Yang Kaikai’s heart hammered against his ribs. "Cong-ge, I... I didn't really say anything about you."
"Bullshit!" Liu Yucong roared. "Even if I fucking wanted to beat Fei Cheng up, I wouldn't pick the week of exams. You’re slandering me! Do you think I’m that stupid? If I hit him after exams, the school wouldn't even give a damn!"
Li Senwei chimed in, "Exactly. Do you think we're idiots?"
Li Rongbao looked embarrassed. "Hey, hey, why is the focus on picking the right time to beat someone up? It makes us sound so sinister."
Lai Xinhui nodded, exchanging a look with Li Rongbao. He felt like the burden on his shoulders was incredibly heavy.
By now, the students who had been eating late-night snacks in the canteen were trickling back. They saw Liu Yucong’s group standing before Cheng Yifei’s bed, confronting Yang Kaikai in a tense standoff, while Cheng Yifei sat on the edge of his bed with an indifferent expression, looking like a presiding judge.
Confused, they began asking the students who had arrived earlier. Word spread from one person to the next until the entire dormitory knew what was going on: Yang Kaikai had eavesdropped on Liu Yucong and his friends, run back to tell Cheng Yifei, and ended up getting caught red-handed by Liu Yucong!
Yu Qing lay in his bunk and sighed. *Oh, you foolish citizens, that’s not even what they’re arguing about anymore!*
Under the weight of so many stares, Yang Kaikai felt an intense sense of humiliation. He felt as though everyone was mocking him, waiting to see him make a fool of himself. He couldn't speak, and there was nowhere to run.
Seeing him remain silent, Liu Yucong stepped forward and gave him a shove. "Weren't you just talking a big game? Why the fuck aren't you talking now? Dammit, no wonder Fei Cheng told me not to get too close to you. You're even more of a—"
Cheng Yifei glanced over at him. Liu Yucong shut his mouth. Even if Cheng Yifei hadn't warned him, he hadn't actually intended to say anything bad about Fei Cheng.
Yang Kaikai’s mind was a mess; he had already given up on rational thought. Hearing Liu Yucong compare him to Fei Cheng—with the subtext that he was inferior—sparked a sudden, defiant surge of stubbornness. He looked up and snapped, "Don't compare me to Fei Cheng. I’ll never end up like him, living like a dog."
"Fuck, say that one more time and see what happens!" Yu Qing had been enjoying the show, but hearing Yang Kaikai insult Fei Cheng made him throw off his blanket and sit up. His friend being hospitalized was already making him irritable enough!
Cheng Yifei’s expression also turned cold. He looked at Yang Kaikai blankly, a complete departure from his previous air of detachment. His voice left no room for negotiation: "Apologize."
Yang Kaikai felt a mixture of hatred and resentment. It was this disgusting feeling again. What was so good about Fei Cheng? He was thin and short, with a face as pale as a sissy’s; he was born to be bullied. Yet, in the blink of an eye, he had become someone who couldn't be touched. Why? Why the hell was that?! Just because of one basketball game?
Liu Yucong’s fists itched. He didn't consider Fei Cheng a brother or even a friend, but Fei Cheng had stepped in to help him on Friday evening without a second thought. He had accepted that favor, and he couldn't stand hearing someone talk trash about him.
"Dumbass." He swung a fist, but before it could land, someone grabbed him from behind. He turned his head impatiently. "Fuck, who else is looking for a death wish? Liu Yiyang? You want to mind my business? Are you sick?"
Liu Yiyang let go of Liu Yucong’s arm. Instead of answering, he looked at Cheng Yifei. "Aren't you going to do something?"
The corner of Cheng Yifei’s mouth twitched. "I'm not the Class Monitor."
Liu Yiyang froze, gritting his teeth. Cheng Yifei was only the Study Representative, yet the people in the class listened to him more than they listened to the actual Class Monitor. That was one thing, but Cheng Yifei insisted on keeping a pest like Fei Cheng by his side. Had he not seen Fei Cheng crawling between people's legs before? Someone like that was worth having as a friend? Wasn't he afraid of devaluing his status as the top student in the grade?
"Exams are starting soon. Can't whatever this is wait until after they're over?" Liu Yiyang asked, pushing his rectangular glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"No!" Liu Yucong and Yu Qing shouted in unison.
Yu Qing sat on the top bunk, pointing at Yang Kaikai. "This son of a bitch insulted my brother. Apologize. Now. Immediately!"
Cheng Yifei nodded, agreeing with Yu Qing.
The dormitory fell silent. No one made a sound; everyone was watching the drama unfold.
Yang Kaikai decided to go for broke. "I won't apologize to him! Even if you beat me to death, I won't apologize! Is he even worthy?"
"Holy shit? You're not as good-looking as Fei Cheng, and you're not as smart as him. Where the hell does your sense of superiority come from? I don't care—if you don't apologize, don't even think about sleeping tonight!" Yu Qing said, running a hand through his hair.
Since the main parties weren't speaking, Li Haoran couldn't watch any longer. He said to Yang Kaikai, "Yang Kaikai, just apologize. It was your fault to begin with."
"Yeah, eavesdropping is one thing, but running off to tell on people? You're lucky Liu Yucong hasn't beaten you into a pulp yet."
"Can't keep your mouth shut. Fei Cheng didn't even do anything to you, why are you cursing him?"
"You've managed to offend both Liu Yucong and Cheng Yifei. That's actually impressive."
Many people were already in bed, huddled under their blankets. One by one, they voiced their disapproval of Yang Kaikai. Among them were people Yang Kaikai had considered friends. He suddenly felt a chill run through his body—he was freezing!
The warning bell for sleep rang. Liu Yiyang pushed his glasses up again and said to Yang Kaikai, "Yang Kaikai, just apologize."
"What?" Hearing Liu Yiyang’s words, Yang Kaikai looked over at him. Didn't he loathe Fei Cheng too? Why was he making him apologize!
"If you don't apologize, are you going to make everyone stay up with you? When the dorm supervisor comes on patrol and sees you're not asleep, he'll notify the head teacher. Do you want to discuss whether or not to apologize to Fei Cheng with the head teacher? Besides, even if you don't want to take the exams, many other students do," Liu Yiyang said reasonably.
Yang Kaikai grit his teeth.
The other students began to yawn. "The Class Monitor is right. With your grades, it's fine if you don't want to take the exams, but I still do. Are you going to let us sleep or what? Just apologize and get it over with."
"I'm tired too. If you guys keep making noise, I'm telling 'Big Eyes' tomorrow. Actually, it's fine—if I fail my exams and my dad asks why, I'll just say I couldn't sleep because you guys were fighting. Hahaha, that's a good excuse."
"Hehehe, you're right. I can use that excuse too."
Yang Kaikai was essentially forced into an apology by the entire dormitory. He was resentful but powerless to resist, so he could only choose to bow his head and compromise.
Liu Yucong didn't want to let him off so easily, but since the lights were about to go out and he was afraid the dorm supervisor would come up, he glared at Yang Kaikai and left him with a warning: "This isn't over. Just you wait."
Yang Kaikai didn't look up. His hanging fingers gripped his trousers tightly.
***
The next day at noon, after finishing lunch, Liu Yucong and his three friends stealthily circled to the back wall of the dormitory. The wall was two meters high, with no spikes or broken glass on top.
They were old hands at this. Working together, climbing the wall was no trouble at all. The ground let out a few muffled thuds as they jumped down. They didn't even have time to brush the dirt off their clothes before they scrambled up and bolted, terrified of being caught by a teacher. Only when they reached the main street did they each breathe a sigh of relief.
Liu Yucong looked at the shops on either side. "Have we decided what to buy?"
Li Senwei panted, "Fruit, obviously!"
Lai Xinhui wiped his forehead. "There are so many kinds of fruit. Which one?"
Li Rongbao led the way. "We'll just ask the owner when we get to a fruit stall."
They found this very logical. The four of them walked toward the hospital, keeping an eye out for fruit stalls along the street.
There were four fruit sellers on the street.
At the first stall, Liu Yucong felt the fruit didn't look good enough.
At the second stall, Lai Xinhui thought the owner was crazy for suggesting they buy durian.
At the third stall, business was so booming that the owner didn't have time to deal with them.
Li Rongbao looked at the last fruit seller and turned to the others. "I'll handle this one. Don't interfere!"
Liu Yucong and the other two: "..."
Then, Li Rongbao bought a sleeve of apples. It only cost eight yuan, which was far below their expectations.
Liu Yucong asked the seller, "Why are your apples so cheap?"
It was the first time the owner had met someone complaining about low prices. He froze for a few seconds before launching into a scripted sales pitch. "These sand apples are just this price. I have better varieties, but I didn't bring them out because no one buys them."
Li Rongbao held up the apples. "Will it look too stingy if the four of us only give one bag of apples?"
Liu Yucong said, "Then we'll each bring one."
Lai Xinhui thought that worked, and Li Senwei had no objections.
They bought four sleeves of apples for thirty-two yuan.
Seeing business coming his way, the owner naturally wouldn't turn it down. He nimbly took the money and even knocked two yuan off the total.
Carrying the apples, Liu Yucong and the others entered the hospital. Only then did they realize they had no idea which ward Fei Cheng was in. They looked at each other, then played rock-paper-scissors. The loser would have to ask the nurse.
Liu Yucong lost.
He glared gloomily at Li Rongbao, who had won. Taking a deep breath to mentally prepare himself, he walked toward the nurse.
Before he could even open his mouth, the nurse looked up at him. Their eyes met, and he was so nervous he forgot the words he had prepared.
The nurse asked him, "Little brother, where do you feel unwell? Do you have an appointment with a doctor?"
Since he was a child, Liu Yucong had always found nurses terrifying. Not only did they dress all in white, but they could also smile while stabbing people with needles!
He looked away and said no. In a rare moment of stuttering, he said, "I—I'm looking for Fei Cheng. He's been hospitalized and we're here to see him, but—but we don't know where he is."
The nurse was a woman in her thirties. Seeing that although Liu Yucong looked a bit fierce, he hadn't dyed his hair and seemed very shy with his stuttering, she didn't think much of it. She found Fei Cheng’s room number and told him, "Room 203, second floor across the way. Go up the stairs next to us, go around, and you'll find it."
"Oh." Liu Yucong bolted, muttering an indistinct "thank you."
The nurse watched his hurried departure and shook her head with a smile, continuing to fill out her forms.
Seeing Liu Yucong sprint back like he was in a hundred-meter dash, Lai Xinhui thought something was wrong and asked urgently, "What happened? They wouldn't tell you?"
"They told me." Liu Yucong panted, clutching his apples.
"Which ward?"
"Second floor across the way!"
"Where on the second floor?"
"...Fuck, I forgot the room number!"
Lai Xinhui and the others were dumbfounded.
Liu Yucong wiped his face. "You guys made me go ask. Let's just go up the stairs first. It's on the second floor across from here. If we split up and look, we should be able to find it."
That was their only option.
They huddled together and went up to the second floor. Liu Yucong covered his nose. "What's that smell? It's disgusting."
Li Rongbao was clearly more familiar with hospitals and explained to Liu Yucong, "Disinfectant. Hospitals have the most bacteria. The air is full of them, and they enter our bodies when we breathe. Haven't you noticed doctors and nurses always wear masks? Except for when my uncle was sick, my mom basically never lets me go with her to visit people in the hospital."
"For real?" Lai Xinhui spotted a crumpled, bloody tissue in a wastebasket and immediately looked away. "I don't think I've ever been in a hospital in my life. Whenever I get a cold, I just take some medicine and I'm fine. It's hard to even get a sick note to slack off."
"Tell me about it," Liu Yucong sighed.
***
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