Chapter 61 — Even the Top Student Dates
Yu Fan showing up to school with a backpack caused a small stir right at the gate.
Hu Pang, who stationed himself at the entrance three days a week to catch uniform violations and latecomers, was the first to be shocked. The bag was old and wilted, obviously not stuffed with many books, and he wore it slung on one shoulder so he still looked a bit careless. Even so, compared to before, he finally had a hint of a student look.
Because of this, Hu Pang made a point of praising Zhuang Fangqin at the teachers’ meeting.
At first, Zhuang Fangqin felt the praise was excessive. Students carrying backpacks was only natural, what was there to praise? Until the grade totals for the last monthly exam of the term came out. Then she wished Hu Pang would go to the school broadcast room and praise her again.
“You did well on this monthly exam, but do not get cocky. Keep improving and hold this level for the finals, got it?”
As soon as she finished the ranking spreadsheet, Zhuang Fangqin called him to her office. She had meant to say a few nice words, but seeing his forever-slouching stance, she could not help frowning. “Stand up straight!”
Yu Fan was sleepy and kept quiet, lazily straightening his back.
She was still not satisfied, and had just picked up a ruler to tap his waist straight when the Class Eight homeroom teacher came in and set a cup of soy milk on her desk. “Teacher Zhuang, are you scolding him or praising him? Here, I just passed the cafeteria and brought you one.”
“Ah, thank you, Teacher Gu,” said Zhuang Fangqin. “Scolding him.”
“What for? I heard he has improved a lot on these monthly exams.”
“It is okay, average, still far off,” said Zhuang Fangqin with a smile. “He only went from 1,128th in the first monthly exam to 499th now. Barely squeezed into the top five hundred. How is that a big improvement?”
Yu Fan: “…”
Teacher Gu smiled wordlessly for a beat. “That is already impressive. You need to teach me your method, Teacher Zhuang. How did you pull up his grades?”
“I do not have a method. He made up his mind to study and he has some talent. Otherwise it would not rise so fast.” She thought a moment. “If I must say something… I moved the top-ranked student to the seat next to him. You could try that.”
Teacher Gu: “…”
What, should I conjure a grade leader out of thin air?
Zhuang Fangqin checked the time and said to Yu Fan, “All right, class is about to start. Go back. Remember what I said, maintain it and do not get proud.”
Say that last sentence to yourself.
Yu Fan answered with an oh, turned and headed to the door.
Teacher Gu glanced at her own class’s ranking sheet and sighed. “Ay, our class’s average dropped two places. And a student who used to be top thirty fell outside the top hundred this time.”
“It is emotional regulation,” said Zhuang Fangqin. “A lot of students are like that. You need to keep an eye on it. In the third year it gets worse.”
“Not entirely.” Teacher Gu hesitated, lowered her voice. “It is early romance. With a boy from our class who does sports. No good, I have to talk to their parents. Third year is coming up. We cannot let these vague feelings drag down grades.”
Zhuang Fangqin nodded in agreement and was about to say more when the person who had just left suddenly poked his head back in.
Hands in his pocket, face casual, Yu Fan asked, “That guy… what was his rank this exam?”
“Who?”
“Chen Jingshen.”
“First.”
Yu Fan’s brows loosened an invisible fraction. He gave a cold “oh,” turned, and left.
Only after answering did Zhuang Fangqin feel puzzled. Since when did Yu Fan care about other people’s grades?
“They seem close,” Teacher Gu said with a smile. “Looks like Chen Jingshen is motivating him quite a bit.”
It took a few seconds for Zhuang Fangqin to come back to herself and nod blankly. “… I suppose?”
As soon as Yu Fan returned to class, Wang Lu’an leaned over. “What did Fangqin want? We waited for you forever.”
“Nothing.” Yu Fan instinctively swept a glance over his deskmate’s proper back of the head, then pulled out his chair and sat. “What is it?”
“A few of us are going to that new indoor amusement park this Saturday. You coming?”
“No.” Yu Fan did not even think about it. “Got plans.”
“It is the weekend. What plans could you have? Your one-on-one tutor is at night, right?” said Wang Lu’an.
“A date, maybe?” Zhang Xianjing turned halfway around in her chair, one leg crossed over the other.
Two minutes until class. Yu Fan was bent over rummaging through the mess in his desk for a book. He paused at her words, then gave a short muffled “mm.”
“… F***, you start dating and just ditch your brothers?” Wang Lu’an clicked his tongue, then glanced to the other side. “Then, Top Student, want to come with us?”
Chen Jingshen was still looking down at his problems. “No.”
“What are you thinking. Finals are coming. Do you think the top student has time to go out?” Zhang Xianjing said, amused.
“Oh,” said Wang Lu’an. “So even the top student needs a pre-exam sprint?”
“Not really,” Chen Jingshen said lightly. “I have other plans.”
Wang Lu’an was curious about how the top student spent weekends. “What plans?”
“Same as his.” Chen pointed with his pen at the person beside him.
Thud.
Yu Fan’s grip slipped. The hard-won textbook dropped to the floor.
He ducked down to fetch it and lingered under the desk for a long time before slowly lifting his head and propping the book upright to block his face.
Wang Lu’an found his voice. “Even the top student is dat—”
“Do not know,” Yu Fan cut him off coolly. “I do not know anything. Do not f***ing ask me.”
Everyone else looked shocked, surprised, and very curious.
Only Zhang Xianjing rested her elbow on her chair back and turned around, her probing gaze circling between him and Chen Jingshen again and again, one brow creasing and the other lifting, face full of doubt.
Saturday. As soon as Chen Jingshen reached the cinema, he saw a tall boy standing at the concessions counter.
“Two Cokes? If you add five yuan, you can get a small popcorn,” the clerk said, pointing at the menu. “That is our couple’s combo.”
Yu Fan was looking down sending a message. He was about to say no, but stopped at the last line.
He looked up, voice hesitant. “… Couple’s combo?”
“Yes. I see your tickets are for a couple’s theater. The combo is discounted. You could ask whether the other person wants popcorn?”
Yu Fan frowned and considered for two seconds, then lowered his head to type. “I will ask.”
No.
So fast? He had not even hit send…
Yu Fan paused, then turned his face without expression. “Who asked you?”
“Then who are you asking?” Chen said.
“My phone wallet.”
The clerk: “…”
She was debating whether to pitch another combo when the boy with the slightly longer hair looked back, tossed his phone into his pocket, rubbed his nose, and told her, “… Two Cokes. No combo.”
Yu Fan could count on one hand the times he had come to the movies. Someone used to bring him. After that person left he basically stopped. He had no patience to sit still, and he did not like sitting next to strangers.
So this was the first time he learned cinemas even had seats like this.
The auditorium was small, with gray two-seat sofas. To keep neighbors from seeing what was going on, each sofa had a small divider in the middle.
He and Chen sat side by side. He thought, how is this any different from class.
Later he discovered there was a difference. In class he could at least listen, do problems, kill time, but faced with a two-hour bad movie? He really wanted to leave.
The movie opened by laying out the backstory. The heroine fell in love at four years old because the hero gave her a candy, then pined after him for fourteen years without meeting.
Was that possible? Who remembers someone they met at four? And what if the male lead turned ugly or awful over a decade?
He could still tolerate it up to there. Until the two reunited, both twisted their ankles at first sight, rolled on the ground together, and then, right on cue, kissed. His fist actually tightened.
There was a strange noise to the side. Yu Fan swallowed his discomfort at the plot and turned his head without thinking.
Even with dividers, he was tall and could see the couple next to them who had started kissing along with the leads on screen.
“…”
F***.
Did those two forget there were people beside them? Did they not know cinemas had cameras?
He had been propping his head on the armrest and dozing. Hearing the sounds, he could not help glancing up to look for cameras. It was pitch black. He could not see a thing.
He resisted the urge to leave and sat up straighter. His shoulder bumped Chen Jingshen’s.
They did this in class too. Sitting shoulder to shoulder without a word. Every time Zhuang Fangqin patrolled past the door, Yu Fan would instinctively lean forward to break contact, like when you are on your phone and a teacher passes, you shove the phone in the desk.
Then after a while he would realize, two boys shoulder to shoulder in their seats was perfectly normal. Lots of people sat that way.
He figured it out this time, then forgot the next time.
But not here.
His arm pressed against Chen’s. The theater air-con was cranked up. Only where they leaned together was warm.
Chen felt the weight from the side growing, like someone fighting sleep but not giving in.
He shifted a little so Yu Fan could lean more comfortably.
“Chen Jingshen.”
Chen stopped. “What?”
“There are cameras.” Yu Fan kept his cool face toward the screen. He did not know if he was warning Chen or himself. “No kissing.”
“…”
The word “date” had actually buzzed in Yu Fan’s head for days.
He had drifted through life for a long time. Days of the week only meant early wakeup or not. But this week he checked the date once a day. It felt slow.
He had not expected the end to be two people sitting side by side, unable to do anything, listening to others do things. So f***ing dumb…
His fingers were pried open, covered, and laced. The cursing in his head stopped.
“Mm,” Chen said. “Then hold hands.”
“…”
Chen’s hands were warmer than his, fingers long. It felt good to hold.
The sounds next door stopped. Yu Fan suddenly felt he could put up with this.
Later he realized that while the plot was trash, if you ignored the leads and just looked at the frames, each shot was beautiful, the kind you could pull out as wallpaper.
The green tunnel where the hero crashed, wrapped in lush branches, light and shadow dappling.
The heroine learning she had cancer, sinking into the snow, goose-feather flakes stark and lovely.
After many hardships the leads discovered they were siblings and decided to break up. Before parting they returned to the campus of their reunion, hugging, holding hands, saying goodbye under falling autumn leaves.
Fine. He was here for the scenery.
So thought the person who had wanted to smash the screen an hour earlier.
When the movie ended, they were among the first to walk out.
It was three in the afternoon. The sun was strong. After two hours in the dark, Yu Fan stepped out the back door and had to squint.
He had not even made out the surroundings when the person beside him asked under his breath, “Your place?”
Yu Fan’s fingers curled. A muffled “mm” was already at his lips.
“Yu Fan? Top Student?”
A surprised voice came from the right. “How are you two together? Were you not going on dates?”
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