My Deskmate Chapter 44 (Part 2)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 44.2
Chi Ye picked out a few more oranges, but his mind drifted to the strawberry hairpin Yaya had bought earlier, which she was so proud of. He decided to pick up a few more strawberries.
The shopkeeper sighed. “Professor Lu has it tough. Over a year ago, there was that shipwreck where she lost her daughter, son-in-law, and little granddaughter, all at once. The elderly burying the young... When the news came, Professor Lu was so composed, but then she just passed out. The ambulance came and stopped right on the street.”
Chi Ye’s fingers faltered as he picked up the strawberries.
“She didn’t even have time to pack anything. She just bought a ticket and left. Her daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter were gone, but her grandson is still alive, in the hospital, waiting for someone to care for him.” The shopkeeper shook his head. “You know, people... they don’t ask for riches or fame, just a peaceful life, a happy family. That’s already a lot.”
As the shopkeeper weighed the oranges and strawberries, Chi Ye lowered his gaze and quietly asked, “How old is that grandson you mentioned?”
“About your age, I think. I heard he’s doing really well in school. He’ll probably go to a top university, just like his mom. That family has great genes,” the shopkeeper replied casually, then turned back to chat with the other shopkeeper. “Unlike my family, my son can barely pass English. I must have had blessings from my ancestors!”
Chi Ye grabbed the bag with the fruit and walked out of the store, suddenly feeling a pang of sadness.
No matter how painful or tragic the memories were for the people involved, to outsiders, they were nothing more than words of sympathy.
It would eventually turn into idle talk after meals, shared among friends and passed on.
As light as a feather.
Walking along the uneven streets of Jiuzhang Road, Chi Ye thought back to the chemistry lab, where he had heard the alarm and seen Wen Xiao crouching in the corner, terrified, his hands pressed tightly over his ears. He also remembered Wen Xiao, walking down the hallway of the mental health center, his eyes red from crying, lost in a daze. His heart clenched, a dull, aching pain suddenly spreading through his chest.
It was like a thousand needles piercing his heart, one after another, each needle pushing deeper, the tips still bloody.
The winds howled like a tsunami. Chi Ye felt as if he were walking through vacuum. Each breath felt like his chest was bound by tight bandages, suffocating him.
A moment later, a few scattered pedestrians on the street saw him stop under the thick shade of the trees, beneath the dim streetlight. He took a few steps, then, as if unable to move further, crouched down.
His gaze fixed on a few wild grasses growing through the cracks in the ground. Chi Ye’s fingers clenched tightly, and it took him a long time to regain his composure.
He couldn’t fully empathize, nor did he feel pity for the things that happened to others. After all, his own family wasn’t exactly in a better place. Or perhaps, in hospitals and among the underprivileged, he had witnessed countless tragedies.
He was just heartbroken, heartbroken for the only one who survived, heartbroken that he had to go through all this.
Heartbroken for Wen Xiao who was left behind.
When he returned home, Yaya was already asleep. Chi Ye washed the strawberries and arranged them on a plate, then picked out the prettiest orange. After drawing a smiley face on the peel, he quietly entered Yaya’s room and placed the orange and the plate of strawberries on the bedside table, so that when she woke up tomorrow, it would be the first thing she saw.
In the bedroom, the light from the window across the room was on. Chi Ye stood by the window for a long time.
The sports festival had lasted for two and a half days. On Monday, during the long break, Xu Rui and the others started by exchanging test papers to check answers. After a while, the conversation turned to calculations.
"The sports festival lasted two and a half days, from Friday to Saturday, and Sunday morning. If we’re being conservative, we got half a day off. If we count generously, we got three days off. The amount of homework remained the same. So, the question is: did we profit or did we lose big?"
"We profited! Have you ever seen the affiliated high school give three days off? How many days do we have for winter break and National Day? Compared to that, this is a huge win!"
"Get out of here. The homework is still the same amount, but now we only have half a day to do it, and we still have to come to school early in the morning. We don't even have time to sleep in. This is a massive blood loss, not a win!"
Chi Ye walked around the circle of people discussing, then placed the breakfast he was holding on Wen Xiao’s desk. He pulled out a chair, put down his backpack, and noticed Zhao Yiyang was staring blankly at the motivational quotes on the wall. "What’s up with the master?"
Wen Xiao inserted the straw into his soy milk and answered, "Fallen in love."
"In love?" Chi Ye was surprised. "Wasn’t he still single last Friday?"
Wen Xiao elaborated, "Unrequited love. The kind where the object of affection doesn’t even know you exist."
"Damn," Chi Ye laughed. "I knew it. With a personality like yours, falling in love must involve calculating the birth charts, zodiac signs, and blood types of both parties. Your progress bar couldn't possibly move that fast."
Wen Xiao pulled a school uniform out of his backpack. "This is yours. You forgot it on Friday when you left, so I took it with me."
Taking the uniform, Chi Ye smelled it at the tip of his nose. "It smells nice."
"That's the laundry detergent," Wen Xiao explained. "If it’s too dirty and you leave it for a couple of days without washing, it’ll start to smell."
Chi Ye didn’t pay much attention to Wen Xiao’s explanation. Without warning, he leaned in close to Wen Xiao’s collar and inhaled deeply. In a lowered voice, he said, "We smell the same, deskmate."
Once he lowered his voice, his tone became slightly hoarse, different from his usual speaking voice.
Wen Xiao's heart skipped a beat. He replied, "Of course we smell the same because I used the same laundry detergent."
Chi Ye smiled, watching Wen Xiao for a couple of seconds, then shoved the neatly folded school uniform into his own backpack.
Zhao Yiyang, who had been staring at the portrait of Gorky on the wall for an unknown amount of time, finally snapped out of it. "Chi-ge, how come you're here? No, when did you get here?"
"Ten minutes ago," Chi Ye replied, then asked, "I heard you’ve fallen in love?"
"Yes!" Zhao Yiyang said proudly. "Thanks to my extensive network, by the second day of the sports festival, I already knew my goddess’ name, class, and student ID. She’s in second year too, has been dancing since elementary school, and her name is Wei Xinyan. Isn’t that name just beautiful?"
Chi Ye shrugged, disinterested. "If you think it’s beautiful, then that’s what matters."
Zhao Yiyang sighed in defeat. "We’re both in the second academic building, but every time I go up and down the stairs between classes, I never bump into her!"
Chi Ye: "That just means you’re not meant to be. If you were, you'd be sitting next to her right now."
Wen Xiao, who had been writing vocabulary words, heard him and glanced over at Chi Ye.
Chi Ye curved his lips into a smile and sent a look toward Wen Xiao.
Zhao Yiyang, oblivious to the small exchanges between the two, spoke mysteriously. "But I’m not worried. I’ve learned a new trick. This method has been passed down for over a thousand years at our school, and it’s always worked! They say the ancient scholars here used to do the same thing!"
"A thousand years?" Chi Ye’s interest piqued. "What’s this trick? Tell me."
Zhao Yiyang lowered his voice, clearly proud of himself. "At the back of your desk, use anything — anything at all — and carve the name of the person you want to see. Be serious about it, every stroke. Within three days after you finish carving, you will definitely meet the person you want to see!" He paused dramatically. "I’ve already used a compass to carve the character ‘Wei.’ The progress is looking good!"
Chi Ye leaned toward Wen Xiao. "Deskmate, do you believe that?"
Before Wen Xiao could answer, Zhao Yiyang, brimming with confidence, added, "Just wait, wait for the moment the miracle happens!"
That evening, Chi Ye finished reconciling the accounts at his desk. He snapped the pen shut and mentally reviewed the numbers. Still not satisfied, he reopened the records and double-checked them.
He leaned back in his chair, his neck creaking slightly with the motion. As he stared at the ceiling, his eyes caught sight of the school uniform on the bed. He stared at it for half a minute, then, almost without thinking, stretched out his arm and grabbed it.
The uniform was the most basic kind — blue and white sportswear, the fabric rough. Chi Ye pinched it between his fingers, hesitating and yet feeling an odd excitement. Slowly, he brought it closer.
It wasn't until the tip of his nose brushed against the fabric that Chi Ye gave up controlling his breath. He closed his eyes and took a deep, steady inhale.
It was Wen Xiao’s scent.
His fingers, clutching the uniform, suddenly tightened, his breath trembling. Chi Ye pressed his face into the fabric again, inhaling deeply until his lungs reached their limit, unable to take in any more air. Only then did he relax.
His mouth was dry.
In the next instant, Chi Ye abruptly pulled the uniform away, as if it had something on it that had caused him to lose his composure.
Wen Xiao finished solving a math problem, checked his answer against the reference solution, and put down his pen when he found the same result. He interlocked his fingers and stretched them forward, relieving his sore hands.
A knock sounded at the door.
Slipping on his slippers, Wen Xiao flicked on the hallway light and opened the door.
At the door, the person he had seen earlier that day was standing in the hallway, holding a black-and-white hoodie that he had seen him wear before.
Chi Ye: "The water’s off at my place. Can I shower here?"
The water's off?
Wen Xiao stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter. "Come in."