My Deskmate Chapter 28
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 28
Wen Xiao returned home, his hand resting on the doorframe as he slipped off his shoes. His grandmother was already in her nightgown, and upon seeing him, she asked, "Did you deliver the study materials to your classmate?"
"Yeah, I did," Wen Xiao replied, one hand still gripping his black backpack. After a moment, he added, "Grandma, do you know a person named Qian Zhengliang who lives nearby?"
"Qian Zhengliang?" His grandmother thought for a moment. "I have a vague impression of him. His parents were both retired workers, very kind people. He graduated with a master's degree, which wasn't very common ten or twenty years ago. After that, he got a job, and he's always been reliable. Why do you ask about him?"
Wen Xiao tightened his grip on the strap of his backpack. He stood silent for a few seconds before responding, "Nothing."
His grandmother, observing his expression, knew that Wen Xiao rarely paid much attention to other people’s affairs, let alone took the time to ask about them. Given his unusual inquiry today, she suspected there might be more to it than just casual curiosity. Yet, seeing that he wasn’t about to share, she gently said, "If something’s on your mind, you can always talk to me."
Wen Xiao nodded. "Okay."
The three math teaching outlines were all laid out on the desk. Wen Xiao picked up a navy blue pen and made notes as he read. After finishing a page, he couldn't help but look out the window towards the opposite side.
Not many lights were on in the entire building across the street, but he noticed the lights in the Chi family’s apartment flicker on. Not long after, they went out again.
His grandmother's words echoed in his ears — this was likely how people around here saw Qian Zhengliang. Just as Chi Ye had said, to others, that man seemed well-educated, cultured, and held a respectable job with a complete family. No one would easily believe what Yaya had said. In fact, they might even think that Yaya, at her young age, had learned to lie. After all, there was no adult around to teach her otherwise.
Leaning back in his chair, Wen Xiao stared blankly at the ceiling until the sound of a message notification broke his trance.
On WeChat, a black avatar appeared, followed by a simple question: "Come out?"
Wen Xiao fixed his gaze on Chi Ye’s profile picture, then suddenly wondered if this was what the sky above him looked like.
He replied with a simple "Okay," then tossed his pen aside and stood up, heading for the door.
When he stepped outside, he saw Chi Ye standing under one of the old streetlights, his gaze distant, seemingly absorbed in a private reverie. As if he had eyes in the back of his head, he turned around, a familiar smile playing on his lips. "You’re down?"
"Mm." Wen Xiao approached him. "Where are we going?"
Chi Ye shook the white plastic bag in his hand. "The court?"
"Let’s go."
The paint on the basketball hoop had long since chipped away, revealing the rusty, rough surface beneath.
Wen Xiao stretched his long legs and took the can of beer Chi Ye handed him. He opened it with one hand before passing it back.
Chi Ye didn’t take it.
Wen Xiao raised an eyebrow. "Your hands not cramping anymore?"
Chi Ye recalled the last time they were at the school basketball court, when he had asked Wen Xiao to help open a drink. Now that he understood the "hand-cramped" remark, Chi Ye took the can of beer Wen Xiao handed him and, then passed the unopened one to Wen Xiao. "Yeah, it's pretty bad. I haven't recovered yet. Thanks for caring about us hand-cramped folks, Teacher Xiao Wen."
"You're welcome." As he spoke, Wen Xiao slid his finger through the metallic pull tab. With a sharp "pop," the white mist slowly rose from the can.
He brought it to his lips and took a sip.
Chi Ye waited for him to finish, then clinked his can against Wen Xiao's as a silent toast. He tilted his head back and finished his drink in several large gulps.
His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, the muscles in his neck tightening as the veins along his throat stood out.
Wen Xiao watched for a moment, then reached into the plastic bag and pulled out another can. He opened it and placed it between them.
After they finished, Chi Ye exhaled deeply. "Yaya finally fell asleep." He paused for several seconds before continuing, his voice softer. "She cried the whole time before bed. Kept holding onto my hand and saying she wanted Mom."
It was late spring now, and the leaves on the trees had grown deeper in color. The wind stirred them, filling the air with the soft rustle of leaves.
The two of them sat quietly, listening to the sound of the leaves for what felt like ages. It wasn't until a long while later that Wen Xiao had finished his second can of beer and heard Chi Ye's hoarse voice, each word low and heavy. "I couldn’t save my mom. All I could do was watch her weaken day by day. There was nothing else I could do. I couldn’t even take care of my sister properly."
Wen Xiao heard the tremor in Chi Ye's voice as he spoke the last sentence. The can in his hand was crumpled from the pressure, its shape distorted.
"But what can I do? Aside from beating that bastard up and warning him to stay away from my sister, there’s nothing else. I might have scared him off once, but what else can I do? Can I cripple him? Can I kill him? No. Every time I raised my hand, I kept telling myself again and again that I must not cross that line, must not do something I can’t take back. If I get into trouble, what happens to them? They only have me."
He felt like a beast trapped in chains, thinking back and forth, unable to take a single misstep.
He hurled the empty can in his hand with all his strength. Two seconds later, there was a dull thud as it landed in the deep blue trash bin. Chi Ye picked up another can, shook it, hearing the cold liquid slosh inside, then tilted it back and took a long gulp.
Wen Xiao didn't speak. He simply held his can, silently drinking alongside Chi Ye.
As he swallowed the beer sip by sip, his stomach ached faintly. A thin layer of blush covered Wen Xiao's usually pale face. He shook his can, the little remaining liquid sloshing against the sides with a soft, jarring sound. In the stillness, he unexpectedly spoke, "I used to have a sister."
Chi Ye paused mid-drink. He noticed Wen Xiao's choice of words
Wen Xiao didn’t look at him. He only stared at the shadow of his own feet. Normally, he would never speak like this. Perhaps it was the alcohol, or perhaps something else, but he heard his own voice say, "I used to have parents, too. Now they’re gone. They were right in front of me, slowly losing their breath."
His voice was as cold as usual, but the final syllable of his sentence drifted away like smoke.
At that time, his parents were both badly injured. Blood was flowing everywhere, mixing with the seawater so that it was impossible to distinguish. But he could still smell the thick, acrid scent of the ocean and the iron tang of blood. After his sister closed her eyes, it didn’t take long before they, too, couldn’t hold on. His mother, with the last of her strength, tied his hand tightly to a flotation device, the pressure numbing his fingertips. She was already exhausted, unable to speak, but she cried and smiled at the same time, her eyes never leaving him, never once looking away.
The memories cut through him like a sharp blade, peeling away the scabs that had already healed. Wen Xiao shut his eyes.
Salty seawater lapped at him from all sides, inch by inch, gradually submerging his ankles, then his calves, and then his knees. The soaked fabric clung to his skin, making it hard to breathe. He was as stiff as a wooden statue, unable to move. The next second, he felt like he would be swept away by a whirlpool and sink to the bottom of the sea.
It wasn’t until someone gripped his wrist tightly that he snapped back. "Wen Xiao!"
Wen Xiao slowly opened his eyes, his vision blurred and unfocused. "What?"
Chi Ye released his grip, the warmth of his palm quickly dissipating in the wind. He answered simply, "Nothing."
The two of them fell silent again, and before long, several more cans were emptied.
The consequence of their indulgence was that Wen Xiao didn't wake up according to his usual biological clock. He slept until ten o'clock the next morning.
His head throbbed with a dull ache. He pushed himself up, his hand pressed to his forehead, and fumbled with his slippers, putting them on wrong. He gave up and went barefoot across the cold floor to the bathroom. After quickly washing up, he packed his bag, slipped into his uniform, and headed out.
There was no time for breakfast. He slung his bag over one shoulder and walked to the bus stop. Just before getting on the bus, he paused and asked the driver, "What day is it today?"
"Saturday," the driver replied, noticing Wen Xiao still standing at the door. "Are you getting on?"
Wen Xiao stepped back. "No, I’m not."
After the bus pulled away, Wen Xiao stepped back behind the bus platform and sent a message to Chi Ye: "."
Chi Ye replied quickly: "Awake?"
Neither of them brought up the conversation from last night. Perhaps some emotions only existed in the darkness.
Wen Xiao kept his head down as he typed, "I’m wearing my school uniform, carrying my bag, and standing at the bus stop."
After hitting send, he waited five seconds before a long string of "hahaha" appeared in response.
Wen Xiao quickly closed the chat, pretending it never existed.
He couldn’t go to school. Turning around, Wen Xiao walked back, but after only a few steps, he saw Chi Ye approaching.
Pretending not to notice, he kept his pace steady as he walked forward.
Just as they passed each other, Chi Ye reached out and grabbed his arm, his head leaning in closer, his ear brushing against Wen Xiao’s. His voice was clearly laced with laughter. "I shouldn't have laughed at you."
Wen Xiao shot him a quick glance. Was he being sincere?
The two of them walked back together.
Unlike Wen Xiao, Chi Ye walked with a carefree swagger. Whenever he spotted a fallen leaf on the ground, he would kick it like a soccer ball.
Although he was smiling as he spoke, just like he usually did, Wen Xiao couldn’t shake the feeling that Chi Ye’s eyes were restless, as though some emotion was tightly bottled up inside, barely contained.
Wen Xiao tugged on his bag strap and asked, "What are we going to do now?"
"Going to the store. I delivered a batch of goods this morning, and I don't have anything else planned for today." Chi Ye studied Wen Xiao's expression, then tentatively suggested, "Wanna play some five-in-a-row?"
"Yeah, let's go."
However, when they reached the store, neither of them grabbed a pen or paper. Instead, they pulled cans of ice-cold cola from the cooler. Chi Ye handed one to Wen Xiao. "Here, world-famous sperm-killer drink."
"Your commentary is unnecessary." Wen Xiao sat down on the couch and took the can from him. As he reached for it, his sleeves slid back, revealing his slender, pale wrist.
The sunlight filtering through the window brightened the room. Someone came in to buy a lightbulb. Chi Ye remained on his phone, not moving. Wen Xiao stood up to get the merchandise, then called out, "How much?"
Only then did Chi Ye lazily respond, "Eighteen."
After taking the money, Wen Xiao sat back down on the couch. He noticed that Chi Ye didn’t even look away from his phone. "What’s so interesting?"
"Class group chat. Zhao Yiyang’s branching out into astrology now. He posted a link about zodiac compatibility in the group." Chi Ye glanced at the link and continued, "I’m December 16th, Sagittarius. Let’s see... Holy shit, it says I’m fickle. I’m clearly loyal and dedicated—"
"To sixty points?"
"Right," Chi Ye asked him, "What about you? What's your zodiac sign?"
"February 16th, Aquarius."
"Isn't that right around the time you transferred here?"
As they were talking, Zhao Yiyang tagged Chi Ye in the group chat. "Chi-ge, what's your zodiac sign? Let me help you find your destined soulmate!"
Chi Ye: "Sagittarius."
Soon after, Zhao Yiyang’s voice message came through. "Chi-ge, I’ve done the calculations, and there’s one zodiac sign that’s a perfect match for you. Compatibility index: 90%, mutual attraction: five stars! Guess which one it is?"
Chi Ye always thought astrology and zodiac signs were things only the girls in their class paid attention to. He didn’t believe in fate. If he did, he’d probably have been knocked down by it a long time ago.
Moments later, Zhao Yiyang’s second voice message popped up. It had a red dot next to it. Chi Ye instinctively clicked it open, and Zhao Yiyang's excited voice came through the earpiece. "It’s Aquarius!"
Chi Ye's gaze shifted from his phone screen to Wen Xiao’s face, a smile spreading in his eyes. He repeated the message in order, "A perfect match, 90% compatibility index, five-star mutual attraction. So, deskmate, what do you think?"