Chapter 28
Warning: scenes of graphic violence
On the first day of the National Day holiday, the city's temperature dropped and rain poured down heavily.
Fu Jia and his roommates were all woken up by the sound of rain. When everyone woke up, the sky was as dark as twilight, causing everyone to think that it was still early. Yet once they checked the time, they realized that it was already 7 o’clock in the morning.
Fu Jia habitually changed into his summer school uniform after he got up, and so did his roommates. When someone opened the door connected to the balcony, the cold, moist air from outside was blown in by the wind, and the four of them immediately shrank in their necks.
A roommate touched the socks that were hanging to dry on the balcony. Not knowing whether to cry or laugh, he said: “It’s over. They’re all wet.”
Everyone took a look at the cold wind and rain outside, and hurriedly dug out the autumn school uniforms from the closet.
Under the cover of an umbrella on his way to school, Fu Jia shifted the school bag to his frontal side and hugged it, using his hands to protect it from rain.
A roommate was very curious and asked him: "Why are you holding the school bag? Is there some sort of treasure in it?”
Fu Jia shook his head and said vaguely: "Nothing much. There’s just a gift for someone here."
Seeing that he didn't want to elaborate, the roommate didn't question any further.
After Fu Jia arrived at the classroom, Big Head pounced on him like a hungry tiger that smell prey, and asked him anxiously: “Boss Fu, how did things go?”
Fu Jia didn’t show him a good expression, and directly ignored him.
Big Head clasped his hands together and apologized sincerely: “This time was my fault, I’ll never let you do something like this again, okay? Now hurry and tell me how it went yesterday. Did it work?”
Fu Jia coldly said: “He said no.”
Big Head was unwilling to give up: “Really?”
Fu Jia imitated Lu Qi’an’s ice-cold demeanor: “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
Big Head folded and begged for mercy: “Got it, got it. I’ve troubled you this time, Boss Fu. Let me give you a shoulder massage.”
Seeing his face full of doglike servitude, Fu Jia’s anger diminished by half and he eased his expression. Big Head wasn’t a bad guy, he just wanted to rub shoulders with Lu Qi’an. Wasn’t this normal? Lu Qi’an was such an excellent person, who wouldn’t want to get close to him? What’s more… He didn’t ask Lu Qi’an for Big Head at all, and even showed his temper in front of Big Head’s friends.
“In the future, don’t invite so many people to eat with me without my consent,” said Fu Jia.
Big Head nodded again and again: “Yes, yes, yes.”
Only then was Fu Jia completely mollified.
There was no overnight feud between boys in high school, and not to mention that Big Head was so flexible, the two quickly returned to their previous state.
Big Head wanted to show his sincerity by treating Fu Jia to lunch, but was refused by Fu Jia.
“You’re still mad?” Big Head said with a hurt expression.
Fu Jia shook his head, glanced at the schoolbag in his seat, and said, "No, I have other things to do."
The weather forecast reported a temperature of 16°C to 20 °C with torrential rain.
Fu Jia calculated the time, and when the last class of the morning was about to end, he went to the office to find the homeroom teacher for sick leave using the excuse of "unbearable abdominal pain".
After begging and begging, the homeroom teacher took a look at his steadily rising weekly test scores and reluctantly approved his sick leave. Fu Jia hugged his stomach, left the office with a face of gratitude, then immediately recovered his vigorous vitality.
He took the umbrella from the classroom, then hugged the schoolbag in his arms as he left the second-year education building and walked to the third-year education building. Along the way, he slowly stepped through stagnant water pooled on the ground and hummed to the sound of the rain hitting the umbrella, feeling more relaxed and happy than ever before.
In order to finish knitting the gray scarf in his arms, Fu Jia pulled three all-nighters. Every morning when she woke up, her eyes were dry and bloodshot, and a bunch of white hair grew out of her temples. He woke up with dry and bloodshot eyes every morning, and even grew some strands of white hair along his temple.
Although he suffered harshly, Fu Jia enjoyed the whole process very much; the more difficulties and setbacks, the more courageous and confident one becomes. As long as he thought about how this scarf might make Lu Qi’an happy, he would feel that it was all worth it.
When Fu Jia arrived at the third-year education building and began to climb the stairs, the school bell began to ring. Fu Jia quickened his pace and sped to Fu Jia’s classroom.
He furtively snuck a peek inside and saw that the teacher was still standing behind the podium and hadn’t dismissed class yet. Scared of being discovered by Lu Qi’an and spoiling the planned surprise, Fu Jia pressed his back against the wall, hiding his figure. He quietly listened to the sound of the rain outside and his own speeding heartbeat.
After several minutes, the teacher finally announced class dismissal and the students opened the door to pour out of the classroom.
Fu Jia clutched the school bag in his arms and nervously stared at those who came out, one by one.
Not him, not him, not him.
That’s Li Qinhe!
Fu Jia quickly turned his back and covered his face with the school bag. Fortunately, Li Qinhe’s girlfriend was smiling and waving from closeby, and Li Qinhe only had eyes for his beautiful girlfriend.
Fu Jia let out a sigh of relief and continued to stare at the people who were coming out.
Not him, not him, not him.
Not him, not him, not him…
Still not him.
Fewer and fewer people came out, until finally there was no one coming out anymore. None of them were Lu Qi’an.
Fu Jia’s heart was agitated. He carefully walked to the classroom’s backdoor, then peeped inside.
There were only two boys left in the classroom. Seeing Fu Jia looking over, they were puzzled and couldn't figure out the situation. And their faces couldn’t be more unfamiliar to Fu Jia.
Fu Jia was dumbfounded.
The two boys in the classroom looked at each other and asked aloud: "Classmate, what's the matter?"
“I…” Fu Jia faltered, “I want to look for someone.”
The taller boy nodded and amicably said: “Who are you looking for? Everyone's gone now, but when they come back in the afternoon, I can help let them know.”
“Thank you,” Fu Jia walked into the classroom and pointed to Lu Qi'an's seat: "I came to find Lu-xuezhang.” He had stayed next to Lu Qi'an's seat for a while before; no matter how the seating arrangement changed, he could still recognize where Lu Qi’an was.
The tall boy nodded and said: "Lu Qi'an, he..."
"Wait, wait.” He was cut off by the shorter boy beside him.
He raised his eyes and frowned at Fu Jia, then said: “Classmate, haven’t you been to our classroom before?”
“Ah?” Fu Jia nodded, “Yes, I have. What’s up?”
The shorter boy sneered and said: "Then I understand now."
He remembered Fu Jia, especially that day when Fu Jia brazenly stepped into their classroom and opened his mouth to Li Qinhe to say, "None of your damn business.”
Taking a closer look, this tall and thin boy exhibited a similar behavior in PE class, and was even more blatantly shameless than the previous time. He actually ran directly to their class to deliver water to Lu Qi'an.
He looked down on this kind of person the most.
He studied well and his family was affluent; he felt very fortunate to be able to study with the Lu and Li pair in the best class of No. 6 High School. He had always looked down on those who had bad grades and came from a lowly family background. These people picked up hoodlum habits from society to practice on campus grounds, social climbing and currying favours with studious students of good family backgrounds.
From his viewpoint, Fu Jia was such a person.
“Lu-xuezhang went to the office for some matters,” the shorter boy said, “But he told me before that if a tall and thin student came to ask for him, then ask that student to help him buy a cup of coffee from the cafe on the northern end of campus.”
He planned to straighten out Fu Jia.
Only the first sentence of what he said was true. Today, Lu Qi’an was unprecedently late for class, striking fear of an unknown enemy into the hearts of the dean and homeroom teacher who had always adored him. They worried that there was something wrong with his physical health. Waiting for his arrival as if waiting for the stars and moon, they immediately took him to the infirmary, and after confirming that he was fine, took him to the office for a heart-to-heart talk without letting him go.
But now, it was most likely that he had already gone to eat lunch with the dean.
Hearing his words, the tall boy gave him a strange look but didn’t stop him.
Sensing the strange atmosphere between them, Fu Jia didn't believe what the boy said and replied: “Thank you, then I’ll go to the office to find him.”
“Ai, hold on, little junior. You really are ignorant– if you go disturbing Lu Qi’an, what else would happen other than angering the teacher?” The shorter boy stopped him and said earnestly, “Listen to your xuezhang, there’s no need for this xuezhang to lie to you. Lu Qi’an really did tell me to ask you for coffee. If I explain the logic behind this request, then you’ll understand. People, right, good-faith is the most important of all. If you want to make friends, then you have to make contributions to show dedication. If you can’t even buy him a cup of coffee, then what’s the point? From how I see it, this is a test. A test to see whether you genuinely want to become his friend.”
The tall boy turned his head and covered his mouth, trying his best to hold back laughter.
The short boy’s words muddled Fu Jia.
Was it really like that? There seemed to be some logic to it, yet it was still quite bizarre.
The tall boy also gradually found it entertaining, then solemnly said to Fu Jia: “Classmate, it really is like this. Plenty of people heard him say it at the time, and so did I. If you really want to make friends with Lu Qi'an, then you'd better go buy it quickly. Once the teacher dismisses him, he’ll probably head back home. There’s about…ten minutes left. If you don't make it in time, then we won't hide it for you either. We'll just tell him that you won't buy him coffee. "
Both of them maintained an air of composure, acting as if they were seniors answering their junior’s questions with great care.
Fu Jia clenched his fists, turning it over and over in his head. No matter how much he doubted their words, he didn’t dare let go of that little worry in his heart.
What if?
What if Lu Qi’an really was testing him?
The current him, he couldn’t even neglect a tenth of a thousandth of a chance.
He walked to Lu Qi'an's desk, put his school bag on the table and said: “Got it, I’ll go buy it now. May I trouble xuezhang to look after my bag?”
The short boy raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't expect him to really believe it and said with a smile: "Okay, I'll help you look after it. Off you go, quickly."
Fu Jia thanked him again, then picked up the umbrella and rushed out without hearing the sudden burst of laughter from the two boys in the room.
As there were only ten minutes, Fu Jia sprinted. He didn't have a watch, so he counted the time mentally; the more he counted, the faster his internal clock ticked, and his heart grew increasingly anxious.
During the rainstorm, his pants were quickly soaked by splattering water. He had an umbrella, but it made no difference, the rain splashed past it without hindrance, and the umbrella instead added a barrier of resistance that slowed him down.
He closed the umbrella and picked up his speed.
When he arrived at the cafe, the drenched Fu Jia startled the server. Seeing this, the people in line kindly let him go in front of them, and the barista moved faster than usual.
Fu Jia took the coffee, and didn't even have time to say thank you before he rushed out to hurry back to the school.
Considering that the coffee was for Lu Qi'an, Fu Jia took off his coat and carefully wrapped it around the cup, hugged it in his arms, then ran.
Faster, faster.
In the end, it only took him seven minutes to return to the classroom.
He held onto the door frame as he gasped for breath, not a single part of his body was dry.
The two boys in the classroom were shocked when they saw him. The tall boy glanced at his watch and said in surprise: "So fast?"
Fu Jia's face was wet from rainwater, and some of it also got into his eyes. His vision was a bit blurred, but he could still see that the two boys were playing with something in their hands.
Moreover, the bag that was placed on Lu Qi'an's desk before he left had already been opened.
They were holding something gray and fluffy.
It was no longer neat and clean, half resting on the ground, the other half being held in someone's hand. Its ends were frayed and unravelling, a complete mess.
Fu Jia stood up straight and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, they were bloodshot. He glared at the two boys and said: "You guys were playing around with me.”
Seeing that his expression wasn’t right, the taller boy quickly said: "Junior brother, we just wanted to joke around with you.”
“You were making a fool out of me,” he said word by word.
The short boy's face remained unchanged, he snorted coldly and said: “So what if we were?”
Fu Jia stopped talking. He tore off the school uniform wrapped around the cup of coffee and threw it on the ground, then walked towards them with the coffee.
It seemed as if the first sound made during a dark rainstorm that imitated night skies, during the moment he walked into the classroom and water dripped off the umbrella in his hand…#
Fu Jia heard a loud roar.
“I’m gonna fuck your mom!”
He raised his hand and ruthlessly smashed the coffee cup on the boy's head. The paper cup burst open in an instant and hot coffee splashed all over the boy's face, causing him to cry out in pain.
Some of the splashed coffee also landed on Fu Jia’s face, but he didn’t even blink as he rushed towards the boy and began to punch.
The strength and the viciousness in his eyes terrified the two boys who were in third year of high school.
The short boy was bleeding from the blow, but Fu Jia didn't let go. He grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the table behind him, then swung a second punch without hesitation. The male student hurriedly blocked with his hands and shouted at the other person who had frozen in fright: “Hurry up and call the fucking teacher!”
The tall boy frantically ran out.
During the lunch break, there was only a male teacher left in the nearest office. He hurried to the classroom with the tall boy and saw that the two were brawling relentlessly on the ground, both sides covered in blood.
He and the tall student tried pulling them apart separately to no effect. Fu Jia had gone crazy with rage, he kicked and stomped trying to escape the teacher's hold, then dragged the teacher down to the ground with him and even scratched a bloody mark on him.
They yelled so loudly for help that they practically rattled out everyone in the whole building. More and more people came over to help end the fight until finally, the situation was brought under control.
Seeing that the situation was acutely serious, the male teacher made a phone call to the dean.
As the short boy had guessed, Liu-laoshi really did take Lu Qi'an to eat in the staff canteen. She answered the call without minding Lu Qi'an and listened to the situation while sitting in front of him. She then turned pale with shock: “Fighting? There’s a second-year fighting with a third-year?”
Lu Qi’an froze.
He and Liu-laoshi stared at each other with serious expressions. Liu-laoshi immediately reacted: "Could it be Fu Jia?"
They frantically rushed to the third-year education building. When they arrived at the classroom, onlookers had surrounded the front and back doors so tightly that they couldn't squeeze in no matter how hard they tried.
"Stay out of the way, stay out of the way!" Liu-laoshi pushed the crowd aside. She let Lu Qi'an go in first, and then followed after.
The spectacle before them was a bit scary.
The classroom that was originally tidy was now a scene of chaos; desks and chairs were turned over, and most of the books that were originally placed on the desks were now scattered on the ground, trampled by people coming and going. The floor was a complete mess.
More than a dozen people were in the room, some were standing and some were sitting. At the centre of the classroom, they were packed into a small area of open space and working together to restrain Fu Jia and another boy.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, no one would’ve believed that this was all caused by only two people.
Lu Qi'an walked in and squatted beside Fu Jia to examine his condition.
Fu Jia laid on the ground with countless hands pressed on his back to prevent him from moving. He was dirty and in disarray, cutting a very sorry figure, but that wasn’t important. There was blood oozing from his mouth and nose, which was what concerned Lu Qi’an the most.
Fu Jia was hit in the eye during the fight, blurring his vision a bit, but he recognized Lu Qi'an's silhouette in an instant. He opened his mouth and let out a cry, wanting to get up.
The person holding him down was terrified, and seven or eight pairs of hands worked to press him down harder.
“Let go!" Lu Qi'an turned pale and roared ferociously, "Stop pressing him! All of you, let go!”
His roar was so hoarse that the whole classroom fell silent.
The person holding Fu Jia was stunned, then loosened his hold. But everyone was frightened by Fu Jia’s aggression, and didn’t dare to completely let go.
The short boy on the other side was in a worse condition than Fu Jia. His eyes were completely swollen, his nose was bleeding ceaselessly, and blood mixed with saliva oozed between the gaps of his teeth; it didn't stop oozing for a long time despite pressing cotton against his mouth. He was terrified. He sobbed soundlessly and tears flowed to the lower half of his face, mixing together with blood and the coffee that Fu Jia had smashed into his face earlier; the colour was indescribable.
Hearing Lu Qi'an's voice, he felt extremely wronged and hissed to complain: “Dear teachers and students! It was this lunatic who began hitting first. You’ll see once you check the surveillance.”
When Fu Jia heard his voice and reflexively got up to beat him. The person holding him down was yelled at by Lu Qi'an before and couldn’t react in time, letting him crawl up from the ground.
Lu Qi’an noticed his movements and hugged him tightly, letting him kick and hit from his embrace, then held him even more tightly. He whispered into his ears in comfort: “It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s me.”
Seeing this, Liu-laoshi hurried over to help.
Fu Jia breathed heavily before gradually calming down, and then tightly grabbed Lu Qi'an's clothes.
Feeling him tremble in his arms, Lu Qi'an pressed his lips into a tight line. Both his hands were cold as ice.
Seeing that no one paid attention to him, the short boy cried even harder, shouting at the top of his lungs: “Teachers! Are you even being reasonable?! It was him who raised his fists first, hurry up and call the police! This kind of student must be expelled. He must be expelled!”
While he was speaking, blood froth spewed out of his mouth, horrifying those around him.
Seeing this, the other teachers hurried to his side to comfort him, anxiously calling to ask where the ambulance was and why it hadn't come yet.
Conversations buzzed in and out of the classroom, the busy crowds discussing which party was in the right, and which party was in the wrong.
Lu Qi’an was so angered that it inverted into a calm demeanor. He knew that the other party's injury was more serious than Fu Jia's, and there were so many teachers and classmates who witnessed it with their own eyes. If Fu Jia really did raise his fist first, this matter would not end well.
“Auntie Liu, watch over him for me,” he said to Liu-laoshi.
Liu-laoshi was stunned, and took Fu Jia from his hands. Seeing that Fu Jia refused to let go of Lu Qi'an's clothes, she gently pried him away.
Lu Qi’an had called out Auntie Liu, not Liu-laoshi.
Lu Qi'an stood up with steady composure: "Feng Jing, calm down first, emotional agitation isn’t conducive to closing your wounds.”
Feng Jing was the name of the short boy.
Feng Jing glanced at Lu Qi'an. He certainly wanted to say something, but he didn't want to howl at Lu Qi'an, so he just turned his face away angrily.
“Feng Jing, your confidence in the surveillance footage shows that the one who raised his fist first should be Fu Jia– that is, this second-year junior brother,” said Lu Qi’an.
Feng Jing was dissatisfied: “Calling it ‘should be’? It really was him who…”
“But,” Lu Qi’an frowned tightly and interrupted him, “No one would go all out against another person for no reason while knowing that there are surveillance cameras. Before the matter is properly investigated, we can’t judge who’s in the right or wrong yet.”
He took a deep breath, observing the dissatisfied eyes of the people around him, and knew that the bystanders sympathized with whichever party took more damage. He slowed his words and said: “The current situation is so chaotic and has yet to be sorted, so don't rush to bring up the police or expulsion yet. The reality is that Fu Jia hit you first, and everyone can see that your injuries are more severe. May I suggest letting Fu Jia apologize to you first, and then we can discuss matters in detail afterwards. Does everyone agree with resolving it like this?”
His approach was clear. Even in such a situation, his speech was neither fast or slow, allowing everyone to hear him distinctly and understand his desire to mediate.
As the dean, Liu-laoshi was the first to answer: “Let’s do it like this then. Those standing at the door, are you entertained now? When the stretcher comes later, how will it get in?”
The onlookers shyly avoided her eyes, then retreated outside one by one.
She breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Fu Jia in her arms and softly said: “Fu Jia, for today, just apologize to your senior first. This doesn’t automatically default you as the guilty party in this situation, but he is your senior and his injuries are more severe than yours. Just apologize and comfort him first, okay?”
Before she finished speaking, Fu Jia raised his head from her arms and absent-mindedly looked at Lu Qi'an.
Lu Qi'an also looked at him, both his hands were clenched and slightly shaking.
Liu-laoshi was slightly shocked.
Suddenly, she understood what the strange feeling was when she invited Fu Jia to eat together and watched the two children’s rising back figures.
The sense of exclusivity between the two of them was too strong. As long as the two of them looked at each other, everything else was excluded by them.
They only had each other, only looked at each other, and only acknowledged each other.
Fu Jia opened his mouth and asked hoarsely, "Why do I…have to apologize?”
Lu Qi’an whispered: “This doesn’t mean that you’re in the wrong.”
Fu Jia's eyes were empty, and he asked again stubbornly: "Why do I have to apologize…”
Lu Qi'an's heart was numb, and he reluctantly said: "I already said, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re…”
“In your eyes, isn’t it that everything I do is wrong? You’re not satisfied with anything I do.”
Fu Jia spoke.
He waved Liu-laoshi’s hand away, crawled up from the ground with his hands and feet, and then struggled to stand still.
“I give up,” he said with gritted teeth, then pushed away those in his way and ran out of the classroom.
Lu Qi’an, who remained in place, lost feeling in every part of his body.
Two seconds later, he ran out to give chase.
His figure was panicked.
Chapter 28
Warning: scenes of graphic violence
On the first day of the National Day holiday, the city's temperature dropped and rain poured down heavily.
Fu Jia and his roommates were all woken up by the sound of rain. When everyone woke up, the sky was as dark as twilight, causing everyone to think that it was still early. Yet once they checked the time, they realized that it was already 7 o’clock in the morning.
Fu Jia habitually changed into his summer school uniform after he got up, and so did his roommates. When someone opened the door connected to the balcony, the cold, moist air from outside was blown in by the wind, and the four of them immediately shrank in their necks.
A roommate touched the socks that were hanging to dry on the balcony. Not knowing whether to cry or laugh, he said: “It’s over. They’re all wet.”
Everyone took a look at the cold wind and rain outside, and hurriedly dug out the autumn school uniforms from the closet.
Under the cover of an umbrella on his way to school, Fu Jia shifted the school bag to his frontal side and hugged it, using his hands to protect it from rain.
A roommate was very curious and asked him: "Why are you holding the school bag? Is there some sort of treasure in it?”
Fu Jia shook his head and said vaguely: "Nothing much. There’s just a gift for someone here."
Seeing that he didn't want to elaborate, the roommate didn't question any further.
After Fu Jia arrived at the classroom, Big Head pounced on him like a hungry tiger that smell prey, and asked him anxiously: “Boss Fu, how did things go?”
Fu Jia didn’t show him a good expression, and directly ignored him.
Big Head clasped his hands together and apologized sincerely: “This time was my fault, I’ll never let you do something like this again, okay? Now hurry and tell me how it went yesterday. Did it work?”
Fu Jia coldly said: “He said no.”
Big Head was unwilling to give up: “Really?”
Fu Jia imitated Lu Qi’an’s ice-cold demeanor: “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
Big Head folded and begged for mercy: “Got it, got it. I’ve troubled you this time, Boss Fu. Let me give you a shoulder massage.”
Seeing his face full of doglike servitude, Fu Jia’s anger diminished by half and he eased his expression. Big Head wasn’t a bad guy, he just wanted to rub shoulders with Lu Qi’an. Wasn’t this normal? Lu Qi’an was such an excellent person, who wouldn’t want to get close to him? What’s more… He didn’t ask Lu Qi’an for Big Head at all, and even showed his temper in front of Big Head’s friends.
“In the future, don’t invite so many people to eat with me without my consent,” said Fu Jia.
Big Head nodded again and again: “Yes, yes, yes.”
Only then was Fu Jia completely mollified.
There was no overnight feud between boys in high school, and not to mention that Big Head was so flexible, the two quickly returned to their previous state.
Big Head wanted to show his sincerity by treating Fu Jia to lunch, but was refused by Fu Jia.
“You’re still mad?” Big Head said with a hurt expression.
Fu Jia shook his head, glanced at the schoolbag in his seat, and said, "No, I have other things to do."
The weather forecast reported a temperature of 16°C to 20 °C with torrential rain.
Fu Jia calculated the time, and when the last class of the morning was about to end, he went to the office to find the homeroom teacher for sick leave using the excuse of "unbearable abdominal pain".
After begging and begging, the homeroom teacher took a look at his steadily rising weekly test scores and reluctantly approved his sick leave. Fu Jia hugged his stomach, left the office with a face of gratitude, then immediately recovered his vigorous vitality.
He took the umbrella from the classroom, then hugged the schoolbag in his arms as he left the second-year education building and walked to the third-year education building. Along the way, he slowly stepped through stagnant water pooled on the ground and hummed to the sound of the rain hitting the umbrella, feeling more relaxed and happy than ever before.
In order to finish knitting the gray scarf in his arms, Fu Jia pulled three all-nighters. Every morning when she woke up, her eyes were dry and bloodshot, and a bunch of white hair grew out of her temples. He woke up with dry and bloodshot eyes every morning, and even grew some strands of white hair along his temple.
Although he suffered harshly, Fu Jia enjoyed the whole process very much; the more difficulties and setbacks, the more courageous and confident one becomes. As long as he thought about how this scarf might make Lu Qi’an happy, he would feel that it was all worth it.
When Fu Jia arrived at the third-year education building and began to climb the stairs, the school bell began to ring. Fu Jia quickened his pace and sped to Fu Jia’s classroom.
He furtively snuck a peek inside and saw that the teacher was still standing behind the podium and hadn’t dismissed class yet. Scared of being discovered by Lu Qi’an and spoiling the planned surprise, Fu Jia pressed his back against the wall, hiding his figure. He quietly listened to the sound of the rain outside and his own speeding heartbeat.
After several minutes, the teacher finally announced class dismissal and the students opened the door to pour out of the classroom.
Fu Jia clutched the school bag in his arms and nervously stared at those who came out, one by one.
Not him, not him, not him.
That’s Li Qinhe!
Fu Jia quickly turned his back and covered his face with the school bag. Fortunately, Li Qinhe’s girlfriend was smiling and waving from closeby, and Li Qinhe only had eyes for his beautiful girlfriend.
Fu Jia let out a sigh of relief and continued to stare at the people who were coming out.
Not him, not him, not him.
Not him, not him, not him…
Still not him.
Fewer and fewer people came out, until finally there was no one coming out anymore. None of them were Lu Qi’an.
Fu Jia’s heart was agitated. He carefully walked to the classroom’s backdoor, then peeped inside.
There were only two boys left in the classroom. Seeing Fu Jia looking over, they were puzzled and couldn't figure out the situation. And their faces couldn’t be more unfamiliar to Fu Jia.
Fu Jia was dumbfounded.
The two boys in the classroom looked at each other and asked aloud: "Classmate, what's the matter?"
“I…” Fu Jia faltered, “I want to look for someone.”
The taller boy nodded and amicably said: “Who are you looking for? Everyone's gone now, but when they come back in the afternoon, I can help let them know.”
“Thank you,” Fu Jia walked into the classroom and pointed to Lu Qi'an's seat: "I came to find Lu-xuezhang.” He had stayed next to Lu Qi'an's seat for a while before; no matter how the seating arrangement changed, he could still recognize where Lu Qi’an was.
The tall boy nodded and said: "Lu Qi'an, he..."
"Wait, wait.” He was cut off by the shorter boy beside him.
He raised his eyes and frowned at Fu Jia, then said: “Classmate, haven’t you been to our classroom before?”
“Ah?” Fu Jia nodded, “Yes, I have. What’s up?”
The shorter boy sneered and said: "Then I understand now."
He remembered Fu Jia, especially that day when Fu Jia brazenly stepped into their classroom and opened his mouth to Li Qinhe to say, "None of your damn business.”
Taking a closer look, this tall and thin boy exhibited a similar behavior in PE class, and was even more blatantly shameless than the previous time. He actually ran directly to their class to deliver water to Lu Qi'an.
He looked down on this kind of person the most.
He studied well and his family was affluent; he felt very fortunate to be able to study with the Lu and Li pair in the best class of No. 6 High School. He had always looked down on those who had bad grades and came from a lowly family background. These people picked up hoodlum habits from society to practice on campus grounds, social climbing and currying favours with studious students of good family backgrounds.
From his viewpoint, Fu Jia was such a person.
“Lu-xuezhang went to the office for some matters,” the shorter boy said, “But he told me before that if a tall and thin student came to ask for him, then ask that student to help him buy a cup of coffee from the cafe on the northern end of campus.”
He planned to straighten out Fu Jia.
Only the first sentence of what he said was true. Today, Lu Qi’an was unprecedently late for class, striking fear of an unknown enemy into the hearts of the dean and homeroom teacher who had always adored him. They worried that there was something wrong with his physical health. Waiting for his arrival as if waiting for the stars and moon, they immediately took him to the infirmary, and after confirming that he was fine, took him to the office for a heart-to-heart talk without letting him go.
But now, it was most likely that he had already gone to eat lunch with the dean.
Hearing his words, the tall boy gave him a strange look but didn’t stop him.
Sensing the strange atmosphere between them, Fu Jia didn't believe what the boy said and replied: “Thank you, then I’ll go to the office to find him.”
“Ai, hold on, little junior. You really are ignorant– if you go disturbing Lu Qi’an, what else would happen other than angering the teacher?” The shorter boy stopped him and said earnestly, “Listen to your xuezhang, there’s no need for this xuezhang to lie to you. Lu Qi’an really did tell me to ask you for coffee. If I explain the logic behind this request, then you’ll understand. People, right, good-faith is the most important of all. If you want to make friends, then you have to make contributions to show dedication. If you can’t even buy him a cup of coffee, then what’s the point? From how I see it, this is a test. A test to see whether you genuinely want to become his friend.”
The tall boy turned his head and covered his mouth, trying his best to hold back laughter.
The short boy’s words muddled Fu Jia.
Was it really like that? There seemed to be some logic to it, yet it was still quite bizarre.
The tall boy also gradually found it entertaining, then solemnly said to Fu Jia: “Classmate, it really is like this. Plenty of people heard him say it at the time, and so did I. If you really want to make friends with Lu Qi'an, then you'd better go buy it quickly. Once the teacher dismisses him, he’ll probably head back home. There’s about…ten minutes left. If you don't make it in time, then we won't hide it for you either. We'll just tell him that you won't buy him coffee. "
Both of them maintained an air of composure, acting as if they were seniors answering their junior’s questions with great care.
Fu Jia clenched his fists, turning it over and over in his head. No matter how much he doubted their words, he didn’t dare let go of that little worry in his heart.
What if?
What if Lu Qi’an really was testing him?
The current him, he couldn’t even neglect a tenth of a thousandth of a chance.
He walked to Lu Qi'an's desk, put his school bag on the table and said: “Got it, I’ll go buy it now. May I trouble xuezhang to look after my bag?”
The short boy raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't expect him to really believe it and said with a smile: "Okay, I'll help you look after it. Off you go, quickly."
Fu Jia thanked him again, then picked up the umbrella and rushed out without hearing the sudden burst of laughter from the two boys in the room.
As there were only ten minutes, Fu Jia sprinted. He didn't have a watch, so he counted the time mentally; the more he counted, the faster his internal clock ticked, and his heart grew increasingly anxious.
During the rainstorm, his pants were quickly soaked by splattering water. He had an umbrella, but it made no difference, the rain splashed past it without hindrance, and the umbrella instead added a barrier of resistance that slowed him down.
He closed the umbrella and picked up his speed.
When he arrived at the cafe, the drenched Fu Jia startled the server. Seeing this, the people in line kindly let him go in front of them, and the barista moved faster than usual.
Fu Jia took the coffee, and didn't even have time to say thank you before he rushed out to hurry back to the school.
Considering that the coffee was for Lu Qi'an, Fu Jia took off his coat and carefully wrapped it around the cup, hugged it in his arms, then ran.
Faster, faster.
In the end, it only took him seven minutes to return to the classroom.
He held onto the door frame as he gasped for breath, not a single part of his body was dry.
The two boys in the classroom were shocked when they saw him. The tall boy glanced at his watch and said in surprise: "So fast?"
Fu Jia's face was wet from rainwater, and some of it also got into his eyes. His vision was a bit blurred, but he could still see that the two boys were playing with something in their hands.
Moreover, the bag that was placed on Lu Qi'an's desk before he left had already been opened.
They were holding something gray and fluffy.
It was no longer neat and clean, half resting on the ground, the other half being held in someone's hand. Its ends were frayed and unravelling, a complete mess.
Fu Jia stood up straight and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes again, they were bloodshot. He glared at the two boys and said: "You guys were playing around with me.”
Seeing that his expression wasn’t right, the taller boy quickly said: "Junior brother, we just wanted to joke around with you.”
“You were making a fool out of me,” he said word by word.
The short boy's face remained unchanged, he snorted coldly and said: “So what if we were?”
Fu Jia stopped talking. He tore off the school uniform wrapped around the cup of coffee and threw it on the ground, then walked towards them with the coffee.
It seemed as if the first sound made during a dark rainstorm that imitated night skies, during the moment he walked into the classroom and water dripped off the umbrella in his hand…#
Fu Jia heard a loud roar.
“I’m gonna fuck your mom!”
He raised his hand and ruthlessly smashed the coffee cup on the boy's head. The paper cup burst open in an instant and hot coffee splashed all over the boy's face, causing him to cry out in pain.
Some of the splashed coffee also landed on Fu Jia’s face, but he didn’t even blink as he rushed towards the boy and began to punch.
The strength and the viciousness in his eyes terrified the two boys who were in third year of high school.
The short boy was bleeding from the blow, but Fu Jia didn't let go. He grabbed him by the collar and pushed him against the table behind him, then swung a second punch without hesitation. The male student hurriedly blocked with his hands and shouted at the other person who had frozen in fright: “Hurry up and call the fucking teacher!”
The tall boy frantically ran out.
During the lunch break, there was only a male teacher left in the nearest office. He hurried to the classroom with the tall boy and saw that the two were brawling relentlessly on the ground, both sides covered in blood.
He and the tall student tried pulling them apart separately to no effect. Fu Jia had gone crazy with rage, he kicked and stomped trying to escape the teacher's hold, then dragged the teacher down to the ground with him and even scratched a bloody mark on him.
They yelled so loudly for help that they practically rattled out everyone in the whole building. More and more people came over to help end the fight until finally, the situation was brought under control.
Seeing that the situation was acutely serious, the male teacher made a phone call to the dean.
As the short boy had guessed, Liu-laoshi really did take Lu Qi'an to eat in the staff canteen. She answered the call without minding Lu Qi'an and listened to the situation while sitting in front of him. She then turned pale with shock: “Fighting? There’s a second-year fighting with a third-year?”
Lu Qi’an froze.
He and Liu-laoshi stared at each other with serious expressions. Liu-laoshi immediately reacted: "Could it be Fu Jia?"
They frantically rushed to the third-year education building. When they arrived at the classroom, onlookers had surrounded the front and back doors so tightly that they couldn't squeeze in no matter how hard they tried.
"Stay out of the way, stay out of the way!" Liu-laoshi pushed the crowd aside. She let Lu Qi'an go in first, and then followed after.
The spectacle before them was a bit scary.
The classroom that was originally tidy was now a scene of chaos; desks and chairs were turned over, and most of the books that were originally placed on the desks were now scattered on the ground, trampled by people coming and going. The floor was a complete mess.
More than a dozen people were in the room, some were standing and some were sitting. At the centre of the classroom, they were packed into a small area of open space and working together to restrain Fu Jia and another boy.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, no one would’ve believed that this was all caused by only two people.
Lu Qi'an walked in and squatted beside Fu Jia to examine his condition.
Fu Jia laid on the ground with countless hands pressed on his back to prevent him from moving. He was dirty and in disarray, cutting a very sorry figure, but that wasn’t important. There was blood oozing from his mouth and nose, which was what concerned Lu Qi’an the most.
Fu Jia was hit in the eye during the fight, blurring his vision a bit, but he recognized Lu Qi'an's silhouette in an instant. He opened his mouth and let out a cry, wanting to get up.
The person holding him down was terrified, and seven or eight pairs of hands worked to press him down harder.
“Let go!" Lu Qi'an turned pale and roared ferociously, "Stop pressing him! All of you, let go!”
His roar was so hoarse that the whole classroom fell silent.
The person holding Fu Jia was stunned, then loosened his hold. But everyone was frightened by Fu Jia’s aggression, and didn’t dare to completely let go.
The short boy on the other side was in a worse condition than Fu Jia. His eyes were completely swollen, his nose was bleeding ceaselessly, and blood mixed with saliva oozed between the gaps of his teeth; it didn't stop oozing for a long time despite pressing cotton against his mouth. He was terrified. He sobbed soundlessly and tears flowed to the lower half of his face, mixing together with blood and the coffee that Fu Jia had smashed into his face earlier; the colour was indescribable.
Hearing Lu Qi'an's voice, he felt extremely wronged and hissed to complain: “Dear teachers and students! It was this lunatic who began hitting first. You’ll see once you check the surveillance.”
When Fu Jia heard his voice and reflexively got up to beat him. The person holding him down was yelled at by Lu Qi'an before and couldn’t react in time, letting him crawl up from the ground.
Lu Qi’an noticed his movements and hugged him tightly, letting him kick and hit from his embrace, then held him even more tightly. He whispered into his ears in comfort: “It’s okay, it’s okay. It’s me.”
Seeing this, Liu-laoshi hurried over to help.
Fu Jia breathed heavily before gradually calming down, and then tightly grabbed Lu Qi'an's clothes.
Feeling him tremble in his arms, Lu Qi'an pressed his lips into a tight line. Both his hands were cold as ice.
Seeing that no one paid attention to him, the short boy cried even harder, shouting at the top of his lungs: “Teachers! Are you even being reasonable?! It was him who raised his fists first, hurry up and call the police! This kind of student must be expelled. He must be expelled!”
While he was speaking, blood froth spewed out of his mouth, horrifying those around him.
Seeing this, the other teachers hurried to his side to comfort him, anxiously calling to ask where the ambulance was and why it hadn't come yet.
Conversations buzzed in and out of the classroom, the busy crowds discussing which party was in the right, and which party was in the wrong.
Lu Qi’an was so angered that it inverted into a calm demeanor. He knew that the other party's injury was more serious than Fu Jia's, and there were so many teachers and classmates who witnessed it with their own eyes. If Fu Jia really did raise his fist first, this matter would not end well.
“Auntie Liu, watch over him for me,” he said to Liu-laoshi.
Liu-laoshi was stunned, and took Fu Jia from his hands. Seeing that Fu Jia refused to let go of Lu Qi'an's clothes, she gently pried him away.
Lu Qi’an had called out Auntie Liu, not Liu-laoshi.
Lu Qi'an stood up with steady composure: "Feng Jing, calm down first, emotional agitation isn’t conducive to closing your wounds.”
Feng Jing was the name of the short boy.
Feng Jing glanced at Lu Qi'an. He certainly wanted to say something, but he didn't want to howl at Lu Qi'an, so he just turned his face away angrily.
“Feng Jing, your confidence in the surveillance footage shows that the one who raised his fist first should be Fu Jia– that is, this second-year junior brother,” said Lu Qi’an.
Feng Jing was dissatisfied: “Calling it ‘should be’? It really was him who…”
“But,” Lu Qi’an frowned tightly and interrupted him, “No one would go all out against another person for no reason while knowing that there are surveillance cameras. Before the matter is properly investigated, we can’t judge who’s in the right or wrong yet.”
He took a deep breath, observing the dissatisfied eyes of the people around him, and knew that the bystanders sympathized with whichever party took more damage. He slowed his words and said: “The current situation is so chaotic and has yet to be sorted, so don't rush to bring up the police or expulsion yet. The reality is that Fu Jia hit you first, and everyone can see that your injuries are more severe. May I suggest letting Fu Jia apologize to you first, and then we can discuss matters in detail afterwards. Does everyone agree with resolving it like this?”
His approach was clear. Even in such a situation, his speech was neither fast or slow, allowing everyone to hear him distinctly and understand his desire to mediate.
As the dean, Liu-laoshi was the first to answer: “Let’s do it like this then. Those standing at the door, are you entertained now? When the stretcher comes later, how will it get in?”
The onlookers shyly avoided her eyes, then retreated outside one by one.
She breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Fu Jia in her arms and softly said: “Fu Jia, for today, just apologize to your senior first. This doesn’t automatically default you as the guilty party in this situation, but he is your senior and his injuries are more severe than yours. Just apologize and comfort him first, okay?”
Before she finished speaking, Fu Jia raised his head from her arms and absent-mindedly looked at Lu Qi'an.
Lu Qi'an also looked at him, both his hands were clenched and slightly shaking.
Liu-laoshi was slightly shocked.
Suddenly, she understood what the strange feeling was when she invited Fu Jia to eat together and watched the two children’s rising back figures.
The sense of exclusivity between the two of them was too strong. As long as the two of them looked at each other, everything else was excluded by them.
They only had each other, only looked at each other, and only acknowledged each other.
Fu Jia opened his mouth and asked hoarsely, "Why do I…have to apologize?”
Lu Qi’an whispered: “This doesn’t mean that you’re in the wrong.”
Fu Jia's eyes were empty, and he asked again stubbornly: "Why do I have to apologize…”
Lu Qi'an's heart was numb, and he reluctantly said: "I already said, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re…”
“In your eyes, isn’t it that everything I do is wrong? You’re not satisfied with anything I do.”
Fu Jia spoke.
He waved Liu-laoshi’s hand away, crawled up from the ground with his hands and feet, and then struggled to stand still.
“I give up,” he said with gritted teeth, then pushed away those in his way and ran out of the classroom.
Lu Qi’an, who remained in place, lost feeling in every part of his body.
Two seconds later, he ran out to give chase.
His figure was panicked.
