My Deskmate Chapter 64
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 64
He stepped out from the shadows, his lips slightly darker from the pressure. Adjusting the strap of his bag on his shoulder, Wen Xiao turned his head to glance at Chi Ye walking beside him. "Are you busy tonight?"
Chi Ye didn’t answer the question directly. Instead, he said, "I’ve been wanting to see you."
Their shoulders brushed as they walked side by side. Both figures were similarly lean and tall, their features still carrying traces of youth. After their fingers brushed for the third time, Chi Ye raised his arm and draped it over Wen Xiao’s shoulder. "Still feels good like this."
Wen Xiao glanced at the relaxed smile on his side profile, and somehow, he felt himself relaxing as well.
Taking advantage of the closeness, Chi Ye gave Wen Xiao’s shoulder a playful rub. "What do you want for breakfast tomorrow?"
"Breakfast? Soy milk. I also want the pancakes we had last time," Wen Xiao replied, looking ahead. "Are you coming to school tomorrow?"
"Yeah, I’ll bring you breakfast."
"Why?"
At the question, Chi Ye stopped walking. He lowered his eyes to look at the person whose shoulder he was holding, answering with half sincerity and half teasing, "I’m afraid if we don’t meet for too long, you’ll forget about me."
It took Wen Xiao a few seconds before he spoke, his tone serious. "I won’t forget. Even if we don’t see each other for a long time, I won’t forget."
When the words were out, both of them fell silent, neither wanting to continue the topic.
The next day, Xu Guangqi had just finished his first class and was leaving from the front door with his lesson plan when Chi Ye, wearing his school uniform and carrying breakfast, entered from the back door.
He placed the soy milk and the pancake wrapped in paper on the desk, then with one hand, pulled out a chair, sat down, and spread his legs. "They've released two new pancake flavors, one with meat filling and the other with bacon and ham. I chose the meat filling. Try it and see if you like it. If not, I won’t buy it again."
Zhao Yiyang, nibbling on his bread, glanced at the steaming pancake in Wen Xiao's hand, then looked at his own, feeling a bit forlorn. "The pancake vendors are always coming up with new flavors, but why do the bread sellers never seem to have such positive ideas?"
Chi Ye raised his chin, pointing out, "At least your bread has jam. It’s the deluxe version."
Wen Xiao, taking a bite of his pancake, commented, "It’s even better than the one we had last time."
Chi Ye's lips curved into a smile, his eyes openly showing his happiness. "As long as you like it."
Wen Xiao tilted his head slightly. "Want to try a bite?"
"Sure." Chi Ye leaned forward and took a bite directly from the piece that Wen Xiao was holding.
Zhao Yiyang chewed his tasteless bread, watching the scene before him. He couldn’t help but think, while it was common for everyone to share good things in a classroom, passing bites here and there, it felt... different with Chi Ye and Wen Xiao. The air around them suddenly seemed charged with something unusual.
As Chi Ye, holding a straw in his mouth, took another sip of Wen Xiao’s soy milk, that feeling intensified. Damn. The expression on Chi-ge's face while drinking that soy milk makes it feel like he's kissing Wen Xiao indirectly.
The three of them were chatting idly when suddenly, there was a knock from the back door. "Chi Ye!"
The voice rang out, full of energy, as Xu Guangqi stormed in.
Chi Ye turned around and met Xu Guangqi’s gaze. Instantly, he realized that the chances of escaping were practically zero.
Xu Guangqi wore a smug expression, as if he’d caught him red-handed. "When I first stepped out of the classroom, I thought I’d mistakenly seen something. But after thinking it over, I decided to come and check. And to my surprise, here you are," he cleared his throat lightly, "Since you’ve made the rare trip to school, how about we take the opportunity to chat and boost our teacher-student relationship?"
Chi Ye stood up, ruffling Wen Xiao’s hair as he did. "I’m heading to the office."
Wen Xiao wrinkled his nose. "Your hands are oily."
"Ah," Chi Ye chuckled, leaning in close to whisper, "Your Chi-ge’s hands are very clean." He then playfully pinched Wen Xiao’s delicate, pale earlobe.
Although Wen Xiao voiced his displeasure, he didn’t pull away.
Zhao Yiyang swallowed his bite of bread, silently pondering how to describe the scene — hypocritical? Saying one thing and doing another? Disliking something verbally but contradicting oneself with actions?
Never mind. I’ll just focus on my bread.
Chi Ye followed Xu Guangqi out. Just as they reached the hallway, the bell rang for class. Students began trickling back to their classrooms, and occasionally, one would race up the stairs, their feet practically flying as they dashed through the classroom’s back door.
It was still early, and the office was empty. Most of the teachers had already gone to their classes. Xu Guangqi sat down, then motioned to the empty chair beside him. "Want to grab a seat?"
Chi Ye stood firm. "No need, I’ll stand."
"Feeling uneasy sitting down? Fine, if you prefer standing, then stand." Xu Guangqi began sorting through the clutter on his desk, unsure of where to begin. "So... earlier, it seemed like you and Wen Xiao are quite close?"
At least he managed to open the conversation.
Chi Ye nodded. "Yeah, we’re close."
Xu Guangqi asked again, "Who else are you close with?"
"Zhao Yiyang, Shangguan Yu, Xu Rui... we're all pretty close."
"Anyone else?"
"Nope."
"No girls?" Xu Guangqi pressed, eyeing him curiously.
Chi Ye smiled and replied, "No girls."
Realizing he wasn’t going to get much more out of him, Xu Guangqi sighed and shifted the topic. "So, why didn’t you come to the monthly exams? You never miss them."
Chi Ye didn’t hide the truth. "The morning of the exam, my little sister fell ill. She had pneumonia and a fever of thirty-nine degrees Celsius. I took her to the hospital and she was admitted for four or five days."
Xu Guangqi knew the situation at Chi Ye’s home, so when he heard the response, a heaviness settled in his chest. "Being an older brother isn’t easy," he said, his tone soft. As someone who taught mathematics, he wasn’t as adept with words as a language teacher might be. After speaking, he wasn’t sure what else to say.
But what could he say? A seventeen- or eighteen-year-old boy, already tasting the bitterness of life so early — what other choice did he have but to swallow it?
He grasped his thermos, his voice gentle. "What about your mother? How’s she doing?"
Chi Ye’s expression remained neutral, as if he were simply stating a fact. "Not well. The doctors said they’ve tried everything they can." His voice held no emotion. "They all advised me to give up. They said further treatment would have no real effect."
His fingers stiffened on the thermos, and Xu Guangqi furrowed his brow. "What do you think?"
Chi Ye was quiet for a long moment before replying. "Since my mom was admitted, a lot of people have told me the same thing. They say I’m too young, that her illness can’t be cured, that I’m just carrying a heavy burden. They say I need to think about myself and my sister. But..." Chi Ye’s lips tightened. "But when my mom was raising me and my sister on her own, she didn’t think about herself. And I’ve been holding on for so long. There’s no reason to give up now."
Xu Guangqi had been one of those who had urged Chi Ye to let go. But later, he witnessed firsthand how Chi Ye had exhausted himself and how he had persisted without giving up. He realized that his so-called "for your own good" persuasion were nothing more than the cold observation of an outsider and a disrespect for all of Chi Ye's efforts.
Sighing softly, Xu Guangqi added, "You haven’t been to school in nearly a month. From May 6th until now, it’s already the 28th. May’s almost over."
Just then, footsteps approached from outside the office. A student in a school uniform, wearing black-rimmed glasses, entered and called out, "Reporting." He picked up a stack of homework from one of the desks by the wall, then paused, casting a few curious glances before leaving.
After the student left, Xu Guangqi continued. "Chi Ye, I need to ask — do you think you can still manage your studies?" When he received no answer, Xu Guangqi pressed on. "You’ll be in your third year soon. I believe in your academic abilities, but the way things are right now, you're struggling to balance both your studies and everything else. Everything’s in disarray. Have you thought about... taking a temporary leave of absence from school?"
Chi Ye didn’t hesitate in his response. "I haven’t thought about it."
Noticing the clear displeasure in Chi Ye’s tone, Xu Guangqi tapped his fingers on the desk, trying to clarify. "You should understand, taking a leave of absence could be a good option. It would relieve you from the exhaustion you're feeling now. And when you return for your third year, you could focus entirely on preparing for the college entrance exam."
Chi Ye’s answer remained unchanged. "I’m not considering it."
Xu Guangqi didn’t get angry, but he was puzzled. "Why?"
Chi Ye didn’t respond.
The second class was interrupted by rain halfway through. It wasn’t a light drizzle, and it was clear that the scheduled break for physical exercise would be canceled. Some students lay their heads down to sleep, while others dashed out into the rain toward the small convenience store. The simple delay in the break, with no exercise to be done, made the entire floor feel as lively and festive as a holiday.
Xu Rui rushed over, excited. "Wen Xiao! Wen Xiao!" Upon seeing Chi Ye, he was momentarily startled, then quickly called out, "Chi-ge."
Wen Xiao glanced over.
Xu Rui was practically bouncing with excitement. "I just heard you got another love letter this morning? And they say it was from the class beauty in the liberal arts program!"
Zhao Yiyang grinned. "Academic officer, you’re a little late with the news today. Not timely enough!"
"Damn, I fell asleep doing practice questions last night, and this morning I was too busy rushing to finish assignments. Who has time to catch up on the latest gossip?" Xu Rui sighed dramatically. "If I were as popular as you, Wen Xiao, I’d be happy with just one or two love letters. My high school experience would be complete!"
Chi Ye, hearing this, smiled and looked at Wen Xiao. "Love letter?"
Seeing that Chi Ye was clearly angry but trying to force a smile, Wen Xiao didn't beat around the bush and said the one thing Chi Ye wanted to hear, "I threw it away. Didn’t open it. Didn’t read it."
Sure enough, Chi Ye’s smile grew more genuine. "I see."
Xu Rui didn’t notice anything odd. "The school prohibits early relationships, and yet Wen Xiao’s already this popular. If you go to college... wow, I can already imagine the scene."
Chi Ye: "What scene?"
"Girls chasing after Wen Xiao. They’ll probably line up from the sports field to the school gates! Right, Chi-ge?" Xu Rui continued, but when he saw the strange look in Chi Ye’s eyes, he hesitated. Did I mess up? He wondered if he had praised Wen Xiao too much without giving Chi Ye the same attention. Trying to fix things, he quickly added, "Of course, Chi-ge would definitely be popular in college too! Girls chasing after you would probably line up from the school gates all the way to the cafeteria!"
After Xu Rui went to the bathroom and returned, he noticed Wen Xiao’s desk was empty again. He poked the desk with his finger. "Did Chi-ge leave?"
Zhao Yiyang, who had been twirling a pen in his hands, didn’t look up. The pen clattered onto the desk with a soft clink. "Yeah, he left."
Xu Rui didn’t return to his seat. After thinking for a moment, he said, "By the way... I overheard some gossip in the bathroom just now."
Zhao Yiyang looked up, grinning. "Academic officer, you should consider a career in journalism or media. Your ability to catch gossip is impressive. Studying something else would be such a waste of your talent!"
Xu Rui waved him off. "Nah, being a reporter sounds boring. It’s just a hobby, okay?" He lowered his voice. "I overheard the English representative from Class 3 earlier. He said he went to the office to grab some homework, and he saw Chi-ge standing next to Old Xu’s desk, getting lectured."
When Wen Xiao heard Chi Ye’s name, he looked up. "And then?"
Xu Rui leaned in, continuing, "Well, he didn’t leave right away. He stayed at the office door, eavesdropping. He said he heard Old Xu trying to persuade Chi-ge to take a leave of absence."
Wen Xiao unconsciously gripped his pen, his knuckles turning pale.
Zhao Yiyang: "Damn, leave of absence? And then? What did Chi-ge say?"
"Chi-ge refused," Xu Rui said, scratching the back of his head, looking troubled. "I think Old Xu made a good point, though. I mean, if Chi-ge’s not coming to school anyway, it's not much different from taking a leave of absence, right? If he really plans to take the college entrance exam, he might as well take a break. This semester is almost over, and soon we'll start our make-up classes, and then it'll be third year."
Zhao Yiyang twirled his pen. "Chi-ge... Chi-ge’s so capable. If he says he’s not considering taking a break, then there’s gotta be a reason for it. Xu Rui, you better keep your mouth shut and not say anything more in front of him."
Xu Rui protested. "Am I really that big of a gossip? And besides, it’s hard enough to even see Chi-ge these days. Let me have my chance to talk, alright? Shakespeare once said, don’t go around slapping labels on people!"
"Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing?" Zhao Yiyang shot back. Then, remembering he still had a question, he quickly refocused. "Wait, second question... third question! Yeah, the third question on this problem. This is the method Old Xu taught us yesterday. I’ve written out the steps, but the answer never adds up. I’ve been staring at it forever, and I can’t figure out where I went wrong!"
He waited for Wen Xiao to respond, but after a long pause, he noticed that Wen Xiao hadn’t reacted. "Wen Xiao? What’s up with you? You seem a little spaced out."
Wen Xiao blinked, snapping out of his thoughts. He lowered his gaze, hiding his emotions behind his lashes. "Nothing."