Chapter 3 Numb.03 Disgusting
The moment the bell rang, Xu Wu returned to her seat, still holding a bottle of mineral water she had bought from a vending machine on her way back.
She unscrewed the bottle cap, listening with an unchanged expression to the conversations of the people around her—
"What did Ji Lin write in his suicide note?" The boy with glasses asked, adjusting his glasses as he spoke. His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but just loud enough for Xu Wu to hear.
After speaking, he seemed to realize that he had spoken a bit too loudly. He glanced at Xu Wu and only felt relieved after seeing that she did not react.
"How would I know? But judging from how his mother cried her eyes out while dragging Xu Wu to school that day, I'd guess it's probably..." The man paused at just the right moment, leaving room for speculation.
The bespectacled man understood and chuckled somewhat sarcastically: "So you'd jump off a building? That's too fragile. But it's true, if you'd agreed, this whole mess might not have happened."
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing a profound, unspoken meaning in each other's eyes.
Ji Lin was among the top students in her class, while Xu Wu was good-looking and approachable. Although they didn't usually interact much, you never know what might happen between them in private, and it could be quite unexpected.
"If it were me, I would have agreed, after all..." The bespectacled man deliberately raised his voice a few decibels, as if afraid that the people they were talking about wouldn't hear him.
Before he could finish speaking, his desk was slammed hard by a boy walking towards him with his head down. The "rip" sound dragged on the ground, making a piercing noise that made them involuntarily hiss and cover their ears.
The noise made Xu Wu, who was propping up her head and twirling the pen, pause for a moment, but only for two seconds, before the black pen continued to spin between her slender, fair fingers.
She lowered her eyes slightly, glancing slightly to the right out of the corner of her eye—
When Jie Ying lowered his head, his overly long hair made it almost impossible to see the expression on his face, making him look gloomy and dejected.
He wasn't one to seek the limelight, but the noise he made drew the attention of the students still in the classroom. Some glanced at him and then turned back to continue chatting, while others began whispering about what the bespectacled man had just said.
"Jie Ying, you!" The bespectacled man's eyes widened in anger, and he stood up abruptly. Before he could utter a word of curse, his friend tugged at his clothes. Turning his head, he saw his friend waving his hand, meaning not to bother with Jie Ying.
At the same time, Jie Ying showed no intention of speaking. Then, with his overly pale hand, he raised it to his forehead with his five fingers together, made a salute, then lowered it and extended his little finger, tapping it a few times in front of his chest.
This is a sign for "sorry" in sign language, and it's generally easier to understand when paired with a smiling expression.
But Jie Ying did this very quickly, almost within two seconds, and you couldn't see his face anyway, let alone smile.
The bespectacled man: "......"
He gave Jieying a disapproving look.
Xu Wu, however, after witnessing this farce, slightly raised the corners of his mouth and gave a soft hum. His obscure gaze swept over the black mole under Jie Ying's lips, which moved slightly with his muscles as he made subtle expressions, like an ink spot on jade porcelain.
Once you notice him at first glance, it's hard to take your eyes off him.
Xu Wu was clearly aware of this inexplicable attraction, so she withdrew her gaze before Jie Ying could sense it and look over. When that sticky gaze landed on her, she bent her hand and tapped the table twice as a warning.
Then, glancing sideways at him with a nonchalant look, he mouthed something malicious—
nausea.
Jie Ying paused visibly. For some reason, her pupils, which had been indifferent and emotionless when facing the bespectacled man, showed a hint of pleasure after understanding those two words.
Xu Wu chuckled and didn't give him another glance.
The class bell rang quickly, and everyone swiftly and neatly returned to their seats, watching the homeroom teacher walk to the podium with his books and water cup as always.
The homeroom teacher, surnamed Yu, was nearly forty years old, slightly overweight, and wore red-rimmed glasses. He was usually all smiles, but these past two days, perhaps because he was heartbroken over Ji Lin's suicide attempt, he looked extremely tired.
She first glanced around at the crowd below, then sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose, and said, "I know everyone cares about Ji Lin, but what's done is done. All we can do is study hard and not involve innocent classmates."
Teacher Yu emphasized the words "innocent classmates," as if she were speaking to those in the class who were spreading rumors.
Many people looked at each other, and then glanced at Xu Wu, who seemed oblivious to everything around him.
"There's one more thing," Teacher Yu clapped her hands to signal them to listen carefully, "There's one spot available in the essay competition. If you're interested, remember to come to my office today."
Upon hearing this, a discussion immediately broke out below, since this spot had previously been given to Ji Lin and was only made available after his death.
"Xu Wu," Xia Ni, sitting to Xu Wu's right, quietly nudged Xu Wu's arm and whispered, "Do you want to sign up?"
Xu Wu's fingers trembled unconsciously. The spot where Xia Ni had poked her seemed to be covered in goosebumps. She endured the intense discomfort and forced herself to force a smile: "...I'm not going."
She knows her own limitations when it comes to writing, so she'd rather spend her time on something else than waste it on that.
She has to take the art exam by next semester at the latest, but the problem is that she doesn't have enough money for the exam right now.
Xu Wu silently wiped her arm where Xia Ni had touched her. Suddenly, she felt a shiver run down her spine as she sensed a gaze fixed on her from somewhere, which then shifted to the reddened area of skin two seconds later.
"......"
She gripped the tissue tightly with a cold expression, crumpling it into a ball in her hand.
Xu Wu turned slightly to the side, resolutely blocking out that uncomfortable gaze to avoid rubbing her skin, and pretended not to notice the slight disappointment when the other person withdrew their gaze.
That's disgusting.
She lowered her eyes slightly, her pupils lingering on the crumpled paper ball clutched in her hand, her thoughts drifting back to the scene in the infirmary earlier.
A chilling perversion.
Xu Wu even mischievously squeezed the crumpled paper even harder with a light touch.
Lost in her thoughts, she was jolted back to reality by the sudden applause around her, and she loosened her grip.
"Xu Wu, you—" Xia Ni turned her head with a pleasant smile, wanting to talk to Xu Wu and tell her what had happened, but she was startled when she saw the lingering gloom on Xu Wu's face.
"What's wrong?" Xu Wu's emotions came and went quickly, and she soon put on her usual harmless smile, as if her previous expression was just Xia Ni's illusion.
But only she knew that the hidden side beneath the surface of the lake was not as peaceful as she had imagined.
"Oh..." Xia Ni was taken aback for a moment, thinking she must have misread it, so she quickly corrected herself and said, "The teacher just said that spot was given to me, but you know my writing skills aren't as good as yours, so could you lend me your weekly essays for reference?"
This is essentially a practice exercise. Every week, the homeroom teacher requires students to write an argumentative essay of no less than 800 words, which is similar to accumulating knowledge.
Xu Wu's essays have been praised frequently since the beginning of high school, and they have been displayed on the blackboard during the weekly class meeting's review session every Tuesday, so it's understandable that Xia Ni wanted to borrow them.
However, since this is a rather personal matter, Xu Wu's smile remained unchanged: "Of course."
His hands, resting on the table, were clenched into fists, and it was unclear how much force he was using.
Xu Wu reached into the drawer and rummaged around for a bit. She touched something, and after a moment of confusion, she handed the composition book she had pulled out to Xia Ni without changing her expression.
She looked down at the envelope she had taken out of the drawer and frowned.
Xu Wu's heart skipped a beat. She examined the envelope carefully, turning it over and over, then glanced at the clock on the wall. Seeing that get out of class was almost over, she casually tossed the envelope back into the drawer, pretending she had never taken it out.
As the minute hand of the clock struck nine o'clock in the evening, the once-silent classroom quickly became lively as the bell rang to signal the end of evening self-study, and everyone dispersed in a flurry.
Xu Wu glanced at the leaves swaying in the night wind through the glass and breathed a slight sigh of relief. Luckily, it hadn't rained today; otherwise, with the umbrella still with Jie Ying, she really wouldn't know how to get back.
Apart from the three people who stayed behind to clean, the only other person in the classroom was Jieying, who sat quietly in her seat without saying a word.
Xu Wu pretended not to see anything, put the books into her bag, and turned to leave the classroom.
Just as she left the classroom, the three students on duty also happened to be carrying basins out to empty water and take out the trash.
The window wasn't closed yet, and the cold wind blew along with the curtains, ruffling the bangs that drooped over her eyebrows. Jie Ying stopped writing and slowly lifted her eyes.
Xu Wu wasn't far from him, and with his excellent eyesight, he could easily spot the white envelope tucked between two books in her drawer. His gaze darkened.
He had seen it once, or more precisely, he had seen Ji Lin write it before Ji Lin jumped off the building.
What could it be? What was written?
Is it a love letter?
Realizing the latter possibility, Jie Ying's hand holding the pen visibly began to itch.
If it's a love letter, has Xu Wu read it?
If you've already seen it, why keep it?
If you don't like it, why not throw it away?
If you hate it, why not tear it up?
The sharp sound of chairs scraping against the floor happened in an instant. When the three students returned to the classroom, it was already empty. Only the wind blowing in from the window was turning the books on the desks.
At 9:30, Jie Ying crossed the No. 1 teaching building and arrived at the passageway between the No. 2 and the No. 1 teaching building. There was a small grove of trees on the side. The streetlights on this road had been broken for the past two days and had not been repaired. Therefore, she could only use the light from the front and back for illumination, but it was not enough.
Jie Ying walked forward a little, stepping into a place where there was no light source, and his whole being was like a ghost completely integrated into the dark environment.
He opened the envelope, took out the neatly folded letter, and read it quickly without even frowning. Occasionally, when a corner was blown folded by the wind, he would simply straighten it.
"Xu, I've noticed every glance you've given me. There are many reasons why I haven't responded, and I've imagined countless scenarios of being with you."
This is really badly written. Does this kind of thing even deserve to be shown?
Jie Ying's face darkened, and her hand gripping the paper trembled slightly as she tightened her grip. Was it really something like this that could attract Xu Wu?
Where exactly is it...? Jie Ying took a deep breath, then pulled a lighter out of his pocket. With a click, the flame flickered and the sticky light illuminated half of Jie Ying's face, his dark pupils reflecting the shadow of the flame.
He watched coldly as the fire gradually consumed the disgusting letters. Just as it was about to burn his thumb, he gently released his grip, and the scorched paper fell heavily to the ground.
In a dark corner unnoticed by anyone, a burning event was taking place, its flames obscured.
As the paper gradually turned to ashes and the firelight slowly dimmed, the emotions caused by jealousy were finally relieved.
Jie Ying stepped onto the few remaining words on the paper and walked away.
The next instant after he left, another shadow following closely behind him slowly emerged from the woods. It first glanced down at the letter, which had not only turned to ashes but had also been blown away by the wind, and then glanced at Jieying, who was no longer in sight.
Xu Wu seemed lost in thought. The few scraps of paper that Jie Ying had stepped on earlier appeared to be rekindling, and she casually stepped on them again as she left, looking completely at ease.
A note from the author:
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