Pei Cangyu and his desk-mate didn’t speak for an entire week.
During that time, all the girls in class flocked to Bai Shi. Some helped him by bringing textbooks and assignments, while others pointed out the location of the cafeteria. In short, everyone wanted to help the new student adjust to his new environment. The supply of Band-Aids he received was particularly exhaustive; for one tiny scratch, he had somehow collected dozens of them.
Pei Cangyu swung his legs, shooting him sidelong glances. Ever since discovering Bai Shi was a boy, Pei Cangyu couldn't understand the appeal. As a guy, wasn't this fellow quite ordinary? And he was deathly short. He had a toxic tongue and didn't like talking to people. Pei Cangyu had seen it clearly: when a girl placed a Band-Aid on his desk, the kid actually frowned as if it were a nuisance, nearly leaving the poor girl humiliated. It made Pei Cangyu seethe. This guy only *looked* quiet and harmless; the moment he opened his mouth, he was out to insult someone. He was truly a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Over the next few days, the battle grew fierce.
Pei Cangyu provoked him on purpose. Every time he napped, he stretched his arms across the center line of the desk, hogging more than half the space. In retaliation, one day when Pei Cangyu stretched his arm over, he felt something sticky. He had his sleeves rolled up, and the sudden cold sensation startled him. He jerked his arm up to look, seeing a white substance on his skin. "What... what is this?"
Bai Shi glanced at him but didn't answer. He simply placed an empty tube of 502 Super Glue on Pei Cangyu’s desk.
Pei Cangyu: "..."
The next day, Pei Cangyu smeared his entire arm with penicillin ointment.
During the long break that day, he ran out to the garden, caught several caterpillars, put them in a jar, and brought them back. He whistled as he stepped back into the room just as the bell rang. During the second break, while Bai Shi was away, Pei Cangyu gleefully dumped the caterpillars into Bai Shi’s desk drawer, waiting for his victory.
When Bai Shi returned, he reached into his desk for a book. He must have touched them. Pei Cangyu watched with an expectant face, covering his ears to brace for a scream, but Bai Shi’s expression didn't even flicker. He merely paused for a moment, pulled the book out, and set it on the desk. Pei Cangyu frowned in disappointment.
In return, at noon, Bai Shi borrowed a jar of honey and smeared it on the four legs of Pei Cangyu’s desk, the crevices of his chair, and the edges of his desk drawer. When Pei Cangyu arrived for afternoon classes, he didn't notice anything unusual. It wasn't until around five o'clock that he felt something was wrong. He looked closely—holy crap, his side was swarming with ants!
The thing Pei Cangyu feared most was ants. Seeing them in clusters was absolutely disgusting. He jumped up, slapping at himself and stomping his feet, leaving the teacher in the middle of the lecture stunned.
Pei Cangyu glared fiercely at Bai Shi. "You, outside. Now."
The teacher frowned and walked down. "What's going on?"
Bai Shi turned to the teacher. "Student Pei needs my pocket money."
Pei Cangyu was struck dumb with shock, but he reacted instantly, grabbing Bai Shi by the collar. He was so angry he started to stutter: "You... you're f-f-f-full of shit!"
Before he could do anything, the teacher acted as if facing a great enemy. Dropping his book, he immediately pulled the two apart. He would never allow a fight to break out under his nose. Pei Cangyu had crossed a major line.
Forced to stand as punishment and write out texts from memory, Pei Cangyu was fuming. During evening self-study, his "bad influence" friends sneaked out and tapped his shoulder, gesturing toward the restroom. The group crouched low and scurried past the classroom door.
"If you ask me, you should just give in and call it quits," Pingguo said, handing out cigarettes to everyone.
"Why should I give in? That idiot is way too arrogant," Pei Cangyu said, taking a cigarette.
"Why are you always picking on him anyway?" Houzi lit the cigarettes for everyone.
Pei Cangyu paused and thought about it. "Because he's my desk-mate. I don't want a desk-mate."
Feiji took a quick drag and exhaled rapidly. "Why don't you just move your desk to the back row?"
Pei Cangyu raised an eyebrow. "Why should I move? This is my spot. I don't care, I'm getting rid of him one way or another."
Pigou squinted his small eyes. "How about this: after school, we'll invite him to the back sports field and scare him a bit."
Pei Cangyu waved his hand. "I don't think he's afraid of that."
Pigou rolled up his sleeves, showing off his biceps. "I can bring a club. This—long."
Pei Cangyu still shook his head. "Forget it. Look at his face. If you flick him once, he’ll be red for years. Heck, you might even leave a dent. He's too fragile."
The four of them: "..."
Feiji smoked too fast and tapped Pingguo for another one. "This won't work, that won't work... why don't you just beg him to let you off the hook?"
Pei Cangyu smacked him, telling him to stop talking nonsense.
*Cough, cough.* The restroom door was pushed open. A boy walked in and immediately started coughing from the smoke.
Pingguo quickly hid his hand behind his back, but the smoke drifted up lazily from behind him. The other four looked on with annoyance to see who it was.
Fei Zuohua.
He nodded at Pei Cangyu and walked straight to the urinal.
For some reason, everyone suddenly fell silent. They stood there awkwardly without moving, leaving only the clear sound of urine hitting the porcelain to echo through the restroom.
Pigou mouthed words silently, gesturing wildly at the others: *Damn it, say something.*
Feiji also remained silent, mouthing back with exaggerated movements: *Is this guy in our class?*
Pingguo held the cigarette in his hand, not wanting to put it in his mouth now. He joined the silent conversation: *Duh, he's the Physics Class Rep.*
Houzi finally couldn't stand the silence and jumped in: *What's his name?*
*Fei Zuohua.*
Pei Cangyu’s raspy voice rang out. He had tried to mouth the words without making a sound like the others, but when he lowered his voice, it came out as a clear, albeit gravelly, echo in the quiet restroom.
His friends' four faces turned in unison, all wearing expressions of "..."
Fei Zuohua turned his head to look at him. While zipping up, he asked, "Did you call me? What is it?"
The friends: "..."
Pei Cangyu: "..."
Fei Zuohua walked over to wash his hands, still looking at Pei Cangyu with a hint of joy on his face. "Looking for me? What's up?"
Pei Cangyu scratched his cheek. "Nothing, just saying your name."
The friends: "..."
Hearing it was nothing, Fei Zuohua seemed a bit disappointed. He gave a forced nod, glanced at Pei Cangyu, and walked past him, not forgetting to remind him: "By the way, it looks like Bai Shi is using your pen. You should check on it when you get back."
Pei Cangyu bristled. "I knew that idiot was... wait, you believe me?" Pei Cangyu was overjoyed and grabbed Fei Zuohua’s arm. Fei Zuohua nodded. "Of course."
Pei Cangyu patted Fei Zuohua’s shoulder with satisfaction. "Good, good. Keep observing. Tell me if anything happens. Go on then."
Fei Zuohua had thought Pei Cangyu was holding him back to stay with him, but it seemed he was just sending him off. The corners of his mouth twitched into a small smile. He nodded at Pei Cangyu and left.
As soon as the door closed, Pigou poked Pei Cangyu. "You're pretty close with him. How come we've never seen him before?"
Pei Cangyu finished his cigarette and tossed it into the trash. "Nah, we were elementary school classmates. We used to be on okay terms." He washed his hands, preparing to head back. "I need to go see what that idiot is up to..."
The remaining friends raised their cigarettes; they still needed a few more minutes.
Pei Cangyu crept toward the back of the classroom, moving silently. Mimicking the usual movements of their homeroom teacher, he put his hands behind his back and stood on his tiptoes, peering through the small glass window on the door to see what mischief Bai Shi was planning.
To be honest, this vantage point was excellent. No wonder the homeroom teacher loved looking through it; everything was visible. Pei Cangyu could even see a student in the front row reading a manga hidden inside an exercise book. The teacher supervising the evening study session caught him instantly. *Serves him right,* Pei thought. *Who holds an exercise book upright like that and stares at it so intently? Do you expect the blanks to fill themselves without your hands moving a pen?*
Pei Cangyu watched the boy get punished and sent to stand in the back row, shaking his head at the lack of skill. If it were him, he’d put the manga in the desk drawer, pull it out slightly onto his lap, and look down. Meanwhile, both hands could stay on the desk, and holding a pen in the right hand would make it look even more realistic...
He watched for a while before remembering his mission. He hurriedly looked for Bai Shi, but Bai Shi wasn't in his seat. Pei Cangyu strained on his tiptoes to look inside, his eyes scanning like lasers. *Huh, strange...*
As he was peering in, someone poked him hard in the waist. He nearly slammed into the door, but thanks to his quick reflexes, he avoided pushing it open and dodged to the side. He spun around and saw the short Bai Shi looking at him. "You're blocking the way."
"You..." Pei Cangyu grabbed Bai Shi and hoisted him up like a little chick.
At that moment, the teacher inside heard the commotion and started walking out. Seeing things were about to go south, Pei Cangyu covered Bai Shi’s mouth and dragged him toward the stairwell. They hid in the shadows as the teacher stepped out, looked around, and saw nothing in the darkness.
Pei Cangyu was very nervous. He pulled Bai Shi close to his chest, one hand over his mouth and the other arm across his neck. Actually, it wasn't necessary; Bai Shi had no intention of shouting. His back was pressed against Pei Cangyu’s thin frame, and the sound of the other boy's heartbeat was incredibly loud, thumping like a drum. Pei Cangyu stared intently at the teacher, not daring to breathe. This teacher had a grudge against him and didn't like him; if he got caught, he was truly finished...
The teacher finally left. Pei Cangyu breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to let go, his finger was bitten hard. The pain made Pei Cangyu shove Bai Shi away. "Are you freaking crazy? I was already letting go!"
Bai Shi walked over, looking up at Pei Cangyu, and then delivered a kick straight to Pei Cangyu’s crotch.
Pei Cangyu let out a howl of agony, clutching his crotch. He reached out with one hand to grab Bai Shi, but Bai Shi bolted, running down the stairs. Pei Cangyu hopped in place for a moment, then, fueled by bitter determination, chased after him.
They began spiraling down the stairwell. Pei Cangyu gave chase relentlessly. Bai Shi reached the first floor, burst out of the teaching building, and ran toward the sports field.
Pei Cangyu grabbed a broom along the way and chased him out.
Bai Shi was surprisingly fast. Pei Cangyu threw the broom with the precision of a shot-putter. With a *clack*, it hit Bai Shi square in the back, and Bai Shi went sprawling onto the ground.
Seeing this, Pei Cangyu laughed loudly. He hurried over and stomped twice on Bai Shi’s white shirt. Bai Shi let out a few muffled groans.
Pei Cangyu knelt down and pulled him up. "Still gonna run? Huh? Apologize to me, now!"
Because he had fallen face-first, Bai Shi’s face was covered in gravel dust, smudged with gray and red. His lips were pale. Pei Cangyu felt a pang of guilt, so after a moment's thought, he loosened his grip.
Bai Shi turned his head and coughed several times, painfully clutching his collar, his pale face flushing red from gasping for air.
Seeing him in such distress, Pei Cangyu scratched his hair awkwardly and said fiercely, "Who told you to mess with me? If you didn't mess with me, I wouldn't have chased you, right? If I didn't chase you, you wouldn't have fallen, right? If you didn't fall, would you be hurting like this now? In the end, it's because you're an idiot. Any objections?"
Bai Shi coughed violently again and turned to glare at Pei Cangyu.
Pei Cangyu paused. "...Of course, I'm not particularly smart either..."
Bai Shi braced himself against the ground to stand up. Pei Cangyu considered helping him but ultimately didn't reach out.
Bai Shi stood up, and Pei Cangyu followed suit.
"Let's go again," Bai Shi suddenly said.
Pei Cangyu was stunned. "Go again with what?" He then laughed. "...I guess we could. How about this: you call me 'Big Brother,' and we'll call everything even—"
Before he could finish, Bai Shi kicked him in the crotch again.
It turned out "go again" meant the chase was back on.
Pei Cangyu howled once more. This time his reaction was lightning-fast; he had to catch Bai Shi and kill him.
They ran lap after lap around the track. Bai Shi didn't seem to have much endurance, but every time Pei Cangyu was about to catch him, he would squeeze out a final burst of energy to pull ahead. Pei Cangyu lunged and missed every time. He didn't know how long they had been running, but it felt like evening study was over. A few student-athletes had arrived for training, and they watched the two of them while warming up.
Pei Cangyu was huffing and puffing. He saw that Bai Shi up ahead was also reaching his limit; after running a bit, he would stop and lean on his knees to breathe. Pei Cangyu would charge forward with a burst of energy, and Bai Shi would force himself to run again with his last breath.
As Pei Cangyu passed the athletes for the umpteenth time, one of them gave him a thumbs-up. "Brother, not bad! See you at the Provincial Games!"
Pei Cangyu: "...Don't... don't..."
He wanted to say "Don't talk to me," but he was too tired to finish the sentence. To the athlete's ears, this sounded like incredible humility—running himself to death and still not daring to dream of the Provincials. The athlete was deeply moved. He turned and called out to the others, "Are you ready? Quick, start running! Follow this brother!"
Pei Cangyu: "...Don't... don't..."
In the blink of an eye, he was squeezed into the middle of the pack. The people around him were taking light, rhythmic strides. If Pei Cangyu tried to slow down, he would be pushed forward by the people behind him.
Could someone please tell him why? Why was Pei Cangyu suddenly caught in the middle of the athletes' night training?
Bai Shi was just as confused. He stopped by the side of the track, watching in astonishment as the person who had been chasing him for so long was now squeezed into a crowd, submerged in the rhythmic shouts of "One, two, one!"
Pei Cangyu spotted Bai Shi standing by the track and pointed a finger at him, screaming, "You get the hell over here!"
Bai Shi tilted his head and didn't move.
Pei Cangyu tried to squeeze out of the group, but to no avail. The enthusiastic tide had merged into a single entity during the run. The leader shouted again, "Warm-up finished? Prepare to accelerate!"
Pei Cangyu let out a wail. Amidst the overwhelming roar of "READY!!" he screamed with all his might: "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Standing by the track, Bai Shi looked at Pei Cangyu and suddenly smiled. *What a moron.*
Pei Cangyu was finally liberated when the group split into individual runs. The leader even specifically patted his shoulder. "Brother, believe in yourself. See you at the Provincials!" With that, he ran past with his long legs.
Pei Cangyu collapsed directly onto the grass, panting heavily. Stars danced before his eyes, and he could taste blood in his throat.
Someone nudged his head. Pei Cangyu turned his head with difficulty and saw Bai Shi crouching there. He actually hadn't left.
Pei Cangyu struggled to prop himself up. "You... today... I'm definitely..."
He got up too fast, felt dizzy, and bent over coughing. Bai Shi sat down cross-legged and looked at him. "Definitely what?"
For some reason, Pei Cangyu was incredibly easy for Bai Shi to provoke. It made the blood rush to his head again.
Pei Cangyu struggled to pinpoint Bai Shi’s position and then said to him, "Don't move."
Bai Shi hadn't planned on moving anyway.
Pei Cangyu looked at the kid's delicate features and thought he was truly a menace. In his life, the thing Pei Cangyu cared about most was looks. There used to be an auntie who sold eggs who was very beautiful; even though she shortchanged him every single time, Pei Cangyu just pretended he didn't know. He wouldn't say anything, and he wouldn't switch to another vendor. That's right, Pei Cangyu was an unabashed "face-con."
Pei Cangyu struggled to stand up and nudged Bai Shi’s leg with his foot. "Stand up."
Bai Shi stood up.
Pei Cangyu stepped back, found the right distance, took a deep breath...
Exhaled...
And launched a kick toward Bai Shi’s crotch.
Bai Shi took a light step back. Pei Cangyu’s kick hit nothing but air, and he fell again. But fortunately, his reaction time was superb this time; he reached out and grabbed Bai Shi’s ankle.
Bai Shi began to struggle, trying to run away.
Pei Cangyu yanked his ankle back. "Want to run? If I don't kick your crotch today, you aren't going anywhere!"
Bai Shi was ultimately not as strong as him. He was dragged to the ground by Pei Cangyu. He tried to crawl away using his hands and feet, but Pei Cangyu recklessly grabbed his pant leg and pulled down, refusing to let him break free.
Bai Shi turned and kicked at his hand. "What are you pulling my pants for!"
Pei Cangyu pulled harder. "Shut the hell up!"
The two of them scuffled on the ground. Bai Shi tried to crawl while holding onto his pants, which Pei Cangyu was nearly pulling off. Pei Cangyu didn't care; he pulled with all his might.
Finally, with two *snaps*, the buttons on Bai Shi’s overalls were torn off. Pei Cangyu successfully yanked the pant leg down as Bai Shi crawled forward, and then both of them froze.
The underwear Bai Shi was wearing today was blue...
Pei Cangyu held the pants, lying on the ground. Bai Shi sat there, looking at his own legs...
An autumn night breeze blew past.
Pei Cangyu thought for a moment, then said something to ease the awkwardness: "Mine are yellow..."
Bai Shi: "..."
"You two..."
This third voice came too abruptly. Pei Cangyu scrambled up from the ground, but since he was still holding Bai Shi’s pants, he quickly tossed them aside as he sat up. He turned his head and saw their worried homeroom teacher.
"It's like this!" Pei Cangyu raised his hand, speaking first. "I..."
Bai Shi actually mimicked Pei Cangyu and raised his hand as well, appearing uncharacteristically excited and childish. "No, it should be—"
They were competing to speak first, but a respectful-looking man stepped out from behind the teacher. He spoke in a cold, calm voice: "Young Master."
It was as if a pause button had been pressed on Bai Shi. The childishness of that moment vanished instantly.
He silently pulled up his pants, stood up without expression, and said to the teacher, "Thank you for your trouble." Having said that, he walked straight away. The man in the suit gave the teacher a slight nod—"Apologies"—and followed behind Bai Shi.
Pei Cangyu, who hadn't yet processed what was happening, stared blankly as he left. *What is this guy made of? How can he change his face so fast?*
The homeroom teacher looked at him. "Hurry up and get up!"
Pei Cangyu scrambled to his feet and gave her an embarrassed smile. The teacher helped him pick a piece of stray grass from near his ear. "What are you grinning for? Hurry up and go home."
***
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Stolen Jade | Chapter 56 | The Track Field Chase | Novela.app | Novela.app
