My Deskmate Chapter 45
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 45
The sound of the shower running echoed from the bathroom. The house, which was especially quiet without his grandmother's presence, didn't feel as suffocating as it could have been.
The bedroom door was open. Wen Xiao tidied up the already neat pile of textbooks and scratch papers on the desk and sat down to continue doing math problems. His pen spun between his fingers, but despite himself, images of the scene under the shower began to float to the forefront of his mind.
Chi Ye had a lean and toned physique, with a defined waist and noticeable abs. His shoulders were broad, muscles taut beneath the skin, perhaps because he wasn’t a delicate flower sheltered in a greenhouse. Every inch of him seemed to contain burgeoning strength. If water droplets were to cling to his skin—
The pen in his fingers slipped, making a sharp clink as it hit the desk, like the toll of a midnight bell. Wen Xiao snapped back to his senses, momentarily confused about why such images had even crossed his mind.
His heart pounded quickly, each beat louder in the stillness of the night. Wen Xiao took a deep breath, forcing the flutter in his chest to settle.
About ten minutes later, the bathroom door opened, and Chi Ye, wearing Wen Xiao's spare slippers, emerged, his damp hair spiking in all directions. His clothes were still wet, the black-and-white hoodie visibly soaked through in patches.
Seeing Wen Xiao still sitting at the desk, Chi Ye walked over and leaned against the edge, his back resting on the desk. He bent one knee slightly, bracing his foot against the floor. "Finished your homework?" Then, realizing how much he sounded like Old Xu, he chuckled. "Forget I asked that. I had no idea how to start a conversation, so I just threw something out there."
"Yeah, it's finished. There wasn’t much today, just one math worksheet."
"Wow, Old Xu actually had a conscience today, huh?" He could feel Wen Xiao’s subtle engagement in the conversation and, in turn, his own mood lifted. "What subject are you working on?"
Hearing the question, Wen Xiao spun his pen two more times, the tip pointing to a multiple-choice question on the paper. "Look at this one."
"A simple harmonic wave is propagating along the positive direction of the x-axis. The solid line represents the waveform at t=0, as shown in the diagram," Chi Ye paused. "If you can’t solve it, there’s no way I will. Come on, wake up, deskmate."
"I’m wide awake." Wen Xiao ignored his comment and continued, "There are four options. Guess one."
"Just one?"
"Yes, that’s right."
Chi Ye hesitated for a moment before answering, "I’ll guess D."
Wen Xiao furrowed his brows slightly. He had been thinking of choosing A. He reworked the problem, incorporating the answer into his calculations. After a moment, he circled "D" in front of the question.
Chi Ye raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Deskmate, aren’t you afraid I’ll lead you astray?"
"I’m not afraid." With that, Wen Xiao nonchalantly moved on to the next question.
One sat, the other stood. From Chi Ye's angle, he had a clear view of the pale, smooth line of Wen Xiao’s neck. At the end of his hairline, a few stray strands of hair clung to the skin. Below, the curve of his neck bone jutted out slightly due to his posture, a sight that made Chi Ye’s hand itch, the urge to reach out and touch it fleetingly crossing his mind.
Just a touch would be enough.
But he stared for quite a while, and in the end, he never moved his hand.
After Wen Xiao finished another problem, Chi Ye spoke up. "Did the Master's method of carving names to summon his crush actually work?"
"It worked. After evening self-study, Master went to the supermarket for snacks and ran into her right outside the door."
Chi Ye was surprised. "No way, he really ran into her? What happened then?"
Wen Xiao: "Then he turned around, got back in line, bought a pack of dried plums exactly like the ones she was holding, brought them back to the classroom, opened the bag, and before he could even eat one, someone passed by and bumped into him and spilled them all."
"That’s so unlucky."
Chi Ye noticed Wen Xiao’s "someone passed by" remark and guessed he didn’t know their name. "Can you name more than ten people in class?"
Wen Xiao thought for a moment. "Maybe about that."
Chi Ye: "Don’t you want to put some effort into remembering them?"
Wen Xiao didn’t answer. He averted his gaze, staring at the "D" he had circled earlier. After a brief pause, he spoke, his voice a little lower. "If you're not involved with someone, you won’t get hurt because of them."
Chi Ye’s fingers, which had been resting on the desk, tightened until they turned white. For a moment, he felt an uncomfortable tightness in his chest. His throat went dry, unable to find the right words. Instead, he reached out and placed his hand on Wen Xiao’s head, gently rubbing it.
Wen Xiao looked up at him with a cold expression. "Are you petting a dog?"
The atmosphere shattered in an instant. Chi Ye’s grin widened. "Ha, I’m petting a cat!"
Even as he spoke, he didn’t release his hold. His palm shifted to Wen Xiao’s smooth forehead, pressing down hard, forcing Wen Xiao’s face to tilt upward, toward him — an action that felt both imposing and intrusive.
Chi Ye’s voice grew hoarse. "Then just be involved with me. Your Chi-ge will never let you be sad."
As Wen Xiao’s clear, unclouded gaze met his, Chi Ye leaned in even closer, so close their noses almost brushed. He saw his own reflection in Wen Xiao’s eyes and smirked. "Do you believe me?"
With his head tilted back, Wen Xiao’s neck muscles tensed, the movement of his Adam's apple clearly visible. Their breaths tangled together, his lashes fluttering as he rasped, "I believe you."
Hearing that response, Chi Ye was satisfied. He straightened up and slid his finger to the corner of Wen Xiao’s eye, gently brushing it. "Wen Xiao."
"What?"
Chi Ye’s smile was like the bright sun of early spring, his voice softening. "If you endure this winter, everything will get better."
No matter how biting the winter wind or how thick the clouds.
No matter how bleak or difficult this winter may be.
It would pass. Everything would get better.
It would definitely get better.
It was already the last two days of April, with the Labor Day holiday just around the corner. The sports festival had just finished, and the whole class seemed restless. This was evident from the increasing difficulty in collecting homework, the sharp rise in students being punished for sleeping or talking in class, and the significant increase in the error rate of their work.
After the morning exercises, the subject representative was still shouting, "Who hasn’t handed in their physics homework? Hurry up and bring it!" In the classroom, some were munching on snacks, others were secretly playing on their phones, and no one paid any attention to him.
The chemistry teacher arrived early, bursting into the room and immediately shouting, "Your physics teacher is waiting in his office! Whoever hasn’t handed in their homework, get it over there right now! He's got OCD, and he'll go crazy if anything is missing! And those of you playing with your phones at the back, turn them off and put them in your bags right now, or I'll go straight to your homeroom teacher!"
Shaken by the chemistry teacher's loud voice, the class finally quieted down a little. When the bell rang for class, the teacher called out names. "Fifth from the left in the third row, come on, recite the electrolysis of saturated saltwater."
The student who had been called on didn’t expect to be singled out. He stood there, utterly confused, mumbling for a while before finally managing to recite a formula.
The chemistry teacher glared at him. "Friend, is this some secret recipe passed down from your ancestors? Can I ask which alchemist in your family came up with this?" Folding his arms, he called to the subject representative, "Come on, take it from here. Get it right, don’t embarrass me."
After the subject representative finished, the teacher sighed, rubbing his temples. "The sports awards are handed out, the snacks are eaten, and you’ve all had your fun gazing at your crushes. You get one day off for Labor Day, and you’re all this excited? Let me ask you, what’s there to be so excited about?"
The classroom fell silent, and then—
"One day? Is the school really this cruel?"
"Teacher, are you serious? Didn't we have two days off last year!"
"Teacher, are you kidding us? How could it possibly be just one day?"
The chemistry teacher feigned surprise. "Oh no, didn’t your homeroom teacher tell you? I'm so sorry for making you feel sad in advance."
Everyone: ......
The teacher opened the textbook with one hand. "So don't get excited anymore. It’s pointless. Now, let’s see what new knowledge we’re going to absorb today!"
Zhao Yiyang leaned back and turned to Wen Xiao. "At your old school, how long was the Labor Day break?"
Wen Xiao thought for a moment. "One day."
Zhao Yiyang was stunned. "One day even in the first year of high school?"
Wen Xiao nodded. "Yeah, and three days for National Day."
"I suddenly realize how lucky I am, living in a sweet, happy bubble. The school’s so good to us — at least we got two days off in our first year." Zhao Yiyang said seriously, "I sympathize with your misfortune, but at the same time, I feel comforted. Thanks, brother."
Wen Xiao: "......"
During the fourth period break, Chi Ye came in. Zhao Yiyang saw him and greeted him with a smile. After being comforted by Wen Xiao’s experience, he was feeling surprisingly content with the one-day Labor Day break. His mood as bright as ever.
Chi Ye slapped hands with Zhao Yiyang, but as soon as he sat down, he noticed something was off with his deskmate. Wen Xiao’s brow was furrowed, his eyes cold and distant behind his glasses, like he had just returned from the North Pole, an aura of chill radiating from him.
"Who upset you?" Chi Ye’s hands itched to mess with Wen Xiao’s hair.
Wen Xiao gave him a look. "Did you get hurt?"
"Damn, you noticed that?" Chi Ye didn’t try to hide it. "How’d you tell?"
Wen Xiao: "You’re slouching when you walk. How did you hurt yourself?"
Chi Ye shrugged indifferently. "This morning, when I was moving some stuff, a metal pipe fell from above and hit my back. Probably left a bruise."
"Did you get medicine for it?"
"I did, brought it to school so you could help me apply it." Chi Ye grinned and pulled a spray bottle from his uniform pocket, handing it to Wen Xiao. "See, I’m so considerate."
Wen Xiao took the spray bottle, read the instructions carefully, then directed Chi Ye, "Lie down on the desk. I’ll check where the bruise is."
Chi Ye obediently lay down.
The curve of his spine was visible beneath his clothes, and Wen Xiao pulled up the hem of Chi Ye’s shirt. It didn’t take long to spot a dark bruise in the middle of his back. The color was vivid, almost blinding to the eye. Wen Xiao couldn’t help but wonder how much force that metal pipe had carried when it struck.
Wen Xiao’s hand trembled as he tugged at the hem of Chi Ye’s shirt, but he quickly clenched it again, his knuckles going white from the pressure.
Shaking the bottle, he lowered his voice, "It might feel a bit cold, just bear with it."
Chi Ye, still lying down, spoke with a subtle nasal tone, his voice relaxed, "Mhm, do whatever you need."
Wen Xiao didn’t pull up the shirt all the way, just lifted the hem enough to slide his hand inside. He sprayed the bruise with two quick bursts, then gently massaged the area. Just as he was applying pressure, the door opened, and Old Xu walked in holding a stack of textbooks and teaching materials. Scanning the room, he suddenly barked, "What are you two doing? Wen Xiao, why is your hand inside Chi Ye's shirt, touching his back?"
The moment those words were shouted, every pair of eyes in the class turned toward the back row.
Chi Ye, who had been lying perfectly still, felt his forehead twitch at the sound of Old Xu’s voice. He lifted his head and, as expected, found himself the center of attention.
"Teacher, he's not touching my back, he's feeling my bones. Wen Xiao discovered I have a unique bone structure, perfect for cultivating immortality." Seeing many of the students go back to their work, he lazily added, "I’m not a girl. If my deskmate touches my back, do you think he should take responsibility?"
The next moment, Wen Xiao’s hand, still on Chi Ye’s back, pressed a bit harder than before. Chi Ye feigned pain and let out a soft hiss, "Hey, deskmate, go easy!"
Considering that Chi Ye was injured, Wen Xiao eased up on the pressure.
After hearing Chi Ye’s teasing, Xu Guangqi realized he might have overreacted. Teenage boys couldn’t sit still. With all their energy and nowhere to release it, things like jumping on the back of a chair or one boy being carried around the classroom by another were things he saw every year.
It was just a back rub, nothing unusual.
When Xu Guangqi finally started the lesson, everyone turned to face the blackboard. Chi Ye propped his elbow on the desk, resting his chin on his hand, and looked at Wen Xiao.
Wen Xiao glanced back at him, confused.
Under the desk, Chi Ye quickly found Wen Xiao’s hand. Because it was covered with a thin layer of ointment, it was a little slippery and slightly cool.
Wen Xiao could feel Chi Ye’s fingers tightening around his own. He lowered his voice, asking, "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," Chi Ye grinned, adding a touch of mischief to his tone. "You touched my back, so now I want you to take responsibility."