Chapter 36 - A Gift of Five-Three
The Lunar New Year had passed with a rare sense of tranquility—at least, that was how Su Jingming felt.
Shortly after the festivities concluded, school resumed, and Su Jingming’s life snapped back into its familiar, rhythmic track: the dormitory, the classroom, and the cafeteria. Yet, beneath the surface of this "three-point line" routine, something fundamental had shifted. The air between him and Wen Yan had grown thick with an unspoken ambiguity, a delicate tension that hummed like a live wire. Outside the classroom windows, the branches were beginning to sprout with a frantic, verdant energy, heralding the arrival of spring. Without realizing it, they had already navigated two full seasons of knowing one another.
As Su Jingming and Wen Yan grew closer, the rest of the class became accustomed to seeing the two top-tier students constantly glued to each other’s side.
"Do they spend every waking moment together just to make sure they get perfect scores?" one classmate whispered.
"I think it’s more than just perfect scores," another replied, leaning in. "They’re probably aiming to sweep the top two spots in the entire province."
"Is this just what happens when you pair one academic god with another? It really is a different world."
Ren Wei, meanwhile, had been feeling neglected by Su Jingming for a week. In that time, he and Li Yang had forged a deep bond of "desk-mate solidarity." Whenever they looked over at the two legends, they saw them huddled together, deep in the throes of analyzing advanced Grade 12 mathematics problems.
Li Yang sighed, his head hitting the desk. "I feel like a piece of trash. I’m totally dragging Wen Yan’s average down."
Ren Wei nodded solemnly. "To be honest, I’ve felt that way for a long time."
The two shared a look of mutual understanding. Their friendship had ascended from mere desk-mates to a revolutionary brotherhood of underachievers. *We are trash,* their eyes said. *The kind of trash that holds back the geniuses.*
Initially, Su Jingming hadn't been used to having Wen Yan as a desk-mate. Wen Yan had a habit of leaning in close—sometimes intentionally, sometimes not—while holding out a series of problems that far exceeded their current curriculum.
Su Jingming began to question his own reality. *Since when could I solve these?* he wondered. *Is this the kind of stuff Wen Yan looks at every day?* It made him realize that his high scores from the previous semester hadn't just been a stroke of luck; they were the result of being pulled upward by the person sitting next to him.
As the winter chill faded, Zhang Jia’s focused attention on Su Jingming seemed to wane. Where she once sought him out for academic help, she had now shifted her target to Wen Yan. On the very first day Su Jingming and Wen Yan became desk-mates, she appeared at their table.
Wen Yan remained his usual, gentle self. With practiced patience, he wrote out the solution steps one by one. "Does that make sense now?" he asked softly.
Zhang Jia blinked, momentarily dazed. She glanced at the answer; it was more detailed than the explanations in the official textbooks. If she still didn't understand, the fault was clearly hers.
"I get it. Thanks," she said. She cast a brief, unreadable glance at Su Jingming, who was staring blankly into space, before returning to her seat without another word.
This pattern continued for a week. Wen Yan never showed a hint of impatience, even as the problems Zhang Jia brought grew increasingly esoteric.
Finally, one day, Wen Yan spent ten minutes staring at a particularly thorny problem. He frowned, then tapped the end of his pen against Su Jingming’s hand. "Want to take a look?"
Su Jingming’s interest was piqued. He instinctively leaned toward Wen Yan, scanning the problem. Without thinking, he slid the gel pen from Wen Yan’s fingers. "Maybe try drawing these auxiliary lines?"
Wen Yan arched an eyebrow, a silent gesture of encouragement. Emboldened, Su Jingming began to work through the logic.
Zhang Jia stood by the desk in silence. The ten-minute break felt agonizingly long. Watching the natural, effortless way they interacted, a realization struck her: these two were already together. It wasn't hidden; it was blatant, a quiet but undeniable declaration.
Five minutes later, Su Jingming stopped writing and looked up. He handed the problem back to Zhang Jia across Wen Yan’s lap. "Where did you even find this?" he asked, genuinely puzzled.
"In a practice workbook," Zhang Jia murmured, biting her lip. "Is it too hard? I couldn't figure it out."
"It’s alright. A bit interesting," Su Jingming said. "But I can't guarantee it's right. You should check the answer key; this is way beyond our syllabus."
His voice was cool, characterized by a polite but firm distance—a stark contrast to the softness he used when speaking to Wen Yan. Zhang Jia didn't want to be overly sensitive, but a girl’s intuition was hard to ignore. Su Jingming probably didn't even realize that his tone shifted into something much gentler whenever he addressed the boy sitting next to him.
***
Winter had arrived with a grand flourish, but it departed in silence. In its place came the hum of cicadas, the wild growth of greenery, and the warm, steady sun of a clear blue sky. It was only then that Su Jingming realized Wen Yan’s birthday was approaching.
Wen Yan was born in April, arriving in the world with all the gentleness of a spring day.
Su Jingming only learned about the date because Song Yifei had mentioned it in passing. Su Jingming never celebrated his own birthday and rarely attended parties; the only one he’d ever gone to was Ren Wei’s eighteenth last year, which had been a rather grand affair.
Li Yang, returning from the restroom, saw Su Jingming sitting next to Ren Wei and immediately glanced toward Wen Yan. He leaned in and whispered, "Did you guys have a fight? A disagreement over a math problem?"
Wen Yan looked up lazily. "Next period is P.E. He said he had something to talk to Ren Wei about. You should head down to the field."
"You’re not even going to ask me to sit down?" Li Yang looked at his former seat with mock shock. "I was your desk-mate for over a year! You just toss me aside? Now that your new desk-mate is catching up with your old one, don't you want to catch up with me? Don't you miss our time together at all?"
Wen Yan actually took a moment to consider this. "Do you mean the times you spent copying my homework, or the times I had to whisper the answers to you when the teacher called your name?"
"...You’re a real dog, you know that?"
Ren Wei was thrilled by Su Jingming’s sudden return to his side. Ignoring the impending P.E. class, he acted as if he were on the verge of tears. "Are you coming back to me?"
"No," Su Jingming said bluntly. "Look, you repeated a grade, so you’re a year older than me. I want to know... what was the most touching gift you received for your eighteenth birthday last year?"
Ren Wei blinked. "There’s no need to be so specific about the age thing."
"Oh, sorry." Su Jingming rephrased. "Since you’re a year older and more 'senior' than me, what was the most memorable gift from your coming-of-age ceremony?"
Ren Wei sighed. "I’m busy going to play basketball." He stood up and began tidying his messy desk, but Su Jingming yanked him back into the chair.
"Look," Ren Wei said, "you’re still two months away from eighteen. Why are you so anxious to prepare a gift for yourself?"
Su Jingming stammered, "Right! I... I want to give myself a very special coming-of-age gift!"
Seeing Su Jingming’s serious expression, Ren Wei suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for his friend. *Ming-ge is so talented, yet he has to deal with such a mess of a family.* During the New Year, Ren Wei had wanted to call and check on him, but as he got older, he found it harder to voice those sentimental thoughts. He had settled for a dry "Happy New Year" text, which hadn't received a reply. For a while, Ren Wei worried he had inadvertently touched a sore spot.
His Ming-ge was someone who never showed weakness to the world, but he was still just a kid. Any vulnerability was kept strictly for himself. The more Ren Wei thought about it, the more tragic Su Jingming’s life seemed to him.
Su Jingming, seeing Ren Wei’s face cloud over, thought the boy was remembering something unpleasant about turning eighteen. He tried to help him recall: just before Ren Wei’s birthday, the exam results had come out. On the eve of his eighteenth, Ren Wei had been subjected to a "mixed doubles" beating by both his parents. If Su Jingming remembered correctly, Ren Wei had to sit on two soft cushions during his birthday dinner the next day.
Su Jingming sighed and patted Ren Wei’s shoulder, mimicking the way Ren Wei often comforted him. "Ren Wei, honestly, being bad at studying isn't a crime. You’re great at sports. If you work hard, you could get into a normal university and become a P.E. teacher. It suits you."
"???" *Why do I see 'paternal love' in Su Jingming’s eyes right now?*
Ren Wei shook off Su Jingming’s hand. Suddenly, a wicked grin spread across his face. "You really want to know the most special gift I got for my eighteenth?"
Su Jingming nodded.
"Lean in. I’ll tell you."
Ren Wei acted incredibly mysterious. Driven by a spirit of inquiry, Su Jingming leaned closer. The two whispered for a long time, until Su Jingming’s ears began to turn a deep crimson, the flush spreading to his cheeks and down his neck.
Li Yang, turning around to witness this, couldn't help but marvel. "My opinion of Su Jingming is changing every day."
Wen Yan looked up and turned his gaze toward them.
Su Jingming abruptly stood up, glaring at Ren Wei. "I was an idiot to believe you."
Ren Wei clicked his tongue. "It’s true! If you don't believe me, I’ll bring it from home and show you. Or better yet, I’ll give you one in two months. We can walk hand-in-hand into the paradise of adulthood together."
Su Jingming covered his face with one hand, feeling several pairs of eyes on him. *If I ever feel sorry for Ren Wei again, I’m a total moron.*
Speaking of eighteenth birthday gifts, Ren Wei suddenly asked, "Wait, I don't think I ever got a gift from you."
Su Jingming froze. "I didn't give you one?"
"Did you?" Ren Wei thought back. "When was this?"
"By courier. You didn't get it?"
"What did you even buy?"
Su Jingming looked at him with total sincerity. "A complete set of the *Five-Three* practice series."
"F—! Are you a psycho?" *Who gives test prep books as an eighteenth birthday gift?*
Ren Wei paused. He remembered seeing a brand-new set of *Five-Three* on his desk the day after his birthday. He slammed his hand on the table, causing the few students left in the room to jump. "That was from you?! I thought my mom bought it! I was so pissed I almost lost my mind!"
Su Jingming nodded. He didn't have much experience with gift-giving, but he knew one thing: it was best to choose something practical. In a moment of inspiration, he had ordered the set online, wanting Ren Wei to feel the weight of their friendship even during the holidays.
"That was the latest edition! I bought the genuine version, too—no typos and the printing was crystal clear!"
Su Jingming’s voice was a bit loud, echoing in the empty classroom. Wen Yan shook his head helplessly, a smile playing in his eyes as he continued his work.
Li Yang, deciding he’d heard enough from the academic elite, dragged Ren Wei off to play basketball. Su Jingming returned to his seat and propped his head on his hand, staring out the window. Only a few classes were out on the field for P.E.
Spring brings lethargy.
When Wen Yan looked up again, Su Jingming had fallen asleep on the desk. A sliver of the afternoon sun rested on his back. He didn't seem to be sleeping soundly.
In a brief, hazy dream, Su Jingming imagined himself going to a pharmacy to buy a box of condoms to give to Wen Yan as an eighteenth birthday gift. In the dream, he patted his own chest and said, "You’re eighteen now. You should learn how to be a responsible adult."
Wen Yan merely arched an eyebrow and asked, "Then... will you let me take responsibility for you?"
Su Jingming jolted awake, a cold sweat breaking out across his skin.
*Damn it. It’s all Ren Wei’s fault for saying the most memorable gift he got was someone stuffing a condom into his hand.*
Wen Yan noticed his startled reaction. "What’s wrong?"
Hearing Wen Yan’s voice made Su Jingming’s heart race with guilt. He was terrified that Wen Yan might somehow sense the absurdity of his dream. His brain, as usual, was a step behind his mouth.
"I don't need you to take responsibility!"
"?" Wen Yan blinked, looking genuinely troubled. "That’s not very good, is it? I’m not exactly a scumbag."
"???"
***
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