My Deskmate Chapter 65
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 65
A rumor spread, and with countless speculations and embellishments, it quickly spawned countless versions.
In the afternoon, Xu Rui counted on his fingers. "The most reasonable version is that Chi-ge skipped too many classes, and Cheng Xiaoning couldn’t tolerate it anymore. He advised him to drop out. The more exaggerated version says Chi-ge's ambitions lie outside the campus, so he decided to leave and expand his influence and territory outside the school. The wildest one even claims Chi-ge comes from a family of mafia, and when his family faced a major crisis, he had no choice but to quit school to take over the family business and stabilize the situation!"
He paused, then added, "Honestly, I think the last theory is the most plausible. After all, Socrates once said that the most absurd theory is often the closest to the truth!"
Shangguan Yu opened a bag of barbecue-flavored chips, offering one to anyone passing by. Within minutes, the bag was nearly empty. Holding the light bag of chips, he said, "Socrates never said that."
Xu Rui: "How do you know Socrates never said that?"
Shangguan Yu grinned. "You're not me, so how do you know whether I know if Socrates ever said that?"
Zhao Yiyang, who had been listening to their exchange, felt a headache coming on. He pressed his palm to his forehead and said, "Enough, no more philosophical debates!"
It was then that he noticed Wen Xiao had been absent-minded since morning, as if he'd blocked out everything around him. Concerned, Zhao Yiyang asked, "Wen Xiao, what's wrong? You seem upset."
Wen Xiao paused, his fingers stopping the spin of his pen. "Nothing, just lost in thought."
After the last class ended, most of the students rushed to the cafeteria. Wen Xiao and the others, however, headed toward the small snack street outside the school. Since they had missed the golden time for the first batch of meals, they were in no hurry. Passing a barbecue stall, Zhao Yiyang treated everyone to skewers of cumin-flavored ribs.
The fried rice stall had undergone a "renovation," with a new sign now displayed on the front of the modified three-wheeled cart — Golden List Topper Fried Rice. Zhao Yiyang joked, "Boss, that's an auspicious name!"
The boss, wearing an apron emblazoned with the words "Cathay's Essence of Chicken, Good Taste," wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled. "A good name brings good fortune. With the college entrance exam coming up, many high school seniors like to come here to eat. They say that if they eat here a few times, they might be able to borrow my good words and get onto the list of top scorers!"
Nearby, the boss’ wife, who was collecting orders and handling payments, grinned and pointed out, "There's a table free over there. The four of you can sit there."
Worried someone might grab the table first, Shangguan Yu was the quickest to react. With his long legs, he took a few strides and claimed the table.
He grabbed four pairs of chopsticks from the holder and handed them out to everyone. As he did, he noticed Wen Xiao had opened League of Glory on his phone. "Huh, Wen Xiao, what made you suddenly want to play a game?" he asked, leaning over to glance at the screen. "Wild God? Who’s got such a flashy ID?"
Wen Xiao: "Chi Ye."
"...What?" Zhao Yiyang paused, thinking it over before he realized something wasn’t right. "Wait, ‘Bunnienie Loves Carrots’ — is that Chi-ge’s alternate account? And this is his main one?"
Xu Rui: "These two accounts are totally different in style. It's like split personality, hahaha!"
Just then, a message popped up in the game’s chat box: "Are you eating at this time?"
Wen Xiao lowered his head, the indifference in his eyes softening considerably. Even the line of his jaw relaxed. He quickly typed a reply: "Mm, snack street, fried rice, waiting." He remembered that Chi Ye had suddenly messaged him to team up for a game. "Feeling down?"
Wild God: "Mm, a bit annoyed. You eat first. I’ll play a match."
Wen Xiao responded immediately: "The rice hasn’t even started cooking yet. A match will be just the right amount of time."
Wild God: "Fine, but let's finish the match in twenty minutes. I'll jungle."
With nothing better to do, Zhao Yiyang and the others decided to gather around and watch the livestream.
At the ten-minute mark: "Damn, the other side’s collapsing! If that were me, I’d have psychological trauma from this game! Ten minutes in, and they can't even surrender. They're just getting stomped into the ground — Amitabha, these pitiful souls."
Xu Rui pushed up his glasses. "It’s not just pitiful, it’s tragic! I’m starting to suspect that when we play together, Chi-ge isn’t even showing his real skill."
Shangguan Yu: "It’s probably because we’re holding him back, and he can’t perform to his full potential."
Zhao Yiyang burst into laughter. "Come on, don’t tell the truth like that!"
By the time the enemy's crystal was destroyed, Zhao Yiyang sat back in his seat and summarized, "Chi-ge played like an absolute beast today. So scary. Also, where’s our fried rice? Why hasn’t it arrived?"
Xu Rui went to hurry the boss, and as he did, Wen Xiao asked in the game’s chat box: "Feeling better?"
Wild God: "Much better. Aren’t you going to ask what happened? But it’s the same old stuff here, nothing interesting."
Wen Xiao read the message several times, unsure of how to respond. Finally, he asked, "Can it be solved?"
On the other end, Chi Ye stared at the message and smiled, thinking his deskmate was... quite cute. He typed back, "It’s already been dealt with. Someone was blocking me, trying to steal a business deal. Just finished handling it."
Wen Xiao: "How did you solve it?"
Chi Ye had a scratch on the back of his hand, which had already started to scab over, the edges slightly red. There was blood on the corner of his shirt, and the color hadn’t even darkened yet. He answered, "Had a fight. One against many. Finished in ten minutes, no injuries."
After sending that message, Chi Ye clicked his tongue, feeling like a peacock showing off.
As for the scratch on his hand, it didn’t even qualify as an injury.
Wen Xiao's reply appeared on the screen after a few seconds: "Next time you fight, call me."
Chi Ye paused, rolling the name "Wen Xiao" around in his mouth, tasting it. He felt a little restless, but at the same time, strangely calm.
Later that evening, during the self-study session, the physics teacher, using the excuse of "The final exam is approaching, and there’s still too much material," forcibly extended the class by half an hour. When the teacher finally grabbed his textbook and strolled back to the office, the students in the Class 1 groaned in despair. They were buried in homework, scribbling furiously, wishing the passage of time could slow down to half-speed.
In the second half of the self-study session, someone came in through the back door, holding a workbook. He walked to the last row and whispered, "Wen Xiao, Old Xu wants you to come to the office."
His voice was soft, but the classroom was so quiet that a few rows of students nearby turned to look.
Wen Xiao paused, rubbing his aching eyes. His face, under the fluorescent lights, appeared pale and cold. "I’ll go right away. Thanks."
Half the lights in the office were off. Aside from Xu Guangqi, who was casually pouring cold tea into a cactus pot, no other teachers were around.
When he saw Wen Xiao enter, Xu Guangqi waved him over. "Come on in. You’ve probably got a lot of homework today, so I’ll keep this brief."
Wen Xiao stood next to the desk, glancing at the small cactus pot. It didn’t look like the cactus would make it through the summer.
"The reason I called you in," Xu Guangqi continued, "is to ask about Chi Ye. Is he particularly close to that girl?"
Wen Xiao didn’t immediately understand. "That girl?"
Xu Guangqi cleared his throat a couple of times, mentally reminding himself that this wasn’t gossip but concern for the student's well-being. He phrased his question more clearly. "The one Chi Ye dating. You know the situation at his home, right?"
Wen Xiao paused for a moment before responding, "I know."
"You know? Well, that’s good," Xu Guangqi said, tapping the cover of his lesson plan. He didn’t beat around the bush any longer. "As you’ve seen, Chi Ye’s attendance has been terrible lately. Of course, there are reasons for that. He really can’t make it. But... what about next year, when he’s in third year?"
Xu Guangqi sighed deeply. "Chi Ye seems careless on the surface, but he's actually very smart and has top-notch learning ability. I’m not worried about his capability. I’m worried about his time. With his current state, he won’t make it through third year. I’ve taught several batches of students, and high school senior year isn’t just about being smart and learning quickly. It requires a huge investment of time and effort. Of course, if Chi Ye just wants to go to a regular university, he’ll be fine. But that would be a waste of his potential!"
Finishing the last sentence with a firm tone, Xu Guangqi realized he had gotten too worked up. He softened his voice. "I’ve talked to Chi Ye about taking a break from school, but he rejected it without hesitation. I’ve been thinking about it all day in my office. Taking a break isn’t a small matter, and there’s no reason for him to refuse so decisively. Then I suddenly wondered — could it be because of his relationship? If that’s the case, then his reaction makes sense. And also..."
Wen Xiao listened quietly, his thoughts drifting.
In his mind, he saw the image of Chi Ye saying, "I’m afraid if we don’t meet for too long, you’ll forget about me." He also recalled the warning Chi Ye had whispered to him before leaving that morning: "Don't read a single word of those love letters."
For no clear reason, his thoughts wandered back to the night Chi Ye had gotten injured and Wen Xiao had helped treat his wound. His emotions had broken free from restraint, and he found himself pinned against the edge of a desk, glasses removed, kissing with abandon.
It was as if all the passion of youth had been doused with ice-cold snow, freezing every vein in his body.
No, they had always been in a frozen wasteland, from the very beginning.
The thin ice beneath their feet was fragile and ready to crack, and so they walked carefully, fearfully, craving a fleeting moment of pleasure, never daring to speak of the future, never daring to speak of love.
He had given the most genuine feelings of his youth, but what did he hope to gain? He had never really thought about it.
Perhaps it was simply because that person was worth it.