Bai Shi was in a corner, speaking with Lu Mingban. "He’s just that kind of person. If it isn't delivered right to him, he’d rather not have it at all. No wonder he can’t get what he wants."
Lu Mingban nodded in agreement, his back hunched as he leaned against the wall.
Bai Shi frowned. "Did you remember everything I said?"
This time, Lu Mingban nodded vigorously.
"Hey, isn't that Bai Shi?"
Pei Cangyu and his friends were coming up the stairs. They glanced toward the corner, arms draped over each other's shoulders. Bai Shi immediately turned and walked over to join them. Lu Mingban took one look at their retreating backs and slipped away from the corner as well.
Pei Cangyu was still looking back. "Who was that?"
Bai Shi shook his head. "Don't know him."
Apple slung an arm around Pei Cangyu’s shoulder, swaying. "Do you think it’ll rain today? Are we having P.E.?"
Annoyed by the jostling, Pei Cangyu shoved him away. "How should I know?"
Skinny Dog pounced from behind, weighing down on Pei Cangyu. "Are you free at the end of the month? Want to go to the amusement park? I heard there’s some event. My treat."
Pei Cangyu paused, counting on his fingers. "End of the month? No way, no way. I have business to attend to."
"What business?" Bai Shi asked.
Skinny Dog patted Pei Cangyu’s shoulder. "Our Brother Pei and Mahua—that barber you met last time—have been business partners for over two years."
Pei Cangyu nodded proudly.
"What kind of business?"
Skinny Dog continued to pat his shoulder. "That depends on the season. Selling apples at Christmas, carrying a bucket in the summer to sell popsicles to tourists..."
Bai Shi thought for a moment. "How much money can you actually make doing that?"
Pei Cangyu patted Bai Shi’s shoulder with mock gravity, as if inheriting the gesture from Skinny Dog. "It’s not about the money. What matters is having pocket money. Unlike you young masters, we commoners have very rich lives."
The bell rang for class, and Pei Cangyu’s side finally quieted down. They were having a rare music class today; final exams were next week.
Pei Cangyu rested his chin on his hand, listlessly listening to the teacher play a symphony. He glanced at Bai Shi, who was drawing something on a piece of paper. He kicked Bai Shi’s stool. Because his face was squished against his palm, his lips were pouted, making his speech muffled. "Hey, do you like this?"
Startled by the kick, Bai Shi quickly crumpled the paper into a ball. Pei Cangyu laughed. "It’s not the teacher."
Bai Shi grumbled, "I wouldn't be scared even if it were the teacher." He turned to Pei Cangyu. "What is it?"
Pei Cangyu rolled his eyes and sat up straight. "Never mind."
At the front of the room, the teacher called on the Class Monitor to answer a question—something about what emotion a certain musical passage expressed. The Class Monitor stood up and gave a sophisticated answer. The teacher squinted with a smile, nodding repeatedly.
Bai Shi turned to look at Pei Cangyu. Pei Cangyu was staring intently at the Class Monitor, his face flushed.
In Bai Shi’s eyes, the way Pei Cangyu looked at good students was always roughly the same. For the Class Monitor, it might be slightly more intense—the difference between "looking at a steak" and "looking at a steak cooked exactly to one's preference."
Bai Shi kicked Pei Cangyu’s stool. Pei Cangyu turned around. "Huh?"
Bai Shi leaned down on the desk and beckoned. Pei Cangyu leaned down too. "What?"
"You should confess to the Class Monitor."
Pei Cangyu bolted upright. "Why would I... I don't like..."
Bai Shi pulled him back down. "Let me finish."
Pei Cangyu gave a muffled hum of agreement, his face turning red.
"Graduation is almost here. You won't have another chance after this. If you succeed, you’ll have a reason to see each other. If you fail, you’ll never see each other again anyway. What are you afraid of?"
Pei Cangyu began to hesitate. "..."
Bai Shi pressed on. "Opportunities are fleeting. Once missed, they never come back..."
Pei Cangyu gave him a strange look. "...What’s wrong with you today?"
Bai Shi looked at him seriously. "It’s not about me right now; it’s about you. Think about it—everyone is going to go their separate ways soon. Not just the Class Monitor, but your friends too. Everyone will part sooner or later. Have you guys talked about which high schools you're applying to? It’ll be hard to meet up later, Pei Cangyu. Have you ever considered that some people will just... drift away?"
Pei Cangyu clearly hadn't thought about it. Moreover, he had never heard it put that way by anyone else. He was stunned. The concept of "parting" crashed into him abruptly, leaving him a bit dazed.
Bai Shi’s voice had changed a lot recently, and he seemed to have grown taller. That "childish brat" vibe he used to have had shifted significantly; for instance, his way of speaking had become much gentler. Pei Cangyu fell silent. He actually began to consider Bai Shi’s suggestion. It wasn't that his feelings had reached a breaking point where he had to confess, but rather because of Bai Shi’s words: "People will drift away." Everyone would eventually scatter.
Pei Cangyu licked his lips. "Then... how do I do it?"
As if he had been waiting for this, Bai Shi smiled. "You told me about a movie once. A romance movie..."
Pei Cangyu’s face reddened. "I just watched it randomly..."
"Right, right. Anyway, didn't the male lead give his diary to the female lead?"
"...A diary?" Pei Cangyu blinked. "I have a diary?"
Bai Shi pulled out Pei Cangyu’s edgy little notebook. "This."
Pei Cangyu hesitated. "Give this to a girl?"
Bai Shi nodded. "This is the real you, your true feelings. It’s like presenting yourself to her. What could be more sincere than that?"
Pei Cangyu thought this made sense. He stared at his notebook, took it, and flipped through it. "But my handwriting is so ugly..."
Bai Shi took it back and closed it. "It’s the sentiment that counts. Besides, if you wrote a letter, Airplane and the others would definitely find out. If you just leave this notebook there, who would think it’s a confession?"
Pei Cangyu laughed. "That makes sense."
Then he paused. "But will the Class Monitor know it’s a confession?"
Bai Shi hesitated for a moment before continuing, "That’s why you write it on the first page."
"Write what?"
"A dedication."
Pei Cangyu was so embarrassed by the idea that his face turned crimson. He fidgeted. "Is that really okay?"
Bai Shi had already opened the notebook. "I’ll write it. I have good handwriting."
Pei Cangyu quickly agreed. "You write it, then. Your handwriting is nice."
Bai Shi switched to a fountain pen. He held his breath and focused so intensely that even Pei Cangyu felt nervous. Then, with a flourish, he wrote in elegant script:
*Dedicated to you.*
*If you look at me, I will gently melt, like snow in a volcano.*
Bai Shi handed it to Pei Cangyu and watched his expression.
Pei Cangyu stared at the sentence for a long time, his face heating up. "This... this is written really well."
Bai Shi froze for a second. "Do you like it?"
Pei Cangyu admitted sheepishly, "Yeah... if I received this, I’d probably think it was pretty good." He smiled. "Alright, this is the one."
Bai Shi suddenly snatched it back. "Let me look again."
A drop of ink from his pen splattered onto the page. Pei Cangyu lunged for it. "Hey, you got it dirty!"
Bai Shi gripped the notebook and didn't give it back. "If it’s dirty, then forget it. It wasn't written that well anyway. I’ll change it."
Pei Cangyu’s hand paused. "It wasn't good?"
Bai Shi shook his head. "No."
He tore out the page, pasted in a new sheet of paper, and wrote again.
*I will love you for no reason at all, simply because you exist.*
When he finished, he showed it to Pei Cangyu. Seeing the answer in Pei Cangyu’s sparkling eyes, he yanked it back and briskly tore it out. "This one isn't good either."
Pei Cangyu was speechless. It was as if Bai Shi was the one going to confess. But seeing as Bai Shi had been working on it for so long, he didn't object.
Bai Shi wrote again.
*Dedicated to you. My infatuated, suicidal, searing and seared lover.*
He finished and handed it to Pei Cangyu. Seeing Pei Cangyu’s expression turn conflicted, he capped the pen.
"Just... this one?" Pei Cangyu handed the notebook back. "Do you want to think of another one?"
Bai Shi looked at him seriously. "This one is good. It fits the style of the other things in your notebook, and it’s simple and easy to understand."
"But... I feel like..."
Bai Shi added, "It’s good. It was written by Duras, from a book called *The Lover*. You know Duras? She’s very popular among the literary types. Didn't the Class Monitor say she liked her at the book club last time? You can't go wrong. Mia Couto is too obscure; not romantic enough."
Pei Cangyu didn't quite follow, so he just asked, "...Really?"
Bai Shi nodded solemnly. "Yes."
Pei Cangyu scratched his cheek with his index finger. "Alright then. How do I give it to her?"
"What do you think?"
Pei Cangyu looked up at Skinny Dog and the others, then sat back down. Finally, he looked at Bai Shi with hope in his eyes.
"Me?" Bai Shi asked, knowing full well what he meant.
Pei Cangyu nodded repeatedly.
"Since you put it that way." Bai Shi took the notebook. "I’ll give it to her after school this afternoon. That way, she won't read it while she's at school."
Pei Cangyu’s face flushed. "Okay."
Until Bai Shi actually delivered it, Pei Cangyu remained restless. This was especially true during P.E. class. The sky was overcast and the air was stifling. Everyone was running on the field, and the sound of distant thunder made everyone uneasy.
Pei Cangyu looked at the Class Monitor, then at Bai Shi. He leaned in toward Bai Shi. "Did you give it to her?"
"No. Didn't we say after school?"
"Oh, right." Pei Cangyu turned away, then turned back. He looked at Bai Shi, stood up straight, and used his hand to measure the level of their foreheads. "Have you grown taller?"
Bai Shi looked up at Pei Cangyu; he indeed didn't have to look up as much as before. "Seems so."
Pei Cangyu curled his lip. "You won't get taller than me anyway."
Bai Shi smiled.
Fei Zuohua ran up from behind. "Pei Cangyu, want to play ball?"
Bai Shi wasn't too surprised, having seen Fei Zuohua call Pei Cangyu yesterday. The one who was surprised was Apple. As a clever person, Apple had long noticed Fei Zuohua’s desire to join their little group, but Fei Zuohua was too proud to ask directly like the shameless Bai Shi. He was always reserved, waiting for them to invite him. Although Apple had noticed, he didn't care to do anything about it. He had no particular preference for Fei Zuohua; it didn't matter if he joined or not. He just hadn't expected Fei Zuohua to be so bold now.
Pei Cangyu was too nervous. His mind was entirely occupied with the confession. He shook his head listlessly. "Forget it."
Bai Shi, however, patted Pei Cangyu’s shoulder. "Let’s go. It’s just tennis. Let’s play a match."
Pei Cangyu shook his head. "Don't feel like moving."
Bai Shi squatted beside him. "What’s wrong? Did something happen? You seem different today."
*Is this guy fucking kidding me?* Pei Cangyu stared at Bai Shi. Bai Shi looked perfectly innocent. The people around them looked at Pei Cangyu. "Now that you mention it, you really are—"
Pei Cangyu had no choice but to stand up and take the racket from Fei Zuohua’s hand. "Playing ball, right? Fine, fine, fine. Let’s go."
The others followed.
As they walked, Airplane scanned the sports field and asked Monkey, "Hey, why are there so many people today?"
Monkey told him, "Three classes are sharing the field. Class 5 and Class 9 are here too."
The arrival of Pei Cangyu’s group brought a lot of energy to the tennis courts. After all, Skinny Dog and the others were very loud. Eventually, they started playing mixed doubles. It was called tennis, but in the end, they just started throwing the balls by hand, turning it into dodgeball. Pei Cangyu alone knocked out seven people on the opposing side, drawing cheers from the onlookers.
Once one side was cleared, Skinny Dog had people from both sides join in. He counted heads; students from every class were there. They gathered to throw balls. Getting hit by a tennis ball hurt. The girls stopped playing after a few rounds, and as the girls left, more and more boys followed. Finally, returning to basics, they actually started playing tennis again.
Pei Cangyu rolled up his sleeves and looked at his bruised arms. "Thinking about it now, that kind of hurts."
Bai Shi smiled and poked Pei Cangyu’s abdomen. Pei Cangyu winced and recoiled. Bai Shi withdrew his hand. "You should check your stomach."
Pei Cangyu lifted his shirt. "Oh, damn. How did you know? It’s bruised here too."
Bai Shi reached out to touch it. Pei Cangyu jumped back in surprise. "...What are you doing?"
Bai Shi said matter-of-factly, "I didn't see it clearly."
The bell rang. That meant school was over.
Pei Cangyu and Bai Shi exchanged a look.
Bai Shi stood up, and Pei Cangyu followed behind him.
Students began to filter out of the school.
Bai Shi suddenly stopped. "Wait for me a second."
"Oh."
He ran to the sports equipment room. Lu Mingban was there talking to Fei Zuohua and the others. In a voice like a mosquito, Lu Mingban was asking everyone to stay and help tidy up the tennis balls, to fetch the ones that had been thrown far away. But Fei Zuohua and the others didn't really want to do it; after all, they weren't the sports representatives, and school was already over.
Seeing Bai Shi run over, Lu Mingban asked as they had agreed that morning, "When is Pei Cangyu coming over?"
Bai Shi nodded and set his backpack down. "Wait a bit. He went to the bathroom, and I’m going too." With that, he ran off.
Hearing that someone else was coming to help, the others prepared to leave. "Since you're not short on people, we're heading out..."
Lu Mingban nodded. "Okay."
The crowd slowly dispersed. Fei Zuohua hesitated, then stopped. He walked over and set his backpack down. "I’ll stay and help too."
Lu Mingban glanced at him. "Okay."
Outside the sports field, it finally started to rain.
They spent half an hour picking up balls all over the field. Fei Zuohua finally realized that Pei Cangyu and the others weren't coming. He pointed at Bai Shi’s backpack and asked, "Is it okay if he doesn't come back for this?"
Lu Mingban shook his head indifferently. "They probably went to play. They don't tell anyone where they're going anyway. Why? Are you looking for him?"
Fei Zuohua was stunned and said nothing.
Lu Mingban stood up. He guessed that Fei Zuohua was probably about to leave.
But Fei Zuohua didn't. He continued picking up balls until every last one was collected.
Then, after Lu Mingban finished tidying up and turned off the lights in the equipment room, they walked toward the exit of the sports field together.
Fei Zuohua opened his umbrella and took a step before realizing Lu Mingban hadn't followed. He turned back and asked, "What’s wrong?"
Lu Mingban sat on the ground. The splashing rain dampened his bangs. He brushed his hair back, revealing a face that had begun to show a hint of maturity—a very handsome face.
"I didn't bring an umbrella."
Fei Zuohua paused. He looked at the heavy rain, thought for a moment, then closed his umbrella and handed it to him.
Lu Mingban was stunned. He looked at the umbrella but didn't take it. "For me?"
Fei Zuohua nodded. "My dad should be here to pick me up. I just need to run to the school gate."
Lu Mingban pushed himself up from the ground. "Then I’ll walk you over..."
"No." Fei Zuohua shoved the umbrella into his hand. "I don't want to explain so much to him."
With that, he turned and ran into the heavy rain.
Lu Mingban looked at the umbrella in his hand and chuckled. "Fledgling."
Then he opened the umbrella and strolled back toward the classroom. He had an umbrella in the classroom.
From the upstairs corridor, he looked down through the window. Fei Zuohua, soaked to the bone, dodged his father’s umbrella and ducked into the car.
Students were fooling around in the corridor. They passed by Lu Mingban, one of them shoving him, another jumping up to pull his hat over his head before giving him a slap.
Lu Mingban didn't react at all.
He saw Pei Cangyu emerge from the crowd below. Bai Shi was huddled under Pei Cangyu’s umbrella; he seemed to never bring one. The boys around them were playing around, but it was completely different from what happened to him. It was playfulness without malice. People passing by would greet Pei Cangyu and chat casually. Pei Cangyu had something to say to everyone.
Lu Mingban watched Pei Cangyu from afar. He felt that Pei Cangyu was too dazzling, surely someone difficult to reach.
As if sensing his gaze, Pei Cangyu suddenly stopped. He turned around, lifted his umbrella, and saw Lu Mingban by the corridor window.
For reasons he couldn't explain, Lu Mingban raised his hand and gave Pei Cangyu a small wave.
He saw Bai Shi, like a shadow beside Pei Cangyu, give him a dark, somber look.
Lu Mingban hadn't expected Pei Cangyu to acknowledge him at all.
But Pei Cangyu smiled. He raised his hand and waved back, earnestly stretching out his arm, smiling brightly like grass swaying in the sunlight.
Lu Mingban smiled too. The boys who had been gathered around him, the ones who had been hitting his head, all dispersed.
Pei Cangyu turned around and left with his friends.
Lu Mingban clicked his tongue, feeling a trace of bitterness in his mouth.
***
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Stolen Jade | Chapter 74 | A Gift of Words | Novela.app | Novela.app
