My Deskmate Chapter 59 (Part 2)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 59.2
The Monday morning flag-raising ceremony had begun, and during the speeches beneath the national flag, many people stood yawning.
Zhao Yiyang craned his neck, trying to get a better view of the stage. "The principal finishes, and then Cheng Xiaoning speaks. I estimate he’ll ramble on for another fifteen minutes." He pressed his palms together in a prayer. "Amitabha, may the gods bless that speaker’s microphone malfunction."
Shangguan Yu stood next to him and said, "Master, do you believe that if the microphone breaks, Cheng Xiaoning will just shout at the top of his lungs and still finish reading the speech?"
"......" Zhao Yiyang kept his palms pressed together, turning to Wen Xiao. "Xiao-ge, what do you think?"
Wen Xiao: "Ninety percent probability."
It made sense. Cheng Xiaoning’s determination was unmatched. Zhao Yiyang relaxed and lowered his hands.
On stage, Cheng Xiaoning was announcing the students who had cheated during the monthly exam. "...These students, who blatantly violated exam rules and the fundamental principles of integrity, will all receive demerits..."
Bored and unable to play on his phone, Zhao Yiyang leaned over and whispered, "I wonder how long it’ll take to grade these papers. Maybe it’s because we’ve had so many exams this semester, but I’m not even nervous anymore. Plus, the first place is a given. Betting on it wouldn’t even be exciting."
Shangguan Yu: "Same here. Do you remember what Old Xu used to say? That by the time we hit third year, exam papers aren’t really exam papers anymore, and we'll all see through the surface and find the essence. I've already seen through it. Amitabha Buddha."
"Hey, don’t steal my line!" Zhao Yiyang burst out laughing. "Now my mind is filled with the image of Old Xu holding his erhu and playing accompaniment for a weight-loss exercise. Hahaha!"
Back in the classroom, Zhao Yiyang’s eyes scanned the empty seat in the last row, and he started muttering again. "I wonder if Chi-ge will come today. This desk is probably covered in dust by now."
Wen Xiao’s hand paused slightly as he reached to pull out his chair, but he didn’t respond.
Chi Ye didn’t come to school for the next three days.
The results of the monthly exam were posted, with the rankings displayed on the wall at the back of the classroom. Wen Xiao still held the top spot, as usual, leaving the second-place student trailing by more than ten points. At the bottom of the list was Chi Ye’s name, and in each subject’s column, the words “Absent” were written.
Zhao Yiyang rested his head on his hand, staring at the list. "Even though it's the last spot, I’m so used to Chi-ge’s 60 points. Seeing this is hard on my eyes." He asked, "Wen Xiao, have you seen Chi-ge these past few days? If you count the Monday two weeks ago when he came, it’s been twelve days since he last came to school!"
"I saw him last weekend."
Wen Xiao remembered that Yaya was discharged on Monday. Chi Ye had sent a photo of her, but he hadn’t seen him again for the next three days.
They had been talking on the phone in the evenings. Chi Ye’s voice had sounded extremely tired, though he tried not to show it. Last night, the call hadn’t come until 2 AM, and after just a few words, the other side had gone silent. Chi Ye had fallen asleep holding the phone.
Wen Xiao sat at his desk, ear pressed to the receiver, quietly listening for a long time before hanging up.
As they were talking, Xu Rui eagerly leaned in. "Guys, I just heard some news!"
The others turned their attention to him in sync. "What news?"
"Our school's northeast corner," Xu Rui said excitedly, "Remember how they found a tomb there? The excavation is finished, but now there’s a new update. That whole area has been marked off as part of the school, and the plan is to build an exhibition hall right on the site of the tomb!"
"An exhibition hall?" Zhao Yiyang focused on that detail. "The tomb was excavated by our school, and the land was provided by our school too. So, will the school charge an entrance fee for visitors?"
They then discussed the land prices and free ticket issues within the 1st Ring Road of Mingnan City. It wasn't until the class bell rang that they finally took their seats.
After the evening study session, it started to drizzle outside again.
Wen Xiao hadn’t brought an umbrella. By the time he got home, his school jacket was soaked through. His grandmother, who was standing at the door, scolded him as soon as she saw him.
"Next time, leave an umbrella at school," she chided. "I know you don't want me to come pick you up because you think it's unsafe, but what if you catch a cold from being out in the rain?" She draped a light-colored towel over Wen Xiao's head. "Hurry up and dry off. The weather's been changing so quickly, hot one minute, cold the next. Didn’t you sneeze this morning? If you catch a cold, it’ll be miserable..."
Wen Xiao dried his hair and placed his schoolbag in the bedroom. Out of habit, he glanced across the room — Chi Ye still hadn’t come back. The bedroom light was off, and the room was completely dark.
His grandmother called from the other room, asking what he wanted for a late-night snack. Wen Xiao snapped his attention back and, slipping on his slippers, went to the kitchen.
He didn’t expect that by the next morning, he’d already caught the cold.
When Wen Xiao woke up, his throat felt sore, and his limbs were weak.
When his grandmother realized he hadn’t gotten up by the time it was almost late for school, she knocked on his door. "Xiaoxiao, you're going to be late for school."
Wen Xiao instinctively answered, "I’ll be up in a minute."
But the words that came out of his mouth were hoarse, a sound so unlike his usual voice.
It was chilly in the morning, and his grandmother, wrapped in a plain-colored shawl, came into his room. "Did you catch a cold?" she asked, placing her hand on his forehead as she spoke.
Wen Xiao wasn’t sure if his body temperature was too high or if his grandmother's hand was just too cold, but the touch made his eyelashes flutter.
"Why are you so hot?" His grandmother exclaimed in surprise. "Wait here, lie down and I'll get the thermometer."
The thermometer showed a temperature of 39°C. His grandmother sat by the bed, holding the thermometer in her hand. "This is a high fever. You shouldn’t go to school today. I’ll call your homeroom teacher and tell them you’re sick. If you collapse on the way, what will we do?"
Wen Xiao did feel quite unwell, but he didn’t want to worry his grandmother, so he didn’t refuse. "Okay."
When Wen Xiao made a move to get up, his grandmother immediately became cautious. "What are you getting up for?"
"I’m going to brush my teeth," Wen Xiao explained. "I’ll lie back down after breakfast."
His grandmother finally waved her hand in agreement. "Okay, okay. Be careful. I’ll go make the call."
After breakfast, Wen Xiao lay back down in bed. He felt that apart from his heavy head and the feverish heat spreading through his body, there wasn’t much else wrong. But since his health had been poor all of last year, his grandmother was extra worried. She took his temperature every hour and reminded him to drink water every thirty minutes. Wen Xiao watched her come and go, obediently drinking when she asked, and letting her take his temperature over and over.
His grandmother brought in a small cup of warm water. Watching Wen Xiao drink it, she sighed, "You know, you seem so aloof and indifferent, but you're actually very well-behaved. You're the complete opposite of your mother. She always looked obedient, but her will was strong. She wouldn’t listen to anyone."
Wen Xiao: "My mom always says that if you're not stubborn and your ideas aren’t firm, you won’t be able to do research."
His grandmother laughed, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes deepening. "That's true. She always manages to come up with an excuse for everything." Taking the empty cup from his hand, she asked, "By the way, your deskmate’s little sister was hospitalized with a fever. Is she okay now?"
"She’s fine now. She was discharged on Monday."
His grandmother nodded. "Good. Kids suffer the most when they're sick, and the adults suffer with them. It's good that she’s out of the hospital." She stood to leave, but then turned back to add, "I’m going out to buy some groceries. I’ll be back soon. You stay in bed and don’t move around!"
Wen Xiao's face was pale, with a slight redness on his cheeks, and his lips were dry. He nodded, his voice hoarse. "I know. I won’t move."
Once the door closed, the house fell into silence. Wen Xiao received a message from Zhao Yiyang, asking if it was true that he was taking sick leave and whether it was something serious.
Wen Xiao quickly explained that he just had a cold and fever.
After sending the message, Wen Xiao closed the chat window and mindlessly scrolled through his message list. After a long pause, he tapped on Chi Ye’s contact but then hesitated, his finger hovering over the keyboard for a long while. In the end, he didn’t type anything.