As Jiang Wei pulled off his gloves and finished filling out the observations in his lab report, he heard Xia Shan’s voice from behind him. "Brother Shen, how do I fill this part out?"
"Just write down whatever you saw during the experiment. If nothing happened, just write 'no reaction,'" Shen Yannan replied, swirling a test tube in his hand. He must have just added a reagent; when Jiang Wei turned around, he caught the entire process of the solution rapidly changing from dark green to brown.
"Which solution is that? I don't think I've done that one yet," Jiang Wei asked curiously.
"It’s from the teacher’s desk. This is Solution Number One. I think it contains iron(II) ions. There’s also a Number Two; you should go try it," Shen Yannan said, pouring the contents of the test tube into the sink after finishing his observation. "Ms. Yang said the color of Number Two is really pretty."
"Got it," Jiang Wei gave him an 'OK' gesture.
"Wow! The color of this solution is gorgeous!" Tang Wanbai’s voice rang out from the front, accompanied by the gasps of several other girls. Jiang Wei’s hand, which had been about to tap Tang Zihe, froze in mid-air as he looked up.
Fu Cong’an had apparently already finished showing the test tube to the girls in the front row. He turned back just then, a rare, irrepressible smile on his face as he held the test tube up between the two of them and gave it a little shake. "Is it pretty?"
Inside the test tube was a clear, pale green solution. With the slight movement, faint ripples shimmered across the surface. It was certainly enough to earn the description "pretty."
"Yeah, it is," Tang Zihe nodded in agreement.
Jiang Wei, however, remained silent.
Usually, in situations like this, Jiang Wei was the undisputed king of hype. He could typically talk anyone into a state of bliss with just a few words. His current lack of reaction was undeniably strange.
Jiang Wei stared coldly at the two centimeters of liquid in the test tube as if he were staring into a deep abyss. Suddenly, images he shouldn't be seeing flashed before his eyes—a cold medical chair, the hem of a snow-white coat, a needle reflecting the light, and a single drop of pale green liquid rolling off its tip...
He lunged forward, his hand swinging violently toward the test tube—
*Smash—*
The crisp sound of glass shattering was startlingly loud even in the noisy laboratory, drawing everyone’s attention instantly.
All sound vanished in that moment.
The weight of everyone’s gaze felt almost physical. The smile on Fu Cong’an’s face froze, and he stood there in a daze, looking completely lost.
All three of their lab coats were more or less splattered with the flying solution, the stains looking particularly jarring against the stark white fabric.
Ms. Yang hurried over. "What happened? Is anyone hurt?"
Tang Zihe turned and grabbed Jiang Wei’s shoulder. Before he could say anything, he saw the look of sheer terror on Jiang Wei’s face, and his heart leaped into his throat.
He called Jiang Wei’s name, but the other boy only lowered his head silently, turning his face away while gasping for air.
"I'm sorry..." Jiang Wei whispered. "I'm sorry... I’m going to go wash my face..." Without giving anyone a chance to respond, he bolted for the door—his steps so frantic it looked like he was fleeing for his life.
Tang Zihe looked at the hand that had been resting on Jiang Wei’s shoulder just a second ago. He paused for a moment before turning to answer Ms. Yang. "No one is hurt."
The restroom was right next to the lab. Jiang Wei twisted a faucet open and splashed handfuls of cold water onto his face.
He repeated the motion several times until his collar was soaked and the cold seeped into his body. Only after a shiver ran through him did he finally begin to regain his senses.
*It’s fake.*
Jiang Wei looked at himself in the mirror, trying to maintain a facade of composure as he adjusted his hair.
*It’s all in the past.*
*It won't happen again.*
"Feeling better?"
Jiang Wei jumped at the sound of the voice from the doorway. He clutched his chest and spun around. "Holy crap, what are you doing? You scared the life out of me."
He seemed to be feeling better.
Tang Zihe walked a few steps into the room. Seeing the water dripping from Jiang Wei’s chin, he frowned, pulled a pack of tissues from his pocket, and tossed them over. "Dry yourself off."
Jiang Wei obediently took one out, thinking to himself as he wiped his face: *This young master really is a stickler for details.*
"What happened back there?"
As expected, Tang Zihe hadn't just come to offer comfort.
Jiang Wei felt a sudden urge to tease him. "If I said I had a nightmare while standing up for a few seconds and accidentally broke it, would you believe me?"
Tang Zihe’s expression darkened instantly, his face practically screaming the words: *Tell me the truth.*
Jiang Wei couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm kidding. I just remembered something unpleasant, it’s no big deal," Jiang Wei blinked and started walking out. "But the bell just rang. Are you going straight back to class, or are you waiting for me to apologize to Ms. Yang first?"
Tang Zihe stared silently at Jiang Wei’s back. After a few seconds, he could only shrug in resignation. "If you don't want to say, then forget it. I'll wait for you."
"No, no, no, it’s not that I don't want to say," Jiang Wei turned back with a smile. "I’m just afraid you’ll be heartbroken for me."
"With your personality, if you knew the details, you definitely wouldn't be able to sleep all night."
"Is that so?" The slight curve of Tang Zihe’s lips vanished, though his tone remained teasing. "Why are you so certain?"
"Because it’s me."
The moment the words left his mouth, Jiang Wei realized something was off. He quickly clamped his mouth shut to prevent himself from blurting out any more nonsense without thinking.
"Is that so?" Tang Zihe’s voice drifted from behind him, slow and deliberate. "So that’s how it is..."
*Stay calm.* Words spoken are like spilled water; even if he wanted to tear his past self apart right now, he couldn't change what had already been said.
Jiang Wei took a deep breath and quickened his pace.
Ms. Yang was tidying up the lab benches. When she saw Jiang Wei, she immediately asked if he was hurt, showing no sign of wanting to scold him. She rambled on about how dangerous the lab was and how he needed to be more careful in the future. At the end, she only jokingly complained that the grade supervisor might call her in for a "chat" over tea, which only made Jiang Wei feel even more guilty.
By the time they returned to the classroom, Lao Shi was already standing at the podium, ready to go over the homework. Jiang Wei had to sit through an entire class period in a state of restless anxiety before he finally got the chance to apologize to Fu Cong’an after the bell.
"It’s fine. I’m at fault too; I didn't expect you to have such a strong reaction," Fu Cong’an said with a wave of his hand and a smile. "As long as no one got hurt, it’s okay."
"Thanks." Jiang Wei forced a small smile.
"Fu Cong’an, want to go get some water?" A girl nearby tapped Fu Cong’an on the shoulder and stood up to pull him away.
"Oh, sure." Fu Cong’an picked up his water bottle and followed her without giving Jiang Wei another look.
"Why are you talking to him so much? I think he was just faking that whole thing in the lab. It was just a normal solution; what kind of reaction was that? Honestly, so annoying..."
The girl’s voice wasn't quiet; it seemed she intentionally wanted Jiang Wei to hear her.
Jiang Wei returned to his seat awkwardly.
"What’s wrong?" Tang Zihe was rarely seen with his phone out, hiding it in his drawer to play a single-player game.
"I feel like my apology wasn't really accepted," Jiang Wei sighed, though he didn't let it weigh on him too much. "What are you playing?"
"Anipop."
"Anipop? Aren't you bored?" Despite his words of disdain, Jiang Wei’s body was honest as he leaned closer to get a better view. "Let me play a round later, okay?"
***
"I thought you actually wanted to get water, pulling me out so urgently."
"Forget it. If you're not going, I'll go by myself."
As Fu Cong’an walked toward the water station, she bumped into someone.
"Oh, sorry, sorry." Fu Cong’an adjusted her glasses. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Gu Renwen was also holding a water bottle.
"That’s good. Are you... also going to get water?"
"Yeah."
"Then let’s go together." Fu Cong’an glanced at Gu Renwen as if by accident, then immediately frowned. "What happened to your face?"
There was a thin red mark on the side of Gu Renwen’s face. Looking closer, one could see tiny petechiae—fine points of bleeding under the skin. It was very noticeable, but only if one saw him from the side.
He reached up in a panic to cover the mark. A second later, realizing it was futile, he silently lowered his hand. "It’s nothing."
"Did your mom hit you again?" Fu Cong’an stepped into the water room. There were only the two of them there now. She stood at the innermost dispenser, asking the question casually.
"...Yeah," Gu Renwen replied softly from the other end.
"I remember you did pretty well on the exams, didn't you?" Fu Cong’an frowned as she thought. "Aren't you always steady in the top five of the grade? You're already so amazing; is your mom still not satisfied?"
Gu Renwen picked up his bottle, glancing at Fu Cong’an out of the corner of his eye with an unreadable expression.
*If only I really were always steady in the top five.*
"I'm sorry, I forgot. For the rankings of the last Eight-School Joint Exam, I think you were pushed out by Jiang Wei?" Fu Cong’an seemed to have truly just remembered, apologizing repeatedly before adding, "But his luck really is quite good. I hardly ever see him grinding problems in class, yet he still made it into the top five. I was almost overtaken by him myself."
"Even though that exam was quite important, it was just one test after all. It’s nothing," Fu Cong’an flashed her usual smile. "Gifted players like him are just like Shen Yannan; the rest of us just have to work a little harder."
"But..." Fu Cong’an sighed softly. "Sometimes I can't help but believe in the Law of Conservation of Luck. I hope he has times when his luck isn't so good in the future..."
"Don't tell anyone what I just said." Fu Cong’an blinked. "Finished with your water? Let’s head back together."
"Okay."
Only then did Gu Renwen let his gaze linger on Fu Cong’an for a few seconds before quickly looking away.
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 小杨姐 | Ms. Yang | Literally "Little Sister Yang," a friendly way students address a young female teacher. |
| 施总 | Lao Shi | A nickname for their class teacher, Mr. Shi. |
| 消消乐 | Anipop | A popular Chinese Match-3 puzzle game (similar to Candy Crush). |
| 八校联考 | Eight-School Joint Exam | A standardized mock exam involving eight prominent schools. |
| 运气守恒定律 | Law of Conservation of Luck | A superstitious belief that luck is a finite resource that balances out over time. |
| 天赋型选手 | Gifted player / Talented individual | Used here to describe students who succeed without apparent effort. |
