Cheng picked up the half-smoked cigarette that he had thrown on the ground and threw it in the trash bin to the side before lighting up another one.


    He originally wanted to directly hail a taxi and leave but thinking that no one cared whether or not he went and whether or not he was there, he did not seem to be in a rush.


    After sitting on the skateboard for a while, Gu Miao stood up and rode it back and forth on the sidewalk.


    Looking at her, Jiang Cheng was somewhat surprised. He had thought that this little girl was just blindly playing around, hence he did not expect her to execute all kinds of upward and downward moves on the steps; when she sped up and then suddenly turned, it was unexpectedly smooth.


    In truth, it was the head of hair that had been cut into a disheveled mess, along with the filthy face and clothes that made people lose interest.


    After playing for more than ten minutes, Gu Miao rode to his side and stopped. Then, she firmly pressed the tip of her foot on the skateboard causing it to rise up. After catching it with her hand, she picked up her hand and pointed to somewhere behind Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°That was cool!¡± Jiang Cheng gave Gu Miao a thumbs up and then turned his head around toward the direction she pointed to see a black motorcycle parked behind him.


    Since the person on the motorcycle was wearing a helmet, it was impossible to see his face clearly. But, standing there on the sidewalk, wearing slim-fitted gray pants that accentuated his legs and ankle boots to top it off just screamed very¡­ eye-catching.


    Tall, and standing straight.


    ¡è ¡è ¡è


    ¡°Your brother?¡± Jiang Cheng asked Gu Miao.


    Gu Miao nodded.


    ¡°What happened to your head?¡± The person on the motorcycle took off his helmet, walked over, and stared at Gu Miao¡¯s hair in surprise. ¡°And your face, and clothes¡­ did you fall into a pit of dung?¡±


    Gu Miao shook her head.


    ¡°She was bullied by her classmates,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± The person¡¯s gaze shifted, falling on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯m Gu Fei, her older brother.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stood up and shook his hand, ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±


    ¡è ¡è ¡è


    Gu Fei appeared to be around the same age as him, and looking at his eyes alone was not a good method to employ to determine whether or not he was Gu Miao¡¯s brother. Although his eyes were not as big as Gu Miao¡¯s, they were quite similar and¡­ his skin was just as fair.


    Even though Jiang Cheng¡¯s current mood was like that of a plate of rotten tomato, Gu Fei¡¯s hairstyle was just as eye-catching as his legs¡ªmaking it impossible for him to not steal another glance or two from the crack of those rotten eyes.


    Gu Fei had a very short crew cut. If you leaned in closer, you could make out the music staff shaved to the scalp on both sides of his head. On one side was the bass clef and the other side was a rest, but Jiang Cheng could not clearly decipher how many dots were present.


    ¡°Did you just get off the coach bus?¡± Gu Fei glanced at his suitcase.


    ¡°En[2].¡± Jiang Cheng picked up his phone and continued to an app to call for a taxi.


    ¡°Where are you heading? I can take you,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at his motorcycle¡ªno matter how big, it was still a motorcycle.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t take up much space,¡± Gu Fei added.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need, but thank you,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Tell this brother, thank you.¡± Gu Fei pointed to Jiang Cheng and then said to Gu Miao, ¡°Dung ball.¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned to look at the ¡°dung ball¡±, wanting to hear how she was going to speak. As a result, Gu Miao merely hugged her skateboard and gave him a 90-degree bow.


    After that, Gu Fei straddled the motorbike and put on his helmet.


    ¡°Thanks again.¡± Gu Fei gave him another glance, started the motorcycle and drove off.


    ¡è ¡è ¡è


    Jiang Cheng sat back down on the block of stone. Surprisingly, the wireless service was quite good at that time, but¡­ even after what seemed like half a day, he still could not get a ride and all the taxis that he had waved for as they passed by would not fucking stop.


    What kind of awful place is this?


    Although he was in an intensely bad mood, he never had the time to relish it in. He only felt that he had lived in a fundamentally chaotic time, wrapped in all kinds of shock and sense of losses, and even the air around him was hard to inhale¡ªrendering him breathless. He wondered why he had agreed to all of those arrangements and came here.


    Rebellious?


    Just as his mother said, ¡°Our family has never had a rebellious person like you who is completely strung with thorns, always on guard and unapproachable.¡±


    Of course, they were not originally a family. Not to mention, they were more like enemies in recent years with one getting angry at the other upon only one glance.


    Jiang Cheng twisted his brows. He never had the time to ponder over those things.


    Until then, at that very moment.


    In this unfamiliar and frigid city, where the snow was floating majestically, he came to his senses.


    Despair and pain, and the resistance to all the unknown made him feel sore.


    When he lowered his head, the tears beckoned to surface altogether.


    ¡è ¡è ¡è


    By the time his mobile phone sounded, Jiang Cheng was sitting inside a KFC that he did not even know the address of. He glanced at the strange number and then connected the call. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Is this Jiang Cheng?¡± The voice of a middle-aged man transmitted from the other side.


    Since the voice was a bit loud, Jiang Cheng moved the phone away from his ear. ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your dad,¡± the person said.


    ¡°¡­ oh.¡± Jiang Cheng grunted in approval. That kind of exchange, unexpectedly, sounded ridiculous ¨C making it hard for him not to laugh.


    That person also laughed along, ¡°I am Li Baoguo. You should know that, right?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng said, sipping a cola.


    ¡°Are you at the station?¡± Li Baoguo asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the time, I¡¯ve been here for two hours.


    ¡°Do you have the address? I don¡¯t have a car to go, so there¡¯s no way for me to go and pick you up. Take a taxi here, I¡¯ll wait for you at the intersection,¡± Li Baoguo said.


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng hung up on the call.


    ¡è ¡è ¡è


    This time, luck was on his side. He was able to get a taxi immediately, and surprisingly, one with the heater on; warm enough to the point he felt feverish.


    The driver wanted to chat, but Jiang Cheng simply leaned against the window and silently gazed outside the entire time. After several attempts that harbored no success, the driver finally surrendered and switched on the radio.


    Jiang Cheng strived to clearly see what the city looked like. But the sky was already sheathed in darkness; the streetlights were not particularly bright, and the snowflakes that fluttered all around, seemingly overtaking all the source of light, were of no aid and instead made him feel faint.


    He closed his eyes.


    But soon reopened them.


    He did not know what was wrong, but he felt exceptionally listless.


    ¡è ¡è ¡è


    When the taxi came to a stop at the location, Jiang Cheng got out, took his suitcase and stood at the intersection.


    No one was there.


    The shadow of the person claiming to say, ¡®I¡¯m your dad¡¯, with the name of Li Baoguo, was nowhere to be seen.


    Jiang Cheng suppressed the ire in his heart, and while the pain from the wind cut his face, he dialed Li Baoguo¡¯s number.


    ¡°Ai, this stinking¡­¡± Li Baoguo finally answered the call after a long while later, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°I am at the intersection.¡± Jiang Cheng listened to his movements on the other side and wanted to immediately hang up and find a hotel to stay at instead.


    ¡°Huh? You arrived there that fast?¡± Li Baoguo exclaimed in surprise, ¡°I¡¯m here, I¡¯m here. I will be out immediately.¡±


    That immediately took longer than five minutes. Just as Jiang Cheng dragged his suitcase to the crossroad and hailed for a taxi, a man wearing a Lei Feng[3]hat ran over and pressed his hand on his shoulder. He shouted at the top of his lungs, ¡°Jiang Cheng, right?!¡±


    Jiang Cheng did not utter a word. He had seen Li Baoguo running out of a residential building that was literally right behind him.


    Immediately uh?


    When he looked towards the second-floor window and saw several heads looking in their direction, he really did not want to talk anymore.


    ¡°I was just at a friend¡¯s place for a while. Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go.¡± Li Baoguo patted his shoulder, ¡°Let¡¯s go home, let¡¯s go home¡­ you look a lot taller than in the picture.¡±


    Jiang Cheng kept his eyes down on the muddy pavement and followed him.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Li Baoguo patted his back for a while, ¡°How many years has it been? More than ten years, right? I finally get to see my son! I have to take a good look.¡±


    Li Baoguo grabbed his head, placed it right before his eyes and stared at him.


    Jiang Cheng pulled up the face mask that was resting near his chin, covering half his face.


    He suddenly felt that his entire being had become absolutely empty, even the atmosphere was charged with confusion.


    [1] Qigong ¨C a form of gentle exercise composed of movements that are repeated a number of times, often stretching the body, increasing fluid movement (blood, synovial and lymph) and building awareness of how the body moves through space.


    [2] ¡°En¡± àÅ ¨C an interjection indicating approval, approval or agreement; akin to the word ¡®yeah¡¯ with  ? at the end, it can mean ¡°what¡± or a ¡°huh?¡± An act of questioning the previous account.


    [3] Lei Feng [À×·æ] ¨C (18 Dec1940  ¨C 15 Aug 1962) a soldier of the Chinese army in Communist legend. After his death, Lei was characterized as a selfless and modest person devoted to the Communist Party, Mao Zedong, and the people of China. In 1963, he became the subject of a nationwide posthumous propaganda campaign, ¡°Follow the examples of Comrade Lei Feng.¡± Lei was portrayed as a model citizen, and the masses were encouraged to emulate his selflessness, modesty, and devotion to Mao.

 CH 2

    According to his mother¡¯s words¡­ Jiang Cheng suddenly felt like this title was a bit strange. His train of thought was bizarrely abrupted, and whatever words were forgotten in a flash.


    In the past ten years or so of his life, having parents and a family was all he knew. Whether the relationship was good or bad, mother was always a woman named Shen Yi Qing, father was a man named Jiang Wei, and his younger brother had always been unaffectionate¡­ now all of a sudden, there was another addition to the set, Li Baoguo and¡­ a few other names he had already long forgotten.


    He honestly could not wrap his head around it.


    The relationship he had with his family was indeed stricken with tension; be it his parents or younger brother, they would all ignite upon contact. Thinking back, he had not talked to his brother in almost a year and even his overtly calm and restrained mother was often caught losing her composure.


    Even if that kind of situation had continued since he entered middle school to high school ¨C with him having often contemplated about never returning home and never seeing his parents ¨C the idea of never seeing the face that seemed to have been molded from ones of his parents¡­ when this moment befell him like a wish coming true right before his eyes, he still felt shaken.


    Just shaken.


    Very shaken.


    Ever since his mother had said, ¡°There¡¯s something I have to tell you¡±, a few months of cold war and formalities pursued. Even now, everything that had happened felt like a dream he could not come to sense with.


    Most of the time, he did not feel much discomfort or agony.


    What existed was just confusion.


    ¡°Cold?¡± Li Baoguo turned around and coughed a few times before he asked, ¡°It¡¯s much colder here than where you previously came from, right?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng replied behind his face mask.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be warm once we¡¯re inside,¡± Li Baoguo said. Unfortunately, he then coughed loud and hard enough for his spit to spray on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. ¡°I¡¯ve already cleaned and arranged a room especially for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jiang Cheng answered, pulling his face mask up.


    ¡°What is there to thank between us.¡± Li Baoguo coughed and grinned at the same time as he patted Jiang Cheng¡¯s back a few times. ¡°There¡¯s no need to say thanks between us father and son!¡±


    Jiang Cheng could not respond. Those two slaps on his back were particularly vigorous. At first, he had inhaled a lung full of cold air and wanted to cough, but once he heard Li Baoguo cough, he wanted to cough even more. With two more slaps, he simply leaned towards the ground and coughed wildly to the point his tears nearly came out.


    ¡°Your body isn¡¯t that great eh,¡± Li Baoguo looked at him. ¡°You have to exercise. When I was your age, I was as strong as a bear.¡±


    Once again, Jiang Cheng declined to answer. Instead, he bent over slightly and pulled out his arm, giving the man a thumbs up.


    Li Baoguo started to laugh joyously: ¡°Exercise! I still have to depend on you to take care of me later on!¡±


    Hearing that, Jiang Cheng straightened his back and glanced at him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Li Baoguo slapped him on the back again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me.¡± Jiang Cheng knitted his eyebrows together.


    ¡°Yo?¡±[1] Li Baoguo froze, fairly round eyes peered at him, ¡°What?¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked him in the eye for a moment before he pulled down his mask: ¡°Don¡¯t slap my back.¡±


    Li Baoguo¡¯s home was situated on an old, small street with little shops of every kind on either side. They were crippled yet full of vitality and breadths of life: food, clothes, and products for daily use were all available with low lying apartment buildings sited on top of the shops.


    Jiang Cheng raised his head to look past the intersecting electrical cords hanging above only to see the walls. The original color of the exterior walls was impossible to decipher, especially whether the dark gloomy color came from the sky outside or if they were originally like that.


    With a heart full of feelings, he could not quite place, he followed Li Baoguo into a hallway. They cut through a few piles of miscellaneous objects, vegetables and came to a full stop in front of a door at the innermost side of the first floor.


    ¡°The environment here definitely can¡¯t compare to the one you were previously in,¡± Li Baoguo said as he opened the door. ¡°But what¡¯s mine is yours!¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything as he glanced at the hallway in which a light bulb was covered by spiderwebs. He could virtually feel the bulb being suffocated until it was unable to breathe.


    ¡°What¡¯s mine is yours!¡± Li Baoguo opened the door, turned around, and patted his shoulder heavily. ¡°What¡¯s yours is mine! That¡¯s the relationship between a father and a son!¡±


    ¡°I told you, don¡¯t touch me.¡± Jiang Cheng said, rather irritated.


    ¡°Yo,¡± Li Baoguo walked into the room and turned on the light. ¡°You¡¯ve really been spoiled rotten, talking to an elder like that. Let me tell you, I¡¯ve never spoiled your brother and sister before. If you had grown up at home this whole time, I would¡¯ve fixed you up with some beatings¡­come, you¡¯ll sleep in this room¡­ this room was previously your brother¡¯s¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng did not listen to what Li Baoguo had to say as he dragged his suitcase into the room. Seeing that this apartment was only a two-bedroom unit, it really did make one wonder how a large family was previously able to live in such a small space.


    The room that was supposedly ¡®cleaned and arranged¡¯¡­ was probably not cleaned. Without so much a glance inside and just merely smelling the odor, one could easily deduce that the dust particles in the air were mingled with a mild taste of mold.


    Inside was an old wardrobe, a study table, and a frame-rack bed piled with miscellaneous junk on the upper level. However, the lower level was clean, had a bed sheet and quilt newly washed.


    ¡°Leave your things in here and arrange them tomorrow,¡± Li Baoguo said. ¡°Let us father and son have a drink.¡±


    ¡°Drink what?¡± Jiang Cheng stared blankly and then took a glimpse at his phone; it was almost ten o¡¯clock.


    ¡°Alcohol.¡± Li Baoguo looked at him, ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other for the past ten years or so. It¡¯s only natural that we have to have a drink to celebrate this occasion!¡±


    ¡°¡­ no,¡± Jiang Cheng was a bit speechless, ¡°I don¡¯t want to drink.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to drink?¡± Li Baoguo¡¯s eyes grew in diameter. After he stared intently at him for a few seconds, his eyes finally contracted, and a smile appeared instead, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t had a drink before? You¡¯re already in high school¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to drink,¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted him. ¡°I want to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Sleep?¡± Li Baoguo froze, somewhat perplexed at such a demand. However, he did not question further and instead turned around to leave while simultaneously uttering some words with his hoarse voice. ¡°Sure, sure, sure, you can sleep, sleep.¡±


    Jiang Cheng closed the door to his room and stood still for nearly five minutes before he walked to the closet.


    Once the closet door opened, he was instantly paralyzed by the strong scent of mothballs that assaulted his senses. A wardrobe with two doors was completely packed halfway with quilts, blankets, old cotton-padded jackets, and towels that had fringes flowing like tassels from the side.


    This state of mind was difficult to express. Jiang Cheng was positive that he was not longing for the home and family members living many hours away. However, he sincerely started to miss his own room.


    He took out a few random articles of clothing from his suitcase and hung them in the wardrobe while the rest was kept in the suitcase and stored at the bottom of the wardrobe. Afterward, he grabbed a bottle of perfume and sprayed it inside the closet numerously before he finally closed the door and sat on the bedside.


    When his phone sounded, he took it out for a look only to see that ¡®mom¡¯ displayed on the screen; that prompted him to answer the call.


    ¡°Did you arrive yet?¡± Mother¡¯s voice sounded from the other side.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng responded.


    ¡°The conditions are not as good to the home here,¡± mother simply worded. ¡°You will probably need some time to adjust.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Mother paused for a second, ¡°Xiao Cheng, I still hope you don¡¯t feel¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°In these ten years or so, we didn¡¯t treat you unfairly. Your father and I have never let you know that you were adopted, right?¡± Mother¡¯s voice held that usual hint of sternness.


    ¡°But I still found out,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°And I have also been kicked out.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you forget, your father ended up in the hospital on New Year¡¯s because of you! He still hasn¡¯t been discharged yet!¡± Mother¡¯s voice increased in volume.


    Jiang Cheng did not respond. He truly could not understand what his father being admitted into the hospital, due to pneumonia, had to do with him.


    And what his mother had to say afterward, he miraculously did not hear it clearly. This was his skill ¨C what was undesirable to his ear could not enter his brain regardless of anything.


    Mother¡¯s harsh yet vacuous criticism and what he considered to be a completely ineffective conversation, was the binding seal for his break down.


    He did not want to listen. He did not want to quarrel in this alien environment that caused his whole body to fall into discomfort.


    When the call ended, he could no longer remember the things that were said. What mother said, what he said, all were already forgotten.


    I want to take a shower, Jiang Cheng stood up and went to open the door. When he looked into the living room, there was no one there.


    He cleared his throat and coughed a few times, but still, no one responded.


    ¡°Are you¡­there?¡± He walked into the living room, truthfully unsure of what to call Li Baoguo.


    The room was very small and standing in the living room one could easily see the doors to the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. Li Baoguo was not in the room.


    He probably went out to play cards. He¡¯s the kind of person who stayed to play a few more rounds instead of picking someone up from the intersection.


    ¡°Come on ¡ªlet¡¯s play cards ah¡ª there¡¯s a lot of time anyway.¡± Jiang Cheng sang as he pushed open the bathroom door. ¡°Come on ¡ªlet¡¯s bathe ah¡ª anyways¡­¡±


    There was no water heater in the bathroom.


    ¡°Anyways¡­¡± he continued to sing as he turned around to look into the kitchen that was connected to the bathroom. There was no water heater there either; only an electric heater was attached to the faucet. ¡°Anyways¡­¡±


    He could no longer sing. After he paced around the room a few more times to confirmed that there was indeed no water heater, he only felt his heart stifling. His hand smashed against the faucet. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    Having wandered around all day, it would be impossible for him to fall asleep without showering.


    In the end, he had no choice but to return to his room and drag out his luggage. He pulled out a collapsible bucket and carried buckets after buckets of water into the bathroom, all the while only wearing his underpants. Going back and forth, half-rubbing and half-washing himself, he eventually finished up.


    As he walked out of the bathroom, a cockroach ran past his feet. He leaped up to avoid it, almost hitting his head on the door.


    When Jiang Cheng returned to his room and turned off the light in an attempt to force himself to sleep, he noticed that the room had no curtains, and the reason he was unable to see the scene outside was due to the filthy window.


    He pulled the cover up, but out of hesitation, he tugged at the corner for a sniff. Once he confirmed that it was clean, he let out a sigh of relief but truthfully, he wasn¡¯t even in the mood to even sigh.


    Jiang Cheng kept his eyes closed for over half an hour, however, even when his eyes felt sore, sleep still did not succumb. Just as he was thinking of having a cigarette, his phone buzzed.


    He picked it up for a glance, it was Pan Zhi who sent him a text.


    ¨C What the fuck, you left? What the hell is going on?


    Jiang Cheng lit a cigarette and dialed Pan Zhi¡¯s number, and as he held the cigarette in his mouth, he moved toward the window and thought about opening it.


    Unfortunately, the window was veiled by dust and rust. He fidgeted for a while, and even when Pan Zhi had already answered the phone, the window did not move a single jot.


    ¡°Cheng?¡± Pan Zhi had his voice lowered to the volume of a thief on the job.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s finger was pricked by some unidentified foreign object. He tightened his brows and swore to himself, finally giving up on the thought of opening the window.


    ¡°What¡¯s your situation?¡± Pan Zhi¡¯s voice was still restrained. ¡°Today, I heard from Yu Xin that you left? Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯d tell when you were leaving? I even bought a pile of gifts to see you off with!¡±


    ¡°Mail them to me.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled on his coat, and with the cigarette in his mouth, he walked into the living room. But just as he opened the door and took the first step out, he realized that he did not have the keys to this place. With no choice but to retreat, Jiang Cheng opened the window in the living room instead.


    His current mood was as appalling as a violent windstorm. As long as another cent of displeasure came his way, he would be able to break out into a verse of battle songs, full of anger and annoyance.


    ¡°You¡¯re already there?¡± Pan Zhi asked.


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng leaned against the windowsill and looked out into the onyx-colored darkness of the street.


    ¡°So, how is it? How¡¯s that biological father of yours?¡± Pan Zhi questioned again.


    ¡°Do you have a matter to discuss?¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk right now.¡±


    ¡°Shit, it¡¯s not like I was the one who threw you there,¡± Pan Zhi raged. ¡°What are you getting irritated at me for? When your mother proposed that, ¡®an agreement from the adoptee must be obtained¡¯, you didn¡¯t hesitate at all, now you¡¯re sulking!¡±


    ¡°Not hesitating doesn¡¯t conflict with displeasure.¡± Jiang Cheng blew out a mouthful of smoke.


    The road that did not have a soul in sight suddenly produced a small thin human shadow; with a step on the skateboard, it flew by at a surprising speed.


    Jiang Cheng got distracted and thought back to the little girl called Gu Miao. There sure are a lot of people playing with skateboards in this lousy little town.


    ¡°How about I go there?¡± Pan Zhi suddenly asked.


    ¡°En?¡±Jiang Cheng did a double take.


    ¡°I said I¡¯ll go and visit you,¡± Pan Zhi restated. ¡°There¡¯s still a couple days left before school starts. I can personally deliver the things I bought for you too.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng rejected.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be stubborn with me, you didn¡¯t tell anyone else your situation. Right now, you only have me to provide you some warmth.¡± Pan Zhi sighed, ¡°Just let me go and comfort you.¡±


    ¡°Comfort how,¡± Jiang Cheng declared, ¡°With your mouth?¡±


    ¡°Fuck! Damn you Jiang Cheng, have a bit of shame,[2] okay?!¡± Pan Zhi screamed from the other side.


    ¡°Since you¡¯re so enthusiastic and adamant about seeing me off, what do I need shame for? I should cooperate with you.¡± Jiang Cheng circled the room with the cigarette in his hand and found an ¡®eight treasures congee can¡¯[3] covered by cigarette ashes. When he opened it, the years of built-up cigarette odor almost caused him to vomit before he even had time to clearly identify the content inside.


    He threw the cigarette butt inside and closed the lid¡ªat that moment, he felt like he never wanted to smoke ever again for the rest of his life.


    This was a strange and displeasing environment, with a strange and displeasing ¡°family¡±.


    Jiang Cheng thought this situation would cause him insomnia, but as he laid on the bed, the agony from not being able to fall asleep vanished. He unexpectedly realized he was sleepy, and not just sleepy¡ªit was drowsiness along with the extreme fatigue, similar to having spent over half a month pulling late-nights cramming for exams.


    How very unexpected.


    After he closed his eyes, he slept as if he lost had all consciousness.


    A night without dreams.


    When he woke up in the morning to the initial sensation of his entire body feeling sore, Jiang Cheng had the conception of his real identity being a worker carrying heavy loads at the dock, the kind where he had yet to finish his weekly portions of work.


    He looked at his phone for the time. It was quite early, only a bit over eight.


    As he put on his clothes and walked out of the room, he saw that everything in the room had maintained its arrangement from the previous night, even the other unoccupied bedroom had a bed that remained the same.


    Li Baoguo didn¡¯t return for the whole night?


    Jiang Cheng tightened his brows. After he finished washing up, he felt a bit embarrassed. His attitude last night was a bit harsh¡ªthere were no bad intentions behind Li Baoguo pulling him for a drink since it honestly could only count as having different habits, yet he harshly rejected the offer. It can¡¯t be that Li Baoguo didn¡¯t return all night because of that, right?


    He hesitated for a bit and took out his phone with the intention of giving Li Baoguo a call. Although they did not drink together last night, there should not be a problem with having breakfast together in the morning.


    As he was dialing the numbers, the sound of keys jingling passed through the door, and the lock followed suit. The sounds sustained for twenty, thirty seconds before the door was finally opened.


    Li Baoguo walked in, enveloped in a body of cold air. His face was dim and his features full of fatigue.


    ¡°You¡¯re up?¡± Li Baoguo¡¯s loud voice sounded as he saw Jiang Cheng, ¡°You woke up quite early, did you sleep well?¡±


    ¡°¡­ not bad.¡± Jiang Cheng got a whiff of thick cigarette smell from Li Baoguo as he answered, it was also mixed with some ineffable foul scent ¨C like the red, green leathered train seats from long ago.


    ¡°Have you eaten breakfast?¡± Li Baoguo took off his coat, shook it, and the smell grew stronger. The living room that was not big, to begin with, was now filled with the strange odor.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°How about we¡­¡±


    ¡°There are many shops that sell breakfast right outside, you can go eat,¡± Li Baoguo said. ¡°I¡¯m tired so I¡¯m going to take a nap first. If I don¡¯t wake up at noon, you can also eat by yourself.¡±


    Jiang Cheng watched as he entered the other bedroom, and without taking off any of his clothes, he crashed onto the bed and pulled the cover up. He speechlessly asked: ¡°Last night¡­ what were you doing?¡±


    ¡°Playing cards. Lately, my luck has been really bad. But it was quite good yesterday! You, my boy, have brought me good fortune!¡± Li Baoguo happily said as he closed his eyes.


    Jiang Cheng took the pair of keys that were placed on the table and turned to exit the door. He felt that his embarrassment from early was much too naive.


    The snow had stopped yet the air that swept by was frigid and cutting as it penetrated his bones.


    The narrow streets contained more liveliness in the morning with people and cars in sight, and even the sound of firecrackers could be heard. However, when everything became bright, the dilapidation soon became visible.


    Jiang Cheng wandered the streets back and forth until he eventually walked into a dumpling house. Having eaten a few stuffed-buns and a bowl of tender tofu-curd, he still did not feel the sore pain leave his body. On the contrary, it seemed to have awakened further unpleasantness.


    Thinking that he might have caught a cold, he bought a box of medicine from the nearby drugstore after breakfast.


    After he purchased the medicine, he stood on the sides of the street feeling a little uncertain. Should I go back?


    The image of Li Baoguo falling into bed encased in a body of weird odor perturbed him, he was not sure what he could even do once he returned.


    To sleep or to stare blankly into space?


    He stood at the front of the drugstore for a few minutes and decided to stroll around nearby as to get familiar with the place he was not sure how long he would be residing.


    He walked aimlessly along an alleyway onto the main street and made a turn into another small alley that was parallel to the previous. Jiang Cheng wanted to determine whether there was a direct path that could take him back or not.


    In this alley, he saw a small music store and an ice cream shop with an interior that was very pinkish and delicately decorated. But aside from these two stores, the other stores were no different from the previous street.


    As he passed by a place that was decorated like a small supermarket but was actually just a shop for miscellaneous goods, he stopped and pushed the door in, intending to buy a bottle of water so that he could take the medicine.


    When warm air mixed with the musky scent of lemons struck him in the face upon stepping in the store, he stopped at the entrance and immediately wanted to turn back.


    There were four people crammed in the small area behind the cash register counter¡ªeveryone was either sitting or leaning on the chair.


    The moment he entered, the people who were originally chatting, all stopped abruptly and simultaneously cranked their heads to stare at him.


    Jiang Cheng studied these four people, from their physical features to their facial expression, from their apparels to mannerism; each of their faces seemed to have a single character spelled on it.


    ²»£¬ÊÇ£¬ºÃ£¬Äñ¡£Bu, Shi, Hao, Niao[4]


    Just as he was hesitating on whether to turn around and leave or to grab a bottle of water from the nearby shelf, the corner of Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes landed on three other people who were crammed in front of the storage rack.


    He turned his head but did not see the people clearly. First, he saw a floor full of hair and a glossy bald head, followed by a pair of big eyes.


    [1] ¡°Yo¡± Ó´,  It¡¯s usually meant to express minor surprise; also translate to ¡®oh¡¯


    [2]  ¡°Have a bit of shame¡± ¨C the direct translation is actually ¡°have a little bit of face¡± Òªµã¶ùÁ³, meaning the person should know when to be shameful of their actions and pertain their image ¨C the face, which holds all the pride and honor of a person.


    [3] ¡° Eight Treasures Congee¡± direct translation from °Ë±¦Öà ¨C A food product that can often be found in stores sold in tin cans. It normally consists of red beans, dried red jujubes, glutinous rice, longan, lotus seed, peanuts, chestnut, and rice millets but is not always restricted to these. Any assortments of rice, beans, nuts, and seeds are counted as ¡°treasures¡±


    [4] ²»£¬ÊÇ£¬ºÃ£¬Äñ (B¨´, sh¨¬, h¨£o, ni¨£o ¨C not, a, good, bunch) is kind of like a slang where people normally say, Ò»¿´Äã¾Í²»ÊÇʲôºÃÄñ which basically mean, ¡°they look troublesome¡±.

 CH 3

    The glossy bald head in front of the storage shelves belonged to Gu Miao. After this young girl had completely shaved her head, it was impossible to tell that she was a girl¡ªnot to mention, she had on a boy¡¯s greyish-blue down-filled jacket. If it were not for her eyes, Jiang Cheng would not have been able to recognize that this was Gu Miao.


    Gu Fei was standing behind her with an electric hair clipper in his hand and a cigarette hanging loosely in his mouth. He must have been somewhat surprised to see him since the clipper that was once moving came to a complete standstill.


    However, Gu Fei was dressed entirely different than the day before, as he was sporting a pullover and casual pants that were comfortable and relaxed.


    From his physical appearance to his attire and then his temperament, one could immediately tell he was of a different type of person from his four friends¡ªvery eye-catching¡ªthe kind that you could instantly distinguish from within a pile of people.


    His whole body exuded an aura of ¡°I am their boss¡±.


    Jiang Cheng had always thought that his own appearance did not promote him as a bad person. Although his bad temper would sometimes even scare himself, he had simply thought of it as a rebellious stage lingering longer than the average¡­ but under the situation of just calmly wanting to buy a bottle of water, he definitely looked harmless.


    So, when the people in this miscellaneous goods shop, that was decorated to look like a small supermarket, all stared at him and kept silent with a face that seemed to say, ¡°are you looking for a fight¡±, he felt utterly baffled.


    In the process, a chunk of the ash from the cigarette in Gu Fei¡¯s mouth fell on Gu Miao¡¯s bald head. She patted her head for a while just to get rid of the ash.


    Jiang Cheng had no intention of concerning himself with these people¡¯s stares. He had always been a young man unafraid of large issues and fearless towards the ¡®what are you looking at¡¯ type of stares, especially when it came to times that his mood and health were concurrently unpleasant.


    He walked to the front of the shelf and took a bottle of mineral spring water.


    He looked up only to see that Gu Fei had already walked to the side of the shelf, and after silently staring at each other from across two containers of chips, Gu Fei said: ¡°Welcome.¡±


    ¡°Your family¡¯s shop?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°What a coincidence,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei went silent. He also did not want to speak again, so he tossed the water in his hand back and forth and then turned around and walked to the checkout counter.


    ¡°Two kuai,¡± someone walked behind the counter and propped his hand on the table before leaning over to stare at him.


    Jiang Cheng gave him a glance. With the ¡®Bu Shi Hao Niao¡¯ team of four still sitting at the same spot, this person was the one who was standing beside Gu Fei just now.


    Since the lighting was dim before, he could not see clearly, but now that he was beneath the light, he discovered that[1] this person was very beautiful¡ªlike a young woman. Aside from his long and narrow eyes, the other features of this person made him seem more like Gu Miao¡¯s sister than¡­ Gu Fei as her brother.


    He took ten kuai out of his pocket and passed them over. The man took the money, lowered his head and poked the cash register a few times and then glanced at him. ¡°Da[2] Fei¡¯s friend? I¡¯ve never seen you before.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng took out the medicine, broke it into two, and placed it in his mouth before he unscrewed the water bottle and drank a few gulps.


    ¡°No?¡± The man¡¯s gaze crossed over his shoulder as he looked to the back, then he placed the change on the table. ¡°Oh.¡±


    After he took the medicine, Jiang Cheng threw away the half-drunken water in the trash can by the door, lift the curtain and walked out.


    ¡°Hey, it would have been better if you bought a smaller bottle,¡± the man¡¯s voice sailed from behind him, ¡°So wasteful.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I forgot,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    That¡¯s right. Why didn¡¯t I buy a small bottle? I didn¡¯t even finish it.


    Perhaps it was because the severe aching sensation in his body was intensifying, but his brain was spinning continuously.


    As he stood on the steps of the entranceway, he couldn¡¯t remember where he wanted to go before he entered the store¡­ Go back? Go back to where? Li Baoguo¡­ no, his new home?


    When he thought of the harsh environment here and the thunderous sound of Li Baoguo¡¯s snores, his chest felt blocked and immediately after, he couldn¡¯t breathe¡­ he couldn¡¯t at all.


    Before him, darkness appeared as a golden flower blossomed.


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t control his body at all, and just like a spinning sack sinking down, he sighed ¨C wonderful.


    Gu Miao touched her own bald head and then walked towards the door with her skateboard.


    ¡°Hat,¡± Gu Fei said from behind as he picked up his coat from the chair next to him. Then he took out a green woolen hat with small flowers from his pocket and threw it on her head.


    Gu Miao pulled the hat down a bit to wear it properly.


    She bowed her head and dragged the skateboard out of the shop, but soon returned and smacked the checkout counter a few times.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Li Yan leaned over the counter, pulled her hat and then looked up at Gu Fei. ¡°How could you actually knit her a green hat[3], huh¡­¡±


    ¡°She picked the color herself,¡± Gu Fei replied as he put the electric hair clipper away and glanced at Gu Miao. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Gu Miao pointed towards the door.


    ¡°Is there a dog?¡± Gu Fei kicked the chair to the side, then walked towards the entrance and lifted the curtain.


    That Mr. Wealthy who had previously bought a bottle of water and threw it away after only drinking half of it was now lying on the sidewalk outside the door.


    His face was kissing Mother Earth.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Gu Fei walked out and used his foot to lightly kick his leg, and since he did not know what this person¡¯s name was, he simply asked: ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    When Mr. Wealthy did not move, he stooped down to look at his face that was on the ground, only to see that the tip of his nose was pressed flatten to the ground. He reached out and carefully propped Mr. Wealthy¡¯s head to the side so he could breathe properly. Afterward, he turned his head and shouted toward the shop: ¡°Hey! Someone collapsed here!¡±


    Li Yan came out first and when he saw the scene, he stared in shock: ¡°Was he stabbed?¡±


    ¡°You must have stabbed him.¡± Gu Fei touched Mr. Wealthy¡¯s face and felt the scalding hot temperature on his hand. ¡°He has a fever.¡±


    ¡°You can faint from a fever?¡± Li Yan was a little surprised as he turned around to look at the few people who followed out. ¡°What should we do? Call 120?¡±[4]


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Liu Fan looked around, ¡°A cautious auntie will report this to the police in a bit and they will definitely say that we did it. I just came out yesterday¡­¡±


    ¡°Drag him in,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Drag in¡­ you know him, right?¡± Liu Fan asked.


    ¡°If he tells you to drag him in, just drag him in. Even if he doesn¡¯t know him, Da Fei touched him just now,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°If an auntie really reports this, do you think the police won¡¯t question?¡±


    ¡°He just passed out from a fever, you guys should feel apologetic to your fathers and mothers for not becoming playwrights,¡± Gu Fei said as he turned Mr. Wealthy over. ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    A few people came over and carried the young man up into the shop and then threw him into a small room where Gu Fei normally rested in.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never even slept on this bed,¡± Li Yan gave a firm tsk after everyone walked out. ¡°¡­ yet a random weak bastard gets to enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°You can rush out right now, fall flat on your face, and I will immediately make a bed for you,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°You¡¯re shameless,¡± Li Yan retorted.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you are,¡± Gu Fei gave him a push. ¡°Get out.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Li Yan refused to budge, then turned his head and whispered. ¡°Didn¡¯t he say that you¡¯re not his friend?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei exerted enough strength to make him stumble before closing the door. ¡°He¡¯s the one that found Er[5] Miao yesterday.¡±


    ¡°He found Er Miao?¡± Li Yan was rather amazed, ¡°How fated.¡±


    Gu Fei ignored him and sat down behind the counter, playing a game on his phone.


    ¡°He¡¯s quite handsome,¡± Li Yan said in a low voice and leaned over the counter.


    When Gu Fei glanced at him, he turned away and stopped talking altogether.


    Gu Miao walked over and spread out her hand in front of Gu Fei, hooking her fingers repeatedly.


    ¡°Just eat. Look at how chubby you¡¯ve gotten in these two months, no one wants to play with you anymore.¡± Gu Fei took out ten kuai from his wallet and placed them on her hand. ¡°Your face is all round now.¡±


    Gu Miao did not pay attention to him. She bowed her head and placed the money in her pocket, then patted the spot a couple of times before she went out with the skateboard.


    ¡°It¡¯s her glossy bald head ¨C doesn¡¯t matter if she is fat or not, no one is going to play with her.¡± Li Yan sighed.


    ¡°Even if her head isn¡¯t bald, no one will play with her.¡± Gu Fei continued to play his game, ¡°She has never had a friend since she was little. Who wants to play with a mute?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± Liu Fan offered some words. ¡°It¡¯s not like she¡¯s actually mute, she just doesn¡¯t speak. It¡¯s nothing serious.¡±


    ¡°Ei, what¡¯s going to happen in the future if it continues on like this?¡± Li Yan sighed again, ¡°School is an easy matter ¨C if she doesn¡¯t want to go then she doesn¡¯t have to go, but this habit of only speaking to Da Fei, later on¡­¡±


    ¡°This world will most likely not be destroyed because of your worries,¡± Gu Fei interrupted him, ¡°Just write a report and apply for a peace award.¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Li Yan slapped the table as he walked over to Liu Fan, pulled a chair and sat down.


    The shop sank into silence. Liu Fan and the others sitting near the radiator all had lifeless and drowsy eyes. This kind of situation was a bit scary since their threatening faces hung down in defeat, even the three people who wanted to come in and shop ended up leaving after only lifting up the curtain and looking in.


    ¡°You guys,¡± Gu Fei knocked on the table, ¡°Just leave.¡±


    ¡°Go where?¡± Li Yan asked.


    ¡°Go roam around,¡± Gu Fei simply replied.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go out,¡± Liu Fan stretched his body, ¡°It¡¯s too cold outside and there¡¯s no place to go to.¡±


    ¡°You guys are scaring away all the people that come in,¡± Gu Fei said as he lit a cigarette and held it in his mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯ll haul in the next person that comes in here for you,¡± Liu Fan started to laugh. ¡°I guarantee that not a single person will escape.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and get lost,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°So annoying.¡±


    ¡°Get lost, get lost, get lost, get lost,¡± Liu Fan tsk-ed and stood up before kicking the others¡¯ chairs. ¡°Your Master Gu[6] is going crazy again, he¡¯s going to pick up a knife and cut all down in any second now.¡±


    A few people were quite unwilling to move, but they still got up, whispering and complaining as they wore their coats and walked out.


    Li Yan followed at the very end. When he was ready to go out, he turned around and said: ¡°There¡¯s still another person inside, aren¡¯t you going to kick him out, huh?¡±


    Gu Fei did not make a sound as he looked at him.


    He did not say anything either as he lifted the curtain and walked out.


    After smoking the cigarette, Gu Fei looked at the time and realized that Mr. Wealthy had lied down for nearly twenty minutes already. According to the general fainting enthusiast, one should be awake in only a few minutes.


    He pushed the door open and looked inside¡ªMr. Wealthy hadn¡¯t woken up yet. His eyes were still closed as he maintained the same position as before.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Gu Fei went to push him. ¡°Don¡¯t die here.¡±


    Mr. Wealthy still did not budge.


    Gu Fei stared at him for a while.


    Although Mr. Wealthy¡¯s face was slightly dirty, his handsomeness was hard to conceal and the corner of his somewhat droopy eyes seemed arrogant, for lack of a better word.


    Based on his habit of looking at everyone in disdain, Jiang Cheng was fairly handsome. It was just that he truly disliked the sarcastic aura that exuded from all over his body during their first meeting the day before, even if the sarcasm was relatively subtle, he could still sense it.


    After staring for a few minutes, he lifted the quilt and fished around in Mr. Wealthy¡¯s pocket, pulling out a wallet. His identity card and a few other membership cards were clipped together.


    Jiang Cheng.


    He put the wallet back, moved in close to the side of Mr. Wealthy¡¯s ear and roared: ¡°Hey!!¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Mr. Wealthy finally moved. He groaned softly and it sounded quite unpleasant.


    Gu Fei kicked the bedside, turned around, and walked out.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know what had happened to him.


    When he opened his eyes, it was like he had lost his memory. Who am I and where am I?


    After a while, the last scene he remembered was the extremely unclean ground making direct contact with his face, along with the snow that had been trodden on until it became slurry.


    I actually fainted? ¡­ never did I think that this would happen in my lifetime.


    He sat up, lifted the quilt that was covering his body, and when he looked down and saw his completely muddy clothes, he quickly pulled up the quilt and looked at it. A few sections were muddied and even after he patted a few times, the mud did not fall off.


    Just as he was thinking about whether or not he should find some water to rub it, his senses suddenly came back.


    Who am I? Jiang Cheng.


    Where am I? I don¡¯t know.


    A very small room that was rather clean¡ªa hundredfold cleaner than the room that Li Baoguo gave him. He threw the quilt to the side and walked through the now open door.


    When he saw the three rows of shelves outside, Jiang Cheng finally realized that he was still in Gu Fei¡¯s shop.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± Gu Fei glanced at him from the recliner next to the checkout counter, then continued to lower his head and play on his cell phone.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng patted the already dried mud on his clothes. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Gu Fei stared at his phone. ¡°The thing is, it would have been troublesome if I didn¡¯t bring you in.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng turned his head to look inside the small room. ¡°That quilt is¡­ dirty.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a sink in the back,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Just go wash it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Cheng stared blankly, feeling somewhat angry, but he also couldn¡¯t find a suitable opening since there was no fault in Gu Fei¡¯s logic.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to wash it then why ask.¡± Gu Fei¡¯s gaze finally left the phone and landed on his face.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t speak and stared straight back at him.


    At first, he was very grateful towards Gu Fei for bringing him into the room, but Gu Fei¡¯s current attitude also made it difficult for him to be grateful. He did not get angry because he wasn¡¯t feeling well after having just fainted.


    After staring for a while, Gu Fei lowered his head and continued to play on his phone.


    He turned around and walked out.


    The sun outside was utterly amazing¡ªthe only warmth from the northern wind¡ªbut it was not very effective since it was still cold.


    His head ached terribly. Jiang Cheng took out a ski cap from his pocket and put it on, then fastened the hat from his outer coat over his head. He looked at the time; roughly half an hour had passed between him fainting and then sleeping, not much time had been wasted.


    Even though he did not know what else he could do.


    He stood at the curb and looked at either side of the road.


    Ultimately, he decided to continue ahead for a stroll just a while longer and after he found a fork in the road, he turned back around.


    He didn¡¯t want to return only to have to listen to Li Baoguo¡¯s snore, but he needed to change his clothes.


    Stepping on the muddy snow, he suddenly felt a bit lonely.


    In the past, there were many days where he also hung around outside like this, sometimes not returning home for several consecutive days. However, he had never felt lonely as he did now.


    And he did not know why.


    Perhaps it was because of the strong sense of loss from being abandoned and exiled, perhaps it was because of this strange and dilapidated environment, perhaps with no friends around, perhaps¡­ it was just because of the illness.


    When his phone sounded, Jiang Cheng took it out for a look¡ªa message from Yu Xin.


    ¨C I regret it.


    He sighed and sent a reply.


    ¨C A strong and courageous person is generally decisive in their words.


    Yu Xin did not reply again, who knew whether she was angry from losing face or holding back the fire in the hope of finding a more suitable opportunity to explode once more.


    He placed the phone back in his pocket and then pinched the bridge of his nose.


    He hadn¡¯t paid attention to it before, but now that he felt the intense pain overtaking his nose, he reckoned it was from when he fell, and his nose kissed the beautiful ground.


    Tsk.


    He carefully squeezed his nose from the bridge to the tip, making sure that nothing was broken before putting his hands back into his pockets.


    Taking a few steps forward, he saw a very small intersection ahead, which should be the fork in the road that he was looking for.


    Before he withdrew his gaze, a green head came flying out from the corner of the intersection¡ªblowing like the wind.


    When Jiang Cheng saw that this green-headed person was Gu Miao gliding on her skateboard, she had already brushed past him, so fast that he was not able to clearly see her face.


    Skateboard girl ah.


    He glanced back, thinking that it was unfortunate for such a cool young girl to have her hair completely shaven.


    Who knows if he¡¯s her real brother or not, but since her hair was cut into a mess, is it that difficult to find a hairdresser to just shorten it? Do you have to shave it all? It¡¯s the coldest time of the year¡­ ah, a green hat too?


    Jiang Cheng looked back once again to see if his vision was blurry or not, but Gu Miao had already flown away until only a small black speck remained.


    Before he turned his head back, three bicycles zoomed out of the intersection.


    The bicycles were so beaten that even the metallic structure clanked as the wheels turned, but they were still going extremely fast.


    ¡°Fuck, she fled so fast!¡± A person on a jingling bicycle shouted.


    Once he made out the meaning behind those words, Jiang Cheng was stunned¡­ Gu Miao is being bullied again?


    He did not have time to sympathize, he was just feeling inexplicably agitated.


    What kind of fucked up placed is this?!!


    When he returned to his new ¡°home¡±, Li Baoguo was still asleep, but he wasn¡¯t snoring or wheezing much. However, after Jiang Cheng entered the house, he resumed his coughing and kept at it without stopping ¨C the coughs seemed to rip apart his heart and lungs.


    He could not help but look over at Li Baoguo twice, but his eyes were still closed, and he was sleeping rather soundly.


    The ability to sleep and cough was not one that Jiang Cheng possessed since he would definitely wake up if he coughed while he slept. This was probably Li Baoguo¡¯s unique skill.


    After changing his clothes, Jiang Cheng found a towel from his suitcase and wetted it so that he could clean up his dirty outfit.


    Afterward, he sat on the bed in a daze.


    He didn¡¯t know what to do.


    Li Baoguo, who was sleeping next door, no longer coughed, but the coughing and wheezing sounded¡­ yet again.


    He could not describe his feelings. This person was his real father and¡­


    ¡­ the same blood flowed in his body.


    He was actually born into such a family, and even if he did not meet the other members of this family, Li Baoguo was already a huge warning sign written out in bold capital letters.


    For a period of time, he had given himself the chance to avoid thinking about this problem. But now that he was sitting there, his eyes were filled with the scene of decay, whether he looked inside or outside of the house ¨C nothing could be done, there was literally no way to avoid it.


    A long time ago, he had discussed adoption with his father and mother.


    It didn¡¯t matter. Some things are so deeply written in the bones that even the care and nurture once kindly given was no match whatsoever.


    He could not remember clearly how his father and mother had answered him back then, he only remembered his own words. Now each and every single one of those words was like a firm slap across his own face.


    Speaking of his younger brother¡¯s personality, it was very similar ¨C strict, barely spoke and loved to quietly read books, but he was totally different even though he did not talk much either¡­


    Even the neighbors had said that they truly did not look like a family.


    That¡¯s right, this was the incompatibility that was written on his body.


    Li Baoguo suddenly coughed. It was as if he was being severely choked and didn¡¯t stop for quite some time to the point that he should be awake this time. Jiang Cheng heard him swearing repeatedly. After a while, the snoring sounded once again.


    Jiang Cheng was suddenly overtaken by fear.


    ¡­ fear that was sealed with a strong sense of suffocation.


    He stood up and went to the living room to get the keys so that he could go out and make a copy of them before finding a hospital for a checkup. Since his entire body was feeling very uncomfortable, he must have had a fever.


    Gu Fei was squatting outside the shop near the flowers and shrubs, watching Gu Miao speed dazzlingly in front of him for the third time with her freezing red face.


    The fourth time she passed by, Gu Fei waved his hands towards her repeatedly. She halted and then turned around before slowly sliding in front of him.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go home to eat.¡± Gu Fei stood up, ¡°Go put your things away properly.¡±


    Gu Miao dragged the skateboard into the shop.


    Gu Fei lit a cigarette and mulled over what to eat for lunchtime.


    A minute later, the sound of Gu Miao¡¯s scream came from inside the shop.


    He threw the cigarette away, jumped up, and rushed into the shop.


    The scream came from the bathroom in the back. He rushed out from the back door and pushed the bathroom door open only to see that Gu Miao was covering her eyes and was screaming at the sink incessantly.


    Gu Fei reached over to turn off the faucet. Then he picked her up and piggybacked her out of the bathroom while patting her back lightly. ¡°Shhh¡­ calm down. There¡¯s no water, there¡¯s no water¡­¡±


    Gu Miao¡¯s scream stopped as she hugged his neck and rested on his shoulder and then she whispered: ¡°I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry too.¡± Gu Fei held her hand with one hand and picked up the skateboard with the other, ¡°Let¡¯s go eat a feast.¡±


    [1] Kuai ¨C A yuan (Chinese: Ôª; pinyin: yu¨¢n) is also known colloquially as a kuai (Chinese: ¿é; pinyin: ku¨¤i; literally: ¡°lump¡±; originally a lump of silver). In spoken Chinese, Chinese people use kuai more often because it is more colloquial. But in spoken English, normally ¡®yuan¡® is used instead; it is used in textbooks and everywhere. ¨C two kuai is about $.30 cent.


    [2] Da ´ó ¨C oldest/eldest; term of endearment normally placed before the given name to signify age, the opposite being Xiao С youngest/little. ex: if Gu Fei is called Da Fei then Gu Miao can be called Xiao Miao since she is the younger of the two; even if a person is older than someone, if they have respect for them is their subordinate, you can add the Da before their name.


    [3]  Green hat ¨C ´÷ÂÌñ×Ól¨¸?m¨¤o?zi ¡®wearing a green hat¡¯ is a metaphor used in Chinese culture meaning the one wearing it has been cheated on. The source is a story from the Ming Dynasty where Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang enacted a law, which required men who worked in the prostitution trade to wear green hats. Later, it became common to say about a man whose wife had an affair, that she made her husband wear a green hat. It¡¯s best to stay away from those green hats!


    [4] 120 ¨C the number to dial for an ambulance in China


    [5] Er ¨C two/second ¨C term for the second child in the family; the surname gets dropped and ¡®Er¡¯ can be added.


    [6] Master ¨C the word used here is actually ´óÒ¯ d¨¤ye which is a term of respect for older men but I think ¡®master¡¯ is better for sarcasm.


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 CH 4

    Gu Fei parked his motorcycle in front of the shop and Gu Miao swiftly climbed onto the backseat with her skateboard pressed against her chest. Then she held onto his waist and put her own face against his back.


    ¡°Let me see your face,¡± Gu Fei said as he turned his head around.


    Gu Miao lifted her face for him to look.


    ¡°There¡¯re still some tears, wipe them off,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Gu Miao used the back of her hands to rub her eyes and then used her sleeves to rub under her nose.


    ¡°Ai,¡± Gu Fei let out a sigh. ¡°Even if you were a boy, you would still be considered the crude kind ah.¡±


    Gu Miao smiled and stuck her face against his back again.


    Gu Fei rode his motorcycle out, with a clear destination that was directed toward the downtown shopping mall. According to Gu Miao, the idea of a feast referred specifically to the barbeque buffet located in there.


    This little girl was abnormally persistent on some matters¡ªonly willing to eat in that one restaurant when they go out was just one of many.


    The most prominent benefit of living in a small city was perhaps the fact that there was only one downtown area. Moreover, it was within reach, taking only a short amount of time no matter which area you were arriving from. The only thing was, this was also the time of day when the restaurant was the busiest. There were basically no available tables left when they arrived.


    ¡°Are there any deals today?¡± Gu Fei asked the waiter. He pulled out his phone to search for any possible availability of coupons and then gave Gu Miao¡¯s head a flick. ¡°You can go find a table.¡±


    When Gu Miao put her skateboard on the floor and placed one foot on it, Gu Fei immediately placed his foot on it as well. ¡°Walk.¡±


    ¡°Do you want the skateboard behind the counter for safe-keeping?¡± the waiter asked while smiling.


    Gu Miao shook her head and quickly bent down to pick up the skateboard before she hugged it against her chest.


    ¡°She¡¯ll take care of it,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Gu Miao ran inside with the skateboard in her arms.


    ¡°Fuck, I¡¯m getting hungry from hearing you talk,¡± Pan Zhi swallowed some saliva. ¡°For real though, I¡¯ll go over and visit you tomorrow, and while we¡¯re at it, you can take me out for food. Here¡­ there¡¯s no way we can get that much food with that cheap of a price.¡±


    ¡°Did your family help with poverty alleviation over the New Year?¡±  Jiang Cheng had his phone wedged between his ear and shoulder, while one hand was occupied by a plate and the other by chopsticks as he sluggishly picked up pieces of pork belly, sliced beef, pork belly, sliced beef¡­ to him, there was actually no point in having a large variety of food since he only liked eating these.


    ¡°How can that be the same,¡± Pan Zhi said with a rather dejected tone. ¡°We had planned to eat barbequed meat together last semester, but now, not only did we not get to eat the meat, even the person is gone as well.¡±


    ¡°Go stay in a hotel once you get here,¡± Jiang Cheng put down his chopsticks and picked up a plate before he continued to pile on more meat. ¡°You also have to book it yourself, I don¡¯t have the energy to do anything right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with staying at your place,¡± Pan Zhi said matter-of-factly.


    ¡°No you can¡¯t,¡± Jiang Cheng knitted his eyebrows. He doesn¡¯t even wish to stay any longer in the room he was currently living in. ¡°Book a standard room, I¡¯ll go over.¡±


    ¡°¡­ is the relationship between that biological father of yours not going well?¡± Pan Zhi contemplated.


    ¡°No relationship has been established yet,¡± Jiang Cheng said casually as he carried two full plates of meat and walked over to grab a bottle of beer. ¡°It¡¯s neither good nor bad¡­¡±


    When he walked back to his table, he froze.


    For a table of four, one chair was occupied by a skateboard, another sat a little bald-headed person wearing a blue jacket, and on the table was a¡­ knitted green hat with little pink flowers on.


    ¡°Gu Miao?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at her in surprise.


    Gu Miao nodded, seemingly not too astonished. She then brought her skateboard down from the chair and settled it under the table.


    ¡°You¡­¡± He put the plate that was in his hands down on the table and noticed that Gu Miao was already staring anticipatingly at the barbeque plate. He waved his hand back and forth in front of her eyes, ¡°Who are you here with?¡±


    Gu Miao stood up, pointed towards the entrance, and waved her hands a few times.


    When Jiang Cheng looked over, he saw the equally astonished Gu Fei.


    ¡°Let¡¯s find another table,¡± Gu Fei walked over. ¡°This table here has already been taken by this Gege[1].¡±


    Gu Miao looked around, swallowed some saliva, but didn¡¯t move from where she sat.


    ¡°The waiter told me there were some tables left on the other end,¡± Gu Fei pointed inside. ¡°Let¡¯s go over there.¡±


    But Gu Miao still didn¡¯t move. She looked up to meet his gaze with no expression whatsoever. Jiang Cheng was unsure of what she wanted to express.


    After being left in a deadlock, Gu Fei turned to look at Jiang Cheng


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng also looked back at him.


    ¡°You¡¯re by yourself?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng gave a sound in response and sat down.


    The waiter walked over and opened the grill, spread a piece of paper over it and started putting meat in while also getting ready to brush on the seasonings and sauce.


    ¡°Then, we¡­¡± Gu Fei was seemingly hesitant, and paused for a long time before he finished the sentence. ¡°¡­ can eat together?¡±


    Jiang Cheng lifted his eyes to glance at him. To be honest, he really wanted to respond with, ¡°In your dreams! Go wash the quilt.¡±


    But the big eyes on Gu Miao¡¯s bald head were also staring intently back at him from across, and it became difficult for the phrase to escape his mouth. After the meat was brushed with some sauce, he finally nodded his head.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Gu Fei said, and pointed at Gu Miao. ¡°Sit here and wait for me, I¡¯ll go get food.¡±


    Gu Miao nodded.


    As Gu Fei left, Jiang Cheng laid down two more slices of sliced beef on the waxed paper and asked Gu Miao: ¡°Which do you want to eat between pork belly and sliced beef?¡±


    Gu Miao pointed at the sliced beef.


    ¡°The pork belly is also tasty, grilled them until they sizzle with oil¡­ I can eat five, six plates,¡± Jiang Cheng flipped the meat and brushed on some oil. ¡°Do you eat spicy food?¡±


    Gu Miao shook her head.


    Jiang Cheng put a well-finished slice of beef onto her plate and said: ¡°Have a bite.¡±


    Gu Miao was slightly hesitant as she turned her head and glanced in Gu Fei¡¯s direction.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t get a chance to finish when he noticed a visible scar on the back of Gu Miao¡¯s head, estimated to be around five centimeters in length. He was somewhat startled.


    When Gu Miao couldn¡¯t find Gu Fei, she turned back and stuffed the slice of beef into her mouth then looked up and smiled at him.


    ¡°Wanna try a piece of pork belly?¡± Jiang Cheng asked her.


    Gu Miao nodded again. He then picked up a slice of pork belly and put it in her plate while smoothly picking up the hat that was on the table and laying it on the chair next to him. Unable to contain himself, he tsk-ed and asked: ¡°Who bought you this hat, huh?¡±


    Gu Miao lowered her head and continued to eat without uttering a word.


    To remain silent when eating.


    This little girl, out of everyone that he knew, was the one person who conducted this fact to perfection.


    Gu Fei returned quickly with food, but his ability to pile food was significantly inferior to him¡ªat his first return, he brought back three plates. If he hadn¡¯t been on the phone with Pan Zhi just now, getting six plates in one trip would not have been a problem and then having a bit of fruit in the end would be about enough.


    The table of four was pushed up against the wall. Gu Miao sat on the opposite side toward the outside savoring the meal, while Jiang Cheng sat on the inside grilling meat with Gu Fei, who hesitantly sat in the seat next to him.


    Jiang Cheng was quite unwilling to pick up Gu Fei¡¯s portion to help him grill it. He stretched out his hand and lightly flicked Gu Miao¡¯s head: ¡°Go pick out a beverage if you want to drink.¡±


    When Gu Miao stood up and walked towards the beverage counter, Gu Fei swiftly got up and sat down in the seat across from Jiang Cheng.


    Jiang Cheng gave him a look, then continued grilling the pork and beef.


    ¡°You¡¯re eating so much grease when you have a fever?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s movements stopped briefly as he watched Gu Fei grill some glutinous rice cake. ¡°You knew?¡±


    ¡°You were burning hot when I dragged you in, how could I not know,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°Dragged?¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s imagination wondered uncontrollably to a scenario of Gu Fei dragging him into the shop by the hair like a sack of burlap bag.


    ¡°Should I have carried you in my arms otherwise?¡± Gu Fei then put in two more slices of bacon as the two shared half of the grill each, creating a harmonious atmosphere.


    Jiang Cheng was unsure of how to proceed with the conversation, so he stuffed a slice of pork into his mouth.


    On her way back from getting the beverages, Gu Miao also brought several cups with her. She placed the bottles of beer down one by one ¡ªfour bottles¡ª which were already open. There was even a cup of orange juice.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re quite capable,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at her in amazement. ¡°You didn¡¯t spill any onto the floor?¡±


    Gu Miao shook her head and returned to her seat. She then pushed a bottle of beer and the cup of orange juice in front of Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± He was about to let Gu Miao have the orange juice, but just as he opened his mouth, he saw Gu Miao had already picked up a bottle of beer and was pouring it into her own cup. ¡°You¡­¡±


    Gu Miao raised the cup and took a big vigorous gulp. She then let out a very pleasurable sigh and used the back of her hand to wipe her mouth.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei only to notice that he was completely indifferent to Gu Miao¡¯s actions. He didn¡¯t even glance in her direction as he busily wrapped a slice of pork belly inside a piece of Chinese lettuce.


    ¡°She drinks alcohol?¡± Jiang Cheng asked, unable to restrain himself.


    ¡°En, only when we eat grilled meat,¡± Gu Fei brought the rolled-up lettuce leaf in front of Jiang Cheng. ¡°Otherwise, she doesn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at the leaf roll.


    Without saying anything, Gu Fei simply held it up.


    ¡°¡­ thanks.¡± He had no choice but to accept and bite into it.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel greasy to eat a full meal of pork belly?¡± Gu Fei questioned.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad, I quite like it,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei wrapped two more rolls for Jiang Cheng and then asked again: ¡°You¡¯re not a local, right? Based on your accent.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng answered while the acknowledgment of this fact caused his heart to suddenly react in frustration. The discontent that he forced down with marbled pork and fatted calf was making a great effort to resurrect.


    ¡°What¡¯s Li Baoguo¡¯s relationship with you?¡± Gu Fei continued to ask.


    Jiang Cheng was a bit startled ¨C how did Gu Fei know about Li Baoguo? But this question was quickly drowned by a rather anxious agitation as he flung two slices of meat onto the grill. ¡°What part of this is your business?¡±


    Gu Fei lifted his gaze to inspect him before he smiled and kept quiet. He picked up a bottle of beer and lightly bumped it against the bottle in front of Jiang Cheng. After taking a sip, he continued on to grill some more meat.


    This was the first time that Jiang Cheng ate a meal across the table from someone who he was basically a stranger to. Not keen on having a conversation from the beginning, there was even less to talk about now.


    From across, Gu Fei looked like he had also lost all interest to converse while Gu-xiaomei,[2] who was likely a real mute, took sips of the beer and bites of the meat, seemingly having quite a cheerful meal.


    In the silence, Jiang Cheng ate four plates of meat with a swelling head. Gu Miao was probably just about done as well after Gu Fei went back and forth to pick up some food a couple more times.


    After Jiang Cheng finished eating, she finally put down her chopsticks, then leaned back against the chair and rubbed her tummy.


    ¡°Full?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    She nodded her head.


    ¡°You eat more than your brother,¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help but concluded.


    ¡°How¡¯d you get here?¡± Gu Fei also put down his chopsticks. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a ride later, we¡¯re going in the same direction anyway.¡±


    ¡°On the motorcycle?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°Drunk driving and overloading?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t utter a sound and simply stared at him for a long time with eyes filled with mockery of some sorts or others of who knows what. In the end, he patted Gu Miao on the shoulder: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    After Gu Fei left with Gu Miao, Jiang Cheng stood up and brought back another half a plate of meat and a little basket of lettuce leaves. The pork in lettuce wraps that Gu Fei previously made for him was actually quite good¡ªrefreshing and non-greasy.


    When he finished the half-plate of meat as well, he felt as though he should walk back as to help digest the food.


    However, it was way too cold outside. He shrunk behind the leather curtains and took out his phone, wanting to call a taxi. But even after five minutes passed, no one picked up the order.


    Pan Zhi called back again instead.


    ¡°This ticket has two stations, and the times are different too. Which station should I purchase?¡±


    ¡°East Station,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I only recognize the East Station.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°Come and pick me up tomorrow afternoon at four and send me your address later. I¡¯m going to hunt around for a hotel nearby.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s probably none,¡± Jiang Cheng recalled the overall feeling of that area¡ªit just didn¡¯t seem like a place that had hotels. ¡°Just randomly book one, the entirety of this place isn¡¯t even that big anyway.¡±


    After he hung up the phone, someone finally picked up his order for a taxi. When Jiang Cheng sat into the car, his whole body fell into discomfort.


    This was probably the feeling of not being acclimatized to the new environment. Someone who seldom caught colds suddenly turned into a dainty, fragile flower from this change in environment. There were no signs of getting better after the full morning of struggles, and even after eating his most favorite food¡ªthe flower was about to wither and fall.


    He closed his eyes and sighed.


    The people that were stuffed inside for New Year all seemed to have come out during these past two days; the road was full of cars and the drivers drove quite aggressively with one foot on the gas pedal and the other accompanying the emergency brake, less than ten minutes passed, and Jiang Cheng already felt his stomach churning.


    Even though the destination was not that far, the whole course was more or less half an hour long. But the moment he saw the intersection to Gu Fei¡¯s house, he could not hold it in anymore. Unable to even speak, he directly slapped at the door a few times.


    ¡°Here?¡± the driver asked.


    He nodded his head and tapped the door a few more times.


    The driver finally stopped the car. Then, as if he was blasted out by a fart, he opened the door and jumped out, dashing towards the garbage bin on the side of the street before he started to vomit painfully.


    This scene was so miserable that even Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t have the heart to imagine it.


    Peace finally came after a series of earth-shattering gut cleansing, leaving the aftermath of a head that was aching like it was about to explode. With his weight supported by a hand on the wall, he searched his pockets for a kleenex, but no kleenex turned up.


    Just as anger started to rise from the soles of his feet, a small arm reached out from the side with a few kleenexes.


    He grabbed the tissue and wiped his mouth a few times before glancing to the side.


    There was truly no lack of coincidences in this universe.


    Gu Miao stood right by his side, wearing her green hat. Three steps away stood Gu Fei, wearing an amused expression as he waited for an entertaining show to play out.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded at Gu Miao. This shameful yet inescapable situation where he couldn¡¯t even turn around and leave or say, ¡°the fuck are you looking at¡± felt quite stifling.


    Gu Miao reached out and grasped his, pulling forward¡ªpossibly wanting to support him.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Jiang Cheng took out his hand.


    Gu Miao grabbed his hand again, still wanting to support him.


    ¡°Really, it¡¯s not necessary. I¡¯m okay,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    When he was about to take out his hand once more, Gu Miao grasped his hand and held on.


    ¡°Er Miao¡­¡± Gu Fei started to walk over.


    Gu Miao still refused to let go.


    Jiang Cheng was unsure as to how he should communicate with her. With all sorts of irritation building up, they caused his temper to rise and he forcefully threw Gu Miao¡¯s hand away.


    ¡°I said I don¡¯t need help!¡±


    Gu Miao didn¡¯t move, her hand was still raised mid-air ¨C frozen.


    Before Jiang Cheng had a chance to feel a twinge of guilt, he suddenly felt his throat tighten. Gu Fei had grasped his collar from behind and pulled him back hard enough for him to stumble.


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± He turned around and at the same time struck back with his elbow.


    Gu Fei caught his elbow with his spare hand, and the hand on his collar tightened, therefore Jiang Cheng had no choice but to lean intimately against Gu Fei.


    Being constricted by the neck made him want to vomit again.


    ¡°She really likes you,¡± Gu Fei said with a lowered voice against his ear. ¡°But sometimes, she can¡¯t really understand other people¡¯s sentiments. So please, pardon her.¡±


    Jiang Cheng wanted to say, ¡°I fucking lived for 17 years and have never seen someone make a request in such a fashion¡±, but he didn¡¯t have the chance to utter that many words. All he could do was force out three words between the gaps of his teeth: ¡°¡­ gonna throw up.¡±


    Gu Fei loosened his hand.


    He held himself up against the wall and retched a few times, but nothing came out.


    When Gu Fei passed him a bottle of water, he grabbed it and twisted open the cap, taking two gulps.


    Once he recovered, he looked at Gu Miao, ¡°I¡¯m okay, there¡¯s no need for help.¡±


    Gu Miao nodded and retreated back to Gu Fei¡¯s side.


    ¡°I¡¯m going back.¡± He threw the half-finished bottle of water in the garbage can, turned around and started walking towards the intersection up ahead.


    Fuck!


    The moment he opened the door after arriving at Li Baoguo¡¯s, Jiang Cheng was able to sniff out the scent of a cooked meal.


    Li Baoguo was standing in the kitchen, holding a phone and dialing.


    Jiang Cheng was just about to speak when the phone in his pocket started to ring. He took it out and saw that it was Li Baoguo¡¯s number: ¡°You¡­¡±


    Li Baoguo heard his phone ringing and turned his head. Then he shouted with a loud voice: ¡°Yo! When¡¯d you get back? I was calling you!¡±


    ¡°Just came in,¡± Jiang Cheng closed the door. ¡°You¡­ didn¡¯t hear?¡±


    ¡°My hearing isn¡¯t good,¡± Li Baoguo pointed at his own ear. ¡°I can only hear clearly when I have my head tilted towards the sound.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng responded.


    ¡°Where did you go?¡± Li Baoguo entered the kitchen and brought out a pot of soup, ¡°I was waiting for you to come back to eat for a while now.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Jiang Cheng hesitated for a moment and didn¡¯t bring up the fact that he had already eaten at a grilled-meat buffet by himself. ¡°¡­ went to the hospital.¡±


    ¡°You went to the hospital?¡± Li Baoguo started to immediately make a commotion and as he yelled, he stretched his hand over to touch Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re sick? Where do you feel uncomfortable? Fever? Is it because of the sudden change in environment?!¡±


    ¡°I took some medication already, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡± For the sake of this meal, Jiang Cheng held himself back from reacting to the black-ish yellow hand that exhausted a heavy odor of cigarette smoke, by not instantly slapping it away.


    ¡°Let me tell you ¨C if you¡¯re feeling unwell, don¡¯t go to the hospital. There¡¯s a community clinic on the street beside our¡¯s, they¡¯re quite professional,¡± Li Baoguo said. ¡°It¡¯s just that the front door is a bit caved in and not easily recognized, it¡¯s beside the small supermarket.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng pondered on it, ¡°A small supermarket? The one Gu Fei¡­¡±


    ¡°How do you know Gu Fei?¡± Li Baoguo turned his head and looked at him in surprise. ¡°You just arrived and already got along with him?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t in the mood to explain. ¡°I went to the store to buy some stuff this morning.¡±


    ¡°Let me tell you,¡± Li Baoguo¡¯s voice increased in volume. Even though his voice was loud on a regular basis, it was even louder now. ¡°Don¡¯t drift along with him, that kid is bad news.¡±


    ¡°¡­ oh,¡± Jiang Cheng took off his jacket and threw it into his bedroom.


    Li Baoguo looked at him, probably waiting for him to ask why. But after waiting for a while with no other response, he moved closer with a face full of narrative.


    ¡°You know why I said he¡¯s bad news?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Jiang Cheng was not actually interested in knowing, but he still asked to be cooperative.


    ¡°He murdered his own father!¡± Li Baoguo said, standing even closer now which made his spit spray on half of Jiang Cheng¡¯s face from excitement.


    Jiang Cheng vigorously stood up to dodge it before he wiped his face intensely. As he was about to erupt with anger, Li Baoguo¡¯s words suddenly registered.


    ¡°What? Killed who?¡±


    ¡°His biological father!¡± Li Baoguo said, semi-shouting, ¡°He drowned his own father.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at him quietly only to see Li Baoguo¡¯s expression in high spirits¡ªif Jiang Cheng wanted, he could probably use this style of gossip to chitchat for the whole afternoon.


    Unfortunately, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t believe his words.


    ¡°Does he not have to sit in prison for killing his father?¡± He sat down in the chair beside the table and rubbed the slightly swelling area in between his eyebrows.


    ¡°It happened so many years ago, what prison is there for him to sit in,¡± Li Baoguo sat down too. ¡°Plus, there was no eyewitness.¡±


    ¡°No one saw ah¡­¡± Jiang Cheng laughed.


    ¡°But everyone knows what the truth is. When the police arrived, his father was in the lake and he was on the shore, that expression¡­¡± Li Baoguo let out a string of tsks, ¡°One look and you¡¯d know he did it¡­ go on, eat, see if the dishes are compatible with your taste?¡±


    Jiang Cheng made no sound, but he picked up a piece of spareribs.


    ¡°It was for his Er Miao,¡± Li Baoguo could probably see that Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t believe him and, as if he was trying to emphasize on the credibility, he added to the explanation. ¡°Her head was covered in blood after her dad smacked her around and she lost the ability to talk since then.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng replied as he took a bite into the spare rib and thought back to the ghastly sight of a scar behind Gu Miao¡¯s head.


    [1] Gege (¸ç¸ç) older brother; a polite way of referring to someone from the same generation as you but older.


    [2] ¡°Gu-xiaomei¡± ¹ËСÃà ¨C meaning Little Sister Gu ¨C  mostly seems like an endearing nickname.

 CH 5

    When Pan Zhi¡¯s phone call came, Jiang Cheng was still sleeping as if he was in hibernation, and it continued to sound for nearly half a day before he bewilderedly answered. ¡°¡­ hmm?¡±


    ¡°Fuck, I just knew this would happen,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°Open your snobby eyes and look at what time it is.¡±


    ¡°Four o¡¯clock?¡± Jiang Cheng woke up, put the phone in front of his face to see the time but his eyes had yet to clear up ¨C a blur, it was.


    ¡°It¡¯s three-thirty already!¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°I knew you would do something like this so I¡¯m calling you in advance.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still time,¡± Jiang Cheng sat up. ¡°I will leave in a bit and wait for you at the station.¡±


    ¡°Which exit?¡± Pan Zhi asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one exit altogether.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced out of the window; through the dirty glass, he could see that the weather was pretty good that day ¨C it was dazzling. ¡°I¡¯m hanging up.¡±


    Once he put his clothes on and got off the bed, he felt much more comfortable. Except for a little sleeplessness, the discomfort that overwhelmed his body the day before to the point that he wanted to beat the hell out of anyone he could get his hands on was completely gone.


    Calculating the sleeping time, from the afternoon of yesterday until now, it had been one whole day. He felt as though he was floating as he walked.


    Li Baoguo was not at home, and he didn¡¯t know where he had gone to either.


    Jiang Cheng felt that this ¡°home¡± was rather strange. When his mother wanted to withdraw from his adoption, Li Baoguo had run over quite a few times, although he did not want to meet him.


    But now that he was actually here, Li Baoguo no longer pestered again and again that he wanted to come to get his son as he had previously said back then.


    As for the legendary older brother and sister, they were nowhere to be seen after two days.


    Jiang Cheng was not only uninterested in the new ¡°home¡±, but there was nothing to look forward to. When he opened his eyes every day, he was alone in this completely lifeless room that did not make him feel too well.


    If this house was not a two-story building, he thought that it was a century-old house. The placed outside, in all respects, was broken down and appeared as though it was impossible to live in.


    This was also why he did not want Pan Zhi to stay here; compared to his former room -where it was clean with a piano inside, to say the least. Pan Zhi would certainly bawl for two to three days straight.


    In fact, even if he did not want him to stay at ¡°home¡±, the appearance of the East Station should be more than enough to make Pan Zhi bawl for a good while.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Pan Zhi muttered as he dragged a large suitcase and carried a big bag. The moment he saw him, he sighed regrettably, ¡°This place is a bit unacceptable to me!¡±


    ¡°Just go back then,¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at the ticket station. ¡°Hurry up and go get a ticket.¡±


    ¡°For our brotherhood!¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°I came from far away dragging a pile of things just to come and see you! Shouldn¡¯t you be moved?!¡±


    ¡°I am so moved,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Pan Zhi stared at him and then after a good while, he spread his arms open. ¡°I really do miss you a bit.¡±


    Seeing that, Jiang Cheng walked over to hug him. ¡°I didn¡¯t take that into consideration.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why you only have me as a friend?¡± Pan Zhi asked as he released him.


    ¡°I know,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°You¡¯re stupid.¡±


    He had many friends, but they were all the replaceable kinds¡ªmerely hanging and strolling together here and there. However, a small problem would cause a rift and a big one would make them all scatter like birds and beasts.


    There was only Pan Zhi. They had actually met in the third year of middle school and were finally placed in the same class in high school, and although they had known each other for nearly three years, they were still close.


    The one thing he missed after coming to this small broken-down city was Pan Zhi.


    ¡°Shifu[1], do you know the place?¡± Pan Zhi asked when he got into the taxi.


    ¡°How can I not know?¡± the driver said with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s the best hotel here.¡±


    ¡°You really know how to pick,¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him.


    ¡°Is there a need to pick? The room in his house is the most expensive.¡± Pan Zhi fished around in his pocket until he took out a lighter and placed it in his hand. ¡°Have a look, do you like it?¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at the lighter, it was the style that he liked, smooth and without any decoration. There were only two letters engraved at the bottom. He looked closer, ¡°What¡¯s engraved on there? Police officer?¡±[2]


    ¡°J. C. The initials of your name,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°Cool, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­ really cool,¡± Jiang Cheng put the lighter in his pocket. ¡°How many days are you staying?¡±


    ¡°Two days,¡± Pan Zhi sighed. ¡°School is starting.¡±


    ¡°What are you sighing for just because school is starting¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s annoyingggg, attending class, taking exams, homework,¡± Pan Zhi frowned. ¡°I want to be like you, good at studying anything without even trying that hard and still able to enter the top ten rankings. If I was like that, I wouldn¡¯t be sighing.¡±


    ¡°Who said that I don¡¯t try hard?¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes at him. ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know it when I stay up reviewing all night.¡±


    ¡°The key point is that even if I stay up for ten consecutive nights, it would still be useless,¡± Pan Zhi dragged his words and sighed again. ¡°Fuck, I know why I miss you so much. When you leave, there¡¯s no one who will give me the answers to the exams anymore!¡±


    ¡°Just quit school,¡± Jiang Cheng put it simply.


    ¡°Some compassion please?¡± Pan Zhi glared at him.


    Jiang Cheng laughed without saying anything else.


    Pan Zhi was not satisfied with this small city, but with the hotel he was. When he entered the room, he checked on the bed, under the bed, the bathroom and even the toilet. ¡°Not bad.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and eat something,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the time. ¡°Barbecue?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Pan Zhi opened the suitcase. ¡°I have other gifts for you.¡±


    ¡°Hmmm?¡± Jiang Cheng sat on the side of the bed.


    ¡°How about you guess first?¡± Pan Zhi reached into the suitcase.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at the box and saw small and large boxes of all sorts of food, in such a circumstance nothing else could be in there.


    ¡°A tin whistle,¡±[3] he said.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Pan Zhi laughed and took out a long leather case from the bottom of the suitcase. ¡°Was it that easy to guess or was there a meeting of the minds between the two of us?¡±


    ¡°It was too easy to guess,¡± Jiang Cheng accepted the case and took out a black whistle for a look. ¡°Very nice.¡±


    ¡°Susato, D,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°I didn¡¯t buy the wrong one, right? Is it the same as your previous one that you had?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Jiang Cheng said and casually played a tone. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t smash it again. This one is my gift to you ah,¡± Pan Zhi added.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng put the tin whistle away neatly.


    In fact, he did not have a habit of smashing things when he was angry. After all, he was also someone who had been educated for more than a decade to have ¡°self-control¡±. He could fight and beat up people, but very rarely did he ever smash up things.


    The last time he smashed the tin whistle was only because he truly had nowhere to vent his anger ¨C not like he could go up and fight with his father.[4]


    For this evening, he was not going to return ¡®home¡¯. He had hesitated on whether to send a text message or call Li Baoguo, but in the end, calling was the better option. Li Baoguo answered the call after a long while: ¡°Hey!¡±


    Hearing the movements in the background, it was obvious that he was playing mahjong or cards. Jiang Cheng was speechless and didn¡¯t know whether his mother was aware of Li Baoguo¡¯s habits, but¡­ maybe that was not a big deal compared to having his existence destroy the atmosphere of the family.


    ¡°One of my classmates came to see me. We are staying in a hotel, so I won¡¯t be returning tonight,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°A classmate came, huh?¡± Li Baoguo coughed a few times. ¡°Then just have fun with your classmate, what are you calling for? I even thought something happened.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll hang up then,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Without saying anything else, Li Baoguo immediately hung up the call first.


    ¡°This father of yours,¡± Pan Zhi looked at him. ¡°What kind of person is he?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, smoking, coughing, playing cards.¡± Jiang Cheng summed it all up.


    ¡°You also smoke, coughing¡­ who hasn¡¯t coughed¡­¡± Pan Zhi tried to analyze. ¡°Snor¡­¡±


    ¡°How annoying,¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted him.


    ¡°Barbeque,¡± Pan Zhi waved his hand.


    Actually, there was nothing special about barbecue, but Pan Zhi found it to be immensely satisfying. Jiang Cheng, himself, did not eat as much as he did the day before. After all, he was a delicate flower that was recovering from a serious illness.


    But when he came out of the barbeque restaurant, he still felt that he was enduring it.


    ¡°You must be in a bad mood,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°The pork belly today was pretty good, but you only ate a little bit¡­¡±


    ¡°Good eyesight,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. Although his mood was not so bad that he couldn¡¯t eat anything, he didn¡¯t want Pan Zhi to know that he had had a fever and had thrown up the day before.


    ¡°Let¡¯s walk for a while,¡± Pan Zhi rubbed his stomach. ¡°Are there any fun places here?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng said, then thought about it and added another sentence. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Hey, where is your new school?¡± Pan Zhi suddenly said, ¡°Do you want to go and have a look?¡±


    ¡°Right now?¡± Jiang Cheng tugged at his own collar and said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow then. It¡¯s vacation anyways, so no one will be there. We can go and see what kind of school it is.¡± Pan Zhi put his arm on his shoulder, ¡°Before you went through the transferring process and such, didn¡¯t you go see it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you already know whether I went to see it or not?¡± Jiang Cheng was a little annoyed.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. You just came,¡± Pan Zhi laughed.


    The new life and the new environment brought both an anxious heart and a tumultuous mindset but Pan Zhi gave him some comfort. In the unknown and strange, there was finally a familiar person beside him.


    Jiang Cheng did not sleep much the entire night. He chatted with Pan Zhi, but he honestly couldn¡¯t remember what they were talking about. In any case, it was just like when the two chatted at the sports field about this and that. It was not important what the topic of their conversations was -the important thing was that someone could talk to you.


    As dawn approached, the two were finally only half-conscious, but at around eight o¡¯clock they were woken up by the horn of the big trucks outside.


    ¡°Fuck, isn¡¯t this the city?¡± Pan Zhi hugged the quilt. ¡°How can such big delivery trucks get to the front of the hotel?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes.


    ¡°There¡¯s breakfast service here, do you want it brought up now?¡± Pan Zhi asked him.


    ¡°Up to you,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Did you sleep?¡±


    ¡°I might have slept,¡± Pan Zhi said with a smile. ¡°What¡¯s the plan for today?¡±


    ¡°We can go and look at the school in a bit,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Then check if there¡¯s anything fun to do here or not, but since it¡¯s the middle of winter, I doubt there will be anything to do.¡±


    ¡°No worries, I¡¯m a person who pays more attention to spiritual enjoyment,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°I came here to see you, as long as I get to see you, it¡¯s all good.¡±


    ¡°How about I sleep some more, you can just grab a stool, sit at the side and watch me until you have enough.¡± Jiang Cheng said nonchalantly.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Pan Zhi moved closer and stared at him for a moment. ¡°You must have not talked much in the last two days?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Jiang Cheng yawned.


    ¡°Now that I get to see you again, you¡¯ve talked more than before. Have you been holding back?¡± Pan Zhi asked.


    ¡°¡­ maybe,¡± Jiang Cheng thought. Indeed, there was nothing to say and no one to say it to.


    When they looked at the school he was transferred to on the map, it was not too far from Li Baoguo¡¯s home. As for what kind of school it was, Jiang Cheng had never checked or had been interested in asking about it.


    The procedure to transfer high schools was very troublesome. From the moment his mother and father started to chip away at such task with no sign of abandoning it, he had basically lost all interest in everything¡ªeven finding the motivation to fight back about it had ceased to exist.


    Just like if something was taken from his body, he became like a pool of mud, looking for a suitable marshland to lie in and end it all.


    After Pan Zhi checked the route, he dragged him to sit on the public bus.


    ¡°Did you know, what you see on the bus is the most authentic aura of a city,¡± Pan Zhi said.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t these words particularly philosophical?¡± Pan Zhi asked, somewhat pleased with himself.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng continued to look at him.


    Pan Zhi stared at him and he looked back for a while. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the one who said these words.¡±


    Jiang Cheng shook hands with him.


    There were not many people on the bus. Indeed, it was much easier to travel around in a small-town city. There was no crowd, no set of hair constantly in front of you, no need to squeeze your way on or off the bus either.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot more comfortable to sit on this bus than the one back in our city,¡± Pan Zhi said with satisfaction when he got off the bus as he looked at the map on his mobile phone. ¡°Si Zhong[5], go forward 500 meters, turn a corner and we should be there.


    ¡°I reckon we can¡¯t get in,¡± Jiang Cheng pulled his own collar up again.


    ¡°Then we can look from the outside and walk around. From now on, the majority of your activities will be around here.¡±  Pan Zhi placed the phone in front of him and pressed a button.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°Taking a photo,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°When Yu Xin found out that I was coming here, she cried, yelled, kneeled and begged me to take a recent photo of you. From the way I see it, it is very difficult to refuse a girl¡­¡±


    ¡°She must have given you money,¡± Jiang Cheng said indifferently.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Pan Zhi nodded with earnest.


    Jiang Cheng saw that he was unable to hold back his wicked smile, he said: ¡°Shameless.¡±


    ¡°Are you two really over? I still think that she is pretty good.¡± Pan Zhi faced him and took two more photos.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean anything,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°It is because she¡¯s a girl that makes it meaningless?¡± Pan Zhi seemed to be conducting an interview while he continued to let the phone camera face him.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at him but didn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°I think that if you can find a girlfriend, it¡¯s better to find a girl¡­ getting a boy requires too much effort and the environment, isn¡¯t that good.¡± Pan Zhi put his phone away, ¡°Don¡¯t be confused by those online fujoshi[6]. If those people were to scatter into the real world, they wouldn¡¯t be like that.¡±


    ¡°You must have also held back from talking for a long time,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Since I haven¡¯t seen you after vacation started, I haven¡¯t said much.¡± Pan Zhi grabbed his chest pitifully, ¡°I held back all the words in my chest until they turned from an A-cup into a B-cup.¡±[7]


    ¡°I will gift you a set of underwear before you go back,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°We¡¯re here.¡± Pan Zhi pointed ahead, ¡°Si Zhong¡­ the front is quite big, bigger than our school anyway.¡±


    The school gate was open and when they walked in, the guard only glanced at them without saying anything.


    ¡°He¡¯s not concerned?¡± Pan Zhi asked.


    ¡°Are you upset that he¡¯s not concerned, huh?¡± Jiang Cheng looked askance at him, ¡°Idiot.¡±


    ¡°Go, let¡¯s take a stroll.¡± Pan Zhi raised his arms and stretched out his body.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± Jiang Cheng looked around, ¡°It¡¯s quite big.¡±


    ¡°Indeed. Our school is in the city center, the land is extremely expensive in that area. Even if they want to expand, they wouldn¡¯t be able to,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°This school is pretty nice, the sports field must also be big¡­ let¡¯s go have a look there?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng grunted in approval.


    What he and Pan Zhi were probably most concerned about was the sports field. Originally, their school had several indoor basketball courts, however, the soccer field was cleared out for a soaring school building and although they did not play soccer, they still felt resentful.


    In contrast, the field here made them felt much more comfortable.


    There was a soccer field. To their surprise, there was actually a group of people playing soccer on such a cold day.


    There are two outdoor basketball courts next to it along with a volleyball court.


    ¡°There¡¯s an indoor one, do you want to go in and check it out?¡± Pan Zhi jabbed him with his arm.


    The depressing mood that Jiang Cheng had drowned in for the past few days had been significantly alleviated because of this campus. Compared with Li Baoguo¡¯s home and the street along that area, this spacious field made him feel like as though he could finally breathe smoothly and happily.


    He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath and after he exhaled, he slapped Pan Zhi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    The indoor gymnasium was not that big, but the volleyball, badminton and basketball court were all there ¨C it was just that they were used interchangeably.[8]


    There were people on both of the basketball courts. When they saw someone coming in, they all looked over.


    Pan Zhi stopped. Jiang Cheng ignored those gazes, put his hands in his pocket, and slowly walked to the empty chairs to the side and sat down.


    Since he had not played for a long time, he planned to watch them play for enjoyment.


    The people on the court watched them for a while and then continued to play.


    ¡°Is it the school team having a training session?¡± Pan Zhi sat next to him and asked.


    ¡°They shouldn¡¯t be,¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°That¡¯s just the level of enthusiasts.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to go over there and play?¡± Pan Zhi asked with a smile. ¡°The two of us can cooperate.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stretched his feet out and waved them in front of him, he was wearing casual shoes that day.


    ¡°Ay,¡± Pan Zhi leaned back and rest his head on his arm. ¡°I don¡¯t know when we will be able to play basketball together again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t change your style, this kind of wording doesn¡¯t suit you,¡± Jiang Cheng said as someone shot a very beautiful three-pointer into the hoop. He shouted in a low voice, ¡°Good shot.¡±


    The person glanced at him and smiled, cupping one fist in the other hand as a sign of respect.


    Although he didn¡¯t take the field, the feeling of sitting on the sidelines with Pan Zhi, watching as the others play gave him a brief moment of tranquility ¨C cutting him off from all those annoying circumstances.


    He was fine as long as he did not think about the fact that once Pan Zhi left the next day, he would once again return to his newfound rustic life.


    As he engrossed himself in watching the people on the court, he did not take notice of some more people coming into the field. When the people on the court eventually stopped and looked toward the door with an indescribably unwell expression, he finally came to his senses.


    ¡°Why do I feel like there¡¯s going to be a show to watch?¡± Pan Zhi narrated in a low voice, somewhat excited.


    ¡°What¡­¡± Jiang Cheng turned his head over for a look only to freeze up. ¡°Show?¡±


    One, two, three, four, five, six ¨C in came six people.


    Jiang Cheng felt so shocked that his back molar tooth nearly fell off.


    The four, Bu Shi Hao Niao, behind was the guy that took his money for the water, and at the very back was Gu Fei who was wearing a baseball cap that concealed the eye-catching musical note on his head.


    Jiang Cheng admired himself for his own ability to remember faces. Even when his fever made him confused and disoriented, he could still memorize those faces.


    In an unfamiliar city, an unfamiliar school, encountering six strangers that he had met all at the same time¡ªit was truly a miracle.


    Jiang Cheng felt as if he was infected by Pan Zhi. He watched those six slowly walking over while the kind of exciting feeling like when one is looking forward to the opening of a big show manifested within him.


    Looking at their appearance, it looked like they were here to play. Gu Fei had on sweatpants and basketball shoes and was holding a basketball by himself.


    ¡°Da Fei?¡± Someone on the court questioned.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Gu Fei grunted as an answer.


    ¡°What are you here for?¡± that person asked.


    ¡°To play ball,¡± Gu Fei said with a very calm tone without a hint of unruliness.


    ¡°¡­ all of you?¡± that person asked again after hesitating for a moment.


    ¡°The old, weak, sick and disabled won¡¯t.¡± Having said that, Gu Fei took off his coat. When he turned around, intending to throw it on the chair to the side, he ended up seeing Jiang Cheng sitting there. Suddenly, he choked on his saliva and stared at him as he coughed for a long while.


    Jiang Cheng restrained his ¡®wanting to watch a good show but the good show ended before it had even started, what a disappointment,¡¯ expression and simply said: ¡°What a coincidence.¡±


    ¡°Good morning,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Are you here together?¡± the person on the court asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    With Gu Fei being in a group of six, three people went to prepare to play and the other three came to sit next to Jiang Cheng and Pan Zhi.


    The person that took the money sat down near Jiang Cheng and stretched his hand out to him: ¡°I¡¯m Li Yan.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Cheng,¡± Jiang Cheng pat his hand and then pointed at Pan Zhi. ¡°My friend, Pan Zhi.¡±


    ¡°Are you both in Si Zhong?¡± Li Yan looked them up and down. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen either of you before.¡±


    ¡°Later, yes.¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want to explain too much. ¡°Are you all in Si Zhong?¡±


    The two people behind him laughed, maybe not intentionally, but there was a habitually mocking tone to their voices. Li Yan turned back to look at them. ¡°Do we look like students?¡±


    ¡°Who knows.¡± Jiang Cheng was a bit uncomfortable, ¡°It¡¯s not like I have a habit of staring at whoever I happen to catch.¡±


    Li Yan¡¯s complexion suddenly became somewhat unpleasant before he turned to look at the people on the court and ignored him.


    The people behind him probably didn¡¯t sense the atmosphere between them since someone said: ¡°Da Fei is a second-year.¡±[9]


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    Truly a coincidence ah.


    [1] Shifu:  master / qualified worker / respectful form of address for older men; in this case, the last one, it can also be translated to ¡®mister¡¯


    [2] Police officer, j¨«ngch¨¢ (¾¯²ì): the Chinese word for that is j¨«ngch¨¢, so JC which is also Jiang Cheng¡¯s initials


    [3] Tin whistle or pennywhistle ¨C a type of fipple flute, putting it in the same class as the recorder, Native American flute, and other woodwind instruments that meet such criteria. A tin whistle player is called a whistler. The tin whistle is closely associated with Celtic and Australian folk music.


    [4] Father ¨C here, he is referring to his adoptive father


    [5] Si Zhong (ËÄÖÐ) ¨C short for ¡°High School No. Four¡±


    [6] Fujoshi ¨C a woman who likes mangas about males love


    [7] ¡°I held back all the words in my chest until they turned from an A-cup into a B-cup.¡± (ÉúÉú±ï´ÓA±ï³ÉBÁË) It¡¯s a joke, as in A=A cup and B-cup in breast size; Pan Zhi means that he has a lot of things that he wanted to talk about with Jiang Cheng but since he had left the previous school already, Pan Zhi can¡¯t talk to him every day like before, so he said his breasts are filled with words that changed them from A-cup to B-cup.


    [8] The gym floors are marked with different colors, each outlines the perimeters of a sport


    [9] Second Year ¨C refers to the sophomore year in high school. High school in China consists of three years; the second year is equivalent to grade 11

 CH 6

    Jiang Cheng had his arms crossed, legs stretched out far, and was feeling a bit unpleasant.


    The skill level of the ones who were previously on the court was so-so. If he was wearing basketball shoes, he and Pan Zhi could probably take them on 2 to 5 with no problem. But looking at them play was actually quite interesting -there was a sense of superiority from watching above, as well as pride in the lofty ambitious spirit that got him there.[1]


    But as Gu Fei and his two friends walked onto the court, the entire atmosphere changed.


    Because Gu Fei¡¯s basketball skills were¡­ very good. If this was situated in his previous school, Gu Fei would definitely be the kind that bathed in the glory of a massive audience of squealing girls during a citywide high-school tournament.


    Therefore, watching a game like this no longer brought Jiang Cheng a sense of superiority.


    He felt no particular aversion toward Gu Fei, but there were definitely no good feelings either. At a time like this, his inner thoughts were conflicted between ¡®hey, this sucker is quite skilled¡¯ while another side of him forcefully corrected this thought; ¡®quite skilled my ass, he¡¯s just a showoff flower trellis¡­¡¯[2]


    ¡°This guy is quite good ah,¡± Pan Zhi said, without the tiniest bit of tacit understanding. ¡°How did you guys meet?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯d be quite ordinary if he was in our previous team,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re on the basketball team?¡± Not waiting for Pan Zhi to respond, Li Yan opened his mouth from the other side. His tone tinted with provocation, ¡°How ¡®bout we have someone from the other side sub off and you go on?¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned his head and eyed him: ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Li Yan was startled, probably thinking that he would delightfully accept the challenge, not actually rejecting it so quickly. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Guess,¡± Jiang Cheng stood up and started to walk towards the exit of the gymnasium.


    Pan Zhi stretched his back and followed, leaving behind a couple of confused people.


    ¡°You and your nameless anger,¡± after exiting the gymnasium Pan Zhi shrunk his neck. ¡°You have some sort of enmity towards that guy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve only been here for three days,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, the time is too short to raise any issues with someone,¡± Pan Zhi sighed. ¡°Everyone is unpleasant to the eye for you right now anyhow.¡±


    ¡°You seem okay,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    Pan Zhi smiled: ¡°Ay, for real though, how do you know that person? From second-year?¡±


    ¡°¡­ neighbor¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°In the same building as you?¡± Pan Zhi asked.


    ¡°From the street adjacent,¡± Jiang Cheng answered simply.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Pan Zhi responded.


    In truth, he could feet that Pan Zhi found it difficult to grasp this concept for the moment. They all grew up in an enclosed housing estate[3] where neighbors came in two types: the ones from the same building unit, and the ones from the same housing estate. The previous one was based on a relationship with the nod of a head, the latter was based on the sweep of an eye.


    The street adjacent ¨C this sort of neighbor was something they had never really come into contact with.


    Jiang Cheng lightly sighed. There was a false illusion that he was there to participate in an episode of ¡°Metamorphosis.¡±[4]


    ¡°Is there a mountain here? Let¡¯s go see the snow¡± Pan Zhi clapped his palms together.


    ¡°Mountain climbing in this cold weather? Are you not afraid that your brain will get frozen, it¡¯s not that agile to begin with,¡± Jiang Cheng stated. ¡°And have you never seen snow?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot bigger than the snow we have ah.¡± Pan Zhi swung his arm over his shoulder. ¡°Cheng¡¯er[5], big brother will take you out to get a breath of fresh air. It¡¯s just a change of setting, what¡¯s the big deal. It¡¯s just a change of parents, what¡¯s the big¡­ this is kind of big, how do I want to word this¡­¡±


    ¡°Sure, let¡¯s go climb mountains,¡± Jiang Cheng was amused by him as he waved his arm. ¡°Go to hell, what¡¯s the big deal.¡±


    After a game on the court, Gu Fei felt that his body was comfortably warm and that the drowsiness from these past two days had finally vanished. He pulled on his coat and turned around to look back at the people on the court whose eyes were filled with joy because he had finally decided to leave: ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t want to play anymore?¡± A person asked, probably out of habit.


    ¡°Well, how about we have another game?¡± Gu Fei said.


    No one uttered a sound; their faces were filled with embarrassment.


    Gu Fei smiled and zipped up his zipper: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    After walking out of the gymnasium, Liu Fan bounced up and down a few times. ¡°How boring, I suggested going to the recreation center and renting out a court, but you insisted on coming to your school.¡±


    ¡°How much more interesting do you want it to be?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s the fun in playing ball with a bunch of high schoolers?¡± Liu Fan replied.


    ¡°You only graduated from high school two years ago,¡± Li Yan gave him a look.


    Gu Fei stuck a middle finger in front of Liu Fan: ¡°If you can win me one-on-one, you can say that as freely as you¡¯d like.¡±


    Everyone laughed.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Liu Fan slapped away his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat something, I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going,¡± Gu Fei looked at his phone. ¡°I¡¯m going home.¡±


    ¡°Back to the store?¡± Li Yan asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t your mom looking after the store today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m taking Er Miao to her physical examination. I went to get the bill a few days ago and made an appointment for today,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°She needs to be coaxed for quite a while when it comes to going to the hospital, it wastes time.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go over tonight to hang out for a while,¡± Liu Fan said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see,¡± Gu Fei pulled out his motorcycle keys. ¡°I¡¯m going ah.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you always just leave without a word,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°Your enthusiasm today is quite difficult to get accustomed to.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just one to look for trouble.¡± Gu Fei turned and left.


    When life lacked interest, time tends to pass slowly. But even at the slightest addition of interest, it passed like the unpreventable flow of waterfalls.


    The little bit of relaxation and joy that Pan Zhi brought with him quickly passed away.


    ¡°Are you really not going to bring back your pile of food?¡± Jiang Cheng stood in the waiting lounge of the coach station and looked at the rolling messages on his phone.


    ¡°If I said I will, are you going to return back to the hotel and deliver it to me?¡± Pan Zhi asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t take it seriously, I just had nothing better to say.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°I brought that food for you to eat since I was afraid you wouldn¡¯t be able to find a place to buy them for now,¡± Pan Zhi sighed. ¡°So, are you going back, or should I come again on May 1st?¡±[6]


    ¡°I¡¯m not going back,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I already said I would never go back again.¡±


    ¡°Who knows what you¡¯re being so stubborn about,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°Then I¡¯ll come over. I¡¯ll bring those guys from class to hang out as well, how about it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see when the time comes,¡± Jiang Cheng leaned against the sidewall. ¡°It¡¯s not like we were that familiar with each other anyway. After a few months of not seeing one another, it¡¯s doubtful any of them will be willing to come. This isn¡¯t some tourist site either.¡±


    ¡°En, then we¡¯ll decide later.¡± Pan Zhi nodded his head.


    The two became silent for a while. Pan Zhi, who was originally sitting, suddenly stood up and stared intently into Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°What do you want!¡± Jiang Cheng was taken aback by his action and pointed at him. ¡°Don¡¯t use your mouth! I¡¯ll slap you.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s give each other a hug.¡± Pan Zhi opened his arms.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng was a bit speechless but still opened his arms and embraced him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget me,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±


    Jiang Cheng sighed lightly: ¡°Come visit me on May 1st, then I won¡¯t forget.¡±


    Pan Zhi smiled: ¡°Okay.¡±


    During the few days before school was about to start, Li Baoguo cooked one meal in total ¨C he was not home for all the other mealtimes.


    At first, Jiang Cheng attempted to boil some noodles for himself, but as he entered the kitchen and saw a pile of pots, pans, plates and bowls in a mess of wild disorder as well as spice jars coated with a layer of grease, all of his interest to cook immediately disappeared.


    For those couple of days, he used the takeout app and ate from every restaurant within a kilometer radius that he had an interest in just from looking at their names. He ate just like that until the new school term finally began.


    Jiang Cheng was quite surprised when his new homeroom teacher called him the day before.


    ¡°Your father wasn¡¯t answering his phone,¡± the homeroom teacher said.


    This was not too surprising ¨C his hearing wasn¡¯t good, and he was always on the gambling table. Jiang Cheng passed by the apartment that Li Baoguo played cards in a couple of times, and every time, he could hear the noise and excitement upstairs pass through to the ground level.


    The last name of the homeroom teacher was Xu. Based on the voice, he sounded like a middle-aged man with quite the enthusiasm. This allowed the slight anxiety that Jiang Cheng felt towards the new surrounding to lessen by a few degrees.


    It started snowing in the morning of school registrations ¨C exactly like Pan Zhi said. There was never a chance to see such heavy snowfall before.


    It actually felt quite exciting.


    Upon entering the school gates, he paid attention to the surrounding students and felt as though there was not much difference. Equally being high school students and likewise numerous unrecognizable faces, but the feeling of unfamiliarity and strangeness was exceptionally heightened.


    He even paid special attention to detect Gu Fei¡¯s face among the students, but he wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng, that¡¯s quite a good name.¡± The homeroom teacher, Uncle Xu, was indeed an uncle[7], and an uncle with a highly plausible chance of having drunk alcohol in the morning. ¡°My last name is Xu, full name is Xu Qi Cai, your homeroom teacher and I teach you guys language. All of your classmates call me Lao Xu or Xu Zong.[8]¡±


    ¡°Lao Xu¡­ Zong.¡± Jiang Cheng bowed slightly in a very well-disciplined manner. There was something wrong about those titles that just didn¡¯t feel quite right.


    ¡°Let¡¯s chat first, the first period is language class and after the individual review session, I¡¯ll walk you over.¡± Lao Xu pointed towards the chair on the side, ¡°Have a seat.¡±


    Jiang Cheng sat down.


    ¡°Transferring to another school during the sophomore year is quite rare,¡± Lao Xu smiled. ¡°Especially transferring here¡­ I took a glance at your previous report cards, your grades are exceptionally good, ah.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re okay,¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    ¡°Not just okay, it¡¯s very good. Don¡¯t be so modest,¡± Lao Xu started to laugh but sighed afterward before he very quietly said: ¡°It¡¯s quite a shame that you had to transfer here.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t reply and just looked at Lao Xu.


    His previous homeroom teacher had also said, ¡°What a shame, the quality of the teaching faculty and origin of the students are lacking¡­¡± but now Lao Xu was also saying something like that, which took Jiang Cheng by surprise.


    ¡°I see that your score in science is better than your score in humanity,¡± Lao Xu noticed. ¡°Why did you choose to be in a humanities[9] class?¡±


    Jiang Cheng found this question difficult to answer ¨C because both his father and mother had hoped that he would choose the science stream. He did not let this response that was filled with a crazy, stupid, teenage rebellious nature escape his mouth. Even though he had already done it, saying it out loud still made him feel that he was extremely idiotic.


    He hesitated for a while and finally said: ¡°I liked our homeroom teacher, he taught humanities.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Lao Xu was startled. ¡°I hope you will also like me. It would be a bit troublesome to transfer to the science stream from here on.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng stared at his face.


    After looking at each other in the eyes for a while, Lao Xu began to laugh. Jiang Cheng soon followed along and laughed ¨C this homeroom teacher was actually quite interesting.


    After the warning bell for the first period rang, Lao Xu stuck a file envelope under his arm, fished out a USB and dropped it in his pocket. ¡°Come along, I¡¯ll take you to the classroom.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng swung his schoolbag over his shoulder and followed him out of the office.


    From what Lao Xu was implying, Si Zhong was not exactly a very good school. The school campus was quite big, it was just that the building layout was a bit unique. The other classes were categorized by grades, only the second-year and third-year humanities stream were singled out and put into an old, three-story high building with the stairs in the middle as the dividing line ¨C on the left were the second-years, on the right were the third-years.


    Jiang Cheng felt as he was close to becoming a fan of fatalism; he could even end up in a run-down building after transferring schools. The floor was unexpectedly tiled with wooden floorboards¡­ floorboards that were so ancient that their natural colors were lost to scratches, which made people feel as though stepping on them would make one fall from the third floor all the way to the first.


    ¡°This is an old building,¡± Lao Xu explained to him. ¡°Don¡¯t look down on its age because its design is very logical. The teachers lecturing in these classrooms don¡¯t need to use a microphone or raise their voice, the students in the last row can hear very clearly.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded his head.


    ¡°Our class is on the third floor,¡± Lao Xu continued. ¡°You can¡¯t see very far from this height, but there still is quite a view in the direction of the field.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng continued to nod.


    ¡°Our school¡­¡± Lao Xu continued to talk as he walked. When he glanced upwards as he turned on the corner of the stairs, he suddenly shouted: ¡°Gu Fei! You¡¯re late again!¡±


    This name caused Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyebrows to jump up in surprise uncontrollably. He also raised his head towards the top of the stairs only to see a person who was sluggishly walking upwards turned their head ¨C there was even a bag of milk dangling from their mouth.


    Even standing against the light, Jiang Cheng could still recognize that the person was indeed Gu Fei and not just someone with the same first and last name.


    ¡°Good morning, Xu Zong.¡± Gu Fei still had the bag of milk inside his mouth, which made his speech come out unclear. He swept a glance in Jiang Cheng¡¯s direction ¨C probably holding a similar feeling to Jiang Cheng -he was already no longer surprised by this form of encounter.


    ¡°You¡¯re late and yet still wandering around, why aren¡¯t you climbing up?!¡± Lao Xu pointed at him, ¡°School just started and you¡¯re already slacking!¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t reply. He instead turned around, took a few large strides up the stairs and disappeared down the third-level hallway.


    This Si Zhong was indeed incomparable to the one that he had previously attended. The bell indicating the start of the class had already rung and the teachers had also entered the classrooms, yet the hallways were still filled with students who had no intention of heading into their classrooms. Instead, they simply continued to lean against the banisters to chit chat with each other as if nothing happened.


    The second-year¡¯s side of the hallway consisted of a heap of lazy and scattered students. Jiang Cheng turned to the other side of the hallway to look at the third year¡¯s, they were also in the same damn state. He paid attention a bit longer but didn¡¯t see Gu Fei who had just come up.


    Lao Xu entered the classroom closest to the stairway, Jiang Cheng followed suit and peered into the classroom from the doorframe. There was a sign that read: Second Year (Class 8).


    8, not bad, there was finally something that could bring him luck ¨C even though he wasn¡¯t quite sure how this 8 could make him wealthy.[10]


    There were many people standing in the hallway outside of Classroom no. 8, however, no one budged even after seeing Lao Xu enter the classroom. But, when they saw Jiang Cheng walked in, they followed suit, probably due to curiosity and hopes of catching a good show.


    Lao Xu stood in front of the podium on top of the small platform and looked down at the dozens of people who could not quiet down this entire time; he seemed to be patiently waiting for everyone to silence.


    During this process, Jiang Cheng stood beside the podium and received all types of glances and hushed disputes.


    He felt very uncomfortable. Normally, if someone was to stare at him in such manner, he would simply stare back with a ¡°what are you looking at¡±[11] expression and not cower or let it affect him. But with a class of more than a dozen all staring at him simultaneously, he felt somewhat at a loss ¨C too many targets would result in a loss of targets as all the faces connected into one piece.


    The God of Irritation tousled in his body, but he restrained the fire within and looked over at Lao Xu. Lao Xu was still wearing a tranquil expression on his face as he continued to stare at the dozens who were incapable of muting themselves.


    He suddenly felt as though the judgment he previously had on this homeroom teacher was an error ¨C he was not pleasantly good-natured. He ought to be the kind that had no deterrent power over his students and tried to never offend anyone.


    A while later, this circumstance did not show even the tiniest sign of coming to an end. Jiang Cheng, who was facing the bitter struggles from the verge of exploding, could honestly no longer refrain himself. He asked: ¡°Are we waiting for them to all be quiet?¡±


    Lao Xu turned his head to look at him.


    And at that exact moment, the dozens of people, who were buzzing like the devil had whispered in their ears, completely calmed down all at once.


    Once Jiang Cheng¡¯s anger surfaced, it was difficult to control. He normally tried to suppress it before the fire reached its pinnacle, but if it couldn¡¯t be contained then ¡®who gives a fuck¡¯.


    To him, having to stand there like an idiot for at least three minutes, while being stared at and widely discussed by numerous people, was virtually the same nature as having a bag of explosive igniting between his two legs.


    The dick had already exploded, the world is without me.


    ¡°Okay, let me introduce¡­¡± Lao Xu clasped his palms together and smiled.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng, transferred over,¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted his speech in a calm voice. ¡°Can I sit down now?¡±


    Lao Xu was taken aback for a moment.


    When someone in the classroom whistled, the class immediately erupted into a moment of chaos that mingled with a few loud voices: ¡°Quite a badass ah!¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you have a seat. You can sit over¡­¡± Lao Xu looked to the last few rows. ¡°Over there, Gu Fei, raise your hand.¡±


    From the first row to the very last row, one head after another all turned to the back as if they were playing a game of ¡®hot potatoes pass-it-on¡¯. Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes followed down the same path until¡­


    He saw Gu Fei, who was sitting in the very last row with a foot on the edge of the open front school deskand half a fried bread stick still in his mouth.


    Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a strong, powerful force shouting throughout his body, encouraging him to write a novel titled: ¡°The Trickster King¡ª¡ªEvery Coincidence in This World Belongs to Me.¡±


    Gu Fei raised his hand in a very perfunctory manner.


    Jiang Cheng also sat in the last row in his previous school, every week the class would cycle through a seat change to ensure everyone had a chance to sit in the front row. Except, he would always exchange his chance in the front to sit in the back every time.


    He liked the back rows ¨C quiet, undisturbed and effortless to both sleeping and sneaking out the back door.


    Yet this particular back row did not make him very comfortable.


    The tables and chairs were not aligned, the area was small also, his back was almost stuck to the wall, and not a single person was quiet.


    There were people talking nonstop, playing on their phones, and someone was also sitting beside him calmly eating his fried breadstick.


    Jiang Cheng was a bit dumbfounded. Although, aside from his grades, there was not a single thing that made him likable to the teachers at his previous school, nonetheless, he did attend a school that was able to compete with other model high schools in enrollment rates and key rates. This sort of class atmosphere that was as if one was simply drinking tea and chatting, he had for sure never experienced.


    He took out his textbook. As he flipped open the pages and got ready to listen to what Lao Xu had to teach, he could feel himself being watched like a psychopath in the eyes of the people sitting around him.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t actually talk with anyone; he didn¡¯t sleep either. He simply lowered his head and pulled out a pair of earphones, stuffed them into his ears and started listening to music.


    A boy from the desk in front started to bump their desk in the back, every bump was accompanied by a turn of the head and a call: ¡°Da Fei.¡±


    The desk wobbled.


    ¡°Da Fei.¡±


    The desk wobbled again.


    ¡°Hey, Da Fei.¡±


    The desk wobbled a third time.


    ¡°Da Fei?¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared intently at the words in the book and debated between the choice of slapping the guy on the head with his palm or slapping the guy on the head with his textbook, in the end, he reached out and pulled out the earphone in Gu Fei¡¯s ear.


    When Gu Fei looked at him, he stared back without saying a word.


    ¡°Da Fei, hey, Da Fei.¡± The person in the front bumped the desk again.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei uttered a reply and continued to stare at Jiang Cheng.


    Jiang Cheng also met his gaze in an indifferent, matter-of-fact manner.


    ¡°Lend me your camera for use. I¡¯ll return it to you tomorrow,¡± the guy in the front said.


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei turned away his face.


    ¡°Fuck, don¡¯t be stingy ah. I just want to take a few random photos,¡± the person said.


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Gu Fei simply finished off the conversation, stuck the earphone back in his ear and continued listening to his music.


    ¡°Just for one night,¡± the person bumped the desk again. ¡°I¡¯ll return it to you tomorrow morning.¡±


    The desk shook.


    ¡°God damn it. Da Fei, Da Fei¡­¡± the person continued to bump the desk.


    Jiang Cheng could not understand why this conversation had to be carried out during the duration of class. Why it had to be carried-out by bumping at the desk, why the person was so persistent even after being rejected, and he also could not understand why Gu Fei was unwilling to lend a camera, why his attitude was so arrogant, and why he was able to endure the state of his desk falling into a course of epileptic seizure.


    With that, he raised his foot and harshly kicked the chair of the person sitting in front.


    The sound was quite loud, and a bang reverberated.


    The person violently crashed onto his desk from the force of the kick.


    ¡°The fuck?¡± The person turned his head around fiercely.


    Meanwhile, the students around them turned their gazes in the direction of the loud bang.


    ¡°Can you please not bump the desk,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him and said in a placid tone. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The person probably hadn¡¯t returned to his senses when he opened his mouth, but no words came out.


    [1] ¡°»áÁèµ±¾ø¶¥there¡¯s a sense of superiority from watching above; the lofty ambitions and spirit that got him there.¡±


    this verse »áÁèµ±¾ø¶¥ (h¨´i l¨ªng d¨¤ng j¨´e d¨«ng) actually comes from a famous historical figure in china ¨C D¨´ F¨³ ¶Å¸¦ (a poet) and his chapter on  ¡°ÍûÔÀ¡± (W¨¤ng Y¨´e). D¨´ F¨³ stands on top of Mount Tai (̩ɽ ¨C ) and describes the grandiose scenario below as well as expressing the ambitious and fearless characteristics of the poetic (himself) of being able to climb to the summit. There¡¯s many ways to understand this verse, but in this context, you can think of Jiang Cheng thinking ¡°I¡¯m the best¡± while watching these rookies play.


    [2] Flower trellis »¨¼Ü×Ó ¨C meaning, he¡¯s only paying attention to beauty and form to show off his handsomeness


    [3] Housing Estate ¨C apartment complex are usually developed in a group by real estates. A housing estate contains a number of buildings based on the same design, grouped together within some sort of enclosure with shared gardens, underground and aboveground garages and such. Can be understood as a community of people living in the same ¡°neighborhood¡±. It can have diversity in residential forms but with a shared unity in planning. Inhabitants receive a diversity of community functions such as commercial centres, recreation centres and schools ¨C all which are located nearby and easily accessible by the people of this community. First floors of buildings facing outwards are usually rented out and designed as storefronts. Neighbors from the street adjacent would literally mean people from another housing estate like this. These are areas that have undergone strict urban and landscape planning whereas the place that Jiang Cheng moved to probably has no sense of this due to the age it was constructed in.


    [4] A type of reality TV show where people, usually celebrities) are brought into an environment in which they have never come into contact with and have very little knowledge of and lives in that lifestyle for a few days to experience and learn a different aspect of life.


    [5] Cheng¡¯er ¨C he added it to sound cute as the ¶ù (Er)- son: non-syllabic dimi. suff. And Erhua ¨C the pronunciation of ¡°er¡± after rhotacization of syllable finals. It is most common in the speech varieties of North China, especially in the Beijing dialect, as a diminutive suffix for nouns, though some dialects also use it for other grammatical purposes. The Standard Chinese spoken in government-produced educational and examination recordings features erhua to some extent, as in ÄĶù n¨£r (¡°where¡±), Ò»µã¶ù y¨¬di¨£nr (¡°a little¡±), and ºÃÍæ¶ù h¨£ow¨¢nr (¡°fun¡±). Colloquial speech in many northern dialects has more extensive erhua than the standardized language. Southwestern Mandarin dialects such as those of Chongqing and Chengdu also have erhua. By contrast, many Southern Chinese who speak non-Mandarin dialects may have difficulty pronouncing the sound or may simply prefer not to pronounce it, and usually avoid words with erhua when speaking Standard Chinese; for example, the three examples listed above may be replaced with the synonyms ÄÄÀï n¨£l¨«, Ò»µã y¨¬di¨£n, ºÃÍæ h¨£ow¨¢n; ¶ù (Er)- son: non-syllabic dimi. suff.


    [6] May 1st ¨C International Workers Day/Labour Day in China and the Northern hemisphere. Public holiday. Commemoration of the achievements during the labor movement. Regarded as ¡°May Day¡± but not with the same meaning as the traditional May Day spring festival.


    [7] Uncle¡± ¨C ´óÊå a new term that seemed to have emerged among the younger generation when referring to middle-aged men around their 50s. I think there¡¯s an air of amiable closure to this term? Some finds it disrespectful? ; on another note, in Asian culture calling someone, Uncle/Aunt/, etc. doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that they are related to you but it¡¯s more of a term of respect for those older than you or are near your parent¡¯s age


    [8] ¡°Lao Xu¡± ¨C ÀÏÐì  Old Xu; ¡°Xu Zong¡± ¨C Ðì×Ü Boss Xu


    [9] High school in China is separated into a science stream and a humanities stream where after choosing to be in one or the other, the majority of your courses will focus in those chosen area.


    [10] 8 °Ë, pronounced ¡°b¨¡¡± in Chinese rhymes with ¡°f¨¡¡± meaning ¡°get wealthy¡± which has long been regarded as the luckiest number in Chinese culture.


    [11] ¡°What are you looking at¡± (Äã³òɶ) a kind of provocation:  In the Northeastern region of China, there are two ways to provoke someone with your eyes. One is to look at someone blankly (both eyes staring fixedly on them) and the other is to look at them with your eyes narrow (use the corner of your eyes to look at them with disdain). If you know that the other person is looking at you with contempt and want to say something, you can just say ¡®what are you looking at!¡¯ which means, ¡®are you looking down on me!¡¯

 CH 7

    Gu Fei¡¯s brow rose as he took out his earphones, tilting his head to the side to look at Jiang Cheng.


    This guy is actually pretty difficult to deal with. Since he¡¯s in a new and unfamiliar environment, he has to restrain himself.


    He looked with great interest at the person in front of him, Zhou Jing, who was in complete shock with his mouth still wide open. If he had not eaten his egg already, he would have certainly shoved it in his mouth.


    However, Jiang Cheng¡¯s kick just now was considered enough to provoke someone. Zhou Jing was an annoying teenager with a bad temper and easy to rub the wrong way. If that kick had landed elsewhere¡­ Gu Fei¡¯s gaze swept to the right, then there should be a fight.


    ¡°What happened? What¡¯s going on?¡± Lao Xu patted his desk. ¡°We¡¯re in class, we¡¯re in class. Gu Fei, what are you doing?¡±


    Gu Fei was taken aback. He used a finger to point at himself and his lips made a circular shape, ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it you!¡± Lao Xu said. ¡°You must be bored out of your mind now that you¡¯re done eating your breakfast!¡±


    When the students in the surrounding tables burst out into a peal of laughter, Gu Fei could not help it and also laughed, twisting his head to look at Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°What are you looking at him for?¡± Lao Xu pointed at him. ¡°His grades will leave you all in the dust!!¡±[1]


    ¡°Oh¡ª¡ª¡± the entire class suddenly shouted.


    ¡°Xue¡ª¡ªba¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lao Xu has a key target to cultivate now ahhh¡ª¡ª¡±


    Gu Fei sighed, Lao Xu, this intelligence of yours makes it look like you¡¯re an innocent internship teacher who has never taught a chaotic class before. With just this one sentence, you have segregated Jiang Cheng from the rest of the class with a three-foot threshold.


    Jiang Cheng looked at Lao Xu and wholeheartedly suspected that this person was a mole sent by his mother to torture him in any possible way.


    Although he was not afraid of any kinds of provocations and he had not suppressed his temper since he had entered until that moment, he did not want to be praised about his grades by the homeroom teacher in a class where the word ¡®chaotic¡¯ could be easily seen with just a glance.


    ¡®Xueba¡±, these two words combined to one were simply a type of ridicule.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Lao Xu cleared his throat. ¡°Let¡¯s continue with class¡­ where were we¡­¡±


    Before, Jiang Cheng was already not listening to what Lao Xu was lecturing about and now, he didn¡¯t feel like listening even more. He simply lied on his desk and took out his cellphone.


    In the past, he was like a thief when he sneaked to play with his phone in class; the ringtone and media both needed to be muted before he plugged the earphones and quietly slid the wire through the sleeves of his shirt and put it in his ear.


    The homeroom teacher¡¯s drawer was filled with a pile of confiscated cellphones, making it look just like a secondhand cellphone stall in the street.


    Si Zhong was different. When Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze swept toward Gu Fei, he saw that his cellphone was already on the desk with a stand propping it up, and he obviously had earphones on as he hugged his arms and leaned back into the chair to watch the video.


    Jiang Cheng rested his upper body on the desk. Lao Xu lectured as if he was chanting a Buddhist scripture and the ongoing chatters around him were no different. This never-ending chanting attacked him from all corners, making him dizzy and muddle-headed for half of the class ¨C it was truly boring. He looked at his phone and sent Pan Zhi a message.


    ¨C Grandson.


    Pan Zhi replied immediately.


    ¨C Grandpa, what class are you in? Do you have time?


    ¨C Language and Literature, you?


    ¨C English, Lao Lv suddenly attacked us with a surprise test. I¡¯m so dead.


    ¨C It¡¯s not a formal exam, what is there to be dead about?


    ¨C I can¡¯t even answer any of the questions. Lao Lv said something about digging deep and finding out the truth. I think he has a hidden agenda!


    That message from Pan Zhi had an image attached to it. Jiang Cheng merely glanced at it and sighed, this was a page of multiple-choice questions and the angle of the image was just plain cunning. With one look, one could tell that this photo was secretly taken under the risk of saying goodbye to his cellphone for the whole summer.


    He looked at the time and enlarged the image, then he looked at the questions and quickly started to write the answers on his notebook. Just as he had written two questions, Pan Zhi sent three more images in rapid succession. He glanced at them, somewhat speechless. Fuck, wasn¡¯t he just sending all the multiple-choice questions on the test paper¡­


    ¨C Wait.


    After he sent Pan Zhi that one-word reply, he continued to look at the questions.


    In fact, these were not considered to be hard questions since the answers could more or less be guessed. He did not know why Pan Zhi couldn¡¯t even write out an answer.


    With the surrounding still quite noisy, Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help but admire Lao Xu¡¯s endurability. Perhaps for a teacher who was already accustomed to teaching a chaotic class, his endurability was just naturally strong.


    He still remembered that in his first year of high school, the chemistry teacher did not have a strong appeal. When someone chatted during class, her voice was ordinary compared to the one that he was listening to now; truthfully, Lao Xu¡¯s would have made her cry out of anger. If she was switched to this class, she would definitely bawl her eyes out until she became a transparent glass wallflower.


    Look at how awesome this Lao Xu was.


    Jiang Cheng wrote out the answers while glancing up at Lao Xu, he was permissive towards people napping and chit-chatting. As long as you didn¡¯t stand up and start dancing around the room, he didn¡¯t even bother to stop his lesson.


    Tsk, tsk, tsk.


    Since Pan Zhi only sent multiple-choice questions, it didn¡¯t take long for him to finish. Then, as he inputted the answers into their chatroom and sent them to Pan Zhi, he looked at the time. There were still a few minutes left before class ended, enough for him to copy the answers.


    As for the other questions¡­ Pan Zhi had always been too lazy to write, and sometimes, even too lazy to copy.


    After he sent the message, he senselessly opened the -Moments-[2] section of his WeChat and slowly scrolled down only to see Jiang Yijun¡­ his beloved younger brother had posted a selfie of the family eating out; their mother and father were in the background ¨C a family of three, joyous and harmonious. He suddenly felt suffocated, followed by a strange reaction of wanting to vomit.


    After he blocked the family of three, he put his phone back into his pocket.


    Just when he was about to look up, something fell on his head and before he could react, another one came; it was like a stone had been thrown on his head.


    Immediately after, he saw a field of white dust and also smelled drywall.


    ¡°The fuck?¡± He was somewhat shocked as he looked up. There was a large piece of white drywall on his desk, along with various large and small broken pieces.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t care much about it. His first reaction was to pat his head and then glance over at Gu Fei¡¯s head.


    Gu Fei¡¯s phone was still on the desk, but whatever he was playing on the screen could no longer be seen. There was a layer of dust on his face and head, covering it completely in white, but even then, he maintained his previous posture of holding his arms together.


    The only thing was that his complexion was a bit unsightly.


    Jiang Cheng looked up at the ceiling only to see that the piece of drywall over their head had disappeared; obviously, it was all on their body and desk, exposing the wooden structure¡­ indeed an old building ah.


    When his sight returned to the desk, he saw a small black stone at the corner that should not be part of the drywall.


    Just then, the bell to dismiss the class rang and Lao Xu closed the textbook. ¡°Alright, the class is over¡­ what¡­ the drywall fell down again? Who is on duty today? Sweep it up.¡±


    The second Lao Xu left, an uproar suddenly burst inside the room as everyone swung their heads to look at the last row.


    At that moment, Jiang Cheng quickly determined that with the small stone, Gu Fei¡¯s gloomy expression and the people who all stood up and looked back as soon as the bell rang with faces that read ¡®a good show is about to start¡¯¡­ the drywall would ordinarily fall down on its own, but this time, it certainly did not fall on its own.


    He sat still without moving, took out a napkin from his bag and slowly wiped the white dust on his desk to the floor.


    In this kind of circumstance that lacked purposes, it was actually quite easy for him to control his own anger.


    Gu Fei pushed his desk and stood up, took off his jacket and shook it a few times before he looked up at Wang Xu.


    ¡°Da Fei, I¡¯m sorry.¡± Wang Xu had already gotten up, placed an arm on his shoulder and casually patted his jacket. ¡°Go, let¡¯s go to the snack counter. I¡¯ll get a drink for you.¡±


    Gu Fei shook off his arm, wore his jacket and left through the back door of the classroom.


    Wang Xu quickly followed and walked alongside him down the stairs. ¡°Hey, Da Fei, it was really an accident.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei merely grunted. He did not feel like saying much to Wang Xu and having a head full of dust had definitely put him in a bad mood, especially when his eyes had only cleared up.


    ¡°I just wanted to fucking start with a bang[3] and show that bastard what¡¯s up,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°For a transfer student to act so fucking arrogant on the first day, if we don¡¯t put him in his place, he won¡¯t know that each place has its own rules!¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything and immediately turned left after going down the first floor.


    ¡°Hey, the snack counter,¡± Wang Xu said, ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To pee,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°You¡¯re going all the way over to the teacher¡¯s washroom just to pee? That¡¯s too far,¡± Wang Xu retorted.


    ¡°Fewer people,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    ¡°Why be so particular just to pee¡­ then I¡¯ll just get you a milk tea,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°Is Assam milk tea okay?¡±


    ¡°Drink it yourself,¡± Gu Fei leaned to the side and spoke.


    ¡°Then Assam it is!¡± Wang Xu exclaimed.


    Gu Fei sighed.


    The washroom near the sports field was close to the teacher¡¯s office, which inadvertently caused the students to normally not want to come here. In truth, not many teachers used it either as all the office buildings already had a washroom, so this area was quite peaceful.


    Gu Fei took a stick of cigarette out of his pocket and walked in while lighting it, but just as he inhaled the door to the side opened and Lao Xu walked out.


    ¡°Xu Zong,¡± Gu Fei said unclearly with the cigarette hanging loosely in his mouth.


    ¡°You just have to smoke in the teacher¡¯s washroom, what kind of a problem is this!¡± Lao Xu kept his voice down as he pointed at him, ¡°Are you putting on a show of power ah! Who are you showing off to?¡±


    ¡°What power can I show by smoking?¡± Gu Fei laughed as he stood in front of a urinal. ¡°I come at you with power, are you scared of me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll admire you.¡± Lao Xu walked over and pointed at his cigarette, ¡°Put it out!¡±


    Gu Fei sighed, put the cigarette butt in the squat toilet behind him and then pulled down his zipper and looked at Lao Xu. ¡°I need to pee, now.¡±


    Lao Xu sighed and turned to walk out of the toilet.


    Just as Gu Fei pulled open the zipper area and started to pee, he suddenly stopped and said: ¡°That Jiang Cheng¡­¡±


    Because the distance was somewhat far, Lao Xu¡¯s voice was very loud and resonated with grandeur in the toilet.


    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Gu Fei propped up on the wall. He was actually startled by Lao Xu¡¯s voice and nearly peed on his shoes. ¡°Xu Zong, can you wait a moment!¡±


    Lao Xu walked out.


    Gu Fei zipped up, lit another cigarette, went into a random squat toilet, closed the door and smoked in there.


    There was another important reason why he wanted to come here aside from the peacefulness, and that was that the toilet here smelled less.


    Lao Xu was, in fact, a very earnest teacher beneath the surface. Unfortunately, it didn¡¯t show in class and no one was willing to listen to him. A homeroom teacher with an EQ that wouldn¡¯t add up to more than half a tael[4] even with added water to the weight, so no matter how much energy he put into teaching his students, no one would buy it.


    Sometimes, Gu Fei was tired for him.


    After he walked out, Lao Xu was standing in wait for him on the snow-covered ground.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just find him another seat,¡± Gu Fei said as he pulled his collar neatly.


    ¡°Is it because you don¡¯t want to be his deskmate? Or you don¡¯t want to have a deskmate?¡± Lao Xu looked at him, ¡°Gu Fei ah, it¡¯s not good for you to always be so unsociable.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t analyze me,¡± Gu Fei said, ¡°You¡¯ve analyzed for two years and have never gotten it right even once.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just get along again, it¡¯s only the first day.¡± Lao Xu laughed, ¡°This Jiang Cheng¡­ his grades are indeed pretty good, so having him as a deskmate can also have a good influence on you.¡±


    Pretty good grades? Good influence?


    When Gu Fei recalled how Jiang Cheng leaning over his desk to play on his phone during the whole class, he found Lao Xu¡¯s conclusion of ¡®pretty good grades¡¯ extremely hard to accept.


    ¡°I have to go to class,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Return to the classroom,¡± Lao Xu said, ¡°Learn to get along, get along.¡±


    When Gu Fei was on his way back to class, he ran into Wang Xu on the third-floor stairway who passed him the Assam milk tea.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Gu Fei took the milk tea and went inside the classroom.


    The second class for that day was English and the teacher had a pressing temperament and loud windpipe. Although he didn¡¯t have any prestige with the students, just like Lao Xu, he could repeatedly scold or yell in a pattern that was many and varied¡ªonce he scolded, it would last half an hour in all different manners. Moreover, he had also fought with the students and was brave enough to withstand every difficult person without cowering in the least. Hence, ordinarily, if there was no particular matter to be fired up about, they would not provoke him and once the bell rang, they would simply enter the class.


    The desk was already put in order, and it did not seem like Jiang Cheng was the only one who had cleaned since when Gu Fei came over, he happened to see Yi Jing walking away with a cleaning rag.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Yi Jing said as she combed through her hair and smiled. ¡°I¡¯m on duty today.¡±


    Gu Fei sat in his own seat and glanced at Jiang Cheng, who sitting rather quietly, leaning back into the chair looking at the blackboard ahead.


    He took out his phone and prepared to continue watching the movie that he did not finish from before.


    Just as the video started, Jiang Cheng suddenly stood up.


    Not only that, he had easily grabbed his chair while his other hand held a long broom.


    Gu Fei was stunned and quickly glanced over at Wang Xu. Wang Xu had just sat down and was happily chatting with his deskmate.


    He frowned, is he going to strike directly?


    This person was Wang Xu, and aside from Gu Fei, this was the second name that Jiang Cheng remembered in the class.


    Wang Xu¡¯s seat was separated from his seat by a desk. The desks and chairs in the classroom were arranged inseparably close and dragging a metal chair over to Wang Xu would require him to bypass the teacher¡¯s desk, which was slightly troublesome.


    Thus, he put down the chair and said to the two people in the chair next to him: ¡°Move.¡±


    Although the two looked at him inexplicably, they still stood up and let him squeeze through from the back.


    After he went through, he casually dragged one of their chairs over.


    ¡°Hey! What are you doing?!¡± that person shouted.


    Jiang Cheng turned to look at him and that person stared at him for a mere two second then went completely silent.


    With that, the whole class looked over, and knowing that he was being confronted, Wang Xu stood up very arrogantly. ¡°Oh, you want to smash my head? Come, come, come, the xueba wants to give everyone a surprise¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng did not say anything as he grabbed the chair and placed it next to Wang Xu¡¯s seat with a clang and slowly stepped back a few steps. Then he raised his hand that was holding the long broom up and let it fly toward the ceiling like a javelin, accurately jabbing the ceiling above Wang Xu¡¯s head.


    Wang Xu had already reacted when Jiang Cheng raised his hand, but when he turned to leave his seat, he was blocked by the chair that was placed to the side of his leg. Just as he wanted to kick the chair and make his way out, the broom and a large piece of the ceiling drywall had already smashed down on him.


    His head and desk were entirely covered in white dust from all around.


    After a brief silence in the class, a burst of screams and laughter sounded at the same time; some people had even stomped their feet on their desk as a period of disorder immediately ensued.


    ¡°What the fuck, you bastard!¡± Wang Xu roared, kicked the chair and charged out.


    Jiang Cheng did not dodge as he stood in the same place and waited for him to come. This kind of wide-open posture did not require him to take aim, a punch to his nose was enough for blood to gush out.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± a loud and violent roar suddenly came from the classroom door.


    This roar was probably the most earth-shaking roar that Jiang Cheng had ever heard in his life¡ªfull of noble aspiration and daringness that soared into the sky, scaring him to almost pouncing on Wang Xu.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, what¡¯s going on?¡± A middle-aged male teacher waving a pointer stick rushed over and pointed at Jiang Cheng first. ¡°Which class are you from? What are you doing here?!¡±


    Before Jiang Cheng could answer, the teacher¡¯s pointer poked Wang Xu¡¯s face. ¡°You! Your ears must be hollow! The bell has rung already, did you not hear it?! Are you deaf?! Can you hear it clearly now with this voice of mine?! Can you?! Can you?!¡±


    After that, he also did not wait for Wang Xu to speak either as his pointer pointed to everyone else: ¡°You all must be waiting to watch a show, right?! How about I put on a show for you?! Just give a round of applause! Clap, clap, clap! Come on!¡±


    Once that bellow of rage ended, everyone in class quietened down. Wang Xu simply stared without any intention to continue to charge over, while Jiang Cheng was somewhat worried as he looked up at the ceiling, constantly thinking that if this teacher roared only one more time, the entire ceiling would surely collapse.


    ¡°Go back to your seats!¡± the teacher actually roared again, ¡°Waiting for someone to carry you?! Who wants to tear the door down? How about I carry you all?!¡±


    With that, low laughs and groans of complaints sounded in the classroom; Jiang Cheng turned to return to his own seat.


    ¡°You!¡± the teacher stopped him, ¡°Which class are you from?¡±


    ¡°The xueba that just transferred here¡ª¡± someone said.


    The teacher stared at him with amazement as his eyes moved up and down for a good while. ¡°Return to your seat! Are you waiting for someone to carry you, huh?¡±


    Jiang Cheng was unable to collect himself from his roar; he glanced at him and then returned to his seat.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start class!¡± the teacher patted his desk with the pointer in his hand. ¡°Good morning ah, everyone!¡±


    Jiang Cheng was stunned, the moment that English accent came out, he almost couldn¡¯t help it and laugh out loud.


    After the teacher started class, the person sitting in the desk ahead that had bumped his desk before bumped his desk again. But this time, he was not looking for Gu Fei and instead turned toward Jiang Cheng. ¡°Hey, xueba, you¡¯re pretty awesome, casually provoking Wang Xu like that.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Gu Fei said from the side.


    ¡°The fuck?¡± the person whispered, ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m talking to you. Are you used to looking at me and saying that?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei propped his cellphone on the desk.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have some problems,¡± the person added as he turned to glance at the teacher¡¯s desk and then quickly back at Jiang Cheng and said in a serious tone: ¡°Wang Xu is definitely not finished with you. Our school has a back door, you kno¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted.


    ¡°Zhou Jing,¡± he said.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jiang Cheng, pointing at his chair. ¡°Don¡¯t. Bump. The. Desk. Again.¡±


    ¡°¡­ oh.¡± Zhou Jing was shocked as he nodded.


    Jiang Cheng opened his textbook, looked down and fixed his gaze on it.


    Zhou Jing¡¯s face went stiff for a while before eventually turning to face ahead.


    Jiang Cheng thought that the beginning of the new semester was unusually wonderful for him, it was truly a pity that he did not have a habit of writing in a diary in normal times.


    He did not care at all whether or not that person Wang Xu was finished with him or not. Now he only felt extremely depressed, that -Moment-, the selfie that exuded the warmth and comfort of a family after he disappeared made him suddenly have a sense of complete weightlessness.


    Naturally, the people he didn¡¯t care about didn¡¯t care about him; it also conformed to logic.


    Nonetheless, it was still suffocating.


    He stared at the textbook, the smell of the paper and ink had the faint fragrance of milk. He suddenly felt a bit hungry and remembered that he did not eat breakfast in the morning.


    He turned to the side only to see Gu Fei, who was watching a video while peeling open a milk candy.[5]


    Gu Fei¡¯s gaze met with his. After he paused for a moment, he reached into his pocket, took out another candy and placed it on his book before his gaze returned to the cellphone screen.


    Jiang Cheng looked at the candy on his book, feeling somewhat baffled. However, his stomach was screaming since the smell of the milk candy floated over from Gu Fei¡¯s side.


    After hesitating for two minutes, he picked up the candy and peeled it open.


    ¡­ to his surprise, it was not a milk candy!


    It was a fruit candy!


    He couldn¡¯t control himself and turned his head to look at Gu Fei again.


    Gu Fei looked at the fruit candy in his hand, looked down and reached into his own pocket again. When his hand reappeared, he placed a handful of candies directly on Jiang Cheng¡¯s desk ¨C there were all sorts of wrappers and flavors, certainly more than a dozen before him.


    ¡°Pick for yourself,¡± Gu Fei said.


    [1] È˼ҳɼ¨Ë¦ÄãÃÇ°Ë°ÙÆßÊ®ËÄÌõ½Ö ¨C literal: ¡°His grades will throw you all 874 street behind!¡±


    [2] Moments ÅóÓÑȦ ¨C On the highly popular social media app among the Chinese population ¡°WeChat¡± (2011), an important part of it is being able to post your feeds on ¡°moments¡±. All the friends on your WeChat can see what you post and heart it, although you can also put specific restrictions on people who you don¡¯t want to see your updates.


    The WeChat app started in 2011 and was developed by Tencent (also the developer of QQ) and has turned into a multi-purpose messaging, social media, and mobile payment app (WeChat Pay) all in one. Ever since it became a payment app, most people stopped using wallets ¨C cards, bills and all.


    [3] Start with a bang (ÏÂÂíÍþ) ¨C display of severity immediately on taking office / (fig.) initial show of strength


    [4] Tael ¨C a Chinese unit of weight that, when applied to silver, was long used as a unit of currency. Most taels were equivalent to 1.3 ounces of silver.


    [5] White Rabbit candy ¨C we all should know this!


    ¡Þ


    Images of when Jiang Cheng went to Wang Xu:

 CH 8

    Even in elementary school, Jiang Cheng never had a chance to pick out candies like this since his parents basically never allowed them to eat candy or any junk food and soft drinks. He always felt as though he lived the life of someone that practiced Daoism to the extent that he still doesn¡¯t quite like eating snacks or sugary products right now -it was Pan Zhi who had always stuffed him with a bunch of food that he found tasty.


    And now that Gu Fei had scattered a handful of candy on his desk for him to pick out, he suddenly felt very refreshed by the idea.


    Coffee candy, milk candy, mint candy, fruit candy¡­ and there was even a difference between soft and hard candies. He stared at them for a long time contemplating before picking up a milk candy.


    Just as he peeled the wrapper open, Gu Fei reached out again and took away the remaining ones left on the desk.


    ¡°Fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng froze, remembering that Gu Fei had said, ¡°pick for yourself¡¯, and not, ¡°it¡¯s all for you¡± ¨C such tightly-woven logic made him momentarily convinced. Yet, he could not help but look at him, ¡°Are you gonna have Wang Jian Lin[1] riding on your coattail tomorrow from your stingy ways?¡±


    Gu Fei made no sound as he looked down at the candies in his hand, picked out the other two pieces of milk candies and placed them in front of Jiang Cheng before putting the rest back into his own pocket.


    ¡­ Sicko!


    Jiang Cheng peeled open all three milk candies and jammed them into his mouth, not sure what else he could express.


    The English teacher had a surname of Lu and his class was much more controlled than Lao Xu in the sense that he made sure everyone was focused and quiet as birds. This was because he roared at people, hence his effectiveness in class was better than Lao Xu.


    Even though Jiang Cheng felt that the teachers he had met today were incomparable to his previous teachers, Lu Laoshi¡¯s[2] class was exceptionally overdriven. He would wave around his pointer at anyone who dared to scratch their itch and even asked if they needed help. It has been a long time since Jiang Cheng was this concentrated on a lesson and he would instantly be startled back to reality from the slightest distraction.


    The class erupted in excitement after the dismissal bell rang and as if they had been greatly suppressed, there were even people who let out a few howls and wails while stretching their backs.


    ¡°You!¡± Lu Laoshi¡¯s pointer was suddenly aimed toward the back of the classroom, ¡°Come with me.¡±


    This ¡°you¡± and this ¡°point¡± stretched over quite a wide range of possibilities. Everyone¡¯s head rolled to the back of the class as if they were passing on hot-potatoes again but Jiang Cheng paid no attention when he felt their gazes fall on him. He was a newly transferred student, and the teacher couldn¡¯t even put a name on him yet¡­


    ¡°Gu Fei!¡± Lu Laoshi roared once more.


    ¡°¡­ ay,¡± Gu Fei had his head down and was on his phone, but this sudden outcry made his phone fall directly onto the floor. He raised his head to look at Lu Laoshi and then twisted his head slightly to the side in Jiang Cheng¡¯s direction, ¡°He¡¯s calling you.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng froze, ¡°He¡¯s calling me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you! Gu Fei¡¯s deskmate!¡± Lu Laoshi pointed his pointer in their direction again and the few heads underneath the path of his pointer all quickly dissipated.


    Jiang Cheng had no choice but stand, unsure of what this English teacher wanted from him.


    Just as he was walking toward the classroom door, he turned around to look at Wang Xu and saw that the guy had also stood up ¨C presumably, if the teacher hadn¡¯t called Jiang Cheng away, the two would have already been at war.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng, right?¡± Lu Laoshi turned to walk downstairs.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded and followed him down the stairs. ¡°Do you need me for something?¡±


    ¡°Xu Zong was even flaunting you in front of me before, saying that a Real ¡®dot¡¯ Xueba[3] has arrived¡­¡± Lu Laoshi said.


    ¡°What? Real ¡®dot¡¯?¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°A real, dot, Xueba.¡± Lu Laoshi gave him a look as he explained the meaning, ¡°You don¡¯t even understand this?¡±


    Real ¡¤ Xu¨¦b¨¤.


    ¡°¡­ now, I do.¡± It was the first time that Jiang Cheng knew there were people who actually pronounced the dot out loud.


    ¡°Our school was a regular high school before, later it was turned into a vocational high school, and much later converted back to a regular high school again,¡± Lu Laoshi said. ¡°So this can¡¯t be compared to your previous school. I hope you won¡¯t be affected ¨C however you studied before, you can continue to do so in the same way now.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng thought about how he studied before and felt that this teacher did not know much about him.


    ¡°People like Wang Xu ah, Gu Fei ah, don¡¯t provoke them too much, they¡¯re all a bunch of dawdlers,¡± Lu Laoshi said. ¡°If I didn¡¯t bring you out, he¡¯d be giving you trouble right now. His mission wouldn¡¯t be accomplished without receiving a punishment, also, he already has a few records of demerits on him.¡±


    ¡°¡­ oh.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded and thought this Lu Laoshi cared quite a bit for his students.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to thank me?¡± Lu Laoshi looked at him rather displeased.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    ¡°Your score for English is pretty top-notch. Just come and be my class representative,¡± Lu Laoshi quickly added. ¡°The current English Representative in your class is Yi Jing who is also the Class President and concurrently the Language Class Representative¡­¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng was surprised, then quickly shook his head, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why not,¡± Lu Laoshi was quite surprised. ¡°I heard from Lao Xu that you were actually the Class President before, you can¡¯t think a Class Rep is too tiring, right?¡±


    ¡°I was only the Class President for one semester anyway,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Lu Laoshi asked.


    Jiang Cheng looked at him: ¡°Fighting and cutting class.¡±


    Lu Laoshi stared at him with wide eyes, his mouth opened but no words came out.


    ¡°Then, I¡¯ll head back to class?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°You¡­ wait a minute,¡± Lu Laoshi gave it a thought. ¡°How about helping me prepare lessons during your free time?¡±


    Jiang Cheng mentally sighed and very much wanted to say, ¡®I don¡¯t have a computer right now¡¯, but this Lu Laoshi seemed pretty chill ¨C it would be bad to reject him again after the first time, so he nodded.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Lu Laoshi smiled. ¡°You can go back to class now.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, taking so long to come back.¡± Wang Xu was sitting on Jiang Cheng¡¯s desk, ¡°He¡¯s probably avoiding laozi[4], but he can¡¯t beat the odds forever!¡±


    ¡°Lao Lu probably needs him for something,¡± Zhou Jing said.


    ¡°Something my ass, have you ever seen Lao Lu need anyone for anything! Probably no more than to ask about his situation because he¡¯s a new transferred student. They¡¯ve likely finished talking already but the sucker¡¯s too scared to come back to class!¡± Wang Xu said.


    ¡°You want to resolve it here?¡± Gu Fei, who was quietly playing games on his phone the whole time, finally popped a question.


    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Wang Xu pushed lightly at his hair, with anger coming from no specific direction. ¡°Fuck!¡±


    Gu Fei put down his phone, raised his head and peered at him.


    ¡°¡­ where else can this be resolved,¡± Wang Xu became hesitant.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Gu Fei said, ¡°Don¡¯t fight around me. Geez, don¡¯t you find it bothersome?¡±


    ¡°How about you let it pass,¡± Zhou Jing said. ¡°You both got a chance at revenge already, so it¡¯s even.¡±


    ¡°Even my fucking ass!¡± Wang Xu turned his head and glared at Zhou Jing.


    ¡°If not in the fields then do it outside of the school.¡± Gu Fei continued to play his hand game, ¡°Just not near me, it¡¯s annoying.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s back,¡± Zhou Jing said.


    Gu Fei looked up as his gaze swept through the front of the room to see Jiang Cheng slowly make his way back with his hands in his pockets and eyes on Wang Xu.


    ¡°Hiding from me?¡± Wang Xu sneered, ¡°The class bell hasn¡¯t even rung yet you have the nerve to come back?¡±


    ¡°Three things,¡± Jiang Cheng said firmly.


    Wang Xu stared at him, appearing to not have registered what he had said.


    ¡°One, get down,¡± Jiang Cheng stuck out a finger, then stuck out a second finger. ¡°Second, the person that ditches first is a jackass.¡±


    When Wang Xu finally recuperated and bulged his eyes wide open to speak, Jiang Cheng had already raised a third finger to interrupt him. ¡°Three, how you want to resolve this ¨C give it to me straight but if it¡¯s just fighting with your mouth[5] then I surrender.¡±


    After he finished talking, the class that was waiting for a bustling scene suddenly fell silent.


    Everyone was waiting for Wang Xu¡¯s reaction.


    Gu Fei¡¯s bent his head back, leaned his body against the back wall and let out a low whistle.


    Based off of Gu Fei¡¯s many years of experience in being a melon-eating audience[6], Jiang Cheng¡¯s words and the manner in which he delivered them instantly made Wang Xu¡¯s road to becoming the big boss muffled to a blur.


    With that, the expression on Wang Xu¡¯s face changed enigmatically. Jiang Cheng could not determine what he was thinking but the immediate movement of his gaze towards Gu Fei¡¯s direction did not go unseen by him.


    Wang Xu was afraid of Gu Fei, or at least, he unconsciously regarded Gu Fei as his defender.


    Since the moment he saw ¡®Bu, Shi, Hao, Niao¡¯ in Gu Fei¡¯s family shop, Jiang Cheng knew that Gu Fei¡¯s seemingly mild, well-mannered and state of ¡®it¡¯s none of my business¡¯ was all a facade.


    Tsk.


    Bluffing as an old immortal free-roaming the universe.


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you after school at noon.¡± Wang Xu jumped off the desk and pointed back at Jiang Cheng while walking back to his own seat, ¡°In due time, don¡¯t run.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng replied and sat down.


    After giving it some thought, he leaned his head to the side and asked Gu Fei: ¡°Is this guy the big boss in your class?¡±


    From this distance, he was suddenly aware that the rest on the left side of Gu Fei¡¯s undercut had three dots, a thirty-two beats rest.


    ¡°Basically,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°What does ¡®basically¡¯ mean?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°It means that if anyone disagrees then he¡¯ll fight them.¡± Gu Fei was still staring at his phone, his fingers actively swiping at the screen.


    Jiang Cheng could distinguish that he was actually playing Craz3 Match[7], a mini-game he played during middle school because there was nothing better to play when he needed to kill time.


    Aside from watching videos, Gu Fei was unexpectedly not only entirely occupied by this game, but also quite devoted too ¨C how retarded.


    ¡°You still play that?¡± Jiang Cheng could not help but ask.


    ¡°En, wastes no brain power,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a xueba.¡±


    Everything that Jiang Cheng had seen this morning had already put him in a sour mood, and now having heard this word, he almost landed a punch straight on the thirty-two-beat rest on Gu Fei¡¯s undercut.


    He gritted his teeth to refrain from moving his hand ¨C one reason was that Gu Fei helped him when he fainted, two because he just finished eating three of Gu Fei¡¯s milk candies¡­ does this even count as a reason?


    ¡°To have the ability to directly confront your watery brain can be considered a courageous act,¡± he said. ¡°I have faith in you.¡±


    Gu Fei turned his face over to look at him; his face was expressionless, but his tone was exceptionally slap-worthy. ¡°Good luck at noon oh.~¡±


    ¡®Oh~¡¯ you fucking sick dog!


    Fuck.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t pay much attention to the lesson afterward, his heart felt suffocated ¨C after blacklisting the family of three, he still couldn¡¯t help but feel the urge to reopen their -Moments-.


    Their relationship was indeed rough and certainly tense as well, but nonetheless, it was the ¡°home¡± he resided for decades and they were the ¡°family members¡± he had come face to face with every day ¨C these were not sentiments he could castaway within the next second.


    But it seemed as though no one was affected by his absence or even the likelihood of never meeting again¡­ maybe they just didn¡¯t express it?


    This form of peacefulness made him feel even more depleted than being kicked out of the home he had lived in for years.


    Deciding to forget it and sleep for a bit, he lied his head on the desk, pulled down his hat to cover his forehead and closed his eyes. He never had trouble sleeping in a new environment, but he had been unable to sleep soundly after his arrival.


    Li Baoguo¡¯s house was too decrepit, in addition, the person himself was overtly sloppy, therefore not only were there cockroaches and spiders, but there were also mice. For the entire night, he listened to the sound of mice roaming the space of his room, causing him to have the misconception that he was sleeping within a pile of garbage.


    The teachers at Si Zhong were a lot more understanding than the ones at his previous school. Jiang Cheng slept directly through the break in between classes without a raise of his head, and not a single teacher came over to disrupt him whatsoever.


    That was until the bell indicating an end to the last class of the day had rung and Wang Xu¡¯s palm slapping the surface of his desk did Jiang Cheng finally straighten his body with a yawn, aching all over.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Wang Xu glared at him.


    Jiang Cheng did not make a sound. He shoved his textbooks and what-not into the slot below the surface of his desk, then picked up his school bag and stood up.


    Wang Xu turned his body around with swag and walked toward the door. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he was wearing a down-filled jacket and the lack of wind indoors, there would definitely be an aura of ¡°here comes the big boss.¡±


    There were also three to four people tailing him and based on the excitement on their faces, it was plausible he brought his little sidekicks along as well. The others who wanted to catch a good show had yet caught up to them.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jiang Cheng called Wang Xu from behind.


    ¡°Chickening out?¡± Wang Xu immediately answered.


    ¡°Are these your teammates or the cheerleading squad?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    Wang Xu looked at the people beside him and glared back at Jiang Cheng, ¡°Why, scared?¡±


    ¡°A cheerleading squad doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze swept across them and as he continued forward, he added: ¡°If it¡¯s to get physical then you guys should arrange a numbered order within yourselves.¡±


    ¡°You guys, stop following.¡± Wang Xu waved his hand.


    ¡°Are you gonna go watch?¡± Zhou Jing bumped at the desk.


    Gu Fei was still playing the Craz3 Match game that only people without a xueba¡¯s intelligence loved to play, only having passed a level did he finally stand up. ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go and take a look, aren¡¯t you afraid something will happen?¡± Zhou Jing said.


    ¡°Does it look like whatever happens will happen to me?¡± Gu Fei put his phone inside his pocket, turned around and left.


    When he walked down to the ground floor, he arrived just in time to see Wang Xu¡¯s little followers gazing fixedly toward the direction of the back gate. Jiang Cheng and Wang Xu¡¯s shadows were nowhere in sight.


    ¡°Da Fei¡­¡± someone immediately inched over when they saw him.


    ¡°Shh,¡± Gu Fei stuck his index finger vertically in front of his lips. ¡°Don¡¯t annoy me.¡±


    The elementary school students had yet to start school today which meant that Gu Miao was definitely waiting for him in front of the front entrance an hour ago, therefore, he didn¡¯t have the leisure time to see Wang Xu get beaten up.


    Indeed, Gu Fei¡¯s arbitrary judgment was definite that when Wang Xu clashed with Jiang Cheng, it was his fate to receive a good, good beating.


    The indifference in Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes was something Wang Xu did not possess and his whole body was also tightly woven with an air of irritation that could scare a claustrophobic to death. If it wasn¡¯t because he had recently come across some unhappy circumstances, then this person had a long-term psychological irregularity.


    How could Wang Xu, a patient with Zhong Erbing[8] who dreamt of being a master in the great Jianghu[9], compete with a moody psychopath?


    Once he exited the school gates, a green head whizzed past him like a sharp blow of wind ¨C a ¡°whoosh¡± sound emitted from all around.


    Gu Fei walked toward the bicycle racks to retrieve his own bike but just as he swung his leg over the seat, Gu Miao once again passed him like the blowing winds ¨C only stopping by his side for approximately two seconds to steal a handful of candies from his pocket.


    As he rode his bike to the intersection, Gu Miao was standing on the sidewalk peeling open a candy wrapper ¨C all the fruit candies had been specially picked out for herself.


    ¡°You want me to give you a ride?¡± Gu Fei asked. ¡°Or do you want to follow behind?¡±


    Just when Gu Miao picked up her skateboard and was getting ready to straddle the backseat, Gu Fei stopped her and held up her chin to look at the scratch mark on the corner of her eyes. ¡°Was this a scratch from somewhere or did you get into a fight?¡±


    ¡°A scratch,¡± Gu Miao said.


    ¡°Get on,¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t ask again.


    Gu Miao brought the skateboard to her chest and sat down in the back with her arms wrapped around his waist.


    Maybe it was a scratch, maybe it was a bruise left from fighting with someone, but whatever the case was, this little girl was dead stubborn. There was no point in asking and you couldn¡¯t overly meddle in her affairs ¨C she had to solve her own problems, even if it meant getting beat up.


    ¡°How ¡®bout I take you to buy a new pair of gloves,¡± Gu Fei peddled the bike. ¡°The little leather gloves you wanted last time?¡±


    Gu Miao immediately took off the mucky down-filled gloves that were currently on her own hands, stuck up a thumb and waved it in front of Gu Fei.


    Si Zhong¡¯s back gate was more prosperous than the entrance ¨C it was quite the miraculous sight.


    Most likely because the back door was connected to a small narrow street and the management was quite poor with all sorts of food cars lined up one after another; the main point was, the food was very well-favored.


    As Jiang Cheng caught scents of the deliciously smelling aromas while he walked alongside Wang Xu, he almost wanted to make the suggestion of treating him to a meal first¡­.


    But seeing that Wang Xu¡¯s appearance was full of enmity and his gaze full of persistence, Jiang Cheng stopped himself, not wanting to anger the guy into tears.


    Might as well treat this as a tour then and come back to eat later.


    There sure was a lot of things he wanted to eat ¨C all sorts of barbequed items that is: fatty beef, marbled lamb meat, kidneys, tendons.


    Jiang Cheng subtly swallowed his saliva.


    As they walked out of the narrow streetway, the savory scent also evaporated. Jiang Cheng was unsure of where in the world Wang Xu wanted to go.


    ¡°Are we having a hiking match?¡± Jiang Cheng asked out loud, extremely irked due to an empty stomach.


    Wang Xu ignored him, but then he came to an abrupt stop after taking a few more steps, his eyebrows scrunched together as he looked ahead.


    Jiang Cheng followed his gaze and looked ahead.


    From a distance of approximately half a meter stood three people, all of whom had their hands in their pocket and was staring back in their direction. After he and Wang Xu both turned their gaze to glance back at them, the three slowly made their way over.


    Wang Xu reached his hand inside his pocket.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Across from them stood a tall, lean guy who looked as if he had been in hunger for tens of years, smiling at them. ¡°Are you going to call Gu Fei? The guy left just a second ago with his little sister, he probably won¡¯t have the mind to meddle in your lame business.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?!¡¯ Wang Xu asked with a raspy, impatient voice.


    ¡°Yo,¡± the tall lean guy dramatically put on a display of astonishment. ¡°You¡¯re quite tough today, not gonna run?¡±


    Then he swept his gaze over Jiang Cheng¡¯s face: ¡°Did you find a new buddy? He must be a kick-ass, with him here you don¡¯t even need to run anymore.¡±


    ¡°Before, it was actually a crowd of them running away with the wind picking up as they passed,¡± a person behind the tall lean guy added sardonically.


    The tall lean guy displayed a face full of mockery as he looked at the two, ¡°How about I count to three and you two¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng smashed a fist right at his nose.


    This fist not only smashed the guy¡¯s speech to pieces, but also the opposing members to confusion.


    Jiang Cheng did not stop there ¨C this sort of thing was all about fighting a quick battle and arriving at a quick closure.


    After throwing a fist, he grabbed the tall lean guy by the hair along with his hat and pulled him downwards before letting his knee collide once again with the guy¡¯s nose.


    The strength he used both times were minor. With Jiang Cheng¡¯s experience, the guy¡¯s nose bridge won¡¯t run into major problems, but his nose bleed will explode from within to create the effect of ketchup being smeared all over his mouth.


    As expected, when Jiang Cheng released his hand and brutally shoved the tall lean guy aside, the blood in his nose instantly flooded out and he instinctively went to wipe it¡­


    Jiang Cheng looked to Wang Xu, then as he took a step forward, his elbow smashed upon an arm that was presumably reaching for a knife, so taking advantage of the position he was in, Jiang Cheng smashed the guy¡¯s nose with his cranium.


    The person let out an ¡°ow¡± and grasped his nose in pain.


    ¡°Run, you stupid cunt!¡± Jiang Cheng yelled at Wang Xu as took to his heels and break out into a run toward the direction ahead.


    Wang Xu remained dazed for a moment before hurriedly charging behind Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°This way.¡± When they arrived at the intersection, Wang Xu pointed toward the left side.


    Jiang Cheng followed behind, twisting and turning into an alleyway and then made two more turns until they finally stopped in front of an empty space in front of someone¡¯s fenced backyard.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± Jiang Cheng glanced around his surroundings only to realize that this was a dead end. All three sides were fenced in by residents, decrepit and tattered, the floor was piled with the build-up of snow and fallen tree branches ¨C and littered with all sorts of garbage.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Wang Xu inhaled heavily for a moment, ¡°The place where I schedule fights with people.¡±


    ¡°Your taste is quite unique,¡± Jiang Cheng commented.


    ¡°Umm,¡± Wang Xu looked at him and after hesitating for a long time, he finally said: ¡°For just now¡­ thanks.¡±


    ¡°Thank me for what,¡± Jiang Cheng fished out a cigarette from his pocket and dangled it in his mouth after it was lit. ¡°It¡¯s not like I meant to help you.¡±


    Wang Xu stared at him: ¡°Fuck, are you really a xueba?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s resolve the issue between us now,¡± Jiang Cheng said matter-of-factly as he checked the time. ¡°I¡¯m hungry, hurry up and end this, I want to eat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s resolved,¡± Wang Xu sat down on a chair nearby that was dilapidated to the point of looking like a prop used in a haunted house. ¡°There¡¯s no issue between us now.¡±


    Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue: ¡°Then I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    ¡°Wait a sec,¡± Wang Xu stopped him. ¡°Hou Zi[10] is definitely still around this area. They have more people, you¡¯ll run into them if you go out now.¡±


    Jiang Cheng did not respond.


    ¡°For real, you saw only three just now. Since you beat up Hou Zi until his face was covered in blood, there definitely won¡¯t be just the three of them anymore if you leave and bump into them again. I¡­ I¡¯ll call someone over to help.¡± Wang Xu took out his phone.


    Jiang Cheng thought back to what the tall lean guy said previously and then with scrunched up eyebrows he asked: ¡°Who are you calling?¡±


    ¡°Da Fei,¡± Wang Xu said.


    ¡°What the fuck? Gu Fei?¡± Jiang Cheng immediately felt the skin on his face swiftly fall to the ground.


    [1] Wang Jianlin Íõ½¡ÁÖ ¨C owner of China¡¯s Wanda Group; this group has a foot in just about everything ¨C real estate, international trade, constructions, petrochemicals, chemicals, rubber production, cables, finance and banking¡­ Jiang Cheng is basically asking him if Gu Fei thinks he will become richer than Wang Jianlin from being stingy.


    [2] Laoshi ÀÏʦ ¨C Teacher


    [3] Xueba ѧ°Ô ¨C originally refers to a person who controls academic discourse, ¡°°Ô¡± means ¡°to dominate, lord over, tyrannize over or rule by force.¡± But in internet terms, the meaning of ¡°Xueba¡± is different from its original meaning. If a person is called a ¡°student tyrant¡±, then he should be a ¡°hard-working student, gets excellent scores on exam, have extensive knowledge¡±. In English, it can be translated as ¡°scholar-lord, straight-A student¡±.


    The opposite of a ¡°xueba¡± is a ¡°xuezha¡± ѧÔü. ¡°Study slag¡± usually refers to those students who are lagging behind and are not interested in studying and this can be translated ¡°slacker¡±


    [4] Laozi (ÀÏ×Ó) ¨C I/me (used arrogantly or jocularly), in anger or out of contempt ¨C there shouldn¡¯t be a word strong enough to convey it in English


    [5] Fighting with your mouth ¨C talking bullshit but can¡¯t back it up


    [6] Melon-eating Audience ³Ô¹ÏȺÖÚ ¨C refers to a mass who sits to the side and watches a scene unfold before them in sanguine manners, not interfering in the scene and merely watching for entertainment purposes.


    [7] Craz3 Match |ÌìÌì°®Ïû³ý| similar to Candy Crush, but it¡¯s basically a fun and frantic game that needs you to eliminate some seriously cute animals by matching tiles in groups of 3. Just image Gu Fei playing such a cute game


    [8] Zhong Erbing ( Eighth-Grade Syndrome) Öжþ²¡ ¨C refer to immature teenagers at the rebellious age who daydreams naive, childish thoughts and commit actions that lacks a second thought.


    [9] Jianghu  (½­ºþ) literally translates to ¡°rivers and lakes¡± but it means so much more. Jianghu is the name of the brotherhood of outsiders that existed in old China, the pugilistic world. It is the counterculture society of workers who made their living with the skill of their own two hands: craftsmen, beggars, thieves, street performers, fortune tellers, wandering healers, and many martial artists. In ancient China, where education was valued over physical ability, this was the lowest rank of social order. Mainstream society belonged to the Confucian scholar-officials. Its underbelly was the jianghu. Jianghu tradition still influences martial arts to this day. Chinese fiction has captured that image very well through books, movies, and TV series. Wuxia, the Chinese name was given to martial art fiction, is about martial arts and the way people lived through the pugilistic world of ancient China.


    [10] Hou Zi ºï×Ó ¨C lit. translates to Monkey


    Images by @ @»ú¼×û³äµç Weibo of Jiang Cheng punching Hou Zi

 CH 9

    Jiang Cheng threw the cigarette then turned around and walked toward the entrance of the alley.


    ¡°Hey! Don¡¯t go out!¡± Wang Xu shouted. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m afraid of problems?! We can¡¯t afford to offend Hou Zi and his group! Last semester, someone from Qi Zhong[1] was beaten to the point of being hospitalized for several months!¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t afford to offend?¡± Jiang Cheng turned to look at him, ¡°Such a capable bastard yet you¡¯re calling only Gu Fei over to deal with him?¡±


    ¡°Da Fei is different,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°He grew up in this area as a child and also¡­ anyways, just listen to me. Since you¡¯ve helped me once, I can¡¯t let you go out there and lose your head ah.¡±


    And also¡­ and also what? And also, he killed his own father? Jiang Cheng suddenly remembered Li Baoguo¡¯s words and laughed inexplicably. For an old historical district in this small city to have such a legend within just a few streets, it was quite interesting.


    ¡°The fuck are you laughing at!¡± Wang Xu was angry with his laughter.


    Jiang Cheng ignored him and prepared to continue on, but just as he took one step, Wang Xu held him from behind and then carried him back.


    ¡°Hey, hey, hey,¡± Jiang Cheng was startled by his action. ¡°Let go! What¡¯s your problem?!¡±


    ¡°Problem?¡± Wang Xu questioned in shock then quickly loosened his hand. ¡°I don¡¯t have any ¡­ I don¡¯t have any other intention ah! You better not misunderstand! Don¡¯t misunderstand!¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced at him: ¡°Did I say you have any other intention?¡±


    Wang Xu didn¡¯t speak as he dialed a number on his mobile phone.


    Jiang Cheng sighed and lit another cigarette, crouching in the corner of a small area and absentmindedly brushed away the snow on the ground with a twig.


    ¡°Da Fei, Da Fei,¡± Wang Xu held the phone close and suppressed his voice as if that fellow Hou Zi was keeping watch in the courtyard beside them. ¡°We¡¯re being blocked by Hou Zi¡­ we ran, no, right now we can¡¯t get out¡­ he got a bloody face from a punch, how can we leave! Who else can it be huh, me and Jiang Cheng.¡±


    Wang Xu said that while glancing over at Jiang Cheng.


    Jiang Cheng did not exchange any meaningful look with him. Although Wang Xu did not have many capabilities, he was not that terrified of others so for him to be scared like this, he reckoned, those people must indeed not be trifled with.


    In fact, when he loafed around in his previous school, he also did not want to provoke others much ¨C it was too troublesome.


    Just thinking that Gu Fei was on the other side of the phone, he thought that it was better to go out and put up a good fight, but he was still rational. If he did go out, it might not be a matter of just one or two fights.


    ¡°Da Fei will be here in a bit,¡± Wang Xu relayed as he hung up and used his foot to flick the garbage heap to the side. ¡°He took his sister out to eat noodles¡­ they haven¡¯t finished yet.¡±


    Jiang Cheng was simply speechless.


    Wang Xu found a wooden stick about half a meter long from the garbage heap and threw it at his feet, then after rummaging through it for a while longer in vain, he started to dismantle the damaged three-legged chair.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°Looking for some weapons,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°Hou Zi and the others are familiar with this area, so this is just in case they arrive here before Gu Fei, okay?¡±


    Jiang Cheng sighed. He grabbed his schoolbag and searched around until he eventually fished out a knife and threw it at his feet. ¡°Use this.¡±


    ¡°The fuck!¡± Wang Xu was utterly shocked and turned his head to stare at him. ¡°Are you really a fucking xueba? What kind of xueba has nothing better to do than to go out with a knife!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never used it,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°The edge of the blade isn¡¯t sharpened. It¡¯s specially used to scare people.¡±


    Wang Xu picked up the knife and looked at it with earnest for a moment then went over to crouch in front of him. ¡°Jiang Cheng, I can¡¯t afford to offend you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced at him without speaking.


    ¡°The beef between us has already been settled.¡± Wang Xu continued to say, ¡°In the future, we can just mind our own business. How¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You can remember these words for yourself,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Our xueba will be busy studying, he can¡¯t blindly waste his time with you.¡±


    Once he finished, the two no longer spoke and took to crouching in silence face to face.


    After a while, Wang Xu spoke: ¡°I¡¯ll give you a word of advice.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the cigarette butt between his fingers ¨C the rising smoke twisted frantically in the wind and quickly disappeared without any traces.


    ¡°If Hou Zi arrives first, just cower,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°No matter how jackass we are, we¡¯re still students. We can¡¯t put our life on the line against those guys who mingle in society.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at him in shock, this idiot unexpectedly has the intelligence for survival instinct.


    ¡°Gu Fei said that,¡± Wang Xu added.


    Hearing that, Jiang Cheng almost wanted to put out the cigarette on his face.


    To be honest, Gu Fei¡¯s arrival wasn¡¯t considered to be slow. It took him roughly ten minutes to appear on his bicycle, but what made it hard for Jiang Cheng to understand was why he brought Gu Miao along with him.


    The little girl had held onto a rope tied to the back of the bicycle as she rode on her skateboard.


    A whole family of mental cases!


    Just as Gu Fei¡¯s foot landed on the ground for support, Gu Miao jumped off the skateboard, stepped hard on the board so that it lifted up and caught it with her hands.


    She walked over and stood in front of Jiang Cheng while hugging the skateboard. She smiled at him and then ran back to Gu Fei and leaned against his leg.


    ¡°Who threw the punch?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Me,¡± Jiang Cheng stood up. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You ran into Hou Zi?¡± Wang Xu asked immediately.


    ¡°At the entrance of the alley.¡± Gu Fei glanced at him, ¡°I reckon he¡¯s coming in now.¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Wang Xu frowned. ¡°Can we get out?¡±


    ¡°Depends on how you want to get out,¡± Gu Fei said and looked at Jiang Cheng again. ¡°There are two solutions.¡±


    Jiang Cheng knew that this time he had probably stirred up a bit of a problem. He sighed and placed his hands in his pockets as he leaned against the wall. ¡°Say it.¡±


    ¡°Let him get back at you, it¡¯ll be over once it¡¯s even,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°If you¡¯re not willing, I¡¯ll lead you guys out, but it¡¯ll depend on luck the next time you run into them.¡±


    Wang Xu quickly looked over at Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Getting even is no problem, but let¡¯s settle on the fact that if anyone dares to add another hit, I¡¯ll hit back,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    When Hou Zi returned, his nose was stuffed with cotton balls, which made Jiang Cheng think that he probably had slightly low blood platelets ¨C the bleeding hadn¡¯t stopped yet after such a long time.


    Just as Wang Xu said, Hou Zi had indeed brought a lot of people with him this time around.  One glance was enough to surmise that there were seven to eight people, each with the strong temperament of small-town hoodlums.


    ¡°Er Miao, go wait for me at the head of the alley,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Gu Miao looked at Jiang Cheng and then put her skateboard down, stepped up on it and then skated out of the crowd like an arrow.


    ¡°You also go out,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei propped up on the handlebar of the bicycle and looked at him for a moment: ¡°Wang Xu, come out with me.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Wang Xu hesitated as he looked over at Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Go out,¡± Jiang Cheng said ¨C for this act of purely being hit, he did not want an audience.


    Gu Fei lift the head of the bicycle up and turned it around the other way, Wang Xu got on.


    With a gloomy face, Hou Zi walked over to where Jiang Cheng was.


    When Gu Fei passed by him, he suddenly grabbed his right wrist and took his hand out of his pocket.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Hou Zi looked at him.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything. He slid his hand firmly down Hou Zi¡¯s wrist and took something from his hand before throwing it to the foot of the wall to the side.


    The sound of metal hitting the brick wall was quite crisp.


    Jiang Cheng followed the source of the sound for a look, it was a black brass knuckle.


    Fucker.


    ¡°The rules still need to be explained,¡± Gu Fei said aloud as he stepped on the pedal and rode his bicycle to the other side of the alley.


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s going to happen to him, right?¡± Wang Xu stood beneath a leafless tree at the head of the alley, shrinking his neck. He watched as Gu Miao rode the skateboard around a heap of snow beneath a nearby tree.


    ¡°If you¡¯re afraid of trouble then don¡¯t go provoking it,¡± Gu Fei put it simply.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t provoke any trouble. When I saw Hou Zi, I even ran for it,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°Fuck, damn it! How was I supposed to know I would run into him today. Jiang Cheng doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s up either and directly threw a punch.¡±


    ¡°The beef between you two has been resolved?¡± Gu Fei looked at his face, ¡°Did you kneel down and begged him not to punch you in the face?¡±


    ¡°¡­ that¡¯s enough,¡± Wang Xu sighed and turned to look toward the alley. ¡°Just take it as my eyes have been opened. There¡¯s also this type of xueba, I can¡¯t afford to offend him.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed out loud.


    After less than a few minutes, Hou Zi and his group came out.


    Although Hou Zi¡¯s face was a bit unsightly, he appeared ¡®normal¡¯, however, the person following behind him didn¡¯t look too wonderful ¨C there was a very large swelling on his forehead.


    ¡°Did he hit back?¡± Wang Xu was taken aback when he saw it.


    After Hou Zi and Gu Fei exchanged a glance, neither said anything as the group left.


    ¡°Fuck, where¡¯s that stupid cunt, Jiang Cheng?¡± Wang Xu looked toward the alley.


    Gu Fei frowned. Jiang Cheng definitely hit back ¨C hard. He mustn¡¯t have initiated it, someone must have ¡®added another hit¡¯ but it¡¯s reasonable to say that Hou Zi wouldn¡¯t be able to break the rules under this circumstance.


    Then, where¡¯s Jiang Cheng?


    Even if he had to wind around a few times, it shouldn¡¯t take him this long to come out¡­ the phone in his pocket sounded, he took it out for a look and to his surprise, it was Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± He answered the call.


    ¡°I¡­ got lost,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Fei was utterly shocked, ¡°Lost?¡±


    ¡°Yes, lost! There was a bunch of turns when we came in, now I don¡¯t even know which turn to take. The alleys must have been fucking built into a maze!¡± Jiang Cheng said in a very bad mood.


    ¡°You¡­ wait a moment.¡± Gu Fei looked at Gu Miao, ¡°Er Miao, go in and lead Jiang Cheng- gege out of there.¡±


    Gu Miao stepped on the skateboard and flew into the alley at lightning speed.


    When Jiang Cheng heard the sound of the skateboard wheels, he shouted: ¡°Gu Miao?¡±


    Gu Miao¡¯s silhouette flashed out from a corner ahead and waved at him.


    Jiang Cheng went over ¨C in fact, he had just come from there. He followed after Gu Miao and turn another corner before seeing the small street from before.


    Fuck. If I had known it was this close, I wouldn¡¯t have called Gu Fei and put myself to shame.


    The shame that happened today was actually enough to form a four-item combo.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Wang Xu asked the moment he saw him come out and then stared at his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his stomach.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t get hit in the face, huh?¡± Wang Xu looked at his hand.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°Why, you want a hit?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just asking,¡± Wang Xi said. ¡°You got hit in the stomach? Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°You hit back, didn¡¯t you?¡± Wang Xu continued to question closely. ¡°I saw someone come out with a huge bump on his forehead. How did it happen?¡±


    ¡°I said that if someone dared to add another hit, I would hit back,¡± Jiang Cheng answered somewhat impatiently. ¡°I took his head and smashed it on the wall. Why, do you want to try it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going home,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°I¡¯m leaving¡­ then, Gu Fei, I¡¯ll treat you to lunch tomorrow afternoon.¡±


    After Wang Xu left, Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei stood together and watched Gu Miao play on the skateboard, a moment later he spoke. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Although he suffered two punches in the stomach from Hou Zi to the point that he still felt like vomiting even then, if Gu Fei hadn¡¯t been there, this option to settle the dispute wouldn¡¯t have existed. He reckoned that, from then on, he would probably run into Hou Zi scouting around every time he went out the door. If that was the case, life could end there and then.


    ¡°Are you really okay?¡± Gu Fei glanced at him.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want to discuss this matter at all. He thought about it and asked, ¡°Have you eaten?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°¡­ Wang Xu said that you were eating noodles just now and would come once you were done,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Please, you two would have been beaten to pieces already,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I was eating on the pedestrian-only street. If I actually came after I finished, it would¡¯ve taken a good half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat a little more.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Miao, ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±


    Naturally, Gu Miao did not answer him and merely looked at Gu Fei.


    ¡°You can just lead the way,¡± Gu Fei patted her temple lightly.


    Gu Miao quickly stepped on the skateboard and dashed to the barbeque stands from before.


    ¡°Get on,¡± Gu Fei looked at Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°I¡¯ll walk there,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei did not say any more and rode off on his bicycle.


    Jiang Cheng sighed. He pressed on his stomach only to feel like retching a bit, not knowing whether it was from hunger or the two punches from Hou Zi.


    Gu Miao picked the barbeque stand that was closest to the side, and when Jiang Cheng strolled over, she had already selected a bunch of food to eat.


    When Jiang Cheng smelled the aroma of the barbeque, the uncomfortable feeling in his stomach slowly disappeared ¨C leaving only a strong sense of hunger. He went over and pointed at the meat: ¡°The same ten skewers and also 1kg of crayfish.¡±


    This stand didn¡¯t have crayfish, so he ran to another stand that was half a street away and brought back a kilo.


    When several large pieces of meat piled on the table, Gu Fei could not help but ask: ¡°Have you always been able to eat this much all at once?¡±


    ¡°Xiao Ming¡¯s grandfather lived for 103 years,¡±[2] Jiang Cheng picked up a lamb skewer and took a bite.


    Gu Fei laughed and had the boss bring a small bottle of the Red Star¡¯s Er Guo Tou Liquor.[3]


    At first, Jiang Cheng wanted to ask, ¡°do you have to drink when you eat¡±, but Xiao Ming¡¯s 103 years old grandfather stopped him.


    Gu Miao didn¡¯t speak, and he didn¡¯t have much to say either, therefore, it was exactly like the last time they ate barbeque together ¨C completely silent until they finished eating.


    This was also quite nice, eating to the fullest. Every time he ate with Pan Zhi, because he talked nonstop and often did not eat enough or to the fullest, they had to add more food.


    They were at a very lively barbeque stand and their table was like a bright and beautiful scenery ¨C every time the boss passed by, he would glance at them, perhaps thinking that they were here for a negotiation appointment and could possibly get up and pull a knife out at any given time.


    When Gu Miao ate her fill and removed her hat off to grab her head, Jiang Cheng finally broke the ongoing silence.


    ¡°Why did you buy her a green hat?¡± he asked Gu Fei; this question had plagued him perpetually since the day he saw Gu Miao at the shop.


    ¡°She likes green,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Miao¡¯s green hat again ¨C Gu Fei¡¯s answer was always so logical and tidy that it would make anyone unable to accept it. ¡°Being able to buy a hat of this color is also a miracle ah.¡±


    Gu Miao shook her head.


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at her.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t bought,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Knitted?¡± Jiang Cheng touched the hat, you really can¡¯t tell, the handwork is pretty good. ¡°Who knit it for you huh? Your mom?¡±


    Gu Miao smiled and pointed at Gu Fei.


    Jiang Cheng fiercely turned his head to look at Gu Fei: ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    ¡°Be a bit civilized,¡± Gu Fei said calmly.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Miao embarrassingly, then turned to Gu Fei again. ¡°You knitted it? You also know how to do this?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei answered with a grunt.


    Jiang Cheng suddenly felt that the impression that he had of Gu Fei in his mind had become a blur ¨C a pocket full of candies, a knitted wool hat, a murderer, the killer of his own father.


    Once they were done eating, Gu Fei mounted his bicycle while Gu Miao undid the rope that was wrapped around the back of the bicycle, grabbed onto it tightly and got on her skateboard.


    ¡°Be¡­ careful,¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t actually know what he should say.


    ¡°See you tomorrow,¡± Gu Fei said before he rode off, pulling Gu Miao from behind and disappearing into the crowd in the small street.


    Jiang Cheng only reacted after he paid the bill, see you tomorrow?


    Is today already over?


    Of course, that day wasn¡¯t over since there was still three classes left for the afternoon, and to his surprise, Politics occupied two classes. Jiang Cheng actually felt extremely sleepy from just seeing that sort of schedule.


    True to his word, Gu Fei didn¡¯t appear for the whole afternoon.


    Well damn, it¡¯s really ¡®see you tomorrow¡¯.


    Jiang Cheng leaned forward on the table and slept the entire afternoon; the advantage in not having Gu Fei there was that Zhou Jing didn¡¯t constantly turn around and talk ¨C how peaceful.


    The Politics teacher had an even lower sense of existence than Lao Xu ¨C the most transparent among all the teachers that he had met that day.


    Even when he was teaching on the podium, he needed to constantly increase his volume so that his voice could be heard through the unscrupulous snoring in the classroom.


    In the last class, Pan Zhi sent him a message.


    ¨C As expected, no teacher wanted the self-study class, awesomeeee.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at the teacher on the podium and then replied to Pan Zhi.


    ¨C It¡¯s awesome here, this class is exactly like the food market.


    ¨C Even if it¡¯s peaceful, you¡¯ll still sleep anyways. It¡¯s noisy now, are going to sleep huh.


    ¨C You don¡¯t know shit.


    Jiang Cheng sighed, Pan Zhi did not understand. Even though he had always slept in class, it didn¡¯t mean that he fell asleep every time. When he closed his eyes, he would listen to the lecture and when it was time to review for an exam, he wouldn¡¯t sleep or cut classes.


    In such an environment, he was really worried that the quality of this xueba would decline.


    Once the dismissal bell sounded, the classroom was overtaken with noise and nearly everyone had instantly packed their own things before hurrying to leave while chatting cheerfully along the way.


    Jiang Cheng gathered his things, grabbed his school bag and left the classroom, but when he passed through the hallway, he felt numerous lingering eyes. His glanced to the side for a look only to see many people leaning against the railing looking at him ¨C he wasn¡¯t sure if they were the second-year or third-year students, regardless, there was curiosity and analyzation in their eyes.


    Tsk. He turned to look for Wang Xu, that bastard must have said something, probably bragged arrogantly about what happened like there¡¯s no tomorrow.


    When he went down the stairs, his cellphone rang; he reckoned that it was Pan Zhi, however, it was an unfamiliar number.


    ¡°Hello?¡± he answered the call.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng, right? There are goods here for you, come and get them,¡± the other side said.


    Jiang Cheng was shocked before he reacted and asked again if it was an express delivery, but it was logistics and he had to go and receive it himself. He asked for the address and where the things came from and then ended the call.


    His mother had sent them ¨C they should be all the things from his messy room over there.


    Before she had prepared a bank card for him and in that moment, she attentively sent all his things over, yet she no longer contacted him.


    He didn¡¯t know if he should thank her or hate her.


    However, his mood couldn¡¯t be considered terrible. It seemed that he had already started to become somewhat numb to everything for the past few days. When he remembered, there would be a twinge of pain, but it would soon pass.


    He slowly walked back. At this time, Li Baoguo was definitely not at home. He might still have to eat alone at night. He pondered while walking and finally decided to eat some dumplings, but since he had eaten a bit too much at noon, he didn¡¯t feel hungry at all at the moment.


    Close to Li Baoguo¡¯s home was a small plaza with several restaurants. When Jiang Cheng had walked by before, it looked quite lively with a dumpling restaurant that appeared very clean.


    To get to the plaza, Jiang Cheng had to go through a small drought bridge. When he got closer to the side of the bridge, he glanced over, and his footsteps came to a stop.


    The snow had stopped falling at noon and the afternoon sun was dazzling, and even though that bright star had already set, half of the sky was still draped with golden brilliant rays that were as faint as veins.


    The small bridge was also dyed in warm colors.


    In that moment, Jiang Cheng¡¯s heart felt true peacefulness ¨C the melancholy brought about by this chaotic day all scattered. He quickened his pace onto the bridge, thinking that if he was half an hour earlier, it would have been even more beautiful there.


    This was probably the most beautiful place that he had seen in this rotten city.


    There weren¡¯t many people on the bridge, and when he approached the center, he saw someone ahead holding a camera ¨C probably taking pictures of the bridge and the sky.


    He saw the profile¡­ no, he knew it just from the legs.


    It was Gu Fei.


    It was not unexpected to recognize Gu Fei, what was unexpected was that Gu Fei, who had cut all the afternoon classes, was there, and he had a professional-grade camera and camera bag.


    No wonder he refused to lend the camera to Zhou Jing.


    Jiang Cheng hesitated on whether he should go over or move to the other side and pretend to not have seen Gu Fei, either way, they didn¡¯t have anything to say.


    Just as he was about to take a step, Gu Fei probably finished taking pictures since he turned and was walking to where he was.


    Even if he pretended not to have seen him, it was too late now. Jiang Cheng sighed and forged ahead. Just when he was about to greet him ¨C even though he had nothing in particular to say ¨C Gu Fei saw him. After he paused for a second, he faced him and lifted the camera in his hand.


    Jiang Cheng was in utter shock and didn¡¯t have time to cover his face when he heard the sound of the shutter.


    Click.


    Fuck your uncle[4] ah!


    [1] Qi Zhong ¨C High School no. 7; Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei are in High School no. 4 ¨C Si Zhong.


    [2] Xiao Ming¡¯s grandfather lived for 103 years (СÃ÷µÄÒ¯Ò¯»îÁË103Ëê) derives from a legend: when someone saw a child eating ice cream, out of concern, they went up to the child and said ¡®eating that on such a cold day is bad for your body¡¯ but the child said ¡®xiao ming¡¯s grandfather lived for 103 years¡¯, the person asked, ¡°why?¡¯, the child answered, ¡®because he always mind his own business¡¯. This is saying that ¡®you will live longer if you mind your own business¡¯.


    [3] Er Guo Tou (¶þ¹øÍ· / ¨¨rgu¨­t¨®u) means ¡°second distillation¡± (literally ¡°head of the second pot¡±), which is meant to describe its level of purity. It is a light aroma (ÇåÏã) baijiu (white liquor) that takes six months to produce and is usually flavored with walnuts, longans, jujubes, ginseng, and/or sugar. At over 60% alcohol it is eye-poppingly strong if taken straight. Cheap and particularly popular among blue-collar workers across northern and northeastern China, is one of the most commonly drunk baijius in Beijing and thus has a deep association with China¡¯s capital.


    [4] Fuck your uncle ah! (Äã´óÒ¯µÄÈý»¨Ã¨°¡£¡) ¨C  actually, the direct translation is ¡°your uncle¡¯s three-patterns cat ah!¡±; otherwise known as a ¡®calico cat¡¯. The d¨¤y¨¦ means uncle but in this content, it is a swear word; Chinese profanity tends to involve either sex and body parts, or insults to family. Some of the stronger curse words insult multiple generations of someone¡¯s family at once.


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 CH 10

    ¡°The fuck, what are you blindly taking photos of!¡± Jiang Cheng swore, and since our little friend Gu Miao wasn¡¯t present at the moment, it was of no importance whether he was civilized or not.


    Gu Fei did not speak and continued to click the camera in Jiang Cheng¡¯s direction.


    Jiang Cheng felt as though all the unpleasant expressions on his face were forcefully frozen in time.


    ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question!¡± He walked in front of Gu Fei and reached out his hand in an attempt to grab the camera.


    Gu Fei swiftly shifted the camera backward: ¡°Two hundred sixty-seven years old.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Cheng froze with confusion, ¡°What two hundred sixty¡­ how much?¡±


    ¡°Two hundred sixty-seven,¡± Gu Fei repeated once again.


    ¡°What¡¯s two hundred sixty-seven years old?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Xiao Ming¡¯s grandfather,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    Jiang Cheng stared back at him for some solid thirty seconds, unsure of whether he himself was speechless or trying desperately to repress the laughter that was building up inside.


    In the end, he pointed toward Gu Fei¡¯s camera: ¡°Give it to me or delete it.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a look first?¡± Gu Fei handed him the camera.


    Jiang Cheng suddenly became nervous when he took over the camera, it was dead heavy and he felt that if he wasn¡¯t careful enough, it would smash onto the ground. But he was then put to great confusion after he saw the cluster of buttons on the camera.


    Not to mention deleting, even if it was to browse through all the photos, he didn¡¯t know where to press.


    ¡°Here.¡± Gu Fei reached over and pressed on the camera icon, which made the photos appear on the screen.


    There was a total of four photos as Jiang Cheng silently flipped through them.


    He never developed much interest in photography, no matter if it was himself taking photos of the landscape or others taking photos of him ¨C he would rather use his eyes to look.


    Even though he normally felt like he was quite handsome, he would still be accidentally scared off his heels by the front camera every time¡­ however, the person displayed in Gu Fei¡¯s camera was unexpectedly ¨C quite that.


    Quite accurately portrayed, en.


    The ferocious expression he worried about was not at all present ¨C only a hint of annoyance was shown.


    And the first photo ¨C he surprisingly liked it very much.


    The chaotic yet desolate backdrop that had been blurred out of focus presented itself with a faint melancholic sensitivity, causing his brain to suddenly think of the sentence ¨C my home elsewhere ¨C for no reason.


    And he, who walked toward the camera under the radiance of the setting sun¡­ there was not much to say except his handsomeness was off the charts.


    After he flipped through the photos, Jiang Cheng was unsure of what he should do next.


    ¡°The button on the bottom right corner is the delete button,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Jiang Cheng answered somewhat awkwardly.


    The person saying to delete it was himself, but the very same person wanting to go back on his words after seeing the photos was also himself. After all, no photos of him were ever taken with such intense feels.


    During the last Lunar New Year, his family actually went to a photography studio to have a family portrait taken. Originally thinking it should have turned out quite well, in the end, when the photo was printed Jiang Cheng almost ripped it to pieces. Because of this matter, he even got into another argument with his parents and didn¡¯t return home for two days¡­


    His thought seemed to have drifted too far. Jiang Cheng backtracked his train of thought and looked at Gu Fei.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite photogenic,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I want to keep it ¨C I took a lot of photos of our classmates and kept them all.¡±


    The ladder [1] that Gu Fei gave was right on time, Jiang Cheng hesitated for a second: ¡°What do you do with these many portraits?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fun,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°¡­ oh,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. Having the ability to perfectly kill every conversation was indeed something admirable about Gu Fei. ¡°Photography lover.¡±


    ¡°How about I friend you on WeChat later,¡± Gu Fei took out his phone. ¡°I¡¯ll clean up the photos and send you a copy?¡±


    Jiang Cheng very much wanted to decline ¨C I¡¯m not interested in that stuff.


    But as he opened his mouth, he ended up nodding his head: ¡°Oh.¡±


    With the camera still in his hand, Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t sure what to do after he ¡°oh-ed¡±. Gu Fei didn¡¯t make a sound either, apparently, he was quite accustomed to this sort of restrained awkward silence.


    ¡°Can I look through some other photos?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. He was still unable to form a connection between Gu Fei and this kickass professional camera.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    The majority of the photographs were of bridges and sunsets. From the rays of light, one could see that Gu Fei spent the majority of his afternoons here, and there were many photos ¨C some were of the landscape, some were also of the people walking across the bridge.


    Jiang Cheng had no eye for photography, but whether a photo was good or not, he could still distinguish.


    The photos Gu Fei took were very professional, the structural composition and color palette drew an air of warmth from its surroundings. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Jiang Cheng was standing in the exact same spot and feeling the beating of the old northern winds against his body, then just by looking at the photo would indeed make one feel just as comfortable as sitting against the warmth of a furnace.


    As he continued to flip through, the photos were probably not ones from today.


    Most of them were streetscapes.


    Trees and old houses, snow piles and stray dogs, fallen leaves and the feet of passing pedestrians¡­ extraordinarily mundane yet neglected objects.


    Just as he was about to classify this as Gu Fei¡¯s photographing style, a picture of a hunched down Gu Miao with her hand grabbing onto the skateboard and leaping into the bright, sun-lit sky caused him to uncontrollably let out ¡°ah¡± in amazement.


    ¡°En?¡± Gu Fei was leaning against the bridge railings smoking a cigarette; he turned his head after hearing Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°This one really has the feels, Gu Miao is so cool,¡± Jiang Cheng turned over the camera screen to face Gu Fei. ¡°A little flying ninja.¡±


    Gu Fei smiled: ¡°It was a captured shot, she flew a few dozen times before I finally captured this one.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at him for a moment longer. Gu Fei¡¯s personality was quite difficult to typecast, he normally displayed an air of ¡®nothing is my business, my stepmother is an alien, and I¡¯m a conversation killer¡¯, but during those times when he was with Gu Miao or at the mention of Gu Miao, his demeanor would then also soften.


    Very motherly.


    Jiang Cheng remembered Gu Miao¡¯s wool-knitted hat.


    A thread in the hands of her loving brother¡­[2]


    And this scene was even paired with a soundtrack.


    Wake up and make love with me, wake up and make love¡­[3]


    Except the soundtrack was seemingly somewhat unfitting.


    ¡°Your phone is ringing,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng handed the camera back to him, fished out his phone in a slightly awkward manner.


    ¡°Cheng Cheng, ah?¡± Li Baoguo¡¯s explosive voice passed through from the other end.


    ¡°What¡­ did you call me?¡± The goosebumps on Jiang Cheng¡¯s body rose and fell like the rolling waves.


    Gu Fei most likely heard it and even though he quickly turned his head away, Jiang Cheng was still able to see the smile on the side of his face.


    Fuck.


    ¡°Are you almost home yet?¡± Li Baoguo asked. ¡°Hurry and come back, your older brother and sister came home, they¡¯re waiting for you to come back and start dinner!¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a wave of dreariness ¨C not only because the plan to go eat dumplings fell through, but also because he was pulled back to reality and had to face the people who he would never have had crossed path yet became family with. He suddenly couldn¡¯t move his legs, ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Are you going back?¡± Gu Fei asked after he put away his camera.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng responded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together. I¡¯m going home too,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Driving?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°¡­I walked over here.¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng turned and started to walk back.


    After sunset, the temperature started to drop drastically, and the two stalked back while pushing against the old northern winds.


    When their body warmed up from moments of walking, Jiang Cheng turned over and looked at Gu Fei: ¡°Do you know Li Baoguo?¡±


    ¡°People from those surrounding streets all more or less know one another,¡± Gu Fei replied. ¡°Grandpas, grandmas, uncles, aunts, brothers, and sisters¡­ we¡¯re all old acquaintances in this neighborhood.¡±


    ¡°Oh, then¡­ what kind of a person is he?¡± Jiang Cheng continued to ask.


    Gu Fei pulled on his hat and turned his head: ¡°What is he to you?¡±


    Jiang Cheng was unsure of how to answer this. He pulled up the face mask that was bunched under his chin and covered a large fraction of his face ¨C only then did he relax a bit.


    ¡°My¡­ birth father,¡± he answered.


    ¡°En?¡± Gu Fei raised his eyebrows in surprise. ¡°Biological father? Li Baoguo has two sons? But now that you mention it¡­ you and Li Hui do look somewhat alike.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jiang Cheng answered in annoyance. ¡°It¡¯s what I was told¡­ I¡¯m just asking you what kind of a person he is, can you answer me straightforwardly?¡±


    ¡°Senior gambler.¡± This time, Gu Fei answered bluntly. ¡°Professional drunkard.¡±


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s footsteps halted slightly.


    ¡°Still wanna hear more?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°What else?¡± Jiang Cheng sighed lightly.


    ¡°Domestic abuse ¨C it chased his wife away.¡± Gu Fei gave some more thought, ¡°That¡¯s about the main ones.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s already quite enough,¡± Jiang Cheng bunched his eyebrows together and after some hesitation, he looked toward Gu Fei, ¡°Are these reliable?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t find these reliable?¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    ¡°These street stall rumors seem rather¡­¡± Jiang Cheng did not finish, these street stall rumors also implied that you killed your own dad. But he could not say this out loud, no matter what the hidden truth was ¨C Gu Fei¡¯s father¡¯s death was a reality.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t gossip,¡± Gu Fei continued. ¡°You return home every day, do you not see him playing cards.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly lost all will to continue the conversation.


    After they reached the intersection in total silence, Gu Fei turned to walk toward the direction of his house. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t have the heart to say goodbye, but neither did Gu Fei.


    He pulled on his mask and walked toward Li Baoguo¡¯s house.


    From miles away, a quarrel could be heard. The squabble was quite fierce and was also combined with both men and women.


    As he approached the source of the sound, he could finally see that it was coming from the building beside Li Baoguo¡¯s apartment. Under the building stood a man and a woman, behind the second-floor window also stood a man and a woman.


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t hear the reason for the quarrel, but the members from both teams were earnestly swearing at each other ¨C words clearly articulated.


    All sorts of reproductive systems and indescribable scenes were spat out, certain vocabularies were sometimes recycled and reused. Jiang Cheng even felt embarrassed for them as they passed through his ear.


    When he arrived under the building, the man on the second floor suddenly appeared in front of the window with a pot, Jiang Cheng looked up and quickly jumped aside.


    Immediately following, the pot of water filled with vegetable leaves poured out.


    Even though Jiang Cheng was not drenched, his body was splashed with water. Instantly, he was coated by a strong air of disgust, strong enough that his mask was almost blasted away.


    ¡°Are you sick?! What a bunch of idiots!¡± He shouted. ¡°If you have the guts, go outside and have a fight with your fists! Don¡¯t waste what little skills you have on being a shrew! Coward!¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t look at the people around him after his outroar, he simply turned and entered the corridor inside.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if those people were momentarily shocked or unable to understand what he had just blared out, but nonetheless, both sides lowered their volume and quietly finished off their quarrel with a few more swears ¨C just like this, the fight abruptly ended.


    Jiang Cheng patted away the water, there were even a few nail-sized lettuce leaves. Fuck!


    Just as he fished out the keys, the door to Li Baoguo¡¯s house opened. Li Baoguo stuck out his head, revealing a face full of radiance: ¡°Was that you just now?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Cheng answered in a throaty, glum mood.


    ¡°That was some good cursing,¡± Li Baoguo said with a smile. ¡°You are exactly how my son should be like.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t try to catch on to the conversation, instead, he walked past and entered the room.


    The room was still as ruined as before, but that day there was an added air of estrangement.


    A table full of food, along with two men, two women and three children sitting down. Huddled around the table, they filled the small living room to its maximum.


    ¡°Come, Cheng Cheng,¡± Li Baoguo closed the door and very affectionately lifted an arm to wrap around his shoulders. ¡°Let me introduce you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng extremely despised his shoulders being touched by unfamiliar people ¨C it was only with gritted teeth that he refrained from throwing his arm away.


    ¡°This is your older brother Li Hui, the eldest,¡± Li Baoguo pointed toward a man of twenty-six to twenty-seven years of age, and then to the younger woman on the side. ¡°This is your sister-in-law, those two are your nephews¡­ come here, call him uncle!¡±


    The two little boys watching TV on the side simultaneously turned their heads in Jiang Cheng¡¯s direction, but as if they hadn¡¯t heard a thing, they turned their heads away.


    ¡°Hey! Little bastards! I¡¯m telling you to address your uncle!¡± Li Baoguo yelled out.


    Those two children didn¡¯t even bother to turn their heads this time.


    ¡°You guys¡­¡± Li Baoguo pointed at them as if wanting to continue but was then unsure of what else to say.


    ¡°No worries, we¡¯re unfamiliar with each other,¡± Jiang Cheng patted his arm. He only wanted to be quickly freed from Li Baoguo¡¯s loud voice and flying spit as well as the arm around his shoulders that was causing his whole body to stiffen.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come back for you guys later!¡± Li Baoguo then pointed toward the other woman, ¡°This is your older sister, Li Qing, this is your brother-in-law¡­. your niece, call him uncle!¡±


    ¡°Uncle.¡± A four to five years old little girl standing to the side addressed him with a low voice as if she got frightened.


    ¡°Hello,¡± Jiang Cheng forced out a smile.


    Li Baoguo finally released him. Jiang Cheng left a few words telling them he was going to change his clothes and quickly disappeared into his own bedroom. Once the door closed, he leaned against the door and closed his eyes.


    Since the moment he walked through the door, with the exception of Li Baoguo, no one else in the room full of people offered him a single trace of a smile on their faces.


    When Li Baoguo introduced them one by one, everyone only nodded their heads and not a word was uttered.


    But this form of aloofness was not because he was unwelcomed nor any other disdain; rather, it was a natural reaction formed from blankness and numbness.


    Even more horrendous was the pressurizing atmosphere.


    In just a short span of two minutes, Jiang Chang already had difficulties breathing.


    He took off his coat, and with a hand on the wall to support himself, he breathed in a few lungs full of air, slowly exhaling then inhaling then exhaling again and finally letting out a light sigh.


    He couldn¡¯t even remember how many times he sighed within these few days, probably enough to blow a welcoming balloon.


    After staying in his room for several minutes, Li Baoguo started to loudly call for him from the other side. Jiang Cheng rubbed his face and had no choice but to open the door and walk out.


    Everyone in the room had already taken a seat around the dining table, those two little bastards who were only able to focus on the TV were also seated ¨C and not only seated ¨C they had already started eating, using their hands to grab the ribs into their bowl and gnawing on them.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat,¡± Li Qing said and reached out a hand to pick up the bowl in front of him.


    ¡°Thank you, I can do it myself,¡± Jiang Cheng quickly picked up the bowl. ¡°You go ahead and eat.¡±


    ¡°Let her fill it,¡± Li Baoguo stood to the side and said. ¡°These sorts of things are meant to be done by women.¡±


    Jiang Cheng froze, Li Qing took the bowl from his hand and moved to the side where the pot was and filled his bowl with rice.


    ¡°Come, we have to have a drink today.¡± Li Baoguo lifted up two bottles of alcohol from the floor, most likely brought along by Li Qing or Li Hui. But before Jiang Cheng could tell what alcohol it was, he had already opened the cabinet door beside him and put the bottles inside. Then from the cabinet, he took out another bottle, ¡°I brewed this myself, quills fruit wine.¡±


    ¡°Just drink the two bottles Li Qing brought,¡± Li Hui seemed somewhat discontent. ¡°You always bring out this rotten wine of yours to show off, it tastes like dishwater.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Li Baoguo put down the wine bottle on the table, ¡°You think that your old geezer¡¯s wine is an abhorrence? If you¡¯re against it then bring your own wine too, why come empty-handed and still be picky?¡±


    ¡°Dad, what are you saying,¡± sister-in-law started, her tone full of discontent. ¡°Your son comes for a visit and you¡¯re still critical of whether he brought back things or not.¡±


    ¡°You shut up!¡± Li Baoguo bulged his eyes, ¡°Since when did this household give a woman a turn to speak!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with a woman?!¡± Sister-in-law raised her voice, ¡°Without me as a woman, where would you get yourself two grandsons? Are you counting on your daughter to birth you grandsons? She¡¯s not even able to give birth to any grandchild!¡±


    Jiang Cheng felt himself fall into a state of utter shock, shocked that this family could start a fight from such simple conversations, shocked that they could fight over a dinner that was supposed to demonstrate family harmony and seeing Li Qing and her husband sitting in utter silence shocked him even more.


    ¡°I have grandsons because I have a son!¡± Li Baoguo¡¯s voice was loud enough to vibrate the light fixture on the ceiling, ¡°I now have one more son. If I want grandsons, it¡¯s only a matter of minutes! Li Hui, are you a man or not, your wife is behaving in such a sordid manner and yet you can¡¯t even say shit back!¡±


    ¡°What is there to fuss about!¡± Li Hui slammed his chopsticks down on the table and stood up. It was unclear who this sentence was directed toward ¨C Li Baoguo or his wife.


    ¡°Why ask me? Do you not know what we¡¯re fighting about!¡± Sister-in-law¡¯s voice rose to a shrilling volume.


    When this sounds escaped from her throat, the two little bastards who had their hands in the food simultaneously raised their heads toward the ceiling and burst out wailing. It sounded as if someone had triggered the alarm, causing people¡¯s brains to tingle.


    Jiang Cheng stood up, went back to his own room and closed the door behind him.


    The argument on the other side was still going on, men were yelling, women were screaming, and children freed their vocal cords to bawl ¨C sadly, the battered door could do nothing to hold back these voices that could make anyone fall into despair.


    Behind the thin panel of wood stood his real family, the kind of family that was annoying to watch even in television dramas. They were the type of people that he always looked down on, no, not even ¡®looked-down on¡¯, it¡¯s more like the type of people whom he never would have paid attention to.


    If he had grown up in this environment, would he have been just like them?


    His own explosive nature, his longer-than-usual rebellious phase ¨C was this all genetically inherited?


    Was this written in his genes?


    A rebellious phase? Maybe there never was any rebellious phase.


    But instead, his terrifying nature.


    Someone knocked on the door behind his back, the people outside were still fighting, he even heard the sound of someone kicking over a chair. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he was leaning against the door, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to hear this wispy knock.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng?¡± Li Qing¡¯s voice sounded, equally soft.


    He hesitated for a few seconds, then turned and opened the door to a crack, looking back at Li Qing who stood outside the door with uneasiness.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Li Qing asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    Are you okay? This sentence should be more appropriately directed toward Li Qing.


    ¡°That¡­¡± Li Qing turned back to gaze at the foul atmosphere in the living room, ¡°How about I bring in some dishes for you to eat inside?¡±


    ¡°No, thanks,¡± Jiang Cheng replied. ¡°I really¡­. can¡¯t stomach it.¡±


    Li Qing did not continue to speak; he then closed the door again and locked it.


    After dazedly standing in the center of the room for a while, he walked toward the window, with his hands on the clasp he tried to turn it.


    The window did not budge.


    Jiang Cheng had been trying to open this very window since the day he arrived, yet not once had he succeeded. This window seemed to have been welded shut, refusing to budge even the width of a hairline.


    Jiang Cheng furiously attempted to turn the clasp with a few more tries, in the end, he started to push.


    He did not succeed even when he broke out in sweats.


    Staring at the window panel, listening to the chaos occurring outside, he could only feel as if something within him was about to explode.


    He turned to grab the chair behind him and fiercely flung it toward the window.


    The glass window broke at an enormously piercing volume.


    This sound made Jiang Cheng feel very comfortable, all the pores on his body instantly opened. He once again lifted the chair and smashed again.


    The glass shattered into bits with the broken pieces scattering onto the floor.


    He smashed, again and again ¨C the bickering noises in the living room turned into smashes against the door, but he was reluctant to listen.


    When the glass was completely broken, he aimed at the window frame and kicked.


    The window finally opened


    The sounds of keys turning transmitted from the other side of the door. With one hand on the windowsill for support, he jumped out.


    Fuck biological.


    [1] Ladder ¸ø¸ǫ̈½×Ï ¨C or ¡°steps¡±, generally meaning when one puts themselves at an awkward position, another person may ¡°hand them a ladder/steps¡± for them to walk down from that situation so it¡¯s not as awkward.


    [2] ¡°A thread in the hands of her loving brother¡­¡± ¨C ¡°For Her Son Who¡¯ll Be Away for a While by Meng Jiao¡±, Gong Jinghao.


    ´ÈĸÊÖÖÐÏß, ÓÎ×ÓÉíÉÏÒÂ. Needle and thread in doting mother¡¯s hand, Turn out garments for her son out to roam the land.


    ÁÙÐÐÃÜÃÜ·ì, Òâ¿Ö³Ù³Ù¹é. She puts in more stitches e¡¯en as he leaves, And frets that his homecoming may be moved back.


    Ë­ÑÔ´ç²ÝÐÄ£¬±¨µÃÈý´ºêÍ¡£Who says the tiny inch-tall blade of grass, Can e¡¯er repay the warm sunshine of spring


    [3] Wake up and make love with me£¬wake up and make love¡­¡­ ¨C originally in English

 CH 11

    The moment he jumped out of the window, the cold wind poured into his breath, squeezed into his pores and finally penetrated inside his body.


    It felt amazing.


    The broken glass that fell under the windowsill made a few short and crisp sounds beneath his feet ¨C Jiang Cheng felt that his feeling of suffocation had finally disappeared.


    The sky outside was a complete blanket of darkness with no streetlights. The moon had gone somewhere unknown, leaving only the faint light that was visible from the windows of various households, which made it possible to vaguely see that this was the back of the building that had not been cleared of a large area of snow.


    Jiang Cheng fished his cell phone out of his pocket and turned on the flashlight before treading ahead through the snow with deep and light steps, from the back of the building to the end of a small street.


    Ahead was some sort of small factory with no road there.


    He stopped and stood in the darkness.


    After the immense outburst, he slowly calmed down in the cold wind and was now somewhat at a loss.


    Where should I go?


    What should I do?


    With no goal or a purpose.


    He looked down at the time on his phone and pondered on what he should do now.


    It¡¯s too fucking cold, shit. He had actually forgotten to put on a jacket when he jumped out.


    There was a trace of a dirty smear on the phone screen. He used his fingers to rub at it, unfortunately, not only was the previous trace not erased, but a new one was added.


    The highly dark surroundings were the culprits in making it nearly impossible for him to clearly see what it was, and he could only vaguely feel that his fingers were wet.


    But soon he reacted and quickly turn the phone screen toward his own fingers and searched.


    Blood.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± he said in a low voice.


    It was a bit frightening ¨C a bloody hand.


    The bitter cold hand had gone somewhat numb, he couldn¡¯t feel the pain at all; he even looked until he found the cut in the center of his palm.


    Quite deep ¨C the blood was still gushing without a sign of stopping.


    Jiang Cheng searched around in both of his pants pockets yet couldn¡¯t even find a scrap of paper ¨C all he could do was pull down the corner of his sweater and firmly held onto it at his palm.


    Such a cold day did not actually freeze the wound up.


    ¡­ that¡¯s right, such a cold day.


    He didn¡¯t even have a jacket.


    Shit!


    It was only until this moment that Jiang Cheng seemed to have been suddenly roused by the bone-chilling coldness.


    No coat, no money, and endlessly flowing blood.


    He assessed the direction and ran to the junction of the small street to the side; Li Baoguo had mentioned that there was a community hospital over there where you could ask someone to help bind up a wound first and stay warm.


    After running for a few steps, he could barely endure the cold ¨C the running changed into hopping and skipping, soon he couldn¡¯t even feel the warmth of his own breath.


    It¡¯s so fucking cold!


    Li Baoguo had said that that community hospital was not particularly obvious ¨C he actually was not wrong; it was far more unclear, and Jiang Cheng only saw it when he ran over.


    Even the lights weren¡¯t turned on.


    ¡­ the lights aren¡¯t turned on?


    He was stunned, the lights aren¡¯t turned on.


    Only when he squinted his eyes to look at the front door did he see a sign hanging there. The bitter cold had made his eyes tremble involuntarily, and as he got closer for a better look; the general idea was that the doctor had returned home for dinner.


    ¡°¡­ no way!¡± He knocked on the door twice but there was no response.


    There was a phone number on the sign, but he didn¡¯t call it. If he actually did, he would have to wait for the doctor to come back; he reckoned by then, he would have already frozen to death.


    He scrunched his eyebrows and turned to look to the side.


    Gu Fei¡¯s family shop was about five meters in distance from there and the lights were on.


    Although he was very much reluctant to have Gu Fei see him in a sorry state again¡­ it was just too fucking cold!


    He hopped over there, opened the door to the shop and lifted up the curtain.


    The warmth that struck him in the face made his entirely stiff body and cramped tendons relax almost immediately.


    But then he caught himself and stared blankly ¨C somewhat awkward.


    He didn¡¯t know the reason for why he always felt a sense of awkwardness every time he entered Gu Fei¡¯s shop.


    The space where ¡®Bu Shi Hao Niao¡¯ sat in last time now had a small table there, and on there was an electric stove cooking something ¨C a pot that was braving the heat¡­ it was probably lamb meat soup, he could smell it.


    Gu Fei was in the process of giving Gu Miao a ladle of soup.


    And in the position directly facing the door was a woman, over twenty years of age or so.


    Apart from the slightly large disparity in age, they looked like a family of three, and that made Jiang Cheng suddenly feel as though he did not appear at a good time at all.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Gu Fei twisted his head around only to be taken aback when he saw him. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Can you not ask?¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°I just¡­ passed by.¡±


    ¡°Your friend?¡± The woman looked at Gu Fei and asked.


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei stood up and walked up to Jiang Cheng, his gaze dropping down to his hand.


    The woman also stood up: ¡°What¡¯s the matter¡­¡±


    ¡°The first-aid kit,¡± Gu Fei turned and said.


    ¡°En.¡± She quickly walked into the small room.


    Meanwhile, Gu Miao sat completely still at the side of the table with a spoon held tightly in her hand. Her eyes widened, somewhat looking anxiously over there.


    Jiang Cheng noticed that Gu Fei had moved a bit closer to him, blocking the center of Gu Miao¡¯s line of sight ¨C he in turn, quickly brought his hand to his back to hide it.


    ¡°Go into the room,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng quickened his steps into the small room, the woman had already brought out the first-aid kit and when she saw him, she said softly: ¡°Hand?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng replied, ¡°The community hospital¡­¡±


    ¡°The doctor always eats at this time,¡± the woman said. ¡°Is it serious? I¡¯ll help you clean up first, disinfect the wound.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not serious,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the medical kit, everything seemed to be there. ¡°I can do it myself.¡±


    ¡°Just one hand requires a lot more effort ah,¡± the woman laughed. ¡°It¡¯s faster if I help you treat it.¡±


    ¡°Is it a knife wound?¡± Gu Fei asked as he entered.


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng hesitated for a moment and loosened the hand that had been gripping the sweater.


    After loosening his hand, he was utterly shocked at the sight ¨C the sweater had already been dyed with a large area of bloodstain.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Gu Fei frowned as he looked at his hand and then glanced toward the sweater before saying to the woman: ¡°Let me do it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, would I actually be scared by this little wound,¡± the woman smiled and pushed him. ¡°You can just go and keep Gu Miao company, I can see that she was very anxious just now.¡±


    ¡°En ¡­¡± Gu Fei hesitated for a moment, then turned and walked out, but he stopped after two steps and turned his head to introduce the two. ¡°My classmate, Jiang Cheng. This is my older sister, Ding Zhuxin.¡±


    ¡°You can just call me Xin-jie[1],¡± Ding Zhuxin laughed and pulled Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand over. ¡°Let me take a look¡­ the wound seems to be quite deep ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jiang Cheng responded.


    Zhuxin? This name wasn¡¯t skillfully thought of ¨C the core of bamboo is hollow.[2]


    Jiang Cheng expressed mild confusion toward the emergence of his rather sudden artistic train of thought that day.


    ¡°I will use saline to clean it up for you first,¡± Ding Zhuxin said. ¡°Then use iodine in a bit.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it,¡± Ding Zhuxin said smiling.


    With the temperature in the room having been set on high, his body soon warmed up, but the pain from the wound seemed to have also awakened and started to hurt tremendously.


    After Ding Zhuxin helped him clean the blood on his hand, he found that the gash was indeed not small.


    ¡°Must¡¯ve been cut by glass huh,¡± Ding Zhuxin said. ¡°How careless.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t speak.


    Gu Fei¡¯s older sister surname is Ding? Did she take the mom¡¯s surname?


    And although Ding Zhuxin was very beautiful and had an unearthly pale skin that was nearly transparent, from Jiang Cheng¡¯s perspective, the long and thick lashes covered her eyes ¨C but it was completely different from Gu Fei and Gu Miao.


    ¡°You¡¯re Gu Fei¡¯s older sister?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not biological,¡± Ding Zhuxin laughed. ¡°He calls me sister, I used to live in the apartment above his family¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng also laughed.


    ¡°I watched him grow up, and as a kid, he was my follower.¡± After Ding Zhuxin applied the iodine for him, she took out the gauze from the first-aid kit and covered the wound. ¡°You can only leave it like this first, wrap it and then have the doctor take a look at it later.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jiang Cheng stood up.


    ¡°Why are you always saying thanks?¡± Ding Zhuxin said casually as she put away everything into the first-aid kit. ¡°Whenever I help Da Fei with his wounds, he has never said thank you.¡±


    He really doesn¡¯t have any manners.


    Jiang Cheng said to himself ¨C thinking about it again, perhaps they were too comfortable in each other¡¯s presence.


    After he came in, although Ding Zhuxin only said a few words to Gu Fei, he could sense that they were very familiar with each other ¨C especially after Ding Zhuxin turned her face to the side, Jiang Cheng saw a small musical note on her earlobe¡­


    Sister? Tsk.


    He didn¡¯t expect Gu Fei to have this kind of preference¡­ no matter how you look at this woman, she was at least four to five years older.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re Da Fei¡¯s classmate?¡± Ding Zhuxin asked. ¡°It seems I haven¡¯t seen you before¡­ but then again, he doesn¡¯t have much to do with his classmates.¡±


    ¡°I just transferred over,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°It¡¯s like that huh,¡± Ding Zhuxin glanced at him.


    ¡°All better now?¡± Gu Fei pushed open the door.


    ¡°All better,¡± Ding Zhuxin said. ¡°Just have Dr. Zhang take a look at it when he returns.¡±


    ¡°Is the wound deep?¡± Gu Fei asked again.


    ¡°How deep can it be with just one cut,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Er Miao wants me to ask ¡®Cheng-ge, have you eaten yet?¡¯¡± Gu Fei glanced out.


    ¡°¡­ not yet,¡± Jiang Cheng answered somewhat depressingly.


    ¡°That¡¯s perfect, let¡¯s eat together,¡± Ding Zhuxin said. As she walked out, her hand landed naturally on Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I was just saying I bought too much lamb meat today, the two of them wouldn¡¯t be able to finish it all.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it inconvenient?¡± Jiang Cheng hesitated and lowered his voice.


    ¡°What¡¯s inconvenient?¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t comprehend what he meant but still subconsciously followed him in reducing his volume.


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± Jiang Cheng quickly cast a glance at Ding Zhuxin¡¯s back, ¡°Your sister.¡±


    Gu Fei was stunned and then leaned back on the door frame with a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth. ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not inconvenient, isn¡¯t Er Miao also there.¡± Gu Fei went inside the room, took out a sweater from the cabinet and threw it on the bed. ¡°Change out of that, she¡¯ll be scared.¡±


    After Gu Fei walked out, he picked up the sweater and checked out the size, good enough, and then he changed into it.


    Then he looked down and analyzed it, this sweater shouldn¡¯t have been knitted by Gu Fei, right¡­


    ¡°Need help?¡± Gu Fei shouted from the other side.


    ¡°No need!¡± He replied quickly and folded the clothes he had changed out of before placing them on the chair next to him.


    As soon as he walked out of the room, the thick aroma of lamb soup that pervaded the inside of the shop immediately attacked his nostrils ¨C Jiang Cheng¡¯s hunger was of such intensity that his heart shook with anxiousness.


    ¡°Smells good huh,¡± Ding Zhuxin was putting a ladle of soup in a bowl.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng walked over and sat down at the side of the small table.


    ¡°This is the very first time I¡¯ve ever seen Er Miao want someone to stay to eat ¨C what a great improvement after having not been here for two months!¡± Ding Zhuxin picked up two pieces of lamb meat and placed them in Gu Miao¡¯s bowl, ¡°Jiang Cheng, have you transferred here for a long time? Was it last semester?¡±


    ¡°This semester,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Ding Zhuxin looked at him for a good few seconds, then laughed and placed a bowl of soup in front of him. ¡°How unexpected.¡±


    Gu Miao drank the soup while secretly glancing at the gauze around Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine now,¡± Gu Fei grabbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand and put it before her. ¡°Look.¡±


    Jiang Cheng was injured on the right hand ¨C the chopsticks were already being held with unsteadiness; with that sudden grab, the chopsticks flew out of his hand and fell to the floor.


    Gu Miao very carefully touched his hand lightly.


    ¡°Let go,¡± Ding Zhuxin gave Gu Fei¡¯s hand a slap and then picked up the chopsticks. ¡°His hand is still injured yet you grabbed it so violently.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go wash it,¡± Gu Fei reached out to get the chopsticks.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go¡­¡± Jiang Cheng wanted to stand up.


    ¡°You two can just sit down, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m eating.¡± Ding Zhuxin got up and walked out the back door.


    ¡°She¡¯s not eating?¡± Jiang Cheng was shocked, just now realizing that there were only three bowls and three pairs of chopsticks on the table ¨C a sense of awkwardness mixed with embarrassment struck him. It should not be that there were only three bowls and three pairs of chopsticks altogether but then adding him, there wasn¡¯t enough?!


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t eat at night, it¡¯s been like that for many years.¡± Gu Fei gave him his chopsticks, ¡°I haven¡¯t used them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not in a rush,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°You¡¯re really not in a rush?¡± Gu Fei tilted his head to the side and looked at him, ¡°I feel like your gaze has become dead from hunger.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± Jiang Cheng took his chopsticks, picked up a piece of lamb, and ate it.


    It was probably really due to the acute hunger that out of nowhere, this piece of lamb meat immediately topped the three most delicious food he had eaten in the last two years.


    When Ding Zhuxin returned and saw the chopsticks in Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand, she froze, then placed the clean chopsticks in front of Gu Fei. She said lightly: ¡°I¡¯m leaving ah.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei stood up and grabbed her coat from behind the checkout counter for her.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to eat a bit? It¡¯s very¡­ delicious.¡± Jiang Cheng also stood and said even though he didn¡¯t know what to say exactly, and after he did say it, he felt even more awkward.


    ¡°You guys can just eat it ¨C eat a bit more.¡± Ding Zhuxin laughed and put on her coat. ¡°I¡¯m on a diet.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng hesitated for a moment but then sat back down only to see Gu Miao pointing at the pot of meat. He nodded his head, ¡°I¡¯ll get it for you.¡±


    However, Gu Miao then pointed at his empty bowl.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not in a rush.¡± Jiang Cheng felt a bit embarrassed ¨C he was hungry to such an extent that even the little girl could see it, so in order to show that he was not in a rush, he had to turn his head to look at Gu Fei and Ding Zhuxin.


    ¡°Keys,¡± Ding Zhuxin reached out her hand toward Gu Fei.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡± Gu Fei asked, fishing his motorcycle keys out of his pocket.


    ¡°When I was street-racing, you were still occupied with studying all the way from primary to junior middle school.¡± Ding Zhuxin took the keys, turned around and left the shop.


    Gu Fei followed behind to the door for a glance and then returned to sit back down.


    After Ding Zhuxin left, Jiang Cheng was inexplicably relieved. This was indeed the first time he felt such a strong sense of awkwardness with a girl around.


    Ding Zhuxin was very beautiful, also it was the kind of beauty that was emphatically not unassuming and not aggressive. Ordinarily, he would look a little longer if he were to come across that kind of appearance on the street.


    As he picked up the meat, his hand was still hurting. He did not dare to use much strength; looking at his own posture, it looked like he was about to explode, afraid that if his hand tremble even the slightest, the meat would drop on the table.


    Gu Fei took a big colander spoon from the side, put it in the pot and scooped out a large spoonful of lamb and passed it over to Jiang Cheng. ¡°It looks tough on you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Jiang Cheng moved half of the meat into his own bowl, then pulled Gu Miao¡¯s bowl over and moved the remaining into her bowl.


    ¡°How did you hurt your hand?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Jiang Cheng did not answer but that stemmed from truly not knowing what to say. Gu Fei must have known about Li Baoguo¡¯s family. If he was to mention the situation, it would only give others another topic to converse ¨C although, Gu Fei did not appear to be someone who gossiped about these kinds of things.


    He was silent for a moment: ¡°Bit myself.¡±


    Gu Miao looked at him, and after being stunned, she laughed out loud.


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good bite,¡± Gu Fei nodded his head. ¡°Still, better to learn to cherish yourself. In the future, bite down lightly.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Miao and laughed with her before he drank all his soup.


    ¡°Are you going back in a bit?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Jiang Cheng answered very straightforwardly this time.


    ¡°You have any place to go?¡± Gu Fei took two vegetables from a small basket to the side and put them in the pot.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jiang Cheng said but was then somewhat hesitant. He went quiet for almost two minutes then once more spoke with difficulties. ¡°Do you have money? Lend me some.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡± Gu Fei put down his chopsticks.


    Jiang Cheng thought about it, ¡°Just 500. I can transfer the money to you on my phone.¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Gu Fei pulled out his wallet and took out 500 RMB.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jiang Cheng took the money, feeling quite at peace. He picked up his phone while saying, ¡°Just friend me, I¡¯ll transfer it over to you.¡±


    ¡°Actually, once you get out of the intersection and turn right, there¡¯s a fork in the road about 200 meters away. If you walk in there all the way to the end, there¡¯s a Ru Jia[3] Hotel.¡± Gu Fei turned his phone on, ¡°You will use less than 500.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at him but didn¡¯t speak as he picked up his bowl and sipped the soup.


    Although Gu Fei didn¡¯t guess wrong ¨C and couldn¡¯t guess wrong ¨C under such circumstances, he had no choice aside from going to a hotel, but if he was to put it that way, it would make him lose face.


    His phone sounded and he looked down at the screen.


    It was Gu Fei¡¯s friend request.


    СÍÃ×Ó¹Ô¹Ô. [Gentle little bunny]


    This nickname nearly made him spout the soup in his mouth onto the phone.


    ¡°This is you?¡± he faced the phone in front of Gu Fei.


    ¡°En, cute right?¡± Gu Fei said with a face of calmness.


    ¡°¡­very cute,¡± Jiang Cheng was somewhat speechless. After accepting the request, he took another look at Gu Fei¡¯s profile picture ¨C quite suitable with the nickname: a green-colored rabbit. If he wasn¡¯t mistaken, with the skill level and use of color, the artist should be Gu Miao. ¡°This profile picture, did Gu Miao draw it?¡±


    Gu Miao nodded her head from the side.


    ¡°The drawing is¡­ very nice,¡± Jiang Cheng praised very insincerely. Gu Miao¡¯s drawing skills were comparatively 724 of Xiao Ming¡¯s grandfather lesser than her skateboarding skills.


    When he was preparing to transfer the money to Gu Fei, the door to the shop sounded; someone pulled it up and lifted the curtain to the side just the slightest.


    He glanced over there and felt a bit strange. It was normal to buy things at this time ¨C why the hell would you only lift the corner of the curtain as if you were sneaking a peek¡­


    Without waiting for him to understand, Gu Fei had already thrown his phone on the table and jumped up.


    ¡°Ai?¡± He stared blankly, holding up the cellphone in his hand as he watched Gu Fei dash out, catching a thief?


    Generally speaking, he didn¡¯t like to meddle in other people¡¯s business, in that way, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to live to 103 years old later on. But he was at Gu Fei¡¯s place right now and Gu Fei had already dashed out ¨C it was impossible for him to simply sit still.


    He stood up and prepared to go out. Just as he wanted to tell Gu Miao not to come out, he looked down only to see that Gu Miao was unexpectedly still eating as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look,¡± Jiang Cheng said before he also turned around and ran out.


    As soon as he was out of the shop, he saw Gu Fei clutching the collar of a man who was struggling with all his might.


    With the light illuminating from the dilapidated streetlamp being somewhat hazy, he could only see that the man was about 30 years old, wearing a faux leather jacket and skintight pants that wrapped around his slender legs, making them look like two toothpicks ¨C looking at them would make one feel disgusted.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing?! Let go!¡± The man grabbed Gu Fei¡¯s hand firmly, however, regardless of whether it was height or strength, he was clearly not Gu Fei¡¯s opponent. After being tormented for a long while and with Gu Fei not moving, he could only shout again. ¡°Let go!¡±


    ¡°Did I or did I not tell you not to let me see you again?¡± Gu Fei kept his voice down.


    ¡°Who do you think you are? Why should I give a fuck if you¡¯ve said it or not, so what if you did?¡± The man moved his face in front of Gu Fei¡¯s with provocation. ¡°I¡¯m here now, you can see me, right?! What are you going to do about it? You¡­¡±


    The series of questions had yet to be completely arranged when Gu Fei firmly gripped his collar and swung him over toward the tree to the side.


    The man was like a hollow inflatable air dancer as his face went forward and his entire body smashed against the tree trunk.


    Bang.


    Jiang Cheng felt as though his eyes had been magnified along with the sound ¨C it was the first time he knew that the weight of a human body could make such a loud sound from colliding against wood.


    After this sound, the world became quiet.


    The man stood plastered to the street for two seconds before he slowly slid down the trunk, kneeled on the ground and then leaned crookedly to the side, collapsing there motionlessly.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Jiang Cheng took two steps over there. Is he dead?


    After staring for a while with no sign of movement from the man, Jiang Cheng turned his head to look at Gu Fei, who did not speak for a long time.


    Although this person was thin and did not have a tall stature, he was a man after all, yet he was so easily flung toward the tree by Gu Fei using only one arm ¨C if a slow-motion effect was in place, it would be at least two to three seconds¡­


    He suddenly felt a cold chill run down his spine, with Gu Fei¡¯s skill, having killed a person or two would make sense.


    ¡°Go in,¡± Gu Fei glanced at him and walked toward the shop. ¡°Aren¡¯t you cold?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s he?¡± Jiang Cheng returned to his senses, ¡°That you can throw over there without care? What happens if he freezes to death?¡±


    ¡°If he¡¯s dead, I¡¯ll kill you off to silence you.¡± Gu Fei laughed.


    [1] -jie ½ã ¨C older sister


    [2] The core of a bamboo is hollow ¨C ¶¡ Ding (surname), Öñ (Zhu) bamboo, ÐÄ (Xin) core/heart/center


    [3] Rujia ¨C the name of a hotel chain that can be used as a residence and is considered inexpensive; the name RUJIA means ¡®like home¡¯.

 CH 12

    Jiang Cheng realized that he himself was quite the rotten person ¨C skipping class and picking fights were things he did not lack doing, but he had never knocked someone out cold and left them lying in the snow just for him to go back inside and continue eating.


    ¡°Hey,¡± he followed Gu Fei into the shop and stared intently as Gu Fei plopped back down on the chair nonchalantly. This conversation could not be bluntly carried out with Gu Miao present, so Jiang Cheng could only vaguely hint at it, ¡°That¡­ you¡¯re really not going to take care of it?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s fine,¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°He¡¯ll leave by himself once he stands up and he¡¯ll only need to fix his nose bridge at most¡­ you¡¯re quite kind. How come you weren¡¯t worried when you come into contact with Hou Zi and his gang.¡±


    ¡°Did I¡­¡± Jiang Cheng pointed toward the door and then after having to decide on a proper vocabulary for quite a while, he added: ¡°¡­ put them to sleep?¡±


    Gu Fei looked at him in silence, but the suppressed smile on his face could be easily seen.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jiang Cheng sat down. ¡°It¡¯s not like I caused it.¡±


    Gu Fei lowered his head and continued to eat. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything else afterward even though he really wasn¡¯t sure if the guy outside could ¡°stand up¡± and even ¡°walk away himself¡±.


    The difference in the environment was a plausible factor ¨C the environment he grew up in taught him that no matter how worrisome his actions were, there was always a ¡°degree¡± to which these actions were exercised. Yet Gu Fei, looking at this rundown old town, looking at the people around, this sort of unrestrained wildness was able to go unnoticed.


    Thinking in this way, Jiang Cheng actually felt quite thankful toward Gu Fei, thankful that when he lied face flat in the snow ¡°sleeping¡± back then, Gu Fei didn¡¯t let him freeze to death outside.


    Jiang Cheng was quite accustomed to eating in silence with the Gu siblings, the two previous meals were all like this. Gu Miao didn¡¯t talk, Jiang Cheng had nothing to say and Gu Fei had no desire to speak at all from the looks of it.


    Eating like this was quite time-efficient, ten minutes in and they were just about finished.


    As he put down his chopsticks and was going to say a word of gratitude, a string of painful curses sounded from outside the door. From the sound of it, the guy who was put to sleep had finally woken up.


    Jiang Cheng let out a sigh of relief and continued to listen.


    The person cursed but with great difficulty, most likely because his nose bridge was broken. Loosely listening to the words, his scripted cursing was stylistically very similar to the fight in which Li Baoguo¡¯s neighbors were involved.


    This was perhaps street culture.


    Except there was a sonorous phrase that caught his attention, so unable to refrain himself Jiang Cheng glanced up at Gu Fei.


    ¡°So I fucked your mom, what are you gonna do about it!¡± The person¡¯s speech was unclear, but it could still be deciphered.


    After Gu Fei¡¯s gaze met his own, he took a few more sips of the soup before responding: ¡°My mom¡¯s boyfriend¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Cheng did not wait for him to finish before expressing his own extreme surprise. Though the man was quite disgusting, he was at most around thirty, even if Gu Fei¡¯s mother gave birth to him at the age of twenty, she would still have to be close to forty.


    ¡°Among many,¡± Gu Fei finished his sentence.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Jiang Cheng froze.


    ¡°You full yet?¡± Gu Fei asked. ¡°There¡¯s still some more meat, add more if you¡¯re not full.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m full, I¡¯m full,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded hastily.


    ¡°Er Miao, clean this up,¡± Gu Fei said, putting down his chopsticks.


    Gu Miao instantly stood up and very proficiently stacked the bowls together before she gathered the chopsticks into one hand and carried them all out the backdoor.


    Looking at this manner, Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a bit displeased as he thought back to Li Baoguo saying, ¡°this sort of thing needs to be done by women¡±. Jiang Cheng reached out his hands wanting to help clean up.


    ¡°You sit still,¡± Gu Fei stopped him. ¡°She can do it.¡±


    ¡°Because these sorts of things should be done by women, right?¡± Jiang Cheng turned to glare at him.


    Gu Fei froze and then smiled: ¡°Did I say that?¡±


    ¡°Silent omission, right?¡± Jiang Cheng thought back to tonight¡¯s chaotic play put up by Li Baoguo¡¯s family and the anger he extinguished with great difficulty began to climb back up with a rapid pace.


    ¡°I,¡± Gu Fei pointed at himself, ¡°Cook.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°Gu Er Miao,¡± Gu Fei pointed toward Gu Miao¡¯s fleeting figure walking in and out of the back door, ¡°Wash the dishes¡±


    Jiang Cheng continued to look at him.


    ¡°Is there something wrong with that?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him, the flames of anger that were slowly crawling upward instantly all turned into awkwardness.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Gu Fei also looked at him.


    ¡°¡­ ah.¡± Jiang Cheng really was unsure of what to say next.


    Gu Fei ignored him. He stood up and left the table, sat down behind the cashier counter and lit up a cigarette, allowing it to dangle in his mouth.


    Jiang Cheng wanted to leave, but his upbringing didn¡¯t allow him to drop his chopsticks and leave after having a meal at someone else¡¯s house. He could only sit beside the table and watch as Gu Miao ran back and forth two, three times until the table was clean.


    Just as he was about to ask Gu Fei for a cigarette, Gu Fei stood up with the cigarette dangling in his mouth and followed Gu Miao out the door.


    All that was left inside the shop was him staring at an empty table surface, spacing out.


    Fuck.


    He took out his phone and sent Pan Zhi a message.


    ¨C Grandson.


    ¨C Grandpa! Wanna chat for a while?


    ¨C I¡¯m busy.


    Pan Zhi sent over a voice message: ¡°You fucking bored to death and sent this to play me! I got reprimanded by my mom just now and she wouldn¡¯t even give me a meal!¡±


    When Jiang Cheng heard this, he immediately laughed and returned him a voice message ¨C a full 20 seconds laughter.


    After having finished laughing, Jiang Cheng stood up and decided to take a look at what the Gu siblings were doing in the back. If nothing was going on, he should be leaving.


    When he exited from the back door, there was a small courtyard, most likely shared by a couple of storefronts at once, there was also a bathroom and a small kitchen.


    Jiang Cheng was knocked straight in the face by a gust of wind the instant he walked out the door, he immediately rushed towards the kitchen.


    Gu Fei stood with his back facing the door, Gu Miao stood beside the kitchen sink and was washing the dishes with hot water.


    The little girl was quite proficient, and her expression was also very concentrated.


    Jiang Cheng watched for a moment, unable to understand the point of Gu Fei standing here. Gu Miao was not a small child, if her job was to do the dishes, then let her be, why must he stand there and watch?


    ¡°That¡­¡± he cleared his throat.


    He was unsure if Gu Miao was too concentrated in washing since she acted as if she did not hear him and continued to wash the dishes with care.


    Gu Fei turned his head: ¡°En?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting ready to go,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Do you have jackets you don¡¯t wear often? Lend me one.¡±


    ¡°None,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng stared at him. ¡°What are you getting at?¡±


    ¡°There are ones I wear often,¡± Gu Fei answered. ¡°They¡¯re in the closet inside the room, you can go take one out yourself.¡±


    ¡°¡­ oh, thanks.¡± Jiang Cheng turned around, getting ready to get a jacket.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei¡¯s call halted him to a stop.


    Jiang Cheng stopped. Gu Fei following Gu Miao in calling him Cheng-ge made him feel a bit weird, but also inexplicably comfortable ¨C he almost wanted to answer back with ¡°what¡¯s up little bro.¡±


    ¡°Leave after she¡¯s finished washing, and tell her goodbye,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded his head, ¡°You¡­ give me a cigarette.¡±


    Gu Fei took out a lighter and a cigarette box from his pocket and handed them to him, then turned back around to keep watching Gu Miao wash the dishes.


    Jiang Cheng took the cigarette and backed out to the edge of the door to light it, then also turned to watch Gu Miao wash.


    Although he was unsure, and it was still inconvenient to ask ¨C he could feel that Gu Miao was possibly a bit different from the average child, hence Gu Fei had to watch over her even while she was washing the dishes.


    Except, if he was this anxious, why allow her to fly around the streets on a skateboard by herself. And even when she was bullied, he did not seem to do much about it.


    How interesting.


    All the people here are very interesting.


    Sometimes all these felt very unreal to him, these alleyways, these scenes, these people he had been seeing, these problems, they all seem somewhat illusionistic. Only when he was in contact with Pan Zhi did he feel as though he had returned to a realistic world.


    He had probably time traveled, right?


    Another era? Another dimension?


    In a different world?


    Thinking like this caused him to shiver in astonishment.


    Gu Fei just happened to have turned around to look at him: ¡°Isn¡¯t it better if you stayed inside?¡±


    Jiang Cheng ignored him.


    After having finished washing the dishes and putting them away, Gu Miao finally turned and exited the kitchen. As she passed Jiang Cheng, it was as if she didn¡¯t see him. Jiang Cheng followed her back into the shop, and it was only when she started to look for him did she turned around to see Jiang Cheng behind her.


    ¡®You¡¯re quite capable.¡± Jiang Cheng stuck up his thumb at her.


    Gu Miao rubbed her nose, seeming quite abashed.


    ¡°So,¡± Jiang Cheng bent down to talk to her, ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡±


    Gu Miao glanced at Gu Fei and then nodded her head toward Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later?¡± Jiang Cheng raised a hand and waved at her.


    Gu Miao also waved back at him.


    Jiang Cheng smiled, originally thinking he could hear her say a ¡°goodbye¡±, but it was still a pantomime.


    Gu Fei walked inside and took out a long down-jacket for him.


    ¡°Thank you¡± Jiang Cheng took the jacket from him while eyeing it.


    ¡°Hat, gloves, scarf, mask?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°¡­ no need,¡± Jiang Cheng replied since there was a total of only a couple hundred metres in distance. ¡°A charger¡­ do you have any extras?¡±


    Gu Fei walked back inside and took out a charger for him.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jiang Cheng took it and put it inside the jacket pocket.


    ¡°¡­ if someone was to throw a fist at you, would you also say a word of thanks out of habit?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give it a try?¡± Jiang Cheng pulled on the jacket, lifted up the curtains and walked out.


    Gu Fei stretched his back, then picked up his phone to look at the time. He lightly patted Gu Miao on the head: ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go home.¡±


    Gu Miao quickly closed all the doors and windows of the shop and then headed outside to wait for him with the skateboard hugged to her chest.


    He organized the money in the cash register and turned off the lights.


    ¡°We¡¯ll walk back today, Xin-jie borrowed our car,¡± Gu Fei said as he looked up the shop doors. ¡°You have to go into your room and do your homework once we get home, and you can only come out once you¡¯re finished.¡±


    Gu Miao nodded her head and dropped the skateboard onto the ground. With a simple push of her feet, she dashed out ten-some metres before being tripped over by an unknown objected and falling over from her board.


    Gu Fei laughed while blowing a whistle at her.


    Yet Gu Miao ignored him and dashed out again with her feet on the skateboard after climbing up from the ground.


    When they arrived home it was a bit past eight o¡¯clock, the living room light and TV were both on. The door to their mother¡¯s room was tightly shut, yet the faint glow of light could be seen through the cracks of the door.


    Once Gu Miao walked into her own room to do homework, Gu Fei walked over to stand outside his mother¡¯s door and knocked.


    There was no response from within.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to enter after one minute,¡± Gu Fei let out.


    After having entered the kitchen to boil a pot of water and steeped a cup of tea for himself, he once again walked over to stand outside the door to his mother¡¯s room. This time, he turned the doorknob after knocking twice.


    The door was not locked ¨C neither could it be locked. It was left unfixed from the last time he broke down the door while his mom made a farce on committing suicide.


    ¡°Get out,¡± Mom was sitting on a small sofa positioned under the windowsill with a phone in her hand, eyes flaming with anger as she glared at him. ¡°Get out! Who allowed you to come in!¡±


    ¡°You having a call with that guy?¡± Gu Fei started to raise his voice. ¡°You tell him, if he doesn¡¯t hang up now, I¡¯ll go find him tomorrow ¨C along with that part-time store he works at ¨C I won¡¯t leave even a single crumb behind once I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Mom rolled her eyes at him and pushed the phone under her ear. ¡°Tell you what¡­ hello? Hello? Hello! Bastard, son of a bitch!¡±


    His mom brutally threw her cell phone onto the sofa: ¡°No, like, what is your problem?! Your mom wants to fall in love and be in a relationship with someone yet why are you here being incessantly like this. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re minding too much of my business! It¡¯s not like there¡¯s much worth to inherit from our family, are you afraid there¡¯s going to be someone fighting over the inheritance from you two?¡±


    ¡°From your group of young men, pick one, a reliable one, ¡°Gu Fei took a sip of tea. ¡°See if I care.¡±


    ¡°Which one isn¡¯t reliable ah!¡± Mom¡¯s eyebrows scrunched, ¡°You¡¯re annoying me to death.¡±


    ¡°Which one is reliable?¡± Gu Fei looked at her. ¡°Stop giving them money and try ¨C see which one will still respond.¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they respond!¡± Mom slapped at the sofa. ¡°Am I that ugly looking? If I¡¯m ugly, then how could you have grown up with so many people praising you on being handsome!¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei picked up the small mirror that was silently lying on the bedside table and examined himself, ¡°Handsome.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Mom opened her mouth but was interrupted by him.


    ¡°Everyone was telling me how beautiful my mother was when she was young,¡± Gu Fei put down the mirror. ¡°Do you know what it means by ¡®when she was young¡¯? There are so many more young girls out there now who are prettier than you, younger than you, and stupider than you. If they¡¯re not here for a bit of your money, who at the age of twenty or thirty would be in a relationship with a forty-year-old like you¡­¡±


    ¡°Get out, get out, get out!¡± Mom jumped up from the sofa and pushed him out the door. ¡°I have nothing more to say to you, get out!¡±


    Gu Fei backhandedly grabbed her wrist: ¡°Don¡¯t take the money from the cash register anymore, there¡¯s only so much. I don¡¯t even have to count to know you took them.¡±


    His mom didn¡¯t respond, instead, she went back to her room and slammed the door shut.


    Gu Fei collapsed onto the living room sofa and continued to sip his tea. He grabbed the remote control and flipped through the channels ¨C this was a time left for the dramas with mothers, mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws, aunts and uncles to squabble and bicker, otherwise, it would be dramas with a Virgin Mary who was forgiving of the past and used love to melt the heart of a lying son of a bitch.


    After he browsed through the channels, he closed the TV and walked into his own room.


    Then he opened the computer, and without a single strand of hesitation of choosing photography over homework, Gu Fei began to process his photos.


    Homework ¨C he didn¡¯t know how to write them no matter if he did it or not. Just like how he always failed his tests no matter if he answered them or not.


    He transferred the photos from his camera to the computer, first he deleted the scrap shots and then picked out the ones that were worth processing from the remaining.


    Er Miao¡¯s shots were all pretty good. The little girl had wiped away all smiles from her face whenever she was being photographed, leaving only a serious expression as if she was about to go and bomb the school ¨C yet it was quite cool looking.


    The streetscape wasn¡¯t very good, too messy, and the background was too mismatched. The sunset ones were okay, the one with a person wearing a long red overcoat passing on the bridge was especially good looking in terms of color¡­ Jiang Cheng, Jiang Cheng, the ones with Jiang Cheng¡­


    He knitted his eyebrows together and compared them, deciding to keep the first one before deleting all the others.


    Plugging in his earphones, he started to process the photos while music was playing in the background.


    Processing photographs was quite tedious work, but it was also quite interesting to perform once he started ¨C much more interesting than attending class.


    Recently, this music player became quite extreme under his meticulous guidance. The songs in his personal radio station outdid the next in terms of bombarding his head, causing his mouse-clicking movements to look as if he was galvanized, and his actions were completed in muddled chaos.


    Once he changed the playlist to the one in his hard drive, it became much more calming.


    After he shuffled through two songs, the familiar sounds of a guitar started to play, soon followed by the piano and then the voice of a woman.


    I step up into the void, I¡¯m about to fly¡­ above me is confusion, below me I hear you say this world is empty¡­


    Gu Fei moved the mouse and clicked on the next song.


    Has it been a few years already, it didn¡¯t feel weird when he first wrote it, but now it sounded quite immature. The female voice was Ding Zhuxin, who had handled it quite nicely ¨C within the lazy and raucous voice contained doubt and struggle.


    After finishing Jiang Cheng¡¯s photos, he glanced at the time ¨C almost eleven o¡¯clock. Time was always like this. When you needed it, there was none and when you didn¡¯t need it, nothing could make it pass.


    Gu Fei stretched his back and looked at the screen display full of Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. The light was just right, the ambiance and style were just right, a teen wearing the expression of disdain was also just right, not making eye contact with the camera was also good.


    He was much better than those paid models Ding Zhuxin hired for her trash of an online store that Gu Fei used for practice.


    He downsized the photos by a slight fraction, checked to see if the photos as a whole had any problems before saving them and then opened Meitu Xiu Xiu.[1]


    Color change, light dimming, adding filter, fantasy, starlight¡­


    And finally, he even added a row of text on top of the photo¡ª¡ªsorrowful music, unbridled rotation, the night seemed all the more silent.


    After arranging the frame, he sent it to Jiang Cheng.


    Last of the Wilds[2], Jiang Cheng¡¯s ID seemed to imply that he was indeed a xueba. Even though the English letters appeared no different than Chinese Pinyin in front of Gu Fei, he had actually heard of this piece, and quite liked it in fact ¨C heavy metal style piper.


    And then taking a look at Jiang Cheng¡¯s profile picture, it was a view of his back and his profile, very blurry, but he could tell it was Jiang Cheng by looking at the nose¡­ this photo was taken quite nicely.


    A few minutes later, Jiang Cheng replied to his message.


    ¨C Do you have a problem¡­


    He started to smile.


    ¨C What¡¯s wrong?


    ¨C You must actually be an emoji artist right! Why didn¡¯t you make me a middle-aged, elderly man emoji? Tonight, we raise our cups and toast to our friendship and what not.


    ¨C Do you want it? I¡¯ll help you make one.


    ¨C Fuck off.


    Gu Fei leaned against the chair and laughed for some time before replying.


    ¨C Why, you don¡¯t like it?


    ¨C What happened to humanity?


    Gu Fei sent him the original version while laughing.


    On the other side, Jiang Cheng became silent and after a couple minutes, he finally replied.


    ¨C Just one? Is there any more?


    ¨C None, the other ones weren¡¯t as good, I deleted them.


    ¨C ¡­ well aren¡¯t you strict with yourself, couldn¡¯t you have sent them to me first and have me delete them myself?


    ¨C Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to delete them this afternoon?


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t reply.


    Gu Fei put down his cell phone and exercised his slightly stiff limbs before walking out of his room.


    The light in Gu Miao¡¯s room was already turned off. He walked over and pushed open the door to peek inside. The little girl had already finished her homework and also washed up, now she was wrapped up in her blanket sleeping soundly.


    When he was busy doing his own thing he didn¡¯t like to be disturbed, not only did Gu Miao remember this fact, even his unreliable mom knew this¡­ he was unsure of when his mom left the house, but she left without a single sound ¨C not disturbing him at all.


    Gu Fei knitted his eyebrows, took off his jacket that was hanging on the hook beside the door and fished out his wallet only to see that the hundred dollar bills inside were all gone.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± he swore under his breath.


    He returned to his room and dialed Liu Fan¡¯s number.


    ¡°Da Fei? You coming out? We¡¯re having a drink right now,¡± Liu Fan¡¯s joyful voice sounded from the other end. ¡°Li Yan and us, we¡¯re all here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going, I¡¯m tired, going to bed,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Go somewhere with me tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Going where?¡± Liu Fan asked immediately.


    ¡°The CD store I mentioned from last time,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°That shop with the boss and employees who all fake out that they¡¯re some musical geniuses?¡± Liu Fan asked.


    ¡°The boss is the real shit,¡± Gu Fei replied. ¡°I¡¯m looking for the thin-legged grasshopper.¡±


    ¡°I got it, you don¡¯t need to come,¡± Liu Fan clicked his tongue. ¡°It isn¡¯t right if you went. I¡¯ll bring the others with me, what kind of result do you want?¡±


    ¡°The result of turning and running the other way whenever he sees my mom,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Liu Fan answered.


    Once he hung up the call, his phone sounded again ¨C Jiang Cheng sent over a message.


    ¨C Thank you.


    Gu Fei glanced at his profile picture and realized he had already changed it to the one he just sent him.


    ¨C Changed your profile picture already?


    ¨C En, it¡¯s pretty cool.


    Gu Fei smiled. He put down his phone and got ready to wash up. When he got to the doorway, his phone sounded again.


    He walked back, picked it up and took a look.


    ¨C I might have to wear your jacket for another day tomorrow since I¡¯ll only have time to go buy one after school.


    ¨C Aren¡¯t you going to wash it before returning it to me?


    ¨C ¡­ do you have mysophobia?


    ¨C No, between the quilt cover and the jacket ¨C how about you choose one to wash.


    ¨C I¡¯ll wash the jacket and return it to you.


    Gu Fei yawned, not sure if it was because he ate too much meat that night, but he was extremely drowsy.


    After washing up, Gu Fei fell onto the bed and instantly fell asleep, and only when he felt cold throughout the night did he pulled on the blanket.


    When he woke up in the morning, everyone was gone. His mom didn¡¯t come back for the whole night and Gu Miao had already left for school by herself. He glanced at the time, not to mention morning reading, the first class had already passed by half.


    ¡°Ay¡ª¡ª¡± He dragged out his voice and stretch his back with all his might before he lazily organized his things and went out the door.


    Just as he arrived downstairs, Lao Xu¡¯s call came in: ¡°If you continue to be like this for this semester, are you waiting to be expelled?!¡±


    ¡°I overslept,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what excuse you have today,¡± Lao Xu replied. ¡°I need to have a talk with you at noon! I need to take responsibility for you!¡±


    ¡°¡­ what did you do to me that you need to take responsibility?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°You stop mouthing off!¡± Lao Xu replied. ¡°I didn¡¯t know about your problems before, that¡¯s my dereliction of duty! Now that I know, it is my duty to take care of you!¡±


    Gu Fei¡¯s steps faltered: ¡°What of my problems?¡±


    ¡°The problem with your father,¡± Lao Xu very earnestly replied. ¡°As your homeroom teacher, I sincerely hope you can open up your heart to me¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about my problem,¡± Gu Fei answered. ¡°Why do I care who you are? Do you believe that I can open up and kick your ass?¡±


    [1] Meitu Xiu Xiu ÃÀͼÐãÐã ¨C it¡¯s a photoshopping app


    [2] Last of the Wilds by Nightwish

 CH 13

    Jiang Cheng woke up a bit late in the morning. When he opened his eyes, it was almost time for the first period to begin.


    His record time for skipping class was two days, and for not returning home three days, yet he was barely late for class. He himself was not sure why, but if he decided to attend class, then he would much rather not be late.


    School had only just begun, he did not plan on skipping at the moment. He looked at the time and jumped out of bed, ran into the bathroom and grabbed a single-use toothbrush.


    He normally wouldn¡¯t use these things even when he stayed in hotels because these toothbrushes had deadly stiff bristles and its size was unnecessarily super large, plus they usually didn¡¯t have any favorable flavours¡­ and when he was gurgling, he wasn¡¯t sure if it was because he had put too much power into his left hand or the toothbrush was just too crappy, but he had noticed that his gums would bleed.


    When he lifted his head, he saw his own pale, sleep-deprived self in the mirror ¨C there were even hints of black circles around his eyes, paired with the white foam around his mouth¡­


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Facing the mirror, he used the hand wrapped in bandage to clasp his chest and pointed ahead dramatically as he painfully took a few breaths of air into his lungs. ¡°Shit¡­ there¡¯s poison¡­ in this shit! Ah!¡±


    He laughed to himself for a while after his performance ended, then remembering that he was almost late, he quickly started to splash water on his face for a quick wash.


    When he ran out of the motel after checking out, he could almost feel the Ru Jia from across the street laughing at him.


    That¡¯s right, he followed Gu Fei¡¯s clear instructions yesterday and found the Ru Jia. However, as he searched his whole body, he found that besides the five hundred yuan and the cell phone, not a single article of clothing belonged to himself. He simply couldn¡¯t stay at the Ru Jia in the end.


    Because he didn¡¯t have his ID on him, the receptionist threatened to call the police while he tried to have her help think of a way to get in ¨C it could not have gotten any worse.


    A large old area in a small rotten city, why was it so difficult to get a room in a motel?!


    He already had on Gu Fei¡¯s wool sweater, wearing Gu Fei¡¯s down-jacket, took Gu Fei¡¯s charger, also ate his meal and smoked his cigarette, he really had no face to go back and ask Gu Fei to let him borrow his ID.


    Just as he succumbed to his fate and decided to hole up in an internet cafe for the night, he spotted a small motel from across the street, and hence was finally saved.


    He turned back to give the small motel a final look, ¡°Zhou¡¯s Family Motel¡±, and mentally took note. The next time he wrote his memory logs he could come back and relish.


    After buying breakfast from a small shop below the motel, he didn¡¯t have the time to eat it before he stuffed it in his bag and furiously ran toward the direction of the school.


    The distance between Si Zhong and this side of the town weren¡¯t too far ¨C two stops away, and they were small stops too. If one was to use the time to wait for the bus and then squeeze on, you could have walked to your destination already. But to say that it was close, it still just about killed him running the full way and also, it was difficult to spot a taxi so early in the morning.


    As he ran toward the school gate, Jiang Cheng heard the warning bell rang. The people around him approached the gate as if they were filtered in a slow-motion shot, without a single sign of reaction, they continued to eat and chat away while slowly moving forward. In accordance with the rhythm of the warning bell, they stepped onto the school campus looking like they were strolling into their own backyard.


    He slowed his own steps, not wanting to seem like a fast-paced nerd in front of this large audience.


    Considering his current conditions, if he was in his previous school, the teachers on duty would have already started a swearing campaign. Yet the teacher standing at the gate of Si Zhong ¨C whether they were good-tempered or already accustomed to such nonsense ¨C was gently screaming: ¡°Hurry! Speed up your pace! Whoever climbs the gate after it closes will receive penalty marks!¡±


    Climb the gate? Jiang Cheng turned around to look at the school gate.


    The gate to Si Zhong was actually quite imposing: double layered, one layer was a half-person tall mechanized door, and on the inside was a two-framed metal door with spikes on the tip.


    He suddenly remembered that Gu Fei was late yesterday ¨C he climbed inside?


    Tsk. Just thinking about that row of pointy spikes, he could feel a swish of cold wind blowing past his crotch.


    As he climbed up the stairs someone called his name from behind: ¡°Jiang Cheng!¡±


    He turned around to see Wang Xu holding an extra-large-sized pancake, gnawing and running toward him at the same time.


    ¡°Geez, it¡¯s really you.¡± Wang Xu looked at him from top to bottom, ¡°I thought it was Da Fei just now, but then realized the hat isn¡¯t right¡­why are you wearing his clothes? These are his clothes, right?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng continued up the stairs.


    ¡°Did something happen?¡± Wang Xu looked at his hand. ¡°The fuck, what happened to your hand? Was it Hou Zi? You went to hide at Da Fei¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t. No,¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to hide it from me.¡± Wang Xu gave his shoulder a pat in a very loyal manner, ¡°This happened because of me. If anything else occurs, I¡¯ll take responsibility, just tell me the truth¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Jiang Cheng turned around to look at him. ¡°Pat my shoulder.¡±


    Wang Xu lifted his hand.


    ¡°Also, don¡¯t pat my back,¡± Jiang Cheng added.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Wang Xu quite uncomfortably contracted his hand back into his pocket, taking a few large strides as he passed Jiang Cheng and walked upstairs. ¡°So many problems.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t show up to the morning self-study period, no one knew if he was late or just skipped altogether.


    Jiang Cheng slouched over his desk, and using Zhou Jing¡¯s body to hide himself, he slowly ate his breakfast. Four weeks hadn¡¯t passed yet these five people were already eating together.


    He thought to himself as he ate, it had only been two days and he had already assimilated?


    His breakfast was actually very simple: fried dumplings and soymilk. He had even very carefully asked for cabbage fillings in his dumplings, being afraid that the smell would be too strong when he ate in class.


    Yet taking a look around him, Chinese chives filled dumplings, chives filled meat pies¡­ forget the smell, there was even someone slurping on a bowl of beef flavoured instant noodles.


    The first period was English, and Lao Lu walked in screaming as usual and unsurprisingly, he had even stolen half a dumpling from a kid who ate so slow that he was still eating after a period of self-study and break.


    ¡°Ay.¡± Zhou Jing shifted his head, ¡°Jiang Cheng, Jiang Cheng.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced at him, not uttering a sound.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng?¡± Zhou Jing called him again, ¡°Jiang Cheng.¡±


    ¡°Just say it,¡± Jiang Cheng finally knew why Gu Fei never bothered to acknowledge him, this person talked incessantly until you answered to your name.


    ¡°You¡¯re wearing Da Fei¡¯s clothes today, right?¡± Zhou Jing asked.


    Jiang Cheng scrunched his eyebrows and looked at the down-jacket draped over his chair. He was starting to feel that he wore a jacket that Gu Fei wore very often.


    Wang Xu recognized it with a single glance, even Zhou Jing recognized it ¨C half of the class had probably realized that he was wearing Gu Fei¡¯s jacket to class.


    As he lowered his head to look at the sweater on his body, he could only pray that this wasn¡¯t a regular as well.


    ¡°The sweater is Da Fei¡¯s as well, right?¡± Zhou Jing asked again. ¡°You were at Da Fei¡¯s house yesterday?¡±


    Fuck!


    Jiang Cheng ignored him and stretched over the desk wanting to nap.


    ¡°Ay, Jiang Cheng.¡± Zhou Jing did stop his habit of hitting against the desk, ¡°Why didn¡¯t Da Fei come to class today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll smack you if you don¡¯t shut the hell up,¡± Jiang Cheng muttered with his eyes closed.


    Zhou Jing sighed and no sound came from his direction afterward.


    The classroom was very cozy, roasting warm honestly, yet to take off the sweater just didn¡¯t seem right either, not to mention that he wasn¡¯t wearing anything under the sweater, and he couldn¡¯t sit in class half-naked.


    This Gu Fei seemed low-key, not saying more than two sentences at school nor did he seem to be especially close to anyone. He even went to the washroom alone, and yet, every single one of these people remembered what he wore.


    How fucking amazing.


    The second period was language class. After class ended, Lao Xu walked over and eyed him: ¡°Jiang Cheng, come over for a sec.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stood up, hesitatingly pulling on Gu Fei¡¯s jacket as he followed Lao Xu out of the classroom to stand out in the hallway together: ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Xu Zong?¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Gu Fei come to class today?¡± Lao Xu asked.


    ¡°How would I know?¡± Jiang Cheng was somewhat speechless.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Lao Xu looked at him, his face written with four gigantic characters, ¡®I don¡¯t believe you¡¯, followed by ¡®do you really not know or are you just unwilling to tell me?¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know him that well, why would I cover for him?¡± Jiang Cheng answered in annoyance.


    ¡°Oh, so it¡¯s like that,¡± Lao Xu sighed. ¡°I saw you wearing his clothes, so I assumed you guys were together yesterday and knew why he wasn¡¯t here today.¡±


    ¡°¡­ oh,¡± Jiang Cheng uttered, and he could only utter such. One more word and it felt like he would have a mouthful of old blood spurt out.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng ah,¡± Lao Xu looked at him. ¡°These two days that you have been in contact with Gu Fei, how do you feel about him as a person?¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at Lao Xu. If he didn¡¯t know for a fact that he was in school right now, that the person standing in front of him was his homeroom teacher and that Gu Fei was only his desk partner, he would have thought he was facing a blind date introducer.


    ¡°One day,¡± Jiang Cheng corrected Lao Xu¡¯s speech. ¡°Half a day to be precise.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he wasn¡¯t here yesterday afternoon,¡± Lao Xu knitted his eyebrows. ¡°Then, how do you feel¡­¡±


    ¡°I have no feels,¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted him. ¡°Xu Zong, I have no opinion towards this person.¡±


    ¡°Gu Fei is quite smart. He¡¯s different from the rest of those underachievers,¡± Lao Xu was adamant about expressing his own opinions. ¡°If his ideologies could be worked out, his grades would improve.¡±


    ¡°By me?¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at himself, he almost wanted to ask, ¡®you sure you¡¯re awake?¡¯


    ¡°No, no, me,¡± Lao Xu smiled, pointing a finger at himself. ¡°Ideologies should, of course, be worked out by the homeroom teacher.¡±


    Jiang Cheng remained silent. He could see that Lao Xu was a good person, but just based on his current position in the heart of his students, the difficulty of this job was quite big. Even a person like Zhou Jing wouldn¡¯t buy his words, let alone Gu Fei.


    ¡°I was thinking, your grades are very good,¡± Lao Xu stated. ¡°Could you be his learning partner?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Cheng stared at Lao Xu in surprise.


    Learning ¨C partner?


    This sort of pairing only took place during middle school, the end result was either that it resolved to nothing or early love relationships. To appear again in high school, Lao Xu¡¯s current expression really resembled that of a middle-aged sticker.[1]


    ¡°Not really learning-partners,¡± Lao Xu tried to explain. ¡°Just, help him out more often, have him listen to lectures more during class, teach him the questions he doesn¡¯t understand¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at him, unable to understand what power resided within Lao Xu that could make him believe the illusion of Gu Fei being able to accept the supervision of someone else.


    ¡°Before, I had Yi Jing tutor him during her free time. Yi Jing is the class president, she¡¯s very diligent, but she is a girl after all, it gets inconvenient,¡± Lao Xu blabbered on. ¡°So now I hope that you¡­ under the conditions that it does not influence your own grades, take care of a classmate.¡±


    Lao Xu¡¯s expression was very earnest. His tone tinted with a style of intervention made Jiang Cheng unsure of how to answer back.


    From a small age till now, he had always eaten soft rather than hard and ate earnestly rather than guises, however, with Lao Xu¡¯s overtly naive request, he really could not digest.


    ¡°Xu Zong,¡± he replied with equal sincerity. ¡°I think you should get to know me better before concluding that this job should be handed to me, grades aren¡¯t exactly industry standards to measuring a person¡¯s character. Don¡¯t you see that I didn¡¯t even bring my textbooks to class today?¡±


    The conversation did not continue once the bell for class started to ring.


    Gu Fei did not come to school for the whole morning, and no teacher bothered to ask during class, almost as if it didn¡¯t matter to them who came to class and who didn¡¯t.


    When class ended, Jiang Cheng was the first to leave the classroom. He had no items to collect, all he had to do was put on his jacket and leave. He left faster than those running to the cafeteria to grab food as he dashed out of the school like a streak of lightning.


    Today¡¯s luck was okay. Jiang Cheng spotted a taxi right as he exited the school gate, and without even waiting for the previous customer to get out he climbed in the shotgun position.


    ¡°Besides the shopping centre downtown,¡± Jiang Cheng asked the driver. ¡°Where else can I purchase clothes?¡±


    The driver answered after some thought: ¡°The shopping centre.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Downtown,¡± the driver answered.


    ¡°¡­ oh,¡± Jiang Cheng leaned back and closed his eyes. ¡°Then just go there.¡±


    The shopping centre was quite unsightly. That day when Jiang Cheng and Pan Zhi ate roasted meat around there, they had walked around the shops but didn¡¯t find anything eye-catching. But now wasn¡¯t the time for that, it was fine as long as it was clothing.


    He randomly picked and entered a store that was said to be having a sale so large the owner was about to cut their own throat and commit suicide. He grabbed a wool sweater and a down-jacket and tried them on. Then, feeling okay, he purchased them with the cash and asked the staff to cut off the tag.


    As he left with Gu Fei¡¯s jacket in hand, he felt as though he could finally relax.


    The style of his new clothes was so-so, but at least they were warm, and the quality was pretty good, the cost was okay too ¨C the price definitely wasn¡¯t at the neck-slicing stage, it was enough to jump out from the first-floor window at most.


    After finding a spot to eat near the shopping centre, he didn¡¯t know where else to go.


    How ¡®bout going back to school, and he could also find a dry-cleaning shop nearby to wash Gu Fei¡¯s clothes.


    He wasn¡¯t going to call a taxi anymore. The card that his mother gave him had quite the amount of money, but looking at the situation with Li Baoguo¡¯s family, he probably had to make this money last from high school till university¡­ he looked around and spotted a bus stop ahead.


    Just as he was walking, his phone rang.


    It was from Li Baoguo.


    He answered the phone unwillingly: ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Cheng Cheng ah!¡± Li Baoguo¡¯s loud voice rang across from the other end. ¡°Your class must have ended!¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng continued toward the bus stop.


    ¡°Where did you spend the night last night?¡± Li Baoguo asked. ¡°Such large temperaments, if the neighbors didn¡¯t know better, they would¡¯ve thought I did something to you!¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t speak. He stood under the bus stop to see if there were any buses that stopped near the school.


    ¡°Did your anger simmer?¡± Li Baoguo continued to ask. ¡°Come home and eat, I made dumplings, just waiting for you to come back and eat!¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want to go back, yet he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say no. After being frozen for a moment, he was only able to say: ¡°I¡¯m at the shopping centre.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not too far ah, just take line 19 to get back,¡± Li Baoguo immediately answered. ¡°The stop is just on the east entrance of the centre.¡±


    As Jiang Cheng turned onto the street of Li Baoguo¡¯s home with the clothes in his hands, he noticed that there was a dry-cleaning shop not too far away. It didn¡¯t seem that reliable from the looks of it, but there sure was a lot of clothes hanging in the closet. Jiang Cheng hesitated for a moment before he decided to take Gu Fei¡¯s clothes in for a wash; he even paid an express fee and was scheduled to return again that night for pickup.


    His steps came to a halt once he arrived at the bottom of the stairs. Parked at the hallway entrance was a pedicab loaded with glass and Li Baoguo was standing to its side. He unloaded a few pieces of glass from the cart and moved inside with some difficulty.


    This was probably to fill in the window that he smashed the day before. Jiang Cheng sighed and ran up: ¡°Let me do it.¡±


    ¡°Yo, you¡¯re back!¡± Li Baoguo yelled out. ¡°Don¡¯t move, I¡¯ll carry it. Don¡¯t end up smashing it, it was quite expensive!¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked and saw that it was indeed difficult to switch hands, hence he took the keys from Li Baoguo and walked upfront to open the house door.


    ¡°How understanding!¡± Li Baoguo raised his head and screamed up to who knows what. ¡°Look at this, this is my son! He understands me so well!¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask the workers to install it for you?¡± Jiang Cheng looked around the room, the pieces of broken glass were still scattered around the floor. He brought over the broom from the kitchen, ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°Find workers?¡± Li Baoguo glared at him. ¡°How much money would that cost! Let me tell you, I was only able to bring back these rotten pieces of glass by putting it on a loan.¡±


    ¡°Loan?¡± Jiang Cheng froze with the broomstick in hand.


    ¡°The glass shop on the street in the back, the owner there plays cards with me regularly, I asked him for it,¡± Li Baoguo answered. ¡°A few days later when I get lucky at the table, I¡¯ll bring him the money.¡±


    Jiang Cheng opened his mouth, yet he didn¡¯t know what to say. Li Baoguo didn¡¯t even have money for a few pieces of glass? To pay for a few pieces of glass, he had to rely on gambling cards?


    ¡°Is it the street in the back?¡± He bent his back to sweep up the miscellaneous pieces of glass. ¡°I¡¯ll just go pay for it later.¡±


    ¡°Good boy!¡± Li Baoguo rested the glass on the table nearby and dusted his hands, ¡°You know how to worry about your old geezer! Your family on the other side gave you quite a lot of money, right?¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned around to look at him but didn¡¯t utter a word.


    When Li Baoguo left to get the dumplings from the kitchen, Jiang Cheng grabbed the jacket that he had thrown onto the bed and fished out his wallet to examine ¨C feeling utterly speechless at the moment.


    The cash was probably left untouched, but the position of the card had changed. He then looked at the card number, only when he was positive that the card remained the same did he returned his wallet back into his pocket. Sitting on the edge of his bed, Jiang Cheng felt feeble.


    Gu Fei took out the cigarette box wanting to take out a cigarette but only found that the package was already finished.


    He crumbled the box into a ball with scrunched eyebrows and threw it onto the ground near his feet.


    Aside from this cigarette box, the floor was also covered with an area of cigarette butts.


    Today was very quiet. Lao Xu gave him a few calls this morning, his mom also and Li Yan too, he ignored them all and turned off his phone.


    The world became quiet ¨C he could sit alone and carefully taste the terror resting at the bottom of his heart.


    The sky was starting to dim, and the northern wind was blowing out of control. The wind would seep past hats, blow through earmuffs, swirl through mouth masks and sweep across their faces again and again.


    He turned around to walk through the small path between the two rows of tombstones. With a broomstick in hand, he swept away the cigarette butts, then came to stand in front of a tombstone and stared at the picture on it.


    This was the first time he set eyes on this photo after spending the whole day here.


    Under the dimly lit sky, the person in the photo appeared especially unfamiliar, yet he seemed to still contain a breath of air that caused him to become fearful.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving,¡± he said.


    As he turned to leave, he couldn¡¯t shake away the feeling that there was someone following him from behind. Turning back to look, there was only a sea of silently hushed tombstones.


    Moving forward, his footsteps became heavy. Gu Fei took a deep breath and sped up.


    The moment he dropped the broom, the sound of water rang loudly in his ears.


    His breathing seemed to have stopped, and his surroundings seemed to have dimmed all of a sudden.


    It was not the sound of flowing water, nor was it the sound of water being rowed, this was¡­ the amplified sound of someone furiously struggling to stay alive in a pool of ruthless water ¨C it contained hopelessness and pain.


    Water splashed everywhere as the waves rose one after another, overlapping and collapsing without end and within the water, a pair of eyes were staring straight at him.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you save me?! Does your skin itch for a beating?!¡±


    Gu Fei harshly kicked the garbage can beside him while soaked in momentary fear. Only at the sound of the garbage can crashing to the floor was he finally pulled back to reality.


    He pulled on his jacket collar, and with his head lowered, he quickly walked down the vacant pathway toward the only entrance-exit gate of the graveyard.


    This wasn¡¯t the last sentence he heard.


    On the day his father died, he had spent the whole night drowning in nightmares with this sentence repeating over and over again in his conscious, unable to wake up.


    The moment before his father died, he hadn¡¯t the time to speak nor could he speak ¨C all that was left was the furious struggling for his life.


    He didn¡¯t know why he would dream up such a sentence, nor did he think that this sentence would follow him for the rest of his years afterward to become his indelible fear.


    The feeling of standing on the lakeshore with his body soaking wet still felt so real, so real that he couldn¡¯t help from grasping the edge of his clothes every time to ensure that they were dry.


    This side of the town near the cemetery was actually very prosperous, coming out from the front gate was the main street. Gu Fei almost basically ran toward the nearest convenience store.


    With light cascading upon him from all around, he finally felt his body starting to warm and the stiffness slowly beginning to dissipate.


    He bought two packages of cigarettes and a bottle of water then bought a portion of oden.[2]


    After he lit the cigarette in a sheltered place away from the wind, he took a draw and extinguished it immediately ¨C he felt like throwing up.


    He felt as though his throat was completely caked with sand.


    Once he sat down on the bus, he downed a whole bottle of water and after finally feeling a bit recovered, he switched on his phone.


    A bunch of missed calls, mostly from Lao Xu, others were all about unimportant things ¨C knowing he powered off his phone, they had stopped calling. Only Lao Xu, like a loyal and persistent pursuer, called on endlessly.


    After browsing the missed calls, he opened the messages only to find one from Jiang Cheng.


    ¨C I¡¯ll return your clothes to you at eight.


    Seeing Jiang Cheng¡¯s profile photo, he again thought back to yesterday when he was photoshopping Jiang Cheng¡¯s photos for him. He leaned against the window, and without rhyme or reason, he started to laugh.


    [1] Middle-aged stickers¼«ÁËÖÐÀÏÄê±íÇé°ü ¨C they¡¯re just colourful, flashy and¡­ polite stickers (gifs)


    [2] Oden ¹Ø¶«Öó Guan Dong Zhu- ¡°dengaku¡± a Japanese snack, is a type of nabemono (Japanese one-pot dishes), consisting of several ingredients such as boiled eggs, daikon, konjac, and processed fish cakes stewed in a light, soy-flavored dashi broth.

 CH 14

    The bus ride from the cemetery back home was a long one that circled over half the city. Gu Fei leaned against the window, allowing the bus to swing him around, and not two stops had passed, he was already swung to sleep.


    It was only within a few stops before his house that he opened his eyes, but it was already past eight o¡¯clock. He fished out his phone for a glance at the screen, Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t sent any messages ¨C probably hadn¡¯t arrived yet.


    There was one message from Gu Miao though, containing only three words.


    ¨C I already ate.


    When he came home late and didn¡¯t have time to cook dinner, the neighbor downstairs would set up a small table and Gu Miao would go downstairs by herself to eat with them. At the end of the month, Gu Fei would pay them the bill.


    Sometimes, when their mother was carried away by a whim, she would also cook them a few meals. Their mother¡¯s dishes were all very delicious, he and Gu Miao both enjoyed them, except the opportunities were rare.


    ¨C Did you eat downstairs?


    ¨C En.


    Gu Fei dropped his phone back into his pocket, then walked to the side of the door where he waited to get off the bus. This little girl was becoming more and more cool, even her text messages were reticent and words so few were cherished as gold.


    Eight o¡¯clock in this old part of the town was already considered late for its winter season, and for these streets that were described as the old within the old, it was basically considered midnight. The shops along the streets all closed at this time, and there was rarely anyone outside except for those out playing cards.


    As Gu Fei was heading toward their family shop, he spotted someone standing at the entrance from quite a distance away. From the dimly cascading streetlight, he could tell that the person was jumping up and down on the pedestrian sidewalk, almost like they were dancing.


    Jiang Cheng?


    He increased his pace and walked over to see that it was indeed Jiang Cheng, jumping up and down the stairs of the store entrance with his neck shrunk into his jacket and hands dug deep in his pockets.


    ¡°The fuck!¡± Before he could make a sound, Jiang Cheng had already seen him approach. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was due to the cold or his menacing tone, but his voice had lowered greatly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just show up tomorrow!¡±


    When this last sentence escaped his mouth, Gu Fei was able to confirm that it was due to the coldness. Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice quivered and there was also the sound of teeth clashing together.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Gu Fei said, taking out the keys. ¡°I was on a bus that was going extremely slow.¡±


    ¡°No, like,¡± Jiang Cheng pointed toward the shop door. ¡°Your family business is looked after quite carefreely ah.¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Gu Fei gave him a glance.


    ¡°When the doctor from next door left, he said that you guys didn¡¯t even open this afternoon,¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    ¡°Is that right,¡± Gu Fei opened the door, the warmth from inside cascaded them. ¡°It¡¯s my mom¡¯s turn to be here today, this afternoon¡­ something probably came up and she left.¡±


    ¡°Move, move¡­¡± Jiang Cheng was right behind him as he pushed Gu Fei aside and stepped into the store. After jumping on the spot numerous times, he finally settled his butt on the chair. ¡°Fuck, I¡¯m freezing to death.¡±


    ¡°When did you get here?¡± Gu Fei brought over an electrical heater and turned it on.


    ¡°Seven-fifty,¡± Jiang Cheng casually threw the bag containing the jacket on the counter.


    ¡°That early,¡± Gu Fei froze.


    ¡°I,¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at himself. ¡°Received an education that taught me to be on time from a young age.¡±


    Gu Fei stared at him, and only after a while did he finally say: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me when you arrived?¡±


    ¡°Would you be able to suddenly appear if I told you?¡± Jiang Cheng replied. ¡°Also, my phone got too cold ¨C it powered off.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you just go back for today,¡± Gu Fei brought over a cup and dropped a slice of lemon inside, then poured a cup of hot water and handed it to him. ¡°I could¡¯ve also gone to pick it up.¡±


    ¡°Why do you have so much nonsense to say,¡± Jiang Cheng received the cup and took a sip, glaring at the heater.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t continue the conversation: ¡°I¡¯ll return you your clothes tomorrow morning, I brought them home to wash.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Jiang Cheng looked up at him. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to wash, there¡¯s blood on them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, it washed off fine,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Gu Fei sat down behind the cashier counter and propped his legs up on top of the counter. ¡°It¡¯s just that it¡¯s too disgusting to leave them unwashed, and it¡¯s not like you took them with you.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I forgot, okay?¡±


    Neither of the two had much to say afterward.


    Gu Fei very comfortably nestled himself on the checkout counter and started to play on his phone. Jiang Cheng had no phone to play with, hence, he just sat there and stared blankly into space.


    He knew that at this time, most stores in the area ¨C except the card gaming room ¨C had already closed for the day. Gu Fei was probably waiting for him to leave so he could close.


    But he didn¡¯t want to leave.


    Li Baoguo¡¯s house had been very lively today. He wasn¡¯t sure what madness Li Baoguo was possessed by, but he had called over a bunch of people to play cards.


    At noon, Li Baoguo very proficiently fixed the two panels of the window that he had smashed open. Jiang Cheng quite marvelled at that trait ¨C if one was to talk about hands-on abilities, it was their parents¡¯ generation that was highly skilled.


    Before Jiang Cheng¡¯s wandering thoughts could return back to earth, he didn¡¯t have the chance to eat even ten of the dumplings that Li Baoguo had ¡®apparently¡¯ boiled for him when the room was suddenly crowded with five-six men and women.


    They crowded around him on four sides and stared ¨C all sorts of prying and gossiping happened right in front of his face.


    How profitable, someone else raised your son to this size.


    Look, a child raised up in the big city sure is different ha!


    Your adoptive parents must be quite rich, right?


    Of course they¡¯re rich, look at his attire and his temperament. Tsk, tsk, tsk¡­


    In the end, a woman in the style of a middle-aged internet meme said this: one look and you can tell their biological relationship. Look, look, look at this, his features look so similar to Bao Guo ah! Exactly the same ah!


    Jiang Cheng was already gritting his teeth and suffocating himself to the shape of a bell pepper ¨C once this sentence travelled to his ears, he instantly couldn¡¯t take it anymore.


    Similar?


    Similar¡­ to hell with you! Exactly the same my ass!


    He pushed aside this group of people, and only when he returned to his own room and slammed the door shut did they finally give up.


    Then they finished all the dumplings in the pot, even the three leftovers Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t get the chance to eat and left in his bowl were not spared.


    Jiang Cheng felt as if he was caught in moments of disbelief on a daily basis. To the left: fathomless, and to the right: inconceivable ¨C he lived in an atmosphere where it was utterly difficult to breathe.


    When he walked through the hallway of the apartment complex after class ended in the afternoon, he could tell that those people were still there just from the sound alone, and based on their behaviour, it appeared that they didn¡¯t have any plan to leave tonight either. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t bother to enter the doorway and made a U-turn without hesitation.


    He headed toward the dumpling restaurant he didn¡¯t get the chance to go the other day, sent Gu Fei a message and finished his homework inside. In the end, with only him left, Jiang Cheng finally stood up and left.


    There was an inexplicable loneliness.


    He couldn¡¯t return to his previous life, nor was he able to fuse into his current life. Drifting amongst a sea of strangers, no relatives, and no friends ¨C there was not one place trustworthy enough for him to rest.


    He felt as if his entire body was pending in mid-air.


    Staring blankly for almost half an hour in Gu Fei¡¯s shop, Jiang Cheng turned his head to look at Gu Fei. Like before, he had his head lowered, looking at his phone screen.


    ¡°Are you waiting to close?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    Gu Fei stared at the screen, ignoring him.


    ¡°If you¡¯re in a hurry to close then I¡¯ll leave,¡± Jiang Cheng continued. ¡°If not, then I¡¯ll stay for a bit longer.¡±


    Gu Fei still didn¡¯t utter a sound, nor did he move.


    What is so encaptivating? Jiang Cheng hesitated before he stood up and leaned over the counter to peek at his phone.


    Retarded game, Craz3 Match!


    ¡°Damn,¡± he was not able to refrain himself from uttering. How can there be such a person who plays a game like this to the point that they can¡¯t hear others talk!


    He examined this level, it was quite difficult, with only three moves left. If he didn¡¯t waste any of these steps, the level could still be passed ¨C Gu Fei was probably calculating his moves.


    He hung over the counter and calculated with him. Quickly enough, he determined which piece should be moved first. But based on the moral that a person watching chess is a true gentleman when he refrained from speaking, Jiang Cheng waited in silence.


    Gu Fei remained still the entire time.


    Jiang Cheng continued to hang over the cash counter for almost five minutes and Gu Fei still hadn¡¯t moved. If the time from earlier was added, he had been frozen there calculating these three moves for more than half an hour¡­


    Jiang Cheng thought back to what Lao Xu had said this morning, ¡®Gu Fei, is actually quite smart¡­¡¯ This is called smart?


    Unable to contain himself any longer, he stuck out a finger wanting to draw out a path for Gu Fei. ¡°Can you not see this?¡±


    His fingertip had only passed the corner of Gu Fei¡¯s eyes ¨C not having even touched the screen ¨C yet Gu Fei suddenly raised his head and grabbed his finger, flipping it backward in a continuous movement.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Jiang Cheng yelled out loud; his movement was not too harsh, however, it surprised him greatly. Jiang Cheng¡¯s anger suddenly hit the roof and he threw a fist right at Gu Fei¡¯s chest. ¡°Do you have a fucking problem!¡±


    Gu Fei released his hand.


    ¡°You have problems right!¡± Jiang Cheng swung his hand around ¨C thank goodness it was the finger on his left hand, had it been his right hand, the wound would have torn right open.


    Gu Fei stood up. Jiang Cheng paid special attention to his movements, unable to determine if this guy had some devil flame burning within him and was looking for someone to fight with.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Gu Fei tossed his phone to the side, brought over a cup and poured himself some water, ¡°I fell asleep just now.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Cheng froze.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Gu Fei looked at his hand. ¡°I didn¡¯t injure you, did I?¡±


    ¡°You sleep with your eyes open?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Then my mind must have drifted, I didn¡¯t hear you speak.¡± Gu Fei sat back down and took a look at his phone, ¡°Where did you say to go next?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°Where?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Feel it out yourself,¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    Gu Fei looked down, then swiped across the screen which was soon followed by an ¡°ah¡± sound and scrunched eyebrows.


    ¡°Dead?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°Mm,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°Are you¡­¡± Jiang Cheng swallowed the other half of the sentence.


    ¡°Retarded?¡± Gu Fei finished for him. ¡°You said I was playing a retarded game anyways, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No, like, did you not see that line of horizontal red jellybeans on the top right corner,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°With that gone, there¡¯s also similar colors on top, with one more move then you can get the bottom one¡­¡±


    Before Jiang Cheng could finish his sentence, Gu Fei nodded his head. ¡°Oh.¡±


    Then he swiped his finger across the screen twice.


    Jiang Cheng stared at him.


    ¡°Passed,¡± Gu Fei let out a breath of air, turning around to look at him. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Asshole,¡± Jiang Cheng was speechless.


    Gu Fei threw his phone onto the counter and stretched his back. ¡°Is there any homework for today?¡±


    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Is there a time when you guys don¡¯t have homework?¡±


    ¡°Did you write it?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Jiang Cheng looked at him in silence.


    ¡°Let me copy it,¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Jiang Cheng continued to look at him. This person was asking his unacquainted desk-mate of two days, including one and a half in which they didn¡¯t see each other, to copy his homework. And his tone wasn¡¯t even the least bit entreating.


    ¡°Please, give me your homework.¡± Gu Fei sighed, ¡°So that I can borrow it to copy, thanks.¡±


    Jiang Cheng also sighed, and after sighing, he suddenly felt the urge to laugh.


    ¡°There¡¯s quite a lot of homework today, it¡¯ll take you a while to copy.¡± He pulled out a few notebooks and a question sheet from his bag and threw them onto the counter. ¡°Just bring it back to me tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need the question sheet, I don¡¯t have it.¡± Gu Fei picked up the notebook and flipped through it, ¡°Your calligraphy really has nothing in relation to being a straight-A student.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re gonna copy, just copy,¡± Jiang Cheng shot back. This sentence meant nothing harsh though ¨C his calligraphy was indeed ugly to look at, one line of words was enough to perform a drunken fist dance. ¡°A beggar disliking that the rice is coarse.¡±


    Gu Fei stood up and circled around the shop a few times before finally picking up his school bag from a small corner. Just as he laid down his books on the table, his phone rang.


    He pressed on the screen, it was a voice message, and on speaker mode too. Jiang Cheng, sitting to the side, heard the content loud and clear.


    ¡°Da Ge![1] Bro¡­ ah fuck! My mistake! Da Ge, it was my mistake¡­ I¡¯ll be as far away as¡­ possible from now on¡­ah! Stop hitting, stop hitting! Holy fuck, stop hitting, I¡¯m about to¡­ die!¡±


    The person in the voice message screamed in agony and begged for forgiveness. Jiang Cheng froze as soon as the sound traveled to his ears.


    ¡°Good enough,¡± Gu Fei picked up the phone and returned a message.


    Jiang Cheng stared at him for a long moment: ¡°That was the person you stuck onto the tree yesterday, right?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei flipped through his bag for more than ten rounds before eventually taking out a pen and scribbling a few times only to discover that there wasn¡¯t even ink inside. He turned to look at Jiang Cheng, ¡°You have a pen?¡±


    Jiang Cheng pulled out a pen for him.


    In terms of underachievers, they also came in different levels. Pan Zhi was also an underachiever, but compared to Gu Fei, he was certainly a tender, cute little slacker; at least Pan Zhi had his own pens, and even more than one as well.


    Gu Fei lowered his head and started to copy his homework. He was quite engrossed in copying ¨C if one didn¡¯t know the full story, they¡¯d think he was actually hardworking.


    Jiang Cheng sat for a while longer, and until he felt that he was no longer able to sit still ¨C he couldn¡¯t just sit there doing nothing but watch Gu Fei copy homework ¨C he stood up. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    ¡°I thought you had nowhere else to go,¡± Gu Fei said while writing.


    Congratulations! You are correct!


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t reply ¨C there was a certain helpless and shameful bitterness to the truth.


    ¡°Just stay here if you have nowhere to go. Li Yan, Liu Fan and the others all come here to lay around when they have nothing to do,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± Realizing that he was beginning to be considered alongside the same standards as those ¡®Bu Shi Hao Niao¡¯ in the eyes of others, Jiang Cheng suddenly felt his heart congest ¨C he almost wanted to spaz.


    He aggressively pushed aside the door curtains and smashed right into someone who was equally trying to get in.


    ¡°Bastard!¡± The person he collided into was a woman, they hadn¡¯t even separated from one another before she started swearing. ¡°Bastard!¡±


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s anger was completely knocked out by the shock, his eyes opened wide to stare at the woman.


    ¡°Don¡¯t block the door!¡± The woman pushed him aside vigorously, ¡°Gu Fei, you asshole!¡±


    Her push caused Jiang Cheng to stumble and back up a couple of steps. Once he looked up to clearly see the woman¡¯s features, he froze once again.


    There was no need for introductions nor a need for guessing ¨C just from looking one could be certain that she was Gu Fei¡¯s mother. Even their eyes and nose were exactly the same.


    ¡°What are you spazzing about,¡± Gu Fei dropped his pen and stood up with eyebrows scrunched.


    ¡°What did you do?!¡± The woman dove toward Gu Fei with her palm aimed at his face.


    Gu Fei caught her hand midair and glanced toward Jiang Cheng¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Jiang Cheng felt so awkward he didn¡¯t even know where to land his eyes. ¡°A-Yi[2],I¡¯ll be leaving.¡±


    ¡°What are you leaving for?!¡± The woman wiped her head toward Jiang Cheng before she charged toward him and grabbed him by the elbow. ¡°You and this bastard teamed up on this, right? Don¡¯t you leave!¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­ what?¡± Jiang Cheng froze on the spot.


    ¡°What did you two do?!¡± The woman slapped him on the elbow.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t dare grab her hand as Gu Fei did. This was, after all, Gu Fei¡¯s mother. All he could do was straightforwardly take in the slap.


    To be honest, this woman was quite beautiful, but Jiang Cheng really didn¡¯t understand her current, seemingly batshit crazy state.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel ashamed of yourself?¡± Gu Fei grabbed her arm and threw her onto the chair nearby, his finger pointing at her face. ¡°I dare you to try and spaz again!¡±


    The woman finally stopped trying to dive toward them, yet she suddenly broke into tears. ¡°Am I your mother or not, what¡¯s wrong with me trying to date? You just had to beat them up until they¡¯re too scared to even see me¡­ are you that eager to see me widowed for the rest of my life!¡±


    Gu Fei¡¯s complexion was very unsightly, even his hands were shaking.


    Jiang Cheng felt that if he wasn¡¯t there right now, Gu Fei would have very likely slapped his mom across the face.


    But under such circumstances, even if he was to leave and Gu Fei¡¯s mom was to be slapped, he still had to leave. He could sympathize with Gu Fei¡¯s current feelings ¨C it was the same nature as not wanting others to detect his relationship with Li Baoguo.


    He backed up a few steps towards the door, and when Gu Fei looked in his direction, Jiang Cheng pointed at the door.


    Gu Fei nodded his head in an exasperated manner, Jiang Cheng quickly lifted up the curtains and dashed outside.


    That awkward, uncomfortable atmosphere hit too close to home ¨C only after the cold winter air bashed him around a few times did it gradually start to fade.


    Fuck, the frick¡¯ kind of mother is that!


    He scrunched his eyebrows, does this hell of a place have not one normal person?


    The sound of wheels rubbing against the concrete floor came from behind him. This sound was very familiar, he quickly turned his head. Sure enough, it was Gu Miao heading toward him on her skateboard.


    As she passed by the shop entrance, she probably heard the voices inside, hesitated but did not stop. Instead, with a push against the ground, she flew toward him like the wind.


    She even waved at Jiang Cheng as she flew over. Jiang Cheng was just about to warn her to be careful, however, she had already leaped into the air with a step onto the board, flying past and solidly landing in front of him. With a beautiful turn of the body, she stopped.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you go home?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at her even though he knew she wouldn¡¯t answer.


    Gu Miao didn¡¯t speak. She got down from the skateboard, her foot lightly kicked the skateboard and the skateboard rolled beside Jiang Cheng¡¯s foot.


    ¡°Want me to skate?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    Gu Miao nodded her head and pulled lightly on her hat.


    ¡°I do know how,¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his hands together. ¡°It¡¯s just been a long time since I last did it.¡±


    Gu Miao still made no sound and just continued to look at him.


    Jiang Cheng unexpectedly detected the tiniest hint of provocation through her gaze and couldn¡¯t hold a smile back. ¡°Are you challenging me for a match?¡±


    Gu Miao leaned against the lamp post and looked at him with her arms crossed.


    ¡°Yo,¡± Jiang Cheng threw his bag toward a pile of snow nearby and rested a foot on the board. ¡°Little chick¡¯s got quite the swag.¡±


    Gu Miao lifted her chin, signaling him to hurry up.


    During elementary and middle school, Jiang Cheng actually loved playing with these sort of things ¨C rollerblades and skateboards related thing. But due to preparations for the high school entrance exams during grade nine[3], his mother erased all the topics ¡°that had no relationships to studying¡± from his life.


    He took a deep breath as his foot pushed against the ground and he rolled out.


    His speed was not high, he was unfamiliar with the land formation here, thank goodness Gu Miao¡¯s board was a classic skateboard ¨C the kind he was most familiar with, hence it was comparatively easier to adjust to.


    Skating out a few meters, he heard footsteps sounding behind him. He turned his head to see Gu Miao running behind, and upon seeing him turn, Gu Miao clapped her hands simultaneously; though he was not sure if she was applauding for him or telling him to hurry up.


    However, skating on a skateboard and still having a little girl capable of catching up to him¡­ was quite amusing.


    Gu Miao ran and skipped at the same time, performing an Ollie.


    Not wanting to lose face in front of a little girl, he shifted his center of balance and with one foot on the board, he jumped right over the snow pile in front of him ¨C he even made the time to point a finger in Gu Miao¡¯s direction.


    Gu Miao¡¯s eyes instantly brightened. She jumped with excitement, raised a hand and snapped her fingers. This finger snapper of hers put Jiang Cheng to shame ¨C it was really sharp.


    After landing, Jiang Cheng continued on until he reached the street intersection. This time he increased his speed, Gu Miao did not follow behind him, instead, she continued to stand at her previous spot to look at him.


    When he turned around to skate back, he risked the shame of falling on his face again and jumped on the stairs before coming back down ¨C his luck wasn¡¯t too bad since he didn¡¯t fall, only his movement faltered a bit.


    Skateboards were quite the diversion strategy. With his feet on the board, whipping past strangers on the street like the wind, the disgust, boredom, and annoyance were all left behind.


    Even though doing this sort of thing in the dead of winter was quite cold with the wind blown into his face, it still felt pretty awesome.


    There was a slight slope to the road heading back, his speed started to accelerate dramatically, and the familiar excitement slowly came back.


    He glanced at Gu Miao, who wore an expression full of anticipation as she stared back at him. He returned his gaze back to the ground, contemplating on jumping over that large snow pile as he passed Gu Miao.


    The current speed was just right. Jiang Cheng rushed forward with the wind in his arms as he approached the snow pile rapidly. The moment he was preparing to jump up, he spotted a small piece of brick lying on the ground in front of him.


    Fuck!


    This brick laid on the spot that was his only path to the snowbank, with his current rusty skill level, it was impossible to dodge. He could only make an early jump, but that would mean that he would land right on the snow pile when he descended.


    ¡­. it all depended on how high he could jump.


    With a step on the board, he firmly jumped up into the air.


    Unfortunately, he was not so lucky this time.


    Possibly due to the cold weather, also possibly because he was too anxious and did not contract his legs enough either¡­ he was already able to calculate his landing spot.


    The nose of the board would probably stick right into the peak of the snow pile.


    And as for him, he would probably smash right onto the pedestrian sidewalk in front of that snow pile.


    Come on! Fly! Youth!


    After being momentarily airborne, the nose directed right toward the snow pile as he had predicted. But the moment before he was thrown out, a person suddenly appeared before him.


    Oh shit.


    [1] dage ´ó¸ç ¨C eldest brother, big brother, gang leader, boss ¨C in this instance, it should mean boss here


    [2] A-Yi °¢ÒÌ ¨C aunt, auntie; a polite way to refer to females older than you ¨C the same generation as  your mother.


    [3] Grade nine ¨C Middle school in China consists of three years ¨C 7,8,9 and high school three years ¨C 10,11,12

 CH 15

    What rule was it ¨C saying that once you run into a red light, you will run into all the red lights regardless of whether you accelerate or slow down, you will always run into it.


    Roughly applying the same concept, once you have lost face in front of someone, you will always lose face upon seeing them regardless of how careful or impossible you think it is ¨C your ¡°face¡± never belonged to you.


    Just like now, five minutes ago Gu Fei was still pointing a finger at his mother like he was going to hit her, and five minutes later, he appeared on the sidewalk ¨C with the help of a God ¨C like he had rushed out just to see him lose face.


    The time that Jiang Cheng soared in the air was relatively short, but he was well aware of the profound thoughts that the human brain can conjure in just a split second.


    For example, he knew that Gu Fei was not in the best of moods and the twenty pounds of thoughts that swarmed his mind could be seen in his expression, ready to explode at any time.


    For example, he knew that flying over in this angle would certainly make him collide into the extremely moody Gu Fei.


    For example, he knew that because of the unchanging power of this collision, the impact would be undeniably immense ¨C Gu Fei would be knocked down.


    For example, he also knew that he should put his hand to the side right away, or else, when the two of them knocked against each other, the scab that had somewhat started to form on the hollow of his palm ¨C with much difficulty ¨C would immediately split open from the pressure.


    ¡­


    In short, when he spread his arms wide open as if he was rushing toward the sun and flew toward Gu Fei, the expression on Gu Fei¡¯s face was unpredictable.


    Jiang Cheng knocked straight into Gu Fei.


    Bam.


    After the first time when he knew the weight of a human body could make such a loud sound from colliding against wood, he once more knew for the first time that a human colliding against another human could also create such a stereoscopic sound.


    His forehead smashed into Gu Fei¡¯s collarbone first; his mouth knocked against something, in any case, his teeth seemed to have bitten into a zipper or something, and then he could not distinguish what happened after ¨C in short, various parts of his body, whether in fast or slow motion, all smashed against Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t even get to stagger back when he was struck by him; his vision simply met the sky ¨C he had fallen directly to the ground.


    He followed him and fell.


    When they collided, he couldn¡¯t sense whether it hurt or not, and now that he had fallen to the ground it certainly did not hurt. Although Gu Fei was not fat, in the end, he was still the cushion beneath.


    When Jiang Cheng fell to the ground, he even had the illusion that his surroundings were soaring with a storm of snow.


    After a few seconds, he determined that that was indeed an illusion; there was no snow underneath Gu Fei ¨C only the tiled pavement of the sidewalk.


    That hard fall made the two somewhat puzzled.


    Jiang Cheng returned to his senses when he heard Gu Fei whisper, ¡°what the fuck¡± and he used his uninjured hand to try and quickly push himself up: ¡°Sor¡­¡±


    Unfortunately, his hand did not locate a proper spot and instead pressed into Gu Fei¡¯s rib.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Gu Fei shouted in pain, ¡°You fucking idiot!¡±


    To be honest, Jiang Cheng was in quite a foul mood ¨C the brief joy brought by twirling on Gu Miao¡¯s skateboard merely cured the symptoms but not the root cause. Furthermore, being reduced to playing on a skateboard with a primary schoolkid in the middle of the night was very depressing, no matter how you put it.


    The words that Gu Fei had said just now were enough to make him a bit angry¡­ but he was the one that collided against Gu Fei after all, and it wasn¡¯t a soft collision either. He could even see that the zipper on Gu Fei¡¯s jacket had gone missing.


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Gu Fei lifted his arm and shoved him to the side.


    ¡°Fuck your uncle. I didn¡¯t fucking do it on purpose!¡± Having said that, Jiang Cheng felt an aching sensation on his teeth; there was something in his mouth. He turned his head to the side and spat; out came half of the zipper-head.


    Ding.


    The sound was quite sharp and clear.


    As soon as he heard that, he suddenly felt a burst of pain and soreness in his mouth. He didn¡¯t dare to think how he had actually managed to bite the zipper-head off; he didn¡¯t dare to lick his front teeth to see if they were still there.


    ¡°It must not be easy to be a pretentious prick! Stop being fake all the time!¡± Gu Fei must have not fallen lightly, evident by the characteristically splenetic feature on his face as he raised his hand, ¡°Xueba!¡±


    ¡°Fuck off, motherfucker,¡± Jiang Cheng was shoved by him until his ass heavily struck the ground; he immediately retorted, ¡°Try to hit me again and see what happens!¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t even bother to look at him as he kicked him in the stomach.


    Jiang Cheng felt that everything in the world had disappeared instantly, and only the bastard Gu Fei remained before him. He jumped up from the ground and returned a hard kick toward him.


    Gu Fei quickly moved to the side to avoid it, and thus, Jiang Cheng¡¯s kick was met with the empty air, however, he didn¡¯t hesitate to chase after, and the kick swiftly landed on Gu Fei¡¯s back.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Gu Fei¡¯s hand circled back to grab his calf.


    As Jiang Cheng fell back to the ground, his other feet did not forget to swing toward Gu Fei¡¯s face for a mighty good connection.


    Gu Fei used his arm to block and then pounced over and straddled him, punching him in the face.


    Motherfucker! He¡¯s fucking strong! Fucking piece of shit!


    A string of golden clovers similar to the lights of a small train flashed before Jiang Cheng¡¯s left eye, but he ignored everything and lifted his hand, swinging it ruthlessly toward Gu Fei¡¯s chin ¨C Gu Fei¡¯s face flew upward.


    He used the opportunity to jab Gu Fei in the ribs¡­ but was unsuccessful as Gu Fei quickly grabbed his wrist.


    This next move was something that he really didn¡¯t expect; his index finger pressed firmly into the wound on his palm.


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡± Jiang Cheng roared, that firm press was similar to turning on a power switch; he suddenly bent his leg and smashed his knee on Gu Fei¡¯s back.


    Gu Fei leaned forward and rested his hand on the side of his head.


    Playing dirty, playing retarded huh, fine! He tilted his head and bit Gu Fei¡¯s wrist.


    ¡°Ahhh!¡± Gu Fei also yelled out in pain, and since he had bitten him without letting go, Gu Fei could only quickly pinch his cheek.


    This dog | his fucking hand is pretty strong, Jiang Cheng felt his pinched cheeks being thoroughly pierced and a wave of intense soreness and pain was quick to follow suit.


    But at this moment, he was certain that his front teeth still existed, not only were they there, they were fairly prepared and strong ¨C to say the least.


    Just as the fight developed toward a stalemate to that of an idiotic nature, and the two fought on the ground rather inseparably, a voice sounded from the side: ¡°Gu Fei?¡±


    With the two in the midst of such a lively fight, they did not relax the slightest even though they both heard the voice; instead, they continued on very seriously with ¡®you hit me, I¡¯ll swing back¡¯.


    ¡°Gu Fei!¡± The person bellowed in rage and then paused and shouted from the depth of his throat once more, ¡°Jiang Cheng? What¡­ get up! Both of you, get up now!¡±


    In fact, Jiang Cheng had already figured out that it was Lao Xu¡¯s voice the first time, but he didn¡¯t have the time to wonder for what reasons Lao Xu would suddenly appear here, right now.


    ¡°Both of you stop it!¡± Lao Xu came over and gave the two of them a kick each, ¡°What are you two doing, what is this?! Haven¡¯t you had enough!¡±


    The two finally stopped at the same time.


    But they only stopped; it was as if a pause button had been pressed and their actions were maintained.


    Gu Fei was grasping Jiang Cheng¡¯s collar with one hand while his other hand was being grasped by him; both were semi-kneeling, semi-propped up in a deadlock, neither daring to give up easily. After the firm press in the palm and the bite on the wrist, would the opponent employ any other childish-elementary tricks ¨C the two could not determine this with certainty.


    ¡°Let go!¡± Lao Xu yanked at their arms for some time until they were finally separated.


    ¡°What¡¯s this all about!¡± Lao Xi stared at Gu Fei, ¡°How can you fight with even your deskmate?!¡±


    ¡°Did you only see me hitting him?¡± Gu Fei wiped the corner of his mouth, ¡°Are you blind?¡±


    Lao Xu did not care about Gu Fei¡¯s angry words at all as he turned to look at Jiang Cheng, ¡°And what¡¯s the matter with you? You¡¯re a good kid, why are you fighting with others?¡±


    ¡°I said,¡± Jiang Cheng shook his hand, there wasn¡¯t any acute pain ¨C it¡¯s numb. ¡°Don¡¯t judge a person by their grades, none of my teachers had ever said that I was a good kid.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Lao Xu sighed, pointed to the opposite side of the road and said to Gu Fei, ¡°That¡¯s your sister! Look, you¡¯ve scared the little girl until she ran off over there!¡±


    Jiang Cheng, at this moment, remembered that Gu Miao was still nearby; he suddenly felt a bit uneasy, however, when he turned around, he froze. Gu Miao sat alone on a stone seat across the street, holding her cheeks in both her hands while calmly looking over.


    Or rather, it wasn¡¯t ¡®calmly¡¯, it was indifferent ¨C not a care in the world.


    ¡°She¡¯s not afraid of fights,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng no longer said anything, Gu Miao is indeed a bit strange¡­ Gu Fei had previously blocked Gu Miao¡¯s line of sight from his injured hand with much care before, Gu Miao must be scared of blood.


    But now that he and Gu Fei had fought until this piece of land was practically swept clean, she was unexpectedly indifferent. Jiang Cheng recalled the time Gu Fei had that person plastered against the tree ¨C she was eating without even raising her head.


    What¡¯s wrong with this little girl?


    ¡°Both of you, tidy up,¡± Lao Xu said, unable to ask anything out of the two of them as he pointed at their schoolbags on the ground. ¡°I just so happen to come by for a home visit. We¡¯ll discuss the fight between you two first.¡±


    Home visit?


    Jiang Cheng was somewhat startled, a homeroom teacher still out on home visits after nine o¡¯clock while braving the old northern wind¡­ he honestly didn¡¯t know what else to say.


    ¡°Going to whose house for a home visit?¡± Gu Fei adjusted his clothes, but when he lowered his head to pull up the zipper, he discovered that the zipper-head was missing. He turned to look at Jiang Cheng.


    Jiang Cheng glared back at him.


    The fuck you looking at, I ate it!


    ¡°I¡¯ve already walked here, whose house do you think I¡¯ll go to,¡± Lao Xu sighed, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s yours.¡±


    Gu Fei went silent for a while then turned to walk back: ¡°Then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Lao Xu probably didn¡¯t expect him to be so straightforward, ¡°I also want to know why the two of you were fighting.¡±


    ¡°Boredom,¡± Gu Fei looked back at him, ¡°Are you going or not?¡±


    Lao Xu wasn¡¯t sure whether he should go for the home visit first or resolve the fight between them. Thus, he would take a step forward only to then stop and take a step back, think about it and move forward.


    ¡°I¡¯m heading back,¡± Jiang Cheng wanted to beat him to it, ¡°Thank you, Xu Zong.¡±


    Without waiting for Lao Xu to speak, Jiang Cheng turned and walked off.


    Gu Fei whistled from behind him. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t turn back, reckoning that he was calling for Gu Miao, and sure enough, he immediately heard the wheels on Gu Miao¡¯s skateboard rolling on the ground.


    He sighed softly, tonight was quite¡­ good.


    The gambling get-together at Li Baoguo¡¯s place was still going on; for these people who were immersed in front of the table for a long-extended period of time, it appeared as if their entire life remained only before that square foot, and the griping curiosities and gossips could not rival at all those dozen or so cards that shuffled back and forth.


    After the short observation and comments that took place around him in the afternoon, Jiang Cheng disappeared from their field of vision. Now that he had returned, there wasn¡¯t so much a glance in his direction from anyone and only Li Baoguo said: ¡°You¡¯re back? We¡¯ve already had a lunchbox, what do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me,¡± Jiang Cheng said and went inside his room.


    He took off his jacket only to see that it was covered in dirt and two damaged areas.


    Fuck, he frowned, I just bought this today!


    Reckoning that his face wasn¡¯t in the best condition either, he circled the room twice and discovered there wasn¡¯t even a mirror anywhere; with that, he took out his cellphone and tried to turn it on.


    After receiving some warmth, it successfully booted.  He turned the camera toward his own face and looked at himself.  There was a swollen spot on his forehead though not serious and a small cut on his lower lip ¨C probably from when it had smashed against Gu Fei¡¯s zipper.


    Everywhere else was fine with only minor scrapes.


    He sighed, unsure of how he felt now.


    In fact, the fight was a little¡­ reckless. It was reasonable to say that he also did not usually fight like that ¨C frolicking in the mud with a pig, that is; it felt even more like he, himself, was venting.


    He wasn¡¯t certain to what extent he wanted to fight with Gu Fei; he just wanted to fight, to tear apart, and struggle free of the shackles wrapping securely around his body ¨C the kind that could not be seen, could not be touched or even what it was binding.


    As for Gu Fei, he did not know whether he was led by him¡­ for someone that could single-handedly swing his fist to also unexpectedly roll on the ground completely without style, and bit into a palm ¨C fuck! Why weren¡¯t those lackeys of his there to witness it!


    Hey, your boss is an earthworm rolling on the ground!


    Jiang Cheng looked down at his own hand only to see that the blood had already seeped through the gauze.


    He rummaged through his schoolbag ¨C earlier in the day, he had taken some alcohol pads, cotton balls and whatnots from the neighborhood hospital ¨C fortunately, they were not crushed.


    He unwrapped the gauze and used his left hand to rinse his right hand clean and disinfect it ¨C albeit rather slowly and with some efforts. However, because he was unskilled with his left hand, he poked at the wound a few times, and the immense pain that conjured nearly provoked tears to slide down his face.


    He truly wanted to cry. Though he had unfailingly felt that crying was pointless, it had been quite a long time since he arrived here after vacation; from time to time, he would feel so overwhelmingly depressed that he wanted to cry.


    He had always felt that one day he should find a place completely void of human presence and let his tears run loose ¨C wildly, fiercely.


    When he woke up in the morning, the gambling get-together had finally ended though there were two men sleeping on the sofa in the living room and Li Baoguo was snoring on the bed; earth-shattering indeed.


    Without stopping for even a second after he finished washing up, he picked up his schoolbag and left.


    Before arriving at school, a call from the distribution center came again: ¡°It¡¯s been three days, and tomorrow will be the last day. If you don¡¯t come to get it, there will be a fee, you know!¡±


    ¡°Can you delivery it?¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    ¡°We can. For 200 yuan we can drop it off downstairs,¡± the other person said. ¡°There¡¯s an additional fee if you need it brought upstairs.¡±


    Jiang Cheng did not speak. He unexpectedly started to feel sorry about the money and beyond gratified.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best for you to come and get it yourself,¡± the other person sounded pretty considerate, ¡°We have many three-wheelers here and to get one to deliver is a separate 100 yuan.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I got it,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    It¡¯s Saturday tomorrow, that¡¯s good.


    Thinking about it again, he felt a little worried; his current bedroom had a bed and a wardrobe that occupied nearly the entire space, and the desk was crammed in with much effort. He wasn¡¯t sure where all those other things of his were going to be placed.


    ¡­ perhaps his mother didn¡¯t pack everything ¨C maybe not that much.


    He was still wearing a mask as he walked into the classroom, and the swelling on his forehead that had disappeared quite a bit was partly covered by his hair which made it impossible to see; the clothes he wore today weren¡¯t Gu Fei¡¯s either, so he walked straight to his seat and sat down without anyone noticing anything unusual about him.


    Who knew what Lao Xu had said to Gu Fei during yesterday¡¯s home visit, but Gu Fei magically entered the classroom right before the morning bell sounded.


    Jiang Cheng looked up at him only to be immediately stunned.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t have any injury on his face whatsoever; there was only a tiny scrape at the side of his chin¡­ what stunned him also was that this fucker was actually wearing glasses!


    Shit! What are you pretending to be a xueba for, huh!!


    Jiang Cheng glared at him.


    Even stranger was that everyone who saw Gu Fei wasn¡¯t surprised in the least, this meant that perhaps he¡­ frequently wore glasses?


    This reminded him of Pan Zhi, who was slightly shortsighted but was persistent in not wearing glasses.


    ¡°Is it even right for me to wear glasses with such grades!¡± Pan Zhi had said, ¡°I¡¯d rather not see clearly!¡±


    Just look at how ambitious Pan Zhi was, he even had several pens¡­


    Gu Fei walked over and threw a bag in front of him before he then sat down.


    Jiang Cheng opened the bag for a look, inside was his sweater and school assignments.


    Shit! The assignments!


    He had actually forgotten to get back his assignments after the fight yesterday!


    ¡­ fought the person and also let him copy the assignments, that¡¯s so fucked up.


    ¡°The swelling hasn¡¯t subsided huh?¡± Gu Fei said from the side.


    Jiang Cheng turned to look at him, trying to discern whether he was apologetic or rejoicing with that tone, but he was unsuccessful. Gu Fei said that sentence just like how that day was Friday ¨C with not a hint of emotions whatsoever. Thus he did not reply.


    ¡°Da Fei,¡± Zhou Jing leaned on their desks, ¡°Da Fei!¡±


    Gu Fei pushed up his glasses to look at him.


    ¡°Da Fei?¡± Zhou Jing turned to the side, ¡°Hey Da Fei¡­¡±


    Gu Fei slapped the back of his head.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you come yesterday? Did you go out to play?¡± Zhou Jing asked, touching the back of his head.


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I thought you were being like how you were last semester, cutting classes to go on trips,¡± Zhou Jing said.


    Gu Fei sighed and looked at him: ¡°You would cut a day of class for a trip?¡±


    ¡°¡­ that¡¯s true, a day wouldn¡¯t be enough time,¡± Zhou Jing said, ¡°Hey you¡­¡±


    ¡°Piss off,¡± Gu Fei used this simple conclusion.


    The classes that days was no different from the previous two days; the teacher was solely engrossed in lecturing to himself and the students, absorbed in their own games ¨C an auspicious and peaceful batch indeed.


    Gu Fei was also the same as usual; first, he played that same game and then after he ran out of lives, he put on his earphones and started to watch some videos.


    Jiang Cheng did not hold back as his eyes swept toward him several times.


    Gu Fei was the kind of person who, if you did not look at his eyes, would give others a feeling that he was actually quite gentle, and the manner in which he dressed was both comfortable and tonal; with those glasses on, he simply seemed like what he was not: a real xueba.


    In truth, Jiang Cheng was a bit shocked by this inscrutable trait of his.


    After looking at him a few times, he returned his attention back to the teacher because no matter how horrible the teacher¡¯s lecture was, he had to listen, and regardless of whether he was lying on his desk half-asleep and half-awake, he had to listen to the key point.


    Jiang Cheng had never admitted that he was the kind of person who could do well in exams without studying since he was quite clear about how much time he spent studying. But in the current classroom environment, wrapped in this type of learning atmosphere, it actually made him a little nervous. He didn¡¯t cherish his grades much in his previous school, but he absolutely did not want them to be dragged down after transferring to Si Zhong.


    In the last class of the day that was English, Lao Lu¡¯s passion radiated all around ¨C perhaps, because tomorrow was the weekend, and everyone was somewhat absent-minded that he wanted to wake them up.


    However, Jiang Cheng was very seriously taking note, even if he was half-lying on the desk.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about today¡¯s assignment!¡± Lao Lu¡¯s said just before class ended while slapping the desk, ¡°All your assignments can go and open an exhibition! Such a simple assignment yet there are a hundred types of answers!¡±


    ¡°Our class doesn¡¯t have a hundred people,¡± Wang Xu answered.


    The whole class laughed.


    ¡°You! Wang Xuri!¡± Lao Lu pointed his pointer at him, ¡°The good-for-nothing is you! If all your organs were atrophied, your mouth would certainly remain!¡±[1]


    Wang Xu pushed the desk, somewhat in a bad mood.


    ¡°Unhappy huh, come to my office after class!¡± Lao Lu roared and then without waiting for Wang Xu to any sort of reaction, his pointer went toward Jiang Cheng¡¯s direction ¨C even pointing this way and jabbing that way. ¡°Gu Fei!¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± Gu Fei looked up.


    ¡°Tell me, do you have a problem! You copied the assignment, didn¡¯t you? It must be copied!¡± Lao Lu said successively, ¡°Did you copy it?! You can say it, you copied it! Did you?!¡±


    Gu Fei waited for a long while without finding a gap to answer him.


    ¡°You copied the assignment! If you¡¯re going to copy it, be a bit more proficient, alright? Alright?!¡± Lao Lu slapped the desk, ¡°You¡¯ve copied all the answers correctly, not even one wrong! Not even one! Tell me! Who did you copy!¡±


    This time, he actually gave Gu Fei time to reply.


    Gu Fei was silent for a moment and then raised his finger and pointed at Zhou Jing: ¡°Him.¡±


    ¡°Zhou Jing!¡± Lao Lu bellowed in rage immediately, pointing at Zhou Jing, ¡°You¡¯re quite amazing ah! How about adding a comment about you taking pleasure in helping people in your evaluation for this semester?!¡±


    Zhou Jing was startled as he turned to look at Gu Fei, who was pointing at him ¨C he opened his mouth, but no words came out.


    Lao Lu grabbed the assignments while cursing and he continued to curse until class ended; he swung the pointer under his arm and walked out of the classroom.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Zhou Jing turned around, ¡°Who did you copy, huh?¡±


    Gu Fei glanced at him without saying anything.


    Zhou Jing was determined for a minute then stood up: ¡°Forget it, who cares.¡±


    After Zhou Jing left, Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Fei, not knowing what he should say.


    ¡°Er Miao will be waiting at the schoolgate in a bit,¡± Gu Fei said as he fixed his schoolbag, ¡°You should go with her.¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng froze, ¡°I just fought with her brother, I don¡¯t want to go with her.¡±


    ¡°Just try,¡±Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Okay, fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng was a little angry. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll try.¡±


    Gu Fei did not speak; after a moment, he took a deep breath: ¡°Do me a favor, thanks.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you must be suffering hard huh.¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly felt relief.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Fei said.


    [1] ÒªÈËÀàÆ÷¹Ù¶¼ÍË»¯ÁËÄã¿Ï¶¨ÊǾÍÊ£×죡- Means: ¡°You can only talk but can¡¯t do anything!¡± it¡¯s equivalent to, ¡°All talk and no action¡±/¡±All talk but no bark¡±

 CH 16

    When Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei exited the school gates one after another, he really wanted to tell Gu Fei, I¡¯m doing it for Gu Miao, not you.


    But Gu Fei didn¡¯t turn back to look at him at all, so he didn¡¯t get the chance to say anything.


    When they finally stood next to each other, there was also no chance to say much either. Gu Miao was sitting on the pedestrian fence with her skateboard in her arms and legs that were busy swinging side to side.


    When she spotted them approaching, she instantly jumped down and threw her board on the ground in front of her. Then with a few light jogs, she leaped onto the moving board and appeared before them, reaching her hands into Gu Fei¡¯s pocket, grabbing out a handful of candy.


    Jiang Cheng stared and watched Gu Miao picked out only the fruit candies from the pile of candies.


    These candies were actually prepared for our little friend Gu Miao on a daily basis?


    Gu Miao peeled open a candy wrapper and popped it into her mouth. She then dashed out in the other direction on her skateboard, moving on the very edge of the pedestrian sidewalk ¨C plausibly considering to not bump into other people.


    Jiang Cheng could only watch from behind. Even though Gu Miao was quite agile with top-notch skills, in the end, she was still an elementary school student¡­yet her brother actually turned around to fetch his own bike, not even giving a single glance in her direction.


    Gu Miao skated ahead for a good moment before stopping and turning around to look back at him.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jiang Cheng hurried a few steps to catch up beside her.


    Gu Miao jumped off the skateboard and moved to the side.


    Jiang Cheng really wanted to say to her that ¡®the fight with your brother yesterday has left me sore all over¡¯, and that he had no will to skate, but seeing Gu Miao stare back at him with her large round eyes, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to disappoint her.


    ¡°Sure,¡± he sighed, took a step onto the board and slowly started to slide out.


    Thank goodness that after a turn away from the main street onto the next street, there were fewer people.


    Gu Miao ran along behind him, suddenly clapping her hand.


    When he turned his head, Gu Miao ran even faster towards him, making a hand gesture as she ran, telling him to get off.


    ¡°You sure know how to play¡­¡± He understood Gu Miao¡¯s intention and jumped off the skateboard.


    Gu Miao arrived beside him just in time and with a leap, she landed right on the board ¨C borrowing energy from this moment of inertia, she zoomed out onto the street. With a few more kicks of her feet, she then turned around to look back at Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Jiang Cheng was really quite tired, but he still ran forward. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask your brother to do this sort of thing with you¡­¡±


    Gu Miao jumped off the board. He immediately followed suit and jumped on the still moving board and continued down the road.


    Just like this, they continued down the street one after another.


    It was actually quite fun, Gu Miao didn¡¯t speak, neither did she need him to speak, he only needed to cooperate with her. The point was that her skills were superb, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t even have to worry about the chances of her falling.


    During the entire time, Gu Fei rode his bike a few dozens of meters behind them with one leg sweeping along the ground as he maneuvered forward, rhythmically staggering in a fast and slow pace while playing on his phone and not looking at the road ¨C not looking at his little sister.


    Jiang Cheng was waiting, hoping he would fall into some sewer that was missing a cover ¨C then he could clap.


    Unfortunately for him, even though this defeated little old city was rotten, its management was quite good; there wasn¡¯t even a single brick missing on the pedestrian sidewalk. Gu Fei arrived on the street they lived at, safe and sound.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jiang Cheng jumped off the skateboard with a body full of sweat from running. ¡°I¡¯m going to head back the other way.¡±


    Gu Miao stepped onto her skateboard and waved goodbye.


    He also waved back.


    Gu Miao put her hand in between her mouth and whistled. Gu Fei looked up and his eyes swept her way and then with a sudden kick on the pedal, his bicycle flew out. As it was passing by her side, she reached out a hand toward the backseat ¨C looking as though she was gliding on ice, she was pulled away by Gu Fei.


    ¡°¡­ lift off.¡± Jiang Cheng looked after them speechless.


    Gu Fei probably didn¡¯t have a father, his mother¡¯s conditions made it hard to judge, so Gu Miao was most likely raised like a dog by Gu Fei.


    If the same situation was placed in his family, and his mother caught sight of someone¡¯s brother raising up his little sister like this, she could probably talk about it for half a year.


    ¡­some things were like an obsessive-compulsive disorder, you would uncontrollably think back to them.


    Jiang Cheng raised his head and vigorously sucked in a lung-full of cold air, only then did he feel himself relax a bit.


    Once he arrived at Li Baoguo¡¯s house, the card players were no longer here yet the living room was a wild mess; the uncollected cards and scattered ashtrays left on the table made him sick with just one glance.


    Jiang Cheng entered the kitchen. He couldn¡¯t order take-out for every meal, and since he no longer had an allowance to spend, there was only money going out and none coming in: he had to be conservative.


    He immediately wanted to smash things when he stepped into the kitchen. After Li Baoguo made those dumplings yesterday, he left everything laying out in the open, nothing was washed and nothing was put away, and there was still half a pot of leftover soup sitting there.


    Jiang Cheng wanted to wash the pot but just as he picked it up, he immediately froze on the spot.


    A cockroach had drowned in the soup.


    This scene stunned him to the point that he couldn¡¯t even throw up from disgust. Just like this, he stood still in the kitchen with the pot in his hand as if his whole body was covered with crawling insects. He felt a disgusting itch spread throughout him from the mere thought of it.


    He must have stood there for two minutes until finally, with gritted teeth, he dumped the noodle soup into the toilet. He then put the pot on the floor and pointed the water hose at it for a long time to rinse it clean, and then with the detergent, he aggressively rubbed at it before he finally filled it with water and placed it onto the stove to boil.


    He left the gas blazing even after the water started to boil as he stared at the rolling water until the last bits of the cockroach remains vanished along with the steam. Dumping the water down the sink, he then boiled another pot of water, preparing to make himself a bowl of noodles.


    There was a fridge in the kitchen, a stench flew out as the door opened. There were only a few red peppers inside, and based on its appearance, they must have been in there for at least a month.


    No meat, no eggs ¨C there was nothing.


    Fuck! Was the meat that Li Baoguo used to make the dumplings measured accordingly with a weight? Not a cent overpaid!


    Facing the pot of water, Jiang Cheng fell into a momentary daze before he eventually turned off the gas.


    After Jiang Cheng carried out a furious mind-battle between the choices of eating out, ordering takeout or going out and buying some vegetables so he could come back and make his noodles ¨C he chose the latter.


    He had no ability to change the current environment he lived in, the only thing he could do was to adapt. Though it sounded easy, to actually perform it was as hard as reaching the sky.


    He picked up his wallet and cell phone, then left the house to buy groceries.


    He should have gone to the market, yet¡­ he had only been here for a while and had passed through the majority of the streets, but he really had yet to spot a grocery market anywhere.


    He wanted to ask a pedestrian for directions, but even after he arrived at the end of the road, there wasn¡¯t a single person in sight. It was lunchtime right now; everyone was probably idling at home.


    He glanced at the street next to him with scrunched eyebrows.


    Gu Fei family¡¯s slightly fake-looking market definitely had what he needed. Even if there were no leafy vegetables, there should at least be something along the lines of sausages, canned fish¡­was it because he had been living too miserably lately that thinking about these things, he actually had to swallow back his saliva ¨C he was hungry.


    Jiang Cheng just look at how promising your future is!


    After completing his self-reflection, Jiang Cheng made a turn onto the street beside him.


    Jiang Cheng was developing a psychological trauma from constantly lifting up the curtains to Gu Fei¡¯s family shop ¨C it felt very awkward every sing time. After that one fight, they had only spoken three sentences to each other, yet here he was, running here to buy groceries ¨C that was even more¡­  awkward.


    As the curtains lifted up, he instantly felt a cluster of eyes fall upon him.


    There was actually no awkwardness from this, except he was almost scared off his feet.


    Seven people, fourteen eyes, the Gu¡¯s siblings plus Bu Shi Hao Niao, and Li Yan.


    Gu Fei seemed a bit surprised. With chopsticks in his hand, he turned around to look at him without a word, and since he didn¡¯t make a sound, neither did Bu Shi Hao Niao or Li Yan.


    Only Gu Miao stood up and waved her hand at him.


    He gave Gu Miao a smile and walked inside: ¡°I¡¯m buying some stuff.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead and get what you need,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Just¡­ sausages and whatnots, where are they?¡± Jiang Cheng looked on inside, Gu Fei¡¯s family shop was fairly large with numerous rows of shelves placed side by side.


    ¡°The row next to the window, at the very end,¡± Li Yan answered him.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him and walked inside.


    There was quite the variety to choose from: hot dogs, sausages, sliced red sausages; he took one of each and then also grabbed a can of marbled pork and a can of fish.


    He took a few steps over to the register, but after giving it some thought, he rounded back to the shelves and grabbed all sorts of spices and seasonings. Li Baoguo¡¯s kitchen was just too horrifying to imagine. Indeed, he had developed a psychological fear toward everything in it.


    ¡°Getting everything all at once,¡± Li Yan stood behind the cash register, talking as he rang up the bill. ¡°Gonna cook?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng hesitated momentarily, ¡°Are there¡­pots and pans?¡±


    ¡°Pots?¡± Li Yan blinked, then looked toward Gu Fei¡¯s direction. ¡°You have pots?¡±


    Gu Fei also blinked, then stood up: ¡°What pot?¡±


    ¡°¡®Just¡­pans for stir fry, pots for soup.¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°But the ones sold in the shopping center have better quality.¡±


    ¡°¡®It¡¯s fine, as long as you have them,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei looked at him then turned to walk to the far back corner and from a pile of buckets and tubs, he pulled out two pots, one frying pan, and one soup pot. Gu Fei waved them in front of him: ¡°This size?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded and took them from Gu Fei.


    ¡°Why not just eat with us,¡± Li Yan leaned against the cash register. ¡°It¡¯s only a matter of adding another chopstick.¡±


    Jiang Cheng took out his wallet and thought that Li Yan¡¯s words were quite kind, but as he lifted his gaze, he realized Li Yan¡¯s eyes held some not-so-friendly aggression.


    Jiang Cheng was most annoyed by the type of person who would randomly work up a fit of anger toward him. He pulled out some cash and threw them on the counter, and then with hands pushing against the counter, he stared back at him.


    ¡°¡®Your eyeball is about to fall out,¡± Gu Fei walked over and sat back down on his stool, ¡°Take the money.¡±


    Li Yan gave him another look before he moved his gaze away and picked up the money before staring at him some more as he handed him the change.


    Jiang Cheng could see that Li Yan had no intention of getting him a bag, hence, he eyed the side of the cash register and pulled out two plastic grocery bags from the nail that hang at a bundle, put the things inside and turned around to walk out the door.


    ¡°Do you have a problem,¡± Liu Fan looked at Li Yan.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem,¡± Li Yan sat down, picked up a bottle and swallowed a gulp of beer. ¡°I don¡¯t know why either, the kid just doesn¡¯t fit right with me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, because he doesn¡¯t fit right ah?¡± Liu Fan said. ¡°For someone who didn¡¯t know better, they might¡¯ve thought you fell in love at first sight, with the way you were staring so intently I thought you were gonna lick him.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how to have a conversation?¡± Li Yan glared at him.


    ¡°Yan Ge isn¡¯t in a good mood today ah,¡± Luo Yu laughingly said as he gnawed on a rib.


    ¡°And how¡¯s that your business,¡± Li Yan eyed him. ¡°Remember that I made this meal. If you don¡¯t want to eat your food nicely then you can go to the backyard and boil yourself some noodles.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll say, the large bones you bought today are seriously good Li Yan,¡± Liu Fan said. ¡°Fresh.¡±


    ¡°I got my mom to buy them,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°I kept on wanting to eat meat because of the cold weather that my eyes were shooting out green light¡­Er Miao wipe the oil from your mouth, you¡¯re a pretty little beauty at the very least, watch your image a bit.¡±


    Gu Miao grabbed a napkin and swiped it over her mouth, lowered her head and continued to eat.


    ¡°Oh right, that person didn¡¯t come back right?¡± Liu Fan asked.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei dropped some vegetables into Gu Miao¡¯s bowl.


    Gu Miao picked up the vegetables, wanting to drop them into Li Yan¡¯s bowl, but Gu Fei¡¯s chopstick immediately gripped onto her chopsticks: ¡°Your face is so dry that the skin is peeling off.¡±


    Gu Miao could only drawback her hands and stuff the leafy greens into her mouth.


    ¡°Your skin must be peeling because you probably don¡¯t use facial care,¡± Li Yan maneuvered over and looked at Gu Miao¡¯s face. ¡°Er Miao, have you been using the facial cream Yan Ge brought you last time?¡±


    Gu Miao didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°She thinks it¡¯s too much of a hassle,¡± Gu Fei answered for her.


    Li Yan tsk-ed: ¡°Where did this rough personality come from, your mom, your brother or¡­¡±


    He stopped mid-sentence and was stuck on the spot for quite a bit, then picked up a single strand of vermicelli and put it into his mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Gu a Fei took a sip of soup.


    Li Yan bought groceries and prepared their meal today. Having a couple of loafers as friends had its benefits ¨C when their mother was unreliable, they would be there to help.


    When Gu Fei didn¡¯t skip class, his mother would usually be in the store. But within a week, there would be at least two days where she wouldn¡¯t stay for more than half the day, and during those times, Li Yan would come in to fill the spot, to look after the shop as well as cook them a meal.


    The dishes weren¡¯t exactly that great: it was just a matter of throwing a bunch of different vegetables together and randomly boiling them in a pot; they all tasted exactly the same, yet he was still willing to buy the groceries. Every time the pot was stuffed to the point the food could no longer be contained, they had to call over the other guys to eat along with them.


    After dinner Liu Fan and the others left, leaving only Li Yan leaning against a chair with his head raised and his hand rubbing his belly: ¡°Er Miao, leave the dishes for me to wash, Yan Ge needs to digest, I ate too much.¡±


    Gu Miao picked up the skateboard and looked at Gu Fei.


    ¡°¡­ go ahead.¡± Gu Fei was somewhat helpless.


    Gu Miao¡¯s passion for the skateboard was like an obsession, she was only a step away from hugging the piece of board to sleep.


    ¡°Da Fei.¡± After Gu Miao left, Li Yan opened his eyes and looked at Gu Fei, ¡°When the weather warms up, let¡¯s go hang out[1] somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Go where,¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, how ¡®bout asking Xin-jie,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°Go out somewhere with her band.¡±


    ¡°Forget it,¡± Gu Fei lit a cigarette and dangled it in his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t plan on going out any time soon, I still have a record of bad behavior that hasn¡¯t been removed.¡±


    ¡°And you care about that?¡± Li Yan laughed.


    ¡°I have to get the graduation certificate, at the least.¡± Gu Fei replied.


    ¡°If your relationship with this xueba gets even closer, you might even be accepted into a good university,¡± Li Yan looked at him.


    Gu Fei eyed him: ¡°There¡¯s shit in your brain, right?¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Li Yan thought carefully while looking up at the ceiling, ¡°If that guy wasn¡¯t so arrogant and self-contained¡­he¡¯d actually be quite charismatic.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°I quite like this type,¡± Li Yan added.


    ¡°With this type, you would be beaten up until not a speck of you was left,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Idiot.¡±


    ¡°The pattern has grown unclear,¡± Li Yan looked at his hair. ¡°Wanna fix it a bit?¡±


    ¡°Are you uncomfortably bored,¡± Gu Fei blew out a mouthful of smoke.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Li Yan nodded his head.


    Gu Fei repositioned the chair and turned with his back to him.


    Li Yan took out a toolbox from under the cash counter: ¡°How long do you plan on keeping this pattern for, do you want to change to a new one?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei turned his head to the side and leaned against the backrest.


    ¡°Ding Zhuxin really is your goddess,¡± Li Yan took out the tools and very carefully started to trim the rest symbol on the left side of his head.


    ¡°My goddess is Gu Miao,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Quit putting me and Xin-jie together, especially in front of her.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Li Yan nodded. ¡°You¡¯re not her little follower anymore, you also no longer look up to her, you just quit liking women altogether.¡±


    Gu Fei wanted to laugh: ¡°Is she paying you salary?¡±


    ¡°No, I just think she¡¯s quite silly when she clearly knows that you¡­yet she still likes a thing like you,¡± Li Yan sighed. ¡°Even changing her name, who knows what she¡¯s thinking.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t speak.


    Ding Zhuxin¡¯s name used to be Zhuyin, later she changed it herself to Zhu ¡®Xin¡¯.[2]


    ¡®Bamboos¡¯ had no center.


    Yeah, what was she thinking.


    When he was young, he quite worshipped Ding Zhuxin, thinking that she was really cool and unrestrained by life. During the few years that he was helpless and disoriented, the support that Ding Zhuxin gave him greatly outweighed what his own mother was able to offer. Even now, he still held great appreciation toward her character, yet he could never have foreseen for so many things to change ¨C these changes would occur bit by bit and when he had finally awakened to his surroundings, everything around him had taken on an indistinguishable new appearance.


    With his phone in hand, Jiang Cheng fussed with the GPS for an hour before finally arriving in front of the storage company that had previously called.


    When the staff pulled his things out on a flat cart, he was greatly startled ¨C numerous huge boxes piled up to form a small mountain.


    ¡°Have a look and verify them, they¡¯re all numbered,¡± the worker handed him a list.


    Jiang Cheng quickly went out to find a moving truck after he signed the papers, but the driver was unwilling to help him lift the boxes onto the vehicle, not even when money was offered. Jiang Cheng had no choice but to use his one and a half hand to haul and lift the boxes onto the truck himself.


    Right now his whole body felt unbearable, achingly sore ¨C one fight made it seem like he had run ten thousand meters.


    After the boxes were all loaded, the driver told him to ride shotgun, but he refused as giving it some thought and climbed into the back.


    He could no longer wait to see what his mother had mailed him.


    After he left that family, what his mother would mail to him¡­he felt that after having seen what was inside, he could more clearly understand what his mother was thinking.


    The boxes were sealed tightly. He used a knife to cut open the heaviest box.


    It was a whole box full of books.


    The novels and comics he had bought and the magazines he had subscribed to were all neatly and tightly packed together. Jiang Cheng scrunched his eyebrows as he pulled out a few books from the top layer and looked down into the lower layer.


    There he saw his high school entrance examination study materials.


    He closed the lid over the cardboard box, his mother most likely mailed him all the books on his bookshelf without a single one left behind ¨C the box below was also packed with books.


    He didn¡¯t especially love reading books, neither was there a lot of them on his bookshelf, but with the addition of his studying materials, it was enough to make these two boxes weigh dead-heavy ¨C exactly like his current mood.


    After a moment of hesitation, he also opened the slightly smaller box situated beside him.


    Inside it was his little gadgets and toys, the things that were previously scattered on his desk and inside his drawers, ornaments and decorations, interesting small toys, handicrafts, alarm clock, pen holders, small framed mirrors, there was even an old, empty lighter.


    He closed his eyes as his hands harshly scrubbed his face a few times before he finally rested it against his forehead to support the weight, not wanting to budge again.


    Looking at his surroundings, his mother most likely didn¡¯t leave behind much of his things, probably aside from that piano, the rest were all mailed to him peremptorily.


    For a while now, he was constantly feeling depressed, constrained, difficult to understand, and incapable of accepting everything. There was hatred and anger, but the moment he saw these things, he felt irrevocable sadness.


    The cold war he was having with his family, getting cursed at by his mother and father, being sent back to his birthplace, all had left him heartbroken. But seeing these things, mailed back to him without a trace of distinguishment or thought toward whether he wanted them by his mother as if she was finishing off a mission ¨C this hurt him the most.


    This sadness hit him stronger than any other feelings he had, inescapable and intense.


    When the driver stopped the car he almost couldn¡¯t stand up.


    Numerous boxes of big and small sizes were emptied off the trucks. As the vehicle drove off, Jiang Cheng lightly kicked at the box near his feet and sighed.


    As he leaned against the boxes, Jiang Cheng stared at the snow that had been stomped to black muddy mushes by the passing pedestrians until a middle-aged man on a three-wheeled bike passed by collecting waste products.


    ¡°These two boxes of books,¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at the box.


    The man looked: ¡°The prices we give now for the books are the same as paper waste.¡±


    ¡°Sure, take them,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    After the man weighed the books, Jiang Cheng opened the box full of his little toys again and took out the only thing he wished to keep: his large black slingshot. Then asked: ¡°How ¡®bout these?¡±


    ¡°Let me see,¡± the man roughly rummaged through the box, taking out the things inside for a better look. ¡°These are pretty useless things, they can¡¯t be traded for much¡­thirty yuan.¡±


    ¡°Take them,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°The thing in your hand could be worth a bit too,¡± the man said, ¡°Twenty?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t for sale,¡± Jiang Cheng put the slingshot in his pocket, thinking how black-hearted the man was, an item worth two hundred when purchased, yet only twenty yuan was able to escape his mouth.


    There were two boxes containing his clothes, the man still had an interest to collect them: ¡°How ¡®bout the clothes?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    The man laughed lightly, took out some cash from his pocket, and handed it to him along with a name card. ¡°If you have anything else you want to sell, just give me a call ah, I live close, I can get here quick.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jiang Cheng stuffed the name card and money together into his pocket.


    The two boxes of clothes felt like two boxes of metal after he moved them into the house, they were very heavy.


    Though he wasn¡¯t sure if they were actually heavy, or just that he no longer had energy.


    With two boxes of clothes that could miraculously be kept inside the room, he sat down on the edge of his bed and looked at the boxes in front of him.


    These many things were mailed to him using a large amount of money and energy, yet in the end they were sold as waste products. Jiang Cheng could no longer contain his laughter, how smart of a brain, xueba.


    He took out the handful of dirty, crumpled cash from his pocket and though they were all loose change, there seemed to be a lot.


    Such heavy, such large boxes became only a few tiny pieces of paper.


    [1] ¡°¡­hang out¡± ¨C he means to go somewhere far away-ish for a picnic or a two-day, one-night camp trip or something


    [2] Zhu Yin, Zhu Xin ÖñÒô ¨C ÖñÐÄ: Zhu is the character meaning ¡°bamboo¡±, Yin is the character meaning ¡°sound¡±, ¡°tone¡± or can be related to ¡°music¡±. Whereas Xin is the character meaning ¡°heart¡±. Yet Zhu Xin together means the ¡°center of the bamboo¡±¡­which is hollow¡­

 CH 17

    Gu Fei sat behind the cash register, playing on his cellphone while watching as Li Baoguo took his third turn around the shelves of goods. Li Baoguo did not seem to have any goal in mind; he simply turned back and forth and would glance over at Gu Fei from time to time.


    Since Li Baoguo had on more than one occasion stolen things in the shop, every time he came in, Gu Fei would stare at him directly, but now came a Jiang Cheng all of a sudden, though he stared a bit, it wasn¡¯t a stare, yet it was.


    Li Baoguo was not a thief, sometimes when he gambled all his money away and needed to shop, he would first get them on credit; with the majority of the people that lived here being those at the lowest rung of society, buying and selling things on credit happened quite often than not. However, even when Li Baoguo purchased on credit, he would always think of a way to steal something else¡­


    ¡°Da Fei ah,¡± Li Baoguo put his hand in a large cotton-padded jacket and then took it out, walked to the freezer to grab a bag of fish balls and finally made his way to the register. ¡°This, I¡¯ll give you the money in two days? Calculate it with the things from last time?¡±


    ¡°En, okay.¡± Gu Fei took out a notebook from the drawer, looked for the page with Li Baoguo¡¯s name and wrote: ¡°A bag of fish balls, a bottle of Niu Er liquor[1], a large¡­¡±


    ¡°What? I don¡¯t want any liquor,¡± Li Baoguo said awkwardly.


    ¡°The bottle in your pocket,¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°Li-shu[2], you should drink less; you can¡¯t even remember things clearly anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh, oh,¡± Li Baoguo cracked a smile and laughed while slapping his pocket. ¡°Yes, I got a bottle¡­ add a pack of changbaishan cigarettes in the bag for me.¡±


    Gu Fei turned to grab a pack of the ten yuan changbaishan cigarette for him then wrote it down.


    ¡°Your handwriting is pretty good,¡± Li Baoguo moved in closer for a look. ¡°Hey, do you know my son?¡±


    ¡°Li Hui, of course, I know him ah,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Not Li Hui, my younger son, Cheng-Cheng.¡± Li Baoguo propped his elbow on the counter, ¡°He just returned. I couldn¡¯t raise him when he was younger and gave him away¡­ he¡¯s also at Si Zhong, you must know him.¡±


    ¡°En, I seem to know him,¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    Li Baoguo laughed mischievously, ¡°He¡¯s very good in his studies, certainly different from Xiao Hui, an excellent student. An excellent student, you know that, right? A group of scoundrels like you must all be horrible students, huh? My youngest son is indeed a good student.¡±


    Gu Fei smiled, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°You remember now? I¡¯ll have Cheng-Cheng bring you the money in a couple of days.¡± Li Baoguo looked at the notebook again and then pointed at it with his finger, ¡°My son¡¯s handwriting is definitely better than yours.¡±


    ¡°¡­right,¡± Gu Fei continued to nod his head.


    After Li Baoguo walked out in a good mood, he looked down at his own handwriting in the notebook.


    He didn¡¯t dare to say for certain about other things, but Jiang Cheng¡¯s handwriting¡­ it can only be, hehehehehhe, it absolutely belonged to the type that had been correctly written, but still had the possibility of having marks deducted as the characters were too hideously written, which would have undoubtedly irritated the teachers.


    As noon approached, his mother walked in with a warm lunchbox in hand: ¡°I made some red braised pork.¡±


    ¡°Not going out today?¡± Gu Fei stood up and turned over the small stool to the side: ¡°Did you eat?¡±


    ¡°Where would I go to ah! Where can I go?!¡± Her face was packed with discontent, ¡°Whoever I got out with will only be left scared or lose half their life ah! I don¡¯t want to eat!¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be fine if you looked for someone that doesn¡¯t need a beating?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Is there anyone in your eyes that doesn¡¯t need a beating? When are you going to be able to see the goodness in people!?¡± She said resentfully, ¡°This is not pleasing for you, that is not pleasing for you, your mom living as a widow must be pleasing to you!¡±


    ¡°To be able to see the goodness in people, that person must have goodness in them.¡± Gu Fei opened the lid of the lunchbox, took out the small box, and pushed half of the braised pork inside.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Er Miao?¡± His mother asked.


    ¡°She went out to play. Just save her a bit,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°She¡¯ll come back to eat when she¡¯s hungry.¡±


    His mother sighed: ¡°Being out all day to the point of becoming like this, and having that kind of temperament¡­ just looking at her stress me out, what¡¯s going to happen later on?¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t look,¡± Gu Fei sat down and began to eat.


    ¡°You should go out today,¡± his mother looked at him and suddenly said.


    ¡°Go where?¡± Gu Fei ate a piece of meat; actually, he knew what she was talking about.


    ¡°Today is what day that you don¡¯t even remember it ah!¡± She smacked the table, ¡°How long has it been since your father died that you don¡¯t remember!¡±


    ¡°He died quite a long time ago,¡± Gu Fei said.


    His mother glared at him without speaking and then after a moment, she took out a piece of tissue and started to wipe her tears.


    Gu Fei had never wanted to understand exactly what kind of feelings his mother had for her husband. When he was alive, they had argued every day, after the arguments ended, they would fight and once that was done with, she would plead to God to have this man die quickly[3] yet now that he was dead, tears would stream at the mention of him.


    Sometimes the crying was quite sincere and genuine that it was heartbreaking.


    ¡°I went to the cemetery two days ago,¡± Gu Fei said as he ate.


    ¡°That¡¯s pointless, I said, going to the cemetery is pointless!¡± His mother looked at him, ¡°Wherever he died, go there! How many times have I said that! Otherwise, no one will be at peace! If you don¡¯t want to go, I¡¯ll go myself!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go in the afternoon,¡± Gu Fei sighed.


    ¡°Burn some paper offerings,¡±[4] she continued to wipe her tears. ¡°That idiot really knows how to use money, I reckon he¡¯s begging for food on the other side.¡±


    ¡°Stay in the shop this afternoon,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°And don¡¯t touch the money. If you dare to touch any of it, I¡¯ll tell the King of Hell that what I burn is all fake money.¡±


    ¡°¡­nutcase!¡± She glared at him.


    The lake that his father died in was quite far away; it was said that a small park was to be constructed there yet the land had never been touched all this time, mainly because there were no residential areas in the vicinity, and the people that went there were only in the handful.


    In the past two years, even the water was nearly all gone and with no one going there, not even the shadow of a person could be seen once winter approached.


    If the lake was as waterless as it was now back then, and if the water in the lake was frozen even the slightest more¡­ father would have not died.


    But.


    When he had given Jiang Cheng a summary of Li Baoguo, he was somewhat absent-minded¡­ for just a split second, he thought that he was introducing his own father to others.


    Sometimes he didn¡¯t dare to think about it ¨C didn¡¯t dare to face his own heart that had once so wished he would die, didn¡¯t dare to face his own heart that even now thought that if it was to take place again, he would still wish for that man to die.


    His heart and this lake¡­ both were places that he did not want to get close to.


    If his mother didn¡¯t make him go there to burn paper offerings every year, he would never be near it.


    From the house, it was a left turn; after bypassing a small factory, it was a continuously straight line with no curves or forks, and when there was nowhere else to go, you would arrive.


    After he bypassed the small factory, there was no one in sight and only the ruins and sense of desolation filled his vision ¨C the cold and cheerlessness seemed to portray another space.


    Gu Fei lowered his hat, wore his face mask, and then put on earmuffs; perhaps, because there were no buildings here, or perhaps because he was afraid, he felt cold and that whichever direction the wind appeared from, it could easily drill into his body ¨C the chilliness penetrated from the outside a layer at a time.


    There was not much snow this year, but because no one had cleaned it, the thick layer that remained on the ground created a sound with each step that provoked nervousness in those that trod on it.


    After walking for a while, he looked down at his feet only to suddenly discover a series of footprints on the ground.


    He froze and glanced back and forth at the road, indeed there were two lines of footprints ¨C a set coming in and none heading out.


    Someone actually escaped to the lakeside in this season.


    He frowned.


    Coming to the lake to burn paper offerings was the kind of thing that he did not want others to see, he did not want to make others think that he harbored any guilt.


    He had no guilt, he only had fear ¨C nothing more.


    Although the surface of the water was not large, after walking toward the lakeside, the wind was still blowing rapidly, raging by until his eyes hurt badly.


    He walked through the sparse woods and stepped on the pile of wild grassland to the lakeside, his footprints all disappeared into the broken stubble of ice.


    He looked to the right and left only to see no one, he hesitated for a moment and then stared at the lake with many of its areas exposing the very bottom of it, there was still no one.


    Of course, even if someone had previously stepped on the broken ice and fell in¡­ the lake as it was now, could not drown anyone to death, only freeze them to death.


    He found a tree, crouched down against the trunk, threw the bag in his hand to the ground and took out a cigarette.


    He wanted to wait a bit longer, especially since he didn¡¯t want to walk along the lakeside anymore, and also, this was a prime location as the entrance and exit were unavoidable. His plan was to wait until that person left before he started to burn the paper offerings.


    But after waiting for nearly twenty minutes, without moving, he should be frozen yet still no one emerged.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± he hesitantly nipped out his cigarette and picked up the bag.


    He could only walk a bit further in: one, to see who had passed through here, and two, to look for a more hidden spot.


    After a few hundred metres, Gu Fei heard a crisp sound coming from the middle of the lake.


    The sound was undoubtedly not the type where the ice had cracked naturally, it was more like someone had stepped on it or something had struck it.


    He quickly turned and looked toward the middle of the lake, but he did not see anyone or anything else ¨C everything was still as can be.


    Suddenly, he felt his back went cold and turned sharply to look behind him.


    No one, nothing¡­ something seemed suspicious.


    Before he could turn back, a crisp sound came from the lake once more; he turned his head sharply again, feeling as though it was going to break off.


    He still didn¡¯t see anything, but the sound this time was much stuffier than the previous.


    Slowly, he drew back a few steps and leaned against a tree; although it was a bit naive, he had to actually back into something real for him to have a peace of mind.


    This time, he stared attentively at the lake.


    Just a few seconds later, he caught sight of a stone-like thing flying out of the dried-up underbrush, near the lake about a hundred metre from where he was, hit the surface of the ice.


    That echoing sound was not crisped, but rather a dull, plop.


    Someone¡¯s throwing stones?


    That bored?


    But looking at the speed of the thing flying out, it didn¡¯t seem to be thrown by a hand.


    Gu Fei pulled up his clothes, and slowly approached that direction.


    Less than twenty metres away, he saw a shadow swaying on a sunken spot in front of the lake, and although there was tall withered grass almost the height of a person blocking his line of sight, he could still make out that it was a person.


    Not a ghost.


    He was unexpectedly scared until his heart was raced by a person who was probably bored enough to throw stones by the lakeside for fun.


    Though he felt ridiculous, he was nonetheless, relieved.


    He didn¡¯t go any further, but instead, retreated to the woods with the intention of waiting for the person to leave and also to see what the person was doing.


    That person hadn¡¯t yet noticed another presence as he bent down seemingly to pick up something and then one of his arms stretched forward while the other pulled back.


    A piece of something black flew by, ¡®swooshed¡¯, hitting the surface of the lake once again.


    Plop.


    Gu Fei could immediately see that the person was playing with a slingshot, furthermore, he thought that the person¡¯s clothes¡­ were familiar-looking.


    He stared at the person through the space between the withered grass for a few more moments and then froze.


    Jiang Cheng?


    The clothes on the person were the ones that Jiang Cheng had worn when they fought, and on the chest area were two wide grayish-white stripes ¨C so freaking hideous.


    He looked around, there was no one else, Jiang Cheng actually found this place by himself?


    And then came to play with the slingshot at the iced surface?


    What a sentimental xueba ah¡­ such a great time, yet he¡¯s not home studying, and instead, he ran here to play with a slingshot.


    Gu Fei lit another cigarette and held it in his mouth as he watched Jiang Cheng.


    Jiang Cheng must have used small stones, however, now that the riverbank had frozen over, finding stones was not easy and every time he stooped down, he had to dig around for quite a while; sometimes he even used his feet to kick it a few times.


    Gu Fei watched for a moment and felt that Jiang Cheng appeared to not be in a good mood again. Several times, when he used his feet to kick, his action was just as if he wanted to fight ¨C the hidden anger could obviously be seen.


    But after seeing him slingshot four or five stones, Gu Fei was once again surprised.


    He took out his glasses from the inner pocket of his jacket and put it on, and just stared and looked on.


    Jiang Cheng was aiming at the same spot that was roughly 30 metres away from the shore; surprisingly, he had actually struck the target every single time, causing an ice hole to form there.


    Pretty awesome.


    There were plenty of people who played with slingshots, and among the people that Gu Fei knew, there were also many who bragged about how awesomely accurate they were ¨C many having claimed they could hit a target 70 metres away.


    But for the first time, he saw for himself that someone could indeed sling a stone continuously into the same hole more than a dozen times in a row.


    Jiang Cheng played for a while and then stopped before he stooped to dig and kick again, yet after some time, he still didn¡¯t straighten back up, possibly unable to find any more stones.


    After making a few laps in the same location, he walked in Gu Fei¡¯s direction causing Gu Fei to quickly move back and squatted behind a tree.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Jiang Cheng could not find any stones for what seemed like half the day, and shouted unhappily; his voice was pretty loud, and as it flowed along the wind, Gu Fei could hear it quite clearly.


    There are no more stones, you should just leave.


    But Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t leave, he looked down at the ground, kicked a few times, and found a small stone after kicking a piece of frozen snow.


    Gu Fei sighed.


    Jiang Cheng placed a few pieces into the pocket of his jacket, looked toward the lake and then turned around.


    After steadying his hold for a few seconds, he turned around and raised his hand, slinging out a stone.


    Bam, the sound of the stone hitting somewhere in the distance exposed a thin steel bar on the ground.


    Shit.


    Gu Fei was shocked; had he not worn his glasses, he would not have been able to see where the steel bar was.


    Jiang Cheng turned around and took a few steps to the side before he once again swung his body around. The stone that flew out struck the steel bar again, tearing through it to pieces.


    ¡°Oh yeah! That one too!¡± Jiang Cheng clapped, then raised his slingshot, waved in all directions and bowed a few times: ¡°Thank you, thank you.¡±


    Gu Fei held back his laughter, and slowly retreated for a good distance ¨C if Jiang Cheng was to discover that he was here, it was expected that the two of them would flatten the field of trees.


    ¡°The contestant, Jiang Cheng, has decided to raise the difficulty level once more! He has decided to raise the difficulty level once more! Wow¡ª¡± Jiang Cheng said enthusiastically while drawing two stones from his pocket.


    This time, instead of turning his back to the steel bar, he aimed ahead and pulled his hand.


    Gu Fei practically heard two sounds simultaneously.


    Ding.


    Plop.


    Of the two stones that he had slingshotted together, one hit the intended target, the other missed and hit the ground.


    ¡°Aiya, what a pity.¡± Jiang Cheng fished out another stone out of his pocket while saying, ¡°Coach X, do you think he made a mistake this time or his skills are not up to par?¡±


    Coach X?


    Gu Fei finally reacted after some time, what the hell is Coach X?


    ¡°I think there¡¯s still room for improvement in his skill,¡± Jiang Cheng slingshotted again. ¡°It seems he wants to change the pattern of the challenge¡­will he decrease the difficulty or continue¡­¡±


    His hand loosened, a stone flew out, and without waiting for Gu Fei to see clearly, he followed with another pull; the second stone also flew out, immediately followed by the third.


    Ding, ding, ding.


    All three struck.


    Gu Fei looked at his back, if it wasn¡¯t for this current scenario, he would have truthfully given Jiang Cheng an applause ¨C not only for his aim, but his movements were pretty much ridden with ease and confidence.


    If Li Yan was here, after watching the silent version of this scene, he would certainly no longer say, ¡®he doesn¡¯t fit in right with me¡¯.


    However, after such an excellent performance, Jiang Cheng unexpectedly did not applaud himself or wave his hand and bowed ¨C he simply stood still without uttering a word.


    After a while, he lowered his head and slowly crouched down, holding his head in both of his hands.


    Gu Fei froze.


    That engrossed in his performance¡­?


    But soon he saw Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulder lightly twitched a few times.


    This was crying.


    Gu Fei smoked the last two puffs from the cigarette before he snubbed it out beneath his feet, got up and continued to walk ahead.


    He had no interest in watching this kind of scene. It was okay to watch an entertaining matter, but peeping at the injuries of others, and watching someone that always seemed to explode, cry ¨C was meaningless.


    This lake had an end though you couldn¡¯t go around it and ahead was a mountain that resembled a rotten sweet potato, making it impossible to cross over.


    Gu Fei found a small piece of land with no grass and spent about ten minutes until he was able to start a fire.


    Then he took out the bundle of paper money out of the bag and threw it into the fire.


    There were gold and yellow ones, and also flowers; the face value ranged from nothing to several hundred billion ¨C everything that should be there was there.


    Gu Fei looked at the rising flames and stretched his hands over them.


    At this kind of moment, he should probably say something; others would generally say as ¡®take the money ah, we¡¯re all doing pretty well so don¡¯t be concerned ah, if you don¡¯t have enough money just say it, don¡¯t worry ah¡¯¡­ if he wanted to speak, he truly did not know what he could say.


    He watched as the flames silently changed color, rising in the thick smoke, rippling like a wave in the wind, then getting a little smaller, and finally, only a bluish-black smoke remained.


    Gu Fei grabbed a twig and lightly flicked it to the side rousing the black fragments of paper, still embraced with sparks to float delicately, then everything resumed its tranquil state.


    He stood up, kicked the loose snow from the side over to cover the black ash before he turned to leave.


    Every year, after this day, Gu Fei felt less suffocated ¨C relaxed really. The days returned back to that of senselessness, consisting of watching the shop, watching Gu Miao like a rabbit scuttling the entire streets, going to school to attend boring classes, playing the retarded Craz3 Match game, and watching Lao Xu¡¯s futile attempts to rescue him from his so-called darkness.


    That day, Jiang Cheng did not cry that long by the lake; by the time he had finished burning the paper, and turned his head, Jiang Cheng was no longer there.


    However, when Gu Fei bumped into him at school, he couldn¡¯t make out anything abnormal ¨C he was still dragging a thorny demeanor with a sting to his words; in class he still rested his body on the desk as usual or closed his eyes while still listening, and occasionally squinted to take down notes.


    The two did not interfere with each other in class and had nothing to say.


    Though, every time Gu Fei recalled his performance at the lake, he was always worried he would laugh out loud.


    ¡°Da Fei,¡± Zhou Jing leaned on his desk, ¡°Da Fei? Da¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng impatiently picked up the book in his hand and smacked him in the head and controlled his voice: ¡°If you have something to say, just fucking say it directly! Have you really never been beaten badly by anyone because of this before!¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Zhou Jing clutched his own head and glared at him, then looked at Gu Fei. ¡°Da Fei, when I went to Xu Zong¡¯s office earlier today, I heard him say something like the school wants to hold a spring basketball competition next month.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°You¡¯re joining, right? Our class is counting on you, if you don¡¯t join, we¡¯ll definitely lose,¡± Zhou Jing said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother me,¡± Gu Fei pointed at him.


    Zhou Jing turned around and rested on his own desk.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind suddenly began to wander, next month? Spring basketball competition?


    March is considered spring?


    Thinking of the basketball competition, he suddenly felt a bit contrite.


    Recalling his past memories of playing basketball in school would evoke some other unpleasantness, and yet it was unstoppable ¨C memories of those delightful moments running freely on the court.


    Compared to the present, those memories were all bright.


    [1] Niu Er (Å£¶þ) short for Niulanshan Erjiu£¨Å£À¸É½Å£¶þ¾Æ£©(a kind of second distillation liquor): is a type of light-aroma baijiu (white liquor) made from sorghum. The most famous brands are Red Star (H¨®ngx¨©ng)and Niulanshan); the average strength is 50% alcohol by volume or 100 proof.The name ¡°second distillation¡± indicates its level of purity. It¡¯s one of the most commonly drunk baijiu in Beijing, thus has a deep cultural association with China¡¯s capital and beyond.


    [2] Êå ¨C sh¨± means ¡®uncle¡¯ so Uncle Shu


    [3] ÔçËÀÔ糬Éú ¨C to die quickly; the whole idiom is, ¡°to end one¡¯s suffering by dying quickly and being reincarnated / (fig) to get it over with


    [4] paper offerings ¨C she¡¯s talking about ¡®Joss paper¡¯: also known as ghost/spirit money, are sheets of paper that are burned in traditional Chinese deity or ancestor worship ceremonies during special holidays; a practice believed to send money and the material wealth to your deceased relatives and friends.

 CH 18

    Jiang Cheng crouched in his room trying to assemble a small bookshelf, but even after he fussed with it until his whole body was covered with sweat, the shelf was still not complete.


    Out of all the times that he had given his money to Daddy ¨C Jack Ma[1], this was probably the time where it was most well-spent.


    For such a small bookshelf that was over five hundred yuan and dead heavy, the high-end texture signified that it was indeed on a whole other level with each piece that passed through his hand. The problem was that there were quite a few pieces, plus the fact that it had an irregularly shaped frame, and none of the pieces were identical.


    Jiang Cheng stared at the instruction manual for a long time before finally piecing together the legs and the board underneath; screws also had to be added and the holes were tiny, making it difficult to screw in, hence, he had to hammer it in with¡­ a hammer.


    ¡°You bought this thing online?¡± Li Baoguo pushed open the door, his voice ringing all too loudly as usual.


    From a young age to now, once the door to his room was closed, no one would enter from simply a push on the door. Once Li Baoguo¡¯s yell rang out, Jiang Cheng felt as if his heart was going to jump out from his mouth and stick against the wall.


    The hammer in his hand immediately clattered ¨C clang ¨C and landed against the thumb of his left hand.


    He gritted his teeth and endured the radiating pain that eventuated from his fingertips a second later.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bookshelf, right?¡± Li Baoguo asked again.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jiang Cheng managed to let the word escape from his gritted teeth.


    ¡°How much was it?¡± Li Baoguo walked in and bent his back to look at the scattered pieces of boards lying on the ground. ¡°And you even have to set it together yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jiang Cheng sucked in some air, finally feeling he had overcome a bit of the pain. He watched Li Baoguo, ¡°Can you knock the door first the next time you come in?¡±


    ¡°Knock the door?¡± Li Baoguo was awestruck, then started to laugh as if Jiang Cheng had said something absurdly hilarious. After laughing for quite a while, he finally laid a hand on his shoulder, ¡°Knock what door! My son¡¯s room, I need to knock on my own son¡¯s door before I enter his room? I ejaculated your whole being!¡±


    ¡°Wh¡­ at?¡± Jiang Cheng was severely startled.


    ¡°Just kidding!¡± Li Baoguo continued to laugh loudly, pointing at him, ¡°You silly boy, even this scares you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng stared at the boards lying on the floor. Not to mention continuing with the assemblage, he didn¡¯t even feel like lifting his eyelids at the moment.


    ¡°Let me tell you, this household doesn¡¯t have that many rules, a room full of rough folks can¡¯t fake the demeanours the rich people put up,¡± Li Baoguo said. ¡°Look at you, can¡¯t even put up a bookshelf¡­ not that it matters, your studies are good. Kids who are good at studying just aren¡¯t good at things like this, you only have time to nurture your brain.¡±


    Jiang Cheng listened to the speech that had no particular logic; all he could do was to remain silent ¨C an attempt on using silence to repel Li Baoguo in hopes that he would leave once he had said enough.


    But Li Baoguo was not beaten back ¨C he squatted down by Jiang Chang¡¯s side and said: ¡°Let me have a look.¡±


    When Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t budge, he simply took over the board for a closer look and then examined the finished product on the instruction manual. ¡°Okay, just move to the side and I¡¯ll handle it.¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng twisted his head to look at him.


    ¡°This is easy,¡± Li Baoguo picked through the pile of boards, took out two pieces, then grabbed a twisted wooden beam and started to assemble. ¡°Let me tell you, this is just a waste of money. I could have just picked up a few boards at a construction site and made this sort of thing for you in two hours.¡±


    Jiang Cheng watched his dexterous hands work soundlessly ¨C at this moment, Li Baoguo looked a lot more pleasing to the eye then he normally did at the gambling table when his eyes were fixed on the cards.


    In less than half an hour, Li Baoguo had already finished assembling the bookshelf, and he hadn¡¯t even taken a single glance at the instruction manual.


    ¡°Okay,¡± he clapped his hands, looking at the shelf. ¡°This thing sure is ugly, you buying this¡­ how much did you spend?¡±


    ¡°¡­ three hundred,¡± Jiang Cheng originally wanted to say four hundred, but subtracted a bit after some hesitation.


    ¡°Three hundred?¡± Li Baoguo bellowed in surprise. ¡°This sort of wooden structure cost three hundred? You good-for-nothing boy, spending so recklessly ah!¡±


    Jiang Cheng did not reply, he honestly was not sure if saying two hundred or saying one hundred would make Li Baoguo scream like this also.


    This shelf was certainly not cheap, but one, the quality was pretty good, and two, it was a style that he liked. In a room that he did not belong to before nor would he find a sense of belonging in the future, he needed ¡°something of his own¡±, only then would he feel at ease.


    But this was something Li Baoguo would not understand nor was he able to make Li Baoguo understand.


    ¡°My son sure has the tycoon swag,¡± Li Baoguo sighed, ¡°This father of yours still has to live on credit from buying the smallest things.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯d you put on credit this time?¡± Jiang Cheng stared blankly.


    ¡°Remember the fish cakes I bought the other day, the ones that you said tasted quite good,¡± Li Baoguo said. ¡°And that bottle of¡­ ai, that kid¡¯s eyes are simply too sharp, otherwise, I wouldn¡¯t have to pay for that alcohol¡­ but there are other things on credit from before, this bit of money is nothing.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at him, feeling as if his own eyeballs were about to roll out, he kept on wanting to cup his hands and catch them.


    ¡°How ¡®bout¡­¡± Li Baoguo looked at him with an expression full of awkwardness and embarrassment, ¡°Son, do you have some money¡­ on hand?¡±


    Jiang Cheng really wanted to answer no, but it was undeniable that during the half an hour in which Li Baoguo helped him put up the bookshelf, he fell in a trance, even feeling somewhat touched.


    Although he felt now that the true motives behind Li Baoguo¡¯s voluntary actions to help him assemble the shelf may just be an exchange for Jiang Cheng to pay his debt¡­ he still nodded his head: ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°My son sure is reliable!¡± Li Baoguo slapped him on the elbow.


    ¡°Which store did you put them on credit?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. ¡°How much in total? I¡¯ll go pay it back now.¡±


    ¡°Just that small shop on the street next to us¡­ you should know it, Gu Fei,¡± Li Baoguo replied. ¡°The store that Da Fei¡¯s family owns¡­¡±


    ¡°What did you say? Gu Fei?¡± Jiang Cheng did not wait for him to finish before interrupting him ¨C his voice almost cracking when he spoke.


    ¡°Yeah, he seems to know you too,¡± Li Baoguo said. ¡°Just say that I told you to go¡­ hey, he also goes to Si Zhong, you must know that, right?¡±


    Jiang Cheng did not reply; amidst a moment of disbelief and chaos as well as an underlying and inexplicable embarrassment, he grabbed his jacket and walked out the door.


    That¡¯s just too fucking much¡­ of an embarrassment!


    His own father! Had debts in the shop of a deskmate that he had just fought with not too long ago!


    Being in debt was actually no big deal since Li Baoguo¡¯s way of life was after all perceivable, but from the sound of it, he owed debt while stealing things!


    And he was caught by Gu Fei!


    Fuck!


    Fuck, fuck!


    A chain of fucks¡­


    Why was he returning the money himself?


    Wasn¡¯t it the same if he handed the money to Li Baoguo for him to return?


    Yes, why go there only to receive the embarrassment first-handedly, Jiang Cheng turned around and headed back.


    Just as he arrived at the head of the hallway, he heard Li Baoguo¡¯s voice echoing, seemingly chatting with the upstairs neighbor: ¡°My youngest son is a promising kid! Once he heard that I had unsettled accounts at the store, he immediately went to pay up!¡±


    ¡°Ya,¡± the neighbourhood aunt said, ¡°Then you¡¯re quite blessed, effortlessly picking up a son like this.¡±


    ¡°How is it called ¡®effortlessly¡¯! It¡¯s also my seed ah!¡± Li Baoguo very joyfully replied in a loud voice, ¡°This kid is better than Li Hui, he couldn¡¯t even bear to have me run down to the shop!¡±


    ¡°Look at your face full of smiles,¡± the aunt said. ¡°You should live properly then, drinking like that every day, wait ¡®til this son of yours also starts to ignore you!¡±


    ¡°Pei![2] In this whole building you¡¯re the only one who doesn¡¯t know how to talk properly, asking you to talk nicely is like asking you to drop dead on the ground!¡± Li Baoguo shot back.


    ¡°Then what are you showing off to me for ¨C for you to not show off is also like asking you to drop dead!¡± The aunt started to scream.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t stay to hear the ending of that conversation. He finally knew how these daily fights between neighbors started ¨C just based on the structure of that conversation alone, a fight was bound to erupt in minutes.


    He glumly leaned against the outer wall to the stairwell, pulled off his hat in annoyance, and scratched his hair.


    After five minutes of fighting an inner battle, he gritted his teeth and once again headed toward the street on which the Gu family shop resided ¨C mainly because it was so cold that his face was already numb after his battle.


    It was really no big deal actually, he was just going to pay back some money, not to create more debt, also not to steal things¡­


    If he was happy later on, he might even add interest!


    Walking through the fork road, the door to Gu Fei¡¯s family shop was practically facing the intersection directly, hence, standing at the intersection, he could immediately see Gu Fei standing at the doorway while chewing on a cigarette and playing on his phone with his head lowered.


    It was likely that because he had never done something so embarrassing, Jiang Cheng¡¯s zealous thought of ¡°adding interest if he was in the mood¡± instantly disappeared as if it was running for its life the moment he saw Gu Fei.


    And by the time Gu Fei raised his head and noticed him, Jiang Cheng felt as though his arms and legs were out of coherence as he walked.


    So fucking embarrassing, how could Li Baoguo live in such a shameful manner¡­


    Gu Fei watched him walk over without much expression on his face, and only when Jiang Cheng crossed the street and walked toward him did he take the cigarette out from his mouth and asked: ¡°Coming to buy pots again?¡±


    ¡°¡­ talk inside,¡± Jiang Cheng saw a staff walk out from the pharmacy next door.


    Gu Fei turned into the store with Jiang Cheng following him from behind.


    ¡°En?¡± Gu Fei turned around to look at him.


    ¡°Li Baoguo left debts here ba?¡± he asked.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei nodded, leaning against the cash register. ¡°Though, not much really, I don¡¯t have anything too expensive here anyway.¡±


    ¡°How much,¡± Jiang Cheng took out his wallet. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you.¡±


    Gu Fei glanced at him as he reached his hand back toward the ashtray to extinguish the cigarette. He pulled open a drawer, took out a notebook and flipped through the pages, all the while asking: ¡°Your own money?¡±


    ¡°What else would it be,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°He probably wouldn¡¯t use credit if he had money.¡±


    ¡°If he didn¡¯t gamble, he wouldn¡¯t need to buy on credit,¡± Gu Fei handed him the notebook. ¡°Two hundred sixty-eight, have a look.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t reach for the notebook, he straightforwardly handed three hundred yuan to Gu Fei.


    He didn¡¯t want to witness it at all, this type of life that Li Baoguo lived¡­ no, and his gambling friends, they were actually people who could live this sort of life with no foreseeable end.


    ¡°He leaves debts every month,¡± Gu Fei flipped through the drawer for change, and with a hand on the table surface, he looked at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Are you gonna pay for him next month too?¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked back at him and stuffed the cash back into his wallet in annoyance: ¡°How the fuck is it your business.¡±


    ¡°What I mean is that you should let him pay it himself,¡± Gu Fei continued. ¡°He basically has enough to pay them all.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at him, can pay them all? But based on Li Baoguo¡¯s speech earlier, he meant that he couldn¡¯t pay them.


    ¡°But if there is someone willing to pay for him, of course, he doesn¡¯t have to waste energy on this,¡± Gu Fei sat down on the chair. ¡°You can¡¯t even see through this game of his?¡±


    ¡°¡­ no, my eyesight isn¡¯t good,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not like I wear glasses to show off.¡±


    ¡°Those are my nearsighted-glasses,¡± Gu Fei swept his gaze across his face.


    ¡°Became nearsighted from playing that retarded Craz3 Match, right?¡± Jiang Cheng answered with a question.


    ¡°What the,¡± Gu Fei laughed. ¡°Where were you living before, the attitude of the people there is quite peachy, huh?¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked back at him without a word.


    ¡°Just this sour attitude of yours, if you weren¡¯t my deskmate, no, if Er Miao didn¡¯t intake the wrong medications and see you pleasing to the eye,¡± Gu Fei pointed at him. ¡°I would have smacked you so hard a long time ago to the point that Xiao Ming¡¯s grandfather wouldn¡¯t have been able to recognize you.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Jiang Cheng laughed coldly. ¡°How would you smack me, pinch my palm?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true, I¡¯m not as capable as you,¡± Gu Fei pushed his sleeves up, and showed Jiang Cheng his wrist.


    Jiang Cheng glanced over and saw a shallow red mark.


    ¡°Oh fuck,¡± he was quite surprised. ¡°It¡¯s still not gone after having been bitten so long ago?¡±


    ¡°Your teeth are quite remarkable, if I knew you had the ability to bite off a zipper, I would¡¯ve stayed clear,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Your bite left a chain of bloody holes, and the scab only just fell off.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t respond ¨C he honestly never thought that such a careless bite from the other day could leave such a mark on Gu Fei.


    But if Gu Fei didn¡¯t pinch his wound¡­


    He suddenly really wanted to laugh ¨C he had actually fought such a stupid fight with Gu Fei.


    He tried to contain his laughter while glancing at Gu Fei, however, even Gu Fei¡¯s expressions were obviously also contained; the corner of his mouth wasn¡¯t even stretched tight enough as it was already arching upwards.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± he said. And simultaneously, he and Gu Fei, broke out in hysterical laughter.


    Foolish laughter was a contagious illness, the less you wanted to laugh, the more severe your laughter became, and it was unstoppable.


    Before, when Pan Zhi was scolded by their homeroom teacher, he would say that his heart was convulsed with fear, yet for some reason, he just couldn¡¯t stop laughing. In the end, when he was kicked out into the hallway, he always laughing deeply with his head thrown in the air ¨C very carefree.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want to laugh at this exact moment either seeing as he wasn¡¯t in too good of a mood and his sentiments were low¡­ neither did he want to be laughing with Gu Fei.


    But he just couldn¡¯t stop.


    Gu Fei leaned against the chair, Jiang Cheng leaned against the storage rack, and their laughter lasted for almost a solid minute. In the end, his anger roused from his feet due to the uncontrollable laughter; he lifted up the curtains and walked out.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± As the cold winter wind blew into his face, he finally stopped his crazy laughter and swore out loud.


    He didn¡¯t turn to go back into the store after swearing, and instead, simply walked down the road toward the intersection with his hand in his pocket.


    It was quite depressing ¨C this sort of hysterical laughter could only last so long, once the sound of laughter stopped, he immediately returned back to reality.


    He suddenly became a bit flustered. If he continued to suppress himself like this, would he end up catching onto some illness¡­.


    When Zhou Jing mentioned the spring basketball competition, the information was quite accurate.


    Lao Xu called Jiang Cheng into his office, and the second he saw the basketball on Lao Xu¡¯s desk, he immediately knew what Lao Xu had called him over for.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to play basketball,¡± he said.


    ¡°Ah, this kid,¡± Lao Xu brought over a stool. ¡°Sit down, let¡¯s chat.¡±


    Jiang Cheng sat down. To tell the truth, he wanted to play ball, but only to find a few people and have a go at some leisure game. He didn¡¯t want to be formally called down by Lao Xu only to be informed in such a formal way that he had to carry such responsibilities.


    ¡°You used to be on the school¡¯s basketball team, right?¡± Lao Xu asked.


    ¡°How about we stop with these fake useless questions, Lao Xu,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°I feel like you¡¯d already looked into eight generations of my ancestry.¡±


    ¡°An all-rounded xueba finally comes to our school, of course I¡¯d have to study you,¡± Lao Xu started to laugh. ¡°Actually, before I called you over, I kind of knew you¡¯d reject it, but I still wanted to give it a try.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng responded.


    ¡°Our school hosts basketball competitions every year, not just once and also, the principal likes to play basketball,¡± Lao Xu continued. ¡°Regardless, I¡¯ve always led our class, but no matter what sort of tournament or contest, we¡¯ve never won even once¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng was quite surprised, he had seen Gu Fei play ball, so even if no one in the class was able to cooperate with him, it was still unlikely that they hadn¡¯t won even once.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Gu Fei quite good at playing?¡± he couldn¡¯t stop himself from letting out.


    ¡°That kid,¡± Lao Xu sighed. ¡°Is really unreliable, he never attends any class-related activities, it¡¯s already good enough that he doesn¡¯t help the other classes play against us.¡±


    ¡°Then, what did you call me over for? It¡¯s unlikely that I can win a game by myself,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°How ¡®bout you be the team captain,¡± Lao Xu said. ¡°I feel like you have the abilities to¡­¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯d you feel that from ah?¡± Jiang Cheng was starting to feel pretty helpless.


    ¡°From your soul,¡± Lao Xu replied.


    ¡°Ai-yo,¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t refrain from rubbing the area over his heart.


    ¡°If you agree,¡± Lao Xu smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll go and talk to Gu Fei, you two, plus Wang Xu, Guo Xu, Lu Xiaobin¡­ at least gather together five people, and then find some time to practice every day, I feel like we have a chance.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer ¨C he didn¡¯t even know who Guo Xu and Lu Xiaobin were.


    Yet Lao Xu continued to persuade him in a very honest manner, and Jiang Cheng could find no reason to reject him at the moment.


    ¡°Xu Zong, I only have one request,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m definitely not going to be captain, my soul probably caused you to misunderstand that. Change it to another person, and it¡¯ll all be the same if I just play along.¡±


    Once Jiang Cheng agreed, it was as if Lao Xu got high on chicken blood[3] ¨C he immediately called over Gu Fei during the self-study period.


    ¡°Gu Fei, come to my office for a second,¡± Lao Xu knocked on his desk.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been late or skipped class for a while now,¡± Gu Fei said, his forehead resting on the edge of the table as he played his retarded Craz3 Match game.


    ¡°It¡¯s not about that,¡± Lao Xu knocked on the desk again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t play basketball,¡± Gu Fei continued.


    ¡°Not about this either,¡± Lao Xu said. ¡°Come on.¡±


    Lao Xu turned around and walked out of the classroom, Gu Fei persisted and finished this round before he finally stood up unwillingly and slowly swayed out of the classroom.


    ¡°Hey Jiang Cheng, Jiang¡­¡± Zhou Jing seemed to have remembered something after calling out twice and didn¡¯t continue to call. ¡°Lao Xu called you two to talk about the competition, right?¡±


    Jiang Cheng made no sound.


    ¡°Ai, one look and I knew you definitely knew how to play ball, right, you know how to play basketball right?¡± Zhou Jing continued to ask.


    ¡°Your class never won a single game during the competition?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Yeah, never won,¡± Zhou Jing replied. ¡°We¡¯re a humanities class right, it¡¯s normal for us to not win.¡±


    Jiang Cheng eyed him: ¡°Fucking nonsense.¡±


    Gu Fei returned to the classroom ten minutes later, and once he sat down, he pulled out his phone and continued to play his game.


    Jiang Cheng thought he would say something, yet in the end he didn¡¯t utter a word ¨C looked like Lao Xu failed.


    He looked toward where Wang Xu sat, if Gu Fei wasn¡¯t there, and he had to play with a dumbass like Wang Xu¡­ it was quite boring when you thought about it.


    ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought such a tender old uncle like Lao Xu would learn to lie one day,¡± Gu Fei uttered in a small voice.


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng turned his head around. ¡°Lie to you about what?¡±


    ¡°He even said it wasn¡¯t about playing basketball,¡± Gu Fei said as he continued to play. ¡°He said that you¡¯re going to play, is that true?¡±


    ¡°¡­ en,¡± Jiang Cheng responded. ¡°He sounded really pitiful.¡±


    ¡°Everyone looks pitiful to you,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°En, you look pretty pitiful to me too,¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him.


    ¡°Pity me that I play Craz3 Match?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Pity you play Craz3 Match and haven¡¯t been able to get through a single level in four days,¡± Jiang Cheng caught on.


    Gu Fei put down his phone and turned around to look at him: ¡°I find that you¡¯re really looking for a beating109 ah.¡±


    Jiang Cheng piled on a face full of fake smiles and turned to face him: ¡°You can shut your mouth if you can¡¯t outspeak me, it¡¯s not like bickering back and forth is any fun.¡±


    ¡°What position did you play before?¡± Gu Fei lowered his head and nonchalantly continued on with his game.


    ¡°Defense,¡± Jiang Cheng replied in reflex.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s give it a try,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I didn¡¯t answer Lao Xu definitely.¡±


    ¡°No, like,¡± Jiang Cheng thought that this was somewhat out of the blue. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just to play a game, it¡¯s not like you were asked to be executed for sacrificial purposes, is it that difficult?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s annoying,¡± Gu Fei stated. ¡°Just think about it, a guy like Jiuri[4] is gonna be on the court too.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him going on court,¡± Jiang Cheng looked over at his classmate, Wang Jiuri, he was currently leaning back with his arms folded, acting like a boss with his eyes closed ¨C resting his spirit.


    ¡°Every class has this sort of person¡­ fuck!¡± Gu Fei threw his phone into the opening on his desk, probably from failing this level again. ¡°Fine on the court, yet who knows what goes on off the court, I¡¯m annoyed with that.¡±


    ¡°Are you playing or not?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. ¡°I¡¯m annoyed too, give it a fucking[5] try, fuck ah ¨C either play, or don¡¯t fucking play at all.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I¡¯ll play if you play.¡±


    [1] (Daddy) ¨C Jack Ma (Ma Yun: ÂíÔÆ) a Chinese business magnate, investor, and politician; the co-founder/former executive chairman of Alibaba, a multinational technology conglomerate. Ma is a strong proponent of an open and market-driven economy; Jiang Cheng probably bought that bookshelf from Alibaba, thus, calling him Daddy as a joke.


    [2] Pei! ¨C pah! / bah! / pooh! / to spit (in contempt)


    [3] High on chicken blood ¨C ´ò¼¦Ñª, lit. to inject chicken blood/(coll.) extremely excited or energetic (often used mockingly)


    [4] Jiu Ri ¾ÅÈÕ ¨C refers to Wang Xu; the characters to his name in Chinese isÍõÐñ, the second character is composed of ¾Å (jiu) and ÈÕ (ri), to which Gu Fei just split them apart for his own entertainment purposes.


    [5] ¡®Fucking¡¯ ¨C originally written as ¡®J8¡¯: (jiba) dick / penis (vulgar)

 CH 19

    The second Gu Fei agreed to play in this basketball competition, Jiang Cheng could perceive that the degree of Lao Xu¡¯s excitement was no less than as if Gu Fei had passed the entrance examination into Beijing University.[1]


    After the class was dismissed in the afternoon, he called the five team members that he had hand-picked to his office.


    Jiang Cheng gave them a glance, finally, he could fit the names to their faces for Guo Xu and Lu Xiaobin.


    ¡°No subs?[2]¡± Wang Xu asked, ¡°Only the five of us playing the entire time?¡±


    ¡°Just see for yourselves if there are any suitable substitute players among your classmates,¡± Lao Xu said. ¡°The team¡¯s captain is¡­¡±


    When Lao Xu uttered those words, his eyes subconsciously flitted over to Gu Fei, however, Gu Fei put his thumbs down nonchalantly and then pointed at Wang Xu: ¡°Him.¡±


    Wang Xu promptly looked up, a face flaring with reluctance: ¡°Yah, I¡¯m no good¡­ I don¡¯t want to be the captain, so annoying, ugh.¡±


    Jiang Cheng wanted to laugh from just looking at his appearance, your acting is really shitty.


    ¡°Then Wang Xu it is, you guys can start practicing tomorrow.¡± Lao Xu took the basketball off the table and passed it over to Wang Xu, ¡°This is a good ball. I went to look in the equipment room of our gymnasium earlier, and all the balls there were pretty bad so I bought this one for you ¨C a new and good ball will definitely be used in the game as well; we have to also use a suitable one for practice.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Xu Zong.¡± Guo Xu took the ball from Wang Xu¡¯s hand and bounced it on the ground twice.


    Jiang Cheng observed his movements, not bad, although he felt that it was not that impressive, he could play, at the very least.


    Wang Xu looked quite smug, he should also be able to play and perhaps thought he could play pretty well. The other person, Lu Xiaobin, hadn¡¯t spoken a word the entire time. He was the tallest, about 190cm with a visual assessment and he was quite robust, just like a wooden plank door ¨C pretty good.


    Substitute players were easy to find. Though this was a humanities class, there were many male students, and Captain Wang Jiuri needed only to call the few 180cm¡¯s in the back row ¨C complete.


    Many people wanted to participate, after all, they did not need to attend the self-study class, and could go and play ball.


    Lao Xu had helped them reserve a court already; just by seeing his energetic air, Jiang Cheng was honestly tired for him: a chaotic class in a rotten school, grades that wouldn¡¯t increase and a physical education system with this moral integrity, however, the point was that even with all those, Lao Xu was still brimming with enthusiasm.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a look at all your levels first.¡± Wang Xu held the ball with the swag of a captain as he stood in the middle of the basketball court.


    ¡°How many times over have we played together,¡± someone said. ¡°What levels are there still left to see huh?¡±


    ¡°We must know each other well!¡± Wang Xu pulled a long face, repeatedly looking at Jiang Cheng who was crouching to the side of the court. ¡°Jiang Cheng, how about you give it a try first since you just transferred here, I¡¯m not too clear about your actual level.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng stood up and took off his jacket. ¡°What do you want done?¡±


    ¡°Get the ball past me,¡± Wang Xu threw the ball over and then arranged himself in an interception stance.[3]


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jiang Cheng caught the ball, bounced it twice to get a feel of the ball¡¯s elasticity before he dribbled the ball head- on toward Wang Xu.


    Wang Xu stood at the same spot without moving; by the time he reached out to block him, Jiang Cheng had already flown by his left side and made a three-step layup[4] ¨C scoring beautifully.


    ¡°Not bad!¡± Guo Xu shouted.


    ¡°Hold on!¡± Wang Xu looked a bit displeased, ¡°I didn¡¯t say ¡®start¡¯ yet, you sneak attacked.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng took the ball and returned to standing in front of him.


    Wang Xu once again put on his posture and lifted his chin: ¡°Come!¡±


    As soon as Jiang Cheng moved, he rushed over and waved his arms to not only block him but also attempt to snatch the ball. Jiang Cheng hesitated though then he directly took a jump shot[5] for the basket ¨C scored again.


    ¡°Three points,¡± Gu Fei said while sitting on a stool to the side.


    ¡°Awesome! There is hope for our class this time!¡± Someone shouted excitedly.


    The expression on Wang Xu¡¯s face was a bit unsightly, and just as he was about to speak, Gu Fei interrupted him: ¡°Just hurry up[6], it¡¯s cold.¡±


    The central heating system in the gymnasium was no good; now with everyone having had taken off their jackets, leaving just their shirts on, Wang Xu could only nod: ¡°How about this, let¡¯s split into two teams and try for a half-time[7] to get a sense of things?¡±


    Everyone expressed their agreement.


    Lao Xu, who had been watching from the sideline, came over at this exact moment: ¡°Have Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng on either side.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Wang Xu asked, ¡°The two are great, let them cooperate.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not difficult for them to cooperate but the point is that if they¡¯re together, there is literally no need for us to play ah,¡± Lu Xiaobin said. ¡°With both of them split into either team, everyone can practice.¡±


    ¡°Alright, geez.¡± Wang Xu did not put on a captain¡¯s attitude this time as he split the members evenly.


    Lu Xiaobin, Guo Xu, and two others that Jiang Cheng did not know; on Jiang Cheng¡¯s side were himself, Wang Xu and three others that he also did not know.


    It was then that Jiang Cheng finally understood how bad his recent emotional state was ¨C such a long time had passed, yet he did not recognize any of those people, at all.


    With ten people on the court and five of which he did not recognize, he relied solely on their clothes, and it didn¡¯t help much that he had just distinguished two of them today¡­.[8]


    Lao Xu grabbed a whistle and walked to stand at the sideline: ¡°I¡¯ll be the referee then.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to referee in a half-time game,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°A half-time game also needs to abide by the rules,¡± Lao Xu had one hand on his hip and the other holding the whistle. ¡°From the start of the ¡®jump ball¡¯[9], it¡¯s a very brief moment, everything else will work accordingly.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Wang Xu called the people on his side together. ¡°Man-to-man defense[10], and also keep an eye especially on Da Fei. If you have the ball, give it to Jiang Cheng, don¡¯t hold onto it yourself. Once Da Fei approaches, pass the ball immediately, he¡¯s fucking great at steals[11].¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± several people nodded.


    ¡°Scoring points will depend on you.¡± Wang Xu raised his hand, intending to pat Jiang Cheng on the shoulder, but just as it was about to land, he pulled back. ¡°I forgot that you have a problem with not being patted.¡±


    Jiang Cheng sighed.


    The jump ball was not unexpected at all ¨C Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei were to jump for it.


    Lao Xu stretched his hand out, placing the ball between the two of them: ¡°Focus your attention, I¡¯m going to throw the ball now.¡±


    ¡°Which referee would even say this¡­¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Pay attention!¡± Lao Xu gave him a glare.


    Jiang Cheng looked at Wang Xu who stood behind him, wondering how this kid would react.


    He had always played defense, never having jumped for the ball in a formal game ¨C in truth, this ball was estimated to be taken by Gu Fei¡¯s side of the team.


    Lao Xu tossed the ball up.


    Jiang Cheng stared at it, calculating where it would land before he jumped.


    When he jumped, he honestly felt that he had a good grasp of the timing of his takeoff, but when he reached out to touch the ball, Gu Fei¡¯s hand was already on it.


    Of course.


    By the time Jiang Cheng landed on his feet and turned around, the ball had already been received by Guo Xu who was swiftly dashing toward the basket.


    And Wang Xu was following him, Jiang Cheng indeed felt speechless with just one glance at the whole scenario. He had said to employ a man-to-man defense just before the game started yet once the ball was deployed, not only had Wang Xu followed him, there were also two others following the ball-handler[12] and only a player wearing blue was following beside Gu Fei.


    He, on the other hand, was strictly marked by Lu Xiaobin.


    Guo Xu was pretty good. His dribble was very stable, though the speed was inadequate. When Jiang Cheng chased after, he had just entered the three-point line, preparing to pass the ball.


    He reckoned that their plan was the same as Wang Xu¡¯s: obtain the ball and give it to Gu Fei as soon as possible.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei¡¯s position then suddenly shifted to the side as he feinted[13] at his opponents, Lu Xiaobin and another person, before forcibly charging smoothly past between the two of them.


    This advancement was pretty good; when Guo Xu caught sight of him, the ball had already been shot.


    Jiang Cheng swiftly reached out and blocked the ball.


    ¡°Go back, go back!¡± Wang Xu reacted quickly and immediately ran back.


    Jiang Cheng wound around to bring it back, but Lu Xiaobin blocked him at once.


    This guy was too big; as he closed in, Jiang Cheng could sense an earth-shattering presence. He took two steps, watching for an opportunity to pass the ball to Wang Xu from the side.


    But Wang Xu, this flipping blockhead, was unexpectedly so engrossed in advancing that he did not see the ball.


    ¡°Wang Xu!¡± Jiang Cheng could only shout.


    Finally, Wang Xu hurriedly turned around and chased after, grabbing the ball just before it went out of bound.


    Jiang Cheng took advantage of the moment that Lu Xiaobin twisted his head to look at the ball to break free from him and ran toward the basketball hoop. And with no one currently blocking Wang Xu, if he could bring the ball back, he could find a chance to score.


    As a result, Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t taken two steps yet when Gu Fei flew over to block him from the front. At the same moment, Wang Xu passed the ball over, even shouting: ¡°Jiang Cheng!¡±


    The fuck was that shout for huh! Did you intend to pass this ball to Gu Fei!!


    Jiang Cheng was simply speechless. At the same time that he caught the ball, he saw that Gu Fei¡¯s hand had already reached over ¨C the speed was astonishing.


    He hurriedly lowered the ball and dribbled between-the-legs, maneuvering left and right, back and forth. After adjusting himself a bit, he reduced his center of gravity with the intention of passing by.


    But Gu Fei did not give him such an opportunity. He practically moved at the same time with him, and his feinted jump didn¡¯t fool Gu Fei in the slightest, even a fucking shift didn¡¯t work.


    Fuck!


    Fortunately, not only he had incompetent teammates -Gu Fei also had them.


    There was no one following the player in blue at the moment, that inadvertently allowed him to actually come up behind Gu Fei effortlessly ¨C Jiang Cheng passed the ball to him from between Gu Fei¡¯s legs.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Gu Fei turned, only to see that the player in blue had already reached the basketball hoop. He was probably quite speechless as well.


    Having received the ball, the player in blue was however hesitant; with just a glance at his appearance as he stood at the hoop, Jiang Cheng could see that he wanted to pass the ball.


    ¡°Shoot it directly!¡± Jiang Cheng shouted.


    It was then that the player in blue jumped and shot the ball.


    Missed.


    Jiang Cheng knew that it wasn¡¯t going to enter ¨C it was considerably lucky enough to have the ball shot out of the baseline with that posture.


    The ball smashed the backboard and bounced off ¨C it was still eight hundred miles away from the hoop.


    A group of people all jumped to grab the rebound, some fast and some slow, several hands confronted the ball as if it was an irreconcilable adversary that cannot coexist ¨C members were actually snatching the ball from their own teammates. Jiang Cheng took the ball that eventually fell between them and went to the sideline.


    But at that moment, three opponents surrounded him in a semicircle. He needed a teammate to come.


    ¡°Pass the ball,¡± someone said from the right.


    Jiang Cheng rapidly passed the ball over from the sideline.


    It was only when the ball had flown in the air that he suddenly reacted ¨C fucking hell, that was Gu Fei¡¯s voice!


    Sure enough, when he turned his head to look, Gu Fei was holding the ball in his hands.


    ¡°The fuck!¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help but curse out loud.


    This bitch is so devious!


    Gu Fei smirked.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng, what are you doing?!¡± Wang Xu roared.


    ¡°Keep an eye on him!¡± Jiang Cheng was not in a good mood, ¡°He¡¯s running the entire court alone, why don¡¯t you freaking follow him ah!!¡±


    But it was too late to take him down in a man-to-man defense. Gu Fei was quick with the ball, and with Jiang Cheng being pestered by two people, that made it difficult for him to make it over. By the time his incompetent teammates went to block Gu Fei, he was already at the free-throw line.[14]


    Jiang Cheng looked on unfeelingly as he jumped with his hand gradually extending before the ball was lightly tossed and entered the hoop.


    With this ball having been personally delivered straight into Gu Fei¡¯s hand by him, Jiang Cheng wanted to simply go over there and drag Gu Fei by the collar ¨C how can you be so cunning!


    ¡°Jiang Cheng, look clearly at who the person is,¡± said a teammate wearing yellow running shoes. ¡°You haven¡¯t been able to distinguish us yet?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Pass the ball to your teammates.¡± Captain Wang looked at him, ¡°Not pass the ball to your deskmate!!¡±


    ¡°You better stand where I can pass the ball.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced his way, ¡°The openings were all theirs to take, even if I didn¡¯t pass it to the deskmate, I can only throw it out of bounds.¡±


    Wang Xu raised his brows with a fairly unpleasant expression, and just as he was about to speak, the ball bounced over from the side.


    ¡°Hurry up,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng caught the ball and passed it to Wang Xu, ¡°You pass the ball, I take it over, you block the others and don¡¯t let Gu Fei come near me, annoy the fuck out of him, pull his arm or kick his feet ¨C even if you get a foul, don¡¯t let him be open[15] at all.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Wang Xu glared at him.


    Lu Xiaobin was probably the most loyal to his responsibility of all the team members. When Wang Xu started with the ball, Lu Xiaobin stayed next to Jiang Cheng the entire time, inadvertently making it so that he could not throw the ball over for the longest time.


    Jiang Cheng finally had no other choice as he suddenly charged for it and ran in front of Wang Xu, allowing him an opportunity to pass the ball to him.


    But Wang Xu could play ball fairly well. As Jiang Cheng maneuvered the ball through the court, Wang Xu remained guarding him at his side while Lu Xiaobin pressed toward him so closely that if it lasted any longer, the two of them would surely break into a brawl.


    This time, Gu Fei did not come to block him; the player in a blue shirt and the player with yellow shoes kept Gu Fei clamped between them ¨C nearly just a hand away from a hug ¨C but after Jiang Cheng passed the half-way line, he saw that Gu Fei had found an opportunity to break away from those two.


    There was no time to slowly enact a layup, thus, bearing the fiery hot anger directed at none other than Gu Fei ¨C that devious and cunning outlaw ¨C Jiang Cheng made a beeline to the three-point line[16], and without stopping to adjust the ball, he shot it right before Gu Fei jumped to block it.


    The ball was cast remarkably high, drew a huge arc in the air and then descended into the basketball hoop.


    ¡°Holy shit, nice shot!¡± Wang Xu roared.


    Jiang Cheng let out a relaxing breath of air and gave Gu Fei a glance.


    ¡°Beautiful,¡± Gu Fei said.


    There wasn¡¯t much feeling at all in playing a half-time game, especially playing in a team that wasn¡¯t coordinating with each other, using a tactic of running around the whole field chaotically appeared to be hardworking, but obtaining points was rather pitiful.


    After Lao Xu whistled, he clapped his hands: ¡°Pretty good, pretty good!¡±


    Jiang Cheng especially wanted to ask, which part was pretty good?


    ¡°Right now, we have two strong generals in our ranks,¡± Lao Xu said. ¡°But you¡¯ve played for a long time without even breaking a rule, that¡¯s no good! Break the rules, be brave! Be bold! Gu Fei, how do you think the game went?¡±


    ¡°A big mess,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Lao Xu was not very satisfied with his answer, hence, he turned to look at his Jiang Cheng: ¡°Jiang Cheng, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Same,¡± Jiang Cheng replied freely.


    ¡°Today is only the first day of training,¡± Lao Xu continued to say to himself, ¡°There is still a lot of room for improvement! Have confidence in yourself! Do you have it or not?!¡±


    No one said anything.


    ¡°Yes or no?!¡± Lao Xu waved his arm, ¡°Answer me out loud!¡±


    Still, no one spoke.


    In fact, having played this half-time game, Jiang Cheng had more or less seen it all ¨C aside from him and Gu Fei, it was obvious that the others didn¡¯t normally play basketball at all, and the few that could play were just average.


    ¡°Yes or¡­¡± Lao Xu continued encouragingly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jiang Cheng honestly didn¡¯t have the heart to look on as Lao Xu worked so hard only to not receive a response, thus he answered.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Wang Xu also uttered.


    A group of people voiced, ¡°yes¡± all the way through, half-dead.


    ¡°Exactly! That¡¯s right!¡± Lao Xu smiled happily at once, ¡°Our goal this time is to reach the semifinals! Are you confident?!!¡±


    Everyone continued to voice, ¡°yes¡±, half-dead. Lao Xu nodded with satisfaction: ¡°There¡¯s half a month left until the competition. We still have enough time; besides gym class, you can also practice in the afternoon during self-study.¡±


    The appeal of this incentive was resplendent nevertheless, and the group immediately expressed their enthusiasm toward practicing properly from there on forth.


    From that time onward, Captain Wang did not have them continue to play, but rather: three-on-three, scoring was considered a win and the losing side would switch out a player.


    Gu Fei did not take the court again and instead sat on a stool to the side watching them.


    Although there was nothing great about these people¡¯s skill levels, Jiang Cheng had indeed not relaxed in such a long time ¨C he unexpectedly felt that the game was quite enjoyable.


    ¡°Don¡¯t block, craaapp!!¡± Guo Xu held the ball grudgingly, ¡°Jiang Cheng, do you want to take a rest?¡±


    ¡°Jiang Cheng, go rest,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°If you¡¯re still in, there won¡¯t be a need for subs.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed and switched for Lu Xiaobin to go in; he sat to the side next to Lao Xu and watched on.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Lao Xu asked.


    ¡°How is what?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°This team,¡± Lao Xu replied.


    Jiang Cheng went silent, though he could still sense an intense surge of expectation exuding from Lao Xu.


    ¡°Tomorrow, the two of you can team up and see how it goes?¡± Lao Xu asked.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s difficult to enter the semifinals. Don¡¯t have too much hope,¡± Gu Fei said from the side. ¡°Let¡¯s see which class we¡¯ll go against in the knockout competition, if it¡¯s class two, just immediately go home.¡±


    ¡°Be optimistic!¡± Lao Xu said.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei looked at Lao Xu, ¡°Ha, ha.¡±


    Once the dismal bell rang, many people entered the gymnasium.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°They¡¯re all here to train, we must maintain secrecy.¡±


    ¡°Maintain what secrecy?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°The secrecy of our strength. We must maintain the image of noobs in the eyes of the other classes,¡± Wang Xu said, dead serious. ¡°Also, we can¡¯t let anyone know that Gu Fei is in the game, and that Jiang Cheng is a great ball player.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, we have two trump cards now.¡± Everyone nodded one after another, silently boring faces that endured humiliation as part of this important mission.


    ¡°Everyone that came in just now saw me here,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°We¡¯ll put on a show.¡±


    Gu Fei sighed and stood up to put on his coat, turned and went to the doorway.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Wang Xu¡¯s scream broke out from the depth of his throat, startling Jiang Cheng to the side. He glared at Gu Fei¡¯s back, ¡°Can¡¯t you fucking have a collective sense of honor!¡±[17]


    Gu Fei did not turn around, he only stuck up his middle finger from behind.


    ¡°Wang Xu,¡± a person that had just come in took off his jacket while laughingly saying: ¡°There¡¯s progress this time ah, at the very least, Da Fei came, right.¡±


    ¡°Go,¡± Wang Xu got up and took the lead to walk out of the gymnasium.


    Jiang Cheng simply wanted to applaud Wang Xu. This show was excessive, and the acting advanced by leaps and bounds, and it was a hundredfold stronger than when he pretended to evade the captain¡¯s position.


    ¡°Gu Miao isn¡¯t here to wait for you today?¡± Jiang Cheng did not see Gu Miao hugging her skateboard at the entrance of the school.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t necessarily come every day, sometimes she goes out to play by herself,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Are you going to walk back now?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng answered simply.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Jiang Cheng hesitated for a moment, ¡°Oh.¡±


    When Gu Fei went to get his bicycle, Jiang Cheng once more recalled the phrase that he had said during the game, ¡°pass the ball¡±, and suddenly he became a bit angry: ¡°Ai, I¡¯ve found that you¡¯ve very devious.¡±


    ¡°I just said it casually,¡± Gu Fei got on the bicycle and peddled over, ¡°Who would have imagined that you would actually pass it.¡±


    ¡°Did you have nothing better to do than to casually say those damn words huh!!¡± Jiang Cheng followed and also got on the bicycle, ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s convenient to use during a game, just in case some fool on the other side passes it over,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Shit!¡± Jiang Cheng cursed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call a few people to come practice tomorrow,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It¡¯s really pointless to keep playing like this.¡±


    ¡°Call who?¡± Jiang Cheng remembered the ¡®shi-niao¡¯ that Gu Fei brought to play ball last time and asked, ¡°Them, Bu Shi Hao Niao?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Fei stared blankly.


    ¡°¡­¡­ nothing,¡± Jiang Cheng quickly answered. ¡°The few that played with you last time?¡±


    ¡°Who is Bu Shi Hao Niao?¡± Gu Fei laughed, ¡°Have you also taken me as a boss?¡±


    Jiang Cheng went silent.


    ¡°Yes, them.¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t question further, ¡°Bu Shi Hao Niao.¡±


    Jiang Cheng sighed.


    The two did not speak along the way. Jiang Cheng was lost in thought, staring at the piles of snow on the roadside; recently he had constantly been like this, when it was peaceful, his mind wandered ¨C thinking trivialities over this and that ¨C he would not be like this before, his mind wandering was just his mind wandering, and wherever it went, he never knew.


    He was unsure of when he could finally break free from this emotional Mariana Trench.[18]


    With Gu Fei pedaling rather speedily, it did not take long to reach the street. He squeezed the brake, and after the bicycle slowed down, Jiang Cheng jumped off: ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t speak and instead looked toward the street.


    At the same time, Jiang Cheng heard shrieks and screams travelling from the street of Li Baoguo¡¯s place. He turned around only to catch sight of several people on the side of the street, trampling and kicking a fallen person on the ground.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Jiang Cheng knitted his brows, this street was truly chalked with endless chaos every single day. ¡°What now¡­¡±


    Gu Fei stopped the bike, locked it up beneath a tree to the side and looked at him: ¡°The person on the ground is Li Baoguo.¡±


    [1] Beijing University (Peking University ±±´ó) ¨C (abbreviated PKU, colloquially known as Beida) is a major research university in Beijing, China, and a member of the elite C9 League of Chinese universities.


    [2] Subs (Ìæ²¹) ¨C substitute players


    [3] Interception (stance) (À¹½ØµÄ×ËÊÆ) ¨C In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball¡ªwhether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport¡ªin which the ball is intended for a player of the same team but caught by a player of the team on defense, who thereby usually gains possession of the ball for their team.


    [4] layup (ÉÏÀº) ¨C is a two-point shot attempt made by leaping from below, laying the ball up near the basket, and using one hand to bounce it off the backboard and into the basket.


    [5] Jump shot (ÌøͶ) ¨C a player may attempt to score a basket by leaping straight into the air, the elbow of the shooting hand cocked, ball in hand above the head, and lancing the ball in a high arc towards the basket for a jump shot (colloquially, a jumper).


    [6] Hurry up (×¥½ôʱ¼ä)  ¨C to snatch time / to rush / to hurry (up) / to seize the moment


    [7] Half-time (°ë³¡) ¨C the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match. Typically, after half-time teams¡¯ swap ends of the field of play, in order to reduce any advantage that may be gained from wind or a slope to the playing surface, for example; in basketball, it is 15 minutes.


    [8] Distinguish the two of them today¡­ ¨C ten people on the court, Jiang Cheng does not know five of them and only knows Gu Fei and Wang Xu and had just met Guo Xu and Lu Xiaobin.


    [9] Jump ball (ÌøÇò) ¨C at the start of every game, the referee throws the basketball up in the air, and one player from each team tries to hit it to their teammates, that is called a ¡°jump ball.¡±


    [10] Man-to-man (È˶¢ÈË) ¨C each defensive player is responsible for marking a player on the other team


    [11] Steal ¨C a steal occurs when a defensive player legally causes a turnover by his positive, aggressive action(s).


    [12] Ball-handler ¨C the offensive player who is in possession of the ball on that given play


    [13] Feint (¼Ù¶¯×÷) ¨C a movement made in order to deceive an adversary; an attack aimed at one place or point merely as a distraction from the real place or point of attack


    [14] Free-throw line (·£ÇòÏß) ¨C free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws are generally awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team. Each successful free throw is worth one point.


    [15] ¡­ don¡¯t let him be open ¨C as in be free to roam and have a chance to get the ball


    [16] Three-point line (Èý·ÖÏß) ¨C the line that separates the two-point area from the three-point area; any shot converted beyond this line counts as three points. If the shooting player steps on the line, it is counted as two points. Any foul made in the act of shooting beyond the three-point line would give the player three free throws if the shot does not go in, and one if it does.


    [17] Collective sense of honor ¨C ¡°Reconstructionist Confucianism¡±, community-directed ¨C honor, disgrace, and shame can only be understood within a cohesive appreciation of communal interaction.


    [18] Mariana Trench (ÂíÀïÑÇÄÉ) ¨C deepest place on Earth, located in the South Pacific Ocean at 11,000 meters (36,198 feet) at its deepest ¨C deeper than Mount Everest is tall and anything living there has to survive the cold water and extremely high pressure. The depthness of the trench is used to depict the depth of Jiang Cheng¡¯s despair, basically that he had fallen into a hole of despair, and it¡¯s hella deep.

 CH 20

    Gu Fei usually hated being bothered and did not like to meddle in troublesome matters. But growing up in this area, trouble was enacted on a daily basis. Every sort of dramatic script that usually played out in dramas could be seen here ¨C and matters were only comparatively worse.


    When he was bored, he would watch these scenes occur here as if watching a drama on TV, and for a very long time, his inspiration for writing songs for Ding Zhuxin came from these people who were hopelessly, yet desperately, fighting from this bottom level ¨C and to which it goes completely unseen by others.


    You watch him fall in despair, yet he seemed to be living full of vigor and laughed that you¡¯re too maudlin.


    Matters like Li Baoguo getting beaten up by people till he rolled on the ground was commonly seen. The main character was sometimes the same person, sometimes it changed, though none of it was a curious matter.


    On normal occasions, he would be here, sitting on the back seat of the bike, watching for a while.


    But today, he couldn¡¯t just sit and watch.


    After Jiang Cheng clearly recognized the person to be Li Baoguo, the expression on his face changed so suddenly that Gu Fei didn¡¯t know what to make of it ¨C it was unclear to say if he was baffled or confused.


    If he was more familiar with Jiang Cheng ¨C the same familiarity level as he had with Wang Jiuri would do ¨C he would definitely pull back Jiang Cheng and refrain him from going up.


    This type of situation usually wouldn¡¯t cause deaths, neither sides were good people anyhow, and no one was unjustly beaten up. To break a few bones and shed a few drops of blood was to receive a good lesson, sometimes it could also solve a few unsettled matters.


    Jiang Cheng said nothing as he turned in silence and walked toward them ¨C Gu Fei felt an ominous feeling rise up. It was not exactly sympathy, this world had too many people who needed sympathizing, hence, it didn¡¯t at all matter who sympathized with who.


    It was probably helplessness.


    Gu Fei did not know that Li Baoguo once had a younger son, nor did he know if it was as Li Baoguo had claimed ¨C he was sent away because they couldn¡¯t afford to raise him. A person like Li Baoguo, it would be of no surprise either if he claimed to have sold off Jiang Cheng.


    He could not obtain Jiang Cheng¡¯s thoughts on this in any way; his proud temperament drastically stood apart from those who grew up in this place. A person like this, confronted with a scene like this, and a¡­ father like this, only God knew what that would taste like.


    Anyhow, he approached them in utter silence and maybe because the relationship he had with Li Baoguo was so foreign to him, he didn¡¯t appear to be caught in a mood of anxious bewilderment, nor anger.


    Gu Fei stretched his back lazily, and from a distance of a dozen metres away, he too slowly moved his way toward them, pulling his glasses on while at it.


    Jiang Cheng did not try to intervene in the fight, he didn¡¯t even speak a word. Throwing his bag against the wall, he walked over, and with one elbow, he smashed it right against the back of the person who was busy kicking Li Baoguo on the head.


    Jiang Cheng was definitely familiar with how to use his elbow; his hits were all very powerful too ¨C Gu Fei had experienced it.


    With this blow, the person yelled out and flipped around. Gu Fei recognized him to be someone from the steel mill, nicknamed Da Diao[1], yet no one could textually prove whether this name was based on his actual body conditions. These people came to play cards regularly, and normally only allowed themselves to be slick cheats while refraining others.


    Before Da Diao could respond, Jiang Cheng aimed right at his face that had just turned around and smashed against it with his own forehead ¨C centred right at the nose bridge.


    Gu Fei suddenly felt his own nose begin to tinkle faintly.


    Immediately after, Jiang Cheng grabbed Da Diao by the collar and harshly pushed him to the side; he stumbled and fell into the arms of the two people who stood behind him.


    The few people who had their heads down and were focused on beating up Li Baoguo soon realized that someone had sneak attacked them, swearing, they quickly recollected themselves through the momentary chaos and turned their attention to Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Fuck! The hell do you want?¡± Someone swore, with one hand raised, he swung a fist right toward Jiang Cheng.


    To Gu Fei¡¯s surprise, Jiang Cheng did not even bother to dodge. He charged straight toward the fist and allowed it to graze past the corner of his eye before landing his own fist heavily upon the other¡¯s left eye.


    And just like that, these people who were still swimming in confusion were completely infuriated. They collectively gave up on Li Baoguo, who had shrunk into a ball on the ground, and flew toward Jiang Cheng with raised fists.


    Gu Fei scrunched his eyebrows, looking around to find that the floor was quite clean ¨C if Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t hold on for too long and he was to help, there wasn¡¯t even a brick in sight.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hit!¡± Li Baoguo held his head while curling up on the ground, screaming his lungs out, ¡°Stop hitting!¡±


    Those people who dove toward Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t bother to acknowledge him. Though no one had any weapons on them, they had large builds ¨C a fist thrown by them was quite something to endure.


    One, two, three, four, Gu Fei slowly counted, there were four people circling Jiang Cheng. There was also one who couldn¡¯t squeeze in and instead jumped around outside the invisible ring.


    But before this person could jump a third time, someone already flew out from the circle and landed on the ground.


    He was kicked out by Jiang Cheng.


    Jiang Cheng soon dashed out and aimed one foot right toward the stomach of the guy on the floor.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± The blood flowing from Da Diao¡¯s face was smeared all across his face. While screaming and jumping up, he threw a kick onto Jiang Cheng¡¯s back; his posture was unseemly, yet it was full of power.


    Jiang Cheng stumbled forward quite a few steps before eventually coming to a full stop and raising his hand to wipe the corner of his mouth.


    He turned around to see Da Diao running up to build momentum for a second kick. Jiang Cheng stood still, and when Da Diao jumped up, he suddenly leaned forward, body charging forward with his arm aiming right at Da Diao¡¯s¡­ da diao. [1]


    Da Diao couldn¡¯t even make a sound and just like that, he fell to the ground, gasping with his mouth wide open ¨C a face full of searing pain.


    Gu Fei lifted his glasses, if he saw correctly, Jiang Cheng probably didn¡¯t hit right on the ¡®spot¡¯ with this blow, otherwise, Da Diao would have probably fainted from pain by now.


    Did he miss accidentally, or was it that even in a situation like this, Jiang Cheng could still control his temperament and not cross the line?


    But due to the fact that Da Diao¡¯s posture was overtly tragic, his buddies ¨C Two, Three, Four, Five Diao ¨C were caught in momentary hesitations.


    This is how these people are. When beating up someone like Li Baoguo, they all acted as if they were courageous warriors, but once they come across someone hardcore, they instantly become cowards. Afraid of going one on one, yet even if the whole myriad was to be dispatched, they would still have to wait for someone to take the lead.


    But in their moment of hesitation, Jiang Cheng had already rushed toward them again, striking ferociously into the one standing in the front. Perhaps because a xueba was adept at learning, he actually jumped for this strike ¨C a move learned from Da Diao ¨C though his posture was much, much more beautiful.


    Not only that, what he used was his shoulder, hence when he jumped, his shoulder went for the person¡¯s chin as the crow flew.


    The person was struck till he retreated at once, and his eyes met the sky in a jump before collapsing on the ground ¨C though it was not known whether that strike caused him to bite into his tongue or nick his lips, but he covered his mouth, and once he released his hands, they were drenched in blood.


    After two of them were taken down, the remaining three probably felt somewhat threatened but seeing that the number was on their side and they still had the upper-hand, they charged at Jiang Cheng simultaneously.


    Jiang Cheng estimated that he was injured when he was surrounded just now, and since he did not escape at this time, he was encircled in the middle.


    Gu Fei could clearly see that his stomach and waist had received several hard punches; he sighed and walked over.


    Just as he walked down the sidewalk, he caught sight of someone being thrown down by Jiang Cheng. His face was pressed to the ground, followed by several swift and precise swings ¨C two of which landed heavily on the neck ¨C that person struggled in between coughs and howls.


    The two that were unsuccessful in pulling Jiang Cheng away lifted their feet and kicked his back as a result. After suffering a few of those kicks, Jiang Cheng swung his arm back and grabbed one of the legs then with a rough yank and a turn of his body, he pressed down on it.


    That person was not flexible, and obviously unable to bear such a forcible split ¨C evident by the loud sounds of wailing tearing from his throat. When he attempted to kick yet had no strength, he could only swing at Jiang Cheng but even those held no strength.


    At that moment, the other person that was still standing lifted his leg; Gu Fei saw him aim at the back of Jiang Cheng¡¯s head.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Gu Fei screamed and agilely pulled out a dictionary from his schoolbag.


    When that person looked up, Gu Fei savagely smashed the dictionary in his face.


    An English-Chinese dictionary ¨C whoever didn¡¯t bring it to English class, Lao Lu would be irritated with them. Though the price was not expensive, it was nevertheless also quite practical and the hardcover kind. Gu Fei had never before opened it, hence, the integrity of its sturdiness persisted from when it was first purchased ¨C so, as it flew over without opening, it smashed the face with the same effect as a brick.


    After that person was struck with this dictionary, inadvertently, going motionless all at once, they looked at Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei did not speak as he walked over to pick up his dictionary, rub the dirt off of it with his pants and returned it back into his schoolbag.


    At that moment, Jiang Cheng also released his hand from that person¡¯s leg and stood up.


    ¡°You fucki¡­¡± The one that suffered a hit from the dictionary stared at Jiang Cheng, unsure of what to say but before he could finish, Jiang Cheng interrupted him.


    ¡°Is there anything else?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    The one standing and the one on the ground were both stunned, and no one spoke.


    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing else, I¡¯m leaving.¡± Jiang Cheng turned around to pick up his schoolbag and walked in the direction of the other street.


    ¡°You know him?¡± someone asked Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei glanced at him: ¡°Just get lost.¡±


    Hurts.


    His whole fucking body hurt, and he could not tell clearly which part hurt exactly.


    Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth and every step he took forward simply felt strenuous.


    But it was refreshing, like after running a marathon ¨C the ache, the pain and the weakness, yet each deep gasp was penetrating, and each breath could cool down to the intestines.


    Exactly why did Li Baoguo suffer a beating, he originally wanted to ask, but after going through this, he no longer wanted to know. He only knew that this was how this person lived, crawling on the ground ¨C regardless of whether it was himself or Li Baoguo, nothing would change.


    Extreme anger and hopelessness.


    Agitation, hatred ¨C all derived from those.


    He was not such a great person. He did not want to save anyone or change anyone. He had only thought that this person was his biological father. He could not erase this no matter what, so he must strive to adapt.


    But he could try to adapt to Li Baoguo¡¯s vulgarity, his sloppiness, his male chauvinism, his gambling addiction, his alcohol addiction, however, he discovered that Li Baoguo displayed not only those. There were just too many that he was unable to adapt to and also unable to accept, little by little emerging before his eyes.


    Stealing, getting beaten up till he was rolling on the ground. What else was there, and how many more?


    Someone whistled from behind him.


    Even without turning his head, he knew that it was Gu Fei, hence, he did not turn ¨C turning meant that his neck would hurt.


    ¡°Go get it checked at the hospital,¡± Gu Fei said from behind.


    ¡°No need,¡± Jiang Cheng answered depressingly.


    ¡°Wanna bet on it?¡± Gu Fei did not catch up to him but followed from behind.


    ¡°What,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Your rib is broken,¡± Gu Fei said, ¡°Go get it checked. If it¡¯s broken, you have to help me write my assignments for a week and let me copy off of you during exams but if it¡¯s not broken, I¡¯ll treat you to a meal.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stopped.


    Gu Fei walked up and stood by his side, ¡°Is it broken?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ve never broken a bone before ¨C never experienced it.¡± Jiang Cheng swept a glance his way, ¡°You must be experienced, do you break it often?¡±


    Gu Fei laughed: ¡°I should have let that person break your neck just now.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for that,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    My rib must be broken¡­ Jiang Cheng felt that normally when he fought, any hits would strike the stomach, but it should not still hurt this much after a long while.


    ¡°Which is the nearest hospital?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a coal mine hospital,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It¡¯s about five minutes by taxi.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng took a few steps forward, gritted his teeth and turned around, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so polite that I want to bow and say, ¡®you¡¯re welcome¡¯,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng did not speak anymore. After leaving the street and waiting for just two minutes, with some luck, a taxi drove over, and he hailed for it.


    ¡°I¡¯m handing this over to the next shift. You have to get another taxi,¡± the driver said.


    ¡°I need to go to the hospital, any later, I¡¯ll die on the street.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him, ¡°I probably have acute enteritis.¡±


    The driver stared at him: ¡°Get in then, I¡¯ll take you to the hospital then hand it over.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jiang Cheng got in the car.


    The moment he sat in the back seat, he almost cried out in pain ¨C the change of position made the ribs on the right-side ache severely as if they had been punched again.


    ¡°Fought with others right,¡± the driver drove while looking at him from the rearview mirror. ¡°Acute enteritis doesn¡¯t injure the face.¡±


    ¡°Is my face injured?¡± Jiang Cheng asked ¨C the injury on his mouth, he knew about since it was reeking of blood.


    The driver laughed: ¡°There, but it doesn¡¯t look too serious, definitely hasn¡¯t damage your look.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng uttered.


    ¡°Young man, don¡¯t be so impulsive,¡± the driver said. ¡°You might be indifferent if something happens to you, but your family will be worried. Tell me, isn¡¯t that so.¡±


    ¡°¡­ mm,¡± Jiang Cheng pulled back the corner of his lips, smirking.


    The corner of his mouth was probably injured too, just that slight pull extended the pain all the way to the root of his ears.


    Your family will be worried.


    Tell me, isn¡¯t that so.


    Really? Who is family huh?


    His previous family would never know his current situation at all, and when he fought before, he would not let them know either, yet now¡­ his father was beside him, holding his head the entire time without saying a word.


    And when he left, Li Baoguo didn¡¯t even glance at him.


    Who will be worried huh? How funny.


    When he arrived at the hospital, he went to the emergency room, but no one was there.


    After telling the doctor that his rib might be broken, the doctor placed his hands around his chest and pressed: ¡°Does it hurt anywhere?¡±


    Jiang Cheng tried to sense it out seriously, ¡°¡­ no.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t hurt?¡± the doctor said, ¡°Let me check.¡±


    Jiang Cheng unzipped his jacket and when he lowered his head to lift up his sweater, he suddenly saw bloodstains on it. He froze, ¡°The heck?¡±


    The doctor lifted his shirt: ¡°You were cut here, right? From the appearance, it doesn¡¯t look like a fracture¡­ let me listen to detect if there are any crepitus[2] again.¡±


    ¡°¡­ oh.¡± Jiang Cheng was baffled about the mysterious phenomenon of how his clothes weren¡¯t torn yet he was injured and gushed quite a bit of blood.


    The doctor examined it thoroughly and finally pressed his hand on the wound: ¡°Does the bone hurt?¡±


    ¡°The muscle,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°There are no bone fractures,¡± the doctor said. ¡°If you¡¯re still worried, we can get an X-ray.¡±


    Jiang Cheng let out a sigh of relief: ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡±


    The wound above his rib area was not serious, and the doctor simply treated it with a piece of gauze.


    Jiang Cheng sat down on the hospital chair and stared blankly for a long time. Eventually the pain that riddled his body slowly subsided substantially, and the intensifying soreness in his muscle that had first seemed to explode deeply within was alleviated. He pressed his finger on his clothes to feel his ribs one by one but couldn¡¯t sense anything ¨C anywhere.


    Damn it! Gu Fei, that nut case. He had sounded so positive in his conviction, as if he had plenty of experience. Jiang Cheng had no intentions of visiting the hospital but was scared into doing so.


    However, his first reaction upon knowing that his rib was not fractured was surprisingly ¨C great ¨C since it would not affect the basketball competition.


    He actually had such a strong collective sense of honor, perhaps, Lao Xu¡¯s magnanimous love runs a silent.[3]


    The phone rang in his bag, and as he pulled it out and saw the number on the screen, he froze.


    It was mother¡¯s call. Although he had already deleted the family of four¡¯s phone numbers, he could not erase mother¡¯s number from his mind in such a short time.


    ¡°Hello,¡± he answered the call.


    ¡°Xiao Cheng ah?¡± Mother¡¯s voice transmitted over, ¡°I haven¡¯t been in touch with you for a while now, there¡¯s a lot of things happening at home, how are you doing?¡±


    Jiang Cheng went silent and didn¡¯t speak. He didn¡¯t know what to say nor what he could say. His mind was chaotic like the fighting scene just now, with only a buzzing sound remaining.


    ¡°Did you receive everything I sent over?¡± Mother asked again.


    ¡°I got it,¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and sucked in a breath of air.


    ¡°You and your¡­ dad, how are you getting along?¡± Mother asked.


    ¡°Quite well.¡± Jiang Cheng bit his lips, though the pain in the corner of his torn lips caused him to frown, ¡°He is my father after all.¡±


    Mother laughed: ¡°That¡¯s good, I was a bit worried at first since I thought he was a rather rough person. I was afraid that you¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Mother went silent on the other side, seemingly trying to find a topic to talk about.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing quite well,¡± Jiang Cheng lowered his head and looked at his shoes, unaware of when it was stepped on for there to be mud on a section of it. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°Xiao Cheng¡­¡± Mother called him and then sighed again.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing fine now and have adapted pretty well. I still have things to do,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I have to go.¡±


    Without waiting for Mother to speak, he hung up the call.


    He absent-mindedly stared at the black screen before he stood up and left the hospital.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t gonna come over,¡± Yi Jing stood in front of the cash register, backpack in her arms. ¡°But I was passing by coincidently¡­ Xu Zong said you guys are getting ready to compete in a basketball tournament. I was thinking you probably don¡¯t have time to review for your midterms, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not reviewing whether or not I have time,¡± Gu Fei poured her a cup of hot water and dropped a slice of lemon inside. ¡°You¡¯re more anxious than Lao Xu.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not it,¡± Yi Jing smiled timidly. ¡°I just have a lot of spare time on hand.¡±


    Gu Fei smiled too: ¡°Sure, how ¡®bout you let me copy today¡¯s homework, I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°No copying,¡± Yi Jing spoke immediately with sternness. ¡°If you don¡¯t understand something, I can teach you.¡±


    Gu Fei then thought, well I could just copy Jiang Cheng¡¯s, but he still took out his textbook from his bag: ¡°Fine, then teach me English, I only plan on doing English homework today.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Yi Jing sighed. ¡°English is the only homework that you¡¯re afraid of not doing right?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei stood up and erected the small table on the side. ¡°Lao Lu¡¯s homework is not something anyone isn¡¯t afraid of lacking.¡±


    Yi Jing pulled over a stool and sat down. She opened the textbook and started to work through the questions with him.


    Gu Fei¡¯s interest was adrift ¨C anything that had to do with studying, he had always been adrift. Even if it was Lao Lu sitting in front of him right now, his mind would still be wondering the universe right now.


    Yi Jing is Lao Xu¡¯s number one helping hand, and like Lao Xu, she held a heart full of enthusiastic passion for this class. Despite the fact that last semester, when she just assumed her position, Wang Xu had angered her to tears ¨C twice ¨C during the self-study period, she still hadn¡¯t forgotten her initial passion.


    ¡°This is¡­¡± Yi Jing said as she wrote on the draft paper. ¡°Look here¡­¡­¡±


    The shop curtains were lifted by someone, and Gu Fei turned only to see Jiang Cheng standing frozen at the entrance with a hand still holding up the curtains.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng?¡± Yi Jing turned to stare at him, a bit surprised.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng responded a bit awkward and pointed outside. ¡°How ¡®bout I¡­¡±


    ¡°No, don¡¯t, you need Gu Fei for something?¡± Yi Jing responded immediately and also stood up somewhat awkwardly, ¡°I just came here to teach him the homework¡­ if you have matters to talk about, I¡¯ll leave first¡­ actually why don¡¯t you teach him?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Jiang Cheng froze again.


    ¡°Lu Laoshi said your English grades are really good,¡± Yi Jing smiled while gathering all her belongings. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving then.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you¡­¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t get a chance to finish his sentence, Yi Jing had already slipped past him in an embarrassed manner.


    ¡°Did you go to the hospital for a look?¡¯ Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng walked in and hesitantly stood beside the shelf. ¡°Treat me to a meal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not broken?¡± Gu Fei was surprised.


    ¡°What, are you disappointed that it¡¯s not broken?¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Then why don¡¯t you come over and break it for me.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, anything is fine,¡± Jiang Cheng scrunched his eyebrows. ¡°I¡¯m starving to death, and annoyed.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Gu Fei stood up and gave it some thought. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to eat my favourite food.¡±


    [1] Da Diao ´óŒÅ ¨C male genitalia; Diao refers to ¡®Da Diao¡¯ (male genitalia); it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean dickhead but more of an arrogant way of calling himself superior lol but in a vulgarish way. (Thanks Tina for the explanation)


    [2] Crepitus (¹Ç²ÁÒô) ¨C is grating, crackling or popping sounds and sensations experienced under the skin and joints or a crackling sensation due to the presence of air in the subcutaneous tissue. Bone crepitus: This can be heard when two fragments of a fracture are moved against each other.


    [3] ¡°¡­ love drenched yet makes no sound at all.¡± (¡­ ÈóÎïϸÎÞÉù) ¨C derived from Du Fu¡¯s poem ¡°Delighting in Rain on a Spring Night ( Du Fu or Tu Fu is considered with Li Po to be one of China¡¯s greatest poets of the Tang dynasty)

 CH 21

    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know just what Gu Fei¡¯s ¡°favourite thing to eat¡± that he was taking him to was, and he didn¡¯t ask either. He wasn¡¯t even in the mood to eat at the moment. Anything he ate would probably taste the same anyway.


    He only came to find Gu Fei because he didn¡¯t want to be alone.


    He didn¡¯t want to go back, didn¡¯t want to see Li Baoguo, didn¡¯t want to know what he looked like after getting beaten up, didn¡¯t want to hear Li Baoguo¡¯s reason for the whole ordeal, didn¡¯t want this, didn¡¯t want that¡­ just a multitude of ¡°didn¡¯t want¡±. It was enough to fill his originally empty mind, and there wasn¡¯t anything he could do to stop it.


    Plus, in this city, aside from Li Baoguo¡¯s place and the school, the only other place he could go to was Gu Fei¡¯s shop. It was pretty sad when he thought about it, but there wasn¡¯t anything he could do.


    Gu Fei tidied up the shop a bit and then shut the door, ¡°Wait for me a bit, I¡¯m going to get the ride.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng wanted to ask whether it was a bike or motorcycle since it was so cold out that he really wasn¡¯t that keen on riding it if it was a motorcycle. He would rather walk if that was the case, however, Gu Fei had already walked straight into the small alley next to the shop.


    Whatever then, just how cold could it be? The Spring Basketball Competition was coming soon, so thinking along that line, it was already spring.


    How marvellous.


    The sound of a motor resounded from the small alleyway; but that sound seemed rather weak in comparison to Gu Fei¡¯s 250cc motorcycle.[1]


    Just when Jiang Cheng was growing a little confused, a small cornmeal-coloured car that resembled a bun or even a mini bun drilled out of the alleyway.


    Jiang Cheng watched, a little stupefied, as the ¡®bun¡¯ teetered to a stop in front of him. He then opened the door to the small vehicle.


    ¡°Hop in,¡± Gu Fei called out as he looked at him from inside the small bun.


    ¡°What¡­ is this thing?¡± Jiang Cheng stared at the car. If he was seeing things correctly, this should be a small version of an elderly¡¯s scooter.


    ¡°A car ah,¡± Gu Fei replied. ¡°It can block the wind and rain, and even run on gas, much, much better than the ones that run on battery.¡±


    ¡°¡­ oh.¡± Jiang Cheng walked over and stood beside the car door, then stared for a long time. ¡°How the hell do I get in?¡±


    Gu Fei glanced behind him and got out of the car, ¡°You can¡­ crawl in first.¡±


    Jiang Cheng was a little hesitant. Gu Fei then added, ¡°Even if I drive a beetle, you¡¯d still have to crawl in if you want to get in the back, right?¡±


    ¡°If it was a beetle I would be sitting in the co-pilot, okay?!¡± Jiang Cheng retorted.


    ¡°Hurry up,¡± Gu Fei took out his phone and quickly checked the time, ¡°His family¡¯s shop closes at nine.¡±


    Jiang Cheng had to squeeze into a space that was one foot wide between the door and the driver¡¯s seat. His injury was throbbing, and the intensifying pain left him on the verge of tears.


    He had seen old men use this thing to take their wives out to play; just how did those old ladies get in?


    After he sat down, Gu Fei reached out and pulled down the back of the driver¡¯s seat, ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have just pulled this down?¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at the much wider space that appeared in just a short amount of time and suddenly had the impulse to get out of the car and smack Gu Fei. He pointed straight at him, ¡°You shut up.¡±


    Gu Fei shut the door, started the car, and drove toward the street.


    The car was so small that even when Jiang Cheng was sitting in the backseat, it felt no different from sitting in the backseat of Gu Fei¡¯s bike.


    However, it indeed blocked the wind and rain.


    Looking out from the tiny car window, there was an inexplicable illusion of wandering on the street, scrounging for a whole day, and finally getting on the cornmeal-coloured bun to find a cheap stall for a bowl of noodles or something.


    ¡°Your family owns this car?¡± Jiang Cheng asked as he knocked against the plastic coverings.


    ¡°En¡± Gu Fei made a sound of affirmation. ¡°My mom bought this car. Sometimes it¡¯s pretty convenient when you¡¯ve got a load to carry.¡±


    ¡°¡­ oh.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at where he was seated, ¡°How much can you carry with just this little bit of space?¡±


    ¡°Our shop doesn¡¯t have many goods to pick up,¡± Gu Fei answered. ¡°Usually there¡¯s some people to deliver it over and sometimes we pick it up ourselves.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t speak up again as he watched Gu Fei drive past the bridge from that day. He guessed that if there was a place with anything delicious around the area, it would be on this side of the bridge.


    What could it be? He saw a lot of shops when he went to eat dumplings that day; hotpots, skewers, western cuisine, Chinese food and the like. However, he didn¡¯t want Gu Fei to treat him to something too expensive. You had to return the favour properly, it was too troublesome.


    The small bun drove past the various shops lining the two sides of the street, yet it did not stop, instead, it kept on going forward until it turned right into a small street next to it.


    ¡°Still not there yet?¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help himself from asking after feeling as though they had already left the area where they could eat.


    ¡°Almost there, it¡¯s just up ahead.¡± Just as Gu Fei answered, he swerved into yet another street.


    Jiang Cheng peered outside. This area was the same as Li Baoguo¡¯s place ¨C a dilapidated old part of the city with an especially downcast air.


    The car slowed down and stopped in front of a few small restaurants. Jiang Cheng stared at them for a while. There was a bun shop, a noodle shop, and another shop that was¡­


    ¡°Come out.¡± Gu Fei opened the car door and hopped out.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Jiang Cheng was a little confused as he squeezed out, ¡°Why do I feel like these are breakfast shops?¡±


    ¡°They also sell breakfast.¡± Gu Fei shut the car door and pressed on the remote.


    ¡°My god, a car this small even has a remote control?¡± Jiang Cheng was stupefied.


    ¡°This car is one that even runs on oil; if even a battery-operated car has a remote control, why wouldn¡¯t this one?¡± Gu Fei walked over to one of the stores, ¡°It¡¯s this one.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at the shop; even though it had lights lit at the front, from the door to the lighting or the environment, it still seemed like a shady shop.


    Once he saw the four characters written with a calligraphy brush hung beside the door that was downright ugly it could even compete with his writing, he froze.


    ¡°Wang, Er, Stuffed, Flatbread[2]?¡± He pointed at the signboard, ¡°You¡¯ve brought me to eat meat pies in the middle of the night?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really good,¡± Gu Fei parted the curtain, ¡°Smell it.¡±


    Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t in much of a mood to smell anything. The first dinner he was going to have with the guy was stuffed flatbread ¨C to that, he still hadn¡¯t recovered from his state of shock. However, all the tables in the shop were actually full and the business here was pretty good.


    Yet, when he followed Gu Fei into the shop and caught sight of the waiter carrying over a pot of soup to the customers, the shock factor simply multiplied ¨C his eyes almost popped out of their sockets.


    ¡°Da Fei, you came?!¡± Wang Xu threw the soup on a table. When he turned and saw Jiang Cheng, he also took a double take. ¡°Fuck, Jiang Cheng? Someone as troublesome[3] as you also came along?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded, watching as the bowlful of the soup that Wang Xu gave to the customer spilled on the table.


    ¡°Hey! What the hell, half the pot has spilled out!¡± an indignant customer cursed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get you another pot in a bit,¡± Wang Xu grabbed a rag and briskly wiped across the table and considered the job done. He walked to Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng, ¡°How about the boxed room upstairs? It so happens to be empty.¡±


    ¡°Boxed room?¡± Jiang Cheng felt that he was never going to snap out of his daze ¨C a flatbread restaurant had a boxed room.


    The boxed room actually was a boxed room. All four sides were separated by wooden boards; there was even a small air conditioner.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng, what¡¯s wrong with your face?¡± Wang Xu turned on the air conditioner in the box and stared at Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. ¡°Did you fight with somebody? Was it Hou Zi¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng cut him off. Even if it was only a passing breeze or the rustling of the grass, Wang Xu would still think it was Hou Zi. He almost felt like he owed Wang Xu if he didn¡¯t pick a fight with Hou Zi again.


    ¡°Beef, pork, mutton, donkey, we¡¯ll have a couple of each,¡± Gu Fei turned to Wang Xu. ¡°And mutton soup. Have you eaten yet? If you haven¡¯t, then have a piece.¡±


    ¡°Wait a moment, I¡¯ll get it for you guys,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°I found two bottles of good wine that my dad hid, let¡¯s drink some later.¡±


    After he left, Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Fei, ¡°This place was opened by Wang Xu¡¯s family?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°Wang Er is his dad. This place is pretty well-known in the city; there are even some people who drive all the way from the developed areas just to come here to eat.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng made a sound of understanding, feeling that there was nothing else he could say.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get some soup.¡± Gu Fei got up and headed out, ¡°Have some soup first.¡±


    After two minutes, he returned with three medium-sized pots of mutton soup on a large tray. Jiang Cheng could perceive that he was probably ¨C finally ¨C starting to return to reality. When he smelled the mutton soup, he had the feeling that he could devour all the pots.


    Not long after, Wang Xu came in holding a simple basket containing around seven or eight stuffed flatbreads. ¡°Fresh out of the oven. Eat while it¡¯s hot, you can get some more later.¡±


    Jiang Cheng grabbed one and took a bite, immediately feeling so moved from how delicious it was that he could shed tears. He practically swallowed without chewing it.


    ¡°The donkey meat one,¡± Wang Xu looked at him, ¡°How is it?¡±


    ¡°Extremely,¡± Jiang Cheng took another bite, ¡°Delicious.¡±


    Wang Xu smiled proudly, ¡°It¡¯s got to be delicious! The donkey meat one is a must-have, anyone who comes has to eat at least two of them. Da Fei can eat ten!¡±


    Jiang Cheng estimated that he could eat more than ten.


    The stuffed flatbreads from Wang Xu¡¯s place weren¡¯t very big, one was around half the size of a palm. The skin was thin, and the amount of filling was generous, both thick and soft, each bite was filled with the fragrance of meat ¨C not greasy at all¡­


    Wang Xu snuck over one of the bottles of wine that his dad hid. You couldn¡¯t tell what brand it was since there wasn¡¯t a label on the bottle, though the bottle looked pretty filthy.


    ¡°Want some?¡± Wang Xu brought a cup in front of Jiang Cheng.


    Jiang Cheng shook his head. He didn¡¯t have a habit of drinking white wine, and nobody at ¡®home¡¯ drank either. He would only drink some beer when he went out with Pan Zhi.


    ¡°Too bad,¡± Wang Xu poured himself and Gu Fei two cups, ¡°The xueba is pretty abstinent.¡±


    Jiang Cheng was too lazy to make a retort. Besides, he was eating his family¡¯s flatbreads, and they were pretty damn delicious.


    The meal was incredibly satisfying with various types of flatbreads stuffed to the brim and thick mutton broth. He ate till both his heart was full and his body was warm; the various wounds on his body ¨C which he couldn¡¯t even tell which hurt more than the other ¨C suddenly all felt a whole lot better. The sharp pain became a dull throb in his flesh.


    Out of the three of them, Wang Xu was the one that continued to talk without a break while Jiang Cheng barely made a sound. Wang Xu talked about things regarding their class, and with Jiang Cheng still unable to distinguish people, there wasn¡¯t any place for him to cut in even if he wanted to talk. Gu Fei didn¡¯t speak much either, opting instead to just sit and eat while occasionally making a few ¡°en, en¡± sounds but Wang Xu didn¡¯t seem to mind much.


    ¡°I heard that Class 2 is getting outside help this time,¡± Wang Xu started talking about the basketball game, ¡°Should we get some too? Otherwise, how will we win?¡±


    ¡°Do you want me and Jiang Cheng to go up with three outsiders?¡± Gu Fei replied. ¡°Would there be any point in winning?¡±


    Wang Xu frowned and thought for a bit, ¡°There really wouldn¡¯t be any point. If it¡¯s like that then I wouldn¡¯t even get a chance to go on.¡±


    ¡°With your level, you wouldn¡¯t even be able to get on the court if we get outside help,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Wang Xu felt a little indignant.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just call some friends over for practice tomorrow.¡± Gu Fei continued, ¡°It¡¯s impossible to make any improvements at this point. Let¡¯s instead practice a bit more to improve our cooperation and familiarize ourselves with each other.¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Wang Xu glanced at Jiang Cheng, ¡°Don¡¯t pass the ball to the other side again.¡±


    ¡°I pass exclusively to my deskmate, not exclusively to the other side.¡± Jiang Cheng drank a mouthful of soup, ¡°My deskmate and I are on the same side.¡±


    ¡°¡­ don¡¯t talk back,¡± Wang Xu scoffed.


    ¡°Talk back if you disagree,¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    After eating the stuffed flatbreads at Wang Xu¡¯s shop for an hour, Jiang Cheng walked out of the restaurant feeling like the wound on his stomach was going to tear open again from how bloated he felt.


    ¡°Come by more often when you¡¯re free!¡± Wang Xu¡¯s mother sent them out the door, ¡°Auntie will give you a discount! Any classmate of Wang Xu will get a discount!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Auntie,¡± Jiang Cheng said, burping a bit in the beginning.


    He really ate too much.


    He was even half-sprawled over the backseat when he got back in the car.


    ¡°I¡¯m drunk,¡± Gu Fei started up the car.


    ¡°What the hell did you say?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    Even though the meal made him incredibly happy, once he got off the small bun and caught sight of the street leading up to Li Baoguo¡¯s place, a feeling of exhaustion welled up from inside him.


    He lowered his head and walked in the wind, one step at a time, until he helplessly reached the entrance of the corridor.


    The lights were out when he opened the door. He felt along the wall for a long time before he finally found the switch and slapped on it.


    He didn¡¯t know why he still hadn¡¯t grown accustomed to the fact that the light switches in Li Baoguo¡¯s place were a little higher than the ones in his old house.


    Li Baoguo wasn¡¯t at home, and whether he was at the hospital or out gambling, he didn¡¯t know either. He took out his phone and hesitated for a while, but in the end, he still didn¡¯t dial.


    He hastily washed up and returned to his room.


    After he finished his homework, he took a glance at the time ¨C it was almost eleven o¡¯clock.


    He didn¡¯t know which household upstairs it was that was hitting their child but hearing the child¡¯s cries and screams was enough to frighten someone. It felt as if the child was going to be beaten to death at any second.


    He lied down on his back, took out and put on his earphones, and closed his eyes.


    Jiang Cheng had finally realized just how determined Lao Xu was to win a basketball game. He announced in the morning that those participating in the basketball game could skip Chinese class and go to the gym to train.


    That inadvertently made Gu Fei call the Bu Shi Hao Niao bunch, and tell them to come in the morning.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you guys listen in class anyways,¡± Lao Xu said.


    Jiang Cheng wanted to tell him, you know I listen if I¡¯m in class, right? I¡¯m a xueba after all.


    There wasn¡¯t anybody else in the gymnasium in the morning. Jiang Cheng looked at the enthusiastic group of people and was overwhelmed with mixed emotions. Honestly speaking, he didn¡¯t have any confidence that these people could win the game ¨C whether they won or lost depended entirely on how bad the other classes were.


    ¡°Our exclusive training team will arrive in a while,¡± Wang Xu squatted on the sidelines. ¡°The starting team that we agreed on the other day goes up first. Find the feeling.¡±


    ¡°If anybody asks about this, just say that Gu Fei brought some people to practice with us,¡± Wang Xu said and then thought for a while before adding another sentence. ¡°Remember what to say and to say it super angrily. Let people think that we had to beg them all day for them to come. That person there has no collective sense of honour!¡±


    Everybody nodded, their faces simmering with bitterness.


    Gu Fei sighed.


    Bu Shi Hao Niao arrived at a pretty good time. They came in right after the bell rang, avoiding the period where the school was packed with people.


    It was just that, the fact that this group of people who practically had ¡°go find a professional¡± atop their heads could simply walk in through Si Zhong¡¯s front gates so casually made Jiang Cheng feel a sense of doubt in the school¡¯s management system. How come he had to climb over the metal gates to get in when he was late in the morning?


    ¡°Let¡¯s start,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Don¡¯t waste time.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at the four people who made up Bu Shi Hao Niao. There was also Li Yan¡­ wait, Li Yan was playing too?


    ¡°Everyone, this is Liu Fan, Luo Yu, Zhao Yihui, Chen Jie, and Li Yan.¡± Gu Fei pointed at each of them and introduced them without pausing, ¡°If you can¡¯t remember, it¡¯s fine. They¡¯re your opponents anyways.¡±


    Everyone ran on the court as soon as they took off their jackets. Two of the substitute players took the whistle and acted as a referee[4] while another one pushed the scoreboard over.


    When Jiang Cheng took a look at the formation and then the opposing team, he suddenly felt a long-lost sense of excitement.


    ¡°I¡¯ll jump the ball,¡± Gu Fei spoke in a low voice. ¡°Later, don¡¯t lose sight of Liu Fan.¡±


    ¡°Liu Fan?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°The one wearing the big metal chain,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng took a glance. It was the first time he saw the ¡°Shi¡± in ¡°Shi Niao¡±[5] when they were playing.


    ¡°Is the chain actually iron?¡± Guo Xu asked.


    ¡°How am I supposed to know? If it¡¯s not iron, then it¡¯s silver and if it¡¯s not silver then it¡¯s stainless steel.¡± Gu Fei looked at him, ¡°How about you go ask?¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned his head away with a smile.


    ¡°No, I won¡¯t. I think it¡¯s stainless steel,¡± Guo Xu said.


    Gu Fei sighed, ¡°Then don¡¯t lose sight of the Big Stainless-Steel Chain.¡±


    It was Liu Fan that jumped the ball with Gu Fei. Liu Fan was slightly taller than Gu Fei, but this little bit of height difference could not decide anything ¨C it still mainly depended on their reflexes and jumping ability.


    Jiang Cheng stared at the ball.


    When the ball was thrown, around the moment when the ball was at the highest point with no obvious hint of falling yet, Gu Fei and Liu Fan jumped up at the same time. However, the first to touch the ball was Gu Fei.


    Jiang Cheng felt that it was pretty mind-boggling. Gu Fei somehow managed to touch the ball first when simultaneously jumping every-single-time.


    However, even though Gu Fei touched the ball first, and the ball had flown in Lu Xiaobin¡¯s direction, it was Li Yan who got hold of the ball first. He had slid in from the side the moment Lu Xiaobin¡¯s hand was about to touch the ball, taking the ball away with a sweep of his arm.


    Jiang Cheng was a little shocked. If his memory served him right, last time he saw them play Gu Fei had counted Li Yan in as the ¡°old, weak, disabled¡± among the old, weak, and disabled.


    An ¡°old, weak, and disabled¡± could steal the ball away that effortlessly!


    Lu Xiaobin was shocked, but then immediately chased after him ¨C snarling with his hands outstretched like claws. If it wasn¡¯t due to the strictly regulated rules, he looked as if he could grab Li Yan and throw him out.


    Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t in a hurry to give chase. Li Yan wasn¡¯t very fast while dribbling, and from the look of it, it didn¡¯t seem like he planned on directly bringing it across the court. When he turned his head slightly to the right, Jiang Cheng saw Liu Fan, the Big Stainless-Steel Chain, reaching out and running toward the right.


    He hurriedly sped up and rushed forward. When Li Yan passed the ball over to Liu Fan, he sped forward even more and intercepted the ball.


    Unfortunately, he did not manage to get a hold of the ball. Instead, he bounced it toward Lu Xiaobin who was waving his arms.


    This time, Lu Xiaobin¡¯s reflexes weren¡¯t that bad as he firmly grasped the ball.


    ¡°Pass it to me!¡± Jiang Cheng called.


    Lu Xiaobin smashed the ball toward Jiang Cheng¡¯s face just as Li Yan was coming over to intercept the ball again.


    When Jiang Cheng caught the ball, he wanted to thank God for not letting the ball, which was like a shot put[6], eat his face.


    Li Yan wanted to block him but was instead blocked by Guo Xu.


    The idiotic tactic, of everybody rushing forward to block the moment they saw who the ball handler was, was pretty useful this time around. Li Yan was relatively thin, and when caught by Guo Xu and Luo Xiaobin, you could barely see the guy anymore.


    As Jiang Cheng brought over the ball to their net, he caught sight of Gu Fei, who had managed to shake off the players checking him and was running toward the basket at the same time. Gu Fei was also watching him.


    He didn¡¯t hesitate. Good thing he passed the ball over ahead of time ¨C the ball bounced from beside Liu Fan¡¯s feet and was firmly caught by Gu Fei.


    But an opponent with a level like Bu Shi Hao Niao wasn¡¯t even in the same league as the substitutes from the class yesterday. Just as Gu Fei got a hold of the ball, another person who he didn¡¯t know was called Luo Yu or Zhao Yihui had turned and cut off Gu Fei¡¯s path.


    Gu Fei brought the ball back and Jiang Cheng hurriedly weaved through the gaps between people. Who knew if it was because he had too much faith in his teammates or if he just had no other option, but without even looking back, Gu Fei tossed the ball behind him.


    Jiang Cheng caught the ball.


    Bu Shi Hao Niao must have cooperated for a long time, seeing as how both their offence and defence were played extremely well. There was no way he could make a shot beneath the basket. After Jiang Cheng got the ball, he was directly forced past the three-point line.


    The fast offence failed; Bu Shi Hao Niao had all returned to the basket. Looking at the situation, it was impossible to break in with just him and Gu Fei.


    Just as he tried to stall time to find an opening, Gu Fei suddenly raised his hand. Jiang Cheng saw him raise three fingers.


    Fuck.


    Fine, three-point it is!


    He rushed forward with the ball, and Liu Fan immediately followed after. Stopping at the three-point line, he borrowed the inertia to make a jump. Liu Fan jumped after him like a fucking shadow to cap him.


    Jiang Cheng had to immediately retract the ball, then single-handedly drill it away from the left of Liu Fan¡¯s body.


    The moment he twisted his waist, the wound on his stomach opened up a bit. Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help but cry out.


    It was too fucking impressive.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Liu Fan immediately turned his head when he landed on the ground, and as he watched the ball go in, he looked over to Jiang Cheng, ¡°That was awesome.¡±


    ¡°Nice shot!¡± Gu Fei raised his hands above his head and started clapping. After meeting Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze, he raised his thumbs.


    [1] 250cc motorcycle ¨C represents the displacement of the engine measured in ¡®cubic centimetres¡¯. To help with understanding this a little further, one ¡®cc¡¯ is one thousandth of a litre. Just like when measuring liquid. Therefore, a bike that has a one-litre engine will have a 1000cc capacity.


    [2] Stuffed flatbread (ÏÚ±ý) ¨C Even though it is often referred to as the Chinese meat pie, xianbing is, in fact, more similar to an over-sized, seared jiaozi-style dumpling. Both are made with the same, basic flour-and-water dough, except the one for xianbing is layered before being rolled out, and unlike jiaozi dumplings which are steamed, xianbings are pan-fried. Being one of the hallmarks of the Northern Chinese Islamic hal¨¡l cuisine, the crispy-crusted xianbing is traditionally filled with soy sauce flavored minced beef, ginger, and onions, while in other regions it can also be filled with pork, lamb, or even with an all-vegetable filling in its vegetarian version.


    [3] troublesome [ʶù±Æ] a slang that¡¯s supposed to refer to a person who is looking for trouble but can be kind of indecisive and look but not easily satisfied with anything¡­


    [4] Referee ¨C an official who watches a game or match closely to ensure that the rules are adhered to and (in some sports) to arbitrate on matters arising from the play. The game of basketball is not officiated only by referees, it also include  umpires, scorer, timekeeper and shot clock operator.


    [5] ¡°Shi¡± in ¡°Shi Niao ¨C every one of the four guys make up a character in Bu Shi Has Niao and Liu Fan is the ¡°Shi¡±


    [6] Shot put ¨C sport in athletics (track and field) in which a spherical weight is thrown, or put, from the shoulder for distance. It derives from the ancient sport of putting the stone.

 CH 22

    Even though Jiang Cheng scored a really cool and difficult ball¡­


    And let out such an imposing roar¡­


    With Bu Shi Hao Niao and Li Yan having had a long-term cooperation that strengthened their abilities¡ªgreatly surpassing that of his and Gu Fei¡¯s¡ªand skills that were undoubtedly better than the three other players on their team, they only scored 15 points during the first half of the game.


    Jiang Cheng scored two three-point shots while Wang Xu got one point from a free-throw, and the rest were basically racked up by Gu Fei. With Wang Xu¡¯s uncanny looking butt-raising posture that was like an elementary school student launching a ball at the hoop with two hands, Jiang Cheng was eager to express his surprise when the free-throw actually scored.


    During the half-time break, Jiang Cheng eyed the scoreboard ¨C 28:15 ¨C that sort of score really brought upon some sorrows. There was no way they would be able to catch up with such a gap relying on this level of skill and cooperation. If this was a formal competition, they could probably only harbor the thought ¡°we can¡¯t let the score gap stretch even further¡± during the next half of the game and then act noble and fight forth.


    ¡°Switch off two players,¡± Li Yan said while sitting on the ground of the basketball court. ¡°Luo Yu, Zhao Yihui, take a break. Switch in two of their subs for a rally too, let them all practice.¡±


    ¡°Good idea,¡± Captain Wang Xu nodded. ¡°The game can¡¯t go on if they don¡¯t switch, I don¡¯t think Class 2 has what it takes, and these trainers are so hardcore that even my confidence has shattered to pieces.¡±


    Jiang Cheng sat to the side in silence. When he went up to the basket just now, he had felt his wound aching and once he landed on the ground, he didn¡¯t feel much. But after resting for two minutes, the burning sensation from his wound eventually settled in.


    He looked over at his enthusiastic teammates, opting to not ask to be switched out with a substitute. If he did, they would only have Gu Fei to rely on, and without anyone to even cooperate with, there really wouldn¡¯t be any reason to even practice.


    Besides, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want to let Wang Xu know that he was injured since he seemed to be ridden with such an immense obsession toward the scenario of ¡°you and Hou Zi fought again¡± that he found it a bit intolerable.


    ¡°Wanna switch off and rest?¡± Gu Fei whispered in front of him.


    ¡°No need,¡± Jiang Cheng said as he stood up to stretch out his arm. ¡°We¡¯ll see after this game is over.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Fei gave him a glance and then called a few members over. ¡°After getting used to the first half, everyone knows what¡¯s coming now, right? For the second half, I¡¯ll go up to the basket from the sidelines, you guys continue to guard with a man-to-man defense, pass the ball frequently, don¡¯t travel too much, they¡¯re all sharp at stealing. Pass the ball to Jiang Cheng and I¡¯ll be in charge of scoring.¡±


    ¡°Okay, execute according to what Da Fei just said.¡± Wang Xu, being the team captain yet not being able to give out orders, could only forcefully jam in a conclusion.


    During the first half, Jiang Cheng could feel that Gu Fei was restraining himself, almost as if he was experimenting with Wang Xu and the others¡¯ skill level. But during the next half, he was significantly different from before ¨C like he was frisking about.


    Only then did Jiang Cheng realize that Gu Fei had surprisingly fast transitional speed. Even though Liu Fan and the others were very well acquainted with him, they were still not able to guard him on the court.


    His route was very simple: from within the sidelines, straight to beneath the basket, then catch the ball and shoot. If there was someone blocking him, he would pass the ball to Jiang Cheng or some other team member, and Jiang Cheng would eventually pass the ball back to him.


    This sort of ball play felt incredibly satisfying but it somewhat exhausted Jiang Cheng. He had to be mindful of everyone¡¯s positions on the court as well as pay attention to Gu Fei¡¯s unobserving ball passes.


    The score did catch up by five-six points, but Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°Can you take a look to see where I am first before you pass the ball?¡±


    ¡°I looked,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    ¡°I was ten steps away and you already fucking passed,¡± Jiang Cheng muttered.


    ¡°But you got there, didn¡¯t you?¡± Gu Fei caught on. ¡°The pass didn¡¯t miss.¡±


    ¡°¡­ what if it missed?¡± Jiang Cheng was somewhat speechless.


    ¡°It¡¯s on me then,¡± Gu Fei answered calmly.


    ¡°My ass,¡± Jiang Cheng shot back. ¡°Is a lost point not lost once it¡¯s been counted by you?¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei smiled and gazed at him. ¡°You were previously the captain of your school¡¯s basketball team, right?¡±


    ¡°What does it have to do with you?¡± Jiang Cheng looked back at him. ¡°I¡¯m just saying you should look around.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    After Gu Fei said that he got it, there was a slight change. He would sweep a glance toward Jiang Cheng from the corner of his eyes to roughly approximate his location, but even if that glance was fully carried out, he was nonetheless quite methodical ¨C in the sense that ¡®since you let me see where you are, I¡¯ll look, but how the ball will be passed is how it was going to be passed.¡¯


    Jiang Cheng was already not in the mood to repeat himself. Gu Fei and this gang of Bu Shi Hao Niao had the same street basketball demeanor: they didn¡¯t have many rules, forced team members to have a 100% tacit understanding, and they played ball as if dogs were let loose in the park ¨C even the two substitutes they brought along acted as if they had been snorting on drugs, ten minutes in and they already counted three fouls.


    ¡°Be mindful,¡± Jiang Cheng became somewhat helpless. ¡°There¡¯s only so many of us, if we all graduate, should Lao Xu play?¡±


    ¡°Nice!¡± Guo Xu waved his arm as he ran past him.


    The game continued, and Jiang Cheng did not care much about the time and followed.


    Wang Xu intercepted the ball from his opponent¡¯s substitute player and then shouted as if God had descended: ¡°Ah¡ª¡ª¡±


    When Jiang Cheng saw that he was holding the ball and immersed in the excitement with no intention of passing or going into offense, he had no choice but to clap his hands. ¡°Pass the fucking ball!¡±


    Wang Xu returned to his senses and swung his arm, passing the ball over.


    Suddenly, Jiang Cheng had an illusion that he was about to have a heart attack. He had ridden himself of Chen Jie¡¯s entanglement with great difficulty, and with no one tailing him at this moment, any normal person should know that this ball had to be passed to him.


    Who could have expected that Wang Xu¡¯s swing of the arm was to pass the ball to Gu Fei¡­ Gu Fei who was in the midst of an annoying embroilment with Liu Fan to the extent that they were almost doing a Lambada dance.[1]


    Jiang Cheng could only look at this scene dumbfoundedly.


    Gu Fei did not expect Wang Xu to pass the ball to him under such circumstances, however, he actually responded quite quickly for being busy. He reached out and smacked the ball before Liu Fan could touch it.


    That smack was akin to a volleyball spike as it changed the trajectory of the ball and flew over to Jiang Cheng¡¯s face.


    ¡°What the fuck!¡± Jiang Cheng was startled, feeling as though his heart was about to jump out of the wound on his rib.


    Fortunately, he raised his hands out of reflex and the ball happened to land in¡­ his hands.


    ¡°You must all be fucking blind!¡± He cursed, took the ball and wasn¡¯t in the mood to care about anything else as he angrily charged straight toward the basket like a tank.


    Time was almost up and there was no room to make any adjustments.


    After charging toward the basket, he found that there was no opportunity for him to shoot. Liu Fan¡¯s tight-knitted, man-to-man defense technique was enacted with great proficiency, following him along, with a full-body turn that strictly shaded him.


    Jiang Cheng did not see Gu Fei from the corner of his eyes; there was only Wang Xu who was being hunted and Lu Xiaobin. It was impossible for him to turn around at this moment since Liu Fan¡¯s hands were swaying before his eyes. If he was distracted, the ball would be snatched.


    ¡°There¡¯s no time¡ª¡ª¡± someone shouted from the sideline.


    If he didn¡¯t shoot, the two points would be gone. Jiang Cheng had no other choice and could only surmise that Gu Fei should be coming to support him at any moment ¨C if not under the basket, then behind him.


    So he hooked his hand back and passed the ball backward before immediately standing up to Liu Fan, and turning his head around.


    Gu Fei stepped forward and received the ball with much steadiness, then seamlessly cast a three-point jump ¨C the ball made a long arc in the air.


    ¡°It went in! Fuck!¡± Wang Xu¡¯s throat-ripping shout rang: ¡°Three-points!¡±


    Jiang Cheng put his thumbs up. Although this ball didn¡¯t change the course of the game at all, it was indeed beautiful.


    The whistle sounded, concluding the match.


    ¡°Not bad, not bad! I think that it¡¯s pretty good, although the score¡­¡± Wang Xu wiped the sweat on his forehead and looked over at the scoreboard, ¡°Damn, we¡¯re still 11 points behind? Hey, it¡¯s still good nonetheless!¡±


    One by one, everyone agreed while wiping their sweat.


    ¡°Cooperate a bit more,¡± Jiang Cheng tugged at his clothes, feeling that the slight pain emitting from the wound was probably intensified due to the sweat. ¡°Not looking at your teammates or your opponents, and only at the ball¡­ this must change.¡±


    ¡°En, that¡¯s right.¡± Wang Xu nodded and repeated it once more, ¡°Look at your teammates and also your opponent, do not look only at the ball.¡±


    After the training mission ended, Bu Shi Hao Niao took their leave and a bunch of people excitedly discussed it over with Lao Xu.


    ¡°Hurry up, gather your things and change your clothes,¡± Lao Xu said. ¡°I¡¯ve already asked for a ten-minute leave from your politics class so don¡¯t disturb the other students when you return to class.¡±


    Everyone went to the gymnasium¡¯s washroom to wash their face and take a leak.


    Jiang Cheng waited for everyone to come out before he entered. After he washed his face, he lifted his clothes in front of the mirror and looked at it.


    ¡°Fuck | your uncle.¡± He could not help but curse in a whisper when he saw blood seeping from the gauze. ¡°Fuck, your, uncle.¡±


    At that moment, he didn¡¯t have anything to treat the wound and he also didn¡¯t want to go to the school doctor either. The doctor would certainly report it with just a glance, and if Lao Xu knew, not only would he try to use love or something to influence him¡­


    A whistle sounded from behind him.


    Jiang Cheng immediately pulled down his shirt and looked into the mirror to see Gu Fei walking in.


    ¡°You have band-aids?¡± He let out a breath.


    ¡°You use band-aids on this sort of wound?¡± Gu Fei asked. ¡°How about I¡­ go over to the school nurse office to get you some bandages.¡±


    ¡°Is that okay?¡± Jiang Cheng scrunched his eyebrows. ¡°What if the nurse asks?¡±


    ¡°No one will ask if I go,¡± Gu Fei eyed his wound again. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say your wound was like this yesterday?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to say,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°Just wait for me a bit,¡± Gu Fei turned around and walked out.


    Jiang Cheng held onto the sink and sighed. At first, he was distracted during the game so he didn¡¯t feel much pain, but now that he was relaxed, he could sense the scorching heat, and in the middle of it all, there was a sharp pain shooting up his spine.


    He carefully peeled the gauze and took a look; it was slightly red with some blood seeping out, but it looked fine.


    It had been a long time since he saw a wound as bloody as this. Since starting high school, he did get into a few fights, but most of the time they only left some bruises on his body. Seeing this sort of bloody wound on himself was pretty depressing.


    Could this be considered to be for Li Baoguo?


    Forget it, whatever condition Li Baoguo was currently in, he was disinclined to go and ask.


    What was concerning was that from yesterday till now, Li Baoguo wasn¡¯t ever with him. Whether he went gambling again or was beaten up by that bunch again, he didn¡¯t know.


    Thinking more carefully about it, he started panicking a little. What could Li Baoguo possibly be doing? Was this problem solved or not? Would there be more problems arising in the future?


    This time, he had gotten beaten up on the streets, next time would people come knocking at their door?


    Would they smash everything into smithereens or hit them till their heads broke and bled?


    Thinking about it made his body go cold.


    Gu Fei returned incredibly quick, entering the bathroom with a plastic bag in hand. The inside contained iodine, gauze, elastic tape and the like.


    ¡°Should I help you?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ do it myself.¡± Jiang Cheng took some cotton pads and poured some iodine on it.


    Ever since he learned that his interest in men was greater than that toward girls, he wasn¡¯t very willing to have any physical contact with anybody. Except for Pan Zhi, if anybody touched him, he would be uncomfortable.


    Especially somebody like Gu Fei who didn¡¯t look bad ¨C his hands were rather pretty too. He was always worried that he would start thinking about unnecessary things.


    But trying to lift your clothes with one hand while swabbing at your wound with the other was not very easy to manage. If he loosened his hand when changing a cotton pad, then his clothes would slide down and touch the wound.


    ¡°Wang Xu said that you¡¯re troublesome,¡± Gu Fei stated as he watched from the side.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded. ¡°What, do you want to give him a like?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re really quite troublesome,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Are you trying to show that you can keep going without rest?¡±[2]


    Jiang Cheng sighed, he held the iodine bottle and glanced at him. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you are reckless with your hands since you¡¯re pretty reckless when you play.¡±


    ¡°I started treating my own wounds when I was four years old.¡± Gu Fei took a hold of the bottle in his hand, pouring on the cotton pad as he spoke, ¡°It¡¯s familiar work now.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything.


    Four years old?


    No way, he couldn¡¯t even remember anything from when he was four years old.


    However, Gu Fei¡¯s actions really were well-practiced. The contact of the cotton pad touching the wound was very light and very fast, he barely felt any pain and it was already over.


    Jiang Cheng moved his gaze to the faucet beside him.


    ¡°This wound won¡¯t heal by the time of the tournament.¡± Gu Fei placed the gauze over the wound, ¡°Press on it a bit.¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be much of an impact.¡± Jiang Cheng pressed down on the gauze and quickly stole a glance at Gu Fei¡¯s fingers. Gu Fei¡¯s fingers were really long, especially the pinky, and were really suitable for playing the piano¡­ he continued to stare at the faucet.


    Gu Fei quickly fixed the gauze in place with the elastic tape. ¡°It¡¯s good now. Just take these with you, so you can change them yourself.¡±


    When they returned to the classroom, the politics teacher was in the middle of raging at the podium.


    Yet the noises in the classroom weren¡¯t suppressed by her rage. The ¡®basketball team¡¯ had just finished a game ¨C this was precisely the time for nonstop excitement.


    ¡°Your Xu Zong can¡¯t tell what¡¯s more important!¡± The politics teacher slapped at the podium, ¡°I see that none of you plan on having any marks for your midterms! You all might as well get tested on basketball instead! Actually using my class time to go play basketball! It¡¯s not that I look down on your class, it¡¯s your class being like this that¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng lowered his head and quickly sat down in his own seat. For a xueba like him, he would generally give the teacher some face; if the teacher was angry and scolded him, he would display a more well-behaved demeanor.


    But Gu Fei wasn¡¯t that cooperative; amidst the teacher¡¯s scolding, he very slowly went to his seat and even properly arranged his jacket before sitting down.


    ¡°Hey, Da Fei,¡± Zhou Jing leaned to the side and whispered, ¡°Hey, Da¡­¡±


    Before he could finish, the politics teacher turned and slapped the podium hard: ¡°Zhou Jing! Get out!!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Zhou Jing was shocked.


    ¡°Get out!¡± The teacher pointed at him and continued to shout.


    Zhou Jing hesitated for a moment, but still stood up and put on his jacket, then walked out to the corridor from the back door.


    ¡°The two in the back! You can also get out!¡± The teacher pointed at Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei, ¡°The others came back, but you were the slowest! From the way I see it, you don¡¯t want to attend class! If you don¡¯t want to attend class, then just go stand outside!¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at the teacher. Although he had been inattentive and absent from class, this was the first time ever that a teacher pointed at his nose and kicked him out.


    Gu Fei was very obedient, much more obedient than when the teacher told him to attend classes and pay attention. As soon as the teacher finished speaking, he nonchalantly stood up, grabbed his jacket, walked out, then leaned against the railings in the corridor with Zhou Jing.


    ¡°You!¡± The teacher continued to point at Jiang Cheng.


    Jiang Cheng sighed with some speechlessness and got up to leave. He didn¡¯t have to grab his clothes, since there wasn¡¯t even time for him to take off his jacket.


    ¡°I heard Wang Xu say that you guys are really awesome now?¡± Zhou Jing did not feel depressed at all from getting kicked out of the classroom. He splayed across the railings and continued his previous question.


    ¡°Awesome, my ass.¡± Jiang Cheng snorted.


    Captain Wang Jiuri demanded that everybody act like hopeless players, yet he himself couldn¡¯t hold back and started bragging.


    ¡°Is Da Fei going on the court?¡± Zhou Jing asked, ¡°Wang Xu said Lao Xu ordered you and you didn¡¯t even give an answer.¡±


    Jiang Cheng almost couldn¡¯t hold back the truth upon hearing this. As it turns out, Wang Xu was still holding onto the setting of Gu Fei not playing, but he was needlessly adding so much drama that it really made people want to interrogate him.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Fei turned his head. ¡°I am a person without any collective sense of honour.¡±


    Gu Fei was standing at Jiang Cheng¡¯s right side. When he turned his head, his breath brushed past his face. He hastily dodged to the side, bounced two times from where he stood, subtly went around Zhou Jing, and leaned against the railing and looked down at the floor beneath them.


    ¡°Really?¡± Zhou Jing looked at Jiang Cheng with some suspicion, ¡°You¡¯re not lying to me?¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at him; Zhou Jing wasn¡¯t a bad person, but you could tell at a glance that he was the gossipy type of person. If you said anything to him then you wouldn¡¯t even need to do anything for the news to spread.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°But Wang Xu said that you guys are really awesome now¡­ how is that possible, it¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t seen them play before.¡± Zhou Jing frowned. After thinking for a while, his eyes lit up, ¡°Fuck, is this your battle tactic? Telling people that you¡¯re really awesome!¡±


    Even though Jiang Cheng really wanted to ask him what bragging about how awesome they were to intimidate the opponent could possibly achieve, he still nodded his head.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Zhou Jing still wanted to say something, but Gu Fei¡¯s phone sounded, interrupting his words.


    The call was from his mother. Gu Fei picked up the phone, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Have you been dismissed from school yet?!¡± His mother¡¯s anxious voice rang out, ¡°I don¡¯t know what Er Miao¡­¡±


    When Gu Fei heard Gu Miao¡¯s screams, his heart lurched. ¡°I¡¯ll be back immediately.¡±


    Once he hung up the phone, he immediately turned and ran down the stairs.


    There were several reasons that could cause Gu Miao¡¯s screaming. In the past two years, it was usually because of water, but it was not definite that she would have a reaction to that. It was only occasionally, plus their mother knew, so she would usually watch out for that.


    Gu Miao¡¯s reaction now should not have anything to do with water, so what could it be this time?


    He rushed out of the school gates; the security guards wanted to hold him back and question him, but they didn¡¯t even get the chance to reach out their hands.


    When he got on the bike to rush back home, Gu Fei felt incredibly exhausted. This sort of feeling would always suddenly rise up every single time. For a moment, he felt like if he closed his eyes, he could sleep until he grew old.


    He didn¡¯t feel the tiredness in his body. He never really felt tired anymore ¨C only the weariness in his heart was something he couldn¡¯t get rid of. He could care less about his mother. He could yell at her a few times to vent, but he couldn¡¯t do that to Gu Miao.


    He was always careful about her; on one hand, he allowed Gu Miao to fight against all sorts of harmful things that could possibly appear on her own. On the other hand, he also had to constantly protect her in case any accidents that would suddenly appear.


    As he ran up the stairs, he could hear Gu Miao screaming from behind the door.


    The old lady across from them opened the door, looking at him with a face full of concern, ¡°Is Er Miao¡­¡±


    ¡°Everything is fine.¡± Gu Fei opened the door and entered the house.


    His mom was currently holding Gu Miao as she was seated on the sofa. Gu Miao had her face buried in her chest and was screaming non-stop.


    ¡°Er Miao, Er Miao, don¡¯t cry anymore. Look, your brother is back,¡± their mother patted Gu Miao on the back. ¡°Gu Fei is back¡­¡±


    Gu Fei went over and picked up Gu Miao from their mother¡¯s embrace; one hand rubbed her back and the other gently squeezed the back of her neck, ¡°It¡¯s alright now. Er Miao, it¡¯s alright now.¡±


    Gu Miao held onto his neck, still screaming and her body trembling a bit.


    Gu Fei frowned. Gu Miao wasn¡¯t scared, but angry.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Gu Fei asked lightly, ¡°Tell your brother, why are you angry?¡±


    ¡°Angry?¡± Their mother looked at him with some confusion.


    He pointed at Gu Miao¡¯s backpack and their mother brought the backpack over to his side. He took out Gu Miao¡¯s books and notebooks, shuffling through them as he asked, ¡°Is it the books? Or the notebooks? Did someone tear your books?¡±


    Gu Miao¡¯s screams lowered in volume, but she was still screaming. A word got mixed up in the middle, ¡°Drawing.¡±


    Gu Fei opened her character book. He didn¡¯t flip past two pages before he saw that one of the pages was messily scribbled all over in a red pen. There was a small wrestling person with what you could tell was a skateboard drawn beside it, and there were even words to go with it on either side.


    Pig, mute, idiot¡­


    ¡°Er Miao, stop.¡± Gu Fei put down the book and grasped Gu Miao¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Look at me. Look at me.¡±


    Gu Miao¡¯s screaming finally stopped. She raised her head and looked at him, her eyes opened wide.


    ¡°Do you know who it is?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Gu Miao nodded her head.


    ¡°This matter,¡± Gu Fei looked into her eyes, ¡°Brother will help you deal with it, okay? Brother will go find this classmate and have a talk with them.¡±


    Gu Miao stared at him for a long while, then shook her head.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want me to?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Gu Miao continued to shake her head.


    ¡°Then what do you want to do?¡± Gu Fei asked, ¡°Tell your brother.¡±


    After a long period of time, Gu Miao only lightly said one line, ¡°Myself.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t know how she planned on dealing with this matter, but no matter how he asked, Gu Miao wouldn¡¯t speak anymore. She didn¡¯t give him any more answers. She turned to enter her room and shut the door.


    ¡°Why is my life so¡­¡± His mom covered her face and sat on the sofa to quietly cry, ¡°I married a bastard, can¡¯t even take care of my own child¡­ did I do something bad in my last life¡­ is wanting to find another significant other again also¡­¡±


    ¡°Mom, go back to your room first,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°My son is also so harsh to me¡­¡± His mother covered her face as she cried while entering her room.


    Gu Fei squeezed the area between his brows.


    The house was silent, there wasn¡¯t a single sound.


    He discretely took a look at Gu Miao from a crack at the door and saw Gu Miao holding a blanket and lying on it, seemingly asleep, and their mother¡¯s side was also silent.


    He sat on the sofa and closed his eyes.


    After resting for around half an hour, he opened his eyes, took out his phone, and gave a call to Ding Zhuxin. ¡°Xin-jie, do you have some time at night to come around?¡±


    [1] Lambada dance ¨C a partnered Latin dance that has a slow-quick-quick rhythm, danced to a 1¡ª3-4 beat. It incorporates elements of other Latin dances such as Merengue, Samba, Rumbo and Maxixe; distinguished from other forms of Latin dance through the wave-like motion of the dancers¡¯ bodies, which gives the dance its name: Lambada is a Portuguese word referring to the wave-like motion of a whip. When dancing Lambada, the dancers¡¯ hips are closely positioned, creating a fast-paced swaying action from side-to-side. Its association with ¡®dirty dancing¡¯ is fiercely protested by professional Lambada dancers, who insist that the moves are graceful and should not have any sleazy overtones.


    [2] ¡­show that you can keep going without rest (×Ô¾õŬÁ¦½øÈ¡£¬²»Ð¸µ¡£¬²»Í£Ö¹) means, ¡°To take the initiative to strive for progress, to not slack off, and don¡¯t stop¡±.

 CH 23

    Gu Fei suddenly disappeared during politics class without even grabbing his bag. Their politics teacher was so infuriated that she rushed to the teacher¡¯s office and started yelling at the top of her lungs at Lao Xu who, inadvertently, came to the classroom after school was over.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng.¡± He blocked Jiang Cheng, who was just about to leave with his bag.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jiang Cheng replied, knowing full well that Lao Xu wanted to ask him about Gu Fei, but he honestly knew nothing of the matter.


    ¡°There has to be a reason for him to suddenly run off,¡± Lao Xu stated.


    Jiang Cheng only knew that Gu Fei had picked up a call and said that he would return immediately, but he didn¡¯t hear anything else after that.


    But. He didn¡¯t want to tell Lao Xu that portion. Who knew what was going on with Gu Fei or whether or not he was willing to let Lao Xu know ¨C he didn¡¯t want to shoot his mouth off.


    But clearly, Zhou Jing did not put in as much consideration as he did. When Lao Xu turned to ask him next, he commented without a thought: ¡°He picked up a phone call and said he was going home, then ran off. Maybe something came up at home?¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± Lao Xu frowned. After Zhou Jing left, he grabbed onto Jiang Cheng once more. ¡°Even Zhou Jing knows, yet you don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Does it matter whether I know or not? Don¡¯t you already know now?¡± Jiang Cheng took his bag and walked outside.


    ¡°Can you help bring Gu Fei¡¯s bag back to him?¡± Lao Xu called out from behind.


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng looked back, ¡°Xu Zong, if I ever ran off halfway through school without taking my bag, don¡¯t you even dare think of getting someone to help bring it back to me.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Lao Xu asked.


    ¡°Because it is incredibly annoying,¡± Jiang Cheng replied. ¡°Not everybody is willing to have someone touch their things, nevermind bringing it to their home. Really, if he wanted to take it, then he would¡¯ve come to get it himself. The school can even let in a bunch of hooligans, do you think they¡¯ll be afraid of letting in their own students?¡±


    Lao Xu stared at him, as if he couldn¡¯t properly respond.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything else either as he turned around and left.


    Lao Xu was like an old mother ¨C caring too much. But what people this age did not need the most was precisely this type of pampering love from a mother hen-like person.


    Especially Gu Fei who¡ªyou could tell at a glance¡ªwas already used to being alone.


    Jiang Cheng believed that Lao Xu would definitely give Gu Fei a call later, but Gu Fei most certainly wouldn¡¯t answer him. This type of teacher-student relationship truthfully could not be improved with Lao Xu¡¯s current level of EQ.


    Thinking of this aspect, Jiang Cheng suddenly found himself missing his former homeroom teacher.


    Just as the memories started to flood in, he immediately raised his head and inhaled a breath of cold air, quickly cutting off the memory.


    At lunch, he honestly wanted to go eat stuffed flatbread at Wang Jiuri¡¯s place but felt that if he went by himself and saw Captain Jiuri, he wouldn¡¯t be able to find anything to say. He also didn¡¯t want Captain Jiuri to keep pulling at him to excitedly discuss tactics.


    So in the end, he ate a bowl of noodles at a small shop at the junction of the street.


    When he returned to Li Baoguo¡¯s place, he was a little surprised to find that Li Baoguo was actually at home. He was sitting on the couch smoking with a newspaper in his hand, reading in the dim light.


    This place of Li Baoguo¡¯s was sandwiched between two buildings at the front and back, and its structure was even shaped like the °¼ character. The lighting was so incredibly poor that even when the sunlight outside was shining brightly, ever so brightly, it still seemed as though it was dusk when one entered the place.


    Jiang Cheng immediately felt oppressed every time he walked in. He reached out to turn on the living room light.


    ¡°Yo!¡± Li Baoguo looked up in surprise, ¡°Cheng Cheng is back?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him; his face was blue and purple, and the corners of his mouth were still swollen, easily revealing the outcome of yesterday¡¯s event ¡ªhe certainly wasn¡¯t beaten lightly. Had he not headed over, Li Baoguo most likely would have been sent to the hospital on a stretcher. ¡°Is¡­ your wound okay?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine.¡± Li Baoguo rubbed his face, ¡°This little injury is nothing. Back when I was younger, working in the factory, youngsters like them weren¡¯t even enough for one of my hands¡­¡±


    ¡°I already ate.¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted him and entered his room, ¡°You can eat something by yourself.¡±


    Just as Jiang Cheng took off his coat, wanting to lay in bed for a while, the door was nonchalantly pushed open.


    ¡°Cheng Cheng,¡± Li Baoguo half-leaned into the room, ¡°Did anything happen to you yesterday?¡±


    Jiang Cheng felt a little helpless. He didn¡¯t have a habit of locking the door because since he was young, as long as he closed it, there wasn¡¯t anyone who would just casually open his bedroom door. It seemed he needed to remember to lock the door now.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Jiang Cheng replied. ¡°I want to sleep for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Your dad is useless,¡± Li Baoguo said, having no intention of closing the door and leaving. ¡°Your dad was getting beaten up on the streets and even needed you to come save him. You must be feeling embarrassed, right?¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t reply. When the words ¡°your dad¡± left Li Baoguo¡¯s mouth, he initially didn¡¯t even remember that ¡°your dad¡± was referring to Li Baoguo himself.


    ¡°But you can rest assured,¡± Li Baoguo continued. ¡°If your dad has any problems, I won¡¯t drag you into any of them!¡±


    ¡°En, I know.¡± Jiang Cheng continued to be patient, ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep a bit. I¡¯m a little tired.¡±


    Li Baoguo nodded, then turned around and left, but still managed to not close the door.


    Jiang Cheng had to go over and close the door again. He hesitated for a moment, and eventually kept the door unlocked. Li Baoguo was still on the other side, and he could hear the sound of the door locking. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want to make things too awkward.


    When he lied down on the bed, he only felt exhausted. He didn¡¯t know whether it was because he was playing basketball with an injury or because he didn¡¯t sleep well last night.


    Li Baoguo didn¡¯t go gambling today for once, hence, Jiang Cheng could hear him coughing in the living room throughout the entirety of noon. He had considered on multiple occasions if he should get him to go to the hospital to check and see if it was pharyngitis, seeing as how from the start of winter break all the way till midterms now, Li Baoguo¡¯s cough had never gotten better.


    It was impossible to take an afternoon nap while hearing a sound like this. To add to that, the neighbors¡¯ upstairs were hitting their child again; not the household from yesterday, but another one. There were many households with children in this building, and all of them hit their children every day. Today it was your household, tomorrow it will be mine, and if we caught up to one another, then we can hit them all together.


    All the children gave heartrending cries; but if in the middle of the ordeal a neighbor could not bear it any longer and went to try and appease them, they would be yelled at too. If they couldn¡¯t endure being yelled at then a vicious battle of words would surely ensue.


    In short, the old buildings in this area were incredibly lively every day, brimming with a sense of liveliness that Jiang Cheng had never been in contact with before.


    The sound of Li Baoguo¡¯s coughing finally disappeared along with the sound of the living room door. Jiang Cheng felt for his phone and took a look, then also got out of bed and left for school.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t come to school in the afternoon either.


    Since school started, if Gu Fei wasn¡¯t late then he was absent. It seemed to be the norm; the students weren¡¯t curious, and the teachers never asked.


    Only Lao Xu would keep on asking.


    When school ended in the afternoon, Jiang Cheng was blocked by Lao Xu again.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng, are you that unwilling to communicate with your teacher?¡± Lao Xu¡¯s body carried a faint smell of alcohol.


    Jiang Cheng also discovered in this period of time that although Lao Xu wouldn¡¯t get drunk, his body would always carry a faint smell of alcohol. Zhou Jing had said that he would drink two mouthfuls even when he ate breakfast.


    It was also because of this that he was called out and yelled at in front of the whole school by the principal, though even then he never changed.


    ¡°Just on this aspect alone, he¡¯s pretty Jianghu[1],¡± Zhou Jing had said.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know if it was because of this that Lao Xu especially liked Li Bai.[2] He would always go off-topic in class; no matter what the text was about, he could always manage to relate it to Li Bai.


    ¡°Speaking of xx, I want to mention Li Bai,¡± he would often start like that. ¡°Li Bai, that old fellow¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you drink?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I drank a little bit at lunch.¡± Lao Xu laughed, ¡°Jiang Cheng, I saw that when you were playing basketball, you and Gu Fei cooperated really well. Normally, your relationship shouldn¡¯t be too bad, right?¡±


    ¡°¡­ it¡¯s just playing basketball. Anybody who knows how to play would know how to cooperate,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°I called Gu Fei a couple times in the afternoon, but he never picked up,¡± Lao Xu said. ¡°I didn¡¯t care enough about him before¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng helplessly interrupted him, ¡°Enough, I get it. I¡¯ll head over to his shop to take a look when school is over, I can¡¯t do much else. We actually aren¡¯t very familiar with each other, plus, I don¡¯t even know where his house is.¡±


    ¡°Fine, fine, fine.¡± Lao Xu happily nodded his head, ¡°Tell him to come to school tomorrow¡­ actually, I originally wanted to send Wang Xu, but he doesn¡¯t live as close as you. Plus, that little bastard isn¡¯t reliable¡­¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    Going to Gu Fei¡¯s shop for a look wasn¡¯t a big deal, but if it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Lao Xu kept on pestering him endlessly, he would never have gone. Who would be happy if they were constantly bugged by their teachers and classmates, and even had someone go to their house just to check up on them?


    He made his way outside of school, staring at the route board when he got to the bus stop.


    The wound was torn open once today; if the training continued on like this for the following days, then his wound wouldn¡¯t even recover by the time the competition started. He wanted to get some adhesive or something like that when he went to the hospital to switch medication; something that would help it get better a bit quicker.


    This bus stop had a couple of buses that could take you directly to somewhere nearby the hospital. He didn¡¯t have to wait for more than a few minutes before a bus arrived.


    He got on the bus ¡ªcrowded completely by the students of Si Zhong; an empty bus got filled by a half just by passing through this station. The next stop was some vocational college, and once past these two stations the bus wouldn¡¯t be able to board any more people.


    The bus was full of laughing and chatting students.


    Jiang Cheng was squeezed at the metal bar next to the backdoor. If the person behind him moved, he would knock into the iron bar. It wasn¡¯t even two stops before he was so annoyed that he wanted to shove all the people beside him onto the floor.


    They were passing by another school up ahead. Jiang Cheng took a look; thank God it was an elementary school. Elementary students all had somebody to pick them up, thus, there wouldn¡¯t be any more bodies squeezed into the bus. Besides, by this time, elementary students should have finished school a long time ago.


    He pressed his head against the metal bar, and with his earphones in his backpack, it was practically impossible to pull them out now. He could only close his eyes and rest his mind while listening to the student of Si Zhong bragging or gossiping.


    Halfway past the station, he heard a commotion in the back of the bus and opened his eyes.


    ¡°Yo! Elementary students are so fierce nowadays!¡± somebody said.


    ¡°Aiyo, that punch is gonna break skin!¡± another person said happily on the side.


    Jiang Cheng took a glance outside the window and was momentarily stunned.


    Three little boys were screaming and swearing while running and chasing after them was a skateboard-holding¡­ girl.


    This skateboard-holding girl, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t even need to look closely to know that it was Gu Miao.


    Gu Miao chased them for a few steps, but since the little boys ran fast, she couldn¡¯t catch up. She put the skateboard on the ground, stepped a few times and dashed ahead just like that.


    When she passed by the bus, Jiang Cheng saw a look of coldness or anger that he had never seen appear on her face before. For a moment, his heart ached a bit.


    The bus drove slowly; the good thing was there wasn¡¯t much distance left of the road till the next stop. The hospital was still three stops away, but Jiang Cheng frantically got off the bus in a hurry.


    Gu Miao and the three little boys were already gone. He gave chase in the direction that the children disappeared in with rushed steps and stopped at a forked road. Continuing forward was the main road and turning to the right was a small dilapidated street.


    Just as he wondered which direction he should go in; he heard a scream coming from the right side.


    The moment he turned his head, he saw only two out of the three little boys scurrying out of an alley. Who knew how the third one ended up fallen on the ground.


    Then there was Gu Miao, who was currently sitting on top of him, smashing his head with the skateboard.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Jiang Cheng was so shocked that his legs went a little soft. He immediately sprinted in their direction.


    All the people from the neighboring stores came out; they all cried in shock at first, then somebody wanted to go over and pull Gu Miao away, but as soon as somebody came near, Gu Miao would swing her skateboard toward them ¡ªnot even a group of two people could approach her.


    The boy being pressed to the ground wasn¡¯t even struggling anymore as he simply held his head, crying and wailing.


    Gu Miao took the chance to smash his head again with the skateboard.


    This time a man grabbed Gu Miao from behind and quickly hoisted her up.


    Gu Miao started to struggle frantically and made a sharp scream.


    When Jiang Cheng ran over, the man was at a bit of a loss. He couldn¡¯t toss her aside, but he also couldn¡¯t keep on holding her either.


    ¡°Gu Miao!¡± Jiang Cheng shouted as he sprinted over.


    Gu Miao was closing her eyes as if she couldn¡¯t hear anything; she only continued to scream, grasping onto a corner of her skateboard without loosening her grip.


    ¡°Er Miao!¡± Jiang Cheng shouted, ¡°It¡¯s Jiang Cheng-gege! It¡¯s Cheng-ge!¡±[3]


    ¡°You know her?¡± somebody asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this kid? Has she gone mad?!¡±


    Jiang Cheng took a glance at the boy who was helped up from the ground. He saw that there was blood on his head, and the boy was currently crying his heart out.


    ¡°Give her,¡± Jiang Cheng said to the man holding Gu Miao. ¡°Give her to me.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t leave! Is this your family¡¯s child?!¡± the man shouted. ¡°Look at how much she beat the other kid! This must be reported to the police, tell your family¡­¡±


    ¡°I said give her to me!¡± Jiang Cheng roared, glaring at the man.


    Gu Miao struggled and screamed like her life depended on it in a way he had never seen before, appearing both mad and heartrending. Jiang Cheng knew that Gu Miao had some issues, and now that she was like this, he suddenly grew anxious.


    The man was stunned into place by his roar.


    Jiang Cheng went over and embraced Gu Miao, snatching her into his own arms.


    ¡°You can¡¯t leave!¡± The crowd of onlookers grew bigger; everybody formed a circle to entrap him and Gu Miao in the middle.


    ¡°You guys go call the police.¡± Jiang Cheng held tightly onto Gu Miao, who had already quieted-down screaming, but was still trembling all over non-stop.


    The injury on the little boy¡¯s head wasn¡¯t too serious. A woman took some iodine and came over to clean his head. There was a small wound at the back of his head, but he didn¡¯t know if there would be any other problems.


    Somebody called the police.


    Jiang Cheng hugged Gu Miao tighter, firmly rubbing her back to comfort her, while pulling out his phone and dialing Gu Fei¡¯s number.


    But it didn¡¯t even sound for half a ring before it was cut off.


    That bastard had set it to do not disturb!


    He could only send Gu Fei another message.


    ¨C Gu Miao is in trouble, reply to me ASAP.


    Then he immediately dialled Wang Xu¡¯s number.


    ¡°Yo?¡± Wang Xu on the other hand picked up the phone really quickly, ¡°Jiang Cheng? A troublemaker like you actually gave me a call?¡±


    ¡°Go find Gu Fei immediately.¡± Jiang Cheng lowered his voice, ¡°Hurry immediately! He¡¯s not picking up his phone!¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Wang Xu was surprised, but it could still be heard that he had started running, ¡°Hold on, I just got home, I¡¯m going to head out again! I¡¯ll go over and find him! Where are you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Right now we¡¯re at an elementary school¡­ but I don¡¯t know where we¡¯ll be after the police arrive in a minute.¡± Jiang Cheng looked around at the angry and shocked people surrounding them. He felt that if he didn¡¯t protect her, Gu Miao would be beaten at any given moment.


    ¡°I got it!¡± Wang Xu shouted and hung up the phone.


    The police came very quickly. The moment they arrived at the scene, they were surrounded by the crowd and the pell-mell of explanations transpired.


    ¡°Bring this child to the hospital first,¡± an old policeman said. He then looked at Jiang Cheng, ¡°Are you this child¡¯s family?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng answered. ¡°I am her brother¡¯s classmate.¡±


    ¡°Notify her family,¡± the old policeman said. ¡°First follow us to the hospital, then we¡¯ll head over to the police station.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jiang Cheng held onto Gu Miao, went over to pick up the skateboard, and then walked over to the police car.


    Gu Miao had already grown silent, and simply hugged his neck tightly. Her fingers were tightly grasping onto the back of his neck; it felt like her nails could pierce his flesh.


    ¡°Gu Miao? Gu Miao?¡± Jiang Cheng spoke lightly, ¡°You¡¯re going to tear my skin apart. It¡¯s okay now, don¡¯t be afraid, your brother will be here soon.¡±


    Gu Miao didn¡¯t have any reactions and her hands didn¡¯t loosen, though her body was still trembling.


    This sort of situation made Jiang Cheng extremely worried. One, he didn¡¯t know what was wrong with her right now ¡ªwhy would she beat the other kid up so badly? Two, he wasn¡¯t Gu Miao¡¯s relative after all; he didn¡¯t know if he was handling the situation correctly¡­ if he didn¡¯t handle it correctly, would Gu Fei come find him for revenge¡­?


    Jiang Cheng first paid for the hospital fees. Treating the wound and all sorts of check-ups didn¡¯t cost much money, what was bothersome was the other kid¡¯s parents.


    The kid¡¯s parents rushed over to hit Gu Miao and Jiang Cheng as if they had gone mad the moment they arrived at the hospital. When the police came over to block them, they almost beat the police along with them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t block me!¡± the man shouted. ¡°Pay up! Pay up! How she beat up my son is how I¡¯m going to beat her! That psycho! That freak![4] Let me tell you, I know who this crazy bitch is, she is my son¡¯s classmate! Freak! If the class has her, then there¡¯s bound to be trouble! If you have any sense, then don¡¯t let her out of the house! I will hit her every time I see her!¡±


    ¡°How this situation will be handled is something the police decides.¡± Jiang Cheng knew that Gu Miao was definitely in the wrong regarding this matter, but the other person¡¯s words were really too anger-inducing. He pressed down the anger that was on the verge of igniting, ¡°If you hit her, then I will hit you, this will never be finished.¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± the woman screamed. ¡°Police! Listen to the words he said!¡±


    Gu Fei finally called, ¡°Where are you? I¡¯ll arrive immediately.¡±


    ¡°The hospital, hurry,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    Once the parents heard that a parent was going to come over, they suddenly grew agitated again. When Gu Fei arrived, the police were just about to take them to the police station.


    ¡°What is the meaning of this?!¡± the man started screaming the moment he saw Gu Fei, ¡°Are you looking for a fight!?¡±


    Following behind Gu Fei was Li Yan and Liu Fan, as well as Wang Xu and Ding Zhuxin.


    ¡°Gu Miao, your brother is here,¡± Jiang Cheng whispered to Gu Miao.


    ¡°Er Miao?¡± Gu Fei half-ran over.


    When Gu Miao heard his voice, she finally loosened her hold on Jiang Cheng¡¯s neck, turned to take a look at him, and then rushed into his arms, holding onto him tightly.


    ¡°She beat up the other kid,¡± Jiang Cheng explained in a quiet voice. ¡°Used the skateboard to smash his head.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Gu Fei turned to look at the two people, ¡°My sister¡­¡±


    ¡°Sorry, my ass! Sorry, don¡¯t do shit!¡± the woman immediately pointed at him, ¡°If I don¡¯t beat her then this matter won¡¯t be finished!¡±


    Gu Fei looked at her silently, then after a few seconds he said: ¡°Come.¡±


    The woman seemed to have been given a fright as she backed away two steps, ¡°My God! What sort of attitude is this? What sort of attitude is this?!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s head to the police station first,¡± Ding Zhuxin walked over. ¡°Listen to what the police have to say. How this matter should be handled, treatment, and compensation, as long as it¡¯s reasonable then we will cooperate.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± the woman wanted to continue to say something else but was stopped by Ding Zhuxin.


    ¡°Da-jie.¡±[5] Ding Zhuxin stared at her, ¡°You¡¯re making such a big fuss that the police can¡¯t even say a word. If you don¡¯t want to settle this matter through proper methods, we can also cooperate. If that¡¯s the case, then you won¡¯t be able to get anything good out of this.¡±


    ¡°Watch what you say,¡± the police warned Ding Zhuxin.


    ¡°Apologies,¡± Ding Zhuxin smiled apologetically to the police. ¡°With the children getting into trouble, we¡¯re all bound to be anxious. We¡¯re certainly willing to cooperate, but cooperation can¡¯t only rely on one side, right?¡±


    The police took the bunch of people back to the police station. Gu Fei asked, ¡°My classmate doesn¡¯t have to come, right?¡±


    ¡°He also has to come,¡± the police said and glanced at Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded. He looked at Gu Miao, who was on Gu Fei¡¯s back; now she appeared a lot calmer, no longer having the madness and cold anger from before.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gu Fei gazed at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say anything now,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Gu Miao¡­ is she alright? Just now, I saw that she was¡­¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± Gu Fei hesitated for a moment, ¡°I¡¯ll find a time to explain it to you slowly.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded in answer and followed the police outside.


    He only walked a few steps before Gu Fei called him from behind, ¡°Jiang Cheng.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Gu Fei motioned to the back of his neck, reaching out to tug at his shirt collar, ¡°The skin here is torn.¡±


    It was probably from Gu Miao¡¯s grasp. The little girl¡¯s strength was quite tremendous.


    But Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t think anything of such a matter; Gu Fei¡¯s movement when he tugged at his shirt collar made him reflexively slap Gu Fei¡¯s hand.


    ¡°¡­it¡¯s fine,¡± Jiang Cheng replied somewhat awkwardly.


    [1] jianghu (½­ºþ) literally translates to ¡°rivers and lakes¡± but it means so much more.  Jianghu is the name of the brotherhood of outsiders that existed in old China. It is the counterculture society of workers who made their living with the skill of their own two hands: craftsmen, beggars, thieves, street performers, fortune tellers, wandering healers, and many martial artists. In ancient China, where education was valued over physical ability, this was the lowest rank of social order. Mainstream society belonged to the Confucian scholar-officials. Its underbelly was the jianghu.  The jianghu has inspired countless numbers of novels and movies. Jianghu tradition still influences martial arts to this day.


    The first known use of the word Jianghu can be found in the writings of the Daoist sage Zhuangzi. In the 4th century B.C. he wrote: ¡°When the springs dry up and the fish are left stranded on the ground, they spew each other with moisture and wet each other down with spit¡ªbut it would be much better if they could forget each other in the rivers and lakes.¡±  (ȪºÔ£¬ÓãÏàÓë´¦ÓÚ½£¬Ïà…éÒÔʪ£¬Ïàå¦ÒÔÄ­£¬²»ÈçÏàÍüÓÚ½­ºþ.


    [2] Li Bai or Li Bo (701-762 C.E.) was a Chinese poet who lived during the Tang Dynasty. Called the Poet Immortal, Li Bai is often regarded, along with Du Fu, as one of the two greatest poets in China¡¯s literary history. Approximately 1,100 of his poems remain today. Li Bai is best known for the extravagant imagination and striking Taoist imagery in his poetry, as well as for his great love for liquor (many of his poems are about the comical and occasionally enlightening adventures of a wandering drunk)


    [3] Cheng-gege or Cheng-ge (¸ç¸ç) ¨C means brothers but we like it as Ge or Gege


    [4] Freak(±ä̬) bi¨¤nt¨¤i ¨C to metamorphose (biology) / abnormal / perverted / hentai / (slang) pervert ¨C in this context, he means ¡®abnormal¡¯, but more colloquially ¡®freak¡¯


    [5] Da Jie (´ó½ã) ¨C big sister, older siste

 CH 24

    After spending almost two hours at the local police station, the matter was finally dealt with.


    The beaten boy did not admit that he had provoked Gu Miao and only said that she chased and struck him without reason at all. Gu Miao remained silent as she lay on Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder with her eyes closed, which made it difficult for this accusation to be confirmed.


    Jiang Cheng, for one, did not believe the kid¡¯s words; with Gu Miao¡¯s condition, she would be bullied no matter which school she was placed in.


    However, the focus of this incident was not the reason for Gu Miao¡¯s action, and even if the boy had bullied her, there was not much the officer could have done; the focus was that Gu Miao had smashed his head, resulting in two stitches.


    Fortunately, there were no other serious matters. And when the parent pressed for compensation ¨C one that was simply daylight robbery[1] ¨C Ding Zhuxin pressed back in a semi-reasonably, semi-threatening demeanor; midway through, the officer had even warned her several times to watch her words.


    Gu Fei hadn¡¯t spoken much, and his attention was only on Gu Miao.


    Li Yan, and the others, took on the job of folding their arms and looking hard, a look that perfectly matched Ding Zhuxin¡¯s threat¡ªdisplaying an aura of ¡°if you dare to act recklessly, we will definitely be reckless as well; look at us, we don¡¯t look like good people anyways.¡±


    Finally, when the arrangement was finalized and the officer let them go, Jiang Cheng let out a long sigh of relief.


    At that moment, his stomach woke up and cried out in starvation ¨C though he didn¡¯t have an appetite for any food whatsoever.


    When they walked out of the station, it was the rather cold and cutting wind that greeted them.


    ¡°You guys should go back. It¡¯s been hard on you all.¡± Gu Fei glanced at Jiang Cheng, ¡°We can just call for a taxi and go with Wang Xu.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    After they split with the others and got into the taxi, no one uttered a word. Jiang Cheng was a bit gloomy and reckoned that Gu Fei was also not in any mood to speak, and Wang Xu didn¡¯t so much as mention the basketball game, though he cursed and sighed heavily, only suppressing his voice immediately when Gu Fei glanced at him.


    ¡°You guys haven¡¯t eaten yet, right?¡± Gu Fei asked as the taxi approached the street.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about us, just hurry up and go back,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°And there¡¯s no need to have the taxi turn around, I¡¯ll get off here since my house is just around the corner¡­ Jiang Cheng, are you coming over to eat stuffed flatbreads?¡±


    ¡°Forget it. I don¡¯t want to eat anything right now,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Once they arrived at the crossroad, Gu Fei carried Gu Miao out of the taxi while Jiang Cheng held onto Gu Miao¡¯s skateboard. After they walked for a few steps, Gu Fei turned: ¡°Thanks for today.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to say that.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Miao. ¡°Have her ask for two days of leave. I saw three little boys earlier today, and those two didn¡¯t take a beating. I¡¯m not sure¡­¡±


    ¡°Even if she doesn¡¯t ask for leave, it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean she can still return to school anymore.¡± Gu Fei sighed, ¡°In the morning, please ask Lao Xu for a leave for me. I have to go to Er Miao¡¯s school.¡±


    ¡°Alright, and the reason?¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°I have a fever,¡± Gu Fei touched his own forehead. ¡°So hot it burns the hand, and it will last from the afternoon of today until midday tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°¡­ okay,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed.


    As Gu Fei carried Gu Miao in one hand and the skateboard in the other, then turned around and walked ahead along the road, Jiang Cheng looked at his back, feeling somewhat moved.


    Before, he had always thought that Gu Fei lived very casually¡ªcasually letting his sister tread on her skateboard all over the street, casually being late to class or cutting class altogether, casually playing basketball ¨C everything as he wished, without suffering any scruples.


    But now that he thought about it again, perhaps, that wasn¡¯t the case. In his family, Gu Fei seemed to be the one who handled everything ¨C alone.  For such a person, how could he actually do as he desired¡­


    No one could do as they desired, Gu Fei couldn¡¯t, and he couldn¡¯t either.


    It was like how he didn¡¯t want to stay at Li Baoguo¡¯s place, didn¡¯t want to stay in this strange and broken city, didn¡¯t want to face his current life, but he had no other choice.


    Every change¡ªeven the slightest¡ªwould affect everything else.[2]


    Even if he had the habit of staying out all night before, now he could not do it so casually.


    Because he had no place to go.


    Not many people could do whatever they wanted without care and just ¡°be themselves¡±.


    Li Baoguo did not go out to play cards tonight. He was home coughing the entire night. Even the constant snoring   would turn into a cough. He would smack his lips, and teeth grinding ¨C a ruckus so loud it could provoke mortals and gods alike.


    Jiang Cheng ¨C in his not completely soundproof room ¨C could clearly hear whoever was upstairs either wearing slippers or sneakers, walking around in their place, which kept his eyes open all night.


    When he woke up in the morning, he felt so tired that even as he walked, he felt he was floating.


    ¡°Do you want to go have a checkup at the hospital?¡± he said to Li Baoguo, who was putting on his shoes, wanting to leave as soon as possible to catch the early gambling get-together. ¡°You were coughing pretty badly, is it pharyngitis?¡±


    ¡°Look, look! This is my son!¡± Li Baoguo said happily in a very loud voice, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯ve been coughing for many years. It¡¯s a chronic illness. There¡¯s no need to go to the hospital since there¡¯s no problem!¡±


    Jiang Cheng wanted to say that there were faults in his wordings, but he ended up not saying anything. Li Baoguo had already swung the door in a haste and left.


    Shit, so be it if you want to be sick. Li Baoguo being like that made him feel as if he was a hypocritical weak woman.


    On the way to school, Jiang Cheng went to the pharmacy to purchase a small box of American ginseng[3] drop as eating it could lift his spirit a bit. He used to eat it quite often when he studied for exams.


    Now that he had eaten it, at the very least, he wouldn¡¯t be that dead asleep when he slept during class. He didn¡¯t want to end up snoring in class ¨C how embarrassing.


    As expected, Gu Fei did not attend class in the morning. After the morning self-study period, he went over to Lao Xu¡¯s office and repeated what Gu Fei had told him as his reason for being absent.


    ¡°It was so hot he thought he could die, and it started yesterday afternoon and will remain so until it can finally recede at noon today.¡± After Jiang Cheng said that, he thought that a night of sleeplessness had severely affected his intelligence.


    But Lao Xu did not seem to take note of his peculiar expression, instead, he was happily immersed in Gu Fei requesting for a leave and not simply bunking classes.


    ¡°Look, I knew that he could still be saved,¡± Lao Xu said, with emotion. ¡°Just look, isn¡¯t this a request for leave!! I just know how to communicate with you kids ah, this was certainly something that needed attention and careful skill¡­¡±


    However, Gu Fei did not come to class by noon, and it was in the last class of that afternoon, which was Chinese language and literature, that he finally entered the classroom.


    Lao Xu looked at him with concern, ¡°Didn¡¯t you have a fever? You can come after the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Better now,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Lao Xu nodded his head and knocked on the podium and said high-spiritedly, ¡°Next, we¡¯ll continue with the content just now¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you sleep?¡± Gu Fei sat down and looked over at Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°¡­ is it that obvious?¡± Jiang Cheng half-lay on the table, his eyes seemingly unable to stay open.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Can¡¯t look straight at you anymore. Those who don¡¯t know would think that you¡¯ve had a fever all day.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t sleep well last night,¡± Jiang Cheng said in between a yawn.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Gu Fei whispered. ¡°For taking up quite a few hours of your time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not because of Gu Miao¡¯s matter.¡± Jiang Cheng waved his hand, ¡°Li Baoguo¡­ he didn¡¯t go out gambling yesterday and coughed all night. It was so loud that it was impossible to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Gu Fei fished through his pocket, took out a small box, and placed it in front of him. ¡°Want some?¡±


    ¡°What¡­¡± Jiang Cheng opened the small box and saw a handful of milk candies inside. He was lost for words all of a sudden, ¡°Milk candies ah?¡±


    ¡°En, don¡¯t you like to eat this?¡± Gu Fei took out another peppermint candy from his pocket and put it in his mouth.


    ¡°I never said I liked them. I was just hungry that day,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°So, it¡¯s like that.¡± Gu Fei looked at him with an exaggerated expression of surprise, then recollected his expression before taking away the candies in front of him. ¡°Then give it back to me.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him. ¡°I just realized that you¡¯re really quite interesting~.¡±


    ¡°Just say whether you want it or not,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng opened his mouth, and after what seemed like half a day, he finally said: ¡°Just give me a peppermint to freshen up.¡±


    Gu Fei glanced at him and then felt around in his pocket for a while, grabbed a handful and then used his finger to lightly push them around in search of one. ¡°There¡¯s no more. How about eating this one, it can also keep you awake ¨C quite refreshing.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng took the little round candy that he had pointed at from his hand.


    The candy had a tangerine flavor, and there was nothing particularly refreshing; Jiang Cheng wrapped his tongue around the candy. What the freaking hell would a tangerine flavor refresh, at the very least, let it be lemon¡­


    He hadn¡¯t finished that thought when the tip of his tongue suddenly tasted a faint sour flavor, perhaps the tangerine coating on the outer layer turned out to be a bit sour inside?


    Without waiting for him to react, this sour taste scuttled out.


    His eyes widened like saucers in seconds.


    Sour, sour, sour, sour, sour, sour, sour, sour, sour, sour!


    What the fuck, it was deadly sour!!


    The sourness that saturated his mouth filled him with a bitterness that assailed his inner core and his tear gland. He was in such pain that he was losing the will to live.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Gu Fei said, and watched him sit up sharply.


    But before he could finish, Jiang Cheng had already spit out the candy from his mouth ¨C quite ferociously.


    The candy was like a small bullet as it flew out with great speed and hit Zhou Jing, who sat in front of them, in the back of his neck.


    ¡°Ahhh!!¡± Zhou Jing screamed out loud, so frightened that he also sat up straight. He turned around and reached back to touch his neck, then suppressed his voice and asked: ¡°Shit, what is this? It fell into my shirt!!¡±


    Jiang Cheng remained silent; although the candy was no longer in his mouth, the traces of its existence had not disappeared ¨C the bitter sourness that lived in his mouth still could make anyone tremble uncontrollably from its taste.


    ¡°Sit properly,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Classmate Zhou Jing,¡± Lao Xu said from the podium. ¡°Pay attention to the classroom¡¯s discipline.¡±


    Although the students in this class paying attention to the classroom¡¯s discipline put together did not amount to a basketball team, Zhou Jing still sat up properly.


    After two seconds, he turned his head again: ¡°Fuck, why is it sticky? What the hell is this?¡±


    ¡°Candy,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°¡­ are you two sick, huh?¡± Zhou Jing was much aggrieved. He pulled and shook his clothes for a long time until that candy fell on the chair.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jiang Cheng said, and after finally regaining back some strength, he turned to look at Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei had lowered his head to play on his cellphone, but Jiang Cheng could clearly see the grin that he was suppressing on his face.


    ¡°Are you fucking seeking death?¡± Jiang Cheng said in a low voice.


    ¡°You said you wanted to freshen up.¡± Gu Fei dragged his finger on the screen of the phone, ¡°Are you still sleepy now?


    ¡°What the fuck is that!¡± Jiang Cheng cursed.


    ¡°Not sleepy, right?¡± Gu Fei tilted his head to the side to look at him.


    ¡°How about I write a certificate of merit for you?¡± Jiang Cheng stated.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± Gu Fei turned back to play on his phone, ¡°No one could understand that handwriting of yours even if you wrote one.¡±


    Jiang Cheng had to admit that he was completely refreshed, and the sleepiness had faded.


    However, the urge to punch Gu Fei a few times made him lose his mood to even ask him how Gu Miao¡¯s school situation was handled.


    When the class dismissal bell sounded, Gu Fei put his phone down. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to a meal, thanks for helping out yesterday.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at him without saying a word.


    ¡°At noon or in the evening, whichever is more convenient for you,¡± Gu Fei said and then added, ¡°Do you have time?¡±


    ¡°¡­ you don¡¯t have to be so polite,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not being polite,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for you yesterday, who knows what would¡¯ve happened to Er Miao. Just thinking about it traumatizes me.¡±


    Jiang Cheng went silent for a moment: ¡°Then, in the evening. I want to catch up on sleep.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    As usual, they practiced basketball during the self-study class in the afternoon. During this time, the self-study lessons were probably some of Wang Xu¡¯s favorite lessons.


    At noon, Jiang Cheng went to the hospital to change the medicine on his wound and asked the doctor to use what was reportedly imported adhesive.


    For the afternoon, they mainly practiced cooperation with no formal game; his wound was alright, and he honestly didn¡¯t feel anything.


    ¡°I think we have a chance this time.¡± At the end of the practice, Captain Wang Xu crouched at the side of the court, and jabbed his finger at the floor. ¡°Based on the current situation¡­ but our secret operation must proceed and let everyone remain as before, that is, to not pay attention to us.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t go around bragging everywhere,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Wang Xu said, not in the least concerned. ¡°As long as you and Gu Fei remain hidden, no matter how much I brag, no one will believe it anyways.¡±


    ¡°¡­ oh.¡±  Jiang Cheng looked at him, and for the first time, he thought that Wang Xu was rather sincere. He was also slightly amazed that he could actually face the cruel reality so directly.


    ¡°Da Fei,¡± Wang Xu turned to look at him. ¡°Whenever there¡¯s free time, ask those buddies of yours to come and practice with us. I think that the result is pretty good.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei sounded.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s disband.¡± Wang Xu waved his hand, ¡°The other class should be coming in a bit, just remember what our motto is!¡±


    ¡°Motto?¡± Lu Xiaobin was taken aback, ¡°We also have a motto?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I haven¡¯t said it.¡± Wang Xu said, ¡°Our motto is¡ª¡ªwe have a secret weapon!¡±


    Jiang Cheng did not react even after he said that this was his motto. He just froze, trying to contain the mad laughter that wanted to burst out.


    Everyone went completely silent as they looked at Wang Xu.


    ¡°We have a secret weapon!¡± Wang Xu repeated and then waved his hand again, ¡°Disband!¡±


    When he walked out of the school gate once school was dismissed, Jiang Cheng turned to look around out of habit. He didn¡¯t see Gu Miao, who had often held her skateboard like a little boss while waiting for Gu Fei at the school gate.


    He glanced at Gu Fei, and Gu Fei didn¡¯t explain anything. He casually placed his hands in his pockets and walked along the road.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t ride your bike today?¡± Jiang Cheng asked, noticing that he didn¡¯t go to get his bike.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei turned up his collar. ¡°I only rode the broken bike halfway in the morning before the wheel became completely out of shape.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t catch what he said, ¡°How is it out of shape, no one tore it¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ you¡¯re so cute.¡± Gu Fei looked at him, ¡°The bike isn¡¯t really out of shape, it just started acting up.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng quite admired himself.


    ¡°You¡¯re killing me,¡± Gu Fei sighed.


    Jiang Cheng looked at him and said nothing. If it was Pan Zhi, he would have definitely applauded and celebrated this moment.


    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± Gu Fei asked as they walked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. There¡¯s also nothing in particular that I want to eat, and you don¡¯t have to be so formal,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°It¡¯s fine to eat what you normally eat with your friends, not like it¡¯s a thank-you party.¡±


    ¡°My friends and I huh¡­¡± Gu Fei laughed, ¡°We eat very wonderfully. I¡¯m afraid you won¡¯t be able to endure it.¡±


    ¡°What? Eat¡­ shit?¡± Jiang Cheng blurted out. He was used to squabbling with Pan Zhi, and the two had many habitually boring and childish conversations.


    Sometimes, he felt that if no one could see them, people would think that they were two seven-years-old.


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Though I can arrange it for you if you want.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just eat something normal,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    Now he would sigh when he thought of Pan Zhi ¡ªthis problem was really unbelievable.


    Recently, Pan Zhi¡¯s grandfather was hospitalized, and the whole family had been taking turns to accompany him; the two hadn¡¯t had much contact. Sometimes, when he looked at his silent phone, Jiang Cheng felt utterly lonely.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the supermarket first,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Supermarket?¡± Jiang Cheng froze, ¡°To buy what?¡±


    ¡°To buy what we¡¯ll eat,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Ingredients and stuff.¡±


    ¡°Making it ourselves?¡± Jiang Cheng was very surprised.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°My friends and I normally make it ourselves, but if you want to eat the ready-made food, we can¡­¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Jiang Cheng thought that it was better to have it according to what Gu Fei was used to. He had never thought to ask for a meal from Gu Fei because of yesterday¡¯s situation. ¡°But I have to say first that I can only make instant noodles if I make noodles.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay: simple, barbeque,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng was surprised again, in this kind of weather¡­ making our own barbeque? Where would we even go?


    As they walked around in the supermarket, Gu Fei bought chopped chicken, some beef and lamb for barbeque, and two bags of dumplings.


    ¡°How do you grill dumplings?¡± Jiang Cheng stared, quite perplexed.


    ¡°The dumplings will be boiled,¡± Gu Fei explained to him with a serious face.


    ¡°I know that dumplings are boiled. I¡­ forget it, I¡¯ll just wait to eat them,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°What do you want to drink? Alcohol or soft drinks?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to drink anything.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind was crammed with a vision of them standing in a wasteland with the cutting northern wind, guarding a pile of firewood and a dying fire as they froze half-dead. At this moment, just thinking about what to drink, he could feel chills.


    After everything was bought, Gu Fei took them in the direction of their homes.


    He thought that if Gu Fei wanted him to barbeque at his place¡­ that was something he was not unaccustomed to. He and Gu Fei had had many interactions with each other recently, but the feeling was still of unfamiliarity. If he went to his house, it would be fairly uncomfortable ¨C he wouldn¡¯t even go to Pan Zhi¡¯s house.


    Gu Fei did not stop when they reached his family¡¯s shop; he only glanced at it and continued walking ahead.


    Jiang Cheng also glanced over, and through the glass window, he could see a woman standing at the cash register. From the hairstyle alone, it should be Gu Fei¡¯s mother.


    As they moved forward, this street merged together with the street of Li Baoguo¡¯s place.


    Jiang Cheng had been here before; it was quite desolated. After walking past the abandoned factory up ahead, there was a road leading to a lake with no water¡­ he shivered. If Gu Fei wanted to barbeque by the lakeside, he reckoned that he would choose to invite Gu Fei to eat at a restaurant.


    But Gu Fei directly entered the abandoned factory from a small door.


    ¡°Here?¡± Jiang Cheng followed in, ¡°This is some sort of factory, right?¡±


    ¡°En, it was previously a steel mill.¡± Gu Fei said, ¡°It has been closed for a long time¡­ many people have worked in this factory before, Li Baoguo as well.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng looked around.


    After entering the door, he discovered that this factory was pretty huge with everything still inside, and though it appeared rather sturdy, it had already become a wasteland; certainly no one had cleaned it either since the ground was completely covered in ice.


    Gu Fei continued to lead him in, and after they passed through a few basketball courts, they entered a building that appeared to be an old office building.


    ¡°Me and¡­ Bu Shi Hao Niao,¡± Gu Fei said as he walked up the stairs. ¡°When we don¡¯t want to stay in the shop, we normally gather here.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no electricity here, right?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the mess under his feet.


    ¡°We bring our own wires,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s quite lively in the summer here. There are lots of open spaces outside, the elder men and ladies hold their street dancing[4] activities here.¡±


    ¡°Street dancing?¡± Jiang Cheng repeated.


    ¡°En, there are even dance battles. It¡¯s quite fashionable and at the peak of its time.¡± Gu Fei went up to the third floor and took out a key to unlock the door.


    Jiang Cheng glanced inside and saw that it was an empty room that was very clean and tidy with a brick stove in the center. There were also many low stools and cotton cushions to the side along with a legless sofa.


    Beside the wall was a barbecue grill and an induction cooker, as well as actual pots and piles of bottles of oil and salt and other things.


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng was utterly shocked, ¡°You can practically live here.¡±


    ¡°How is it, pretty fun right?¡± Gu Fei placed the goods they bought on the table. ¡°We fitted the lock ourselves. If you want, I¡¯ll give you one. When you don¡¯t want to go back or have nowhere to go, you can stay here. Li Yan and the others usually come over on the weekends ¡ªno one¡¯s here the rest of the time.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t speak as he leaned against the wall and looked at Gu Fei. He was a bit depressed by how his frequent circumstances of ¡°having nowhere to go¡± was summed up by Gu Fei in one sentence.


    Although it felt bad, he unexpectedly wasn¡¯t angry. He only felt that the fact that even a deskmate could tell what his circumstances were was really¡­ too laughable.


    [1] Daylight robbery ¨C This isn¡¯t used to describe actual robberies ¨C whatever time of day they might take place. It is a figurative phrase that associates an instance of unfair trading with actual robbery. Not just any old robbery, but one so unashamed and obvious that it is committed in broad daylight.


    [2] would affect everything else | Ç£Ò»·¢¶ø¶¯È«Éí ¨C lit. pull one hair and the whole body moves / fig. a slight change will affect everything else / the butterfly effect


    [3] American ginseng drop ¨C a member of the ginseng family that is native to North America. American Ginseng is extremely popular in Asia. It contains saponins similar to those found in Panax Ginseng (Asian ginseng) as well as dozens of unique saponins. American Ginseng is considered to be a Yin tonic herb, especially nourishing to the lungs, skin and stomach.


    [4] Street dancing (½ÖÎè) ¨C refers to as square dancing or plaza dancing: is an exercise routine performed to music in squares, plazas or parks of the nation¡¯s cities. It is popular with middle-aged and retired women who have been referred to as ¡°dancing grannies¡±

 CH 25

    This room was the reception room of the former steel mill, and it came with a bathroom. Even though this place was abandoned, it still had an owner; there was always water, so back then, the first room that Li Yan snatched was this room.


    This place appeared quite desolate, but it was actually pretty lively ¡ªsave for the time when the weather around the mill was warm. It was not like nobody came around this area, it was just that those who wanted to find a place to idle around like them weren¡¯t as quick to come.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t come here often, but he wanted to invite Jiang Cheng out for a meal today. He didn¡¯t want to be too far away from home and with no decent restaurant nearby, he thought of coming here when Jiang Cheng said that it didn¡¯t matter.


    ¡°There¡¯s no heater?¡± Jiang Cheng sat on the sofa and stomped his feet.


    ¡°Make your own fire.¡± Gu Fei took the lighter from the table and tossed it over to him, ¡°There¡¯s a bag of coal to the side of the sofa, find some rags outside, and¡­ can you make a fire?¡±


    ¡°I can.¡± Jiang Cheng got up and went out; after two seconds, he suddenly knocked his whole body violently against the door and entered, holding a rag in his hand with and wearing a stiff expression.


    Gu Fei, who was holding a bag of disposable plates and separating the food, was startled by the sudden move. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng pinched the rag with two fingernails. ¡°I just picked up this thing¡­ there was actually a dead rat underneath! Scared the shit out of me!!¡±


    ¡°And you still held onto it that firmly?¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t quite understand it.


    ¡°I thought that it was useful, so I¡­¡± Jiang Cheng threw the rag into the brick stove, ¡°That should be enough to keep it going.¡±


    ¡°You could have just walked ten more steps and find something else to light the fire, the kind with no dead rat underneath.¡± Gu Fei continued to move the food onto the plates.


    ¡°It¡¯s too freaking cold. I don¡¯t want to move.¡± Jiang Cheng squatted in front of the stove, ¡°I think I¡¯ve gotten used to it since the pots at Li Baoguo¡¯s place have cockroaches in them.¡±


    ¡°He usually doesn¡¯t cook since he¡¯s too busy gambling to care about food,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I can tell,¡± Jiang Cheng lit that rag, ¡°If we¡¯re talking about a place to sleep then he could probably also sell his home.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be sold,¡± Gu Fei took the pot and washed it under the faucet in the bathroom before he carried out a pot of water. ¡°The buildings have been the mill¡¯s right from the start; the majority of the people here are so poor that all they have are themselves.¡±[1]


    ¡°¡­ oh.¡± Jiang Cheng added two lumps of coal in the fire. He stared at it, seemingly entranced.


    After the coal was ready, Gu Fei placed the pot of water on the stove then smashed two pieces of ginger and threw them in, followed by a small packet of wolfberry and jujube.


    ¡°Are you making soup?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng took the lid. ¡°Do you like eating soup or eating meat?¡±


    ¡°¡­ what do you mean?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him, a bit perplexed. ¡°You¡¯re cooking a pot of chicken and then only let me choose between eating soup or eating meat?¡±


    Gu Fei sighed, ¡°It¡¯s not that. If the chicken meat is placed in cold water, the soup will be thicker, and it will taste better. If you place the chicken in when the water is boiling, the chicken will taste better.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng answered in surprise. ¡°Why?¡±


    Gu Fei thought that Jiang Cheng¡¯s reaction perfectly reflected the quality of a true xueba, without common sense but with a curious mind. He did not want to explain it to Jiang Cheng at all. ¡°Just say which one you like.¡±


    ¡°Soup,¡± Jiang Cheng simply answered and took out his phone.


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei placed the chicken meat into the pot and covered the lid, ¡°The chicken is cooking. Let¡¯s grill something to eat first.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at his phone as he stood up. ¡°What should I do?¡±


    ¡°Eat,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    Li Yan and their gang especially liked to grill, hence, practically everything was here. After Gu Fei set up the grill, he took some coals from the stove and put them in; everything bought today was ready-made meat and only needed the ingredients to be brushed on before grilling them ¨C very simple.


    ¡°Put the chicken in cold water, the flavor of the chicken will gradually be released as the temperature rises, so the soup will be very thick.¡± Jiang Cheng sat by the stove, keeping an eye on the fire while reading out loud from his phone. ¡°Put the chicken in boiling water, the skin of the chicken will be cooked in an instant, sealing the flavor inside. In this case, the chicken will taste stronger¡­ right?¡±


    ¡°¡­ right,¡± Gu Fei glanced at him. ¡°Do you still want to take notes?¡±


    ¡°This kind of thing doesn¡¯t usually require recitation of the original text, just understanding the meaning is enough.¡± Jiang Cheng also looked at him.


    Gu Fei turned his head and brushed the ingredient on the meat. When Jiang Cheng said this sort of thing, he had the swag of a xueba ¨C the type where once he spoke, there was nothing much for you to say.


    ¡°Do you guys always gather here? Everything¡¯s here.¡± Jiang Cheng stood up and stood beside the grill, ¡°There¡¯s even cumin?¡±


    ¡°Cumin, ground pepper, chili powder, they¡¯re all here though I¡¯m not sure if they¡¯re expired since I don¡¯t know when they bought them.¡±


    ¡°¡­ fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng took the bottle. ¡°Let me see¡­ the shelf life is 36 months, there shouldn¡¯t be a problem. You guys must¡¯ve not come to eat these over thirty months ago, right?¡±


    ¡°36 months is how long ago?¡± Gu Fei took the bottle without lifting his head and started to sprinkle the powder.


    ¡°Three years,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°At most, half a month ago,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You¡¯re so particular. I normally smell it, and if it is not odd, I¡¯ll eat it.¡±


    ¡°You must¡¯ve just eaten it as it is because you don¡¯t quite understand the shelf life,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Gu Fei swept a glance his way. ¡°Can¡¯t compare to a xueba¡¯s meticulous life.¡±


    The meat skewers began to drip oil after a while, and the smoke pervading the room began to emit a strong fragrance.


    Skewering meat wasn¡¯t a technically difficult job, and with Gu Fei appearing remarkably skilled, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t help him and sat back down beside the chicken soup to maintain the fire.


    There was silence outside the room ¡ªthe sky had completely descended into darkness, and the open window resembled a cataclysmic black cloth that made you feel rather cold, but the stove and barbeque grill in front of them showed a bright and utterly steady fire.


    This kind of feeling was absolutely wonderful, just like sitting in the small cornmeal-colored bun that day ¡ªoutside were the purely cold streets shrouded with the freezing wind, and inside the car was silence.


    Outside the window was the unknown and unsettling darkness, yet before them was brightness and warmth.


    Jiang Cheng quite liked this kind of feeling.


    It had been a long time since he came here with depression and anger, perplexity and confusion, and all kinds of discomfort. Until today, until now, he suddenly felt that he had a steady footing on the ground.


    Although this feeling might only be temporary, or maybe it was only an optical illusion, he nevertheless could not help but want to experience it quietly at this moment.


    ¡°Can you eat spicy food?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Just a bit is okay, not too much,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    Gu Fei sprinkled a bit of chili powder then handed him a few meat skewers on a plate. ¡°Try it, I like it a little charred, these aren¡¯t charred at all.¡±


    ¡°I also like it slightly charred.¡± Jiang Cheng took a bite of a skewered meat, ¡°It tastes pretty good.¡±


    ¡°I thought a xueba like you didn¡¯t eat charred food¡­ if you need to look at the shelf life, are you not worried about getting cancer from eating charred food?¡± Gu Fei continued to grill.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you being annoying?¡± Jiang Cheng said while eating, ¡°How much resentment do you have towards a xueba for you to bear a grudge like this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve lived for nearly 18 years and this is the first time that I¡¯ve met a true xueba, it¡¯s hard to stay calm.¡± Gu Fei placed the remaining skewers together on a plate, piled them high, and then put them on a wooden box that was turned upside down and used as a table at the side of the stove. ¡°A xueba¡¯s mouth is actually pretty foul.¡±


    There was a very delightful type of enjoyment in guarding the fire and eating meat skewers on a cold day. Jiang Cheng did not want to bicker with Gu Fei at the moment, so he gave no voice and simply immersed himself in eating.


    ¡°Do you want a drink?¡± Gu Fei looked through a cardboard box to the side, ¡°I remember that the liquor from last time wasn¡¯t finished.¡±


    ¡°A white one?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Nonsense, do you drink beer on such a cold day?¡± Gu Fei took out a bottle of liquor and placed it on the wooden box, ¡°At a time like this, a bottle of Niu Er liquor is what hits the spot.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at the bottle and hesitated for a moment but then nodded: ¡°Alright, just a little.¡±


    As Jiang Cheng watched Gu Fei pour the liquor, he was utterly shocked as the paper cup was filled to the brim. He had never drunk liquor like that before but seeing as how he and Gu Fei could choke each other at any time given the way they talked, he didn¡¯t speak and quietly watched as Gu Fei placed a full cup of liquor in front of him.


    ¡°Perhaps, you think it¡¯s not necessary to say, ¡®thank you¡¯,¡± Gu Fei picked up his cup, ¡°But it¡¯s still proper to say thank you once more.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, you think it¡¯s not necessary to say, ¡®don¡¯t be so polite¡¯¡­¡± Jiang Cheng also picked up his cup, ¡°But I still have to say, there¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed and bumped his cup against his and then drank a mouthful.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at his cup, this bastard drank a cup of liquor as if he was drinking beer, thus, in accordance with the norm, he also had to drink almost a mouthful.


    The liquor burned all the way down from his throat to his stomach and then rose all the way back up, setting aflame his neck and the root of his ears.


    Gu Fei glanced at him, ¡°You don¡¯t normally drink liquor?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t drink liquor like I do beer,¡± Jiang Cheng said, lowering his head to take a bite of meat. In fact, taking such a bite while guarding the fire on a chilly day like this was immensely satisfying.


    ¡°You could¡¯ve just taken a sip or two at random,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Aren¡¯t you still injured?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel anything today.¡± Jiang Cheng pressed the wounded area ¨C he indeed didn¡¯t feel anything. He hesitated for a moment and then asked, ¡°Gu Miao¡­ how is she?¡±


    ¡°Staying home for the time being,¡± Gu Fei drank another mouthful. ¡°Yesterday, those parents called the parents of the other two kids and went to cause a ruckus at the school together.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck!¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s brows twisted, ¡°They must have done something for Gu Miao to react that way since she normally doesn¡¯t even look at people straight on.¡±


    ¡°They drew in Er Miao¡¯s notebook before.¡± Gu Fei lifted the lid of the pot and saw that the soup inside had already come to a boil. He tasted it and added salt and msg. ¡°Er Miao wanted to handle it herself, so I never went to ask about it at the school. I also never thought she would handle it like that.¡±


    Jiang Cheng could almost imagine what kind of things would appear ¨C for such a big child, hearing ¡°he¡¯s still just a kid¡±, coming from an adult¡¯s mouth, was the cruelest thing.


    He could still remember that when he was in elementary school, there was a child with a lower IQ in the class who was excluded and bullied by almost the whole class. He had even participated in it, as if afraid that if he looked different from the majority, he would have been treated the same.


    ¡°Did the school let Gu Miao return home then?¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°Regardless of the cause and effect? Even if it is wrong to hit someone, they shouldn¡¯t go so far as to not let her go to school!¡±


    ¡°At first, the school wasn¡¯t willing to take her back, but I asked the principal for a long time.¡± Gu Fei paused, and after a long moment of silence, he glanced at him again. ¡°Er Miao should go to a special school.¡±


    ¡°¡­ is that so.¡± Jiang Cheng had guessed that Gu Miao had some sort of problem, but when Gu Fei said those two words, ¡°special school¡±, he did not know how to proceed.


    ¡°She was born¡­ with a little bit of a problem.¡± Gu Fei sprinkled a bit of cumin on a bunch of meat skewers, ¡°She couldn¡¯t speak and was only able to when she was around three years old, though the two or three words that bounded out were all jumbled up. She couldn¡¯t learn anything, and it also seemed she couldn¡¯t express herself either since she would only shriek when she was hungry, thirsty or in pain.¡±


    ¡°Then she¡­¡± Jiang Cheng opened his mouth but didn¡¯t say anything. Gu Fei kept staring at the things in his own hands when he said all those things, and although he appeared to not care in the least, Jiang Cheng could perceive his depression.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t ask any more and Gu Fei didn¡¯t go further either. What issues Gu Miao had, and how the scar on the back of her head came to be, was it truly because Gu Fei¡¯s father had dropped her like what Li Baoguo had said¡­?


    Also, were the jianghu-like[2] rumours regarding Gu Fei real or not?


    He was curious about these, but he didn¡¯t plan to ask anymore.


    The chicken soup was delicious. In fact, he didn¡¯t know if it was because of the cold but the hot chicken soup looked especially captivating. With just a sip, he felt so warm that his head became a bit dizzy.


    ¡°This chicken soup is really satisfying,¡± Jiang Cheng lamented.


    ¡°A xueba like you is too proper,¡± Gu Fei took a sip of the liquor and waved the cup in front of him. ¡°What¡¯s really satisfying is this.¡±


    ¡°¡­ oh,¡± Jiang Cheng paused, picked up his cup and also took a drink before nodding. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Although the strength of this liquor was high, and Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t normally drink liquor, a paper cup of liquor was nearly gone as he ate and drank this time around.


    He didn¡¯t know if it was because of this reason, but he suddenly wanted to laugh really bad, like when he brought up their fight in the shop the other day and laughed foolishly¡ªright now, he really wanted to laugh¡­ foolishly.


    ¡°I¡­¡± He turned to look at Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei was drinking a sip of soup but after glancing at him face to face, he slanted his head and completely spurted out a mouthful of soup.


    With this spurt, their foolish laughing was turned on.


    Jiang Cheng laughed so intensely that he couldn¡¯t even hold his chopsticks, and they fell on the table. He wanted to place them properly, but they rolled to the ground instead. He laughed, and while reaching out to pick them up, he picked up a small wooden stick and placed it at the side of the bowl.


    Gu Fei held the bowl with both hands, and with just a glance of that small wooden stick, he laughed so much that half of the soup in the bowl spilled out.


    ¡°I¡¯m dying,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed and pressed on his wound. ¡°I¡¯m a wounded person, I can¡¯t laugh like this¡­¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t speak as he leaned against the wall behind him and continued to laugh mischievously for a while longer. Finally, he took in a deep breath: ¡°I almost couldn¡¯t breathe.¡±


    Once it came to an end, Jiang Cheng originally thought that because the wind blew in from the open window, his back occasionally felt a trace of coldness, yet now, his back was sweating.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jiang Cheng fished around in his pocket, looking for a tissue to wipe his mouth but even after a while, he couldn¡¯t find any. ¡°I¡¯m dead tired.¡±


    ¡°Looking for tissue?¡± Gu Fei pointed at the table behind him, ¡°There¡¯s some there.¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned around and saw that there were rolls of paper on the broken table behind him.


    When he reached out far enough and grabbed over a roll, a piece of paper was brought down from the table and fell near his feet.


    When he picked it up, wanting to place it back, he stopped and froze as he looked at the thing on the paper.


    This staff-printed kraft paper, ripped from a book of staff paper, was something that he was incredibly familiar with. Kraft-paper coloured staff-paper books were a favourite of his.


    There was nothing unusual about the ledger line of the musical staff. For a xuezha[3] like Gu Fei, it might have been bought as an English book¡­


    But what surprised him was the writing on the paper.


    It was more than half of a musical score.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng blinked as he held onto the edge of the table for support and tried to align the double vision before him. Then he hummed a tune, ¡°It¡¯s pretty good, what song is this?¡±


    Gu Fei was still leaning against the wall and stared at him for a while before finally speaking: ¡°You also know scores?¡±


    ¡°Nonsense.¡± Jiang Cheng took the score, leaned back against the table legs and looked down. ¡°For a xueba, anything is¡­ this, who wrote the song?¡±


    Gu Fei said nothing.


    Jiang Cheng looked at it for a while, looked up at him and then pointed his finger at him: ¡°You wrote this?¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Gu Fei took a sip, ¡°Why me, do I look like a person that can write songs to you?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t look like one, but¡­¡± Jiang Cheng flicked the paper, ¡°But this tonal mark, look at this ¡®b¡¯, it¡¯s the same as what you wrote and it¡¯s a bit longer underneath, like a one-handed akimbo.¡±


    ¡°What the hell,¡± Gu Fei laughed.


    ¡°Did you write it? Or did you copy it for someone?¡± Jiang Cheng pinched the paper and waved it in front of him, humming a bit more, ¡°It¡¯s really nice.¡±


    ¡°A xueba is a xueba. You must have learned musical staff in middle school huh and you can still remember it.¡± Gu Fei did not answer his question.


    ¡°Fuck, don¡¯t look down on a xueba.¡± Jiang Cheng stood up and slapped the paper on the table, thinking that he was probably actually invigorated by the drink. He held his head high in a good mood and even his words had swag. ¡°I¡¯ll show you something eye-opening.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to sing a song?¡± Gu Fei was also in a good mood as he stood against the wall and applauded him.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jiang Cheng went to the sofa and picked up his own school bag, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I brought it¡­ I normally do¡­ oh, here.¡±


    Gu Fei watched Jiang Cheng rummaging through his bag for a long while, eventually pulling out a semi-transparent and slender plastic case, a bamboo flute?


    The fact that Jiang Cheng knew musical score and could immediately hum it surprised him tremendously¡ªfor someone like Jiang Cheng, even if Lao Xu said that he was a xueba, it was unlikely that many people would believe him if his grades didn¡¯t come out. Fighting and taunting others was an asset, being good at basketball wasn¡¯t strange, but knowing how to read music was really a surprise.


    Just like him, even if he wrote the songs and stamped the composer as Gu Fei, an unfamiliar person would have thought that he beat the composer and stole it.


    Jiang Cheng was probably excited because of the liquor. One paper cup of liquor was probably two and a half glass, and Jiang Cheng¡¯s cup was already empty; for someone who didn¡¯t normally drink, having two and a half in their stomach at this rate was an almost revolting behavior.


    ¡°A flute? So meticulous.¡±


    ¡°En, a tin whistle,¡± Jiang Cheng cleared his throat. ¡°An Irish tin whistle. I really like it, though I don¡¯t play often. I didn¡¯t play it at my previous home either.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Because it doesn¡¯t look as posh as a piano,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed. ¡°My mom¡­ anyways, she doesn¡¯t like it, said it was noisy and that she likes the piano.¡±


    ¡°You can play the piano?¡± Gu Fei looked at Jiang Cheng¡¯s hands. He didn¡¯t pay attention to them before, and now that Jiang Cheng¡¯s fingers were pressed on the finger holes[4], they were pretty long¡ªthe knuckles connecting to the long, slender fingers were clear but not obtrusive.


    ¡°Yes, do you want to kneel down? I think there¡¯s a cushion on the sofa. You can bring it over,¡± Jiang Cheng pointed to the ground in front of him with the tin whistle, ¡°Just kneel here.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed as he felt for a stick of cigarette and let it hang in his mouth.


    He thought to himself that he probably had never heard a tin whistle before, but after Jiang Cheng played out that short section, he reacted. For a short period of time, Ding Zhuxin really liked Celtic music and would listen to it all day long; there were various recorders and bagpipes.


    He didn¡¯t know what Jiang Cheng played, though it sounded familiar.


    Just as he was lamenting that Jiang Cheng could also play this and played it rather well, with his fingers leaping nimbly on the finger holes¡­ Jiang Cheng suddenly stopped, tilted his head to the side and coughed. ¡°Sorry, let me start over.¡±


    Gu Fei had to applaud again.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at him then placed the whistle back to his mouth once more. His eyes hung low before his fingers soon jumped, and the notes slipped out again.


    This was the first time that Gu Fei had ever heard someone play a whistle in front of him¡ª there was an indescribable feeling.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s usually uncomfortable and irritated face disappeared when the first note leaped out, and his slightly shaking lashes appeared calm and peaceful.


    At this second, Gu Fei wholeheartedly accepted Jiang Cheng¡¯s setting as a real xueba.


    Translate: Sae | Proofread: Ice/Anasofi


    The author has something to say: Continuing tomorrow.


    The time to show off your talents has arrived; ¡°Da Fei please make sure to focus on staring at the shining-all-over Cheng-ge yo~¡± The author, who now has a small heating coaster and has been drinking hot coffee this entire time, says extremely happily.


    ¡°I will share the song that Cheng-ge played on Weibo today, you can give it a listen to better integrate yourself.¡± The author who felt that they are incredibly considerate pulled out a small black cashmere cushion from the closet and patted the fur while talking.


    ¡°A private space and alcohol! This is precisely the author¡¯s scheme!¡± The small black cashmere cushion cried out as it splayed on the ground.


    [1] Belongs to the steel mills ¨C basically when there¡¯s a mill/factory, there¡¯s usually a community or smth beside it for the workers to live and those buildings belong to the mill/factory thus none of the people that live in them have rights to them so they can¡¯t be sold.


    [2] Jianghu-like: basically meaning very wild, very unbelievable


    [3] Xuezha ¨C (coll.) unenthusiastic, mediocre student / underachiever (the opposite of our Jiang Cheng being a xueba)


    [4] Finger holes ¨C where you move your finger on the whistle to produce different tones

 CH 26

    The sound of the tin whistle was pretty clear, coupled with the resonance of the interior space, it sounded both mellifluous and spirited.


    Gu Fei did not know why anyone would think that such an instrument was not as posh as a piano. Jiang Cheng stood there leaning against the table, holding this small, black, and delicate tube in his hand ¨C it was unforgettably posh.


    The tune that he played sounded quite cheerful and lighthearted, but Gu Fei could inexplicably hear a bit of loneliness; he didn¡¯t know whether it was the instrument itself or the person playing it.


    The last note reverberated in the dancing flames, and after it slowly disappeared, Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand that held the whistle dropped down; neither of the two uttered a word.


    After a while, Jiang Cheng looked up with a slight smile that was barely distinguishable at the corner of his mouth. ¡°How was it?¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Gu Fei answered and applauded.


    ¡°Say something good, why don¡¯t you.¡± Jiang Cheng took a small velvet cloth and wiped the mouthpiece of the flute. ¡°Asking for a beating the moment you open your mouth.¡±


    ¡°Really amazing,¡± Gu Fei answered once more. ¡°You must have practiced for a long time, right?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded in agreement but then thought about it and shook his head. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be that long either, not as long as the amount of time that I have practiced the piano.¡±


    ¡°Not that long yet you can play it that well,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You deserve to be called¡­¡±


    When Gu Fei only managed to say half of it without continuing, Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°Yes, a x-u-e-b-a. When are you going to be done with this standing joke, huh?¡±


    Gu Fei laughed for a moment and then finally added, ¡°You¡¯ve honestly played it very well.¡±


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not that difficult, starting is pretty easy.¡± Jiang Cheng held the tin whistle in his hand, twirled it a few times, and passed it over to him. ¡°Want to give it a try?¡±


    ¡°¡­then I¡¯ll try it.¡± Gu Fei walked in front of him and took the tin whistle, ¡°Play it directly?¡±


    ¡°How else?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°What I meant was, do you have mysophobia?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Jiang Cheng laughed out loud, feeling that he couldn¡¯t endure it anymore on this night ¨C he laughed for what seemed like most of the day and finally pointed his finger in all directions. ¡°In this environment, whoever has mysophobia would have collapsed the second they entered.¡±


    ¡°True, you just took the quilt from a dead rat.¡± Gu Fei looked at the tin whistle, studying its appearance, and pressed his fingers on the finger holes. ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng lightly flicked his fingertips. ¡°Press on it hard, and the sound will come.¡±


    After Gu Fei properly pressed it, he attempted to softly blow into the mouthpiece.


    The whistle produced a rather staggering and ear-piercing shrill; he frowned and tilted his head to the side, ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with this sound, scared the crap out of me.¡±


    Jiang Cheng restrained a laugh, ¡°Loosen up a bit when you blow. It¡¯ll sound better when you let it flow and not stop.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Fei inhaled and then blew into the mouthpiece once more.


    This time, it was a lot better; the tune echoed and stretched out, though the sound was¡­


    ¡°Forget it,¡± Gu Fei loosened his hold on the tin whistle. ¡°Starting may be easy but that doesn¡¯t mean you can listen to it with just two blows. With just these two steps, anyone who didn¡¯t know better would have thought that I was calling out for a silly husky[1].¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still too tense.¡± Jiang Cheng took the whistle, and casually rubbed the mouthpiece on his own pants. ¡°Look at my face, relax.¡±


    Gu Fei looked at him earnestly as he played a musical scale[2]: ¡°Understand?¡±


    ¡°If I say I don¡¯t understand,¡± Gu Fei laughed. ¡°Are you going to scold me?¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t speak and continued to play, another scale, a short tune, and after he played for a while, Gu Fei poked his face. ¡°You said this needs to relax¡­¡±


    The cheerful tune suddenly stopped and the whistle in Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand immediately smacked Gu Fei¡¯s hand.


    ¡°The fuck!¡± Gu Fei pulled his hand back, and then swinging his arm and rubbing the back of his hand, he cursed. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    Jiang Cheng suddenly felt an embarrassing feeling of wanting to jump out of the window. He wasn¡¯t sure of whether it was because of the liquor or the close face-to-face contact that made him always feel the atmosphere ¡ªin all its entirety¡ª was ambiguous all along.


    Gu Fei¡¯s voice and Gu Fei¡¯s words as he breathed, all made him feel a bit dizzy.


    The touch of his fingertips on his face was only a light touch, and the area was so small that it was negligible, but that action nevertheless made him somewhat overreact.


    At this moment, he could not distinguish whether it was his own conditioned reflex or a subconscious avoidance.


    The key was that Gu Fei had been incomprehensibly smacked by him, and he had no means to explain it.


    Hello, I really don¡¯t like others touching me.


    And because I like men, I don¡¯t want to be touched by them even more.


    Hello, Wang Jiuri saying that I was troublesome is actually a correct judgment¡­


    ¡°Wang Xu said that a troublemaker like you don¡¯t let others pat your shoulders.¡± Gu Fei looked at him and snatched his internal dialogue, ¡°You truly are troublesome.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng also looked at him. ¡°You¡¯ve only realized that?¡±


    Gu Fei went silent and stared at him.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know what to say either, so he just stood there as well and stared straight back at Gu Fei.


    After staring for a mere ten seconds, Jiang Cheng felt that things were not too encouraging ¨C he wanted to laugh.


    He really wanted to laugh.


    If he actually laughed his head off without end right after just smacking Gu Fei like that, Gu Fei ought to come and fight with him, right?


    Therefore, alcohol could not be swallowed at random as it could easily spoil things.


    After this myriad of thoughts, he gritted his teeth without laughing. Gu Fei was probably tired from staring at him; he rubbed his hand again: ¡°Luckily you¡¯re not a girl, otherwise, you can¡¯t get married[3].¡±


    Jiang Cheng howled with laughter at that exact moment.


    What the fuck are you laughing your ass off at!


    What the hell was there to laugh about!


    A paper cup of Niu Er liquor could actually make him mentally retarded!


    Jiang Cheng, are you fucking stupid? Yes.


    He furiously scolded himself while laughing until he leaned against the table behind him ¨C even shaking uncontrollably.


    ¡°Do you believe that I won¡¯t smack you?¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng covered his wound area and continued to laugh joyously, and Gu Fei, finally infected by his mental retardation once again, laughed out loud.


    However, aside from this mental retardation, there was also an advantage ¨C the embarrassment that enveloped Jiang Cheng was, at long last, laughed away.


    It was just, the laughter hurt his sides.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± He fell onto the sofa, ¡°Sorry, I must have drank too much.¡±


    Gu Fei let out a leisure breath, presumably waiting for the laughter to pass then he walked over and sat heavily down on the sofa beside him. ¡°Wang Xu said that he only patted your shoulder and you wanted to punch him?¡±


    Although the sofa was quite shabby, the elasticity of it was still surprisingly good. Gu Fei pounced on it like a cannonball, causing Jiang Cheng to bounce up ¨C feeling dizzy as if he was about to take off.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in punching that coward.¡± He patted the sofa then stood up and also pounced on it.


    Gu Fei also bounced up.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you being childish,¡± Gu Fei said, and then got up and pounced on it again.


    ¡°You started it¡­¡± Jiang Cheng slanted slightly from that and fell on Gu Fei.


    This sofa was not large. It was a small two-person sofa, and thus, with this fall the two directly pressed together ¨C their heads nearly connecting.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng whispered and held onto the sofa in an attempt to sit upright.


    With a push of his hand, he directly pressed into Gu Fei¡¯s hand instead.


    Gu Fei¡¯s hand was very warm, and the feel of his knuckles beneath the palm of his own hand was unusually distinct.


    But this time, Jiang Cheng, did not have a conditioned reflex. He, himself, didn¡¯t even know the reason for why he froze in place as if he had been pressed on.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t speak or move, and when he turned his face, his breath swept by the edge of his ear.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Jiang Cheng opened his mouth without knowing what to say.


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    That simple word ¡ªunder the influence of alcohol and the close range¡ª resembled a sparkling electric current, and as soon as that voice emerged, Jiang Cheng felt all the pores on half his body explode.


    He turned his head, and kissed Gu Fei¡¯s face.


    He had gone mad.


    That was the only detail flashing in Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind ¨C apart from that, everything else was completely empty.


    Your brains must be fucking missing.


    Gu Fei still did not move or say anything else. At that moment, the two seemed to be frozen in a fix and endless space.


    Gu Fei did not react, and Jiang Cheng could not clearly see the expression in his eyes either because of the dizziness ¨C he only hoped that a bolt of lightning would strike away this moment from them.


    When Jiang Cheng woke up in the morning, the time on his phone displayed half past ten along with three missed calls from Lao Xu.


    This was the first time that he was late since school started; if he was any later, it could result in cutting half the day of classes.


    He sat up on the bed with eyes half-closed and head hung low.


    He did not want to go to school.


    He really did not want to.


    Because of yesterday¡¯s event.


    His last memory was of his lips touching Gu Fei¡¯s face.


    After that, he couldn¡¯t remember anything else.


    Even if he could remember it, he didn¡¯t want to remember it.


    Forcibly drunk to cut off the images ¡ªforcibly forgetting such a memory.


    If not for his incompetence, he should forget that scene.


    He didn¡¯t sleep soundly that night and had many dreams that he had all completely forgotten¡­ now that he recalled them, they were just a cloud of white and black smoke.


    That made him feel extremely exhausted.


    And the first feeling after being sober was shame.


    And uneasiness.


    He had known Gu Fei for half a winter vacation plus another half a semester[4], yet after having some alcohol, he lost his mind and kissed him¡­ right, got drunk and acted crazy.


    Got drunk and acted crazy ¡ªthat was a great explanation.


    His tolerance for alcohol was not adequate to withstand finishing up that large cup of Er Niu beer in such a short amount of time, so he was intoxicated.


    Intoxication made him behave atrociously.


    A thoroughly beautiful explanation.


    Jiang Cheng got out of bed and put on his clothes. Thinking of that reasonable explanation made him suddenly feel relieved. After he washed up, he returned Lao Xu¡¯s call and hurried to school with his bag.


    When he entered the school, it happened to be in between classes, so he carried his bag and went in from the back door.


    At first, he was calm and composed on the way here, but the second he stepped foot in the classroom only to see that Gu Fei had actually not cut class and was looking down while playing that retarded Craz3 Match game, he suddenly became slightly uneasy once more.


    He swore to the god of xueba that before he had kissed Gu Fei, he didn¡¯t have any motive toward Gu Fei. Besides feeling normal things that the general public would admire such as him being good-looking and having nice hands and so on, he didn¡¯t have any other intentions.


    But he did not know whether Gu Fei would mind or not.


    Although Jiang Cheng was not too willing to admit it, Gu Fei was the only person that he was willing to spend time with in all the days that he had been here in this city, and someone he could regard as a ¡°friend¡±.


    He felt a faint hint of fear.


    If he broke his relationship with Gu Fei, who else could he chat with?


    Zhou Jing?


    Wang Jiuri?


    This sudden confusion made him inexplicably nervous.


    If he had never interacted with Gu Fei, he would have always disassociated with the crowd, and this kind of feeling would not have been so obvious.


    ¡°I¡¯m going in,¡± Jiang Cheng kicked the leg of Gu Fei¡¯s chair.


    ¡°Yo.¡± Gu Fei looked up and seemed to be surprised, ¡°Thought you wouldn¡¯t come today.¡±


    ¡°Overslept.¡± Jiang Cheng squeezed from behind the chair and sat down; Gu Fei appeared normal, which made him feel relieved.


    Gu Fei took out the tin whistle from the drawer, ¡°You forgot to take this yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng received the whistle ¨C the word ¡°yesterday¡± had nearly caused his hand to tremble.


    ¡°Do you still want the key to the steel mill?¡± Gu Fei asked while sweeping his fingers on his phone screen.


    ¡°¡­ want.¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it, ¡°Bu Shi Hao Niao, they won¡¯t mind?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to mind?¡± Gu Fei took out his own key and gave him one at the top. ¡°In any case, they¡¯re not a good bunch[5], just ignore it if they have any complaints.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°They won¡¯t mind. It¡¯s not like they don¡¯t know you,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jiang Cheng took the key.


    ¡°Treat me to a meal when you have time.¡± Gu Fei continued to play his game, ¡°The stuffed flatbread from Jiuri¡¯s place is fine.¡±


    ¡°¡­ why?¡± Jiang Cheng froze.


    ¡°I gave you the key,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I still have something on you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Cheng turned his body.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t treat me to a meal, I¡¯ll tell Jiuri that you behaved immorally toward me,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°The¡­ fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng felt extremely shocked that he could no longer be embarrassed, ¡°I fucking drank too much, okay?!¡±


    ¡°Ask around here if anyone becomes intoxicated from drinking only two and a half cups of Niu Er liquor.¡± Gu Fei laughed out loud.


    ¡°Then I am the one that gets intoxicated off of two cups,¡± Jiang Cheng felt quite mystical. ¡°What, you guys don¡¯t allow anyone with low alcohol tolerance? There¡¯s even discrimination based on alcohol tolerance?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re a southerner?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not,¡± Jiang Cheng reminded him.


    ¡°From here,¡± Gu Fei put down his phone and waved his hand in the space in front of him and said, ¡°All places south of here are part of the South.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Just let it go. I¡¯ve already agreed with you about your low alcohol tolerance, yet you won¡¯t even agree with my bullshit,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t laugh.¡± Gu Fei pointed at him, ¡°I¡¯m serious. If you laugh again, I¡¯ll really invite you to meet at the back of the school.¡±


    It was fine if those words weren¡¯t said, but as soon as they were, Jiang Cheng could feel himself wanting to laugh.


    Fortunately, Zhou Jing turned his head around at this time: ¡°Jiang Cheng, Jiang Cheng? Jiang¡­ I need to discuss something with you.¡±


    ¡°What ¡®something¡¯?¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    ¡°Midterm exams are almost here,¡± Zhou Jing said. ¡°Let me see the answers during the exam.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s the seating arrangement for exams?¡± Jiang Cheng asked, having heard such a request many times over.


    In his previous school, they sat separately. No matter which exam, half the class had to take their exams in the laboratory or some other place. With the order also being disrupted, and not going according to the student ID number, bumping into somebody that you could copy the answers off of could even be considered to be someone you have destiny with.


    Now that he recalled it, his relationship with Pan Zhi became this good probably because during every exam, the two were always in the same classroom with the same examination papers.


    ¡°The desks are pulled apart a bit and the exam starts, how else?¡± Zhou Jing said.


    ¡°Oh, separate A and B exams?¡± Jiang Cheng asked again.


    ¡°No,¡± Zhou Jing said.


    ¡°¡­ oh.¡± Jiang Cheng thought that Pan Zhi could only wish with all his might to come and take exams at Si Zhong ¨C there was literally no point in not copying.


    ¡°Just place it on the table, I can look at it myself,¡± Zhou Jing said again.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded.


    Zhou Jing lied back on his table with satisfaction.


    Jiang Cheng turned to look at Gu Fei, remembering that they were talking before Zhou Jing interrupted, but after turning his head, he forgot what he wanted to say again.


    ¡°I won¡¯t copy it,¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng turned, then thought about it and turned his head again. ¡°Do you answer yourself on the exams?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°Can you answer them?¡± Jiang Cheng felt that the book on Gu Fei¡¯s desk had never been opened before. In class, he either slept or watched videos, listened to music or played that retarded Craz3 Match game.


    ¡°Answering can be done. Just fill in the answer that fits your eyes, what can¡¯t be answered.¡± Gu Fei took out a piece of candy, ¡°Wanna eat one?¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced over and saw that little round candy from yesterday, ¡°No!!¡±


    Gu Fei put the milk candy in his mouth and laughed for half a day.


    For several days after that day, Gu Fei never mentioned the drinking that took place. It was almost the same every day; he was late, played on his phone in class, and went to practice with a group of people.


    Either occasionally cutting classes or requesting leave, Jiang Cheng could still perceive Lao Xu¡¯s profound disappointment and frustration.


    As for the key to the little room, Jiang Cheng strung it on his own keychain.


    His keys were many in number; a key to the front door of his previous home, a key to the garage, a key to his room, a pile of keys to his drawers, all of which he still carried with him even after he came here.


    When he placed the key to the little room in his keychain, he hesitated a moment. He then removed the originals, though seeing that there was only a single key left on the keyring, he sighed.


    Li Baoguo¡¯s place had a chain of keys; the rooms all had locks though the keys had long gone missing and the drawers in the place were all unlocked.


    After he hung the key to the small room, Jiang Cheng held the key in his hand, gripping it and feeling rather upset ¡ªthe feeling of loneliness and helplessness was, however, no longer that intense.


    The days would always move forward, and the people would always change ¡ªhe did not know whether to let it fade from his memory or adapt.


    Gu Miao did not go to school for a week after the incident, Jiang Cheng knew that very clearly because every day, she would slip into Si Zhong during the third period and come to stand in the corridor in front of their classroom.


    And today, she arrived even earlier. There were still a few minutes remaining of the second class when Jiang Cheng saw her hugging her skateboard with half her head popping from the classroom door.


    Gu Fei made a gesture with his hand, signalling her to go to the corridor.


    She turned and went to lean over the railings in the corridor.


    Jiang Cheng thought that the fight from that day and not being able to attend school seemed to not have any effect on her at all; she was still the same as before.


    He rested his body on the table and let his sight flow out of the window ahead, but midway, it was intercepted by Gu Fei¡¯s profile.


    Gu Fei was also looking out the window ¡ªbright sunlight spilled in, and a faint halo was drawn on his profile.


    Jiang Cheng suddenly recalled that night.


    At first, it had already become fairly vague and even what the feeling of touching Gu Fei¡¯s face felt like was unclear, but this glance brought all the memory back.


    Fuck!


    How he embarrassingly fell onto one side of the sofa, how Gu Fei so calmly lit a cigarette and had even given him one, how the two of them together finished smoking the cigarettes, and how again they magically finished the chicken soup together¡­ all the details that he clearly remembered ¡ªbut had forcibly forgotten¡ª flitted before his eyes without warning.


    Why was this brain so disobedient now?!


    ¡°Stuffed flatbreads,¡± Gu Fei said as he turned his head.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng answered, returning to his senses. ¡°Ah?¡±


    ¡°When will you treat me? The competition is tomorrow,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Today then,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Bring Gu Miao?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    The competition is tomorrow?


    Jiang Cheng took out his phone and looked at the date. It was true, the time had seemingly flown by somewhat quickly but then again, it hadn¡¯t passed very efficiently either; the red banner for the school¡¯s big competition had already been pulled out for several days.


    Gu Miao was in a good mood that day, circling around them on her skateboard.


    ¡°I have to make a phone call first.¡± Wang Xu took out his phone while walking, ¡°For the donkey meat, I have to let my dad make it first and leave us some of what we want¡­ by the way, just come to my house this afternoon. The members of our basketball team, Lao Xu, have helped us borrow some uniforms and separate them, and also, we need to discuss the tactics.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Miao. The little girl¡¯s hair had grown quite fast, and it could be seen at the edge of her hat though there just wasn¡¯t much style to it. Gu Fei, himself, had shaven his own head into a skyline-breaking style and even drew patterns, so if his own sister wasn¡¯t bald then it was a mess of a head¡­


    ¡°Your wound is okay now?¡± Gu Fei whispered from beside him.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng touched his wound. ¡°Basically nothing¡¯s wrong.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t speak but then suddenly reached out and patted his shoulder.


    Jiang Cheng looked at him: ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Your conditioned reflex is dormant?¡± Gu Fei patted again.


    Just then Jiang Cheng reacted and didn¡¯t say anything for a long time.


    [1] Husky (¶þ¹þ) ¨C Erha, actually means (coll.) a silly but cute husky (dog)


    [2] Musical scale ¨C A scale is a group of notes that are arranged by ascending or descending order of pitch. In an ascending scale, each note is higher in pitch than the last one, and in a descending scale, each note is lower in pitch than the last one.


    [3] Marry ¨C Both ¡°¼Þ¡± and ¡°È¢¡± mean ¡°marry¡± in Chinese. The difference between them is: ¼Þ [ji¨¤]: a woman marry a man; the subject is the woman; if the subject is female, use ¡°¼Þ¡±. È¢[q¨³]: a man marry a woman; the subject is the man; if the subject is male, use ¡°È¢¡±. Gu Fei used ¡°jia¡± in the text so, of a woman to marry a man


    [4] So 1 month (winter vacation gets jammed up with a bunch of other holidays here so it actually lasts from January- February and is not in December) and at least 2 months¡­ that¡¯s 3 months of knowing each other. It¡¯s fine JC.


    [5] They¡¯re not a good bunch ¨C omg, he made a friggin pun. god why. he¡¯s basically doing both at the same time¡­ now you have the choice to say the actual ¡°bu shi hao niao¡± or ¡°not a good bunch¡± (Ice) Gu Fei used ¡®not a good bunch or in Chinese, bu shi hao niao¡¯ as a noun that defines the group of four (of his friends) and also what the ¡®name¡¯ actually translates to. (Sae)

 CH 27

    Jiang Cheng and Gu Miao were walking at the very front while Gu Fei and Wang Xu were on their bikes, using their legs to push and follow behind them.


    Wang Xu kept on talking on the side about his plans for the competition while Gu Fei wasn¡¯t listening carefully; what Wang Xu wanted was only to speak anyways, having an audience wasn¡¯t the most important.


    Gu Fei continued to play games on his phone. He had already made it to the last level of Craz3 Match and intended to pass it before the next level update, but he still hadn¡¯t made any progress in the past three days.


    ¡°Give me a heart,¡± Gu Fei spoke.


    ¡°¡­ and then you could bring the ball¡­¡± Wang Xu stopped, ¡°What?¡±


    Gu Fei waved the phone screen in front of him.


    ¡°Oh, wait a sec.¡± Wang Xu took out his phone and sent him a heart, then glanced ahead. ¡°Ai, that troublemaker Jiang Cheng is actually pretty likable to children. Your sister hasn¡¯t even looked at me straight in the eye yet, right?¡±


    ¡°At this age, your face matters in whatever you do.¡±[1] Gu Fei continued to play the game, ¡°It even matters when you¡¯re playing with kids.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Wang Xu stepped on the pedal of the bike and stood upright, then took a look at his reflection from the glass on a store by the road. ¡°I don¡¯t think I look any worse than Jiang Cheng. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t look very friendly.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei sounded in response.


    In truth, Wang Xu actually looked pretty friendly, and this was the reason why his attempts at being the boss by pretending to be cool were never successful.


    If you¡¯re talking about lacking friendliness, Jiang Cheng¡¯s type of appearance was what really lacked friendliness.


    Gu Fei always felt that people with slightly drooping eyes gave off two types of feelings; one was pitiful, and the other was Jiang Cheng¡¯s type ¨C one that made people want to punch him. Adding on the impatient expression he usually had on his face, he appeared much less easy to pick on in comparison to Wang Jiuri.


    But¡­ when they were drinking in the steel mill that day, Jiang Cheng had a few split moments where he became the first type. After getting drunk, he carried a slightly excited look, appearing a little well-behaved.


    It was a pity that this sort of state only lasted for a really short amount of time; once he picked up a cigarette, he would return to his usual state.


    Even when he was embarrassed, it would be like that.


    Gu Fei looked at the silhouettes of Jiang Cheng and Gu Miao jumping on and off the skateboard¡­ he had already completely forgotten how he felt when Jiang Cheng personally came that day; or it may be more accurate to say that he didn¡¯t have enough time to feel anything. But Jiang Cheng¡¯s ¡°nothing happened, nobody remembers anything¡± expression when he violently slammed and leaned on the other side of the sofa was really funny.


    If Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t do anything, then he wouldn¡¯t think much of it either. Bu Shi Hao Niao¡­  fine, when Bu Shi Hao Niao drank too much they were much, much more dramatic than this. Liu Fan even had the desire to make a public performance before; he even prepared a camera, but sadly he fell to the ground and passed out before his pants could even come off.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s reaction was a little big but considering his habit of making the other person suffer a punch if they even pat his shoulder, tug at his clothes, or poke his face, it may not mean anything.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t plan on thinking about it anymore. If it was something that they were willing to show, then nobody would deliberately hide it, and if it was something that they didn¡¯t want to be noticed, then he wouldn¡¯t feel good even if he knew.


    That kind of feeling of being probed open, one can remember for a lifetime if they have experienced it once.


    He didn¡¯t think about much else regarding Jiang Cheng; he was curious about him, admired him, had a good opinion of him, and was willing to grow closer to him. Plus, Gu Miao, that little girl also really liked Jiang Cheng¡­ when Gu Miao immediately grew fond of Jiang Cheng, who she only knew for less than two days, it really made him incredibly shocked.


    Some people attracted cats, some people attracted dogs, it seemed that Jiang Cheng attracted weird children¡­


    Wang Er Stuffed Flatbread¡¯s business wasn¡¯t bad; it was packed in both the noon and the evening.


    There was no available boxed room today; Wang Xu¡¯s mom placed them in the room where they would usually eat themselves.


    ¡°It¡¯s too messy outside,¡± she said. ¡°It would be fine if you guys sit here. You can even chat.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, auntie,¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    Since Wang Xu had to run in and out to get things, he sat near the door. He and Gu Fei were seated a little more inside, with Gu Miao sitting directly in between the two of them.


    ¡°Wipe your hands.¡± Jiang Cheng grabbed a bag of wet wipes from his bag and took one out for Gu Miao, ¡°Your palms are all dark now, did you fall today?¡±


    Gu Miao shook her head, took the wet wipes, and briskly wiped her hands a couple of times before putting it down.


    Jiang Cheng sighed. He glanced at Gu Fei, ¡°Do you want one?¡±


    Gu Fei smiled. ¡°Actually, my philosophy is eating without being clean means without being sick¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng ignored him and took out a wet wipe preparing to clean his own hands, but he hadn¡¯t even gotten a firm grasp on it yet when Gu Fei¡¯s hand reached out to pinch it with two fingers, snatching away the wet wipe.


    ¡°Can you not be so hypocritical?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him, ¡°Be a little more honest and the world would be a better place.¡±[2]


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡± Gu Fei looked at Wang Xu and wiped his hands while saying, ¡°Be a little more honest.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡± Wang Xu immediately replied honestly.


    Jiang Cheng sighed.


    It wasn¡¯t the first time Gu Miao came to eat flatbread. Wang Xu placed the small basket containing the flatbread in front of her and she accurately took a donkey meat one.


    ¡°You only eat this type every time.¡± Wang Xu laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to try another flavor?¡±


    Gu Miao ignored him and lowered her head to take a big bite.


    ¡°Say thank you,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Gu Miao immediately stood up, eating and bowing at Wang Xu at the same time.


    ¡°Ai, ai, ai, you¡¯re welcome.¡± Wang Xu had just sat down but sprang back up again, also bowing back to Gu Miao, ¡°Please enjoy, my Queen.¡±[3]


    ¡°You¡¯ve got potential,¡±[4] Gu Fei remarked.


    ¡°She¡¯s too cold,¡± Wang Xu replied. ¡°I am being sincere.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want your image as a big boss anymore?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°With you two here, what big boss can I be?¡± Wang Xu squinted at him, ¡°But don¡¯t you guys drag my hind leg[5] when I arrange the formation in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng lowered his head to look underneath the table.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Wang Xu looked down with him.


    ¡°Looking for your hind leg,¡± Gu Fei stated as he ate.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Wang Xu cried out in dissatisfaction, ¡°Deskmates really are different! Just by training together for a couple days and you can cooperate so tacitly!¡±


    Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t too hungry today; he didn¡¯t get to eat as much as last time before he started burping. He felt like he didn¡¯t even eat as much as Gu Miao.


    Gu Miao ate so much that her face was flushing, her forehead all sweaty.


    ¡°Ey,¡± Jiang Cheng took off her hat and saw a mess of hair, ¡°Your hair¡­¡±


    Gu Miao put down the flatbread in her hand and raised her hand to grab at her hair.


    ¡°Ai!¡± Jiang Cheng grabbed her hand, ¡°It¡¯s all oily!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Gu Fei spoke from the side.


    ¡°She¡¯s a girl in any case,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine if you just treat her as a kid.¡± Gu Fei took Gu Miao¡¯s hat and looked over it, ¡°Is it ripped? Because you fell?¡±


    Gu Miao glanced at the hole on the hat and nodded her head.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get you another one, okay?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Gu Miao thought for a while, then grabbed the corner of her sweater and motioned towards Gu Fei.


    ¡°You want a yellow one now?¡± Gu Fei asked, ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­  going to knit one for her?¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help asking.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Gu Fei glanced at him.


    Gu Miao was very excited over the fact that she was getting a new hat. From when they left Wang Xu¡¯s home, she dragged Jiang Cheng to buy yarns.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you there,¡± Gu Fei told her. ¡°Cheng-ge doesn¡¯t have to go.¡±


    Gu Miao didn¡¯t react. She still held tightly onto Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand and didn¡¯t bother to loosen her grasp as she half-leaned on him and held on.


    ¡°Cheng-ge has to rest at noon every day. He has to take a nap.¡± Gu Fei squatted down and gazed at Gu Miao as he spoke.


    Gu Miao gazed back at him, her eyes open wide, but still she didn¡¯t have any reaction.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jiang Cheng spoke. ¡°Let¡¯s just go. I won¡¯t nap today.¡±


    Gu Miao still maintained that posture, as if she didn¡¯t hear what Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Gu Fei raised his head, beckoning to him. ¡°Let her look at you, then speak again.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng squatted down and moved in front of Gu Miao¡¯s line of sight. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you. I won¡¯t take an afternoon nap today.¡±


    Gu Miao finally had a reaction; she turned and pulled him forward.


    Gu Fei sighed lightly from the side.


    ¡°Where will we go to buy?¡± Jiang Cheng asked him.


    ¡°Past the bridge, there¡¯s a street that sells yarn,¡± Gu Fei answered, he thought for a while and asked, ¡°You take an afternoon nap every day?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s you who said that I take an afternoon nap every day,¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Fei smiled, ¡°I have to take an afternoon nap every day. If I don¡¯t sleep, I¡¯ll get tired.¡±


    ¡°You can sleep while in class, you don¡¯t listen anyway.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled Gu Miao, who was standing on the skateboard, forward.


    ¡°Can¡¯t do that,¡± Gu Fei said with a righteous expression. ¡°I have to pass that level in Craz3 Match. I¡¯m competing with Li Yan. I have to pass that level before him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sick.¡± Jiang Cheng thought for a moment, then reached out to him, ¡°Hand it over, let me try.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you not playing?¡± Gu Fei took out his phone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t play only because I¡¯m sick of it.¡± Jiang Cheng took his phone, ¡°Plus my luck was always pretty good. I am a xueba with both luck and IQ, understand?¡±


    ¡°Now it¡¯s you who can¡¯t stop bringing up this joke. Don¡¯t blame me again,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I might only have three hearts, is that enough?¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer as he lowered his head and started playing.


    From Wang Xu¡¯s family¡¯s flatbread restaurant to the yarn-selling place past the bridge, it was a pretty long trip, but Jiang Cheng stared at the phone with his head down the entire time.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t have much patience when playing with this game. He was too lazy to think about it step-by-step, so he usually just eliminated wherever he saw could be eliminated. But Jiang Cheng was different from him, he would stare at the screen for an incredibly long time before making a move.


    He took the amount of time that would normally allow him to play at least three rounds before raising his head.


    ¡°Did you pass?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Jiang Cheng continued to lower his head and stare at the phone, ¡°Died.¡±


    Gu Miao tugged at the edge of his clothes, excitedly looking around without paying attention to the road. He wasn¡¯t paying attention to the road either, leading Gu Miao over to a broken step beside the bridge.


    Gu Fei hurriedly pedaled the bike over and grabbed his arm.


    Jiang Cheng abruptly froze and pulled back the arm that was positioned behind him. Gu Fei couldn¡¯t evade on time atop of the bike and could only watch as his clenched fist flew towards his nose with a small gust of wind.


    Had the dormancy of his conditional reflex ended?


    But when there was still a bit of distance away from his face, Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand stopped.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t brake so hard that your arm broke right?¡± Gu Fei loosened his grip on his arm.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Jiang Cheng turned his head over and glanced at the steps, ¡°Fuck.¡±


    ¡°Er Miao, help Cheng-ge watch the road, lead him.¡± Gu Fei flicked Gu Miao¡¯s head.


    Gu Miao nodded her head and with one hand hugging her skateboard and the other tugging at the hem of Jiang Cheng¡¯s clothes, she continued forward.


    Past the bridge, when they arrived at the storefront of the shop Gu Fei usually bought from on the yarn-selling street, Jiang Cheng still had his gaze fixated to the screen.


    ¡°Three hearts can last you this long?¡± Gu Fei asked. ¡°We¡¯re here. It¡¯s fine if you can¡¯t pass. Even if you don¡¯t succeed, you¡¯ll still be a xueba.¡±


    ¡°Take a look.¡±  Jiang Cheng positioned the phone with the screen facing him. There was only one move left.


    ¡°En?¡± Gu Fei looked at the screen.


    Jiang Cheng extended a finger, made a stroke on the screen, and after the burst and disappearance of multiple explosions, he passed the level.


    ¡°¡­ amazing.¡± Gu Fei made a heartfelt sigh.


    ¡°No applause?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    Gu Fei made a round of applause.


    ¡°Uhh¡­¡± Jiang Cheng handed him the phone, ¡°You just received a message.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Gu Fei lowered his head and placed his phone back into his pocket.


    Jiang Cheng told him that he didn¡¯t look, but then felt that seemed a little deliberate. After all, he did take a glance when the message first arrived, and even saw the sender and the content¡­


    ¨C Zhuxin: Come over and listen to me sing today, okay?


    If there was anything after that then he didn¡¯t see.


    Initially, Jiang Cheng had always thought that Gu Fei and Ding Zhuxin had a romantic relationship; they had a sort of familiarity and tacit understanding that people can feel. Plus, the musical note patterns that they both had on their bodies, and that day Gu Fei turned on the do not disturb mode, he had also arrived at the hospital accompanied by Ding Zhuxin.


    But when he saw Ding Zhuxin¡¯s message, the word ¡°okay¡± made it seem like the two were actually a little distant.


    People with a very close relationship would more likely directly tell somebody to go over and listen to them sing.


    Jiang Cheng entered the yarn shop with Gu Fei and once again felt that always thinking over other people¡¯s private affairs for no reason was a little unethical. What did whether or not those two are a couple had to do with him?


    ¡°Come to pick out some yarn again?¡± The proprietress greeted the moment she saw Gu Fei. ¡°It just so happened that some new yarn came in these two days. This batch isn¡¯t very thick when knitted, perfect for use when spring comes by. There¡¯s plenty of colours, and we also have green.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t want green now.¡± Gu Fei smiled and patted Gu Miao on the shoulder, ¡°Go pick out a colour.¡±


    Gu Miao ran over to the rows of priced yarns and looked back and forth.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know a thing about yarn. He never saw anybody knit a sweater before at home. Now seeing the bundles and rolls of yarn was actually pretty interesting. He also made his way over and reached out his hand to grab at the bundles of yarn.


    Both thick and fluffy, so comfortable to touch¡­


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it nice to touch?¡± Gu Fei asked from beside him.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, ¡°It seems like a bundle of yarn and a bunched-up sweater feels pretty different to touch.¡±


    ¡°Hand-knitted stuff feels just like a bundle of yarn,¡± the proprietress smiled and said. ¡°Machine-knitted stuff doesn¡¯t feel as good as hand-knitted ones.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jiang Cheng was a little mystified, ¡°I never wore hand-knitted stuff before.¡±


    ¡°Let your friend knit you something then.¡± The proprietress picked up a bundle of dark blue yarn and rubbed it a little on his hand, ¡°This one has a lot of yarn and feels good, dark colours are also suitable for boys.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Jiang Cheng was stunned, feeling like the proprietress, for the sake of promoting her yarn, was really¡­[6]


    ¡°You want it?¡± Gu Fei asked laughingly as he leaned against the counter beside them.


    ¡°No, no, no, no need.¡± Jiang Cheng hastily pushed aside the bundle of yarn, ¡°I have quite a lot of sweaters, and I don¡¯t really need them with the weather growing warmer.¡±


    ¡°You can still wear it next year,¡± the proprietress picked up yet another lump of yarn. ¡°This yarn is suitable for¡­¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, no¡­¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s face was nearly all red, continuously backing up till he was almost outside the door as if wanting to hide. ¡°I really don¡¯t need it.¡±


    Gu Fei continued to have fun at the side, not making a sound, just laughing and watching the show.


    ¡°Your friend didn¡¯t even say that he wouldn¡¯t knit one for you.¡± The proprietress kept lifting up the yarn and even chased after Jiang Cheng with extreme fervor. ¡°Take a look at this type¡­¡±


    ¡°Jie, jie, auntie, auntie¡­¡± Jiang Cheng looked at her with a sincere gaze, ¡°I really don¡¯t need him to knit for me. That, I¡­ I also know how to knit.¡±


    Gu Fei raised his eyebrows with interest.


    ¡°Really?¡± The proprietress was really surprised. She turned back to look at Gu Fei, ¡°You know how to knit, your friend also knows how to knit, youngsters these days are really impressive.¡±


    ¡°En, that¡¯s right.¡± Gu Fei nodded his head, ¡°We are the youngsters of the new age.¡±


    ¡°Then won¡¯t you buy some?¡± The proprietress once again looked back at Jiang Cheng, ¡°Aiyo, let me tell you, those who know how to knit would find their hands itching if they don¡¯t knit for one day.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want to say anything else after he said that. In his heart, he was burying himself and expressing extreme dissatisfaction toward his own behavior.


    The proprietress¡¯s attempts at promoting her yarn were overwhelming.[7] To escape from it, Jiang Cheng could only finally nod his head, ¡°Fine, then I¡¯ll¡­ have a bundle.¡±


    ¡°Just one?¡± The proprietress looked at him, ¡°One bundle to knit a sweater?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll just knit¡­¡± Jiang Cheng really didn¡¯t know what one bundle could knit, so he could only send a quick glance at Gu Fei to beg for help. Gu Fei raised his hands and he hurriedly answered, ¡°Gloves.¡±


    When they finished buying the yarn and left the store, Jiang Cheng felt like he was dripping with nervous sweat.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even help me a bit.¡± He sighed, ¡°This proprietress is really¡­¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself, that you know how to knit,¡± Gu Fei stated.


    ¡°Take a look at me,¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at himself. ¡°Do you think somebody with my appearance looks like somebody who would know how to knit a sweater?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I look like one?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°¡­ fine.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s words failed him.[8] He handed over the small bag containing the bundle of yarn and a set of bamboo knitting needles in his hand over to him. ¡°I¡¯ll gift this to you since I have no use for this. You can make another pair of gloves or a small scarf or something for Gu Miao.¡±


    Gu Fei smiled and took the bag, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    There wasn¡¯t any time to go home after buying the yarn. Gu Fei told Gu Miao to go straight to the shop at the intersection, then walked back to school with Jiang Cheng while carrying a bag of yarn.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to ask her to take this with her?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°No need,¡± Gu Fei replied. ¡°Since you passed that level in that retarded Craz3 Match game, I now happen to have nothing to do in the afternoon¡­¡±


    ¡°You want to knit a sweater in the classroom?¡± Jiang Cheng was shocked.


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Fei retorted, ¡°If you want to learn then I can teach you.¡±


    ¡°No need!¡± Jiang Cheng immediately answered.


    Gu Fei really was an unbelievable person. He actually kept his head lowered as he knitted a hat for Gu Miao for the entire afternoon.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t really care to listen to the lessons in the afternoon classes and couldn¡¯t help but constantly take peaks at Gu Fei. On one hand, he was shocked by how Gu Fei¡¯s level of skill was no less than the old ladies who would carry around their grandchildren, knit, and chat at the same time, and on the other hand, he was shocked by Gu Fei¡¯s hands¡­ a person that had a head of only an inch-long shaved hair with even engraved patterns, and could press a person against a tree with one arm, actually had hands that could be so pretty when holding a knitting needle.


    And what was more unbelievable was that not a person around them was surprised by his behavior. Perhaps they were already surprised long ago and were already used to it by now.


    ¡°Ai,¡± Gu Fei quietly sighed.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I dropped a needle,¡± Gu Fei replied as he kicked a needle over. ¡°I have to¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help quietly crying out loud, ¡°You need to do so much all over again? She won¡¯t be able to tell, right?¡±


    ¡°You probably won¡¯t be able to tell,¡± Gu Fei quietly answered. ¡°But Er Miao is pretty particular about things. She can¡¯t even accept it if the start of the thread is too big. She would throw a tantrum, and you won¡¯t be able to coax her.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡± Jiang Cheng recalled the day where Gu Miao was screaming like mad and felt that it really wasn¡¯t easy for Gu Fei to be a big brother.


    Gu Fei¡¯s speed was pretty fast. When school was over in the late afternoon[9], he had already finished a small part, there were even some swirls in it. Jiang Cheng had an impulse to raise a fist and cry out he was awesome.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go yet for now,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°I¡¯m going over to Lao Xu¡¯s to get our uniforms. Wait for a bit guys. Let¡¯s head over to my place at night to eat some flatbread and discuss tomorrow¡¯s tactics along the way.¡±


    The group of basketball-playing people all surrounded Gu Fei¡¯s table and chatted while waiting for Lao Xu¡¯s borrowed uniforms.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s better not to have any expectations,¡± Guo Xu said. ¡°Remember the uniforms from last year.¡±


    ¡°What kind of uniforms were there last year?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°No. 4 Prison Basketball Team,¡± Gu Fei replied as he knitted.


    ¡°¡­ even that could be borrowed?¡± Jiang Cheng was stupefied.


    ¡°This year, we have so much hope. We shouldn¡¯t have to wear a prison uniform again, right?¡± Lu Xiaobin wondered.


    ¡°Who knows, Lao Xu¡¯s aesthetics have always been different from most.¡±


    Everybody chatted for a while. Wang Xu carried two big bags of uniforms back to the classroom, and from the expression on his face, they knew that these uniforms probably weren¡¯t much better than No. 4 Prison¡¯s uniforms.


    ¡°I think we will have to mainly rely on our temperament.¡±[10] He placed the bag on the table.


    Everybody took out the uniforms for a look and then suddenly collectively collapsed.


    ¡°Five Star¡­ Farmers?¡± Guo Xu pulled at one of the uniforms and read aloud the words on it. ¡°Isn¡¯t Five Star Farmers, the farmer¡¯s market two stops north of our school?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Fei put away the yarn, stared at the pile of uniforms, and sighed.


    ¡°There¡¯s even a fucking advertisement.¡± Wang Xu pointed at the uniform, ¡°Fresh Noodles.¡±


    Jiang Cheng really couldn¡¯t hold himself back from laughing; laughing and taking pictures of the uniforms with his phone at the same time. He then sent them to Pan Zhi.


    ¨C Grandson, we have a basketball competition tomorrow, come admire our uniforms.


    ¡°Let¡¯s put away the uniforms,¡± Gu Fei spoke. ¡°I¡¯ll bring over some uniforms for you all tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be great.¡± Wang Xu immediately stuffed the uniforms back into the bag, ¡°What¡¯re they like?¡±


    ¡°My friends¡¯ team¡¯s,¡± Gu Fei answered. ¡°There¡¯s also a team name and stuff, but at least it¡¯s not some Team Farmer¡¯s Market.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, why didn¡¯t you say this earlier? If you had said that, I wouldn¡¯t have let Lao Xu go over there.¡± Wang Xu stuffed the uniforms into the desk, ¡°Let¡¯s go. Let¡¯s eat dinner and discuss some tactics.¡±


    Jiang Cheng packed up his things and followed the group of people outside the classroom.


    Pan Zhi¡¯s reply came when they went downstairs.


    ¨C Grandpa, I feel so pleased that my tears have almost covered my face. You¡¯ve finally fucking turned back to the old grandpa.


    ***


    The author has something to say: Resting tomorrow, continuing on Friday.


    ¡°Every day¡¯s ¡°the author has something to say¡± is so long-winded and not in line with my style, so I¡¯ll keep it short.¡± The author who is kneeling on the floor with a cup of coffee says coldly.


    ¡°So cold!¡± The black cashmere cushion hanging in front of the heater because it got dirtied by coffee powder and had to be washed cried loudly.


    [1] ¡°At this age, your face matters in whatever you do.¡± ¨C HAHAHAHA Gu Fei is basically telling Wang Xu that Jiang Cheng is better-looking than him HAHAHAHA XD


    [2] ¡°Your mouth says yes but your heart disagrees¡± (¿ÚÊÇÐÄ·Ç) saying one thing but doing/thinking the opposite.


    [3] Please enjoy, my Queen.¡± (Å®ÍõÄúÂýÓÃ) ¨C Although it literally translates to ¡°eat slowly, my Queen¡±, what ÂýÓà actually means is to take your time to enjoy (the food).


    [4] ¡°You¡¯ve got potential,¡± ¨C He¡¯s praising Wang Xu¡¯s acting skills (sarcastic) here. The literal meaning is ¡°promising¡±.


    [5] Drag my hind leg¡­ (ÍÏÎÒºóÍÈ) ¨C Literally meaning ¡°drag my hind leg/to hold back somebody¡¯s legs¡±. It means to hinder somebody or to hold someone back, aka drag someone down.


    [6] Really¡­(¼òÖ±) you would normally put something after ¼òÖ±, the word itself is basically used to say ¡°really something/simply something¡± but some people nowadays just say ¼òÖ±ÁË to express what they want to say and the other just gets what they mean so I can only use ¡°really¡­¡± here.


    [7] overwhelming (ÊƲ»¿Éµ²) ¨C an idiom meaning overwhelming, uncontrollable, or unstoppable.


    [8] words failed him (ÎÞÑÔÒÔ¶Ô) ¨C idiom, meaning ¡°no words to reply with¡±. Basically it means to be speechless.


    [9] afternoon ¨C To indicate a.m. and p.m. in Chinese we say ¡°in the morning,¡± ¡°in the afternoon¡± or ¡°in the evening.¡± There¡¯s no direct translation of a.m. and p.m. Most of the time, a.m. and p.m. is understood in context.


    Morning 5 am to 12 pm (noon) | Early morning: 5 to 8 am | Late morning: 11 am to 12pm


    Afternoon 12 pm to 5 pm | Early afternoon: 1 to 3pm | Late afternoon 4 to 5pm


    Evening 5 pm to 9 pm | Early evening: 5 to 7 pm  // Night 9 pm to 4 am


    ** Gu Fei, Gu Miao and Jiang Cheng went to buy the yarn during the early afternoon break which is two hours; I¡¯ll indicate early or late afternoon from now on ¨C Sae


    [10] temperament (ÆøÖÊ) ¨C personality traits/manners. The word can be translated to the actual nature of a person depending on the context though it¡¯s the same word. Perhaps the word charisma works best here

 CH 28

    Gu Fei was riding his motorcycle toward Liu Fan¡¯s house when his phone sounded. He plugged in an earbud and answered the call; Ding Zhuxin¡¯s voice resonated from the other end. ¡°Not bad, kid. You¡¯re really not showing up?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡­¡± Gu Fei then remembered the message Ding Zhuxin had sent a while ago. ¡°Forgot. How about I head over now, where are you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. It was an informal performance anyways,¡± Ding Zhuxin replied. ¡°I was at WildFire just now, so I called you. I¡¯m out drinking with friends now, a place you definitely won¡¯t appear at.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°I bumped into Xiao Bing and his group at the entrance just now,¡± Ding Zhuxin continued. ¡°Their lead vocalist changed again.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t ask for you to go back?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go back even if they asked,¡± Ding Zhuxin laughed. ¡°A tough nut like me.¡±


    ¡°You were at your greatest potential when you were together with them,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to compete with them because of me. It¡¯s been three years now, right? It¡¯s about time to finish it.¡±


    ¡°Then, are you ¡®finished¡¯¡±? Ding Zhuxin asked.


    ¡°I bear grudges. I¡¯ll remember this sort of thing for the rest of my life,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°Then, that¡¯s alright,¡± Ding Zhuxin said. ¡°I don¡¯t bear grudges, I just find it disgusting¡­ oh right, whenever you¡¯re free, take some photos for me?¡±


    ¡°Of you?¡± Gu Fei made a turn and saw Liu Fan walking along the sidewalk with two large bags in his hands. He pressed down on the rear brake and whistled.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Liu Fan turned his head. ¡°I was just about to see which dumbass is brave enough to molest his uncle like this.¡±


    ¡°You went to pick them up on foot?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°They had dropped it off at the intersection.¡± Liu Fan saw him with an earbud in, ¡°You have a call?¡±


    ¡°En, Xin-jie.¡± Gu Fei turned his head slightly with his foot on the ground. ¡°Get on.¡±


    Liu Fan straddled onto the seat behind him: ¡°Drive slow, the wind is freezing cold at night.¡±


    ¡°Not for me,¡± Ding Zhuxin replied on the other end. ¡°The photographer I hired for my shop went back to his hometown to get married. I¡¯m not sure when he¡¯ll be able to come back, and the model I was used to working with also¡­ come and help me with this urgent matter. I have a pile of clothes that haven¡¯t been photographed yet.¡±


    ¡°En, sure,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Do you need me to find a model as well?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just find a temporary person who we can shoot for these goods. Just don¡¯t ask Liu Fan, though he does have a nice figure¡­¡± Ding Zhuxin said.


    ¡°But not a good face?¡± Gu Fei laughed.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t meet the requirements. The goods that I have this time are quite ¡°badass¡±, and Liu Fan looks too honest. He¡¯s like an old gangster, not a bad boy,¡± Ding Zhuxin said. ¡°Do you have anyone suitable in mind? Time is tight, so I¡¯m paying much more than usual.¡±


    Bad boy?


    ¡°I¡¯ll look around,¡± Gu Fei answered. When Ding Zhuxin said ¡®bad boy¡¯, Jiang Cheng¡¯s face flashed before his eyes for some unknown reason.


    Of all the people he was acquainted with, very few of them were not ¡°bad¡±. But for some reason, if it was the term ¡°bad boy¡±, only Jiang Cheng was the most fitting.


    The basketball competition was quite the occasion at Si Zhong. It started in the afternoon during the second period, yet aside from the seniors, the first and second years were already piled onto the bleachers during the first period.


    Four ball courts were all surrounded by people.


    Aside from those who grew a sudden interest in basketball because of the competition and were fooling around on the court, the teams from many other classes were already starting to warm up¡­ or more accurately, already starting to show off.


    The uniform Gu Fei brought was definitely way better than the prison uniform and Noodle Fresh Soy Sauce[1] sold at the Five Star Farmer¡¯s Market ¨C red in color, and aside from a number on the back, there was only an imprinted ¡®Fei ¨C ·É ¨C character designed in blaring flames.


    ¡°Are you naming the team after your name?¡± Wang Xu took off his own clothes and shrugged into a uniform. ¡°Not bad.¡±


    Jiang Cheng hurriedly scanned the surroundings, except for them being in the classroom, no one else was there; they had already gone to the court.


    ¡°I recommend you wear a t-shirt underneath,¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°Let¡¯s not have our Captain freeze to death before the competition even begins.¡±


    ¡°Everyone, change. Gu Fei, Jiang Cheng, cover up tightly,¡± Wang Xu said as he changed. ¡°These two won¡¯t be going on the court at the beginning, secret weapons should be hidden for as long as possible. They will only play when we can¡¯t hold on anymore.¡±


    From the beginning, Wang Xu was persistent in saving the ¡°secret weapons¡± for the grand finale, but once the competition chart was published yesterday, he instantly became aghast. Class 2 had almost won against the sophomore team last year but had also almost lost to Class 5 along the way.


    ¡°I think,¡± Guo Xu was somewhat restless. ¡°Let¡¯s not drag it on for too long before they go on the court because if the gap in the score stretches too far, it¡¯ll be difficult to catch up. It¡¯s Class 5 ah, they¡¯re a strong team.¡±


    Wang Xu didn¡¯t answer, but after some thought, he solemnly slapped the table. ¡°Fuck! Who knows how this competition chart was made. Lots should have been drawn by separating the strong and the weak! At the very least it should be a lousy team with a strong team; only that can ensure that the competition will be amusing to watch ah!¡±


    ¡°Captain, there is no problem with the lot. The strongest team is Class 5.¡± Gu Fei finished changing and pulled on a sweater, pointing around the group of people on either side of him, ¡°We are the lousy team.¡±


    ¡°We¡­¡± Wang Xu stretched out his neck, unwilling to submit, and sighed after a pause, ¡°Ai.¡±


    Lao Xu was also very excited. He ran back to the class, urging them to go on the court.


    When the group walked out of the classroom, Jiang Cheng followed from the very back. He felt as though every one of them walked with traces of the wind carrying them afloat. It was as if this whole time, they had been looked down upon by the common people, yet today, they were a bunch of floor-sweeping monks about to become known by the world from the battlefields¡­


    ¡°The Center[2] from Class 5 is sharp,¡± Gu Fei said in a small voice while walking alongside him. ¡°Wider than Lu Xiaobin by a full diameter, like a tower. If the ball ends up in his hands, we basically have no chance of getting it back.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded his head, eyed Lu Xiaobin walking in front, and tried to imagine the build of that other Center. ¡°You only need to be in charge of going up to the basket, and I¡¯ll guard¡­¡±


    ¡°Do I still need to look at where you are when I pass the ball?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Jiang Cheng turned his head to look at him, and only after a while did he answered. ¡°No, I can get there.¡±


    Gu Fei gave him a thumbs up.


    Class 8 had always upheld the image of a weak little chick ¨C the presence of the other team on the court caused a bit of commotion by the audience, but when their team walked by, only their class waved at them under the lead of the class representative, Yi Jing.


    The audience had no interest whatsoever in the team members being led by Captain Wang Xu¡­ actually, this was not accurate, there was someone who perked their interest ¨C Gu Fei.


    In order to exercise Captain Wang Xu¡¯s ¡°secret weapon¡± plan in full length, Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei did not enter together with their team. When they arrived at the edge of the court, quite a few girls raised their phones and made no move to conceal their action of taking pictures of Gu Fei.


    ¡°Stay away from me.¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t handle it anymore. The girls from his previous school also liked to gather together and gossip about who was handsome from so-and-so class. He also had pictures taken off him. But those girls would at the very least be embarrassed by the action and opted to take photos in secrecy ¨C at the very least they would act as if they were taking selfies.


    But now there were at least four to five phones raised toward him from a single pod. He suddenly felt a bit awkward.


    ¡°They¡¯re not all taking shots of me,¡± Gu Fei smiled carelessly. ¡°Do you not know that people had started to poke around about you on TieBa[3] since the second day you enrolled?¡±


    ¡°¡­ your school has a TieBa?¡± Jiang Cheng was greatly surprised, and his emphasis was even skewered.


    ¡°Of course, you can go look,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It¡¯s quite lively with all sorts of gossip, arrangements for fights, being pretentious pricks[4], and also failing at being said pricks.¡±4


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng sat down on the chair alongside the court.


    ¡°Stand up, stand up.¡± Wang Xu walked over and waved at him with a smug expression. ¡°This is the resting spot for team players, the audience has to move to the side.¡±


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°Secret weapons,¡± Wang Xu shot him a meaningful look, trying desperately to control his mouth from moving while talking. ¡°Cooperate for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Ai¡­¡± Jiang Cheng sighed in exasperation and found a chair to sit on somewhere in the back.


    His previous school had an audience stand. Si Zhong had many courts, but if you wanted to watch a game while sitting down, you had to carry your own chair over. Thank goodness that although the team from his class was so-so, the logistics service was strong, and a lot of chairs were carried over.


    ¡°If we can¡¯t keep up later, Jiang Cheng, you will go up first.¡± Wang Xu instructed from beside him while stretching his arms and legs.


    ¡°That won¡¯t do,¡± Jiang Cheng replied. ¡°I have to enter with Gu Fei. I can¡¯t cooperate with just myself on the court, there¡¯s no use to that.¡±


    ¡°Da Fei?¡± Wang Xu looked over at Gu Fei.


    ¡°Listen to him,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Wang Xu jumped up and down. ¡°You guys be prepared, I¡¯m kind of nervous¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you nervous about?¡± The state he was in made Jiang Cheng want to laugh.


    ¡°Because I suddenly feel like we won¡¯t last for more than ten minutes before you two have to go up,¡± Wang Xu answered.


    ¡°Take the time to show off your true color,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°En!¡± Wang Xu nodded his head then skipped to the edge of the court and did all sorts of warm-up poses to the side.


    As Jiang Cheng eyed the area he was standing in, he immediately laughed; a teacher was nearby, circling around the court with a camera aiming everywhere as he took shots.


    Today¡¯s opening match was probably used to draw attention. The sophomores had their two strongest teams scheduled together with Class 5 on court one and Class 2 on court two. Their rival teams were the number one weakest chicken Class 8 and Class 3, the comparatively less weaker chicken as opposed to Class 8.


    Once the courts were assigned, the match began.


    The people from Class 5 were screaming and clapping enthusiastically while Class 8 had a much weaker vigour in comparison ¨C possibly because their ¡°secret weapon¡± was so well hidden that even the people from their own class didn¡¯t harbour an inkling of hope.


    Only Lao Xu stood along the sidelines with his hands on his hips, shouting toward Wang Xu and the others. ¡°Play well! Play to your greatest potential ¡ª¡ªshow ¡®em what you got!¡±


    Jiang Cheng quite admired Lao Xu ¡ª during an atmosphere when everyone thought Class 5 was only here to put up a demonstration match, he could still scream as if Class 8 was the future champion.


    ¡°Relax and play! Let loose and play!¡± The sound of a loudspeaker suddenly blasted out from behind them.


    The sound was quite loud. Jiang Cheng jumped in surprise, and everyone turned around together and saw Lao Lu standing in the back row with the microphone he used during class in hand.


    ¡°Lu Laoshi!¡± someone shouted from the referee¡¯s seat. ¡°Lu Laoshi! Don¡¯t use a microphone, it will cause distractions to the competition.¡±


    ¡°The game hasn¡¯t even started yet!¡± Lao Lu said into the microphone.


    ¡°Put it down you, put it down,¡± Lao Xu pointed at Lao Lu. ¡°Watch the game in peace.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to use this?¡± Lao Lu continued to speak into the mic.


    Yi Jing stood up and walked up to Lao Lu. She said something smilingly and Lao Lu handed both the microphone and loudspeaker to her, then walked toward Lao Xu to stand with him along the sidelines with their hands on their hips.


    ¡°Lao Lu has quite the confidence in Wang Xu and the others?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°He has a good relationship with Lao Xu,¡± Gu Fei answered. ¡°They¡¯ve been partners for years. If Lao Xu was the homeroom teacher for Class 5, then he would definitely find confidence in Class 5.¡±


    The game started, Lu Xiaobin and the Tower were in position for a jump ball.


    The Tower had a name, Gu Fei had said it once, but Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t remember it.


    As the ball was thrown into the sky, Jiang Cheng knew Lu Xiaobin had no chance at touching the ball. Though the Tower had a large built, he was not slow to react, and was even taller than Lu Xiaobin by half a head length.


    As the ball fell, it undoubtedly landed in the hands of Class 5 who immediately sped across the court and arrived at the basket. Class 5, who sat across the court, erupted into a sea of cheers.


    Jiang Cheng was speechless as he watched them throw the ball into the basket with ease, scoring two points with little to no defense.


    ¡°Zhou Jing,¡± Gu Fei kicked the leg of the chair in front of him which belonged to Zhou Jing, who was feverishly slapping his own thighs. ¡°Go scream, tell them to guard.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Zhou Jing instantly leaped over a few chairs and screamed toward the court. ¡°Guard them! You guys, guard them to death! Quickly return to defense! Make an effort to steal the ball ah!¡±


    Zhou Jing screamed for a while with heightened energy.


    But Wang Xu and the others were very visibly nervous from the moment they stepped onto the court and were not able to loosen themselves up. The opposing team was able to score under a few seconds, and from then on, they were continuously oppressed. The people on the sidelines were all screaming, but it was as if they couldn¡¯t hear a thing and continued to play in a disorderly fashion.


    Within less than five minutes, Class 5 had already scored four baskets. Wang Xu and the others had no way of refraining the Tower from obtaining the ball, henceforth, they had no way of refraining him from scoring. When they finally got their hands on the ball and reached the basket, the people from Class 5 hissed and booed from all around; the ball hadn¡¯t even left their hands before it was stolen.


    ¡°The fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng stared at the time and score shown on the scoreboard. ¡°They¡¯re not even this lousy normally.¡±


    ¡°Li Yadong has been charging towards the basket right from the centre line, and no one is able to stop him, plus his movements are excessively arrogant,¡± Gu Fei said and hugged his arms as he leaned back against the chair. ¡°The first half of the game is going to continue on like this. It may even be possible for Wang Xu and others to score zero points.¡±[5]


    ¡°You have to also take the centre line later.¡± Jiang Cheng watched Wang Xu, growing more and more agitated as the game continued. ¡°Kill their ego a bit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be threatened by both sides of the centre line,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°There¡¯s me,¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    After Wang Xu looked toward Gu Fei for the third time, Gu Fei stood up.


    Wang Xu then immediately made a hand gesture, requesting for a break at Lao Xu.


    Even though the time for a break hadn¡¯t reached yet, the few people on the court who saw Wang Xu¡¯s hand gesture immediately acted as if they had been injected with a blast of cardiotonic that even their jogs increased in speed.


    Gu Fei hadn¡¯t even stood up for more than two minutes before the audience around them started to notice. Some instantly yelled: ¡°Fuck, Class 8 has Gu Fei this time?¡±


    ¡°Gu Fei, Jiang Cheng, get ready,¡± Lao Xu approached them and said.


    It was only then that their class seemed to understand and erupted into cheers as they all stood up and started to scream.


    Jiang Cheng looked over at Gu Fei. He was starting to feel excited for some inexplicable reason ¨C a feeling he didn¡¯t even harbour when he was playing in competition with his school team before.


    It was probably because Wang Xu had brainwashed them with notions of the ¡°secret weapon¡± during this period of time that when he stood up, he instantly felt as if he and Gu Fei held the weight of a historical mission on their shoulders.


    The referee called for a time-out.


    Jiang Cheng started to take off his pants and immediately felt himself bathe in utter stupidity.


    Gu Fei was a wondrous character enshrined in a mysterious atmosphere at school ¨C the big boss who roamed the edges of the earth, battled no one, and no one dared to provoke him. He never attended any group activities, and yet at this moment, he was going on court to play in a competition.


    Everyone¡¯s gaze turned their way. The teacher that was taking photos outright stood beside them, and there were also numerous phones aimed at them.


    However, at this moment, he and Gu Fei stood between two rows of chairs, taking off their pants instead.


    This moment couldn¡¯t get any better¡­


    ¡°I¡¯ll start the ball,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Wang Xu will come get the ball, and just like how we¡¯ve cooperated during practice, we run lots and guard them to death. Lu Xiaobin, you just tangle yourself to the Tower. You have good stamina so just make sure to be wherever he is. Don¡¯t worry about the ball.¡±


    ¡°Tower?¡± Lu Xiaobin asked. His stamina was indeed quite well, he wasn¡¯t even breathing harshly at this moment.


    ¡°Li Yadong,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°En,¡± Lu Xiaobin nodded his head.


    ¡°Pass the ball from below,¡± Jiang Cheng continued. ¡°We have no height advantage compared to Class 5.¡±


    Wang Xu held no grudge against Jiang Cheng for stealing his role as Captain. He simply stood to the side and nodded his head furiously, and even walked back onto the court without even remembering to make a concluding statement like he normally did.


    As soon as Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng walked onto the court, the members on both teams, including the audience on the side, experienced a complete change in atmosphere.


    Class 5¡¯s team members were completely unclear about Jiang Cheng¡¯s skills level, but they had perfect knowledge of how Gu Fei played.


    The rest of the people from the classes that were not participating in a match at the moment all gathered around Court 1.


    The sidelines were suddenly crowded with people, the cheerleading squad elevated in volume, and the people who regarded Class 5 as the rival class all started to cheer for Class 8 ¨C the court was filled with screams.


    ¡°Captain,¡± Jiang Cheng called out to Wang Xu from behind.


    Wang Xu suddenly grew very cheerful and whipped around expectantly. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°This ball is very important,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°We¡¯re relying on you.¡±


    ¡°Rest assured,¡± Wang Xu answered steadily.


    Jiang Cheng walked to the edge of the court and took the ball from the referee. He dribbled it on the ground a few times to get a sense of it and ¨C it felt pretty good.


    At the sound of the whistle, Wang Xu ran past the other team members and charged toward Jiang Cheng. But just as Jiang Cheng was about to pass him the ball, the shortest member from Class 5 suddenly blocked himself in front of Wang Xu.


    This person¡¯s style was very similar to Li Yan: quick-paced and agile. This ball couldn¡¯t be passed to Wang Xu anymore, so Jiang Cheng raised his eyes to scan the centre of court ¨C Gu Fei was blocked by the Tower.


    But Lu Xiaobin was very loyal to his responsibilities, and quickly squeezed through.


    The moment Gu Fei escaped, he reached his hands out toward Jiang Cheng, and Jiang Cheng threw the ball over to him.


    Once he got the ball, Gu Fei did just as he had previously said. He turned around and charged toward the basket from the center line.


    The volume around the court must have instantly increased by at least twenty decibels ¨C they were screaming as if a large tide was rolling in.


    Jiang Cheng increased his own speed and followed. From behind, Wang Xu yelled in a really upset tone: ¡°Fuck, why didn¡¯t you pass to me?!¡±


    ¡°Follow them!¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Wang Xu suddenly sped forward as if he was kicked in the back, blasting past Jiang Cheng like a gust of wind. He secured a spot right behind Gu Fei and got tangled in a mess of ¡°you push, I push¡± with the other two people from Class 5 who were in charge of guarding Gu Fei.


    The team from Class 5 returned to defense[6] very quickly, almost at the speed of light in comparison to Class 8¡¯s returned defense. By the time Gu Fei eye-catchingly rushed straight to the basket from the center line, their people had already pushed back to the three-second lane.[7]


    Gu Fei¡¯s path to the basket was completely blocked by two people. As he backed away, he simultaneously passed the ball from behind his body; Jiang Cheng leaped forward with a big step and caught the ball. He dribbled past Li Yan No.2 and someone else, and once Gu Fei was able to squeeze back in through an opening, he threw the ball back to him.


    It can¡¯t be denied that the Tower from Class 5 was much more capable than the Tower from their own class. Lu Xiaobin was a step away from constraining him with a hug, yet he still managed to slip away.


    When Gu Fei received the ball, the Tower was like a large duvet that covered in front of Gu Fei.


    Jiang Cheng quickly maneuvered to refrain from anyone locking dead onto him. He glanced at the timer, there was still time, Gu Fei would probably still pass the ball at this point.


    But at the next second, Gu Fei suddenly jumped.


    Fuck! Jiang Cheng quickly prepared to intercept and return to defense. The Tower jumped along with Gu Fei and pressed down on him like the weight of Mount Tai. If the ball was to leave Gu Fei¡¯s hands, it would doubtlessly be blocked.


    Unless¡­ he played a stunt, then there would still be a chance.


    Sure enough, Gu Fei¡¯s hand violently dropped in the air.


    And now, he needed only to hook around the Tower¡¯s arm ¨C the ball probably had a chance of going in.


    These two points were very important as they could arouse the momentum for Class 8.


    But Gu Fei¡¯s next move made Jiang Cheng swear about a big yellow dog in his mind. The guy was making a fucking pass!


    Although Jiang Cheng instantly understood Gu Fei¡¯s intentions as the ball flew toward him, he still couldn¡¯t refrain himself from swearing.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± He caught the ball then quickly backed a few steps out of the three-point line, and without hesitation, he delivered the ball high toward the basket.


    The instant the ball fell through the net, the tides rolled in around the sidelines again. The people from Class 8 jumped up and screamed until their throats were about to burst.


    ¡°Beautiful!¡± Nobody knew when Lao Lu had gotten his hands on the microphone again as he yelled into it. ¡°Beautiful shot!¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Wang Xu shouted in Jiang Cheng¡¯s ear with trilling excitement. ¡°That felt so good!¡±


    With this seamless corporation plus the three points, everyone instantly broke out into wild cheers as if they were high on drugs. When they returned to their end of the court, it was as if their feet were attached to slingshots.


    ¡°You got a problem?¡± Gu Fei asked as he ran past Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°No problem, I¡¯m just watching you swag,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°Since we¡¯re already on the court and already playing,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Then let¡¯s have them die thoroughly.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng responded.


    As he ran back along with the others, he suddenly remembered Pan Zhi¡¯s message from yesterday.


    It really did feel a bit like¡­ the previous feelings had come back to him.


    [1] Noodle Fresh Soy Sauce (ÃæÌõÏÊ) ¨C is a specific brand of soy sauce typically used on mixing noodles to enhance flavour. Its glass bottle is wrapped around by a red ¡°uniform¡± as a brand indicator.


    [2] center (C), also known as the five, or the big man, is one of the five positions (point guard (PG), the shooting guard (SG), the small forward (SF), the power forward (PF), and the center (C)), in a basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well.


    [3] TieBa (Ìù°É) ¨C is an online platform created by Baidu allowing for people with common interests to group, form communities and socialize through the internet. There¡¯s about a billion grouped categories of personal interest one can search up and find people with similar traits you can converse with. You can also form groups of your own ¨C which is what their class did ¨C and post pictures, raise topics and whatnot within the group.


    [4] Pretentious pricks (×°±Æ) this sentence can also translate to ¡°¡­ fronting, and also failing at fronting.¡± ¨C the word fronting is a bit more accurate *fronting is a slang: appear or make oneself seem more courageous, resolute, or dauntless than one really feels.


    [5] It may even be possible for Wang Xu and others to score zero points. (ÍõÐñËûÃÇ´ò¸öµ°³öÀ´Ò²ÓпÉÄÜ) ¨C slang. because an egg looks like the number 0, by saying you¡¯ll get an egg on a test or an egg amount of points, it basically means that you¡¯ll get zero (nothing).


    [6] Returned defense ¨C Return to the state of secure protection.


    [7] three-second lane: The three seconds rule (also referred to as the three-second rule or three in the key, often termed a lane violation) requires that in basketball, a player shall not remain in the opponents¡¯ restricted area for more than three consecutive seconds while that player¡¯s team is in control of a live ball in the frontcourt and the game clock is running.

 CH 29

    Class 5 was the most powerful team last year after all. Although Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei were caught off guard because they were not psychologically prepared to be suddenly on the court, they slowly adapted after running for several rounds, and even had targeted defense against them.


    Unlike Class 8, which only relied on two main players¡¯ cooperation, Class 5 had no particularly top-notch players, but their skills were even out that even the substitutes were better than Wang Xu.


    Sometimes, Jiang Cheng thought that it was pretty amazing that, in any school and in any grade, there was always a situation where the ballplayers concentrated in only a certain class or two.


    In the few minutes before their opponents recovered their attention, he and Gu Fei quickly scored until there was only a difference of one point. During that period, Class 5 had only scored two points once. After Jiang Cheng scored a three-point throw, Gu Fei continued with a layup, scoring another point that caused nearly all the audience at the side of the court to reach the peak of excitement.


    There probably was not that much excitement in watching Class 5 and Class 2; after all, Class 8 was a weak little chick born out of nowhere, so for Class 5 to only score once after several minutes against them was a rare occasion.


    Most importantly, this was a single-elimination competition[1], and the direct end of losing was to join the audience.


    In the first elimination match, the weakest chicken team losing would hold no significance, but for a team that could enter the finals to lose, now that, that would be simply brilliant ¨C the dark horse[2] was well-received by the melon-eating masses![3]


    ¡°We can win!¡±


    When Class 5 called for a time-out, Wang Xu, who was glowing with vigor, had some water and said, ¡°Shit, we can win! We definitely can¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop the bullshit and don¡¯t waste time.¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t even give the Captain any face and just interrupted him. ¡°Guo Xu, you rest. Switch in that person over there.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Wang Xu asked.


    ¡°Him.¡± Jiang Cheng pointed to one of their substitute players, who although didn¡¯t have any skills, was surprisingly quick on his feet. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything else and just keep a close eye on that one¡­ who¡¯s that, the smallest person on their team.¡±


    ¡°This is Zhang Yuan,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°And the smallest one over there is Tang Xiwei.¡±


    ¡°En, Zhang Yuan, keep an eye on Tang Xi,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°You¡¯re fast so follow him, and you can break the rules. If you can¡¯t block him, just push him but don¡¯t make it so obvious. Don¡¯t give him a chance to touch the ball, but if he has the ball in his hand, don¡¯t touch him.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Zhang Yuan nodded. ¡°His name is Tang Xiwei, not Tang Wei.¡±[4]


    ¡°I know,¡± Jiang Cheng responded. ¡°It¡¯s more advantageous for us if Tang Wei doesn¡¯t get the ball since he has passed over half the balls that scored so far.¡±


    ¡°Then, what about us?¡± Wang Xu asked.


    ¡°That¡­ Li Yata[5] has already broken the rules twice.¡± Jiang Cheng simply ignored him and looked at Gu Fei. ¡°Let him do it once or twice more.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei drank some water, ¡°Li Ya¡­ Dong.¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Wang Xu asked a little more obviously this time.


    ¡°Captain.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled his wrist guard, ¡°If someone comes to interfere with me when I have the ball, you can deal with him¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright! No problem!¡± Wang Xu patted his own chest.


    ¡°Also, our returned defense is too slow,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Didn¡¯t we already practice this during our training¡­ when the opponent goes into offense, we have to immediately return to our basket. Two at the three-second lane, everyone else, go to the three-point line and don¡¯t let them get through.¡±


    ¡°Understood! Keep up that fighting spirit! What we practiced will be used now,¡± Wang Xu said and patted everyone¡¯s shoulder, however, when he got to Jiang Cheng, he cautiously passed over him. He finally got to Gu Fei and patted his shoulder, ¡°Da Fei, keep up that fighting spirit!¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei glanced at him.


    ¡°Water?¡± someone asked from beside Jiang Cheng.


    He turned his head and saw Yi Jing holding a bottle of water. First, she glanced at Gu Fei who was drinking water, and then she turned to look at Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Jiang Cheng took the bottle from her hand and twisted off the cap for a drink.


    ¡°You guys played so well,¡± Yi Jing said in a small voice. ¡°Everyone in the class was never this excited before.¡±


    Jiang Cheng smiled but didn¡¯t speak.


    Indeed, they played pretty well. His and Gu Fei¡¯s forceful cooperation in acting cool could be very inspirational, but¡­ it could also draw in hatred.


    He turned to glance at Class 5 and saw several people staring at them with fire blazing in their eyes.


    When Li Yata¡¯s eyes met his, both his hands suddenly rose. He stuck out his middle fingers and pointed them in his direction.


    After giving him the finger, he didn¡¯t withdraw his eyes and instead continued to viciously stare at him.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t react. He was rarely angry on the court since bringing in your emotions during a competition was a taboo.


    However, inciting your opponent was okay.


    After he looked face-to-face with the Tower for a while, he blew a kiss at him ¨C the kind where the hand was kissed first before it was then blown over.


    ¡°Fuck your mother.¡± The Tower immediately became angry and swore.


    Jiang Cheng smiled, and ignored him.


    ¡°I notice that you¡¯re a real jerk,¡± Gu Fei whispered from behind him as they returned to the court.


    ¡°Remember to make him get a foul,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°If he stays too long, it will be hard for us in the second half of the game.¡±


    ¡°As you command,¡± Gu Fei said.


    With less than seven minutes before the end of the first half, the ball was in the hands of Class 5. They had to widen the lead in that time then adjust themselves well in the second half so that the opponents wouldn¡¯t be able to catch up.


    Jiang Cheng stared at the person that was preparing to toss the ball, and then took a mental note of what position the people on the court were.


    Zhang Yuan was pretty good. Li Yan No.2, no, Tang Xi¡­ Tang Xi¡¯s out of nowhere moves were very quick. When others targeted him, he could rapidly escape from them, but Zhang Yuan was like a bouncing jujube. Even when Tang Xi swayed left and right several times, he was unable to shake him off.


    Class 5 also had a method to their ball-playing. The jump ball was all passed to Tang Xi who would then organize a strategic offense, but since he couldn¡¯t take the ball right now, and the rest of his team was completely overwhelmed by Class 8 in a one-to-one defense, the ball-handler didn¡¯t actually know what to do.


    After a pressing five seconds, the person behind Jiang Cheng finally winded around him and rushed to get the ball. The ball-handler hurriedly threw the ball over but because it was still a slight distance away and had not flown halfway yet, Jiang Cheng rushed to intercept between them and took it.


    ¡°The fuck!¡± Tang Xi shouted, ¡°Are you fucking blind?!¡±


    As soon as Jiang Cheng got the ball, Gu Fei had already run toward the basket. He didn¡¯t hold onto it for long, and immediately swung it firmly, sending the ball off to Lu Xiaobin outside of the three-point line.


    They had practiced this tactic during their training beforehand. Lu Xiaobin, who had a height advantage, caught the ball in the air and immediately after did a jump shot move and gave the ball over to Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei received the ball, but Class 5¡¯s returned defense was still amazingly rapid; the Tower had already stopped in front of Gu Fei within just a matter of a few steps.


    Jiang Cheng was prepared to provide support, but Wang Xu had already reached the three-second lane, and with no defense there for the time being, he could receive Gu Fei¡¯s pass at any given moment.


    This series of reactions, this series of cooperation, made Jiang Cheng feel very gratified and think that if Wang Xu was to come over and pat his shoulder, he wouldn¡¯t feel disgusted.


    But immediately after, Wang Xu shouted: ¡°Da Fei, pass the ball! Da Fei, pass the ball!¡±


    Jiang Cheng instantly had an urge to go over there and slap him. Right after he finished that sentence, the route to that pass was completely blocked.


    Gu Fei was fairly accurate in his shots, but with the Tower sticking so close like this, it was hard for him to do a layup ¨C although not having the ball be snatched by the Tower was already pretty good.


    Jiang Cheng felt that it was too late to shoot for the basket, and even if he did it, it would be hard to score. With the Tower there, the rebound would not be easy to snatch either.


    At that moment, Gu Fei could either pass the ball or withdraw first.


    But Gu Fei suddenly made a posture as if to shoot for the basket instead.


    The Tower jumped, just a split second faster than Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei had only jumped after he did, and in that instant, for the sake of that tiny bit of time difference, Gu Fei kept his arm slightly down, and forcefully shot the ball out of his hands.


    The ball flew almost straight up and quickly spun into the basket.


    A burst of explosive shouts immediately sounded from all around.


    The referee¡¯s whistle practically followed the ball into the basket at the same time: ¡°No. 5, hacking foul!¡±[6]


    Jiang Cheng felt a series of shocks.


    Fuck!


    He scored even with that posture, at that angle!


    The bastard¡¯s initial move to shoot for the basket was actually a feint!


    That Li Yata got a hacking foul!


    The scoring ball led to a foul and a penalty was added at the same time. Jiang Cheng almost wanted to roar together with the audience outside of the court.


    Gu Fei slowly retreated to the free-throw line[7] and extended three fingers at the Tower: ¡°Three times.¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± The Tower gritted his teeth and squeezed out that one word with a flushed face raging with anger.


    There was basically no suspense in whether or not Gu Fei could make the free throw, but who knew if he was showing off or wanted to provoke anger as he forcefully created suspense.


    After he raised the ball for the free throw, he turned his head to look straight at the Tower and then shot.


    Scored.


    The whole audience shrieked, with the girls¡¯ shrieks nearly drowning out the boys¡¯ applause and cheers.


    Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Fei. Although Gu Fei¡¯s move was drop-dead gorgeous, his cockiness should also have a limit. He wanted to say something for Xiao Ta.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you being cheap?¡±[8] Jiang Cheng said when he returned to defense with him.


    ¡°Just learning from you. He can¡¯t stand being provoked, you know. He¡¯s already going crazy now,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Look, we¡¯re not even in the second half of the game and he¡¯s going to get four fouls.¡±


    Gu Fei¡¯s judgment was correct. This Li Yadong¡­ Jiang Cheng suddenly felt extremely pleased with himself for remembering his name. Li Yadong not only had an explosive temper but was also quite strong. Before, when Wang Xu had pressured him, he still managed to get two fouls, and now that he was in such a state of emotion, it would not be difficult to make him get a foul.


    If he was the Captain for Class 5, he would have replaced the player at that time, but it was obvious that Class 5 still relied on his ability to score and chose not to replace him.


    When the first half was about to end, Gu Fei had the ball. Just as he passed the center line, he was blocked by the Tower. Gu Fei didn¡¯t even have to fake a move to lure him. He simply glanced at his hands and slightly leaned forward for the Tower to lose control and slap his hand.


    ¡°No. 5, hacking foul!¡± the referee blew the whistle.


    ¡°He¡¯s about to graduate!¡±[9] someone in the audience shouted, and many others followed suit as they also heckled.


    Jiang Cheng could make out that the voice was Zhou Jing¡¯s. He glanced over and saw Zhou Jing hiding behind Lao Xu.


    At the end of the first half, Li Yadong had four fouls. No matter how good he was, he wouldn¡¯t play at the start of the second half and would definitely be left for the crucial moment.


    But right now, Class 5 had fallen behind them by 9 points. If Li Yadong did not take the court, the hope of recovering the score would be slim¡­


    What a struggle.


    Jiang Cheng drank some water.


    ¡°As long as we continue to play like this in the second half, and at a steady pace, we can win!¡± Wang Xu said, ¡°Think about it, not only will this be our first win, this will eliminate Class 5! Eliminate ah! Eliminating Class 5 means that the day we put Class 2 beneath our feet won¡¯t be too far off!¡±


    Everyone nodded excitedly.


    ¡°Are there any adjustments to our tactics?¡± Wang Xu asked Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Guo Xu get on, Zhang Yuan, you rest.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Li Yadong shouldn¡¯t be going up for a while and even if he is, he won¡¯t stay for long. Tang Xi¡­ Wei won¡¯t be passing the ball to him all the time anymore. I suppose he will take the ball over himself. Leave him to me and everything else stays the same.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± Wang Xu nodded.


    In the second half, Li Yadong did not play and was replaced by a team member that was about the same height as him, though he was thinner than him by a lot. This person¡¯s jump was not as good as Li Yadong¡¯s, so when Gu Fei did a layup, he was completely unable to block him.


    Class 8¡¯s members all seemed to be on fire, truthfully, on fire was an inadequate description ¨C it was simply the phoenix flame that set those on and off the court ablaze.[10]


    The audience also seemed to have taken drugs, probably from not having anticipated seeing such an unexpected match on the first day of the competition. Their shouts completely overwhelmed the entire area, and they didn¡¯t know which side to support. In short, they shouted when they went on offense and shrieked when they scored, there was no difference between them ¨C they were one in spirit.[11]


    Jiang Cheng was a person who was not easily excited, especially during a game. As soon as he played defense, he needed to calmly observe ¨C even if he wanted to act cool, he needed to rely on skills and not emotions.


    But now that the sidelines were shouting like there was a volcanic eruption, and a team like theirs could actually play to such a degree, he really couldn¡¯t keep calm either.


    ¡°The last quarter, the last quarter.¡± Lao Lu had somehow gotten his hands on the microphone again, and the referee couldn¡¯t handle him anymore. He shouted like when he scolded in class, full of strength. ¡°Stabilize! Don¡¯t worry! Go steady and strike hard!!¡±


    There were only ten minutes left, and even with the additional overtime, it still wasn¡¯t much. With Class 8 risking it all, and Class 5 also in the same circumstance, the score was not widened to a 15 points difference like Jiang Cheng had hoped ¨C it was only 13 points at the moment.


    Class 5 switched Li Yadong back into the game, and Jiang Cheng had the ball. If this ball could be guaranteed to be scored by Gu Fei, 15 points could psychologically destroy the team members in Class 5.


    He quickly passed the ball over to Guo Xu, who was ahead of him to the right, when Tang Xi came over to block him.


    At this moment, as if by the will of God, Guo Xu didn¡¯t even hold onto the ball for long when he got it. When Tang Xi turned his head to look, he passed the ball from above back to Jiang Cheng, who had already passed by Tang Xi.


    ¡°A beautiful pass!¡± Wang Xu roared.


    Jiang Cheng took the ball and continued to advance forward, but Tang Xi was extremely quick, and blocked his path once more.


    At that second, Jiang Cheng wished that Tang Xi was in Class 8. That kind of speed and reaction¡­ he glanced to the left, and as expected, Tang Xi tilted his body slightly over to that side; he was too emotionally excited, and the shortcoming of reacting too quickly lied precisely here.


    I just faked a move yo!


    Jiang Cheng rushed over from the right with the ball and saw Gu Fei, who had entered the three-point line¡­ and also coming from the right to intercept was Li Yadong¡¯s foot.


    What the hell! Fuck your uncle in the Southern Heavenly Gates!!


    Jiang Cheng stepped on Li Yadong¡¯s foot with his left foot but couldn¡¯t step forward with his right foot. His whole body suddenly lost balance and fell to the left.


    But before he fell to the ground, he gritted his teeth and swung the ball in his hand over to Gu Fei.


    Then he fell heavily on the ground and his elbow slid more than a meter away.


    The shouts from the surroundings heightened once more. He wasn¡¯t sure if the screams and shouts were due to Gu Fei¡¯s beautiful layup or that he fell hard, unable to stand for a few seconds.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng!¡± Wang Xu was anxious and rushed over.


    ¡°Idiot.¡± Jiang Cheng pushed him, ¡°Return to defense!¡±


    Class 5 started the ball relatively quickly, and Tang Xi had already passed by them at that moment.


    ¡°Good no-call!¡±[12] Jiang Cheng shouted, ¡°Wang Xu, return to defense!¡±


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Wang Xu got up and ran over there.


    Jiang Cheng stood up, and Gu Fei looked back at him. He shook his head, there was no problem with his feet ¡ªhe had protection¡ª but he fell on the injured rib from before and was a bit stunned.


    This ball, everyone held it with hot anger.


    Jiang Cheng had just crossed the center line when Li Yadong, who had wanted to shoot for the basket, was kept in control by Gu Fei¡¯s perfect block, and the ball was soon in the hands of Lu Xiaobin.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng¡ª¡ª¡± Lu Xiaobin roared, full of aspiration and boldness as he passed the ball over to Jiang Cheng.


    He wasn¡¯t sure if it was because they previously had a score of 5:4, but Class 5 believed that scoring these two points was a definite thing to solidify a win. When the ball was in Jiang Cheng¡¯s hands, Tang Xi, who was the closest to him, was still at the three-point line of their team¡¯s basket.


    With the ball in his hand, Jiang Cheng turned around and took a few steps, then stopped on his toes at the three-point line.


    As he prepared to make the shot, he glanced back at the few people in Class 5 who had rushed over and then calmly cast the ball.


    The ball drew a long arc in the air ¨C Jiang Cheng raised three fingers, and as the ball fell into the basket, he pressed his fingers down.


    Clean shot.


    Beautiful.


    In the sea of applause and cheers that erupted from the sidelines he could hear Lao Xu¡¯s broken voice shouting ¡°nice shot¡±. He glanced into the crowd of excited faces, and Lao Xu¡¯s was the most conspicuous. He was so excited that his face was even redder than those who had actually played in the game.


    The score was widened to 16 points, and now there wasn¡¯t much time left in the last quarter. Even without him and Gu Fei, the points were unlikely to be recovered.


    ¡°Slow down.¡± Gu Fei glanced at the timer.


    In this case, there was no longer a need to rush to score. They could play even more steadily than before and the ball could leave their hands with the time calculated precisely.


    The people on Class 5 were already discouraged, and although each and every one of them was brimming with anger, there was no chance for them to explode.


    Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng controlled the ball and firmly pressed toward the basket. During this period, Class 5 scored four points, but Gu Fei gave up on the two points and passed the ball to Jiang Cheng twice to cast three-point shots instead.


    Jiang Cheng could feel the sound waves around him every time he made a three-point shot.


    He was never that smug when he played in the competitions for his previous school team.


    In the end, amid an atmosphere of extreme excitement, the whistle that ended the whole scene sounded.


    Gu Fei, who was holding the ball in his hand and was standing only a few steps from the three-point line, vigorously cast the ball toward the basket.


    ¡°It¡¯s not over!¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the ball that bounced on the backboard and entered the basket.


    ¡°Ahhhh¡ª¡ª¡± Wang Xu¡¯s voice was especially resounding in the space that was filled with cheers.


    As soon as Jiang Cheng turned his head, he saw him rush over with open arms, and without waiting for a reaction, he had already hugged Gu Fei and even kissed him fiercely on the face.


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Gu Fei pushed him and then rubbed his face a few times.


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Jiang Cheng shouted and immediately pointed at him when he saw Wang Xu turn around.


    ¡°Ahh¡ª¡ª¡± Wang Xu was undaunted by danger[13] as he pounced over, hugged, and kissed him.


    ¡°You fucker!¡± Jiang Cheng seemed to have been whipped as he made use of all his limbs to push Wang Xu aside.


    Wang Xu didn¡¯t care as he hugged and kissed all the players one by one in ecstasy.


    The whole class was wild with excitement and gathered around the court, grabbing onto people ¡®till they turned into one screaming crowd. This kind of mood was probably only felt by this super weak chicken class that had never won any game in any school competition.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Gu Fei came to him and spread open his arms. ¡°I haven¡¯t played such a cool ballgame in a long time.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at him, hesitated, and then opened his arms to hug him. ¡°Me too.¡±


    ¡°Is your leg okay?¡± Gu Fei patted his back.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    This hug felt very¡­ comfortable.


    Carrying tacit understanding and appreciation, as well as a ¡°closeness¡± they had that was different from that with anybody else, even though the brief moment that Jiang Cheng brushed against Gu Fei had the face from the night when Gu Fei was practically glued to him flashed before his eyes, and the face of Gu Fei who donned a halo beneath the sunlight followed after¡­ he still felt calm.


    He didn¡¯t know why he would describe a hug as ¡®calm¡¯, but this was really the first time he was in such close contact with someone aside from Pan Zhi in a very long time.


    He could even feel the tip of his hair sweep Gu Fei¡¯s face.


    However, there was no awkwardness or resistance.


    ¡°Go, go, go,¡± Lao Xu excitedly waved his arm after the people in the class dispersed. ¡°Lao Lu and I are taking you all out for dinner. We¡¯ll treat you to something good!¡±


    ¡°I want to eat hot pot,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°No, I want to eat grilled meat¡­ ah, Mongolian fire pot isn¡¯t bad either¡­¡±


    A group of people followed Lao Xu and Lao Lu to go out, with the feeling of their blood boiling in their veins hadn¡¯t yet passed; at this moment, it was all spent on discussing what to eat.


    ¡°Umm, there¡¯s something I want to ask you.¡± Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng walked side by side.


    ¡°En, what is it?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Do you want to make money?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Jiang Cheng froze and looked at Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei suddenly asking ¡°do you want to make money¡± without rhyme or reason made him immediately think of a mommy talking to an ignorant girl.


    He almost wanted to say, ¡°No, I¡¯m still young¡±.


    [1] A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament.


    [2] Dark horse ¨C ºÚÂí is the unexpected winner


    [3] melon-eating masses (³Ô¹ÏȺÖÚ) ¨C a term whose closest equivalent is possibly ¡°popcorn gallery¡±, its fullest expression is ¡°the melon-eating masses who don¡¯t know what¡¯s really going on¡±. Its origin is unclear, but netizens often use this ¨C sometimes derogatorily ¨C to describe a passive group of bystanders at a major incident or event


    [4] He¡¯s Tang Xiwei, not Tang Xi (ÌÆϣΰ²»½ÐÌÇÏ¡) ¨C Tang(ÌÆ in vain/empty) Xi (Ï£ to hope) wei (ΰ grand), not Tang (ÌÇ sweet) Xi (Ï¡ rare): the characters used are in different tones which changes the meaning of his name.


    [5] Li Yata (ÀîÑÇËþ) Li Yadong ¨C Jiang Cheng kept on saying Ëþ (Ta) which means Tower


    [6] Hacking ¨C refers to a foul where a player is struck on the arm while shooting. Such a foul generally leads to a missed shot and free throws for the opponent.


    [7] Free-throw line ¨C or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws are awarded after a foul on the shooter by the opposing team.


    [8] Cheap (¼ú) ¨C despicable in this context


    [9] He¡¯s about to graduate! Òª±Ïҵච¨C as in he¡¯s going to be done/finished ¨C the ච¡®lou¡¯ at the end is used to call for attention to, or mildly warning of, a situation


    [10] ´òÁ˼¦Ñª£¬¼¦Ñª¶¼²»¹»ÐÎÈÝ£¬¼òÖ±ÊÇ·ï»ËѪ ¨C ¡°¡­ on fire, truthfully, on fire as an inadequate description ¨C it was simply the phoenix flame¡­¡± the direct translation: ¡°¡­ seemed as though they were injected with chicken blood, but chicken blood was not enough to describe it, it was simply a phoenix blood¡­.¡±


    [11] there was no difference between them ¨C they were one in spirit (²»·ÖÄãÎÒ£¬ÄãÖÐÓÐÎÒÎÒÖÐÓÐÄã): ¡°they¡± refers to them (the players)  and the audience were one in spirit. ¨C  not very literal, but this slang really can¡¯t be translated directly. lit: ¡°there is no difference between you and me, you are within me and I am within you¡±.


    [12] Calls ¨C when the refer call for a violation or foul


    [13] Undaunted by dangers (·Ü²»¹ËÉí) ¨C to dash on bravely with no thought of personal safety

 CH 30

    ¡°I said, you¡­¡± Gu Fei seemed to be distracted by his ¡®ah¡¯ and didn¡¯t know how to put it, ¡°Do you want to make a bit of pocket change?¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him, pocket change? For some reason that sounded rather strange.


    ¡°Just¡­ take some pictures and stuff¡­¡± Gu Fei explained.


    Jiang Cheng knew that Gu Fei couldn¡¯t possibly introduce him to anything weird. But at this moment, his brain was lacking adequate blood supply just right after that intense ballgame, and he was caught in a spiraling thought of ¡°this is a trap with evil intentions¡±, unable to free himself for quite some time. Finally, he blurted out, ¡°I¡¯m a decent person.¡±


    ¡°How is this the intelligence of a xueba?¡± Gu Fei honestly couldn¡¯t help himself, ¡°You must have actually gone to Special-Ed school before, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Jiang Cheng finally returned to his senses, ¡°Take photos? What kind of photos?¡±


    ¡°Nudes,¡± Gu Fei gestured irritably. He lit a cigarette and kept on walking, ¡°We¡¯ll talk again when you¡¯re awake.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m awake now¡­¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at the cigarette hanging in his mouth and froze. He knew that Gu Fei frequently smoked in the bathroom in between classes, but he didn¡¯t expect him to just light up one in the middle of the sports field in broad daylight.


    ¡°Want one?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng decisively refused. Although he and Pan Zhi had also hid in the bathroom to smoke sometimes, generally speaking, they were not decent people.


    ¡°What photos?¡± Wang Xu, who was walking ahead, suddenly turned his head. ¡°Did someone take photos of us¡­ ah, of course, someone did. We were so handsome today! Let¡¯s check the school forum tonight. There must be all kinds of poses¡­ ay, but it¡¯s probably all of you two¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get someone to come just for the purpose of taking photos of you for the next match,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Are you for real?¡± Wang Xu laughed, ¡°That¡¯s enough, don¡¯t tease me¡­¡±


    ¡°Gu Fei¡ª¡± someone called from behind them.


    ¡°Ooohh.¡± Wang Xu looked up, ¡°Your Excellency, the class representative.¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned his head and saw Yi Jing running over with a small bag in her hand.


    ¡°You called me?¡± Gu Fei also turned.


    ¡°This¡­¡± Yi Jing handed the bag to Jiang Cheng. ¡°I just got these from the infirmary, rubbing alcohol and stuff. You fell during the game, right? You should check it out later.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng was a bit taken aback. He did feel a slight burning sensation on his elbow, but today, they had all worn T-shirts under their uniforms. And when he fell, his sleeves separated his elbow from the ground so it shouldn¡¯t be anything that serious. He took the bag, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Yi Jing smiled.


    ¡°Why did you call Gu Fei¡¯s name when you wanted to give something to Jiang Cheng?¡± Wang Xu had a meaningful smile on his face.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t remember Jiang Cheng¡¯s name for a second.¡± Yi Jing brushed at her hair, slightly embarrassed before she turned to leave.


    Wang Xu tsk-ed at her back. ¡°Only remembers Gu Fei¡¯s name, huh?¡±


    ¡°She only didn¡¯t remember Jiang Cheng¡¯s name,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Lao Xu and Lao Lu were pretty generous; the game today probably exceeded their expectations to such an extent that they actually called for several taxis to take the group to a barbeque buffet.


    ¡°Xu-zong.¡± Gu Fei stopped Lao Xu at the entrance, ¡°It¡¯s too expensive here. Let¡¯s go to a normal restaurant instead. More importantly, it¡¯s just a gathering and shouldn¡¯t have to be anything big.¡±


    ¡°What gathering?¡± Lao Lu spoke from the side, ¡°It¡¯s a celebration! Gu Fei, you go in. Don¡¯t worry about this, your Xu Zong and I can pay for this much.¡±


    ¡°What a good boy!¡± Lao Xu grabbed Gu Fei¡¯s arm with a touched expression on his face. ¡°What a good boy! You know how to be considerate of your teacher! I just knew that you¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ can still be saved.¡± Gu Fei helped finish his sentence, then turned around and went inside the restaurant.


    Jiang Cheng followed in from behind, holding back his laughter.


    The restaurant had a huge private room that probably didn¡¯t get used much, which was perfect for the large group of them to go in.


    ¡°Go get some food.¡± Lao Xu propped himself on the table as if he was in class. You can eat enough to satisfy your cravings, and you can even get some alcohol, but I¡¯ll have to approve how much you can drink.¡±


    Hearing that, everyone squeezed out all at once to go get their food.


    Jiang Cheng took off his coat and was just about to look at his elbow when his cellphone sounded.


    He took it out for a glance and saw that it was a notification for the auto-payment of the current month¡¯s phone bill for a hundred yuan.


    Normally, he wouldn¡¯t think that a hundred yuan was much, but now that he looked at the notification, he felt a slight twinge in his heart. Should he switch to a cheaper plan? But then there wouldn¡¯t be enough data, and also, Li Baoguo¡¯s place didn¡¯t have Wi-Fi¡­ maybe get an Ethernet cable? But that would also mean more spending.


    He frowned. Although he had money in his card; nonetheless, he was still made uneasy by this state of constantly having no income at all. Li Baoguo had only provided him with a room and nothing else. Now, he even had to go out and buy food once a week to keep in the fridge for him to make something to eat on the daily.


    He sighed and walked out of the private room to get some food.


    Gu Fei was in front of him, holding a plate in his hands as he looked at the meat in the rows of freezers before him, seemingly in a daze.


    Jiang Cheng walked over to stand beside him. He also picked up a plate and a pair of tongs, and in just a few grabs, pork belly, fatty beef, and fatty lamb all piled up on the plate. Then he stacked his plate on top of Gu Fei¡¯s and picked up another one and continued: pork belly, fatty beef¡­


    ¡°How do you maintain your figure?¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°I go running when the weather is warm,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°And it¡¯s not like I eat like this all the time.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Gu Fei responded.


    ¡°What you just said¡­ about the photos.¡± Jiang Cheng looked around, there were no classmates nearby. ¡°What was that all about?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Xin-jie.¡± Gu Fei hesitated for a long while with the tongs in his hand then picked up a few shrimps and piled them on the plate. ¡°She has a shop that sells menswear and she¡¯s looking for someone to take some photos.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it. ¡°Don¡¯t these shops normally have their own regular models?¡±


    ¡°Just one regular and the others are all temporary hires. The regular has something to do,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°There are new goods that came in the last couple of days, but no one to take photos of them. She asked me to help her look for a suitable person.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Jiang Cheng was a bit hesitant. ¡°I¡¯m completely inexperienced, is that okay?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem, you have the face and the figure, and you¡¯re also photogenic,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Liu Fan helped out with the photos before. If he can do it, it definitely won¡¯t be a problem for you.¡±


    ¡°What kind of clothes?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you in a bit.¡±  Gu Fei lifted his chin toward the food counter, ¡°Help me get a bit of vegetables. I can¡¯t take it if it¡¯s all meat.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng took a small basket and filled it with veggies.


    When they got to the private room, everyone had already returned from getting food, and the room was piping hot from the steam.


    As soon as they entered, Lao Xu picked up a glass of wine and stood up. ¡°Come, our saviors, have a seat. I have something to say.¡±


    After Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei sat down, Lao Xu raised his glass. ¡°Everyone worked hard today. I had you since sophomore year, of course some from junior year¡­ our Class 8 ah, we don¡¯t even rank in the daily morning exercise routine competition[1] but today, we can hold our heads up high! It hasn¡¯t been easy! I believe that with your current abilities, entering the finals will not be a problem! Fighting! Come, let¡¯s drink!¡±


    Everybody picked up their glasses and cheered with dissonant clangs.


    They had barely taken a sip when Lao Xu started again: ¡°We also have to thank classmates Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng for their efforts today¡­¡±


    ¡°Lao Xu, Lao Xu,¡± Lao Lu called out twice, ¡°That¡¯s enough. Let them eat first, they¡¯re all hungry. You¡¯re going to put yourself in tears being this emotional.¡±


    ¡°Drink!¡± Wang Xu tilted his head back and emptied his glass.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at the glasses that all contained beer, and only Lao Xu and Lao Lu¡¯s held liquor.


    He followed with a couple of gulps.


    ¡°Tomorrow is the girls¡¯ competition,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°I wonder how it¡¯ll go.¡±


    ¡°Not a chance. Don¡¯t our girls always get on the court just to lose the match and complete the task? The ball goes flying once they start, and none of them like to play basketball anyway,¡± Guo Xu said.


    There was a collective ensemble of sighs for the girls¡¯ team before everyone then went back to discussing the upcoming matches.


    ¡°Look,¡± Gu Fei browsed through his phone and then passed it over to Jiang Cheng. ¡°They¡¯re mostly in this style, pretty niche¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng took the phone and swiped through some of the photos that were all of Liu Fan ¨C the shots were pretty cool. As he swiped to the next few photos, they were of another person, probably Ding Zhuxin¡¯s regular model. He could definitely see the difference if comparing them side to side.


    ¡°Steampunk?¡±[2] Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°There are others as well, with all kinds of retro nostalgia,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°What do you think? The payment can be by a single piece or by day which is based on professional models¡¯ rate. And since she is in a rush to shoot, it could be more than usual.¡±


    Jiang Cheng hardly hesitated, after all, it was money. He nodded his head, ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell her then. We don¡¯t have any matches for the next two days, so we can go shoot in the afternoon and evening,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the photos once more, ¡°Does anyone actually buy these clothes? They¡¯d be surrounded and stared at for sure if they went out like this. If they¡¯re even a bit complacent about it, they might even get beaten up¡­¡±


    Gu Fei laughed, ¡°You even worry about this for them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m kind-hearted like that,¡± Jiang Cheng stated.


    The management at Si Zhong was pretty lenient. With matches initiating in the early afternoon, those that wanted to go, and watch didn¡¯t even attend classes and crowded onto the sports field, and those that left, no one even took notice.


    However, Jiang Cheng still gave Lao Xu a call. He said that the fall from the day before had caused some pain and he needed to get it checked out at the hospital. Lao Xu approved and even casually lamented that a good student was as good as what was expected of them.


    In fact, Jiang Cheng had never asked for leave in the past when he didn¡¯t go to school. But with Lao Xu being the mother-hen type of homeroom teacher who liked to spread his wings and cluck at them all day long, he felt that Lao Xu would be a bit pitiful if he didn¡¯t say something.


    ¡°The place is a bit far, but it is only a bus ride away.¡± Gu Fei took Jiang Cheng to the bus stop. ¡°Her studio doubles as a warehouse and a bedroom that has a small photography set.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    He was a little nervous. He wouldn¡¯t even be nervous if someone asked him to take their exams for them to earn money, but modeling for photos¡­ this type of thing that he had never thought of was a bit far from his comfort zone.


    When they got on the bus, he noticed that what Gu Fei carried was not his school bag but a rather heavy-looking bag instead. ¡°What are you carrying?¡±


    ¡°Camera, lenses.¡± Gu Fei went to sit in the very last row.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­ taking the photos?¡± Jiang Cheng froze.


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei pulled his sleeve a little and dragged him to the side seat before an uncle squeezed over to sit down.


    ¡°You are taking the photos?¡± Jiang Cheng asked once more.


    ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Gu Fei looked at him, ¡°I¡¯m taking the photos. Is that strange or something? It¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t photographed you before.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean that. I just thought that she had her own photographer,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    In fact, it wasn¡¯t strange knowing that Gu Fei would shoot the photos. He had seen Gu Fei¡¯s photos before, and Gu Fei had also shared them often in his Moments; they were indeed very professionally photographed.


    ¡°Ding Zhuxin has her own photographer, but she asks me when it gets too busy,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I¡¯ve always helped people take photos though.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ah.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Fei.


    Once the bus started to move, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything else.


    The heated bus shook and moved exasperatingly slowly. Beside his ears were sounds of people talking and laughing, and while the people in the bus stayed in place, the scenery outside the window constantly changed.


    This was the time where one would be harrowed by an unusual drowsiness and the need to sleep, especially in the afternoon, when the eyes started to scuffle with you from looking at the warm sun.


    Gu Fei also kept silent. Jiang Cheng glanced over at him and found that he was holding his arms with his eyes closed.


    Sleepy.


    At first, he could hold it back for a while but seeing that Gu Fei had actually fallen asleep already, he felt his own eyes no longer capable of remaining open. He pulled up the hood of his coat over his head and also closed his eyes, letting his head hang low.


    But saying that he was sleepy didn¡¯t mean that he could fall asleep just like that. He was in a daze the entire time, surrounded by vague sounds and shadows that constantly flitted by.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know how long he was in that state of half-consciousness, until he felt a bit of weight on his shoulder. He lifted his hood and found that Gu Fei¡¯s head was unknowingly leading against his shoulder.


    Gu Fei¡¯s eyelashes were pretty long, but not as thick as Gu Miao¡¯s.


    Although he didn¡¯t have any motive toward Gu Fei, especially with Ding Zhuxin feasibly being Gu Fei¡¯s girlfriend¡­¡­ at this moment, he felt an inexplicable itch in his heart, nevertheless.


    This itch that spread from his shoulder, felt like down feathers that had been fluffed up in the sunlight, and gradually caressed the rest of his body.


    He closed his eyes again.


    The feeling of loneliness, he had always been able to taste it ever since the day he realized that the attractiveness of men was greater to him than that of women, and when the days where he could only strictly keep the secret to himself started.


    This feeling of loneliness appeared from time to time.


    Pan Zhi knew his secret but wasn¡¯t able to alleviate him of the pressure that came with it.


    When he had a family, parents and a brother, classmates and friends, though this loneliness existed, he did not feel it as profoundly.


    It was only after he arrived here that they overlapped and pressed together little by little.


    He didn¡¯t need the allies, didn¡¯t need those of the same kind who casually nestled together to keep warm.


    Though it was an objective attraction, Gu Fei, and Gu Fei¡¯s unconscious position now.


    Gave him the illusion of the warmth of ¡®two people¡±.


    He wasn¡¯t exactly sure what this taste was.


    ¡°Stop requested.¡± Gu Fei raised his head after the stop was announced. ¡°It¡¯s the next one.¡±


    He froze for a couple of seconds when he saw Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulder, and then said: ¡°Sorry. I¡¯m too sleepy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Jiang Cheng stretched out his shoulder, ¡°You¡¯re too tired from acting all cool yesterday.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed and stood up, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Jiang Cheng followed. He had only dozed off for a moment, yet his legs felt soft at the knees when he walked¡­ perhaps, he was too fierce the day before, especially since he hadn¡¯t had that much exercise since winter began.


    As the wind blew when they got off the bus, the feeling of having no strength in his whole body gradually waned.


    Ding Zhuxin¡¯s studio that doubled as a warehouse and bedroom, and had a small photography set, was on a very artistic street; the kind that had all sorts of graffiti on the street, and all kinds of drawings and paintings on the manhole, telephone booths and matching circuit boxes. There were small stores with renovations on either side of the streets that would make anybody who wanted to act pretentious and couldn¡¯t act pretentious enough be afraid to enter in case they lose their shit.


    This street was not long or grand, but Jiang Cheng was still rather surprised that a place like this could still exist in such a rundown and crappy little city.


    Gu Fei took him into a building that was similar to a small office building. It appeared quite old on the outside, but looking at the signage plates on the wall, the names of the companies here were striving in a direction that made people unable to comprehend.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at the names while they waited for the elevator but couldn¡¯t exactly make sense of any of them; the ones in roman alphabets, he didn¡¯t know which country they belonged to, and the Chinese characters also didn¡¯t seem to follow the usual order at first glance.


    ¡°What is this place, each and every one of them seem so full of themselves that they can¡¯t even be fucking pulled back by steel cables.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but say when it was only him and Gu Fei in the elevator.


    ¡°This area is called the ¡®¡®90s Convergence.¡± Gu Fei leaned against the enclosure and laughed. ¡°It was meant to be a place where young people could gather, the really trendy and fashionable ones, but it kind of steered a bit away from that. No one but pretentious pricks come here now, however, the rent is pretty cheap.¡±


    Ding Zhuxin was waiting in the studio, and the moment the two walked in, she smiled. ¡°I knew you would call him over.¡±


    ¡°Reaallly¡­¡± Gu Fei threw the bag he carried on the floor. ¡°We¡¯re all acquainted so there¡¯s no need for introductions.¡±


    ¡°Have a bit of this.¡± Ding Zhuxin brought over a pot of fruit tea and poured a cup for Jiang Cheng. ¡°I made it myself and added a bunch of random things. It¡¯s actually pretty good.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Jiang Cheng accepted the cup and looked around the studio.


    It was a mess, with fabrics and posters everywhere along with several large unopened parcels that most likely contained clothes. But through this mess, he could still perceive that the very foundation was still the largely cold and industrial style that consisted of concrete walls, concrete lighting, exposed red bricks, and intertwining water pipes.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get started.¡± Gu Fei laid down on the sofa, ¡°Let him see the clothes first.¡±


    ¡°Come.¡± Ding Zhuxin took Jiang Cheng to the racks of hangers and pointed at the clothes hanging on them, ¡°The style this time is ¡®back to the basics¡¯, all knitted¡­¡±


    ¡°Knitted?¡± Gu Fei interrupted her. ¡°You had me find a ¡®bad boy¡¯ for this style?¡±


    ¡°Knitted material.¡± Ding Zhuxin leaned against the rack, ¡°The design follows a ¡®bad boy¡¯ style, though it can be a bit difficult for the model¡­¡±


    Ding Zhuxin looked at Jiang Cheng up and down, ¡°But he can manage it.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you say.¡± Gu Fei sat up, opened his bag, and began to prepare the camera.


    ¡°Let¡¯s strive for 30 sets today,¡± Ding Zhuxin said. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°¡­ okay.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the clothes on the racks that were just hanging there in a row like that. Apart from the so-called knitted garments, he couldn¡¯t discern any of the designs that Ding Zhuxin had mentioned at all; there were just a lot of long garments.


    Moreover, he had never worn anything that he had always thought was normally worn by older and middle-aged, long-haired artists.


    ¡°Go change.¡± Gu Fei walked over and said, ¡°The undergarments have all been matched already. You just have to change into them.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Jiang Cheng turned his head around, but before he could speak, Gu Fei raised the camera and clicked the shutter. Click, click. ¡°¡­ bastard.¡±


    ¡°Just change.¡± Gu Fei pointed to a room to the side, ¡°We¡¯ll be shooting in there in a bit. She will tell you what kind of feeling she wants for the poses. I promise to make you look¡­ very handsome.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng responded and then looked at the clothes on the racks. ¡°I can choose any one of these?¡±


    ¡°Any,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng responded once more. He took off his coat and tossed it on the chair to the side but was somewhat embarrassed when he was about to take off his clothes. It was fine that Gu Fei was standing to the side with his camera but Ding Zhuxin was also standing there holding her elbow and sipping tea while staring at him.


    He wouldn¡¯t have felt anything if it was a jacket that he had to change into, but when he looked at all the sets, he basically had to strip down to his underwear.


    Gu Fei turned to glance at Ding Zhuxin and gestured with his hand.


    Ding Zhuxin smiled and turned into the small room to the side. ¡°Come in after you¡¯ve changed. You have a good foundation so simple makeup should be enough. Da Fei can tweak them a bit later.¡±


    ¡°I have to wear makeup?¡± Jiang Cheng asked as he took off his clothes.


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei raised the camera toward him and looked at Jiang Cheng¡¯s well-proportioned torso through the lens. It was indeed a body that had always been trained ¨C very well-toned. ¡°If we don¡¯t apply any, your face will be dark.¡±


    ¡°Can you not point that thing at me?¡± Jiang Cheng clutched his belt and looked at the camera.


    ¡°Starting from right now until tonight,¡± Gu Fei still had the camera raised, ¡°This thing will be pointed at you the entire time.¡±


    Jiang Cheng took off his pants somewhat reluctantly and said while changing into the clothes: ¡°I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s only because of the money that I haven¡¯t already smacked you.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s legs were rather straight and were as toned as his upper body. He looked through the lens at Jiang Cheng, who had changed into the upper garment. ¡°You¡¯re actually pretty fitting for this style.¡±


    ¡°No way,¡± Jiang Cheng said and looked down suspiciously. ¡°I¡¯ve lived for almost 18 years and haven¡¯t worn anything like this before.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t speak as he retreated a few steps.


    Ding Zhuxin¡¯s eye for people was always pretty accurate. As soon as Jiang Cheng changed into these clothes, the aura around his whole person seemed to have changed.


    He always felt that regardless of gender, whoever put on a long-knitted jacket could pick up a bowl and go begging on the street.


    But when Jiang Cheng put on the jacket, and turned his face to look at him, Gu Fei¡¯s breath stopped at that moment.


    This air about him, it was truly not something he normally saw in the people around him.


    [1] Calisthenics ¨C (morning exercise routine) competition ¨C a form of exercise consisting of a variety of movements that exercise large muscle groups (gross motor movements), such as running, standing, grasping, pushing, etc. These exercises are often performed rhythmically and with minimal equipment, as bodyweight exercises. They are intended to increase strength, fitness, and flexibility, through movements such as pulling, pushing, bending, jumping, or swinging, using one¡¯s body weight for resistance.


    [2] Steampunk (fashion) ¨C a subgenre of the steampunk movement in science fiction. It is a mixture of the Victorian era¡¯s romantic view of science in literature and elements from the Industrial Revolution in Europe during the 1800s. The fashion is designed with a post-apocalyptic era in mind. Steampunk fashion consists of clothing, hairstyling, jewelry, body modification and make-up. More modern ideals of steampunk can include t-shirts with a variety of designs or the humble jeans being accessorized with belts and gun holsters.


    Oh dear goodness, Jiang Cheng in steampunk clothes¡­. YESSSSSSS, please. I¡¯m living for it!! Just look at these images and tell me you do not want to see him in these clothes!! *plus Gu Fei gets to see him change into them :)))))))

 CH 31

    Jiang Cheng felt that he had quite the skill to be able to pick such an inexplicable outfit without much thought.


    The outfit itself was pretty good-looking if you ignored the jacket: slim-fitted pants and a loose black T-shirt, and although it was also that of knitted material, at the very least it was the kind that wouldn¡¯t lure the masses to gape at when worn outside.


    But as soon as he put this jacket on, he froze and looked back at Gu Fei. ¡°Hey, are you sure I didn¡¯t get the wrong clothes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Fei was still looking at him from behind the camera. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, but don¡¯t you think that this looks like a knitted version of the one from the Matrix? No, no, isn¡¯t it more like a missionary style if I wrap a woven rope around my waist?¡± Jiang Cheng pulled up the clothes and said in a small voice, ¡°Is there a mirror? I feel like a Master of the Law¡­¡±[1]


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t respond and only laughed and pointed at the back wall.


    This jacket was quite long, enough to reach all the way down to his calf, and the material was relatively thin and soft, giving off a loose-fitting appearance when worn. It was the legendary lax and casual style. However, if it was worn outside by a shorter and skinnier person, they would certainly be caught and taken back to the mental hospital[2].


    ¡°This requires the right face, body, height, and presence,¡± Ding Zhuxin said, leaning against the door. ¡°You have a better vibe when you wear this than Da Fei. If he wore it, he would only look like a delinquent.¡±


    ¡°Oh, even if he doesn¡¯t wear this, he¡¯s essentially a delinquent.¡± Jiang Cheng stood in front of the mirror and looked at himself. It was actually¡­ okay. Even though he would never buy these kinds of clothes, he wasn¡¯t picking for himself at the moment. ¡°Whoever the designer for this is, I have to give them a smile.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Ding Zhuxin said.


    ¡°¡­ huh?¡± Jiang Cheng froze and looked over to see Ding Zhuxin¡¯s expression of ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking¡±, the familiar feeling of embarrassment suddenly sprung up unbidden, rising steeply from the ground. And, when he followed her into the small room, his limbs were moving a bit ipsilaterally.[3]


    When Ding Zhuxin applied makeup on his face, Gu Fei was switching on all the light sources on the photography set.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just casually move around.¡± Ding Zhuxin said as she swept the brush on his face a few times, ¡°All done.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stood on the spot where the photo was to be taken as she instructed. The set itself was actually pretty cool but he didn¡¯t know what to do after he got on it.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take a few steps back and forth.¡± Gu Fei aimed the camera toward him, ¡°Just move from left to right and then right to left.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded and turned to the side. As soon as he moved, and the camera in Gu Fei¡¯s hands clicked, he could not help but turn his head. ¡°You took a shot already? I feel like I walked weirdly[4] just now.¡±


    ¡°Just walk, and don¡¯t worry about whether or not I¡¯ve taken a shot.¡± Gu Fei clicking the shutter again.


    Jiang Cheng took a deep breath then walked from left to right.


    With the area where the photography set was placed being only a few square meters, getting to the end didn¡¯t take that many steps. He turned around and walked back from right to left.


    ¡°Lower your head as you walk,¡± Gu Fei said while clicking. ¡°Go a bit faster, with larger strides.¡±


    Jiang Cheng lowered his head slightly and walked across once more.


    Gu Fei stared at him through the lens and took a series of shots.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s figure was fixed in the frame, with his head lowered, his legs making large strides, and the corner of the lower hem of his jacket slightly fluttering¡­ dynamic and breathtaking.


    ¡°Put the hood on,¡± Ding Zhuxin said. ¡°The hood also needs to give prominence to the design.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled over on the hood of the jacket and walked forward while adjusting it. ¡°Now I feel like the grim reaper¡­¡±


    ¡°Jiang Cheng,¡± Gu Fei called out to him.


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng turned his head around.


    Gu Fei quickly clicked the shutter.


    It was the same striding forward post: his raised hands and the edge of the hood concealed half of his face, and only his eyes that were hidden in the shadow and the bridge of his straight nose were visible.


    ¡°That was a great shot,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Face forward,¡± Ding Zhuxin said while sipping her tea.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to smile or make any expression.¡± Gu Fei glanced at Jiang Cheng, ¡°There¡¯s also no need for any movements either.¡±


    It would be difficult for the average person to hold this kind of stance that held no facial expression or movements, and arms hung to the side without looking stupid. Gu Fei didn¡¯t know why he had asked Jiang Cheng, a person who was not a professional and had nothing to do with modelling, to use this posture.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that look stupid?¡± Jiang Cheng sighed and stood as he had instructed.


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei answered simply and clicked the shutter.


    Jiang Cheng must have grown up showing off his good looks shamelessly[5], seeing as he was actually able to handle such an idiotic stance like this.


    There was no tension as if he was standing at attention, nor was there a deliberate uneasiness to relax oneself.


    His center of gravity was slightly shifted to the right leg, and his shoulder was naturally relaxed ¨C this was very important. Those that didn¡¯t know how to stand properly would either overly stretch back their shoulders or hunch forward unnecessarily¡­


    This kid must have practiced standing in front of the mirror before; the tall and straight, and casualness of his posture¡­ made his long arms and legs appeared relaxed and content.


    ¡°Lift your chin a bit,¡± Ding Zhuxin said, ¡°Be a bit arrogant.¡±


    ¡°Arrogant¡­ how?¡±


    ¡°When you first walked into Class 8,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Like that.¡±


    ¡°I was annoyed then.¡± Jiang Cheng recalled the time he had stood there like a complete idiot to accept the whole class inspection, and immediately felt some of that annoyance return.


    Gu Fei clicked the shutter, and after a few more clicks, he finally put down the camera. ¡°You should consider this profession if you ever run out of options.¡±[6]


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean, why does he have to be out of options to consider doing this?¡± Ding Zhuxin laughed and said.


    ¡°He¡¯s a xueba,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Unlike you and your group of ex-dropouts.¡±


    ¡°Move aside.¡± Ding Zhuxin clapped her hands and hammered on the arm. ¡°Jiang Cheng, go change into another one, the one piece.¡±


    ¡°Which one?¡± Jiang Cheng took off the jacket and asked as he walked out.


    ¡°That one piece, the long pullover.¡± Ding Zhuxin said.


    Jiang Cheng went out, but Gu Fei stayed behind and looked through the photos that he had just taken one by one.


    If he had to name something about Jiang Cheng that especially attracted him¡­ excluding stuff like being a xueba, playing the tin-whistle, skilled with a slingshot, and such, it would precisely be this demeanour of his. You could call him a bad boy, you could say that he was hot-tempered, even contemptuous ¨C it all worked; there was a type of arrogance embedded in his bones that made people concede to him, an attitude that said ¡®laozi[7] is just that awesome¡¯.


    Compared to everything else, this intuitive and straightforward attraction was the most powerful thing | it did not require you to uncover or perceive it ¨C you needed only to look at it.


    Looking was enough.


    Visual animals are superficial like that.


    Gu Fei sighed softly ¨C all he could do was look.


    He could no longer remember how long it had been since he last was in the mindset to spare a single glance at those around him that came and went, those that remained and those that stayed.


    Dating young must be put to an end.


    He wasn¡¯t in the mood, but he also didn¡¯t dare to ¨C everything that he protected just couldn¡¯t bear any instability.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Jiang Cheng came in lifting a linen-coloured outfit. ¡°Is it this one?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ding Zhuxin nodded.


    ¡°I wanted to ask, how do you wear this?¡± Jiang Cheng spread open the garment, held it by the shoulder, and shook it. ¡°And what do I wear on the inside?¡±


    ¡°Underwear,¡± Ding Zhuxin said.


    Jiang Cheng shook the garment in his hand again with question marks of all sizes written in the expression across his face.


    Gu Fei turned his head and used the camera to obstruct his own face as he tried his best to hold back his laughter, thinking he could almost hear the desperate cry in Jiang Cheng¡¯s heart.


    This garment was a very thinly knitted pullover that was rather long in length and looked like it could reach down to Jiang Cheng¡¯s knees; the neckline was unnecessarily large as well. Gu Fei had seen this design before but had always thought that Ding Zhuxin had designed it for herself. He didn¡¯t anticipate that it was actually menswear.


    ¡°Go change,¡± Ding Zhuxin said. ¡°It should look good on you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s hollow at the center?¡± Jiang Cheng stated, unwilling to give up.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Ding Zhuxin said. ¡°You got abs? If you don¡¯t, I can help draw it for you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression remained incomprehensible.


    ¡°Does he?¡± Ding Zhuxin turned to ask Gu Fei.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Gu Fei turned his head around, without having a chance to restrain the smile on his face. ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°Go change then. I thought you were afraid of being embarrassed because you didn¡¯t have abs.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded his head like he had decided something, but after he walked out, he poked his head back in. ¡°Xin-jie, I¡¯m just asking but do people actually buy these clothes?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Ding Zhuxin sipped her tea, ¡°All my designs sell pretty well.¡±


    ¡°How wondrous. What kind of people buy them?¡± Jiang Cheng said in a small voice.


    ¡°Crazy people, probably,¡± Ding Zhuxin said.


    Once he stripped until he was only left in his underpants and put on the garment that was practically the same as a torn fishnet, Jiang Cheng felt that it was no different from being naked. He quickly walked over to the mirror for a glance.


    Oh, my God ¡ª


    Jiang Cheng firmly believed that if this garment could be sold, it could only be attributed to his own figure being just too fucking good¡­


    He clenched his teeth and walked back in.


    Gu Fei had his head down and was fiddling with the camera, but as soon as he looked up and saw him, he immediately whistled.


    ¡°Shut up you,¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at him.


    ¡°Good thing the underpants is black.¡± Ding Zhuxin closely scrutinized his whole figure and said with great satisfaction, ¡°I was even thinking of finding you a black one if it wasn¡¯t¡­ let¡¯s start.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng walked over to the set only to see that part of it had been replaced, appearing even more fresh and cool than before.


    ¡°Take your shoes off. Barefoot only,¡± Ding Zhuxin said.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t have the strength to resist while wearing such clothes; he simply took off his shoes and socks without a word and stood barefoot in the centre.


    ¡°This outfit doesn¡¯t require much movement,¡± Ding Zhuxin said. ¡°The name of this piece is ¡®Soundless¡¯. Try to find a feeling for it.¡±


    Silence.


    That was the only thing Jiang Cheng could think of at this moment based on the word.


    And as for the feeling.


    He felt a little cold¡­ the outfit was completely covered in holes after all. Not to mention that Ding Zhuxin could make out that the underpants were black, she probably saw exactly what fucking brand it was.


    But he had to unearth the feeling, nonetheless.


    Ding Zhuxin paid him to take these photos ¨C she was his employer. He had to find this so-called feeling, and besides, Gu Fei had also been holding the camera waiting for him.


    Silence.


    Okay, not silence. Soundless.


    The absence of sound.


    Pure peacefulness.


    He somehow remembered a Russian song that he used to be very fond of.


    §´§Ú§ç§à, §ä§Ú§ç§à, §ä§Ú§ç§à, §ä§Ú§ç§à§ä§Ñ§Ü§ä§Ñ§Ö§ä§Ó§ß§à§é§Ú¡­¡­[8]


    Quietly, quietly, quietly, quietly clinging for a long time¡­


    The whole song made one feel calm.


    After a quarrel with his family, he often put on headphones to listen to it.


    With his eyes closed, he would listen to the lyrics that he didn¡¯t understand and hear the voice in his heart.


    That was a hell of a long way to go¡­ he had to search all the way in Siberia for such a feeling¡­


    In the frame, Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and placed his right hand gently on the left side of his chest.


    Gu Fei clicked the shutter.


    At this moment, Jiang Cheng gave off the feeling of being very far away, enclosed by a deep sense of distance.


    Confusion and stubbornness written in the silent placidity.


    After he clicked the shutter, he kept the camera lifted for a long time without moving as he looked through the lens, transfixed by Jiang Cheng¡¯s face.


    ¡­ until Ding Zhuxin lightly cleared her throat.


    Jiang Cheng opened his eyes as if he had been awakened, and as his hand came down, his finger got caught on the collar. He gently pulled it away which caused it to bounce back.


    The shutter of the camera in Gu Fei¡¯s hand sounded with a series of clicks.


    The faint perplexity in Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes, his slightly opened lips, the collar caught by his finger, and the fingertips that drew across his body¡­


    ¡°I think it¡¯s great,¡± Ding Zhuxin said. ¡°Very seductive, but also very sensitive.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything as he looked down at the camera in his hands for a long time, finally, he took a breath and slowly exhaled as if sighing.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna¡­¡± Gu Fei put down the camera, ¡°To the bathroom.¡±


    After he sat on the lid of the toilet, Gu Fei lit a cigarette hanging in his mouth.


    And watched as the smoke drifted toward the window.


    Life¡­ had always been full of all sorts of unpredictable things.


    For example, Gu Miao had been unpredictably found by Jiang Cheng, who had unpredictably kissed Mother Earth in front of his shop, and then unpredictably became his deskmate¡­


    The aforementioned were not too unpredictable.


    What surprised Gu Fei was that he, who had always known himself to have a fairly good grasp of all things, had actually reacted when taking those pictures.


    This kind of thing was truly unpredictable.


    Truly unpredictable.


    Even a person like him who had always been indifferent had to hide in the toilet to calm down.


    When he thought about this point, he couldn¡¯t help but think that if Jiang Cheng was him¡­¡­ he would probably off himself in the toilet.[9]


    When Gu Fei came out of the toilet with a cigarette hanging in his mouth, Jiang Cheng was standing in front of the clothing racks, fighting to the death with another piece of garment.


    The unflagging battlefield had reached a stalemate; he tore apart at the garment, but the garment had locked fiercely around his throat.


    When he heard the door behind him sounded, he lifted his arm and peeked through the gap in the garment. Seeing that it was Gu Fei, he didn¡¯t even care to be embarrassed and kept his voice down. ¡°Fuck, come and help me.¡±


    ¡°¡­ what¡¯s going on here?¡± Gu Fei quickly stubbed the smoke and walked over. He reached out his hands several times but didn¡¯t know where to pull to release him.


    ¡°Yeah, huh.¡± Jiang Cheng still had his arm held up, showing half a face full of anger and frustration from between his arm and collar. ¡°This is not fucking meant for humans to wear! This neckline, only infants can get into this!¡±


    ¡°Wait.¡± Gu Fei circled around him, ¡°Let me see.¡±


    ¡°If you had come out any later, I would¡¯ve torn this outfit apart. I¡¯ll admit it even if I have to pay for the damages,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I think¡­¡± Gu Fei lifted the left side of the garment for a look, ¡°Did you go in through the sleeves?¡±


    ¡°¡­ when you put it like that.¡± Jiang Cheng was stiff in place, ¡°I suddenly feel like that does make a lot of sense.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything and neither did he.


    After two seconds, he knew that his and Gu Fei¡¯s cycle of foolish laughter was about to break loose again.


    By the time Ding Zhuxin came out, the two were already engaged in a perfervid laugh. Gu Fei attempted to help him out of the garment several times, but the laughter had weakened his hands which made his efforts unsuccessful.


    And Jiang Cheng, himself, laughed so hard that he felt that even if the cuff of the sleeve strangled him, he wouldn¡¯t be able to stop.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Ding Zhuxin took out her cellphone and snapped a picture of the two. ¡°I need to post this on my Moment.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Fei asked as he leaned against the rack and continued to laugh.


    ¡°My part-time photographer and my part-time model,¡± Ding Zhuxin said. ¡°Have gone crazy.¡±


    ¡°Almost done. He went in through the sleeves.¡± Gu Fei finally calmed down and lightly pulled and tugged at the garment while Jiang Cheng moved back, trying to make his arms and head become one ¨C at long last, the garment came off.


    ¡°Ai!¡± He crouched on the floor, ¡°I¡¯m freaking beat.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up, Jie will treat you both to take-outs for dinner.¡± Ding Zhuxin turned around and went back in.


    At the start, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t think 30 sets of clothes were much, after all, he would sometimes put together and try out two or three outfits just before heading out.


    Today, he finally knew how annoying it was to get dressed and undressed.


    Constantly dressing, constantly undressing, and then having to stand in front of the lights to search for all sorts of feelings while the soreness in his legs from the ballgame had yet to completely wane, he wanted to rip off the clothes every time he changed.


    The crucial point was that Ding Zhuxin¡¯s clothes were all complete sets, not 30 separate pieces of clothing whereas just changing the trousers alone two or three times was enough ¨C for each change, he had to strip from head to toe.


    When darkness reigned, Ding Zhuxin had said for them to eat first, but Jiang Cheng refused. He felt that if he stopped to rest and finished a meal, he wouldn¡¯t want to continue anymore even if he was beaten to death; even additional money wouldn¡¯t increase his enthusiasm.


    Hence, neither of them ate and pressed on until past nine o¡¯clock before finally completing today¡¯s tiring mission.


    ¡°Hungry?¡± Ding Zhuxin asked as she transferred the day¡¯s pay to Jiang Cheng. ¡°Go downstairs and eat something. What do you want?¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t want to eat.¡± Jiang Cheng felt a lot more comfortable after he changed into his own clothes. His whole body became relaxed and then exhaustion struck him. ¡°I¡¯m going back to sleep, I¡¯m dead tired.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not hungry?¡± Ding Zhuxin said, ¡°Just have a bite or two. What happens if you get hungry later in the night?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Xin-jie.¡± Jiang Cheng yawned, ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m so sleepy that I don¡¯t even feel hungry anymore. I reckon that even if I¡¯m hungry later, I won¡¯t even know it.¡±


    Ding Zhuxin laughed, ¡°Alright then. Will you still have the energy to come over tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine after I sleep,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Then, you should take a taxi back,¡± Ding Zhuxin said. ¡°I¡¯ll reimburse you for the travel expenses.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jiang Cheng quickly said. ¡°It¡¯s really not necessary, I¡¯ll take care of it myself.¡±


    Ding Zhuxin still had something to say but Gu Fei cut in. ¡°Give me the money. I¡¯m taking the taxi back with him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not eating either?¡± Ding Zhuxin looked at him, a bit surprised.


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei took out a stick of cigarette and lit it. ¡°My mom made food today and left some for me. I have to eat it all when I get back, otherwise, she will cry again.¡±


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Ding Zhuxin nodded.


    Jiang Cheng went to flag down a taxi by the roadside while Gu Fei and Ding Zhuxin stood there in silence.


    ¡°Da Fei,¡± Ding Zhuxin opened her mouth when she saw a taxi approaching.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°This is my first time seeing you laugh so heartily like that,¡± Ding Zhuxin stated as she looked at Jiang Cheng¡¯s back. ¡°I watched you grow up and today was the first time I¡¯ve seen it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, watched me grow up?¡± Gu Fei laughed, avoiding Ding Zhuxin¡¯s words. ¡°You¡¯re only a few years older than me, and you sound like my mom. I also watched you grow up.¡±


    ¡°Get in the car,¡± Ding Zhuxin said. ¡°I have some things to take care of tomorrow, so I won¡¯t be here. I will have the outfits that need to be photographed prepared by then. My assistant will come over to do the makeup, and you can help me with the rest.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Fei threw away the cigarette butt and got in the taxi.


    Jiang Cheng fell asleep as soon as his body touched the seat; he could even sense himself sleeping like a pig. Gu Fei pushed him several times before he finally realized that it was not the shaking of the taxi and opened his eyes.


    ¡°We¡¯re here?¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his face and opened the door, preparing to get out. ¡°I had almost started to dream.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Gu Fei pulled at his arm.


    Jiang Cheng was about to ask him what happened when he heard the commotion from up ahead. There was the sound of a man shouting, a woman screaming, and another woman wailing.


    And as his eyes followed the source of the sound, his whole body sank into an endless state of anxiety ¨C in that instant, an afternoon and half a night of exhaustion were literally going to blow the lid off his head.


    Li Baoguo, Li Hui, and Li Qian ¨C his own father, brother, and sister ¨C he recognized at a glance. There was also a woman with a limp who he had never seen before nor did he know who she was.


    This woman was dragging her limping leg and scuffling with Li Baoguo, crying and cursing, though she appeared to be speaking in dialect with a heavy accent that he could not make out.


    Li Baoguo was completely unlike his cowardly self from the other day when he lay on the ground and held his head as those people kicked and beat him. Now he was very aggressively fighting with this woman, but no matter how hard Li Hui and Li Qian pulled at him, they could not hold him back.


    ¡°Believe it or not, I¡¯ll beat you to death!¡± Li Baoguo¡¯s words were clear and full of vigor: ¡°You must have not been fixed[10] enough by laozi yet! Just see if I¡¯ll let you come out of this alive today!¡±


    Jiang Cheng suddenly felt out of breath. He threw himself back into the taxi, which pushed Gu Fei ¡ªwho was about to get off with him¡ª back in and closed the door.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You¡¯re not getting off?¡± the driver asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take you back first,¡± Jiang Cheng softly said to Gu Fei ¨C his throat feeling a bit tight.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t ask further. ¡°Shifu[11], please turn to Beixiao street.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± The driver turned around the car and drove over to the next street.


    After passing Gu Fei¡¯s shop, the taxi moved ahead for a while longer. Once they reached the front of several residential buildings, Gu Fei told the driver to stop.


    ¡°Are you going anywhere else?¡± the driver asked.


    ¡°Just here.¡± Gu Fei handed the driver the money and then pushed Jiang Cheng. ¡°Get out.¡±


    Jiang Cheng did as he was told and got out of the taxi, his whole head feeling a bit numb as he looked at the building before him. ¡°Your place?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei said and walked toward the entrance. ¡°Come watch me work on the photos.¡±


    ¡°What photos?¡± Jiang Cheng hesitated for a moment but still followed him.


    ¡°Your photos ah, don¡¯t you want to see them? So hawt,¡±[12] Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    [1] Master of the Law (priest) ·¨Ê¦ fa3shi1 ¨C in religion refers to a monk/priest in its simplest form but to be more specific, it means Master of the Law which is the title of respect for a Buddhist or Taoist priest; or one who has mastered the sutras (Buddhism)


    [2] Mental hospital, refers to ÇàɽҽԺ Castle Peak Hospital, the oldest extant psychiatric hospital in Hong Kong. It replaced the older Victoria Mental Hospital on Hong Kong Island as the main public inpatient hospital for the treatment of mental illness.


    [3] Ipsilateral ¨C synonym homolateral: On the same side (with reference to a given point) ¨C when you swing the same hand as the leg you walk out with ¨C right leg and right arm, and then you take a step, left leg and left arm (we normally walk the opposite way) ¨C An


    [4] Weirdly ¨C ˳¹Õ the word Jiang Cheng used is also ¡°Ipsilateral¡± ¨C ¡°I feel like I walked rather ipsilaterally just now¡±


    [5] must have grown up showing off his good looks shamelessly (´ÓСµ½´ó¶¼³ôÃÀµÃ²»ÐеÄÈË) ¨C  more accurately: must have been ridiculously vain growing up


    [6] run out of options (Ìì»ì²»ÏÂÈ¥ÁË): literal ¨C can¡¯t hold on anymore


    [7] laozi (ÀÏ×Ó) ¨C  I (used arrogantly or jocularly)


    [8] §´§Ú§ç§à, §ä§Ú§ç§à, §ä§Ú§ç§à, §ä§Ú§ç§à§ä§Ñ§Ü§ä§Ñ§Ö§ä§Ó§ß§à§é§Ú¡­¡­ Quietly, quietly, quietly, quietly clinging for a long time¡­ from the song §Á§Ü§à§â§ñ  ¨C ¡°Anchor¡± by the Russian rock band ¨C Lyube ¨C


    [9] Off himself ¨C mean to get rid/kill yourself; at first I read it as he was going to finish himself off as in to release or give himself a hand-job¡­. Our dirty minds!!


    [10] fix (someone) ¨C To exact revenge upon or punish someone.


    [11] Shifu (ʦ¸µ) ¨C master / qualified worker / respectful form of address for older men


    [12] À±Ã´suai (original) ¨C so hawt: Gu Fei was just trying to be cute (An)

 CH 32

    The building Gu Fei lived at was newer than Li Baoguo¡¯s. Although it had also been built by the street with no fencing or property management and was probably also public housing, it seemed much more pleasing on the eyes.


    It was not imbued with the strong stench of the city center, and even the corridor walls were still white without any sign of cobwebs.


    But it was similar in that it was also a low-rise building without elevators, and once you entered, climbing the stairs all the way up was the only option ¨C unfortunately. When they got to the fifth floor, Jiang Cheng honestly couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°What floor do you live on?¡±


    ¡°The seventh which is the top floor.¡± Gu Fei turned to give him a quick glance, holding a subtle smile at the corner of his mouth. ¡°What, can¡¯t go on anymore? Do you want me to carry you?¡±


    ¡°Whatever, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re much better. Taking a whole three minutes just to pee before coming out,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Your kidneys must be deficient.¡±


    Gu Fei looked at him for a few moments without speaking, then turned back around and continued up the stairs.


    There were four households units on the seventh floor, and Gu Fei¡¯s place was the furthest in. When the door was opened, Jiang Cheng composed himself, still remembering the temper tantrum that Gu Fei¡¯s mom threw in the shop the other day.


    The moment he passed through the door, he saw Gu Fei¡¯s mom standing in the living room talking on her phone with a cigarette in hand. Seeing the two of them come in, her somewhat startled eyes flew over Gu Fei¡¯s shoulders and fell right on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face.


    ¡°Hello, Auntie,¡± Jiang Cheng quickly said.


    ¡°Put it out,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Why are you so late?¡± Gu Fei¡¯s mom put out the cigarette, hung up on the call, and looked them up and down. After a while, she went back to staring at Jiang Cheng¡¯s face once more. ¡°You must be the one at the shop last time?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, wondering if he had to change his shoes. ¡°I¡¯m Jiang Cheng.¡±


    Gu Fei took out a pair of slippers from the cabinet and tossed it toward Jiang Cheng¡¯s feet, then turned to look at her. ¡°Is there still food?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I put aside quite a lot, enough for the two of you,¡± Gu Fei¡¯s mom replied.


    ¡°Sit for a bit,¡± Gu Fei said. Then he walked to a door beside the living room, carefully pushed open just the slightest crack, and peered inside.


    ¡°He¡¯s checking on Er Miao,¡± Gu Fei¡¯s mom explained to Jiang Cheng. ¡°Our Er-Miao¡­ as an older brother, he worries more than a father.¡±


    Jiang Cheng smiled and didn¡¯t speak.


    ¡°Not asleep yet?¡± Gu Fei leaned against the door frame and said into the crack. ¡°Cheng-ge is here, do you want to get up and say hello to him?¡±


    A few seconds later, the sound of slippers shuffling against the floor faintly came from the other room, followed by the sight of a Gu Miao in a long-style pajama dashing out the door.


    ¡°Good evening,¡± Jiang Cheng said smiling.


    Gu Miao¡¯s face was blank, but she seemed quite anxious as she ran toward him and sat down on the sofa next to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost 10 PM and you¡¯re not asleep yet?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at her and fixed the disheveled hair on her head. ¡°You¡¯re going to get dark circles around your eyes tomorrow.¡±


    Gu Miao rubbed her eyes and smiled.


    The little girl¡¯s hair was much longer now, and although it still stuck out disorderly as if without a set rule, compared to the shaven head, boyish look from before, this was much prettier.


    The brother and sister took after their mother, especially Gu Miao ¨C in a few more years, and with a bit of style, she would definitely be the standard of beauty.


    ¡°Eating now?¡± Gu Fei and his mom walked to the kitchen together. ¡°I¡¯ll heat it up for you guys.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei responded. ¡°Is there rice?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Fei¡¯s mom said as she turned to glance at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Is this kid Li Yan¡¯s boyfriend?¡±


    Even though those words were not at all that particularly loud, Jiang Cheng could still hear them and then suddenly lifted his head in shock. Niania[1]1 The wind¡¯s too strong that I couldn¡¯t hear clearly, say that again?!


    ¡°¡­ no,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°What are you even thinking huh?¡±


    ¡°Then why does he have on makeup?¡± Gu Fei¡¯s mom asked.


    ¡°What does makeup have to do with Li Yan? Li Yan doesn¡¯t put on makeup¡­ Ding Zhuxin asked him to take some photos for her today, and he didn¡¯t get to remove the makeup yet¡­ oh, that¡¯s right.¡± Gu Fei popped his head out from the kitchen. ¡°Jiang Cheng, you can just use my mom¡¯s makeup remover and wash your face.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng stood up.


    Gu Fei¡¯s mom took him to the bathroom and handed him the makeup remover oil. ¡°Use this. It¡¯ll remove it all pretty well. You can use the face cleanser at the top over there, it¡¯s Gu Fei¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks, Auntie.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the makeup remover oil.


    ¡°The cotton pads are in that pink box¡­¡± Gu Fei¡¯s mom looked at him, ¡°Do you know how to use it?¡±


    Jiang Cheng really wanted to say that he did, that way she could quickly leave and stop staring at him. But if he answered, ¡°I do¡±, then he might become ¡°Li Yan¡¯s boyfriend¡± even though he didn¡¯t know what makeup had to do with Li Yan¡­ eventually, he could only answer with honesty: ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Er Miao,¡± Gu Fei shouted from the kitchen, ¡°Go help your Cheng-ge remove his makeup.¡±


    Gu Miao quickly charged in. After Gu Fei¡¯s mom walked out, she stood on her tiptoe and grabbed the pink box of cotton pads and took out two pads. She poured some of the makeup remover oil on the pad and waved her hand, gesturing for Jiang Cheng to squat down.


    ¡°Now what?¡± Jiang Cheng squatted.


    Gu Miao looked at him and closed her eyes tightly before she opened them once more to stare at him.


    ¡°Close my eyes, right? Alright.¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes.


    Gu Miao started to wipe his face with the cotton pad.


    Outside in the kitchen, Gu Fei and his mom didn¡¯t say anything else.


    But the phrase ¡°Li Yan¡¯s boyfriend¡± was still echoing in Jiang Cheng¡¯s ears. Gu Fei¡¯s mom said those words so casually that it sounded as if she was talking about Li Yan¡¯s girlfriend.


    Li Yan¡­ is? And it seemed quite well-known.


    If that was the case, then Gu Fei who hung out together with Li Yan every day, should be very understanding of this. Then! Fuck! Jiang Cheng suddenly opened his eyes.


    Gu Miao frowned and shook her head with the cotton pad still in her hand.


    He immediately closed his eyes again.


    If Gu Fei had people like that around him and had been in touch with such things¡­ then when he kissed him that day, there was now another explanation!


    Perhaps he wouldn¡¯t simply interpret it as extreme inebriation like the average person would.


    Fuck!


    If so, then matters had just gotten more awkward!


    Gu Miao left after she finished helping him remove the makeup. He picked up Gu Fei¡¯s face cleanser and looked at it, ¡®leaves skin feeling fresh, comfortable, never tight or dry¡¯¡­ utter bullshit.


    He had used this before, it still left his skin tight ¨C for it to be refreshing, it would also leave the skin tight.


    When he came out of the bathroom, his face was already uncomfortably dry and tight; the second he saw Gu Fei, it was so tight, he could barely open his eyes.


    ¡°Do you have some sort of toner or cream?¡± Jiang Cheng asked, ¡°My face is about to crack.¡±


    Without waiting for Gu Fei to speak, Gu Miao quickly sped to her room, and returned to give him a container of cream that was for kids.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng took it, ¡°You¡¯re quite shameless in showing off your good looks. How come you have this huh?¡±


    ¡°Li Yan bought it for her. She urges everyone else to use it all the time yet never uses it on herself, saying it¡¯s annoying,¡± Gu Fei commented.


    ¡°You know Li Yan?¡± Gu Fei¡¯s mom looked at Jiang Cheng and asked.


    ¡°¡­ not well.¡± Jiang Cheng answered while applying the cream, feeling a bit helpless.


    ¡°They¡¯ve only met two maybe three times, and Li Yan doesn¡¯t have a boyfriend.¡± Gu Fei was probably also dumbfounded. ¡°You should go to sleep¡­ Er Miao, you go to sleep as well.¡±


    Gu Miao was very obedient and returned to her room to sleep. Gu Fei¡¯s mom grabbed her phone and dialed a number, glancing at Jiang Cheng several more times before she finally went to her room and shut the door.


    The food that Gu Fei¡¯s mom prepared was unexpectedly delicious. Although it went cold and had to be heated again, it was still very appetizing, especially the spareribs. Jiang Cheng ate four or five pieces in a row, and only stopped because of embarrassment.


    ¡°You can eat it all,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I was so hungry that I don¡¯t feel like eating anymore.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also¡­¡± Jiang Cheng hesitated but ended up putting another piece in his mouth.


    ¡°My mom¡¯s food is pretty good huh,¡± Gu Fei laughed.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded then thought about it and sighed. He looked at the bowl of food before him. ¡°It¡¯s been quite a long time since¡­ since I ate a home-cooked meal.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything else either as he continued to bury his head in eating.


    Ever since he arrived here, he had been practically consuming take-outs every day, otherwise, he went out for something casual. But since he was currently cooking for himself in order to save some money, it was normally just noodles.


    Now that he had unpredictably eaten such a delicious ¡°home-cooked meal¡±, he suddenly felt a twinge of pain in his heart ¨C although he tried hard to not let himself be affected, he still couldn¡¯t control it and even his nose became stuffy.


    Luckily, Gu Fei had chosen that moment to get up to take his own dishes to the kitchen, so he quickly wiped away the tears from his eyes and took several deep breaths to calm down his emotions.


    After he finished, he didn¡¯t even bother to fight with Gu Fei to wash the dishes ¨C he just didn¡¯t want to move.


    ¡°You can sleep on my bed if you¡¯re tired,¡± Gu Fei said and opened the door to another room. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep on the sofa.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Jiang Cheng stood up and followed him into the room. ¡°I can sleep on the sofa since I can fall asleep anywhere anyways¡­ this room of yours¡­ isn¡¯t bad.¡±


    At first glance, the decoration of Gu Fei¡¯s living room was a style that appeared to be from about ten to twenty years ago and hadn¡¯t been refurbished or updated since. Although it was much better than Li Baoguo¡¯s place that would have still been snubbed by others even fifty years ago, it was extremely ordinary and not considered a wealthy style.


    But Gu Fei¡¯s bedroom surprised him.


    The room wasn¡¯t big and didn¡¯t have any decoration aside from the slap of white walls, but he could see that each piece of furniture had been meticulously chosen and matched.


    The bed, bookcase, desk, chair, lazy sofa, small rug, and the hammock in front of the window ¨C there were many things, but it did not feel chaotic, instead, a great sense of warmth and coziness permeated.


    ¡°Tea?¡± Gu Fei picked up a small electric kettle on the desk and put some tea leaves inside. ¡°Or plain boiled water?¡±


    ¡°Water.¡± Jiang Cheng sat down on the small sofa, ¡°I won¡¯t be able to sleep if I drink tea.¡±


    Gu Fei took a wedge of lemon, put it in a cup, and poured some water for him.


    The nice and hot lemon water, the soft sofa, along with the warm and cozy room that he had not felt in the longest time. Jiang Cheng leaned back with the cup of water in his hand and didn¡¯t even want to utter a word.


    ¡°My mom has a low EQ like that and tends to not think before she speaks.¡± Gu Fei sat down in front of the computer and connected the memory card from the camera. ¡°You can listen to the words she says, but don¡¯t take it to heart.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded in response. He paused for a moment but couldn¡¯t help it and asked, ¡°Li Yan¡­¡±


    ¡°Li Yan really doesn¡¯t have a boyfriend,¡± Gu Fei said then glanced at him and smiled. ¡°But Li Yan really does¡­ like men.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng clasped the cup in both his hands and used the rising steam to conceal his face, ¡°Does everyone know¡­ that he¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Our friends know. I don¡¯t know where my mom learned it from, but she won¡¯t go around telling others,¡± Gu Fei said while transferring the photos, ¡°This kind of matter, it¡¯s not something anyone would willingly let others know, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    Just as that sigh came to an end, he suddenly returned to his senses and immediately cleared his throat in an attempt to mask that sigh.


    Gu Fei glanced at him but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Jiang Cheng was simply unable to control himself from overanalyzing that glance ¨C the awkward tension that had not appeared between him and Gu Fei for the longest of time now encircled him once more.


    All he could do was stand up with the cup clasped in his hands and turn around the room.


    But since the room wasn¡¯t that big, the place that he could walk to ended within only three steps. He felt as if he was just flopping around, and that was even more awkward than just sitting.


    Eventually, he stopped in front of the bookcase.


    ¡°Can I look at the bookcase?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t even know how to answer that.¡± Gu Fei turned to look at him, ¡°What¡¯s there on the bookcase that can¡¯t be looked at that needs you to ask for permission?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed, ¡°It¡¯s a habit.¡±


    ¡°Your previous¡­ upbringing must have been a bit too strict,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Maybe, the whole family was very strict. Rules, courtesies, education.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the books on the shelves, ¡°I was slow. I should have known from the start that I wasn¡¯t a part of their family. A family of five, and I was the least¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty good,¡± Gu Fei looked at the progress bar of the photo transfer.


    ¡°Here, I¡¯m probably pretty good.¡± Jiang Cheng recalled Li Baoguo¡¯s family and the woman with a limp that he had seen earlier. Yeah¡­ only in an environment congested with that kind of life and that kind of lifestyle, could someone like himself be considered ¡°good¡±.


    ¡°Some things don¡¯t need to be compared to be seen.¡± Gu Fei smiled, poured himself a cup of tea, and took a sip. ¡°Whether or not a person is genuinely ¡®good¡¯, you only need to look at the person. There is no need to look at where he is or who¡¯s around him.¡±


    ¡°¡­ you,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him in shock. ¡°You suddenly don¡¯t seem like the type of person to hand in a blank test paper.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit. When have I ever handed in blank test papers¡­ I¡¯ve always filled them all in beforehand,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Oooh,¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help laughing.


    Gu Fei picked up the camera and faced the lens toward him.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been shooting for the whole day, aren¡¯t you fed up yet?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°If it¡¯s of you, then no,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°When you smile, you look very¡­ good.¡±


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s smile froze on his face. Gu Fei held up the camera and cursed himself, idiot.


    When the first half of the sentence came out, he instantly felt that it wasn¡¯t appropriate, especially just right after Li Yan¡¯s sexual orientation was ¡°exposed¡± ¨C such words were bound to sound flirtatious.


    But against reason, he added another sentence in order to escape the trouble, though he immediately regretted it before he had even finished ¨C words that were more inappropriate than the next, he insisted on finishing, otherwise, it would look even worse.


    By the time he was completely finished, both he and Jiang Cheng were motionless.


    He held the camera to cover his face, not knowing what to say to ease the atmosphere.


    For someone who had never felt any sort of embarrassment, and seldom minded what other people thought, the dilemma before him now was in and of itself enough to make him speechless.


    ¡°After this shoot is over, Ding Zhuxin will probably ask you to shoot some others.¡± Gu Fei was still holding the camera as he stared at Jiang Cheng¡¯s face in the lens. ¡°If you think that the price is suitable, you can work with her long-term. She¡¯s always unsatisfied with her models but she was pretty happy with you today.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng looked to the left, then to the right and then back at the camera. ¡°Then huh, I wanted to ask you ah, just that¡­ that¡­ uh, Xin-jie is your¡­ that is, you and her¡­ e¡­ is she your¡­¡±


    ¡°Girlfriend?¡± Gu Fei interrupted him, ¡°She¡¯s not. I believe I¡¯ve said it before. She and I are childhood friends. I call her big sister.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Jiang Cheng responded loudly as if trying to escape the awkwardness.


    ¡°All that effort.¡± Gu Fei couldn¡¯t help but let out a sigh of relief on his behalf, ¡°I thought you were going to ask about Li Yan and I.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jiang Cheng froze and looked at him in utter shock, ¡°You and Li Yan? Are¡­.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Gu Fei put down the camera, ¡°Ai, Li Yan and I are just friends. Does he and I look like a couple to you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Jiang Cheng leaned against the bookcase, seemingly a bit unable to adjust to such a conversation, ¡°Not really. He and Liu Fan look even more like it to me.¡±


    Gu Fei leaned on the chair and laughed for a while: ¡°Liu Fan would be mad at you if he heard this.¡±


    ¡°¡­ really.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him, smiled, and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Bu Shi Hao Niao along with Li Yan and Gu Fei, all appear to have a very good relationship, hung out together in their free time, and also had a common meeting point at the steel mill.


    But hearing the subtle meaning in Gu Fei¡¯s words¡­ even as close as they were, there was still someone who couldn¡¯t just accept it.


    Yeah, what Pan Zhi said was correct.


    Leniency and tolerance only existed in two-dimensional worlds ¨C reality was dreadfully ruthless.


    Then what about Gu Fei?


    Jiang Cheng rested his head slightly back against the glass door of the bookcase and watched as Gu Fei leaned back and played with his camera.


    What kind of attitude he had could clearly be seen ¨C he wasn¡¯t disgusted and could accept it.


    But was there anything more?


    The kiss he had planted on Gu Fei¡¯s face that day, Gu Fei didn¡¯t even have any reaction to it. If it was Pan Zhi, he would at the very least be taken aback and then start to poke fun at him.


    Although Gu Fei was not someone who wore his heart on his sleeve, that kind of tranquil and unperturbed demeanor between two people who were not familiar enough with each other to get dead drunk was nonetheless a bit unusual.


    And now that he thought about it, his reaction the next day was also too natural.


    Too natural.


    Jiang Cheng took a sip of the lemon water.


    Gu Fei might be a xuezha, but he was a smart xuezha.


    Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a sense of weakness ¨C that everything had already been seen through.


    Gu Fei probably knew everything, and the latest information made him unable to respond. So much so that he couldn¡¯t even calmly continue on with their conversation.


    After all the photos were completely transferred, Gu Fei created a folder, marked the date, and then began to edit them.


    The cursor slowly swiped through the dense thumbnails of photos. He didn¡¯t like to arrange the pictures in sequence and preferred to pick them out himself.


    The cursor finally clicked on the one with Jiang Cheng¡¯s finger caught on the collar.


    When the photo was opened, he leaned back ¨C compared to that split second at the set, this clear and sharp frozen moment that suddenly appeared before his eyes was even more stunning.


    He propped his arms on the armrests of his chairs, rested his fingers against his forehead, and whistled softly.


    ¡°And what about you?¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly asked those words at this time.


    Gu Fei thought that he would just say ¡°shut up, you¡± as a conditioned reflex, but when he realized what Jiang Cheng said was not that, he didn¡¯t even dare to turn his head to look at Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°En?¡± He maximized the image to full screen and adjusted the color. ¡°What¡­ about me?¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    To be honest, Gu Fei never thought that Jiang Cheng, who was easily prone to awkwardness at the drop of a hat, would suddenly be so straightforward ¨C there wasn¡¯t even a hint of concealment in his tone.


    ¡°Are you?¡± Gu Fei turned around.


    ¡°You know if I am or not.¡± Jiang Cheng looked straight at him, ¡°Now, it is me asking you.¡±


    Gu Fei did not want to answer this question.


    Whether or not Jiang Cheng was, he had never actually thought about it, much less in detail.


    And also whether he was or not didn¡¯t have any effect on him.


    Even if he had some sort of ideas, he had always kept it to himself.


    What Jiang Cheng wanted to know, he was a bit afraid to answer ¨C however.


    It was relatively easier to get along with each other if neither knew about the other, or at least feigned ignorance. But if it was suddenly out in the open, all the attraction and attention would have a defined purpose and that could expectedly create a panic-stricken feeling.


    At least he was like that. He had never thought of doing anything. But once things became transparent, his every word, every look, could all be construed to seem as though he expected something.


    ¡°Nevermind,¡± Jiang Cheng took the cup and sat back down on the sofa. He looked up and let out a long sigh of relief, ¡°You don¡¯t have to say anything, I know.¡±


    Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°Da Fei.¡± Jiang Cheng tilted his head to the side to also look at him, ¡°I honestly don¡¯t mean anything else by it. I just want to tell you that if you know, keep it a secret for me, I don¡¯t want¡­ others to know.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei nodded, recalling that this was the first time that Jiang Cheng did not call him ¡®Gu Fei¡¯.


    ¡°Just like how you also don¡¯t want others to know.¡± Jiang Cheng took another sip of water.


    ¡°You, threatening me?¡± Gu Fei laughed.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jiang Cheng also laughed and nodded his head.


    ¡°I will keep it a secret,¡± Gu Fei said.


    [1] Niania£¡Äã˵ʲô£¿·çÌ«´óÎÒÌý²»Çå¡­¡±  (the winds too strong, I can¡¯t hear clearly): basically an interjection of wonder, shock or admiration.


    This saying actually came from a Japanese manga/anime by Clamp called ¡°Tokyo Babylon¡± that was very popular among students at the time. The story tells of a betrayal, and belonged to the boyxboy romance. At that time, many girls liked to read it, and there were two very impressive dialogues, one was: ¡°The petals of the cherry blossoms are pink because there are dead people buried under the cherry blossom trees,¡± and the other was:  ¡°What did you say? The wind¡¯s too strong, I couldn¡¯t hear clearly¡­¡±   ¨C Sae: I¡¯ve read Tokyo Babylon and I do not remember this dialogue at all

 CH 33

    After the non-verbal agreement ended, neither of the two spoke again.


    Gu Fei did not acknowledge or denied Jiang Cheng¡¯s question, and even after Jiang Cheng came to the ¡°conclusion¡±, he still did not acknowledge or deny it.


    His attitude was a little vague, but Jiang Cheng felt that it was enough. His question was originally just a daring probe that simply appeared to be an attack to protect his own secret.


    There were so many people in this world who wanted to keep themselves hidden and so many things that they needed to keep hidden.


    Gu Fei opened the window just a crack, lit a cigarette, and prepared to continue with retouching the images.


    After two drags, Jiang Cheng reached out his hand: ¡°Give me one.¡±


    ¡°You usually smoke, don¡¯t you?¡± Gu Fei placed the pack of cigarettes in his hands. ¡°How come you¡¯re always asking me for one? What happens when I¡¯m not here?¡±


    ¡°I ran out,¡± Jiang Cheng said and lit one. ¡°If you¡¯re not here, I just won¡¯t smoke.¡±[1]


    Gu Fei cracked the window open just a bit more.


    ¡°It¡¯s cold.¡± Jiang Cheng withdrew back onto the sofa.


    ¡°Then go smoke in the kitchen with the vent on.¡± Gu Fei clicked the mouse and enlarged Jiang Cheng¡¯s face on the screen.


    In fact, for photos of clothes, he was generally disinclined to deal with the model¡¯s face or only casually touched it up a bit at the very end ¨C though, for most photos, he would directly crop out the face if he thought that it wasn¡¯t shot nicely.


    This face of Jiang Cheng, however, was honestly very good ¨C so good that he could set aside the details of the clothing and get to work on that face first.


    With the small lounging sofa near the desk, Jiang Cheng was basically face-to-face with him from where he was and couldn¡¯t possibly see the screen, contrariwise, he needed not to fret over the embarrassment that would betide for if Jiang Cheng caught sight of him high-spiritedly touching up the model¡¯s face first for photos he took of clothes.


    ¡°Gu Fei.¡± Jiang Cheng reached over to lightly flick the ash into the ashtray on the desk.


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei pushed the ashtray toward his hand. ¡°Using my full name again?¡±


    ¡°You know, that was a plea earlier.[2] I had to try and pretend to be friendly with you.¡± Jiang Cheng held the cigarette in his mouth and smiled. ¡°I have a question to ask you.¡±


    ¡°Ask away.¡± Gu Fei stared at the screen, and to be truthful, there wasn¡¯t much that needed to be done to this face of Jiang Cheng¡¯s ¨C physiognomically beautiful with also remarkably good skin.


    Jiang Cheng glanced over at the bookcase, ¡°The musical score that I saw last time, you wrote it right?¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Gu Fei froze and then also looked over at the bookcase.


    ¡°With such a large stack of books on music composition and all sorts of theories, if you still insist on saying that you didn¡¯t write it,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°That¡¯s just being too dishonest.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed and after a while leaned back into the chair, ¡°Yeah, I wrote it.¡±


    ¡°How unexpected.¡± Jiang Cheng spun the cup in his hand, ¡°It sounded pretty good. An illiterate that can also write and compose music¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not illiterate,¡± Gu Fei corrected him.


    ¡°A majorly unenthusiastic xuezha who can also write scores¡­¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him. ¡°You have any finished works?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei answered him very bluntly.


    In reality, there were many finished works that were all saved in his computer even though he technically never listened to them, hence, saying that there were none wasn¡¯t exactly wrong ¨C the only one he occasionally listened to was the song sung by Ding Zhuxin.


    When it came to these things, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered if it was some other person, they could have listened all they wanted. He wasn¡¯t very willing to reveal them in the presence of Jiang Cheng, however.


    With Jiang Cheng being able to hum out the tune from just a quick glance of the score, he didn¡¯t want to make a fool of himself due to any ignorant blunders.


    ¡°Man up a bit.¡± Jiang Cheng was probably pretty bored as he said full of zest with the cigarette still in his mouth, ¡°I will keep it a secret.¡±


    ¡°Keep a fucking secret,¡± Gu Fei laughed. He hesitated for a moment, then opened the music player, searched around, and clicked play on that song.


    When the guitar sounded, Jiang Cheng leaned back into the sofa. He didn¡¯t know how to play the guitar but had always liked the sound of it. The thing was that everything he liked, whether it be the guitar, the tin whistle, or the recorder, his mother had always felt that they were not good enough to be presented.


    Then came the harmony of a piano.


    Devoid of feelings.


    Having heard it too much, and also playing it too much, he simply did not want to touch a piano for even a second after passing eighth grade junior high.


    His inept behaviour must have made his mother¡­ made Shen Yiqing very much disappointed. After that, whenever relatives and friends came over and proposed to hear him play the piano, Shen Yiqing would always refuse with eyes full of disappointment.


    Just be disappointed then, it wasn¡¯t like he wanted to play anyways.


    The prelude was pretty good, and it was possible to clearly descry the conveyed emotion ¨C complete obscurity.


    He couldn¡¯t help but glance over at Gu Fei.


    The perception that Gu Fei gave others was not of someone that had this sort of mentality.


    A low female vocal humming sounded, and Jiang Cheng recognized the voice immediately.


    ¡°Ding Zhuxin?¡± He looked at Gu Fei, slightly taken aback.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei responded as he continued to edit the photo with his eyes still glued on the screen.


    Jiang Cheng stretched his head forward to take a peek ¨C after holding back, that was ¨C and saw a half of his own face and bare chest, along with a pulled open collar.


    ¡°What the fuck.¡± He quickly sat back down on the sofa¡­ quite an oddity undoubtedly existed in seeing someone else editing photos of him. Naturally, he had been looking at himself in the mirror for more than a decade, however, this was downright awkward as heck as if he was peeping at a stranger.


    ¡°This shot is especially good,¡± Gu Fei said, looking at him.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, then amidst Ding Zhuxin¡¯s husky and indolent voice, he lowered his head to sip the lemon water.


    ¡°I step into a void, as if I¡¯m about to fly¡­


    Above me is confusion, and below me, I hear you say ¡®this world is empty¡¯¡­


    You say one, two, three, shatter the past, let it wither away¡­


    The wind blows, destroying the path back, do you see me singing¡­


    You say, one, two, three, turn around, listen to the panic being wiped out¡­¡±


    The melody was quite obscure, and so were the lyrics. But when Jiang Cheng heard, ¡°do you see me singing¡±, he looked up and swept a glance toward Gu Fei.


    The word ¡°see¡± suddenly made him comprehend the concept of ¡°soundless¡± that Ding Zhuxin had sought after earlier.


    A silent kind of repression.


    ¡°Who wrote the lyrics?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Guess.¡± Gu Fei folded one leg on the chair and rested his chin on the knee while the mouse being clicked sounded.


    ¡°It must be you,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°The lyrics and tune are all you, right?¡±


    Gu Fei grabbed the coat that had been thrown to the side, took out a handful of candies from the pocket, and placed them on the desk in front of him.


    ¡°You play in a band with Ding Zhuxin, don¡¯t you?¡± Jiang Cheng put a piece of milk candy in his mouth, feeling somewhat startled.


    He hadn¡¯t completely grasped the lyrics, but he could still recognize the delicacy and sensitivity within¡­ the tenor was such that it was difficult to connect it with Gu Fei.


    He looked fixedly at Gu Fei, beneath the equanimous exterior of this person, what exactly was it like in his heart of hearts?


    ¡°No. She used to bring me along, that¡¯s all,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°But you don¡¯t seem the type to play around with these things. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if you played the guitar. Generally speaking, most bad boys tend to put in a bit of effort in knowing how to pull a few chords for the sake of showing off¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to play the guitar,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Ohhh~ a bad boy that doesn¡¯t know how to play the guitar,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°That¡¯s considered a handicap on the road to picking up girls then.¡±


    Gu Fei looked at him but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°¡­ oh.¡± Jiang Cheng raised the cup toward him.


    ¡°Are you in a bad mood or something?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng took a sip of the lemon water.


    ¡°You got a lot to say,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng went silent for a moment then placed the cup on the desk, ¡°Do you recognize the woman that was fighting with Li Baoguo earlier?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Gu Fei answered plainly.


    ¡°Is she Li Baoguo¡¯s ex-wife?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. ¡°The one that he beat off.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she did run off after he beat her, she¡¯s not his ex-wife though.¡± Gu Fei lit another cigarette. ¡°She¡¯s his current wife. They¡¯re not divorced.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ah,¡± Jiang Cheng was startled but only for a second before he leaned back on the sofa and closed his eyes. ¡°Fuck. What the fucking hell is all this shit, a bunch of crap.¡±


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t been back in quite a long time. We normally don¡¯t even see her more than once every few years or so,¡± Gu Fei said.


    This was probably Gu Fei¡¯s way of consoling him: this woman didn¡¯t normally show up, not even once every few years.


    But Jiang Cheng felt that no statement could spare his feelings because regardless of whether she only appeared once in a few years, or even if she did not reappear at all for a lifetime, she was still his biological mother.


    As inconceivable as Li Baoguo, yet so real ¨C nonetheless.


    He especially wanted to call Shen Yiqing and ask her how desperate was she to actually adopt a child from such a family back then.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei called out to him. ¡°Come here, I have something to say.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jiang Cheng got up and walked over to his side.


    ¡°If you¡¯re able to go in for the shoot tomorrow,¡± Gu Fei pointed at the screen, ¡°Pay attention to your arm, and bring it in a little¡­¡±


    ¡°The fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng now saw clearly what he looked like in that outfit that allowed the wind through from all directions. He honestly couldn¡¯t stand it and pointed at the photo, ¡°You dare to edit photos for a living at this speed?¡±


    Gu Fei laughed, ¡°No. I edit pretty quickly. It¡¯s a progressive process¡­¡±


    ¡°This is progressive? You¡¯ve been on this exact photo for such a long time, where has the progress gone to anyways?¡± Jiang Cheng clearly could not understand this logic, ¡°Is this photo a landslide-dammed lake?¡±[3]


    ¡°I edited a bunch already. I¡¯m just using this one to explain to you,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Why do you have to use this one? Do I not have arms in the other photos?¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    Gu Fei laughed for a long while and then also sighed: ¡°This one is exceptionally good. I reckon Ding-laoban[4] will use it as the featured image, and she might even gift you the outfit.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Do you remember what I said just now?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I remember.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled up a chair behind him and sat down on it. ¡°Bring my arms in a bit.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll continue,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng watched the cursor move back and forth as Gu Fei clicked on all sorts of editing options besides the photo, suddenly changing the image from light to dark and then maximizing to minimizing. After the change, he honestly couldn¡¯t see any difference from the original if there was nothing to compare; he only knew that Gu Fei was certainly in the midst of this ¡°progressive process.¡±


    As he watched the photos of his various poses and expressions being ¡®tormented¡¯ in Gu Fei¡¯s very hands, he couldn¡¯t exactly look directly at it, constantly worried whether such clearly captured photos would reveal his eye gunk, nose hairs, and so on¡­


    He stood up, returned to sit on the sofa and took out a notebook from his school bag.


    ¡°Not watching anymore?¡± Gu Fei asked with his hand still moving.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to anymore,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Is there another desk here?¡±


    ¡°For doing homework?¡± Gu Fei turned around to look at him.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°There¡¯s an exam in a few days. I have to take a look at the notes.¡±


    Gu Fei was still looking at him, but his hand had now stopped moving altogether. He asked after a long while: ¡°You have to study?¡±


    ¡°Bullshit.¡± Jiang Cheng stared at him in disbelief, ¡°There¡¯s an exam, why wouldn¡¯t I study?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Fei dropped the mouse and stood up. He moved the monitor and the keyboard to the side then unplugged the speakers and placed them on top of the computer tower which cleared half of the desk for him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you normally have a desk or something to do your homework on?¡± Jiang Cheng asked, putting his textbooks and notes on the table.


    ¡°If I have time, I copy them at the shop. If not, I won¡¯t write it,¡± Gu Fei answered matter-of-factly.


    ¡°¡­ oh.¡± Jiang Cheng remembered that Gu Fei was after all a xuezha, zha, zha, zha.


    This thing called homework was for Jiang Cheng not a particularly annoying task since he could always write it out in any case. However, he was also always extremely serious every time.


    When he was in primary school, he didn¡¯t like to do homework, but the discipline at home was very strict, and the consequences of not doing homework were dreadfully severe. He gradually developed the habit of writing quickly and conscientiously for the sake of playing hard after he finished.


    On the contrary, his younger brother had never allowed others to worry about things of these sorts.


    Naturally, hereditary was different ¨C genetics was genetics.


    If he had never been adopted and had grown up next to Li Baoguo, then he would have been just as Li Baoguo and Li Hui were.


    He sighed lightly, collected his thoughts, and continued with his homework.


    In the gaps between his scribbles, he could see Gu Fei¡¯s hand that was holding the mouse ¨C it was truly, very good looking.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t know how to play the guitar, but he should be able to play the piano, though at what level was unknown.


    Jiang Cheng liked to watch the way fingers leaped between the piano keys ¨C this was also his only joy in practicing the piano before.


    The sole motivation to keep him playing a good tune was in the hope of seeing his fingers leap even more beautifully.


    When his homework was almost completed, he reckoned that the photos were done, seeing that Gu Fei¡¯s hand had also left the mouse.


    ¡°Done yet?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Just a bit more.¡± Jiang Cheng kept on writing while he asked, ¡°Do you want to copy it?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to help copy it for me?¡± Gu Fei asked again.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you have some face once in a while?¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him.


    ¡°I won¡¯t copy it then.¡± Gu Fei stretched his body, ¡°I¡¯m sleepy. You can keep writing. I¡¯m going to shower first.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng responded.


    Even though writing out his homework was a matter that highly dampened his spirit, he still had some rather shameless imaginations after Gu Fei walked out of the room.


    It wasn¡¯t merely directed at Gu Fei, but rather at the phrase that Gu Fei had said, ¡°take a shower¡±¡­ after all, he was also a person who had seen many inappropriate ¡®videos¡¯, hence, in the atmosphere after exchanging secrets with Gu Fei, the lethality of those three words were still quite strong.


    And even more unbearable was that after he had managed to calm down himself ¨C though with great difficulty ¨C by focusing on his homework, Gu Fei had finished showering and walked back into the room with pajamas on ¨C he was immediately hard once more.


    Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fucking balls.


    ¡°Do you want to shower?¡± Gu Fei pulled open a drawer and took out a thin cardboard box. ¡°I have an old pajama, and underwear that has never been worn before¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jiang Cheng quickly got up, snatched the box and turned to leave.


    ¡°There are three pairs in there,¡± Gu Fei said from behind him.


    Jiang Cheng opened the box at the speed of light, took one out, and threw the box back at him before he walked out.


    If this wasn¡¯t Gu Fei¡¯s home, and his mom and little sister weren¡¯t in their rooms, he would honestly have taken care of business in the bathroom. Ever since he got here, he had not done much of this activity especially with Li Baoguo who would always push open his door to come in at any moment, and the roaches and spiders that passed through the bathroom from time to time¡­


    Lost in his myriad of thoughts, he somehow finished showering only to then realize that Gu Fei didn¡¯t give him a towel. After hesitating for a while, he picked up the clothes that were already wet from the shower water and carelessly wiped himself here and there.


    Sadly, right after he put on the underwear he then noticed once more that he had forgotten the pajamas in his haste.


    ¡°Fuck me.¡± He picked up the clothes that he had just changed out ¨C which were originally wet ¨C but after he used them to wipe himself, they were even more soaked.


    After going through a long mental battle, he finally came to a decision. He gritted his teeth and opened the bathroom door, wasn¡¯t he just returning to the room in his only underwear after a shower? What was there to feel guilty about?


    Even if he was, and Gu Fei was also, so what? It wasn¡¯t like they had to fool around just because they both were.


    But before he walked out with confidence, he saw a set of neatly folded pajamas on the chair at the bathroom door.


    Gu Fei, the kind of person that took care of others until it became a habit was sometimes, simply an angel¡­ he grabbed the clothes, swiftly put them on, and immediately let out a sigh of relief.


    When he pushed open the door to Gu Fei¡¯s room, the computer on the desk was already turned off, and Gu Fei himself was sitting cross-legged on the bed playing on his phone.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Jiang Cheng walked somewhat awkwardly toward the sofa.


    ¡°You can just sleep on the inside of the bed,¡± Gu Fei said without looking up. ¡°Don¡¯t sleep on the sofa.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Jiang Cheng thought that was quite strange.


    ¡°Gu Miao sleepwalks, she will sometimes come in to sleep on the sofa,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°She will get scared if you take her place.¡±


    ¡°She even sleepwalks?¡± Jiang Cheng was taken aback.


    ¡°Not often. But since you¡¯re here today, she¡¯s very excited so I¡¯m a bit worried.¡± Gu Fei put down his phone and looked at him.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jiang Cheng wanted to say that he could sleep in the living room at first but then he thought that that was too deliberate thus he simply nodded his head instead. ¡°You sleep on the inside.¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t comprehend that.


    ¡°This bed of yours,¡± Jiang Cheng said, pointing at the bed. This bed in Gu Fei¡¯s room was framed and completely enclosed from the head to the end like an old traditional Chinese bed, and even if the design was very modern and beautiful, it still had a very strong sense of privacy. ¡°I¡¯ll sleep on the outside.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Fei shifted to the inside and moved the pillow and comforter from the inside to the outside for him.


    ¡°Why on earth did you buy such a bed?¡± Jiang Cheng sat on the edge, ¡°For a sense of security?¡±


    ¡°To block Gu Miao.¡± Gu Fei pointed at the foot of the bed, ¡°She sometimes comes in without knocking, and she can see the bed the moment she comes in. If I¡¯m doing a bit of something on the bed, I won¡¯t have enough time to tidy up. But if I lock the door, she¡¯ll get mad when she can¡¯t get in.¡±


    ¡°¡­ ah.¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help but glance back at him.


    Gu Fei returned his gaze with a serious expression.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed. Even though the topic had ahint of that nature, he still felt that it was indeed laughable.


    ¡°That¡¯s how tiring it is to have a little sister.¡± Gu Fei laughed along with him, ¡°I must have done something that wronged her in my past life.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it.¡± Jiang Cheng leaned against the headboard and pulled the comforter over himself. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s because you¡¯re a good brother.¡±


    ¡°Is that so.¡± Gu Fei lowered his head and continued to play on his phone.


    ¡°En, even though you¡¯re always playing that retarded game¡­¡± Jiang Cheng glanced down at his phone screen only to see that he wasn¡¯t actually playing that retarded Craz3 Match game, guessing he probably ran out of lives. ¡°I used to have a brother.¡±


    ¡°Younger brother?¡± Gu Fei turned his head, somewhat surprised.


    ¡°En, their biological son, two years younger than me.¡± Jiang Cheng placed the pillow behind his back, ¡°I get annoyed whenever I see him, and he¡¯s also annoyed when he sees me. I haven¡¯t spoken a word to him, long before I came here¡­¡±


    ¡°Different personalities, I presume,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°En, the whole family has a different personality from me,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    The two went quiet and neither no longer spoke.


    But the silence in the room this time around did not make Jiang Cheng feel awkward ¨C however. He stared blankly into space for a moment then turned on his phone and started to chat with Pan Zhi.


    ¨C Grandpa, do you still remember Huang Hui from Class 117?


    ¨C You finally can¡¯t hold it in anymore and want to take action?


    ¨C Not at all. I wanted to say that she fucking got with that dogshit Liang Zhiyong | the nasty fucker. Right now, I want to cry but failed to shed a single tear.


    ¨C  They just started, right? You still have a chance, hurry up and step in between them.


    ¨C That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking also though I¡¯m still considering which one of them can I succeed in seducing more easily.


    Jiang Cheng laughed at his phone for the longest time until Gu Fei turned to look at him.


    ¡°My buddy,¡± Jiang Cheng said while still laughing. ¡°He lost a love prematurely.¡±


    ¡°The one who went with you to the gymnasium during winter break?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, thought about it some more, and then laughed again. ¡°Exactly, the grandson.¡±


    Silence visited once more after that laughter; the two continued to play on their phones, and although Jiang Cheng felt at first that this posture of leaning on the headboard would make him extremely awkward and unable to move an inch, it was unexpectedly the most comfortable ¡°before falling asleep¡± that he had experienced in a long time.


    A few moments of playing on his phone later, he heard soft laughter coming from Gu Fei.


    Jiang Cheng turned to look at him, and Gu Fei naturally passed his phone over to him. ¡°Have you looked at our forum in the last two days?¡±


    ¡°Never thought about it.¡± Jiang Cheng took the phone, ¡°Are they talking about the competition?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei laughed and nodded.


    Jiang Cheng looked at the screen. Si Zhong¡¯s forum was quite lively, and each post had a ton of views and replies. He glanced at the titles.


    > Da Fei, my idol. He¡¯s so freaking hottttt uwu ahhhhhhhhh


    > Who is! This! Cute Guy! Details pleasssse!


    > Who said Class 8 is full of weak chickens, come out now, I promise to beat them up!!!


    > Handsome boys taking off their pants, multiple images ¨C data users, take caution.


    > Just asking, but is anyone here to discuss the strategies¡­¡­


    He laughed; reading the style of the title, he felt that the students at Si Zhong had become more adorable than usual. ¡°Do you reply to the posts?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°What¡¯s your ID?¡± Jiang Cheng asked as he scrolled down.


    ¡°»¨Ê½Ë§[5] ostentatiously_handsome,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng choked then tilted his head to the side to cough for a while before he turned his head back. ¡°The fuck?¡±


    ¡°Keep it a secret,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°No one knows that this is me.¡±


    ¡°It must be kept a secret. You could even push the blame to Gu Miao for ¡®Gentle Little Bunny¡¯.¡± Jiang Cheng tsk-ed twice, ¡°If this ID was discovered, your image as a cold and aloof person will collapse instantly.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed and didn¡¯t say anything.


    > It¡¯s not that I¡¯m looking with my fujoshi¡¯s eyes, but you know who and you know who are really a bit¡­¡­ enter if you know what I mean.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s finger twitched when he scrolled down to this title. There was a thumbnail uploaded below this post and with just one glance, he could tell that this was of him and Gu Fei.


    ¡­ this forum was just too scary.


    ***


    The author has some words to say:


    Continuing tomorrow.  Thank you classmate -symphenomnia- for suggesting all sorts of post titles in chapter 28, hahahahahaha it was quite appropriate to use, simply.


    You actually dared to help Da Fei write lyrics, you¡¯ll be roasted for sure o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o£¡ *the black furry spirit shouted loudly*


    Starting today, shut up for three days. There have already been complaints reported about you overusing the hard drive! *The author who is unable to choose between the old and new coffee machines kneels on the floor and takes a sip of fruit tea.*


    [1] ¡°¡­ I just won¡¯t smoke.¡± There¡¯s a character at the end of this sentence, ¡°bei¡± (ßÂ) ¨C this modal particle indicates a lack of enthusiasm or that things should only or can only be done a certain way ¨C you can imagine Jiang Cheng saying it in such a matter-of-fact matter and it quite hilarious to me lol he be like, ¡°What a stupid question idiot if you¡¯re not here, how else would I smoke¡­¡±


    [2] ¡°¡­ that was a plea earlier.¡± (֮ǰÇóÈËÂï) ¨C the ma ¨C Âï at the end of that sentence is a particle that indicate that sth is obvious or a pause for emphasis. Jiang Cheng being smart with Gu Fei bahahahahaha


    [3] landslide-dammed lake: or barrier lake is a natural damming of a river by some kind of landslides, such as debris flows and rock avalanches, or by volcanic eruptions. If the damming landslides are caused by an earthquake, it may also be called a quake lake. Some landslide dams are as high as the largest existing artificial dam.


    [4] ¨Claoban (ÀÏ°å) ¨C Boss: Boss Ding


    [5] Ostentatiously_handsome (»¨Ê½Ë§ huaishi_shuai) ¨C his username just means that he handsome, like ridiculously

 CH 34

    His previous school also had a forum, but it wasn¡¯t frequent much; after all, it was a key high school where the teachers fell short of actually holding metal detectors to scan each individual student for mobile phones the second they entered through the gate every day. Consequently, phones were at constant risk of being confiscated, which was the direct effect of why no one generally toyed with these things, and at most, there were only small-scale gossip groups on WeChat.


    Such a forum, meshed with all sorts of erratic discussions and spectacles was not something that Jiang Cheng had been exposed to in the past.


    In barely a day, the fujoshi thread that was posted on the day of their match had tons of likes and comments that were extremely astonishing.


    Jiang Cheng hesitated for a long while but didn¡¯t click open the post for a look in the end.


    Although this kind of groundless teasing was common amongst young girls, he wouldn¡¯t have felt anything even if he and Wang Jiuri were matched, however, he felt uneasy upon seeing that it was he and Gu Fei that was put together.


    In the end, he clicked open the post that discussed ¡®Da Fei, my idol¡¯.


    There were many photos of Gu Fei during the game that were taken from various angles. The girl must have circled the court for however many times just to get some of these photos. There were even some of Gu Fei doing layups that were taken from below ¨C who knew how she managed to get such a shot.


    The first few comments were all photos and the original poster¡¯s frantic ¡®ah, ah, ahhhh¡¯ with a long series of exclamation marks then below were some replies that echoed the aforementioned sound of wailing.


    Once he reached the 30th comment, there was finally a voice of disagreement.


    ¨C that¡¯s it? You can find anyone like that on the street.


    That one comment, like a single tossed stone that created a thousand ripples, aroused many replies that lasted a good seven to eight pages long, all of which consisted of curses.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at the ID of the commenter only to no longer be able to hold it back, ¡°What the¡­ fuck!¡±


    ostentatiously_handsome


    ¡°You must really be bored,¡± he said and looked at Gu Fei.


    ¡°Unless they¡¯re bored, who would get on¡­¡± Gu Fei took the phone back and giggled as he read it. ¡°See, a xueba like you generally can¡¯t be bothered to take a look.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve¡­ also looked,¡± Jiang Cheng said.  ¡°It¡¯s just that the forum at my old high school was like a ghost town, no one looked at it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your ID?¡± Gu Fei tilted his head.


    Jiang Cheng hesitated for a moment: ¡°a_certain_cheng¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Fei couldn¡¯t comprehend that.


    ¡°My main account is ¡®a_certain_cheng¡¯ and the side account is ¡®soandso_cheng¡¯,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°What the hell kind of name is that? And you have the nerve to laugh at me,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Since your WeChat was in English, I had to add a nickname. Why don¡¯t you just combine your style and make them all something like ¡®jiangxx¡±?¡±


    ¡°The thing is, I¡¯m too lazy to think of a name,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°What nickname did you use for me?¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge bei.¡± Gu Fei glanced at him.


    ¡°I think that Gentle Little Bunny should be the one who needs a nickname,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed.


    After that, the two of them no longer spoke. Jiang Cheng held his own phone and continued to blather with Pan Zhi; at first, he wanted to look at (High School No. Four) Sizhong¡¯s forum again but with Gu Fei beside him, he decided against it.


    Pan Zhi was quite envious that Sizhong¡¯s forum was so lively and had even expressed that he wanted to join to pick up girls. Jiang Cheng laughed for a long while, looked at the time only to see that it was almost midnight, so he got ready to sleep.


    He looked over at Gu Fei and found that he had already fallen asleep somehow, lying with his face toward the wall and half his head buried beneath the comforter.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at the headboard and noticed a power switch; he pressed it, eliminating the light and the room was overtaken by a sheet of darkness. A few seconds later, he saw a faint light leaking in from behind the window curtains.


    After he laid on the pillow, Jiang Cheng turned to the right. It had always been a habit of his to sleep on this side, however, the moment he turned, he saw Gu Fei lying there with his back toward him.


    Hence, he had no choice but to turn his body to the left side and closed his eyes.


    He recalled a survey regarding sleeping positions between couples that consisted of side-by-side, face-to-face, and so on with the most popular being both individuals lying on the same side called ¡°spooning¡±¡­


    Fuck. He suddenly thought of what that meant.


    Gu Fei slept quite silently with a very even breathing pattern that carried a hypnotic effect to it. Jiang Cheng followed along with his breathing and drifted to sleep not long after.


    However, who knew whether it was due to the change of bed or because someone was beside him, but he couldn¡¯t fall into a deep sleep ¨C since he was a child, he had never slept with another person on the same bed before.


    Even when he was in a daze, dreaming and knowing full well that he was dreaming, he could still sense Gu Fei turning over beside him.


    Moreover, the dreams were incoherent and changed constantly.


    Finally, he dreamed that he and Gu Fei were standing in the middle of the basketball court, naked, and surrounded by a group of people with paper bags over their heads that were taking photographs of them while hurling all sorts of curses and making sharp jeering noises.


    This is a dream.


    And quite preposterous too ¨C he wondered why he would have a dream with such details so suddenly.


    This isn¡¯t real, he reminded himself.


    But this dream was unlike the ones he previously had that could be sped up, rewound, or skipped at will ¨C it simply kept to the conventional ways and moved ahead step by step.


    His perspective was sometimes of his own as he faced the surrounding onlookers and ridicules, and sometimes it became that of another outsider, rotating like a camera that circled the two people on the court at high speed.


    In a state of horror and panic, he turned to look at Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei was saying something to him without any expressions at all, but he couldn¡¯t hear a single word.


    Do you see me singing¡­


    Listen, to the panic being wiped out.


    Gu Fei heard the sound of the door, opened his eyes, and found that the first appearance of light in the sky was approaching as a faint warm light bled in through the curtains. Gu Miao walked in barefooted with a fixed gaze and then sat down on the sofa before she adjusted the cushion and lay down.


    He sighed lightly and sat up quietly.


    Gu Miao used to sleep with him in this room. After primary school, Gu Fei let her sleep by herself, but Gu Miao would still come back every time she experienced an episode of sleepwalking, however, with Gu Fei¡¯s firm education of, ¡°brother is a boy, you can¡¯t sleep on a bed with a boy so casually,¡± she would go straight to the sofa.


    Gu Fei glanced over at Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. Jiang Cheng appeared to be sleeping soundly, but his breathing was a little unstable ¨C he was probably dreaming.


    He propped his hand on the bed with one leg knelt at the side of Jiang Cheng and stretched the other leg over Jiang Cheng¡¯s body. This person actually occupied quite a bit of space when he was sleeping, Gu Fei nearly pulled a hamstring to avoid stepping on him.


    Then he picked his body and prepared to cross over Jiang Cheng.


    But just as he was passing directly above Jiang Cheng, Jiang Cheng frowned abruptly and turned over ¨C the two were suddenly face-to-face.


    Gu Fei felt that Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t in a very deep sleep upon seeing his tightened brows and uneven breathing¡­ he quickly propped himself up a bit more, intending to cross over immediately.


    Just as he wanted to push off with the leg that was knelt on the inner side in order to directly jump off the bed, Jiang Cheng opened his eyes.


    Gu Fei wanted to say something but was afraid of waking up Gu Miao who had just laid down, and also because he was unsure of whether or not her state of sleepwalking had ended. Hence, all he could do was stare at Jiang Cheng and wait for him to be fully awake.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s opened eyes instantly stretched from a slit to a set of enlarged European-style eyes. And after staring at him for a few seconds, he said two words in a hoarse tone that was filled with confusion, shock, and horror: ¡°The fuck¡­¡±


    With the sound not being low in any way, Gu Fei was startled and quickly used his hand to cover Jiang Cheng¡¯s mouth.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes became rounder, and he immediately started to struggle as if he had been stabbed with a knife, flinging his arms and lifting his knees all over the place. Gu Fei didn¡¯t dare to loosen the hand that was covering his mouth, but his current position also left him wide open and he was afraid that Jiang Cheng might knee him in the crotch¡­


    It took a long while for him to grab hold of one of Jiang Cheng¡¯s arms before sitting his butt directly down on Jiang Cheng¡¯s body. He kept his voice down and said: ¡°Gu Miao!¡±


    Jiang Cheng paused, stared at him for a bit, and then suddenly shifted his eyeballs toward the sofa.


    Gu Fei loosened his hand on his mouth: ¡°She just came in. I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s asleep again or not. I want to go check on her.¡±


    ¡°¡­ en,¡± Jiang Cheng responded and lied still.


    Gu Fei got off the bed and walked over to crouch in front of the sofa. He looked at her for a moment and then got a blanket from the closet and covered Gu Miao with it.


    Jiang Cheng also sat up and stared at Gu Fei without even a hint of sleepiness left and was as awake as if he had drunk two bottles of eucalyptus oil.


    Opening his eyes just to see Gu Fei hovering over his body was honestly a bit too exciting for someone who had always slept alone.


    At that moment, he couldn¡¯t even tell if he was still dreaming or was already awake; he had only returned to his senses from the horrifying scene in his dream that had interlaced intricately with Gu Fei¡¯s posture when he saw Gu Miao lying on the sofa.


    And also realized that at some point, he was already drenched in sweat.


    Cold sweat.


    The scene in the dream made him a bit unbearable already, but he suddenly thought that if Gu Miao had woken up and saw such a misleading position¡­


    Jiang Cheng closed his eyes.


    He suddenly understood the reason why he didn¡¯t click open that post.


    He was scared.


    This was the first time he had a profound understanding of his own fear.


    Even a mere sleepwalking little girl lying on the sofa could merge with his dreamland so vividly.


    ¡°This is why I wanted you to sleep on the inside,¡± Gu Fei whispered after covering Gu Miao with a blanket. ¡°If you sleep on the outside, I have to climb over you to get off the bed at night.¡±


    ¡°What time is it?¡± Jiang Cheng also asked in a whisper.


    ¡°Just past six o¡¯clock.¡± Gu Fei looked at the little alarm clock on the bedside table.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng hugged the comforter and sat still.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gu Fei got back on the bed from behind him, drilled underneath the comforter, and sat up. He then reached out to touch his pajamas, ¡°You¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng gave his arm a good slap.


    ¡°¡­ you have a fever?¡± Gu Fei pulled his hand back and completed the sentence.


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng was a bit embarrassed as he tugged at his clothes, ¡°I¡¯m just¡­¡±


    ¡°Did I scare you just now?¡± Gu Fei lied down and sighed lightly. ¡°In all my years, you are the most flustered that I have ever seen, xueba.¡±


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng turned to look at him and reached out to gesture with his hand. ¡°With the way you were just now, if I wasn¡¯t already scared to death that must mean that I¡¯m a xueba with an outstandingly amazing psychological quality, okay?¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything and continued to sit but after a few minutes, he sneezed then helplessly lay down and covered himself with the comforter.


    This time, Jiang Cheng really couldn¡¯t sleep, and his open eyes also didn¡¯t know where to look either.


    He felt that his psychological endurance might not be very good and couldn¡¯t help but to always cerebrate over any slight matter repeatedly and allow it to affect his mood ¨C often putting substantial pressure on himself.


    ¡­ he understood the truth, albeit highly difficult to control.


    Every so often, he was quite envious of Pan Zhi. His heart was large enough to hold three and a half universes within it. Whether it was the repercussions of a failed exam or losing a love prematurely, with a night of good sleep, roars of motherfuckers, and some complaints, all things would pass.


    As for him¡­ perhaps, having been influenced by the atmosphere from his previous family, whatever the case might be, it was impossible for him.


    There wasn¡¯t much time left between six o¡¯clock and the time to wake up. Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t fall back asleep but simply closed his eyes to recuperate while struggling strenuously between arbitrary and non-arbitrary thoughts.


    Beside him, Gu Fei had fallen asleep the second he lay down, probably sleeping much more soundly after that interrupted sleep.


    He consciously listened as Gu Fei¡¯s breathing steadily evened out, then after an unknown amount of time, it slowly quickened, which was then followed by him turning over ¡ªprobably waken now¡ª before sensing Gu Fei reached beside the pillow for his phone to look at the time.


    The time meant for sleeping he didn¡¯t, and now that he knew he had to get up Jiang Cheng suddenly was so tired that he didn¡¯t want to open his eyes.


    Gu Fei moved, and just when he was hesitating on whether to open his eyes now or wait for Gu Fei to cross over his body and then wake up, Gu Fei¡¯s finger gently touched his forehead.


    He suppressed the urge to jump straight up and give him a good and hard square kick to the crotch[1], but clenched his teeth and remained still instead.


    ¡°No fever,¡± Gu Fei whispered and sat up.


    Fever?


    Jiang Cheng was dumbfounded then remembered that Gu Fei had asked earlier if he had a fever.


    He insisted on keeping his eyes closed, refusing to move but suddenly felt a slight ache inside his nose.


    This fucking nose can just be cut off, getting emotional so easily just like a girl[2]2


    He seldom received such meticulous care; even in his previous home when he was still their ¡°own son¡±, he had to tell his parents if he felt unwell.


    Saying it would bring him very good care, but if not, as long as he didn¡¯t faint on the spot, no one in the family would even notice that he was sick.


    And, it was even more preposterous after coming here. If at this moment he really had a fever, he didn¡¯t even know who he could tell, Li Baoguo?


    Even if he did, what then?


    After contemplating about it, he would just call Lao Xu to request a leave of absence and then sleep for a half a day or so in that little room without any sense of belonging¡­


    ¡°Cheng-ge.¡± Gu Fei had stood up at some point and lightly kicked his leg, ¡°Get up.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng answered and opened his eyes.


    Gu Fei had a coat over his pajamas and was preparing to get off from the foot of the bed.


    Jiang Cheng felt that he was absolutely not doing it deliberately, but with just a glance, he could still see that a certain part of Gu Fei¡¯s loose pajamas had bulged.


    He already couldn¡¯t figure out how to react. He sighed and blurted out without thinking: ¡°Don¡¯t you have to wait every day for your little brother[3] to calm down first before getting up?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I have to urgently pee,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Not even afraid of your piss flying all over¡­¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t understand why, at this moment, he went along with such a topic as if he wasn¡¯t completely awake when he obviously hadn¡¯t slept.


    ¡°Does your piss fly all over the place? I¡¯ll teach you ah¡­¡± Gu Fei dragged his slippers and walked out, saying: ¡°You have to stand a bit further away then keep peeing as you walk forward.¡±


    ¡°Fuck you!¡± Jiang Cheng closed his mouth.


    Nutcase.


    After Gu Fei went out, he got up, and still sleeping on the sofa with her face against the backrest was Gu Miao, probably about to wake up as well. He got off bed and picked up the pants from the day before for a look, intending to change first before Gu Miao actually got up.


    Unfortunately, he picked them up only to realize that because he was too anxious yesterday, the water was not shaken out of the now bundled together clothes; now all the fucking clothes were still wet.


    Although they could still be worn and half an hour on his body would probably be sufficient for them to dry completely¡­ it was quite disgusting, nonetheless.


    Just as he was worrying, Gu Fei walked into the room while brushing his teeth and handed him a new toothbrush. Jiang Cheng took the brush, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Gu Fei continued to brush his teeth and pulled open the closet door, pointing at it.


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng only took a single glance at Gu Fei¡¯s row of clothes and immediately shook his head, ¡°No, I¡¯m not wearing yours.¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Gu Fei was a bit baffled as he looked at him.


    ¡°You¡¯re ostentatiously_handsome. The whole school has their eyes on you. I highly doubt that none of them don¡¯t know what your underwear looks like,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°The last time I wore your clothes, even Lao Xi could recognize it. I truly admire you from the bottom of my heart.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed and happily walked out brushing his teeth.


    Jiang Cheng was resolved in wearing his own disgusting clothes.


    With Gu Fei occupying the bathroom, he could only change in the bedroom. He turned around to glance at Gu Miao, who didn¡¯t show any sign of movements, swiftly took off his pajamas then grabbed his own jeans and pulled them up his legs.


    He was relatively shameless in showing off his good looks, so even the jeans he bought had to be slim-fitted. But since the legs of this thing were wet, it wasn¡¯t easy to pull them up. Just as he got halfway there, Gu Miao rolled over and before he had a chance to react, she suddenly sat up.


    What the fuck!


    Gu Miao¡¯s natural and clear-cut movement of getting up made him nearly fall over in shock as he rushed out ¡ªholding onto his pants before she could turn her head around.


    ¡­ and zipping them up while running into the bathroom.


    Gu Fei was in the middle of washing his face when he turned to look at him: ¡°Why the rush?¡±


    ¡°Rush my ass,¡± Jiang Cheng said as he finished buckling his belt. ¡°I only pulled my pants halfway when Gu Miao suddenly woke up¡­ doesn¡¯t she have a grace period for when she wakes up?!¡±


    ¡°It has always been like this.¡± Gu Fei smiled broadly, ¡°She¡¯ll space out for five minutes after she sits up before she actually wakes up.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng let out a sigh of relief.


    Gu Fei finished washing up, took Gu Miao back to her room, placed a set of clothes on her bed, closed the door and then returned to the living room.


    He usually didn¡¯t get up so early. Gu Miao generally got up herself and went out to eat breakfast before he woke up. Even though Gu Miao had no school to go to now, they still had to strictly abide by that daily routine ¨C that could not change.


    And with a xueba who was inherently never late at his house today, he couldn¡¯t just sleep ¡®til class started before waking up.


    When Jiang Cheng finished washing up and came out, he asked: ¡°What do you want for breakfast? I¡¯ll have Gu Miao buy some in a bit.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to eat anything. I¡¯ll head to school first.¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Gu Fei froze but then nodded his head, ¡°Oh, okay.¡±


    Jiang Cheng quickly packed up his things, said a few words to Gu Miao who had come out of her room rubbing her eyes and then carried his school bag out of Gu Fei¡¯s home.


    He ran down the seventh floor, and after the wind blew through his not quite dry clothes, he suddenly came to his senses, feeling that since he was so easily emotional and flustered in the morning and then left in such a hurry just now, it just seemed a bit¡­ bad.


    When Gu Fei heard that he wasn¡¯t having breakfast and wanted to head out first, the expression on his face was clearly of shock.


    Not to mention that Gu Fei had taken him in last night, let him eat a delicious meal and was even concerned about whether or not he had a fever, plus Gu Miao¡¯s face full of expectations¡­ only for him to then say those words and run out just like that ¨C even the most basic of courtesy was missing.


    He took out his cellphone, leaned against a wall on the road that guarded him against the wind, and dialled Gu Fei¡¯s number.


    ¡°Forgot something?¡± Gu Fei answered the phone.


    ¡°Bring Gu Miao down, there¡¯s still time.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the time on his phone, ¡°Why don¡¯t we go eat stuffed flatbread at Wang Jiuri¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t ask why he had a change of heart all of a sudden and agreed immediately.


    When he saw Gu Fei come out of the corridor with Gu Miao, Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a bit of regret ¨C he shouldn¡¯t have told Gu Fei about himself.


    He didn¡¯t know when he could become as calm as Gu Fei, without deliberately approaching or keeping a distance, without having thorns fly out at any moment.


    ¡°We¡¯re heading over now, should be there in a bit.¡± Gu Fei had given Wang Xu a call, ¡°You don¡¯t have to prepare anything special. Just a simple breakfast, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Is there a bus that passes by there?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    Walking from where they were to school was doable, but if it was to go to Wang Xu¡¯s place, walking was a bit far.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take the car,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°What car?¡± Jiang Cheng was startled, ¡°The little cornmeal-coloured bun?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°What, are you looking down on the little bun?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°Alright, the little bun it is.¡±


    Gu Miao must really like the little bun; as soon as Gu Fei drove the car out, she ran over hugging her skateboard and agilely climbed into the back seat.


    ¡°You two will have to squeeze in a bit,¡± Gu Fei explained. ¡°Er Miao, put your skateboard to the side.¡±


    This time, Jiang Cheng remembered to first put down the back of the driver¡¯s seat before he got in and squeezed next to Gu Miao in the back seat.


    Gu Miao smiled at him, and seemed to be in a very jovial mood.


    After the door of the little bun closed, Jiang Cheng felt much warmer. He pulled at his clothes and carefully tidied up, hoping that they would all be dry by the time they got out of the car.


    ¡°The clothes that I gave you to wear last time,¡± Gu Fei said as he drove. ¡°I thought about it right, and it could be that I wore them when I read my self-reflection letter on the stage during the Monday morning assembly last semester.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely not the reason,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°If it was Zhou Jing up there, don¡¯t even mention reading a self-reflection letter, even if he were to read a whole pornographic novel, no one would remember what he wore.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed out loud: ¡°Thanks for the compliment.¡±


    ¡°What did I compliment you on?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the back of his head. ¡°I think you might have to change your name. Let¡¯s not call you freestyle handsome anymore, freestyle shameless is more appropriate.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll make a second account,¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°What sort of self-reflection did you read out loud huh?¡± Jiang Cheng asked after some thought.


    ¡°Constantly climbing the wall to get into the school when I¡¯m late and breaking a branch from that tree near the wall when I step on it¡­¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Just for that.¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help laughing. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have just climbed another tree?¡±


    ¡°That one is the closest,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Since I broke that branch, there have been fewer people climbing the wall nowadays. The wall around our school is too high, you can¡¯t climb over without stepping on the tree.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything and only leaned against the window of the little bun, losing it to a fit of laughter not even knowing what he was laughing about.


    Actually, this was also very nice.


    When he didn¡¯t overthink, Gu Fei was the only person who could let him completely relax.


    Translate: Sae | Proofread: Anasofia


    The author has something to say: Resting tomorrow, see you all in a week.


    I¡¯m not going to roast you. I just wanted to ask when did I actually become a hairy black spirit (essence)? I was a still a soy sauce the other day. o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o¡£The hair black soy sauce¡¯s hair rose and shouted loudly.


    Many people called you a black furry spirit. I originally thought that I would type in soy sauce, and the result was that I had to type it into a spirit. *The author, who found the wrong word yesterday but was too lazy to change, drank a cup of tea and said.*


    [1] ÓãÔ¾is like a fish jumping out of water, and Õýõßis to kick straight if that makes sense, without a twist of the body, usually in the crotch


    [2] ±Ç×ÓËáÁË- usually for when you¡¯re about to sneeze or break into tears ¡ª and I guess its especially used on girls who get emotional easily


    [3] СÐÖµÜ ¨C little brother is referring to his manhood

 CH 35

    Wang Xu¡¯s family restaurant had always been crowded in the early morning and to get a flatbread or two for breakfast was a great pleasure, if possible. When they arrived only to see that there was already no place to sit, they ended up sitting in the room where the family personally ate in.


    ¡°There are no donkey meat fillings this early. They¡¯re normally made in the noontime,¡± Wang Xu said and brought over two baskets of stuffed flatbreads and a bowl of lamb soup. ¡°Did you two leave together this morning?¡±


    The second that Wang Xu asked that, Jiang Cheng immediately felt a bit guilty and took a big bite of stuff-flatbread, opting to remain silent.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei responded.


    ¡°You¡¯re just up so early today ah.¡± Wang Xu pushed a small basket in front of Gu Miao, ¡°Isn¡¯t it customary for you to be late¡­ Miao Miao, there¡¯s no donkey meat today. You can try another flavor today.¡±


    ¡°What Miao Miao,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Don¡¯t be corny, okay.¡±


    ¡°Is it corny?¡± Wang Xu sat down and said while eating, ¡°She¡¯s a young little girl who should have been cute and pretty, but look at what you¡¯ve done, you brought her up like a wild little boy. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen her wear a dress.¡±


    ¡°She wants to skateboard,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°How would she wear that, and even if we wanted her to wear one, she doesn¡¯t want to.¡±


    ¡°Ai,¡± Wang Xu sighed, and after taking a few bites, he took out his mobile phone again and swiped a few times with his finger; the phone made a clicking sound.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at him and found that the bastard¡¯s camera was facing him: ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Just taking a photo. Maybe, if we renovate the front of the restaurant later on, we can hang it there as an advertisement.¡± Wang Xu smiled and put away his phone.


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him, ¡°Delete it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve taken photos of so many people and nobody has ever told me to delete it,¡± Wang Xu said with determination. ¡°I won¡¯t delete it¡­ I won¡¯t hang it up at worst then.¡±


    Jiang Cheng was not in the mood to pay him any more attention and continued to eat the stuffed flatbreads instead.


    After they finished eating breakfast and walked out of the restaurant, Gu Miao had a foot on her skateboard and looked at Gu Fei. Gu Fei stooped to also look at her, ¡°Do you remember where I said you can only skateboard at?¡±


    Gu Miao nodded.


    ¡°Go on then. Gege has some things to do today, so I won¡¯t be home for dinner,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I¡¯ll probably be home around the same time as yesterday.¡±


    Gu Miao nodded again then turned to look at Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Cheng-ge won¡¯t be coming over to our house today. Something came up yesterday, so he had to come,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Gu Miao still had her eyes on Jiang Cheng.


    Jiang Cheng could only stoop to look at her as well, ¡°I¡¯ll come to find you to play next time that I¡¯m free?¡±


    Gu Miao didn¡¯t react.


    ¡°You have to say the exact time,¡± Gu Fei said from the side. ¡°If you only say, ¡®next time¡¯, she won¡¯t understand it.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡± Jiang Cheng hesitated and thought about it for a while. ¡°Tomorrow then. Tomorrow after the basketball game. Let¡¯s have your brother bring you out to eat together with our team members, alright? We can sit in a row beside each other.¡±


    Gu Miao finally nodded, stepped on her skateboard, and kicked off in the direction of their home.


    ¡°Can we squeeze?¡± Wang Xu came out carrying his school bag and immediately became full of zeal at the sight of Gu Fei¡¯s little bun. ¡°Jiang Cheng, let¡¯s squeeze in the back?¡±


    ¡°¡­ is there even room to squeeze you in?¡± Jiang Cheng was a little dumbfounded since this car had only so much space, even squeezing in the back with Gu Miao was already strenuous.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s possible,¡± Wang Xu said.


    Seeing the unwavering determination in riding in the car on his face, Jiang Cheng could only get in the car and move to the side as much as possible, and when Wang Xu squeezed in, this car sank, down, down even more.


    When Gu Fei got in, he felt that the chassis was about to scrap the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s not going to fall apart halfway right¡­¡± Jiang Cheng muttered.


    ¡°It won¡¯t.¡±  Gu Fei turned the car around and drove toward the school. ¡°I use it to haul heavy goods sometimes and there haven¡¯t been any problems. The two of you together don¡¯t even amount to much.¡±


    ¡°But were you, yourself, also added?¡± Jiang Cheng said ¨C with three grown guys squeezing in such a small bun, even people on the roadside turned for a look inside.


    ¡°It¡¯s warmer,¡± Wang Xu said.


    ¡°Bullshit, it¡¯s not even that cold anymore. The Spring Basketball Competition is named that way for a reason,¡± Jiang Cheng informed.


    ¡°Ai, that¡¯s right. Practice, this afternoon?¡± Wang Xu asked.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng and I have something to do,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I asked Li Yan and the others to come practice with you guys already.¡±


    ¡°What are you guys going to do?¡± Wang Xu asked in more detail.


    Gu Fei ignored him. Wang Xu turned to look at Jiang Cheng, who was staring out the window pretending not to know.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Wang Xu tidied his clothes, somewhat in a bad mood. ¡°Even keeping secrets huh, kids.¡±


    Jiang Cheng noticed that Gu Fei was completely indifferent to everyone¡¯s eyes; it didn¡¯t matter that he had an old-fashioned little bun to get around or that there were three people squeezed inside, but he actually drove all the way into the school parking lot shed as though nobody else was present.


    And then got out amidst a throng of the students of Fourth High standing in a circle watching.


    ¡°All eyes on you ah,¡± Wang Xu said as he climbed out of the car with an also seemingly indifferent tone.


    Perhaps, not indifferent but rather delighted ¨C after all, he was someone who wanted to be a big boss, and attention was what he needed.


    As for someone like Jiang Cheng, who didn¡¯t like being surrounded by others and prone to anger with just a glance from others, he regretted getting out of the car without wearing a mask.


    As soon as he got out of the car, he could even hear a girl whispering from a meter away: ¡°Is that Jiang Cheng?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± another girl answered.


    He didn¡¯t hear what was said afterward. This sort of inquisitive and slightly excited tone made him a little uneasy, and he couldn¡¯t help thinking of that fujoshi post ¨C he started to become uncomfortable all over.


    ¡°But I do think that it¡¯s right for you two not to practice.¡± Wang Xu said as he walked to the school gate, ¡°For the past two days, Class 2 has been studying the video of our match and even asked people about Jiang Cheng¡¯s ability. It¡¯s best for us to stay a bit hidden. If we win tomorrow, we¡¯ll go up against Class 2 after exams are over.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    Wang Xu continued in high spirits: ¡°I think our tactics¡­¡±


    ¡°Cheng Cheng? Cheng Cheng?¡± A woman¡¯s voice came from behind, ¡°Jiang Cheng?¡±


    Jiang Cheng froze and turned his head around.


    ¡°You must be Jiang Cheng?¡± A woman was standing there, looking at him somewhat excitingly, ¡°Right? I recognized you with just a glance. You really look alike¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng recognized the woman who was dressed a little dirty and appeared a bit filthy with just a glance ¨C she was the one who fought with Li Baoguo in front of the building the day before.


    His biological mother.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Jiang Cheng was caught off guard at this moment and didn¡¯t even know what to say ¨C he stood there frozen, looking at her.


    ¡°Who is that?¡± Wang Xu asked beside him.


    ¡°Class hasn¡¯t started yet, right?¡± The woman limped over and reached out to grab his arm, ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡±


    This grab of hers was enacted with great strength; Jiang Cheng¡¯s conditioned reflex plus the shock caused him to suddenly pull his arm back, shaking her off. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡±


    Don¡¯t touch me.


    For the latter two words, Jiang Cheng had to bitterly clench his teeth to stop himself from saying them out loud.


    ¡°The bell hasn¡¯t rung yet,¡± the woman suddenly teared up. ¡°Class hasn¡¯t started yet, right?¡±


    There were already many people looking over by now, and Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind was in a chaotic mess. He had no idea how to face this woman, and after a frozen moment of silence, he handed his school bag to Gu Fei: ¡°Help me¡­ take this in.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei took his school bag.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go talk over there.¡± Jiang Cheng gestured with his chin toward the opposite side of the street.


    ¡°Oh sure, sure.¡± The woman nodded; her eyes were glued to his face the whole time.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on? Should we¡­¡± Wang Xu was probably also blindsided by this scene that he wanted to follow after.


    Gu Fei reached out to stop him, ¡°What does this have to do with you? Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Jiang Cheng crossed the street with a blank state of mind, and then stopped and turned around once he got to a corner with fewer people.


    ¡°It¡¯s mom,¡± the woman pointed at herself. Her finger jabbed repeatedly at her own chest, ¡°I¡¯m your mom¡­ Li Baoguo never mentioned me, right? He definitely hasn¡¯t, definitely not. The bastard that acts innocent would definitely not tell you¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared with widened eyes, completely speechless. This seemingly pitiful woman and her vulgar words in her mouth made him momentarily unsure of what kind of reaction he should have.


    ¡°When you were sent away back then, he didn¡¯t discuss it with me at all¡­¡± the woman did not give him any room to speak and talked incessantly then started to cry midway, using the cuff of her shirt to wipe the tears. ¡°I even thought of a name for you. Your brother is Li Hui and you would have been Li Ming or Li Guang[1]¡­ but he sent you away. I fought with him and he beat me¡­ that fucking dick¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t describe how he felt and only thought of wanting to block out her voice.


    His usual technical skills were now being exerted to its maximum efficacy. In the past, when he did not want to listen to Shen Yiqing¡¯s reprimands, he would let his mind wander elsewhere and whether or not he heard it, he would surely forget the content.


    But compared to the ¡°biological mother¡± before him¡­


    ¡°Come back with me!¡± The woman suddenly grabbed his arm and shook it violently, bringing him back to reality. ¡°Come with mom!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± Jiang Cheng pulled away his arm and took two steps back, unable to suppress those two words, ¡°Touch me!¡±


    ¡°¡­ do you resent me?¡± The woman looked at him, ¡°Resent that your biological mother doesn¡¯t have money? Resent that I¡¯ll make you lose face? Does your father have money?! He¡¯s just waiting to spend your money!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Jiang Cheng said with a bit of effort. ¡°I have to attend class now. I¡­¡±


    ¡°The family that took you is pretty rich, right?¡± The woman was not crying anymore, and her eyes now scanned him back up and down. It was hard to tell whether the look on her face was of disdain or sadness as she spoke, ¡°Look at you, dressed just like a rich little master.¡±


    ¡°I have to go to class.¡± Jiang Cheng took a deep breath and turned toward the school gate.


    ¡°You¡¯re heartless!¡± The woman suddenly pounced on him and relentlessly beat him with her fist for a while. ¡°You¡¯re heartless! A home that¡¯s not like home! A son that doesn¡¯t recognize me! I have a cruel fate ah¡ª¡±


    ¡°Are you insane!¡± Jiang Cheng actually roared in rage, unable to take it anymore, and blocked her hands. ¡°If you have any animosity with Li Baoguo, you two can go rip each other apart! I don¡¯t fucking recognize either of you!!¡±


    After shouting those words, he turned around and walked away, but a couple of steps then turned completely into a full-blown sprint made it seem as if someone was chasing him from behind with a knife.


    The school gate was already closed. He didn¡¯t stop and ran madly along the perimeter wall, and finally leaned against a tree by the road.


    He didn¡¯t know if the woman had followed him and even if she did follow, it was impossible for her to keep up with him, however, he didn¡¯t have the courage to turn around for a look.


    He froze for a while and then took his phone out to send Gu Fei a message.


    ¨C Which part of the wall did you climb over?


    The perimeter wall around Fourth High was pretty high, with quite a few shops nearby that made it absolutely impossible to get over. But he desperately needed to get into the school now ¨C desperately.


    Gu Fei¡¯s reply came very quickly.


    ¨C You can¡¯t climb over that way anymore, but there¡¯s a small shop by the back gate in the north that you can climb over; there¡¯s a pile of broken bricks inside the perimeter wall.


    Jiang Cheng found the shop that Gu Fei mentioned; there was a dumpster set right next to the wall that he could use to climb into the wall and once he was on top of the wall, he could see where the pile of messy bricks was.


    Jumping down without some sort of standard could make him break his ankle at worst.


    ¡°Just jump,¡± the shop owner said, watching him from the side of the wall with his arms crossed, he then shouted: ¡°There are no teachers at the moment, but give it a few minutes and someone will come by.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± Jiang Cheng almost allowed that throat of his to startle him directly off the wall.


    He looked around to make sure that no one was nearby and then jumped off.


    Fortunately, he only stepped on some bricks and stumbled back a step or two without actually stepping into the cracks between the bricks.


    When he entered the classroom, Lao Xu was standing on the teacher¡¯s platform while the students below ate their breakfast in unison. If someone didn¡¯t know better, they would have thought that he was here to inspect the circumstances surrounding the distributions of breakfast.


    ¡°You¡¯re late?¡± Lao Xu looked at him in surprise.


    ¡°I had to pee,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    When he sat on his seat, Gu Fei glanced at him but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng muttered.


    He very much wanted to say something, to curse, to complain, to find a place and yell a few times, and cry with utter consolation.


    But now, he could only sit there stunned and do nothing.


    Miserably enduring it.


    The suffocating fire was raging horrendously in his body, burning relentlessly until he could almost smell the scorching stench ¨C this intense rage that he could not vent or endure was setting aflame unbearable pains.


    He wanted to talk to Gu Fei, but he also knew that anything Gu Fei said at this moment would only make him suddenly explode.


    Luckily, Gu Fei was a xuezha of superb emotional intelligence who buried himself in playing that retarded, retarded, retarded, retarded Craz3 Match game without saying a word or even giving him a single glance.


    But sometimes life was just that ruthless. There were always people doing the most inappropriate things at the most inappropriate times ¨C such people are called unfortunate souls.


    ¡°Cheng Cheng!¡± A strange voice came from outside the classroom door, ¡°Cheng Cheng¡ª¡±


    Jiang Cheng suddenly turned his head and saw that a certain member from Class 5 basketball team was passing by the back door with a wretched smile.


    This person wants to die.


    That was Gu Fei¡¯s first reaction when he heard that fucking idiot¡¯s voice.


    Jiang Cheng rose up in one bound out of his seat, and when his knee knocked into Gu Fei¡¯s back as he jumped over from behind him, Gu Fei helplessly coughed while looking outside the classroom.


    Jiang Cheng was extremely quick. Just as everyone in the class turned to look out, he had already flown out, grabbed that idiot by the collar, and landed a fist on the bridge of his nose.


    This punch was very heavy. Gu Fei recalled the last time that they fought; Jiang Cheng knew exactly what he was doing but this punch completely lacked control.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Wang Xu was the first to jump up. He propped his hand on the desk and leaped over, then propped his hand on another desk and leaped over the desk in front of him.


    All for the sake of getting in on the action, this person could raise his skills by at least three levels.


    When Jiang Cheng¡¯s second punch smashed the idiot¡¯s face, the whole class had stood up and was squeezing toward outside the back door.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, what¡¯s going on?!¡± Lao Xu shouted as he tried to get out but was quickly pushed all the way to the back by the students rushing forward. ¡°What¡¯s going on?! Stop the fight! Stop the fight! Wang Xu! Go stop them!¡±


    ¡°That¡­ how the hell do I do that!¡±  Wang Xu¡¯s voice came from within the hallway.


    Gu Fei stood up, dragged the chair behind the crowd by the door, stood on it, and looked out.


    The idiotic student had already fallen to the ground. Jiang Cheng had one hand gripping his throat while the other hand was swinging on his face. If it weren¡¯t for the crowd shouting too loudly, they would have certainly heard the sounds of his fist connecting with skin.


    The idiot was from Class 5. He wasn¡¯t the big boss from Class 5, but he was definitely a contender just like Wang Xu. With him being held down to the ground and beaten like this, the students from Class 5 quickly came over.


    ¡°Fuck!!¡± Someone shouted and prepared to rush over.


    ¡°Fuck who, huh?!!¡± Wang Xu bellowed in rage, pushed up his sleeves, and charged ahead. ¡°You want to fuck me up? Come, come, come at me!¡±


    A brawl between the two classes suddenly started without any preparatory statements, not even trash-talking or warm-ups came ¨C they went straight into full-blown combat.


    With the hallway packed with students, the deafening noises from onlookers, and the twelfth graders from the side, the few teachers on this floor couldn¡¯t even maintain order, let alone find their own shadows in the crowd.


    Gu Fei jumped off the chair and squeezed his way in through the throng of people, avoiding several fists just to get to Jiang Cheng.


    At this time, the guy on the ground already had a bloodied face but perhaps because he was beaten so brutally that his fighting spirit was aroused, and he started swinging back at Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng,¡± Gu Fei called out to Jiang Cheng, but Jiang Cheng seemed to not have heard him. He frowned, ¡°Cheng-ge! That¡¯s enough!¡±


    Just as he was about to pull Jiang Cheng up, a fist swung over from the guy on the ground, and although the target was Jiang Cheng¡¯s face, it swiped Gu Fei¡¯s face instead.


    Gu Fei suddenly grabbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s arm and forcibly yanked him backward, causing him to stagger and fall to the ground then after, he firmly landed a slap on the face of the guy in the ground with the back of his hand.


    With his ass now on the ground, Jiang Cheng finally recovered a bit of his sense amid this chaotic anger.


    The guy on the ground glared at him and got up, wanting to pounce at him again.


    Gu Fei pointed at him, with the tip of his finger nearly touching his eye: ¡°If you move even the slightest, I¡¯ll put you in the hospital.¡±


    His voice was bitterly cold. The guy froze in place immediately, as if his emergency brakes were slammed hard on.


    Jiang Cheng had never heard such a tone from Gu Fei before ¨C so cold that he was immediately clear-headed and slowly stood up from the ground.


    The group fights around him were still in full swing, just like an unstoppable wildfire. He stood in the throng of the crowd and suddenly felt a little confused.


    ¡°Gu Fe! Gu Fei!¡± Lao Xu managed, at last, to make himself visible in the utter chaos, ¡°Gu Fei! Stop the fight! Stop the fight! Separate them!¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything as he conveniently went to grab the back collar of someone from Class 5 and pulled him back. The guy turned around and swung at him, but he caught the fist and shoved him to the side.


    After that, he grabbed Wang Xu¡¯s collar, pulled him back, and pushed him away.


    ¡°What the fuck | You¡­¡± Wang Xu didn¡¯t finish his curse and shut his mouth when he saw clearly that it was Gu Fei.


    ¡°Tell your people to go back to class.¡± Gu Fei turned to glance at him and said in a calm and collected tone.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Wang Xu shouted. ¡°Everybody, stop! All of you from Class 8, get back to class!¡±


    Gu Fei grabbed the arm of another person from Class 5 and shoved him to the side.


    Eventually, the students in the hallway slowly separated, and those who were entangled in the fight began to swear relentlessly.


    ¡°Get back to class!¡± Lao Lu¡¯s voice suddenly reverberated; since the first period of the day was his class, he had probably been there for a while now though no one heard his roaring voice at all. ¡°Did you all sleep too well last night?! You want to act out huh?! Come on! Whoever wants to satisfy their craving, raise your hand! How about having a go with me on the field! You!¡±


    He pointed at the guy who received a bloodied face from Jiang Cheng: ¡°I¡¯m talking about you! Look at your face decorated with blood! Are you happy now that you have open wounds?![2] Is that a morning glory or a sunflower?! What are you glaring at me for! Do you need me to carry you to the bathroom to wash your face?!¡±


    Everyone slowly went back to their respective classrooms accompanied by the sound of Lao Lu¡¯s voice.


    With such a thrilling event this early in the morning, many people were a little unsatisfied; noises filled the classroom, some were just shouting, and some were curses from those that didn¡¯t get to enjoy themselves to the fullest.


    Jiang Cheng sat back on his seat, still feeling a bit disoriented.


    Gu Fei also sat down. He rummaged through his school bag, took out a few Band-Aids, and threw them on the desk.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him.


    ¡°Hands,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng looked down at his own hands which had suffered from several scrapes at some point. He didn¡¯t feel it at all ¨C even now, he didn¡¯t feel an ounce of pain.


    He peeled open two band-aids and stuck them on.


    ¡°Ai, Jiang Cheng, Jiang Cheng¡­¡± Zhou Jing turned around full of excitement.


    Jiang Cheng only had to give him a stare for him to obediently turn back and sit up properly in his seat without even finishing the sentence.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng.¡± Lao Xu entered the classroom with a frown, ¡°Come with me for a second.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stood up and followed Lao Xu out of the classroom.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with you huh?¡± Lao Xu asked as he led him down the stairs, ¡°Why did you suddenly fight like that?¡±


    Jiang Cheng kept silent.


    ¡°Is it because of the game?¡± Lao Xu turned to ask again, ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound right. If it¡¯s about the game, then Wang Xu would¡¯ve been the first to take the lead.¡±


    Jiang Cheng still didn¡¯t say anything.


    Lao Xu walked him all the way to the side of the field before he stopped and sighed: ¡°Jiang Cheng ah, you¡¯re going to be taken to the Guidance Counselor office regarding this matter. You have to tell me what¡¯s going on so that I can help talk to the Director of Academic Affairs for you. This kind of situation¡­ a disciplinary punishment will be taken against you!¡±


    What¡¯s so scary about being punished?


    He still carried his previous disciplinary actions with him to this day.


    Disciplinary punishments weren¡¯t scary ¨C the scary thing was that he didn¡¯t know how to explain himself at all.


    I hit him because he was imitating how that woman spoke.


    You beat him because he imitated how that woman spoke?


    Why?


    Because that woman is my biological mother?


    This matter was not that difficult to explain with some common sense, but for him, it was difficult.


    Jiang Cheng looked at Lao Xu and then after a long while, he said: ¡°Whatever.¡±


    [1] Lu Hui (Àî»Ô) Hui ¨C splendor/shine upon, Li Ming (ÀîÃ÷)Ming ¨C bright (opposite of dark), Li Guang (Àî¹â) Guang ¨C light, ray


    [2] Are you happy now that you have open wounds (¿ª»¨ÁËͦÃÀÊÇ°É) lit. ¡°Are you happy you¡¯re in full bloom!¡± (Bloom as in open wounds, are you now happy that you have open wounds ¡ª sarcastic remark) ¨C An ¡­ so the open wounds look like flowers!

 CH 36

    Jiang Cheng considered Lao Xu to be quite responsible, but he really didn¡¯t want to say anything, nor did he even know how to say it. Even if he made an effort to explain ¨C because the person who lashed out from a single comment by another person was him ¨C if he wanted to clearly explain the situation, he would have to simultaneously explain too many other things in the process, things he had no will to confront.


    In comparison, he would much rather take the punishment in silence, except he did feel quite sorry for Lao Xu, who sincerely worried about his students.


    Lao Xu used half a lesson worth of time to patiently remonstrate him with a sincere and intense conviction ¨C to move with logic, to touch with emotions.[1] Jiang Cheng felt as if Lao Xu¡¯s tears were about to roll down his face. But in the end, he still wasn¡¯t able to get an answer out of Jiang Cheng and had no choice but to let him return back to the classroom.


    When he arrived downstairs, the fuckhead from Class 5 coincidently walked out from the nurse¡¯s office after treatment.


    It didn¡¯t look like he was severely injured. There were several bruises and graze marks and the part that looked the worse was¡­ swollen.


    Jiang Cheng had repeatedly beaten him with his right hand, so the fuckhead¡¯s left eye was so swollen that there was only a crack left. His left cheek was also swollen, making him look sort of lopsided.


    Once he saw Jiang Cheng, his one and one-fifth of an eye almost spewed out fire.


    Jiang Cheng paused his steps and stood still at the spot two to three metres away from the staircase, not taking another step forward.


    ¡°What?!¡± Fuckhead spat on the ground. ¡°Weren¡¯t you quite tough before?! Afraid now?¡±


    Jiang Cheng did not respond.


    Fuckhead eyed him from the two and two-fifth of an eye then walked up the stairs while spewing obscenities. Jiang Cheng continued to hear his voice until it lowered and eventually faded away and only then did he also slowly make his way up the stairs.


    Lao Lu probably didn¡¯t even get a chance to start his lesson for this period yet. When Jiang Cheng strolled into the classroom, he was standing behind the podium swearing, so loudly that the flakes of paint fell off from the ceiling above.


    ¡°The hero[2] is back!¡± When Lao Lu saw him enter, his teaching pointer instantly pointed toward him. ¡°Jiang Cheng, let me give you a suggestion!¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned around to look at him.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you write an essay about how to cross two groups of people and rush into the hallway yet walk out of a brawl completely unharmed!¡± Lao Lu roared, ¡°Once you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll help you print it and stick it up in the classroom!¡±


    ¡°¡­ oh,¡± Jiang Cheng responded somewhat helplessly and returned to his seat.


    ¡°It¡¯s not me who is being unfair,¡± Lao Lu¡¯s teaching pointer danced across the podium, pointing left then right. ¡°Every single one of you! Are only like a human being when you¡¯re asleep! Once your eyes open, you become piles of shit! Never have I seen any of you do one thing that isn¡¯t foul! Your parents work themselves to death only to support you pieces of shit to mess around in school¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you go to the Director of Academics¡¯ office?¡± Gu Fei asked with his head down while playing on his phone.


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°They¡¯ll probably get you all at once when school¡¯s over then,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    Gu Fei was indeed pretty experienced.


    During the last few minutes before the final period ended, the Director of Academics, Lao Xu, and Class 5¡¯s homeroom teacher all arrived and blocked the entrance to the hallway.


    Everyone who had taken part in the fight was dragged to the Director of Academics¡¯ office without a single person left behind.


    The Director of Academics first gave them a good round of scolding, then after he was done, he made them confess to the reason for the fight. Not a single person in the group could give an explanation; they just joined in when they saw people fighting.


    In the end, the Director of Academics secured Jiang Cheng and Fuckhead as his targets.


    ¡°He said you hit him,¡± the Director of Academics stared at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Right. There must be a reason,¡± Lao Xu immediately chimed in. ¡°Jiang Cheng¡¯s marks are amongst the top ten of his grade, especially out of all the key senior high schools¡­¡±


    ¡°Xu-laoshi, I know that he¡¯s a xueba,¡± the Director of Academics cut off Lao Xu¡¯s words. ¡°Wait for me to finish asking.¡±


    Lao Xu shut his mouth.


    But Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say a word from the beginning to the end.


    Just when the Director of Academics was about to flare up, Wang Xu raised his hand: ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Speak.¡± The Director of Academics glanced at him, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you this well-behaved in class before, not to mention, raising a hand.¡±


    ¡°They came to our class and cursed at us,¡± Wang Xu explained. ¡°Saying stuff like, ¡®Cheng Cheng, Cheng Cheng, fuck your mother¡¯. Anybody would blow up if they heard that, and they even said it in a weird tone¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?!¡± Fuckhead shouted immediately after he heard that, ¡°When did I ever curse at somebody?!¡±


    ¡°You were cursing during morning study ah.¡± Wang Xu glared at him, ¡°Otherwise, even a xueba would beat you up? Serves you right.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck!¡± Fuckhead was furious, so much that his left eye even opened, ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Listen to him, Director!¡± Wang Xu became even more motivated, ¡°Listen to him! He¡¯s even cursing right now! He was cursing even louder during morning study. We all heard him! Why else would we all start fighting together? None of us are usually like this, but we do have a collective sense of honour!¡±


    ¡°Exactly! We all heard it!¡± The group of students that were dragged from Class 8 echoed in perfect unison.


    ¡°You all heard shit!¡± Fuckhead¡¯s face was thoroughly red as he turned to the students in his own class, ¡°Did any of you hear anything?!¡±


    ¡°Nothing! He never even cursed!¡± The students from Class 5 also maintained unity.


    ¡°Of course you guys didn¡¯t hear him.¡± Gu Fei was at the very back of the room, leaning against an office desk, ¡°There¡¯s an entire classroom between us, and he was right beside Jiang Cheng when he cursed.¡±


    ¡°Gu Fei!¡± Fuckhead pointed a finger toward Gu Fei but couldn¡¯t get any words out for a long time.


    ¡°They definitely heard you when you started screaming later on though,¡± Gu Fei snickered.


    ¡°Enough,¡± the Director of Academics gave Gu Fei a glare.


    Gu Fei took out his phone, lowered his head, and started playing once more.


    The truth was already made clear: Fuckhead cursed at somebody and got beaten up, which then triggered the fight between the two classes. Even if Fuckhead tried his best to protest, the Director of Academics didn¡¯t think there was anything faulty with this conclusion.


    In a school like Si Zhong, as long as there was a fight, there wouldn¡¯t be a single person who was completely innocent.


    Following that, the homeroom teachers of the two classes argued fiercely in accordance with their own logic, each piling the blame onto the other¡¯s class. Lao Xu¡¯s arguing was the same when he was teaching classes, without much vigour, but he really was wordy ¨C once he started talking, there was no end to it. The other homeroom teacher was a female teacher; she started up a few times but couldn¡¯t squeeze a thing in, so in the end, she just waved her hand, ¡®seemingly¡¯ in defeat: ¡°Fine, I won¡¯t say anymore. Xu Laoshi¡¯s eloquence is really wasted on being a teacher.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re flattering me.¡± Lao Xu nodded his head in an extremely polite manner.


    ¡°Alright, alright, there¡¯s no need to fight.¡± The Director of Academics also had an exhausted expression.


    In the end, the final solution was for all those who participated in the fight to write a self-reflection paper with at least 800 words and clean two of the school¡¯s washrooms for a week. The ones who started the fight, Jiang Cheng and Fuckhead, would have to go on stage during Monday¡¯s morning assembly to read their self-reflection papers out loud to the entire school ¨C it was to be a cautionary punishment after all.


    Once they heard there were going to be disciplinary actions taken, both Lao Xu and Class 5¡¯s homeroom teacher instantly grew agitated.


    ¡°Director, I don¡¯t think this matter is serious to the point where disciplinary actions are necessary.¡± Class 5¡¯s homeroom teacher reasoned, ¡°Besides, looking at the severity of the injuries, our class is¡­¡±


    ¡°Right!¡± Lao Xu agreed in a loud voice.


    At this moment, Jiang Cheng seemed to see Lao Xu¡¯s manifestation.


    But Lao Xu changed back to himself with the next sentence: ¡°They¡¯re all teenagers. It¡¯s normal to be a little impulsive, and as educators and superiors, we mustn¡¯t use this one-size-fits-all method sort of punishment on them. What effect would disciplinary actions possibly have? It¡¯ll only leave a mark on their records. This method only reduces the workload of us educators, so I don¡¯t agree with it. I believe that we should use our love and care, our patience, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Xu Laoshi¡­ Xu Laoshi¡­ Lao Xu¡­¡± The Director of Academics raised an Erkang hand[3] with a pained expression while the other hand was placed over his chest, ¡°I know, I understand your good intentions¡­¡±


    ¡°We as educators would definitely also feel very powerless when faced with so many children, but this is the career that we chose¡­¡± Lao Xu didn¡¯t have any intention to stop, ¡°Who didn¡¯t have any impulses at this age? Look, the two of us were classmates, right? When you were in high school¡­¡±


    ¡°Xu Qicai!¡±[4] The Director of Academics cried, ¡°I said I know now!¡±


    Jiang Cheng was originally in a pretty low mood, but now, he didn¡¯t know how his mood suddenly became very good. Lao Xu¡¯s words were pretty funny, but he still felt moved. A teacher like this could be counted as a type of luck if you could meet once in your life ¨C even though Lao Xu was never able to find the correct way to communicate with his students because of his low EQ¡­


    But he really did want to laugh right now, and those with thoughts like this was certainly not just him. He already heard the unsuppressed giggles coming from Wang Xu¡¯s side.


    ¡°Fine.¡± The Director of Academics downed two big gulps of water, ¡°There won¡¯t be any disciplinary actions taken at the moment, but there would be observations. If there are any disciplinary violations committed this semester then punishments would be added, and not just a cautionary one. It would be directly recorded.¡±


    ¡°Reporting,¡± Gu Fei called out from the back. ¡°Why do I also have to write a self-reflection paper?¡±


    ¡°Did you not fight?!¡± The Director of Academics slammed the cup onto the table.


    Jiang Cheng felt that he was about to reach his limit.


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei replied. ¡°I was breaking up the fight.¡±


    ¡°I was the one who instructed him to break up the fight.¡± Lao Xu nodded his head and chimed.


    ¡°You hit me!¡± Fuckhead yelled, he was on the verge of stomping his feet.


    ¡°Who saw that?¡± Gu Fei narrowed his eyes and swept his gaze across the faces of the group of students present, ¡°Who saw that I hit you?¡±


    Fuckhead was so angry that his hand was trembling a little but remained silent.


    ¡°What are you doing here if you weren¡¯t part of the fight?!¡± The Director of Academics yelled directly at Gu Fei.


    ¡°You guys dragged me here,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    ¡°¡­ you write one.¡± The Director of Academics shouted once more, ¡°Go write about how I caught you being late and climbing over the wall this week! Go on stage and read it aloud with them as well!¡±


    When they exited the Director of Academics¡¯ office, the moods of the students from the two classes seemed to be pretty low. Lao Xu escorted them all the way from the school gates to the parking shed, wanting to lecture them a little more but couldn¡¯t successfully open his mouth.


    That was because the group had squatted in the parking shed and was laughing uncontrollably, unable to extricate themselves no matter what.


    Jiang Cheng still wanted to laugh a bit when he was seated in the small bun. He had to open a slit in the windows and let a little bit of wind blow in to clear his head.


    ¡°We¡¯re driving over to Ding Zhuxin¡¯s place?¡± He asked after the car was driven a while.


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei nodded, ¡°Isn¡¯t it convenient?¡±


    ¡°Ai, I just want to ask. This sort of car is all driven by old people, but you¡¯re a youngster driving this thing, would the police not care?¡± Jiang Cheng questioned.


    ¡°Care about what? You¡¯re thinking as if this place is like where you came from,¡± Gu Fei answered. ¡°If they really blocked me then I would just tell them that I¡¯m taking the car over to my grandfather. What¡¯s there about it?¡±


    ¡°Your grandfather knows how to drive this?¡± Jiang Cheng laughed as he asked.


    ¡°Nope, he died a long time ago,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng paused for a bit and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    ¡°It was suicide.¡± Gu Fei stopped the car at a red light. He leaned against the back of the seat and said in a light voice, ¡°He drank pesticide.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Jiang Cheng was a little shocked.


    ¡°Because he had a bastard of a son.¡± Gu Fei grew silent for a while after he spoke, then once the green light lit up, he drove out for another half a street before saying another sentence. ¡°There¡¯s plenty of fucked up people and fucked up things in this world, you just haven¡¯t seen them yet.¡±


    Jiang Cheng gazed at his silhouette and didn¡¯t make a sound.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think too much,¡± Gu Fei said, ¡°Live like a spectator, it would be a lot easier.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng sounded then closed his eyes.


    Today, Ding Zhuxin wasn¡¯t in the studio and there was only a girl busy organizing a pile of clothes.


    ¡°Xin Jie¡¯s assistant, Xiao Lu.¡± Gu Fei introduced them, ¡°This is Jiang Cheng, today¡¯s model.¡±


    ¡°So handsome¡­ oh, I¡¯m Lucia. He simplified it for me when he couldn¡¯t read it properly.¡± Xiao Lu laughed a little then pointed at the two rows of clothes on the rack, ¡°Those are today¡¯s. They¡¯ve all been matched up already. I¡¯ll apply some makeup on you later.¡±


    When Xiao Lu was putting makeup on Jiang Cheng, he glanced toward the clothes scheduled for today and felt that it was quite similar to the ones from yesterday ¨C they were all either Dharma Master styles, or otherwise, beggar style. However, it was not knitted fabric, the majority of them were burlap¡­ this made beggar style even more accurately beggar style.


    But Jiang Cheng was willing to wear these because, at the very least, the wind wasn¡¯t coming at him from all directions.


    ¡°Okay done, you really don¡¯t need much makeup, to be honest.¡± Xiao Lu took a step to look over him, ¡°Your face shape should be pretty photogenic, the outlines are very sharp.¡±


    ¡°You sure have a lot to say.¡± Gu Fei entered the room with the camera in his hands, ¡°Okay, hurry up and change. It¡¯s dead tiring to shoot until the evening every day.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good now.¡± Xiao Lu clapped her hands, ¡°I¡¯ll leave the rest of the hard work to you guys now. I need to go to the warehouse. If anyone calls, help me answer it and tell them to call my cell.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Fei nodded his head.


    Jiang Cheng waited for Xiao Lu to leave before he walked up to the racks to take a look, wanting to pick a set that was easy on the eyes.


    ¡°They all have to be shot,¡± Gu Fei leaned against the door frame. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you wear one first or another last ¨C you have to wear them all.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I know.¡± Jiang Cheng had no choice but to randomly pick a set.


    Gu Fei turned and walked back into the inner room. Jiang Cheng studied the clothes; this set had quite a lot of layers, not bad, at least it would be warm.


    He just had no idea why all the clothes Ding Zhuxin designed couldn¡¯t be differentiated between men and women, or to put it another way ¨C why they all looked like fucking women¡¯s wear.


    This set did have a pair of baggy burlap pants, but the upper wear was a loose long top. Once he pulled it on, he felt like he should have a set of prayer beads in his hands as well.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei watched him enter and raised an eyebrow. ¡°This set is pretty good.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me roast your beauty-standards.¡± Jiang Cheng stood under a set of already turned-on lights. Having the shooting experience from the previous day, he no longer had the awkward feeling of not knowing where to place his hands when he stood there.


    ¡°Walk around casually, turn your body, and look back,¡± Gu Fei aimed the camera at him. ¡°You can choose whether to smile or not.¡±


    Jiang Cheng paced back and forth a few times in front of the lens: ¡°This okay?¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Gu Fei replied. ¡°Let¡¯s take a close-up of your profile and then you can go change.¡±


    ¡°Why do we need a close-up of my profile?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°You have a cut on your lips¡­ don¡¯t tell me that you haven¡¯t noticed?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I noticed,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°What does that have to do with a profile close-up?¡±


    ¡°It looks quite good.¡± Gu Fei pressed the shutter, ¡°Okay, you can go change now.¡±


    ¡°No wait,¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m shooting for a personal piece,¡± Gu Fei replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t I take pictures of you before?¡±


    ¡°¡­ fine.¡± Jiang Cheng walked out. His entire morning was extremely chaotic, he was too lazy to waste any mental energy now.


    He grabbed another set from the rack. He didn¡¯t take a clear look at whatever the fuck the top was, but the bottom was actually a skirt. He first put the skirt on.


    He was a little speechless once he put it on; it was a skirt that wasn¡¯t quite ankle-length but wasn¡¯t quite calf-length either.


    But now, he already had a rough idea about Ding Zhuxin¡¯s style.


    Basically, if it¡¯s hard to figure out then just go bare-footed.


    But regarding the clothes¡­


    ¡°Gu Fei.¡± Jiang Cheng held up a mass of burlap as he walked in, shirtless, wearing a calf-length skirt on the bottom. ¡°You two childhood friends, please explain to me what this thing is for?¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Gu Fei put down his camera and swept a glance across Jiang Cheng¡¯s body. Jiang Cheng¡¯s body was really not bad, especially that scar across his rib¡­


    Jiang Cheng shook open the thing in his hands: ¡°Is this the raw material? Has it not been processed?¡±


    Gu Fei looked at the large rectangular burlap in front of him and smiled, ¡°I got it, give it to me.¡±


    Jiang Cheng tossed the fabric over to him. He caught it and brought it together into a strip, threw it over Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulder, and wrapped it twice.


    ¡°Fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng was dumbfounded, ¡°This is a scarf?¡±


    ¡°¡­ no, but you can think of it that way.¡± Gu Fei tugged at the fabric for a long time and made the entire thing appear as if it was casually wrapped.


    ¡°If somebody actually buys this thing then I will eat it,¡± Jiang Cheng remarked.


    ¡°This won¡¯t necessarily be sold, probably just used to display the design concept.¡± Gu Fei backed two steps, ¡°Alright, very sexy.¡±


    ¡°I feel like if I move, it will fall off.¡± Jiang Cheng stiffened his arm and pinched the fabric draped over his shoulder, ¡°I can¡¯t move.¡±


    ¡°You can just run in front of me, don¡¯t bother about whether it will fall off or not.¡± Gu Fei raised the camera.


    Jiang Cheng was like a robot as he moved across the backdrop. Even though the movement was really funny, the smooth and firm back was still incredibly beautiful. Gu Fei pressed the shutter.


    Click.


    ¡°Are you sick?¡± Jiang Cheng slanted his head back, but didn¡¯t turn around, probably afraid that the large fabric would fall off, ¡°Is this also for a personal piece?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I didn¡¯t even capture your face,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°How come you have the same sort of behavior as Wang Xu?¡± Jiang Cheng finished positioning himself.


    ¡°If I take a picture of you, you would be even more handsome,¡± Gu Fei replied. ¡°But if he takes a picture of you, he could only rely on your face.¡±


    ¡°¡­ hurry up! It¡¯s about to fall!¡± Jiang Cheng had no idea what he should say to that.


    ¡°Run,¡± Gu Fei ordered.


    Jiang Cheng stiffened the upper part of his body and ran past the camera.


    ¡°Is it okay?¡± He turned to look at Gu Fei, the fabric on his body slipped off in a very smooth manner.


    Gu Fei clutched the camera and stared at him without saying a word.


    ¡°Fine, I know.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed, ¡°Was it a little¡­¡±


    ¡°You ran like a chicken,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng was a little disgruntled, ¡°What the fuck are you saying?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever seen a chicken run before?¡± Gu Fei asked, ¡°They don¡¯t move their heads.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glared at him then squatted down after a few seconds, bursting into a round of laughter as he faced the ground. ¡°Fuck, I won¡¯t shoot this set anymore.¡±


    ¡°The pieces are going to be counted,¡± Gu Fei said with a laugh, ¡°Be more dedicated.¡±


    He could only stand up again: ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll try my best to not run like a chicken later.¡±


    Gu Fei walked over and picked up the burlap on the ground and wrapped it around his body again.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know if it was because he was shirtless, but when Gu Fei neared him, he felt Gu Fei¡¯s breaths against his shoulder¡­ the sensation made his heart beat faster.


    If the breaths had fanned past his face or brushed his ear, the sense of ambiguity wouldn¡¯t be so obvious; but the shoulders are a place that wouldn¡¯t be exposed this season, making it subconsciously become a private place on his body.


    Jiang Cheng felt a little stifled, but he didn¡¯t clench his teeth, nor did he say a word, because he could tell that Gu Fei was being very careful. When he adjusted the fabric, he hadn¡¯t touched him at all.


    He didn¡¯t want to become somebody so unreasonable and sensitive in Gu Fei¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei glanced a couple of times, ¡°Start running from here, we can just manage to capture the scar.¡±


    ¡°What sort of hobby is taking pictures of scars?¡± Jiang Cheng questioned.


    ¡°A ¡®having survived many vicissitudes¡¯¡­¡± Gu Fei raised the camera, ¡°Little monk.¡±


    Just as Jiang Cheng wanted to retort, he then shouted again, ¡°Run!¡±


    Jiang Cheng had to lift his leg and run to the other side, and because he didn¡¯t want to have to run for the third time, he ran without any scruples now. When he felt the fabric starting to slip off his body halfway, he ignored it and ran with wide strides, arriving at the other side with just a few steps.


    When he turned back, the piece of fabric had fallen on the spot in the middle.


    Gu Fei took a look at the camera screen: ¡°Amazing.¡±


    Among the pictures taken was one where he was jumping into the air with his legs extending out and the ¡°scarf¡± half-slipping off his body ¨C it had a great feeling to it.


    ¡°Can I change now?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s take another static one.¡± Gu Fei pondered for a while then pointed to the single-person sofa at the back. ¡°Sit there and just casually throw the fabric around you. If there¡¯s more, then just toss it behind you.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng sat down.


    ¡°Put your arms on the armrests at each side. Relax. The lazier the better.¡± Gu Fei gazed at him through the lens, ¡°Put one leg on top of the other one.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never crossed my legs before.¡± Jiang Cheng crossed his legs, ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Not like that, too girly,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Cross your legs from that area around your ankles.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng crossed his legs according to what he said then he leaned back against the sofa and rested his head against the back. ¡°Is this okay?¡±


    After Gu Fei pressed the shutter, he held up the camera and didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°Is it good now?¡± Jiang Cheng asked again.


    ¡°It¡¯s good now.¡± Gu Fei lowered the camera, ¡°Can I edit this one a bit and send it into my Moments?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Jiang Cheng was stunned. He knew that Gu Fei often posted pictures; there was Er Miao, sceneries, and many portraits. There were people he knew and people he didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°And the previous one too.¡± Gu Fei looked at him, ¡°Is that alright?¡±


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s fine.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. He thought for a while and asked, ¡°Do you often make money by taking pictures for people?¡±


    ¡°Not often,¡± Gu Fei answered. ¡°It¡¯s, always.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly sighed with some emotions. This photoshoot was the first time he had ever made money in his life. Last year when Pan Zhi pulled him along to hand out flyers with him, saying to experience life, he didn¡¯t even go. ¡°You¡¯re pretty awesome.¡±


    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Gu Fei simply replied. ¡°My family has a lot of things we need to spend money on. It¡¯s not enough to rely on that little shop and Gu Miao still has to take medicine.¡±


    ¡°Your mom¡­ doesn¡¯t work?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s too busy dating.¡± Gu Fei smiled, ¡°She never worked again since my dad died.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything. This was the first time that Gu Fei had mentioned his father¡¯s death ¨C he really was dead.


    Then¡­ how did he die?


    He recalled Li Baoguo¡¯s words. Even though he didn¡¯t believe him¡­ he couldn¡¯t ask either ¨C unless one day Gu Fei willingly told him, just like how he was toward his own circumstances.


    I should change to another set, Jiang Cheng walked out and quickly changed and came back in.


    Gu Fei took a glance and suddenly wanted to laugh. He didn¡¯t know what Ding Zhuxin was thinking.


    ¡°A wild primitive person?¡± Jiang Cheng helplessly spun around, took out something from behind his waist and shook it. ¡°It even comes with a slingshot? No offense, this slingshot is defective. It would definitely be crooked if used.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± This set of clothes couldn¡¯t even look good with a figure and face like Jiang Cheng¡¯s. Gu Fei couldn¡¯t hold back any longer; he put down the camera and burst out laughing. ¡°Then let¡¯s use yours.¡±


    Once this sentence left his lips, both he and Jiang Cheng simultaneously grew silent.


    The room was so quiet that the spitting of a water bubble from the tap sounded like thunder.


    Gu Fei had a feeling.


    He was doomed.


    ***


    The translators have something to say:


    Ice: Ahhhhh I am finally done with high school (and this chapter lololol). Damn Gu Fei is thirsty af, though I don¡¯t really blame him¡­ I also want to be able to drool over Jiang Cheng¡¯s face and body¡­


    (o¦êo )


    Thank you An as well for working on this chapter despite school T.T !!! ¨C Sae


    [1] To move with logic, to touch with emotions, ÏþÖ®ÒÔÀí¶¯Ö®ÒÔÇé: basically ¨C let him understand by reasoning while moving him with emotions


    [2] Hero, ¹¦³¼ ¨C lit. minister who has given outstanding service


    [3] Erkang hand (¶û¿µÊÖ) ¨C popular Chinese meme of Er Kang, a character from a famous Chinese costume drama ¡°Princess Pearl¡± where he has his hand reached out to stop someone.


    [4] Xu Qicai ÐìÆë²Å ¨C Xu Laoshi aka Lao Xu aka Xu Zong¡¯s full name

 CH 37

    ¡°Oh! Yeah! Thank you, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Contestant Jiang Cheng has decided to raise the difficulty again! He has once again decided to increase the difficulty! Wow¡ª¡±


    ¡°Coach X, do you think that this was just a mistake, or are his skills not up to par?¡±


    ¡°I think his skills still have room for improvement¡­¡±


    The room was still extremely quiet, but Gu Fei¡¯s head was already filled with Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice, all kinds of antics, all sorts of tones ¨C he was completely immersed in the role.


    He, who had always been good at handling stalemate situations, felt that what he was facing at that moment was a dead end ¨C as if a broad road[1] leading to ¡°a round of beatings¡± had opened right before his eyes.


    Nobody knew that Jiang Cheng had a slingshot; the only time he displayed his slingshot was precisely that time by the lake. The. Empty. Of. All. People. Lake.


    He didn¡¯t even have the chance to come up with an excuse so as to not admit anything.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say a word. He just stood across from him and stared at him without even a single expression on his face.


    Since the sudden shock faded away, he had remained expressionless.


    He couldn¡¯t even guess what Jiang Cheng¡¯s emotional state was now.


    ¡°That¡­¡± But he still had to open his mouth, ¡°That day¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t speak ¨C almost as if he was waiting for him to explain.


    ¡°I was passing by,¡± Gu Fei mumbled.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t any paths by that lake,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I walked an entire lap around it.¡±


    ¡°I really had something to do there.¡± Gu Fei finally found a somewhat mild way to phrase things, ¡°I saw that you were playing with your slingshot and since we weren¡¯t very close then, I didn¡¯t go greet you and just left.¡±


    Jiang Cheng gave him a look and tossed around the slingshot in his hand. When the slingshot fell back into his left hand after spinning two times, Gu Fei saw his right hand reaching toward the table by the side.


    Not good!


    He knew that on that table there were quite a few accessories as well as¡­ buttons.


    Jiang Cheng was reaching precisely for the buttons.


    Gu Fei turned around, wanting to run behind the backdrop beside them.


    Those weren¡¯t normal little buttons. Ding Zhuxin¡¯s designs all made use of all sorts of ¡°recyclable¡± materials, and that handful of wooden bead-shaped buttons were practically the perfect accompaniments for a slingshot.


    ¡°That is what you meant by ¡®spectator¡¯?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    Gu Fei heard a swishing sound, following that was a burst of pain on his thigh ¨C he had been hit by a wooden bead.


    He turned around and saw that Jiang Cheng was once again pulling back the slingshot, standing in the same place with his eyes narrowed at him.


    ¡°You¡­¡± He didn¡¯t even get to finish speaking before Jiang Cheng released his hand. He screamed, ¡°Ah!¡±


    The button hit him in his stomach.


    Truth be told, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t actually put much strength into it. If he had put in as much strength as the day he was making pits in the ice by the lake that day, he probably wouldn¡¯t even have the ability to scream right now.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that this slingshot was faulty and couldn¡¯t shoot accurately?!¡± Gu Fei jumped over the sofa, hiding the lower half of his body behind the backrest.


    ¡°That depends on who¡¯s shooting.¡± Jiang Cheng took another button and squinted at him, ¡°I can hit accurately even with two fingers and an elastic band.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡± Gu Fei hadn¡¯t finished speaking when Jiang Cheng released his hand yet again. The button hit his arm ¨C now that really hurt. He vigorously rubbed his arm a few times, ¡°Fuck!¡±


    ¡°The ¡®spectator¡¯ that you mentioned,¡± Jiang Cheng pulled taut the slingshot and looked at him from between the fork of the wood, ¡°Is that kind of ¡®spectator¡¯, right?¡±


    ¡°It was just an example!¡± Gu Fei had gotten hit three times in a row; it really was getting hard to bear, so he raised his voice, ¡°Do you have any sense of reason?!¡±


    ¡°What sense of reason?!¡± Jiang Cheng bellowed, his hand was shaking incredibly hard, ¡°What sense of reason?! You look on with cold eyes without a care, how at ease you must be ah![2] What reason?! The world never had any sense of reason! Is there any reason for me being adopted?! What reason could there be for me to be sent to this motherfucking place right after I had just learned that I wasn¡¯t a biological child?! What motherfucking reason?!¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge.¡± Gu Fei stepped out again from behind the sofa, ¡°I really wasn¡¯t doing it on purp¡ª¡±


    He didn¡¯t finish speaking ¨C Jiang Cheng¡¯s fourth button had hit his chest.


    ¡°Ah!¡± He jumped up and fell back onto the sofa when he retreated. He might as well not get up anymore. He directed a yell at Jiang Cheng, ¡°Come on, come on, Master Marksman Jiang Cheng! Come on! Hit me till you¡¯re satisfied! If the buttons here aren¡¯t enough then there¡¯s more outside! There aren¡¯t just wooden ones, there¡¯s motherfucking stone ones and even metal and copper ones! How about you directly use the metal ones?!¡±


    ¡°You saw everything.¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him for a while then dropped his hands and threw the slingshot and the buttons to the ground, ¡°Right? You saw everything.¡±


    ¡°I saw,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°How much did you see?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°From when you were shooting holes in the ice, to Coach X, until you started crying,¡± Gu Fei mumbled. ¡°I saw everything. I left the moment you started crying.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng sounded, leaning back against the wall.


    He saw everything ¨C a brilliantly performed schizophrenic act with an added bonus of a grown guy weeping dejectedly.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know what he felt at the moment.


    From shock to embarrassment, to feeling that he had made a fool of himself, to being humiliated about his secrets being seen, to finally indignant.


    And now, all those feelings had disappeared ¨C leaving only the insufferable pain.


    His back was against the wall as he slowly crouched down to the floor and held his sunken head with his arms.


    This was the posture.


    Ever since he was little, it was not only when he cried that he liked to use this posture but also when he was in pain, depressed, or unhappy ¨C a posture where he strenuously made himself into a ball and shrank as much as possible as to not let any other see him¡­


    ¡­ it made him feel secure.


    It was the same as sticking your head in the sand ¨C different in approach but equally satisfying in result.


    It wasn¡¯t that he actually thought others would not see him like this, he just didn¡¯t want to see anyone or anything.


    Being unable to see anything, hear anything¡­ was enough.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei called out to him, having walked up to his side at an unknown point and time.


    ¡°Cheng-ge, my ass.¡± Jiang Cheng muffled, burying himself between his knees and arms, ¡°Are you fucking younger than me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m younger than you by a month,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°You motherfucker.¡± Jiang Cheng was so shocked by that that he couldn¡¯t even bury his head anymore, so he looked back up instead. ¡°You even fucking know my birthday?¡±


    ¡°I saw your ID card when you fainted from the fever that day,¡± Gu Fei replied. ¡°I brought a person back to my house without any rhyme or reason, shouldn¡¯t I be clear about who that person is?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with me next time.¡± Jiang Cheng once again buried himself within his knees.


    ¡°Want one?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Jiang Cheng looked out from the cracks between his arms; Gu Fei was holding a box of cigarettes in his hand. He closed his eyes, then after a few seconds, he reached out and took out a cigarette from the box.


    ¡°You have to keep it a secret about smoking here.¡± Gu Fei also took out a cigarette and lit it up before handing over the lighter to him. ¡°This studio forbids smoking since all the materials are flammable.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything as he lit the cigarette and turned to look at the security camera at the corner of the wall.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. She normally doesn¡¯t look at it,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Did you laugh?¡± Jiang Cheng asked; his voice was a little hoarse as if he had been greatly wronged. He cleared his throat uncomfortably, ¡°¡­ when you took a peek at me?¡±


    ¡°In my head,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It was pretty funny at first, and even if I said I didn¡¯t, you wouldn¡¯t believe it anyway.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed softly. ¡°I often play alone like that, even when I played the tin whistle back then. ¡®Next, let us welcome the musical performance of the nameless tin whistle player, Jiang Cheng¡¯.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed ¨C so hard that the cigarette ash fell. He reached back to grab an empty beverage bottle and tap the ash inside it.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never played like that before?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Fei shook his head, ¡°But there¡¯s definitely a lot of people that relieve their boredom that way. Someone made a post on Si Zhong¡¯s forum in the past, saying that they can¡¯t sleep at night without having a full-blown performance, and many people replied below that they had the same interest.¡±


    ¡°Really¡­¡± Jiang Cheng laughed.


    ¡°But it¡¯s also good that you now know that I saw you.¡± Gu Fei stuck up his thumb, ¡°I finally have a chance to say, Contestant Jiang Cheng, you are the most amazing person that I have ever seen with a slingshot.¡±


    ¡°¡­ thanks.¡± Jiang Cheng picked up the slingshot that was thrown to the side and looked at it. ¡°This is probably just a prop that¡¯s not meant to be used.¡±


    ¡°But wasn¡¯t it still pretty accurate when you shot at me,¡± Gu Fei stated.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t. It was only enough to hit, that¡¯s all,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°When it hit you on the leg, I was actually aiming for your ass.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Fei turned to look at him, ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°More meat on the ass,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Less likely to get injured.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed that you¡¯re always¡­ highly self-aware. You don¡¯t hold back your anger but won¡¯t do anything major either.¡± Gu Fei tapped the cigarette ash in the container again.


    ¡°Us xueba are always conscious of what we¡¯re doing.¡± Jiang Cheng held the cigarette in his mouth, ¡°We never fling someone against a tree.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Gu Fei laughed again.


    Jiang Cheng stared at the cigarette butt in his hand for a while: ¡°What were you doing at the lakeside that day? It was fucking cold out, and there was no way through.¡±


    ¡°That day huh¡­¡± Gu Fei stopped, then continued after a long while. ¡°That day was the anniversary of my father¡¯s death. I went there to burn some paper money.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng froze in shock.


    ¡°That was where he drowned,¡± Gu Fei said, tapping his finger lightly on the container.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng remained in shock, hesitating several times before he spoke, ¡°I thought the water wasn¡¯t that deep.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that deep. He was drinking that day. If he hadn¡¯t,¡± Gu Fei¡¯s finger stopped against the container, ¡°It probably would¡¯ve been me who drowned.¡±


    Jiang Cheng suddenly raised his head and stared at Gu Fei.


    When Li Baoguo said that Gu Fei killed his father, he didn¡¯t believe it at all ¨C not one bit.


    When Gu Fei said that his father drowned, he had only thought ¡°ah, so it really was an accident¡±. But hearing Gu Fei, himself, say those words, he was so stunned that he almost couldn¡¯t believe his own ears.


    ¡°My dad was quite a bastard,¡± Gu Fei said very calmly. ¡°I always wished that he would just die and get it over with. Even if Li Baoguo was my dad, I wouldn¡¯t have thought that.¡±


    Jiang Cheng remained silent, though his mind was a complete mess.


    ¡°Though he wasn¡¯t that much of a gambler like Li Baoguo, he was much better with his fists than Li Baoguo.¡± Gu Fei laughed, ¡°My mom thought he was handsome and married him at the time, and then came the beatings. He would beat us when he was drunk and beat us even if he wasn¡¯t. I¡¯ve always thought that my dad¡¯s only way of expressing himself was probably through his fist.¡±


    ¡°I heard Li Baoguo say that¡­¡± Jiang Cheng recalled each of Li Baoguo¡¯s words. ¡°He beat Gu Miao too.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei bit his lips. He had been very calm before, but his expression immediately changed at the mention of Gu Miao. ¡°Gu Miao had always been a bit different from other kids ever since she was born. Maybe, it¡¯s because he was constantly drinking¡­ of course, he would never think that. He simply thought that they gave birth to a large annoyance, an inconvenience who couldn¡¯t talk fluently or learn properly.¡±


    ¡°So he just beat her?¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s anger rose as he listened.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Fei turned his face to the side, ¡°He grabbed her and flung her on the wall. After that time, Gu Miao no longer talked.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck!¡± Jiang Cheng shouted, having the urge to dig up Gu Fei¡¯s father¡¯s grave and whip his corpse at that moment.


    Gu Fei stopped talking, and the two of them both stared at the beverage bottle in silence.


    After a long while, Gu Fei finally said quietly to himself: ¡°The way I fling people against trees, I got it from him, probably¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense,¡± Jiang Cheng cut him off immediately.


    ¡°That tone.¡± Gu Fei laughed, ¡°Why does it sound just like Lao Xu huh?¡±


    ¡°What tone should I use then, Lao Lu¡¯s? I already don¡¯t have the strength to yell anymore.¡± Jiang Cheng leaned back against the wall and sighed. ¡°This place is really fucked up.¡±


    ¡°Your adopted parents sheltered you pretty well, honestly.¡± Gu Fei said, ¡°Even though it feels like you¡¯re one of those bang snaps[3], you¡¯re still really¡­ clean.¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Jiang Cheng said softly. He thought about it and tried to ask, ¡°Why did Li Baoguo say that you¡­ nevermind.¡±


    ¡°That I killed my dad?¡± Gu Fei finished.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly felt that it was inappropriate for him to actually ask that at this time. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I didn¡¯t believe it. I was just¡­ nevermind, take it as if I didn¡¯t say anything. Don¡¯t mind me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not straightforward at all.¡± Gu Fei stuck up his pinky finger at him, ¡°It¡¯s nothing really, just rumours, of all sorts. We have many rumours around here. I¡¯ll tell you about them when I have the time.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded his head.


    ¡°When my dad dragged us to the lakeside, someone saw us,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°And by the time someone came over, my dad was in the water, already motionless, and I was standing on the shore. It must have looked like the scene of a murder and the culprit wasn¡¯t even crying, how savage.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ you were probably scared.¡± Jiang Cheng frowned, not daring to imagine such a scene ¨C how old was Gu Fei at that time?


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe.¡± Gu Fei lit another cigarette, ¡°It might scare you if I say it.¡±


    ¡°Say it, scare me,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t save him. I didn¡¯t know how to swim, it was also freezing.¡± Gu Fei¡¯s voice got lower, ¡°But I also wanted him to die. I stood there and watched as he stopped moving little by little. I watched as he sank, just¡­ looking on blankly.¡±


    Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a bit breathless. He tried to take a couple of deep breaths but was unsuccessful as if he was tied up by something.


    ¡°Quite terrible, isn¡¯t it?¡± Gu Fei¡¯s voice was very low with a nearly imperceptible tremor, ¡°I was terrified. If I saved him, I was afraid that he would still want to kill me, afraid that he would kill Er Miao, kill my mom¡­ if I didn¡¯t save him, then I just had to stand there and watch him die, little by little¡­ Every year, on the day he died, I¡¯ve always felt like a layer of myself has been stripped off, never able to get through this hurdle for the rest of my life¡­¡±


    Gu Fei¡¯s hand that held the cigarette shook tremendously, and even the rising smoke seemed to struggle.


    ¡°Gu Fei.¡± Jiang Cheng had never expected Gu Fei to have such a story and was already shocked and at his wit¡¯s end. But seeing Gu Fei completely different from his usually calm and unconcerned nature toward all things, his hands trembled along ¨C not knowing what he should do himself. ¡°Gu Fei¡­¡±


    Gu Fei turned to look at him.


    He wasn¡¯t crying.


    Thank goodness. Jiang Cheng heaved a sigh of relief; even though he felt that Gu Fei was probably not like him, getting so easily emotional like a frail girl from just a little ache in his nose, he was still a bit worried.


    With Gu Fei¡¯s eyes now on him, Jiang Cheng suddenly became even more at a loss of what to do. He raised his hands and hesitated for a long while, then finally placed his hands on Gu Fei¡¯s shoulders and hugged him: ¡°Cheng-ge, hug.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t struggle. He only lowered his head and rested his forehead on Jiang Cheng¡¯s knees¡­ of course, the majority of people weren¡¯t like him ¨C feeling as though he had been stabbed with a knife from just a simple touch.


    ¡°To be honest¡­ nevermind. I don¡¯t know what to even say.¡± Jiang Cheng had never comforted anyone before; those that he wasn¡¯t familiar with to a certain extent, he also didn¡¯t want to comfort. Even Pan Zhi, who he had the greatest relationship with, didn¡¯t need much comforting and had such a big heart that he could weather anything after eating, defecating, and having a good night of sleep. All he could do was keep on gently patting Gu Fei¡¯s back and caressing it a few times. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s all over now¡­ it¡¯s only normal for you to feel scared but that¡¯s the past.¡±


    Gu Fei kept his head down without moving.


    ¡°Then what,¡± Jiang Cheng held him closer by the shoulder and lightly rubbed his arms once more. ¡°You¡¯re also considered to be someone who has experienced a major event, right? Before, my mom¡­ my adopted mom, she always said that in a person¡¯s life, any experience is valuable, whether good or bad¡­¡±


    Gu Fei still had his head lowered.


    While Jiang Cheng cerebrated on the words in his mind, he was anxious that his knowledge of comforting people did not match up to his title as a xueba.


    Just when he had no words to say, and could only incessantly caress Gu Fei¡¯s back and arms, ready to say some sort of comforting childish words like ¡°you¡¯re safe, you¡¯re safe, I¡¯m caressing, caressing, caressing your hair, so don¡¯t you be scared¡±[4], Gu Fei finally moved and turned his face away.


    ¡°You¡­¡± Jiang Cheng hastened to look at him but was stunned with just one glance, Gu Fei¡¯s lips were curved at the corners ¨C laughing. He quickly yanked back his arm and yelled at the top of his lungs, ¡°Are you even fucking human?! You¡¯re actually laughing?!¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Gu Fei laughed even harder. ¡°This is the first time that I¡¯ve experienced such a clumsy attempt at comforting, I honestly couldn¡¯t help it. I was pretty sad at first.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Jiang Cheng roared and jumped up from the floor, ¡°Believe it or not, I can beat you until you¡¯re sad again right now!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t, don¡¯t, don¡¯t¡­¡± Gu Fei also stood up and quickly kicked the slingshot on the floor to the side.


    ¡°No, I was really worried about you just now. I was so anxious, I almost caressed your hair, you know!¡± Jiang Cheng was simply speechless. ¡°You must be having a lot of fun playing with me. Should I give you a round of applause¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Jiang Cheng shot back out of a conditioned reflex and when he returned to his senses, he was disinclined to bother, ¡°¡­ you fucking asshole.¡±


    ¡°Really.¡± Gu Fei raised a hand and lightly tapped his finger on his shoulder.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything and inexplicably glanced over at his own shoulder.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gu Fei came closer and hugged him, ¡°Really.¡±


    Unlike the celebratory hug on the court that day, Gu Fei¡¯s embrace this time was very tight and his conditioned reflexes failed to emerge.


    ¡°Also,¡± Gu Fei said softly, holding him: ¡°The ¡®spectator¡¯ that I was talking about, please use your xueba¡¯s brain to think it over, not wallow in prejudice and use such a mindset to understand it.¡±


    ¡°My understanding, of course, isn¡¯t muddled with prejudice,¡± Jiang Cheng said. He could smell the faint scent of tobacco on Gu Fei and suddenly felt that such a hug was quite comfortable. He couldn¡¯t tell whether this sort of comfort was that of shamelessness, practicality, or something else. In short, he did not have the urge to push away Gu Fei. ¡°When you saw me by the lake, you were thinking of yourself as a spectator, looking as someone cried, laughed, and broke into a complete nervous breakdown.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed for a good while: ¡°Alright, I ¡®spectated¡¯ for a moment, but I didn¡¯t think anything else or made fun of you.¡±


    ¡°There it is,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°A bit of sincerity and this world brightens much more.¡±


    Gu Fei patted him on the back then let him go: ¡°I even thought that I was going to die by your hands today.¡±


    ¡°Not to such an extent¡­¡± Jiang Cheng sighed, ¡°Although, I am a little worried now. It seems like I know too much¡­¡±


    ¡°No worries.¡± Gu Fei picked up the camera for a look, ¡°I have photos of you in only your underwear.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Cheng stared at him.


    ¡°I have. Photos. Of you. In only. Your underwear.¡± Gu Fei waved the camera, ¡°With your face included, in high resolution and no pixelation.¡±


    ¡°You shameless bastard.¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at him, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have comforted you. You¡¯re such a pervert, do your classmates know this?¡±


    ¡°My deskmate knows,¡± Gu Fei laughed.


    Jiang Cheng kept a straight face, but soon failed and burst out laughing.


    He wasn¡¯t too concerned whether Gu Fei had photos of him in only his underwear ¨C after all, it was just underwear, and it wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t wear one. In comparison, he was more concerned about¡­


    ¡°And the photo of you running like a chicken,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Delete it now!¡± Jiang Cheng roared.


    That¡¯s right! He was much more concerned about the photo of him running like a chicken than of those underwear photos. If anyone saw that, it would really be humiliating.


    ¡°I can do that,¡± Gu Fei bluntly answered. ¡°Just help me write the self-reflection paper for Monday¡¯s assembly.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glared at him then said a bit helplessly: ¡°You can¡¯t even write a self-reflection paper? With your behaviors, you must have written plenty since you were a kid, no?


    ¡°I really can¡¯t. I had Li Yan help write them for me before, also Zhou Jing, and practically anyone else I could get my hands on.¡±


    ¡°Ai.¡± Jiang Cheng poured himself a glass of water and took a few sips, ¡°Honestly, I really admire you. Just getting by as you do now, and even being reckless with your self-reflection paper, what are you going to do about the university entrance exams?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking too far ahead¡­ there¡¯s still more than a year to go,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I haven¡¯t thought about the university entrance exams. I just want to get my diploma.¡±


    ¡°Then it would be pretty nice if you study at a technical secondary school.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him, ¡°At least you can be skilled in a specialized area.¡±


    ¡°I have.¡± Gu Fei waved the camera in his hand again, thought about it, and smiled. ¡°When I was in middle school, I honestly thought about applying to a university, but later, I felt that it was meaningless.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything. He felt that Gu Fei didn¡¯t actually think that it was meaningless, however, considering the situations in his family, it was probably impossible for him to leave for school and there didn¡¯t seem to be any reputable schools in the area to apply to¡­


    ¡°You¡¯ll probably get into an awesome university,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°But will the two years in a crappy school like Si Zhong affect you negatively?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t.¡± Jiang Cheng downed the whole glass of water. ¡°It¡¯s nothing else than what¡¯s in the textbooks. They¡¯re all the same no matter who teaches them.¡±


    Gu Fei gave him a thumbs up.


    ¡°Perhaps, it¡¯s to go against my mom¡­ my adopted mom.¡± Jiang Cheng frowned, although she¡¯ll never know, ¡°That I¡¯m not someone who would rot wherever I¡¯m placed. I will go far away from here.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Fei stretched his body, ¡°This shitty place, no one wants to stay here.¡±


    [1] ¿µ×¯´óµÀ idiom literally meaning ¡°broad road¡±, but actually refers to ¡°bright prospects¡±. In Gu Fei¡¯s case right now, the prospect isn¡¯t actually very bright


    [2] ÔÆÓÎÌìÍâ (You look on with cold eyes without a care, how at ease you must be): idiom meaning you¡¯re there, you¡¯re watching, but not actually caring/your focus/heart isn¡¯t actually with the situation/person in front of you.


    [3] Bang snaps (ˤÅÚ) ¨C alternatively, devil bangers, fun snaps, etc ¨C type of small novelty fireworks


    [4] ºôààºôààëÏŲ»×Å (you¡¯re safe, you¡¯re safe, I¡¯m caressing, caressing, caressing your hair, so don¡¯t you be scared) literal: ¡°caress, caress, caress your hair, so you don¡¯t be scared¡± ¨C it¡¯s supposed to sound like a nursery rhyme help comforts kids that are scared


    I love this chapter T_____T ¨C Sae

 CH 38

    The set of clothes for the ¡®demented primitive man¡¯ was probably not the main hit of the collection; after only a few shots, Gu Fei had Jiang Cheng changed.


    In the inner room, he found all the wooden buttons that Jiang Cheng had deployed and placed them back on the table.


    As he thought about it, he ended up rubbing his arm again ¨C that shot was a seriously hard one that would probably bruise at the very least. He sighed. How long had it been since someone hit him to the extent of actually leaving a mark on his body¡­ yet in just half a semester alone, Jiang Cheng had not only unexpectedly bitten him but also chased to kill him with a slingshot.


    However¡­ he stretched his body ¨C he was actually in a relatively good mood now.


    Li Yan and Ding Zhuxin were the only two people around him who knew the details of the situation in his family. He had never wanted to speak of this past with anyone as it made him feel uneasy ¨C on edge. And, he wasn¡¯t accustomed to receiving sympathy and comfort from others.


    But now that he had told Jiang Cheng, he suddenly felt extremely relaxed.


    He didn¡¯t know whether it was because he had seen Jiang Cheng¡¯s secret and needed to exchange, or he just wanted someone to talk to.


    Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t displayed any obvious sympathy and his attempt to comfort was a hideous mess, but it had made him feel completely at ease.


    He wasn¡¯t teasing Jiang Cheng.


    He was truly sad at first, but it was also truly Jiang Cheng¡¯s so-called ¡®comfort¡¯ that had actually made him unable to contain his laughter.


    ¡°What the hell is this thing?¡± Jiang Cheng came in after changing.


    ¡°I feel like you have to ask this sentence for every outfit,¡± Gu Fei said laughing.


    ¡°Does Ding Zhuxin have her own brand? And is the brand called, ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯¡± Jiang Cheng spread open his arm to show the outfit, ¡°What sort of mood are we trying for here?¡±


    This outfit was still made of burlap material; loose-fitted pants that were ¡®designed¡¯ with countless vertical cuts that were long and short, revealing his legs through the small and large slits every step he took.


    The top was a normal shirt, but the long sleeves had been snipped off, and those ¡®snipped off¡¯ sleeves were instead wrapped on the arm like gloves.


    ¡°Looks pretty good.¡± Gu Fei lifted the camera and looked through the lens, ¡°This outfit gives off an aura of stubbornness.¡±


    ¡°Fine then.¡± Jiang Cheng turned and walked toward the set, ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me what this aura of stubbornness is?¡±


    The second Jiang Cheng turned around, Gu Fei noticed that there were also several long slits on the back of the shirt, and when he moved, he could very clearly see his sturdy paraspinal muscles[1]¡­ Gu Fei cleared his throat.


    Just after divulging such a tragic past only for him to then react to someone¡¯s back with a turn of his head, Spring really had come ¨C the heat period of youth had arrived.


    Gu Fei turned around, pretending to play with the camera while actually tugging on his pants. He was wearing a thick pair of sweatpants that day; it shouldn¡¯t be possible to make out anything. He didn¡¯t want to keep on going to the bathroom to ¡®meditate¡¯.


    Paraspinal muscles, or commonly known as tenderloins.[2]


    He raised the camera; thinking of it in such a way, all sense of aesthetic suddenly disappeared.


    ¡°Raise your arms,¡± Gu Fei said after a couple of static shots of Jiang Cheng standing with his arms to the sides. ¡°Raise both of them¡­not a surrendering posture, more like you¡¯re blocking the sun¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never blocked the sun.¡± Jiang Cheng raised his right arm and held it in front of his forehead, ¡°You could have just said the posture of wiping sweat.¡±


    ¡°En, lower the other arm a bit so that one is higher than the other and only expose your eyes,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Good, don¡¯t move. I¡¯ll look for a good angle.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stood still: ¡°Do you want a stubborn look?¡±


    ¡°That look in your eyes when you hit me with the slingshot just now.¡± Gu Fei adjusted the distance; Jiang Cheng always had an aura of disdain, and when given prominence like this, it was very imposing, stubborn¡­ no, but quite erotic. He cleared his throat again then bent his waist a little and pressed the shutter.


    ¡°Done yet?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°A little lower. I¡¯ll take a full-body shot with only your mouth showing,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng kept his arms raised.


    Gu Fei took a few steps and pressed the shutter: ¡°And turn, with your face to the side, don¡¯t move.¡±


    Jiang Cheng complied.


    After those consecutive shots Jiang Cheng went out to change again, Gu Fei tugged on his sweatpants once more, tenderloin, tenderloin, tenderloin¡­


    The number of outfits that day was about the same as the day before, but because he was already quite proficient, and even if they had spent some time fighting and exchanging secrets, they were still able to finish up earlier.


    Gu Fei drove the small bun and took him to eat a bowl of noodles at a small shop nearby that was pretty good.


    On their way back after eating, Gu Fei didn¡¯t forget to again say: ¡°Remember to write my self-reflection paper ah.¡±


    ¡°What,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the back of his head. ¡°When did I agree to write it for you?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t need to be that long, otherwise it will suck big time to have to read all of it on stage,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You probably don¡¯t have any experience in reading a self-reflection paper in front of the whole school huh?¡±


    ¡°¡­ no.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed, ¡°And also no experience in cleaning the bathroom for a week.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine to just give it a casual clean here and there. The bathrooms are normally kept clean anyways,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You know how to sweep the floor?¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a distressed young master of a wealthy family that¡¯s been thrown out or something?¡± Jiang Cheng was a little dumbstruck, ¡°My family¡­ my adopted parents¡¯ family is only slightly better off than the average-income families, there¡¯s four of us including me. You actually think there¡¯s a housekeeper?¡±


    ¡°Are you still in contact with them?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s brows twisted. ¡°After the last time my things were sent to me, we haven¡¯t been in contact since. What¡¯s there to talk about anyways, how difficult life has been for me in this shithole of a place?¡±


    ¡°Has it been that difficult?¡± Gu Fei laughed.


    ¡°To be honest¡­ it¡¯s not too bad. At first, I felt like I couldn¡¯t stay for even a second, and any second longer, I could have fought with Li Baoguo, but what¡¯s the point? I¡¯ve actually gotten a bit used to it by now. No one cares about me anyway. It¡¯s almost like living alone.¡± Jiang Cheng looked outside of the window, ¡°It¡¯s also pretty fortunate of me to have known you.¡±


    Gu Fei tilted his head.


    ¡°Uh¡­ knowing you all, you, Gu Miao, Jiuri¡­¡± Jiang Cheng quickly added, ¡°Lao Xu is also very nice, and Lao Lu¡­¡±


    Gu Fei started to laugh then said after a while: ¡°I never thought that one day I¡¯d ever meet someone like you. You¡¯re different from my friends and classmates.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it, ¡°Is it because I¡¯m better looking than you?¡±


    ¡°I was born and raised here.¡± Gu Fei raised an arm and drew a circle in the air, ¡°I¡¯ve never left this place before high school, let alone traveled, and with all my relatives being here, there¡¯s literally no chance to go out to visit them.¡±


    ¡°You never left this city before high school?¡± Jiang Cheng was a bit surprised, and frankly, he wouldn¡¯t find it strange at all if Wang Xu, Zhou Jing, or the others had never left, but Gu Fei¡¯s temperament was not like that of someone who was confined in this rotten city since he was a kid.


    ¡°En, I cut classes a few times in high school to travel around,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°But not too far though since I didn¡¯t have enough money, and I couldn¡¯t be out for too long either. It was mainly to take photographs¡­ oh, I went to Starbucks once, but I didn¡¯t know how to order when I got inside.¡±


    Jiang Cheng started to laugh, and after laughing for a long while, he patted his own leg: ¡°Ai, I¡¯ve actually never been to Starbucks before. Do you know how to order there now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Fei laughed and turned his head around to look at him, ¡°If we have a chance to go one day, I¡¯ll show you.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded with earnest.


    The two laughed once more and then after a moment, Jiang Cheng finally recovered: ¡°Have you thought about leaving this place?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°How could I not.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng responded ¨C the faint sense of loss in Gu Fei¡¯s tone made him feel very sad ¨C depressed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if there¡¯s any chance in the future,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Perhaps, when Gu Miao is a bit older. She¡¯s very stubborn at the moment and can¡¯t accept changes. A lot of the time, her thoughts are a complete mystery to me. You give her new clothes, a new hat, and she will be happy but if you change her comforter to a new one, she will get mad and cut them to pieces. You can¡¯t touch her skateboard at all, she¡¯s literally this close to hugging it to sleep. If the wheels break, you can only change the wheels, and if you buy her a new one, she will immediately smash it to the ground until it¡¯s completely broken down¡­ I don¡¯t even know what she can or can¡¯t accept. Just look, she has known Li Yan and the guys for so long and she still doesn¡¯t really acknowledge them but with you, she likes you so much after only meeting once¡­¡±


    ¡°So, that time I told you that your sister was with me, you didn¡¯t believe it at all?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°En, she wouldn¡¯t stay with strangers,¡± Gu Fei said with a smile. ¡°In fact, she has a fixed route for skateboarding and is rather stubborn about it. Even if she goes to the train station, she won¡¯t get lost. She knows how to get back from there¡­ you sounded like a complete liar at the time.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were like a psychopath,¡± Jiang Cheng also smiled but thought he could perceive Gu Fei¡¯s helplessness. ¡°With her like this, can she be treated?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be difficult to see any significant changes,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°We can only take it slowly. It may take a few years for there to be a bit of progress. You can see how good she is at skateboarding, but she doesn¡¯t comprehend two-digits additions and subtractions and sometimes even gets it wrong with numbers under ten.¡±


    ¡°Ai.¡± Jiang Cheng took out a cigarette and lit it, ¡°I quite like her, and I don¡¯t think she¡¯s strange at all, not even a bit. She¡¯s very handsome.¡±


    ¡°More handsome than me?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Have a bit of shame, alright, comparing yourself to your own little sister.¡± Jiang Cheng was amused, ¡°How can there be a person like you.¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t I compare? I¡¯ve always thought that I¡¯m quite handsome,¡± Gu Fei relayed in all seriousness.


    ¡°Sure, sure, you¡¯re ostentatiously_handsome.¡± Jiang Cheng stuck out his thumb and waved it beside Gu Fei¡¯s face. ¡°You¡¯re the most handsome.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Jiang Cheng bit back the last two words.


    When he returned to Li Baoguo¡¯s place, there was still not a soul in sight, but Jiang Cheng thought that it was quite good this way. He didn¡¯t want to stay alone with Li Baoguo, and even though it wasn¡¯t awkward, it was dreadful ¨C nonetheless.


    He thought of the woman from earlier that day, his biological mother. He didn¡¯t even get a chance to ask her what her name was, and she also didn¡¯t give him a chance to ask.


    He wondered whether or not she would go to the school again to block him, and just the very thought of that scared him. He had even thought of climbing over the wall to avoid having to enter through the main gate.


    He went into his own room, closed the door, sat down, and then started working on the assignments for that day.


    With not many assignments in Si Zhong, it wouldn¡¯t take him long to complete. Even Jiang Cheng sometimes felt that the way the teachers assigned their assignments didn¡¯t make too much sense and many of the key points discussed in class never actually appeared.


    After he finished his assignment, he sent a message to Pan Zhi, asking him to send images of all the materials used this semester ¨C he planned on purchasing all of them.


    ¨C I¡¯ll ship them to you directly. Grandpa, are you going to get the highest score at Si Zhong this time?


    ¨C It shouldn¡¯t be a problem.


    ¨C As expected of my Grandpa. I like this confidence!


    Jiang Cheng was honestly not that concerned about what his score or ranking was; he cared much more about whether he could actually do the work and how much he really understood, and only then, would he consider the score ¨C naturally, the higher the score, the better. After all, his title as a xueba had already circulated and some people would even use it to tease him ¨C a high score could make them all shut up completely.


    He put his assignments away and prepared to start his revision.


    He opened his book and while looking at the notes, he quietly said: ¡°Now, our Xueba Jiang Cheng is preparing his revision, starting with English. His revisions have always been well planned out¡­ starting with the most proficient subject will make it easier to establish a mental state of ¡®everything is under your control¡¯[3]¡­ alright, we will now maintain silence and see what sort of content is in his brain waves¡­¡±


    That night, Jiang Cheng looked at the materials until the early hours of one in the morning before he went to sleep, but when he woke up the next day, he was still energized. Perhaps, because it had been a long time since he had quietly studied like that that it felt as though he had returned to his old rhythm of life.


    When he got to the intersection, he glanced toward Gu Fei¡¯s home but didn¡¯t see Gu Fei; based on the time that Gu Fei normally arrived at school, he probably hadn¡¯t even gotten up yet at this moment.


    His biological mother wasn¡¯t waiting for him by the school gate to block him, which made Jiang Cheng quite relieved, but he still needed to find a time to ask Li Baoguo about it. He had to resolve this matter ¨C living in fear and on edge every day was an infallible mean to baldness.


    As handsome as he was, he couldn¡¯t afford that.[4]


    Gu Fei missed the first class, and only after ten minutes into the second class, math class, did he wander in from the backdoor. Jiang Cheng was listening to the lecture while writing his self-reflection paper at that time.


    When Gu Fei sat down next to him, he glanced at him and suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of¡­ intimacy between the two of them.


    Maybe it was the fact that they had interacted more than with others, or perhaps it was the fact that they knew more of each other¡¯s secrets than the others, or maybe it was because the day before they both had the feeling of ¡°meeting you was an accident, but it was an incredibly lucky one¡±¡­


    ¡°This afternoon¡¯s game may be a bit difficult,¡± Gu Fei whispered. ¡°I just saw external help outside, Class 7¡¯s¡±.


    ¡°They actually found help?¡± Jiang Cheng was stunned, ¡°Isn¡¯t that too shameless?¡±


    ¡°I guess there¡¯s only two of them. I¡¯ve played against them before, and they used underhanded methods so be careful this afternoon.¡± Gu Fei said and then added, ¡°Let¡¯s gather Jiuri and the others out for another round of practice at noon.¡±


    ¡°En, the referee doesn¡¯t care?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Not really. The game being exciting is what matters,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Then, we¡­¡± Jiang Cheng was interrupted by the teacher at the podium before he could finish his sentence.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng, you seem to be quite lively chatting over there. Why don¡¯t you come up and solve this problem,¡± the teacher looked at him with an unhappy expression.


    The math teacher often called people up to solve problems, so everyone tended to be more restrained in this class, after all, no one wanted to foolishly stand up there for a few minutes with a piece of chalk only to then get scolded at.


    Jiang Cheng stood up, and very slowly, looked over the question on the blackboard as he walked toward the podium.


    Gu Fei glanced at his desk; the book wasn¡¯t even open and only a page of the unfinished self-reflection paper was on it.


    Was it time to reveal his xueba abilities?


    Jiang Cheng went to the front, picked up a piece of chalk, broke it in half, and then continued to scan over the question.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, do you want to take the language class first? Can¡¯t understand the question?¡± the teacher said with his arms folded.


    ¡°Language class was last period,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    The very low sound of laughter came from the class.


    Just as the teacher was about to get angry, Jiang Cheng began to answer the question on the blackboard.


    From the perspective of xuezha like Gu Fei, he didn¡¯t even know what the question was asking or what he needed to do. He just watched as Jiang Cheng worked out the problem, simultaneously jotting down rough notes on the blackboard to the side, and after a few moments, he completed it. He had even neatly erased the side notes before turning around and moving away from the podium.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s handwriting was very unsightly, even more unsightly than with a fountain pen. It was clear at a glance that his words were adopted[5], but from the teacher¡¯s expression, he could tell that Jiang Cheng had answered perfectly.


    ¡°You should practice your handwriting,¡± the teacher said.


    ¡°¡­ this, it¡¯s the result of having already practiced,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    The whole class suddenly burst into laughter, and the teacher was stunned for a long while before he knocked on the podium: ¡°Quiet! Are every single one of you that excited to come up to answer some questions?¡±


    ¡°I thought that since you were writing the self-reflection paper, you wouldn¡¯t be able to answer it.¡± Gu Fei lowered his head and took out his phone to play that Retarded Craz3 Match game.


    ¡°Even if I was playing that retarded game the whole time, I could still answer it,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei laughed for a while: ¡°That shamelessness of yours is no less than mine.¡±


    At first, they wanted to practice after the noon classes ended to warm up for the afternoon¡¯s match, but the Director of Academics blocked them at the door.


    Everyone had to clean the bathrooms first.


    Each was dealt according to the severity of their actions; those that were deemed as not serious had to clean the staff¡¯s bathroom but for serious wrongdoers such as Jiang Cheng and the Fuckhead, they had to clean the students¡¯ bathrooms where even breathing was hard.


    Jiang Cheng normally held his breath when he had to use the bathroom ¨C quickly urinate, quickly leave ¨C that day, he had finally experienced the taste of the bathroom.


    Each and every single one of them all went to the bathroom in such a casual manner. Moreover, he usually prided himself on being able to urinate both stably and accurately. He didn¡¯t know why every time he went to the school¡¯s bathroom, there would always be someone who managed to urinate outside of the urinal.


    Jiang Cheng took a mop out of the stall where the cleaning supplies were placed, and the Fuckhead immediately snatched the other one; any of the Fuckhead¡¯s people that went in could only grab a rag.


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t bear to see any more of the tragic expression on his face ¨C the kind where one was soon to die a hero¡¯s death ¨C as he held the rag.


    Mopping the floor was relatively easy since there was no need to directly touch anything. Jiang Cheng and the Fuckhead started to immerse themselves in mopping on either side of the bathroom. Normally, at this time, they should already have a battle of words based on the Fuckhead¡¯s character, but even breathing was a cruel action at this moment¡­


    In the bathroom, there were a few other students who were at first shocked seeing the two of them mopping the floor and wiping the walls but soon they started to laugh.


    ¡°What are you laughing at?!¡± The Director of Academics stood at the door, ¡°If you all think it¡¯s funny, then go and take their place! Or just start a fight right here! I¡¯ll get you a mop.¡±


    Jiang Cheng had also mopped the floor at home; just slowly dragging it a few times as he played on his phone. Now was the first time in his life that he had been that engaged in quickly mopping the floor.


    When he dragged the mop toward the innermost stall, the door opened.


    Just as he was about to move the mop out of the way, the person inside stepped on it.


    Jiang Cheng straightened up and glanced at this person. Yeah, definitely don¡¯t know him.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s the god of the three-pointers, what a coincidence.¡± The person looked at him with a smirk, ¡°You get the strength in your hands by dragging the mop in the bathroom as practice, huh? I could¡¯ve never imagined this.¡±


    Jiang Cheng gave the mop a tug, but the guy put his weight on it, so he wasn¡¯t able to easily pull it away. He looked at the guy¡¯s foot: ¡°Move your hoof.¡±


    ¡°You think you¡¯re pretty badass, huh?¡± The guy continued with that loathsome smile.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want to speak in this kind of environment, so he held onto the mop without saying a word and just looked at him.


    ¡°In Si Zhong, if you want your basketball skills to speak for you,¡± the guy pointed a finger at him, ¡°It¡¯s far from your turn.¡±


    Jiang Cheng had always felt that he, himself, was a bit self-centered[6] sometimes; although he took pleasure in it and didn¡¯t want to change at all, that day, looking at the guy before him who had just walked out of the very last stall in this bathroom, a new understanding rained on him ¡ª there was someone that self-centered.


    ¡°I usually use words to speak for myself, not my basketball skills,¡± Jiang Cheng said, putting up with the fact that the guy had pointed at him.


    ¡°You think you¡¯re so funny huh?¡± The guy was obviously enraged, and once more used his finger to jab Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Stupid cunt.¡±


    This jab just so happened to land directly on Jiang Cheng¡¯s ¡®on¡¯ switch.


    He raised his hand and firmly yanked on the handle of the mop, abruptly pulling the mop from under the guy¡¯s feet.


    The guy swiftly swiveled backward and staggered back a few steps and balanced himself against the wall to avoid falling into the squat toilet. When he returned to his senses, he immediately pounced over with an expression hot with fury. ¡°Fuck, I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop with this fuck this, fuck that crap.¡± Jiang Cheng stuck out the handle of the mop and pushed the very tip against the guy¡¯s throat, forcing him to suddenly brake.


    Spring was such a humid time ah, why was each and every single one of them behaving like there was an explosive fuse on their heads¡­


    Jiang Cheng sighed to himself, roughly grabbed the guy¡¯s collar in one swift move, and kept his voice low as to not be heard by the Director of Academics that was standing outside. ¡°You must be from Class 7? You wanna let your basketball skills speak for you, right? I¡¯ll wait for you to speak to me this afternoon.¡±


    Once he released his grip, the guy still wanted to come at him; Jiang Cheng immediately shouted toward the door: ¡°Director! I¡¯m done mopping, can I go?!¡±


    ¡°Let me check!¡± The Director of Academics walked in.


    The guy could only glare at him then tidied his clothes and turned to leave.


    When he came out of the bathroom, Wang Xu and Gu Fei were waiting for him.


    As soon as he came out, Wang Xu greeted him: ¡°Did you run into Hu Jian just now?¡±


    ¡°Hu Jian?¡± Jiang Cheng almost wanted to remind Wang Xu that it was Fujian[7], but after a moment of stupor, he realized that Hu Jian was the name of the guy just then. ¡°En, what¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°He looked pretty pissed when he came out,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°There¡¯s gonna be a good show this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°No matter how good the show might be, it won¡¯t matter as much as winning a game.¡±


    ¡°Well said!¡± Wang Xu gave him a thumbs up, ¡°Let¡¯s go. We can go to practice in secret at the vocational school next door. I told my friends over there to leave a court for us.¡±


    Soon, a group of people walked out of the school gate, walking and chatting.


    Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei walked side by side behind everyone else, listening to Wang Xu excitedly talking about their tactics in tacit silence.


    What¡¯s there to be tacit about silence, Jiang Cheng felt that his own thoughts were a bit mysterious.


    ¡°A man-to-man defense probably won¡¯t work this afternoon,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°They have external help, at the very least one person, maybe two¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine if we can¡¯t do that but you have to keep your eyes on us,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Class 7¡¯s skills aren¡¯t as good as Class 5¡¯s, and even if they have help, it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that they¡¯ll work well together. After all, we¡¯ve been practicing together for so long¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Our teamwork now is pretty good,¡± Wang Xu waved his hand. ¡°Then, how are we going to play this afternoon?¡±


    ¡°Make every effort to guard Cheng-ge and I so that we can score,¡± Gu Fei said.


    After the sound of those words faded, everyone went silent and turned in harmony to look at Gu Fei.


    Even Jiang Cheng was stunned.


    ¡°Me and¡­¡± Gu Fei cleared his throat and pointed at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Him.


    [1] Paraspinal muscles (Êú¼¹¼¡)- are the ¡°action¡± muscles of the back. When they work, the result is the obvious movement of your spine. They course down your back and spine and help to move your spine into extension, rotation, and side bending. The technical name for the paraspinals is the erector spinae; needless to say, many people have difficulty with the pronunciation. This may be why the word ¡°paraspinals¡± and the term ¡°paraspinal muscles¡± are commonly used to refer to this important group of back muscles.


    [2] Tenderloins (Àï¼¹Èâ) In a cow,  beef tenderloin is cut from the loin of a cow. It comes from the short loin, or the psoas major of the beef carcass. Because the muscle is not weight-bearing, it contains less connective tissue, which makes it tender. (Poor Gu Fei had to think of meat)


    In humans, the ¡®tenderloin¡¯: (Psoas magnus) is a long fusiform muscle on the side of the lumbar region of the vertebral column and brim of the lesser pelvis. Others claim that it¡¯s the ¡®paraspinal muscles¡¯ (the ones that Gu Fei were looking at on JC) that lies beneath the serratus and dorsi muscles


    [3] ¡®everything is in the palm of my hand¡¯ Ò»Çо¡ÔÚÕÆÎÕ


    [4] As handsome as he was, he couldn¡¯t afford that. (ËûÕâô˧£¬²»ÄÜͺ.) He was so handsome, he couldn¡¯t afford to go bald. (Yes, you are very handsome indeed!)


    [5] it was clear at a glance that his words were adopted ( Ò»¿´¾ÍÊÇÁìÑøµÄ×Ö ) ¨C basically Jiang Cheng¡¯s handwriting is smth ¡°not favoured, not the best, not cultivated, very crappy,¡± and well¡­ it¡¯s just emphasizing on how ugly it is¡­ fugly. (burned by Ice, the irony)


    [6] Self-centered ¨C used to describe the term zh¨­ng ¨¨r itself and not the actual translation which is ¡®eight-grade syndrome. We can technically just translate it as ¡°Jiang Cheng had felt that he was always a bit ¡®zhong er¡¯. Ch¨±niby¨­ (Öжþ²¡) in Japanese is a colloquial term that translates to ¡°middle two disease¡±, i.e. ¡°middle-school second-year syndrome¡± or ¡°eighth-grader syndrome¡± or ¡°year-nine syndrome¡±, typically used to describe early teens who have delusions of grandeur, who so desperately want to stand out that they have convinced themselves they have hidden knowledge or secret powers. In Chinese: Öжþ²¡ [zh¨­ng ¨¨r b¨¬ng] n. Eighth grade syndrome, describes adolescent egocentrism and intuitive, emotional thinking. Adults with this syndrome are imaginative at best and self-centered at worst. ¡°zhong¡¯er, the word for ¡®high school sophomore.¡¯ Like moody insecure teenagers, zhong¡¯er think the world revolves around them, proclaim to be all-knowing and all-wise, and try to put down those who they feel threatened by.


    [7] Fujian ¨C a province on the southeastern coast of China; bordered by Zhejiang (I live there for a year ¨C beautiful!) to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. In Fujian accent, the initial h- pronounced as f-

 CH 39

    ¡°Cheng-ge!¡± Wang Xu very quickly followed up with a sentence, ¡°En! I know! Pass to you and Cheng-ge!¡±


    ¡°Jiang Cheng.¡± Jiang Cheng informed. He was actually not used to having a bunch of people calling him Ge, even though Pan Zhi called him Grandpa.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng, just Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng.¡± Wang Xu waved his hands, ¡°We¡¯re all buddies so let¡¯s not care so much about formalities¡­ let¡¯s first head over to my place to get something to eat. I got my mom to prepare everything for us already. We can directly head over to the technical school to practice afterward.¡±


    Jiang Cheng wanted to ask when had they ever even had any formalities but set that question aside altogether. Having eaten so many delicious flatbreads from Wang Xu¡¯s place, he was willing to ensure that Wang Xu¡¯s spot as Class 8¡¯s class tyrant was firmly secured.


    When they all arrived at Wang Xu¡¯s shop in great vigour, Wang Xu¡¯s mother had already finished packing up the flatbreads for them. Perhaps because Wang Xu had never done something along the lines of ¡°leading a basketball team to victory¡± before in his life, his mother was very enthusiastic.


    ¡°Just eat first and then you can go. How uncomfortable would it be to eat with the wind blowing the entire way,¡± she commented.


    ¡°No need, we¡¯re in a hurry,¡± Wang Xu replied, ¡°We¡¯re short on time and heavy with responsibilities, you wouldn¡¯t get it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Auntie.¡± Jiang Cheng received the flatbreads.


    ¡°You really have the best manners, so polite every time,¡± Wang Xu¡¯s mother remarked with a smile.


    The group didn¡¯t stay any longer; they took the flatbreads and once again made their way to the technical school in great vigour as to not waste time.


    ¡°Da Fei.¡± Wang Xu handed a bag of flatbreads to Gu Fei, ¡°Beef and tenderloin, which type do you want?¡±


    ¡°¡­ beef,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°The tenderloin one is also really delicious, didn¡¯t you also like that one quite a bit last time?¡± Wang Xu asked.


    ¡°I just want to eat the beef one today,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Then what about Jiang Cheng?¡± Wang Xu then passed the bag over to Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°I¡¯ll try the tenderloin one.¡± Jiang Cheng picked up a tenderloin one according to Wang Xu¡¯s suggestion.


    Beside them, Gu Fei suddenly choked and started coughing for a long time.


    Jiang Cheng took out his own water bottle from his bag: ¡°Wanna drink some water?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Fei took a few sips from the bottle.


    ¡°Ai, that¡¯s a pretty good bottle,¡± Wang Xu commented. ¡°Sports style, you can tell at a glance that it¡¯s used by athletes. I¡¯m not judging you, but Jiang Cheng, you really are pretty good at being pretentious. No wonder a lot of people think you¡¯re an eyesore.¡±


    ¡°¡­ even a water bottle counts as being pretentious.¡± Jiang Cheng muttered, ¡°Aren¡¯t your standards for pretentious a little low?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that,¡± Guo Xu piped up from the side. ¡°We¡¯re a small place here. Somebody like you who we can tell isn¡¯t a local with just a glance is definitely from some big city. Your existence itself is pretentious.¡±


    Everybody voiced their agreement one after another.


    Jiang Cheng was somewhat speechless.


    The court at the technical school wasn¡¯t as good as the one in Si Zhong, but everybody still squatted very seriously on the sidelines to discuss some tactics, and then diligently entered a practice game in accordance with the results of their discussion.


    Needless to say, when it came to learning in class for this group of people from Class 8, none of them were ever a good example. But after receiving some encouragement, the improvement they made in training was incredibly substantial. In the beginning, the players were running after the ball, but now, they already knew to have a few people cooperate to dribble the ball and to protect their teammates. Jiang Cheng was so touched that he even wanted to write a broadcasting script for them in English.


    There was a match in the afternoon, so the first period of class was chaotic as expected, with nobody caring even the slightest. They practiced in the technical school until the first period of class was halfway over before they finally returned to school together.


    There were already a lot of people on the court, and this time, the team members from Class 8 that nobody had ever paid attention to before aroused the onlookers¡¯ attention the moment they arrived. Jiang Cheng found that in just a couple of days, they had already accumulated quite a lot of ¡°fans¡±.


    They didn¡¯t even reach their class¡¯s resting area when Wang Xu already unzipped his jacket in a charismatic manner. With a strip and a toss, it landed on Lu Xiaobin, who was standing beside him.


    ¡°Carry it yourself.¡± Lu Xiaobin wanted to chuck the clothing back at him.


    ¡°Help me carry it for a bit!¡± Wang Xu turned around and glared at him.


    ¡°¡­ should¡¯ve hired a full-time photographer for you,¡± Lu Xiaobin grumbled.


    ¡°How come you have so much to say? I just made you help me carry my clothes for a bit and yet you¡¯re so reluctant,¡± Wang Xu gave him a pointed look as he lectured. ¡°Are you the captain, or am I the captain?¡±


    Lu Xiaobin didn¡¯t say anything and simply turned his head to look elsewhere.


    What made Jiang Cheng dumbfounded was that both Lao Xu and Lao Lu had changed into sportswear and were standing at the sidelines waiting for them.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t our external help, right?¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help but ask.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Gu Fei also found it funny when he saw them. ¡°Lao Xu and Lao Lu are both from our class, if they really do come up then we wouldn¡¯t even need to call it external help¡­ Lao Lu¡¯s actually pretty good at basketball. There¡¯s going to be a teacher¡¯s basketball tournament later on, you can check it out.¡±


    ¡°The principal really does love basketball ah.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed with some emotion.


    Just as the words left their mouths, they spotted the principal.


    The principal¡¯s surname was Liu. Jiang Cheng had never even talked to him one-on-one before, and now that he had suddenly stopped right in front of him, Jiang Cheng was given a scare. He noticed that there was a pimple growing on the side of Principal Liu¡¯s nose¡­ who knew if it had appeared because he was too excited about watching the game.


    ¡°Student Jiang Cheng,¡± Principal Liu smiled as he patted Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Not bad, I saw the game you played, and might I say that you played extremely well. You can join our school¡¯s basketball team with your level ah!¡±


    ¡°Principal Liu,¡± Wang Xu didn¡¯t wait for Jiang Cheng¡¯s reply when he cut in, ¡°You can¡¯t pat his shoulder.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Jiang Cheng glared at Wang Xu. He felt that this guy¡¯s brain wasn¡¯t just missing a single chord, he was missing the entire instrument.


    ¡°Alright, alright, no patting.¡± Principal Liu didn¡¯t seem to mind; after praising him, he moved on to pat Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Your shoulder can be patted, right?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    ¡°You rascal.¡± Principal Liu smiled as he waved his finger at him, ¡°It¡¯s only when you¡¯re playing basketball that I can find you easy on the eyes! You and Student Jiang Cheng can be considered the perfect partners, you two must come to the teachers¡¯ competition next time!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei continued to smile.


    Principal Liu waved his finger at him twice but didn¡¯t say anything, thus he turned around to point to something at the back: ¡°Reporter, interview this pair of dark horses!¡±[1]


    A boy, who at a glance looked like a literary youth that even had a face full of acne, and a girl, who at a glance looked like a school gossiper and had a stature so small that she could take a sneak shot even when standing right in front of you, immediately rushed over.


    ¡°Hello, we are reporters from the school¡¯s radio station.¡± The literary boy first took out an automatic camera, pointed it toward them, and snapped a bunch of shots. Then, he pulled out a small notebook, ¡°We want to interview you.¡±


    This crappy school that didn¡¯t even have as many tests as the other schools actually had a radio station? And even reporters?


    ¡°¡­ hello.¡± Jiang Cheng felt extremely bothered about having his face continually photographed without any warning; he wanted to snatch the fucking camera and see what shitty appearance he had been photographed into.


    Gu Fei immediately turned around and left.


    ¡°Classmate Gu Fei,¡± the little gossiper grew a little anxious and hurriedly chased after him, shouting: ¡°Classmate Gu Fei! I have a few questions to ask you¡­¡±


    ¡°Classmate Jiang Cheng,¡± the literary boy immediately blocked Jiang Cheng from going back to Class 8¡¯s resting area. ¡°Please answer some of my questions.¡±


    Jiang Cheng kind of wanted to ask, are your questions prepared in pairs?


    ¡°The game your class played exceeded expectations,¡± the literary boy looked at him. ¡°I want to ask¡­¡±


    ¡°Wang Xu!¡± Jiang Cheng spotted Wang Xu, who was looking this way with very expectant eyes, ¡°Captain!¡±


    ¡°Aye! What is it?¡± Wang Xu rushed to his side at the speed of light.


    ¡°This is a reporter from the school¡¯s radio station,¡± Jiang Cheng introduced. ¡°I think it¡¯s better if his questions were answered by the captain. It¡¯s the captain that¡¯s the spirit of our team after all¡­¡±


    ¡°What questions?¡± Wang Xu immediately set his eyes on the reporter, ¡°I can answer them.¡±


    Jiang Cheng immediately evacuated the scene. The literary boy wanted to stop him but was blocked by Wang Xu. ¡°Just ask, but I¡¯m pretty tight on time, so you can just pick and ask the important ones.¡±


    The people from Class 7 had already arrived. Jiang Cheng was seated on a bench, trying his best not to look around at the phones and cameras pointed toward him and Gu Fei, and instead, stared at the players from Class 7.


    ¡°Are you looking for Hu Jian?¡± Gu Fei asked as he changed his shoes beside him.


    ¡°Is that their external help?¡± Jiang Cheng raised his chin. On that side, there was a man who had a buzz cut engraved with a wild boar design.


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei also glanced at them, ¡°There¡¯s only one, who knows if there¡¯ll be others coming later.¡±


    ¡°Is he an underhanded person?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Quite underhanded.¡± Gu Fei answered, ¡°When Bu Shi Hao Niao and I play with them, we lose more than half the time.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei, somewhat taken aback; to tell the truth, with Bu Shi Hao Niao, Li Yan, and Gu Fei added together, the skill level of the six people combined should be able to completely sweep aside the average team under normal circumstances.


    ¡°They will have some people who specialize in playing dirty,¡± Gu Fei explained. ¡°Class 7 has a lot of substitutes, and the moment something goes wrong, they¡¯ll definitely switch in someone to play dirty.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Jiang Cheng shrugged off his jacket. ¡°As long as they don¡¯t start stabbing us with a knife, however many of them there are, is how many I¡¯ll deal with.¡±


    ¡°You cover me,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°The cooperation between Jiuri and them is pretty good right now. We can definitely win even without having to play better than normal.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    The perfect partners?


    Jiang Cheng kind of liked this form of address.


    ¡°Smile.¡± Gu Fei turned his head.


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him then followed him in turning his head. He saw that Yi Jing was holding a camera toward them, so he smiled.


    ¡°Good luck!¡± Yi Jing clenched her fist.


    The competitions being held now were all single games. To let everyone enjoy themselves to the fullest, the two games held every day would occur at different times, so now the court was densely packed[2] with both the players and the audience.


    Because there were no seats for the audience, everybody had crowded outside the sidelines to watch. Watching from up-close like this caused some people to be agitated, but that also incited excitement.


    Jiang Cheng had never played a game within such a tight encirclement before, and for some reason, his excitement rose. If only Pan Zhi was also here; with a Pan Zhi added to the court, the championship would be theirs for sure.


    The referee blew the whistle.


    The players from both sides entered the court and after the captains had chosen the courts, they jumped the ball.


    For Class 8, it was Wang Xu who jumped the ball. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want to waste the energy of their main forces on jumping the ball, even though compared to Wang Xu¡¯s ability to grab the ball, Gu Fei was a far better option.


    ¡°Jiuri,¡± Gu Fei followed behind Wang Xu. ¡°We¡¯re counting on you.¡±


    Wang Xu didn¡¯t turn back and only hammered at his own chest.


    Boar Head didn¡¯t go up. Class 7¡¯s team was per normal as of now.


    Jiang Cheng exchanged a glance with Gu Fei and stretched his waist.


    The ball flew through the air the moment the whistle sounded, and in that split instant, the audience fell silent. Within that moment, the only sound that could be heard was Wang Xu¡¯s furious cry and the sound of a hand slapping down on the ball.


    And it was very encouraging to see that Wang Xu had slapped the ball directly toward Gu Fei¡¯s direction.


    Gu Fei reached out a hand and swiftly hooked the ball within his grasp. When he turned around, the people from Class 7 had already quickly run back to defend their net, leaving only Hu Jian at his side.


    Gu Fei dribbled the ball and charged a step forward, Hu Jian followed after him, but he quickly passed the ball behind him with a backhanded shot.


    Just when Jiang Cheng caught the ball, Gu Fei had already shot forward. Jiang Cheng swiftly caught up and first passed the ball to Guo Xu. Guo Xu then caught the ball but didn¡¯t continue dribbling; he just took a few steps before passing the ball back to Gu Fei who had already made it past the three-point line.


    This pace wasn¡¯t too shabby.


    Jiang Cheng gave this group of people a thumbs up in his heart; the them from half a month ago couldn¡¯t possibly display such a level of cooperation.


    Class 7¡¯s encirclement quickly shrunk to defend. The speed was pretty fast, but truth be told, it couldn¡¯t compare to Class 5. After all, Class 5 was a strong team that was second only to Class 2. Considering how they were eliminated without any mental preparation, they must be pretty aggrieved.


    Gu Fei stepped forward onto the three-point line and raised the ball.


    Jiang Cheng rushed over and gave a suppressed shout: ¡°Here!¡±


    Gu Fei flicked his wrist and passed the ball over. Jiang Cheng caught the ball with a leap then immediately followed up with a three-pointer before the people from Class 7 could even react.


    Jiang Cheng was very nervous when he took the shot; this was the first shot of the game ¨C it must go in.


    Good thing he had always been a xueba, possessing the professional mentality of someone who had perfected the skill of showing-off¡­


    The ball went in.


    A wave of cheers instantly erupted from Class 8¡¯s resting area, spreading outwards to the entire audience.


    It was Class 7¡¯s turn to take the ball. Gu Fei was running back in front of him and his arms were hanging at his sides with his palms facing behind him.


    Jiang Cheng ran over and lightly patted his hand.


    Just when Gu Fei was about to withdraw his hand, Wang Xu also ran over and slapped his hand with a pa sound: ¡°That was great!¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Gu Fei jumped up in shock.


    ¡°Pay attention to defense!¡± Jiang Cheng shouted.


    Just when the new round began, they had let the opponent score a goal. The people from Class 7¡¯s wills to fight were immediately aroused and headed by Hu Jian; they immediately started pressing back once they got the ball.


    In light of the agreement ¡°let¡¯s use our basketball skills to speak¡± they had at noon, Jiang Cheng went over to greet Hu Jian by blocking him.


    He had no understanding of Hu Jian¡¯s ability, nor did he take his brash trash talk to heart, but in Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes, the only people that could snatch the ball away from him were Gu Fei and Li Yan ¨C there were no other exceptions.


    Hu Jian could be called agile and had a lot of tricks up his sleeves, so Jiang Cheng remained where he stood and closely watched as he swayed forward one moment, backward the next, left one moment, and then right the next. He was honestly a little tempted to remind him not to waste too much energy.


    When he had swayed till he felt that it was about time for the referee to blow the whistle, Hu Jian suddenly faked to the left and charged with the ball.


    Jiang Cheng sighed. He took a step over, reached out, and gave the ball a shove ¨C the ball immediately changed direction and bounced away. Over on that side, Wang Xu caught the ball and turned around, dribbling the ball over to their net.


    Due to the shock, the people from Class 7 were slower by a beat. Wang Xu rushed over with the ball, full of spirit and surrounded by various kinds of shouts, he reached the net and pressed passed the only defender there and did a layup.


    ¡°Good shot!¡± Wang Xu, who had scored two points, roared with clenched fists and eyes widened into circles, ¡°Good shot!¡±


    Compared to Class 5, the skill level of Class 7 was much worse. At the end of the first quarter, they were already 6 points ahead.


    ¡°Look,¡± Wang Xu took two gulps of water and peered at the other side during the break. ¡°Class 2 is staring at us right now, our number one opponent.¡±


    ¡°Class 5 is even cheering for Class 7 right now,¡± Lu Xiaobin remarked.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything to change up later.¡± Jiang Cheng took a few looks at the other side, ¡°Just continue playing as we did just now. Keep at it.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve switched people,¡± Gu Fei commented.


    The few of them all turned to look over in that direction. Class 7 had switched in two people; one of them was a big man with a face shining with grease, and the other was Boar Head.


    ¡°Try not to have physical contact with them,¡± Jiang Cheng instructed. ¡°Pass the ball more, and immediately make a pass when somebody comes near you.¡±


    According to what Gu Fei said, Boar Head was here to help snatch points and that Grease Face should be here to play dirty. Class 7 really did have many substitutes; it had taken Class 8 a lot of effort to even find three to five of them, yet there were enough people donning uniforms on Class 7¡¯s bench to play a game of soccer.


    Class 7 took the ball and then directly passed it to Boar Head.


    Boar Head charged toward the net with the ball like a tank, and although his speed was shocking, his dribbling was very steady. When Jiang Cheng cut over to block him, he abruptly stopped without making any feints and directly slammed Jiang Cheng¡¯s arm aside to continue charging forward.


    When Jiang Cheng wanted to obstruct him again, Grease Face came over and slammed right into him.


    He had wanted to make a sidestep and avoid him to continue forward, but Grease Face¡¯s shoulder had already hit his right shoulder and slammed into him extremely hard in a not-very-concealed manner.


    Jiang Cheng was struck so hard by him that he almost flew to the side. After a period of numbness, his shoulder started throbbing in pain, causing his eyebrows to furrow.


    Generally, in this kind of class game, as long as a ¡®loose ball foul¡¯[3] wasn¡¯t grabbing somebody¡¯s arm and preventing them from moving, the referee basically wouldn¡¯t blow the whistle ¨C they may not even notice it.


    After Jiang Cheng was knocked aside, Boar Head had already made it to the net. Gu Fei was trapped by two people, unable to prevent anything, letting Boar Head succeed in scoring a shot.


    Class 7 suddenly burst into cheers, and a group of people started knocking on the ground with their stools.


    ¡°Be bolder!¡± Lao Lu¡¯s voice abruptly rang out and was even accompanied by the music from a sprinkler.


    Jiang Cheng glanced over and caught sight of Lao Lu holding a loudspeaker. Who knew why he didn¡¯t turn off the speaker¡¯s music, but the music continued to play like a BGM.


    Lao Lu continued to yell with his arms akimbo: ¡°Be more unrestrained! If other people hit you! Just hit them right back! Boldly¡­¡±


    ¡°Lu Laoshi! Lu Laoshi!¡± The Principal also raised a loudspeaker from the referee¡¯s bench, ¡°You are disturbing the game. Class 8, this is a technical foul!¡±[4]


    Lao Xu snatched away Lao Lu¡¯s loudspeaker and passed it to a student behind him.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to start ramming people,¡± Gu Fei said as he ran over to Jiang Cheng¡¯s side. ¡°You just have to shake off Zhang Wei and score points.¡±


    ¡°Is that Grease Face?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    Gu Fei swept a glance at Grease Face: ¡°¡­ yes.¡±


    ¡°Actually, that isn¡¯t necessary,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°You only have to focus on scoring,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    Gu Fei¡¯s ramming target was Boar Head, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t even have to ask to know. Currently, this fella and Grease Face were working together pretty well ¨C one person obstructing and the other person going on offense.


    This made him a little annoyed. The perfect, perfect partners are here ne[5], who do you think you are?


    However, he didn¡¯t support deliberate fouls. He just didn¡¯t have the chance to speak more with Gu Fei about it, he could only play first.


    Jiang Cheng was guarding on the centerline. When Class 7 got their hands on the ball, they quickly went on offense, giving the ball to Boar Head as expected. Gu Fei didn¡¯t find a chance to ram into him and was actually trapped by two people once again so he couldn¡¯t go on defense.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t care about all that. He directly cut over and forcibly rushed forward from between the two people. After Gu Fei also escaped, he turned, and the two blocked Boar Head¡¯s path together.


    At that obstacle, Jiang Cheng clapped, cheered, and screamed for him and Gu Fei in his heart. When the two of them stood firm at the same time, Boar Head was still a step away from them, he couldn¡¯t employ a defensive foul.[6]


    It was perfect.


    But Boar Head wasn¡¯t an amateur. He didn¡¯t directly charge forward and had instead chosen to make a shot right in front of two players with similar heights to him from the opposing team with a fair amount of confidence.


    Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng jumped up at the same time to slap down the ball.


    The ball was sent flying and landed in Lu Xiaobin¡¯s hands.


    This blocked shot[7] was done beautifully. Jiang Cheng once again fell into a round of internal praises, especially about the tacit cooperation between him and Gu Fei. It made him play incredibly comfortably.


    But the screams from the mass of girls on the sidelines made him rather uncomfortable; there was always a sense of guilt like he was being caught on the spot.


    He didn¡¯t know how he had become so unpromising.[8]


    When Lu Xiaobin caught the ball, he quickly cooperated with everyone to go on offense. Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei were pretty much wrapped around Boar Head; like his shadows, they made him completely unable to intercept the ball.


    On the other side, Lu Xiaobin and Wang Xu passed the ball without pause, faultlessly disrupting the rhythm of Class 7¡¯s defense. Wang Xu caught the ball and with another cry, scored another two points.


    When there were only a few minutes left in the first half of the game, Class 7 called for a break.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Gu Fei patted his hand. ¡°Jiuri¡¯s gone crazy.¡±


    ¡°He is our captain after all,¡± Jiang Cheng remarked. ¡°Do you think he¡¯d let you steal all the spotlight?¡±


    ¡°We managed to push through the first half, it¡¯s still very hard for them to catch up to our scores now,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It¡¯s not very easy to hit them. He¡¯s too familiar with me.¡±


    ¡°We can win even without hitting them.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. His gaze landed on Gu Fei¡¯s neck, then on his collarbone, to the shoulder, then when it went all the way down to his arm, he became dumbfounded. ¡°Is this from getting hit?¡±


    Gu Fei lowered his head to glance at his arm: ¡°This was from the slingshot and the wooden bead. There¡¯s also one on my stomach, do you want to see?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng was a little speechless, ¡°Aren¡¯t you a little too delicate¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have used much strength¡­¡±


    ¡°This is flesh ah,¡± Gu Fei patted his arm. ¡°Not a tree trunk.¡±


    ¡°¡­ sorry about that.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Gu Fei took the water from Jing Yi, ¡°Think of it as me paying my entrance fees.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng swore with clenched teeth.


    The first half of the game wasn¡¯t actually very difficult to play. Class 7 only depended on Boar Head, an external help, and didn¡¯t actually improve on their own skills. In twenty minutes, Jiang Cheng was able to tell that Hu Jian was only an overly self-confident teenager with middle school syndrome. His skills weren¡¯t much better than Wang Xu¡¯s. If they were to really speak with their basketball skills, then he was a mute at most.


    But when the second half started, Class 7 went on a rampage like they had all gotten shots. They were probably giving their last efforts ¨C even if they couldn¡¯t win, they couldn¡¯t let the difference in their scores be too large.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t care about the other people. Even if they switched in the people committing fouls, they wouldn¡¯t dare to casually make a foul on offense. As long as they could score, the other people weren¡¯t worth paying attention to, only Boar Head.


    That person had the ability but also had thick-skin.


    When Lu Xiaobin got the ball and pressed forward to the opponents¡¯ basket, he passed it to Jiang Cheng.


    Actually, that wasn¡¯t a very good timing. Gu Fei didn¡¯t have the time to cover, and on the contrary, Boar Head had rushed up.


    Jiang Cheng lowered his center of gravity, switched the ball from his right to his left, and used his body to guard the ball. Boar Head had come over and blocked his right, he continuously squeezed his way over and inconspicuously elbowed him.


    Jiang Cheng was growing irritated at him, but in this situation, if the referee didn¡¯t blow the whistle, you must keep your mind steady and continue to keep a firm grasp of control.


    Good thing Gu Fei had quickly made his way over and was ready to respond.


    Out of the corner of his eye, Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze swept over Gu Fei¡¯s shoes, and with a sweep of his arm, he passed the ball over to him.


    But right at that moment, Boar Head aggressively jumped forward, his right arm making a motion of stealing the ball. However, Jiang Cheng immediately knew that he didn¡¯t intend on stealing the ball.


    As he stretched out his right hand, his left elbow made a heavy blow on Jiang Cheng¡¯s stomach with inertia.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s cry had come from between the gaps of his clenched teeth.


    After this hit landed, an unbearable pain along with a strong urge to vomit rose from his stomach, making his world suddenly go white. He almost fell to his knees with soft legs.


    His mind was messed up by the pain; so many voices were simultaneously crying in his head ¡ªMy injured heart really, really hurts! Why am I always the one that gets hurt?! Aaaaahhhh it¡¯s always fucking me!


    The referee blew the whistle: ¡°Blocking foul!¡±[9]


    Boar Head gave a breezy smile and raised his hand.


    The audience didn¡¯t see the situation clearly and only thought it was a normal collision. Only the team members from Class 2 jeered, some even pointed and waved their dumbs downwards.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Wang Xu was right behind Jiang Cheng and rushed over to support him. ¡°How is it? Is it serious?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Jiang Cheng finally managed to rasp out after a long time.


    Gu Fei walked over without a word and directly lifted up his shirt.


    Although he didn¡¯t react much to Gu Fei¡¯s touch anymore, he almost slapped him for such a drastic action.


    ¡°You really are an underhanded person ah.¡± Gu Fei turned to face Boar Head.


    ¡°What,¡± Boar Head gave a cold laugh, ¡°Have I touched porcelain[10], huh? Could I possibly be as underhanded as you?¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say a word and walked over to Boar Head with a gloomy expression.


    ¡°Gu Fei!¡± Jiang Cheng hurriedly grabbed onto him and took hold of Gu Fei¡¯s arm.


    Gu Fei turned around and with a face full of irritation, his eyebrows twisted: ¡°What are you doing?!¡±


    Jiang Cheng said in a low voice: ¡°Playing is playing, competing is competing. If they don¡¯t want any face, then it¡¯s their problem. But if we want to win, then we must win in a way that leaves no room for debate.¡±


    ¡°Well said Cheng-ge!¡± Wang Xu also kept his voice low and maintained a moved and tragic expression.


    Gu Fei stared at him. After a long time, he finally opened his mouth: ¡°Got it.¡±


    [1] Pair of dark horses ¨C from the way it¡¯s phrased, ºÚÂí´îµµ is more like a title (like Dark Horse Partners), kinda like the principal is already giving them the topic name/title¡­ but since it¡¯s not in quotation marks, we¡¯re not sure.


    [2] ˮй²»Í¨ idiom, literally tled to ¡°water can not flow/leak out¡± meaning ¡°to be densely packed/to be hemmed in¡±.


    [3] Loose ball foul (ÎÞÇò·¸¹æ) ¨C an illegal contact, after the ball is alive, when team control does not exist; basically, Neither player has the ball in this case. One player for instance pushes the other from behind to secure the rebound and pushes the other too far under the basket to get the rebound. The player that pushed the other under the basket could be called for a loose ball foul as neither player was in possession of the basketball at the time the foul was committed.


    [4] Technical foul (¼¼Êõ·¸¹æ) ¨C a punishment for conduct or violation by a team member which is unsportsmanlike. This foul is given to a member, whether in the court or on the bench. Even coaches are subject to technical fouls when the need arises.


    [5] ÄØ ne ¨C particle signaling a pause, to emphasize the preceding words and allow the listener time to take them on board (¡°ok?¡±, ¡°are you with me?¡±) / (at the end of a declarative sentence) particle indicating continuation of a state or action / particle indicating strong affirmation


    [6] Defensive foul (·ÀÊØ·¸¹æ) ¨C Illegal physical contacts which are made by defensive players are known as defensive fouls. These contacts are primarily aimed to impede the progress of offensive players. Some of the typical defensive fouls are blocking, reaching in, holding, tripping and pushing.


    [7] Blocked shot (»ð¹ø¸Ç) ¨C occurs when a defensive player legally deflects a field goal attempt from an offensive player to prevent a score.


    [8] Unpromising (³öÏ¢) ¨C lit. without prospect


    [9] Blocking foul (×èµ²·¸¹æ) ¨C foul assessed to a defensive player who is not properly positioned and makes contact with an offensive player to stop their movement. If the defensive player is still moving, does not have his feet planted, or has not establish themselves within the ball handler¡¯s path before the two players collide, a blocking foul against the defender will be called


    [10] Touch porcelain (Åö´É) ¨C metaphorically refers to a behavior or trick when someone pretends to be knocked down so he can ask for money.


    It originally comes from an old Beijing dialect of Mandarin. This word refers to a trick that takes its name from a scam, in which unscrupulous antique sellers would rig up damaged porcelain vases to look whole, wait for customers to ¡°break¡± one by picking it up, then demand that they pay for the item.


    Origin Story:


    A long time ago, in the late years of the Qing Dynasty, some elderly aristocrats held a ¡°rare¡± porcelain (actually, it¡¯s a fake.) in their hands, and walk down the streets with it. These aristocrats would seek out a chance to be ¡°deliberately¡± touched by a carriage passing by. This touch would cause the porcelain in their hands to immediately drop and fall into pieces. This trick would be used so that carriage owners would have to offer compensation for the price of the valuable porcelain. The trick targets people in a hurry, so the odds of making them feel guilty for the action are higher. Over time, people called this behavior ¡°Åö´É (p¨¨ng c¨ª).¡± The phenomenon of ¡°Åö´É (p¨¨ng c¨ª)¡± evolves with the development of society, such as ¡°You stepped on my feet¡±, ¡°You scraped my car¡±, ¡°You knocked me down¡± ¡ª and has resulted in people taking these opportunities to ask for compensation. If one day you encounter something like this, call the police immediately and let them know you have not been tricked!


    Got love researching! ¨C Sae


    The author has something to say: Taking a break tomorrow, will continue on Monday.


    ¡¾Blank¡¿


    ¡°Where¡¯s the author?! How did the author disappear?! I even brought my little brother here to be introduced ne o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o! Come! Say hello to everyone o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o!¡± The black furry spirit shouted as it pounded on the floor.


    ¡°Ying.¡± The small black furry spirit cried.


    The translators have something to say:


    Ice: Oh my god Gu Fei. It¡¯s tenderloin. He literally made me unable to even look at a chunk of meat the same way as before now¡­ But perfect partners indeed, getting angry when your dear partner gets hurt (Jiang Cheng is so lowkey proud of that title lol). (*^ÆH^)


    Sae: Ah, gotta love not knowing much about basketball and doing all the research! *Jiang Cheng is mentally high-key proud of that title!* BAHAHAHA


    *Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei are reminding you to wear your masks yo~* (art @Éñ¹÷ÕŵÛÐÄ)

 CH 40

    Looking at the scores, the second half of the game didn¡¯t hold much suspense; as long as Class 8 didn¡¯t stay rooted in place and wait for Class 7 to shoot, they would definitely be able to win.


    Wang Xu and the rest foresaw this victory. As if each and every one of their bodies were lit on fire, they ran like their tails had been burned, dashing around with a swoosh. Those who did layups and vied for rebounds seemed to have firecrackers between their feet that made them as happy as a lark[1], even letting all the substitutes on the bench come up in turn to practice some.


    Class 8¡¯s audience also yelled with all their hearts since the opportunity to cheer for their own class during a competition was really hard to come by. Lao Lu, on the other hand, could make himself be heard above all the screams even without the use of a loudspeaker.


    However, Class 7 would not concede.


    On the court of a game, there really wasn¡¯t such a thing as conceding. Unless it were at the very last second, nobody would simply concede defeat.


    But Class 7¡¯s method of expressing their unwillingness to concede actually irritated Jiang Cheng.


    All sorts of collisions, blocks, and petty maneuvers were continuously used in the open and in the shadows. The number of fouls committed in just the first few minutes of the third quarter was enough for a free throw to be given.


    They no longer cared about whether or not they could score any points ¨C they couldn¡¯t possibly catch up. Their only goal was probably to vent their anger as they interfered with Class 8¡¯s attempts at scoring.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stand it anymore.¡± Lu Xiaobin had always been a person of few words, but during the break, he wiped his sweat and complained, ¡°I was even hit on the base of my thigh. It could¡¯ve been my balls, you know. I don¡¯t want to be impotent¡­¡±


    ¡°But we have to win cleanly.¡± Wang Xu had been elbowed in the head when he went to snatch a rebound, but he continued to adhere to Jiang Cheng¡¯s words. ¡°They can do whatever they want, but we can¡¯t do whatever we want. Otherwise, if we win, people may say that we played dirty.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s bear with it for a little longer,¡± Guo Xu sighed. ¡°We¡¯ll definitely be able to win anyways. There¡¯s less than ten minutes remaining. They don¡¯t stand a chance no matter what they do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been four times for Boar Head, right?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei sounded in response, looking over at the people on the other side with a face full of displeasure.


    ¡°Go incite him to do it again,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Remember only to incite a foul, not commit a foul.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei still had a face full of displeasure.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you guys what to do in this kind of situation in a little while.¡± Jiang Cheng raised his arms and stretched his waist. His arms continued to rise until the people from Class 7 all looked over from the other side, then he stretched out his thumb and turned it downward.


    Hu Jian immediately pointed at him, spouting incoherent obscenities.


    Jiang Cheng then raised his arms over his head again, formed a heart, and even tilted his body toward him.


    Laughter burst out from all sides.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Hu Jian cursed loudly. He was about to charge over with a swing of his arm but was held back by the other people in his class.


    ¡°Just do that?¡± Wang Xu was a little befuddled, ¡°Should we do it together?¡±


    ¡°I meant when we go on the court again in a bit.¡± Jiang Cheng felt a little helpless and withdrew his arms, ¡°I¡¯m just warming up and giving a little thanks to those who cheered us on.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Wang Xu came to a sudden realization, patted a few of the other teammates around him, and then turned toward the people in their class and raised his arms into a heart. ¡°Quick, give our thanks to our cheerleading team!¡±


    Who knew whether it was because the group of them were overexcited or because they had acknowledged Wang Xu¡¯s position as the class tyrant, but they had actually only hesitated for a split moment before they raised their arms together to strike a few heart shapes toward their classmates.


    The people from Class 8 suddenly burst into shouts, pulling the other audience members into a round of applause.


    ¡°Da Fei.¡± Wang Xu turned to Gu Fei, who was cradling his arm and watching the excitement on the side.


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Fei simply refused.


    ¡°Da Fei! Don¡¯t you have any collective sense of honour?!¡± Wang Xu glared at him, ¡°Quickly!¡±


    ¡°Mental retards.¡± Gu Fei continued to simply refuse.


    ¡°Gu Fei!¡± The girls from the class started shouting, ¡°Gu Fei! Gu Fei!¡±


    ¡°Even Jiang Cheng, Cheng-ge, struck a heart!¡± Wang Xu cried.


    ¡°Do I have to strike one just because Jiang Cheng Cheng struck one?¡± Gu Fei was a little helpless.


    What the fuck is Jiang Cheng Cheng?! Jiang Cheng, who was drinking water at the side, almost choked.


    The referee blew the whistle ¨C the last few minutes of the game were about to start. The girls were still shouting with voices that carried hints of disappointment.


    Jiang Cheng felt that Gu Fei wasn¡¯t likely to give this honor, so he turned away and started walking toward the court. Suddenly, he heard a wave of mad screams reverberate all around him; the girls on the other side even started jumping as they screamed.


    He turned his head and saw Gu Fei raising his arms above his head to strike a heart.


    ¡­Fuck, they¡¯ve all gone mad.


    Class 7 was behind almost by 20 points, and there were only a few minutes left so no matter what might happen, it was impossible for them to catch up. As a result, the moment they started playing, their tactic wasn¡¯t to score points but to wear down the people from Class 8 one-by-one.


    As soon as the ball landed in Class 8¡¯s hands, whoever held the ball would instantly be surrounded by at least two players of Class 7. Boar Head and Hu Jian, the pair of scoundrels, were the main force. There may not necessarily be many small actions taken, but they would pester them so much that they couldn¡¯t even pass the ball, easily making them reach over 24 seconds.


    The only thing Jiang Cheng could admire about Class 7 was their energy.


    In this kind of situation, only with Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei cooperating could they go on offense. They must move rapidly and make use of every second[2] to pass to one another with tricky angles.


    There had been several times when Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t bother to care about the timing of his pass to Gu Fei and only knew that he must pass it. At those times, he had nearly smashed Gu Fei¡¯s head.


    Just when Gu Fei caught the ball and made it past the midline, Boar Head blocked right in front of him.


    Even when Jiang Cheng was several steps away, he could see the fire surging from Boar Head¡¯s eyes ¨C it had to be as big as a candle.


    This was a good chance. With Gu Fei¡¯s skill, inciting Boar Head wasn¡¯t a problem, especially since the original purpose of Boar Head being here was to play dirty.


    ¡°Pass!¡± Jiang Cheng got rid of the person guarding him, rushed to the left front side of Gu Fei, and shouted.


    Gu Fei glanced at him and charged forward with the ball in both hands; then he changed his angle the moment Boar Head was about to slam his hand down on the ball.


    Boar Head slapped his hand down on his wrist instead, making a crisp sound.


    The ball flew out of Gu Fei¡¯s hands.


    Immediately after, the referee¡¯s whistle sounded: ¡°Hacking foul![3] Five fouls!¡±[4]


    The audience burst into a symphony of roars and applause.


    When Boar Head was disqualified from the court as penalty, Wang Xu high-fived his teammates one by one with a face full of excitement as if he was the one who had disqualified Boar Head himself ¨C he was simply high with fighting spirits.


    However, Boar Head getting switched out did nothing to diminish Class 7¡¯s shameless arrogance. There were only four minutes left in the game.


    The rampage led by Hu Jian continued.


    Frankly speaking, Class 7¡¯s persistent attitude of desperately fighting back even at the last second was pretty¡­ you know¡­ when some teams saw that it was impossible to catch up, the last quarter could definitely be played like a walk in the park.


    But Class 7¡¯s persistence was used the wrong way.


    During the several times that Hu Jian pounced on Jiang Cheng, he had wanted to slap Hu Jian on the face. He had even regretted that he didn¡¯t use the handle of the mop to beat him up that noontime.


    An opportunity came at the last minute. Hu Jian grabbed the ball and charged toward the net. To be honest, Class 7¡¯s physical capabilities were much more potent than that of Class 8¡¯s. Probably because they had many substitutes, so they had much more time to rest.


    Hu Jian even had the energy to rush forward at this time. Their team¡¯s speed was already a little slower than when they first started, thus letting Hu Jian make it directly to the net.


    He leaped up and shot the ball.


    Jiang Cheng calculated the time of his take-off and put all his strength into this jump; Hu Jian¡¯s jump wasn¡¯t anything outstanding ¨C it wasn¡¯t even comparable to that of a heavy player like Lu Xiaobin. Jiang Cheng¡¯s jump overtook him.


    Hu Jian shot the ball, and it flew toward the net as he was rising.


    At that moment, Jiang Cheng reached out in the air and slapped down on the ball.


    The slap was clean and precise. Except for the ball, nothing else was touched.


    But this slap was akin to a volleyball smash; he had used his full strength, and the ball shot directly downward, smashing right on Hu Jian¡¯s face whose toes had just barely touched the ground and hadn¡¯t even had the chance to stabilize himself.


    Hu Jian slammed backward, landing roughly with his butt on the ground with a thud.


    ¡°Foul!¡± Hu Jian roared after he recovered from his shock, ¡°He just did a hacking foul!¡±


    The referee looked at him and didn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°Foul, my fucking ass.¡± Wang Xu rushed forward and snatched the ball that had landed on the ground. He then turned around and passed the ball to Guo Xu, who was standing at the midline.


    ¡°Sorry about that.¡± Jiang Cheng walked over and patted his shoulder, then also turned around and ran off.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Hu Jian continued to angrily shout, ¡°Fuck!¡±


    When Jiang Cheng heard his voice, he hurriedly caught up then turned his head to glance at him. He found that the fellow had been struck so hard that he had a nosebleed and was currently glaring at him with blood smeared all over his mouth.


    On the other side, Gu Fei scored another shot. The time left in the game was almost up, and the people from Class 8 were all screaming and jumping as they clapped.


    Class 7 wanted to switch people, but were cursed by Hu Jian: ¡°Switch, my fucking ass! I¡¯m not dead yet!¡±


    With a nosebleed that flew everywhere, Hu Jian finished the last half-minute of the game. When the whistle signaling the end of the game sounded, he took the ball and slammed it onto the ground, which then flew toward Jiang Cheng.


    This action wasn¡¯t in Jiang Cheng¡¯s line of sight. When he felt the ball approaching, it was already too late to dodge. Just when he thought ¡®fuck, I probably really do have an injury-prone physique¡¯, Gu Fei reached out to block it, and slapped the ball away just as it was about to smash his face.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Wang Xu was furious. He pointed at Hu Jian, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you? You can¡¯t play basketball, but you sure are a professional at being a thug!¡±


    ¡°What does it have to do with you? Do you really think you¡¯re the boss?¡± Hu Jian also pointed back at him, and several people from Class 7 had rushed over to surround him ¨C with multiple pairs of eyes spitting fire, they could even start a bonfire party.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the boss ah,¡± Wang Xu countered, ¡°Our boss is Gu Fei. What, you want to look for our boss?¡±


    The people from Class 7 didn¡¯t say a word and collectively glared at Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t even glance at their direction and just turned around and left.


    The people in Class 8 were so enthralled with excitement that nobody noticed the daggers being exchanged on the court. They all rushed up and surrounded the members of their team, turning into a screaming mass, and instantly pushed aside the people from Class 7.


    ¡°Great job!¡± Lao Xu was caught in the crowd, trying his best to get closer to them, ¡°Great job! This is exactly the kind of manner you need to have when playing ball! You have all finally learned to have self-control! Great job! I am so touch¨C¡±


    ¡°Jiang Cheng, that slap was very well covered!¡± Lao Lu¡¯s voice that had crushed Lao Xu¡¯s to the floor until nothing remained loudly buzzed in Jiang Cheng¡¯s ear. ¡°The skills, the techniques! All covered up that not even a hint of temper could be seen!¡±


    ¡°You must also go teach Class 7, otherwise how would you face them tomorrow?¡± Guo Xu joked, ¡°So partial ah.¡±


    ¡°They can learn from Class 4 that I brought up before. They even made a collective protest against taking my classes!¡± Lao Lu scoffed, ¡°This sort of upright and honorable behavior[5] is precisely what I like to see! Even in fights, you must be upright and honorable, take a look at last year¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Lu Laoshi! Lao Lu! You mustn¡¯t fight often!¡± Lao Xu cut him off and looked at the members of the basketball team, ¡°You guys are my pride! You are all my pride!¡±


    Jiang Cheng struggled to free himself from the crowd. He tugged at his shirt collar and shook it.


    ¡°I¡¯m exhausted.¡± Gu Fei also squeezed himself out, ¡°Class 7¡¯s energy is really shocking.¡±


    ¡°They have a lot of substitutes.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at the excited crowd behind him, ¡°What did Lao Lu mean about last year?¡±


    ¡°Last year, he fought with the third years,¡± Gu Fei explained. ¡°It was extremely exciting. But then he was kicked out by the third year to teach our year instead.¡±


    ¡°He really has a lot of personality ah.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed with some emotion.


    ¡°Wait for me first before you come to school in the morning for the next few days,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him, then turned to look at Class 7. The people there had already dragged their chairs away in frustration, leaving only a few members of the basketball team standing and still glowering at the people on this side.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about Hu Jian and that bunch, a couple of students can¡¯t cause much trouble,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Jiang Bin is the real problem.¡±


    ¡°Who is Jiang Bin?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Boar Head.¡± Gu Fei explained, ¡°He¡¯s Hou Zi¡¯s little cousin.¡±


    ¡°Hou Zi?¡± Jiang Cheng was taken aback. Only after thinking back for a long time did he come to remember who Hou Zi was, but then he was immediately a little stupefied. ¡°Are all the gangsters you have here part of a family business? How did we drag Hou Zi into this again?¡±


    ¡°Bullshit, it¡¯s not like you¡¯ve gone anywhere else. This area is all part of Hou Zi¡¯s gang¡¯s territory.¡± Gu Fei snorted.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Hou Zi afraid of you?¡± Jiang Cheng asked in a low voice.


    ¡°He just doesn¡¯t want to mess with me,¡± Gu Fei stretched his waist. ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s afraid of me.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Jiang Cheng continued to question.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m not scared of dying.¡± Gu Fei shot him a look.


    Jiang Cheng gazed at him in silence.


    ¡°Go, go, go!¡± Wang Xu rushed to their side. ¡°Go wash your faces. We¡¯ll be watching Class 2¡¯s game later, and then have a meal together in the evening. Jing Yi says that we can use the class funds.¡±


    ¡°Eating off of public funds?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°This is a normal expense! How did it become eating off of public funds?! We¡¯ve brought glory to our class!¡± Wang Xu¡¯s waist was posed incredibly straight, ¡°And the entire class agrees! There are even people representing the class to come accompany us!¡±


    ¡°¡­ the more you talk, the more problematic it sounds.¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help but laugh.


    ¡°Right? Some girls want to eat with us.¡± Wang Xu whispered and even glanced over at the girls. ¡°I thought it would be livelier this way, so I agreed.¡±


    ¡°Abuse of authority,¡±[6] Gu Fei commented.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Wang Xu started growing embarrassed, but thought for a bit then held his neck. ¡°You guys can help if you two have any goals too!¡±


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    There was no suspense during Class 2¡¯s game; the opponent was weak and didn¡¯t have Class 7¡¯s underhandedness ¨C it was a one-sided battle the entire time.


    ¡°We can¡¯t beat them.¡± Jiang Cheng remarked as he observed the players from Class 2 from where he stood under the net.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei sounded in agreement.


    ¡°The levels of their abilities are too equal, and each of them is tall.¡± Jiang Cheng used his hands to cover his mouth, not wanting Wang Xu at the side to feel discouraged, ¡°They must normally play basketball together all the time, just look at their cooperation.¡±


    ¡°Since their class lives on campus, they usually play a game when they have nothing better to do,¡± Gu Fei whispered in reply. ¡°And it¡¯s true that they¡¯d normally get together when they play.¡±


    ¡°How is it?¡± Wang Xu was recording on his phone beside them, ¡°I recorded some. We¡¯ll be finished with exams when we face them, so we still have some time to study their weaknesses.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°Nobody in their class can be as strong as our Lu Xiaobin,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°They¡¯re probably not as tacit as the two of you from what I see.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t put your voice in the recording,¡± Gu Fei interrupted him. ¡°It would be annoying to hear when the time comes to watch it.¡±


    ¡°Fuck! You¡¯re swelling from pride now!¡± Wang Xu narrowed his eyes at him, ¡°But it¡¯s understandable, I¡¯m also swelling.¡±


    When they finished watching Class 2¡¯s game, Jiang Cheng only felt two things: One was that they couldn¡¯t beat them, and two, their cheerleading team was really amazing.


    When they prepared to leave, the captain of Class 2¡¯s team walked over.


    ¡°He¡¯s He Zhou,¡± Gu Fei tilted his head over and whispered in Jiang Cheng¡¯s ear, ¡°Don¡¯t give weird nicknames.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded in response.


    When Wang Xu saw that He Zhou was coming over, he made a beeline over there to greet him, but He Zhou only gave him a nod and immediately walked past him until he stopped right in front of Gu Fei.


    ¡°See you guys in the next game,¡± he said.


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei smiled, ¡°Will you go easy[7] on us?¡±


    ¡°We never go easy.¡± He Zhou also smiled, ¡°You guys don¡¯t need us to go easy either. I¡¯ve waited for so long, and now I finally have the chance to play against you.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t reply.


    He Zhou turned to look at Jiang Cheng: ¡°You¡¯re Jiang Cheng, right?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, ¡°Jiang Cheng.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m He Zhou.¡± He Zhou smiled, but one could see a hint of provocation in his eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t hold back when the time comes, three-point king.¡±


    After He Zhou left, Wang Xu stared at his silhouette with some dissatisfaction: ¡°That fella is just a smiling tiger.¡±[8]


    ¡°Learn a bit of the other person¡¯s killing intent,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Captain.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, let¡¯s go eat! Go!¡± Wang Xu waved his hand, but thought of something and turned back to look at Jiang Cheng, ¡°You even have the title of a ¡®three-point king¡¯ now? Not bad ah, I, a captain, don¡¯t even have as much limelight as you, huh?¡±


    ¡°You do.¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a thumbs up.


    ¡°I do, my ass. Say it, if you¡¯re the three-point king, then what am I?¡± Wang Xu pointed at himself.


    ¡°The three-point king¡¯s captain,¡± Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng replied simultaneously.


    Wang Xu glared at the two for a while: ¡°I think you two can win an award for the most tacit deskmates.¡±


    After leaving the school, Jiang Cheng immediately caught sight of Gu Miao, who was sitting on the railing of the parking lot. Her skateboard was placed vertically against the railing with a foot holding it in place while the other swayed.


    Jiang Cheng waved at her.


    Gu Miao kicked the skateboard to the ground, jumped straight from the railing onto the skateboard, and borrowed the inertia to slide forward.


    ¡°Cool,¡± Jiang Cheng praised.


    ¡°Queen Miao Miao is too cool!¡± Wang Xu applauded.


    A group of people started praising her, but Gu Miao didn¡¯t acknowledge a single one of them and continued to circle them with a cold expression.


    She really is pretty cool. Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Miao, who worked the skateboard like an extension of her body. It was just that when he thought of the fact that her coolness had stemmed from a psychological or physical problem, he would be hit by a bout of sadness.


    ¡°You,¡± Gu Fei approached him closer and said in a hushed voice, ¡°Quickly get on my bike.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jiang Cheng looked around but didn¡¯t see Hou Zi or anybody that looked to be the same type as Hou Zi that they would need to flee from.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go with any girls,¡± Gu Fei explained.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng understood and nodded his head.


    Following that, he watched as Gu Fei took the lead and, without even caring for his sister, rushed into the bicycle shed, grabbed his bike, and pedaled forward.


    ¡°Catch up, Gu Miao!¡± Jiang Cheng shouted, then ran for a few steps after Gu Fei¡¯s bike.


    Gu Fei also didn¡¯t know how he had become so afraid of the girls in his class, the speed he pedaled at was simply beyond what was humanly possible.


    ¡°Fuck! Why don¡¯t you just fly?!¡± Jiang Cheng had to grab onto his clothes to slow down the bike before he could finally get on.


    ¡°We¡¯ll fly after you come up,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    Jiang Cheng had just sat down with some stability when he saw a shadow zoom past him.


    Gu Miao had already started flying first. Looking at that speed, Jiang Cheng momentarily wondered if him sitting at the back of Gu Fei¡¯s bike had delayed his takeoff.


    They flew behind Gu Miao for half a mile. Jiang Cheng heard his phone ringing, so he took it out and saw that it was Wang Xu.


    ¡°Hello?¡± He answered the phone.


    ¡°Those who don¡¯t know would think that you two were fleeing to find a bathroom!¡± From the sound of it, Wang Xu was pedaling as he yelled, ¡°Going so fast, do you guys even know where we¡¯re eating?!¡±


    ¡°Where are we eating?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Downtown ah! There¡¯s a shabu-shabu[9] place at the square! Da Fei knows it,¡± Wang Xu replied. ¡°What good place can there be to eat in our area! You know that the only thing you can eat in this area is Wang Er¡¯s Flatbread!¡±


    ¡°Fine, I got it.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed. He hung up the phone and patted the back of Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Hey, Mr. Pilot.¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡± Gu Fei turned his head to ask. He then blew a whistle, signaling Gu Miao, who was immersed in the rush, to stop.


    ¡°He said it was a shabu-shabu place downtown,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°It must have been reserved by Captain Wang. He loves that place.¡± Gu Fei made a turn at an intersection.


    Gu Miao edged closer to them, bent her waist, then reached a hand out and placed it under Jiang Cheng¡¯s butt.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Jiang Cheng was shocked. He quickly stabilized himself, and then he grabbed at Gu Fei¡¯s waist. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Gu Miao calmly grabbed the rack at the back of the bike then glanced at him before staring at the road ahead with a serene expression.


    ¡°Your brother is dragging two people. He must be exhausted.¡± Jiang Cheng remarked with a laugh.


    ¡°There¡¯s no weight on her if she does this,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Just switch with me when you get tired later,¡± Jiang Cheng suggested.


    ¡°I always thought that you didn¡¯t know how to ride a bike.¡± Gu Fei leaned his head back.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t have a bike,¡± Jiang Cheng replied. He thought for a while and sighed again, ¡°I¡¯m also too lazy to buy one.¡±


    ¡°Pretty incredible, too lazy to buy a bike but isn¡¯t too lazy to walk every day.¡± Gu Fei snickered, ¡°I¡¯ll take you someday. There¡¯s a place near where we bought the yarn last time.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded in agreement.


    The two people didn¡¯t speak anymore after that. Jiang Cheng stared at Gu Fei¡¯s back, and Gu Miao was swishing beside him. This feeling was pretty comfortable, adding to that was the leftover excitement and exhaustion from the game as well as the momentary trance that came with the tranquility of being isolated from their surroundings.


    But Jiang Cheng had a nagging feeling that there was something off about his posture. It took him a long time before it suddenly hit him that his hand was still resting on Gu Fei¡¯s waist.


    This discovery gave him a considerable shock, yet it didn¡¯t make him retract his hand as if he was electrocuted. He didn¡¯t want to be so unreasonable about every little thing.


    It was just that the palm that initially hadn¡¯t felt anything before ¨C now that he realized this fact ¨C kept feeling like it could sense Gu Fei¡¯s body temperature even when separated by clothes.


    I must be possessed. Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and sighed yet again.


    ***


    The translators have something to say:


    Sae: I love them |?§Õ?)?


    Ice: I am a homebody, a proud couch potato, so I know nothing about sports¡­ the most I know literally comes from my high school PE classes. I literally bullshitted my way through all the basketball terminology hoping that they¡¯d somehow sound somewhat accurate. (£þ©`£þ£»)


    Ahahaha¡­ I like that last bicycle scene so much¡­ there¡¯s just something so romantic about it¡­ and it sounded really good in the audio drama (then again, the entire drama sounded good).


    [1] As happy as a lark (Ò»±ÄÈý³ß¸ß) ¨C literal: to happy to control self from jumping; informal: extremely happy; those the saying as happy as a lark is derived from the birdsong of the lark. When you listen to the lark¡¯s birdsong, it sounds very happy, and thus the phrase ¡°happy as a lark.¡± It connotes a sort of released abandon of happiness, fully embraced and unguarded.


    [2] To make use of every second (¼û·ì²åÕë) idiom, lit. translation ¡°to stick a needle in when you see a gap¡±


    [3] Hacking foul (´òÊÖ·¸¹æ) ¨C In the strictest sense of the word, hacking refers to a foul where a player is struck on the arm while shooting. Such a foul generally leads to a missed shot and free throws for the opponent.


    [4] Five fouls (Îå´Î·¸¹æ) ¨C A player who commits five personal fouls over the course of a 40-minute game, or six in a 48-minute game, fouls out and is disqualified for the remainder of the game.


    [5] Upright and honorable behavior (¹âÃ÷ÀÚÂä) ¨C idiom meaning to be upright and honest, keep a clear conscience, to be open and aboveboard, do things fair and square, etc.


    [6] Abuse of authority (¼Ù¹«¼Ã˽) ¨C idiom meaning ¡°official authority used for private interests¡±, ¡°to attain private ends by abusing public position¡±, etc.


    [7] Go easy (·ÅË®) ¨C slang meaning to deliberately lower your capabilities/to have the ability, but not try very hard to do something.


    [8] Smiling tiger face (ЦÃ滢) Idiom literally meaning ¡°smiling tiger face¡± but refers to a person who hides malicious intentions behind a smile, an outwardly kind but inwardly cruel person, a wicked/hypocritical person, etc.


    [9] Shabu Shabu (äÌÈâ) is one of Japan¡¯s most popular hot pot dishes along with Sukiyaki. The name ¡°shabu shabu¡± is Japanese onomatopoeic. It came from the sound when you stir the vegetables and meat with your chopsticks and ¡®swish swish¡¯ in the hot pot. It¡¯s a fun meal since everyone sits around the hot pot at the table, cooks together, and eats while you chat, like fondue! A communal dining experience that inspires good appetites and brings people closer together. (Sae: I can eat shabu-shabu every day!)

 CH 41

    Before the classes were divided in the First Year, Gu Fei was still in Class 1. At that time, there was a dolt in their class who was chatting in the back row with the girl he had just gotten with, probably also even brushing their elbows together occasionally, during the self-study period. Then after the self-study period was over, the guy would go straight to the bathroom.


    It was said that this hot-blooded young man had ejaculated simply from just brushing elbows and would go to the bathroom to dispose of his underwear.


    Their class had laughed and couldn¡¯t get over this for over an entire semester.


    Gu Fei had thought it was very amusing at the time, but now he felt like they were pretty similar to one another.


    He lowered his eyes to glance at the left side of his body, Jiang Cheng¡¯s left hand was still resting on his waist. At first, he had only grabbed onto him because Gu Miao had given him a scare, but probably because Gu Miao had continued to hold on to the bicycle seat, he didn¡¯t have anywhere else to place his hands¡­ so half-holding, half-grasping, his hand never withdrew from his waist.


    For Gu Fei, this sort of ¡°if you don¡¯t look with your eyes, you would hardly feel it¡± kind of contact was something he wouldn¡¯t be able to feel at all under normal circumstances. He had carried plenty of people on the backseat of his bike or motorcycle before, men and women alike, so this sort of contact was beyond normal.


    But the person now was Jiang Cheng.


    When he looked at Jiang Cheng now, the vague or distinct recollections of Jiang Cheng¡¯s body in Ding Zhuxin¡¯s demented and tattered designs would sometimes emerge in his mind uncontrollably.


    His legs, his waist, his back, and even the scar on his ribs and cracked lips¡­


    In summary, the hand that Jiang Cheng rested on his waist now, was like a grenade.[1]


    If it exploded, maybe a pair of his underwear would also need to be disposed of.


    After pedaling for a while, he caught sight of the group from their basketball team as well as the girls they brought on the backs of their bikes.


    Gu Fei stretched out his right hand with his palm facing the back and squeezed the brakes. As soon as the bike slowed down, Gu Miao¡¯s face just happened to hit his palm. She kept her face against his hand as a stop and used the momentum to slow down the speed of her skateboard.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jiang Cheng asked from behind.


    ¡°You take over ba.¡±[2] Gu Fei used his leg to prop up the bike and looked back at him.


    ¡°You¡¯re tired already?¡± Jiang Cheng got off the bike, ¡°This physical strength of yours is saddening. You can¡¯t even pedal a bike after a single game.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I realize before just how talkative you are?¡± Gu Fei also got off and shoved the handlebar of the bike over to him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never cooperated with Er Miao before,¡± Jiang Cheng swung himself onto the seat. ¡°I won¡¯t bump into her, right?¡±


    ¡°If you happen to bump into her, she knows how to move away.¡± Gu Fei sat on the backseat, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so hard to start pedaling on the spot, can¡¯t you wait for me to¡­¡± Jiang Cheng started.


    ¡°No. My physical strength that isn¡¯t even enough to pedal a bike after a single game won¡¯t allow me to run anymore.¡± Gu Fei retorted as he took out his phone and started playing on it.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng quietly cursed but could only exert his strength to start the bike right on the spot.


    Gu Miao took the initiative to distance herself two steps away and started her skateboard with a kick. Then after a while, she slid back and grabbed onto the backseat to let herself be dragged forward.


    Jiang Cheng pedaled for a period of time and caught up to Wang Xu and the rest in front of them.


    ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± Guo Xu turned around and saw them. ¡°You guys ran off pretty fast ah.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re hungry,¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng.¡± A girl on the left called out to him.


    He turned his head and the phone in the girl¡¯s hand made a kacha sound. He sighed: ¡°Don¡¯t you know to turn off the sound when you¡¯re sneaking a picture?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t sneaking a picture ah.¡± The girl covered her mouth a little embarrassed and giggled for a long while.


    The group of them chatted as they rode along the way. It wasn¡¯t a short distance from where they were to downtown; they had noisily occupied an entire lane, and whenever a motorcycle or moped had to get by, they would squeeze together into a clump and giggle foolishly.


    It¡¯s really that age where they would laugh even if they¡¯re eating shit. Jiang Cheng looked at the people around him.


    These people, if it was before he moved, would have basically been the topic of ridicule for him and Pan Zhi. They were a little crude, kind of stupid, yet he was now squeezed together at the side of a road with them.


    But he didn¡¯t giggle with them¡­ however, he had already lost count of the number of times he and Gu Fei had giggled together.


    Gu Fei stayed silent the entire time, donning the unsociable look he always had and played on his phone with his head lowered behind him.


    Whenever the girls wanted to sneak a picture of him, Gu Fei would directly bury his head in his back.


    ¡°Stop taking pictures, just ask which of these two do you want pictures of.¡± Wang Xu had Yi Jing on his bike, he looked full of energy with no shortness of breath, ¡°I have them all. There are even pictures of Jiang Cheng eating flatbreads.¡±


    ¡°You motherfucker.¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him.


    ¡°Send it over, I want to see it!¡± Immediately, one of the girls started to shout.


    ¡°I can¡¯t just send it that easily, and I can¡¯t beat Jiang Cheng.¡± Wang Xu said, ¡°I can only sell them, one is 20 yuan.¡±


    ¡°You are willing to take a beating for 20 yuan¡­¡± Lu Xiaobin muttered.


    Everybody instantly burst into laughter.


    ¡°You shut the hell up!¡± Wang Xu glared at him, ¡°Do you even know how to calculate?! If ten people buy them, then that¡¯s 200 yuan!¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Lu Xiaobin paused. ¡°That¡¯s a lot then. Jiang Cheng now has a lot of fans, if everyone bought one¡­ you¡¯ll earn quite a bit.¡±


    ¡°The IQ of you people ah,¡± Guo Xu sighed. ¡°A photo can be sold once at most. Once it¡¯s sold to one person, they can just make copies, who would want to continue buying from you¡­¡±


    ¡°Scram!¡± Wang Xu shouted, ¡°Only your IQ is high right?!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good business idea,¡± Gu Fei whispered from behind. ¡°I have all different ones in my hands, high resolutions, with your face included, and no pixelati¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you even have any ethics left in you as a professional photographer?¡± Jiang Cheng whipped his head around and whispered back.


    ¡°Of course I do, that¡¯s why I haven¡¯t sold them yet.¡± Gu Fei replied, ¡°I¡¯m waiting for a high price¡­¡±


    ¡°Do you believe me when I say that I will throw you off?¡± Jiang Cheng threatened.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    Jiang Cheng opened his mouth but couldn¡¯t let out a word.


    ¡°There¡¯s a level I can¡¯t pass.¡± Gu Fei brought the phone next to his face, ¡°Can you help me pass it later?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng was speechless. ¡°Are you still competing with Li Yan?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei continued to play, ¡°He¡¯s already three levels ahead of me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you pass three levels later,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°You¡¯re playing this stupid game like it¡¯s some serious business. It¡¯s as if we¡¯re still waiting for you to save the world ne.¡±


    Gu Fei started laughing from behind him: ¡°That¡¯s right ah, and the ones that I¡¯ll eliminate first are those with a nasty mouth.¡±


    Since Wang Xu had only called to reserve a room right before they left, there weren¡¯t any bigger rooms left. With the players and the girls added together, it was around twenty people, so in the end, the waiters had to put three tables into a single room.


    ¡°Just squeeze together,¡± a waiter said. ¡°Young people, right, you bond more when squeezed together.¡±


    ¡°Alright! Let¡¯s squeeze together!¡± Wang Xu nodded then pushed them into the room one by one.


    Jiang Cheng pulled Gu Miao to the innermost seat by the wall. He had promised Gu Miao that they would sit together. Gu Fei then followed after and squeezed in with them, plopping down right beside him.


    ¡°You¡¯re not sitting beside Gu Miao?¡± Jiang Cheng glanced around: to the left was Gu Fei and to the right was Gu Miao.


    ¡°It¡¯s too late to switch.¡± Gu Fei had stood up, but just as he wanted to switch seats, he saw that everybody had already squeezed in, so he immediately sat back down and lowered his voice. ¡°If I switch now, I¡¯d probably end up with girls on either side.¡±


    ¡°What,¡± Jiang Cheng kind of wanted to laugh. ¡°Do you have some sort of problem?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a problem,¡± Gu Fei retorted. Yi Jing sat down on his other side; without making a sound, he lightly inched his chair closer to Jiang Cheng¡¯s side. He leaned over and whispered, ¡°I¡¯m just not used to it.¡±


    ¡°A dignified boss like you¡­¡± Jiang Cheng poured a cup of tea and set it in front of Gu Miao. ¡°Gu Miao, drink some water and take off your jacket, your face is flushed right now.¡±


    The room was small, and when the group of people squeezed in and sat around a long table, it looked like a meeting, both hot and noisy.


    Gu Miao took a sip of water. She then raised her hand and tossed her hat on the table, donning a head of messy hair that stuck out everywhere as she took off her coat and tossed it on the floor next to her.


    ¡°Hang it on that rack,¡± Gu Fei said, pointing at the coat rack in the corner. He then took off his own jacket and handed it over to her, ¡°Help Gege hang his too.¡±


    Gu Miao grabbed the clothes and hat and hung them up, her hair still in a wild mess.


    ¡°Smooth out your hair,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°You¡¯re a little lady, you have to watch your image.¡±


    Gu Miao stared at him and impatiently combed through her head a few times before her gaze then shifted to his jacket.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng quickly took off his jacket and handed it to her, ¡°Hang it up for Cheng-ge too, thank you.¡±


    Gu Miao took his jacket over with a serious expression on her face, and since she wasn¡¯t tall enough to reach any higher, she placed his jacket on top of Gu Fei¡¯s on a single hook. Then she went to sit back down and picked up her cup to slowly drink her tea as she huddled in her chair.


    Jiang Cheng leaned back in his chair so that the backrest hit the wall. He hugged his arms as he watched the room full of people who all just had to yell at the top of their lungs if they wanted to speak ¨C it was very noisy, very chaotic. The door to the room was originally open, but because the waiters couldn¡¯t stand it anymore, they came by and shut the door.


    But it was also very jovial. He hadn¡¯t attended a gathering like this in a long time. In his previous school, everybody was a studying maniac with very strict families, thus most of them went straight home right after school ended.


    Someone who would skip a class when he was bored and stayed out all night like him wouldn¡¯t even have a companion most of the time¡­


    The rowdiness in front of him now made him finally feel the warmth that spring should have.


    ¡°What do we eat, what do we eat?!¡± Wang Xu took the menu and started attending to everyone, ¡°I ordered three pots, all of them are two-flavored, is that enough?¡±


    ¡°Enough, enough!¡± Somebody shouted in reply, ¡°The type of pot doesn¡¯t matter. What¡¯s important is the meat! The vegetables!¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s plenty for meat and vegetables.¡± Yi Jing smiled as he patted his backpack, ¡°We¡¯ve already brought the class funds, and Xu Zhong has also said that he¡¯ll make up for it if we overspend.¡±


    ¡°Lao Xu is quite interesting sometimes,¡± Wang Xu remarked. ¡°He just nags too much, even more so than my mom. He would always end up moving himself first whenever he says something¡­ Lamb! Fatty Beef! Pork belly! Hurry! If anybody has something else they want to eat, I¡¯ll write it down!¡±


    ¡°The heat is making me sleepy.¡± Gu Fei also leaned back with his seat.


    All the members of the basketball team that took off his jacket had on short-sleeves underneath, so when Gu Fei leaned closer, his arm would brush lightly against his.


    In a season that wasn¡¯t yet suitable to wear short-sleeves, the sudden skin contact made Jiang Cheng suddenly feel a rather peculiar feeling.


    Gu Fei probably felt the same. Jiang Cheng could sense him immediately making some space between them by shifting toward Yi Jing, but barely two seconds later, he had scooched back over again.


    Jiang Cheng contemplated this and felt that it was pretty funny, chuckling at the teacup in front of him.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Gu Fei also started laughing along with him. He might as well let loose, and relaxedly lean against him, even letting his legs rest against Jiang Cheng¡¯s. ¡°Laugh again and I will exterminate you.¡±


    ¡°With just a rubber band, I can kill you right back¡­¡± Jiang Cheng smiled. He glanced at his and Gu Fei¡¯s legs pressing against each other under the table and suddenly realized that his level of acceptance toward Gu Fei¡¯s touch was already just as much as that of his grandson, Pan Zhi.


    Moreover, this feeling was completely different than with Pan Zhi.


    ¡­ Of course, it was completely different. Pan Zhi was a good brother, a brother who he could share secrets and freely play rough with. Gu Fei on the other hand¡­ Gu Fei was someone of his kind who, to him, incited an intuitive attraction and exuded a sense of temptation.


    Despite never having considered the idea of finding someone of the same kind, let alone seeking comfort in one another, he had to admit that as they were now, with what was before them now, in a crowd of rowdy people and an atmosphere that was a little too warm, in the minuscule details unnoticed by anyone else, and in the fleeting sense of ambiguity that wasn¡¯t for others to know and only for their eyes to see¡­ he felt a sense of comfort that he wanted to quietly revel in.


    ¡°What do you want to drink Da Fei, something white?¡±[3] Wang Xu waved the menu in front of the two of them.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei sounded in response.


    ¡°What about Jiang Cheng?¡± Wang Xu looked over at Jiang Cheng, ¡°We haven¡¯t drunk together before, what do you want to drink?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Whatever.¡± Jiang Cheng wanted to say that he didn¡¯t want to drink anything at first but seeing everyone in the room in such high spirits, it just wasn¡¯t good enough that they had won the game. With several girls also present, if he had said that he didn¡¯t want to drink, they would definitely tease him to death that day.


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Wang Xu teased. ¡°Whatever? This tone, as expected of the three-point king.¡±


    ¡°And you just said that Lao Xu was naggy,¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him.


    ¡°Watch yourself when speaking to the captain.¡± Wang Xu pointed at him, ¡°When school had just started, I only let you off[4] to give Da Fei face.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°Waiter¡ª¡± Wang Xu flung opened the door and rushed outside, shouting, ¡°Hurry up! Bring another Niu Er![5] And some fresh juice¡ª¡±


    Then he turned around to look at Gu Miao: ¡°Queen Miao Miao, do you want to drink juice? There¡¯s orange juice and corn juice.¡±[6]


    Gu Miao didn¡¯t raise her head, just grasped her teacup, and shook her head.


    ¡°Then what is she going to drink?¡± Wang Xu looked over at Gu Fei.


    ¡°Beer,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°¡­ Fuck me.¡± Wang Xu was struck dumb but still turned his head, ¡°Get another beer, our Queen wants to drink!¡±


    ¡°Aiyo, stop yelling!¡± The waiter stood by the door and said, ¡°We¡¯re right in front of you, what are you yelling for¡­¡±


    ¡°Your big brother is happy today¡ª¡± Wang Xu continued to yell, ¡°Hurry, bring the meat and alcohol up first!¡±


    ¡°Got it already! Meat! Alcohol!¡± The waiter placed the bowls in front of him, then turned and jogged away.


    Yi Jing stood up and took out a camera from her backpack then raised it toward the girl beside Wang Xu: ¡°Juan Er, let¡¯s take a group photo first. You take it from your side, and we¡¯ll take it from our side afterward.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± The girl caught the camera she tossed over and said as she backed up, ¡°Everybody squeeze toward the middle, otherwise, we can¡¯t catch everybody.¡±


    A room full of people immediately squeezed toward Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Squeeze together! Squeeze together!¡± Wang Xu squeezed beside Yi Jing and rested a hand on the wall as he leaned his body this way.


    Yi Jing smiled as she dodged him by shifting toward Gu Fei


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything, swiftly leaning toward Jiang Cheng even closer.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng had just gathered Gu Miao over to him when the people squeezing on his right pressed him into a bundle with Gu Fei, ¡°You should all go lose weight!¡±


    ¡°Quickly,¡± Gu Fei said to the girl taking the picture.


    ¡°Smile!¡± The girl instructed, ¡°Class 8 is number one!¡±


    ¡°Class 8 is number one!¡± The group roared in unity.


    The girl pressed the shutter. Everybody had just started to scatter when she hurriedly waved her hands: ¡°Wait! I haven¡¯t taken one yet¡­¡±


    ¡°Call a waiter!¡± Wang Xu pointed at the door, ¡°Call a waiter over to take a picture for us!¡±


    The waiter was startled by the mass they squeezed into as soon as he came in: ¡°It didn¡¯t seem like there were so many of you a moment ago¡­¡±


    ¡°Hurry up!¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help but give a yell.


    His and Gu Fei¡¯s chairs weren¡¯t completely next to each other, but now they were squeezed so much that the two of them had to bend their waists. He had no choice but to place his hand on Gu Fei¡¯s leg¡­ this posture couldn¡¯t last very long.


    ¡°Make a heart! Make a heart!¡± Wang Xu suddenly ordered.


    ¡°Make two fucking eggs-yolks, my ass!¡± Jiang Cheng was about to go crazy, ¡°I only have one hand!¡±


    ¡°I also only have one hand, not gonna happen,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°The two of you use one hand each then, hurry!¡± Wang Xu urged, ¡°How about everybody uses one hand each! Find someone beside you to form a heart with and use both hands if there¡¯s no one beside you! We made big hearts during the game earlier, so now let¡¯s make small hearts! Clasp a finger too! Yi Jing¡­ come on, the two of us can make one!¡±


    ¡°Ai¡­¡± Yi Jing helplessly smiled and pressed her thumb and index finger against his to form a small heart.


    ¡°Queen Miao Miao, you use two hands. Do you know how to make a heart?¡± Wang Xu was busying himself to death.


    Gu Miao held the cup of tea and leaned against Jiang Cheng as if she didn¡¯t hear a word he had just said.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know,¡± Gu Fei answered for Gu Miao. He then stretched out his left hand in front of Jiang Cheng.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at him, then placed his right thumb and index finger against his.


    ¡°Is everybody all good?¡± The waiter asked, ¡°I still have to serve the dishes ne.¡±


    ¡°All good!¡± Everybody shouted.


    ¡°One, two¡­¡± The waiter raised the camera.


    ¡°Class 8 is awesome¡ª¡± Wang Xu yelled.


    ¡°Class 8 is awesome¡ª¡± Everybody shouted in a chaotic mess.


    After the picture was taken, Jiang Cheng shook out his clothes that had become wrinkled from being squished and felt that he had already started sweating on his back.


    Gu Fei rubbed his legs.


    Jiang Cheng looked at him: ¡°Aw, aren¡¯t you so fragile~.¡±


    Gu Fei couldn¡¯t help but laugh after rubbing two more times, ¡°Aw, your mouth is so nasty~.¡±


    ¡°Aw, I heard that you wanted to exterminate me~?¡± Jiang Cheng countered.


    ¡°Aw, I heard that you could kill me with an elastic band~.¡± Gu Fei returned.


    They had just finished speaking when they both burst into a laughing fit under the table.


    ¡°Come on, come on, come on!¡± Wang Xu interrupted their laughs with a shout, ¡°The alcohol is here! Pour it! Pour it all! Girls, you can pour yourselves some juice¡­ Miao Miao, your beer!¡±


    Wang Xu placed a pint of beer in front of Gu Miao. Gu Miao stood up without a word, picked up the beer, and took a big gulp.


    ¡°The fuck¡­¡± Wang Xu was given a scare, ¡°Is she just thirsty?¡±


    ¡°Can a little kid drink like this?¡± Yi Jing asked in a low voice beside them out of concern.


    ¡°She¡¯d drink around a cup before stopping on her own,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°What a carefree little girl,¡± Yi Jing lamented.


    ¡°Come on!¡± After everyone had poured themselves a cup of alcohol, Wang Xu raised his cup, ¡°I want to say a few words! Thanks to everyone for all your hard work, it¡¯s because of that that we were able to achieve today¡¯s victory!¡±


    ¡°Ah¡ª¡± Everyone knocked their cups together.


    ¡°Thanks to our class representative for cheering us on and fighting to get us public funds for this meal!¡± Wang Xu said, ¡°Thanks to Gu Fei for participating in the game and for playing so damn awesomely! Thank you, Jiang Cheng! Even though you just transferred over this semester, if we didn¡¯t have you to guide us in this game, we would have never won so easily¡­¡±


    ¡°Hurry and drink.¡± Gu Fei knocked his cup against the table.


    ¡°Cheers!¡± Wang Xu knocked his glass, raised his head, and gulped down the alcohol.


    Following that, several guys leaned their heads back and downed their cups with one gulp.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng uttered. Even though the cup wasn¡¯t big, it wasn¡¯t the extremely small type either, ¡°Do you all chug down like this?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to.¡± Gu Fei also directly downed a cup, ¡°Only Wang Xu and the others drink this way, you southerners¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not a southerner,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°If it¡¯s South from us here,¡± Gu Fei drew a line with his hand. ¡°Then all are¡­¡±


    ¡°Jiang Cheng!¡± Wang Xu raised the bottle and looked at him, ¡°You claim to be fine with drinking whatever, how come you still haven¡¯t moved?¡±


    An entire table of people all looked over, making Jiang Cheng feel incredibly helpless. He could only raise a toast to Wang Xu and said in a very low voice: ¡°Here¡¯s to you who has no brains¡­¡±


    And then he directly poured the entire cup of alcohol into his mouth.


    After downing the alcohol, the boys that were already excited grew even more exuberant. The sounds of their voices even started to quiver. The waiter pushed open the door to check on the situation: ¡°Oh, sorry, we thought you had started fighting¡­¡±


    ¡°Eat!¡± Wang Xu waved his chopsticks.


    The way this group of excited people devoured the shabu-shabu meat was not a pretty sight. They practically dumped entire plates of meat into the pots then immediately after, seven or eight pairs of chopsticks reached in and stirred around¡­ all the meat would be completely picked out in less than a few seconds.


    Yi Jing picked out a plate of meat and placed it in front of Gu Miao: ¡°Meimei[7], eat more.¡±


    Gu Miao buried her head into the bowl and ate, not forgetting to stand up and give her a bow first.


    Jiang Cheng scooped a bowl of soup. But before he had a chance to put it down, Gu Miao reached out her hand, so he set it down in front of her and used Gu Miao¡¯s bowl to fill himself another bowl of soup.


    He just sat down and didn¡¯t even get to take a sip when Gu Fei pushed his own bowl toward him: ¡°Excuse me, if you could¡­¡±


    ¡°Get it yourself.¡± Jiang Cheng ignored him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you,¡± Yi Jing said.


    ¡°No need.¡± Gu Fei quickly picked up the bowl and stood up, rushing to fill himself another bowl.


    After he sat down, Jiang Cheng leaned back in his chair, silently cackling to himself as he gazed under the table.


    ¡°Drank too much?¡± Gu Fei gave him a sideways glance.


    ¡°Ah, I did drink a little too much.¡± Jiang Cheng took a deep breath, holding back his laughs.


    Though that cup of alcohol really was strong, if they were to compare the intensity of their drinking abilities, he was more than willing to admit defeat to the group of people before him now. Wang Xu and the others were engrossed in drinking with full steam ahead; now that Lao Xu wasn¡¯t here to hold back the reins, they drank like they were trying to use drinking as a means to prove that they were grown men¡­ each downing the cups, phenomenally, unlike the common person.


    Jiang Cheng doesn¡¯t have that ability. With just that one cup, he already felt like his stomach was lit on fire. Adding to the heat in the room, he felt like he was on the verge of passing out.


    ¡°Ai.¡± Gu Fei nudged him with his arm.


    ¡°En?¡± He leaned his head against the wall and tilted his head to look at Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei pressed a piece of candy into his palm: ¡°Mint candy, it¡¯ll gradually make things better.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced at him. His mind was a little blank at that moment¡­ since when was his alcohol tolerance so low?


    He grabbed onto Gu Fei¡¯s hand and firmly clasped down with the piece of candy wedged between the two of their hands.


    ***


    The author wants to say: Will continue tomorrow.


    ¡¾The author is in a bad mood, currently blank¡¿


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m here to kick up a fuss o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o!¡± The black furry spirit frantically shook its fur and yelled.


    ¡°w(©b§¥©b)w Ying.¡± The small black furry spirit cries.


    [1] Grenade ¨C in the original text grenade/bomb (Õ¨µ¯) was left as ¡õ¡õ due to censorship


    [2] Ba (°É) ¨C (modal particle indicating suggestion or surmise)


    [3] White liquor: Baijiu¡ª°×¾Æ, pronounced bye-j¡¯yo¡ªis a drinks category that encompasses all traditional Chinese grain spirits. Baijiu is most commonly distilled from sorghum, but is also be made from rice, wheat, corn and millet.


    [4] Let you off (·ÅÁËÄãÒ»Âí) idiom literally translated to ¡°give you a horse¡± meaning to forgive someone, let them off, let them go, etc.


    [5] Niu Er is short for Niulanshan Erguotou and is a cheap brand of Erguotou, which is a baijiu/hard liquor made from sorghum grain


    [6] Corn juice ¨C or corn milk is also popular in Asian countries like China, Thailand, and Vietnam, where it might be served plain or mixed with milk or sugar.


    [7] Meimei (ÃÃÃÃ) ¨C little siste

 CH 42

    Jiang Cheng had quite a firm grip, especially in a state where he was feverish to the point of losing control from the alcohol and the lively atmosphere. The joints in Gu Fei¡¯s hand were in extreme pain from being squeezed together, and it didn¡¯t help that the mint candy in his palm was also pressing into his flesh like a pebble.


    Gu Fei glanced at Yi Jing out of the corner of his eye; Yi Jing was currently being dragged into a conversation by Wang Xu, and the room full of people were eating, drinking, and chatting in full swing¡­ nobody noticed that on this side, Jiang Cheng seemingly intended to crush his hand to pieces.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gu Fei asked in a low voice.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t respond. He continued to only gaze at him with his head pillowed against the wall, still keeping a tight grasp on his hand.


    After maintaining eye contact for a while, Gu Fei turned his face away and stared in a daze at the table full of dishes before him.


    He wasn¡¯t left-handed; he needed his right hand to eat, but Jiang Cheng currently had no desire to loosen his hand. All he could do was stare at the food on the table in silence.


    To be honest, he was able to sense that Jiang Cheng had already started to lose his inhibitions in the beginning but was able to snap back to his senses three to five seconds later at most.


    The hand that maintained such a death grip now, without an inkling of letting loose, brought awkwardness and a sense of loss. However, there was also the thought of not letting go so suddenly for fear that it may appear all too deliberate. For someone like Jiang Cheng, who was both pensive and sensitive, when confronted with a situation like this, the water-stricken gullies in his mind would have soon flattened out.


    Gu Fei used his left hand to pick up the soup bowl and took a sip; this was a mutton tripe soup that Wang Xu especially ordered ¨C the taste wasn¡¯t bad.


    ¡°This soup isn¡¯t too bad,¡± Gu Fei turned around and said to Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng made a sound, his hand showing signs of loosening.


    ¡°Want a taste?¡± Gu Fei asked and lightly tapped the back of Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand with his thumb.


    ¡°Is it mutton tripe?¡± Jiang Cheng asked, finally letting go.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Fei withdrew his hand and hesitated for a moment then pressed the mint candy that was still in his hand into Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand once more.


    ¡°I actually don¡¯t like mutton tripe soup,¡± Jiang Cheng whispered. He didn¡¯t grab his hand this time, and instead, accepted the candy and slowly peeled the packaging open under the table. ¡°I like mutton soup, mutton bone soup, femur soup, pork belly soup¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making me hungry.¡± Gu Fei used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of mutton tripe and put it in his mouth.


    ¡°Me too.¡± Jiang Cheng tossed the candy into his mouth, and it in for two seconds before he then whipped his head around. ¡°Is this one of those fucking flavor-changing candy?!¡±


    ¡°No, do you like that one? That was a prank candy that Liu Fan¡¯s friend brought back from Japan. I still have a whole bag of them at my place,¡± Gu Fei said with a smile.


    ¡°Give me some, just two or three pieces is enough,¡± Jiang Cheng said and nodded. Those candies were very much consistent with the way he and that mentally retarded Pan Zhi could get when they were together.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you on Monday,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Ai, we have to read our self-reflection papers on Monday.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯ve finished writing them,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    When a large group of people eats together, especially if they were young adults, everyone would usually end up being full within twenty minutes because they had all contended to shove food in their mouths as if they had been trapped in a vegetable garden without a sign of meat for eight to ten years.


    And now that they were completely full, the time to slowly drink and boast started.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t join the ranks of people chatting and just sat by the side and listened.


    It was about the same as the gatherings he went with his classmates in the past, which had also included a segment for bragging. However, theirs was incomparable to the ones that Class 8 brought up before him now. As he listened to them blow to their own trumpets, Jiang Cheng kept on wanting to laugh; on the contrary, the few girls present appeared to be absorbed in the scene, seemingly giving them a lot of face.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng!¡± Wang Xu, at some point, had finished singing his own praises. He suddenly stood up and raised the cup in his hand towards Jiang Cheng, ¡°Drink a shot with Ge!¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Jiang Cheng was dumbfounded.


    ¡°I¡¯m making a toast to you.¡± Wang Xu had already drunk a lot, and his entire face was currently so red it glowed, ¡°A toast to our secret weapon!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve long stopped being a secret¡­¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Wang Xu¡¯s stern expression, which clearly declared, ¡®If you don¡¯t drink, then I promise to pour it all down your throat,¡¯ so he picked up his own cup and also stood up. ¡°We¡¯re all one team here. Let¡¯s not be so serious, alright?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t as good at drinking as you are in basketball!¡± Wang Xu pointed at him.


    Jiang Cheng was speechless. He knocked his glass against Wang Xu¡¯s and threw back his head, downing the alcohol.


    ¡°Now, you¡¯re a good sport!¡± Wang Xu cheerfully shouted and also drank his alcohol all at once, ¡°Love you!¡±


    ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t need your love,¡± Jiang Cheng sat down, feeling helpless.


    ¡°I still must love you!¡± Wang Xu swung his cup very charismatically, ¡°If you ever run into any problems, Xu-ge will protect¡­¡±


    ¡°Sit down.¡± Gu Fei shoved aside Wang Xu¡¯s arm that had been hovering over his head and wiped away the foam that landed on him.


    ¡°Da Fei!¡± Wang Xu acted as if he had just discovered the New World as he poured more beer into his cup and shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s¡­¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t wait for him to finish what he had to say, nor did he wait for him to finish drinking. He stood up, grabbed his cup, and gulped down the entire content before he caught his arm. ¡°Sit down and eat something.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Wang Xu stared at him with an excited yet confused expression.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him drink anymore.¡± Gu Fei turned to look at Yi Jing, who had been trying to stay out of their way, ¡°Otherwise, how are we going to bring him back if he passes out?¡±


    Yi Jing gave a weak smile: ¡°He doesn¡¯t listen to me either ah.¡±


    ¡°He listens,¡± Gu Fei responded.


    ¡°Listen!¡± Wang Xu immediately nodded his head, ¡°I listen!¡±


    Gu Fei ignored him and squeezed out from Jiang Cheng¡¯s side of the table.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Wash my face,¡± Gu Fei replied, ¡°And get some fruit for Er Miao to eat along the way.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Miao who had fallen asleep on the chair beside him, ¡°She¡¯s been asleep for a while now¡­¡±


    ¡°She always falls asleep when it¡¯s her bedtime.¡± Gu Fei put on his jacket and squeezed his way out of the crowd with a lot of effort.


    The inside of the room continued to be filled with clamor, from laughing to shouting to eating¡­ the beer bottles were basically all empty. Yi Jing tried her hardest to prevent them from ordering more beer.


    Jiang Cheng remained in his previous posture of leaning against the wall. He held his arms as he gazed at the mass of people laughing with red faces. The atmosphere didn¡¯t change but looking at Gu Fei¡¯s back as he opened the door and walked out, he suddenly felt a little colder.


    It was probably because he had been squeezed beside Gu Fei the entire time before this, with their arms next to each other and legs touching¡­ oh, he had also grabbed his hand.


    He felt that his behavior that day was absolutely unbelievable. Even as he recalled the scene in which he grabbed Gu Fei¡¯s hand, he actually didn¡¯t sink deeply into embarrassment and had even felt an inexplicable sense of triumph ¨C immensely pleased with himself.


    What the hell was he so proud of ne? He didn¡¯t know ¨C the thought process of a youth¡¯s mind was precisely this obscure, and just as suddenly shameless!


    It was probably because of the alcohol. His alcohol tolerance wasn¡¯t particularly low ¨C he just couldn¡¯t adapt to this hardcore style of drinking.


    Every time he finished downing the hard liquor, he would feel a sense of bliss as if he was stepping on clouds or had taken the wrong medicine. The last time he drank, he had kissed the person on the cheek, now he had grabbed that person¡¯s hand and refused to let go. This was practically someone using his own drunkenness to act shamelessly.


    But the shock and awkwardness he felt toward himself for his behavior didn¡¯t last long this time. For instance, when he thought back on what had happened now¡­ he only wanted to laugh.


    How scary, the fact that a person could so quickly and easily train their skin to grow so thick.


    Gu Fei had already left the room for a long time without returning. Jiang Cheng had to get up whether he liked it or not now¡­ he had to use the bathroom. He had wanted to go for a while now but thought that it was a bit unfitting if he followed after to urinate just right after Gu Fei went to wash his face.


    But now, unable to no longer hold it in, he stood up and also squeezed his way out of the room.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng!¡± As soon as he managed to get to the door, Guo Xu roared at the top of his lung by his ear. ¡°Where are you going?!¡±


    Jiang Cheng was already a bit dizzy at first, now that he was given a shock, he almost rammed his head against the door. He turned around only to see Guo Xu¡¯s bright red nose and the excitement sparkling in his eyes.


    ¡°To the bathroom.¡± He patted Guo Xu on the arm, then opened the door and walked out.


    ¡°Hurry up! The two of us haven¡¯t had a drink together yet!¡± Guo Xu pulled open the door, poked his head, and shouted.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng waved his hands.


    It seemed like these ¡°northerners¡± weren¡¯t all that with alcohol, after all. They had all drank to the point of madness and had already run out of alcohol, what the fuck was there even to drink.


    Since he didn¡¯t bump into Gu Fei in the bathroom, he had probably already gone to get Gu Miao some fruits.


    When Jiang Cheng finished up in the toilet and was washing his hands, his phone rang. He took it out for a glance, and to his surprise, the number he saw was Shen Yiqing¡¯s.


    He stared at the number for a long time before deciding to accept the phone call in the end.


    ¡°Xiao Cheng?¡± Shen Yiqing¡¯s voice came from the other end.


    Despite his bit of resistance¡ª and the feelings having also become numbed by a lot over time ¡ª when he heard this voice, Jiang Cheng still felt that the familiar feeling brought to him by the unchanging seriousness, calmness, and restraint carried in that voice would probably never fade in this lifetime.


    ¡°Ah,¡± he sounded in response.


    ¡°Are you at home?¡± Shen Yiqing asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng shut the faucet and felt for a cigarette as he made his way outside. He stopped by a window in the corridor, ¡°Eating outside.¡±


    ¡°Are you smoking?¡± Shen Yiqing asked again.


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng leaned against the wall and stared outside, suddenly feeling very carefree.


    Shen Yiqing didn¡¯t respond for a long time then finally replied in a cold voice: ¡°You really do stay true to yourself no matter where you go.¡±


    ¡°En, it¡¯s not that I¡¯m keeping it up, I¡¯m just this type of person, aren¡¯t I?¡± Jiang Cheng twisted his brows, ¡°You called just to ask this?¡±


    ¡°Li Baoguo called me. He said he wanted some money,¡± Shen Yiqing explained. ¡°For tuition and food and the like¡­¡±


    ¡°He called you?¡± Jiang Cheng froze.


    He had never expected Li Baoguo actually to call and ask Shen Yiqing for money ¨C the overwhelming sense of humiliation that overtook him made it difficult for him to breathe.


    ¡°I believe that these expenses are something that should be provided by one¡¯s parents, so I didn¡¯t agree.¡± Shen Yiqing continued, ¡°Is there still money in the card that I gave you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng clenched his teeth.


    ¡°That money is for you. Even though we aren¡¯t a family anymore, the feelings are still there.¡± Shen Yiqing said, ¡°I hope that you can make good use of that money.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Jiang Cheng took a hard drag of the cigarette.


    ¡°I just wanted to say that. I¡¯ll hang up then,¡± Shen Yiqing said.


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes ¨C the rising smoke made his eyes hurt.


    ¡°I just want to say one more thing.¡± Shen Yiqing suddenly spoke again, ¡°I hope that you can see your own problems clearly in the new environment, don¡¯t always think that your rebellious stage hasn¡¯t already passed. Your grades don¡¯t actually determine anything. It¡¯s your personality and temper that ultimately decides how your path¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fucking lecture me!¡± Jiang Cheng snapped open his eyes, his voice hoarse, ¡°I¡¯ve heard enough! It has already been proven a fact that your lectures are useless to someone like me! I¡¯m not my little brother! I¡¯m not on the same path as you! It has always been this way! Everything you say sounds like a lecture to me! And everything you hear from me just sounds like thorns! I¡¯m already home now! Are you still not finished?!¡±


    Jiang Cheng had screamed the last sentence.


    After that, he hung up and stared at the wall in a daze for a long while before he put his phone back in his pocket. He turned around, leaned against the wall, and raised his head with his eyes closed, taking several deep breaths before he finally calmed down and opened his eyes.


    The moment he opened them, he saw Gu Fei standing two steps away from him with a big plate of fruits in his hands.


    He stared at Gu Fei, not knowing what to say.


    ¡°Want some?¡± Gu Fei handed him the plate, ¡°I just had the waiter cut some.¡±


    Jiang Cheng took a piece of the watermelon: ¡°You¡¯ll get brain damage from eating out of season fruit.¡±


    ¡°Yet, you¡¯re still eating it?¡± Gu Fei put the plate on a small table next to them and then also took a piece of watermelon.


    ¡°I¡¯m too smart,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°So, I have to eat some to become a little more average. I¡¯m striving to be able to think on the same level as my biological father, Li Baoguo.¡±


    ¡°Li Baoguo isn¡¯t that extremely stupid. He¡¯s pretty good at counting cards,¡± Gu Fei said, smiling.


    ¡°He¡¯s also pretty good at asking for money.¡± Jiang Cheng felt another wave of suffocation once the words left his mouth. He thought that the outburst directed at Shen Yiqing just now had solely stemmed from Li Baoguo having demanded her for money, making him lose his confidence and standpoint. He harshly bit at the watermelon, ¡°Fuck.¡±


    ¡°Do you always eat the watermelon rind?¡± Gu Fei stared at him in shock.


    ¡°Shut up!¡± Jiang Cheng spat the watermelon rind that he had chewed into the trash can beside them, ¡°This is how us city people all eat.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Gu Fei laughed as he ate.


    An air of melancholy surrounded Jiang Cheng, weighing heavily on him at the moment. To him, his emotions felt distinctly unstable and easily affected, and all the happiness that was amassed from the initially pleasant and relaxing evening was all lost with a single phone call.


    He didn¡¯t even want to return to the room now. The room full of people that had made him feel happy may just become a source of his irritability now.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything unnecessary and acted as though he wasn¡¯t in a hurry to return to the room. The two of them quietly stand next to a table in the corridor and eat away at the fruits on the plate.


    Watermelon, oranges, cherry tomatoes¡­ having eaten a full stomach of meat, eating some fruit to relieve the greasiness was the perfect remedy.


    It was not until they had wholly devoured all the fruits that he looked up and exchanged a glance with Gu Fei.


    ¡°We just ate all of Queen Miao Miao¡¯s fruit,¡± Jiang Cheng wiped his mouth.


    ¡°En, I¡¯ll get her another plate,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Did you just overhear another unbelievably big secret?¡± Jiang Cheng peered at him. The cold fruit gradually neutralized the slightly feverish feeling in his body caused by the alcohol and heat.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really count as some big secret,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°The fact that your adoption was reversed is something that I already knew about¡­ just now, was that¡­ your adopted mother?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, drawing strokes on the plate then using the remaining water to draw a series of notes slowly, ¡°Li Baoguo asked her for money.¡±


    Gu Fei arched his eyebrows in surprise but didn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± Jiang Cheng recklessly wiped away the notes, ¡°There must¡¯ve been times when you¡¯re especially troubled, right? How did you deal with it? The way you live so carefree[1] all the time, it doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re pretending.¡±


    ¡°Have some alcohol and a good night of sleep,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°Really?¡± Jiang Cheng frowned, ¡°Did it work?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    ¡°Are you kidding with me?¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him.


    ¡°What solution could there be? It¡¯ll be fine once you¡¯re used to it,¡± Gu Fei said, ¡°There are way too many things to worry about in this world, I can¡¯t be bothered with all of them.¡±


    The two were still standing in the corridor, neither having the intention to move as they just stared in a daze at the empty plate together.


    After a while, Jiang Cheng heard the sound of a skateboard.


    ¡°En?¡± Gu Fei turned his head around.


    ¡°Gu Miao?¡± Jiang Cheng looked up to see Gu Miao sliding out of the room, hugging his and Gu Fei¡¯s jackets and school bags in her arm.


    ¡°Ai! Slow down Miao Miao, your brother¡­¡± Wang Xu ran out in alarm, and chased after her, with his jacket in hand. He let out a breath of relief when he spotted Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng standing in the corridor, ¡°Fuck! I thought the two of you had eloped! Hurry up, let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re done here?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Done, my ass!¡± Wang Xu explained as he put on his jacket, ¡°We¡¯re changing locations! We¡¯re going to karaoke!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going,¡± Jiang Cheng quickly said in a low voice.


    Gu Fei glanced at him then turned to give Wang Xu a nod: ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Everybody had come out of the room; now, it was noisy and exciting outside.


    After leaving the restaurant, everybody immediately made their way across the street and seeing how familiar Wang Xu was with the road, he most likely picked this place out as well.


    Jiang Cheng walked at the very back. After everybody made it across the street, he saw Gu Fei still standing on the side of the road with Gu Miao.


    ¡°What wrong?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you weren¡¯t going?¡± Gu Fei questioned.


    ¡°¡­ I said that I¡¯m not going,¡± Jiang Cheng paused. ¡°But if you want to go then go ah, you don¡¯t have to keep me accompany.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going either. I have to take Er Miao back to sleep.¡± Gu Fei ruffled Er Miao¡¯s head, ¡°If you weren¡¯t here today, I wouldn¡¯t even come out to eat.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s meaningless.¡± Gu Fei said and stretched his body before pushing the bicycle to a taxi at the side of the road. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Cheng-ge.¡±


    With Gu Miao already sleepy, Gu Fei didn¡¯t make her continue skateboarding the way home. He stuffed the bicycle in the trunk, and they took a taxi back.


    ¡°Are you¡­¡± Jiang Cheng hesitated for a long while and only when he spotted the street sign at the intersection, did he finally squeezed out a sentence, ¡°Are you heading straight home?¡±


    ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his forehead, ¡°I just don¡¯t want to go back to Li Baoguo¡¯s place.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei made a sound in response.


    When the taxi stopped in front of Gu Fei¡¯s shop, the lights were still on ¨C surprisingly. Jiang Cheng got out and immediately saw Gu Fei¡¯s mother inside. After all this time, this was the very first time that he saw her staying in the shop past nine o¡¯clock.


    ¡°Wait for me,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng watched as he took Gu Miao into the shop and handed her over to his mother. He then walked around the shelves a few times and came back out with a big plastic bag in his hand filled with many things.


    ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Stuff to eat, peanuts, jerky, and whatever else.¡± Gu Fei replied as he turned and walked ahead.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Jiang Cheng caught up and walked beside him.


    ¡°The steel mills.¡± Gu Fei glanced at him, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you didn¡¯t want to go back?¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything, only giving him a firm thumbs up.


    From the looks of it, someone had come to the small room in the steel mill in the past few days. The room was so clean that even the cloth on the sofa with the broken leg had been replaced.


    ¡°Li Yan is so virtuous and considerate.¡± Gu Fei put the bags of things on the table then skillfully lit a fire in the stove that was in the middle of the room. ¡°He basically cleaned up everything in this room.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t look virtuous at all.¡± Jiang Cheng plopped down on the sofa and let out a long sigh of relief. He felt his body relax by a lot for some inexplicable reason. ¡°What did you bring to eat? Let me see.¡±


    Gu Fei placed the bag beside him.


    In addition to all sorts of peanuts and beef jerky, there were also a bunch of chicken and fish fillets, and even sausages and instant noodles; the bag was filled to the brim. Jiang Cheng laughed, ¡°This ration is enough for us to drink till tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°You can still drink?¡± Gu Fei turned around.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be prejudiced towards us southerners.¡± Jiang Cheng opened a bag of peanuts and put some in his mouth, slowly chewing on it. ¡°We southerners just drink a little slower, especially a fashionable southern city boy like me, we drink even slower¡­¡±


    Gu Fei started laughing: ¡°Let me see if there¡¯s any alcohol left.¡±


    ¡°If not, then let¡¯s go back to the shop to get some.¡± Jiang Cheng found a cigarette.


    ¡°Yes, boss.¡± Gu Fei picked up a few cardboard boxes by the wall and shifted through them. He pulled out two bottles of white liquor, ¡°Hongxing Erguotou[2], those guys have changed their tastes recently.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still erguotou either way, uncultured boy.¡± Jiang Cheng stretched his legs with a cigarette hanging in his mouth.


    ¡°Should I also pour it for you?¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jiang Cheng replied. ¡°I don¡¯t want to move, not in the mood.¡±


    ¡°Remember this moment well, Cheng-ge.¡± Gu Fei kicked the small table over to the side of his legs, poured the liquor, and placed it in front of him. Then he got some disposable plates, opened a bunch of snacks, and dumped them out. ¡°Except for Er Miao, I have never served someone like this before.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the service pretty good the last time we ate barbecue here?¡± Jiang Cheng smirked.


    ¡°Then start engraving it in your memory from last time,¡± Gu Fei sat down beside him.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng picked up his cup and took a gulp, ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Really.¡± Gu Fei picked up a piece of jerky and slowly tore at it.


    ¡°That¡¯s hard to believe. Haven¡¯t you ever had a girl¡­ boy¡­ boyfriend or girlfriend or something before?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Gu Fei simply answered.


    ¡°¡­ Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng turned to look at him.


    He gave himself three seconds of silence for suddenly raising such an inherently awkward question and being unable to continue the conversation.


    Translate: Ice | Edit: Sae


    The author has something to say: Resting tomorrow, will continue on Friday.


    Since there¡¯s no time then I won¡¯t be forcibly acting cute. o(¨s¡õ¨t)o


    I haven¡¯t proofread or anything yet, I¡¯ll proofread after a couple more chapters. ¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ


    ¡ã


    The translators have something to say:


    Ice: This is torture. Actual torture. QAQ


    Sae: My brain is malfunctioning from all these translating and editing lol


    [1] Carefree (ÔƵ­·çÇá)- Idiom literally translated to ¡°The clouds are pale and the breeze is light¡± meaning that nothing matters


    [2] Hongxing Erguotou ¨C a brand of Erguotou which is a type of light-aroma baijiu made from sorghum; since they¡¯re northerner, they¡¯re more used to the Niu Er brand.

 CH 43

    ¡°Then¡­¡± Gu Fei also picked up a slice of beef jerky and put it in his mouth before he leaned against the sofa and chewed on it lethargically.


    Jiang Cheng stared at the slice of jerky in his hands, feeling as if he was looking at the grave he had dug with his own hands. He didn¡¯t even need to guess what Gu Fei was about to ask next ¨C it was the reaction expected from any average person.


    ¡°What about you?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Jiang Cheng sighed internally.


    He didn¡¯t want to lie, but this wasn¡¯t a matter he was willing to discuss. He had no idea how he could form an explanation without making himself seem like a scumbag that fed on both men and women.


    After asking that, Gu Fei continued to slowly take sips of the alcohol, not questioning further.


    Yet, this considerate attitude actually left Jiang Cheng feeling uncomfortable. It made the situation seem as if there really was something shameful about him that he couldn¡¯t speak of.


    ¡°Before¡­¡± He hesitated. ¡°¡­ there was a¡­ uh, a girlfriend that couldn¡¯t quite be called a girlfriend. From my class.¡±


    ¡°A girl?¡± Gu Fei turned around to look at him in surprise.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng lit another cigarette. The charcoal fire in the room was already blazing, the warm air washed over them in waves, warming the alcohol in their bodies to a very comfortable level. It was to the level that made one suddenly feel as if it was okay to speak of anything, ¡°She sat at the desk in front of me.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Gu Fei continued to gaze at him. ¡°I thought you¡­ couldn¡¯t accept girls.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not too sure either.¡± Jiang Cheng rested his head against the sofa cushion with his head facing the ceiling. ¡°I¡¯ve never had a boyfriend either, so I don¡¯t know what it feels like, it¡¯s just that I¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng cleared his throat and stared intently into the ceiling that seemed to be swirling very slowly in front of his eyes: ¡°¡­ have always only been interested in guys. But when she pursued me, I didn¡¯t feel anything wrong with it either. I¡¯m annoyed with her not because she¡¯s a girl but because she is actually annoying.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re annoyed with everyone,¡± Gu Fei laughed. ¡°When I first saw you, it seemed like you were going to start fighting anytime, anywhere.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m short-tempered, but I usually try to keep it under control. If I can¡¯t control it anymore, then fuck that, whatever, I don¡¯t care.¡±[1] Jiang Cheng also started smiling with him, ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m really not annoyed with her because of my own reason, you know¡­ when some girls start acting bitchy,[2] they will fly directly to Mars if you give them a pair of wings.¡±[3]


    ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with this,¡± Gu Fei laughed for a long time from what he said. ¡°I¡¯ve never been willing to be close with girls.¡±


    ¡°I can see that. You were afraid that Yi Jing would get onto your bike today, weren¡¯t you?¡± Jiang Cheng tilted his head, ¡°Aiyou, that escape you made, are you not afraid that she¡¯ll understand the reason and feel awkward?¡±


    ¡°Better than giving her the chance to confess and be rejected,¡± Gu Fei responded.


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Jiang Cheng readily gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Good guy.¡±


    Gu Fei moved aside the hand that almost stabbed him in the face with a cigarette: ¡°You and your girl¡­ friend, have you broken up already?¡±


    ¡°En. We broke up before I came here. Actually, we were together for less than a few days.¡± Jiang Cheng put out the cigarette, picked up the jacket that Gu Fei had tossed to the side, and felt inside the pocket, ¡°I don¡¯t think she wasn¡¯t very reluctant either. She contacted me twice but didn¡¯t bother again, probably moved on to find a new flame. Nobody dates seriously in high school anyways¡­ it only counts as long-distance when you¡¯re only a few grades apart, none of it would have lasted.¡±


    ¡°Looking for mint candy?¡± Gu Fei asked. ¡°It¡¯s in that pocket.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng switched to the other side and fished out two pieces. He unwrapped one and popped it into his mouth. The cool and refreshing taste opened a tumultuous channel from his throat to his nose and his brain before quickly disappearing. ¡°Actually, when you said that you didn¡¯t want to get close to girls, that¡¯s not entirely correct. Isn¡¯t Ding Zhuxin pretty close with you?¡±


    ¡°En, she counts as an exception ba.¡± Gu Fei ripped apart a bag of peanuts, took one in his hands, and slowly rubbed away the skin. ¡°Her house used to be on the floor above mine, so I used to often go to her house and play. Whenever my dad started beating people, I would go to her house to hide.¡±


    Jiang Cheng let out a light sigh.


    ¡°Her house could be called¡­ my safe haven when I was little.¡± Gu Fei tossed the peanut into his mouth, ¡°I was always afraid of my dad. If he yelled once, I would be too scared to sleep for a whole night. And even if I managed to fall asleep, it would be a night full of nightmares.¡±


    ¡°How much older than you is she?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Five years,¡± Gu Fei replied. ¡°Actually, she wasn¡¯t very old at the time, but she was very good at comforting people and had a mind of her own. I just felt like she was my support.¡±


    ¡°The boss¡¯ boss ah,¡± Jiang Cheng stated.


    Gu Fei smiled: ¡°I didn¡¯t have a very good personality either as a kid. I didn¡¯t have many friends so I would chat with her a lot. Whenever I ran into a problem, I would immediately think of discussing it with her first.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jiang Cheng was a little surprised. It turned out that Gu Fei wasn¡¯t born naturally unperturbed as he appeared. ¡°She does give others the feeling of¡­ being very capable.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Are you guys now¡­¡± Jiang Cheng stared at him, remembering the text Ding Zhuxin had sent him that day.


    ¡°We don¡¯t talk as much now,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°The relationships between people are bound to change. There¡¯s no such thing as a relationship that would stay the same for a lifetime.¡±


    Jiang Cheng could pretty much understand what Gu Fei meant by putting together Ding Zhuxin¡¯s attitude towards him. A xueba¡¯s thinking was very astute after a couple of drinks, and his words wouldn¡¯t be as inhibited.


    ¡°She likes you, right?¡± he asked.


    Gu Fei raised his eyebrows: ¡°Is it too obvious, or are you just too astute ah?¡±


    ¡°My IQ is at least a hundred of Wang Jiuri¡¯s higher than yours,¡± Jiang Cheng pointed to his head.


    ¡°A head full of Wang Jiuri,¡± Gu Fei smiled and took out another peanut. ¡°That¡¯s not quite appropriate, especially when his head is just full of Yi Jing.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Jiang Cheng immediately changed the direction of the finger that was pointing at his forehead, to pointing at Gu Fei instead.


    Gu Fei laughed but didn¡¯t respond. Jiang Cheng sighed and took another sip of alcohol, relishing in the satisfying and burning sensation that traveled all the way down to his stomach, then laughed along with him.


    ¡°Ai,¡± Jiang Cheng touched his own forehead. ¡°She knows about you, right?¡±


    ¡°En. Confession, rejection, and coming out all accomplished in a single move,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°So fucking harsh,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°Just like I¡¯ve said, it¡¯s better to stay away in the beginning than to reject later,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes. ¡°It feels troublesome just to even think about it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s troublesome about it? Didn¡¯t you have a girlfriend?¡± Gu Fei replied.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not the same,¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head, which immediately caused the world around him to spin[4], so he hastily stopped. ¡°I don¡¯t hate girls. I¡¯m actually quite willing to look at beautiful ones, but I don¡¯t have any¡­ impulses, you know. Not having any unspeakable thoughts toward pretty girls, it shouldn¡¯t be this way.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed so hard that the alcohol in his cup spilled out: ¡°Then do you have any unspeakable thoughts towards handsome guys?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jiang Cheng felt the alcohol settle in. He had already spilled out everything he needed to say¡­ it was just that he was a little dizzy, and his mood had been shifting in a very untrammeled manner throughout the night. He became very reckless[5] as if he had something to vent, ¡°Haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Gu Fei coughed twice but didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°You wanna say no?¡± Jiang Cheng gazed at him with narrowed eyes. ¡°How very dishonest of you.¡±


    Gu Fei took a sip of alcohol, wanting to ease his mood. But when the alcohol simmered down, it, on the contrary, caused his mood to be licentious. Hence, alcohol and the like could unravel not only a thousand sorrows but also a thousand clothes.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s tolerance wasn¡¯t bad. He still hadn¡¯t passed out at this point ¨C he just turned into another person.


    ¡°Man up,¡± Jiang Cheng leaned to one side, bent a leg onto the sofa, and rested an arm against the backrest of the sofa.


    This phrase again. Gu Fei sighed, ¡°Yeah, I have.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more like it.¡± Jiang Cheng started to laugh, probably feeling a little dizzy as he tilted his head to rest it on his arm. ¡°It¡¯s such a normal thing.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    It was a very normal thing. However, if Jiang Cheng knew that he had acted ¡°normally¡± towards him multiple times already, who knew what sort of expression he would end up having?


    ¡°I¡­¡± Jiang Cheng continued to laugh for a while before stopping, his voice lowering, ¡°¡­ really must¡¯ve had too much to drink tonight.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you drink every day,¡± Gu Fei slid downwards and leaned against the sofa, tilting his head back to rest on the cushion. ¡°An occasional drink here and there is fine, I¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish the sentence, Jiang Cheng¡¯s slightly cold fingertips touched his earlobe. He froze, yet his initial reaction was not astonishment, he instead wondered why Jiang Cheng¡¯s hands were cold even though he had a whole night¡¯s worth of drinks.


    This tiny bit of coolness slowly traced from beside his ear to his neck, and only when it reached his collarbones did he finally whipped his head around to look at Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°You had them for me too, right?¡± Jiang Cheng asked with his head tilted to the side.


    At this moment, Gu Fei should have finally had the urge to go to the bathroom to fill a basin of cold water and splash it on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. Jiang Cheng, who had always been avoidant of this sort of thing, actually spoke out words like these after a few sips of fake alcohol.[6]


    Gu Fei glanced at the alcohol bottle on the table ¨C it was a 56% Da¡¯ Er.[7] If you wanted to catch a promotion, a box of 12 bottles would cost no more than around a hundred. There really was no point for Li Yan to buy the fake ones just for the sake of being cheap.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s finger flicked against his cheek: ¡°I¡¯m asking you a question.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    He admitted that Jiang Cheng¡¯s series of actions and speech was like a bottle of liquor injected directly into his veins. The impulsions he had now could entirely bulldoze through a steel board, but his constant state of repression allowed him to make use of the last remains of his willpower.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng swore under his breath. ¡°Are you a fucking coward, or do you have problems?¡±


    Gu Fei was unexpectedly speechless at this moment.


    ¡°During the photoshoot the other day¡­¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly stood up by supporting himself on the back of the sofa. He kneeled on the sofa with one knee and gazed down on him, condescendingly, ¡°You couldn¡¯t have gotten hard because of the sofa, right?¡±


    Holy! Fuck!


    Gu Fei felt a loud ringing resonating in his head, as if two strikes of lightning had struck down on him.


    He never expected that Jiang Cheng would notice such details, much less speak about it in such a blatant manner.


    This was too out of character for a person like Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°I have great eyesight,¡± Jiang Cheng tapped the tip of his nose again with his finger. ¡°I don¡¯t wear glasses.¡±


    Although Gu Fei was extremely shocked, he was unable to refrain from laughing at this. ¡°My glasses have a very low prescription.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t change the subject,¡± Jiang Cheng stared at him. Even though the slight instability in his gaze could be seen, the aggressiveness it held was apparent at a glance, ¡°Was it the sofa or me?¡±


    ¡°You,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    Jiang Cheng said nothing in reply. He turned his head to the side and spat out the mint candy in his mouth.


    Gu Fei wanted to say, ¡®Aren¡¯t you just amazing, being able to hold a piece of candy in your mouth for such a long time,¡¯ but those words didn¡¯t get a chance to escape his mouth.


    Jiang Cheng suddenly stooped down and kissed his lips.


    Gu Fei had no experience in kissing and judging by how Jiang Cheng carried himself ordinarily ¨C hacking at anyone who merely touched him out of a conditioned reflex ¨C he shouldn¡¯t have had any experiences in this area either.


    But this sort of thing¡­


    When the tip of Jiang Cheng¡¯s mint-flavored tongue squeezed into his mouth from between his teeth, Gu Fei grabbed his collar and yanked him down even closer to himself.


    The hand Jiang Cheng had placed on the back of the sofa to support himself slipped off, so he took the chance to wind his arms around him. He grabbed onto his clothes and gave it a harsh yank, then proceeded to snake his hands under the fabric and roughly grope at Gu Fei¡¯s waist.


    At this moment, Jiang Cheng felt like the pile of mush that was his brain had vanished. He wasn¡¯t able to think nor feel ¨C even thoughts like ¡°fuck, this feels so good¡± had shattered into the air.


    He had lost sensation from every organ in his body like they ceased to exist, leaving only his lips and tongue as what remained on his body¡­ as well as the source of evil on his lower half. It was as if he became independent from his bodily senses and earthly control, making him exert all his capabilities unconsciously.


    Gu Fei¡¯s response was passionate, which surrounded by the warm and mellifluous air, incited Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind to be tempted to ruthlessly bite down on him multiple times. It was as if only through a confrontation such as that could he release all the pent-up desires that just grew more abundant, passionate, and unbearable as they converged in his body.


    Occasionally, when his sense of hearing returned, he would make out the sound of heavy breathing from both him and Gu Fei ¨C but he was unable to decipher whose was louder, whose was lower, whose was lighter, nor whose was heavier.


    And occasionally, when his sense of touch returned, he could feel Gu Fei¡¯s tight and smooth skin under his palm as well as the bursts of electricity that followed behind every stroke that Gu Fei made on his skin.


    The two collapsed into the sofa. Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand slipped into Gu Fei¡¯s pants, and simultaneously, Gu Fei yanked down on his waistband. It was only at this point that all the parts of his body was revived.


    That strong ¨C never experienced before ¨C tremor that rose from his lower abdomen and shot straight through his heart instantly submerged him.


    The fire in the stove blazed, its sparks visibly jumping to and fro.


    Jiang Cheng sat down on the floor, leaning against the sofa.


    His head was still feeling dizzy, and his whole body felt both fatigued and weak. This was not only because of the alcohol but also due to the extreme excitement his body had experienced just moments before that left him feeling hollowed out.


    He didn¡¯t know when he had fallen to the ground, but when he finally regained clarity, he found himself sitting here while Gu Fei was leaning against the sofa¡­ both of them were silent.


    His butt could feel the coolness of the floor seeping in, but he didn¡¯t want to move. He continued to stare at the balls of tissue and the cup that Gu Fei had at some point thrown to the ground, as well as the alcohol that spilled out and had yet to dry.


    After a while, Gu Fei threw a cushion to his side: ¡°The floor¡¯s cold.¡±


    He was dazed for a few moments more before reaching out for the cushion. He then sat back down with the cushion positioned under him.


    ¡°Do you want a cigarette?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°An after-the-matter smoke?¡± Jiang Cheng turned and eyed him.


    Gu Fei smiled but didn¡¯t speak. He passed over the cigarette box, and Jiang Cheng took one out and lit it. He then continued to daze off with the cigarette dangling in his mouth.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go back,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You can sleep here. This is a pullout sofa.¡±


    ¡°What time is it?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    Gu Fei fished around for a moment but couldn¡¯t find his cellphone: ¡°I don¡¯t know where I stuck my phone.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked around but couldn¡¯t find his own cellphone either.


    Both their cellphones were initially tossed somewhere on the sofa, but now they had both disappeared. His face suddenly started to burn a little. They had only masturbated once, but this one masturbation session turned out to be so earth-shattering. He felt that if the sofa hadn¡¯t already broken a leg, then today would definitely be the day that it broke one.


    Then how did the sofa leg break before?


    A series of censored scenes immediately flashed through Jiang Cheng¡¯s brain.


    How shameless!


    Gu Fei found both their mobile phones on the sofa; they were under the cloth covering that had already been rolled into a ball by them.


    Jiang Cheng took it from him and eyed the screen ¨C it wasn¡¯t even midnight yet.


    This time was neither early nor late. If he was to go back now, he was too lazy to move, but if he were to spend the night here, it would seem to be an endlessly long night.


    Gu Fei, on the other hand, didn¡¯t seem to be hesitant whatsoever. He sat near the stove, fished out a few sweet potatoes from the cardboard box nearby, and threw them into the fire.


    ¡°You¡¯re hungry, ah?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei used a stick to stir the fire, burying the sweet potatoes under the charcoal ashes, ¡°You want some?¡±


    ¡°Will it be fully cooked like this?¡± Jiang Cheng was a little worried.


    ¡°A city boy like you doesn¡¯t understand, huh,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°We country people always eat sweet potatoes covered in ashes.¡±


    Jiang Cheng smiled: ¡°Fuck off.¡±


    After the passion faded away, coldness started to seep into his hollowed body. Jiang Cheng kicked the little stool beside him to the edge of the stove, getting ready to sit down and warm up near the fire.


    When his peripheral vision landed on the tissues balled up on the floor, a wave of uncomfortable awkwardness immediately washed over him. There was a constant nagging feeling that someone was going to walk in at any given moment and be able to tell what the hell those tissues had been used for.


    He hastily walked over, not caring whose it was, picked them all up, and balled them together. Having walked around the room without seeing a garbage can, grasping a hand full of this stuff wasn¡¯t exactly the most comfortable experience, so he threw them right into the brick stove.


    The tissue ball instantly became a golden flame ball, emitting a burst of black smoke.


    ¡°Fuck?¡± Gu Fei froze, ¡°What did you throw in there?¡±


    ¡°The tissue, from just now,¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    ¡°The used ones, ah?¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng also stared back at him, ¡°What nonsense are you spouting, why would I throw it away if it wasn¡¯t used.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s food below it, and you throw in that thing¡­¡± Gu Fei sighed, ¡°Whatever, they¡¯re all burned to death anyway.¡±


    ¡°The fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng was left speechless because of him. ¡°How come I couldn¡¯t tell that you were so fussy from how you usually act?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not fussy, I¡¯m too lazy even to clean up the tissues,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I¡¯m just freely expressing my thoughts.¡±


    Jiang Cheng no longer wanted to speak. He sat down beside Gu Fei and watched the flame flicker in a daze.


    The drunkenness did not pass, but the dizziness was slowly starting to dissipate. The feeling had turned into softness, and just sitting there made him feel tired. He stared intently at the floor and kicked back the stool until his legs could stretch out and rest against the wall.


    There was no longer a sense of awkwardness, only an inexplicable feeling of loss.


    Until the sweet potatoes were well cooked, the two never spoke a word. But it didn¡¯t seem like either of them was like this because they were embarrassed.


    Gu Fei took out a paper plate and handed him a sweet potato.


    The outer layer was burned into a hard shell, but once it was peeled away, a fragrant and sweet scent filled his nose.


    ¡°It¡¯s really fragrant,¡± he commented.


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei picked up one for himself, ¡°When I was small, I liked to hide in a place where no one was present, dig a hole, start a bonfire, and just bake sweet potatoes to eat like this.¡±


    ¡°Were you very lonely in your childhood?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Fei nodded his head, ¡°But I no longer felt lonely when Er Miao appeared, just annoyed to death.¡±


    Jiang Cheng smiled.


    After he finished the sweet potato, his stomach was filled with a perpetuated warmth, and Jiang Cheng started to feel sleepy. It was a little difficult even to keep his eyes open.


    ¡°Go sleep, there are blankets here. Li Yan brought them over, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯ve ever been used,¡± Gu Fei dropped a few pieces of charcoal into the stove, then he stood up and pulled out a bag from the old closet pushed against the wall beside them. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ go back in a bit.¡±


    ¡°¡­you¡¯re going back now?¡± Jiang Cheng asked, startled.


    Gu Fei glanced at him, then looked into the bag: ¡°There¡¯s only one blanket.¡±


    ¡°¡­oh,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded in response.


    After continuing to daze off for a while, he grew too tired to endure it. Hence, he stood up and walked over to the sofa to pull it open and lay it down flat. Once he laid down, a wave of comfort instantly washed over him. He then pulled the blanket over to cover himself.


    Gu Fei sat unmoving at the side. Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyelids were vigorously fighting against him, and he was already too lazy to ask again, so he just closed his eyes.


    When he felt that he had nearly fallen asleep, the sofa moved lightly ¨C Gu Fei had sat down on the edge.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going back?¡± Jiang Cheng opened his eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re not asleep yet?¡± Gu Fei turned his head around.


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    ¡°I also don¡¯t feel like moving.¡± Gu Fei pulled over a cushion, positioned it underneath his head, and laid down, ¡°Squeeze together for the night?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled a portion of the blanket in his direction.


    He had initially felt quite sleepy, but once Gu Fei laid down, he couldn¡¯t fall asleep anymore. Obviously, he had been so drowsy that tears had started flowing down his face, yet he was now completely unable to drift to sleep.


    It was definitely going to be a sleepless night for him.


    ¡°You awake?¡± Gu Fei asked from beside him.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng answered. ¡°Can¡¯t fall asleep.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t sleep in a new place?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Not that.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed, ¡°Where¡¯s your phone?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Gu Fei turned around.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help you pass a few levels of that retarded Craz3 Match game,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Usually, such a boring and retarded game would bring me right to sleep after a few rounds.¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Gu Fei laughed and handed him the phone.


    In actuality, although Jiang Cheng liked to call this thing retarded, the levels further back was actually challenging ¨C Gu Fei had already proven himself to be very capable for being able to play this far.


    It wasn¡¯t as if he could get past any level as he pleased ¨C luck was still very important.


    In a case like today, where he had drunk his fill of alcohol and lost his mind, his luck was probably already down the drain. ¡°This retarded Craz3 Match game¡± had become, ¡°This hateful Craz3 Match game¡±.


    Gu Fei had saved up over 20 hearts, but he used up half of them before finally getting past the first level.


    ¡°Ai,¡± he sighed lightly. ¡°It¡¯s not going too smoothly today, it took me this long just to get past one level.¡±


    Gu Fei made no sound in response.


    He shifted his gaze to his side only to see that Gu Fei had his head slanted to the side, unexpectedly fast asleep.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng threw aside his phone in an irritated manner, pulled up the blanket, and lied down. Pass levels for you, my ass.


    The light in the room was left on. Even though the lousy lights weren¡¯t very bright, it was enough to clearly make out Gu Fei¡¯s face.


    He stared intently at Gu Fei¡¯s profile, gazing as the shadows formed from his profile slowly danced across his face, then watched as they gradually blurred into a whole, until finally, the surroundings also slowly dimmed away.


    [1] Whatever, I don¡¯t care (°®Ë­Ë­) slang


    [2] bitchy (×÷)  ¨C ×÷ alone usually describes a personality which is a mixture of pretentiousness, snobbishness, and self-centredness. It¡¯s a very derogatory word¡­ a better way to understand it in English is ¡°bitch¡±.


    [3] they would fly directly to Mars if you give them a pair of wings. ¨C What Jiang Cheng is saying here is kind of similar in meaning to ¡°give an inch, take a mile¡­¡±


    [4] he world is spinning (ÌìÑ£µØת) Idiom, literally ¡°the sky shakes and the ground revolves¡±


    [5] Reckless (ËÁÎ޼ɵ¬) ¨C Idiom meaning to act recklessly and care for nobody; act outrageously; afraid of nothing; behave in a disorderly manner without fear; fearing nothing; etc.


    [6] Fake Alcohol ¼Ù¾Æ ¨C there¡¯s been a joke around the topic of having fake alcohol. I¡¯m not even sure how it works but it could be from two sources a) when someone expresses their momentary stupidity in committing a certain action, there¡¯s a saying of ¡°i must¡¯ve had fake alcohol¡± as an excuse or explanation for when they were out of character, something about the ingredients in the alcohol causing them to be delirious or whatever and b) there was a case where people were making fake alcohol in Russia and it caused harm towards quite a number of people, it was broadcasted through media, and the saying ¡°fake alcohol harms¡± saying was used to apply to moments were people did stupid things after drinking ¡ª and because it is fake, it blamed to have a more serious toil on one¡¯s actions.


    [7] ¶þ¹øÍ· er guo tou (¡°Da er¡±) ¨C okay this makes more sense, er guo tou is a white wine that is the cheaper version of the brand ę́ £¨mao tai) because of its purity and lack of depth in taste but nonetheless is a white wine with a very high concentration of alcohol, usually around 50 degrees. At this level of concentration, pure and ¡°real¡± alcohol is very difficult to find, the label may be marked ~50 degrees but majority of them are diluted with water (if not other things), hence ¡°fake¡±.

 CH 44

    That night, Jiang Cheng slept rather soundly. Before he fell asleep, he had thought that he might be plagued by a dream or two, but it was all a blank sheet, and he slept straight through to the next day, only waking up from the bitter cold.


    The sky outside was bright ¨C he guessed that it was probably around seven or eight o¡¯clock in the morning. The fire in the room had already died out, and the wind freely flowed in from the cracks in the windows. Jiang Cheng immediately let out a series of sneezes the moment he opened his eyes.


    He stretched his hand out to the side and felt around, but there was nobody there.


    He turned his head and discovered that Gu Fei was no longer beside him.


    But before he could be surprised by the fact that Gu Fei had actually gotten up so early in the morning on a weekend, he froze as what had transpired the night before dawned on him.


    Jiang Cheng sat up and reached his hand into his hair, roughly grabbing at it.


    The alcohol had worn off.


    The insanity had also worn off.


    But the awkwardness, strangely, hadn¡¯t settled in yet.


    Now, the only thing surrounding him was a vague sense of panic.


    Jiang Cheng, what the hell have you done?!


    The point is, what¡¯s done is done, but now, the person that you did it with has gone so far as to run off without leaving even a hint of his shadow so early in the morning¡­ what the fuck?! What kind of fucking person is this?!


    Jiang Cheng jumped off the sofa and circled the room twice, checking to see if Gu Fei¡¯s clothes, schoolbag, and everything else were all gone. That cowardly son of a bitch fled without leaving a trace?


    Did he have to go that far?!


    Even if it was just a casual hook up! There¡¯s no need to flee in panic like this!


    Wouldn¡¯t that just make it awkward¡­


    The only feeling that Jiang Cheng felt right then and there was that of utter fucking shame!


    ¡°Fucking piece of shit!¡± He cursed silently to himself and grabbed his phone, dialing Gu Fei¡¯s number after sneezing a couple of times.


    After barely two rings, he suddenly heard the sound of a cell phone ringing from the other side of the door.


    Someone¡¯s here?


    Who is it?!


    Bu Shi Hao Niao?


    Li Yan?


    Or maybe Ding Zhuxin?


    Fuck, has the crime scene been cleaned properly?


    When he finally realized that the ringtone outside the door was actually Gu Fei¡¯s, he had already gotten a back full of cold sweat from shock.


    The door was pushed open, and Gu Fei came in carrying two steaming hot boxes of fast food: ¡°Did you call me?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°Hurry up and eat, it¡¯s pho.¡± Gu Fei placed the boxes on the small table, ¡°Li Yan just called me to go to the shop, so I went over to unlock it first.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s at the shop right now?¡± Jiang Cheng questioned.


    ¡°Not yet. He¡¯ll head over in a bit though,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°So, you just left the door to the shop open like that? With no one there?¡± Jiang Cheng asked yet again.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei replied. ¡°There won¡¯t be anybody going in to steal at this time of the day, the thieves are all asleep by now after keeping themselves busy through the night.¡±


    ¡°¡­ oh.¡± Jiang Cheng sat down.


    Gu Fei took a small and long packet from his pocket and threw it in front of him.


    ¡°Wasabi?¡± That was Jiang Cheng¡¯s first response.


    ¡°You even add wasabi when you¡¯re eating pho?¡±[1] Gu Fei lowered his head and started to eat the noodles.


    Jiang Cheng took a closer look and saw that it was actually an individually packaged mouthwash: ¡°Your shop also has this kind of thing, huh?¡±


    ¡°What? My shop is pretty in vogue,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng laughed for a long time, then went to the bathroom to wash his face, rinsed his mouth, and sat back down to eat his noodles.


    A silent atmosphere encased them as they ate, but that didn¡¯t matter since Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t really feel like talking at the moment ¨C his previous speculation about Gu Fei actually made him a little embarrassed.


    Besides¡­ he actually hadn¡¯t felt too awkward when he got up. Maybe it was because he was too busy sneezing, being shocked, and getting angry to even care.


    Now that he was quietly eating the warm pho, the restlessness and panic in his body boldly showed its head.


    ¡°Are you going back home?¡± Gu Fei wiped his mouth after finishing the noodles, ¡°It seems Li Yan needs me for something today. If he doesn¡¯t find me in the shop in a bit, he might come here. I have to head back now.¡±


    ¡°Then hurry up and go,¡± Jiang Cheng hastily said the moment he heard that. He didn¡¯t want to be seen by others regardless of who it was or whether or not they had the ability to tell what had happened here. ¡°I¡¯m leaving too.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei stuffed the snacks on the table in a bag and tossed it into a cardboard box on the side, then put the garbage in another bag.


    Jiang Cheng followed him out the door, prolonging the silence the entire way.


    After having something warm, he discovered that it really wasn¡¯t all that cold that day. But for some reason, even though the wind wasn¡¯t strong at all, he didn¡¯t know why he had the chills.


    When they reached the intersection leading away from the steel mill, Gu Fei stopped. He needed to go to the left, but Gu Fei¡¯s place was to the right.


    ¡°Umm,¡± Gu Fei glanced at him. ¡°You¡¯re going back home?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, took two steps to the small road on the left, then turned around and slowly backed up. ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯ll leave now.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei sounded in response but didn¡¯t move.


    After a few steps, Jiang Cheng cleared his throat, not knowing what else he could say. So he waved at Gu Fei, turned, and walked down the road.


    When he reached the downstairs of Li Baoguo¡¯s place, he saw Li Baoguo walking in with quick steps from far across the street.


    As soon as he saw this person, he immediately thought of the phone call from Shen Yiqing the day before. There was a knot in his heart that rose almost directly to the top of his throat, so he stopped in his steps, wanting to wait for Li Baoguo to come back and fall asleep before entering.


    But as Li Baoguo approached, he noticed two women following behind him, wearing matching clothes that appeared to be salesman uniforms.


    ¡°Uncle.¡± A young woman jogged up on Li Baoguo and said, ¡°Uncle, it was indeed our mistake for making the wrong call, but you can¡¯t just deny it!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about! I never picked up any calls!¡± Li Baoguo said with a loud voice while waving them away, ¡°Don¡¯t follow me anymore!¡±


    The other woman was a bit anxious: ¡°Just look at how old you are now! How can you be so uncultured?!?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s uncultured? Who¡¯s uncultured?¡± Li Baoguo whipped his head around and glared straight at her, ¡°Every single day, you both keep on saying that I took your things! How cultured are you, framing people?!¡±


    ¡°Uncle, how did we frame you?!¡± The young woman cried with a sobbing tone, ¡°We called you by mistake, but why did you say that you bought it? And even let us send it over! Our driver still remembers that it was you who took the goods, ah!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know any driver!¡± Li Baoguo entered the corridor, which was then followed by a ringing clang sound from when he entered the apartment and shut the door.


    ¡°How can there someone be like this?!!¡± The young woman stood at the entrance of the corridor and wept out loud.


    Jiang Cheng stood there and watched for about a minute, then slowly walked over to the two women, feeling as though there was a sandbag being dragged under his feet.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± he looked at the older woman, ¡°Da-jie,[2] this¡­ what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Do you know that person?¡± This Da-jie immediately asked, pointing to Li Baoguo¡¯s door, ¡°Can you help us?¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say that he knew Li Baoguo, but the Da-jie still told him the situation.


    They were two saleswomen from a tobacco and alcohol wholesale store, and an old customer had requested some cigarettes and liquor. The new girl accidentally called the wrong number and reached Li Baoguo, who asked for the goods to be sent to the intersection, but then he left without paying.


    ¡°Normally, it¡¯s alright for our older customers to pay after they have received the goods,¡± the Da-jie said. ¡°But, in this case, we only realized this mistake when that customer called later in the evening to ask when it was going to be delivered.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my fault,¡± the young woman said, crying. ¡°But he can¡¯t take things that aren¡¯t his and then not admit it. Those things cost over 2000 yuan. If he doesn¡¯t return them, then I have to compensate for the loss¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng only felt a chill overtake his entire body. After he turned his head to sneeze a few times, he felt his brain had swelled up ¨C it felt uncomfortable everywhere.


    ¡°Leave a number with me,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll sort things out with him and contact you guys.¡±


    ¡°Do you know him?¡± That Da-jie quickly asked, ¡°Who are you to him? Are you his son?¡±


    ¡°¡­ yes.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded with difficulty.


    ¡°Then, you have to help this young lady, you¡¯re both young people. She hasn¡¯t even been working for two months yet, and her monthly wage isn¡¯t even enough to compensate,¡± the Da-jie said. ¡°Her family is having a pretty hard time as well. It¡¯s not easy for her ah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll contact you guys after I have sorted out the situation,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    The young woman kept crying while the Da-jie continued to plead with him repeatedly. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know what else he could say, so he could only repeat the same sentence.


    After the two finally left, he opened the door and entered the place in exhaustion.


    ¡°Why did you bicker with them for so long?¡± Li Baoguo was standing in the living room, immediately shouting at him in displeasure the moment he saw him enter. ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay attention to them!¡±


    ¡°Did you take those things?¡± Jiang Cheng threw his schoolbag on the sofa.


    Li Baoguo was still shouting: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether I took them or not, this matter¡­¡±


    ¡°I asked if you took them!¡± Jiang Cheng cut him off and roared in rage.


    ¡°I took them! So what!?! They¡¯re the ones who called and wanted to send it over to me!¡± Li Baoguo glared at him and roared back, ¡°What about it?! What does it have to do with me?! That¡¯s their own mistake! They have to bear the consequences!¡±


    ¡°Return them,¡± Jiang Cheng scowled at him.


    ¡°Have you lost your mind? Why would you return something that came to you for free? It¡¯s not like I took the initiative to trick them!¡± Li Baoguo had an expression that appeared as if he was looking at a fool, ¡°Let me tell you, they¡¯ve already checked the surveillance camera! Even went all the way to the police station! And guess what, the police didn¡¯t give a shit! Let them figure it out themselves!¡±


    It would have been fine if Li Baoguo hadn¡¯t said those words, but once he actually said them, Jiang Cheng felt he was about to blow his lid. ¡°You¡¯re quite proud, huh? Even the police can¡¯t afford to offend a thug like you! You must be pretty happy, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re spouting bullshit, watch your fucking mouth around Laozi!¡±[3] Li Baoguo¡¯s anger also rose as he pointed at him. ¡°Look clearly at who you¡¯re talking to! You¡¯re talking to your father!¡±


    Jiang Cheng suppressed the anger in his heart and stared at him for a few seconds before he turned his head and walked into Li Baoguo¡¯s room.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Li Baoguo immediately followed and grabbed his arm, pulling him out.


    Jiang Cheng turned around and violently shook off his arm: ¡°I told you! Don¡¯t touch me!¡±


    ¡°So, what if I touch you!¡± Li Baoguo roared, ¡°I fucking ejaculated you out. Don¡¯t mention grabbing you, even if I beat the crap out of you, it won¡¯t be your turn to talk bullshit!¡±


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s hands were shaking. He ignored him and bent down to look under his bed; there was a pile of rubbish but no cigarettes or liquors in sight. He then went to open the closet.


    ¡°If Laozi doesn¡¯t teach you a lesson today, then you won¡¯t know who¡¯s in charge of this family!¡± Li Baoguo rushed over and gave his back a hard shove.


    Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t expected that. The sudden shove slammed his face directly against the closet door ¨C he felt a burst of pain on his nose.


    Immediately after, Li Baoguo punched him in the face: ¡°You really think that you¡¯re the young master of some family!¡±


    Throughout his life, Jiang Cheng had been scolded by his parents, made to stand in punishment, and even made to kneel ¨C he had been through it all. But this was the first time he was ever beaten by a ¡®parental figure¡¯.


    Li Baoguo¡¯s fist was considerably heavy, so heavy that he found it hard to believe that Li Baoguo was beaten to the ground to such a degree that day based on this fist alone.


    Everything before him became blurry ¨C Li Baoguo¡¯s third move soon followed with a rough kick to his stomach.


    This kick brought Jiang Cheng directly to his knees. He was practically unable to utter a sound from the unbearable pain.


    Fuck, your, ancestors.[4]


    As Li Baoguo kicked his shoulders, Jiang Cheng clenched his teeth and grabbed a stool from the side, swinging it severely at his lower leg.


    Li Baoguo probably didn¡¯t expect him to retaliate and even shouted angrily in pain.


    Jiang Cheng held his stomach and stood up. He grabbed the stool, swung it at his arms, and smashed it repeatedly on his body.


    ¡°Fuck you, son of a bitch.¡± Jiang Cheng glared at Li Baoguo through gritted teeth.


    Maybe Li Baoguo, who was only a coward when outside and became a tyrant when at home, had lost too much face from getting consecutively punched twice by him, thus, he rushed forward and launched a series of attacks.


    After Jiang Cheng had struck him twice, he had no intention to keep going; even if this person wasn¡¯t his father, he was still an older adult halfway to his grave, who was also coughing all day long¡­ when Li Baoguo pounced over again, he only pushed him away.


    But Li Baoguo was riled up. If he didn¡¯t teach him a lesson until he conceded, he probably wouldn¡¯t stop. He didn¡¯t appear to look like someone that possessed a coughing frenzy at all.


    Jiang Cheng had to push him away again and again, from his room to the living room, until he finally bumped against the living room door.


    ¡°You must want to kill me, huh!¡± Li Baoguo bellowed, ¡°Come on! Come on! Come! Kill me!¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want to respond to him and only stared at him in silence.


    ¡°Lao Li! What¡¯s going on?¡± The voice of the neighbor next door sounded from the other side.


    ¡°My son wants to kill me!¡± Li Baoguo shouted and reached back a hand to open the door. He rushed toward a few of the neighbors standing outside and yelled, ¡°Everybody look, just look! My son wants to kill me!¡±


    ¡°Why are you¡­¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s shock had already overwhelmed his anger, so much that his voice started to tremble a bit, ¡°So shameless?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m shameless?¡± Li Baoguo turned to look at him, ¡°I¡¯m shameless? I have to raise you, provide you with food, water, and education! I just took a little advantage of something sent to me for free, and you call me shameless?¡±


    Jiang Cheng felt so pissed that his breath was almost caught in his throat. He wanted to directly turn his back towards this person.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been easy for your dad¡­¡± an uncle standing outside said.


    ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± Jiang Cheng yelled.


    These neighbors, whose expressions were filled with the anticipation of watching a good show, could be seen at a glance that not a single one of them really held a hint of empathy. If they actually came to placate them, then they wanted nothing more but to catch sight of Li Baoguo¡¯s spectacle.


    ¡°Hey!¡± an aunt shouted loudly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this kid?!¡±


    ¡°What?!¡± Li Baoguo suddenly shouted at her, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my son! What does it have to do with you? Who are you to shoot your mouth off?!¡±


    ¡°You psycho!¡± The aunt glared at him, stomped her feet, and cursed as she made her way up the stairs, ¡°You¡¯re a family of psychos! Even the pharmaceutical companies would shut down from how much drugs your family needs to take!¡±


    Li Baoguo swung the door shut.


    He turned to face Jiang Cheng, and after staring at him for a long while, he finally opened his mouth: ¡°I¡¯m going to die soon¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me.¡± Jiang Cheng suppressed his voice, ¡°I¡¯m already dead.¡±


    Li Baoguo reopened the door and walked out.


    ¡°The things?¡± Jiang Cheng asked from behind him.


    ¡°Sold them,¡± Li Baoguo said.


    ¡°The money?¡± Jiang Cheng asked again.


    ¡°Spent it all,¡± Li Baoguo answered.


    ¡°From now on,¡± Jiang Cheng uttered. ¡°You won¡¯t have me as a son anymore! You never did, and you never will!¡±


    Li Baoguo stood still outside the door.


    ¡°I¡¯m moving out,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to raise me, provide me with food, water, nor education any longer.¡±


    Li Baoguo looked back, gave a cold laugh, and directly left without saying a word.


    Gu Fei sat behind the cash register playing on his phone while Li Yan leaned on the front of the counter and watched as Li Baoguo walked back and forth around the shelves.


    ¡°This discounted item, has it expired?¡± he asked, pointing at several containers of yogurt in the freezer.


    ¡°Just about,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°There are still two or three days left before they expire.¡±


    Li Baoguo took a container and placed it on the checkout counter: ¡°Check me out.¡±


    ¡°Li-shu,[5] you still eat yogurt?¡± Li Yan asked.


    ¡°En, I never had it before,¡± Li Baoguo said. ¡°I want to try it.¡±


    ¡°Charge it to your account?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I have cash.¡± Li Baoguo took out a bill.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been pretty lucky lately?¡± Gu Fei smiled and gave him some change after receiving the money.


    ¡°Not bad, not bad,¡± Li Baoguo said and walked out carrying the yogurt.


    Li Yan sat next to Gu Fei and watched as Li Baoguo left: ¡°He¡¯s really Jiang Cheng¡¯s biological father?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei played on his phone.


    ¡°Fuck, the impact of this environment on people is tremendous,¡± Li Yan said, stretching out his body. ¡°Just look at Li Baoguo, and that family of his¡­ he actually has a son like Jiang Cheng.¡±


    ¡°How long are you planning to stay here?¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t go on with that conversation and continued to swipe his finger on his phone screen. ¡°This weekend has been completely wasted in your hands, so annoying.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go back whenever my mom gives up on making me go on blind dates,¡± Li Yan replied.


    ¡°Ugh.¡± Gu Fei threw his phone on the table, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just buy my shop?¡±


    Li Yan leaned back into his chair and laughed for a while: ¡°Some friend you are!¡±


    ¡°Are you going to be here again tomorrow?¡± Gu Fei asked, ¡°If you are, I¡¯ll tell my mom she doesn¡¯t need to come. You can just watch the shop and keep an eye on Er Miao along the way.¡±


    ¡°En. No problem,¡± Li Yan said.


    ¡°Also, help me get the goods?¡± Gu Fei glanced at him, ¡°The place where I got the frozen dumplings last time, you¡¯ve been there.¡±


    ¡°Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, leave it to me.¡± Li Yan sighed.


    Li Yan wasn¡¯t old ¨C he wasn¡¯t even 23 years old. But because he never had a girlfriend before, he made his mother who wished to hold a grandson since he was 15 extremely anxious. This son of hers idled all day and could barely handle a regular job ¨C at this point, she desperately wanted him to get married.


    Sometimes, Gu Fei felt helpless for Li Yan.


    This time, Li Yan was probably forced to his limit, so he simply turned off his phone and stayed here without returning home for the last two days.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t have any hearts left in his Craz3 Match game. Jiang Cheng had said that he would help him pass three levels, but he had only passed one. Since then, he hadn¡¯t been able to pass the remaining two levels in the past two days.


    He sighed and quit the game, then opened his Moments and slowly browsed around.


    There wasn¡¯t anything worthwhile. The girls were posting selfies with so much filter that their noses were missing, as well as the stuff that they bought, bought, bought, and the boys were just gaming and pretending to be cool.


    Jiang Cheng was simply a breath of fresh air amidst all that.


    Cheng-ge: I¡¯m so rich.


    Gu Fei looked at those words and laughed for a long time before he pressed like.


    Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t contacted him for the last two days. Although they weren¡¯t in contact much on the weekends before either, after all, something that made them unable to look at each other straight in the eyes did happen just two days ago. But he was actually alright¡­ he was just a bit worried about Jiang Cheng¡¯s state of mind.


    But looking at this Moment, there didn¡¯t appear to be any problems.


    It was only when he saw Jiang Cheng on Monday that he noticed his sallow complexion, however, his mood was considered normal.


    ¡°Here.¡± Jiang Cheng handed him two sheets of folded paper.


    ¡°The self-reflection papers?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any words that you can¡¯t read.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed: ¡°It¡¯s not like a xuezha120 is illiterate.¡±


    That day was the day that they all had to go on stage to read their self-reflection papers; Lao Xu gathered them to the side of the podium before the whole school assembled. The students from Class 5 didn¡¯t come, leaving only the few of them to stand on the stage like a bunch of idiots before the flag was raised.


    When the flag was finally raised and the Principal and the teacher on duty that day had finished speaking, it was their turn to get on the stage. They felt a ¡°it¡¯s finally our turn to come out¡± sort of feeling.


    ¡°Gu Fei, you¡¯re first,¡± the Principal said.


    There was a round of applause in the audience below.


    ¡°What is there to applaud for?¡± the teacher on duty yelled, ¡°What is there to applaud for? Is a self-reflection paper something worthy of being applauded for? All of you be quiet!¡±


    Gu Fei unfolded the paper that Jiang Cheng had given him and stood in front of the microphone.


    ¡°Self-reflection paper,¡± Gu Fei spoke according to the shit-like words that Jiang Cheng wrote. ¡°Teachers and fellow classmates, I am Jiang Cheng, from Second Year Class 8¡¯s¡­¡±


    All the students standing slightly below them suddenly exploded into laughter after a brief second of silence, accompanied by countless shrieks. The Principal and the teacher on duty next to them both turned their heads towards him in utter shock.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Gu Fei suddenly swerved his head back to look at the row of people behind him.


    Jiang Cheng had lowered his head and was searching frantically in his pocket, and it was only after some time that he finally managed to find the two other folded pieces of papers and hurriedly handed them over to Gu Fei in only two steps.


    He gave the one in his hand to Jiang Cheng and muttered: ¡°You¡¯re too awesome. You can even mistakenly give something like this?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty awesome yourself,¡± Jiang Cheng also lowered his voice. ¡°You don¡¯t even know your own name?¡±


    ***


    The translators have something to say:


    Sae: The amount of hate we have for Li Baoguo is over the roof!


    Ice: I spat a fishbone at him and was then unable to reenter the document for 10 minutes¡­ it¡¯s Li Baoguo¡¯s revenge¡­!! The curse of the fishbone!! *angry ice cube noises*


    [1] Pho, (Å£Èâ·Û); lit. rice noodle soup ¨C a Vietnamese soup consisting of broth, rice noodles (b¨¢nh ph?), herbs, and meat (usually beef) (ph? b¨°), sometimes chicken (ph? g¨¤). Pho is a popular food in Vietnam where it is served in households, street stalls and restaurants countrywide. Pho is considered Vietnam¡¯s national dish.


    [2] Da-jie´ó½ã ¨C elder sister, big sister


    [3] I (ÀÏ×Ó) ¨C he actually used ¡®laozi¡¯ ¨C ¡°I, your father¡± (in anger, or out of contempt) / I (used arrogantly or jocularly)


    [4] Fuck, your, ancestors.  ÎÒ£¬²Ù£¬Ä㣬×棬×Ú¡£is ¡®short¡¯ for ²ÙÄã×æ×ÚÊ®°Ë´ú, fuck/screw your ancestors to the eighteen generation.


    [5] Li-shu (Êå) ¨C sh¨± means ¡®uncle¡¯ so Uncle Li, I¡¯ll leave it in Chinese pinyin

 CH 45

    Gu Fei took the self-reflection paper that Jiang Cheng had given him for the second time and unfolded it, and only after carefully determining that the name written above was ¡®Gu Fei¡¯ and not ¡®Wang Xu¡¯ or some other person, did he start to read it out loud once more: ¡°I am Gu Fei, from Second Year Class 8¡¯s. As a student of Si Zhong, I had uh¡­ building¡­?  ¡­ repeatedly violated the school¡¯s what now¡­ school rules. Being late is¡­ is a uh¡­ terrible mistake. Not only was I late, but I had also sat on the wall¡­ uh, climbed. Climbed over the wall, which only added to¡­ to my mistake¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng had actually written the characters quite largely, but it was still hideous ¨C earth-shatteringly hideous. Gu Fei read aloud with extreme difficulty as he listened to the low laughter that the audience would let out from time to time.


    ¡°At this critical¡­ moment where we only have half a semester left before we enter the Third Year,¡± Gu Fei peered at the paper, not knowing what was so important about entering the Third Year. ¡°I promise to correct my mistakes, abide by the school rules, not to be late or leave early, and not¡­ not climb over the walls or step on¡­ tree branches¡­¡±


    What the hell is stepping on the tree branches?!


    When he reached the last line, he finally breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°Self-reflecting person, Gu Fei.¡±


    ¡°Go stand over there Gu Fei, next.¡± The teacher on duty swept a glance over the row of people lined up on the stage and chose his next target, ¡°Jiang Cheng!¡±


    Another round of applause erupted from below, and the face of the teacher on duty turned green. He pointed at the students before them, ¡°Who wants to come up and read one with them? I¡¯ll give you an opportunity!¡±


    Jiang Cheng stood in front of the microphone, took out his self-reflection paper for a look, then flipped to the second page again and took a couple more glances. He then neatly folded the paper and placed it back in his pocket.


    ¡°I am Jiang Cheng, from Second Year Class 8.¡± He gazed down at the people below, ¡°Last week, because of a small altercation, me and Class 5¡¯s¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at the audience in silence for two seconds, then looked back at the row of people behind him: ¡°What was that person¡¯s name again?¡±


    That question was certainly not asked in a low voice, and a wave of insuppressible laughter to instantly burst out from students below.


    ¡°Fuck?¡± Wang Xu was dumbstruck, he then hurriedly told him, ¡°Luo Yi!¡±


    ¡°Class 5¡¯s Classmate Luo Yi and I had a fight.¡± Jiang Cheng very calmly turned back his head and continued to speak, ¡°This kind of behavior is a serious violation of school regulations and is not conducive to the unity between classmates and our classes. As the person to first initiate the fight, I did not give Classmate Luo Yi the opportunity to explain and apologize to me. This has also caused conflicts between the two classes and unfavorable consequences. In the past few days, I have deeply reflected on my impulsive behavior. Fighting cannot solve the problem¡­¡±


    Looking at Jiang Cheng¡¯s back, Gu Fei was hit by a profound feeling of utmost admiration toward this unconventionally handsome xueba who would memorize even a self-reflection, and also not pass on such a chance to show off. For this reflection, he didn¡¯t just do something as simple as admitting his mistakes, he had completely placed all the blame regarding this matter on Luo Yi¡¯s head.


    However, after listening to Jiang Cheng¡¯s self-reflection, Gu Fei understood the reason why he looked unwell earlier this morning. Jiang Cheng seemed to have a cold thus spoke with a nasal tone.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Wang Xu whispered to him from the side, ¡°What the hell is this kid, Jiang Cheng, trying to do? He¡¯s even more capable of stealing the limelight than I am. This sort of thing can actually be used to show off¡­¡±


    ¡°You can only give in.¡± Guo Xu lowered his head, ¡°Take this self-reflection paper for example, let¡¯s not even talk about how well it might be written, I can¡¯t even memorize it.¡±


    ¡°I will reflect seriously, correct my mistakes, unite with my classmates, and stop being impulsive¡­¡± Jiang Cheng had read the reflection aloud without stuttering even once throughout the entire process. ¡°Self-reflecting person, Jiang Cheng.¡±


    Then he bowed, turned around, and returned to stand in the middle of the row of dumbfounded people.


    Next to go up was Wang Xu. He took out a self-reflection paper that had crumpled into a ball from his pocket and read it out loud with great enthusiasm: ¡°Teachers and fellow classmates, good morning! In these warm spring days where flowers bloom and Spring returns to the Earth! I have made a mistake¡­¡±


    Gu Fei sighed. He was almost unable to hold back the need to laugh, so he quickly lowered his head.


    ¡°Those that don¡¯t know would think that his mistake has something to do with Spring¡­¡± Jiang Cheng whispered.


    The row of people all suddenly lowered their heads and laughed until their entire bodies shook.


    The Principal cleared his throat from behind them ¨C only then did the group manage to restrain their laughter with difficulty.


    ¡°You actually memorized your self-reflection paper?¡± Gu Fei tilted his head and shot a glance at Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng answered in a low voice, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the two of us to read it one after the other. Those two self-reflection papers consisted of the same admittance, mistakes, and whatnot. If they were read together, it would be too obvious¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Guo Xu was a little shocked. ¡°So you improvised then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s called going off-script,¡± Jiang Cheng corrected him.


    ¡°¡­ oh.¡± Guo Xu still had a dumbstruck expression.


    Once Class 8 finished reading their self-reflection papers, it was Class 5¡¯s turns.


    Each and every one of them was a stuttering mess and took a lot of time to finish their readings. In the end, the Principal and the teacher on duty didn¡¯t even bother to give a conclusion anymore and just directly announced their dismissal.


    Once they returned to class, everyone rushed forward to congratulate Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°You really will be well-known by the whole school at this point.¡± Zhou Jing gave him a thumbs up, ¡°Jiang Cheng, you¡¯re really¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Jiang Cheng said and turned his head away to sneeze.


    ¡°You have a cold?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded and put on his face mask.


    Perhaps, it had suddenly occurred to them that the cause for the cold might be because they were covered with only a thin blanket in a room with an extinguished fire and an open window that night¡­


    Both ended the conversation, feeling a bit awkward.


    After class started, Gu Fei finally asked: ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to wait for me so that we can come to school together?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I forgot.¡± Jiang Cheng laid his body on the table with his eyes half-closed.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go back together.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t speak anymore, guessing that Jiang Cheng was feeling quite uncomfortable by his appearance. He lowered his head and continued to play on his phone.


    At the end of class, he put down his phone and glanced over at Jiang Cheng who was still laying on the table with his mask covering his face ¨C he appeared to be in a deep sleep.


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± Lao Xu called when he passed by the door of their classroom after his lesson ended in the class next door. ¡°Come here for a bit.¡±


    Gu Fei looked at Lao Xu and remained seated without moving.


    ¡°I have something to discuss with you.¡± Lao Xu waved his hand, ¡°Come here.¡±


    Gu Fei reluctantly collected his phone and very slowly walked out of the classroom, trudging behind Lao Xu.


    When Lao Xu walked down the stairs and went toward the staff¡¯s bathroom, Gu Fei stopped. ¡°Do you want to talk first before going to the bathroom?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to use the bathroom,¡± Lao Xu said. ¡°There¡¯s just less people here.¡±


    With an expression of ¡°this is a secret matter¡± riding on Lao Xu¡¯s face, Gu Fei had to follow him. He sat down on a stone bench next to the bathroom.


    ¡°I have something to ask, but this matter must be kept secret,¡± Lao Xu said.


    ¡°If it has nothing to do with me then don¡¯t say it. I don¡¯t want to get involved in other people¡¯s business or keep secrets for anyone.¡± Gu Fei felt for a cigarette from his pocket out of habit but glanced at Lao Xu and stopped himself.


    ¡°Smoke, smoke, just don¡¯t let the Director of Academics catch sight of it, otherwise, I¡¯ll also have to write a self-reflection paper too.¡± Lao Xu sighed and watched as he lit a cigarette before he continued to speak. ¡°This matter has nothing to do with you, but it has to do with Jiang Cheng. I noticed that the two of you have a pretty good relationship¡­ so I wanted to talk to you about it.¡±


    Gu Fei lowered his head and held the cigarette in his mouth. After a moment, he finally asked: ¡°What do you want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°Did you know that Jiang Cheng has left home?¡± Lao Xu asked.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Fei looked up in shock.


    ¡°Ah, even you didn¡¯t know about this?¡± Lao Xu gave a heavy sigh, ¡°His father came to find me.¡±


    ¡°Li Baoguo?¡± Gu Fei asked, ¡°He came to the school?¡±


    ¡°No, he called.¡± Lao Xu explained, ¡°He knew me from before. His older son Li Hui was also my student.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Gu Fei sounded in response.


    He left home?


    Lao Xu continued in a low voice: ¡°Lao Li didn¡¯t say why Jiang Cheng ran off. He only mentioned that they had a disagreement, and that Jiang Cheng was angry at him¡­¡±


    ¡°That person¡¯s words can¡¯t be trusted,¡± Gu Fei muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to ask you. If I look for Jiang Cheng directly, he definitely wouldn¡¯t tell me a thing with his temper.¡± Lao Xu¡¯s face was pressed with worry, ¡°Such an outstanding kid, if these matters aren¡¯t handled well, they will affect his studies.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He didn¡¯t mention anything about it to me,¡± Gu Fei said. But Lao Xu only looked at him with an expression of disbelief. He put out the cigarette, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t believe me.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Ai.¡± Lao Xu shook his head, ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask him anything. I¡¯ll talk to Lao Li once more to see what¡¯s going on. The midterms are tomorrow, let¡¯s talk about this again once it¡¯s over.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything else. He stood up and returned to the classroom.


    Jiang Cheng was listless all morning. After he went to the infirmary to grab some cold medicine, he immediately plopped down on his desk and fell into a deep sleep. He slept all the way until class ended at noon.


    Gu Fei had to push him several times before he woke up: ¡°Hey, class is over now.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng opened his eyes and spoke with a muffled tone. ¡°I¡¯m not going back this noon. You can just¡­ go back by yourself.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to eat anything either?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any appetite, so no to eating.¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes again.


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Fei kept silent and walked out of the classroom whilst playing on his phone.


    But when he walked out of the school gate, he immediately caught sight of a few people squatting across the street. There was a motorcycle beside them, and on it sat Jiang Bin.


    Gu Fei ignored them and texted Jiang Cheng as he walked.


    ¨C Jiang Bin is outside, don¡¯t come out.


    But then before pressing send, he changed ¡°Jiang Bin¡± to ¡°Boar Head¡±. Jiang Cheng was already a complete mess when it came to remembering people¡¯s names, and since he had a cold, he probably wouldn¡¯t remember who Jiang Bin was.


    Jiang Cheng actually replied rather quickly.


    ¨C Is he causing you trouble?


    ¨C No.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t respond, he probably fell asleep again.


    When Gu Fei straddled his bicycle, Jiang Bin started his motorcycle and drove over to block him.


    Wang Xu and the others had also gotten on their bikes. But as soon as they turned back their heads and saw them, they immediately stopped and stared in their direction.


    ¡°You free?¡± Jiang Bin asked.


    ¡°Do you need something?¡± Gu Fei¡¯s feet landed on the ground.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long since we played ball together.¡± Jiang Bin said. ¡°Do you want to play a game sometime?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it another time,¡± Gu Fei responded. ¡°we have to take our exams tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Yo.¡± Jiang Bin had on an exaggerated expression of surprise, ¡°The famous Gu Fei wants to take an exam?¡±


    A wave of laughter followed after.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk after exams are over.¡± Gu Fei ignored his laughter.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jiang Bin pointed at him, ¡°I¡¯m giving you face. I¡¯ll come find you after the exams.¡±


    Gu Fei made a sound in response.


    ¡°Get the guy called Jiang Cheng to come along too,¡± Jiang Bin said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t promise you that,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Bin spat on the ground, ¡°I said, bring him.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t cross me.¡± Gu Fei shot him a dirty look and slowly enunciated every word, ¡°If you want to cross me, then get your older brother[1] to come with you.¡±


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± Jiang Bin twisted the motorcycle throttle. ¡°I¡¯m not my brother, I¡¯m not on friendly terms with you like he is¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not on friendly terms with your brother,¡± Gu Fei interrupted him. ¡°If you want to play a game, we can arrange a time after exams. But if you want to arrange a meeting with Jiang Cheng, call your brother.¡±


    After he said that, Gu Fei stepped on his pedal and squeezed his way past him.


    Wang Xu and several others immediately followed up on their bicycles: ¡°What¡¯s going on? Is he looking for trouble?¡±


    ¡°What does it have to do with you?¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°If you want to look for trouble, then go back and look for him now.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Wang Xu became angry, ¡°This was caused by the game! It has to do with our entire team! This is a collective¡­¡±


    ¡°Go use that collective sense of honor somewhere else.¡± Gu Fei stepped hard on the pedal and the bicycle flew ahead, ¡°Just go back.¡±


    Once he arrived at the shop, Gu Miao, who was skateboarding at the door, flew past him without giving him a second glance when she saw him come back.


    Gu Fei discovered that this little girl seemed to have grown; her height that hadn¡¯t changed at all for a year had finally shown some changes ¨C her head seemed to reach his waist now.


    Li Yan was in the shop, as was Liu Fan, presumably called over by Li Yan after he had gotten too bored. The two were cooking some noodles at the moment.


    Before he had a chance to speak, he suddenly heard Li Baoguo¡¯s voice: ¡°Da Fei, you¡¯re out of school?¡±


    ¡°Li-shu.¡± Gu Fei was a bit surprised to see Li Baoguo standing near the shelves, ¡°Did you come to buy something?¡±


    ¡°He wants to ask you about Jiang Cheng,¡± Li Yan piped in from the side. ¡°Said that he left home.¡±


    Gu Fei was a little speechless. He had asked about Jiang Cheng until even Li Yan and the others knew about their situation. If Jiang Cheng were to hear that Li Baoguo had told so many people that he ran away from home at such a grand scale[2], he probably wouldn¡¯t go back no matter how much he was asked.


    ¡°Did he go to school today?¡± Li Baoguo asked in a loud voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I didn¡¯t go to school today.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t help him hide from me!¡± Li Baoguo said with great dissatisfaction, ¡°You bunch of undisciplined delinquents are all covering up for each other!¡±


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t go to school,¡± Gu Fei said once more.


    ¡°That little bastard! Every single one of the assholes that grew up in the big cities all have fucking short tempers! The people over there have spoiled him! He was spouting shit like he can¡¯t be touched!¡± Li Baoguo complained, ¡°If you¡¯re wrong, can¡¯t your father educate you?! Running off just from a few words! He doesn¡¯t even recognize his father anymore! If it weren¡¯t for me, his father¡­ he wouldn¡¯t even exist!¡±


    ¡°When did he run off?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°He probably ran off after getting stubborn with me on Friday!¡± Li Baoguo¡¯s face was engulfed with fury, ¡°I just went out to play some cards and when I came back, all his things were gone! He sure has guts! If I wasn¡¯t stopped by your Xu Laoshi when I went to the school, just see whether or not his legs would¡¯ve been broken off or not!¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t utter another word.


    Li Baoguo stood in the shop yelling while screaming obscenities, then walked out with a stream of curses.


    ¡°What the fuck.¡± Liu Fan sat at the table to the side, ¡°This person is amazing. If my father went everywhere cursing like this, I would never go back home in this life.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Li Hui no longer returning home now?¡± Gu Fei also sat down. ¡°Oh right, I¡¯m going to have a ball game in a few days after exams are over.¡±


    ¡°Ball game? Your school¡¯s?¡± Li Yan asked, ¡°Do you guys also want to pull in some external help?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Jiang Bin asked.¡±


    Liu Fan started to laugh then leaned back into his chair and continued to laugh for a while. ¡°Shitty bastard, he actually has the face to give a declaration of war?!¡±


    ¡°Then just play bei,¡± Li Yan looked indifferent. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy to win against them this once anyways, just let him retain a bit of face since he lost.¡±


    ¡°He also specifically mentioned for Jiang Cheng to come as well,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Li Yan froze: ¡°Then he definitely doesn¡¯t intend on just playing ball ah.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°Are you going to shoulder everything in his place?¡± Li Yan asked.


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®shoulder¡¯ everything?¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Jiang Bin has also counted me in.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll just go together bei.¡± Liu Fan stretched his body, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve been active¡­¡±


    When Gu Fei arrived at the classroom that afternoon, Jiang Cheng was still wearing a mask and lying half-dead on the desk, listlessly playing on his phone.


    As he sat down, Jiang Cheng looked up in surprise: ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t come.¡±


    ¡°Nowhere to go,¡± Gu Fei said and sized him up, ¡°Do you want to take a drip[3] or something for your cold?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°It¡¯s not that serious, I¡¯m just tired since I didn¡¯t sleep well.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t know what else to say. He wanted to say, ¡®Li Baoguo came to find me¡¯, but then felt that it was inappropriate to say that now. After a long silence, he decided to remain taciturn.


    Although the afternoon self-study classes were all canceled, the teachers from the various subjects had vied with each other to occupy those periods, initiating a final battle with the sole intention of using the period to highlight the key concepts of their respective lessons for the impending exams.


    Gu Fei was tired of listening to the lessons and was even more tired of listening to the key points. He put in his earbuds, listened to music, and started to play on his phone ¨C sneaking glances left and right.


    The matter of them mispronouncing their names from when they read their self-reflections earlier that day had been posted on the forum and was already a hot topic ¨C it was even pinned to the top as a hot read from all the likes.


    ¡¶Li Tao,[4] Has my OTP just been confirmed as canon by their real-life counterparts?¡·


    Gu Fei clicked into the post and skimmed through it; the comments section was bustling with various images, memes, finger hearts, and everyone exploding on the spot with exclamation marks pasted above their heads. It was so ridiculous that even he wanted to laugh. He couldn¡¯t tell who was who either, and just guessed that there were people from the school¡¯s journalism club. They were snapping pictures everywhere with their cameras during the game.


    He also caught sight of an account that he suspected to be Wang Xu. It was probably a side account that he had recently created ¨C it was called ¡®CaptainXu¡¯.[5] He could guess by the name alone that he had probably poured a lot of effort into searching through a Chinese-English dictionary before he finally discovered this word¡­


    Just five seconds before the school bell would ring, the math teacher rushed into the classroom: ¡°I have a worksheet[6] here¡­¡±


    There was a prolonged protest in the classroom, and many of the students just rushed out without hearing what the teacher was about to say.


    ¡°Leaving?¡± Gu Fei asked Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng stood up and went to get the worksheet from the math teacher.


    ¡°What a model student.¡± Gu Fei also went over and took one.


    ¡°What are you taking this for?¡± The math teacher stared at him.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already brought it out,¡± Gu Fei folded the worksheet and stuffed it in his pocket.


    When Jiang Cheng got downstairs, he first went to the sink to wash his face, then switched to another face mask: ¡°Do you¡­ have time?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°The shop you mentioned that sold bicycles,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Take me there. I¡¯m too lazy to walk and my nose has been blocked all day, it¡¯s so freaking uncomfortable.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    Jiang Bin wasn¡¯t there to block them at the school gate, nor was Hou Zi, but Gu Fei knew very well that Hou Zi would definitely intervene in this matter. Although he didn¡¯t have a good relationship with this younger cousin of his, he was the boss of this area after all. Unlike Wang Xu, who struggled on the path of a pseudo-class tyrant, his pride greatly exceeded the sky.


    Besides, Hou Zi had found him an eyesore for a long time. Every time he had said that he was just giving him face, but who knew how large the fire in his heart had already become. This matter would have happened sooner or later, with or without Jiang Bin.


    It was just that if this matter was really going to get Jiang Cheng involved, he really couldn¡¯t agree to it ¨C Jiang Cheng was different from all of them. Take the fact that he completed the self-reflections as an example; he wasn¡¯t someone who should¡¯ve been dragged here and made to stay in a place like this, much less stay only to be inflicted with trouble.


    ¡°Ai, I forgot to ask you.¡± Jiang Cheng sat at the back of his bicycle, ¡°Are the bikes in that shop expensive? I can only afford something that¡¯s less than 500 RMB.¡±


    ¡°Hey, city boy.¡± Gu Fei tilted his head over, ¡°The most expensive bike in their shop probably doesn¡¯t even exceed 350 RMB.¡±


    ¡°¡­ oh,¡± Jiang Cheng responded and clicked his tongue after a while. ¡°Then it must be extremely ugly.¡±


    Gu Fei squeezed the brakes and held the handlebar with one hand as he twisted half of his body back to stare at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­. just saying,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed.


    Jiang Cheng actually wasn¡¯t picky about the bike at all, nor did he choose the most expensive one in the shop that was 400 RMB. Instead, he chose one that costs 250[7] RMB and asked for the price to be dropped to 220 RMB on the grounds that 250 RMB just sounded like too horrible of a number.


    Gu Fei felt that Jiang Cheng probably had no intention of returning to Li Baoguo¡¯s place, so his current budget was even tighter than before.


    ¡°Is it okay?¡± Gu Fei watched him ride it back and forth on the sidewalk.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°It¡¯s just really ugly.¡±


    ¡°Pay up and leave,¡± Gu Fei said helplessly.


    After Jiang Cheng paid the money, the two of them slowly pedaled in the direction leading back home.


    As they approached the intersection, Jiang Cheng turned his head toward him as if he had made up his mind: ¡°I don¡¯t live at Li Baoguo¡¯s place anymore.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to explain it,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll head over to your shop in a bit to buy some things.¡±


    ¡°Daily necessities?¡± Gu Fei looked at him, ¡°Where do you live now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not far,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I enquired the boss of the inn where I stayed last time. It¡¯s at the intersection past the street by your place¡­¡±


    ¡°The towel factory dormitory?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The building is about as broken as Li Baoguo¡¯s place. There¡¯s one-bedroom, and the rent is cheap,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°What are you planning to do in the future?¡± Gu Fei asked again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any plans.¡± Jiang Cheng turned his head to sneeze and sniffed his nose. ¡°In any case, I won¡¯t be going back. I¡¯m no one¡¯s son. From now on, I¡¯m a fucking orphan.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything.


    After the two rode forward for a while in silence, Gu Fei said: ¡°Orphan, I¡¯ll invite you to a meal.¡±


    ¡°Alright ah,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat near the towel factory dormitory,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I¡¯ll also tell you where you should go to buy things around there along the way.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    When Gu Fei turned his face to look at him, he pulled up his mask, and quickly turned his head away.


    ***


    The author has something to say: Continuing tomorrow.


    ¡°The post of the forum is in the comments column on the right yo.¦è_¦è I originally wanted to paste it in, but there were too many words so I grew helpless. If I actually pasted it in, then it would count as cheating money. ¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ¡± The author who changed to drinking hot cocoa today and felt that she was gaining another layer of fat with every sip said worriedly.


    ¡°Ji. &(¡¥^¡¥)&¡± The tiny black furry spirit said.


    ¡°Oh god, I don¡¯t know what to say but I must say something! o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o¡± The black furry spirit shouted in a ground-breakingly loud voice.


    ¡ã


    The translators have something to say:


    Sae: Can you feel the love tonight~?


    Ice: Oh sweet god, I¡¯ve been wanting to say this for such a long time now bUT GU FEI SO SO FREAKING PAMPERING TO JIANG CHENG. I CAN¡¯T BE THE ONLY ONE FEELING THIS RIGHT??? ?????(>§Õ<)?????


    [1] Older brother ¨C He¡¯s referring to Hou Zi (literally translated to ¡®Monkey¡¯) who Jiang Cheng had punched in the nose. He is Jiang Bin aka ¡®Boar Head¡¯ cousin, and not actually older brother, but in some Asian culture, the cousin etc is omit and you can just say brother/sister for someone older than you


    [2] Grand scale (´óÕÅÆì¹Ä ) idiom meaning to do smth with great fanfare.


    [3] Drip ¨C sometimes known as a cannula, intravenous fluids or IV


    [4] Li Tao (ÀîÌÎ) an internet slang that means ¡®rational discussion¡¯, the word itself is derived from ÀíÐÔ (l¨«x¨¬ng ¨C reason, rationality) ÌÖÂÛ (t¨£ol¨´n ¨C discussion); the character Li ¡°Àí¡± is taking from ÀíÐÔ and tao ¡°ÌÖ¡± from ÌÖÂÛ, creating L¨« T¨£o ÀíÌÖ. Thus, Li T¨¡o is a sort of ¡®persona¡¯ created for the word ¡®to have a rational discussion¡¯, and often appears in the discussions amongst fans, but it does not refer to any star artist. So basically, ÀíÐÔÌÖÂÛ = ÀíÌÖ = ÀîÌÎ


    [5] CaptainXu ¨C the word ¡®Captain¡¯ was in English already, so Gu Fei was saying that Wang Xu must have looked for a long time in the Eng-Chinese dictionary to find the word Captain


    [6] Worksheet ¨C This is actually more of a workbook than anything. What a lot of Chinese teachers/schools would do is give out what¡¯s basically a stack of worksheets for the students to ¡°practice¡±. It¡¯s common for Chinese students to literally finish a mountain of worksheets in their life.


    [7] 250 ¨C In Chinese, ¶þ°ÙÎå (two hundred and fifty) is a term used as an insult, which means ¡°stupid person¡± or ¡°to be a simple person¡±.


    More about the number 250


    Long long ago, there was a nation called Qi in the Warring States. The King of Qi got help from a wise Prime Minister, Su Qin. But, one day Su Qin was murdered, and the King couldn¡¯t find who the murderer was.


    So he made an announcement and it said: I! the King! Have been troubled by the prime minister for a long time, and I¡¯m happy to know he was killed, so I decided to reward the killer with 1000 golds. Come to my palace and take it.


    A few days later, four man declared that they killed Su Qin, after arguments, the King still couldn¡¯t find out who the real killer was, so he asked them: I cannot find out who is the real killer, so I decide to give those 1000 golds to all of you, so how much should I pay each of you.


    They said: You should pay us 250 golds each.


    And the king said: That¡¯s great, Guards! Take those four 250s down, and cut their heads off.


    ¨C


    Another backstory is:


    250 basically means ¡°half-insane¡± or ¡°stupid¡±.


    Back in the old days when the Chinese packed money, they place 500 bucks in one envelope, which is called·âin Chinese. So if 500 is Ò»·â(one envelope), then 250 would be respectively°ë·â(half an envelope). Since °ë·â has the same pronunciation as °ë¯‚(half-insane) in both mandarin and Cantonese, Chinese people have developed the term ¶þ°ÙÎå(two hundred and fifty) to describe people who have a goofy and silly personality, or people acting like that.


    Another fun fact about this is that Chinese people have developed this and have shortened it to ¶þ(two). They have used this word to describe the husky dogs as ¶þ¹þ(two husky) due to their behaviour in the modern society. So next time if you want to say that someone¡¯s silly in Chinese, you can say ÄãºÜ¶þ(you are silly) or ËûºÜ¶þ(he/she¡¯s silly).

 CH 46

    Gu Fei rode to the front, keeping a distance from him at an unhurried pace. Jiang Cheng sometimes felt that Gu Fei¡¯s keen observation ability and high EQ that prevented him from being too inquisitive about other people¡¯s matters really irked him.


    He pulled the mask up so that the edge could catch the tears that slid down.


    The distance from where they were to Gu Fei¡¯s shop was considerably decent, taking only about ten minutes on the bicycle, which was enough. He just followed behind Gu Fei like this, letting his tears flow out as much as he wanted.


    He honestly didn¡¯t know why he suddenly burst in tears.


    He didn¡¯t feel like he had the urge to cry at all, and there wasn¡¯t anything that made him want to cry either. Even if he no longer had a home, no longer had parents¡­ this kind of mindset wasn¡¯t something that had only existed for a day or two. From the day he was told that he was adopted, he already realized that he would never have a home again.


    After coming here, this feeling became clearer day by day¡­ so why would he suddenly start crying after saying that he was an orphan?


    Sure enough, people are delicate when they are sick.


    By the time they arrived at the intersection, he had already stopped crying, and his tears were practically air-dried, leaving only his eyes to feel a little swollen.


    After they parked their bicycles at the door of Gu Fei¡¯s shop, Gu Fei glanced back at him and quietly exclaimed as if he had seen something frightening: ¡°Aiyo!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jiang Cheng asked as he leaned the bicycle against the wall.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Gu Fei hesitated. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to cry to this point.¡±


    Jiang Cheng suddenly wanted to laugh. Even Gu Fei, who was so adept at easing the embarrassment of others, couldn¡¯t keep pretending not to have noticed anything any longer. He rubbed his eyes and asked: ¡°Is it that red?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re pretty red,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you wait for me here. I¡¯ll help you bring out whatever you need. Li Yan is in there, you know.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± Jiang Cheng felt around in his schoolbag, pulled out a glasses case, took out and put on a pair of sunglasses. ¡°I am equipped.¡±


    ¡°You look¡­¡± Gu Fei stared at him.


    ¡°Pretty handsome, right?¡± Jiang Cheng looked toward the window of the nearby community hospital, ¡°Every time I pass by a display window, I¡¯d always be taken aback by my handsomeness.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Fei nodded, ¡°You truly are¡­ very handsome.¡±


    When the two of them walked into the shop together, Li Yan was in the middle of two shelves with Gu Miao¡¯s skateboard under his feet, having difficulty with moving it forward. Gu Miao was leaning against the checkout counter with her arms folded as she watched on with a face of indifference.


    When she caught sight of them coming in, she rushed over to Jiang Cheng¡¯s side and looked up at the sunglasses on his face with keen interest.


    ¡°You¡¯re already bored to this degree¡­¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I¡¯m just exercising my body,¡± Li Yan scanned Jiang Cheng once over. ¡°Oh, I thought that someone had come to collect protection fees.¡±


    ¡°Hand me the money,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°They¡¯re in the drawer,¡± Li Yan pointed at the checkout counter.


    ¡°When are you heading back?¡± Gu Fei asked Li Yan.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about me.¡± Li Yan continued to move forward on the skateboard gruelingly. ¡°I¡¯ve made plans to eat with Liu Fan in a bit. You two wanna come?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t go,¡± Jiang Cheng remarked.


    ¡°Can¡¯t.¡± Gu Fei pulled Li Yan off of the skateboard, ¡°We have midterm exams tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What do the midterm exams have to do with you?¡± Li Yan asked, ¡°He¡¯s a xueba, so it¡¯s only natural that he wants to study, but you¡¯re the king of blank exam papers¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never turned in a blank sheet before,¡± Gu Fei corrected him.


    ¡°Oh, right, you¡¯d always fill something in.¡± Li Yan nodded his head understandingly.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Fei also nodded.


    ¡°Alright then, if you guys can¡¯t go, then you can¡¯t go.¡± Li Yan picked up his jacket, ¡°I¡¯m heading out.¡±


    Jiang Cheng roamed around the shelves twice and picked out some daily necessities and food. Gu Miao followed beside him curiously the entire time, staring intently at his sunglasses.


    Finally, he had no choice but to take off the sunglasses. It had been quite a while, so his eyes shouldn¡¯t be that red anymore. He placed the sunglasses on Gu Miao¡¯s face.


    Gu Miao pushed the glasses up ¨C expressionlessly.


    ¡°Very cool.¡± Jiang Cheng gave her a thumbs up, ¡°You will definitely be much cooler than your brother when you grow up, and very handsome too.¡±


    Gu Miao didn¡¯t speak, just turned around, grabbed her skateboard, and walked out.


    ¡°Ai!¡± Gu Fei shouted, ¡°Take off the sunglasses! They¡¯ll break if they fall to the ground!¡±


    Gu Miao ignored him and confidently slid out wearing the sunglasses.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°If they break, they break. I¡¯ve been wearing them for a long time anyway.¡±


    ¡°Geez, you were only willing to buy a bike for 200 RMB just a moment ago.¡± Gu Fei leaned against the checkout counter and shot him a glance, ¡°If the sunglasses actually break, you won¡¯t be able to afford another pair.¡±


    ¡°If they break, then shouldn¡¯t you be the one to compensate?¡± Jiang Cheng laughed.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right.¡± Gu Fei thought about it, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Jiang Cheng placed the goods that he had picked out on the counter, ¡°Checkout.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡± Gu Fei was a bit hesitant.


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei laughed. He walked behind the checkout counter and started to scan the barcodes one by one, then put everything in a bag. ¡°It¡¯s a total of 123.2 RMB. I¡¯ll just take out the small change, it¡¯s 120 RMB.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jiang Cheng handed him the money.


    With no one watching the shop, Gu Fei had Gu Miao return home by herself and closed up the shop.


    ¡°Have I delayed your business?¡± Jiang Cheng felt a bit embarrassed.


    ¡°There¡¯s not much business around mealtimes, and the only people that come around at this time are those who realized they¡¯ve run out of salt or oil while cooking.¡± Gu Fei said nonchalantly as he straddled his bicycle and rode out.


    Jiang Cheng also got on his bicycle and followed suit.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the sunglasses tomorrow,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°No worries. I can see that Gu Miao really likes them,¡± Jiang Cheng. ¡°Just let her have them to play with, but don¡¯t forget to tell her not to wear it all the time. They¡¯re bad for children¡¯s eyes if they wear them too much.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed.


    Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t very familiar with this area. After the landlord told him the address that day, he had spent nearly half the day before he eventually found the place. Now that he was coming back that day, when he looked at the rows of dilapidated buildings that all looked the same¡­ he literally couldn¡¯t find where the building he had rented was.


    ¡°No, I,¡± he was utterly dismal. ¡°I remember entering at a certain intersection, and there were several buildings that all looked pretty much the same¡­¡±


    ¡°Which certain intersection?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Jiang Cheng froze for a while before finally pulling out his phone, ¡°I¡¯ll just ask the landlord again.¡±


    The landlord was very amused and told him the address one more time: ¡°Young man, don¡¯t come back in the middle of the night ah. I would¡¯ve already locked up by then, so if you get lost, you¡¯ll have to spend the night outside.¡±


    Gu Fei was quite familiar with this address. He stepped on his pedal and moved forward: ¡°This way.¡±


    ¡°How come I have no recollection of it being this far?¡± Jiang Cheng asked, a little perplexed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even remember the name,¡± Gu Fei countered.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t remember,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°I¡¯m just too lazy to remember. My mind is not a garbage dump, of course, I have to remember useful things.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, there is no use in remembering the road,¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Jiang Cheng retorted.


    When Gu Fei took him to find the building where he had rented a place, he carefully looked around at his surroundings: ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve remembered it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go eat after you finish putting the stuff away ba,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng took him upstairs. This apartment of the landlord was on the second floor, and although it was very run-down, the inside of the apartment was okay. The furnishings were quite complete, and even if they were considered old, they were quite clean. Also, there weren¡¯t any rats or cockroaches freely roaming about like at Li Baoguo¡¯s place at the very least.


    ¡°It¡¯s not bad.¡± Gu Fei stood in the living room and looked around.


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng put the things on the table, ¡°I¡¯ll go get a network cable in two days, and that¡¯ll be just about it¡­ oh, by the way, do you know where I can buy some bedding?¡±


    ¡°Bedding?¡± Gu Fei froze.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know why, but when he said those two syllables, his thoughts went inexplicably elsewhere. Judging from Gu Fei¡¯s reaction, he was probably about the same.


    The two exchanged a glance, and Gu Fei was the first to laugh: ¡°Oh, bedding ah. I do know.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything. He suddenly felt like it was impossible to stop himself from laughing, so he leaned out the window and laughed his head off until even his cheeks ached.


    ¡°Damn,¡± Gu Fei rubbed at his face.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go buy some after we grab a bite? I don¡¯t have enough time to buy it online,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Alright, we have to buy some first before we eat then.¡± Gu Fei took out his phone and checked the time, ¡°There¡¯s a fabric market for bedsheets and other products nearby. There are finished goods for sale too ¨C quilts, pillows, and all that stuff are all available there. But it closes at around seven or eight o¡¯clock.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded his head.


    ¡°Then¡­¡± Gu Fei pointed at the door, ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything and just stood in a daze for a moment yet again before he went to stand in front of Gu Fei ¨C wrapping his arms around his shoulders, he hugged him tightly.


    Gu Fei froze at first, but then lightly patted him on the back: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Jiang Cheng still hugged him tightly, ¡°Have you ever had a time where you felt particularly unstable, like you can¡¯t exactly place your feet on the ground, but can¡¯t fall either? Like you can¡¯t grasp onto anything, and there is nothing beneath your feet.¡±


    Gu Fei fell silent for a long time: ¡°I have.¡±


    ¡°I also think that you have,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I step into a void, as if I¡¯m about to fly¡­ above me is confusion, and below me, I hear you say ¡®this world is empty¡¯¡­¡±


    The latter end of the sentence was sung by Jiang Cheng in a very low voice.


    Gu Fei was astonished. Not only was he taken aback by the fact that Jiang Cheng had memorized the melody and lyrics after hearing it only once, but he was also pleasantly surprised by his voice when he sang. His voice was low and hoarse, carrying a certain seductive quality ¨C it was euphonious.


    He could empathize with Jiang Cheng¡¯s feelings of being utterly empty. Even though their experiences weren¡¯t similar in the slightest, he could understand the panicked state of being unable to step on firm ground.


    The two stood quietly in the room. For the longest time, he could only hear Jiang Cheng¡¯s repressed, low, and almost imperceptible cry echoing in his ears.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei softly whispered as he lightly patted his waist. ¡°To tell you the truth, I¡¯m not very good at comforting others. The only person that I¡¯ve ever comforted is Er Miao¡­ I just want to say that if you cry, it¡¯s more satisfying to cry out loud.¡±


    Beside his ear, Jiang Cheng fell quiet for a moment. But after coughing twice, he abruptly started to sob.


    It was the kind of cry that was overflowed with reluctance, with fury, helplessness, and grievance.


    It was probably very cathartic from the sounds of it; from the wail that started it all off to the venting screams he let out as he grasped tightly on the fabric over his shoulders.


    ¡°You bastard,¡± Jiang Cheng rasped, his voice wrapped with a sobbing tone.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Fei responded, still gently patting him. Then, he turned his head and pressed a kiss to the tip of Jiang Cheng¡¯s ear.


    This action was beyond his expectations. He couldn¡¯t clearly explain why he had done that, but Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t give him time to ruminate on it ¨C he turned his head and kissed him on the lips.


    The tongue that carried the slightly salty taste of tears roughly thrust into his mouth as if looking for a fight.


    Gu Fei was a little unprepared. He was hit by his somewhat savage frame until he retreated a step, yet Jiang Cheng still used his bounteous strength to push him back.


    He crashed into the wall behind him, and Jiang Cheng kissed him again.


    This kiss was just as uncontrollable as the kiss from the day Jiang Cheng got high from drinking, but compared to that day, he was much more sober now. After all, he didn¡¯t drink fake liquor, so wherever the tip of his tongue occupied, it seemed like a declaration of war.


    I want to be here! I want to be there! I want this here! I want that there!


    I¡¯ve already stroked around here! Here, here, and there¡­ are all mine!


    Gu Fei initially had no intention of doing anything, but now under his almost insane plundering, he suddenly thought of Captain Wang Jiuri¡¯s self-reflection paper.


    In these warm spring days where flowers bloom and Spring returns to the Earth¡­


    He grabbed Jiang Cheng by the arm and flung him onto the sofa next to them.


    Jiang Cheng was thrown heavily on the sofa by him. When he pressed down on him, he very naturally lifted Jiang Cheng¡¯s shirt with ease and harshly caressed his body a few times.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s breath stopped. He grabbed at him through his pants.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Gu Fei rasped in a suppressed voice. ¡°If you grab any fucking harder, it¡¯ll become useless.¡±


    Jiang Cheng smirked and resolutely snaked his hand inside.


    Once the room was quiet again, Gu Fei could hear the laughter and shouts of the children running wild after eating.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you guess,¡± Jiang Cheng was lying on the sofa with one leg on the floor. ¡°How long will it take before you end up pushing me to the floor?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely on the sofa either ah.¡± Gu Fei had half his body on Jiang Cheng¡¯s and one leg pressing against the coffee table. ¡°In this posture, I would fall right down if I loosen my leg.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced at his leg and burst into a laughing frenzy.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t laugh with him. But when he propped himself up with his arm, he raised a hand to gently rub the corner of his eye.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine now.¡± Jiang Cheng flicked his hand.


    ¡°If you want to buy¡­ bedding, then we have to hurry up.¡± Gu Fei kicked aside the tissues on the floor, and tidied up his pants as he spoke, ¡°Any later and the only shops that would still be open would be the shops along this street. There won¡¯t be much to pick from then.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng also got up and went to the bathroom to wash his face. When he came out, he was a little worried, ¡°Hurry up and go wash your face¡­¡±


    ¡°What,¡± Gu Fei asked as he walked to the bathroom, ¡°Scared that your snot rubbed on my face?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll catch a co¡­¡± Jiang Cheng started before realization hit him like a brick, ¡°Fuck! There¡¯s no way!¡±


    ¡°¡­ it didn¡¯t.¡± Gu Fei went into the bathroom to wash his face.


    Jiang Cheng stood in the living room and sniffled, noting that his nose was clear at the moment, so nothing should have gotten on Gu Fei¡¯s face.


    Compared to the fact that he had done such a shameless thing when he was in a sober state, he unexpectedly cared much more about his snot problem¡­ that rendered him speechless.


    After confirming that there were no snot problems, the panic resulting from the shame of doing something so scandalous slowly flooded over him, looming above him as it permeated his surroundings.


    When Gu Fei came out of the bathroom with water dripping down his face, he couldn¡¯t even look at Gu Fei in the eyes. His gaze was so evasive that one would mistakenly believe that he had done something like drugging Gu Fei.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Gu Fei rubbed at his face, seemingly infected by his embarrassment. He pulled out two tissues to wipe his face and walked towards the door.


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at the tissues on the floor, wanting to clean them up, but he hesitated and felt inexplicably embarrassed¡­ so he ignored them and followed him out.


    In this area, besides the location where Li Baoguo¡¯s home was very much in a run-down state, the new terrain that Gu Fei brought him too wasn¡¯t that different either ¨C they were all pretty shabby. However, the lighting construction was much better here.


    Such a brightly lit old town would give people the impression that the place had a lot of stories to be told.


    And there were indeed many stories ¨C Li Baoguo¡¯s family alone already had many stories to tell. Then there¡¯s Gu Fei¡­ he turned his head to look at Gu Fei.


    ¡°Just up ahead,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°there¡¯s a marketplace to the right where the vegetables are pretty cheap. If you want to cook for yourself, you can buy things there.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng responded.


    ¡°Behind the fabric market ahead, there¡¯s a clothing market that sells cheap and ugly clothes.¡± Gu Fei glanced at him, ¡°If you want to save money, you can go there.¡±


    ¡°¡­ en.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed.


    ¡°Then there¡¯s the places to eat¡­ I¡¯ll take you there after we finish buying your comforters and whatever else.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    Many shops in the fabric market were closed, but fortunately, the side facing the street was still open. Jiang Cheng had no idea about how to pick these things, so he just looked at the colors.


    ¡°This set ba.¡± He fumbled with a set of bedding with a wide-striped pattern.


    ¡°This kind will pill,¡±[1] Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Oh, Jiang Cheng withdrew his hand and felt another set. ¡°Then this¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no difference between the two, can¡¯t you feel the difference?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng put his hand back in his pocket, ¡°How about you pick two sets bei.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed and went over to search around. He picked a set: ¡°This¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too ugly,¡± Jiang Cheng quickly said. ¡°Cheap, but ugly.¡±


    ¡°Then, you¡¯ll just get pills ba,¡± Gu Fei started to laugh. ¡°Expensive, but beautiful.¡±


    In the end, Jiang Cheng bought two sets, one from each of the two materials. He was too lazy to continue shopping, so he decided just to buy the pillows and comforter in this store.


    ¡°You only want one pillow?¡± the proprietress asked.


    ¡°Ah, I sleep alone.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°You can switch them around ah, or take it out for the other person to use when you need to share.¡± The proprietress insisted, ¡°We¡¯re going to close soon, I¡¯ll let you have it for a little cheaper. Besides, even if you¡¯re alone now, you¡¯re not going to be alone in the future ah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ a high school student.¡± Jiang Cheng still wanted to save a bit of money, ¡°By the time I¡¯m sleeping with another person, the pillow will have rotted.¡±


    ¡°This pillow is of great quality!¡± The proprietress said as she raised the pillow in front of him and patted it, ¡°This elasticity! Besides, quite a lot of people live together in high school ah! I¡¯ve seen quite a few. I¡¯d also often have couples coming in one after another to buy bed supplies.¡±


    ¡°I only¡­ want one.¡± Jiang Cheng was rendered absolutely speechless. If it were at any ordinary time, he would have definitely asked Gu Fei for help. But at this moment, he was embarrassed to even look at Gu Fei.


    ¡°His mother goes to check his place every day, so he would usually go to a hotel. The place really doesn¡¯t need two pillows.¡± Gu Fei remarked from behind them.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng whipped his head back.


    ¡°Oh¡ª so, it¡¯s like that.¡± The proprietress had an ¡®it¡¯s just as I¡¯ve said¡¯ expression on her face,¡¯ ¡°It¡¯ll just be one then.¡±


    They carried two bags of things back to the side of the street; it took the two a lot of time and effort to tie everything to the backs of the bicycles ¨C they even had to ask the proprietress for two ropes in the middle.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna go eat like this?¡± Jiang Cheng stared at the pile of things, ¡°Are we going to carry these into the shop?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m treating you to something simple.¡± Gu Fei stepped on the pedal, ¡°Then we won¡¯t need to unload.¡±


    ¡°¡­ alright.¡± Jiang Cheng also got on his bicycle, ¡°What are we eating?¡±


    ¡°Deep-fried rice cakes,¡±2 Gu Fei said. ¡°It¡¯s delicious.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to treat this orphan to deep-fried rice cakes?¡± Jiang Cheng laughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s as delicious as Wang Er¡¯s flatbread,¡± Gu Fei very seriously replied. ¡°Really.¡±


    After they finished shopping, they went to find the fried rice cake shop. The awkwardness in Jiang Cheng¡¯s heart had finally dissipated when they were on the road, and once he sat down with Gu Fei in the shop, the suffocating depression that had been pressing down on him during the past two days also faded away along with the awkwardness.


    ¡°It just so happens that we can see the bikes outside from here,¡± Gu Fei commented after they sat down.


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced around at the shop. The shop was super small, only being able to fit four or five small tables in total ¨C and they were short tables too ¨C so it was almost like they were squatting on the ground to eat.


    At the moment, there were a total of two tables, including theirs, that were occupied in the shop. The ones that sat at the other table were a few young girls; they were eating and chatting very lively.


    In contrast, he and Gu Fei were sitting face to face in silence, appearing exceptionally quiet.


    ¡°I forgot to ask you,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Fei. ¡°Did Boar Head come to cause trouble today?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Fei poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of him, ¡°He just bluffed for a bit.¡±


    Jiang Cheng took a sip of the tea: ¡°Who are you deceiving, huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really not,¡± Gu Fei started to laugh. ¡°Who dares to deceive a xueba ah. You¡¯re so smart that you can even go off-script when reading a self-reflection paper.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything in response, and just stared at him.


    Gu Fei took a sip of tea, but he was still staring. So Gu Fei stretched out his teacup until it was in front of him, lightly knocked it against his cup, and then took another sip of tea¡­ but he continued to stare at him.


    ¡°Ai,¡± Gu Fei sighed. ¡°It¡¯s nothing serious. Let¡¯s talk about it after the exams.¡±


    ¡°He came to arrange a fight, right?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°He came to arrange a ball game.¡± Gu Fei laughed.


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference between playing ball and fighting to a person like him?¡± Jiang Cheng took a sip of tea, took a moment to contemplate, but then felt that something was off, ¡°Wait, what face does he have to arrange anything, huh? They played so dirty¡­ any face he had could be folded into a paper airplane and thrown out the window.


    ¡°Nevermind that, nothing will happen in the next few days. Just focus on the exams first.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°You¡¯re not worried that it¡¯ll affect my exams, are you?¡± Jiang Cheng questioned.


    ¡°A little bit,¡± Gu Fei admitted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°In a lousy little school like Si Zhong, I can still get first place even if I have a fever and amnesia¡­ do you want to copy? Didn¡¯t Zhou Jing say that you guys don¡¯t switch seats for exams?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I won¡¯t feel stressed even if I get a zero.¡± Gu Fei started to laugh again. He then gave a long pause before saying: ¡°Cheng-ge, you¡¯re really¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Jiang Cheng smelled the fragrant scent of the rice cakes and turned his head toward the kitchen.


    ¡°¡­ the most outstanding person that I¡¯ve ever met ¡®till now,¡± Gu Fei finished.


    Jiang Cheng froze. He then turned his head back but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Really,¡± Gu Fei insisted.


    ¡°You¡¯re the most un-thug-like thug that I¡¯ve ever met ¡®till now,¡± Jiang Cheng said in response. ¡°You¡¯re a warm and gentle thug, and¡­ you¡¯re very good-looking.¡±


    ¡°Do you need me to compliment you back?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Jiang Cheng replied. ¡°I know I¡¯m handsome.¡±


    [1] Pill, colloquially known as a bobble, fuzzball, or lint ball is a small ball of fibers that forms on a piece of cloth. ¡®Pill¡¯ is also a verb for the formation of such balls (Pills appear on fabric when groups of short or broken fibers on the surface of the fabric become tangled together in a tiny knot or ball, a pill.)


    The author has something to say: Will continue tomorrow.


    ¡°2016 is almost over and I¡¯m as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof ah. By the way, there are two bugs, one is the timeline bug where the time of the basketball match had to be pushed back and the number of people that are self-reflecting bug. Take note that at this time, I won¡¯t change anything, let¡¯s do it next year ba.¡± The author says as she holds her coffee cup with both hands and shaking legs.


    ¡°Ji. &(¡¥^¡¥)&¡± The tiny black furry spirit chirped.


    ¡°Ying. w(©b§¥©b)w¡± The small black furry spirit cried.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to revolt ah! o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o¡± The black furry spirit screamed in shock.

 CH 47

    The fried rice cakes were indeed delicious. When it came to finding inconspicuous but delightful food, Jiang Cheng felt that Gu Fei¡¯s skills had been maxed out.


    Having cried to his heart¡¯s content, done perverted things ¨C although that matter shouldn¡¯t be recalled in detail ¨C had his stomach fed to the fullest, and bought all the things he needed, Jiang Cheng hiccupped as they made their way out of the small rice cake shop, feeling a lot more at ease.


    ¡°Go back ba.¡± Gu Fei checked out the time on his phone. ¡°Don¡¯t you still have to study?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to study, but I do need to sleep,¡± Jiang Cheng said with an insouciant shrug. ¡°I never study during the last two days before an exam. I mainly sleep, regardless of how big or small the exam is.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Gu Fei merely sounded in response. ¡°Me too. Regardless of how big or small the exam, I¡¯ve pretty much slept through them all the year before.¡±


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help laughing, and the two ended up laughing their heads off together. He almost laughed the mucus out of his nose and quickly took out a tissue to press against his nose. ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°Go back and quickly get some sleep. Don¡¯t fall asleep halfway through the exam because of the cold,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Jiang Cheng waved his hand, ¡°I can finish writing it even with my eyes closed.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It¡¯s hard enough to understand those words of yours when you write them with your eyes open, with your eyes closed¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut the hell up for laozi.[1]¡± Jiang Cheng burst into another round of laughter.


    The two of them rode their bicycles back to the rented apartment very slowly. Gu Fei didn¡¯t go upstairs this time. He only retrieved the goods on the bicycle and handed them to him, ¡°If you ever get lost again, just call me, and I¡¯ll tell you how to get there.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I already know my way now,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Gu Fei gave a gentle smile.


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Jiang Cheng pushed the bicycle toward the stairwell, locked it up on the railing, and carried the supplies upstairs.


    Although the room he opened the door to was just as desolate as that of Li Baoguo¡¯s place, the feeling, however, was already completely different. He no longer had to concern himself over Li Baoguo¡¯s irritating problems, no longer had to help him pay his debts again and again, and no longer had to listen to his coughs and shouts from the top of his lungs. Most of all, he no longer had to worry about his bedroom door swinging open out of the blue.


    Jiang Cheng adjusted the temperature of the boiler until it was just slightly scalding and rinsed himself from top to bottom. There was even hot water here for him to shower in; he no longer had to fill up a bucket of hot water every single day like at Li Baoguo¡¯s¡­ actually, he had never even seen Li Baoguo take a bath before. Perhaps, he had always gone to the public bathhouse instead.


    The slightly scalding hot water flowed down his face, neck, and across his entire body. He closed his eyes and propped himself against the wall, letting his whole body slowly relax.


    But after rinsing for just a short while, he turned off the water, quickly wiped himself down, and walked out of the bathroom.


    Although it wasn¡¯t strange at all to think of Gu Fei and the things that he and Gu Fei had done in this situation, it was still somewhat awkward.


    He had often let his imagination run wild about a certain celebrity, a certain little pornographic image that he didn¡¯t know where he had seen, a certain part of a porn¡­ it was the first time that Gu Fei had a target that was not only unequivocal, but also by his side. No matter how he could justify it, he would still feel a sense of guilt.


    After he returned to the bedroom, he closed the door and arranged the comforter and pillows that they had bought earlier that day. He had initially felt that the newly purchased duvet cover, sheets, and whatnot should be washed before he put them on¡­ but as he stood by the bed and mulled over it, he decided to give up the thought altogether ¨C men didn¡¯t need to pay particular attention to these sorts of things.


    He got in bed. After he turned off the light, his eyes remained wide open for the longest time, but even then, he still didn¡¯t feel sleepy.


    However, this time it was no longer because of Gu Fei, but about the exam tomorrow instead.


    He had spent the past half a semester in a daze ¨C although there wasn¡¯t anything in class that he couldn¡¯t understand or any assignments that he couldn¡¯t do, he was starting to worry a little.


    In the past, every time he relaxed at school, it would directly affect his grades. Now, in an environment like that of Si Zhong, even a person who listened carefully to the lesson in class was almost impossible to find. Even though the exam was undoubtedly less complicated than before, he was still a bit worried about his grades.


    He was ordinarily disinclined to study the day before the exam, but this time, he sat up, took out the notes from his school bag, and flipped them open.


    The exam times at Si Zhong were quite different from those of his previous school; he had to take exams for two subjects, Chinese language and politics, early tomorrow morning. He sighed. The schedule they arranged was so tight that it was nothing like Si Zhong¡¯s sluggish style of pushing the play-offs of a basketball game to after the exams.


    He couldn¡¯t recall when he had even fallen asleep, but when he woke up in the morning, his books had already been thrown to the floor, and the comforter was wrapped snugly around his body.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at the time. The alarm hadn¡¯t gone off yet, but it was almost time to get up ¨C his biological clock was fairly reliable at critical moments.


    The breakfast stalls on this side were about the same as those at Li Baoguo¡¯s. He bought a bowl of sweet tofu and two deep-fried dough cakes from the roadside stall to eat, and then rode his bike to school.


    He stopped when he reached the intersection, wondering if he still needed to call Gu Fei so that they could head out together. After hesitating for some time, he took out his phone and prepared to dial the number.


    But just as he found Gu Fei¡¯s name, he heard someone whistle him from the side. He swung his head over and was incredulous to see that Gu Fei was right next to him, straddling his bicycle with one foot on the ground.


    ¡°Morning ah~ xueba.¡± Gu Fei waved his hand at him.


    ¡°Damn.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the time in astonishment, ¡°What time did you get here?¡±


    ¡°Just five minutes ago,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I¡¯ve never been late for an exam before.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing.¡± Jiang Cheng started to chuckle, his mood suddenly improving and became exceedingly exultant. He didn¡¯t know the exact reason, but when he saw Gu Fei smile, he felt very¡­ intimate. Perhaps, it was because the two of them had done a bit of something ¨C although neither of them had touched upon it ¨C they were, after all, deskmates who had some impure relations¡­


    ¡°Have you eaten?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I just randomly ate something,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°If you had told me that you were coming, I would¡¯ve waited for you to eat together.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Gu Fei said with a smile. ¡°I also ate already. I figured that if you hadn¡¯t eaten yet, I would¡¯ve waited for you to finish.¡±


    It was pretty peaceful on the way to school; they didn¡¯t run into those two zoo animals,[2] probably because they had already made an arrangement to fight¡­ no, arranged a ball game; thus, they had to maintain the last bit of poise.


    When they entered the classroom, Jiang Cheng realized that these students, who were usually lazing around, would actually also display a bit of nervousness for a midterm exam.


    The desks had already been separated, and although it wasn¡¯t by a considerable distance, it still made the desks appear to be single-person desks.


    The second he sat down, Zhou Jing wound his head around: ¡°Jiang Cheng, Jiang Cheng¡­¡±


    ¡°If you want to look at the answers, then just look by yourself. But if you dare to call out my name like that during exams, I¡¯ll call you out for cheating right away.¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at him.


    ¡°Ay! Okay, okay, okay, okay¡­¡± Zhou Jing was stunned but then smiled so brightly that his face practically bloomed flowers, ¡°You¡¯re a true friend.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Cheng.¡± Someone called out to him from the left.


    Jiang Cheng turned his head and found that Wang Xu was actually sitting on the seat to his left: ¡°You¡¯re sitting here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sitting here during the exam.¡± Wang Xu said in earnest, ¡°Don¡¯t block the answer sheet with your hands, okay?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded in response.


    ¡°When you¡¯re done, don¡¯t flip it over either, okay?¡± Wang Xu stated once more.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng continued with an insouciant answer.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about Da Fei. He never cheats on exams. Just worry about me.¡± Wang Xu still wore a solemn expression, ¡°I¡¯m also responsible for spreading these to the others.¡±


    ¡°¡­ understood.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, then turned his head to look at Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei, who was playing on his phone, turned to look at him, smiled, and didn¡¯t say a word.


    The person serving as the proctor was a teacher that taught the Third Years, a very dignified middle-aged woman with glasses. The first thing she did after she entered the classroom and put down the exam papers was to stare at the students in the classroom, her gaze sweeping from left to right, then from right to left, and finally from front to back. Once she scoured through the entire room, she cleared her throat and read through the rules in the exam room.


    All the students were quieter than ever before, so utterly quiet that Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t quite accustomed to it.


    After the exam papers were passed out, Jiang Cheng first held the papers and roughly scanned through them only to discover that the difficulty of the exams in Si Zhong was, as expected, reasonably consistent with the overall style of Si Zhong. These exam papers were very simple ¨C to him, at least.


    He flipped to the composition page and looked at it.


    Mr. Ji Xianlin[3] once said: ¡°Everyone strives for a perfect life, however, whether it is in ancient times or now, within the country or overseas, there is no such thing as a life that is one hundred percent perfect. So I say, life is imperfect.¡±


    According to his understanding, his task was to connect it to reality, formulate his own ideas, choose a literary form, and then write his own topic.


    Jiang Cheng lightly sighed. This composition topic was simply too simple, especially for his current self. Not to mention 800 characters, even 8000 characters would be a piece of cake.


    He turned the paper back to the front and started to solve the problems with peace of mind.


    The surroundings were still as quiet as before.


    Being able to hear the rustling sound of pens scratching against paper in a classroom where usually only the buzz of conversations could be heard felt strangely disturbing.


    He caught a fleeting glimpse of Gu Fei and noticed that he had yet to start on the questions. Instead, his gaze was buried in a modern light novel, reading the page with gusto.


    He had no intention of glancing to the left to find out what kind of situation Wang Xu was in; this was naturally because he didn¡¯t even need to turn his head to sense Wang Xu¡¯s hot gaze. He had already caught Wang Xu facing this way out of the corner of his eye.


    The two proctoring teachers were very stringent and frequently switched positions one after the other.


    Judging from how frequently Zhou Jing, who was seated in front of him, twisted his body¡­ Jiang Cheng could safely deduce that his stomach was probably in tight knots.


    In comparison, Pan Zhi was much calmer. He maintained an unhurried pace as he haphazardly answered the questions, and once he had finished them all, he would correct them all together¡­


    Gu Fei had finished reading the short article of modern literature. Unfortunately, it was not a simple story at all and instead emphasized the rational spirit of architecture¡­ it didn¡¯t look interesting at all.


    He flipped the paper back, intending to fill in the questions that he found familiar and could basically guess the answers to first, then start to draw straws. Then after drawing straws, he would fill in the empty spaces at random and write up a composition.


    Taking into consideration that the composition was not limited to a certain literary form, and if the poem itself wasn¡¯t restricted to 800 characters either, he intended to take advantage of this loophole and write as little as possible.


    He thought that his arrangement was perfect. When he took out the answer sheet and started to write, he felt that his condition was similar to that of the xueba next to him.


    Jiang Xueba¡¯s pen never stopped moving. He had essentially answered the questions as he read through them, and if the question was a bit longer, he didn¡¯t pause for too long either. If Jiang Cheng¡¯s image as a xueba wasn¡¯t typically very pronounced in class, it was remarkably prominent now as he worked through the exams.


    After Gu Fei finished filling in what he was familiar with and started to draw straws for the multiple-choice questions, Jiang Cheng had already turned the page.


    And when he started the fill in the blanks, Jiang Cheng had begun writing the composition.


    Shit.


    He looked at Jiang Cheng¡¯s profile, and for a moment¡­ he felt that this sort of Jiang Cheng was so handsome that both humans and gods alike would be indignant.


    But compared to a xueba who was hell-bent on writing a composition that consisted of 800 characters long, Gu Fei¡¯s poem that took advantage of the loophole would be much quicker to finish. He only pulled a few specious[4] sentences and considered the composition completed. This type of exam paper that wouldn¡¯t necessarily be checked, and even if it were, it would be done through drawing straws ¨C he would only have a two-third chance of being chosen.


    Usually, he would turn in his exam papers around this time, but he didn¡¯t move that day. Jiang Cheng, who sat to the side of him, was still writing, and he wanted to take a look at it.


    Although Jiang Cheng¡¯s characters were hideous beyond comparison, they were written relatively quickly, just like when he read the unscripted self-reflection paper ¨C rows of words and paragraphs would appear only from him unconsciously scribbling.


    Jiang Cheng placed the answer sheet and the exam papers at the corner of the desk. To his immediate left, Wang Xu frantically copied those answers, but for some of the fill-in-the-blank questions, he had to crane his neck just to see him ¨C honestly, it looked rather arduous. Zhou Jing, in the front, was also facing some difficulties. With Jiang Cheng¡¯s handwriting, it was already hard enough to make sense of what he wrote, so to read it upside-down was simply the same as reading an ancient imperial edict.


    However, it was still much better than before. If those that have better grades in the class were arranged to the front, then the gang of them in the back wouldn¡¯t even know who to copy.


    With half an hour remaining until the end, Jiang Xueba, who had written like a god, had finished the composition. It seemed like he hadn¡¯t bothered to check it either. He looked around, wanting to turn the papers in.


    Wang Xu immediately became anxious when he saw that and kept his voice down: ¡°Don¡¯t rush it!¡±


    Jiang Cheng sighed and started to stare at the papers in a daze.


    After being out of it for a while, he turned his head and was met with Gu Fei¡¯s eyes. He mouthed to him: ¡°Did you finish?¡±


    Gu Fei nodded.


    He then held up the composition for him to see.


    Jiang Cheng was dumbfounded at first, but then turned to face his own papers and started to laugh.


    This laugh was a struggle; he really wanted to laugh, but he couldn¡¯t make any sounds, and he even had to press a tissue to his nose so he wouldn¡¯t laugh his snot out. Gu Fei hadn¡¯t wanted to laugh at first, but his appearance alone made it hard for him to hold back.


    In the end, Jiang Cheng laughed until he started coughing, and only then did he finally stop.


    Gu Fei stood up and turned in the exam papers, then walked out of the classroom and went down the stairs. They were going to have another exam a while later, so he had to move around a bit ¨C he even found sitting still for forty minutes in class to be irritating, so sitting still for so long in an exam was pure torture.


    Less than a few minutes later, Jiang Cheng also came down the stairs. This left Gu Fei in momentary shock: ¡°You also turned in your exam papers?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, ¡°The proctor was standing right next to Wang Xu, and I figured that he should¡¯ve finished copying just about everything by then, so I just handed them in¡­ was what you wrote just now lyrics or a poem?¡±


    ¡°A poem ah~,¡± Gu Fei replied and sauntered toward the staff¡¯s bathroom.


    ¡°Shit, you really are shameless.¡± Jiang Cheng followed him, whispering, ¡°Is it because there¡¯s no limit for a certain literary form that you wrote a poem?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei laughed. ¡°I¡¯ve written a poem three times now. The first time I had done that, Lao Xu and the others had even ended up debating on how many points should be given when they correct the paper.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too brilliant.¡± Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue twice, ¡°What did you write? Let me hear a few words.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful that I¡¯m too embarrassed to say it out loud,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Once they got to the place by the bathroom where nobody passes by, he took out a cigarette and shot a questioning glance at Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng shook his head, so he just lit a cigarette up for himself and dangled it in his mouth.


    ¡°The lyrics you wrote were really good,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Are you really not going to say a few words for me to hear?¡±


    ¡°That lousy poem is barely passable,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°When I have time again and have written some new lyrics, I¡¯ll let you take a look.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then.¡± Jiang Cheng sat on the stairs, ¡°Young man, are you growing shy~?¡±


    Probably because there was no one else to copy from, Wang Xu and the rest of the gang had also handed in their papers early and came down the stairs. They surveyed their surroundings, and when they caught sight of Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng, they all made their way over to them.


    ¡°Bin ah~.¡± Wang Xu took out 50 RMB and handed it over to Lu Xiaobin. ¡°Go buy something to eat and drink for our xueba to replenish his mind.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Lu Xiaobin took the money and immediately ran off to the small shop attached to the school.


    ¡°You guys are sick.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°You¡¯re so wonderful, so generous!¡± Wang Xu rushed over and gave him a palm hold fist salute,[5] ¡°This time, I¡¯ll pass the exam this time with no problems! Maybe I¡¯ll even move up in the ranks a bit.¡±


    ¡°Shit, I¡¯ve never done so well on an exam before!¡± Zhou Jing lamented, ¡°I¡¯m not complaining, but Jiang Cheng ah, your handwriting is¡­ honestly a god-level anti-copying device. Thank goodness my eyes are well-trained at copying. Tell me, have your points ever been deducted because the teachers couldn¡¯t understand what the hell it is you wrote when they¡¯re marking your papers?¡±


    ¡°Each time my points were deducted, it was all because the characters I wrote were too hideous,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    The gang immediately turned into a laughing mass.


    The exams were still taking place in the nearby classroom. Thus the stoney-faced proctor rushed hotfoot to scold the lot of them when they heard their ruckus. They had no choice but to relocate, so they explored the area around the bathroom before finally choosing to sit at the stone table beside the bathroom entrance.


    ¡°You know, I never understood why¡­¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°¡­ they had to set up tables and chairs outside the bathroom entrance?¡±


    ¡°What is there to wonder about that?¡± Jiang Cheng reasoned, catching sight of Lu Xiaobin, who was running back with a bag full of snacks and drinks. ¡°Believe it or not, there are people who are willing to eat here.¡±


    The gang started guffawing like idiots again that very second, causing the proctor to charge over once more and force them to stand at the sports field.


    The next exam was on politics. Ten minutes before they were to enter the examination room, Lao Xu jogged over: ¡°Jiang Cheng!¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Lao Xu asked.


    ¡°Pretty good, the questions weren¡¯t very hard.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°And the composition?¡± Lao Xu further questioned.


    ¡°It was pretty easy since the literary form wasn¡¯t limited,¡± Jiang Cheng frankly replied.


    ¡°I just knew it wouldn¡¯t be a problem for you.¡± Lao Xu¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°This time, we can definitely take down Class 2. It has always been that young lady in their class and Yi Jing competing for first place every time. There shouldn¡¯t be a problem for you this time around!¡±


    ¡°Most likely¡­¡± Jiang Cheng originally wanted to mention how they had only taken one exam so far, but in Si Zhong¡­ he could afford to show off for once.


    The politics exam was quite annoying. Although it was relatively easy to make wild guesses on the multiple-choice questions, the short-answer questions were designed to come for their throats. Gu Fei couldn¡¯t write anything and only fill out the empty spaces out of habit. He had to bullshit three to four lines in the short-answer questions, though¡­ this was more challenging, as the technical requirements for his bullshitting skills were very high.


    Especially on this one question that was worth 14 points, which asked them to explain the significance of integrating the various cultural activities at Si Zhong as well as discuss the importance of strengthening the campus¡¯ cultural development¡­ Gu Fei glanced over at Jiang Cheng only to find that the xueba was in the same state as when they had taken the language exam ¨C his pen seemingly flew across the paper as those unsightly characters scratched the surface, creating one row after another.


    A xueba was really an intriguing creature¡­


    Copying on an exam for politics wasn¡¯t easy. Once Wang Xu and Zhou Jing had copied the answers for the multiple-choice questions, they gave up on continuing to copy the short answers questions; compared to attempting to recognize Jiang Cheng¡¯s characters, it was probably easier to rummage for answers in drawers, sleeves, waistbands, or any other method really.


    Just as before, Jiang Cheng turned in his papers in advance.


    Looking at his demeanor, Gu Fei considered it right that putting up a frontwas probably an everyday occurrence for this guy. When he was bored and observed him for a bit, he noticed that although both Jiang Cheng and Yi Jing had finished their exams at around the same time, Yi Jing would check and revise her answers when Jiang Cheng had already handed in his papers.


    As soon as he handed in the papers, the rest of the gang who couldn¡¯t write anything on their own and had to copy but now had nothing to copy from and those like Gu Fei who had already finished randomly making things up, all handed their papers in together.


    At noon, nobody in the gang returned home. Who knew if it was because Wang Xu was feeling invigorated from copying so smoothly earlier that morning, but he was in a constant state of excitement and insistent on dragging them all to go eat stuffed flatbreads.


    ¡°We have mathematics in the afternoon,¡± Wang Xu said while chewing on a flatbread. ¡°We¡¯re counting on you, xueba!¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng lit a cigarette and pushed open the window to the side ¨C every time he finished an exam, he would never have much of an appetite.


    ¡°Da Fei, you¡¯re really not going to copy anything at all?¡± Wang Xu asked Gu Fei again, ¡°That would be such a waste.[6] I¡¯ve never met such a wonderful xueba before!¡±


    ¡°If you shout any louder, your mom will come over and make you into a stuffed flatbread.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°You¡¯re really not copying?¡± Wang Xu whispered.


    ¡°No thanks,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It¡¯ll make it easier for you guys to report back if you guys copied and managed to pass, but it¡¯s not like I have to report back to anyone.¡±


    No one thought that anything was off about Gu Fei¡¯s words, but Jiang Cheng suddenly felt the food in his mouth grow tasteless after hearing it.


    While everyone was excitedly eating and chatting, he leaned toward Gu Fei and whispered: ¡°Can you pass the final exam?¡±


    Gu Fei glanced at him and laughed: ¡°Good enough. Even if I fail, I can take the makeup exam. The questions in our makeup exams are pretty simple. You can probably do one without using a single one of your brain cells.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng responded and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Gu Fei¡¯s attitude had always made him feel a little put off. He wasn¡¯t sure if it was because his previous environment was different, but even someone as unreliable as Pan Zhi would grit his teeth and set up a few days to review before finals. For some unfathomable reason, the image of Gu Fei completely giving up filled him with a sense of agitation.


    But what are you so agitated for?  There were no parents in Gu Fei¡¯s family waiting to see his grades, and it seemed like there was also no reason to make it necessary for him to have the good grades needed to get into an excellent university¡­


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Gu Fei¡¯s leg gently touched his leg under the table, ¡°I only need to muddle my way to a diploma.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± Jiang Cheng twisted his eyebrows, ¡°You might as well go to a technical school if all you¡¯re aiming for is a diploma. Wouldn¡¯t a certificate from there be better than one from a shoddy and average school like Si Zhong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long story.¡± Gu Fei smiled, ¡°I¡¯ll tell you one day when there¡¯s time.¡±


    The two-day midterm exam was finally completed under a tight schedule. According to Gu Fei¡¯s observation and Jiang Cheng¡¯s undisguised complacentness, he could pretty much guess Jiang Cheng¡¯s grade. Yi Jing now had another competitor contending for first place in this grade.


    ¡°The exam questions you have here are too simple,¡± Jiang Cheng had said those exact words at least three times in the past two days.


    However, when Lao Xu rushed into the classroom early in the morning with a face full of excitement, he was still taken a little aback. Gu Fei looked at Lao Xu; if his grades were only about the same as Yi Jing, then Lao Xu wouldn¡¯t be that ecstatic ¨C honestly.


    ¡°Students! Students!¡± Lao Xu stood on the podium, ¡°I have good news to tell you all!¡±


    All the students in the class lazily clapped their hands together.


    ¡°The teachers from your other subjects will definitely say it in class, but I¡¯m going to say it a step ahead of them.¡± Lao Xu waved his arm, ¡°This time, our class has a student that has received full marks on three subjects!¡±


    This news was indeed rather shocking. Everybody in the class suddenly fell into a discussion, with many of them focusing their eyes on Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Ay.¡± Jiang Cheng was probably not used to being stared at like this. He lay on his desk and sighed.


    ¡°Who do you guys think it is? Which three subjects?¡± Lao Xu excitedly kept them in suspense, but this suspense didn¡¯t last long enough to give them a chance to guess. He immediately announced the answer, ¡°Student Jiang Cheng! Mathematics! English! Geography! All full marks!!¡±


    ¡°Fuck¡ª¡± This time, the entire class blew their lids and burst into an uproar.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Zhou Jing turned around and slammed into the table, ¡°Jiang Cheng! You¡¯re so awesome! You¡¯re really too awesome!¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng sounded in response.


    ¡°Sit properly,¡± Gu Fei shot a look at Zhou Jing.


    ¡°Awesome!¡± Zhou Jing cried again, turned around, and sat down, then thought about it and turned back around, ¡°Just awesome!¡±


    Lao Xu was still excited on the podium. Gu Fei also lied down on the table, he looked at Jiang Cheng: ¡°The rankings should be out by now. Wanna go and ask in a bit?¡±


    ¡°Not asking.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°What¡¯s there to ask? Seriously, it¡¯s just a midterm exam, and the questions you have here really are too elementary. I¡¯ve never gotten full marks in geography before.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go ask,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°What the hell are you all excited for ah?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask¡­ very calmly.¡± Gu Fei stuffed a piece of candy in his mouth.


    After class ended, Gu Fei stood up, turned to leave the classroom, and directly followed Lao Xu to his office.


    ¡°Xu Zong,¡± he called out to Lao Xu.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Lao Xu looked at him, then took out a Red Bull and gave it to him in passing. ¡°You can have it, Lao Lu just gave one out to everyone. I find it too sweet.¡±


    ¡°Has the grade ranking come out yet?¡± Gu Fei accepted the Red Bull and asked that one question.


    ¡°You¡¯re also concerned about this? You aren¡¯t even in the top one hundred in the previous ranking, nevermind that, we won¡¯t be able to find you no matter if we¡¯re counting from the top hundred or the bottom hundred,¡± Lao Xu said.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng is first, right?¡± Gu Fei asked with a smile.


    At the mention of this, Lao Xu immediately became happy again. He got up, and while walking to the empty desk in the office, he beckoned to him: ¡°Come take a look.¡±


    Gu Fei walked over while taking out his phone.


    There was a large piece of red paper on the table. Lao Xu¡¯s calligraphy was astoundingly beautiful, so much so that all the grade rankings were written solely by him every year before it was posted. This aspect was regarded as part of the school¡¯s ¡°cultural development¡±.


    Gu Fei inched closer and saw the first place name at a glance ¨C Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng, ah?¡± He swiftly raised his phone and pressed the shutter, then turned around and left the office. ¡°Xu Zong, you can continue to write.¡±


    After he left Lao Xu¡¯s office, Gu Fei lowered his head and opened Si Zhong¡¯s forum before he used his side account to make a post attached with the image that he had just taken.


    ¡¶Just passed by the office and accidentally saw¡­¡·- devastatingly_handsome[7]


    Translate: Sae | Edit: Ice


    The author has something to say: Resting tomorrow, continuing on Friday.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t have taken this long today, but it would be best if the announcement of the scores weren¡¯t left until Friday, right?¡± The author, who thinks she is very caring, said with a smile while doing some radio gymnastics.*


    ¡°Cheng-ge is using a cheat![8] o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o¡± The black furry spirit that locked all its brothers and sisters in a cabinet screamed.


    ¡ã


    The translators have something to say:


    Sae: ¡°Gu Fei¡¯s leg gently touched his leg under the table¡­¡± Their chemistry is ¨C indescribable


    Meanwhile, I¡¯m just a single potato, continuing on with my songs¡­


    (P.S. Gu Fei is devastatingly handsome)


    Ice: Does anybody else find it incredibly adorable how the two of them are so much more concerned about each other¡¯s grades than their own? This is true love, ah¡­ when can I find a relationship like that wuwuwuwu¡­ *crying ice cube noises*


    [1] Laozi ¨C an arrogant way to say I, me


    [2] Zoo animals ¨C talking about Jiang Bin (Boar Head) and Hou Zi (Monkey; don¡¯t know his real name yet)


    [3] Ji Xianlin ¨C ¼¾ÏÛÁÖ from the article ²»ÍêÂú²ÅÊÇÈËÉú: Life is imperfect


    [4] Specious (ËÆÊǶø·Ç) lit: something that appears right but is actually wrong; plausibly right but wrong*


    [5] Hold fist salute (±§È­) ¨C the most commonly used for the rituals of the martial artist. It originates in the traditional etiquette of the Chinese Han people, going back to the Zhou Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago.


    [6] That would be such a waste ¨C which originally meant: if you don¡¯t copy, you would have not copied for nothing.


    [7] devastatingly _handsome (˧ը²Ôñ· shuaizha_cangqiong) meaning, he¡¯s so handsome it can devastate the heaven


    [8] A cheat (¿ª¹Ò) ¨C a slang referring to when somebody does smth ridiculously well, but is mainly used for and comes from the term ¡°¿ªÍâ¹Ò¡±¡­ which is when somebody downloads and urns on (¿ª) a bug/cheat (Íâ¹Ò) of sorts that allows somebody to cheat in games.

 CH 48

    When Gu Fei returned to the classroom, the bell that signaled the start of class had already rung. He sat in his seat while Jiang Cheng, who was resting half his body on the desk, watched him intently.


    ¡°As expected, there was no mishap,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You¡¯re first.¡±


    ¡°You really went to ask ah?¡± Jiang Cheng was a bit taken aback.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°And very calmly too.¡±


    Jiang Cheng laughed and didn¡¯t say more.


    ¡°But I didn¡¯t ask what your total score was,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°We can calculate it once the announcement comes out later. I think¡­¡±


    He lifted his head and glanced over at Yi Jing: ¡°The class representative-daren¡¯s[1] score probably differs from yours by a lot.¡±


    ¡°Is she second?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°In any case, if she¡¯s isn¡¯t first then she¡¯s second. But she never really got full marks before¡­ she¡¯s a xueba from Si Zhong, not even close to being an opponent for a xueba from a big city¡¯s key high school like you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t say anything in response.


    Just the moment before, Pan Zhi had sent him an email; he had scanned and sent over images of the exam papers they had for this midterm exam. He roughly skimmed over the English portion and noticed that the difficulty was more than just one or two levels higher when compared to that of Si Zhong¡¯s. Suddenly overwhelmed by a sense of restlessness, he planned to work on these exam papers once he got back to see just how much more difficult they were.


    ¨C My mom agreed for me to go see you on Labour Day[2], so be prepared to receive me.


    Pan Zhi sent another text message.


    ¨C En. We won¡¯t have to stay in the hotel this time, I moved out.


    ¨C Holy fuck? What happened?


    ¨C Let¡¯s talk about it when we meet up.


    ¨C Alright. Lao Yuan wrote a letter for you, I¡¯ll bring it along and give it to you when I get there.


    ¨C ¡­


    ¨C He sighs whenever he thinks of you.


    Jiang Cheng placed the phone back in his pocket and felt the urge to sigh as well for some reason.


    Lao Yuan was his previous homeroom teacher; he was quite a good person, but because he was in an awful mood when he left, he never went to bid farewell nor contacted him.


    Aside from Pan Zhi, whether it be his family, teachers, classmates, or friends, he was reluctant to contact any of them again ¨C afraid of being asked about his current situation, afraid of hearing words of comfort, and afraid of recalling the past because of those people.


    During the last class of the morning, there was a bit of an uproar in the classroom. Although there were still the scores from two subjects that hadn¡¯t been announced because they hadn¡¯t taken the classes yet, there were already some people that had managed to inquire about the total score.


    ¡°Fucking hell?¡± Zhou Jing whipped his head around as he clutched tightly on his phone, ¡°Jiang Cheng, Jiang Cheng, Jiang¡­¡±


    ¡°Have you really never been beaten up from acting like a repeater[3] before?¡± Jiang Cheng shot him an irritated look.


    ¡°Have you guys read this post?!¡± Zhou Jing glanced at him, then glanced at Gu Fei, and then switched his gaze back to his face once more before continuing to stare at him. ¡°Someone made this post¡­ You¡¯re placed first in the entire grade ah!¡±


    Zhou Jing¡¯s deskmate also turned back his head: ¡°Your total score is more than 680! That¡¯s almost 100 points higher than Yi Jing! She got 599!¡±


    ¡°Yeah! Fuck, 686 points!¡± Zhou Jing¡¯s eyes were almost popping out of his face, ¡°There has probably never been such a high total score in the history of Si Zhong! Fuck, Jiang Cheng, you¡¯re awesome ah!¡±


    Jiang Cheng himself was also caught a little off guard. He was also in the top ten of his grade in his previous school, moving up and down among those ranks with Lao Yuan calling him over for a discussion whenever he fell out of the top five, and had also taken first place before¡­ but he had never encountered a difference of almost a hundred points between him and the second place before¡­


    This news didn¡¯t excite him whatsoever, on the contrary, it made him a little flustered. According to the current situation, it wasn¡¯t a problem for him to get first place in every exam, but how much worth does this first place actually amount to?


    However, when school was over at noon, Wang Xu and the rest of his gang surrounded him with excitement, as if they themselves were the ones that had taken first place while putting such a big difference between themselves and the second place, which made it so that Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t even have the chance to muddle in his worries.


    A mass of people crowded in front of the bulletin board to look at the red announcement list that had been posted. The first and second place were both from Class 8. Although everyone was a xuezha, for this kind of matter, even if they were xuezhas, they were still very proud. After all, they were all xuezhas with collective senses of honor.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is scientific enough,¡± Guo Xu said. ¡°They should also write all the total scores with the rest of it. Just writing the ranks isn¡¯t enough to highlight Jiang Cheng¡¯s wildness.¡±


    ¡°I think that it¡¯s already fine the way it is,¡± Wang Xu quickly followed up. ¡°You don¡¯t have to step over the second place just to praise the first.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Lu Xiaobin said. ¡°Yi Jing is second.¡±


    Wang Xu glared at him but couldn¡¯t find a way to retort.


    After checking out the red announcement list, the gang walked out of the school gate together. The finals for the basketball game was two days later so Wang Xu dragged them to the technical school to practice.


    ¡°Shit, who the hell posted this?¡± Wang Xu swiped through his phone as he walked, ¡°This was in the office ah. The picture was taken before Lao Xu had even finished writing the red announcement list¡­¡±


    ¡°Who knows who had passed by at the time,¡± Guo Xu said. ¡°But I don¡¯t believe that whoever posted this just happened to pass by. Give me a break, there are so many girls interested in Jiang Cheng right now, one of them must have gone to ask about it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s impossible for it to be a girl judging by the name,¡± one of their sub-players said. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s our opponents trying to start shit?¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at the substitute player for two minutes before remembering that his name was Zhang Yuan.


    Zhang Yuan¡¯s words aroused such a curiosity in him that his control finally cracked. He took out his phone and opened Si Zhong¡¯s forum.


    He immediately caught sight of a post that was already tagged as a hot topic¡­ how the hell did they manage to take a sneak shot of this in the office? And it was even avi?


    Before pressing into the post, he spotted the name of the poster and immediately swung his head around to look at Gu Fei who was walking at the very back.


    ¡°En?¡± Gu Fei looked at him, unperturbed.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this your fucking side account? Mr. ostentatiously_handsome?¡± Jiang Cheng interrogated in a low voice.


    ¡°Who?¡± Gu Fei had even changed his expression to one of bewilderment.


    ¡°Devastatingly_handsome,¡± Jiang Cheng simply had to give Gu Fei¡¯s naming abilities his utmost admiration, ¡°If this isn¡¯t you, I¡¯ll immediately live broadcast myself eating shit.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Gu Fei cracked into a smile, ¡°For the sake of not letting you eat shit, I¡¯ll have to say it¡¯s me even if it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fucking you.¡± Jiang Cheng took another glance at the time stamp of the post, ¡°You went to look for Lao Xu the moment our first class ended. You must¡¯ve made the post before you were even out of the office, right?¡±


    ¡°I was already out,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°No, wait.¡± Jiang Cheng found something very difficult to understand. ¡°Why the hell are you doing this ah?¡±


    ¡°Just to show off a little,¡± Gu Fei responded quietly, then took a quick look at the group of people walking in front of them. ¡°I don¡¯t usually have anything worth showing off, so now that there¡¯s a chance, I just wanted to show off my deskmate.


    Jiang Cheng stared at him in silence.


    He didn¡¯t know why but the words ¡®show off my deskmate¡¯ that Gu Fei uttered made him feel very blissful ¨C there was a faint sense of intimacy.


    The distance from their school to the technical school wasn¡¯t very far, they had even stopped to eat something along the way, and the walk there could be considered both an exercise and an activity for digestion.


    Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei remained in the back during the entire way there. Both of them opted to remain silent and gaze at the group of people that were in a rather jovial mood from finishing their exams and Jiang Cheng¡¯s exceptional scores.


    It was getting warmer by the day, and on this day, Jiang Cheng only sported a T-shirt with a thin jacket over top. When he and Gu Fei walked side by side, their arms would occasionally brush by each other¡¯s. This sort of fleetingly palpable contact brought him a sudden sense of contentedness.


    He didn¡¯t know how to clearly phrase it, but it just made him feel very blissful.


    As they walked across the street ¨C whether intentionally or unintentionally his arm bumped against Gu Fei¡¯s several times. He wondered if there was a problem with him.


    When they reached a turn, Gu Fei suddenly knocked his arm against his.


    He turned to look at Gu Fei, who also turned to look at him, and then hit him with his arm once more.


    ¡°Really? What are you doing?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I am very vindictive,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I hit you on purpose.¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a faint stab of guilt afterward.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m doing it on purpose.¡± Gu Fei smirked and hit him again with a raise of his arm.


    ¡°You¡¯re still going at it?¡± Jiang Cheng felt a rising urge to laugh, so he also bumped him.


    Gu Fei bumped back again.


    ¡°Geez,¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t hold back anymore, ¡°How old are you, huh?¡±


    ¡°Younger than you are in any case,¡± Gu Fei said and knocked against him once more.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng grew speechless and jabbed him with his elbow.


    Gu Fei swiftly returned the favor.


    He knocked against him again.


    Gu Fei did the same once more.


    Were they retards?


    Idiots?


    Had their brains gone to shit?


    The comments on Jiang Cheng¡¯s inner video[4] barrage flew out by one by one, but his movements didn¡¯t stop. And just like that, he and Gu Fei continued with this ¡®if you hit me, I¡¯ll hit you back¡¯ game all the way there.


    There wasn¡¯t much time at noon, so the gang didn¡¯t formally divide into two teams to practice and mainly trained and strengthened their cooperation. The captain, Wang Xu, was now slightly more reliable compared to before. At the very least, he could spot everyone¡¯s weaknesses and didn¡¯t just randomly give commands when assigning exercises for them to practice like before.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it a lot for the past two days,¡± Wang Xu started. ¡°I think we still have to be mentally prepared for this coming match. I watched the video recordings of Class 2¡¯s gameplay many times, and in my personal opinion, I think we can win against them, but it¡¯ll be difficult.¡±


    ¡°We just need to do our best.¡± Jiang Cheng squatted at the sideline, ¡°Right now, our goal isn¡¯t to get first place anymore.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s our goal?¡± Wang Xu asked.


    ¡°¡­ not to get our teeth smashed.¡± Jiang Cheng replied with amusement.


    The entire team laughed for a long while.


    ¡°We never thought of getting first place in the beginning anyway,¡± Jiang Cheng continued after laughing. ¡°All we wanted was to be a dark horse.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Wang Xu waved his hand, ¡°We¡¯ve already become the dark horse now!¡±


    Jiang Cheng shot him a thumbs up: ¡°All we have to do now is play with all our strength, the result isn¡¯t important anymore.¡±


    Gu Fei¡¯s phone went off in his pocket. He tossed the ball in his hand and it fell into the basketball hoop.


    He took out his phone to take a brief look and was surprised to find Hou Zi¡¯s name displayed as the caller ID.


    It was just like what he had said to Jiang Bin, he and Hou Zi weren¡¯t on friendly terms. Even though they had the other¡¯s number, there were never any exchanges. Now that Hou Zi had actually called, he reckoned that this matter couldn¡¯t be dragged on anymore.


    ¡°Hello.¡± He walked to the side to answer the call.


    ¡°You guys left pretty early today ah,¡± Hou Zi¡¯s voice sounded from the other side. ¡°We went over just to be met with an empty lot.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Fei¡¯s brows knitted. ¡°You want to drag in the people from our class as well?¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not necessary.¡± Hou Zi laughed, ¡°I don¡¯t usually like to make it difficult for students. I just went over to ask you and that Jiang Cheng to come and play. Since you two are so arrogant, I had to personally go and ask myself ah.¡±


    ¡°When?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°This afternoon,¡± Hou Zi said. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you two at the usual spot. Apart from that Jiang Cheng, you can choose to bring anyone else you want. Aren¡¯t I generous?¡±


    Gu Fei swept a glance over at Jiang Cheng just as Jiang Cheng had turned his head to look over at him.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Fei answered. ¡°If Jiang Bin wants to show up, then let¡¯s finish it once and for all today with just one round.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Hou Zi finished and hung up the phone.


    Gu Fei sent a message to Li Yan, telling him to notify the others, and then set an alarm. After setting it, he looked down at the screen and froze. Only when the screen finally went black did he put the phone back in his pocket and returned to the court.


    Wang Xu and the others were currently practicing at the height of their enthusiasm, so no one noticed him. Only Jiang Cheng walked over, stopped in front of him, and asked: ¡°Who called?¡±


    ¡°Hou Zi,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°He arranged a time?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°After the competition is over.¡±


    Jiang Cheng contemplated for a while: ¡°Who else is going besides us?¡±


    ¡°Li Yan, Liu Fan, and the others,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°We often play with them together so we¡¯re all familiar with their tactics.¡±


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t actually have anything to do with you, right?¡± Jiang Cheng spoke after a moment of silence.


    ¡°It has nothing to do with anyone.¡± Gu Fei stooped down to his knees, ¡°Class 7 was basically looking for trouble when they brought Jiang Bin into the game. When that person came, he wasn¡¯t going to accept any losses, let alone lose the game.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t respond. After a while, he squatted down in front of him and peered at him: ¡°If they try anything funny during the game, just bear with it.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°At worst, we¡¯ll just receive some small injuries,¡± Jiang Cheng continued. ¡°It¡¯s better than having this dragged out.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei continued to nod his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re being so obedient that something feels a little off¡­?¡± Jiang Cheng studied his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m giving an answer first before doing anything else.¡± Gu Fei laughed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to get even for me on this matter anymore,¡±[5] Jiang Cheng warned. ¡°I¡¯m serious, otherwise, it¡¯ll never end.¡±


    ¡°I got it.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    Neither of them spoke another word, just continued to look fixedly into each other¡¯s eyes for a while.


    Gu Fei felt something flying over, followed by the sound of Wang Xu¡¯s shout.


    He didn¡¯t know what kind of posture it took to pass such a ball to a place where nobody could possibly pick it up ¨C Gu Fei sighed.


    Just as he was about to raise a hand to block it, Jiang Cheng had already tilted his head over, reached out, and caught the ball.


    ¡°This conditioned reflex of yours.¡± Gu Fei sighed again, this time with a smile.


    Jiang Cheng passed the ball back to Wang Xu then stood up and dusted off his hands. He was about to go to practice with the others but after walking just two steps, he stopped and looked back at Gu Fei. ¡°Don¡¯t go alone.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Gu Fei waved his hand with some impatience.


    After practicing for the entire noon, everyone still felt an urge to continue even after the time was up.


    ¡°I think playing ball is very interesting,¡± Zhang Yuan said. Even though he was just a substitute, he was also left in a state of excitement after the previous match where he had only gone onto the court twice.


    ¡°We can still play by ourselves after the competition is over. We can practice a little during ordinary times and play again next semester.¡± Wang Xu said coolly as he flung his jacket on his shoulder.


    Everyone nodded one after another.


    ¡°You can also find some time to teach the girls,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°That way, they won¡¯t have to go on a day trip next time.¡±[6]


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Wang Xu¡¯s eyes suddenly lit up, ¡°I think Yi Jing and the others actually really like to play, but no one teaches them¡­¡±


    As they approached the school gate, Gu Fei¡¯s phone rang. He answered the call: ¡°What? Oh¡­ I forgot. I¡¯ll do it now then. Okay, I¡¯ll head back now.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jiang Cheng asked soon after.


    ¡°I have to take Er Miao to her medical checkup this afternoon. I forgot that I made an appointment with the doctor the last time we were there.¡± Gu Fei said in a low voice. ¡°Cheng-ge, help me tell Lao Xu, otherwise, he¡¯s going to call me until my phone blows up again.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, ¡°Are you telling me the truth?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth,¡± Gu Fei laughed.


    After Gu Fei watched Jiang Cheng, Wang Xu, and the rest of them enter the school together, he went to the parking lot to get his bicycle and rode back to the shop.


    Liu Fan¡¯s lousy Benni[7] was already parked in front of the shop.


    He pulled open the car door and scrutinized the interior: ¡°Can this car still move?¡±


    There were four people in the back seat: the three Bu Shi Hao Niao, and Li Yan, who had been squished to the point he had to sit directly on Luo Yu¡¯s lap.


    ¡°Hurry up,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°I¡¯m basically squatting here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to be repulsed by you if you just sat down,¡± Luo Yu casually said.


    ¡°But I¡¯m repulsed by you,¡± Li Yan retorted.


    Gu Fei sighed and climbed into the car.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t call Jiang Cheng?¡± Liu Fan started the car.


    ¡°Can this car even fit another person?¡± Li Yan stated. ¡°Isn¡¯t it fine if he goes there by himself?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell him,¡± Gu Fei spoke.


    All the people in the car suddenly fell silent. After turning the car around, Liu Fan glanced at him without speaking.


    After some time, Li Yan finally let out a soft: ¡°Fuck.¡±


    The ¡®usual spot¡¯ that Hou Zi mentioned was an old outdoor lighting stadium. It was a rather remote place that not many people would normally go to, nor would any normal person actually go. The place had long been occupied by all sorts of wayward youths and middle-aged men ¨C no person in their right mind would willingly come here to look for trouble.


    After Liu Fan parked the car, Gu Fei didn¡¯t get out. He gazed ahead at the two concrete courts that were surrounded by shabby wire fences ¨C every time he came here, he felt as if he was walking into an encirclement of high walls.


    The few people in the car didn¡¯t make a move to get out, they all quietly stared at him.


    ¡°This matter,¡± Gu Fei started. ¡°I¡¯m fine with taking care of it by myself, you guys¡­¡±


    ¡°What the fuck are you talking about, I thought you wanted to talk about some battle plans or something,¡± Liu Fan retorted, opening the door. ¡°Hou Zi coming at you is the same as him coming at us. If he was looking for a fight then you could say it¡¯s your one-person thing, but to arrange a ball game, he¡¯s obviously dragging us in too. Take care of it by yourself my ass.¡±


    ¡°Get off.¡± Li Yan patted him on the shoulder.


    A lot of people had already gathered on the court. Gu Fei surveyed the people around them and pretty much recognized every single one of them. There usually wouldn¡¯t be very many people who would choose to play a serious game here; most of the time, people would just play casually, or maybe they wouldn¡¯t even be playing. They would just hang around here and if they find you pleasing to the eye, they would talk to you. But if they don¡¯t, then they would use their fists.


    Whether it was playing ball or fighting, the audience would be equally fired up.


    Both Hou Zi and Jiang Bin were already standing on the sidelines. Hou Zi leaned against the barbed wire fence with a cigarette in his mouth and nodded at them when he saw them coming in.


    Hou Zi wasn¡¯t going to go on. He didn¡¯t really like to play, but he would certainly be spectating. Not to mention that it was his xiaodi[8] and his younger cousin that were going to play this so-called ball game. Just based on the fact that he had always been waiting for a chance to sort him out, coming to this ball game was a must for him.


    Gu Fei definitely didn¡¯t think that he was taking things on for Jiang Cheng because of any glorious intentions, he just felt like since they couldn¡¯t dodge the trouble that Hou Zi was giving them this time. He might as well solve it all in one breath. He didn¡¯t want to drag Jiang Cheng into this kind of low-level, meaningless fight.


    ¡°Start playing once you¡¯ve picked your people.¡± Hou Zi looked at Gu Fei, ¡°We have half an hour. Whoever scores the most points wins.¡±


    ¡°Are there any rules?¡± Gu Fei shrugged off his coat.


    ¡°No,¡± Hou Zi answered.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t respond. He turned around and walked to the side with Li Yan and the others: ¡°Li Yan isn¡¯t going on. The five of us are going to play, and Li Yan will be in charge of keeping an eye on their people.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Li Yan sounded and folded his arms together.


    There were no rules in this kind of game. Naturally, all kinds of petty tricks would be used since there wasn¡¯t anyone on the side to referee, and those on the court couldn¡¯t bother to care.


    ¡°Da Fei,¡± someone in the stands leaned over the railing and called out to Gu Fei, ¡°Need help?¡±


    Gu Fei turned around; they were a couple of familiar people that he had played with before. He shook his head: ¡°There are no rules today.¡±


    Those people nodded, not saying anything else.


    If it was a normal game, there would still be general guidelines to follow even if everybody played dirty, so it would be fine if there were people that wanted to go up and play together. But when the game had no rules, everyone knew what kind of game it really was.


    The five people on Jiang Bin¡¯s side had all played with them before, so everybody had a somewhat clear idea of the others¡¯ skill sets. But for this game, no one was clear on the ins and outs. After all, they had never fought together before.


    Several of them had something hidden in their wristbands, but Gu Fei didn¡¯t. He wasn¡¯t used to utilizing any props in these kinds of situations ¨C if they really were to start something, then he preferred to use his hands.


    Thinking up to that point, Gu Fei suddenly had a rather funny thought. If Jiang Cheng was here, he could arrange for him to not go on court, but to find somewhere to stay in the stands and use his slingshot to¡­


    Gu Fei was amused by this thought of his, thus he lowered his head to laugh.


    ¡°Aye,¡± Li Yan looked at him. ¡°Be serious, it¡¯s a fight ne.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Gu Fei laughed a few more times before turning toward the court.


    Jiang Cheng was sprawled over his desk as Lao Lu gave a vigor-filled lecture at the front of the class. Their major course was in the afternoon; the class-full of people were completely lifeless ¨C even the number of people chatting had reduced.


    Lao Lu was even more impassioned than usual, most likely because Jiang Cheng¡¯s full marks had put him in a cheerful mood. Even after half a class, he hadn¡¯t started cursing even once.


    Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t listening to the lesson either. He had his phone in hand and was looking through the exam papers that Pan Zhi had sent over. He had started doing the questions since the start of class, and now it has already been 20 minutes. The speed at which he answered the questions was significantly slower than when he was taking Si Zhong¡¯s midterm exam.


    He didn¡¯t stop during the breaks between classes either; but continued to answer the questions as he laid flat on his desk, even using up his entire self-study period.


    Finally, after he completed all the questions, he took photos of all the answers and sent them to Pan Zhi, asking him to help take them to the English teacher to be looked over.


    His mood wasn¡¯t that particularly good that afternoon ¨C but it wasn¡¯t because of the ball game nor that he didn¡¯t sleep well.


    He looked briefly at the empty seat beside him¡­ it was because of Gu Fei.


    He didn¡¯t know why, but since he had finished helping Gu Fei ask Lao Xu for leave, he was inexplicably restless. Now he was draped over his desk as he repeatedly contemplated every detail that occurred since the phone call Gu Fei had received during practice until the moment he went home.


    There weren¡¯t any problems, and everything appeared to be very normal, but he couldn¡¯t help the gnawing sense of unease from welling up in his guts.


    Even after fidgeting in his seat for a long time, Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t hold himself back. He didn¡¯t even wait for the class to end before he took out his phone and, without bothering to send a message, he directly dialed Gu Fei¡¯s number.


    Gu Fei has always been very meticulous when taking care of Gu Miao, but now he forgot the time that he had booked with the doctor? He just couldn¡¯t believe it.


    At least the call went through ¨C Gu Fei hadn¡¯t turned off his phone.


    But nobody picked up. The ringtone rang until it automatically hung up¡­ Gu Fei didn¡¯t answer the phone the entire time.


    Jiang Cheng frowned and redialed.


    Still, no one answered.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly couldn¡¯t sit still any longer.


    ¡ã


    The author has something to say: Continuing tomorrow.


    ¡°The long comment in the previous chapter was very interesting, oh. ¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ.¡± Said the slightly anxious author as she rubbed at her coffee cup, her legs shivering furiously.


    ¡°Cheng-ge, do you want to go take a look?! o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o¡± The black furry spirit that was pressing against the cabinet door shouted.


    ¡ã


    The translators have something to say:


    Sae: You know what I like about the gang of Wang Xu¡¯s friends that hang around Jiang Cheng, they are proud of his xueba title lol love it!


    Ice: This ice cube recalls its glory days¡­ where it was ranked first in the entire grade and had a history score that was 98%, the person in second place having a score that was 11% behind it¡­ then the next year, it was only in the top 15¡­ and finally the last¡­ *cries into a puddle* ahhhh the glory days¡­ QvQ   (ice cube has fallen behind in the past two years¡­)


    [1] ¨Cdaren (´óÈË£©title of respect toward superiors


    [2] Labour Day ¨C May 1st is China¡¯s Labour Day, and is one of the slightly bigger national holidays. Every year, schools and workplaces are required to give a three-day break (May 1st-3rd), thus making it one of the peak times for travel during the year.


    [3] Repeater ¨C students who repeat a course (I¡¯ve personally heard held-back)


    [4] Video barrage ¨C (µ¯Ä») basically the streams of comments flooding the screen in videos and broadcasts


    [5] Don¡¯t try to get even for me on this matter¡­ ÕâʶùÄã±ðÔÙ¸øÎÒ³öÍ· ¨C we¡¯re not 100% sure because it can also mean ¡®don¡¯t interfere and try to help me¡¯; or ¡®surpassing the other¡¯ like ¡°dont try to show off too much¡± cos they¡¯re already unhappy about being shown up.


    [6] That way, they won¡¯t have to go on a day trip next time.¡±  He saying the girls weren¡¯t good and their game was just a free vacation for them and a free win for the other team


    [7] Benni or BenBen (±¼±¼) ¨C The Changan BenBen (Chinese: ³¤°²±¼±¼; pinyin: ch¨¢ng ¨¡n b¨¥n b¨¥n) or sometimes Changan Benni is a 5-door city car hatchback produced by Changan Automobile.


    [8] Xiaodi ¨C (СµÜ) lit. means little brother but it also means ¡®lackey¡¯ or underling, though Gu Fei is not Hou Zi¡¯s xiaodi. Hou Zi was technically saying that GF could be counted as someone under his wing though doesn¡¯t work under him.

 CH 49

    Jiang Bin was standing at the sidelines with folded arms. Gu Fei and the others were already in the middle of the field, yet Jiang Bin had no intention of going over.


    ¡°The fucking bastard is clearly waiting for Jiang Cheng,¡± Li Fan stated.


    Gu Fei turned to look at Jiang Bin, but Jiang Bin stayed rooted in place without a hint of moving.


    ¡°Are we gonna play or not?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Jiang Bin sneered and looked down at the black brass knuckle on his hand. It was only after a long time did he finally raise his head again: ¡°Where¡¯s Jiang Cheng?¡±


    ¡°You can just add his debts to mine.¡± Gu Fei said. He was well aware that as long as he didn¡¯t see Jiang Cheng, Jiang Bin wouldn¡¯t agree to start so easily. He was originally contemplating on how to solve this problem, but when he spotted the brass knuckle on his hand, he immediately knew that the situation was going to be an easy one to solve.


    That brass knuckle belonged to Hou Zi. For Hou Zi to give it to Jiang Bin meant that the matters between the two of them would also have to be settled that day. Hou Zi backing up Jiang Bin was only an excuse. Hou Zi¡¯s target wasn¡¯t Jiang Cheng ¨C it was him.


    If that was how it all was, then it was actually much easier to deal with.


    ¡°Add it to yours?¡± Jiang Bin started to laugh, ¡°How come I didn¡¯t know that you took in a lackey?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve been around Hou Zi for only a day or two,¡± Gu Fei calmly relayed while fixing his wristband. ¡°How come you haven¡¯t learned even a bit of his self-possession ah?¡±


    ¡°Fucking say that again!¡± Jiang Bin was suddenly overtaken by a surge of fury. He didn¡¯t even bother keeping his arms folded anymore as he rushed in front of him with only two steps, nearly jabbing his finger in his face.


    ¡°There are always going to be wins and losses in a game. If you want to play, then you must know how to admit defeat. Did your cousin not teach you this?¡± Gu Fei swept a glance at Hou Zi who was looking at them in silence with a cigarette in his mouth. Gu Fei turned his head back to look at Jiang Bin. ¡°You made the first move during the game. He is a student, nevermind fighting back, he never even got to answer back ba? You just have to grab on and refuse to let it go. This doesn¡¯t seem like someone that has followed Hou Zi before ah.¡±


    Jiang Bin was pretty good at fighting and basketball, but when it came to articulating himself, it was a little difficult for him. Plus, there were a multitude of spectators on the stands and not a single one of them could be considered to be a good person. These people, despite whether they were being genuine or not, would still keep the word ¡®reasonable¡¯ at the tips of their tongues. This was why when Gu Fei finished speaking, Jiang Bing turned red in the face and froze in place without being able to squeeze out a single word.


    Finally, completely infuriated, he looked over at Hou Zi.


    ¡°Hurry it up.¡± Hou Zi said impatiently with the cigarette still in his mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s only going to be you and me today.¡± Gu Fei stared down at Jiang Bin, ¡°Whoever concedes or doesn¡¯t, let¡¯s settle this in one go.¡±


    Jiang Bin stared at him for a full five seconds before squeezing a word from between the gaps of his teeth: ¡°Fine.¡±


    The game was only to last for half an hour. There would be no timeout nor substitutions in the middle, and aside from someone coming in to toss the jump ball, there were no referee or scoreboard either ¨C the audience in the stands was the scoreboard.


    And if a bet happened to take place, then the score would be kept even more meticulously than an actual scoreboard.


    Liu Fan and Qian Kai came up for the jump ball. Both of them kept their eyes glued on the ball and the spectators of the game¡­ or rather the spectators of the fight, all fell silent.


    The person who was responsible for tossing the ball threw it in the air and immediately ran off the court as if his life was on the line.


    In this sort of game, each and every person had ¡®something¡¯ on them. If he didn¡¯t leave the court before the game started, he could¡¯ve been accidentally injured by someone.


    Although the actual purpose of this game had nothing to do with basketball, Liu Fan was the only one among the few of them to have ever gone to the police station. Just after the Lunar New Year, he had stayed there for a week, but he was also the one on their side that loved playing basketball the most. Thus, it was not surprising that Liu Fan¡¯s hand would shoot straight toward the ball.


    However, Qian Kai¡¯s wasn¡¯t. His sole target was Liu Fan¡¯s arm.


    The second Liu Fan¡¯s hand slapped the ball toward Gu Fei, Qian Kai¡¯s hand followed Liu Fan¡¯s before he slashed down from his wrist all the way to his forearm.


    At the same time as when Gu Fei caught the ball, he saw the line of blood running down Liu Fan¡¯s arm.


    He gripped the ball and turned around before he started dribbling it toward the basket on the other side of the court.


    The sound of footsteps rang out from behind him ¨C someone was quickly charging over. Gu Fei advanced another two more steps with the ball before suddenly darting to the side. He then leaped up and made a shot for the basket.


    Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of Jiang Bin rushing in from his right and swiping at his side with his left hand.


    Gu Fei only felt something scraping roughly right below the right side of his ribs, but he didn¡¯t sense any pain when he landed on the ground. He stared at the rim of the basket; it was only after he watched the ball sink in that he finally allowed himself to glance down and check his own situation.


    A cut had ripped apart his T-shirt and when he lifted it, he saw the crude mark made by the brass knuckle on his waist. The moment he looked down to check on it was when the blood finally started to slowly seep out from the uneven wound.


    He grabbed at his shirt and carelessly pressed it against the wound. It was a shallow cut, and aside from it looking quite ghastly, it didn¡¯t affect him in the least.


    Jiang Bin served the ball to which he passed to Qian Kai. Gu Fei originally wanted to intercept but upon seeing that Liu Fan had already gone over, he instead made a beeline toward the midline to prepare for defense.


    The wound on Liu Fan¡¯s arm was bloody, but it didn¡¯t seem to be too deep either. Before Gu Fei had a chance to take his eyes off of Liu Fan¡¯s arm, he heard Li Yan¡¯s voice from outside of the court. ¡°Da Fei, behind you!¡±


    Without turning around, he directly bent down at his waist and somebody¡¯s fist swung by from above him.


    It was only the first ball and it had already become like this¡­ Gu Fei felt that even if they took the beating and didn¡¯t retaliate during this game, for them to be able to persevere through five minutes of this match was a miracle in and of itself.


    And it wasn¡¯t as if they hadn¡¯t struck back either. Over on the other side, Li Fan employed the same method that Qian Kai had used earlier as he intercepted the ball ¨C he stuck his wristband that had something secretly concealed in it by Qian Kai¡¯s arm and swiped down.


    Gu Fei couldn¡¯t clearly see the situation from this angle, but from how the muscles on Qian Kai¡¯s face spasmed, it probably wasn¡¯t a light swipe.


    It was impossible for this match to last for a whole half an hour, let alone five whole minutes. Gu Fei straightened himself up.


    He wasn¡¯t too familiar with the guy that had swung his fist at him from behind. He neither knew his name or nickname, thus he could only learn from Jiang Cheng and came up with a name for this guy, ¡®Little Swinger¡¯.


    Little Swinger¡¯s fist was directed toward the back of his head. If he hadn¡¯t evaded, he would definitely be lying on the ground at the moment and whether he would be able to immediately get back up again wasn¡¯t even a certainty.


    This group of people was evidently more vicious than even Hou Zi¡¯s own men. Hou Zi at least somewhat abided by the Jianghu49 code; even if it was only in appearances, he still wanted to save some face. But these guys were on a whole different level. With these people around, even walking required one to be extra careful in case one accidentally steps and trips over someone¡¯s pride.


    Little Swinger¡¯s fist came up empty. Then without even a hint of hesitation, he pulled his hand back and aimed yet another swing at Gu Fei¡¯s face.


    Gu Fei spotted a steel conical broach in his hand. The thing itself wasn¡¯t that particularly sharp and had a round blunt head, but if one was smashed by it¡­ Gu Fei raised his left hand to make a block with his forearm and, using it as a pivot to press against Little Swinger¡¯s elbow, he used his right hand to firmly grip Little Swinger¡¯s wrist and harshly snapped it back.


    Little Swinger froze for two seconds before he let out a blood-curdling screech. Gu Fei then shoved him to the side and caught the ball that Luo Yu had just passed over to him.


    After rushing the ball past two more people, Jiang Bin obstructed the path ahead of him. Gu Fei came to an abrupt stop and prepared to make a three-point shot.


    At the same time as when the ball flew out of his hand, Jiang Bin charged in front of him and forcefully brought his hand down on him. The brass knuckle first landed on his shoulder before suddenly sliding down into a slash with the momentum.


    A deafening series of whistles and applause burst from the stands. For a three-point shot to be successful even under such circumstances, even Gu Fei admired himself a bit.


    But the match could no longer proceed. Jiang Bin was completely unable to keep himself composed and was even more disinclined to pretend. If it was to continue like this, even if they manage to earn a higher score, not many of them would be able to remain standing by the end of it all.


    Moreover, even if Jiang Bin and his gang, that were the type of people to blatantly ignore what was evidently a fight under the guise of a ball game, they managed to win by scoring more points under said circumstances¡­ this matter would still be far from over.


    The only way.


    The only way.


    Gu Fei suddenly felt a bit deplorable ¨C the only way was learned from that father of his.


    That was to make your opponent never dare touch you again in one shot.


    Whether it was his mother¡¯s unreliable suitors, the Hou Zi of the past, or that Little Swinger from just then¡­ whether or not he had done it intentionally, his father¡¯s way of doing things that had terrified him to the point of nightmares since he was young had already been unwittingly written in his blood¡­


    When the brass knuckle in Jiang Bin¡¯s hand swept toward him for a third time, Gu Fei raised his arm, and twisting back his shoulders and hips, he landed a harsh slap across the left side of Jiang Bin¡¯s face.


    It wasn¡¯t the usual sharp and crisp sound of a slap, instead, it was a dull yet loud sound.


    That ruthless strike sent Jiang Bin spinning from where he stood before he fell to the concrete ground. Even the sound of his head hitting the ground wasn¡¯t as loud as the slap that landed on his face.


    All the people on the court froze and there was a brief silence from the audience in the stands.


    Jiang Bin lied plastered to the ground and it was only after several seconds that he began to struggle to get up again. But after just two attempts, with each time resulting in him collapsing again, he could only use his hands to push himself slightly off the ground and begin to vomit in the end.


    ¡°Fucking hell¡ª¡± The dozens of spectators on the stands watching the show started to shout, their whistles and screams mixed together, showing their utter excitement.


    For them, it didn¡¯t matter who lost or won, and it didn¡¯t matter who it was that got beaten down either. As long as someone fell, got injured, or couldn¡¯t get up, they would be thrilled.


    Everyone on the court gathered around. Qian Kai went over, intending to help Jiang Bin up only to have Gu Fei glance up at him: ¡°Is it you?¡±


    ¡°¡­ what?¡± Qian Kai froze.


    ¡°The next one,¡± Gu Fei looked at him and spoke with a low voice, ¡°Is it you?¡±


    Qian Kai made no sound in response and stayed frozen in place, not daring to directly go and assist him.


    ¡°We¡¯ll stop the match then.¡± Gu Fei turned his head to slowly stare at the people around him. ¡°Let¡¯s just resolve this directly. Who else is there? Let¡¯s get it over with already.¡±


    The situation sank into an awkward stalemate. A single slap from Gu Fei, who had nothing else in his hand, was enough to render Jiang Bin incapable of getting up again, leaving him to continue vomiting himself into unconsciousness as he sprawled on the ground. There was also the other guy who was cradling his arm that hurt so much he didn¡¯t even dare touch it ¨C it was most likely broken. Not a single person dared to go up and face off against him anymore.


    But this was a ¡®one go to settle it all ball game¡¯ after all. If they really were to not make a move now, it would mean that they would never be able to make a move on him in the future¡­


    ¡°Help him up.¡± Hou Zi¡¯s voice sounded from behind, breaking the stalemate.


    At this, a few people finally came over and hauled Jiang Bin up. Jiang Bing was a little unsteady on his feet and looked to be disoriented ¨C he was only able to stop swaying when two people supported him from either side.


    Hou Zi shot Gu Fei a glare and then walked over to Jiang Bin. ¡°How are you?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t hear too well.¡± Jiang Bin coughed a couple of times, ¡°Ears are ringing.¡±


    ¡°Take him to the hospital.¡± Hou Zi frowned, ¡°And wipe your mouth.¡±


    The handful of people prepared to leave with Jiang Bin but as they passed by Gu Fei, Jiang Bin struggled a little and stared at Gu Fei intently.


    Tinnitus was a given to occur. Perhaps, it was even more severe than tinnitus, but Gu Fei wasn¡¯t concerned about anything at the moment. Unlike Jiang Cheng, who was worried if a person who fell outside in the snow would freeze to death, he wouldn¡¯t linger in fear.


    Gu Fei leaned in close to Jiang Bin¡¯s right ear and clearly articulated every word: ¡°Take it that this is done and over with today. I¡¯m the kind of person that doesn¡¯t like to stir up trouble. As long as you don¡¯t provoke problems for me, I would never go after anyone.¡±


    Jiang Bin was silent, though it wasn¡¯t clear if he had fully heard those words as he stared at Gu Fei for another moment before walking away.


    As soon as Jiang Bin¡¯s people withdrew, the only ones that were left on the court were Hou Zi, Gu Fei, and the rest of his team. However, even with just them, the spectators¡¯ interest did not diminish in the slightest. Although no one dared to surround them, they all stood nearby, waiting with bated breath for the possibility of a second match.


    Wasting their own time and surrounding others only for a chance to catch sight of another¡¯s blood, even though they were all spectators, these people simply disgusted Gu Fei.


    ¡°Still so ruthless of you ah. You¡¯ve always settled things with one move.¡± Hou Zi looked at Gu Fei, ¡°It¡¯s been almost two years and yet you still haven¡¯t lost even a bit of power.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything.


    Truth be told, he wasn¡¯t completely unafraid of Hou Zi like he was to Jiang Bin. Hou Zi was older than him by quite a few years and had started prowling around the streets before he had even finished middle school. He was different from those who only mixed in the circle for a few years before getting a job or returning to a civilian lifestyle. Hou Zi was the type of person who had purposely stepped foot into the darkness with no intention of backing out.


    ¡°And here I thought that being in a normal high school would teach you to be less temperamental than a reformatory school.¡± Hou Zi sneered, ¡°You know, I originally wasn¡¯t going to meddle with yours and Jiang Bin¡¯s affairs. After all, I did say that he should resolve things himself and that whether he wants to or not, he has to concede to the outcome. But it¡¯s a different case now. Since you decided to take this on for Jiang Cheng, it¡¯s only fair if I take this on for Jiang Bin.¡±


    Gu Fei still didn¡¯t utter a word.


    ¡°Frankly, I don¡¯t want to do this either ah.¡± Hou Zi stretched his waist and lit a cigarette, ¡°But think about it, we can settle the issue between us at the same time, otherwise, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be at peace.¡±


    ¡°I have a match the day after tomorrow,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°After the match.¡±


    Hou Zi was also a person that held grudges and the issue with Jiang Cheng was just an excuse. Back when he came to collect protection fees, Gu Fei had damaged his bladder with a single kick. Although more than a year had gone by since then, let alone someone that bore grudges, even if he wasn¡¯t the type to hold a grudge, this matter was not one that he could easily let go of.


    There definitely needed to be an excuse if one wanted to seek revenge after such a long time, and now one finally appeared, but Hou Zi knew that he wasn¡¯t a threat in a one-on-one fight. Surrounded by a mass of people adding onto the fact that he had violated Hou Zi¡¯s ¡°principals¡±, Gu Fei could only decide a time. What method to use was up to Hou Zi to decide.


    ¡°A school match?¡± Hou Zi asked.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei sounded in response.


    Hou Zi had a dumbfounded expression. The exaggerated expression made it clear at a glance that he and Jiang Bin were relatives. It was only after a long time that Gu Fei finally let out a laugh: ¡°There¡¯s been some changes after all. Si Zhong is a good place ah, Gu Fei is even attending a school match.¡±


    Gu Fei was too lazy to respond to him, so he remained silent.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, I¡¯ve always been easy to talk to.¡± Hou Zi held a cigarette as he used a finger to jab at his chest a few times, ¡°The night after tomorrow at 8:00 o¡¯clock at the old building by the railway bridge. Let¡¯s play something fair.¡±


    Gu Fei shot him a look and Liu Fan who stood at the side took a step forward, seemingly agitated. He stretched out his arm to block him: ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°Hurdling,¡± Hou Zi said.  ¡°Everyone is responsible for the consequences of their own actions.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Gu Fei agreed.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Liu Fan smacked the steering wheel as soon as he got in the car, ¡°Why the hell did you agree to hurdling? Can¡¯t you beat the shit out of him?¡±


    ¡°This has to be settled eventually,¡± Ge Fei responded.


    ¡°Settle it with a fucking fight! The fuck you hurdling for?!¡± Luo Yu roared from the back.


    ¡°Do you actually think that he¡¯d possibly agree to a fight?¡± Gu Fei turned back to look at Luo Yu, ¡°If he wanted to settle things with just a fight, then he would have done so a long time ago. Would he have needed to wait this long?¡±


    ¡°Then let him continue to wait ah!¡± Liu Fan yelled, ¡°He doesn¡¯t have the balls to mess with you, so what difference does it make if you ignored him¡­¡±


    ¡°What if he has a hidden agenda?¡± Gu Fei interrupted him, ¡°What if he looks for someone else? What if he messes with Gu Miao?¡±


    Everybody in the car all fell silent.


    ¡°Plus, I¡¯m tired of it all.¡± Gu Fei twisted his brows as he tugged at his clothes. The clothes coagulated with blood suddenly ripped open, and he almost cried out, ¡°Even if I¡¯m stuck here for my entire life, I still want to feel some sort of stability as I stay here. I don¡¯t want to spend the rest of my life in a struggle for life all the time.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about him anymore,¡± Li Yan spoke up. ¡°He¡¯s already agreed to it, so saying any of this right now is pointless. If this problem can be resolved, then just resolve it ba. It¡¯s not like you could die. You¡¯ll just end up staying in the hospital for a few months at worst¡­¡±


    ¡°Who said it¡¯s impossible to die?! Haven¡¯t you seen the news?! Two days ago somebody died from tripping and falling flat on their face!¡± Liu Fan stared straight into Li Yan¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Fuck! I¡¯ll spit on your whole family!¡± Li Yan grew anxious and glared back at him, ¡°Hurry up and spit! Idiot!¡±


    Liu Fan paused for a quite some time then finally slapped the steering wheel: ¡°Pei, pei, pei.¡±


    Gu Fei tilted his head to look out the window and laughed for some time: ¡°Idiots.¡±


    As Jiang Cheng stood inside Gu Fei¡¯s family shop and watched Gu Fei¡¯s mother, who was nibbling on melon seeds behind the checkout counter, he felt both standing and walking would be awkward.


    ¡°Sit down bei,¡± Gu Fei¡¯s mother said. ¡°He¡¯s usually always back at the shop around mealtimes.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want to sit down at all. He pointed at the door, intending to say, ¡®I¡¯ll go take a walk outside.¡¯


    But before he could even utter those words, Gu Fei¡¯s mother glanced at the clock on the side and waved her hands at him: ¡°Aiyo, I wasn¡¯t paying attention to the time. I have to go out now. Good thing you¡¯re here. I don¡¯t need to lock the shop then. Keep an eye on the place ba.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jiang Cheng froze.


    ¡°Just help check people out. Li Yan does it all day long ne,¡± Gu Fei¡¯s mother said while putting on her coat. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t even know to check people out?¡±


    Jiang Cheng wanted to say that he really didn¡¯t know how, but before he could open his mouth, Gu Fei¡¯s mother had already dashed out of the shop like a gust of wind. He stood stunned in place inside the shop for a long while, his mind in a chaotic mess, before finally sitting down behind the checkout counter after some time.


    Whatever Gu Fei was doing that took an entire afternoon, he didn¡¯t know. But he knew for sure that it definitely had nothing to do with Gu Miao. He had asked when he came by and Gu Miao was at home drawing ne.


    He was almost certain that Gu Fei had gone to the zoo.


    But where was such a place where both basketball could be played and fights could break out ¨C no one knew. The only person in the class who he could ask was Wang Xu but Wang Xu didn¡¯t know, and if he didn¡¯t know, then it was even more impossible for anyone else to know. Aside from the students in the class, Ding Zhuxin was the only other person that he could inquire, but Ding Zhuxin didn¡¯t give him an answer.


    ¡°What he refuses to tell you, I can¡¯t tell you even if I know it.¡± Ding Zhuxin very warmly replied yet didn¡¯t give him a chance to further question in detail.


    Jiang Cheng took out his phone and just like that, he sat behind the checkout counter in a daze, unable to pinpoint exactly how he was feeling.


    Anxiety, he had already felt. Fury, he had also already felt. The only thing that remained of the anger that persistently burned till now was depression ¨C the sort of depression that wouldn¡¯t dissolve if he didn¡¯t beat the shit out of Gu Fei.


    After being stuck in a daze for almost twenty minutes, he heard the sound of a car outside the shop and walked over to stand in front of the wind curtain, taking a look outside.


    A Benni that looked as though it would fall apart if it moved another ten meters stopped at the door. The windows were closed, and the people inside couldn¡¯t be seen, but after the car stopped, Gu Fei got out of the passenger seat.


    Jiang Cheng was initially still wondering if maybe Gu Fei really did have something else to do and it was him who might have thought too much, but when he saw the bloodstain on the collar of Gu Fei¡¯s shirt, who was making his way over here, his anger sharply rose. It was as if there was a welding torch in his body that was burning through his skull, turning him into a human torch.


    Gu Fei probably didn¡¯t expect for there to be people standing behind the wind curtain so the second he lifted it and walked in, he directly collided into Jiang Cheng¡¯s body.


    ¡°Ai!¡± Gu Fei was startled, but just as he thought of stepping back, he was grabbed by Jiang Cheng on the collar of his jacket.


    ¡°What were you doing?¡± Jiang Cheng grabbed his collar and dragged him into the shop before pressing him against the wall next to him. ¡°Tell me, what the fuck did you go to do?!¡±


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Gu Fei had a dumbstruck expression.


    ¡°I asked what you went to do!¡± Jiang Cheng roared.


    Gu Fei grabbed his wrist and tried to pull it away but didn¡¯t succeed. He could only give up and sighed.


    ¡°How about I give you five seconds to make up a story ah!¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze bored into him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t make it up even if you give me another ten seconds,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It¡¯s too sudden.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t speak. After staring at him for a while, he suddenly loosened his hand, turned around, lifted the curtain, and walked out of the shop.


    Gu Fei frowned and knocked his head against the wall. After a two-second pause, he chased after him: ¡°Jiang Cheng!¡±


    Jiang Cheng was walking back in the direction of his rental place with swinging arms. He didn¡¯t look back nor did his steps show any sign of slowing down.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei chased after and grabbed his arm, ¡°Cheng-ge¡­¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge, my ass!¡± Jiang Cheng swung his arm off and turned to glare at him, ¡°I don¡¯t have a son like you!¡±


    ¡°I said Ge,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng was stunned, but anyone could see that his anger was quickly rekindling. He pointed a finger at Gu Fei: ¡°It¡¯s fucking useless even if you call me Grandpa!¡±


    Gu Fei hesitated for a moment before grabbing his arm once more and, with a turn of his head, he dragged him back in the shop.


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng was dumbstruck. He firmly swung his arm a couple of times but was unable to shake off his hands. Just as he was thinking of putting in more effort, he caught sight of the bloodstain on Gu Fei¡¯s collar again and clenched his teeth because of him for the third time that day.


    In that moment of hesitation, Gu Fei successfully dragged him back inside the shop.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Talk about what?¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly felt like all his strength had scattered the moment Gu Fei released his arm. The anger within him also suddenly stopped surging. He leaned back against the wall, ¡°Talk about how you deceived me?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    Jiang Cheng looked at him. In addition to the bloodstain on his collar, there was also a bloodstain slightly above his waist. ¡°First, take care of your injuries ba. This garish appearance of yours¡­ those who don¡¯t know would think that somebody flogged you.¡±


    PREV           |          TOC          |         NEXT


    The author has something to say: Resting tomorrow, see you all on Monday yo \^o^/¡£


    ¡°It¡¯s 2017~ ¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ, next year we will continue to ¡®run freely, my little goldfishes ¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ.¡±  The author happily said as she placed the black cashmere mats down and knelt on them.


    ¡°Happy New Year ah! o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o¡± The black furry spirit shouted excitedly.


    ¡°Ji & (¡¥^¡¥)& .¡± The tiny black furry spirit chirped.


    ¡°w(©b§¥©b)w ying.¡± The small furry spirit cried.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡£¡± The fourth and fifth black furry spirits looked at you all.

 CH 50

    Gu Fei didn¡¯t appear very different from normal, so he didn¡¯t think that he was seriously injured. But when he took off his jacket, Jiang Cheng ended up frowning when he caught sight of the t-shirt that was torn on the right side of his waist.


    ¡°Was this from the game?¡± He asked.


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei tossed his jacket to the side and glanced at him, ¡°You haven¡¯t eaten yet, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any appetite,¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little hungry though.¡± Gu Fei took out his phone, ¡°I¡¯ll order two bowls of rice, so how about you just try to eat some?¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Stir-fried green pepper and beef,¡± Gu Fei read off his phone. ¡°What do you want to order? There¡¯s braised beef with potatoes, stir-fried tomato and scrambled eggs, braised eggplant¡­¡±


    ¡°Stir-fried tomato and scrambled eggs.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    After Gu Fei ordered the takeaway, he took out a first-aid kit from the small cabinet next to him. He snuck a glance at Jiang Cheng and hesitated for a few seconds before he raised his arms and stripped himself of his t-shirt.


    ¡°Oh shit.¡± Jiang Cheng was given a fright when he saw the two large gashes on his shoulder and waist, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just let them beat you to death ah.¡±


    ¡°Who can beat me to death?¡± Gu Fei laughed as he went inside the small room.


    ¡°¡­ do you need some help?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Does thanks fucking mean that you need it or not ah?¡± Jiang Cheng retorted as he stood.


    ¡°Need.¡± Gu Fei turned his head back to look at him.


    There were only two wounds on his body and it actually wasn¡¯t too bad. Jiang Cheng entered the small room and made his way closer to inspect the wounds more carefully. He noticed that the edges of the wounds were very irregular, meaning that the tool that caused the wounds was a really blunt one, so the gashes were basically made by tearing his skin open ¨C it felt painful just imagining it.


    He opened the first-aid kit and took out the alcohol. After mulling over it for some time, he finally asked, ¡°Was it Hou Zi? That¡­ brass knuckle of his?¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡± Gu Fei gawked at him, a little surprised, ¡°You can even tell this? A xueba also has this sort of affiliative ability¡­ it wasn¡¯t Hou Zi, but Jiang Bin.¡±


    ¡°I just guessed.¡± Jiang Cheng held a sterilized cotton ball in one hand and the bottle of alcohol in the other. He stared at Gu Fei¡¯s wound as he contemplated on how to go about cleaning up such a large wound. Dabbing it with an alcohol-dipped cotton¡­ would take forever for a gash as long as this. Plus, just attempting a couple of postures was already tiring. ¡°How about we go next door to take care of it?¡±


    ¡°I refuse. The moment it¡¯s the afternoon or evening, there would be a bunch of uncles and aunts getting amino acid drips next door. It¡¯s basically a gossip story newsroom at this time. If I were to go there now, everyone around here would know that I¡¯ve been hacked and even practically hacked to death.¡± Gu Fei groaned, ¡°The wound isn¡¯t even that serious. Just casually disinfect it, stick on a gauze, and it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded in response.


    ¡°Just¡­¡± Before Gu Fei could finish speaking, Jiang Cheng had already raised his hand and poured the alcohol on the wound on his shoulder. He froze for two seconds before he gave a sharp inhale, ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    ¡°I should get a bottle of saline solution¡­ must hurt a lot, huh?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Gu Fei¡¯s eyebrows were twisted into a knot.


    ¡°The pain from the alcohol will pass very soon.¡± Jiang Cheng blew at his wound a couple of times, ¡°I just wanted to give it a good rinse.¡±


    ¡°¡­ oh.¡± Gu Fei peered at the wound, ¡°You¡¯ve finished rinsing now, right?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng rummaged through the first-aid kit again and fished out a bottle of medical iodine, ¡°It should be fine after we use this to disinfect it one more time.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to pour that on as well?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°It¡¯s such a large wound. Just how long do you think it¡¯ll take if we slowly dab it with a cotton ball ah.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re pretty damn carefree.¡± Gu Fei growled.


    ¡°You went seeking for death, yet you still want to lie comfortably in bed. If you have the ability, then don¡¯t get hurt ah.¡± Jiang Cheng then proceeded to also pour the iodine on after he finished speaking, then used the cotton ball to dab at it.


    ¡°To tell you the truth¡­ it¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t want to take you with me.¡± Gu Fei leaned against the wall and raised his arm to let him treat the wound on his waist. ¡°It¡¯s mainly that¡­ this matter¡­ has nothing to do with you.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng knew what Gu Fei meant and it was also something he could guess. Jiang Bin was looking for someone to vent his anger on after losing the game, however, the one backing him up was Hou Zi who didn¡¯t see eye-to-eye with Gu Fei. ¡°But I¡¯m just the fuse. If you didn¡¯t insist on shouldering this matter for me, Hou Zi might¡¯ve not been able to cause you trouble.¡±


    Gu Fei kept silent. Since he had bumped into Jiang Cheng the moment he came back, let alone making up an excuse, he didn¡¯t even have the chance to go over what had just happened.


    But he was all verklempt because of Jiang Cheng. Just like this, Jiang Cheng was able to quickly figure out the truth of the matter based only on that small amount of information ¨C he was truly deserving of being called a xueba. With such a meticulous mind for logic, he might as well study the sciences.


    ¡°You being like this makes me feel shameless.¡± Jiang Cheng took the bottle of alcohol and dumped it on his waist. ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Ai!¡± Gu Fei couldn¡¯t hold back a yell, ¡°Can¡¯t you give a warning first before you just dump it on?!¡±


    ¡°I can.¡± Jiang Cheng shot him a glance, ¡°Yo~ I¡¯m about to dump it on for the second time now.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Gu Fei¡¯s words were cut short when Jiang Cheng dumped the alcohol on the wound once more. He took a deep breath, ¡°You¡¯re retaliating, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°All set.¡± Jiang Cheng used the cotton to give a couple dabs, ¡°I got prescribed two bottles of tissue adhesive or something when I went to the hospital last time. I¡¯ll give you one tomorrow, you¡¯ll heal faster if you use that.¡±


    ¡°¡­ en,¡± Gu Fei sounded in response.


    Even though Jiang Cheng never touched him during the whole process, just the slightly painful touch brought by the cotton on the wound was enough to make that side of his body a little numb and weak. But once the alcohol settled, whatever unsavory ideas he had were instantly expelled from his mind ¨C he was now pure of heart and limited in his desires.[1]


    After gauze was properly placed over the wound, the person delivering the food arrived. Jiang Cheng went to bring in the two sets of rice with meat and vegetables while Gu Fei set up a small table and sat down.


    It was only then that he could finally feel all the tension that had accumulated in the afternoon slowly subside.


    ¡°This restaurant,¡± Jiang Cheng opened his container of food and gave it a long, hard stare. ¡°Will definitely close this year.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Fei opened his own share and looked at it ¨C it smelled pretty good.


    ¡°Every time I see this type of stir-fried tomato and scrambled egg with tomatoes that are cut bigger than a face and an egg that was split into eight portions when scrambled,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I would always say this same sentence.¡±


    Gu Fei stared at the stir-fried tomato and scrambled eggs in his container before bursting into a laughing fit that he couldn¡¯t hold back. After a long time did he finally manage to stop himself. He then pushed his portion of stir-fried green pepper and beef over: ¡°Wanna switch?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need.¡± Jiang Cheng took a look at his container, ¡°Just based on this stir-fried green pepper and beef made from a green pepper that¡¯s only sliced once and a piece of beef that has been split eighty times, this restaurant will close down this year.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed as he ate. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anymore after that, just lowered his head and began to eat with a gloomy expression.


    After eating in silence for several minutes, Gu Fei lifted his head and put down his chopsticks: ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to lie to you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng remained silent. He stared at the piece of tomato between his chopsticks and after a while, he finally put it in his mouth: ¡°Has the matter been settled?¡±


    Gu Fei hesitated for a moment: ¡°I arranged a time with Hou Zi the day after tomorrow. When our match is over.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked up at him.


    ¡°It really is a matter just between Hou Zi and I this time,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether or not you¡¯re the one to start the fire, it was always going to explode. I might as well settle both problems at once.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t respond and simply lowered his head, continuing to eat.


    The food was utterly unpalatable; the tomato juice sauteed out, the eggs were too sparse, and the rice was too mushy. His chopsticks came to a halt after he had only eaten half of it.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t eat it anymore then put it on the stand in the backyard.¡± Gu Fei on the other hand downed it very quickly; one could already see the bottom of his container. ¡°Some stray cats will come by to eat ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng got up and took the half-full container of food to the backyard then set it on the stand. He stood there and waited a bit, but no cats came into his line of sight, so he went back into the shop. ¡°I didn¡¯t see any cats.¡±


    ¡°The one that usually comes by is pretty timid so if someone¡¯s there, it won¡¯t come out.¡± Gu Fei threw away the empty container, put away the table, and lit a cigarette as he leaned against the checkout counter.


    Jiang Cheng sat on the chair and took out his phone, swiping back and forth on it aimlessly.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re upset that I didn¡¯t call you along today.¡± Gu Fei held the cigarette in his mouth and stared down at his shoes. ¡°If it was only Jiang Bin, I would¡¯ve brought you along. But Hou Zi was there¡­ so I thought ¡®nevermind¡¯.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced at him.


    ¡°There are some things that are best avoided if you can, and best not to take part in if you don¡¯t have to.¡± Gu Fei let out a puff of smoke, ¡°It¡¯s too troublesome.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded.


    ¡°That day, you asked me why I didn¡¯t go to a technical high school or something.¡± Gu Fei looked at him, ¡°Wanna hear about it?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±  Jiang Cheng nodded.


    Gu Fei went to close the door of the shop and pulled down the shutters. He then grabbed a chair and sat opposite of him.


    ¡°In the past, I was kind of¡­¡± Gu Fei fell silent for a while before finally continuing, ¡°In elementary school, I used to always¡­ get into fights. Even now, my elementary school classmates would still take detours when they see me on the street.¡±


    ¡°School tyrant ah.¡± Jiang Cheng gazed at him.


    ¡°Anyway, basically¡­ I was beaten by my dad at home, and so I beat others when I went out.¡± Gu Fei gave a bitter laugh, ¡°I didn¡¯t like to talk much at that time, so I would always use my fists for every little thing. If I injured someone and they came to our door for compensation, my dad would beat the shit out of me again.¡±


    Jiang Cheng softly sighed.


    ¡°During First Year, I pushed my deskmate out of the second-floor classroom window.¡± Gu Fei stretched his long legs and directed his gaze at the tips of his feet. ¡°Actually, my dad had also thrown me out the window before, but I didn¡¯t sustain many injuries¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at him in surprise but said nothing.


    ¡°But that kid was injured pretty seriously. His arms, legs, and ribs were all broken. The school went to look for my mother¡­ my dad had just died at the time,¡± Gu Fei said in a low voice. ¡°The school had already thought that it wasn¡¯t suitable for me to remain in a regular junior high school due to my circumstances, and with the addition of that matter, they suggested that I go to a reformatory school[2].¡±


    ¡°What kind of school is a reformatory school?¡± Jiang Cheng asked, but seeing that Gu Fei seemed a bit out of sorts, he lowered his head and checked on his phone instead.


    Reformatory school ¨C a special educational school established by the People¡¯s Republic of China for minors who had committed minor violations of the law or other criminal activities and does not fall within the scope of administrative sanctions or penalties.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng froze.


    ¡°Many of those places have been shut down already.¡± Gu Fei lightly swayed his foot, ¡°The one that I had gone to was also changed to a technical school later on. There weren¡¯t that many students when I was there.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng muttered, not knowing what else to say.


    ¡°In fact, the Principal had also recommended my mother to take me to see a psychiatrist at the time since. They thought that I had serious violent tendencies or something.¡± Gu Fei threw the cigarette butt on the ground and put it out with a step of his shoes. He then felt for another cigarette and lit it. ¡°But my mom refused. With Er Miao the way she is, she couldn¡¯t bear to hear anyone say that I also had a problem¡­ so I went to the reformatory school.¡±


    ¡°Were all the students that went there like you?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Someone like me could already be considered a good kid there.¡± Gu Fei smirked, ¡°Having stayed with those reform-school students, I finally knew what it meant to be beyond redemption. You can¡¯t even imagine what it was like¡­ they were only teenagers, how bad could they be? I was only there for a year and a half, but I never want to have any contact with them again for the rest of my life.¡±


    ¡°Give me¡­ a cigarette,¡± Jiang Cheng requested.


    ¡°You ran out again?¡± Gu Fei fished out the cigarette box, ¡°Just directly take some from the counter next time you run out.¡±


    ¡°I just happen to not have any, that¡¯s all.¡± Jiang Cheng took out a cigarette and lit it. His head felt a bit muddled.


    In fact, he could pretty much already imagine what kind of past Gu Fei had from looking at his usual demeanor, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be that serious. Just the matter of him ¡°killing¡± his father took him a long time to digest, and now he felt like his firmware had been replaced for the second time ¨C his head was buzzing.


    ¡°I seemed to have digressed,¡± Gu Fei murmured.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him but still hadn¡¯t returned to his senses.


    Being thrown down from the second floor by his own father was something he had a hard time accepting and throwing his deskmate out of the second-floor window was something he was equally shocked by.


    ¡°A classroom on the second is higher than the second floor of a residential building ah,¡± He uttered.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Fei was stunned. Only after a long time did he finally realize what he was talking about. He then suddenly tilted his head back and started to laugh, ¡°Cheng-ge, I find that your ability to grasp the main idea is quite strong ah.¡±


    ¡°Haha, very funny.¡± Jiang Cheng had kept the cigarette between his fingers after lighting it, and it was only then did he remember to take a drag. ¡°You digressed? What was the previous topic?¡±


    ¡°In the second half of the Third Year of junior high, the school was converted to a technical high school. After we graduated, everyone basically remained there and attended the ¡®technical¡¯ high school,¡± Gu Fei continued, ¡°But I still wanted to go to a regular high school. I really didn¡¯t want to stay with them anymore. I never want to cross paths with them ever again in this lifetime.¡±


    ¡°So you tested into Si Zhong?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei nodded, ¡°Si Zhong is a lousy school, it¡¯s considerably easy to get in.¡±


    Jiang Cheng went silent. After taking two drags of the cigarette, he gave a long sigh. He suddenly didn¡¯t know what else he could say.


    ¡°Cheng-ge.¡± Gu Fei got up and took out a bottle of beer from the freezer. He opened it with his teeth and took a couple of sips. ¡°You¡¯re different from the people here. You have no idea how troublesome things can be if these people are provoked.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°If you fight and lose, someone will think that you¡¯re easy to bully. But if you win, someone will think of you as an eyesore. They¡¯ll always cling to you no matter what you do.¡± Gu Fei said, ¡°These people, it¡¯s better to stay as far as possible from them. Do you understand what I mean?¡±


    ¡°¡­en.¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.


    ¡°You¡¯re not Wang Xu, or Jiang Bin, and you¡¯re definitely not Hou Zi. You¡¯re an outstanding student,¡± Gu Fei stated, ¡°Attend your classes, learn what you need to learn, and then take your exams. Go to the school that you want to go to. Don¡¯t let yourself get involved in these things.¡±


    Jiang Cheng silently snubbed out his cigarette. He rubbed his hands on his face a few times and leaned back against the chair.


    ¡°The reason why I didn¡¯t let you go isn¡¯t because I wanted to shoulder something for you,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I was just afraid that you¡¯d be stuck here. I wouldn¡¯t give a damn if it was anyone else because no one has ever said to me ¡®I won¡¯t let myself rot here¡¯ before. You¡¯re the only person to have said this, and since you¡¯ve said it, you have to achieve it. Don¡¯t think that I¡¯ve helped you with anything and don¡¯t talk to me about loyalty or something either.¡±


    Jiang Cheng still didn¡¯t speak. He abruptly stood up, walked up to Gu Fei, and caressed his head.


    ¡°¡­ if it was someone else who touched my head like this, I would beat the crap out of them.¡± Gu Fei raised his head to shoot him a look.


    Jiang Cheng touched his head a couple times again.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Gu Fei started to laugh.


    Jiang Cheng moved a hand to the back of his head and hugged it.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Gu Fei¡¯s face was practically buried against his stomach, so he could only ask with a stuffy voice.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk,¡± Jiang Cheng demanded.


    ¡°I need to breathe,¡± Gu Fei mumbled.


    Jiang Cheng completely ignored him and held on for a few more seconds before eventually letting him go. He fell back onto his chair and looked at Gu Fei, suddenly feeling exhilarated as he peered at him and burst into a fit of laughter.


    Gu Fei picked up the beer, intending to drink it, but after raising the bottle to his mouth and stopping two or three times before he could drink from it, he put the bottle on the ground and also started to laugh along with him.


    ¡°As for me,¡± Jiang Cheng said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m actually a very serious person.¡±


    ¡°Me too.¡± Gu Fei took a huge gulp of the beer and managed to suppress his laughter, ¡°I hope you won¡¯t misunderstand me.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, then continued to laugh for a while longer before his breathing finally evened out. He then let out a long sigh and paused for some time before finally asking, ¡°Can you tell me how you and Hou Zi are going to settle things?¡±


    ¡°What are you asking this for?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°If a fight is used to settle things, then he definitely can¡¯t beat you,¡± Jiang Cheng replied, ¡°You definitely wouldn¡¯t be singled out. When Wang Xu and I were held up by them last time, he was still willing to give you some face, so he won¡¯t be getting a bunch of people to gang up on you, right?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei laughed some more.


    ¡°So how are you guys going to settle this?¡± Jiang Cheng stared straight into Gu Fei¡¯s eyes.


    As Gu Fei maintained eye contact with him, he seemed to hesitate before he finally whispered two syllables: ¡°Hurdling.¡±


    ¡°What the hell is that?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him with an inexplicable gaze.


    ¡°It¡¯s the insider rules of the people in the area around the steel mills.¡± Gu Fei explained, ¡°It¡¯s the generally acknowledged method to settle issues.¡±


    ¡°How are you going to hurdle? How are you going to jump?¡± Jiang Cheng questioned again.


    ¡°Did you change your idol recently?¡± Gu Fei took a gulp of beer.


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Cheng froze.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Xiao Ming¡¯s grandfather your idol before?¡± Gu Fei asked, ¡°He¡¯s not anymore?¡±


    ¡°¡­ fuck off.¡± Jiang Cheng felt around in his pocket and fished out the cigarette box, then he took out a cigarette and held it in his mouth.


    Just when he was about to light the cigarette, Gu Fei sighed, ¡°You still have some, yet you took mine?¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the cigarette in his hand ¨C indeed, he really did have some ¨C he was probably out of his mind a while ago.


    He stared at his cigarettes for a while before he took out the one in his mouth and put it back in the box. Pocketing it again, he stretched his hand out toward Gu Fei: ¡°Give me one.¡±


    Speechless, Gu Fei grabbed his own cigarette box and tossed it into his hand.


    ¡°How will you guys be hurdling?¡± Jiang Cheng asked again as he took out a cigarette but didn¡¯t light it.


    ¡°There¡¯s a railway bridge past the shop where you bought your bike,¡± Gu Fei explained. ¡°Next to it is an old neighborhood where the factories had relocated. Someone bought that area a while back, but they still haven¡¯t moved forward with any developments yet. The buildings there are all dilapidated¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted him before he could finish, ¡°Jumping off the buildings?¡±


    Gu Fei gazed at him.


    ¡°Jumping from one building to the next?¡± Jiang Cheng looked fixedly at him, ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei sounded in response. ¡°Jump until someone is injured or quits.¡±


    ¡°Is the air quality in this area around the steel mills a little too bad ah? Has the lack of oxygen impeded your IQs?¡± Jiang Cheng was left utterly unable to describe his own feelings. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just say that you have to jump until someone falls to their death?¡±


    ¡°Normally, no one is able to die since the distance isn¡¯t that wide,¡± Gu Fei replied with a smile.


    ¡°Morons.¡± Jiang Cheng gripped the lighter and pressed down on it several times without actually being able to light the cigarette. As soon as the fire got close, it was blown out by the air exhaled from his nose. Finally, he chucked both the lighter and the cigarette to the stool sitting at the side. ¡°There are actually such brainless people in this world! It really is eye-opening!¡±


    Gu Fei took the cigarette and lit it, then handed it to him.


    Jiang Cheng shot him a look before reaching out to take it and put it in his mouth.


    The two remained quiet as silence overtook the shop. Not even a sound could be heard from the street outside ¨C all Jiang Cheng could hear was the sound of his own exhales


    He wanted to get angry for no particular reason. It wasn¡¯t toward Gu Fei, nor was it toward Hou Zi¡­ he didn¡¯t know who it was towards or what he was specifically angry about, his anger was just simmering.


    He raised his eyes and glared at Gu Fei who gazed back at him calmly.


    His heart suddenly started to hurt for him.


    Because of those chaotic, dark things that he had never thought of before and always felt out of reach towards, Gu Fei suddenly went from his teammate that he shared a tacit understanding with and a deskmate that he shared unspeakable secrets with to a shadow that he felt somewhat unable to grasp.


    His heart really hurt for him.


    The cigarette was quickly finished in that period of silence. It wasn¡¯t pleasant to smoke at all ¨C a little uncomfortable actually, and even his throat was dry.


    He snubbed out the cigarette and stretched out his hand in front of Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei looked at his hand, probably not knowing what he wanted to do. He hesitated for a while before he finally placed his own hand on Jiang Cheng¡¯s.


    Jiang Cheng grasped it tightly and squeezed it hard for a while before letting it go.


    ¡°When is it? When you guys are going do those brain-ischemic jumps off the buildings?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°After the finals.¡± Gu Fei rubbed his hand that was a little pale from his grasp.


    ¡°I want to go watch.¡± Jiang Cheng announced. Gu Fei wanted to say something, but he waved his hand to interrupt him, ¡°I won¡¯t let anyone know that I¡¯m there. I just want to see.¡±


    ¡°See what?¡± Gu Fei asked a bit helplessly.


    ¡°See what kind of person you are,¡± Jiang Cheng peered at him, ¡°I want to clearly see for myself what kind of person you are.¡±


    [1] Pure of heart, limited in desires (ÇåÐĹÑÓû) idiom, to purify one¡¯s heart and reduce the number of one¡¯s desire


    [2] reformatory school (¹¤¶ÁѧУ) ¨C An institution to which young offenders are sent as an alternative to prison, typically focusing on education and training rather than punishment.

 CH 51

    The two of them sat in the shop in silence. Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t tell what Gu Fei was thinking, but he knew for sure that he himself wasn¡¯t thinking of anything ¨C he was just stunned. His mind was churning but he didn¡¯t know what it was even churning about.


    When it almost reached 9:00 o¡¯clock, Gu Fei stood up from his seat: ¡°Let¡¯s go. Do you want me to take you back?¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng also stood up. He froze for a while before asking, ¡°Take me? Why do you need to take me?¡±


    ¡°In case you get lost again ah,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng burst out laughing, ¡°Now, I can go back even with my eyes closed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so amazing~.¡± Gu Fei put on his jacket.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always been incredibly amazing,¡± Jiang Cheng retorted, following him out of the shop.


    Gu Fei¡¯s house was in the same direction as the apartment that Jiang Cheng rented. They would pass by the intersection by Gu Fei¡¯s house first and then the apartment that Jiang Cheng rented would only be a little ways forward.


    The two remained silent as they rode their bikes back together. Jiang Cheng had a constant urge to say something, but there didn¡¯t seem to be anything he could talk about so he could only continue staring at the road ahead.


    When they passed by the intersection by Gu Fei¡¯s house, Gu Fei didn¡¯t make a turn. Jiang Cheng noticed this but didn¡¯t point it out, and the two rode until they reached the rental apartment before stopping.


    ¡°Are you going to school tomorrow?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going,¡± Gu Fei replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t Captain Wang want to have a practice from noon to afternoon?¡±


    ¡°That injury of yours.¡± Jiang Cheng shot him a look, ¡°Will it be okay when we go against Class 2?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Gu Fei gave the injury on his waist a few pats, ¡°It won¡¯t affect anything. Plus, Class 2 is pretty ethical when they play.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    The conversation had ended but neither of them made a move; Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t get off his bike and head inside the corridor, and nor did Gu Fei turn around and head back.


    After a period of silence, Jiang Cheng cleared his throat: ¡°Then¡­ I¡¯ll head up now.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei sounded.


    Yet even after that exchange, still neither of them moved. Both remained straddling their bikes, with a leg supporting them on the ground as if they had been cemented in place.


    After another period of time, Gu Fei finally spoke up again: ¡°Just head up. I¡¯m going now.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng finally moved. He led the bike along the sidewalk, ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight,¡± Gu Fei echoed.


    After Jiang Cheng pushed the bike into the corridor and properly locked it away, he glanced back to see that Gu Fei was still in the same place. After seeing this, Gu Fei gave him a wave before he pedaled the bike, made a turn, and left.


    Jiang Cheng returned to the apartment and took a shower before he sat himself at the desk and took a look at that day¡¯s homework ¨C he was unexpectedly unable to understand a thing even after staring at it for a long time.


    With that evening event, adding onto the afternoon he already had that day, he felt like his brain had absorbed a little too much shock. All sorts of things were stuffed into a chaotic mess that practically filled his head to the brim ¨C there basically wasn¡¯t any room remaining for the information contained in his homework.


    It took at least ten minutes for him to finally calm down and start working on his homework.


    His phone sounded ¨C Pan Zhi had sent a message.


    ¨C The materials that I sent to you are being delivered so remember to pay attention to any calls ah. Didn¡¯t you change your address? Is it far?


    ¨C Not that far. Send me the courier number.


    Pan Zhi then sent over the courier number.


    Jiang Cheng checked the delivery man¡¯s phone number, intending to tell them to not make an on-door delivery and that he would just pick it up himself. He really didn¡¯t want to go to the street where Li Baoguo¡¯s place was ever again¡­ he didn¡¯t know how to deal with Li Baoguo if he were to ever bump into him.


    ¨C Also, there¡¯s a USB in there. I¡¯ve made a copy of all the coursework that our teachers are using for the semester on there. Take a look and see if they¡¯re useful ba.


    Jiang Cheng stared at the message. If Pan Zhi were by his side right then, he would have definitely gone up to him and give him a big hug. What a filial grandson ah.


    He picked up his phone and took a selfie with his thumbs raised. Then he photoshopped some garish images on it before sending it to Pan Zhi.


    Pan Zhi didn¡¯t reply to him for a long time after that so he put his phone aside. He felt like his brain had finally managed to make a little room, thus he sat down and started to actually work on his homework.


    Si Zhong¡¯s homework wasn¡¯t even a lot ¨C his sleep wouldn¡¯t be delayed even if he had only started working on it at that time ¨C however, it actually caused him to feel a little uneasy. He considered whether or not he should let Pan Zhi send him a copy of his homework everyday too¡­


    After working on it for almost an hour, his phone sounded ¨C a message had come.


    He picked it up and took a look.


    ¨C That selfie of yours could be named ¡°Thank god, I¡¯m handsome¡±. I¡¯ll send you some of the pictures I took before in two days so please don¡¯t take anymore selfies.


    Jiang Cheng froze. When he finally came back to his senses, he hurriedly took a look at the name at the top.


    СÍÃ×Ó¹Ô¹Ô ¨C Gently little bunny![1]


    ¡°Fuck?!¡± He was shocked stiff. He swiped two more times on the screen before he was finally sure that he actually sent the picture he meant to send to Pan Zhi to Gu Fei!


    ¨C Fuck, how did I send that to you?????


    ¨C Who did you want to send that to?


    ¨C To my friend!


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t immediately reply. After Jiang Cheng resent the photo to Pan Zhi, he then finally received another message.


    ¨C Send this one to your friend ba.


    There was even a photo beneath the message. When Jiang Cheng suddenly saw his face that pretty much took up the entire screen, he was instantly overwhelmed with embarrassment.


    It was the close-up taken by Gu Fei when he had a wound on his lips that day.


    On the side was a somewhat idiotic-looking row of words that glowed: Me and my stubborn wound.


    ¨C Fuck! What¡¯s wrong with you??


    He sent a message back to Gu Fei.


    ¨C It¡¯s much better than that selfie of yours. I photoshopped it with such painstaking care.


    ¨C Scram!


    ¨C How ungrateful!


    ¨C So what if I¡¯m ungrateful??


    ¨C¡¾Fuck him up!.jpg¡¿[2]


    Jiang Cheng burst into a laughing fit as he stared at the picture Gu Fei sent over before he finally replied again:


    ¨C I¡¯m doing my fucking homework rn.


    ¨C Good luck, xueba~.


    When he got up the next day, Jiang Cheng felt his head was a little heavy. He sat at the edge of his bed in a daze for several minutes, yet he was unable to recall the chaotic dreams he had last night.


    He could only remember that there were Gu Fei, a zoo, and Pan Zhi and Wang Xu who had made guest appearances ¨C the whole thing was uproarious.


    He sighed before standing up to wash his face.


    Perhaps it was because a night had already passed. But now that he thought again about the things Gu Fei had talked about, the stuff from his childhood, and the ¡°fair duel¡± between him and Hou Zi, there was no longer an unacceptable feeling of shock. Rather, everything seemed to have become a little unreal to him as if it was all just a very vivid dream.


    After buying breakfast downstairs, Jiang Cheng slowly rode his bike to school with the handlebar in one hand and nibbling a deep-fried dough cake with the other.


    The weather really was growing warmer; he was already halfway through the deep-fried dough cake, yet it still hadn¡¯t cooled yet¡­


    When he passed the intersection, he squeezed the brakes. However, he didn¡¯t hear Gu Fei¡¯s whistle. He turned his head to the sides and looked around but didn¡¯t see Gu Fei waiting for him by the road.


    He sighed. At this time, if there wasn¡¯t a special reason, then Gu Fei must have not gotten out of bed yet.


    There were still a few minutes before class when he arrived at school. Jiang Cheng parked his bike in the parking lot and walked towards the school gates.


    When he was only a little over a dozen meters away, he abruptly stopped in his steps.


    Lao Xu was on duty this week; he was standing in front of the gates at that moment, and before him was another person.


    Li Baoguo.


    Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a burst of irritation and panic. After staying rooted in place for a few seconds, he lowered his head, crossed the street, and took a detour around the school gates, and ran towards the enclosure at the front of the school.


    The place that Gu Fei told him last time where he could climb over the wall was actually pretty easy to find.


    The campus¡¯ small shop had just opened and when he climbed up the wall, the boss who so happened to be sweeping the ground gaped at him in shock. ¡°Kid, the bell hasn¡¯t even rung yet. The school gates are still open.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ know.¡± Jiang Cheng used a hand to pull himself up as he stared back at him.


    The boss didn¡¯t say anymore, but the expression on his face was just like he was facing a retard.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t bother with him anymore either. He pressed his foot against the wall and climbed over the top of the wall, but just as he was about to glance down at the state of the pile of bricks down below so he could conveniently jump down, he suddenly saw another person standing beside the brick pile.


    ¡°¡­ Principal Liu?¡± Jiang Cheng was squatting on the wall when he was struck dumb.


    Principal Liu was even more dumbfounded than the shop owner outside. He stared at him for a long time but was still at a loss for words.


    ¡°Principal Liu¡­ good morning.¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know whether he should jump in or turn around and jump back out.


    ¡°Ah, good morning.¡± Liu Xiao answered him out of reflex as he continued to gape at him.


    Jiang Cheng hesitated for a couple of seconds but in the end, he still chose to jump in. The pile of bricks was probably used recently as the bricks on the edges of the pile had decreased ¨C he just happened to land on the empty area in front of Principal Liu when he jumped down.


    By the time he stood up, Principal Liu¡¯s eyeballs were almost popping out.


    ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ head to the classroom now.¡± Jiang Cheng pointed towards the front, and without waiting for Principal Liu to reply, he lifted his legs and ran. He sprinted all the way to the school building before he finally slowed down.


    He didn¡¯t know whether Principal Liu hadn¡¯t come back to his senses all that time or was actually cutting him some slack this time. After all, the time he climbed over the wall couldn¡¯t count as ¡°late-wall-climbing¡±, and he didn¡¯t step on any tree branches either¡­ in any case, nobody had come looking for him even after three classes in.


    Lao Xu didn¡¯t come to find him either. The previous class was Lao Xu¡¯s, yet he just left the classroom the moment he finished teaching and didn¡¯t come over to talk to Jiang Cheng.


    Jiang Cheng felt a little bored. He didn¡¯t care much about climbing over the wall, but Li Baoguo coming to the school made him feel very ill at ease. He didn¡¯t know what it was that Li Baoguo wanted to do or what Li Baoguo had said to Lao Xu¡­


    So irritating.


    Adding to that, Gu Fei still hadn¡¯t arrived at school. The seat beside him was empty and inside the table were the books and notebooks that Gu Fei haphazardly stuffed in, plus some unfinished worksheets.


    The people in class didn¡¯t pay any mind to Gu Fei skipping class ¨C the guy would skip classes every week.


    Perhaps he was the only one in the entire class who would feel uncomfortable about Gu Fei not showing up. The place beside him felt desolate, and he felt like there was a void in his heart.


    Every time he turned his head and didn¡¯t see Gu Fei, who would have lowered his head as he played Craz3 Match, he would unexpectedly feel unaccustomed to it.


    It was only until the final class was nearly halfway over that a figure swayed in from the backdoor of the classroom. Jiang Cheng swiftly turned to face that direction and caught sight of Gu Fei speeding into the classroom.


    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t coming,¡± Jiang Cheng whispered.


    ¡°I said that I would come ah.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°We still have to practice in the afternoon ne.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I thought you meant that you would come to class,¡± Jiang Cheng mumbled.


    ¡°I slept late yesterday so I overslept this morning. I came over the moment I woke up.¡± Gu Fei randomly pulled out a few textbooks and tossed them on the table. ¡°It¡¯ll be the same whether I listen to this class or not. I¡¯ve long been unable to understand it.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything in response. He took out a tissue adhesive and threw it on his desk.


    ¡°Such a high-grade item.¡± Gu Fei picked it up and looked it over a couple of times before pocketing it, ¡°Treat me to something for lunch.¡±


    Jiang Cheng shot him a look: ¡°Based on¡­¡±


    ¡°Based on the fact that I always treat you,¡± Gu Fei cut him off.


    ¡°¡­ fine, but I have to pick up a delivery at noon. Conveniently enough, you can help me take a look at this place.¡± Jiang Cheng took out his phone and showed Gu Fei the address of the pickup location that he wrote down, ¡°Do you know where this is?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Fei glanced at him, ¡°It¡¯s beside the railway bridge.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± The moment Jiang Cheng heard the words ¡®railway bridge¡¯, he fell into a daze.


    ¡°You bought something?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng answered, ¡°My classmate sent some study materials and stuff.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go pick it up with you,¡± Gu Fei said, ¡°There happens to be a really good noodle restaurant in that area.¡±


    Jiang Cheng started laughing: ¡°How come you know about every delicious place there is?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I know every place. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve already tried out every place in the area.¡± Gu Fei explained, ¡°I grew up here after all. My scope of activities is mainly from here to the train station and from there to the downtown square. I haven¡¯t really gone anywhere else before.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a look.


    ¡°Where are you two going?!¡± Wang Xu disgruntledly called out from the parking lot as he fetched his bike, ¡°We can conveniently practice afterward if we eat together. I¡¯ve already asked Lao Xu for leave so we can have continuous practice! This unorganized and undisciplined behavior of yours¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll definitely arrive within an hour,¡± Gu Fei reassured.


    ¡°This unorganized and undisciplined behavior is¡­¡± Wang Xu continued to say.


    ¡°Captain, what we¡¯re doing right now is asking you for leave.¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted, ¡°Just a one hour leave to take care of some business. We promise we¡¯ll report back to you in an hour.¡±


    Those words made Wang Xu feel very pleased, so he nodded his head after a moment of contemplation: ¡°Alright, you have my approval.¡±


    The railway bridge appeared very antiquated ¨C it was probably already out of order. The railway in the middle was already covered in rust and filled with weeds. The paths on either side were still walkable but only pedestrians, bikes, and motorcycles, etc could pass through.


    After crossing the bridge, Jiang Cheng continuously surveyed the surrounding area. Contrary to expectations, the area wasn¡¯t desolate; there were many small shops on the roadsides and they actually appeared to be pretty hectic. He also never saw a single derelict neighborhood or dilapidated building.


    ¡°It¡¯s over there. We¡¯ve already passed the intersection¡± Gu Fei turned around and pointed at the first intersection they already passed after they got off the bridge, ¡°You enter from there.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng turned back his head to take a glance but didn¡¯t spot anything noteworthy. However, the buildings in this area were all pretty short ¨C they were basically all four or five-stories each. If a building was dilapidated then it meant that it was built much earlier, and its floors may be lower. Amen.


    ¡°If you really want to take a look tomorrow,¡± Gu Fei slowly pedaled his bike. ¡°I¡¯ll get Ding Zhuxin to pick you up ba. She knows¡­¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Jiang Cheng hurriedly interrupted him.


    Ding Zhuxin¡¯s slight rejection towards him was something that he could detect ¨C he didn¡¯t want to have a Ding Zhuxin next to him when spectating something like this.


    ¡°Then¡­¡± Gu Fei saw that he still had something he wanted to say.


    Jiang Cheng waved his hand: ¡°Don¡¯t mind me. I already said that I won¡¯t let anybody see me go, and I won¡¯t interfere with your brain-ischemic, building-jumping activity. Just take care of not getting yourself hurt.¡±


    Gu Fei snickered.


    ¡°What¡¯s there to laugh about?¡± Jiang Cheng snapped, ¡°You¡¯re just one of the members of the Team Steel Mill Retards.¡±


    Gu Fei started to laugh even harder.


    ¡°Hey! Believe it or not, I¡¯ll¡­¡± Jiang Cheng was initially feeling vexed when he remembered this matter, but Gu Fei¡¯s laughter had completely laughed away his anger. He loosened his hold on the handlebar and imitated the sticker that Gu Fei sent him yesterday. With one hand curled into a fist, he pointed the other at Gu Fei, ¡°Fuck you up!¡±


    Gu Fei froze before he suddenly dissolved into laughter to the point that the head of his bike twisted askew: ¡°Pretty similar.¡±


    The materials that Pan Zhi had sent over filled an entire cardboard box which was bundled up very sturdily. There was also a USB that was contained in a paper bag. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t open them and just took a look at the spines of the books ¨C he suddenly felt a lot more at ease.


    ¡°Is this the person that came with you to Si Zhong last time?¡± Gu Fei skimmed over the delivery note, ¡°Pan Shuai?¡±[3]


    ¡°Pan Zhi.¡± Jiang Cheng took the delivery note and looked over it, ¡°He¡¯s a shameless fellow. The guy even used to write his name as Pan An[4] on his exam papers before.¡±


    Gu Fei burst out laughing: ¡°But his handwriting really is much more handsome than yours.¡±


    ¡°The handwriting of xuezhas are all good,¡± Jiang Cheng retorted. ¡°Us xuebas can¡¯t be bothered with such insignificant details such as whether our handwriting looks good or not.¡±


    ¡°You really should practice your handwriting.¡± Gu Fei said, ¡°Lao Xu was on the brink of tears when he talked about your marks getting docked off from your exam the other day.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because he never saw my handwriting from before,¡± Jiang Cheng responded. ¡°My old handwriting was unreadable even for me.¡±


    ¡°Ai,¡± Gu Fei smiled as he sighed, ¡°Let¡¯s go eat noodles.¡±


    Perhaps, it was because he just got a pile of materials, or maybe it was because he had played basketball with Gu Fei for an entire afternoon, Jiang Cheng felt the melancholy from that morning had dissipated by quite a lot. Even when he thought of Li Baoguo, he didn¡¯t feel suffocated at all.


    After they finished practice, they walked out of the school gates. Gu Miao was sitting on the roadside with her skateboard placed under her butt.


    Gu Miao didn¡¯t need to wear a hat anymore after the weather warms; on her head now was a disheveled mop of hair that had never been managed since she shaved her head bald and a red headband wrapped around her forehead. It really was¡­ full of personality.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you 50 RMB.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Fei.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    This unconventional answer rendered Jiang Cheng in a sudden loss for words.


    Fortunately, Gu Fei returned to a conventional manner after a pause and asked: ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Take your dear sister to get a haircut, I beg of you.¡± Jiang Cheng pleaded.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei nodded and stretched his hand out in front of him.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at his hand, took out his wallet, and took out a 50 RMB bill and placed it on his hand.


    Gu Fei placed the money in his pocket: ¡°Actually, she doesn¡¯t need any money to get a haircut. We can just find Li Yan, his handiwork isn¡¯t too shabby.¡±


    ¡°¡­ return my money.¡± Jiang Cheng was utterly speechless.


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Fei¡¯s answer was very concise.


    Jiang Cheng opened his mouth a few times but was unable to utter a single word. There was actually such a brazen person in the world!


    Gu Miao followed after the bikes on her skateboard as per usual, but the backseat she held onto that day was Jiang Cheng¡¯s. She happily slid all the way to the front of Gu Fei¡¯s family¡¯s shop.


    ¡°You¡¯re heading back now?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at the bundle of materials on his backseat, ¡°I¡¯m going to head back and take a look at this stuff.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you at the intersection tomorrow morning at eight o¡¯clock.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jiang Cheng responded and gave Gu Miao a wave. ¡°Bye, Er Miao.¡±


    Gu Miao waved back. He smiled and pedaled the bike back.


    Si Zhong had arranged for the finals to take place on Saturday. It was most likely to make things convenient for all the teachers and students at the school as well as the students from the nearby schools to attend the game. The game would start at 12 o¡¯clock, but the nervous Captain Wang Jiuri ordered everyone to gather at 8:30 to hurry and take that time to warm up. Everybody would definitely gather together with excitement again after the game was over, and perhaps they might even have some fun in the afternoon¡­


    Therefore, he probably wouldn¡¯t have any time to familiarize himself with the building-jumping location the next day ¨C he could only go that night.


    After he returned to the rented apartment and put everything away, Jiang Cheng went out again with his schoolbag and made his way straight to the railway bridge.


    The area around the railway bridge wasn¡¯t desecrated in the least, but from the intersection that Gu Fei pointed out before, the amount of people had decreased considerably. The storefronts by the roads were each shabbier and more nondescript than the last.


    As he walked along all the way until the end of the road, he was met with a small fork. He could see that continuing from the left was a bedding and clothing factory, and on the right was a broken road littered with cracks.


    He walked towards the right, and after making his way forward for a few minutes, he spotted a couple of buildings with all their windows completely broken away.


    This was the place.


    He slowly rode forward as he surveyed the surrounding area, speculating which buildings the Steel Mill Retards were going to play turbo drop on.


    The couple of buildings right in front of him were definitely not the ones; they were too close to the outside so anyone could see them if they passed by. They had to be further inside.


    Jiang Cheng finally stopped in front of a cluster of four side-by-side buildings.


    The garbage around this area was evidently more than the other places; there were all sorts of beverage bottles, snack packages, and a ground full of cigarette butts. There was also a tin bucket placed in front of the building entrance.


    He went over and glanced inside the bucket ¨C inside was filled with wood that had already been burnt into ashes. This should be what the retards use when they gather together to keep warm.


    There wasn¡¯t a single person in the surrounding area. Jiang Cheng leaned his bike against a random part of the wall and walked inside the dilapidated building across this cluster of buildings.


    This building was set apart from all the others; it had five floors and was the tallest of the buildings in the area. But it was also decrepit to the point where he could see grass growing out of the cracks in the walls and even inside the building. As he went up, he felt that the building would collapse if there were two more people.


    After he went all the way up to the highest floor, Jiang Cheng walked to the window-side and peered towards the other side.


    The four buildings on the other side could pretty much be confirmed; the distance between the buildings wasn¡¯t too wide. The two buildings on the right were four-stories tall while the two on the left were three-stories. The top of the leftmost building was already half caved-in, so it was pretty much only two-stories tall.


    ¡°Hello everyone.¡± Jiang Cheng raised his left hand and formed his middle finger and index finger into a ¡®v¡¯ then slowly moved it in front of his eyes, ¡°Welcome, and thank you all for watching Episode 1 of Cheng-ge Takes You to Watch the Retards.¡±


    He walked to the second window: ¡°The four buildings that everyone can see right now is the venue for the Steel Mill Retards Clan¡¯s brain-ischemic building-jumping competition¡­ we can deduce that they will be jumping from one building to another. According to the degree of how retarded they are, they may even proceed for a quadruple jump[5]¡­ A lot of debris can be seen at the venue. These things all have signs of deliberate placement so we can also deduce that they may even challenge obstacle jumping too¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng lowered his hand and turned his head to observe the area, ¡°Everyone has probably already noticed that the field of vision for aiming isn¡¯t very good¡­ let¡¯s see if there¡¯s a more suitable angle.¡±


    Jiang Cheng toured around the couple of rooms on the fifth floor before finally finding half a staircase leading up to the balcony on the rooftop.


    He jumped up and grabbed onto the staircase and after testing and determining that it was sturdy enough, he pressed his leg against the wall and climbed up from the gap above.


    ¡°Dear audience, let¡¯s see¡­¡± Jiang Cheng walked a few steps along the edge of the balcony, ¡°I¡¯m a little¡­ afraid of heights. But for the sake of¡­ taking everybody to see the retards¡­ ¡°


    He slowly edged his way to the edge of the balcony: ¡°This angle is very good.¡±


    He could clearly see the situation on the rooftop of the opposite building from here since the distance couldn¡¯t be considered quite far, however¡­ if he positioned himself here and somebody from the other side looked over, they could also clearly make out that a person was standing here.


    There was a small attic on the top floor so he walked over and stood by it ¨C like this, he should be concealed.


    ¡°Alright, everyone can see,¡± Jiang Cheng spoke as he fished around in his pockets and took out a slingshot and steel ball. He aimed towards the opposite balcony and stretched the rubberband taut, ¡°What kind of hit we can make at this distance as well as the impact of a hit.¡±


    After he said that, he took a deep breath and ignored the subtle feeling of his legs growing utterly soft.


    He narrowed his eyes towards the opposite side then loosened his hand and the steel ball flew out.


    Immediately afterward, a wooden rack that was placed on the other rooftop toppled over.


    ¡°Today¡¯s program will be ending here.¡± Jiang Cheng squinted his eyes towards the wooden rack, ¡°After the finals tomorrow, please be on time to watch Episode 2 of Cheng-ge Takes You to Watch the Retards.¡±


    Translate: Ice | Edit: Sae


    The author has something to say: Continuing tomorrow.


    ¡°Oho, is Cheng-ge going to cheat ¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ?¡± The author excitedly said as she gripped tightly on the fourth and fifth black furry spirits that still don¡¯t know how to speak yet.


    ¡°According to the author¡¯s disposition o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o, even if he does use one tomorrow, we won¡¯t see it anyways o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o. We¡¯re basically gonna have to read all the way until Friday o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o.¡± The black furry spirit shouted.


    The translators have something to say:


    Sae: Keep flirting you two! I swear they should have just kissed when Gu Fei took Jiang Cheng back!! And Cheng-ge to the rescue bitches!


    Ice: Ugh, I¡¯m also starting to feel insecure about my studies these days¡­ I also need to pick up my pace and start looking at my materials or I will lose my own title of a xueba¡­! QAQ


    [1] СÍÃ×Ó¹Ô¹Ô  ¨C lit. well-behaved little bunny, obedient little bunny, good little bunny


    [2] Fuck him up! í¡Ëû£¡.jpg ¨C slang that can mean, to attack, to lash out, to take on, to call out, thrown down the gauntlet, to tear down


    [3] Pan Shuai ÅË˧  ¨C the shuai here means handsome ¨C Handsome Pan


    [4] Pan An ÅË°² ¨C Pan Yue (Chinese: ÅËÔÀ; 247¨C300), courtesy name ¡°Anren¡± (°²ÈÊ), was a prominent Chinese fu poet in the Western Jin dynasty. He is popularly referred to as Pan An (ÅË°²) and was well known for his good looks from a young age. ¡°Pan An¡± has become the Chinese byword for handsome men.


    Book of Jin had this to write about Pan Yue¡¯s looks: (Pan) Yue was handsome in appearance and bearing¡­ When he was young, he often strolled about outside Luoyang, holding a slingshot under the arm. Women who met him all surrounded him by hand and threw fruits in his chariot, so when he returned, his chariot was full of fruits.


    [5] Quadruple jump ¨C Ëļ¶Ìø, it track and field at least there are only triple jumps which sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump. Here Jiang Cheng added another hop or something for his own amusement, I believe.

 CH 52

    Although it was Saturday, Jiang Cheng still woke up around the same time as usual. When he went downstairs to buy breakfast, he also jogged two laps along the nearby street in passing.


    The number of people around this area in the early morning was far more than at Li Baoguo¡¯s. Besides the middle-aged uncles and aunties, there also wasn¡¯t a lack of youngsters.


    What to eat for breakfast was a very headache-inducing question for him, so with his hands stuffed in his pockets, Jiang Cheng paced back and forth in front of a couple of breakfast stalls, hesitating because of not knowing just what exactly he wanted to eat.


    ¡°Mini steamed buns ba,¡± someone said from behind him.


    That voice was very close to him ¨C practically coming from right next to his ear. Jiang Cheng jumped in fright, reaching into his pocket for his phone and whipping his head around at the same time.


    Only when he was face-to-face with the person behind him did he realize that the voice belonged to Gu Fei.


    Of course, not only was the voice Gu Fei¡¯s, but the face was also Gu Fei¡¯s.


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng was so shocked that he stumbled back a step. He looked him up and down, then fished out his phone to look at the time. ¡°The sun isn¡¯t rising from the west today¡­¡±


    He tilted his head back to look at the sky: ¡°It must¡¯ve not set yesterday¡­¡±


    ¡°Er Miao got up early today, and I got woken up when she started playing around with her skateboard in the house.¡± Gu Fei laughed, ¡°So I just came over.¡±


    ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± Jiang Cheng also started chuckling. He didn¡¯t know why, but when he saw Gu Fei smile, he also felt the urge to smile. ¡°Let¡¯s eat together?¡±


    ¡°Are you treating me?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just trick 50 RMB out of me yesterday?¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him.


    ¡°Fine then,¡± Gu Fei shrugged. ¡°How about mini steamed buns?¡±


    ¡°Mini steamed buns, dumplings, tofu pudding, and fried dough sticks.¡± Jiang Cheng consecutively listed out all the things he had a hard time choosing to eat between. ¡°One serving of each, oh and that braised beef smells pretty good too.¡±


    ¡°Go get a table.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Even though this area was also an old suburb, the residential buildings were pretty concentrated, so the amount of people at the breakfast stalls were quite a lot. Jiang Cheng stood to the side and surveyed for a while before he hurriedly took up two empty stools in front of a table; he sat on one and used his backpack to take up another.


    Just when he wanted to signal Gu Fei to where he was, he spotted two girls sitting across the table the moment he lifted his gaze. They kept glancing at him as they giggled, and the moment he looked over, the two of them would swiftly lower their heads back down again.


    ¡°Here.¡± Jiang Cheng caught sight of Gu Fei who was holding two steamer-full of steamed buns, so he then raised his hand and snapped his fingers.


    Gu Fei walked over and put the things on the table: ¡°I got everything you said you wanted ah. Is there anything else you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    The two girls across the table still had their heads lowered, giggling as they played a game of ¡®if you give me a pinch on my arm, then I¡¯ll give you a pinch on your thigh¡¯.


    Jiang Cheng recalled what Gu Fei had said before and felt that he might have understood what was going on with those two.


    Gu Fei placed a giant heap of plates and steamers on the table, nearly taking up the entire thing.


    ¡°Wang Xu gave me a call.¡± Gu Fei picked up a mini steamed bun and ate as he talked, ¡°He¡¯s already there, and it¡¯s just him.¡±


    ¡°Was it to denounce us for being unorganized and undisciplined?¡± Jiang Cheng grabbed a bowl of tofu pudding and took a gulp.


    ¡°Very dignified,¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    The two girls had already finished eating, yet they didn¡¯t seem to have the intention to leave. They had taken out their phones and lowered their heads to play on them ¨C again, but judging by their postures, Jiang Cheng suspected that they were using their cameras to peek over at their side.


    Just when he wanted to turn his head away to save himself from being possibly captured in various ugly and deforming angles, Gu Fei raised his head and shot a look at the two girls: ¡°Stop trying to secretly take pictures of us, it¡¯s easy for the faces to become deformed.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± The two girls briefly shrieked at the tops of their throat.


    ¡°Then can we directly take pictures of you?¡± One of the girls asked.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t respond, and the girl raised her camera towards the two of them. Jiang Cheng could only look into the camera lens along with Gu Fei.


    After the girl finished taking the pictures, she grabbed her schoolbag and stuffed her phone in the bag before she said with a smile: ¡°We¡¯re going to post this in Si Zhong¡¯s school forum, so remember to take a look ah. We¡¯ll be posting more at a later date too¡­¡±


    After the two girls left, Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei: ¡°What class are they from?¡±


    ¡°No idea,¡± Gu Fei responded. ¡°They might not even be a part of our school.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Jiang Cheng was stupefied.


    ¡°A lot of other schools will be coming to see today¡¯s match ah,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°And somebody had spread a video of our game with Class 7 online. That time you blocked the ball, a ton of people learned about it and want to come and watch.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng felt a little at a loss.


    ¡°I asked Li Yan to come over today to take some pictures.¡± Gu Fei continued, ¡°I promised Jiuri that I¡¯ll help find somebody to take pictures for him, remember.¡±


    ¡°His performance level would probably shoot up the moment he sees the camera.¡± Jiang Cheng burst into laughter.


    ¡°His performance level will have to shoot up.¡± Gu Fei turned his head to look at him, ¡°Let¡¯s just say, I¡¯ve only played this one game since I came to Si Zhong. There are many people waiting to watch ne.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng earnestly nodded his head. He thought for a while before lamenting, ¡°If you didn¡¯t join, would I have had to partner up with Wang Xu?¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t answer, just doubling up in laughter with a dumpling still held in his chopsticks.


    The game was to begin at 12:00, yet the students from both their school and other schools had already filled the courts at 9:00. Jiang Cheng and the rest could only practice and warm-up for half an hour before they couldn¡¯t continue any longer ¨C there were people everywhere.


    Looking at the people crowded at the sidelines, Jiang Cheng felt that the students around this area were really idle. If he were to talk about his old school, basically nobody would have the time to go watch another school¡¯s basketball game on the weekend.


    This final game of Si Zhong¡¯s was put together pretty formally ¨C they even brought over a bunch of bleachers from who-knows-where. They were placed all around the court, and when Jiang Cheng and the rest came in and seated themselves in the resting area, the bleachers were already filled to the brim with people. Surprisingly, there were even quite a lot of people standing.


    Li Yan arrived at 9:30 with Gu Fei¡¯s camera bag on his shoulders. He sat down in the resting area: ¡°Such an extravagant scene¡­ those who don¡¯t know would think this was the city¡¯s league match ne¡­¡±


    ¡°Make sure to do a good job for Wang Xu¡¯s picture,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Now that depends on how he plays,¡± Li Yan retorted as he equipped the lens on the camera. ¡°I¡¯m not you who can make even a cow¡¯s head look ethereal when taking a picture. However he is, that¡¯ll be how I¡¯ll capture him.¡±


    ¡°And also the other team members,¡± Gu Fei continued. ¡°Take some pictures of them too. It¡¯s not easy for our class to play till the finals.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Li Yan raised the camera and peered at their surroundings through it, ¡°It¡¯s not easy for you to care so much about something either.¡±


    Before the match even started, Principal Liu was basically at the brink of ecstasy ¨C he even made a brief speech to introduce the teams in the boys¡¯ finals match to the audience.


    One was a winning team that had never once been defeated, and the other team was a dark horse that suddenly came out of nowhere.[1]


    When Jiang Cheng heard Principal Liu¡¯s introduction, he started feeling nervous for some reason, especially since the cheerleading teams on either side were also constantly screaming amidst the speech.


    Yi Jing, who normally appeared very scholarly and even gave people a slightly introverted impression, was incredibly bold as she led the cheerleading squad, actually being able to shout out such embarrassing slogans in a very confident[2] manner.


    ¡°Class 8, Class 8! Dark Horse, stands abreast!¡±[3]


    ¡°Class 8, Class 8! Handsomeness[4], are the best!¡±


    The slogan that was shouted made Jiang Cheng not even want to raise his head anymore. With his arms propped on his knees, he started to stare fixedly at his own shoes.


    ¡°Cheng-ge.¡± Gu Fei called out to him and stretched his hand out below him in a very covert manner.


    Jiang Cheng was in the middle of pondering how they were to play later, so when he saw his hand, he couldn¡¯t respond for a while and just extended his hand out to scratch a few times at the hollow of his palm with his finger.


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m asking for a high-five,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng finally came back to his senses and gave his palm a light slap.


    ¡°Watch out for He Zhou,¡± Gu Fei warned. ¡°He¡¯s a rearguard, and just like you, he¡¯s pretty versatile and is quick on his feet.¡±


    ¡°En, don¡¯t always run in a straight line today.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. He didn¡¯t arrange any specific tactics that day; going against a team whose cooperation had already been honed to the peak like Class 2, any tactics they might have would ultimately be completely disrupted with Class 8¡¯s level of skill. So on that day, everyone could only rely on the tacit understanding that had been formed over this recent period of time; they would just have to analyze the situation more after playing.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Gu Fei replied.


    The two captains began choosing the courts; Wang Xu won, and he could still be called fairly bright when he chose the side that had their backs to the light when going on offense.


    ¡°Gu Fei will go jump the ball,¡± Jiang Cheng said before they went on the court.


    ¡°Jiayou!¡±[5] Wang Xu yelled.


    ¡°Jiayou!¡± The rest of the group yelled along with him, took off their jackets, and walked into the courts.


    This sort of feeling was very exhilarating. Although Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t like being watched by a crowd, he wasn¡¯t against putting himself in the limelight. Now that he stood himself in the middle of the court, and even detected the faint clicks of a shutter mixed along with the surrounding shouts of ¡°jiayou¡±, he suddenly felt an extremely powerful thrill.


    The player who was jumping the ball from Class 2 was around the same height as Gu Fei, but he had found out from the previous game that this person was extremely good at jumping ¨C for that sole reason, nobody in Class 8 could compare to him.


    Sure enough, after the referee threw the ball, the height of this grasshopper¡¯s jump overtook that of Gu Fei¡¯s by almost an entire palm¡­ the ball was passed to He Zhou.


    According to Jiang Cheng¡¯s judgment, this pass could be intercepted by him, but just when he stepped forward and reached out his hands, He Zhou shot forward and slapped the ball to the side the moment he made contact with it.


    And Grasshopper who had left the centerline at who-knows-when had caught the ball.


    Fuck! Jiang Cheng cursed deep in his mind. He exchanged a glance with Gu Fei, and Gu Fei raised his legs and bolted towards the basket with Grasshopper.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t directly follow up but stuck to He Zhou¡¯s side instead; one was to prevent him from catching the ball again, and two was to see for himself just how fast this person could be!


    Class 2¡¯s swift offense was played extremely gorgeously. After just two passes, Grasshopper had taken the ball and swung past Gu Fei and took a jump shot!


    Amidst a mass of shouts, Gu Fei suddenly also jumped up from behind him. Jiang Cheng¡¯s heart thumped. It was far too easy to make a mistake with this sort of posture ¨C if he slipped off even the slightest, he would hit his hand.


    But because he had been blocked by Gu Fei, Grasshopper¡¯s jump this time was only at an average height.


    Amen!


    Jiang Cheng temporarily abandoned He Zhou and darted to Gu Fei¡¯s left.


    Gu Fei jumped incredibly high, and after leaping up from behind Grasshopper, he smoothly[6] swept away the ball that had just left his hands. During a wave of excited screams, Jiang Cheng jumped up and caught the ball. He then yelled: ¡°Wang Xu!¡±


    Wang Xu was at the midline, and with this yell of his, Wang Xu swiftly turned around and sprinted back.


    Jiang Cheng had dribbled the ball forward by only a few steps when he spotted He Zhou out of the corner of his eye. Thus, he abruptly raised his hands and instead swung the ball in Wang Xu¡¯s direction.


    Work hard, Captain!


    Amen, Amen, Amennn!


    Wang Xu leaped up in the middle of his run, stretched out his hands, and caught a both high and long pass.


    Class 8¡¯s cheerleading team instantly started jumping, and the always rhythmic ¡°Jiayou!!!!¡± instantly turned into a series of ¡°AAHHHH¡ª¡ª¡±


    Class 2¡¯s return to defense was extremely swift, but Wang Xu had taken advantage of that time. When he reached the basket, it was a one-to-one showdown. If he were to shoot now, the chances of the ball going in would be incredibly high.


    But Wang Xu hesitated at the moment of shooting and turned around to pass the ball to Gu Fei who had just ran past the three-point line.


    It was obvious that Gu Fei had come over to grab a rebound, so when Wang Xu suddenly passed the ball over to him, he didn¡¯t expect it at all ¨C he didn¡¯t even have the chance to adjust his posture of rushing forward.


    He had caught the ball with a backhanded hook, but he didn¡¯t get to have a firm grasp on the ball when he was blocked by a person from Class 2 with a wristband on his arm.


    Following that was a pass, swift offense, and by the time He Zhou made a three-pointer, the people from Class 8 didn¡¯t even get the chance to go near him.


    The first shot incited a roar of applause and shouts from the sidelines.


    Guo Xu took the ball and prepared to toss it while Jiang Cheng walked over to Wang Xu¡¯s side: ¡°This match can¡¯t only depend on Gu Fei and I.¡±


    Wang Xu nodded his head, not speaking a word. It was clear to see that this mistake made him feel like somebody had stabbed a knife[7] into his heart and twisted it, twisting it to the point where the expression on his face contorted clockwise. Jiang Cheng patted him on the back: ¡°That shot just now was one you could¡¯ve made.¡±


    ¡°En!¡± Wang Xu shook his head and immediately reverted to his usual state. ¡°I also fucking think so.¡±


    Guo Xu tossed the ball, and Jiang Cheng caught it, but he turned around without rushing to dribble it forward. Instead, he used his left hand to point to the side and Wang Xu immediately rushed to the midline, preparing to catch the ball. With a wave of his hand, he passed the ball to Gu Fei on the other side, before dashing towards the opponent¡¯s basket.


    At that moment, Wang Xu¡¯s IQ also soared as he played; he didn¡¯t become dumbstruck when Jiang Cheng used him as a red herring when he made that pass, but rather promptly pressed towards the basket.


    Behind Gu Fei was Grasshopper. He didn¡¯t dribble the ball, and instead, turned his body while using his arm to guard the ball as he remained rooted in place. When Lu Xiaobin came over to receive the ball, he passed the ball to Jiang Cheng who was already almost at the three-pointer line.


    Jiang Cheng caught the ball when Wristband came over to block him. He internally sighed. Class 2 being the longtime winners wasn¡¯t something to be taken for granted. This defending speed¡­ even like this, he wasn¡¯t able to shake him off.


    His intention of pressing towards the three-pointer line and making a shot had no chance of happening now. He glanced at the line before clenching his teeth and abruptly making a shot towards the backboard at a spot that was no more than a meter away from the three-pointer line.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t have anybody blocking him at that moment, which gave him the time to catch the rebound ball.


    But just when Gu Fei rushed over, the ball slammed against the backboard with a deafening noise and beautifully bounced into the net.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng himself was a little dumbstruck.


    The people on the surrounding bleachers burst into a roar, completely submerging Wang Xu¡¯s shout of ¡®Jiang Cheng, you¡¯re too fucking awesome¡¯.


    Gu Fei sprinted towards him with the corners of his lips lifting into a smile. He raised his palms at him as he ran over to his side, saying: ¡°Really awesome ah, three-point king.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do it again.¡± Jiang Cheng moved towards him and gave him a high-five before giving him a bump on the shoulder along the way, ¡°From the right to the baseline.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei sounded in agreement.


    Making a three-point shot from the baseline was a little tricky, but the defense there may not be as tight[8] as opposed to the midline.


    Class 2 wasn¡¯t the same as the teams they had previously played against; the skill levels of the players were very equal, and each one of them was someone that could carry a team when alone. Wanting to steal the ball from their hands was a very difficult feat.


    Jiang Cheng had attempted to steal the ball from He Zhou twice, but He Zhou retaliated with a three-pointer under Grasshopper¡¯s cover.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be anxious!¡± Lao Lu¡¯s voice traveled over from the breaks between the screams. Probably because this was the final match, he didn¡¯t boldly use a speaker anymore. ¡°Play stably! Class 8, Class 8! Your handsomeness are the best¡ª¡ª¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t even want to turn his head in that direction. Out of just two slogans, Lao Lu actually managed to pick out the most shameful one to shout out.


    Class 2¡¯s shot made both the people on and off the court a little excited. Guo Xu¡¯s strength when he passed the ball to Jiang Cheng was astonishing ¨C it was like a cannonball.


    When he turned around, He Zhou was already blocking the route he would make the pass.


    What fast reflexes.


    Jiang Cheng dribbled the ball twice where he stood. He then dashed over to He Zhou until he was right in front of him, and just when He Zhou was about to steal the ball, he leaned over as if he was about to embrace him before hooking his arm to the side, pressing the ball to his calf when he made a pass from behind He Zhou to Gu Fei who was already running towards the opponents¡¯ basket.


    This pass was too low, and Gu Fei almost staggered when he caught the ball.


    Jiang Cheng followed him but kept a close eye on He Zhou. Gu Fei didn¡¯t have a chance to pass the ball back, so he decisively gave the ball to Wang Xu who was running around like crazy.


    Wang Xu¡¯s IQ at this moment was off the charts; just when he caught the ball, he immediately passed the ball back to Gu Fei.


    With this pass, He Zhou had a moment of hesitation, and Jiang Cheng hurriedly broke away from him and rushed to the baseline from the right sideline.


    While he hadn¡¯t stabilized his footing yet, Gu Fei threw the ball over.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s position was basically a straight line from the backboard! The players from Class 2 hastily rushed back to the three-second zone!


    This was exactly the effect he wanted!


    Jiang Cheng fixed his gaze on the basket, and without a shred of hesitation, he raised his arms and threw the ball.


    The audience¡¯s shouts practically sounded from right behind him, the decibels rising along with the trajectory of the ball until it finally reached its peak when the ball fell into the basket.


    ¡°Good shot!¡± Jiang Cheng gave a low shout. His arms which were raised into the air slammed down as he cheered for himself, ¡°Fuck!¡±


    With this back and forth, two three-pointers were made, making everyone¡¯s fighting spirit ignite.


    The current situation on court wasn¡¯t tilting towards one side; Class 2¡¯s skill level and cooperation were much stronger than that of Class 8, but because they have never lost a game before, they would never allow the championship to fall into another¡¯s hands ¨C the players¡¯ pressure was immense. In contrast, Class 8¡¯s players were playing in a considerably more let-loose manner. Whether they win or lose, they were already the dark horse. Thus, they didn¡¯t have any pressure and could just throw open their arms and play.


    Even a taciturn person like Lu Xiaobin was shouting as he was playing as if he was a spirit high on drugs.[9] Jiang Cheng constantly felt like if he wasn¡¯t careful, he may end up swallowing the person next to him.


    Neither classes called for a break, nor did they switch anyone in. Both sides wanted to maintain the rhythm and score some points while the momentum was still good.


    The difference in scores was finally starting to grow bigger, with Class 8¡¯s score steadily falling behind, yet holding on tight as the difference never exceeded more than one or two points.


    With only three minutes remaining in the first half of the game, Gu Fei made a shot while blocked by two people, and managed to turn the tables by one point.


    Amidst the frenzied screams of the audience, Class 2 called for a break.


    When Jiang Cheng walked towards the resting area, He Zhou blocked him: ¡°You should join the school team.¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng froze.


    ¡°You should join the school team,¡± He Zhou repeated once more.


    A long while passed before Jiang Cheng snapped back to his senses: ¡°No, wait, you¡¯re telling me that at a time like this?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to tell you this after we finish playing,¡± He Zhou said. ¡°But I¡¯m a little excited.¡±


    ¡°¡­ let¡¯s talk about this after the match ba,¡± Jiang Cheng responded.


    ¡°How about playing another game after the match?¡± He Zhou asked, ¡°You, me, Gu Fei, Tang Xiwei, and Song Yu a team.¡±


    ¡°Song Yu?¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t recall who Song Yu was.


    ¡°Our class¡¯s center.¡± He Zhou pointed towards the other side at Grasshopper, ¡°How about it?¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at Grasshopper in astonishment. He didn¡¯t know what kind of expectations his parents had to give him such a name, and felt tempted to give Pan Zhi a call to have ¡®Pan An¡¯ come over and become sworn brothers with Song Yu[10]¡­


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about it after we finish the game,¡± Jiang Cheng reiterated. ¡°One where we finish seriously.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already very serious¡­ alright then.¡± He Zhou gave him a pat on the shoulder, ¡°Let¡¯s finish playing first.¡±


    Jiang Cheng had to clench his teeth and grip his arm in order to not reflexively slap He Zhou¡¯s hand away.


    ¡°What did he say to you?¡± Gu Fei was squatting at the sidelines and stood up when he saw him run over.


    ¡°He wants me to join the school team and also said to play another game together afterward.¡± Jiang Cheng explained.


    ¡°That excited huh?¡± Gu Fei laughed, ¡°But then again, he¡¯s always been like this.¡±


    ¡°Is he from the school team?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°En, he¡¯s the captain of the school team.¡± Gu Fei revealed, ¡°Just like you before.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced at him but didn¡¯t say a word.


    ¡°Stop running together all the time!¡± Li Yan was holding up the camera, ¡°Keep some distance! When running, don¡¯t always look at yourself and the opponent, look at where your teammates are too! You must let yourselves always be open to catch the ball!¡±


    ¡°En!¡± Everyone nodded their heads.


    ¡°If somebody is blocked, it¡¯s enough for one person to go over to receive the ball. Don¡¯t all go crowding over there.¡± Li Yan pointed at Guo Xu, ¡°You¡¯re just like that. If somebody goes to receive the ball then you should run somewhere and prepare for the next pass.¡±


    ¡°Okay!¡± Guo Xu nodded.


    ¡°And you two¡­¡± Li Yan stared at Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng, contemplated for a long while, but didn¡¯t know what he could say, ¡°You two just keep acting handsome.¡±


    ¡°Yan-ge,¡± Wang Xu looked fixedly at the camera in Li Yan¡¯s hands. ¡°You¡¯ve taken quite a lot of pictures today, right?¡±


    Li Yan swept a glance at him: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s enough for you to make an album. There¡¯s enough for you to look at three a day for an entire month without similarities.¡±


    ¡°Even though I¡¯m the captain, you can¡¯t just take pictures of me ah.¡± Wang Xu said, ¡°Take some of Gu Fei ah, Jiang Cheng ah, and our other players ah¡­¡±


    ¡°Have all your IQ been thrown into a basketball net?¡± Li Yan irritatingly cut him off.


    Jiang Cheng laughed as he turned away, just in time to see Yi Jing standing behind Gu Fei, holding a bottle of water. Just when he wanted to call out to Gu Fei to take it, Yi Jing smiled as she passed the water to him: ¡°You take it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jiang Cheng received the water, drinking it as he glanced towards Gu Fei¡¯s collarbones.


    He didn¡¯t know if Gu Fei¡¯s injury, after playing a game like this¡­ he caught sight of a small corner of gauze exposed under his shirt collar ¨C on it was blood.


    ¡°Shit.¡± He frowned, leaned over to pull open Gu Fei¡¯s collar, and looked inside. The amount of blood seeping out wasn¡¯t much, but there was already a small patch, ¡°You¡­¡±


    But he didn¡¯t get to finish speaking when a series of screams sounded over from a group of girls to the side.


    Jiang Cheng snapped back to his senses, hurriedly loosened his hand, and took a step back.


    ¡°What happened? What happened?¡± Wang Xu immediately noticed the ruckus on this side and rushed over to Gu Fei before pulling open his collar, ¡°Holy fu¡­¡±


    The girls¡¯ screams instantly escalated, then turned into a fit of giggles.


    ¡°You¡¯re going up now.¡± Li Yan pulled Wang Xu away.


    Jiang Cheng put down the bottle of water. As he walked towards the court, he felt a bunch of stares boring into his back, so heated that his entire body was drowned in discomfort.


    He truly did have the uncontrollable desire and urge to draw closer, become more intimate, and xx towards Gu Fei, but this sort of situation where any casual movement would result in him being surrounded by screams was still¡­ it made him a little panicked.


    He felt uncomfortable for quite a long time, and he could only thank the heavens they put Wang Xu by his side.


    Thank Wang Xu who had a string missing from his head for saving him from this maddening awkwardness¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Gu Fei said from beside him.


    ¡°Was it torn?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Gu Fei responded. ¡°I didn¡¯t even feel anything.¡±


    ¡°¡­ would it have any effect on the brain-ischemic building-jumping?¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    ¡°It would probably have a little effect ba,¡± Gu Fei replied. ¡°But this matter, if I finish jumping without getting a little hurt, Hou Zi wouldn¡¯t back down either.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at him without saying a word.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei started jogging towards the midline when he turned back to look at him, and suddenly pointed at the place under Class 2¡¯s basket in a very serious manner, ¡°Fuck them up!¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter, thus he also pointed a finger over there. ¡°Fuck it up!¡±


    [1] Out of nowhere (ºá¿Õ³öÊÀ) ¨C Idiom: where (something) come into the world out of blue, specifically something big, extraordinary, etc.


    [2] Confident (ÀíÖ±Æø׳) ¨C Idiom: to speak with confidence because justice is on your side, to be self-confident because you are in the right, to speak forcefully and compellingly, etc.


    [3] Stand abreast ¨C µ±¹Ø lit trans, ¡®guard a pass/gate¡¯ but to make it rhyme I just changed it a bit ¨C Sae


    [4] Handsomeness (ÑÕÖµ) attractiveness index (rating of how good-looking sb is)


    [5] Jia you (¼ÓÓÍ) ¨C Fighting, hwaiting, come on, you can do it!


    [6] Smoothly (¸É´àÀûÂä) ¨C Idiom:  to do something smoothly and cleanly, neatly and tidily, or to have something efficiently done.


    [7] Stab a knife in his heart (ÐÄÈ絶½Ê) ¨C Idiom: lit. ¡°feel as if a knife was being twisted in one¡¯s heart¡± meaning to feel very heartbroken, in grief, devastated, etc.


    [8] Tight (ÑÏË¿ºÏ·ì) ¨C Idiom: lit. ¡°fit together perfectly/tightly fit together¡± meaning waterproof, airtight, without loopholes, etc.


    [9] spirit high on drugs (à¾ÁËÒ©µÄÃŰ徫) we¡¯re actually not too sure of how to translate this¡­ I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s a door spirit high on drugs?? If someone know, please tell us XD ¨C Sae


    [10] Song Yu (ËÎÓñ) a Chinese poet from the late Warring States period, and is known as the traditional author of a number of poems in the Verses of Chu (Chu ci ³þÞo). Among the Verses of Chu poems usually attributed to Song Yu are those in the Jiu Bian section. Also credited to Song Yu, somewhat improbable, are several fu collected in the 6th century literary anthology Wen Xuan.  || Song Yu and Pan An, what Pan Zhi likes to write as his name, are two of the four handsome men in Chinese history, so yes, they need to be sworn brothers


    Extra notes:


    **The other three handsome guys beside Song Yu.


    Pan An (ÅË°²)


    Pan Yue, also known as Pan An, a famous litterateur in Jin Dynasty, might be the most famous handsome man in China. His reputation spread so widely that people used ¡°look like Pan An (òÈôÅË°²)¡± as a compliment. The extent of his attractiveness can be derived from a story called ¡°throw fruits into a carriage until it is full (ÖÀ¹ûÓ¯³µ)¡±.


    It was said that every time Pan went out, people would run after his carriage, trying to sneak a peek at him. Apparently, the number of his fanatic fans was so large that not everyone could approach him. So the dedicated, of course mostly women, found a creative way to express their admiration¡ªthrowing fresh fruits onto Pan¡¯s carriage. Nobody knows whether Pan was ever hit by the fruit, but every trip outside was a harvest for him.


    However, Pan was famous not only for his appearance but also his literary prowess. Equal in popularity with another litterateur, Lu Ji, there was a saying that ¡°Lu¡¯s literary talent is like a sea; Pan¡¯s literary talent is like a river (½²ÅÈ纣£¬Å˲ÅÈç½­)¡±.


    Wei Jie (ÎÀ«d)


    Wei Jie, Jin Dynasty, was recognized as a pretty boy at the age of five. His grandfather said that Wei was good-looking in a different way and he was very sorry that he was too old to live until Wei grew up. When Wei was a teenager, he went onto the street in a goat-carriage, people all thought he was a statue made of jade. Even his uncle, General Wang Ji, who was also extremely handsome, said that hanging out with Wei was like ¡°putting a gleaming pearl beside me (ÖéÓñÔÚ²à)¡±.


    Needless to say, such a stunning appearance attracted crazy fans too. When Wei traveled from Yuzhang to Jianye, people eager to look at him gathered together and blocked the street. But maybe because beauty is always fragile, people¡¯s craze for Wei led to his tragedy. Since Wei had been weak in health since birth, after being watched for several days, he became sick and died later. People described his death as ¡°Wei Jie was watched to death (¿´É±ÎÀ«d)¡±. Perhaps it was the most bizarre death one could imagine, but for a pretty handsome guy, it seemed to be a little¡­ romantic.


    Prince Lanling (À¼ÁêÍõ)


    Gao Changgong, in the North Qi Kingdom of the southern and northern dynasties, the fourth son of Emperor Wenxiang, also known as Prince Lanling (À¼ÁêÍõ), was famous for his diligence, modesty, military talent and, of course, charming looks.


    But not everyone was lucky enough to witness his charm. It was said that as a military general his face too pretty to scare enemies, so he had to wear an ugly mask in battles. After a victorious battle, his soldiers composed a song and dance ¡°Prince Lanling in Battle (À¼ÁêÍõÈëÕóÇú)¡± praising the magnificent Prince. Later, it became an imperial court dance in the Sui Dynasty, and it was even introduced to Japan, where it has been preserved and performed to this day.


    However, competence, talent, and reputation led Prince Lanling to his death. When his cousin Gao Wei ascended the throne, Prince Lanling¡¯s existence upset him a lot. After he listened to the ¡°Prince Lanling in Battle¡±, he said to Prince Lanling, ¡°it is too dangerous for you to get into the enemy¡¯s battle array. In case you lose, you will have no chance to regret it.¡± Without realizing it was a test, Prince Lanling answered, ¡°I don¡¯t think so, it is for the family business.¡± This raised the emperor¡¯s suspicions about a possible coup. To protect himself, Prince Lanling often pretended to be sick, stayed away from wars and politics. However, his low profile didn¡¯t save him. Finally, in 573 A.D, the emperor sent him a cup of poisonous wine, Prince Lanling drank it and died in his early 30¡¯s.

 CH 53

    The time in which Class 2 called for the break was very suitable; the amount of time left before the end of the first half of the game was only three minutes. Not only did this interrupt Class 8¡¯s stable rhythm[1], but it also didn¡¯t allow Class 8 to adjust back before the first half of the match ended. With the resting time, Class 8 may not be able to restore that spectacular rhythm.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at the scoreboard ¨C they were four points behind. That wasn¡¯t too big of a difference, and if he must say, it was actually very easy to catch up to. But their opponent was Class 2, and no matter whether it was their overall skill level or their individual skill levels, they were all an entire league higher than Class 2. Thus, these four points seem to have become a bit unreachable.


    They had to give thanks to Li Yan for the match that day; besides taking pictures, Li Yan had also become their off-court coach along the way.


    During the break, a mass of people squatted together to listen to Li Yan¡¯s arrangement.


    ¡°I¡¯m very straightforward when I talk, so don¡¯t take it to heart. I think you are all too anxious.¡± Li Yan started summarizing after saying this, ¡°If you guys want to win, you must go all out, so nobody is allowed to remain standing in one place, all of you must be running. The players from their class are from the school team, right? That level of cooperation can¡¯t be formed after only one or two months. Again, if you guys want to win¡­ or if you just don¡¯t want the difference in scores to grow any bigger, you must put in the effort.¡±


    ¡°Got it!¡± The gang stretched out their arms together and shouted in conjunction.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng, you might not get many chances for a three-pointer in the second half. They will keep a close eye on you.¡± Li Yan looked at Jiang Cheng, ¡°You have to find a chance for Gu Fei.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°Jiayou.¡± Li Yan raised the camera and pointed it towards his face, taking a picture.


    Jiang Cheng looked at him and sighed.


    ¡°Pretty good.¡± Li Yan passed the camera over to him, ¡°Taking pictures of your captain is a real challenge. That pose¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng doubled over in laughter, glancing to the side at Wang Xu who was drinking water with his arms akimbo.


    The second half of the match began, and the players from both classes were going at each other¡¯s throats. Not only were the players on court extra aggressive, but the cheerleaders off the court were also shouting like crazy. If it weren¡¯t for the line on the ground and the linesman standing there, those girls might have rushed onto the court to shout at the opposing side.


    This game only lasted for half an hour, yet Jiang Cheng felt a little tired. This was something unlike all their previous games, so it consumed a lot of physical strength; because even if Wang Xu and the rest were going all out against them, the gap in skill still depended on him and Gu Fei to fill.


    After covering Gu Fei for seven consecutive layups, Jiang Cheng could even feel the sweat from his forehead falling into his eyes. However, since he didn¡¯t have a habit of wearing a wristband, he could only use his sleeves to wipe it away.


    ¡°Want one?¡± Gu Fei asked from beside him.


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng stared at him.


    ¡°Here.¡± Gu Fei was a weirdo who wore two wristbands, and had handed his left one to him, ¡°I haven¡¯t used this side to wipe my sweat yet.¡±


    Jiang Cheng wanted to say, ¡®do you think that your sweat wouldn¡¯t soak into your wristband¡¯, but Gu Fei immediately followed up with: ¡°Hurry while your sweat hasn¡¯t flowed from your arms to your wrists.¡±


    ¡°¡­ fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng dissolved into laughter. He took the wristband in his hand and used it to wipe the sweat on his forehead in passing.


    ¡°Have you seen that Number 9?¡± Gu Fei asked, ¡°He doesn¡¯t have any strength left, so he¡¯s been constantly running along the left line. I¡¯m going to try going over from the left side in a bit.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t reply. His and Gu Fei¡¯s cooperation entailed the midline and right borderline because going down along the left was not something those who dribble with their right hand are accustomed to.


    ¡°Let me see if I can show off a bit,¡± Gu Fei said again.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t have the time to contemplate on how he was going to show off since Guo Xu had already roared as he prepared to throw the ball, so he could only hurriedly start to run.


    Lu Xiaobin caught the ball and dribbled it forward by two steps before passing it to him. Gu Fei was already past the midline, but just when he caught the ball and was about to make a pass, Gu Fei abruptly leaned to the left from the midline.


    Jiang Cheng promptly passed the ball over to him. The timing was perfectly enacted, as it managed to just bounce into Gu Fei¡¯s hand when he took two steps onto the left sideline.


    Jiang Cheng immediately pressed ahead from the midline to the basket in preparation to receive the ball.


    Gu Fei switched to dribbling with his left hand, and the girls in the audience screamed wildly, as if Gu Fei was running naked across the court. That¡­ rendered Jiang Cheng a little speechless. Using one¡¯s left hand to dribble wasn¡¯t something particularly remarkable since anybody who regularly played ball would have practiced it, otherwise, it would take too much effort to go around the opponent. Even if Gu Fei¡¯s dribbling with his left hand was very stable, his character and good looks definitely played a big part ¨C a very big part. Grasshopper had also used his left hand to dribble past three people at once, yet he clearly didn¡¯t see or hear anybody screaming for him like that¡­


    Gu Fei very quickly made his way to the left baseline. It wasn¡¯t easy to do a layup from this angle since it was similar to the position Jiang Cheng was in when he made the three-pointer. Therefore, Class 2¡¯s main goal was to prevent him from making any passes. Number 9 was the only one following closely behind him, an opponent that could suppress him so that he wouldn¡¯t have any chance to turn toward the basket and make a shot.


    Jiang Cheng ran along the three-second zone while staring fixedly at Gu Fei¡¯s every movement, ready to assist at any given moment.


    But at this time, Gu Fei suddenly sidestepped. With his left hand on the ball, he aggressively swung his arm above his head and sent the ball flying towards the basket!


    Fuck! He actually wants to score a three-pointer with this posture, from this angle?! Jiang Cheng hurriedly shouted ¡°Xiaobin!¡±


    Lu Xiaobin immediately cut to the basket and squeezed back and forth against the others, waiting to grab the rebound.


    However, the ball that Gu Fei had so nonchalantly sent out with a swing of his arm had ¨C with a beautiful arc ¨C actually landed into the basket!


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Jiang Cheng jumped up and yelled, ¡°Fuck!¡±


    The earth-shattering screams outside the court were deafening. Lao Lu waved his arms: ¡°Gu Fei! Well done! Well done! Class 8, Class 8! Handsomeness, are the best!¡±


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t even be bothered to complain about what this match even had to do with their ¡®handsomeness¡¯ to make Lao Lu so persistent in saying something like this. He made his way over to Gu Fei and bumped his shoulder with a jump: ¡°Are you sick?!¡±


    ¡°Was I handsome?¡± Gu Fei also jumped up and gave his shoulder a bump.


    ¡°Super fucking handsome.¡± Jiang Cheng replied, ¡°Our morale has shot up.¡±


    The three-pointer Gu Fei made had not only lifted Class 8¡¯s morales but also boosted Class 2¡¯s.


    Class 2 immediately deployed a swift counterattack and scored back two points.


    The atmospheres both on and off the court suddenly heated to a boiling point ¨C definitely more than enough to steam a few baskets of buns.


    Just as Li Yan had said, wanting to maintain the difference in the score wasn¡¯t an easy feat under these circumstances. It was like a game of yoyo, every time they scored a shot, Class 2 would come back with another one.


    By the last quarter, Class 8 was still behind by three points. Theoretically speaking, this difference was a matter that could be easily solved with one shot if they played at their best, but in reality, catching up was extremely difficult with Class 2¡¯s fighting spirits had all been aroused to such a level.


    During a timeout, Jiang Cheng had his arms propped on his knees. He could hear the players surrounding him panting like a hurdle of cows.


    ¡°Guo Xu, go down and rest for a while.¡± Li Yan didn¡¯t discuss tactics with them at the moment, ¡°And switch in someone taller. If they attack then all of you return to guard the basket, and if they aim for a three-pointer then just let Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng handle it.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Wang Xu nodded.


    ¡°Since you guys don¡¯t seem to have a problem with scoring, the key is to not let them score again. Otherwise, if you score and they score, it¡¯ll be over.¡± Li Yan said.


    In a game where both sides fought tooth and nail but the disparity in skill was clearly present, it was practically impossible for Class 8 to prevent Class 2 from scoring. As he was saying that, Li Yan had shot Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng a look. Jiang Cheng was very clear that he was only saying this for the other players to not be discouraged.


    After they made the switch and went back onto the court, they gained a little more height under the basket. But, with Grasshopper¡¯s jump, the effect wasn¡¯t that noticeable.


    With only four minutes left in the game, the difference in scores had increased to five points. Li Yan called for them to switch again, having Guo Xu go back in.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go all out,¡± Guo Xu brought along those words. ¡°Spare no effort on scoring.¡±


    Jiang Cheng felt that even when he previously played in school tournaments, he had never before been under such immense pressure. There were the audience¡¯s cries of ¡°jiayou¡±, their screams, the cheerleading team¡¯s persisting cadence, his teammates fighting for it as if their life depended on it, and also the opponents doing their all.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get a three-pointer,¡± Gu Fei said when he ran over to his side.


    After a few rounds of going back and forth, the difference in score dropped to four points. When the ball landed in Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand, he glanced at the timer and saw that there was less than a minute remaining. If it was between two teams with similar skills, there would be a bit of hope, but now¡­ he still dribbled the ball as he dashed to the other side.


    Midway there, he ran into He Zhou, so he passed the ball to Gu Fei who immediately passed it to Wang Xu.


    Wang Xu and Lu Xiaobin cooperated to reach the three-second zone, but their shot was blocked. Fortunately, the opponent contending for the rebound with Lu Xiaobin was rendered utterly dumbfounded by his thunderous scream. Lu Xiaobin benefited from that moment of shock and successfully stole the rebound.


    Jiang Cheng could feel the formidable power of his roar from where he stood at the three-point line. If it were a wuxia novel, that opponent would probably be bleeding from all the orifices of his body right now, and even his heart and arteries and veins torn from the inside out.


    Lu Xiaobin passed the ball to Jiang Cheng.


    Get a three-pointer.


    With Gu Fei¡¯s words still resounding in his mind, he jumped up without the slightest hesitation after he caught the ball. He Zhou was right in front of him and had jumped up at the same time that he did.


    He leaned back a bit, and at this moment, at least a hundred chants of ¡°give me your blessing, my idol Fujima¡±[2] flooded through his mind¡­


    The ball left his hands.


    He Zhou didn¡¯t get to touch the ball that flew out with a large arc.


    When their foot landed back on the floor, He Zhou didn¡¯t look back and only said two words: ¡°Great shot.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at the ball with his arms still up in the air. As the ball sank in the net, he acted out his usual habit and pressed down three fingers along with the movement of the ball.


    Great shot.


    A one-point difference.


    In the last twelve seconds, everyone had gone completely mad. The audience in the stands all stood up, and waves of cheers washed over them one after another. Lao Xu started jumping up and down with excitement, waving his arms and shouting constantly from where he stood ¨C not that anyone could hear what he was shouting. Even Lao Lu¡¯s normally loud voice had been downright drowned out.


    Class 2 grabbed the ball and dashed towards the basket as if they were flying at the speed of light. Grasshopper tried making a shot with the ball before he even found a stable footing. Gu Fei also jumped but wasn¡¯t able to block the shot and had only managed to poke the underside of the ball with his fingertip.


    The shot didn¡¯t go in, and the fight for the rebound beneath the basket had become mayhem with everyone tangling together into a large mass ¨C they might as well hugged. The feeling that ¡°this is a boys¡¯ basketball final match¡± had nearly gone pale and in a trance, Jiang Cheng had the illusion of being stuck in a rampage of aunties fighting for goods in a supermarket that had a 10% off sale.


    The ball still ended up being snatched by Class 2. They shot again, but this time Gu Fei blocked it, and the ball landed in Wang Xu¡¯s hands.


    There were still four seconds left.


    Wang Xu had no time to make a pass. He dribbled the ball directly towards the opponent¡¯s side.


    Jiang Cheng followed after intending to cover him, but He Zhou seemed to have a firecracker lit beneath his ass ¨C his speed was frighteningly quick. Before Wang Xu could even get close to the three-point line, he had already caught up. He stretched out his hand and slammed the ball away.


    By the time Wang Xu pounced over and got the ball back in his hands, the whistle signaling the end of the match sounded before everyone present.


    ¡°The match has ended¡ª¡ª¡±


    Everyone in Class 2 jumped up, letting out deafening roars.


    Wang Xu stood still hugging the ball without moving an inch. Gu Fei walked over and patted his shoulder. When he suddenly whipped around and flung the ball aside, he tightly clung onto Gu Fei as he screamed and burst into tears.


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Gu Fei froze with his arms in the air.


    ¡°I was so close!¡± Wang Xu cried as he shouted, ¡°I was so, so close!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already done very well.¡± Gu Fei patted him on the back, ¡°You¡¯ve already done very well, don¡¯t cry¡­¡±


    He Zhou exchanged a few high-fives with his teammates when he caught sight of this scene and froze. He ran over: ¡°Did I¡­ I don¡¯t remember hitting him ah¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hit him,¡± Jiang Cheng reassured. ¡°He¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°Why did you slap my ball away?!¡± Wang Xu pushed Gu Fei aside and glared at He Zhou as he yelled at him.


    ¡°Ay!¡± He Zhou jumped in fright, then took a step back, a little perplexed, ¡°Of course I¡­ have to slap it away ah.¡±


    ¡°Captain.¡± Jiang Cheng also felt a sense of loss and was a little regretful ¨C they only lost by one point after all. But with Wang Xu¡¯s current state, he had no time to mourn and simply sighed before walking over to check on Wang Xu. ¡°Captain, Captain Wang?¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Wang Xu looked at him.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s looking at you ne.¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°Hurry up and gather up, we still have to shake hands ah.¡±


    ¡°Oh right!¡± Wang Xu¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°I almost forgot! Hurry, hurry, hurry! Everyone in our team, come line up!¡±


    Jiang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief.


    After the players on both teams shook hands and patted each other on the shoulders, they all returned to their respective resting areas.


    ¡°That was wonderful!¡± Lao Xu came over to hug them all, ¡°Absolutely wonderful! You guys are amazing! I¡¯m so proud of you all!¡±


    When he walked in front of Jiang Cheng, Jiang Cheng hastily gave him a fist-palm salute and stepped back.


    ¡°Oh you!!¡± Lao Xu pointed at him and sighed then moved on to grab Gu Fei into a hug, ¡°Great job Gu Fei!¡±


    Gu Fei smiled and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    After Lao Xu left, he turned his head to look at Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze held his for a while before he opened his arms with a smile, and Gu Fei closed in to give him a hug.


    At that moment, he no longer cared whether there were screams around them, whether someone would raise their phones towards them, or whether there would be a new post in the forum because of this scene.


    He just wanted to hug Gu Fei. Because of this match, because of this group of teammates that fought with everything they got, and because he and Gu Fei are the perfect partners ¨C just hug him.


    A hug, that hug, carrying that young woman on the decorated, bridal palanquin¡­[3]


    ¡°I haven¡¯t played such an exhilarating game in a long time.¡± Gu Fei spoke.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jiang Cheng agreed. ¡°You just haven¡¯t played a normal game ba?¡±


    ¡°¡­ I have before.¡± Gu Fei let go of him, ¡°I have to go to the washroom.¡±


    ¡°Have you been holding back the need to pee the entire time?¡± Jiang Cheng was a little speechless.


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Fei grabbed his jacket and fished out the tissue adhesive, ¡°I think the one on my waist also ripped open. I need to fix it up.¡±


    ¡°Do you¡­¡± Jiang Cheng lowered his voice, ¡°Need any help?¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Gu Fei laughed.


    The audience hadn¡¯t completely dispersed yet. Some were shooting hoops on the court, some were ceaselessly chatting on the stands, while others¡­ were taking pictures.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng,¡± He Zhou ran over. ¡°Do you want to play later?¡±


    ¡°How about another day?¡± He glanced in the direction of the washroom, ¡°Today¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t!¡± Wang Xu suddenly came over, ¡°No. Can. Do! We¡¯re going to eat right now! We don¡¯t have any time to play with you guys!¡±


    He Zhou hesitated for a while: ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s arrange another time. Let¡¯s add each other on WeChat?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng took out his phone and added He Zhou to his friends list.


    Gu Fei returned not long after he went to the washroom. The players from the class and the cheerleading team were still in an incongruous state of excitement, sorrow, and joy.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of us!¡± Wang Xu was calling the restaurant to make a reservation, ¡°Don¡¯t you guys have one of those small conference rooms for meetings? Yes! That¡¯s the one!¡±


    ¡°How is it?¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei.


    ¡°No problems.¡± Gu Fei moved his arm, ¡°We¡¯re going to eat together?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, ¡°You guys¡­ what time?¡±


    ¡°Eight o¡¯clock tonight,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    Wang Xu took the group of them to a restaurant, including Li Yan who had an expression of unwillingness.


    Jiang Cheng sat next to Gu Fei once more, but neither of them spoke more than a few words throughout the entire meal. The group was so excited that they couldn¡¯t be more excited; thank goodness there weren¡¯t many customers eating in the restaurant at noon, otherwise they would have been driven away by their raging ruckus.


    Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk anyway. Since he checked out those buildings the day before, he had fostered a faint sense of anxiousness toward Gu Fei and the others¡¯ retarded building-jumping activity.


    Now that the match was over, and he didn¡¯t have any other matters on his mind, this feeling had time to fester and grow in his heart.


    Gu Fei would definitely get hurt, and very perceivably hurt at that. He had to get hurt. Otherwise, with Hou Zi¡¯s disposition, even if Gu Fei admitted defeat, he had to get hurt for it to be acceptable.


    Then, this injury¡­ what kind does it need to be?


    How utterly retarded.


    Even with chatting included with the eating, it also came with collective crying, and in the end, they also sang their hearts out to the song ¡°Friends[4]¡±. Those who don¡¯t know would think they were having an early farewell meal ne. This meal went on until past three o¡¯clock in the afternoon before they finally disbanded. Jiang Cheng walked out of the restaurant when he felt like the sweat on his body had started to stink.


    Li Yan had his motorcycle and directly rode to Gu Fei¡¯s shop while Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei pedaled their bikes back in silence the entire time.


    When they reached the entrance of the shop, Gu Fei finally said: ¡°Be extra careful tonight. Stay where there¡¯s not many people around. There¡¯s going to be all sorts of people there.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him before letting out a sigh, ¡°Whatever injury you¡¯re going to sustain, be certain to¡­ keep it within your grasp.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Gu Fei smiled, ¡°I grew up getting hurt.¡±


    Jiang Cheng raised a middle finger at him, stepped on the pedal, and rode away.


    The first thing he did when he returned home was to take a shower, then after going out and walking around a few times, he bought a rubber tube and a pair of haemostatic forceps.


    When he first started playing with a slingshot, he had used a rubber tube. Nominally, this sort of rubber tube wasn¡¯t the very best to use as a slingshot, but since he was used to it and was already quite familiar with how it stretched and rebounded ¨C he continued to use it.


    After buying the rubber tube, he made his way to the supermarket. Being someone who lacked the knowledge of the layout of the market, he walked around for nearly ten rounds before he finally found a shop and bought a bag of walnuts.


    Once he was finished with all of this, it wasn¡¯t even five o¡¯clock yet ¨C still a long while before eight o¡¯clock. Despite that, he stuffed everything into his schoolbag and headed to the railway bridge.


    He locked the bike on the rail outside of a small shop near the intersection, then walked in.


    This place looked more desolate during the day than at night. He directly walked up to the rooftop, put down his bag, and leaned against the wall of the small attic, and sank.


    ¡°Hello everyone, welcome to today¡¯s Episode 2 of Cheng-ge Takes You To Watch The Retards.¡± Jiang Cheng removed the rubber band from the slingshot as he quietly narrated, ¡°It is now¡­ three hours from the Retards¡¯ collective revelry. I estimate in about two hours, some retarded forerunners will enter the venue, so we have to arrive ahead of time¡­ for now, I¡¯ll take this time to teach everyone how to tie a rubber band on a slingshot¡­¡±


    He took out the rubber tube and forceps: ¡°I normally use the 8-digit tying method. It¡¯s very simple, all you need is a haemostatic forceps, or two knitting needles will work fairly well too¡­ you guys can watch for yourself ba, I¡¯m too lazy to explain it. I¡¯m not in the mood.¡±


    The leather pad had just been changed recently and could still be used. Jiang Cheng lowered his head and quickly tied the rubber tube on the ¡®slingshot¡¯. Then he stretched it out to give it a try, released it, and felt that it wasn¡¯t too shabby.


    He tilted his head back as he leaned against the wall, closed his eyes for a moment, then fished out a walnut from his backpack.


    ¡°Last time we used steel bearing balls.¡± He stretched the rubber band and narrowed his eyes towards the four buildings on the other side. ¡°Today, we¡¯re going to test the strength of a walnut¡­ of course, it¡¯s not a paper-shell walnut, but the regular hard-shelled ones¡­¡±


    He loosened his hand, and the walnut flew out.


    An empty can was knocked off the edge of the rooftop on the opposite building and fell downstairs while the walnut also broke apart.


    ¡°Not bad.¡± Jiang Cheng reached out to grab four walnuts, stood up, and moved two steps forward, ¡°Let¡¯s see how an acrophobic person overcomes their psychological¡­ disorder, fuck, and hit four consecutive shots¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng took a deep break, aimed at a beverage bottle on the roof of the second building, and shot out the first walnut. The bottle was knocked forward. He shot out a second one, and the bottle was knocked forward again. Then a third one, and the fourth one.


    The fourth one was an empty shot, as the bottle had already been knocked across the building ¨C the distance was a little too far.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jiang Cheng sat back by the wall, ¡°All preparations have been finished. Now¡­ may everyone study with me for now. We¡¯ll resume in two hours.¡±


    He picked out a mathematics workbook that Pan Zhi had sent him, lowered his head, and started to read through it.


    When the sky had completely darkened and he could no longer clearly see what was in front of him, Jiang Cheng stuffed the book back in his backpack, and it was also then that he heard the sound of motorcycles sounding over from downstairs.


    The streetlights were already on and he edged over to the side of the rooftop and peered down; even though there were only two streetlights, he could still see that there were three motorcycles parked out there.


    Every motorcycle also carried a person ¨C four men and two women.


    ¡°Welcome everyone, the retarded forerunners have arrived at the venue. There¡¯s actually two women.¡± Jiang Cheng quietly remarked, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen any of them before, but they should be members of the Retarded Hou Zi Team.¡±


    After those people dismounted their bikes, they didn¡¯t go up the building. Instead, they remained standing at the bottom, laughing and chatting away.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at the time ¨C seven o¡¯clock. He opened his messages and took a look at his and Gu Fei¡¯s chat only to find that there were no new messages. Gu Fei didn¡¯t contact him.


    He hesitated for a second before placing his phone back inside his pocket. It was pointless contacting Gu Fei at this time.


    After a little over ten minutes, the people downstairs started to increase. There were those who came on foot and those who came by motorcycle¡­ all gathered together at the bottom of the buildings. Some were smoking, and others were carrying bottles of alcohol, drinking as they chatted. He stared at these them but didn¡¯t see Bu Shi Hao Niao, that group of people.


    Just like this, Jiang Cheng remained squatting on the rooftop as he gazed downwards. He squatted till his leg was numb, and even squatted till he had forgotten that he had a fear of heights. When he finally caught sight of Li Yan driving in from a small path on the motorcycle from earlier that day.


    The crowd downstairs became restless; that restlessness seemed to soar, and the atmosphere suddenly became just a little tense.


    Following that were two more motorcycles. Jiang Cheng glanced at them; they were Bu Niao, and Hao Shi, exactly four people¡­ then where was Gu Fei?


    After Li Yan and Bu Shi Hao Niao alighted their bikes, did he finally see Gu Fei¡¯s motorcycle turning in.


    ¡°Fucking hell.¡± Jiang Cheng lowered his voice into a whisper as he announced, ¡°Welcome friends and audience, please have your eyes on the one who has just entered the venue. That is Retard¡­ Number 1. He¡¯s riding a black motorcycle and wearing a¡­ ¡®night walking outfit¡¯. He is now taking off his helmet¡­ if we put aside the fact that he¡¯s retarded, Number 1 truly is a very handsome fellow. This entrance deserves a score of 82 points, and the remaining 18 points are to be given out in the form of 666¡­¡±[5]


    Gu Fei got off the bike, tossed the helmet to hang on the rearview mirror, and glanced at the surrounding people: ¡°Where¡¯s Hou Zi?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll be here soon,¡± somebody answered.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go up first.¡± Gu Fei glanced at Liu Fan.


    ¡°En.¡± Liu Fan kicked aside an empty liquor bottle on the ground, and they entered the building together.


    Gu Fei was very familiar with this building because the people in the area around the steel mill had always keen on using hurdling as a method to resolve their conflicts. He couldn¡¯t even remember how many times he had come here before, but this was the first time he came here to end his own conflict.


    ¡°The people I¡¯ve called over will arrive in a bit.¡± Liu Fan turned his head, ¡°Li Yan, give Xu-ge a call ba and let him know to just come up here.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Li Yan took out his phone and dialed a number.


    Gu Fei walked at the very front all the way up to the rooftop; the wind was pretty forceful that day, immediately receiving a face full of wind just by standing on the rooftop.


    He looked at their surroundings before feeling around in both his pockets, retrieved a pair of glasses, and put it on.


    ¡°Probably in the opposite building ba.¡± Li Yan whispered beside him.


    He glanced at Li Yan then turned to look at the opposite building. It was pitch-black, and nothing could be seen at all. He couldn¡¯t spot anything that appeared like a human figure on the rooftop either.


    Hou Zi came upstairs with a bunch of people. Now, the protagonists that day have all arrived and all the people who wanted to enjoy a good show have also gathered on the rooftops. One, two, three, four¡­ Gu Fei glanced around and found that the rooftop of all four buildings was already packed with people.


    Some were Hou Zi¡¯s people, some were those that Liu Fan and them had called over, as well as quite a few audiences that just wanted to enjoy the show.


    Despite the very fate that this conflict only pertained to him and Hou Zi, it was imperative for those people to all gather here. A boss like Hou Zi liked this sort of extravagance, yet what Gu Fei wanted was only witnesses.


    If he wanted to finish it all in one go, to never let there be another follow-up, there must be other people present. The more people, the better. As long as everybody knew that the conflict between the two of them was resolved right here, right now, if anybody came looking for trouble in the future, it would only be a matter of face. For someone like Hou Zi who had ¡°status¡± and was a boss that needed face would have extreme difficulties if he wanted to make a move again.


    Only¡­ Gu Fei pushed up his glasses and surveyed the crowds of people around him, attentively scanning across each and every rooftop, but still didn¡¯t catch sight of Jiang Cheng.


    He was very familiar with Jiang Cheng¡¯s silhouette. Even if this fellow mixed into the crowd, he would still be able to pick him out. But from beginning to end, he wasn¡¯t able to find a trace of Jiang Cheng.


    On the opposite building? It looked to be as peaceful as always.


    He felt a little insecure. After hesitating for some time, he ultimately took out his phone and sent Jiang Cheng a message.


    ¨C Where are you?


    Jiang Cheng replied incredibly fast.


    ¨C Cheng-ge is everywhere.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Gu Fei stared at the line of words and felt as if he could see Jiang Cheng¡¯s smile stretched out beyond the three realms.


    ¨C Just where are you? In the opposite building?


    There wasn¡¯t a speck of light inside that building. However, if Jiang Cheng turned the brightness to the lowest setting, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to see a hint of light from there.


    ¨C Come to the edge of the roof.


    Gu Fei snuck a glance at Hou Zi. He was currently chatting with a bunch of people he hadn¡¯t seen for a long time with a calm expression like nothing was happening that night.


    Gu Fei slowly walked over to the edge.


    Just as he lowered his head intending to send another message to Jiang Cheng, he suddenly felt something strike his shoe. He took a look at it and found that it was actually a walnut.


    ¡°Fuck? You¡¯ve hidden really well ah.¡± He immediately sent a voice message and went over to crush the walnut. That was when he also saw more smashed up walnut shells nearby, ¡°What are you planning on doing?¡±


    ¨C Smile for me.


    Jiang Cheng sent a message in response.


    Gu Fei turned his face towards the dilapidated building shrouded in darkness on the other side. Smile for me, what the hell for?


    ¨C I can see you.


    Jiang Cheng sent another message over.


    Gu Fei took a panoramic glance at the crowd around him, and taking the chance while no one was looking, he turned back and smiled into the darkness.


    This was probably the most idiotic thing he had ever done in his entire life.


    ¡°Very good.¡± Jiang Cheng squatted in the darkness. On the opposite rooftop, there were already some people using oil barrels to start a fire, brightening up the surroundings. ¡°Just now, we saw Retard Number 1¡¯s smile which means the visibility and aiming conditions are perfect at the moment¡­ it seems like the other side is about to begin. We¡¯re going to start now.¡±


    With one leg bent at the knee and the other kneeling on the floor of the rooftop, he picked up a walnut and pulled the rubber band taught.


    The people on the rooftop had already spread out to either side. Gu Fei and Hou Zi both backed up to the very edge ¨C the length of the run-up would be the length of the rooftop.


    ¡°Holy fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyebrows furrowed; several empty bottles were kicked into the middle from both sides, and the path that Gu Fei would have to go through had at least three bottles. Following that, the items that were tossed out also included bricks and wooden slats, and the rooftop of the building they would land was also facing the same situation. Someone had actually gone out of their mind and also threw a case of beer in the middle. He clenched his teeth, ¡°Really fucking retarded.¡±


    Someone walked to the middle and stood facing Hou Zi and Gu Fei and raised his hand.


    There was no possibility of Jiang Cheng calculating Gu Fei¡¯s steps, consequently, no way for him to use the walnuts to clear away the roadblocks. Once they started, all he could do was to closely follow Gu Fei¡¯s movement, calculate where his landing point was after he jumped, and make use of the time difference¡­


    The person in the middle finally swung his hand down hard.


    Gu Fei and Hou Zi rushed out at the same time.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t look down at his feet at all. Every step was taken with large strides, and when he rushed out whilst cloaked by the wind, he looked like he was about to fly.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes locked on him fixedly.


    The moment Gu Fei took his first step, he could already make out with clarity Gu Fei¡¯s state of letting loose ¨C he wasn¡¯t looking down at his feet, and only cared about striding forward.


    When Gu Fei stepped on the edge of the rooftop, at a position where he could fall if he moved forward just an inch, and suddenly leaped, Jiang Cheng¡¯s heart stopped beating for a split second.


    The way Gu Fei dashed ahead regardless of all else, the way he leaped and soared through the air, his every movement as he embraced the wind, as if flying¡­


    ¡°What kind of person are you?¡± Jiang Cheng yanked back the rubber sling, and as the walnut flew out once he loosened his hand, its target was the precisely empty bottle right by Gu Fei¡¯s landing spot.


    The author has something to say: Continuing tomorrow.


    ¡°The author who updates daily with no idea how the story is going to go discovered that she estimated wrongly. If we had gone with the normal word count, nothing would have happened. So to not get dissed by all the goldfish, she clenched my teeth and wrote 2000 more words in a frenzy to stir things up!¡± The author who has no more time to check for typos anymore says weakly as she lay on the black furry spirit.


    ¡°Oh my god. o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o¡± The black furry spirit shouted as it pulled its hind legs from under the author¡¯s belly.


    ¡°Chirp. &(¡¥^¡¥)&¡± The tiny black furry spirit chirped.


    ¡°w(©b§¥©b)w Ying, ying.¡± The small black furry spirit cried.


    ¡ã


    The translators have something to say:


    Sae: It¡¯s 4AM, technically 5AM (because we had daylight saving) and I¡¯m dead tired T_____T


    Ice: IT¡¯S. TIME. TO. WATCH. RETARDS.


    And damn Gu Fei is traumatized since the last time Jiang Cheng helped him with his wounds hahahahaha¡­ (*>ÆH<)


    [1] Stable rhythm (Ò»ÆøºÇ³É) Idiom meaning for something to flow smoothly, to do something without interruption, or to finish something in one go


    [2] Fujima (ÌÙÕ潡˾) full name: Fujima Kenji: from the manga SLAM DUNK ¨C one of the best basketball manga ever ¨C is the captain and coach of the Shoyo team. Thus, he has twice the responsibility and workload than any other players around. He usually sits out during games as he needs to observe and make decisions as a coach. Nonetheless, he will join the games if he senses that his teammates need him. Not only is he an intelligent and responsible person, he is a very talented basketball player as well. He is one of the top players in the region, alongside Shinichi Maki from team Kainan. They used to compete for the MVP title.


    [3] ´ó»¨½Î (Da Hua Jiao) by »ð·ç (Huo Feng)

 CH 54

    Even though the first and second buildings were parallel, the distance between the two was the shortest.


    Gu Fei couldn¡¯t measure how far it was, but the people who had jumped over them in the past had landed more than one meter within the opposite rooftop.


    The people that Liu Fan called had already scattered to the rooftops of the other buildings; matters such as setting up obstacles were also akin to a battlefield. If there was someone throwing things under his feet, naturally, there was also someone throwing things under Hou Zi¡¯s feet. In this aspect, things were absolutely fair, and nobody would get beaten up for throwing things either.


    For these people, no matter who it was that won or lost, they would be excited. All they wanted to see was nothing more than someone tripping, getting hurt, and at the very best, someone falling off a building.


    The noises beside his ears were very chaotic; there were people laughing, people shouting, and there were even women shrieking. It sounded a bit like how it was at the basketball game, but once he listened carefully, he could only sense darkness.


    These people¡­ Gu Fei scrutinized his surroundings. These people were standing on all sorts of garbage that lied rotting on the rooftops; bags, beer bottles, food crumbs, and even used condoms could be seen here and there.


    This was indeed a brain-dead world.


    The only thing that caused him to do a double-take was the inconspicuous walnut pieces on the ground. This kind of garbage wasn¡¯t something unusual on the rooftop, but if Jiang Cheng had never struck his shoes with one before, he would have never noticed these small broken pieces at his feet.


    These broken pieces were done by Jiang Cheng.


    What is this xueba trying to do?


    Even though he wasn¡¯t concerned that Jiang Cheng would do something that took it too far, he still cared a little.


    Because no matter what Jiang Cheng wanted to do, it was all because of him.


    This retarded jumping building game also required a referee which was the so-called mediator. This person was someone that Gu Fei recognized and was considered a big boss before his retirement. Everyone called him Hu-ge,[1] and with him calling out the start of this whole thing, it would appear relatively impartial.


    Although he had already retired, Hu-ge wasn¡¯t that old in age ¨C he wasn¡¯t even 30. Gu Fei had even played basketball with him when he was in the reformatory school, and at that time, he had already washed his hands clean of the matters within the ¡°Jianghu¡±. Yet, with the attitude of an experienced person, he had told him something along the lines of ¡°repent and be saved¡±.


    Was this now considered, ¡°repent and be saved¡±?


    He had never thought of wading into the waters, yet he had to carry the words ¡°repent and be saved¡± on his back. It was rather funny now that he thought about it.


    Gu Fei looked at the ¡°roadblock¡± ahead. He didn¡¯t calculate which steps should be taken with a wide stride, which steps should be avoided, and what must be done in order to get rid of something ¨C he didn¡¯t want to think about too many things.


    All he had to do was run, jump, and land.


    Getting injured meant the end, but no injuries meant continuing.


    He needed to make sure that if any injuries were to be sustained, it must be as late as possible. If an injury was received on the first landing, the insatiable audience might demand for him to continue with the injury.


    Moreover, he had already chosen the location and method of how he would get injured.


    Hu-ge raised his hand, and boisterous screams and whistles sounded on the rooftops, echoing out in all directions.


    His arm then flew down right after.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t care if Hou Zi had set off yet or how he had set off. He only fixed his gaze on the edge of the roof and charged.


    You said one, two, three, shatter the past¡­


    Gu Fei¡¯s right foot slammed firmly on the very edge of the roof, and his body was wrapped in the wind as he jumped.


    Beneath was the darkness, ahead was the blazing brightness.


    Where there were dancing flames and shadows that intertwined between light and darkness.


    The instant he soared in the air, Gu Fei suddenly felt relaxed. He had the urge to scream out loud at the top of his lungs, and he also wanted to laugh.


    The corners of his lips pulled back.


    The spot he wanted to land on had already been determined in advance. This strong jump aided him in surpassing the case of broken beer bottles that were thrown near the end of the roof.


    This meant that the two beverage bottles could also be avoided.


    The result of stepping on those beverage bottles wouldn¡¯t necessarily make you twist your ankle, however, it would make you lose your balance. If one were to slip under such great momentum, the consequences would be uncontrollable.


    But, at the same time as when he had just started to drop down, a beer bottle suddenly rolled over from the side.


    This bottle that was rolling to his landing point made Gu Fei¡¯s heart drop.


    There was no longer any other way nor any time for him to take control of his body. If his foot stepped on the bottle¡­


    Fuck you.


    Gu Fei closed his eyes.


    Fuck your mother, come what may ba.


    A walnut struck the bottle hard, hitting close to the mouth of the bottle, and practically sped up at exactly the same time that Gu Fei¡¯s feet landed, rolling away right beneath his feet.


    Gu Fei¡¯s posture was very beautiful as he landed ¨C he didn¡¯t stagger and was steady and firm. He stood up quickly after borrowing the momentum to lightly roll on the ground.


    Jiang Cheng let out a very long sigh of relief amid the clamorous noises of whistles and iron rods hitting empty oil barrels and sat his butt down on the ground.


    ¡°Amazing.¡± After relaxing for two seconds, he took out two more walnuts. ¡°As everyone can see, taking deep breaths has proven to help ease tension and fear¡­ fuck.¡±


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s hands shook uncontrollably; the walnut slipped out of his hand twice as he tried to hold it against the rubber band: ¡°It can be seen that this is the first time contestant Jiang Cheng has made shots under such tremendous pressure. His hands are trembling so badly¡­ that he can¡¯t even hold onto his weapon.¡±


    ¡°Actually, even my legs are shaking.¡± Jiang Cheng bent at the waist and moved his hands and feet toward the side of the small attic. This spot was slightly closer to the second building, and under this kind of light, it would be even more stable if he was a meter closer in distance. He rested his knees on the concrete piers at the edge of the roof, ¡°I really want to pee ah.¡±


    Gu Fei was not injured, nor was Hou Zi. By comparison, Gu Fei had jumped further and had a much more beautiful landing posture than Hou Zi.


    But this was only the first round.


    Jiang Cheng looked at the situation of the rooftop of the second building through the fork of the slingshot. At the moment, it looked as though they were waiting for the people from the first building to go down, thus everyone was moving about.


    A few minutes later, Jiang Cheng heard the sound of music coming from the other side.


    ¡°Obviously he¡¯s a fool, but full of goodness, always dreaming of pretty ladies throwing themselves in his arms¡­.[2]


    With just a listen, one could feel a strong sense of the aura of a rural-urban type hair salon.


    ¡°This really is¡­¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t hold back a tsk, ¡°Unbelievable¡­¡±[3]


    These sorts of retarded country bumpkins with their ¡°swag¡± rendered him utterly speechless. They and the idiots that thought that they were the absolute baddest with two speakers hanging from their motorcycles must have a master-apprentice relationship.[4]


    Gu Fei said a few words to Li Yan who had come from the first building, lit a cigarette, then stood at the side of the rooftop looking ahead.


    Jiang Cheng also took out a cigarette, hunched his back, and pulled his clothes together to block the wind as he speedily lit it and took a drag.


    He then sat down on the side of the rooftop and looked over at Gu Fei.


    From when Gu Fei first jumped to the landing ¡®till now, his frantic heartbeat had gradually calmed down already, and he could quietly look at Gu Fei.


    There wasn¡¯t any expression on Gu Fei¡¯s face. He was just there with a cigarette in his mouth as if he was looking at something, but also like he was spacing out.


    Jiang Chang also spaced out with him.


    Gu Fei was not like all the others. He was different from those people who constantly sought the thrill and excitement in their life. From the very first step that he took, Jiang Cheng felt it.


    What Gu Fei wanted wasn¡¯t ¡°I won¡±, nor was it the screams or the attention ¨C all he wanted was for this all to end.


    The end of his dispute with Hou Zi, and the end of the past that he had dully mentioned the other day.


    No one had noticed the sudden increase in speed the bottle had taken, and neither had anyone taken notice of the walnut that had been shattered to pieces at the side of his feet due to impact with the ground and the bottle.


    It happened way too fast. Even Gu Fei himself had only become aware of the reason he didn¡¯t step on that bottle when his hand touched upon the bits of walnut shells on the ground.


    At that second, he really, really wanted to send a message to Jiang Cheng, to take a look at the building to the side, but he didn¡¯t dare.


    Under such circumstances, his every reaction would be immediately noticed and as long as he looked over there, someone would perhaps go that way.


    He stared at the walnut that had already become like fine powder from having been kicked and stepped on by the people walking up and down ¨C not knowing what to feel.


    He didn¡¯t want to drag Jiang Cheng into these matters, yet Jiang Cheng still appeared using this method of ¡°not getting involved¡±.


    Cheng-ge is everywhere.


    Those words that carried the aura of the infamous ¡°middle school syndrome¡± practically oozed from the screen and flooded onto one¡¯s face, now made a wave of warmth suddenly wash over his heart when he recalled it.


    The feeling that Jiang Cheng brought him wasn¡¯t just something as simple as ¡°outstanding¡±; the purity that glimmered like crystals buried underneath his ¡°middle school syndrome¡± aura that reached the sky and his occasional small tantrums would never fail to slightly move one¡¯s heart every time it flashed by the corner of one¡¯s eye in this chaotic and disorderly life.


    ¡°The retards are starting to clear the area.¡± Jiang Cheng straightened up with one knee still on the ground. Actually, no one on the opposite building would even take notice if he stood up, and his visibility would also improve a bit too. But standing on the edge of the rooftop of a five-story building in the darkness of the night with the wind also blowing¡­ he honestly couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it. He pulled the rubber band back tightly. ¡°It looks like the second round is about to start¡­ shit, I¡¯m going to stop talking. May everyone see for yourselves ba.¡±


    The third building was one story lower than the second building and the distance between them was also quite further¡­ Jiang Cheng could feel his palms perspiring and couldn¡¯t help but be thankful that his slingshot had top-tier anti-slipping attributes. If it was a substandard product like the one they used during the photoshoot that day, the slingshot would probably fly out of his hands along with the walnuts.


    The retards, a story below, had started throwing things toward the center again. Even a few burning sticks were also thrown into the mix, though doing so had tremendously increased the visibility.


    Jiang Cheng slowed down his breathing and aimed at a wooden stick on the rooftop of the third building. Aside from the bricks and liquor bottles, that piece of wood that lay parallel to Gu Fei¡¯s running path was the most dangerous. If he happened to step on it, the chances of his ankle getting twisted was a hundred percent. It would have been much better if it lay across, that way, even if he stepped on it, his ankle wouldn¡¯t twist to either side.


    Just like before, someone stood in the middle with their hand raised, facing Gu Fei and Hou Zi.


    His hand then swung down right after.


    The two charged out at the same time. Gu Fei flew off the edge of the rooftop with the same posture and the same speed as before.


    Because the distance was wider, Jiang Cheng could even see Gu Fei¡¯s leg take a stride in the air, allowing his body to prolong the acceleration.


    If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that he was really too nervous, Jiang Cheng would have definitely applauded Gu Fei for his explosively cool move ¨C such long legs, such a beautiful stride and jump¡­


    But it was right then that a commotion appeared on the rooftop of the third building that Jiang Cheng had been constantly keeping an eye on ¨C he never would¡¯ve expected that such a situation would occur!


    Wooden boards, sticks, and several other inexplicable things that were impossible to distinguish had been thrown from both sides into the air above the rooftop.


    Fuck! Your! Whole! Family!


    The shock and indignation that rose within Jiang Cheng at that moment simply eclipsed any other in his life ¨C reaching its highest peak. He almost wanted to take out the steel bearing balls and welt them on the heads of anyone on either side, and most fitting was if it pierced all the way through so that those brains that clearly lack oxygen could fucking take in some fresh air!


    But he didn¡¯t have time to think anymore. He even wanted to express his gratitude to those hyper-excited fools who had thrown things in advance. If they had started throwing when Gu Fei was landing from the jump, the possibility of him reacting in time would have been impossible.


    Between expelling the obstacles beneath his feet or the ones sailing in the air, Jiang Cheng chose the ones in the air.


    With all sorts of rubbish obstructing his view, he couldn¡¯t clearly discern the situation around Gu Fei¡¯s landing spot. He held his breath ¨C there was no time to think.


    A slingshot wasn¡¯t a gun, and a walnut wasn¡¯t a bullet. He couldn¡¯t let something fly toward Gu Fei before making a move. He had no other option but to make use of the split second he had to pinpoint the object deemed most destructive to Gu Fei.


    The difficulty of this approach was an endeavor he had practically never undertaken. His mind was a chaotic mess that parroted the tumultuous noises of the opposite side.


    Someone in the crowd had picked up a piece of broken brick. Jiang Cheng promptly yanked back the rubber band at the same time that the guy flung it.


    His timing wasn¡¯t that much of a problem, but he could only estimate for the angle.


    The brick deviated just as it closed in on Gu Fei¡¯s face and smacked against a piece of wooden plank that flew over from the side. Consequently, the wooden plank veered off course, only sweeping by Gu Fei¡¯s face before flying elsewhere.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t even wince during the whole ordeal. In this utterly confusing and disorderly situation, he looked as though he wasn¡¯t aware of anything. Only when the wooden plank swept by his face did Jiang Cheng see him sway a little.


    Fuck!


    There were probably nails on the wooden plank.


    Jiang Cheng no longer had any time to clear the obstacles under Gu Fei¡¯s feet. He could only look on helplessly as Gu Fei set foot on the roof of the other building, stumbled sideways in the pile of junk, and rolled to the side.


    Then everything in the air followed suit.


    The fact that nothing heavy smashed into his head, Gu Fei could guess it was all because of Jiang Cheng.


    But he still stepped on something when he landed and felt his left foot suddenly twist outward.


    That¡¯s it then.


    He gritted his teeth and used his right foot that was immediately landing on the ground to kick against the ground, before rolling to the left with the momentum.


    The ground was in complete disarray. He couldn¡¯t feel any pain at all in those brief seconds. There were most likely injuries on his arms and legs, but he was already unable to confidently ascertain where.


    When the rolling finally ceased, he propped his hand on an empty can to the side.


    The feeling of his palm being cut open by the edge of the can was extremely vivid. He loosened some of the pressure on his palm and fell to the other side.


    Liu Fan was the first to rush over and crouched down beside him: ¡°Where are you hurt?!¡±


    ¡°¡­ my leg.¡± Gu Fei¡¯s brows tightened as he held his left calf.


    ¡°Is it broken?¡± Li Yan kicked away the pile of junk beside him and stretched his hand out to touch his calf.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Gu Fei screamed in pain, ¡°¡­ don¡¯t move it.¡±


    The crowd of people gathered around then ¨C each and every one of them carried a face full of excitement.


    On the other side, Hou Zi had also fallen pretty hard. Gu Fei could see someone pulling him up from the ground, and that even though Hou Zi¡¯s footing slightly swayed, he was still able to stand. Confirming that, he suddenly let out a sigh of relief and collapsed back down on the ground.


    This is it.


    Finally.


    It¡¯s over.


    ¡°You okay?¡± Hou Zi shook off the people that supported him and slowly walked toward Gu Fei through the path that the crowd paved, then leaned over to look at him.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°His leg seems to be broken,¡± someone called out from the side.


    ¡°Really?¡± A smile immediately appeared on Hou Zi¡¯s face. He then looked at Gu Fei¡¯s legs. ¡°Is it this one? It¡¯s all twisted?¡±


    Before anyone could speak, he kicked Gu Fei in the leg: ¡°Pretty serious huh?¡±


    Gu Fei shrunk back abruptly and curled into a ball to the side in pain.


    ¡°Let¡¯s end it here ba.¡± Liu Fan stood up and blocked himself in front of Hou Zi. ¡°If you accept to bet, you must accept to lose.[5] This time Da Fei lost.¡±


    ¡°What a pity ah.¡± Hou Zi was cradling his arm; even though blood was flowing down his forehead, sheer delight was plastered across his face. ¡°I thought this kid could play with me all the way to the second building.¡±


    Liu Fan didn¡¯t respond to his provocation but instead looked over at Xu-ge who had just walked over from the other rooftop.


    ¡°Hu-ge, what do you say?¡± Xu-ge asked Hu-ge who hadn¡¯t said anything the entire time.


    ¡°He really can¡¯t get up?¡± Someone shouted.


    The indication of those words was evident ¨C as long as Gu Fei could still stand up, this matter would never end.


    Hu-ge walked over to Gu Fei and crouched down beside him and looked at his calf that could clearly be seen to be deformed even through the pants. But for safety measures, he still reached out and gripped the spot of the fracture and pressed down his finger.


    Gu Fei took in a sharp inhale, unable to make a sound.


    Hu-ge stared fixedly at him, not saying a word.


    Gu Fei¡¯s brows twisted as their eyes met.


    A few seconds later, Hu-ge loosened his hand and stood up: ¡°His leg is broken.¡±


    An uproar of complaints compounded with dissatisfaction resounded all around.


    ¡°This hurdling session today was a method that the both of you had decided out of your own free will, to settle the conflicts once and for all. You must bear the consequences of your actions, and everyone present is a witness to this,¡± Hu-ge said. ¡°Any grudges between you two have now been settled, is there an issue with that?¡±


    Hu-ge glanced over at Hou Zi, who then looked down at Gu Fei who was still lying on the ground: ¡°There¡¯s no issues.¡±


    ¡°Is there an issue with that?¡± Hu-ge looked at Gu Fei again.


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Go to the hospital ba.¡± Hu-ge waved his hand, ¡°After this, you each go your own ways.¡±


    Jiang Cheng leaned against the wall of the small attic, unsure of how badly injured Gu Fei was. He only knew that Gu Fei couldn¡¯t stand, and even at this distance, he could tell that Gu Fei¡¯s hand was soaked in blood.


    He couldn¡¯t clearly make out anything that the people on the opposite side were saying. But it was clear as day to him that his entire body had gone soft; his hands were shaking badly, and his back was covered in cold sweat. The scene of Gu Fei falling heavily on the ground and rolling to the side flashed repeatedly in front of his eyes.


    That fall was so heavy and terrible, he could practically feel the pain.


    After Liu Fan put Gu Fei on his back, he didn¡¯t dare to look over there again and lit a stick of cigarette.


    In any case, suffering an injury was inevitable. If it was just a broken leg, that was already an ideal outcome.


    Gu Fei ended some things with this stoical, fearless, and explicitly indifferent way ¨C things that perhaps many people might not even think needed to be rushed to be solved now.


    The moment he flew into the air without scruples and firmly stepped forward, Jiang Cheng felt that he had no desire to think about anything anymore.


    The fear, tension, and worry he endured at that moment was incomparable to anything he had ever felt in his life. He had never been gripped by such a strong feeling of panic ever before.


    The people on the other side had long dispersed; there were only a few left that were still getting their bikes downstairs, readying to set out.


    Jiang Cheng sat against the wall of the small attic, having already smoked three cigarettes.


    He snubbed out the cigarette butt and started to gather his belongings, intending to wait until everyone was gone before he went down.


    Just then, his phone sounded. He felt like it didn¡¯t take even a second for him to pull out his phone. Damn, the speed of this hand.


    Gu Fei had sent him a message.


    ¨C I¡¯m fine.


    This kind of useless comfort made Jiang Cheng simply want to curse.


    ¨C Where are you?


    ¨C In the shop, come over.


    Come, my ass! Jiang Cheng was struck speechless. His legs have already become like that and he didn¡¯t even bother going to the hospital?! He actually went back to the shop?! Or did he just go to the community hospital to get it treated?


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t respond to Gu Fei¡¯s messages anymore. He picked up his things and leaned over to the edge of the rooftop to glance down ¨C there was no one there.


    But it was precisely this glance that made him suddenly be overcome with a bout of vertigo. Perhaps the sudden relaxation of his nerves that had been pulled tight the entire time and the fear brought by the height of this five-story building had now crashed upon him like a wave ¨C making it feel more intense than usual.


    He became weak in the knees and sat down at the edge of the rooftop, taking a long while before he finally recovered.


    ¡°Shit!¡± He cursed quietly. He turned around and knelt on the ground, dragging his schoolbag behind him as he slowly crawled toward the stairway that led down. ¡°Fuck, ten thousand alpacas[6] flew across buildings in contestant Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind. He must be ecstatic that no one is here to see him cower in fear¡­¡±


    Before he stepped out of the building, Jiang Cheng surveyed the area once more through the window, and after confirming that there was absolutely nobody around, he finally left.


    There was a significant increase in garbage downstairs, many of which were thrown down from the roofs of the buildings ¨C it looked like a disaster had occurred. An oil barrel had also been kicked to the ground, and the wood inside that hadn¡¯t been burned to ashes still flickered with flame in the middle of the road.


    Jiang Cheng walked slowly through the utter mess of things and kicked a few large pieces of wood that was burning into the ditch on the side of the road.


    There were only a few streetlights near where the buildings were situated, and after a turn, only the moonlight accompanied him on the road.


    When he finally walked all the way to the intersection only to see the backseat of his bike ¨C for some inexplicable reason ¨C smashed until it was crooked, he could feel his own legs becoming a little sore.


    Come on. He had just finished a basketball match then had to kneel on a rooftop the entire time¡­ but by comparison, Retard No. 1¡¯s legs were indeed in a more miserable state¡­ he knitted his brows, got on his bike, and hurriedly sped off.


    He was as fast as lightning on the way there, riding his bike as if he was in an F1 race. When he saw the lights from Gu Fei¡¯s shop emerge in his line of sight, he finally gradually slowed down.


    Jiang Cheng shoved the bike to the side of the road, and without even bothering to lock it, he rushed toward the shop. When he lifted the sheet curtain, he had already seen that the retractable door was halfway down, but his movements failed to keep up with his brain, and he slammed into the door with a bang.


    ¡°Ai!¡± Gu Fei¡¯s startled voice sounded from within the shop, ¡°Cheng-ge?¡±


    ¡°Your grandfather Jiang!¡± Jiang Cheng yelled as he bent down to get into the shop. The moment he looked up, he saw Gu Fei standing at the doorway of the inner room.


    The left leg of his pants was rolled up to the knee and his calf was wrapped neatly with gauzes and splints. Thick layers of gauze were also present around his hand along with a patch on his face.


    Jiang Cheng gaped at him. It took him a long time to finally react, and when he spoke, it was with an extremely affectionate tone that sounded like he was saying, ¡®I really do deeply sympathize with you retards¡¯. ¡°You¡¯re still standing ne~? Why don¡¯t you[7] just start dancing right now ah~?¡±


    Gu Fei was stunned for up to ten seconds before he suddenly burst into laughter, leaning against the door frame as he laughed to the point where he was unable to extricate himself.


    ¡°What the fucking hell are you laughing about!¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at him, consumed with anger, ¡°Believe it or not, I¡¯ll beat the shit out of you if you keep on laughing! You fucking dumbass!¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge.¡± Gu Fei grabbed his hand and held it down, ¡°Cheng-ge, I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only fucking fine if something happens to you! Retard No. 1!¡± Jiang Cheng cursed.


    ¡°I really am fine though.¡± Gu Fei raised his left leg and knocked it against the doorframe a few times, ¡°I¡¯m not¡­¡±


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng almost wanted to stretch out his hands to catch his own falling eyeballs. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t suffer any serious injuries.¡± Gu Fei raised his right hand that was wrapped up in gauze, ¡°It¡¯s only my hand and a few scrapes. My leg is perfectly intact.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at him, feeling as though he couldn¡¯t return to his senses: ¡°Your leg is fine?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei went to pull down the retractable door to the shop and then entered the inner room. ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°Is it really ¡®fine¡¯?¡± Jiang Cheng saw that he really did seem, unlike somebody who had injured their leg with the way he was walking around. He suddenly felt an indescribable feeling of excitement ¨C just as if he had lost a thousand RMB only to find the money floating in the washing machine.


    ¡°Really,¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    ¡°Fuck, really?¡± Jiang Cheng went over and hit his leg a couple of times, ¡°Fuck!¡±


    ¡°Really, really, really, really,¡± Gu Fei reassured. ¡°Stop worrying.¡±


    ¡°But I clearly saw your leg¡­¡± Jiang Cheng gestured with his hands, ¡°Become like that ah!¡±


    Gu Fei picked up a steel bar that was bent in the center and lying against the wall: ¡°It¡¯s this. This is what I used to prevent twisting my ankle and¡­¡±


    ¡°Holy shit.¡± Jiang Cheng took it for a look, ¡°This little brother, your acting skill is pretty amazing ah.¡±


    ¡°I did think that I¡¯d probably break a bone somewhere, but I didn¡¯t expect to still be okay even after falling and rolling a few times like that,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°So, I could only act.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t someone examine your injury, I clearly saw it?¡± Jiang Cheng repeatedly examined the steel bar, ¡°He didn¡¯t find that your entire leg was still connected?¡±


    ¡°He probably noticed it,¡± Gu Fei leaned back against the headboard, ¡°But didn¡¯t say anything.¡±


    ¡°¡­ we should present him with a silk banner tomorrow and express our gratitude to the selfless model citizen like Lei Feng.¡±3


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°For what?¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s gaze fell on him.


    ¡°Thank you for shooting with such accuracy,¡±[8] Gu Fei laughed.


    ¡°¡­ it¡¯s nothing.¡± Jiang Cheng waved his hand. ¡°I was almost¡­ scared to death.¡±


    Gu Fei continued to laugh his heart out. Jiang Cheng shot him another look, ¡°Are you going to laugh like a fool again? In any case, we¡¯re people who are about to step into the ranks of adults, so can you¡­¡±


    Gu Fei laughed even harder as he pressed the wound on his face, and Jiang Cheng was pulled in the laughing fit with him so he couldn¡¯t even finish what he was saying. He sat down on a nearby chair and laughed wildly facing the ground.


    It was like celebrating, yet also venting his anger at the same time¡­ but it was truly because he felt joy and relief from the fact that Gu Fei¡¯s leg wasn¡¯t actually hurt.


    After recovering from their laughter, neither of them spoke, letting the silence sink in.


    Gu Fei leaned against the headboard and let out a quiet sigh of relief.


    Jiang Cheng lowered his head and used his hand to rub at his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re not crying, are you?¡± Gu Fei turned his head to look at him and sat upright.


    ¡°No.¡± With his head lowered, Jiang Cheng clasped his hands together and clenched them back and forth. Only after a long time did he finally raised his head back up and took a deep breath. ¡°Gu Fei.¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Gu Fei sounded in response.


    ¡°Have you ever thought of¡­¡± Jiang Cheng said with some difficulty, but he didn¡¯t make a single pause or show a shred of hesitation, ¡°Getting a boyfriend?¡±


    The translators have something to say:


    Sae: Ugh. The love is real and it¡¯s about to become even more real T____T we want that for our boys!


    Ice: Ugh. There¡¯s nothing else to say. The amount of care they have for each other oozing from the screen speaks for itself. QAQ


    [1] »¢ (hu) ¨C tiger


    [2] Song: Å®È˲»ÊÇÑý by ˾ͽÀ¼·¼ Women Aren¡¯t Demons by Ziyu Lanfang

 CH 55

    Gu Fei gaped at Jiang Cheng. At that moment, expressing anything aside from shock and speechlessness was difficult enough, let alone give an answer.


    How many times has it been? Jiang Cheng had so suddenly left him without the slightest room to think.


    He had called Jiang Cheng over only for the sake of easing his worried mind. Right after Liu Fan, Li Yan, and the others had finished wrapping up his leg with fake splints and gone their ways, he had immediately sent Jiang Cheng a message. He didn¡¯t know how Jiang Cheng was doing, but he knew with certainty that Jiang Cheng would be overwhelmed with anxiety after having seen him fall on the rooftop. He had just wanted Jiang Cheng to come over and see for himself that he was indeed alright so he could rest assured.


    But never would he have imagined that Jiang Cheng would suddenly toss out such a question.


    In a split second[1], his mind had spun up to 13,000 times, and the number of thoughts that flashed by could fill an entire stadium.


    He couldn¡¯t confirm whether or not Jiang Cheng had intentionally given himself enough leeway with that question ¨C he hadn¡¯t directly asked ¡®are you willing to go out with me¡¯ at the very least.


    And regardless of how he may answer, Jiang Cheng would always have some room to maneuver.


    However, he understood the specific sort of answer that Jiang Cheng sought all too clearly. This question may appear to have given him a generous amount of ¡®leeway¡¯, but in actuality, there was only one possible answer.


    Yes, I¡¯ve thought about it. I want to be with you.


    Gu Fei wanted very much to straightforwardly give such an answer, however, the sentence that should have slipped out suddenly became undeniably difficult to vocalize.


    Because he did not know the kind of boyfriend Jiang Cheng wanted, and he figured that Jiang Cheng himself hadn¡¯t even given thought to that either.


    In truth, that was exactly how things were supposed to be at their age. Even if one were to consider things in a relationship, the consideration wouldn¡¯t extend very far, nor last very long. Have I fallen for him? Yes, I¡¯ve fallen for him now. I want to be with him now. I want to date him now¡­ what other reason do I need? There is no other reason I need ba.


    But he had thought of it ¨C and thought of it far too many times.


    Perhaps Jiang Cheng was being impulsive; perhaps Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t being impulsive at all but had just chosen a moment that seemed very much impulsive.


    Whatever the case may be, Gu Fei felt himself incapable of determining the thoughts circling in Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind in such a brief period of time, nor could he convey his own thoughts. What kind of boyfriend do you want? What kind of love story are you looking for?


    Under these circumstances, no matter what answer he may give, it would come across as too heartless.


    He felt that the only thing he could do at the moment was to stall for time as a means to allow Jiang Cheng and himself to fully understand what the other was thinking.


    ¡°Early¡­ love ah?¡±  Gu Fei shut his mouth the second those words were uttered.


    ¡°Did you hit your head just now?¡± Jiang Cheng stared at him with an indescribable[2] expression in his eyes, one that was of the type of concern one would have for a child with learning disabilities, which made him feel as if this was the enhancement of his level of stupidity since after he had shot an idiotic smile towards a building in the middle of the night.


    ¡°What I meant was¡­¡± Gu Fei wanted to explain himself, thus hastily sorted out his thoughts.


    But Jiang Cheng suddenly stood up.


    Gu Fei instinctually stood up with him, not wanting Jiang Cheng to leave under such circumstances. Even moreso, he didn¡¯t want Jiang Cheng to feel like he was hesitant on this question after they had already done so many things that went beyond the scope of ¡°deskmates¡±.


    However, he didn¡¯t even get the chance to open his mouth again when Jiang Cheng¡¯s brows tightened and violently retched.


    Gu Fei felt absolutely stupefied, just a sentence would make Jiang Cheng feel so disgusted?


    ¡°Bathroom?¡± Jiang Cheng managed to ask between his gritted teeth.


    ¡°In the back,¡± Gu Fei pointed, ¡°Next to the kitchen¡­¡±


    Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Cheng had already sped off through the back door and into the courtyard.


    Gu Fei hurriedly grabbed a bottle of water from the shelf and followed after him.


    When he entered the bathroom, Jiang Cheng was bent over with his hands on his knees and staring into the toilet in a daze. He hesitated for a moment, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°I feel nauseous all of a sudden,¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    ¡°What did I say that had such¡­¡± Gu Fei was a bit flabbergasted, ¡°Such potency?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Jiang Cheng briefly shot back before retching once more. However, nothing came out.


    ¡°Are you feeling sick?¡± Gu Fei was a little worried by now, ¡°Did you catch a cold? There¡¯s still someone on duty at the community hospital, should we go get this checked out?¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Jiang Cheng took a deep breath as he straightened his waist, ¡°It¡¯s just the side effects of my acrophobia.¡±


    Gu Fei became stunned in place for about ten seconds before he finally squeezed out a question: ¡°Fear of heights?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng ended up not vomiting anything out. He made his way to the sink and washed his face. ¡°Is it that weird?¡±


    Gu Fei remained silent.


    Jiang Cheng wiped his face then turned to look Gu Fei straight in the eyes. ¡°It¡¯s actually not very appropriate to say this in a bathroom, but since we¡¯re here now, there¡¯s no need to avoid it for another day[3]. Plus, I¡¯ve brought it up already so let¡¯s not bother with the time or place now.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei sounded in response.


    ¡°What I said just now, just think over it tonight ba.¡± Jiang Cheng then added, ¡°I¡¯ll head back first. I feel really tired all of a sudden, so I need to sleep it off. Give me a call when you wake up tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Jiang Cheng waved at him, turned back into the shop, and made his way to the front door.


    Gu Fei wiped away the water that Jiang Cheng had splashed all over the sink then followed after him.


    From his words to his actions, Jiang Cheng had enacted everything with absolute ease and confidence. He was still extremely dashing when he walked to the door, and it was only when he stooped down to lift the retractable door but failed to do so even after two tries that the aesthetic perception was inadvertently destroyed.


    ¡°What on earth is wrong with your freaking door?¡± Jiang Cheng peered at him while still stooping with a chagrined expression.


    ¡°Let me do it.¡± Gu Fei went over and helped him pull up the retractable door.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t wait for the door to be completely rolled up when he slipped out before speaking once more outside the door: ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight.¡± Gu Fei held the door up as he gazed at him.


    Jiang Cheng mounted his bike and rode along the road without looking back


    Gu Fei let the retractable door come down to a tight shut and sat his butt down on the small stool to the side, staring into space for the longest time.


    As soon as Jiang Cheng passed through the door of his apartment, he wanted more than anything to pass out the moment he lay down but considering that he had crawled around a dusty and rubbish-ridden rooftop all night, he first forced himself to take a shower.


    When he finally collapsed on the bed, he felt as though he must have fallen asleep before his head had even hit the pillow.


    His body felt heavy, yet his heart was light ¨C so light that it was as if he was floating.


    Perhaps, it was the reality that everything was finally ¡®over¡¯ that contrived such a feeling; what had to be done was done, what had to be considered was considered, what had to be said was said. Everything that weighed down his heart, whether or not he held an ounce of feeling for them, had all faded.


    Whatever tomorrow was going to bring, however, tomorrow may go, none of it mattered any longer.


    Feels good.


    This comforting sensation would probably be able to compete with the state of ¡°sleeping super soundly like I had gotten a massage after getting beaten up by my dad¡± that Pan Zhi had mentioned.


    Sprawled over his pillow, the corners of his lips hooked up.


    When the first glimpse of light dawned on him, Jiang Cheng¡¯s biological clock actually failed to drag him out of his deep sleep for the first time ever. He could vividly detect the clear chirps of the birds from outside the window, blended with the voices of the elderly ladies exercising in the early morning and the shrill shrieks of children so excited from their parents taking them out to play that they last an entire journey¡­


    However, he still didn¡¯t completely wake up. The feeling of knowing that he was sleeping, and actually sleeping both soundly and comfortably at that, was absolutely wonderful.


    It was only when his phone sounded for the second time did he reluctantly peeled open his heavy eyes.


    The second time?


    Oh, right, it¡¯s the second time. It probably went off the first time when the elderly ladies were out for their early-morning exercise.


    He felt for his phone and only when he strained his eyes to succeed in merging the double vision caused by the noticeably overly bright screen did he finally see that the incoming call was from none other than Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei?


    ¡­ Gu Fei!!


    He completely awoke with a jerk, and everything before his eyes instantly became crystal clear.


    Obviously, he had decided just the day before to be nonchalant to Gu Fei¡¯s answer as if all he had wanted was to convey, I really like you. If we can date, then that would be amazing too.


    He just wanted to throw the idea out there; throw it to Gu Fei, and whatever Gu Fei¡¯s answer may be, he would be nonchalant to it. Or rather, he had never envisioned Gu Fei¡¯s answer at all.


    But now that he realized that Gu Fei was calling to possibly give him an answer¡­


    Suddenly_nervous.jpg


    He stared at Gu Fei¡¯s name for the longest time before finally remembering to answer it. But as soon as he reached out his hand, the call disconnected without him even getting to touch the screen.


    Good, good, good. Very good. It¡¯s a good thing that it disconnected.


    He threw his phone to the side and sat up. He glanced at the time and found that it was barely past eight o¡¯clock.


    Gu Fei was actually up this early on a Sunday morning? Then the call from before¡­ he picked up his phone again, wanting to see who the caller was for the previous call.


    The phone sounded ¨C a message from Gu Fei appeared.


    ¨C Not up yet?


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t reply and looked at the missed call first instead: 6:45 AM, Gu Fei.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng froze, Gu Fei woke up before seven o¡¯clock?


    How miraculous was that¡­ Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help but glance at the time once more, confirming with his own eyes that it was indeed still the early morning; 6:45, and not 16:45.


    ¨C Just woke up.


    He sent Gu Fei a reply.


    But just when he stood up, his phone sounded again. Though this time, it was not a message, but a call.


    Jiang Cheng picked up the call.


    ¡°Did you want to be with me, or did you just want to date me?¡±[4] Gu Fei struck him with that question before he could even manage out a ¡®hello¡¯.


    Jiang Cheng hastily shuffled his slippers towards the window and swiftly ripped open the curtains ¨C the feeling of apprehension that suddenly emerged from the depths of his heart instantly dissipated: ¡°Are you not going to consider the problem of dating early?¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Is there a difference between those two?¡± Jiang Cheng asked, ¡°I just wanted to let you know that I¡¯m sure I¡­ really like you. If you are willing¡­¡±


    ¡°Come down ba,¡± Gu Fei interrupted him.


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Cheng froze.


    ¡°I¡¯m downstairs.¡± Gu Fei continued, ¡°Come down, let¡¯s go eat breakfast. Boyfriend.¡±


    Jiang Cheng paused for a few seconds before he finally managed to expel all the chaotic noises ringing inside his head: ¡°I still have to wash my face, brush my teeth, and change my clothes.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei sounded. ¡°The breakfast stall from yesterday, I¡¯ll get us a seat there first.


    Jiang Cheng hung up the call and fell into yet another trance for a while longer.


    Fuck, what the hell does that mean?


    With just those few words, his relationship with Gu Fei changed just like that?


    What the fuck?


    It was kind of magical¡­ he tossed aside his phone, brushed his teeth in a daze, and when he washed his face, he stared wide-eyed at his reflection in the mirror for a while¡­ I have a boyfriend now? Nothing seems to be different ah, I¡¯m still¡­ so handsome.


    No, no, there were some differences ¨C he no longer had any logic.


    When he finished washing up and pulled open his wardrobe, he suddenly didn¡¯t know which outfit to wear.


    Even though he normally went back and forth multiple times to choose an outfit just to find the one that best reflected his ¡°most handsome vibe of the day¡± before he stepped out, on this very day, he unexpectedly couldn¡¯t even pick out a candidate.


    ¡°Fucking hell.¡± Jiang Cheng cursed out loud after having stood in front of the wardrobe for some time. Wasn¡¯t it just a ¡®Gu Fei¡¯¡­ wasn¡¯t it simply the fact that someone who had changed from being his deskmate to being his boyfriend was now waiting for him to eat deep-fried doughbread together at the breakfast stall downstairs? Was all this necessary? He randomly grabbed a pair of pants and put it on, then shut his eyes to yank a T-shirt off the rack before carelessly grabbing a light jacket and headed out the door.


    When he got downstairs, he caught sight of Gu Fei in the far distance. Gu Fei was pretty eye-catching usually too, but that day, he was even more eye-catching than normal. He could land a hit on the splints on Gu Fei¡¯s legs with a slingshot even from twenty meters away.


    He quickened his pace and walked over. It was no longer the peak hour for breakfast, and Gu Fei had an entire table to himself with all sorts of breakfast already spread out. He plopped down on the seat opposite of Gu Fei.


    ¡°Took your sweet time.¡± Gu Fei shot him a glance.


    ¡°We xueba are all very particular about going out.¡± Jiang Cheng also glanced back at him, ¡°If I remember correctly, you haven¡¯t even changed your pants ba?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei lowered his head to take a look at the splint and whispered, ¡°This splint was wrapped with such dedication that I couldn¡¯t even take off my pants.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter and also fought to keep his voice down. ¡°Just remove the splint first ah.¡±


    ¡°Too lazy for that.¡± Gu Fei replied, ¡°I¡¯ll do it later tonight.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t utter another word and chose to lower his head to take a sip from a bowl of soymilk instead.


    As soon as the conversation broke off, the atmosphere suddenly became unusually¡­ strange.


    As he drank the soymilk, Jiang Cheng felt that even the way he held the bowl was extremely awkward ¨C even though he had held bowls in such a manner for over a decade.


    From that sip of soymilk, he couldn¡¯t even taste whether or not it was even sweetened.


    Nervous, awkward, and a little flustered.


    But it wasn¡¯t uncomfortable at all. He stole a glance at Gu Fei who was biting into a deep-fried doughbread while staring at him with no expression on his face whatsoever.


    ¡°Did I not wash my face clean?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Just looking.¡± Gu Fei laughed lightly, ¡°I normally look at you all the time too ah.¡±


    ¡°Oh, keep looking then.¡± Jiang Cheng picked up his chopsticks and used them to pick up a mini steamed bun, suddenly thinking that this strange sense of awkwardness was pretty comfortable.


    What the hell is wrong with me¡­


    ¡°Oh right.¡± Gu Fei finished the deep-fried doughbread, then spoke as he picked up a napkin and wiped his hands, ¡°I have a¡­ small gift for you.¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng froze.


    Gu Fei surveyed the area, probably to confirm if there were anyone who knew the two of them around, then suddenly fished something out of his pocket and passed it over. ¡°Just take this as a¡­ Labour Day gift.¡±


    ¡°You could¡¯ve just said that it¡¯s a gift for Children¡¯s Day ah.¡± Jiang Cheng accepted the gift and lowered his head to examine it ¨C it was a pretty large bundle of softness.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit too early for Children¡¯s Day.¡± Gu Fei responded. ¡°When Children¡¯s Day comes around, I also have to prepare something for Er Miao. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll both get something each then.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Jiang Cheng quickly retorted. He then realized that the soft mass in his hand was a soft blue ball of yarn with a loose string at the very top. He lifted the ball of yarn by that loose string and was quickly taken aback. ¡°A sunny doll?¡±[5]


    ¡°En, I hope that your days will always be sunny and clear.¡± Gu Fei said, ¡°It was initially supposed to be white, but then I remembered the hank of yarn you bought last time hasn¡¯t been used yet, so I knitted a¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s stuffed inside of it?¡± Jiang Cheng squeezed it, soft.


    ¡°It¡¯s also yarn. I stuffed the leftover in the head,¡± Gu Fei explained, ¡°There¡¯s actually still some left, but I gave it to Gu Miao to play with since there wasn¡¯t enough to make anything else anyways.¡±


    Jiang Cheng remained silent as he lowered his head to observe the blue sunny doll.


    The sunny doll also had eyes. Most likely because it was made out of yarn, and blue yarn at that, the eyes would have been hard to draw on, so Gu Fei had sewn on two small black buttons where the eyes were located.


    Classmate Jiang Cheng!


    Please control your emotions!


    Please don¡¯t cry while at a breakfast stall that requires you to squat on a small stool to eat!


    That would undoubtedly ruin the atmosphere, and would appear ridiculously stupid!


    ¡°You weren¡¯t too lazy to remove the split and take off your pants last night.¡± Jiang Cheng pressed on the doll¡¯s round head right on its eyes before raising his head to look at Gu Fei again, ¡°You just didn¡¯t sleep at all, right?¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say respond and just gave a small smile.


    ¡°Did you have to take it that far¡­¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know what else he should say, so he just gripped the doll tightly in his hands, ¡°It would¡¯ve been fine if you grabbed some snacks from the shop and¡­¡±


    ¡°Too many things happened all at once yesterday, so it¡¯s not like I could really sleep anyways.¡± Gu Fei hurriedly stated, ¡°I just thought that if I came over and brought a flower with me¡­ you might stand at the entrance of the corridor and destroy the flower with your slingshot first before coming out, so I made this instead. It¡¯s pretty simple to make anyways.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng looked down and squeezed the doll again, then lifted it by the string above its head and gave it a light shake. This chubby sunny doll which was at least three times larger than the regular sunny doll was like a penguin when shaken ¨C very cute. ¡°I¡¯ll give you a little gift too then.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a gift exchange you know,¡± Gu Fei commented.


    ¡°Are you intending to refuse?¡± Jiang Cheng looked him square in the eye.


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei immediately refuted.


    Jiang Cheng grabbed his schoolbag and unzipped it.


    ¡°You really are a xueba ah,¡± Gu Fei sighed in awe. ¡°Bringing along your schoolbag even when there¡¯s no class.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like there are books in there,¡± Jiang Cheng remarked as he put the sunny doll instead. ¡°I¡¯m just used to carrying a bag ¨C it gives me a sense of security. And also, there¡¯s no need to shove everything in my pockets. That looks ugly.¡±


    He took out that particular slingshot from his school bag and placed it in front of Gu Fei. ¡°This is my gift to you to commemorate the day your acting skill reached a phenomenal peak.¡±


    Gu Fei burst into laughter and picked up the slingshot for a look, pulling back the rubber band taut. ¡°But then you won¡¯t have nothing to play with?¡±


    ¡°I have a feeling Pan Zhi will bring me another one,¡± Jiang Cheng explained, ¡°The last time he came to visit, he brought me a tin whistle. If he¡¯s going to bring me a little something when he comes again this time, it would be a slingshot.¡±


    ¡°When is he coming over?¡± Gu Fei put the slingshot in his pocket.


    ¡°Labour Day,¡± Jiang Cheng replied. ¡°Just a few days from now. Are there any fun places to go around here? He¡¯s probably staying for around three to four days. I can¡¯t just take him strolling around the shopping center every single day.¡±


    Gu Fei gave him a look without saying anything.


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng looked back at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking here,¡± Gu Fei murmured.


    ¡°Preferably a place nearby, not too far, otherwise it¡¯ll take too long to get there.¡± Jiang Cheng added.


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei contemplated as he slowly picked up and ate a steamed dumpling. After a while, he finally said, ¡°There¡¯s a theme park in the newer side of the city with a haunted house that was built there last year. I heard it¡¯s pretty interesting. It actually made it on the news before for being really scary.¡±


    ¡°It is big?¡± Jiang Cheng immediately asked with great interest.


    ¡°Pretty big. Altogether, there are three levels including the basement and it covers a pretty big area.¡± Gu Fei also added, ¡°But I¡¯ve never been there though.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go together then,¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°Who could¡¯ve imagined that this crappy place would actually have a haunted house ne.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything and only tsk-ed a few times as he ate his dumplings.


    ¡°You have something to say?¡± Jiang Cheng started to laugh.


    ¡°Nope, nothing from me.¡± Gu Fei then responded, ¡°To be honest, if it wasn¡¯t for this haunted house, I wouldn¡¯t even know what else to recommend. There¡¯s a mountain to the side but since the snow melted already, there¡¯s not much to see.¡±


    After they finished breakfast, Gu Fei stood up and stretched out his body, ¡°You¡¯re not studying today, right?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded in affirmation. ¡°You have something planned?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Gu Fei pondered for a moment, ¡°How about we go¡­ watch a movie?¡±


    ¡°How are we going to get there?¡± Jiang Cheng gave his leg a glance and whispered, ¡°Do I have to pretend to support you?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I even rode my bike on the way here,¡± Gu Fei replied nonchalantly.


    ¡°Fuck, aren¡¯t you afraid of Hou Zi¡¯s men seeing you?!¡± Jiang Cheng instantly grew panicked. He grabbed Gu Fei¡¯s wrist and tugged him over, put his arm over his own shoulder, then wrapped his arm around his waist. ¡°If someone happens to see you, your performance from yesterday would be in vain!¡±


    ¡°¡­ I pedaled here with one leg.¡± Gu Fei completely leaned onto Jiang Cheng, ¡°It was pretty persuasive.¡±


    Jiang Cheng supported Gu Fei as they walked over to his bike.


    It¡¯s a¡­ strange feeling.


    He had touched Gu Fei¡¯s waist before, and had even pinched it, but this was the first time he had touched Gu Fei¡¯s waist in such a brazen manner out in the open public.


    Gu Fei¡¯s waist was very well-toned, evident by the way the muscles shifted beneath his palm every time Gu Fei hopped with one leg.


    He couldn¡¯t help but give it a light squeeze or two.


    ¡°Ai.¡± Gu Fei¡¯s back straightened out of reflex and he grabbed hold of his hand. ¡°I¡¯m ticklish.¡±


    ¡°Let go!¡± Jiang Cheng swiftly scanned the area; an arm on a shoulder and an arm on the waist was pretty normal given Gu Fei¡¯s current condition, but grabbing his hand like that gave off an ambiguous feeling.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t loosen his hand, instead, he defiantly shoved their hands into his pocket.


    Jiang Cheng no longer made a sound. Gu Fei¡¯s jacket was pretty loose, and the pocket was also large, so no one could tell they were holding hands in there if they weren¡¯t examined closely.


    Besides, he didn¡¯t really want to take his hand out either.


    This state between the two of them that clearly doesn¡¯t actually feel any different from usual, yet was different in every way possible, and carried along a sense of excitement, made him feel very comfortable


    ¡°What movies are playing today?¡± Jiang Cheng pinched the tip of Gu Fei¡¯s pinky inside the pocket.


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± Gu Fei pushed a piece of round candy in Jiang Cheng¡¯s palm, ¡°Let¡¯s just watch whatever there is. It¡¯s not like it matters, since the main goal isn¡¯t to watch a movie anyways.¡±


    ¡°¡­ shit.¡± Jiang Cheng swept a glance at him, ¡°What the hell do you want to do? Don¡¯t you know that the surveillance cameras in the movie theatres are infrared?¡±


    ¡°I really haven¡¯t thought of that before¡­ wait.¡± Gu Fei gaped at him, flabbergasted, before he finally doubled over in laughter after a long while. ¡°Cheng-ge, aren¡¯t you thinking too much?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Jiang Cheng clenched his teeth.


    ¡°I was thinking of something a bit more simple¡­¡± Gu Fei enunciated.


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    ¡°I just want to find a dark corner,¡± Gu Fei whispered. ¡°And be alone with you.¡±


    ¡°¡­ why does it have to be a dark corner?¡± Jiang Cheng let go of Gu Fei and took out the key to his bike out of the pocket in passing. ¡°I¡¯ll take us there by bike?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°Why does it have to be a dark corner?¡± Jiang Cheng continued to ask as he unlocked the bike and got on.


    ¡°Like when we were at the breakfast stall just now,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°If I had just touched you a little, wouldn¡¯t you have jumped all the way up the lamppost?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng was stunned. ¡°Fucking hell! You aren¡¯t thinking any less than me on that aspect ah!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Fei straddled the back seat, ¡°I think what you¡¯re probably referring to is something with bigger movements that the infrared camera could clearly pick up on. There¡¯s really no need for you to worry about the infrared cameras if we¡¯re just holding hands and touching legs.¡±


    ¡°Nevermind, stop talking.¡± Jiang Cheng tsk-ed.


    After pedaling out for a few meters, Jiang Cheng suddenly stopped the bike and looked back at Gu Fei. ¡°There¡¯s something that I want to formally say to you, although I seem to have already said it once before.¡±


    ¡°I really like you,¡± Gu Fei firmly stated. ¡°And I will keep on liking you until you no longer need me to like you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at him with his mouth half-open, but not a sound escaped from his lips. He could only sense a faint buzzing in his brain.


    I really like you, those words coming from Gu Fei¡¯s mouth made him feel a bit¡­ dizzy.


    ¡°What did you want to say?¡± Gu Fei continued to rub against his back.


    ¡°¡­ forgot.¡± Jiang Cheng rasped.


    The corners of Gu Fei¡¯s lips pulled upwards, but he didn¡¯t say anything more.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his nose, ¡°I remember now. That is¡­ I honestly, really like you. I¡¯ve never liked anyone like this before.¡±


    The author has something to say: Continuing tomorrow.


    The author knelt on the ground with a mysterious smile while holding a coffee cup, not saying anything.


    ¡°Are they dating? o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o Are they dating?¡± o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o The black furry spirit shouted.


    ¡°Jijiji. &(¡¥^¡¥)&¡± The tiny black furry spirit chirped.


    The translators have something to say:


    Due to the sheer amount of @#%^%$^& contained in this chapter, the translators have been rendered speechless as no words can express the @(%&*&#**@&!#*#&!* that they feel. ¨C Sae & Ice


    Our boys are the best boys T_____T


    [1] Split second (µç¹â»ðʯ) Idiom lit. ¡°(as fast as) a flash of lightning and spark from a flint¡±, meaning to be as fast as lightning, for something to happen in a flash, etc.


    [2] Indescribable (Ò»ÑÔÄѾ¡) Idiom : meaning that something is a long story, hard to explain in a few words, or not easy to express succinctly, etc.


    [3] no need to avoid it for another day (ÔñÈÕ²»ÈçײÈÕ) idiom: no time like the present; there¡¯s no need to choose another day


    [4] ¡°Did you want to be with me, or did you just want to date me?¡± (ÄãÊÇÏë¸úÎÒ̸Áµ°®£¬»¹ÊÇÏë¸úÎÒ̸¸öÁµ°®?) What Gu Fei is asking Jiang Cheng here is whether what he wants is to seriously be with him (as in having a long-term commitment) or for them to just casually date (aka, just have fun).


    [5] Sunny doll (ÇçÌìÍÞÍÞ) or known as teru teru b¨­zu charms, which serve a special purpose in Japanese culture. They are believed to help stop the rain and guarantee that tomorrow will be sunny. Teru teru b¨­zu, which literally translates to ¡°shine shine monk,¡± are typically made by children with tissue paper and are hung around window sills.


    Gu Fei¡¯s handknitted blue sunny doll for his Cheng-ge

 CH 56

    If they wanted to go to a better cinema, they had to go to the shopping center downtown. Had it been usually, and Jiang Cheng was made to bike all the way to the shopping center while carrying a person, he wouldn¡¯t be willing ¨C it was so far.


    But today was different. The person in the backseat who had his forehead pressed against his back, hand stuffed in his pocket, and tugged at his neck so much that it was a little suffocating was his boyfriend, Gu Fei. Prior to eight o¡¯clock in the morning, this person was still simply his deskmate, but now, he was already his boyfriend. How wondrous.


    He had many imaginations about ¡°dating¡±; everyone would have some sort of fantasy at this age, but during the time he was with Yu Xin, he couldn¡¯t match up with her at all no matter how hard he tried to understand her. Every time, he would even wonder if his own expectations were too high.


    That was until now. As he carried this person, wrapped up in both real and fake bandages, behind him on their way to watch the movies together ¨C he suddenly, but finally, experienced the feeling of ¡°dating¡±.


    Although this was a relationship that he had always been avoiding, always been resisting, and always been fearful of¡­ in this moment, all the fear and anxiety that was hidden in the depths of his heart since the day he found out that something wasn¡¯t right with him, were all pressed down by excitement and joy.


    When Gu Fei first suggested going to watch a movie, he couldn¡¯t quite understand why they should go hang around a place with so many people. But once he started pedaling the bike while being blown by the breeze the entire way, he suddenly understood.


    It was precisely because of that feeling of being a small secret mixed in the crowd.


    You see, there are so many people, but we are right here; we come together and leave together, all while within the crowd and under the gazes of others, yet we have a clandestine sense of security.


    Gu Fei¡¯s forehead which had been pressed against his back suddenly slid to the side, and following that, his body also tilted along and swayed to one side.


    ¡°Holy fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng hurriedly stabilized the bike with the handlebar before turning back to face him, ¡°Did you fall asleep?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei once again pressed his forehead against his back, while also once again stuffing his hands back in his pockets, ¡°You can just keep pedaling. I¡¯m just going to doze off for a while.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what ¡®doze off¡¯[1] means, illiterate?¡± Jiang Cheng teased, ¡°You really did fall asleep.¡±


    ¡°I really was just dozing off in the beginning, but then I actually fell asleep by accident afterward.¡± Gu Fei retorted.


    Jiang Cheng doubled up in laughter before letting out an audible exhalation after a moment: ¡°How about we don¡¯t watch a movie anymore. You should go back to sleep for a while?¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Gu Fei opposed. ¡°The time has already passed for me to be able to sleep properly. I just want to go watch a movie with you.¡±


    ¡°What would we do if you fall asleep in the movie theatre?¡± Jiang Cheng teased.


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Gu Fei¡¯s hand which was in his pocket suddenly felt along his leg, ¡°If we find a movie that¡¯s a little more stimulating, and use a slightly more stimulating way to watch the movie¡­¡±


    ¡°You, fucking watch out a little!¡± Jiang Cheng almost crashed into the electric scooter beside them because of this caress of his.


    ¡°En, I¡¯ll continue to sleep.¡± Gu Fei stopped moving afterward.


    Because there literally wouldn¡¯t be anyone from the steel mill around the shopping center, the moment they arrived, Gu Fei had already walked up into a nearby sports shop before Jiang Cheng could even properly lock the bike.


    ¡°You could walk a little slower at least.¡± Jiang Cheng caught up to him, ¡°If you bumped into an acquaintance while walking at such a fast pace, you wouldn¡¯t even have the chance to pretend.¡±


    ¡°The steel mill is too far from here. I don¡¯t even come here more than a few times a year.¡± Gu Fei walked slowly among the shelves, ¡°They usually wouldn¡¯t go shopping. And if they were to shop, they¡¯d go to that area past the bridge at most ¨C that commercial street where Jiuri¡¯s house is.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jiang Cheng pondered over it for a while, ¡°No wonder they all dress up like that. You wouldn¡¯t even be able to buy that style of theirs anywhere over here.¡±


    ¡°What style?¡± Gu Fei snickered.


    ¡°Each and every one of them are as thin as toothpicks yet they still wrap themselves in skintight clothing! And the pants on their legs are even ankle-length! If you blink your eyes and don¡¯t look closely, you might not even be able to tell that they have legs!¡± Jiang Cheng recalled the bunch of people from the night before, and the rage within him flared up again, ¡°I told you that I would be able to hit the wooden planks from the nearby building! But if it were people, I may not necessarily be able to land a hit¡­¡±


    Gu Fei gripped a baseball bat as he convulsed with a long fit of laughter: ¡°They¡¯re not all skinny. There are pretty buff ones too.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, the one piece of ab on their stomachs makes them quite buff.¡± Jiang Cheng sneered.


    ¡°Ai.¡± Gu Fei sighed after he had enough of laughing, ¡°Aren¡¯t there still those like me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not included in that group of people.¡± Jiang Cheng shot a look at him, ¡°Even though you were dressed flashy[2] enough yesterday, why aren¡¯t you wearing that leather motorcycle jacket of yours today?¡±


    ¡°It got ruined when I fell ah.¡± Gu Fei deliberated over something for a while, ¡°Actually, regarding skin-tight clothes ba¡­ I really used to have some¡­¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re still wearing them now, I promise you that the two of us won¡¯t even amount to deskmates anymore.¡± Jiang Cheng warned.


    ¡°I¡¯m soooo scared.¡± Gu Fei put on a baseball glove, took a ball, and tossed it in the glove two times.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to buy this to play with? You steel mill folk would even use weapons when playing basketball.¡± Jiang Cheng remarked, ¡°So would you guys also throwing and catch grenades if you were to play with this ah?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for Er Miao to play with.¡± Gu Fei explained, ¡°She saw these on TV the other day, so now she wants one.¡±


    ¡°Buy a child-sized one ah. Isn¡¯t this too big?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°It has to be an adult-sized one. This stuff doesn¡¯t break easily, so if she grows a little and the glove gets small, she would not only rage if you change it, but also rage because she can¡¯t fit her hand in anymore if you don¡¯t change it.¡±


    ¡°¡­ alright then.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. Who knew how much one had to consider in a day if they were to be Gu Miao¡¯s big brother.


    After they finished buying the glove and ball, Gu Fei forcibly stuffed the things into Jiang Cheng¡¯s schoolbag.


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m never taking my bag with me when I go out again,¡± Jiang Cheng grumbled.


    ¡°Let me carry it,¡± Gu Fei offered.


    ¡°As if. You¡¯re a disabled public figure,¡± Jiang Cheng shot him down. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a girl either.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I should¡¯ve bought it when we leave.¡± Gu Fei uttered.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng gawked at him, ¡°That¡¯s right? Why did you buy it now?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, why did I?¡± Gu Fei also gawked back at him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to laugh.¡± Jiang Cheng turned away and started to walk, ¡°Really, the two of us should make an agreement. Let¡¯s not go into giggling fits anymore in the future, it¡¯s too stupid having done it every day.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei caught up to him with a serious expression.


    Having finally stifled the urge to laugh in his nose, Jiang Cheng felt a sense of achievement.


    ¡°Which floor is the cinema on?¡± Jiang Cheng asked when they stood in the elevator as it was about to go up.


    ¡°No idea.¡± Gu Fei glanced around at their surroundings, then pointed at a sign behind them, ¡°On the fifth floor.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t come here before?¡± Jiang Cheng asked yet another question.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Gu Fei reflected a bit before whispering beside his ear, ¡°The last time I watched a movie should be when I was still in the reformatory school. The school would organize for us to watch a documentary about interviewing prisoners in prison or something.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be called a movie ba.¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a sense of discomfort, ¡°Then what about before that?¡±


    ¡°In elementary school. My mom had taken me to watch some sort of cartoon. I can¡¯t clearly remember anymore,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    Jiang Cheng was hit with a burst of heartache: ¡°Do you not normally go watch the movies with people?¡±


    ¡°Who would I go with?¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    Jiang Cheng froze, at a loss of words.


    That¡¯s right ah, with who? With Gu Fei¡¯s usual attitude, it was impossible to go with classmates. As for going with friends¡­ just Bu Shi Hao Niao that bunch? They don¡¯t look like the type of people that would go to the movies. With family¡­ it was already shocking enough that Gu Fei¡¯s mother had taken him to watch a movie once before.


    He suddenly felt that when Gu Fei wanted to go to the movies with him, it was possibly not just because he wanted to find a place where the two of them could intimately squeeze together even within a crowd, but also the reason for him basically never having watched a movie before.


    When they arrived at the cinema, they glanced at the scrolling screen ¨C there weren¡¯t many good movies during this recent time slot. The two of them seated themselves on a sofa, and Jiang Cheng fished out his phone: ¡°I¡¯m going to check out the discounted tickets first.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡± Gu Fei started, ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°You would still have to download the app ba.¡± Jiang Cheng responded, ¡°Don¡¯t fight with me on this.¡±


    ¡°Then you,¡± Gu Fei leaned back onto the sofa and smiled as he acquiesced, ¡°Mustn¡¯t forget to buy snacks.¡±


    Jiang Cheng flipped through the phone for a long time but couldn¡¯t pick out a film he wanted to watch. Thus, he could only turn and look at Gu Fei: ¡°Do you think a domestic horror movie[3] could still count as a slightly more stimulating film?¡±


    ¡°¡­ is there no other option?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°All the others are literary films,¡± Jiang Cheng explained.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s just go with the domestic horror movie,¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    Jiang Cheng bought a meal set that included a large popcorn and beverages before pausing briefly in hesitation when it came for him to choose their seats. The room was still empty at the moment, so he chose the seats in the middle at first, but then felt that it may be too in the center after thinking about it. If they were to do something¡­ thus, he canceled the selection and switched them to the last row instead. But after he finished choosing, he felt that it may be a little too shameless, as if he really did want to do something. He snuck a glance at Gu Fei who was beside him, with his head currently lowered as he immersed himself in playing Craz3 Match.


    Fine then, I¡¯ll just compromise. So in the end, Jiang Cheng canceled the selection for the seats in the last row and chose some seats in the second-last row instead. He then pressed enter.


    After all that was done, he stood up. But just as he was about to go to the ticket machine to retrieve their tickets, a cinema employee came over while pushing a wheelchair: ¡°Sir, this is the wheelchair that our cinema is providing for you.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Jiang Cheng was struck dumb.


    ¡°The walk to the screening room is a little long,¡± The employee explained, ¡°So it¡¯s more convenient to use this.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng stared at the wheelchair, ¡°Thank¡­ thank you ah.¡±


    ¡°You can just place the wheelchair at the front desk when you leave.¡± The employee walked away after leaving the wheelchair.


    Jiang Cheng turned to look at Gu Fei. Gu Fei who was already shaking with laughter as he leaned against the sofa was using his hand to cover his face


    ¡°Do you need it, sir?¡± Jiang Cheng asked, looking at him.


    ¡°Of course I need it.¡± Gu Fei nodded his head, ¡°How about you push me in later?¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± Jiang Cheng was a little speechless, ¡°If the filmmakers knew that we would watch their domestic horror movie without any actual horror even if we had to push a wheelchair in to do so, they would probably be moved to tears ba.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up.¡± Gu Fei glanced at the scrolling screen, still laughing as he said, ¡°There¡¯s only twenty minutes left.¡±


    After he finished retrieving the tickets, Jiang Cheng went to push the wheelchair over to Gu Fei¡¯s legs: ¡°Come on, Mr. Gu Fei.¡±


    Gu Fei propped himself up on the sofa¡¯s armrests to stand up with much effort, hopped around twice on one leg to turn around, and supported himself on the armrests of the wheelchair to plop down in the seat: ¡°All good now.¡±


    ¡°Such acting skill.¡± Jiang Cheng commented, ¡°There probably wouldn¡¯t be anybody who could act better than you in the movie we¡¯re going to watch later.¡±


    ¡°You flatter me.¡± Gu Fei placed his feet on the footrest, ¡°So comfortable.¡±


    Jiang Cheng pushed the wheelchair as he went to retrieve the snacks, a large bucket of popcorn, beverages, and the water and wet wipes that the cinema gifted before putting them all on Gu Fei¡¯s lap.


    As he pushed Gu Fei to the screening room, he could sense the astonished gazes of the people surrounding them.


    Oyo, this person must be bored to a certain extent to want to go to the movies in a wheelchair when there aren¡¯t even any blockbusters to watch.


    ¡°What¡¯s the room number?¡± Gu Fei asked as he wiped his hands with the wet wipes in the wheelchair and pinched out popcorn to munch.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°En?¡± Gu Fei turned to face him.


    He glared at Gu Fei: ¡°Are you enjoying yourself?¡±


    Gu Fei immediately turned back around and picked out a relatively more sugary piece of popcorn[4] and brought it to his mouth: ¡°For you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng surveyed their surroundings first, and when he confirmed that nobody was around, he speedily bit the popcorn into his mouth.


    ¡°You bit my hand,¡± Gu Fei complained.


    ¡°Speak less nonsense,¡± Jiang Cheng retorted.


    Gu Fei ate two more pieces before he picked out two more sugary ones and passed them back again, to which Jiang Cheng once again lowered his head and bit into his mouth.


    It was a little stupid.


    But¡­ even though he felt like he was just like a retarded hamster that was being fed, he also felt extremely happy.


    The ticket inspector in front of the screening room was just looking around, extremely bored, when he caught sight of the two of them coming over and was instantly dumbfounded. He immediately greeted them: ¡°There are stairs inside, let me help you in.¡±


    ¡°No need, no need.¡± Gu Fei hurriedly waved his hands, ¡°I can just hop in.¡±


    Probably because there was no one watching at this time, the ticket inspector was too idle, so in the end, he forcibly helped them carry the popcorn into the room then turned back to push the wheelchair to right beneath the last step of the stairs. Only then did he finally leave while turning back to glance at them with every step he took.


    ¡°Such treatment.¡± Jiang Cheng let out a sigh.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you choose the ones in the last row?¡± Gu Fei sat down.


    ¡°¡­ what do you want to do ah?¡± Jiang Cheng gaped at him.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t decided yet.¡± Gu Fei smiled and pointed to the seat closer to the inside, ¡°You sit there.¡±


    ¡°You can just directly go in and sit there,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°What¡¯s there to fuss about this?¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t respond and just shook his bandaged right hand in front of his face.


    Jiang Cheng instantly understood what he meant, but also instantly felt his heartbeat accelerate. His face suddenly felt hot as if he was standing right next to an electric heater.


    When he briefly brushed against Gu Fei as he squeezed past him, he unexpectedly promptly felt the source of all evil[5] assumed a rebelling posture.


    ¡°Ai.¡± He quietly sighed, sat down, and tugged at his pants.


    ¡°Young man ah.¡± Gu Fei also sat down, then took a sip of the beverage.


    Jiang Cheng twisted his face around to peer at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m still very calm now.¡± Gu Fei also returned his gaze before directing a glance at his own pants, ¡°Take a look.¡±


    ¡°Take a look, my ass!¡± Jiang Cheng simply wanted to give him a smack.


    Gu Fei continued to drink his beverage while gazing ahead with a smile, remaining completely silent.


    ¡°To be honest,¡± Jiang Cheng murmured. ¡°I never expected that you¡¯d be somebody like this at first.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it either.¡± Gu Fei raised the armrest between the two of their seats and shifted over to him, so they were plastered right next to each other, ¡°As a person who strikes fear into the hearts[6] of others just by hearing of me in the area around the steel mill¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough from you.¡± Jiang Cheng cut him off before grinning again upon thinking about it, ¡°Really, your sister is much cooler than you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to win my little sister¡¯s affections[7].¡± Gu Fei reached out and grabbed his hand, ¡°Just focus on winning my affections.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng gripped his hand back in return.


    Gu Fei¡¯s hand was very warm; even though the weather had already warmed up, and the screening room was also warm to the point of being a little hot, he still felt that the temperature of Gu Fei¡¯s hand made him feel very comfortable.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at the row behind them ¨C there wasn¡¯t a single person in the last row. However, even if there weren¡¯t any people there, the number of people in the screening room wasn¡¯t as few as he had predicted there would be. Especially in the last few minutes before the lights were switched off, when up to twenty people had suddenly come in pairs.


    One could tell at a glance that they were all young couples that came in for a date.


    Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a little¡­ ambiguous. Caught in a group of people with clear purposes, his and Gu Fei¡¯s purpose became all the more clearer.


    Fortunately, immediately following that, a family of four had come in and sat in the row in front of them.


    Jiang Cheng immediately let out a breath of relief.


    He didn¡¯t know why he suddenly became so utterly hopeless.


    He snuck a glance at Gu Fei who was sitting beside him. Gu Fei was slowly eating the popcorn placed on his lap with an unperturbed expression on his face.


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± he called out to him.


    ¡°En?¡± Gu Fei looked over.


    Actually, he had no idea what he even wanted to do when he called out to Gu Fei ¨C there wasn¡¯t actually anything he wanted to say.


    When Gu Fei turned his head over, the lights in the screening room abruptly shut off.


    Gu Fei¡¯s face was immediately shrouded in darkness, leaving only the outline of his profile drawn by the light from the screen visible.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t even pause to think, and just straightforwardly moved in. But just when he started to make a move, Gu Fei had already leaned over, and lightly landed a kiss on his lips.


    The lights had just shut, and the people surrounding them were still moving, as well as those who were still talking.


    At present, the environment had yet to enter an atmosphere that made people feel particularly at ease, but Jiang Cheng¡¯s breathing still slowed to a stop because of this kiss. On the other hand, the reaction coming from his heart was rather slow as it had only sped up into a frenzied rhythm after two seconds had passed ¨C so frenzied that he felt like Gu Fei¡¯s face in front of him was also swaying just a little.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t take any further actions ¨C only pressing his lips gently against his. Neither of them moved.


    Compared to the various other contacts they had exchanged before, this sort of kiss really couldn¡¯t amount to much. The two of them had even rubbed each other twice, yet Jiang Cheng had experienced a feeling that he had never felt before.


    Even as a xueba, he was actually unable to find any suitable words to describe it.


    After just quietly pressing their lips against each other, Jiang Cheng gave a fleeting lick to Gu Fei¡¯s lips with the tip of his tongue.


    Very sweet.


    The movie was already starting, but Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t have any desire to spare it a glance. Gu Fei¡¯s lips were still here after all; his moist lips that carried a hint of the sweetness of popcorn was under the tip of his tongue.


    Nevermind a movie like this, even if somebody they knew was just standing off to the side, he may still take a few seconds to snap out of it¡­


    But reality always loves to slap you in the face.


    Even though the movie clearly wasn¡¯t one that was capable of scaring people, the acoustics in the screening room was amazing, to say the least.


    Suddenly, a piercing scream simultaneously rang out from all around them, scaring all the people in the room into a series of shrieks.


    His heart that was already beating rapidly in the first place nearly burst out of his chest because of those screeches ¨C his entire body was even briefly startled off the chair.


    Gu Fei had probably also been given enough of a scare, as he had also bounced off his chair concurrently with him.


    The two of them whipped their heads around to look at the screen before turning back to stare at each other within the darkness. Only after a long while did Gu Fei finally remark in a lowered voice: ¡°Fuck, I was scared so much that it almost deflated.¡±


    Jiang Cheng froze, and only after a long while did he finally return to his senses. He suddenly couldn¡¯t control himself anymore, lowered his head and started to laugh between gritted teeth.


    ¡°Do you have any sense of empathy?¡± Gu Fei whispered as he asked, a hint of a smile in his voice.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng sounded. He turned to face him, not being able to hold back a laugh as he asked, ¡°Then did it end up deflating?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Fei responded, ¡°Do you want to¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng felt that the air freshener in the room was probably toxic, or if not, then the popcorn was poisonous. Or perhaps, it was Gu Fei¡¯s lips that had poison on them¡­ in any case, these symptoms of his were definitely from getting poisoned.


    He actually stretched out his hand and touched that part of Gu Fei, almost flipping the popcorn on Gu Fei¡¯s lap to the ground.


    The smile that Gu Fei was originally restraining was instantly wiped off his face, and his entire body slightly stiffened.


    Jiang Cheng could detect on his palm that indeed, it didn¡¯t deflate, and the reason why it didn¡¯t deflate was likely because little Gu Fei was very strong¡­


    What the fuck?


    What are you doing, Jiang Cheng?


    Do you have to be so thirsty?! The movie hasn¡¯t even started for more than two minutes! The side character had only just made an appearance and let out a scream! They haven¡¯t even gotten to die[8] yet!


    He suddenly didn¡¯t know where he should place the hand that was resting on Gu Fei¡¯s crotch.


    He was frozen for a few seconds. Just when he finally made up his mind to disregard[9] everything and retract his hand, Gu Fei suddenly threw the popcorn onto the seat next to him and grabbed his hand.


    ¡°Are there really infrared surveillance cameras?¡± Gu Fei pressed his hand down as he leaned his body over, whispering into his ear.


    ¡°I have no idea.¡± Jiang Cheng whispered in response, ¡°How about we¡­ rein ourselves in a bit?¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t respond. He only slid back down and loosened the hand that was gripping his own. Yet, without giving him the chance to react, he directly slipped his hand into his pants.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind was instantly filled with all sorts of .avi films. He slid down along with Gu Fei, and also grabbed and pulled apart Gu Fei¡¯s waistband.


    The movie was still playing, so for the sake of carrying through the principle of ¡°reining themselves in a bit¡±, he and Gu Fei both faced the screen with their eyes trained on it, even as the two of them plastered themselves right next to each other. However, Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t tell at all what the woman on the screen was doing as she ran up and down the house.


    Swaying before his eyes were the intertwining light and shadows that shifted from between sudden brightness, and sudden darkness ¨C a film that so far seemed absolutely ridiculous and unintelligible[10]. But because his brain had been heated to the point of confusion by the fire lit within his body, he suddenly felt that it was filled with a sense of mysterious beauty.


    The only thing that made him a little speechless was¡­ the screaming.


    The shrieking side character¡¯s ending and whereabouts were unknown[11], and the female lead took over her unfinished career.


    But with three consecutive screams, even if the two of them weren¡¯t completely caught off guard because they were too immersed in doing perverted things, they still felt the other¡¯s hand tighten.


    ¡°We chose the wrong movie.¡± Jiang Cheng shut his eyes.


    ¡°Cheng-ge.¡± Gu Fei tilted his head over as he called out to him.


    Jiang Cheng turned his head, and Gu Fei kissed him.


    The author has something to say: Continuing tomorrow.


    ¡°I¡¯ll let things be sweet first ba, but the next chapter won¡¯t be following the end of this one oh~¡± The author smilingly said as she held a bowl of braised mutton.


    The author has something to say:


    ¡°Ji ji gu! &(¡¥^¡¥)&¡± The tiny black furry spirit squeaked.


    ¡°My god! o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o My second little brother has cultivated into a chicken! o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o¡± The black furry spirit screamed.


    ¡°w(©b§¥©b)w¡± The little black furry spirit cried.


    The translators have something to say:


    Sae: I just knew ¡®a dark corner¡¯ would lead to something! Hot DANG! **


    Ice: ¡°Don¡¯t try to win my little sister¡¯s affections.¡± Gu Fei reached out and grabbed his hand, ¡°Just focus on winning my affections.¡± DAMN GU FEI YOU SMOOTH FUCK.£¨£é§¥£é£©


    Now I just have to wait for the chapter where they finally actually xxx¡­ *gets smacked* ? )???) *Sae smack, smack Ice*


    [1] Doze off ¨C ¼Ùàis a rather literary way to say ¡°doze off¡±, but it literally translates to something along the lines of ¡°fake sleeping¡±. So here, Jiang Cheng is basically saying, ¡°You aren¡¯t just fake sleeping, you fell asleep for real.¡± but this nuance isn¡¯t something that quite fits in English¡­ so I translated more by meaning than literally instead here.


    [2] flashy/showy (ɧ s¨¡o) ¨C s¨¡o alone can mean ¡®coquettish¡¯ or ¡®sexy¡¯ or ¡®disturbing¡¯ but in this case it¡¯s derived from ɧ°ü s¨¡ob¨¡o meaning (slang) alluring / showy / flashy and enticing person / painted Jezebel. There is a sense of sexiness to it but not quite entirely, but I¡¯m sure that Jiang Cheng found Gu Fei plenty sexy in that leather jacket. XD ¨C Sae


    [3] Domestic horror movie ¨C Because the only ¡°ghosts¡± the Chinese government allows in cinema or television must be in the form of dreams or the imagination, no ¡°real¡± ghosts are permitted in films because they represent superstition and sometimes cult activity in a realistic way. Thus, Chinese horror movies are known to be¡­ less than scary. _ (:§Ù¡¹¡Ï)_


    [4] Sugary popcorn ¨C Popcorn sold in Chinese movie theatres are sweet rather than salty. However, they aren¡¯t like the caramelized sweet popcorn you¡¯d see in the west, but kettle corn. Many Chinese people even find the idea of buttered popcorn to be strange.


    [5] ¡­ the source of all evil assumes a rebelling posture ¨C as a small reminder, the course of all evil is basically¡­ his **¡­ and so, I believe you can all get what it means here when it says it ¡°assumed a rebellious posture¡±. ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã)


    [6] Strike fear into the hearts (ÎÅ·çÉ¥µ¨) Idiom meaning to be alarmed by a mere rumour, or to be struck with fear upon hearing/catching wind of something, etc.


    [7] Affection ¨C ´òÖ÷Òâ lit. means ¡°to think of an idea¡± but it is also slang for ¡°winning the affections of a young woman¡±.


    [8] Gotten to die (ºÎÈ¥ºÎ´Ó) Idiom meaning to decide on what path to take, where to go, etc.


    [9] Disregard (ÅųýÍòÄÑ) Idiom meaning to push aside all obstacles/overcome all difficulties.


    [10] Unintelligible (²»ÖªËùÔÆ) Idiom meaning to be unintelligible, not able to make head or tails of, or not knowing what somebody is talking about.


    [11] somebody¡¯s end/whereabouts unknown (²»ÖªËù×Ù) (for someone to go missing, but mostly likely dead tbh).


    ¡ã

 CH 58

    What was having a xueba as a boyfriend like?


    It was when you were both overflowed with passion, tenderness, and affection, he would all of a sudden want to work on a set of exam worksheets and you could only sit to the side and proctor for him. Even more exciting was if he was an ultra-xueba ¨C when he entered a meditative state as he worked through those worksheets, he could bring even such a boring task as ¡®working on worksheets¡¯ to the peak of holiness.


    This rising sense of holiness would even make you unable to get hard when facing the very person who held your every bit of affection, and even if you were hard, you would still be packed with guilt.


    And by the time he finished a set of exam worksheets, it was almost time to eat. Just as you were about to say, ¡®what do you feel like eating¡¯, he would suddenly remind you, ¡®you still have some homework that hasn¡¯t been copied yet.¡¯


    When you finish copying the homework while despising yourself, thinking that it was finally all over, your phone then sounded¡­


    Gu Fei picked up the phone and looked at it; on the screen was a simple and concise message from Gu Miao.


    ¨C come back.


    He didn¡¯t return home to eat the day before, or possibly since he went out to play basketball the previous morning until now that he hadn¡¯t gone back. Gu Miao probably missed him.


    ¨C coming.


    He sent Gu Miao a reply.


    ¡°What do you want to eat tonight?¡± He looked over at Jiang Cheng after sending that message.


    ¡°¡­ fried rice cake?¡± Jiang Cheng pondered for a moment.


    ¡°Damn.¡± Gu Fei laughed, ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired of eating that?¡±


    ¡°Or order some takeout.¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his stomach, ¡°Though the rice cake is pretty filling. I¡¯m not that hungry right now ne¡­ who sent you a message?¡±


    ¡°Er Miao,¡± Gu Fei said, ¡°She wants me to go back.¡±


    ¡°Then go back ba, you¡¯re done copying the homework anyway.¡± Jiang Cheng grabbed his notebooks for a look, ¡°Mister, youbetter change the answers a bit, not copy them all word for word this like¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s an exam,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I was able to complete all my homework correctly with the help of my xueba classmate, is there a problem with that?¡±


    ¡°Your xueba deskmate only wants to sigh.¡± Jiang Cheng gathered the completed worksheets, ¡°Are you going to stay in bed tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡± Gu Fei shook his head, ¡°Come get me at my house ba.¡±


    ¡°Are you gonna be able to get up? Why are you so active all of a sudden?¡± Jiang Cheng leaned back against his chair and stretched out.


    ¡°What do you think,¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    Jiang Cheng insisted on finishing his stretch, then stood up and hugged him.


    Gu Fei hugged him back tightly and closed his eyes.


    Having finished the language and literature worksheets that afternoon, Jiang Cheng felt pretty good. He planned to get something to eat after taking Gu Fei home and look over the English worksheets later that night.


    ¡°Can you get up there yourself?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Fei who was so engrossed in his crippled act that he couldn¡¯t extricate himself.


    ¡°Yeah. Once I get into the building, I¡¯ll be running as if I¡¯m flying.[1]¡± Gu Fei hopped up with one leg, ¡°You can take the bike back with you for now since you¡¯re coming to get me tomorrow anyway.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a call before I head out. You better not be late, I want to get to school on time.¡± Jiang Cheng added, ¡°After all, Lao Xu¡­ we have to give him a bit of face.¡±


    ¡°En, don¡¯t worry.¡± Gu Fei chuckled.


    ¡°Then, you¡­ go up ba.¡± Jiang Cheng scanned the area; there were unfortunately too many people going up and down the stairs at the moment that he couldn¡¯t do anything else. ¡°I¡¯ll head back now.¡±


    Gu Fei reached out his hand and quickly touched his hand that was holding the handlebar.


    ¡°Remove your hand.¡± Jiang Cheng had said that even though he had also quickly touched Gu Fei¡¯s hand in return. Then he turned the bike around and looked at him, ¡°I¡¯ll leave when you go up.¡±


    ¡°Text me once you¡¯ve finished the worksheets tonight.¡± Gu Fei hopped toward the corridor entrance.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    After watching Gu Fei hop into the corridor then ran up the stairs three steps at a time, Jiang Cheng got on his bike and rode away.


    What was having a boyfriend pretending to be a cripple like?


    It was when you had to wake up twenty minutes earlier than usual at the break of dawn, give him a call to wake him up, and then ride your bike to the downstairs of his place. You would then get to watch as he pretended to limp over to you, get on the backseat of the bike, and take him to eat breakfast. After the both of you were done with breakfast, taking him to school was next.


    In order to appear authentic, you have to buy him water in between classes and help him go to the bathroom. If he wanted to smoke a cigarette between classes, you have to help support him a few more rounds.


    Once classes were dismissed for the day, you couldn¡¯t even stay with him just a bit longer. You have to take him back on time because his sister was extremely worried and always kept watch at the gate when school ended.


    But after three days of this kind of life, you would eventually become accustomed to it. After all, this person didn¡¯t usually go to school on time, so it was amazing ¨C in and of itself ¨C to be able to go to school together in the earliest of every morning.


    The day after was May First, Labour Day ¨C a holiday. Even though it was only three days, that didn¡¯t stop everyone from being overtaken with sheer joy. They excitedly spoke of where they were going, while at the same time, grumbling at the teachers for arranging piles of assignments that they deemed to impede them.


    In fact, there weren¡¯t actually that many assignments, and compared to before, this much was practically nothing. For Jiang Cheng, whenever they had three days off for the holiday before, seven days¡¯ worth of assignments were meticulously arranged for them without a doubt.


    In the past, Pan Zhi had always copied him. During this particular Labour Day, who knew who he was going to copy off.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the community hospital in a bit,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°What are you going there for?¡± Jiang Cheng froze.


    ¡°To change the medicine and switch to a smaller splint so that it¡¯ll be easier to move,¡± Gu Fei said matter-of-factly.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that expose your secret?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at his leg only to mentally agree that the splint was indeed wrapped in a rather exaggerated manner.


    ¡°I can buy another,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Li Yan and the others had bought it before and wrapped it up. It will have to be a smaller one this time.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll go with you then.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°The main point of all this is to let the elderly men and ladies see that my leg really was broken for the last few days,¡± Gu Fei stated.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it and then laughed. ¡°How much longer until it can be removed ah?¡±


    ¡°Half a month ba,¡± Gu Fei answered. ¡°I¡¯ll also have to limp for a while once it¡¯s removed but it¡¯ll be fine after that.¡±


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s phone rang, and he took it out for a glance ¨C it was a message from Pan Zhi.


    ¨C We¡¯re on the bus!


    Jiang Cheng froze and quickly sent a reply.


    ¨C We?


    ¨C Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not Yu Xin.


    ¨C Who then?


    ¨C Hu Fengfeng and Da Li[2], and also two girls that you probably don¡¯t know.


    ¨C Who?


    ¨C I¡¯ll introduce them to you when we get there.


    ¨C You will introduce both of them? How capable are you huh, you¡¯re  just amazing.


    ¨C Fuck! Prepare midnight snacks for us.


    ¨C Where are you staying?


    Jiang Cheng helped support Gu Fei to the school gate while his other hand kept on sending messages to Pan Zhi. He knew that Pan Zhi was going to bring some people with him, but he had never expected him to bring girls and being all mysterious about it¡­ did he succeed in stealing back the girl[3] that quickly? Or did he change the target that quickly?


    ¡°Pan An?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°En, they¡¯ll get here tonight. Jiang Cheng said, ¡°I have to go get that grandson of mine.¡±


    ¡°You can eat in the shop in a bit then,¡± Gu Fei suggested. ¡°And pick him up after that?¡±


    ¡°Okay, is there anything to eat?¡± Jiang Cheng turned to look at Gu Fei. With Gu Fei¡¯s arm on his shoulder, for him to turn his face like that, he could practically kiss Gu Fei on the nose, so he immediately turned away, afraid that he would accidentally land a kiss if he lowered his guard.


    ¡°Yeah, my mom made some,¡± Gu Fei laughed at his reaction.


    Pan Zhi¡¯s reply came back a while later.


    ¨C I¡¯ll squeeze in bed with you, they¡¯re staying at a hotel. You don¡¯t have to deal with that, we agreed on it already.


    ¨C Aren¡¯t you staying in a room with one of the girls?


    ¨C I¡¯m being very serious with you here, I¡¯m not that kind of person.


    Jiang Cheng laughed for a long time with that.


    ¡°That happy huh,¡± Gu Fei commented.


    ¡°That freaking idiot brought two girls along,¡± Jiang Cheng said with amusement. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what their relationship is.¡±


    ¡°Where are they staying?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Pan Zhi is staying with me and the others are staying in a hotel,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°Oooh¡ª¡ª¡± Gu Fei stretched out the sound as he responded.


    ¡°If I had known, I would¡¯ve bought two pillows. Forget it, he¡¯ll just have to roll up the quilt and use that,¡± Jiang Cheng added.


    ¡°Oooh¡ª¡ª¡± Gu Fei continued to drag out the sound.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be, you¡­¡± Jiang Cheng was stunned at his behavior before suddenly reacting. ¡°Shit, are you¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t he just sleep on the sofa?¡± Gu Fei interrupted him, ¡°Does he have to sleep on the bed? It¡¯s not even cold anymore. Is he going to freeze to death sleeping on the sofa?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t hold it any longer and started to laugh out loud. ¡°Sleep on the sofa! He will sleep on the sofa!!¡±


    ¡°Why does he have to sleep on the sofa,¡± Gu Fei persisted once more. ¡°Can¡¯t he go stay in the hotel? The others are staying there, so why does he have to stay with you?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him in disbelief. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Gu Fei also turned his head to stare at him, and only after a while did he smirked and said: ¡°Yeah, what?¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng swore. ¡°Are you really feeling jealous or are you faking it ah?¡±


    ¡°Half-half,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I figured I have to be a bit jealous under this kind of situation, or else, it doesn¡¯t show that I¡¯m important.¡±


    ¡°How important are you ah, you are the most important. I have never served a cripple person like this in my entire life.¡± Jiang Cheng snorted, ¡°The only thing missing is to help you in the bathroom stall.¡±


    ¡°Nevermind the bathroom,¡± Gu Fei sighed. ¡°Just normally helping me with it is good¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Jiang Cheng quickly cut him off when he saw Gu Miao standing at the school gate.


    Jealousy, he honestly couldn¡¯t say with certainty if it was real or fake.


    Even at this age, Gu Fei had never been jealous before, nor did he ever have a chance to be jealous. He didn¡¯t know what feeling jealous was at all. The feeling was probably the same as what he felt now. As for Pan Zhi who called himself Pan An and was probably pretty good-looking in reality, he did feel a subtle hint of uneasiness toward him ¨C even though he was well aware that Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t have anything to do with classmate Pan An who brought along those mysterious girls.


    Most of the so-called ¡°jealousy¡± could probably only be called a sense of alienation contrived from the environment Jiang Cheng had grown up in, his former friends, and the people and events that he had never made contact with before.


    But seeing that Jiang Cheng was in a pretty good mood, he was willing to ignore those things he felt and let his mood rise with his.


    Back in the shop, Jiang Cheng helped him again before the two entered the community hospital with bitter expressions, bought a smaller splint, and ordered some bandages and medicine to go.


    The doctor was someone who was very familiar with Gu Fei since he had suffered countless injuries over the years. This doctor didn¡¯t even ask any questions when he bought those things, nor did he ask why he didn¡¯t change the splint in the hospital.


    Once those supplies were purchased, Gu Fei returned to the inner room in the shop and did everything himself. Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng leaned against the door and kept watch, fearful that someone might suddenly come in and see the situation.


    Gu Miao hugged her skateboard and stood in front of Gu Fei with no expression on her face and watched the lively commotion. She was already aware that Gu Fei¡¯s injury was fake but was nonetheless brimming with curiosity regarding the things wrapped around his leg.


    The second Gu Fei replaced the old splint for the new smaller ones, she stretched her leg in front of Gu Fei, rolled up the leg of her pants, and stared at him.


    ¡°¡­ alright.¡± Gu Fei sighed, took the bandages from the side then bent over and wrapped it around Gu Miao¡¯s leg a few times, and taped it together.


    Gu Miao¡¯s expression now was that of utter satisfaction. When she held her skateboard and squeezed out of the inner room from beside Jiang Cheng, even her walking strides brought a slight breeze.


    ¡°Sit down ba.¡± Jiang Cheng watched as she went all the way to the backyard then turned around with a smile and said, ¡°You can just tell me what to do with these dishes.¡±


    ¡°Just heat them in a pot¡­¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t have a chance to finish speaking when Gu Miao ran back inside and stood right beside Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jiang Cheng asked her.


    Gu Miao stooped down and tugged at the leg of Jiang Cheng¡¯s pants.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine ah,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°My legs are in top condition, and there¡¯s also nothing wrong with your brother¡¯s leg¡­¡±


    ¡°Come here.¡± Gu Fei started to laugh and grabbed the bandages next to him. ¡°When there¡¯s something fun to play with, she wants to share it with you.¡±


    ¡°¡­ what the fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng was completely stunned as he glanced at Gu Miao and hesitantly walked over to Gu Fei. ¡°I also have to get wrapped up?¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei nodded his head.


    Jiang Cheng reluctantly took a stool and sat in front of him before pulling up the leg of his pants. ¡°Ugh, okay.¡±


    Gu Fei grabbed his leg and put it on his own leg then took the bandage at hand and wrapped it around.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s calves were very straight, and also very¡­ toned and well-proportioned. Just looking at them¡­ if he touched¡­ Gu Fei cleared his throat and glanced at Gu Miao, who was staring directly at his hand without blinking.


    He could only proceed with concentrating on wrapping it up; the first wrap, his fingertips lightly touched Jiang Cheng¡¯s skin, the second wrap, his fingertips again lightly brushed against Jiang Cheng¡¯s skin, the third wrap, his fingertips once more lightly flitted by Jiang Cheng¡¯s¡­


    ¡°Fuck you,¡± Jiang Cheng threw out those words.


    ¡°En?¡± He lifted his eyes toward Jiang Cheng.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s face was enshrouded with mystery: ¡°Can you do it or not, if not, I¡¯ll have the doctor next door do it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Fei held back his laughter, lowered his head again, and quickly wrapped it two more times before taping the bandage together, ¡°All done.¡±


    Jiang Cheng rolled down his pants, stood up, and stomped his feet a couple of times. He followed Er Miao out of the inner room but not before turning his head back around to point at him: ¡°Gu Fei, I finally figured out what kind of person you are today.¡±


    ¡°What kind of person am I?¡± Gu Fei looked at him with a smile.


    ¡°Quite frivolous[4], that you are,¡± Jiang Cheng stated. ¡°All the frivolous people out there, just look over here at Gu Fei.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed hysterically until he collapsed on the bed and continued for the longest time.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes lingered on him for a moment, neither speaking nor laughing along. He took a glance at the courtyard then suddenly walked over and pounced him, firmly landing a kiss on his lips as his hand slid into his pants.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Gu Fei was very much taken aback by such an unexpected behavior, but as a young man with a healthy body and mind, who was at the time of his life where ¡®spring was here and the animals are in heat¡¯, even if he was taken aback, he would still have an immediate reaction to such a straightforward[5] tease.


    But just as he was about to respond, Jiang Cheng had already picked himself up off of him, and said as he turned to walk out: ¡°Enjoy this moment, young man.¡±


    ¡°Fuckkkkk.¡± Gu Fei remained frozen for a while longer as he collapsed back on the bed and laughed some more.


    Compared to his prowess in academics, Jiang Cheng¡¯s culinary skills certainly belonged to that of a xuezha, spelled with capital letters to boot. Even as Gu Fei sat behind the checkout counter, he could see Jiang Cheng busying himself in the kitchen cutting vegetables in confusion as Gu Miao directed him before throwing them in the pot.


    Just when he was about to take out his phone to record this scene for memory, someone walked in through the door. He swept a glance over and placed his phone on the checkout counter instead: ¡°Ma-ge.¡±[6]


    Hou Zi¡¯s surname was Ma.


    Now that he had already been defeated by him, he might as well call him Ma-ge to let Hou Zi feel utterly satisfied with himself.


    ¡°How¡¯s your leg?¡± Hou Zi grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the shelf behind him, opened it, and lit a stick.


    ¡°Changed the splint earlier today. Have to keep it on for another week,¡± Gu Fei answered nonchalantly.


    ¡°Have a good rest then.¡± Hou Zi glanced behind him and one of the people that had followed him in walked over and placed a case of milk on the counter. Hou Zi tapped his hand on the case, ¡°This is for you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for your concern, Ma-ge.¡± Gu Fei commented.


    Hou Zi didn¡¯t say another word. He turned and slowly sauntered between the shelves, picking up things and tossing them to those behind him.


    Gu Fei only recognized one person among them and reckoned that the others were probably newly recruited lackeys that Hou Zi brought along to show them that not only could he put someone in their place, but also have the capacity to forgive and forget with a smile.


    To be honest, Gu Fei wasn¡¯t concerned about acting weak. He was only worried that Hou Zi would go batshit if he saw Jiang Cheng there with him.


    After all, Jiang Cheng was supposedly his ¡°xiaodi¡±[7]. And now that he had fallen to a disadvantageous position, to have a xiaodi still make food for him, was completely different than just taking him to school.


    Gu Fei¡¯s eyes moved toward the courtyard for a glance only to find that Jiang Cheng was no longer in the kitchen. Meanwhile, Gu Miao was still standing in front of the stove, silently guarding the pot of soup.


    Tacit understanding at its best.


    Gu Fei wanted to laugh all of a sudden. Jiang Cheng was indeed an intelligent one and quick on his feet, able to read the situation and went into hiding within just a moment.


    Hou Zi went around in the shop, grabbed some snacks, and then directly left with his people without another word.


    A few minutes later, Gu Fei finally stood up and hopped with one leg toward the courtyard.


    ¡°Cheng-ge?¡± Gu Fei called out.


    ¡°En.¡± Jiang Cheng walked out of the bathroom to the side while tugging on his pants. ¡°They¡¯re gone?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Fei gave him a look, ¡°Still pretending ne.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you doing the same me.¡± Jiang Cheng shot a glance at his one leg that was still lifted.


    Gu Fei settled down his leg and chuckled as Jiang Cheng returned to the kitchen; the soup had come to the boil, so he went to turn off the stove. ¡°Hou Zi¡¯s surname is Ma ah?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°Shit, how could he accept a nickname like Hou Zi,¡± Jiang Cheng questioned. ¡°Isn¡¯t he worried people will call him Da-Mahou[8] behind his back?¡±


    Gu Fei responded by bursting into a spell of laughter.


    Having meat and vegetables in one pot would automatically ensure that it was delicious no matter how it was eaten; coincidentally, it was also the best way to cover up one¡¯s dreadful culinary skills.


    Even with only the three of them, they managed to eat the large pot of food; Gu Miao also had two bowls of rice with it.


    After they cleaned up the table of dishes and chopsticks, the two sat in the shop playing on their phones while Gu Miao sprawled on a table working on her homework. After she was stopped from attending school, Gu Fei still had her read her textbook herself every day and then assign her some homework.


    The little girl was quite conscientious, however, all her answers were basically incorrect.


    Since Gu Miao was there with them, and they could only flirt through bumping legs and touching hands, they could still feel a sense of delight. The saying was true then that humans would actually lower their expectations under harsher conditions¡­


    ¡°Going half an hour early should be good enough ba?¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at his phone when it was almost nine o¡¯clock.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you head out now, are you going to get a taxi or take the bus?¡±


    ¡°Take the bus,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Then grab a taxi after I get them.¡±


    ¡°You have to head out now then,¡± Gu Fei suggested.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you a call after I get them,¡± Jiang Cheng added. ¡°We can eat some midnight snacks together.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need ba, your classmates¡­ I won¡¯t go along to eat,¡± Gu Fei hesitated for a moment.


    ¡°The point isn¡¯t to eat ah.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him, ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ you don¡¯t want to meet my classmates me, the others are whatever to me, but Pan Zhi ba, he¡¯s the only one that I¡¯m pretty close to.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei nodded, ¡°I¡¯ll wait for your call then.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked around as he stood at the exit of the train station once more; the chaotic crowd and the run-down shops were still there, nothing had changed from when he had first arrived here.


    It was quite strange. Jiang Cheng lit a cigarette and held it in his mouth, constantly thinking that with just a turn of his head, he could see Gu Miao and her messy head of hair.


    In just a few months, from having felt the anger, pain, and confusion¡­ through it all, he was actually able to now stand here with tranquility and some excitement as he waited for Pan Zhi and the others.


    For him, these classmates held memories of his past life and remembrance, but at the recollection of these things, he wasn¡¯t as disappointed and frustrated as he was a few months ago.


    As expected, my adaptability to all of this is quite strong.


    With his hands in his pockets, Jiang Cheng gave himself a thumbs up.


    Bravo.


    When a train arrived, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t pay attention to which one it was and was also disinclined to look through the crowd. He simply stood on a block of stone next to him and waited for Pan Zhi and the others to find him instead.


    ¡°Cheng-er![9]¡± Pan Zhi¡¯s enthusiastic roar traveled into his ears from the right just a few minutes later.


    Jiang Cheng turned his head and saw Pan Zhi run over, dragging a luggage toward him. He smiled as he jumped off the block of stone, shouting: ¡°Grandson!¡±


    ¡°Grandpa!¡± Pan Zhi yelled once more when he stopped in front of him and gave him a hug. ¡°How long have you waited ah!¡±


    ¡°Just got here.¡± Jiang Cheng looked behind him and saw Hu Feng and Li Song and behind them were two girls. Even though he wasn¡¯t familiar with either, he did know they were from the same class as Huang Hui. He immediately leaned close to Pan Zhi and asked in a low voice, ¡°How did you end up having eyes for people in Huang Hui¡¯s class ne? Aren¡¯t there girls in other classes ah?¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, please be reasonable.¡± Pan Zhi lowered his voice, ¡°Li Yuqing, she¡¯s the one who has her eyes on me, the mushroom head one, and the other is Xu Meng.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced over again and saw that both girls had similar hairstyles, one long and one short. He tsk-ed: ¡°The long hair one or the short hair one ah?¡±


    ¡°Shorter one, would you call someone with long hair a mushroom head me?!¡± Pan Zhi questioned as he turned to shout at the few behind them, ¡°Hurry up!¡±


    When Hu Feng and Li Song came over and yelled right back at him, Jiang Cheng suddenly felt that a time had indeed sped by in the blink of an eye. Obviously, it had only been a few months, and he had already adapted to his current situation, but there was still a sense of unspeakable excitement welling up inside of him.


    ¡°Fengfeng, how come you gained weight again?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Hu Feng.


    ¡°No, no. I didn¡¯t gain any weight. Da Li is just wasting away every day that I look fat compared to him,¡± Hu Feng explained.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright ba.¡± Li Song took a step back and carefully examined Jiang Cheng, ¡°Jiang Cheng, you haven¡¯t changed at all ah, still as handsome as ever, you handsome devil.¡±


    ¡°No shit sherlock,¡± Pan Zhi chimed in from the side. ¡°His title as the ¡®grass¡¯ of the school[10] wasn¡¯t just something for show. The moment he left, we were left unable to immediately choose our next blade of grass¡±


    The two girls didn¡¯t utter a word the entire time, opting to watch them and giggling to the side instead.


    ¡°Shut the hell up,¡± Jiang Cheng retorted. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We can take a taxi, which hotel did you guys booked? We can put your things there first then have some midnight snacks.¡±


    ¡°At a Rujia, it should be pretty close to your place. Didn¡¯t you say that you didn¡¯t move that far?¡± Pan Zhi questioned.


    ¡°En, pretty close.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, ¡°After putting your stuff there, we¡¯ll get my¡­ friend, and go out to eat together.¡±


    Jiang Cheng was going to say ¡°classmate¡± but ultimately decided to say ¡°friend¡± instead; compared to addressing him as a ¡°classmate¡±, he would rather call him a ¡°friend¡± when he was in a situation where he couldn¡¯t call him his ¡°boyfriend¡±.


    ¡°Classmate¡± just sounded too official while ¡°friend¡± was more intimate.


    They called for two taxis and made their way directly to the Rujia.


    This day was a journey of reminiscing; after reminiscing at the exit of the train station, then reminiscing again as he stood outside the entrance of the Rujia only to turn around and see the Zhoujia inn across the street, Jiang Cheng felt himself become distracted.


    Some of these events seemed to have already faded from his memories, and it was only when he was in the presence of them did he suddenly realize that he and Gu Fei had fought like retards on the pile of the snow to the side of the street only a few months ago.


    Yeah, only a few months ago.


    He smiled to himself, and that retard actually became my boyfriend.


    Once they put their luggage in their rooms, the group of them went out once more. Li Yuqing and Xu Meng looked around as they stood outside the hotel: ¡°Where are we going to eat ah?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that far.¡± Jiang Cheng dialed Gu Fei¡¯s numbers as he spoke, ¡°We can walk over there.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat something local, what¡¯s the specialty here?¡± Hu Feng asked.


    ¡°Dunno, I¡¯ll ask in a bit.¡± Jiang Cheng replied, leading them all to the next street over when Gu Fei answered the call. He didn¡¯t know why, especially since it had been less than an hour, but when he heard Gu Fei¡¯s voice, he suddenly found himself missing Gu Fei very much. What the hell is wrong with me?


    ¡°They¡¯re with you?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°En, they¡¯ve checked in. We¡¯re heading over now,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Is Gu Miao there? Bring her too.¡±


    ¡°She went home to sleep already,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you in front of the shop ba.¡±


    ¡°Okay, see you,¡± Jiang Cheng ended the call.


    When they arrived in front of Gu Fei¡¯s family¡¯s shop, Gu Fei had already locked up and was leaning against a lamppost near the entrance with a cigarette in his mouth.


    ¡°Ai?¡± Pan Zhi froze, ¡°It¡¯s this guy ah?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded in response. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, it¡¯s just a bit out of the blue,¡± Pan Zhi whispered. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem like the kind of person you¡¯d hang out with without the two of you beating each other to death ah.¡±


    ¡°What kind of description is that.¡± Jiang Cheng was amused the second he heard, as expected, Pan Zhi is the bestie.


    When Gu Fei heard the sound of their voices nearing him, he turned around and put out the cigarette butt on a nearby trash bin.


    ¡°This is my friend,¡± Jiang Cheng turned to introduce him to the few people behind him, ¡°Gu Fei.¡±


    The second time he said, ¡°my friend¡±, those two words, Jiang Cheng was suddenly riddled with a sense of nervousness, constantly worried that he might blurt out, ¡°my boyfriend, Gu Fei.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± Xu Meng shrieked in a low voice from behind, then grabbed Li Yuqing¡¯s arm and shook it repeatedly. ¡°He¡¯s so handsome!¡±


    Li Yuqing reacted rather quickly and laughed as she spoke, ¡°Jiang Cheng, is your friend single? Why don¡¯t you introduce him to Mengmeng ba.¡±


    In your dreams!


    Hearing those words, Jiang Cheng instantly felt the extra-large bullet screen[11] in his mind crashing down on Xu Meng. He didn¡¯t say a single word and glanced at the two of them with a fake smile.


    The author has something to say: Continuing tomorrow.


    ¡°How lively ¡Ñ¨Œ¡Ñ.¡± The author who had to put on wool kneepads and continued to kneel on the ground because the weather was too cold said while beaming from ear to ear.


    ¡°Let the jealousy games begin! o(¨R¿Ú¨Q)o.¡± The black furry spirit shouted.


    ¡°w(©b§¥©b)w ying.¡± The small black furry spirit chimed in.


    ¡°Ji ji, gu gu gu gu &(¡¥^¡¥)&£¡¡± The tiny black furry spirit chirped.


    ¡ã


    The translator has something to say:


    Sae: I bet anything that Pan Zhi called Jiang Cheng, Cheng-er, will make Gu Fei extra jealous lol


    [1] As if flying (½¡²½Èç·É ji¨¤nb¨´r¨²f¨¥i) idiom: running as fast as flying


    [2] Hu Fengfeng and Da Li (ºú·è·èºÍ´óÀî), Hu Fengfeng, the fengfeng here means cray-cray (crazy) and Da Li, the Da just mean Big (Li being the name) how Gu Fei is Da Fei.


    [3] Steal back the girl, ÇËǽ½Ç Lit ¨C pry the corner but slang that you steal someone¡¯s bf or gf.; sometimes it also means you took great people from other company.


    [4] Frivolous (ÀËɧ langsao) ¨C refers to someone that is ¡®not serious¡¯, behaves frivolously, and acts vulgarly, basically has ¡®loose morals¡¯ (derogatory sense). Then there¡¯s mensao (ÃÆɧ) ¨C refers to a person who looks cold and quiet, but is actually full of thought and content. Such groups of people do not easily express and expose their personal emotions, anger, sorrow, and emotional changes, but in specific occasions or environments, they often perform unexpectedly. It is a neutral word, and definitely describes Gu Fei lol and even Jiang Cheng.


    [5] Straightforward (µ¥µ¶Ö±Èë d¨¡nd¨¡ozh¨ªr¨´) idiom, to get straight to the point


    [6] Ma-ge (Âí¸ç) Ma means Horse


    [7] xiaodi ¨C СµÜ, lit. means little brother but slang for underling, lackey, subordinate


    [8] Da Mahou (´óÂíºï) ¨C Hou Zi (Monkey), his surname is Ma (Horse), together it would be Big Horse Monkey. This term has several different meanings depending on the region and context. Sometimes it is described as a monster used to scare children by the older adults for if the child is disobedient, they will be captured by the horse monkey. Sometimes, it is used to describe that people look ugly, like gorillas. Also, it can be used to describe people being irritable in doing things, saying that you should not act like a buffoon.


    [9] Cheng-er: ¡®Er¡¯ is the pinyin for the word ¡®ƒº¡¯ (simplified, ¡®¶ù¡¯), meaning ¡®child¡¯. As such, it is used as a diminutive marker; in a name, it is equivalent to the English ¡®-y¡¯ or ¡®-ie¡¯ (Jack= Jackie, Jacky) ending, and used as a term of endearment. When you add ¡®er¡¯ to a single word of one¡¯s name, it makes you feel closer to each other. It¡¯s like a nickname.


    [10] ¡®Grass¡¯ of the school¡¯ ¨C The most handsome boy in the school aka campus hunk (У²Ý xi¨¤oc¨£o) lit. campus grass which is the opposite to campus belle (У»¨ xi¨¤ohu¨¡) campus belle, the prettiest girl on campus. So if the girl is the ¡®flower¡¯ of the campus, the boy is the ¡®grass¡¯


    [11] ¡°Bullet screen¡±, or ¡°dan¡¯mu¡± in Chinese, is an emerging new feature on online video sites in China and Japan, which allows real-time comments from viewers to fly across the screen like bullets. Mostly used for virtual nods and zingers, this ¡°social viewing¡± feature is phenomenally popular with the younger crowd.

 CH 59

    Among Jiang Cheng¡¯s classmates, the boys weren¡¯t particularly handsome, and the girls weren¡¯t particularly beautiful. But what Gu Fei could ascertain was that just like the first time he saw Jiang Cheng, he could tell these people were not from around here with just a glance.


    The intrinsic kind of aura that belonged to regular high school students from the major cities clearly enveloped them, seemingly making them very much inconsistent with everything else around here.


    ¡°My classmate, Pan Zhi, you¡¯ve met before, though I¡¯m not sure if you remember him.¡± Jiang Cheng walked over to stand beside him and introduced his other classmates. ¡°Let¡¯s find a place to eat?¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fe nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s have fried rice cake ba.¡±


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes widened. Just as he was about to say, ¡®fried rice cakes again, what the fuck, we freaking ate that for two days straight¡¯, he didn¡¯t even have a chance to open his mouth when Pan Zhi chimed in from the side. ¡°Ai, sounds good. I haven¡¯t had fried rice cakes for a long time.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me, fried rice cake it is. Rice cakes in syrups are also pretty tasty,¡± Li Yuqing quickly joined in.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head out.¡± Gu Fei grabbed his bike from the side and straddled it, setting the leg with the splint on the pedal while using the other leg to push forward on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s not that far.¡±


    ¡°Is your leg alright?¡± Pan Zhi asked curiously.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s good to go,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Jiang Cheng called out, pretending to help with the handlebar of the bike as his hand quickly touched Gu Fei¡¯s.


    Gu Fei understandingly stuck up his thumb immediately, brushing it ever so softly across the palm of Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand as he pulled away.


    As soon as the others caught up, Gu Fei moved to the side of the road and opted to listen to them chat instead.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t talk much, leaving Pan Zhi and the other classmates to do all the talking for the majority of the time, mainly giving account of the various gossips that came up since the beginning of school.


    ¡°Oh yeah, Cheng-er, here¡¯s the letter he wrote for you.¡± Pan Zhi recalled just as the discussion got to their homeroom teacher and took out a kraft paper envelope from his pocket. ¡°Almost forgot it for a second.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng accepted and shoved it into his pocket.


    This homeroom teacher is also pretty good, Gu Fei thought as he slowly pushed his bike forward, probably even comparable to Lao Xu¡­ Cheng-er?


    Gu Fei turned his head just when Jiang Cheng also happened to turn his head to look at him. Gu Fei narrowed his eyes at him.


    Jiang Cheng in all innocence tilted his head at him at a loss, so Gu Fei also tilted his head, and mouthed some words.


    wtf.jpg


    Jiang Cheng suddenly understood which part Gu Fei was lingering on, and felt slightly abashed at first, but as he ruminated on it, he really wanted to laugh out at the top of his lungs.


    Pan Zhi addressed him in only two ways ¨C Cheng-er, and grandpa.


    Grandpa, this term, was normally used in their private conversations or under a more rather exciting context, while Cheng-er was his everyday name¡­ it really didn¡¯t matter much, but if Gu Fei pestered endlessly about it like he did with the whole ¡®why does he have to sleep on the bed and not the sofa, why does he have to sleep on the sofa and not stay in the hotel¡¯, he honestly would be left speechless[1].


    Because he normally just called Pan Zhi, Pan Zhi.


    Why do you call him Pan Zhi, but he calls you Cheng-er?


    Jiang Cheng took another glance at Gu Fei who had his head down as he lit a cigarette, but sensing his gaze on him, he turned to meet his eyes, continuing to mouth some more soundless words.


    wtf???


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t endure it a second longer and started to laugh out loud this time.


    ¡°Right?!¡± Pan Zhi suddenly said from beside him, ¡°I almost laughed to death, and nearly got kicked out midway through the class¡­¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded. ¡°Idiot.¡±


    He was totally clueless to what Pan Zhi had just said, but then again, such an answer between him and Pan Zhi was universal[2].


    ¡°Oh yeah, are there videos of your basketball game from the last match?¡± Pan Zhi asked. ¡°Send them over and let me have a look. Since there aren¡¯t any chances for us to play together now, I¡¯ll just watch them at the very least.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Jiang Cheng turned to ask Gu Fei, ¡°Are there?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Fei answered. ¡°Jiuri[3] must have saved some.¡±


    ¡°Fuck who?¡± Pan Zi questioned but his focus then immediately shifted, ¡°Send me a copy ba?¡±


    ¡°You can just add me.¡± Gu Fei tapped on his phone a couple of times and then turned the screen toward Pan Zhi.


    ¡°Cool.¡± Pan Zhi quickly fished out his phone and scanned the QR code on the screen, adding Gu Fei to his friend¡¯s list. ¡°This is your username? That¡¯s quite¡­ adorable[4].¡±


    Jiang Cheng watched from the side as the two of them added each other as friends without a hitch, but a second after Pan Zhi put his phone back into his pocket, Xu Meng instantly yanked him to the side.


    ¡°No, no can do,¡± Pan Zhi whispered. ¡°Hell no, I can¡¯t¡­ go ask for yourself.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly couldn¡¯t endure it any longer. Pan Zhi wasn¡¯t just going to give Gu Fei¡¯s username to that whatever Xu Meng right now, was he?But after they returned¡­ or perhaps, even before they returned. What if Xu Meng came and asked herself ne? If this opportunity wasn¡¯t initially mentioned, the person might have not thought of it, but if the person asked straightforwardly, it would simply be inexcusable for a WeChat to be given.


    He swiftly turned his head to glare at Gu Fei, and kept his voice down, ¡°What the FUCK?¡±[5]


    ¡°Cheng-er?¡± Gu Fei also lowered his voice.


    ¡°Fuck you, Gu Fei. Are you even five years old?¡± Jiang Cheng continued to keep his voice down.


    ¡°Nope~¡± Gu Fei expressed.


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t be bothered to keep a straight face as he laughed until his snot nearly shot out.


    ¡°Shit.¡± He rubbed his nose.


    There were actually many small shops situated next to the fried rice cake shop, so after the group of them occupied a table, the two girls went to look around the area and brought back a pile of barbequed wings, skewered meat, and some beverages.


    Gu Fei sat at the side of the table with his head lowered and played on his phone; he didn¡¯t have any common language with Jiang Cheng¡¯s classmates. These people were like Jiang Cheng, very clean, and even their topics of conversation were limited to this person getting together with that person ¨C words that still permeated with innocence and artlessness.


    It was just as Li Yan had once said, ¡°There¡¯s a fucking generation gap between you and people of your age. You look at your peers as if you¡¯re looking at your sons or some shit.¡±


    But still, Jiang Cheng was different.


    With Jiang Cheng, who was undoubtedly more mature than Pan Zhi and the others, there was no gap between the two of them. And even if there was, it also wasn¡¯t this kind of gap.


    As usual, not many words escaped Jiang Cheng¡¯s mouth, and for the majority of the time, he kept his back leaning against the chair and watched his classmates conversate. Gu Fei observed his face that barely revealed any expressions aside from the innate arrogance that cloaked him ¨C this was the Jiang Cheng he met in the beginning.


    If he hadn¡¯t seen that side of Jiang Cheng once more, it would have been nearly impossible for him to imagine that Jiang Cheng¡¯s adoption was reversed because his relationship with his adoptive family had declined to such a discordant and irreconcilable nature.


    Under the table, Gu Fei stretched his legs out and lightly stepped on Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoes.


    Jiang Cheng turned to look at him, slightly narrowing his eyes into a crescent, then turned back to look at his classmates who were all laughing hysterically as they talked.


    This was the Jiang Cheng now. No, this was Jiang Cheng when he was with him.


    ¡°Niu Xiaoyang actually thinks he¡¯s the shit now, his face is always freaking beaming,¡± Pan Zhi said as he ate the chicken wings. ¡°Aiyo, once Jiang Cheng was gone, he finally managed to break into the top three. That face of his is practically glowing on its own now, it just sparkles every damn day.¡±


    ¡°Who cares about him ne,¡± Li Song chimed in. ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t sparkle, it wouldn¡¯t be your turn ah, why waste your energy on it ne.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same,¡± Pan Zhi retorted. ¡°Just you wait and see, I have to tell him when I get back that he has to write a thank you letter to Cheng-er, one that¡¯s really sincere, and also add a string of firecrackers.¡±


    ¡°Who are you copying exams off nowadays?¡± Jiang Cheng laughed lightly as he took out a cigarette and lit it.


    ¡°I¡¯m more self-reliant now.¡± Pan Zhi sighed as he spoke, ¡°When the midterm results came out, my dad beat me so hard that my mom couldn¡¯t even recognize me.¡±


    The group of them started to laugh and began to center their discussion on the midterm exams.


    Jiang Cheng maintained his silence. He had always been like this even in the past; aside from having a few more words when he was together with Pan Zhi, he couldn¡¯t find much in common to talk about with his other classmates even though his relationship with them wasn¡¯t bad.


    Listening to the topics now, he felt a bit out of place.


    Over the last few months, these conversations that mainly centered on exams and rankings had all become alien to him.  Especially in a school like Si Zhong, where such an environment was nonexistent, the only possible way for a discussion to even come close to being related to exams was probably if it was regarding cheating.


    As Jiang Cheng listened on, he suddenly felt a hint of nervousness.


    Since he had only completed two sets of the exam worksheets that Lao Xu had given him, and would probably have no time to work on the remaining for the next two days, he could only wait until Pan Zhi and the others took their leave¡­


    From the time they arrived here by train then chatted excitedly for nearly another two full hours, this group of people was finally overcome with tiredness; Pan Zhi went to pay the bill before yelling out that he wanted to go back and sleep.


    ¡°I probably won¡¯t be able to get up too early tomorrow.¡± Pan Zhi took a glance at his phone then looked over at Gu Fei and asked, ¡°It should be alright to wake up before 10 ba?¡±


    Gu Fei returned his glance, actually wanting to say, ¡®you better be out of the door by three in the morning¡¯.


    ¡°Good enough. It all depends on where you all want to go but it¡¯ll be a bit too late to go hiking up a mountain.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the haunted house first,¡± Li Yuqing expressed. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to go to one ah.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s the haunted house then there¡¯s still time,¡± Gu Fei commented. ¡°You can also go to the park for a bit, there¡¯s supposed to be a pagoda or something¡­ our elementary schools visit there every semester and then write a composition about it.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me.¡± Pan Zhi smiled from ear to ear, ¡°It just so happens that I haven¡¯t written my weekly journal entry yet¡­¡±


    After they left the shop, Gu Fei went to lightly push his bike forward just as before.


    The intersection was about 50 meters ahead, then from there, it was a left turn and another 50 meters before he had to take a different turn to go home.


    Tsk.


    His glance fled toward Jiang Cheng, exactly at the same time that Jiang Cheng looked over at him. After their eyes connected, Jiang Cheng walked to his side, ¡°Message me when you get home.¡±


    ¡°You message me,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jiang Cheng responded. ¡°But you still have to message me.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei looked at his classmates, ¡°So you¡¯re going home with Pan Zhi, ha[6]?¡±


    ¡°How should I answer?¡± Jiang Cheng questioned, giving him a sidelong glance.


    Gu Fei started to laugh: ¡°He sleeps on the sofa, don¡¯t forget.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, sir~¡± Jiang Cheng remarked. ¡°Don¡¯t go around adding WeChat friends either, don¡¯t forget.¡±


    ¡°Okay la~¡± Gu Fei lightly pushed the bell on the handlebar, and when they all turned to look at him, he waved his hand and pointed to the intersection ahead, ¡°I¡¯m going that way.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see you tomorrow then!¡± Pan Zhi shouted, ¡°We¡¯ll go pick you up in a taxi.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei answered then whispered, ¡°Goodnight.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight,¡± Jiang Cheng whispered back.


    Pan Zhi had brought some clothes with him instead of leaving them in the hotel, which allowed him and Jiang Cheng to head straight to the apartment while the others went to their hotel after setting a time to meet for tomorrow.


    ¡°Can your friend go tomorrow?¡± Pan Zhi asked as they walked, ¡°Having him come out with us with his leg like that, isn¡¯t it a bit much?¡±


    ¡°His leg is fine once we¡¯re out of this area,¡± Jiang Cheng countered.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Pan Zhi froze in confusion.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s cellphone sounded, and he took it out for a look, it was a message from Gu Fei.


    ¨C  Cheng Cheng, you just walk on boldly ya[7], walk on ahead, don¡¯t look back ya


    What the fuck?


    While Pan Zhi was busy adjusting the bag on his shoulder, Jiang Cheng very quickly took the chance to look back. The figure of Gu Fei in the distance straddling his bike under the lamppost was already quite vague, but he could still recognize that it was him with just a glance.


    He sent a message to Gu Fei.


    ¨C muah muah[8]


    Gu Fei¡¯s reply came back at the speed of light.


    ¨C want hug, hug


    ¨C hug, hug


    ¨C want kiss, kiss


    ¨C kissed you already


    ¨C Oh, right, you did.


    Jiang Cheng held back his laughter and put the phone back in his pocket.


    ¡°That Gu Fei,¡± Pan Zhi went on to ask after he finished adjusting the straps on his bag, ¡°Did he get into some sort of trouble?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly ba. It¡¯s more like he resolved the trouble,¡± Jiang Cheng commented. Even though he had always called Pan Zhi an idiot, Pan Zhi wasn¡¯t actually an idiot, he could tell with just a few words that something was off.


    ¡°Cheng-er,¡± Pan Zhi hesitated for a moment. ¡°Just take care of yourself, don¡¯t get involved in anything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware[9],¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that your friend is¡­¡± Pan Zhi pondered once more on how to explain himself.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted, patting him on the shoulder. ¡°I know what you mean.¡±


    ¡°I have something else to say,¡± Pan Zhi expressed.


    ¡°So dedicated.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed, ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°The two of us are bros,¡± Pan Zhi firmly said. ¡°We¡¯ll always be, don¡¯t you go and forget about me.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°You¡¯ll always be my grandson.¡±


    ¡°After thinking it over, I¡¯ve decided to take back what I just said,¡± Pan Zhi


    Jiang Cheng started to laugh, ¡°Idiot.¡±


    Pan Zhi didn¡¯t raise any objections in regard to having been arranged to sleep on the sofa with a rolled-up towel as a pillow when there was a double bed in plain sight. This was one of the important reasons why Jiang Cheng had such a great relationship with him ¨C Pan Zhi was unobservant, and also lazy. For things of this nature, he didn¡¯t think to question them, or even cared to ask.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t close the bedroom door. After the two of them lay down, they chatted for over half an hour, one on the bed and one on the sofa while he continued to exchange messages with Gu Fei.


    The main focus of this discussion was classmate Li Yuqing, who had written four love letters to Pan Zhi within just a month.


    ¡°Are you going to accept?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°No, we¡¯re just hanging out as normal friends first,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°I don¡¯t like that mushroom hair of hers, once it gets a bit longer, I¡¯ll see where it goes.¡±


    ¡°What the, you¡¯re just looking at her hairstyle ah?¡± Jiang Cheng laughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just the hairstyle,¡± Pan Zhi said in dead earnest. ¡°There¡¯s also the face and figure. In this day and at our age, we¡¯re just meant to be this superficial. Not like she isn¡¯t also looking at my face, we¡¯re both the same.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything and thought of Gu Fei.


    To be honest, what had attracted him to Gu Fei at first glance was also his face¡­ and legs.


    After yabbering on for a bit longer, Pan Zhi¡¯s voice suddenly ceased. Jiang Cheng concluded that he must have fallen asleep, so he put down his phone and took out Lao Yuan¡¯s letter from his coat to the side.


    Hello, my dear student Jiang Cheng.


    In the first sentence, he almost burst out laughing.


    It has been almost half a year since you¡¯ve departed, and this teacher does misses you dearly.


    In the second sentence, he actually burst out laughing.


    And then once he composed himself, he continued reading the letter.


    This letter from Lao Yuan wasn¡¯t long. The main content spoke of comfort and encouragement, which was very much in tune with his usual tone. But for some reason, Jiang Cheng suddenly felt like crying halfway through it.


    ¡°¡®Gold will always shine¡¯ is honestly a useless saying, but gold is indeed very bright and can shine, so half of those words does pertain to you at this moment. Don¡¯t bury yourself¡­¡±


    You have to work on your temper and learn to control it. In that aspect, I think the change of environment will benefit you, at least your temper will not be emboldened. The ¡®unfamiliarity¡¯ will allow you to learn how to hold back and control yourself¡­


    Pan Zhi showed me the exam worksheets that you had completed, and I say for sure that you haven¡¯t fallen back so far; this is a very pleasant surprise to me. It shows that you possess an extraordinary adaptability and self-discipline (perhaps, I have exaggerated the word ¡°extraordinary¡± quite a bit), and are indeed a chunk of gold¡­


    Don¡¯t hold on to the notion that you have been abandoned by whoever, it¡¯s only when you abandon yourself that you have really been abandoned. As long as you hold on and don¡¯t let go, then nothing will change¡­¡±


    At the end, the letter was signed, ¡°Always your homeroom, Lao Yuan¡±.


    Jiang Cheng smiled as he folded the letter up, placed it back in the envelope, then tucked it under the pillow and closed his eyes.


    Early the next morning, Jiang Cheng was roused from sleep by the sound of Pan Zhi talking on the phone. He reached for his phone and glanced at the time. It wasn¡¯t even nine o¡¯clock yet, which was quite a bit of time left from the scheduled ten o¡¯clock.


    ¡°So down the stairs, then turn right?¡± Pan Zhi was talking in the living room, ¡°That¡¯s the direction we came from your store, right?¡±


    At first, Jiang Cheng was still a little muddle-headed and barely awake, but he suddenly sobered up when he heard those words. Is he talking to Gu Fei?


    ¡°I see, got it, got it,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come over and eat with us? Jiang Cheng hasn¡¯t woken up ne¡­ I don¡¯t have the guts to wake him. Let¡¯s just say that guy¡¯s morning temper can kill a person. I experienced it once in the past and never want to go through it again in this lifetime¡­¡±


    Gu Fei must have said something on the other side, evident in how Pan Zhi started to laugh with such joy and then proceeded to chat some more.


    Jiang Cheng remained on the bed and listened for a while, then sat up and got off the bed. Without mentioning anything else, Pan Zhi¡¯s ability to chat up a storm was unrivaled in this world, no second person could stand shoulder to shoulder with him.


    ¡°Ai? He¡¯s up now.¡± Pan Zhi saw him as he looked up, ¡°Oh¡­ okay, Cheng-er, Gu Fei wants to talk to you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng received the phone that Pan Zhi passed to him and walked into the bathroom. ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°This buddy of yours really knows how to talk ah.¡± Gu Fei started with a sigh, ¡°I didn¡¯t know how to end the conversation with the way he was going on¡­¡±


    ¡°He called you?¡± Jiang Cheng started to laugh, ¡°He normally doesn¡¯t talk that much, probably excited from being able to come here.¡±


    ¡°He must¡¯ve gotten up too early and had nothing to do, so he asked me if I was up yet and where to eat breakfast. Then when he got confused, he asked for my number and gave me a call,¡± Gu Fei relayed. ¡°After all that, we ended up chatting for nearly twenty minutes.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t eat breakfast yet,¡± Jiang Cheng chuckled and said, ¡°We¡¯ll go over in a bit and eat together.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    The three of them had already finished eating their breakfast and even waited for another 20 minutes when the others who stayed at the hotel finally arrived, all yawning nonstop from probably staying up all night chatting.


    ¡°Smells good ah,¡± Meng Xu said. ¡°I didn¡¯t have any appetite at first, but after smelling these, I¡¯m all hungryyyy.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and eat so we can head out,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°There¡¯s going to be more people if we get there any later, we still have to line up ne.¡±


    As the others sat down at the table with Meng Xu sitting beside Gu Fei, Jiang Cheng was suddenly riddled with regrets for having seated himself between Gu Fei and Pan Zhi.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite cold here in the morning,¡± Meng Xu tried to make conversation with Gu Fei with those few words.


    ¡°It¡¯s already May,¡± Gu Fei casually commented.


    Feeling a little embarrassed, Meng Xu covered her mouth and smiled.


    Gu Fei lowered his head, took out his phone, and started to play a game on it.


    When they all finished and were about to head out, Gu Fei immediately stood up, even forgetting to act like a cripple. Jiang Cheng had to poke him on the leg before he remembered to support himself on a tree to the side.


    There weren¡¯t many taxis in this area, and when they did manage to get two taxis after some difficulties, Gu Fei nimbly got into the car with the skills comparable to that of an old man fighting for a seat on the bus and sat in the front passenger seat.


    Jiang Cheng fought back his laughter as he got into the back seat, with Pan Zhi and Li Yuqing right beside him; Xu Meng, Hu Feng, and Li Song were together in the other taxi behind them.


    As soon as the taxi started to move, Li Yuqing¡¯s laughter sounded as she said, ¡°Did Mengmeng scare you ah? Gu Fei.¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Gu Fei replied matter-of-factly, then told the driver where to go before he continued to look down and played with his phone.


    ¡°She¡¯s a good person, a bit silly, but very cute.¡± Li Yuqing laughed once more as she spoke.


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°You¡¯re not interested in her at all then?¡± Li Yuqing questioned again.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just go get a fake mole,¡± Pan Zhi interjected.


    ¡°What?¡± Li Yuqing glared at Pan Zhi.


    ¡°Right here.¡± Pan Zhi pointed at the corner of his own mouth, ¡°Put one right here.¡±


    Li Yuqing was perplexed for some time before she realized what he meant: ¡°Ai, seriously![10] Who¡¯s the matchmaker[11] ne?!¡±


    They all started to laugh, and so did the driver.


    Jiang Cheng turned his head and looked out of the window. When Li Yuqing was trying to market Xu Meng, he didn¡¯t feel jealous at all, but rather a little nervous.


    He was very conflicted.


    He was afraid of what Gu Fei would say if he was pressed further.


    Even though Gu Fei certainly wouldn¡¯t say that he had a boyfriend, he didn¡¯t want to hear Gu Fei say that he had a girlfriend either¡­ but not saying anything at all also made him feel¡­ unhappy.


    ¡°She¡¯s not my type,¡± Gu Fei said while still playing on his phone. ¡°Really isn¡¯t, quite far, far, far[12] from it.¡±


    ¡°Ah? Really?¡± Li Yuqing sighed, then after some thought, she quietly said: ¡°Sorry about that ah.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Gu Fei turned around and smiled at her.


    His gaze swept over Jiang Cheng as he turned his head back.


    The corner of Jiang Cheng¡¯s lips curved the slightest. Pan Zhi was sitting right beside him¡­ when facing a bestie that understood him like no other, he didn¡¯t dare to make any overly obvious moves.


    Despite Pan Zhi knowing about him, and he hadn¡¯t actually had anything with another guy before, he didn¡¯t want to let Pan Zhi know at the moment.


    This answer of Gu Fei¡¯s set his mind at rest. But there was still an unsettling feeling he couldn¡¯t detail¡­ he was afraid that Gu Fei could sense the hint of apprehension in his heart.


    He was the one to take the first step, he was also the one to take the second step, each step of the way was taken by him. But the one scared was also him ¨C the one frightened and flustered in every way was him.


    Suddenly he recalled the sentence that Gu Fei had asked him before, did you want to be with me, or did you just want to date me?


    He furrowed his brows while the brain that was being afflicted by the word ¡°boyfriend¡± had only now registered that he hadn¡¯t in actuality comprehended the meaning behind Gu Fei¡¯s question.


    [1] Speechless (ÎÞÑÔÒÔ¶Ô) idiom: unable to response


    [2] Universal (ÍòÄÜ) : all-purpose, as in it could be used in an circumstance


    [3] Juiri ¾ÅÈÕ- taken from the breakdown of Wang Xu¡¯s name; within the character Xu ¡°Ðñ¡±, you can see ¾Å Jiu and ÈÕ Ri, which translate to nine suns or nine fucks (slang), Pan Zhi is saying ¡®Fuck, who?¡± Because the ¡®Ri¡¯ in Wangri (Xu) is also slang for ¡®fuck¡¯


    [4] Adorable (ÃÈ) ¨C cute, adorable or from the japanese word ¡®moe¡¯ (ÃȤ¨) which depends on the context; the term is generally used to describe something as pleasing or adorable to the person who is viewing that item/person/costume/trait.


    [5] 5 What the FUCK? ; initially written in English


    [6] Ha ¹þ (interj.) ha! / (onom. for laughter) / (slang) to be infatuated with / to adore


    [7] Ya ѽ (particle equivalent to °¡ ah after a vowel, expressing surprise or doubt)


    [8] Muah muah (ôôßÕ) ¡¤ the sound made by giving a kiss


    [9] Well-awareÓÐÊý- know fairly well,have a clear mind of how things stand


    [10] Seriously! ÕæÊÇµÄ (interj. of annoyance or frustration), can also be, honestly! Come on! Are you kidding me! Etc


    [11] Matchmaker ýÆÅ ¨C it¡¯s a cliche that a matchmaker has a mole somewhere near their mouth


    [12] Far, far, far from it, Ê®Íò°ËǧÀï, lit. distance of one hundred and eight thousand li; means, thousands miles away, millions miles away, immeasurable long distance, PS every good thing must be said three times lol

 CH 60

    There wasn¡¯t much time available for him to contemplate in the car, and with the icebreaker expert Pan Zhi speaking, Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t just silently ponder about life and not respond at all. But after responding once or twice, he had completely forgotten where he left off in those contemplations of his.


    Whatever, he decided to put his thoughts aside for now. Jiang Cheng looked over at the back of Gu Fei¡¯s head. It was a rare chance for them all to hang out together, holding worries inside will affect his mood ¨C nevermind his own mood ¨C such an attentive person like Gu Fei would most likely be affected as well.


    When they arrived at the entrance to the park, Jiang Cheng took out his wallet ready to pay but Pan Zhi stopped him by putting a hand on his, and also took out his own wallet: ¡°I asked my mom for quite a bit of money before I came, you don¡¯t have to do the honours as a host.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your grandpa in the very least¡­¡± Jiang Cheng struggled to escape his hand.


    ¡°I know, grandpa, give me the chance to be filial.¡± Pan Zhi still had a firm grip on him.


    During the few seconds that they were struggling, Gu Fei took out some money, handed it to the driver, and got out of the car.


    ¡°Oh fuck!¡± Pan Zhi yelled and pushed Li Yuqing out of the car so that he could get out: ¡°How could we let Gu Fei pay!¡±


    ¡°Have mercy on the driver, he has to pick up his next fare,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Pan Zhi took out some money and forcefully stuck them into Gu Fei¡¯s pocket, then turned around and quickly escaped as the taxi following from behind approached: ¡°Right here! Get out, out, out.¡±


    ¡°Why did you pay?¡± Jiang Cheng asked casually.


    ¡°You two were about to embrace each other, if I don¡¯t fling some cash, you¡¯d probably end up kissing by now.¡± Gu Fei glanced at him. ¡°It¡¯s quite risqu¨¦¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Jiang Cheng started to laugh and glanced toward the ticket booth. ¡°I¡¯ll go and check out how much the entry tickets are. I wonder if there are any discounts.¡±


    ¡°I have a resident pass.¡± Gu Fei took out a card from his pocket. ¡°I¡¯ll take you guys in.¡±


    ¡°How do we enter?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. ¡°We don¡¯t have resident IDs ah.¡±


    ¡°I have connections.¡± Gu Fei smiled, ¡°It¡¯s a small place, so restrictions aren¡¯t so strictly enacted. Tell them to be quiet and follow behind me with their IDs in hand and it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    After everyone got out of the taxi, Gu Fei led them to the side entrance. As for this entrance, if it wasn¡¯t Gu Fei leading them, a normal tourist honestly wouldn¡¯t have been able to take notice of the path, nor would they think a door could be situated there.


    ¡°We¡¯re coming now, you¡¯re there, right?¡± Gu Fei spoke into his phone as they walked.


    ¡°Is his leg really okay?¡± Li Song asked from behind. ¡°I remember seeing that it couldn¡¯t even touch the ground yesterday?¡±


    ¡°Well, it was probably getting better,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°When my arm was in a cast last semester, whether I could move it or not depended on my mood that day.¡±


    ¡°¡­ how great of you,¡± Li Song replied.


    The group fell into a ball of laughter. Jiang Cheng sighed, ¡°You can laugh idiotically later, but don¡¯t talk.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Hu Feng answered immediately.


    They endured having to shut their mouths for a few moments before bursting into laughter again.


    Gu Fei turned around and looked at them, then glanced at Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng came up and walked alongside him: ¡°These people must be high on rat poison.[1]¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you often high on something too?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Jiang Cheng replied, but then recalled all the times he and Gu Fei laughed idiotically in the past few months. He felt stupid just from the thought of it and sighed again, ¡°It¡¯s probably only when I¡¯m with you that it seems like I¡¯m on something, don¡¯t act like you¡¯re any better.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still young after all,¡± Gu Fei said.


    The side entrance was very small and not very eye-catching; there were a total of only two people at the ticket booth, a man and a woman.


    Gu Fei walked up to the man and handed him the ticket in his hand. The person glanced behind him and counted the number of people, lowered his head and punched a few holes through the ticket. He then scanned their IDs with his eyes, and let them in.


    ¡°That guy looks familiar ah?¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it once they were inside.


    ¡°Liu Fan¡¯s older brother,¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Jiang Cheng was startled, ¡°He looks a lot more proper than Liu Fan.¡±


    ¡°Liu Fan will also be proper in a few years,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°That¡¯s just how these people are. They fool around for a few years before eventually returning to the supposedly ¡°correct path¡± and then try to make do for the rest of their life ¨C fall in love, marry, and have children ¨C unperturbed and tranquil, their whole life would be spent like this.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him. Gu Fei had said all of that in total calmness, but once he finished, Jiang Cheng suddenly felt melancholic.


    ¡°At least that¡¯s what it all looks like on the surface,¡± Gu Fei said smiling. ¡°In terms of whether they have any other ideas going on inside, I wouldn¡¯t know, but who wouldn¡¯t develop thoughts of some sort ne? Even Wang Xu has thoughts of opening up a flatbread shop in some big city nearby.¡±


    And you?


    Jiang Cheng really wanted to ask, how about you?


    Do you plan on following this ¡°correct path¡± also, and like all the people around you, spend the rest of your life like that?


    But he didn¡¯t ask.


    He once again thought back to Gu Fei¡¯s question.


    The haunted house was situated at the far end of the park, and hadn¡¯t always been a property of the park. As the renovation of the park went on for the last two years, that area of land got circled into the same property. The haunted house was previously an old, abandoned factory that occupied quite a bit of space.


    ¡°This place used to be an abandoned graveyard,¡± Pan Zhi read from the brief introduction of the haunted house. ¡°In which buried beneath are nameless corpses¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Aiya, that sounds so scary,¡± Li Yuqing said.


    ¡°After the completion of the factory, strange things started to occur consecutively¡­¡± Pan Zhi continued to read. ¡°Those that worked the night shifts would frequently hear sounds of singing coming from the empty rooms with no one in them¡­¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng whispered. ¡°They made it sound so real.¡±


    ¡°What if it really is real ne?¡± Gu Fei answered back. ¡°We do have a lot of abandoned and wild land here, along with many graveyards. Many of the schools were also built on top of graves.¡±


    ¡°You shut up,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°You know that technical school beside Si Zhong¡­¡± Gu Fei stopped midway through the sentence and looked over at him. ¡°You¡¯re not scared, are you?¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t respond.


    Seeing that, Gu Fei remained quiet for a moment then smiled: ¡°I honestly couldn¡¯t tell that you¡¯d be scared of these sort of things ah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m scared of cockroaches too,¡± Jiang Cheng added. ¡°Is there something wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Gu Fei withdrew his smile and cleared his throat. ¡°No. Actually, I¡¯m quite afraid of cockroaches myself, and spiders¡­¡±


    To be honest, Jiang Cheng really enjoyed the horror, thriller, disaster, and sci-fi genre of movies¡­ but the reason he liked ghost movies was due to the process of being scared.


    Everything else was fine, he was only scared of ghosts ¨C this being that they were things he adamantly believed didn¡¯t exist yet still remained adamantly scared of.


    When he was younger, on his way home from school, when he entered the hallway, he always kept an eye on the corner where the stair turns. He constantly felt that once he turned, there would be¡­


    ¡°Let me!¡± The roaring sound of Pan Zhi¡¯s voice rang from behind them.


    Jiang Cheng, whose heart and body were deeply immersed in childhood memories of trying to scare himself, had goosebumps spreading all over his body. That scream nearly caused his hair, along with every pore, to launch into the air from terror. He couldn¡¯t help but scream back also: ¡°The fuck!¡±


    ¡°What happened!¡± Pan Zhi was startled into confusion by his scream, and only managed to respond a moment later: ¡°I already said before I came that I¡¯ll treat everyone to the haunted house. This is what I¡¯ve been looking forward to the most, you know!¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him for a while, then waved his hand: ¡°Go on then sir, go buy us the tickets.¡±


    ¡°It should be pretty dark inside,¡± Gu Fei whispered while smiling.


    ¡°No shit, would it still be called a haunted house if there were 200 watts lightbulbs lit,¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that,¡± Gu Fei tsk-ed. ¡°If you get scared and want to hold on to me, I¡¯m sure no one will see.¡±


    ¡°¡­oh,¡± Jiang Cheng gave him the side-eye. ¡°Maybe, I don¡¯t need you to hold me. Don¡¯t go thinking too much on your own.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not going to hold me,¡± Gu Fei eyed the people behind them. ¡°Then someone else might¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned around to see a jumpy Xu Meng who had her arms wrapped around Li Yuqing. He instantly whipped back his head to look at Gu Fei: ¡°I¡¯m warning you, you better keep yourself in check.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Gu Fei smiled with a nod.


    Since it was Labour Day, a three-day holiday, the line for the haunted house was much longer than usual. As they stood waiting for their turn, they could clearly hear the people inside screaming at the top of their lungs.


    ¡°Is it really that scary?¡± Pan Zhi looked back and quietly asked Jiang Cheng, ¡°¡­for them to scream like that.¡±


    ¡°Who knows,¡± Jiang Cheng answered. ¡°When we go in, who knows how those two girls will be screaming.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to go through it alone ah,¡± Pan Zhi tsk-ed. ¡°I just asked, and they won¡¯t allow anyone to go solo.¡±


    Jiang Cheng was just about to say something when a few badly shaken people ran out from the exit. Both guys and girls alike were among them; the girls had streaks of tears on their faces, and even their hair was a hot mess from the running.


    ¡°I¡¯m never coming here again¡­¡± one of the girls said as she wiped away her tears.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Xu Meng stomped her feet somewhat nervously. ¡°They had just gone in when we were paying for the tickets. Didn¡¯t they say there¡¯s a 40-minute duration? They came out before finishing it? It¡¯s that scary?¡±


    ¡°Maybe they got lost,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°We should just stay together the whole time.¡± Xu Meng was a bit worried, ¡°Yuqing, hold on to me.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Li Yuqing nodded with a tragically solemn expression. ¡°We can stay in the middle, and the boys can cover the front and back.¡±


    They discussed the formation of this expedition for a while, yet even when it was their turn to enter, a unanimous decision was never made.


    ¡°Forget it,¡± Pan Zhi waved his hand. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡±


    As the previously hesitant group watched him make his way in, they quickly pushed and grabbed one another inside, afraid they would be left on their own.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng uttered as he followed them through the small door ahead. ¡°Why does it all feel a bit scary to me¡­¡±


    Miles of clear blue sky stretched out above them outside, yet once they went through the small entrance, the sunlight ceased to exist. All that remained before them was the dim and narrow hallway, with not even a single window.


    Jiang Cheng suddenly froze in place as his hand quickly reached behind him: ¡°Gu Fei?¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± Gu Fei patted his hand.


    That light touch slightly reassured Jiang Cheng. He turned around to confirm Gu Fei¡¯s distance from himself: ¡°Follow me closely.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± The corner of Gu Fei¡¯s mouth curved up.


    What a mesmerizing smile, Jiang Cheng thought sorrowfully. Under such circumstances, even Gu Fei¡¯s smile wasn¡¯t able to elicit any improper thoughts from him.


    Pan Zhi and the others were up ahead, looking aimlessly at their surroundings as they continued to advance. In actuality, this hallway wasn¡¯t part of the haunted house, it was only a passage, yet it already gave off a horrific atmosphere.


    There was some sodden part of the walls that had mosses growing on them. Jiang Cheng had a sneaking feeling that they were fake but did not dare to confirm it with a touch of his hand.


    None of them had the guts to get too close to either side, and instead squeezed together in the middle. As they got near the pitch-dark doorway that was the official entrance of the haunted house, Jiang Cheng spotted some bloody handprints on the wall.


    ¡°Oh my god, look, you guys.¡± Li Yuqing whispered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me look, don¡¯t make me look. I¡¯m not looking at anything,¡± Xu Meng¡¯s voice shook as she spoke.


    Jiang Cheng reached back with his hand again and gripped on tightly after feeling the fabric of Gu Fei¡¯s jacket. Gu Fei sighed and grabbed his hand then leaned closer and said in a lowered voice: ¡°Looks like you have some guts in you after all ah, aren¡¯t you afraid of reaching back and grabbing something else instead?¡±


    Jiang Cheng clenched his teeth as he looked back and only said two words: ¡°Fuck off.¡±


    After entering the room, no one uttered a sound, and with their eyes that hadn¡¯t yet adjusted to the darkness surrounding them, silence prevailed.


    ¡°Are we¡­ all here?¡± Hu Fei asked.


    ¡°Of course ah,¡± Pan Zhi answered.


    ¡°Should we do a head count?¡± Hu Feng spoke once.


    ¡°Crazy bastard,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°One.¡±


    ¡°Two,¡± Hu Feng followed.


    ¡°Three.¡± Li Song also worded.


    ¡°Four.¡± ¡°Five.¡± Li Yuqing and Xu Meng nearly answered simultaneously.


    ¡°Six, seven.¡± Gu Fei added.


    ¡°¡­ ah, I¡¯m next to seven.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    They had barely laughed when out of nowhere a female voice broke through their laughter, ¡°Eight¡­¡±


    This slightly fleeting voice was the cause of everyone¡¯s immediate silence.


    ¡°What the fuck!¡± Pan Zhi, who had initially laughed the loudest, roared: ¡°Who¡¯s there?!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh¡ª¡ª¡± With Xu Meng and Li Yuqing taking the lead, they instantly became a screaming ball of mess.


    Even though Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t make a sound, the paralyzing fear had him grasping Gu Fei¡¯s hand in a death-grip.


    What in the actual fuck!


    There are actors in this haunted house!


    A haunted house in a shitty little city!


    Geez, even if they¡¯re actors, why the freaking hell are they so dedicated to their job!


    Just then, the noise they made was much louder and shocking than the miserable screams that they heard before; the people outside probably thought the ghosts had taken them away.


    ¡°There¡¯s a light!¡± Pan Zhi shouted. ¡°There¡¯s a light! I see a switch on the wall there. I¡¯ll go turn on the lig¡­¡±


    Following a ¡®slap¡¯, the room was suddenly engulfed in light but just as quickly, it started to flicker frantically.


    Jiang Cheng instantly felt that he was afflicted by double the horror and shock; the first was, under the flickering lights, he could clearly see that the walls of this room were covered with bloodstained words ¨C the kinds that made people¡¯s back break out in cold sweats at first glance. ¡°Save me¡±, ¡°She¡¯s in there¡±, and ¡°Don¡¯t go inside¡±. The second was that his hand which was still tightly locked with Gu Fei¡¯s, was never given a chance to break free.


    Then again, under this sort of conditions, no one would take notice of such a detail. The girls had already hugged each other into a lump, heck, even Hu Feng was holding onto Pan Zhi¡¯s arm.


    Even if at that moment he and Gu Fei were locked in an embrace, it wouldn¡¯t be strange at all¡­ but just as his and Gu Fei¡¯s hands were about to come loose, a closed door on the other side opened all of a sudden. And before anyone could react, someone dropped from the other side of the door and hung from the doorframe.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Gu Fei, who had been directly facing that door and witnessed the whole process, suddenly jumped and grabbed hold of Jiang Cheng in his arms.


    Jiang Cheng, who was already in a complete state of fear, didn¡¯t even clearly see what was going on, also yelled and hugged onto Gu Fei.


    A full-blown screaming session ensued as each person held onto the person next to them.


    After screaming wildly with their eyes shut for at least ten seconds, they finally calmed down.


    ¡°Fuck me.¡± Pan Zhi leaned against the wall and stared at that person hanging from the door. ¡°It¡¯s a dummy!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t say! You think a real person would actually be hung there.¡± Jiang Cheng took a few deep breaths. ¡°I think we should all calm down. We¡¯re only in the first room and have already been screaming for two minutes straight. The three before us didn¡¯t even scream this miserably. This is so fucking embarrassing.¡±


    Although the lights in the room were still flickering, there were no longer any more frightening episodes; they reckoned the mechanism must have completed its process.


    Pan Zhi lightly pushed the hanging dummy only to find that it didn¡¯t move. He stuck his head out and looked around: ¡°There¡¯s light over there. Let¡¯s go this way?¡±


    With that, they all slowly followed after and made their way through the doorway.


    ¡°Here I was fucking thinking that you have a lot of balls?¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his arms that had suffered at the hand of Gu Fei¡¯s tight grip and glanced at Gu Fei before he whispered, ¡°If I was a bit shorter, you would¡¯ve climbed straight up to my head huh?¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Gu Fei looked at the hanging dummy once more, pondered for a moment then started to laugh. ¡°I never said that I wasn¡¯t scared ah¡­ shit, that scared me to death.¡±


    After the initial fright and everyone had finally grown accustomed to the horrifying ambience, none of them actually screeched when they heard the loud sounds of weeping as they entered the next room.


    ¡°Built-in sound control.¡± Pan Zhi pointed to the corner of a wall, ¡°Must¡¯ve triggered a sensor when we walked in.¡±


    This room was quite large, appearing to have been a small workshop. There were two planing machines[2] situated in the center, covered with bloodstains on the surface, complete with tattered and bloodied garments on the ground.


    ¡°They really made it fucking¡­¡± Pan Zhi moved in for a closer look, but just as he did so, some movements suddenly came from the middle of the pile of garments, exposing half a hand. ¡°Ahhh¡ª¡ª¡±


    Since none of the others had gotten any closer, the experience derived from such visual effects wasn¡¯t as intense as that of Pan Zhi¡¯s. They merely drew back a couple of steps in fear while Pan Zhi, frightened, fell flat on his ass, still determined to yell out the rest of his sentence: ¡°¡­realistic! Shit!¡±


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter.


    ¡°Which door now?¡± Pan Zhi sighed.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there only one option?¡± Gu Fei looked at the two doors before them, ¡°The emergency exit is on the right, and should lead us straight outside.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±  Pan Zhi looked over and saw a little light beneath the door on the right that said ¡®exit¡¯. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the left one then.¡±


    Li Yuqing quickly followed, grabbing hold of the hem of his jacket.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tug at me when you¡¯re nervous, you nearly dragged my pants down just now.¡± Pan Zhi gave her a glance.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Li Yuqing froze for half a beat then started to laugh.


    Once out of that room, they were met with a corridor; immediately to the right was a wall and to the left were rows of rooms, thus, with no paths up ahead, they had to locate the exit from among these rooms.


    Jiang Cheng could sense his nervousness steadily coming to a calm state, and oddly enough, even though he and Gu Fei were at the very back of this procession, walking in the position where one would normally get killed first in a horror movie scenario, he¡­ he glanced to the side at Gu Fei.


    He actually didn¡¯t get the feeling of ¡®getting killed any time soon¡¯ ¨C at all.


    ¡°Do you think there¡¯s something behind us?¡± Gu Fei questioned in a whisper.


    ¡°Shit, don¡¯t scare me.¡± Pan Zhi said from the front.


    ¡°There¡¯s six of us behind you,¡± Jiang Cheng stated, ¡°What are you being all scared for?¡±


    ¡°Who knows,¡± Pan Zhi started. ¡°You¡¯ve seen a ton of these sorts of movies, and in them, there¡¯s always someone in the front who walks and walks, and then turns around only to see that he¡¯s the only fucking person remaining.¡±


    ¡°This is a man-made haunted house,¡± Hu Feng reminded him. ¡°Even if there are actors, it¡¯s not possible to simply drag someone away.¡±


    ¡°With an HP level like Jiang Cheng¡¯s, they would have turned into real ghosts before even getting halfway.¡± Li Song said.


    Under extremely stressful circumstances, the acupuncture point that led to one¡¯s laughter was prone to be jammed in the -on- position. Just that sentence alone was enough to set off the group of them to an inexplicable laughter, looking around in fear while continuing to laugh their heads off to no end.


    ¡°Ah, idiots.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    It became even more apparent to him that as this group was laughing hysterically, he wasn¡¯t going along with them. And even as he searched in his memory of the past, he seldom participated in the ranks of such foolish laughs. At most, he would join in on the ruckus with a laugh or two whenever Lan Zhi laughed like a dumbass to show that they were on the same battlefront.


    It was only when he was together with Gu Fei¡­ He turned to look at Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei was to his right, just slightly behind him. The room they entered just then had bloodred lights that brightened and darkened at random, completed with a fearsome atmosphere that enshrouded them, but when saw Gu Fei flash his teeth at him, he still thought that this dude indeed had no dead angles from all 720 degrees.[3]


    So freaking handsome!


    Much more handsome than the ghost dripping with blood floating in from the door behind him¡­


    What the fuck!


    ¡°Ahhh¡ª¡ªfuck, fuck, fuck¡ª¡ª¡± As Jiang Cheng¡¯s roar came out, he thought that it would have been better to laugh along foolishly than to have such a reaction; his voice nearly cracked from the intense scream.


    In his mind, it was very clear as day that this was just an actor with a wig that had long gone lopsided, nevertheless, he was so terrified that when he screamed, his heart practically jumped out from his throat, directly devoting itself to Gu Fei.


    With this roar, Gu Fei, the person who was still making fun of him before they entered the room, also immediately screamed along without so much of a glance back. As Jiang Cheng turned, joined hands with Gu Fei, and burst into the pile of people, he felt all the pride he had in the nearly 18 years of life was about to be thrown away here.


    Fortunately, the few people in front of them were even more rigorous in the action of throwing away their pride. The two girls simply fell to the ground while Hu Feng and Li Song screamed at double the decibels, fleeing in disarray to the right.


    When Pan Zhi, at the very front, turned around and widened his eyes, not a single sound managed to come out as he staggered backward. It wasn¡¯t clear if he was trying to evade Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei, or the ghosts with the lopsided wigs behind them.


    Altogether, only a few seconds of time had gone by from when the ghost entered the room and turned around only to carelessly bump its head on the doorframe then ran away with its hands on its head. Yet, the room of energetic teenagers already drained from the screaming and disorder.


    After panting for a long while, Jiang Cheng sighed: ¡°Ah, this is truly¡­ a large-scale production.¡±


    ¡°Is there a security camera in here?¡± Pan Zhi questioned.


    ¡°There is.¡± Gu Fei pointed to the top of the doorframe, ¡°If we keep on falling down like this a couple more times, the security guards will probably come in and force us out.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Pan Zhi pointed at the two of them, pondered a bit and burst out laughing. ¡°How about you two just continue on with your eyes closed. I could never have guessed that the two people who seemed to have the most guts could actually be¡­¡±


    Pan Zhi¡¯s eyes landed on their hands, and he paused: ¡°My liver nearly exploded when you two ran at me.¡±


    Jiang Cheng laughed without saying a word.


    The expression in Pan Zhi¡¯s eyes made him let out a sudden breath of relief.


    He figured it out.


    Pan Zhi¡¯s intelligence was relatively worthy of his name[4], and add on to how tight their friendship was, it probably only took a glance for him to clearly see the truth to everything.


    Jiang Cheng looked at Pan Zhi. It wasn¡¯t really his intention to keep the situation as a secret from Pan Zhi, it was only because he didn¡¯t know how to begin the conversation.


    He swept his gaze over Gu Fei again.


    Gu Fei turned his head, very unconsciously curled up the corner of his mouth, and smiled at him.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s heart momentarily turned into a soft fuzzy mess, all he wanted was to walk up and hug him ferociously.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Pan Zhi called out. ¡°Follow close, those who want to cling onto clothes can cling onto clothes, those who want to hug should hug tightly¡­¡­¡±


    He then turned around and gave Jiang Cheng a look, his voice tinted with laughter: ¡°Those wanting to hold hands should quickly hold on as well.¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed and mouthed a word towards his direction. Idiot.


    You two. Pan Zhi mouthed back at him.


    Jiang Cheng reached out a hand towards Gu Fei¡¯s and squeezed it, Gu Fei also squeezed his, with quite the strength too. Jiang Cheng immediately made a return squeeze, with additional strength, Gu Fei shot back with a counterattack again¡­


    Before they even made it to the doorway, Jiang Cheng clearly heard his own knuckles cracking; he whipped around to glare at Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei immediately brought his own two hands together, and the knuckles cracked lightly from pressure.


    Jiang Cheng held back the impulse to laugh and caught up with the rest wearing a solemn expression. He had a sneaking feeling that if Pan Zhi knew just how stupid his grandfather could be when he was with Gu Fei, he might even severe their friendship.


    [1] High on rat poison ¨C took the wrong medicine, took the wrong rat poison


    [2] Planing machine ¨C a linear motion machine tool that uses a planer to plan the plane, groove, or forming surface of the workpiece. Using planer processing, the tool is simpler, but the productivity is lower (except for long and narrow planes), so it is mainly used for single parts, small batch production, and machine repair workshops, which are often replaced by milling machines in mass production.


    [3] 720¶ÈûËÀ½Ç (no dead angles from all 720 degrees) ¨C comes from ¡°360 degree with no dead angles¡± and means that  something/someone is perfect/beautiful no matter which angle you look.


    [4] 4 Zhi (ÖÇ) ¨C the Zhi in Pan Zhi¡¯s name means intelligent/wisdom/knowledge/ intellect

 CH 61

    The haunted house was designed to have at least three levels. The introductory brochure that they read earlier stated that the entire course would take around forty minutes, but that forty minutes probably didn¡¯t take into consideration the time taken up by them just standing in one spot screaming their lungs out. No matter the case, Jiang Cheng was of the opinion that as they let out all sorts of screams that could scare away devils and ghosts alike, they have already gone through several rooms of flashing lights to darkly lit for almost twenty minutes, yet still they haven¡¯t gone up a single flight of stairs.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we be looking for a place to go upstairs?¡± Jiang Cheng voiced.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking,¡± Pan Zhi answered from the very front. ¡°Have we been in this room yet?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Then, we haven¡¯t gone through that door either,¡± Pan Zhi pointed at a closed door up ahead. ¡°Maybe, this path¡­¡±


    Before his words could come to a completion, the sound of children¡¯s giggles wends its way by from right behind them.


    Despite having heard the static background noise within the laughter, evident that the transmission undoubtedly came from a speaker hidden somewhere in the corner of the room, Jiang Cheng could still feel his blood run cold.[1]


    ¡°There¡¯s a ghost behind us?¡± Li Song asked always on the qui vive.


    ¡°Hurry up, let¡¯s go¡­¡± Xu Meng tugged at Lu Yuqing¡¯s jacket and lowered her head, not daring to look around with a chicken-hearted demeanor.


    As she spoke, another round of giggles sounded in the air.


    ¡°Ahhh¡ª¡ª¡± The gang of them screamed in synchronization as they squeezed through Pan Zhi, moving at a breakneck pace toward that door.


    ¡°Shit, don¡¯t be scared, don¡¯t be scared¡­¡± Pan Zhi was shoved until his footing became unsteady, and just as he rushed to open the door, an explosive roar suddenly ensued. ¡°Ahhh¡ª¡ª¡±


    On the other side of the door stood a ¡®ghost¡¯, who could have happened to be passing by or was intentionally waiting there the entire time, either way, with the pushing and shoving, Pan Zhi landed directly in the embrace of the ¡®ghost¡¯.


    Amidst the panicked screams, even this ghost was knocked against the wall and had no choice but to exert his strength to push Pan Zhi away.


    ¡°Ahhh¡ª¡ª¡± They all turned and jetted off.


    There was another door behind them. In a panic, the group fled with no heed to that door as if the world was ending before their eyes, swung it open, and flew in.


    The bright and dazzling sunlight sprinkled the earth even as they screamed and howled.


    They stood beneath the sun, continuing to scream at the top of their lungs for several more seconds before finally stopping in bewilderment.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Pan Zhi squinted his eyes in utter shock, ¡°How are we outside?¡±


    ¡°We came out before even going upstairs?¡± Jiang Chen turned to look back at the little door. ¡°That was a fucking emergency exit, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Gu Fei stood at the very back with his arms crossed and cleared his throat.


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng turned back to look at him.


    Gu Fei made a meaningful glance to the right; they all followed in his line of sight and wanted to immediately squeeze their way back into the haunted house.


    Approximately 30m to their right was the queue up for the entrance. There were several dozens of people in line with their eyes all now on them; the expressions on their faces were quite hard to explain in human¡¯s words but a few were already laughing their heads off.


    ¡°Fuck, who was it that led the way?!¡± Pan Zhi questioned in complete devastation.


    ¡°Fengfeng?¡±[2] Li Yuqing said.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t me,¡± Hu Feng immediately defended himself, ¡°I came out behind Da Li!¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Li Song stared blankly for a beat in confusion, even making some awkward gestures with his hands. ¡°I seem to have done a¡­ door opening action?¡±


    ¡°Moron!¡± Pan Zhi jumped on him and beat him with his fist quite a few times. Under his guidance, they all went up to give Li Song a few beats each.


    Since they were already out, it was impossible to get back in again, so all they could do was wear a long face that said ¡°we honestly just went the wrong way¡± as they walked away from the haunted house with the eyes of the people in line still following their shadows.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look at that ancient pagoda?¡± Xu Meng suggested, ¡°Since it¡¯s a cultural attraction, it should be pretty interesting.¡±


    ¡°En.¡± Gu Fei took out his cellphone to look at the time, ¡°After we go up and come out of the pagoda¡­ it should be about time to eat something. There¡¯s a pretty good place in the park, let me ask where it is first.¡±


    ¡°Do you also have a poor sense of direction?¡± Li Yuqing asked jokingly. ¡°You can¡¯t even remember where the place to eat is located?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Gu Fei said as he dialed a number. ¡°The last time I came here was during the spring outing in elementary school.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Li Yuqing was perplexed by his statement. ¡°I saw that there¡¯s also an amusement park and even a zoo here. If it was me, I¡¯d probably come to play several times a semester ah.¡±


    ¡°This just goes to show how you¡¯re not right in the mind.¡±[3] Pan Zhi had to chime in.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one that¡¯s not right in the mind!¡± Li Yuqing glared at him.


    Gu Fei walked to the side, probably to call Liu Fan¡¯s brother again to ask where the place to eat was.


    Jiang Cheng looked at the silhouette of his back against the light.


    Whether it be at a theatre, or an amusement park, activities of entertainment for Gu Fei seemed to have waned to a stagnant state in the past. Jiang Cheng himself had an aversion to outings to the amusement park but had gone a number of times with classmates and friends, and even after the school canceled the spring and fall trips, they always went together just the same.


    Gu Fei¡¯s life stood unflowing in the steel mills; aside from the few times he cut classes to venture out, it wasn¡¯t hard to see that had always remained around those very steel mills.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s life over the past few months would have also been the same. If it was not for Gu Fei, everything around him ¨C this very world ¨C seemed to have frozen in time, with everyone trailing along on the same few streets beneath their feet, a perennial existence trapped in this small, confined space.


    Living in a depressive and feeble tincture of corporeity.


    This kind of life could be borne for one or two days, sufferable with gritted teeth for a month or two, and could possibly cause one to explode in a year or two, however. Jiang Cheng walked to a nearby trashcan and lit up a cigarette, holding the tip in his mouth. Nevertheless, after some time ah, one might become accustomed to it all ¨C whether there lingered feelings of helplessness or resignation ¨C and eventually settle in.


    The pagoda was beside a lake in the park, and even though the lake was not particularly the cleanest, the pagoda itself retained its magnificent beauty.


    It was quite a tall pagoda. Standing at the top, one could see the streets outside the perimeter of the park and the cars in motion concomitantly with the lonesome and distant aura of this city even more visible beneath the sunlight.


    ¡°Let me record the contents.¡± Pan Zhi said as he took some photos of the introductory plaque on the wall with his phone. ¡°There¡¯s a whole lot of information here too, I¡¯ll just copy some of this when I get back and my weekly journal will be all squared up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea,¡± Li Song also started to take some pictures.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you guys,¡± Pan Zhi looked at the others who had also taken out their phones to take pictures of the wall, ¡°Don¡¯t all copy the same things as I do.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll have a clear indication on ours that it¡¯s just a reference, and shouldn¡¯t the reference be the same ma.¡± Hu Feng explained.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite depressing when you think about it,¡± Pan Zhi sighed. ¡°For a weekly journal of a few hundred words, only the last line will probably be written by us while everything before it will be referenced from the brochure of the ancient pagoda.¡±


    They all suddenly burst into a peal of laughter.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t written a weekly journal in a long time,¡± Jiang Cheng said as he leaned on the railing and stretched out. ¡°And Lao Xu never asked for it either.¡±


    ¡°No one will do it even if he asks,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°If you ask me to write a page of these things every week, I definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily, you¡¯d definitely be able to write something.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed, ¡°You can write poetry.¡±


    Gu Fei started to laugh: ¡°Oh yeah.¡±


    ¡°Ay, I have to tell you,¡± Jiang Cheng turned and leaned over the railing, took a glance over at Pan Zhi then turned back and spoke in a lowered voice. ¡°The grandson Pan probably¡­figured it out.¡±


    ¡°En, I figured that he has figured it out.¡± Gu Fei also lowered his voice, ¡°Will there be any problems?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I haven¡¯t yet thought of how to tell him, but since he figured it out all by himself, that¡¯s also good. Saves me the trouble of looking for the right words.¡±


    ¡°He has always known about you, right?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, ¡°He¡¯s the only one that knows¡­ of course, you also know now.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed: ¡°I have leverage on youuu~.¡±


    ¡°I also have leverage on youuu~.¡± Jiang Cheng shot a side-glance at him.


    Gu Fei continued to laugh without saying anything.


    ¡°Although,¡± Jiang Cheng went quiet for a beat, ¡°This isn¡¯t exactly considered as leverage for you, is it?¡±


    ¡°Is it for you?¡± Gu Fei questioned back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, probably.¡± Jiang Cheng knitted his brows, ¡°I¡¯m not sure, I don¡¯t like being stared at, being the topic of others¡¯ discussion, and I especially hate being¡­ criticized.¡±


    Gu Fei looked at him, and Jiang Cheng paused for a while: ¡°¡®You shouldn¡¯t be like that¡¯, ¡®you¡¯re doing that wrong¡¯, ¡®here¡¯s what you need to correct¡¯, ¡®there¡¯s where you need to improve¡¯. I hate being told by others that I¡¯m doing this wrong and doing that wrong, I¡¯ve heard plenty of them growing up, I¡¯m just really¡­ honestly¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I know what you mean.¡±


    ¡°I had no intention of talking about this,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed lightly and rested over the railing. ¡°I didn¡¯t want you to think that I was¡­ cowardly.¡±


    ¡°This has nothing to do with being cowardly or not ba.¡± Gu Fei also rested over the railing beside him, ¡°Not being cowardly doesn¡¯t mean you have to announce this matter to the whole world, it¡¯s just like how I don¡¯t care if people know what kind of underwear I¡¯m wearing, though that doesn¡¯t mean that I¡¯ll go walking all over the place with only my underwear.¡±


    Jiang Cheng tilted his head to the side to look at him then couldn¡¯t endure it anymore and started to laugh: ¡°What kind of analogy is that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already tried my best,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Since their excursion at the haunted house, Pan Zhi hadn¡¯t brought up the topic of Gu Fei with Jiang Cheng, that was until the holiday was nearly over and their scheduled return was set to that evening. After eating lunch and returning to Jiang Cheng¡¯s apartment that same afternoon, Pan Zhi finished packing up and asked: ¡°You and that Gu Fei¡­¡±


    ¡°En?¡± Jiang Cheng was sitting on the sofa, leaning back.


    ¡°So, when did it all start?¡± Pan Zhi asked.


    ¡°Not too long ago,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Do you have any suggestions?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Pan Zhi chuckled. ¡°What is there to suggest? Just as the rain will fall, grandpa will also date, such a normal thing, what is there for me to stop?¡±


    Jiang Cheng laughed and didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°But to be honest ah, I was quite surprised,¡± Pan Zhi started. ¡°It never dawned on me that you could fall in love with someone here.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°What do you mean why,¡± Pan Zhi sat down beside him, ¡°I just didn¡¯t expect you to be in the mood bei, given the circumstances and all.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Jiang Cheng placed his arm on the armrest of the sofa and rested his head on it, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it either.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s understandable,¡± Pan Zhi pondered for a moment. ¡°I was pretty worried about you before, but then after seeing that you didn¡¯t fall apart¡­ it has to be better than being all depressively alone.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t utter a word. He stared at the ceiling and blanked out for quite some time then turned to look at Pan Zhi: ¡°Pan-Pan.¡±


    ¡°Change the way you address me.¡± Pan Zhi rubbed his own arm.


    ¡°Grandson,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°What is it grandpa,¡± Pan Zhi turned to him.


    ¡°Dating, and just going on dates,¡± Jiang Cheng said, ¡°What do you think is the difference?¡±


    ¡°Is this a brain teaser?¡± Pan Zhi asked.


    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°You have to ask me this?¡± Pan Zhi looked at him. ¡°This is not your style ah.¡±


    ¡°I just want to hear what a person with a relatively low IQ thinks about it.¡± Jiang Cheng took out a cigarette and held it in his mouth, ¡°Those of us with high IQ are prone to overthink.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just the difference between overthinking and being brainless bei. ¡®I want to date¡¯,¡± Pan Zhi said, ¡°Take me as an example, I want to date, Huang Hui, otherwise, then¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng cut him off. ¡°Let¡¯s word it a different way, ¡®want to be with me¡¯ versus, ¡®want to date me¡¯?


    ¡°Shit,¡± Pan Zhi knitted his brows. ¡°So annoying, isn¡¯t only towards you bei, whether it¡¯s dating or just going on dates, it all has to be with you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng gave him a thumbs up.


    Gu Fei¡¯s meticulousness truly amazed Jiang Cheng, whether it be dating or going on dates, both came after ¡°him¡±. No matter which answers he chose, both involved him.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s lips curved upward unconsciously, at least on this point, Gu Fei knew what he thought.


    It wasn¡¯t that he was that secluded, or that lonely, to need to randomly find someone in this place to start a relationship with. It was only because the other person involved was Gu Fei, regardless of what kind of relationship it was, the premise was that it ¡®has to be Gu Fei¡¯.


    Though those words had taken him a couple days of contemplation, in truth, he had already made sense of its underlying meaning.


    He also understood what Gu Fei actually meant when he said, ¡°I will keep on liking you until you no longer need me to like you.¡±


    Gu Fei had indeed put more thought into it than he had, he admitted. He himself couldn¡¯t say how impulsive he was, after all, the reason he acted upon it was due to ¡®I like you,¡¯ and ¡®I want to be with you¡¯.


    I want to be with you, not just go on dates with you. With you, and no one else.


    That was the reason Gu Fei ended up waiting for him outside his apartment building that day.


    If there came a day, when the road could no longer provide them a path, Gu Fei would probably choose ¡°let¡¯s end it here¡±, but what would he choose?


    This was the question Gu Fei needed him to answer.[4]


    Gu Fei must be used to thinking of all things in its entirety. With the environment he grew up in, his family, and his experience, he long acquainted himself thoroughly with every aspect, of all the possibilities, along with the methods to deal with each possibility.


    But he was different.


    He was not placed in an environment that demanded him to deliberate and make certain of each matter. Even if he was suddenly thrown into such a place, he still didn¡¯t put much thought into it, and would simply handle things set before him as they come.


    I¡¯m not their biological son, and my birth parents are these kinds of people, my environment has changed from heaven to earth¡­ for every one of these situations, he had never thought too deeply; all his actions stemmed from the obstacle placed in his presence, there is a stone, how should I pass it, here is a ditch, how do I cross it.


    In regard to this point, his and Gu Fei¡¯s way of thinking was completely at odds, yet instilled in the same way, however.


    ¡°Did he ask you this?¡± Pan Zhi asked from beside him.


    ¡°I asked him.¡± Jiang Cheng picked up the ashtray on the side table and placed it on the floor by the sofa, flicking the ash into it.


    ¡°That¡¯s impossible,¡± Pan Zhi looked at him. ¡°Who¡¯re you trying to fool here, I know you too well.¡±


    ¡°Then you better be careful lest I silence you one day,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°You know, the feeling he gives me,¡± Pan Zhi also grabbed a stick of cigarette from the pack on the table and lit it. ¡°Is like¡­ how do I say it, I just want to call him ¡®ge¡¯ when I see him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s younger than you,¡± Jiang Cheng retorted.


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯m just throwing it out there,¡± Pan Zhi tsk-ed. ¡°You¡¯re also younger than me and I still call you grandpa ne. What I mean is, he just gives off the impression of someone who¡­ has shouldered many things.¡±


    ¡°Really.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed softly, that analysis was pretty accurate.


    ¡°You know right away with some people, there¡¯s just an aura about them, something you can sense.¡± Pan Zhi said, ¡°Even though in the haunted house, he¡­ I still had the impulse to call him Fei-ge at first glance. You know what I mean right?¡±


    ¡°I got it,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°But, I don¡¯t call you grandpa ¡®cause of this reason,¡± Pan Zhi added.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t need to point that out so specifically,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Cheng-er,¡± Pan Zhi took a drag of the cigarette and with a stony-face, ruminated about it for a very long while. ¡°What happened between you and Yu Xin doesn¡¯t count as ¡®dating¡¯, it doesn¡¯t even count as ¡®going on dates¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng answered and also fixed his eyes on him with a stony-face.


    ¡°So,¡± Pan Zhi went silent for another half a day, ¡°Gu Fei is your first love ah.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed. ¡°You¡¯ve stifled all this time just to make me think you¡¯ll say something grand. If you¡¯re gonna fart, make it loud.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t finished yet, haven¡¯t finished yet!¡± Pan Zhi gave him a malcontent look, ¡°Can you change the pace of how you ridicule me from such a frantic sprint to a simple walk, will it kill you to slow down?!¡±


    ¡°A walk, a walk it is.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, ¡°Go ahead, good sir.¡±


    ¡°General speaking ba, first love tends to¡­ hurt a little, after all, we¡¯re¡­ still young.¡± Pan Zhi held the cigarette as he strived for the correct words though still struggled as he continued, ¡°I¡¯m just saying, don¡¯t let yourself get hurt too badly, you know what I mean? Just¡­ grandpa ah, looking at that¡­ of yours¡­ my grandma¡­ well, my other grandpa¡­ he looks like someone who¡¯s very clear of how to protect himself¡­  I don¡¯t mean anything else by this.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng took quite some time to fully straighten out all the confusing appellations Pan Zhi used to express his meaning.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think what I said is, inappropriate.¡± Pan Zhi said.


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Jiang Cheng put out his cigarette, then stood up and patted Pan Zhi¡¯s shoulder. ¡°And I know.¡±


    ¡°En,¡± Pan Zhi nodded.


    ¡°Flick the ash in here.¡± Jiang Cheng placed the ashtray in front of him, ¡°If you flick the ash on the table again, I¡¯ll make you lick the table completely clean.¡±


    ¡°What the fuck!¡± Pan Zhi froze, ¡°I was fucking putting it on the napkin, okay!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the very reason why I haven¡¯t made you lick it right away.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed as he fell back onto the sofa.


    Taking Pan Zhi and the others to the train station was not an activity Gu Fei participated in, and although he didn¡¯t fully engage in the activities that went on in the past few days, from Gu Miao¡¯s perspective, the time he was at home was still quite lacking. Thus, that night, Gu Fei took her to Wang Xu¡¯s to eat some flatbreads.


    Jiang Cheng took Pan Zhi and the other to the train station: ¡°Alright, don¡¯t any of you say any sentimental parting comments, I can¡¯t take the cheesiness of it.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t,¡± Hu Feng said. ¡°Come visit during summer break ah, give and take right, how about it?¡±


    ¡°¡­that¡¯s hard to say, honestly.¡± Jiang Cheng, in truth, hadn¡¯t thought about returning at all these last few months, whether it was going back or what to do if he went back, not a single brain cell was utilized.


    ¡°Or we can also make arrangements to travel elsewhere together,¡± Li Song added.


    ¡°We can discuss it in detail when the time comes,¡± Pan Zhi said.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, we didn¡¯t even get to say thanks to Gu Fei for being our tour guide for the past few days.¡± Li Yuqing handed Jiang Cheng a bag, ¡°Wasn¡¯t there a mention that he has a younger sister the other day, it seems a bit inappropriate to get him something so straightforwardly, so we bought a doll¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng smiled and accepted it, ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡±


    If they were to have actually met the little sister, he reckoned neither of them would ever think of getting her a doll.


    After the group of them went into the station, Jiang Cheng turned and walked to the bus stop, very frugally making a return to his apartment via the bus as he naturally should.


    Once he entered his room, he snapped a picture of that doll and sent it to Gu Fei.


    ¨C my classmates¡¯ present for Gu Miao.


    Gu Fei quickly replied with a message.


    ¨C they left?


    ¨C en, are you both still at Jiuri¡¯s?


    ¨C yeah, you coming?


    ¨C won¡¯t make it, I¡¯m a little tired, going to lie down a bit to rest my old back


    ¨C backmassage.jpg


    Jiang Cheng laughed for quite a while. He walked around the apartment a couple of times to see if Pan Zhi had left behind anything then went back to his room; noticing that it was still early in the day, there was indeed time to¡­ work on a set of exam worksheets.


    And as he stood in front of his desk, Jiang Cheng felt a profound reverence for his own decision.


    This, is the innate quality of a xueba.


    Kneel.


    His cellphone sounded once more, Gu Fei sent a photo of Gu Miao.


    The Gu Miao in the photo was snatching a meat-filled flatbread, face completely infiltrated with confusion.


    ¨C I showed her the picture of the doll, this is her expression


    ¨C hhhhhh, aren¡¯t you such a great brother, a little girl seeing a doll actually looks like that


    Jiang Cheng picked up the distorted bundle of bedsheets and quilt and shook them. Although he wanted to work on the exam worksheets, the environment was of tremendous influence thus tidiness must be accomplished, however¡­ the corner of a black box was exposed from beneath his pillow instead.


    When he picked it up for a look and opened the box, he had already guessed what the content inside was.


    However, once it was opened and he saw that placed inside really was a fountain pen titivated in a racy red colour, he was slightly overrun with shock, nonetheless ¨C Pan Zhi actually gifted him a pen.


    Inside was also a slip of paper with a line of characters on it.


    ¨C You¡¯d definitely mock me if I give it to you in person, so I¡¯ll just leave it here; I¡¯m giving you a pen to have you always remember that you are a xueba.


    With the pen in hand, Jiang Cheng sat in front of the desk and laughed for a long while.


    After some contemplations and sighs, this friendship with Pan Zhi was not in vain; he was able to enjoy this grandson¡¯s treatment, and grumble with the heart of a grandpa.


    He grabbed a piece of paper and jotted down some random characters, but this handwriting of his¡­ regardless of what pen was used, it was impossible to flaunt the greatness of the pen itself.


    He stared at that paper for a good while, then inhaled deeply and wrote down a line of characters.


    Hoping for us both to be as brave as each other.


    [1] ë¹Çã¤È» m¨¢og¨³s¨¯ngr¨¢n | to have one¡¯s hair stand on end (idiom) // if you sy that something makes your blood run cold or makes your blood freeze, you mean that it makes you feel very frightened.


    [2] ·è·è fengfeng here means ¡®crazy¡¯; the character of Hu Feng¡¯s name is ·ã which means ¡®maple¡¯ so because the pinyin is spell the same way ¡®Feng¡¯; with the tone being diff, the meaning changes.


    [3] that you¡¯re not in your right mind; like not fully comprehending things; mental deficiency; mental disability


    [4] ÕâÊǹ˷ÉÄǸöÎÊÌâÐèÒªËû»Ø´ðµÄ ¨C directly, it¡¯s more ¡°this was what that question of Gu Fei¡¯s needed him to answer.¡±

 CH 62

    The internet really does corrupt your mind after all!


    The May 1st holidays were way too short, in reality it was only a day longer than a normal weekend. By the time the students went back to school, it didn¡¯t even feel like they had a holiday.


    Furthermore, Lao-Xu had been standing at the lectern hammering in the focus points of the upcoming final exams for four consecutive days. Also emphasized repeatedly, was the university entrance exam they had to face only a year after these finals.


    Jiang Cheng slouched down on the desk with his chin on a notebook, his eyes were half closed as he listened to Lao-Xu ramble on with utmost sincerity up on the lectern, while the hum of conversations continued on around him.


    Keeping with the atmosphere of the Fourth High, he figured the whole classroom of people probably only took one thing away from Lao-Xu¡¯s reminders of the finals and university entrance exams, and that was the Summer break between the two events.


    Despite the fact that high school seniors had to begin their school year early, even with only half a Summer break, it was still much better than the three day holiday they just had. The people around him already started to discuss their plans well in advance.


    ¡°What do you usually do in the Summer?¡± Jiang Cheng tilted his head and asked Gu Fei, who was currently looking down and playing with his phone.


    ¡°Work part-time jobs, sit in the store and listen to Li Yan and the guys yak about stuff, eat out once in a while,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°And spend time with Er-Miao. There¡¯s time in the Summer to take her for systematic rehabilitation exercises.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng paused, it seemed like a rather boring and tiresome Summer break just from the sound of it.


    ¡°Do you want to work some part-time jobs together?¡± Gu Fei said quietly. ¡°Ding Zhuxin has work, it¡¯ll be for herself but also her friends.¡±


    Jiang Cheng never thought the term ¡°part-time job¡± would one day appear in his Summer break plans. But the daily costs of living: the rent, the water bill, the hydro bill, the phone bill, next year¡¯s tuition, as well as any costs for his unknown future, all of it combined made him feel like the bank card in his possession didn¡¯t offer him much assurance.


    It wasn¡¯t until this moment that he realized how naive it was to imagine all the ways he would relax this Summer, or at most get through some more question banks. He contemplated for a while, ¡°Will you be there?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei answered. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t ask you if I wasn¡¯t going too.¡±


    ¡°Do you usually shoot models and stuff?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Not always, I take other work too, commercial products and such, it¡¯s actually easier when there¡¯s no human models involved.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°And if I have time I would take some pictures for freelance submission, but I haven¡¯t had a chance to submit anything this year.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Jiang Cheng said quietly. ¡°Wherefore art thou so impressive? Where did you submit to in the past?¡±


    ¡°Just some magazines, photography ones and some travel ones,¡± Gu Fei put his phone down. ¡°It¡¯s not a lot of money or anything, but it gives me leverage when discussing rates for other jobs.¡±


    ¡°Mmn.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t pay any attention at all to his studies, and seemed never to think about his academic future either, but he was certainly impressive when he focused his attention in other areas.


    Perhaps in the future, Gu Fei wouldn¡¯t need the reinforcement of grades or a school to sustain himself.


    But on the other hand, perhaps Jiang Cheng was already used to measuring himself by these standards, so he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little uneasy about how nonchalant Gu Fei was.


    After Pan Zhi went back, he quickly sifted through all the photos he took during their recent trip, and made quite a few Friends Circle posts. He even went so far as to pack up a zip file and send it to Jiang Cheng separately.


    ¡°You know what I realize,¡± Jiang Cheng said as he scrolled through the photos. ¡°Pan Zhi really is a great creator of original meme packs.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei leaned over and looked for a while with him. ¡°Even your face can¡¯t rival his skills.¡±


    ¡°Am I supposed to flatter you back?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°No need,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I know how handsome I am.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Jiang Cheng peered sideways at him. ¡°Do your fangirls know what a narcissist you are?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well hidden,¡± Gu Fei chuckled. ¡°But I know what a narcissist you are.¡±


    ¡°Go away.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Before class ended he went and visited Lao-Xu¡¯s office, bringing all the test papers he had finished over the last few days.


    Lao-Xu looked at the papers with a pleased look on his face, ¡°I¡¯ll go find some other teachers to grade these for you right away, don¡¯t lose this momentum, you gotta keep adding oil for the final exams.¡±


    ¡°Mmn.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    Gu Fei¡¯s ¡®injured¡¯ leg was much better by then, he only needed a little help to stand up, before being able to slowly walk along by himself, no longer needing a support person to hold his arm while he hopped. ¡®Doctor¡¯ Gu¡¯s idea was it will be another week or so before he could take off the splint.


    When they walked out of the school gates together, Jiang Cheng noticed Gu Miao, who he hadn¡¯t seen for almost a week.


    ¡­¡­ And the doll hanging off of Gu Miao¡¯s back pocket.


    ¡°That¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng was baffled for a moment, then walked over and bent down to get a closer look. The doll wasn¡¯t big, but it was definitely out of the size range of even the largest bag charm. Yet here it was, with a cord around its neck, hanging from the buttonhole of Gu Miao¡¯s back pocket.


    The visual impact was hard to describe in so few words.


    ¡°She requested this herself,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It took me two days to teach her how to tie the cord.¡±


    ¡°It takes her two days just to learn how to tie a cord?¡± Jiang Cheng knew that Gu Miao struggled even with addition and subtraction, but he figured maybe she wasn¡¯t good at mental calculation, that perhaps she was better at working with her hands, since she was all too fabulous on the skateboard.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei looked at Gu Miao. ¡°Sometimes when I think about it I just feel like¡­¡­ it¡¯s so tiring, she doesn¡¯t get it no matter how I try to teach her.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer, just went and walked their bikes out of the shed with Gu Fei. As soon as he got on and started riding, Gu Miao swiftly caught up to them on her skateboard.


    The endlessly cool moves, the expression that seemed to look down on the whole of the mortal world, the wild and unruly hairstyle¡­¡­


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you gonna have Li Yan give her a haircut? How long are you going to hold on to that 50 bucks you swindled from me?¡± Jiang Cheng glanced over at Gu Fei, who was slowly pedaling along with one leg.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call him over right now,¡± Gu Fei took out his phone. ¡°Will you come eat at the store? Keep me company for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Mmn.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    They didn¡¯t get to have much time together after the May 1st holiday. Since school started, Gu Fei¡¯s mom had been squatting in the store for days on end, as if preoccupied with something, so Gu Fei had to be with Gu Miao as well as keep an eye on his own mother¡­¡­


    ¡°Your mom is alright?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Who the hell knows,¡± Gu Fei sent a message to Li Yan. ¡°Probably got together with some guy again, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°But why¡­¡­ is she like this?¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    ¡°Whenever I tell her to go see a therapist, she would freak out at me.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I don¡¯t even bother anymore, but if she dares to bring them home, I¡¯ll beat up every single one I see.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Like the one from last time?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei quirked a smile.


    ¡°Maybe don¡¯t go blindly beating them up, what if next time it¡¯s a good guy.¡± Jiang Cheng recalled the scene when the man got thrown against a tree, and felt like he could feel the pain dimly all over his own body, from his nose to his ribs to his buttcheeks.


    ¡°The way she¡¯s holding on to her sweetly naive and imaginative teenage heart, if she¡¯s able to find a good guy in this place I¡¯ll go streaking on the street.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at him, laughed for a while, then after a moment sighed again.


    The master stylist Li who was also the master chef Li showed up with a bag of produce, but he froze immediately upon entering the store and seeing Gu Miao and the doll hanging off her back pocket, ¡°Are we making a horror movie here?¡±


    ¡°What horror movie?¡± Gu Fei was sitting behind the cash register checking inventory.


    ¡°Little Sister and the Doll On Her Back.¡± Jiang Cheng and Li Yan both said at the same time. [1]


    ¡°Er-Miao,¡± Gu Fei called out to Gu Miao. ¡°Come and kick Li Yan gege out.¡±


    Gu Miao came in on her skateboard and rolled straight toward Li Yan¡¯s leg. Li Yan pointed at Gu Fei while backing away toward the door, ¡°Do you know what I really want to say about you at this very moment?¡±


    ¡°That I prioritize lust over friendship?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°What kind of impact does that have,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°How about that you¡¯re tossing me away after you¡¯re tired of playing with me!¡±


    ¡°Keep yelling,¡± Gu Fei pointed to the street outside. ¡°Yell a little louder, if any less than ten people hear you I¡¯ll let you break my legs.¡±


    ¡°Gu Er-Miao!¡± Li Yan yelled out when he¡¯d retreated to the doorway. ¡°What happened to the bond we had over the years!¡±


    ¡°Li Yan¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng hesitated for a second, then walked to the counter and said quietly. ¡°Knows?¡±


    ¡°Not sure, I didn¡¯t tell him,¡± Gu Fei gave him a look. ¡°But he probably figured it out just from observation, we don¡¯t usually talk about this¡­¡­ Do you want me to tell them?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s OK,¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s weird if it¡¯s too intentional.¡±


    Even though Gu Fei, Li Yan, and the other guys didn¡¯t hang out together all the time, he could tell that the solid bond between them wasn¡¯t established in mere days. Which was why Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want Gu Fei to explain anything on purpose. It would make anyone sick just to consider how something like this might destroy the usual dynamic of a friend group.


    Li Yan came back in with the bag of produce after a while of bouncing around with Gu Miao outside, ¡°It¡¯s only the four of us, so I¡¯ll just whip something up quickly?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    Li Yan certainly didn¡¯t look like someone who can cook, but every time food was being made here in Gu Fei¡¯s store, if Li Yan was here, he would always be the one to cook, even though the taste was fairly unremarkable.


    However, his strength was that he was fast. Jiang Cheng pulled out one of the texts Pan Zhi shipped to him last time to read, but after only a few pages, the plates of food were already on the table.


    ¡°Hurry up and eat,¡± Li Yan sat down. ¡°I¡¯ll do Er-Miao¡¯s hair after this, I got plans tonight.¡±


    ¡°What plans?¡± Gu Fei also sat down at the table.


    ¡°Fun plans.¡± Li Yan said.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t gone home this whole time, have you.¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Go home for what.¡± Li Yan frowned.


    Jiang Cheng picked up a bowl and ate quietly on the side. Gu Fei had mentioned to him about Li Yan not wanting to go home, at the time he rejoiced in the fact that he didn¡¯t have anyone to boss him around anymore.


    No matter what, at least he wouldn¡¯t be having a big fight with his family over something such as this.


    Even though he still felt bummed out every time he thought about Li Baoguo.


    Li Baoguo hadn¡¯t contacted him for such a long time, that he didn¡¯t know whether to feel anxious or relieved, he wondered what other changes lay waiting for him up ahead.


    Gu Miao was very good throughout the entire hair cutting process. She sat by the counter unmoving, with a cloth wrapped around her neck, patiently letting Li Yan snip away at her hair.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you give her a style that¡¯ll look good as it grows out,¡± Jiang Cheng leaned back in the chair with a book, reading as he glanced at Gu Miao. ¡°She¡¯s a little girl after all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been thinking,¡± Li Yan sighed. ¡°But no can do, once the hair grows longer she¡¯ll start chewing it off, not to mention she¡¯ll get mad if it takes too long to wash it.¡±


    ¡°Let her wear wigs in the future.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that she¡¯ll chomp up the whole wig.¡± Li Yan said.


    ¡°Who knows, maybe she¡¯ll develop some new problem in the future, and stop chewing on hair.¡± Gu Fei raised his arms up in a stretch, and reached out a leg to give Gu Miao¡¯s foot a little kick. ¡°Right?¡±


    Gu Miao looked at him with a completely blank expression.


    ¡°You got any new problems that you haven¡¯t shown big brother yet?¡± Gu Fei gave her foot another little kick.


    Gu Miao continued to show absolutely no expression.


    ¡°Hurry and grow up,¡± Gu Fei leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, and looked at her. ¡°Quit making me worry, alright?¡±


    Li Yan gave Gu Miao a very adorable round bob that cut off just below her ears. It even made Gu Miao¡¯s perpetually cool expression look much cuter.


    ¡°And your hair?¡± Li Yan threw a glance at Gu Fei as he started cleaning up.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei quickly shifted his eyes in Jiang Cheng¡¯s direction. ¡°Nah not today, when it gets warmer I¡¯ll just shave the whole thing off.¡±


    ¡°Shave it off?¡± Li Yan paused for a moment, then started laughing after a while. ¡°Alright, understood.¡±


    Jiang Cheng was spacing out about whether Gu Fei¡¯s beauty was enough to prop up a bald look, when Li Yan turned to him and asked, ¡°Do you want a haircut?¡±


    ¡°Oh no no,¡± Jiang Cheng instinctively leaned backward. ¡°I¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm, got it,¡± Li Yan laughed again. ¡°Are you waiting to shave your head bald too?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Jiang Cheng gave a firm negative.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving,¡± Li Yan collected his tools into a box, then kicked it under the cash register. ¡°There¡¯s something I promised Liu Fan I wouldn¡¯t tell you, but then on second thought I figured I should say something.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°Dude¡¯s in the hospital,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°He said¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Fei got up immediately. ¡°He¡¯s hurt?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Li Yan cleared his throat. ¡°It¡¯s uh, hemorrhoids, the surgery is tomorrow. I was the one who drove him to the hospital the day before yesterday, but he wouldn¡¯t let me tell anyone, didn¡¯t want any visits either, but you see I figured¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°We should go anyway.¡± Gu Fei sighed his relief and sat back down. ¡°Nobody should miss such an hilarious occasion.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Li Yan nodded. ¡°So you¡¯ll notify Luo Yu and the others? Let¡¯s go visit him tomorrow, I ordered a giant fruit basket.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei laughed.


    After Li Yan left, Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei, ¡°You people are brutal.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Gu Fei started laughing. ¡°These guys are so bored, they love these kinds of shenanigans. Will you tag along tomorrow? Take a tour of Liu Fan¡¯s butt together.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ I don¡¯t think hemorrhoid surgery necessarily requires that you stay butt naked the whole time after,¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it and laughed as well. ¡°But if I look at your butt¡­¡­¡±


    He quickly stopped himself before finishing the sentence. Gu Miao was still nearby, concentrating all her energy on grabbing at her newly shortened hair.


    ¡°Er-Miao,¡± Gu Fei took her hand. ¡°Your new hairstyle looks very good.¡±


    Gu Miao didn¡¯t react. As soon as he let go, she immediately started grabbing at her hair again. Gu Fei sighed, reached out a hand to cover hers, and grabbed once along with her, then left her alone.


    ¡°Won¡¯t she pull her hair out?¡± Jiang Cheng was a little worried.


    ¡°I just tried her grip, she¡¯s not pulling hard, just not used to the shortness, she¡¯ll be fine after a while.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng watched Gu Miao, then after a long time sighed as well. ¡°I didn¡¯t know she¡¯d be like this after a haircut, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t pester you about cutting her hair.¡±


    ¡°Have to do it eventually, if it gets longer she¡¯ll even chew on it,¡± Gu Fei gave a little smile. ¡°And anyways, it¡¯s not like this every time.¡±


    Jiang Cheng was somewhat glum, as he looked down at the book in his hands, ¡°I don¡¯t even know her as well as Li Yan.¡±


    ¡°Li Yan and I pretty much grew up together,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°He watched Er-Miao grow up, nothing strange about that. Plus if you¡¯re gonna think that way, Li Yan should be the grumpy one. All these years and Er-Miao hardly ever responds to him, but she¡¯s close with you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng chuckled. That¡¯s right.


    Although¡­¡­ When he finished laughing he still felt a little cross, ¡°But I also didn¡¯t know that you like drinking tea?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei was suddenly confused.


    ¡°Even Lao-Xu knows that you drink tea,¡± Jiang Cheng tsked once. ¡°You even took Lao-Xu for tea, aiyoo how cultured of you, young man.¡±


    Gu Fei blanked, then burst out laughing, ¡°Hey¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey what hey?¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I¡¯m just a little glum, I don¡¯t know anything, right now I don¡¯t even know what you like to eat.¡±


    ¡°The places I took you to are all my favourite foods,¡± Gu Fei shifted closer to his side, and squeezed against him with his hand on Jiang Cheng¡¯s back. ¡°And that tea place, Lao-Xu¡¯s the only one who knows about it, but I don¡¯t go often either. If you want, we¡¯ll go there right now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Jiang Cheng felt he was being very childish. ¡°I just want to express the woe of having missed the first seventeen years of your life.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you missed those years,¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°Honestly I can tell you anything you want to know, but I don¡¯t wish for you to see it for yourself, if we came along that way, there¡¯s absolutely no way we¡¯d be together. Not to mention, if you really grew up around here for seventeen years, I probably wouldn¡¯t even spare you a second glance, no matter how handsome you are.¡±


    ¡°Get out.¡± Jiang Cheng quirked a smile.


    That¡¯s right. If he really grew up here, in the Steel Works, in Li Baoguo¡¯s home¡­¡­


    ¡°And I didn¡¯t even mention how sad I was,¡± Gu Fei reached out a hand in front of Gu Miao, who was slumped over with her forehead almost touching the table writing her ¡®homework¡¯, and nudged it back up. ¡°Following behind those old classmates of yours, listening to you talk about the things you did together back then. Who should I be crying to.¡±


    ¡°Geez,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°My past could not be simpler, just going to class, skipping class, fighting people for the grade¡¯s top three spots¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you also have a girlfriend.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t a girlfriend,¡± Jiang Cheng considered for a moment. ¡°Just, I don¡¯t know how to explain, it was like I just wanted to join the party. The people around us were cheering it on, she started bringing me breakfast, and sometimes we¡¯d call each other or send a few messages back and forth. And then it was just her getting mad, I comfort her, her getting mad, I comfort, her getting mad again, I comfort¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Oii,¡± Gu Fei was a little surprised. ¡°You would even comfort people?¡±


    ¡°While holding in my irritation, what else am I supposed to do, she¡¯s a girl. Anyways it was just annoying,¡± Jiang Cheng frowned. ¡°I was like a dumbass, didn¡¯t do shit, just spent all my time consoling her.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t do anything?¡± Gu Fei smirked.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng shot him a look. ¡°Never even held hands.¡±


    ¡°So innocent,¡± Gu Fei glanced toward Gu Miao¡¯s direction, then leaned in and said quietly beside Jiang Cheng¡¯s ear. ¡°How come you¡¯re not at all innocent now.¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng leaned in close to his ear and also lowered his voice. ¡°Am I not innocent now? I¡¯m as handsome and innocent as ever.¡±


    ¡°Yes, right,¡± Gu Fei continued to whisper. ¡°As innocent as me.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him. ¡°Can you pull your thick-skinned face back a little, it¡¯s squishing me!¡±


    Gu Fei burst out laughing, and looked at Jiang Cheng as he couldn¡¯t seem to stop.


    ¡°What the hell are you laughing about,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed, and kept his voice low with some effort. ¡°It was just a few handies, don¡¯t laugh like we actually did something.¡±


    ¡°Do the handies not count as having done something?¡± Gu Fei continued laughing and said. ¡°Then what do we have to do for it to count for something?¡±


    Gu Fei probably didn¡¯t run these words through his brain first, and as the words landed, both of them descended into a tension-filled state that was all at once sheepish, awkward, and as though they wanted to blush but were too embarrassed to even blush.


    Jiang Cheng thought his reaction would be countless shameless dirty pictures passing in front of his eyes, which obviously included images of Gu Fei¡¯s shameless butt.


    He didn¡¯t expect the first thoughts that jumped out to be so out of the box.


    > We¡¯re not even 18 yet.


    > Minors Protection Law.


    > How to view the phenomenon of premarital sexual interactions.


    ¡­¡­ What in all hell is this?!


    By the time he stopped spacing out, Gu Fei was already bent over correcting Gu Miao¡¯s nose-to-paper writing posture. He stared at Gu Fei¡¯s back.


    It was only in this moment that all sorts of indescribable scenes erupted in his mind.


    Fuck!


    He felt like he could set Gu Fei¡¯s clothes on fire with the power of his mind alone.


    Fuck!


    He didn¡¯t realize he¡¯d unwittingly consumed so many dirty little videos!


    Fuck!


    The internet really does corrupt your mind after all!

 CH 63

    If it wasn¡¯t for all the people around them, he would go up and give it a lick.


    As soon as this kind of dirty thinking starts, it¡¯s as unstoppable as dumb puppies fighting for food, there¡¯s to be no end until both the food and the bowl was chewed up and gone.


    But at the moment, he had no way of getting at the food, let along the rest of the bowl.


    He fixed his eyes on Gu Fei for the longest time, and at last, could only settle for giving his lower back a grouchy slap. Then he yanked on the elastic band of Gu Fei¡¯s sweatpants, and pinched his buttcheeks.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Gu Fei jumped, and looked back at him. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­To spank you.¡± Jiang Cheng put his pants back.


    ¡°There¡¯s a whole room of innocent youths here,¡± Gu Fei started laughing. ¡°Will you watch your actions.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I did anything,¡± Jiang Cheng leaned back in his chair. ¡°Can¡¯t innocent youths do some pinching¡­¡­ for fun.¡±


    Gu Fei stared back at him for a while, and smirked as he narrowed his eyes, ¡°Were you thinking about something inappropriate?¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡± Jiang Cheng also narrowed his eyes.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t answer. He turned around and leaned his arm against the back of the chair while still looking at Jiang Cheng, then started chuckling.


    ¡°What are you laughing at?¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s face was entirely serious.


    Still Gu Fei didn¡¯t say a word, just kept looking at him and grinning. The meaningful smile that said ¡°I know everything¡± made it hard for Jiang Cheng to keep up the facade.


    ¡°What,¡± Jiang Cheng got up and poured himself a cup of water before sitting back down. ¡°A gentleman bares it all, just say what you want to say.¡±


    ¡°We sure did our share of baring,¡± Gu Fei couldn¡¯t stop laughing. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Jiang Cheng tsked.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking about,¡± Gu Fei snatched the cup from him and took a sip, then put it back in his hand. ¡°And you know that I know what you¡¯re thinking about.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it for a moment then laughed gleefully. ¡°I was thinking about some stupid obscene stuff, but if it wasn¡¯t for you mentioning it, I¡¯ve really never thought about it in detail before.¡±


    ¡°Neither have I.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Not sure if I can even believe you,¡± Jiang Cheng gazed at him. ¡°You even said so yourself, you¡¯re well hidden.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I haven¡¯t thought about it at all¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei said and laughed again, and eventually said after a while. ¡°Though I was remembering something I saw once.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°So there was a guy, who got himself a boyfriend, and the two of them were getting along great,¡± Gu Fei said quietly before stopping halfway to turn and glance at Gu Miao, then dragged his chair closer to Jiang Cheng and leaned in close to his ear. ¡°And then they, you know¡­¡­ slept together¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng choked. He turned around and coughed for a long time, ¡°Fuck, that¡¯s all?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not finished,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Are you done coughing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± Jiang Cheng turned back and stuck his ear next to Gu Fei again. ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only then that they realized, that their¡­¡­ uh, alignments¡­¡­ are the same.¡± Gu Fei was struggling a little, when he got to the key words his voice was so low it was like it was pixelated for censorship. ¡°And what¡¯s more, both of them were firm on not budging, so they could only¡­¡­ rub each other into oblivion¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng bursted out laughing before he had a chance to blush at what Gu Fei said, then after a while finally got it together and stopped.


    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Jiang Cheng turned to look at Gu Fei. ¡°And your point is?¡±


    ¡°An after-meal joke.¡± Gu Fei also put his smile away and answered with a serious face.


    ¡°The hell it¡¯s after-meal, it¡¯s already been years since the end of the meal,¡± Jiang Cheng said, then paused and thought for almost 20 seconds. When he opened his mouth again, his voice was even more censored than Gu Fei¡¯s just then, it was practically black bars. ¡°Then you¡­¡­ are¡­¡­ ah? What?¡±


    ¡°What what?¡± Gu Fei was baffled.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Jiang Cheng also peered in Gu Miao¡¯s direction. Gu Miao was probably having trouble answering questions, she had started drawing circle after circle on a piece of paper, and seemed to be engrossed in the activity. He raised his voice very slightly. ¡°Do the two of us need to rub each other into oblivion?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Gu Fei looked at him. He seemed unsure of how to answer. ¡°Ah.¡±


    For two people whose most intimate activities so far had been rubbing out each other¡¯s sticks, when the conversation suddenly jumped to sleeping together, and directly breached such a shameless 18+ topic as body positions, the mood was all at once a little unspeakable.


    suddenlyawkward.jpg


    Both of them were unable to continue. They could only stare across at each other.


    However, Gu Miao broke the awkward atmosphere in a very timely manner. She must¡¯ve been having trouble doing the calculations on her math questions as well as drawing round enough circles, so she started repeatedly jabbing the paper with her pencil.


    When Gu Fei turned around to take the pencil from her, the tip was already broken, even the wooden casing was splintered from the impact.


    Jiang Cheng was in shock as he stared on, he understood then why Gu Fei refused to buy her mechanical pencils. With strength like that, the more mechanical pencils he bought the more she would break, at least wooden pencils could be fixed with some sharpening.


    After Gu Miao¡¯s hand was free of the pencil, she did not stop the motion of her hand. It continued to come down on the table top rhythmically. There was no trace of anger on her face, which was as calm as ever, the only sign of her displeasure was demonstrated in the thumps of her fist against the table.


    ¡°Er-Miao, Er-Miao, look at me, Er-Miao,¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t stop her, just crouched by the table as he repeated the words. ¡°Er-Miao, look at your big brother, Er-Miao¡­¡­¡±


    All the ecstatic thoughts Jiang Cheng had earlier was dissipating along with the thump-thumping sounds and Gu Fei¡¯s non-stop words. He didn¡¯t know what he could do at this time, he could only sit by and watch in silence.


    Gu Miao wasn¡¯t like other kids, and her behaviour at this moment wasn¡¯t simply acting out. Other than patience, there was no other way.


    Jiang Cheng watched Gu Fei, he couldn¡¯t understand what Gu Fei must be feeling at that moment, neither could he imagine how much he himself would be able to do if he was in the same position.


    It wasn¡¯t one or two incidents, or one or two days. Gu Miao might appear small for her age, but she was already 10 years old. All these years, he didn¡¯t dare imagine how Gu Fei persisted for so long.


    But he was slowly starting to see how Gu Fei had developed his air of unwavering composure.


    Gu Miao¡¯s mini tantrum continued for more than ten minutes. Under Gu Fei¡¯s untiring repetitions, she finally looked at him and stilled her movements.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do the questions you don¡¯t know how to do,¡± Gu Fei looked into her eyes, and said steadily. ¡°No need to get mad, do you understand?¡±


    Gu Miao looked back at him, completely unaffected.


    ¡°Nod to let big brother know that you understand.¡± Gu Fei said again.


    Gu Miao nodded.


    ¡°Cheng-ge is thirsty,¡± Gu Fei pointed at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Will you pour him a cup of water?¡±


    Jiang Cheng was unprepared. Upon hearing this, he immediately picked up his cup to chug down the rest of the water, but not before Gu Miao already nodded, walked to his side, and grabbed the cup from his hand.


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t sure what he should say.


    Gu Miao looked down at the unfinished half cup of water, and went ahead and dumped it all onto the ground in one smooth motion. She then walked away to pour another cup, and handed it to him.


    ¡°Thank you sweetie,¡± Jiang Cheng accepted the cup, and immediately gulped down half the contents. ¡°I¡¯m parched.¡±


    Good thing Gu Miao¡¯s way of thinking wasn¡¯t like normal kids, otherwise just from that sentence alone, she would¡¯ve relegated Jiang Cheng into the category of brainless idiots.


    ¡°How about Cheng-ge play with you on the skateboard for half an hour?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jiang Cheng put down the cup right away, and crouched in front of Gu Miao. ¡°Let¡¯s go on the skateboard for a bit?¡±


    Gu Miao¡¯s eyes brightened, and she nodded. With her toes, she flicked the edge of the skateboard up, and caught it in her hands, then turned to go outside.


    ¡°Thanks for the hard work,¡± Gu Fei let out a breath of relief. ¡°Cheng-ge.¡±


    ¡°You can massage your Cheng-ge¡¯s legs later.¡± Jiang Cheng stood up and followed Gu Miao outside.


    It was actually very pleasant weather to play on the skateboard, not too cold or too warm. Jiang Cheng could feel the wind gliding past his body as they rolled forth on the road, it was very enjoyable indeed.


    Gu Miao took turns with Jiang Cheng on her skateboard, while sporting her new adorable dollish bob and cool expression.


    Every time she jumped on the skateboard with seasoned familiarity, and carried out all sorts of high difficulty maneuvers, Jiang Cheng would think that if time stopped there, or if it simply extended forth from the state Gu Miao was in when she was skateboarding, how great that would be.


    Gu Miao would be trouble-free, and Gu Fei would not have to continue bearing the pressure.


    Jiang Cheng rolled past the front door of the convenience store, and glanced at Gu Fei sitting on the stoop, who was watching him with a cigarette in his mouth. Jiang Cheng snapped his fingers at him.


    Gu Fei immediately returned a whistle, the sharp trill of it followed him for more than 10 meters before fading.


    Their previous conversation had Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind wandering in all sorts of inappropriate directions, but after half an hour on the skateboard with Gu Miao and working up a sweat, the inappropriate directions were temporarily kept under control.


    He recalled an article he read back in middle school. It talked about using exercise as a way of quitting the vile habit of masturbation¡­¡­ At the time he assumed it was a crock of bullshit, but thinking about it now, perhaps it had a point¡­¡­


    However, by the time Gu Miao was back at the table again gathering up her books, and Gu Fei walked into the inner chamber and beckoned him, Jiang Cheng once again realized how much that article was a crock of bullshit.


    He swooped in the room, wrapped Gu Fei in his arms and started nibbling. He only stopped with a sharply drawn breath when Gu Fei suddenly bit down hard on his shoulder.


    ¡°The hell? Why don¡¯t you just bite my face instead?¡± He rubbed his shoulder, kept his voice low, then reached out and grabbed a handful of Gu Fei¡¯s side again. ¡°Do you have a secret identity as a vampire!¡±


    ¡°The way you say that with a straight face, as if you hadn¡¯t been biting me.¡± Gu Fei tugged a little on Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulder, and pulled his shirt over to cover the teeth mark. ¡°If you keep this up we¡¯re not gonna be able to walk out this door.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t finish his sentence, they heard the sound of Gu Miao kicking away the table outside.


    The two of them sprang apart with god-like speed, by the time Gu Miao walked to the doorway of the inner chamber, there was at least one meter of distance between them. Gu Fei was standing by the window, while Jiang Cheng stood beside the bed; he even took out his phone at the speed of thoughts and pretended to scroll through it.


    ¡°All packed up?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Gu Miao nodded.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei called out to Jiang Cheng, a hint of laughter in his voice. ¡°This acting skill.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go?¡± Jiang Cheng looked up and put the phone back in his pocket.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    Gu Miao had been especially clingy with Gu Fei lately, possibly because Gu Fei hadn¡¯t spent very much time with her in the few days around the May 1st break. If Gu Fei wasn¡¯t home at night, she would sit spacing out on the bed, and refuse to sleep.


    ¡°Would you have any objections?¡± Gu Fei asked quietly when they bid each other goodbye at the crossroads.


    ¡°What objections?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I was originally planning to go over to your place tonight¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei cleared his throat. ¡°And hang out for a while.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ I¡¯m not that thirsty.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about hanging out for a while, not doing it for a while,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Not to mention the way you were just now, it¡¯s not convincing at all to say that you¡¯re not thirsty¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Get out,¡± Jiang Cheng cut him off, and felt like laughing. ¡°It¡¯s a civilized society, don¡¯t be so explicit out in public.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me at the breakfast stalls again tomorrow morning.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng answered. Relying on extraordinary determination and resolve, Gu Fei hadn¡¯t been late to school once since the leg ¡®injury¡¯.


    ¡°Good night.¡± Gu Fei swayed his handlebar, and whistled at Gu Miao, who was busy weaving around on her skateboard on the sidewalk.


    ¡°Good night.¡± Jiang Cheng pinched the back of Gu Fei¡¯s hand.


    Jiang Cheng went back to his apartment, and started to methodically shower and change clothes. He checked the teeth mark Gu Fei had left, it was not too bad overall. It wasn¡¯t very obvious, though the two little indents left by his fangs were deeper than the others. If this mark was any closer to his neck, he¡¯d have to wear a button-up shirt tomorrow.


    ¡°Must¡¯ve morphed from a dog!¡± He grinded his teeth at the mirror, then turned and went back to his room, sat down at his desk, and started doing homework.


    Since the difficulty of said homework was relatively low, he could write it while still leaving a good portion of his brain free to think about other things.


    Such as a topic like body positions, the very thought of which made his heart race and his ears flush.


    He hadn¡¯t carefully considered this question before, or rather, every time they rolled on the bed together, with the sound of Gu Fei¡¯s panting by his ear, he never visualized any scenario other than various fantasies of him on top of Gu Fei¡­¡­


    But after Gu Fei suddenly told him this story, he just then realized that perhaps his own imagination had been a little simplistic, that perhaps it needed a little more enrichment.


    This top and bottom¡­¡­ he stared at the tip of his pen. Since he didn¡¯t have any practical experience¡­¡­ he didn¡¯t know what either one felt like.


    However.


    For such a giving, dashing, handsome¡­¡­ man, such as himself, it wasn¡¯t entirely out of the question to give in to his boyfriend a little. After all, Gu Fei was a month younger than him. So if Gu Fei¡­¡­ even though he didn¡¯t know for sure, but if¡­¡­ So What? [Eng]


    Jiang Cheng tsked. Big deal.


    Though compared to this yet to be determined issue of top or bottom, to Jiang Cheng, he was more concerned with his seeming lack of mental preparation of playing with live ammunitions with Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei also hadn¡¯t taken any steps toward furthering their physical relationship. Anyway, they¡¯d both been pretty satisfied after each shameless session.


    Perhaps the timing was not yet right?


    Jiang Cheng held the pen between his teeth, and swung it up and down.


    How embarrassing, that his head was swarming with this kind of stuff while he was doing homework.


    Neither of them continued the discussion of this topic. The next day, at the sight of Gu Fei¡¯s silhouette appearing at the end of the road, walking toward the breakfast stall, all Jiang Cheng could feel was a sense of comfort in his heart.


    What the hell, why obsess over this stuff, it was enough just to set eyes on this person.


    He only then realized it wasn¡¯t that dumb to fixate your eyes on someone¡¯s face, it all depended on who this person was.


    Take this day for example, when he was listening to the lecture all the while looking at Gu Fei, even the droning of the teachers¡¯ voices sounded much less like religious chanting. Only, he couldn¡¯t stare to his heart¡¯s content during Lao-Lu¡¯s class. Lao-Lu was much too passionate in his teaching, and what more, he took great joy in directing his pointer to the back of the classroom and saying, ¡°Jiang Cheng, you come and answer this.¡±


    During the self-study period, Jiang Cheng was slumped over the desk writing his homework, but he continued to sweep his gaze over Gu Fei¡¯s face from time to time. Gu Fei glanced at him, smiled, then looked down and swiped a few times on his phone.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s phone vibrated. He took it out and saw that it was a message from Good Little Bunny.


    ¨C been staring at me more intensely than usual today, huh boyfriend


    Jiang Cheng smiled, and threw him a glance, Gu Fei still had his head down, playing with his phone.


    ¨C why don¡¯t you look at me


    ¨C I just like the way you keep staring at me


    ¡°Why?¡± Jiang Cheng asked quietly, still slumped over the desk.


    ¡°Makes me feel grounded.¡± Gu Fei turned and smiled, and bumped his leg against Jiang Cheng¡¯s under the desk.


    ¨C I want, to run free without a care, in your eyes, I want, one look, to last a lifetime


    Jiang Cheng looked at the words Gu Fei just sent him, and looked around to make sure that no one was paying attention, then reached out a hand and rubbed Gu Fei¡¯s leg.


    When they walked out of the school gates at the end of the day, they immediately spotted Liu Fan¡¯s crappy little sedan parked by the side of the road, with Li Yan sitting in the driver¡¯s seat.


    ¡°Come on let¡¯s go,¡± Li Yan beckoned. ¡°They¡¯ve already headed over, we¡¯re meeting outside the hospital.¡±


    Gu Fei got in the car, ¡°Is the surgery done?¡±


    ¡°Did it this morning, he¡¯s probably lying ass up on the hospital bed at this moment thinking about the flavours of life.¡± Li Yan said.


    ¡°What flavour,¡± Jiang Cheng got in the backseat, and looked at the giant fruit basket beside him, with a card tacked on it. He read out the words on the card. ¡°Everyone lifts up the little daisy¡­¡­ just from this heartfelt sincerity alone, he probably won¡¯t even be able to taste the spicy, the only thing left for him is bitterness.¡± [1]


    ¡°When he gets out he¡¯ll take care of each one of you.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°You too.¡± Li Yan said.


    ¡°Ask him if he dares.¡± Gu Fei tsked.


    After meeting up with Not A Good Bird at the door, the group of them made their way to the inpatient wing with the instigatory fruit basket.


    The room wasn¡¯t too bad, only two of the three bedspaces in Liu Fan¡¯s room were occupied. When they came in, Liu Fan was sitting up on the bed playing with his phone.


    He turned around at the sound of newcomers, and as soon as his eyes focused on them, he let out a wholehearted roar, ¡°Li Yan, I¡¯ll fucking kill you one of these days!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all bros after all,¡± Li Yan set the fruit basket down on the bedside table. ¡°How could we let you languish in the hospital all by yourself.¡±


    ¡°Then you can go tell the doctor to give you each a jab and we¡¯ll all lie here together!¡± Liu Fan glared down the line with his eyes wide. ¡°Holy shit Jiang Cheng, I thought you were a serious fucker, what the hell are you doing here!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just passing by.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember all of you,¡± Liu Fan clamped his fist at them. ¡°Won¡¯t forget this for the rest of my life!¡±


    ¡°Fan-ge, how does it feel?¡± Luo Yu leaned over and asked.


    ¡°Feels like a blasted open ass hole is how I feel! Do you want to try!¡± Liu Fan glared at him.


    They all had a hearty laugh.


    The family of the patient on the next cot frowned, they must¡¯ve thought these guys were being too noisy. Though truth be told, when this group of guys stood there together, each with ¡°don¡¯t provoke me¡± hanging out on their faces, they looked no different from gang members out to survey their domain. The family members only stole a few glances but didn¡¯t dare say anything.


    ¡°Keep it down.¡± Gu Fei leaned against the wall and said.


    The guys finally collected themselves, and started consoling Liu Fan while holding in laughter.


    Like a blasted ass hole.


    Tsk tsk.


    Jiang Cheng stood beside Gu Fei and also leaned against the wall, though he wasn¡¯t at all listening to what the others were saying. These words were the only thing left in his mind.


    Even though Liu Fan was clearly being hyperbolic, still, he could pretty much imagine just how un-delightful a first experience would be¡­¡­ tsk tsk.


    Jiang Cheng peered at Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei was leaning with the side of his head against the wall, drawing an attractive and sexy curve from his neck to his collarbone.


    If it wasn¡¯t for all the people around them, he would go up and give it a lick.


    Tsk tsk.


    With a Gu Fei like this, how could he bear it?


    They didn¡¯t stay very long with Liu Fan before they were chased out by the nurse, on the ground of disrupting the patients¡¯ rest.


    ¡°Where are you headed?¡± Li Yan asked in the elevator. ¡°I have Liu Fan¡¯s car, I can drive you.¡±


    ¡°You can take us back.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s all go to Da-Fei¡¯s place then, it¡¯s been a while since we drank together.¡± Luo Yu said.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    The elevator stopped after descending two floors. They could hear a mess of rowdy roars outside before the doors even opened.


    And when the doors opened, the noise suddenly became even louder.


    ¡°YOU¡¯RE JUST TRYING TO CON MY MONEY!¡± A man¡¯s voice boomed. ¡°What surgery! You had to make me stay in the hospital! Won¡¯t do the surgery if I don¡¯t stay here! Well I damn well ain¡¯t doing no surgery! Some bullshit radiation therapy! It¡¯s all a fucking scam! YOU GUYS CHEATED ME OUT OF MY MONEY AND NOW YOU¡¯RE FUCKING SAYING IT¡¯S NOT ENOUGH? YOU WANNA BET I CAN TAKE THIS PLACE APART!¡±


    ¡°Da-shu, your treatment protocol can be discussed with the attending doctor, the medications we used on you are all itemized as well¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng stood stunned in the elevator. After the doors opened, he spotted at a glance the man outside, swinging his arms with a face full of anger.


    His biological father, Li Baoguo.


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking at no list! I¡¯ve decided I don¡¯t want to treat this anymore! REFUND!¡± Li Baoguo pushed and shoved at the doctors and nurses around him. ¡°If I die then I¡¯ll die! I¡¯m not going to let you cheat me of my money! IF YOU DON¡¯T GIVE BACK THE MONEY I PAID, I¡¯LL NEVER LET THIS GO!¡±


    The people who just entered the elevator were still looking outside, and talking quietly with each other. There was even a person standing in the doorway, not wanting to step in completely lest he missed the drama.


    Jiang Cheng made to move, and Gu Fei grabbed his arm.


    Li Yan was standing by the door. After a glance back at them, he shoved the man in the doorway out with one palm and hit the close button.


    The guy turned around like he wanted to come back in, but stopped in his tracks after taking one look inside the door.


    No one else in the elevator said anything more. When they got to the ground floor, Gu Fei dragged Jiang Cheng out of the elevator by his arm.


    ¡°We¡¯ll just go on then, should we wait for you in the store or¡­¡­¡± Li Yan asked.


    ¡°In the store, my mom¡¯s probably out again.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Li Yan and the others turned and left.


    Numbly, Jiang Cheng followed Gu Fei to a corner of the lobby.


    ¡°Cheng-ge?¡± Gu Fei called to him.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°This thing¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei hesitated for a second. ¡°You can¡¯t get involved.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced at him, and didn¡¯t make a sound.


    ¡°You can¡¯t solve it,¡± Gu Fei looked straight at him. ¡°You have no way of resolving this, you can wait for him to go home first, and then go talk to him. But you can¡¯t go over there right now, do you know what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, then slowly let it out.


    Of course he knew what Gu Fei was saying.


    Footnotes:


    [1] The Chinese for ¡°daisy¡± is ³û¾Õ, which means baby chrysanthemum, which is common euphemism for anus, because uh¡­ the visual of the uh¡­ wrinkles.

 CH 64

    ¡°Rub-a-dub-dub, hush little cub.¡±


    Being at rock bottom of your pit of emotions wasn¡¯t the worst thing, even worse than that was having your mood drop straight from the mountaintop to the rock bottom.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s good mood had smashed into a million pieces from the fall, not leaving a single trace behind.


    It had been a long time since Jiang Cheng felt such an intense lump in his throat. He sat with Gu Fei in the lobby for almost ten minutes, and still couldn¡¯t manage to snap out of it.


    Li Baoguo¡¯s illness, he could pretty much determine what it was; it must¡¯ve been lung cancer. Jiang Cheng stared down at his fingers. Li Baoguo¡¯s lungs were in a poor condition, he coughed all day long, and now terms like ¡°radiation therapy¡± were appearing.


    Jiang Cheng felt like he was at the very bottom of a whirlpool, with chaos all around him, but eerie silence in his ears.


    He understood very well why Gu Fei wouldn¡¯t let him go over just then.


    There was only so much money on that card of his. It was enough for tuition and day to day expenses, but he didn¡¯t have any income. Before he can seriously make a living to feed himself, every single expense had to be taken out from this sum.


    He didn¡¯t know if Li Baoguo still owed the hospital anything, but if he did go over at the time, he could pretty much imagine how that would unfold.


    This was different from Li Baoguo getting surrounded and beaten up. Back then, partly for venting, and partly to help Li Baoguo, he could rush over and get in a fight with other people, but what about now?


    A security guard stepped out of the elevator, jogged to the entrance of the inpatient wing, brought two police officers with him, then entered the elevator again with the officers in tow.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his face hard a few times, then stood up. He didn¡¯t want to stick around to see the officers escort Li Baoguo out.


    Gu Fei got up and walked out of the hospital with him.


    Coming out of the hospital, Jiang Cheng headed straight for the bus stop, but Gu Fei held him back, ¡°Let¡¯s take a taxi.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng stopped, and stood by and watched as Gu Fei flagged down a taxi.


    ¡°Coming to eat at my place?¡± Gu Fei asked him once they were in the car.


    ¡°Nah.¡± Jiang Cheng felt like his head was swelling.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go with you to get some food later?¡± Gu Fei asked again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really have an appetite right now,¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°I¡¯m going straight to Li Baoguo¡¯s place later to wait for him. If he¡¯s taken away by the cops, he¡¯ll probably be back by evening.¡±


    ¡°Mmn.¡± Gu Fei looked like he was going to say more, but after taking in a deep breath, didn¡¯t end up saying anything else.


    The car stopped at the intersection, and the two of them got off.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at the road that led to Li Baoguo¡¯s home. Ever since he picked up his stuff from Li Baoguo¡¯s place that day, he hadn¡¯t been on that street again.


    Looking down the street now, there was a sort of crumbling peacefulness to it. There were warm yellow lights that glowed within the buildings on either side, and what looked like units of peaceful families. Yet underneath all that, what the people were like, and what kind of homes they had, that was beyond imagination.


    ¡°I¡¯m heading over then,¡± Jiang Cheng slung his backpack onto his shoulder, as if cementing his resolve. ¡°You should go back to the store, I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Fei answered. Jiang Cheng turned to leave, but Gu Fei called out again hesitantly. ¡°Cheng-ge.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng turned around to face him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re thinking,¡± Gu Fei said gently. ¡°This might not be suitable for me to say, but I still want to remind you.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t hand over money just yet,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Li Baoguo really might not use the money for his treatment. You might not have met the kind of people who would put their own lives behind a lot of other things, but he¡¯s one of them.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at him, then nodded after a while.


    ¡°He has two other children,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°If you want to do something, consider it only after looking at your older brother and sister¡¯s stances first. You have to¡­¡­ learn to leave a path for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Jiang Cheng walked back to the car and stood in front of Gu Fei, looking at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I¡¯m cold for saying this,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I grew up here. These people, these things, I¡¯ve seen way too much of it. I¡¯m used to assessing things like this. You don¡¯t have to be as extreme as me, but you can¡¯t be too naive about it either.¡±


    When Gu Fei was saying these words, there was an unfamiliar air about him, but it still made Jiang Cheng feel warm. He reached out and squeezed Gu Fei¡¯s arm, ¡°I got it.¡±


    When Gu Fei returned to the store, the other guys had already finished preparing the food. Gu Miao had already eaten, and had been dispatched to the inner chamber by Li Yan to write her homework.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with Li Baoguo?¡± Luo Yu asked when he saw Gu Fei walk in.


    ¡°Dunno, lung cancer probably,¡± Gu Fei went out to wash his hands in the courtyard, then headed in to sit with Gu Miao for a while, before coming back out and sitting down at the table. ¡°We drinking?¡±


    ¡°Of course we¡¯re drinking!¡± Chen Jie picked up two bottles from the floor and set it on the table. ¡°We¡¯ve just been waiting for you to come back to start.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t I have drinks here.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Li Yan wouldn¡¯t let us.¡± Zhao Yihui laughed beside him.


    ¡°You just like taking advantage of people all the time.¡± Li Yan said.


    ¡°Go ahead and take advantage,¡± Gu Fei ladled out some soup for himself. ¡°Never did pay you guys any salary for helping out here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a different matter,¡± Luo Yu opened a bottle, and started pouring into each cup. ¡°How come Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t come along?¡±


    ¡°How could he still show up here,¡± Li Yan tsked. ¡°What, should he come and listen to us discuss whether Li Baoguo is gonna die?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I never would¡¯ve known. He just looks like that all the time, his face looks unwell too.¡± Chen Jie said. ¡°I was here last week when I ran into him after a whole night of gambling, his cards are more important than his life.¡±


    ¡°Has Li Hui and Li Qian come back?¡± Li Yan asked.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t seen them.¡± Gu Fei said.


    It seemed like other than the card playing career he devoted himself to even through his struggling health, there really were very little else Li Baoguo bothered to keep up with. After lunch Gu Fei flipped through the notebook of the store¡¯s owing tabs. Li Baoguo hasn¡¯t been here since the last time he came by to buy yogurt.


    It had been a long time, it would seem that his condition really was serious this time. Gu Fei closed the notebook. If it really was lung cancer¡­¡­ he¡¯d already been coughing for such a long time, long enough that Gu Fei couldn¡¯t remember what he was like when he didn¡¯t cough, though his voice had been hoarse through the better part of this past year. Based on his usual habits and way of life, if it was lung cancer, there was no way it was early stage.


    He took out his phone and opened up his chat with Jiang Cheng. There was still no news from Jiang Cheng, though it had only been a span of a meal¡¯s time, Li Baoguo might not even be back yet¡­¡­ He kept scrolling through their messages until he reached the very top.


    There weren¡¯t that many messages between them. They sat beside each other during the day, and in the evenings they usually started talking directly on the phone after exchanging a few messages. However, for every message, Gu Fei could remember exactly how he felt at the time.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng has some money on hand right now?¡± Li Yan sat down beside him.


    ¡°Mhm, some, his adoptive mother gave it to him before.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Tell him not to be stupid and hand the money over to Li Baoguo for treatment,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°That guy, he won¡¯t put it to good use for sure. He¡¯ll just use it to gamble.¡±


    ¡°I already told him,¡± Gu Fei tossed his phone onto the counter. ¡°It¡¯s up to him now.¡±


    ¡°Why do I feel like it¡¯s likely,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°The kid might look full of himself, but really he¡¯s just a young master from a big city. Even in his wildest dreams, he can¡¯t imagine the kind of person an environment like the Steel Works can produce.¡±


    ¡°What are you so concerned for,¡± Gu Fei glanced at him. ¡°Even if he hands over money, it won¡¯t be to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m reflecting on life,¡± Li Yan gave a smile, and raised his arms up in a stretch. ¡°Just trying to share your worry. You¡¯re not even playing your game anymore, just sitting here blanking out.¡±


    ¡°Go away.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Can I say another thing before I go away?¡± Li Yan said.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°If he really wants to give Li Baoguo money, don¡¯t try to hold him back too much,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°In case he thinks you¡¯re too heartless. The way Li Baoguo is going, he¡¯s just headed for death. Why leave a thorn in his heart.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why you¡¯re so skinny.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not skinny.¡± Li Yan grabbed some flesh on his own waist.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t strain yourself worrying so much, you might grow some meat on those bones.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Li Yan laughed, ¡°Why the hell did I become bros with someone like you, can never get a good word in return.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Gu Fei gave him a smile.


    The battery in his phone was down to 9%. Jiang Cheng glanced at the time, then took out his portable charger and connected it to his phone, and stuffed it back into his backpack.


    He had already been sitting on the stone stump under the tree outside Li Baoguo¡¯s apartment for two hours. Fortunately it was already past the evening rush, there were not many neighbours walking around.


    He could make a trip back to his apartment, he hadn¡¯t gotten rid of the key to Li Baoguo¡¯s place. But frankly he would rather not sit by himself in that place that stank of mold, smelling the various bizarre smells that would drift past from time to time from the lack of tidying.


    It was a place that was clearly inhabited, but lacked any sign of the living. Just thinking about it made him uncomfortable all over, and if he stayed there for a while longer, he¡¯d feel depressed through and through.


    Another half hour later, when the cigarette in his hand was almost out, he finally saw Li Baoguo¡¯s silhouette approaching from the main street.


    It was strange indeed, that he was able to recognize Li Baoguo simply from a backlit figure.


    Li Baoguo was walking very slowly. When he passed the building he frequented to play cards, he looked up and shouted a couple of times at the second floor. Somebody¡¯s head popped out, and he exchanged a few more shouts with that person. Jiang Cheng was only able to make out the words ¡°I¡¯ll be back later¡±, after which Li Baoguo continued walking this way.


    Jiang Cheng stubbed out his cigarette and stood up. Li Baoguo¡¯s eyes never looked this way, only when he stood up, did Li Baoguo shoot a startled glance toward him, then froze.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡­ back, ah.¡± Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t sure how to open the conversation.


    ¡°You? Who¡¯s ¡®you¡¯?¡± Li Baoguo was swinging a bottle in his hand, his words were aggressive right out the gate. ¡°You you you you, who are you calling?¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer, he could smell the stench of alcohol.


    Li Baoguo let out a torrent of coughs in Jiang Cheng¡¯s direction once he finished talking, it sounded heart-wrenching, and was furthermore punctuated by gurgles of phlegm stuck in his throat.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t back away. He waited quietly for Li Baoguo¡¯s intentional or otherwise bout of coughs to run its course, then said, ¡°I wanted to speak with you.¡±


    ¡°Speak with me,¡± Li Baoguo smirked, then spat out a mouthful of phlegm at his feet. ¡°How refined, I don¡¯t understand what you mean by speak with me.¡±


    Jiang Cheng was quiet again.


    It wasn¡¯t that he wanted to be quiet, but the way Li Baoguo was, he had no idea how he should begin again, nor did he know what his next sentence should be.


    Li Baoguo didn¡¯t say anything else. After another coughing fit, he turned and walked into the corridor.


    Jiang Cheng walked around the phlegm on the ground, and followed him into the corridor, then into the apartment.


    As soon as he entered and saw the bleak mess, he felt a wave of discomfort coming over him. He walked over and opened the closed windows.


    ¡°So your feathers have filled in huh, having a good time flying?¡± Li Baoguo plopped down onto the sofa. ¡°Happened to fly past my place so you decided to drop in and check if I¡¯ve died yet?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with your illness?¡± Jiang Cheng asked him directly.


    ¡°Aha,¡± Li Baoguo started laughing, which was followed by another bout of coughing. ¡°My youngest son finally found out I¡¯m sick huh?¡±


    Only under the indoor lighting did Jiang Cheng realize that Li Baoguo had lost a lot of weight, but his face and neck were a little swollen.


    ¡°Lung cancer, late stage.¡± Li Baoguo got up to pour some water. The water came out of the hot water thermos, but didn¡¯t release a hint of steam. ¡°Don¡¯t have many months left, the bullshit doctor wanted me to have surgery earlier, I didn¡¯t agree. What fucking surgery, what fucking good is surgery for cancer! And now they¡¯re saying my body won¡¯t be able to stand the surgery, wanted me to do radiation or something. Bullshit! They¡¯re just going in circles trying to con my money!¡±


    Jiang Cheng was so stunned that he didn¡¯t even know how to respond. He didn¡¯t know how long Li Baoguo had dragged this illness on for, that it changed from operable, to surgery no longer being an option due to the state of his health¡­¡­


    ¡°I did some research,¡± Jiang Cheng picked up the kettle on the table and peered inside, making sure there were no spiders, cockroaches, or anything else in there, before filling it with water to boil in the kitchen. ¡°For lung cancer, if you cooperate well with the doctor, it can extend¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Bull fucking shit!¡± Li Baoguo cut him off. ¡°All that studying must¡¯ve made you dumb! Right now, your old man can¡¯t even sit still while playing cards, chest hurts like all hell, can¡¯t even fall asleep. So fucking extend for what! And you wanna give money to the hospital! You¡¯re a dumbass just waiting for people to scam your money in the future! If you have so much money why don¡¯t you give any to your old man!¡±


    Jiang Cheng braced himself against the table, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. It took a lot of suppressing to push his emotions back down, ¡°Then what are you thinking?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you!¡± Li Baoguo jabbed a finger at him. ¡°My whole life, I¡¯ve been living it the way I want, I get to curse at whoever I damn like, and beat up anyone I want! My life is carefree!¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at him, and couldn¡¯t find the connection between these sentences and the current topic at hand.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to pretend to care and persuade me to get treatment,¡± Li Baoguo said as he began to cough again. After a while he spat another mouthful of phlegm on the floor, then rubbed it out with his shoes. ¡°And I don¡¯t have that kind of money to treat it. I have three kids, and not one of them has any conscience!¡±


    There was practically a storm happening in Jiang Cheng¡¯s stomach as he quickly turned his head, but unfortunately he still caught a glimpse of the speck of blood on the floor.


    ¡°You should have medical insurance, right?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°You think having insurance means I don¡¯t have to pay?¡± Li Baoguo glared at him. ¡°There¡¯s still a whole bunch of those out-of-pocket medications! Doctors are all fucking black-hearted, they only prescribe you out-of-pocket meds!¡±


    ¡°Doctors are trying to treat the condition, they¡¯re not going to just¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng felt it was impossible to communicate with Li Baoguo.


    ¡°What did you come here to say today?¡± Li Baoguo cut him off. ¡°Talked a bunch of nonsense, what¡¯s your point?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to ask about your condition.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I thought you had a rude awakening and thought to give some money for your father¡¯s treatment,¡± Li Baoguo chortled. ¡°Turns out you¡¯re just here to find out how long much longer it is until I die.¡±


    Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and took a moment to ground his thoughts.


    After a minute, he opened his eyes again and looked at Li Baoguo, ¡°Give Li Hui and Li Qian a call, tell them to find a time to come back here and discuss¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°YOU DON¡¯T GET TO GIVE ME FUCKING ORDERS!¡± Li Baoguo screamed out, his voice was hoarse with phlegm. ¡°It¡¯s not up to you to¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°YOU SHUT UP!¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly kicked over the table in front of him, and also screamed out while pointing at him. ¡°You! Shut your mouth!¡±


    Li Baoguo froze, and went quiet.


    ¡°If you want to treat this, call them back, and we can talk about what to do,¡± Jiang Cheng was still pointing at him. ¡°If you no longer want to treat this, that¡¯s up to you! If I¡¯m giving money it¡¯ll be to the hospital directly. Don¡¯t even think about me giving you money so you can use it to gamble!¡±


    Li Baoguo looked at him with a hint of a sneer, as though he¡¯d said something extremely amusing.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t pay him any more attention. He went into the kitchen, and after the water boiled, he poured it into the hot water thermos, then slammed the door as he left.


    It wasn¡¯t that he cared very much for Li Baoguo, he was only afraid that if he left just like that, Li Baoguo might turn around and forget about the kettle completely as he rushed out the door to play cards. Then either the kettle will dry up and set fire to the whole apartment, or the water will overflow and snuff out the fire, giving rise to some good old carbon monoxide.


    It wasn¡¯t after he went out the door and walked against the night wind for a stretch toward Gu Fei¡¯s store, that the trouble that filled his head and heart finally dissipated somewhat.


    He turned into the side street, and pulled out his phone as he walked.


    A soft whistle sounded from the shadow of a tree on the left side of the road. He turned around, and saw Gu Fei leaning by a wall.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Jiang Cheng walked over.


    ¡°Waiting for you.¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    Seeing Gu Fei¡¯s smile, Jiang Cheng instantly felt much lighter. All kinds of complicated emotions he couldn¡¯t quite make sense of or explain all rushed up all of a sudden.


    He went up and pulled Gu Fei into an embrace.


    Gu Fei squeezed him in his arms, gently patted him a few times on the back, then backed up into the shadow of the tree with his arms still around Jiang Cheng, ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°Dunno how to explain,¡± Jiang Cheng knocked his chin against Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder hard a few times, then tipped his head and bit Gu Fei on the neck. ¡°You¡¯ve been drinking eh, boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, had one drink,¡± Gu Fei said while smiling. ¡°I brushed my teeth before I came out, you can still smell it?¡±


    ¡°No shit, the smell is on your person.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Then shall I take my clothes off?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Try to be civil,¡± Jiang Cheng tsked. ¡°I was just wondering, not repulsed.¡±


    ¡°Are you going home?¡± Gu Fei asked. ¡°I¡¯ll walk you back.¡±


    ¡°Li Yan and the others left already?¡± Jiang Cheng let go of him and straightened his clothes.


    ¡°Left a while ago,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Went to sing karaoke. I closed the store down already, took Er-Miao back too.¡±


    ¡°How about,¡± Jiang Cheng let out a soft sigh. ¡°You come hang out at my place tonight, I don¡¯t wanna be by myself.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    There was potential for it to be a very pleasant evening, a great opportunity for rolling around, rubbing around, nibbling around, kissing around, and feeling around. But since Jiang Cheng¡¯s mood was even more decrepit than Li Baoguo¡¯s home, he didn¡¯t feel like moving after only a few laps of rolling around on the bed with Gu Fei.


    ¡°How about I help you,¡± Jiang Cheng reached a hand inside Gu Fei¡¯s pants. ¡°I¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Gu Fei chuckled and grabbed his hand. ¡°With how upset you are right now, even if it makes me feel good, it¡¯ll make me wonder if I didn¡¯t pay you enough or something.¡±


    ¡°Get out!¡± Jiang Cheng pulled his hand away and flopped backward on the bed. ¡°Fuck! Come here and massage your Master Cheng¡¯s legs.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty!¡± Gu Fei sat up, and set one of Jiang Cheng¡¯s legs on top of his own, and gently kneaded it a couple times. ¡°Master Cheng sir, is this pressure OK?¡±


    ¡°Continue,¡± Jiang Cheng waved his hand with his eyes closed. ¡°There will be a bonus if you make me feel good.¡±


    Gu Fei smiled and didn¡¯t say anything more, just continued kneading his leg.


    Jiang Cheng lay for a while with his eyes shut, before finally saying quietly, ¡°Li Baoguo has late stage lung cancer. I looked up some information when I waited for him today, his condition looks pretty bad; he¡¯s coughing up blood, and both his face and neck are swollen.¡±


    ¡°Has he decided to give up treatment?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Mhm, pretty much, said he has no money for it.¡± Jiang Cheng knitted his brows. ¡°He was still setting up card games when he came back.¡±


    ¡°Then how did your talk with him go?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°He still would rather have the money,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°But I feel like it¡¯s not going to be used on the treatment. I¡¯m thinking¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng opened his eyes, pillowed his arms under his head, and looked at Gu Fei, ¡°Don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m an idiot, and don¡¯t say I¡¯m being a saint either.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking, if he wants to treat it, I can contribute the fund along with Li Hui and Li Qian. He has medical insurance, the surgery is off the table now, but he can still do radiation or chemo, it¡¯ll keep it under control.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°The costs shouldn¡¯t be too high¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°How much are you planning to give?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Ten thousand.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Regardless of how much Li Hui and the others give.¡±


    ¡°Mmn,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to be nicer to me, I can introduce you to some jobs that won¡¯t take up any of your class time.¡±


    Jiang Cheng laughed, ¡°Why does that sound so wrong.¡±


    ¡°And what if Li Hui and the others won¡¯t contribute?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Jiang Cheng looked at him, and drew a blank.


    If Li Hui and the others don¡¯t contribute? He hadn¡¯t considered this possibility. At first he thought it was unlikely, he was their father after all¡­¡­ But after thinking about it some more, he figured it wasn¡¯t entirely impossible.


    ¡°So do you think¡­¡­ If they don¡¯t put in any money, what should I do?¡± Jiang Cheng covered his eyes with his hand, and sighed quietly. His brain was a mess, he couldn¡¯t make sense of anything at the moment.


    ¡°First you tell me, what¡¯s the reason for you giving him money.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want him to say that I don¡¯t have any conscience, I don¡¯t want him to bulge his eyes and go your old man this and your old man that¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I told you, I really¡­¡­ hate it, being scolded like that. Not to mention he¡¯s my¡­¡­ I can¡¯t treat it like he¡¯s a complete stranger¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Gu Fei held his hand, and gently massaged his palm. ¡°If it¡¯s up to me, Cheng-ge, you just give this money to Li Baoguo. Don¡¯t worry about whether Li Hui gives anything.¡±


    ¡°Why, so he can use it to gamble?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°If he really wants to treat it,¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°And you give him the money, he¡¯ll use it on the treatment himself. If he was never going to treat it, and you forcefully pay for those bills, he¡¯s not going to be grateful either.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°This might not sound very good,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°But he probably already gave up, just waiting to die now. If you must give money, then just give it to him directly. Let him do whatever he wants with it, whether it¡¯s food, alcohol, or gambling, at least he¡¯ll enjoy it. But don¡¯t give it to him all at once, split it into installments of 2000 at a time.¡±


    Jiang Cheng released a long dragged out sigh.


    ¡°Another thing, you must hand him this money in front of Li Hui and Li Qian. Li Qian is fine, it¡¯s mainly about Li Hui.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng answered, and closed his eyes again. ¡°Got it.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything else, just continued to knead his leg.


    After a while, Jiang Cheng opened his eyes again, ¡°Gu Fei.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°Hug please,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Why do I feel a little scared.¡±


    ¡°Coming,¡± Gu Fei smiled, lay down beside him, and reached over to pull him into a tight hug, then caressed his head. ¡°Rub-a-dub-dub, hush little cub.¡±


    Jiang Cheng closed his eyes.


    Gu Fei then picked up a tuft of his hair and smoothed it out, ¡°Rock-rock-rock, hush little cock.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Jiang Cheng giggled. ¡°Damn shameless.¡±

 CH 65

    ¡°Can¡¯t,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I was wrong, Cheng-ge.¡±


    Since Jiang Cheng started at Fourth High, this was the first time he didn¡¯t finish his homework.


    He had written half of it during the self-study, and was planning to write the rest that evening. But the Li Baoguo problem stressed him out, and completely put him out of the homework mood. Not to mention, sitting there chatting idly on and off with Gu Fei, he didn¡¯t feel like moving at all.


    It wasn¡¯t until he reached for his phone and saw that it was almost 2 AM, that he reluctantly sat up, ¡°How is it so late already.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to get up tomorrow,¡± Gu Fei sat leaning against the headboard. ¡°You head to school on your own tomorrow when you get up, no need to wake me.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced at him, ¡°You haven¡¯t been late at all lately, must¡¯ve been really hard on you.¡±


    ¡°What can I do, it¡¯s not my fault my boyfriend is an overachiever.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Babee just suffers quietly on the inside, it¡¯s not usually verbalized.¡±


    ¡°Get outta here,¡± Jiang Cheng got off the bed and opened his wardrobe. ¡°Let¡¯s sleep, you can wear my pyjamas.¡±


    ¡°You only have that one lone pillow right?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng took out a set of pyjamas and tossed it to him. ¡°You can take a blanket and roll it up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sleeping on that thing.¡± Gu Fei replied.


    ¡°Then you sleep on the pillow, and I¡¯ll sleep on the blanket.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°You want me to smack you?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°I want it to be the same height, can¡¯t have one higher than the other.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°What kind of bizarre rule is that.¡± Jiang Cheng threw the blanket on him. ¡°You can make it the same height yourself.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty!¡± Gu Fei stood up.


    When Jiang Cheng came back to the bedroom after washing up, he discovered his lone pillow had been moved to the desk. The spot at the head of the bed had been usurped by a blanket shaped into a long roll.


    ¡°¡­¡­What the shit?¡± Jiang Cheng was baffled.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s the same height,¡± Gu Fei clapped his hands together. ¡°A couple¡¯s pillow¡­¡­ Do you have a toothbrush for me?¡±


    Jiang Cheng took out a toothbrush from the drawers and handed it to him, then looked at the bed again. If only he went ahead and bought a couple¡¯s pillow that day. At the end of the day he was still too innocent, when buying bedding he never thought to question how many people will be sharing his bed.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t this toothbrush in its packaging,¡± Gu Fei waved the toothbrush in front of his face. ¡°Is it because Pan Zhi used it?¡±


    ¡°It was a set of two, after I opened it¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng stopped halfway through, and narrowed his eyes at him. ¡°Yes you¡¯re right it was used by Pan Zhi, it was too dear to throw away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Gu Fei said as he walked out the room. ¡°So Pan Zhi, has a pretty good face, and personality wise, is even better than you¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer. He watched Gu Fei go into the bathroom, then walked over and pulled the door shut.


    ¡°Trying to lock me in the bathroom?¡± Gu Fei said from the other side as he laughed. ¡°Do you overachievers all lack common sense, bathroom doors are usually locked from the inside.¡±


    Jiang Cheng smirked, ¡°You slackers really do have poor perception skills.¡±


    Previously, this apartment was only occupied by the middle-aged landlady. And probably for safety¡­¡­ He reached out and flicked a tab on the bathroom door handle, locking the door from the outside.


    Gu Fei¡¯s voice suddenly stopped. This was followed by the sound of him jiggling the doorknob.


    ¡°There¡¯s a whole world for you to explore.¡± Jiang Cheng said leaning by the door.


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Gu Fei knocked on the door as he continued to jiggle the doorknob. ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, what is this behaviour, it¡¯s the middle of the night.¡±


    ¡°A strike,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°For payback.¡±


    ¡°I was wrong.¡± Gu Fei said immediately.


    ¡°¡­¡­What,¡± Jiang Cheng was amused. ¡°Can you have a little more integrity please, don¡¯t forget you¡¯re the Mini Tyrant of the Steel Works.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I was wrong, Cheng-ge.¡±


    ¡°Can you please follow the script,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°At least act tough and threaten me a little, and then beg for forgiveness?¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge I was wrong,¡± Gu Fei leaned on the door and gently tapped on it over and over. ¡°Can you let me ouuut, I was wrong.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Have some grit will you!¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Will not,¡± Gu Fei continued to say in a pitiful tone. ¡°I was wrong, I won¡¯t get randomly jealous again, please let me out Cheng-ge.¡±


    ¡°Wash up first, stop wasting time!¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Look at how late it is!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    Then came the sounds of his washing his face and brushing his teeth. Jiang Cheng went to his room and came back with his phone.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± After the water sounds stopped, Gu Fei¡¯s voice reappeared behind the door, still woefully pitiful. ¡°Cheng-ge, are you out there?¡±


    Jiang Cheng pressed record, and pressed his phone to the door, ¡°Say that again.¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge I was wrong.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°The line before that, the really pitiful one.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Cheng-ge are you ouuut there?¡± Gu Fei was very cooperative, he even scratched the door a few times. ¡°Can you let me out pleeease.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hear a little more of that begging, make it sincere.¡± Jiang Cheng held in his laughter.


    ¡°I¡¯m begging you Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei said in a small voice. ¡°I won¡¯t dare to do this again in the future, I was wrong, please let me out.¡±


    ¡°Tell me, who are you.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I¡¯m Good Little Bunny.¡± Gu Fei said, still with the small voice.


    The fact that a persona like the one Gu Fei usually put up, with a face as cold as a flower on a high cliff that once dropped was enough to give one chills, could so naturally play cute like this¡­¡­ It deluded him into thinking that perhaps Gu Fei had always been a delicate flower.


    Jiang Cheng almost wanted to go and touch Good Little Bunny¡¯s head to see if there really was a little floret sticking out the top. After happily saving the recording to his phone, he opened the bathroom door, ¡°I¡¯m telling you¡­¡­¡±


    He didn¡¯t get to finish, when the door was suddenly yanked wide open by Gu Fei. Next, Jiang Cheng felt like a gust of wind rushed out, and before he was able to react, he already grabbed the phone out of his hand. Gu Fei then locked Jiang Cheng in his arms and bit down hard on his neck, ¡°You even made a recording?¡±


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng was a little stunned. Where was the promised Good Little Bunny?!


    ¡°Enjoying yourself aren¡¯t you!¡± Gu Fei bit him again, then pushed him roughly into the bedroom. ¡°Cheng-ge!¡±


    Jiang Cheng let out an amused giggle, ¡°Shit, was I too careless?¡±


    ¡°Way too careless!¡± Gu Fei pushed again, and shoved him straight onto the bed. He jumped onto Jiang Cheng, grabbed him, and started pelting him with kisses. ¡°The bunny¡¯s desperate for some meat.¡±


    ¡°Get out!¡± Jiang Cheng felt for his leg and pinched it. ¡°Damn it quit fooling around, it¡¯s too late. By the time we finish frolicking and clean up, you can forget about sleep tonight!¡±


    ¡°Roger that,¡± Gu Fei instantly released him and got up. He picked up the pyjamas, and said as he started to change out of his clothes. ¡°See, aren¡¯t I great at turning it on and off at will.¡±


    Jiang Cheng lay on the bed and couldn¡¯t stop laughing¡­¡­ until he couldn¡¯t laugh anymore. Once Gu Fei was stripped all the way down to his underwear, Jiang Cheng felt his breath hitch.


    But before he could get his visual fill, Gu Fei already pulled on the pyjama bottoms, so he could only stare at the waist and back. This time he only got a few glimpses before Gu Fei started to put the shirt on too.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Jiang Cheng reached out his Er-kang hand.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei looked back, his hands paused in the middle of pulling his shirt down.


    This exact position¡­¡­ he simply could not deal. Jiang Cheng stared at the back of Gu Fei¡¯s waist ¡ª the only strip of shameless real estate on Gu Fei¡¯s body aside from Gu Fei¡¯s face that was still exposed to his view.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gu Fei asked incredulously.


    Jiang Cheng quickly pulled his hand back and felt below his nose. Fortunately, no nosebleed. Next, he sprung up from the bed and threw himself around Gu Fei, biting down on his waist.


    ¡°AHH¡ª¡ª¡± Gu Fei howled, and tried tugging on Jiang Cheng¡¯s hair but wasn¡¯t able to pull his head away, so he resorted to grabbing his shoulders and forcing it back. ¡°Jiang Cheng did you ingest some fucking acid that burned down your brain or something!¡±


    Jiang Cheng ignored him and continued biting. His hand slid down, pulled down Gu Fei¡¯s pants, and grabbed hold.


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei¡¯s body immediately tensed, his grip on Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulder also tightened. His other hand braced against the desk for balance. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say yourself that it¡¯s too late and that after¡­¡­ we still have to¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei tilted his head back, sucked in a breath, and didn¡¯t end up finishing the rest of the sentence.


    Jiang Cheng pulled him backward, and the two of them fell onto the bed with two hard thumps.


    Jiang Cheng even took a second in the midst of the shameless activity to reflect on the audible impact. He figured the bed was bound to collapse sooner or later.


    The hard-working citizens of this neighbourhood were more industrious than the residents around Li Baoguo¡¯s home. They were earlier risers, and with louder voices too. If there were no special circumstances, Jiang Cheng rarely overslept.


    And yet, he overslept that day. After all, a bad-mood-induced late night conversation with his boyfriend followed by a most enthusiastic and energetic handshake certainly counted as a very special circumstance.


    Which was why when he opened his eyes and felt for his phone to check the time, he saw that it was almost the end of the first period.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Jiang Cheng tossed his phone aside and closed his eyes. Late¡­¡­ So he was late, oh well. It would be a little time-off for himself.


    After another few minutes spent in a half-awake daze, he reached back to feel around, when his hand touched Gu Fei¡¯s butt.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t move, likely still sound asleep.


    Although¡­¡­ Jiang Cheng propped himself up and glanced behind. He remembered when they fell asleep the night before, Gu Fei was wrapped around him in the so-called most popular spooning position. And yet when he woke up in the morning, the dude had his back to him.


    Tsk.


    Not sweet at all.


    Jiang Cheng grabbed his shirt and haphazardly threw it on before getting out of bed. He leaned close to look at Gu Fei again. To be honest, he had seen Gu Fei in his various different states, but he didn¡¯t really have a chance to see Gu Fei when he was asleep, the way he was right then.


    Gu Fei was a rather solid sleeper, even his sideways position was very on point. Half of his face was buried beneath the covers, and his eyelashes rested quietly on his cheeks. Jiang Cheng watched for a while, and couldn¡¯t resist the urge to reach out and touch his eyelashes.


    Gu Fei¡¯s eyelid quivered, and Jiang Cheng drew his hand back. A few seconds later he reached over and touched it again.


    ¡°Imma smack you.¡± Gu Fei said with his eyes closed and still buried within the covers, his voice was heavy with the dregs of sleep.


    ¡°Crap,¡± Jiang Cheng grinned. ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡±


    ¡°You sir are so handsy, as if I even had a choice.¡± Gu Fei opened his eyes. ¡°Staring at me first thing in the morning, did you notice any eye goop?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it for a second, and immediately took a few steps back and rubbed his eyes. ¡°Do I have any?¡±


    ¡°Dunno,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I didn¡¯t get a chance to look.¡±


    ¡°Are you getting up? It¡¯s almost the end of the first period.¡± Jiang Cheng said as he started putting on his pants. ¡°Why do you sleep with your back to me?¡±


    ¡°Ayy¡­¡± Gu Fei turned over to lie flat on his back. ¡°I was going to hold you, but you¡¯re real fucking eccentric when you¡¯re asleep. As soon as I reached over, you immediately gave me an elbow, almost broke my ribs. It¡¯s a wonder I didn¡¯t move to the sofa.¡±


    ¡°No way?¡± Jiang Cheng blinked. ¡°But I wasn¡¯t like that the last time I slept at your place.¡±


    ¡°No shit,¡± Gu Fei sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t touch you back then, did I. And you were ready to fight me just for climbing over you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Come on come here, let Cheng-ge massage it for you.¡± Jiang Cheng reached out and touched Gu Fei¡¯s flank.


    Gu Fei stretched out on the bed, ¡°You go on first. If we¡¯re late to school at the same time, then show up at the same time, you wanna bet the forum will implode today.¡±


    ¡°Mmn,¡± Jiang Cheng smiled. ¡°You¡¯re enjoying this huh? Look, the forum imploded because of me, and I, am the drop-dead freestyle_handsome; I, am also the dashing hotness_overload.¡±


    ¡°Dumbass.¡± Gu Fei laughed.


    Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t been in the best mood the night before, but it was soothed after the physical activity, and continued to rise when he saw Gu Fei after he woke up in the morning. As he walked out the door, he thought of Li Baoguo again, and his mood suddenly dropped. He quickly took out his phone and pulled up Gu Fei¡¯s photo to take a hit¡­¡­


    Jiang Cheng wrote his name down on the late register at the security guard¡¯s post.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng ah,¡± The guard took a look at him. ¡°Top of the grade and you¡¯re late?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Jiang Cheng answered. ¡°Top of the grade also has days when he can¡¯t wake up.¡±


    He entered the classroom just as the bell rang for the second period. Jiang Cheng sat down at his seat in the very last row. As his butt touched the chair, Zhou Jing turned around, ¡°You¡¯re a whole period late?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Great mathing there.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re late?¡± Zhou Jing continued.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jiang Cheng took out his books. ¡°I skip class too.¡±


    Zhou Jing continued on, ¡°You¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Shhh,¡± Jiang Cheng put a finger. ¡°Shut up or I¡¯ll smack you.¡±


    Zhou Jing tsked unhappily and turned around. Then turned back not two seconds later, ¡°Hey Jiang¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng reached over and flicked his head hard.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Zhou Jing covered his head. ¡°Damn it, so vicious! I was just asking if there are mosquitos already!¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at him, not quite understanding what he was talking about.


    ¡°Your neck.¡± Zhou Jing pointed.


    Neck.


    What Jiang Cheng felt at this moment was an urge to leap up and silence Zhou Jing on the spot, permanently.


    He didn¡¯t even need to touch or see or think about it, just hearing the word was enough for him to understand what Zhou Jing saw!


    It was Gu Fei¡¯s bite from the night before!


    He fucking bit him right on the neck!


    The dog-fucking bastard bit pretty hard too!


    It must¡¯ve left a teeth mark!


    And due to his muddled mental state this morning, he didn¡¯t even get to carefully inspect his own handsome face and handsome neck!


    Oh fuck!


    ¡°I guess.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°It¡¯s only May¡­¡­¡± Zhou Jing rubbed his head as he turned around, all the while still mumbling to himself. ¡°Does your family keep a lot of flowers and plants or something¡­¡­¡±


    Fortunately the second period is Lao-Lu¡¯s class. He bellowed out as soon as he walked to the lectern, ¡°ARE YOU ALL AWAKE YET!¡±


    Jiang Cheng could feel a whole bunch of lowered heads around him lift up at the same time. Zhou Jing¡¯s memory was naturally also jumbled by the booming noise, and he let go of the mosquito bite.


    ¡°COMMENCING CLASS!¡± Lao-Lu roared out.


    Jiang Cheng put his head down, took out his phone, and quickly turned on the front-facing camera. He pretended to be playing on his phone, and pointed the camera toward his neck.


    Fuck.


    There really were two obvious red dots left behind by Gu Fei¡¯s fangs. The only consolation was that the round imprint had faded somewhat after a night¡¯s rest, one couldn¡¯t tell it was a ring of teeth mark unless they leaned in close.


    He took a photo of his neck and sent it to Gu Fei.


    ¨C look what you fucking did!


    Gu Fei replied very quickly.


    ¨C you have such a beautiful neck, boyfriend!


    ¨C get out!!!!!


    ¨C I have band-aids in my desk drawer, you can stick some on it


    Jiang Cheng put down his phone, and reached into Gu Fei¡¯s drawer, and found a box of band-aids. He took out two, and while everyone around him was in a state of shock from Lao-Lu¡¯s yelling, quickly opened them and stuck them onto the teeth mark.


    He picked up his phone and checked again, making sure there were no other mosquito bites, and finally let out a breath of relief.


    All the way until the end of third period, Gu Fei still hadn¡¯t come to school. Jiang Cheng was just about to send him a message to ask if he¡¯d gotten out of bed yet, when he heard girls screaming on the walkway outside.


    ¡°My god I¡¯m going crazy, is he crazy?!¡±


    ¡°I think it looks really good, aaaaahhh it looks so cool! Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s cool!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh but I like the way he looked before!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like his face is ruined, I think the way it looks pretty awesome the way it is now¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned and saw a row of girls leaning over the railings looking down.


    ¡°Who are they looking at?¡± Wang Xu was beside him. ¡°What kinda cool person could this school possibly have, bunch of ignorant fools.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go see,¡± Zhou Jing eagerly got up and walked out of the classroom. He leaned over the railing to look, then immediately whipped his head around. ¡°Oh shit, Gu Fei!¡±


    ¡°What about him?¡± Wang Xu blinked.


    ¡°He shaved his head bald,¡± Zhou Jing said, then took another look. When he turned around he couldn¡¯t stop laughing. ¡°He¡¯s standing on the field talking to Lao-Xu right now.¡±


    ¡°Oh crap let me see,¡± Wang Xu immediately squeezed by behind Jiang Cheng. ¡°Don¡¯t we have school rules that say we¡¯re not allowed to shave our heads bald¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°We have school rules?¡± Zhou Jing¡¯s deskmate said, bewildered.


    Gu Fei¡¯s hair¡­ shaved off just like that. Gu Fei didn¡¯t even mention it this morning when he left. Jiang Cheng sat unmoving on the chair, his insides were a little jumbled.


    It didn¡¯t matter to him whether Gu Fei shaved his head or not. Based on Gu Fei¡¯s attractiveness, as long as it wasn¡¯t male pattern baldness on his crown, he could pull off just about any hairstyle.


    But the fact that Gu Fei was suddenly a baldy still left him in shock. Though after the shock he also wanted to laugh.


    He very much wanted to follow the crowd and lean over the railing to take a look, but the anxiety of being discovered overruled that desire. He ultimately decided to stay in his seat.


    Gu Fei was going to come up in a while anyway. Not only could he look, he could even touch, and kiss¡­¡­


    He wondered how it would feel to kiss it.


    After a few minutes, when the bell rang for the next period, Gu Fei rolled in from the front door of the classroom with a baseball cap on his head.


    There was a chorus of whistling and desk-banging right as he stepped in, mixed in there were barely suppressed screams from the girls.


    Gu Fei slowly ambled up to Jiang Cheng¡¯s side and sat down, his face blank.


    Jiang Cheng also kept his face blank. He could see a dark fuz showing from the edge of Gu Fei¡¯s hat. Technically, he didn¡¯t shave it off completely, it stayed very close to the scalp, but visually it had the same impact as a clean shaved head.


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± Zhou Jing bumped their desk, and turned around. ¡°Hey Gu Fei, Gu¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei pointed a finger at him. He stopped, then two seconds later continued, ¡°Take off the hat so we can see, did you shave it all off?! What did Lao-Xu say?¡±


    ¡°Go away.¡± Gu Fei answered simply.


    Zhou Jing tsked disappointedly and turned back around.


    Beside him, Gu Fei cleared his throat. Jiang Cheng twisted around to look at him.


    Gu Fei also turned and looked back at Jiang Cheng. The two of them stared blankly at each for a long time, then Gu Fei asked quietly, ¡°What do you think.¡±


    Jiang Cheng collapsed on the desk with his face down, and burst out in laughter, he was practically coughing from laughing too hard.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Gu Fei also hunched over the desk. ¡°Is it that funny?¡±


    ¡°Dunno,¡± It took Jiang Cheng a while to calm down. ¡°You didn¡¯t say you were going to shave your head this morning.¡±


    ¡°I said yesterday that I was going to shave my head.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°A man of his words.¡± Jiang Cheng looked around, and detected quite a number of gazes directed this way. ¡°Ayy, I was gonna ask you to take off the hat so I can see.¡±


    ¡°You want to see?¡± Gu Fei touched the brim.


    Immediately there was a low level of commotion around them. Jiang Cheng shook his head, ¡°Forget it, they¡¯re all waiting to see.¡±


    ¡°It looks pretty good.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t take it off,¡± Jiang Cheng said in a low voice. ¡°Let me take my time to appreciate it when we get back.¡±


    Gu Fei quirked a smile, ¡°I think Er-Miao is going to touch it for at least half an hour tonight.¡±


    ¡°Why did you decide to shave it off?¡± Jiang Cheng asked quietly. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it fine the way it was.¡±


    ¡°That design,¡± Gu Fei took out his phone, slumped over his desk, and swiped at it. ¡°Didn¡¯t want to keep it anymore.¡±


    ¡°I never asked you,¡± Jiang Cheng considered for a second. ¡°That music note you had, was it a set with the one on Ding Zhuxin¡¯s ear?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Something like that, we got it together.¡± Gu Fei said hesitantly. ¡°It¡¯s been a pretty long time, just never changed it.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng said quietly. ¡°When you were in a band together?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei nodded, then gave him a look. ¡°You¡¯re actually¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Not jelly?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Jiang Cheng blinked. ¡°Oh shit, I forgot.¡±


    Gu Fei giggled at his phone screen.


    Jiang Cheng tsked audibly and didn¡¯t say anything.


    When it came to jealousy, he simply blinked and forgot to be jealous. It could be because at this point in their relationship, with everything he felt when he was with Gu Fei, there simply wasn¡¯t room for jealousy.


    But once he remembered it, he felt like he might as well not let the jelly go to waste.


    Even though it wasn¡¯t a couple thing, it was still a unique connection between Gu Fei and Ding Zhuxin. When he thought of it that way, Jiang Cheng was suddenly a little peeved in the same manner as ¡°even Lao-Xu knew you drink tea but I don¡¯t¡±.


    A couple thing.


    It was frankly kind of childish. He¡¯d always thought these things were silly and only enjoyed by people in grade school. But now¡­¡­ he peeked at Gu Fei. He felt a strong urge to leave his mark somewhere on Gu Fei¡¯s body.


    Tsk tsk.


    By an overachiever¡¯s logical analysis, what he was feeling at the moment was known as the intense possessiveness that arose as a result of liking someone too much.

 CH 66

    Jiang Cheng had this quality, Gu Fei thought. But he himself might not.


    For several consecutive days, the attention of everyone in the Liberal Arts building of Fourth High was focused on Gu Fei¡¯s head. But the only reason it was the Liberal Arts building, was because that was about the extent of Jiang Cheng¡¯s radius of activity. He only ever left the building to go to the washroom, so he rarely passed by anywhere else. [1]


    There was a lot of commotion on the forum as well, it was bustling with all sorts of showing off of sneakily taken photos. However, aside from the other day when someone snuck a photo of Gu Fei when Lao-Xu forcibly took off his hat to inspect, since then nobody else had gotten a shot of the full view of Gu Fei¡¯s head.


    Only Jiang Cheng got to appreciate the full view. Not only could he observe, but he could observe in detail. Not only could he observe in detail, he could even reach out and touch it whenever he had a chance.


    ¡°I just want to know if you¡¯re ever going to continue your homework?¡± Gu Fei was sitting at the edge of the bed, looking at Jiang Cheng with his right hand around a pencil writing, and his left hand on Gu Fei¡¯s head. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we¡¯re going out to get snacks after you¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Relax,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t disturb me, I¡¯ll be done in a jiffy. These homework assignments from the Fourth High, it¡¯s just about hard enough to shoo away a beggar.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you still have to write the other set from the old Affiliated High.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I can work on that tonight, and during the self-study period.¡± Jiang Cheng kept stroking Gu Fei¡¯s head with his fingers. ¡°Hey it¡¯s only been two, maybe three days, and it¡¯s already prickly.¡±


    ¡°What did you think,¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t bother resisting further, and put his head down to play with his phone. ¡°It¡¯ll grow faster if you stop touching it all the time, I¡¯m starting to worry you¡¯re gonna make me bald.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jiang Cheng turned to him. ¡°Do you hate it when people touch your head?¡±


    ¡°Dunno,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Nobody really dares to touch my head, other than you and Gu Er-Miao.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the boyfriend after all, gotta have certain special privileges.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled, then turned around, held Gu Fei¡¯s head, and planted a kiss on the very top. ¡°Too bad you don¡¯t take off your hat, otherwise I¡¯d chomp out a teeth mark on here for sure.¡±


    ¡°The one on my waist just faded.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°The one on my neck also just faced.¡± Jiang Cheng clucked his tongue.


    A couples teeth mark¡­¡­ Jiang Cheng had given it more than a little thought. He even considered getting matching teeth mark tattoos, but never spoke it out loud to Gu Fei. He figured it was a little silly, and too much like a teenage girl antic.


    Not to mention the thing occupying his mind even more at the moment, was his upcoming birthday.


    He wondered how he should spend his birthday. Both he and Gu Fei¡¯s birthdays are during Summer break, one at the beginning and one near the end. They could combine the two and celebrate it together, to force the born on the same day of the same month of the same year trope.


    Ever since he was little, his birthdays had been rather joyless. He was always forced to stay home on the day of, and his classmates were never invited to his home, because it would be too rowdy. If he wanted to go out with friends, it could only be before or after his birthday.


    But even though his parents insisted on celebrating it at home, there was never anything special either. It was always just a family gathering to have a bowl of noodles. They wouldn¡¯t even buy a cake, because these kinds of sweet foods were not good for you.


    After that would be all sorts of reflecting on the past and looking to the future. Mom and dad would point out all the insufficiencies of the past year, and bring up expectations for the next. Even job reviews would have a segment for positive affirmations, but even on his birthday, Jiang Cheng had never once received any kind of affirmation. There was always something inadequate, insufficient, and improper; he always needed to improve, needed to progress, needed to work harder¡­¡­ Every time, he felt like he had to repress his emotions. Every year on his birthday he would feel irritation in every cell of his body, and feel annoyed by anything and everything. Almost every year, he would have a giant fight with his family on his birthday.


    He wondered if there were anyone else like him, who through the process of being continuously put down, developed a whole body of thorns.


    This was the very first birthday ever that he could decide for himself. It was the first time he could confront this day head-on with such ease and lightness.


    Despite the very direct connection it now had with Li Baoguo, he didn¡¯t mind. Only, he still felt a little down whenever he thought about Li Baoguo.


    He wasn¡¯t very aware of the situation on Li Baoguo¡¯s side, only that since leaving the hospital that day, Li Baoguo never went back to the hospital again. Instead, he¡¯d gone twice to the community clinic to pick up some cough medicine.


    It wasn¡¯t until half a month later that Jiang Cheng finally got a call from Li Baoguo again.


    ¡°Your brother and your sister are both coming over tonight,¡± Li Baoguo said. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say to call them here.¡±


    ¡°Mmn,¡± Jiang Cheng stood on the walkway, looking at the students on the field. ¡°I¡¯ll come over after school.¡±


    ¡°Eat something before you come, I haven¡¯t made any food.¡± Li Baoguo said.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Jiang Cheng replied. When Li Baoguo spoke, his voice was still very loud, but it clearly didn¡¯t boom as it once did.


    Jiang Cheng felt a little lost after he hung up the phone, like he was floating in mid-air with nothing to grab onto.


    There was no love lost between him and Li Baoguo, much less any father-son sentiments. But seeing this person growing quickly and noticeably weaker in the last half year, and knowing that he might very soon disappear entirely, still made him oddly unsettled.


    ¡°That was Li Baoguo?¡± Gu Fei came to stand next to him, and they looked out onto the field together.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng pocketed his phone. ¡°He said Li Hui and Li Qian are coming over tonight, told me to drop by.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get into any conflicts with Li Hui, just state your stance, that¡¯s all. You don¡¯t have to worry about what he wants to do,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°People like him, they¡¯re somewhat of a local specialty unique to these parts, just all kinds of unsavoury.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Jiang Cheng smiled. ¡°The way you worry, how unlike a 17 year-old.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve fully ripened a long time ago.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Jiang Cheng peered at him sideways.


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± After thinking about it for a moment, Gu Fei also smiled. ¡°Just think of yourself as the magical de-aging pill.¡±


    ¡°Ay¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng stared at him for a long while, before saying quietly. ¡°Sometimes I really want to just grab you and knead you, and ruffle you up. Sometimes I even want to grab a random person off the street and tell them, you know Gu Fei? Did you know that he¡¯s not what he seems? Ha, ha, ha, ha, I¡¯m the only one who really sees!¡±


    Gu Fei looked back at him, and after a pause, bowed his head and started laughing.


    ¡°What the hell you laughing at?¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him.


    ¡°To be honest, I kinda wanna do that too.¡± Gu Fei turned to him and said while laughing. ¡°Nobody knows what the top of the grade is like in private, only I know.¡±


    ¡°And at the same time I¡­¡­ can¡¯t really explain it, I¡¯m just a little bothered that other people only know you as some badass head honcho, when you¡¯re clearly so excellent¡­¡­ Am I being kind of childish?¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°I really wasn¡¯t like this before, you must remember that.¡±


    Clearly so excellent.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything else.


    It must be similar to the pride Gu Fei felt whenever he saw something extraordinary in Jiang Cheng. Jiang Cheng likely felt the same for him, even though Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know that he wasn¡¯t keen about letting other people in on it.


    He couldn¡¯t let Jiang Cheng understand what he was thinking, but he could sympathize with how Jiang Cheng felt.


    This handsome overachiever whose smugness was so through the roof that he saw everyone else as dumbasses: Only I know what he¡¯s truly like beneath this facade. The real him was so clean that it was silly. A quick temper yes, but as long as you smoothed out his feathers there would be no temper at all¡­¡­


    But at times, he didn¡¯t want to think too much into it. The more he saw, the more he felt, the more he could feel the distance grow.


    And the more he felt that a person like this shouldn¡¯t be relegated to glowing in the mud. He shouldn¡¯t have been in the mud in the first place.


    Gu Fei watched the smile that played at the corner of Jiang Cheng¡¯s mouth and in his eyes. Only when he was looking at this smile could he briefly toss aside those other thoughts.


    He should be more like Jiang Cheng, he thought, and stop worrying so much. I like you. I want to be with you. That should be enough. And as to what happens after, well, after is not here yet.


    If ever comes a day, when ¡®after¡¯ becomes the ¡®now¡¯, still I will have nothing to fear. As long as I keep walking forward, there is nothing that can stop me.


    Jiang Cheng had this quality, Gu Fei thought. But he himself might not.


    In spite of all that, he was still willing to jump in, and live like Jiang Cheng for a while. Perhaps when that day comes, and Jiang Cheng leaves, everything would slowly fade away. But at least he wouldn¡¯t feel regret, that he didn¡¯t hold on tightly to Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand once upon a time.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give him 2000 today, to start.¡± Jiang Cheng said as they retrieved their bikes after school. ¡°I won¡¯t bring up the hospital or the treatment anymore either, just say that it¡¯s spending money for him.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°Treat me to a bowl of cold noodles,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°I have a craving.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Gu Fei got on his bike.


    The weather was growing warmer day by day. Even though the real Summer had not yet arrived, it was already the season when any casual movement would be enough to generate sweat. Cold noodles would be most satisfying at this time.


    ¡°Tomorrow afternoon,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Let¡¯s go play a game with He Zhou.¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t given up on dragging you into the school team?¡± Gu Fei sighed.


    ¡°He gave up,¡± Jiang Cheng smiled. ¡°This time it¡¯s a rehearsal game with the technical college. He Zhou¡¯s always wanted to team up with us for a game, he¡¯s brought it up countless times.¡±


    ¡°You go ahead then,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­¡­ sit out.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Jiang Cheng turned to look at him. ¡°If you¡¯re not gonna play, there¡¯s no point of me going by myself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go watch you, I really don¡¯t want to play.¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    He never used to participate in school events, the last basketball tournament was already an exception. He didn¡¯t actually wish to integrate into the student body, he had his own established rhythm and way of living. Letting Jiang Cheng into his life was already a completely unforeseen change.


    However, certain resolves must be kept utterly unchanged, bound, and in deep slumber, in order to stay resolute.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t mention playing basketball with him again. His mind was probably still occupied with Li Baoguo¡¯s problem, and not really in the mood.


    Gu Fei went with him to withdraw money and watched as he put it in an envelope. They then went together to have some cold noodles.


    As they walked to the intersection together, Jiang Cheng looked at him, ¡°Will you be at the store tonight or will you be home?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going home today,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I have to work on Gu Miao before Summer break starts, gotta get her to agree to the therapy.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not willing to go to therapy?¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that she doesn¡¯t want therapy, more like she doesn¡¯t understand what it is.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°She¡¯s just reluctant to go to places she¡¯s not familiar with, I have to communicate with her in advance.¡±


    ¡°Mmn,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll come with.¡±


    ¡°What,¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°To experience life?¡±


    ¡°I just want to see.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    I don¡¯t even know her as well as Li Yan.


    Gu Fei felt like laughing when he remembered those words. Jiang Cheng really was adorable when he was like that.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll bring you along.¡± He said.


    ¡°Also¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it for a second, then waved his hand. ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m going to Li Baoguo¡¯s now. I¡¯ll call you when it¡¯s done.¡±


    Jiang Cheng walked for a stretch toward Li Baoguo¡¯s street, then turned around. Gu Fei was still on his bike with one foot on the ground, looking this way. To show that he wasn¡¯t reluctantly seeing him home, Gu Fei even pulled out a cigarette to put in his mouth as Jiang Cheng looked back at him.


    ¡°Dumbass.¡± Jiang Cheng giggled. He wasn¡¯t watching the road as he tripped on who-knows-what on the ground, and stumbled as he tried to keep from falling. He tsked. ¡°Everyone must¡¯ve realized by now, that recently, contestant Jiang Cheng¡¯s has been acting a little different¡­¡­ His effortless poise hasn¡¯t been very well maintained. Even though he shouldn¡¯t have any idol¡¯s baggage to begin with¡­¡­¡±


    Before he finished, when he was still more than 10 meters away from the stairwell to Li Baoguo¡¯s place, he already heard the loud bellowing of Li Baoguo¡¯s voice.


    Li Baoguo had sounded weak on the phone that afternoon, therefore at this moment, it must¡¯ve been the sighting of the long absent Li Hui that stimulated him to a sudden burst of energy.


    Jiang Cheng sucked in a breath, and slowed his pace as he adjusted his mindset. He tried hard to reassure himself. Do not argue. Do not get angry. Do not get annoyed. Just give the money, that¡¯s all.


    ¡°Oyy, that youngest son of his is back too¡­¡­¡± An auntie said excitedly out of a second floor kitchen window.


    This kind of people who took pleasure in gawking at other people¡¯s business and saw it as their main form of leisurely activity, was a bizarre phenomenon in and of itself.


    And despite the fact that both were ¡®watching from the sidelines¡¯, even without the boyfriend-tinted lenses¡­¡­ Gu Fei watched with such airy nonchalance, while these people watched in such crude ways.


    ¡°If you¡¯re done filling up your stomach then go pick your teeth,¡± Jiang Cheng said to the second floor window. ¡°Finish chewing those leftover scraps in your mouth first before you get all up in other people¡¯s business.¡±


    The auntie on the second floor froze for a few seconds, before letting out an ¡°OYY¡ª¡ª¡±


    After that she must¡¯ve been at a loss for words again, and didn¡¯t continue making any other sounds.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t bother waiting around to see what else came out, and walked into the stairwell.


    The door to Li Baoguo¡¯s unit was open. No wonder he could hear him from far away. He was about to close the door after he walked in, but after getting a whiff of the smells in the apartment, he hesitated.


    Smoke filled the room. Li Baoguo and Li Hui both had cigarettes in their mouths. Judging by their stance, they had already finished who knew how many smokes. Jiang Cheng was a smoker himself, but even breathing the smell at this moment made him want to rage.


    ¡°With your health like this, at least try to smoke a little less.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at Li Baoguo. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it feel bad when you cough?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not even afraid of death, you think I¡¯m afraid of some discomfort?¡± Li Baoguo started laughing, then accompanied the laughter with coughs.


    ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the issue at hand.¡± Li Hui sat on the side, looking at him with an expression of annoyance. ¡°Now, don¡¯t you have a big face, one word and we all have to gather at your behest.¡±


    ¡°Right now¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Li Baoguo. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to properly address Li Baoguo out loud, so he mumbled over it. ¡°His condition, he¡¯s unwilling to go to the hospital¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°I told you!¡± Li Baoguo cut him off. ¡°I said I¡¯m not going to the hospital! If you guys have any conscience at all, you¡¯ll give me the money you were going to give the hospital!¡±


    ¡°And let you use it on gambling?¡± Li Hui smirked.


    ¡°You shut it with your wise-assery,¡± Li Baoguo glared at him. ¡°You didn¡¯t spend a single cent when I was in the hospital! It was all paid for by your sister!¡±


    ¡°Then go admit yourself to the hospital right now!¡± Li Hui said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go if you put up the money.¡± It was Li Baoguo¡¯s turn to smirk. ¡°You swam out of your old man¡¯s dick, I watched you grow up. You think I don¡¯t know what brand of shit you are?¡±


    Li Hui threw his half finished cigarette on the ground and started walking toward Li Baoguo.


    Li Qian had been sitting silently on the side, but now she immediately stood up as well, ¡°Ge¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°You can stop fucking pretending to be a do-gooder,¡± Li Hui shoved her to the side and jabbed a finger at her. ¡°You put up the money if you have so much of it!¡±


    Li Hui was about to continue forward, when Jiang Cheng stood in front of him.


    ¡°What do you want!¡± Li Hui glowered at him. ¡°Wanna throw hands with me? How many days have you been in this home, how fucking dare you?¡±


    Jiang Cheng felt like his temper had improved a lot in these last few months, nor was he covered in thorns all the time as he once was. Perhaps it was like Lao-Yuan said, in a new environment, his temper was no longer ¡°completely uninhibited¡±. Plus, without the constant put-down, he was no longer anxious and unsettled all the time.


    But now, when he was here with his real ¡®family¡¯, when he was face to face with the older brother who was connected to him by blood, he felt the self that had been long absent stirring once again.


    The look on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face and the look in his eyes must not have been cordial by any measure. After Li Hui maintained eye contact with him for two seconds, his fighting spirit was very clearly diminished.


    ¡°I don¡¯t throw hands with just anyone,¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice was cold. ¡°You¡¯re not even remotely within reach.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m within reach,¡± Li Baoguo suddenly started laughing behind him. He coughed more as he laughed. ¡°We even fought.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just stating my intent,¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t pay attention to Li Baoguo as he continued staring at Li Hui. ¡°I don¡¯t care whether or not he wants to go to the hospital anymore. I called you here today only to say that¡­¡­¡±


    If he keeps living like this, he won¡¯t be living for very much longer. Before he dies, he can do whatever the hell he wants. Whether it be gambling or whatever else, it¡¯s only a matter of months.


    Jiang Cheng very much wanted to be blunt with his words, but at the end, he couldn¡¯t manage to get it out. All he did was take out the envelope, and reached back to hand it to Li Baoguo, ¡°There¡¯s 2000 yuan in here, take this for now. If you want to get some medicine with this then go, and if not, that¡¯s also up to you.¡±


    ¡°Oyy!¡± Li Baoguo opened the envelope and peered inside, then pulled the bills out. He waved the stack in his hands as it ruffled. ¡°Looky here! Look at this!¡±


    ¡°Try to control yourself too,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°It¡¯s not like I can just spontaneously come up with the money at any point.¡±


    ¡°Look at this! Look!¡± Li Baoguo didn¡¯t stop repeating the words, as though he couldn¡¯t hear him.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll also¡­¡­¡± Li Qian understood his intention, and counted out some bills from her bag, handing them to Li Baoguo. ¡°Dad, you can take this first, but it¡¯s still better if you go to the hospital¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Look at this! Look at this!¡± Li Baoguo was still repeating loudly.


    ¡°What are you sticking up for?!¡± Li Hui suddenly roared at Li Qian. ¡°What the hell are you pretending to be a hotshot for! You¡¯re the only high and mighty one, huh!¡±


    Li Qian shuddered at his sudden yelling, cowered a little to the side, and didn¡¯t make another sound.


    ¡°If you got so much money why don¡¯t you buy a house for your dad!¡± Li Hui continued to yell. ¡°If you got so much money why don¡¯t you fix your own daughter¡¯s squinty eyes!¡±


    ¡°But nobody is forcing you to put up the money if you don¡¯t want to!¡± Li Qian said with a tremor in her voice.


    Before Jiang Cheng had time to react, with a wave of his hand Li Hui suddenly landed a slap on Li Qian¡¯s face, ¡°DID I FUCKING SAY YOU CAN TALK!¡±


    Gu Fei had reminded him before, and Jiang Cheng himself also wanted to bear it down and leave immediately after he handed over the money. But never did he imagine that Li Hui could do something like this.


    After the initial shock wore off, all Jiang Cheng could feel was the rage rising all the way from the bottom of his feet. All the repression and resignation he¡¯d felt toward this family exploded in a single instant.


    He swung a fist straight toward Li Hui¡¯s face, it landed right on the bridge of his nose.


    Li Hui stumbled back and sat down on a nearby stool, then swayed again, almost falling to the ground.


    Jiang Cheng watched him without a word.


    Just as Li Hui covered his nose and stood up, Li Qian rushed over and pushed Jiang Cheng toward the door, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go now, Xiao-Cheng, go on.¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned around and walked out with big strides.


    Li Qian followed and ran after him. He turned around to look at Li Qian.


    ¡°Where did you get the money?¡± Li Qian said. ¡°Your old family gave it to you right?¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer.


    Li Qian took out her wallet, ¡°You¡¯re still a student, and not making any money. Let me make it up, you don¡¯t have to put up money. Dad¡­¡­ isn¡¯t able to spend very much anyway, I¡¯ll just give him some.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s not necessary.¡± Jiang Cheng was suddenly bewildered as he backed up. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Li Qian smiled. ¡°I never even thought you¡¯d be able to come up with anything. You¡¯re still in school, it¡¯s not appropriate for you to put up money.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know what he should say. As soon as the breath he was holding had been released, he suddenly descended into awkwardness. At the end, all he could do was turn and run away.


    He didn¡¯t hear what else Li Qian said behind him, just ran all the way to the intersection.


    After catching his breath, he pulled out his phone to call Gu Fei.


    He heard a whistle behind him as soon he unlocked the screen.


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng turned around. ¡°I¡¯m feeling pretty shocked and honoured right now, were you waiting for me again?¡±


    ¡°Stop being shocked,¡± Gu Fei slowly glided over on his bike with a smile on his face. ¡°I was coming out to wait for Li Yan. He¡¯s bringing Er-Miao some snacks on his way home.¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t you wait for me?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    Gu Fei opened his mouth, but no words came out.


    ¡°It¡¯s enough that you weren¡¯t waiting for me, but you came out here to wait for Li Yan?¡± Jiang Cheng continued.


    ¡°I¡­¡­ fuck,¡± Gu Fei looked at him, a little speechless. ¡°This is some next level overachiever logic huh?¡±


    Jiang Cheng glowered at him for a while, then giggled, ¡°Do you yield.¡±


    ¡°How about I just kneel down.¡± Gu Fei laughed and said.


    Jiang Cheng held onto the handlebar, and looked at Gu Fei. Seeing Gu Fei¡¯s face after that clusterfuck of nonsense, he suddenly felt his mind empty, and his whole body felt lighter.


    Never had anyone given him this kind of feeling before. He felt high.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go get a tattoo.¡± Jiang Cheng said out of nowhere.


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Fei blanked.


    ¡°As in, I make a teeth mark, and you make a teeth mark. Then we¡¯ll make a tattoo of it, one each.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t speak for a long time, like he didn¡¯t understand what Jiang Cheng said, but also like he was spacing out. Just as Jiang Cheng was about to open his mouth again to explain, Gu Fei finally nodded, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at him and frowned, ¡°Do you¡­¡­ not want to?¡±


    Footnotes:


    [1]: Most high school students in China are sorted into two main streams: Liberal Arts, and Sciences. Once you¡¯re sorted, all of your classes are spent pretty much in the same building, with the same people nearby. It¡¯s never been mentioned explicitly, but clearly Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei are in the Liberal Arts stream (which is also considered the easier stream).

 CH 67

    We overachievers are unreasonable like that.


    ¡°Nah.¡± Gu Fei quickly answered.


    He wasn¡¯t unwilling, despite thinking that the act of leaving a teeth-mark on the other¡¯s skin and getting a tattoo of it doesn¡¯t sound like something Jiang Cheng would do. But if Jiang Cheng wanted to, he had no problem with it.


    It¡¯s just that¡­¡­ Tattoos aren¡¯t like other things, it¡¯s leaving someone else¡¯s mark on one¡¯s own body. Even if it can be removed in the future, it won¡¯t be completely without a trace.


    Perhaps Jiang Cheng simply never considered this point: if there comes a day that they are separated, and no longer a couple, what should be done about this mark.


    That a brief period of time that only existed in your past would leave a permanent mark on your body. Perhaps Jiang Cheng never thought about this kind of thing.


    ¡°Then how come you had to mull over it for so long?¡± Jiang Cheng looked fixedly at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m just thinking¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei hesitated for a moment. ¡°If it might be a little silly.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to bite your face, it¡¯ll be somewhere other people can¡¯t see, somewhere only we can¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng stopped halfway through, knitted his brows and thought for a long time, then laughed. ¡°It does seem a little silly.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed and didn¡¯t reply.


    ¡°Oh well, if it¡¯s silly then so be it.¡± Jiang Cheng waved his hand. ¡°Frankly I would never do something like this in the past, it¡¯s just¡­¡­ being with you, the dumbassery must be contagious.¡±


    ¡°You got the guts to say that, me, contagious?¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jiang Cheng stuffed his hands in his pocket. ¡°Forget it, let¡¯s think of something else, something that¡¯s not so silly. The teeth-mark idea was just a whim.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°I just wanted to leave something of myself on you, as a mark.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°How about you just pee on my leg.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°¡­¡­Get out!¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him.


    Someone sounded a car horn across the street. Jiang Cheng followed the sound with his eyes, a motorcycle made a u-turn and stopped beside them.


    After the helmet came off, he realized this person was Li Yan.


    ¡°Last time Er-Miao seemed to be digging into these cookies, I guessed she must like them.¡± Li Yan handed Gu Fei a bag that was hanging from the handlebar. ¡°There¡¯s some other stuff too, if she doesn¡¯t like it then you two can eat it.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei accepted the bag and peeked inside. ¡°That¡¯s a lot.¡±


    ¡°There are two boxes of durian puffs in there, one for each of you.¡± Li Yan looked at Jiang Cheng. ¡°You probably never had it before, it¡¯s super-duper-inimitably-sommersaulting-backflipping-cartwheeling delicious.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng almost didn¡¯t understand what he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s just this store¡¯s way too far, I have to mentally prepare a few days in advance every time I make a trip out there. But every time I go, I bring some back for them,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°So this time I brought it for you too, give it a try.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jiang Cheng felt a little hungry all of a sudden, so he took the box out of the bag and ate one right then.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Li Yan asked immediately.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. It was indeed delicious. He felt the layers flaking off as soon as it entered his mouth, it was soft and delectable. ¡°It¡¯s spinning-gliding-Thomas-salto-floorwork good.¡±


    Li Yan left after a brief chat, saying he had plans to go out drinking. He even added before he left, ¡°You two continue.¡±


    Jiang Cheng searched his brain for a long time as he munched, before recalling what they were talking about before this.


    The teeth-mark tattoos.


    He didn¡¯t continue that topic of conversation. On one hand it really was a bit silly, furthermore¡­¡­ He consumed three durian puffs in a row, then slowly calmed down.


    He felt like his brain had been a mess ever since entering Li Baoguo¡¯s home. Upon coming out and suddenly seeing Gu Fei, his whole being was immersed in an overly gleeful state, so much so that it made him a little dizzy.


    He was only now coming back to his senses, and paused to reflect on Gu Fei¡¯s reaction.


    Gu Fei¡¯s reaction¡­¡­ Gu Fei was clearly dumbfounded, and not at all like he claimed. Too silly? If he had really thought it was too silly he would¡¯ve directly rebuked it, instead of spacing out.


    ¡°Do you still want to eat?¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°A bowl of cold noodles can¡¯t be enough, let¡¯s eat more?¡±


    ¡°At this point, I¡¯m not exactly full enough that I don¡¯t want to eat anything, but at the same time not so hungry that I feel like going out.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    ¡°How about¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei considered for a moment. ¡°Come to the store, I¡¯ll make you something.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    He truly didn¡¯t know what he wanted to eat right now. On Li Baoguo¡¯s matter, he didn¡¯t feel the sense of relief that comes with having solved a problem. He had no appetite.


    It was the thought of being with Gu Fei for a little while that made him feel much better, only¡­¡­ Gu Fei¡¯s reaction just now, it was a while later, but it still made him feel a little uneasy.


    When they got to the store, Gu Fei walked to the kitchen in the courtyard to prepare the food. Only then did he follow behind and ask, ¡°You were actually¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei looked at him with eggs in his hands, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You were actually thinking that if we ever separate, it won¡¯t be appropriate having my teeth-mark on your body,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°Right?¡±


    Gu Fei blinked, ¡°I wasn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You can remove the stuff,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that¡­¡­ Nevermind, forget I said anything. It was a silly idea anyway.¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned to go back into the store. He sat down behind the counter, pulled out his phone, and swiped at it absentmindedly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never thought that.¡± Gu Fei also walked over, eggs still in his hands, then placed the eggs one by one on the counter.


    ¡°Never thought what?¡± Jiang Cheng peered at him. ¡°Never thought that it¡¯s silly?¡±


    ¡°I did think it was silly,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°But I never thought about the thing with breaking up and how appropriate or not appropriate it would be to leave your teeth-mark on me.¡±


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± Jiang Cheng clucked his tongue. ¡°Are you under the impression that I¡¯m¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go get teeth-mark tattoos,¡± Gu Fei interrupted him. ¡°Li Yan knows a really good tattoo artist.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡± Jiang Cheng frowned, he felt like an unreasonable child who needed Gu Fei to soothe him. ¡°It was just a random suggestion.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give him a call, ask him to help arrange a time.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°What the shit,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°I said it¡¯s not necessary. There¡¯s no point anyway, it¡¯s not like I really want to force you to do it, it was only a¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°I said, let¡¯s go get teeth-mark tattoos!¡± Gu Fei slammed his hands down on the counter, leaned forward, and closed in on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. He lowered his voice and practically growled. ¡°Right now it¡¯s me forcing you.¡±


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng was startled into bewilderment by his imposing presence.


    ¡°Teeth-mark.¡± Gu Fei looked fixedly at him.


    ¡°Ah?¡± Jiang Cheng stared. ¡°What about it?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s an appropriate location for it?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Jiang Cheng looked at him for a long while without speaking, then eventually couldn¡¯t keep a straight face anymore and burst out laughing, ¡°What the fucking hell Gu Fei, is there something wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°Do you want it or not?¡± Gu Fei asked again.


    ¡°I do.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give Li Yan a call later,¡± Gu Fei straightened up, and arranged the eggs on the counter into a row. ¡°One, two, three, four, five, is that enough?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t eat five,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the eggs. ¡°I¡¯ll overdose on protein.¡±


    ¡°Mine¡¯s in there too.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the eggs, looked at him, then lastly glanced at his crotch, before picking up two similarly sized eggs in his hands. ¡°You mean these two?¡± [1]


    Gu Fei paused for a beat, then when realization hit, he narrowed his eyes in a smile, ¡°These aren¡¯t the same size as mine though. Fess up Cheng-ge, are you mixing me up with someone else?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Jiang Cheng admonished him, then added as Gu Fei walked back to the kitchen with the eggs. ¡°You wanna bet I¡¯ll leave a teeth-mark on your eggs!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Gu Fei turned around. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind someone else cradling my eggs when we get the tattoo¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight it out.¡± Jiang Cheng tossed his phone on the counter and stood up. ¡°Can¡¯t get over this today if we don¡¯t fight it out.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed as he closed the back door behind him and went into the kitchen.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t have much appetite before, but after Gu Fei suddenly ¡®forced¡¯ him to get a tattoo, he started to feel hungry again.


    Frankly, it wasn¡¯t that he had to get a teeth-mark tattoo or else. The only reason he thought of a tattoo was because he¡¯d always been prohibited from doing things like this. Nevermind a tattoo, even when Pan Zhi gifted him a little stone pendant, Shen Yiqing had forbade him from wearing it around his neck, and almost made him return it to Pan Zhi.


    Of course he was very happy that Gu Fei was willing to get this stupid whimsical thing with him, but what really stimulated his appetite were the words ¡°I¡¯ve never thought that¡±.


    People are strange like that sometimes, so easy to satisfy, with no need for any supporting evidence, and no need for any logic. All that¡¯s necessary is a single sentence from the other person, even empty words are enough to bring delight.


    Gu Fei quickly finished making the food: five fried eggs and a small tub of jiuniang tangyuan. It smelled delicious. [2]


    ¡°Here, these are my eggs,¡± Gu Fei picked out two of the fried eggs out of the ones that were stuck together, and placed it in Jiang Cheng¡¯s bowl. ¡°For you to eat.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Jiang Cheng also picked up two eggs and put them in Gu Fei¡¯s bowl. ¡°These are my eggs, take your time and eat it slowly.¡±


    ¡°Mmn.¡± Gu Fei grinned.


    ¡°Then whose egg is this?¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at the one left over.


    ¡°That would be the chicken¡¯s.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng blanked for a second, then laughed so hard he had trouble holding the bowl, ¡°Hey Gu Fei you really are adorable sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Just sometimes?¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s already a miracle that I¡¯d use the word ¡°adorable¡± to describe you,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Be content with what you get, understand?¡±


    ¡°Understand.¡± Gu Fei nodded earnestly.


    Gu Fei decided to stop thinking about the teeth-mark thing. He even decided to not think too deeply into anything that Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want to think too much into.


    If Jiang Cheng wanted to get a teeth-mark tattoo, then they¡¯ll get one. And as to whether it will be removed in the future, or whether it can be removed¡­¡­ Whatever happens will happen. At least Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t thinking about that at the moment, so he will follow suit.


    It¡¯s a wonder that Jiang Cheng said dumbassery is contagious, but who is infecting whom is the real question.


    When he called Li Yan to make an appointment with the tattoo artist, Li Yan¡¯s reaction was surprisingly calm, ¡°You? Who else?¡±


    ¡°Jiang Cheng.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Li Yan replied. ¡°Your illnesses sound quite serious.¡±


    ¡°You can stop diagnosing us,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Just give me the contact.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve never been there before huh, should I take you guys there?¡± Li Yan asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Fei answered adamantly.


    ¡°Will it be in an indecent spot?¡± Li Yan asked again.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei chuckled.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll see if I can get a look in the future,¡± Li Yan tsked. ¡°It¡¯s going to be Summer soon anyway.¡±


    This tattoo artist Li Yan recommended seemed to be someone sophisticated. He had a studio that wasn¡¯t open to receive the public, most of his clients are referrals. Li Yan got a corgi butt tattoo on his lower back from here, Gu Fei had seen it. It looked pretty good, the tattoo even managed to capture the essential jiggle of a corgi butt.


    When it came to the locations of these silly teeth-mark tattoos, Gu Fei had no opinion on the matter. Or rather, Jiang Cheng had said in the beginning that it was to be somewhere visible only to themselves, but as soon as he started to think about the location, he couldn¡¯t help but let his thoughts wander. It wasn¡¯t good for his health to have such frequent rises and falls like that.


    However, Jiang Cheng had already made up his mind. In the bus on the way to the studio, Jiang Cheng leaned close to his ears and told him quietly.


    ¡°On the thigh,¡± Jiang Cheng shook his leg. ¡°The inner side.¡±


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Gu Fei laughed out loud. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean I¡¯ll have to get down on your crotch¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Yell, yell louder.¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him. ¡°You haven¡¯t completed your mission until the whole bus hears you.¡±


    ¡°But the pose I have to get in to bite you isn¡¯t very civilized.¡± Gu Fei said with a lowered voice.


    ¡°If I can reach it myself then I wouldn¡¯t need you.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei turned away and laughed for a while at the window, then turned back and asked in a small voice, ¡°Then where do you plan to bite me? Would you have to get down to my crotch?¡±


    ¡°Collarbone,¡± Jiang Cheng looked around them. They were sitting at the very back, and no one was paying any attention. He tugged away Gu Fei¡¯s collar with his finger, and tapped gently on his left collarbone. ¡°Right here.¡±


    Gu Fei grabbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand with his own and pressed it down on his leg, ¡°Try to restrain yourself.¡±


    ¡°Fuck, who are you acting this out for,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed. ¡°Is there a place on your body I haven¡¯t touched?¡±


    ¡°Alright, come on then, come on,¡± Still holding onto Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand, Gu Fei moved it toward his own crotch, and said quietly. ¡°You¡¯re here every day anyw¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng was startled, he yanked his hand away in a flash, ¡°Fuck off!¡±


    The studio was situated in a rather neat looking residential area in the most lavish new division of the shitty little city. The elevator took them right up to the ninth floor, where there was a black wooden board hanging on the door, with nothing but three white dots on it.


    ¡°Is this studio called ¡®three pies¡¯?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. [3]


    ¡°Dunno, I just know the owner¡¯s surname is Lu.¡± Gu Fei held back his laughter and pressed the doorbell. ¡°Let¡¯s ask.¡±


    The door opened quickly, the owner himself opened it for them. He looked much sunnier than his studio, which was decked out in all black.


    ¡°Li Yan said I have to do this for you guys myself,¡± Mr. Lu poured a cup of tea for each of them. ¡°So I didn¡¯t ask my assistant to come. Though if I¡¯m to do it by myself, it¡¯ll take a little longer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°As long as it looks good.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that, I¡¯ve been doing tattoos for years.¡± Mr. Lu said, suddenly walking in front of them, and with a flourish, pulled off his t-shirt. ¡°See.¡±


    ¡°Aiyoo.¡± Jiang Cheng was startled into jumping back in his seat, before he saw the guy was trying to show off his body that was covered from top to bottom with tattoos, there was not an inch of yellow skin to be found.


    ¡°Very cool.¡± Gu Fei expressed his genuine praise.


    Even though it made him look a little like a weirdo, the designs all looked exquisite, and rather artistic.


    Mr. Lu put his shirt on again, ¡°The ones on the back were done by my assistant, but I did all the ones I can reach. So relax, just a little design like the one you guys want, it¡¯s no problem at all¡­¡­ Have you decided what kind of graphic you want? And where?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Teeth-mark.¡± Jiang Cheng replied, then paused. He suddenly realized he didn¡¯t know how to verbalize his idea of obtaining the teeth-marks from actual bites. ¡°Just¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°From you two biting each other?¡± Mr. Lu asked directly.


    Jiang Cheng instantly felt unable to answer.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Gu Fei replied. ¡°I¡¯ll go first, can you do it on the collarbone?¡±


    ¡°I can, but it¡¯ll hurt a little, the skin is thinner there.¡± Mr. Lu reached out and tugged down Gu Fei¡¯s collar, then turned back to look at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Where do you want it?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Here.¡± Jiang Cheng felt an urge to slap his hand away, but considering it was a necessary part of the guy¡¯s job, he could only clench his teeth and point.


    ¡°Then when you bite down,¡± Mr. Lu also pointed at Gu Fei¡¯s collarbone. ¡°Try to make it closer to the shoulder, otherwise the mark won¡¯t be whole, his clavicle is fairly prominent.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    Mr. Lu must¡¯ve seen it all, that he had no reaction whatsoever to the fact that two guys wanted to bite teeth-marks on each other, as though there were people doing the exact same thing every day out on the streets.


    He was even considerate enough to let the two of them use the smaller workroom to prepare.


    ¡°Strip.¡± Jiang Cheng stood in front of Gu Fei and folded his arms.


    ¡°¡­¡­This air.¡± Gu Fei chuckled, and took off his shirt.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to bite now?¡± Jiang Cheng held onto Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder, leaning left and right trying to find a good angle. ¡°Right here.¡±


    ¡°You can bite down hard, get it done in one go, if you have to do it twice it won¡¯t look clean.¡± Gu Fei leaned his head back a little.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°Alright, bite me.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng grabbed his shoulder and bit down viciously on the collarbone.


    ¡°AH¡ª¡ª¡± Gu Fei yelped. The sound was loud and clear, very sincere, without a trace of exaggerated effect; it was entirely the audible result of pain.


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± Jiang Cheng let go, and said quietly beside his ear. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. Even if we¡¯re not together in the future, I still want to leave a mark on your body. Whoever sees it will have to know that it¡¯s mine. We overachievers are unreasonable like that.¡±


    Footnotes:


    [1]: In Chinese, eggs [µ°µ°] is a euphemism for testicles, just like balls.


    [2]: Jiuniang Tangyuan [õ²ÔãÌÀÔ²] is a dessert/treat type dish. Jiuniang is sweet fermented rice, which can be used in liquid to make other dishes. Tangyuan is glutinous rice balls that may or may not have a sweet filling inside.


    [3]: Three pies, or sanbing [Èý±ý] is a mahjong tile. The face of it is three dots arranged in a row, diagonally across the rectangular tile surface.

 CH 68

    Well when I do get lewd it¡¯s also on an overachiever tier.


    Even though the overachiever Jiang Cheng¡¯s guess was the exact opposite of his actual thoughts, Gu Fei didn¡¯t mind. After all, he wouldn¡¯t be able to explain himself to Jiang Cheng, and didn¡¯t want Jiang Cheng to feel unmoored by his thoughts.


    He decided to cooperate, and nodded earnestly, lest the overachiever gave him another bite.


    Not to mention, Jiang Cheng sounded extremely alluring as he said these words. Gu Fei stared at him, and felt an urge to throw him onto the reclining chair on the side, as various inappropriate imagery filled his mind: dentist chair play, train cot play; all of these scenarios were running rampant in his mind.


    Good thing it was a very wholehearted bite, so much so that it was a little vicious, almost as painful as when he was swiped with the knuckledusters a while back. The pain chased away the images in his mind as quickly as they appeared, and in due time he returned to the state of being a good wholesome youth.


    ¡°This should be enough.¡± Jiang Cheng backed up a step and studied the teeth-mark. ¡°Look how round it is, I just realized, I have pretty great teeth.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Fei touched his collarbone. ¡°After all, these teeth are capable of biting off a zipper pull.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes and peered at him. ¡°So you better behave yourself, or else you bet your ass that I¡¯ll chew you up and leave no bits behind.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Gu Fei answered very earnestly.


    Mr. Lu had finished preparing the tools and came in to check out the teeth-mark, ¡°That¡¯s good. Did you want a more cartoonish one, or something that looks a little more 3D?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°You can go through some photos.¡± Mr. Lu opened a notebook and pulled out a few pictures. ¡°Something more 3D would look like this¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng was shocked. Turns out there were quite a few people who¡¯d done something dumb like tattooing teeth-marks onto their body. Under the cover of these other dumbasses, he and Gu Fei suddenly didn¡¯t seem so silly anymore.


    However, this 3D looking teeth-mark¡­¡­ just one glance left him slightly shell shocked. It was a black teeth-mark, with a visual effect that made it look red and puffy, the result was more than a little eerie.


    ¡°This won¡¯t do, right?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Fei. ¡°Looks like the toxin is about to take effect or something.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so toxic, you¡¯re toxic, you¡¯re to-o-o-oxic¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei sang quietly while leaning beside him. ¡°What do cartoon ones look like?¡± [1]


    ¡°Those ones have more of a flat look, with less shadows, and don¡¯t look as realistic.¡± Mr. Lu showed them two more pictures. ¡°Basically it¡¯s just using the bite mark you left to create a flat design, these ones are cuter.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get this kind,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the photos. In comparison, the cartoon ones might be named as such, but in reality they looked much more normal than the 3D versions, it didn¡¯t have the intense subculture dumbass vibe. ¡°Can we not use black?¡±


    ¡°Any colour is fine, if you want I can even make it a rainbow one.¡± Mr. Lu said. ¡°But my personal recommendation is to use a darker colour, it¡¯ll look better.¡±


    If it wasn¡¯t for the consideration that once carved on, it wasn¡¯t something that could be immediately removed, Jiang Cheng would¡¯ve wanted him to go for something like pastel blue or pink. After all, he was Good Little Bunny.


    At the end, they chose black: a lowkey dumbassery with a tinge of cool.


    After Gu Fei lay down on the recliner, Mr. Lu put on his gloves and started to one by one demonstrate the disposable tools he would be using for the procedure: it was all needle this and tube that¡­¡­ Jiang Cheng watched and thought that getting a tattoo was not much different than torture.


    Next was disinfection, then drawing the design.


    After he finished drawing on the line art, Mr. Lu even asked Jiang Cheng to check if it looked OK, then grabbed a mirror to show Gu Fei, ¡°That¡¯s pretty much it, if there¡¯s no problem I¡¯m going to start outlining.¡±


    According to Mr. Lu, outlining was simply carving out the outline of the design, but the word ¡°carve¡± made Jiang Cheng feel a mysterious ache on his own inner thigh. He frowned, ¡°Don¡¯t you need topical anaesthetics or something?


    ¡°This area isn¡¯t very large, it¡¯s best to just power through.¡± Mr. Lu said. ¡°Good ointments don¡¯t necessarily affect the colouring, but it does affect the suppleness of the skin, and has an impact on the shape of the design.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡­ try to power through it?¡± Jiang Cheng stuck his head out above Gu Fei¡¯s face and looked at him.


    ¡°¡±Mhm.¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    Jiang Cheng tried to control his urge of planting a kiss on Gu Fei, and sat back down in his seat. He watched as Mr. Lu picked up a tool that looked somewhat like a pen, and started to work on Gu Fei¡¯s collar bone, poking or cutting or prodding at it.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t react very much. He must¡¯ve been able to tolerate this kind of pain.


    Only, it took such a long time. Mr. Lu had his head down and half a face exposed above his mask, working away hard. Carving the outline alone took a good forty minutes of meticulous crafting.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to fill in the colour,¡± Mr. Lu said as he changed up the tools. ¡°It probably doesn¡¯t hurt very much right now, but it¡¯ll start hurting later when I do the colour fill. Although, the pain is coupled with anticipation, right? It¡¯s still an enjoyable process.¡±


    Jiang Cheng sat there rubbing his leg, and quietly asked Gu Fei, ¡°Does it hurt?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine for now, I¡¯m not feeling it too much.¡± Gu Fei turned and smiled at him. ¡°Probably because the skin isn¡¯t as sensitive here, so it doesn¡¯t feel very painful, if it was the inner thigh¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Jiang Cheng cut him off.


    ¡°Inner thigh is not too bad, it¡¯s actually not as painful as the collarbone. There¡¯s fatty tissue on the thigh, so relatively speaking it doesn¡¯t hurt as much.¡± Mr. Lu glanced at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Is your teeth-mark going to be on the inner thigh then?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng folded his legs awkwardly. ¡°You can start filling in now.¡±


    The colour-filling process was a boring one. Jiang Cheng watched from the side as Mr. Lu leaned over Gu Fei with an instrument that resembled something a dentist used to clean teeth, and worked on it bit by bit. Even visually it resembled a teeth cleaning session, every once in a while he had to dab away at the drops of blood that seeped out.


    Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t afraid of blood, but when he imagined the same thing on himself, it still made him want to squirm.


    He took out his phone and snapped a couple photos of Gu Fei, then started to play with a photo editor app. After poking around for a while, Gu Fei said, ¡°If you¡¯re bored, why not beat that Aixiaochu level for me. I¡¯ve been struggling to pass that level, it¡¯s been days since I last played.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Alrighty.¡± Jiang Cheng reached a hand into Gu Fei¡¯s pant pocket and squeezed his thigh, before pulling out the phone.


    Gu Fei clucked his tongue audibly.


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Mr. Lu asked immediately.


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I¡¯m already numb to the pain, can¡¯t feel it anymore.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about done,¡± Mr. Lu wiped at the drops of blood. ¡°You have nice collarbones, it¡¯ll look great when it¡¯s done.¡±


    Jiang Cheng leaned over to take a look, there was already half a teeth-mark visible. The skin was still red and puffy, but he could already see how it would look, it was indeed much better than the 3D versions. And coupled with Gu Fei¡¯s nicely shaped collarbones, it really did look rather sexy.


    ¡­¡­ He could forgive the back and forth touching of Mr. Lu¡¯s hands all over Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder and clavicle.


    Jiang Cheng grabbed Gu Fei¡¯s finger to unlock the phone, and started working on beating the level.


    As soon as he pulled up the Aixiaochu screen, he saw that Gu Fei had more than 300 little red hearts, ¡°Fucking, this many lives?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°Accumulated over the last few days of not playing.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be able to collect this much even if I don¡¯t play for half a month.¡± Jiang Cheng tapped open his friends list to take a look, but almost wasn¡¯t able to scroll to the end. ¡°The number of friends you got here is a little overwhelming eh.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all classmates and such,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°To get extra hearts. Even with all these people, if I play all the time it still won¡¯t be able to keep up.¡±


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t comprehend this behaviour from Gu Fei at all: someone who was normally like a flower atop a high cliff would go to such lengths to play a game, that he would add a bunch of people he couldn¡¯t even recognize, let alone speak to normally. An academic slacker could throw aside the aloof persona he cultivated for more than a decade, all for an idiotic game¡­¡­ What line of thinking could this possibly be.


    Li Yan had already passed the level Gu Fei was stuck on. Jiang Cheng glanced at the ranking, Li Yan was only one level away from finishing. Your competitor is about to reach the top and send over a taunting message, while you are stuck on an especially disgusting level with the least number of allowable steps. It was indeed maddening.


    Jiang Cheng put his head down and started to chip away at the game. If the tattoo session lasted long enough, he might be able to get through a few more levels.


    Something them overachievers were especially good at, was the ability to quickly gather their concentration, even if it was only an idiotic game, he could still devote his attention to it wholeheartedly. A half-assed slacker like Gu Fei cannot possibly compare to his brain efficiency and time management.


    Jiang Cheng used up six hearts to get past this level, then continued to soar past two more, and ended up only two levels below Li Yan. He was about to stretch out his slightly stiff neck and keep going, when beside him, Mr. Lu¡¯s pseudo-dental machinery came to a stop.


    ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± Mr. Lu said. ¡°Come see how it looks, it¡¯s still swollen right now, once the swelling goes down it¡¯ll look different.¡±


    ¡°Let me see!¡± Jiang Cheng bounded up immediately, and leaned close over the reclining chair.


    This was his teeth-mark, it was a mark he was leaving on Gu Fei¡¯s body. After going through such a long wait, it was worth it after all.


    Gu Fei¡¯s collarbone and shoulder was a little red and puffy, but he could already see how good the black teeth-mark looked on it. Of course, it also had something to do with his own teeths being neat, well-aligned, and dashing.


    All in all, the teeth-mark looked much better than Jiang Cheng had expected. He grabbed the mirror and looked at Gu Fei in the reflection, ¡°I think it looks pretty good, what do you think?¡±


    ¡°Your teeth are so neat.¡± Gu Fei looked in the mirror and chuckled.


    ¡°No shit, it¡¯s not just my teeth that are neat, I am overall a very neat person.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Mr. Lu needed to take a half hour break, so Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei went downstairs to stroll around. They found a small cafe, ordered something to eat, and sat down.


    ¡°Open your collar, let me take a look.¡± Jiang Cheng stared at Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°You just saw it,¡± Gu Fei pulled down his collar. ¡°You¡¯ll see what it really looks like in a couple days when the swelling goes down.¡±


    ¡°Did it hurt?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°It burned,¡± Gu Fei frowned. ¡°I was keeping it in and didn¡¯t say it out loud, but it really does hurt quite a bit. I thought after I grew numb to the pain it¡¯ll stop hurting, but it ended up being a staccato of pain amidst a sea of pain.¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck,¡± At his words, Jiang Cheng was suddenly a little anxious. Gu Fei was someone with a high pain tolerance, if it was himself, who knew what the scene would be like. ¡°Did he say just now that there¡¯s more fat on the legs so it wouldn¡¯t be as painful?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°If you¡¯re worried about the pain, I saw that he also sells stick-on tattoos at his place, they look great, way more high-end than the for-fun ones you can buy for a couple bucks, it even comes in custom¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°What the hell is that supposed to mean?¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted him.


    Gu Fei wanted very much to sit down with Jiang Cheng and have a serious chat regarding the matter of who infected whom with the dumbassery. Before he knew Jiang Cheng, he would never say one wrong thing after another like this, especially when it was something he had already deliberated about.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of the pain.¡± Gu Fei had no choice but to explain it away.


    ¡°The guy even said it doesn¡¯t hurt as much in fattier areas,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°Besides, whether I¡¯m afraid of the pain and whether I can tolerate the pain are two different things, alright? I haven¡¯t even tried and see for myself whether it¡¯s painful.¡±


    ¡°What if you tried and found that it hurts a lot, will you be left with just a half-assed teeth-mark?¡± Gu Fei smiled and said. ¡°How about you change the location to your butt, there¡¯s even more fatty tissue there.¡±


    ¡°No way,¡± Jiang Cheng tsked. ¡°It has to be the inner thigh.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Gu Fei thought about it for a moment. ¡°So salacious, doesn¡¯t seem to match your overachiever style.¡±


    ¡°Is it salacious?¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes and thought about it too. ¡°Well when I do get lewd it¡¯s also on an overachiever tier.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed and didn¡¯t say any more. The really nice thing about Jiang Cheng was that his attention could be easily diverted. Most of the time he was a sensitive and conscientious person, but his heart was also large enough to store several gigabytes of torrent materials.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you,¡± Jiang Cheng picked up a piece of cake and nibbled on it slowly. ¡°Why I have to put the teeth-mark there.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, why?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°If I put it there, when I¡¯m helping myself and see it I¡¯ll think, hey that¡¯s my boyfriend¡¯s teeth-mark.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes curved as he smiled. ¡°It¡¯ll be as though you¡¯re blowing me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Fuck.¡± Gu Fei gazed at him for a long time, speechless.


    ¡°So?¡± Jiang Cheng continued to look at him with his smiling eyes.


    ¡°No, I mean,¡± Gu Fei started laughing. ¡°If you really want me to blow you just give me a call, I¡¯ll be right there. Or you can just come to me¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Go away,¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him. ¡°Just run with the bit why don¡¯t you, and pretty fast too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± Gu Fei added.


    ¡°You wanna fight?¡± Jiang Cheng took a bite of the cake violently.


    After having gone through this obscene, indecent, and filthy conversation, when they went back to Mr. Lu¡¯s studio, Jiang Cheng kept feeling as though he gave Gu Fei money, then took him into a little dark room to do things that Gu Fei could call the cops for.


    ¡°Go and get ready,¡± Mr. Lu repeated the same set of instructions. ¡°I¡¯ll go prepare the tools. They all have to be changed.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei walked into the side room.


    When Jiang Cheng followed him inside, Gu Fei was standing beside the recliner, rubbing his hands together and smiling at him.


    ¡°If you dare to strike and retaliate,¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at him. ¡°I¡¯ll smack you.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and take it off.¡± Gu Fei continued to rub his hands together.


    ¡°Take what¡­¡­ off?¡± Jiang Cheng all of a sudden couldn¡¯t comprehend.


    ¡°Your pants,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I thought you wanted me to blow you.¡±


    ¡°The fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng quickly turned to peer outside. ¡°Can you fucking rein it in a little! Your face is so thick it¡¯s enough to fill a three story underground parking lot!¡±


    To be honest, it was only then that Jiang Cheng came face to face with the fact that he was getting a tattoo in this location. It wasn¡¯t a big deal that Gu Fei had to get down there to bite him, the problem was Mr. Lu also had to get down and hover around that area, for a pretty long time too.


    ¡°Do you want to change the location?¡± Gu Fei asked while chuckling.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer. He leaned against the wall and pondered over it for a long time, then clenched his jaw and took his pants off, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Ay!¡± Gu Fei was startled by his abrupt movement, and instinctively came over to block him from view. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Come bite me,¡± Jiang Cheng tossed his pants to one side, and sat down on the recliner, raising a shoeless left leg onto the ledge. ¡°Come on young man.¡±


    Gu Fei glanced outside, then cleared his throat.


    ¡°Hurry up,¡± Jiang Cheng was worried about Mr. Lu walking in on them mid-bite, with him still in this pose. ¡°What are you clearing your throat for, dost thou need to perform a song first?¡±


    ¡°Coming.¡± Gu Fei looked at him, and suddenly strode over in two steps, shoved him backward, then pressing his knee to one side, bent down and bit him.


    Jiang Cheng was frightened by this brand new speed. Plus, with Gu Fei burying his head between his legs like this, he felt like his whole being was in this instant submerged in dirty little videos. His entire mind was filled with 18+ scenes and the hundreds of thousands of relevant imaginary scenarios.


    After blanking out for at least five seconds, he finally collected his thoughts amidst a surge of pain.


    ¡°Oh fuck, ow ow ow ow OW¡­¡­¡± He hastened to push away Gu Fei¡¯s head.


    Gu Fei¡¯s teeth were still clamped down on his thigh with no intention of letting go.


    ¡°Fucking hell Gu Fei! Does it taste good!¡± Jiang Cheng lightly slapped Gu Fei¡¯s head again, and said in a suppressed voice. ¡°Would you like some sauce with it too, sir!¡±


    Still Gu Fei didn¡¯t let go, just lifted a hand and grabbed a handful of Jiang Cheng¡¯s waist. Several more seconds passed before he finally lifted his head.


    ¡°Ah fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng lay back on the recliner and let out a breath of relief. ¡°Gu Fei you¡¯re done for, I¡¯m noting down this incident from today, I¡¯m telling you, unless you seriously get me off good I¡¯m¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you know, that some people,¡± Gu Fei bent down and said gently beside his ear. ¡°Will remain in your memories in a number of ways, whether you want them to or not. Like me, for example.¡±


    ¡°Writing poems are we?¡± Jiang Cheng chuckled.


    ¡°Just wanted to be casually sappy.¡± Gu Fei quickly turned and stole a glance outside, then planted a firm kiss on Jiang Cheng¡¯s lips.


    Footnotes:


    [1]: Song: You¡¯re So Toxic by Zhang Xueyou

 CH 69

    Can you¡­¡­ carry me down, I can¡¯t move.


    By the time Mr. Lu came back with a new set of tools, Gu Fei was leaning against the wall playing with his phone, and Jiang Cheng was sitting on the recliner, spacing out.


    Mr. Lu probably didn¡¯t imagine that, of the two of them at this moment, one was tapping away at nothing on his phone, and one was trying hard to work up the energy to suppress his Spring awakening.


    ¡°Are you done with the bite mark?¡± Mr. Lu asked.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng was a little worried about his state of mind at first, but as soon as Mr. Lu opened his mouth, his Spring awakening was startled into retreat before it even got a chance to advance. He breathed out a sigh of relief, but still felt a little awkward when he looked down. ¡°This¡­¡­ spot, will it be tough to do?¡±


    ¡°What, the inner thigh?¡± Mr. Lu gave him a look. ¡°No problem, I¡¯ve done all sorts of locations for my clients, this is one of the easier ones in comparison.¡±


    ¡°Is it round enough?¡± Gu Fei asked beside him. ¡°If it¡¯s not round enough I can bite him again on the other side.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good enough,¡± Mr. Lu looked at Jiang Cheng¡¯s thigh. ¡°You¡­¡­ have prominent fangs huh? Matches pretty well too. How about I made these two fang indents into heart shapes?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ That¡¯s not a bad idea.¡± Jiang Cheng actually hadn¡¯t checked out the teeth-mark himself. After Gu Fei bit him, they¡¯ve been in such a state that if there wasn¡¯t anyone else around, they would¡¯ve jerked each other off right then and there. It wasn¡¯t until this moment that Jiang Cheng peered down to take a look. ¡°Actually that just might work.¡±


    Gu Fei¡¯s teeth-mark was also very neat, but the two indents from his fangs were very prominent, they stuck out just a little bit. If he were to make them into little hearts it would look¡­¡­ pretty good.


    ¡°I can use red to fill in the hearts.¡± Mr. Lu said. ¡°It¡¯ll look very nice. Why don¡¯t you lie down on your side, this way the design can lay flat, and it¡¯ll be easier for me to work on it.¡±


    Gu Fei watched Jiang Cheng lay down on his side, with his left leg pulled up and right leg stretched out¡­¡­ It was indeed a position that seemed uninhibited with a touch of wantonness. When Mr. Lu hunched over Jiang Cheng¡¯s legs to start doing the outline, he almost went to fling the guy off out of sheer instinct.


    This location was unlike the shoulder¡­¡­ He pulled up a stool and sat down by the recliner facing Jiang Cheng¡¯s back, and leaned in, gazing between the thighs at Mr. Lu.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to hurt.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°The outline doesn¡¯t hurt very much,¡± Mr. Lu lifted his eyes and gave Gu Fei a look. ¡°It¡¯ll hurt more later when I¡¯m filling in the colour, but it¡¯s much better than the collarbone, the collarbone hurts more.¡±


    ¡°My shoulder is hurting now.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine by tomorrow.¡± Mr. Lu continued to carve out the outline.


    At the sound of Gu Fei¡¯s voice, Jiang Cheng cranked his neck around and glanced at him, ¡°Oh fuck, how come you¡¯re sitting there?¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± Gu Fei also glanced at him, then looked at where he was sitting. It was only about 20 centimeters away from Jiang Cheng¡¯s butt. ¡°I can see more clearly from here.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you want,¡± Jiang Cheng used his arm as a pillow. ¡°I beat that level for you just now, don¡¯t you want to play for a bit?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything after that.


    Gu Fei continued to hover over the edge of the recliner, watching Mr. Lu carve out the outline.


    Frankly, the visual of Jiang Cheng lying on the cot right now in his underwear was quite torturous to him. Jiang Cheng had very nice skin, it was taut and satiny; his shirt had shifted up in such a way that it was possible to see a strip of his waist and lower back from this angle¡­¡­ If it wasn¡¯t for the fear that Jiang Cheng¡¯s reflexes would suddenly awaken, he¡¯d love to covertly reach out and caress his back.


    Jiang Cheng started out with his eyes open, but after a while he closed them. It was way too awkward, looking down and seeing Mr. Lu hovering over his crotch area with a solemn expression on half of his face.


    However, not only two seconds later, he opened them again. With a position like this, if he closed his eyes, it might give the impression that he was enjoying it or something, which would be even more awkward.


    With his eyes open, since he couldn¡¯t look at Mr. Lu¡­¡­ he wanted to look at Gu Fei instead. But when he turned around to look at Gu Fei, he saw Gu Fei hovering behind his butt, staring face to face between the gap of his thighs at Mr. Lu. It was somehow an even freakier visual.


    He sighed softly, ¡°Gu Fei.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°You have movies on your phone, right?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. ¡°Why don¡¯t you pick one out for me to watch.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Gu Fei took out his phone. ¡°I¡¯ll find one for you.¡±


    The skin on the leg is relatively smooth and flat, Mr. Lu was faster at carving out the outline than before. After he let the two of them check the line work, he started to fill it in.


    While watching the movie, Jiang Cheng was reflecting on how intricate-looking the little hearts of the fang indents were, but soon after, he started to feel the pain.


    Normally, one or two instances of this kind of surface level pain from the skin could hardly be felt, there was usually no feeling, let alone pain. However, to have that feeling repeatedly drilled against the same spot, that sensation was not so good.


    Mr. Lu was very meticulous. Jiang Cheng felt that time did not fly by at all, it had practically frozen in place. He felt like the poking had gone on for ages, but glancing at the time, it hadn¡¯t been very long. The muscle he instinctively clenched from the pain, plus the left leg he had to consciously hold up lest it fall it and smack Mr. Lu on the head, both made him feel exhausted after only an hour. He couldn¡¯t even concentrate on the movie.


    ¡°Gu Fei.¡± He called out.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei stood up and looked at him.


    ¡°Can you¡­¡­ hold my leg up for me,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°My leg is sore.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed, and braced a hand against his left knee, ¡°Is this OK?¡±


    ¡°Ah shit,¡± Jiang Cheng relaxed instantly. ¡°I was dying.¡±


    ¡°Not much longer now,¡± Mr. Lu said. ¡°We¡¯re past the halfway point.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard sir.¡± Jiang Cheng exclaimed.


    After Gu Fei started holding his knee, he felt like the two inches of skin on his leg didn¡¯t even hurt that much anymore. Though after a while, it seemed like it was also tiring for Gu Fei to stand there holding back his knee. Jiang Cheng watched him reach back and grab a length of rope from a table nearby.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°I want to sit down,¡± Gu Fei wound the rope around his leg once, then held on to the ends as it pulled Jiang Cheng¡¯s leg back, and sat back down on the stool. ¡°This way I don¡¯t have to keep standing.¡±


    ¡°Very innovative.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    After this exchange, neither of them said anything more. When the movie was over, Jiang Cheng glanced down at his leg. The rope Gu Fei had wrapped around his leg was black. Good thing he only circled it once around the knee, if it was wrapped around his ankle or¡­¡­ tied around Gu Fei¡¯s leg¡­¡­


    Jiang Cheng killed his thoughts deep in his belly before they were able to fly free, then took in a deep breath, ¡°I want water.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a water dispenser outside.¡± Mr. Lu paused his hands.


    Gu Fei went out and poured him a cup of water, then when Mr. Lu stood up to stretch his arms and also get a drink, he quickly reached out and hooked a finger on Jiang Cheng¡¯s chin.


    Itching for a smack? Jiang Cheng stared at him and said soundlessly.


    Gu Fei chuckled without a word, then walked around behind Jiang Cheng, and pulled gently on the rope.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s legs opened a little wider.


    ¡°You¡¯re dead.¡± He pointed at Gu Fei. Fortunately, at this moment the scorching pain on his inner thigh suddenly surged up all at once. It felt hot and painful, he had no attention to spare to the feelings of Spring amidst the pain.


    ¡°Hurts, huh?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng peered at him.


    Gu Fei laughed and looked at his unfinished leg, ¡°Won¡¯t be able to do anything for the next few days, it can¡¯t come in contact with water.¡±


    ¡°What did you want to do?¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes. ¡°Is your mind¡­¡­¡±


    Mr. Lu walked back in before he could finish, so he forcefully changed the second half of the sentence, ¡°Capable of thinking¡­¡­ of the final exams?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Gu Fei held back a laugh as he nodded.


    Despite having two extra little hearts on it, Jiang Cheng¡¯s teeth-mark took a little less time than the one on Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder. When the instrument in Mr. Lu¡¯s hand finally stopped whirring, Jiang Cheng let out a long breath of relief. Not only because the feeling of a staccato of pain amidst a sea of pain had finally stopped, but also because Mr. Lu had finally left the general vicinity of his crotch.


    ¡°Done,¡± Mr. Lu looked over it with satisfaction. ¡°It¡¯s just perfect. The skin on the thigh tends to be paler, makes for a very cool contrast.¡±


    ¡°Let me see.¡± Gu Fei leaned over to check out the teeth-mark, and took the chance to stroke Jiang Cheng¡¯s buttcheek.


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t even bother to retaliate. He sat up and looked down at the tattoo as well. Compared to the one on Gu Fei¡¯s collarbone, this one was sexy with a tinge of cute, courtesy of the two little red hearts.


    Mmn, not bad.


    Jiang Cheng quickly imagined a scenario of Gu Fei participating in an unchaste activity in that area.


    When they walked out of the building, Jiang Cheng figured he had made a wise decision to wear loose track pants that day. But even so, he couldn¡¯t help the urge to walk like a crab.


    ¡°I¡¯m not taking the bus,¡± He tugged at the hem of his pants. ¡°Let¡¯s take a taxi back, I don¡¯t want to walk.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed as he flagged down a taxi, ¡°What about class tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just wear a large boxer,¡± Jiang Cheng got in the car. ¡°Didn¡¯t Mr. Lu say I won¡¯t feel it much after one night, just can¡¯t let it touch water.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, boxer sounds good.¡± Gu Fei said quietly beside him. ¡°And I can look at it whenever I want.¡±


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s phone rang in his pocket. He said as he pulled it out, ¡°Wait till my leg is better, I¡¯ll take care of you¡­¡­¡±


    But when he saw the name on the call display, he suddenly didn¡¯t feel like talking anymore. If it wasn¡¯t for his good mood today, he probably would¡¯ve lost his appetite as well.


    ¡°Hello.¡± He answered reluctantly.


    ¡°Xiao-Cheng?¡± It wasn¡¯t Li Baoguo¡¯s voice on the other end, it was a woman. She continued anxiously before he could reply. ¡°I¡¯m Li Qian.¡±


    ¡°Li Qian?¡± Jiang Cheng froze.


    Li Qian had called him on Li Baoguo¡¯s cell phone. His first instinct was that Li Baoguo¡¯s condition¡­¡­ had worsened? Was he almost gone? Or?


    ¡°Do you have time right now?¡± Li Qian said. ¡°Do you have time to come over? It¡¯s dad, he¡¯s¡­¡­ kicking up a fuss, we can¡¯t talk him down, the police station already sent some guys over, but¡­¡­ Do you think you can come over and talk to him?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s he up to?¡± Jiang Cheng felt uneasy.


    ¡°He¡¯s on the roof,¡± When Li Qian spoke he could hear noise and yelling in the background. ¡°Said he wants to kill himself.¡±


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng was so shocked his voice went off key, Li Baoguo is threatening suicide?


    After he ended the call, Jiang Cheng turned and looked at Gu Fei, speechless, and had no idea where to even start.


    Gu Fei knew about his family, and knew about what kind of person Li Baoguo was¡ªperhaps even better than himself¡ªbut he still didn¡¯t want to time and again let Gu Fei watch as this man who was related to him keep stirring up all sorts of commotion. He didn¡¯t want Gu Fei to have to every once a while see the various troubles related to this man.


    Despite the fact that every time he ran into a problem, he¡¯d feel much more grounded after seeing Gu Fei, but he wondered how Gu Fei felt having a boyfriend who was constantly surrounded by these annoyances.


    ¡°Is it Li Baoguo?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng answered, then patted the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Shifu please drive a little faster.¡±


    ¡°Was that Li Qian calling?¡± Gu Fei asked again.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng was quiet for a while, then said quietly. ¡°Said that Li Baoguo is¡­¡­ threatening suicide, on the roof.¡±


    Gu Fei blanked, ¡°Right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jiang Cheng knitted his brows. ¡°The cops even showed up.¡±


    Gu Fei squeezed his hand, ¡°It¡¯s alright, they¡¯ll be able to talk him down soon¡­¡­ Li Hui didn¡¯t show up, did he?¡±


    ¡°Dunno,¡± Jiang Cheng pressed on the space between his brows and rubbed it. ¡°I didn¡¯t ask.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just putting it on for Li Hui to see, if Li Hui went, he¡¯d come down in no time.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It happened once before, said he¡¯s gonna slit his own throat, then ran onto the street with a knife and wanted to slash anyone he could get a hold of.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with Li Hui?¡± Jiang Cheng was incredulous, and more than a little stunned. Li Baoguo had tried to slit his own throat and slash people up before?


    ¡°Probably just acting out, you¡¯ve seen how they fight whenever they see each other. Li Hui probably doesn¡¯t want anything to do with this father of his,¡± Gu Fei grabbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand, set it atop his own leg, and gently massaged it. ¡°But Li Baoguo still cares a lot about him. He¡¯s the eldest son after all, different from his other children, that¡¯s why he acts out. It¡¯s just that the way people act out is different from person to person.¡±


    ¡°Is that so.¡± Jiang Cheng frowned and sighed softly, his mind was a mess. He knew that Li Baoguo wouldn¡¯t actually jump, but as soon as he thought about the chaotic scene he was about to face, the neighbours gathered to watch, and the idlers who loved to chime in with their snide remarks, he felt an intense headache. Even more painful than his inner thigh.


    The outside of Li Baoguo¡¯s building was more bustling than Jiang Cheng had imagined. It was just about the time after people got off work and bought groceries, even people from the next street over where Gu Fei¡¯s store was had come over, never mind the residents of this street. There were about one or two hundred people gathered downstairs, and even some on the roof. The police officers were in the process of herding them down.


    Jiang Cheng looked up toward the roof. Li Baoguo was squatting at the edge of the furthest corner of the rooftop, smoking. From time to time he would turn around and yell at the cops behind him.


    ¡°Ayy he¡¯s here, he¡¯s here,¡± An auntie started shouting. ¡°This is Li Baoguo¡¯s youngest son, his youngest son is here.¡±


    ¡°Youngest son? When did he get a youngest son?¡± Someone immediately followed up.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know, huh, gave him away when he was little¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Gave away? Why don¡¯t I believe that, sold away is more like it.¡±


    Jiang Cheng just felt annoyed. He was about to ask Gu Fei how to get to the roof in these old-school apartment buildings, when a guy yelled beside him, ¡°Go ahead and jump! Hurry up! What are you dithering for! Jump!¡±


    Immediately after, more people joined in the racket. Amidst a sea of whistles, several more people started shouting: ¡°Jump!¡± ¡°Jump!¡± ¡°Jump!¡±


    Gu Fei was a few steps away from Jiang Cheng. When Jiang Cheng turned to look at those people, he quickly stepped up and followed him close. Under these circumstances, he could guess what kind of emotional reaction Jiang Cheng would have. If anyone said any more cruel and banal things like this, with Jiang Cheng¡¯s temper, he might not be able to keep it in.


    Just as Gu Fei walked up behind him, Jiang Cheng already landed a punch on the man¡¯s nose.


    He had to admit, Jiang Cheng¡¯s fist was still pretty impressive, it was about as powerful as his sling. The guy was knocked right off his feet, before falling to the ground.


    The man pushed himself up, then struggled to stand after kicking his feet a few times. He glowered at Jiang Cheng, and was about to lunge, when Gu Fei gave Jiang Cheng a push, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng answered, then turned and walked into the stairwell.


    Gu Fei scanned each of the faces in front of him, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Fuck! I fucking only said a few words and he just started in!¡± The man who just had his face smashed cursed loudly. ¡°Motherfucker where did this dumb little fucking shit come from! I¡¯m gonna fucking wait for him to come down!¡±


    ¡°Then you can wait.¡± Gu Fei looked at him. The guy looked a little familiar, but he didn¡¯t know him. After all, all three generations of the hooligans around the Steel Works look a little familiar to him.


    ¡°The fuck?¡± The guy looked at him, and reached a hand into his pocket.


    If it was before, normally no one would dare go up against him face on. These people pretty much all recognized him, but in front of a whole crowd of people, and with the rumours that ¡°Monkey had already taken Gu Fei down a peg¡±, the guy was probably planning on making a move.


    Gu Fei¡¯s rule of thumb was always: if he had to fight, it better be quick, and not give his opponent the chance to react.


    Just as the guy took a step toward him, before he had a chance to pull his hand out of his pocket, along with the weapon, Gu Fei reached out his left hand and cupped the back of the guy¡¯s head, while smacking his forehead hard with the heel of his right hand.


    It wasn¡¯t a particularly powerful strike, but it was enough to make him dizzy for a few seconds.


    When Gu Fei drew his hands back, only then did the guy sway a little, and held onto someone nearby for balance.


    ¡°Whenever you manage to get on speaking terms with Monkey,¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°Then you can come pick a fight with me.¡±


    The rest of his group fell silent, and Gu Fei didn¡¯t bother to continue with them. He looked up in the direction of the rooftop.


    Li Baoguo was still squatting at the edge. At the moment he was looking back at something, but soon turned to face forward again, and screamed down, ¡°DON¡¯T YOU BOTHER WITH ME! I¡¯M GOING TO JUMP RIGHT NOW! I¡¯M NOT GONNA BE ALIVE FOR MUCH FUCKING LONGER ANYWAYS, IT¡¯S JUST A MATTER OF TIME! IF YOU WANT TO JOIN ME, COME RIGHT ON!¡±


    Gu Fei frowned, then shoved the crowd aside and ran into the stairwell, charging upstairs.


    He thought Jiang Cheng would try to call up to Li Baoguo from downstairs first, but judging by Li Baoguo¡¯s words, Jiang Cheng was already on the roof. Even though this old apartment building wasn¡¯t built very tall, to the acrophobic contestant Jiang Cheng, who would puke after standing on a five-story high rooftop, this height might just cause him to puke on the spot.


    ¡°What are you doing up here, Gu Fei!¡± An old cop stopped him on the third floor.


    ¡°Uncle,¡± Gu Fei recognized this officer. He was the first on the scene back then, when his dad¡¯s accident happened. ¡°My friend just went up there, let me go to him. He¡¯s afraid of heights. I¡¯m worried that nothing will happen to Li Baoguo but he might keel over first.¡±


    The old cop fixed his eyes on him for a beat, ¡°Go on, don¡¯t get close to Li Baoguo.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Gu Fei sprinted up the stairs.


    When he got to the roof, he could see there were a lot of people up there already. There were constables, and a few grandmas and aunties from the neighbourhood committee. Li Qian was standing in the middle, with her head down wiping away tears. Li Baoguo was coughing and cursing at the same time, at Li Qian, but also at Jiang Cheng, in the foulest language. Gu Fei grew up here, and had heard all sorts of boundary-pushing vocabulary, but Li Baoguo¡¯s hysterical insults to Li Qian and Jiang Cheng, which involved the reproductive systems and rutting periods of all living beings in the known universe, still made one want to rush over and push him off the building.


    Jiang Cheng was crouching behind her, closer to the stairwell. With his back to him, Gu Fei couldn¡¯t tell how he was faring.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng.¡± Gu Fei couldn¡¯t approach, so he called out from his spot.


    Jiang Cheng turned around, hesitated for a few seconds, then crawled over to him on all fours. He furrowed his brows as he got closer, ¡°I want to go down. I don¡¯t give a crap anymore. I want to go down¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei took two steps forward and reached out his hand. Jiang Cheng grabbed it, after which his whole body slackened and dropped. Gu Fei had no choice but to half carry and half drag him back to the stairs.


    ¡°I don¡¯t give a crap anymore, I don¡¯t ever want to hear anything about him ever again.¡± Jiang Cheng said quietly. ¡°Let¡¯s go down.¡±


    ¡°Mmn.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s just,¡± There was a slight tremor in Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice. ¡°Can you¡­¡­ carry me down, I can¡¯t move.¡±

 CH 70

    Everyone lived like this, but not everyone died like that.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice was very low, like he didn¡¯t want people around them to hear. Gu Fei nodded and made a sound of acknowledgement. However, if he were to piggyback carry Jiang Cheng down, the commotion of which would be enough that Li Baoguo would see them from across the roof, not to mention the nearby aunties and police officers.


    Besides¡­¡­ The tattoo on Jiang Cheng¡¯s inner thigh was freshly engraved, and was at the moment still red and swollen. Gu Fei couldn¡¯t possibly carry him on his back. He hesitated for a beat, then said also in a quiet voice, ¡°Carrying you on my back might rub against the tattoo, how about I¡­¡­ carry you down in my arms?¡±


    ¡°No roundaboutfucking way.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice was still quiet, but his refusal was firm.


    ¡°Alright then.¡± Gu Fei sighed, then grabbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s arms and slung them around his own shoulders, reached around to hold his waist in place, and pushed off sideways with some effort; Jiang Cheng¡¯s feet were just barely lifted off the ground. He half-dragged Jiang Cheng and started making his way down the stairs.


    It wouldn¡¯t be too big of a problem going down normal stairs this way, but the stairs that led to the rooftop on this old building was a metal framed one. It wouldn¡¯t be an issue to properly carry someone down piggyback style, but with only one arm around Jiang Cheng like this, it was more than a little difficult.


    He could feel that Jiang Cheng¡¯s whole body had gone slack. It was probably not due entirely to the height, he figured some portion of it was from an overwhelming disappointment in Li Baoguo.


    Gu Fei had to keep one hand clutching the railing, and one hand on Jiang Cheng, which meant he basically got them down this flight of stairs using only the strength of one arm and one leg. His arm was starting to ache from the strain when they reached the last step, and he almost threw Jiang Cheng down on the landing.


    After he let go, Jiang Cheng leaned himself against a wall, and slowly lowered himself into a crouch.


    Li Baoguo was still cursing away on the roof, his tirade was interspersed with sounds of Li Qian¡¯s crying, and the pacifying attempts of the police officers. Gu Fei couldn¡¯t hear the specific words, but he could make out hints of annoyance and efforts at suppressing it.


    ¡°Shall we go down?¡± Gu Fei bent down with his hands braced on his knees, and studied Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng took in a couple of deep breaths with his brows furrowed, then stood up, pressing a hand against his abdomen. ¡°Fuck, I want to vomit.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Try to be civil, Steel Works is my home,¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a look. ¡°Responsibility is my own.¡± [1]


    Gu Fei laughed and squeezed his shoulder, ¡°Then let¡¯s go down and find a trash can for you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer. He kept his eyes closed and took a little longer to focus his mind, but the chaos on the rooftop wouldn¡¯t allow him to succeed. He sighed, and started walking down the stairs while holding on to the railing.


    Gu Fei followed behind him, and the noise from the roof slowly faded.


    They only made it down two floors, when a furious roar boomed from the street outside, ¡°IF YOU WANT TO DIE THEN DIE! WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO SCARE, CROUCHING THERE LIKE THAT! YOU¡¯RE FUCKING SICK!¡±


    Jiang Cheng stopped. One of the units on the fifth floor had their door open, and everyone inside were crowded around the window watching the drama unfold. As soon as they heard those words, this family immediately started getting excited, ¡°Their oldest kid is here, this is gonna be good!¡±


    Gu Fei pushed him gently from behind, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned and continued his way down. He walked slowly, perhaps from the knowledge that once downstairs, he would run into Li Hui. The people he didn¡¯t wish to see were taking turns appearing in front of him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go get something to eat.¡± Behind him, Gu Fei tried to distract him with food. ¡°How about we go to Jiuri¡¯s place for their meat pies? It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng answered. ¡°But they¡¯re probably out of donkey meat at this hour, I quite liked that filling.¡±


    ¡°You can have¡­¡­ the tenderloin one,¡± Gu Fei looked at Jiang Cheng¡¯s back. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say last time the tenderloin filling is pretty good too? Why don¡¯t you have that.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    The closer they got to ground level, the louder Li Hui¡¯s voice became. Gu Fei felt that in all the years he¡¯d known Li Hui, his voice had never been so full of life. The energy with which he faced off with Li Baoguo was like yelling at a sworn enemy of many years. Even Li Baoguo had become re-energized: he stopped coughing, stopped wheezing, and was yelling with an especially loud voice that reverberated back and forth inside the stairwell; it was tough to make out the content of his tirade.


    The officers and people of the neighbourhood committee must¡¯ve regretted calling him here, but wanting to see Li Hui was Li Baoguo¡¯s own request. Without him here, Li Baoguo hurled abuse and refused to come down. Now that he had seen Li Hui, he was still hurling abuse, and who knew when he would finally come down. Either way it was a dilemma.


    The only ones in a good mood were probably the gathered onlookers.


    The people of this place, their lives were limited to the few lines of a Go board that endlessly intersected with each other, where like a pool of stagnant water, every intersection would eventually lead them back where they started. Year after year, generation after generation might¡¯ve all been repeating the same paths. They could follow these repeating paths all the way to its natural end, without even needing to lift their heads up to look forward.


    The people downstairs with their heads tilted back to look up, the people upstairs with their heads stuck out of their windows looking down, and the ones who had their doors closed but were listening with ears perked. For most of them, the word ¡°hope¡± had long been absent from their hearts, or perhaps had never been there in the first place, nor was it a necessary thing to think about. The only joy in their lives was probably watching the mess and pain that existed around them.


    Seeing someone else whose life was even more of a mess than their own, seeing someone else in even more pain than themselves, that was their greatest source of joy.


    Gu Fei wondered how this mess was going to end, Li Hui had taken a tougher stance than ever before. Last time when Li Baoguo went at people with a knife, Li Hui had run up and snatched the knife away, all the while cursing at Li Baoguo, and even hit him. However, Li Hui was showing no sign of holding back today. Their argument across a distance of several floors was still going as strong as ever, like a spectacular poetry recital.


    Perhaps it was because this time, Li Baoguo¡¯s tantrum had to do with his illness, which meant it had to do with money. And to these native products of the Steel Works, that was a life and death issue.


    Well worth having an epic fight over.


    ¡°I truly don¡¯t understand.¡± Jiang Cheng said quietly. ¡°How they can live in this manner for decades, for their whole lives.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to understand.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to live like this, just live your own life. There are so many people on this earth, gotta maintain variance within the species somehow.¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned around and gave him a look, ¡°You illiterate.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°I am one of the variations too, and so are you.¡±


    ¡°I rather like someone like you.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I rather like someone like you too.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Plus, to me, you¡¯re like a rare species that I never thought I¡¯d find.¡±


    Jiang Cheng laughed, and his footsteps seemed to become a little lighter.


    However, when Jiang Cheng reached the door to Li Baoguo¡¯s place on the first floor, he still paused, because Li Hui was standing right in the doorway of the building entrance. His curses rang throughout the stairwell, the sound of it reverberating inside the building made even Gu Fei¡¯s eardrums hurt.


    ¡°¡®ELDERY YET DISRESPECTED¡¯ IS A PHRASE MADE JUST FOR YOU! AND DON¡¯T CALL ME IMPERTINENT EITHER, IT¡¯S NOT YOUR FUCKING PLACE!¡± Li Hui pointed a finger upstairs and roared. ¡°AND DON¡¯T FUCKING TALK ABOUT HOW I TREAT YOU! HOWEVER I TREAT YOU, IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU DESERVE!¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t continue forward, so Gu Fei also stopped behind him and leaned against the railing, listening to Li Hui¡¯s angry diatribe outside. The people around Li Hui were also trying to pacify him halfheartedly, but their words were like air to him, of which one or two sentences might even further incite his rage.


    The crowd that originally gathered to watch the show were now slowly starting to break out of the immersion. Both Li Hui and Li Baoguo¡¯s emotions were getting a little too over the top, the situation appeared to be quickly spiralling out of control.


    ¡°Li Hui, give it a rest won¡¯t you,¡± An auntie tugged on Li Hui¡¯s arm. ¡°This sounds bad but how much longer is your father going to live, even if he wants to yell at you it won¡¯t be for much longer, why bother¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°He better die right now!¡± Li Hui flung his arm out and pointed up at the roof. ¡°MY WHOLE LIFE I¡¯VE WATCHED YOU EMBARRASS YOURSELF, RUN YOUR MOUTH AND HIT PEOPLE! WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO FUCKING LIVE FOR!¡±


    ¡°STOP IT¡ª¡ª DON¡¯T SAY ANY MORE! Enough already!¡± Li Qian¡¯s hoarse screams sounded from the roof, shrill and desperate. ¡°What exactly do you guys want!¡±


    ¡°HE WANTS ME TO DIE!¡± Li Baoguo¡¯s voice boomed, like a sudden clap of thunder.


    Before Li Hui and Li Qian got another word out, a sudden burst of horrified screams erupted from above and below at the same time.


    Immediately after that, Gu Fei heard a ¡°thud¡± outside the corridor that sounded like a bag of cement dropping to the ground, dull but loud. It made whoever heard it feel like their breathing and heartbeat had stopped for a moment.


    At the same time as this shocking sound, a small dark shape flew past the ground floor entrance. Only when it landed on the ground, did Gu Fei realize that it was a single shoe.


    Nonstop screams and disordered yelling were all around them, on top of which were the cries of extreme horror from women and children. In a span of mere seconds, these sounds seemed to have filled all the spaces around them, leaving one with nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide.


    After a brief moment of blanking out, Gu Fei made a dash forward and put his arms around Jiang Cheng, covering Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes with his hand.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s whole body had stiffened, but he was surprisingly compliant, like a robot with its power cut off. As Gu Fei half pushed and half carried Jiang Cheng out of the corridor, Jiang Cheng went along with the motions, without a sound or struggle.


    The situation outside had descended into chaos. Gu Fei didn¡¯t look in the direction of Li Baoguo¡¯s last jump. He had watched in silence as the people here lived their suffocating lives, but did not wish to witness another life come to its end.


    It was enough to have experienced it once, he never wanted to witness it a second time.


    In the ensuing chaos, nobody noticed him taking Jiang Cheng away from the scene. Outside, Li Hui had gone quiet, but Li Qian¡¯s howling cries, filled with an unspeakable intensity, could still be heard from the rooftop, bursting out one after another.


    As though it was a song dedicated to the bravest moment of Li Baoguo¡¯s life.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t know where he should take Jiang Cheng. Everywhere they could possibly go belonged to ¡®here¡¯, and everywhere was filled with a Li Baoguo-like aura.


    He wasn¡¯t sure of Jiang Cheng¡¯s state of mind at this moment, and couldn¡¯t predict how Jiang Cheng would react in a few minutes when he snapped out of it. At the end, all he could do was pull Jiang Cheng into the convenience store.


    Along the way, they saw quite a few people running toward Li Baoguo¡¯s place, throwing them curious and excitement-filled looks as they ran past, the whole time not breaking from their long and fast strides. After all, a living person was not as entertaining as the dead.


    Everyone lived like this, but not everyone died like that.


    Gu Fei pushed Jiang Cheng into the inner room inside the store, then went back and closed the shop door. His mom was supposed to be watching the store today, but at the moment it was empty. She might¡¯ve also gone to watch the show, or was simply out on a date with her new lover.


    Gu Fei turned around after closing the door, just as Jiang Cheng dashed out of the small room and toward the back courtyard.


    By the time Gu Fei followed him out, Jiang Cheng was already in the bathroom with his hand braced on the wall, puking his guts out. Even two meters away, Gu Fei could see Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand shaking on the wall.


    Gu Fei went inside to grab two bottles of water. When he came back to the bathroom, Jiang Cheng was still vomiting, but nothing was coming out, at this point he was just dry heaving.


    He stood silently behind Jiang Cheng, until Jiang Cheng stopped going through the heaving motions, before finally speaking up, ¡°Want some water?¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer, only reached back with his hand.


    Gu Fei twisted open the cap and handed the bottle to him.


    ¡°Wait for me outside,¡± Jiang Cheng tilted his head back and gargled two mouthfuls of water, then spit it out. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the other bottle here.¡± Gu Fei loosened the cap of the second bottle and placed it next to the sink.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng continued to pour water into his mouth.


    Gu Fei went back out to the courtyard, stood there blankly for a minute, then lit up a cigarette to keep in his mouth.


    Halfway through the cigarette, he finally started to feel a little calmer. Regardless of the kind of person Li Baoguo was, or what he had done, ending his life in this manner was ultimately a hard to digest blow to everyone, including the onlookers who were simply there for a show.


    It was only then that Gu Fei started to feel the stinging pain on his collarbone again.


    He wondered whether the pain on Jiang Cheng¡¯s inner thigh had come back yet. Just now when Jiang Cheng was vomiting, he was standing with his legs apart¡­¡­ Of course, people didn¡¯t normally stand with their legs clamped together when vomiting¡­¡­


    Incredulously, Gu Fei felt like laughing. With the cigarette still in his mouth, he threw his head back and laughed soundlessly for a good while.


    After his cigarette was done, Jiang Cheng walked out of the bathroom. His gait was a little wobbly, but the look on his face was calm.


    ¡°Feeling a little better?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m even throwing up stomach acid,¡± Jiang Cheng frowned, bent a little, and clutched his abdomen. ¡°I don¡¯t feel good.¡±


    ¡°Go inside and lie down for a bit?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Can¡¯t lie down,¡± Jiang Cheng straightened up and walked into the store, hooked a little plank stool over with his foot and sat down. ¡°Right now I just want to sit balled up like this.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s do that.¡± Gu Fei also pulled up a little plank stool and sat down facing him.


    With his arms resting on his knees, Jiang Cheng stared blankly into space for a while, ¡°Li Baoguo jumped off a building, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Yes.¡± Gu Fei hesitated for two seconds before answering.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything, just reached a hand out to Gu Fei.


    ¡°You want water?¡± Gu Fei looked at his hand. Still, after asking, he reached out and stroked Jiang Cheng¡¯s palm. ¡°Or something to eat?¡±


    ¡°Smoke.¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a look. ¡°Where¡¯s our tacit understanding?¡±


    ¡°It got lost from the fright.¡± Gu Fei got out the pack from his pocket, pulled one out, and placed it in Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand, along with a lighter.


    ¡°So Li Baoguo jumped off a building.¡± Jiang Cheng lit a cigarette and took in a couple of hard drags, then stared at the glowing tip.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°I¡­¡­ don¡¯t feel so good.¡± Jiang Cheng furrowed his brows and bit his lip.


    ¡°It¡¯s not only you,¡± Gu Fei sighed. ¡°I don¡¯t feel too great myself.¡±


    ¡°Do you think,¡± Jiang Cheng lifted his eyes and looked at him. ¡°He saw it, when I left?¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t answer. Faced with this abnormally calm Jiang Cheng, he was suddenly a little afraid of saying the wrong thing.


    ¡°I said I don¡¯t want to hear anything about him ever again.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Could he have heard me?¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei shifted his stool forward. ¡°This has nothing to do with you.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I know.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°I know, but these are still my first reactions. Was it something I did, something I said¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°No, not at all.¡± Gu Fei cut him off.


    ¡°You know,¡± Jiang Cheng paused for a bit, his brows in a knot. ¡°That¡¯s just how people are. I only asked you all this so I can have someone tell me, this outcome was not of my making. Just to pick myself out from this disaster situation.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same.¡± Gu Fei held his gaze. ¡°You know well enough, there¡¯s no need for other people to tell you. You know that it¡¯s not because of you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at him, then after a long time, let out a little smile, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Eat something,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Or go to sleep, pick one?¡±


    ¡°Eat something first, then sleep.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°You have instant noodles here right? Can you make a bowl for me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, want eggs in it?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°One egg then.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei stood up, got the noodles, and went into the kitchen. Normally when he ate instant noodles, he would just steep them in boiling water and be done with it. Sometimes if he got lazy, he¡¯d just nibble at the dry noodles.


    But right now, even if Jiang Cheng wanted him to go buy meat pies from Wang Xu¡¯s place, he would do it.


    Boil water, add noodles, add egg. After a few seconds he started to feel uncertain, so he walked to the door and asked, ¡°Do you want the egg fully cooked, soft yolk, or scrambled?¡±


    Jiang Cheng was still sitting in the same position on the little stool as before. He didn¡¯t answer, and seemed to not hear what Gu Fei said.


    Only when Gu Fei turned to go back to the kitchen, did Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice slowly carry over, ¡°Soft.¡±


    Gu Fei sprinted back to the kitchen and poked the egg with chopsticks. It wasn¡¯t fully cooked, but the yolk was definitely not soft anymore. He had no choice but to crack another egg in, watching it carefully, and made a soft poached egg.


    If Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want to eat the fully cooked one, he could.


    He went back in, set up the little table, and placed the bowl of noodles in front of Jiang Cheng. Just as he was about to go get another set of chopsticks to eat the fully cooked egg, Jiang Cheng picked up his chopsticks and split the fully cooked egg in half, studied it, then put half of it in his mouth.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Didn¡¯t you say you wanted soft yolk?¡± Gu Fei blinked.


    ¡°Did I?¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a look as he chewed. ¡°I never eat soft yolk, it¡¯s like runny shit.¡±


    Gu Fei was just thinking that he would eat the soft poached one himself, but hearing this, immediately gave up and sat down at the table.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to eat something?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng said as he ate slowly. First he ate the other half of the fully cooked egg, then not touching the noodles, he ate the other soft poached egg as well.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Didn¡¯t you say it¡¯s like runny shit?¡± Gu Fei was astonished.


    ¡°Did I?¡± Jiang Cheng pushed the bowl to Gu Fei. ¡°I might have said that. I ate the shit for you, you can have the noodles.¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Gu Fei laughed. ¡°You done eating?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really want to eat anyway,¡± Jiang Cheng pinched the area between his brows. ¡°I just wanted to listen to you being busy doing something, it makes me feel a little more grounded.¡±


    ¡°Then will watching me eat noodles make you feel even more grounded?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Jiang Cheng nodded.


    Gu Fei put his head down and dug into the noodles. It tasted pretty good.


    Footnotes:


    [1]: A made up slogan XD China always has a lot of slogans hung around cities, towns, and even villages. Their messages range anything from protecting the environment and conserving energy, to political propaganda.

 CH 71

    Mr. Policeman sir! That¡¯s the guy! It¡¯s me!


    To Gu Fei, this bowl of noodles was as uninteresting as it gets. Their original plan to go get meat pies at Wang Xu¡¯s place was put to the side. Compared to the lofty meat pies, these instant noodles were particularly dull.


    Especially as he looked up occasionally and saw Jiang Cheng sitting across from him, spacing out in his own mind, these noodles became even more dull.


    Gu Fei was a little worried. Jiang Cheng¡¯s current mental state really didn¡¯t seem like the calm after he collected himself, more like he was still in a daze, having not completely recovered from the shock.


    He didn¡¯t want to leave Jiang Cheng alone by himself tonight, but he was also afraid to open his mouth and suggest that he stay with Jiang Cheng for the night, or that Jiang Cheng could just stay here. He was afraid that at this point any one sentence or trigger could cause Jiang Cheng to explode.


    After he finished the noodles and washed the bowl, Gu Fei walked back into the store to find that Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t moved from his spot.


    He folded the table back up and set it to the side, then stood next to Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°That room in the steel works factories,¡± Jiang Cheng finally said after a long time. ¡°Will there be anyone staying there tonight?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°Can you keep me company there then.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to spend the night in a familiar place.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    He stood for a while longer, but still Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t move. Gu Fei didn¡¯t rush him. He went and sat down behind the cash register, and took out his phone.


    His Friend Circle had practically been bursting until this point. The word on the street was someone had jumped off a building nearby, and everyone was trying to get some details, a few spoke with such authority as though they had been downstairs at the time ready to catch Li Baoguo themselves.


    Gu Fei exited from the Friend Circle, and was just about to play a round of game to give his mind a break, when he got a message from Wang Xu.


    ¨C I heard the one who jumped is from the street next to yours?


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t answer.


    Wang Xu sent him another message.


    ¨C Somebody said it¡¯s Jiang Cheng¡¯s dad, he lives on the next street over right?


    Gu Fei frowned. In this modern era filled with various tools of instantaneous communication, the rumour mill within neighbouring communities was even quicker than before, scarily so.


    ¨C If I hear this being spread around tomorrow, I won¡¯t let you off easy!


    ¨C I wasn¡¯t spreading it around! Did I not come ask you about it first thing? I didn¡¯t even ask Jiang Cheng


    ¨C Doesn¡¯t matter, if I see anyone talking about it, I¡¯ll come for you!


    ¨C Fack! Fine fine fine, I¡¯ll go give them a warning okkk?


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t respond, just turned off the screen. He didn¡¯t feel like playing Aixiaochu anymore.


    ¡°What time is it?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°A little past 8, 8:26.¡± Gu Fei glanced at him. ¡°You¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s sit for a little longer.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Right now, I just don¡¯t feel like moving for some reason. I want to just sit here and blank out for a while.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei answered, picked up his phone again, and opened Aixiaochu.


    He very much understood Jiang Cheng¡¯s current state of mind. Him not wanting to move was not only a physical need, but mental as well. He needed to sit and blank out like that, as though any sort of movement would pull him back to reality, afraid that with the slightest movement, all those fears and anxiety he was afraid to face would come rushing back like the tide.


    In the period after Gu Fei watched his father die in the lake, he lost count of how many nights he spent sitting and staring off into space like this.


    He wouldn¡¯t find it strange even if Jiang Cheng spent a whole day and night sitting on that little stool.


    But to him, these were things that Jiang Cheng was never supposed to face, and experience, and carry. Only for some unfathomable reason, he was sent back here.


    Jiang Cheng wants to leave. Even if he was born here, even if his parents were all native products of this place, he still didn¡¯t belong here. Gu Fei sometimes felt afraid, afraid that Jiang Cheng would sink.


    Fortunately, that bit of pride in Jiang Cheng¡¯s bones had always been there to prop him up. No matter where he was, he stood tall.


    In this convenience store, there was a little clock. Every time the hour hand moves forward a block, it would make a little click sound.


    After the third click, Jiang Cheng knew that it was 11 o¡¯clock.


    He felt sleepy, very sleepy, like he could close his eyes and fall asleep right away. But when he did close his eyes, even if he pressed his eyelids together until they were sore, he still couldn¡¯t sleep.


    It was torturous.


    He didn¡¯t directly bear witness to Li Baoguo¡¯s last jump, but the sound of him hitting the ground, as well as the shoe that flew across his field of vision, were like scenes from a dream he couldn¡¯t shake off, moving in front his eyes with a somewhat realistic but blurry filter. In his daze, he had trouble separating what he dreamed from his actual lived experience.


    The days were getting warmer, he had sweated that afternoon during the tattoo session. But at the moment, his hands felt cold. In fact, his whole body felt cold, waves of goosebumps washed over him.


    The only scalding hot place left on his body were his eyes, it felt as though they had been burned in a fire. He had no urge to shed tears, even though his tear ducts had been getting quite a workout since he came here. He knew he didn¡¯t want to shed tears for Li Baoguo¡¯s death, they didn¡¯t have that kind of relationship. It was only that his eyes felt hot, and if it continued feeling hot like this, he would surely get a headache. He had no choice but to keep a hand pressed against his eyes in order to make himself feel better.


    At long last, Jiang Cheng let out a breath and stood up. When he looked back at Gu Fei, he saw that Gu Fei had also just stood up, stuffing his phone back in his pocket.


    ¡°Did you pass that level?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Yep.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Bull-fucking-shit.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°This whole time I didn¡¯t hear the levelling up sound, it was all sounds of failure. You didn¡¯t even finish this round.¡±


    Gu Fei started laughing, ¡°Good ears, I¡¯ve even lowered the volume to one block.¡±


    ¡°Give it to me.¡± Jiang Cheng reached out. ¡°I¡¯ll play for a bit.¡±


    Gu Fei handed his phone to him. Indeed, he hadn¡¯t passed the level on the screen, but even though there were only seven steps left, there was much hope. Jiang Cheng looked down at the screen, ¡°Let¡¯s head over to the room.¡±


    When Gu Fei pulled open the grates and glanced out, he could see that all the streetlamps had come on, and the shops on the street were closed. The entire street was deserted, the hustle and bustle of earlier were all wiped away by the dark of night.


    In that instant, he had a strange feeling. It felt like any supposed scary or shocking thing, whatever got the people of several streets screaming and yelling in a frenzy, had all disappeared in a matter of hours.


    It had all turned into meal accompaniments for each of these households, to be chewed on over and over under the glow of their lights. Give it a few months, or years, and it would evolve into an unrecognizable local tale, much like the way Gu Fei ¡®killed¡¯ his own father.


    How bizarre, and how scary.


    Jiang Cheng stared down at the game on the phone screen, and drew back his peripheral vision. This way, he could feel like he was a little egg yolk surrounded by its shell.


    As they headed in the direction of the steel works factories, Gu Fei walked by his side with one hand pushing against his back. Whenever there was an obstacle in front of them, he would give Jiang Cheng a little tug, and Jiang Cheng would go along with the motion to avoid whatever rocks, bricks, or holes on the ground.


    When Gu Fei opened the door to their room in the factories, Jiang Cheng dropped down on the sofa, and finally let out a breath of relief. He glanced up and around them, then handed the game back to Gu Fei, having already shot past two levels.


    ¡°Badass huh.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I should change my display name to ¡®Someone¡¯s Carrying Me¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Do it.¡± Jiang Cheng leaned back on the sofa and smiled.


    Both the fabric cover and blanket on the sofa had been changed to a soft linen type material. It felt cool and fresh against his skin, he started feeling insanely sleepy again.


    ¡°Can you¡­¡­ get up first.¡± Gu Fei lifted the sofa, trying to drag it out into a bed. ¡°It¡¯s gonna break if I drag this with you still on it.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stood up and slowly took a couple steps forward, thought for a second, then sighed, ¡°Should¡¯ve showered first before coming, at least brush my teeth or something.¡±


    ¡°We got stuff here.¡± Gu Fei pulled the sofa out and pushed the back down. ¡°Go look in that bin in the bathroom, Li Yan should¡¯ve left some disposable toothbrush, towels, and what not in there. Just do a wipe, your leg can¡¯t touch water anyway.¡±


    Jiang Cheng went into the bathroom and looked. There was practically nothing in the bathroom, though the plastic bin in the corner was fairly well equipped. However, all the toiletry sets were printed with names of various hotel chains.


    ¡°Where did he get all these hotel stuff?¡± Jiang Cheng asked as he walked out of the bathroom while brushing his teeth.


    ¡°It¡¯s his mom¡¯s company, he¡¯s got plenty at home. He brought these over a while ago, it¡¯s been cold so nobody¡¯s used it.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°These guys aren¡¯t very particular anyways.¡±


    Jiang Cheng smiled.


    Chatting idly about nothing with Gu Fei was the only way he could hold a conversation at the moment. This kind of chatter eased his mind, and didn¡¯t evoke any sort of unpleasant emotions.


    They both did a simple washing up, then laid down on the sofa. After the lights were off, the only brightness left in the room was the moonlight seeping in from outside, the later it was the brighter it got. Hanging outside the curtainless window, it made one feel strangely unsettled.


    Jiang Cheng turned around to face Gu Fei¡¯s profile.


    ¡°Want me to hold you?¡± Gu Fei turned to him and asked.


    ¡°Go away.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°It¡¯s hot.¡±


    ¡°This way then.¡± Gu Fei grabbed his hand and held it. ¡°Hurry up and go to sleep, there¡¯s class tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Good night.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Good night.¡± Gu Fei squeezed his palm.


    Jiang Cheng closed his eyes, and Gu Fei¡¯s fingers continued to squeeze his palm rhythmically. This method of soothing as if he was coaxing a child might be a little amusing, but it still made him feel grounded.


    Only, Gu Fei clearly fell asleep before him. The rhythm of his squeezes slowed down little by little, and eventually stopped. Jiang Cheng smiled, and listening to Gu Fei¡¯s steady and slowed breathing, breathed along with him. He fell asleep soon after.


    When he woke up in the morning, Gu Fei had already gotten up. Jiang Cheng could smell the aroma of beef noodle soup.


    ¡°You¡¯re up?¡± Gu Fei asked from behind him.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng turned around, and saw two bowls of beef noodle soup takeout set on top of the little rickety table by the sofa. He sat up and rubbed his face.


    Throughout the whole night¡¯s sleep, he surprisingly did not jolt awake, but the dreams never stopped. As a result, when he woke up just now, he never had the chance to experience a process of remembering the previous day¡¯s events, re-experiencing the shock, then getting used to it again.


    Li Baoguo had died. In front of his three kids and a crowd of neighbours. A jump from the top of the building, to conclude a life that might or might not have had any meaning.


    These were the images that flashed through his dreams for the whole night. Now that he was awake, it only made the images clearer.


    ¡°Nobody¡¯s called me.¡± Jiang Cheng grabbed his phone and glanced at it. ¡°Do I not need to be¡­¡­ involved in dealing with Li Baoguo¡¯s affairs?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll call you when they need the money.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°And when they¡¯re splitting up the assets.¡±


    ¡°Does Li Baoguo have any assets?¡± Jiang Cheng swiped at his phone absentmindedly.


    ¡°Dunno.¡± Gu Fei held up a loaded toothbrush in front of him. ¡°Gotta have something, maybe a few thousand.¡±


    ¡°If he really has a few thousand, he wouldn¡¯t go around asking for money.¡± Jiang Cheng took the toothbrush and stuffed it in his mouth. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t matter, even if he has a million bucks it wouldn¡¯t have anything to do with me, I don¡¯t want a single penny.¡±


    ¡°Just put something in for the funeral, and don¡¯t worry about the rest.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng answered, and slowly brushed his teeth.


    Theoretically, with the death of his biological father, it was entirely within reason for him to take a few days off from school. But Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t think of any need for him to take time off, or what he should do with the time if he did.


    Just as he entered the school, he happened to run into Lao-Xu, who must¡¯ve been on gate duty this week.


    ¡°Morning, Xu-zong.¡± Jiang Cheng called out to him.


    ¡°Ah Jiang Cheng¡­¡­ morning morning morning.¡± Lao-Xu seemed to want to say something, but must¡¯ve decided against it. ¡°Go on in, take care in your studies.¡±


    ¡°Morning, Xu-zong.¡± Gu Fei also called out behind him.


    ¡°Good kid! You¡¯re not late today!¡± Lao-Xu clapped his shoulder happily. ¡°If you can listen to the lecture in class later then that¡¯ll be even better!¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    It might be him being a little sensitive, but as Jiang Cheng walked upstairs to the classroom, he could feel all the eyes on him, but didn¡¯t hear any hushed whispers. Of course, with the way he usually carried himself, nobody would dare to come up and ask him either. It was slightly uncomfortable, but he preferred it this way, it allowed his tightly wound nerves a chance to relax for a bit.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng,¡± He entered the classroom, and was just about to sit, when Wang Xu pushed Zhou Jing aside and dropped himself down in the seat. ¡°Are you coming to my place for lunch today? I told my mom to put aside some donkey filling for us.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jiang Cheng paused.


    ¡°Are you coming or not?¡± Wang Xu asked. ¡°You guys haven¡¯t been there for ages, my mom even asked about it last week, she thought I must¡¯ve had conflict with my classmates again.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jiang Cheng gave a little smile. ¡°Will there be lamb soup?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a must! As many meat pies and lamb soup as you can eat.¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°It¡¯s decided then, we¡¯ll head to lunch together.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, then glanced again at Gu Fei.


    ¡°Da-Fei will definitely come too,¡± Wang Xu stood up and walked back to his own seat. ¡°If you¡¯re coming, how can he not?¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Gu Fei watched Wang Xu¡¯s retreating back, and said quietly. ¡°I wish I can say I¡¯m not going.¡±


    Jiang Cheng started laughing, he bowed his head and giggled at his desk drawer, ¡°Then don¡¯t go.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible,¡± Gu Fei sighed. ¡°You¡¯re going, and I¡¯m the free part of the buy one and get one free.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him. ¡°When I said I¡¯m going to play ball with He Zhou, why wasn¡¯t it buy one and get one free then?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different.¡± Gu Fei said.


    That¡¯s different. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know exactly what was different about it, but wasn¡¯t in the mood to dig deeper.


    Gu Fei reached out a hand in front him, and placed a milk candy on his desk.


    ¡°Just one piece?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one left, I saved it from my own mouth.¡± Gu Fei rummaged through his pockets. ¡°Winter jackets have larger pockets that hold more, these days I can only carry less than 20 at a time, and I forgot to refill yesterday.¡±


    ¡°And what if Er-Miao comes to you for candy today?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just go buy her a lollipop at the concession stand later, those 50 cents ones.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°So easy to please.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled, unwrapped the milk candy, and put it in his mouth.


    ¡°She just likes having a sweet hardcandy to chew on, doesn¡¯t matter if it tastes good.¡± Gu Fei pulled out his phone and opened the idiotic Aixiaochu. ¡°Fuck, did Li Yan pay for a power leveler or something?¡±


    ¡°Who the hell pays for a power leveler on a stupid mobile game.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°How is he ranking way above me again, wasn¡¯t I just one level away yesterday?¡± Gu Fei was unwilling to concede. ¡°Can you catch up for me at lunch?¡±


    ¡°Call me ge.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Cheng-cheng gege,¡± Gu Fei said in a low voice. ¡°Help me catch up please.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed and nodded.


    Jiang Cheng maintained that he hadn¡¯t been very affected. He didn¡¯t have much of a relationship with Li Baoguo, so no matter how he looked at it, he shouldn¡¯t be feeling too upset over Li Baoguo¡¯s death.


    However, reality has proven ¡ª Jiang Cheng slumped on the desk with his eyes closed ¡ª that it wasn¡¯t entirely true. Li Baoguo ended his life in such a way that would leave a permanent mark in a person¡¯s mind, no matter who it was. That kind of mental stimulation isn¡¯t something one can just get over with words like ¡°we don¡¯t have anything to do with each other so I don¡¯t give a crap¡±.


    Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t sad, nor was he in pain, but it was also true that his energy remained low throughout the whole morning. During Lao-Lu¡¯s class, when his thunderous yelling shook the ceiling so much that it caused the drywall to flake off, and the whole class erupted in hysterical laughter, Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t even bother to open his eyes.


    This was the scariest way to be, mentally. It was a state of mind wherein he couldn¡¯t gather up the energy to care about anything.


    He was most afraid of his emotions sinking to rock bottom like this; if he lost control, it would swell up and overwhelm him. After a while, it would be hard to get it back up even if he wants to.


    The last period was Lao-Lu¡¯s class again. He spent the whole class resetting his emotions amidst Lao-Lu¡¯s thunderous roars, and continued to pump himself up.


    By the time the bell rang, he was no longer slumped over the desk. He straightened and leaned back in his chair, took in a few deep breaths, then slowly let it out.


    It¡¯s no big deal. Since the day he arrived in this place, there had been all sorts of irritating things and irritating people, and didn¡¯t he resolve them all one by one? It¡¯s no big deal. A person¡¯s potential cannot be predicted by themself, as long as he made a start to solve the problem, then it¡¯s no big deal at all.


    He continued to breathe in deep, and just as he took in a big breath and about to let it out, Wang Xu walked past and slammed a hand against his desk, ¡°Let¡¯s go go go!¡±


    Jiang Cheng almost ejected his pent-up breath out through his eyes. He choked and couldn¡¯t stop coughing, ¡°Ah fuck.¡±


    When they walked out the school gates, Jiang Cheng felt like his mood had at least improved quite a bit on the surface. When his phone rang, he felt a sudden tightening in his guts, but still took it out calmly and answered this call from an unknown number.


    He never saved this number, but he could guess without even using his brain that the call was from Li Hui. As he answered the phone, he had the urge to thank him for not calling during class.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng,¡± Li Hui¡¯s voice was a little hoarse, but still as aggressive as ever, as if Jiang Cheng owed him money. Going by this tone of voice alone, it was at least ten thousand yuan. ¡°You¡¯ve been rather carefree huh. Dad¡¯s dead, and you haven¡¯t come by even once? Not even to take a look?¡±


    ¡°Get to the point.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice had also cooled down.


    ¡°Oyy, the point, is it? Straight to the point, huh?! You don¡¯t have anything to do with this family anyways, so you don¡¯t need to know anything else, right?!¡± Li Hui blasted out in succession.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t talk, then I¡¯m hanging up.¡± Jiang Cheng refused to take his lead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking act tough with me!¡± Li Hui was infuriated. ¡°Did you think just because I didn¡¯t get you back last time that I¡¯m afraid of you? You wanna bet I¡¯ll get some guys to fuck you up today!?¡±


    ¡°I just want to know what you¡¯re calling me for, if you¡¯re not gonna say it, then I¡¯m hanging up. And if in the future you feel like telling me again, I won¡¯t be here to listen.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice was still cold. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for you to come for me, and if you can¡¯t, you better wait for me to come for you.¡±


    ¡°Fucking! You motherfuck¡­¡­¡± Li Hui must¡¯ve briefly run out of words to say, he erupted with a stream of profanities after that, which altogether might even be enough for an 800 characters essay.


    Jiang Cheng listened for a while to collect some vocabulary, then just as he was about to hang up, Li Hui¡¯s voice got quieter on the other end, and a female voice carried over, ¡°Ah, Jiang Cheng? It¡¯s your sister-in-law, don¡¯t listen to your brother ramble on, he¡¯s in a bad mood.¡±


    Sister-in-law? Jiang Cheng had absolutely no impression of this sister-in-law, so he simply made a sound of acknowledgment.


    ¡°So here¡¯s the thing, your dad¡¯s gone, we¡¯re all very upset over it, and you¡­¡­ we can understand too. But now there¡¯s all these matters to deal with, and all these things that need to be paid for, if you are to remove yourself from everything¡­¡­ that¡¯s not very reasonable, right?¡± His sister-in-law said.


    ¡°Sis,¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei, who was dragging Wang Xu along in front of him, and slowed down his steps. ¡°Let me say that first of all, I¡¯m a student. I don¡¯t have a job, or a source of income. Normally, if any family needs someone to shell out money, they¡¯re not gonna come ask someone who¡¯s still in high school, right? That¡¯s just as unreasonable.¡±


    ¡°Ayy buuut that¡¯s not quite how it works¡­¡­¡± At his words, his sis sister-in-law felt a little embarrassed, but also grew more anxious at the same time.


    ¡°Here¡¯s how it works with me,¡± Jiang Cheng cut her off. ¡°I can pay three thousand. I was going to give it to Li Baoguo before, but didn¡¯t have a chance to; now it can be used on his funeral affairs. However, you have to write me a receipt clearly stating how much money was received. I¡¯m not going to ask where you¡¯ll spend it, but this is once and done, nothing more.¡±


    ¡°Ah, three thousand¡­¡­¡± His sister-in-law hesitated, probably thinking that it was too little.


    ¡°Whether Li Baoguo has any assets, or how much, has nothing to do with me. I won¡¯t ask about that either.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°But I¡¯m saying this right now, don¡¯t anybody dare come bother me, you people might not be able to handle me when I¡¯m at my worst. Once you have the receipt ready, come to my school and give me a call.¡±


    Jiang Cheng finished saying his part, and immediately hung up without waiting to hear the response from the other side.


    The moment he put the phone back in his pocket, he let out a long breath.


    In front of him, Gu Fei was also talking to someone on the phone. When he turned and noticed Jiang Cheng had finished with his call, he pointed at Wang Xu, then came walking back toward Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°No but,¡± Wang Xu stood on the spot unhappily. ¡°If you two have something to discuss can it at least wait till after we eat? I¡¯m the one paying and you keep pushing me off to the side, what has this world come to!¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Fei.


    ¡°I have to ask him first, I can¡¯t guarantee he¡¯ll agree to this one, no but¡­¡­ don¡¯t they usually look for girls to be lip models? You want this big fella to put lipstick on and pose for photos¡­¡­ I understand contrast, but the point is he¡¯s not like Li Yan, he doesn¡¯t look feminine, he¡¯s just¡­¡­ fine fine fine I¡¯ll ask him first.¡± Gu Fei hung up the phone and looked at him.


    ¡°What the heck is a lip model?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s uh, for displaying lip care products, and lipsticks and stuff.¡± Gu Fei said quietly. ¡°Ding Zhuxin¡¯s friend saw your photos, and thought your lips looked¡­¡­ pretty.¡±


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng was shook as he stared at Gu Fei¡¯s lips.


    He never really paid attention to what his own lips looked like, usually when he looked in the mirror to admire his own dashing handsome face, he liked to look at the whole picture¡­¡­ But he did always think that Gu Fei¡¯s lips were very sexy, every time he saw them he wanted to give it a kiss or a lick or maybe a bite¡­¡­


    It could be the side effect from the recent spar with Li Hui, but his mood was a little all over the place at the moment. While staring at Gu Fei¡¯s lips, he could hardly hear what Gu Fei was saying, the only thing in his head was the kind of content one could call the cops for.


    Mr. Policeman sir! That¡¯s the guy! It¡¯s me!


    ¡°I want to do something big for our birthdays.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°So what they¡¯re looking for is the visual impact, but if you don¡¯t want to¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei paused in the middle of his sentence, and blinked. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Lip model? I¡¯ll even be an ass model as long as you¡¯re the one shooting.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Fei was once again stunned.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not ass model, it¡¯s tush model.¡± Jiang Cheng said.

 CH 72

    Gu Fei put down the camera and went to the washroom.


    Jiang Cheng was rather surprised when Gu Fei brought up the lip modeling. It seemed to him that Ding Zhuxin and her friends were all weirdos. Ding Zhuxin designed a bunch of hobo uniforms, the product images of which actually turned out looking really high-end; he saw the end products of Gu Fei¡¯s photo editing, they were paired with all sorts of pretentious or hipster captions. Meanwhile, her friend wanted to put lipstick on a dude and take photos of it¡­¡­


    Although, apparently it paid well. Even for an inexperienced noob like him, doing a photoshoot for just a few days would more than patch up the hole left by the money he gave to and was about to give for Li Baoguo.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t mind whether or not he had to put lipstick on. After all, he had already worn the ¡®deranged caveman¡¯ look from before. After after all, he was a handsome guy with a good face and hot body who wasn¡¯t afraid of any kind of weirdo outfits. He figured it wouldn¡¯t look half bad even if he was to put on lipstick.


    ¡°I was going to postpone it to the summer break,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°But they¡¯re in a hurry and can¡¯t wait. I checked their schedule, the time is set for one week before the final exams, would that affect you?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Then what about your revision?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Fragmented time, plus going to sleep one hour later.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him. ¡°Watch and learn, slacker.¡±


    ¡°The most I do with fragmented time is catch a nap.¡± Gu Fei chuckled.


    After they finished eating meat pies at Wang Xu¡¯s place, everything seemed to have gone back to the way it was.


    Normally, when faced with something that troubled him that he couldn¡¯t solve, Jiang Cheng had two ways of dealing with it. The first was to keep thinking about it, turning it over and backward in his mind nonstop until eventually, the problem lost its original power, when he felt only a numbness whenever he recalled it. Those words of affirmation he could never obtain, for example. After getting used to it, he no longer had much emotional reaction to it. The other solution was to bury it and never touch it again, purposely avoiding it, and perhaps forgetting it for real at some point in the future. Those calm and never-ending criticisms, for example.


    For Li Baoguo, Jiang Cheng chose the latter. An overly gruesome end such as this wasn¡¯t meant to be brooded on and replayed over and over. He buried these details into his mind, and tried not to touch it ever again.


    On Li Hui¡¯s end, he never volunteered any information to Jiang Cheng. When Li Hui and his wife came to meet him at the school a few days later with a receipt for 3000 yuan, they didn¡¯t even tell him when Li Baoguo was to be cremated.


    ¡°Hold on, let me see.¡± Standing outside the school gates, Jiang Cheng looked over the receipt carefully, trying to decipher meaning out of the dog-shit handwriting. Fortunately, he had years of experience with his own handwriting. Then he took a square of archival ink out of his pocket, this he borrowed from Lao-Xu¡¯s office before he came out. ¡°Do a fingerprint, put it on top of your name.¡±


    ¡°Get over yourself!¡± Li Hui was enraged. ¡°Print my ass! It¡¯s only three fucking thousand, you¡¯d think you were giving three million!¡±


    ¡°Mhm, it¡¯s only three thousand, yet you both came to get it together.¡± Jiang Cheng smirked. ¡°Are you doing it or not, I¡¯m not giving you this money without a fingerprint. What happens if you decide to come around one day and claim that I faked your signature?¡±


    Li Hui glared at him and was about to close in, when Wang Xu¡¯s sudden roar boomed from behind them, ¡°What¡¯s taking so long! Are you done yet! Do you need these guys¡¯ help?¡±


    A few people stood behind the gate: Gu Fei, Wang Xu, Lu Xiaobin, and Guo Xu. Among these people, only Gu Fei knew what was happening, Wang Xu knew a little, while Lu Xiaobin and Guo Xu were called here by Wang Xu to look more imposing. Standing there with their bitch faces as though they¡¯d push over the gates and come rushing out to fight at any time, even the security guard looked a little nervous, never mind Li Hui, who quickly quieted down.


    ¡°Fucking hell.¡± Li Hui snatched up the square of ink, brushed his thumb on it, and pressed a thumb to the receipt.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the thumb print, which was pretty clear, then took an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to Li Hui. ¡°You can give it a count.¡±


    Li Hui opened the envelope and took a cursory glance while suppressing his fury, then walked away without counting, his expression dark.


    Jiang Cheng watched their silhouettes recede, and let out a long breath of relief.


    When he turned to head back into the school, Gu Fei curled the corners of his mouth up and gave him a smile, and so he gave one back.


    Along with the relief, he also felt a little listless. It seemed that Li Hui didn¡¯t feel very much at all regarding Li Baoguo¡¯s death, such that he was able to so boldly ask for money without so much as a flinch. What kind of mentality that was, Jiang Cheng could never understand.


    After Li Baoguo¡¯s matter came to a close, it felt like everything was finally tied up and done. Jiang Cheng buried this into the depth of his mind, and didn¡¯t even tell Pan Zhi. If Pan Zhi never brings this person up again, he¡¯ll probably never voluntarily bring up this event.


    Life and death, it was strange indeed.


    A person had disappeared just like that, changing from one kind of rumour material, to a different kind of rumour material. And if one steps out of this Steel Works neighbourhood, nobody would even know someone like that had existed, nor would they know that he chose to leave in this manner.


    How he lived and how he died, it would only be stored in the distant memories of a sad handful of people.


    Jiang Cheng suddenly felt like he was frighteningly miniscule. Where he came from, how he lived, the way he struggled and strived, and where he would eventually end up; his story would be just as unknown to everyone else.


    He himself was the only one who knew. Whether he was headed up or down, there was only himself.


    Lao-Xu the hen waited a whole week before tracking Jiang Cheng down for a talk, the subject of which was surprisingly not about Li Baoguo, but regarding the final exam that was coming up in a week.


    Jiang Cheng looked across at Lao-Xu, and thought the man¡¯s emotional intelligence had somehow risen mysteriously.


    ¡°How¡¯s the revision going?¡± Lao-Xu asked as he handed him a large manila envelope. ¡°These are some question bank sets I got for you, see if you have time to work on them?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng accepted the envelope. ¡°It¡¯s going alright. I have to take a couple of afternoons off this week¡­¡­ just so you know in advance.¡±


    ¡°Time off?¡± Lao-Xu looked at him. ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡­ personal.¡± Jiang Cheng said, uh I gotta put lipstick on and make money, Xu-zong.


    ¡°Can you tell me about it?¡± Lao-Xu continued to ask.


    ¡°I cannot.¡± Jiang Cheng refused point-blank.


    ¡°Kiddo¡­¡­¡± Lao-Xu sighed, then after some contemplation, gave him another warm smile as he asked. ¡°Are you under financial strain? I can help you apply¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not necessary, I¡¯m not under strain.¡± Jiang Cheng quickly answered. ¡°No need to trouble you, the school, or the state.¡±


    ¡°Ah you really are a good kid.¡± Lao-Xu said, then had another thought. ¡°How about we organize a donation drive within our class only¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Xu-zong please!¡± It would seem that Lao-Xu¡¯s emotional intelligence couldn¡¯t stand to be praised even in his mind, even as they spoke he was witnessing it¡¯s sliding descent. He gazed at Lao-Xu with such earnesty he almost cried. ¡°I don¡¯t need money, I have money, really! Please, please don¡¯t worry about this on my behalf, I¡¯m begging you!¡±


    ¡°Ok ok ok,¡± Lao-Xu nodded, then quickly added again. ¡°You must tell me if you¡¯re in any kind of trouble.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡± Jiang Cheng also nodded vehemently.


    Lao-Xu didn¡¯t keep pressing Jiang Cheng about the reason for his absence, though he did give his blessing for the time off. However¡­¡­


    Inside the taxi, Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei sitting beside him, ¡°Are you skipping class or did you request time off?¡±


    ¡°Skipping.¡± Gu Fei had his head down playing the idiotic Aixiaochu. ¡°How could Lao-Xu possibly agree to me taking time off.¡±


    ¡°Does he know we¡¯re going somewhere together then?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Are you worried that he¡¯ll find out?¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It¡¯s fine, you¡¯re only taking the afternoon off tomorrow, right? I¡¯ll just skip the whole day.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Jiang Cheng frowned. ¡°I¡¯m not worried about him knowing we¡¯re out together, I¡¯m worried that he¡¯ll find out and go talk to you about it again.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Gu Fei smiled, and bumped his leg gently against Jiang Cheng¡¯s. ¡°I have a hundred different answers ready.¡±


    Jiang Cheng sighed, ¡°Then don¡¯t skip class tomorrow morning.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say any more, just watched Gu Fei¡¯s profile out of the corner of his eyes. He wanted to say something, but at the same time felt like there¡¯s not much to say. There was something off about the way Gu Fei kept his distance from the school and his peers, but he couldn¡¯t figure out what exactly it was.


    He wanted Gu Fei to be like other students, but it was clearly impossible. He wished for the people around them to see that Gu Fei was not only a delinquent and slacker who skipped classes all the time, but it seemed that Gu Fei was never interested in letting other people see his virtues.


    This feeling of being untethered on both ends sometimes made him feel uneasy.


    He reached a hand behind Gu Fei¡¯s back and squeezed his waist.


    This friend of Ding Zhuxin¡¯s who wanted a male lip model was a plump middle-aged woman. Despite her lofty figure, there was an elegant air about her. The glasses on her face alone set her apart from others her age who rushed at gold accessory sales in the mall and did square dances while sightseeing abroad.


    ¡°Boys these days,¡± The plump jiejie briefly looked him over. ¡°Certainly are getting more and more handsome. I didn¡¯t meet a single one when I was younger, but these days I see them all the time.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, jie.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Thank you for your hard work,¡± The plump jiejie said. ¡°Go on in then, I¡¯m going out to have a stroll around¡­¡­ Gu Fei, thank you for your hard work.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Gu Fei answered while assembling his camera lenses.


    ¡°How about you also pose for a set next time?¡± The plump jiejie asked.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Ay, this response, I can¡¯t even continue the conversation.¡± The plump jiejie chuckled. ¡°Alright you guys continue, I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    A designer and a makeup artist remained on set after the plump jiejie left, they both seemed to be very familiar with Gu Fei already. The makeup artist girl would also help out as Gu Fei¡¯s photography assistant later.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just lipstick,¡± Jiang Cheng leaned back in the chair and felt the makeup artist slather layers upon layers of stuff on his face. ¡°Why do I need such a thick layer on my face too?


    ¡°Well, they can¡¯t just take photos of the lips only,¡± The makeup artist smiled and said. ¡°We actually don¡¯t need such detailed makeup if it¡¯s just a clothing shoot, but these are close-ups, so try to hang on.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng answered, then stretched his legs out and closed his eyes.


    He thought they only needed to do a white base coat on his face, then paint some lipstick on and call it a day. But the base coat alone took such a long time, then after the base coat she moved on to fiddling with his eyelids. Jiang Cheng was already a little tired from staying up revising for final exams for the last few days, and now with these brushes going back and forth across his eyelids, he felt like he was on the verge of shedding tears.


    ¡°Your eyes are so pretty,¡± The makeup artist said. ¡°It looks way nicer than those surgical bottom extensions.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a bottom extension?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Oh you know, puppy eyes.¡± The makeup artist laughed.


    ¡°¡­¡­ What¡¯s puppy eyes?¡± Jiang Cheng was baffled.


    ¡°His doesn¡¯t really count as puppy eyes, it¡¯s got more of a smug bad-boy vibe, it¡¯s not the cutesy kind.¡± The designer said beside them. ¡°It¡¯s pretty striking.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± The makeup artist nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t even have to do much work on his eyes.¡±


    Jiang Cheng decided to give up on any further questions, because the makeup artist was starting to line his eyes, and he could hardly stand it anymore, ¡°Wait wait wait wait¡­¡­¡°


    ¡°Are you unwell?¡± The makeup artist paused.


    ¡°I can probably film a crying scene right this moment,¡± Jiang Cheng turned his face away and looked to Gu Fei. ¡°Got a tissue?¡±


    Gu Fei had been sitting beside him fiddling with his camera settings, he hadn¡¯t been paying much attention to how the makeup was going. Now that Jiang Cheng suddenly turned to face him, he swept his eyes over Jiang Cheng¡¯s face as he handed him a tissue, and almost dropped his camera on the floor.


    Jiang Cheng with makeup on looked very unfamiliar to him. His lips were still bare at the moment, but this only made his eyes stand out more, and immediately captured Gu Fei¡¯s attention.


    The eye makeup was pretty intense. If he¡¯d seen this look out on the street, he¡¯d find it a little extreme even if it was on a girl. But on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face, he didn¡¯t find it out of place at all.


    Perhaps it was his ginormous boyfriend filter at work, but seeing Jiang Cheng like this made his heart suddenly beat faster. After Jiang Cheng took the tissue, he poured himself a glass of water and hastily took two big gulps to settle his heart back down.


    The makeup artist continued working on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. Meanwhile, Gu Fei was no longer in a mood to fiddle with his camera settings. He aimed the camera at Jiang Cheng instead and focused all his attention on his face.


    Gu Fei had known this makeup artist for some time, they¡¯d run into each other all the time during other photoshoots. She was a freelancer who normally worked at a TV station, and was highly skilled at her job.


    Gu Fei never noticed when she put makeup on other people, only with Jiang Cheng did he notice that she had meticulously accentuated all the good qualities of Jiang Cheng¡¯s features: his eyes, the curve of his nose, the face shape.


    And lips.


    On any given day, Jiang Cheng¡¯s lips looked¡­¡­ normal. But now, even with the most basic lining, he was already starting to see the beauty in it.


    ¡°What, are we shooting behind the scenes this time?¡± The makeup artist paused her work, and glanced at his camera.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei answered, still staring at Jiang Cheng through the lens. ¡°For myself.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mess around,¡± Jiang Cheng opened one eye and looked at him. ¡°It¡¯s not even done¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei pressed the shutter. The way Jiang Cheng looked with one eye open was very alluring.


    ¡°Your great uncle,¡± Jiang Cheng cursed, then asked after a pause. ¡°What¡¯s it look like?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t remember.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°What do you mean can¡¯t remember?¡± Jiang Cheng was confused.


    ¡°What my great uncle looked like.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Fucking,¡± Jiang Cheng cursed again. ¡°I¡¯m asking you how I look!¡±


    The makeup artist stood there with a little brush in her hand and couldn¡¯t stop laughing.


    ¡°Drop dead gorgeous.¡± Gu Fei answered solemnly.


    Because it needed to match the whole look, this lip makeup took a whole hour before it was finally finished. According to the makeup artist, it was actually much faster than usual, but Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know whether or not to believe her.


    ¡°Done,¡± She swept the brush over his face a couple more times as though sweeping the floor, then stood up. ¡°We can start shooting now.¡±


    ¡°Awesome job,¡± The designer stared at Jiang Cheng¡¯s face for a while. ¡°That¡¯s exactly the vibe I¡¯m looking for.¡±


    ¡°Can I look in the mirror?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    The designer moved to the side. Jiang Cheng never did look in the mirror throughout the whole process, and now after a single glance, he almost jumped from surprise.


    ¡°The fuck!¡± He turned and stared at the other three, he figured his expression right then must¡¯ve been a mix of horror and surprise. ¡°What the hell is this!¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯re not used to it,¡± The designer smiled and said. ¡°It looks really good, and not girly at all. It¡¯s a very manly sort of sexy.¡±


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t comprehend the mentality of a manly man sporting a mouthful of bright lipstick, but Gu Fei gave him a thumbs up when he looked over, and his mind was suddenly at peace again.


    Despite the fact that he felt Gu Fei would give him a thumbs up even if his makeup looked like a pile of wet shit, regardless, a positive affirmation from Gu Fei still put him at ease.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°After this I still have to¡­¡­ do homework and revise.¡±


    His words probably came as a total surprise for both the makeup artist and the designer. It wasn¡¯t until he was already stationed in front of the lights, that they managed to blurt out an ¡°Oh!¡±


    Gu Fei could feel a primitive urge reawakening within him. He had shot tons of handsome guys before, even ¡®ass models¡¯. But it was only when looking at Jiang Cheng¡¯s face, did those desires residing deep within his heart creep out little by little, slithering beneath his skin along the channels and veins, expanding its reach.


    Click.


    A gently raised face.


    Click.


    The corner of the mouth slightly curled up, with a hint of conceit.


    Click.


    The look of disdain in his eyes.


    Click.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s signature brand of arrogant smirk.


    The sound of the shutters was like the beat to his desire, every still frame of Jiang Cheng¡¯s face pushed him closer in the direction of the washroom.


    After they finished shooting the first set, as Jiang Cheng was getting ready to change to a different makeup look, Gu Fei put down the camera and went to the washroom.


    Immediately after he walked in, when Gu Fei still had his hands braced on the wall facing the urinal, before he even began to calm himself down, he heard the sound of footsteps, followed by a figure appearing beside him.


    ¡°Did you come to rub one out,¡± Jiang Cheng said in a low voice as he crossed his arms and leaned against the door. ¡°Or to lower the flag?¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Gu Fei turned to look at him. ¡°Did you come to watch the show, or to help out?¡±


    ¡°Well obviously to watch the show.¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes and laughed out gleefully.


    ¡°Do you have even an ounce of humanity?¡± Gu Fei walked over and pushed him against the wall.


    ¡°Young man,¡± Jiang Cheng jabbed a finger at Gu Fei¡¯s chin. ¡°If you kiss me right now, everyone out there would know about it.¡±


    Gu Fei thought about it for a moment, then planted a kiss on the side of Jiang Cheng¡¯s neck.


    ¡°I¡¯m warning you,¡± Jiang Cheng put his arms around Gu Fei. ¡°If you dare to bite down, then I¡¯ll dare to smack you.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed and lifted his eyes, ¡°Young man, for someone with leverage all over you, you dare to come in and provoke me?¡±


    ¡°I only came in to soothe you.¡± Jiang Cheng chuckled.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei lowered his voice. ¡°I¡¯ve got a question for you.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°You said you want to do something big for your birthday,¡± Gu Fei gazed into his eyes. ¡°How big?¡±

 CH 73

    Can you try not to appear so thirsty, please!


    As big as me topping you.


    Or as big as you topping me.


    On: The Post-Awakening Development of Juvenile and Adolescent Sexual Awareness.


    Cut off the sinful thoughts in your heart.


    Study hard and improve everyday.


    Help: Will long-term abstinence impact physical development.


    ¡­¡­


    Turn the rolling commentary on/off£¿


    Off.


    ¡°How big do you think?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Fei.


    ¡°Where?¡± Gu Fei lowered his gaze and swept it over his lower half. ¡°About the same as me, probably.¡±


    ¡°Control yourself.¡± Jiang Cheng tsked audibly.


    Gu Fei smiled and backed away a few steps, returned to the urinal, and unzipped his fly, ¡°Are you joining me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying,¡± Jiang Cheng walked to stand at the urinal next to him, and they stood facing the wall together. ¡°You must¡¯ve taken photos of so many hot men and women before¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Fei answered immediately.


    ¡°What do you mean no, do you mean to tell me your past works had all been ugly themed?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°When I take photos of other people, I¡¯ve never¡­¡­¡° Gu Fei glanced at the washroom door. ¡°Gotten hard.¡±


    ¡°Shit, why do I find that so hard to believe. From what I¡¯ve seen, every time you take photos of me¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng also glanced at the door. ¡°You get hard. The way this is going you¡¯ve gotta be one of those people who would raise a flag if the bus gets even a little crowded.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed at the wall for a good while, ¡°It¡¯s not like that, I need a specific target. My boyfriend, for example.¡±


    ¡°Yell a little louder why don¡¯t you.¡± Jiang Cheng finished peeing and zipped up, then looked sideways at Gu Fei. ¡°Dost thou have a prostate problem or something? You¡¯ve been standing here for forever and still haven¡¯t gone.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t come in for that in the first place,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I might as well go while I¡¯m here, but don¡¯t I still have to wait till this goes down?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ I can¡¯t continue this conversation with you.¡± Jiang Cheng turned the tap on to wash his hands.


    ¡°Don¡¯t wait for me, you¡¯ll need to change into another look, you should go get ready.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say I¡¯d wait for you.¡± Jiang Cheng gave him another look, then walked out.


    Before leaving the washroom, Gu Fei faced the mirror and gave himself a warning: this is work, there should be a limit to your shamelessness, it¡¯d be bad if this affected your money making.


    Jiang Cheng half leaned against the back of the chair, allowing the makeup artist to go to work on his face, and said weakly, ¡°Isn¡¯t it just changing the lipstick colour, why do we have to redo the eye makeup too¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course you need a different backdrop for a different style.¡± She explained while smiling.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    Gu Fei readjusted the lighting and walked to Jiang Cheng¡¯s side with his camera.


    ¡°I¡¯ll smack you if you keep sneaking impromptu snaps.¡± Jiang Cheng said with his eyes closed.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei looked at him through the viewfinder. ¡°You know I¡¯m here?¡±


    ¡°No shit, I felt a little breeze.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Remember yesterday, that summer, the moment the breeze blew past¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei sang a line out loud, and clicked the shutter. [1]


    Jiang Cheng tsked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not of you,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I was taking a picture of Nini.¡±


    ¡°Nini?¡± Jiang Cheng opened his eyes a slit.


    ¡°Me,¡± The makeup artist smiled. ¡°He sometimes takes some working photos of me, so I can post them on my Friend Circle.¡±


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you taking photos of me?¡± Jiang Cheng opened his eyes all the way and looked at Gu Fei.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Coming.¡± Gu Fei pointed the camera at him and clicked the shutter again.


    The lipstick featured in the second set was a bright red. Jiang Cheng turned to glance in the mirror before going on set, and once again froze, ¡°My god, what the hell is this?¡±


    ¡°This is our newest colorway,¡± The designer laughed. ¡°It¡¯s cold, glamorous, and sexy, with a touch of seduction.¡±


    ¡°No offense but,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°Are you trying to make these concepts and descriptions incomprehensible? I definitely don¡¯t get it, but I guess I¡¯ll try to find the vibe on my own.¡±


    The others all laughed. Nini pointed at Gu Fei, ¡°He gets it.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± Jiang Cheng looked to him.


    ¡°I can make a pretty good guess, ¡± Gu Fei raised the camera at him. ¡°Turn your head a little to the right¡­¡­ and we need a little more light on that side¡­¡­¡±


    Nini immediately went to adjust the lighting.


    ¡°Look at me, don¡¯t look at the camera.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Put your finger by your jaw somewhere, find a pose you¡¯re comfortable with.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng answered, and tilted his face slightly to the left. ¡°Where should I be looking?¡±


    Gu Fei lowered his voice, ¡°At your teeth-mark.¡±


    Jiang Cheng paused, then curved his lips up in a smile and snuck a glance at his collarbone. Gu Fei quickly pressed the shutter.


    The shape and contour of Jiang Cheng¡¯s face were especially suited for high-contrast light and shadows. The lines were clean and the shapes well defined, but at the same time it didn¡¯t lack a certain gentleness. The red was particularly eye-catching when juxtaposed in the middle of the black and white, giving it a somewhat mysterious vibe.


    His fingers were very attractive as well. Jiang Cheng followed Gu Fei¡¯s directions and tried to find a good place to rest his fingers near his jaw and lips, but Gu Fei didn¡¯t wait for him to finish settling down the finger before snapping a photo. Jiang Cheng¡¯s fingers shifted, drew close, and moved away; the whole time Gu Fei pressed away at the shutter.


    ¡°Give the lipstick a wipe.¡± After a round of clicking sounds, the designer chimed in and said.


    ¡°Wipe¡­¡­ how?¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Just put your finger on your lips,¡± The designer demonstrated on her own face. ¡°Then drag it down or to the side¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at her, then a few seconds later turned his face away and burst out laughing. It took him forever to finally stop, and throughout this time Gu Fei kept clicking away with his camera.


    ¡°Don¡¯t laugh,¡± The designer couldn¡¯t help but be infected by his laughter. ¡°Anyways, just like that, you get? Just don¡¯t be like me and look like a dumbass while doing it.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded while still laughing. ¡°You didn¡¯t look that dumb.¡±


    ¡°Can I deduct your pay?¡± The designer said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°You¡¯re very beautiful.¡±


    Jiang Cheng understood what the designer meant. Frankly, it wasn¡¯t anything too innovative, easily half of all editorial photos purporting to champion individualism tend to feature some imagery of messily wiped lipstick.


    But when Jiang Cheng put a finger on his lower lip and gently tugged down, Gu Fei still thought at the moment, the Jiang Cheng in his frame had a handsomeness that was entirely different from those dolled up wannabes. To be perfectly honest, it wasn¡¯t the seductive vibe the designer was looking for, it was a little more feral instead.


    The innate energy Jiang Cheng exuded could not be quashed by any outfit or makeup. His pride shone through the mess of scarlet, and the look in his eyes was as untamed as ever.


    ¡°Wipe it again with the back of your hand.¡± Said the designer. Jiang Cheng could tell from her voice that it wasn¡¯t what she had envisioned, but she was still satisfied with the outcome.


    ¡°Back of my hand?¡± Jiang Cheng glanced down, hesitated for a moment, then lifted his hand and dragged it across his mouth in one smooth motion.


    Gu Fei figured Jiang Cheng was probably manifesting the spirit of a napkin-less ill-mannered person wiping their mouth with their hand after a meal. However, the frames he managed to capture of the moments immediately after, as Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand was just barely away from his lips, were surprisingly stunning.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do a full body shot,¡± The designer said. ¡°The guard dog position will do.¡±


    ¡°What dog?¡± Jiang Cheng was once again baffled.


    ¡°Are those clothes ok?¡± Gu Fei asked. They were shooting close-ups of the face today, so Jiang Cheng was wearing his own clothes, a black t-shirt and a pair of brown pants.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± The designer nodded. ¡°It¡¯s good contrast.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve done these before, just stand straight with your arms down, no need to do any poses.¡± Gu Fei said as he changed lenses. ¡°That, is the guard dog position.


    ¡°¡­¡­ I thought I¡¯ll have to squat down.¡± Jiang Cheng dropped his arms.


    ¡°If you want to squat that¡¯s fine too,¡± Gu Fei laughed. ¡°Stick out your tongue while you¡¯re at it.¡±


    ¡°Go away.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°No need to tilt your head. Relax your shoulders.¡± Gu Fei finished changing the lens and held up the camera again, then took a few shots.


    A young man and his unbridled stubbornness.


    Very good.


    Shooting took two afternoons in total. Jiang Cheng realized that it wasn¡¯t easy being a model; it was only two afternoons, but he felt like his lips were almost cracking from the overuse.


    When he was putting on the last look, Gu Fei went out and bought him a chapstick.


    ¡°You can put this on once we finish here.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Jiang Cheng took it and turned it over in his hand. ¡°Is it tinted?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ What colour do you want? I¡¯ll go buy it for you.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at him.


    Gu Fei laughed, and was about to respond, when the door to the studio opened.


    Jiang Cheng glanced over. The plump jiejie had come by only two times over the last two days, the only other people who sometimes came in were staff members. However, the person standing at the door right then wasn¡¯t the plump jiejie, and based on his clothes, nor did he look like a staff member.


    In the doorway stood a man of about 27 or 28 years old. He was dressed in tailored slacks and a button-up shirt with his sleeves rolled up, looking casual but not that casual.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei with one of his eyes. He was hoping to see if Gu Fei would introduce the newcomer to him, but he found that Gu Fei¡¯s face had already become overcast.


    It¡¯d been a long time since he saw this disgruntled expression on Gu Fei¡¯s face.


    ¡°What a coincidence.¡± The young man nodded at Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei acknowledged him halfheartedly. If he wasn¡¯t standing so close, Jiang Cheng wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell whether Gu Fei made a sound with his mouth or simply huffed out some air.


    ¡°I ran into Tang-jie yesterday while having tea, and she said you¡¯re going to be here for a couple of days.¡± The man didn¡¯t seem to mind Gu Fei¡¯s attitude. ¡°I happened to pass by today, so I dropped by for a look.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Fei sat down on a nearby chair with his camera, and started playing with his lenses, showing no interest in speaking to him any further.


    The man stood at the door for a while, and after also greeting the designer and Nini, went to sit down next to Gu Fei.


    Jiang Cheng only heard Nini call the man Lin-ge, and nothing else. After that, Lin-ge sat down beside Gu Fei, which was a little too far away for him to hear if they¡¯d said anything else.


    Jiang Cheng perked up his ears and listened intently for a while, but still couldn¡¯t catch a single word. He could only see that Gu Fei had his head down the whole time working on his camera, showing no desire to engage in conversation. Lin-ge said a few more sentences here and there, then kept quiet as he leaned back in the chair and looked in this direction.


    Jiang Cheng had to draw his gaze back.


    Of Gu Fei¡¯s friends, he only knew Li Yan and the others, plus Ding Zhuxin. He had never even heard Gu Fei bring up this Lin-ge before, therefore he wasn¡¯t likely to be a close acquaintance.


    However, the change in Gu Fei¡¯s attitude when he saw him was clear as day, it didn¡¯t seem like the appropriate reaction to someone he didn¡¯t know very well.


    Jiang Cheng felt a weird pang in his stomach all of a sudden.


    Who the fuck is this!


    What the fuck is his connection to Gu Fei!


    Why did he just sit down and refused to fucking leave!


    What the fuck is he looking at!


    If Jiang Cheng¡¯s past jellies were mostly forcefully consumed for funsies, then this time the sour taste he was feeling in his guts couldn¡¯t be more real.


    It was like he¡¯d just tattooed a fire torch onto his butt, the flames of which made him unable to sit still. He felt an overwhelming urge to go over there and demand an answer.


    However, when they started shooting, Lin-ge only watched for a few minutes, and then left.


    Jiang Cheng stared at Gu Fei and scrutinized him for a while. That weird all-over uneasy feeling from earlier was gone from the moment Gu Fei picked up the camera and pointed it at him.


    After a long time of scrutiny, he still couldn¡¯t make out anything.


    ¡°Xiao-Jiang¡¯s attitude here is great,¡± The designer praised. ¡°That look of¡­¡­ annoyance? Or maybe¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Anger.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Right, just really irritated.¡± The designer nodded. ¡°That¡¯s exactly it.¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned his face and swept a glance over Gu Fei.


    Asshole, so you can tell.


    ¡°What did Lin-ge come over for?¡± Gu Fei asked the designer. ¡°Is Tang-jie collaborating with him?¡±


    ¡°I think so, Tang-jie wanted him to help organize a small launch event.¡± Said the designer. ¡°They¡¯re still discussing it.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Fei looked at Jiang Cheng.


    Jiang Cheng held his gaze for a moment, aware that the question was asked for his benefit, it was to let him know that this Lin-ge was closer with the plump jiejie than with Gu Fei.


    And yet.


    That didn¡¯t explain the change in Gu Fei¡¯s demeanor when he saw this person.


    Little dude, can¡¯t hide anything from us overachievers. Not to mention this one¡¯s not near-sighted!


    After the photoshoot was over, Nini helped Jiang Cheng wash off the makeup, as Gu Fei exited the studio.


    By the time Jiang Cheng finished with everything and walked out the door while aggressively applying the chapstick to his lips, he found Gu Fei leaning against the wall outside, with a cigarette between his lips.


    ¡°All done?¡± Gu Fei asked when he noticed him come out.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°The remaining half of the payment should be coming in tomorrow morning.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng stuffed the chapstick in his pocket. He felt pretty tired, so much so that he couldn¡¯t even tell if he was hungry.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t mention Lin-ge. Jiang Cheng wanted very much to ask, but hesitated between whether or not he should. Gu Fei was clearly unhappy to see the guy, if he asked, it might make him even more unhappy.


    But if he didn¡¯t ask, it might seem too intentional.


    ¡°Wanna get cold noodles?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    They took a cab there. As they got out of the car Jiang Cheng still had to ask, ¡°Was that Lin-ge, a friend of yours?¡±


    ¡°Not quite,¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t hesitate at all in his reply. ¡°An acquaintance.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t sure how to continue this line of questioning.


    ¡°We¡­¡­ knew each other from before,¡± Gu Fei frowned. ¡°When I played in the band.¡±


    ¡°Ah is that so,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at his furrowed brows. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty long time ago then.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t really have much contact with him, but he has a studio and sometimes I¡¯d use his models during photoshoots, so we run into each other from time to time.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his nose, suddenly a little embarrassed. This out of nowhere onset of jealousy was a little childish, he thought.


    Even though he didn¡¯t know why Gu Fei had such an attitude for someone he was merely acquainted with, he didn¡¯t much feel like getting to the bottom of it anymore. It seemed that Gu Fei didn¡¯t want to get into the details, and there was no point for him to continue probing, except to make both of them unhappy. Not to mention, Gu Fei already said there was no other connection between them. For an open and considerate overachiever such as him, it¡¯d be unseemly to keep pursuing the matter.


    After all, when it comes to boyfriends, trust is a very fundamental element.


    After they finished the cold noodles, Gu Fei was about to follow him to the apartment and keep him company in revision, but halfway back he got a call from his mom, who said that Gu Miao was throwing a temper tantrum at home, and she couldn¡¯t calm her down.


    ¡°You should go back,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Is she maybe unhappy that you haven¡¯t been eating at home these last couple of days?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei sighed. ¡°She has a little blanket that she has to hold every night. It¡¯s all smelly so I washed it yesterday¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just give it back to her after it dries?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°But the smell is different, it has the smell of laundry detergent.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°She¡¯s already thrown a fit this morning, but probably remembered it again just now.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and go then,¡± Jiang Cheng felt anxious at the very thought of Gu Miao¡¯s screaming. ¡°Comfort her properly, otherwise just¡­¡­ wrap it around yourself and go for a run, or do some pushups or pullups or something, sweat it out and make it stinky again.¡±


    Gu Fei chuckled, ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try.¡±


    After bidding goodnight to Gu Fei at the intersection, Jiang Cheng stood on the spot and watched Gu Fei¡¯s silhouette. Probably out of worry for Gu Miao, Gu Fei didn¡¯t turn around today, but instead strode briskly in the direction of their home.


    Jiang Cheng had originally thought to take a few perfunctory glances before heading back. He still had homework to do, and a bunch of practice questions he wanted to get through. But serious words like running, pushups, and pullups, all became dirty little yellow words in his mind as he stood there and watched Gu Fei¡¯s receding silhouette.


    Sweat, muscle, lines, rising and falling, tightening, relaxing¡­¡­


    Jiang Cheng quickly crossed his eyes and stared at the tip of his nose. As a top student, he knew long ago that ¡°eyes to the nose, nose to the heart¡± wasn¡¯t actually commanding people to stare at their own nose, but the dumb misunderstandings formed in one¡¯s childhood often accompanied one throughout their whole life¡­¡­ [2]


    Just as he crossed his eyes, he noticed in his peripheral vision that Gu Fei had turned around.


    He immediately uncrossed his eyes again and looked forward. Gu Fei raised his arms and mimicked a sniper, tilting his head and taking aim.


    ¡°Dumbass.¡± Jiang Cheng said as he quickly moved his right foot back, and raised up his arms as if he was drawing back a bow.


    After their dumb and dumber goodbye ceremony, Gu Fei turned and jogged away. Jiang Cheng lifted his arms up to stretch, then slowly sauntered back to his apartment.


    The final exams were coming up. When the midterm results came out, Jiang Cheng had made the bold claim that he¡¯d pass the second place by more than 100 points. Even though words like that belonged in the category of bullshit boasting, it was still based in reality. He didn¡¯t have a habit of making unrealistic claims; if he said it out loud, he¡¯d try his best to achieve it.


    After finishing the homework, he took a shower with thoughts of Gu Fei¡¯s body still on his mind, then sat on the bed in his pyjamas with his practice questions, and began to work through them.


    This way he could fall asleep and wake up readily and easily, he was used to being in this state when revising for tests. He¡¯d never be like other top students and say that he spent the whole night before a test playing video games. If anyone marveled at his grades, he would tell them honestly, ¡°I haven¡¯t had a good night¡¯s sleep in two weeks.¡±


    The reason I got good grades is simply because I churned harder than you did. That was the greatest feeling of all.


    Tsk tsk tsk.


    Jiang Cheng grinned down at the questions, grabbed a notebook for scrap notes, picked up the pen Pan Zhi had gifted him, and started to revise.


    Even though it was impossible for ¡®drowsiness¡¯ to manifest while his brain was turning the whole time, it was still possible to fall asleep.


    In the past he had also fallen asleep while revising, but would usually wake up again after about 20 minutes. Today was no different, except for the manner in which he woke up.


    He was jolted awake by a nightmare.


    ¡°HE WANTS ME TO DIE!¡± Screamed Li Baoguo.


    The instant Jiang Cheng woke up he felt like even his breathing was in shambles, and his heartbeat a little out of whack. He stared at the pen in his hand and took a long time to finally calm down.


    He thought he¡¯d already successfully sealed away Li Baoguo and his death, that it would no longer disturb his life. These days he had indeed gone back to his old way of life, but didn¡¯t expect to face this scene again in such an unguarded state.


    He closed his eyes and gently pinched between his brows with the fingers of his left hand, while spinning the pen rapidly in his right. After what seemed like forever, he finally let out a long breath, and switched subjects to revise for English.


    It wasn¡¯t until he got up the next morning that he discovered his pillows, duvet, and pyjamas were all covered in splotches of ink, as a result of his fervent pen spinning the night before.


    ¡°Fuck,¡± He leapt off the bed and into the bathroom, and stared into the mirror at the ink splotches on his face. After a while of staring he hopped a few times on the spot while clapping his hands and said in a high-pitched voice, ¡°Aiya so handsome!¡±


    Then he started brushing his teeth.


    The night of dreamless slumber put him in a very good mood. At this moment it wouldn¡¯t matter even if he¡¯d poured a whole bottle of ink onto the bed, let alone a tiny bit of splatter.


    ¡°Looks like contestant Jiang Cheng is in good spirits this morning,¡± He finished washing his face, then said as he changed. ¡°Yes, it doesn¡¯t look at all like he stayed up studying the night before¡­¡­ but if a slingshot athlete is out of practice for a long time, will it impact his performance? Rumours has it that he even gave away his prized slingshot to his mystery boyfriend?¡±


    Jiang Cheng sent a message to Gu Fei: you up yet?


    Mystery boyfriend messaged back a whole five minutes later.


    ¨C Sleepy


    ¨C Sleep then, i¡¯m off to school


    ¨C Noon


    ¨C Mhm


    By ¡°noon¡±, what mystery boyfriend meant was that they will have lunch together at noon. He often devolved to using these ultra-minimalistic expressions when he was extremely sleepy.


    ¡°Any skill needs to be honed, but for a prodigal contestant such as this,¡± Jiang Cheng put on his shoes, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and went out the door. As he walked down the stairs, he continued quietly, ¡°There is no need to worry.¡±


    Going from his apartment to the school took him past Gu Fei¡¯s convenience store, but it wasn¡¯t yet open at this hour. He glanced at the locked door when he rolled by on his bike, and out of nowhere felt a fluffy warmth in his heart.


    It was a magical feeling. When you like somebody, the mere sight of anything related to him will become a ball of fluff in your eyes.


    He was already very familiar with this path, even with his eyes closed he could tell what he was passing along the way. There were various businesses: some old and rundown, some newly renovated, some decked out in a tacky punk style, some purporting to be high-end indie, others still were styled as back to the roots. They were all still closed at the moment, giving off a sense of strange familiarity.


    Interesting. Jiang Cheng made a turn against the wind.


    After riding forward for a while, an old signage flitted by the corner of his eyes.


    He couldn¡¯t stop his brow from arching uncontrollably, as he quickly turned and stole a glance before turning back again to direct his eyes forward.


    Adult.


    Toys.


    Fuck! How did I not notice the presence of a shop like this before?


    He whipped his head around again, then immediately turned back to stare straight ahead.


    Fuck! It wasn¡¯t a trick of the light!


    Humans were like that sometimes, when they were thinking of something, they¡¯d start seeing it everywhere¡­¡­ And as a youth with a newly grown yellow mind¡­¡­


    How big was he thinking?


    How big?


    Probably big enough to warrant a stroll around that shop.


    But¡­¡­ Jiang Cheng looked back again, damn if this shop didn¡¯t look a little too rundown! It didn¡¯t seem like a serious business at all, it gave off the vibe that every condom in the store had been punctured by the owner.


    ¡°Watch it!¡± Somebody yelled nearby.


    ¡°Ay!¡± Jiang Cheng turned around in time to see an uncle about to cross the street a few meters ahead of him, and squeezed the brakes right away. ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°What were you staring at anyway, you¡¯re gonna crash into a tree like this.¡± The uncle said.


    What were you staring at!


    Contestant Jiang Cheng, what were you staring at!


    Can you try not to appear so thirsty, please!

 CH 74

    Come on down, Cheng-ge¡¯s taking you out for your birthday.


    There was an adult toy store right around the corner.


    Compared to the dilemma of whether he should go in and have a look around, or why the shop looked so shady as though it was a salon at a train station, Jiang Cheng was more surprised by the fact that he never noticed its presence before.


    Though he was too embarrassed to discuss this with Gu Fei. If it was another shop he¡¯d speak up about it for sure, hey look there¡¯s a steamed bun place here, how come I never noticed with my 20/20 super sharp overachiever vision?


    But this was an adult toy store, which made it not so appropriate to launch a discussion about, since the conversation would inevitably veer into a dirty novel territory. Even though he was super keen about it, and certain ideas were also growing strong in his body¡­¡­ Still, at the end of the day he was young, and however much he wanted to do a little something with his boyfriend, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say it out loud.


    Not to mention, there was still the gauntlet he threw down of beating the second place by 100 points, he couldn¡¯t afford to be distracted.


    Jiang Cheng spent the whole morning listening to the teachers of various subjects preaching earnestly with their whole beings, and set the dirty little shop aside for now. Without Gu Fei beside him, his attention wasn¡¯t as easily diverted to staring at the guy¡¯s face, so he was much more focused on the lecture.


    At about ten minutes before the end of the last class of the morning, Gu Fei¡¯s yawning figure flashed lazily by the front door, then leisurely strolled in through the back door and into the classroom.


    It was a geography class, the teacher glared angrily but resignedly at Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei gave the teacher a bow, then sat down.


    ¡°Some students,¡± The geography teacher knocked on the lectern. ¡°Only see the bliss immediately before them, and never stop to think about what to do for their future. By the time you start to regret¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Did you not sleep yesterday?¡± Jiang Cheng asked quietly. Gu Fei looked like he didn¡¯t get enough sleep, he never used to look like this even when he was on time.


    ¡°Not really,¡± Gu Fei yawned again. The teacher was still passive aggressively droning on at the front, so he didn¡¯t immediately flop down on his desk, and instead lowered his head as though he was listening intently. ¡°Er-Miao was fussing all night.¡±


    ¡°All that over a blanket?¡± Jiang Cheng frowned.


    ¡°Dunno, she was probably in a bad mood.¡± Gu Fei sighed. ¡°Though it¡¯s been a while since she acted up like this, I had to slap her out of it.¡±


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng turned to him. ¡°You hit her?¡±


    ¡°Just once on her butt,¡± Gu Fei said. The teacher started giving out homework, so he slumped down on the desk. ¡°Really lightly. Even to her¡­¡­ it¡¯s really hard for me to always keep my temper.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t she get upset again if you hit her?¡± Jiang Cheng was a little worried.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I talked to her for a long time after that, I told her that kids get hit if they don¡¯t behave, no exceptions. Ah I¡¯m so exhausted.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take the time to sleep this afternoon, you can ask to be excused?¡± Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t sure what else to say.


    ¡°Excuse my ass, the finals are the day after tomorrow, how can Lao-Xu possibly allow it, I¡¯m not you after all.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll just sleep in class this afternoon.¡±


    A new pizza place had opened near the school, and the decor looked pretty legit. The students of Fourth High seemed to have found a way of distinguishing themselves, and all flocked to sit in there to eat pizza elegantly. [1]


    ¡°Let¡¯s go get pizza.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°The one just outside?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s try it, I¡¯ve never tried it myself, if it¡¯s good I¡¯ll take some back for Er-Miao.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    He didn¡¯t have any expectations for this place, but since Gu Fei hadn¡¯t tried it before, it wouldn¡¯t hurt to give it a try, what if there was a miracle?


    But when they walked in and checked out the price, he figured there probably wouldn¡¯t be any miracle. A seven inch was only 22 yuan, at least it was a great value.


    There were a lot of people in the restaurant, most of them students at Fourth High, so Gu Fei asked for it to go and walked out with the box.


    ¡°Where should we go?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°To the bridge?¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°Get some sun, spend some time with my boyfriend¡­¡­ let¡¯s get a couple of cokes too, we¡¯ll have a picnic.¡±


    Jiang Cheng thought it was a little silly, actually nothing was sillier than this. Two big fellas sitting by the bridge, facing a crappy practically dry river, eating a 22 yuan pizza together, and drinking coke.


    But though that was what he was thinking, he still quickly nodded as soon as Gu Fei finished talking.


    Silly, yes. But it was also kind of fun. It was very¡­¡­ he couldn¡¯t articulate it, it was an indescribable feeling, perhaps even if he had to go clean the toilets with Gu Fei it would still be¡­¡­ wait no, nevermind that.


    There weren¡¯t many people around the area at lunch time. They sat down on a long bench on a trail near the bridge, a few benches away was someone with earphones on loudly practicing their verbal English.


    Jiang Cheng found it an odd sight, to see someone practicing English in the most rundown Steel Works area of this crappy little city, at noon no less. He couldn¡¯t help but reminisce on this out of place yet familiar scene he hadn¡¯t seen for a long time.


    ¡°This tastes so bad.¡± Gu Fei picked up a slice and took a bite.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty good when it¡¯s done well.¡± Jiang Cheng also took a bite out of a slice. Indeed it wasn¡¯t very good, not at all comparable with the meat pies at Wang Xu¡¯s place. ¡°How about we take Gu Miao to Pizza Hut after the finals?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a Pizza Hut here.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°¡­¡­Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng paused for a second. ¡°Ok, then we¡¯ll find a nicer place to get pizza?¡±


    ¡°Why not just go to Wang Er¡¯s Meat Pies instead,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It¡¯s cheap, and when his mom¡¯s in a sunny mood she¡¯ll even make it on the house.¡±


    Jiang Cheng took a sip of the coke and laughed for a good while, ¡°Then shall we have meat pies there on our birthdays too?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to go that far.¡± Gu Fei considered for a second. ¡°How do you want to spend your birthday? Invite some old classmates over?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡­ not necessary.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I was thinking, our birthdays aren¡¯t that far apart, let¡¯s choose a day in between and celebrate it together, how¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s just pick the date of your birthday,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Otherwise it¡¯ll leave a vacancy on both our birthdays.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed, he thought the way Gu Fei described it as vacancy was kind of cute. ¡°How about the lunar calendar?¡±


    ¡°Check what your lunar calendar birthday is then, see if it overlaps with my Gregorian calendar date?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably not likely,¡± Jiang Cheng said as he pulled out his phone, but as soon as the screen lit up he turned it off again and put the phone away. ¡°No no, let¡¯s just go with my date, yours is too late.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°What¡¯s your hurry?¡±


    Jiang Cheng bit on a slice of pizza and froze, then glanced at Gu Fei¡¯s smile¡­¡­ it could just be a very normal smile? But with his heavenly eye Jiang Cheng was still able to read a different kind of meaning out of this smile. He mumbled around the pizza in his mouth and cursed, ¡°Your great uncle.¡±


    Gu Fei kept grinning wordlessly.


    ¡°I¡¯ll smack you if you keep grinning like that.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei put away his grin and turned to Jiang Cheng solemnly with one arm on the back of the bench, ¡°Cheng-ge, we¡¯ll go with your birthday, it absolutely has to be that date. I¡¯m in a big hurry to spend it with you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glared at him, then after a long time finally patted his shoulder, ¡°Fine.¡±


    The day before the final exams, someone started a bet in the Fourth High forums. At first they wanted to bet on who would take the first place among the juniors, but that was quickly overturned due to the total lack of suspense. Next, someone suggested they bet on the highest score in the school, but it was also overturned for the same reason.


    At last after much discussion, they decided to bet on how big the difference would be between the first and second place.


    ¡°I placed a bet,¡± On the way home from school, Gu Fei slowly peddled as he played on his phone. ¡°I bet eight cucumbers.¡±


    ¡°What the hell, you must be way too bored.¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know what to say, he did see the posts, but hadn¡¯t clicked on them to see the details.


    ¡°What do you think? Will 118 points be a challenge?¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you bet on the first place getting full marks.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°That¡¯s unrealistic,¡± Gu Fei laughed. ¡°I would if your handwriting is half as good as mine, but there¡¯s no way you¡¯d get full marks with that handwriting of yours.¡±


    ¡°Get out.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Really Cheng-ge, practice your handwriting please,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°What if you get docked aesthetic marks on the university entrance exams.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been practicing, I¡¯ve been writing my homework every day stroke by careful stroke.¡± Jiang Cheng tsked audibly.


    ¡°Then are you able to get over 118 points difference?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Dunno, 100 points difference isn¡¯t a problem, but you think 18 points is that easy?¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°No offence, but you guys won¡¯t even dare to go bigger? If it¡¯s cucumbers you could at least bet on truckfuls at a time.¡±


    Gu Fei couldn¡¯t stop laughing, then said, ¡°Some users revealed their true identities before. Last year when they bet on the rankings of Game Day, people actually brought cucumbers to school.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ They certainly know how to have fun.¡± Jiang Cheng commended earnestly. ¡°Do seniors get a Game Day?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°There¡¯s even a celebration concert at the end, all the seniors would attend, since the seniors have nothing in the way of school events after that.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a little trepidatious. After this summer was the last year of high school, it was less than a year away. If it were his old school, they wouldn¡¯t get a summer at all. The parents would riot if the teachers didn¡¯t hold supplementary classes, they¡¯d cry and beg for the school to not go easy on the poor seniors.


    But Fourth High seniors had an entire half a summer, and a Game Day, and even a concert.


    ¡°Will you not participate in Game Day either?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    ¡°Then what about the celebration concert?¡± Jiang Cheng continued to ask.


    ¡°I¡¯ll at least go and watch.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled too.


    Jiang Cheng usually didn¡¯t feel very much pressure for final exams. Even if he gave himself the goal of passing second place by 100 points, it wouldn¡¯t be a big deal as long as he pushed himself a little. But for some reason, he inexplicably felt nervous as soon as he thought of the eight cucumbers from freestyle_handsome.


    Even though nobody knew who freestyle_handsome was, he still gave himself pressure from out of nowhere called ¡°can¡¯t let freestyle_handsome lose cucumbers¡±.


    The exam didn¡¯t go very differently from the midterms. The people to his front, left, and back, all looked to him for answers, only Gu Fei to his right was sitting there calmly rolling the dice on every question.


    The final exam questions were clearly more difficult than the ones on the midterm. For the sake of freestyle_handsome¡¯s cucumbers, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t turn in his papers early, and instead stayed in his seat until the last minute for every subject.


    When he walked out of the class after finishing the last subject, Gu Fei was just about to approach to talk to him, but got cut in by Lao-Xu who squeezed him to the side, ¡°How do you feel about this afternoon?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Why does it seem like you¡¯re not in very high spirits?¡± Lao-Xu studied his face with care. ¡°Are you unsatisfied with one of the subjects?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I¡¯m like this even when I get full marks.¡±


    ¡°Ok ok ok,¡± Lao-Xu nodded in relief. ¡°That¡¯s a good mentality to have. Take some days off and rest well, then we¡¯ll be starting supplementary classes, gotta get in the mindset for senior year!¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    Just like that the semester was over, they had two days off before their grades were out, and everyone seized the opportunity to have fun while they could. Jiang Cheng was planning to think about what to get Gu Fei for his birthday, but Wang Xu got a hold of him and kept them busy for the whole two days.


    Other than Guo Xu and the others, Wang Xu also invited the girls. Frankly, everyone knew what he was trying to do, clearly he just wanted a chance to bring Yi Jing out.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want to go, but Wang Xu had forcefully dragged Gu Fei and Gu Miao along, so he had no choice but to follow.


    Only, on this rare get-together, their activities of choice was to go shopping downtown, eat and drink, then head to the arcade for a while. Jiang Cheng wanted to tell Wang Xu that it¡¯d be a miracle if he ever managed to get with Yi Jing this way.


    In the two whole days of wandering aimlessly about, the most exciting part was when they ran into a group of young people skateboarding in the square. Gu Miao played with them for a while on her skateboard, which attracted a large crowd of people who all pulled out their phones to take pictures and videos.


    At the end of it, their leader, a young man extended an invitation to Gu Miao, ¡°Hey little sis, will you be interested in joining our club to skate with us?¡±


    Gu Miao looked back at him blankly, then kicked her skateboard up to her hands, and walked away.


    ¡°Bye for now then little sis! We¡¯ll be here the first weekend of every month! Come by if you have time!¡± The young man called out behind her.


    From a distance, Jiang Cheng watched as Gu Miao walked closer and doubled up in laughter, ¡°Ayy, this swag.¡±


    ¡°No manners at all,¡± Gu Fei smiled, then bent down and gestured at the approaching Gu Miao. ¡°Er-Miao, thank those geges, they spent so much time playing with you.¡±


    Gu Miao gave him a look, then turned around and gave a bow to the young people who were still waving at her.


    ¡°Actually¡­¡­ that club, if it¡¯s possible, it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea for Gu Miao to join and play with them, huh?¡± Jiang Cheng said after some thought.


    ¡°But I¡¯ll have to be with her the whole time. She doesn¡¯t know how to communicate with other people, and they don¡¯t know what her triggers are either.¡± Gu Fei sighed. ¡°And where do I get the time? I already have photography sessions booked, and next week I have to take her to do rehab¡­¡­ So we¡¯ll just have to see.¡±


    Jiang Cheng reached out and squeezed his back gently, not knowing what to say.


    Gu Fei¡¯s holiday schedule was very tightly packed. He had to mind the convenience store, do photography work, and take Gu Miao for treatment¡­¡­ Every single one of these had nothing to do with whether or not he was willing, or whether or not he could squeeze it into his schedule, they were all things he had no choice but to do.


    It was this sense of resignation Gu Fei occasionally let out, that made Jiang Cheng a little glum. Sometimes when he looked at Gu Fei it was like looking at an eagle tied to a tightrope with a chain; it was already difficult to stay standing, and what was worse, his wings weren¡¯t for flying but merely to maintain balance.


    But perhaps Gu Fei had already gotten used to it. Other than the occasional sigh, Jiang Cheng almost never heard him make any kind of complaint. After their grades were out, he even went out in very high spirits and purchased eight cucumbers.


    ¡°Here, you can have four.¡± Gu Fei handed him the bag with cucumbers inside.


    Jiang Cheng was in a pretty good mood too. The second place was still Yi Jing, and though he didn¡¯t manage to achieve a difference of 118 this time, he did make good on the promise he made to Lao-Xu.


    Although when he accepted Gu Fei¡¯s bag of¡­¡­ cucumbers, he still felt an ever so subtle bit of shame.


    ¡°We¡¯re young people in a new era,¡± Jiang Cheng watched as Gu Fei happily started chomping on a cucumber right in front of the supermarket. ¡°Can we celebrate in a slightly more elegant way?¡±


    ¡°Even on your birthday you¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei stopped halfway, took another bite of the cucumber, and started laughing.


    ¡°I really really want to meet your great uncle, Gu Fei!¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him.


    Though he did feel embarrassed, Jiang Cheng still placed a lot of importance on their birthdays, and not just for the sake of¡­¡­ a couple of cucumbers.


    This was the first time he could spend his birthday the way he wanted to, and the first time he would spend it with Gu Fei.


    As for Gu Fei¡¯s birthday present, he sat cross legged on his bed and pondered for three hours as if he was meditating, then finally jumped off and took a taxi directly to the shopping center.


    He didn¡¯t want to just buy something, there was no meaning in that. But to make it himself, he had no such skills. So he picked the middle way, and decided to buy premade materials and put it together himself.


    Last time when he came here with Wang Xu and the others, he saw a lot of people doing crafts in one of the stores, Yi Jing even went in to look around, and reported back that they were making things with Perler Beads.


    Jiang Cheng decided to make a Perler Bead keychain for Gu Fei.


    He received a call from Gu Fei just as he stepped into the store, ¡°Ah the days are growing longer boyfriend, I¡¯m done shooting here, aren¡¯t you gonna come out and playyyy, boyfriend¡­¡­ Are you outside?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I¡­¡­ have an errand to run.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°What errand?¡± Asked Gu Fei, but he didn¡¯t wait for Jiang Cheng¡¯s answer before he started laughing. ¡°Is it to buy a present for me?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t overthink it,¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at the bookstore sign nearby. ¡°I¡¯m at the bookstore.¡±


    ¡°To buy study materials?¡± Gu Fei asked. ¡°Want me to come join you?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll be long gone by the time you get here.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Alrighty then, I¡¯ll take Er-Miao out to play.¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    Jiang Cheng hung up and walked into the Perler store again.


    The shopkeeper was very friendly, and gave Jiang Cheng a thorough explanation, ¡°This isn¡¯t hard at all, you just have to be detail oriented. You¡¯ll get the hang of it after a few simple patterns.¡±


    ¡°Do you have patterns here?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Yep, what kind are you looking for?¡± The shopkeeper asked.


    ¡°Like¡­¡­ chibi figures,¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at the people crafting around him. ¡°I want to make a keychain.


    ¡°We have that,¡± The shopkeeper clicked a few times on his computer and pulled up a pair of chibis, a boy and a girl. ¡°Do you like something like this?¡±


    ¡°Um, you got any that are of¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng cleared his throat, and could hardly open his mouth. ¡°Two boys?¡±


    ¡°We have those too,¡± The shopkeeper smiled. ¡°Let me take a look, you can also send me images you like and I can turn them into pixel art for you.¡±


    The shopkeeper very keenly started searching, and found more than a dozen different chibi images. When he pulled them up one by one, Jiang Cheng even saw a few where the figures were stacked together in a most unseemly position. He felt a surge of embarrassment, ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡­ not necessary.¡±


    The shopkeeper started laughing and showed him a few more. Even though he¡¯d said he didn¡¯t want the unseemly images, he still ended up picking one of two figures kissing in an embrace.


    As Jiang Cheng walked out of the store with a bag of Perler materials and a hot iron, he could almost feel his sweat dripping down. There was a bubble tea shop right next door, but he didn¡¯t go in. He felt like the shopkeeper of the Perler store was still standing there watching him.


    When he finally left the shopping center and bought a bubble tea from a street side shop, he chugged away the whole thing in one breath.


    As he was standing there waiting for the bus, Pan Zhi called, ¡°Cheng-er! I¡¯m going to visit and celebrate your birthday!¡±


    ¡°You can come over after my birthday.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Fucking hell,¡± Pan Zhi was shook. ¡°You¡¯re planning to spend it with Gu Fei?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­huh.¡± Jiang Cheng looked down at the bag in his hand.


    ¡°Grandpa, how could you treat me this way?¡± Pan Zhi was distraught. ¡°Can¡¯t we all celebrate it together? Everyone eat and drink and be merry, in honour of your long-awaited birthday?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Shit, how did my ranking drop so quickly?¡± Pan Zhi was very unwilling. ¡°How long has it been! Did you not struggle at all between lust and friendship? Was it such an easy choice?¡±


    ¡°Will you please be considerate of your elders.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Fine then, but you gotta promise me this,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°When I come visit I still get to stay at your place, don¡¯t make me stay in a hotel.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got your present already, you¡¯ll love it for sure.¡± Pan Zhi said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jiang Cheng immediately asked.


    ¡°My little wittle heart.¡± Pan Zhi said.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Don¡¯t want it. You¡¯ve given away your little wittle heart away to fifty people already, if not a hundred.¡± Jiang Cheng tsked. ¡°You probably put it through a shredder and gave it away one piece at a time.¡±


    ¡°Damn it,¡± Pan Zhi couldn¡¯t stop laughing. ¡°You just wait, I¡¯ll send you my train info after I buy the ticket, you come and pick me up.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    Gu Fei felt like the overachiever was pretty good at holding it in. Jiang Cheng had been busy for the last few days, doing who knows what. Every time Gu Fei asked him to come out, he would answer that he had no time. But he never did see what was keeping Jiang Cheng busy whenever he dropped by the apartment.


    And as for the birthday present and how they were going to spend the day, Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t revealed a single thing, just told him to wait.


    Gu Fei sat in front of the computer, and glanced at the time as he continued editing photos. In another five minutes would be Jiang Cheng¡¯s birthday. He picked up his phone and got ready to make the call as soon as the clock striked zero.


    Time passed one second at a time, he watched the clock on his phone, and found himself a little excited, even his fingers trembled ever so slightly.


    23:59:55.


    He counted in his mind: 56, 57, 5¡­¡­


    The image on his cell phone screen changed abruptly, and a picture of Jiang Cheng¡¯s face jumped out at him. The sudden ringtone sound almost startled him into dropping the phone on the floor.


    ¡°Happy birthday,¡± He picked up the phone and said before the other side was able to speak. ¡°Cheng-ge.¡±


    ¡°Happy birthday.¡± Jiang Cheng said with a smile. ¡°Were you counting the seconds?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei chuckled then sighed. ¡°Couldn¡¯t beat you, you¡¯re early.¡±


    ¡°Us overachievers are good at planning, you would¡¯ve picked up right on the dot.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Now that you¡¯re forcefully 18, how do you feel?¡±


    ¡°Ay¡­¡­ old age beckons.¡± Gu Fei said, then suddenly noticed the sound of wind through the receiver. Confused, he asked, ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Downstairs.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Come on down, Cheng-ge¡¯s taking you out for your birthday.¡±


    Footnotes:


    [1] In China (and probably Asia) pizza is not the cheap fastfood that it is in some other places, because it¡¯s foreign (white), ppl see it as more high brow.

 CH 75

    Happy birthday.


    ¡°Bring the slingshot too.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    After hanging up, Jiang Cheng leaned back against the lamp post and let out a soft breath. He was in a good mood.


    These last few days was an experience like none other for him, standing outside Gu Fei¡¯s building now, he still felt like he hadn¡¯t quite recovered from it.


    Not only because this was the first birthday he would spend together with Gu Fei, but also for the things he did in preparation for this birthday that he never thought he would do.


    The thing called Perler Beads was known as a puzzle for children, but Jiang Cheng felt like no child could have the patience to finish an entire picture, nor would any child¡¯s hands be steady enough that they could place each grain of ¡®bean¡¯ into the mold so precisely.


    Of course, it also had to do with the fact that he never really did any crafts growing up. Anything he did with his hands in elementary school was ready-made, all he had to do was go by the images, snip snip, paste paste, and it was done.


    Regardless, as he was placing the beads one by one into the mold with a tweezer, he felt like his hand was growing out of someone else¡¯s body; every time he set one down, he¡¯d knock over the two next to it. The shopkeeper told him that because he picked a smaller design with simple colours, it would be very quick to make, even beginners can do it in a couple of hours.


    Couple of hours my ass!


    He shook and tremored his way through the first try, which took him almost two hours on its own. To cap it off, he overapplied the heat at the end and melted all the beads into one flat pancake.


    The second one also took him more than an hour, at least three times throughout the process he wanted to sweep it all to the ground, beads and all.


    On the third try, since he had a little more experience, he was able to get through it much faster, but it was only after the heat stage that he realized he missed an eye on one of the chibi figures.


    ¡°We cannot possibly fathom contestant Jiang Cheng¡¯s emotion at this very moment, but he must be feeling anxious and resigned.¡± He stared at the blind little figure. ¡°The distance between professions is truly a world apart, to a contestant who¡¯s never attempted such a meticulous challenge¡­¡­ He¡¯s capable of hitting two objects less than a centimeter apart separately, yet he¡­¡­ ah fuck it I give up.¡±


    That¡¯s what he said, but the gift still needed to be made. Their birthdays were on the horizon, and he must get this done. There were other preparations he had to do after this.


    And so he took two hours, and spent all of the patience he had accumulated in his entire 18 years of life on this little flat surface filled with beads.


    At last, he completed a ¡®bean patty¡¯ with the right colours and all the necessary facial features.


    The only imperfection was when he applied the heat at the end, he was so excited and satisfied with his masterpiece that he grabbed the hot iron with his bare hand, and burned two blisters on his right thumb and forefinger.


    He stuck his hand in cold water to cool down for a bit, wrapped two bandaids on his fingers, then pushed through and installed the final piece, the key ring.


    He put the gift in a tin box with a transparent black lid that he found after going through three different gift shops. Because he didn¡¯t have a suitable sponge material as insulation, he got a bunch of kraft wrapping paper, wrinkled it, and pressed it into the box, then put the keychain inside. After closing the lid, he sat back and admired it for a good while, then took more than a dozen photos from different angles before finally declaring the job done.


    Next, he should be heading out the door to do something embarrassing.


    There was no way he would go to that shady little shop around the corner. In the last three days he ¡®passed by¡¯ its front door eight times. He couldn¡¯t see what exactly they sold in there, but based on his non-nearsighted overachiever vision, he could see that other than the standard condoms and ¡®stairway to heaven¡¯ drugs, there were also quite a few product packagings that made one¡¯s mind wander in all sorts of lewd directions.


    Even if he planned to do something on this birthday¡­¡­ But to a young man whose entire knowledge base came from dirty little videos, he did not need such high-end tools.


    Therefore with his overachiever wisdom, he decided to go to an open shelf drugstore. Condoms¡­ lube¡­ after he spent 18 years of patience on the Perler beads, he proceeded to give away 18 years worth of his face in the drugstore.


    When he placed the items on the counter he felt an utmost gratitude, for the cashier¡¯s stoic expression as though she couldn¡¯t read, and for her putting his purchases in a white non-see-through bag.


    In the days before his birthday, he only saw Gu Fei a couple of times. They had a meal together, chatted for a while, and once Gu Fei left, he started to work on his preparations again.


    Sometimes he wondered if he was being a little neurotic. It was only a birthday, the way he was acting one would think he was plotting to blow up the earth.


    While waiting for Gu Fei to come downstairs, he mentally went over again what he was going to do, and after confirming that there was nothing amiss, he took out a cigarette and lit it.


    Gu Fei came down pretty quickly. Jiang Cheng just about made out a figure appearing in the corridor, when Gu Fei was already in front of him. He lifted a hand and took away the cigarette in Jiang Cheng¡¯s mouth, and leaned in to kiss him, ¡°Happy birthday Cheng-ge.¡±


    There was nobody around at this hour, almost all the lights had gone out upstairs, but Jiang Cheng felt like he didn¡¯t give a damn at this moment even if someone happened to pass by. He reached out and wrapped his arms tightly around Gu Fei, and planted a loud smack on his cheek, ¡°Happy birthday.¡±


    ¡°Are you taking me to celebrate now?¡± Gu Fei smiled and asked.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng released him and beckoned. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°A place.¡± Jiang Cheng said, then glanced at him. ¡°Uh, Gu Miao¡¯s already asleep right?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s long asleep.¡± A smile quirked at the corner of Gu Fei¡¯s mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll stay over at your place tonight.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    They both acted serious, as natural as though they were only talking about spending some time at Jiang Cheng¡¯s place as usual, when in reality¡­¡­ Jiang Cheng used his peripheral vision to sweep over Gu Fei, this guy was probably thinking the same thing he was.


    Indecorous to the extreme!


    ¡°Is that for me?¡± Jiang Cheng saw the paper bag Gu Fei was holding in his hand, it looked heavy.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll give it to you later.¡±


    ¡°Are you only going to give it to me after I give you your gift?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Uh huh, I gotta trade.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed. ¡°Cheng-ge¡¯s gonna take you to get your gift right now, then we¡¯ll go back to my place for cake.¡±


    ¡°You bought a cake too?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Mhm, I was planning on going to make one myself, but I¡¯m not very familiar with these parts and didn¡¯t find a DIY place, so I just bought a small one.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Why, did you also buy one?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡­ made one, it¡¯s in the fridge at the store.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Where did you go to make one?¡± Jiang Cheng arched a brow.


    ¡°There¡¯s a bakery workshop on the street behind Wang Er¡¯s Meat Pie,¡± Gu Fei said, then sighed. ¡°I used to take Er-Miao there to play, but she threw a tantrum and smashed their weight. I had to pay them 50 yuan, a whole finished cake is only 20 yuan.¡±


    Hearing that made Jiang Cheng feel a little pang in his heart, but he also wanted to laugh.


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡± He tried holding it in for a while, then turned to look at Gu Fei. ¡°Really want to laugh, do you mind?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ I don¡¯t mind, go ahead.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng burst out laughing at the ground. Gu Fei followed beside him and giggled along stupidly for a while, before realizing the road they were on didn¡¯t lead back to Jiang Cheng¡¯s apartment.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Gu Fei asked. ¡°Are you lost?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Jiang Cheng pointed up ahead. ¡°Go straight. I circled this area a bunch of times over the last couple days until I finally found a place like this: flat, no trash, and mostly deserted.¡±


    Gu Fei looked in the direction he was pointing.


    After the steel factories shut down, there were a lot of empty lots and abandoned buildings around here. But going this way, to their left was the market, and to the right was a factory-affiliated kindergarten, there really weren¡¯t any flat deserted lots.


    Jiang Cheng led him forward with confidence, in the process of which they turned once to the right, twice to the left, and after they came back to the road they were on before, continued to walk forward.


    Gu Fei held back and kept quiet as he followed along for almost half an hour. He was pretty sure that Jiang Cheng was lost, but this guy¡¯s way of being lost was also a little peculiar. Every time he took a turn out, he could always keep turning until he was back on the main road, then continue on.


    At last, when they came to the totally empty but still smelly market, Jiang Cheng finally stopped. He stuck his hands into the back pocket of his pants, then froze for about 10 seconds before asking, ¡°Isn¡¯t this the fucking food market?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°If you didn¡¯t make all those random turns we would¡¯ve gotten here ten minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Hey what the,¡± Jiang Cheng looked around, and turned around on the spot a few times. ¡°Fuck?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lost, aren¡¯t you?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°All because you jinxed me.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s my fault?¡± Gu Fei held back his laughter.


    ¡°What else can it be?¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him, then after a few seconds of glaring started fretting as well. ¡°Ah fuck I really forgot how I got there, your present is still hidden there! Fuck me a compass¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°What kind of place is it?¡± Gu Fei sighed. ¡°Describe it to me.¡±


    Jiang Cheng gave him a brief summary with his brows still furrowed. It was a large sandy lot, with some broken down exercise equipment and a half torn down concrete children¡¯s slide¡­¡­


    Jiang Cheng might be bad at directions, but fortunately he was observant. Gu Fei knew exactly where he was talking about, it wasn¡¯t far, but they were indeed going the wrong way. The Steel Works of old had two kindergartens, one was right up ahead, while the other was taken down since there was no one left in the factories, that was the place Jiang Cheng had found.


    ¡°Come on, I got it,¡± Gu Fei put an arm around his shoulder. ¡°Better let me lead the way next time we¡¯re going anywhere, hm?¡±


    ¡°Shut up and walk.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Though it¡¯s impressive that you even managed to find that place,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It¡¯s been a few years since I¡¯ve last been there.¡±


    ¡°To be honest,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°I just came from there before I went to your place. I¡¯m pretty impressed with myself really, my skill at getting lost is probably also overachiever tier.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed without a word.


    After walking for more than ten minutes, the buildings on either side started getting more sparse, then eventually even the streetlights had disappeared. There was only the reflected light of the moon around them.


    ¡°Close your eyes.¡± Jiang Cheng said suddenly.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei hesitated for a moment, then closed his eyes.


    ¡°Come.¡± Jiang Cheng took his hand and led him forward.


    Gu Fei followed along for about 100 meters, when Jiang Cheng stopped and said, ¡°Where¡¯s the sling-shot? Don¡¯t open your eyes.¡±


    With his eyes still closed, Gu Fei took Jiang Cheng¡¯s sling-shot from the paper bag. Jiang Cheng took it and let go of his hand, his voice moved a little ways away, ¡°Alright, open your eyes now.¡±


    Gu Fei opened his eyes.


    It took him a second to adjust, but when he saw the colourful blobs of light in front of him, he first blinked, then rubbed his eyes, and finally clearly made out the overlapping glows.


    ¡°This is¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei stared at the two rows of luminous blobs on the ground more than 10 meters away, that extended out and curved in on itself in a figure 8.


    Each of the glowing blobs was in a rectangular shape, they were in turns red, yellow, blue, and green.


    ¡°Slacker, if I don¡¯t say, you probably can¡¯t tell that this is the symbol for infinity.¡± Beside him, Jiang Cheng pulled back on the sling-shot and took aim. ¡°Follow the light, go get your present.¡±


    Jiang Cheng let go of the sling band with a pop, and up ahead, a yellow glowing blob toppled over.


    Next, the two rows of colourful lights started toppling over one by one like a simultaneous wave, and slowly connected as they extended forward.


    Even though Gu Fei could already tell how these lights were going to change, when it really appeared in front of his eyes, he was still entranced.


    The light spots glimmered as they moved forward, from a point to a line. In that moment, the sight moved him to his core.


    In the dark of night, in the slightly cool breeze, the person beside him had painted him a vibrant picture.


    The glimmering lights slowly blurred together and filled up his vision, all he could see was the luminous glows all around him.


    He didn¡¯t walk forward. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t move either. The two of them just stood there in the dark night, watching the glowing colours, until the lines stopped in front of them, and the infinity symbol was quietly laid out at their feet.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jiang Cheng spoke up.


    ¡°Ah?¡± The sound of his voice pulled Gu Fei back to reality. ¡°Cheng-ge, you really¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not right!¡± Jiang Cheng tsked. ¡°It¡¯s not done!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s not done?¡± Gu Fei blinked.


    ¡°The show¡­¡­ Ah fuck, let me go see, you stand here and wait.¡± Jiang Cheng started running ahead, turning to point at him as he did so. ¡°Stand there and watch!¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Fei answered and stayed where he was.


    Jiang Cheng ran to the other end and bent over to look. He reached out and righted one of the fallen over green light blobs, then pushed it over again with force. As the light topped over, a small spark erupted from its side, then started growing into a flare.


    Jiang Cheng took a step back. After the spark fizzled, it sounded like something went off beside it with a small bang, and a circle of small flames started lighting up.


    ¡°CAN YOU HEAR IT¡ª¡ª¡± Jiang Cheng yelled from the other side.


    ¡°HEAR WHAT?¡± Gu Fei yelled back.


    ¡°BIRTHDAY SONG! CAN¡¯T YOU HEAR IT!¡± Jiang Cheng continued to yell.


    Gu Fei started walking forward, after a few steps he could hear a quiet tinkle sound as it drifted to him in the night wind. He took a minute and finally recognized it as the happy birthday song.


    Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you~


    He also finally saw that it was an automatic birthday firecracker on the ground at the other side, that sparked when ignited, and would start playing the birthday song as the candlelight danced.


    Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you.


    ¡°CAN YOU HEAR IT!¡± Yelled Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°I hear it!¡± Gu Fei grinned and bobbed his head up and down.


    ¡°Come here!¡± Jiang Cheng beckoned.


    Gu Fei walked toward him, as he walked he whistled along with the amusing melody from the candles that sounded very much like the chirping of crickets.


    Happy birthday Cheng-ge.


    May you always be this happy.


    Happy birthday Cheng-ge.


    May you always smile like a ray of sunshine.


    Happy birthday Cheng-ge.


    May you be free of regrets when you think back on these days.


    Happy birthday.


    ¡°This is for you.¡± Jiang Cheng crouched down and pointed at a small box next to the candles. ¡°I made it, see if you like it¡­¡­ if not then keep it to yourself.¡±


    Gu Fei crouched down as well and picked up the box on the ground. He could see at a glance through the glass on the lid the contents inside, it was two little kissing figures.


    ¡°I like it,¡± He chuckled, opened the lid, and saw a very delicate looking keychain inside. ¡°How did you make it?¡±


    ¡°Perler beads.¡± Jiang Cheng took the keychain out and placed it in Gu Fei¡¯s hands. ¡°Have you ever tried?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your hand?¡± Gu Fei grabbed his fingers.


    ¡°Got two blisters from a burn,¡± Jiang Cheng tsked. ¡°Shit, you have no idea how annoying these little things are to make, and they call it children¡¯s cognitive development toys, what kind of child plays with a hot iron!¡±


    Gu Fei started laughing. He held Jiang Cheng¡¯s fingers to his lips and gave it a kiss, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Know how to use it?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Gu Fei took his own keys out of his pocket and attached it to the keychain. ¡°Just so happens that I don¡¯t have a keychain.¡±


    ¡°So where¡¯s my present?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°So this present¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei set the paper bag down in front of him. ¡°Is also handmade, but it¡¯s not as delicate as yours. Mine¡¯s got more of a primal vibe.¡±


    Jiang Cheng could feel his heart beating a little too hard, his hands were shaking even more diligently than when he was working with the Perler beads. When he reached into the bag for his gift, he almost couldn¡¯t hold on to the thing.


    ¡°Shit, why is it so heavy?¡± He was surprised. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°So delicate,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Weren¡¯t you pretty strong when you were scoring those 3-pointers?¡±


    ¡°Geez,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed and took out the content of the paper bag, it was a flat box shaped like a pizza box. He opened it and blanked out for about 10 seconds, then stared at it for a long time before looking up. ¡°A maze?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei nodded. He pulled out a quail egg sized glistening silver ball from his pocket and placed it inside, it made a small jingling sound. ¡°This is me.¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°There.¡± Gu Fei pointed at one corner of the maze.


    It was a maze composed of welded together metal pieces. Its base was a square-foot sized metal board, and on it were tunnels shaped out of long and short slats of welded metal.


    Jiang Cheng never would have imagined that Gu Fei had this hidden talent as he looked at this heavy maze in his hands. Behind the rough and grungy was a keen attention to detail. Every turn and every connecting point had been treated until they were smooth and polished, it must¡¯ve been meticulously sanded and buffed after completion.


    The little steel ¡®Gu Fei¡¯ ball was mobile, but the little steel ¡®Jiang Cheng¡¯ ball was fixed somehow to the exit of the maze. When the little ¡®Gu Fei¡¯ ball gets to the exit, it would run into the little ¡®Jiang Cheng¡¯ ball.


    ¡°What the shit, Gu Fei.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°You know how to do this?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking a long time about what to give you, and finally thought why not make something myself. Where we are, it¡¯s really easy to find materials and tools like these¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jiang Cheng braced a hand on Gu Fei¡¯s knee and leaned in to kiss him.


    Gu Fei responded without the slightest hesitation.


    Even though Jiang Cheng should really close his eyes at this time and enjoy the brief moment of quiet, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to. The luminous rainbow lights still played at the corner of his eyes, and immediately before him was Gu Fei¡¯s face, lined with the glowing lights, and his shaded lashes¡­¡­ Jiang Cheng tried to pull his eyes apart, but it was clearly impossible at this distance, so he gave up and stared cross-eyed at Gu Fei.


    ¡°Were those bricks?¡± Gu Fei asked when they were walking back together.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded as he played with the maze. The little steel balls were hollow on the inside, he didn¡¯t know what it was made of, but it let out a very pleasant jingling sound as it rolled. ¡°You know how they¡¯re building houses behind the steel factories there, I went and bought some from them.¡±


    ¡°And covered them with phosphorescent powder?¡± Gu Fei asked while smiling, and reached out a hand behind his back to guide him.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng followed him with his head down. ¡°Bought those premade ones. I was planning to buy it online, but was afraid it wouldn¡¯t get here in time. I looked for days before I found a shop that sells this stuff. What do you think, looked good huh?¡±


    ¡°Looked great, it was really creative.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°How many paths does the maze have?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°One.¡± Gu Fei answered. ¡°It should be pretty easy for you, overachiever.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jiang Cheng held up the maze in front of Gu Fei¡¯s eyes, tilted it slightly, and the ¡®Gu Fei¡¯ ball rolled around two corners and collided with the ¡®Jiang Cheng¡¯ ball with a ¡°clink¡±. ¡°Muah!¡±


    Gu Fei couldn¡¯t stop laughing, ¡°Ay, at first I picked a more advanced maze, but I didn¡¯t have enough space for it.¡±


    ¡°I like this one.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    It was already past 2 am when they got back to the apartment. Jiang Cheng glanced at his phone, usually around this time he would already be asleep, but he didn¡¯t feel at all tired today. He was bright-eyed and bursting with energy.


    As soon as they went inside and set down their things, he lunged and threw his arms around Gu Fei, then pushed him into the bedroom in between a storm of kisses and touches.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei asked with a smile after being shoved onto the bed. ¡°What kind of ideas do you have?¡±


    ¡°Wicked ideas,¡± Jiang Cheng nuzzled the area between his neck and shoulder. ¡°Obscene ideas¡­¡­ A lot of them, violent waves of¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°What a coincidence,¡± Gu Fei reached a hand into his shirt and gently caressed his back. ¡°Mine are also wicked and obscene, and the waves just as violent.¡±


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± Jiang Cheng bit his neck gently, then tugged away his collar and licked the teeth-mark tattoo on his collarbone. ¡°I figure, I gotta do something a little different with you, for my own peace of mind. Otherwise I¡¯d get jealous.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei¡¯s hand slid down to Jiang Cheng¡¯s leg. ¡°Do something.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng chuckled, then struggled for a while before opening his mouth again. ¡°It¡¯s just, I never did ask you¡­¡­ So about this, did you want to¡­¡­ like that, or¡­¡­ or like¡­¡­ that?¡±


    ¡°Like what and what?¡± Gu Fei started laughing.


    ¡°Like¡­¡­ don¡¯t you fucking laugh.¡± Jiang Cheng pinched Gu Fei on the waist and propped himself up to look him in the eyes. ¡°Do you want to fuck me?¡±


    What the fuck!


    Contestant Jiang Cheng!


    Contestant Jiang Cheng has cultivated his face into a new tier of thickness!


    That he can so easily say out loud!


    Such a shameless sentence as that!


    Immediately after he said those words, Jiang Cheng felt like a fire had raged from the soles of his feet all the way to the top of his scalp, his whole body was burning from his own shamelessness. Fortunately his room was only lit by a single dim yellow bulb, and he was facing away from it, Gu Fei probably couldn¡¯t see the colour on his face.


    Gu Fei was visibly stunned for several seconds, then when he snapped out of it, he quirked the corner of his mouth and said, ¡°Were you looking forward to fucking me?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Jiang Cheng answered, then quickly added. ¡°I mean, it doesn¡¯t really matter to me, whatever¡­¡­ whatever you want is, uh, fine.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Fei rested his head on an arm and looked at him, his finger traced a line across Jiang Cheng¡¯s abdomen over his shirt. ¡°If you want, I really can let you¡­¡­¡±


    The words were like a ball of fire, going straight for Jiang Cheng¡¯s cheeks. His breath hitched, and he gasped for several seconds before speaking again, ¡°I¡¯m just afraid of hurting you, just¡­¡­¡±


    He reached back and felt around underneath his pillow, and pulled out a piece of paper, ¡°After all, we¡¯ve been taught since we were little to respect the elderly and cherish the young, so I uh, I did some research.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Fei was stunned.


    Gu Fei¡¯s reaction made Jiang Cheng a little indignant, like he was some kind of thirsty old pervert, ¡°What don¡¯t you understand slacker boy, I fucking went online and did research on how exactly to do it so it won¡¯t hurt as much!¡±


    After his initial pause, Gu Fei froze for another few seconds, then turned his head away and started laughing. He laughed so hard it was getting a little out of control, ¡°Please don¡¯t be like this Cheng-ge, if you¡¯re like this now I¡¯m gonna make myself soft from laughing.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Jiang Cheng took Gu Fei¡¯s chin between his fingers and pulled his head back to face himself. ¡°Fine, if you don¡¯t wanna look at it then don¡¯t, just do it however you want.¡±


    ¡°Can we please not act like such mutually courteous spouses?¡± Gu Fei put away his smile and looked Jiang Cheng in the eyes. ¡°You want to cherish the young, while I¡¯m here ready to respect the elderly.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared back at him without a word.


    ¡°Want it?¡± Gu Fei lifted an arm and hooked it around Jiang Cheng¡¯s neck.


    Jiang Cheng stilled for two seconds, and with one movement pulled off his own shirt and pressed down on Gu Fei, then grabbed his waistband and yanked it down.

 CH 76

    The night is long, and sleep is far.


    The folded piece of paper Jiang Cheng pulled from underneath his pillow was his notes.


    As though composing an essay, he had spent two whole nights perusing various gay forums and ¡®instructional¡¯ articles, and drew conclusions on how best to do it to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. And keeping in mind that the would-be recipient of this information was a power-slacker among slackers who got through homework by copying, and who didn¡¯t even bother copying during exams, he lived up to his overachiever title and went so far as to write down a summary of the key points.


    Jiang Cheng had planned to let the power-slacker do some last minute cramming before going on stage, but didn¡¯t expect the Mini Tyrant of the Steel Works to suddenly go all ¡®respecting the elderly¡¯, and cede this opportunity to him.


    Of course, Jiang Cheng also didn¡¯t expect that after all the mental buildup he did, after so much time spent imagining the scenario of lying down and taking it, that it only took a few simple words from Gu Fei to make him jump on him without the slightest pause.


    Impatient pervert.


    ¡­¡­.This is probably how they behaved.


    Even further out of his expectations was that the techniques and methods already committed to memory by his overachiever brain, would be so easily blown into pieces under the force of these two words from Gu Fei.


    Want it?


    The explosion gave off a blast of golden light.


    After which, not even a single particle was left in his brain.


    Gu Fei¡¯s body, and the smooth taut skin, with what almost felt like an electric current running beneath it. He had run his fingers and lips over it countless times.


    The neck, collarbone, chest, abdomen, and waist.


    He thought he was already very familiar with Gu Fei¡¯s body, but when he touched it again on this day, it was suddenly an entirely different sensation. It was as if he went back to the moment of that first time they touched each other intimately. Fluttering, quivering, anticipating¡­¡­


    The content on that folded piece of paper, the stuff he had long committed to his memory, there was absolutely no way he could make use of it now, even if it hadn¡¯t already gone up in fireworks. Jiang Cheng firmly believed that if he went by the notes, he would break the floodgates wide open before he even got half way.


    An experienced driver¡¯s summary was indeed only suitable for experienced drivers.


    People like him who had just gotten their licenses had no other choice than to lunge and nibble, kiss and nibble, then after nibbling take a little lick, then after that just grab onto whatever was there. Every gasp sounded like war drums in his ears, reverberating so loudly it made him dizzy. Every sense organ had been put in hyperdrive.


    He could hear panting, but couldn¡¯t tell who it belonged to; could hear heartbeats, but couldn¡¯t tell who it belonged to. He could see the toned skin reflecting a soft glow under the light, that belonged to Gu Fei; could feel breaths sweeping over his ears, that also belonged to Gu Fei. He could even feel a fine electric current as muscle rubbed against muscle, in their bodies, in all the moments of contact, crackling with life.


    He couldn¡¯t bother with experience, couldn¡¯t remember any summary. As a wanton youth holding a grenade with a sparkling fuse, it was enough hassle for him to stop and put on a condom and squeeze out some lube.


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± Jiang Cheng pressed tightly against Gu Fei¡¯s back, and nibbled gently on his earlobe; his hands grabbed onto Gu Fei¡¯s sides and legs and kneaded hard. ¡°I¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say a word, just turned and pecked at the corner of Jiang Cheng¡¯s mouth, and ran the tip of his tongue gently over his lips.


    Jiang Cheng felt a mist come over his vision, and suddenly nothing else remained in his eyes or heart.


    He straightened up and roughly pushed Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder back. Everything thereafter he did entirely on impulse. He might be a new driver, but instinct is not something one has to learn. The desire from deep within him anxiously overcame all sorts of planned foreplay, as he went straight for the main course.


    ¡±Mnnn ah¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei let out a repressed moan as Jiang Cheng entered, a sound he never before heard from Gu Fei¡¯s mouth, it was sultry and enticing. He couldn¡¯t even bear to give Gu Fei a moment to breathe and get used to the sensation, before driving straight in, the tightness inside was making him lose control.


    The palms of his hands burned on Gu Fei¡¯s hips, as did Gu Fei¡¯s body around him.


    The night is long, and sleep is far.


    All was quiet inside and outside the room, so quiet that Jiang Cheng worried about the walls having ears as he listened to both of their panting. Though at this very moment, even if someone were to hide under the bed¡­¡­ no, even if someone were to stand next to the bed glaring at them, he wouldn¡¯t care.


    Sure enough, lust grants one courage.


    His arms were wrapped around Gu Fei in a tight embrace.


    ¡°Loosen your arms a little,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I need to catch my breath.¡±


    ¡°Catch your breath later.¡± Jiang Cheng had his eyes closed while nuzzling the tip of his nose gently against the back of Gu Fei¡¯s neck. At last he was in this spooning position, and didn¡¯t want to let go.


    He couldn¡¯t remember where he had seen it from, something about how people are attracted to each other because of their smells; certain smells you can¡¯t consciously detect, but your nose will be able to capture. There will always be someone whose smell entices you.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know if he was attracted to Gu Fei because of this, but he did very much like the way Gu Fei smelled. He couldn¡¯t say what exactly it was, but he could distinguish it from others¡­¡­ though it wasn¡¯t as if he had smelled anyone else this way.


    ¡°Hey,¡± His heart rate slowly went back to normal after a while of lying there with his arms around Gu Fei¡­¡­ He only realized today that it took longer for his heart rate to recover after doing this than after running several kilometers. ¡°Um, Gu Fei?¡±


    There was no sound nor movement from Gu Fei.


    ¡°Gu Fei?¡± He called again.


    Still, no reaction.


    ¡°Did you fall asleep?¡± He propped himself up to look down at Gu Fei¡¯s face. ¡°Gu Fei?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve suffocated to death.¡± Gu Fei said with his eyes closed.


    ¡°Damnit,¡± Jiang Cheng started laughing. ¡°I let go already.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I can talk now.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng leaned down and gave him a firm kiss on the cheek, ¡°Shower?¡±


    ¡°Mmn,¡± Gu Fei opened his eyes, and turned to look at him. ¡°What time is it?¡±


    ¡°Dunno,¡± Jiang Cheng sat up as his eyes swept over the used tissues on the floor, and felt a little embarrassed. He turned around and saw another clump of tissue at the foot of the bed, and suddenly felt a wave of self-consciousness out of nowhere. He swiftly kicked the tissue to the floor. ¡°Are you going to take Gu Miao to that treatment thing tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Today.¡± Gu Fei corrected him.


    ¡°Today,¡± Jiang Cheng pinched Gu Fei¡¯s waist. ¡°It¡¯s in the afternoon, right? I¡¯ll go too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s at 2 o¡¯clock in the afternoon.¡± Gu Fei flipped over to lie flat on his back. ¡°I¡¯ll take you two there.¡±


    ¡°You mean we are taking Gu Miao there.¡± Jiang Cheng got off the bed, then glanced at him, and finally asked after a second of hesitation. ¡°I¡¯ll go shower first?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei smiled, and reached over to grab his phone to play Aixiaochu.


    Jiang Cheng took the opportunity while Gu Fei was staring at his phone to quickly bend down and throw the tissues into the nearby trash can. He only realized when he straightened up that there wasn¡¯t a single thread of clothing on his body, and instantly felt a little shy. He grabbed a change of clothes to block the crotch area, and half-ran into the bathroom.


    It wasn¡¯t the first time he and Gu Fei faced each other so starkly like this, but today was different. He didn¡¯t even have the face to ask Gu Fei if he¡¯d hurt him, let alone take a shower together.


    It was only when Jiang Cheng was standing in the shower letting the hot water wash over him, that he began to slowly recover from the nerves, awkwardness, embarrassment, and all the other emotions that overwhelmed him before.


    He didn¡¯t take very long in the shower, he didn¡¯t want to leave Gu Fei on the bed by himself to play with his phone. Rinse, lather, rinse again, brush teeth, and wash face; all of this took less than ten minutes, then he dashed out of the bathroom.


    When he came back to the bedroom, Gu Fei was flopped belly down on the bed, playing on his phone. He was surprised to see Jiang Cheng walk in, ¡°So fast?¡±


    ¡°Was I?¡± As soon as Jiang Cheng saw Gu Fei in this position, he was immediately worried, such that he couldn¡¯t even bother feeling embarrassed about his question. ¡°Are you¡­¡­ uncomfortable?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei blinked, then laughed. ¡°Nah, just don¡¯t want the phone to fall on my face.¡±


    Now that he made a head start, Jiang Cheng threw all the awkward or otherwise feelings to the wind, ¡°You really don¡¯t feel any discomfort? Any pain? Or¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°A little¡­¡­ you know,¡± Gu Fei sat up. ¡°But it¡¯s not that bad.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°Then you wanna go wash up?¡±


    ¡°Pass this level for me,¡± Gu Fei handed the phone to him, and walked over to the wardrobe. ¡°I¡¯m taking your clothes okay?¡±


    ¡°Mmn go ahead, take whatever you want.¡± Jiang Cheng said, and Gu Fei walked out with the change of clothes.


    Jiang Cheng cradled the phone in his hands, but all of his attention was on Gu Fei¡¯s naked body in his peripheral vision.


    Gu Fei took a couple steps toward the door, then turned and came back to his side, reaching a hand out in front of his face.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng immediately lifted his head to look at him.


    ¡°The screen went dark.¡± Gu Fei pressed his finger to the screen, and said with a hint of a smile.


    ¡°Ah! Right! It did!¡± Jiang Cheng yelled half-heartedly like a person forcefully disrupted from sleep but hadn¡¯t quite woken up.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything else, just smiled as he turned to walk out.


    Jiang Cheng stood by the bed and zoned out for a long time before collapsing onto the bed with the phone, ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡±


    Ah how embarrassing, contestant Jiang Cheng!


    That smile on Gu Fei¡¯s face as he walked out was pure mockery!


    ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng flipped over and looked at the phone, the screen was dark again. ¡°Ah fuck.¡±


    By the time Gu Fei came back from his shower, Jiang Cheng was still leaning against the headboard, holding the phone and staring into space.


    ¡°Did you beat the level?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°¡­¡­It locked again.¡± Jiang Cheng handed the phone back to him.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Gu Fei took it and shot a glance at him. ¡°Then are you gonna keep playing for me?¡±


    ¡°Ay¡­ Unlock it.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    Gu Fei unlocked the phone and handed it back to him. As he started in on the game, he could hear Gu Fei laughing. Jiang Cheng was going to ignore him, but Gu Fei couldn¡¯t stop laughing, so he had no choice but to look up with a glare, ¡°What are you laughing at?¡±


    ¡°You, of course.¡± Gu Fei said as he giggled.


    ¡°You wanna bet I¡¯ll¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng continued to glare at him, then after a while started laughing himself. ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and play,¡± Gu Fei laid down on the bed beside him. ¡°Or else Li Yan is going to pass me again.¡±


    ¡°Why does he have so much free time,¡± Jiang Cheng tsked audibly and put his head down to concentrate on the game. ¡°Is it because he doesn¡¯t have a boyfriend!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to ask him tomorrow.¡± Gu Fei said, then turned away to laugh again.


    ¡°Are you done yet,¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him sideways. ¡°The way you¡¯re fucking going on you¡¯d think I came early or something.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Gu Fei kept it in for a while, then started cackling again. ¡°No you didn¡¯t actually.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Ay!¡± Jiang Cheng yelled out a sigh, and didn¡¯t speak again. He trained his eyes on the phone screen, at the heads of the little animals.


    However, what he just experienced was indeed like nothing else, even his best study trick of one-second mind focus wasn¡¯t working. He stared for a while at the animal heads, and couldn¡¯t find a single row to clear.


    He tried to push through, but after wasting two hearts, he tossed the phone to the side and wiggled down onto the pillow, ¡°Forget it, I¡¯m just wasting turns.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gu Fei turned over and wrapped his arms around him.


    ¡°A million thoughts.¡± Jiang Cheng reached out and flipped off the light. As darkness enveloped them, Gu Fei¡¯s warm breath by his ear gave him a sense of comfort one only experienced after the exhaustion of excitement.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything, just gently rubbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s belly.


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± Jiang Cheng took his hand, turned to face him, and asked quietly. ¡°It uh¡­¡­ really didn¡¯t hurt?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say,¡± Gu Fei smiled at him. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng took a long pause, trying to figure out how to phrase his next question so as to not sound like a pervert, but ended up just throwing it out directly. ¡°Then did it¡­¡­ feel good?¡±


    ¡°Geez,¡± Gu Fei chuckled. ¡°So blunt.¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t find a more roundabout way of asking.¡± Jiang Cheng also smiled.


    ¡°It felt pretty good.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°For real?¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t tell whether Gu Fei was telling the truth or just trying to console him.


    He was pretty out of it for the entire process, and felt like his head was spinning the whole time. Gu Fei filled up his vision, his hearing; everything he saw, heard, touched, and felt, was all heightened exhilaration


    But he couldn¡¯t be sure if Gu Fei really felt good. Theoretically, there was not much good to be felt, they were both new drivers on the road after all. If one was in a wheelchair day in and day out, and suddenly decided to join a road race, their techniques would probably not pass the test, and their bodies probably wouldn¡¯t be used to it either.


    ¡°You can try it yourself.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Hah?¡± Jiang Cheng was a little out of it.


    ¡°Then you¡¯ll know if it¡¯s for real or not.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± Jiang Cheng was suddenly a little embarrassed. ¡°I was originally planning to¡­¡­ try.¡±


    This made both of them laugh, they faced each other and giggled for a long time, breathing all over the other person¡¯s face.


    Bliss.


    When he woke up the next morning¡­¡­ no, the afternoon, Jiang Cheng reached beside him but didn¡¯t feel Gu Fei¡¯s  presence. This woke him up instantly, he yelled out with widened eyes, ¡°Gu Fei!¡±


    ¡°Ay,¡± Gu Fei appeared in the doorway a few seconds later with a cigarette between his lips. ¡°Here.¡±


    ¡°Whatcha doin¡¯?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Having an ¡®after¡¯ smoke by the window all by my lonesome self.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°The fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng sat up. ¡°You may continue then.¡±


    Gu Fei gave him a smile, then turned and walked out.


    Jiang Cheng yawned as he stood up and tugged his pants up. He walked to the bedroom window, lifted the curtains, and looked outside.


    Every year around summer break, everything from the air to the scenery would be suddenly filled with the flavours of summer. The greenery outside filled one¡¯s vision, the sun dazzled, the air was warm with a touch of dry heat, even this ramshackle building was showing some signs of life under the sunlight.


    Jiang Cheng slept very well the night before, all the embarrassing awkwardness and the excitement, mingled with a struggle for appropriate emotional reaction, were all gone. When he walked out of the bedroom and saw Gu Fei¡¯s back lit up against the window in the living room, he was only left with a head full of joy.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat out for lunch?¡± He went over and put his arms around Gu Fei, resting his chin on his shoulder. He even squeezed Gu Fei¡¯s sides a couple of times for good measure.


    ¡°We can, or we can eat the cake?¡± Gu Fei put out his cigarette.


    ¡°Oh right, there¡¯s a cake. We¡¯ll have that then,¡± Jiang Cheng mused. ¡°There¡¯s another one at your place too.¡±


    ¡°We can eat that one tonight,¡± Gu Fei pulled out his phone. ¡°Let¡¯s also order some noodles for later, otherwise it¡¯s too much sweets.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°I want a large bowl of gravy noodles, with an order of meat sauce on top.¡±


    ¡°Anything to drink?¡± Gu Fei asked. ¡°They have freshly squeezed juice here too.¡±


    ¡°What kind of juice?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Just two kinds, cucumber¡­¡­ juice,¡± Gu Fei¡¯s voice was suddenly tinged with laughter. ¡°And ¡®cheng-cheng¡¯ juice.¡± [1]


    It took Jiang Cheng a few seconds to make the connection, ¡°Fucking hell.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you get the cucumber juice, and I¡¯ll have the ¡®cheng-cheng¡¯ juice.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Jiang Cheng clucked his tongue. ¡°Can we talk like normal people please?¡±


    ¡°Sure, Jiang Cheng-cheng.¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°Your great uncle,¡± Jiang Cheng shoved him. ¡°Gu Fei-fei.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ordering now,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°After we eat and rest for a bit it¡¯ll be time to take Gu Miao out.¡±


    Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t too hung up on the concept of a birthday cake. He was never allowed to have it in the past, so as time went on, he gradually lost interest. Besides, he was never that keen on sweet foods to begin with, he couldn¡¯t even remember if he had cake during other people¡¯s birthdays, he only had the dumb youthful memories of smashing it into people¡¯s faces.


    He was rather looking forward to the cake Gu Fei made, since there was nothing unique about the one he bought. Although, this was the first birthday he got to plan on his own and the first time he was able to eat cake for his birthday, which in itself made it all the more meaningful.


    And so he and Gu Fei brought the cake out, intending to complete the birthday rite.


    ¡°Let¡¯s close the curtains? It¡¯s too bright.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Mn.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    Jiang Cheng pulled the curtains shut, but it was still too bright, so he went and closed the doors to the bedroom and washroom. The living room dimmed.


    He got back to the table just as Gu Fei was sticking eight candles onto the cake.


    ¡°Why only 8?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Because we¡¯re both 8 years old.¡± Gu Fei lit up the candles one by one.


    ¡°Don¡¯t play cute.¡± Jiang Cheng tsked audibly.


    ¡°Because they only gave you a total of 12 candles for free,¡± Gu Fei glanced at him. ¡°If you want to light 18 candles¡­¡­ I¡¯ll go out and buy another pack?¡±


    ¡°No no, no need,¡± Jiang Cheng paused. ¡°I don¡¯t have any expectations for this, I never used to have cake on my birthdays.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Fei¡¯s hand paused for a second, then finished lighting the rest of the candles.


    ¡°Do we blow them out now?¡± Jiang Cheng leaned against the table.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Gu Fei thought for a moment, then quickly pulled the candles out and set them back in new positions, and added the remaining ones from the pack as well, forming them into the shape of ¡°18¡±. ¡°Now we¡¯re 18 years old.¡±


    Jiang Cheng started laughing, ¡°Now can we blow them out?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, do you wanna make a wish?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been doing that this whole time,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Already done.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead then,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°On one, two, three.¡±


    The two of them huffed and puffed at the candles until they were all extinguished, knocking a few over in the process.


    ¡°Ayyy¡­¡± Jiang Cheng sat down in the chair. ¡°I just realized, I only asked them to write happy birthday, without any names. When they asked me what I wanted to write on it I just thought, you need to ask?¡±


    ¡°I wrote it on mine,¡± Gu Fei brought a knife, and said as he cut the cake. ¡°I¡¯ll go get it tonight.¡±


    ¡°What did you write?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I wrote,¡± Gu Fei looked at him solemnly, and after a pause, suddenly waved his arm and yelled. ¡°CHENG-GE CHENG-GE, NO ONE¡¯S PRETTIER!¡±


    ¡°What the,¡± Jiang Cheng was startled and shifted back, then a second later started giggling. ¡°Such shameless words, did anyone see you write it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°The people at the baking shop.¡±


    ¡°Did you really write that?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that one bit.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll see tonight.¡± Gu Fei cut a slice of cake and handed it to him, and put the chocolate medallion with the happy birthday writing on top of the slice.


    Jiang Cheng took a bite. He had to admit, the cake tasted fairly mediocre, but there were probably no good bakeries around this area.


    However, it was a rather wondrous feeling to be sitting here across from Gu Fei, with a slice of cake each.


    He didn¡¯t want to speak or move. He only wished to stay like this forever, taking one bite after another.


    The rehabilitation place Gu Fei took Gu Miao to was likely not cheap. The teachers led the kids in all sorts of games and activities, Jiang Cheng thought they seemed very professional and patient. He didn¡¯t enter the room, only observed from the window. Compared to the other kids, Gu Miao seemed to be a little better off, at least she was able to do some limited communication. It was the kids who had no reaction at all when hailed that really made one hurt with feelings of hopelessness.


    The activities didn¡¯t last very long, probably taking into consideration the limited attention spans of these kids, they usually ended before the kids became restless.


    Gu Miao looked to be in a pretty good mood when she came out at the end, still holding her skateboard. Gu Fei was still inside talking with the teacher, so Jiang Cheng took her out to the sidewalk and skated around while waiting for Gu Fei. He sighed softly as he watched Gu Miao flit back and forth in front of him, with little beads of sweat on the tip of her little nose.


    When Gu Fei came out, Jiang Cheng was crouching beside a bed of flowers by the sidewalk clapping for Gu Miao, and didn¡¯t even realize when he was standing behind him.


    Gu Fei reached out and gently poked his shoulder, Jiang Cheng barely gave him any time to react before he reached back with his elbow and jabbed him on the leg.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Gu Fei rubbed his leg. ¡°Still so nimble aren¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Geez,¡± Jiang Cheng turned around. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you call out to me first, if I aimed any higher you¡¯ll have to keep lying down tonight¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng broke off halfway, and quickly glanced around.


    ¡°Tonight?¡± Gu Fei bent down and asked quietly by his ears with a smile.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Jiang Cheng stood up, and looked at him with an expression as though they were discussing an academic problem. ¡°That¡¯s not something we need to talk about in the open on the street.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Fei nodded solemnly and pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng swept his eyes over the piece of paper and his eyeballs practically dropped out of his head, ¡°What the fuck! What are you carrying this thing around for? Is your brain stuffed up with cake?! Do you need me to help you cough it up?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my boyfriend¡¯s secret handbook,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Of course I have to keep it with me and study wherever I go.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and put it away,¡± Jiang Cheng said in a hushed voice. ¡°Before someone sees!¡±


    ¡°Relax,¡± Gu Fei laughed. ¡°With handwriting like yours, I can¡¯t even read it without conjuring up some qi first. If you were to show other people, they might not even recognize it as writing.¡±


    ¡°Quit bullshitting,¡± That made Jiang Cheng laugh. ¡°Is it that bad?¡±


    ¡°It really is,¡± Gu Fei flicked the page. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯ve been writing things one stroke at a time now, how come I can¡¯t tell at all.¡±


    ¡°No shit, do I look like I¡¯m so thickskinned as to write dirty memos like these one careful stroke at a time!¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him. ¡°Put it away.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty.¡± Gu Fei folded the paper and tucked it back in his pocket, then whistled in Gu Miao¡¯s direction.


    Frankly, regarding whether it was going to be tonight, and whether he was going to be lying down or kneeling, Gu Fei hadn¡¯t thought very much about it. But looking at Jiang Cheng¡¯s silhouette in front him now, slowly strolling along with Gu Miao in tow, he suddenly realized that if he were to think about, there was quite a lot to think about.


    Especially when Gu Miao reached out to tug on Jiang Cheng¡¯s shirt, and the smooth lines of his waist and back became clear under the tightly stretched fabric¡­¡­


    Ah.


    Gu Fei quickly looked up and stared at the sun, then sneezed two times to ruthlessly suppress the flag raising ceremony before it had a chance to begin.


    Footnotes


    [1] cheng [³È] = orange; cheng-cheng = Gu Fei being cute

 CH 77

    You¡¯re pretty flexible though.


    With Gu Miao¡¯s presence, this birthday celebration began going in a more wholesome direction starting in the afternoon. In the convenience store, Jiang Cheng was sitting down with a face full of earnestness, attempting to explain their special day to Gu Miao, ¡°Your brother and I, we are celebrating our birthdays together today.¡±


    Gu Miao was in a pretty good mood, so she was looking at him intently, but without much understanding.


    ¡°My birthday is today, and your brother¡¯s, uh, is still a month away. But to save time, and money,¡± Jiang Cheng continued to explain. ¡°We¡¯re celebrating it together, get it? Nod if you understand.¡±


    Gu Miao looked at him, and did not nod. A moment later, she suddenly beckoned at him, grabbed her skateboard, and turned to run outside. Gu Fei rapped his knuckle on the counter, ¡°Gu Miao!¡±


    Gu Miao paused at the door, face still facing outward without turning.


    ¡°Let¡¯s eat first,¡± Gu Fei went to crouch in front of Gu Miao, and looked into her eyes. ¡°After dinner we¡¯ll rest for half an hour, then you can go play, okay?¡±


    Gu Miao looked back at him for a while, then nodded.


    ¡°She nodded,¡± Jiang Cheng watched on the side. ¡°That means she didn¡¯t understand what I said just now, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, she didn¡¯t understand.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°Usually for these mundane things that she does all the time, she can understand. But things like what you said just now, you gotta explain for at least half an hour, and only if she has the patience to listen. Normally her attention would wander after just a few minutes.¡±


    ¡°That place we went to today, will it help?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°It helps somewhat. I saw a kid at the hospital once in a similar state, and he¡¯s seeing some improvements now.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°How long did it take him?¡± Jiang Cheng continued to ask.


    ¡°Seven years.¡± Gu Fei glanced at him. The overachiever was certainly living up to his name, he immediately spotted the key point in the problem. The key right now, was time.


    Gu Miao¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t the worst. Even though she couldn¡¯t control her emotions very well, and wasn¡¯t able to properly sense and empathize with other people¡¯s emotions, and on top of that was occasionally aggressive, but as long as there was an abundance of patience and the correct approach, she could carry out simple communication, and rarely got herself hurt.


    But if they wanted further progress beyond that, it would take a very long time, much longer than Gu Fei dared to even think about.


    Jiang Cheng opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.


    ¡°Let¡¯s order something to eat?¡± Gu Fei changed the subject and pulled out his phone. ¡°We can get some grand dishes to try, do you have anything in particular you really want to eat?


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Chicken, duck, fish, or meat, is all fine to me. I just really want to eat meat right now¡­¡­ah, pork belly.¡±


    ¡°Let me see, or we can just get them to deliver some grilling meats here, we can use the pan to¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei dragged a chair over and sat down. He was speaking and wasn¡¯t paying much attention, so when he dropped his butt down on the chair, the discomfort radiating from a certain spot made him want to sing the rest of the sentence out loud, the high note of which would surely be on point. ¡°Grill. The. Meat.¡±


    He made himself finish the rest of the sentence with poise, through clenched teeth.


    ¡°Great,¡± Jiang Cheng snapped his fingers happily at the suggestion and walked down the aisles. ¡°Come on Gu Miao, let¡¯s see if we can find some barbeque sauces? You know a lot of words now, right? Can you point it out to me?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re right¡­¡­there.¡± Gu Fei shifted his body and leaned his weight on an elbow propped against the counter, to take some pressure off his butt.


    Did it feel good? Jiang Cheng had asked him.


    Frankly it didn¡¯t feel all that great, but it also didn¡¯t hurt very much either, it was more that he wasn¡¯t used to the sensation. And as to Jiang Cheng¡¯s question, he very much wanted to ask back, to the overachiever who¡¯d done so much research on the topic, who would feel good after doing it for the first time? Not to mention, this boyfriend of his had gone through all the trouble to shamelessly write down a whole dirty memo but didn¡¯t end up following the steps.


    But he didn¡¯t say it out loud, because he didn¡¯t want Jiang Cheng to feel pressured. They were all just young newbs after all, they couldn¡¯t help but be led by instincts on these matters, it was a feat to be celebrated that he didn¡¯t drop out halfway.


    By the time the grilling ingredients arrived, Jiang Cheng had finished picking out the various sauces from the shelves with Gu Miao, and set them down in a row on the table.


    ¡°Now we will scoop the sauces out into the bowls, alright?¡± Jiang Cheng brought over some bowls and plates, as well as Gu Miao.


    Gu Fei watched them as he played with his phone. The teachers at the rehabilitation facility had led Gu Miao in a similar activity that afternoon as Jiang Cheng watched through the window, with only half his face showing. He didn¡¯t think Jiang Cheng would remember it so well.


    Gu Miao grabbed a spoon and started to scoop sauces into the plates and bowls, and looked like she was concentrating hard.


    But after scooping three different jars of sauces, she started to grow impatient. The oil from the sauce would occasionally drip onto the table, and the thicker sauces would sometimes stick to the spoon.


    ¡°Let¡¯s switch to a different spoon, you like the¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng was about to get up and grab another spoon, but Gu Miao already threw her spoon onto the floor. Jiang Cheng bent to pick up the spoon, when she flipped a plate onto the floor as well, then started spacing off at the table. Jiang Cheng looked at her and sighed. ¡°Oy, this volatile temper huh.¡±


    Gu Fei tugged at the corner of his mouth, but kept his smile in. He was used to this kind of behaviour from Gu Miao. She wasn¡¯t like this all the time, but it never truly stopped either. He faced these just like he would occasional tantrums from other people¡¯s kids, and was already used to it.


    ¡°Gu Er-Miao I¡¯m telling you,¡± Jiang Cheng picked up the plate and got a napkin to clean up the sauce on the ground. ¡°It¡¯s only because you¡¯re pretty. If you were someone uglier I would¡¯ve picked you up and taken you outside by now.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m handsome?¡± Jiang Cheng tossed the napkin in the trash, then put himself in front of Gu Miao again. ¡°Hmm?¡±


    Gu Miao looked at him, and stared for upwards of ten seconds, before nodding.


    Jiang Cheng lit up in excitement, he turned around with a proud expression on his face, ¡°Hear that? Your sister said I¡¯m handsome.¡±


    ¡°You are handsome.¡± Gu Fei said.


    When Jiang Cheng turned back to look at Gu Miao, she reached out and cupped his face in her hands, then yanking on his ears to pull him closer, planted a kiss on his forehead.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jiang Cheng was stunned, then after a spell, whipped his head back around to Gu Fei. ¡°Did you see that?!¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Fei was also surprised. Gu Miao very rarely was able to express her likes and dislikes accurately. She quite liked Li Yan, but would always give him a cold face, and at most let Li Yan play with her favourite toys. The way she expressed her liking for Jiang Cheng was something he¡¯d never seen before.


    ¡°Thank you Er-Miao.¡± Jiang Cheng turned back and gave her a smile, and was just about to return a kiss to her forehead when Gu Fei stood up.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei halted him. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng paused, then immediately seemed to understand. ¡°Oh, got it.¡±


    ¡°Er-Miao,¡± Gu Fei crouched down in front of Gu Miao, and waved his fingers before her face. ¡°Look at me.¡±


    Gu Miao looked at him.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t kiss boys, and you shouldn¡¯t let boys kiss you either.¡± Gu Fei clearly enunciated each word for her. ¡°Gege hasn¡¯t kissed you since you were six, right? Because you¡¯ve grown up, and I shouldn¡¯t kiss you anymore.¡±


    Gu Miao looked at him intently.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you before, do you remember?¡± Gu Fei said.


    Gu Miao nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s try a different way, alright?¡± Gu Fei said.


    Gu Miao turned and stared at Jiang Cheng for a long time, like she was thinking hard. At last, she extended a hand and snapped her fingers at Jiang Cheng, followed by a thumbs up.


    ¡°Ay!¡± Jiang Cheng quickly snapped back at her and returned the thumbs up. ¡°You¡¯re the handsomest.¡±


    Gu Miao smiled, then shifted her eyes back to the sauces on the table.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you finish it for her, that¡¯s about the limit of her patience and attention span.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng started scooping out the sauce from the remaining two jars, as Gu Miao watched intently.


    ¡°We can eat now.¡± Gu Fei grabbed the portable burner and pan and set them on the table. ¡°Should I go get the cake?¡±


    ¡°Nah, not yet.¡± Jiang Cheng insisted on not seeing the cake yet. ¡°Wait till we¡¯re done eating, and get it out when it¡¯s dark outside. The cake has to come out in the right atmosphere, after all, it¡¯s the first time in my life that I get to eat a cake handmade by my boy¡­¡­desk-mate. It has to stay a surprise.¡±


    ¡°Boy desk-mate,¡± Gu Fei clucked his tongue. ¡°So have girl deskmates made them for you before?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t push me.¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him.


    Gu Fei laughed as he turned on the portable burner, and brushed a layer of oil into the pan, ¡°Let¡¯s start grilling then, boy desk-mate.¡±


    Before Jiang Cheng even moved, Gu Miao quickly picked up a slice of meat with her chopsticks and put it in the pan, then immediately started stirring it around.


    ¡°A little girl,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed, and also put a slice of meat into the pan, stirring it with her. ¡°Hungering for meat like this, what will you do if you get fat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, she¡¯s very active.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°If you don¡¯t stop her, she¡¯ll play on her skateboard for a whole day outside.¡±


    ¡°That board,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I took a look today, it¡¯s about time to change the wheels huh, they¡¯ve practically been worn smooth.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°Gotta change it when she¡¯s asleep though, she¡¯ll throw a fit if she sees.¡±


    ¡°Will she check her wheels?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°She usually just stares at the board, it¡¯s all good as long as the board doesn¡¯t change.¡± Gu Fei reached in with his chopsticks and flipped over the slice of meat that Gu Miao had been prodding.


    Eating in like this was definitely much more comfortable than eating out, they could do whatever they want and be at complete ease.


    But occasionally there¡¯d be an interruption that broke through the ease, for example when someone came in the store in the middle of their meal to buy something.


    ¡°Ah you¡¯re having dinner huh?¡± Auntie L¨¹ who lived upstairs started by greeting Gu Fei, then paused and stared when she saw Jiang Cheng. ¡°Isn¡¯t this¡­¡­Jiang Cheng? Old Li¡¯s¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned and shot her a look without a word.


    Auntie L¨¹ was about to open her mouth, when Gu Fei cut in, ¡°Auntie, you came to get oil right?¡±


    ¡°Aye, to get oil.¡± Auntie L¨¹ nodded, then took a couple more glances at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Hey, you¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get it for you,¡± Gu Fei stood up and walked to the shelves and brought over a jug of oil. ¡°It¡¯s this soybean oil you got last time right?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, yeah.¡± Auntie L¨¹ said. ¡°Ah you got a good memory, Da-Fei.¡±


    ¡°I only remember y¡¯all who come in all the time.¡± Gu Fei walked behind the register, rang up the price, then stood there as though waiting for her to pay. ¡°You must be in a rush to get back to cooking huh?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that right,¡± Auntie L¨¹ handed him the money. ¡°I already got the wok on the stove when I realized I forgot to buy more oil.¡±


    Gu Fei quickly made change for her, and placed the jug of oil into her hands, ¡°Better hurry then, or your grandson¡¯s gonna start crying for food.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s already started,¡± Auntie L¨¹ was made all the more anxious by his words, and immediately started out the door with the jug of oil. ¡°That kid will have my life!¡±


    When Gu Fei returned to his seat at the table, he heard Jiang Cheng let out a soft sigh.


    ¡°They¡¯re gonna be talking about it for a year at least, to your face and behind your back.¡± Gu Fei picked up a slice of meat and placed it in Jiang Cheng¡¯s bowl. ¡°If you¡¯re pissed you can snap right back at them.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng gave a little smile. ¡°They¡¯ll add some flavouring too right?¡±


    ¡°Of course they will,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°The way life is around here, if you don¡¯t add some extra spices for yourself and some flavouring for others, it would be too dreary to live. Do you want me to ask around and see how the rumour mill is churning it these days?¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡± Jiang Cheng let out a tsk. ¡°I can guess as much. I couldn¡¯t even imagine it before, but I kinda have an idea now.¡±


    ¡°Just look at it as an experience,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You¡¯re bound to go through a lot of different experiences in your lifetime, these are all proofs of your existence.¡±


    ¡°There you go writing poems again,¡± Jiang Cheng smiled. ¡°You also count as a proof of my existence, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m proof of your affection.¡± The corners of Gu Fei¡¯s mouth turned up. ¡°And proof that you¡¯ve gotten laid.¡±


    ¡°What the shit!¡± Jiang Cheng quickly glanced at Gu Miao.


    Though compared to Gu Fei¡¯s words, clearly his ¡°what the shit¡± was better at grabbing Gu Miao¡¯s attention. She didn¡¯t react at all to what Gu Fei said, but did look up at Jiang Cheng when he spoke.


    ¡°Cussing is wrong.¡± Jiang Cheng said immediately.


    Gu Miao nodded, then reached out a hand to snap her fingers and gave him a thumbs up.


    ¡°You can snap with your left hand too?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Fei in surprise. ¡°She used her right hand before, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, but she¡¯s rarely like this, normally she likes to whistle.¡± Gu Fei said with a smile.


    Gu Miao set down her chopsticks and snapped her fingers with both hands simultaneously, then reached out and gave him two thumbs up.


    ¡°Ay, I can¡¯t do it with my left hand.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed. ¡°You¡¯re too awesome, cool-Miao.¡±


    After dinner they lounged around for a while. Gu Fei wanted to take Gu Miao home to sleep, since he wanted to split the cake between Jiang Cheng and him only. But because he promised Gu Miao earlier that she could play on her skateboard half an hour after dinner, he had no choice but to squat at the door and watch as Jiang Cheng and Gu Miao hopped on and off the skateboard across the two streets.


    There was time. He checked his phone. Play for a while, take Gu Miao home, come back to the store for cake, then¡­¡­ The next day his mom would come watch the store in the morning, they could sleep in until noon like they did today, then take Gu Miao for her therapy in the afternoon.


    The day after that wouldn¡¯t be as relaxing. He would have to start working on the jobs he took, and the photoshoot he got for Jiang Cheng would start that day as well. This summer break was much shorter than usual¡­¡­ so busy¡­¡­


    Gu Fei was a little bummed when he realized his thoughts had transitioned seamlessly from thinking about the naughty activities of the night to the money making activities of the summer. He tsked audibly and brought his thoughts back around. And took out Jiang Cheng¡¯s page of notes from his pocket.


    ¡­¡­Such ugly handwriting.


    ¡°Gu Fei!¡± Jiang Cheng yelled as he flew by on the skateboard. He likely noticed the paper in Gu Fei¡¯s hand, when Gu Fei looked over, Jiang Cheng gave him a middle finger.


    Gu Fei gave him a long drawn-out whistle.


    There was actually something useful to be gleaned from the page of summary notes. If he disregarded the atrocious handwriting, the overachiever¡¯s summarizing ability was top notch. It was very clear and concise, one look and you¡¯d understand, one lesson and you¡¯d get it, guaranteed to treat a hundred ailments, guaranteed to do a hundred Cheng¡­¡­


    Gu Fei cleared his throat, and made an effort to keep his raging thoughts under control.


    But when Jiang Cheng glided past him a second time, all his previous efforts were rendered moot when the wind lifted the hem of Jiang Cheng¡¯s shirt and revealed a strip of waist.


    It was¡­¡­ just as well. He stood and turned back into the store, walked into the inner room and shut the door.


    Gu Fei usually used the cot in this room to take midday naps, he¡¯d never rubbed one out here before, so today would be a fast-breaking of sorts.


    He tapped open a folder on his phone, and pulled up a¡­¡­video of Jiang Cheng.


    It was a video he recorded in secret, the content of which could not be more normal, or mundane. It was a clip of Jiang Cheng flopped over a desk after falling asleep halfway through studying.


    But Jiang Cheng looked really good while sleeping, especially whenever he fell asleep halfway through studying, it was like he was in a rush to get some rest so he could get up and continue revising, he looked very intent in his sleep, very sexy.


    By the time Jiang Cheng brought Gu Miao back in, he had already finished cleaning up the scene, washed the dishes, and tidied up the table.


    ¡°Wait here for me,¡± Gu Fei wiped the sweat from Gu Miao¡¯s face with a towel. ¡°I¡¯ll take her home and come right back.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng sat down on a chair and stretched out his legs. ¡°Mannn that wore me out, her endurance is no joke.¡±


    ¡°No need to envy her,¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°She doesn¡¯t even know what tired feels like.¡±


    Normally when Gu Fei took Gu Miao home, he would walk while Gu Miao rode her skateboard. To save time today, he put Gu Miao on the back of his bike.


    Peddling Gu Miao back home, reminding his mom to watch her bathe, then peddling back to the store, the whole process took less than 30 minutes in total.


    Jiang Cheng had already fallen asleep in the chair, with his head tilted back and legs stretched out long.


    ¡°Cheng-ge?¡± Gu Fei tiptoed over and quietly called out to him. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t stir.


    He stood behind Jiang Cheng and took a quick glance outside to make sure no one was passing by, then bent over and gently bit Jiang Cheng¡¯s lips, while at the same time holding his arms down.


    This reflex of Jiang Cheng¡¯s, once refined, could be used for assasination. As Gu Fei ended the kiss and moved his lips away, Jiang Cheng¡¯s arms might be held down, but the height of his kick was still impressive.


    ¡°The fuck!¡± Jiang Cheng realized it was him, then slouched back onto the chair in resignation. ¡°Gu Fei, when are you going to stop with these silly games¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Dunno,¡± Gu Fei laughed as he let go of Jiang Cheng¡¯s arms, then leaned down again and whispered in his ears. ¡°You¡¯re pretty flexible though.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jiang Cheng paused. ¡°What the fuck, you certainly are a virtuous youth of a new era.¡±


    ¡°Cake?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Quit changing the subject!¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I won¡¯t change the subject then,¡± Gu Fei walked over to the fridge and gave him a look. ¡°We can continue discussing your flexibility?¡±


    ¡°Cake.¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at the fridge.


    Gu Fei¡¯s cake was not quite a pound in weight, it was a little smaller than the one he bought yesterday, but it was beautiful, and chocolate flavoured.


    The entire exterior was made of a white chocolate shell, and adorned with frosting shaped like roses covering the whole cake, with two cherries in the center.


    A simple base colour with a not-so-simple design, plus two striking dots of red.


    ¡°Damn great workmanship Gu Feifei!¡± Jiang Cheng marvelled sincerely. ¡°I thought at best you¡¯d squeeze out some swirly swirls, but you actually did roses?¡±


    ¡°I told you, I used to take Gu Miao there.¡± Gu Fei gave a little smile.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the writing?¡± Jiang Cheng asked as he looked at the flowers on the cake. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say there¡¯s writing, doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s space for it.¡±


    ¡°Here.¡± Gu Fei turned the cake half a rotation to show him.


    Jiang Cheng noticed a space on the side of the cake unadorned by roses, where there was a line of text.


    It was a line Jiang Cheng had seen before, and to this day still remembered.


    It was in the message Gu Fei had sent him.


    ¨C I want, one look, to last a lifetime¡­¡­


    ¡°Shit.¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a warmth overcoming his eyes.


    He¡¯d read that message many times over. He saw it every time he went through their old messages, but never once did he feel like this, he suddenly couldn¡¯t keep his emotions in check.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡±Nothing,¡± Jiang Cheng breathed in deep, then tsked after a short pause. ¡°You wrote that yourself?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡­pretty good.¡± Jiang Cheng stared at the line. ¡°Your handwriting¡¯s¡­¡­better than mine.¡±


    ¡°Is that a compliment?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Is that not a compliment?¡± Jiang Cheng lifted his eyes and shot him a look.


    ¡°Better than your handwriting,¡± Gu Fei also peered at him. ¡°Is a compliment?¡±


    ¡°Get lost, I¡¯m finally realizing now that you¡¯re just itching for a beating, sooner or later I¡¯m gonna get you to behave.¡± Jiang Cheng took out his phone. ¡°Hold up the cake, I want to take a picture.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed as he held the cake up by his face, ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°Give me a smile.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the Gu Fei on his screen.


    Gu Fei bared his teeth.


    ¡°Can you give a more gentle smile?¡± Jiang Cheng frowned.


    Gu Fei smiled again.


    Jiang Cheng snapped a picture. Gu Fei was about to set the cake down, when Jiang Cheng waved at him, ¡°Hold on, I want to take a clip too.¡±


    Gu Fei renewed his hold on the cake.


    ¡°Start talking.¡± Jiang Cheng pressed record.


    ¡°About what?¡± Gu Fei asked. ¡°Happy birthday Cheng-ge.¡±


    ¡°Say,¡± Jiang Cheng zoomed in. ¡°Do you like Cheng-ge?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Gu Fei chuckled and said. ¡°I really, really do.¡±

 CH 78

    You dog-fucker!


    They stayed in the store until past 9 o¡¯clock. When people stopped coming in to buy things, Gu Fei closed up, and the two of them slowly strolled down the street.


    They didn¡¯t eat very much today. Despite being a carnivore, Jiang Cheng was in too good a mood, so he only took a few bites before feeling full; he didn¡¯t even eat as much as Gu Miao. Gu Fei ate even less, since he was in charge of grilling and keeping an eye on the heat the whole time.


    ¡°Do you want anything else to eat?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Dude, in that case we can just go back and eat the extra meat we put away in the fridge.¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his belly. It was actually a very pleasant feeling to be only half-full, he felt very light. Especially at a time like this, when the moon had just risen, and the night breeze was gently blowing through the streets, as he sauntered leisurely forward with his boyfriend along a deserted street with no destination in mind.


    And he didn¡¯t need a destination. In fact, a lot of times, you don¡¯t really need a destination, don¡¯t need to think too much. As long as that person is by your side, you can keep walking forever.


    It had been a while since Jiang Cheng first arrived here, but there were still quite a few places in the Steel Works area he hadn¡¯t been to. He had always thought of this place as dilapidated and grim, the people here living in a bleak stupor, this was an impression that had stuck with him even now. However¡­¡­ he glanced at Gu Fei.


    But it was different with Gu Fei here. Even if he only caught a glimpse of him in the midst of a crowd, he¡¯d feel a gentle tug on his heartstring, like his surroundings all of a sudden brightened. Everything he took in with his eyes, everything he felt in his heart, all of that changed as well.


    It would sound a little too dramatic if he spoke it aloud, but Gu Fei really was his comfort pill in this hopeless environment, his most important support when facing any and all unhappiness.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s phone chimed with an incoming message.


    He pulled it out to take a look, it was from Pan Zhi.


    ¨C On how romantic love defeated friendship and the generational bond between grandpa and grandson: An Essay.


    ¡°The shit?¡± Jiang Cheng stared, then swiped up on the screen, only then realizing that Pan Zhi had sent him a message at 1 AM that morning to wish him a happy birthday, and he completely missed it.


    He chuckled as he sent a reply back.


    ¨C You might as well send it at 3am, that way it¡¯ll be even more unlikely for me to see it


    ¨C Don¡¯t you make excuses, the way things are right now, you¡¯re not gonna fcking see no matter what time it is


    ¨C I¡¯m seeing it now aren¡¯t I


    ¨C I¡¯m telling you gramps, all good things in moderation


    A wave of nervous embarrassment suddenly washed over Jiang Cheng as he read this message. He thought of what happened last night, then thought about what probably would happen later tonight¡­¡­ He swept a glance over in Gu Fei¡¯s direction.


    ¨C I am experiencing the rage of a single af person


    ¨C whatsmoreawkwardthanasilence.jpg


    ¨C Do you have something to say, if not I¡¯m just gonna go


    ¨C Where is our bond gramps!? Where is our bond developed over late night chats until 3am?


    ¨C Good night


    ¨C I¡¯ll be there the day after tomorrow, the same train as last time, same time


    ¨C Bringing anyone with you?


    ¨C No one to bring, we don¡¯t even get the summer off, everyone¡¯s in cram school, I only got 2 days break with the death of my fourth grandpa


    ¨C You have a fourth grandpa?


    ¨C No, if I did would I dare to kill him! Where¡¯s your brain? I guess you really are in love


    ¨C Got it you may take your leave now


    ¨C Yes gramps, good night gramps


    ¡°Is that Pan Zhi?¡± Gu Fei asked beside him.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng was lost in thought. The students at Fourth High were at this moment frolicking all over the world while complaining that more than half of their summer was cut off, but on the other side in his old school, they didn¡¯t even get to have a summer at all. This disparity. ¡°He¡¯s taking a couple days off to come visit.¡±


    ¡°Just two days?¡± Gu Fei was surprised. ¡°I thought he¡¯d come over for a week at least.¡±


    ¡°Our old school doesn¡¯t even have summer break,¡± Jiang Cheng chuckled. ¡°He made some stuff up and asked for 2 days absence.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°Do you also have to start working more intensively? Revise according to their progress or something? Maybe I planned a few too many photoshoots, should I cancel a couple for you?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head. ¡°I can always find the time to revise if I want to, who am I, after all.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a super overachiever.¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jiang Cheng took out his phone again to send Pan Zhi a message, asking him to get some question banks and study materials from the teachers for him.


    ¨C Already did, we singletons have excellent memory


    Jiang Cheng smiled. As he put the phone back in his pocket, he noticed his feet, slowly striding forward one step after the other. Beside them were Gu Fei¡¯s feet, also moving forward at a leisurely pace.


    Amused, he took his phone out again and started recording a video of their steps.


    ¡°Shall we guess¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng started narrating to himself out of habit, then stopped halfway and shot Gu Fei a look. Gu Fei was walking with both hands in his pockets, very much at ease. ¡°Pretend you can¡¯t hear me.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°Shall we guess to whom do these four legs¡­¡­these two pairs of legs, belong to?¡± Jiang Cheng held the phone between the two of them as he recorded. ¡°Contestant Jiang Cheng is in the middle of his post-meal one hundred steps with his¡­¡­boyfriend. It should be pretty easy for everyone to guess, after all, contestant Jiang Cheng¡¯s legs are very long and slim. And as for his boyfriend¡¯s legs¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei suddenly quickened his pace and walked in front of him, then stopped and turned while sticking his leg straight out.


    ¡°Alrighty,¡± Jiang Cheng giggled and couldn¡¯t stop. ¡°The boyfriend¡¯s legs are very long. Contestant Jiang Cheng did say when they first met that this guy has very long legs.¡±


    Hearing that, Gu Fei drew his leg back and continued walking forward. As Jiang Cheng tucked his phone away, Gu Fei asked, ¡°You were looking at my legs when we first met?¡±


    ¡°I always look at a person¡¯s legs first.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Where would you look next?¡± Gu Fei asked


    ¡°If the legs look good then I¡¯ll look at the face, if the legs don¡¯t look good I¡¯ll just look at my phone.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei laughed for a long time.


    After walking around for more than an hour in these grid-like roads of the Steel Works, they returned to Jiang Cheng¡¯s apartment building.


    It was a very enjoyable walk. Gu Fei rarely had a chance to take walks like this, he didn¡¯t usually have the time, or if he did it would be spent playing with Gu Miao. If he was with Gu Miao, then it would be impossible to walk at a leisurely pace. Gu Miao was like a perpetual motion machine, with an extra powerful motor to boot. One simply could not keep up with her pace and still maintain a walk.


    Neither of them spoke when they arrived outside the building. They moved directly into the corridor and up the stairs.


    Gu Fei watched Jiang Cheng¡¯s back as he walked¡­¡­back, waist, butt, and legs. He gently cleared his throat and said quietly, ¡°I¡¯m going to touch you.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Jiang Cheng whipped his head around and glared at Gu Fei, and said with a hushed voice. ¡°Do you have to say this kind of thing out loud?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just afraid you¡¯ll slap me on the face out of reflex.¡± Gu Fei said quietly.


    ¡°And you have to do it now?¡± Jiang Cheng continued in his hushed voice.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°¡­¡­Then do you need me to answer you with an ¡®okay¡¯?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    Gu Fei laughed and reached out to stroke Jiang Cheng¡¯s waist, then trailed his hand to his legs.


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Jiang Cheng yelled quietly, and bolted away up the stairs.


    Gu Fei immediately chased after him, then grabbed a handful of his butt.


    ¡°Ah fuck!¡± Jiang Cheng jumped up, and didn¡¯t even have time to shoot Gu Fei another glare as he continued running up the stairs.


    ¡°I have long legs.¡± Gu Fei laughed as he chased him.


    ¡°I¡¯m warning you Gu Fei!¡± Jiang Cheng got to the door, and pointed at Gu Fei as he fumbled around for the keys. ¡°You¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei went over and gave him a peck on the lips, then pinched his waist.


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng had no more words. He quickly unlocked the door, then yelled in a quiet voice after Gu Fei closed the door behind him. ¡°Are you in heat or something?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± Gu Fei fell back onto the sofa and gave him a smile.


    Jiang Cheng stood in the middle of the room and stared at him for ten seconds, then turned into the bedroom, ¡°I¡¯m gonna take a shower, I¡¯m all sweaty from the walk.¡±


    ¡°I want to shower too.¡± Gu Fei said while lying on the sofa.


    ¡°Get in line.¡± Jiang Cheng answered without thinking. He fetched a change of clothes and took a few steps toward the bathroom before pausing to glance at Gu Fei. ¡°Did you want to go together?¡±


    Gu Fei collapsed in laughter, ¡°Never mind, you go first.¡±


    Jiang Cheng clucked his tongue and went into the bathroom.


    Gu Fei heard the sound of running water a few seconds later. He stretched his legs out, leaned his head against his arms, and sighed. Then he picked up the remote and tuned to a random tv channel to watch.


    He and Jiang Cheng really were quite innocent. All this time going from mutual handies to actually doing it, and they¡¯d never even taken a shower together¡­¡­tsk tsk.


    Although at this moment he wasn¡¯t thinking about crowding into the shower. For the first time, Gu Fei felt a respect for the power of the overachiever. That silly dirty memo of Jiang Cheng¡¯s was currently spinning round and round in his brain, the lines of ugly writing playing like a slideshow in his mind.


    His whole life up until now, he¡¯d never had such crystal clear memory for ¡®learning¡¯, especially when the target of which was such ugly handwriting.


    It also filled him with a drive to apply the theories practically, he even stood up to compare the height of the table against himself before Jiang Cheng came out of the shower.


    It was¡­¡­pretty suitable. Gu Fei braced his hands against the table and indulged his imagination for a second, and suddenly it was like a floodgate had been opened. By the time Jiang Cheng came out, he was no longer facing the table in an air-humping pose, but it was all he could do to lie on the sofa and pretend to watch TV. No amount of deep breathing was effective in calming himself ¡®down¡¯.


    Gu Fei always thought of himself as composed, one of those people with good self-discipline. But reality proved that he was still too naive.


    ¡°I had the temperature turned pretty high just now,¡± Jiang Cheng walked past him into the bedroom as he dried his hair with a towel. ¡°Remember to change it before you shower.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei laid unmoving on the sofa. ¡°Grab some clothes for me will you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned to shoot him a glance, ¡°Rather high and mighty now aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    Jiang Cheng went into the room to get him a set of pyjamas and underwear, ¡°I don¡¯t have any more new underwear, is mine okay?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Gu Fei reached out his hand.


    ¡°Lord Gu.¡± Jiang Cheng threw the clothes on him, then turned to face the TV so he could watch as he dried his hair haphazardly with the towel.


    The way he stood was incredibly brazen, blocking off Gu Fei¡¯s entire line of sight to the television. From Gu Fei¡¯s angle, all he could see was Jiang Cheng¡¯s back.


    Jiang Cheng was topless with only a pair of sweatpants hanging loosely on his hips, like it could be flung off with a single gentle tug.


    Gu Fei was planning to make him move, but now he kept quiet. After staring for a good while, he picked up the clothes and stood up. When he walked by Jiang Cheng, he suddenly bent down and put his arm around his waist, and bit down.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s superhuman reflex reached the peak of its career in this very moment, before he even formed words, he first landed a slap on Gu Fei¡¯s head. Then came the bellow: ¡°AH!¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Gu Fei let go and took a few steps back while holding his head. ¡°Sooner or later you¡¯re gonna slap me stupid.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him and rubbed his waist hard. ¡°You dog-fucker! Why would you chomp down so hard!¡±


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Gu Fei suddenly burst out laughing, and continued on to the bathroom as he nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m a dog-fucker¡­¡­¡±


    He managed to close the bathroom door and lock it from the inside just as Jiang Cheng started charging over.


    ¡°Gu Fei!¡± Jiang Cheng banged on the door. ¡°You¡¯re done for!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Fei laughed and asked as he undressed.


    ¡°Come out and fight!¡± Jiang Cheng banged on the door again.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you can beat me.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Bullshit,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I should¡¯ve recorded your whining yesterday!¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the reminder.¡± Gu Fei put a hand on the wall to keep from doubling up in laughter.


    ¡°You¡¯re done for!¡± Jiang Cheng said. Then two seconds later banged the door again. ¡°You¡¯re done!¡±


    Gu Fei adjusted the water heater, then turned on the tap to shower, still laughing as he did. He was already a little calmer after the shenanigans, but Jiang Cheng had to end with a mention of a recording, and suddenly he wasn¡¯t so calm again.


    When it comes to salacious activities, it really does take two to tango¡­¡­


    When he came out from the shower, Jiang Cheng was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, playing with his phone. He only shot a brief glance toward Gu Fei when he heard him come out, his fingers continued to tap away on the screen.


    ¡°Rhythm Master?¡± Gu Fei noticed the jingle. ¡°And here I thought you¡¯d be playing non-idiotic games.¡±


    ¡°I play at a level idiots like you can never hope to reach.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei chuckled and didn¡¯t answer, just watched as he leaned against the table. Jiang Cheng¡¯s fingers were nimble and swift, in the light of the screen they even left behind an afterimage¡­¡­gorgeous.


    Of course, it was also possible that this optical illusion was due to his 0.70 D astigmatism.


    ¡°Such a happy birthday,¡± After a while he went and sat down beside Jiang Cheng. ¡°And you¡¯re spending it like this?¡±


    ¡°How else should I be spending it,¡± The corner of Jiang Cheng¡¯s mouth turned up in a smirk. ¡°Go to bed and let you record me? Hold it in and dream on.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t record you,¡± Gu Fei pressed up against Jiang Cheng and put his arms around his waist, then kissed his shoulder. ¡°Cheng-ge¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge what?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me get rough.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°The shit?¡± Jiang Cheng turned around in shock, but didn¡¯t manage to keep the smile from breaking out on his face. ¡°This young man got some guts?¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t respond. He snatched away Jiang Cheng¡¯s phone and tossed it onto the coffee table, then before Jiang Cheng could react, bore down and pushed him back onto the sofa.


    ¡°You dare to mutiny,¡± Jiang Cheng landed a slap on his back. ¡°You really should record the way you are right now, like a dog fighting for¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Shit?¡± Gu Fei continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking to you anymore,¡± Jiang Cheng let out a long drawn-out sigh. ¡°I only feel a profound helplessness.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to help today.¡± Said Gu Fei.


    Jiang Cheng paused, then: ¡°You ass, I¡¯m not talking anymore.¡±


    Gu Fei kissed his ear and chuckled.


    Jiang Cheng clenched his teeth and tried but failed to hold it in, then burst out laughing with him. Eventually he stroked Gu Fei¡¯s back, ¡°Hey, laughing didn¡¯t get you down?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Mhmm,¡± Gu Fei answered. ¡°You can feel it?¡±


    ¡°No shit, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re wearing thick pants.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei planted a very earnest kiss on Jiang Cheng¡¯s lips, starting with a gentle peck, then he withdrew and stared into Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes. Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Is your bouche amused?¡±


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Gu Fei swept the tip of his tongue between Jiang Cheng¡¯s lips.


    Jiang Cheng immediately bit it.


    He smiled, and deepened the kiss, reaching past Jiang Cheng¡¯s teeth. When Jiang Cheng returned the kiss, he also bit back gently, and Jiang Cheng retaliated again.


    This kind of bite for a bite, not at all serious makeout behaviour was pretty immature, and did nothing for a romantic atmosphere compared to experienced drivers, nor was it a good representation of the poise of a new age thirsty youth. But Gu Fei enjoyed it a lot.


    He enjoyed this feeling, the feeling of lingering in and around Jiang Cheng¡¯s lips, reaching and retreating, slowly going deeper and becoming more intertwined. It was exciting.


    Very exciting, in fact it was the kind of excitement that made him feel like his pants had gotten a size smaller.


    He released Jiang Cheng¡¯s lips and bit his chin, then took another bite on his throat. By then he could feel Jiang Cheng¡¯s breaths quicken. As he trailed kisses all the way down to Jiang Cheng¡¯s belly, the breaths came even faster.


    He pulled Jiang Cheng¡¯s pants down.


    ¡°Are we not¡­¡­going inside?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    With one swift motion, Gu Fei flung the pants to the floor. He held Jiang Cheng¡¯s ankle against the backrest with one hand, and with the other hand traced a path from the ankle up to the tattoo, then with a flick of his fingers, brushed down the leg again.


    ¡°There¡¯s no time,¡± He felt like his hand holding Jiang Cheng¡¯s ankle was like holding a car door open, and couldn¡¯t help finish the line. ¡°Get in the car.¡±


    ¡°You weirdo.¡± Jiang Cheng was already panting lightly as he spoke, but at this he started giggling again.


    ¡°Stop laughing.¡± Gu Fei bent down and traced his tongue around the teeth-mark tattoo as he reached a hand into Jiang Cheng¡¯s underwear.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s whole body suddenly stiffened. He tilted his head back and drew in a sharp breath.


    This reaction also made Gu Fei¡¯s breathing a little difficult. But fortunately, here was the benefit of having already rubbed one out beforehand¡­¡­though at this very moment he was still having a really hard time holding back.


    Compared to the straight forward head-first approach of Jiang Cheng, Gu Fei thought, he himself was practically the most virtuous thug of the new age. When faced with an enticing picture such as this, he actually had the self-control to not jump right in and start biting.


    Even though the memory of the so-called tips in the dirty little summary was a little faded at the moment, still it persisted in playing over and over in his mind like a broken record.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t act out the summary word by word, it was enough to understand the basic steps. Everything else, he improvised in reaction to Jiang Cheng¡¯s live feedback.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s panting was low and rushed. The light in the living room was brighter than in the bedroom, so he lifted an arm to cover his eyes.


    It was a very seductive gesture. Gu Fei reached out and felt around the sofa cushions for the bottle of lube, and squeezed some out in his hand, the whole time keeping his eyes glued to Jiang Cheng¡¯s face.


    Jiang Cheng had a very nice face shape, it was sculpted without being severe. With his eyes covered, Gu Fei could still see his straight nose, slightly parted lips, and his pretty chin¡­¡­


    Jiang Cheng moved his arm slightly from his eyes when he felt Gu Fei¡¯s fingers draw close. He shot a glance at Gu Fei and mumbled, ¡°Fucking hell, when did you get that?¡±


    ¡°When you were showering.¡± Gu Fei braced a hand beside his head and went in for a kiss, as he continued moving his other hand.


    Jiang Cheng frowned and let out a very small moan.


    It was probably the most useful tip in the entire dirty little summary: first, second, and then; pay attention to the pace, slow down¡­¡­


    Gu Fei had no idea how he managed to get through this process, there were no less than ten instances when the thought ¡°fuck the notes and let¡¯s just go¡± flashed through his mind.


    The expression on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face changed from ¡°that doesn¡¯t feel very fucking good¡± to ¡°I¡¯ll kill you if your finger moves another inch¡±, and then ¡°ok this is tolerable¡±, to finally ¡°you can start now¡±.


    Gu Fei felt like every single pore in his body had been conscripted to capture Jiang Cheng¡¯s reaction, it was the first time in almost 18 years he¡¯d been so completely focused on one task, and it was all for this shameless activity.


    He no longer needed the guidance of the dirty little memo at this point. He could already hear Jiang Cheng¡¯s heartbeat within his own, could hear Jiang Cheng¡¯s breaths within his own panting, and could understand Jiang Cheng¡¯s impulse from his own impulse.


    He jumped off the sofa, pulling Jiang Cheng up with him.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jiang Cheng was a little confused by the sudden turn of events.


    It was only then that Gu Fei thought to glance at the living room window. Fuck! Good thing they closed the curtains to light the candles this morning and hadn¡¯t opened them yet!


    With this drastic tensing and relaxing of his mood, his desire also shot straight up from the stimulation.


    ¡°You.¡± Gu Fei answered, then tugged on Jiang Cheng¡¯s arm and pushed him down on the table.


    With Jiang Cheng¡¯s arms pulled back behind him, the muscles on his back and sides were taut as they contracted from the effort. Gu Fei¡¯s vision was suddenly a little blurry from all the blood rushing up in excitement.


    He leaned down and bit Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulder.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s breath hitched, but he didn¡¯t make any sound. Gu Fei¡¯s fingers trailed down his back and across his waist, then pulled his underwear down. Jiang Cheng turned his head to the side.


    As Gu Fei traced his fingers back around his inner thigh, and slid in with the coolness of the lube, Jiang Cheng¡¯s breathing suddenly got a lot heavier, and accompanied by a very low sound. Like a moan, or perhaps just a sigh.


    Gu Fei pressed up against his back and clutched his waist tight, then licked the back of his ear gently, tracing a line to the back of his neck. Along the way he could feel Jiang Cheng¡¯s surging pulse and the tensed skin wherever he went.


    He stuck a knee between Jiang Cheng¡¯s legs and pushed them apart. This image that he went over countless times in his mind was all of a sudden before him.


    At this point, it was impossible to follow the dirty little memo and carefully observe the other person¡¯s reactions, Gu Fei could practically hear the cries from within his own panting.


    Get in the car!


    Start the engine!

 CH 79

    ¡°Good morning, Cheng-ge.¡±


    Jiang Cheng lay on the bed, hugging the pillow with his head to one side. His eyes were half closed. Gu Fei was lying next to him in the same position, head also to the side, but he was hugging a small, fuzzy blanket.


    ¡°Cheng-ge.¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°Mmm.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go buy another pillow?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Why?¡± Jiang Cheng asked, then a corner of his mouth quirked up after a brief consideration. ¡°So Pan Zhi can use it when he comes?¡±


    ¡°Nice one, overachiever,¡± Gu Fei tsked audibly. ¡°You still haven¡¯t been fucked into behaving?¡±


    ¡°How about we battle for another 300 rounds to determine the winner?¡± Jiang Cheng also tsked, and turned his head to face the wall.


    ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Gu Fei reached out and stroked his back.


    ¡°¡­¡­..It¡¯s alright.¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes, feeling his answer.


    To be honest, there wasn¡¯t a limit to how thick a person¡¯s face can be. Thinking about it, in just the last 24 hours, he and Gu Fei had become shameless enough to talk candidly about such topics.


    ¡°Do you need me to piggyback you to the shower?¡± Gu Fei asked, laughing.


    ¡°Do you realize you¡¯re going to be taken care of if you continue being so brazen?¡± Jiang Cheng lay there without moving. ¡°I won¡¯t go easy on you next time¡­¡­ Hey Gu Fei.¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned to look at him, ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you a question, and you have to answer it honestly.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Ask away.¡± Gu Fei squeezed closer to him, so they were arm to arm.


    Jiang Cheng touched the tip of his nose, ¡°It wasn¡¯t your first fucking time, was it?¡±


    ¡°Mnn?¡± Gu Fei stared in confusion.


    ¡°Be good and tell the truth, I¡¯m not going to make a fuss.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled affably with his teeth bared.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Gu Fei chuckled after collecting himself. ¡°What is the basis for this question of yours?¡±


    ¡°You lasted longer than me,¡± Jiang Cheng stared at him, still smiling with his teeth bared. ¡°Even with new tricks, you could hold it. Do you want to take me through your mental process?¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Gu Fei looked at him and laughed for a long time. ¡°I¡¯m a typical virgin alright?¡±


    ¡°No, I am.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°See, I never doubted you,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°No shit, the way I was, if you doubted me, where¡¯s the justice?¡± Jiang Cheng realized now that he wasn¡¯t even embarrassed at all about admitting his inexperience. As expected, his face was already a mile thick.


    ¡°Those notes of yours,¡± Gu Fei turned, pushing the little blanket a little further up, cushioning his head. ¡°Did you even look at it yourself?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng also laughed. ¡°Fuck, stop mentioning it.¡±


    ¡°Do you even remember the contents?¡± Gu Fei continued, his hand caressing Jiang Cheng¡¯s back.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Jiang Cheng felt a little resigned. ¡°I don¡¯t need to try, I remember all the contents of the notes I¡¯ve taken.¡±


    That¡¯s right, he remembered everything.


    It¡¯s just, some things tend to deviate from the plan during actual execution. Things would be affected by one¡¯s mood, the state of their bodies etc, as well as¡­¡­ Fuck it, in truth he just couldn¡¯t hold back.


    ¡°Right, you¡¯re an overachiever after all. Even a slacky slacker such as myself had it memorized after a few times, how could an overachiever not?¡± Gu Fei said, smiling. ¡°But what can we do when the overachiever is so worked up, the way you looked it¡¯s like you wanted to pin me down and cum all over my face¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at him. ¡°Gu Feifei, you shut up.¡±


    Gu Fei slid down a little, flipped over, pinning down half of Jiang Cheng¡¯s body, and kissed him.


    With this kiss, they were both very earnest. Even though there was no desire in this kiss, it had a lot of other things, firmness, ease, comfort, leisure¡­¡­


    ¡°Are you going to shower?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°If you¡¯re uncomfortable you can wash first,¡± Gu Fei sat up while he felt towards the desk to the side. He grabbed the pack Jiang Cheng had thrown there, took a cigarette out, and put it in his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll wait a bit.¡±


    ¡°Enough already, ¡°Jiang Cheng grabbed the cigarette in his mouth. ¡°Why do you always have an ¡®after smoke¡¯, regardless if you¡¯re on the top or bottom?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just smoking,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°There¡¯s no significance, it¡¯s just a normal cigarette.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quitting smoking tonight,¡± Jiang Cheng got up and got off the bed directly, and noticed there weren¡¯t any embarrassing tissues on the floor. Gu Fei had cleaned it up at some point. ¡°I¡¯m going showering.¡±


    ¡°Why do you always shower first, regardless if you¡¯re on the top or bottom?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m older than you by a month.¡± Jiang Cheng grabbed a change of clothes, stepped into his slippers, and left.


    While passing through the living room to get to the bathroom, he was suddenly shocked into a cold sweat. He whipped his head towards the window, his neck nearly turning 200 degrees.


    He let out a breath of relief at the sight of the tightly shut curtains, and held onto the bathroom door frame for a second.


    Remembering such an important detail only half an hour after the deed, it was truly a classic display of all blood rushing down south leaving nothing for his brain¡­¡­


    In the bathroom, with the hot water running over his body, who knew if it was because all his blood was rushing back, or because he remembered the details, he felt a chaotic mess in his brain. All the details from before came rushing back, including being pressed into the table by Gu Fei and then dragged onto the bed¡­¡­ What a show!


    What a headache it was to have such a well functioning brain. Whether it was miniscule feelings of his mind or his body, he didn¡¯t forget anything. Now it was all flooding back and spreading out before his eyes. Even with his newly thickened skin, he still couldn¡¯t bear it. When the hot water flowed over his face, his face felt even hotter than the water.


    This feeling.


    Speaking of feeling¡­ He suddenly felt a little apologetic. He felt bad for Gu Fei. Today, even with all the preparations Gu Fei had made like an old pervert, he still felt a little discomfort even now. With all that he did yesterday like a conqueror forcing the bow, how did Gu Fei feel?


    And he had even asked if it felt good?


    How shameless!


    How could it have possibly felt good!


    Ah fuck.


    The two of them returned to bed after showering. Jiang Cheng checked the time on his phone, and was shocked. It didn¡¯t feel like they did much, it was only a little something, plus some chatting on the bed, and it was already midnight.


    Making merry every night, no wonder a king could not attend his morning courts.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sleep,¡± Gu Fei turned off the light, and returned to bed, holding Jiang Cheng. He hooked one leg over his body. ¡°There¡¯s a photoshoot in the morning, and Er-Miao¡¯s therapy in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°So busy.¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes.


    ¡°Also gotta make time to go buy a pillow,¡± Gu Fei was probably not content with the rolled up blanket under his head, he had actually still remembered the pillow. ¡°Let¡¯s buy a two person pillow, one of those long ones.¡±


    ¡°Mmn.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°Once Pan Zhi comes, you won¡¯t have time for photoshoots, right? I¡¯ll tell them to adjust the schedule for those few days?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°No need,¡± Jiang Cheng really liked the feeling of Gu Fei talking softly by his ear. It put him at ease, like an electric current was passing through, and made him a little dazed. ¡°We¡¯ve got nowhere to go, we can bring him along to watch.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Gu Fei kissed him on his earlobe. ¡°I calculated the timing that day, they¡¯ll pretty much be done before cram school starts, it¡¯ll be a good sum of money too.¡±


    ¡°If I hadn¡¯t met you,¡± Jiang Cheng leaned in and rubbed against the tip of Gu Fei¡¯s nose. ¡°I¡¯d probably be cutting back on food and clothing, lest I accidentally die of hunger.¡±


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°Part-time work is still pretty easy to find, it just might not pay as well.¡±


    Jiang Cheng smiled.


    After that, Gu Fei said something, then he said something, but he couldn¡¯t remember anymore. He listened dazedly to the sound of Gu Fei¡¯s voice, and drifted off peacefully to sleep amidst waves of drowsiness.


    Perhaps a little too peacefully.


    When Gu Fei¡¯s phone rang, they were both still sleeping as if passed out. Only when Gu Fei got up to get his phone, did Jiang Cheng realize that the asshole was using his arm as a pillow. Now, his entire arm was numb.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Gu Fei answered the phone. ¡°I am¡­¡­ah, what time is it now? Ten-thirty? Fuck¡­¡­I overslept, sorry¡­¡­Mhm, I can be there in half an hour. The model¡­¡­the model probably overslept also¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei glanced over at him and Jiang Cheng realized it was a call from the photoshoot, seeing as no one showed up. He sat up hurriedly. As soon as he moved, his inner thigh felt as sore as if he had run 10km. He almost couldn¡¯t hold in his yell.


    ¡°Alright, sorry, Luo-zong.¡± Gu Fei hung up. ¡°Holy shit, it¡¯s already 10:30, your overachiever biological clock¡­¡­¡±


    Before Gu Fei finished speaking, Jiang Cheng moaned as he fell back onto his pillow, ¡°Ahh¡­¡­my leg.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Gu Fei startled, and yanked the blanket off of him. He examined Jiang Cheng but didn¡¯t find anything wrong, and looked at him with a perplexed expression. ¡°Did my fucking break your leg?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him, then thought about it and giggled for a while as he rubbed his leg. ¡°Holy shit, why is it so sore here?¡±


    ¡°Because,¡± Gu Fei reached over to rub his inner thigh. ¡°That uh¡­¡­that position.¡±


    ¡°I fucking know it¡¯s because of that position!¡± The image of him whining on the bed from the night before immediately drifted before Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes, and he felt a sudden wave of embarrassment. ¡°I¡¯m saying why would it be sore? Even if I play three basketball games in a day, my legs still wouldn¡¯t be sore.¡±


    Gu Fei looked at him, not speaking.


    ¡°Why are you looking at me? If you have something to say, then say it.¡± Jiang Cheng looked back at him.


    ¡°Because you wouldn¡¯t constantly be using the muscles in your inner thigh when playing basketball.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng opened his mouth then closed it again, truly not knowing how to continue the conversation.


    ¡°After all, you were kneeling with your legs apart¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei continued. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of weight on the inner thigh, and later on I even pressed down¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jiang Cheng extended an Er-Kang hand. ¡°Alright, you don¡¯t need to explain and describe anymore, I got it.¡±


    Gu Fei got off the bed, and started laughing as he put on his pants, all the while looking at him.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at him. ¡°Gu Fei, come here.¡±


    ¡°I was wrong.¡± Gu Fei backed up two steps. ¡°Cheng-ge, I was wrong, I won¡¯t laugh anymore.¡±


    ¡°Too late,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Come here and fight.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s fight when your legs aren¡¯t sore anymore,¡± Gu Fei held in his laughter. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t use my arms and legs, you still wouldn¡¯t be able to beat me.¡±


    At that Jiang Cheng also laughed, ¡°Do you have any shame? If you don¡¯t use your arms and legs, what are you going to¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°This.¡± Gu Fei cut him off before he was done, and thrusted hip at him, then ran out like a wisp of smoke.


    ¡°Gu Fei, do you want to get fucked!¡± Jiang Cheng yelled.


    ¡°Come fuck me.¡± Gu Fei answered from the bathroom.


    ¡°You dog-fucker¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng stopped himself, then after some thought, found it amusing. He got up and put on his clothes while giggling to himself the whole time.


    When he walked into the bathroom, Gu Fei was facing the mirror, brushing his teeth.


    ¡°Young man.¡± Jiang Cheng stood behind him and held his waist, as they faced the mirror together.


    ¡°Good morning, Cheng-ge.¡± Gu Fei mumbled.


    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed you really do act like you need a good beating.¡± Jiang Cheng lifted a hand, pulling on the stubbly hair on top of Gu Fei¡¯s head.


    ¡°Only to you,¡± Gu Fei spat out the toothpaste. ¡°Cheng-ge we need to be quick, we have to be there in half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng picked up his tooth brush and noticed the toothpaste had already been squeezed onto it. He smiled, and backed up a step as he brushed his teeth, and swiped at Gu Fei¡¯s butt. ¡°Hey, Gu Fei.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei answered while bent over washing his face.


    Jiang Cheng tugged his pants down a little, then walked up and pressed himself against him, and thrusted gently. ¡°Do you¡­¡­still feel discomfort?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s better now,¡± Gu Fei turned back to look at him. ¡°You¡¯re not looking to go another round now, are you sir? We don¡¯t have time, Cheng-ge.¡±


    Jiang Cheng laughed as he pulled his pants back, ¡°No, I just wanted to make a reservation, once you feel better.¡±


    ¡°Are you wanting to make it up to me?¡± Gu Fei wiped his face, turned around, and stood facing Jiang Cheng while holding his waist. ¡°Do it again according to your notes?¡±


    ¡°Would you stop mentioning the notes!¡± Jiang Cheng said, mouth full of foam. ¡°Where did you put it? Hurry up and throw it out, no actually, burn it.¡±


    ¡°Why burn it, it¡¯s not like you wrote your name on it.¡± Gu Fei laughed.


    ¡°The main thing is, my handwriting,¡± Jiang Cheng leaned against Gu Fei, and reached over his shoulder to spit out the foam in his mouth. ¡°Is uniquely ugly. Sometimes I think, there will never be anyone else whose writing will be as ugly as this. I keep thinking anyone can recognize my handwriting.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty,¡± Gu Fei was laughing uncontrollably. ¡°Then let¡¯s burn it.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, good boy,¡± Jiang Cheng held him and rubbed his back. ¡°Move, your ge needs to wash his face.¡±


    Gu Fei moved to the side and watched him while leaning against the wall.


    ¡°What are we shooting today?¡± Jiang Cheng asked while washing his face. ¡°How come some boss called to rush us himself?¡±


    ¡°I call everyone boss. Today¡¯s shoot is outdoors, at a pretty big tennis club. They¡¯re opening a branch over here so they want to do some marketing. The person just now was in charge of all this. Although there¡¯s not much you have to do today, and no need to put on makeup.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Mmn,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°Is it okay if I don¡¯t know how to play tennis?¡±


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be? You just need to make a few poses, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re filming a video, it¡¯s fine.¡± Gu Fei chuckled as he said.


    ¡°Then what if the students come and say, oho that the coach in the photos is real handsome, I want him to teach me,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°What then?¡±


    ¡°That coach is at the main branch, it¡¯s too far so he can¡¯t come.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed, shook the water off, and dragged a towel over to wipe his face. ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s go.¡±


    When they arrived at the tennis club, Jiang Cheng glanced at the sign, ¡°Fly High? They had a location near where I used to live, there were even a few people from my old school who trained there.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    ¡°They¡¯re even opening branches here.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. Suddenly seeing a once familiar sight here, he felt an emotion he couldn¡¯t quite name.


    The club wasn¡¯t open yet, but there were many people on the courts. He couldn¡¯t tell if they were instructors or students. There were two courts where people were taking photos.


    ¡°They¡¯ve already started,¡± Jiang Cheng froze. ¡°Did they switch photographer because you¡¯re late?¡±


    ¡°No way.¡± Gu Fei smiled, pulling out his phone and dialling a number as he said. ¡°There¡¯s a lot to film, there¡¯s no way I¡¯m the only photographer. I think they¡¯re also filming a promotional video.¡±


    After Gu Fei finished his call, someone walked out from the office at the back, ¡°Xiao-Gu, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Fei turned around. ¡°Luo-zong?¡±


    ¡°Luo Yiyang,¡± The person shook hands with both of them. ¡°You can just call me by my name, no need to be so courteous. Thank you for your hard work today, I¡¯ll get someone to follow you guys around, she¡¯ll tell you about the specifics of the photoshoot.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°This is the model, right?¡± Luo Yiyang looked at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Pretty handsome, yes, certainly a sporty type¡­¡­ To be honest, we could take photos of our own coaches, but they¡¯re not handsome enough. The handsome one is our head coach, but I couldn¡¯t sway him to come here¡­¡­ Xiao-Tang! Come here for a second!¡±


    The girl named Xiao-Tang ran over. Luo Yiyang explained everything to her, then left.


    While Xiao-Tang explained the exact requirements to Gu Fei, Jiang Cheng walked to the promotion window to take a look. Inside were all kinds of achievements, awards, photos, and introductions of the coaches.


    Head coach: Bian Nan.


    Jiang Cheng took a closer look. This was probably the person Luo-zong was talking about, not bad, pretty handsome.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Gu Fei walked over. ¡°Go change. First, we¡¯ll take a set of photos of you playing in the court, and then we¡¯ll take another set of you acting cool with the racket, and that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°You¡­¡­if there are larger movements later, are you going to be okay?¡± Gu Fei leaned in beside his ear and asked quietly.


    ¡°¡­¡­Fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng almost wanted to reach for his own butt reflexively. ¡°I¡¯m fine, just don¡¯t ask me to run.¡±


    After following Xiao-Tang to an empty court, Jiang Cheng grabbed a set of the club¡¯s clothes to change into, while Gu Fei prepared his equipment outside. His occasional assistant Nini wasn¡¯t late leaving the house today, but she was stuck in traffic, and probably wouldn¡¯t arrive for another 10 minutes.


    He didn¡¯t have a permanent assistant. Normally, when he couldn¡¯t find anyone, he¡¯d ask Nini to come help. Plus, she could also do makeup.


    Although there wasn¡¯t any need for makeup today. All Jiang Cheng needed to do was to change into a few of the club¡¯s uniforms¡­ Gu Fei¡¯s hands stopped. What did the shorts on a tennis outfit look like?


    He turned back to look at the people who were currently playing on the courts behind him. The shorts were alright. Although they weren¡¯t as loose as basketball shorts, they at least wouldn¡¯t reveal the tattoo on Jiang Cheng¡¯s thigh.


    He was just about to turn back around and continue fiddling with his camera, when he saw Tan Lin walking over from the side of the court.


    Gu Fei furrowed his brows, and continued brushing his lens with his head down, not bothering to greet him.


    ¡°Gu Fei.¡± Tan Lin called from behind him.


    ¡°Lin-ge.¡± He didn¡¯t turn around, and just continued to brush another lens.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t come here on purpose, I¡¯m watching over a model today. I just came over to say hi.¡± Tan Lin said.


    ¡°Mn.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°Are you with your classmate again today?¡± Tan Lin sat down on a chair next to him.


    ¡°I thought you just came to say hi?¡± Gu Fei turned to look at him.


    ¡°I mean,¡± Tan Lin sighed. ¡°We¡¯re just chatting here, you don¡¯t need to be so annoyed, right?¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± Tan Lin looked at him. ¡°Let me formally apologize again, I really didn¡¯t know¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need, Lin-ge,¡± Gu Fei interrupted him. ¡°I¡¯m very busy today.¡±


    Tan Lin sighed, and didn¡¯t say any more.


    ¡°Also, you don¡¯t need to apologize. It wasn¡¯t because of you,¡± Gu Fei looked at him, ¡°But you and Xiao-Bing, I¡¯ve lumped you two together. You know how I feel toward him. Even though you might not be the same, I still have nothing to say to you. So next time you see me, there¡¯s no need to come say hi.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think I¡¯m also a victim here?¡± Tan Lin stood up. ¡°I really did like you at that time, I wasn¡¯t thinking of anything else, I didn¡¯t know he would¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°You have 10 seconds.¡± Gu Fei looked at him, his voice cold.


    Tan Lin paused and looked back at him. When Gu Fei counted to eight in his head, he turned to leave.


    Gu Fei frowned and put down his camera.


    Seeing Tan Lin wouldn¡¯t affect his mood too much, but the things he remembered whenever he saw Tan Lin, those were not pleasant memories.


    A long time had passed, and when Gu Fei thought of it now, he no longer felt the same intense disgust he had felt at first. Although the helplessness and panic he felt when suddenly being cut open while totally unprepared, he still remembered¡­¡­


    Jiang Cheng finished changing and walked out, waving at him.


    Gu Fei smiled. He didn¡¯t know what Jiang Cheng felt everytime he looked at him, but the moment he saw Jiang Cheng every time, all his unhappiness and blues would immediately vanish.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s smile¡ªhe picked up his camera, and quickly took a few shots¡ªno matter how many he collected, it wasn¡¯t enough.

 CH 80

    For the first time ever, Jiang Cheng knew what it felt like to be overwhelmed with jealousy.


    Gu Fei gave Jiang Cheng a smile. When they were with other people, Gu Fei¡¯s smile was usually not as obvious, but Jiang Cheng felt that he could get lost in even a small quirk of the mouth all the same.


    Only¡­¡­Jiang Cheng felt like this smile was not like his usual one. If it was anyone else, they definitely wouldn¡¯t have noticed. After all, Gu Fei was still upholding his persona as Mini Tyrant of the Steel Works, not many people had even seen Gu Fei smile.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jiang Cheng walked over and asked.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei had his head down as he started to assemble his lenses. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Never mind.¡± Jiang Cheng caught sight of a figure in his peripheral vision, and at first thought it was the makeup artist doubling as a photography assistant from last time, but when he zoned in on the person, he realized it was a man. Even though it was only the back, he still recognized him as the Lin-ge he saw at the lipstick photoshoot. He quickly withdrew his gaze. ¡°I¡¯m ready to start.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t strange running into Lin-ge here. It was normal that he would bring his models here for the shoot, and it was also very normal that he would come say hi when he saw Gu Fei here.


    What wasn¡¯t normal was Gu Fei¡¯s mood. Every time they ran into this guy, he could feel the shift in Gu Fei¡¯s mood. It wasn¡¯t very obvious, and he couldn¡¯t tell if it was anger, displeasure, irritation, or something else¡­¡­ Nevertheless Gu Fei seemed rather averse to the guy¡¯s presence, like right now for example, even his smile looked reluctant.


    Of course Jiang Cheng could see that Gu Fei didn¡¯t wish to bring up this person again, and he wasn¡¯t so annoying that he had to keep asking about it, not to mention that they were working at this moment.


    But still, he felt a little down. Even at this stage of their relationship, even though Gu Fei had said he would tell him anything about his past, there were still people and things he would rather not mention.


    The day¡¯s shoot was fairly simple. For someone like Jiang Cheng who played a lot of basketball, he might not know how to play tennis, but striking a few poses was easy enough.


    ¡°There¡¯s just two of them we have to retake,¡± Gu Fei flipped through the photos with his head bowed. ¡°The spiking one, your face was covered by the shadow of your arm.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng answered and picked up the racket again.


    ¡°I thought this one¡¯s pretty good?¡± Nini said. ¡°A little bit of shadow shouldn¡¯t be an issue?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re underestimating his handsomeness,¡± Gu Fei held up the camera and pointed it at Jiang Cheng again. ¡°You¡¯ll see in a bit. Also, you can have shadows, but not like this.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m here to learn.¡± Nini said with a smile.


    After they retook the shots, the work had wrapped up for the day. Nini leaned close to look at the photos, then looked at Jiang Cheng, ¡°Hey Jiang Cheng I¡¯m serious, have you thought about being an editorial model? You¡¯re so good in front of a camera, your facial features too are so¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°No way,¡± Gu Fei cut her off. ¡°Do you know what kind of grades he gets?¡±


    ¡°Is it really good?¡± Nini asked in surprise.


    ¡°More than just good.¡± Gu Fei said.


    With Nini¡¯s shocked gaze on him, Jiang Cheng was a little unsure of what to say in response, so he just smiled.


    An overachiever like him would always go all in with his best efforts in order to show off and look down on everyone else, but whenever anyone praised him, he wouldn¡¯t think too much of it either.


    It¡¯s all deserved!


    However, when the praise was coming out of Gu Fei¡¯s mouth, that was different. Jiang Cheng glanced over at Gu Fei as he gathered up the equipment. Only Gu Fei¡¯s praise would make him feel a joy growing out of the bottom of his heart and blooming at the very top of his head.


    Fly High paid for the shoot on the day of, they¡¯d only need to go to the office, sign for it, then they could leave.


    ¡°Xiao-Gu,¡± Luo Yiyang was sitting in his office, watching the accounting staff process their payment, looking bored out of his mind. ¡°Do you play tennis?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°What about Xiao-Jiang?¡± Luo Yiyang turned to Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°What a shame to not play tennis at the prime of your life, you two look so suitable for tennis, I thought that when I first saw you.¡± Luo Yiyang dug two business cards out of his pocket and handed it to them. ¡°If you want to play just come here, you¡¯ll get discounts with my name.¡±


    Jiang Cheng took the card and glanced at it, ¡°Bian Nan?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s the wrong one.¡± Luo Yiyang quickly pulled another one out, confirmed it was his own, and handed it over. ¡°Luo Yiyang.¡±


    ¡°Qiu Yi?¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°Ay!¡± Luo Yiyang continued to rummage in his pocket and finally found his own card. ¡°Been a busy couple of days, and everything was pushed onto me, I have at least five people¡¯s cards here¡­¡­ Come play sometime!¡±


    By the time they got back to the Steel Works, ate, and walked back to Jiang Cheng¡¯s building, there was no time to rest. It was time for little Gu Miao to go to the rehabilitation centre.


    ¡°Ha, tennis,¡± Gu Fei glanced at his phone. ¡°Where would I find the time.¡±


    ¡°Shall we go?¡± Jiang Cheng also checked the time, there was just enough to pick up Gu Miao and head over.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to come with,¡± Gu Fei took a glance around, then reached out and gently squeezed Jiang Cheng¡¯s waist. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a nap, you still have to go pick up Pan Zhi tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng was pretty sleepy. He was tired from fooling around and staying up late the night before. The shoot today took several hours, if he went to stand outside the centre for another couple hours this afternoon¡­¡­and stayed up again tonight, then after the hours of photoshoot tomorrow, he might just keel over right in front of his grandson. But at the moment, if he didn¡¯t go¡­¡­he was still reluctant. ¡°I don¡¯t know, I want to go.¡±


    ¡°You still have a clothing shoot tomorrow morning,¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°It¡¯ll take hours, what if you can¡¯t get through it? Don¡¯t you want to stagger work and rest so you can get back at me once Pan Zhi leaves?¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± That made Jiang Cheng laugh. ¡°Weirdo.¡±


    ¡°If you really have nothing to do this afternoon, why not go buy a pillow.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Ayy! Okay okay okay, I¡¯ll buy a pillow.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed. ¡°Do you have OCD or something? It¡¯s just one pillow, how many times have you brought it up already?¡±


    ¡°A double pillow,¡± Gu Fei gestured with his hands. ¡°Those really long ones.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­I got it!¡± Jiang Cheng answered in exasperation.


    Jiang Cheng went back to his room and had a brief nap before waking up naturally, it was only about an hour in total. It was difficult to go into a deep sleep once he missed the window for a noon nap, but even dozing off for a while made him feel much better.


    He got up and washed his face, then sat down in front of his desk.


    The summer break might have been cut in half, but there was still summer homework. Usually, he¡¯d finish writing the homework every day, then get some revising in, but these last couple of days he¡¯d been indulging in more carnal desires and didn¡¯t get anything done.


    Time to rein back. He opened a book and spun a pencil in his hand. Now that he¡¯d done what he wanted to do, it was time to put his mind at peace and focus on studying.


    Speaking of peace of mind¡ª¡ªnot two pages into the homework, he frowned at the image of Lin-ge¡¯s back that flashed through his mind. Tsk. What exactly was going on between that guy and Gu Fei?


    Gu Fei clearly didn¡¯t want to talk to the guy, but he always persisted in chatting with Gu Fei every time.


    If he doesn¡¯t owe Gu Fei money or had done something else to owe Gu Fei in the past, then he must be pursuing Gu Fei.


    Tsk tsk tsk, my god.


    A rival!


    Jiang Cheng quickly wrote down three ¡°tsk¡±s in a row on a piece of scrap paper, then took a breath in, calmed his emotions, and started in on his homework again.


    He quickly finished the rest of the homework without another stray thought in his mind, then headed to the market to buy a long pillow as per Gu Fei¡¯s request.


    After a long search, he finally managed to find a long pillow at the shop where he bought a pillow last time, and it was scary expensive too.


    ¡°It¡¯s latex!¡± The shopkeeper woman patted the pillow. ¡°I¡¯m telling you lad, this isn¡¯t one of those average pillows. It¡¯s not going to get out of shape, it¡¯s breathable and durable!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too expensive, do you have any that will get out of shape, not breathable, and not durable?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°No!¡± The shopkeeper looked him over. ¡°A strapping young lad like you, don¡¯t be so cheap! Last time when I told you to get two, you cheaped out and won¡¯t do it, see now you¡¯re back here again. Now you think this long one is expensive, I¡¯m telling you, even if you bought one that will get misshapen, not breathable, and not durable, you¡¯ll still be back after two months to switch to this one! It¡¯s becoming a pattern now!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Ma¡¯am, you have such a good memory.¡± Jiang Cheng never would have thought that after all this time, the shopkeeper still remembered him. All of a sudden, he realized what a great idea it was to come by himself today.


    ¡°Just get this one. I¡¯m telling you, these kind of latex ones, even if you search the whole city, I¡¯m the only one who sells these long ones. Everyone else only has those smaller single ones! And those aren¡¯t even regular shapes like this one¡­¡­¡± The shopkeeper said adamantly. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me you can look for yourself, you might be able to find one online, but definitely not at this price!¡±


    Jiang Cheng sighed. He wasn¡¯t very good at haggling, and after this round of attack, he didn¡¯t know what else to say. The problem was, while expensive, this really was the only long pillow he could find, there were no cheaper alternatives.


    To keep his boyfriend who had been running around all day from disappointment, he shelled out the money and bought the pillow.


    ¡°Do you want to check out these blankets? There are larger ones too, the doubles size is two meters¡­¡­¡± The shopkeeper jumped at the chance to upsale.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t dare to continue the conversation, he clutched the pillow and ran out of the store like someone was after his life.


    However, the pillow didn¡¯t get to fulfil its destiny during its first night home. Gu Fei had come over after eating dinner with Gu Miao, and only laid down on it for an hour while Jiang Cheng revised, before Gu Miao¡¯s message came.


    ¨C Return


    ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng slumped over his desk. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to fight Gu Miao for her brother, but you see, hm¡­¡­her brother is also my boyfriend¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei sent a reply to Gu Miao, then glanced at him, ¡°I told her half an hour, is there something you want to do, Cheng-ge?¡±


    Jiang Cheng tossed his book down, and turned to jump onto the bed.


    Just as he kneeled on the edge of the bed, before his hand even touched Gu Fei, he yelped out a cry and collapsed with his teeth bared. His face landed right on Gu Fei¡¯s belly.


    ¡°I¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei had to hold his breath lest it got knocked out of him. ¡°Is your head made of iron, why is it so heavy?¡±


    ¡°Us overachievers have denser brain matter,¡± Jiang Cheng lay on the bed, and said in a muffled voice against Gu Fei¡¯s belly. ¡°It¡¯s got more mass, and tends to be heavier than the brains of slacky slackers.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed and stroked his head, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Legs sore.¡± Jiang Cheng turned his head and knitted his brows. ¡°I stopped feeling it after walking around today, but after sitting still just now, it¡¯s feeling sore again.¡±


    ¡°Then it would seem that they¡¯re unable to do anything at the moment.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Should I do a little something then.¡±


    ¡°What the shit?¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes widened instantly.


    ¡°Try to be a little more wholesome please, I was going to massage your legs.¡± Gu Fei glanced at him. ¡°Do you want it or not?¡±


    ¡°Come on.¡± Jiang Cheng flipped over and flattened himself out, and put his legs on top of Gu Fei¡¯s.


    Gu Fei¡¯s leg massaging skill had no actual technique to speak of, but his pressure was just right, and was spot on with the points that needed it the most, so it felt pretty good.


    Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and let out a long breath.


    Ah yes.


    ¡°Say something.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Say what?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Anything,¡± The corners of Jiang Cheng¡¯s mouth quirked up. ¡°I like listening to the sound of your voice.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then I¡¯ll talk at random. Let me think uh¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei kneaded Jiang Cheng¡¯s legs, then after thinking for a moment, cleared his throat. ¡°There once was an old man Ding, who owed me two little bits, I said pay it back in three days, he said make it four¡­¡­¡±


    With his eyes closed, Jiang Cheng started laughing.


    ¡°It¡¯s raining, it¡¯s pouring, the turtle¡¯s donned his straw hat,¡± Gu Fei rubbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s legs. ¡°Although with these things, it¡¯s best to go to Li Yan. Ever since he was young his grandma would hold him and recite these all day long, he could come up with a whole bunch on the spot.¡± [1]


    Jiang Cheng quirked his mouth and stayed quiet. He didn¡¯t want to say anything, only wanted to keep listening like this. No matter what Gu Fei said, he enjoyed it.


    Gu Fei continued to recite several more nursery rhymes, which actually included quite a few that were meant as insults, so they were mixed in with his explanations as he laughed. Slowly, his voice became out of focus in Jiang Cheng¡¯s ears. Gu Fei¡¯s voice drifted to him from a great distance away, and gently swept past his ears.


    When Jiang Cheng opened his eyes again, he was a little disoriented. He stared up at the ceiling for a long time before he realized he was still lying on his bed, with the pillow under his head.


    ¡°Gu Fei?¡± He lifted up his head and looked around, there was no one else in the room.


    He got up and looked in the living room and bathroom, but didn¡¯t find Gu Fei. He ran back to the bedroom to call Gu Fei on his cell phone, when he saw the note under his phone.


    You were so dead asleep that I couldn¡¯t wake you up at all, I¡¯m going back for now to keep Gu Miao company, message me when you¡¯re up, muackmuack.


    It was signed ¡°Gu Fei whose handwriting is 80+ times better than yours¡±.


    Jiang Cheng held the note in his hand and couldn¡¯t stop laughing. Gu Fei¡¯s handwriting really was pretty good, he thought, and not at all compatible with his slacker identity.


    He¡¯d been asleep for a good while, it was almost 11 o¡¯clock at this point. He sent a message to Gu Fei.


    ¨C I¡¯m up


    Two minutes later, Gu Fei responded.


    ¨C Good, go back to sleep


    ¨C Whatcha up to?


    ¨C Slep


    ¨C Did I wake you?


    ¨C Nah, I kept a nerve on for you


    Jiang Cheng smiled and sat down in front of his desk, he was planning to study for another two hours.


    ¨C Then you can relax that nerve now, goodnight


    ¨C Night


    Because they didn¡¯t sleep together, the next day neither the photographer nor the model was late. They met up and had breakfast together, then arrived in the studio right on time.


    There were quite a few people present, it was the first time Jiang Cheng had to pair up with a female model for a shoot.


    The other model was also young, and very pretty, with a rather outgoing personality. Jiang Cheng felt it from the get go when she came over to say hello.


    ¡°You can call me Xiao-Zhen, the name¡¯s a little country bumpkin but I like it.¡± Xiao-Zhen extended a hand. ¡°May we work well together.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Cheng,¡± Jiang Cheng paused for a beat before taking her hand. ¡°Here¡¯s to that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the handsomest male model I¡¯ve met this whole half year,¡± Xiao-Zhen said. ¡°Are you in want of a girlfriend? If so we can exchange contact details?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m not.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Xiao-Zhen smiled. ¡°This probably isn¡¯t the only time we¡¯ll work together, you can still reach out to me if you ever do in the future.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer.


    After Xiao-Zhen left to do makeup, he let out a breath of relief, and glanced at Gu Fei who had long escaped to a distance to fiddle with his camera. Gu Fei looked up and quirked a smile at him.


    He was just about to walk over, when Nini clapped her hands at him, ¡°Jiang Cheng, come do your makeup, hurry up!¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± He had no choice but to go sit down.


    Xiao-Zhen got there early, so not long after he sat down, Xiao-Zhen finished her makeup and started shooting her singles.


    It was the first time Jiang Cheng got to witness what Gu Fei was like when he shot other people. He was¡­¡­pretty cold. Even though Gu Fei wasn¡¯t full on scowling, there was no expression on his face. From time to time he would open his mouth to give a short direction, but it would be in an impassive voice.


    Jiang Cheng figured that if Gu Fei had been like that the whole time while taking photos of him, he¡¯d probably be under a lot of pressure, as though he was too ugly and the poor photographer had to clench his teeth to endure through the shoot just to make money.


    Although Xiao-Zhen clearly felt no such pressure. She smiled and turned as she should, and even joked occasionally with Nini.


    Nini was doubling over in laughter, while Gu Fei was still wearing an expression of ¡°just think of me as a deaf man¡±.


    In fact, seeing Gu Fei like this, it was a weird kind of allure. When Jiang Cheng was waiting at the side after he finished his makeup and changed into the clothes, he stared at Gu Fei the whole time. The way he looked so serious and cold, the way he wouldn¡¯t even give you a direct look; it made Jiang Cheng want to charge over, hurl him to the ground, and take him right then and there.


    Jiang Cheng pinched his thigh.


    Tsk.


    Tsk tsk.


    ¡°Lin-ge.¡± Someone beside him said toward the door.


    Fuck!


    Jiang Cheng felt a rush of annoyance at the sound of this name. He turned around just in time to see Lin-ge walk in with a girl in tow.


    Lin-ge nodded and introduced the girl to the person who greeted him, she was a model for a photoshoot later.


    Jiang Cheng drew back his gaze and continued watching Gu Fei. He was a little worried. Gu Fei hadn¡¯t noticed, he very much did not wish to see Gu Fei¡¯s mood suddenly change again.


    Hurry up and leave!


    Are you done with the intro?


    Then go on!


    You don¡¯t need to stay for the whole time if you¡¯re just bringing your model here!


    Go then!


    This kind of prayer was as damn useless as slackers going to pray at the feet of the ¡®exam passing gods¡¯ right before a test. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t even have time to repeat the words in his head, before Lin-ge grabbed a chair and actually sat down right beside him.


    The fuck??


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help but turn and glance at him.


    ¡°Your name is Jiang Cheng, right?¡± Lin-ge smiled.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng was surprised that he knew his name.


    ¡°My name is Tan Lin, I¡¯m Gu Fei¡¯s¡­¡­friend.¡± He extended a hand. ¡°They all call me Lin-ge.¡±


    Tan Lin? Lin-ge¡¯s last name isn¡¯t Lin?


    Then why don¡¯t people call you Tan-ge!


    Probably because Tan-ge didn¡¯t sound very good.


    For example, if Gu Fei called him Jiang-ge, he¡¯d want to fight him.


    Jiang Cheng shot a look at his hand and simply nodded but didn¡¯t reach out with his own, ¡°Lin-ge.¡±


    Tan Lin withdrew his hand and leaned back in the chair, looking in Gu Fei¡¯s direction, ¡°Are you only working with Gu Fei? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you before.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°You¡¯re his classmate?¡± Tan Lin asked again.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng continued.


    ¡°He actually has such a close classmate,¡± Tan Lin said. ¡°I¡¯m surprised.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stayed quiet.


    ¡°I know pretty much all his friends,¡± Tan Lin was rather chatty. ¡°I¡¯ve really never seen him bring a classmate out to play before.¡±


    Jiang Cheng wanted to correct him and say that he¡¯s not here to play, but then after some thought, realized that he had focused on the wrong point. The point of that sentence should¡¯ve been, Gu Fei said he didn¡¯t have much contact with this person at all, and only ran into him during photoshoots, but this guy said he knew pretty much all of Gu Fei¡¯s friends!


    Jiang Cheng felt a stuffiness all the way up to his throat.


    What is going on?


    He went over Gu Fei¡¯s past words again in his head. Perhaps because they knew each other back when he played in the band, after which Tan Lin got to know Gu Fei¡¯s friends?


    Then why would Gu Fei say something like ¡°not quite friends¡±? [2]


    For the first time ever, Jiang Cheng knew what it felt like to be overwhelmed with jealousy.


    It was not. At all. A wonderful feeling. He could not. Even one bit. Feel the ¡°I like him and that¡¯s why I¡¯m jealous¡± flavour.


    Instead it was an extreme displeasure from having a question he couldn¡¯t find the answer to.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t want to say. And he didn¡¯t want to keep prodding him like an old lady.


    But it was clear that what little Gu Fei had said didn¡¯t match up with this guy¡¯s words. Though if he really did take this guy¡¯s words and used it to question Gu Fei, then he would be the biggest dumbass.


    Gu Fei wouldn¡¯t say, so he couldn¡¯t ask.


    And so he¡¯d circled back to the original point, which was that Gu Fei didn¡¯t want to say.


    ¡°You two really are classmates?¡± Tan Lin suddenly asked.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± A little annoyed, Jiang Cheng took a bottle of water from the case beside him, tilted his head back, and poured in two big gulps.


    ¡°Just classmates?¡± Tan Lin asked again.


    Jiang Cheng paused, and without a word, turned to look at Tan Lin.


    ¡°What I mean is, you¡¯re not neighbours or something?¡± Tan Lin said with a smile. His eyes drifted over to Gu Fei, then nodded in his direction with another smile.


    Jiang Cheng turned as well, and saw Gu Fei¡¯s face with an expression so dark that it was ready to descend a whole season¡¯s worth of rain in one storm.


    Footnotes


    [1] ¡°These¡± are nursery rhymes, I have translated literally and half made up my own for the rhyme.


    [2] Refer back to ch. 73

 CH 81

    I don¡¯t feel bad for you at all, really.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng,¡± Nini clapped her hands. ¡°You¡¯re up, let¡¯s go!¡±


    Jiang Cheng set his bottle of water on the ground and stood up. Gu Fei was no longer staring this way. Instead, he had his head down looking through the photos on his camera. From the side view, Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t quite make out what expression he wore. Gu Fei¡¯s face didn¡¯t look much different than how he usually was when fiddling with his camera.


    For a moment, Jiang Cheng thought the stormy expression he¡¯d glimpsed might have been his own illusion.


    ¡°Chat with you again later.¡± Tan Lin added behind him.


    Jiang Cheng paused for a beat, then walked away without looking back.


    Chat again?


    Chat your ass!


    Not to mention, did that even count as a chat?


    When he arrived at Gu Fei¡¯s side, he realized the stormy expression he saw before wasn¡¯t an illusion, because he could see the clouds hadn¡¯t yet dispersed. It was very obvious from the front view, even his eyelashes were overcast.


    Before Jiang Cheng could get a word out, Gu Fei fastened the camera lens with a ¡°click¡± and said, ¡°Quit talking to him.¡±


    His voice wasn¡¯t very loud, but it was chillingly cold.


    Jiang Cheng frowned. He was already annoyed by Tan Lin¡¯s non-stop line of questioning, as well as Gu Fei¡¯s reluctance to speak on the subject; on top of which, he¡¯d hardly said anything to Tan Lin just now¡­¡­ And most importantly! Why is Gu Fei giving him the bitch face!


    ¡°I only ¡®mhm¡¯ed three times,¡± Jiang Cheng fixed his eyes on Gu Fei. ¡°If that counts as talking, that¡¯s how I¡¯ll talk to you from now on.¡±


    Gu Fei lifted his eyes to look at him.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng stared back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get to work first.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Sure.¡± Jiang Cheng answered, then turned and walked to the shooting area.


    They were shooting the ones with him and Xiao-Zhen at the moment, with matching tennis outfits. After Xiao-Zhen finished changing and went to stand beside Jiang Cheng, the brand representatives on the side nodded in satisfaction, ¡°These two look pretty good together, there¡¯s a CP vibe.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Xiao-Zhen started laughing and glanced at Jiang Cheng. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind more of a CP like this.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Gu Fei held up his camera.


    With the camera blocking Gu Fei¡¯s face, Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t see his expression very clearly, though he could sense the low spirits alright. Normally when taking photos of him, Gu Fei would helpfully give him all kinds of tips and reminders: how high to raise his hand to get the right aesthetic, what¡¯s a good angle to tilt his face to best capture the light¡­¡­


    But today, Gu Fei stayed silent throughout the whole process while clicking away with his camera, only speaking up to tell Nini to change the lighting angle.


    Frankly, Jiang Cheng was a little unused to this. He isn¡¯t a professional model, and didn¡¯t have very much experience. Usually he just followed Gu Fei¡¯s instructions. But today this asshole refused to say a word, so he had no choice but to freestyle.


    Lucky for him, Xiao-Zhen already had years of modeling experience under her belt, and was very outgoing. She was more than happy to give Jiang Cheng pointers.


    ¡°A little more intimate please, the way you look now are more like besties and not lovers.¡± The brand representative said beside them.


    Besties your dog-fucking-ass!


    Jiang Cheng was unusually irritated. If it was anything else he would¡¯ve walked away right then and there. But this was a paid job, and even though he wasn¡¯t desperate for money at the moment¡­¡­


    He had no choice but to put up a lovey-dovey front with Xiao-Zhen. Although he didn¡¯t like to be touched by other people, compared to Gu Fei, he didn¡¯t mind having closer interactions with girls when he was mentally prepared like this.


    Unlike some people, jumping on the bike and flying out, merely out of concern that a girl would ride on his back seat. Like he was being hunted, as though if he was any slower he¡¯d be sniped on the spot.


    As Jiang Cheng recalled that memory, he felt like laughing. But when his peripheral vision swept across the cluster of storm clouds in front of him, all his desire to laugh dissipated right away.


    It was probably the most agonizing hours of modeling Jiang Cheng ever experienced since he started doing photoshoots. When he went to the washroom to change into the next set of clothes during the break, he shot Gu Fei several looks to indicate that he was free at the moment: if you have anything to say, I have time now to listen.


    But not once did Gu Fei acknowledge his looks.


    Meanwhile on two occasions, Tan Lin smiled amiably at him. Jiang Cheng wanted to walk over to Tan Lin and tell him to just come out and say whatever the hell he wanted to say.


    Only when they finished shooting, did Gu Fei walk to his side and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go, I¡¯ll wait for you to change.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    When he finished changing and walked out, Gu Fei had already finished packing up, and was waiting for him in the hallway. There were other models shooting in the room, and Tan Lin was standing to the side. He smiled when he saw Jiang Cheng, ¡°Leaving now?¡±


    Jiang Cheng nodded, wiped the water from his face with one hand, and walked out.


    When he was following Gu Fei to the elevator, Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t keep it in anymore, ¡°Gu Fei.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei turned.


    ¡°If you have anything to say, just say it.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Your face is practically dropping to the center of the fucking earth.¡±


    ¡°I just meant for you to stay away from Tan Lin.¡± Gu Fei reached out a hand to push the elevator button, but Jiang Cheng slapped his hand away. He turned to face Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who that Tan Lin is to you,¡± Jiang Cheng looked back at him. ¡°But to me, he¡¯s only a stranger. Furthermore, he¡¯s a stranger whose relationship to you is different than what you said before.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t speak. With knitted brows, he swiftly reached out a hand to press the elevator button again. Jiang Cheng¡¯s second slap missed.


    ¡°What can I do if he wants to talk to me? I only ¡®mhm¡¯ed three times, is that not staying far enough away?¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°What the hell are you bitch-facing at me for.¡±


    The elevator door opened, and Gu Fei walked in. Jiang Cheng stood there unmoving.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I only meant stay away from him, that¡¯s all.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s all then why¡¯s your face eight freaking feet long? Not even the ceiling in there was enough to contain you.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s annoyance was at its peak. Frankly, he didn¡¯t mind Gu Fei¡¯s peeved look so much, he knew that seeing Tan Lin would get him in a bad mood. But at the moment, the grievance he felt at the thought of their somehow unspeakable relationship made him unable to keep his composure. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell him then, to stay away from me? It¡¯s a small world after all. If I have to stare at your face looking like that for hours on end the next time we run into him, I¡¯d rather go give out flyers on the street.¡±


    Gu Fei put a hand out to stop the elevator door from closing, then walked out. He tossed his camera bag along with all the equipment on the ground, before walking back in the direction they came from.


    ¡°Where are you going!¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to tell him to stay away from you.¡± Gu Fei said without looking back.


    Jiang Cheng froze, he stared as Gu Fei walked inside, and for a moment didn¡¯t regain his senses.


    It was almost 20 seconds later when he jumped with a start and bolted back inside after Gu Fei. He took a couple of steps, then remembered Gu Fei¡¯s equipment was still on the ground. It was all expensive stuff, it would be difficult to replace if any of it was lost.


    He had no choice but to run back to pick up the bags and carry it with him.


    When he got back to the set, he couldn¡¯t find Gu Fei anywhere in the room. Jiang Cheng spun around on the spot, and didn¡¯t see Tan Lin either.


    ¡°Why did you come back?¡± Xiao-Zhen had just finished removing her makeup. She was sitting there with a small mirror, getting ready to put on her usual makeup. Jiang Cheng almost didn¡¯t recognize her with a bare face.


    ¡°Did you see Gu Fei?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Ayy¡­¡­I thought you came back to ask for my contact information.¡± Xiao-Zhen sighed, and pointed at a door to the side. ¡°He¡¯s in there with Lin-ge, probably talking.¡±


    The door led to a storage room, it was filled with all sorts of set pieces and clothes. Jiang Cheng went over and tried the door handle. It didn¡¯t budge.


    He pressed against the door and listened. There was music playing in the larger room, so he couldn¡¯t hear what was happening inside.


    It wouldn¡¯t be a big deal if Gu Fei was just going to talk with Tan Lin. But if they got physical¡­¡­ Although he wasn¡¯t afraid of this kind of stuff, it was just a fight after all, he didn¡¯t want Gu Fei to do that here.


    This place is not the Steel Works, nor is it some place that¡¯s used to students getting into fights. If they really did get into it here, it would reflect badly on Gu Fei.


    Jiang Cheng backed away a few steps and took out his phone to call Gu Fei.


    He had just turned on the screen, and before he even opened up the interface, the door opened, and Gu Fei walked out.


    Jiang Cheng put his phone back in his pocket. He first swept a quick glance over Gu Fei¡¯s face; it was clean, tidy, and handsome. Then he immediately looked past him.


    Tan Lin was just walking out. He also looked presentable on the outside, but Jiang Cheng saw him looking down at the hand he¡¯d just used to wipe his mouth. That was far too obvious a gesture. Jiang Cheng could tell right away that Gu Fei had hit him.


    However, when Tan Lin walked out, he looked as calm as ever. He even nodded at Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Gu Fei took the bags from his hands and walked out.


    Jiang Cheng followed behind him, carefully looking over Gu Fei¡¯s clothes, and didn¡¯t see any sign of having been in a fight. Tan Lin must¡¯ve received a solid punch from Gu Fei then.


    Jiang Cheng was a little surprised. Tan Lin appeared courteous enough on the surface, but didn¡¯t seem like the kind of person to take a beating without fighting back, let alone be so calm about it.


    This time when they stood in front of the elevator, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t stop Gu Fei from pushing the button again. But after they entered, he also didn¡¯t know what to say.


    They both stayed quiet on the way back. By the time they rode the taxi back to Jiang Cheng¡¯s apartment, and Gu Fei finally spoke to him, Jiang Cheng could no longer summon up any energy to answer.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get something to eat?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Mmn.¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    ¡°Where do you want to go?¡± Gu Fei asked again.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer. He didn¡¯t have much of an appetite, no matter where they go.


    ¡°This is a long story if it¡¯s going to be told in its entirety.¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°If you want to hear it¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk about it then don¡¯t,¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted him. ¡°It¡¯s not like I have to dig up things you don¡¯t want to talk about. But this is something you chose to not say, so if you wanna sulk, then you better hold it well, don¡¯t direct the fire at me. I don¡¯t know anything. I don¡¯t know when I¡¯m gonna step on your landmine, and I don¡¯t want to stay on guard so I can carefully avoid it either. Like I owe you or something! Aren¡¯t we all widdol fucking princesses!¡±


    Gu Fei froze for a second, then turned his head to the side and started laughing.


    ¡°I¡¯m not eating, you go ahead. I¡¯m going to take a nap later. I still have to go pick up Pan Zhi in the afternoon.¡± Jiang Cheng turned and walked into the stairwell.


    He felt a little torn. When Gu Fei didn¡¯t wish to go into it, on one hand was the thought that he shouldn¡¯t ask if Gu Fei didn¡¯t want to tell. After all, everyone deserves to have some space to themselves. And on the other hand, he thought the dog-fucker was being way too secretive and not telling him anything.


    But now that Gu Fei was willing to tell him, on one hand he wondered if he might¡¯ve been a little too fussy. If the guy didn¡¯t want to talk about it then why couldn¡¯t he just let it be, why must he be upset over this, it was frankly a little embarrassing. And on the other hand was the thought of oho so now you want to talk about it, well this widdol princess doesn¡¯t feel like listening anymore, hope you choke on it!


    Jiang Cheng got to the door of his apartment, and sighed as he pulled his keys out. Humans¡­¡­just can¡¯t help but be like this. He was still young after all, young people are not at all level-headed when it comes to relationships. Almost as though it doesn¡¯t count if they don¡¯t add a little drama. Perhaps it¡¯s because he¡¯s still too inexperienced, that he¡¯s jumping at even the slightest noise¡­¡­


    As he stuck the key in the lock, Jiang Cheng suddenly smelled a familiar scent.


    It was the scent he loved smelling on Gu Fei.


    Next, he caught sight of a figure flitting past his peripheral vision.


    Even though his brain already identified this figure as Gu Fei, he still couldn¡¯t stop himself from springing up with surprise. He almost snapped the key in the lock.


    ¡°What¡¯s your problem!¡± Jiang Cheng glared at Gu Fei and said in a quiet voice. ¡°Quick, there¡¯s a wanted post on the power pole downstairs looking for someone to spy on their homewrecker, give them a call and see if they¡¯re still hiring!¡±


    ¡°I walked up the stairs normally, I wasn¡¯t trying to sneak.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Then would it have killed you to call out first?¡± Jiang Cheng yanked on the key several times before managing to pull it out of the lock. He glanced down at it. It was a little bent.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t dare to.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I was afraid if you noticed you wouldn¡¯t let me follow you up.¡±


    ¡°Now that I noticed I¡¯ll still make you leave.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t answer, just quickly pushed the door open while squeezing him aside, then walked inside with all his bags.


    Jiang Cheng had no words as he watched Gu Fei do all this in one swift motion. He walked in behind him and closed the door.


    ¡°You got noodles here right?¡± Gu Fei started for the kitchen. ¡°We can make some noodles?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng sat down on the sofa. ¡°There¡¯s no use even if I do, there¡¯s nothing else to go along with it, I don¡¯t even have oil, salt, or sauce. All I got¡¯s vinegar.¡±


    Gu Fei glanced at him and walked into the kitchen, probably to check the fridge and cupboards. He came back out immediately, then walked directly out the apartment door.


    Tsk.


    Jiang Cheng laid down on the sofa. Gone with just one sentence.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t shut the door, but Jiang Cheng was also too lazy to get up and shut it. He figured once Gu Fei got downstairs and realized his camera equipment was still up here, he would have to come back to get it.


    However, lying on the sofa, he didn¡¯t hear the sound of Gu Fei walking downstairs. He was just starting to wonder, when he heard someone knocking on the unit next door. This was followed by Gu Fei¡¯s voice, ¡°Auntie, I live next door.¡±


    Amidst his shock, he listened as Gu Fei first borrowed cooking oil, salt, then green onion and ginger. After that he went a step further and proceeded to borrow noodles, and finally finished it off with another four eggs and two tomatoes.


    Jiang Cheng sat up when Gu Fei walked back in with an armful of ingredients. He had no words to describe how he felt just then. He even heard the auntie next door say there¡¯s no need to return it, and that if it¡¯s not enough to come back for more.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make noodles,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Soup noodles, I like soup noodles.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°You know the people next door?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°But I¡¯ll know them eventually¡­¡­ Don¡¯t you know them?¡±


    ¡°No shit, of course not. I didn¡¯t even know if anyone lived next door.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Then remember to say hi next time you run into them,¡± Gu Fei walked into the kitchen. ¡°She¡¯s easy to recognize, this auntie has a mole between her brows.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng answered. Then a second later stood up again and went into the kitchen. ¡°Who said you can eat here? I¡¯m still mad!¡±


    ¡°Before Tan Lin had his own studio,¡± Gu Fei set a pot of water to boil on the stove, and said as he started beating the eggs in a bowl. ¡°He also did music. He used to be the lead singer in Xin-jie¡¯s band.¡±


    Just like that, Gu Fei started telling his story. Jiang Cheng stared blankly for several seconds before realizing what he said, ¡°Ah.¡±


    The way Tan Lin looked, he doesn¡¯t look like a lead vocalist at all.


    ¡°When I started hanging out with them, he¡¯d already left the band, but still visited often.¡± Gu Fei said as he continued beating the eggs. ¡°So we¡­¡­knew one another pretty well.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you don¡¯t consider him a friend?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll still say that.¡± Gu Fei looked down at the eggs, his hands not stopping. ¡°It¡¯s also true that we¡¯re not in contact anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    ¡°Do you still remember when it was when you realized you like guys?¡± Gu Fei turned back and glanced at him.


    ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m not sure.¡± Jiang Cheng frowned.


    ¡°Me neither. Though at that time I already knew what I am.¡± Gu Fei set the beaten eggs aside and started washing the tomatoes. ¡°But I was really scared. Aside from Ding Zhuxin, I never told anyone, and didn¡¯t plan to.¡±


    There was a sour pang in Jiang Cheng¡¯s heart. The feeling was actually two-fold. Half of it was jealousy, the other half was an ache on Gu Fei¡¯s behalf.


    ¡°So you do feel afraid,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°And here I thought you were dauntless.¡±


    ¡°You only become like that when you have too many things to be afraid of.¡± Gu Fei smiled crookedly. ¡°I was afraid of a lot of things, even now¡­¡­ At that time, not only was I scared, I also felt lonely.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Tan Lin was maybe, 10 years older than me. He was out and proud, and the longest he stayed with any of his boyfriends was two months. He¡¯d bring them along when he came out, and didn¡¯t care about what people thought.¡± Gu Fei turned to check the water in the pot, and continued as he started chopping tomatoes. ¡°At times I found his presence comforting, because it felt like we were of the same kind.¡±


    Jiang Cheng tsked audibly. Though even he didn¡¯t know why he clicked his tongue.


    ¡°He must¡¯ve¡­¡­liked me,¡± Gu Fei¡¯s hand paused while holding the knife. ¡°Though he didn¡¯t say it directly.¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng gritted his teeth. This time he knew exactly why he cursed.


    ¡°The keyboard in the band, Xiao-Bing was his name.¡± Gu Fei continued chopping the tomatoes. ¡°He was about the same age as me, or maybe a year or two older, I don¡¯t remember. All I remember is how much of a bastard he was.¡±


    Jiang Cheng watched Gu Fei. Gu Fei¡¯s voice was calm, like he was telling someone else¡¯s story from a long time ago. But the way he talked while keeping his hands busy, and not making any eye contact from start to finish, showing Jiang Cheng only his back, it gave him a sense of Gu Fei¡¯s emotional state.


    There¡¯s no way he¡¯s as calm as he appeared on the outside.


    ¡°He was pretty close with Tan Lin, they always went out together. I don¡¯t know if there was anything between them, but¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei set the knife down, and swept the chopped tomatoes onto a plate. ¡°Tomatoes and eggs on noodles, is that okay?¡±


    It took a while for Jiang Cheng to come around, ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°One day we were all at a bar, there were quite a few people there. The ones from the band, and some friends, we all had a lot to drink.¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t continue with the ingredients. He leaned on the counter with his hands and looked out the window. ¡°And Tan Lin called me outside, said he wanted to talk to me about something.¡±


    ¡°A confession huh?¡± Jiang Cheng could practically smell the vinegar emanating from himself. He reached out, grabbed the bottle of vinegar nearby, and put it in the fridge.


    ¡°He was drunk, said a lot of nonsense. He probably didn¡¯t even know what he was saying, though it sounded real sincere. I had a lot to drink too, and at the time I was actually touched by his words.¡± Gu Fei suddenly started laughing, then continued after a while. ¡°At the end of it, he asked if I was repulsed by him.¡±


    At that, Gu Fei stopped. Jiang Cheng waited for a long time, but he didn¡¯t speak up again. Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t bring himself to rush him either. He only leaned against the wall, and watched Gu Fei¡¯s back as he waited.


    It was several minutes later when Gu Fei spoke again, ¡°I said no, I¡¯m not repulsed; I¡¯m the same, but that I¡­¡­didn¡¯t feel anything for him.¡±


    With that, Gu Fei fell silent again.


    Jiang Cheng cleared his throat, ¡°Is that it?¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with that though. He liked you, you rejected him¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it for a moment. ¡°Fuck. Did he tell other people?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei turned around and looked at him. ¡°But Xiao-Bing had recorded it.¡±


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes suddenly widened, ¡°WHAT?¡±


    ¡°From start to finish,¡± Gu Fei said slowly. ¡°He had recorded the whole thing. And, everyone who was there, saw it.¡±


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng could hear his own voice take a weird turn, even his breathing was a little hitched.


    ¡°When I got back to the room, everyone was laughing.¡± Gu Fei spoke the words out loud with some difficulty. ¡°I just stood there, it felt like someone had opened me up with a knife. Every single person was laughing, like it was the funniest thing they¡¯d ever seen.¡±


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t speak. He didn¡¯t even dare imagine such a scenario, it was something that only appeared in his dreams. Even in his dreams, the sense of horror was unbearable.


    ¡°Was¡­¡­Tan Lin in¡­¡­on it?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Tan Lin didn¡¯t know. According to Xiao-Bing, he just wanted to use him to see if I was. He said it was only a joke.¡± Gu Fei got a cigarette out of his pocket and held it between his lips. ¡°But every time I see Tan Lin, I¡¯ll think of what happened that day. Besides, he just wouldn¡¯t let it go, so I was annoyed by him too.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared.


    ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± Gu Fei took the cigarette out of his mouth. ¡°Cheng-ge hug.¡±


    Jiang Cheng paused, then immediately rushed over and held him tight, ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have asked. Fuck. To be honest, I¡¯m not the kind of person who just had to dig up everything about your past, I was just¡­¡­ Ayy¡­¡­ I was just¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°You were just jelly.¡± Gu Fei tilted his head and rested it on Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°¡­¡­Yeah.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t want to say. It¡¯s just that, I¡¯d rather not make you feel that way about me.¡± Gu Fei rubbed his waist. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to feel bad for me.¡±


    ¡°No no no,¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his back. ¡°I don¡¯t feel bad for you at all, really.¡±


    ¡°You certainly are great at consoling people.¡± Gu Fei chuckled.


    ¡°Though there¡¯s something I still have to say,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°From now on, don¡¯t you give me that 8-feet long face again. Whether you¡¯re angry or annoyed, even if we have to fight it out, it¡¯s still better than giving me the cold shoulder. For me¡­¡­I¡¯m real scared of being hung out to dry like that. In my family before, when they couldn¡¯t be bothered to scold me, they¡¯d just give me the cold treatment, and nobody would talk to me. It¡¯s¡­¡­a really, depressing feeling.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Gu Fei nodded.

 CH 82

    If Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t blown up, Gu Fei would probably never speak this out loud. He would rather let it rot in his guts. Even the occasional acid regurgitation made him feel sick to his stomach, let alone telling the whole thing like this. For Jiang Cheng to hear.


    But since he started talking, there was not much he held back. Aside from unimportant details like how Xiao-Bing and the others actually placed bets on him that day.


    Gu Fei was afraid of a lot of things. Sometimes he didn¡¯t even notice it himself. Or rather he had been subconsciously harbouring the fear for a long time, and would suddenly jolt awake in realization.


    He was afraid that Jiang Cheng would pity him, that he would feel bad for him, that he might form some notion of rescuing him from a miserable circumstance, or have the kind of restrictive thought such as ¡°I can never ever hurt him¡±.


    Jiang Cheng was naive and impulsive. Gu Fei liked that about him, but he was also scared of Jiang Cheng as he was: too naive, too reckless.


    He came here without a care, so he should get to leave without a care.


    Everything in this place was scenery that was never meant to appear along his journey.


    Tomato and egg noodle soup was supposed to be Gu Fei¡¯s foolproof recipe. It tasted alright, but Li Yan said that these were holy grail ingredients that tasted good no matter how they were prepared. He then added later that ¡°occasionally for you, it didn¡¯t work¡±.


    Today was one of those times it didn¡¯t work. Gu Fei wasn¡¯t in a good place emotionally. When he tasted for seasoning, he could hardly taste the salt. But perhaps because Jiang Cheng was hungry from the hours of photoshoot before getting into a fit of anger, he nevertheless happily slurped away at the noodles.


    ¡°Is it time for you to take Gu Miao to treatment?¡± Jiang Cheng finished his bowl, set the chopsticks down, and asked with satisfaction on his face.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei nodded as he got up and collected the dishes to wash. ¡°After you get Pan Zhi this afternoon, you guys just go ahead and eat. I have to talk with my mom tonight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll wash.¡± Jiang Cheng held down his hand. ¡°Talk about what?¡±


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t been coming back at night for the last few days,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Who knows if she¡¯s found her one true love again. I have to track her down at home before she goes out.¡±


    Jiang Cheng sighed, ¡°Ay¡­¡­momma gonna marry.¡± [1]


    ¡°It¡¯d be great if she can actually get married.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Right now I¡¯m just thankful that she didn¡¯t become a homewrecker in someone else¡¯s marriage.¡±


    Gu Fei glanced at the time. Gu Miao must be all packed and waiting for him at home right about now. He leaned in and kissed Jiang Cheng, ¡°I¡¯m going then.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and get lost.¡± Jiang Cheng squeezed his waist. ¡°Disappear from my sight right this second.¡±


    ¡°Put the pillow away.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°If Pan Zhi sleeps on that pillow, we¡¯re really gonna have to schedule a fight.¡±


    Jiang Cheng tilted his head back and laughed with his eyes closed, ¡°Got it! For sure Pan Zhi sleeps on the sofa. He won¡¯t agree even if I tell him to sleep on the bed.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going now.¡± Gu Fei kissed him again.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng replied. ¡°Is it alright if Pan Zhi and I go watch a movie together? Sometimes when we get really bored we¡¯d go watch a movie.¡±


    ¡°Can you buy seats so that there¡¯s another person between you?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Jiang Cheng giggled, ¡°Geez.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going now then.¡± Gu Fei glanced at his phone.


    ¡°You¡¯ve said it three times,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Will you be able to walk out of this door before you say it for the tenth time?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Gu Fei walked over to his bags and picked it up while chuckling. ¡°Leaving now.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng turned and watched him.


    Gu Fei walked out of the apartment, then right before the door closed he stuck his head in again, ¡°Really going now.¡±


    ¡°Damnit, hurry up and go.¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him. ¡°You¡¯re making me want to beat you up.¡±


    Gu Fei retreated outside, set his bags on the ground, then suddenly charged through the door. Jiang Cheng was still leaning back in the chair. He rushed over and lifted Jiang Cheng¡¯s shirt, bit down on his belly, then swift as the wind charged back out again, closing the door behind him.


    As Gu Fei was running down the stairs with his bags, he heard Jiang Cheng open the door and roar into the stairwell, ¡°Fuck!¡±


    Gu Fei still felt like laughing even after he got downstairs. He was just about to glance up at the window, but as soon as he turned his head, he saw something shoot down from above, landing precisely next to his feet before bouncing away.


    He narrowed his eyes at it, and saw that it was a little white pebble.


    ¡°Shit.¡± He chuckled and looked up.


    Jiang Cheng was leaning on his windowsill, with what looked like a handful of pebbles in his hand, probably snatched from the flowerpot by the window just now. Just as Gu Fei looked up, Jiang Cheng immediately waved his hand again, and another pebble pelted toward him, still landing precisely by his feet.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Gu Fei backed away. He didn¡¯t think Jiang Cheng¡¯s throw would be so accurate even without a slingshot.


    Though after he backed away a stretch, he seemed to be out of Jiang Cheng¡¯s reach. Jiang Cheng mimed with his hand, but didn¡¯t end up throwing another pebble.


    Gu Fei laughed as he pulled his glasses from his pocket and put them on. He wanted to see Jiang Cheng¡¯s expression.


    As soon as he put the glasses on, he saw Jiang Cheng had an elastic in his hand. Jiang Cheng drew it back with two fingers, and started aiming at him.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Gu Fei turned to run.


    He only managed to take two steps when he felt a pebble hit his buttcheek. It wasn¡¯t hard, but the location was¡­¡­ He turned his head as he ran.


    Jiang Cheng stood at the window, and raised his arms over his head to make a heart.


    Gu Fei felt like he had a smile hanging on his face the whole way home.


    When he got Pan Zhi¡¯s call, Jiang Cheng was crouching under a tree outside the train station, sucking on a bag of frozen fruit pop.


    ¡°You¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°Soon,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°You¡¯ve left, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been crouching outside the exit gate for the last ten minutes.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Oh shit,¡± Pan Zhi was overflowing with sentimental feeling. ¡°I¡¯m so so so touched, Cheng-er! Ain¡¯t no mountain high enough, to keep me from getting to you¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng hung up and continued slurping on the ice.


    Since he only had two days, Pan Zhi didn¡¯t pack very much this time. He sprinted out from the exit gate with only a backpack.


    Jiang Cheng stood up and waved at him. Pan Zhi came charging over with wide open arms and kicking legs.


    He quickly turned a little and adjusted his stance, readying himself into a half-squat to offset the momentum of Pan Zhi¡¯s assault.


    ¡°Did ya miss me!¡± Pan Zhi yelled.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I love how your mouth doesn¡¯t match your heart.¡± Pan Zhi said.


    ¡°I did.¡± Jiang Cheng corrected himself.


    ¡°I love how you always say what you mean.¡± Pan Zhi immediately countered.


    ¡°Were you chatting to a pretty girl the whole way here or something,¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him. ¡°That you¡¯re still going on and on even now.¡±


    ¡°Indeed I talked the whole way, but it was an auntie, not a pretty girl. She was way too chatty.¡± Pan Zhi sighed. ¡°She sat across the aisle from me, and talked everyone on that side to sleep, so she turned to talk to me. I was the only one in this row with my eyes still open, and couldn¡¯t find an opportunity to close them, so I had to keep her company¡­¡­ Ayy I¡¯m parched, let me have a sip of that.¡±


    Pan Zhi reached out and took away the frozen fruit pop from Jiang Cheng¡¯s hands. He took a giant slurp, but got nothing but air and noise, ¡°Fucking hell grandpa do you know what it feels like to come at this with a mouthful of hope and getting nothing at all!¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed. ¡°I¡¯ll treat you to all you can drink.¡±


    There was nothing especially refined in the area around the train station. Jiang Cheng found a concession stall, bought two bottles of cola, and sat down on a bench outside with Pan Zhi and slowly drank it.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Pan Zhi exclaimed contentedly after taking a few big swigs, then stared at Jiang Cheng for a while before saying. ¡°You¡¯re positively glowing eh, gramps.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced at him and didn¡¯t reply.


    ¡°Looking very obviously different from us single dogs now.¡± Pan Zhi said.


    ¡°Even when I was a single dog I was different from single dogs like you.¡± Jiang Cheng said as he took a drink.


    ¡°Right, handsome overachiever single dog¡­¡­ Oh yeah,¡± Pan Zhi extended his bottle of cola and knocked it against Jiang Cheng¡¯s. ¡°Happy birthday.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°There¡¯s something for you in my bag that I think you¡¯d like.¡± Pan Zhi reached back and patted his bag. ¡°Wanna take a guess?¡±


    ¡°Condoms.¡± Jiang Cheng replied without thinking.


    Pan Zhi had his head cranked back as he poured cola into his mouth, and choked upon hearing this. He put his head down in a coughing fit, then wiped the soda off his face with the tissue Jiang Cheng just handed him, before looking up again, ¡°Holy fuck. You¡¯re real open these days eh, gramps.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m open,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed. ¡°It¡¯s that I think you¡¯ve always been very open.¡±


    ¡°These days I¡¯ve abandoned my wicked ways and decided to see the light.¡± Pan Zhi paused to catch his breath. ¡°It¡¯s not condoms, guess again.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve given me a tin whistle already so you probably won¡¯t get that again. After you abandoned your wicked ways, you gifted me a pen¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng pondered for a while, then tsked audibly. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you got me a set of five-threes.¡± [2]


    ¡°I¡¯m not that enlightened.¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°I¡¯ll show you when we get to your place later.¡±


    When they got back to his apartment, as Pan Zhi pulled the gift box out from his bag, Jiang Cheng finally understood why he wanted to wait until they were inside to take it out.


    It was a pink heart-shaped box, adorned all around with tiny red hearts glimmering with rhinestones, and on top of which there was a gigantic bow in the center¡­¡­ If Pan Zhi really pulled this thing out in the middle of the street, he might be too embarrassed to accept it.


    ¡°What the hell is wrong with your aesthetic?¡± Jiang Cheng exclaimed earnestly.


    ¡°This is a protest of my loss of favour!¡± Pan Zhi said as he cradled the box. ¡°A protest of you prioritizing romance over friendship! A protest of you shunning the years long intergenerational bond between us! A protest of¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted, and took the box from his hands.


    It was a rather large box. He shook it gently. The content of the box was very heavy, making clunking sounds against the box as he shook it. With this noise and this weight, Jiang Cheng had a pretty good guess of what it might be.


    He opened the lid. Just as he thought, it was a slingshot.


    ¡°Damn, you could¡¯ve at least cushioned it with something, this is not at all sincere.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed. The box was completely empty aside from the slingshot, lying there all on its lonesome.


    ¡°Thunderstrike, reverse curvature wrist support, a perfect fusion of 304 steel and a red sandalwood handle, giving you the joy of experiencing fierce critical assault in the great outdoor¡­¡­¡± Pan Zhi prattled off the specs as if reciting from a textbook. ¡°So, do you like it?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡± Jiang Cheng took out the slingshot and weighed it in his hand.


    ¡°I also bought the sling band for you. No doubt such a cool gadget needs a good quality band.¡± Pan Zhi pulled a sack out of his backpack, inside it was a roll of sling band. ¡°This is from North Star, you said before that this brand is good, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng took the sack, and laughed as he peered inside. It was enough that the heart shaped box was pink with rhinestones, but even the sling band was a flamboyant purple. ¡°Did you go through some especially painful yet unspeakable experience recently?¡±


    ¡°Well I had to pick a more unique colour when it costs so much! How would the value show through if it¡¯s just beige!¡± Pan Zhi pointed at the sack. ¡°Now this, as soon as you pull it out, everyone will know, OHO this guy¡¯s a master, even his sling is a ho¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°A homo purple huh?¡± Jiang Cheng leaned back on the sofa in a fit of laughter. ¡°Grandson, I can see that you really are getting tired of being alive.¡±


    ¡°No, not at all gramps, look at my very genuine eyes,¡± Pan Zhi sat down beside him. ¡°The first time I ever heard the term ¡®homo purple¡¯ was actually from you!¡±


    Jiang Cheng smiled, and took out the sling band, giving it a little tug, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with all this civility, over and over too,¡± Pan Zhi raised his arms up in a stretch. ¡°We¡¯ve grown apart.¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I¡¯m being very earnest. Also, you coming here, it makes me really happy.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Pan Zhi glanced at him in satisfaction. ¡°How many days did you take off to keep me company?¡±


    ¡°No need to take days off,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°We¡¯re still on summer break here.¡±


    ¡°Holy shit!¡± Pan Zhi yelled. ¡°No cram school?¡±


    ¡°We still have a week before cram school starts.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°Jealous?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m jealous, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m an overachiever or anything.¡± Pan Zhi said, then after thinking about it, squeezed next to him again. ¡°But wait, does that mean you guys are behind then?¡±


    ¡°For sure,¡± Jiang Cheng got out a pair of scissors and cut a length of sling band, and started to slowly tie it onto the slingshot. ¡°But I¡¯ll just review on my own.¡±


    ¡°Right, I brought a bunch of question mock tests for you, and textbooks. It¡¯s all gotten through the school, these can¡¯t be bought anywhere. I was originally gonna photocopy it, but Lao-Yuan gave me a whole separate set and told me to mail it to you.¡± Pan Zhi dragged his backpack over, pulled out a thick stack of study materials, and set it on Jiang Cheng¡¯s lap.


    The pile of things on his lap was very heavy, but Jiang Cheng suddenly got a feeling like he was standing on solid ground.


    It was a kind of feeling most people probably wouldn¡¯t be able to sympathize with. It wasn¡¯t just about the university entrance exams, but more so the sense of direction these things brought with them.


    Jiang Cheng had nothing planned for that evening. To be precise, he had no plans for the entire two days that Pan Zhi would be here.


    Although Pan Zhi had no special demands for ¡®fun¡¯. In the past, the two of them often skipped class to go nowhere in particular. They would just sit down by a streetside flowerbed and space out for a whole day.


    Pan Zhi had no specific demands for food either. After thinking about it for a long time, he ended up asking to eat the fried rice cakes from last time.


    ¡°Let¡¯s ask Gu Fei to come with,¡± Pan Zhi took his phone out. ¡°And that cute baby sister of his?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s busy tonight, no need to call him.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°We¡¯ll eat by ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty,¡± Pan Zhi put his phone away in his pocket, then said with a lowered voice. ¡°Are you two living together right now? Maybe I should go to the hotel later?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not living together.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to pretend in front of me,¡± Pan Zhi shot a glance at the bedroom. ¡°Last time I came here it was still one single pillow, and now you¡¯ve even got a double pillow.¡±


    It was only then that Jiang Cheng remembered that he forgot to put the pillow away like the boyfriend requested. He thought his face was already as thick as a fortress by now, that he didn¡¯t even hesitate when saying ¡°condom¡± out in public, but when Pan Zhi pointed it out like this, he was suddenly a little embarrassed.


    Looking at that pillow¡­¡­ Even though he and Gu Fei hadn¡¯t yet had the chance to do anything on the alleged ultra durable pillow, but the bed alone was like the scene of crime itself. Just one glance, and frames upon frames of lewd inappropriate moments emerged in his mind. He sheepishly turned away and opened the front door, ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go eat.¡±


    When they were sitting down eating the fried rice cakes, Jiang Cheng also ordered some beer. After all, he and Pan Zhi hadn¡¯t seen each other for ages¡­¡­though it probably hadn¡¯t been very long. Either way, they were reuniting after time apart, it called for a drink.


    ¡°Let¡¯s drink white,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°You¡¯re a legal adult now.¡± [3]


    ¡°Why the hell would we drink white on such a hot day,¡± Jiang Cheng opened a bottle of beer with his teeth, and set it down in front of Pan Zhi. ¡°How are we supposed to talk tonight if we¡¯re all drunk.¡±


    Pan Zhi smiled, ¡°You¡¯ve been here for so long, I thought you¡¯d go straight for the white for sure.¡±


    ¡°This short period of time isn¡¯t enough to influence me.¡± Jiang Cheng opened a bottle for himself with his teeth, and took a swig.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, and you¡¯ll be gone before you do get influenced.¡± Pan Zhi nodded.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand paused ever so slightly in the air.


    ¡°What?¡± Pan Zhi noticed the subtle stall in his motion. ¡°Won¡¯t you be gone after the exams next year?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    Pan Zhi picked up a piece of rice cake and put it in his mouth. After a while, he glanced up at Jiang Cheng again, ¡°Cheng-er, don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t want to leave anymore?¡±


    ¡°No way,¡± Jiang Cheng answered. ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°You better not.¡± Pan Zhi put his head down and took another couple of bites. ¡°Dating is dating, but you gotta keep at least a tiny shred of reason.¡±


    Jiang Cheng smiled, ¡°You think I only have a tiny shred of reason left?¡±


    ¡°Not theoretically,¡± Pan Zhi looked at him. ¡°But I also don¡¯t know what you¡¯re like when you¡¯re really in a relationship, I¡¯m just a little worried.¡±


    ¡°Relax, this isn¡¯t something you need to worry about.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Pan Zhi smiled and nodded. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get Gu Fei to put in a little more effort too. There¡¯s no chance of you two ending up in the same school, but it¡¯d be good if you can at least go to the same city. That way you won¡¯t have to play out the tearful long distance goodbye trope when the time comes.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything.


    His chest suddenly tightened at Pan Zhi¡¯s words. They were but ordinary words. It wouldn¡¯t be out of place coming from anyone, but it suddenly made him very scared.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Pan Zhi looked at him.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head.


    ¡°You two aren¡¯t having problems, are you?¡± Pan Zhi asked.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    This time it was Pan Zhi¡¯s turn to be quiet. He looked at Jiang Cheng, not sure what exactly else to ask.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t thought that far ahead.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I haven¡¯t thought about it, just not in much detail.¡±


    ¡°Wait, gramps,¡± Pan Zhi was a little confused. ¡°It¡¯s not that far ahead, is it? It¡¯s only a year away.¡±


    ¡°Very far away.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°¡­¡­Oh.¡± Pan Zhi opened his mouth to say something, but didn¡¯t end up making any sounds. After a few seconds, he swung the beer bottle in his hand as he asked, ¡°Are you bringing me to watch you take photos tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°It¡¯s just a little boring.¡±


    ¡°Are there female models?¡± Pan Zhi asked.


    ¡°There are.¡± Jiang Cheng shot him a look. ¡°All pretty good looking too.¡±


    ¡°Why would it be boring then,¡± Pan Zhi immediately said with a smile. ¡°How interesting is that, if by chance or fate I meet one that¡¯s¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°And then do long-distance?¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a side-eye.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with long-distance. Anyways, I¡¯m not like you,¡± Pan Zhi lit a cigarette, and set the pack in front of Jiang Cheng. ¡°No one¡¯s expecting it to last forever. It¡¯s just dating.¡±


    ¡°Fuckboy.¡± Jiang Cheng continued to give him the side-eye.


    ¡°¡­¡­Fine fine, I¡¯m a fuckboy.¡± Pan Zhi was resigned to this title. He spaced out for a while with the cigarette in his mouth, then as though finally making up his mind, looked at Jiang Cheng and asked, ¡°You¡¯re not really thinking of forever, are you? With Gu Fei.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer. He also pulled out a cigarette and lit it. After two puffs he tapped it, but no ashes fell. He said, ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°You think that¡¯s possible?¡± Pan Zhi asked him back.


    It was only because the person asking this was Pan Zhi that he didn¡¯t dump a glass of beer directly on the speaker¡¯s face. Instead, something in his chest jolted violently at these words.


    Pan Zhi was his best friend. Normally, no one would abandon their senses to say something like this, only Pan Zhi dared be so forthright with him.


    After dinner they walked around for a while, then went back to the apartment. They each took a shower before collapsing on the sofa, not wanting to move again. They didn¡¯t continue the conversation from earlier, not that there was any way of continuing it.


    And so they chatted about nothing in particular. There was a lot of meaningless bullshit to be said between them. Even just watching TV, they could talk and giggle about any specific dumb moment for at least half an hour.


    ¡°Let¡¯s sleep,¡± Jiang Cheng checked the time on his phone when he felt tired from talking, and realized it was already past midnight. ¡°I have a photoshoot in the morning, gotta be there at 9 o¡¯clock.¡±


    ¡°Let me use that single pillow of yours,¡± Pan Zhi squirmed and shifted his down and laid on the sofa. ¡°Don¡¯t make me use a blanket roll as a pillow again.¡±


    Jiang Cheng laughed as he retrieved the pillow from his room, ¡°You¡¯re not gonna sleep on the bed with me?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Pan Zhi clicked his tongue. ¡°How awkward would it be if Gu Fei checks up on you in the middle of the night. A straight boy like me.¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned to go back to his room. When he sat down at the edge of his bed, he heard Pan Zhi say in the living room, ¡°Cheng-er, the thing I said before, it might¡¯ve been a little out of line¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I¡¯m just a little worried. ¡®Cos you,¡± Pan Zhi paused for a beat. ¡°You can¡¯t just treat everything like studying for tests¡­¡­right.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°G¡¯night gramps.¡± Pan Zhi said.


    Jiang Cheng stayed sitting on the edge of his bed. He was very sleepy, but felt like he wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep even if he laid down.


    He picked up his phone and checked his messages. There was nothing from Gu Fei.


    After scrolling through the entirety of their chat history, Jiang Cheng felt like he could hardly keep his eyes open. He crashed down on his pillow, and sent Gu Fei a message.


    ¨C Have you thought about what happens after


    By the time he fell asleep, Gu Fei still hadn¡¯t replied.


    I¡¯m going to start dreaming soon. Jiang Cheng turned over in a sleepy daze.


    So much for keeping a nerve on for me.


    Tsk.


    Footnotes


    [1] ¡°Momma gonna marry¡± is the second half of an old saying, the first part of which is ¡°Rain¡¯s gonna fall¡±. It¡¯s used to describe things that are inevitable, no matter how much people try to prevent them from happening.


    [2] A very expensive set of ultimate university entrance exam study material


    [3] White liquor = baijiu

 CH 83

    You once asked me, if I wanted to date you, or if I wanted to go on dates with you, right?


    It was very quiet all around when he woke up in the morning. However, there was a lot going on outside. Elementary school kids on summer break screamed and shouted with abandon, in the midst of which were the chiding voices of old grandpas and grannies.


    Jiang Cheng yawned and glanced at the time on his phone. He had just enough time to wash up, eat breakfast, and head over to the photoshoot.


    ¡°Grandson!¡± He yelled toward the living room as he got up. ¡°Time to get up!¡±


    There was no answer from Pan Zhi in the living room. Jiang Cheng pulled on a shirt and walked out of his bedroom, ¡°Grand¡­¡­¡±


    There was no grandson on the living room sofa, only a folded blanket and pillow. He paused, then took out his phone to call Pan Zhi.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Pan Zhi answered the call. It was clear he was outside, Jiang Cheng could hear a mess of background noise from the other side.


    ¡°Where did you go?¡± Jiang Cheng was shocked at these sounds. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve adopted a morning exercise routine now.¡±


    ¡°What morning exercise!¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°I¡¯m here at the breakfast stalls. I already got food for you and Gu Fei, so hurry up and get ready then come on down, or else it¡¯s gonna get cold.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s your problem?¡± Jiang Cheng rushed into the bathroom with the phone cradled between his shoulder and his ear, and said as he squeezed toothpaste. ¡°I¡¯m gonna be at least 20 minutes.¡±


    ¡°Wash your face while you piss, then brush your teeth as you shit. If you take longer than 10 minutes I¡¯ll call you grandpa.¡± Pan Zhi said.


    ¡°You already call me grandpa every day,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I just want to know why you¡¯re being so mystifying.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all Gu Fei, he asked me this morning if you¡¯re awake, I said no, then he asked what I wanted to eat and that he¡¯ll go buy it¡­¡­¡± Pan Zhi said.


    ¡°Then let him buy it, what are you fighting him for?¡± Jiang Cheng mumbled incoherently as he brushed his teeth.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think his actions are very much like he¡¯s taking care of his wifey and his wifey¡¯s bestie?¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°As a straight boy of the new age, I simply cannot tolerate being taken care of like that by my best friend¡¯s boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°I feel like his actions are more like a fuckboy of the new age trying to hit on my bestie.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°That there, is the difference between me and a gay boy like you¡­¡­ Alright hurry up and get ready then come downstairs, I can see him walking this way.¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°How unsuitable would it be for me to be alone with him.¡±


    ¡°Got it.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed as he ended the call.


    It was only after he hung up that he noticed the problem with Pan Zhi¡¯s expression of wifey and wifey¡¯s bestie.


    When Gu Fei sauntered up to the breakfast stalls outside Jiang Cheng¡¯s building, Pan Zhi was in the middle of setting dishes on the table that was already covered with food.


    ¡°Morning.¡± He walked over and greeted Pan Zhi.


    ¡°Morning. If you¡¯re hungry just have a few bites first to tide you over.¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°I also ordered a few trays of buns, but they¡¯re not ready yet.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll wait for Jiang Cheng to come down.¡± Gu Fei glanced up at the building. ¡°Is he up yet?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Pan Zhi shot him a look. ¡°You didn¡¯t contact him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s coming down soon anyway.¡± Gu Fei gave him a smile.


    After Pan Zhi squeezed to the stall keeper¡¯s side to rush the buns, Gu Fei sat down at the table. He felt a little awkward at Pan Zhi¡¯s question.


    It was true he didn¡¯t contact Jiang Cheng. From the time Jiang Cheng sent that message the night before, he hadn¡¯t contacted Jiang Cheng since. Even though he was longing intensely for Jiang Cheng the whole night.


    But as soon as he remembered that message he didn¡¯t know how to respond to, Gu Fei felt a little nervous about contacting him. He didn¡¯t get a good night¡¯s sleep at all, waking up and dozing off again several times, with Jiang Cheng¡¯s question filling up his mind.


    He didn¡¯t know how he should respond if Jiang Cheng asked it to his face.


    When Jiang Cheng came out of the building and headed this way, Gu Fei waved at him.


    Jiang Cheng gave him a smile, and waved back.


    The smile made Gu Fei want to rush over there, grab him, and give him a big kiss.


    ¡°Are you feeding hogs?¡± Jiang Cheng walked to the table, grabbed a bun out of a tray Pan Zhi just brought over, and took a bite.


    ¡°When I was little, I used to always eat breakfast at home. My mom said the food outside isn¡¯t sanitary. I was super envious of those other students who got to eat breakfast outside.¡± Pan Zhi sat down and looked at the table of food. ¡°So I thought, some day when I can eat breakfast outside on my own, I¡¯ll order every dish at the breakfast stall and fill the table.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you eat outside since high school started?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s still not enough. I was too repressed, it¡¯ll take at least a decade for me to get over it.¡± Pan Zhi chugged some soy milk.


    The breakfast was a little too bountiful. Gu Fei listened to Jiang Cheng and Pan Zhi chat as he worked hard at eating, but at the end they still had half a tray of buns left.


    ¡°Ah, it¡¯s going to waste.¡± Jiang Cheng patted his stomach.


    ¡°Just take it to go. If there are any stray dogs or cats on the way we can feed it to them.¡± Pan Zhi said as he put the buns in a plastic bag.


    The photoshoot that day was for clothes. It was a series of collaborations between Ding Zhuxin and another independent brand, so they planned the shoot on set in her studio. It was a relatively easier job.


    Pan Zhi¡¯s personality was entirely different from Jiang Cheng¡¯s. Gu Fei sometimes thought their tight friendship stemmed from the ability to make up for what the other one lacked. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t tend to converse with people he wasn¡¯t very familiar with, unlike Pan Zhi, who was chatting away with the two female models just minutes after arriving on set.


    Even when the two girls were having their makeup done, they still dragged him over to continue the conversation.


    ¡°Are you impressed?¡± Jiang Cheng was waiting on the side to get his makeup done, while reading through the promotional pamphlet to get to know the brand better.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°How did the talk with your mom go yesterday?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°We had an argument, though it was alright I guess. It¡¯s impossible to not argue with her.¡± Gu Fei smiled a little.


    ¡°Did Gu Miao make a fuss?¡± Jiang Cheng continued to ask.


    ¡°Nah, she drew something herself yesterday, I¡¯ll show you some time.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Sure, in the same style as your display icon?¡± Jiang Cheng laughed.


    ¡°More or less. I think the bunny in my icon is already her best work.¡± Gu Fei snapped on the camera lens, then held it up and looked through the viewfinder at his surroundings.


    ¡°When I messaged you yesterday¡­¡­ why didn¡¯t you reply?¡± Jiang Cheng asked hesitantly.


    ¡°I fell asleep,¡± The camera was still in front of Gu Fei¡¯s face. ¡°Didn¡¯t hear it.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d keep a nerve on for me.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I was too tired yesterday,¡± Gu Fei said quietly. He turned and pointed the camera at Jiang Cheng, and looked at his side profile through the viewfinder. ¡°Crashed on my pillow and slept straight through till morning¡­¡­ I¡¯ll change my notification to something louder, that way I won¡¯t miss it.¡±


    ¡°Never mind,¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him. ¡°You should try to get better sleep at night, I can already see dark circles around your eyes.¡±


    Nini waved at Jiang Cheng, indicating that it was his turn for makeup.


    When Jiang Cheng stood up and walked that way, Gu Fei pressed a hand gently against Jiang Cheng¡¯s side.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s body blocked Gu Fei from other¡¯s view, so this discreet gesture wasn¡¯t seen by anyone else. In summer, the heat in Gu Fei¡¯s palm was very obvious, brushing warmly over Jiang Cheng¡¯s waist.


    Jiang Cheng was used to makeup now. He would plop right down in the chair, close his eyes, and sometimes even catch a little snooze.


    Gu Fei said he crashed on his pillow and slept straight through till morning. Those words couldn¡¯t be true.


    Jiang Cheng was familiar with everything about Gu Fei. If Gu Fei really did sleep that soundly, then there was no way he¡¯d have dark circles today. Not only that, perhaps other people wouldn¡¯t notice, but to him, the subtle fatigue on Gu Fei¡¯s face was plain to see.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t sleep well last night.


    And it wasn¡¯t because of his mom and Gu Miao. If it was because of them, Gu Fei wouldn¡¯t keep it from him.


    It had to be because of that message. The message that by the time he wanted to rescind it, it was already too late.


    He wasn¡¯t sure whether Gu Fei had thought about what will happen after, and he wondered whether him asking the question would be too much like he was bugging his boyfriend for an outcome.


    Or perhaps Gu Fei had thought about it. He just didn¡¯t have an answer.


    During the shoot, Gu Fei was just like usual; he would patiently instruct Jiang Cheng on his movement and angle. Even though Jiang Cheng still felt a little uneasy and a little miffed, he still felt comforted at the sight of Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei¡¯s every motion pleased him: the way he held the camera; the way he knelt down on one knee; the way he bent down at the waist while looking for an angle; even the way he put his head down while checking the photos. It was hard for Jiang Cheng to tear his eyes away.


    Occasionally when his gaze met up with Pan Zhi, Pan Zhi would give him a meaningful smile, then continue staring at the girl nearby. Of course, Jiang Cheng would quickly give him a meaningful smile in return.


    When they finished the day¡¯s photos and got ready to leave, he saw that Pan Zhi and one of the female models had already added each other on WeChat. They were still giving each other eyes and lamenting the parting even as they were leaving.


    ¡°What is this efficiency¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°The kind of efficiency where both of us are idle with nothing to do.¡± Pan Zhi said as he swiped at his phone. ¡°Although I really do like the way she looks, at least it¡¯s not an internet famous snake spirit kind of face.¡± [1]


    ¡°Really,¡± Jiang Cheng tried to recall. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice.¡±


    ¡°Duh, even if that was a handsome guy, you sir would probably not notice in this state of mind, let alone that it was a girl.¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°Now I know what you¡¯re like when in a relationship.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei walking in front of them.


    What state of mind?


    Even Pan Zhi missed sometimes. Certainly in Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes, Gu Fei today was still so handsome it made his heart throb and want to jump him and knead him and rub him. But inside, he still felt a little annoyed.


    He had discovered a side of Gu Fei that he never realized before, which was that this guy was very good at holding things in. No matter what it was, Gu Fei could push it down.


    It might have something to do with the kind of environment Gu Fei grew up in. He had to deal with a lot of things this way, that it already became a habit. But to Jiang Cheng, faced with this, he only felt like he was wrapped in a thick and heavy blanket.


    It felt repressive, suffocating, and difficult to breathe. It felt like he had nowhere to exert force to struggle, and even if he did manage to struggle it was impossible to rip apart an opening¡­¡­


    After the three of them had lunch, Gu Fei got ready to head back. He still had to take Gu Miao for treatment in the afternoon.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna go window shopping then?¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°The two of us can walk around and around for hours at a time.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded with a smile.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything. Only when Pan Zhi started walking off, did he glance at Gu Fei, ¡°Go on then.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s meet up for dinner?¡± Gu Fei asked. ¡°At Wang Er Meat Pies?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Jiang Cheng was feeling a little down.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei said, looking at him. ¡°I¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°You should go.¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted.


    ¡°Once Pan Zhi is gone,¡± Gu Fei glanced in Pan Zhi¡¯s direction. ¡°I¡¯ll take you out for a feast.¡±


    ¡°Shameless. When Pan Zhi is here it¡¯s meat pies, when Pan Zhi is gone it¡¯s a feast.¡± Jiang Cheng looked sideways at him. ¡°Shameless.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Gu Fei started laughing. ¡°Then we¡¯ll feast tonight, alright? Or tomorrow before he leaves?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    ¡°Well aren¡¯t we right back where we started then,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Dead loop.¡±


    ¡°Right, feels bad doesn¡¯t it?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    Gu Fei was quiet for a while as he looked back at Jiang Cheng, then he sighed softly, ¡°I have thought about it. I¡¯ve been thinking about it ever since you asked me if I ever considered getting a boyfriend.¡±


    Jiang Cheng froze, and stared at him without a sound.


    ¡°I might have thought about it way more than you have, but this isn¡¯t something I can get across with an answer of a sentence or two,¡± Gu Fei said in a low voice. ¡°Is it?¡±


    ¡°I guess.¡± Jiang Cheng was all at once having a hard time wrapping his head around this.


    Only after Gu Fei left and he and Pan Zhi had been aimlessly strolling around for a long time, did he slowly come to a realization, and frowned.


    Gu Fei said he¡¯d thought about it way more. Perhaps. It was true that Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t been thinking about it since ¡°have you considered getting a boyfriend¡±. In fact, it wasn¡¯t until Pan Zhi asked him that question this time, that he felt like it was time to think it through.


    And yet, all he wanted was an answer. It didn¡¯t need to be detailed. All he needed was an answer.


    I have thought about after. I still want to be with you, even after. We have to be together no matter what.


    That was all.


    Perhaps it was because he was still looking at the problem in a conventional way, from a perspective entirely different from Gu Fei¡¯s. He was asking about an outcome, but Gu Fei wanted to talk about the process.


    However, now that he thought about it, if they established the outcome, then everything in the middle would be directed toward that outcome. But if they started with the process, they could end up with any number of outcomes.


    Jiang Cheng sighed quietly.


    Gu Fei. You¡¯ve thought about a lot. What did you think about?


    He and Pan Zhi strolled all the way to the shopping center downtown, eating and drinking as they went, then ended up on a bench in the square listening to music for almost an hour.


    The shop across the street put a karaoke machine outside their door. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t expect the people in this crappy little city to be so bold. The singing didn¡¯t stop for almost the entire time they¡¯ve been sitting there.


    Some people sang well, some people sang so quietly nobody could hear them, and some people basically chanted the lyrics out loud, while others were so off key it made one want to run up and cut the power.


    ¡°Cheng-er, how about you go up and sing a song.¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°Widen their horizons, let them know what singing is supposed to be like.¡±


    ¡°I prefer to keep my powers hidden.¡± It had been a long time since Jiang Cheng sang. He used to go singing with Pan Zhi and the others often. But in this kind of setting, he would rather sit here and listen to other people sing off key.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go sing a song.¡± Pan Zhi stood up and straightened his clothes. ¡°Record it for me, I¡¯ll post it to my Friend Circle.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Your fourth grandpa is busy passing away, can you not post such happy content.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m sending it to Lao-Yuan.¡± Pan Zhi paused to think. ¡°What should I sing?¡±


    Before Jiang Cheng could answer, he was already making his way over, saying as he went, ¡°Red Sun it is, let me see if they have the accelerated version.¡± [2]


    Jiang Cheng laughed. They picked this one almost every time they went to karaoke, as the last one before they leave. The whole bunch of them would scream it out together.


    Pan Zhi was a pretty good singer, even though his Cantonese pronunciation wasn¡¯t that great. However, with his predecessors as comparison, he practically sounded like a professional singer. Almost as soon as he opened his mouth, nearby pedestrians stopped to look at him.


    Jiang Cheng pointed the phone camera at him and recorded.


    Pan Zhi was someone who grew more energetic the more people there was. Since he had an audience, he started singing with even more gusto. When he got to the accelerated part at the end, he whipped around suddenly and pointed at Jiang Cheng, ¡°Even if fate makes you wander and drift; even if fate twists in strange directions; even if fate scares you and makes it tedious to be alive; don¡¯t shed tears of sorrow, nor should you give up and give in; I hope to, accompany you forever and always¡­¡­¡±


    Everyone immediately looked in this direction. Jiang Cheng felt like giving Pan Zhi a middle finger.


    But after a few more lines, Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a little twinge in his nose. He didn¡¯t know if it was from the earnest way Pan Zhi was looking at him, or from the memory of his carefree days of the past.


    Or perhaps only because¡­¡­he thought of Gu Fei.


    He stared at his phone screen. At the end when Pan Zhi finished singing, he quickly got up with his head down, and squeezed his way out of the crowd of clapping bystanders.


    By the time Pan Zhi caught up to him, he had already gone back to normal.


    ¡°So?!¡± Pan Zhi flung an arm around his shoulder. ¡°Let me see the video.¡±


    ¡°I recorded a few clips,¡± Jiang Cheng tapped around on the screen. ¡°I¡¯ll send it to you, you can watch it for yourself.¡±


    ¡°We should¡¯ve just found somewhere to sing instead of wandering around earlier,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°It¡¯s been so long. What if¡­¡­next year, after the exams we¡¯ll get a bunch of people together and go somewhere, travel or something. Eat, drink, sing, and play to our hearts¡¯ content!¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°I was thinking, there¡¯s no way I can get into the same school as you, but I simply have to be in the same city as you even if my parents have to blast the path open with money.¡± Pan Zhi raised his arms up in a stretch. ¡°I used to think, even if you¡¯re gone, I still have lots of other friends. Now I realize it¡¯s not the same at all. Hanging out with you is still the best. When you¡¯re not there, I¡¯d miss you¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Control yourself,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°You sir are a straight boy after all. If anyone hears these words they¡¯ll think you have ideas about me or something.¡±


    ¡°My idea about you is only that we better be best friends for life.¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°Whatever boyfriend, spouse, or wifey, none of that compares to a best friend.¡±


    Jiang Cheng laughed, ¡°Uh huh, right.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you laugh,¡± Pan Zhi clicked his tongue. ¡°It¡¯s only that I don¡¯t like men, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t be any of Gu Fei¡¯s business.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go say that to Gu Fei.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s enough that you know.¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°I probably can¡¯t beat him in a fight.¡±


    After a whole afternoon idling about with Pan Zhi, by the time they were sitting in Wang Xu¡¯s family¡¯s restaurant waiting for Gu Fei and Gu Miao to arrive, Jiang Cheng was in a much better mood. Although he kept wanting to laugh while listening to Wang Xu talk out of his ass at Pan Zhi. Wang Xu very shamelessly went on for a long time, even bringing out Yi Jing as a prop in his boasting.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that just because you grew up in the big city,¡± Wang Xu slammed on the table and looked at Pan Zhi. ¡°That you¡¯re really better at everything. Just answer me this, can you out drink me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­I can¡¯t, I don¡¯t even want to drink at all.¡± Pan Zhi looked at him, then after a while sighed again. ¡°Damn it why did I lower my intelligence to bullshit with you for so long?¡±


    ¡°Because your intelligence isn¡¯t that high to begin with. Like that girl you posted in your Friend Circle just now,¡± Wang Xu had his phone out, and said as he scrolled. ¡°Makes me think you not only don¡¯t have very high intelligence, but not very good taste either.¡±


    ¡°Ok ok ok ok, alright, I¡¯m low, everything about me is low.¡± Pan Zhi held Wang Xu¡¯s hand down. ¡°That girl okay, she really can¡¯t compare to your class leader, truly.¡±


    ¡°Tch, not at all sincere. In your heart you¡¯re still not yielding, right.¡± Wang Xu glared at him.


    ¡°I yield, I yield so hard. I am completely yielding on all fours.¡± Pan Zhi said as he glanced out the door. ¡°Hey now, this is the real beauty.¡±


    Wang Xu turned to take a glance, ¡°Yes that¡¯s right!¡±


    Gu Miao walked into the room, hugging her skateboard, and went directly up to Jiang Cheng. She leaned her skateboard on the chair, picked up the cup in front of him, and chugged all the water in one go.


    ¡°Did you skate back here?¡± Jiang Cheng pulled out a tissue and wiped the sweat from Gu Miao¡¯s head.


    Gu Miao nodded.


    ¡°Miaomiao, my queen?¡± Wang Xu nudged his cup over to her. ¡°There¡¯s more water here.¡±


    Gu Miao looked at him without any expression.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t drank it, it¡¯s clean.¡± Wang Xu said.


    Gu Miao still looked at him cooly with a blank expression.


    Pan Zhi picked up the cup and poured the water into Jiang Cheng¡¯s cup. Gu Miao took the cup and chugged it again.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Pan Zhi couldn¡¯t stop laughing.


    ¡°Er-Miao, thank the big bros.¡± Gu Fei walked over and said.


    Gu Miao stood up and bowed to them, then stuck out her hand and snapped at Jiang Cheng, and gave him a thumbs up.


    Jiang Cheng immediately returned one to her.


    Gu Fei also greeted the others, then left to wash his hands, ¡°Wang Xu, can you get a pack of wet wipes for Er-Miao.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty.¡± Wang Xu immediately found some wet wipes for Gu Miao to clean her hands.


    Jiang Cheng watched her. She seemed to be in a pretty good mood, they must¡¯ve had fun this afternoon.


    Pan Zhi, who had been sitting beside Jiang Cheng this whole time, stood up and sat down beside Wang Xu. Wang Xu looked at him, ¡°What, you wanna battle me in drinks?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­We¡¯re just eating meat pies, why would I battle you?¡± Pan Zhi didn¡¯t know what else to say.


    ¡°Are you looking down on our meat pies? I¡¯m telling you! In our city, ask anyone, Wang Er Meat Pies¡­¡­¡± Once Wang Xu got to talking about their meat pies, his energy level shot right up. He locked his sight on Pan Zhi and started his speech, as if he was a promotional ambassador.


    Gu Fei paused when he came in and saw the newly empty seat beside Jiang Cheng, then saw Pan Zhi with a face full of helplessness as he was held down by Wang Xu. He sighed, then interrupted, ¡°Captain, we¡¯re all hungry, let¡¯s eat.¡±


    ¡°Would¡¯ve have started long ago if we weren¡¯t waiting for you! Hold on!¡± Wang Xu stood up and went into the kitchen.


    Gu Fei sat down, and on the other side, Pan Zhi let out a breath of relief, ¡°I want so much to smack him.¡±


    Jiang Cheng started laughing. He was still feeling a little miffed at Gu Fei, every time he thought about it he felt all sorts of confusion and grievance. But as soon as Gu Fei sat down beside him, when he smelled the familiar scent of Gu Fei¡¯s presence, he immediately felt his mood take a turn for the better.


    Humans are so ridiculous when they¡¯re conflicted.


    Gu Fei dropped his arm, reached his hand under the table, and gently touched Jiang Cheng¡¯s leg. Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei. Gu Fei grinned at him, then grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze.


    Pan Zhi cleared his throat.


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Fei chuckled and looked at him.


    ¡°Can¡¯t stand to watch this,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°Gu Miao, wanna go get the meat pies from the kitchen?¡±


    Gu Miao only looked at him with her hands around her cup.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go get the meat pies?¡± Pan Zhi leaned over the table and asked again.


    Gu Miao reacted this time. Probably hungry, she stood up and followed Pan Zhi to the kitchen. She even closed the door behind her as she walked out.


    The moment the door closed, Gu Fei turned and planted a kiss on Jiang Cheng¡¯s cheek.


    Jiang Cheng also very quickly leaned in and bit down on his neck.


    ¡°Is it salty?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng took a sip of tea.


    ¡°Er-Miao was very into the games today, I played along for a while, got all sweaty.¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    When Gu Fei was smiling like this, when Gu Fei talked quietly to him like this, Jiang Cheng would feel like an utterly unprincipled person. At this moment, all he wanted to do was keep staring at Gu Fei and not think or worry about anything.


    Whatever unhappiness, whatever unease, whatever whatever whatever. They were all flung to the side.


    He didn¡¯t think about those annoying questions again the entire time until the end of Pan Zhi¡¯s fictitious fourth grandpa¡¯s funeral was over, and the two days long holiday came to an end.


    After seeing Pan Zhi off, and the two of them returned to his apartment and tangled around on the bed for a while, it was only then that all the unease and unhappiness slowly came back to the surface.


    Like weeds that couldn¡¯t be eradicated no matter what, a moment of carelessness was enough for it to rear its head again.


    After all, the root was still there.


    Gu Fei was lying on his side while playing on his phone. Jiang Cheng wrapped his arms around Gu Fei from the back, ¡°Hey.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei stroked his arm.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna study for a while later, can you keep me company,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°And not go back tonight?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Gu Fei turned over to lie flat, and pulled Jiang Cheng¡¯s arm to rest on his body.


    ¡°Do you want to also¡­¡­study a little?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I should probably copy the homework first.¡± Gu Fei chuckled.


    ¡°Gu Fei.¡± Jiang Cheng was quiet for a long time before he asked in a quiet voice. ¡°Are you not planning on applying for university?¡±


    ¡°Even if I am, there¡¯s only the local ones.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Those garbage colleges.¡±


    ¡°Is it because of Gu Miao?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a few problems.¡± Gu Fei set his phone to one side. ¡°It¡¯s impossible for Er-Miao to have a change of environment, and it¡¯s impossible for me to leave her behind and go to school somewhere else. With her and my mom, if I¡¯m not here, it¡¯ll be a mess.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. He knew all this already. Gu Miao couldn¡¯t even accept a change of wheels on her skateboard. He knew these problems even if Gu Fei didn¡¯t mention them, and he understood too. But he still felt that something was not quite right. Though what exactly it was, he couldn¡¯t figure it out for the life of him.


    The two of them just lay like that, each lost in their own thoughts, and neither of them spoke for a long time.


    ¡°If after the exams I go away to school,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°You¡¯re still going to stay here, right.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°And then what?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    Gu Fei frowned a little, and turned his face to look back at Jiang Cheng, ¡°I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s going to be like, some things can¡¯t be determined just¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Jiang Cheng sat up. ¡°Do you not have much confidence in long distance relationships?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei also sat up. ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant, I was saying¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted him. ¡°You once asked me, if I wanted to date you, or if I wanted to go on dates with you, right?¡±


    ¡°Mmn.¡± Gu Fei clutched Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I was wondering before, why you would ask me that. Now I know. The one who wanted to keep dating was me, and the one who only wanted to go on dates,¡± Jiang Cheng pulled his hand out and pointed at him. ¡°Was you.¡±


    Footnotes


    [1] There¡¯s a (Chinese) stereotypical internet famous face, which is big eyes, long lashes, and pointy chin. I do believe Fan Bingbing was the original inspiration, but don¡¯t quote me on that.


    [2] Almost all the songs referred to in this novel are ¡®old¡¯ classics. This one is no exception. Listen to the original song here. It¡¯s known for its fast pace.

 CH 84

    Don¡¯t be scared.


    Gu Fei looked at Jiang Cheng. After saying ¡°it was you¡± while pointing at him, Jiang Cheng had been staring directly at him without shifting his gaze.


    Sometimes Gu Fei felt that aside from possessing the unique qualities and skills of an overachiever, Jiang Cheng also possessed a special logic that other overachievers don¡¯t have. He could completely turn the narrative around, so that upon further reflection you might even agree with him, as though there wasn¡¯t anything wrong with the reasoning.


    Gu Fei had experienced this special skill first hand when they got their tattoos last time, but last time he did not explain himself, and now Jiang Cheng was demonstrating his superpower again.


    Frankly, that question Gu Fei asked back then no longer had any significance at this point in their relationship. Whatever answer it led to, whatever the question meant, none of that mattered anymore.


    True, back then he would rather Jiang Cheng was only after a romantic fling. Go on dates with me. It could be a new endeavour, could be a whim, or it could be a respite from loneliness, whatever.


    But Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer, he seemed unable to completely and precisely separate the two concepts. And so Gu Fei chose to dive in head first.


    I will like you until you don¡¯t need me to like you anymore.


    I can do that, as long as the one you want is ¡®me¡¯, and not someone else.


    Which was why when Jiang Cheng pointed at him and accused him with his own words, Gu Fei felt a little surprised, a little angry, to the point where he felt like laughing. But at the same time he also couldn¡¯t find any fault with Jiang Cheng¡¯s logic.


    That¡¯s right. The one who is willing to stop when you wish to stop, is me.


    Gu Fei felt like he had to say something in this moment, but he didn¡¯t dare open his mouth easily.


    Jiang Cheng had supernatural logic, was sensitive and impulsive, and the scariest of all, he could tell that Jiang Cheng was insecure. The way Jiang Cheng strived to hold on tight and feared for loss, Gu Fei could often sense that about him.


    Gu Fei, every word you say right now will become evidence for Jiang Cheng to keep in his heart.


    Better proceed with caution.


    It¡¯s not that long-distance isn¡¯t an option. However, the environment at a top tier university, compared to the environment at the Steel Works, will cause two people in completely different situations over a long period of time to gradually lose their commonality, and their relationship will gradually fade away.


    Perhaps even before then, we will argue and probe endlessly from exactly this kind of difference, and at last worn out, return to our own respective worlds.


    Of course, it¡¯s also possible that miracles do happen, and we walk together until the end.


    Some things can¡¯t simply be resolved like a test question, where each problem only has one correct answer. Whatever the process is like, all you have to do is find the path that will lead you to the right answer. The overachievers know how to find shortcuts, while the slackers have to circle a little further, but they all get there in the end, because there is only one right answer. Anything besides that is considered the wrong answer.


    Whereas their situation right now has infinite possibilities and infinite endings, all of which counts as answers. It can be one two three, or it can be four five six, but no one can say for sure which answer is right, and which is wrong.


    Gu Fei looked at Jiang Cheng. Perhaps he was overly pessimistic and careful. Perhaps he wanted too much to protect Jiang Cheng from any potential pain. Jiang Cheng was the opposite. He was optimistic, hot-headed, direct, and sensitive. Jiang Cheng belonged solidly in the camp of ¡°what does this little bit of pain matter in the midst of wind and rain¡±. [1]


    No matter how many times Gu Fei pondered over these thoughts in his mind, he could not say them to Jiang Cheng. Not a single word of it.


    He had no way of leaving. He did not even dare to dwell too much on the word ¡®leaving¡¯, let alone try to figure a way out of here. As for Jiang Cheng, he had no reason to stay here.


    It was a stalemate that could not be solved, at least for now. If they didn¡¯t get to where they needed to be before some miracle happened, it was bound to be a deadend.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Gu Fei looked at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Do you overachievers only pick the things you want to remember to keep in your head? So unreasonable.¡±


    ¡°Quit trying to change the subject.¡± Jiang Cheng smirked. ¡°Gu Fei, sometimes I feel like it¡¯s truly offensive to call you a slacker. The way your mind turns and reacts so quickly, it¡¯s definitely at an overachiever level.¡±


    ¡°Aside from that one question, did I say anything else?¡± Gu Fei was still looking at him.


    ¡°What else?¡± Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes, a look of disdain on his face. ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything else, only that you were worried about getting a tattoo, worried about having my mark still on your body after we split up.¡±


    ¡°You wanna bet that I¡¯ll smack you?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll believe it when you do.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything. He stared at Jiang Cheng for a few seconds, then suddenly lifted his elbow and aimed it at Jiang Cheng¡¯s face.


    He really had to hand it to Jiang Cheng¡¯s reflex. As soon as he started to lift his arm, Jiang Cheng was already leaning back to dodge it.


    Though Gu Fei was never planning on hitting his face. He leaned forward as Jiang Cheng leaned back, and pressed his forearm down against Jiang Cheng¡¯s throat. With his neck trapped, he was forced to fall back onto the bed with Gu Fei on top of him.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng glared.


    ¡°You must not know me very well at all.¡± Gu Fei kept his arm against Jiang Cheng¡¯s throat, and pinned one of Jiang Cheng¡¯s hands down with his leg. When Jiang Cheng tried to lift his other hand, Gu Fei immediately caught it in his grasp. ¡°How can I bear to strike your face.¡±


    ¡°Tsk tsk tsk.¡± The corner of Jiang Cheng¡¯s mouth twitched.


    ¡°I will keep liking you until you no longer need me to.¡± Gu Fei said as he bore down. ¡°I said that, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°You did.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°Then why did you say you don¡¯t remember.¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Well I was fucking mad,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I don¡¯t remember anything when I¡¯m mad. What, you got a problem with that? If you do, then keep it to yourself.¡±


    Gu Fei opened his mouth, but nothing came out.


    ¡°That¡¯s how unreasonable I am, if that¡¯s unacceptable then keep that to yourself too.¡± Jiang Cheng frowned, and was quiet for a while, then looked at Gu Fei again. ¡°At first I thought that line of yours was sweet talk, it sounded oh-so-charming when I first heard it, but it doesn¡¯t stand up to further analysis.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Gu Fei took away his arm that was holding down Jiang Cheng¡¯s neck, and leaned down to kiss him.


    ¡°In fact, what you meant was, if I wanted to break up with you, you would just agree, right?¡± Jiang Cheng said as he looked at Gu Fei. ¡°I have the initiative.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t answer, just leaned down and kissed him again.


    ¡°On the surface it looks like I hold the choice, but in fact, you sir, are not the passive one at all.¡± Jiang Cheng side-eyed him. ¡°You¡¯re able to just come and leave without a care huh.¡±


    Gu Fei sighed, ¡°If one day you really don¡¯t want to be with me anymore, there¡¯s no point for me to keep pestering and harassing you.¡±


    ¡°That might be the case theoretically¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng lifted his head and chomped down on Gu Fei¡¯s chin.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Gu Fei was startled, and didn¡¯t dare move. Jiang Cheng had taken a large and hard bite, such that Gu Fei suspected whether he had somehow gotten a chin job while sleepwalking at some point, for it to be so easily, precisely, and viciously targeted like that.


    It was more than 10 seconds later when Jiang Cheng finally let go. He dropped his head back onto the pillow and said, ¡°Gu Fei, I wanna talk to you about something.¡±


    ¡°Mmn.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°Maybe my thoughts on this aren¡¯t as fully considered as yours. I only want to go one step at a time, dealing with whatever problems as they arise. A person¡¯s gotta have something to look forward to, whether it¡¯s about relationships or about life, you gotta first have a direction, to guide the things you do.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°At least that¡¯s the way I am.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded again.


    ¡°When I set out to do something, I don¡¯t like to preemptively label it as ¡®impossible¡¯ right off the bat, you know what I mean?¡± Jiang Cheng continued.


    ¡°I do.¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything more to say, only that you promise me one thing.¡± He looked fixedly at Gu Fei.


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Gu Fei gazed back at him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just let me go.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Don¡¯t just walk away without a care as soon as I say forget it. Pester me for a little while longer, will you? What if I change my mind and turn around, but you¡¯re not there anymore?¡±


    Gu Fei suddenly felt a twinge in his nose. He sucked in a breath and forcefully suppressed the unsettling emotions. He didn¡¯t want to shed tears in front of Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Alright,¡± He nodded. ¡°But you also have to promise me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like people having to sacrifice for me, to give something up because of me,¡± Gu Fei felt that this was probably the most direct he could be to Jiang Cheng. ¡°I don¡¯t need it. You walk whatever path you need to, do not stop, do you understand? Pity, giving up, all of that makes me feel pressured. It tires me out.¡±


    ¡°Understood.¡± Jiang Cheng pinched Gu Fei¡¯s chin. ¡°I am very resolute in my goals.¡±


    Gu Fei smiled.


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re very light?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei was confused.


    ¡°Even if you only weigh 25 kg, have you considered how much a knee weighs when it¡¯s pressed against a human hand?¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I can calculate it for you.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed and moved away the leg that kept Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand pinned down this whole time.


    ¡°I want revenge.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°How? Pin my hand down for 5 minutes with your 25 kg leg?¡±


    ¡°Do you for a whole class period,¡± Jiang Cheng yanked on Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder and rolled himself on top of him. ¡°With all 1.8 m of little Chengcheng.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Do you have a ruler so I can measure if little Chengcheng really is 1.8 m?¡± Gu Fei started laughing.


    ¡°Your uh, you know, has it recovered yet?¡± Jiang Cheng leaned in close to Gu Fei¡¯s ear and asked quietly.


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Fei asked while laughing.


    ¡°Thy ass.¡± Jiang Cheng tsked audibly. ¡°What are you fucking pretending for.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Gu Fei laughed even harder. ¡°It¡¯s recovered. Would mister like to use it?¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell,¡± Jiang Cheng straddled him and slapped his arm. ¡°I¡¯ve realized that you really are itching to be screwed.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and screw me,¡± Gu Fei thrusted his hips, trailed his finger tip down Jiang Cheng¡¯s abdomen and tugged on his waistband. ¡°Do you want me to pass on some experience to you?¡±


    ¡°My ability to learn,¡± Jiang Cheng grabbed his wrists and locked them above his head. ¡°Has always been very good.¡±


    When in a romantic relationship, a lot of things can be resolved with a tumble between the sheets.


    In fact, Jiang Cheng felt like their chat today hadn¡¯t actually resolved any real problem. The answer he was after¡­¡­what kind of answer he was actually after, he no longer remembered. As for what kind of explanation Gu Fei gave him, he suddenly didn¡¯t care so much anymore.


    Even though what he said and what Gu Fei said were actually contradictory on some level.


    However, they also gave each other their promise, even though the other person¡¯s request went against their original intention.


    Perhaps all he needed was to let it out this once, to show a bit of temper, psychologically and physiologically. I have some thoughts I need you to know. I have some desires I need you to shoulder.


    Of course, Jiang Cheng knew that some things had no solution at this moment, but at least they were together.


    When Jiang Cheng walked out of the bathroom, Gu Fei was lying on his stomach playing with his phone. He walked over and grabbed Gu Fei¡¯s butt, ¡°How come you¡¯re facing down again? Does it¡­¡­hurt?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei turned his head. ¡°Can you please use the observation skills on par with your overachiever status for a second, most of the time I play with my phone I¡¯m lying face down.¡±


    ¡°Ah, really?¡± Jiang Cheng thought for a second, then flopped down next to him and said quietly, ¡°You don¡¯t need to spare my feelings if it¡¯s uncomfortable, I can only improve if I know what¡¯s lacking.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t answer. He tossed his phone aside and dissolved into laughter on the pillow.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Jiang Cheng got off the bed and sat down in front of his desk. ¡°My ego is fucking bruised.¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei shifted to the edge of the bed and stroked Jiang Cheng¡¯s leg. ¡°I have something honest to tell you.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Jiang Cheng opened a textbook.


    ¡°It feels good, really.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Cheng-ge is 2.8 m today.¡±


    Jiang Cheng cocked his head and shot a sidelong look at him, ¡°I¡¯m telling you. With this attitude, if it was anyone else I¡¯d have beaten them to death already. It¡¯s only because it¡¯s you that I tolerate this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same with me,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I can never get mad when it comes to you, I¡¯m just afraid of you getting mad.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of. Sure I get mad, but when I¡¯m over it I¡¯m over it. I have a bad temper anyways. It¡¯ll be a miracle if I don¡¯t get mad.¡± Jiang Cheng spun the pen in his hand and bowed his head as he started to work on test questions. ¡°And it¡¯s not like I had to throw a fit, I¡¯m just¡­¡­scared.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Gu Fei sat up and rubbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s back. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Do you know, Gu Fei,¡± Jiang Cheng said as he continued writing, his voice was a little low. ¡°I don¡¯t have a home anymore. It¡¯s just me on my own, here, with a rented apartment. There¡¯s nothing under my feet.¡±


    Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°If I lean back, and you¡¯re behind me, I feel reassured.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s pen scribbled nonstop on the page. ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t want to face reality, it¡¯s just that when I think of you not being by my side anymore, I really will be just, stepping on thin air.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything. He got up and straddled the chair, squeezing behind Jiang Cheng, and wrapped his arms around his waist.


    The room became very quiet. Gu Fei leaned his head on Jiang Cheng¡¯s back. He could hear the scratching of the pen against paper, could hear the steady sound of Jiang Cheng¡¯s breathing, and if he pressed in even closer, he could hear Jiang Cheng¡¯s heartbeat.


    It was a very pleasant feeling.


    ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Gu Fei said quietly.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng replied, his pen still moving.


    Gu Fei often felt very impressed with this ability of his. On several occasions when Jiang Cheng was working on an English essay, he wrote a huge block of text while keeping up a conversation, and apparently made no mistakes either.


    ¡°I¡¯m right here, behind you. I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Don¡¯t be scared.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    Gu Fei closed his eyes.


    Let¡¯s leave it at that. Be like Jiang Cheng, and not dwell on certain things for now. If you don¡¯t want to be reminded of it, then I won¡¯t remind you. If you don¡¯t think it¡¯s important, then I won¡¯t keep thinking about it¡­¡­ Such a precious memory, such a precious experience. Perhaps it¡¯s the only time we get to run freely in our whole lives.


    Whenever you want to look back, I¡¯m right here. Whenever you¡¯re missing home, I¡¯m right here. Whenever you need me, I¡¯m right here. I¡¯ll be standing here for as long as I can.


    The summer break at Fourth High finally came to an end. The returning students cursed and grumbled their dissatisfactions as they went back to school, but no one was absent. Everyone seemed to be in pretty good spirits.


    On one hand they complained about the shortness of the break, and on the other hand found it lonely not seeing all their classmates every day.


    After the cram school started, it was time to make merriment out of pain.


    Nope, there was definitely more merriment around.


    Jiang Cheng looked around at the other students, not one of them was listening to the lecture. The teacher was up at the lectern talking to himself, while the students below chatted excitedly about what they were up to over the break, not even bothering to control their volume.


    ¡°Yell! Yell a little louder! I can¡¯t hear it clearly from where I¡¯m standing!¡± Lao-Lu waved his pointer stick around. ¡°I¡¯m talking about you! You, right there! Don¡¯t look around, you¡¯re the most beautiful one here! Pick up a mirror and check out that saggy laziness on your own face, and you think it¡¯s beautiful! Oh you¡¯re so beautiful! Come on! Readyyyy, sing!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear him,¡± Jiang Cheng was slumped over his desk taking notes, and glanced at Gu Fei, who had been looking at him the whole time. ¡°Get a mirror and start singing, you¡¯re so beautiful¡­¡­¡± [2]


    ¡°You¡¯re the flower bud in the chilling winter, you¡¯re the beauty that disturbed the water of spring,¡± Gu Fei chuckled and started singing quietly. ¡°You¡¯re the blessing akin to an angel, you¡¯re my most favoured imperial¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°GU FEI!¡± Lao-Lu slammed on the lectern.


    Gu Fei turned to look at Lao-Lu.


    ¡°Come on up, I have a mirror here.¡± Lao-Lu beckoned at him. ¡°Come look in it and sing a few lines for me!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­It wasn¡¯t me.¡± Gu Fei leaned back in his chair and sighed.


    Jiang Cheng was certain that there was no way Lao-Lu heard Gu Fei¡¯s singing. Gu Fei kept his voice very quiet, Zhou Jing probably didn¡¯t even hear him. But with Lao-Lu¡¯s roar, his heart still jumped to his throat and trembled for a good while.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t you?¡± Lao-Lu slammed on the lectern again. ¡°If you weren¡¯t singing, then get out of here!¡±


    ¡°So should I sing, or shouldn¡¯t I.¡± Gu Fei stood up in resignation and sauntered out of the classroom. In the corridor outside, he leaned over the railing and looked down on the field.


    Lao-Lu continued shouting for another two minutes before resuming class.


    Jiang Cheng listened to the lecture as he tested just how wide his peripheral vision was, and how clearly he could see out of the corner of his eyes. The conclusion was, if he counted the power-up from the fact that ¡°he liked that handsome guy outside way too much¡±, his peripheral vision was shockingly powerful.


    He listened to class and took notes. At the same time, he could see the back of Gu Fei¡¯s figure very clearly.


    Black t-shirt, grey athletic shorts; a most ordinary outfit of a high school student. Yet Jiang Cheng could still see his tall and slender figure, his toned waist, his long and straight legs¡­¡­


    ¡°JIANG CHENG!¡± Lao-Lu roared. ¡°Get up here and translate this sentence!¡±


    Jiang Cheng could sense that out in the corridor, Gu Fei turned to look inside the classroom. He drew back his wandering thoughts, stood up, and walked to the front of the room.


    After looking over the question, he picked up a piece of chalk and out of habit, snapped it on the lectern before getting ready to write on the board. At this, Lao-Lu roared again, ¡°WHAT KIND OF CRAPPY HABIT IS THIS! SO WASTEFUL!¡±


    Jiang Cheng sighed, put the chalk back in the box, and picked out a fresh one. This time he didn¡¯t snap it before writing on the blackboard.


    ¡°And this isn¡¯t wasteful?¡± Lao-Lu said.


    ¡°Mr. Lu, should I answer this or not?¡± Jiang Cheng looked to him.


    ¡°You go ahead,¡± Lao-Lu waved his hand. ¡°I¡¯m just taking this chance to educate you a little.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng continued writing.


    After he finished answering the question and went back to his seat, Jiang Cheng could see through the window that Gu Fei had already turned around, and was now leaning back against the railing. When their eyes met, Gu Fei quirked a smile, and Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly. Everyone in the class was still looking at him, so he didn¡¯t dare show any overt communication with Gu Fei.


    Though it only took the slightest upward curve of Gu Fei¡¯s lips for Jiang Cheng to fill in at least two gigabytes of material in his mind.


    For some reason, even though they clearly went through a disagreement, and even though nothing of substance came out of that disagreement, he still felt much lighter.


    Cram school was no doubt boring to Gu Fei, but to Jiang Cheng it was an extremely busy time.


    Aside from the review material from Fourth High, Pan Zhi would send him a zip file every couple of days containing the review and study material of various subjects from the teachers at his old school.


    Gu Fei figured Jiang Cheng was some kind of god. From cram school to the official start of class, he reviewed double the study materials every day, and still found the time to roll around between the sheets.


    ¡°Are you secretly on a drug or something?¡± Gu Fei stood at the window with a cigarette in his mouth, and said as he looked outside.


    He had snuck away after tucking Gu Miao into bed earlier, and had originally planned on keeping Jiang Cheng company while he studied. He planned to pretend to flip through some books so Jiang Cheng could feel a little more reassured, but they ended up going at it as soon as he came through the door.


    And now, other than a lingering desire for more, all thoughts of putting up a serious studying facade had disappeared in action.


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Jiang Cheng dried his hair as he sat down to do some reading. ¡°You say that as if you don¡¯t feel the need.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean,¡± Gu Fei chuckled as he straddled the chair behind Jiang Cheng. The weather was very hot at this point, but Jiang Cheng liked it when he sat like this. ¡°I¡¯m just marveling at all this energy you have.¡±


    ¡°There are two kinds of rest, active rest and passive rest¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng flipped open a textbook.


    ¡°Mhm, so what we did counts as active rest, right?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Right.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°Can I snooze for a bit?¡± Gu Fei hugged him.


    ¡°Snooze away,¡± Jiang Cheng stroked his hand. ¡°I¡¯ll wake you in half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Fei closed his eyes. ¡°Did Lao-Xu call you to his office today to cheer you on again?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng put his pen down. ¡°I forgot to tell you, you know how there¡¯s supposed to be some kind of award ceremony at the end of Sports Day?¡±


    ¡°What,¡± Gu Fei looked up and frowned. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he¡¯s looking to get you for the show?¡±


    ¡°He said senior year students have to come up with two performances in all, one from the boys and one from the girls.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°What does he want you for?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°To play a song,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Lao-Xu said you¡­¡­can play the guitar?¡±


    ¡°Lots of people know how to play the guitar, even Jiuri plays.¡± Gu Fei suddenly felt a little irritated. He knew now what Lao-Xu was thinking. Lao-Xu wanted the two of them to collaborate on a performance together. Knowing that Gu Fei would refuse, Lao-Xu went to Jiang Cheng first.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying,¡± Jiang Cheng turned his head. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you don¡¯t play the guitar?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡­said that?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°You did.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°Probably ¡®cause we didn¡¯t know each other very well at the time.¡± Gu Fei pressed his face against Jiang Cheng¡¯s back and nuzzled.


    ¡°Alright, then Lao-Xu¡¯s suggestion¡­¡­what are your thoughts?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not participating.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    Footnotes


    [1] A line from an (yet another) old song called Sailor. It¡¯s basically about how the narrator as a sailor will brave through the wind and rain, tears and hurt, all for the realization of a childhood dream.


    [2] Beautiful ¨C Wang Leehom.

 CH 85

    ¡°Fuck the diem as they say, we¡¯ll do it tonight then.¡±


    Jiang Cheng was actually a little annoyed today, which was why he didn¡¯t tell Gu Fei the reason Lao-Xu called him into the office earlier.


    Gu Fei once said that he didn¡¯t know how to play the guitar, so earlier today when he suddenly heard Lao-Xu say ¡°Gu Fei plays the guitar, why don¡¯t you two work on a program together¡±, he felt a strange urge to rush over and beat Lao-Xu up.


    Why beat up Lao-Xu? Who knows. After all, he was also the one who told him last time that Gu Fei liked to drink tea.


    This dog-fucker Gu Fei lied to him.


    I don¡¯t know how to play the guitar. It sounded so real.


    Although, the reason Gu Fei just gave also made sense. The two of them were nothing more than mere desk-mates at that time. For someone like Gu Fei who never participated in any group activities in the school, if it wasn¡¯t for the basketball tournament last time, he would probably speak no more than ten sentences to his classmates all semester if he could help it. It was normal that he didn¡¯t tell him the truth.


    Only, Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t quite understand why Gu Fei always lingered on the fringe of his classmates, never joining in the school events, and never really interacting with his peers either. At most he would go have some meat pies at Wang Xu¡¯s place.


    Frankly, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t much like hanging around with a bunch of other students either. Pan Zhi also said before that he was a bit of a loner. Yet unlike Gu Fei, he would still participate in school events and occasionally go out with his peers.


    When Lao-Xu was telling him about the performance, he already knew that Gu Fei wouldn¡¯t agree to it. And now, as expected, Gu Fei had refused, and rather decisively too.


    Even though he had already guessed the outcome, he was still somewhat disappointed.


    To perform a program for a Fourth High school event isn¡¯t anything to write home about, but if it¡¯s the two of them collaborating, it¡¯s a whole nother ordeal altogether. More importantly, he wished for other people to see a different Gu Fei, to see a different side to the quiet and aloof troublemaker who no one dared offend. To see his talents. He wanted them all to see how Gu Fei could shine.


    He wanted everyone around them to see how Gu Fei was different from the rest.


    And for Gu Fei to see, just how extraordinary he was.


    Sitting behind him, Gu Fei did not speak up again. He had his arms around Jiang Cheng, and his head leaned against his back. Judging by the sound of his breathing, he must be asleep.


    After class officially began for the semester, Gu Fei stopped arranging photoshoots for Jiang Cheng, but did not lessen the workload at all for himself. There would always be a couple of afternoons a week when he skipped class, and often had to shoot into the evening as well.


    It must be really tiring. Jiang Cheng bowed his head and gently stroked Gu Fei¡¯s hands. How exactly did this person manage to live this kind of tedious life for all these years.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Gu Fei shifted groggily behind him.


    ¡°Nothing.¡± Jiang Cheng patted his hands. ¡°Go to sleep.¡±


    It would seem that Fourth High treated its senior year classes as though the rate of getting into a university was nil. The preparation for Sports Day began as soon as the school year started, and even the seniors were allowed to sign up and participate, while the ones who were not participating could go watch during class time.


    Compared to his old school, where starting from their last summer, it was as though all the senior year students disappeared from the sight of everyone else in the school, Jiang Cheng sincerely believed that this principal was somebody who genuinely treated professional accomplishments as dirt.


    Under these circumstances, he could only rely on himself. Even between classes, Jiang Cheng remained unmoving in his seat, slumped over his desk. Pretty much everyone else in the classroom was frolicking outside in the corridor. He swept a glance forward, and saw that only Yi Jing and him were still here studying.


    And of course, the captain Wang Jiuri, who was silently studying her from his seat one row behind.


    ¡°I have to pee.¡± Gu Fei was flopped over a textbook, looking at him with his head turned.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°I have to go to the washroom.¡± Gu Fei said again.


    ¡°Go on.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Ay¡­¡± Gu Fei sighed. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Together.¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him.


    ¡°Stretch a little,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You haven¡¯t moved that spot all morning.¡±


    After Gu Fei dragged him out of the classroom, Jiang Cheng did feel that his neck was a little sore. Even his arms were sore. He sighed as he rotated his joints, ¡°So I¡¯ve never been this nervous prior to a test before, not sure what¡¯s going on this time. I keep getting the feeling that with one less glance at the books I¡¯m going to miss something important.¡±


    ¡°Well it¡¯s not just any ordinary test this time, is it.¡± Gu Fei put one hand on the back of Jiang Cheng¡¯s neck and started massaging him. ¡°I bought a little present for you, it arrived today. Why don¡¯t you come get it with me after school.¡±


    ¡°What present?¡± Jiang Cheng blinked, then leaned in closer and asked in a quiet voice. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you fucking went and bought some shameless sex toy?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei  blinked as well, then sighed as he also answered in a quiet voice. ¡°Do your fangirls know that your head is filled with obscene material?¡±


    ¡°It was just a casual question.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a very serious present.¡± Gu Fei chuckled as he said. ¡°Truly, I realize now how much more innocent I am compared to you, when it comes to filling in the blank with lewd content.¡±


    ¡°Give me a break,¡± Jiang Cheng glanced around and lowered his voice. ¡°As if you¡¯re short on tricks.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different, I only express it in two ways.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°One is just thinking about it in my own head, and the other one is putting it directly into action. Unlike you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Right, you¡¯re right sir, so damn innocent.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°Well then I only have one way, and that¡¯s talk.¡±


    Gu Fei kept it together for two whole seconds before he bursted out laughing. Jiang Cheng giggled along with him all the way to the washroom, where they ran into Lao-Xu coming out the door just as they were walking in.


    ¡°What¡¯s the good news,¡± Upon seeing them, Lao-Xu started laughing along even while he had no idea what they were laughing about. ¡°Let me hear it too?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all from holding in piss for too long.¡± Gu Fei went into the washroom.


    ¡°Just dumb giggles.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed along with Lao-Xu a little.


    ¡°Can you come by my office during your self-study period?¡± Lao-Xu said. ¡°For a little chat.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng answered. He figured Lao-Xu was going to ask him about the performance.


    If Gu Fei didn¡¯t want to join, then Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want to keep pushing him. Just like last time when He Zhou invited them to play ball, Gu Fei didn¡¯t end up going in the end. Jiang Cheng had gone and played with He Zhou and the others once during cram school times to let out some steam, but Gu Fei didn¡¯t even go watch.


    Which is why he didn¡¯t want to say anything more this time. Nor did he want to ask why Gu Fei was like this. He had thought before that there was something about Gu Fei that he couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on, and even now he couldn¡¯t figure it out. On top of Gu Fei¡¯s way of keeping himself on the fringe of everything, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t really have the courage to get to the bottom of this.


    Gu Fei had said that he would be here, that he would be behind him, always. That was enough.


    That¡¯s what it¡¯s like to be in a relationship sometimes, it¡¯s enough just to hold onto what felt good.


    ¡°Ayy¡­¡­¡± Lao-Xu sat down at his desk and sighed. ¡°I thought since you two are so close and won the tournament together last time, that he¡¯d say yes if you talked to him.¡±


    ¡°He probably has his own ideas.¡± Jiang Cheng stood leaning against the edge of the desk.


    ¡°Then what are your ideas?¡± Lao-Xu looked at him.


    If Gu Fei is not going to participate, then I¡¯ll probably just forget it.


    That was what Jiang Cheng thought. He wasn¡¯t very interested in these kinds of performances on their own. If Gu Fei didn¡¯t want to join, then he honestly didn¡¯t want to bother at all. After all, rehearsing takes time.


    But the expectation shining through Lao-Xu¡¯s eyes made him swallow the words.


    Lao-Xu was a good teacher with a low emotional acuity. He gave wholeheartedly to his students in his own fumbling way. Even though the result was so negligible that it could practically be ignored.


    Yet the kindness and care Lao-Xu brought him since he arrived here, was impossible for him to ignore.


    After a few seconds of hesitation, he spoke up, ¡°I¡­¡­can do it, but it¡¯s been a long time since I touched a piano, and there¡¯s not much time to rehearse these days¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh that¡¯s alright that¡¯s alright,¡± Lao-Xu said ecstatically. ¡°Honestly you don¡¯t need to feel any pressure. And for me, I have my own selfish considerations too. I¡¯ve led so many students, but never met such a good kid as you. I¡¯m just kind of proud¡­¡­ Do you have any other thoughts on the performance? Do you still need a partner?¡±


    ¡°A partner?¡± Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t even considered what he wanted to play, but if Lao-Xu had wanted him to play with Gu Fei before¡­¡­ He considered it, then said without thinking, ¡°Let¡¯s get another guitar then.¡±


    ¡°Okay okay,¡± Lao-Xu stood up a little too excitedly, and paced around his office a few times. ¡°Let me think who else there is, let me think¡­¡­ I¡¯ll let you know when I think of someone, you head back to class to study.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t continue discussing the performance with Gu Fei, and Gu Fei didn¡¯t ask.


    After school, the two of them went straight to the convenience store. Gu Fei went into the inside room and brought out a cardboard box, placing it on the counter.


    ¡°This¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng started laughing as soon as he saw what it was. ¡°You¡¯re way too¡­¡­adorable.¡±


    He never would¡¯ve guessed that Gu Fei would give him a shawl-style shoulder massager.


    ¡°Give it a try?¡± Gu Fei opened the box. ¡°Apparently it feels really good, as though somebody is kneading your shoulders.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced toward the back courtyard. Gu Fei¡¯s mom was standing there talking on the phone, it made him a little uneasy.


    ¡°Go in the room,¡± Gu Fei gave him a little shove. ¡°I told my mom I bought this for you.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t she think it¡¯s strange?¡± Jiang Cheng went to sit down in the inner room. ¡°That you¡¯re buying this for your desk-mate?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so strange about it,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Li Yan even bought me a foot soaking tub before, complete with infrared and massaging functions¡­¡­way more fantastical than this thing.¡±


    Jiang Cheng laughed, ¡°Why do you guys all have such fascinating ideas.¡±


    Gu Fei took the massager out and wrapped it around his shoulder, then turned it on.


    The massager instantly started making thumping sounds. Jiang Cheng could feel something continue to knock against his shoulder.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Gu Fei bent down and looked at his face. ¡°Does it work? Does it get to the right spots?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. This thing is actually quite powerful, it really feels like someone is knocking on his shoulder. ¡°It feels pretty good¡­¡­can you move it a little lower?¡±


    Gu Fei shifted the massager a little lower, ¡°Here?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes. ¡°Yes yes, ah¡­¡­ Fuck, it really does feel good.¡±


    ¡°Can you not make this kind of noise?¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng froze, then stared at Gu Fei for a long time before suddenly closing his eyes and letting out a moan, ¡°Ah¡­¡­mnng¡­¡­hah¡­¡­¡±


    It was much too genuine of a moan. Jiang Cheng wondered if he might have gotten a little too into it too quickly.


    ¡°I¡­¡­fuck?¡± Gu Fei stood frozen for a good while before managing to say.


    ¡°Right here?¡± Jiang Cheng opened his eyes and grinned.


    ¡°You really are asking for it!¡± Gu Fei said in resignation with a lowered voice. He turned to glance at the outer room, then lunged over and grabbed Jiang Cheng, planting a couple of firm kisses on his lips.


    Jiang Cheng was just about to reach his hand toward Gu Fei¡¯s crotch, when Gu Fei¡¯s mom suddenly shouted outside, ¡°Ah Da-Fei! I¡¯m going out okay¡ª¡ª¡±


    Gu Fei had just closed the door of the small room, but Jiang Cheng was still so startled that he almost slapped his own face in his scramble to draw his hand back.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t answer, nor did he open the door to go out. Instead he drew open the curtains.


    The window of the small room faced the street. As soon as the curtains were drawn, Jiang Cheng could see the motorcycle parked outside the front door. It had only been a moment but Gu Fei¡¯s mom had already jumped onto the backseat, grabbed the rider¡¯s waist, and almost immediately, the bike set off.


    Even though it was quick, Jiang Cheng was still able to make out that the motorcyclist¡¯s head was shaved on either side, with a long ponytail tied in the middle.


    ¡°This is¡­¡­your mom¡¯s new boyfriend?¡± Jiang Cheng was a little shocked.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei put the curtains back down. ¡°It¡¯s only her good luck that nobody¡¯s sold her into the mountains all these years, though she¡¯s probably above their age limit.¡±


    It made Jiang Cheng want to laugh, but after a moment¡¯s thought, he also felt a little down. Looking at Gu Fei¡¯s side profile, he could understand almost exactly what Gu Fei was feeling right now.


    And perhaps understand some of the things he had been feeling all this time.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s phone was ringing. It took a long time before he pulled it out to look.


    Wang Jiuri.


    ¡°Hello?¡± Jiang Cheng answered the phone.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng!¡± Wang Xu¡¯s excited voice came over the receiver. ¡°What do you think of me?!¡±


    Jiang Cheng was baffled by this question out of the blue. After a pause, he answered earnestly, ¡°Not very much.¡±


    ¡°Shit, don¡¯t be like that!¡± Wang Xu was a little worked up. ¡°I can play the guitar pretty well! If you don¡¯t believe me I can play something for you¡­¡­ You wait here, I¡¯m gonna go get the guitar¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°No no, no need,¡± Jiang Cheng only now realized what Wang Xu was referring to. He glanced in Gu Fei¡¯s direction. ¡°If you wanna join then go ahead.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to consider our friendship either, I¡¯ll send over a clip to you in a bit.¡± Wang Xu said seriously. ¡°You can check out my skill first.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Sure.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Wang Xu lowered his voice. ¡°What song should we do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you about it at school tomorrow,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡±


    ¡°No problem, you can check out my skill level first!¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°Although I have a suggestion, let¡¯s not do something that¡¯s too popular, there¡¯s not much point in that. You¡¯re great at piano anyways, just pick something no one¡¯s heard of¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to you tomorrow.¡± Jiang Cheng hung up.


    For some reason, even though it was Gu Fei who didn¡¯t want to participate, he still didn¡¯t want to be discussing this with someone else in front of Gu Fei.


    After all, it was something he originally wanted to do with Gu Fei. But now, not only were they not doing it together, there was instead a Wang Jiuri stuck in the middle. It was a little upsetting just to think about it.


    ¡°You¡¯re¡­¡­gonna do the show with Wang Xu?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Ah, yeah,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that he also plays the guitar?¡±


    ¡°He does,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°Though you probably have to write down the tabs for him, he only plays by the tabs.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    Gu Fei¡¯s words got him even more down. If he played with Wang Xu, the guitar section would probably be some basic chords at most. But if it was Gu Fei¡­¡­with the way Gu Fei composed music¡­¡­


    Gu Fei¡¯s music.


    Gu Fei¡¯s music?


    Jiang Cheng figured his eyes must¡¯ve lit up. Perhaps there was even a little lightbulb coming out of his head.


    He looked up and smiled at Gu Fei.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei looked back at him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s cook some frozen dumplings to eat, after that I have to go back and do homework.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Fei asked as he opened the door and walked out of the room. ¡°What filling do you want?¡±


    ¡°Fennel.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t have that.¡± Gu Fei paused.


    ¡°Then¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng pondered over what other flavour to switch to.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go buy it.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°They have that over by the market, just wait.¡±


    Jiang Cheng was about to say no need to make a trip just for that, but Gu Fei was already out the door.


    Tsk.


    He stood up, followed to the doorway and looked out. Gu Fei was already on his way to the market with his bike. Jiang Cheng raised his arms to stretch, then sat down behind the cash register.


    Tsk tsk tsk.


    He had just sat down, when Wang Xu¡¯s message came in. It was a short video clip.


    The recording was of a very sombre-faced Wang Xu playing the guitar.


    He hadn¡¯t even opened it, when Wang Xu continued to send over several more videos.


    ¨C some of these were recorded before, have a listen


    Jiang Cheng chuckled and opened the video.


    He was surprised to find that Wang Xu was not half bad. He wondered how it would compare with Gu Fei¡­¡­ Though he thought it probably would not compare. After all Gu Fei was someone who once played in a band and even wrote his own music but he didn¡¯t want to participate so it was all meaningless anyway. Wang Xu¡¯s skill level could be considered cream of the crop among the average dudes who only played to pick up girls.


    In the videos he sent, there were ones of Wang Xu singing with his own accompaniment, as well as ones of just guitar playing. His singing was nothing to rave about, but the playing was pretty good.


    Gu Fei practically flew on his bike to the market, bought the dumplings, then flew right back to the store.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say that he must have the fennel filling dumplings, but he still wanted to make the trip.


    Regarding the fact that he didn¡¯t want to participate in the performance, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t so much as say another word about it, nor did he willingly bring it up to Gu Fei in the past few days. Gu Fei couldn¡¯t quite guess what Jiang Cheng was thinking, but he knew that he must¡¯ve been a little unhappy.


    Right now, even if Jiang Cheng was craving the grilled meat from the barbecue restaurant in the shopping center, he¡¯d fly there and buy it without any hesitation, let alone some dumplings.


    He had no way of explaining himself, so he could only try his best to smooth out Jiang Cheng¡¯s feathers.


    He could guess why Jiang Cheng wanted him to participate in the performance. Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t someone who liked to show off in this particular area. It was only because it would be the two of them together, and also because¡­¡­


    ¡°You¡¯re clearly so excellent.¡± Jiang Cheng had already said this before.


    You¡¯re clearly so excellent.


    He would feel proud for Jiang Cheng, and Jiang Cheng would also feel proud because of him.


    Only, the more that was the case, the more he wanted to break away.


    Certain resolves could not bear to see the tiniest shred of hope. Even a small glimmer of light would make him descend into anguish.


    When he returned to the store, Jiang Cheng was sitting with his legs propped up on the counter, scribbling something into a notebook. He didn¡¯t even notice when Gu Fei came in.


    Only when Gu Fei got near did Jiang Cheng abruptly raise his head, and closed the notebook, ¡°Damnit, how come you didn¡¯t even make a sound when coming in?¡±


    ¡°How loud does it have to be to count as making a sound,¡± Gu Fei saw that Jiang Cheng was writing down music, and couldn¡¯t help but marvel. The overachiever Jiang Cheng could make even sheet music look ugly. ¡°Does somebody coming in and hauling away all the merchandise count as making a sound?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you try hauling it and see if I hear?¡± Jiang Cheng said with a smile.


    Gu Fei thought that Jiang Cheng was in a pretty good mood. He reached out and stroked Jiang Cheng¡¯s face, then walked to the back courtyard to cook the dumplings.


    ¡°What will Gu Miao eat?¡± Jiang Cheng followed him.


    ¡°She¡¯ll make her way here later when she gets hungry, I¡¯ll just save some for her.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng replied, then turned back into the store with light steps.


    Gu Fei was suddenly a little curious. What kind of music was Jiang Cheng writing that put him in such a good mood¡­¡­or was it Wang Xu who put him in such a good mood?


    ¡­¡­That¡¯s not very likely.


    If that was the case then he would have to have a little chat with Wang Xu.


    After the dumplings, Jiang Cheng gathered his stuff and got ready to head back to his apartment, ¡°Are you coming over tonight?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll come over after Er-Miao¡¯s asleep.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª¡± Jiang Cheng lowered his voice. ¡°The way you keep sneaking out every night, does she not suspect anything?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°And it¡¯s not every day¡­¡­Though I would like to go every day.¡±


    Jiang Cheng laughed as he leaned in close and nuzzled his nose gently against Gu Fei¡¯s cheek, then went to pick up his backpack, ¡°Then why don¡¯t you bring me a snack when you come over tonight.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei grabbed his arm and pulled toward himself. ¡°Give me a kiss before you leave.¡±


    ¡°Hey hey hey,¡± Jiang Cheng glanced out the door nervously. ¡°Be mindful of the surroundings.¡±


    Gu Fei turned back to have a look, there was no one outside, so he leaned in and chomped down on Jiang Cheng¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Day after day like this,¡± Jiang Cheng touched his neck. ¡°A bite here and a bite there, how about next time you put some sauce on it, to make it go down better.¡±


    ¡°Good idea,¡± Gu Fei squinted his eyes slightly and looked him up and down, finally stopping the gaze below his abdomen. ¡°Chocolate sauce, or peanut butter, or mayonnaise¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Go away!¡± Jiang Cheng realized what he meant, and pointed a finger at him. ¡°And you call me shameless!¡±


    ¡°I follow my words with action,¡± Gu Fei pulled out a cigarette and put it in his mouth. ¡°Fuck the diem as they say, we¡¯ll do it tonight then.¡±

 CH 86

    ¡°Sa Ye.¡±


    ¡°We gotta wash the sheets.¡± Jiang Cheng was lying face down against the pillow. He said with his eyes closed.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°What time is it?¡± Jiang Cheng asked, eyes still closed.


    ¡°Not yet 11 o¡¯clock.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You still have time to study good sir.¡±


    Jiang Cheng sighed and climbed out of bed. He stood up, then glanced back at the bed again, ¡°You. Right now. Go change the sheets.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei nodded while leaning against the headboard.


    ¡°Let¡¯s move it!¡± Jiang Cheng reached his hands beside Gu Fei¡¯s ears and clapped. ¡°Move along!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Where did you learn that!¡± Gu Fei jumped at the sudden clapping. ¡°Did I not move enough for you just now.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± Jiang Cheng grabbed his pyjamas.


    Gu Fei asked after him, ¡°Should I make a sandwich for you as a snack?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jiang Cheng walked out of the bedroom.


    ¡°What kind of dressing would you like?¡± Gu Fei continued. ¡°Mayonnaise or ketchup or¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°No dressing!¡± Jiang Cheng turned and yelled.


    He could hear Gu Fei¡¯s laughter coming from the bedroom.


    ¡°I¡¯ll smack you if you keep laughing!¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei¡¯s laughter immediately quieted down.


    After his shower, or more accurately, after he washed all the jam off of him, Jiang Cheng went back to the room. Gu Fei had already changed all the sheets. The sauce covered bedding from before were all folded and placed on a stool.


    There was a little plate on the desk next to his pile of study materials, on it were some ham and lettuce sandwiched between two slices of plain bread, with a glass of milk beside it.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to shower.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Mmn.¡± Jiang Cheng sat down at the desk and grabbed the plate.


    He liked to have night snacks when he studied. Probably due to the extensive brain use, he would start feeling hungry and sleepy around 11 p.m., and only be able to continue after having had something to eat.


    That was the case right now, especially since he not only exerted his brain, but his body as well.


    However, he picked up the sandwich, looked at it, then put it down again. Two slices of toast, with only ham and lettuce in the middle. Gu Fei really did strictly abide by his orders and did not put any dressing on it. But a sandwich like this¡­¡­


    Elicited no appetite from him at all!


    Just from appearance it looked like it tasted bad.


    Dry bread without any mayonnaise or butter tastes bad even if there are meat and lettuce!


    How unappealing!


    It definitely tastes bad!


    However¡­¡­ Jiang Cheng glanced at the jars on the side.


    Tsk tsk tsk tsk!


    Dammit, it¡¯s like watching an adult video.


    Even though the jams they used for the lewd activity before have no direct correlation with the sauces in those jars, and it¡¯s not like they used mayonnaise or butter¡­¡­


    Still, it¡¯s a little difficult to swallow. As soon as he opened his mouth he would be reminded of the graphic and inappropriate scenes.


    That an overachiever, ever since he started hanging out with a slacker, started slipping off into a shameless abyss. No wonder teachers and parents always advised against mixing good students and slackers together.


    Just look!


    Look what happened!


    By the time Gu Fei finished showering and came back to the bedroom, Jiang Cheng was still spacing out at the jars.


    ¡°I also bought some yogurt drink,¡± Gu Fei got out more bread, quickly laid down some ham and lettuce, then spread some mayonnaise on it and took a big bite. ¡°It¡¯s in the fridge, want some?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°Pretty good appetite you got there, huh.¡±


    ¡°These aren¡¯t the ones I used before,¡± Gu Fei pointed at the jars. ¡°I was using blueberry jam and marmalade, and I scooped them out first too, it¡¯s not like¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him earnestly. ¡°Shut up.¡±


    Gu Fei smiled at him and didn¡¯t continue. He finished his own sandwich in a few quick bites, then pulled over the plate in front of Jiang Cheng and spread some mayonnaise and butter onto the bread before handing it back to him.


    Jiang Cheng sighed and took a bite. He really was hungry, and watching Gu Fei eat made him even hungrier.


    Having had his night snack, he turned on the lamp, flopped over the desk, and started to toil away.


    Gu Fei turned off the light in the room. He sat on the bed and watched Jiang Cheng with his arms propped against the desk.


    ¡°You wanna copy the homework?¡± Jiang Cheng tossed the just finished homework to Gu Fei.


    ¡°I¡¯ll copy it tomorrow morning after I get up,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I¡¯m way too sleepy right now.¡±


    ¡°Your physique is a little lacking huh,¡± Jiang Cheng said as he went through the questions. ¡°And you have the audacity to have an after-smoke?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t today.¡± Gu Fei chuckled.


    ¡°¡­¡­I forgot too.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°Maybe I should go make up for it after this page.¡±


    Gu Fei doubled over in laughter.


    As a matter of fact, Jiang Cheng was still very good at concentrating on the questions once he got started, especially the ones Pan Zhi gave him. They were clearly more difficult than the ones from Fourth High. It was satisfying whenever he solved them.


    When he finally looked up after finishing a set of mock tests, he rotated his neck and glanced over at Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei was still sitting at the head of the bed with his elbow on the desk, but he was already asleep.


    Jiang Cheng stood up as quietly as he could, then walked out to the living room with a cigarette in his mouth.


    It was fully dark outside the window. The lights from other homes had all but gone out, leaving only a spot of yellowish street lamp outside.


    Jiang Cheng lit the cigarette and leaned on the windowsill.


    It had been a while since he came here, but every time he noticed the scenery around him, he still felt a faint sense of unfamiliarity. Occasionally it would even feel a little unreal.


    In the span of almost a year, he had gone through not quite a lot, but every single thing was enough for him to remember for the rest of his life.


    At times he would marvel at how he came to move from a large bustling city, a key high school, a not at all warm or comforting but at least normal family, to this place.


    From disorder to having nothing, to¡­¡­ He turned and glanced toward the bedroom.


    The door to the bedroom was open. He could see a haze of warm glow inside.


    Jiang Cheng stubbed the cigarette, washed up, then returned to his room and sat down at the desk.


    Gu Fei was still asleep, in the same pose as before. He leaned over and gently tapped Gu Fei¡¯s lips with his finger. Gu Fei didn¡¯t move. He reached out his finger again and ever so lightly poked the tip of Gu Fei¡¯s nose. Gu Fei still didn¡¯t move. Jiang Cheng quirked a smile and reached out again for the spot between Gu Fei¡¯s brows.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei suddenly opened one eye and said with sleep still in his voice. ¡°I want to tell you something.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng immediately withdrew his hand. ¡°Did I wake you?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t asleep,¡± Gu Fei closed his eye again. ¡°I¡¯m just resting my eyes.¡±


    ¡°Oy,¡± Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue. ¡°I didn¡¯t even rest my eyes after studying for the whole night, but you¡¯re getting eye fatigue from playing with your phone?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t play today, this is from watching you.¡± Gu Fei smiled and picked up his phone to check the time. ¡°Go to sleep Cheng-ge, it¡¯s already past 12 o¡¯clock.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to sleep right on time at 1 a.m.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go to sleep properly, stop resting your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei shifted downward a little and laid his head on the pillow.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t close his books until 1:30 a.m. He turned the lamp off and felt his way to bed in the dark. Gu Fei was probably in a deep sleep by now. He laid down carefully for fear of waking him.


    Gu Fei turned over just as he laid down and wrapped him in his arms, ¡°Finally, it¡¯s long past 1 o¡¯clock.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­I thought you already fell asleep?¡± Jiang Cheng touched his arm.


    ¡°I did,¡± Gu Fei buried his face in Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Told you I left a nerve on for you.¡±


    ¡°Go to sleep then,¡± Jiang Cheng smiled. ¡°Good night.¡±


    ¡°Good night.¡± Gu Fei knocked his teeth gently against Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulder.


    This opportunity to perform on stage was very important to Wang Xu. Or rather, he was very fired up about this opportunity to show off on stage. He pulled Jiang Cheng to the corridor first thing in the morning when he got to school.


    ¡°I asked Lao-Xu for the key to the music room. There¡¯s a piano in there; I brought my guitar too.¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°What do you say you don¡¯t go home for lunch today, let¡¯s just grab something to eat and then go practice?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡­haven¡¯t finished arranging the music.¡± Jiang Cheng was a little overwhelmed by Wang Xu¡¯s feverish enthusiasm. ¡°What about this afternoon¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Lunchtime! I don¡¯t need your sheet music anyway,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°You just need to tell me my part.¡±


    Jiang Cheng sighed, ¡°You only have chords, though I don¡¯t know how to write guitar¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°You can play it for me, I¡¯ll note it down myself.¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°Lunchtime, don¡¯t you go running off at noon. Every day you and Gu Fei are nowhere to be found once class ends. If you two must come as a package deal, then just let him listen in on our lunchtime practice today.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    He didn¡¯t continue to bargain with Wang Xu, lest he came up with any more nerve-wracking words like that.


    Captain Wang Jiuri knew a little too much. Good thing he wasn¡¯t very sharp, otherwise Jiang Cheng would have to consider silencing him permanently.


    As soon as class let out for the morning, Wang Xu was standing outside the front door of the classroom staring at him from a distance.


    ¡°You go ahead and eat with Wang Xu then,¡± Gu Fei glanced at Wang Xu. ¡°I¡¯m going home to do some photo editing anyways, gotta submit it this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    He didn¡¯t tell Gu Fei that he was going to play his music. It had special significance, so he wanted it to be a little surprise.


    Frankly, he was pretty impressed with himself. Having only heard it once, he was able to pretty much get the music down from memory alone. Though there would no doubt be some differences in the details, and it would be different still when modified into a piano music¡­¡­


    Wang Xu dragged him to the pizza place across the street for lunch. He wanted to go get something to drink next door, but Wang Xu didn¡¯t give him a chance, as he got yanked back to the school like they were going off to battle, heading straight for the music room.


    To be honest, if Wang Xu hadn¡¯t mentioned it, he wouldn¡¯t even know that Fourth High had a music room. He was surprised to find that there were quite a few other instruments in there besides the piano.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Wang Xu flipped open the lid of the piano. ¡°Play a little for me first? What¡¯s the song?¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer. He suddenly realized he didn¡¯t know what Gu Fei¡¯s song was called.


    But it didn¡¯t matter anyways.


    ¡°Untitled.¡± Jiang Cheng sat down on the bench.


    ¡°¡­¡­Never heard of it.¡± Wang Xu blinked, then quickly leaned on the piano with a face full of anticipation. ¡°Play it for me, maybe I¡¯ve heard it before but didn¡¯t know it was called ¡®Untitled¡¯.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve definitely never heard it before.¡± The moment Jiang Cheng rested his hands on the keys, a feeling that was at once strange yet familiar extended out from his fingers.


    How long had it been? All this time, he didn¡¯t so much as look at a piano. The staggered black and white before him. The unspeakable emotion it stirred when his fingertips touched the keys.


    He sat there unmoving for a long time.


    ¡°Um, Jiang Cheng,¡± Wang Xu looked at him with knitted brows. ¡°Don¡¯t fucking tell me you were lying? Do you really know how to play?¡±


    Jiang Cheng shot a glance at him but didn¡¯t speak. He swept his fingers over the keys and played a scale as a way to stretch his hands, to remember the feeling.


    ¡°Looking pretty legit.¡± Wang Xu nodded in relief. ¡°Honestly you don¡¯t seem like the type to play piano, why don¡¯t you start off with a ¡®Twinkle Twinkle Little Star¡¯ first?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you get out of here first?¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him. ¡°If you have so much to say why don¡¯t you go find someone to talk to first?¡±


    Wang Xu shut his mouth and didn¡¯t say anything else.


    Jiang Cheng stared down at his fingers and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes, and let it out, before letting his fingers fall on the keys. The first note quickly took him into the imagery crafted by Gu Fei¡¯s music.


    I step onto thin air, I feel like I am flying


    Upwards is the unknown, I look down and hear you say this is a vast and empty world¡­¡­


    You say one two three, breaking what¡¯s gone by, fading


    The way back home, blown apart by the wind, do you see me sing out¡­¡­ You say one two three turn around, listen to the panic wiped out¡­¡­


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t look at music as he played. The piece wasn¡¯t long, and he had just written it out from memory, so he could pretty much play the whole thing with his eyes closed.


    He didn¡¯t like piano. The sensation of his fingers touching the keys would fill his head with the unpleasant and gradually fading memories.


    But today was a little different. Perhaps because the melody flowing through his hands carried Gu Fei¡¯s essence, or perhaps because it was with a different attitude that he was sitting here today.


    He became lost in the notes. A few fumbles here and there were not enough to bring him out of the state.


    He lifted his fingers after playing the last note, and stared at the black and white keys in front of him for a long time without moving.


    An enthusiastic applause rang out from behind him. Jiang Cheng startled and whipped his head around to see Lao-Xu standing in the doorway with an excited expression.


    ¡°Shit Xu-zong, what are you doing here.¡± Wang Xu was also startled by his sudden appearance, but soon started clapping along. ¡°Bravo! Jiang Cheng you really are¡­¡­ astonishing, what a surprise! I really didn¡¯t expect this! Bravo!¡±


    ¡°What is this piece?¡± Lao-Xu walked over. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve heard it before.¡±


    ¡°You probably haven¡¯t heard of a lot of them, have you sir?¡± Wang Xu suddenly felt a small sense of superiority.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you tell me, what is this song?¡± Lao-Xu asked humbly.


    ¡°This song is called¡­¡­ It¡¯s called ¡®Untitled¡¯!¡± Wang Xu said, then looked at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Hey Jiang Cheng, tell Lao-Xu about it?¡±


    ¡°Untitled?¡± Lao-Xu blinked. ¡°There¡¯s a piano song with this name? Who¡¯s the composer?¡±


    ¡°Err¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng hesitated. It would be a little too hasty to simply name it ¡°Untitled¡±, but he also didn¡¯t want to go ask Gu Fei. ¡°The title hasn¡¯t been¡­¡­decided.¡±


    ¡°Not decided?¡± Wang Xu was also a little shook, then after a long pause finally said. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you wrote this yourself?! The fuck?¡±


    ¡°No no no,¡± Jiang Cheng waved his hand right away. ¡°Not me.¡±


    ¡°Then why is the title undecided?¡± Lao-Xu asked again.


    Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a little apprehensive. Knowing Gu Fei, he wasn¡¯t sure if it would be appropriate to come out and tell Wang Xu and Lao-Xu like this.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just rehearse first,¡± He didn¡¯t answer Lao-Xu¡¯s question. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you¡­¡­when the time comes.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Wang Xu yelled a little unhappily. ¡°Trying to keep things from me again?!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, Jiang Cheng you really are¡­¡­ Ayy FINE I¡¯m going to the washroom.¡± Wang Xu turned grumpily and walked out of the classroom. ¡°You can tell Xu-zong in private. Geez, so secretive to your own partner¡­¡­gotta keep everything from me¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng watched his retreating figure and opened his mouth but didn¡¯t make a sound.


    ¡°Did you write it yourself?¡± Lao-Xu sat down beside him excitedly.


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Lao-Xu.


    ¡°Then who did?¡± Lao-Xu looked back at him in anticipation.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t reply, then eventually said after a while, ¡°If you need to submit information for the program, just put my name down for the arrangement.¡±


    Lao-Xu was quiet for a while, then suddenly asked haltingly, ¡°Is it¡­¡­Gu Fei?¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned and stared at him in shock.


    ¡°Is it? It is!¡± Lao-Xu also stared at him. ¡°I know that kid used to play in a band when he was in middle school, but I never asked him about it. It¡¯s way too hard to get through to him with that personality, way too hard¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Wha¡ª¡± Jiang Cheng was still shocked. ¡°Sir, how do you know he played in a band?¡±


    ¡°I make the effort,¡± Lao-Xu sighed. ¡°To get to know every single one of you students. It¡¯s the only way I can be responsible to every student. That was something Gu Fei¡¯s mom told me once, otherwise I wouldn¡¯t even know that he played the guitar.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know how to continue the conversation, so he kept quiet.


    ¡°Gu Fei is a pretty good kid, it¡¯s just so hard to communicate with him. In that way I¡¯ve also failed him as a head teacher.¡± Lao-Xu pressed on a key, suddenly a little dejected. ¡°They all say to never give up on any student, but it¡¯s hard to hold onto every single student¡­¡­ For a kid like Gu Fei, even though I circle him round and round, I still can¡¯t get through to him¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng stayed quiet. This time he really didn¡¯t know what to say. He didn¡¯t expect Lao-Xu to open up to a student like this, so he also felt a little awkward even as thoughts filled his mind.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the photos Gu Fei takes,¡± Lao-Xu said. ¡°What a talented kid. Such talent. It¡¯s really a shame if he continues to throw it away.¡±


    Jiang Cheng still didn¡¯t know what to say, he only sighed softly along with Lao-Xu.


    When Wang Xu came back, Lao-Xu stood up and sat down on a nearby chair, ¡°You guys practice, I¡¯ll just listen.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know the music though,¡± Wang Xu picked up his guitar. After a trip to the washroom, all his grumpiness was gone. When he picked up the guitar, he grew excited all over again. ¡°Jiang Cheng, just play the chords for me and tell me where to come in.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled out the music he wrote and marked down the chords for Wang Xu, then played it once for him.


    If Wang Xu paid half as much attention in class as he was in this moment, Lao-Xu would probably shed tears on the spot.


    After he memorized his part, Wang Xu tried playing through it a couple of times, ¡°Like this, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s try it together.¡±


    As Wang Xu strummed his guitar along to the piano, Lao-Xu stood up in delight and walked over to them.


    A few bars later, Jiang Cheng paused and marked down a few changes to the music.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Wang Xu gently plucked the strings and said. ¡°I suddenly feel like a master.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the master.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Wang Xu laughed at that, ¡°Jiang Cheng you really are very thick-skinned sometimes.¡±


    ¡°I can afford to be.¡± Jiang Cheng swept a glance over him.


    ¡°Fuck, can you try being a little more modest.¡± Wang Xu looked at him. ¡°How am I supposed to continue from there?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to continue.¡± Jiang Cheng set the music back on the stand. ¡°Let¡¯s try that again.¡±


    Wang Xu¡¯s career as a class tyrant was a failure, but as a part of an instrumental duet, he was not bad. He reacted quickly enough, and aside from the occasional half beat coming in late, he didn¡¯t make a lot of mistakes.


    ¡°How was that!¡± Wang Xu waved his arm as they came out of the music room. ¡°What did you think!¡±


    ¡°Mmn, pretty good.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m parched, gonna go buy something to drink, want one too?¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°What do you wanna drink?¡±


    ¡°Lime black tea.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°What about Xu-zong?¡± Wang Xu looked to Lao-Xu.


    ¡°I¡¯m going back to my office to have tea,¡± Lao-Xu said. ¡°I can¡¯t drink those things you kids like, one sip and the sugary taste last all afternoon in my mouth.¡±


    After Wang Xu went off to buy drinks, Jiang Cheng walked with Lao-Xu back to the classroom. When Lao-Xu turned to head to his office, Jiang Cheng called out to him, ¡°Xu-zong.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Lao-Xu turned around.


    ¡°Arrangement and performance by Jiang Cheng, Wang Xu on guitar.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°That¡¯s all. I¡¯ll think of a title for the song and tell you in the next couple of days.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Lao-Xu nodded, looking a little disappointed. ¡°Okay okay.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stuck his hands in his pockets and strolled slowly to class.


    The title of the song¡­¡­what should it be called?


    The melody felt at the same time hazy and repressed, and the lyrics evoked the same feeling. When listening to it, he felt an urge to lash out and shatter the constraints all around him.


    He had made some changes to the music when he wrote it down. Some parts he couldn¡¯t remember very clearly, while some parts felt too repressive. When he played it, there were a few places where he wanted to press down hard on the keys, to lift the notes up, to cry out.


    I want to


    Run free without a care


    In your eyes


    I want


    One look to last


    A lifetime


    He took out his phone and called Lao-Xu, ¡°Xu-zong, the song is called ¡®Sa Ye¡¯.¡± [1]


    Footnotes


    [1] Run Freely (T?T)

 CH 87

    ¡°What¡¯s going on!¡± Jiang Cheng turned to glare at Lao-Xu.


    For this year¡¯s Sports Days, it seemed as though every senior class except for Class-8 had one of their students participate. Though the reason Class-8 didn¡¯t contribute anyone wasn¡¯t because they were all working hard to prepare for the University Entrance Exams. It was simply that Class-8 had no chance of winning any of the activities.


    The way they played in the last basketball tournament could probably go down in the school annals as the time the losers striked back.


    Gu Fei was rather looking forward to the Sports Days. It spanned from Friday to Sunday, which meant that starting from this afternoon, he could skip class with the excuse of watching the games. For the self-study class and the cram school on the weekend, it would be a miracle if there were even ten people in the classroom at that time.


    The loudspeakers continued to report on the status of the various games since school started in the morning, as well as the announcement scripts submitted by each class. They all sounded the same. Gu Fei thought it was no different from the class announcements he heard in elementary school.


    On this crisp autumn day, we say welcome to our Fourth High¡¯s somethingeth annual school Sports Days. Colourful flags flutter on the field, crowds converge, there is excitement in the air. Everyone is rubbing their hands together in anticipation to show off their skills and secure honour for their class. Just look, on the racetrack of the 100 meter dash¡­¡­


    ¡°Are you not coming to school this afternoon?¡± Jiang Cheng asked beside him.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei turned to him. ¡°I¡¯m gonna try to get a set of photos out this weekend. Of the street scenes. The weather¡¯s nice these days, I¡¯m going to walk around this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Is it for a magazine?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Yeah, some newly established little magazine. I know one of the editors, he¡¯s from around here. I used to learn photography from him.¡± Gu Fei said quietly. ¡°If they use it¡­¡­it¡¯s a pretty big spread this time, with good pay too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Jiang Cheng looked happier than he was. ¡°What¡¯s the theme?¡±


    ¡°¡®What you don¡¯t see of the small industrial city¡¯. The shuttered factories, laid off workers, that kind of stuff.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I feel like it¡¯s made exactly for the Steel Works.¡±


    ¡°Will you still be taking photos tomorrow?¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I wanna come along and watch.¡±


    ¡°Watch me or watch me take photos?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Mostly you, and the photography on the side.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled. ¡°Try to keep a low profile.¡±


    Gu Fei also smiled with him and nodded, ¡°Alright.¡±


    Sunday afternoon was the award ceremony and the concert. For the last couple days, Wang Xu had been dragging Jiang Cheng off to practice every chance he got. He was very enthusiastic and determined when it came to showing off, especially since this time he would be showing off something positive. It¡¯d be a big help in improving his score in Yi Jing¡¯s mind.


    Frankly Gu Fei wanted to ask how Jiang Cheng could have time to watch him take photos, but he didn¡¯t.


    He still hadn¡¯t brought up the concert to Jiang Cheng. He figured that if he did, the conversation would veer off in the direction of ¡°why don¡¯t you want to participate¡±, on which he had no way of adequately expressing himself. Besides, his boyfriend had said, if he really didn¡¯t want to say something, then he should keep it to himself and keep it well. And so he had no choice but to comply.


    Saturday was cram school. Jiang Cheng did not skip it. Only, looking at Gu Fei¡¯s empty seat beside him, he felt a little hollow.


    There were quite a few empty seats in the classroom. Most people were outside watching the games or had already left the school to frolic on their own. Even if the whole class was empty, he wouldn¡¯t have felt anything. His eyes only flitted back and forth between the lectern and the seat beside him.


    Sometimes when he stopped to think about it, it felt a little scary. It was only a day or two of not seeing Gu Fei, and he was already not used to it. Once he finished writing the University Entrance Exams next year, they would probably have to be apart¡­¡­


    He wasn¡¯t afraid of the long distance, but he was afraid of not seeing Gu Fei whenever he turned around.


    The melodrama and panic were probably common to a first romance, especially the start of a first romance.


    Tsk.


    How powerful it had to be, that it turned a whole grown guy into a sissy, that thinking about his boyfriend was all he did.


    And the boyfriend?


    The boyfriend was out taking photos. Who knows if throughout the whole morning, whether he had thought about anything other than composition and lighting and what not.


    His phone vibrated once.


    Jiang Cheng glanced down. Good Little Bunny.


    ¨C Wanna see some photos?


    ¨C No shit, show


    Good Little Bunny sent over a few photos. Jiang Cheng took only one look and froze.


    The photo showed a few dilapidated buildings. In the sun, shards of broken glass reflected speckles of glittering light. Junk was scattered haphazardly all over the rooftop, but it didn¡¯t look dirty, only deserted. It was a scene of bleakness under the sunlight, a quiet without any sign of life.


    Jiang Cheng was very familiar with this place. It was where the Steel Works Morons went building-hopping before.


    And Gu Fei must¡¯ve taken the photo from the rooftop where Jiang Cheng hid.


    ¨C you went there?


    ¨C mhm, look what I found


    Good Little Bunny sent him another photo. It was of Gu Fei¡¯s stretched open hand. In the palm was a walnut.


    Jiang Cheng was a little shocked. He must¡¯ve dropped this on the rooftop when he was taking walnuts out of the bag. After all this time, Gu Fei was able to find it.


    Not to mention¡­¡­


    ¨C you have such pretty hands


    ¨C ¡­¡­where is your focus eh overachiever


    Jiang Cheng laughed at himself as well. He looked through the photos again, then sent another message.


    ¨C how many did you find?


    ¨C two, i¡¯m keeping them


    ¨C they¡¯ve probably gone bad already, what are you keeping those for


    ¨C it won¡¯t rot if i preserve it, and i can look at it whenever i miss you


    Jiang Cheng stared at that line for a long time. It took Lao-Lu bellowing at Wang Xu to rock his mind back to the present. He swiftly sent back a reply.


    ¨C you can look at me whenever you miss me, what the hell are you looking at walnuts for


    ¨C then take a photo of yourself and send it over, i¡¯m missing you right now


    Jiang Cheng hesitated for a moment and opened up the camera app. He might be a narcissistic overachiever, but he rarely took selfies, especially in class. He had never done such a dorky thing before.


    Although, when he was with Gu Fei, it would seem that he had done more than his share of these dorky things, so what¡¯s one more? Only, when he flipped the camera to the front, the sudden appearance of nostrils and a gigantic face almost made him drop his phone.


    Flipping scary it was.


    Front facing cameras really are the perfect stealth weapon.


    After a moment to gather himself, Jiang Cheng set the phone on the desk in front of him. He might not be a frequent selfie taker, but he understood very well which angle most flattered him. At the moment, he was the only one in the last row, and didn¡¯t have to worry about anyone seeing him.


    He adjusted himself for the camera, then pressed the shutter.


    ¡°CLICK-CLACK¡±


    Since Lao-Lu had just finished his bellowing, the few people left in the classroom were quieter than usual. This ¡°click-clack¡± sounded practically like a burst of thunder in Jiang Cheng¡¯s ears.


    Clickity-boommmmm!


    Clackity-banggggggg!


    Though it might not sound quite as loud in his classmates¡¯ ears, still when it happened, several people turned around.


    Jiang Cheng quickly flipped his phone down to the desk and directed his eyes forward stoically.


    Zhou Jing chose this moment to turn around, ¡°Jiang Cheng, hey, Jiang Cheng are you taking¡­¡­¡±


    Upon reflection, Jiang Cheng realized it was unfortunate that he had overlooked Zhou Jing¡¯s presence. As someone sitting one desk in front of him, not to mention someone who was bored out of his mind, he would cease to be Zhou Jing if he didn¡¯t turn around and ask.


    Jiang Cheng picked up his English textbook and swatted it at Zhou Jing before he could finish his sentence, ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°I!¡± Zhou Jing blinked, his expression shocked.


    ¡°ZHOU JING!¡± Lao-Lu bellowed. ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING! ARE YOU TRYING TO TAKE LESSONS FROM THE HONOUR STUDENT! LET ME CLAP FOR YOU THEN!  COME ON, HOW ABOUT YOU GO STAND BESIDE MR. JIANG THERE AND LEARN FROM HIM!¡±


    Zhou Jing quickly turned back and flopped down on his desk, then began to scribble furiously.


    ¨C you better appreciate this photo, i went through a lot to get it


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t even bear to look too closely at how the selfie turned out before he sent it to Gu Fei. Then he reached into Gu Fei¡¯s desk drawer, took out a piece of chocolate, and tossed it onto Zhou Jing¡¯s desk.


    ¨C Cheng-ge, with this level of skill you really can only take photos of yourself, no one else¡¯s face could stand up to this


    ¨C bootlicker


    A few minutes later, Gu Fei sent him another photo.


    Jiang Cheng only took one look, before he quickly saved the picture into the folder on his phone named ¡°Gu Feifei¡±.


    It was a backlit silhouette of Gu Fei¡¯s profile. He couldn¡¯t see his expression, but against the bright background, Gu Fei¡¯s straight nose, slightly open lips, elegant jaw, and the tiny burst of exposure centered around his lips¡­¡­


    Compared to Gu Fei¡¯s selfie, his own was as unsightly as comparing buyers¡¯ photos to the seller¡¯s photos.


    Though of course, Gu Fei was using a DSLR.


    Come lunchtime, Gu Fei was still out taking photos. He sent a message to report on his progress. Looking at his plan, Jiang Cheng figured he would be lucky to finish by dinnertime.


    Although he couldn¡¯t eat lunch with Gu Fei anyways. Wang Xu had already leapt to his side as soon as the bell rang, ¡°Come on come on let¡¯s go! I sat here for a whole morning just to get two hours of practice in with you at lunch.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it so you could stare at Yi Jing?¡± Jiang Cheng stacked his textbooks together and stood up.


    He had pushed all his study materials and books to Gu Fei¡¯s side. There were probably less than 20 people with a stacked desk like this in the entire school, let alone this classroom.


    He remembered Pan Zhi had once posted a set of pictures in his Friend Circle, lamenting about his tragic senior year of high school, the entirety of which was wasted on studying. Those desks in the classroom were stacked so high with textbooks and notes that it was enough to bury a person. It made Jiang Cheng feel a surge of panic.


    Then looking at Class-8¡¯s classroom, his own desk was especially prominent. A stranger looking in would think all the books in the class were piled onto his desk alone.


    ¡°This is my last opportunity.¡± Wang Xu looked at him. ¡°An overachiever as well as a good looking guy like you probably can¡¯t understand how I feel.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Hurry, I have to study in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, Jiang Cheng,¡± Wang Xu followed him out of the classroom. ¡°Are you planning to toil like this all the way until the University Entrance Exams? There¡¯s still almost a year left. If I was you I¡¯d burn out for sure.¡±


    ¡°Which is why you¡¯re not me.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him.


    There was not much else to work on for the song. Wang Xu had dug out a whole lifetime¡¯s worth of concentration and brainpower for this show off event. He was now able to accurately accompany Jiang Cheng, and even added more lines for himself. Aside from the chords Jiang Cheng gave him, he also added a section of interlude in the middle.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous tomorrow,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°If you¡¯re nervous you¡¯ll make mistakes. If you can¡¯t find the right place to come in when I¡¯m playing this part tomorrow, I¡¯ll give you a look as signal.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°I know where to come in without even listening.¡±


    ¡°Pfft, sure you can.¡± Wang Xu scoffed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to fight me,¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him. ¡°You just have to concede.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Wang Xu didn¡¯t know what else to say after the shit, so he plucked the strings a few times, then looked up and said excitedly. ¡°Hey, let¡¯s get Gu Fei to take some photos of us tomorrow with his high-end camera?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng blinked.


    If Wang Xu hadn¡¯t brought it up, he never would¡¯ve thought about it. Although¡­¡­ To participate on his own in an event Gu Fei didn¡¯t wish to participate in, and furthermore collaborate with someone else, and then get Gu Fei to take pictures?


    It was true that this whole thing started because Gu Fei didn¡¯t want to join, but to ask Gu Fei to take photos¡­¡­it was also true that he couldn¡¯t bring himself to ask.


    ¡°The school would probably have someone take photos, right?¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Look how excited Lao-Xu is, he¡¯ll probably take some pictures too.¡±


    ¡°How can the school¡¯s camera compare to his!¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°Anyway, he only bought that camera to look cool, never did see him having anything to show for it. What a great opportunity for him to bring his camera out for a walk.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­We¡¯ll see,¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it. ¡°For a performance like this, moving media is more interesting than static. You have to combine the music and the performance to show the three dimensionality. The main focus for your showing off shouldn¡¯t be for the photos, it should be the live performance.¡±


    ¡°Ah, really?¡± Wang Xu was a little lost.


    ¡°Yi Jing will be sitting right there in front of the stage,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°But you want to show her photos of it after? She won¡¯t be able to hear it even if she could see. Isn¡¯t it more important that she¡¯s watching you in that moment?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right! She¡¯s gonna be sitting right there watching!¡± Wang Xu slapped his own leg. ¡°Fuck! She¡¯s gonna be sitting right there!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t thought about this?¡± Jiang Cheng felt like he could probably hear some echo if he reached over right now and knocked on Wang Xu¡¯s head.


    ¡°I knew it this whole time, but when you suddenly put it like that,¡± Wang Xu rubbed his leg. ¡°I¡¯m a little nervous. No. A little excited.¡±


    ¡°One more time through, then I have to go study.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    There was no official class scheduled for the afternoon, it was all self-study periods. The teachers sat at the front of the classroom in case anyone wanted to ask questions. Though usually, only Yi Jing and a couple of other students would go up and ask. The teachers were always as lonely as a cloud.


    Jiang Cheng had also gone up a few times to ask questions, but he didn¡¯t today. He was slumped over the desk memorizing passages.


    Half of his brain was memorizing passages, while the other half was lost in a mess of contemplation.


    Yi Jing would sit in the audience and watch Wang Xu put on a performance. A performance that on the surface looked like he gave everything he had just to show off, but was in reality for her eyes only. It was kind of romantic.


    Gu Fei would probably be sitting in the audience as well. Even if he didn¡¯t participate, at the very least he would come watch.


    However, he had no idea with what expression and what emotions would Gu Fei watch him.


    He had never done anything like this before.


    He figured Gu Fei had probably not gone through anything like this either.


    Let it be a memory then. That year, I played the music you wrote. That year, you were my audience.


    ¡°Your performance will be the third one.¡± Lao-Xu showed Jiang Cheng the program. ¡°All the senior students¡¯ performances are scheduled at the beginning. Don¡¯t be nervous, give them a good show!¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng swept his glance briefly over the program. The two performances before them were a chorus and a solo vocalist.


    There was still an hour before the concert was due to start. The auditorium was already set up, and students had started to file in according to their classes.


    Jiang Cheng sat in the classroom and glanced at Wang Xu across the aisle. The performers didn¡¯t need to enter with the audience. They all waited outside the auditorium, and only went to wait backstage when it was almost their turn.


    ¡°Should we be heading over after they¡¯re all inside?¡± Wang Xu asked.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°How¡¯s my clothes?¡± Wang Xu tugged on his T-shirt. The silver dragon sprawled across it was enough to blind Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. He refused to wear matching clothes with Wang Xu, instead opting for the clothes he usually wore: a white T-shirt and jeans. Wang Xu had nagged him for a long time because he thought it was not hip enough.


    ¡°Should we put some makeup on?¡± Wang Xu suddenly asked. ¡°Once the stage lights come on, will it make me look washed out?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± Jiang Cheng answered simply.


    His phone pinged once. He glanced down at it.


    ¨C I¡¯m in the auditorium, when is your act?


    ¨C we¡¯re coming on third


    After replying to Gu Fei¡¯s message, Jiang Cheng stood up and hopped in place a little: ¡°Let¡¯s go, captain.¡±


    The auditorium was already packed with students, and music streamed out of the speakers. Fourth High had no affinity for academics, but never lacked when it came to these things. Jiang Cheng even saw someone testing the track lights on stage.


    ¡°I¡¯m nervous.¡± Wang Xu said.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be when we go on.¡± Jiang Cheng walked to the entrance of the auditorium and looked inside. He didn¡¯t even need a second glance to see Gu Fei sitting in the third row, in the seat nearest to the door.


    Gu Fei also saw him. His mouth curved into a smile in Jiang Cheng¡¯s direction.


    Jiang Cheng stepped back outside. As soon as he turned around, someone got in his face with a camera and snapped a bunch of pictures.


    Next, even the girls beside them waiting to go on stage started to take pictures and videos of him with their phones. He had no choice but to hide behind Wang Xu.


    After the first act started, Jiang Cheng and Wang Xu walked into the auditorium.


    ¡°Oh fucking shit, there¡¯s so many people.¡± Wang Xu said quietly.


    Jiang Cheng glanced toward the audience. It was a dark mass of heads. When he spotted Gu Fei by the door before, he hadn¡¯t noticed that there were so many people inside. Looking at them now, he finally started to feel some pressure.


    He immediately glanced over to Gu Fei¡¯s seat. Gu Fei was aiming his phone in this direction, probably to record a video. Jiang Cheng was a little disappointed at first that the guy didn¡¯t bring his DSLR, but he quickly realized Gu Fei¡¯s camera was in the hands of Yi Jing, who was sitting beside him.


    Yi Jing was very intently taking photos of them.


    Jiang Cheng smiled.


    Gu Fei gave him a thumbs up.


    There were quite a few people backstage. Lao-Xu was also there, talking with the teacher in charge of the sound. Jiang Cheng figured Lao-Xu must have really gotten into it this time. The banner on stage with the huge words ¡°Fourth High Concert¡± was written by Lao-Xu himself, and now he was backstage helping out with every other thing.


    ¡°Xu-zong!¡± As soon as he saw Lao-Xu, Wang Xu lunged at him like he was a dear family member. ¡°I¡¯m nervous.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous don¡¯t be nervous,¡± Lao-Xu patted him. ¡°I¡¯ve listened to you guys practice numerous times, there¡¯s not a single fault to be found. It¡¯s perfect. Just play like you normally do!¡±


    Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t been very nervous at all, but with Wang Xu beside him stressing the point over and over, it made him a little nervous too. He instinctively reached in his pocket for a cigarette, but fortunately there was nothing in there.


    ¡°How¡¯s it going back here?¡± Lao-Lu came out of nowhere and joined them, a staff badge around his neck. ¡°You two are going on third, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    A stupid little school concert has staff badges? And Lao-Lu¡¯s wearing it so obediently too¡­¡­


    He suddenly felt like laughing, and was at once not nervous anymore.


    ¡°Nobody¡¯s ever played piano at our school concert before,¡± Lao-Lu said. ¡°Jiang Cheng here is the first.¡±


    ¡°Well, probably no guitar either huh.¡± Wang Xu felt a little ignored.


    ¡°Nope, there were, quite a few too.¡± Lao-Lu said. Then after a moment of thought he patted Wang Xu¡¯s shoulder. ¡°But this is the first time for piano and guitar.¡±


    Wang Xu grinned, satisfied.


    ¡°I saw Yi Jing with a DSLR just now. How can she only shoot from the audience with such a great camera.¡± Lao-Lu was a little displeased. ¡°When you two go on later I¡¯ll tell her to go on stage and film you from there.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Great idea!¡± Wang Xu was instantly beaming from ear to ear.


    After the chorus of the first act, the two overly dressed up MCs went on and recited a segment of not at all funny jokes, then announced the solo vocalist for the next act.


    A wave of applause and screams sounded from below. It was only then that Jiang Cheng realized the singer was Wild Boar Head.


    As soon as Wild Boar Head opened his mouth, the clapping and screaming started again. Jiang Cheng sighed. If this was the reaction they gave to this level of skill, then once he and Wang Xu go on later¡­¡­tsk tsk.


    ¡°Is Jiang Cheng from your class going to play piano?¡± Another teacher chatted with Lao-Xu on the side.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Lao-Xu answered happily. ¡°Wang Xu¡¯s going to play guitar.¡±


    ¡°Wow, not bad, Jiang Cheng arranged the music too?¡± The teacher looked down at the program.


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± The smile on Lao-Xu¡¯s face was no less bright than Wang Xu¡¯s. He lowered his voice and said to the other teacher. ¡°The music was written by our own Gu Fei.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± The other teacher was surprised. ¡°Kids these days huh, impressive.¡±


    Jiang Cheng frowned and looked in Lao-Xu¡¯s direction, but he and the other teacher had already directed the conversation elsewhere, so Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Hey Jiang Cheng,¡± The MC who had been fixing her makeup in a little mirror on the side called out to him, and smiled as she said. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be performing the act with Gu Fei today.¡±


    ¡°When has Gu Fei ever participated in something like this,¡± Wang Xu cut in. ¡°No one can convince him to.¡±


    ¡°Ayy¡­ I¡¯d love to hear him sing a song or something.¡± The MC¡¯s expression was one of disappointment. She was probably one of Gu Fei¡¯s fangirls from another class, but her makeup was so thick that Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t tell who she was.


    Although, Jiang Cheng wouldn¡¯t have recognized her anyway without the makeup. Even within Class-8, he still had a hard time telling everyone apart.


    Another round of applause rang out from the audience. The Wild Boar Head finished his song.


    ¡°You two get ready,¡± The MC lifted up her skirt and walked toward the stage, all the while reminding them. ¡°Good luck Jiang Cheng!¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Wang Xu asked.


    The MC didn¡¯t have time to answer him as she walked onto the stage.


    ¡°The shit?¡± Wang Xu was a little unhappy.


    ¡°Good luck.¡± Jiang Cheng patted Wang Xu¡¯s arm, and gestured to the side with his chin. ¡°Yi Jing¡¯s here.¡±


    Wang Xu turned and saw Yi Jing coming in from the side door to backstage, holding the camera. He suddenly hopped in place, ¡°Jiang Cheng, you better not drag me down later.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    The MC prattled off a bunch of useless words on stage before announcing the next act, ¡°Next up we have a very special performance, a format that¡¯s never been done at our school before, a duet of piano and guitar. Is everyone excited to hear what that sounds like?¡±


    Jiang Cheng sighed. He felt like telling her that piano and guitar was an extremely common standard combination that could be seen practically everywhere.


    The applause and cheering was clearly much more enthusiastic than when Wild Boar Head went on stage earlier. This pleased him.


    ¡°Then let us enjoy the performance together! Coming from Class-8: ¡®Sa Ye¡¯; piano and arrangement by Jiang Cheng; guitar by Wang Xu¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and focused his mind.


    Amidst the nonstop applause and whistles, the MC added, ¡°Composer: Gu Fei.¡±


    At first the auditorium was a little quiet, then came a wild burst of applause and screams that was enough to take the roof off.


    Jiang Cheng snapped open his eyes. He stared in a daze for a second before grabbing the program on a table beside him.


    Arrangement and piano: Jiang Cheng.


    Guitar: Wang Xu.


    There wasn¡¯t a third line.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on!¡± Jiang Cheng turned to glare at Lao-Xu, and asked in a lowered voice.


    Lao-Xu was also caught off guard, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Cheng,¡± Wang Xu tugged at him. ¡°We have to go.¡±


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t tell how he felt at this moment. When he passed by the MC and saw the smile on her face, Jiang Cheng had an urge to hit a girl for the first time in his life.


    He didn¡¯t know the reason behind Gu Fei¡¯s refusal to participate in the concert, but Gu Fei probably wouldn¡¯t mind if he played his song. However, now with the sudden addition of composer Gu Fei¡­¡­


    The uncertainty and unease in his heart made his hands cold. He had no idea how Gu Fei would react to something like this.


    When he followed Wang Xu onto the stage, he couldn¡¯t bother to pay attention to the intensity of the audience¡¯s enthusiasm. He swiftly shot a glance over to Gu Fei¡¯s seat.


    Then it was like his whole body sank abruptly in dread.


    The seat was empty. Gu Fei had left.

 CH 88

    ¡°Cheng-ge, you know how it feels to be out of place here, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Two beams of tracking spotlights shone down on Jiang Cheng and Wang Xu, so bright that it made it difficult to see anything around them. Jiang Cheng could feel the warmth of the light, so hot it almost burned.


    It took Jiang Cheng only five or six steps to walk from the edge to the center of the stage, but beads of sweat were already emerging from his temples.


    It was cold sweat.


    The applause, cheers, and screams from below excited Wang Xu. In a swathe of dizzying bright light, Jiang Cheng could see that Wang Xu¡¯s steps were light.


    He walked to the piano with his back to the audience. He didn¡¯t dare look back. In the span of one second his mind went through a whole quest of ice and fire, from heaven to earth, and to deep under the ground. He couldn¡¯t even feel his own brain.


    His fingertips were a little cold and numb. But it wasn¡¯t just his fingers. His whole arm felt stiff and weak. When he sat down at the piano bench, he almost couldn¡¯t lift the lid up.


    In that instant, his peripheral vision was forcefully shut down, leaving only a circle of blinding light around him, as though blocking out all other sights and sounds.


    He couldn¡¯t see, and he couldn¡¯t hear.


    The only thing remaining in his mind was the empty seat he just saw.


    Gu Fei was not in his seat.


    It was not a trick of light. There were still lots of people walking about and standing in the aisles, but to him, even if there was only a corner of Gu Fei¡¯s clothing, he¡¯d be able to see it. He¡¯d be able to tell.


    Gu Fei wasn¡¯t in the auditorium anymore.


    He couldn¡¯t tell what exactly he felt at this moment. His mind was in such a jumble that he had no way to guess or make judgment. Nor was he capable of forming any kind of thought.


    As he stared in a daze at the black and white keys before him, it seemed like everything else around him was stirred into a puddle of chaos by that empty seat.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng,¡± He heard Wang Xu¡¯s voice. ¡°Jiang Cheng! Fuck! Are you okay, Jiang Cheng? What¡¯s wrong! Jiang Cheng?¡±


    He lifted his gaze finally, and saw Wang Xu¡¯s anxious face above the piano, ¡°Are you not feeling well?¡±


    ¡°Nah.¡± Jiang Cheng sucked in a breath, and the surrounding environment slowly became clearer. He could see outlines of things, and the sounds in his ears suddenly grew louder.


    The clapping had already stopped; the remaining cheers were also sparse. There were only the sounds of whistling that popped up every so often.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t feel well we can switch with the next act,¡± Wang Xu said quietly, unconvinced. ¡°You don¡¯t look that good. Is it nerves?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a smile. ¡°Get ready.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Wang Xu adjusted his guitar, and swept his fingers gently over the strings.


    With these notes, the mood in the audience was lifted once again.


    Gu Fei was no longer there. Jiang Cheng did not know why, nor did he know where Gu Fei was. He wondered if Gu Fei could hear him, or whether he still wished to hear him.


    Jiang Cheng took a deep breath. He could think about that later. He was the one who chose to participate in the concert. He chose Gu Fei¡¯s song. He chose to let Lao-Xu know.


    And as for whether the MC heard it when Lao-Xu was quietly showing off to the other teacher, or why she saw fit to make that addition to the credits, it was no longer important.


    All this already happened. There was no point now in feeling annoyed, panicked, or disoriented.


    I¡¯m still sitting here, he thought. Facing the music that couldn¡¯t be more familiar to him if he tried. He wanted Gu Fei to hear it, but he also wanted himself to hear it.


    He rarely thought about ¡°if¡±s and ¡°what if¡±s. But once the ¡°if¡± and ¡°what if¡± were in front of him, he still would rather charge right on ahead without thinking too much.


    Jiang Cheng rubbed his hands together, then shook them out. The sounds of quiet laughter rang out from the crowd below.


    He turned and swept his eyes over the audience, curled his lips up in a smile, then lifted his hands and set them on the keys. As the first note sounded beneath his fingers, everyone suddenly went quiet.


    All the way until Wang Xu joined in on his guitar three bars later, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t look down at the piano, instead he gazed out at the audience below. He listened to their applause as they suddenly seemed to wake up from their trance just as the guitar chords started harmonizing.


    During the guitar interlude, he turned back and looked down at his fingers. There were no other sounds in his ears but the guitar strings.


    Wang Xu must be playing above his usual skill level. Jiang Cheng glanced at Yi Jing, who had already stepped onto the stage and was taking photos of them with the camera. Wang Xu took a couple steps toward her with the guitar. Jiang Cheng figured his expression must be as dazzling as the silver dragon on his shirt.


    After a well-executed glissando, the piano joined in once again.


    Another wave of applause and cheers rang out from the audience.


    Jiang Cheng smiled to himself. What would his mom feel if she found out that her so-called elegant and graceful piano music was being engulfed in such racket.


    He however, felt sufficiently at ease now.


    In this moment, the instrument he didn¡¯t much care for, was producing music he liked very much, written by the person he liked very much. The piano that used to bring him such anguish and weariness, for the first time was bringing him a joyful experience.


    Except.


    Where did you go, you asshole.


    You¡¯ve never heard me play the piano.


    I haven¡¯t played the piano for ages. I thought I¡¯d never play it again.


    This song was for you. But you ran away.


    The duet concluded as Wang Xu swept his fingers gently over the strings. Jiang Cheng closed the lid on the piano and stood up, then bowed to the audience.


    ¡°JIANG CHENG I LOVE YOU¡ª¡ª¡± Screamed a girl in the crowd.


    Jiang Cheng turned and walked off the stage as the noise from the audience started swelling up even more.


    Even the teachers and students backstage were clapping.


    ¡°BRAVO! THAT WAS STUPENDOUS! THAT WAS THE BEST PERFORMANCE IN FOURTH HIGH HISTORY!¡± Lao-Lu boomed in his thunderous voice as he clapped.


    Lao-Xu didn¡¯t say anything. He only nodded forcefully when Jiang Cheng glanced toward him. There were tears in his eyes.


    Jiang Cheng sighed a little helplessly, ¡°I¡¯m¡­¡­gonna go to the washroom.¡±


    ¡°So?!¡± Wang Xu asked ecstatically of Yi Jing, who followed them off stage. ¡°What did you think!¡±


    ¡°It really was amazing.¡± Yi Jing smiled and said.


    When Jiang Cheng came out of the stage door, it caused a small commotion among the students who were sitting near the exit. Several of them raised their phone at him.


    He bowed his head and walked briskly out of the auditorium.


    There were still quite a few students waiting outside for their turn to perform. When he stepped outside, he was surrounded once again by a small crowd.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng,¡± Someone called out to him. ¡°Did Gu Fei really write the music? That¡¯s hella impressive!¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer, nor did he look in the direction of the voice. He walked along the outside of the auditorium and quickly turned a corner, leaving the astonishment and discussion behind.


    His already somewhat calm emotions were abruptly thrown into a lurch again by those words.


    The panic and unease that he had temporarily pushed down, the tiniest trace of incomprehension, and the anger repressed in the vague echoes of irritation; all of that was now swirling up slowly and spreading through him.


    He didn¡¯t need to go to the washroom, but he still went to the washroom.


    His hand was stuffed in his pocket the whole way, clutching his phone, but not pulling it out. There were no students on the field. He only saw a janitor walking past the edge of the field as he approached the washroom.


    Jiang Cheng only realized once he was inside and took his hand out of his pocket, that his palm was covered with sweat.


    He stood in front of the urinal for a while, and waited intently for the urge to pee.


    It didn¡¯t come.


    There was only the disorientation and unease that was slowly transforming into anger.


    He turned and walked out of the washroom, and glanced at his phone again.


    Just as he expected, there was no message from Gu Fei. There was no unread message and no missed calls. No sign of notifications that could¡¯ve come in earlier that he might¡¯ve missed in the middle of all the ruckus.


    In that instant all of his feelings toward Gu Fei turned into fury.


    He sat down on a stone bench nearby, and took out his phone to call Gu Fei.


    The million times dog-fucker!


    If there¡¯s a problem then just let it out! We can argue or throw fists, but what is this missing persons business!


    He only just pulled up Gu Fei¡¯s number to dial, when he spotted in his newly recovered peripheral vision someone walking this way. His finger trembled a little above the phone screen, and stopped.


    It was Gu Fei.


    He had been dead set on having it out with Gu Fei. What he had done wrong, what Gu Fei was mad about; they could let it all out face to face. At worst they¡¯ll beat each other up.


    But now that Gu Fei had suddenly appeared like this, he immediately felt another wave of nerves.


    What to say?


    How to say it?


    Who¡¯s going to start?


    All of the questions that had been scattered earlier by irritation and anger were all settling back into place, clumping together in his throat like a ball of twine. He almost had to cough to clear his throat.


    ¡°Cheng-ge.¡± Gu Fei walked up and stopped beside him.


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Jiang Cheng turned his phone in his hand and didn¡¯t move, only stared at the weed growing out of the crack in the concrete in front of him.


    ¡°Shall we talk?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Whatever.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°If you want to talk we¡¯ll talk. If not then just let it be.¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk.¡±


    Jiang Cheng put his phone back in his pocket and stood up. He didn¡¯t look at Gu Fei as he walked right out of the back gates of the school.


    Gu Fei¡¯s footsteps were right behind him, but there it stayed. He didn¡¯t catch up and walk beside Jiang Cheng like he always did.


    At this time of day, the restaurant street behind the school wasn¡¯t at its busiest. Only a few stalls had propped up their stands, with the owners lounging languidly on chairs.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know where to go, only walked absentmindedly along the street. When he stepped onto the sun softened black asphalt road, he could no longer hear the footsteps behind him.


    He turned his head ever so slightly backward. Gu Fei quickly caught up to him and walked on his left.


    Thus they walked aimlessly all the way to the bridge. Jiang Cheng hesitated for a second, before turning onto the dirt path by the bridge that led to the river. They walked for a stretch on the uneven ground with a view of the dried up riverbed, before he stopped.


    ¡°What did I do to you?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Fei.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me you were going to play my song?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± Jiang Cheng knitted his brows into a knot. ¡°Then I will apologize to you, I didn¡¯t think¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei cut him off. ¡°It¡¯s not that. You can play it, change it, do whatever you want with it, but next time¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at him.


    He couldn¡¯t see any emotion on Gu Fei¡¯s face. The guy was always like that. No matter what anybody said, as long as he was not willing, it was difficult to get any information from his facial expressions. From his eyes.


    ¡°Next time don¡¯t say my name.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°What the hell kind of next time can there possibly be?¡± Jiang Cheng leaned back against a tree, but immediately felt something on the trunk poking him in the back. It was sharp, and it hurt. He straightened up right away. The pain made it a little hard for him to keep his temper. ¡°Next when? Bro, we¡¯re in our third year of high school. This is the only time. You think I have a lot of free time? You think I have more shows lined up?!¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything, only let out a soft sigh.


    Jiang Cheng glared at him for a long time before circling back and realizing the key point in what he said. He had a feeling when he heard the MC announce Gu Fei¡¯s name, but hearing Gu Fei say it out loud himself, he still couldn¡¯t make sense of it, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with saying your name? What, you¡¯re not willing to participate in events, and now you can¡¯t have your name said aloud either?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Nor is it¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°First of all,¡± Jiang Cheng took a step forward and stared directly into Gu Fei¡¯s eyes. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for using your song without telling you first. Second of all, I didn¡¯t tell them to say the words ¡®composer Gu Fei¡¯. Only mine and Wang Xu¡¯s names are listed on the program. Third of all, it¡¯s my fault that I didn¡¯t follow up and tell Lao-Xu not to spread it around when he guessed that the composer was you.¡±


    Gu Fei looked back at him without a word.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re like this. I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know why you can¡¯t participate in these things. I don¡¯t know why you have to keep everybody at arm¡¯s length. I don¡¯t know why you always have to linger at the fringe of a normal school life!¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice gradually grew louder. All the incomprehension and distress he¡¯d been bottling up as a result of Gu Fei¡¯s continued strange conduct were slowly blowing up. ¡°So I¡¯m sorry! I shouldn¡¯t have imagined that I could go on stage with you! I¡¯m sorry! I shouldn¡¯t have single mindedly tried to give you a surprise when you didn¡¯t want it at all! I¡¯m sorry! Is that enough? I am sorry Gu Fei! I¡¯m too fucking stupid to know what you want!¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei frowned. He reached out and grabbed hold of Jiang Cheng¡¯s arm. ¡°Hold on, don¡¯t get angry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me!¡± Jiang Cheng shouted and shook off his hand. ¡°I told you, if you fucking have a problem then just tell me! If you don¡¯t want to tell me then don¡¯t let me find out! These two are the only options! If that doesn¡¯t work for you then just fucking forget it!¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m pretty awesome, that I¡¯m pretty exceptional, that I¡¯m better than most people around here?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so shameless!¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°A few words of flattery to your face and you fucking believed it! You just have a prettier-than-most face and long legs, that¡¯s all!¡±


    Gu Fei sighed. He turned around and pulled out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, then crouched down facing the riverbed.


    Jiang Cheng stared at his back for a long time, then eventually added, ¡°Yes. I think you¡¯re very exceptional, talented, and smart. Not only me, Lao-Xu thinks so too.¡±


    ¡°So what?¡± Gu Fei asked around the cigarette in his mouth.


    ¡°What do you mean so what? So, what?¡± Jiang Cheng asked, a little annoyed.


    ¡°I¡¯m exceptional, talented, and smart.¡± Gu Fei cocked his head. ¡°So what?¡±


    ¡°FUCK YOUR SO WHAT!¡± Jiang Cheng exploded. ¡°I just want people to know that you¡¯re more than what you seem, that you¡¯re different from those Steel Works scum! I just want you to know! You¡¯re different from anyone I¡¯ve met since I came here! You¡¯re ten thousand times better than them!¡±


    ¡°AND THEN WHAT!¡± Gu Fei also boomed. He stood and walked up to Jiang Cheng, so that they were face to face, staring at each other. ¡°And then what? Cheng-ge, and then what? Do you know what kind of life I¡¯ve been living? Do you know the kind of life I¡¯ve been leading ever since I can remember? Do you know?!!¡±


    Jiang Cheng was a little shook by the yelling. If he recalled correctly, this was the first time Gu Fei had lost control like this. It was the first time Gu Fei yelled at him, and at such a close range too. He was almost a little dazed from the impact.


    ¡°What exactly did you want me to know? How great I am, how exceptional? Let everybody know how smart, how talented I am? And then what?¡± Gu Fei lowered his voice. ¡°Cheng-ge, you know how it feels to be out of place here, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at him.


    ¡°If I¡¯m asleep, then I won¡¯t know anything.¡± There was a very small tremor in Gu Fei¡¯s voice. ¡°Why do you have to wake me up? You can leave. You must leave. But what about me?¡±


    Jiang Cheng felt like it was suddenly a little difficult to breathe. He wanted to say something, but couldn¡¯t get a word out.


    How does it feel to be out of place here?


    After getting off the train, he had felt it from the very first step he took out of the station.


    That sense of hopelessness, the gloomy bleakness that filled his vision. Even now he remembered it clearly.


    It was also the reason why he had to leave no matter how hard he had to fight for it.


    ¡°What about me? Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei said quietly. ¡°I¡¯m right here. I¡¯m bound here by shackles. Who knows when I can take them off, maybe never. And so I have to stay awake and watch with my eyes open?  I¡¯ll want for more, I¡¯ll feel pain, do you understand?¡±


    Still Jiang Cheng stared at him.


    ¡°I know I could not live like those people, but right now it¡¯s all I can do.¡± Gu Fei squatted back down by the riverbank, and lit another cigarette. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to tell you all this. I figured if we¡¯re dating, I just want you to be happy. To keep it simple. There¡¯s no need to talk about all these things we can¡¯t change and then sit here and sulk together.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything. He reached in his pocket but didn¡¯t find a cigarette. He didn¡¯t keep any cigarettes on him since he was going on stage today.


    Gu Fei reached back and handed him a lighter and a pack.


    Jiang Cheng paused, then walked over and took it. He lit one and put it in his mouth, looking at the smoke drifting up before his eyes. A few tendrils rose, twisted left and right in the wind like they were dancing, before quickly fading into nothing, turning from a faint blue into the invisible colour of the wind.


    All this about Gu Fei, were things he had never considered.


    Jiang Cheng always thought that Gu Fei was like an eagle tied up and forced to stand on a thin chain, but never considered that Gu Fei had thought so as well. And so he decided to close his eyes, bury his head, and throw away any thoughts other than what was necessary to keep his balance.


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t make sense of his emotions at the moment. There was a giant knot in his stomach. He suddenly felt regret.


    Although¡­¡­


    It was only at this moment, after hearing these words from Gu Fei, that he suddenly found an answer to his confusion from their long-distance discussion the other day. When he sensed that something was wrong that he couldn¡¯t quite put a finger on.


    It would seem that Gu Fei did not have the will to fight.


    ¡°Is it Gu Miao,¡± Jiang Cheng squatted down behind Gu Fei. ¡°And your mom¡­¡­ No, it¡¯s mainly Gu Miao, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei replied.


    ¡°Have you tried?¡± Jiang Cheng bit his lips. He didn¡¯t know how to accurately express himself. ¡°To have her accept changes more gradually, a little at a time. Isn¡¯t she going to those rehab classes already? You can try to¡­¡­ Maybe she just can¡¯t accept changes to her own things, maybe¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei snubbed out his cigarette and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng blinked, but rose with him just the same.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything else, so he also remained silent.


    Gu Fei led him back to his home. Only when the door opened did Jiang Cheng snap out of the gloomy mood and squeezed out a smile at Gu Miao, who was sitting on the living room sofa drawing a picture, ¡°Er-miao.¡±


    Gu Miao seemed very happy to see him. She held up the drawing in her hand and waved it at him.


    ¡°Let me see,¡± Jiang Cheng walked over and sat down beside her, looking at the paper in her hand. ¡°Bunnies huh?¡±


    They were drawings of bunnies. A lot of them. Almost filling up the entire page. Every single one of them was green, just like Gu Fei¡¯s display icon.


    Gu Miao grabbed another piece of paper and continued to draw. She persisted on using green, and drew the same bunny over and over again. It was clear that she was very practiced at it. The bunnies emerged one by one from the paper, and soon the page was full.


    Jiang Cheng watched her concentrated expression, and didn¡¯t know what to say.


    ¡°Er-Miao,¡± Gu Fei walked over and crouched down in front of her. ¡°Brother wants to discuss something with you.¡±


    Still holding the pencil, Gu Miao glanced at him as she continued to draw, and quickly returned her gaze to the tip of the pencil.


    ¡°Er-Miao, look at your brother.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Brother has something to discuss with you.¡±


    Gu Miao paused, stilled her hand, then turned to look at him.


    ¡°Tonight,¡± Gu Fei spoke very slowly. ¡°Would it be alright if you sleep in mommy¡¯s bed?¡±


    Gu Miao didn¡¯t react.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be sleeping in your own bed tonight, or the sofa in brother¡¯s room.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You will sleep, in the bed in mommy¡¯s room.¡±


    Gu Miao still didn¡¯t react. Just as Jiang Cheng thought that maybe she didn¡¯t understand Gu Fei¡¯s words, she started to scream.


    The sharp sound pierced through the silence, and cut through Jiang Cheng¡¯s eardrums like the tip of a knife.


    Jiang Cheng felt like he couldn¡¯t breathe. The waves of enormous yet formless pressure generated by the scream made him want to cover Gu Miao¡¯s mouth with his hand.


    Gu Fei watched Gu Miao quietly. After a while, he finally took a deep breath and started speaking softly to her.


    Jiang Cheng could hardly hear what Gu Fei was saying. He only felt a sense of suffocation. In his heart, in his head, and even in his ears.


    When Gu Miao finally stopped screaming, Jiang Cheng had a strong urge to let out a few roars himself.


    ¡°I tried, Cheng-ge.¡± Gu Fei held his hand, his voice low. ¡°But it¡¯s been years, and nothing¡¯s changed. She was born and raised here. Her accepted range goes only as far as the train station. That¡¯s how far she¡¯ll go on her skateboard. Her sleeping range is right here. Her bed. The sofa in my room. You can narrow her range of movement, but you can¡¯t make her leave it.¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at him and couldn¡¯t get out a single word.


    ¡°That rehab class, it doesn¡¯t come cheap. I can¡¯t afford to take her there long term, so I don¡¯t know how much longer it will be until we can see improvement. One year, two, three to five years, or ten to twenty.¡± Gu Fei¡¯s hand started to tremble ever so slightly. ¡°Or forever. I don¡¯t dare to think about it, I can¡¯t think about it. All I can do is put my head down and keep going. I don¡¯t know how much further it is until hope.¡±


    Jiang Cheng closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Gu Fei, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Gu Fei. I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    Gu Fei held onto Jiang Cheng¡¯s waist and put his cheek against his chest.


    In the still air, in the midst of the scratching of Gu Miao¡¯s pencil against paper, Jiang Cheng heard a very low muffled cry.

 CH 89

    I want you on my left shoulder, a smile on my right


    This was the first time Jiang Cheng had seen Gu Fei cry.


    First time hearing the sobs, feeling the slight tremble of his body. Jiang Cheng¡¯s chest felt warm from Gu Fei¡¯s tears.


    Jiang Cheng had always thought of himself as a pretty strong person. Since moving here, he would reflect after every occasion of tear shedding. Ah, crying again are we. Why are you crying again you sissy.


    He always assumed that Gu Fei was stronger than him. Or rather, he thought that in certain areas, Gu Fei simply didn¡¯t feel as intensely as he did, that he was more ¡®detached¡¯. In his subconscious mind, he had never made the connection between Gu Fei and tears.


    But now, this person he thought was strong to the point of being detached, this mini tyrant of the Steel Works, this troublemaker that no one in the school dared provoke, this Good Little Bunny who took beautiful photos, kept candy in his pockets, who would act cute, seek attention, and say ¡°Cheng-ge I was wrong¡±, was burying his face in Jiang Cheng¡¯s chest.


    Crying.


    What started out as repressed sobs slowly became a kind of guttural wailing, heartwrenching, as though he was venting his grievances.


    Jiang Cheng had never before seen Gu Fei like this, nor had he ever expected to see Gu Fei like this. His mind was a tangled mess. He had no idea how he could console him, and at the same time didn¡¯t wish to console him.


    When Gu Fei was like this, he probably didn¡¯t need consoling. No matter how well executed the consolation was, it would probably be useless to him.


    Jiang Cheng only needed to be there, and listen.


    Gu Miao, who had been drawing bunnies on the side, had stopped at some point to quietly watch Gu Fei. With her brows knitted and a pencil in her hand, she watched him with a calm expression.


    Her expression reminded Jiang Cheng of the time when he and Gu Fei brawled on the street, and of the time when Gu Fei flung a man into a tree. Each time Gu Miao had worn a calm expression, as though she didn¡¯t understand what was happening.


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t tell what she was thinking, or whether she was thinking. He wondered if she could feel Gu Fei¡¯s pain.


    He bent down and kissed the top of Gu Fei¡¯s head, pressing his lips against the newly grown stubbles.


    What happened today was entirely out of his expectations. He felt a little regret.


    Yet at the same time he was glad.


    If he never heard Gu Fei utter those words today, would he ever find out how Gu Fei really felt? Would his resignation and despair remain a secret forever?


    And if¡­¡­ if there really comes a day when they break up, would he then never know that the person who had taken up such an important place in the confusing years of his youth, had such a secret buried deep in his heart.


    He bent down again and nuzzled his nose against the top of Gu Fei¡¯s head.


    ¡°Does it not feel scratchy?¡± Gu Fei asked in a muffled voice against Jiang Cheng¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng blinked. The nasal tone in Gu Fei¡¯s voice sounded heartwrenching.


    ¡°My hair, it feels scratchy even to me.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°A little.¡± Jiang Cheng stroked the hair on his head. ¡°Are you planning on not growing it out again? How many times have you shaved it now¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I look very handsome like this.¡± Gu Fei rubbed his cheek against Jiang Cheng¡¯s shirt.


    ¡°¡­¡­Are you using my shirt to wipe your face?¡± Jiang Cheng looked down at him.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei paused, then slowly moved downward. ¡°If that¡¯s not allowed, I¡¯ll use your pants instead.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Jiang Cheng jumped and shot a glance in Gu Miao¡¯s direction. Gu Miao was still staring blankly at them. He hurried to drag Gu Fei up by his collar. ¡°Your little sister is watching!¡±


    Gu Fei stopped, his face still pressed against Jiang Cheng¡¯s belly. He reached out a hand and flicked his fingers against Gu Miao¡¯s paper, and Gu Miao put her head down and started drawing bunnies again.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna go¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei braced a hand on the sofa and stood up, then bent down to look at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Wash my face.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    There were still traces of tears on Gu Fei¡¯s face. His still wet eyelashes were stuck together in little clumps. The way he looked made Jiang Cheng¡¯s heart suddenly soften. It ached for Gu Fei.


    ¡°You have such long lashes.¡± He said.


    ¡°You also have really long lashes.¡± Gu Fei smiled, then leaned in and kissed Jiang Cheng¡¯s forehead. ¡°Is that what you¡¯re waiting for?¡±


    ¡°Get out.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei went to wash his face. Jiang Cheng turned and looked at Gu Miao, who was close to filling up the second piece of paper with drawings of bunnies, so he got out another page for her.


    It was very quiet in the living room. Jiang Cheng tilted his head up and leaned back on the sofa. His heart felt a little heavy, but strangely clear. It was a feeling like he had lived through a serious cold, suffered stuffy nose for a whole week, then was finally able to breathe again.


    Gu Fei did not hide from his view. He showed his tear streaked face in front of Jiang Cheng without any reservation. He liked Gu Fei like this.


    There might be parts of me that I don¡¯t wish for you to see, but if I do decide to show you, there will be no holding back.


    Jiang Cheng stood up and walked into the bathroom. Gu Fei had wrapped a towel around some ice cubes, and was currently pressing it against his eyes. Jiang Cheng walked right up to Gu Fei and hugged him from behind, ¡°Are your eyes puffy?¡±


    ¡°A little, it¡¯s not too bad.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It¡¯ll probably be back to normal in 15 minutes.¡±


    ¡°I was worried just now that you¡¯ll frighten Gu Miao.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°She can¡¯t sense other people¡¯s emotions.¡±


    ¡°Ah, is that right.¡± Jiang Cheng let out a soft sigh. ¡°I can¡­¡­sense it.¡±


    ¡°Then did I frighten you?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I just ached for you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing much really.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Some things you just have to shut the door and brood on it yourself. Once you step out into the world, nobody knows how much misfortunes and dissatisfactions anyone else is harbouring, everyone just looks the same kind of miserable.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer. He leaned down and bit Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°When did you memorize the music?¡± Gu Fei asked as he continued to ice his eyes.


    ¡°What music?¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t realize what he was talking about for a second.


    ¡°The song you played today.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Oh, when I listened to it last time, I memorized most of it then.¡± Jiang Cheng said. He felt another wave of complicated emotions at the mention of the song. He was sorry that Gu Fei didn¡¯t get to hear it. But if it wasn¡¯t for this complication, he and Gu Fei wouldn¡¯t have talked it out like this. ¡°I couldn¡¯t remember all of it, so I changed some stuff.¡±


    ¡°It sounded really good, better than the original version.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng lifted up his head in shock, and looked at Gu Fei through the reflection in the mirror. ¡°You heard it? Didn¡¯t you leave? I didn¡¯t see you when I went on stage!¡±


    ¡°I left after.¡± Gu Fei started to ice his other eye. ¡°It¡¯s not like the auditorium is soundproof. I listened to the whole thing outside the window at the back of the building.¡±


    ¡°Fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng said, then kept his mouth open and didn¡¯t know what else to say, so he repeated again. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    ¡°Though I didn¡¯t hear it very clearly,¡± Gu Fei turned to face him, leaning back against the sink. ¡°The school¡¯s speaker system isn¡¯t the best.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng was still speechless.


    ¡°Here Cheng-ge, hold the ice for me.¡± Gu Fei handed the towel with ice cubes to him.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng took it and pressed the towel against Gu Fei¡¯s eye.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t written very well, I was still young then.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It was just for fun.¡±


    ¡°Are you spewing bullshit good sir?¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°How subtle of you.¡±


    Gu Fei started laughing, ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡±


    ¡°In the eyes of those of us without a musical gift, what you just said is a solid eight and a half pounds of braggy bullshit, sir.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°A little more civility please.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Eight and a half pounds of bull-beeeep.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei curved his lips, leaned over, and kissed the tip of Jiang Cheng¡¯s nose, ¡°Were you really angry today?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not so much anger,¡± Jiang Cheng removed the towel and wrung it out. ¡°But you know with my temper, sometimes I just can¡¯t keep it in. At the time all I thought was, if you¡¯re angry, or unhappy, or annoyed, then at least let me know. Even if you were to come and curse me out and say, Jiang Cheng you¡¯re a fucking dumbass or something, or fight it out, then at least I would know what¡¯s going on, you know¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t answer as he leaned in and kissed him.


    Jiang Cheng stilled for a moment. When Gu Fei¡¯s tongue swept across his teeth, he finally snapped out of it and pulled Gu Fei tight, tangling their two bodies together.


    As though they were two enemies meeting, and couldn¡¯t wait to get all up in each other¡¯s business. Their tongues battled for dominance. All at once, back and forth, it was hard to tell who had the upper hand.


    Jiang Cheng thought he must¡¯ve seemed extremely thirsty, like he couldn¡¯t wait to knead Gu Fei into dough to squeeze tightly into his embrace, or give him bite after bite, leaving behind a teeth-mark every time.


    Gu Fei probably had similar thoughts. After pushing Jiang Cheng to the wall, he nibbled his way from Jiang Cheng¡¯s earlobe to his shoulder, toward the end of which Jiang Cheng finally couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and bit down on Gu Fei¡¯s arm, before Gu Fei could do the same to him.


    ¡°You¡¯re a damn dog!¡± Gu Fei squeezed Jiang Cheng¡¯s jaw. ¡°Let go!¡±


    Jiang Cheng let go, leaned back against the wall, and tilted his head up as he let out a long breath, then closed his eyes.


    When the two of them got back to the living room, Gu Miao had already finished filling another page with bunnies. She was now reading from a picture book.


    Jiang Cheng truly couldn¡¯t understand what the kid was thinking. There were so many pictures in the picture book, ones of bunnies, as well as of puppies, chickadees, birds, kittens, and little pigs. She was happily reading along to all of it, but only liked to draw bunnies.


    ¡°Here, you can change into this.¡± Gu Fei handed Jiang Cheng one of his own T-shirts.


    Jiang Cheng went into the bedroom and changed, ¡°Are you going out to take photos? I thought Yi Jing has your camera?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, she¡¯s going to bring it back to the store.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I won¡¯t take any more today though, the light¡¯s not good at this time.¡±


    ¡°You seem keen on ignoring her normally, why does it feel like you¡¯re suddenly pretty familiar?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s the class leader after all,¡± Gu Fei glanced at him. ¡°Lao-Xu used to set her up to tutor me.¡±


    At the mention of Lao-Xu, Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue, ¡°I really should¡¯ve followed up with Lao-Xu and told him not to spread it around.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s not his fault,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°He¡¯s just like that. Besides, how can anyone possibly understand.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡­what are you going to do?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°Everyone knows now.¡±


    ¡°If they know, they know,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°When the gears of destiny start to turn, there¡¯s no telling when they¡¯re going to ¡®click¡¯ and hit some kind of switch, like you for example.¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you brought in by the gear?¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°Come on, I¡¯ll take you somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    Gu Fei was already back to his usual self. Whether it was in the way he talked or his expressions, there was no trace of what happened before. No trace of the fact that just moments ago, on the sofa, he had bawled with such intensity.


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t tell if he really was okay, or if it was the years of experience that allowed him to quickly recover, in order to maintain balance.


    ¡°The Steel Works.¡± Gu Fei opened his closet.


    ¡°Why are we going to the Steel Works?¡± Jiang Cheng was surprised. It had been a long time since the two of them went to the Steel Works. Ever since he rented an apartment, that had become their most private space. ¡°If you want¡­¡­to, can¡¯t we just go to my place?¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei laughed as he held onto the closet door. ¡°Can we be serious for a second? What does the overachiever keep in his head all day long?¡±


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t get out a word. He stared at Gu Fei for a long time, then finally waved his hand and turned back to the living room, sat on the sofa and read a picture book with Gu Miao.


    Gu Fei followed him out. Jiang Cheng took one glance at him and was taken aback.


    Gu Fei was carrying a guitar bag.


    ¡°What¡¯s¡­¡­that?¡± Jiang Cheng asked instinctively. He never expected Gu Fei to suddenly come out with a guitar.


    ¡°A cello.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Bullshit!¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Why would you ask then, like you¡¯ve never seen a guitar before.¡± Gu Fei walked up to the sofa, reached his hand in front of Gu Miao, and snapped his fingers. When Gu Miao looked up at him, he said in a soft voice, ¡°Brother has to go out. If you want to skateboard outside, remember to text first.¡±


    Gu Miao nodded.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Jiang Cheng followed Gu Fei, but it wasn¡¯t until they were downstairs did he suddenly realize, Gu Fei is going to play the guitar?


    Going to the Steel Works, to play guitar?


    It wasn¡¯t very far, so Gu Fei didn¡¯t take the bike, only walked toward the Steel Works with the guitar strapped on his back. Jiang Cheng walked beside him, his eyes glued to Gu Fei the whole way.


    He had seen Gu Fei wearing a helmet on a motorcycle; had seen Gu Fei on a bicycle with Gu Miao in tow on a skateboard; had seen Gu Fei playing basketball; had seen Gu Fei with a camera; had seen Gu Fei clad in all black jumping between buildings in the glow of a bonfire¡­¡­


    He had also seen Gu Fei crying.


    But Gu Fei was surprising him yet again. He knew that Gu Fei had been in a band before, knew that Gu Fei played the guitar, but seeing Gu Fei walking in the sun with a guitar strapped to his back still gave him a thrill.


    What was he thrilled about?


    No idea.


    Just, thrilled.


    Every step he took, he wanted to turn and look at Gu Fei.


    The Steel Works covered a large area. Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t been there very many times, so he never did get to see the whole place. Gu Fei led them down a path he had never been on before, like he was unlocking a new area of the map.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to the room?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Who knows if there¡¯s any lecherous boy on girl or boy on boy action going on there.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer. The boy on boy probably meant Li Yan, but when he remembered the lewd activities they themselves had conducted there, he figured Gu Fei¡¯s skin was all too thick. How dare he call someone else lecherous.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been around here before.¡± Jiang Cheng said by way of changing the subject.


    ¡°I don¡¯t come around here often either.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°The buildings around this area are mostly torn down, and if not, then they¡¯re usually unsafe structures. There¡¯s no point in coming here.¡±


    ¡°Then where are we going?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°To a structurally unsound building.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°¡­¡­Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    It was true that the buildings here had pretty much been torn down. There were only basic frames left of most of the old buildings, around which were piles of broken bricks and rubbles, as well as scrap pieces of steel with weeds growing all around them.


    It must¡¯ve been quite a flourishing place once upon a time. It was a large campus, and everyone who used to live around here were employees of the Steel Works. There were still signs of the Steel Works¡¯ prosperous past littered around many places.


    XX Steel Kindergarten. XX Steel Elementary. XX Steel Snacks. XX Steel Game Center. XX Steel¡­¡­ [1]


    ¡°It¡¯s right up ahead.¡± Gu Fei pointed.


    Through this patch of torn down old factories on the clearing ahead was a¡­¡­structurally unsound building. It was only one story, but it was very tall, like an assembly hall of some sort, even larger than Fourth High¡¯s auditorium.


    It was certainly dangerous enough, as it looked to be half demolished.


    However, when Jiang Cheng got closer, he realized it wasn¡¯t half demolished, but half collapsed.


    Stepping over broken bricks, Gu Fei led him inside through the building¡¯s ¡®doorway¡¯.


    The lighting inside was great, since half the roof was sunken in. It really was an assembly hall. The rows of seating were still there, but most of it had been buried by the collapsed roof.


    Where the stage was, the roof was intact, but the windows on either side were gone. Sunlight streamed through the holes in the wall, covering the entire stage in radiance.


    ¡°Sit there,¡± Gu Fei pointed at a seat in the front row. ¡°In the middle.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced over, and walked up to the seat in the center of the first row.


    There was a thick layer of dust on the chair. He wiped it with one finger, but beneath the loose top layer of dust was even more dust that had practically melded in perfect harmony with the chair from the years of being soaked by rain water.


    He was about to find something to wipe it, but after a couple seconds of hesitation, decided to sit down anyway, and leaned back in the seat.


    Gu Fei stood at the center of the stage.


    ¡°Are you going to announce the credits yourself?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. He was pretty sure Gu Fei was going to play the guitar. For him.


    ¡°In a minute,¡± Gu Fei chuckled. He crouched down and set the guitar on the ground. ¡°I still have some preparation to do, today was a little too hasty¡­¡­¡±


    Indeed it was hasty, he must¡¯ve decided to do this at the last minute, because his preparation actually consisted of stringing the guitar.


    Jiang Cheng was quiet as he watched Gu Fei.


    After tightening the strings, Gu Fei pulled out his phone and slowly tuned the guitar with the help of a tuning app.


    Based on the visual alone, from the first time that Gu Fei¡¯s fingers brushed across the strings, he had totally obliterated the silver dragon-clad Wang Xu. Totally and completely obliterated.


    Gu Fei had long fingers, and whether it was his right hand plucking out the notes, or his left hand pressing on the strings, it was a feast for the eyes. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t even need to listen to the sound to feel as soothed as if he was lying on a beanbag.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei finished tuning and stood up. He picked up a stick that used to be either the handle of a broom or a mop, and jabbed it into a crack in the flooring.


    Jiang Cheng sat up straight and started clapping.


    Gu Fei walked in front of the ¡®mic¡¯, and cleared his throat. Jiang Cheng immediately pulled out his phone, aimed the camera at Gu Fei, and started recording.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I touched a guitar, and a long time since I sang.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Standing here today, is also a surprise to me.¡±


    Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°In this life, one often runs into all sorts of surprises.¡± Gu Fei said as he adjusted the length of the guitar strap. ¡°Some surprises are to be expected, while some are beyond our expectations.¡±


    For a second, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t understand what Gu Fei meant by these words, but no matter, he was going to watch the video at least 800 times anyway.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng,¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°You are the surprise beyond my expectation.¡±


    ¡°So are you.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Fei on his screen, then lifted his eyes to look on stage.


    ¡°This song is for you, it¡¯s a little last minute, I only thought of it on the way here. Have a listen first, and I¡¯ll revise it later.¡± Gu Fei put his head down and gently swept his fingers over the strings. ¡°Sa Ye.¡±


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand shook. He had to take a deep breath in and use his other hand to help stabilize the phone.


    Gu Fei slapped the body of the guitar a couple times, before starting in on the prelude.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s breathing halted for a second. Suddenly, it was like the faintest breeze blowing past his ears carried a tune.


    The melody from before had left a deep impression on him. He assumed that Gu Fei¡¯s own style was also like that. Dazed, panicked, and hollow.


    This prelude however, gave off an entirely different vibe.


    ¡°I want one look to last, a lifetime¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei opened his mouth. His voice was a little husky, steady and gentle.


    With that one line, Jiang Cheng suddenly felt like he had been completely enveloped in Gu Fei¡¯s scent.


    ¡°I want, to look up and see the warm sun on spring grass, and me in your arms; I want, to step on the unknown and walk through time, you¡¯ll hear it if you open your eyes; I want you on my left shoulder, a smile on my right.¡± Gu Fei looked up at him. ¡°I want, to run free without a care in your eyes; I want one look to last, a lifetime¡­¡­¡±


    In the sunlight, the young man in the white T-shirt stood on the stage with a smile on his lips, his fingers brushing over the strings¡­¡­


    Jiang Cheng stared at Gu Fei in a daze. He felt like he was in a trance. He almost couldn¡¯t tell if the music he was hearing was playing in his ears, or in his heart.


    Footnotes


    [1]: China is so vast that if Wuzhe gave these places a name, there¡¯s a chance of naming it after something that actually exists, so authors avoid it by using XX.

 CH 90

    Mainly, it was because Gu Fei was exceedingly handsome.


    ¡°Clap for me, Cheng-ge.¡± Through the viewfinder, Gu Fei said behind the ¡®microphone¡¯ stick.


    It was only then that Jiang Cheng snapped out of it. With one hand still holding his phone, he slapped his other hand against his lap haphazardly, then put his fingers to his lips and blew a sharp wolf whistle.


    Gu Fei flipped the guitar to his back, jumped off the stage, and walked over toward him. Jiang Cheng was about to stop the recording, when Gu Fei said, ¡°Hold on.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng blinked.


    Gu Fei walked all the way up to him, then brought the guitar forward again, ¡°There¡¯s one more segment.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t speak. His phone camera happened to focus on Gu Fei¡¯s hand. His fingers brushed down against the strings, followed by a round of fancy fingerwork.


    It was very slow, such that he could hear each note clearly articulated.


    Then his fingers started to pick up speed, each note jumped out from beneath his fingertips in succinct layers, then slowly converging as one.


    As the picking got faster, the trailing sound of Gu Fei¡¯s left hand sliding across the neck of the guitar blended together perfectly with the musical notes.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s not yet settled heart was once again thrown up in the air. In a daze, he saw through the viewfinder Gu Fei¡¯s fingers producing a residual shadow from the speed. In his ears was the stirring music, and before his eyes were Gu Fei¡¯s hands that were so stunning they hurt his eyes.


    When the guitar eventually stopped, Jiang Cheng was still holding the same pose. It wasn¡¯t until Gu Fei reached over the phone and gently brushed against his face, that he realized with a start that he had started crying at some point.


    No. This couldn¡¯t be counted as crying.


    This was only tear shedding.


    Because he was surprised and moved; because it was so incredible; because of this rundown but sun-lit stage; because of this memory that will be etched in his heart forever¡­¡­


    Mainly, it was because Gu Fei was exceedingly handsome.


    So handsome he could cry.


    That was the description for Gu Fei.


    ¡°Fack.¡± Jiang Cheng stopped the recording, and wiped away the tears on his face. ¡°You just had to show off a trick at the end.¡±


    ¡°Usually the show-off is at the beginning, then the audience will all start screaming.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°I forgot to. I was too nervous.¡±


    ¡°Were you nervous?¡± Jiang Cheng lifted up the hem of his T-shirt and pressed it against his eyes a few times. He confirmed there were no more traces of tears on his face, then stood up. ¡°Even you get nervous?¡±


    ¡°Depends on the person,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It¡¯s my boyfriend sitting here after all.¡±


    Jiang Cheng sniffled, then pulled Gu Fei into a kiss.


    Between them was a guitar, above them was half of a sky, and underneath their feet were rubbles and rubbish, with half buried rows of seating behind them.


    This was no romantic atmosphere for a kiss. It was an awkward pose, and a slightly unconventional setting.


    And yet, Jiang Cheng still felt the way he did when listening to Gu Fei sing earlier. The instant he touched Gu Fei¡¯s lips, he sank. Completely and utterly.


    A ¡°BOOM!¡± sounded from off to the side, pulling Jiang Cheng down from the clouds. He first froze, then jumped, and almost bit down on Gu Fei¡¯s lips.


    The sound came from off to the left. On their left was a collapsed wall, no one would climb in through there, noto to mention this noise couldn¡¯t possibly be from someone climbing in¡­¡­


    When Jiang Cheng turned to look, he didn¡¯t see anything other than the two meter high cloud of dust hovering in the air.


    ¡°Go go go go¡­¡­¡± At the sight of that, Gu Fei immediately started pushing him toward the front door, a little anxious. ¡°Hurry up and go outside!¡±


    The dust cloud was already spreading over to them. Jiang Cheng could almost smell the dirt. Upon seeing Gu Fei¡¯s anxious demeanor, he immediately startled, ¡°The fuck? Is it gonna collapse?!¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and get out!¡± Gu Fei yelled.


    ¡°Oh shit shit fuck¡­¡­ Why did it just start collapsing out of nowhere!¡± Jiang Cheng rushed toward the door. ¡°When the hell was this thing built¡­¡­¡±


    He looked back when he got to the door, and realized that Gu Fei wasn¡¯t behind him. He was suddenly covered in cold sweat, and without thinking, turned and charged back in.


    ¡°GU FEI! GU¡­¡­¡± He only managed to shout once, before he smashed right into Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei circled an arm around him and shoved him out.


    When they were both under the clean air and sunshine again, Jiang Cheng finally noticed the big grin on Gu Fei¡¯s face.


    ¡°Shit?¡± He looked at Gu Fei, then whipped his head back to look at the building. ¡°Shit!¡±


    The building didn¡¯t collapse. Not only did it not collapse, but after that cloud of dust had been dispersed by the wind, everything went back to normal, and half of the assembly hall stood there quietly as before.


    ¡°A section of the collapsed wall fell off.¡± Gu Fei said as he laughed.


    ¡°I thought the whole thing was coming down by the way you were fucking reacting!¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him, and thought it was a little embarrassing the way he¡¯d been startled by a falling of a stupid wall.


    ¡°There was all that dust, so I just wanted to hurry up and get out.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°And then I suddenly felt like teasing you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­You wanted to see how panicked I¡¯d be when I didn¡¯t see you outside?¡± Jiang Cheng tsked audibly.


    ¡°No, I just wanted to spook you into running out.¡± Gu Fei grinned. ¡°On the way out, I realized I forgot to grab my guitar bag, so I went back to get it. Although¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei held Jiang Cheng in his arms, ¡°Seeing you panic like that still made me¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be moved.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I only went back in because the building was still intact. If it really caved in I would definitely back up 100 meters and then dial 119.¡± [1]


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei started laughing.


    ¡°Go ahead and laugh.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Laugh a little louder.¡±


    ¡°HA HA HA!¡± Gu Fei tilted his head back and let out three laughs. ¡°Is this loud enough?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Enough, wrap it up.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    As they walked back the way they came, Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help but glance back at that crumbling building one more time.


    From this angle, he could no longer see the stage, only the piles of rocks and weeds outside, along with the caved in roof and broken walls.


    If Gu Fei hadn¡¯t brought him here, he never would have imagined that he¡¯d leave behind such a precious memory underneath that derelict exterior.


    ¡°I have to go back to the store later. Around this time is when my mom shuts the door and runs off.¡± Gu Fei glanced at his phone.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come with,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I¡¯ll eat in your store tonight then. Get Gu Miao to come eat with us.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°What do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°Dunno,¡± Jiang Cheng shook his head and rubbed his belly. To be honest, this whole afternoon had been an emotional rollercoaster for him. Now that he finally calmed down, there was also nothing left in his brain. He couldn¡¯t even bring himself to absorb any more study materials at this point, let alone think about what to eat. ¡°I don¡¯t even know whether I¡¯m hungry or not.¡±


    ¡°Shall we wrap dumplings to eat then?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    Gu Fei¡¯s mom wasn¡¯t in the store, but the door wasn¡¯t shut. When Jiang Cheng followed Gu Fei inside, he saw Li Yan sitting behind the counter, playing on his phone.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Times really have changed.¡± Li Yan said. ¡°That you¡¯d think to ask me this question.¡±


    ¡°It was just a casual question.¡± Gu Fei went and set the guitar down in the small room.


    ¡°Are you holding a guitar?¡± Li Yan glanced over, then froze in place. ¡°Oh shit you were holding a guitar, my eyes didn¡¯t deceive me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a cello.¡± Gu Fei came back out, walked up to the shelves, and brought over a bag of flour. ¡°We¡¯re making dumplings later, why don¡¯t you join us.¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Li Yan shot a glance at Jiang Cheng. ¡°I¡¯m leaving right now.¡±


    ¡°Eat with us,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°It¡¯s almost dinnertime.¡±


    ¡°You think he¡¯s earnestly asking me to stay and eat?¡± Li Yan said. ¡°He¡¯s just looking for someone to help out and do the work.¡±


    ¡°Are you eating or not?¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°Yes! Tell me, am I mincing the filling or kneading dough?¡± Li Yan asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re rolling out the wrappers.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Li Yan nodded, and bowed his head to continue playing with his phone. ¡°Then call me when it¡¯s time to roll them out. I¡¯m gonna play for a while.¡±


    Gu Fei got some meat out of the fridge and went to the kitchen. Jiang Cheng grabbed the bag of flour, and was about to head out to the kitchen to knead the dough, when he walked by Li Yan¡¯s side and hesitated for a moment. He snuck a glance at Li Yan¡¯s phone.


    Indeed, it was the idiotic Aixiaochu.


    ¡°What level are you on?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m three levels above Da-Fei again.¡± Li Yan arched a brow at him. ¡°So how about it, are you going to catch up for him tonight?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t playing for him.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Uh huh. If it wasn¡¯t for you, he would be at least seven levels below me right now.¡± Li Yan put his head down and continued playing. ¡°Ever since he met you, his speed has shot up like a fart jet, who else can it be.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really not me. I¡¯ve never been shot up by a fart jet.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Li Yan put down his phone and looked at him, ¡°Hey, I noticed your mouth¡¯s even worse than Da-Fei¡¯s??¡±


    Jiang Cheng smiled and headed for the kitchen.


    ¡°Hey, Jiang Cheng,¡± Li Yan called out to him in a hushed voice. ¡°What were you two up to just now?¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned back and looked at him without a word. Li Yan¡¯s question was unintentionally astute. What were we up to? We were being lovey dovey. We also got all up in each other¡¯s business and made out.


    ¡°¡­¡­I meant,¡± Li Yan probably realized his question came at a weird angle, and readjusted himself. ¡°He played the guitar?¡±


    Jiang Cheng still didn¡¯t answer. After what happened with the ¡°composer Gu Fei¡±, he was a little sensitive to everything about Gu Fei. He wasn¡¯t sure if Gu Fei wanted Li Yan to know, even if he knew that Li Yan and the guys were on solid terms with Gu Fei.


    ¡°It¡¯s been at least two years since he played the guitar in public.¡± Li Yan glanced toward the kitchen.


    That much was true. After all, most people would simply loosen the strings if they don¡¯t play on playing for a long time, but Gu Fei went and uninstalled them completely.


    ¡°In public?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Who knows if he played in private late at night, with only himself and the moon.¡± Li Yan said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°I asked you a question?¡± Li Yan looked at him.


    Jiang Cheng stared off with him for a while, then turned and quickly walked toward the kitchen.


    ¡°Geez,¡± Li Yan was a little displeased. ¡°Why are you running away so quickly!¡±


    ¡°I got propelled by a fart jet.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°What were you two talking about?¡± Gu Fei asked him in the kitchen.


    ¡°Farts and jets.¡± Jiang Cheng said as he walked in. Gu Fei handed him a tub, and he said quietly as he started pouring flour. ¡°Has it been a really long time since you played guitar?¡±


    ¡°Li Yan asked you?¡± Gu Fei watched the flour.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng continued pouring. ¡°I didn¡¯t tell him, but he can probably guess, right?¡±


    Gu Fei reached out and pushed on the bag of flour, ¡°That¡¯s good.¡±


    Jiang Cheng set the bag to the side. Gu Fei came around and kissed him on the ear, ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so careful, it¡¯s tiring.¡±


    ¡°Well isn¡¯t that because I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him, propped his hands down on the counter, then said to the wall in a hushed voice in imitation of Gu Fei. ¡°And then what? Cheng-ge, and then what?¡±


    Gu Fei burst out laughing beside him. Jiang Cheng turned around and laughed along with him for a while, then sighed, and stroked his face, ¡°Gu Fei¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°I really didn¡¯t know. And I really wasn¡¯t trying to mess with you on purpose.¡± Jiang Cheng held Gu Fei¡¯s chin in his fingers. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I didn¡¯t blame you, really. It was only my own ideas.¡±


    ¡°Anyways,¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it for a second. ¡°You came out and said it, so I understand now. I just wanted to say¡­¡­¡±


    He paused, and suddenly leaned into Gu Fei¡¯s face, the tips of their noses almost touching, ¡°Gu Fei.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Fei¡¯s eyes crossed for a second, then quickly straightened and shot a glance behind him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not trying to kiss you. You¡¯re overthinking.¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help but giggle. ¡°I¡¯m trying to tell you something serious.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    ¡°Close your eyes.¡± Jiang Cheng said. After Gu Fei closed his eyes, Jiang Cheng said again, ¡°Open your eyes.¡±


    ¡°If you want to keep your eyes closed, I¡¯ll keep you company. And when you want to open your eyes, I¡¯ll hear it.¡± Jiang Cheng said. He cleared his throat, then hummed a line quietly. ¡°I want, you on my left shoulder, a smile on my right¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei looked at him, and for a long time did not speak.


    ¡°I got it right, right?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I really am impressed,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Did you just memorize this version too?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Only this line, I forgot everything else.¡±


    ¡°Then how come you memorized the original one? But not the one I sang only for you?¡± Gu Fei narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°No shit, I¡¯m still reeling from it even now.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°If you didn¡¯t come up and show off that last trick, I might¡¯ve been able to remember a few more lines. After that showy ending, this is all I can remember, since this is the one you used to show off. Even a boar would remember.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Gu Fei nodded as he held back laughter. ¡°True.¡±


    Jiang Cheng sighed and did not speak.


    Gu Fei also didn¡¯t say a word. They stood there quietly, face to face with each other.


    ¡°Gu Fei¡­¡­¡± Li Yan¡¯s voice came from behind them. ¡°Oops sorry please continue.¡±


    By the time Jiang Cheng turned around, there was no one there. Li Yan must¡¯ve dashed back inside at the speed of light.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Gu Fei started adding water to the tub of flour, then turned and yelled at the backdoor. ¡°Li Yan!¡±


    Li Yan appeared in the doorway again, only sticking a head out as he looked this way, ¡°Gu Miao hurt her hand. I wanted to help disinfect it for her, but the little lassie wouldn¡¯t respond to me.¡±


    Gu Miao was hurt? Jiang Cheng was a little startled, though Li Yan didn¡¯t seem very bothered.


    ¡°Cheng-ge, why don¡¯t you go help her.¡± Gu Fei¡¯s voice also sounded calm. ¡°Right now she probably doesn¡¯t want to respond to me either.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Jiang Cheng figured that Gu Miao probably got cuts and scrapes often enough that it was nothing new to them.


    ¡°I told her today to text me if she¡¯s going to go out and skate,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°She texted me, but I probably didn¡¯t hear it, and still haven¡¯t texted her back. She¡¯s definitely angry with me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­I didn¡¯t hear your phone go off either.¡± Jiang Cheng was a little taken aback. Gu Miao probably sent the message while they were still enveloped in the romantic atmosphere of the rickety stage performance.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go give it a try,¡± Gu Fei flashed him a smile. ¡°She might react to you.¡±


    Gu Miao¡¯s wound wasn¡¯t that serious, though there was a little blood. Li Yan wanted to rinse it with some saline water, but Gu Miao stood in front of the cash register holding her skateboard, and refused to budge.


    ¡°Er-Miao?¡± Jiang Cheng crouched down and waved a hand at her.


    Gu Miao stared at him. There was no expression on her face, and no reaction.


    Jiang Cheng gave her a smile. When Gu Miao opened her eyes wide like this, he could see her eyelashes very clearly. It was the exact same as Gu Fei¡¯s eyelashes.


    ¡°Er-Miao,¡± Jiang Cheng considered how he could get Gu Miao to understand his words. After a few seconds, he leaned down and gently blew a puff of air on his own hand. ¡°Er-Miao, my hand hurts. Do you know what to do?¡±


    Gu Miao¡¯s gaze fell on his face.


    ¡°Er-Miao?¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s heart lit up with glee. He continued to talk to her quietly, ¡°You¡­¡­¡±


    Before he could finish, Gu Miao reached out a hand and pushed the bottle of saline Li Yan had set on a little table to the ground.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t get a chance to say anything else, when Gu Miao flipped the little table over too.


    ¡°Gu Fei!¡± Li Yan yelled toward the kitchen. ¡°Your little sister is rebelling!¡±


    ¡°Just leave her standing there.¡± Gu Fei said from the kitchen.


    Jiang Cheng stood up and went into the kitchen.


    ¡°This technically was your fault. If she¡¯s angry then,¡± Jiang Cheng frowned. ¡°Should you apologize to her?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei nodded as he worked the dough. ¡°I¡¯ll do it later.¡±


    ¡°Let me do this,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°She¡¯s already like that, why don¡¯t you go console her first?¡±


    Gu Fei stopped what he was doing, sighed, turned and hugged Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulders, then leaned unmoving against him.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything else, just rubbed his back.


    He was suddenly a little anxious. The way Gu Fei was acting, was it because¡­¡­he woke him up?


    ¡°I¡¯ll go later.¡± Gu Fei said against his shoulder. ¡°Later when she¡¯s calmed down a little more, it¡¯s more effective that way.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng held him tight.


    ¡°The little lass is too stubborn.¡± Gu Fei sighed. ¡°Gets angry at the tiniest thing. Sometimes when I¡¯m annoyed I want to smack her.¡±


    ¡°Have you smacked her?¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°Nope. Never even yelled at her.¡± Gu Fei let go of him, turned around, and continued kneading the dough. ¡°Sometimes I just want to let her chill for a while. She has a temper, but so do I, you know.¡±


    Although, Gu Fei¡¯s ¡®temper¡¯ was clearly nothing compared to Gu Miao¡¯s temper. After the dough was done, he went back inside to soothe Gu Miao.


    When Jiang Cheng and Li Yan finished mincing and mixing the filling and went back in, Gu Miao was finally back to normal, and sat down by the table to watch them wrap dumplings.


    Jiang Cheng watched as Gu Fei also joined in on the wrapping. He couldn¡¯t see any weariness, and Gu Fei¡¯s emotional state also seemed pretty normal, but perhaps it was because of his different perspective, Jiang Cheng could detect a sense of helplessness he never noticed before from the way Gu Fei patiently communicated with Gu Miao.


    Before, he only thought that it must be really tiring for Gu Fei. But now, he could suddenly empathize with the helplessness with which Gu Fei said those words earlier by the river.


    Gu Miao wasn¡¯t like this all the time. Certain days were worse than others. Back then when he first met her outside the train station, he didn¡¯t even notice how much Gu Miao was different from other kids, other than the unwillingness to talk. Later on, he would play with her on the skateboard, eat together, play games together, and she would even smile at him. Whenever he thought of these instances, his heart would soar a little. When she was like that, it made him hopeful. He would think that perhaps the situation wasn¡¯t that bad.


    And yet, when he heard her screams, saw how she refused to communicate with others, the cold indifferent expression she showed the outside world, when he remembered the bunnies she drew in page after page, remembered how he anticipated Gu Miao would answer him but instead was met with her flipping the table, his heart would plummet again. As though he was yanked back to reality from his delusions.


    What followed this rise and fall, was a profound sense of helplessness.


    Gu Fei might have gone through countless rises and falls, before eventually deciding to give up on the empty hope.


    Li Yan left after they finished eating. Jiang Cheng sat in the store and watched as Gu Miao zipped back and forth through the aisles on her skateboard.


    Gu Fei sat behind the counter and checked the accounts. He didn¡¯t know how much his mom had taken from the store this month, and how much was left. Either way, Gu Fei wasn¡¯t wearing the happiest expression as he counted the money.


    Money. Aside from Gu Miao, it was probably the heaviest thing weighing on him.


    Gu Fei couldn¡¯t even let Gu Miao continue the rehabilitation treatment. It was only a small treatment center in this shitty little city that couldn¡¯t possibly be very legitimate, yet still they were unable to keep it up in the long term.


    Jiang Cheng frowned.


    ¡°They gave me your pay for two of the photoshoots.¡± Gu Fei said as he tapped away on the calculator. ¡°Should I transfer it to you tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°I thought it¡¯s been cleared, has it not?¡± Jiang Cheng blinked in surprise.


    ¡°Even if I sold you off, you¡¯d probably still be sleeping with me happily.¡± Gu Fei threw him a glance. ¡°Don¡¯t you keep track of your money at all?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°It¡¯s not like I spend money irresponsibly. Not a spendthrift, never lost money anywhere, therefore, I don¡¯t need to keep a record.¡±


    ¡°Ooh what sound logic you have, overachiever.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right slacky-slacker.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    After he said this, something suddenly occurred to him. He stared at Gu Fei and hesitated for almost five minutes before he spoke up, ¡°Gu Fei.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei looked at him with a pencil in his mouth.


    ¡°How about you, don¡¯t give me the money.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Just¡­¡­leave it in your account. You can keep it saved for me.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t reply. The pencil in his mouth flicked back and forth.


    After a while, Jiang Cheng saw the corner of his mouth curl up and form into a subtle smile.


    ¡°Is that okay or not!¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei took the pencil and twirled it in his hand. ¡°I must¡¯ve done some really great deeds in my previous life, to have met you in this one.¡±


    Footnotes


    [1]: The emergency number for fires and other disasters.

 CH 91

    ¡°Geez, you can insult me, but you insult my boyfriend too?¡±


    If he left the money saved in Gu Fei¡¯s account, then in the future if Gu Fei needed money, he could say ¡°why don¡¯t you use those first¡±. It would probably go over easier than saying ¡°here take my money¡±, and easier for Gu Fei to accept.


    Jiang Cheng had enough left in his own account for this last year of high school tuition, study materials, and living expenses, as well as what he would need for the first year of university. He could give the remaining to Gu Fei.


    But as soon as he had opened his mouth, Gu Fei had seen right through him. Gu Fei didn¡¯t expose his intentions however, nor did he continue the conversation, so Jiang Cheng also didn¡¯t bring it up again.


    Gu Fei still had to do some photo editing that evening, and couldn¡¯t join him in his apartment to ¡®accompany him in studying¡¯. Jiang Cheng stood at the intersection watching Gu Fei with Gu Miao rolling along on her skateboard beside him, and his mind wandered.


    Everybody had their own story, whether it was happy, sad, or resigned. Without knowing someone profoundly, you would never know what every passing person carried in their deepest of hearts, or whether behind every lit window was a sigh.


    Gu Fei turned back several times and waved at him, indicating that he could end his watch, but still he stood there unmoving.


    Until Gu Fei called him on the phone, ¡°Did you hurt your back or something?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed. ¡°Can¡¯t I watch for a while.¡±


    ¡°I can hardly walk straight from your staring,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Hurry home, don¡¯t you still have to study?¡±


    ¡°When you say that,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°It suddenly makes me feel anxious.¡±


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t say anymore.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You can keep watching for a bit, I¡¯ll be turning in five meters.¡±


    After hanging up, Jiang Cheng laughed and continued to watch Gu Fei¡¯s receding figure that was blurring out of view. Gu Fei waved at him again as he turned onto the side street, as if he was blowing a kiss.


    Jiang Cheng checked that there was no one around, then also waved his arm to blow a kiss.


    Having gone back to his apartment, Jiang Cheng felt like he was a robot that moved according to programming. He showered, tidied himself up, sat down at the desk and finished his homework, then started to study as per the plan in his head.


    Unlike some people, he didn¡¯t write out his study plan on paper. The books to read, question banks to get through, all of that were stored in his brain. It also included what he wanted to get done every day, what he did yesterday, where the problems were, what he wanted to do today, what could be left until tomorrow¡­¡­


    Upon opening one of his textbooks, the colourful rows that filled the pages made it look like a book of codes, he alone knew what each colour stood for. And then there were his notebooks.


    Jiang Cheng opened one of them. He was always very brief with his notes, usually writing only a prompt for each point, since he would remember the content once he saw the prompt. And when combined with his handwriting¡­¡­ he figured nobody would want his notes after he graduated, not even for free. It was truly a text from the gods. [1]


    Ahhh, this handwriting¡­¡­


    Jiang Cheng started memorizing passages as he wrote, and jotted down a few key words and phrases, as a way to practice his handwriting.


    Speaking of which, he really did improve on it. He could at least control himself from writing cursively, which only added to the atrociousness.


    With one stroke at a time, as hideous as it was, it was at least possible to make out the words.


    On the desk was a notebook that classmate Gu Fei had left here. Jiang Cheng picked it up and flipped through it. Gu Fei¡¯s so-called notes was basically a blank new notebook. He put the same notebook on his desk in every class, putting up a front, as a way to show the teacher some respect.


    If Jiang Cheng remembered correctly, Gu Fei had been using this since last semester, and until now¡­¡­he¡¯d used about eight pages in total, and each page was only half filled.


    Jiang Cheng had never flipped through Gu Fei¡¯s notebook before, and it was only today that he saw what Gu Fei had been writing in there. He laughed out loud at the first sentence.


    Lao-Lu¡¯s voice tolls like a magnificent bell, it¡¯s an even better energizer than the school bell.


    Sleepy.


    Very very very very very very very very sleepy.


    Can¡¯t get past this level.


    Li Yan is 12 levels past me. Scum.


    Forgot to bring a portable charger.


    Gonna eat meat pies.


    I don¡¯t want noodles no noodles noooo noodles no.


    Population regeneration, the renewal of generations of population, births, deaths.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s brows arched briefly. He was a little surprised at the fact that there was actually classwork related content. He figured it was probably written down when Gu Fei was flopped over the desk, bored, with nothing better to do.


    Although, it was just that one row, which was followed by a tangled ball of scribbly lines, that was definitely the subconscious product of a wandering mind.


    After he finished admiring Gu Fei¡¯s ¡®notes¡¯, Jiang Cheng stretched and continued memorizing passages.


    He should encourage Gu Fei to make more of these notes, he thought. His mood felt lifted after reading it, and so was his energy. If he glanced at it a few times while resting, he could probably sit there and study until 3 a.m.


    Gu Fei¡¯s head fell forward, smashing his face solidly onto the keyboard.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± He cursed, a wave of sore twinge washed over his nose, it took him a long time to recover from it.


    Usually he wouldn¡¯t be so sleepy when editing photos late into the night. He didn¡¯t expect to fall asleep with the mouse in his hand today, not to mention it was with such sincerity that his face smashed into the keyboard.


    Although, this kind of sleepiness wasn¡¯t the same as what he usually felt in class when drifting off without a phone in his hand. It was also different from having worked all day and then having to drag himself out to play with Gu Miao on the skateboard or fight with his mom.


    It was more like a kind of relaxation one felt after having vented.


    When his nose felt a little better, he smoothed his hand over the keyboard too. With such an upright and handsome nose, who¡¯s to say it won¡¯t break the keyboard?


    Today really was¡­¡­a kind of release. It was the first time in all these years that he had told someone what he really thought, and the first time he cried in such an uninhibited and unreserved manner in front of someone, even though Jiang Cheng had to ¡®force¡¯ it out of him. Still, he suddenly felt lighter.


    It was just like when he was jumping the ¡®hurdles¡¯. He didn¡¯t know whether he could jump over, whether he would land on the other side, or on the ground; whether he would be alright when he landed, or if he would break a leg.


    Stepping out was the hardest part, but you¡¯d feel a sudden release after the jump, and all speculations as to what happens after that would disappear.


    Speaking up was the hardest part, but once the first sentence had been spoken, there would not be as much pressure.


    All thoughts about the unsolvable future, about how these troubles once said out loud will only add to the other person¡¯s worry, were all cleared as well.


    Tomorrow¡­¡­ Gu Fei picked up his phone, opened the Fourth High forum, then after some hesitation closed it again. He didn¡¯t need to wait until tomorrow, the forum must¡¯ve been exploding since this afternoon.


    The people of Fourth High were very idle day in and day out. Endless discussions and discourses emerged every single day. There would even be posts about the love lives of teachers, including bets on whether they would split up, and after how long.


    A headline like ¡°Gu Fei knows how to compose music¡± would probably be enough to last them a whole week.


    When he left the auditorium today, he had thought about Jiang Cheng¡¯s reaction; he didn¡¯t want Jiang Cheng to be disappointed. He could¡¯ve ignored the exclamations in the forum, but when all the surprised and contemplative faces started turning to him, it was impossible for him to sit still.


    Can you believe that Gu Fei is this great! Can you believe that Gu Fei is this awesome!


    The constant feeling of being reminded was unbearable. Besides, he had been so used to evading other¡¯s looks all these years, that when the words ¡°composer Gu Fei¡± came out, he felt a sudden panic not unlike being torn open.


    He didn¡¯t have time to think about how Jiang Cheng would feel seeing him leave. He practically bolted out of the auditorium that very instant, as if running for his life.


    He knew how long Jiang Cheng had prepared for the performance, and how much he dedicated to it. He didn¡¯t dare to imagine how disappointed Jiang Cheng would feel when he saw the empty seat.


    When Jiang Cheng yelled at him by the river, he wasn¡¯t even a little bit angry or annoyed. All he had was resignation. And heartache.


    He ached for Jiang Cheng, because Jiang Cheng was holding onto him as though he was holding onto the last little piece of support, but still couldn¡¯t obtain the sense of security, of landing on solid ground, that he was truly after.


    Gu Fei let out a soft sigh and glanced at the time on his phone. It was past midnight. The overachiever must still be immersed in the grand endeavour of preparing for the exams.


    He decided to wait until 1 a.m to text the overachiever.


    There was a sound of the door opening outside. It was his mom coming home. Gu Fei was a little surprised. Usually by this time, if his mom wasn¡¯t back yet, she would be spending the night at some boyfriend¡¯s house.


    He frowned, put down his phone, and walked out of his room.


    His mom was changing shoes at the door. When she heard him walk out, she said without lifting her head, ¡°You¡¯re still up huh?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei looked at her. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be coming back tonight?¡±


    ¡°Where can I go if I¡¯m not coming back here!¡± His mom said haughtily, then grabbed her bag and started walking toward her bedroom.


    Gu Fei swept his glance over her face, then grabbed her arm, ¡°What happened to your face?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± His mom turned away. ¡°Go back to whatever you were doing.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t reply as he lifted up a portion of her hair, then said, ¡°Did your boyfriend beat you?¡±


    ¡°Aiyah!¡± His mom roughly shook off his grasp, turned, and pushed open her bedroom door. ¡°Why do you reach so far!¡±


    By the time Gu Fei got there, she had already shut the door. He tried the knob twice, but didn¡¯t manage to open it.


    ¡°Have you not,¡± Gu Fei said in a low voice. ¡°Had enough of getting beaten up by men!¡±


    There was no response from inside the room, all was quiet.


    ¡°Have you been beaten dumb!¡± Gu Fei could not for the life of him describe how he felt at this moment. ¡°Open up!¡±


    The door opened. His mom stood in the door, with a finger pointed at him, ¡°Say that one more time!¡±


    She had brushed her hair behind her ears, and the bruises on her face were even more obvious.


    ¡°I asked you, have you not had enough of being beaten up by men!¡± Gu Fei said.


    She didn¡¯t say anything, as a slap landed square on his cheek, ¡°What did you say!¡±


    Gu Fei could¡¯ve dodged this slap from his mom, but he didn¡¯t. The slap landed on his cheek loud and clear.


    ¡°What did you say!¡± A sprinkling of tears started appearing in her eyes.


    ¡°I asked you, have you not had enough of being beaten up by men.¡± Gu Fei repeated himself. His cheek felt hot, but these minute sensations were nothing next to the fear brought on by the unforgettable memories, which those bruises invariably evoked.


    ¡°How was I to know that he would hit me!¡± She suddenly bursted out crying. ¡°He was so good to me before! How was I supposed to know that he would get violent!¡±


    ¡°Do you not have eyes? Don¡¯t you know how to read people? Do you not have judgment skills? Do you need him to beat you before knowing that he¡¯s not a good person?¡± Gu Fei let out a string of questions, his voice trembling. ¡°How old are you now? You¡¯re not a teenager anymore, do you expect to keep living like a teenage girl forever? Even teenage girls have better discretion than you!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with acting like a teenage girl!¡± She suddenly shoved him hard. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me acting like a teenage girl! I¡¯ve been with your father ever since I was a teenager! I¡¯ve never had a chance to act young! He¡¯s dead! Don¡¯t I get to act young! This is what I want to do! I want to act like a teenage girl forever! He¡¯s dead and gone, but who¡¯s going to pay me back for my lost youth! Who¡¯s going to pay?!¡±


    Gu Fei watched her without a word.


    ¡°I once asked you this right?¡± She stared back at him. ¡°You told me to pay for myself, right? So this is me paying myself back! Isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m trying to pay myself back!¡±


    Gu Fei stared at her for a long time, then turned and walked away to his own room.


    ¡°Da-fei¡­¡­¡± His mother called after him. ¡°Da-fei.¡±


    He turned around.


    ¡°Have you had enough of me?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°You would¡¯ve gone and left me behind, if it wasn¡¯t for Er-Miao,¡± She wiped her eyes. ¡°You would¡¯ve left me behind a long time ago. If I don¡¯t have a boyfriend, I¡¯ll be all alone sooner or later, and I¡¯ll be a lonely old hag when I die.¡±


    Gu Fei was quiet.


    How important is a sense of security to a person? That need for security hidden deep within one¡¯s heart or never even perceived, how much impact does that have on a person?


    He sighed, then opened his arms.


    His mom threw herself into his arms and sobbed quietly.


    Gu Fei patted her back, ¡°Hey, don¡¯t cry, go clean up later, and don¡¯t go out with that person again.¡±


    She did not answer.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t break it off with him,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Then don¡¯t complain that every single one of your boyfriends was beaten off by me.¡±


    She pushed him away, glared at him for a few seconds, then turned to go into the bathroom.


    Gu Fei hadn¡¯t washed up yet. He went back into his room and sat down at his desk. He almost didn¡¯t want to get back up again. He could barely move the one and a half steps it would take to go from here to the bed once he finished editing the photos, let alone standing up to go wash.


    He sat in front of the computer, and stared at a photo for at least five minutes, before remembering what he was meant to be doing. As he grabbed the mouse, he was suddenly filled with admiration for Jiang Cheng.


    No matter what environment he was in, Jiang Cheng could get into a study mode in a very short time. Even after a day like today, he was certain that at this moment, Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind was filled with nothing else but the books and study materials before him.


    How extremely cool, a person like this.


    He chuckled to himself, and clicked with his mouse. The desktop wallpaper appeared. Jiang Cheng¡¯s smug as all hell face showed up before his eyes. Gu Fei tilted his head, leaning his forehead on one finger, and stared at the face.


    He switched his wallpaper about once a week. At this rate, his privately saved Jiang Cheng photo collection could last him through to the university entrance exams next year.


    He stared at the photo for a little while longer, then grabbed his mouse and started to work. These photos all have to be submitted the next day. Ever since he started going to Jiang Cheng¡¯s place all the time to keep him company while he studied, all of his photo editing tasks had been pushed too close to deadlines.


    These photos had to be finished tonight. If it was like before, he might skip half or even a whole day¡¯s class the next day, and stay home to work on it slowly. But he had to go to school tomorrow.


    Even if he were to skip class, it couldn¡¯t be tomorrow. If he didn¡¯t go tomorrow, Jiang Cheng would definitely think it was because of ¡°composer Gu Fei¡±.


    He picked up his phone at 1 a.m. to send Jiang Cheng a message. Just as he picked it up, his phone buzzed, and a text came in. It was from Jiang Cheng.


    ¨C checking to see if you left a nerve on for me


    Gu Fei grinned as he replied.


    ¨C I¡¯m still up, all my nerves have been left to you


    ¨C still up at this hour?


    ¨C working on photos, i¡¯ll sleep in a bit, are you done studying?


    ¨C mhm, you got time to video chat?


    Gu Fei sent a video request over, and Jiang Cheng quickly accepted on the other end.


    When Jiang Cheng¡¯s face popped up on the screen, Gu Fei¡¯s emotions, which had been left in shambles by his mom just now, were suddenly calm again.


    Jiang Cheng really was an omnipotent cure. He could help with sleep, libido, could tranquilize, could energize¡­¡­


    All your emotional needs can be straightened out with only one Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Are you planning to sleep now?¡± Gu Fei leaned back in his chair and smiled.


    ¡°Mhm, gonna fall asleep to some English recording.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Will you be able to fall asleep like that?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Sure, it has about the same effect as hypnosis, I¡¯ll fall asleep halfway through.¡± Jiang Cheng yawned. ¡°How much longer until you¡¯re done with the photos?¡±


    ¡°Half an hour.¡± Gu Fei stared at Jiang Cheng¡¯s neck.


    Jiang Cheng was leaning back against the chair with his head tilted back. The line of his neck was very¡­¡­energizing.


    ¡°Then you go on, and tomorrow¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng hesitated. ¡°Are you going to school?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°But you¡¯re gonna have to call me when you get up, I probably won¡¯t be able to wake up on my own.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jiang Cheng immediately grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll wait for you at the breakfast stalls.¡±


    ¡°Will it be your treat?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°My treat.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°Alrighty then,¡± Gu Fei glanced at the time. ¡°You should sleep now.¡±


    ¡°Wait wait wait,¡± Jiang Cheng sat up straight. ¡°Um¡­¡­I want to see you.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­We¡¯ve been talking but you couldn¡¯t see me this whole time?¡± Gu Fei was a little baffled as he glanced down at his phone. His face was very clear on the tiny window.


    ¡°See your collarbone.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Gu Fei suddenly started laughing. Once he started, he couldn¡¯t stop, then in one motion he pulled off his shirt. ¡°Are the collarbones enough? I have other parts, if you want you can buy one and get more.¡±


    Jiang Cheng giggled and didn¡¯t answer.


    Gu Fei aimed the camera at himself, and swept it from his face to his neck, to his collarbones, then continued southward. When it got to his belly he asked, ¡°Do you need more?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­No,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°It¡¯ll affect my sleep if you keep going, and I still have to recite English in my dreams¡­¡­¡±


    Before Jiang Cheng finished the sentence, Gu Fei swiftly tugged open his pants and aimed the camera at it, ¡°Little feifei come say hi to Cheng-ge.¡±


    ¡°Fuck your great uncle, Gu Fei!¡± Jiang Cheng yelled from the other end. ¡°You piece of shameless dog-fucker!¡±


    Gu Fei moved the phone camera back up and couldn¡¯t stop laughing, ¡°Geez, you can insult me, but you insult my boyfriend too? Won¡¯t your conscience be hurt?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Hurt your ass!¡± Jiang Cheng threw himself back on the pillow and pointed at his own camera. ¡°You¡¯re affecting my studying, you know that?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Then should I interview you tomorrow morning, see if you dreamed of English or me.¡±


    Even though work became more efficient as soon as his mood was lifted, but since he spent so many days accompanying his boyfriend, he left a little too much work to the last minute. By the time Gu Fei finished, it was already past 3 a.m.


    Gu Fei usually took about half an hour to fall asleep, but on this day, as soon as his head hit the pillow, he closed his eyes and lost consciousness, as though someone had knocked him out.


    He was not one to dream of English, but this whole night, he didn¡¯t even get to dream of Jiang Cheng before he was woken up by his ringtone.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Gu Fei turned over. If he didn¡¯t have any dreams, he always felt like the whole night¡¯s sleep was for nothing, like he only just closed his eyes and had to open them immediately after.


    The phone call was from Jiang Cheng. Gu Fei picked up, and before he could make a sound, Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice carried over the line, ¡°Gu Fei, are you up?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Gu Fei sat up. He was still a little groggy, and not entirely awake yet, but he could still tell that Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice was lacking the usual cheerfulness it had when waking him in the morning. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Li Hui is outside, and he brought a few other guys too.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how he found this place, but he probably doesn¡¯t know which floor I¡¯m on, which is why he hasn¡¯t come up yet. But he¡¯s right downstairs.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be over right away.¡± Gu Fei jumped off the bed. ¡°How did you realize that he¡¯s outside?¡±


    ¡°He just called me,¡± Jiang Cheng sounded agitated. ¡°I already said I don¡¯t want anything of Li Baoguo¡¯s. None of that has anything to do with me anymore. Why is he still bothering me endlessly?¡±


    ¡°Did he say why he¡¯s looking for you?¡± Gu Fei ran into the bathroom. He had no time to brush his teeth, so he only gurgled some mouthwash from the big case his mom had bought, under the influence of one of her boyfriends she had met on her path to find her teenage self.


    ¡°Asked me for Li Baoguo¡¯s savings account.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Don¡¯t come over, I¡¯m going downstairs now. I fucking hate dumbasses like this who just don¡¯t know when to stop.¡±


    ¡°Wait for me.¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t even bother to wash his face as he dashed out of the door topless.


    Whether Li Baoguo actually had a savings account was another story, but even if he did, there was no way it would be left to Jiang Cheng.


    Li Baoguo could not get along with Li Hui for the entirety of their whole lives, for no other reason than that he was trying to care for Li Hui in a uniquely Steel Works way, and that Li Hui responded to it in a similarly unique Steel Works way.


    Li Hui himself must¡¯ve understood this point well. He went to Jiang Cheng not because he couldn¡¯t find the savings account. More likely it was to ask for money.


    Jiang Cheng grew up in the big city. His old family got by comfortably. He had a bank card given to him by his adoptive parents. If Li Baoguo had known this, then Li Hui also knew this.


    Someone like Li Hui was like gum melted under the sun, and there was no logic or sentiment to speak of with him.


    Jiang Cheng could not take care of him. If anyone could, it was the mini tyrant of the Steel Works¡­¡­


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t take the bicycle. He brought out his motorcycle, and floored it all the way to Jiang Cheng¡¯s apartment.


    Footnotes


    [1]: It¡¯s common for upperclassmen with good grades to sell their well-made study notes to the lower years after they graduate, but in Jiang Cheng¡¯s case¡­.


    Also, [ÌìÊé] or ¡°text from the gods¡± is just a saying to describe something as unreadable, because in the legend this references, a ¡°text from the gods¡± is actually blank = [ÎÞ×ÖÌìÊé]

 CH 92

    No matter how hard it is, he has to leave this place.


    Author: Wu Zhe, Translated by Ami <3


    It was an overcast day. The sun that was supposed to rear its head did not appear, and the few intact street lamps along the lane were still lit.


    Gu Fei felt the breeze a little chilly against his body as he zoomed toward Jiang Cheng¡¯s apartment on his motorcycle.


    Though it was also a satisfying kind of feeling, as if his whole being was enveloped in the cool and refreshing wind.


    It had been a long time since he rode the motorcycle. Usually he only took it out when he went cruising with Li Yan and the guys, but since getting together with Jiang Cheng, he seldomly went out with them anymore. Just the other day Liu Fan had called him, and said he was writing a poem to commemorate the ¡°bestie who abandoned me¡±.


    It wasn¡¯t far to Jiang Cheng¡¯s place from his own. On the motorcycle, and at the speed he was going, it only took less than five minutes in total.


    He was a little worried that Jiang Cheng would be unable to restrain his temper, and go downstairs to deal with Li Hui on his own.


    Jiang Cheng would certainly not be at a disadvantage against Li Hui. Even though Li Hui had help with him, with Jiang Cheng¡¯s fighting ability, there was no way the other side would come out on top.


    However, these were special times. Jiang Cheng was a high school senior preparing for his exams. It would be a big deal if something so much as affected his mood, let alone getting stuck with trouble like this.


    It was enough of an impact for him to have moved from a key high school to a place like the Fourth High, and then to be plagued with all these problems¡­¡­


    There weren¡¯t many people on the street at this time. The ones who had to go to school or work hadn¡¯t yet left home, so the only people out and about were grannies and grandpas who got up early to exercise or buy produce.


    Therefore, as soon as he turned the corner onto Jiang Cheng¡¯s street, Gu Fei was able to see the people standing not far ahead.


    He wasn¡¯t wearing his glasses. From this distance, he could only make out Li Hui, who was standing a few steps away from the rest. He didn¡¯t recognize anyone else.


    But it didn¡¯t matter anyway. The only people Li Hui could manage to summon were idle delinquents. The sole difference was between Steel Works delinquents, and non-Steel Works delinquents.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t slow down as he charged at the group of people standing by the road.


    Delinquents tend to be fairly nimble. In the roar of the engine, they all turned their heads, and started to show some signs of moving out of the way.


    Gu Fei lowered himself to the bike, and pulled a long rubber baton out from the modified back fender.


    When the motorcycle roared up to the group, many of them had jumped out of the way. However, they were not Gu Fei¡¯s target.


    Li Hui¡¯s reaction was clearly slower than these thugs. Only when everyone else had scattered did he just manage to turn his head.


    Gu Fei swung. The baton in his hand cracked against Li Hui¡¯s ass.


    Li Hui yelled, but not with a lot of conviction or power, in fact, probably only 70% of it. The colour of his face gave away the fact that he likely stayed up all night playing mahjong; it was steel grey.


    He was indeed living up to his role as the dear son Li Baoguo had brought up by hand.


    By the time everyone else came around and swarmed, Gu Fei¡¯s bike had already passed by more than a few meters.


    He squeezed on the brakes and stuck one foot on the ground. The tail end of the motorcycle swung out, and the bike pivoted.


    This time he was closer, and was able to make out the people Li Hui had brought. There were four or five of them, all from the Steel Works neighbourhood, but he only knew the guy people called San Gou, who often bought things from his convenience store. [1]


    San Gou recognized him, and blinked in shock, ¡°Da-Fei?¡±


    ¡°Out of the way.¡± Gu Fei said.


    The motorcycle once again charged at the group. San Gou hesitated for a split second, then stepped back.


    This time the other guys were prepared. Someone stepped up to the bike with a knife in his hand, and swung it hard toward Gu Fei¡¯s face.


    Gu Fei steered a little to the side to avoid the knife, as he smacked the baton down on the guy¡¯s arm. As the bike charged past once more, he heard the sound of the knife clanging to the ground.


    He didn¡¯t use a lot of force on this strike, as his purpose was only to smack the knife away. He didn¡¯t wish to provoke these people more than necessary, because he didn¡¯t know them well. If any of them turned out to have the same temperament as Monkey, it¡¯d be another difficult mess to get out of.


    His target was only Li Hui. Li Hui was a coward. If he didn¡¯t have people with him, he wouldn¡¯t have dared to come look for Jiang Cheng on his own. Even with a posse, he still didn¡¯t dare to look for Jiang Cheng at the school.


    To students at Fourth High, fighting came to them as easily as eating. If Jiang Cheng really brought other people to go up against him, Li Hui would never dare to face him head on.


    Li Hui wanted to get out of the way, but he couldn¡¯t be quicker than the motorcycle. Just as he turned to run away, Gu Fei¡¯s baton slammed down once again, this time onto his leg.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Li Hui bursted out. ¡°I fucking fuck your great uncle! Did I fucking do anything to you!¡±


    ¡°You did.¡± Gu Fei swung his bike around again.


    ¡°You wanna bet I¡¯ll take you out too!¡± Li Hui pointed at him. As he said this he glanced to the sides, signalling to the others that they should all rush up together.


    ¡°This matter has nothing to do with these bros here.¡± Gu Fei killed the engine and got off the motorcycle. Holding the baton, he walked up to Li Hui. ¡°You called up all these people just to come bother a highschooler. If word gets out, you won¡¯t just be embarrassing yourself, you¡¯d also make a joke of the ones who helped you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to sow discord!¡± Li Hui was practically spitting as he shouted. ¡°He took my dad¡¯s savings!¡±


    ¡°Did your dad have savings?¡± Gu Fei sneered. ¡°Maybe you should go look it up at the bank first. If the bank won¡¯t let you check, you can call the cops to help. The cops will help you for sure.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to check! I know he took it!¡± Li Hui shouted.


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°When are you going to pay me for all those things you took from my store last time?¡±


    Li Hui was bewildered, ¡°When the fuck did I take anything from your store?¡±


    ¡°A whole box of Zhonghua, and two cases of Maotai,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°And¡­¡­¡± [2]


    ¡°Bull fucking shit!¡± Li Hui interrupted him. ¡°Does that shitty store of yours even have that much Zhonghua and Maotai!¡±


    ¡°Then did that dad of yours who had to keep a tab even for gambling have a savings account?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°You¡­¡­¡± Li Hui blinked as he tried to keep up.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you worry about whether I have it in the store,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I said you took them. I know you took them.¡±


    ¡°You fucking¡­¡­¡± Li Hui¡¯s eyeballs were practically bulging out of their sockets. He hardly knew how to continue the conversation, so he decided to swing his arm and aim a punch at Gu Fei¡¯s face.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t bother dodging. Li Hui¡¯s fist was taking such a long time to get there, that when his own punch landed on Li Hui¡¯s nose, the guy still had his arms open like he was going for a hug.


    When Jiang Cheng heard the sound of a motorcycle, he paused for a split second and wondered if it was Gu Fei. Just as he was about to look out the window, he heard the roar of engine revving outside from the sudden acceleration, and knew immediately that Gu Fei had come, and that he had come to fight.


    Before he even checked out the state of the battle outside, he reached back and grabbed the slingshot on the table, and picked up a few pebbles from the flower pot. He pulled back the sling first, then as he looked down to take aim, he finally checked out what was going on downstairs.


    His whole body was frozen in shock as he caught sight of Gu Fei standing outside, shirtless, with a black rubber stick in his hand.


    He had never seen Gu Fei leave the house without a shirt before. And because of Gu Miao, Gu Fei hardly ever went shirtless even when he was at home, let alone when he went out. Although it was another matter entirely that he sometimes went without pants when he was at Jiang Cheng¡¯s place.


    The point was, at this moment Gu Fei was shirtless, wearing only a pair of track pants with white stripes down the sides, and holding a stick in his hand.


    ¡­¡­It was the long absent Mini Tyrant of the Steel Works.


    Li Hui had brought four people, five including himself. Jiang Cheng trained his eyes on them with the sling pulled tight, but aside from Li Hui, none of the other guys showed any signs of making a move.


    He figured that Li Hui had only brought guys who usually hung around the neighbourhood. Even if Gu Fei had ¡®lost¡¯ to Monkey before, that method of ¡®dueling¡¯ clearly didn¡¯t represent actual physical prowess. These people no doubt still felt trepidation at the thought of going up against Gu Fei.


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t hear the exchange between Li Hui and Gu Fei, but he could tell that Li Hui was extremely agitated and angry. Then, he saw Li Hui lash out a fist.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t get to release the pebble he¡¯d been holding. Before Li Hui¡¯s fist finished its slow arc through the air, Gu Fei¡¯s punch had already landed on his nose.


    Li Hui stumbled back violently, then reached a hand behind himself.


    There it is.


    As Li Hui pulled out a cleaver from behind his back, Jiang Cheng released the sling with a ¡°pop!¡±, and the pebble flew out, hitting the wrist of Li Hui¡¯s hand that was holding the cleaver.


    Jiang Cheng had tested the power of this slingshot many times already. With this one strike, Li Hui¡¯s hand would swell up for sure. If instead he had used a steel bearing, it would certainly fracture some bones.


    Li Hui¡¯s cleaver clanged to the ground. Before he could stoop to pick it up, Gu Fei¡¯s foot was already stepping on it. He swung the baton down on Li Hui¡¯s shoulder.


    Only then did Gu Fei turn to look up.


    Jiang Cheng swiftly retreated inside, where he opened the apartment door and ran down the stairs three steps at a time.


    It wouldn¡¯t do to simply hide in his room and snipe in the dark. That way all their fury would converge on Gu Fei. He didn¡¯t wish for Gu Fei to be tangled up in these messes again, and didn¡¯t want to see another Steel Works style braindead duel.


    As he charged out of the stairwell, he saw that Gu Fei had already kicked the cleaver to the side. The black rubber baton had also been tossed aside. With his hands empty, Gu Fei was standing face to face with Li Hui.


    ¡°If you want trouble, I¡¯ll keep you company.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your company!¡± Li Hui wiped his mouth, noticed Jiang Cheng running out, and immediately pointed at him. ¡°You¡¯re the one I¡¯m looking for.¡±


    A corner of Jiang Cheng¡¯s mouth twitched, ¡°What¡¯s your business with me?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to do with him anymore.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Right now it¡¯s between you and me. If you think Jiang Cheng called me here to lend a hand, you can also get someone to help you. Who will you pick?¡±


    Awkward expressions emerged on the faces of the other guys and they all started to look uncomfortable. One of them frowned and said, ¡°Li Hui, could it be a misunderstanding? If we just come for a kid like this, it wouldn¡¯t look very good if it really was a misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°Thirty thousand yuan!¡± Li Hui clutched his shoulder, which had just been smacked by Gu Fei. ¡°Jiang Cheng, spit out the thirty thousand you took from my dad, and I¡¯ll forget about this whole thing!¡±


    ¡°If Li Baoguo had thirty thousand to spare,¡± Jiang Cheng tried to suppress his rage and irritation. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t have been driven to jump off the building by you.¡±


    ¡°Bull fucking shit! He jumped right after you went upstairs¡­¡­¡± Li Hui was riled up and spewing insults as he charged at Jiang Cheng, but he wasn¡¯t able to take more than two steps.


    He couldn¡¯t even finish what he was saying.


    Gu Fei lunged to the side and landed a square kick on his stomach. Li Hui immediately doubled over into a ball.


    Gu Fei closed in and smashed an elbow on his back. Once Li Hui was kneeling on the ground, he grabbed Li Hui¡¯s hair in one hand and bashed his face into his knee.


    When he let go, Li Hui fell flat on his back, the blood gushing out from his nose made a mess around his mouth.


    Jiang Cheng watched the series of moves from Gu Fei, and couldn¡¯t quite make out how he felt at this moment. Every time he saw Gu Fei fight¡­¡­or rather, saw Gu Fei beat someone up, he¡¯d feel a little taken aback.


    It was the cold expression on Gu Fei¡¯s face and the decisiveness and precision with which he made every move.


    It was only because of this viciousness that he¡¯d bestowed the title of Mini Tyrant of Steel Works onto Gu Fei. But it wasn¡¯t entirely accurate either. The term ¡°Mini Tyrant¡± was a little too cute for what Gu Fei was, it wasn¡¯t adequate to describe all that he encompassed.


    If Gu Fei wasn¡¯t Gu Fei, he would be an actual brutal tyrant of the Steel Works that no one dared cross.


    The Steel Works Number One Boss.


    Supremo Gu of the Steel Works.


    Jiang Cheng looked at Li Hui, who had been lying on the ground for a while and didn¡¯t seem to be getting up any time soon, then looked at the helpers he had brought who¡¯d been watching coolly from the sidelines with no indication of coming to help him up, and was all of a sudden at a loss as to what to do next.


    ¡°Li Hui,¡± Gu Fei spoke up. ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know the kind of person you are. Everyone who grew up around these parts knows the kind of person you are. I¡¯ll consider this matter done and over with now. Whether your dad really had a savings account, and where he kept it, you know better than anyone.¡±


    Li Hui¡¯s legs twitched as he cupped his nose, but he stayed quiet.


    Gu Fei looked around at the other guys, ¡°I¡¯ll say this again. I grew up here. Anyone who knows me knows this, I never go looking for trouble. But if anyone gets the idea in their head to cross me, I¡¯m not going to just roll over and take it.¡±


    They all laughed nervously. Gu Fei focused on one of them in particular, ¡°San Gou.¡±


    ¡°Ayy, I know I know.¡± The one he called San Gou came over and clapped Gu Fei on the shoulder. ¡°This must¡¯ve been a misunderstanding, yeah!¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the courtesy.¡± Gu Fei bent down and picked up the rubber baton from the ground, and returned it to the back fender of the motorcycle.


    San Gou waved his hand, and the others, after some hesitation, all turned and left with him. Out of these so-called helpers Li Hui had brought, not one of them even bothered to go help him up before leaving.


    Jiang Cheng stared in shock at Li Hui lying on the ground, and was suddenly overcome with a feeling he couldn¡¯t quite name.


    This place, and the people here, all of which were difficult to describe with satisfaction.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Gu Fei got onto his bike. ¡°Do you still have to go upstairs to get your books?¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯ll¡­¡­go get them.¡± Jiang Cheng shot another glance at Li Hui, and lowered his voice. ¡°What about him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll walk away on his own in a bit,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Not like I broke any bones.¡±


    ¡°Then wait for me.¡± Jiang Cheng quickly turned into the stairwell.


    He ran upstairs and picked up the backpack he¡¯d already packed, put his slingshot back in the drawer, then pulled a T-shirt at random from his closet, before running back downstairs.


    When he came out again, Li Hui was no longer lying on the ground. Jiang Cheng looked down the street, and saw Li Hui slowly cross the road with his back hunched over.


    ¡°Put this on.¡± Jiang Cheng tossed the T-shirt to Gu Fei.


    ¡°He¡¯s not gonna come bother you again.¡± Gu Fei glanced down the road as he put the shirt on. ¡°My guess is he probably owes money somewhere.¡±


    Jiang Cheng sighed.


    ¡°If he comes again, you still gotta tell me. Don¡¯t get into a direct conflict with him.¡± Gu Fei continued. ¡°You must not touch these kinds of people, don¡¯t let it affect your studying and your exams.¡±


    ¡°And what about you?¡± Jiang Cheng frowned.


    ¡°I know how to deal with these kinds of people.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t reply as he got on the bike behind Gu Fei. As the engine roared to life, he gently rubbed his hands against Gu Fei¡¯s sides, ¡°Is this the only way? To deal with these things?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei answered. ¡°How else? You don¡¯t even have a reason to call the police, and they can¡¯t do anything about it either. If you want to appeal to their reason, well, if he¡¯s reasonable he wouldn¡¯t have come to you in the first place. For these people, your only choice is to beat them into submission, until they don¡¯t dare to come bother you again.¡±


    ¡°This is also how you used to resolve things before, right?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei smiled as he extinguished the engine, and turned to look at Jiang Cheng. ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking.¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡± Jiang Cheng looked back at him.


    ¡°If it was before,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Every single one of them who was here just now, I wouldn¡¯t have let them go. I¡¯d be counting everyone in attendance, don¡¯t anyone even think of leaving.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do that today?¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°Trying to take after the overachiever,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Trying to follow the boyfriend¡¯s example, and to keep my boyfriend from worrying.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t speak, only patted his back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go get breakfast?¡± Gu Fei started the engine again.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°My treat.¡±


    When Li Hui¡¯s call came first thing in the morning, Jiang Cheng also couldn¡¯t think of any other way to resolve this other than go out and give him a beating.


    If Gu Fei hadn¡¯t come, and he had come downstairs to face Li Hui himself, it would have happened the same way.


    It was like Gu Fei said, he didn¡¯t even have a reason to call the police. Nor did he have the energy. A high school senior busy with studying and preparing for the exams seemed to have no other choice when going up against a scoundrel like Li Hui.


    And yet ¡ª he stared at the back of Gu Fei¡¯s head ¡ª even if Gu Fei no longer acted like he used to, Jiang Cheng still felt uneasy.


    No matter how Gu Fei tried to ¡°follow the boyfriend¡¯s example¡±, he was the only one doing it. Aside from him, no one else around here ¡ª surely the majority of people ¡ª would follow anyone¡¯s example. They would never change.


    Jiang Cheng could leave this place. He most certainly would leave this place. But what about Gu Fei?


    Gu Fei shielded him from the filth and sludge, but then what?


    Jiang Cheng bowed his head, and leaned against Gu Fei¡¯s back.


    Yes, even now, he still didn¡¯t know what to do. Gu Fei had gone from being full of hope, to burying his hope, to closing his eyes in peace; he didn¡¯t know what to do either.


    But even so. He couldn¡¯t help but clench his jaw.


    Gu Fei has to leave this place.


    No matter how hard it is, he has to leave this place.


    It wasn¡¯t that Gu Fei didn¡¯t have hope, he only buried it.


    Just as Jiang Cheng was full to the brim with determination, just as his spirits were flying high, Gu Fei suddenly leaned back a little and pushed against him. Jiang Cheng was only a second away from bursting out in song.


    Come away with me!


    We ride at dawn!


    ¡°Sit up straight,¡± Gu Fei turned his head. ¡°There are Fourth High students up ahead.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng looked ahead. They had already turned onto the road where they usually went to get breakfast. There were quite a few people standing and sitting around the breakfast stalls. ¡°You can still see without your glasses?¡±


    ¡°I guessed.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng started laughing.


    ¡°It¡¯s true my eyesight can¡¯t compare to yours, even from upstairs you didn¡¯t miss a shot.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°When did you buy a new slingshot?¡±


    ¡°Pan Zhi gave it to me last time he was here,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°This one is really¡­¡­ I feel like next time he might just straight up give me a crossbow.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be October 1st soon, will he visit again?¡± Gu Fei stopped the bike. [3]


    Indeed there were a few students from the Fourth High at the breakfast stalls. Frankly, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t recognize any of them. He could only tell who they were because when he and Gu Fei got off the bike, these people all turned to look at them in unison.


    ¡°He can¡¯t come, his fourth grandpa has just passed away, on such short notice he can¡¯t make up any more relatives to pass away again. Not to mention, if they died too frequently, nobody would believe it.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Fourth High doesn¡¯t give days off for October 1st anyway, but mainly it¡¯s because I can¡¯t afford to lose any more time.¡±


    There were no more vacant tables at the breakfast stalls. The two of them bought breakfast, took a turn about the tables, and finally had to make do with sharing a table with two other Fourth High students.


    These two were probably a young couple. As soon as the two of them sat down, the couple exchanged glances knowingly, took a sip of soy milk, then swept their eyes over Gu Fei¡¯s face.


    Jiang Cheng frowned. He could already begin to see how powerful the words ¡°composer Gu Fei¡± were.


    He looked at Gu Fei worriedly. Gu Fei himself was pretty calm. He had a fried dough fritter in one hand and a bowl of tofu pudding in the other, and was happily eating away.


    When the couple finally finished eating, and stood up to leave, Jiang Cheng let out a breath of relief, ¡°Shit.¡±


    ¡°What.¡± Gu Fei finished his own tofu pudding, then grabbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s as well and took a couple of gulps.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Jiang Cheng picked up a bun. ¡°I just think these people are so annoying, openly staring at you like that. The fuggedy fack are they staring at.¡±


    Gu Fei smiled a little, and didn¡¯t speak.


    When they arrived at school, they continued to receive all sorts of looks. Jiang Cheng was a little sorry that he didn¡¯t encourage Gu Fei to skip class.


    However, it was much better after they entered their classroom. After all, the people of Class-8 had been in the same room with Gu Fei for so long, that even if they were surprised, they didn¡¯t have as extreme a reaction as everyone else.


    Besides, there was the fake tyrant of the class, captain Wang Jiuri, trying to forcefully steal the show.


    ¡°Exactly!¡± Wang Xu was sitting on his desk, boasting to the people around him. ¡°I just don¡¯t bother to show off normally, when I started fooling around with the guitar, you all were probably still shower singers!¡±


    ¡°Anyways, my skill level is only okay.¡± Wang Xu turned and spotted Jiang Cheng, and immediately beckoned. ¡°Jiang Cheng! Come tell them, how was that solo interlude I added before! Did it not add a lot to our performance!¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded earnestly, and gave him a thumbs up.


    ¡°Are you planning to apply to a music school?¡± Somebody asked.


    ¡®We¡¯ll have to see, it¡¯s not like you have to get into a music school to learn this,¡± Wang Xu¡¯s expression was solemn. ¡°What if one day I fly out of this shitty place and end up in some big city, I gotta have a skill I can live on!¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡­ Everyone nodded their heads in unison.


    Jiang Cheng chuckled, but suddenly felt a little melancholy as he sat down.


    Even Wang Xu would talk big about his dream of someday making it out of this place, and dared to call his guitar playing as something to live on¡­¡­


    Gu Fei was the one who actually had a skill to live on, more than one, at that.


    Even if he were to apply to the shitty local schools, if Gu Fei wanted to, he could at least get into the most unshitty one of the shitty bunch.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei. He wouldn¡¯t tell Gu Fei this. Right now, everything was still up in the air. If Gu Fei didn¡¯t wish to be woken up, he could not wake him.


    Jiang Cheng sighed and slumped over his desk.


    He was sleepy. He hadn¡¯t slept well the entire night, and with Li Hui causing a ruckus so early in the morning, he only felt an extreme fatigue now that everything had quieted down.


    In the short hour of the morning self-study period, he must¡¯ve yawned at least eight hundred and sixty times, his vision was practically covered with tears.


    ¡°How are you this sleepy?¡± Gu Fei set down the phone he¡¯d been playing with. ¡°Have you been thinking inappropriate thoughts the whole night?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed, then as soon as he stopped, he yawned again.


    ¡°How about you¡­¡­doze for a bit?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Nah, I still gotta copy down the key points.¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his eyes. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll need to buy a voice recorder.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to take notes for you?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Cheng blinked.


    ¡°The key points you were talking about, and notes,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I¡¯ll take them down for you, you just have to listen, and if you can¡¯t stay awake, you can snooze for a while?¡±


    ¡°Then, you¡¯ll¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng looked at Gu Fei, and pushed his own notebook toward him. ¡°Help me take notes?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei flipped open the notebook. ¡°Ah, the first class is English?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­You don¡¯t even know what the first class is?¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what any class is, I only find out when the teacher walks into the room.¡± Gu Fei glanced at Lao-Lu, who had just entered the classroom. ¡°When you review the notes, will you be so stimulated by my beautiful handwriting that you won¡¯t be able to focus?¡±


    ¡°Oh get over yourself.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    As usual, Lao-Lu first slammed his warrior god palm on the lectern to stun the sleepy students to a half-awake state, before starting his lecture.


    Jiang Cheng flopped over the desk with his head resting on his arm. He listened to Lao-Lu with his ears, while his eyes stayed on Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei twirled the pen, looking a little nervous, probably because he had never taken proper notes before, let alone English notes.


    When Lao-Lu turned to the black board and started writing down key focus points, Gu Fei put his head down and started to copy.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind wandered as he stared at Gu Fei¡¯s profile.


    When you open your eyes, I¡¯ll definitely hear it.


    Footnotes


    [1]: San Gou = Èý¹· = Three Dogs or Third Dog


    [2]: Zhonghua: brand of cigarettes (expensive)


    Maotai: brand of sorghum liquor (high end)


    [3]: October 1st: the National Day of China ¨C the formation of the PRC, aka major major holiday.

 CH 93

    ¡°Walnuts eggs milk red dates sesame banana beans¡­¡­ Which one do you like?¡±


    Jiang Cheng spent the whole morning battling the urge to doze off while the lectures droned on in his ears. The teachers at Fourth High all taught class like old monks chanting the scriptures, with the exception of Lao-Lu, who would sometimes interject with an insulting rebuke or two to wake them up. The other teachers, including Lao-Xu, all trudged straight ahead with their monotone voices that lacked any sort of rise and fall, losing students to sleep along the way.


    In this season where the temperature was getting just cool enough that you could feel it, and the weather was very soothing, the only ones who could manage to stay awake during lecture without the help of conversation were probably limited to Jiang Cheng and Yi Jing.


    Oh wait, Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei, whose head was bowed as he copied notes, and Gu Fei.


    And yes¡­¡­Wang Xu, who could probably identify Yi Jing¡¯s silhouette amid the backs of ten thousand other students.


    When class let out for the morning, Jiang Cheng instantly collapsed on the desk and closed his eyes, ¡°Wake me in twenty minutes.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei answered and closed the notebook.


    ¡°Hey, Da-Fei, Da-fei.¡± Zhou Jing collected his things and turned around. ¡°Da¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°That¡¯s Jiang Cheng¡¯s shirt you¡¯re wearing, right?¡± Zhou Jing asked.


    Jiang Cheng lifted his head. The feeling that ¡°there¡¯s no time to lose, this person has to be shut up permanently¡± came over him.


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Zhou Jing was a little skeptical. ¡°I thought I saw him wearing this last week.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just the same style.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°¡­¡­Oh,¡± Zhou Jing hesitated. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t look new, and I¡¯ve never seen you wear¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Go away.¡± Gu Fei cut him off curtly.


    Zhou Jing sighed and stood up, ¡°Can¡¯t even continue a normal conversation, geez.¡±


    During class, Jiang Cheng had felt so sleepy it was as if the whole world had disappeared, as if the teacher¡¯s voice was drifting to him from outside the realm of reality. Now that class was over and he was able to catch a snooze in peace, Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t fall asleep.


    Still, he stubbornly kept his eyes closed, and didn¡¯t open them until Gu Fei said beside him that twenty minutes was up. He wiped away the tears that was practically rolling down his face from being so painfully sleepy yet not able to fall asleep.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t sleep, did you?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going blind from sleepiness.¡±


    ¡°Yet you stayed down the whole time, you¡¯re blinking so much that your eyelids are turning into wings.¡± Gu Fei smiled and pushed the notebook to him. ¡°Check if this is okay? If not, you should hurry up and clarify with the teacher.¡±


    Jiang Cheng opened the notebook, and was enlightened by the stream of refreshing notes.


    He had started keeping notes when he first started middle school. Several years had passed since then, but it was the first time he saw such clean and neat handwriting in his own notebook.


    As a slacker, Gu Fei could not tell the important information from the rest. If it was on the blackboard, and repeated by the teacher, he would copy it down. Jiang Cheng would have to pick out the important points himself when reading over it.


    There was, however, one thing that impressed him very much. Gu Fei¡¯s handwriting not only looked good, he also wrote quickly. The way he had copied everything down without sparing any details, it wasn¡¯t a small feat.


    ¡°Damn impressive,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I have to use abbreviations and symbols when I take notes, otherwise I won¡¯t be able to keep up.¡±


    ¡°No shit,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I only had to copy, and not analyse anything.¡±


    ¡°Slacky-slacker, you probably never paid so much attention in class in all your life huh.¡± Jiang Cheng stood up and stretched.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei stood up as well, and the two of them walked out together. ¡°Indeed, many fantastical experiences await me when being with an overachiever.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him. ¡°Is it tiring? Is it annoying, to take notes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t continue on the subject of class and studying, but he could feel that Gu Fei was unlike other academic slackers in this regard. The typical slacker would certainly find it annoying to take notes for a whole morning, even if they weren¡¯t actually listening to the content, and only copied things down. Take Pan Zhi for example, the most classic archetype of a slacker:


    Pan Zhi would fall asleep with his head propped on the pencil if he had to take notes for even one period, let alone for a whole morning like Gu Fei had done.


    At the thought of this, Jiang Cheng felt on behalf of Gu Fei, a surge of heartache and a yearning for more.


    To witness with his own eyes, helpless as he watched Gu Fei bury his own hope and walk along the path of the Steel Works, it was upsetting.


    Every time he got a taste of Gu Fei¡¯s own resignation, his mood would slide all the way to rock bottom.


    ¡°What do you want to eat for lunch?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Jiang Cheng reined back his wandering thoughts and pondered for a few minutes, before answering, ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What a conundrum.¡± Gu Fei sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m just hungry, but not really craving anything specific.¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his stomach. ¡°How about we go eat something a little more refined?¡±


    ¡°The pizza across the street?¡± Gu Fei started laughing.


    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Jiang Cheng tsked audibly. ¡°Wang-er Meat Pies are way better.¡±


    After a long discussion, they ended up going to the place across from Gu Miao¡¯s old elementary school for a bowl of lamb vermicelli.


    Even though it was only lamb vermicelli, at least from appearance and price, it matched the standards Jiang Cheng had voiced of ¡®refinement¡¯.


    Jiang Cheng had passed this restaurant many times before, but he had assumed it was a bar. He even thought it was mighty brave of this little shitty city to allow a bar to be opened right outside of an elementary school. Not to mention that it was a bar with an unconventional name like Big Bad Wolf¡­¡­


    ¡°It¡¯s probably the first and only time we¡¯re gonna come here,¡± Jiang Cheng exclaimed as they walked out after eating. ¡°It¡¯s way too expensive, twenty bucks! Did you not feel me tugging on you to leave just now?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t, I thought you were just straightening my hem.¡± Gu Fei laughed. ¡°I thought the price was alright, they gave plenty of meat. I was gonna ask for another portion of meat for you as a supplement for all your mental exertion recently, but seeing as the portion was big enough, I didn¡¯t fork out for anymore.¡±


    ¡°Right! It was so expensive that you didn¡¯t even want to add more meat. How can you say the price was alright?¡± Jiang Cheng laughed for a while, then released a drawn out sigh. ¡°Ayyy¡­¡­ When I start working in the future, I¡¯ll take you to eat vermicelli worth eight hundred bucks a bowl, and add on two hundred bucks worth of meat.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Fei nodded seriously. ¡°If you don¡¯t add meat you¡¯re not my countrymen.¡±


    At that, they both devolved into another fit of laughter.


    When they arrived at the convenience store, Gu Fei¡¯s mom was sitting by the front counter, looking a little low. Usually when they met, she would call out ¡°ah Jiang Cheng, you¡¯re here!¡± in her not-so-quiet voice, but today she only glanced at the two of them before continuing to stare blankly into space.


    ¡°Have you eaten?¡± Gu Fei asked her.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± She replied in a weak voice. ¡°Took Er-Miao to get some rice rolls. She was insistent on eating those things, they¡¯re so cold, my stomach is hurting even now.¡±


    ¡°You should go home,¡± Gu Fei put a hand to her forehead and felt for warmth. ¡°Why does it feel like you have a bit of a fever?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± She stood up, grabbed her purse under the counter, and walked toward the door. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me. I feel tired on your behalf even if you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Bye auntie.¡± Jiang Cheng watched her figure recede, then turned to Gu Fei. ¡°What¡¯s up with your mom?¡±


    ¡°She acts out on occasion,¡± Gu Fei sat down, opened the register, and checked the cash. ¡°Yesterday her new boyfriend hit her, so she¡¯s probably in a bad mood.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Is it the one with the motorcycle from last time?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Dunno,¡± Gu Fei¡¯s eyebrows were knitted. ¡°If it happens again I¡¯m going to go take care of the guy myself.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything, and sat down beside him.


    ¡°You can¡¯t get through to her with just words, I¡¯ve tried talking to her at least eight hundred times, if not a thousand.¡± Gu Fei pulled his phone out and started swiping at random. ¡°I think she should go see a therapist, but she would refuse for sure. Not to mention here¡­¡­it¡¯s not like we have any reliable psychologists.¡±


    Jiang Cheng took the phone from him and grabbed his hand, squeezing it gently and rhythmically.


    Yes, even in this whole run-down city, if one were to visit a psychologist, they would become a crazy person in the eyes of the people around them, let alone doing so in the Steel Works neighbourhood. Gu Fei¡¯s mom probably had the same thought. To see a psychologist was to admit that she was crazy.


    ¡°She asked me yesterday, if it wasn¡¯t for Gu Miao, would I have stopped caring about her a long time ago.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Would you have?¡± Jiang Cheng turned to him.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°She¡¯s a grown person. We can all walk our own paths.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say any more, he only felt lost.


    ¡°You should go take a nap,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Otherwise you won¡¯t make it through the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°And you?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Are we supposed to squeeze together on that little cot?¡± Gu Fei chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t need to nap, I¡¯m not sleepy.¡±


    Gu Fei must¡¯ve recently changed the beddings on the little cot in the small room. The duvet and pillow cover, as well as the sheets, all smell fresh and full of sunlight. Jiang Cheng collapsed on the cot and, clutching the cover, was asleep in less than two minutes.


    When Gu Fei woke him, he was reluctant to get up, and wouldn¡¯t let go of the covers in his arms, ¡°Ahhhh sleepy¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°You skipping class then?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng buried his face in the covers.


    ¡°Then, up?¡± Gu Fei asked again.


    ¡°Sleepy.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Then skip class?¡± Gu Fei continued asking.


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng continued recycling his answer.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s do it?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°¡­¡­Do what?¡± Jiang Cheng blinked.


    ¡°Me, do you.¡± Gu Fei leaned over the head of the cot and tugged on Jiang Cheng¡¯s pants. ¡°As long as we don¡¯t have anywhere to be, and you don¡¯t wanna get up.¡±


    Jiang Cheng turned and stared at him, ¡°Holy shit.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything, with a single movement he lifted his shirt halfway off his body.


    ¡°Hey! Hey hey hey¡­¡­¡± Suddenly Jiang Cheng was fully awake, he bolted up and jumped off the bed. ¡°Collect yourself, we have to go to school.¡±


    ¡°Not sleepy anymore?¡± Gu Fei pulled his shirt back down.


    ¡°Not sleepy anymore, I¡¯ll go wash my face!¡± Jiang Cheng ran out to the courtyard.


    The afternoon self-study periods were cancelled. Lao-Xu stood at the front of the class and gave a very earnest ten minute speech that encouraged everyone to rise above the harsh blow of having their self-study period replaced by various main subjects, to little effect.


    Lao-Lu, whose class took over the first self-study period, could not help himself from interrupting Lao-Xu¡¯s speech, ¡°Mr. Xu, it¡¯s no use saying all this! Look at these people! Why don¡¯t you take a rest, I have to start class now! You¡¯ve taken up half my class time already!¡±


    Lao-Xu gave up his spot at the lectern reluctantly, ¡°There¡¯s less than a year left! Students! You¡¯ve already played away two and a half years! You must summon up the energy to fight for this last stretch!¡±


    ¡°WAKE UP!¡± Lao-Lu walked up with a hard slap on the lectern. ¡°Commencing class!¡± [1]


    Jiang Cheng, whose mind hadn¡¯t been wandering, was startled by the sudden slam, while Gu Fei, who had been spacing off beside him, dropped his phone from the fright.


    ¡°Please at least think of your Xu-zong!¡± Lao-Lu said. ¡°Day after day like this, he¡¯s wearing out his own lips nagging you! Everyone else will lose ten pounds or more while preparing for the exams, but just look at yourselves! Nice and plump, every one of you! I¡¯ll need to find a pork scale from the market just to hold you!¡±


    Jiang Cheng shot a glance at Gu Fei.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me,¡± Gu Fei told him quietly. ¡°I stay in very good shape.¡±


    Jiang Cheng kept his laughter in.


    ¡°You lost weight though,¡± Gu Fei continued. ¡°It¡¯s already visible to the eyes. We should weigh you this evening, I can see at least a 10 pounds difference.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a smile.


    After school that day they went to the pharmacy. Gu Fei stepped onto the scale and said, ¡°I¡¯ve been the same weight for the last three years.¡±


    ¡°Do you come here every time to weigh yourself?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    Jiang Cheng hesitated for a beat, then turned and asked the pharmacy staff, ¡°Big sis, is your scale working properly?¡±


    ¡°It is, it¡¯s new!¡± The woman said. ¡°We replaced it only a couple months ago, it¡¯s pretty accurate.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng stepped onto the scale, then blinked in shock. ¡°Holy, what the shit¡­¡­ I haven¡¯t lost any weight?¡±


    Gu Fei took away the backpack in Jiang Cheng¡¯s hands, as he said, ¡°You might as well carry me along with it.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be able to.¡± Jiang Cheng cracked up, then checked the number on the scale. ¡°I¡¯m lighter than you now, we were probably about the same before?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Gu Fei squeezed Jiang Cheng¡¯s waist. ¡°You probably need more proper nutrition in your diet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exaggerating,¡± Jiang Cheng stepped off. ¡°I never needed to supplement my diet ahead of tests before. I used to also toil every day when I was preparing for my high school entrance exam, and my mom¡­¡­never made any additions to my diet. Told you, I¡¯m not that delicate.¡±


    ¡°High school entrance exams aren¡¯t as stressful.¡± Gu Fei pulled out his phone and looked down at it as he walked. ¡°Besides, you¡¯ve been too careless with what you¡¯re eating these days. Let¡¯s not eat out for dinner for now on.¡±


    ¡°Will we eat in the store then?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei nodded solemnly. ¡°No eating breakfast outside either, fried dough fritters and fried pancakes aren¡¯t exactly full of nutrients.¡±


    ¡°You gonna make me breakfast then?¡± Jiang Cheng laughed.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei continued to nod.


    ¡°Whatcha lookin¡¯ at?¡± Jiang Cheng leaned in from the side.


    ¡°Healthy recipes. Look at this, ¡®A Different Nutritional Breakfast Every Day¡¯.¡± Gu Fei pointed at the screen.


    ¡°What, you¡¯re gonna make it?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°You don¡¯t even cook as well as Li Yan.¡±


    ¡°Then let Li Yan cook for you.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a side-eye. ¡°I¡¯m really not that delicate.¡±


    ¡°I refuse to fuck off.¡± Gu Fei grinned and put his phone away.


    Pan Zhi was one of those people Lao-Lu talked about, who gained weight whenever there were exams. His family still would not accept the reality that he was an academic slacker, which meant that every time Pan Zhi posed in front of his desk before an exam while secretly swiping away on his phone, his mother would think that he was an overachiever held back by a lack of nutrition. Therefore, even for midterm tests, Pan Zhi would gain anywhere from three to five pounds¡­¡­


    ¡­¡­Then lose it all again amidst the verbal and physical disciplines that followed the test results.


    Jiang Cheng had never received the special treatment of extra nutritional meals. Shen Yiqing had strict standards when it came to diet. In her mind, as grueling as studying was, the meals they had at home contained more than enough nutrients to keep up. Any sort of addition served only as a placebo effect.


    Perhaps because of that, Jiang Cheng never thought he lacked extra nourishment when he studied, he only felt lethargic easily. Although, with his capabilities, it was nothing a cup of instant milk tea couldn¡¯t¡­¡­


    ¡°Lethargy is a product of mental overexertion,¡± Gu Fei was holding his phone in one hand and a spatula in the other, as he stirred the chicken wings in the pot. ¡°Which means you need additional nourishment.¡±


    ¡°And eating chicken wings will nourish my brain?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Walnuts eggs milk red dates sesame banana beans¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei rattled off a whole list of foods. ¡°Which one do you like?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­None of them.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°Well there you go. You don¡¯t like fish either,¡± Gu Fei said as he looked at his phone. ¡°You only like meat, right? Oh great pork belly.¡±


    ¡°Wings are great too.¡± Jiang Cheng gulped as he watched.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I figured, as long as it tastes good it should be fine. Better than having a bunch of weird stuff that you don¡¯t even want to eat, and I don¡¯t know how to make.¡± Gu Fei kept stirring for a long time, then pointed with his spatula to one side. ¡°Go, get the cola and pour it in.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng went and opened a can of cola. ¡°All of it?¡±


    ¡°All of it.¡± Gu Fei looked down at his phone again.


    ¡°Do you not have any Coke? Pepsi isn¡¯t as carbonated¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Cheng-ge, I get the feeling that your brain really is starting to max out,¡± Gu Fei glanced at him. ¡°You¡¯re asking for fizz in your Cola Wings?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Can I have a bottle to drink?¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s in the fridge.¡± Gu Fei said.


    The pot of wings was very substantial, since Gu Fei also had to factor in Gu Miao, who didn¡¯t need extra brain nourishment, but who had an enormous appetite. He had slogged in the kitchen for a whole hour, such that Jiang Cheng had already memorized several pages of a political textbook, when he finally yelled, ¡°Gu Er-miao, come set the table!¡±


    Gu Miao ran into the kitchen and came out with bowls and chopsticks.


    ¡°Er-miao, let¡¯s go wash our hands together?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    Gu Miao looked at him, nodded, then walked with Jiang Cheng to the sink.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go first?¡± Jiang Cheng said, made sure that Gu Miao was still calm, then twisted open the tap and washed his hands with a very small stream of water.


    Gu Miao followed suit, reaching her hands under the tap, and scrubbed them.


    ¡°She¡¯s fine.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°It¡¯s been almost a year since she last freaked out about water.¡±


    This is progress, right? This counts as progress? Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t ask Gu Fei this, he knew that Gu Fei must¡¯ve experienced countless instances of similarly raised hopes, only to be let down.


    Cola Wings was probably one of the easiest ¡®impressive¡¯ dishes to make, there was next to no technical skills required. Gu Fei had made it while checking the recipe on his phone step by step, yet it still tasted pretty good.


    ¡°How¡¯s the salt?¡± Gu Fei looked at Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Just right.¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a thumbs up as he munched on the wings.


    Gu Miao immediately followed suit, and also gave Gu Fei a thumbs up.


    ¡°Seriously, maybe you can set up a wok in the store and sell some wings on the side.¡± Jiang Cheng quickly finished a chicken wing, and picked up another one.


    ¡°No time for that,¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°Not to mention even if I did, it probably won¡¯t even be enough to feed you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng laughed as he shoveled some rice into his mouth.


    It was true that Gu Fei didn¡¯t have time. The store was only just getting by, since no one was around to run it properly. It wasn¡¯t feasible to have Li Yan come by to guard it every day whenever Gu Fei went off on his photography gigs. Gu Fei¡¯s mom would often watch the store for a while, then when it came time to go out, she would simply shut the doors and close down shop.


    Jiang Cheng glanced over at Gu Miao. If Gu Miao¡¯s condition improved, she could help out sometimes and watch the store, which would take a lot of weight off of Gu Fei. Although, if she really did get better, she should probably be going to school.


    He gnawed on the bones of the chicken wings as he brooded. A lot of problems were actually closed loops, intersecting circles that tightly locked everything together.


    After dinner Jiang Cheng left first to his apartment, he had to do his homework and continue studying.


    Gu Fei wrapped things up in the store, took Gu Miao home, spent some time playing with her, then finally after she was asleep, came over with a thermos in his hands.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at the time. Gu Fei was an hour later than usual, it was already past ten o¡¯clock.


    ¡°¡­¡­Cola Wings,¡± Gu Fei twisted open the lid of the thermos. ¡°I just made it at home, your night snack to¡­¡­ nourish your brain.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng felt all warm and fuzzy inside, but after a second of warmth, he also felt like laughing, and accidentally let it spill out.


    ¡°Be serious,¡± Gu Fei screwed the lid back on. ¡°Didn¡¯t you like eating this?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded with a forced straight face, but couldn¡¯t help cracking up again a second later.


    Gu Fei glared at him for a while, then also started laughing. He sat down at the edge of the bed and said, ¡°Anyways, at this stage, this is the only dish I know how to make, so bear with me.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jiang Cheng stopped laughing, then reached out and touched Gu Fei¡¯s lips. ¡°Gu Fei, thank you.¡±


    ¡°No problem, just call me good samaritan.¡± Gu Fei touched his chest. ¡°Forgot to wear my neckerchief of honour.¡± [2]


    ¡°Sure thing, good samaritan,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed as he picked up his book from the desk. ¡°Are you tired?¡±


    ¡°Nope, why?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    Jiang Cheng handed the book to Gu Fei, ¡°Quiz me¡­¡­¡± [3]


    He already realized the second he saw Gu Fei¡¯s mouth quirk up, but still he couldn¡¯t dodge it in time, as Gu Fei landed a smack on his arm.


    ¡°What the hell!¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his arm vigorously.


    ¡°I just smacked you,¡± Gu Fei took the book. ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°Now massage it.¡± Jiang Cheng stuck his arm out in front of Gu Fei.


    ¡°Alrighty!¡± Gu Fei took Jiang Cheng¡¯s arm and gently kneaded it, then looked down. ¡°I didn¡¯t use force, why is it red?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m malnourished, remember,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Gimme a wing.¡±


    Gu Fei went into the kitchen, found a bowl and washed it, then put two chicken wings inside and brought it back to the desk, ¡°So did you want me to quiz you on random points?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng started munching on a wing. ¡°Pick any random thing you want, just flip to a page and go.¡±


    Gu Fei picked up the book and read out loud, ¡°The geographical border of division of our nation¡¯s population¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Generally divided by a straight line drawn from the Heihe city in Heilongjiang to the Tengchong city in Yunnan,¡± Jiang Cheng gnawed noisily on the bone. ¡°A large portion of the population sits to the south-east of that line, whereas a smaller portion of the population sits to the north-west of it.¡±


    Gu Fei also picked up a chicken wing, ¡°The population migrating out of Sichuan had a proactive¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Benefit in easing the conflict between the people and land of this region, playing a role in strengthening the economic, technological, philosophical, and cultural connection between Sichuan and the society at large¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng was interrupted halfway by the ringing of his phone he had thrown on the bed. ¡°Who can it be at this hour?¡±


    ¡°Pan Zhi?¡± Gu Fei grabbed the phone for him, then paused blankly as he saw the caller ID on the screen. ¡°Shen Yiqing?¡±


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand froze in midair on its way to the thermos.


    ¡°Your¡­¡­ adoptive mom?¡± Gu Fei hesitated, then seeing as Jiang Cheng still hadn¡¯t moved, asked again. ¡°Will you not pick up?¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at the phone, then after a long time finally said softly, ¡°I don¡¯t want to pick up.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything as he turned the phone on silent, and put it back on the bed. Then he put two more chicken wings into Jiang Cheng¡¯s bowl.


    ¡°As well as increasing income and facilitating economic development; the impact of an increasing mobile population on urban development¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Fei blinked in confusion, then suddenly realized Jiang Cheng was continuing his interrupted train of thought from before.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t speak again, he stared at the silent yet glowing cell phone screen and frowned.


    Footnotes


    [1]: Bolded words were spoken in English XD


    [2]: The red neckerchief [ºìÁì½í] is something worn by elementary (and sometimes middle school) students who are in the ¡°Young Pioneers¡±, as part of their school uniform. There¡¯s a whole history, it¡¯s a CCP thing, but also so normalized that it¡¯s not really seen as political and mostly regarded as, hey, that¡¯s a young student.


    [3]: Jiang Cheng said ³é, which in context, means ¡°quiz¡± the verb, but in most other settings, means smack/beat. Gu Fei purposely misunderstood it as ¡°smack me¡±

 CH 94

    ¡°I got a boyfriend.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want to take the call. Ever since he had arrived at this place, no, ever since he realized he was adopted, he had found it difficult to face Shen Yiqing, nor did he wish to face Shen Yiqing.


    There was no significant conflict between him and that home, but the strict, almost oppressive disciplines, the frosty atmosphere that prevented him from truly relaxing even when he was at home, plus the hidden nature of Li Baoguo¡¯s imprint within himself¡­¡­ Perhaps it was because of all this, he had entered a so-called rebellious stage probably since he started elementary school, and continued ¡®rebelling¡¯, not stopping until his eventual departure.


    He did not know what the family dynamic was like at home when he was not there, but as soon as he stepped through the door, he could sense the irritation in the air, which would reflexively activate all the thorns around his body.


    The warmth, the ease, and the sense of being grounded that that home gave him was far from that provided by Pan Zhi¡¯s home, with his parents who spent most of the week playing mahjong.


    Other than academic achievements, there was probably not a single thing about him that satisfied his parents. His relationship with them was as if he was forcefully conscripted into a war, with them commanding the other side, while he never once won a single battle.


    It was why he put such an importance on his grades. No matter how much he ¡®acted out¡¯ normally, he would always give his all when it came to tests and exams. In the almost twenty years of this war, this was his sole stronghold.


    Alas, that final explosive argument finally did sever the last thread of bond between him and that home.


    He had always thought that his dad¡¯s¡­¡­or rather Jiang Wei¡¯s stay at the hospital from pneumonia had nothing to do with him, it was a coincidence that it happened after their argument that had almost escalated to a physical fight. As for the subject of that argument, it was nothing more than another skipped class. He harboured a lot of resentment for the fact that Shen Yiqing had always blamed the incident on him.


    Now that he thought about it, perhaps it was not entirely unrelated.


    Perhaps, it had been from a chronic suppression and buildup over time. It must¡¯ve been tiring, that the child they had adopted never fitted into the family, always rebelling under their tutelage like a bomb that might go off at any time.


    Jiang Cheng grabbed his phone from the bed, the screen had already darkened. He was quiet.


    If he did not know that he wasn¡¯t their biological son, if he had not come back to this place, perhaps he would continue like he did before, emboldened to keep struggling in that home, to fiercely rebel.


    Now, it was as though he had finally jumped out of a part of the story. When he stood on the sideline and looked back on the past, it was as though there was finally an answer to everything, whether it was his own actions or those of everyone else in his family.


    His phone rang again, it was still Shen Yiqing.


    Jiang Cheng picked up the phone, looked at it for a while, then swiped at the screen with one finger and picked up the call, ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Is this Xiao-Cheng?¡± It was Shen Yiqing¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    Gu Fei got up and walked out of the bedroom, gently closing the door behind him.


    Jiang Cheng leaned back against the chair. If he counted the days, it had not been very long since they last contacted each other, but Shen Yiqing¡¯s voice on the other side suddenly sounded unfamiliar to him.


    All at once, he felt a little dejected. Almost twenty years and they had failed at building a close relationship, while it was this easy to become like strangers.


    ¡°How are things with you right now?¡± Shen Yiqing asked.


    ¡°Pretty good.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°Then¡­¡­what about Li Baoguo?¡± Shen Yiqing continued.


    Jiang Cheng frowned. He didn¡¯t want Shen Yiqing to know about this, he was afraid of being asked to recall it: what happened, why, and then what happened¡­¡­


    When Shen Yiqing did not get an answer, she said, ¡°Did he¡­¡­commit suicide?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°What happened?¡± From her voice, he could imagine the way she was furrowing her brows as she spoke.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jiang Cheng shut his eyes briefly, then opened them again. ¡°He got lung cancer, and couldn¡¯t afford treatment.¡±


    Shen Yiqing was quiet for a while, then spoke again, ¡°Did it have anything to do with you?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jiang Cheng was stunned.


    ¡°His suicide, did it have anything to do with you?¡± Shen Yiqing asked.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng had never felt so shocked.


    A sigh came through the receiver that expressed Shen Yiqing¡¯s displeasure at his cursing, ¡°Tell me the truth, even though you¡¯re not part of this family anymore, but¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°What truth?¡± Jiang Cheng felt maybe his brain was a little muddled from memorizing text passages all night, he could make no sense whatsoever from Shen Yiqing¡¯s question. ¡°What truth should I tell? What truth do you want to hear?¡±


    ¡°Xiao-Cheng,¡± Shen Yiqing said. ¡°Your older brother already called me.¡±


    ¡°Who the fuck is my older brother?!¡± Jiang Cheng yelled. The utter confusion of realization yet not quite understanding anything at all made him want to blow up right this very moment.


    ¡°Calm yourself down!¡± Shen Yiqing also raised her voice. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear you shouting hysterically anymore!¡±


    Li Hui had called Shen Yiqing. That wasn¡¯t surprising.


    What did Li Hui say to Shen Yiqing? No idea. Whatever it was, it would not be surprising.


    Whatever Li Hui had said, Shen Yiqing had not believed him.


    But what had made Jiang Cheng suddenly blow up, was that Shen Yiqing did not believe him either.


    She called only to confirm.


    Why was it that less than a year after he came back, Li Baoguo had killed himself.


    Why would Li Hui call her and say¡­¡­


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll calm down.¡± Jiang Cheng took in a deep breath, patted his pockets, and did not find any cigarettes. He got up and opened the bedroom door.


    Gu Fei was standing by the living room window looking at the moon, and at the sound of the door, he turned around.


    Jiang Cheng walked up and found a pack of cigarettes in Gu Fei¡¯s pocket, then put one in his mouth. Gu Fei took out a lighter and lit it for him.


    ¡°Can you first tell me what Li Hui said?¡± Jiang Cheng turned back into the bedroom and closed the door.


    ¡°You¡­¡­¡± Shen Yiqing might have heard the sound of the lighter, and could also tell that he was speaking with a cigarette in his mouth.


    ¡°Yes I¡¯m smoking,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Sorry, I can¡¯t help it right now.¡±


    I¡¯m sorry.


    It was probably the single thing he had said the most at home. Every time he failed to gain the higher ground, he would say this first.


    As time passed, and as the number of times he said this increased, the words ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± would often take on a note of anger, like that day by the river when he roared out a strand of ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± to Gu Fei, as if venting. Like right now, when he told Shen Yiqing sorry as he was almost bursting with irritation.


    In certain situations, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± had become a way for him to express his emotions.


    It was laughable.


    ¡°Li Hui said you took thirty thousand from Li Baoguo,¡± Shen Yiqing stopped going in circles and said plainly. ¡°The money that would¡¯ve saved his life. Is that true?¡±


    Even though Jiang Cheng could pretty much guess what Li Hui had said ¡ª it could not possibly be anything other than money money money and more money ¡ª still, hearing Shen Yiqing say it out loud like this, it made his chest feel tight.


    There was a buzzing in his mind and a stuffiness in his chest, to the extent that it made him want to laugh.


    And then he felt a little nauseous. At the sudden intense urge to throw up, he quickly picked up the cup on the desk and gulped down some cold water.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve never met Li Baoguo before,¡± Jiang Cheng took a breath in and tried to keep his emotions under control. ¡°When you adopted me, and when you reversed the adoption. You know very well what kind of person he was.¡±


    Shen Yiqing did not say anything.


    ¡°Forget if he even had thirty thousand yuan, but is it plausible that he would put the money anywhere within my reach?¡± Jiang Cheng took in two long drags of the cigarette. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t know what kind of person he was, at the very least you raised me for seventeen years, even if you raised a dog you¡¯d know when it would wag its tail and when it would bite people!¡±


    ¡°Xiao-Cheng,¡± Shen Yiqing sighed. ¡°I understand that asking like this makes you feel uncomfortable. But it¡¯s important that some things be clarified so I can make a judgment on where I stand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never touched his money, and his suicide has nothing to do with me either. When he was sick I gave him money, and after he died Li Hui asked me for money, I gave it then too.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    He suddenly felt very sorry for himself as he said these words, his nose twinged.


    He had to explain to this woman he had called mom for the past seventeen years, a truth that he thought she should already know.


    Even though that was exactly the kind of person Shen Yiqing was. Still, at this very moment, Jiang Cheng was once again deeply disappointed.


    Perhaps he was too naive. In his own na?vet¨¦, he innocently thought that the ¡®mother and son¡¯ bond of almost two decades would more or less still remain. He assumed that where a mother ¡®stood¡¯ never depended on any sort of prerequisite of truth, that choosing to believe in your own child was simply second nature.


    However, that kind of second nature clearly did not exist between him and Shen Yiqing. Shen Yiqing logically required a ¡®truth¡¯ before she could decide what side she was on.


    Jiang Cheng understood, but found it hard to accept.


    All the bitterness from over years, that he had spent so long to force himself to stop thinking about and brooding over, was once again being turned to the surface.


    ¡°Xiao-Cheng, to be honest even though you¡­¡­but I still thought there was no way you¡¯d touch his money.¡± Shen Yiqing said. ¡°It¡¯s only because Li Hui had said it so sincerely, he even cried, that¡¯s why I wanted to ask you about it first.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jiang Cheng let out a little laugh. ¡°You don¡¯t know the people here at all. If you were face to face with him, he might even cut his wrist to prove his own earnesty.¡±


    ¡°Where are you living now? Did you move out?¡± Shen Yiqing asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m renting my own place.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    Shen Yiqing sighed quietly, and was silent for a spell. Jiang Cheng felt like he could already guess what she wanted to say, and why she was hesitating. After all, this was the only person he ever associated with the word ¡°mom¡± in his mind, he knew her well.


    ¡°I¡¯m doing well right now,¡± He stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray. ¡°I¡­¡­I¡¯m fine where I am.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re all alone there¡­¡­¡± Shen Yiqing was still hesitating.


    Jiang Cheng interrupted her, ¡°I¡¯m not alone.¡±


    I¡¯m a dog. [1]


    He summoned all of his willpower to keep himself from blurting out this last sentence.


    But he suddenly wanted to laugh.


    And so he did.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Shen Yiqing was baffled by his sudden laughter, and her tone of voice reflected her obvious displeasure. ¡°Why are you still so casual toward your own life?¡±


    ¡°Casual?¡± Jiang Cheng stopped laughing. ¡°No, I am not at all casual with my life. Right now, I know very well what I need and what I don¡¯t need.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Shen Yiqing likely did not wish to continue the conversation. ¡°If that¡¯s what you think, then I won¡¯t interfere.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°One last thing I¡¯ll ask,¡± Shen Yiqing went back to her usual cool demeanor. ¡°You said just now that you¡¯re not alone?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at the closed bedroom door. ¡°I¡¯m not alone.¡±


    I¡¯m a dog.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know what got into him, it was like his brain had been filled with glue, he couldn¡¯t let go of this joke.


    Even though he was angry and annoyed, he still wanted to laugh. He wanted so much to laugh that he had to bite his lips to keep himself from cracking up like some deranged fool.


    ¡°Did you get a girlfriend?¡± Shen Yiqing asked.


    Girlfriend.


    Premature romance.


    Shen Yiqing had never come right out and told him it was forbidden, but how she felt about it was clear from the disdainful comments she made about Pan Zhi, who was always in the middle of various ¡®premature romances¡¯.


    Jiang Cheng stood up, walked to the bedroom window, and looked out at the night scene that was already tinged with a neglected bleakness, but was now affected by a hint of autumn air. He suddenly felt an impulse to shake off everything that binded him.


    Even though he did not even know what exactly they were. Still, he wanted to scream out, to rip his clothes off, to make a leap, to take a step into thin air.


    ¡°No,¡± He looked at the especially round moon hanging in the sky, closed his eyes, and took a breath in. ¡°I got a boyfriend.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t make out Shen Yiqing¡¯s reaction on the other side, nor did he wish to hear it. All he felt was a gust of wind whistling through his mind, his body, and in the shifting shadows that appeared ever more dark in contrast to the brightness of the moon outside.


    The breeze made him feel refreshed all over.


    ¡°Thank you for raising me all these years, for all the energy you spent,¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes. ¡°But I never did bring you any happiness, and I¡¯m very sorry for that. Though there¡¯s no way of making up for any of it now, with everything that¡¯s happened over the years, it can¡¯t be fixed. I¡¯m sorry. You don¡¯t need to look out for me anymore, I¡¯ll be alright. No matter where I am, I have ways of proving my own worth to myself.¡±


    Whatever Shen Yiqing was saying, he couldn¡¯t hear, the wind was too loud.


    ¡°You should change your number, I really don¡¯t want you to be harassed again by scoundrels like that on my account. Don¡¯t tell me the number either.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Also, just this once, I hope you¡¯ll believe me when I say, I really can live a very good life.¡±


    When the bedroom door opened, Gu Fei was about to light a cigarette. He had already moved back and forth at light speed between the bedroom door and the window at least seven times.


    Every time he thought Jiang Cheng was about to come out, he would hurry and move to the window, and calmly pretend to light a cigarette. And when there was no sign of movement, he would go over and listen, then go back to the window and pretend to light a cigarette again.


    Although this time, he really was intending to light one, and Jiang Cheng really was coming out.


    He was even holding the thermos with the chicken wings.


    ¡°Done with the call?¡± Gu Fei set the cigarette and lighter down on a nearby table.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°Forgot to close the lid before, it might be a little cold now, should we heat it up?¡±


    ¡°Here,¡± Gu Fei took the thermos. ¡°I¡¯ll just dump it into the pot to reheat.¡±


    Jiang Cheng followed him to the kitchen, and leaned against the wall as he watched him work.


    Gu Fei took a little pot, washed it in the sink, then dumped the chicken wings inside, before setting the pot on the stove to heat up. The whole time, Jiang Cheng leaned against the wall without a sound.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t ask either. The reason for Shen Yiqing¡¯s call was obvious, it must¡¯ve been because Li Hui had called her. Nobody would be in a good mood after a chat like that.


    ¡°Starting from today.¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly said, his voice calm.


    ¡°Ah.¡± Gu Fei turned to him.


    There was an air of solemnity about Jiang Cheng, with an expression as though he had made some big important decision.


    ¡°I will go to sleep one hour later every night.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Fei still couldn¡¯t catch up. ¡°Sleep one hour later for what?¡±


    ¡°To study of course.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°¡­¡­Oh!¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t expect this to be his big important decision, and all of a sudden didn¡¯t know how to respond. ¡°Oh!¡±


    ¡°You sleep later too, you can quiz me, until 1 a.m. is fine.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°Thanks for the hard work,¡± Jiang Cheng clapped his shoulder. ¡°Xiao-Gu.¡±


    Gu Fei quickly reached out and felt Jiang Cheng¡¯s forehead. No fever.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter Xiao-Gu?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°¡­¡­Nothing Xiao-Jiang,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°The wings will be ready soon, will you have a bottle of milk too?¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded and walked out.


    And then Gu Fei heard the sound of Jiang Cheng¡¯s unrestrained laughter coming from the bedroom.


    He hesitated for a moment, turned the stove off, and also went into the bedroom.


    Jiang Cheng was lying on the bed, laughing so hard that he couldn¡¯t stop.


    ¡°Are you alright, Xiao-Jiang?¡± Gu Fei bent down with one knee on the bed, and stroked his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s just for some reason,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him as he continued laughing. ¡°I suddenly really wanted to laugh. I could hardly hold it in during the call just now.¡±


    ¡°If you want to laugh, then laugh,¡± Gu Fei gently squeezed his chin. ¡°And when you¡¯re done you can get back to studying.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    Jiang Cheng laughed for at least a whole minute, before he suddenly stopped and sat up with a frown. Before Gu Fei could get a word out, he suddenly jumped off the bed and dashed out of the room without even his slippers.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gu Fei shouted after him.


    ¡°Barf!¡± Jiang Cheng ran into the bathroom.


    By the time Gu Fei followed him into the bathroom, Jiang Cheng was already doubled over with one hand against the wall, vomiting like there¡¯s no tomorrow.


    Gu Fei hurried back to the bedroom and brought Jiang Cheng¡¯s cup, and waited beside him with a wet towel.


    ¡°Fuck me,¡± Jiang Cheng finally managed to regain his composure after several minutes of vomiting. ¡°What the fuck is this reaction of mine.¡±


    ¡°Dunno,¡± Gu Fei thought his voice sounded alright, so he handed the towel over. ¡°If this was a TV show, then someone in your situation would probably clutch at his chest, black out, then spray out a mouthful of blood. But right now you¡¯re malnourished, so you can only barf out some recently ingested food.¡±


    ¡°Screw you,¡± Jiang Cheng cracked up laughing into the toilet, then let out a long drawn-out sigh. ¡°Ayyy¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°I¡¯m a little worried.¡±


    ¡°A little?¡± Jiang Cheng flushed the toilet and turned to look at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m very worried.¡± Gu Fei immediately corrected himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, really.¡± Jiang Cheng leaned over the sink, turned on the tap, and splashed water on his face. ¡°I¡¯m just mad, I really was furious, but I didn¡¯t bottle it up, I later combed through and smoothed out my channels and meridians all on my own.¡±


    ¡°Did Li Hui call them and say that you took Li Baoguo¡¯s money?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Mhm, because I took the money that was supposed to save Li Baoguo¡¯s life, which was why he jumped off the roof and killed himself.¡± Jiang Cheng said as he rinsed his mouth. ¡°Gu Fei, do you know where Li Hui lives?¡±


    ¡°You wanna go find him?¡± Gu Fei blinked.


    ¡°Mhm, find him.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I need to clear away all of my obstacles.¡±


    ¡°What obstacles?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Obstacles that would affect my mentality while studying.¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a look.


    ¡°¡­¡­Oh!¡± Once again Gu Fei had no response to that, so he nodded vehemently.


    Gu Fei couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that Jiang Cheng only seemed calm on the surface, that his emotional state was still a little unsteady.


    Even though by his miraculous memory, he got every single question right when Gu Fei quizzed him, he was still a little abnormal. For example, he asked Gu Fei to take him to Li Hui¡¯s house at 1:30 in the morning, apparently to familiarize himself with the location.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it wasn¡¯t far? That it¡¯s still in the Steel Works neighbourhood.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei answered, he got out one of Jiang Cheng¡¯s coats from the closet and handed it to him. ¡°Put this on, it¡¯s getting cold.¡±


    ¡°You put one on too.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei took out another jacket, and the two of them went out.


    The night breeze was already strong enough to pierce through two layers of clothing and onto one¡¯s body. As soon as they stepped out the door, both of them zipped all the way up out of reflex.


    There were no pedestrians or cars on the road at this time. They walked along under the street lamps that sometimes worked and sometimes didn¡¯t, the stark surroundings made it feel like they were walking in some parallel dimension.


    Li Hui¡¯s building was right up ahead, it was among the cluster of low-rises at the very edge of the Steel Works neighbourhood.


    ¡°It¡¯s up there,¡± Gu Fei stopped and pointed. ¡°The one with the 7.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng also stopped and looked that way.


    The wind was a little stronger by now, Gu Fei shuffled closer, pressing his arm against Jiang Cheng¡¯s.


    ¡°Honestly, I just wanted to come take a look.¡± Jiang Cheng said quietly. ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to pick a fight with Li Hui, I¡¯m not here to threaten him or yell at him or beat him up, he¡¯s not worth it. I just wanted to come take a look, as a way of clearing the obstacle in my own mind.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°A guy like that,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°That¡¯s all he is. I will no longer let myself be affected by these people. From now on, I cannot be disrupted again.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei rubbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s lower back with his hand.


    ¡°After all, I¡¯m the guy who has to treat you to 800 yuan worth of vermicelli plus 200 yuan worth of meat,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I have to stay focused.¡±


    ¡°You can definitely do it.¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    He was just about to ask Jiang Cheng if he wanted to take a walk somewhere else to clear his mind, when a torrent of shouts sounded from the direction of building 7. There were curses of a man and screams of a woman, the noise activated all the corridor lights in the two adjacent buildings.


    Jiang Cheng paused, and was about to take a couple of steps forward to check it out, but Gu Fei with his discerning Steel Works Radar pulled him into the shadow on the side of the road.


    They¡¯d only just stood still when they saw a figure come charging out of building 7.


    A pale mass.


    A man, naked from head to toe.


    He came charging out like that, all the while screaming and crying, sheathed only by the wind.


    ¡°Li Hui.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng knitted his brows and didn¡¯t speak.


    There were a few others behind him, all of them clothed.


    They all carried weapons in their hands. Aside from sticks and clubs, Jiang Cheng also noticed the shimmering glint of metal. It could be a metal rod, or it could be a knife.


    Li Hui on the other hand, had nothing on his entire body other than the parts he was born with. He managed to take a few steps before he was pushed to the ground by the group of fully dressed people behind him.


    And then he disappeared from their sight.


    ¡°I CALLED THE COPS! I ALREADY CALLED THE COPS!¡± A woman screamed as she ran out from the stairwell, wearing only her underwear and bra.


    The people who had Li Hui surrounded seemed not to have heard her, one of them brought his hand down hard.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Jiang Cheng turned his head. They were beating him like they wanted him dead. ¡°Let¡¯s go take a stroll.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    They walked down another road for a long time, until they could no longer hear the noises behind them. Jiang Cheng threw his head back and took in a deep breath, and sang quietly, ¡°I want to, step on the unknown, and walk through time¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you only knew one line?¡± Gu Fei asked with a smile.


    ¡°I was lying,¡± Jiang Cheng arched his brow. ¡°I want, you on my left shoulder¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei quickly moved from his right side to his left. Jiang Cheng glanced at him, and continued with a laugh, ¡°A smile¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°A smile on your right.¡± Gu Fei quickly switched back to his right side, and sang with him in harmony.


    Footnotes


    [1]: I¡¯m alone [ÎÒÒ»¸öÈË] in Chinese taken literally, means ¡°I¡¯m one person¡±, and so this is basically a ¡°dad I¡¯m hungry¡± ¡°hi Hungry I¡¯m dad¡± joke but ¡°you¡¯re alone¡± ¡°no I¡¯m dog¡±

 CH 95

    Ah, it¡¯s already been one year.


    After that night, Jiang Cheng found that all of a sudden, his heart had become still like water.


    He did not try to find out what happened to Li Hui, but in a place like the Steel Works, news of anything tended to permeate efficiently and thoroughly.


    Whether it was Gu Fei¡¯s family¡¯s store, or the community clinic next to it, they were all transfer hubs of information.


    Initially, the rumour was that the eldest Li son, as well as his whole family, had been beaten to death. This was later debunked by another source that said, no, their child did not die. Later still, someone corrected that claim and said that it was only Li Hui who had died.


    The causes of death were varied and illustrious, the two most popular of which were that he either owed money to loan sharks and got beaten to death by the debt collectors, or that he was murdered by the man whom his wife cheated on him with.


    However, not even a week later, another truth came to light:


    Li Hui was not dead, but he had been beaten to a vegetative state, and the perpetrators were still at large.


    Jiang Cheng did not know the full extent of these debates, nor would Gu Fei bother to tell him, usually he only got fed an earful whenever he was at the store. Not to mention, the sources of these tales would take care to avoid him whenever they saw him.


    In Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind, whatever kind of news there was no longer mattered to him. This person who happened to be of utmost proximity to him in blood would never cross his path again in the future.


    He changed the phone number that he had been using for years, and with that change, Li Hui was not the only person who disappeared from his life.


    As the temperature dropped day after day, and the leaves on the trees grew sparse, in these days when the dry chilly air made one¡¯s nose itch and become uncontrollably drowsy, the seniors at Fourth High were finally experiencing the proper pre-exam atmosphere.


    The walls of the corridors and classrooms were plastered with all sorts of motivating slogans, black writing on red backdrops, black writing on white backdrops, accompanied by giant exclamation marks. Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help but chant along in his mind every time he saw them. Aside from these, there were also various reminders highlighting the fact that time was running out.


    We¡¯re running out of time everyone!


    The uni entrance exam is almost here!


    Ah! It¡¯s right up ahead!


    ¡­¡­Pretty scary stuff.


    Time, as a whole, actually passed quite slowly. It¡¯s only when looking back, that one realizes with a start that ¡°it¡¯s already been so long¡±.


    Jiang Cheng was half-slumped over his desk with a pen twirling between his fingers, looking at the math teacher through the gap beside the ear of Zhou Jing, who for some reason was sitting ramrod straight today.


    To everyone in the classroom, time must¡¯ve been passing extremely slowly at that moment. Perhaps this time next year, they would realize when they look back, that the senior year of high school actually flew by in a flash, so quickly that it barely left behind any memories at all.


    Jiang Cheng at this point did not feel like time was passing by slowly. He felt that time was flying by too fast, that there was not enough of it.


    Not enough time to memorize the texts.


    Not enough time to go through the question banks.


    Not enough time to listen to lectures.


    Not enough time to go for a walk with the boyfriend.


    Not enough time to look at the new photos that said boyfriend had taken.


    Not enough time to see¡­¡­little sister-in-law¡¯s new hairstyle.


    ¡­¡­


    This time next year when he looked back, no, whenever, whether it was next year, or the year after that, or five years, even ten years later, when he looks back, the memories of this year will always be rich and fulfilling.


    ¡°Did Gu Miao make a fuss when you changed your chat icon from that furry green bunny avatar?¡± Jiang Cheng asked between class periods as he organized the notes he took from the previous lecture.


    Gu Fei had changed his icon from the green bunny to a photo of Gu Miao.


    It was the little girlie¡¯s new haircut. After her hair had grown long enough, Li Yan gave her a short bob, one where the bottom edge of her fringe was a hundred miles away from her eyebrows. In the photo, she had one of her brows arched as though in a rather good mood, appearing extremely singular and smug.


    ¡°All good, she¡¯s the one who changed it for me.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Do you need to go pee?¡±


    ¡°Ah, I¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng paused.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know, right?¡± Gu Fei sighed and stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go take a piss.¡±


    ¡°I was gonna say I don¡¯t think I feel the need,¡± Jiang Cheng tsked once and stood up as well. ¡°Why not just say you want me to accompany you to the washroom.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need you to accompany me,¡± Gu Fei said immediately. ¡°Really, it¡¯s not necessary, you can go back to the classroom.¡±


    Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Go back, I beg you,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Please allow me to go to the washroom by myself, allow me to bravely trudge on all by my lonesome, toward the washroom.¡±


    ¡°Weirdo.¡± Jiang Cheng walked along with him down the stairs. ¡°I¡¯m a little hungry, should we go to the concession stand later to get something to eat? Zhou Jing said they¡¯ve started to sell oden now.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°This is one of the nice things about Fourth High,¡± Jiang Cheng gulped and said. ¡°In my old school, the concession stand was only open for half a semester before it got scrapped. The cafeteria doesn¡¯t sell food outside of regular meal times, so if you don¡¯t carry some food of your own, you¡¯d die of starvation before mealtime starts.¡±


    ¡°This little concession stand at Fourth High rakes in quite a lot of revenue every month,¡± Gu Fei chuckled as he said. ¡°Much more profitable than our store.¡±


    ¡°Your family¡¯s store is just lacking a person with the time to manage it, otherwise it wouldn¡¯t be like that.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°I only went in the first time because it looked cleaner than the other places.¡±


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t gone to my place that day, you would¡¯ve passed out on the ground for at least an hour.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Bullshit.¡± Jiang Cheng replied simply.


    ¡°Really, even when I wanted to bring you inside, Liu Fan and the others were against it.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°This is not a peaceful place, a lot of people are afraid of drawing trouble to themselves.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you have to take me in?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°You helped Gu Miao,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Besides, I can¡¯t let her witness her own big brother stand by while someone dies before her eyes.¡±


    ¡°I only passed out for a while, I wasn¡¯t dying!¡± Jiang Cheng corrected him.


    ¡°So mainly, it was because you¡¯re attractive,¡± Gu Fei gave him a thumbs up. ¡°Very handsome.¡±


    Jiang Cheng clucked his tongue.


    The oden at the school concession stand was pretty good, it was only unfortunate that by the time they brought it from the concession stand back to the classroom, it had just about cooled down.


    By this point, Jiang Cheng was already able to follow the local customs, so he put his head down and ate as he listened to the lecture. He was even a little envious of one of the students of the Class-7 next door, who had brought an electric thermos to school so that he could cook food in class¡­¡­ Of course, the guy who had done that was already made to do a self-condemnation in front of the whole school, apparently reported by a classmate who didn¡¯t have anything warm to eat in class.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng!¡± Lao-Lu shouted from the lectern.


    Jiang Cheng had just skewered the last fishball, and was about to deliver it into his mouth. On the impact of Lao-Lu¡¯s roar, his hand shook, and the fishball fell to the ground along with the skewer.


    ¡°Ah¡­¡­¡± He cried quietly in pain. It was bad enough to see that he only had one fishball left when he was nowhere near full or satisfied, but he couldn¡¯t even get the last one into his mouth.


    He almost wanted to pick it up while no one was watching and rinse it in the broth, then eat it.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying! I get that you all are tired from studying, so I won¡¯t lecture you about sneaking some food during class!¡± Lao-Lu pointed at him. ¡°But aren¡¯t you eating a little too slowly! Did you think this was a cuisine appreciation class? I would¡¯ve thought you¡¯d bought a full Han-Manchurian feast by the way you were eating! Come on up and translate this passage here!¡±


    Jiang Cheng carefully put the paper bowl into his desk drawer, there was still a little bit of broth left, he could chug it later to sate his craving.


    He walked up to the front of the room, but just as he picked up a chalk, Lao-Lu was already handing him the short piece in his own hand, ¡°Use this one! You don¡¯t need to expend energy to snap a new one! I already sharpened this for you!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng took the chalk and started writing without pause on the blackboard.


    Usually around this time, no other teacher would call students up to solve a question. They had to hang onto every precious minute to hammer in the key points, or grill them with mock exams, which were then dissected at length, all the while repeating the same key points over and over.


    Here is an important point, that there is also an important point, these are all important points, those have all been tested in previous years! After a whole round of this, one would think that there was not a thing that was unimportant in the entire textbook.


    There was only Lao-Lu, who persevered to call someone up in every single class. Jiang Cheng thought it must be why the students were relatively more focused in his class, since who knew when they would suddenly get picked out, and if one couldn¡¯t answer or recite correctly, they faced a round of harsh rebukes.


    ¡°Your handwriting has improved,¡± Lao-Lu looked at Jiang Cheng¡¯s answer on the blackboard. ¡°It has improved. Not bad, not bad. If I were the one marking the exams, I will not deduct you marks for aesthetics.¡±


    ¡°Thank you teacher Lu.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    It was true that his handwriting had improved, he knew it himself. Every day when he memorized passages, he would jot out key points on a scrap paper to increase its retention, and as a way to train his handwriting as well.


    As Gu Fei put it, it was finally legible.


    ¡°Da-Fei!¡± When class ended for the morning, Wang Xu squeezed aside Zhou Jing and plopped himself down on their desk. ¡°Jiang Cheng!¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng answered with his head down, he was finishing up a set of questions he didn¡¯t get to complete in the last period.


    ¡°You guys aren¡¯t busy later, right?¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°Let¡¯s go eat meat pie, my dad made a new filling, come try it out?¡±


    ¡°What new filling?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Corn!¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°To be honest it¡¯s not that unique, but it does taste pretty good. Really, come eat?¡±


    Gu Fei threw a glance at Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Ugh I¡¯m so done with you guys.¡± Wang Xu waved his hand. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t have asked you in the first place¡­¡­ Jiang Cheng?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled and nodded his head.


    Sooner or later both Wang Xu and Zhou Jing would have to be taken out. They could keep Wang Xu for a little longer, since after all, he was the provider of delicious meat pies.


    ¡°Shall we call up Er-Miao too?¡± Wang Xu said.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°My mom¡¯s making wontons for her today.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty then,¡± Wang Xu stood up. ¡°Let¡¯s go go go go.¡±


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s schedule was tightly packed from day to day. After school he usually went straight home, and rarely even dropped by the convenience store. Since he was not efficient during the time when he was waiting on the side for food, it was easy to get distracted, so Gu Fei made him go back to the apartment directly after school, where he would bring the food over once it was done.


    And after eating, that was basically it for the day, there was nothing else to do for the night aside from review, memorize, and question banks.


    Of course, he still had time for relaxing leisurely activities. Exercise on the bed might be physically taxing, but it was very mentally stimulating¡­¡­


    Going to Wang Xu¡¯s place to have meat pies today was probably the first ¡®fun¡¯ group outing in the last couple of months.


    ¡°I used to think that Yi Jing was enough of an overachiever,¡± Wang Xu lamented as he pedaled his bike. ¡°But after seeing Jiang Cheng, I finally realized I was too shortsighted.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Yi Jing grinding pretty hard.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same,¡± Wang Xu glanced at Jiang Cheng. ¡°I noticed recently, Jiang Cheng lost more weight than Yi Jing did.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Shut up.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Best stop saying that he lost weight. Whether it were the ingredients or the quantity, the meals Gu Fei made every day were definitely heading in the direction of raising high quality hogs. Just from Wang Xu saying that Jiang Cheng had lost weight, Gu Fei would probably pull his mouth open and start shoveling food in through a feeding tube.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Wang Xu rode beside Jiang Cheng. ¡°Honour Student Jiang, have you decided what school you want to apply to? Have you decided on a major?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Wang Xu was baffled. ¡°Don¡¯t people say you overachievers all have your sights dead set on some university or another ever since you were little, and then when you finally get in, it¡¯s a hella inspiring tale? How can you still not know at this point?¡±


    ¡°I,¡± Jiang Cheng turned to look at him. ¡°Can go anywhere I want to. I don¡¯t need to set my sights on anything from since I was young.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Goddamnit.¡± Wang Xu glared at him. ¡°I hate you overachievers and your pointless showing offs!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not pointlessly showing-off,¡± Jiang Cheng grinned. ¡°I¡¯m only showing off.¡±


    ¡°Die mad about it.¡± Gu Fei said from beside them.


    ¡°What the hell!¡± Wang Xu yelped. ¡°Can the two of you adjust your attitudes, you¡¯re going to my home to eat! Can you please treat the meal provider with a little bit of gentleness?¡±


    Wang Xu¡¯s dad Wang Er¡­¡­or, maybe his name wasn¡¯t Wang Er, though Jiang Cheng never did ask what his name really was. Either way, daddy Wang¡¯s meat pies really were the best he had ever had.


    Even the ones with corn filling and only a few specks of meat were surprisingly delicious.


    Of course, after finishing a heap of corn filling pies, he topped it off with three more that had pork belly filling.


    ¡°Oh my,¡± Wang Xu¡¯s mom glanced at the empty baskets on the table when she came in to bring them snacks. ¡°How did you guys eat so fast?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s trying to fatten up for the winter.¡± Wang Xu pointed at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Overachievers are not like us, that¡¯s the way overachievers eat, and he still gets skinnier every day.¡±


    ¡°You have the face to say that,¡± Wang Xu¡¯s mom smacked the back of Wang Xu¡¯s head. ¡°Whatever you ate all stuck to your body, none of it went to your brain!¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Wang Xu peered at his mom in embarrassment. ¡°Don¡¯t do that in front of my classmates.¡±


    ¡°Do what! So what if I do!¡± She smacked his head a couple more times.


    ¡°It¡¯ll make him dumb.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Oyo, well it¡¯s too late for that, been whacking him like that since he was little, he might be dumb already.¡± She set the two plates of beef jerky down on the table. ¡°Try this, it¡¯s delicious, spicy, and not tough.¡±


    Jiang Cheng picked up a strip and stuffed it into his mouth.


    ¡°Looks like Jiang Cheng quite likes our meat pies huh?¡± Wang Xu¡¯s mom smiled at him and asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°It¡¯s amazing.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have new versions coming out around New Years,¡± She said. ¡°If you think the food at home is getting too heavy around the holiday time, feel free to come over and have some meat pies!¡±


    Jiang Cheng had to ponder for a moment, then nodded, ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°You talk so much,¡± Wang Xu gave his mom a push. ¡°Go back to work, let us talk by ourselves.¡±


    After Wang Xu¡¯s mom went out, he went to close the door to the dining room, ¡°Sorry about that Jiang Cheng, my mom didn¡¯t know¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jiang Cheng gave a smile. ¡°Really.¡±


    It¡¯s almost New Year¡¯s.


    If Wang Xu¡¯s mom hadn¡¯t mentioned it, he never would¡¯ve noticed that it¡¯s almost the end of the year.


    He knew only that it was almost winter break, and he had to spend it in cram school, and that everyone in class expressed the unwillingness to accept this harsh reality.


    And yet, Jiang Cheng never did make the connection between winter break and New Year¡¯s.


    Perhaps he never dared to think about it.


    To have a heart that was still as water didn¡¯t mean that it would be still even over the holiday season.


    After all, it was the time of year when families reunited, full of laughter and cheer.


    Chinese people¡¯s insistence on celebrating New Year¡¯s and their unrelenting sorrow about not being able to go home for New Year¡¯s was something carved deep into their bones. Whether one cared or not, during this period of time, it was inevitable that one¡¯s mood would change along with the surrounding environment that grew redder and redder.


    The children who wore red woolen coats, running about with firecrackers in their hands; the pedestrians on the street hurrying to go home; the people crowding against each other in markets, striving to make their holiday purchases; all sorts of reporting on the ¡®Spring transport¡¯ in the news on TV; the handful of holiday songs that resounded through the streets and alleyways that never seemed to change¡­¡­ All of which came together in a symphony that screamed: it¡¯s New Year¡¯s time!


    And it was only then, that Jiang Cheng finally realized, ah, it¡¯s New Year¡¯s time.


    He didn¡¯t have any special memories of the past New Years, which were mostly spent eating, drinking, and visiting relatives, as well as going out every day with friends. He only remembered that there never seemed to be enough time to play to his heart¡¯s content before school started again, and why couldn¡¯t summer break lend some of its days to the winter break.


    But now he felt a little lost.


    It¡¯s New Year¡¯s.


    How to celebrate?


    Where should he go?


    ¡­¡­ Should he celebrate?


    ¡°Usually we spend New Year¡¯s at the store,¡± Gu Fei said when they had finished the meat pies and were on their way back. ¡°Er-Miao liked to celebrate it in the store, it¡¯s more convenient for her to run in and out with the firecrackers.¡±


    ¡°Is she not scared of the noise?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Nope, she really likes it. Whichever house was setting off firecrackers, she would zoom over on her skateboard right away.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°Last year, a tuft of her hair even got singed.¡±


    Jiang Cheng cracked up laughing.


    ¡°Come spend it with me this year,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You can come by once dinner¡¯s ready, and we¡¯ll set off firecrackers together, then you can go back and study after that.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°And if you think that¡¯s not lively enough, we can get Li Yan, Liu Fan, and the others there too.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Those guys can¡¯t bear to stay still at home after dinner anyways.¡±


    ¡°Do you like it to be more lively?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter to me either way,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°In the past for New Year¡¯s we¡­¡­it¡¯s just me and Er-Miao. My mom usually went out as soon as we were done eating.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it. ¡°Then call them up too, if we come together and make some noise, Er-Miao will probably like it?¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll say this first,¡± Gu Fei looked at him with a smile. ¡°If they¡¯re coming by, you have to go back and study on your own that night, I¡¯ll definitely be dragged off to play for a whole night.¡±


    ¡°No problem.¡± Jiang Cheng steered his bike closer to Gu Fei, and clapped him on the shoulder.


    Gu Fei hardly went out with Li Yan and the guys at all this semester, since he spent all his time circling around Jiang Cheng all day. Jiang Cheng felt like if one day Pan Zhi got a girlfriend and suddenly disappeared from his view, he¡¯d definitely be unhappy about it.


    As for the New Year¡¯s, Jiang Cheng only brooded over it for one night, after which he returned to the usual routine of studying. Without realizing it, the beginning of the winter break cram school arrived, and connected seamlessly with the tail end of the semester. He was impressed at what a good studious youth he had been.


    Gu Fei was spending four or five days out of a week at his apartment. Usually he went to sleep first after he accompanied Jiang Cheng through his readings and nighttime snack. However, for the last two days, he would stay sitting up at the head of the bed, playing with his phone.


    ¡°Playing the idiotic game?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Nah, who has time for that, Li Yan is already more than twenty levels ahead of me now, been throwing it in my face every day, sending me screenshots all the time.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Ooh sounds like you¡¯re quite busy?¡± Jiang Cheng shot him a glance.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Fei nodded seriously. ¡°I have to keep my boyfriend company every day while he studies. I shot up more than 50 spots in the final exams this time, Lao-Xu even pulled me aside the other day with tears in his eyes.¡±


    ¡°You can actually¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng put his head down and continued doing questions without finishing his sentence.


    You can actually get pretty good grades if you put in a little effort. But if he said this out loud, Gu Fei might think too much into it. He forcefully swallowed his words.


    ¡°You can actually sleep first, no need to wait for me.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t waiting for you,¡± Gu Fei stuck the phone in front of Jiang Cheng¡¯s face. ¡°I was looking up recipes.¡±


    ¡°For New Year¡¯s Eve dinner?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at it.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei continued to look at his phone. ¡°In the past during New Year¡¯s, my mom just threw together a pot of whatever we had, then wrapped some dumplings and called it a day. Sometimes when we were lazy, we would simply take some frozen dumplings from the store. This year let¡¯s make it more formal, since it¡¯s the first New Year¡¯s we¡¯re spending together.


    Jiang Cheng smiled, ¡°Will you be heading the kitchen?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have faith in me?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at the empty bowl of nighttime snack that was still on the desk. Tonight they had Four-Delights Meatballs, five of them each the size of a fist. ¡°It¡¯s alright, only¡­¡­can you look at some vegetarian recipes too?¡±


    ¡°What good are vegetarian dishes, I thought you liked eating meat?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Classmate Xiao-Gu,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve recently grown to appreciate vegetables a little more, leafy greens, also fine if they¡¯re not green, cabbages are fine too.¡±


    Alright,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I¡¯ll braise some cabbages for tomorrow¡¯s nighttime snack.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­I wouldn¡¯t mind if you drop some meat in either.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you wanted to eat vegetables?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Are you only offering all meat or vegetarian as options?¡± Jiang Cheng said in exasperation. ¡°Fine, I want to eat meat-veggie combo dishes!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called an omnivorous pairing.¡± Gu Fei corrected him.


    Jiang Cheng pointed at him, and couldn¡¯t get a word out, so he put his head down and continued to study.


    The winter break cram school lasted all the way until the 28th day of the last month, leaving everyone with only one day off. According to Lao-Xu, it was to give them time to go home, clean up their room, and go shopping for holiday stock with their parents.


    Gu Fei woke Jiang Cheng up early in the morning.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Jiang Cheng asked blearily.


    ¡°Grocery shopping.¡± Gu Fei flung the covers off the bed as he put on his own clothes.


    ¡°What,¡± Jiang Cheng pulled the covers back over himself. ¡°Weren¡¯t you running to the supermarket every free minute you had in the past few days? I was afraid you¡¯d clean the place out. Are you still missing stuff?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s different,¡± Gu Fei smiled as he leaned over the headboard. ¡°Don¡¯t you want the joyful experience of going New Year shopping with your boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­Weirdo.¡± Jiang Cheng started laughing. ¡°Alrighty then, I¡¯m up.¡±


    Two days before New Year¡¯s Day, the holiday spirit filled the air. When Jiang Cheng was washing up, he could hear the sounds of talking and laughter outside as well as¡­¡­sounds of arguments, louder than usual, and livelier too.


    He walked over to the window and looked down as he brushed his teeth.


    There were several extremely ugly snowmen on the ground outside, with rusty buckets over their heads; a bunch of little brats were running about wildly, one kid was howling while spewing insults at some unknown person; meanwhile there were two people standing by the side of the road, shouting at each other with hands on their hips were a grandpa and a granny.


    Ah, it¡¯s already been one year.


    Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a little sentimental. Watching the messy scenes unfolding downstairs, for the first time, he did not feel annoyed at the disorder.


    It was also the first time that the holidays actually felt different from normal. To his own surprise, he was really looking forward to the tiresome activities of crowding at the supermarket, fighting people for loot, then  standing shoulder to shoulder with others in line for the check out.


    Footnotes


    General footnote just to say that ¡°New Year¡± here is referring specifically to the lunar new year, and all mentions of ¡°the last month of the year¡±, and ¡°28th day¡± etc, are all pertaining to the lunar calendar. Modern Chinese people use the Gregorian calendar in day to day life, but when it comes to traditional (aka non-western) holidays, it¡¯s always the lunar calendar.

 CH 96

    ¡°Go ahead and shout then!¡± Jiang Cheng threw his head back. ¡°AHHH¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°What a wonderful winter jasmine, don¡¯t we love it so¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei had been singing along with the music in the supermarket for a long time as he pushed the shopping cart along. ¡°What a wonderful winter jasmine that welcomes light back to the land; what a wonderful winter jasmine that blooms in every home¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°You may all recall the person singing right now as the shining star of the Steel Works brain-dead event from last time.¡± Jiang Cheng walked behind him, his hand holding up his phone as he recorded a video. ¡°Let us come along today on his supermarket excursion¡­¡­ To be quite honest, the Cantonese pronunciation of this shining star sounds pretty okay to our inexperienced ears, it may just give Pan Zhi a run for his money¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Bring a branch of the winter jasmine and let the fragrance spread to a thousand homes; bring a branch of the winter jasmine and let us all rejoice¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei glanced back at Jiang Cheng as he sang. It was then that the loudspeaker music changed, and without missing a beat, he pinched his voice and started up again. ¡°The god of wealth comes knocking at my door, the god of money comes knocking at my door, the god of prosperity comes knocking at my door, come children let¡¯s light up the lanterns¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Shit!¡± Jiang Cheng started laughing. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you know how to sing all of them.¡±


    ¡°Yep, and I won¡¯t get any of the words wrong either.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I even bought CDs of these New Years songs, we played them in the store every year.¡±


    ¡°How come I don¡¯t see you playing them now?¡± Jiang Cheng pointed the camera at him.


    ¡°The player¡¯s broken, it¡¯s been that way for the last few years.¡± Gu Fei said, then pinched his voice and continued. ¡°May you all have great great great fortune in this New Year, may you all have great great great fortune in this New Year¡­¡­¡±


    The song after that was ¡°Every Step Higher¡± which didn¡¯t have any lyrics, so Gu Fei finally stopped following along and said, ¡°Are there any snacks you want to eat? I have to get some for Er-Miao.¡±


    ¡°Dunno, let¡¯s go have a look.¡± Jiang Cheng put away his phone.


    There were a lot of people at the supermarket. Many people who didn¡¯t get a vacation until that day were in there doing last minute looting, and many shelves were emptied before the stores had a chance to restock them.


    ¡°Do you eat walnuts?¡± Gu Fei held up a box and examined it. ¡°Nourishes your brain.¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s answer was decisive. He didn¡¯t much like these kinds of things, he preferred things like pork jerky.


    ¡°Nourishes your brain.¡± Gu Fei repeated.


    ¡°My brain is quite outstanding already thank you very much, the ridges are much deeper than those on the walnuts.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything else. He put the box of walnuts in their shopping cart and continued walking slowly forward.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jiang Cheng took a look at the price label. ¡°This thing is way too expensive, do you know how much these are at the market? They¡¯re all the same thin-skin varieties too.¡±


    ¡°The market¡¯s closed already,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You can pick at these as snacks for the next couple of days.¡±


    ¡°I want pork jerky,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°And air-dried beef, and tiny mala fish, and¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re tired of eating meat?¡± Gu Fei interrupted.


    ¡°And mala green peas.¡± Jiang Cheng swiftly held back the salt roasted chicken wings he was about to say, and changed it last minute to green peas instead.


    ¡°Grab some then,¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°Get all of it.¡±


    ¡°Just a couple bags are fine,¡± Jiang Cheng picked up a bag of air-dried beef, looked at the price tag and threw it back in shock, then grabbed the regular beef jerky beside it. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s real fucking expensive.¡±


    ¡°Get it, it¡¯s fine.¡± Gu Fei picked up the air-dried beef and put it in the cart. ¡°I have a gift card, 500 bucks.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng blinked.


    ¡°From Li Yan.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°In previous years there¡¯s even more, but this year he¡¯s fighting his mom remember, and the fight¡¯s not over, so his mom only gave him one.¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s not a very intense fight then, since she still gave him 500?¡± Jiang Cheng chuckled.


    ¡°He¡¯s the precious son after all.¡± Gu Fei picked up a bag of jelly pudding cups.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have those in your store? Buy something you don¡¯t have.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Er-Miao won¡¯t eat the ones in the store.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I told her before, the things in the store are for sale, she shouldn¡¯t eat them willy nilly. Since then she¡¯s pretty much stopped eating them, she¡¯ll only eat bought things.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng replied. ¡°Can¡¯t refute that logic.¡±


    ¡°Besides, the ones in our store aren¡¯t as fancy as these,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It¡¯s New Year¡¯s, let¡¯s eat some expensive things.¡±


    After they got everything they wanted to buy, they walked toward the cash. Jiang Cheng froze after he got a glance from a long way away, then immediately started running, turning back as he did so to say, ¡°What the fuck, I¡¯m gonna go line up first.¡±


    The line had already extended from the cash registers to the aisles, where it took a turn. Every person in line had a shopping cart piled with things, it didn¡¯t help at all that Jiang Cheng sprinted over a tiny bit earlier.


    By the time Gu Fei reached him, a few more people had lined up behind Jiang Cheng, but he didn¡¯t even have the courage to count how many people there were in front of him.


    ¡°I feel like we won¡¯t be able to get out of here before noon.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Gu Fei pointed at the prepared meals section. ¡°I looked, we can eat there.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ You¡¯re pretty calm?¡± Jiang Cheng chuckled.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Gu Fei said while leaning on the cart. ¡°If it was just me, I¡¯d just drop everything and go, but with you beside me, it doesn¡¯t feel like a big deal¡­¡­ although it may be eating into your studying time.¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Jiang Cheng quirked his eyebrows and pulled a stack of thickly folded paper from his back pocket. ¡°There isn¡¯t a place where I can¡¯t study.¡±


    ¡°Oh shit.¡± Gu Fei was astonished. Jiang Cheng was holding a set of English mock exams in his hand.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t wanna be so unbelievably cool either,¡± Jiang Cheng dug a pencil out of his other pocket. ¡°The thing is, we only have a few days off, and these mock exams, even if evenly spread, would have to be done two a day.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed for a while, then lifted a case of yogurt drink from the cart and set it atop the child seat, ¡°You can write on here.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng bent down and tried it. ¡°Maybe a little higher.¡±


    Gu Fei stacked another case of orange juice on top, ¡°Like this?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Jiang Cheng put his papers down and started to write.


    It was a rather fantastical feeling. Gu Fei kept one hand on the shopping cart and stared at Jiang Cheng¡¯s profile. The guy had gone into a focused state in less than a minute, he probably couldn¡¯t hear or see the noisy crowd around him anymore, there was only his pencil and his ugly¡­¡­ his no longer so ugly handwriting.


    The line shifted half a meter forward, but Gu Fei didn¡¯t move, this tiny bit of distance meant nothing. Besides, his boyfriend was busy scribbling down his deconstructed hieroglyphics, he couldn¡¯t move now.


    An auntie behind them grew impatient, she slammed Jiang Cheng¡¯s butt once with her shopping cart, ¡°Move forward why don¡¯t you, keep up!¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t stop writing, as if he didn¡¯t feel a thing.


    Gu Fei glanced at the auntie and went to stand in front of their cart, taking up that half meter of space, then looked at the auntie again, ¡°Move where?¡±


    The auntie gave him a glare, then turned her head away and started to curse quietly.


    After a little while, Jiang Cheng stopped writing and nudged the cart forward, ¡°Let¡¯s move up.¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t know?¡± Gu Fei moved out of the way and pushed the cart forward one small step.


    ¡°I heard it, but in times like these my brain is a one-way street, I can¡¯t process other information. I don¡¯t exist in this world when I¡¯m doing questions.¡± Jiang Cheng said quietly as he looked through the next problem. ¡°But as soon as you opened your mouth, I exist in this world again. I only came back to reality after I heard you speak.¡±


    ¡°How magical.¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    ¡°Episode one of ¡®Cheng-ge Shows You the World: The Magical Honour Student¡¯.¡± Jiang Cheng twirled his pencil. ¡°Subheading¡­¡­ Answering Questions, or In a Trance?¡±


    Jiang Cheng finished one side of his question bank page and the people in front of them, who had pretty much come to move the whole supermarket to their home, finally finished paying and left. The two of them moved up to the edge of the checkout counter.


    In one fluid motion Gu Fei picked up a little box from the shelf by the counter and tossed it into their cart.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at the little box as he folded the papers back up again.


    Ultra Thin.


    Naked Sensations.


    Those four words made him suddenly drop his voice, ¡°You¡¯re getting that?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Fei looked at him, and also lowered his voice. ¡°There¡¯s no more.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Can¡¯t you buy it from the pharmacy?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°It was right there, and we have a gift card.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°With all these people watching, does good sir not feel even a teensy bit embarrassed?¡± Jiang Cheng flicked the box with his finger, disappearing it into the crack between all the other things they bought.


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei laughed. ¡°If you¡¯re embarrassed then don¡¯t use it.¡±


    ¡°Sooner or later you¡¯re gonna corrupt me.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°Sooner or later.¡±


    After finishing up the New Year¡¯s purchasing activity, the two of them took everything back to the convenience store and quickly stuffed themselves with some food, then Gu Fei took Jiang Cheng back to his apartment.


    ¡°I have to do some tidying around the house today, cleaning and stuff,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Then I¡¯ll come tonight and tidy your place.¡±


    ¡°My place is pretty tidy already, I don¡¯t even have anything.¡± Jiang Cheng looked around.


    ¡°A bit of dusting then, you don¡¯t need to worry about it,¡± Gu Fei gave him a kiss. ¡°Go do your studying.¡±


    ¡°This dinner¡¯s still gotta have some meat, you can¡¯t skimp on meat just because there¡¯s a feast tomorrow. There¡¯s gotta be vegetables and some meat.¡± Jiang Cheng urged him. ¡°You don¡¯t need to make it fancy, pork belly slices tossed with cabbage leaves is fine.¡±


    ¡°Got it,¡± Gu Fei cracked up. ¡°What¡¯s with this craving.¡±


    Jiang Cheng sat down at his desk after Gu Fei left, and leaning back in the chair, lifted his arms in a stretch as he listened to the north wind gusting outside. It was just past noon, but the sky had already darkened. It looked like another snow storm was coming.


    On days like these, when the chilly weather outside was frightful, to be inside and warm, it gave him a feeling of ease in the midst of all the desolation.


    What¡¯s with this craving.


    True, and maybe it was because of this peculiar feeling. Even if it was bone-chillingly cold outside, there was someone who would satisfy all of his little wishes. He could be a little bossy, a little unreasonable, he no longer had to keep everything buried deep in his heart.


    I want to eat this, and that; I want to do this, I want to do that.


    He no longer had to stop himself from speaking up for fear that his thoughts would be refuted.


    ¡°Ahhh¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng drew out an exclamation, and stretched again. What perfection.


    Gu Fei would surprise Jiang Cheng in a lot of different ways, but when it came to tidying, there were no surprises there. He was a slacker student after all, and had no method to speak of when tidying up.


    Compared to Jiang Cheng, who had been required to tidy his room into a clean and orderly state ever since he was young, Gu Fei tended to just gather everything up in one place and stick it somewhere where it couldn¡¯t be seen, like the drawer or closet, and be done with it.


    If there was anything to be tidied here at Jiang Cheng¡¯s place, it would be the books and study materials piled up everywhere.


    Gu Fei gathered them all up in one stack, and subsequently became a little lost, ¡°What to do now? There¡¯s nowhere to hide these things.¡±


    ¡°I was gonna use it, what are you hiding them for.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    ¡°Never mind then,¡± Gu Fei flopped down on the bed. ¡°Hey, I realized there¡¯s really nothing to tidy at your place. You¡¯ve been here for a pretty long time, and it¡¯s not messy at all.¡±


    ¡°I usually just tidy as I go, and put things back in their places.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I don¡¯t like tidying, which is why I try not to make a mess so I don¡¯t have to take time to clean it up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m always too lazy to put things back.¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    ¡°Ah but then you have to clean, it takes one second to put it back, but when you accumulate the mess it¡¯ll take several hours to tidy up, which one is more worth it?¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a side-eye. ¡°No wonder you¡¯re a slacky slack slacker¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the time, and when I do, I really don¡¯t feel like moving.¡± Gu Fei sighed.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything else. That was true. Gu Fei carried a lot on his mind, it wore on him day in and day out, so he couldn¡¯t be bothered with maintaining these small details.


    When will he not need to be so tired anymore?


    Jiang Cheng stared at the pages in front of him. Ah, soon he would be writing the exams.


    Ah, soon he would be leaving.


    Ah, soon they would be separated.


    And ah, the ¡°after¡± that neither of them could find an answer for, was also coming.


    Jiang Cheng was blasted awake by the sound of the firecrackers first thing in the morning on New Year¡¯s Eve. Upon entering the twelfth month, it was common to hear what sounded like cannons going off practically every day. There was no ban on pyrotechnics here in the Steel Works area, so everyone set off firecrackers from morning till night: one strand for breakfast, one strand after lunch, and one strand for dinner. And of course, extra strands if they were feeling bored.


    Only, the one this morning was hung from a stick, reached out from the window upstairs, and when it was lit next to the window of Jiang Cheng¡¯s living room, the impact of it almost made Jiang Cheng bounce from his bed to the floor, he felt as though the building would collapse in the next second.


    ¡°Ayyy!¡± Jiang Cheng turned over in bed in resignation.


    Gu Fei sat up, then after a moment of daze, got off the bed, ¡°Cheng-ge.¡±


    ¡°Mmmm¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng answered from beneath the covers.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to head over to the store, Er-Miao¡¯s probably there already.¡± He said as he put on clothes. ¡°I have to go prepare the ingredients first, you can come right over for breakfast when you¡¯re up.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jiang Cheng turned his head. ¡°I¡¯ll help you wrap dumplings later.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you keep Er-Miao company,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You haven¡¯t played with her much lately, just yesterday she was asking after you.¡±


    ¡°What did she ask?¡± Jiang Cheng flipped over his whole body again to look at him.


    ¡°Just, ¡®Cheng-ge¡¯.¡± Gu Fei tugged his pants up.


    ¡°¡­¡­ That¡¯s it?¡± Jiang Cheng blinked.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, you¡¯re lucky she said anything at all.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Does she only talk to you?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°She doesn¡¯t speak much to me either, just occasionally, it wasn¡¯t long after she started to talk that¡­¡­ I feel like she never really got to learn how, so this is pretty good already.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you doze for a little longer, it¡¯s just past 8 o¡¯clock.¡± Gu Fei jumped on the bed and gave Jiang Cheng¡¯s head a kiss. ¡°Remember to bring your books when you come, overachiever.¡±


    When the overachiever reached the door of the convenience store on his bike, along with his books, the shop next door happened to be lighting a firecracker. It exploded behind him just as he got off his bike, and he all of a sudden felt like he had stepped into a war zone.


    Then, he saw a bright red figure fly out from the hutong between their convenience store and the community clinic, and with a sharp whistle, dash into the fiery smoke behind him.


    ¡°Er-Miao!¡± Jiang Cheng yelled.


    Gu Miao was dressed especially jovial today, with a little red puffer and green form-fitting pants¡ªeven her boots were red, and she dragged a long white scarf behind her.


    After diving headfirst into the cloud of firecrackers, Jiang Cheng could no longer see her clearly, he could only see a vague red shape moving around. A few seconds later, Gu Miao popped out once again from the smoke, with excitement written all over her face.


    ¡°Er-Miao!¡± Jiang Cheng opened his arms and stood in front of her.


    Gu Miao braked hard, the head of her board pivoted to one side as she stopped sideways in front of him. She grinned and reached out a hand, snapped her fingers, and held up a thumb.


    ¡°Happy New Year!¡± Jiang Cheng also responded with a snap and a thumbs up.


    Gu Miao hopped off her skateboard, kicked up the skateboard, caught it in her hand, and dragged him into the store.


    The woolen curtain over the doorway was not able to keep out the smoke from the firecrackers, and the smell of gunpowder was everywhere inside, filling the store with the New Year smell.


    Gu Fei was just coming in from the back courtyard, holding a large tub with his flour covered hands.


    ¡°Is it time to wrap dumplings?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Not yet, I just finished kneading the dough.¡± Gu Fei pinched off a small clump of the dough and handed it to Gu Miao, who was waiting with an expression of anticipation, then pointed at the food warmer nearby. ¡°Want some meat buns? There¡¯s also milk and soymilk.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, opened the food warmer, and took two meat buns. ¡°How come you still got these today, surely nobody would come buy them now?¡±


    ¡°I got them just for you, there¡¯s no time for anything else.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°Go ahead and pick from the milk and soymilk, there¡¯s hot ones too.¡±


    ¡°When does your mom get here?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Soon,¡± Gu Fei looked at the clock on the wall. ¡°Li Yan and Liu Fan are coming in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°In the afternoon?¡± Jiang Cheng paused. ¡°They¡¯re not gonna eat dumplings at home?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve each got big families, it¡¯s a whole mess around the holidays, with the younger people running all over the place.¡± Gu Fei glanced out the door, then suddenly froze, his face immediately darkened a little.


    Jiang Cheng quickly followed his gaze outward. The curtain had been lifted, and Gu Fei¡¯s mom was standing outside with¡­¡­ the ponytail guy they saw the other day.


    The guy was still wearing a ponytail, along with a pair of shades.


    It was a cloudy day, with tufts of snow occasionally drifting down from the sky, and the streets outside were covered in clouds of smoke from the firecrackers. With such dark sunglasses sitting on his face, Jiang Cheng almost wanted to go out and hand him a walking stick.


    ¡°Come on in,¡± Gu Fei¡¯s mom said. ¡°This is my son Gu Fei, you haven¡¯t met yet right? That¡¯s my girl, Gu Miao. And that¡¯s his classmate Jiang Cheng.¡±


    ¡°Happy New Year auntie.¡± Jiang Cheng greeted her, then nodded to the ponytail guy. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to say ¡°uncle¡±, the guy wasn¡¯t very old, but da-ge also sounded annoying, so he opted for silence.


    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± Gu Fei clapped the flour off his hands and asked.


    Jiang Cheng locked his eyes on Gu fei, ready to jump in to intervene whenever Gu Fei decided to make his move. It was the holidays after all, both Gu Fei¡¯s mom and the ponytail boy had dressed well, clearly looking like they had put in a lot of effort to prepare for the occasion. Perhaps it was for meeting the son, perhaps it was for a date, either way it was unsuitable to beat someone up at this time.


    ¡°We¡¯re just gonna have a meal together,¡± Gu Fei¡¯s mom grabbed Gu Fei¡¯s arm and dragged him toward the back courtyard, speaking quietly. ¡°Don¡¯t give him attitude.¡±


    ¡°He was the one who hit you last time, right?¡± Gu Fei asked loudly, making it clear that he wasn¡¯t cutting anyone any slack.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t him¡­¡­¡± She continued in a quiet voice.


    What they said after they went out to the courtyard, Jiang Cheng could not hear.


    Besides, the atmosphere suddenly became a little awkward.


    The ponytail guy stood about two meters in from the doorway, while Jiang Cheng and Gu Miao stood in front of the cash register. Since Gu Miao had no understanding of what was going on, she still held her skateboard in one hand and squeezed on the dough ball with the other, all the while staring without a blink at the ponytail, with her extremely cool and extremely cold eyes.


    Jiang Cheng, due to brain overuse in recent days, could only stop himself from staring like Gu Miao, but other than that, could not find a single appropriate thing to say.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hit her,¡± The ponytail guy said. ¡°It was her ex-boyfriend, I already settled it for her.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng replied, still having absolutely nothing to say.


    The ponytail guy didn¡¯t speak again either. He stood stalk-straight, with his face slightly tilted up.


    Jiang Cheng leaned against the counter, and mentally serenaded him with ¡°me and my unyielding heart¡±. [1]


    Me and my last stubbornness, tighten my hold and never let go, whether the next stop is really paradise, do not despair in the face of disappointment¡­¡­


    Halfway through, he suddenly realized that he could also dedicate this song to Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei and his mom finally came back in. Gu Fei stayed quiet, but she beckoned, ¡°Come on, hurry up and get busy.¡±


    The ponytail guy nodded and followed her out to the courtyard.


    ¡°Busy with what?¡± Jiang Cheng was confused.


    ¡°Cooking, my mom brought a cook to make food.¡± Gu Fei said, then suddenly cracked up laughing. ¡°I can¡¯t even get mad.¡±


    ¡°That guy¡¯s a cook?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei laughed, then sighed. ¡°If he wants to cook then let him cook, whatever.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± Jiang Cheng squeezed his hand. ¡°It¡¯s gotta be better than what you make while checking your phone the whole time, right.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°I really can¡¯t bother anymore, just let it be.¡±


    ¡°Anyways, the more people the merrier during the New Year.¡± Jiang Cheng considered for a moment. ¡°How about we go play with fireworks.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Fei clapped his hands. ¡°Er-Miao!¡±


    Gu Miao turned her head, and he bent down to her, ¡°Shall we go set off fireworks?¡±


    Gu Miao nodded forcefully.


    Gu Fei had bought a bunch of firecrackers and fireworks a few days ago, almost two cases of them, all stored under the counter. They filled a bag with them and took Gu Miao out to the street.


    Lots of families had started their meals already, the explosive bangs in the street were so dense that it was hard to hear people talk.


    They had originally wanted to find a relatively smoke-free place to set off the fireworks, but after walking down the length of the street, they realized there was no such place at about this time. Jiang Cheng set the bag on the ground, ¡°Let¡¯s just do it here!¡±


    When Gu Fei took the fireworks out and laid them on the ground, Gu Miao started to excitedly circle them round and round on her skateboard.


    The moment the vibrant flares bursted out, Gu Miao gave out a loud whistle.


    ¡°IS IT PRETTY!¡± Gu Fei yelled in Jiang Cheng¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°Why did you shout? We¡¯re setting off fireworks, not firecrackers!¡±


    Their surroundings at this moment was actually quieter than before, so Gu Fei¡¯s shout rang especially loud.


    ¡°I DON¡¯T KNOW!¡± Gu Fei continued shouting. ¡°I JUST WANTED TO SHOUT!¡±


    ¡°Go ahead and shout then!¡± Jiang Cheng threw his head back. ¡°AHHH¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°AHHH¡ª¡ª¡± Gu Fei also threw his head back.


    Footnotes


    [1] A popular song by Mayday: Stubbornness (my translation)

 CH 97

    But no matter what the answer was, it all seemed insufficient next to ¡Þ.


    The two of them ¡°AHHHH¡±ed for a long time with their heads thrown back. It was rather satisfying, but Jiang Cheng soon felt a little lacking in oxygen after a while of yelling in this position.


    He quickly took out his phone, ¡°Here, hold this position and don¡¯t move.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re taking a picture?¡± Gu Fei turned and asked.


    ¡°Mhm, don¡¯t move, look at the camera,¡± Jiang Cheng held his phone above their heads, and they both looked up at their faces on the screen. ¡°Now yell, AHHH¡ª¡ª¡±


    Gu Fei laughed and started yelling again with him. Jiang Cheng pressed on the shutter, ¡°Very good, my neck is getting sore.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do the fireworks.¡± Gu Fei kicked the plastic bag.


    ¡°Does Er-Miao dare to set them off?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t know how,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You have to hold her hands and light it.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jiang Cheng pulled out his pack of cigarettes. ¡°I¡¯ll do it with her.¡±


    ¡°Hey hey hey,¡± Gu Fei handed Jiang Cheng the lighter in his hand. ¡°You¡¯re gonna let her light it with a cigarette?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ I forgot.¡± Jiang Cheng took the lighter from Gu Fei, it was a long stemmed one he got from the store. ¡°Come on Er-Miao, shall we light the fireworks?¡±


    Gu Miao sat down beside him holding her skateboard, and Jiang Cheng placed the lighter in her hand, ¡°Press down here.¡±


    Holding down Gu Miao¡¯s finger, they lit the lighter together, then he took her hand and reached over to ignite the fuse.


    ¡°Okay okay it caught!¡± Jiang Cheng pulled her back a couple of steps.


    The one they set off was a bundle of eight sticks, and though it wasn¡¯t that impressive to see in the light of day, still Gu Miao let out an excited whistle the moment the sparks shot out.


    The bag of fireworks Gu Fei brought out didn¡¯t contain very much, but Gu Miao wasn¡¯t like the other kids when it came to setting off fireworks. Other kids liked to watch it go off one after another, but Gu Miao got so excited after each one that she would roll out on her skateboard and take a couple of laps around the area before coming back. And if someone was lighting firecrackers nearby, she just had to go zoom through the smoke.


    And that was why it took almost an hour for them to finish setting off all of their fireworks.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re out,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°And the rest we¡¯ll set off tonight when it¡¯s dark, it¡¯ll look better.¡±


    Jiang Cheng was about to speak, when across the smoke-filled street, from what felt as distant as the other side of the world, came a call.


    Loud and clear.


    ¡°Feifei Miaomiao and classmate¡ª¡ª it¡¯s time to eat¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng turned to stare at Gu Fei in shock. ¡°Who¡¯s that calling us?¡±


    ¡°Who else.¡± Gu Fei wore a complicated expression on his face.


    ¡°Ponytail boi?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Your nicknaming speed is kind of somewhat a little impressive huh?¡± Gu Fei sighed. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go check out the boy¡¯s cooking.¡± [1]


    ¡°It¡¯s boi, not boy.¡± Jiang Cheng corrected his pronunciation.


    ¡°Boi.¡± Gu Fei repeated as he walked back.


    ¡°But he¡¯s a boiii, why did that sound so much like a female opera singer just now,¡± Jiang Cheng was still having a hard time recovering from the voice. ¡°I thought it was your mom calling you, Feifei.¡±


    ¡°You wanna bet I¡¯ll smack you.¡± Gu Fei gave him a sideways glare.


    ¡°Come on, do it or you¡¯re not my countryman.¡± Jiang Cheng was suddenly in a great mood. In this smoke-filled air, though he couldn¡¯t see what was in front of him, having the person he cared about most by his side, walking down the street like this, buying things together, setting off fireworks together, eating a New Year¡¯s Eve meal together¡­¡­ He couldn¡¯t help but be in a great mood.


    He bounced a little, took a big stride forward with his left foot and landed in a lunge, then put his hands on his hips and started to shake his shoulders, speaking to some kind of beat as he did, ¡°Do it, or you¡¯re, not, my country, man.¡±


    Gu Fei looked at him without any expression on his face, and after a few seconds, turned and started running away, ¡°Run Er-Miao! There¡¯s a monster!¡±


    Next he let out a whistle, and at that, Gu Miao immediately kicked off on her skateboard and rolled out.


    The ponytail guy made pretty quick work of the cooking. By the time they returned to the store, there were already six dishes and one soup laid out on the table, and all of them ¡®big¡¯ dishes too.


    He really was living up to his job description.


    Judging by the dishes, said cook probably did not work at a very fancy place, but still the whole spread smelled delicious, and made one salivate at the smell.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard.¡± Jiang Cheng said when he sat down.


    ¡°Naww, it¡¯s my field of expertise.¡± Ponytail waved his hand. ¡°This is nothing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get some alcohol.¡± Gu Fei¡¯s mom ran to the shelves where they kept the alcohol, then picked a bottle of Jin Liu Fu. ¡°This one looks jovial, let¡¯s have this.¡± [2]


    ¡°Er-Miao, go get a bottle of something for yourself.¡± Gu Fei said to Gu Miao.


    Gu Miao ran to the fridge and took out a can of beer, then turned to look at Gu Fei.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Alright.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Come, Miaomiao,¡± Ponytail pulled out a red envelope from his pocket. ¡°Take this.¡±


    Gu Miao didn¡¯t look at him as she focused on pulling the tab off of the can of beer.


    ¡°Er-Miao?¡± Their mom called to her. ¡°The uncle is giving you lucky money.¡±


    Still Gu Miao did not lift her head. After yanking off the tab, she threw her head back and took a few gulps of beer, then wiped her mouth and sat down, staring at the food on the table.


    ¡°Er-Miao.¡± Gu Fei spoke up.


    Gu Miao lifted her head.


    ¡°The uncle¡¯s giving you lucky money, take it, and thank him.¡± Gu Fei said, looking at her.


    Gu Miao finally turned around and looked at Ponytail. She stood up and first bowed, then took the red envelope and put it into her own pocket.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Ponytail stuck his hand into his pocket again. ¡°Feifei¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Gu Fei froze, and waved his hand in extreme awkwardness. ¡°It¡¯s really not necessary.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to give it to him,¡± Gu Fei¡¯s mom stopped Ponytail. ¡°He¡¯s an adult now, not a child.¡±


    After a few rounds of extremely awkward back and forth, Ponytail eventually put the red envelope away. Gu Fei¡¯s mom picked up her cup and said, ¡°Come come, let¡¯s first drink to my son¡¯s prosperity, my girlie¡¯s health, and Jiang Cheng getting into an elite university¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Ponytail asked.


    Jiang Cheng was shocked to hear the whining tone in his voice, and shot a glance in Gu Fei¡¯s direction.


    Gu Fei was holding his cup, his expression a swiftly changing enigma.


    ¡°Oh you,¡± Gu Fei¡¯s mom giggled as she leaned a little against Ponytail. ¡°Here¡¯s to everything going your way.¡±


    Her tone was also intentionally cute, and holding his cup, the sweat on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face was practically dripping down. Meanwhile, Gu Fei had already turned his face away in embarrassment.


    Only Gu Miao was still acting completely normal, as she stared blankly at the table full of food in front of them.


    After this exchange, Gu Fei¡¯s mom and Ponytail suddenly activated a mode of clingy romantic behaviour, as if there was no one else there but them, and still holding their cups, they¡¯d begun to blatantly flirt with each other while forgetting where they were.


    Gu Fei gently knocked his cup against Jiang Cheng¡¯s, ¡°May Cheng-ge be ever triumphant this year.¡±


    ¡°May you succeed in all that you do,¡± Jiang Cheng noticed out of the corner of his eyes that the other pair was still off in their own world, so he added in a low voice, ¡°Boyfriend.¡±


    Gu Fei chuckled and took a drink, then reached over and knocked his cup against Gu Miao¡¯s beer can, ¡°May Er-Miao quickly grow up.¡±


    ¡°May Er-Miao make progress every day.¡± Jiang Cheng also knocked against her beer can. [3]


    It wasn¡¯t until they had started eating, that Gu Fei¡¯s mom and Ponytail finally came back to earth. However, they had already forgotten about the toast, and simply joined them and dug in on the food.


    Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t talk very much during the whole meal, but it wasn¡¯t awkward either, because there was a very sweet couple flirting with each other the whole time while they ate.


    When they weren¡¯t flirting, Gu Fei¡¯s mom was resting her chin in her hand, listening to Ponytail boast about his feats.


    At least his boasting was more or less constrained to the subject of wanting to take over his boss¡¯s business this year. Jiang Cheng kept wanting to remind him, whether he had asked his boss if he even wanted to sell the business¡­¡­ However, the pair was so engrossed in their conversation that no one else could manage to get a word in edgewise.


    Ponytail¡¯s cooking was not bad; it smelled good, and tasted pretty good too. Gu Miao had a great time eating everything, and never taking a break in reaching out with her chopsticks, she took a sip of beer for every bite of meat. It was very satisfying.


    The lovers across from them were probably not full, Jiang Cheng hardly saw them touch the food.


    ¡°We¡¯re gonna go out for a spin,¡± As the meal wound down to a close, Gu Fei¡¯s mom stood up. ¡°And get a good taste of the New Year atmosphere.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°Have fun.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gu Fei¡¯s mom said as she dragged Ponytail out. Soon after, they heard the sound of a motorcycle receding into the distance.


    Jiang Cheng leaned back in the chair and, stretching his legs out in front of him, looked at Gu Miao who was still busy working away at the food.


    Beside him, Gu Fei lit up a cigarette, ¡°Want one?¡±


    ¡°In a bit,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I¡¯m just gonna have a couple more bites.¡±


    ¡°These dishes aren¡¯t too bad.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng ladled a bowl of soup for himself. ¡°How does this guy¡­¡­ compare with the other ones from before?¡±


    ¡°Dunno,¡± Gu Fei frowned. ¡°There were guys who looked even more reliable than this one, but it all ended the same way.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°As long as he doesn¡¯t touch the money in the store,¡± Gu Fei leaned back a little. ¡°I can¡¯t be bothered to interfere. We¡¯re all adults here.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng picked up the bottle and swung it lightly, and thought aloud as he filled up Gu Fei¡¯s cup. ¡°He¡¯s drinking and driving, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Ayy,¡± Gu Fei laughed. ¡°Honestly Cheng-ge you¡­¡­ He probably had a shot at most.¡±


    ¡°When Li Yan and the others get here this afternoon, and you guys drink, you should probably just ride bikes if you¡¯re going out.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°You¡¯ve definitely had more than a shot.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not going out, there¡¯s nowhere to go,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°We just stick around here, watching TV and talking nonsense, and occasionally play some cards.¡±


    ¡°Old people life.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°I¡¯ve already lived out my young life in bed with you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng shot a glance at him, ¡°Watch your words.¡±


    ¡°In bed in bed in bed in bed,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Bed him bed him bed him bed him.¡±


    ¡°Go to sleep.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    After Gu Miao finished gnawing on the last piece of short rib, the two of them tidied up the table.


    Washing dishes was the most annoying chore, but this was the first time Jiang Cheng felt in a pretty good mood while doing the dishes. Gu Fei played music out of his phone, which he had set to the side, and Jiang Cheng happily finished washing the dishes to the beat of the music.


    About this time, every family was inside eating together, so the sound of firecrackers outside had diminished somewhat. Jiang Cheng walked out of the kitchen and stood in the courtyard, listening to the distant booming noises.


    He never felt very sentimental during New Year¡¯s in the past. Whenever he heard the raucous noises, he would feel annoyed, the racket was ear-splitting and disturbing. This was the first time in his life he could listen to the sounds with such calm composure, he could even feel that beneath the dilapidated exterior of the Steel Works, there were signs of life emerging because of the New Year.


    ¡°It¡¯s snowing! Good thing we were fast!¡± Liu Fan¡¯s voice carried out from inside the store.


    Jiang Cheng looked up, the snowflakes drifting down from the sky were still very small, circling around in the wind. When they landed on his face, he first felt a tiny bit of cold that quickly disappeared soon after.


    He turned to go back into the store. Liu Fan, Li Yan, and Luo Yu had just come through the door, and were taking off their jackets.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng! Happy New Year!¡± Luo Yu greeted him.


    ¡°Happy New Year.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d be studying today too,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°Da-Fei said you were studying from morning to night every single day.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going back later to continue studying.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Why don¡¯t you hang out for a while and then go back,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°We brought a whole bunch of holiday food, wanna have a taste?¡±


    ¡°I really can¡¯t taste anything right now,¡± Jiang Cheng patted his belly. ¡°I¡¯m stuffed.¡±


    ¡°Jiang Cheng, gege has something to give you.¡± Liu Fan picked up a large plastic bag and walked over. ¡°We had Chen Jie put this together, he has a friend interning at First High, who got the study materials from their senior class.¡±


    ¡°Holy shit,¡± Gu Fei laughed. ¡°You guys didn¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°As a bunch of people who¡¯ve never gone to college, we respect and envy the top of the grade.¡± Li Yan smiled and sat down, then pulled out a bulging red envelope and stuck it inside Gu Miao¡¯s pocket. ¡°This is lucky money from all your big brothers, you keep it for yourself, don¡¯t give it to your brother.¡±


    Jiang Cheng felt an unspeakable emotion as he accepted the heavy bag into his hands. It took a long time before he managed to say, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± Liu Fan answered.


    Everyone laughed after that. Luo Yu sighed, ¡°Don¡¯t be so formal, I can¡¯t even continue this conversation.¡±


    They spread out, flopped down on the chairs, and started to chat.


    Jiang Cheng pulled out a few of the study materials and flipped through them. These were the mock tests handed out at First High in the past weeks, as well as other materials gathered by the teachers there. Some of them overlapped with the ones from the Fourth High, but most of them he¡¯d never seen before.


    That Li Yan and the guys would obtain study materials for him was something Jiang Cheng had never expected. It was also quite bewildering that him preparing for an exam had somehow alerted the guys who were up to nothing all day long.


    But it was also because of this, that he suddenly felt an immense pressure.


    Taking a glance at Gu Fei, who was sitting across from him and listening to the others ramble on, he thought: and what expectations did Gu Fei have for him?


    When Li Yan suggested that they play cards, Jiang Cheng decided to head back and study.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call you over to eat when the dumplings are ready.¡± Gu Fei walked out the door with him. ¡°Do you want me to take you back? And pick you up later tonight?¡±


    ¡°I bet even Gu Miao doesn¡¯t need you to take her back and forth.¡± Jiang Cheng chuckled.


    ¡°It¡¯s an excuse anyways,¡± Gu Fei stretched. ¡°I just wanted to get a few more looks at you.¡±


    These words made him want to take Gu Fei in his arms right there in the middle of the street, and shower him with kisses.


    Wanted to get a few more looks at you.


    Jiang Cheng was the same. When he studied, his peripheral vision was always taken up by Gu Fei. Even when he entered a state where he no longer existed in this realm, one word from Gu Fei was all it took to pull him back.


    Want to look at you, want to listen to you speak.


    But the most unbearable thing was that these days of spending every waking moment together was steadily running out, along with the countdown to the exam. The feeling of panic that arose whenever he thought about it, was overpowering even the panic at the upcoming exams.


    Jiang Cheng strolled back to his apartment on his own; he didn¡¯t let Gu Fei walk him back. The way they clung to each other like this, if he didn¡¯t cut it off in time, they might end up walking each other half a dozen times to and fro between his apartment and the store.


    The ground outside his building was also littered with leftover bits of red paper, and the corridors looked like they were covered in a red carpet. Jiang Cheng walked up the stairs, taking in the scent of remnant firecrackers the entire way.


    The building might be old, but the heating was miraculously abundant. Jiang Cheng felt a wave of warmth as soon as he walked through the door.


    He changed into comfortable clothing, then sat down at his desk and began to study.


    First he worked on the mock tests from Fourth High, followed by the various contents that Pan Zhi had sent him, and then the materials from First High.


    In the eyes of others, he probably seemed like a machine incapable of feeling tired. After all, he was an overachiever. He had strong self-discipline, and was a good learner with a strong memory, who tackled studying with a plan.


    Even so, it was still very tiring. His pencil would halt every so often as he wrote, and his brain would stop working from time to time as he memorized texts.


    Ever since he was young he had strived on a held breath: he must do it, and he must do it well. It was purely an effort to be acknowledged. Whereas now, the reason he toiled and worked himself to the bones had become more complicated.


    He no longer had any other option.


    And neither did Gu Fei.


    Come dinner time, Gu Fei called to tell him to come have some dumplings. If it wasn¡¯t because of the fact that Gu Fei¡¯s custom ringtone was itself a stimulus for him, he probably wouldn¡¯t have reacted at all.


    Li Yan and the other guys had wrapped the dumplings. Apparently ten of them contained money, and whoever got one would have their wishes come true.


    They couldn¡¯t fit all the dumplings on one plate, so Gu Fei divided the dumplings directly into each person¡¯s bowl. The result was that each person got one yuan from their dumplings ¡ª Gu Miao even stared blankly for a good while because she bit into a coin ¡ª while all five dumplings in Jiang Cheng¡¯s bowl contained coins.


    ¡°Ah!¡± Jiang Cheng shot a glance at Gu Fei as he bit into a coin for the fifth time.


    ¡°Da-Fei,¡± Li Yan couldn¡¯t help but crack up. ¡°Did you cheat.¡±


    ¡°He must¡¯ve,¡± Liu Fan tossed the coin in his hand, and said as he laughed. ¡°He¡¯s already taking our friendship into consideration by not giving all ten to Jiang Cheng.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you guys have to take the exam.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Then you could at least leave a couple for yourself,¡± Luo Yu said. ¡°We¡¯re not taking the exam, but you are.¡±


    Gu Fei smiled but didn¡¯t say anything.


    In Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind, the main events of the New Year¡¯s were over after the dumplings had been eaten, and for the next few days of the break he kept himself inside and hardly went out at all.


    Every couple of days, Gu Fei would drag him out to take a walk and breathe some fresh air, and along the way would quiz him sporadically on some key points.


    Jiang Cheng was surprised to find that, even though Gu Fei hadn¡¯t specifically tried to memorize anything, for the questions he quizzed more than once, he knew whether Jiang Cheng¡¯s answers were right or wrong without even checking.


    ¡°Nice,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°You remember it all?¡±


    ¡°Nah,¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°No way, I only have a vague recollection, you can¡¯t make me give a whole answer, though I can tell if your answer is right or wrong.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a look.


    Even though he didn¡¯t know how much it would help, he gradually increased the times he asked Gu Fei to quiz him. One reason was that the closer they got to exam day, the more he needed to continue refreshing his memory of the knowledge. While the other reason was that secretly, he still didn¡¯t want to give up.


    He would not say anything out loud, but he thought this method of mutual benefit was good. And Gu Fei would not notice.


    Just like that, the winter break passed by in measured rhythm and flowed into the early start of a new semester. Compared to the tragic fate of Pan Zhi and his peers, who had to start classes only four days into the New Year, Fourth High at least gave its students the week off.


    ¡°Students! It¡¯s February! If you don¡¯t work hard in February, if you don¡¯t work hard in March, if you don¡¯t work hard in April, if you don¡¯t¡­¡­¡± Lao-Xu ranted from his spot at the lectern. He probably didn¡¯t realize there would be so many months to say before he started talking, but after listing all of them, he was starting to stumble over his words. He cleared his throat a couple times before he continued. ¡°Work hard in May, then only sadness awaits you in June! From this moment on, you will not have any breaks, and you must not loosen your grip¡­¡­¡± [4]


    The day after next was Valentine¡¯s Day. Jiang Cheng was reminded of it with a start only when Wang Xu came in the morning to ask him what he should give to Yi Jing for Valentine¡¯s Day.


    It was true that Jiang Cheng had practically wrung his brain dry from all the studying. There was no time to make something for Gu Fei, still he wanted to give Gu Fei something, but what?


    ¡°Stop thinking about Valentine¡¯s Day!¡± Lao-Xu raised his voice. ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what all of you are thinking!¡±


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s heart jumped, and arching his brows, he gave Lao-Xu a look out of reflex.


    Gu Fei started laughing beside him, ¡°Was Lao-Xu right about you?¡±


    Jiang Cheng smiled, and didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°We can just set off a couple of fireworks while we¡¯re out for a walk.¡± Gu Fei said quietly. ¡°It¡¯s extreme times, stop mulling over it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still fireworks? I thought Er-Miao went through all of it?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your brain?¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You can buy it everywhere these days, I bought some.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed, then sighed. ¡°Alright then, what¡¯s one year in the grand scheme of things, we¡¯ll celebrate it properly next year.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°Next month is the first prep exam,¡± Lao-Xu was still rambling on sincerely in front of the classroom. ¡°You must muster up the energy, and let me see your real capabilities!¡±


    There was not the usual background buzzing of conversations in the classroom. Probably everyone had played a little too hard during the break, and most people were slumped over their desks, catching up on snooze.


    Ah, the first prep exam is next month¡­¡­


    ¡°Look at this! It¡¯s the countdown! Do you see this!¡± Lao-Xu continued to raise his voice as he pointed at the countdown paper plastered at the top of the blackboard. ¡°Come on people!¡±


    Jiang Cheng leaned back in his chair. There were 114 days until the university entrance exams.


    He knew that there wasn¡¯t much time, but three months sounded much longer than 114 days. Upon suddenly seeing these three meagre digits, he chest couldn¡¯t help but tighten.


    114 days.


    The time he had left to stick by Gu Fei¡¯s side in every waking moment was only 114 days plus another¡­¡­ His mind was suddenly reeling a little, he wasn¡¯t even able to do such a simple calculation.


    But no matter what the answer was, it all seemed insufficient next to ¡Þ.


    Footnotes


    [1]


    Explaining a pun makes it even less funny but here we go:


    ÂíβÄÐ×Ó = ma wei nan zi = ponytail guy (correct, normal)


    ÂíβÀ¶Ö½ = ma wei lan zhi (a Jiang Cheng special) = ponytail blue paper (literal) = ponytail boi (localization)


    ÂíβÀº×Ó = ma wei lan zi (Gu Fei said it wrong) = ponytail basket (literal) = ponytail boy (localization)


    [2] ½ðÁù¸£: a baijiu, a 500ml bottle of 52% alcohol costs around 118 RMB, and that¡¯s the four-star grade.


    [3] No need to read too much into their toasts to Gu Miao, it¡¯s not targeted, the words are very typical of what one would say to a child. Yes, even ¡°quickly grow up¡±, there¡¯s no hidden meaning lol


    [4] A reference to a line in a poem, ÉÙ׳²»Å¬Á¦£¬ÀÏ´óͽÉ˱¯, or if you don¡¯t work hard while you are young and strong, you will be left with only sadness and regret when you are old

 CH 98

    There will always be a way.


    Jiang Cheng never really felt one way or another about Valentine¡¯s Day, but this year when he had an opportunity to feel some kind of way, he ended up not having any time for it.


    Though, he also did not place very much importance on such rituals. He was too busy studying, working through questions and memorizing texts. His vision was filled with study materials from various subjects, but in his peripheral vision, there was his boyfriend sitting on the bed playing with his phone.


    Valentine¡¯s Day was a few minutes away.


    It was snowing outside, he could hear the sharp screeches of the northerly wind as it scraped past his window. Even the sound of it made him feel cold.


    And yet, it was quiet in the room. There was heating, a midnight snack, the sound of him quietly reciting the text to himself, and the scratching of pencil against paper. There was also Gu Fei, who gave him a sense of peace just from a single look at him.


    Compared to gifts and rituals, this kind of down-to-earth scene was what he really wanted.


    Exam on my left shoulder, love on my right.


    Oh yo yo~


    Hello everyone and welcome to the first season of contestant Jiang Cheng¡¯s mental livestream. Recently, contestant Jiang Cheng had put all of his energy into the warming-up portion of the university entrance exams tournament. Instructor X, based on your experience, what do you think of his current state?


    This contestant possesses very strong individual skills as well as strong self-control, and exhibits emotional stability throughout the competition. To many contestants, this competition is a once in a lifetime event. If he can give it his all, I believe he shall achieve a very good score.


    Do you think he has given it his all?


    Clearly he has not, there is something else in his peripheral vision¡­¡­ Hey, isn¡¯t that the champion from the livestream of the Steel Works Brain-dead Tournament?


    His phone made a sound from its place at the corner of his desk. Jiang Cheng heard it, but it felt as though he hadn¡¯t. The phone immediately went off again.


    For a total of two times.


    That was Jiang Cheng¡¯s only analysis of the sound when he was in study mode. And as to why his phone had gone off: if it was a text message or WeChat or a news notification, what it would be about, whether he should take a look¡­¡­ All of these thoughts that would naturally follow did not appear in his head.


    However, after the second notification, Gu Fei clicked his tongue audibly.


    Jiang Cheng immediately came back to reality.


    ¡°Hm?¡± He looked at Gu Fei.


    ¡°Who is the other one from?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°The other one?¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t understand what he meant. He picked up his phone and saw that there were two messages.


    One of them was from Pan Zhi:


    ¨C Happy Valentine¡¯s Day! I¡¯m the first one for sure, automatic sending is exactly on time, no doubt it will trump any lovey dovey person who needs time to draft a romantic prose!


    The second one was from Gu Fei:


    ¨C Look at me.


    Jiang Cheng blinked, then looked up toward Gu Fei.


    ¡°Whether or not it¡¯s Valentine¡¯s Day, I¡¯m always here.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Happy Valentine¡¯s Day, boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°Happy Valentine¡¯s Day,¡± Jiang Cheng grinned. ¡°Boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°Who sent the other one?¡± Gu Fei pointed at the phone. ¡°Did it arrive before mine?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Only then did Jiang Cheng realize, and started cracking up as he stuck the phone in front of Gu Fei. ¡°Pan Zhi.¡±


    ¡°Fucking,¡± Gu Fei took one look and laughed. He grabbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s phone and sent a voice message back to Pan Zhi. ¡°Do you have way too much time on your hands huh, Pan Zhi?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you found out already,¡± Pan Zhi¡¯s voice message quickly came back. ¡°Happy Valentine¡¯s Day, good night! You two hurry up and go play.¡±


    ¡°He set a timed message?¡± Gu Fei clicked his tongue several times consecutively. ¡°This guy is maddening.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just bored.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed as he ripped a piece of air-dried beef. It was the bag they¡¯d bought from the supermarket, that just in the last couple of days had already bottomed out. He had to rip out a tiny piece every time and nibble on it like a sissy, he couldn¡¯t bear to take large bites. ¡°You don¡¯t know the amount of crap this guy has in his phone, it¡¯s at most three months before he has to factory reset, and it takes maybe three resets before he has to change the phone.¡±


    ¡°Can you take it all in one bite please?¡± Gu Fei said, looking at him. ¡°We have one more bag, do you have to do that?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s another bag?¡± Jiang Cheng was confused. ¡°I thought we only got one that day?¡±


    ¡°We bought two,¡± Gu Fei sighed. ¡°I guess I overestimated your power huh, even you experience memory loss when you study.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stuffed the piece of jerky into his mouth, ¡°Ayyy¡ª¡ªfeels so good! Satisfying! Why didn¡¯t you say so earlier! I¡¯ve been nibbling at it like melon seeds for the whole evening, making each piece last eighty bites.¡±


    ¡°I just realized that you¡¯ve been saving it,¡± Gu Fei stood up, took the bag to look inside, and pushed it back into Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand. ¡°Bring it with you to eat on the way, let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Go where?¡± Jiang Cheng looked out the window, but couldn¡¯t tell how heavy the snow was.


    ¡°To set off fireworks,¡± Gu Fei walked to the window and took a look. ¡°There¡¯s less snow now, wanna go? I just thought if we do it during the day, there¡¯d be too many people everywhere, but there¡¯s even more people in the evening.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, let¡¯s go for a walk, let¡¯s go play.¡± Jiang Cheng stood up, his eyes still glued to the textbook, and after reading the last passage, finally stretched. ¡°An important mark of showcasing the traditional Chinese culture is the traditional architecture, also known as a solidified form of art, while the invention of the written word is the symbol of humans entering into an era of civilization¡­¡­ The difference is, han text is an important marker of Chinese culture, and along with historical texts and classical records, are evidence of the Chinese culture¡¯s long historic origin¡­¡­¡±


    They both bundled themselves up tightly before venturing outside. They were probably the only two people in the Steel Works neighbourhood who would brave the old north wind and snow to go out and set off fireworks in the middle of the night.


    Luckily, Gu Fei had a magical artifact.


    Jiang Cheng felt a great happiness wash over him as he climbed into the cornstarch bun amid the wind and snow, ¡°Start driving, old deary.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re off,¡± Gu Fei closed the car door and started the engine. ¡°Sit tight, old deary.¡± [1]


    ¡°Hurry it up!¡± Jiang Cheng smacked Gu Fei¡¯s back.


    The little mantou set off into the night.


    There was not a single hair of a person to be found on the streets. The only thing out here was the snowflakes dancing in the light of the streetlamps. Jiang Cheng enjoyed looking at the flurry; through them, he could see the paths of the wind.


    Wind is a very special thing, with no shape, colour, or smell.


    And yet you could see it, in the fallen leaves, in the drifting snow, in the swirls of firecracker remnants on the ground. It had the same smell as the yellowing grass, but at the same time it smelled white and cool, and also like the red smoke of gunpowder¡­¡­


    Even though there was no one else on the streets, Gu Fei still drove them all the way to the riverside. They had not been here since their fight last time.


    The river was dry, only a large swathe of white covered the bank all the way to the middle of the river.


    ¡°If we came during the day, there would definitely be other people here.¡± Gu Fei got out of the car. ¡°This river is the most romantic place in the whole Steel Works neighbourhood, it just barely has the forced requisite of the water, grass, and trees.¡±


    ¡°And the two of us are also forcing the romantic activity.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled his scarf tight and made his way down to the dried river with Gu Fei.


    The ground near the river was covered in soil and rocks, and with the blanket of snow on top, every step felt like their feet would slip out from under them and they¡¯d slide all the way to the bottom.


    Gu Fei reached his hand back. Jiang Cheng took it and said, ¡°Are you afraid that I¡¯ll lose my balance and bowl you right into the river.¡±


    ¡°No, you were on the school basketball team at some point after all.¡± Gu Fei looked back at him. ¡°I just wanted to hold your hand, it¡¯s pretty warm actually¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t get to finish his words when he stepped on something and suddenly lurched forward.


    Jiang Cheng immediately clutched Gu Fei¡¯s hand tight, then felt a strong forward tug. He tried leaning back to counteract this force, but was not successful.


    His feet couldn¡¯t find purchase on the uneven ground, and he lasted less than half a second before he got dragged down, landing on his butt, his legs immediately taking out the already unbalanced Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei fell on him, and the two of them crumpled into a ball as they slid, rolling and tumbling all the way down the slope to the edge of the river.


    ¡°Fuck!¡± Jiang Cheng yelled. He felt like someone had taken a stick and gave his entire backside a beating.


    ¡°Did I land on your balls?¡± Gu Fei seemed to be doing okay, since Gu Fei had Jiang Cheng as a cushion.


    ¡°Would you still be hearing from me right now if you did?¡± Jiang Cheng leaned against the ground, his butt still needed some time to recover. ¡°What a special Valentine¡¯s Day this is, huh boyfriend¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei reached out and pinched his leg, cutting off the second half of his sentence. It was right at that moment when he sensed that along the river¡¯s edge, beside them, in his peripheral vision, there was another person.


    Jiang Cheng whipped his head around and froze in place.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Gu Fei said in a low voice. He stood up and reached out a hand in front of Jiang Cheng.


    Jiang Cheng grabbed his hand and helped himself up. Then the two of them turned around together to stand face to face with the person who was standing not 10 meters away from them.


    The atmosphere was more than a little bizarre.


    It was indeed strange for someone else to be here at this time, in this place. But if they could think of coming for a date at this hour at ¡°the most romantic place in the whole Steel Works neighbourhood¡±, naturally, so could other people.


    It wouldn¡¯t be a big deal if they ran into another person, since not everyone recognized him and Gu Fei, and not everyone had such fantastical imaginations as the divine beings in the Fourth High forum¡­¡­ Not to mention, ever since he came out to Shen Yiqing that day, Jiang Cheng felt as if he had put down a bag of cement he¡¯d been carrying, and that nothing really bothered him anymore.


    But. This was only one person.


    Moreover, this was a person who definitely knew them, and knew them rather well too.


    From the perspective of studying, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t want people around him to know about this, for fear of letting it affect him before the exam.


    Therefore¡­¡­ It was finally time to silence Wang Xu once and for all.


    He was rather surprised that the first one to go wasn¡¯t Zhou Jing, but Wang Xu.


    ¡°What¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei was the first one to speak up. ¡°Are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Valentine¡¯s Day.¡± Wang Xu answered.


    Against the chilly wind, Wang Xu¡¯s voice sounded especially desolate and¡­¡­ sad.


    It was in that instant that Jiang Cheng temporarily set aside the matter of getting rid of Wang Xu. He was shaken by Wang Xu¡¯s spirit, the spirit of a singleton who just had to come out to the river in the middle of the night on Valentine¡¯s Day, all so he could stand in the freezing air and torture himself.


    What kind of illness is this?


    ¡°By yourself?¡± Gu Fei was probably just as shocked as Jiang Cheng. ¡°Or are you waiting for someone?¡±


    ¡°I thought I was waiting for someone,¡± Wang Xu¡¯s voice was full of sorrow. ¡°But it turns out I¡¯m spending it by myself.¡±


    Jiang Cheng was quiet. He only just noticed on the snow-covered ground by Wang Xu¡¯s feet, the fireworks that had been meticulously arranged into the shape of two hearts.


    Now that made sense.


    Wang Xu had painstakingly prepared a romantic setting to profess his love, but the leading lady Yi Jing never showed up.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Oh.¡± Even Gu Fei, with his high emotional intelligence, couldn¡¯t find anything to say in response to the scenario at hand.


    The scene once again plunged into silence.


    Jiang Cheng could hear the sound of snow falling on the ground beside him.


    ¡°You two¡­¡­¡± Wang Xu stood quietly in the wind for a while, then suddenly looked up and stared at them. ¡°What¡¯s the deal with you two¡­¡­ Oh, fuck? Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re¡­¡­ don¡¯t tell me¡­¡­¡±


    According to the way TV dramas usually go, the two of them should be pulling out their guns from their pockets, aiming it at Wang Xu¡¯s head and ¡°bang bang¡±, before watching him slowly collapse backward into the fireworks on the ground.


    ¡°For Valentine¡¯s Day.¡± Jiang Cheng looked back at him. At this hour, in this kind of place, facing a Wang Xu who couldn¡¯t be killed off, he no longer had anything else to hide. ¡°You got a problem with that?¡±


    Wang Xu was probably even more flustered than the two of them were just now. He opened his mouth, but didn¡¯t make a sound.


    ¡°You, me, and him.¡± Gu Fei said in a gruff voice. ¡°If a fourth person finds out about this, I¡¯ll make certain of your death.¡±


    It might have been the old northerly wind that just blew past, but Wang Xu shuddered cooperatively, ¡°Oh I won¡¯t tell I didn¡¯t¡­¡­ so to me this, guy on¡­¡­guy, I don¡¯t¡­¡­ don¡¯t have a problem, nope no problem.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°You can go home now.¡±


    ¡°Why¡­¡­ why do I have to go home.¡± Wang Xu asked.


    ¡°Because we¡¯re going to set off fireworks here.¡± Gu Fei glanced at him, turned and walked back a couple of steps, and brought over the bag they had dropped during their earlier tumble.


    ¡°Mother¡­¡­fucker¡­¡­¡± Wang Xu leaned in and took a look. ¡°I really fucking gotta hand it to you two.¡±


    Neither Gu Fei nor Jiang Cheng spoke, as they looked back at him together.


    Wang Xu¡¯s brows were knitted as he stared at the fireworks in the bag, and didn¡¯t speak for a long time.


    The moon wasn¡¯t especially bright, and there were no street lamps near the river, but because of their close proximity, Jiang Cheng still saw the glint of tears in Wang Xu¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Wang Xu?¡± He was a little taken aback.


    ¡°Fuck me!¡± Wang Xu suddenly yelled out grievously. ¡°Fuck me! Even two guys are able to fucking get together! Why is it so fucking hard for me to just be with someone!¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei leaned back a little at his outburst. ¡°Yi Jing¡¯s not coming? Did she say anything about it?¡±


    ¡°Just that she¡¯s not in the mood, and that she has to study, so can¡¯t come.¡± Wang Xu said in a nasally voice.


    ¡°That¡¯s normal though, an overachiever like Yi Jing, she¡¯s probably busy with studying about this time. We have just over 100 days left.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°What about overachievers? Isn¡¯t Jiang Cheng also an overachiever? And several levels above her too. When Jiang Cheng studies he doesn¡¯t even move an inch, like he¡¯s been frozen or something.¡± Wang Xu was not convinced. ¡°But isn¡¯t Jiang Cheng in a relationship?! And with a guy too!¡±


    ¡°Yell,¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°Go ahead, yell a little louder. Or maybe I should find you a megaphone so you can go yell it out on the streets too?¡±


    Wang Xu bit his lips, squatted down, and stopped moving.


    They once again were stuck in a stalemate. Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei couldn¡¯t very well leave, nor could they bear to arrange another set of fireworks on the ground right next to Wang Xu¡¯s, lest it triggered him.


    And so the three of them froze in the northerly wind, staring into the cold together.


    ¡°Were you guys gonna arrange it into a heart?¡± Wang Xu finally spoke up after a long time.


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°We just came for the fireworks, wasn¡¯t gonna arrange it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, why don¡¯t I¡­¡­¡± Wang Xu rubbed his nose, and pointed at the fireworks he had arranged on the ground. ¡°Give these to you two. It¡¯ll be my blessing.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng blinked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been here since 11:30,¡± Still in a crouch, Wang Xu shifted himself over to the fireworks. ¡°I bought some fuse, and strung them all together, you only have to light it once to set the whole bunch of them off crackly crack.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s string up the ones you brought too,¡± Wang Xu wiped his eyes. ¡°The more the merrier.¡±


    Gu Fei shot Jiang Cheng a glance.


    Jiang Cheng nodded.


    Oh well, string them up then. He couldn¡¯t relate to Wang Xu¡¯s feelings, but this sudden onset of tears left him even more helpless than last time after the basketball game.


    After all, it was Valentine¡¯s Day, and this was certainly a special way to spend it.


    The three of them crouched on the ground and strung up the fireworks they brought to the other fuse.


    After that was done, Gu Fei stood up and clapped his hands together, ¡°So, Jiuri, thank you.¡±


    ¡°No need to be so courteous with me.¡± Wang Xu sniffed. ¡°Let¡¯s light it!¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°You¡¯re gonna watch?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡­ have to step away?¡± Wang Xu was shocked. ¡°You guys don¡¯t want an MC, or witness, or host or something?¡±


    ¡°We just came to set off fireworks,¡± Gu Fei¡¯s face was a rapidly shifting kaleidoscope of expressions. ¡°Not to get married.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Wang Xu looked at the two of them. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just watch.¡±


    ¡°What Gu Fei meant was, he¡¯s afraid that you¡¯ll get triggered.¡± Jiang Cheng piped up.


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Wang Xu sighed, his face full of profound sincerity. ¡°I¡¯m already numb.¡±


    ¡°Then, watch I guess.¡± Gu Fei rubbed his hands together and pulled out a lighter. He was probably too cold to continue wrestling with Wang Xu anymore.


    Jiang Cheng went to stand beside Gu Fei, watching as he bent down and lit the fuse.


    After the initial flash of a spark, the first beam of blue light shot out of one of the cylinders, followed by a second one.


    Gu Fei reached over and grabbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand. Jiang Cheng squeezed back.


    The fireworks were of different colours. Wang Xu¡¯s were all gold, while the ones they¡¯d brought were multicoloured. Together it looked especially dazzling.


    Jiang Cheng squinted his eyes against the smoke that had drifted over as he looked at the brilliant light show in front of them.


    ¡°I wish a lasting happiness for you both.¡± Wang Xu suddenly said amidst his sobs.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    This Valentine¡¯s Day was indeed different. Even if they redo it more formally next year, it wouldn¡¯t leave as deep of an impression as today.


    Who could¡¯ve foreseen a crying MC coupled with a sincere blessing.


    After the fireworks ended, Gu Fei and Jiang Cheng got ready to go back, but the MC stood there somberly with his head down, and didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I¡­¡­ am.¡± Wang Xu sighed, and started walking in front of them.


    ¡°How did you get here?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I biked,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°But my bike is up ahead, I walked all the way here while looking for a spot.¡±


    ¡°Want a ride over there?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°No, I want to have some quiet time.¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°You guys go¡­¡­ Oh and I won¡¯t say anything about you two, you can trust me, I¡¯m a man of my word.¡±


    They sat in the little bun and watched as Wang Xu disappeared into the drifting snow before Gu Fei started the car, ¡°How is this for a Valentine¡¯s Day?¡±


    ¡°Awesome.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m also beyond impressed, that Wang Xu would come here to set off fireworks too.¡± Gu Fei looked up at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Was it something you taught him? I heard him asking you the other day what kind of gift to give for Valentine¡¯s Day.¡±


    ¡°How can I possibly think of anything creative right now with my brain like this,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I told him to give her a fountain pen.¡±


    ¡°Ayy,¡± Gu Fei sighed. ¡°Looks like Wang Xu¡¯s gonna be down for a good while. At least his exam results will probably be the same regardless of his emotional state.¡±


    ¡°I never knew Wang Xu was so serious about it,¡± Jiang Cheng leaned against his seat and patted his dirtied pants. ¡°Though with Yi Jing¡­¡­ there¡¯s probably no chance huh.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, Yi Jing¡¯s family gets by pretty well,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°She¡¯s definitely not going to stay here. While Wang Xu will probably take over running his family¡¯s meat pie shop¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer as he looked at the back of Gu Fei¡¯s head.


    ¡°What I mean is,¡± Gu Fei seemed to also realize what he said, and turned around to look at Jiang Cheng. ¡°They¡¯re different from us.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference.¡± Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue extra loudly, then scoffed just as loud.


    ¡°Well for one thing,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You like me, and I like you.¡±


    ¡°What a wordsmith.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed. ¡°I really haven¡¯t been dwelling on it very much lately. I just think¡­¡­ Gu Fei.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°Please keep your eyes forward,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°We might have fallen over while walking just now, but this here is a car.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Fei chuckled as he turned to face the front.


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± Jiang Cheng leaned his head back and said slowly. ¡°I just think, there¡¯s nothing really to keep dwelling over. All we can do is continue on, keep going forward, and forward. Some things can¡¯t be planned for ahead of time, so I won¡¯t worry about it, there¡¯ll always be a way.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°There will always be a way.¡± Jiang Cheng repeated, then closed his eyes. ¡°Even if there really really is no other way forward, even if we have to give up, it¡¯ll have to be after we gave it everything we got¡­¡­ No. No no no no no, non non non non, that won¡¯t happen, there will always be a way.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei smiled as he reached his hand back and stroked Jiang Cheng¡¯s face.


    Jiang Cheng grabbed Gu Fei¡¯s hand, and gently bit the pad of his ring finger.


    Footnotes


    [1] Nothing in English quite captures the absolute HEART of ÀÏ°é¶ù, which literally means old companion. It¡¯s something that elderly couples use to refer to each other, whether directly or indirectly, and it¡¯s honestly the cutest thing ever.

 CH 99

    Therein lies the difference.


    As soon as Valentine¡¯s Day was over, the last trace of lightheartedness in the air disappeared along with it.


    Without subjects that circled around which two were a pair or which pair would go out and celebrate the day together, even the conversations felt a lot more hollow.


    The atmosphere in the classrooms slowly sank down. Overachievers were studying; the middle of the range students who wanted to seize this one last opportunity were gritting their teeth and listening to lectures; the ones who wished to give up but couldn¡¯t quite resign themselves to it would listen at times and sleep at other times; while a few of the ones who had given up entirely would not even come to class.


    Jiang Cheng would see Lao-Xu lingering around and outside the classroom all day long. His face appeared at the front door, the backdoor, the windows; every time he looked out, eight out of ten times there was Lao-Xu¡¯s face


    People talk about the overachievers losing weight, but Jiang Cheng thought that even Lao-Xu had lost a lot of weight¡ªhis face was looking very thin.


    ¡°Did Lao-Xu get a face-slimming shot,¡± Jiang Cheng said quietly. ¡°He looks like he¡¯s lost so much weight.¡±


    ¡°From all the worrying of course,¡± Gu Fei glanced toward the front door. ¡°He¡¯s been busy doing home visits and chasing down slacking students to have a chat with them, soon it¡¯ll be the overachievers¡¯ turn.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to chat about with me,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Hardly anyone in this whole city is grinding as hard as I am.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s under greater pressure than you right now,¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°He¡¯s just about going to follow you into the exam himself.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced at the half of Lao-Xu¡¯s face showing by the front door. Lao-Xu cocked his head and gave him a nod, his face suddenly overtaken with a feverish enthusiasm. Jiang Cheng immediately nodded back, afraid that if he responded too late that Lao-Xu would shoot his hands up and start cheering.


    About one week before the first practice exam at Fourth High, Pan Zhi sent him the questions from their first practice exam at the Associated High. In order to achieve the greatest accuracy, and prevent Jiang Cheng from accidentally seeing the questions, this time Pan Zhi sent it to Gu Fei¡¯s phone.


    The Associated High had created their own questions for the first practice exam. Even though Jiang Cheng figured he was putting in enough effort at studying, he still wanted the comparison.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go and print it out then?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll start on them in the next couple of days.


    ¡°Will it be too much pressure to do them all in a row?¡± Gu Fei asked. ¡°Besides¡­¡­ if your two scores are different, will it affect your mindset?¡±


    ¡°Are you afraid that if my scores for the Associated High tests are lower than the ones from Fourth High tests, that it¡¯ll affect my mindset?¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei glanced at his phone. ¡°I took a look at the geography one, it looks pretty hard.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Jiang Cheng stretched. ¡°We¡¯re already here, which means it¡¯s time to face the difference head on. How can I keep charging on if I don¡¯t know how much further I have to go.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you already charging hard enough?¡± Gu Fei turned to face him.


    ¡°My whole life, my biggest strength has been to work hard.¡± Jiang Cheng patted Gu Fei¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Cheng-ge will show you what charging looks like.¡±


    Gu Fei gave him a smile, and didn¡¯t reply.


    To be honest, perhaps it was because he grew up in this kind of environment, but Gu Fei had never met anyone like Jiang Cheng before. And it wasn¡¯t just the overachiever aspect.


    It was his entire being. It was the courage to charge forward, to look straight ahead and face whatever came at him, and the powerful air about him when he let it all go and threw himself into a task.


    Like the hottest summer sun, the kind of air that ignited everything.


    Gu Fei had never seen someone like this before, nor had he ever thought that he would one day meet someone like this. Even more so, he hadn¡¯t expected for someone like this to leave behind such a deep imprint on his life.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t leave school after class ended. These days, teachers would come into the classroom during the evening self-study periods to go through questions. Even though Jiang Cheng never really asked any questions himself, he would still sit there until the end of the evening self-study sessions every single day.


    He would go from the end of last class to the end of the last self-study session, then go back and continue studying until around 2 a.m.


    Gu Fei went to print out the practice exam after school. When he passed by the drugstore, he went in to buy a few boxes of ginseng tea. In the last few days, among the more hardworking students in the class, there were quite a few who fell sick. Some had fevers, while others caught colds. Jiang Cheng might have a good constitution, but his state of constant battle had extended from last semester until now¡ªhe was too tightly wound.


    ¡°Ah Mr. Xu, I¡¯d still recommend that you rest more, your health is important.¡± Gu Fei heard this as soon as he entered the store. He turned and saw Lao-Xu, standing over by the Chinese medicine counter.


    ¡°Well I¡¯m teaching the senior year right now, there¡¯s just a few more months left. I can relax after they finish their exams.¡± Lao-Xu said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind my nagging, but in all of Fourth High, even with you worrying like this, there¡¯s not gonna be that many who make it.¡± The drugstore owner said as he prepared the herbs for Lao-Xu. ¡°Just look at my son, look at that score he brought home last year, and he didn¡¯t even want to take it again this year.¡±


    ¡°Ayy, you can¡¯t force it with kids.¡± Lao-Xu smiled. ¡°But in my class this year I have a good seedling who¡¯s definitely going to make it into one of the top universities. He¡¯ll place first in the city for sure, and maybe even the province.¡±


    ¡°Mr. Xu, I never knew you were so good at talking big.¡± The owner handed the packed herbs to Lao-Xu.


    ¡°No way am I talking big,¡± Lao-Xu waved his hand. ¡°You just wait and see.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s true, then would he be the first in Fourth High history to make it into a top school?¡± The owner asked.


    ¡°Absolutely!¡± Lao-Xu lifted his chin with pride and walked toward the door with his medicine.


    Gu Fei hesitated for a second, then walked after Lao-Xu and called out, ¡°Xu-zong.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lao-Xu answered first before turning around. ¡°Gu Fei? What are you doing here¡­¡­ You¡¯re sick?¡±


    ¡°Not sick, I¡¯m here to buy some Shi Quan Da Bu.¡± Gu Fei looked at the medicine in Lao-Xu¡¯s hands. ¡°Is that yours?¡± [1]


    ¡°Ah, I¡¯m fine,¡± Lao-Xu smiled. ¡°There¡¯s always something or another when you¡¯re getting old.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve only just passed fifty, you¡¯re calling that old?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a little insomnia,¡± Lao-Xu sighed. ¡°It¡¯s my nerves, a little stress and I can¡¯t fall asleep, so I¡¯m getting some herbs to do a little tune-up.¡±


    ¡°If they can make it they¡¯ll make it, and the ones who can¡¯t, even if you lose sleep over it they still won¡¯t be able to get in.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Why are you troubling yourself so much over it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I want to worry,¡± Lao-Xu looked at him. ¡°Take you for example¡­¡­ Ayyy you kids, you never understand our pains. I¡¯d give anything to take the exams for you, but every one of you just doesn¡¯t take your future seriously at all.¡±


    ¡°You should hurry home,¡± Gu Fei turned to go into the drug store. ¡°Go take your medicine.¡±


    ¡°Ah Gu Fei,¡± Lao-Xu called out to him. ¡°Are you still studying with Jiang Cheng these days?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Mhm.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°How¡¯s he doing right now? I was planning to talk to him after his first practice exam scores are out, otherwise I¡¯m afraid of putting too much pressure on him.¡± Lao-Xu said.


    ¡°He¡¯s been working pretty hard this whole time, you don¡¯t have to worry.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You¡­¡­ try to relax okay, you¡¯ve been looking like you got a face-slimming shot lately.¡±


    ¡°Face-slimming shot?¡± Lao-Xu blinked. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You get a shot on your face, and then your face will poof and become a whole chunk smaller.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°That powerful huh?¡± Lao-Xu chuckled. ¡°Then I should tell teacher Lu to go get a jab, he¡¯s been putting on weight recently.¡±


    ¡°You should go home and eat.¡± Gu Fei said as he walked into the store.


    ¡°A face-slimming shot? I can¡¯t believe such an incredible thing exists.¡± Lao-Xu laughed as he walked away.


    After buying the Shi Quan Da Bu pills, Gu Fei went to print out the practice exams before having them bound, then went to order some meat pies for take-out from Wang Xu¡¯s place.


    ¡°You gotta hurry on your bike,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°Otherwise the outside will get soggy, and it won¡¯t taste as good.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    Ever since that night before Valentine¡¯s Day, Wang Xu had suddenly become a lot more mature, steadfast, and reticent, as if he¡¯d taken some fast-growing pig hormones. Even when he talked, it was without the flagrant boasting tone he used to speak with.


    Gu Fei couldn¡¯t tell if that counted as growth or depression.


    ¡°You want to take some lamb soup too?¡± Wang Xu asked. ¡°I¡¯ll get you guys a thermos.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    Wang Xu put the soup in the container and handed it to him.


    ¡°Are you¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei paused. ¡°Going to the self-study period?¡±


    ¡°Da-Fei,¡± Wang Xu looked at him. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s a very cruel question to ask me?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Oh.¡± Gu Fei looked back at him, feeling like Wang Xu could come up with a broken-hearted poem in the next second, so he quickly grabbed the food. ¡°See you later.¡±


    Behind him, Wang Xu let out a sigh.


    When Gu Fei arrived in the classroom, it wasn¡¯t yet time for the evening self-study. There were only a handful of people sitting in their seats, poring over books.


    Jiang Cheng was buried behind a giant pile of study materials taller than his head, and he didn¡¯t even notice when Gu Fei walked up to the desk.


    Gu Fei opened the bag of meat pies and placed it on his own side of the desk.


    A few seconds later, he saw the furiously scribbling pen pause for a moment, before Jiang Cheng quickly whipped his head around.


    ¡°Got a pretty good nose there.¡± Gu Fei chuckled and said quietly.


    ¡°Shit,¡± Jiang Cheng gulped and grabbed a meat pie. ¡°I was so hungry my hands were getting icy.¡±


    ¡°Did the crust get soggy?¡± Gu Fei sat down.


    ¡°Nope, it¡¯s delicious.¡± Jiang Cheng ate half the meat pie in two bites. ¡°You printed out the tests?¡±


    ¡°Got everything,¡± Gu Fei waved the thick file folder in his hand. ¡°Which one do you want to do first?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it according to the standard order,¡± Jiang Cheng said as he munched. ¡°What¡¯s in the thermos?¡±


    ¡°Lamb soup.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Quick,¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s eyes positively sparkled. ¡°Gimme a bowl.¡±


    Gu Fei poured some out into the thermos lid for him. Jiang Cheng¡¯s hands were almost shaking as he accepted the bowl. Gu Fei found it amusing, ¡°Are you being serious?¡±


    ¡°The meat pies and soup from Wang Xu¡¯s place are the most delicious things on this earth.¡± Jiang Cheng  said.


    At this, Yi Jing, who had been sitting with her head down in the front row memorizing passages, turned and looked back.


    Gu Fei met her gaze, and she gave a little smile.


    ¡°The shit?¡± Jiang Cheng noticed Yi Jing¡¯s movement, and said quietly as he continued to chip away at the meat pies. ¡°Did the spineless Wang Jiuri tell her??¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, she probably just caught the food smell.¡± Gu Fei picked up the meat pies and waved it at Yi Jing, who shook her head and turned back to continue studying. ¡°Wang Xu is pretty reliable when it comes to these things. If this was war time, he¡¯s gotta be one of those who gives up only after a whole week of beatings.¡±


    ¡°Ones like him who look like they don¡¯t know anything useful would be dead within a week from the beatings.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°Is he still like that? All heartbroken?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei picked up a meat pie and ate it slowly. ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to talk to him now.¡±


    ¡°He should take some lessons from Pan Zhi.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced in Yi Jing¡¯s direction. ¡°Look at our Master Pan, year after year he dumps and gets dumped so often it¡¯s as normal as eating and drinking to him. If he doesn¡¯t tell you, you can¡¯t even tell when he¡¯s dating and when he¡¯s broken up again. That scum.¡±


    ¡°Sooner or later someone will come along to handle him.¡± Gu Fei laughed and said.


    ¡°I¡¯m just waiting for that day,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°If one day he gets in the dumps from a breakup, I will be on the side laughing for 180 days straight.¡±


    Gu Fei couldn¡¯t stop laughing as he ate.


    Jiang Cheng used his evening hours to do the first practice exams from the Associated High. He would return one period earlier from evening self-study every day, and Gu Fei would invigilate for him.


    ¡°We will be handing out the papers now, everyone please remain quiet, and do not talk to one another.¡± Gu Fei said as he pulled out the last of the English exams from the file folder. ¡°You have 120 minutes to complete the test. Do not be nervous, read the questions carefully, organize your time well¡­¡­¡±


    He placed the papers in front of Jiang Cheng.


    Jiang Cheng took the papers and first wrote down his name, then began to quickly leaf through the pages.


    Gu Fei sat down beside him and started the timer on his phone.


    That was the last of the Associated High exam set. He had already scanned and sent the completed ones back to Pan Zhi, who would print it out and have the teachers there mark it for him.


    At times, Gu Fei could feel the pressure Jiang Cheng had on him. Simply completing a set of practice exams from the Associated High already involved so many people. Jiang Cheng¡¯s old head teacher Lao-Yuan even called him a few times about it.


    The expectations of these people were all pressure added on his back.


    Although, Jiang Cheng seemed okay. His confidence in his own academic abilities was able to withstand this pressure.


    Damn impressive, boyfriend.


    Gu Fei held up his phone and took a picture of Jiang Cheng¡¯s hardworking back.


    The questions from Associated High¡¯s first practice exam were rather difficult; Jiang Cheng felt a little apprehensive after he finished. He was relatively calm however, because no matter how he did on these questions, it would at least tell him the gap he had to overcome. As long as the university entrance exams didn¡¯t begin tomorrow, then he still had time.


    One day before Fourth High¡¯s first practice exams were due to start, Pan Zhi sent Gu Fei the results of each subject and the total score.


    ¡°Wanna look at it after you finish these ones?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°Pan Zhi said it was pretty great.¡± Gu Fei continued.


    ¡°He¡¯d say that as long as I scored higher than him,¡± Jiang Cheng smiled. ¡°Mostly I just wanted to see how far behind I am after spending a year here. I can only catch up if I have an idea of the difference.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei turned to Jiang Cheng from his position slumped over the desk, then pulled out two small yet different bottles from his desk drawer. ¡°Come on, chug these.¡±


    ¡°Why does it feel like I¡¯m taking these several times a day,¡± Jiang Cheng accepted them and gulped it down. Gu Fei had been buying him boxes of supplements meant to nourish the brain, benefit the immune system, and boost energy, and making him drink them every day. ¡°Didn¡¯t I take it just this morning?¡±


    ¡°These are twice a day, okay.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Looks like you really do need it, your brain is only good for studying these days, can¡¯t even fit another thread in there.¡±


    Jiang Cheng laughed for a while at the little bottles in his hand, ¡°Can you fit a lot of threads in your brain?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Gu Fei sighed. ¡°My brain is all filled up with things about you now. The other day Er-Miao was asking me what¡¯s 7 times 9, and I had to start reciting all the way from 4 times 9 to land at the correct answer.¡±


    Jiang Cheng put away his smile, reached out a hand discreetly, and touched Gu Fei¡¯s leg, ¡°You¡¯ve been working hard.¡±


    The arrival of the first practice exams finally instilled an air of tension at Fourth High. The school didn¡¯t simply pull the desks apart like they did for regular tests, but instead mixed the different classes together.


    Jiang Cheng was surrounded on both sides by people he didn¡¯t recognize. When he looked to the right, he couldn¡¯t see Gu Fei¡¯s familiar profile, nor the way he rolled dice on the answers. He was not used to this.


    On the other hand, these practice exams used the standard tests used across the city, and with the Associated High¡¯s tests he wrote before, Jiang Cheng felt that these were relatively easier.


    Therein lies the difference.


    That was the phrase echoing around Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind as he worked through each problem.


    There were people leaving early for every subject¡ªthey had already given up and only came to show their face and confirm that they really couldn¡¯t answer the questions.


    Jiang Cheng had sufficient time remaining after he finished, but he still stayed in his seat and checked back and forth until the last second. There was no need to show off this time.


    He was also delighted to see that in the classroom next door, Gu Fei did not hand in his test early either, nor did he roll the dice on the questions.


    ¡°Really?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°Really.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Have to give my boyfriend some credit, don¡¯t I? Since I kept you company for so long while you studied, it would be embarrassing, wouldn¡¯t it, if I still have to roll the dice during the test?¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer, only narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Am I wrong?¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°The way you¡¯re on my back day in and day out, making me quiz you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng clicked his tongue, but still didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Did you think you were being discreet?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know what to say. Judging by Gu Fei¡¯s reaction, he seemed to have noticed a long time ago, but didn¡¯t seem to feel displeased about what he did either. Though it didn¡¯t mean that he would admit it so easily. ¡°Isn¡¯t quizzing each other a normal thing to do?¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei reached his arms up into a stretch, and rotated his shoulders. ¡°The way you were treading so carefully¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°When did I ever tread carefully.¡± Jiang Cheng cut him off.


    ¡°The way you were treading so carefully, it was really touching.¡± Gu Fei insisted on finishing his sentence.


    Jiang Cheng paused, then sighed, ¡°Fine, so I was treading carefully. It¡¯s my boyfriend after all, if it was anyone else I wouldn¡¯t have the energy to bother.¡±


    ¡°To be held in someone¡¯s heart like that,¡± Gu Fei slung an arm over Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Is a pretty special feeling.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    Gu Fei was talking about himself, but Jiang Cheng felt the exact same way.


    To hold someone in your heart is actually a very difficult thing.


    Everyone longed to have it, but not everyone would receive reciprocation.


    ¡°Your score from before,¡± Gu Fei pulled out his phone. ¡°Wanna see it now?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei¡¯s words pulled Jiang Cheng back to earth. ¡°Is it higher than 630?¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t answer right away, he frowned and said, ¡°Pan Zhi¡¯s words really can¡¯t be trusted.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s 628, which is already really good.¡± Gu Fei tapped play on the voice message Pan Zhi had sent, and put the phone next to Jiang Cheng¡¯s ear. ¡°Here, you can listen to what he said.¡±


    ¡°Lao-Yuan said, you¡¯re not done with revision yet, plus this time we marked all the tests harder. His test was also marked by a stricter standard. I checked the rankings, his total score places him in fourth, only 2 points less than the third place. Compared to his abilities before, he¡¯s stayed about the same, and didn¡¯t fall back. Also, he wasn¡¯t deducted marks for neatness this time. You remember his shitty writing before? Well it actually doesn¡¯t look like shit anymore. He¡¯s been practicing his handwriting even as he studies, don¡¯t you think that¡¯s really impressive of him.¡±


    Jiang Cheng tsked audibly and handed the phone back to Gu Fei.


    ¡°What do you think, the tests were already on the hard side, and they were strict with the marking.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°What did the first place get?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°637.¡± Gu Fei glanced at him.


    Jiang Cheng tsked again.


    After a while, he tsked yet again, then as if a dam had been opened, he tsked all the way from the classroom to the front gate of the school, at least 80 times, drying out all his saliva.


    ¡°Is your tongue still okay?¡± Gu Fei sighed.


    ¡°That¡¯s a whole 10 points difference.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Nine points.¡± Gu Fei corrected him.


    ¡°Ah nine points, that¡¯s a whole question¡¯s worth.¡± Jiang Cheng furrowed his brows. ¡°Therein lies the difference.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more than two months left.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Charge!¡± Jiang Cheng flung his arm up.


    Only Gu Fei understood the weight behind Jiang Cheng¡¯s ¡°charge!¡±.


    After all, Jiang Cheng¡¯s total score for Fourth High¡¯s practice exam was 648¡ªfirst in the whole city. Standing at the lectern, Lao-Xu was so excited that his lips were trembling.


    Only Gu Fei knew that to Jiang Cheng, their tests were not that difficult. Even if they were in the best high school in the city, it couldn¡¯t compare with the Associated High where he was from.


    By Jiang Cheng¡¯s standards, he still needed to charge forward.


    It was a very simple word, but to put it to action was a little scary.


    Gu Fei thought that Jiang Cheng was already working very hard, but didn¡¯t know that he could go even harder.


    As a matter of fact, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t increase the time he spent on studying every day, but it was clear that his attention was more focused than before, and the times he would sneak glances at Gu Fei throughout studying had decreased drastically.


    Even while he ate his night time snack, his eyes would stay glued to the books.


    Jiang Cheng in this state surprised Gu Fei, but he also felt proud. However, slowly with the passing of each day, Gu Fei felt more and more anxious.


    Therein lies the difference.


    Those were the words Jiang Cheng had said.


    To Jiang Cheng, the difference was those points.


    But to Gu Fei, the difference was much more complicated.


    If he were to trace the source of the difference, he¡¯d have to go deeper and deeper, until the realization that the difference was right there at the start.


    These differences, with the lengthening of time, with the change in surroundings and the people around them, would gradually grow bigger. It might take one year, two years, or three¡­¡­ Perhaps it would end up becoming a great chasm, unable to be filled merely by the affection of two high school students leaning on each other.


    ¡°Gu Fei.¡± Jiang Cheng set his book down.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°Will you massage my neck?¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    Gu Fei walked up behind him, and gently kneaded the back of his neck, ¡°Here?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng put his head down, and his hand was back on the book. ¡°Feels good.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you rest for a bit?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m resting now,¡± Jiang Cheng drew his hand back. After a while he cocked his head and said, ¡°Hey, I wanted to ask you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Fei stroked his cheek with a finger.


    ¡°Have you been in a bad mood lately?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Have I?¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°You got time to think about these things?¡±


    ¡°Is that a no?¡± Jiang Cheng turned back to look at him.


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I¡¯m just¡­¡­ a little nervous.¡±


    ¡°Nervous about what?¡± Jiang Cheng was a little lost.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell exactly,¡± Gu Fei thought for a moment. ¡°I guess after all, I¡¯m also someone who¡¯s about to write the university entrance exams.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Jiang Cheng paused for a beat, then turned away and couldn¡¯t stop laughing. ¡°Why does it sound not at all believable coming from you.¡±


    ¡°Then what is believable?¡± Gu Fei also laughed.


    ¡°You saying you like me,¡± Jiang Cheng leaned his head back against Gu Fei¡¯s stomach. ¡°That, I believe.¡±


    ¡°I like you,¡± Gu Fei looked down at him. ¡°Superduperthunderandlightning much.¡±


    Footnotes


    [1] Shi(ten) Quan(complete) Da(big) Bu(tonifying) Wan(pills) [ʮȫ´ó²¹Íè]: an old and renowned patented Chinese medicine formula meant to supplement qi and blood, one of those that are common enough that people often buy it over the counter without seeing a doctor first..

 CH 100

    It might be the last chance in their high school career to get to laugh wildly like this without any inhibitions.


    Almost every time he went to the drugstore, Gu Fei would run into Lao-Xu getting his herbal medications filled. He almost suspected that Lao-Xu might have been diagnosed with some kind of incurable illness.


    ¡°Be honest, what exactly do you have?¡± He blocked Lao-Xu outside the drugstore one time. ¡°You¡¯ve been picking up medications every week.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all qi and blood supplementing stuff,¡± Lao-Xu opened a paper wrapped pack of herbs and showed him. ¡°I¡¯m just a little deficient in everything, that¡¯s all, it¡¯s like this every time I teach a senior class.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Gu Fei looked at the herbs. To be quite honest, he didn¡¯t recognize any of it.


    ¡°Now, why would I lie to you,¡± Lao-Xu said before shooting him a look, then started laughing. ¡°Ayyy, this kid.¡±


    ¡°What are you laughing at?¡± Gu Fei looked back at him. ¡°I just mean that if you¡¯ve really got some kind of terminal illness, you should tell us the truth. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re members of your family, there¡¯s no reason to hide it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true that my health isn¡¯t the greatest, but I¡¯m not quite terminal.¡± Lao-Xu clapped Gu Fei¡¯s arm happily. ¡°Kid, you say such unflattering things, but I¡¯m very touched.¡±


    ¡°Boss,¡± Gu Fei said, looking at him. ¡°Why do you bother? You wear yourself out like this, but no one appreciates what you do for them, and no one¡¯s gonna buy into it.¡±


    ¡°Says who,¡± Lao-Xu pointed at him. ¡°You for one, appreciates what I do.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°For most people, they only go through school once. If they miss out, then that¡¯s it.¡± Lao-Xu said. ¡°And when you look back a decade or two later, you may just regret it, you may say if only my teachers reined me in a little more back then, I wouldn¡¯t have turned out like this¡­¡­ My goal is to, as much as possible, not let you kids have regrets later. If I can pull one student up, that¡¯s one student more. Anyways, this is what we do as teachers.¡±


    Gu Fei stared at him. Frankly, Lao-Xu had made similar speeches more than a few times in the past. From the first year of high school until now, he lost track of how many times he had heard this before. Every time he heard it in the past, he only felt somewhat hollow and empty, and not able to empathize with it at all.


    It was only now, when he once again heard Lao-Xu say these things, that he felt for the first time something different.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± He answered, clapped Lao-Xu on the shoulder, then turned and walked into the drugstore. ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, boss.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve also been coming here frequently, what medicine are you buying?¡± Lao-Xu asked after him.


    ¡°Kidney supplements.¡± Gu Fei turned back and answered. [1]


    ¡°¡­¡­ You just can¡¯t be serious for more than a second!¡± Lao-Xu sighed.


    Jiang Cheng was sitting with his eyes half closed, memorizing text passages. He actually looked like he was enjoying the process, the way he was stepping on the chair with his legs bent and his chin resting on his knees.


    The fact that he could get into a state like this while studying, was impressive on its own.


    Gu Fei took two vials of the Shi Quan Da Bu out of their packaging, stuck straws in each of them, and set them on the desk in front of Jiang Cheng. These days, the guy tended to go on for a shockingly long time once he started his memorization, and unless he stopped himself, he¡¯d glare at anyone who dared to disturb him midway.


    ¡°The reason and the impact of the boom in multiple schools of thoughts in simultaneous contention,¡± Jiang Cheng reached out his hand and grabbed one of the vials, then pointed at Gu Fei. ¡°Classmate Gu Fei, go.¡±


    ¡°Politically¡­ the society went through a period of major changes and turbulence; every vassal state was keen on attracting talents, in order to strengthen their own state¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei continued out of reflex. ¡°Economically¡­ the widespread use of metal tools and oxen for tilling¡­¡­ blahblahblahblah.¡±


    ¡°Provided the material conditions for increases in production power and socioeconomic development.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him. ¡°How come the medicine today tastes so sweet.¡±


    ¡°I switched it up,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°This one is for preventing colds.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Why do I have to prevent against colds?¡± Jiang Cheng blinked. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I¡¯ve had a cold.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you should prevent against it. They¡¯ve already cut off the indoor heating, or did you not notice?¡± Gu Fei bent down and looked at him.


    ¡°I know,¡± Jiang Cheng tutted. ¡°The second practice exam is soon, of course they¡¯ve cut it off by this time.¡±


    ¡°Are you numbering your days according to practice exams now?¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°All I have in my head now is the practice exams one and two and three and four, five and six and eighteen strokes¡­¡­¡± [2]


    He said as he ran his hand all over Gu Fei¡¯s leg, from his thigh all the way to his calf, ¡°Oho check out these long straight legs on my boyfriend.¡±


    Even as he said this, his eyes were still glued to his book. Gu Fei felt like laughing, ¡°When you say things like this, can you act a little more professional and at least spare me a glance?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng turned and looked at him. ¡°Oh fuck, so handsome. Check out this good looking face on my boyfriend¡­¡­ You got a short buzz cut again?¡±


    ¡°I got Li Yan to give me a little trim yesterday.¡± Gu Fei lifted a tuft of hair on Jiang Cheng¡¯s forehead. ¡°Cheng-ge, how¡¯s about you take one hour out of your day tomorrow to let the design director Li give you a new hairstyle? It¡¯s almost covering your eyes.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a design director civet [li]?¡± Jiang Cheng blinked.


    ¡°Li Yan.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng paused, then leaned back in his chair as he cracked up with laughter, ¡°Alrighty then, let the design director civet give me a haircut like yours, that way I won¡¯t have to worry about it for a while.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t do, the shorter it is the more often you¡¯ll have to maintain it, otherwise it¡¯ll easily become like a ball of cactus.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It should last you longer if you just get a little trim.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty then, whatever you say.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    And that was about it for the slivers of conversation he managed to get with Jiang Cheng. Other than that, they were also able to get a little conversation in before bed, but usually by the time they got to the fourth sentence, Jiang Cheng would already be asleep.


    ¡°You look like you¡¯re about to die from fatigue.¡± Gu Fei said with his arms around Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, there¡¯s just too many things to memorize; I¡¯m not good at memorizing texts.¡± Jiang Cheng turned around halfway and leaned further into Gu Fei¡¯s embrace. ¡°These days I¡¯m reciting passages in every waking moment, and even while asleep.¡±


    ¡°Do you regret it yet? If you had chosen STEM way back when, you wouldn¡¯t have to do so much memorization.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°Not to mention, you¡¯d get a higher score too.¡±


    ¡°Regret my ass, if I had time to regret, there¡¯s more where that came from. Why did I used to skip so many classes, and get into fights; why did I used to only cram for exams two weeks before¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°If I were to start regretting, there¡¯d be no end to it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°Cheng-ge is right.¡±


    ¡°Besides, the problem sets in STEM subjects are annoying too. It¡¯s all annoying, but at this point, there¡¯s nothing left to do but to get a grip and keep churning¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng said as he rubbed Gu Fei¡¯s leg. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m becoming near-sighted. Yesterday when I tried on your glasses, I was actually able to see pretty clearly.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t just wear any glasses,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go get your vision checked.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no time for that. I can see just fine anyways, I¡¯m probably just ti¡ª¡± Halfway through the sentence, Jiang Cheng suddenly went quiet.


    He fell asleep.


    It was quite powerful, really. Gu Fei thought as he pulled the covers over Jiang Cheng. The sentence before had been crisp and clear with no logical fallacies, and the following sentence was suddenly asleep.jpg.


    Although the others in their class who were still trying to study were not that different. They didn¡¯t even look as energized as Jiang Cheng, at least Jiang Cheng wouldn¡¯t fall asleep in class. These days, even Yi Jing could often be found slumped over her desk during class.


    It felt like not long after the first practice exam ended, it was already time for the second practice exam.


    Lao-Xu stood in the corridor, watching as the students from his class filed into the testing room, and reminded each of them, ¡°Try to relax, read the questions carefully, and plan your time well¡­¡­¡±


    Gu Fei walked into the classroom and looked around. This time, they were seated in a different order yet again from the arrangement of the first practice exam. It seemed they changed it up every time.


    The people around him all wore solemn expressions that didn¡¯t vary between the students with good grades and students with bad grades. Sweeping his gaze across the room, it seemed like everyone was an overachiever.


    However, the difference was clear once they actually started to answer the questions.


    Even though everyone had their heads buried, and would start writing after reading each question, one would still be able to tell from their bearing whether the student knew what they were doing or not.


    It used to be that Gu Fei would draw answers out of scraps of papers at random as he went through each question, while at the same time observing the people around him. It was a rather wonderful feeling, to feel like none of it really mattered.


    However, now that he couldn¡¯t just draw answers randomly, there was a lot more pressure. To kind of know something but not be sure about it was the most torturous. He relied mostly on his memory of Jiang Cheng¡¯s mumbling fragments of memorization. If you asked him to write the whole thing out, he didn¡¯t know it enough. But if he were to piece the fragments together as he went, there wasn¡¯t quite enough time for that.


    On the other hand, the questions in the second practice exam were much harder than the first one. He wondered how his boyfriend was doing in the classroom next door.


    Two days of exams didn¡¯t sound like very much, but when the bell rang, signalling that it was time to hand in the test papers, and the end of the last subject, Gu Fei still felt an immense sense of relief.


    He didn¡¯t have that much time after he finished the questions, just barely enough to do a very cursory once-over.


    When he stood up to hand the papers in, there was a sudden commotion from the first row¡ªthe sound of desks and chairs bumping together.


    Gu Fei looked over just in time to see that one row away from him, Yi Jing had collapsed on the ground. The sound of a head thumping hard against the floor was disturbing. The other students instantly devolved into a disorderly chaos.


    He dashed over in two strides, crouched down, and carefully turned Yi Jing over. Her face was pale and her eyes shut¡ªshe seemed to have fainted.


    Next came the invigilating teacher¡¯s slightly anxious voice, ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Someone passed out!¡± One student shouted.


    ¡°Yi Jing from class-8 fainted!¡± Another student yelled.


    ¡°Quick, take her to the infirmary!¡± The invigilating teacher squeezed into the crowd. ¡°Someone, go notify the teacher on patrol!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll carry her.¡± Gu Fei said.


    A few others helped to lift Yi Jing onto Gu Fei¡¯s back, and Gu Fei immediately started running out the door.


    The other teachers had all gathered outside, with Lao-Xu at the very front, ¡°How come she passed out! Why did she pass out! Is she hurt from the fall?!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably not that serious.¡± Gu Fei said as he ran toward the stairs.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong!¡± Wang Xu dashed up to them.


    Gu Fei glanced at him, and saw that the guy¡¯s eyes were already red, even his voice was hoarse.


    He didn¡¯t refuse when Wang Xu jumped to take Yi Jing from him, and transferred her into his arms. By the rush going through Wang Xu at that moment, he would definitely get to the infirmary twice as fast as Gu Fei.


    ¡°Yi Jing! Yi Jing! Yi Jing!¡± Wang Xu kept calling her name. He forwent the option of carrying her on his back, and went straight to picking her up in his arms. The speed at which he raced downstairs was almost too fast for Gu Fei to catch up, despite not carrying any weight.


    Under Lao-Xu¡¯s lead, everyone from class-8 rushed to the infirmary. The doctor had already received the call, but was still startled by this massive throng of people.


    As soon as Yi Jing was placed on a bed, she started kicking people out, ¡°Get out, everyone out! And quiet down!¡±


    Other than Wang Xu¡ªwho refused to leave¡ªand Lao-Xu, everyone else was kicked out.


    When it came to the students at Fourth High, if they were to gather everyone who genuinely treated the University Entrance Exams as a big deal, it wouldn¡¯t even fill up one classroom. However, the pressure that came with the exams was something that everyone felt. Today there would be a student falling sick in this class, and the next day someone from another class would take a sick leave; and now they got a student collapsing right in the examination room.


    Everyone standing outside the infirmary door had frowns on their faces.


    ¡°Did she hit her head?¡± Jiang Cheng asked quietly beside Gu Fei.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Fei turned to him. ¡°It was loud too, but the chair kind of broke her fall, so it¡¯s probably not that serious.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°When I heard Wang Xu yelling like that I¡­ that gave me a scare. I almost twisted my ankle running over here.¡±


    ¡°She should be fine, probably just didn¡¯t sleep enough from all the stress.¡± Gu Fei said quietly. ¡°That¡¯s why I keep telling you not to sleep past 2 a.m.¡±


    ¡°I always go to sleep on time, don¡¯t worry.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    Yi Jing¡¯s condition was not too bad. She simply lacked rest, was under too much pressure, and did not eat breakfast that day before coming to write the exams. She probably felt uneasy during the test, but managed to stick it out until the end, before she finally relaxed and passed out.


    Even so, she only rested at home for one day before returning to class.


    ¡°See, sometimes people can bear much more than they think they could.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Take Yi Jing, she looks like a gust of wind can knock her over, but see how much pressure she can take.¡±


    ¡°I really think,¡± Gu Fei frowned. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t push yourself to that point.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t, I have a healthy foundation.¡± Jiang Cheng lifted his arms. ¡°So. Strong.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed, ¡°You haven¡¯t worked out for what, six months now. At least before, you could do some exercising in bed, but now even that little bit of exercise is canceled¡­¡±


    ¡°Sir, can you please watch your language when you speak?¡± Jiang Cheng looked around. ¡°We¡¯re in public.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just protesting quietly here,¡± Gu Fei lowered his voice. ¡°Will there be compensation after the exams?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Jiang Cheng threw his head back and laughed for a while. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about this, we gotta go at least a few hundred rounds of it after the exams. This summer, I won¡¯t do anything else but you.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh, it¡¯s important to have dreams in life¡­¡± Gu Fei said as he laughed.


    Before the results of the second practice exams came out, there was a sort of lightness in the air, the kind one felt after studying day and night for a test that was finally over. But it did not last very long.


    The countdown on the blackboard changed from three digits to two. It changed every day, and with every change, it would shake up a storm in everyone¡¯s hearts.


    Some were nervous¡ªtime was quickly running out; while some were anxious¡ªhurry up and get it over with so summer break could come.


    When the scores came out for the second practice exams, it didn¡¯t do much to change the students¡¯ emotional states. The nervous ones became even more nervous, and the anxious ones became even more anxious.


    The singular exception was Lao-Xu, who seemed to have collected all these feelings for himself, going through an emotional rollercoaster every day.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s total score on the second practice exams was 656. While the difficulty had gone up this time, so did his scores. Gu Fei felt like whenever Lao-Xu saw Jiang Cheng, flowers could blossom out of his eyes.


    ¡°If you come up with 700 on the third one, Lao-Xu could probably bounce all the way from the ground level to the third floor.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Then if you come back with a top of the province during the official exams, Lao-Xu could probably piggy-back you for 20 laps around the downtown square.¡±


    ¡°Dream on,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed for a good while. ¡°You really are underestimating the other overachievers out there.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the 1st place last year for Humanities 650 something, I think it¡¯s not entirely out of reach.¡± Gu Fei leaned back against the wall and swung his legs back and forth.


    ¡°There are Humanities 1st place holders elsewhere that get close to 700. If I hadn¡¯t come here, and instead been at the Associated High until now, would I be able to do better? There¡¯s no way to compare these things.¡± Jiang Cheng also leaned back and swung his legs along with Gu Fei. ¡°Like you said the other day, wouldn¡¯t it have been better if I¡¯d chosen the STEM stream? There¡¯s no need to think about these things, since they didn¡¯t happen anyway. I only ever look forward.¡±


    ¡°Mmn,¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°Now that¡¯s breadth.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look back, don¡¯t look around, and there¡¯s no problem. If you keep looking back as you walk, it¡¯s easy to trip and fall.¡± Jiang Cheng tilted his head a little. ¡°At most, I¡¯ll take the time to look at you.¡±


    ¡°Keep your voice down,¡± Gu Fei glanced forward. ¡°Zhou Jing¡¯s hearing is really getting sharp these days.¡±


    ¡°Did you call me?¡± Zhou Jing swiftly turned his head around.


    ¡°Want candy?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Zhou Jing nodded vehemently.


    Gu Fei scrounged up a few pieces of candy from his pocket and handed it over, and Zhou Jing accepted them happily.


    After Zhou Jing turned back and continued slumping over his own desk, Gu Fei said in a suppressed voice, ¡°See that?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Jiang Cheng drew back a little with his exaggerated expression of horror. ¡°Scared me to death.¡±


    Gu Fei glanced at him, then put his head down and started to laugh.


    ¡°The hell you laughing for.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled a set of papers toward him and started writing, then after a moment also cracked up. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it frightening?¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t answer, but continued to giggle nonstop.


    Jiang Cheng could not keep talking either, as he laughed along with Gu Fei, still holding the paper.


    ¡°What?¡± Zhou Jing once again turned around. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    Neither of them responded as they laughed uncontrollably, unable to stop. Jiang Cheng had a mind to keep it down, since there were quite a few others in the class still studying, but seeing the total confusion on Zhou Jing¡¯s face only made him laugh harder.


    In these days of crushing, high intensity studying, even the people who had already given up were repressed into silence by the pressure in the atmosphere. The usual chatterboxes were all quiet.


    And now, hearing someone else laughing hysterically, it was as if a switch had been flipped, and the laughter soon spread from a couple of people to the entire classroom.


    In the short span of less than 20 seconds, and for no reason at all, the whole class was howling hysterically.


    It was like a release, but also like venting. An entire classroom of students simultaneously laughing out loud with what was almost like a sense of collective honour. Some of them teared up from laughing, while others slammed the desks and kicked the chairs as they laughed.


    Lao-Lu stood up from where he was sitting at the lectern in shock. He held the pointer stick, but didn¡¯t know where exactly to point it. Then after standing there for a while, he put the pointer stick down and also started laughing.


    By the time the patrolling Guidance Director came running, Lao-Lu was leaning against the front of the lectern, pointing at a student who had laughed so hard that a snot bubble had come out of his nose, while he himself was doubling over in laughter.


    ¡°Teacher Lu!¡± The director¡¯s eyes were so wide they almost reached her temples. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±


    ¡°Look at him!¡± Lao-Lu walked to the director¡¯s side as he continued cackling, and pointed. ¡°Snot bubble!¡±


    The laughter that had gotten a little more under control from the arrival of the director, once again erupted after Lao-Lu¡¯s words.


    ¡°Teacher Lu!¡± In resignation, the director dragged Lao-Lu outside the classroom. ¡°They¡¯re disturbing the other classes that are studying! How can you act out with them!¡±


    ¡°Ayyy¡­¡± Lao-Lu sucked in a breath and finally got a grip. ¡°Okay okay, we¡¯re just taking a breather, just taking a breather. Studying is so grueling that they¡¯re not even chitchatting anymore, I¡¯m not used to it.¡±


    ¡°Is there something wrong with you!¡± The director looked at him and said in a low voice. ¡°Are you done now? The teachers from the other classes are all looking at you!¡±


    ¡°Alright everyone, let¡¯s wrap it up,¡± Lao-Lu went back inside and beckoned to them. ¡°I know that everyone¡¯s very tired these days. When the exams are over, Boss Xu and I will take you all out for a feast, you can have whatever you want! For now, let¡¯s get back to work!¡±


    After the hysterical outburst, the atmosphere in the classroom was suddenly a little different. It was as if they suddenly realized that, in a little over a month, everyone here would have to go their separate ways. It might be the last chance in their high school career to get to laugh wildly like this without any inhibitions.


    This faint sense of sorrow did not seem to lessen throughout the third practice exam, that came just as suddenly as it passed.


    As expected, the third practice exam was made to build up the students¡¯ confidence. Compared to the two before it, the difficulty of the third one was within an acceptable range. After this, at least to the students at Fourth High, the school would not be organizing any more formal tests. The next test they would be taking would be the University Entrance Exams.


    ¡°This part is very auspicious, and very you.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You got 666. This time, contestant Jiang Cheng¡¯s performance was certainly very 6666666!¡± [3]


    Jiang Cheng smiled at him without a word.


    ¡°Let¡¯s do something to destress tonight,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I¡¯ll take you out for grilled meat. We¡¯ll take a cab there, quickly stuff ourselves, then take a cab back, get off at the main intersection, walk for 20 minutes, then come back and continue studying?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jiang Cheng could feel his own eyes twinkle. To be fair, he had not been holding back on eating at all recently; Gu Fei either did the cooking himself or bought all sorts of take-outs. However, to him, grilled meats would forever have the strongest hold on him. ¡°Pork belly, fatty veal, pork belly, fatty veal¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Really.¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°But I¡¯m telling you right now, we have to keep the portions under control. I don¡¯t want you to have too much greasy food and get diarrhea.¡±


    Jiang Cheng started laughing, ¡°No like, grandma Gu, why are you such a worrywart?¡±


    ¡°Is it my fault that my grandson¡¯s always stirring up trouble?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Get out!¡± Jiang Cheng flicked Gu Fei¡¯s forehead with his finger.


    He did this very openly, because their desk was piled so high with books that it formed a wall around them. Once they both slumped over their desk and turned their faces toward each other, it was like an isolated world.


    It was probably the only time they got to experience what it was like to have this little world surrounded by books. Jiang Cheng stared at the tip of Gu Fei¡¯s nose, reached out his hand again, and stroked it gently.


    Footnotes


    [1] In Chinese medicine, and popular knowledge, kidney as an organ is responsible for the reproductive system


    [2] Ä£¿¼ = mokao = practice exam; mo (mock) sounds like Ãþ (touch), and ¡°18Ãþ¡± is a very old, lewd, song about innappropriate touching


    [3] 666, repeating infinitely, is internet slang for ¡°smooth¡±

 CH 101

    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, boyfriend.¡± He planted a kiss on Gu Fei¡¯s lips.


    Jiang Cheng felt very satisfied and very delighted by the post-practice exam barbeque feast. Gu Fei could not stop him from bringing plates upon plates back to the table, because if he did, Jiang Cheng would glare at him and look as though he would throw a fit. As if the guy had been eating only leafy greens and drinking only water for the past five years.


    Fortunately, they didn¡¯t get the runs. The only side effect was that Jiang Cheng did not have much of an appetite for the next few days. Not because he was still too full from the feast, but because nothing else tasted as fulfilling as grilled meats.


    Because of this scary side effect from barbeque, Gu Fei did not take him out for a feast again before the exams. When they ate at home, there was not much to pick from whether he liked the food or not.


    Although Jiang Cheng was very good at adapting. Probably because he was too deeply entrenched in his studies, he could finish anything given to him regardless of whether it was fun to eat.


    This continued on until June, when the exam countdown changed to single digit.


    ¡°I need to go get a haircut today.¡± Jiang Cheng said, his eyes still on the teacher at the front of the room, who had already stopped mentioning words like ¡°study¡± and ¡°exam¡±.


    These days, the teachers were recommending that students take a break. They no longer gave out question banks to do, they just wanted everyone to try to relax, and to review by themselves the points that they had memorized for so long.


    ¡°Will you still get the design director civet to do it for you?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng tugged at the hair on his forehead. ¡°What he did last time was pretty good¡­¡­ Oh and I want to skateboard with Er-Miao for a bit this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll tell her to come and wait for us.¡± Gu Fei took out his phone. ¡°She¡¯ll be so happy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since I played with her, I¡¯m worried that she won¡¯t want to hang out with me anymore.¡± Jiang Cheng grabbed at his hair. ¡°She even knows how to multiply 7 by 9 now, and I haven¡¯t praised her yet.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to,¡± Gu Fei laughed, but his laugh carried a hint of resignation. ¡°She just found a multiplication table to fiddle with that one time, she can¡¯t even tell you what 1 times 1 is.¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him. ¡°It¡¯s okay, at least if she knows to ask you that, it¡¯s worth commending.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead then, will you buy her something to eat?¡± Gu Fei turned to him.


    ¡°Did you say that she liked the jelly pudding cups we got last time?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Last time?¡± Gu Fei blinked.


    ¡°Last¡­¡­¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it, then chuckled. ¡°Oh yeah, that was during New Year¡¯s. Shit, it¡¯s been that long?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Gu Fei stretched his legs out. ¡°It¡¯s been months since you plunged head first into the great rapids of studying. Don¡¯t you know, one day in the rapids is three months on earth.¡±


    To Jiang Cheng, it did not even feel like much time had passed at all before the semester was already over.


    The last semester of high school passed by just like that, amidst the days and nights of incessant studying. He did not even get to properly savour the taste before it disappeared.


    Once time started to sprint, it really was¡­ impossible to catch up or hold it back.


    Those stretches of time that felt so gruelling and difficult, it was only when you occasionally turned back that you realized, they were already behind you.


    Those feelings of pain, of being lost; of struggles, surprises, and happiness; of the reluctance to part; all of those emotions that you thought you would never get over at the time were suddenly already behind you. Some of those feelings had passed, while others were stuck in an infinite loop.


    For example, the times of happiness and feeling settled whenever he was with Gu Fei.


    Jiang Cheng slumped over his desk and turned his face aside to watch Gu Fei.


    The happiness of each day would pass, but there would be new happiness emerging, in every minute and every second.


    Where he was concerned, pain and confusion was only a straight line, with every step forward, there was one step less. But happiness was a circle.


    That afternoon before school let out, Lao-Xu came to the classroom again to encourage everyone, and to remind them to relax in these next few days, to sleep early and not study so intensely as before.


    Looking at the tired expression on Lao-Xu¡¯s face, that like everyone else¡¯s, was tinged with nerves and excitement, then looking at the single digit countdown above his head, Jiang Cheng yawned.


    Let it go then. He had already fought for so long. Jiang Cheng was never one to look back and feel regret, but even if he were to regret, there was not much to regret in this past year.


    He could finally relax and give his nerves a break.


    And play on the skateboard with Gu Miao or something.


    As soon as they came out of the school gates, they spotted Gu Miao outside, looking like she had been waiting for a long time and was clearly bored out of her mind.


    Gu Miao was sitting on the railings by the sidewalk, and as usual wore a blank and cold expression. She sported that extremely metal haircut of hers, courtesy of Li Yan, and her skateboard was leaning beside her.


    When she saw them walk out, Gu Miao kicked once on her board, jumped down, and dashed right up to them.


    ¡°Er-Miao!¡± Jiang Cheng leaned down and grinned at her. It was only when he bent down that he realized with a start¡ªGu Miao seemed to have grown taller. He did not need to bend at quite so steep an angle as before. He turned to Gu Fei and asked, ¡°Did she get taller?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei nodded. ¡°Just this past half year alone she grew almost 10 cm. Can¡¯t even fit into last summer¡¯s clothes anymore.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been too busy studying these days,¡± Jiang Cheng looked back at Gu Miao. ¡°That I don¡¯t even have time to play with you. I didn¡¯t know that you¡¯ve grown so tall¡­¡­ Looking dashing in these cropped pants huh.¡±


    ¡°Those are long pants that got too short for her.¡± Gu Fei chimed in beside him.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Still very dashing.¡± Jiang Cheng snapped his fingers and gave her a thumbs up.


    Clearly in a good mood, Gu Miao returned the greeting. She then rolled to the side on her skateboard and beckoned him.


    ¡°Hold this.¡± Jiang Cheng tossed his backpack to Gu Fei and ran after her.


    The weather had been nice recently, it was the kind of early summer day when it was comfortably warm, but before the scorching heat. As he glided forward on the skateboard, Jiang Cheng felt a sense of complete ease wash over his whole body. When he closed his eyes, he could imagine the shape of the gentle breeze slipping over his skin.


    He took turns with Gu Miao on the skateboard, and by the time they had raced all the way back to their street, there was sweat all over Jiang Cheng¡¯s head, and Gu Miao¡¯s face was covered with sweat and streaks of dirt from when she wiped her face haphazardly.


    ¡°Here, give it a wipe.¡± Jiang Cheng hopped off the board and handed her a napkin, then looked back the way they came.


    With one hand still holding onto Jiang Cheng¡¯s bike, Gu Fei came pedaling up slowly on his bike.


    ¡°Having fun aren¡¯t you?¡± Gu Fei put his foot on the ground. ¡°What do you think of this logistics manager?¡±


    ¡°I forgot,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed as he took back his own bike and got on. ¡°Er-Miao, how about I give you a tow?¡±


    With one foot on the skateboard, Gu Miao cocked her head and looked at him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Jiang Cheng stepped on the pedals and shot out.


    Gu Miao quickly caught up from behind, dashed in front of him, and even looked back and gave him a whistle.


    ¡°Hey little twerp!¡± Jiang Cheng tutted and pedaled hard a few times to pass her.


    The instant his bike passed her, Gu Miao grabbed hold of the frame on his back seat, pushed down with the momentum, and glided forward for a stretch while keeping head to head with his bike.


    ¡°Awesome!¡± Jiang Cheng shouted. ¡°Shall we go buy some jelly pudding cups!¡±


    Gu Miao¡¯s eyes twinkled as she turned, then quickly decelerated as she held onto the back seat and stopped dashing forward.


    The two of them took Gu Miao for a stroll inside the supermarket. When they got back to the store after buying a bunch of snacks, they found Li Yan sitting behind the counter, asleep, with his head titled back.


    Li Yan opened his eyes when he heard them come in, ¡°Masters! Can you show a little sincerity when asking people for a favour!¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jiang Cheng set the pile of snacks on the counter and handed a pudding cup to him. ¡°We went to buy food for Er-Miao.¡±


    ¡°And to think that I stupidly brought over a bunch of groceries,¡± Li Yan accepted the pudding cup. ¡°But ended up having to watch the store.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s my mom?¡± Gu Fei asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t she still be here for the afternoon?¡±


    ¡°She went out with her boyfriend right after I got here.¡± Li Yan opened the pudding cup and handed it to Gu Miao. ¡°Hey, hasn¡¯t this one lasted a pretty long time? She hasn¡¯t switched yet?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei answered. ¡°Will you stay here and eat?¡±


    ¡°Nah, I have a date after I give master Jiang here his haircut.¡± Li Yan said.


    ¡°Oho.¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°What?¡± Li Yan gave him a side-eye. ¡°Is it very ¡®oho¡¯ of me to have a date? You¡¯ve been tormenting this single dog for the past year, can the dog not fight back?¡±


    ¡°Haircut.¡± Gu Fei said before taking Gu Miao to the courtyard in the back to wash her face.


    Li Yan was very skilled at cutting hair, comparable, if not better, than the ¡®Tony¡¯s, the ¡®Jim¡¯s, the ¡®Kevin¡¯s, and the ¡®Peter¡¯s in the fancy looking salons.


    ¡°They¡¯ll probably offer you a master stylist position at any random salon you walk into.¡± Jiang Cheng said with his eyes closed.


    ¡°Offer my ass.¡± Li Yan was working on Jiang Cheng¡¯s fringe. ¡°I¡¯m not done playing yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng thought that that was a perfectly valid reason.


    ¡°You have pretty good skin, Jiang Cheng.¡± Li Yan said. ¡°How come you don¡¯t get any acne even with all this stress?¡±


    ¡°Just goes to show that I¡¯m not that stressed.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Sure, keep boasting.¡± Li Yan said. ¡°The way you¡¯ve been memorizing stuff with every second of every day, I feel like your eyes can¡¯t even focus anymore. Last week I ran into you on the street, did you see me?¡±


    ¡°Nope, you didn¡¯t call out to me?¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have the heart to, seeing you like that, all dazed.¡± Li Yan said. ¡°But you seem okay today, is it because the exam is soon, so you can relax a little more?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°Ace this test, and get an amazing score.¡± Li Yan said. ¡°In all my life here I¡¯ve never heard anyone from this place get a good score, they thank their ancestors just for getting into second tier universities.¡± [1]


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move, or I¡¯m gonna leave a gap in your haircut.¡± Li Yan considered for a while, then sighed. ¡°Though when I think about it, you don¡¯t really count as being from here. If you really do get a top score, it¡¯ll be the Steel Works neighbourhood and Fourth High that lucked out.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m not from here, then where am I from?¡± Jiang Cheng gave a little smile.


    Li Yan did not answer, just continued to snip away at his hair little by little.


    After a long time, he finally spoke up again, ¡°Gu Fei really is a very good person.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°He¡¯s had it pretty hard since he was little. He has it hard even now.¡± Li Yan spoke quickly, probably trying to finish his speech before Gu Fei came back in. ¡°I don¡¯t know why he would¡­¡­ Anyways, I just want to say that if you went off to school and started having second thoughts, we won¡¯t let you off easy.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng opened his eyes a tiny slit.


    ¡°We¡¯ll team up and demolish you.¡± Li Yan said.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Got it.¡± Jiang Cheng was momentarily stunned, before he chuckled. ¡°I got it.¡±


    The handful of days before the exam went by slower than the earlier days of endless studying. Perhaps it was because by this time, for better or worse, everyone was counting the seconds and hoped for the 7th to arrive sooner.


    The more they hoped, the slower the hours passed.


    But once it came time to pay a visit to the examination halls, the atmosphere was suddenly once again overrun by nerves.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter anymore to me. I want it to come faster, the sooner we die the sooner our souls will move on.¡± Wang Xu said, his face resolute.


    Wang Xu always hoped he could be in the same examination hall as Jiang Cheng or Gu Fei. According to him, seeing them made him feel a little more settled. However, he didn¡¯t get his wish. And so he would repeat that sentiment at least five times per day¡ªpretty much every time he saw Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei.


    Jiang Cheng might not have said anything, but his feelings echoed Wang Xu¡¯s. The difference was that his wish only included Gu Fei, and not Captain Wang Jiuri.


    However, even though the city was not large, and there were not many high schools within it, the chances of it happening was still very low. Which was why when Jiang Cheng eventually found out that he and Gu Fei were assigned to two different examination halls within the same center, his mood was overall still cheerful.


    Visiting the examination halls were akin to painting a new layer of nervousness onto everyone¡¯s hearts; the silent peers, the stern-faced teachers, the patrolling staff guarding the examination halls, and the strange environment. It was probably because they had led the same monotonous lives for such a long time, that when faced abruptly with a completely unfamiliar battleground, everything about it unnerved them.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to watch over me tonight and not leave my side for even a second,¡± Riding their bikes on the way back from the examination center, Jiang Cheng suddenly squeezed on the brakes. ¡°I¡¯m a little scared.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I¡¯ll watch over you.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°Are you scared? Panicky?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°No shit, of course I¡¯m scared.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°Which is why I also want to stick to your side. It¡¯ll make me feel more grounded.¡±


    ¡°I said before, I can prove myself, no matter where I am.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°And right now, the only way I can prove myself is to ace this test. I must ace it.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even have to perform above your usual levels, you only need to do it like you always do.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°All this time, and you still don¡¯t know yourself?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jiang Cheng frowned. ¡°Do you?¡±


    ¡°Somewhat.¡± Gu Fei smiled at him.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough. As long as you know me, I don¡¯t have to worry about anything else.¡± Jiang Cheng continued forward. ¡°As long as you know.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna study tonight, are you?¡± Gu Fei caught up to him.


    ¡°Mmn, I won¡¯t touch the books.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I will meditate.¡±


    ¡°Meditate on what?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I want to sort through everything once in my mind.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Sit there with my legs crossed, and whoosh! Play the whole thing through like a movie, so it¡¯s easier to look for things during the test tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll meditate too,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Sit there with legs crossed, and whoosh! Play back the images of you memorizing stuff for the last year once over in my mind, so it¡¯s easier to guess at the answers tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°What if you¡­ perform above your usual level tomorrow.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    That evening was not very different from the rest. Gu Fei went home first to see Gu Miao, then played with her for a while, before heading over to Jiang Cheng¡¯s place.


    Jiang Cheng had already taken the vegetables out of the fridge, and had very diligently washed and chopped them already.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Jiang Cheng said with one hand on his hips, and the other hand gesturing grandly over the vegetables. ¡°Is it flawless or what!¡±


    ¡°Yes, very flawless.¡± Gu Fei hugged him from behind and nuzzled against his neck. ¡°Just one question, we got celery, cabbage, onions, and bell peppers, how do you plan to put them together?¡±


    ¡°Celery and meat stir-fry, cabbage and meat stir-fry, onions and meat stir-fry, bell pepper and meat stir-fry,¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t even bat an eye. ¡°Then we¡¯ll have a cabbage and mince soup. Four dishes and one soup, a good balance of veggies and meat.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty sir, let¡¯s do what you said. It¡¯s not a bad idea to keep it light tonight.¡± Gu Fei released him, walked to the counter, and got to work.


    Jiang Cheng stepped back and leaned against the wall, watching Gu Fei¡¯s back.


    He actually had not been thinking very much about the exam in the last couple of days. Conversely, there would often be thoughts flitting through his mind about what would happen after this summer.


    A new school, a new environment, a new life, and the new unsettled feeling of not having Gu Fei by his side.


    Jiang Cheng was not one to feel unsettled easily. But too much had happened in this past year, that if it was not for Gu Fei, he did not know what he would be like coming out the other end. Besides, he was used to the state of ¡®having Gu Fei by his side¡¯. He only needed to look up to see Gu Fei, turn around to see Gu Fei, reach out to touch Gu Fei, and whether his eyes were open or closed, there was Gu Fei.


    If this kind of stability were to be broken, he did not know how long he would need to get used to it.


    And as for the warm comfort of the present, he did not want to miss even a second of it.


    Gu Fei¡¯s cooking really wasn¡¯t that great. Even after such a long period of practice there still was no improvement. Just by his movements as he cooked, it was clear that this was not a person who cooked well. Tsk tsk. Jiang Cheng thought, how did he persist in eating only his cooking for such a long time and thoroughly enjoyed it too?


    So it¡¯s true, the power of love can take away a person¡¯s taste buds.


    After dinner they did not bother to do anything else, but went straight into the bedroom, opened the curtains, then sat on the bed facing the dark night sky outside and started to meditate.


    Completely serious, with eyes closed and legs crossed. At first Gu Fei even pressed his palms together in front of his chest, but it took only one look in Jiang Cheng¡¯s direction before he burst out laughing, ¡°Oh, so meditation isn¡¯t the same as praying to buddha?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ If you want to pray that¡¯s fine too.¡± Jiang Cheng cracked up. ¡°I may have said meditating, but it¡¯s really just closing my eyes and quietly going over everything I studied in the last year.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty.¡± Gu Fei rested his hands on his legs and closed his eyes.


    Jiang Cheng continued to think through every point of knowledge, reviewing them one more time in his mind subject by subject.


    A brain was a contraption that turned very quickly, but to go through every single point in a subject still took a lot of time.


    Jiang Cheng had just started in on History, when he heard a ¡°thump¡± beside him, and immediately after that, the mattress bounced a few times.


    When he turned around to look, he found Gu Fei fallen over on his side, asleep, with one leg still bent in his cross-legged pose.


    ¡°Oh shit.¡± Jiang Cheng burst out laughing at Gu Fei for a while, then kept laughing as he pulled out his phone and took several photos.


    Even with him laughing like this, Gu Fei still did not wake up at the end; he was sleeping soundly.


    Jiang Cheng put his phone away and let out a soft sigh. He reached over and stuffed a pillow under Gu Fei¡¯s head, then pulled a thin towel blanket over him.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, boyfriend.¡± He planted a kiss on Gu Fei¡¯s lips.


    Gu Fei might not have spent very much energy on studying in the last several months, but Jiang Cheng knew how much energy he spent on taking care of him while he studied. Now that the exams were tomorrow, Gu Fei¡¯s last thread of tightly wound nerves was finally able to relax.


    It was his first time seeing Gu Fei falling immediately asleep, and so soundly at that. Jiang Cheng stared at him for a long time.


    So handsome indeed. Tsk tsk.


    Jiang Cheng also slept very soundly that night. He felt grounded, as if he had been sharpening his blades for a thousand days and was about to finally take out the enemy with his own hands.


    Perhaps because he was overly grounded, he did not even hear the alarm on his phone go off in the morning. It was not until Gu Fei shoved and flipped him over, that he suddenly jolted awake and bounded straight from the bed onto a standing position on the floor.


    ¡°¡­¡­ How limber of you, young hero?¡± His movements startled Gu Fei, who sat stunned at the edge of the bed.


    ¡°Are we late?¡± Jiang Cheng stared at him.


    ¡°Nahh babe,¡± Gu Fei stood up and pulled him into his arms, and rubbed his back for a long time. ¡°We have enough time to wash up, eat breakfast, and even walk to the exam center.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng let out a breath of relief and leaned into Gu Fei¡¯s embrace. ¡°Damn it scared me.¡±


    Gu Fei had already brought back the breakfast he had bought; there were meat buns, fried dough fritters, and tofu pudding. To prevent any possible mishaps, he had gotten the usual things they ate all the time.


    When they finished breakfast and were about to leave, Jiang Cheng¡¯s phone rang. It was a call from Lao-Xu. ¡°Don¡¯t rush, I¡¯m already waiting for you guys outside the examination center. Don¡¯t forget your IDs, and don¡¯t stuff yourself at breakfast, don¡¯t eat any cold foods¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Mhm, got it.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Lao-Xu, are you calling everyone one by one to remind us?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Lao-Xu said. ¡°Teacher Lu is also at the other examination center doing these calls. Every year we have people forgetting one thing or another.¡±


    Forgetting things was out of the question. Jiang Cheng had prepared all of his and Gu Fei¡¯s things the night before. Even though it was only an ID and a small bottle of water with the label ripped off, he still checked over everything at least three times.


    ¡°Will you still bring a book to review on the way there?¡± Gu Fei asked him at the door.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled open the door and bounded out. ¡°I can¡¯t take in any more information at this point, it¡¯ll just disorient me.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Gu Fei locked the door. ¡°Let¡¯s go, we¡¯ll take a cab over.¡±


    The two of them strolled together to the intersection. Jiang Cheng was just about to check to see if there were any taxis coming in the distance, when he heard someone call out from behind him, ¡°Jiang Cheng?¡±


    He was confounded for a few seconds. The voice did not sound familiar, yet he somehow felt that he had heard it before. He turned around and with shock, saw Li Qian standing a few meters behind him.


    ¡°What¡­¡­ are you doing here?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been hanging around here for a while. You changed your phone so I don¡¯t have your number.¡± Li Qian gave him a little smile. ¡°I¡¯ve been hanging around here since a couple days ago, but never did run into you, and I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be appropriate to ask Da-Fei.¡±


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°No, nothing.¡± Li Qian was holding a bag in her hand, and after some hesitation, handed it to him. ¡°You¡¯re starting the exams today, aren¡¯t you? I brought this for you, to cheer you on.¡±


    Jiang Cheng was a little surprised. All of a sudden, he could not get a word out.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Gu Fei accepted the bag for him.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Only then did Jiang Cheng come back to his senses.


    ¡°You guys should hurry to the exam then.¡± Li Qian said. ¡°Hey Xiao-Cheng, I hope you do well, break a leg okay?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    It was not until they were in the taxi that he opened the bag Li Qian had given him. Inside was a box of North American ginseng slices. [2]


    ¡°You should put one in your mouth now, wake you up.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng smiled and put a slice in his mouth, then handed a slice to Gu Fei. ¡°I really didn¡¯t expect Li Qian to come look for me.¡±


    ¡°Li Qian never even went to high school. Li Baoguo only cared about Li Hui and Li Hui only.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°At the time, she wanted to go to a vocational school or something, so she could leave this place, but Li Baoguo didn¡¯t let her¡­¡­ Seeing you write your way out, it¡¯s probably a kind of solace for her.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng did not say anything more, only took Gu Fei¡¯s hand and squeezed it tightly.


    Footnotes


    [1] In China, second tier universities, or ¶þ±¾, is only a concept that exists in popular rhetoric, and not a physical (or written) difference between schools. The difference is only that when sending out acceptances after the exams, some universities get first pick, so they¡¯re called first tier (Ò»±¾). The universities that get second pick of students are called second tier (¶þ±¾). When students graduate from these universities, they all get a bachelor degree, and of course their diploma would not specify whether it came from a first or second tier university, except that for the more prestigious institutions, their names speak for themselves.


    [2] Last time it was Shi Quan Da Bu, this time it¡¯s N. American ginseng slices. These are all common supplements based in TCM that Chinese people like to take in every day life.

 CH 102

    ¡°Since in my case, I¡¯ve people depending on me, hm? I need to stand on solid ground, and make sure that every step is steady.¡±


    ¡°Are you guys high school seniors?¡± The driver asked while driving.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng replied.


    ¡°From Fourth High?¡± The driver continued.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°Good luck! Try not to stress, it¡¯s just a uni entrance exam, eh? Nothing to stress over. You can only do well if you¡¯re not tied up with nerves.¡± The driver said. ¡°I graduated from Fourth High myself. Back then, I didn¡¯t do well on the exams, all because I was too nervous.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng responded with a smile.


    ¡°Really, trust me.¡± The driver glanced at them through the rearview mirror. ¡°You two probably don¡¯t get very good grades, huh? You have even less reason to be nervous then. If you try to go about it with a relaxed mindset, maybe you can even outperform yourself.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Gu Fei started laughing as he squeezed Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Uh huh, then I¡¯ll try to relax, see if I can outperform myself.¡± Jiang Cheng said as he laughed.


    When they arrived at the examination center, the driver did not take their money. ¡°This here is an Exam Fleet of Compassion,¡± He said. ¡°We¡¯ve been giving all the examinees free rides! Hurry up and go in!¡±


    There was still ample time before they were due to enter the examination center, but crowds were already gathered outside. There were many people and cars here to see the students off, as well as several police cars and ambulances, beside which were parked free exam shuttles.


    Even ones who were not nervous would get nervous upon seeing a spectacle like this.


    ¡°Here! Over here!¡± Lao-Xu started waving as soon as he spotted them from afar, his voice already starting to get hoarse.


    The two of them walked over and retrieved their admission cards. Quite a few students and parents were huddled around Lao-Xu, each of them with solemn expressions on their faces; especially the parents, who seemed a lot more solemn than their kids.


    ¡°How did you rest?¡± Lao-Xu asked.


    ¡°Pretty well.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Try to relax, you will have no problems for sure. Don¡¯t drink a lot of water during the exam,¡± Lao-Xu said as he pointed to one side. ¡°And go to the washroom first before you go in.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°You should save some for later, if you wear your voice out now, how are you supposed to continue yelling?¡±


    ¡°I have lozenges.¡± Lao-Xu said in a hoarse voice, then took out a lozenge from his pocket and put it in his mouth.


    Since it was not yet time to enter the examination center, they found a spot outside away from the crowd where they could wait.


    Gu Fei crouched by the side of the road with a cigarette in his mouth, and Jiang Cheng stood beside him, spacing out while staring at the top of his head.


    For some reason, he was a little nervous now. Not because of the exams, but because of a baseless feeling of anxiety that he could not pull Gu Fei into his arms in broad daylight in public.


    Of course, the reason he wanted to hug Gu Fei was probably due to exam nerves.


    Get a grip, Cheng-ge.


    You already threw down the gauntlet, that you will be able to prove yourself no matter what, Contestant Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at the time; there was more than 10 minutes left. He kicked Gu Fei. ¡°Let¡¯s go to the washroom.¡±


    ¡°Do you need to go,¡± Gu Fei stood up and looked at him with a smile. ¡°Or are you nervous?¡±


    ¡°Just in case,¡± Jiang Cheng turned and started toward the washroom, then after a few steps, turned around again. ¡°But really I¡¯m just nervous. Holy shit, I¡¯m so fucking nervous that I want to bounce around right now. What¡¯s wrong with me?¡±


    ¡°So even you overachievers get nervous.¡± Gu Fei laughed as he caught up to Jiang Cheng, and walked side by side with him. ¡°But it¡¯s the University Entrance Exam after all, very rarely are there people who don¡¯t get nervous.¡±


    ¡°Are you nervous?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Sure I am,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I can¡¯t let myself fail no matter how much I mess up, so I¡¯m also nervous.¡±


    Miraculously, there was no one else in the washroom. Jiang Cheng backed up a step to peek outside and saw that the people behind them were still a good distance away. He dashed quickly into the washroom behind Gu Fei, who was standing at the urinal about to pee, and wrapped his arms tightly around him, trapping Gu Fei¡¯s arms to his body.


    ¡°Ahh the fuck!¡± Gu Fei jumped in surprise, then turned slightly and said in a lowered voice. ¡°I was pulling it out, you almost made me strangle it!¡±


    Jiang Cheng burst out laughing while still holding him. It wasn¡¯t until he heard the voices outside come closer that he let go and stepped to the side.


    When they came out of the washroom, Gu Fei reached out and rubbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s back. ¡°Hey, Cheng-ge.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°You da best~!¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng cracked up again, ¡°Muack-muack~!¡±


    It was soon time to enter the examination center. As they started walking inside, all the students around them fell into silence. The word ¡°nervous¡± was plastered on every one of their faces.


    Jiang Cheng however, suddenly felt a calm wash over him. He was often like that¡ªonce the matter was actually before him, he would not be so stressed about it anymore.


    Over the past year or so, he had not skimped on all sorts of quizzes and tests, most of which were pretty high on the difficulty scale. He had gotten through them all, and not once was his score especially low.


    Ever since he was small, Jiang Cheng had never experienced the phenomenon of severely underperforming below his own skill level. There were only a handful of times when he did not do well on tests, and even then it was only because he did not prepare properly. Not to mention, the so-called ¡®not doing well¡¯ was only where his parents¡¯ expectations were concerned. If it was to Pan Zhi¡¯s standard, it would still be classified as overperforming.


    After going through the checkpoint, Jiang Cheng sat down in his designated seat and laid out his things at the corner of the desk according to regulations. Then he looked around him, but did not see anyone he recognized.


    Leaning back in the chair, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath and released it in a drawn-out exhale.


    Alright. Let¡¯s begin.


    From the second the invigilating teacher started to recite the exam hall rules to them, Jiang Cheng seemed to be isolated in his own little bubble.


    The teacher¡¯s voice quickly disappeared; the tiny sounds of papers rustling, the miniscule thumps of pencils against the desk when everyone picked up their writing utensils, the quiet dragging of chairs on the floor, the low coughs¡­¡­ Any and all sounds vanished from his hearing.


    With the exam paper spread out in front of him, he picked up his pencil, twirled it once in his hand, and started to quickly look through the questions.


    The person sitting in the seat in front of him was wearing a yellow top. In Jiang Cheng¡¯s peripheral vision, it looked almost like the yellow light bulb that lit up his nightly study sessions at his desk. The familiar state that had persisted for almost a year returned to him in an instant.


    There were many books piled up to the right of him, and on his left were all kinds of test papers and notes. And to the left of that, at the corner of the desk, was usually his boyfriend. Leaning there, the boyfriend sometimes had one hand propping up his head and the other hand playing with his phone, and sometimes he was slumped over the desk, watching him.


    And when Jiang Cheng said ¡°quiz me¡±, his boyfriend would immediately pick up a book and flip it open.


    After looking through the essay question, Jiang Cheng flipped back to the first page and started answering the questions.


    The essay question was not especially difficult. He had not written on that topic before, but he was able to quickly decide on a theme and, searching his memories, found similar content that he had written before, that could be used on this.


    If he could finish the essay question in the set amount of time he allotted himself, then he could answer all the questions before that with ease.


    Before his eyes were rows and rows of questions, in his ears was the scratching of his pencil on the answer card, and the sound of his own quiet and even breathing.


    All was calm.


    A benefit of having done a lot of question banks was that he had a very accurate grasp of the timing. He did not need to look up at the clock, he could pretty much guess how much time had passed just by his own speed going through the questions.


    Every time Gu Fei timed him on the mock tests, and when he did the practice exams, he would always start the essay question within 5 minutes of his own designated deadline.


    Today was the same. He briefly reviewed the other questions after he finished them. Then when he looked up at the time, he saw that indeed, his timing was on point.


    Contestant Jiang Cheng¡¯s grasp of the time demonstrates just how powerful a master¡¯s psyche is in a face-off.


    At this moment, Contestant Jiang Cheng is in a perfect frame of mind. You can tell by the speed at which he reviewed his completed answers. There were very few questions he was unsure about. It would seem that Contestant Jiang Cheng had prepared well for this battle.


    Alright, now we will see his analysis and interpretation of the essay section.


    ¡­¡­


    Now let¡¯s direct our attention back to Contestant Jiang Cheng¡¯s battle status.


    Jiang Cheng quickly made a rough outline on his draft paper, and made note of the points he wanted to include in the various sections, then after he looked once through it to make sure nothing was amiss, he started writing.


    Contestant Jiang Cheng¡¯s handwriting was kind of ugly. He had been training himself pointedly in the last little while, but when the writing covered large areas like this, it was still a challenge to give the judge a good impression right off the bat¡­¡­


    If he wanted to keep the writing neat, he would have to compromise on his speed. This was also why Contestant Jiang Cheng gave himself more time than usual on this section of the competition.


    It would appear that contestant Jiang Cheng is a person with a plan!


    As Jiang Cheng wrote down the last full stop on his essay, he glanced at the clock. There was still time, enough to check over all the other answers one more time.


    He gently twirled the pencil a few times between his fingers and quickly went over the questions from the top. He remembered the few he was unsure about, and focused most of his time on those during his check.


    However, even if he had a different answer upon a second look, he would not easily change the answers. The first judgment was made at a time before his brain was scrambled by everything else, and was often the most accurate.


    He only changed one answer during the second check, and left the rest untouched.


    It was only when the invigilating teacher announced that they had 5 minutes left, did Jiang Cheng slowly come back from his isolation bubble.


    The objects around him gradually regained their colours and movements, and sounds started to drift back into his ears little by little. The tiny breeze that broke through the air when the teacher quietly walked past him; the sounds of papers shuffling all around him; the anxious last minute corrections; an eraser rubbing against the page, gently rocking the desk with it¡­¡­


    The ringing of the bell that signalled the end of the exam was especially clear.


    Jiang Cheng let out a long breath upon hearing the chime, and swiftly sealed all materials related to the exam away in his mind. Whatever the result would be, it was over. [1]


    Walking out of the examination hall, he spotted Gu Fei immediately.


    Even from a long ways away, Gu Fei gave him a big grin and arched his brows, the smile contained in his eyes jolted Jiang Cheng wide awake. When he returned the smile back to Gu Fei with his face that had been without any expressions for the last two hours, he felt a thoroughly pleasant feeling spread through him, as though he was stretching out his whole body.


    ¡°How was it?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Feeling pretty great about myself.¡± Jiang Cheng spread his arms out and stretched hard. ¡°Nothing I was really unsure about. I feel like the difficulty of this one is on a similar level as the second practice exam¡­ What about you?¡±


    ¡°It was alright,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I feel pretty much the same about any exam anyway; I just write what I know and make up the rest.¡±


    ¡°Did you make up a lot?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Not too much, I more or less have a vague impression. I¡¯ve been studying with my boyfriend every day after all.¡± Gu Fei quirked a smile.


    Lao-Xu was waiting for them outside, and encouraged his students one by one, ¡°Good job, you all did a good job! No need to think about it now that you¡¯re done. Take a break and get some rest. Good luck in the afternoon, I¡¯ll still be waiting for you at the same spot as I was in the morning¡­¡­ Jiang Cheng! How was it!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say to not think about it now that we¡¯re done?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°¡­¡­ Oh right, right.¡± There was a brief moment of disappointment in Lao-Xu¡¯s expression, but he quickly went back to his high spirited tone. ¡°Don¡¯t eat anything too greasy for lunch, and don¡¯t get too full, make sure to rest well¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°It went pretty well.¡± Jiang Cheng interrupted him with a smile.


    ¡°You little rascal!¡± Lao-Xu blinked, then a grin spread so wide on his face that it could hardly be contained. ¡°How can you tease me at this time! I knew you wouldn¡¯t have any problems!¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled and nodded at him.


    ¡°And what about Gu Fei!¡± Lao-Xu turned to Gu Fei. ¡°You little rascal probably look the same no matter how you do, I can never tell with you.¡±


    ¡°It was alright,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°At least I did all the questions, and wrote a full essay too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good! You¡¯ll be just fine then!¡± Lao-Xu clapped him on the shoulder. ¡°Keep it up in the afternoon!¡±


    They did not plan on going back home at lunch time. Jiang Cheng could never nap after lunch, whenever he napped, he would sleep like a pig, especially in this kind of weather. If he got up after a 30 minutes nap, he would need a full hour to go back to full consciousness. For the sake of keeping his brain in working condition, he must not sleep.


    ¡°Should we have dumplings?¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°It¡¯s simple and tastes good, add on a couple of plates of marinated beef slices¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Chilled marinated beef slices?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°No shit of course, the cold ones taste better.¡± Jiang Cheng gulped. After a whole morning of wound up nerves, he was past famished at this point.


    ¡°You can¡¯t have cold ones, it might not be clean.¡± Gu Fei shot down the idea without a second thought.


    ¡°I¡¯ll just have a few cloves of garlic with it.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Then go back to the exams with a mouthful of garlic smell?¡± Gu Fei glanced at him. ¡°Just dumplings, nothing else.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Cruel and inhuman.¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, keep it to yourself.¡± Gu Fei turned away from him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t copy the way I talk.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled him back.


    ¡°I just did, you got a problem?¡± Gu Fei turned back and retorted once again viciously. ¡°Keep it. To yourself.¡±


    Jiang Cheng did not speak as he maintained eye contact and stared back at Gu Fei, but after a while he couldn¡¯t help but burst out laughing, ¡°Ah fuck.¡±


    ¡°Come come come,¡± Gu Fei opened his arms. ¡°C¡¯mon, ohhhhhh¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°You shut up,¡± Jiang Cheng looked around. Everyone around them was either frowning or had a grave expression on their face. They were the only ones who giggled as if they had already finished all of their exams. ¡°Have some dignity will you?¡±


    ¡°Nahhh, what good is dignity? As long as I have you.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Aiyooo,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°Fine then, dumplings it is.¡±


    There was quite a crowd inside the dumpling restaurant, a lot of them examinees. They had only just sat down when the boss lady came by the table, ¡°Just finished an exam, huh?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°Here, take your pick,¡± The boss lady set the menu on their table. ¡°Auntie¡¯s giving all you examinees half off for the next two days.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    Gu Fei still insisted on not getting any cold dishes, but seeing how desperate Jiang Cheng was for some meat, he ended up ordering a plate of saut¨¦ed beef.


    Halfway through their meal, Jiang Cheng¡¯s phone rang; it was Pan Zhi, ¡°Gramps! How was it! Have you straight-up ascended yet!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you better hold onto my legs,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°And what about you? Have you taken off?¡±


    ¡°Taken off my ass, aren¡¯t I supposed to be on the ground holding onto your legs?¡± Pan Zhi seemed to be in a pretty good mood, though the biggest strength the guy had was that his mood could not be shaken even when he got 17% on a test. ¡°Me, I¡¯m just the same old, no way for me to take off without some sort of miracle.¡±


    ¡°Have you eaten yet? Your mom must¡¯ve prepared a big feast for you, huh?¡± Jiang Cheng laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be eating in a minute. I just wanted to see how you¡¯re doing, so I can report back to Lao-Yuan.¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°I think he wants to ask but is afraid to, in case it affects your mood.¡±


    ¡°You can tell him for me, it was pretty good. I performed as well as I usually do and my mind is calm.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Pan Zhi replied. ¡°Keep soaring in the afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed as he stuffed a dumpling in his mouth.


    The businesses around the examination center were all very considerate. The two of them strolled along the street for a while after lunch, and saw a coffee shop that offered itself as a free rest stop for examinees and their parents.


    They went in, found a booth to sit down, and the server even brought over a jug of freshly squeezed juice. Gu Fei asked if they could have a warm drink instead, and the server happily changed it to hot fruit tea.


    ¡°You old mammy.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Keep your opinions to yourself.¡± Gu Fei poured a cup for him. ¡°Drink this and take a good rest.¡±


    Jiang Cheng smiled as he took a sip, then leaned back in the seat and stretched his legs, looking out at the gradually emptying street outside.


    There were fewer pedestrians and cars now that the examinees and their parents had all left. Some had gone to eat, and some to nap, so the once bustling street all of a sudden quieted down.


    The sunlight had become a little too stifling, much like the anxiety and restlessness that had begun to seep through after the calm of having finished one subject.


    Only when he turned to look at Gu Fei, sitting beside him with his eyes closed and arms crossed, did he feel his heart suddenly unclench.


    Due to the excellent rest he had at lunchtime, Jiang Cheng felt like he was filled with energy. Besides, since he had already finished one subject in the morning, he was now used to the unfamiliar and tense atmosphere of the exam. When he was once again seated in the exam hall, he was very much relaxed.


    Especially since compared to language arts, he was much more confident about math. Moreover, he did not need to expend energy to focus on his handwriting.


    It was easier for Jiang Cheng to get into a flow state when doing math problems, he could not even hear the sound of his own pencil scratching against the paper.


    The only thing he could hear was the incessant mumblings in his own mind as he worked through each question.


    Contestant Jiang Cheng etcetc¡­¡­


    Contestant Jiang Cheng really is a flawless master of problem-solving. He may have chosen the Humanities stream, but one can still see his excellent STEM abilities from the way he works through the math problems¡­¡­


    Jiang Cheng kept his old habit while doing the math exam. The first time through, he quickly solved all the questions that were immediately clear to him, then went back and worked on the ones that made him hesitate, using the third time to check over his answers while redoing the few he was still unsure about.


    Near the end, his brain was turning so quickly it could stir up a gust of wind. Even the teacher¡¯s voice announcing the time was blown a far distance away, almost like a voice calling to him from outside of a dream.


    He was still in a bit of a daze as he walked out of the hall after the exam. Only when he walked all the way to the gates did he finally say to Gu Fei, ¡°I think my math exam went pretty well too.¡±


    ¡°Fucking hell,¡± Gu Fei said quietly, his voice filled with relief. ¡°You finally talked. You almost scared me to death.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jiang Cheng turned to him and started laughing. ¡°I just took some time to come around.¡±


    ¡°The way you were acting, it¡¯s like you missed all of the compound questions at the back or something,¡± Gu Fei let out a long breath. ¡°I didn¡¯t even dare ask.¡±


    ¡°My bad,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed as he slung his arm over Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Let¡¯s find somewhere away from people so I can give you a good smooch.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ Let¡¯s go back home and smooch,¡± Gu Fei gave him a look. ¡°Can you hold it for that long?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng snapped his fingers.


    Lao-Xu was still waiting for them outside, but Jiang Cheng noticed that he clearly did not look as cheerful as he did in the morning; even his words were a little different.


    ¡°Relax, don¡¯t pressure yourself.¡± Lao-Xu said to him. ¡°Just treat it like a normal test. Make sure you go home and eat properly, and go to bed early. Relax, relax!¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng did not know why Lao-Xu made a point of telling him to relax, though he did feel pretty relaxed at the moment. The Humanities comprehensive exam tomorrow was a little more difficult, since there was too much to memorize. However, he had been memorizing so much that it was enough to make a god cry, not to mention the English exam the next afternoon was his strong suit, so he had nothing to worry about there.


    There were many taxis and shuttle buses parked near the examination center, offering free service to the examinees. The two of them found a vacant taxi and climbed into it.


    The driver had so much to say over the entire journey that the cab itself could hardly contain his words; he was full of all kinds of encouragement, well wishes, and laments over how he should have studied harder way back when.


    His rant was only cut short when a call came in on Gu Fei¡¯s phone.


    ¡°Da-Fei!¡± It was Wang Xu¡¯s voice on the other end, sounding like he was about to cry.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gu Fei was stunned, and immediately anxious. ¡°Are you okay? What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Yi Jing¡¯s done for! Her exam this year is totally done for!¡± Wang Xu actually started crying.


    ¡°What do you mean? Don¡¯t run your mouth,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°What do you mean done for, you¡¯re not even done for, what does she have to be done about?¡±


    ¡°She fainted again during the math exam,¡± Wang Xu sobbed as he said this. ¡°She got sent to the hospital halfway through!¡±


    Wang Xu shouted the last sentence into the receiver, so Jiang Cheng heard it very clearly on the side. He turned to look at Gu Fei in shock, ¡°Yi Jing?¡±


    Gu Fei nodded and asked a few more questions before hanging up.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to console him some more?¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°The way he¡¯s crying.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ I don¡¯t know how to console him.¡± Gu Fei sighed.


    That much was true. It was rare for Gu Fei to give someone a warm expression, let alone provide consolation. Jiang Cheng frowned, ¡°I wonder what¡¯s going on with Yi Jing. No wonder Lao-Xu looked upset just now.¡±


    ¡°You and Yi Jing are his biggest hopes,¡± Gu Fei put his phone back in his pocket, before turning to him. ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t worry about this, don¡¯t think about¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Jiang Cheng quirked a smile at him. ¡°It¡¯s not going to affect me. I just think it¡¯s too bad for Yi Jing.¡±


    ¡°Too much pressure probably,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Since she¡¯s always wanted to get into a good school¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°And leave this place, right?¡± Jiang Cheng smiled. ¡°So she gave it everything she got, all of her effort and energy, on top of all the pressure.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that for me.¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it for a moment, then turned to him, saying in a very low voice. ¡°Since in my case, I¡¯ve people depending on me, hm? I need to stand on solid ground, and make sure that every step is steady.¡±


    Footnotes


    [1] Humanities exams: language arts, mathematics, foreign language (English), and one comprehensive Humanities (history+geography+civics).

 CH 103

    That evening, Jiang Cheng continued his habit of ¡®meditation¡¯, and in his head, combed through everything he had reviewed and memorized for the subjects being tested on the next day. He did not touch the books, notes, and other study materials on his desk, and instead focused only on the material that was already in his mind.


    Gu Fei did not follow along with the meditation this time. There was nothing to ¡®meditate¡¯ on. Today¡¯s exam was already a surprise to him; it would probably be the best mark he got in his three years of high school. He only had to keep up with this feeling.


    After shutting the bedroom door, he went into the living room and called Wang Xu to ask how Yi Jing was doing.


    Yi Jing was carted off to the hospital before she finished her math exam. When she woke up, she cried her eyes out and refused to stay in the hospital for a second longer¡ªshe wanted to go home and review for the next day¡¯s exams.


    ¡°She still got a high fever,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°I feel like her emotional state is a mess right now, if she goes to the exams like this tomorrow¡­ who knows how she¡¯s gonna do.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re at her house right now?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°What right do I have to hang around in her house at this time? Lao-Xu and Lao-Lu went up there just now,¡± Wang Xu sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve been standing outside this whole time.¡±


    ¡°You should go home first,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Or are you going to follow her and bomb your own exams tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no difference whether I bomb it or not, I¡¯m just here to go through the motions, you know this. It¡¯s just that,¡± Wang Xu said. ¡°I wanted to tell you something, Da-Fei, if Yi Jing bombed her exams this time and has to retake it, I¡¯ll retake it with her.¡±


    Wang Xu said all this with a tone of determination very unlike the way he usually spoke when he would boast and run his mouth; he sounded solemn and ceremonial. It made Gu Fei think that this time, he was for real.


    Oh the power of young love.


    Gu Fei ended the call, lit a cigarette, and held it between his lips as he stood at the window looking out at the scenery that was more serene than usual.


    Compared to Yi Jing, Jiang Cheng was in a much more stable state of mind. It was an aspect of him that Gu Fei had admired with all his heart. The stubborn self-confidence Jiang Cheng exuded had a basis.


    Even if he was an atypical overachiever, he had the capacity to achieve his goals.


    If it was not for Jiang Cheng, Gu Fei figured he would simply go through the motions for the university entrance exams just as Wang Xu did. He did not know what the point was for him to take these exams.


    Whether he got a high or low score, what difference would it make to him?


    However, this whole way as he kept Jiang Cheng company, it seemed on the surface that he was always coming up with new ways to give Jiang Cheng a peace of mind while he studied, but more than that, was what Jiang Cheng gave him.


    Perhaps Jiang Cheng had not been through as much as he had, perhaps those gaps and trenches had not been in his way for quite as long, but the strong conviction that Jiang Cheng had for facing any kind of setback head-on was something that Gu Fei never possessed.


    The more he saw this side of Jiang Cheng, the more sombre he felt.


    He had been sunken at the bottom of the river for far too long, had swayed aimlessly along with the current of sand and mud around him for far too long. The more he wanted to get closer to Jiang Cheng, the more he could see the clear difference between them.


    It was the first time he approached a test with a proper attitude, and the first time he genuinely searched his memories for answers before putting pencil to paper.


    And what of after? What else could he do? He was suddenly at a loss.


    Jiang Cheng went to sleep very early. It was not yet 10 o¡¯clock when he finished combing through the contents in his mind, and had showered and laid down on the bed. ¡°Boyfriend, why don¡¯t you sing me a lullaby.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­ I¡¯ve never even sung one for Er-Miao.¡± Gu Fei sat down on the edge of the bed, considered for a moment, then started in a low voice. ¡°Good little bunny, open the door for me¡­¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng started laughing with his eyes closed, but before Gu Fei was done with the first round of the song, he was already asleep.


    Gu Fei did not feel sleepy. He picked up one of Jiang Cheng¡¯s notebooks, flipped it open, and started to read it slowly as he leaned against the headboard. He was pretty impressed with himself, since when reading through the notes, he realized there were a lot of the things he remembered, and the ones he did not remember well, he at least had a vague impression.


    Who knew if this knowledge was subtly shoved at him by Jiang Cheng, or if he had begrudgingly bitten it off himself.


    He turned and stared at Jiang Cheng, with half his face buried in the pillow. Such an adorable boyfriend¡­¡­


    After staring for a while, he reached out, picked up a tuft of hair on Jiang Cheng¡¯s forehead, and rubbed it between his fingers. Before he could rub it again, Jiang Cheng frowned and retaliated with a slap. Half of the slap landed on Gu Fei¡¯s hand, while the other half of it landed on Jiang Cheng¡¯s own face.


    Then he grumbled to himself,rolled to the other side, and continued sleeping.


    Such a badass boyfriend, Gu Fei smiled. So badass that he¡¯s not against hitting himself.


    In reality, Jiang Cheng did not sleep that soundly; he tossed and turned for the whole night. Fortunately, Gu Fei was already used to not going into a deep sleep, so it did not affect him.


    He was, however, astounded to find Jiang Cheng looking full of energy in the morning.


    ¡°Just one last fight today and we¡¯ll be free.¡± In the taxi, Jiang Cheng picked out two ginseng slices and handed one to Gu Fei. ¡°Li Qian¡¯s North American ginseng is not bad, it¡¯s pretty effective at waking you up.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°Try to fill up all the spaces of the big questions on the Humanities Comprehensive Exam. Even if you only remember one sentence, try to expand on it and drag a few more lines out of it,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°Got it? You have good handwriting, if you write more, it gives the teachers a better impression, and they may just give you a point or two more based on that. Even half a point still counts.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Fei chuckled. ¡°How do you still have the energy to worry about me?¡±


    ¡°Not for anyone else,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°But for you, I have an abundance.¡±


    Once in the exam center, Gu Fei sat down in his seat. This was the last day.


    His academic career, something that he had never burdened with much hope, was coming to a rest today.


    Gu Fei never expected to one day have so many feelings about this particular event.


    The papers were handed out and spread out in front of him. He picked up his pencil and put it to the page. Every stroke and every line contained his memories of Jiang Cheng. All of his memories associated with the questions had to do with Jiang Cheng.


    When he encountered familiar looking questions, he would first recall the way Jiang Cheng had looked when he was memorizing the texts. Some of the questions he could not remember the details word for word, but he could remember very clearly the way he quizzed Jiang Cheng on it that one time, or even every time.


    It was fascinating really, to think that he would be able to remember so much content¡ªwhether vaguely or otherwise¡ªin this way.


    Following Jiang Cheng¡¯s instructions, he filled in as much as he could for the Humanities Comprehensive Exam that morning, and even added more words when he went back to check it over.


    The English exam in the afternoon was not so easy to maneuver, especially the essay question. However, he still tried his best to write the sentences at an elementary school level, piecing together a complete essay of one short sentence after another.


    When the last bell of the exams rang, Gu Fei let out a sudden breath of relief. His heart felt all of a sudden emptied out, and in that instant, his brain was also completely blank.


    Ah, it¡¯s over.


    Wonder how the boyfriend is doing on his end.


    All kinds of discussions started picking up when everyone crowded out the door together, as some students began to compare and check answers. There was glee when they got the right answer, and distress when they got the wrong answer. Then, somebody started crying.


    This kind of crying was very affecting. Within it were feelings of excitement, refusal to accept one¡¯s fate, loss, and a disorientation of not quite knowing why.


    Jiang Cheng did not have so many feelings, he only felt light, as if he had springs under his feet and balloons tied to his body; he wanted to bounce with every step.


    He had done pretty well. According to Jiang Cheng¡¯s astute judgment of himself, this was at least the second best, if not the best, he had ever performed in all the tests since the first practice exam. He did not dwell too much on the specific score, and did not plan to, nor did he plan to check the answers. He had given his all in this fight, he had finished, and that was that.


    All he had left to do now was wait for the conclusion. Prior to its arrival, he would not spare extra energy to overthink it.


    The only thought that filled his mind at the moment was to hurry up and find Gu Fei among the crowd.


    Gu Fei would be waiting for him under the third tree along the road to the main gate every time. He did not know how every time they came out, Gu Fei was able to walk faster than him.


    As expected, today was no different. He swept his eyes forward and spotted Gu Fei, standing beneath the tree scanning against the current of the crowd.


    Unlike the previous times, Gu Fei was not leaning against the tree today, but standing upright, straight as a stick.


    ¡°How did it go!¡± Jiang Cheng squeezed past the herd of students, ran up to Gu Fei, and clapped him and the arm.


    ¡°It was okay, I wrote a whole bunch of stuff for the essay too.¡± Gu Fei smiled as he rubbed his arm. ¡°English is your strong suit, gonna fly by with a perfect score?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t fly,¡± Jiang Cheng answered with a smile. ¡°There were two questions I still wasn¡¯t sure about even when I handed it in, but it¡¯s enough.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t worry about it then,¡± Gu Fei stretched. ¡°Come on, Lao-Xu must be waiting for you outside, going blind with anticipation.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ wonder how Yi Jing did, she still went to her exams today, didn¡¯t she?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Mhm, Jiuri said she still wanted to do it.¡± Gu Fei sighed. ¡°She¡¯s pretty stubborn, she probably can¡¯t just let it go like that. After all, she¡¯s always been the good diligent student, unlike you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I fooled around that much,¡± Jiang Cheng tutted, then smiled after thinking about it. ¡°Ayy¡­ though I really wasn¡¯t as hardworking as she was. Other than my grades, there¡¯s really nothing else that would put me in with the ¡®good students¡¯.¡±


    ¡°Says who?¡± Gu Fei glanced at him.


    ¡°I¡­¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t continue.


    ¡°Every single thing about you is great,¡± said Gu Fei. ¡°Everything, is great. Your grades are the last thing on that list.¡±


    ¡°Damn I wanna kiss you so much.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I feel like Lao-Xu will kiss you first.¡± Gu Fei directed his eyes forward.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng! Jiang Cheng!¡± Lao-Xu was at the front gates, madly waving his folding fan.


    ¡°Yeah! Coming!¡± Jiang Cheng answered, a little amused, and quickened his steps as he walked up.


    ¡°How did it go! Your English is definitely nothing to worry about, it¡¯s your strong suit, teacher Lu said you¡¯d get a high mark for sure!¡± Lao-Xu stared at him with sparkling eyes.


    ¡°It was pretty good.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled. ¡°Really, it wasn¡¯t bad at all. I feel pretty good about it myself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good! That¡¯s good! Ayyyy, that¡¯s good!¡± Lao-Xu repeated over and over, his hand that was clutching the folding fan was shaking a little.


    Jiang Cheng opened his arms and said, ¡°Xu-zong, want a hug?¡±


    ¡°I thought you never let anyone touch you,¡± Lao-Xu had remembered this fact very well, every time he patted shoulders and slapped arms he would skip over Jiang Cheng. ¡°Wang Xu said, if anyone touches you, you hit back.¡±


    Without speaking, Jiang Cheng laughed as he went over and gave Lao-Xu a hug, ¡°Thank you, Xu-zong.¡±


    ¡°Hey! No problem! Just doing my job! As long as you guys do well on the exam, I¡¯ll be happy and content as can be.¡± Lao-Xu patted Jiang Cheng¡¯s back, a little excited. ¡°Good boy!¡±


    Just as Jiang Cheng was about to let go, Lao-Xu suddenly cupped his hands on Jiang Cheng¡¯s head and landed a loud smooch on his cheek, ¡°Good boy!¡±


    ¡°What the shit!¡± Jiang Cheng immediately sprang backward by at least a meter, almost knocking over Gu Fei, who was standing behind him. ¡°Xu-Zong, have you gone mad!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just happy, overjoyed.¡± Lao-Xu laughed cheerfully.


    ¡°I¡­ you stay far away from me!¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his cheek with his hand. ¡°That¡¯s enough from you!¡±


    ¡°You two get on that bus,¡± Lao-Xu grinned and pointed at a bus parked on the side of the road. ¡°We¡¯ll head right back to school later, you can leave once you pick up your application guide book.¡±


    There were already some Fourth High students on the bus, which was loud with clamours.


    Those who did not place any hopes in the exams were all chatting away at this point. After passing this hurdle, they all wanted to let loose and have fun, regardless of whether the end result was life or death. There were also several students who were quiet as they stared blankly out the window, and a few whose eyes were red. But more than that, people were comparing answers. When one question gave rise to three different answers, they were all a little horrified.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you can¡¯t check answers right now, no matter how you check it, you can¡¯t go back to the exam center and change it.¡± Jiang Cheng sat down in the last row. ¡°Who knows if you were really wrong or if you just remembered wrong, or maybe it¡¯s the other person who remembered wrong. You¡¯ll only be scaring yourself.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, Cheng-ge is right.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°After all this checking, they can¡¯t even let loose and play before the scores come out.¡± Jiang Cheng said quietly. ¡°Either way, I feel fantastic about myself. I¡¯ll ride this feeling out and enjoy myself first.¡±


    ¡°Mhm yep, Cheng-ge is right.¡± Gu Fei continued to nod.


    ¡°You looking to be smacked?¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him.


    ¡°If Cheng-ge wants to, Cheng-ge can smack. The logic is on Cheng-ge¡¯s side, long live Cheng-ge.¡± Gu Fei turned to him and smiled.


    ¡°You just have to run your mouth.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed.


    There was some fatigue showing on Gu Fei¡¯s face. Even though he had not exactly been dedicating himself to studying for most of this year, he had spent his energy on taking care of somebody else¡¯s studies. It was only now that his closely wound up nerves suddenly relaxed, and he started to show some weariness.


    Jiang Cheng squeezed closer to Gu Fei and took his hand in the space between their legs.


    Gu Fei¡¯s hand was very warm. Even on the air conditioned bus, it did not take long for his palm to get clammy.


    When they arrived at school and back to their classroom, everyone was a little wistful from the intensely familiar feeling that, because of their short absence, had turned a little strange.


    The classroom was noisy, everyone was talking. Jiang Cheng sat down in his seat and looked at the classmates he had spent the past year and a half with, and realized that there were still quite a few he could not remember the names of.


    He had never paid attention to them before, and it was only at this moment, with all these faces suddenly in front of him, that he realized he could hardly take it all in.


    Yi Jing was not there. Apparently her parents had taken her home immediately after the English exam; Jiang Cheng wondered how she was doing as he turned to look toward Wang Xu¡¯s direction.


    Wang Xu was also chatting with the others, but he was obviously a little distracted, and in low spirits.


    Somebody nearby mentioned Yi Jing, and the lively rambunctious atmosphere all of a sudden cooled down. At times like these, people¡¯s emotions tended to become much more sensitive, such that any tiny ripple would be magnified. Not to mention, this was their class leader who always carried some authority among them. Several girls immediately started crying over their desks.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s face did not betray any emotion. He leaned back in his chair, and could not figure out what exactly he was feeling at the moment. He only held onto Gu Fei¡¯s hand under the desk.


    It was the first time in all this time that he was sitting there and not reading a textbook, not working on questions, not taking notes. He simply sat there, quietly.


    Lao-Xu entered the classroom and said something, but Jiang Cheng did not hear what he said, only that they were going out for dinner together the next evening, and that he hoped everyone could attend. It would be the last class-wide activity of their high school life.


    ¡°Ayy¡­ it¡¯s time for the farewell dinner.¡± Somebody said.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand trembled ever so slightly. His heart suddenly clenched at that word.


    That¡¯s right. It¡¯s over.


    High school life was over just like that. He did not even get to stop and savour it properly before it was already past. And by the time he looked back, it was all only a memory.


    And this last year of it, was already starting to blur together.


    Gu Fei must have felt it too, so he lightly squeezed the hand he was holding. Jiang Cheng turned to face Gu Fei, who gave him a smile as he said, ¡°How nice.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng looked back at him, a little dazed.


    ¡°That I got to meet you during high school.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng snapped back to the present and smiled, ¡°Yeah, how fortunate to have met you.


    Lao-Xu gave each of them a guidebook that contained general information about various universities and programs. Jiang Cheng gave it a cursory flip through before he closed it.


    He almost felt a little dizzy upon seeing these large chunks of text now, he did not want to spare it another glance, not that he could take any of it in anyway.


    But no matter, he only had a handful of schools in mind, he just needed to wait for the final score to come out before making a decision.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Let¡¯s go back.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng stood up. As they walked out of the classroom, he heard a few people talking about visiting Yi Jing, so he nudged Gu Fei. ¡°Should we maybe go check on Yi Jing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go by myself,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You¡­ hold off for now, maybe give it some time.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go back, take a shower first and clean up. I¡¯ll take you out for a big feast tonight.¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Now that you¡¯re free, you can eat whatever you want, however much you want, no need to worry about food poisoning or getting sick anymore.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Jiang Cheng started laughing. ¡°I actually had a whole list of things I wanted to eat, but when you put it like that, I suddenly don¡¯t know what to pick.¡±


    ¡°No rush, let¡¯s go to the downtown square, there¡¯s lots of food there. We¡¯ll walk around, and if you see anything you want to eat, we¡¯ll go in.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°I¡¯m also ready to let go and eat, I¡¯m so sick and tired of eating my own cooking.¡±


    ¡°We should probably bring Er-Miao huh,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°It¡¯s also been a long time since she got to feast with us.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll bring her next time. It¡¯ll be just the two of us today,¡± Gu Fei snapped his fingers. ¡°No third wheels allowed. She¡¯s not only a third wheel, but a particularly large one too.¡±


    ¡°Alrighty.¡± Jiang Cheng giggled as he nodded, then a few steps later, suddenly whipped his head around and stared at him. ¡°Gu Fei!¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Fei immediately answered and looked at him. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°So uh¡­ later, when we get back¡­¡± Jiang Cheng suddenly felt embarrassed just as the words reached the tip of his tongue. ¡°Are¡­ uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Do it first before going out, right?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°What the fuck,¡± Jiang Cheng said, looking at him. ¡°How can you be so shameless? How can you just come out and say it so smoothly like that, do you not have any shame!¡±


    ¡°¡­ Was it you the other day who said you¡¯re not doing anything but me this summer?¡± Gu Fei stared back at him. ¡°Now you¡¯re going to turn around and act innocent? You¡¯re the shameless one.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jiang Cheng could not stop laughing once he started thinking about it. ¡°I really was a little embarrassed just now. I mean it¡¯s been a while since we rolled around, so bringing it up suddenly, I was just¡­ a little self-conscious.¡±


    ¡°You just better not tell me please thank you and you¡¯re welcome later.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded while still holding in a laugh.


    It had been a long time since Jiang Cheng felt so light on his way back from school. There was not a single key point in his mind, not a single equation, historical year, geographical landmark, or grammar rule¡­ There was only Gu Fei.


    Neck, shoulder, collar bone, abs, thighs, calves, and ass!


    Ahahahhahahahahahaa!


    As they went up the stairs, he genuinely could not hold himself back from grabbing Gu Fei¡¯s butt.


    ¡°Right here,¡± Gu Fei turned back to look at him, then pointed at the window at the side of the stairwell. ¡°You wanna bet that tossing you out the window won¡¯t even require both of my arms?¡±


    ¡°I believe you.¡± Jiang Cheng skipped past him and ran up the stairs, taking another swipe at Gu Fei¡¯s waist as he did. ¡°But you wouldn¡¯t do that to me, hoho.¡±


    ¡°Weirdo.¡± Gu Fei said quietly, then ran up the stairs behind Jiang Cheng.


    As soon as he went through the door, Jiang Cheng flung his shirt off and launched himself at Gu Fei, pelting him with kisses, before pushing him onto the sofa and running his hands beneath Gu Fei¡¯s shirt.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Gu Fei laughed as he responded in kind. ¡°The remote control is poking at my back, hold on¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng did not listen as he continued rubbing his face into the side of Gu Fei¡¯s neck.


    After pulling the remote control out and tossing it onto the coffee table, Gu Fei held Jiang Cheng tightly, but Jiang Cheng suddenly propped himself up against the sofa and frowned as he stared at Gu Fei.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Gu Fei stroked his chin.


    ¡°Why do you feel so hot?¡± Jiang Cheng touched Gu Fei¡¯s skin, it was burning.


    ¡°Must be the excitement of course,¡± Gu Fei thrusted his hips up. ¡°When I get excited I¡­¡±


    ¡°You have a fever,¡± Jiang Cheng leaned down and pressed his lips to Gu Fei¡¯s forehead, then whipped his head up. ¡°Fuck! I was wondering why your hand was so hot this whole time! Where¡¯s the thermometer!¡±


    Gu Fei pulled on Jiang Cheng to stop him from getting up, ¡°Cheng-ge, Cheng-ge, don¡¯t get off track.¡±


    ¡°Off your ass,¡± Jiang Cheng shook his hand off and stood up. He rummaged around in the coffee table drawers, found the digital thermometer Gu Fei had bought to monitor his health during the study period, and checked it against Gu Fei¡¯s forehead, then froze. ¡°Fuck, it¡¯s 38 degrees!¡±


    ¡°Hmm, 38 degrees¡­ still fuckable.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°And you know, these digital ones aren¡¯t accurate.¡±


    ¡°Get out of here,¡± Jiang Cheng was frowning. He did not know why Gu Fei suddenly had a fever, and he was immediately anxious even as his heart hurt for Gu Fei. ¡°Did you catch a cold? Or was it¡­¡±


    He took Gu Fei¡¯s temperature a few more times in a row, and ended up with 38-point-something every time.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Gu Fei stroked Jiang Cheng¡¯s face as he sat up. ¡°Really, I don¡¯t even feel anything.¡±


    ¡°Bull-fuckitty-shit!¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him. Gu Fei¡¯s hand was burning hot, the sensation of which was now as clear as day. ¡°I was wondering why you didn¡¯t seem that energized since coming out of the exams! You haven¡¯t been feeling well for a while and just didn¡¯t tell me, right?!¡±


    ¡°Ayy¡­¡­¡± Gu Fei sighed even as he smiled.


    ¡°We have to go to the hospital,¡± Jiang Cheng grabbed his hand and tugged on it. ¡°Hurry up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine with some rest, really.¡± Gu Fei did not move, then finally said very quietly. ¡°I don¡¯t really have any energy right now, I don¡¯t wanna move.¡±


    Jiang Cheng felt a pang in his heart, it almost felt sore.


    Perhaps it was because they had just gone through a major life event like the University Entrance Exam, that even as an overachiever, his emotions at the moment were still prone to fluctuations¡­


    Jiang Cheng pulled Gu Fei into his arms and held him tight. His hands were trembling when they touched Gu Fei¡¯s burning body.


    His heart was practically shuddering with pain for Gu Fei.


    And just like that, tears came pouring out uncontrollably.

 CH 104

    ¡°Hold.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Author: Wu Zhe, Translated by Ami <3


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s tears did not seep out, they gushed, without gaps and without pause, entirely out of control, flowing madly down. He could even feel very clearly the tears making one, and then two distinct tracks down his cheeks, which very quickly merged into a whole area of wet tears.


    All this time, Jiang Cheng felt like he had gotten rid of all distractions. Other than studying, he had not thought of anything else. At most, he needed out of habit to be able to spot Gu Fei in the corner of his eyes, to feel grounded.


    Aside from that, he had no extraneous thoughts in his mind. It was only when listening to his classmates¡¯ conversations today that he found out that someone else had also fallen sick in the class next door, and that there had been a fight that ranged all the way from the third floor to the ground floor¡ªcausing quite a ruckus. But he did not know any of this.


    All this time, his mind had been completely filled to the brim and his nerves tightly wound. Until now.


    All the heavy burdens had been set down, all the pressure thrown off, and all the emotions let back into his body. It felt as though the closed container he had resided in suddenly opened its lid. What he saw with his eyes, heard with his ears, experienced, felt, all of it suddenly became clear¡ªeven clearer than before.


    And it was with these renewed senses that he saw Gu Fei¡¯s wearied countenance and heard his weakened voice. It was as if Jiang Cheng had only just realized all the various, compounded stress that Gu Fei had carried over these past several months.


    He could hardly bear the remorse and ache he felt at this moment.


    Day after day, Gu Fei had taken care of his own house, the store, while also looking after him. He had to make time to spend with Gu Miao; make time to watch the store, to bring in stock; he looked up recipes every day to make sure Jiang Cheng was getting the proper nutrition in his meals, and kept Jiang Cheng company while he studied¡­


    Jiang Cheng always thought that studying was hard work, he always felt tired, but never did notice how tiring it must have been for Gu Fei¡ªworking round the clock every single day, always keeping him company until midnight, only sleeping after he fell asleep, and always waking up before he woke up.


    Compared to his own, simpler kind of ¡°tired¡±, Gu Fei¡¯s fatigue was by far the more difficult to bear.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jiang Cheng held Gu Fei, and felt his whole body burning up like a little furnace, scorching waves of panic into his own heart. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Gu Fei.¡±


    ¡°I was afraid you would say that.¡± It could be that Gu Fei had finally relaxed, or it could be that the fever really was getting to him, but his voice was starting to sound hoarse. ¡°¡®I¡¯m sorry¡¯ and stuff, I was afraid you would say that.¡±


    ¡°I really¡­¡± Jiang Cheng lowered his head and wiped his tears against Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder, but as soon as he finished wiping, more tears rushed out almost without pause. ¡°I really never considered if you would feel tired all this time.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even feel tired myself,¡± Gu Fei gently rubbed Jiang Cheng¡¯s back. ¡°Besides, a lot of people fall sick after the exams¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mad at me,¡± Jiang Cheng tried his best to curb his tears; he could hardly even speak properly while crying like this, he could not stop trembling every time he opened his mouth. He kissed Gu Fei¡¯s neck, but when his lips touched Gu Fei¡¯s burning hot skin, the barely controlled tears broke out of its dam again. ¡°Don¡¯t be mad at me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not mad at you,¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°Why would I get mad at you? I didn¡¯t even connect this to you.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking,¡± Jiang Cheng held him tight. ¡°My heart hurts hearing you talk like this.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei answered, and did not say any more.


    With eyes shut, Jiang Cheng held Gu Fei tightly in his arms, he only loosened his grip when he felt his lower back getting stiff.


    But Gu Fei did not move. Jiang Cheng turned and realized that Gu Fei had fallen asleep against his shoulder.


    Jiang Cheng braced one hand against the back of the sofa to keep steady, while he held Gu Fei with his other hand and lowered him slowly onto the sofa. Then he ran into the bedroom and brought a small pillow, stuffing it under Gu Fei¡¯s head. He also brought a blanket and draped it over Gu Fei, wrapping it tightly around his whole body.


    Having done all this, Jiang Cheng stood in the middle of the living room, unsure of what to do next.


    He spaced for a while, then went to wet a towel before setting it carefully on top of Gu Fei¡¯s forehead.


    He originally wanted to use an icy cold towel, but Gu Fei was sleeping so soundly that he did not want to risk waking him up.


    After walking a few circles around the room, Jiang Cheng brought over a little stool, set it down in front of the sofa, and sat there staring at Gu Fei¡¯s face.


    Gu Fei¡¯s face was still flushed, though Jiang Cheng could not tell if it was from the fever or from being completely wrapped up. It could also be both. He reached back for the thermometer and checked Gu Fei¡¯s temperature again.


    It was still 38.3 degrees, not much different than before. Of course, there would not be much change in a few short minutes.


    After a while, he removed the towel. In that short period of time, the towel already felt warm to the touch. He went into the washroom and soaked it through with cold water again before wringing it out, then set it back on Gu Fei¡¯s forehead.


    Gu Fei had always been very healthy. In Jiang Cheng¡¯s memory, he had never really gotten sick before, not even with a small cold. But for people who never got sick, when they did it was with a colossal force.


    Jiang Cheng checked Gu Fei¡¯s temperature two more times, once it read 38.3, and the other time it was 38.4.


    Fuck. How is it still rising!


    He was having trouble sitting still, when he remembered that Gu Fei said the digital ones weren¡¯t accurate, so he dashed swiftly out the door, jumped on his bike, and pedaled hard toward the community clinic.


    He needed to buy a mercury thermometer, and along the way go to the community clinic to see if he could get some medicine.


    He had just charged up to the clinic, when he saw Li Yan walking out of Gu Fei¡¯s family¡¯s store, pulling out his phone and dialing as he crouched down on the front stoops.


    ¡°Li Yan!¡± Jiang Cheng called out to him.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Li Yan turned. ¡°How come you¡¯re here by yourself? I was just calling Gu Fei, is he¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call him!¡± Jiang Cheng hopped off his bike. ¡°He¡¯s sleeping right now, he¡¯s got a fever!¡±


    ¡°Fever?¡± Li Yan hung up the call, a little surprised. ¡°He has a fever? His constitution is as solid as the Bull Demon God, how can he have a fever?¡±


    ¡°Who knows if the Bull Demon God never gets a fever?¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re the Iron Fan Princess¡­¡±


    ¡°And what if I am,¡± Li Yan tutted. ¡°What¡¯s his temperature?¡±


    ¡°Thirty-eight-point-something. I was worried the digital thermometers weren¡¯t accurate, so I came to buy one of those mercury ones.¡± Jiang Cheng said with knitted brows.


    Li Yan went into the clinic with him. The doctor gave Jiang Cheng a mercury thermometer and two pills for reducing fever, then said, ¡°There¡¯s quite a few people who fall sick after the exams, it shouldn¡¯t be too big of a problem. He can take the medicine later, but make sure he gets plenty of fluids so he doesn¡¯t get dehydrated. If his fever is still high tonight or if it goes up, you can bring him back here to check and see if there¡¯s any other problems.¡±


    Jiang Cheng took the thermometer and medicine, and coming out of the clinic, finally remembered to ask Li Yan, ¡°So why did you come here?¡±


    ¡°Well, I thought we can all have a meal together now that you¡¯re done with your exams,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°Who would¡¯ve guessed that he would get sick.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t mind me, you hurry back and wait on him.¡± Li Yan checked the time. ¡°I¡¯ll just keep watch here. I¡¯ll lock the doors later.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s his mom?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°As soon as I got here, she took Er-Miao out to buy clothes, with that little hubby of hers.¡± Said Li Yan.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded, then asked again after he got on the bike. ¡°So for steamed eggs¡­¡±


    ¡°What steam, what eggs? He probably shouldn¡¯t have such high protein foods when he still has a fever.¡± Li Yan cut him off, then said after some thought. ¡°Food wise, you can just go with plain congee, plain noodles, or something.¡±


    ¡°How horrible that must taste,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°Will he be able to keep it down?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, he¡¯s very good at bearing unpleasant things.¡± Li Yan said. ¡°He¡¯d even be able to eat shit if it doesn¡¯t stink.¡± [1]


    ¡°Hey!¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him, then let out a big sigh.


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth,¡± Li Yan smiled. ¡°You should hurry back.¡±


    Li Yan¡¯s words were gross, but he did seem to be telling the truth. Gu Fei really was good at bearing unpleasant things. No matter what it was, he was able to bear it, and always without making so much as a peep.


    He could even imagine the way Gu Fei would look when faced with plain congee and noodles¡ªunhappy, but still calmly finishing a whole bowl.


    And so he felt another surge of heartache.


    ¡°Do they have noodles in their store?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. ¡°Like a really fancy, really tasty kind?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Wait here, I¡¯ll get it for you.¡± Li Yan turned back into the store, and quickly brought back a plastic bag containing a pail of noodles, as well as a few bottles of seasoning. ¡°This one, I made it a while ago, the texture is really smooth. And these seasonings, all kinds of sauce-this and yum-that, you can throw them in to taste.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jiang Cheng hung the bag from the handlebar and flew back to his apartment on the bike.


    Gu Fei was still asleep. By the looks of it, he had not woken up.


    Jiang Cheng set the things in the kitchen before coming out and wringing the towel out again in cold water, and placed it on Gu Fei¡¯s forehead.


    The digital thermometer still read 38.2 degrees, which was not that different from before. Jiang Cheng very carefully lifted the covers, trying to stick the mercury thermometer under Gu Fei¡¯s armpits. Just as his hand touched Gu Fei¡¯s arm, Gu Fei groaned quietly, ¡°Hmmm?¡±


    ¡°Keep sleeping. Sleep.¡± Jiang Cheng immediately said in a quiet voice. ¡°I¡¯m just taking your temperature.¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge.¡± Gu Fei mumbled his name incoherently.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng answered as he stuffed the thermometer in place.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel good.¡± Gu Fei murmured with his eyes closed.


    His voice was still hoarse, and his tone contained a note of grievance. At the very sound of it Jiang Cheng almost could not bear it anymore. His heart felt sore, as if something was clawing inside his chest, and his nose twinged in waves.


    ¡°I know, I know,¡± Jiang Cheng tucked the covers under him and stroked his face gently. ¡°Just a little longer. I got medicine, later you can eat some food then take the medicine, and you¡¯ll feel better.¡±


    ¡°What food?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I ran into Li Yan just now,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°He said when you have a fever you can only eat bland foods, like plain congee or noodles.¡±


    ¡°That bastard,¡± Gu Fei said quietly. ¡°Must be on purpose.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you want to eat? I¡¯ll make it for you?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    Gu Fei let out another couple of groans and murmured something unintelligible, then fell asleep again.


    Jiang Cheng figured Gu Fei was knocking his cooking skills. Although with plain congee and noodles¡­ he would not have any difficulty with those. After all, he used to cook noodles for himself all the time.


    However, Gu Fei never did say what he wanted to eat before he fell asleep again, so Jiang Cheng got up, went into the kitchen, and put the congee on first. For plain congee, all you need is to put rice and water together, then turn the rice cooker to the congee setting. It was easy.


    Just as he pressed down on the button, his phone rang in his pocket. In fumbling for it, he did not even look at the screen as he pulled it out and picked up the call right away. He was afraid that one more ring would wake Gu Fei up.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± He asked.


    ¡°The hell? Cheng-er?¡± It was Pan Zhi¡¯s voice coming from the other end. ¡°You deleted my number?¡±


    ¡°Why would I delete your number.¡± Jiang Cheng closed the kitchen door.


    ¡°Then why did you ask who I am! Don¡¯t you have call display!¡± Pan Zhi said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t look,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Fuck.¡± Pan Zhi¡¯s voice was tinged with grief and indignation. ¡°Can¡¯t I give you a call for no reason anymore?¡±


    ¡°I was just asking.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Though it¡¯s not like I¡¯m calling for no reason, I do have a reason.¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°How did it go? Do you feel particularly fantastic after finishing the exams?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°Have you checked your answers? Should be no problem getting into B. University or something, huh?¡± Pan Zhi asked. [2]


    ¡°I didn¡¯t check, but I¡¯ll find out soon enough when the scores come out.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I just feel pretty good overall, can¡¯t bother to waste my time worrying over the other things.¡±


    ¡°Check out this overachiever energy.¡± Pan Zhi exclaimed. ¡°I did a little calculation; I might be able to crawl my way into a third-tier. Either way when the time comes, I¡¯ll fight my mom if I have to, to end up in the same city as you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a girlfriend these days, do you,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°That you¡¯d wanna hang around me instead.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to prioritize you even if I have a girlfriend.¡± Pan Zhi laughed. ¡°Besides, how can I have a genuine romance at this time, who knows if there are better girls waiting for me in university.¡±


    ¡°The way you act,¡± Jiang Cheng said quietly. ¡°None of the good girls will glance your way.¡±


    ¡°What if one just happens to be blind?¡± Pan Zhi cackled along without a care. ¡°Oh hey, how¡¯s Gu Fei doing? I even sent him a message earlier to ask after him, and he never replied. Is he in pain from bombing the exams?¡±


    ¡°How can he possibly be in pain from something like that,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°He has a fever, so he¡¯s sleeping right now¡­ Oh yeah you¡¯re right on time, ask your mom for me, how can I make plain congee and noodles taste better?¡±


    ¡°Fever?¡± Pan Zhi paused. ¡°I always thought if one of you is going to collapse after the exams that it¡¯d be you, how come he fell first? Give me a second, I¡¯ll ask my mom and then message you back.¡±


    Right¡­ If one of them was going to crumple after the exams, it should¡¯ve been himself. No one had expected it to be Gu Fei.


    He was the only one who knew why Gu Fei had fallen sick.


    Jiang Cheng felt terrible again at the thought of it, that he only realized why Gu Fei had fallen sick after he already fell.


    He went back to the living room, sat down on the little stool, and watched Gu Fei.


    He had really never seen Gu Fei sick like this, it was a particularly pitiable sight.


    The thermometer was about ready to be removed. Jiang Cheng hesitated for a long time; he was reluctant to lift the covers and risk disturbing Gu Fei.


    It was not until Gu Fei stirred on his own, that he seized the opportunity to quickly lift up the covers and yank the thermometer out.


    ¡°Hmmm?¡± Gu Fei murmured again dazedly.


    ¡°Did I wake you?¡± Jiang Cheng hurried to tuck the covers back in. ¡°I¡¯m just grabbing the thermometer.¡±


    ¡°How much is it?¡± Gu Fei was still in a daze.


    ¡°Let me see¡­¡± Jiang Cheng looked down at the thermometer he was holding.


    The problem with these things was that, one never knew where exactly to look. Jiang Cheng rotated it between his fingers about 7264 times, yet he still could not see where the line of mercury was supposed to be. The thicker tubes were easier, but the doctor had given him one of the thin ones.


    ¡°Ah fuck!¡± Anxiously, he lifted the thermometer up toward to the light, but after a while still did not manage to find it. The more frazzled he got, the more trouble he had with reading it. He said in a lowered voice, a little irritated, ¡°I bet this thing was never designed to be read by humans!¡±


    ¡°Give me.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng handed the thermometer to Gu Fei in resignation, ¡°Have I gone blind?¡±


    Gu Fei smiled and did not say anything, still looking pretty weak. Holding the thermometer, he casually turned it about half a rotation and said, ¡°38.1.¡±


    ¡°Then the digital one is still fairly accurate.¡± Jiang Cheng let out a sigh and set the thermometer to one side, before tucking Gu Fei back in. ¡°You can sleep for a little longer. I made congee, but if you don¡¯t want to eat that, I¡¯ll cook some noodles later when you feel like eating.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so hot.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°You¡¯re sweating, of course it¡¯s hot.¡± Jiang Cheng half-kneeled on the sofa and gently stroked Gu Fei¡¯s nose with his finger. ¡°You¡¯ll be better once you sweat it out. Do you want some water? The doctor said you have to drink lots of water so you don¡¯t get dehydrated.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei closed his eyes and answered.


    Jiang Cheng mixed a glass of warm water for him, then after some thought, put a straw in there too. These straws were saved from containers of yogurt he bought. Jiang Cheng liked to eat yogurt with a spoon, so Gu Fei removed the straws from the packaging and saved it all, saying that they might come in use one day.


    Well, that day has come.


    ¡°Here, hold this in your mouth.¡± Jiang Cheng knelt down beside Gu Fei and lightly tapped the straw against Gu Fei¡¯s lips.


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯re beckoning a puppy.¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    ¡°Drink,¡± Jiang Cheng also smiled. ¡°Drink up.¡±


    Gu Fei used the straw and sipped up more than half a glass of water, then let out a long breath, ¡°I can just have plain congee later.¡±


    ¡°Noodles wouldn¡¯t be any trouble either,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Don¡¯t you try to still consider me when you¡¯re like this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that, the noodles you make,¡± With his eyes closed, Gu Fei¡¯s lips twitched up. ¡°Probably taste worse than plain congee.¡±


    ¡°Shit,¡± Jiang Cheng laughed. ¡°Alrighty then. You can lie here for a little while longer, I¡¯ll call you when the congee¡¯s ready.¡±


    ¡°Mmn.¡± Gu Fei answered, then quickly fell asleep again.


    Pan Zhi had sent him a message:


    - my mom said noodles aren¡¯t as easy to digest, congee is better. After it¡¯s cooked, you can throw some finely chopped leafy greens in there, then mix in some oyster sauce and sesame oil, and that¡¯ll be good. Or get some fermented tofu to pair on the side.


    - thank your mom for me


    - I pre-thanked her already


    Jiang Cheng smiled and set his phone to the side. After changing Gu Fei¡¯s towel again, he sat down on the little stool and continued staring at Gu Fei.


    He was so used to seeing the stoic Gu Fei, who treated others coolly and smiled at him. And now all of a sudden, seeing Gu Fei so weak with an indefinable sense of vulnerability about him, he also felt an indescribable mushy feeling spread in his heart.


    Jiang Cheng wanted to give Gu Fei a little kiss, and a little hug.


    He leaned in, and very gently touched Gu Fei¡¯s lips with his own.


    Gu Fei had just drank water, and his lips were still a little moist. It felt very pleasant as he touched it with the lightest contact.


    Only when the rice cooker ¡°dinged¡± in the kitchen did Jiang Cheng get up. He planned to rework the congee according to Pan Zhi¡¯s mom¡¯s instructions.


    But perhaps he had been sitting down for too long, and had gotten up too abruptly, he almost fell over when he turned around. He had to brace against the table nearby to steady himself and take a moment for the stars to disappear from his sight before he could run on tiptoes into the kitchen.


    To ogle at his boyfriend to such an extent must qualify as some kind of extreme dedication.


    He washed a few vegetable leaves, finely chopped them, and scattered them into the finished congee before giving it a stir. Then he put in a couple drops of oyster sauce and sesame oil. It had to be relatively bland, after all, but just a little bit of flavour should be enough.


    Gu Fei opened his eyes when Jiang Cheng set the bowl of congee on the coffee table, ¡°Smells good.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Jiang Cheng leaned close and touched Gu Fei¡¯s face. It still felt pretty hot to the touch.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei moved his hand. ¡°Let me have a taste.¡±


    Jiang Cheng helped him sit up on the sofa, then wrapped him up with the blanket again.


    ¡°How¡­¡± Gu Fei looked at him. ¡°Am I supposed to eat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll feed you.¡± Jiang Cheng picked up the bowl with one hand and held the spoon in the other, sitting down on the coffee table face to face with him.


    Gu Fei did not answer as he started laughing. Due to his weakened state, even his laugh sounded like a struggle.


    ¡°What are you laughing at,¡± Jiang Cheng scooped a spoonful of congee and took a little taste first. To his surprise, it was actually pretty good, though he might just be hungry. ¡°It¡¯s not bad. Here, you try it.¡±


    ¡°I just thought it was a little funny,¡± Gu Fei opened his mouth. ¡°Hmm, not bad. Did you add oyster sauce?¡±


    ¡°Just a tiny bit,¡± Jiang Cheng said, delivering another spoonful into Gu Fei¡¯s mouth. ¡°I didn¡¯t dare add too much, in case you don¡¯t like the taste.¡±


    ¡°But honestly,¡± Gu Fei said as he ate. ¡°It¡¯s just a fever, it¡¯s really not a big deal.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve practically passed out, and your voice is hoarse,¡± Jiang Cheng frowned. ¡°What exactly counts as a big deal for you, mister?¡±


    ¡°I just needed sleep, that¡¯s all.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°You know what, Gu Fei?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t like seeing you like this, the way you grit your teeth and hold it in like an ass.¡±


    Gu Fei looked back at him without a word.


    ¡°What, am I wrong?¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you hold it in with other people, but what are you holding it in front of me for? Can¡¯t you just let yourself be vulnerable in front of me? The way you¡¯re burning up all over, I could get some thermal therapy just by holding you in my arms¡­¡±


    ¡°Then hold me.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jiang Cheng blinked.


    ¡°Hold.¡± Gu Fei said.


    Gu Fei¡¯s slightly hoarse, slightly nasally ¡°hold¡±, tinged with the tiniest smidge of whininess of someone asking to be spoiled, practically exploded in Jiang Cheng¡¯s ears like a little flower crackling with electricity. His heart instantly turned to mush, and he could hardly hold the bowl in his hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold you after you finish this bowl.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    Gu Fei was definitely still feeling pretty bad at this point. He was not usually a big eater, but today, he only had half a bowl of congee before he was full.


    Jiang Cheng finished the remaining half, then went to the kitchen and ate another bowl, and finally felt his hunger somewhat sated.


    By the time he went back to the living room, Gu Fei was still sitting on the sofa wrapped in a blanket, though his eyes were closed.


    Jiang Cheng checked his temperature again, this time it was only 38 degrees. It might be a minuscule decrease, but at least it did not continue going up. Perhaps Gu Fei was right, getting a fever was not an especially big deal. However, Gu Fei¡¯s current condition was not just a simple fever, it was the fatigue he had accumulated over a long period of time, finally erupting. Otherwise, he would not be so weak and fall asleep so easily like this.


    ¡°Hey little cocoon,¡± Jiang Cheng touched his hand against Gu Fei¡¯s forehead. ¡°Why don¡¯t you lie down, or do you want to go sleep on the bed?¡±


    Without a word, Gu Fei opened his eyes and looked at Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng looked back at him. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Still Gu Fei did not speak.


    Jiang Cheng held a staring contest with him for a long time before suddenly remembering, ¡°Ah, ahhhhhhhhhh! Hug hug. Coming right up, I¡¯m coming.¡±


    He sat down next to Gu Fei and pulled him, blanket and all, into a tight embrace, ¡°Cheng-ge hug.¡±


    ¡°Sing something for me, Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei leaned against him and closed his eyes again. ¡°A lullaby.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jiang Cheng cleared his throat. ¡°Good little bun-bun, open the door hun, hurry up and open, I want to come in¡­¡±


    Footnotes:


    [1]: This is where my translation fails. The word here is ÈÌ, which you may associate with ninjas lol. The meaning of this verb can include holding back (emotions), bearing with (unpleasant) things, including hardship, or tolerating (pain). For Gu Fei, I believe his ÈÌ includes all these things. The character ÈÌ is a blade [ÈÐ] over a heart [ÐÄ]. ¡ü


    [2]: To avoid disturbing real life places, Wuzhe avoids giving these places names, because even if they make up a name, with China¡¯s large population, it¡¯s still a real possibility that it will coincide with something else. Though it¡¯s pretty much an open secret that ¡°B. University¡± is Beijing University. ¡ü

 CH 105

    ¡°Wanna fuck?¡± Gu Fei suddenly spoke up.


    Author: Wu Zhe, Translated by Ami <3


    Besides the fact that he was not very good at consoling other people, Jiang Cheng thought that he was not very good at caring for other people either.


    Perhaps it was the unusual way of caring demonstrated by his adopted parents throughout his childhood. To him, any affection that came from them felt more like demands, a kind of gracious and logical expectation.


    He did not know if it was because of that, or if it was Li Baoguo¡¯s genes in his blood, but ultimately, he was not exactly an expert wielder of these ¡®caring¡¯ skills. Even Pan Zhi, his rock-solid best friend, the person he considered as the only close friend, had never received much from Jiang Cheng in terms of sympathetic care when he got sick or injured in the past. Jiang Cheng¡¯s consolations would always sound a little stiff. More than a few times Pan Zhi had said, ¡°It¡¯s probably better if you don¡¯t ask. With how awkward you¡¯re acting, people might think we have some kind of unspeakable history between us.¡±


    But since meeting Gu Fei, a lot of things were different now.


    He learned to care for another person, to have his heart ache for another person to such an extent, with an affection he expressed earnestly, straight from his heart, without any awkwardness or stiffness¡­


    Ah, so this is the power of love. Tsktsktsk.


    Jiang Cheng looked down at Gu Fei, who was asleep and leaning against him, and kissed him on the top of his head.


    Gu Fei¡¯s hair was quite stiff. After he shaved it into a buzzcut, it felt scratchy whenever he kissed it. But he kissed it again after the first time and, if he was not worried about waking Gu Fei, he would even take a bite.


    Gu Fei was the first person who made his heart ache so much that it trembled. When sick, Gu Fei did not have the usual air possessed by the Supremo Gu of the Steel Works. The way he lay in Jiang Cheng¡¯s arms quietly with his eyes closed, made him look just like a bullied cat.


    A cat that was also a little wet.


    If it was Pan Zhi sitting there drenched head to toe in sweat, he would get beaten up for just coming near Jiang Cheng, let alone be held in his arms.


    ¡­ Though of course, Pan Zhi was his bro after all, not his lover.


    Oyoo, lover.


    Jiang Cheng tutted quietly to himself. What is this cheesy flowery vibe. Lover eh.


    Perhaps he was not quiet enough. Gu Fei¡¯s head moved a little, accompanied by a small moan.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Am I supposed to take medicine?¡± Gu Fei mumbled.


    ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Jiang Cheng only just then remembered that he did not give Gu Fei the fever medication. He frantically reached out a hand for the medicine.


    However, the medicine was on the coffee table; he could not reach it. To get it, he would have to let go of Gu Fei, who was at the moment leaning on him. If he moved away, then Gu Fei the sick kitty would have to hold himself up¡­ But really, he just didn¡¯t want to let go.


    After maybe a second of hesitation, Jiang Cheng reached out his foot, and with his toes, picked up the little paper bag containing the two fever pills from the coffee table.


    ¡°Oh fuck,¡± Gu Fei turned away and said weakly. ¡°I¡¯m not eating that.¡±


    ¡°So fussy,¡± Jiang Cheng took the paper bag from his foot. ¡°The medicine is wrapped up inside. And besides, it¡¯s not like I stepped on dog shit with my foot.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Gu Fei sighed. ¡°Then are you gonna fetch the glass with your foot too?¡±


    ¡°Crap.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the water glass that was even further than the medicine, and after a long deliberation, reached out with his foot again.


    ¡°Cheng-ge, please wake up.¡± Said Gu Fei.


    Jiang Cheng did not answer as he hooked his foot on the edge of the coffee table and yanked it hard toward the sofa. After dragging the fairly hefty coffee table to within arms reach, he pulled it with his hand and brought it right up to the sofa.


    ¡°Here, take your medicine.¡± He picked up the glass of water and placed one of the tablets in Gu Fei¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Great wisdom comes from the lazy person huh.¡± Gu Fei took a few sips from the straw and washed down the pill.


    ¡°It¡¯s not laziness,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to let go.¡±


    Adhering to the principle of not letting go, Jiang Cheng subsequently used his foot to pick up the thermometer, a piece of candy, and the TV remote.


    It was not until Gu Fei wanted to drink water and there was none left in the glass, that he finally let out a sigh. The hot water thermos was on a table next to the TV. He would be able to reach it only if he took off his left leg and connected it to his right.


    ¡°Hold yourself up for a second,¡± Jiang Cheng kicked away the coffee table. ¡°I¡¯ll get you some water.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a shower later and go lie down on the bed.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Shower?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°You¡¯re running a fever, what do you mean shower? At least wait until the fever goes down.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t go on living like this without a shower,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I¡¯m covered in sweat.¡±


    Jiang Cheng did not have a lot of experience taking care of a sick person. After all, Gu Fei¡¯s fever was not caused by something like a cold, so he really could not tell what he had to watch out for. Therefore he was a little lost between the only folk remedy he knew of ¡°sweating it out¡±, and Gu Fei¡¯s proclamation of ¡°can¡¯t go on living like this without a shower¡±.


    ¡°I¡¯m an overachiever when it comes to general knowledge of life,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You flunkie.¡±


    Jiang Cheng thought he had a point, so he did not continue to hold Gu Fei back, and let him go take a shower.


    ¡°And don¡¯t cover me up either, I¡¯m not feeling any chills right now.¡± After his shower, Gu Fei laid down on the bed, spreading himself out languidly, and closed his eyes. ¡°As long as you hold me.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a thin towel blanket.


    He then dashed to the bathroom and took a shower, before dashing back to the bedroom and checking Gu Fei¡¯s temperature again.


    ¡°It¡¯s 38 degrees now,¡± Jiang Cheng turned off the lights and laid down beside Gu Fei, wrapping his arms around him. ¡°That means it¡¯s going down, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei answered. ¡°If the fever¡¯s still there, I¡¯ll feel cold.¡±


    ¡°Ayy¡­¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°I was thinking just now, I¡¯m going away to school, so what will you do when you get sick and I¡¯m not around to take care of you¡­ But to be honest, even when I¡¯m here I¡¯m only adding to the trouble, right.¡±


    ¡°How are you adding to the trouble,¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°If you¡¯re not here today, when I get a fever, I¡¯ll just pour a glass of water and sleep straight through it until the fever¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°Wait, no,¡± Jiang Cheng said after thinking about it some more. ¡°You won¡¯t get sick again. You only had a fever this time because of me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to say it one last time,¡± Gu Fei said while stroking Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand. ¡°If you say something like this again, I¡¯ll¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll what?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯ll think about it first, I haven¡¯t decided yet.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°I just don¡¯t like it when you say things like that.¡±


    ¡°Mhm, I won¡¯t say it anymore.¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes.


    Neither of them spoke again, but Jiang Cheng knew that Gu Fei did not fall asleep, he could tell by the sound of his breathing that he was still awake.


    This silence was different from their usual comfortable silence. Jiang Cheng did not even need to ask, he knew it was because of what he said earlier: ¡°I¡¯m going away to school¡±.


    They had never discussed this issue amongst the two of them before; the only time it was mentioned was probably when he asked Gu Fei about what happens ¡°after¡±.


    They would have to separate very soon, it was a reality that they were both avoiding. There had been no discussions, not even regarding which school Jiang Cheng wanted to go to.


    Jiang Cheng had always thought that even if they were apart, it would not be that big of a deal. They still had phones and video calls¡­ But now that the departure date was drawing nearer by the day, and the excuse of ¡°can¡¯t have any distractive thoughts during studying¡± can no longer be applied, he finally realized how scared he had been about this day.


    As Gu Fei fell asleep, his breathing gradually slowed. Jiang Cheng grabbed his phone and set a vibrating alarm.


    He figured that once he let himself fully relax, he might not be able to get up the next morning. And yet he must get up early to prepare breakfast for Gu Fei.


    For a long time, Jiang Cheng had been waking up every morning to food that was already there. Even if Gu Fei had not fallen sick, he would still want Gu Fei to experience this pig-like life.


    ¡°Good night.¡± He leaned close to Gu Fei¡¯s ear and said softly, then kissed the tip of it.


    It was a chaotic night.


    For someone who had gone quite some time without having any dreams, Jiang Cheng thought his dreams that night could amount to forty whole episodes, if he had remembered them all. Although, by the time he was woken up by his vibrating phone, he could only remember the highlights reel.


    The highlights were taken up by scenes of the exams: a forgotten pencil here and an eraser that turned into a block of wood there, or else his answer card was ripped¡­


    He had never been that nervous about the exams, but turned out all his nerves were collected right here.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei beside him. Still asleep.


    Very good. Jiang Cheng sat up very carefully. Gu Fei was lying prone on the pillow, still in deep sleep. Fever really was something that took a lot out of a person. Jiang Cheng reached out a hand to feel for Gu Fei¡¯s forehead, but after a moment of hesitation, drew his hand back again.


    He got up and checked Gu Fei¡¯s temperature with the thermometer: 37 degrees.


    Much better. It might not be back to normal, but at least it had decreased by quite a bit, and was not so scary anymore.


    Breakfast, breakfast.


    Jiang Cheng ran to the washroom with tiny hopping steps, then after washing up, hopped his way out the door.


    He did not know why he was hopping, but ever since he was very young, he thought that it felt like he was practicing his qinggong every time he walked with a hop, as if his steps would be lighter when he walked that way.


    When he came back with breakfast, Gu Fei was still flopped against the pillow in the exact same position.


    Jiang Cheng glanced at the time, it was still early. There was no reason to wake Gu Fei now. If he wanted to sleep, he could sleep for the whole day.


    Jiang Cheng grabbed a chair, sat down on it backwards, and watched Gu Fei.


    He no longer needed to open his eyes everyday to thoughts of studying. This life that was so idle that it was almost ridiculous was incredibly blessed.


    He could just sit here and spend the whole day staring at Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei¡¯s face could withstand it too. Even with half of it buried in the pillow, it was still mesmerizing, especially on a day like today when he had his eyes closed, and a trace of fatigue still mixed in with his relaxed state¡­


    And as soon as he recalled Gu Fei¡¯s husky, slightly whiny ¡°hold¡± from the day before, Jiang Cheng wanted to charge over and jump him right this very instant.


    Sexy.


    Just, incredibly sexy.


    ¡°Wanna fuck?¡± Gu Fei suddenly spoke up.


    Jiang Cheng jumped. He sprang up from his seat on the chair and almost toppled over onto the floor.


    Gu Fei¡¯s eyes were still closed. He did not even change position.


    Jiang Cheng thought that perhaps he was too thirsty, to the point where he was hearing things. He stared at Gu Fei for a few seconds, before quietly asking, ¡°Gu Fei?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking, do you want to fuck?¡± Gu Fei opened one eye and curled up a corner of his lips. ¡°Been sitting here staring for at least 20 minutes, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng stood up. ¡°You were awake this whole time?¡±


    ¡°Your phone has such a strong motor for vibration,¡± Gu Fei propped himself up on his forearms and, still hugging the pillow, rubbed his eyes. ¡°It shook me awake as soon as it went off.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at him without a word. Not because of the fact that he still managed to wake Gu Fei up despite being so careful, but because¡­ Gu Fei¡¯s pose at this moment.


    With the upper half of his prone body propped up by his elbows, every line and every curve, from his shoulder to his lower back to his ass, was sheer temptation.


    Jiang Cheng walked to the bedside, all the while keeping his eyes glued to Gu Fei¡¯s lower back. To prevent himself from sounding too thirsty, he tried to forcibly clear his mind by asking, ¡°Why pretend to be asleep when you¡¯re already awake?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t pretending. I was just a little tired and didn¡¯t wanna move. I thought I¡¯d lie here and chill for a bit.¡± Gu Fei turned his face to look at Jiang Cheng.


    The word ¡°tired¡± instantly snapped Jiang Cheng back to reality. Gu Fei¡¯s fever was not entirely gone, and because he was burning up the whole night, he must still be very tired right now.


    Jiang Cheng, you can¡¯t have inappropriate thoughts about a sick person!


    ¡°Then you should¡­ snooze for a little longer.¡± Jiang Cheng said with difficulty. ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t want it?¡± Gu Fei put his head down and leaned his forehead against the pillow. ¡°Before I change my mind from all your dawdling¡­¡±


    The contours of Gu Fei¡¯s shoulders that became immediately defined when he bowed his head blended perfectly with his scapula. The way Gu Fei looked at that moment, Jiang Cheng felt that if he could stop himself from jumping on Gu Fei right this second, he should probably bid farewell to sex forever.


    He yanked off his shirt with a single fluid motion, jumped onto the bed and pressed himself onto Gu Fei¡¯s back, before biting down on his nape.


    ¡°Mnnhg¡­¡± Gu Fei moaned in a very low voice, but it was unclear if it was from being crushed or from the bite.


    Bewitching.


    That¡¯s probably what the word is supposed to mean.


    Jiang Cheng held Gu Fei as he sprinkled kisses and bites all over, letting his hands roam free over Gu Fei¡¯s body. He felt acutely Gu Fei¡¯s elevated temperature as he brushed his hands over the smooth and taut skin. It burned him until he could hear his own panting grow heavier with every breath.


    All of his salacious thoughts toward Gu Fei had been locked up deep inside for the last several months. When left untouched, it was like a seed in hibernation, its existence practically undetectable.


    But as soon as it was exposed to the sun and rain, it would suddenly grow like mad.


    Those memories of Gu Fei¡¯s body which were locked away along with his lust: the scent, so familiar that it was intoxicating; the voice, of which only one little whisper was enough to land upon his most sensitive nerve ending; the touch that would send sparks flying even with the most fleeting contact¡­


    In this moment, those feelings swiftly proliferated, like branches unfurling throughout his body and over his skin, rapidly engulfing the entirety of his being.


    Perhaps he had gone too long without this kind of intimate contact, perhaps it was that he had just been released from an immense pressure, or perhaps it was the impending departure awaiting them in the not-so-distant future. Jiang Cheng felt an especially strong urge to crush Gu Fei bit by bit into his own body, eager to be enveloped by his warmth.


    He did not even know how he managed to leave Gu Fei¡¯s side, to lunge at the bedside table, pull open the drawer, and take out the necessary supplies with speed comparable to lightning; nor did he know how he jumped back to bed and returned to battle with the force of thunder.


    Eight hundred rounds was an aspiration, but to carry out one solid round was an achievable goal worthy to be meticulously realized.


    The mingled sounds of heavy panting and moans gradually died down in the room, and Jiang Cheng laid on Gu Fei with his eyes closed. He took a minute to catch his breath, before turning and planting another bite on Gu Fei¡¯s neck, and propped himself up. He watched as a bead of sweat fell from the tip of his nose onto Gu Fei¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Do you feel any discomfort at all?¡± Jiang Cheng touched Gu Fei¡¯s forehead with his hand, but since he himself felt hot all over at the moment, he could not for the life of him make out the temperature of Gu Fei¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°Nope.¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    ¡°Will you get a cold from all this sweat?¡± Jiang Cheng frowned and brushed his hand over Gu Fei¡¯s skin again. ¡°Hurry and go take a hot shower.¡±


    ¡°Worry about yourself first,¡± Gu Fei stroked Jiang Cheng¡¯s belly with his finger. ¡°You look like you just ran five kilometers.¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± Jiang Cheng smiled and got up from the bed. ¡°Let¡¯s go shower.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Gu Fei followed him out of bed and said as he walked out the door. ¡°Grab some clothes for me.¡±


    ¡°Turn the temperature higher.¡± Jiang Cheng called after him as he pulled open the closet door. Gu Fei seemed alright; not like a patient who had just been taken advantage of.


    As Jiang Cheng walked out of the bedroom with a change of clothes for the two of them, he glanced up and saw the curtains in the living room, open with a foot-wide gap.


    ¡°The fuck?¡± He froze on the spot, then quickly lowered the clothes in his hands to cover the key spot, then between the options of charging into the bathroom or running back to the bedroom, he decided in a flash on the bathroom. After all, turning around would expose his butt.


    When he ran into the bathroom, Gu Fei had already turned on the shower head, and was standing under it with one hand against the wall. He cracked up when he saw Jiang Cheng run in, ¡°The curtains were open.¡±


    ¡°You saw it and didn¡¯t tell me?¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get a chance to, I just ran in here with my hands covering little Feifei.¡± Gu Fei laughed and said. ¡°It¡¯s not a very big opening anyways, and no one¡¯s windows are on the other side, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°You did it on purpose, didn¡¯t you?¡± Jiang Cheng set their clothes on the rack and pressed himself up against Gu Fei¡¯s back under the water.


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Fei turned around and leaned against him, resting his chin on Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°I know you did it on purpose even if you won¡¯t admit it.¡± Jiang Cheng tutted. ¡°You haven¡¯t even fully recovered, and still you¡¯re so troublesome.¡±


    Gu Fei smiled without a word.


    It was not at all convenient to take a shower while huddled together with another person, but Gu Fei continued to hang onto him, maybe out of fatigue, or maybe because Gu Fei just wanted to be pampered. Rather than push Gu Fei away, Jiang Cheng spent a lot of effort to wash both of them, all the while holding Gu Fei in his arms.


    After breakfast, Gu Fei laid back down on the bed. Perhaps because he worked out a sweat earlier, his temperature had dropped to 36.8 degrees at this point. Jiang Cheng was much relieved as he laid down on the bed with him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get a little more sleep,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Nothing else to do anyway.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei rolled over and put his arms around Jiang Cheng.


    Even though Jiang Cheng did not feel very sleepy, he still fell asleep almost instantly after closing his eyes.


    Until the buzzing of an incoming call woke them up.


    ¡°Who¡¯s calling?¡± Gu Fei asked, the muddle of sleep still thick in his voice.


    ¡°Dunno,¡± Jiang Cheng was also still in a daze. He felt around under the pillow for a while, but even after the phone stopped vibrating he still could not find it. ¡°They hung up.¡±


    ¡°Are they calling you to go to the farewell dinner?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°That¡¯s in the evening,¡± Jiang Cheng finally found his phone and looked out the window. It was pretty dark outside, similar to when they woke up that morning. ¡°Is it about to rain or¡­ the hell?¡±


    He was absolutely bewildered when he saw the time on his phone, ¡°It¡¯s six o¡¯clock?¡±


    Gu Fei lifted his head in surprise, ¡°What?¡±


    The call was from Lao-Xu. Everyone had already gathered for the farewell dinner and had arrived at the hotel. Other than Yi Jing, they were the only ones missing.


    ¡°I overslept,¡± Jiang Cheng felt apologetic. ¡°Sorry about that, Xu-zong, I¡¯ll head over right away.¡±


    ¡°Can you get in touch with Gu Fei?¡± Lao-Xu asked. ¡°I called him but his phone¡¯s off¡­ I know he never liked to participate in these group activities, but this is the last time, we¡¯re just going to have one last meal together. I hope that he will come.¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei beside him. ¡°I¡¯ll contact him, we¡¯ll go together.¡±


    After hanging up, he touched Gu Fei¡¯s forehead¡ªit felt like an acceptable temperature. ¡°Lao-Xu¡¯s afraid that you¡¯re not going to dinner.¡±


    ¡°Going,¡± Gu Fei rubbed his face. ¡°It¡¯s the last time, after all.¡±


    Lao-Xu and Lao-Lu had reserved a conference room on the second floor of the hotel, and had ordered several tables. When Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei arrived, the roomful of people were in the middle of heated shouts and laughter.


    ¡°They¡¯re here, they¡¯re here!¡± Someone yelled upon seeing them.


    ¡°I knew they would come together.¡± Said one of the girls with a laugh.


    ¡°Over here!¡± Wang Xu was sitting at the table furthest in. He stood up and waved at them. ¡°I saved seats for you! Come here!¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Yi Jing?¡± Gu Fei sat down and asked quietly.


    ¡°Not coming, I called her already.¡± Wang Xu sighed. ¡°Lao-Xu and Lao-Lu both tried calling; she wouldn¡¯t come, and now even her phone¡¯s off.¡±


    ¡°Never mind, anyone would feel terrible if it happened to them.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Wang Xu poured tea for both of them, and then poured them two glasses of beer. ¡°It¡¯s fine if she doesn¡¯t wanna come, or if she repeats the exams next year, or whatever else. She¡¯s still got me.¡±


    Jiang Cheng shot him a glance and smiled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you doubt me, Jiang Cheng.¡± Wang Xu glared at him. ¡°When I¡¯ve set my sights on someone, I will keep them company.¡±


    ¡°I believe you.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°On this point, you two should take a lesson from me.¡± Wang Xu looked at him with a resolute expression.


    ¡°If anyone hears you, I will make sure to give you a makeover so that not even Yi Jing will recognize you.¡± Said Gu Fei.


    ¡°I was being quiet!¡± Wang Xu lowered his voice reluctantly. ¡°Can you have a little more faith in me?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°¡­ Damn it.¡± Wang Xu picked up his cup grumpily and took a big gulp of tea.


    ¡°Students! Students!¡± From across the table, Lao-Xu stood up from his seat, holding a glass of beer. ¡°I have something to say.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s voices dropped, but there was still a low buzzing in the room.


    ¡°Among the whole lot of you, some had listened to me go on for three years, and some for two, but most of you don¡¯t like to hear it. Today is the last time.¡± Lao-Xu tapped his chopsticks against the glass. ¡°So today, you all listen to me properly.¡±


    Everyone quieted down and looked toward him.


    ¡°The University Entrance Exam is over, and so is your high school life.¡± Lao-Xu said. ¡°Regardless of how you spent these last three years, when you look back on it in the future, this is the period of youth that belonged to you¡­¡±


    Lao-Xu paused and took a drink from his glass, ¡°After this summer break, some of you will leave this place and go to school in another city, and some of you will stay here, maybe for school and maybe for work. It will probably be very difficult for us to gather with such a complete headcount in the future. And so, today!¡±


    Jiang Cheng looked at the shimmering tears in Lao-Xu¡¯s eyes, and felt a little emotional.


    ¡°And so today!¡± Lao-Xu raised his glass over his head. ¡°If we want to cry, or laugh, or have a little drink, go ahead and do it. No matter what your paths are in the future, I am proud of all of you, because you¡¯ve brought me many pleasant surprises. Of course, a lot of troubles too. But these are all precious memories, and should not be forgotten no matter how much time has passed¡­¡±


    With that, Lao-Xu tipped his head back and downed the rest of his glass, before booming out, ¡°Class-8, class-8! Dark horse at the gate!¡±


    ¡°Class-8, class-8! Dark horse at the gate!¡± Everyone raised their glasses and echoed the line, until all their voices melded into one.

 CH 106

    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei stared at the screen for a few moments, then turned to him, ¡°you¡¯re really not gonna come see yourself?¡±


    Author: Wu Zhe, Translated by Ami OK.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering where you went off to!¡± Wang Xu shouted as he lunged at them from behind some chairs. He grabbed hold of Gu Fei and started pulling him in by the arm. ¡°Come on! Anyone who wants a picture hurry over here!¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck.¡± Gu Fei struggled a few times but didn¡¯t manage to break free. A host of excitedly drunk young people caught up and dragged Gu Fei inside. They threw him into a chair and started to take turns snapping photos with him.


    Jiang Cheng leaned against the doorway and laughed as he watched.


    It was likely that after tonight, none of these people would have the galls to trap Gu Fei in a chair to take pictures with them. After all, the guy was a notorious troublemaker with a permanent frost face.


    Jiang Cheng also took out his phone and snapped a few pictures of the chaotic scene before him.


    It would be a memory of sorts. Whether he was close with these people or not, they were still a part of his high school life. They were the youths he passed by in the 18th year of his life.


    After dinner, everyone already had plans to continue on to karaoke. As usual, Jiang Cheng fell behind at the back of the crowd with Gu Fei. After the crowd in front of them turned onto another street¡ªso filled with elation that they were swaying even as they walked¡ªthe two of them turned onto another street that would lead them back home.


    ¡°You¡¯re not gonna keep partying a little longer?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Nah, my head¡¯s already almost bursting from the partying.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him. ¡°Besides, the way you look, would be best if we just go back and rest.¡±


    ¡°What way?¡± Gu Fei touched his own face. ¡°I thought I¡¯d always been pretty good looking?¡±


    ¡°Spent the whole of yesterday with a fever, and then¡­¡± Jiang Cheng cleared his throat, ¡°exerted yourself so much physically. You should go back and rest well for a few days.¡±


    ¡°I have to go back home first thing tomorrow morning,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Er-Miao¡¯s looking for me.¡±


    ¡°Is two days her limit?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Not exactly¡ªsometimes it¡¯s three days. In the past when I went out by myself it¡¯s always been two or three days,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°If she gets anxious, she¡¯ll start throwing a tantrum and smashing things.¡±


    Jiang Cheng sighed softly. ¡°And she doesn¡¯t listen to your mom at all, right? She¡¯ll only listen to you.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much.¡± Gu Fei pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and held it between his lips. ¡°I can¡¯t really explain it. She¡¯s not entirely like those kids who are born with autism or something ¡ªshe just didn¡¯t like to speak very much when she was younger. There was probably nothing seriously wrong with her.¡±


    ¡°It was¡­ after her head injury?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Mhm, but they didn¡¯t find any problems in the brain scans either.¡± Gu Fei patted Jiang Cheng on the back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about this though¡ªyou should think about your applications. Lao-Xu will probably start doing home visits in the next couple of days.¡±


    ¡°Home visits again?¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°There¡¯s really nothing to talk about with my applications. I¡¯d decided a long time ago. After they publish the minimum entry scores, if I meet the requirement, I¡¯ll just apply directly.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    They were quiet again after that. Gu Fei did not keep asking about the matter of schools, and Jiang Cheng also didn¡¯t want to go deeper into it. Questions of which school and what major were things he really didn¡¯t want to discuss with Gu Fei.


    It was supposed to be an event that made him happy and a little trepidatious, something that he couldn¡¯t help but want to talk about with others. But because of the inevitable departure that drew nearer day by day, it hurt him to even say a single word about it.


    They walked in silence down the length of the street before Gu Fei said, ¡°When the time comes I¡¯ll travel there with you.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng blinked, then quickly waved his hand. ¡°That¡¯s not¡­ why I asked about Gu Miao.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°I¡¯m bringing this up only because I just thought of it. I¡¯ll go with you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng leaned a little closer to him, rubbing up gently against Gu Fei¡¯s arm. ¡°Okay.¡±


    A few days of rest later, Gu Fei started to get busy again.


    When he rested, he mainly slept¡ªat home, or at Jiang Cheng¡¯s place. And Jiang Cheng slept alongside him, as if they were two people who had never slept in their lives. Aside from eating, sleeping was all they did.


    Jiang Cheng thought that it was a poor deal for the two of them to spend their time sleeping when they were together. Since you couldn¡¯t tell that you were still with this person while you were asleep. Then upon waking up, several hours would have passed just like that.


    Yet sometimes, he thought that only when they were lying beside each other, holding each other, and listening to the sound of calm breathing next to their ears, did he feel the most peaceful and grounded.


    It was a wonderful pleasure.


    Jiang Cheng had not made any fun plans for the summer. One reason was that he wasn¡¯t in the mood, and the other was that he didn¡¯t have time.


    Gu Fei¡¯s summer break was his working days. He divided his time between home, the convenience store, and photography gigs. In order to spend as much time together as possible, and also to make some money, Jiang Cheng went along to the photography shoots.


    He had completely gotten used to modelling for photos at this point. He no longer needed to communicate verbally with Gu Fei the photographer¡ªhe usually understood what kind of look Gu Fei was looking for.


    Despite it being tiring work¡ªhe had to put on and take off the makeup, change into sets upon sets of different outfits, and sometimes when they ran into more conceptual styles like Ding Zhuxin¡¯s designs, it took even longer to change into¡ªJiang Cheng would still be in a pretty good mood. He could always look up and see Gu Fei right away.


    The job today was a first for him¡ªan underwear shoot. Ding Zhuxin had introduced them to it.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± Gu Fei had asked him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s for condoms,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°What¡¯s there to be hung up about?¡±


    ¡°I was worried that you¡¯d be embarrassed.¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine if you¡¯re the one taking the photos.¡± Jiang Cheng thought for a moment. ¡°Though you gotta tell them ahead of time, I have a tattoo, is that okay?¡±


    ¡°I asked, it¡¯s not a problem,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I can also hide it away in post.¡±


    Despite knowing the model had a tattoo on his leg, one of the female staff from the underwear company was still a little surprised to see Jiang Cheng after he changed. ¡°A teeth-mark?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s not okay, I¡¯ll hide it when I edit,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°No no no no,¡± she waved her hand, ¡°it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s pretty unique huh¡ªvery sexy.¡±


    Having said that, she bent down and leaned a little closer. ¡°There¡¯s even two widdol hearts?¡±


    Jiang Cheng cleared his throat, a little embarrassed. ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Ah, sorry sorry.¡± She started laughing. ¡°Let¡¯s begin.¡±


    Almost twenty minutes into the shoot, she glanced at Gu Fei and said, ¡°Xiao-Gu.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei answered, still holding the camera.


    ¡°That tattoo of his, it¡¯s a matching set with the one on your collarbone, isn¡¯t it?¡± she asked.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t answer. Jiang Cheng could see his eyes looking over at himself, so he nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a set.¡±


    ¡°Couples teeth-marks?¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Is your tattoo of Xiao-Gu¡¯s teeth-mark then?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty cool,¡± she said, then clapped her hands after another moment of thought. ¡°Ayy, I¡¯m being nosy. No more talking, you two continue shooting.¡±


    She was being nosy. The two of them also didn¡¯t know her that well before this.


    However, Jiang Cheng was not mad, nor did he feel any annoyance. He suddenly realized that starting at some point, he no longer minded whether anyone knew about this little ¡®secret¡¯ of his.


    Perhaps it was their impending separation, but the premature longing he felt even made him feel happy about such nosy questions.


    Yes¡ªour tattoos are couples tattoos. It¡¯s a set. A pair.


    We¡¯re a couple.


    That very good looking young man with long legs is my boyfriend¡­


    Of course, yours truly, the superduper unmatched in handsomeness that you¡¯re looking at, is his boyfriend.


    Aside from commercial shoots, Gu Fei also continued to make all kinds of photography creations. There were ones with people, and ones without, and occasionally a very handsome young man would stride through the frame.


    Jiang Cheng very much enjoyed showing up in the frame like this¡ªin the rosy glow of dawn, in the rays of the setting sun, in misty drizzles, and under the brilliant sunlight. He stuck around in Gu Fei¡¯s viewfinder, frozen in time in his photos.


    Sometimes Gu Fei would set up his tripod, and the two of them would pass through the frame together.


    ¡°You walk over from that side,¡± Gu Fei said from behind the tripod while looking through the viewfinder. ¡°And I¡¯ll walk from this side. Then we¡¯ll exchange a glance in the middle before continuing on. I¡¯m after that feeling of strangers brushing shoulders.¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    As Gu Fei started walking toward him, he also started walking toward Gu Fei.


    There was a breeze in the sunlight.


    A dry, warm breeze.


    Jiang Cheng watched as Gu Fei got closer with every step. His vision was like a 1.2 large aperture lens¡ªaside from Gu Fei, everything else was a blur.


    It felt as though this little stretch of road, not even 20 meters long, had taken him through the past year and a half. Finally, the two of them met in the middle.


    According to Director Gu¡¯s script, they were supposed to make eye contact, brush past each other, and keep going.


    Jiang Cheng knew that Gu Fei only wanted to capture the scenery with passersby in the foreground. But in that instant, he suddenly didn¡¯t feel like cooperating.


    ¡°I¡¯m not turning my back on you,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Fei blinked, but he quickly understood. ¡°Okay.¡±


    Jiang Cheng took another two steps forward, then turned around. Gu Fei had already turned to face him.


    Jiang Cheng smiled. Gu Fei also smiled, then clicked the remote shutter. ¡°Very good.¡±


    ¡°I want to keep the last few for myself,¡± Jiang Cheng said as he walked back to the tripod. ¡°Actually, I want all of them. Can you send me a zip file?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you a zip as soon as I finish editing,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Everyone was pretty busy during the summer. On his end, Pan Zhi had been forcibly dragged by his family to a seaside vacation. It was obvious that he was very reluctant about it¡ªhis WeChat Moments featured only pictures of his three meals every day, and had not a single scenery photo. Their classmates on this end were busy too. Wang Xu helped out at his family¡¯s restaurant every day, and when he wasn¡¯t doing that he was parked outside of Yi Jing¡¯s house. Others were either traveling or working part-time jobs, and those who were redoing the exams next year had already started connecting with cram schools¡­


    Jiang Cheng thought that compared to these people, he and Gu Fei were spending their time entirely too leisurely in the dozen or so days leading up to the scores coming out.


    It wasn¡¯t until a day before that he started to feel a vague anxiety.


    Gu Fei also appeared to have been shaken back to reality¡ªhe tossed and turned in bed for the whole night and still wasn¡¯t able to get to sleep.


    ¡°If you turn around one more time I¡¯ll strip all your clothes off and spank you.¡± Jiang Cheng slapped Gu Fei¡¯s butt.


    ¡°If you wanna spank me I¡¯ll let you just do it, but who knows what will happen if you strip me down,¡± Gu Fei said with a laugh. ¡°After all, I don¡¯t have a fever at the moment.¡±


    Jiang Cheng tutted, ¡°How arrogant of you, little tyrant.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Gu Fei rolled over again and put his arms around Jiang Cheng, ¡°the scores are coming out tomorrow, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes yes yes, didn¡¯t Lao-Xu call earlier specifically to remind us?¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Apparently we can check right after 12 noon.¡±


    ¡°Why do I feel a little nervous,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°You definitely did better than usual. In any case, you¡¯ve forcibly stuffed quite a lot of information in there over the last few months.¡± Jiang Cheng stroked his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not nervous about me, I¡¯m nervous about your score,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Nervous your ass,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Don¡¯t be a nagging grandma like Lao-Xu.¡±


    ¡°Shall we do it?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng answered without thinking, and then paused. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do it.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Do what?¡± Jiang Cheng was still lost.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Gu Fei had been shifting around since he started talking, and by the time Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand reached, he discovered that Gu Fei was already naked.


    ¡°What the shit Gu Fei are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± He was more than a little shocked. ¡°What made you think of fucking while we were talking about checking scores?!¡±


    ¡°I wanted to do it even before we talked about checking scores.¡± Gu Fei sat up and, with a single movement, tossed aside the towel blanket that was covering Jiang Cheng. He sat straddling Jiang Cheng¡¯s body with a bottle of lubricant in his hand. ¡°Take your pants off.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Fuck!¡± Jiang Cheng was still in a state of shock.


    ¡°No problem.¡± Gu Fei immediately answered.


    Jiang Cheng felt like laughing, but when Gu Fei¡¯s hand wandered to his abdomen and continued downward, his breathing suddenly hitched. He couldn¡¯t laugh anymore.


    ¡°Or maybe I¡¯ll take it off for you,¡± Gu Fei leaned in close to his ear and said quietly.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t answer. Every time Gu Fei spoke to him in this lowered voice, he would instantly be overcome by desire. He turned his head to the side and swept his tongue over Gu Fei¡¯s earlobe.


    Gu Fei¡¯s breathing subsequently grew heavier as well.


    ¡°Cheng-ge.¡± Gu Fei¡¯s voice was still beside his ear.


    ¡°¡­ Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng answered. His own voice sounded a little fluttery in his ears.


    ¡°I¡¯ve held it in for too long,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°So I can¡¯t be so patient with the preparations this time.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng felt a little dazed. Every movement of Gu Fei¡¯s hands felt like an intense jolt of stimulation. He could only feel his breaths grow more and more desperate¡ªthere was no more room in his brain to figure out what Gu Fei was trying to say.


    It wasn¡¯t until Gu Fei pushed in abruptly that Jiang Cheng came back to himself, and his whole body stiffened all at once. He sucked in a sharp breath and grabbed Gu Fei¡¯s leg, letting out a very low moan.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Gu Fei pressed Jiang Cheng¡¯s legs down and bent down to kiss him.


    It was the depth of night¡ªthere were no sounds of voices outside the window, only the occasionally passing car and the sound it made when the tires rolled over the ground.


    Jiang Cheng lay on the bed, the night breeze blown in through the gap in the curtains felt soothing as it slid over his body. His eyes were closed. He didn¡¯t want to move.


    Gu Fei had cleaned up everything on the bed and had already come back from his shower, but still Jiang Cheng laid there unmoving.


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t know any better I¡¯d think you were fucked until you passed out.¡± Gu Fei stood over him by the side of the bed. ¡°Should I carry you to the shower?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded with his eyes closed.


    Gu Fei tugged on Jiang Cheng¡¯s arm and pulled him up. Before Jiang Cheng could open his eyes, he felt Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder dig into his stomach, and his body suddenly lift up in the air.


    ¡°My¡­ my¡­¡± Jiang Cheng clenched his teeth and held his breath. ¡°Stomach¡­¡±


    Gu Fei laughed the whole way while carrying him to the bathroom, before setting him on the floor.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Jiang Cheng put one hand on his stomach as he leaned against the wall. ¡°It¡¯s only because people who passed out can¡¯t speak, otherwise they¡¯d be cursing the whole time from being carried like this.¡±


    ¡°Hurry and wash up,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°So you can get up pumped full of energy tomorrow to check your score.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Weirdo.¡± Jiang Cheng tutted.


    He had already forgotten that trace of anxiety surrounding the score-checking, but with Gu Fei¡¯s words, the anxiety suddenly came back and started playing on loop.


    ¡°Now, why did you have to go and say that,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed as he flopped down next to Gu Fei after a shower, ¡°you just had to mention checking scores again.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t fall asleep now?¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°It¡¯s okay, if you can¡¯t sleep then you can¡¯t sleep, it¡¯s not a big deal anyhow. Keep your eyes open until you check the score¡ªyou can sleep after that.¡±


    ¡°That sounds about right.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed.


    That was what he said, and Jiang Cheng also felt like he would probably be awake long enough to see the sunrise, but life was always full of the unexpected.


    He couldn¡¯t remember exactly when he fell asleep, but when he woke up, it was from the sound of Lao-Xu¡¯s phone call.


    Or more precisely, he was shoved awake by Gu Fei, who was holding Jiang Cheng¡¯s phone in his hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s Lao-Xu calling.¡± Gu Fei also looked sleepy, but maybe a tiny bit more awake than Jiang Cheng. ¡°You overslept for the dinner, and now you overslept for score-checking too¡­¡±


    ¡°What time is it?¡± Jiang Cheng was suddenly wide awake.


    ¡°It¡¯s one o¡¯clock, you can probably check now.¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng somehow felt a little trepidation from out of nowhere as he picked up the phone. ¡°Xu-zong?¡±


    ¡°Did you check your score yet!¡± Lao-Xu started off half-yelling into the receiver, almost as if he¡¯d been possessed by Lao-Lu. ¡°Did you check your score yet Jiang Cheng!!¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Jiang Cheng sat up, ¡°I just woke up¡­¡±


    ¡°You overslept for such a crucial moment as this!¡± Lao-Xu¡¯s shouts turned into laughter midway through. ¡°Hurry up and go check! Go!¡±


    ¡°¡­ Did you already check my score?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Yeah! I already checked!¡± Lao-Xu¡¯s laughter came bubbling through the phone receiver. ¡°But I¡¯m not going to tell you¡ªgo check it yourself! Hurry and check! Then give me a call after! HAhahahahahaha¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng hung up and turned to look at Gu Fei.


    ¡°Sounds like it¡¯s not bad.¡± Gu Fei hopped off the bed and turned on his laptop. ¡°Lao-Xu¡¯s practically hysterical.¡±[1]


    ¡°You check it for me,¡± Jiang Cheng said. He could tell from Lao-Xu¡¯s reaction that he had gotten a pretty good score, but he was suddenly a little afraid to check. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you my exam number.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Gu Fei looked at the screen, ¡°I know your exam number.¡±


    Jiang Cheng blinked at him. ¡°I don¡¯t even remember.¡±


    ¡°Your phone number; your ID number; your exam number; your student number¡ªI remember all of it,¡± Gu Fei said as he clacked away at the keyboard. ¡°We slackers are especially proficient at remembering these useless information.¡±


    Jiang Cheng leaned in and kissed Gu Fei on the cheek before quickly retreating back to sit on the bed. ¡°Have you opened it?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t log on onto the website,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry¡­ let me just refresh¡­ there¡¯s probably too many people trying to check their scores right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get some water.¡± Jiang Cheng stood up.


    Gu Fei smacked the desktop just as he was walking out. ¡°I¡¯m in!¡±


    Jiang Cheng froze on the spot¡ªhe couldn¡¯t even look back in that direction. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei stared at the screen for a few moments, then turned to him, ¡°you¡¯re really not gonna come see yourself?¡±


    ¡°Is it going to kill you to give me a number?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°662.¡± Gu Fei immediately announced the score. [2]


    It took several seconds for Jiang Cheng to recover from Gu Fei¡¯s very abrupt method of announcement. He turned, walked up to the laptop to take a look, before slowly sitting back down on the edge of the bed. Then he closed his eyes and let out a long exhale.


    Footnote:


    [1]: Original: Lao-Xu¡¯s practically laughing like Fan Jin.


    Fan Jin: a sad and ridiculous character from the Qing Dynasty satire novel The Scholars. This characters spends his whole life preparing, taking, and failing the official exams. One day, he finally obtains a good result and acts out in a wild and ridiculous manner in public out of sheer joy.


    [2]: As I mentioned in the University Entrance Exams note, a full score is 750, and if you didn¡¯t know, 662 is REALLY HIGH. Check out that note again if you¡¯re interested as I¡¯ve added a little more context with actual stats from 2020.

 CH 107

    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Son of a gun, let¡¯s go get your admission letter.


    Author: Wu Zhe, Translated by Ami <3


    662 points.


    When Gu Fei announced the number out loud, Jiang Cheng¡¯s brain emptied for a brief moment from the sudden relaxing of tensions.


    He sat on the edge of the bed and spaced out for almost twenty seconds before slowly regaining his ability for thought.


    It was enough¡ªhigher even than Jiang Cheng¡¯s own estimate. After all, he had done his fair share of skipping class, fighting, and general fooling around in the early days. All those times he crammed in the days leading up to tests, he was only relying on some cleverness. An atypical overachiever was no match for your stereotypical overachievers. A score like this was entirely satisfactory.


    Not to mention, based on the scores in their province from the past few years, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to get into the school and program he wanted.


    The words he¡¯d said to Shen Yiqing, ¡°I can prove myself, no matter where I am¡±, had finally been realized. He wasn¡¯t just talking out of his ass.


    Even though Shen Yiqing wouldn¡¯t know this¡ªnor was he planning to let her know¡ªit was enough for himself that he knew this. It was what he wanted this whole time.


    ¡°Cheng-ge.¡± Gu Fei called out to him, pulling his thoughts back to reality.


    ¡°Mmn.¡± Jiang Cheng lifted his gaze at him.


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Your efforts weren¡¯t in vain.¡±


    ¡°Your hard work all this time wasn¡¯t in vain.¡± Jiang Cheng reached over and gently caressed Gu Fei¡¯s face. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t force me to say you¡¯re welcome,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve worked hard, boyfriend.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°All in the service of my boyfriend.¡± Gu Fei squeezed Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Check your score.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the computer screen. ¡°Hurry, let¡¯s see what you got.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m probably somewhere in the 300s¡ªdoesn¡¯t make a difference either way.¡± Gu Fei turned to the screen and started typing in his examinee number. ¡°I was thinking before that mine is probably just your score divided by two.¡±


    ¡°I never heard of this kind of estimation.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled.


    ¡°Innovative, right?¡± Gu Fei typed in his number and clicked.


    In the moment when the page was loading, Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a little difficulty breathing. He felt even more nervous than when waiting for his own score. He could feel through his elbow propped on his knees that his legs were shaking slightly.


    Gu Fei¡¯s score wouldn¡¯t be very high¡ªhe had used his class time to play two whole years of idiotic Aixiaochu. Even if he had spent the last few months accompanying Jiang Cheng in his studies, it wasn¡¯t a systematic review. A normal estimate would put his score in the 300s, if he performed as usual¡­


    Still, he was anxious. The page was loading¡ªthe laptop was a little laggy, and the display a little slow. Jiang Cheng waited for a fraction of a second before he gave up and put his forehead against Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder.


    He couldn¡¯t bear to watch.


    A few seconds later, Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder shook a couple times.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t move. He kept his forehead on Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t speak as he continued to laugh.


    ¡°Gu Fei you ass!¡± Jiang Cheng yelled.


    ¡°I got over 400,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It¡¯s just that this number is kind of funny.¡±


    Over 400? Jiang Cheng arched his brows. Based on last year¡¯s statistics, this score was more than enough to make it into any of the third-tier universities. He swiftly turned to look at the total score displayed on the screen.


    419? [1]


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it?¡± Gu Fei laughed as he said.


    ¡°Your Language Art score is pretty good! And your Humanities Comprehensive isn¡¯t too bad either.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s attention had immediately shifted away. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Math¡­ and this English¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think my math score would go above 30.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°This is already me overperforming.¡±


    Gu Fei¡¯s Language Arts score was 128, but the two subjects of math and English dragged it down too much. These weren¡¯t things that he could make up for just from a few months of studying with      Jiang Cheng.


    Although as a whole, with everything else Gu Fei was busy doing in these months, it was already pretty great that he was able to get this score from just occasionally quizzing Jiang Cheng or flipping through his notes from time to time.


    Jiang Cheng stood up, walked up behind Gu Fei, and bent down to hug him. Then he nuzzled his head in the crook of Gu Fei¡¯s neck.


    ¡°You should give Lao-Xu a call.¡± Gu Fei reached back and gently squeezed the back of Jiang Cheng¡¯s neck. ¡°He must be waiting for you to call him. Or else he¡¯s gonna call back real soon.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    This year, the Number One Scholar of the Humanities Exams in their province had gotten 664. Jiang Cheng¡¯s score of 662 didn¡¯t allow Lao-Xu to experience what it felt like to be the homeroom teacher of the Number One Scholar, though it was probably the highest score he¡¯d seen since he started teaching at Fourth High. Lao-Xu was so thrilled that he couldn¡¯t even speak properly. Every time he thought about it he would give Jiang Cheng a call to marvel at the result. It almost felt like he could retire and end his teaching career right then and have no regrets.


    For the next few days, Jiang Cheng¡¯s phone rang off the hook.


    There were calls from his classmates, teachers, the principal, the school directors, the school board, and from student enrollment offices. Even going out to get breakfast, he would be recognized by the breakfast stall owner.


    ¡°Are you that student, Jiang Cheng? The one who got the highest score in the whole city on the University Entrance Exams? The Jiang Cheng who¡¯s the top five or top ten of the province or something?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Jiang Cheng answered. ¡°I¡¯d like a tray of meat buns¡­¡±


    ¡°Hahahahaha, see that!¡± The owner gleefully rested his hands on his hips akimbo. ¡°The Number One Scholar in the city got there by eating breakfast at my stall every day! My breakfast nourishes the brain!¡±


    ¡°And tofu pudding¡­¡± Jiang Cheng continued helplessly.


    ¡°That¡¯s right! Tofu pudding also nourishes the brain!¡± The owner continued gloating. [2]


    ¡°Fried¡­¡± Jiang Cheng was cut off before he could finish.


    ¡°Fried dough fritters and fried pancakes are also¡­¡± The owner kept on.


    ¡°Double portions to go!¡± Jiang Cheng raised his voice and also cut him off.


    ¡°No problemo!¡± The owner started to pack up his food. ¡°Today¡¯s breakfast is on the house, Top Scholar!¡±


    When he came back to his apartment, Jiang Cheng took his phone out and turned it off.


    ¡°What if someone is looking for you?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s not much left to do. It¡¯s just the teachers at the enrollment offices who keep calling. The entry scores are about to come out and it¡¯s time for applications¡ªthey¡¯re all gunning for recruitment,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I¡¯ve already decided where I¡¯m going a long time ago, there¡¯s no use playing tug-of-war with them at this point.¡±


    ¡°Have you told Lao-Xu?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°¡­ I guess I¡¯ll tell him now.¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it and turned his phone back on, then looked at Gu Fei. ¡°I want to go the the Law program at R University.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Gu Fei blinked at him.


    Jiang Cheng stared at the power on screen on his phone. It was the first time he talked to Gu Fei about the school he wanted to go to. For some reason, he felt an inexplicable sense of anxiety after he said it out loud.


    ¡°You¡¯d decided on this before?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°I¡¯d thought about it in middle school. It¡¯s something I¡¯m interested in, and I like the idea of having a solid skill in hand.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡± Gu Fei pulled him into his arms. ¡°A top program is better than a top school, right?¡±


    Jiang Cheng smiled as he turned and kissed Gu Fei.


    Lao-Xu had a hard time wrapping his head around Jiang Cheng¡¯s decision¡ªhe attempted to verify with Jiang Cheng multiple times, ¡°You can get into B University with this score. You really don¡¯t want to go?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°But B University¡¯s Humanities programs are the best in the country,¡± Lao-Xu said. ¡°You¡¯re really not going to consider it?¡±


    ¡°R University has the best Law program,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Really Xu-zong. I¡¯m not going to consider B University. If my score is over the entry threshold I¡¯ll just apply to R University directly.¡±


    ¡°Alright then, alright. The best program is certainly important.¡± Lao-Xu thought about it some more. ¡°You know what you¡¯re doing, kid. Xu-zong supports you! Either way, wherever you go, you¡¯ll always be my most promising student!¡±


    ¡°Xu-zong,¡± Jiang Cheng gave a little smile, ¡°I¡¯m going to keep my phone off for the next little while. If anyone else from other schools ask, can you talk to them for me?¡±


    ¡°Sure sure, alright,¡± Lao-Xu answered. Then he added after a little thought, ¡°Ah Jiang Cheng, you¡¯re pretty close with Gu Fei, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei beside him, ¡°what is it?¡±


    ¡°I checked his score,¡± Lao-Xu said. ¡°He can get into a third-tier no problem. It¡¯s just that¡­ third-tier schools all have high tuition. I¡¯m worried about his family¡¯s situation¡­ If he has any trouble, both Teacher Lu and I can help him think of something. If I talk to him, he¡¯ll refuse for sure. So I¡¯m wondering if you can talk to him¡ªsee what he¡¯s thinking.¡±


    After ending the call with Lao-Xu, Jiang Cheng turned his phone off and set it on the table before breathing out a sigh of relief. ¡°All quiet now.¡±


    ¡°What does Lao-Xu want you to talk to me about?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°He said third-tier schools have high tuition rates, so if it¡¯s difficult for you to bear¡­ he and Lao-Lu can help think of something.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°He thinks I¡¯ll refuse, so he asked you to come talk to me first?¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. He had actually considered this problem before,  but didn¡¯t manage to ask it out loud. Lao-Xu said he knew what he was doing, but Gu Fei was the one who really knew what he was doing. For almost twenty years he had handled his own life. How he wanted to do something and how to go about it¡ªGu Fei¡¯s thought process on that was clearer than anyone¡¯s. ¡°Though I feel like it doesn¡¯t make much of a difference whether I talk to you about it or not.¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei pinched Jiang Cheng¡¯s chin, ¡°do you trust me?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Jiang Cheng answered without thinking.


    ¡°If I want to, I can also prove myself, no matter where I am,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Mmn.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him and nodded.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t ask about Gu Fei¡¯s decision again. He didn¡¯t know whether Lao-Xu had gone to talk to Gu Fei again either.


    Although he¡¯d already guessed what Gu Fei¡¯s decision was. With Gu Fei¡¯s personality, he would never accept any kind of ¡°think of something¡±. In the last almost twenty years of his life, he had only himself. If he could deal with something on his own, then he dealt with it on his own¡ªit was already a habit.


    If he couldn¡¯t handle a high tuition, then he would find a school where he could afford the tuition.


    Jiang Cheng knew that whatever choice Gu Fei made, he would not interfere, nor would he feel sorry for him or lament his choice.


    That was the sort of person Gu Fei was. If ever he was willing to open his eyes, he would be invincible.


    When it came to his boyfriend, Jiang Cheng felt like he needn¡¯t even blink when singing his praises¡ªhe could blurt out an entire essay with a perfect score without even missing a beat.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t turn his phone back on until after he submitted his application.


    He spent every day with Gu Fei, just like before. They would take some jobs, take some pictures, eat, sleep, and walk Gu Miao.


    The days had gone by with nothing of significance happening. The peaceful days should¡¯ve gone by very slowly, except this time, time felt more like a gust of wind¡ªhe only scrunched up his eyes as it came, and already it had passed.


    There was no suspense to Jiang Cheng¡¯s application¡ªhe went with where he wanted to go. Gu Fei¡¯s application made Lao-Xu a little sad. He had foregone the third-tier universities and applied to a Normal School.


    Jiang Cheng thought that there was nothing wrong with his boyfriend¡¯s decision. The tuition was low at that school, and there was financial aid to boot. He would also have a stable job upon graduation. The most important point was that the school wasn¡¯t very far from Gu Fei¡¯s home. They had even passed by a couple of times when they went prowling around town¡ªthe campus was pretty large.


    ¡°How did you go about telling Lao-Xu?¡± Jiang Cheng asked. ¡°He must¡¯ve thought it a shame. He must not have given up without a hundred rounds of back and forth, huh?¡±


    ¡°I said I want to be a good teacher like him,¡± Gu Fei leaned forward on the windowsill with a cigarette in his mouth, ¡°and he suddenly couldn¡¯t go on.¡±


    Jiang Cheng burst out laughing from his nest on the sofa. ¡°You really are too much.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true¡ªwords of utmost sincerity,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°A college diploma is enough to teach middle school around here¡­¡±


    ¡°Teacher Gu will specialize in conquering all sorts of rebels.¡± Jiang Cheng cracked up.


    The two of them laughed together for a while, then eventually they both fell quiet.


    With his one sentence, Gu Fei had drawn two parallel lines.


    Jiang Cheng slumped on the sofa with his legs on the coffee table, and his eyes staring blankly at the TV. He wasn¡¯t thinking about anything, his mind was completely empty of thoughts. He didn¡¯t even know what was playing on TV.


    Though he could sense the slightest stir from Gu Fei¡¯s side.


    The guy had smoked three cigarettes, drank almost a whole glass of water, and went to the bathroom once.


    ¡°Cheng-ge.¡± Gu Fei sat down beside Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like talking right now.¡± Jiang Cheng stared at the TV. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, I¡¯m just gonna space out for a while.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t keep talking. He sat beside Jiang Cheng and stared at the TV with him.


    Jiang Cheng continued staring until his eyes started to feel dry, and he was so hungry that he felt a little nauseous. He grabbed the remote, turned off the TV, and turned to look at Gu Fei.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei turned to him as well. ¡°Hungry?¡±


    ¡°There will be a way.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°Even if we can¡¯t think of it right now, there will be a way in the future,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Even if there¡¯s no way, even if we have to keep going back and forth between two places for the rest of our lives, that¡¯s also not a big deal.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°Think of it as me being shameless if you want,¡± Jiang Cheng frowned, ¡°but no one is allowed to let go.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    Jiang Cheng knew the problem could not be solved with only a childish perseverance, it was far from enough. However, the only thing they could do at the moment was childish perseverance. And so they would persevere.


    He did not continue discussing the matter any further with Gu Fei¡ªnothing would come of it anyway. Besides, the days were passing by way too quickly. So quickly that they only had time to celebrate another joint birthday together before it was over.


    His admission letter arrived.


    Lao-Xu¡¯s call came in on Gu Fei¡¯s phone, ¡°That son of a gun Jiang Cheng! Is he addicted to having his phone off! Does he not want his admission letter!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Son of a gun, let¡¯s go get your admission letter.


    It was Jiang Cheng¡¯s first time coming back to Fourth High after the exams.


    There were red horizontal banners hung on both walls next to the front gate of the school: Top Scholar of the City; Top 10 in the Province; Student Jiang Cheng. After all, it was an incident worthy of being written into the history of Fourth High, so they pulled out all the stops.


    ¡°What the shit.¡± After looking at the banners, Jiang Cheng froze upon entering the gate. The glass display case inside the gates was also covered in a sea of red. He had come to terms with the banners and posters, but there was a gigantic blown-up photo of him inside the display case. ¡°That¡¯s me?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Gu Fei took one look and started laughing. ¡°Yes, student Jiang Cheng.¡±


    ¡°What the shit, did they use the photo I gave them for my student ID? They could¡¯ve used the ones from the basketball games! Why use this one!¡± Jiang Cheng was instantly extremely displeased. ¡°It¡¯s so fugly!¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± Gu Fei quickly pulled out his phone and snapped a bunch of pictures of the display case. ¡°Very handsome. The only ones who can manage to take such good looking ID photos are the two of us, and no one else.¡±


    ¡°Do you have shame? You had to tag yourself along even when complimenting someone else?¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him, then after a moment of thought, still couldn¡¯t let it go. ¡°Can I talk to the school about switching out the picture? Maybe get one of yours?¡±


    ¡°Cheng-ge how are you so¡­ vain?¡± Gu Fei couldn¡¯t stop laughing. ¡°Who in Fourth High doesn¡¯t know that you¡¯re handsome?¡±


    Jiang Cheng glared at him without a word.


    ¡°Alright fine, we¡¯ll go talk to Lao-Xu about it,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I¡¯ll just blow up one of my photos of you and give it to the school myself, how¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    It might be summer break, but cram school had already started. The whole way from the front gates to Lao-Xu¡¯s office, Jiang Cheng received a great number of praises, commendations, and looks.


    It was only then, only in the moment when he accepted the admissions letter from Lao-Xu¡¯s hands, did Jiang Cheng feel a final sense of reality about his University Entrance Exams.


    ¡°Let me see¡­ Good news! Congratulations on your admittance to our school¡¯s law program¡­¡± Gu Fei took the admissions letter and read it intently. ¡°Law major¡­ sounds very impressive huh, Cheng-ge.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very impressive in reality too!¡± Lao-Xu was a little excited. ¡°Come on Da-Fei, why don¡¯t you take a picture of me and Jiang Cheng. Use my cell phone. Here Jiang Cheng, hold your admissions letter.¡±


    Despite thinking that taking a picture like this was more than a little silly, still Jiang Cheng stood beside Lao-Xu and held up his admissions letter in front of him.


    Lao-Xu took a long time to smooth out his clothes. ¡°Ready.¡±


    Gu Fei took a photo of them with Lao-Xu¡¯s phone.


    ¡°Xu-zong, it¡¯s about time for you to get a new phone,¡± he said when he handed the phone back to Lao-Xu. ¡°I take a picture with your cell phone, and it looks like it was taken with a wired phone.¡±


    ¡°Oh you nag, I was just about to buy a new phone. It¡¯s a joyful occasion after all!¡± Lao-Xu thought about it for a second. ¡°How about you take another one with your phone and send it to me.¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. He had no choice but to hold up the admissions letter once again and crack open his mouth.


    Coming back to the apartment after getting his admissions letter, Jiang Cheng lay on the bed and breathed out. Everything seemed to be settling into place.


    Gu Fei sat down beside him with the admissions package, looked through it multiple times backwards and forwards, and still didn¡¯t put it down. Before that, he¡¯d even set up some props and took a few pictures with his camera.


    ¡°Little bunbun,¡± Jiang Cheng touched his leg, ¡°what exactly are you looking at?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking at how fucking impressive my boyfriend is,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°This admissions package from your R University even looks extremely fancy.¡±


    ¡°Your boyfriend is right here.¡± Jiang Cheng pointed at himself. ¡°To see how fucking impressive I am, wouldn¡¯t it be great if you¡¯d turn around and look at the real thing.¡±


    Gu Fei put down the admissions package, turned to look at Jiang Cheng, and after a long time finally smiled and said, ¡°Cheng-ge.¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Jiang Cheng put his leg on Gu Fei¡¯s and rubbed them together.


    ¡°Have I ever told you,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°That you are my pride.¡±


    Jiang Cheng stared at him. He stared for at least two minutes before he finally spoke, ¡°Come here, let me have a bite.¡±


    Gu Fei lay down beside Jiang Cheng, who rolled over and hugged Gu Fei tight before giving Gu Fei a very intent bite on the shoulder. He could feel like it was a hard bite. Gu Fei sucked in a breath.


    ¡°I can just hand you a knife so you can cut it directly¡ªsaves you the trouble of biting,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°You are my back.¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei¡¯s admission letter came much later. Jiang Cheng only had a few more days to go before he had to register at the school, when Lao-Xu finally called, ¡°Your admissions letter! Is here!¡±


    Jiang Cheng also looked through the admissions package backwards and forwards multiple times. He finally understood why Gu Fei did the same that day. It was satisfying. Anything related to the boyfriend was endlessly satisfying to look through.


    ¡°Chinese major.¡± Jiang Cheng took a bunch of pictures of the admissions letter with his phone. ¡°Amazing, Teacher Gu.¡±


    ¡°Li Yan said to go out to eat together tomorrow,¡± Gu Fei said as he laughed. ¡°He mentioned it before when the scores came out, but I didn¡¯t say yes. Now that the admissions have arrived and you¡¯ll have to go register soon, shall we go eat together?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± At the mention of the word ¡°register¡±, Jiang Cheng felt a complicated mix of emotions. However, since they had come to a decision already, he didn¡¯t continue to think about it further. ¡°Let¡¯s go. I feel like I haven¡¯t seen him and the others this whole summer.¡±


    ¡°Seeing me is enough,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jiang Cheng leaned in and kissed the tip of his nose.


    This meal was something of a two-in-one deal: a celebration of them receiving their admissions letters, and a send-off party for Jiang Cheng.


    Compared to the farewell dinner before, there was no atmosphere of emotional parting during a meal with Li Yan and ¡®Not A Good Bird¡¯. They ate meat, drank alcohol, and were generally merry. Jiang Cheng felt like the meal satisfied his body and mind.


    Li Yan and the others had come together and bought a very nice looking suitcase for Jiang Cheng as a gift. There was even a very thoughtful bow on top.


    Jiang Cheng rolled the suitcase back to his apartment, and once again felt a sense of panic at the parting.


    ¡°What am I gonna do?¡± He looked at Gu Fei.


    ¡°What do you mean what are you gonna do?¡± Gu Fei blinked.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little¡­ scared.¡± Jiang Cheng wrapped his arms around Gu Fei. ¡°I suddenly don¡¯t wanna go to registration.¡±


    ¡°Fine, you can redo the exams next year,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Let¡¯s have another year of endless studying days and nights?¡±


    ¡°Fuck off.¡± Jiang Cheng tutted.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be scared.¡± Gu Fei smiled and held Jiang Cheng tight, rubbing his hands over his back. ¡°Cheng-ge¡¯s the best. Cheng-ge¡¯s not scared of anything. I¡¯m still right here, when you¡¯re scared you can reach back and touch me.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes.


    ¡°Besides, I¡¯ll be taking you there,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°What¡¯s there to be scared of? I can beat up your roommates to start, then you won¡¯t be scared anymore.¡±


    ¡°Dumbass.¡± Jiang Cheng started laughing.


    Gu Fei laughed idiotically along with him.


    Jiang Cheng rested his chin on Gu Fei¡¯s shoulder as he gave into the laughter. But slowly, he started to feel a twinge in his nose. Then all of a sudden, he accidentally let a careless tear slip down his face.


    Footnote:


    [1]: Eh, I had to look this up. It¡¯s a silly English pun: 419 = for one night, as in one-night-stands..


    [2]: Tofu pudding [¶¹¸¯ÄÔ] translated literally is ¡°tofu brains¡±

 CH 108

    ¡°Cheng-ge, I miss you so much. Right here, right now.¡±


    Author: Wu Zhe, Translated by Ami <3


    The admission letter listed the registration date as the 9th. Gu Fei suggested that they should arrive a couple days early to get familiar with the surroundings, but Jiang Cheng neither agreed nor disagreed. Since Jiang Cheng said that he would buy the tickets, Gu Fei did not continue to bring it up.


    Jiang Cheng procrastinated until the moment when if he didn¡¯t buy the tickets right then, he¡¯d probably not be able to get any. Under the threat of that deadline, he finally bought the tickets for the 8th.


    Looking at the reservation information sent to his phone, Jiang Cheng felt a little dispirited. At that moment, the misery of his looming departure was so overwhelming that it completely and utterly vanquished any joy of finally getting to go to his preferred school.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei was standing in front of the closet as he took out Jiang Cheng¡¯s clothes one by one, ¡°you really don¡¯t want to pack your own clothes? What if I packed something you don¡¯t like¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡± Jiang Cheng was sitting cross-legged on the bed, playing the idiotic Aixiaochu on Gu Fei¡¯s phone. He hadn¡¯t really helped Gu Fei play this game for a long time, and Li Yan had surpassed him by more than a few levels. The game had even updated three more levels already.


    ¡°Then don¡¯t yell at me later when you don¡¯t like the clothes you took,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you pack me that t-shirt of yours, the dumb one that says ¡®F U C K¡¯ on it.¡±


    ¡°That dumbass shirt is really old though,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna wear it to sleep.¡± Jiang Cheng put his head down and went back to the game.


    ¡°Alright then. I¡¯ll go home later to get it.¡± Gu Fei gave a little smile.


    ¡°And those track pants of yours with the stripes down the sides, and the black hoodie,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Oh yeah, and the grey jacket¡­ Oh and uh, why don¡¯t you grab a few pairs of your¡­ underwear, for me to take with.¡±


    ¡°How about this,¡± Gu Fei looked at him with one hand on the closet door, ¡°we stop packing here, and mister can come get it straight from my house?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all.¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it and also laughed. ¡°Leave me alone, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to miss a few pieces of clothing.¡±


    ¡°The ones that mister ordered are all ones I wear on the daily,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Oho,¡± Jiang Cheng gave him a sideways look, ¡°nevermind then. If I took them I guess you¡¯ll just have to run around naked, huh?¡±


    ¡°Geez.¡± Gu Fei cracked up laughing. ¡°Anything else you want? I¡¯ll grab it all in one go when I go home later.¡±


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Huh?¡± Gu Fei answered again.


    ¡°Gu. Fei.¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°What, have you suddenly gone dumb?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Oh,¡± Gu Fei started laughing, ¡°got it.¡±


    He walked to the bedside and planted a kiss on Jiang Cheng¡¯s forehead. ¡°You don¡¯t need to take Gu Fei with you. Gu Fei is already yours¡ªcan¡¯t be lost¡ªhe¡¯s yours no matter what.¡±


    Jiang Cheng swiftly reached up and bit Gu Fei on the chin.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Gu Fei flicked Jiang Cheng¡¯s head. ¡°You better fix this problem of yours. I¡¯m probably the only one who can¡­¡±


    ¡°What, who else?¡± Jiang Cheng tutted. ¡°Should I bite Pan Zhi? Or Li Yan, or Wang Xu?¡±


    Gu Fei laughed the whole way back to the closet and continued packing Jiang Cheng¡¯s clothes. When he got to the underwear, he picked one up and asked, ¡°How come this one has a hole? Did you blow a hole in it with your farts?¡±


    ¡°I hung it on the hook the other day when I was showering, and it caught on something and ripped a hole when I pulled it off,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°You could¡¯ve asked if you were the one who poked a hole in it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that powerful,¡± Gu Fei laughed as he said. ¡°Or maybe we can try it tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him and smacked his hand on the mattress, ¡°I just remembered something extremely important.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Since we don¡¯t have any plans for the next few days, let¡¯s hurry and use our remaining time to roll around.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s brows were furrowed. ¡°Otherwise when I go away to school, we¡¯d have to wait until October 1st before we have time again.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Ah, that truly is a very serious and very important matter.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    An activity like rolling around, once started, would have no end. They would sleep when tired, and keep going once they woke up. Young people were filled with the fire of life¡ªif ever they felt emptied out, all they needed was a night¡¯s sleep before feeling pumped full of energy again.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei was lying on the bed holding his phone, going through the ticket information from the other day, ¡°since we¡¯re leaving for the train station tomorrow morning, in order to get up on time, should we hit pause on the great and important work of rolling around? It¡¯s just that we¡¯re also running out of lube and condoms and stuff¡­¡±


    ¡°Why are you so shameless.¡± Jiang Cheng turned to him. ¡°Do you not feel at all embarrassed when you say things like this?¡±


    ¡°¡­ You¡¯ve done it like a hundred and eight thousand times already and you wanna tell me you¡¯re embarrassed?¡± Gu Fei laughed out loud. ¡°As if your voice wasn¡¯¡­¡±


    ¡°You bastard!¡± Jiang Cheng lunged over and covered Gu Fei¡¯s mouth. ¡°Even if I¡¯ve done it two hundred and sixteen thousand times I¡¯m still not as thick-skinned as you, running your mouth like this!¡±


    Gu Fei continued to cackle beneath Jiang Cheng¡¯s palm¡ªhis eyes turned into curvy slits.


    ¡°Tell me! Were you wrong!¡± Jiang Cheng glared viciously at Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei mumbled something incoherently.


    ¡°Talk properly!¡± Jiang Cheng continued glaring at him.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t make a sound this time. He stuck his tongue out and licked the center of Jiang Cheng¡¯s palm.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Jiang Cheng immediately felt like his heart had been filled with a hundred bunny plushies¡ªit was full with soft fluffy tenderness. He removed his hand and also licked Gu Fei on the lips. ¡°Right this second, I already miss you so much that it¡¯s killing me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go visit you when I have time.¡± Gu Fei held him. ¡°No need to wait until October.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jiang Cheng sprawled himself on top of Gu Fei and buried his face in Gu Fei¡¯s neck.


    They didn¡¯t go out for dinner that day. After bringing Gu Miao to the store, they cooked something to eat together.


    Gu Miao didn¡¯t know that Jiang Cheng would be going away to school. Gu Fei thought that it was best that she didn¡¯t know. She could go a long stretch of time without seeing Jiang Cheng, but if they told her that Jiang Cheng was leaving, and that she wouldn¡¯t be able to see him for a long time, she would find it unacceptable and throw a fit.


    ¡°Would be great,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed gently, ¡°if this was also her attitude toward you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m her big brother after all.¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything.


    Gu Miao also has a mom, but you¡¯ll never see her throw a fit just because she doesn¡¯t see her mom.


    He knew though, that these words were futile.


    Gu Fei was definitely a unique kind of presence to Gu Miao. There were likely only two kinds of people in Gu Miao¡¯s world: her brother, and everyone else.


    This place where she¡¯d lived since she was born, and the only support she had all this time¡ªthese were things that must not change, and must not be lost.


    Gu Miao took Jiang Cheng¡¯s hand and drew a green bunny on the back of it. Then she coloured it in.


    ¡°That looks great,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    This praise put Gu Miao in a pretty good mood, so she drew another one exactly like it on his hand, and coloured it in just like the last one.


    Just as she was about to draw a third, Gu Fei intervened from the side and said, ¡°Hey, that¡¯s an oil based marker. How¡¯s your Cheng-ge supposed to go out tomorrow like this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty cool.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at the back of his hand.


    Gu Fei had to take Gu Miao home in the evening, so Jiang Cheng returned to his apartment first.


    He wasn¡¯t planning to terminate the lease here, since he still had to come back during the summer. Besides, this way Gu Fei would have a place to come to if he wanted to be by himself.


    Jiang Cheng pulled open a drawer, took out an envelope and counted the money inside, then repacked the bills into a lucky envelope.


    He had told Gu Fei previously to not rush about giving him the modelling money, and Gu Fei had been keeping it safe for him. A few days ago, Gu Fei had withdrawn all of it and given it to him.


    Jiang Cheng took 8000 yuan out of that to leave for Gu Fei.


    It wasn¡¯t a lot of money, and there was no way Gu Fei would accept more. Though he wasn¡¯t sure either why he wanted to leave money for Gu Fei.


    Maybe it was because he was reluctant to leave Gu Fei, or maybe he only wanted to do something for his boyfriend¡ªto share a little of the burden.


    He opened the closet and put the lucky envelope in the pocket of one of Gu Fei¡¯s jackets.


    Jiang Cheng stood there and giggled into the closet for a long time as he imagined Gu Fei¡¯s face when he would put on this jacket one day and find the red envelope inside.


    Gu Fei¡¯s worry that they might oversleep and miss the train the next day was proven by reality to be a rather unnecessary one.


    They would definitely not miss the train, because neither of them slept very much the entire night.


    Jiang Cheng kept a pretty good tally on the number of times Gu Fei tossed and turned. Gu Fei even turned to him several times in the middle of the night to gently stroke his cheek. When that happened, Jiang Cheng would try his hardest to clench his teeth and hold still¡ªhe didn¡¯t want Gu Fei to find out that he couldn¡¯t sleep, and worry. Just like how his heart ached for Gu Fei, knowing that he didn¡¯t sleep the whole night.


    When the sun was almost up, Jiang Cheng finally could not bear it anymore. He rolled over and pulled Gu Fei into his arms.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake?¡± Gu Fei asked him quietly.


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Jiang Cheng hummed.


    ¡°You should sleep for a little longer. It¡¯s not time yet.¡± Gu Fei patted his back. ¡°I¡¯ll wake you when it¡¯s time to get up.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes.


    He finally fell asleep at sunrise.


    Though the feeling was more akin to closing his eyes, just to have Gu Fei shake him awake immediately after. ¡°Cheng-ge, get up and come eat breakfast.¡±


    Get up. Get dressed. Wash up. Eat breakfast. Check luggage. Leave.


    They were silent throughout this whole process. Even knowing that Gu Fei would get on and off the train with him, would travel to the school with him, still Jiang Cheng felt extremely down.


    Gu Fei could only stay with him for two days. Registration was tomorrow, and the day after that, Gu Fei would have to come back first thing in the morning.


    And take the train back by himself.


    Just thinking about it was unbearable¡ªto leave as two, and return as one. He didn¡¯t dare to imagine how Gu Fei must feel.


    There were lots of people at the station. The station that was old, forever run-down and dirty with hints of desolation, that seemed like it would never change, was looking lively due to the start of the school year. In and out of the station were throngs of students with suitcases.


    Anticipation was written all over their faces. At this point, regardless of whether they had done well on the exams, and whether they were going to their preferred schools, all of that took a backseat. Most of their hearts were already filled with the excitement of the new and unknown life ahead of them.


    It wasn¡¯t too long of a train journey to the school, so Jiang Cheng had purchased seater tickets. Frankly, even if it was a longer trip, he still would¡¯ve wanted to buy seaters. This way, the two of them could sit side by side, arm pressed against arm, and leg against leg. They could lean against the other¡¯s shoulder with just a tilt of the head. If they had sleepers, these actions wouldn¡¯t be as natural.


    If two boys with their own bunks insisted on squeezing together on a single one, it would no doubt look suspicious.


    They found their seats in the noisy car, put their luggages away, and sat down, before breathing sighs of relief.


    It was only then that Jiang Cheng felt a little regret for buying the tickets so late. If he had gotten them sooner they might¡¯ve been able to choose a two-seater row. Now, they were sitting in a three-seater row, and neither of them were next to the window.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t bad at all.¡± Gu Fei leaned close and pressed his arm against Jiang Cheng¡¯s. ¡°It¡¯s already fortunate that we¡¯re not separated by the aisle. Look at those two in front of us.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced ahead¡ªthere was a young couple in front of them. It was clear that they were just like themselves. The boy was taking the girl to school.


    They sat one each on either side of the aisle, and held hands across the walkway. If someone was passing by, they would let go, and rejoin their hands after the person passed, repeating the actions ad infinitum.


    ¡°If we had to sit like that, would we hold hands?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little cheesy,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°We can intertwine and linger with our eyes.¡±


    Jiang Cheng laughed as he looked at Gu Fei.


    ¡°Am I wrong?¡± Gu Fei looked into his eyes and giggled as he said. ¡°Just like this, two pairs of eyes meeting across space and time. I see your longing, and you hear me say: I¡¯ll be by your side¡­ Thank you for listening to the Gu Feifei Love Poetry Mini Broadcast.¡±


    ¡°Fuck off,¡± Jiang Cheng was shaking with laughter. ¡°Don¡¯t copy me.¡±


    ¡°That is wrong of you, Contestant Jiang Cheng. You shouldn¡¯t corner the market,¡± Gu Fei said seriously.


    They continued joking around until the auntie in the window seat arrived, and finally stopped.


    Jiang Cheng pulled out his phone and took a photo of the platform to share to his WeChat Moments.


    Very quickly, there were a bunch of replies under it, wishing him well and saying goodbye.


    Wang Xu left the first comment: Come back for October 1st, we¡¯ll eat pie.


    Jiang Cheng chuckled for a while at that before putting his phone away. Then he leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes.


    Not long after that, the announcement notified them that the train would be departing soon.


    Jiang Cheng opened his eyes. In the instant when the train first stirred, his heart stopped for a brief moment.


    He swiftly directed his gaze out the window. There was no one left on the platform. The scenery started to shift backwards.


    The train really was departing.


    The window was like a screen, displaying the changing view like slides in a Magic Lantern. The train station quickly disappeared from sight, and the view was replaced by stretches of worn-down shacks and taller buildings in the distance.


    These houses gradually grew sparser, then eventually also disappeared. The view now showed swathes of farm fields.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s heart also felt a little hollowed out.


    What he felt back then, as he came here all by himself, dragging his suitcase behind him, was completely different from how he felt right now. At the time, he had hardly taken more than a couple of glances out the window.


    It was a tiny city that he was once reluctant to spend another day in¡ªa place that he only wanted to escape from. But now that it faded out of sight behind him, he was actually starting to miss it.


    He was still adamant on leaving this place¡ªthere was no way he could stay¡ªbut also true was that it contained precious memories that he would never in a million years forget, as well as a person he would never in a million years let go of.


    Jiang Cheng finally drew back his gaze when his phone rang. It was a call from Pan Zhi.


    The guy really put his words before the exams to action. Even though he didn¡¯t exactly do well, he still convinced his parents to throw in the money that would get him into a university in the same city as Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Is that Pan Zhi?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jiang Cheng picked up the phone, ¡°he insisted on picking me up¡­¡±


    ¡°If I really don¡¯t go to pick you up, wouldn¡¯t you be very disappointed?¡± Pan Zhi heard Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice from the other end and voiced his displeasure. ¡°Cheng-er, don¡¯t get me wrong, but the way you¡¯re treating me right now is just like a scummy playboy.¡±


    ¡°As an actual authentic playboy,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°You dare to be so thick-skinned as to accuse your gramps of being scummy?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I? Can you find fault in my single-minded devotion to you?¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°You two don¡¯t arrive until the afternoon, and I¡¯m already walking around your campus.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°When you said you were picking me up, did you mean at the train station or at the school gates?¡±


    ¡°The train station of course! How do you not know me at all, are we even bros anymore?¡± Pan Zhi tutted a couple of times. ¡°I¡¯m just here for an early tour, there¡¯s lots of pretty girls at your school¡­ Oh yeah, did you tell Gu Fei that I¡¯m picking you up?¡±


    ¡°I mentioned it,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I just wanted him to know that he has no choice but to tolerate this third wheel. Since you pretty much ignored this third wheel for the entire summer, as if you¡¯ve never known me,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°Though I am still fairly considerate. I won¡¯t watch if you two want to hold hands or make out or something¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng pressed the phone to Gu Fei¡¯s ear so he could listen in. Gu Fei cracked up, ¡°We¡¯ll have to present you with the Best Giant Wheel Award then.¡±


    They didn¡¯t talk much for the rest of the way, choosing instead to lean against each other with their eyes closed.


    Jiang Cheng was certain that he and Gu Fei both fell asleep, and very sloppily too. More than a few times their heads would knock into one another, and they would open their eyes, exchange a look, and go back to sleep.


    The train was very punctual. About 20 minutes before its scheduled arrival, many people were already waiting at the door with their luggages.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei yawned and rotated his shoulder, ¡°did you not sleep well last night?¡±


    ¡°Nah. I slept pretty well.¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his face.


    ¡°You were snoring just now,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Bull¡ª¡± Jiang Cheng started but broke off halfway to turn and glare at Gu Fei. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Shit.¡± Jiang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. Wherever he was, it was always important to maintain his image. A handsome guy snoring with his mouth open on the train would definitely be a tragic phenomenon that could not be redeemed even by his good looks.


    The auntie at the window seat was also about to squeeze past them to the door with her luggage. Jiang Cheng stood up with one leg curled on the seat and looked up and down the train car.


    Gu Fei reached his hand discreetly into Jiang Cheng¡¯s shirt and caressed his belly.


    Just as he was about to take his hand out, Jiang Cheng leaned forward against the back of the seat and trapped his hand there.


    ¡°Bold, aren¡¯t we?¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°This is the time to give oneself over to passion.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled at him. ¡°It¡¯s not like anyone knows me here.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything. His fingers curled and scratched Jiang Cheng¡¯s belly.


    It wasn¡¯t until everyone else left the car that they finally got off the train with their luggage, walking toward the exit gate where Pan Zhi was waiting for them.


    Halfway there, Jiang Cheng got a call from Pan Zhi.


    ¡°Gramps! Be honest, are you two exacting vengeance on me! Everyone else from your train have all fucking gone! Are you two coming out or what!¡±


    ¡°Almost there.¡± Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help but laugh. ¡°Who has the time to exact vengeance on you. I just didn¡¯t want to rush out with the crowd, is all.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°I¡¯ve already booked you a hotel room. We can go eat after you set your stuff down. I got us a table too.¡±


    ¡°A hotel room?¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t quite understand.


    ¡°Were you two going to sleep under a bridge tonight? Or were you going to sleep in your dorm, and Gu Fei under a bridge?¡± Pan Zhi asked.


    ¡°No, I mean, I can just do it myself,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I¡¯m begging you gramps, give me a chance to show my affection please. Gu Fei¡¯s pretty much taken all my parts,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°We second male leads¡ªor whatever numbered male leads¡ªhave it hard, you know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you extra scenes in a bit¡ªwe can have a proper hug,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°You should ask the male lead first if that¡¯s allowed,¡± Pan Zhi said.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t think it had been that long since he¡¯d last saw Pan Zhi, but coming out of the station and seeing Pan Zhi standing there with a new hairstyle and an outfit that positively screamed ¡°playboy scum¡±, Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help the sincere grin from surfacing on his face.


    ¡°Grandpa!¡± Pan Zhi cried out in extreme enthusiasm.


    ¡°Grandson!¡± Jiang Cheng shouted back.


    The passersby nearby all looked in their direction, bearing witness to this intergenerational reunion.


    Pan Zhi dashed over and gave Jiang Cheng a hug. ¡°Fuck! I really have missed you.¡±


    Jiang Cheng laughed as he patted Pan Zhi on the back.


    Pan Zhi let go of him and turned to give Gu Fei a hug too. ¡°Long time no see.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve gotten a whole eight degrees handsomer than the last time I saw you,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Good eyes.¡± Pan Zhi gave him a thumbs up, then gestured. ¡°Come on let¡¯s go let¡¯s go, we can get there directly by subway.¡±


    ¡°Did you get here really early?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Well of course,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°I¡¯ve been repressing myself and spending time with my parents all summer¡ªI had to escape as soon as I could. I¡¯ve already been here for two weeks, just wandering around all day every day waiting for you two to arrive.¡±


    Pan Zhi was already very familiar with the various subway lines, and took them straight to the university. The room he booked was at a hotel next to the school.


    ¡°You two go put your stuff away and get ready. We¡¯ll meet in the lobby in half an hour,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°Don¡¯t be late¡ªthey¡¯ll cancel our table reservation if we¡¯re not there on time.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Jiang Cheng went into the room and closed the door. He sat on the edge of the bed, watching Gu Fei set the luggage down before going into the bathroom to make sure that there was hot water.


    The joy of seeing Pan Zhi again and the ease of chatting the whole way after so long, was slowly dissipating after he entered this room.


    And now, seeing Gu Fei walking back and forth around the room, the reluctance of parting that erupted in this single instant filled him up until he was ready to combust.


    One night today, and one day tomorrow.


    Then the day after that, Gu Fei would leave.


    Meanwhile, Jiang Cheng would be starting a new life here alone. A new environment, with new people. A new life, without Gu Fei by his side.


    For a very long period of time, he and Gu Fei would have to stay in contact through their ubiquitous yet not nearly adequate cell phones.


    Whenever he got an urge to hug Gu Fei, or kiss Gu Fei, he would only have a screen¡­


    As soon as thoughts like these began to rear their heads, it was impossible to push them back down.


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± he called out.


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei answered from the bathroom, but didn¡¯t come out.


    Jiang Cheng stood up and walked to the bathroom door. He saw Gu Fei standing there with his hands braced against the sink, staring at himself in the mirror.


    When he heard Jiang Cheng behind him, Gu Fei quickly turned on the tap and splashed some water on his face.


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± Jiang Cheng called out again. His heart had twisted itself into a giant knot.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Fei turned and gave him a little smile.


    His eyes were a little red.


    ¡°You were crying.¡± Jiang Cheng walked up to him. There was a tremor in his voice. He cupped Gu Fei¡¯s face in his hands and gently wiped away the drops of water. ¡°Were you crying?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Fei answered. He closed his eyes for a moment. ¡°Cheng-ge, I miss you so much. Right this second.¡±

 CH 109

    ¡°there will never be a second Gu Fei.¡±


    Author: Wu Zhe, Translated by Ami <3


    Jiang Cheng thought his hands were warm, but when Gu Fei closed his eyes and a very small drop of tear fell from the corner of his eyes onto his fingertip, he still felt its warmth.


    It was a tiny warmth that carried with it Gu Fei¡¯s emotions.


    Jiang Cheng felt like somebody had grabbed his heart and squeezed it. It was throbbing with pain.


    He didn¡¯t say a word, nor did he know what else he could say. Gu Fei never let his emotions show. Even in front of Jiang Cheng, he would control himself as much as possible.


    This was the second time.


    The first time, Jiang Cheng saw Gu Fei at the bottom of a dark river. His eyes closed.


    The second time, he saw Gu Fei stricken down by the imminent separation and longing, just like he was.


    Jiang Cheng had nothing else to say. If he opened his mouth, he would surely devolve into a puddle of tears along with Gu Fei.


    He couldn¡¯t cry right now. He couldn¡¯t add to the weight of Gu Fei¡¯s longing. He only wanted to hold Gu Fei. To let him feel his existence, lively and warm in his arms.


    It was what he wanted at this moment¡ªto have the solid weight of Gu Fei in his own arms.


    It was very quiet in the bathroom. The only sound was the low whirring of the fan.


    Gu Fei¡¯s tears didn¡¯t make a sound, but his heartbeat did. Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know if the heartbeat was real or just a part of his imagination. Nor could he tell whether the heartbeat belonged to Gu Fei or himself.


    He closed his eyes and held Gu Fei close, gripping tightly on his clothes, as if he was trying to hold onto time itself, slowly trickling away.


    Every minute and every second.


    Time was a very annoying thing.


    Lively, yet cruel.


    After a while, Gu Fei bowed his head and nuzzled against Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m fine now. Do you wanna take a shower? Or eat first and then shower when we come back?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t yet calmed the angst that was making waves in his heart. Once again, Gu Fei¡¯s control of his emotions was god-tier.


    Gu Fei was already patting his shoulder again. ¡°Do you want to shower right now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just wash my face for now,¡± Jiang Cheng sniffled, ¡°and shower when we come back. I can¡¯t sleep anyways if I don¡¯t shower before bed.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei let go of him, then turned around and switched on the tap.


    Gu Fei splashed some water on his face, and by the time he wiped it dry and turned back around, he was already back to normal.


    ¡°Do you want to take a shower?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Nah, let¡¯s shower together tonight.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°A couples bath.¡±


    Jiang Cheng tutted and laughed, ¡°You¡¯re the most shameless person I¡¯ve ever met in my life.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®ever¡¯,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You¡¯ll meet plenty of people in the future; lots and lots of ¡®most¡¯ whatevers.¡±


    ¡°You are the most,¡± Jiang Cheng nudged him aside and said while washing his face. ¡°The most handsome; the most intelligent; the most cool; the most adorable; the most talented, and¡­ the one I¡¯m most reluctant to part with.¡±


    ¡°Then I can only say a-fucking-men,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Fuck what?¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s mind was still a little groggy and didn¡¯t quite comprehend.


    ¡°You of course,¡± Gu Fei said with a laugh and walked out.


    ¡°Fuck off!¡± It finally clicked for Jiang Cheng. ¡°Fine if you wanna fuck but men?! What men!¡±


    Gu Fei couldn¡¯t stop laughing. He walked to the window and pulled out a cigarette to hold between his lips.


    He wondered what time it was, but was too lazy to take out his phone and check. However, it was already dark outside.


    Looking up, he could see the vague contours of the night sky, and looking down, a brilliance of lights filled his view. There were fields of light made up of individual buildings and shimmering neon signs, both near and far.


    ¡°Whatcha lookin¡¯ at?¡± Jiang Cheng walked to his side.


    ¡°The great bustling metropolis,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s the capital after all,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°If it was the Steelworks neighbourhood, it¡¯d probably be pitch black by now.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°Not even the streetlamps would be on.¡±


    ¡°Have you been here before, when you used to run out and travel by yourself?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°No.¡± Gu Fei shook his head. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t because of you, I might not ever come here.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®ever¡¯,¡± Jiang Cheng copied what Gu Fei said earlier. ¡°We¡¯ll go to many other places like this in the future: big cities; small cities; on the mountain; by the sea; on the other side of the mountain and other side of the sea¡­¡± [1]


    Out of nowhere and halfway through his sentence, Jiang Cheng¡¯s words made an inexplicably smooth segue into song.


    ¡°There lives a group of blue smurfies¡­¡± Gu Fei continued the line even as he giggled.


    They finished changing their clothes and got ready to go to dinner.


    Jiang Cheng went to knock on Pan Zhi¡¯s room next door, but there was no answer.


    ¡°He¡¯s definitely not in his room anymore at this point,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I bet he¡¯s in the lobby waiting to yell at us.¡±


    ¡°What time is it?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m scared to check my phone,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I think Pan Zhi¡¯s reservation¡¯s probably cancelled. How are we going to face him?¡±


    ¡°Tsk, head on and honestly,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    Pan Zhi was sitting in the lobby swiping at his phone in absolute boredom. When the two of them walked up, he was taking selfies as if he was the only one in the room.


    ¡°Hey handsome,¡± Jiang Cheng called to him.


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Pan Zhi stood up with an expression of relief, which proceeded to change into a more inscrutable one. ¡°Okay alright, aren¡¯t you two trying a little too hard to milk every minute and second? You still got a long night ahead of you after dinner. But you just had to rush things now?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jiang Cheng was confused.


    ¡°The condoms in hotel rooms are so overpriced,¡± Pan Zhi said as he pulled out his phone and started dialling. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel scammed? Wouldn¡¯t it be better to go buy a box after dinner¡­¡±


    ¡°The fuck?¡± Jiang Cheng turned to Gu Fei with a stunned expression.


    ¡°Head on and honestly,¡± Gu Fei reminded him.


    ¡°Head on your honest ass.¡± Jiang Cheng turned back to Pan Zhi. ¡°We didn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Hello?¡± Pan Zhi¡¯s call connected. ¡°I reserved a table today¡­ yes for Pan An! I¡¯m¡­ don¡¯t cancel it! What do you mean cancel I¡¯m heading over right now! I even called earlier for you to hold the table!¡±


    ¡°My image is completely ruined,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Why do you need to maintain an image in front of your own grandson?¡± Gu Fei laughed as he slung an arm around Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°Jiejie!¡± Pan Zhi, who a moment ago was assertively loud, suddenly changed his tone. ¡°Jiejie, don¡¯t cancel it, alright? I promise I¡¯m coming. I¡¯ll be there in ten minutes, really. Please help me, ask the other group to wait for another table. I have guests here¡ªvery important guests. It has to do with my honour¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng and Gu Fei stood outside the hotel, watching the traffic stream by, and waiting for Pan Zhi to turn the tide on the cancelled reservation that was going to go to a group of diners who were already at the restaurant.


    Two minutes later, Pan Zhi waved at them. ¡°Hurry, let¡¯s go. It¡¯s right up ahead.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re saving it for us?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°For ten minutes.¡± Pan Zhi checked the time. ¡°You two are really testing my social skills.¡±


    ¡°We¡­¡± Jiang Cheng wanted to say they really didn¡¯t make use of the condoms in the hotel room, but upon further reflection couldn¡¯t find a way to explain why they had taken so long, so he didn¡¯t continue.


    ¡°Wait for me for one second.¡± Pan Zhi suddenly ran into a flower shop nearby.


    When he came back out, it was with a stem of very beautifully wrapped rose in his hand.


    ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not for you two,¡± Pan Zhi said.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want it even if you kneeled down and begged me to take it,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Not even if you kowtow,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Why would someone so principled and moral as me ever kneel down and beg you!¡± Pan Zhi said before glaring at Gu Fei. ¡°You two sure are a good match!¡±


    The restaurant was not too far away. It was a Szechuan restaurant, and business was booming. No wonder they would cancel the reservation once the time had passed. It was a rarity for such a hotspot to accept reservations at all.


    ¡°Hello, for how many people?¡± the host asked with a smile.


    ¡°I have a reservation, under the surname Pan,¡± Pan Zhi said.


    ¡°Ah Mr. Pan¡ªyour table is on the second floor. If you¡¯ll please follow¡­¡± The host didn¡¯t get to finish before Pan Zhi interrupted.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the one who answered my call before?¡± Pan Zhi asked.


    ¡°That would be our receptionist at the counter.¡± The host pointed to the side.


    ¡°The one on the phone over there?¡± Pan Zhi glanced that way.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The host nodded.


    ¡°You two go up first,¡± Pan Zhi turned back to Jiang Cheng, ¡°I¡¯ll be just a minute.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Jiang Cheng glanced over at the counter. The young woman currently on the phone did look kind of pretty. Jiang Cheng sighed and turned back to the host. ¡°Second floor, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Second floor, table 35. There will be a server on the second floor to take you to your table,¡± the host said.


    As they walked up the stairs, Jiang Cheng turned his head again for another look. Pan Zhi was already at the counter, extending the rose in his hand toward the young woman who answered his call earlier. The young woman blinked at him in surprise, but after Pan Zhi said something to her, she suddenly started smiling timidly.


    ¡°Is he always like this?¡± Gu Fei was also looking back that way. ¡°Like he¡¯s got it down to a T.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Jiang Cheng cracked up laughing, ¡°he¡¯s been like this since middle school¡ªextremely shameless.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t learn from him,¡± Gu Fei said very seriously.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t something to be learned,¡± Jiang Cheng also replied very seriously. ¡°This kind of ability is innate and from the womb. He¡¯d experienced a broken heart as early as in kindergarten.¡±


    ¡°Damn.¡± Gu Fei laughed.


    Pan Zhi finally came upstairs after adding the young woman as a WeChat contact, and sat down across from them. ¡°Have you ordered?¡±


    ¡°Waiting for you to order,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°We don¡¯t know this place.¡±


    ¡°Did you see that girl just now?¡± Pan Zhi flipped through the menu. ¡°Really cute. And the way she talks too, all staccato like.¡±


    Neither Jiang Cheng nor Gu Fei said anything. They just looked at him in unison.


    ¡°Right, that was a girl,¡± Pan Zhi said.


    ¡°I also don¡¯t have the habit of staring at guys wherever I go.¡± Jiang Cheng took a sip of his tea.


    ¡°Okayyy, I know you¡¯re both hyper-focused on each other,¡± Pan Zhi sighed. ¡°But that only comes after the first encounter. If I don¡¯t look around, how will I meet the person I want to focus on, right?¡±


    ¡°Perfect logic, I can¡¯t even rebut that.¡± Jiang Cheng chuckled.


    ¡°Am I wrong? Take him for example.¡± Pan Zhi pointed at Gu Fei. ¡°How far did you have to go, just to run into him.¡±


    Jiang Cheng glanced at Gu Fei and didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°Although,¡± Pan Zhi waved the server over to order, ¡°I do have a one-up on you guys at the moment: I don¡¯t have to experience the angst of separation. If I¡¯m not serious, then I won¡¯t be upset. Better to just enjoy myself first.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not up to you to decide when and if you¡¯re going to get serious,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°You looking down on me?¡± Pan Zhi looked at him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting to see.¡± Gu Fei looked back at Pan Zhi through a circle he made with his fingers.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t know when Pan Zhi would feel upset, but he knew that he himself had already been upset for a long time¡ªfrom a faint sense of unease, to intentional evasion, to waves of panic when he could no longer hide from reality, to now.


    He didn¡¯t even want to glimpse the time on his phone, didn¡¯t want to see with his own eyes how time had taken away the shared moments he had with Gu Fei bit by bit.


    After dinner, and after returning to their room and taking a shower, the two of them sat in bed and watched TV.


    Most of the time was spent in silence, with the occasional exchange on some unrelated topic.


    When finally Gu Fei turned off the TV and the lights, Jiang Cheng laid down and wrapped himself around Gu Fei, with one leg on the other¡¯s body, and closed his eyes.


    Perhaps because of their shared sleepless night the day before, they quickly fell asleep as soon as the lights were off.


    Jiang Cheng was even a little annoyed when he opened his eyes in the morning. He almost felt like he had wasted the night.


    ¡°Pan Zhi said there¡¯s breakfast. They can bring it to the room,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Do you want to eat now? If you do, I¡¯ll call for room service to bring it up?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng snuggled up to Gu Fei and plastered himself to him.


    ¡°After breakfast is just in time for your registration. We can walk over,¡± Gu Fei said again.


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Jiang Cheng answered with his eyes closed.


    The hotel was very close to the school. Pan Zhi did not tag along with them to registration. He went back to his own school after checking out, and said helpfully before he left, ¡°Your train is tomorrow morning, right Gu Fei? The subway entrance is right there¡ªyou can take the subway over.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°I won¡¯t come see you off then,¡± Pan Zhi said. ¡°And you two, try not to be too¡­ you know. It¡¯s less than a month until the next holiday.¡±


    ¡°Hurry up and go,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Scum-boy,¡± Pan Zhi said.


    ¡°Go already, supporting male number whatever.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed.


    After Pan Zhi left, Jiang Cheng let out a small sigh.


    His mind had been filled with the thought that Gu Fei was leaving ¡°the day after tomorrow¡±. The words ¡°tomorrow morning¡± coming from Pan Zhi¡¯s mouth gave his heart a little quake.


    Not the day after tomorrow¡ªbut tomorrow. First thing tomorrow morning, actually.


    Starting the next morning, he would be by himself. In this strange city and amongst a strange crowd.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t talk much. Meanwhile, Gu Fei couldn¡¯t find anything to say either, and so opted for silence.


    They walked down the street, and didn¡¯t take long before they reached R University. Gu Fei suddenly felt a little anxious¡ªan unsettling feeling that he didn¡¯t belong.


    Very rarely would he ever feel like that, but in this moment, he experienced it with a sharp clarity.


    There were many new students and parents all around them. Joy and pride was written on every one of their faces. They were just like Jiang Cheng¡ªoverachieving students of various kinds.


    Gu Fei glanced at Jiang Cheng, whose face was very calm. He must be feeling very different things than I am right now, Gu Fei thought. This was the place where Jiang Cheng would begin his new life¡ªin an elite program at one of the top universities.


    Jiang Cheng was his pride, and also the source of a nagging sense of panic beginning to emerge in him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go over there and ask how registration works,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Fei nodded and followed him through the crowd.


    It was bustling and lively in front of the law school building. There were tables set up under a ring of temporary sunshades, where many volunteers stood answering questions from incoming students. Beside them were various posters and display boards to welcome the freshmen, many of whom were taking pictures in front of the displays.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t squeeze to the front of the tables with Jiang Cheng. Instead, he stood at the edge of the crowd and looked in.


    Very quickly, one of the girls led Jiang Cheng to a nearby table. Jiang Cheng looked back in Gu Fei¡¯s direction as he walked away, and Gu Fei lifted a hand at him.


    Jiang Cheng gave him a little wave, beckoning him over.


    ¡°This is where you register?¡± Gu Fei walked to his side.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of things to prepare though. Gotta show them my ID, my acceptance letter, my exam card¡­ Then I have to pick up my check-in slip and use that to do the rest of the paperwork.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei looked around at the people beside them.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get too far from me,¡± Jiang Cheng said quietly as he pulled documents out of his bag. ¡°No more than five steps away.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Gu Fei smiled at him.


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I just feel more settled when I can see you.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Gu Fei squeezed Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulder.


    Jiang Cheng turned back and continued his registration process while Gu Fei stood behind him and watched. Every time Jiang Cheng moved, Gu Fei would follow.


    Whether it was verifying his information, checking in for registration, or paying his tuition, all of it went fairly quickly and painlessly with the help of the volunteers. When all that was done, Jiang Cheng walked up to Gu Fei with a pile of things in his arms and said, ¡°Hold this for a second.¡±


    There were receipts, the campus passcard, student ID, school coat of arms¡­ and a few invitations from campus clubs as well as promotional cards from the other colleges. It was a lot of stuff. Gu Fei put all this into a separate compartment in Jiang Cheng¡¯s bag. ¡°What now?¡±


    ¡°To the dorm. My room¡¯s on the first floor, which is nice¡ªI won¡¯t have to climb stairs anymore.¡± Jiang Cheng grinned. ¡°A senior student will take us there in a bit.¡±


    ¡°Can I go in?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Sure. Normally we¡¯d need to tap the passcard, but this week there are a lot of parents around, so everyone¡¯s allowed inside.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re my parent.¡±


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t say anything, only gave a little smile.


    One of the senior students who might also be a volunteer walked over to them, with a few other male students and their parents in tow.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng,¡± the senior called to him, ¡°let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you to your dorms.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    The other guys were all students in the same program as him. They started chatting easily along the way, with common icebreakers such as where everyone was from and what score they had gotten. Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t much for small talk, but the others were chatting up a storm.


    ¡°Oh hey,¡± one of the guys looked at Gu Fei, ¡°let¡¯s introduce ourselves. My name is Zhang Ping, what about you? Where are you from?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ not a new student.¡± Gu Fei suddenly felt a little awkward.


    ¡°Our senior?¡± Zhang Ping continued asking.


    ¡°My friend,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°He came with me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, your friend.¡± Zhang Ping nodded with a smile, then asked again, ¡°What school are you going to?¡±


    Gu Fei wasn¡¯t sure how to answer this question. He didn¡¯t mind telling anyone the name of his school, but in this group of R University students, only Jiang Cheng would recognize the name of the Normal School he was going to.


    He was suddenly at a loss as to how to deal with this kind of situation.


    ¡°A Normal School in our hometown,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°He came all this way just to keep me company.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s real solid friendship right there,¡± Zhang Ping said.


    Jiang Cheng nodded with a smile, and slowed his steps until he was walking with Gu Fei at the back of the group.


    The senior took them to the dormitory building, and helped each of them find their rooms before he left.


    The two of them walked into Jiang Cheng¡¯s dorm. Apparently this building was one of the ones with the nicer amenities, and this was proven true in person. All of the beds were bunks on top and a desk on the bottom, and there were four to a room.


    Someone had already arrived in their room¡ªa young man and his mom and dad were in the middle of wiping down the desks.


    ¡°Hi,¡± Jiang Cheng greeted them, ¡°I¡¯m Jiang Cheng.¡±


    ¡°Zhao Ke.¡± The guy turned his head and pointed at a bunk by the window. ¡°Your bed¡¯s over there, I already wiped it clean for you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Zhao Ke said before directing his gaze over to Gu Fei.


    ¡°I¡¯m his friend,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Zhao Ke nodded, then said to his parents, ¡°I said I¡¯ll come by myself. See, other people didn¡¯t have their parents come along with them.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re just treating this as a getaway trip,¡± his mom said. ¡°You guys be good, okay? You¡¯ll be in the same dorm from now on, so please take care of one another. If there are any problems, don¡¯t hit each other, just fight it out verbally.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your stuff?¡± Zhao Ke asked.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be moving in until tomorrow. I¡¯ll bring everything then,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Zhao Ke went back to wiping the desks.


    After looking around the room, Gu Fei went with Jiang Cheng to look around and outside the dormitory building, to get familiar with the surroundings.


    ¡°There¡¯s a supermarket,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°It¡¯ll be convenient for buying food.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°Your first reaction is about the food? It¡¯s not like they sell the great pork belly there.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mention pork belly, I¡¯m hungry¡­¡± Jiang Cheng pressed on his stomach. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go find something to eat.¡±


    ¡°Not gonna walk around campus some more?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°I can do it later. Lots of time for that, years even,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    As they walked back the way they came toward the main gate, Jiang Cheng kept looking around them. Gu Fei could tell that though Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t in the best of moods, he still felt excited and curious about this long-anticipated university campus.


    Gu Fei was looking too. It was the place where Jiang Cheng would be spending many years. Every glance he took, every frame he seared into his mind, would make his eventual imagining of Jiang Cheng¡¯s campus life all the more real.


    However, with every detail he took in, it also increased the lurking panic in his heart.


    Difference.


    This kind of practical difference shown right before his eyes was much more obvious than anything he¡¯d imagined before.


    It was in the loftiness exhibited by the not-so-aesthetic but clearly aged buildings on campus, and the innate confidence so naturally exuded by the senior students walking about.


    Gu Fei had been in low spirits ever since registration earlier. Jiang Cheng could feel it acutely in his diminishing smiles and growing silence.


    It might¡¯ve been due to their imminent parting, or maybe¡­ Jiang Cheng suddenly regretted having Gu Fei come with him all this way. Any kind of reaction from Gu Fei tore at his heart.


    He glanced at the person beside him. Gu Fei had his head turned away to look at something.


    ¡°Boyfriend,¡± Jiang Cheng bumped gently against his shoulder, ¡°what do you want to eat?¡±


    ¡°Whatever my boyfriend wants.¡± Gu Fei turned to him and smiled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know either.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled out his phone. ¡°Let¡¯s see what¡¯s around here?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°Gu Fei,¡± Jiang Cheng said as he swiped away on his phone. ¡°Can you tell me what you¡¯re thinking about?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Gu Fei blinked.


    ¡°You¡¯re unhappy. Aside from the fact that you¡¯re leaving tomorrow,¡± Jiang Cheng stared intently at his phone, ¡°is there some other reason?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Yes,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jiang Cheng cocked his head to look at Gu Fei.


    Gu Fei was quiet for a few seconds before turning to look back at him. ¡°That Zhao Ke.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Jiang Cheng was caught off guard.


    ¡°He¡¯s very good looking huh,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Who?¡± Jiang Cheng was still very confused.


    ¡°Zhao Ke,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Zhao Ke?¡± Jiang Cheng glared at him. ¡°What the shit. Where did you meet someone new in such a short span of time? And ¡®good looking¡¯ too??¡±


    ¡°¡­ You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me.¡± Gu Fei couldn¡¯t help laughing. ¡°Cheng-ge, can your overachieving brain spare some IQ points to the ¡®unimportant things¡¯? Your roommate! Zhao Ke!¡±


    ¡°Fuck.¡± Jiang Cheng was still glaring at him. ¡°His name is Zhao Ke? I don¡¯t even know if I forgot or if I never even remembered it in the first place!¡±


    ¡°Well hurry up and remember, otherwise how awkward would it be when you go back tomorrow and not even remember the guy¡¯s name,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Oh, Zhao Ke¡­ Zhao Ke.¡± Jiang Cheng thought about it for a moment. ¡°Was he good looking¡­ To be honest, I didn¡¯t really take a close look¡­¡±


    Gu Fei sighed amidst his laughter.


    ¡°Is this you getting pre-jelly?¡± Jiang Cheng asked him.


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    ¡°Bull-hoppity-shit.¡± Jiang Cheng¡¯s brows were furrowed.


    ¡°Come on, be civilized. Don¡¯t forget, you¡¯re a student of an elite university.¡± Gu Fei put his arm around Jiang Cheng¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking, but fine, bottle it in if you don¡¯t want to say it. You¡¯re like that anyways,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Just remember this.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei looked at him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that shitty little city, and I can¡¯t stand the people in that shitty neighbourhood,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°But I still can¡¯t bear to leave that place¡ªthe city, and the Steelworks¡ªbecause that¡¯s where I picked you out.¡±


    Gu Fei was quiet.


    ¡°Wherever I go, I will always be able to pick you out with a single glance,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°You¡¯re not like the others¡ªI¡¯ve said it before¡ªyou¡¯re not like anyone else. I know you said that I¡¯ll meet lots of other people, but no matter how many new people I meet, there will never be a second Gu Fei.¡±


    Footnote


    [1] The Chinese theme song for The Smurfs ¡­ ?

 CH 110

    Look! Back!


    Author: Wu Zhe, Translated by Ami <3


    After lunch, the two of them spent some time around the outside of the campus, as an after-meal-stroll. Gu Fei said Jiang Cheng should familiarize himself with the surroundings, but Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t think that was necessary.


    Based on his current state of mind, he wasn¡¯t even in the mood to walk around inside the campus, let alone go out to explore the neighbourhood. He could already imagine his daily timeline for the foreseeable future: go to class; eat; and sleep.


    And think about Gu Fei.


    They were going from spending every day and night together, seeing the other person as soon as they opened their eyes in the morning, to not being able to see nor touch each other.


    The distance between them would be much more than a mere hours long train ride, and much more than the twenty or so days from now until October 1st.


    They went back to the hotel after the walk. On the way back Jiang Cheng made a total of three wrong turns.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best if you try not to go off campus unless you have to,¡± Gu Fei said while lying on the bed swiping at his phone. ¡°Or you¡¯d risk getting lost.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t I just ask someone for the way back.¡± Jiang Cheng flopped down beside Gu Fei. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m really not in much of a mood to go out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be better once you adapt. You¡¯ll get used to it eventually. So many people cry their hearts out from homesickness when they first go to school, but don¡¯t they all turn out fine in the end?¡± Gu Fei pulled Jiang Cheng¡¯s shirt up a little and caressed his back. ¡°It¡¯ll get better once you get closer with your classmates.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m the sort of person who will easily get close with other people?¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ll at least get closer to the people in your dorm room.¡± Gu Fei smiled. ¡°You might have a hot temper, but you are very reasonable under normal circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully.¡± Jiang Cheng closed his eyes. ¡°Massage my lower back, boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Gu Fei refused. ¡°I¡¯ll probably feel something if I do, but I¡¯m not really in the mood to roll around at the moment. What if the psychosomatic rollercoaster ends up affecting my sexual prowess¡­¡±


    ¡°What the fuck shut your mouth.¡± Jiang Cheng pushed himself up in bed and glared at Gu Fei. ¡°If I call you shameless right now, would you have a problem with that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never had a problem with that,¡± Gu Fei laughed. ¡°I¡¯m only saying that you¡¯re just as shameless.¡±


    ¡°Oh piss off.¡± Jiang Cheng flopped back onto the pillow. ¡°Me¡ªa pure and innocent young man.¡±


    ¡°Hey, have you ever seen this cartoon¡ªI don¡¯t remember what it¡¯s called, but I remember how the song goes,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Sing it for me, I might know it,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei cleared his throat and began: ¡°Little mousy little mousy wears a blue shirt, squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak¡­¡±


    ¡°Big face kitty cat with long whiskers, meow meowmeow meow      meowmeow meow¡­¡± Jiang Cheng immediately continued the next line. ¡°How can you not know this¡ªit¡¯s The Big-Faced Kitty and the Blue-Skinned Mouse.¡±


    ¡°One has a tail that¡¯s long and thin, squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak; one has a face that¡¯s larger than life, meow meow meow meow meow.¡± Gu Fei looked at Jiang Cheng. ¡°Is it Big-Faced Kitty? It¡¯s really not called Jiang Chengcheng and the Blue-Skinned Mouse?¡± [1]


    ¡°Fucking¡­ shit!¡± Jiang Cheng finally made the connection, and was shaken to his core. ¡°Gu Fei I really have got to hand it to you! To go to such a roundabout length just for an insult. Why don¡¯t you go and fly a lap around the sun before coming back here?¡±


    ¡°The sun¡¯s not out right now,¡± Gu Fei said.


    Jiang Cheng couldn¡¯t help cracking up, then collapsed into laughter on his pillow. ¡°Fuck.¡±


    While Gu Fei wasn¡¯t in the mood for rolling in the sheets, Jiang Cheng felt like he was the same, despite still wanting very much to hold Gu Fei; to kiss, bite, lick, and knead¡­ But more than giving in to that kind of wild abandon, he wanted them to lie peacefully beside each other, and talk, or just stay quiet.


    Even though staying conscious meant he could clearly feel the pain that came before a parting, the consciousness also allowed him to better savour the minute details of the time he had with Gu Fei.


    Some things were already engrained deeply into his memory, yet he couldn¡¯t help but try to hold on even tighter to it, afraid that it would be forgotten in an instant once he turned around. And to forget even a tiny fraction of a moment would certainly be most unbearable.


    Neither of them really slept that night. This time, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t try to put up a front and fake his slumber. As soon as Gu Fei moved, he would move too: when Gu Fei rolled to the right, he would also roll to his right side and hold him; when Gu Fei rolled to the left, he would quickly roll to his left side, then pull Gu Fei¡¯s arms from behind to wrap around himself.


    ¡°Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei chuckled quietly, ¡°I can sleep for a while on the train tomorrow, but will you be able to sleep in your dorm? With people going in and out all the time?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to sleep,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I only slept four to five hours each day while I was studying for the exams, and I didn¡¯t die then. Don¡¯t you worry about me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll switch my phone plan when I get back for one with more data,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll get a different plan too,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°That¡¯s all we have to rely on in the future¡­ Oh right, can you discuss this with Gu Miao? Change your WeChat icon to your own photo so I can see your face whenever you send a message.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Oh yeah.¡± After another second of thought, Jiang Cheng pulled out his own phone.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Gu Fei said as he lifted a hand to block the light from the suddenly lit screen. ¡°There, you¡¯ve successfully chased away the last trace of my sleepiness.¡±


    ¡°Is good sir not going to sleep on the train tomorrow?¡± Jiang Cheng tapped open his WeChat. ¡°I¡¯m gonna change my chat background. Here, can you pick a photo for me?¡±


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s banner on his WeChat Moments was already a photo of the two of them. Gu Fei picked the selfie he took that day on the rooftop and set it as Jiang Cheng¡¯s chat background.


    ¡°Super hot,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Change yours too.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Gu Fei reached for his own phone. ¡°I only have my icon left to change.¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Jiang Cheng turned to him. ¡°When did you do the rest?¡±


    ¡°The other day when I was with Gu Miao. Didn¡¯t have anything else to do so I changed all my display pictures. I have more photos here than you do anyways,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°And I take better pictures.¡±


    ¡°Shit.¡± Jiang Cheng laughed. ¡°I never complained about your looks.¡±


    After changing out the pictures, they both lost any desire for sleep completely and proceeded to chat on and off, while holding each other until the sun came up.


    It wasn¡¯t wholly accurate to say that Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t sleepy. He must¡¯ve been a little muddled, because after getting out of bed, washing up, and having breakfast, Jiang Cheng once again felt the emotions that had been kept at bay all of last night.


    Now that he was totally awake, the unbearable longing was finally starting to slowly wash over him like a rising tide.


    Since Gu Fei¡¯s train was early in the morning, it might be disruptive to the others if Jiang Cheng went to put his luggage back in the dorm at this hour, so he stored it with the front desk at the hotel to fetch once he came back.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go. To the train station.¡± After thanking the front desk, Jiang Cheng grabbed Gu Fei¡¯s bag and walked out of the hotel.


    Gu Fei only brought one set of clothes to change, so his bag was very light, just like Jiang Cheng¡¯s steps right then, airy and ungrounded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hold it.¡± Gu Fei caught up to him.


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng slung the bag over his shoulder.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t pursue the matter.


    Neither of them spoke again as they entered then exited the subway.


    There was still so much to say to each other, but nothing was said the entire way.


    They didn¡¯t get to the train station too early. After finding the right departure gate, they didn¡¯t have to stand there for very long before the announcement came for the passengers to enter.


    ¡°Go on in.¡± Jiang Cheng handed the bag to Gu Fei.


    ¡°I can wait a little longer.¡± Gu Fei checked the time. ¡°I¡¯ll go after this group goes in, so I won¡¯t have to squeeze with them.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to go register too, when I get back there, and see what the school has planned. If there¡¯s nothing else, then I¡¯ll pick a weekend to come see you,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s not that much trouble to come here,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Start first thing in the morning and I¡¯ll be here just after noon. Then I can leave in the evening of the next day.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Jiang Cheng rubbed his nose.


    ¡°The guy from yesterday is named Zhao Ke,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jiang Cheng started laughing, ¡°I didn¡¯t forget. He¡¯s also rather good looking, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Very good looking.¡±


    Jiang Cheng tutted and said, ¡°I¡¯ll hurry back to the dorm later to check it out.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± Gu Fei tutted as well. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to watch him for years to come, and might even catch a nude version.¡±


    ¡°You ass.¡± Jiang Cheng burst out laughing.


    There were a lot fewer people going through the gate at this point; the announcement was still repeating the departure information.


    ¡°You should go,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Yeah.¡± Gu Fei turned and glanced in the direction of the gate, but didn¡¯t make a move.


    ¡°You should go,¡± Jiang Cheng said again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking rush me,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I¡¯m about to have a fucking breakdown,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    Gu Fei sighed softly. ¡°I¡¯m going in then. I¡¯ll message you once the train starts moving.¡±


    ¡°Message me as soon as you sit down,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look back at me when you go,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°Understood.¡± Gu Fei nodded.


    They didn¡¯t say anything more. Gu Fei paused for a few seconds, then turned and walked toward the departure gate.


    Jiang Cheng stared at Gu Fei¡¯s receding figure, watching as he took one step after another.


    Look back.


    I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re not looking back.


    Ahhh fucking look back. I¡¯m still standing right here?


    Don¡¯t look back.


    Out in the public like this, what if I break down in tears once you look back¡­ It¡¯d be way too embarrassing.


    Look! Back!


    Gu Fei¡¯s backpack carrying figure disappeared from view.


    Jiang Cheng hastily walked a few steps to the side, and was only in time to catch a glimpse of the bag Gu Fei carried just as he turned the corner.


    Gu Fei never once looked back¡ªdidn¡¯t even give him a side profile¡ªand had walked very briskly. Jiang Cheng felt like he¡¯d only blinked three times before he could no longer see him anymore.


    So obedient.


    He really didn¡¯t look back.


    But I didn¡¯t tell him to walk so quickly. Why did he have to walk so quickly?


    Jiang Cheng let out a quiet sigh and turned to walk away.


    It was quite a long way from the departure gate to the entrance of the subway station. Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t noticed on the way there, but coming out now he realized that try as he might, he still couldn¡¯t find his way.


    Looking at the direction arrows¡­ He¡¯d gone in the opposite direction.


    Jiang Cheng immediately turned to go back, but after walking for what felt like four kilometres, he still didn¡¯t manage to get to the right place.


    His phone vibrated once¡ªa message from Gu Fei.


    ¨C I just sat down, there¡¯s a very fat uncle beside me, I feel like his flesh is spilling over to my seat


    Jiang Cheng laughed for a long time at his screen. When paired with Gu Fei¡¯s backlit side profile in his chat background, he could practically see the way Gu Fei looked as he said this.


    ¨C are you in the subway yet


    Gu Fei sent him another message.


    ¨C I haven¡¯t found the way out


    A second later, Gu Fei¡¯s call came in: ¡°Looks like a sense of direction and short-term geographical memory really has nothing to do with intellect huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve come all the way back to the departure gate,¡± Jiang Cheng said with a laugh.


    ¡°Look down,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Are there arrows on the floor?¡±


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Jiang Cheng said as he looked down.


    ¡°Follow the arrows then, young man,¡± Gu Fei said.


    The phone call from Gu Fei made Jiang Cheng¡¯s rock-bottom mood much lighter.


    In the past, whenever Gu Fei didn¡¯t spend the night at Jiang Cheng¡¯s apartment, they would also call each other all the time, and for a long time. Jiang Cheng suddenly felt a sense of familiarity, as though Gu Fei was still by his side.


    He threw his head back and took in several large breaths, then shook his arms.


    Back to campus.


    Time for his new life to start.


    ¡°When will you arrive?¡± Li Yan asked.


    ¡°One-thirty probably,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Are you taking Liu Fan¡¯s car?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Li Yan answered. ¡°He wanted to go too, so he¡¯s driving.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be too uncomfortable to squish four people in that crappy car?¡± Gu Fei sighed.


    ¡°Er-Miao doesn¡¯t take up any room,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°We¡¯re going straight to the restaurant after picking you up. Called ahead and everything.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t it be tomorrow?¡± Gu Fei glanced out the window. The platform was already empty, aside from a single train attendant still standing there.


    ¡°Cannot,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°I worry that without some kind of intervention, you¡¯re not going to make it past tonight.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m like you?¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I know you far too well,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just gonna keep it all bottled up inside, let the pressure build up until you die.¡±


    ¡°¡­ I¡¯ll call you when I¡¯m almost there,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Li Yan answered.


    Gu Fei had just hung up and put the phone back in his pocket when the train started moving slowly forward.


    He was a little surprised, and wondered if the announcer didn¡¯t mention that the train was departing, or if he just didn¡¯t hear it.


    It could only be the latter.


    A phone call with Li Yan wasn¡¯t enough to distract him to such an extent that he didn¡¯t hear the announcement.


    His jumbled mess of a mind was the only reason.


    Don¡¯t look back at me when you go. Jiang Cheng had said.


    Even if Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t said that, Gu Fei still wouldn¡¯t have looked back. He was afraid that if he did, his boyfriend with the hyperactive tear gland would start bawling at the departure gate.


    Then, he might also fail to hold it in.


    Imagine two big-ass dudes, each situated on either side of a departure gate, crying at each other¡­ It would certainly be a captivating scene.


    He didn¡¯t want people to see this.


    From the moment he stepped onto the train, to calling Jiang Cheng, to receiving Li Yan¡¯s call, until the train started moving just now, Gu Fei had been in a state of partial numbness.


    Stifling.


    No idea what he was even thinking about.


    He didn¡¯t know if what he felt right now was longing, or anguish, or if it was something else.


    Stifling. To the point of hollowness.


    On the way here, he had Jiang Cheng on his left hand side. Now when he turned his head left, he saw only the large uncle and his cheek that almost completely eclipsed his nose.


    Gu Fei could only keep his head turned to the right to look out the window.


    The scenery outside started retreating backward at an increasing speed. He felt a little dizzy after staring at the nearby view for too long.


    After dragging over the curtain to stuff under his head, Gu Fei leaned against the window and closed his eyes.


    The train shot forth at high speed, and the distance between him and Jiang Cheng widened little by little.


    There and back. Two opposite directions. He had accompanied Jiang Cheng to where he wanted to go, then turned around to run back to the little city where he had lived for 19 years. And where he would continue to live.


    He couldn¡¯t pinpoint exactly what this feeling was. Though in reality, it didn¡¯t feel like anything at all.


    Nor were there any emotions. All his emotions: happiness; anger; sorrow; joy; dejection; loneliness; all of that disappeared the moment he turned around and walked into the departure gate.


    I step onto thin air, I feel like I am flying.


    Upwards is the unknown, I look down and hear you tell me this is an empty world.


    He reached into his bag and rummaged for a long time before finding a milk candy in a side pouch, which he unwrapped and put in his mouth.


    Then he took out his phone and sent a message to Jiang Cheng.


    ¨C the train¡¯s moving, boyfriend


    ¨C pay attention to your bag when you¡¯re catching up on sleep


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s reply came very quickly. He probably kept his phone in his hand the whole time.


    ¨C alright


    ¨C tell me when you get there


    ¨C mm, Li Yan and Liu Fan are coming to pick me up with Er-Miao, I¡¯m going to have lunch with them


    ¨C I¡¯m going to the school cafeteria for lunch, see how the food is


    ¨C alright, I¡¯ll snooze for a bit then


    ¨C okayy


    Jiang Cheng had his phone in his hand the entire way, in case Gu Fei sent him a message and he didn¡¯t hear it. He only put the phone back in his pocket after their little chat.


    It was only then that he had the presence of mind to look around him. It had been a long time, he felt, since he¡¯d seen so many people.


    The skyscrapers; the busy roads with streams of cars; the throngs of people that squeezed past him on all sides¡ªit had been quite some time since he walked away from this kind of prosperity and bustling.


    Jiang Cheng had spent all his time around the Steel Works neighbourhood for the past year and a half. It wasn¡¯t as obvious during the day, but after dinner, the people and cars on the street would gradually vanish at a visible rate. After that, the only things enshrouding that place seemingly forgotten by time was quiet and desolation.


    But now, thrown back into the midst of all this noise as if suddenly seeing the sun again for the first time, he was having trouble adjusting.


    There were too many sounds in his ears, and too many things in his view. It was moments like this when he would subconsciously worry that he would turn around and not see Gu Fei anymore.


    ¡­ Though that was indeed the case now.


    After picking up his things from the hotel, Jiang Cheng slowly walked himself back to the dorm, as if dragging a suitcase full of gloom.


    It would seem that his roommates had all arrived. Except for his desk and bunk, there were things on all the other beds and desks. However, he didn¡¯t see anyone other than Zhao Ke, who was on his computer.


    After greeting him, Jiang Cheng glanced at the computer screen and was surprised to find that Zhao Ke was playing a desktop version of Lian Lian Kan. [2]


    ¡°You¡­¡± At that moment, Jiang Cheng¡¯s brain was so slow he felt like it was filled with glue. He was barely able to stop himself from blurting out the word ¡°idiotic¡±. ¡°Like playing this?¡±


    ¡°Mhm,¡± Zhao Ke answered, probably too focused to say much else. His hand clacked busily away at the mouse, as though he was participating in some international e-sports competition.


    After putting his stuff away, Jiang Cheng was at a loss as to what he should do next.


    Gu Fei was probably catching up on sleep just then, so he didn¡¯t want to message and wake him¡­ After spacing out for a long while in front of his desk, Jiang Cheng opened his suitcase again and took out his laptop.


    He could organize all the photos Gu Fei had taken.


    Having set the laptop on his desk and sat down, he noticed there was something stuck between the screen and the keyboard. He was stunned when he opened the lid and saw what it was.


    A red envelope?


    What the shit?


    Gu Fei left the lucky money I¡¯d given him here?


    When did Gu Fei find the red envelope?


    How is that possible!


    Jiang Cheng hastily picked up the red envelope. Once it was in his hands, he realized it wasn¡¯t the one he left for Gu Fei. That one had the words ¡°Best of Luck and Fortune¡± written on it, whereas the writing on this one said¡­ ¡°Wishing You a Long Life¡±.


    Gu Fei had left this for him.


    His fingers trembled hard as he opened the envelope, though he didn¡¯t know what there was to tremble about.


    There was a stack of bills inside.


    He counted it¡ªa total of 8000 yuan, just like what he had left for Gu Fei.


    How synchronous of us, boyfriend.


    He could hardly describe how he felt at that moment: an urge to laugh, but after staring no more than three seconds at the stack of bills, tears poured out instead.


    Nearby, Zhao Ke turned to give him a glance, but didn¡¯t say anything as he turned back to his game.


    Jiang Cheng stuffed the money back into the envelope, and without regard for his appearance, grabbed a tissue and pressed it to his eyes. After he forcefully pushed the tears back, he used it to blow his nose too.


    Zhao Ke quickly reached out a leg and kicked a small wastebasket over.


    Jiang Cheng tossed the tissue inside, then as he recovered, finally felt a little embarrassed.


    Based on the way he acted just now, Zhao Ke probably thought he had gone mad for want of money.


    ¡°A windfall?¡± Zhao Ke asked.


    ¡°Uh huh,¡± Jiang Cheng answered. It was certainly unexpected.


    ¡°Must be quite a large sum,¡± Zhao Ke turned and looked at him, ¡°to be moved to tears like that.¡±


    Begone.


    Jiang Cheng turned to face him as well.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t moved to tears?¡± Zhao Ke asked.


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Before I came, my older sister stuffed 2000 yuan into my hands,¡± Zhao Ke continued playing the idiotic Lian Lian Kan, ¡°and moved herself to tears.¡±


    Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t really plan on saying any more, but he couldn¡¯t help but laugh at that.


    Zhao Ke started a new round of clack-clack-clacking, and didn¡¯t continue the conversation.


    Jiang Cheng took out his phone, snapped a picture of the red envelope, and sent it to Gu Fei.


    ¨C thanks boyfriend


    He didn¡¯t want to ask Gu Fei why he had given him money, nor did he want to be so pretentious as to say something like ¡°I don¡¯t need the money, why don¡¯t you keep it for yourself¡±. No matter what reason Gu Fei had for giving it to him, and regardless of whether he actually needed it, the money felt like a little warm furnace placed in his heart.


    Gu Fei had probably been sleeping. It was a few minutes later when he sent back a reply.


    ¨C don¡¯t hold yourself back when you¡¯re craving the great pork belly


    ¨C mhm, are you catching up on snooze?


    ¨C not too much, I¡¯m drifting in and out, there¡¯s a kid behind me who keeps crying


    ¨C poor baby


    ¨C are you in the dorm?


    ¨C yeah, just me and Zhao Ke, the other two aren¡¯t here


    ¨C ooooooh


    ¨C ooooooh your ass


    ¨C did you get a good look at him?


    ¨C I would¡¯ve forgotten if you hadn¡¯t mentioned it, I¡¯ll check it out later


    They chatted like this for more than an hour. By the time the crying child on Gu Fei¡¯s end fell asleep, Jiang Cheng finally put down his phone and let Gu Fei go back to his nap.


    He leaned back in the chair and stretched his back.


    This was his life now, stealing moments whether free or not to send messages. And if he really couldn¡¯t bear it anymore they could video-call¡­


    ¡°Wanna go have a walk around?¡± Zhao Ke finished his battle with the idiotic Lian Lian Kan and stood up.


    ¡°Where to?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    It was only then that he saw what Zhao Ke looked like. Not bad. Not as handsome as the way in which Gu Fei kept going on about, but enough to qualify as a good looking guy one could pick out from a crowd with two or three glances.


    Still not comparable to Gu Fei.


    ¡°Around campus,¡± Zhao Ke said. ¡°Check out places like the cafeteria, the general store, the caf¨¦, and the library; see what they all look like.¡±


    Frankly, Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t much feel like going out for a walk. Based on his current mood, he was not interested in any of these things. Besides, he didn¡¯t know Zhao Ke that well, and had nothing at all to say to him. Two silent strangers walking around campus together seemed nothing but awkward to him.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Zhao Ke put his laptop in the drawer and walked briskly out of their room.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Jiang Cheng called out to him once, but didn¡¯t get any response.


    Finally, he had to stand up, put his things away, and walk out as well.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go to the cafeteria first,¡± Zhao Ke said as he looked at his phone. ¡°We can go there for lunch.¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng didn¡¯t have much of an appetite. His mood at the moment didn¡¯t allow him to make any positive associations at the mention of the cafeteria. Still, it was to be a very important place, and there was no harm in checking it out.


    ¡°There¡¯s many cafeterias,¡± Zhao Ke said. ¡°Let me look up the best way to get to all of them.¡±


    ¡°You¡­¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at his phone. The guy had saved a huge map of the school, on which was labelled all the different buildings. ¡°Have this prepared?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and all sorts of descriptions and guides. It¡¯s convenient for exploring new lands,¡± Zhao Ke said.


    Jiang Cheng chuckled. A guy who played Lian Lian Kan, what did he know of exploring new lands.


    ¡°Let¡¯s add each other.¡± Zhao Ke waved his phone. ¡°So we can contact each other easily.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng pulled out his phone.


    There are times when people will encounter completely unexpected situations.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s lockscreen and homescreen were full of Gu Fei. These were freshly changed as of the night before. At the time, he didn¡¯t think much about it at all, just barreled ahead and changed all of it. It wasn¡¯t until now, in front of Zhao Ke, when Gu Fei¡¯s face showed up again and again on his phone, that he realized he had never thought about how he would manage this awkward scenario should it ever happen.


    He glanced at Zhao Ke, who was also looking at him.


    Footnote


    [1] Big face is similar to thick-skinned. Here it means he¡¯s basically making shit up and talking out of his ass. Jiang Cheng innocent and pure? Ha. Ha. Ha. ?


    [2] A very simple puzzle game about linking identical shapes/items together ?

 CH 111

    ¡°It is a little hard for me to accept¡±


    Author: Wu Zhe, Translated by Ami <3


    After leaving behind the two people he needed to silence, Wang Xu and Zhou Jing, Jiang Cheng never thought in such a far away place, that he would run into yet another person who needed to be put down. Not to mention, this was only their second encounter.


    Since Zhao Ke was holding out his phone for Jiang Cheng to scan, the two of them were standing rather close to each other. From this distance, even nearsighted as Gu Fei would be able to see it. The giant lockscreen and homescreen pictures were so in Zhao Ke¡¯s face that he was forced to get a crystal clear look even if he hadn¡¯t planned to look.


    At that moment, Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t sure whether he should say something or continue to open his WeChat like nothing had happened.


    But perhaps because of the recent reminder of Gu Fei¡¯s photos, his longing for Gu Fei was stirring up quite the storm within him.


    ¡°This is my¡­¡± he began.


    This is my boyfriend. A very handsome, cute, and composed young man.


    However, he hesitated a second before he uttered the word out loud.


    This was an unfamiliar environment. He was face to face with his roommate who was practically a stranger to him. He didn¡¯t know what kind of personality this person had, or if he could accept something like this¡­ Moreover, recklessly blurting it out like would make himself look like a brainless gay who only ever thought about showing off his romance to the entire world.


    ¡°Schoolmate?¡± Zhao Ke offered an answer for him during his hesitation.


    Schoolmate is true.


    But to go behind Gu Fei¡¯s back and refer to him only as a schoolmate was unacceptable to Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Friend?¡± Zhao Ke asked again. ¡°Hero? Idol?¡±


    In the brief time that Jiang Cheng¡¯s brain had stopped working, Zhao Ke quickly gave out several answers for him to choose from. In that instant, Jiang Cheng was sincerely grateful for Zhao Ke¡¯s high emotional intelligence.


    If he hadn¡¯t started it, Zhao Ke would certainly not ask.


    ¡°This is my boyfriend,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    As he said this word, Jiang Cheng felt an ease spread throughout his body.


    To hell with consequences. If he said it now, he wouldn¡¯t have to keep sneaking around in the future. After all, they¡¯d have to spend a few years      together in the same room.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Zhao Ke answered. ¡°He¡¯s the guy who came here with you yesterday, right?¡±


    ¡°Mhm.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded. Zhao Ke sounded calm enough, but his facial expression betrayed his surprise. Jiang Cheng cleared his throat, ¡°Sorry, if you mind¡­¡±


    ¡°It is a little hard for me to accept,¡± Zhao Ke said.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he got ready to turn around and head back to the dorm.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t mind,¡± Zhao Ke said. ¡°It¡¯s none of my business anyhow.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him.


    ¡°You can scan mine.¡± Zhao Ke cut the subject decisively, swiped a few times on his own phone, and held it out to Jiang Cheng. ¡°Do you want a campus resource sheet? I can send it to you.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Jiang Cheng scanned the QR code and added Zhao Ke as a contact.


    Zhao Ke¡¯s WeChat display name is simply ¡°Zhao Ke¡±, which saved Jiang Cheng the trouble of footnoting his name.


    Jiang Cheng wanted to tell Gu Fei that he just came out to his roommate under completely unforeseen circumstances, but didn¡¯t get a chance.


    Zhao Ke was like a tour guide¡ªfor every building they came across, he would introduce it to Jiang Cheng. This included everything from the featured dishes on the cafeteria menu to each building¡¯s history¡ªhe even had a few things to say about the development history of their dormitory.


    Jiang Cheng was impressed. Despite wanting to come here since middle school, he himself was never so detail-oriented as to research the architectural make-up of the campus.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost like you¡¯ve been at this school for years,¡± Jiang Cheng said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve just been looking into things whenever I¡¯m bored and got some time, and if I¡¯ve read it, then I¡¯ll remember,¡± Zhao Ke said. ¡°The library is up ahead, wanna check it out?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Jiang Cheng nodded.


    ¡°This library is new. Apparently it was hard to even find a seat in the old one, you had to line up¡­¡± Zhao Ke paused midway through his sentence as he looked forward.


    Jiang Cheng also glanced forward, he could see ahead of them some students walking through the door into the library. There were a few people in that group; he wondered which one Zhao Ke was looking at.


    One of the long-haired girls facing them lifted a hand to brush her hair and at the same time glanced this way. Zhao Ke acted so fast it was as if he suddenly received a Flash Magic spell. Before Jiang Cheng knew what was happening, Zhao Ke was already standing behind a tree two meters away. [1]


    ¡°Huh??¡± Jiang Cheng was floored by Zhao Ke¡¯s speed as he stood frozen in place.


    The long-haired girl in front of the library was still looking their way. From this distance it was hard to tell if she could spot Zhao Ke standing behind the tree, though it was easy enough to see Jiang Cheng standing there stiffly like a moron.


    With one hand above her eyes to block the sun, the girl laughed and waved in their direction after a couple of glances.


    Jiang Cheng turned to look at Zhao Ke.


    Zhao Ke was standing with his side to the tree trunk as he exchanged a completely blank look with Jiang Cheng, as if he was a stranger, and a physically stunned one at that.


    Jiang Cheng pretty much understood what was going on. As a returned favour to Zhao Ke showing respect to his sexual orientation, he toughened up and waved back at the girl.


    She practically doubled up with laughter.


    Jiang Cheng powered through the awkwardness and continued standing there until the girl walked into the library, still laughing. Then he finally turned to Zhao Ke. ¡°She went inside.¡±


    Zhao Ke finally walked out from behind the tree, and turned to walk back the way they came. Meanwhile, he pulled out his phone and said, ¡°So that¡¯s what the library looks like. We¡¯ll probably be there every day from now on, so there¡¯s no need to go in today. Let¡¯s go check out coffee shops now, there¡¯s quite a few of them¡­¡±


    Jiang Cheng had no choice but to follow after him in resignation.


    ¡°That was my older sister¡¯s high school friend,¡± Zhao Ke said.


    ¡°¡­ Oh,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°She¡¯s in the law program too¡ªfirst year of grad school,¡± Zhao Ke said. Then added after a second, ¡°My dream girl.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡± Jiang Cheng glanced at him.


    ¡°Do you think she saw me just now?¡± Zhao Ke turned to him and asked.


    ¡°Well she doesn¡¯t know me. Do you think she would wave at me and laugh like that if she didn¡¯t see you?¡± Jiang Cheng was a little at loss for words.


    ¡°She was laughing?¡± Zhao Ke continued his questioning.


    ¡°Mhm, very cheerfully too,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    ¡°Really very cheerful?¡± Zhao Ke asked again.


    ¡°You should know,¡± Jiang Cheng looked at him, ¡°that people are usually pretty cheerful when they¡¯re laughing at a moron.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡± Zhao Ke nodded. ¡°Coffee¡¯s on me.¡±


    The train station was just like it had always been. Gu Fei followed the current of the crowd outside as he sent Jiang Cheng a message.


    ¨C just got off the train.


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s response came swiftly. It was almost instantaneous.


    ¨C are Li Yan and the others there?


    ¨C they¡¯re waiting for me outside, have you eaten yet?


    ¨C almost done, ate at two different cafeterias with a classmate


    ¨C classmate Zhao Ke?


    ¨C that¡¯s right, the handsome classmate Zhao Ke


    Gu Fei laughed and sent him a voice message, ¡°What to do if my boyfriend bullies me?¡±


    ¡°Your boyfriend has something to tell you later¡± was Jiang Cheng¡¯s low and mumbled response to him.


    ¡°What is it? Is it something that can¡¯t be said in front of the handsome classmate Zhao Ke?¡± Gu Fei spotted Li Yan standing outside the station exit, with Gu Miao crouched next to him looking grumpy.


    ¨C mhm, i just came out to him, i¡¯ll tell you about it later, you should go eat first


    ¨C £¡£¡£¡£¡£¡£¡£¡£¿£¿£¿£¿£¿£¿£¿


    Gu Fei was more than a little shocked. It had been less than a day since Jiang Cheng officially moved into his dorm, and already he¡¯d come out to his roommate? What is this new age new speed?


    He was immediately a little worried. His boyfriend was impulsive, and a little reckless at times. If his roommate was someone he didn¡¯t get along with, then judging by that fiery temper of his¡­


    ¨C everything¡¯s fine, it was unexpected but he doesn¡¯t really have a problem with it. I¡¯m going with him to the general store now to buy some stuff, don¡¯t worry


    ¨C okkk


    ¨C kiss me


    Gu Fei lifted his phone, turned a little toward the wall, and smacked his lips hard against the mic on his phone, then sent it as a voice message to Jiang Cheng.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think that I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing just because you¡¯re facing the wall!¡± Li Yan had been pointing at him from more than a dozen steps away. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you!¡±


    Gu Fei ignored him as he bent down and opened his arms.


    Gu Miao jumped up from beside Li Yan¡¯s legs and dashed toward Gu Fei while dragging her skateboard behind her. As she leapt into his arms, the skateboard knocked into his leg hard.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Gu Fei sucked in a breath and held her, ¡°how many times have I told you, put down whatever¡¯s in your hand first.¡±


    Gu Miao turned and started dragging him away, skateboard still in one hand.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Liu Fan?¡± Gu Fei asked Li Yan.


    ¡°In the car. There¡¯s nowhere to park,¡± Li Yan said. ¡°So he stopped at the side of the road and stayed inside.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Gu Fei answered.


    ¡°So how was it?¡± Li Yan glanced at him.


    ¡°How was what?¡± Gu Fei also shot him a look.


    ¡°Jiang Cheng¡­ ¡¯s school,¡± Li Yan said.


    ¡°It looks the way you expect renowned universities to look,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Very prestigious.¡±


    Li Yan started laughing, ¡°Alright then.¡±


    While walking across the square outside the station, Gu Miao suddenly stopped.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Gu Fei stopped too.


    Gu Miao looked back at the station, then turned in a circle as she looked around at everything else.


    ¡°You¡¯ve come here before.¡± Gu Fei crouched down. ¡°This is the train station.¡±


    Gu Miao set her skateboard on the ground, stepped onto it, and with a couple of kicks slowly glided forward and away.


    Gu Fei followed behind her.


    ¡°She won¡¯t start yelling, right? She¡¯s been here before by herself.¡± Li Yan looked after her worriedly.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Fei also glanced back at the station, ¡°this is where she first ran into Jiang Cheng.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± Li Yan stared at Gu Miao¡¯s back and sighed, ¡°Ay¡­¡±


    Liu Fan¡¯s car was parked just a few metres in front of the bus stop. When Gu Miao got there, she stopped again and spaced out for another few seconds before opening the door and getting in.


    Right here.


    Gu Fei looked at the stone stump beside the bus stop sign. The first time they met, Jiang Cheng was sitting there with his back to him.


    At that time, he didn¡¯t think he would share so many memories with this guy who had found his sister and who was waiting for him on a stone stump, so he didn¡¯t pay much attention to Jiang Cheng¡¯s appearance.


    However, he could still remember vividly the lost and somewhat annoyed expression on Jiang Cheng¡¯s face when he turned around.


    That young man was now in a university campus several hours away by train¡ªback to the bustling metropolis where he belonged.


    Gu Fei felt the reluctance of parting intensely, but what emptied out his mind even more was the fear of reaching out and holding onto Jiang Cheng, no matter how reluctant he was to part.


    He got into Liu Fan¡¯s crappy little car and sat with Gu Miao in the back seat. Gu Miao leaned against him as she spaced out at the view outside the window.


    It was her usual state¡ªto stare out the window when she was in a car.


    It wasn¡¯t because of curiosity, but to make sure that she was still within the border of her own world.


    Gu Fei sometimes felt that the little lass had a superpower. It was as if she possessed a radar that could accurately deduce her distance from the centre of her world.


    Perhaps it was due to fear.


    Just like how he could sense his father¡¯s presence when he was younger. Without hearing or seeing, he would descend into a state of intense fear when his father was still downstairs.


    That was also a kind of superpower.


    Attendance was good at their get together today, and everyone all arrived ahead of time in the private room.


    When Gu Fei got there, they had already finished ordering the food.


    ¡°Da-Fei, when is your registration?¡± Luo Yu poured him a drink.


    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°I think.¡±


    Luo Yu glanced at him. ¡°Would you be a little more attentive to your own affairs? You did manage to get into a school.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Fei replied.


    ¡°Ha, so compliant today?¡± Chen Jie said with a laugh.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t quite come around yet I bet,¡± Liu Fan said. ¡°Just came back from a sending away, he¡¯ll probably be dazed for the next couple days.¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck off,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°Alright let¡¯s eat!¡± Li Yan picked up his cup and knocked a few times against the table. ¡°A toast, to this group finally producing one¡ªno, two¡ªuniversity students. Bottoms up!¡±


    Gu Fei knocked his cup against the others and downed his liquor.


    He might not be the most talkative when he hung out with these guys in the past, but his thoughts would never wander like this. These were his friends of many years. He was always very relaxed whenever he was with them.


    Today was a little different though.


    These guys were the same guys, and the atmosphere was the same atmosphere, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to fully relax.


    The reason was Jiang Cheng.


    He was not used to not having Jiang Cheng by his side, sitting where he could readily see with a turn of his head.


    Gu Fei didn¡¯t regret starting this relationship, even if he knew long ago that he would have to face this situation, that he would fall into a pit of agonized longing. Still, he had no regrets.


    Though it didn¡¯t make it any less difficult to bear.


    Especially when he came to the realization that there was something else mixed into the longing. The feeling of being tortured on both ends became even more unbearable.


    Jiang Cheng would report to him from time to time his journey around the campus: ate a meal; went to the store; met all the roommates, none of whom were annoying; dragged to take a walk around the outside of campus by his roommates; didn¡¯t get lost¡­


    Gu Fei took Gu Miao home, and after watching her draw for a while, went out by himself to Jiang Cheng¡¯s apartment.


    He had to stay home to eat dinner with Gu Miao, but he planned to spend the hours before that here by himself. Perhaps it was simply the difference between people, but to him, the only way to ease his longing when he missed Jiang Cheng was to see things that reminded himself of him. Only when he was immersed in the space that contained Jiang Cheng¡¯s presence, looking at the traces of himself that Jiang Cheng left behind, could he be calm again.


    Everything in the apartment looked the same as before, as if trying to prove a point. Other than some clothes and his keys, Jiang Cheng hadn¡¯t taken anything with him.


    Standing in the living room now, Gu Fei almost felt like he could go into the bedroom and find Jiang Cheng there.


    He took a shower, walked into the bedroom, and laid down on the bed.


    He had just closed his eyes when his phone chimed with a message from Jiang Cheng.


    ¨C I¡¯m back in my room, where are you?


    ¨C lying on your bed


    Jiang Cheng¡¯s call came immediately: ¡°You went to the apartment?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gu Fei smiled.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have to spend time with Er-Miao?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going home to have dinner with her,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°And I¡¯ll come back here again after she falls asleep.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to move in?¡± Jiang Cheng sniffled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯ll just come over and hang out whenever I miss you.¡± Gu Fei could hear something was off in Jiang Cheng¡¯s voice. ¡°Hey Cheng-ge, you¡¯ve really become a pussy now huh. How many times have you cried in the last couple of days?¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck off,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°You¡¯re not a pussy, you¡¯re a bussy.¡±


    Gu Fei laughed out loud at that. Jiang Cheng also laughed for a long time before he stopped long enough to continue, ¡°I¡¯m outside the dorm now. I want to talk to you about something.¡±


    ¡°Is it about you coming out to Zhao Ke today?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s just bad luck. He wanted to add me on WeChat, so I took my phone out,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Turns out your big face is plastered all over my phone¡­ Good thing it wasn¡¯t your nudes, otherwise he would¡¯ve had a scare.¡±


    ¡°How did he react?¡± Gu Fei asked as he laughed.


    ¡°Calm enough. He said he finds it hard to accept, but that it¡¯s none of his business how I am, and he didn¡¯t bring it up again,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°I think this guy¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Gu Fei paused for a moment, then said, ¡°Maybe you can change out the photos of me, at least on your lockscreen and homescreen¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Jiang Cheng replied decisively. ¡°It¡¯s my phone, so I do what I want. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m putting photos of my boyfriend on other people¡¯s phones.¡±


    ¡°Alright, your call.¡± Gu Fei didn¡¯t press on. Jiang Cheng was like that.


    ¡°You¡¯re registering tomorrow, right?¡± Jiang Cheng asked.


    ¡°Right,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°It¡¯ll probably be pretty quick, and then the military training after that. Liu Fan has a mate who used to go there, apparently the training is only three days¡­ We had a whole week of training back at Fourth High.¡± [2]


    ¡°Our training isn¡¯t until second year.¡± Jiang Cheng smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t forget to take pictures.¡±


    ¡°Pictures of what?¡± Gu Fei asked.


    ¡°You, of course,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Selfies. I¡¯ll stock up and savour them slowly over time.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were gonna use it to rub it out slowly over time,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°The rubbing is assumed, since I am a youth in my prime after all,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°But I probably won¡¯t be in the mood in the near future. And besides, it¡¯s an unfamiliar environment¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright so, who¡¯s shameless now?¡± Gu Fei laughed.


    ¡°Me,¡± Jiang Cheng admitted snappily this time.


    ¡°See, couldn¡¯t you have admitted it sooner,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Are you going to eat dinner in the cafeteria too? How¡¯s the food?¡±


    ¡°Not bad, we¡¯ll continue to eat cafeteria food for dinner,¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°These guys in my room all like to eat. They¡¯ve already figured out and memorized what the featured dishes are and what tastes the best in all of the cafeterias. They have a plan to go through them one by one in the next few days.¡±


    ¡°After months of eating my cooking, you finally get to let go and frolic,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°Watch that you don¡¯t get fat.¡±


    ¡°If it was up to me, I¡¯d rather eat your cooking all day every day,¡± Jiang Cheng sighed. ¡°If the food is here, that means you are too.¡±


    His words made Gu Fei¡¯s heart clench. He was just about to divert the subject when someone called for Jiang Cheng on the other end: ¡°Jiang Cheng, let¡¯s head to the library!¡±


    ¡°Again?¡± Jiang Cheng said. ¡°Didn¡¯t we just go earlier today?¡±


    The guy said something else that Gu Fei couldn¡¯t make out, but Jiang Cheng sounded reluctant. ¡°You guys go, I¡¯m on the phone¡­¡±


    ¡°You should go, Cheng-ge,¡± Gu Fei said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t really wanna go,¡± Jiang Cheng said quietly. ¡°They said they¡¯re going straight to dinner after studying.¡±


    ¡°You should go,¡± Gu Fei said. ¡°You¡¯ve only just met; would be good to do things as a group. You can head off on your own later when you¡¯ve become more acquainted, that way they won¡¯t think you¡¯re a loner.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Alright,¡± Jiang Cheng answered.


    Gu Fei did not want to hang up, but he did it anyway.


    He laid on the bed for a long time before he managed to pull free from the overwhelming emotions.


    Then he got up and walked to the window, where he lit a cigarette and held it between his lips.


    The one calling for Jiang Cheng just now was probably Zhao Ke. The two of them had gone to the library today at noon. Jiang Cheng had reported it to him.


    They were a dorm room full of overachievers. It was only the second day after arrival, and they had set the library as the location of their first group outing. Gu Fei smiled.


    This was the ¡®something else¡¯ aside from the yearning that he couldn¡¯t quite sort through.


    From now on, everyone who appeared at Jiang Cheng¡¯s side would be an overachiever like him. Everyone would be very exceptional. Those people would all be of his kind. Only those people, who belonged to a different world from the people of the Steel Works, were of his kind.


    The feeling had emerged when he first saw Zhao Ke. The guy didn¡¯t even need to say anything. Just standing there and saying hello was enough to showcase very clearly the contrast between him and the local products of the Steel Works.


    Gu Fei had felt the same thing when he¡¯d first laid eyes on Jiang Cheng.


    Even if he hadn¡¯t immediately connected Jiang Cheng to the term ¡°overachiever¡±, even if Jiang Cheng wasn¡¯t a real overachiever in the traditional sense, he was still able to tell with a single glance that Jiang Cheng came from an entirely different world.


    He might be the one and only Gu Fei, that Jiang Cheng was able to pick him out from an environment like that, but how much appeal would this ¡°one and only¡± quality hold in the world where Jiang Cheng belonged? And for how much longer¡­


    Have you considered¡­ getting a boyfriend?


    The uneasiness and sense of being unmoored that he had felt when Jiang Cheng first asked this of him once again returned.


    Footnote


    [1] It¡¯s an Honor of Kings (game) thing. ?


    [2] In China, there is mandatory military training for new students entering the first year of university and first year of high school. It takes place before the semester officially starts, and typically lasts for a few days. Depending on the school, some places also have it in the beginning of middle school, and in rare cases elementary school as well. The training mostly consists of marching exercises and physical conditioning, the intensity of which varies by age and school. ?