My Deskmate Chapter 43 (Part 1)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 43.1
It was the first period on Wednesday, and the class was still buzzing with activity when Old Xu walked in, holding his book. The lively atmosphere hadn't quite settled down yet.
"Humming, buzzing... I thought I'd walked into a beehive. Didn't you all hear the 'Turkish March' playing, signaling the start of class? Class is in session!"
It took a while, but eventually the chatter in the room died down.
Xu Guangqi sighed. "One sports meet got you all so distracted. Remember, you’re here to take notes, not daydream. Stay focused. Now, get out your One Question, One Practice book and turn to where we left off yesterday."
He habitually walked down from the podium to check on the students. Spotting one who was flipping through pages, struggling to find the right spot, he feigned surprise. "Can't find the problem? Wow, you must be a genius to get lost in this tiny space!"
Zhao Yiyang, holding his book, leaned back against the edge of his desk and whispered to Wen Xiao, "Did Old Xu pay tuition to Cheng Xiaoning for advanced training in rhetoric?"
Wen Xiao spun his pen in his hand. "The delivery's off."
Zhao Yiyang paused for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully. "True. Even when he's mocking us, he does it gently."
In Wen Xiao's WeChat message list, Chi Ye's black profile picture jumped to the top again. It was a photo of a strawberry hairpin. "Yaya wanted Cola-gege to see her new hairpin."
Wen Xiao glanced down at his phone and quickly typed back: "Cute."
A short while later, Chi Ye replied, "The little girl in front of me is so excited she’s about to burst. She now thinks she's the cutest kid in the entire first grade."
At the front of the class, Old Xu was speaking passionately, his saliva flying. "Students, you need to learn how to ask questions. Half the class can’t solve this problem, but why hasn’t anyone come to my office for help? Do you think I’ve got a fire-breathing dragon or a cactus in my office? By the way, during the sports festival, I’ll be standing by the side. If you come across a problem you don’t understand, just ask me, alright?"
Someone murmured under their breath, "Who does math during the sports festival..."
Xu Guangqi nearly snapped his chalk in half. "Those of you who aren’t participating in the events, aren’t writing cheerleading scripts, or aren’t performing, don’t you get bored just sitting there, not studying?"
This time, the class responded in unison, "Not bored!"
When the bell signaling the end of class rang, the sports officer was the first to jump up. "Everyone, sign up, sign up! We still need people for the men's 3,000-meter race and women's 1,500-meter and 800-meter races. Hurry up, get involved!"
Someone laughed and asked, "Is there a reward for signing up actively?"
The sports committee leader gritted his teeth. "Yes! I’ll sponsor you a week’s worth of iced tea!"
"Deal! I’ll run the 3,000 meters!"
Xu Guangqi, who had been tidying up his lesson plans and just listening to the exchange, smiled and remarked, "Ah, this is the spirit of youth!"
"...On this beautiful, sunny day, we welcome the annual sports festival of Mingnan Affiliated High School! Striving is the color of youth, striving is the power of progress! We gather here on the field...."
On the loudspeaker, Cheng Xiaoning's voice was full of emotion, completely different from his usual antics by the school gate. It was as though he’d been possessed.
The corridor was packed with people, each carrying not only their own chairs but also snacks, manhua, notebooks, and magazines. The second floor was moving too slowly, causing a traffic jam, so the students on the third floor had simply put their chairs down and started an impromptu tea party.
Looking at the nearly empty bag of chips, Xu Rui sighed. "The ancients weren’t wrong — opening a snack bag at school is like feeding pigeons!" He noticed Wen Xiao standing to the side, focused on his phone. "Wen Xiao, do you want some chips? There are only a few left. If you don’t take them, they’ll be gone."
"No need," Wen Xiao quickly replied, tucking his phone into his school uniform. "Chi Ye said he’s on his way up."
"Damn, Chi-ge is truly a warrior swimming against the current," Zhao Yiyang said, peering out over the railing. "It’s such a traffic jam. For him to make it up from the first floor is no easy task! The march has been playing for ages, and the first floor is only halfway through while the second floor is barely moving. I regret not bringing my Switch. At this rate, I could’ve finished a game by now."
A few minutes later, Chi Ye appeared, carrying a chair and standing next to Wen Xiao.
Wen Xiao glanced up. "When did you get here?"
"I took the stairs on the other side," Chi Ye said, tilting his chin toward the front. "The stairs here are blocked, but the other side was less crowded. Otherwise, I’d still be waiting downstairs for you to bring me a chair."
Wen Xiao gave him a careful once-over.
Chi Ye raised his hand in mock surrender under the scrutiny of Wen Xiao’s piercing gaze. "Alright, I confess. I’m unharmed and haven’t committed any crimes."
"What crimes?" Xu Rui pounced on the keyword, his eyes lighting up like a gossip reporter. "Did you get caught watching a short movie you shouldn’t have, Chi-ge? Or were you caught secretly flipping through a photobook under the covers? Spill the beans, let’s all enjoy the story!"
Chi Ye kicked Xu Rui’s chair with a grunt. "Shut up, what short movies or photobooks? I’ve never heard of them."
Zhao Yiyang leaned an elbow on Xu Rui’s shoulder and turned to grin. "We’ve all been there, no need to pretend you’re pure and innocent. Right, Chi-ge?"
Chi Ye mimicked Zhao Yiyang’s stance, throwing an arm around Wen Xiao’s shoulders and pulling him closer. "Whether I’m pure or not, my deskmate knows best. Isn’t that right, deskmate?"
Wen Xiao, now being pulled into Chi Ye’s side, had his uniform collar slightly askew, revealing the thin white T-shirt underneath and a small part of his collarbone. He played along with Chi Ye’s words. "Yeah, I can vouch for him. He’s very pure."
The group burst out laughing.
Chi Ye gritted his teeth, but after a moment, he accepted the label with a smirk. "Fine, pure it is. It’s at least a compliment."
Zhao Yiyang exaggerated his expression. "Damn, Chi-ge, this isn’t like you. Is your standard really that low?"
Chi Ye curled his lips in a lazy smile. "Yeah, with my deskmate, I have no standards."
After finishing two bags of snacks while standing still, the line finally started moving. They carried their chairs to the field and set them up. The sun was shining brightly, and many girls were complaining about how half of the area was in direct sunlight.
The girls were afraid of the sun, while the boys didn’t seem to mind. Hearing the complaints, a few of the boys raised their arms and rallied together. Within minutes, the positions of all the chairs were changed. The boys gave up the shaded spots, letting the girls sit there instead.
As soon as they sat down, Zhao Yiyang, with the reflexes honed from playing basketball, reached out and caught a package tossed from the girls' side. He glanced at it and scoffed, "Licorice? So girly." Despite his words, his hands were quick to tear open the package and start eating. When Xu Rui tried to snatch it from him, Zhao Yiyang quickly pulled it away.
After the highly formalized formation march, the students gradually took their seats. The music from the loudspeaker shifted to the rhythmic beats of Worth It. The school dance team, dressed in white shirts and black skirts, took the field, instantly elevating the atmosphere to its peak.
Zhao Yiyang stared at the performance, momentarily mesmerized, and dropped a piece of licorice to the ground. As the music ended, he snapped out of his daze and, still wide-eyed, turned to his side and said, "Chi-ge, I think I’ve fallen in love."
Shangguan Yu, who had been fighting Xu Rui over a bag of yam chips, heard Zhao Yiyang talking to the empty chair and took the opportunity to call out, "Master, Chi-ge’s over there with Wen Xiao at the registration booth. What did you just say? You’re in love? With what, the air?"
Zhao Yiyang, with a dreamy look on his face, replied, "Just now, I made eye contact with the lead dancer."
Xu Rui rolled his eyes. "Snap out of it. That’s unrequited love, man! And from a distance of several meters!"
In one corner of the field, four desks were set up, each with a red sign reading "Registration". A group of boys gathered around, pinning number tags to their backs.
When Chi Ye appeared, following Wen Xiao, many of the boys instinctively stepped back, leaving a small walkway. Wen Xiao glanced suspiciously at Chi Ye. Was he carrying a half-meter-long spike on his back that made people instinctively back away?
After reporting their names and classes, a PE teacher behind the desk took their number tags. "So you’re Wen Xiao? I’ve heard your homeroom teacher talk about you at least eight times."
Chi Ye took the pin from the teacher. "Here, deskmate, turn around. Let your Chi-ge pin this for you. With a little boost of telekinetic power, it'll be like you're stepping on a flaming wheel, and 'whoosh,' you'll be at the finish line."
A shrill scream echoed from not far away, a cheer from some class, though it was unclear who was shouting.
Chi Ye opened the pin and pressed the yellow fabric with the number "7" onto Wen Xiao's back.
Because of Wen Xiao's slim build, the slight curve of his shoulder blades became visible when he wore thin clothing. Chi Ye's hand rested on his back, feeling the warmth of his skin and the faint layer of muscle beneath.
A scene from the video he had watched before flashed in his mind, and Chi Ye wasn’t sure if it was the late spring sun or something else, but his palm grew warm.
"Done?"
"Almost," Chi Ye attached the fabric to the T-shirt with the pin, securing it in place. "There, it definitely won’t fall off."
Wen Xiao jumped on the spot a couple of times and noticed the sweat along Chi Ye's temple. "It’s hot?"
"Probably."
Today, Wen Xiao was wearing a pair of pure white running shoes, which stood out starkly against the artificial turf. He glanced over at the track. "It’s pretty warm here. Want to go back?"
"No way, I want to see you take first place."
"We haven’t even started yet. How do you know I’ll take first place?"
Chi Ye curled his fingers, waiting until Wen Xiao was close enough before he spoke again. "Because in Werewolf, I always get the Seer role."