The next time he saw "Bin-ge" was the evening after the exams ended.
Lin Murun returned to the dormitory and placed the vocational school uniform, which now carried the faint scent of soap, into a clean plastic bag.
There were no evening self-study sessions on Friday after the exams. Most of the boarding students had gone home. His roommate, Cheng Song, had bolted with his backpack the moment the exams were over, not even stopping to take down the clothes hanging on the balcony.
September was the season when the Jiangnan region was most prone to typhoons; once the rain started, it felt like it would never end. The air was thick with humidity during the rainy season, making it difficult for clothes to dry. Lin Murun glanced at the sky and, before leaving the dorm, decided to bring in Cheng Song’s damp clothes.
As he walked toward the school gate carrying the clean vocational school uniform, he encountered "Bin-ge" leaning against a black motorcycle.
It wasn't that Lin Murun was intentionally paying him attention, but the man was simply too conspicuous. The black motorcycle was massive, its paint gleaming under the light, and its design was incredibly sleek. Although Lin Murun didn't know the brand, even a layman like him could tell that the bike screamed "expensive."
"Bin-ge" had already changed out of his school uniform. He wore an LV monogrammed short-sleeved T-shirt paired with black cargo pants that accentuated his long legs. His hair was a bit long, and his bangs were slightly tousled by the evening breeze. Though his eyes were cast down and he looked somewhat indolent, he radiated a powerful "do not approach" aura.
In front of the No. 1 High School gate, such an outfit paired with a flashy motorcycle made it impossible not to notice him. Consequently, as Lin Murun walked out of the gate, he couldn't help but steal another glance. He hadn't expected "Bin-ge" to notice him as well.
Their eyes met. Lin Murun gave a polite nod and withdrew his gaze.
When he entered the small bookstore near the vocational school, Yellow Hair was still playing games. Seeing Lin Murun, he paused for a moment and took off his headphones. "Yo! Top student, you're here?"
Lin Murun handed him the neatly folded uniform. "Sorry, it's been raining these past few days. The clothes didn't fully dry until last night."
"Hey, it's no big deal." Yellow Hair took the uniform. "You even washed it for me? Thanks."
He draped the uniform over his computer chair and slapped his forehead. "Right, top student, that English test paper you were looking for arrived. Do you still want it?"
Seeing Lin Murun nod, he called out a quick word to his teammates and stood up. "I'll go get it for you."
He walked familiarly to a bookshelf, pulled out a brand-new set of English test papers, and handed them to Lin Murun. "The owner of the bookstore across from your school hasn't come back yet. Quite a few students from No. 1 High have been coming to me for practice materials lately. These are the last two sets left."
Lin Murun reached out to take them.
"What happened to your hand, top student?"
Lin Murun’s skin was so pale it was almost bloodless, making the needle marks and subcutaneous bruising on the back of his hand particularly striking.
"It's nothing." Lin Murun pulled his phone from his pocket to pay. "I had a fever and was on an IV for a few days."
"A fever? Are you better now?" Yellow Hair returned to the counter to find the QR code.
"I'm fine now."
"Alright then. If you need any more exercises or materials in the future, you can come find me." The notification sound for the payment rang out, and Yellow Hair waved at him. "Take care."
Lin Murun left the bookstore. As he passed the small barbecue shop, he unexpectedly ran into the same group of thugs who had tried to rob him a few days ago.
The tattooed man holding a skewer nudged Li Qi, who was head-down eating fried rice noodles, with his elbow.
"Qi-ge, look. Isn't that the kid who was wearing our school uniform last time?"
Li Qi looked up, squinting his eyes to get a better look. "It's him. Why is he back here again? Damn it, I feel like Si Bin played us last time. This pretty boy must be a vocational school student!"
Just as he said this, the group saw Si Bin slowly cruising up to the front of the barbecue shop on his black motorcycle. He kicked out a long leg to steady the bike as he stopped.
"Boss, one order of grilled oysters, to go."
the thugs stared at each other, looking as if they had seen a ghost. They all lowered their heads guiltily, not daring to make a sound.
Lin Murun, who had been the subject of the thugs' thoughts only half a minute ago, had just entered the bus station and caught the bus that went directly to his uncle's neighborhood. Once on the bus, he pulled out his headphones and started listening to BBC news, completely unaware of the minor episode at the barbecue shop.
At exactly seven o'clock, Lin Murun arrived at his uncle's house.
His aunt was a doctor and happened to be on the night shift today. She had prepared the meal before heading to the hospital. His uncle was a middle school teacher, and since the school was holding a parent-teacher conference today, he wasn't home yet either. In the entryway, there was only one pair of sandals belonging to his cousin, Lin Qingqing.
"Brother, you're back?" Hearing the movement, Lin Qingqing poked her head out from her room. "Did you get the test papers?"
Because he had to return the uniform, Lin Murun had told Lin Qingqing to go home first.
"I got them," Lin Murun replied while changing his shoes.
"You haven't eaten yet, right? I just got back a little while ago too. I was doing my homework while waiting for you." She turned on the lights in the dining room and kitchen and put the food in the microwave to heat up.
"Mom wanted to make stir-fried rice cakes with crab today, but since we both came back late, the rice cakes wouldn't taste good if they were reheated." As she spoke, she took out bowls and chopsticks from the disinfection cabinet. "Go wash your hands and get ready to eat."
"Okay." Lin Murun set down his backpack and asked, "Are there any problems you can't solve?"
This was a small habit between the two. Since they were young, Lin Qingqing would always ask Lin Murun for help with questions she didn't understand. In the past, when they lived far apart, they would call or video chat. Now that they lived under the same roof and attended the same school, discussing problems was much more convenient.
"Yeah," Lin Qingqing recalled as she served the rice. "A lot of them. There are even questions from the placement test that I couldn't do."
She set down the bowl and ran into her room, bringing out her error log and her newly assigned homework.
"Brother, help me look at this one!" She opened the error log and pointed to a math problem.
"Alright." Lin Murun took a pen from his stationery bag and accepted the scratch paper.
"There's another method for this problem. Although the steps are more tedious, it's easier to understand." He explained as he wrote down the formula on the scratch paper.
When Uncle Lin returned home, he saw his daughter and nephew at the dining table discussing English reading comprehension. Beside them were scratch papers filled with mathematical solutions and a half-eaten dinner.
"The kids are back?" Uncle Lin asked with a smile as he set down his bag. "How is the discussion going?"
"Both Brother and I suspect the reference answer was printed incorrectly!" Lin Qingqing looked up proudly.
"Impressive!" Uncle Lin washed his hands. "Finish your discussion and eat first. Health is the most important thing. I heard your brother had a fever recently."
"Huh?" The young girl was startled. She turned to Lin Murun. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"It's nothing. I'm already better." Lin Murun helped her tidy up the test papers and workbooks covering the table.
"That's right. He's a man; minor illnesses pass quickly. And if they don't, you have your aunt. She's the director of pediatrics—guaranteed to cure whatever ails you!" Uncle Lin patted Lin Murun’s shoulder and joked.
"Dad, my brother is almost seventeen!" Lin Qingqing corrected him.
"No matter how old you are, in the eyes of parents, you're still children." Uncle Lin laughed as he went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. "The food is cold. How about I boil some wontons for you? I just bought some dried shrimp and seaweed when I passed the supermarket."
"Sure," Lin Qingqing nodded while replying to a WeChat message.
While Uncle Lin was busy in the kitchen, the girl put down her phone and whispered to Lin Murun, "How did you find the placement test? Was it hard?"
"It was okay." After a moment of thought, Lin Murun said, "The math was fairly standard, and the liberal arts comprehensive was quite basic. How about the science stream?"
"Ugh, I was just about to complain to you about that." Lin Qingqing sighed and slumped onto the table. "Our science comprehensive was so hard this time, especially the physics. Not just me—lots of people in our class left questions blank. I bet we're going to get lectured by Old Yan when we go back on Monday."
Old Yan was the physics teacher for the science experimental class. He was only two years away from retirement and, true to his name, was a stern old man who never smiled. His questions were tricky and his grading was strict, but as the saying goes, 'a strict teacher produces brilliant students.' He had taught many students who secured recommended admission spots through physics competitions.
"So, I have no hope for the top ten in the grade this time. I just hope I don't drop out of the top twenty."
"It's fine. If you found it hard, everyone found it hard. No one expects to get an easy ride from your Teacher Yan," Uncle Lin said, popping his head out from the kitchen.
"Dad! That kind of comfort doesn't make me happy at all."
By the time they finished the wontons, it was already eight-thirty. After putting the clean dishes into the disinfection cabinet, Uncle Lin brewed a cup of tea for himself and poured a glass of sweet milk for Lin Qingqing.
"So, how are you adjusting to No. 1 High?" Uncle Lin walked into Lin Murun’s room carrying his tea mug.
"It's fine. I've adapted to the teachers' methods, and the difficulty of the material is acceptable," Lin Murun replied.
"This child... I wasn't asking about your studies." Uncle Lin placed the mug on the desk and pointed to Lin Murun’s test papers. "May I see?"
After receiving permission, Uncle Lin opened Lin Murun’s placement test papers.
"You and Qingqing are both excellent children. Your aunt and I see how hard you work." Uncle Lin sighed as he looked at the high scores on the papers. "But Rurun, what I care about more right now is your life at school. Are you eating well? Have you made any new friends?"
"I'm eating very well." Lin Murun thought for a moment and, barely managing to include the not-yet-familiar Li Qian and Zhou Xuan, replied, "Yes."
Uncle Lin smiled and returned the papers to Lin Murun. "That's good, that's good."
"I hope you don't find me nagging." Uncle Lin took off his glasses and sighed. "You are just like your mother..."
"Not many words, not many friends. But hardworking and smart, almost always taking first place in the grade."
"Your grandparents were both university professors. From the time she was small, they only cared about grades. So your mother was always their pride. Every Lunar New Year, she would get two new dresses." Uncle Lin looked at the steam rising from his tea and smiled. "I was young then, and I protested to your grandmother. Why did my sister get two new outfits while I only got one? Do you know what they said?"
Lin Murun nodded. "I know."
Uncle Lin had told these stories many times, but Lin Murun never felt bored. Aside from Uncle Lin, no one else ever spoke to him about his mother’s youth. Even in his father’s diary, there were only memories of the two of them meeting and falling in love during university.
"They said that only the child who consistently stays in first place can receive the best New Year's gifts," Lin Murun answered.
"Yes. Because of that special honor of being 'Number One,' she worked hard for eighteen years. Before university, aside from doing chores, she spent every day huddled in her room studying. She had no close friends and no hobbies." Uncle Lin’s expression turned somewhat lonely. "I don't want you to be like her. It's normal for kids your age to be a bit mischievous or rebellious. You can relax when you feel tired. I know high school is high-pressure and rankings are crucial, but you don't have to keep the string pulled so tight."
"If you encounter anything unpleasant, you can talk to me or your aunt. We've watched you grow up. If you feel uncomfortable talking to adults, you can talk to Qingqing. She’s full of clever ideas."
"Okay, Uncle." Lin Murun nodded and said sincerely, "Thank you."
"Silly child." Uncle Lin stood up and ruffled Lin Murun’s hair, laughing. "We're family. There's no need for thanks."
"Oh, right. Old Yuan called me earlier. He said that since school has started, if you're too busy, you don't have to go to the piano shop for now." Uncle Lin said, "Rurun, find some time to reply to him later. I'm going to go grade homework now."
"Okay," Lin Murun replied.
***
