In the days that followed, the students of Class 2 threw themselves heart and soul into their studies. Because the results of the placement tests had been less than ideal, everyone was straining every nerve to achieve better marks on the upcoming monthly exams.
Unlike other schools, No. 1 High School, as a key provincial school, did not hold make-up classes on weekends, and the evening self-study sessions were not particularly long. Aside from reviewing test papers, teachers rarely occupied the evening sessions, relying instead on the students' own self-discipline.
Furthermore, No. 1 High School hosted events like School Anniversary Day, Arts Festivals, and Sports Meets, allowing students to showcase their special talents outside of academics.
While such an atmosphere sounded enviable, it actually made the invisible competition even more intense. Whether in public or private, everyone was studying desperately, terrified of falling behind.
"Lin Murun, have you heard? There are new regulations for this year's Arts Festival. Parallel classes only need to prepare one program, but experimental classes have to prepare two." Just after evening self-study ended that day, Yu Qianyi excitedly shared the news she had just scouted with Lin Murun.
"Does that change anything?" Lin Murun asked, pausing his pen.
"Of course! Originally, our class's program would have been a guaranteed lock, but it’s different now. We have to prepare two, but only one can actually make it to the stage," Yu Qianyi said solemnly. "In other words, one program is destined to be cut."
"If a program gets cut, wouldn't that be a waste of time and energy?" Li Xi turned around from the front row.
"Exactly, exactly." Yu Qianyi nodded, her face clouded with worry. "Why did they have to do this?"
Shen Hao sighed. "In the past, the parallel classes were the ones getting cut more often. I guess the tables have turned."
"True..." After a moment of recollection, Li Xi asked Huang Hao, "Monitor, are we organizing an individual act or a group act this time?"
"We have to do both," the Class Monitor replied. "It was just announced at the class officers' meeting yesterday. We must have candidates for both categories."
"The group act better not be a chorus again," Shen Hao chimed in. "Please, anything but a chorus. It’s so boring. It’s supposed to be an Arts Festival, but all you see is class after class singing in unison, like some grand assembly."
"If we can even get a chorus selected this year, you should be thanking your lucky stars. The new rules state that only three classes per grade can perform a chorus," Huang Hao said flatly.
"How about we do trick basketball?" Shen Hao suggested excitedly after a thought. "A whole row of us shooting hoops. The moves don't have to be too hard, just novel enough!"
Zhou Xuan gave him a lazy look. "Look at our class's male-to-female ratio, Sports Rep."
"And look at how many boys in our class actually know how to play basketball," Huang Hao added, twisting the knife. "If someone sprains an ankle, we won't even have a substitute to send on stage."
"Fair point..." Shen Hao scratched his head.
"Maybe we should focus on the individual performances?" Yu Qianyi suggested. "After all, we won't be able to participate in the Arts Festival next year. It would be a shame if we didn't get to show off our personal talents."
The Arts Representative, sitting in another row, tapped Li Menglai. "Menglai, are you participating? You play the piano so well; you’d only need a little preparation. With these new rules, we might not even get the chance for a group chorus."
Li Menglai looked up with a sweet smile. "Of course I'm signing up!"
"We'll discuss this more during next week's class meeting. The rain is so heavy; don't keep your parents waiting," Huang Hao advised the group huddled together as he packed his bag. "The Arts Festival isn't urgent. Everyone, just head home for now."
The group chattered for a bit longer before finally dispersing.
Autumn was typhoon season for the coastal regions. News had broken just yesterday that a street billboard in a small nearby city had been blown down, injuring an elderly passerby. Unluckily, the injured woman was the grandmother of Lin Murun’s roommate.
Upon hearing that the old woman had been hospitalized, Cheng Song had burst into tears. He had been raised by his grandmother since childhood, and the two shared a very close bond. Late last night, after pacing the dorm for a long time, Cheng Song decided to take a leave of absence to return to his hometown.
Early this morning, he had left the school in the pouring rain.
For the past two days, Lin Murun had been the only one in the dorm. When he returned to the room with his shoes completely soaked, he realized he had forgotten his keys. After turning his backpack and pockets inside out, Lin Murun stood dazed for a moment. He eventually set down his dripping umbrella and headed to the first floor to borrow a spare key from the dorm matron.
To his surprise, when he reached the first floor, the matron's door was locked. The room was pitch black with no lights on; she clearly wasn't in.
When he had first returned to the dorm building, Lin Murun had been listening to English audio and hadn't noticed the state of the matron's room. Now, standing before the closed door, he was completely at a loss.
"Hey, are you looking for Auntie Wang?" A boy carrying a washbasin on his way to the communal showers passed by. Seeing Lin Murun turn around, he said kindly, "Auntie Wang isn't here. She went to the airport with her husband to see off their son and daughter-in-law."
"Did she say when she'd be back?" Lin Murun asked.
"Not specifically, but she said she'd be back before the campus curfew." The boy thought for a moment and asked, "Is it urgent? If not, maybe come back tomorrow. Even though she left early, look at this weather..." The boy pointed outside. "Flights are bound to be delayed, and cars can't drive fast on the roads."
"Alright, thank you."
"No problem." The boy walked away with his toiletries.
Lin Murun stood there for a moment, then turned and went back to the third floor. He picked up his soaked umbrella and stepped back out into the rainy night.
Since the matron wouldn't be back for a while, he couldn't get into his room. He decided to head back to the classroom; at least he wouldn't have to stand like an idiot at the dorm entrance feeding the mosquitoes.
Most of the people in the classroom had already left. The classmates he was familiar with were long gone. Of those remaining, some didn't notice him, while others glanced up briefly before returning to their exercises.
Lin Murun had already finished his homework, so he pulled an English practice paper from his desk and started working on it.
People continued to leave the classroom one by one. By the time Lin Murun finished his short essay, the sound of the security guard calling for students to leave echoed from downstairs.
The wall clock pointed to exactly ten o'clock. He was the only one left in the room.
The security guard had reached the third floor. Wearing a raincoat and wielding a flashlight, he herded out all the students still lingering in the classrooms for self-study.
Lin Murun packed his bag, turned off the lights, closed the windows and door, and then stood in the corridor in a daze.
The curfew for No. 1 High School was ten-thirty. Given the weather, the likelihood of Auntie Wang returning to the dorm building by then was slim. Lin Murun didn't know where he should go to kill the next half hour.
"Lin Murun? What are you doing standing here?" A familiar voice came from behind him.
Lin Murun turned to see Si Bin emerging from the Class 1 classroom.
He had his bag slung over one shoulder and held the same black umbrella Lin Murun had seen before. His striking features were cast in deep shadows under the corridor lights of the rainy night.
"I forgot my keys," Lin Murun answered.
"Dorm keys?" Si Bin said. "You can borrow them from the matron."
"Probably not tonight." Lin Murun glanced toward the dorms. "Auntie Wang went out for something tonight and won't be back until very late."
Si Bin looked at the back of his head and said with a hint of amusement, "Nowhere to go?"
"Yeah..." Lin Murun replied in a muffled voice.
"If you don't mind, you can crash at my place tonight," Si Bin suggested. "Aside from two cats, it's just me."
"Maybe I shouldn't..." Lin Murun shook his head. "It's too much of a bother."
"Then how long do you plan on standing here?" Just as Si Bin finished speaking, the security guard, who had reached the fifth floor, called out to them, "You two, head back quickly! The main gates are about to be locked!"
"We're going now. Thanks for the hard work, Uncle Li," Si Bin called back.
The two of them walked out of the teaching building one after the other.
"With this weather, who knows when your Auntie Wang will get back to school?" Si Bin opened his large black umbrella as they stepped into the rainy night.
"Don't feel embarrassed. The apartment here isn't huge, but with two floors, there's more than enough room for two people." Si Bin looked back at Lin Murun.
"And don't worry about being a bother. Just think of it as going to see Xiao Bai."
Si Bin couldn't say for sure if there was a selfish motive behind inviting Lin Murun home, but almost everyone in the teaching building was gone. If he hadn't happened to run into him, where else could Lin Murun go?
"Then... sorry for the trouble," Lin Murun agreed after a moment's hesitation.
The rain that day was truly torrential. Although they each held an umbrella, by the time they entered the residential complex, their shoes, socks, and the hems of their school trousers were soaked through.
Because he had made a trip back to the dorm earlier, even the hem of Lin Murun's shirt was stained with water. With every step he took, his feet felt as though they were submerged in water.
"Just past that gravel path and we're there," Si Bin said, turning back to Lin Murun.
The boy's school uniform was plastered to his body by the rain, making him look a bit pitiful.
Si Bin silently slowed his pace, walking side-by-side with Lin Murun through the rainy night.
"Remember to take a shower first when we get in," Si Bin said. "Otherwise, you'll catch a cold."
"Okay," Lin Murun replied.
The soaked shoes and socks slowed their pace. The streetlights stretched their shadows long, and raindrops fell onto the puddled sidewalk, splashing into countless tiny ripples.
This short little path seemed to have become exceptionally long.
The voice-activated light in the stairwell flickered on. Si Bin placed their dripping umbrellas by the door and punched in the code for the digital lock.
The sound of a cat meowing came from the dark house. Si Bin suddenly remembered something and turned to Lin Murun. "I think I mentioned I have another cat. His name is Da Bai."
As soon as he spoke, a long-haired ginger cat with "white mittens" trotted lightly to the door. Upon seeing a stranger, it froze in its tracks, stunned.
"Yes, I remember." Lin Murun looked at the cat's round eyes and couldn't help but let out a faint smile.
"You said he was Xiao Bai's older brother."
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 平行班 | Parallel class | Standard/regular academic track classes. |
| 实验班 | Experimental class | Advanced or honors track classes. |
| 艺术节 | Arts Festival | A school-wide event for performing arts. |
| 体委 (体育委员) | Sports Representative | A student officer in charge of sports-related activities. |
| 文艺委员 | Arts Representative | A student officer in charge of cultural and artistic activities. |
| 班长 | Class Monitor | The lead student officer of a class. |
| 大白 | Da Bai | "Big White"; the name of Si Bin's older ginger cat. |
| 白手套 | White mittens | Refers to a cat having white fur on its paws. |
