Ke Bu boarded the school bus and scanned the empty seats. Quite a few people seemed to be eyeing the seat beside Zhi Li, wanting to go over yet lacking the courage. Without thinking, Ke Bu walked straight to Zhi Li’s seat, but instead of sitting down, he simply stood there staring at him.
“Don’t think something will happen just because you keep staring at me,” Zhi Li said slowly without even raising his head.
“Sorry to trouble you.” Ke Bu lowered himself humbly. Zhi Li stood up and moved from the window seat to the aisle side. Ke Bu sat down by the window with a tiny burst of delight. He had always liked sitting by the window. Ke Bu yawned. Zhi Li glanced at him, and Ke Bu sleepily pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head. “I stayed up all night playing games.”
“Do you want me to praise you?”
“Don’t mock me so calmly. I know, I’ll be more careful next time.” Ke Bu closed his eyes and fell peacefully asleep beside Zhi Li. Sitting in the row behind them, Gong Zhu felt strangely stifled. What is with this kind of everyday conversation between the two of them that leaves no room for anyone else to join in? Ke Bu clearly said they weren’t close at all, but it doesn’t look that way. The school bus stopped at its destination. Ke Bu opened his eyes groggily and discovered that at some point he had leaned against Zhi Li’s shoulder. His face heated up. He hurriedly straightened as far away as possible until his entire back pressed against the window. “Don’t tell me you think that while the bus was swaying, with my heart thumping, romantic music playing and a pink backdrop appearing around us, I deliberately leaned against your shoulder. I’m telling you, dream on. My body was asleep and just swayed over unconsciously.”
“I didn’t mind.” Zhi Li shrugged. Why is he so completely at ease about this? It only makes me look like I’m the one who cares too much.
“Then why didn’t you push me away?!”
“My shoulder was empty anyway.”
“Don’t say things so casually! Can you have even a little basic common sense as a human being?!”
Zhi Li stared at Ke Bu. “You’re blushing.”
“I am not! Please don’t make baseless guesses. Falling asleep on your shoulder is already embarrassing enough, and I don’t want to owe you a favor for no reason either.”
Watching Ke Bu ramble, Zhi Li stood up from his seat. “Got it. You leaned on my shoulder once, so next time I’ll lean on you once.” His voice held no emotion at all, as though he were talking about something perfectly ordinary.
“There’s something seriously wrong with that sentence. Why didn’t you add the word ‘shoulder’ to the second half?! Are you deliberately trying to insult me?!”
Zhi Li shrugged and got off the bus. Ke Bu ground his teeth and pounded hard on the window. He already knew Zhi Li very well. This was simply the kind of person he was. Nothing he said carried any special meaning, yet Ke Bu could never stop himself from taking it seriously. Wasn’t that the same as letting Zhi Li lead him around by the nose? Was Zhi Li simply so dull and innocent that he understood nothing about human emotions, or was Ke Bu himself too complicated, placing far too much importance on things like human feelings?
The students gathered in an open area carrying bags of every size. The instructor, dressed in dark green camouflage, stood before them and announced the important rules. “The area where you’re allowed to move has already been marked off with caution tape. Do not step outside it. Most importantly, you must pay attention to safety. If anything happens, find the instructor responsible for your group. Every day we’ll conduct spot checks on how each group folds its blankets and arranges its daily necessities. This afternoon, each group will first choose a place and set up its tents. Training officially begins tomorrow. Finally, obey management and strictly follow discipline.”
Ke Bu had gone through military training plenty of times, but this kind was a first. Maybe this was why the school was famous, for doing things its own way. The chancellor had received a foreign education, so the academy differed somewhat from traditional Chinese schooling. Chu Hao Yu, Ying Xiu Jie, and Gong Zhu chose a good spot and began setting up the tents. Zhou Xin He had the makings of a perfect homemaker and arranged everyone’s belongings neatly. Su You Yan sat on a rock reading from beginning to end without saying a single word, occasionally pushing up her glasses. Zhi Li, meanwhile, sat by a nearby stream drawing in a sketchbook. Yes, his only hobby was scribbling and drawing in notebooks, a pastime completely at odds with his personality.
By the time everything was finally set up, everyone was exhausted. There was still plenty of time left, so Chu Hao Yu suggested they play a gambling game. The moment Ke Bu heard that the idea came from Chu Hao Yu, he had a very bad feeling. Chu Hao Yu pulled out 100 yuan and tossed it onto a rock. “Let’s bet on who can kiss the two girls in our group first.” The moment he said it, Zhou Xin He’s face flushed bright red and she waved her hands hurriedly. “Please don’t use me as part of a bet. That’s not very appropriate.” Su You Yan said nothing, but she made a terrifying move of her own, taking a drawing compass out of her bag while still reading and placing it beside her.
“Yutai, what exactly do you think your group members are?”
“You people are way too boring. Isn’t youth the perfect time to do filthy things? Without a little spirit of adventure, when you’re old and look back on your entire school life, you won’t have a single memory worth bragging about.”
“Please don’t say such filthy things with such a serious face.” Ke Bu corrected him again. Besides, risking one’s life for 100 yuan was far too shortsighted. Ke Bu was not the kind of person who would risk his life for a tiny profit.
“If you ask me, we might as well smash all the other groups’ things, unite the whole place under us, and leave those animals with nothing to eat and no tents to sleep in,” Ying Xiu Jie suggested.
“I think it’d be better to write our wishes on slips of paper, put them in bottles, and toss them into the stream,” Gong Zhu, the top-tier shou, suggested too. Ke Bu finally regretted joining this group. What is wrong with every single person here? This isn’t the strongest group. It’s the most perverted group. Chu Hao Yu scratched his head. “No choice, then. If we want military training to be fun, we’ll have to raise the stakes. Whoever can kiss Zhi Li, any part counts, his hand or his face, wins. Not only do they get the money, they also get to be group leader. How about it?” All five of them turned toward Zhi Li in the distance at the same time, every hair on their bodies standing on end. This was no longer a question of a high-difficulty gamble. This was gambling with their lives.
“What do you mean, kiss a man?!” Ying Xiu Jie refused.
“That’s why it’s called a bet. Do you think money is something you can just pick up whenever you want? What, you’re scared? And you call yourself a man.” Chu Hao Yu’s provocation hit exactly where it needed to. The moment Ying Xiu Jie heard that, his fighting spirit burst into flames. He pulled 100 yuan from his bag. “I’m in.” Gong Zhu went without saying, he pulled out his money faster than anyone else. The proposal apparently sounded interesting, because even Su You Yan closed her book, pinched a 100-yuan bill between her fingers, and tossed it over as casually as if she were throwing away trash. The corner of her mouth curved into an almost imperceptible smile. To Ke Bu, it looked as though she were saying, I’d like to see exactly how you all die. Seeing everyone else put in money, Zhou Xin He hurriedly took some out too. She probably had not even understood what was going on and simply wanted to fit into the group. Ke Bu folded his arms and watched the pile of bills on the rock grow. He sniffed. I’m not joining such a boring bet. I already said I absolutely won’t risk my life for such a tiny profit. Whoever wants to kiss Zhi Li can go kiss him. I don’t care. Whoever wants to kiss Zhi Li can go kiss him. Whoever wants to kiss Zhi Li can go kiss him.
Ke Bu suddenly straightened and stood up, tossing his own 100 yuan over. “I’m definitely winning this bet!” His thoughts and actions seemed a little inconsistent there.
“Well, look at that. The lazy boy has actually become fired up.”
“For money and the group-leader position, there’s nothing I won’t do. Even if it means kissing a man, what is self-respect worth? Garbage!” Ke Bu paused to gauge the weather. Today was pleasantly cool. Looks like my luck isn’t too bad. Then Chu Hao Yu’s next sentence smashed that fantasy to pieces. “Alright, it’s settled. The bet starts tomorrow.”
“Why tomorrow?!”
“Because I heard it’s going to be very hot tomorrow. Hahaha. I wonder what’ll be waiting for all of you then.” Chu Hao Yu winked his right eye. The five of them turned to look at Zhi Li again. Ke Bu swallowed with difficulty and rubbed his chin, beginning to analyze the situation. Someone as casual as Zhi Li might let someone else get to him far too easily. Things don’t look good. A little cheating should be fine.
Once they finished discussing it, everyone went off to do their own thing. Ke Bu strolled up behind Zhi Li, bent down, and softly called his name. “Zhi Li.”
“What?”
“Can you agree to one tiny request?”
“How tiny?”
“Very, very tiny. Tomorrow, can you not let anyone else touch you?” I’m only doing this to win the bet. There’s absolutely no other meaning behind it. Besides, Zhi Li won’t misunderstand anything anyway.
“What do I get in exchange?”
So he isn’t as simple as I thought. He’s a shrewd businessman after all. “Then what do you want?” Zhi Li thought for a moment. “You can owe me for now.”
“Deal. Pleasure doing business, Zhi Li.” Ke Bu turned and went back. Ke Bu was absolutely not the sort of person who would risk his life for a tiny profit. He merely happened to skip a little as he walked because of that tiny profit.