By the time the school bus arrived, they were already leaning against the railings, panting with exhaustion. The autumn trip hadn't even officially begun, yet the six of them had already stripped off their jackets and were sitting in a row on the ground, waving at the approaching vehicle.
Piggy Dog jumped up. "It’s here! Our rescue plane has finally arrived!"
Pei Cangyu stood up, clapping his hands on the shoulders of the boys on either side of him. "Friends, our month of drifting at sea is finally over! After eating two crew members, the rescue plane has finally found us!"
Monkey pulled out two mechanical pencils and held them up like incense. "Come, everyone, let’s offer some incense and bow to these two fallen crew members."
Apple snatched one of them away. "Dammit, isn't this the one I lost?" He shoved his pencil back into his pocket just as the bus came to a halt. The group picked up their backpacks and lined up to board.
The passengers already on board were scattered, sitting wherever they pleased. Baishi was originally at the back of the line, but Pei Cangyu, who was in front of him, noticed Baishi was lagging and casually swapped places with him to bring up the rear.
Baishi walked down the aisle, glancing back every now and then to see where Pei Cangyu intended to sit. Pei Cangyu, however, didn't seem to care and was just scanning for any available spot. Piggy Dog, leading the pack, called out that there weren't six seats together. He shouted back to Pei Cangyu over several rows, and Pei Cangyu shouted back that they should just sit wherever.
They were so loud that they woke a sleeping girl, who shot Pei Cangyu a glare before turning away.
Then, Baishi heard someone call Pei Cangyu’s name. He looked over and saw it was Fei Zuohua.
Fei Zuohua had an empty seat next to him and was waving Pei Cangyu over. Without a second thought, Pei Cangyu started to squeeze past, figuring a seat was a seat, but Baishi quickly reached out and grabbed him.
"Let's go over there, it's closer to the others."
"Oh." Pei Cangyu gave a casual shrug and followed him. He truly didn't care about the seating arrangements.
Fei Zuohua watched them walk away.
Ultimately, Pei Cangyu sat in the inner seat of the eighth row with Baishi beside him. He looked around and realized the rows in front and behind them were filled with girls, while Piggy Dog and the others were on the opposite side of the bus.
"Huh? Why did they sit over there?" Pei Cangyu asked, puzzled.
Piggy Dog was even more confused. "Why the hell did you go over there?"
Pei Cangyu stood up, preparing to switch seats. Baishi placed his backpack on his lap and said in his best "model student" voice, "Isn't it a hassle to keep moving around? It's just a bus ride; is it really worth the trouble?"
Pei Cangyu glanced at Baishi and sat back down.
Baishi had learned this "model student" tone from a girl who wasn't particularly friendly toward Pei Cangyu. It involved being serious, speaking with certainty, and carrying an implication of "you're being a nuisance," without directly stating that the speaker was the one complaining. Instead, it framed the annoyance as an objective fact. Pei Cangyu had an innate "reverence" for high achievers, so he fell for it completely.
Pei Cangyu organized his backpack and pulled out some snacks. He opened them but then decided he wanted to share with the others, which required Baishi’s help to pass them across the aisle. Meanwhile, the group on the other side had things to share with him too, resulting in a chaotic back-and-forth.
Eventually, Baishi decided to pretend to sleep.
Pei Cangyu opened a new bag of potato chips. Finding them incredibly delicious, he immediately tried to share them with Baishi, only to see that Baishi was "asleep." He had no choice but to stand up and reach across the aisle himself. With arms outstretched from both sides, it looked like a snack-based parody of *The Creation of Adam*, passing a bag of chips over Baishi’s head.
"Damn, reach a bit further!" Airplane urged from the other side.
"Screw you, grow taller!" Pei Cangyu shot back.
Baishi watched them through narrowed eyes as they struggled to pass things over his head. He shifted his foot slightly, bumping into Pei Cangyu’s heel as the latter stood on his tiptoes. Already off-balance, Pei Cangyu tumbled down, crashing right onto Baishi.
Baishi was "jolted awake" by the impact. He furrowed his brows and let out an irritated "Tsk," watching as Pei Cangyu scrambled to get off him. Chips were scattered everywhere, and Baishi’s cheek had been knocked red by Pei Cangyu’s flailing arm.
Pei Cangyu looked at Baishi apologetically. "I'm so sorry..."
Baishi didn't say a word; he just clicked his tongue again.
He knew the power of that sound; after all, even he couldn't escape its sting.
Sure enough, Pei Cangyu couldn't tell if he was truly angry or not, so he leaned down to check on him. "Does it hurt a lot? Do you need a doctor?"
Baishi remained silent. He suddenly thought back to when they weren't friends; Pei Cangyu’s kicks had been far more brutal than this. Now, a mere accidental bump elicited such a reaction. If they became even closer, how far would Pei Cangyu go?
At that moment, the girl in the row in front of them turned around and glared at Pei Cangyu. "Can you guys stop being so noisy? If you love making a scene so much, you shouldn't have come."
This girl was the very person Baishi had modeled his "model student" attitude after—the one who had been woken up when they first boarded. Her name was Liu Yaosheng.
Pei Cangyu froze, sitting back in his seat with a guilty conscience. Monkey, however, was provoked by her words. The bus hadn't even started moving yet, people were still boarding, and the environment was naturally loud. To be fair, they were definitely not the loudest people on the bus.
Monkey frowned. "If you really want to sleep, can't you just wear headphones?"
Liu Yaosheng shook the headphones in her hand. "I am wearing them, but you're still too loud."
Monkey stood up. "Then how about you switch seats?"
Liu Yaosheng stood up as well. "I’m sitting here. Why should I switch with you?"
Monkey felt that a school trip was meant for fun, and they weren't being that loud anyway.
Liu Yaosheng pointed at Baishi. "Baishi was disturbed too, and so was Tang Qi, and other classmates."
Baishi said nothing. Tang Qi gave a small, knowing smile.
Monkey was speechless. "Can you stop dragging other people into this?"
Liu Yaosheng looked at him defiantly. "I'm just speaking for everyone. Plenty of people are fed up with you."
Monkey was about to snap back when Airplane quickly intervened. "Alright, alright, forget it."
Liu Yaosheng stared at the angry Monkey. "Do you think I'm afraid of you?"
"Stop talking nonsense. What did I even do to make you 'afraid' of me? Did I touch you?"
"That's enough!" Pei Cangyu raised his voice, looking at Monkey. "Just sit down."
Monkey looked at Pei Cangyu, then at Liu Yaosheng, rolled his eyes, and sat back down.
Tang Qi pointed at the floor, looking at Pei Cangyu. "You haven't picked up the things you dropped."
"Huh?" Pei Cangyu glanced down. "Oh."
He squeezed past Baishi and knelt on the floor to pick up the chips. The others from across the aisle came over to help. Baishi stood up to help as well, but Tang Qi suddenly spoke up. "Baishi, you don't need to bother. I'm sure Student Pei Cangyu wouldn't do anything to you anyway."
Monkey slammed the chips he had picked up back onto the floor and turned to Tang Qi. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Tang Qi smiled. "Nothing. What do *you* mean?"
Pei Cangyu pulled at Monkey, telling him to go back. Monkey was reluctant, but Pei Cangyu repeated himself firmly.
Only then did Monkey shoot a final glare at Liu Yaosheng and Tang Qi before heading back. As he walked, he muttered, "Fucking passive-aggressive bitches."
The Class Monitor, having just finished the head count, walked over and saw several people crouching in the aisle picking things up. As the bus swayed, they were struggling to keep their balance. He quickly stepped forward. "Those of you in the inner seats, go back first. Don't crouch here."
As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves and knelt down himself. The others exchanged looks and left together, leaving Pei Cangyu alone with the Class Monitor—and Baishi, who, oblivious to social cues, remained awkwardly wedged between them.
Piggy Dog hissed at Baishi to move and give Pei Cangyu some space, but Baishi didn't even look up.
The Class Monitor finished the job in no time, even producing a trash bag to pack the mess away. He looked at Pei Cangyu and smiled. "Be careful next time."
Pei Cangyu nodded, looking a bit embarrassed.
Consequently, even after he sat back down, a lingering smile remained on Pei Cangyu’s face. For some reason, seeing this made Baishi feel incredibly annoyed.
Once they were settled, the girl in the row behind them tapped Pei Cangyu and Baishi on their shoulders, offering them some dried fruit.
Pei Cangyu instinctively glanced at Liu Yaosheng and Tang Qi in the front row, which made the girl behind him laugh. "Oh, come on. A guy like you who acts like he owns the world—you're actually afraid of her?"
Baishi thought to himself: *If Pei Cangyu 'owns the world,' then the world must be a very easy place to conquer.*
Pei Cangyu frowned. "That's called respecting women."
The girl laughed and nodded. "Fair enough." She then turned to Baishi. "You're Baishi, right?"
Baishi nodded.
The girl smiled and handed him the dried fruit. "I feel like you don't talk to people much. I'm Zhao Youyu, and this is Lu Lu." She pointed to the girl next to her and added, "I was Pei Cangyu’s desk mate for a week once."
Pei Cangyu was currently peeling a pistachio, tossing it high into the air, and trying to catch it in his mouth.
Baishi turned back, reaching an observational conclusion: Liu Yaosheng and Tang Qi, for whatever reason, deeply disliked Pei Cangyu. Aside from them, most people held no hostility toward him; some even had the illusion that he was quite formidable simply because they didn't know him well.
Thinking of this, Baishi glanced at Pei Cangyu. It was true that Pei Cangyu generally feared no one. He had a bit of a reputation on the streets, and everyone on Heping Road knew him. Some even considered him a young thug with the most potential to become a professional gangster. But why did Baishi always feel that Pei Cangyu was... weak?
It was a mental weakness, a kind of...
He couldn't quite put his finger on it.
While Baishi was pondering, the conversation between the girls behind them drifted into his ears. They mentioned an anime that Baishi had happened to hear Pei Cangyu talk about a few days ago, so he paid attention. He noticed that Pei Cangyu also perked up upon hearing the name of the series.
Zhao Youyu: "Have you seen XXX?"
Lu Lu: "I have! Sister, you watch it too? I thought the art style wasn't your thing, so I didn't dare recommend it!"
Zhao Youyu: "Holy crap! I thought you didn't watch it either! I was afraid to say anything. Which part are you on? I've finished the whole thing!"
Lu Lu: "I finished it too! God, A and B are a match made in heaven! Those two guys are so perfect together!"
Zhao Youyu: "Yes, yes, yes! B/A is the real deal!"
Lu Lu: "..."
Zhao Youyu: "..."
Lu Lu: "..."
Zhao Youyu: "..."
Lu Lu: "You ship B/A?"
Zhao Youyu: "...I mean, B is pretty dominant, right?"
Lu Lu: "Oh."
And just like that, the conversation died a sudden death.
Baishi turned his head back in confusion, only to lock eyes with an equally bewildered Pei Cangyu.
Pei Cangyu was even more baffled. He had wanted to hear what the girls thought, hoping he might join the conversation, but why did it end before they even said anything? What did "B is pretty dominant" mean? B was a total idiot, a weakling with zero combat power; he was the character Pei Cangyu hated most in the entire manga.
Unable to make sense of it, Pei Cangyu turned and saw Baishi’s melancholic face, staring forward with a heavy gaze. He reached out and slapped Baishi’s shoulder, making him wobble. "What are you thinking about? Not sleeping anymore?"
Lost in thought, Baishi suddenly said, "A person walking barefoot cannot understand the path of someone with sand in their shoes." He turned to look at Pei Cangyu. "Perhaps you and I are the same—seeking what can never be obtained."
Pei Cangyu: "..."
Baishi: "..."
Pei Cangyu blinked a few times, stunned. He burst into praise. "Holy crap, that's deep! I didn't realize you were such a *chuunibyou*..."
As he spoke, he pulled out his own notebook.
Baishi had worried that his "depressing life quote" might seem a bit melodramatic on such a sunny day, or that he had exposed too much of his inner darkness. But Pei Cangyu was on a completely different wavelength.
The notebook he pulled out was thick and solid black, with a skull drawn on the cover.
Pei Cangyu opened it seriously. Baishi caught a glimpse of the words on the title page: *He who reads this without permission shall descend into the eighteen levels of hell.*
Baishi’s skin crawled with second-hand embarrassment. *What the hell is this?*
Pei Cangyu pulled the book back slightly, looking a bit shy. "I started keeping this in seventh grade..."
Baishi asked with a tremble in his voice, "...Keeping what?"
Pei Cangyu answered earnestly, "Good words and sentences."
Baishi tried to take it from him, but Pei Cangyu held on tight. Baishi gave him a look, and only then did Pei Cangyu lower his voice. "You can look, but don't tell anyone."
Baishi took it and flipped through...
This wasn't a collection of "good words and sentences" at all! This was a comprehensive encyclopedia of adolescent *chuunibyou* quotes.
The pages were filled with words like "World," "Sorry," "Worthiness," "Mission," "How could it be," "Eternity," "Faith," "Soul," and endless strings of "Ngh... ngh... ngh..."
Baishi’s eyes hurt.
The later entries were slightly better, with fewer interjections, likely because he had moved on to eighth grade. However, battle cries transcribed from various anime were still everywhere, along with quotes collected from people around him. For instance, Apple had once said: "It's not that I particularly love studying; it's just that I have nothing else I want to do."
Why was that worth recording? Did Pei Cangyu think that sounded cool?
Pei Cangyu watched anxiously as Baishi seriously flipped through his notebook, feeling as though his inner world was being scrutinized.
Baishi closed the notebook and handed it back.
Pei Cangyu took out a pen. "What did you just say? I forgot. Let me write it down."
Baishi couldn't bring himself to say it again. "...I forgot."
"Ah..." Pei Cangyu looked disappointed.
Baishi figured if Apple’s nonsense could be written down, why couldn't his? He began to rack his brain for a *chuunibyou* phrase, but his mind was so full of "World" and "Ngh" that he couldn't think of a single word.
The girls behind them somehow circled back to the manga, this time discussing which character was a total failure and a complete idiot. After they had talked for a while, Pei Cangyu finally couldn't resist jumping in. "B is a total moron. He has no brain and is incredibly selfish."
One of the girls agreed. "Exactly. That's why we should cast him as the 'flower' and find him a partner to torment him to death."
Pei Cangyu: "But he's already dead."
The girl’s eyes lit up. "Even better!"
While Baishi was struggling to come up with a sentence, Pei Cangyu was actually chatting with the girls?
Pei Cangyu tried to follow the girl’s logic. "He's dead, sister. Being dead is... good??"
The girl spoke with righteous conviction. "It's for the best. Does he deserve to live? He does not."
*Found it!*
Baishi grabbed Pei Cangyu’s notebook, flipped it open, and wrote down a quote he had read before that he felt suited Pei Cangyu’s style:
*"Man is cruel; he only becomes gentle after enduring many hardships. The child is cruel because he is young and ignorant; the youth is cruel because he prides himself on his purity; the priest is cruel because he considers himself a saint; the scholar is cruel because of his self-important erudition—we are all cold and relentless, especially when we believe ourselves to be in the right.*
*The dissolving and softening of the human heart usually only happens after it is covered in wounds."*
Having finished, he handed it back to Pei Cangyu with a sense of pride, waiting expectantly for his reaction.
"Hmm..." Pei Cangyu didn't look very satisfied.
"What is this..." Pei Cangyu pointed at the passage, his expression like that of a picky client. "Why is it so long? Why are there so many semicolons? Why didn't you use more exclamation marks? It's a bit wordy, don't you think? And it doesn't really fit my style... Do you have a thing for parallel structures? Which high school essay guide did you pull this from?"
With a loud *snap*, Baishi broke his pen in half.
***
