Everyone in School No. 1 Knows My Boyfriend | Chapter 28 | A Gift and a Rumor | Novela.app

As soon as Si Bin arrived home, he received a call from Gao Yuan. "Hello? Young Master, you actually reached out to me first?" The other end of the line was a cacophony of noise. Gao Yuan shouted at the top of his lungs, "I heard you don't have classes tomorrow. Want to come out and hang?" Si Bin frowned and pulled the phone away from his ear. "Lower your voice. I’m not deaf." "Huh? What?" A series of clattering sounds erupted from Gao Yuan’s side. "Hold on a second! I’m going to the restroom to talk. these kids are way too loud!" "Brother Yuan, who are you calling?" a stranger’s voice asked over the phone. "Si Bin. You guys don't know him," Gao Yuan replied. "Ah! Is it Brother Si Bin?" someone immediately chimed in. "Brother Yuan, is Brother Bin coming too?" "Don't know yet, I'm on the phone with him right now!" Then came the sound of a door closing, and the background noise dropped significantly. "Hello?" Gao Yuan pressed his ear to the receiver. "Where are you?" Si Bin sighed, rubbing his brow. "Why is it so rowdy?" "Oh, a bunch of kids from my distant relatives are in town. My brother is swamped at the company, so he told me to look after them. We're at the bar street right now." After explaining, Gao Yuan asked, "What did you need me for?" "Do you still have that fountain pen you mentioned last time?" Si Bin asked. "What pen?" Gao Yuan was momentarily confused. "The Montblanc Meisterstück Solitaire," Si Bin specified. "I remember you bought several. Do you have any new ones left?" "Oh! Yeah, I’ve got two left. I gave the others away. Why?" Gao Yuan asked. "You want one?" "I want to buy one," Si Bin corrected. "Hey! We’re brothers, what’s with the talk of money?" Gao Yuan waved it off grandly. "If you like them, I’ll give you both." "One is enough," Si Bin insisted. "But I’m paying for it." "Huh?" Gao Yuan was baffled. "Why?" "It’s a gift," Si Bin replied. "A gift?" Gao Yuan mulled over the words, his curiosity piqued. "For whom? And why do you insist on buying it from me?" "I need it urgently," Si Bin said, avoiding the core of the question. "If it’s convenient, I’ll come by and pick it up in a bit." "Oh, sure, it’s convenient," Gao Yuan said. "But I won't be done here for a while. Want to come over for a few drinks?" "Which bar?" Si Bin asked. "I’ll send you the location!" Hearing that Si Bin was coming, Gao Yuan perked up instantly. "Let’s have a few drinks later! I don’t know any of these people; it’s incredibly boring." "Alright." With that, Si Bin hung up. Hearing the dial tone, Gao Yuan scratched his head in confusion. "He just... hung up?" "No, really, who is he giving it to?" Gao Yuan muttered as he sent the location. "And what’s with the insistence on paying me?" Regardless of Gao Yuan’s bewilderment, Si Bin put on his jacket and headed out as soon as he ended the call. Forty minutes later, he arrived at the bar where Gao Yuan was. "You’re finally here!" Gao Yuan rushed over and threw an arm around Si Bin’s shoulders, introducing him to the relatives. "Quiet down, everyone! My brother is here. Come, come! Let me introduce you!" Seeing everyone’s eyes fixed on them, Gao Yuan shouted, "This is my childhood friend, Si Bin." "Brother Bin!" a young boy said, seizing the opportunity. "Brother Bin, we’ve met before!" "Incredible!" Gao Yuan joked with Si Bin. "How do you have friends everywhere?" "Not exactly friends, not exactly!" the boy laughed and explained quickly. "I’ve only met Brother Bin once." "Alright then, meeting a second time today is fate. Let’s have a drink!" Gao Yuan handed Si Bin a glass. Si Bin took the glass and drained it in one go. Gao Yuan wasn't old, but he was socially savvy. After introducing Si Bin to the group—some of whom were distant blood relatives and others who were barely connected at all—he introduced each of them to Si Bin in turn. When it came to the young boy from before, he didn't wait for Gao Yuan to speak. He introduced himself proactively: "Brother Bin, my name is Du Yuhang. I came to H City with Brother Gao Yuan once before and met you then." Si Bin had no memory of him but asked politely, "You’re not from H City?" "No," Du Yuhang smiled. "I’m from N City." Seeing that his distant cousin intended to chat with Si Bin, Gao Yuan patted Si Bin’s shoulder and laughed. "You guys talk, I’m going to get more drinks." Once Gao Yuan left, Du Yuhang hurriedly invited Si Bin to sit. "Brother Bin, I heard you’re a student at H City No. 1 High School. Your grades must be amazing, right?" he asked. "They're alright," Si Bin replied casually. "What about you?" "Me? I’m at N City No. 5 High School." Speaking of his school, Du Yuhang’s face lit up with pride. "N City No. 5 is similar to No. 1 High; they’re both key provincial schools." Hearing the name of No. 5 High School, Si Bin gave him a second look. "What grade are you in?" "Eleventh grade," he answered. Si Bin nodded and took a sip of his drink. Seeing that Si Bin seemed uninterested, Du Yuhang racked his brain for a topic. "I’m in the science track. What about you, Brother Bin? I heard you participated in the Provincial Math Olympiad before, so you must be in science too?" "I’m in the liberal arts track," Si Bin said, setting down his glass. "Oh, oh!" Du Yuhang followed up awkwardly. "Liberal arts is great too! Both No. 1 and No. 5 have very strong liberal arts programs." "I know," Si Bin said. "I have a friend who used to go to your school." Hearing that Si Bin knew someone at N City No. 5, Du Yuhang immediately grew excited. "What’s your friend’s name?" He planned to use this person as an icebreaker to avoid the awkward small talk. Si Bin said, "His name is Lin Murun." Upon hearing Lin Murun’s name, Du Yuhang’s expression turned somewhat strange. "Do you know him?" Si Bin asked. "I know of him..." Du Yuhang replied. "Quite a few people in the eleventh grade know him, but none of us are close to him." Lin Murun was indeed a person of few words who didn't care for socializing; Du Yuhang’s answer didn't surprise Si Bin. "Is Brother Bin very close to him?" Du Yuhang asked tentatively. Si Bin caught the underlying implication and asked directly, "Why do you ask?" "He’s... a bit eccentric," Du Yuhang whispered. Si Bin raised an eyebrow but remained silent. Seeing that Si Bin didn't press for more details as expected, Du Yuhang thought for a moment and decided not to comment further on Lin Murun. He nervously rubbed his glass and said, "Maybe it’s because his grades are so good and he’s so handsome that he doesn't like talking to us. It’s understandable, totally understandable!" "What were you originally going to say?" Si Bin looked at him, his tone flat. "Nothing!" Du Yuhang laughed. "Brother Bin’s friend must be an exceptionally outstanding person." Si Bin scrutinized him for a long time before saying with a faint, inscrutable smile, "He is indeed very outstanding." That scrutinizing gaze made Du Yuhang feel uneasy, so he quickly changed the subject. While the bar was a cacophony of noise, the school campus was so quiet that one could hear the chirping of insects. Tonight, there were a few more young couples in the small garden. Perhaps they were certain that the teachers were all busy preparing for tomorrow’s Arts Festival and wouldn't have time to break up any romances or make examples of anyone. They no longer hid; when they saw Lin Murun walking past with his instrument case, they merely gave him a glance before continuing to huddle together and whisper. "After graduation, we can go on a budget trip to Europe." Lin Murun heard a boy say. "Okay! I want to see a Shakespearean play!" his girlfriend agreed. "But I only have enough money for budget airlines," the boy said somewhat apologetically. "Maybe we should wait until after we start working? I don't want you to suffer with me." He sounded quite considerate. Speaking of budget airlines, Lin Murun was reminded of Si Bin. He had also traveled through Europe on a budget with his father, sleeping at docks. Even though his family didn't seem to lack money, experiencing local life in a foreign land with someone you loved seemed like a wonderful thing. Lin Murun looked back at the young couple still building their blueprints for the future. He suddenly wondered: if Si Bin had a girlfriend, would he also talk to her so tenderly and envision a future that belonged to them? He probably would. Lin Murun looked down at the stone path beneath his feet. Si Bin would tell his stories to that girl, and then take her to see the moon in Veria, Greece; the sunrise in Taormina, Sicily; the snow on Mount Hua... Perhaps they would plan even more, Lin Murun thought. The night wind brought a chill. He narrowed his eyes slightly, wrapped his thin school jacket tighter around himself, and quickened his pace toward the dormitory building. *** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation --- | --- | --- 万宝龙的大班贵金属系列 | Montblanc Meisterstück Solitaire | A high-end luxury fountain pen series. 杜宇航 | Du Yuhang | A new character, Gao Yuan's relative from N City. N市第五中学 | N City No. 5 High School | Lin Murun's former school. 穷游 | Budget travel / Backpacking | Traveling with minimal expenses. 棒打鸳鸯 | Break up the young lovers | Literally "beating the mandarin ducks," an idiom for interfering in a romance. 抓典型 | Make an example of someone | A common phrase in Chinese schools for punishing a specific student to warn others.