My Deskmate Chapter 10 (Part 2)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 10.2
When the bell rang signaling the end of class, Zhao Yiyang called home to tell his parents that he was going to Shangguan Yu’s house to study. Shangguan Yu, in turn, called his parents to say he was going to Zhao Yiyang’s house to review the exam papers. After hanging up, the two started slowly packing up their bags, intentionally dragging their feet.
Wen Xiao finished the last math problem, snapped the pen closed, and turned to Xu Rui. "I’m in."
Xu Rui was stunned. "Didn’t you just say you weren’t going?"
It wasn’t until nearly all the classrooms in the school had turned off their lights that the four of them finally left. They circled the school’s perimeter, taking a long detour, and eventually stopped at the northeastern corner of the sports field.
The wind was still a bit chilly. Wen Xiao stood at the edge of the street, his black backpack slung over one shoulder, hands buried deep in his pockets. He suddenly couldn’t quite figure out why he had decided to join in on this “adventure.”
Maybe he had caught the madness from his deskmate.
Shangguan Yu glanced at the height of the wall. "This is harder than sneaking in a cheat sheet during the midterms without being caught."
Xu Rui rubbed his hands together against the cold and said, “Shakespeare once said that a hero's life begins with challenges and trials! And Lu Xun also said that we are all warriors, and warriors fear no difficulties, including swords and walls!”
Zhao Yiyang, a man of action, rubbed his hands as well. "You all step aside, I’ll give it a try!"
With that, he tossed his backpack to Shangguan Yu, then took a running start. He kicked off the wall, grabbed hold of the exposed steel bars, and scrambled up like a monkey. By the time he landed on the other side of the wall, he still hadn’t fully processed it. "Did I just get in?"
Shangguan Yu tossed the backpack over, then, before climbing the wall himself, called out to Xu Rui, "Shakespeare and Lu Xun were both right!"
Chi Ye arrived late. By the time he got there, the others had already scaled the wall.
Wen Xiao turned to him and asked, "Where’s Yaya?"
Chi Ye: "Took her out for a quick jog. She fell asleep as soon as we got home."
Wen Xiao: "......"
Glancing at the wall, Chi Ye asked, "Who goes first?"
"You."
The five of them reached the northeastern corner of the sports field. It was pitch black and freezing.
Xu Rui looked around excitedly. "Tomorrow, when I tell the class about our adventure, we’ll definitely make the gossip headlines. We’ll become the legends of Mingnan Affiliated High! Maybe even in three or five years, people will still be talking about us!"
Zhao Yiyang, trying to look the part, found a spot and stood firmly. "Don't move, everyone. I'm going to perform an exorcism ritual. I learned it during evening self-study! I didn't just call myself a 'master' for nothing, you know."
As Zhao Yiyang gestured around dramatically, Wen Xiao, standing at the edge, turned to Chi Ye and asked, "Why did you come along?"
Chi Ye shrugged and answered bluntly, "For the money."
After Zhao Yiyang finished his dramatic motions, the five of them picked up the yellow tape forming a circle and squeezed through.
Xu Rui pulled out a flashlight and waved it around. After a couple of shakes, he hesitated. "I’m the only one with the flashlight. Do you think the ghosts will target me?"
Shangguan Yu: "That depends on whether it’s a male or female ghost. If it’s a female ghost, she definitely won’t go after you. She’ll focus on Chi-ge and Wen Xiao."
"Fair point," Xu Rui agreed, flicking the flashlight back on. He took a few steps forward but stopped, feeling a sudden weakness in his legs. "I can’t do it. My legs are giving out!"
Zhao Yiyang rolled his eyes. "You’re the one who organized this adventure, and now you’re cowering like a scared puppy?"
Xu Rui had no idea it would be this creepy. When the wind blew, it made a sharp "screech," making his heart nearly jump out of his chest.
Chi Ye, remembering he was getting paid, said, "The wind must have blown that blue sheet. Stay close."
With that, Chi Ye moved forward, Wen Xiao followed closely behind, and Zhao Yiyang and Shangguan Yu quickly trailed after them.
Xu Rui, still holding the flashlight, hesitated between catching up and staying put to enjoy the wind. Standing still seemed fine — after all, he already had enough material for tomorrow’s bragging rights.
Chi Ye raised his voice slightly. "If a ghost shows up—"
Before he could finish, Xu Rui, as if chased by a dog, bolted to take cover behind Shangguan Yu. With a determined squint, he shut his eyes tightly. "Let’s go!"
After walking a little further, Chi Ye lowered his voice and asked Wen Xiao, "Are you scared?"
Wen Xiao glanced at him. "Are you?"
Chi Ye chuckled lowly. "I’m worried about you getting scared."
Wen Xiao took a half step forward, walking beside him now, their shoulders brushing lightly, as if that was his answer.
The front and back of the group had a noticeably different atmosphere.
Xu Rui felt as if ghosts were watching him from every direction — front, back, underfoot, above. He instantly regretted coming here. At this hour, wouldn’t it have been more enjoyable to stay home and work on his papers? Wasn’t memorizing lessons fun? Didn’t his mother’s constant nagging offer enough excitement?
After walking a few more steps, Xu Rui suddenly grabbed Shangguan Yu’s shirt. "Chi... Chi-ge... do you hear something?"
Chi Ye stopped and turned to Wen Xiao. "Do you hear it?"
Wen Xiao nodded. "Footsteps. Two people."
Zhao Yiyang swallowed hard. "No way. Could it be that old Wang Zhongming’s disciples are out here haunting us?"
Xu Rui plopped down onto the ground, not even minding the mud beneath him, trembling as he muttered, "I've studied really hard for my literature exams! I've never gotten the order of thinker, educator, and writer wrong! Please don't haunt me! I'm sorry for disturbing you!"
Wen Xiao quietly asked, "Is he... acting?"
Chi Ye answered without much sympathy, "No, this is genuine panic."
Wen Xiao: "......"
Chi Ye, growing impatient, interrupted Xu Rui’s meltdown. "So, do we continue into the yellow line, or do we call it off and go back?"
Xu Rui, now on the verge of tears, stammered, "How about... we just... go home?"
Zhao Yiyang, who hadn’t been too scared at first, now felt his scalp tingle after watching Xu Rui collapse and cry. "Yeah, maybe... we should just go home and do our homework?"
Just then, the sound of footsteps on the dirt suddenly grew louder, followed by a shout, "There’s a ghost—"
Xu Rui jumped up and ran off with Zhao Yiyang and Shangguan Yu, yelling, "There’s a ghost!"
Then, another voice came, even more terrified, "There really is a ghost!"
Wen Xiao stood still, unfazed, while Chi Ye grabbed his deskmate’s wrist. "Don’t do anything rash. Stay still!"
Wen Xiao gave him a look, as if questioning his sanity.
Chi Ye explained, "I’m just worried that with one scare, you might throw a sweeping kick before saying anything."
Wen Xiao looked down at Chi Ye’s raised leg, which was half-stepping forward.
Chi Ye quickly changed the topic. "How far do you think they’ve run?"
Wen Xiao estimated, "They’ve probably almost completed a lap around the track."
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Xu Rui appeared at the forefront, leading Zhao Yiyang and Shangguan Yu in a mad dash. Despite always barely passing physical education each semester, this time Xu Rui somehow managed to outpace everyone.
Wen Xiao’s gaze shifted to the two still lagging behind at a distance. "The one bringing up the rear... isn’t that from our class?"
Xu Rui, wind blasting into his lungs, could barely keep going. "You guys take me to the underworld already... I really can’t run anymore! If I run any further, I'll have to go to the underworld ahead of you!"
After Xu Rui yelled, and before his words had fully settled, someone suddenly crashed into him from behind, unable to stop in time. The two of them tumbled onto the rubber track. Xu Rui, trembling, aimed his flashlight at the person’s face. "...What are you doing here?"
"You!"
Just then, a strong beam of light from a flashlight appeared in the distance. "Who! Who’s there?"
Under the streetlights, the security guard scanned the group one by one. "In the middle of the night, we thought you were tomb robbers."
There was a hint of disappointment in his tone.
Xu Rui quickly replied, "We didn’t expect it either. Who would’ve thought someone would be patrolling the school at this hour?"
The guard’s flashlight beam shifted down to the group’s feet. "So, tell me, why aren't you at home this late?"
Xu Rui answered with a straight face, "Reviewing literature knowledge."
The guard paused for two seconds, then pointed the flashlight at another group. "And you guys?"
Li Wencheng answered honestly, "My classmates always say I’m too scared, so I came out tonight to practice my courage."
Wen Xiao barely remembered this Li Wencheng. On his first day at the school, Old Xu had asked him to switch seats and sit with Chi Ye, but Li Wencheng had refused.
The security guard, having worked at the school for over ten years, had seen it all. He waved his hand dismissively. "Come with me to the duty room. I’ll take down your student numbers and names, and report it to your homeroom teacher tomorrow. Then, you can all go home."
After leaving the school, the group stood by the roadside, feeling like their plans had fallen apart.
Xu Rui sighed. "It’s over. Tomorrow, we’re definitely going to be punished with writing self-reflections!"
Zhao Yiyang sighed too. "It'll be at least 8,000 words. This is awful."
Xu Rui gritted his teeth and said righteously "That self-reflection for Chi-ge... I’ll write it for you! After all, you were hired by me to ward off evil."
He paused, waiting for Chi Ye to reject the offer.
To his surprise, Chi Ye didn’t hesitate at all. "Fine, go for it."
Wen Xiao’s eyes turned to Chi Ye.
Under Wen Xiao's gaze, Chi Ye, for the first time, felt a little guilty.
This teammate had been forced into the situation by his own actions. After a brief hesitation, Chi Ye said, "I’ll take 4,000. We’ll each write half. No more than that!"