Early that morning, Mai Ding got up and switched off the alarm. He looked at An Zi Yan beside him. “You’re not going to the graduation ceremony today?”
“Depends on my mood,” An Zi Yan answered sleepily. Mai Ding asked nothing more. He already understood An Zi Yan’s routine. Whenever An Zi Yan planned a large-scale prank, he hid somewhere behind the scenes arranging everything, then appeared only after Mai Ding had thoroughly humiliated himself. Behind An Zi Yan’s back, Mai Ding revealed the smile of a man who believed his IQ had reached 250, got ready as though nothing was wrong, and left.
The school was not far away, but Mai Ding decided it would be safer to take a bus, circle around the main gate, and enter through the north gate. Change the usual pattern and catch An Zi Yan unprepared. Ha. Haha. Hahaha. Hahahahaha. Lately Mai Ding kept giggling to himself over his astonishing intelligence and acting skill.
Only after boarding the bus did Mai Ding relax. He found a seat by the window and watched other students walking toward school outside, just like him. Only then did he slowly realize something. Today was his final day at the university. These past few days, all he had thought about was how to deal with An Zi Yan. His anxiety about the future, his worry about facing society again, his uncertainty about leaving school… he had forgotten all of it. Every day he had done nothing but wonder what trick An Zi Yan would pull, then laugh stupidly to himself. Could that guy have done it deliberately? The thought had barely appeared before Mai Ding clubbed it to death in his mind. An Zi Yan could never be that considerate!
At that moment, a burly man in a black suit sat down beside Mai Ding. A suit in weather this hot, plus that strange expression. Mai Ding immediately went on alert. So even after he changed routes, they had followed him. Fine. Let’s see what he does! Two minutes passed and the suited man did absolutely nothing. Instead, Mai Ding was the one tortured into restlessness. If you have some trick, hurry up and use it already! No matter how furiously Mai Ding called out inside his own head, the man remained motionless. Better get off first. Strange, they should have reached the stop by now. Mai Ding muttered under his breath, “Why haven’t we reached the North Gate stop yet?” The suited man beside him spoke in a gloomy voice. “You’re not going to get there.” Mai Ding’s eyes widened in terror. Had he boarded a death bus, one that carried no living passengers and drove endlessly toward the road to the underworld? Why would such a clichéd horror-story plot happen to Mai Ding? Obviously because An Zi Yan had arranged it!!
Mai Ding could not hold back anymore. All the emotions he had bottled up exploded. He grabbed the suited man by the collar. “What is it this time? Tell me! Are you going to arrest me for molesting a child again? Say it!”
“W-what on earth are you talking about?” The suited man was completely baffled.
“I’m not scared at all! Come on! Tie me up! Threaten me! Can you try a different routine for once? Is it always going to be the same two tricks?” The suited man had no idea what to say. By now everyone else on the bus was staring at Mai Ding in confusion. Mai Ding sneered, looking immensely pleased with himself. “Still acting? Pretty convincing. You’re too inexperienced to fool me. Go back and tell An Zi Yan this scam has no originality whatsoever. Isn’t this even the same suit you wore last time?” Mai Ding tugged at the man’s jacket. “Why are you alone? Did An Zi Yan run out of money?” Then enlightenment struck. Mai Ding looked around at the dozen or so people on the bus. “Don’t tell me all of you were hired by him. Can’t you people do something useful with your lives? What, you think you’re background actors? Sigh. Pathetic.” Folding his arms, Mai Ding walked over to the driver. “I’m not allowed to get off yet, right? How are you planning to scare me later? When you turn your head around, are you going to be wearing some faceless mask? Ooh, I’m so scared. Please, let me go.” Mai Ding’s sarcastic performance earned only a blank stare from the driver, who looked at him as though he had escaped from a psychiatric hospital.
When the bus reached the next stop, the suited man and the driver together invited Mai Ding to get off. Mai Ding was still sneering. “Embarrassed because I exposed you?” Nobody wanted to respond. Pointing accusingly at everyone inside, Mai Ding shouted, “You’re all grown adults! Can’t you do something worthwhile? How much did he pay you to sell your character and your dignity?!”
Left alone at the bus stop, Mai Ding watched the vehicle pull away, his face full of triumph. Then he gradually saw the route number more clearly. His smile slowly, slowly disappeared. He had taken the wrong bus! So the suited man had only been trying to warn him? Then everything just now… no. Impossible. Thinking about it now, if Mai Ding had boarded the wrong bus, An Zi Yan could never have predicted that.
Mai Ding wanted to run into the road, lie flat in the middle, and bring his ridiculous life to an end. What had he just been doing, acting like a lunatic? He remembered the suited man’s expression, the driver’s expression, the expressions of the dozen strangers inside. Perhaps he would never forget those looks for as long as he lived. Calm down! He had to stay calm! Nobody could ever be told about this! Heaven knew, earth knew, Mai Ding knew, and a group of total strangers knew. Nobody else would ever find out.
By the time he reached the north gate, Mai Ding had already reorganized his emotions and forcibly thrown the unpleasant memory to the back of his mind so he could continue dealing with An Zi Yan. He looked left and right, finding everyone suspicious.
“Mai Ding.” Someone called to him from not far away. It was the class monitor. The more Mai Ding looked at that sleazy face, the more suspicious it became. His eyes shifted as he examined the class monitor from head to toe.
“What kind of look is that?”
“Nothing. What a coincidence. The school is this huge, yet somehow you happen to run into me.” Mai Ding’s words carried hidden meaning, but the class monitor did not catch it. He waved the bread he had just bought. “Did you eat breakfast? Want some?”
There was something in it! Definitely drugs! Maybe an aphrodisiac, maybe sleeping pills, and afterward they would do whatever they wanted to him!
“Why aren’t you eating it?” Mai Ding asked coldly.
“I already ate just now. You’re acting really weird today.”
Mai Ding took the bread and brought it toward his mouth, then suddenly stopped. He turned and stared at the class monitor again. “For that one second just now, were you secretly celebrating because your scheme had succeeded?”
“Mai Ding, I understood every individual word you just said, but I have no idea what any of them mean together.” The moment the class monitor finished, Mai Ding rudely stuffed the bread into his mouth, then extended the righteous finger of justice toward him. “We’re both class officers. I used to respect you. I never expected you to do something like this. Making me eat bread? I look down on you!” With that, he furiously abandoned the class monitor and marched away. The class monitor could not have looked more wronged. With his mouth stuffed full of bread, he mumbled indistinctly, “These days, is kindly offering someone bread some kind of terrible crime?”
Mai Ding had barely gone any farther when a girl from his class called to him. Everyone was being far too friendly today. How could someone as clever as Mai Ding fail to notice something suspicious? Obviously it was An Zi Yan’s trap. It never occurred to him that perhaps people were simply being warm because today was everyone’s last day at school.
“Mai Ding, how do you feel about graduating?” the girl asked.
Trying to seduce me! Amateur move! Mai Ding folded his arms. “Whatever I’m feeling, it has nothing to do with you. You’re a girl, so have some sense of shame. Don’t sell your looks just because An Zi Yan told you to. My moral character is extremely, extremely high. I won’t be tempted that easily. Seduction is useless on me.”
“Who’s trying to seduce you?!”
“You’re still denying it?” Mai Ding gave her a meaningful once-over, from her chest down to the thighs exposed beneath her miniskirt. Before he had time to say anything, the girl swung her bag into his head and stormed away angrily.