Fortunately, the bell rang, sparing Pei Cangyu from having to deal with the boy’s aggressive demands of "Let’s go, hurry up and jump."
The teacher walked in. The math teacher’s name was Fang Gaoshan. Having graduated only a few years ago, he always looked at his students with an expression that said, "Hahaha, now it’s your turn." He found everything amusing. Today was no different; as the class descended into a chaotic buzz over their grades, he strolled in leisurely.
"Everyone got their papers?"
A chorus of groans rose from below, which only seemed to delight him further.
Teacher Fang asked, "How are the scores? Any different from what you expected?"
More groans followed.
Pei Cangyu looked at his score of 76 and nodded. It was exactly what he had expected.
"But I have to mention," the teacher continued, "we have a student who got a near-perfect score this time."
The students gasped in admiration, turning in unison to look at the class monitor. She hurriedly waved her hands, signaling it wasn't her.
"Bai Shi. Which one is he?" The teacher looked around the room.
Pei Cangyu turned to look at Bai Shi, but Bai Shi was merely staring calmly at the teacher, showing no intention of responding.
Pei Cangyu couldn't stand it and raised his hand for him. "Here, over here! 119!"
The teacher looked over, his smile bright as spring. "Not bad. Pei Cangyu isn't bad either; you're staying consistent."
Pei Cangyu grinned, feeling a bit bashful.
As soon as class ended, Pi Gou was the first to rush over. He had finished a level in his game and pointed the screen toward Pei Cangyu. "Damn, every time I died, I just hit 'continue.' It’s almost out of battery. Look, quick!"
Pei Cangyu leaned in and saw a girl on the screen acting coy. The options were 'Yes' and 'No.' Pei Cangyu asked Pi Gou, "What happens if you pick 'Yes'?"
Pi Gou flipped through the manual. "She strips. It’s the fanservice."
"Oh, oh..." Feiji happened to walk over and plopped down on Pei Cangyu’s desk. The three of them huddled together. "Click it, hurry."
Pi Gou swallowed hard and solemnly extended his finger toward 'Yes.' Feiji shouted, "Wait!" He then turned his head and called out to the room, "Pingguo, get over here!"
Pingguo was explaining a problem to his seatmate. He looked up when called. Feiji yelled, "Bring Houzi too! Come watch the clothes come off!"
Pingguo had already started to stand up, but then he sat back down. His female seatmate shot him a sidelong glance. Pingguo shrugged. "Where were we? Let’s continue. You know I’m not actually that close with them..."
Houzi squeezed his way over and pressed 'Yes' for Pi Gou.
A ring of stars immediately appeared on the screen, accompanied by music. A Japanese female voice said, "I suppose it can't be helped. Since it's come to this, I'll let you see..."
The four of them huddled even closer.
Bai Shi turned his head to watch them.
A chorus of "Ooh—" erupted from the four of them, sounding exceptionally loud during the break. Pei Cangyu shouldn't have glanced at Bai Shi at that moment; the second he met Bai Shi’s contemptuous gaze, his good mood vanished.
"What are you looking at?" Pei Cangyu said in his usual aggressive tone. He waved his arm and accidentally pushed the books on his desk onto Bai Shi’s, wrinkling Bai Shi’s test paper.
Bai Shi glanced at the paper. "Move it."
Pei Cangyu instinctively pulled his books back. He held a deep sense of respect for the number 119. The others looked at the two of them, then at each other. Why was the relationship still so bad?
"Are you ready?" Bai Shi asked.
The group looked at Pei Cangyu. Pei Cangyu was also confused. "Ready for what?"
"Let’s go." Bai Shi reached out and grabbed Pei Cangyu’s hand, shocking Pi Gou so much he dropped his handheld console.
Pei Cangyu didn't budge, and Bai Shi couldn't pull him. "Go where?"
Bai Shi said solemnly, "To jump off the building. You."
The group looked at Pei Cangyu again.
Pei Cangyu: "..."
Feiji patted Pei Cangyu’s shoulder. "Friend, is there something we should know?"
Pei Cangyu was speechless. He truly didn't know what to say to Bai Shi. "Is there something wrong with your head?"
Class started.
Pei Cangyu breathed another sigh of relief.
But it was useless. During the next break, Bai Shi persistently invited him to jump off the building. Pei Cangyu got so annoyed that he decided to take Bai Shi to the rooftop and give him a beating.
"Fine, let’s go," Pei Cangyu stood up. "But you have to promise not to tell the teacher."
Bai Shi nodded.
They walked out of the classroom one after the other. Pi Gou noticed and whistled at Pei Cangyu, his usual playfulness replaced by a serious look. "You want us to come?"
Pei Cangyu waved him off. "No need."
As he turned, he bumped into someone. He instinctively put on a scowl. "Damn, watch where you're—" He stopped mid-sentence. It was Qi Shuo.
Qi Shuo’s face turned red instantly, and she immediately apologized. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
Her apology was so sincere that Pei Cangyu felt embarrassed. "It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m the one who bumped into you..."
"No, no, it was me..."
"Don't, don't..."
Pei Cangyu grabbed Bai Shi and hurried away, otherwise they’d be stuck in a vortex of apologies.
Bai Shi let him grab his arm. It wasn't until they had climbed two flights of stairs that Pei Cangyu realized he was still holding him and let go in disgust.
"Do you want to go up there and hit me?" Bai Shi asked.
Pei Cangyu looked at him. "Yeah."
"Then after you hit me, can you jump off?"
Pei Cangyu rolled his eyes. "Jump off your mom..."
"Why would I jump off her?"
"..."
The rooftop was empty. Pei Cangyu pulled Bai Shi inside, nearly making him trip. Pei Cangyu lit a cigarette, squinted his eyes, and pointed at Bai Shi, adopting the tone he used when roaming Peace Road.
"To be honest, I don't like doing this at school. Go ask around outside and find out who I am. If we weren't at school, I’d have broken your legs by now." Pei Cangyu flicked his ash, which drifted through the air. He flexed his fingers. "I gave you a chance, but you threw it back in my face. I just want to be a normal student at school, you hear me?"
Bai Shi nodded. "Hurry up and jump."
The veins on Pei Cangyu’s forehead bulged. "Do you not understand human speech? Believe it or not, I'll beat you up."
Bai Shi offered his left cheek. "Go ahead."
Pei Cangyu ground his cigarette into the floor and kicked Bai Shi over. The small-statured Bai Shi rolled twice on the ground, seeing stars. The wind was knocked out of him, and he clutched his stomach, coughing. He felt the taste of blood in his throat. He suddenly realized that for Pei Cangyu, beating him up was not a difficult task at all.
Pei Cangyu walked toward him. Bai Shi instinctively backed away, but Pei Cangyu grabbed him by the collar. Pei Cangyu slapped him upside the head, making Bai Shi’s vision go dark. He realized Pei Cangyu was actually serious. He raised a hand to block, but Pei Cangyu swatted it away. Pei Cangyu gripped his collar. "Still want to act up?"
Bai Shi rolled pitifully on the ground, gritting his teeth without making a sound. His pale face was flushed red, and he had no power to fight back.
Pei Cangyu’s heart softened again.
He crouched down beside him. "Are you going to keep saying it?"
Bai Shi’s dark eyes stared at him. He sat up, scratched his head, and muttered to himself, "Do I have to apologize like that girl did?..."
Pei Cangyu felt Bai Shi was getting weird again and stood up.
Bai Shi suddenly grabbed his hand and began to apologize. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
Pei Cangyu froze for a moment, then nodded. "It’s good that you know you were wrong."
Bai Shi frowned, thinking the situation wasn't going as planned. Why hadn't Pei Cangyu apologized to him? So he tried harder. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
Pei Cangyu was getting annoyed. "I get it, I get it."
He shook off Bai Shi’s hand and walked toward the door.
Bai Shi watched his back, unable to figure out the logic.
But after a few steps, Pei Cangyu turned back, scratching his head and complaining, "So annoying. I’ve never met someone so annoying..." He walked over, pulled Bai Shi up, and crouched in front of the shorter boy. He patted the footprint off Bai Shi’s stomach and looked up at him. "Forget it. I shouldn't have kicked you so hard. You're so weak..."
Bai Shi suddenly smiled. He nodded. "I think I understand you a little now."
Pei Cangyu was stunned by those words again, but he didn't have the energy to press further. He stood up. "You coming?"
Bai Shi nodded, then grabbed Pei Cangyu’s hand again. Pei Cangyu flinched and pulled away. "If you have something to say, say it. Don't touch me."
Bai Shi looked at him. "Can I be your little brother from now on?"
Pei Cangyu flinched again and spun around to check the door, nearly covering Bai Shi’s mouth. "Whose little brother? I don't have those!"
Bai Shi lowered his head, looking aggrieved.
Pei Cangyu thought about it. "Are you trying to say you want to hang out? That’s fine, I guess."
Bai Shi looked up at him, his eyes full of yearning.
Pei Cangyu found this quite satisfying. He patted Bai Shi’s shoulder. "True, you don't have any friends here. If you want to follow me, then follow me. Besides, you're good at studying; it’ll make me look good to have you around, hahahaha."
Bai Shi also let out a smile.
Pei Cangyu studied Bai Shi and noticed he was smiling more.
"I get it. You're just like those girls in Pi Gou’s games. You look cold and distant at first, but you're actually just lacking love. Once you're 'conquered,' you become super clingy. But since you're a guy, a good beating fixed you right up."
"Yeah." Pei Cangyu nodded to himself, satisfied. Bai Shi smiled again.
Despite talking past each other, they had somehow reached a truce.
Pei Cangyu was almost moved by his own magnanimity. He was a natural-born leader, no less impressive than Liu Bei.
As they walked down, Pei Cangyu teased him, "So you're not making me jump off the building anymore?"
Bai Shi smiled. "There will be a chance."
Pei Cangyu didn't hear him clearly, and he didn't bother to ask. He wanted to go show off to Pi Gou and the others.
At the stairwell, they ran into the four friends who were rushing out. The relaxed Pei Cangyu called out to them, "Hey, where are you guys going?"
Pi Gou looked at him and draped an arm over his shoulder. "Damn, I thought you were getting beaten up."
Feiji rolled his eyes. "I told you, how is that possible? Old Pei only didn't hit him before because he's kind." Feiji glanced at Bai Shi. "Besides, is this little guy even a match for him?"
"Not necessarily." Pingguo glanced at Bai Shi. "Maybe this one has a dark heart."
Pei Cangyu pulled Bai Shi close by the shoulder. "Cut it out. We're all family here. I’m announcing that from now on, Bai Shi is our brother."
The four of them stared at Bai Shi. The usually expressionless Bai Shi suddenly lowered his eyes and his head, kicking a pebble on the ground. He hid behind Pei Cangyu. Everyone crowded around Pei Cangyu, hooting and hollering, while only Pingguo stole a few more glances at Bai Shi.
Bai Shi didn't look at him. Amidst the crowd, his eyes were fixed on Pei Cangyu.
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 方高山 | Fang Gaoshan | The math teacher's name. |
| 皮狗 | Pi Gou | Nickname, literally "Leather Dog." |
| 飞机 | Feiji | Nickname, literally "Airplane." |
| 苹果 | Pingguo | Nickname, literally "Apple." |
| 猴子 | Houzi | Nickname, literally "Monkey." |
| 齐朔 | Qi Shuo | A female student. |
| 和平路 | Peace Road | A location, likely where Pei Cangyu hangs out with delinquents. |
| 刘备 | Liu Bei | Historical figure from the Three Kingdoms period, known for his charisma and ability to recruit talented people. |
