My Deskmate Chapter 12 (Part 1)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 12.1
In the end, Chi Ye found someone from the same city. The person promised to finish it overnight and personally deliver it by bus the next afternoon.
Wen Xiao asked, “The handwriting won’t be an issue?”
“No. Old Xu never actually checks the stuff he collects. Otherwise, how would Xu Rui dare to take over mine? But the Director of Discipline is strict. He compares handwriting to catch anyone using a ghostwriter and won’t hesitate to smack someone on the head. Not that I’ve ever written one myself. If he tells me to write a self-reflection, I’ll do it — but isn’t that kind of embarrassing?”
As if anticipating Wen Xiao’s next question, he added, “Old Xu is different. He’s a good guy, so I have to give him face and not make things hard for him.”
The next afternoon, the self-reflection that had been "express-delivered" from the same city was handed in, along with the others. As expected, there were no follow-up issues.
Zhao Yiyang sighed. “I wrote a 200-character self-criticism and then copied it twenty times. I almost wish I were a photocopier!”
Xu Guangqi entered the room holding a textbook. “Zhao Yiyang, what’s this about a photocopier?”
Zhao Yiyang sat up straight, hurriedly replying, “N-no, nothing about a photocopier.”
Without pressing further, Xu Guangqi stood at the podium. “Class, next period is PE. Your PE teacher has diarrhea and can’t teach today, so I’ll be filling in as your substitute.”
Someone from the back called out bluntly, “I just saw the PE teacher shooting three-pointers on the basketball court!”
Xu Guangqi cleared his throat. "There's no need to say anything irrelevant. Class, take out your math book. The monthly exam is tomorrow, so let’s try to cover a couple more problems. Who knows, the questions we discuss today might just show up in your test tomorrow...”
After returning home from Chi Ye’s place last night, Wen Xiao hadn’t slept a wink until dawn. As soon as he closed his eyes, the constant blaring of alarms filled his ears, making his heart race with anxiety. Just as the sky began to lighten, he finally dozed off, but his dreams were plagued by towering, dark green waves, like claws reaching from the depths of an abyss, pulling him down inch by inch.
With his mind a mess, Wen Xiao took off his glasses, struggling to concentrate. He gave it a try but quickly gave up.
At the front of the classroom, Xu Guangqi wrote a problem on the blackboard, reading aloud as he did so. "Consider the function f(x) = ... The zeros of the function in the interval (-2,4) are ... Find the value."
Out of the corner of his eye, Wen Xiao saw Chi Ye, head down, engrossed in a game on his Switch. Between rounds, Chi Ye habitually picked up the pen on his desk, spun it around a few times, and casually wrote a number on the paper. After finishing, he put down the pen and continued playing.
Xu Guangqi gave them a few minutes to work on the problem, then, noticing time was running out, he spoke again. “For this problem, you have to draw the graph first. In this region, the graphs of two functions intersect at seven points, six of which are symmetric about the line x=1. Am I right? So, the answer to this problem is simple — six plus one equals what? Seven! Don’t space out! Hold your pen! This is your professional ethics!”
Wen Xiao glanced down at the paper, where Chi Ye had hastily written the number “7.” He wondered if Chi Ye had written it randomly or if he had actually calculated the correct answer so quickly after the teacher finished reading the problem.
Feeling his deskmate's gaze, Chi Ye paused his game. "Why are you staring at me so intently? Did you suddenly notice your gege’s brilliance?"
Wen Xiao’s eyes drifted down to the black hoodie Chi Ye was wearing. "Aren’t you cold?"
Chi Ye smirked. "Not cool?"
When Wen Xiao didn’t respond, Chi Ye joked, “At times like this, you could answer, ‘The starlight sweeps across the universe, and Chi-ge shines during this time.’ Remember that?”
Wen Xiao turned his face away, regretting starting a conversation with this person.
After class, Chi Ye disappeared as usual, and Wen Xiao was called to the office by Xu Guangqi.
"How are you adjusting? Are you getting along with your classmates?" Xu Guangqi asked. Then he remembered Wen Xiao had gone on a midnight tomb exploration with Chi Ye and Zhao Yiyang. He was clearly fitting in well, so the answer was obvious. He shifted the topic. "Are you nervous about the upcoming exam?"
Wen Xiao: "Not nervous."
That meant he was calm and confident.
Xu Guangqi noticed that, although Wen Xiao seemed quiet and detached most of the time, with little expression on his face, he would unconsciously show a hint of subtle pride when it came to academics.
It was normal for a young person to have a little pride, but deep down, Xu Guangqi still doubted Wen Xiao’s calm “no problem” response. However, he never liked to discourage his students' enthusiasm. “Make sure you study hard, but don’t rush. Your learning ability and level are very good. We're not in a rush!" It was his way of easing any pressure and giving Wen Xiao a foundation of confidence.
Wen Xiao picked up on the unspoken meaning behind Xu Guangqi's words but didn’t say anything in response.
Xu Guangqi suddenly remembered something. "By the way, your deskmate, Chi Ye, has he disappeared again?"
When Wen Xiao didn’t reply, Xu Guangqi wasn’t bothered. "He... has it tough." Realizing he might have said something inappropriate in front of Wen Xiao, he quickly changed the subject. "You've been sitting next to Chi Ye for over half a month now. How do you feel? Has he been a distraction?"
Wen Xiao: “No.”
“That’s good. If you ever have any concerns, be sure to tell me,” Xu Guangqi concluded their conversation with a warm reminder. “The exam is almost here, so head back to the classroom and review as much as you can.”
Because of the upcoming monthly exam, the students couldn’t leave after the evening self-study session. The sound of desks scraping against the floor echoed constantly, like a dissonant symphony, floor after floor, one layer on top of the other. At times like this, the advantage of sitting in the last two rows became clear — while the whole class was busy moving desks and chairs, they could simply stand and watch the others hustle.
Zhao Yiyang quickly stacked his desk at the back of the classroom, then turned to chat with Wen Xiao. “I heard from the class next door that the physics teacher loves using you as an example to scold their students.”
Seeing Wen Xiao glance over, Zhao Yiyang added, “Yeah, it’s about you. The usual line goes something like, ‘Look at Wen Xiao from Class 1. He missed a whole school year but his accuracy on a test paper is higher than most of you sitting here! Aren’t you ashamed of yourselves? Shouldn’t you feel guilty? If I were you, I’d be running headfirst into the school wall!’”
Xu Rui happened to pass by and stopped moving his desk. “Yeah, yeah, it’s a compliment, but it really stirs up hatred. A lot of people in the next class are waiting to see you fail.”
Xu Rui's desk was blocking the way. The person in front complained, so Xu Rui reluctantly put aside his gossip and continued moving his desk.
Zhao Yiyang had an idea. “If you really don’t do well on the exam, it’s not the score that’s the problem — it’s the embarrassment. How about...?” He lowered his voice. “Slip in a cheat sheet?” He sighed. “If we were in the same exam room, I could toss the answers to you in a second.”
Suddenly, Zhao Yiyang remembered something. “By the way, you just transferred here. Which exam room did they assign you to?”
Wen Xiao: “The last one.”
Zhao Yiyang pointed to the empty desk next to Wen Xiao, his chin jutting out. “In our entire class, only you and Chi-ge are in the same exam room. Sigh, we can't count on Chi-ge.”