Classmate Number Seven - 8
The little cake had a shelf life of half a month, Qi Xia couldn't bring herself to eat it. She left it on the desk beside her bed instead.
That night, she logged into her alternate QQ account and posted an update.
April 9, 2013
[Thank you for the cake.]
---
When the monthly exam results were released, some students celebrated while others suffered.
Xing Anya had been attending tutoring classes for years, getting a low score was practically not a possibility. She'd earned 679 points, ranking fourth in the class and seventeenth in the grade.
As for Xu Youfei, her grades were exactly as ordinary as she'd claimed during her introduction at the beginning of the semester. She hadn't even broken 400 in total, but she had no reason to worry about her future prospects, so she continued to breeze through each day with a smile on her face.
At Jingda High School, where talented students were everywhere, Qi Xia felt an immense amount of pressure.
She wanted to study hard not only to get a little closer to Chen Xifan, but also to earn a place at a better university. She decided that every night after returning home from evening self-study, she'd complete another set of math problems and memorize thirty English words.
One night, Qi Lanjing got up to use the bathroom and noticed that the light in Qi Xia's room was still on. Curious, she went over to check.
"Xia Xia, you're not asleep yet? It's past midnight." Qi Lanjing pushed open the door.
"I'll go to sleep after I finish reviewing this question I got wrong." Qi Xia looked up and gave her a soft smile. "Auntie, you're still awake, too?"
Qi Lanjing stepped inside and helped make the bed, feeling both comforted and troubled. Her niece was so obedient, so sensible, and worked so hard at her studies. Then she thought of her own son, and couldn't help wondering how he'd turned out so differently.
She spent a considerable amount of money on his tutoring classes every month, yet Cao Meng had scored only 390 on the Senior One monthly exam.
Qi Lanjing sighed quietly. "Don't push yourself too hard. Take care of your health. With your grades, getting into a top-tier university shouldn't be a problem."
Once, that had been Qi Xia's goal: to get into a top-tier university.
But her mindset had changed. Now, she found herself instinctively calculating how many points separated her from him, how many places apart they were in the rankings.
Qi Xia pressed her lips together."There are so many talented students at Jingda High School. I have to work hard, too."
Work harder, and get just a little closer to him.
"All right, all right. You're the one who gives me the least to worry about." After finishing the bed, Qi Lanjing was about to return to Grandma Chen's room when something occurred to her. She turned back and said, "Xia Xia, Cao Meng mentioned that you're in the same class as Grandma Chen's grandson?"
Qi Xia's pen paused.
Afraid her secret might show, she kept her head down and merely hummed in acknowledgment.
Fortunately, Qi Lanjing noticed nothing. She simply reminded her, "What Grandma Chen said before was just a courtesy. Their family is different from ours, after all. Don't trouble him at school. There's no need to interact unless it's necessary. Just treat him like any other classmate."
"I understand, Auntie."
Qi Xia had never thought of troubling Chen Xifan with anything.
The boy was so close to her, and yet so far away.
Someone like him... simply being able to meet him was already one of the greatest blessings of her life.
---
Perhaps because she'd increased her nightly workload, Qi Xia was noticeably short on energy during the day.
In the second Chinese class of the afternoon, Hu Zhonghai was teaching Li Sao. The weather had grown warmer in April, and spring had filled the campus with fresh life. Inside the classroom, the air was stuffy, and the students were growing drowsy.
Li Sao was packed with obscure characters and difficult passages. Xu Youfei, sitting beside her, had hidden her head behind her book and was sleeping soundly. Xing Anya was working on math problems.
Qi Xia pinched the back of her hand several times, but her eyelids still felt unbearably heavy.
Hu Zhonghai's voice had become the perfect lullaby.
At last, Qi Xia couldn't fight it anymore. Her head drooped, her eyes closed...
"With fragrant rue and orchids, I wipe away my tears..." Hu Zhonghai suddenly raised his voice. "Chen Xifan, tell me, what does this line mean?"
It was like having a bucket of cold water thrown over her.
Qi Xia snapped awake.
She widened her eyes and stared at the textbook, finding the line Hu Zhonghai had asked about as quickly as she could. After thinking for a moment, she had the answer.
And it wasn't just Qi Xia who woke up. The entire classroom, which had been practically lifeless a moment earlier, suddenly came alive. Students looked around, craning their necks.
Qi Xia took the opportunity to turn toward the last row, pretending not to be particularly interested.
Chen Xifan was dragging himself to his feet, textbook in hand. Several of his close friends were watching with malicious delight, He Xiao most of all.
Hu Zhonghai cleared his throat twice. "If you can't answer, sit down and copy the entire passage ten times..."
"Wait." Chen Xifan cut in. "I know the answer."
Qi Xia couldn't help holding her breath for him.
A moment later, Chen Xifan located the original line in the text and gave the correct answer.
Hu Zhonghai shot him a look, his tone equal parts exasperated and indulgent. "Sit down. How many times have I told you? Don't rock your chair during class, and don't talk. What were you and He Xiao whispering about over there?"
"Nothing much. He Xiao said this passage was too easy and that he could explain it better than you. I told him to prove it."
Hu Zhonghai gave a couple of dry chuckles. "Oh, really? He Xiao is that impressive, is he? Stand up and prove it, then."
"Teacher, I didn't say that!" He Xiao practically jumped out of his seat.
Hu Zhonghai didn't budge. "Enough nonsense. Translate the next line."
Chen Xifan sat back down and leaned lazily against his chair, laughing with such blatant triumph that his shoulders shook.
The entire class burst into laughter.
Qi Xia's lips curled upward. Amid the commotion, she stole another glance at him, then happily turned back around and resumed listening to the lesson.
Thanks to that little episode, she stayed wide awake for the rest of the afternoon.
---
During the final PE class, the teacher let them do whatever they wanted after a brief warm-up.
None of the three girls in Qi Xia's group were particularly fond of sports, they found a shady spot beside the artificial lake and sat down to chat and snack.
A few years earlier, when the school had renovated its teaching buildings, Jingda High School had built an artificial lake. A large stretch of bare ground lay beside it.
There weren't many people around.
Qi Xia noticed two girls throwing bottles into the lake and asked curiously, "What are they doing?"
Xing Anya didn't even look surprised.
"It's a Jingda tradition. Every year, students throw message bottles and wish bottles into the lake. Sounds romantic, right? Actually, it's pretty stupid. The bottles often wash back to shore, the cleaning aunties wou3 collect them and sell them for scrap."
Xu Youfei burst out laughing. "The cleaning aunties have incredible business sense!"
"Exactly. They've found another way to make a fortune."
Qi Xia looked thoughtfully at the bare patch of land. "Wouldn't it be better to bury them in the ground? At least they'd be harder to find."
"People actually do that," Xing Anya said. "The soil over there is too alkaline for flowers and plants to grow, so it's filled with students' secrets."
The three girls continued chatting about this and that until the end of the school day.
Xing Anya had to go to her tutoring and left first. Xu Youfei had made plans to see a movie with a friend.
Qi Xia returned to the classroom alone.
When she reached the second floor, something occurred to her. She paused, then deliberately took the long way around so she could enter through the back door.
Chen Xifan's seat was near the back entrance. If she went in that way, she could look at him without making it obvious.
Qi Xia congratulated herself on her cleverness.
Reality didn't disappoint her, either.
Chen Xifan was indeed in the classroom.
School had only just let out, so quite a few students were still there. As Qi Xia approached the back door on the third floor, she heard voices from a distance.
"He Xiao, have some shame."
"Haha! Young Master Chen has a black heart. If I cared about having any shame, wouldn't he play me to death?"
"What is there about you worth playing with?"
He Xiao, Wei Yupeng, Chu Yang, and several other boys seemed to be making a great deal of noise over something. He Xiao had dragged a chair into the aisle and sat on it, looking as if he intended to charge everyone a toll.
Chen Xifan was lying on his desk, resting with his face buried in his arms. A small section of his pale, cool-toned neck was exposed.
Qi Xia noticed what might have been a tiny red mole on the back of his neck.
It was only a fleeting glimpse, and she wasn't entirely sure.
She walked past his desk with an expression of complete composure, only to discover that the boys had their backs to her and were blocking the passage completely.
There was no way through.
Qi Xia froze in embarrassment. After hesitating for a moment, she was about to turn around and go back to the front entrance when a clear, youthful voice rang out.
"Good dogs don't block the road."
At some point, Chen Xifan had sat up. Resting his chin on one hand, he kicked He Xiao's chair with his leg, signaling him to move out of the way.
Was he helping her?
Qi Xia's heart once again forgot how to keep a steady rhythm.
He Xiao turned around and saw her. He gave her an apologetic smile.
"Sorry about that. Go ahead."
"It's fine."
Qi Xia dipped her head slightly as she passed, then made it safely back to her seat.
After sitting down, she took a sip of water and glanced at Chen Xifan from the corner of her eye.
He was already packing his things, getting ready to leave. He Xiao was bouncing around beside him.
"Fan-ge, who did you just call a dog?"
"You. A husky."
The last light of sunset seemed to echo the boy's laughter. Outside the window, the fresh green leaves of the Chinese parasol trees bore witness to one of youth's most vivid moments.
Qi Xia packed up as well, planning to head to the cafeteria for dinner.
Before leaving the classroom, she heard Wei Yupeng say, "Fan-ge, the math teacher told me to remind you to add the competition coordinator on QQ. He'll be arranging your food and accommodation during the competition."
"Mm."
Chen Xifan waved a hand over his shoulder, his back turned to Wei Yupeng.
"Got it."
---
After dinner, Qi Xia did as she usually did, studying in the Senior Three teaching building until half past nine, then took the bus back to Baita Lane.
As she reached the entrance to the alley, a tiny kitten suddenly shot out from the flower bushes beside her.
It had probably been wandering the streets for a long time. Its fur was grimy, and it dashed past Qi Xia on its little pink paw pads. In its hurry, it failed to watch where it was going and slammed straight into the wall.
A pitiful meow escaped its throat.
The kitten shrank into a corner, trembling.
What a silly little thing.
Qi Xia couldn't stop herself from letting out a laugh.
The kitten meowed even more desperately.
Her heart melted. She scooped it up, gently stroking its tiny head to soothe it. "Don't you have a home?"
An older man passing by answered her. "Stray cat. It's been running around this neighborhood for ages."
The little thing looked so pitiful, Qi Xia couldn't bear to leave it behind. But she was living under someone else's roof herself, and couldn't simply bring it home without asking.
She found a cardboard box, placed the kitten inside, and carried it back to ask Grandma Chen for permission.
After receiving an affirmative answer, Qi Xia brought the kitten into her room.
She gave it a bath, revealing its original coat.
The cat was pure white from head to tail, with a pink nose and pink paws. Only a few tufts of black fur marked its forehead, giving it a distinctive look.
The little thing was probably hungry. It stared at the piece of cake on the desk and meowed.
The strawberry cake Chen Xifan had given her had been sitting there for several days and was nearing its expiration date. Qi Xia tore open the package, broke off a piece for the kitten, and ate the rest herself.
The strawberry cake really was sweet.
When they finished, neither girl nor cat seemed quite satisfied.
Qi Xia stroked its head. "Do you like strawberry cake? I love it, too. How about I call you Cake from now on?"
And just like that, the kitten's name was decided with remarkable carelessness.
Qi Xia had never found a profile picture she liked for her alternate QQ account, she simply took a photo of Cake looking adorable and logged in to change her avatar.
Once she'd finished, she posted another update.
April 14, 2013
[I love strawberry cake.]
After posting, Qi Xia set down her phone and began working through math problems and memorizing vocabulary.
Math was her weak subject, she could never seem to improve her speed. She worked slowly and laboriously until, before she knew it, it was past midnight again.
Cake was sprawled on its back on the cushion, sleeping with all four paws in the air.
Qi Xia stretched, washed up, and climbed into bed.
Before falling asleep, she habitually picked up her phone to check whether anyone had messaged her.
Then she saw it.
Her alternate QQ account had received a friend request.
Qi Xia was completely baffled. Nobody knew about this account. Who could possibly be trying to add her?
The moment she opened the notification, the contents startled her.
There, displayed in plain sight on her screen, was a single line:
Stars in Splendor View has requested to add you as a friend.
Qi Xia froze.
For a moment, she wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her. She rubbed them and looked again.
No mistake.
She had memorized Chen Xifan's QQ number long ago, and she'd seen his profile picture countless times: blue sky, aircraft.
The enormous number of likes on his profile, along with the sparse personal description, all confirmed the same thing.
The person trying to add her alternate QQ account was Chen Xifan.
What was going on?
How did Chen Xifan know about her alternate QQ account?
Qi Xia was completely bewildered, but her body reacted faster than her mind. Her finger tapped the accept button.
The screen switched to her message list.
Qi Xia opened the chat.
A message from her own account was waiting inside:
Classmate No. 7: I've accepted your friend request. We can start chatting now.
---
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