“Brother Chang, don’t you think... it’s a bit drafty down there?” Liu Kan and Chang Ying were huddled in a bathroom stall. Chang Ying was currently helping him secure a safety pin onto the zipper area of his skirt.
Liu Kan had borrowed the skirt from Yuan Guo, but she was far too thin. Her school uniform skirt was a tiny size that Liu Kan couldn't even pull up. Consequently, Yuan Guo had found him a wool mini-skirt that was similar in color and length to the school uniform, but this one had a zipper instead of an elastic waistband. Liu Kan’s waist was simply too wide for the zipper to close, so they had to resort to safety pins.
As Liu Kan spoke, he trembled slightly, revealing two thick, hairy legs. He was wearing basketball shoes, which looked utterly ridiculous paired with the short skirt. A window in the restroom was open, creating a cross-draft. Although it was already summer, the shaded areas were still a bit chilly—but more importantly, he just wasn't used to it. There was nothing "holding" things in place down there, leaving him with a profound lack of security.
“Are you done yet?” Liu Kan complained, looking back.
“Stop moving your butt. If you keep moving, I’ll smack you, believe it or not? It’s almost done.” Chang Ying was feeling a bit irritable. He didn't know where Yuan Guo had scavenged these low-quality safety pins; they were rusty and felt quite brittle.
*Flush—*
The toilet in the next stall flushed, and a boy walked out. He shook his head as he exited the restroom, thinking, *What on earth did I just hear?* He had been sitting on the toilet when Chang Ying and Liu Kan entered the stall next to him.
The two of them had gone in, and one of them had immediately dropped his pants. Then, looking through the gap, he could see one in front and one behind, accompanied by phrases like "Hurry up, hurry up," "It's so drafty," and "Almost there." Crucially, the one in front was complaining, and the one behind said, "Stop moving or I'll smack you"... It was... unbelievable! Was this the kind of thing allowed to happen on campus?
***
The story went back to a day ago.
Once the bet was settled, even though they were incredulous that they had lost and were extremely reluctant, the boys obviously couldn't back out. The mere thought of it made them feel like the sky was falling.
Most importantly, if they were to swagger around the school in skirts, the embarrassment was secondary; the real trouble would be getting caught by the Grade Dean or their homeroom teacher. While a boy wearing a skirt wasn't exactly a punishable offense that would go on their permanent record, it would certainly lead to a school-wide announcement over the loudspeakers: *So-and-so from such-and-such class was walking around campus in a skirt... creating an extremely negative influence...*
There had been a precedent. A school-wide announcement once called out a certain boy for wearing female clothing in the dormitory and dancing a pole dance around the ladder of a bunk bed. They had named him and his class specifically.
Furthermore, Jiang Chenchen had also been criticized over the loudspeakers for singing opera at the top of his lungs during the lunch break, disturbing his classmates' rest. There was even someone who got called out for writing strange romance novels and circulating them in class.
In short, any behavior that seriously violated discipline but didn't quite warrant a formal demerit would be nailed to the pillar of shame by the big loudspeakers.
The five boys walked home in silence, their hearts heavy.
“To be honest, I’m starting to regret knowing you guys,” Qin Ke, who was usually a man of few words, suddenly spoke up. He had fought with his life to take first place this semester—for what? He had even skipped two shifts at his part-time jobs for this, losing out on so much money!
“Tell me about it,” Zhang Da chimed in.
“Damn it, Zhang Da, you have the nerve to talk? Weren't you the one who suggested the bet in the first place?” Liu Kan slapped the back of Zhang Da’s head, but Zhang Da immediately hooked his arm around Liu Kan’s neck and pinned him against a tree to rub it in.
“Anyone want grilled cold noodles?” Luo Zihan pointed at a street food cart.
“Chang Ying, why aren't you saying anything? Do you already have a plan?” Liu Kan asked.
“I do, but I can’t say. I can barely save myself right now; having a plan at all is good enough. Sorry, brothers.” Chang Ying looked up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle. After a long silence, he said, “You guys carry on. I’m going home first. I’m a man with a family now...”
Watching Chang Ying’s departing back, a lightbulb seemed to go off in Qin Ke’s head. “Sorry everyone, I have a plan too. See ya, bye.”
After Qin Ke and Chang Ying left, Zhang Da also fell into deep thought. Then he said, “I think I have a plan too. See you later, brothers~”
Liu Kan shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked a tree. “Damn it, why is everyone like this?”
Luo Zihan stood before the grilled cold noodle stall. “Brother Kan, two portions for ten yuan. You want one?”
***
Back in the bathroom, Chang Ying finally managed to secure the pins for Liu Kan, barely ensuring the little skirt wouldn't fall off. He gave it a light tug and found it was quite sturdy.
Liu Kan couldn't help but pull the mini-skirt downward. This thing was way too short; it barely covered his backside above the knees. Seeing that Chang Ying was still wearing his school shorts, he asked suspiciously, “Brother Chang, you’re not going to desert us at the last minute, are you?”
Chang Ying opened the door and pushed Liu Kan out. “Go to the auditorium first. I’ll change and follow you shortly.”
Liu Kan stood in the men's room. A row of boys at the urinals turned their heads simultaneously to look at him. Liu Kan remained calm, washed his hands at the sink, shook them dry, and swaggered out the door.
The crowd of boys at the urinals: “!?”
One of them was watching so intently that he eventually cried out, “Shit, I peed on my hand!”
Luo Zihan walked toward the auditorium, passing through a crowd of curious boys and girls who all stopped to stare. He was holding a Coke he’d just bought from the commissary; it was quite carbonated, and he was carefully twisting it open. A pair of large hands slapped his back.
“Holy crap!” The bottle in his hand immediately overflowed with bubbles. He reacted quickly, jerking his body back, but the soda still spilled all over his hand. He shook his hand off. “What the hell are you doing?! You almost got it on my skirt!”
Then he looked up and saw the Grade Dean.
The Dean’s face was contorted in an attempt to remain calm. “You, go stand over there!” He pointed toward the auditorium entrance.
Liu Kan was extremely worried about exposing himself from behind, so he kept both hands over his rear. After all, the skirt Yuan Guo had found for him was her own. A skirt meant for a 160cm girl became a micro-mini on him. He kept reaching back to fiddle with the safety pins, checking if they were secure.
Because the skirt was so short, he couldn't run or take large strides. He felt like a character from *Tom and Jerry* performing a sliding animation, moving forward in tiny, gliding shuffles.
From a distance, he saw the Grade Dean waving at him. His heart skipped a beat.
Chang Ying strolled through the hallway with an air of leisure. He had emerged from the bathroom wearing the skirt Junzi had found for him. Aside from the elastic waistband being a bit tight and uncomfortable, he was full of confidence.
He was still clutching a pair of school uniform trousers he had prepared in advance. Moreover, there was a suspicious bulge under his skirt, as if something else was stuffed in there.
As Chang Ying approached the auditorium in his skirt, he noticed the Grade Dean’s expression didn't look quite right.
But he was confident. He was calm. He was serene.
Who was he? He was Chang Ying. He was the Plan Master.
“Teacher, a classmate just spilled water on my pants. I tried to borrow a pair from the boys but couldn't find any, so I borrowed a skirt from one of the girls.” Chang Ying spoke with absolute conviction, even showing the Grade Dean the soaking wet trousers in his hand.
He had just doused those pants with water in the bathroom. They were still dripping; they truly couldn't be worn. A complete performance—he was a genius.
“...” The Grade Dean didn't listen to his nonsense. He simply reached out and flipped up the skirt.
“Whoa, Teacher, what are you doing?!” Chang Ying let out a nearly feminine cry of shock. He truly hadn't expected the Grade Dean to take such liberties with him.
When the skirt was lifted, it revealed that he was still wearing his school shorts underneath. Furthermore, the legs of the shorts had been tucked up and secured with rubber bands so they wouldn't show.
Grade Dean: “...”
Chang Ying: “...”
The Grade Dean gritted his teeth. “No pants to wear, eh?”
Zhang Da had spent half an hour on needlework at home the previous night, so he had slept soundly, knowing his plan was foolproof. He had sewn a flap of fabric to the front of his shorts, making them look like a skort.
Standing next to Chang Ying, Luo Zihan, and Liu Kan, he felt truly wronged. He couldn't understand why he also had to stand there as punishment with these losers.
When the Grade Dean had stopped him earlier, he looked as if he had been waiting for the moment, his face screaming, *I was just waiting for you to ask; I can't wait to start my performance.* He flipped up the flap of fabric, stood tall, and told the Dean, “Teacher, these are culottes. Essentially, they are pants.”
And then...
And then he was sent here to stand in the "shame line."
Qin Ke was the last to arrive. He actually hadn't been caught at first. He had walked into the auditorium with his school jacket tied around his waist, looking perfectly natural. He was wearing a skirt, but with the long-sleeved jacket wrapped around him, it was almost entirely covered. No one could tell if he was wearing shorts or a skirt underneath.
It was Liu Kan. It was Chang Ying. It was Zhang Da. It was Luo Zihan. It was them. It was all of them.
The four of them said to the Grade Dean, “Teacher, you’d better check what he’s hiding under those sleeves.”
The Grade Dean hauled him back from the auditorium and personally moved to untie the jacket sleeves knotted around his waist. The two of them parried and dodged for a moment, but the Grade Dean eventually gained the upper hand—he was, after all, an old fox with decades more experience.
The jacket came off, revealing a skirt underneath.
***
The auditorium was packed with tenth graders. The entire place was deathly silent. Li Wei’s face was dark as he sat below the stage; his girlfriend’s son actually liked wearing skirts.
In the center of the auditorium, the Grade Dean was giving a speech at the front. The gaze of every student bypassed the Dean and landed on the five boys in skirts standing behind him.
One was fearless, one was bashful, one was as calm as a chrysanthemum, one was heart-wrenched, and one was expressionless.
They were Luo Zihan, Liu Kan, Chang Ying, Zhang Da, and Qin Ke.
The five boys displayed legs that were fair, tender, long, and straight; aside from being a bit hairy, they were practically flawless.
The Grade Dean had been lecturing for an hour.
“...Is this appropriate? Is this appropriate?! Students, once this summer break is over, you’ll be eleventh graders! The College Entrance Exam is very close! Don't think you still have plenty of time!”
“Do I really have to say it how many more times? Hmm?? Have your hearts gone wild?!”
The more the Grade Dean spoke, the angrier he got. He turned around to face the five of them. At that moment, Liu Kan looked extremely uncomfortable, his hands clasped behind his back.
“Does standing here make you feel wronged? Why do you all look like high-ranking officials? Even clasping your hands behind your back, eh? I’m talking to you!” The Grade Dean pointed at Liu Kan.
“Spending all day on these useless antics! Wearing skirts? Grandstanding! Why don't you just come to school in your underwear? I see you’ve all lost your minds just because vacation is coming!” Seeing that Liu Kan’s hands were still behind his back, the Dean stepped forward and grabbed his wrist. “Put your hands in front of me!”
During the struggle, Liu Kan felt his waist loosen.
*Snap.*
The mini-skirt dropped to his ankles. The safety pin had just snapped, and he had been holding the skirt up with his hands the whole time.
Grade Dean: “...”
The entire grade: “...”
The underwear Liu Kan was wearing was actually quite loose—boxer briefs—so it wasn't incredibly eyesore-inducing. However, the pattern on his underwear featured Master Roshi from *Dragon Ball* firing a Kamehameha, and the energy blast happened to be positioned right in the center...
*Whoa.*
***
On the playground, the five boys, now back in their pants, were standing as punishment. Same spot, same order, same direction. History was repeating itself with startling similarity; if memory served, this exact scene had happened just two months ago.
“Kan-kan, don't be sad. You have to realize that there aren't many highlight moments in a person's life, and you’ve already exceeded your quota. We will all remember your... underwear.” Luo Zihan comforted him.
“Hey, Zhang Da, remind me, how does Master Roshi do his ultimate move again?” Chang Ying asked with a straight face.
“I think it’s like this.” Zhang Da forced a smile, put both hands at his side, stepped one leg back, bent his knees, and fired a blast at Liu Kan, mimicking the sound: “Ka... me... ha... me... HAAA!”
“Oh, I remember now. Is it like this?” Chang Ying also put his hands at his side and fired an identical blast at Liu Kan: “Ka... me... ha... me... HAAA!”
Qin Ke: “I’m not doing that. Too childish.”
The next second, Qin Ke put his hands at his side and aimed at Liu Kan: “Ka... me... ha... me... HAAA!”
***
After school, on the playground.
Luo Zihan pulled out his phone and aimed it at the three girls squatting on the ground. “Ladies, let’s begin.”
“Is it five laps? Why do I remember we said one lap?” Yuan Guo played dumb.
“You’re lucky it’s not fifteen. Hurry up.” Qin Ke leaned against the stone ledge at the edge of the field with his arms crossed.
“Five laps of frog jumps is pretty easy. Let’s stop wasting time.” Tan Junzi had just eaten two Snickers bars and spoke with her hands behind her back.
“If it’s so easy, why don't you jump five laps for me and I’ll sit out?” Qin Ruanshu said.
Five laps of frog jumps was not easy at all. Don't ask.
***
That evening, Tan Junzi was half-reclining on the sofa at Chang Ying’s house, browsing the school’s Tieba forum.
The forum had exploded. It was filled with posts discussing the five boys wearing skirts to the grade assembly.
Tan Junzi was laughing so hard she could barely breathe, cackling away.
Chang Ying came out from his shower, drying his hair. Tan Junzi read the posts to him:
“Hahahaha, someone actually started a poll for who looked the most handsome...”
“Hahahahaha, someone is actually asking where to buy those boxers...”
“Hahahahahaha, someone even posted a photo of the Grade Dean with his mouth twisted in anger...”
As she read, she slapped the back of the sofa, tears streaming from her eyes, her stomach starting to ache from the laughter.
Chang Ying stood there listening seriously for a moment, then his gaze fell upon Tan Junzi’s two swinging legs.
It was summer, and the girl was wearing shorts and white ankle socks. Her slippers dangled from her feet, swaying with her laughter, looking like they might fall off at any moment only to be hooked back by her toes.
Chang Ying’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. He walked over nonchalantly while Tan Junzi was still engrossed in the forum.
Chang Ying reached out and closed the laptop sitting in front of her. *Click.*
One moment Tan Junzi was looking at a screen, and the next, she was looking at Chang Ying. He reached out, took the laptop off her lap, and placed it on the floor.
Before she realized it, Chang Ying’s arms were braced on either side of her, forming a cage that locked her into the corner of the sofa.
The summer night wasn't too hot, so the air conditioning wasn't on. Chang Ying seemed a bit nervous; having just showered, a thin layer of sweat was already forming on his skin.
They were very close. Tan Junzi was half-reclining, while Chang Ying was bent over her.
She saw the high bridge of his nose and his sculpted brow bone. His phoenix eyes were currently scrutinizing her like a goshawk circling its prey—dangerous yet mesmerizing.
She couldn't quite read the expression on his face; there was actually a hint of pain and restraint in it. What was he pained about?
When Chang Ying raised his hand, Tan Junzi flinched instinctively.
His hand landed somewhere different than she expected. His fingers actually touched her collarbone. Then, his fingertips slid slowly along the bone toward the center.
Oh, here he went again. Thirsty for knowledge.
“This is the clavicle,” Chang Ying stated meticulously.
*How could I not know this is the collarbone?!* Tan Junzi’s mind was racing.
But his fingers carried a slight chill, and his pads were soft and gentle. Tan Junzi held her breath, only managing a difficult nod; the stomach ache from laughing earlier hadn't quite passed.
“So beautiful,” Chang Ying sighed sincerely. “Junzi’s collarbones are so beautiful.”
His finger slid to the small hollow between the two collarbones and stopped.
“Junzi, can I kiss you here?” Chang Ying’s eyes held a hint of plea. This humility made Tan Junzi feel a bit overwhelmed. Chang Ying was being too gentle.
As if possessed, Tan Junzi nodded, her abdomen beginning to tighten.
Chang Ying smiled faintly and lowered his head. Just before his lips touched her, Tan Junzi pushed him gently. Chang Ying didn't want to stop, but after a moment of painful struggle, he lifted his head and looked at her inquiringly.
“Chang Ying, my stomach hurts.” Fearing he would think she was joking, she added, “It’s a weird kind of pain.”
***
At the hospital.
“Am I going to die?” Tan Junzi said gloomily. “If I die, please take care of my grandfather for me. In my next life, I’ll be your ox or your horse to repay you...”
“Tan Junzi,” Chang Ying interrupted. “It’s just an appendectomy. It’s not going to kill you.”
Acute appendicitis, triggered by five laps of frog jumps.
The summer of 2009 was a summer Tan Junzi would never forget. Because in this summer, Tan Junzi’s best friend, her first kiss, and her appendix all left her.
*Quietness is my farewell music; silence is Cambridge tonight.*
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
一中 | No. 1 High School | The setting of the story.
F5 | F5 | A parody of "F4" from the popular series *Meteor Garden*.
烤冷面 | Grilled Cold Noodles | A popular Chinese street snack (Kao Leng Mian).
七龙珠 | Dragon Ball | The famous Japanese manga/anime series.
龟仙人 | Master Roshi | A character from *Dragon Ball*.
龟派气功 | Kamehameha | The signature energy attack from *Dragon Ball*.
贴吧 | Tieba | A Chinese communication platform/forum hosted by Baidu.
再别康桥 | Saying Goodbye to Cambridge Again | A famous poem by Xu Zhimo; the chapter title and ending are references to it.
Enjoying the story? Rate this novel:
A Gentleman is Open-minded, While a Petty Person Sighs | Chapter 29 | A Summer of Goodbyes | Novela.app | Novela.app
