Stolen Jade | Chapter 94 | A New Faith | Novela.app

Discussions regarding school choices became the dominant topic of conversation. While everyone knew deep down that placements were determined by grades, there were schools with negligible differences in ranking. Students who listened to their parents often wanted to apply to schools closer to home, and these types of discussions finally grew more frequent. The class began to take on an air of an impending farewell; even those as slow on the uptake as Pei Cangyu and his friends finally started discussing their futures. It was only through these discussions that Pei Cangyu realized everyone else actually had a plan. Apple was applying for No. 1 Middle School or the Affiliated Middle School. Plane planned to go to No. 10 Middle School because it was close to home. Monkey intended to apply for No. 22 Middle School. Piggy hadn't decided yet and asked Pei Cangyu where he planned to go. Pei Cangyu remained silent for a while, realizing he seemed to be the one with the worst grades in the group. Dammit, he used to feel like the gap wasn't that large, but now he suddenly discovered he was trailing by a dozen ranks—a gap that widened significantly when scaled to the entire district. Thus, Pei Cangyu stopped thinking about it. "I'll wait for the results to come out and see where I can go." Hearing this, Piggy lowered his head to play his game. "Alright then, let me know when you apply." Apple sighed and slumped onto Pei Cangyu’s desk. "Look at us, we’re about to graduate..." Plane let out a wistful, matching sigh. Apple continued, "...and we still haven't lost our virginity." Plane kicked him. "What is wrong with you? Why have you been thinking about this every day lately? What set you off?" Apple sat up abruptly, looking mysterious. "I have a cousin, the kind who never studied. He’s planning to get married next year. I heard the girl is pregnant." Piggy looked up. "Really?" "Really." Apple had a look of disbelief on his face. "Damn, you wouldn't believe it. The girl was crying and screaming to marry him. I used to read novels where women insisted on marrying the protagonist and thought it was just a male fantasy, so I stopped reading them. I didn't expect that in real life, there are actually women begging to marry a guy..." Plane and Piggy both marveled in shock. "Is your cousin incredibly rich? Or exceptionally handsome?" Apple shook his head. "He’s just average..." They lamented for a while, wondering how such a "good thing" could happen. Pei Cangyu, who was rummaging through his backpack, interjected casually, "If she doesn't marry him, it would be very hard for her to raise the child alone, wouldn't it?" The three of them froze. "What do you mean?" Monkey, who was chewing gum, turned his head as he listened. "Man, you guys really are flowers in a greenhouse. My dad has seen women like that when he’s out on calls. They get tricked by a guy, their bellies get too big, and they can't get an abortion anymore, so they have to give birth. If they don't get married, how are they supposed to raise the kid? How old is the girl? And if her family isn't well-off..." The three of them looked at each other. This was something they truly hadn't considered. In their lives of being well-fed, well-clothed, and focused on studying, that kind of "messy" life was far too distant. Monkey tilted his chair back and took the game console from Piggy. "That's why I say, usually in these situations, the guy is a total piece of work..." "Not necessarily." Pei Cangyu suddenly interrupted him. The others looked over, and Pei Cangyu lowered his voice. "Sometimes... isn't it the woman who leaves?" Monkey shook his head. "That's too rare. Usually, a woman won't abandon her child... oh, unless there's something wrong with the kid." He looked back down at the phone. "Like a disability or something. If neither side wants it, they just throw it..." Pei Cangyu suddenly stood up. The others watched him walk out. Piggy leaned out to call him, "Where are you going?" "Bathroom." Pei Cangyu didn't even turn his head. Piggy and Monkey stood up. "Perfect timing, I'm going too." Pei Cangyu didn't stop. He said nothing, but the two quickly caught up, slinging their arms around his shoulders with a laugh and heading toward the bathroom while chatting. Pei Cangyu pressed his lips together and remained silent. At the bathroom entrance, they ran into Bai Shi coming up from downstairs. After exchanging greetings, the other two headed inside. Pei Cangyu was at the back, and as he entered, Bai Shi reached out to grab his arm, looking down at him. "What's wrong? In a bad mood?" Pei Cangyu blinked and touched his own face. "...I'm fine." Bai Shi let go of him, smiled, and walked away. Pei Cangyu had been a bit distracted in class lately, though fortunately, they were mostly reviewing now. Pei Yueshan's return had disrupted Pei Cangyu’s peaceful life. He didn't even know what he was thinking. It felt like at this stage, the atmosphere in the class had changed significantly. First, their familiar homeroom teacher had left, followed by constant exams and the release of grades, with everyone comparing their score slips. Apple had never been so focused on his studies; he was never late for morning self-study anymore. His life consisted of nothing but studying and wet dreams—he had become that simple. Plane had reduced his social life and, at his parents' request, gotten a buzz cut; his father had decided to pick him up and drop him off every day from now on. Monkey, though serious, usually spent most of his energy on his own business, but now he had put away all the magazines on his desk and announced he wouldn't go online or use his phone until after the big exams—if there was something to say, say it in class; otherwise, don't bother him. Only Piggy drifted along as usual, doing whatever he saw Pei Cangyu doing. And then there was Bai Shi. Ever since his magnificent transformation over the winter break, Bai Shi had become a legendary figure at school. Coupled with his dazzling grades, he practically glowed. The essays he wrote were printed and posted on the back blackboard of the grade level as model examples. His math answer sheets were also posted for everyone to reference his standardized formatting. Later, even his scratch paper was posted so everyone could see his brilliant thought process. Pei Cangyu had something to say about that. Bai Shi’s actual scratch paper was a complete mess; his handwriting was wild and his numbers looked like chicken scratch. The guy was fast at mental math and only used one side of a sheet for a math paper. When the teacher asked if he could provide a copy of his scratch paper from the exam for the students to reference, Bai Shi agreed, then spent an entire class period faking a set—three full pages of it. It was incredibly fake. Pei Cangyu wanted to laugh watching him seriously fabricate them. "Man, you really care about your image, don't you?" Bai Shi didn't even look up. "Do you know how long it took me to write those reference answers for you?" Pei Cangyu was speechless. Choked up, he kicked Bai Shi’s stool in a show of defiance. "Then why did you write them? Didn't I say it wasn't necessary?" Hearing this, Bai Shi put down his pen. "Fine, I won't write them anymore." Pei Cangyu smiled, thinking he was joking. When the teacher came to ask for the promised scratch paper, Bai Shi said he wasn't writing them anymore. He claimed he had asked for a classmate's opinion, and the classmate felt it wasn't necessary—as he spoke, he glanced at Pei Cangyu, drawing the teacher’s suspicious gaze over. The teacher gave Pei Cangyu a long, earnest lecture. First, one shouldn't be too selfish; just because one person doesn't need something doesn't mean other students don't. Second, he needed to know his place and realize he was still quite a long way from being in a position to say something was "unnecessary." Of course, the teacher put it very tactfully. It left Pei Cangyu flushed with embarrassment. After the teacher left, he kicked Bai Shi’s stool a few more times to vent his frustration, then spent the whole day coaxing and pleading with Bai Shi to finish the scratch paper. Later, every time Pei Cangyu saw those scratch papers on the bulletin board, a complex emotion welled up inside him. At the same time, he realized deeply that no matter how many skins Bai Shi shed, he was still that petty, ill-tempered, sinister, and malicious little bastard who loved to kick people when they were down and manipulate others into doing his dirty work. Once this round of exams was over, the students began moving the desks—which had been pulled apart for the test—back to their original positions. A few who had finished tidying up early began checking their answers. Just as Pei Cangyu sat down, Apple walked over. He looked quite happy; he had likely done well this time. Plane scurried over. "I heard our grade is going on a hiking oath-taking rally." The newly arrived Piggy sat down. "What kind of rally?" "The whole grade hikes to the new campus, then stands on the field for a big meeting. You know, to mobilize everyone to study hard for the exams," Pei Cangyu added. Apple rubbed his face. "I thought only the Gaokao had mobilization rallies. They do it for middle school too?" Plane patted his shoulder. "Doing it is good for your health." "Spending an entire afternoon walking there... I'd rather memorize a few more vocabulary words." Apple felt sleepy and slumped onto his desk. Pei Cangyu encouraged him, "What's wrong with going out for a walk? Exercise is good for you." A classmate walked over and told Pei Cangyu that someone was looking for him at the door. Everyone stopped and looked out; it was a junior from a lower grade. Pei Cangyu stood up and walked out. On the other side, Bai Shi, having finished his exam, ran into Lu Mingban, who had been waiting for a long time. They walked back toward the classroom together. When Bai Shi reached the classroom door and saw that Pei Cangyu and his group of friends weren't there, he headed toward the sports field. Lu Mingban didn't return to his own class either, following behind him. They went to the second floor of the bleachers, watching people running and jumping rope on the distant field. Pei Cangyu and the others were playing basketball with the juniors. Lu Mingban pulled out a cigarette and offered it to Bai Shi. Bai Shi shook his head; he was playing the role of a good student lately, and smoking didn't fit his persona. So, Lu Mingban cupped his hands to light it himself and looked toward the field with him. Although the field was crowded, they were looking in the same direction. Pei Cangyu had the ball, actively looking for a breakthrough. Pei Cangyu, who used to be considered tall among this group, was recently being overtaken by several others who were hitting growth spurts. He wore a headband to pull his hair back, revealing a smooth forehead covered in a thick layer of sweat. He raised his arm to casually wipe it away, leaving his arm glistening, reflecting the light of the orange-red sunset. When he jumped, the wind caught the hem of his jersey, revealing a small section of his waist. "Lately, I've found a faith." Bai Shi was stunned to hear Lu Mingban say this. He turned to look at him, but Lu Mingban’s gaze remained fixed on the distant Pei Cangyu. Bai Shi looked at Pei Cangyu, then back at Lu Mingban. His heart skipped a beat, followed by an internal exclamation: *No way.* "I was wondering if there really are people who can endure suffering without changing their nature, who don't take their pain out on others... better yet, who don't even realize the unfairness. Though naive, they are innocent." Lu Mingban gazed into the distance, the wind causing the cherry of his cigarette to flicker. Bai Shi’s pupils dilated. He thought, *Surely it hasn't come to this.* Although Pei Cangyu was great, using him as a "faith" seemed a bit much. Lu Mingban held the cigarette between his fingers. "Although I admire those who are wicked and overbearing—it gives me a sense of security—emotionally, I actually prefer kind people. The purer and kinder, the better. Even if they're kind to the point of weakness. Perhaps that counts as a kind of security too. After all, the closer one gets to reality, the more precious the latter becomes. So, I found myself a faith." Bai Shi looked at Pei Cangyu again, then at Lu Mingban, not knowing what to say. He actually felt a bit swayed. Lu Mingban looked at him. "You should believe in him too. Maybe he can save us." Bai Shi was indeed a bit spooked. *Is this really necessary?* Lu Mingban reached into his pocket. "How about it? Want to join? Find a resting place for your broken soul?" Looking at Lu Mingban’s fervent eyes and then thinking of Pei Cangyu’s face, Bai Shi felt even more wavering. Lu Mingban pulled out a photograph. "My faith, Jesus. There’s a meet-and-greet recently. Do you want to come?" ... ... ... Bai Shi: "..." Lu Mingban: "What's wrong?" Bai Shi: "..." Lu Mingban: "Why do you keep looking over there?" Bai Shi: "No thanks. I don't have that kind of hobby." ***