The day Su Jingming returned to school, Zhou Hong made a special effort to pick him up. Seeing Zhou Hong standing by a white sedan, Su Jingming wasn't overly surprised; instead, he felt a strange, lingering sensation that he was being escorted to an execution ground.
He managed a small smile. "Teacher Zhou, it’s just a public reprimand and a disciplinary mark. There’s no need for such a grand production."
Zhou Hong stood with his hands shoved deep into his jacket pockets, his expression strained. "Su Jingming, I’m sorry. I couldn't..." He took a deep breath. "The surveillance footage was damaged. I went to see Hu Hai as well, but they... they’re still sticking to the same story."
Su Jingming gave a noncommittal hum, as if he had expected as much.
He had thought about it for a long time and still couldn't fathom what kind of deep-seated grudge Hu Hai held against him. The only friction he could recall was when he had bruised Hu Hai’s ego in front of his girlfriend. Su Jingming didn't think much of it; since the die was cast, no amount of effort could turn the tide now.
He looked up at the sky. That morning, Wen Yan had sent him a WeChat message.
It said: *Good morning.*
Su Jingming hadn't replied. He had simply stared at the message for a very, very long time. Finally, he pinned the chat to the top, burying the secret within his phone.
Zhou Hong drove all the way into the school grounds and took Su Jingming straight to the office. When Director Li saw the two of them arrive, he let out a heavy sigh.
The plea for leniency Zhou Hong had prepared died in his throat. Director Li shook his head helplessly.
It was a pity. A genuine pity.
As the time for the flag-raising ceremony approached, Director Li stood by the window, watching the students line up in their ranks below. He turned to Su Jingming. "Are you really not going to offer a final explanation?"
"There's no need."
Director Li nodded and turned to Zhou Hong. "Let's go."
Zhou Hong looked at Director Li in silence, his heart aching as he wished he could fight for one more chance for Su Jingming. Su Jingming stood up from his chair, straightened his school uniform, and pulled the zipper up to his chest.
He reached the door and glanced back slightly. "Teacher Zhou?"
Students in the teaching building were already making their way to the flag-raising platform, save for a few stragglers hurrying down the stairs. When they encountered Zhou Hong leading Su Jingming out of the office, they paused, stealing extra glances.
The rumors of Su Jingming’s "attempted theft" had spread like wildfire through the school, and he had hardly been in class the previous week.
Feeling the weight of their gazes, Su Jingming looked up. It was the same student who had mocked him a few days ago. He didn't know the guy's name—just that he was a perfectly fine-looking male who unfortunately possessed a foul mouth.
Zhou Hong spoke up, "Why aren't you heading down yet?"
The student quickly averted his eyes and scrambled down the stairs in a panic.
Zhou Hong and Su Jingming walked down one after the other. The area around the flag-raising platform was a cacophony of voices, while the teaching building behind them was deathly silent.
At the final landing, Zhou Hong called out to him, "I'll walk over there with you in a moment."
Su Jingming raised an eyebrow. "No need."
"Su Jingming," Zhou Hong said, "do you really not want to explain yourself?"
Su Jingming shook his head, his back to the teacher. "Explaining won't change anything. Teacher Zhou, if there's a chance next year, I'll bring you back a first-place trophy."
What Zhou Hong didn't know was that Su Jingming, with his back turned, felt his heart racing with an excitement he hadn't felt since the first time he scored a perfect hundred on an exam.
Su Jingming’s hands, hidden in his uniform pockets, felt slightly warm.
*Damn, I really do sound cool when I talk like that.*
As soon as Su Jingming reached the crowd, he accurately spotted the Dean of Students, who was currently on the phone. Under the watchful eyes of countless students, he walked with steady steps toward the Dean.
"Director," he called out softly.
The Dean glanced at him with a complicated expression. After hanging up, he said, "Su Jingming, you were such a good student. How could you..."
Su Jingming cut him off. "Director, I've heard enough of that."
"But you shouldn't have..."
"Director, I know I was young and impulsive."
"But you really were too..."
"Director." Su Jingming looked toward the flag-raising platform with an indifferent gaze. "The ceremony over there is finished."
*It’s time for you to go up and criticize me.*
The Dean frowned, gripping the microphone. He looked at Su Jingming with some concern and said, "Don't leave after this."
The tone was uncannily like a primary schooler picking a fight: *Don't leave after school.*
Su Jingming watched the Dean ascend the platform. He stood to the side of the stage, the focus of many eyes. He silently swallowed. Over the past few days, he had been frantically brainwashing himself: *It’s just a disciplinary mark and a public reprimand. Everyone faces storms in life.*
Besides, he had been through so much this month already.
*I’m a badass. I can take this.*
"Testing, one, two—" The Dean tapped the microphone.
"Students—"
*I should be able to take this.*
*Actually, I don't think I can.*
"Regarding the recent mathematics competition training camp—"
*How can Tiga say he can't do it?*
"Regarding the matter of student Su Jingming’s attempted theft of the examination papers—"
*The stuff I said to Old Zhou just now was actually pretty cool.*
"After investigation, the truth has come to light. Student Su Jingming was framed."
"???"
"???"
"???"
"What?"
"He was actually framed?"
"No wonder he didn't look nervous at all. He was wronged the whole time!"
"I knew Su Jingming wouldn't do something like that."
Su Jingming froze in place. The voices around him seemed to drift in and out of focus as he stared intently at the Dean on the platform. He opened his mouth, wanting to grab someone—anyone—to ask what was going on.
He turned around to see the surrounding students whispering among themselves.
Zhou Hong appeared out of nowhere, breathless from running. He stood behind Su Jingming and gasped, "Su Jingming... Su Jingming... You... you're cleared."
Su Jingming turned, his face full of astonishment. "Did you brainwash the Dean?"
In this school, the people who had believed in him from start to finish could be counted on one hand.
Zhou Hong still hadn't caught his breath. "It's true. You're fine. Wen Yan... he..."
Su Jingming felt as though he were in a dream—a dream he wanted to wake up from but couldn't.
As the ceremony dismissed, Ren Wei was the first to sprint to Su Jingming’s side, throwing an arm over his shoulder. "Badass, Brother Ming! Taking on five people by yourself? You're a real man!"
Zhang Jia ran over as well, her cheeks flushed and her eyes bright. "Su Jingming, you're amazing! I had no idea you were such a good fighter."
Su Jingming gave a few distracted hums, a light, airy feeling spreading from his head to his toes.
Suddenly, he desperately wanted to call Wen Yan.
Su Jingming brushed Ren Wei’s hand off his shoulder. "I’m going over there to make a call. You guys head back first. If the teacher asks, just say I’m skipping class."
Before the words had even fully landed, Su Jingming was already sprinting toward the auditorium.
Ren Wei and Zhang Jia watched his retreating back in confusion.
Ren Wei chuckled. "Brother Ming must be too happy. That’s why he’s so worked up."
Zhang Jia pursed her lips, not responding to Ren Wei.
There were very few students near the auditorium. Su Jingming found a relatively quiet corner, leaned against the wall, and dialed Wen Yan’s number.
"Su Jingming?"
He picked up almost instantly.
Hearing Wen Yan’s voice through the phone made Su Jingming daze for a moment. "How did you know Hu Hai was the brother of that delinquent who bullied your sister?"
"Mhm. I asked someone to look into it. Hu Hai’s younger brother is that punk with the red and green hair, Hu Bin." Wen Yan held the phone in his left hand as he walked to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. "The two brothers are quite interesting. One is a top student, the other is a street thug. They have a good relationship, though."
Su Jingming blinked. No wonder Hu Hai had said he was surprised to see him at the training camp.
So that was it.
"So, that night when I went to the barbecue with you guys... he heard us mention the training camp, and that's why..."
Wen Yan hummed in affirmation. "Didn't you feel like Hu Hai was targeting you from the start? That was the source. Add to that the fact that you made him lose face in front of his girlfriend, and he came up with the idea to find a few people to frame you for stealing the papers."
"Then how did you get the evidence?"
"A recording. There are no walls in this world that don't leak. As it happens, Song Yifei has a wide social circle. He knows one of the accomplices around Hu Hai. After a few drinks, the guy naturally said some things he shouldn't have." Wen Yan rested his fingers on the glass, rubbing the rim with his thumb.
"Song Yifei can drink?"
Wen Yan hadn't expected him to focus on such a strange point and let out a soft laugh. "Not really."
"Then how did he get the other guy drunk?"
"There are always ways."
Su Jingming fell silent on the other end for a long while. Wen Yan finished most of his water, waiting for him to speak.
It wasn't until the bell for class rang that Wen Yan finally spoke up. "You should go to class."
His tone was no different than usual.
Su Jingming: "Yeah, I know." He knew he should go, but he didn't hang up.
Wen Yan: "If there's anything else, we'll meet tomor—"
"Wen Yan," Su Jingming interrupted him. "Actually, I really like the process of skipping class."
Su Jingming hung up and sprinted toward a quiet corner of the campus. With a nimble vault, he leaped over the perimeter wall.
Ignoring the strange looks from pedestrians, he unzipped his school jacket.
Sometime during his run, a fine drizzle had begun to fall. He ran through the long streets and the light rain.
His chest was filled with a swelling, aching emotion that he couldn't quite explain or name.
Zhou Hong had told him.
Wen Yan had produced the surveillance footage of Wen Miao being harassed by the thugs, proof of the sibling relationship between Hu Bin and Hu Hai, and a recording that cleared Su Jingming’s name. He had even detailed the process of how they had knocked Su Jingming unconscious and thrown him into the room.
No one had ever gone to such lengths for him before.
No one had ever cared for him like this.
So this was what it felt like to be cared for. For the first time, Su Jingming tasted the feeling with absolute clarity.
Su Jingming ran all the way to the base of Wen Yan’s apartment building and dialed his number.
"Where are you?"
"I’m downstairs at your place."
Wen Yan had assumed Su Jingming might go somewhere else to blow off steam after suffering so much injustice. Seeing Su Jingming’s call, he felt a flash of pleasant surprise.
He grabbed a jacket and an umbrella and hurried downstairs.
By now, the drizzle had turned into a downpour.
Su Jingming stood in the rain, his gray school uniform completely soaked and clinging to him. He didn't care about the wet, sticky sensation at all.
Pedestrians hurried past, but Su Jingming’s eyes were fixed in one direction.
Finally, he saw a youth in a light green jacket rushing out with an umbrella.
He saw the surprise in Wen Yan’s eyes, along with an emotion he couldn't quite read.
Seeing the drenched Su Jingming, Wen Yan clicked his tongue and ran over to bring him under the umbrella.
Raindrops hammered against the umbrella, creating a chaotic, rhythmic noise.
"Why didn't you bring an umbrella?"
"It wasn't raining when I left."
Su Jingming’s expression was awkward. Wen Yan could tell he was lying but didn't call him out.
Wen Yan’s face darkened, a rare display of a bad mood. He grabbed Su Jingming’s wrist and, with pursed lips, led him toward the building.
Being pulled like that made Su Jingming’s brain go momentarily blank.
Wen Yan’s palm was cool, but his grip was firm.
Once inside the apartment, Wen Yan grabbed a fresh towel from the bathroom, found a set of his own clothes, and tossed them to Su Jingming. "Go shower."
Su Jingming stood there dazed, clutching the towel and clothes, making no move to go. Wen Yan crossed his arms over his chest, his voice turning cold. "Do you want me to wash you myself?"
Su Jingming snapped out of it immediately and shook his head. "No, I can do it."
Hearing the sound of water from the bathroom, the irritation in Wen Yan’s heart only intensified.
The self-control he usually took such pride in had cracked in an instant.
He stood silently for a moment, then turned into the kitchen to prepare a cup of cold medicine for Su Jingming.
After showering, Su Jingming dried himself with the towel and looked at the clothes Wen Yan had provided. He suddenly realized the size difference between them was quite significant. Even though Wen Yan was only a few centimeters taller, his clothes were a full size larger.
He pulled on the long-sleeved shirt first. On top of the pants lay a pair of freshly laundered, dark-colored boxer briefs.
So Wen Yan’s style was this mature.
Su Jingming glanced at his own discarded Ultraman Tiga underwear in the corner. His jaw tightened as he fell into a long, profound silence.
It turned out the difference wasn't just in their clothes...
Wen Yan heard the water stop, but Su Jingming didn't come out for a long time. Frowning, he knocked on the bathroom door. "Su Jingming?"
Su Jingming jerked back to reality, his hand pausing as he was about to put on the underwear.
"Are the pants too big? Do you want me to find another pair?"
Su Jingming silently tightened his grip, his throat feeling dry.
*Which 'pants' are you talking about? Why do I feel like you're insulting me?*
"They... they fit just fine."
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
--- | --- | ---
胡海 | Hu Hai | The student who framed Su Jingming.
胡斌 | Hu Bin | Hu Hai's younger brother, a delinquent.
任伟 | Ren Wei | Su Jingming's classmate and friend.
张佳 | Zhang Jia | Su Jingming's classmate.
教导主任 | Dean of Students | Also referred to as Director of Instruction.
通报批评 | Public Reprimand | A formal school disciplinary notice posted publicly.
处分 | Disciplinary Action | A formal mark on a student's record.
迪迦奥特曼 | Ultraman Tiga | The specific Ultraman Su Jingming is obsessed with.
