My Deskmate Chapter 43 (Part 2)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 43.2
The announcement blared over the loudspeakers: “All male participants in the 100-meter dash, please gather at the starting line.” Chi Ye and Wen Xiao made their way to the designated spot. Not long after, another announcement came through: "From Class 1 Year 2 of the science program, Xu Rui’s message for Wen Xiao: ‘Wen Xiao, as you soar with grace, we're your support in every race. No matter how you place today, our hearts with you will always stay!’"
Chi Ye laughed. "Our academic officer really went to great lengths to even rhyme."
He then turned to Wen Xiao. "Do you want me to take some photos while you run? A little memento?"
"No need," Wen Xiao handed his blue-and-white school jacket and glasses to Chi Ye. "It's enough to remember the moment."
As Wen Xiao moved to stand behind the white line at the start of the track, Chi Ye, standing still, suddenly realized that the words Wen Xiao had said earlier left an odd, unidentifiable feeling lingering in the air.
A hundred meter wasn’t long, and there was no need to wait for the result. Everyone could see that Wen Xiao was the first to cross the finish line. The runner in lane three had been trailing by two or three positions the entire race, and despite making a final push, couldn’t manage to overtake him. The difference was probably two or three seconds.
As Wen Xiao crossed the line, the wind lifted the hem of his shirt, exposing his lean waist. Chi Ye heard a soft sigh from the girls in the crowd. Strangely, a feeling of stuffiness settled in his chest.
Having run a bit past the finish line due to momentum, Wen Xiao came to a stop and immediately looked toward Chi Ye’s location.
Their gazes locked across the distance. At that moment, Chi Ye’s mood lightened, feeling much better at the sight of Wen Xiao’s instinctive reaction.
With the 100-meter race done, there were no more events for Wen Xiao. Chi Ye took the pin and fabric off Wen Xiao’s shirt and handed it to the teacher collecting the items.
When the two returned to their seats, they were met with enthusiastic applause. Old Xu smiled and praised, "Not bad, not bad. Wen Xiao, a well-rounded student excelling in both mind and body. That 100-meter dash was fantastic!" His attention shifted to Chi Ye. "But you, what’s going on? No events for you?"
Chi Ye sprawled lazily, looking like a large cat basking in the sun. "A few days ago, I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to come to school today, so I didn’t sign up," he said. He glanced over at Wen Xiao. "Besides, my deskmate won. I’m just here to share the pride."
Old Xu raised an eyebrow. "So, it’s 'one person wins, the whole family shines'?" he teased Chi Ye, "Well, you should ask Wen Xiao if he’s okay with you sharing his glory. Are you even part of the family?"
Chi Ye turned to Wen Xiao, who was wiping sweat off his neck with a tissue handed to him. His fair neck was exposed, and the sunlight seemed to make it gleam.
Caught in the conversation, Wen Xiao answered, "Sure, I’ll give him half the credit."
Seeing the good relationship between his students, Old Xu was happy but couldn't stand Chi Ye's smug look. He said disdainfully. "Go back and sit down, sit down. Don't loiter in front of me."
Not long after, Old Xu was called away. Zhao Yiyang and the others gathered around, quietly pulling out a deck of playing cards. "Come on, let’s have some fun!"
Chi Ye raised an eyebrow. "Playing cards?"
"We're in school, so no gambling," Zhao Yiyang said with a righteous expression, his tone full of excitement. "We’re playing King and Slave. You in?"
Chi Ye didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he turned to Wen Xiao. "Deskmate, you joining?"
The sun was making everyone restless, and there was nothing else to do, so Wen Xiao nodded. "Sure, I’m in."
"We'll both join," Chi Ye said, looking at Zhao Yiyang. "So, what are the rules?"
"It's simple!" Zhao Yiyang grinned. "There’s one king of spade and one ace of heart in the deck. The person who draws the king is the King, and the one who draws the ace becomes the Slave. The Slave has to obey the King. The King can ask a question, and the Slave can refuse to answer, but then the King gets to choose a punishment, and the Slave has to do it."
As he explained the rules, more people joined the group.
Zhao Yiyang cleared his throat. "We’ve got seven guys and five girls now, twelve of us total. Let's draw the cards! Anyone could be the King!"
The first round ended, and Zhao Yiyang, unfortunately, drew the Slave card. A girl with a ponytail drew the King.
Zhao Yiyang puffed out his chest. "Alright, ask me anything! You can even ask how often I change my socks!"
The girl hesitated, holding the card in her hand. The short-haired girl sitting next to her nudged her with her elbow, urging, "Hurry up, ask something! Help your sisters out!"
Taking a deep breath, the ponytailed girl finally spoke, "Uh, I’d like to ask... what are the hobbies of the guy who sits behind you?"
"Damn," Zhao Yiyang groaned, "I knew this was coming. Alas, people’s hearts are just like this." He rubbed his face, then added, "My classmate’s hobbies are very simple. He likes to solve problems, loves studying." He even came up with an idea, "If you want to get him a gift, you can give him a rare study guide or a test paper that's been preserved for eighteen years."
In the second round, Zhao Yiyang became the King, and Xu Rui drew the Slave. Zhao Yiyang smirked, "I don’t have a question, just a request. Academic officer, it’s not too much, just ten push-ups!"
"Are you even human!" Xu Rui grumbled, but he still stood up and did ten push-ups with great effort. When he sat back down, he reached for the card, his fingers shaking. "According to the pattern, the previous round’s Slave is the King this time. I’ll definitely—" He looked at the card, then clutched his chest, "Ouch, it’s a 2!"
One by one, the cards were flipped over, revealing only commoners. In the end, there were two cards left, one in Chi Ye's hand and the other held by Wen Xiao.
Everyone’s gaze shifted to the two of them.
Chi Ye flipped over his card first, a smile tugging at his lips. "King of spade. Deskmate, I’m the King."
Wen Xiao revealed his card. "Ace of heart."
Zhao Yiyang jumped with excitement. "Now, the King can ask the Slave a question! King, what will you ask?"
Chi Ye’s long fingers pinched the king of spade card. He lowered his eyes slightly under the sun, his smile was lazy and mischievous. "In the spirit of helpfulness, I’ll ask on behalf of the five girls here. Wen Xiao, what’s the last name of the person you like?"
As soon as the question was out, a wave of teasing erupted from the crowd.
Teenagers, especially in their puberty, were always sensitive to these kinds of topics. The fastest rumors in school were never about answers or study methods, but rather gossip like, "A certain first year has a crush on a third year!" "So-and-so from Class 1 is going out with someone from the class next door!" or "Someone just broke up with their girlfriend, and the next day they're already with someone new in their class."
Zhao Yiyang slapped his thigh. "Damn, Chi-ge is brilliant! This question skips straight to the point. No need to ask if you like anyone, just cuts straight to it. Impressive!"
Chi Ye, however, didn’t respond. He remained focused on Wen Xiao’s eyes, his smile still in place, but beneath it, his gaze betrayed a hint of tension.
Chi Ye involuntarily clenched his fist and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his school uniform jacket.
He was waiting for Wen Xiao’s answer.
The answer could be “I don’t like anyone,” or it could be... something else.
In that moment, the oxygen in the air seemed to drain away, and Chi Ye felt his breathing tighten.
Under the brilliant spring sunlight, Wen Xiao was also looking at Chi Ye, noticing the way his fingers had clenched.
Amid the collective gaze of their classmates, Wen Xiao answered, "I choose the punishment."
It was a refusal to answer.
Chi Ye felt a flicker of regret for asking the question, but at the same time, there was an inexplicable restlessness gnawing at him. He couldn’t even tell what it was he truly wanted to know or test.
Zhao Yiyang looked utterly disappointed. "I’ve got all this gossiping energy and nowhere to put it. So, Chi-ge, what’s the punishment?"
Chi Ye thought for a moment before replying, "How about a lap around the inner track?"
Wen Xiao stood up, lowering his gaze toward Chi Ye. "Let’s go."
Chi Ye followed suit and stood up as well.
Zhao Yiyang watched them, confused. "Where are you two going? Wait, what’s Chi-ge going to do?"
Chi Ye took off his school jacket and placed it neatly beside Wen Xiao's, then answered, "One wins, the whole family shines. Now that Wen Xiao’s running, of course, I’ll be running alongside him."
Zhao Yiyang: "Hmm... seems like that makes sense?"