Shanhai High School 7
The Invisible Force, The Most Deadly.
In order to avoid being besieged by ferocious beasts on the way after school, Ge Hao had submitted the dormitory application form, and was planning to reside on campus honestly within the next two years. In addition, he also prepared a large jar of super-strength stay awake pills and a large bottle of pungent eau de cologne, to solve a series of troubles such as drowsiness during the flowering period, or uncontrollable fragrance wafting out, etc.
Plants were quite troublesome. Ji XingLing thought so, while he was shooting a glance at the left rear side.
He was also wondering if this variety would ever bloom.
The last session of the morning class was Wang HongYu’s Chinese literature class. Lin Jing, for the purposes of preventing the unfortunate thing as “I had to read a copy together with Ji XingLing because there was no test paper or workbook” from happening again, so he had gone to the school gate ahead of time and copied a complete set of materials. Still, you never know what is going to happen in life. He brought it, but someone did not bring it.
“Teacher Wang.” Ji XingLing, who had rummaged around his school backpack, had raised his hand. “My workbook seems to be at home.”
Lin Jing felt an ominous premonition in his heart.
Sure enough.
A minute later, Ji XingLing dragged his chair over to sit in the sixth row, furthermore promptly pleaded innocence, “This is Mr.Wang’s mistake, and it has nothing to do with me.”
“Did you not do your homework at all?”
“I did—”
“You did but didn’t bring it.” Lin Jing opened the workbook, “Listen to the lecture!”
Ji XingLing felt so suffocated with chest distress that he couldn’t draw out the following sentence for a long time.
Where on earth did this grass actually grow? How come it was so fierce?
It was a struggle to pull through until the after-class bell rang.
The fast students had immediately rushed out to the cafeteria. Lin Jing tidied up the table, opened his schoolbag, and wanted to take out the books to use for the afternoon, but saw a curly-edged rotten pickles-like workbook.
“…”
Ji XingLing was about to go back. Seeing Lin Jing, who was perfectly alright, then he suddenly froze, so Ji XingLing spouted out a word, “Hey?”
Lin Jing recalled last night’s situation at 1301, when his sleepy eyes hazily sorted out things.
“Ji XingLing.” He raised his head, “Are you free at noon? I’ll treat you to lunch ba.”
Young Master Ji was bewildered and uncertain, “Why?”
Lin Jing silently handed back the workbook.
Ji XingLing: ?
Until he sat on the second floor of Furong Garden, Ji XingLing was still in a wildly arrogant tone carrying out the full range multi-dimensional condemnation of this kind of immoral behavior of “possessing classmates’ workbooks illegally”. Lin Jing put the soft drink bottle in front of him with a “bonk”, which was splashing a tiny fizz bubble within it, “Shut up!”
“Hey, what kind of a bad apology attitude that you have here!”
Lin Jing altered his expression, “Otherwise, how about this. I will help to tutor you with math for free tonight.”
“…” Then you better continue to be bad ba, I think it was really OK.
Lin Jing was actually embarrassed, so he had ordered many dishes, and the whole table was completely packed to pile up with dishes. He had intended to use the food to pay off his debts. The small TV in the cafeteria was broadcasting the interviews with the previous students who came up top scorer in the college entrance examination. One of the boys was more exaggerated. He came up to say that he was used to being the first-ranking since childhood. Once, when he was in his third grade of high school, his grades had dropped to second-ranking in the whole grade, and his mentality suddenly collapsed. He hid behind the sports field, while wailing bitterly for three hours; he felt very sorry for both his parents and teachers, and even more for the national training. Ji XingLing was really unable to comprehend Xueba’s profound ideological attainment of learning to dominate, so he asked the person who sat opposite, “Do all of you who are doing well in studies, will cry when getting the second-ranking?”
“I don’t know.” Lin Jing took a mouthful sip of the soup, “I never get second-ranking.”
Unintentionally showing off did the best effect.
Your Xing brother: conceded.
There were also fish filets in hot chili oil and hot pepper chicken that had not yet been served, but both of them were already full. When asked that the kitchen had not yet started cooking the dishes, Lin Jing exchanged the refunded money of canceling the order for a few boxes of butter cookies, and prepared it to be distributed to their female classmates.
While the auntie in the cafeteria was still packed into a bag, he went to the restroom again, leaving Ji XingLing alone to wait in front of the window. Several boys from Class 5 happened to be passing by, and when they saw Young Master Ji was carrying a pink dessert bag in his hand, they were shocked on the spot, “Brother Xing, what do you have here?”
“Which girl ah?”
“Zhang LuWen from Class 2 ba.”
“Oh!”
“Oh, getou!” Ji XingLing kicked over and said impatiently, “I can’t tama eat it by myself?”
“Yes, you can. My Brother Xing is such a boy of innocent love, either don’t eat at noon or eat strawberry cake when you want to eat.”
Ji XingLing snorted, and I don’t know if it was because he and Xueba had discussed the unfathomable topic of “The first-ranking and second-ranking in the grade” when they were having a meal just now. His realm of thoughts had improved a bit, and he didn’t really want to listen to these people’s garrulous. Just in time, as Lin Jing came out of the restroom, he passed the cookie bag over, and then both of them returned to the classroom together, leaving only a group of bewildered people on the scene.
“Wokao, why does Brother Xing give cookies to a boy?”
“Who is that person ah?”
“Newly transferred, I heard that he is the Xueba of NingCheng Third Grade High School.”
“Can Brother Xing still have a good relationship with the Xueba ne?”
The crowd fell into silence collectively.
Question: What was more horrifying than “Ji XingLing likes strawberry cake”?
Answer: It was that Ji XingLing had a good relationship with Xueba.
It’s an illusion, too unpredictable.
Lin Jing, who had just transferred, wasn’t familiar with the people in the class. While the Young Master Ji was very cool and impatient, he didn’t seem to be competent for the gentle work of “distributing cookies”, so the little pink paper bag was finally handed over to Li MoYuan’s hands, “When Wei Xue comes back, you can let her share it with the other girl’ classmates ba.”
“She was called by Teacher Wang to get the schedule.” Li MoYuan said, “You will get the WuTong Building for the exam next week, but it’s okay. It was only for this one time.”
Lin Jing didn’t understand, “What’s wrong with the WuTong Building?”
“It’s the Z examination room ah. You just transferred to this school, so you don’t have any grades yet. That’s why you will be added to the bottom position.” Li MoYuan explained, “The environment there is not that good. I heard that there are still people who hand in the test papers within ten minutes. When the last bell rings, I surmise that you will be the only one left in the classroom, so you must prepare yourself and remain to have a calm mind.”
“…” Lin Jing had recalled the matter of Haidilao’s huge sum of 500 yuan of bribed money.
Ji XingLing, who had cushioned an arm under his forehead, with his left hand clasped the edge of the table, was taking a nap with arrogant posture — the aisle on the left was blocked by his long legs, so his classmates who wanted to come and go, could only walk around. When Yu YiZhou came back from his lunch, he tugged Ji XingLing’s hoodie hood forward. Young Master Ji was obviously startled by it, and his sleepy eyes hazily showed like he wanted to chew him out with a sentence. Are you tama insane?
“I just passed by Mr. Wang’s office, and I glanced at the exam seat arrangement, by the way.” Yu YiZhou handed over a bottle of water, “This may be the only time you can be ranked in front of Xueba. May I know your impression of this matter?”
Upon hearing this, Lin Jing also turned his head instinctively.
Ji XingLing was still feeling sleepy and didn’t have the slightest bit of interest in the content of this conversation. After hoarsely cursing the word “get lost”, then he changed directions of his sleeping posture and continued to sleep. He rested his right hand on the back of his head, as if to completely isolate himself from the noise around him; his slender fingers passed through his black hair, slightly bent, exposing the slim joints of a young man.
Lin Jing retracted his gaze.
Well, I was overthinking.
The other party didn’t seem to care about the exam at all.
That night, Ji XingLing ended up coming to the door in person while holding three boxes of fruits in his hands.
“Can you help in tutoring me?”
Then before Lin Jing refused, he forestalled by claiming the moral high ground, “See it in the face of the Chinese literature workbook.”
“…”
Lin Jing asked, “Tutor what?”
“Teach me in general how to take the exam.” Ji XingLing raised his hand to ensure, “I certainly won’t make trouble, just half an hour, half an hour, okay ba?”
Hu MeiMei, who stood at the entrance of 1301, with an apron fastened around her waist, had looked toward here, and brimmed with anticipation.
Lin Jing changed his shoes, “Okay.”
Hu MeiMei was overjoyed, thinking that the first-ranking grade was good, and his moral character was noble. So she sent an endless array of batches of fruits, milk, brain supplement oral solution, peanut soup, and stewed bird’s nest to her son’s bedroom. It was an uninterrupted supply.
Ji XingLing, who had reached the limit of patience, “Mom!”
“Okay, okay, you all study well.” Hu MeiMei gently and quietly closed the door, “If you need something, just call your mother.”
Lin Jing poured out a piece of chewing gum, “Why are you suddenly concerned about your exam results?”
Ji XingLing felt discriminated against, “Why can’t I care about the test scores?”
Lin Jing locked stares with him, “What do you think ne?”
Ji XingLing, “…”
Actually, this was how things were. In the evening, Hu MeiMei went out to do beauty treatments and met three-four parents in the same community. When everyone talked about their children, the poorest scores could be over 500, and there were even the honorable mothers whose child was among the top ten. Hu MeiMei, who listened to them, was so incomparably envious that she went home and launched a critical education for up to 20-minute to her son, and said that if the total score was not 400 points in the exam next week, then your pocket money will be gone.
So Brother Xing, who knew when to be bent and when to be unbent1, had to be bent again.
He urged, “Don’t ask so much, and just teach me how to learn.”
“No.” Lin Jing demanded, “Reason.” In case you have any bad intentions ne, for example, if the exam was not good, then blame my teaching method was wrong.
Ji XingLing was staring dumbfoundedly and tongue-tied, realizing for the first time the low-level status of Xuezha in the biology food chain. Why should I fabricate a reason if I want to learn? Can’t I actively yearn to swim in the ocean of knowledge ma?!
Tch, indeed it seemed a bit fake.
He could only admit, “Examination scores are linked to pocket money.”
Lin Jing reluctantly accepted this excuse, and stretched out his hand, “Let me see your last semester final test papers first.”
Ji XingLing, “…Why!”
“Look at your basics.” Lin Jing frowned, “Hurry up, don’t you just score 27 on the test ma, what’s with the embarrassment.”
“Who said I am embarrassed!”
“Then are you still very proud with a test score of 27?”
“…”
Not really.
Ji XingLing gave him the test papers, and sat beside Lin Jing while, in sheer boredom, he was playing on his smartphone. Fortunately, Xueba didn’t turn on the mocking mode for the full red “×” sign this time. After reading it, he beckoned him to sit over, “Your Chinese literature is actually still passable. English and Maths are a bit crappy. Geography and History should be able to pass, if you make an effort for it.”
Ji XingLing asked offhandedly, “What about politics?”
Lin Jing replied, “Multiple-choice questions all depend on a wild guess, the fill in the blanks copy the choices, as for short-answers questions copy fill in the blanks, how do you plan to let me evaluate?”
Way to be hoisted by your own petard, your Brother Xing.
Lin Jing continued, “I will help you cover one of these math tests first, and then find a few sample questions, so that you can learn the sample question by heart.”
Ji XingLing’s Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat.
Lin Jing wondered, “What are you going to say?”
“No, I just want to ask why mathematics can be relying on memorizing.” Ji XingLing propped his head with one hand, “but I just guessed that you will criticize me again, so it automatically silences.”
Lin Jing didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry, “This is an emergency solution. I will teach you how to use it after you have memorized it.”
After a while.
“Can I score four hundred after I memorized it ma?”
“Dunno.”
“Then why should I memorize it?!”
“Don’t memorize it. Let’s forget about it.”
…
Fine, let’s just memorize it then.
Translator's Notes
- Can bend or unbend (能屈能伸 néng qū néng shēn)– lit. Can be bent and straightened, refers to a person who can endure when frustrated and can do a lot when he is successful. It’s an idiom from the Book of Changes, which means to be adaptable to circumstances, can take temporary setbacks, can bow and submit or can stand tall as required, ready to give and take, humble or assert oneself as the occasion required.
