Chapter 40
"Why did Lao Zhang suddenly want to change seats?"
On the way back, Lu Bai pondered and asked Zhang Xiaotian, "Our class has been pretty quiet lately. Other teachers haven't said that our class has bad discipline or that students like to talk to their deskmates in class... Could it be that someone in the class is dating and Zhang found out?"
Zhang Xiaotian was speechless. Putting aside the fact that Lu Bai himself was the epitome of someone who loved talking to his deskmate during class, he wondered if he'd been quiet lately... He'd even had his parents called in, so he couldn't really be called quiet.
"Changing seats is such a hassle. I guess he just acted on a whim, all talk and no action," Lu Bai said. "Except for those who requested to change seats, the rest of the students are sitting the same way they did in freshman year. At most, a few groups will move around. Besides, when has Old Zhang ever been in charge of changing seats? It's always Li An who's in charge."
Zhang Xiaotian nodded: "So?"
"So?" Lu Bai paused, then continued, "So you don't have to worry about being separated from me. The probability is not high. We will still be deskmates forever, right?"
Who's worried? Zhang Xiaotian curled his lips, but still nodded in agreement.
"Based on the level of tacit understanding we have now, wow, I can imagine how smooth our future will be..." Seeing Zhang Xiaotian nod, Lu Bai seemed relieved. He put his arm around Zhang Xiaotian's shoulders and started talking nonsense again. Zhang Xiaotian let him hold him, listening to him talk, and gradually thought about the future.
First, try to improve your grades as much as possible, then research the majors and prospects ahead of time. Zhang Xiaotian felt that after the college entrance exam, he would definitely have to choose a university on his own. This would be his first truly independent decision, so he had to be cautious and well-prepared. While getting through to his mother would undoubtedly present some challenges, including potential rejection and financial constraints, there would always be a way out. The key was perseverance and a comprehensive, long-term perspective.
But what about Lu Bai? What does Lu Bai think about the more distant future?
Without mentioning anything too far ahead, Zhang Xiaotian found himself completely clueless about which school he wanted to attend and what major he wanted to study.
Zhang Xiaotian didn't really dare ask Lu Bai about this. While it wasn't unusual for good brothers to attend the same university together, he still felt a little guilty, afraid Lu Bai would overthink things. Besides, if Lu Bai's choice wasn't right for him, or was far off, would he really give up his own choice and follow Lu Bai? This wasn't just about choosing a school, it wasn't about playing house. Thinking about this, Zhang Xiaotian felt that even the thought of hearing the answer was a bit daunting, let alone asking.
If it were possible to get Lu Bai to go with him... Zhang Xiaotian thought about it and felt that he was just daydreaming. He had no plans to have anything to do with Lu Bai at the moment. Even if he wanted to, he would have to wait until he knew which side Lu Bai was on. Besides, even if they were together one day, it didn't mean they had to be tied together. He didn't have the right to make decisions for Lu Bai.
"...Once I get your English score above 120, and I help you improve a few other subjects, our scores will basically be above the first-tier line. Then we can choose a city with beautiful scenery and convenient transportation, and go to university with ease!" Lu Bai paused here and asked Zhang Xiaotian, "Well, Tian'er, have you decided on your target university?"
Zhang Xiaotian had been distracted and didn't think when his name was called, and subconsciously said "Huh?"
"Hahaha, it's a bit early to think about it now!" Lu Bai laughed dryly, "I'm just asking. Well, remember to communicate with me when you've made your choice!"
"Have you made your choice?" Zhang Xiaotian's concerns were suddenly brought to his mind, and he couldn't help but test him first.
"Me? I haven't yet," Lu Bai hesitated, "I don't have any ideas..."
"I want to study medicine." Zhang Xiaotian looked at him and said suddenly.
"Studying medicine?"
"Yes." Zhang Xiaotian said seriously, "The last time I visited City B, I found that I was quite interested in this. If I have enough points in the future, I plan to choose a major in medicine."
"Studying medicine will be very hard." Lu Bai frowned, "You will still have time to play..."
Zhang Xiaotian laughed after hearing this: "Then you should choose an easier one."
Zhang Xiaotian looked at Lu Bai, thinking to himself. As long as he spoke out first, then whatever thoughts Lu Bai had would be reflected in his choice. Zhang Xiaotian decided to hand the choice to Lu Bai. This way, it would be fair to everyone.
Seating changes were primarily based on grades in each subject. Since Zhang Xiaotian and Lu Bai were slightly out of sync, they were unsurprisingly swapped. Initially, Lu Bai was only slightly unhappy, but he had no objections. However, when Yin Li requested to continue sitting at the same table with Han Chengcheng, and Teacher Zhang agreed, he couldn't sit still any longer.
"Teacher, I want to sit at the same table with Zhang Xiaotian." Lu Bai raised his hand and said.
"no."
Teacher Zhang didn't even look up, already arranging for everyone to take out their textbooks. Zhang Xiaotian looked at Lu Bai when he heard this. Seeing Zhang Xiaotian looking at him, Lu Bai made up his mind and continued, "Teacher, Zhang Xiaotian can help me with English, otherwise I wouldn't have passed the last time."
"Really?" Teacher Zhang looked up, his eyes lightly falling on Lu Bai, and then said, "So you have to have someone who is good at English to tutor you, otherwise you will fail?"
"no..."
"Li An, pack your things and sit next to Lu Bai." Teacher Zhang made the final decision, not caring at all about the devastated expressions on Li An and Lu Bai's faces.
"Teacher..." Lu Bai wanted to struggle.
Teacher Zhang interrupted him: "Okay, you're not happy with Li An's work? Isn't Li An's English better than Zhang Xiaotian's? You're just messing around all day..."
Zhang Xiaotian didn't think anything of it. He flipped open his textbook, glancing at the classmate next to him whose name he didn't even know. He didn't think any of this was a problem. But he did find Lu Bai's constipated expression when he faced Li An quite amusing.
As soon as the get out of class was over, Lu Bai rushed to find Zhang Xiaotian.
"Why did Lao Zhang agree to let Yin Li and her husband stay together but not let us sit together?" He squatted beside Zhang Xiaotian's desk, with his hands on the edge of the table, like a large dog.
"have no idea."
Seeing Lu Bai squatting there pitifully, Zhang Xiaotian's new deskmate asked him to sit over and stood up to chat with his friends. Lu Bai quickly sat over and asked Zhang Xiaotian, "You can't interrupt our tutoring!"
Zhang Xiaotian held his chin up and asked casually, "That's fine, but wouldn't it be more convenient for you to ask Li An now?"
"How can that be possible!"
If Lu Bai had a tail, he would be furious right now: "Li An is too weak to lead me, Tian'er, you can't just leave me and go solo!"
"Li An is not bad, right?" Zhang Xiaotian said. "He's in the top five in his grade in English, much better than me."
"How can true strength be measured solely by grades and rankings? You'll always be the best in my heart." Lu Bai leaned in close and hugged Zhang Xiaotian, shaking his body against his head, moaning, "Oh my goodness, please have pity on me. I've become accustomed to you, how can you suddenly change me?"
"Alright, let go. I didn't say I won't take you with me." Zhang Xiaotian was dizzy from the shaking and slapped Lu Bai several times. Lu Bai pestered him for a while before letting go and said:
"Then let's go to the city library to study next time! There's a new study room over there, let's go try it out!"
Zhang Xiaotian nodded.
The city library, presumably to attract more people to borrow books and study, not only built a new study room but also renovated the exterior. Unfortunately, the aesthetics weren't very appealing, with the windows all in small, gridded sections. From a distance, it looked like a postmodern bunker. There were plenty of study rooms in the city where you could study freely for a small fee, 24 hours a day with reserved seating. So, public study rooms like the one in the library, with their fixed opening hours and the need to secure a seat, were destined to be the second choice for most people. As Zhang Xiaotian walked downstairs that afternoon with his backpack, he still couldn't figure out what Lu Bai had to offer in this bustling place.
There was no one at the door. Zhang Xiaotian hadn't felt warm since he'd left the house, so he didn't want to wait outside. Just as he was about to pull out his phone to ask where Lu Bai was, he heard Lu Bai calling his name from behind. Zhang Xiaotian turned around and saw Lu Bai running towards him, carrying two cups or something.
Lu Bai was wearing a windbreaker and overalls today. As he ran toward them against the wind, his shaggy hair radiated like some wild animal chasing the wind, full of vigor and warmth. Zhang Xiaotian looked from Lu Bai to himself, and only then did he gain a concrete sense of the quietly changing seasons.
It's almost winter.
Lu Bai almost tripped when he ran up to him. Zhang Xiaotian saw him bend down and reached out to help him, but Lu Bai quickly regained his balance, walked a few steps to Zhang Xiaotian, grabbed his hand that was about to reach back, and put the hot milk tea in his hand.
"Luckily, you didn't fall, otherwise you wouldn't have anything to drink." Lu Bai smiled as he looked Zhang Xiaotian up and down. He frowned and asked, "Why are you still wearing so little? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"
"It's not too cold." Zhang Xiaotian held the milk tea in his hand and pointed at the door with his chin: "Let's go."
Perhaps because the news hadn't spread yet, the room wasn't crowded. The room was furnished with a uniform wooden square table for four and matching wooden chairs. It was rarely full, with only a few people sitting at every other table. Zhang Xiaotian and Lu Bai sat opposite each other at a window seat, and soon they were absorbed in their own thoughts.
The library offers a different kind of silence from home. The occasional rustle of footsteps, the occasional chatter of neighbors, the rustling of pages, the scraping of pens against paper—when one is there, these sounds flow like a gentle stream around the ears, forming a natural barrier that encourages concentration. Zhang Xiaotian is accustomed to studying in his own private space, but today he finds this environment surprisingly comfortable. He plunges into his books and exercises, pausing only when he notices the sunlight reflecting off the pages has changed color.
"Are you back to your senses?"
Zhang Xiaotian was tidying up his desk when he heard Lu Bai's low voice drift over. He looked up at Lu Bai and discovered that he had put away all his study materials long ago, leaving only a hardcover book on the desk titled "Summer Finale."
"When did you go get it? I didn't even know you were gone." Zhang Xiaotian hadn't read the book before and didn't pay much attention to it. He turned to ask him, "Have you finished the homework I gave you?"
"Of course, I'm a good student." Lu Bai took out the exercise book Zhang Xiaotian bought for him and teased him as he handed it to Zhang Xiaotian, "I dare not disturb you. You're already in a state of meditation. I'm afraid if I disturb you, you'll go crazy again."
"You talk nonsense all the time."
Zhang Xiaotian rubbed his eyes and yawned again. Looking at Lu Bai again, he suddenly felt that his previous study habits were simply asking for trouble. He used to feel exhausted at the end of a study session, but now, just by having another person around, his mood had actually changed significantly.
If only there were more days like this, longer...
"Are you still studying? Come with me to the reading room." Seeing Zhang Xiaotian rubbing his eyes, Lu Bai closed the book after flipping through two pages and said to Zhang Xiaotian.
The reading room was even quieter than the study room; it was practically empty. Lu Bai entered and headed for the novels and modern readings section. Zhang Xiaotian followed him a few steps before turning and heading to the biological sciences and medical and health sections. He'd recently read a few books at home, but there were still some things he wasn't sure about. Now was a chance to read more. Even if he couldn't understand anything, Zhang Xiaotian wanted to flip through them. He walked past the rows of bookshelves, glancing at the names on the spines before picking up the ones he thought he'd understand best.
"You're here," Lu Bai appeared from behind some bookshelf. "I've been looking for you for a long time."
Zhang Xiaotian took his eyes off the book and looked at him. Seeing that his hands were empty, he asked, "That novel you just picked up? Did you finish it so quickly?"
"I didn't look at it much. I just picked it up because the cover looked good." Lu Bai looked at what Zhang Xiaotian was holding. "What are you looking at?"
Zhang Xiaotian flipped the cover of the book over. Lu Bai leaned over and saw the words "Introduction to Medical Test Results" written on it.
"...As expected of you." Lu Bai was speechless.
"Just taking a look." Zhang Xiaotian smiled and continued reading.
Lu Bai did not go back to read the novel. Instead, he looked for some medical books next to Zhang Xiaotian and flipped through them. He flipped through several books one after another. Finally, he picked up a cookbook about the common origin of medicine and food and read it with relish.
Zhang Xiaotian had been studying for so long that he couldn't really concentrate on reading anymore. But he had just inadvertently acted cool in front of Lu Bai, so he had to force himself to read for a while. Now he was really tired. He raised the book high, shielding his face from the view, and secretly watched Lu Bai. Seeing that Lu Bai was reading a recipe book intently, he quietly closed the book and held it in his hand, pinching his eyebrows with his other hand.
The LED lights on the ceiling occasionally make a "sizzling" sound of electricity. The tall bookshelves divide the space into several small parts. People in different parts occasionally come into view, come in and leave. Zhang Xiaotian relaxed his eyes and looked around, and gradually he could not stay still anymore.
Lu Bai hadn't moved for a long time, only occasionally moving his hands to turn a page.
Zhang Xiaotian was a little curious.
I thought Lu Bai was only interested in playing, but it turns out he also likes cooking. Otherwise, why would he spend so much time reading a recipe? Zhang Xiaotian put the book back and sneaked up behind Lu Bai, glancing at his recipe book.
Lu Bai was looking at a dish and thought it would taste good if made by his mother, so he decided to take a picture with his phone and send it to her. He reached into his pocket and his elbow bumped against something soft. He turned around and saw Zhang Xiaotian standing behind him, also looking at the recipe using his hand.
"Don't look at yours, Doctor Zhang?" Lu Bai held the book closer to him. "Look at this one. I think it's delicious."
Zhang Xiaotian nodded and was about to speak when his stomach growled, which was particularly obvious in the silent reading room.
"Hahaha..." Lu Bai tried to hold back his laughter but still managed to laugh out loud. Zhang Xiaotian hit him a few times with a red face, so he just sat on the ground and laughed silently.
"Stop laughing..." Zhang Xiaotian was so embarrassed that he wanted to cover his mouth with his hands. "We're still in the library!"
"Just seeing the pictures makes my stomach growl. Do you really want to eat this? You...hahaha!" Lu Bai took a few deep breaths to calm himself down, and then spoke with a smile, "How about we go to my house for dinner? I want to take a picture of the recipe and ask your aunt to make it for you when I get home?"
"I'm not going." If I go, you'll definitely laugh until the New Year.
"Go ahead~ You're alone at home anyway."
“No!”
Zhang Xiaotian stood up suddenly, turned around and was about to go outside, but Lu Bai pulled him back gently.
"Tsk, my Tian'er is so shameless." Lu Bai lightly held Zhang Xiaotian's hand, motioning Zhang Xiaotian to pull him up. After being pulled up, he deliberately stood next to Zhang Xiaotian and asked stickyly, "You really don't want to go? Your aunt misses you."
When will he finally get his mouth right? How will he handle this if they're still together? Zhang Xiaotian was embarrassed and annoyed by him pestering him. He couldn't help but look away, and suddenly caught a glimpse of a thin, white speck outside the window. It was snowing outside.
Although it was snowing, it was only tiny flakes that only wet the ground and left nothing behind. Zhang Xiaotian, carrying his schoolbag, walked under the streetlight. When he looked down, he stepped on Lu Bai's shadow. When he looked up, he saw Lu Bai catching snow with his mouth like an idiot. Lu Bai was so busy catching the snow, he walked too fast, not even looking where he was going. He hadn't walked far when he almost bumped into the streetlight. Zhang Xiaotian didn't even have time to warn him.
"Damn it, Tian'er, you hold such a grudge! Didn't you even remind me?" Lu Bai touched his chest with lingering fear and denounced Zhang Xiaotian, "It was just a smile. I guarantee that no one in the library heard it except me!"
Zhang Xiaotian had forgotten about this, but being reminded of it made him feel a little embarrassed, so he glared at him fiercely. The wind blew a lot of snow into his collar, and Zhang Xiaotian couldn't help but shiver.
"I told you to wear so little." Lu Bai said.
Zhang Xiaotian snorted and put both hands in his pockets.
"Let's go to my house." Lu Bai approached him, "At least I can get you a coat."
"I'm really not cold." Zhang Xiaotian kept saying this, so Lu Bai didn't insist. The two walked in silence for a while, and Lu Bai said again: "Is this the first snow of the year?"
"It seems so." Zhang Xiaotian answered him.
"Isn't it said that people who watch the first snow together will grow old together..."
Zhang Xiaotian's eyelids twitched, he raised his eyebrows, and looked at Lu Bai with a little surprise.
Lu Bai felt a little embarrassed by his gaze: "Why are you looking at me like that? I used to be an artistic youth too!"
Zhang Xiaotian laughed twice after hearing this.
"Don't laugh." Lu Bai's tone suddenly became serious. He asked Zhang Xiaotian, "Tian'er, I haven't asked you, what kind of person do you like?"
"I?"
There was no one around, not even a passing car. Zhang Xiaotian's mind went blank and his heart suddenly beat heavily twice.
"Why are you suddenly saying this?"
"Oh, I just thought of it when I saw the snow. Haven't you thought of it before?"
"Looking at the couples in our class, I sometimes think that when I go to college, I want to try out what it's like to be in a relationship. If I can find a quiet girl who I can also play with... well, that's all in the future." Lu Bai scratched his head and continued, "What kind of girl does our Tian'er like? If you have any ideas, you must tell me. I have to screen them for you!"
The streetlights above him flickered suddenly, and Zhang Xiaotian seemed to only then feel the chill of the wind. He looked across at Lu Bai, who was letting his passion run wild, and swallowed hard, "You said...you want to find me a partner?"
"It's a checkpoint, but you still have to find the person yourself. I don't have the time to find one for you." Lu Bai said with a smile, "I will still have to find your buddy when the time comes."
Under the streetlights, the falling snow shimmered quietly, its chill vanishing in a breath. Zhang Xiaotian raised his hand to wipe the water marks that no longer existed on his face, thinking that snow had no sound and no physical form. After tonight, no one except those who had seen it would know it had ever snowed here.
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