My Deskmate Chapter 62 (Part 1)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 62.1
Wen Xiao worked through the practice questions at lightning speed. Even with Chi Ye sitting next to him, it didn’t hinder him from finishing an entire test paper in under an hour.
As they were about to leave, Wen Xiao took the black backpack from Chi Ye’s hand and asked casually, "Do you have a lot going on these next couple of days?"
His expression was calm, as if it were just a casual question, but Chi Ye caught the subtle undercurrent of emotion hidden in his words. "I should be done by tomorrow afternoon," Chi Ye replied. "My mom’s doctor wants me to go to the hospital, but after that, I’ll be free."
Wen Xiao didn’t say anything. He simply slung the backpack over one shoulder and stood quietly.
Chi Ye’s heart softened inexplicably. "Tomorrow... can we meet again?"
Wen Xiao nodded without hesitation. "Sure. Nine o’clock in the evening, at the basketball court?"
The fact that Wen Xiao had already thought of a time and place made Chi Ye’s smile deepen. "Basketball court it is."
Later that evening, even Wen Xiao’s grandmother noticed something different at the dinner table. "Xiaoxiao, you’re in a good mood, aren’t you?"
Wen Xiao paused mid-reach for a dish but quickly returned to his usual calm, placing a piece of pork rib into his bowl. He didn’t deny it. "Is it that obvious?"
"Very obvious," his grandmother replied with a knowing smile. She sat across from him, draped in a beige shawl, and ladled soup into his bowl. "My eyes may need reading glasses these days, but I can still see that much. Did something good happen?"
She had always worried about Wen Xiao. After the accident, he had gone through an extended period of sleepless nights. He would occasionally fall asleep with the help of medication, but would soon wake up in nightmares. He couldn't eat and became so weak that he couldn't get out of bed. He even lost the ability to communicate. She worried every day that Wen Xiao wouldn't be able to recover from the shadow of that accident.
Day by day, things finally began to improve. Wen Xiao’s grandmother brought him to Mingnan and had him transfer schools, hoping to distance him as much as possible from the past and give him a chance at a fresh start.
People, after all, have to keep moving forward.
Thankfully, at his new school, Wen Xiao gradually made friends and started experiencing moments of joy again.
That night, Wen Xiao tried to pinpoint the reason behind his unusually good mood, but he couldn’t quite put it into words. If he had to guess, it was probably because he’d made plans with Chi Ye to play basketball tomorrow night.
If broken down, the plan itself was utterly ordinary. Playing basketball wasn’t anything special, nor were the time or place. They’d been to the basketball court many times before. But if he really thought about it, maybe it was the act of making plans itself that gave this ordinary event with ordinary time and place a special meaning.
Was this... a date?
His grandmother interrupted his thoughts. "Is it because of the monthly exam results? Your homeroom teacher called me to explain there was a mistake in the scoring. The grader accidentally docked you ten points. Even though you were still ranked first, there’s a big difference between 140 and a perfect score."
Wen Xiao responded with a noncommittal hum and steered the conversation elsewhere. "How were your grades when you were in school, Grandma?"
She chuckled as she recalled. "Me? I attended an all-girls school when I was young. My grades were always excellent. That’s when I learned French. My speaking skills aren’t great, but I can still read and write just fine. I was usually first or second in my class. My essays were well-regarded, so my literature teacher was heartbroken to hear I preferred math and physics. She was upset for days and thought it was such a pity. In our family, I think the only one who didn’t do well in school was your mother."
Wen Xiao looked puzzled. "Mom? She told me she always got perfect scores in math and physics."
"She didn’t lie to you," his grandmother said with a smile, "but I bet she didn’t tell you that she used to leave her Chinese exams completely blank, did she? She’d hand in her papers with nothing on them except her name and student ID. I lost count of how many times I had to go to school to smooth things over with her teachers!" She placed a piece of braised pork rib into Wen Xiao’s bowl. "Thank goodness you’re not like your mom. If you handed in blank Chinese exams, I’d probably have even more gray hairs by now!"
Wen Xiao paused, his chopsticks hovering in mid-air, and asked suddenly, "Grandma, what if I make a mistake in the future?"
"Well then, let’s start by defining what counts as a mistake."
Her gaze rested gently on him, her voice measured and calm. "You should understand that in this world, right and wrong are often relative. In fact, they’re concepts created by humans to maintain the survival of their communities. So, right and wrong aren’t absolute. As long as you don’t break the law, harm innocent people, or violate the principles you set for yourself, then it isn’t truly wrong."
Her voice softened as she continued, "I trust you, Xiaoxiao. You’re smart, you understand the rules, and, more importantly, you’re rational and clear-headed. Now, eat this piece of pork rib too. You’re still too thin, and you need to put on a bit more weight."
Wen Xiao didn’t argue. He obediently ate the pork rib.
When there was something to look forward to, time seemed to pass quickly.
Wen Xiao finished his practice paper at half his usual speed. After saying goodbye to his grandmother, he told her he was heading to the basketball court downstairs. His grandmother, busy knitting a sweater, beamed with approval. "Go get some exercise! And don’t come back before ten o’clock."
Hooking his finger through his keys and slipping on his sneakers, Wen Xiao replied, "Got it. I’ll remember."
One of the lights near the basketball court was broken, leaving the area dimmer than usual. Wen Xiao arrived ten minutes earlier than the agreed time. He strolled around the court twice before settling down against the basketball hoop. Taking out his phone, he leaned back and waited.
There were still five minutes until nine.
Wen Xiao tapped into the class group chat and found it buzzing with activity.
Shangguan Yu: I’ve already spent all my pocket money for the week, but why haven’t I pulled a 5S card yet?
Class Monitor - Chen Zhenyu: It’s because you just smuggled in from Africa and haven’t gotten your residence permit for Europe yet, hahaha!"
Zhao Yiyang: It’s because you haven’t spent enough money! Keep going, kid, throw in a whole month’s worth of pocket money!
Shangguan Yu: Damn it, Master, is this game developed and run by your family?
Wen Xiao scrolled through the chat for a bit, then glanced at the time. Three minutes had already passed, leaving only two. He slipped his phone back into his pocket.
At the same time, he began counting in his head: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7...
However, by the time he reached 300, no one had appeared to walk toward the basketball court.
He guessed that something must have come up to hold Chi Ye back. He pulled out his phone again, opened his study app, selected a random subject, set the difficulty to the highest level, and began working seriously on the questions.
His white sneakers scuffed against the concrete floor as he spread his legs apart. His long fingers, with their distinct joints, selected an answer before swiping to the next question. He worked through problem after problem until a reminder popped up on his phone: battery at 10%. Only then did Wen Xiao stop.
It was 9:23.
Wen Xiao felt a twinge of concern. He opened his contacts and immediately spotted Chi Ye’s name. His list of friends was small, and his contacts even fewer. Besides his grandmother, Chi Ye was the only one there. His finger hovered over the screen for a few seconds, then, after a brief hesitation, he pressed dial.
The call was connecting.
But instead of the usual tone, a recorded voice responded: "The user you are calling is currently unavailable."
Unavailable?
Wen Xiao thought for a moment. It was probably because Chi Ye’s phone had run out of battery, or perhaps for some other reason.
He stayed under the basketball hoop, not leaving, and ten minutes later, he dialed again. The same message played. Chi Ye’s phone was still off.
When the battery dropped to just 6%, Wen Xiao stopped dialing. He checked to make sure the phone wasn’t on silent, then slipped it back into his pocket.
The hospital.
The hallway was quiet, the stillness broken only by the distant sound of a person crying. Someone was speaking gently, trying to calm the weeping, but the sobs showed no signs of stopping.
A nurse approached, asking what was going on.
"The patient in bed 3," the nurse explained, "I thought he could hang on a little longer. I heard he was a retired teacher, so many of his students came to visit him every day. I never expected he’d go so suddenly..."
Chi Ye had just signed the critical condition notice. His fingers trembled as he held the pen, none of them steady or straight. He made his way to the nurse’s station, his voice hoarse. "Excuse me, do you have a phone charger? My phone’s dead."
The nurses here all knew him. One of them opened a drawer, pulled out a white charger, and handed it to him, offering a comforting smile. "Dr. Yang, the one on duty today, is really good. Don’t worry."
Chi Ye took the charger and murmured, "Thank you."
The outlet was right nearby. He plugged in the charger, and after a brief moment, the phone powered on. Nearly an hour had passed since nine. Chi Ye took a deep breath, his fingers still trembling as he dialed Wen Xiao’s number.
"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable. Sorry..."
The nurse watched as Chi Ye dialed again, then heard the familiar message. He hung up, repeated the action, and dialed again.
After he dialed six or seven times in quick succession, two nurses exchanged glances. The one who had handed him the charger spoke carefully. "Do you think maybe they’re just unavailable right now? Or perhaps their phone’s out of charge?"
Phone calls weren’t as frequent as they used to be, and very few people could memorize a phone number by heart. Seeing how smoothly Chi Ye dialed the number, it was clear that the person on the other end was very important to him.
The other nurse offered a suggestion. "Why don’t you send them a message or leave a note on WeChat? That way, when their phone turns on, they’ll see it. Or—"
Chi Ye looked up.
For some reason, the voice of the nurse speaking to him gradually faltered, and she averted her gaze, almost as if she were afraid.
The young man’s dark eyes were filled with restless agitation, as if he were frightened of something, panic leaking from him in waves.