Too difficult
The late June sun scorched the playground's plastic track. The steaming heat warped the banner hanging from the podium, which read "Grade 2 End-of-Term Mobilization Meeting." Like dumplings stuffed in a steamer, the entire school huddled languidly in their respective class formations. Sweat had already soaked the backs of many students' uniforms.
The principal's voice, holding the microphone, came through the low-quality speakers, mixed with the harsh hum of electricity: "Attention, sophomores, you will be taking the college entrance examination next year. Summer vacation is your last chance to indulge yourself. Play to your heart's content, study to your heart's content..."
Zhou Mingxuan stood behind Zhao Dakun, his fingers restlessly poking at his sweat-soaked school uniform. He stood on tiptoe, smiled, and his hot breath puffed behind Zhao Dakun's ear: "Hey, is your dad's factory still short of people? I'll save you a position on the assembly line?"
Zhao Dakun turned around suddenly, veins popping out on his neck, and rolled his eyes at Zhou Mingxuan: "Bullshit!" He lowered his voice, "Three hundred people in my dad's factory have to call me Young Master, do I still need to work in the factory?" He deliberately pushed his elbow back, hitting Zhou Mingxuan's ribs.
Their little antics didn't escape the eagle-eyed gaze of their homeroom teacher, Teacher Li. "You two! Stop making such a fuss! Can't you hear the principal?" Teacher Li had barely taken a step when the Dean of Academic Affairs stopped her and demanded an explanation. During this interval, the shoving escalated. Zhao Dakun gave Zhou Mingxuan a powerful shove, sending him stumbling toward the front row.
“Fuck!”
Zhou Mingxuan stumbled backwards, his back colliding heavily with Cheng Xiaorui's shoulder. Cheng Xiaorui felt only a heavy blow to his back. As he fell forward, his vision was filled with the rapidly enlarging ground.
In a flash, the student standing in the front row suddenly turned around. His palm precisely grasped Cheng Xiaorui's waist, and his other hand supported his shoulder. Cheng Xiaorui's forehead bumped against his collarbone. The citrus scent of laundry detergent instantly filled his nostrils.
"Are you okay?"
A deep voice boomed from above. When he looked up, he met Lu Ziyi's downcast gaze, his eyes a rare light brown under the blazing sun. Cheng Xiaorui hurriedly tried to step away, but was held in place by a sudden tightening grip on his waist. Lu Ziyi restrained him with a single hand, his gaze fixed across the crowd on Zhao Dakun and Zhou Mingxuan, his voice suddenly colder: "Be quiet! You've bumped into someone."
Zhao Dakun pouted and looked at Cheng Xiaorui, who was half-hugged in Lu Ziyi's arms: "Oh... who did you bump into?" He poked Zhou Mingxuan with his elbow.
"You bumped into me." Lu Ziyi raised an eyebrow and released his hand from Cheng Xiaorui's waist, his fingertips leaving a barely noticeable wrinkle on the hem of his school uniform. He raised his chin towards the head teacher and said, "Teacher, didn't you have something to do with them just now?"
“…”
When Teacher Li appeared with a sullen face, Zhao Dakun's mouth was still open, like a stranded fish. He turned around and was met with the head teacher's menacing expression. "You two," she grabbed Zhao Dakun's ears, "come with me to the Moral Education Department to drink some iced black tea."
Cheng Xiaorui was still stunned there. The lingering touch on his waist suddenly reminded him of that chaotic morning, Lu Ziyi's red and swollen face, the breakfast spilled on the floor, and the bulging veins when Chen Zihan pinched his wrist.
"Procedure……"
"Xiao Rui!"
Chen Zihan had slipped to the end of Class 3 without him noticing. His voice was low, his black hair soaked with sweat, and he held two unopened popsicles in his hands.
"..." Lu Ziyi turned his head to look at the principal who was still speaking, and finally walked away from them.
"It's very sunny, right? Try it. I think this tastes pretty good." Chen Zihan handed a popsicle to Cheng Xiaorui, finally glancing at the figure who turned his head away, and snorted a laugh through his nose. He deliberately bit half of the popsicle, the ice making a crisp sound between his teeth. "Preparing for the final exam, let's review together?"
Cheng Xiaorui stared at the rapidly melting popsicle in his hand. The syrup dripped onto the track, quickly becoming a sticky mark from the sun, like a summer memory that could never be erased.
The two were discussing quietly when suddenly a shadow descended. Lu Ziyi's gaze fell on the popsicle in Cheng Xiaorui's hand, then slowly moved to Chen Zihan's face.
"Class 4, please go back to your class."
The voice sliced through the parched air like a thin scalpel. Lu Ziyi hadn't noticed when he'd finally stood thirty centimeters behind Chen Zihan, a dangerous distance that sent a chill down the back of his neck. The shadow of his Adam's apple slid gently along his neck as he spoke, and the student union president badge pinned to his uniform collar shone coldly in the sunlight.
The girls pretending to chat around them suddenly fell silent. The girl with the ponytail lost her grip on the sunscreen spray and it fell to the ground, leaving tiny scratches on the track.
The ice cube in Chen Zihan's back teeth crunched. He raised an eyebrow, but instead of moving, he took a half-step closer to Cheng Xiaorui, their shoulders almost touching. "Lu Daxue's tyrant is really nosy." He deliberately dragged out his words, the chill of a popsicle. "Is it Chapter 3, Article 12 of the School Regulations, or Section 12 of the Student Union's Special Regulations? Which one says you can't visit other classes?"
The air suddenly froze.
Lu Ziyi's fingers, hanging at his sides, curled slightly. The edges of his neatly manicured nails were tinged with bluish-white. A drop of sweat slid down his temples, lingering for a moment at his jawline before finally landing on the small mole in the hollow of his collarbone. His gaze shifted downward, fixated on Chen Zihan's hand resting on Cheng Xiaorui's shoulder. Her eyelashes were almost transparent in the sunlight, masking the turmoil of emotion within them.
"Do you need me to recite the whole text now?" Lu Ziyi's eyelashes didn't even flutter when he said this, but Cheng Xiaorui saw the phone in his uniform pocket light up, and on the lock screen was the disciplinary inspection notice that the Academic Affairs Office had just issued more than ten minutes ago.
Cheng Xiaorui's hands trembled. He didn't dare to think about how these two people got along at home. "The principal is watching this side." Cheng Xiaorui suddenly reminded in a low voice.
Chen Zihan scoffed, but instead tightened his grip around Cheng Xiaorui's neck, deliberately biting the last piece of ice in Lu Ziyi's direction. "What are you afraid of?" His lips were almost touching the tip of Cheng Xiaorui's ear. "We're not in a relationship."
“Crack.”
The mineral water bottle in Lu Ziyi's hand suddenly dented. Suddenly, a whistle sounded in the distance, signaling the end of the fight.
Chen Zihan finally let go of her hand and walked backwards towards his class. He winked at Cheng Xiaorui and mouthed, "I'll wait for you after school," completely ignoring Lu Ziyi's cold gaze.
The crowd began to stir. Cheng Xiaorui lowered his head, clutching the melted popsicle stick, when he suddenly heard a very soft sigh from above his head.
"Cheng Xiaorui."
Lu Ziyi's voice was lower than usual, as if he was suppressing something. He raised his hand, his fingertips lingering for a second on the collar of Cheng Xiaorui's school uniform, where a little popsicle candy stained it.
"You chose the wrong friends."
This sentence was as light as a feather, but it made Cheng Xiaorui shudder on his back. He looked up suddenly and met Lu Ziyi's eyes. Those eyes were dark, as if they were frozen, but there was something burning faintly in the depths of the pupils, which made people dare not look closely.
Cheng Xiaorui's chest ached with stuffiness. He clenched his fists, digging his nails into his palms, barely suppressing the inexplicable tremor. "I can imagine you don't have a good relationship with him," he heard his own voice, "but you don't need to say that in front of me. He's a good person."
Lu Ziyi was stunned. For a moment, Cheng Xiaorui thought he was going to retort or even attack, but in the end, Lu Ziyi just silently withdrew his hand, his knuckles trembling slightly at his side.
When he came to his senses, Cheng Xiaorui had already walked away.
-------
On the first day of the final exam, Chen Zihan bought breakfast and waited at the door of Class 3. Seeing no one coming, he peeked in and slipped in. Cheng Xiaorui's seat was empty. Chen Zihan put the breakfast away and took out a sticky note from his pocket. He wrote in black pen:
"Good luck on your exam! Remember to eat breakfast so you don't get a stomachache again. - Zi Han"
When I came out, I happened to meet Lu Ziyi. They looked at each other for a second, and neither of them spoke.
Lu Ziyi returned to his seat and took out his vocabulary book. He glanced at the breakfast that Chen Zihan bought for his deskmate and couldn't help but see the note. This reminded him of Cheng Xiaorui's frequent stomachache, but he immediately realized what this had to do with him.
The exam began and they were all assigned to different exam rooms. Chen Zihan turned around and quietly asked Cheng Xiaorui if he had finished breakfast. Cheng Xiaorui nodded slightly and mouthed thank you.
After the first class, Cheng Xiaorui came back from the bathroom. Chen Zihan put his warm hand on his shoulder as they walked out of the classroom. "You're back. What are we having for dinner today? It's my treat!"
"It's all fine." Cheng Xiaorui answered calmly. He wasn't feeling well. He usually didn't eat breakfast, but today he had it. His stomach felt uncomfortable and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Fortunately, there was no problem with the test, so he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Are you not feeling well? You don't look well." Chen Zihan asked as he walked, but he didn't hear any answer. He turned his head and saw the hand on Cheng Xiaorui's shoulder moved. Chen Zihan's fingers slowly moved up along the line of Cheng Xiaorui's neck, then gently pinched his chin and turned Cheng Xiaorui's face over.
"Xiao Rui?" Chen Zihan stopped and asked, "Are you okay?"
Cheng Xiaorui didn't know what he was thinking just now. Only now did he hear the voice clearly, "I'm fine."
"Really? How about I go to the infirmary with you?"
Cheng Xiaorui hesitated for a while, and his voice was not so hoarse anymore, "I have an exam in the afternoon, don't worry, it's really okay," and then he smiled again.
"Okay... just tell me if you feel uncomfortable." Chen Zihan was still a little worried, but didn't force him.
Cheng Xiaorui didn't eat much at lunch, just a few bites to avoid feeling dizzy during the afternoon exam. After eating, they didn't go back to the dormitory immediately, but found a cool place to chat, and didn't separate until it was time for a break.
After finishing all the exams, Chen Zihan stretched himself, and his classmates started discussing the answers. Soon, he was called to gather together to attend the "Summer Safety Education" lecture.
"This feels good now! No more teacher chatter." As he left the school, Zhao Dakun grabbed his luggage, said goodbye to Lu Ziyi and Zhou Mingxuan, and then opened the door of his Mercedes-Benz GLE 450. The dark gray metallic paint gleamed coldly in the sunlight. As the car started, Zhao Dakun leaned out the window and shouted, "Let's go out and play together this summer!" Zhou Mingxuan responded with a face.
Cheng Zhixu’s electric car was too small to hold so much luggage, so Cheng Xiaorui told her in advance that she didn’t need to come to pick her up and could just take a taxi back.
Cheng Xiaorui huddled in the window seat, his black baseball cap pulled low, its brim shadowing almost the entire upper half of his face. A mask hung loosely behind his ears, revealing only a pair of slightly drooping eyes, their lashes casting a small, tired, gray shadow beneath them.
He held his schoolbag tightly in his arms, as if he was holding something important, or simply wanted some support, which made him feel more secure.
The air conditioner in the car was on full blast, and cold air hissed down from the overhead vents. The headphone cable snaked out from under the brim of his hat, the other end plugged into his phone. It was a gift from Chen Zihan, and it was obvious it was expensive, so Cheng Xiaorui kept it carefully.
These headphones are so new they don't look right on my laggy, second-hand phone. The edges of the case are scuffed, requiring a specific angle for proper connection when charging. The lock screen still has the factory-installed blue sky and white clouds.
Cheng Xiaorui rarely took it out at school. The last time Zhao Dakun caught him using it to look up a word, he whistled exaggeratedly: "Wow, an antique! This thing still works?" Zhou Mingxuan immediately leaned over and tapped his fingers on the cracked tempered glass. "Is it a used item at the market for a few hundred bucks with free shipping?"
In fact, it’s not even worth a few hundred dollars.
His phone often froze, sometimes taking ages to load a webpage. But it was manageable. The screen was still on, and the playlist was set to "sleep-inducing white noise," with the volume turned down low, but enough to block him out from the clamor of the surrounding engines and the whispers of the passengers.
The car swayed slightly, and the scenery outside the window began to flow backward. He closed his eyes, gently resting his head against the cold glass, trying to use sleep to resist the dizziness that was gradually rising in his stomach.
But every time he braked and turned, his body leaned forward slightly uncontrollably, and he was forced back into the seat. No one could see his expression under his hat and mask.
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