My Deskmate Chapter 7
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 7
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Wen Xiao’s deskmate didn’t show up for evening study again. Director Cheng Xiaoning came by twice that day, standing at the back door of the classroom. When he saw that Chi Ye’s seat was empty, he let out a long sigh, turned around with his hands behind his back, and moved on to his next inspection point.
Zhao Yiyang held his English book up to his face and asked Wen Xiao, “Don’t you think Cheng Xiaoning is kind of torturing himself? He knows Chi-ge never comes to the evening study sessions, yet he insists on coming by and sighing like this. Is he trying to practice... his lung capacity?”
Wen Xiao thought his deskmate had a unique perspective on things.
“He often skips evening study?”
Zhao Yiyang: “Yep. Chi-ge’s attendance is as random as pi. It probably depends entirely on his mood after waking up that day. But one thing is for sure, he never attends evening study. At first, Cheng Xiaoning was furious, like a spouting T-rex that had stepped on a nail. He stubbornly kept watch for Chi-ge, but when he realized he couldn’t even spot a shadow of him, he reluctantly gave up.”
Shangguan Yu, sitting nearby, poked Zhao Yiyang with his pen. “It’s eight-thirty. Your match.”
“Damn, thanks for the reminder, Your Majesty. I almost forgot!”
Zhao Yiyang quickly glanced around to make sure no teachers were nearby before pulling out his headphones from his bag. His Bluetooth ones had been confiscated the other day, so he had to make do with wired ones.
He stuffed the white earphone cord under his school uniform, pulled it out through his collar, and finally plugged the earbuds into his ears. He then opened the live streaming app.
He enthusiastically invited Wen Xiao, “Wanna join? GAC is playing against LP in the finals! I placed a bet — LP is definitely going to win!”
Wen Xiao twirled the pen in his fingers, the light-colored ink nib spinning around. "So, you watch the screen, and I listen to the sounds?"
Zhao Yiyang stifled a laugh. "Forget I said anything. Just listening to the sounds is torture."
Shangguan Yu raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you a die-hard GAC fan? Didn’t you spend so much money on them until you couldn't even afford to eat? Now you’re rooting for LP?"
Zhao Yiyang held his phone tightly. "In esports, being bad is a sin. GAC’s definitely going to lose. For this match, I’m pledging my allegiance to LP!"
Just as the words left his mouth, someone lightly cleared their throat. It was like an alarm going off, and everyone in the class sat up straight and started scribbling away with such urgency they might as well have had signs above their heads that read: “I am studying seriously.”
The homeroom teacher, Xu Guangqi, walked in from the doorway and immediately landed a precise blow. "Wang Haoxuan, weren't you just having fun playing games? Hand over your source of happiness."
Wang Haoxuan, a tall boy, jumped as though struck on the head by an overhead power line. Trembling, he fished out a Switch from his pocket and handed it over, placing it in the canvas bag Xu Guangqi was holding.
Xu Guangqi accepted the item and threw in a quick comment. "Don’t look like you’ve had your heart ripped out. Don’t frown like a squashed flower bun. I told you on the first day of school — no phones, game consoles, or music players in the classroom."
Zhao Yiyang, from the back row, whispered, "Ouch, that’s some serious bleeding. That thing isn’t cheap."
Xu Guangqi successfully confiscated a prize. "Also, I saw you all at the door. Be self-aware. Don’t make me start calling names."
The classroom fell silent for half a minute, except for the scraping of chairs on the floor. In the third row, a girl stood up and handed over her phone.
Xu Guangqi shook the cloth bag in his hand, remaining calm and collected, showing no sign of stopping. "And there's more."
The classroom was silent. No one spoke, and no one moved.
Zhao Yiyang leaned back against Wen Xiao’s desk, controlling his lip movements as he whispered, "Old Xu's psychological tactics are getting smoother. Don’t worry, I can handle this!"
A moment later, another boy handed over his PSP, putting on a dramatic act. "Please, Xu-ge, don’t tell my mom. I saved up for this for half a month by eating instant noodles!"
Xu Guangqi: "You eat three packs in one sitting? No wonder you’ve gained weight."
The classroom erupted in muffled laughter.
Xu Guangqi scanned the room. "Anyone else?"
No one moved.
Just when everyone thought Xu Guangqi was done with his confiscations, he stepped halfway out the door, then paused, looking back at the second-to-last row. "Zhao Yiyang, your phone and your earphones. We can’t miss a single one now, can we?"
Zhao Yiyang’s heart sank, and he barely forced the word out, his throat tight. "...Fine."
The bell for evening study rang. Zhao Yiyang had been wearing a lifeless expression for half an hour.
Wen Xiao stuffed two unfinished test papers into his bag and saw Zhao Yiyang frozen in his chair, pretending to be a stone statue. "You—"
Zhao Yiyang shot him a look full of resentment.
Wen Xiao: "It’s nothing."
He took Bus 117 home. Opening the door, Wen Xiao found the apartment pitch black. It was only then that he remembered his grandmother had left for a flight that morning. Though retired, as a tenured professor emeritus in the Physics Department at Mingnan University, she still received invitations to numerous academic conferences, both domestic and international.
As usual, Wen Xiao turned on the lights, changed his shoes, and entered his room. But as he passed the study, where the door was tightly shut, he unconsciously stopped. He tightened his grip on the black backpack strap, then let go.
The winter wind howled outside. The study's window was closed, and the air inside was stale, mixed with the faint scent of fresh paint from the new bookshelf. Wen Xiao closed the door behind him and took a deep breath in the small, confining room.
The books neatly lined up on the shelf were familiar to him. They belonged to his father, his mother, his sister.
Once upon a time.
Crouching down, Wen Xiao opened a storage box piled up in the corner. A wooden photo frame lay on top, face down. He reached out, intending to flip the frame over, but something in the air seemed to prick his fingertips like an invisible needle — at the last second, he recoiled.
With a loud "thud," Wen Xiao rushed out of the study almost in panic, opened the door, and ran out.
Passing through the intersection of Jiuzhang Road and Qixia Road, Chi Ye hummed a tune. Then, Yaya’s voice broke through, “Ge, stop singing. You sound worse than Zhao Junze from our class.”
“Aren’t you happy with the accompaniment? So picky.” Chi Ye glanced down at his sister. “Little silly, will wearing a safety helmet to cover your ears help?”
Yaya looked at her palm, pondering. "It seems... not really helping?"
Chi Ye couldn’t help but think, for what felt like the hundredth time, that his little sister really wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. It was worrying.
Yaya huffed into her hand. "Ge, when you’re out delivering, can you take me with you?"
Distracted by the cars around them, Chi Ye absentmindedly asked, "The construction site is dirty and chaotic. Aren’t you bothered?"
"I’m not bothered." Yaya shook her head, her voice growing softer. "When you’re out, I’m alone at home. The dog next door keeps barking, and it scares me."
Chi Ye’s heart felt like a bottle of lemon juice that had been overturned. It was sour enough to make him hold his breath for a moment. After a pause, he finally spoke, "Alright, I promise. I’ll take you whenever I can."
As they turned a corner, Chi Ye suddenly slowed down and ordered his sister, "Yaya, look ahead. The one in the school uniform, could that be Cola-gege?"
Yaya recognized him instantly. "Yes! That’s Cola-gege!"
"If it’s him, then stop squirming. Can you act a little more like a lady? If you break this crappy motorcycle, we’ll have to walk everywhere!" He pulled the motorcycle to the curb, stopped, and got out. "Grab your beloved little helmet and come on."
Yaya’s eyes lit up. "Okay!"
The streets of Jiuzhang Road seemed livelier at night than during the day. The warm streetlights lit up, fruit vendors blared their loudspeakers repeating "Strawberries, two boxes for ten yuan, two boxes for ten yuan," while the owner of the noodle shop, wearing a grease-stained apron, stood at the door smoking, with his bright shop behind him.
Chi Ye walked towards the spot where Wen Xiao was standing. As he got closer, he realized that the other person looked like his soul had been stolen by a goblin. He was standing on the side of the road like a human signpost, motionless, completely oblivious to the lively atmosphere around him.
Maybe... something had happened?
Chi Ye didn’t really understand this state of mind. He always thought that things like teenage angst, feeling isolated from the world, and worrying about the future were all a bunch of crap.
Life was what one made of it. He didn’t believe in fate — he relied on himself.
As headlights from a distant car cut through the dark, Chi Ye saw Wen Xiao obliviously step off the curb. He muttered a curse under his breath, hurried over, grabbed his wrist, and yanked him back sharply. "What the hell, you wanna die?"
Wen Xiao felt a sharp pain in his wrist, and the next moment, the world’s noise and chaos came rushing back into his ears. He blinked, meeting Chi Ye’s eyes.
The dim, yellowish light from the streetlamp fell down, casting shadows and outlining Chi Ye’s sharp features, making them stand out with an intensity that almost struck Wen Xiao like a physical blow.
A silver minivan sped past, brushing the edge of the road and sending a gust of wind swirling.
Beneath the parasol tree, Chi Ye raised his hand and touched Wen Xiao’s forehead. "Not even running a fever, but already acting like a fool?"
Seeing Wen Xiao stare at him without blinking, Chi Ye lost his patience. "If you’re sick, go buy some medicine. If you’re fine, go home, instead of standing in the middle of the road like an idiot. Are you looking for trouble?"
After Chi Ye’s question, Wen Xiao finally reacted. "Mm."
Chi Ye: "......"
He turned his head and called to his sister, who was holding a small helmet, "Yaya, come over here. Is Cola-gege acting like an idiot?"
Yaya jogged over, standing by her brother’s legs, looking up at Wen Xiao with a concerned frown. "It seems like he is."
Wen Xiao snapped out of his daze. "Yaya?" His voice was still hoarse.
Yaya’s round eyes lit up as she smiled and tugged on her brother’s sleeve. "Ge, Cola-gege isn’t an idiot. He still remembers Yaya!"
Chi Ye: "Alright, alright, I got it. Stop pulling."
Wen Xiao’s gaze shifted down to his wrist.
Chi Ye’s hand was still gripping it.
"You can let go now."
Chi Ye let go in an instant, shoving his hand back into his pocket. A moment later, he realized — Wen Xiao’s wrist was so slender that if he had applied just a little more force, it would’ve snapped. If he hadn’t seen him fight with a broken pipe, he would’ve probably assumed he was weak and malnourished.
Having ridden his motorcycle over, Chi Ye smoothly planted his leg on the curb. Yaya, understanding the drill, quickly climbed onto the bike and even put on her little pink helmet herself.
Chi Ye looked at Wen Xiao, who was wrapped in a chill. "Do you want to get on? Let me give you a ride for a bit?"
Yaya peeked out from under Chi Ye’s arm, eyes bright. "Cola-gege, I won’t take up space. I’m a little kid. Three people won’t get caught."
Taking a half-step back, Wen Xiao exhaled a cloud of white breath, more visible in the streetlight. He shook his head. His voice wasn’t as hoarse as before. "No need to trouble yourself."
Having seen Wen Xiao a few times, Chi Ye had a pretty good read on his personality, so he didn’t press the issue. "Alright then, see you."
With that, the engine roared to life. Chi Ye threw a black mask over his ears, warning Yaya, "Sit tight. If you fall off, don’t expect me to pick you up."
Yaya immediately sat up straight.
The white exhaust from the motorcycle's tail swirled into the cold air, like the only warmth in the harsh winter. Wen Xiao muttered, "Thank you."
His voice was swallowed up by the engine’s roar, but Chi Ye still heard it. He responded with a casual "Mm," his lips curling into a slight smirk, pulling the black mask up over the lower half of his face. "We're going."