My Deskmate Chapter 17 (Part 2)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 17.2
When English class ended, Chi Ye disappeared in the blink of an eye. Zhao Yiyang turned around to ask Wen Xiao a question, only to find the seat beside him empty. “What the hell? Did Chi-ge master the art of teleportation or something? He was just here!”
Wen Xiao glanced at his worksheet. “Which question?”
Snapping back to the matter at hand, Zhao Yiyang pointed to a problem. “This one. Why is the tense wrong? I don’t get it. When the teacher explained it, everyone else seemed to understand, but I didn’t want to ask and make myself look dumb. But hey, we’re close, right? No shame in asking you!”
Zhao Yiyang was popular and well-connected, but among peers of similar academic standing, there was always an element of competition. If he asked one of them, and they answered something like, “How could you get such an easy question wrong?”, he'd probably hang himself right there and then.
Wen Xiao skimmed the question. “Look at the second paragraph, third line. That sentence establishes the tense. Cross-reference it with this question.”
Zhao Yiyang noticed Wen Xiao didn’t even need to reread the problem. It was all clearly stored in his mind. Clasping his hands together as if in prayer, Zhao Yiyang exclaimed, “Amitabha, Buddha. Benefactor, how did your brain grow?”
Wen Xiao: “It grew naturally.”
After jotting down a few notes, Zhao Yiyang turned back again. “You’re a good guy!”
When Zhao Yiyang first started talking to Wen Xiao, he couldn’t help but feel a little intimidated. The new student gave off an icy, untouchable vibe with an aura that seemed to stretch ten feet in every direction. But after that night of “ghost hunting” that ended with them writing a self-reflection essay, and later sneaking out through the back door of an internet cafe, Zhao Yiyang realized he’d been shallow. Judging Wen Xiao purely by appearances was a grave mistake!
After evening self-study, Zhao Yiyang turned around and called out to Wen Xiao. “Give me fifteen seconds!”
With lightning speed, he scribbled the ending of his English essay. Afraid Wen Xiao might leave, he quickly glanced back and let out a breath of relief when he saw him still standing there. “Do you have plans tonight, Wen Xiao?”
Wen Xiao shook his head. “I’m heading home.”
“Want to grab a late-night snack? There’s this new barbecue place on the snack street. They skewer chunks of meat on bamboo sticks and grill them on a rack. The owner’s a bit of a diva, though. He only opens at this hour. Want to check it out?” Afraid Wen Xiao would decline, Zhao added enthusiastically, “Everyone who’s tried it says it’s amazing! One hundred percent positive reviews!”
Wen Xiao, feeling a bit hungry himself, nodded. “Let’s go.”
Zhao Yiyang rarely did anything alone. He’d already recruited Shangguan Yu earlier, and seeing that Xu Rui hadn’t left yet, he roped him in too.
As they left the academic building and walked toward the school gate, they saw quite a few first-year students milling about.
Xu Rui suddenly remembered something. “The new first-years have it rough this year. With the reform, they're no longer simply divided into science and arts classes. Instead, it's changed to a 3+1+2 system. Chinese, math, and English are mandatory, but they have to choose one between physics and history, and then choose two more subjects. Luckily, my mom gave birth to me a year earlier, so I don't have to face such a headache.”
Zhao Yiyang thought for a moment. “Can they skip English?”
Xu Rui shot him a withering look. “You’re dreaming. What’s next? ‘Am I more handsome than the fabled Xu Gong of Chengbei?’”
Zhao Yiyang burst out laughing. “Of course I’m dreaming big!”
As they exited the school gates and turned onto the snack street, they noticed a line forming in front of a food stall from a distance. The stall looked incredibly modest: a small red three-wheeled truck with the back converted into a makeshift metal grill. Smoke billowed up in puffs from the charcoal burning in the iron stove. Next to the owner’s feet sat a large plastic bucket filled with blackened coal.
The name of the stall was just as unassuming — One Bite BBQ.
Zhao Yiyang pointed ahead excitedly. “That’s the one! See? I told you it must be good. Look how many people are lined up!”
The snack street wasn’t a bustling area. Its business relied almost entirely on students from the nearby affiliated high school. The entire queue was filled with students wearing the school uniform, and the small tables on the side were already full, showing how popular it was.
Meanwhile, Xu Rui was in the middle of animatedly recounting his heroic solo venture into a haunted house when a snide remark drifted past their ears. “Oh, isn’t that the top student from Class 1, the physics genius? Heard he's amazing at English too...”
That sarcastic remark was a bit irritating.
Xu Rui stopped talking and turned his head to look, making eye contact with a few boys. He frowned. “Zhao Yiyang, those guys look like they’re from the next class over. Can you confirm? Their faces are all so forgettable.”
Zhao Yiyang had also caught the keywords “physics genius” and frowned. “Huh, you mean those guys whispering behind our backs? Yeah, I’ve got no clue who they are!”
Shangguan Yu: “If you talk too much nonsense, you'll end up with a big mouth. Maybe their faces morphed because of it, and that’s why they’re unrecognizable.”
After saying that, the three of them exchanged glances, their eyes saying — brother, you’ve got skills!
Zhao Yiyang turned to Wen Xiao with an earnest expression and asked, “Wen Xiao, do you know those guys?”
Wen Xiao shook his head. “No impression.”
That shut the group up. The boys didn’t have the nerve to say anything else, and the atmosphere around them finally quieted. Xu Rui, reminded of his earlier conversation, asked, “Wait, where did I leave off in my haunted house adventure?”
Zhao Yiyang replied cheerfully, “You already finished it. Now, let’s move on to something else!”
After ten minutes of standing in line, it was finally their turn to order. Not wanting to waste the effort of waiting, Zhao Yiyang and the others went all in, each ordering ten skewers. Wen Xiao, mindful of his weaker stomach, only ordered three.
The meat sizzled on the grill, its aroma wafting up tantalizingly. As the vendor sprinkled cumin and chili powder over the skewers, the fragrance grew even more irresistible.
Zhao Yiyang suddenly thought of something. “Hey, Wen Xiao, you live near Chi-ge, don’t you? Since he's barely visible during the day and nowhere to be found at night, there’s no way he’s tried this place yet. How about you bring him a few skewers?”
Wen Xiao paused for a moment before nodding. “Okay.”
The freshly grilled skewers were packed into plastic bags, which quickly became condensed with white steam.
Xu Rui and Shangguan Yu wasted no time tearing into their skewers. “Holy crap, this is amazing! Spicy as hell, but so worth it!”
Later, on the bus, Wen Xiao sat quietly holding two plastic bags of grilled skewers. The heat seeped through the thin plastic, warming his curled fingers. With one hand gripping the overhead handle, he stared out the window at the passing streetlights and cityscape.
He took this bus ride every day, going back and forth along the same route. By now, he had learned that the stop near the Prince An's Mansion was crowded with tourists. It wasn’t uncommon to see middle-aged and elderly tour groups in matching uniforms, and the intersection on the 1st Ring Road was almost always jammed, regardless of the time of day. Traffic was always a hassle...
Even though he was so familiar with it, it still felt like there was something hanging in the air, as if his feet couldn’t quite find solid ground.
He didn't feel grounded.
The bus came to a halt, and the voice on the intercom announced, "Qixia Road, next." Wen Xiao pulled out his phone and sent a message to Chi Ye, asking where he was and letting him know he had brought food.
But by the time the bus reached Jiuzhang Road, he still hadn’t received a reply.
Just as Wen Xiao was about to send another message, his phone rang with a voice call. The profile picture displayed on the screen was entirely black, with a message underneath: Chi Ye invites you to join a voice call.
His finger hovered above the screen for a moment before he answered. “Hello?”
Ten minutes later, following the directions on WeChat, Wen Xiao stood in front of a barbecue stand.
The place was tucked away in a quieter part of the city, not far from a construction site where the sounds of metal clanging could be heard, as if workers were still busy at overtime. Outside the stand, a table had been set up, where three workers wearing safety helmets were playing a game of rock-paper-scissors.
Wen Xiao scanned the area briefly before his gaze finally stopped on a streetlight at the side of the road.
The person under the streetlight had his head tilted back, eyes closed, leaning against the weathered lamp post. The light fell from above, illuminating half of his face, his features sharp and clear. From the way he stood, the muscles along his neck were tense, highlighting their Adam's apple.
As Wen Xiao approached, he could smell the heavy scent of alcohol. It wasn’t unpleasant, just overpowering, as though the man had been downing drink after drink.
He asked, "The guy who fed you the alcohol, has he left?"
"Yeah," Chi Ye kept his eyes shut, pointing in the direction of the construction site. "He went back to work."
Chi Ye slid his hands back into his black pants pockets, then tilted his head toward Wen Xiao’s direction. He opened his eyes, the light catching his lashes, his voice a little slurred. "The deal’s done. I’ll be supplying the second batch too. The money's enough. My mom’s new medication... it’s covered..."
The last part of his sentence trailed off, his voice dropping lower, leaving Wen Xiao unsure if he was speaking to him or simply trying to convince himself.
Wen Xiao looked at the person in front of him. "Chi Ye—"
"Shh." Without warning, Chi Ye took a half step forward and leaned against Wen Xiao. The two of them were of similar height. Chi Ye rested his forehead against Wen Xiao's slender shoulder, cutting off his words. Then, he called his name. "Wen Xiao."
Wen Xiao didn’t move. "Hmm?"
"Let me lean on you for a bit. I... I can’t stand up straight."