"So you admit to being scolded?"
"Are you happy breaking your vows to beat someone up?"
"You acted without asking for clarification?"
Su Lian's tone was calm as he fired off three soul-searching questions, making one want to move off-planet overnight.
Chi Wang clenched his fist then slowly relaxed it, wondering where exactly things had gone wrong.
After much thought, he could only blame the fact that the guy's surname was Chi, which had led him astray from the start.
Blinded by jealousy, his mind filled with thoughts of an inferior substitute, he had taken a misstep and fallen into the bitterness of his own unrequited love, causing him to overlook many details.
Mainly, Su Lian hadn't explained things clearly either. Under various coincidences, it had resulted in the current utterly embarrassing situation.
Awkward, suffocating, scalp-tingling.
Thinking back to how he had just thrown down harsh words with such a fierce attitude, he wanted to raise his hand and slap himself.
Chi Wang turned off the faucet, slowly turned around, and mumbled in an attempt to play dumb: "I overthought things. Let's pretend what just happened didn't occur. I didn't say anything, and you didn't hear anything."
Su Lian still had a raised corner of his mouth, his smile almost impossible to suppress: "What on earth are you thinking about all day?"
Chi Wang was speechless, not knowing how to explain.
After a long while, he said somewhat helplessly: "I saw him pulling and tugging, and he also came to find you twice in a row. You even called him an idiot, didn't you call your ex that before too? So..."
He omitted his assumptions about "Chi-ge", unable to continue speaking, only wanting to commit suicide on the spot.
Staring at that embarrassed face, Su Lian raised an eyebrow: "You think I like guys?"
Chi Wang froze: "I don't know how I got to that conclusion, I'm not saying you like men. Anyway, it wasn't a wasted beating, that guy is just scum, so it counts as doing a public service."
"You're quite good at finding excuses for yourself."
"The beating's already done. I originally wanted to vent for you, now it counts as helping others."
Su Lian pulled out a tissue to wipe his hands dry and turned to leave: "Let's go, the food should all be served by now."
Chi Wang followed closely, repeatedly confirming: "Only you and I know about this, don't tell anyone else."
If anyone else found out, it would truly be a massive public humiliation.
Su Lian mercilessly exposed: "That Chi Whatever-feng knows too."
"Anyway, he has too many romantic entanglements, he probably thinks it's some ex who found backup." Chi Wang glimpsed the brothers waiting to eat in the distance and lowered his voice, "Really, don't say anything, I'm begging you."
Su Lian found it quite novel, having never seen Young Master Wang so humble before.
"Embarrassed?" He looked back and admonished, "Next time, can you clarify the situation before taking action?"
Chi Wang picked up his crumpled school uniform, reluctantly grunted in agreement, all his previous bluster gone.
The two returned to their seats side by side. The table was full of various dishes. Gu Anjiu handed out two pairs of chopsticks and asked quickly: "Young Master Wang, where did you rush off to just now?"
For the first time, Su Lian held back a laugh as he replied: "He went to do a good deed."
Chi Wang coughed violently, almost snapping the disposable chopsticks in his hand in two.
He pursed his lips and glared at Su Lian, hinting for him to stop humiliating him on the spot.
Lin Yan laughed: "A good deed? Is Young Master Wang aiming for the city's Three Goods Student award this year?"
Gu Anjiu stroked his chin and mocked: "It's not impossible, after all, he's practically a positive, early-to-bed-early-to-rise, study-loving male high school student now."
"Can't we eat in peace?" Chi Wang picked up a large portion of food with his chopsticks, trying to silence everyone.
But Gu Anjiu wouldn't let it go, his round eyes rolling: "Tell us, what did you do?"
Chi Wang didn't even look up, his tone low: "None of your business, eat your food."
Even a table full of food couldn't stop that gossipy mouth.
Su Lian hadn't been this amused in a long time. His entire expression softened, and he even joked around with others, seeming more approachable.
However, human joys and sorrows are not always shared. This was probably Chi Wang's quietest meal, head down eating the whole time, avoiding eye contact.
Fortunately, the matter was soon diluted as the monthly exam results were about to be released.
Song Jiaci brought out the results ranking list and had just posted it on the wall when a group of people swarmed over like bees, rushing over headlong.
Chi Wang leaned back in his chair and anxiously asked the approaching youngster: "Did you see my ranking?"
"You... you should go look yourself." Song Jiaci tilted his head, smiling and pressing his lips together, deliberately being mysterious.
"Little monkey, you've learned bad habits from Lin Yan, keeping us in suspense." Chi Wang clicked his tongue, pushed back his chair and went over, parting the crowd to get close to the ranking list.
The crowd stared at the top score, sucking in a cold breath, voices rising.
"Damn, Su Lian got 728, is he even human?"
"The familiar formula of 300 in science and math... I'm floored... This is basically a human standard answer key, right?"
"I heard he beat second place by a full ten points, all I can say is impressive."
"Those who said someone cheated, come take a look. Cheating in Chinese language arts? Laughable."
Hearing the discussion, Chi Wang's gaze fell on the small text in the first line. First in the grade, Su Lian, not surprising at all.
Little Teacher Su was indeed impressive, turns out last time's Chinese score was just playing dumb.
After admiring the beautiful score, his gaze jumped directly to the bottom again, but this time he didn't see his own name.
Slowly moving upwards, scanning one by one, he spotted the characters for Chi Wang, his heart skipping a beat.
Landing on that number, he almost thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. Grade ranking: 797.
Chi Wang returned to his seat somewhat dazed, looking at Su Lian: "What's 965 minus 797 again?"
Su Lian answered without much thought: "168, are you testing your mental math?"
"Damn, I'm shocked." Chi Wang stared straight ahead at the dense sea of heads, still not fully processing this fact.
Gu Anjiu turned around with a gossip-hungry expression: "What's up, what's up? What shocking gossip? I want to hear too."
Chi Wang cleared his throat, his eyelids lowered slightly, looking humble, but his tone was arrogant enough to provoke anger: "This humble one improved by 168 places in this month's exam. No need to thank me, please praise enthusiastically."
That smug look, if you didn't know better you'd think he got first in the grade.
"What! You actually betrayed our brotherhood of the last exam room, you're inhuman! Our friendship ends here!" Gu Anjiu indignantly finished speaking, then scurried on his short legs to the podium, found his own name to check his score, then returned with a shocked expression.
His mouth slightly agape, he slowly gave a thumbs up to Su Lian: "Little Teacher Su, I truly admire you."
Su Lian: "?"
What nonsense was he on about now.
The next second, Gu Anjiu reached out to hook an arm around him and shook him back and forth frantically: "It's my first time scoring in the top 900, even though it's 899, but that doesn't matter, you're my real dad wuwuwuwu, from now on every holiday, I'll be sure to show my filial piety, I swear I won't go back on my word."
Su Lian was shaken to the point of a headache, almost wanting to vomit, and threatened: "Let go or I'll hit you."
"Son, don't grope randomly." Chi Wang knocked his hand away, sneering, "And you say I betrayed the last exam room, we're both the same."
Rendered speechless by this ridiculous statement, Gu Anjiu thought to himself that Young Master Wang was really shameless, forcing himself to be Su Lian's dad just to establish a connection.
Lin Yan's gaze swept between the two of them, his brow furrowing: "No way, you both improved?"
"You-you improved too, a whole 40 places." Song Jiaci turned his head, revealing eight teeth in a smile.
Gu Anjiu cursed: "The brotherhood of the last exam room is truly gone."
The bottom-ranking scores were all clustered together, not too spread out, so even a slight increase in points led to a dramatic rise in ranking.
As they each learned their scores, the three musketeers were as happy as fools, boasting shamelessly.
Gu Anjiu patted his forehead: "I feel like my mind has been opened, enlightened."
Lin Yan strongly agreed: "I guess this is what being too smart is like, understanding immediately."
"Ah, I want to do three more sets of exam papers right now." Chi Wang reached out to hook an arm around Su Lian's shoulders, his fingertips brushing the school uniform. "Little Teacher Su, forever the god."
Seeing everyone so happy, Su Lian felt quite pleased too, but he couldn't break his cool guy image, so he spoke flatly: "So shall we continue reviewing this weekend?"
The joy instantly vanished from three faces, expressions turning difficult. The chubby one begged pitifully: "Next week, let me recover a bit."
"Pathetic." Chi Wang smiled and released Su Lian, lazily leaning back in his chair, his whole being refreshed.
All the day and night torment of this period had finally not been in vain.
Gu Anjiu gleefully looked at Ai Xuexi as he passed by, reaching out to grab him while saying sarcastically, "Study god, what place did you get this time?"
Seeing that Ai Xuexi didn't respond, he answered his own question: "Looks like you've slipped, only 14th place. Last time you were even willing to bet with Lian. Where did that confidence go?"
Ai Xuexi's face turned red with frustration as he pushed up his glasses: "Your grades are so terrible, how dare you mock me?"
"Sorry, my grades are terrible, but I'm improving. Unlike some people, tsk tsk." Gu Anjiu shook his head, venting some of the frustration from being humiliated before.
Su Lian was watching the drama unfold in Class 6 when Chi Wang nudged him with his elbow: "Remember the reward for improving by 100 places?"
Seeing Chi Wang's eyes curved in a smile, the corners slightly raised, Su Lian found himself smiling too: "Mm, what is it exactly?"
"I'll pick you up tomorrow." Chi Wang replied mysteriously, refusing to reveal any more details.
During Chinese class, Li Guoqing entered with a joyful expression, his whole being radiating the air of a second spring.
He rubbed his chin, then his forehead, unable to contain his happiness: "My, many students in our class have made great progress this time. I'd especially like to praise Chi Wang, who jumped up over 100 places at once. Those little notes weren't written in vain after all. Having a top student as a deskmate really makes a difference. Su Lian, as the top student in our grade, please continue to help him. Progress together and create new glories."
Praising two students at once felt a bit awkward.
Su Lian nodded slightly in response.
Chi Wang cursed softly under his breath, biting his lip and lowering his head. His heart fluttered, a hidden emotion suddenly amplified.
It was like two unrelated names were suddenly placed together publicly. Although it had nothing to do with romance, the feeling was quite subtle and brought a sense of joy to both body and mind.
For the first time, he felt the urge to study hard, or rather, he found the motivation.
He wanted to be closer to Su Lian on that ranking list.
-
After the last class ended, Su Lian quickly packed up and went home. Before he even reached the front door, the familiar sound of arguing could be heard again.
He pushed the door open to see Ji Ying holding the household register, her face red with anger as she argued: "I want to divide this house now. How much money do you want? Just say it."
"Half of the house belongs to little Su, you ask him yourself." Su Huasheng noticed the person standing at the door and spoke irritably.
Both pairs of eyes turned to look at him. Su Lian replied coldly: "Didn't I already say? You can't have the house."
It was true that the house was going to be demolished, just not at this moment. Three years after Su Huasheng's death, a large sum of compensation for the demolition was paid.
Unfortunately, his father had died early and didn't get to enjoy this benefit. Su Lian had never touched that money, just leaving it in the bank card.
Every time he saw that bank card, it inevitably made him think of his late father.
However, at this critical moment, with Ji Ying coming to fight for it, he certainly wouldn't let go.
Seeing her son, Ji Ying softened her tone slightly: "I see your dad running deliveries every day, it's not a solution. How about this, I'll give you 500,000 yuan, so he can rest properly and not work so hard."
"500,000 yuan, you sure have money." Su Lian's expression was cold. "No."
Ji Ying raised her voice: "This house might not even be demolished, why are you being so stubborn?"
"If it's not certain to be demolished, why do you keep coming here asking for this broken house?" Su Lian retorted coldly.
This question left her speechless, unable to refute.
Su Lian didn't want to say more. He pushed her shoulders towards the door: "Don't come again, take care of yourself."
"Is this how you talk to your mother? Is this how your father taught you? No manners at all." Ji Ying lost her composure, her voice becoming shrill, "I'll come again, I'll come every day from now on."
"I'm sorry, I don't have a mother." Su Lian stepped back and slammed the door shut with a bang.
The sudden drama disturbed the peace of the weekend. Su Lian couldn't sleep well all night, tossing and turning. The arguments from over the years kept replaying in his ears, driving him crazy.
When Chi Wang came to find him at noon, his head was still buzzing.
"You look like you've been up all night," Chi Wang noticed something was off at first glance. Su Lian's fair skin made the dark circles under his eyes even more prominent, and his eyes were filled with an unshakeable weariness and irritation.
Su Lian got into the car with Chi Wang, not intending to hide the mess at home: "My mom came and had an argument yesterday, it's annoying."
Having heard before that his parents had divorced early on, it didn't take much imagination to guess that her reappearance wasn't for anything good.
Chi Wang was stunned for a moment, then said softly: "Don't be upset, it's not worth it for this kind of thing."
"Mm, I'm used to it by now, one more time doesn't make a difference." Su Lian rested his arm on the window, supporting his head. He looked quite dispirited.
He yawned, speaking drowsily: "You've kept it secret for almost a week, where are you taking me?"
Chi Wang hesitated, his gaze wandering, showing rare embarrassment: "An amusement park, is that too lame?"
He had searched online for many strategies, changing the itinerary over and over, but in the end still chose the number one place that couples like to go.
"I don't want to go." Su Lian interrupted coldly without even thinking.
Chi Wang blinked slowly, not knowing how to respond to this intense reaction.
Realizing his overreaction, Su Lian pondered for a few seconds before speaking flatly:
"After my parents divorced, my mom would still come to see me occasionally at first. One weekend, she said she wanted to take me to an amusement park, and we did go. While I was playing on various rides, she would stand below watching me with a smile, her eyes full of tenderness. At that time, I felt that divorce didn't matter, she was still my mom."
"Midway through, she received a phone call saying her younger son had suddenly fallen ill and needed to go to the hospital. She was so anxious that she left me alone at the amusement park, stuffing 100 yuan in my pocket for me to take a taxi home, and left first herself."
Hearing about this past, Chi Wang's expression froze, feeling a numbness spreading from his fingers to his heart.
Su Lian's tone was very calm, like an observer recounting someone else's past. His expression was also very peaceful, as if he had long accepted this stark reality.
"Chi Wang, do you know how it feels to stand alone in the middle of families of three holding hands sweetly all around you?"
"It's very lonely, feeling as if abandoned by the world, not knowing where to go. After that, she came to see me less and less, until she stopped appearing altogether. I don't like amusement parks, they always remind me that I'm the extra one. Is this thought very childish?"
Chi Wang rarely heard Su Lian say so much at once. Just imagining that scene made his heart ache terribly.
He seemed to suddenly understand the reason for Su Lian's cold personality. Such a soft-hearted person, in order to avoid being hurt again, closed himself off and isolated himself from all contact with the world.
Chi Wang turned his head to look at him. Su Lian's jaw was clenched tightly, as if forcibly suppressing some emotion, deliberately making himself appear indifferent.
He reached out and grabbed Su Lian's hand, tightening his grip, and said softly: "It's not childish at all, and amusement parks aren't that interesting anyway. It's my fault, I'll change the location."
He lowered his head to change the destination on the ride-hailing app, and the car turned around, quickly heading in another direction.
Feeling his heart heavy, Su Lian didn't speak anymore. His mood was troubled, and he just silently looked out the window.
His fingers were still tightly held in Chi Wang's palm, but he was completely unaware of it.
The scenery flashing by on both sides gradually changed from high-rise buildings to trees, getting further and further away from the city center. Su Lian finally spoke up: "Where are we going exactly?"
"We're almost there, don't think about the past and upset yourself anymore." Chi Wang held his hand, gently stroking the back with his fingertips, soothing him bit by bit.
This Su Lian, who had once been full of expectations only to be cruelly abandoned, made his heart ache.
After a long while, Su Lian finally spoke flatly: "It doesn't matter, it's all in the past."
An hour later, the car came to a steady stop. Chi Wang pulled Su Lian out of the car, saying with absolute certainty: "Trust me, you'll definitely like this."
Su Lian looked up slightly, saw the sign outside the venue, and slowly said: "Go-karts?"
"Mm, a professional go-kart track, very exciting. Want to give it a try?" Chi Wang lowered his head and smiled, "I think you need to vent your emotions right now, it'll make you feel much better."
Su Lian hesitated: "I've never tried it before."
"Try it, it's very simple. Teacher Chi guarantees you'll learn," Chi Wang pulled his hand, walking in with a familiar air.
Su Lian allowed himself to be led, following in a daze. He selected and changed into a racing suit, put on a protective helmet, fully geared up.
"Do you come here often?"
"Occasionally, when I'm bored."
"You really seem to be good at everything except studying."
"No one's perfect. Got to leave some room for others to shine, right?"
Su Lian lowered his eyelashes, wondering just how many hidden skills Chi Wang had that he didn't know about before. He might not really understand Chi Wang at all.
Seeing him gloomy all the way, Chi Wang tapped his helmet, trying to lighten the mood: "How handsome is your Brother Chi?"
Su Lian lifted his eyelids, looking at him through the helmet visor. The racing suit accentuated his broad shoulders and long legs, showing off good proportions. He casually held his helmet under his arm, his hair tousled by the oncoming wind, revealing a pair of handsome eyebrows and eyes. He truly looked like a race car driver.
This wild and unrestrained Chi Wang was also one he had never seen before.
Su Lian answered honestly: "Handsome."
"Captivated by me?" Chi Wang's smile was dazzling under the sun, quite alluring.
"Get lost, you narcissist."
"Don't be insecure, you're handsome too. We'll blow everyone away today."
With this banter, Su Lian's mood improved considerably.
Chi Wang put on his helmet and draped an arm over Su Lian's shoulder as they went out to the track.
Carefully helping Su Lian into the go-kart, he assisted with the seatbelt and instructed in a low voice: "I just got an empty track from the instructor. You can drive freely, don't worry. Keep your body leaning forward, the pedals are for braking and accelerating, and you can adjust speed with the gear shift on the side. Give it a try."
"Okay." Su Lian looked straight ahead, gripped the steering wheel, and pulled the starter lever.
Having previously gotten his driver's license, he picked it up quickly. After adapting to the speed and turns, his driving became progressively smoother.
Slowly circling around the markers for a lap, Su Lian brought the car back and looked up at Chi Wang: "I've got it."
"As expected of a top student, you learn everything quickly." Chi Wang bent down to get into a flashy blue car next to him, waving, "Let's go together."
As soon as he finished speaking, the blue race car shot out like an arrow. Passing a turn, the car drifted, gliding across the track surface at a perfect angle before speeding off into the distance, becoming a beautiful blur.
Su Lian accelerated to follow, but no matter how he tried to catch up, he was always a bit behind.
Chi Wang slowed down to drive alongside him and shouted: "Want to learn how to drift?"
That previous display was indeed impressively cool. Su Lian nodded, somewhat tempted.
Chi Wang leaned on the car window, explaining across the distance: "Before the turn, maintain speed, brake lightly, then turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction to make the turn. When the rear of the car swings out from inertia and you've got enough rotation, shift to a higher gear and accelerate. It might sound a bit complicated when I explain it."
"Not complicated, I understood," Su Lian replied concisely.
He slightly adjusted his direction, following Chi Wang's instructions to immediately put it into practice.
His first drift was a bit clumsy, not very smooth, but he managed to complete it passably.
"Teacher Su, come on, let's do a few laps together." Chi Wang made a starting gesture at him, waiting for him to start before accelerating to catch up.
The bottom of the car roared as it scraped across the track surface. As the speed gradually increased, the wind noise grew louder, whistling past their ears, the scenery on both sides blurring into indistinct streaks.
Su Lian felt the rush of adrenaline, pressing down on the accelerator with increasing force, as if to release the pent-up emotions inside.
One red and one blue race car sped along the track, chasing each other, drifting through one turn after another. It felt as if time had been stretched infinitely long, endless.
Su Lian gripped the steering wheel, feeling a light sweat break out on his palms, but his whole body felt exhilarated, completely dispelling the gloom.
He began to enjoy this forced outing on the weekend, thoroughly immersing himself in this thrilling activity that made him forget his troubles.
After who knows how many laps, as the daylight began to fade, the two race cars slowly came to a stop at the finish line.
Chi Wang took off his helmet, brushing his slightly sweaty hair back to reveal a smooth forehead, breathing a bit heavily: "It's getting too dark to see the road clearly, which would be dangerous. Let's call it a day."
"Mm, it really was exciting. I quite liked it." Su Lian reluctantly left the track and went to the changing room to change back into his own clothes.
Chi Wang came out earlier and waited outside the venue. Seeing Su Lian approach from a distance, he suddenly laughed: "I just noticed, we're both wearing dress shirts. Pretty in sync, aren't we?"
Su Lian looked down at himself, then raised his eyes. One black shirt, one white, even the styles were quite similar.
Could this be considered a couple outfit? Chi Wang didn't dare say it out loud, but he felt this trip was truly worthwhile.
Su Lian buttoned up his jacket to block the wind blowing in from outside, his lips curving slightly: "Just a coincidence."
Chi Wang chuckled along: "Coincidence is sometimes a kind of fate."
The two walked out side by side, standing outside waiting for their ride. The setting sun stretched their shadows long, intertwining intimately.
Chi Wang turned his head to look at Su Lian, the corners of his eyes suddenly curving up: "Did you just smile?"
Su Lian turned to look at him too. The youth in all black should have appeared arrogant and proud, like when they first met - seemingly approachable but always maintaining an unreal distance. Yet at this moment, he felt inexplicably gentle and tender.
It seemed like it had been a long time since anyone cared whether he was happy or sad. These words tugged at his heart, softening it.
"Thank you. I had a lot of fun today. Even though it was supposed to be your reward, it turned into accompanying me instead."
"If you're still feeling even a tiny bit down, want a hug? That's how we comfort people in my family."
Before Su Lian could answer, Chi Wang gently pulled his wrist, causing him to lean forward and fall into a warm embrace. His lower back was firmly held by those strong arms, unable to move. Their distance became very close.
He sensed Chi Wang burying his head in the crook of his neck, feeling a few strands of hair brush against it, causing a slight tickle.
Perhaps because they had just finished exercising, both of their body temperatures were a bit high. Chi Wang's solid muscles pressed against his chest through their shirts; he could even feel the rise and fall of his breathing.
Su Lian was a bit stunned, feeling his palms grow damp, almost breaking out in a light sweat.
His body tensed, and he tried to retreat slightly. But the back of his neck was cupped by a palm, bringing him back, fitting them together even more tightly.
This hugging posture seemed to exceed the bounds of ordinary friendship, taking on an almost intimate meaning.
Wind brushed past his ear, warm breath mixing with the sound of the breeze, very gentle and soft.
"Since you had so much fun with me, if you're ever feeling down in the future, I'll keep you company, okay?"