Chapter 26
When he had calmed himself, Chen Su went to the bathroom to wash his face. Qiao Shao found that he had been gripping He Shen’s arm this whole time.
He Shen said sedately, “It’s time to cut your nails.”
Qiao Shao saw that there were obvious finger marks on his forearm.
“Sorry,” Qiao Shao was embarra.s.sed. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
He had just grabbed onto something, and didn’t even notice what it was.
At that time, he had been so excited. It was like seeing a favorite celebrity on the street.
While apologizing, he reached out and rubbed his arm for him. “Why didn’t you tell me? This is going to bleed.”
The finger marks were deep and slightly red.
He Shen looked at his hand and uttered, “I blame you …”
Qiao Shao was in the wrong and he said, “Blame me. Blame me for not being careful …”
“I blame you for having hands that are too small.” He Shen finished his words.
The hand Qiao Shao was using the rub his arm, stopped. He raised his head and looked at him. “Ah?”
He Shen took his hand, put it on his arm, and said, “You couldn’t even grasp my arm properly. That’s why you were able to dig into the meat like this.”
Qiao Shao’s hand was indeed too small to completely circle his forearm.
He Shen reached out and took his arm again. “See, I can’t p.r.i.c.k you.”
He had long fingers and easily gripped Qiao Shao’s fair and thin arms. His thumb and middle finger could even touch.
Qiao Shao looked at the two people’s hands, and said silently, “I think you’re making fun of my small hands.”
He Shen: “But you have no evidence of it.”
Qiao Shao laughed and patted him away. “You deserved that!” He hadn’t p.r.i.c.ked him too badly.
Then the bell for cla.s.s rang and the teacher stepped in to explain the exercise problems.
Qiao Shao immediately sat down and listened attentively.
He Shen lay down on his desk, his eyes swept across the other’s arm…
So white, tender and smooth.
His palms felt a bit itchy.
During the last segment of evening self-study, the day-students all returned home. As soon as He Shen left, Qiao Shao wanted to move next to Chen Su, since Chen Su’s seatmate was also a day student.
Chen Su took the exercise book and said, “Don’t move. I’ll go to you.”
Qiao Shao responded quickly. “Okay!”
He was comfortable in the back row because he could prop up his foot.
After Chen Su sat down, Song Yixu greeted him. Although a bit rusty, it was already a great start.
Chen Su asked Qiao Shao, “Is there anything you can’t solve? We can study it together.”
“Yes!” Qiao Shao for sure had problems he couldn’t solve. “This, this and that!”
Chen Su said warmly, “This topic was in last month’s exam. You can solve it from this perspective …”
The problem Qiao Shao asked was the geometry problem that He Shen had given him the answer to before. He Shen had directly given him the answer so they could eat already. Qiao Shao hadn’t taken the matter seriously, thinking that he’d ask Chen Su to teach him how to solve it.
Chen Su helped him write out the calculation process step by step, and finally he said, “The answer is a / 4.”
Qiao Shao blinked.
Chen Su asked him, “Is there anything else you don’t understand?”
I understand everything, so how could this answer be exactly the same as He Shen’s?
Don’t tell me that guy really knew how to answer this?
Could it be that the G.o.d of sleep was actually good at learning?
Doubt started to rise in Qiao Shao’s heart and he asked Chen Su. “I want to ask you something.”
Chen Su immediately said, “Ask, as long as I know, I’ll tell you everything.”
Qiao Shao waved his hand, “It’s not that big a deal.”
Chen Su was also serious. “In short, I won’t hide anything from you.”
Qiao Shao smiled and comforted him first. “Don’t be so nervous, I just want to know about He Shen’s learning situation.”
Chen Su acted as though he was ready and willing to give him even his bank account pa.s.sword. When Chen Su heard him ask, he instantly understood. He hesitated, and euphemistically said, “He’s different from us.”
Qiao Shao p.r.i.c.ked his ears and listened carefully. “Why?”
Chen Su could understand how Qiao Shao felt right now. He too had been hit hard at the beginning.
The school’s no. 1 student was also the student least serious about studying. Any hardworking student would feel the injustice.
Why do we have to listen carefully in cla.s.s while he just sleeps all the time?
Why do we stay up all night to solve the exercise problems while he can solve the difficult IMO problems just by casually thinking about it?
Why are we racking our brains while he can hand over a perfect test paper while stifling a yawn?
This was a really heavy blow to others. At the beginning, Chen Su was also discouraged. He felt that there really was a huge disparity between people — one that hard work and diligence simply wouldn’t be able to surpa.s.s.
But then he got over it. Why compare himself to this mystical being? He just needed to work hard for himself.
So at this moment, he wanted to console Qiao Shao.
“Don’t be like He Shen. We still have to work hard and listen carefully in the cla.s.s. We will definitely get good results.”
Qiao Shao breathed a sigh of relief. This manner of speaking could only mean that he shouldn’t follow after “weak students”.
——He Shen Shen you truly are a veteran slacker!
Chen Su added. “I’m not saying He Shen is bad. For other people, it’s good, but we really shouldn’t learn like he does, okay?”
Qiao Shao nodded again and again. “I understand! I won’t sleep in cla.s.s all day like he does. I’ll definitely study hard.”
Chen Su saw that he understood, and then said, “You need to stabilize your mentality. People are not born the same. There’s no need to compare yourself with others, you just need to compare with yourself.”
“Yes,” Qiao Shao said, “It’s enough if I can be better today than I was yesterday.”
Who could have thought that Qiao Shao could come a hair’s breadth away from the truth and still pa.s.s through unenlightened?
After a late self-study session, Qiao Shao and Chen Su returned to the dormitory for a midnight snack.
He got a lot of takeaway packed up and even had enough for breakfast tomorrow.
They ate and talked in a friendly atmosphere.
When it was close to lights out, Blue Hair returned.
He carried two plastic bags in his hand. He walked in and was about to say something when he saw the two people eating and was stunned.
Qiao Shao had nothing against him and so he called out, “Wei Jiayu, would you like to have a midnight snack?”
Blue Hair snorted, “I don’t want to have diarrhea.”
Chen Su said nothing.
Blue Hair looked at them, and unexpectedly turned around to go out again, muttering. “The entire room smells like food.”
Chen Su said, “I’m full.”
Qiao Shao said, “Let’s clean it up.”
It was not uncommon for boarding students to eat in the bedroom. But after all, it was still shared s.p.a.ce, and they still have to put up with each other.
While the two were cleaning the table, Chen Su was afraid that Qiao Shao was feeling sad, and he comforted him. “Wei Jiayu is prejudiced against the poor, so it’s better not to provoke him.”
Qiao Shao was curious. “Why?”
Chen Su paused and said, “Probably because his family’s financial situation is really good … his dad is really rich, and I heard that the company has a market value of more than 100 million.”
Qiao Shao: “Over … over a hundred million?”
“It’s great, right? He’s already going abroad to attend college, so high school’s just for fun.”
No … what’s so great about 100 million? … and it’s just the company’s market value …
What Qiao Shao was surprised about and what Chen Su was amazed at were definitely not the same.
But if Chen Su said it was amazing, then it’s amazing. Qiao Shao followed him in being amazed.
“That’s why we’re beneath his notice.” Chen Su said calmly. “While were still worried about tuition fees, he has a monthly allowance of 10 or 20,000.”
Qiao Shao nodded, very well-behaved.
Chen Su turned his head and rea.s.sured him. “It’s okay, these aren’t important. We’ll just study hard and we can change our lives.”
This was what Qiao Shao loved to hear. He said, “En, we only need ourselves to change ourselves!”
After a while, Wei Jiayu returned and put his plastic bags on the table.
Chen Su and Qiao Shao both looked at him.
Wei Jiayu, without looking back, said, “The trash cans outside are full so I couldn’t throw these away.”
Qiao Shao was unwilling. “You couldn’t throw it away so you’re going to throw it at us?”
“Eat it or don’t,” Wei Jiayu dropped this sentence and went to the bathroom.
Qiao Shao: “???”
He and Chen Su looked at each other and opened the plastic bag to take a look…
Inside were two neat and tidy servings of eel over rice.
It wasn’t leftovers that were packed up but rather ones that no one had yet to touch at all.
Qiao Shao looked at Chen and said, “He bought it for us?”
Chen Su also didn’t know…
Wei Jiayu came out of the bathroom and saw the opened bag. He said, “I brought it for Xiao Ge and Shen Ge. Since they’re not here, then you might as well have it.”
Qiao Shao and Chen Su. “…”
Wei Jiayu also emphasized: “Throw it if you won’t eat it. It’s not like I bought them for you anyway.”
Can you be any more obvious! The more you try to hide it, the more obvious it is!
Qiao Shao was laughing in his heart. He no longer disliked him. “Thank you.”
Chen Su also thanked him.
Wei Jiayu acted like he didn’t hear them. He went to bed and wrapped himself tightly in his quilt to play games.
Qiao Shao blinked at Chen Su and mouthed to him, ‘He bought it for us!’
This caused Chen Su to smile. He nodded: En.
Qiao Shao: He’s shy!
Chen Su stifled a laugh: Yes.
Qiao Shao: He…
Wei Jiayu wrapped in his quilt suddenly revealed a head of blue hair. “Why don’t you two turn off the lights!”
Qiao Shao stopped talking, he said with a smile, “Right away.”
That night Qiao Shao slept particularly well.
For the first time, the specially made music coming from his earphones made him feel a different sensation.
It wasn’t like before, when it was a whiteness that dispelled the haziness, rather it was a bright display of colorful and l.u.s.trous lights.
Very beautiful and also very gentle.
There were club activities on Thursday afternoons.
Club activities seemed a bit funny, but … East High really did have clubs!
There were also many types. When the publicity committee member Yu Yuanxi came to recommend it to Qiao Shao, he was given quite a scare.
“We have Chess Club, Music Club, Drama Club, Art Club, Photography Club, Animation Club, Basketball Club, Football Club …”
Qiao Shao was dazed just from listening. “There’s so many?”
From in front, Song Yixu poured cold water on his enthusiasm. “There’s a lot, but in a week, there’s only one period allocated for club activities.”
This was the last self-study cla.s.s on Thursdays. What could you do in such a short time!
Qiao Shao hesitantly ask, “Can I not partic.i.p.ate?”
In one cla.s.s period, he could finish an exercise sheet.
Song Yixu said, “No, we at East High advocate well-rounded development. Every 1st year and 2nd year high school student has to join at least two clubs.”
Qiao Shao asked Song Yixu, “Which clubs are you in?”
“Basketball and football.” This was so he could release some energy on the playground!
Song Yixu couldn’t be used as a reference, and Qiao Shao turned to ask the G.o.d of sleep.
The G.o.d of sleep was catching up on sleep so Song Yixu answered for him, “Shen Ge should be in the drama club and the basketball club, I think?”
Qiao Shao wasn’t interested in these either. He asked, “Are there any other clubs?”
Yu Yuanxi said: “I’ve told you all the most interesting ones.”
Qiao Shao hesitated…
Yu Yuanxi simply brought him the list. “That’s it, the rest are not normally considered by students, like the Mathematics Society, Chemistry Society, Physics Society …”
Qiao Shao’s eyes lit up and he said, “Mathematics Society?”
Yu Yuanxi and Song Yixu: “…………”
Qiao Shao immediately looked down and said, “… and the Biology Society, English Society and Writing Club.”
Song Yixu cautiously said, “These groups just go to a different venue to do the exercise problems.”
Qiao Shao revealed an embarra.s.sed expression, and Song Yixu was relieved, thinking he had dissuaded him.
Unexpected, Qiao Shao’s next sentence was, “Can I only sign up for two clubs? I’m very interested in the Mathematics Society, Chemistry Society, Physics Society, Biology Society and Writing Club.” He was relatively weaker in these subjects. It was great that there was some place for him to mend his weaknesses.
Song Yixu: “…”
It turns out this was what you were embarra.s.sed about, Young Master!