My Deskmate Chapter 56
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 56
They didn’t stay in the hall until the end.
Halfway through the lecture on English, their eyes met. With a shared understanding, they quietly slipped out through a side door.
The rain wasn’t heavy outside. Chi Ye turned to Wen Xiao and asked, "Where do you want to go?"
Wen Xiao didn’t answer right away. Instead, he asked, "When are you leaving?"
Chi Ye glanced at the time. "About half an hour. I’m leaving at six to deliver some hardware." His hands reached over to gently pinch Wen Xiao's earlobe. "So soft."
Wen Xiao didn’t push his hand away. He let Chi Ye pinch his ear several times until it started to get uncomfortable, then he finally spoke, his tone cool, "If you keep doing that, it’ll turn red."
Chi Ye didn’t dare admit that he was thinking of just such an outcome. He paused, reluctantly stopping the teasing.
In the end, they didn’t go anywhere else. They headed back to the classroom together.
The entire floor was empty. They entered through the back door, and the blackboard, forgotten in the rush, was still covered in the physics teacher’s wild, sprawling handwriting, nearly spilling over the edges. Each desk was cluttered with books, water bottles, cups, or cans. It looked chaotic, colorful, and messy at a glance.
Chi Ye pulled out a chair and sat down next to Wen Xiao. He watched as Wen Xiao opened a workbook and uncapped his pen, ready to dive into the problems.
Whether it was the environment or the person sitting beside him, Chi Ye felt his restlessness settle. He leaned his head on the desk, his eyes fixed on Wen Xiao, and his voice softened, "You looked really... good on stage."
He had originally considered using a more sophisticated word, but just as he was about to speak, Chi Ye thought that “good-looking” was simple yet perfectly fitting. After all, no word could truly capture it.
Wen Xiao paused, his pen hovering over the paper. Without looking at Chi Ye, he asked, "Aren’t you going to sleep?"
Chi Ye: "How do you know I want to sleep?"
Wen Xiao turned his head, gently tracing a line under Chi Ye's eye with his little finger. "You’re looking tired. How long did you sleep last night?"
"About three hours, I think. I didn’t pay much attention." Chi Ye rubbed his temples. "Woke up just after five this morning. I think I had an unhappy dream. After waking up, I couldn’t fall back asleep, so I started browsing medical papers online. I found one that was pretty recent. It was in all English and seemed a little different from my mom’s illness, but somehow, I ended up reading the whole thing."
Outside, two classes were having PE, and the occasional sharp sound of whistles cut through the air. Wen Xiao pulled white earbuds from his bag and plugged them into his phone, starting to tap the screen.
Chi Ye was just about to ask what Wen Xiao was going to listen to when suddenly, an earbud was shoved into his right ear.
It was the sound of rain — soothing, almost hypnotic white noise.
Wen Xiao turned to him and asked, "Is white noise okay, or do you prefer light music?"
"Anything’s fine." When Wen Xiao reached to plug the other earbud into his ear, Chi Ye spoke up. "How about this: we each listen to one side?"
"Alright." Wen Xiao adjusted the white earbud in his ear, then gently placed his hand over Chi Ye's eyes. "Go to sleep. I’ll wake you when it’s time."
The light was blocked, and the room grew dimmer. Chi Ye felt the drowsiness he’d been holding back begin to rise, and a wave of fatigue washed over him. "Okay, I’ll just rest for a bit."
After a while, when he was sure Chi Ye's breathing had steadied, Wen Xiao noticed the dark circles under his eyes. He sat up properly and began to focus on his work.
Xu Guangqi had forgotten his phone in the office. When he came back to get it, he planned to head downstairs to the auditorium. As he passed by the classroom, he unconsciously glanced inside.
He stopped at the window in the hallway, not moving any further.
Through the glass, he saw the last row of seats. Two young men sat close together. One sat upright, his blue-and-white school uniform neat and fresh, even the collar was turned properly. He had his head slightly lowered, holding a pen as he worked on problems.
The other had his head resting on his arm, face turned toward the right, already asleep. His collar was crooked, and the zipper on his jacket was likely left undone, giving him a carefree, disorganized look.
A single white earbud cable stretched between them.
The rain had stopped, and the sky had brightened. Inside the classroom, everything was still a bit chaotic. Xu Guangqi quietly pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the scene.
As he focused the camera, he couldn’t help but feel a fondness in his heart. This was probably why he loved being a high school homeroom teacher and working with this group of young people. Each one of them had their own personality. Although they were constantly making noise, driving him up the wall, and getting into all sorts of mischief—
But wasn’t it exactly because of their boundless energy, fearlessness, and the endless possibilities before them that they were called teenagers?
He himself had been polished until his edges were smooth, becoming ordinary and unremarkable. But there had been a time when he dreamed of wandering the world with a sword, of reaching for the heavens and becoming someone extraordinary.
The fearlessness he had once cherished in his youth, he now saw reflected in Chi Ye, in Wen Xiao, and in so many other young people.
Before the evening study session, the classroom was noisy. Xu Guangqi stood at the door, his face stern as he called out, "Out of all the classes on this floor, ours is the loudest. Do I have to take your lives to get you to lower your voices?"
After his shout, the classroom quieted for about a minute, but as soon as he left, the noise level immediately returned to its previous height.
Xu Rui was so excited he nearly jumped in place. "Damn, Wen Xiao, from now on, you’re Xiao-ge! Your way of thinking about physics is amazing, and the best part is I actually understood everything!" He puffed up proudly. "On my way back, a bunch of the top students from the neighboring classes said you were incredible. They know talent when they see it!"
When Wen Xiao heard "Xiao-ge," it reminded him of the nickname "Chi-ge," and he couldn’t help but wonder — was Chi Ye home by now?
Zhao Yiyang, clutching his notebook, pounded the desk. "I just wish I had recorded it. That was brilliant. Way more practical than the way our physics teacher explains things!" He pressed his palms together in admiration. "You’re a true master!"
Suddenly, Wen Xiao wondered, how would Chi Ye respond if he were here?
After thinking it over, Wen Xiao answered, "You flatter me. I'm humbled."
Xu Rui froze for a second, then said, a bit slower, "Damn, at this moment, Xiao-ge sounds just like Chi-ge. You only needed five words to convey so many layers of meaning!"
Zhao Yiyang nodded vigorously. "Yeah, like sarcasm." He turned to Wen Xiao, looking serious and almost heartbroken. "Wen Xiao, you’ve fallen into Chi-ge’s trap!"
The pen in his fingers spun with flair, but Wen Xiao didn’t deny it. He had indeed been led astray by Chi Ye, like with early romance, for instance.
By the time evening study ended, the rain outside had grown heavier. Those with umbrellas or parents picking them up had already left. Wen Xiao’s grandmother called to ask if he needed her to bring him an umbrella, but Wen Xiao made up an excuse about sharing an umbrella with a classmate, telling her not to bother coming over. His grandmother was getting old, and he didn’t feel comfortable letting her go out in the middle of the night.
After finishing his chemistry homework, Wen Xiao didn’t bother cramming the thick workbook into his bag to take home. He only put a few test papers and two notebooks into his bag, then casually slung it over his shoulder.
As he walked down the stairs, he stopped at the entrance of the second academic building when he saw who was approaching.
"Surprised to see your Chi-ge?" Chi Ye wrapped an arm around Wen Xiao’s slim shoulder and pulled him under his umbrella. His breath was still a bit quick. "I was worried I wouldn't be able to pick you up on time, but I didn't see you after waiting at the school gate for a long time, so I had to come in. I wasn't wearing my school uniform, so I had to use facial recognition to get past the gatekeeper."
The rain pattered on the umbrella fabric, and the fabric of their clothes rubbed together. Wen Xiao glanced up at him and asked, "How did you know I didn’t bring an umbrella?"
"I didn’t see one this afternoon, so I guessed you didn’t bring one. Probably thought you’d just get wet on the way back," Chi Ye said, ruffling Wen Xiao's hair a couple of times. Then, with a playful tilt of his head, he whispered in his ear, "What would you do if you caught a cold and fever, huh?"
With Chi Ye so close, his warm breath made Wen Xiao's ears itch. He pressed his ear against Chi Ye’s lips, gently halting his teasing with a quiet, "Itchy."
Chi Ye, seemingly unfazed by the sudden "kiss," didn’t back off. Instead, he blew air against Wen Xiao's sensitive ear. "How about now? Does it still tickle?"
With no way to escape, Wen Xiao found himself getting a little overwhelmed. He gave a warning, his tone firm, "Chi Ye, don’t push your luck."
His expression and tone were both cold and detached, but there was nothing threatening about it.
Chi Ye also felt that his earlier actions had been a bit childish, not really fitting his usual image. He decided to leave it at that, straightened up, and started holding the umbrella properly.
The bus they boarded was the last one of the night. Even though the bus was nearly empty, the two of them still made their way to the very back, not minding the distance. After all, their legs were long.
"Did the material delivery go smoothly?" Wen Xiao asked.
Chi Ye took hold of Wen Xiao’s fingers, squeezing them absentmindedly as he answered, "Yeah, it went smoothly. Actually, I ran into an acquaintance of my mom’s — someone she knew through old connections. This guy has been out of town for the past couple of years, but he just came back recently and opened a construction site. He’d been trying to reach my mom, but couldn’t get ahold of her. It happened that we ran into each other today. He's decided on a supplier for building materials, and I'm going to see if I can get him to buy fasteners, office supplies, and general tools from me."
Chi Ye rarely talked about work stuff. It was all so dry and boring, and he didn’t find it interesting to discuss. After mentioning it, he was about to change the subject when he felt Wen Xiao tilt his head and rest it on his shoulder. "And then?" Wen Xiao asked, his voice curious.
"And then what?"
"Do you think there’s a good chance he’ll agree? What exactly are fasteners?"
Chi Ye couldn’t help but laugh, his eyes filled with amusement. He explained, "There’s a good chance he’ll agree. He just got back, and familiar connections usually have more reliable supply sources and pricing. It’ll be less of a headache for him. As for fasteners, you can think of them as screws and nuts — different sizes, but basically that kind of thing. They’re small, but there’s a huge demand for them."
The conversation carried on like that throughout the ride. Wen Xiao mostly listened, hearing about what Chi Ye had been doing, what he’d been busy with, and which parts were more troublesome. Whenever he didn’t understand a word, he’d ask, and Chi Ye would explain.
Chi Ye walked Wen Xiao to the entrance, his hands casually tucked into his pants pockets. "Heading up?"
"Yeah, heading up." Wen Xiao adjusted the strap of his black backpack, pausing for a moment before adding, "Be careful."
Chi Ye curved his lips into a smile. "Got it. Go on, I’ll watch you go up."
Stepping away from the shelter of the black umbrella, Wen Xiao made his way to the hallway. He had barely ascended three steps when he couldn’t resist looking back.
In the fine mist of rain, Chi Ye, wearing a white T-shirt and black cargo pants, stood holding the umbrella with one hand. His long legs were spread apart, his hands in his pockets, and his lean arms visible. He looked like a sharpened sword, poised and strong.
Wen Xiao watched for a few seconds, then turned to continue up the stairs. But after only a couple of steps, he felt his arm being pulled with a sudden, forceful tug.
By now, Wen Xiao was completely accustomed to Chi Ye’s touch. His body’s natural reflexes had long since given way when it came to Chi Ye. He turned to him, asking, "What’s up?"
In the next moment, he was pulled into Chi Ye’s arms.