No. 2 High School divided students into humanities and science tracks at the end of the second semester of first year. After students chose their track, the school used their final-exam results to divide them into advanced and regular classes.
But Shao Wu’s year had only eight classes in total: seven science classes and one humanities class. With only a single humanities class, there was no point arguing over whether it was advanced or regular.
Shao Wu’s humanities grades were better than his science grades, and he liked the humanities anyway, so naturally he chose that track.
His mother had a few complaints.
“Everyone says if you’re good at math, physics, and chemistry, you can go anywhere in the world. Your chemistry and biology grades are good, aren’t they? Why insist on humanities?”
Shao Wu had an ice cream bar between his teeth and answered indistinctly, “I like humanities.”
“Can liking something feed you? I heard from Xiao Wen that all the special-admission students are in your class. Those kids never study properly…”
“That’s not true. My deskmate trains for long-distance running, and she did several pages of Five Years of Gaokao, Three Years of Mock Exams during evening self-study today. Mom, you can’t discriminate against people with tinted glasses on…”
“All right, all right, I can’t win an argument with you.” His mother rubbed his head. “Hungry? I’ll cook you some noodles.”
Shao Wu turned a page of his politics textbook and nodded vigorously.
“Put in extra pickled long beans!”
His mother went to the kitchen. Shao Wu’s gaze returned to the open textbook.
He stared at the four black characters meaning functions of government and gradually drifted off.
Today was September 1, the first day of the new school year.
Humanities Class 1 had forty-nine students, eight of whom were special-admission students. Somehow, those students always became the center of attention at school. The art students were usually handsome or pretty and dressed fashionably. While everyone else still wore their uniform pants loose and baggy, they had already altered theirs into narrow pencil pants.
The sports students were all lean and athletic. They were allowed to skip the school uniform during training, so their sports shirts always stood out in a sea of blue uniforms.
But Shao Wu remembered none of their faces, except his deskmate Zhu Jingjing’s.
Because he had seen that boy.
He had chosen humanities too.
That… that… what should Shao Wu call him?
For now, Xiaoyaosheng would do.
Shao Wu had later asked his cousin, and she told him that the white-robed character was called Xiaoyaosheng.
Seats were assigned by height. The boys stood in one column and the girls in three. There was no helping it. The gender ratio in a humanities class was simply that brutal.
Shao Wu was 172 centimeters tall and fourth in line. Xiaoyaosheng was taller and stood tenth.
Shao Wu glanced back at him. Two sports students stood behind the boy, laughing and talking, while he simply stood there with his head lowered. He did not look around or speak, as though the whole world had nothing to do with him.
His eyelids were still half lowered too.
Hey, Xiaoyaosheng. You don’t look carefree at all. You look half wilted.
“You two.” Their homeroom teacher jerked his chin toward the classroom. “Sit over there.”
Shao Wu entered, greeted his deskmate while arranging his books, and by the time he looked up again, Xiaoyaosheng had already taken a seat far away from him.
“All right, everyone seated? Then let me introduce myself.” Their homeroom teacher stood at the podium and pushed up his glasses. “My surname is Dong. Dong Ming, Ming as in ‘to cry out.’ I’m guessing you already know who I am.”
Of course they did.
Dong Ming taught politics. Supposedly, twenty years ago he had been the most handsome male teacher at No. 2 High School. Unfortunately, by now only the words male teacher still applied.
Last semester, Dong Ming had taught a graduating senior humanities class that produced one student admitted to Peking University, one to Tsinghua, and two to Fudan.
In a small district like this, naturally, he had become famous.
Dong Ming glanced at his watch.
“Forty minutes until school ends. Let’s just do some simple introductions. Start from the first row.”
The first girl was tiny and wore purple-framed glasses that made her look lively and clever.
“Hello, everyone. My name is Li Ruyan. Ru as in if, and Yan as in yanran yixiao. My hobbies are playing the guzheng and watching anime. My favorite is One Piece. Come talk to me anytime!”
The moment she finished, another girl called out, “I watch One Piece too! Who do you like?”
The other students laughed good-naturedly.
Dong Ming nodded. “You two can discuss that privately. Okay, next!”
Before long, it was Shao Wu’s turn.
The classroom atmosphere had already relaxed. Each student turned to face everyone while introducing themselves so the class could see their face.
Shao Wu sat near the middle of the room. He could face any direction.
As though possessed by some impulse, he angled himself slightly toward Xiaoyaosheng.
“Hello, everyone. My name is Shao Wu. Shao as in introduce, and Wu, the character made from ‘mouth’ and ‘heaven.’”
Xiaoyaosheng had his head lowered, apparently reading.
“I don’t have any special hobbies. I usually like reading and listening to music.”
“Shao Wu.” Dong Ming smiled. “Shao Wu ranked first in our class on the placement exam. You can all ask him about study methods.”
At once, the entire class looked at Shao Wu.
Zhu Jingjing whispered in admiration, “Amazing! I’m counting on you for my homework from now on!”
But Xiaoyaosheng still had his head lowered.
Shao Wu forced himself to say, “…Thank you, sir.”
After a while, it was finally Xiaoyaosheng’s turn.
Shao Wu swallowed. For some reason, he felt more nervous than the boy himself.
Xiaoyaosheng stood up. He was neither sluggish nor especially brisk. He simply rose at an entirely ordinary speed, in an entirely ordinary way.
At last, he lifted his head and opened his eyes fully.
His irises were glossy black, dark and rich yet clear and bright. For no reason at all, they reminded Shao Wu of the full moon at Mid-Autumn Festival.
“Hello, everyone. My name is Yang Shuyi. I usually like playing basketball. I’m glad to become classmates with all of you.”
His voice was still slightly hoarse, and his tone was very… ordinary.
Not cold, but not overly enthusiastic either. Just the same ordinary tone many of their classmates had used.
Then the next student introduced themselves, and the one after that, and Xiaoyaosheng lowered his head again.
Shao Wu thought, Yang Shuyi. Which shu? Which yi?
Whatever the characters were, the name sounded perfectly suited to Xiaoyaosheng.
He meant the Xiaoyaosheng from Fantasy Westward Journey.
As for the boy sitting there with his head lowered, he was really quite ordinary and inconspicuous.
So why could Shao Wu never stop looking at him?
Shao Wu thought perhaps it was because they had met before.
But Yang Shuyi did not remember.
Elio’s Notes: Five Years of Gaokao, Three Years of Mock Exams (《五年高考三年模拟》), often shortened to “Five-Three,” is a famous Chinese exam-preparation series used by high-school students.
Elio’s Notes: When introducing their names, Chinese speakers may explain which written characters they use by giving familiar words or breaking the character into components. Shao Wu’s “口天吴” identifies 吴 by its visible components.
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