Chapter 11
Editor: Princess
Sharing snacks together – was like one of those must-do rituals of close friendship, and honestly, it was something pretty much everyone who had gone through school had done at some point.
Back in elementary school, before Gu Zheng had to transfer and move, he and Yu Pei used to do this all the time. If they found something tasty or fun, they’d make sure to stash an extra one in their backpack, just to bring to school and share with each other.
But, that was a long time ago.
After Gu Zheng left, Yu Pei kind of blew up, like a balloon filling up to double its original size. Forget sharing snacks with classmates – he didn’t even dare eat much himself, scared that he’d get even bigger if he wasn’t careful.
Now though, he’d finally slimmed down, and he even had a new friend who he could share snacks with again.
Luo Changzhou looked at the little pink candy wrapped in clear plastic that was being held out in front of him. He paused for a few seconds, then finally reached out, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.
His new desk mate had been stealing glances at him all this time. Luo Changzhou had noticed, of course – not only was Yu Pei looking, he also had this look on his face, like he wanted to say something but kept stopping himself. Luo Changzhou wasn’t quite sure what Yu Pei wanted to tell him, so he pretended to take a sip of water just to give Yu Pei a chance to say something if he wanted.
However he hadn’t expected that all Yu Pei wanted was to give him a piece of candy.
The candy, maybe because it had been in Yu Pei’s hand a bit too long, had started to melt a little. However the flavor was surprisingly good— because as soon as it hit his tongue, the rich fruity sweetness spread through his mouth and nose. Luo Changzhou wasn’t usually big on sweets, but right then, he found himself understanding why “sweet” was a flavor children adored from the start – liking sweet things, really, was just a natural part of being human.
“So, how is it?” Yu Pei looked at him with wide, eager eyes that were sparkling with anticipation. “Does it taste good?”
“It’s good.” Luo Changzhou shifted the candy over to the right side of his mouth with his tongue, mumbling his answer slightly, his gaze drifting to the deep blue scarf around Yu Pei’s neck. He added, almost offhandedly, “Your scarf looks nice.”
After saying that, he turned back, picked up his pen, and went back to his English homework.
Yu Pei, a little stunned by the unexpected compliment, tugged on his scarf without really thinking. To him, this deep blue scarf had always seemed pretty ordinary. He wore it because it was soft, comfortable, and warm and not because there was anything special about it. However since Luo Changzhou mentioned it, he looked down at his scarf, then back at Luo Changzhou, and smiled. “En, its color is just like your eyes – both are really beautiful.”
Luo Changzhou paused at those words, his pen freezing mid-stroke, causing the smooth, flowing script on his notebook to suddenly be marred with a small imperfection.
He didn’t respond right away, however the next moment, the teenager in front of him pulled out a handful of candy from his pocket and held it out to him with a bright smile. “Changzhou, I’ve got a ton more candy here! You can have it all.”
With no choice but to put down his pen, he reached out to take the candy. And in doing so, his fingers brushed lightly against Yu Pei’s.
Yu Pei’s fingers were cold, the icy touch against Luo Changzhou’s palm immediately bringing to mind the image of those pale, slender hands that had been holding the candy just moments before. His fingertips had a faint, rosy hue that somehow looked almost… inviting, like they’d be just as sweet if you bit into them as the candy he was holding.
However since he couldn’t exactly do that, he simply unwrapped another candy and popped it into his mouth after the first one had melted away.
Yu Pei had received praise from the teacher in the morning, shared his snacks with Luo Changzhou, and had even had a long conversation with him. He was so happy that he didn’t feel the least bit sleepy all morning, and even though he didn’t understand much of what the teacher was saying in class, he actually stayed awake.
It wasn’t that he was born with some inability to learn, nor was it that he was particularly against studying. It was that since he was young, his grades had never been great— no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t seem to improve much.
Back in elementary and middle school, the material had been manageable. He could scrape by with a little memorization, and so ended up in high school. But to get into university, brute memorization alone wouldn’t cut it. Thankfully, he still had the option of the art exams, and when it came to drawing, it was like all his talent points had been maxed out in that skill. At least he didn’t have to worry too much about getting into a university.
During those first few days back at school, he had thought he’d just do the bare minimum, same as before. But now, with Luo Changzhou as his desk mate and after getting praised by the new English teacher, Yu Pei felt like this was a fresh start. Maybe he could give it an honest try – who knows, he might even shake off his reputation as the ‘class underachiever’.
With that thought, he immediately took out the notebook Luo Changzhou had given him on the first day of school, spread it open on his desk, and started taking careful notes. And by the end of the class, he’d actually understood a few things and was still caught up in the atmosphere of studying even after the bell rang.
Encouraged, he kept flipping through his textbook, trying to review some of the earlier lessons. However, the peaceful study session didn’t last long before it was interrupted.
“Luo Changzhou… you didn’t come to class yesterday. Were you sick?”
It was a group of girls from their class – the same ones who had asked him for Luo Changzhou’s contact info the day before. They gathered around Luo Changzhou, asking why he hadn’t shown up.
Yu Pei watched them curiously, wondering why they were asking since he’d already told them yesterday that Luo Changzhou was out sick.
“I was sick.” Luo Changzhou looked up at the girls briefly, answering simply.
And one of the girls, catching his gaze, smiled shyly and asked in a soft voice, “Oh….. are you feeling better now?”
Luo Changzhou averted his gaze, no longer looking at her, and replied, “Much better.”
The girl looked as if she wanted to say something more, but in the next moment, Luo Changzhou pulled out a workbook from his desk drawer, flipped it open, and laid it on his desk.
Seeing this, the girl immediately changed her tune and said, “Alright, Luo Changzhou, you should focus on studying. We won’t bother you anymore.”
Without looking up, Luo Changzhou gave a brief “Mm”.
After the group of girls left, Yu Pei could still hear them whispering among themselves, “Luo Changzhou’s eyes really are blue!”
“Yes, they’re so pretty! Even more so up close!”
As Luo Changzhou’s desk mate—the one who had been closest to him so far—Yu Pei couldn’t agree more with them. However he didn’t pay much attention to whatever else the girls were saying. Instead, he grabbed a book, spread it open in front of him, and leaned on his hand, pretending to read while secretly watching Luo Changzhou from the corner of his eye.
When Luo Changzhou was writing, he kept his head slightly lowered, however his posture was perfectly straight—like textbook-perfect, the model of ideal posture. Yu Pei thought that even the top students in the advanced class might not study as earnestly as Luo Changzhou did. And here he was, such an outstanding person, yet he was in the regular class, sitting right next to him as his desk mate.
Yu Pei stared at Luo Changzhou, completely absorbed. At first, his gaze was focused on Luo Changzhou’s face, but after a while, it seemed to drift, almost as if looking through him into some imaginary point in the air.
But even then, his gaze carried a warmth to it, almost hotter than the sunlight streaming in from outside, landing right on Luo Changzhou. And feeling somewhat helpless under the intense look, Luo Changzhou put his pen down, turned to Yu Pei, and asked softly, “Why are you staring at me?”
“I—” Meeting Luo Changzhou’s gaze all of a sudden, Yu Pei froze for a second, subconsciously wanting to deny it.
However as he looked into those deep blue eyes, the words he wanted to use to brush it off just sat on the tip of his tongue, swirling around. In the end, he could only let out a quiet, honest confession: “I just….. think your eyes are really beautiful, so I kept looking at you.”
The teenager’s clear voice was soft and gentle, so quiet that if you weren’t listening carefully, you might have missed a word or two.
Luo Changzhou stared back at him, as if trying to decipher whether Yu Pei had some other motive behind his words. Finally, he said, “Thank you. Your eyes are beautiful too.”
“Hm?” Yu Pei was a little surprised when he heard Luo Changzhou’s response. After all, this was the first time anyone had complimented his eyes—especially coming from Luo Changzhou. “What’s nice about them?”
Continuing to question, Yu Pei watched as Luo Changzhou picked up his cup and held it out toward him, saying, “The color is nice, like the tea I drink.”
Luo Changzhou was different from most of the other students in class. Besides the bottled water he drank during P.E., he always used his own white porcelain cup in class. And until now, Yu Pei had just assumed it was plain water. Now he knew it was tea.
“So, you drink tea, huh.” Yu Pei looked at the tea inside the porcelain cup. “Does it do anything special?”
Luo Changzhou replied, “It keeps me awake, so I don’t get sleepy in class.”
“You get sleepy in class too?” Yu Pei asked in surprise.
“Mhm.” Luo Changzhou’s lips curved up slightly as he raised an eyebrow at him. “Otherwise why else would I always arrive so late every morning?”
With that, Yu Pei remembered how Luo Changzhou would always show up right when class began, sometimes even cutting it closer than he himself. Senior year was tough, and on days he stayed up late studying, it was especially hard to stay awake the next morning. Most students used coffee to stay alert, but it was rare to see someone relying on tea instead. Curious, he asked, “Why don’t you drink coffee then?”
“I don’t like…. coffee.” Luo Changzhou started to explain, almost mentioning his dislike for sweet things, but stopped himself mid-sentence, realizing he had just accepted a handful of candies from Yu Pei. So he changed his words smoothly, “That’s why I drink tea.”
Yu Pei nodded, “I don’t like it either.”
Because of the asthma medication he was taking, Yu Pei often felt drowsy in class too. He had considered trying coffee to stay awake, however his medication had a warning not to consume caffeine while taking it. Besides, he’d once tried a sip of the coffee that his big brother, Yu Qing, drank at home—it had been so bitter he’d never touched it again, since he preferred sweet things anyway.
But now, hearing that tea could also help keep you awake, he was intrigued and so said, “So tea can work too, huh? I’ve only ever seen my big brother drink coffee. Is the tea you drink any good?”
“It’s alright. Want to try it?” Luo Changzhou asked, holding the cup out to him.
However Yu Pei misinterpreted his gesture, thinking he was offering to share with him, just like he had with the candy. And thrilled, he agreed immediately, “Sure!”
And then, without hesitation, he leaned forward and took a sip from Luo Changzhou’s cup, right from where it was held.
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