water cup
At 6:15 pm, dusk fell, tinting the teaching building a gloomy blue-gray. During the evening study sessions of my senior year, there was always a silence that felt like it was being strangled by an invisible hand.
When Cheng Xiaorui pushed open the classroom's back door, the sparse sound of flipping pages paused for a moment. He walked towards his seat, his gaze fixed on the side, but as he approached, his steps involuntarily softened. His deskmate, Lu Ziyi, seemed completely absorbed in the complex world of the comprehensive science exam. His slightly furrowed brows, under the desk lamp, looked exceptionally focused, unaware of anyone approaching.
However, Cheng Xiaorui paused.
On his chair sat a dark blue thermos. It was Lu Ziyi's cup; he recognized it. Fine droplets of water still formed on the sides, clearly freshly heated.
What did it mean? A new form of humiliation? Or some kind of temptation he couldn't understand? He subconsciously glanced at his deskmate, the light casting a small, focused halo on Lu Ziyi's sharply defined profile.
"Yours?" Cheng Xiaorui broke the silence. Lu Zi also heard the voice and the tip of the pen in his hand that was writing smoothly stopped.
He slowly turned his head, his eyes first landing on Cheng Xiaorui's face, a hint of displeasure at being interrupted, then his gaze shifted downwards, catching a glimpse of the obstructing cup. He reached out and slowly removed the cup from Cheng Xiaorui's chair, his fingertips accidentally brushing against the slightly damp surface.
Just as the cup was moved away, Cheng Xiaorui pulled out a chair and sat down. However, the hot touch on his buttocks and legs made him jump up suddenly.
"Puff..." A soft laugh came from the side. Lu Ziyi tilted his head, the back of his hand against his lips, obviously unable to hold back, his shoulders swaying slightly, and his laughter was filled with undisguised playfulness and the joy of success.
Cheng Xiaorui stood firm, his voice cold, his silence mingled with surging anger and confusion. He gritted his teeth inwardly, "Can't I just put it on your desk? You better not do this on purpose."
After two seconds of silence, Lu Ziyi finally stopped laughing and looked up at him. His eyes had regained their usual nonchalant control, and his tone was as flat as if he was stating a fact: "I'm sorry, Zhao Dakun poured me some water, but he left it there and I didn't notice it."
"Okay." Cheng Xiaorui suppressed his anger and sat down again. His movements were filled with lingering anger as he swung his schoolbag against the table with some force. With a dull thud, the corner of the bag hit the thermos cup that Lu Ziyi had just placed on the corner of the table.
“…” Lu Ziyi suddenly retracted his hand, looked at the red color rapidly spreading on the back of his hand and the messy test paper on the table, and was speechless for a moment, his eyes full of disbelief.
"I...I didn't mean to." Cheng Xiaorui was also stunned and spoke awkwardly, subconsciously pulling out two tissues and handing them over. He really didn't expect to knock over the cup, let alone burn Lu Ziyi and ruin his paper.
He suddenly turned his head, his eyes became sharp and cold in an instant, and the hand that was burned red rose up at lightning speed and pinched Cheng Xiaorui's lower cheek with such great force that Cheng Xiaorui frowned in pain.
"You're capable now, aren't you?" Lu Ziyi's voice was low and dangerously cold, each word like an icicle. "Have you learned how to retaliate?"
"Ugh... let go..." Cheng Xiaorui's grip was so tight it hurt, his teeth rubbing against the inside of his mouth, making his words slurred. He tried to break free, but Lu Ziyi's fingers were as firm as an iron clamp. He was forced back by the force, his back slamming against the cold wall, with nowhere to retreat.
"It's not like you... haven't done that to me..." He retorted with difficulty, a thin layer of tears in his eyes because of the physical pain and uncontrollable humiliation.
These words seemed to irritate Lu Ziyi. Far from letting go, he increased his grip, his knuckles turning white from the exertion. He leaned forward, his handsome yet now somewhat sinister face moving closer to Cheng Xiaorui, their noses almost touching, their breathing audible.
"So," Lu Ziyi stared at the corners of his moist eyes, his voice low and slow, with a creepy concentration, "you want to take back everything I did, one by one?"
Cheng Xiaorui was so frightened by the dark light surging in his eyes that she forgot to struggle. The two of them were deadlocked in the quiet classroom during evening self-study. One was holding her captive, the other was forced to endure. The air was filled with silent smoke and a dangerous tension that was gradually getting out of control.
Just as the two of them were at a stalemate, the air so tense that sparks were about to fly—
"cough!"
A deliberately loud cough sounded at the door of the classroom, like a thunderclap that split the turbulent undercurrent in this small space.
The physics teacher stood at the door, lesson plan in hand, brow furrowed, his gaze from behind his glasses scanning the unusual scene at the back of the classroom. Almost all the students subconsciously sat up straight, even breathing softly.
Lu Ziyi's hand, pinching Cheng Xiaorui's cheek, paused imperceptibly at the sound of the voice. The dark hue in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by an almost instinctive, impeccable calm. He loosened his grip, his movements seemingly unhurried. As he withdrew his hand, he even casually brushed his fingertips against Cheng Xiaorui's reddened skin, revealing the traces of his discomfort in the light.
Cheng Xiaorui immediately turned his head away. There was still a burning and stinging sensation on his jaw from being restrained. He subconsciously raised his hand to rub it, but he held himself back halfway and just pursed his lips tightly.
"Lu Ziyi, Cheng Xiaorui," Teacher Li's voice was filled with unquestionable authority. He walked a few steps to the podium and put the lesson plan down gently. "What are you two doing during evening study time?"
"Teacher Li," Lu Ziyi spoke first, his voice steady, even with a hint of just the right amount of apology. He held up the back of his hand, which was visibly red from being burned, and the wet, blurred test paper on the table, "I'm sorry, I accidentally knocked over the water cup and burned my hand. Cheng might have been startled and moved a little too roughly, hitting the wall." In a few words, he casually attributed a sharp conflict to an "accident" and a "shock."
Cheng Xiaorui looked at him fiercely, a suffocating feeling in his chest, yet he couldn't refute it. Was he going to accuse Lu Ziyi of deliberately pinching his face in front of the whole class and the teacher? Where was the evidence? Only the red mark on his face, which would soon fade, and the other person's hand, which looked even more seriously burned.
The teacher's eyes flickered back and forth between the back of Lu Ziyi's hand and Cheng Xiaorui's flushed chin, a look of scrutiny and obvious disbelief. He had been teaching for so many years, what had he not seen?
"Really?" Teacher Li looked at Cheng Xiaorui and spoke in a slower tone. "Cheng Xiaorui, tell me, what's going on?"
The whole class's attention was focused on Cheng Xiaorui, including the gaze next to him that seemed calm but actually carried invisible pressure.
Cheng Xiaorui lowered his eyelashes to hide the surging emotions in his eyes, and dug his nails deep into his palms. He was silent for two seconds, and when he looked up again, only a tired calmness remained on his face.
"It was an accident." He repeated in a dry voice, "I accidentally... knocked over his cup."
He chose to keep things quiet. It wasn't a sign of surrender, but he knew too well that a direct confrontation with Lu Ziyi at this moment would not gain him any benefits and would only make things more difficult and complicated.
Teacher Li stared at them for a few seconds, obviously not completely convinced, but since both sides said so, he didn't want to delve into it any further.
"Since it's an accident, let's clean it up." He said in a deep voice, his eyes deliberately lingering on Lu Ziyi for a moment, "Lu Ziyi, go to the bathroom and rinse your hands with cold water. Cheng Xiaorui, help him clean the table."
"Also," Teacher Li said, his tone becoming more serious, implying something, "You're in your third year of high school now, so focus on your studies! Stop messing around with other things all day long. It's unbecoming!"
"I understand, teacher," Lu Zi responded readily and with a good attitude. He stood up and, as he passed by Cheng Xiaorui, he paused slightly and said something very softly, in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Quite a quick response."
It was hard to tell whether the tone was approval or ridicule, and then he walked out of the classroom and headed towards the washroom as if nothing had happened.
Cheng Xiaorui stood there, silently picking up a tissue and beginning to wipe the dripping water stains and the ruined test paper on the table. The cold water soaked the rag and seemed to seep through his skin and into his heart.
The crisis seemed temporarily resolved, but he knew something had quietly changed the moment Lu Ziyi pinched his cheek, forcing him to lie. The teacher could break the momentary standoff, but he couldn't break the invisible web that had entangled him. And Lu Ziyi's final words were more like a signal—this silent war had entered a new phase.
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