After that, Ke Bu and Zhi Li completely entered the sort of classmate relationship shown on children’s or educational television: one student helping another with his schoolwork. Whenever Ke Bu encountered a difficult problem, he went to Zhi Li. Zhi Li didn’t say much, but he often combined drawings with explanations and wrote them out in Ke Bu’s notebook. Since that first lesson, he hadn’t kissed Ke Bu again either. Ke Bu was currently very satisfied, except for one thing.
“You’ve gotten this problem wrong three times already, haven’t you?”
“I can never remember it.”
“Hold out your hand.”
This was exactly the one thing Ke Bu meant! He glanced at Su You Yan and the others sitting not far away. “I’m not some child from the old days. Why am I getting hit on the palm just because I got a problem wrong?”
“You can report me if you want. Hold out your hand.” Under Zhi Li’s order, Ke Bu reluctantly extended his hand. The ruler smacked against his palm. Beside them, Chu Hao Yu helpfully supplied sound effects of his own. “It hurts~ It hurts so much~~ I want to go home to Mommy.”
“Shut up! Read your own book.” Finals started tomorrow, so even Chu Hao Yu and the others had begun cramming at the last minute for one final push. After all, students were still spending their parents’ money and therefore still under their parents’ control. If their grades were too terrible, none of them would have an easy time explaining it. Ying Xiu Jie lay on the bamboo mat holding a book and yawning continuously. “I really want to sleep.”
“Then sleep.”
“What if I do badly?”
“How would we know? That’s your problem.”
Zhi Li tapped Ke Bu on the head and pulled his attention back. “Where are you looking?” Ke Bu lowered his head and read for a while before looking up again. “You’re spending all your time tutoring me. Don’t you need to study yourself? Your mom doesn’t care about your grades, but your dad does, right?”
“Mm.”
“What happens if you do badly?” The question made Zhi Li think for several seconds before he answered, “Forgot.”
“Forget it. I shouldn’t have asked you such a meaningless question.” Ke Bu propped up his head with one hand and turned a page. He was always seeing top students claim that studying was full of fun. Where exactly was the fun? As he thought about it, his attention wandered again. Adults were always telling children to study hard, but children never took the advice seriously. Then those children entered society, gradually grew older, began to understand how important studying had been, and started giving the same advice to their own children. It was like a vicious cycle.
Zhi Li stood the book upright and pressed it against Ke Bu’s face. “Read.”
“I know. I’ve been studying constantly lately. I’m exhausted.”
“I’ve been watching you study constantly lately. Why am I not exhausted?”
Ke Bu gave a weak laugh and held the book properly again. He should take it seriously. If his grades were too bad, the person he would feel most sorry toward was probably Zhi Li, who had been staying with him throughout all this studying. The glass window reflected the two of them clearly: Ke Bu biting his pen while thinking, Zhi Li bent over his drawing, sitting opposite each other and sharing one table. However beautiful the scenery outside the window might have been, Ke Bu couldn’t see it and didn’t want to.
The next morning, a strong beam of light hit Ke Bu’s face and forced him to open his eyes. Zhou Xin He turned around looking refreshed and woke everyone. “Get up. You have exams today, so I didn’t have time to make breakfast. I went outside and bought all the things you like instead.” Zhang Luo covered his head with a pillow. “Xin He, come work for my family after you graduate. I’ll pay you a high salary.” Still half asleep, Ke Bu sat up and kicked Zhang Luo. “Don’t even think about it. I reserved Xin He a long time ago.” As he spoke, he looked around. The place resembled a mass graveyard. Several people were sprawled in every direction asleep, reference books scattered beside them. Ke Bu got up, stepped directly across Chu Hao Yu’s back, grabbed his toothbrush and toothpaste, and headed for the washroom.
He rubbed his face and scratched his stomach. Staring at himself in the mirror, he slowly squeezed toothpaste onto the brush and put it into his mouth. The taste of mint spread across his tongue. Zhi Li came in shortly afterward. Ke Bu watched every movement he made through the mirror while brushing his teeth. By the time Ke Bu finished, Zhi Li had only just started.
“Zhi Li.”
“Mm.” He lazily brushed his teeth as though filming a commercial.
“You know I’m an atheist. But for something like an exam, I think there’s nothing unreasonable about hoping I do well.” Ke Bu beat around the bush. Zhi Li spat out the foam. “Say whatever you want directly.” Ke Bu placed a hand on Zhi Li’s arm. “I want to use psychic power to borrow some of your intelligence and good luck.” Chu Hao Yu, who had just entered, gave a huge yawn. “Ke Bu, is your chuunibyou acting up?”
“Mind your own business.”
After Zhi Li finished brushing his teeth, he grabbed Ke Bu’s clean shirt and used it to wipe his mouth. “Now that you mention it, I remember something Yin once said.”
“What did she say?”
“She said whenever someone tried to take something that belonged to me, she would curse that person to have bad luck for the rest of their life.”
“You should’ve said that earlier!”
“I only just remembered.”
Ke Bu turned on the faucet and vigorously washed his hand, trying to scrub away whatever magical curse circle Lan Yin had placed on Zhi Li.
After joking around and eating breakfast, Ke Bu gathered everything he needed for the exam, slapped his cheeks, and headed toward the examination room. He wasn’t nervous. This wasn’t the kind of exam that would decide his future.
Among the people who hated time most, examinees definitely had to be one category. The more you wanted time to slow down, the faster it insisted on running.
After the torturous exams, Ke Bu walked out of the classroom and let out a long breath. But the feeling of release could never compare with finishing the college entrance exam. Zhi Li, who had handed in his paper early, was nowhere to be seen. This time, the class adviser had already gone over all the necessary reminders in advance, which meant the moment the exams ended, summer vacation officially began.
Messages from the group chat kept making his phone vibrate.
[Chu Hao Yu: Zhang Luo, did you book the tickets?]
[Zhang Luo: Yep. Tomorrow morning at 9:45, to Yinguo Town.]
[Ying Xiu Jie: Then I’m going home first to drop off my stuff.]
[Gong Zhu: That soon!! I still haven’t bought sunscreen, and I haven’t told my parents either. We only just started vacation and we’re already going away, and…]
[Chu Hao Yu: Right, you’re still busy dating your Brother Yan Feng.]
[Gong Zhu: Don’t you have a girlfriend too?]
[Chu Hao Yu: There are more of my girlfriends on the beach. I’m not Zhi Li. Who brings family members to the seaside? What a buzzkill.]
[Ke Bu: Are you pretending I don’t exist?]
[Zhang Luo: As a man, I agree with him. Seriously, Ke Bu, has Zhi Li ever indirectly suggested that you spend summer vacation at the end of the world? Sometimes you might think he’s saying something romantic, but what he really means is that he wants to send you as far away as possible.]
[Ke Bu: Thank you all for your concern. He has not! By the way, didn’t Zhi Li join the group last time? Why is he gone again?]
[Gong Zhu: After asking everyone for their coordinates, he left the group again.]
Ke Bu pushed open the door to Zhi Li’s dorm while still playing with his phone. The moment he looked up, he was kissed. Zhi Li patted Ke Bu’s stunned face. “We agreed. Once the exams were over, I could kiss you.”
“I never said you couldn’t.” Ke Bu stared at him. The sunlight behind Zhi Li seemed almost as though it were radiating from Zhi Li himself.
Summer, it turns out, suits you so well.
Leave a Reply