After one o’clock in the morning, in the Yun Ci dormitory.
The trendy guy held a steaming cup of instant noodles and gulped them down: “You really aren’t eating?”
Trendy guy: “Let’s eat with the door closed; no one will know.”
Yun Ci threw the two buckets of gifted instant noodles to them, then turned back to his upper bunk with a few steps on the railing: “Not hungry.”
Just as the words fell, the trendy guy distinctly heard Yun Ci’s stomach growl.
Yun Ci silently pulled the blanket up, leaving behind three words: “I’ll starve to death.”
Trendy guy: “…”
Yun Ci was ready to sleep, but ended up with the scent of instant noodles lingering in the air after the trendy guy and his friends finished one bucket and made another.
The instant noodles were a gift from someone.
This led to the constant appearance of Yu Xun’s face in his mind.
He tossed and turned on the bed, thinking about wearing earplugs, but remembered they were on the lower bunk.
The lower bunk had become a place to store odds and ends since no one slept there anymore, with a pile of stuff on top. There was a spare mechanical keyboard belonging to a gaming addict, along with trendy guy’s clothes that wouldn’t fit in the wardrobe; in short, it was piled full.
When the scent of instant noodles had dissipated, Yun Ci had also fallen asleep, until he was abruptly awakened by a jarring alarm: “Beep beep beep beep—!”
“What’s going on?”
“Assembly?”
“That’s not right. Tt’s not even daylight yet, and this sound isn’t the assembly signal; it sounds like some kind of alarm.”
“…Could the school have arranged an impromptu fire drill?”
The entire dormitory was getting dressed while discussing, unsure whether to line up. Halfway through putting on their clothes, the alarm suddenly stopped.
Yun Ci dressed quickly, mainly concerned that if something was wrong, as the temporary class monitor, he would be responsible for organizing everyone.
But just as he was about to descend from the upper bunk, his phone rang twice.
[First-year freshmen group chat]
Counselor: [Go back to sleep, nothing’s wrong, it was just an emergency drill.]
Counselor: [You guys moved pretty efficiently, well done, keep it up.]
The message from Gao Pingyang ended there, but Yun Ci still felt something was off. Normally, even during an emergency drill, they would continue until they had descended the stairs and lined up properly.
As he pondered this, his phone vibrated again.
It was a private message from Gao Pingyang.
Gao Pingyang: [Come to my office during tomorrow’s lunch break.]
***
The next day, during lunch break, after eating a few bites of food, Yun Ci carried his military training cap and headed to the counselor’s office.
Li Yan, who had just eaten with him, felt curious: [What’s going on? Is it related to last night’s alarm?]
He replied: [I don’t know.]
Li Yan: [I heard that there was almost a fire in one of the dorms last night, and even the fire trucks were called out.]
Yun Ci thought to himself that these kinds of “rumors” in the school were always half true and half false, so it probably wasn’t as serious as an actual fire, but something definitely happened.
Sure enough, when he pushed open the door and entered the office, it was already crowded with people.
Six male students stood against the wall.
He didn’t know what they had done wrong, but two of them looked very familiar.
One of them, with small braids, nicknamed Liu Zi, was currently standing against the wall as punishment, while the other was Liu Zi’s older brother, someone Yun Ci didn’t really want to meet in this lifetime. His surname was Yu.
When Yu Xun saw him enter, he actually took two steps aside, making space for him: “The wall’s full; you stand here. We’re all old classmates; there’s no need to thank me.”
Yun Ci: “?”
Who needs to stand?
Who cares about this spot?
And why should he stand there?
Although he didn’t know why this group of people were all crowded here, he definitely wasn’t here to stand as punishment.
Yun Ci shifted his gaze. “You can stand there yourself.”
Yu Xun leaned against the wall casually. “I kindly left a spot for you, but you’re not appreciating it.”
Yun Ci: “Sorry, I don’t need it. I definitely didn’t come here to—”
Before Yun Ci could finish his confident statement, Gao Pingyang put down the book in his hand, raised his head, and unusually interrupted him with what could be described as an enraged tone upon seeing him. “Yun Ci, yes, I’m talking about you! Find a spot against the wall and stand there! Move in! Stand properly!”
Yun Ci: “…”
Yun Ci was a bit bewildered. “Did I do something wrong?”
Gao Pingyang: “You have the nerve to ask?!”
“Get over there! Each one of you, wait for me to take a few sips of water, then I’ll scold you one by one.”
“…”
The entire wall was filled with people standing, except for the empty space Yu Xun had just made for him. There was no gap whatsoever.
Yun Ci walked up to the person next to Yu Xun, his cold expression giving off a subtle sense of threat: “Change places, you stand over there.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the person was about to move when Yu Xun, with an even more threatening tone, gave him a half-smile warning: “Try moving over here.”
“…”
The person hesitated, feeling caught between the two, unsure whether to move or not.
Yun Ci and Yu Xun could argue all they wanted usually, but when it involved others, it was a different story. Yun Ci didn’t want to affect others, so he reluctantly stood in.
It was cramped.
And very uncomfortable.
The air felt thin.
He was almost shoulder to shoulder with Yu Xun, and Yun Ci felt like if he just moved his hand slightly, he could brush against Yu Xun’s.
Gao Pingyang finished his water and slammed the cup back on the table heavily: “Let’s hear it one by one. Liu Zi, where did you get those instant noodles from? You seem to have a knack for business, huh? How many buckets did you sell?”
Liu Zi’s real name was Liu Ming. This name didn’t match his personality at all, so it evolved into the homophone “Liu Zi,” and he came up with a practiced excuse: “…Originally, I was eating them myself. I love instant noodles and can eat ten buckets a day. I didn’t intend to sell them, but later, I saw that they also wanted to eat, so I decided to share them with everyone.”
Gao Pingyang: “Charging fifty for a bucket is called sharing?”
Liu Zi: “It’s because they’re too polite and insisted on giving me money to thank me.”
Gao Pingyang: “Keep making up stories. Look at the people standing against the wall. Do you think I called you here without evidence?”
Liu Zi: “Then why ask me? Show your evidence. Anyway, there aren’t any.”
Gao Pingyang: “…”
Hearing this, Yun Ci probably knew why he was summoned.
Gao Pingyang turned his gaze towards Yun Ci: “Did you go to their dormitory last night? Is their dormitory secretly selling instant noodles?”
Liu Zi also looked at Yun Ci; his back immediately stiffened.
Only Yu Xun remained leaning against the wall, his posture unchanged, seemingly unconcerned about what would happen next.
Yun Ci really wanted to expose these people; whether it was Liu Zi or Yu Xun, they deserved punishment. But compared to personal grievances, some matters weren’t appropriate for him to bring up.
He didn’t have the habit of being a snitch.
So Gao Pingyang received three words in response: “I don’t know.”
Gao Pingyang: “Then what were you doing in their dormitory in the middle of the night?”
Yun Ci: “Just visiting.”
“Do you have a good relationship with them?”
“Absolutely not.”
“…”
Yun Ci’s hand tensed up a bit, afraid of accidentally touching Yu Xun. Eventually, he tucked his hand into his sleeve and said, “So I went over to see if there was a chance to give him a beating.”
After he finished speaking, he felt the person beside him move ever so slightly.
It seemed like a faint laugh.
Gao Pingyang questioned two people in a row, but neither cooperated. With two failures, his mental state began to become unstable, and he turned to interrogate the third person: “He visited you in the middle of the night to pick a fight, right? Did you two get into a fight?”
Yu Xun straightened up a bit and went along with him, saying, “Yeah. But it was too late, so it didn’t happen.”
Gao Pingyang actually had no evidence at all. These kids were quite crafty, leaving no trace behind, and confronting them yielded only nonsense.
“We won’t discuss the instant noodles matter today. Hand over the remaining instant noodles to me.” Gao Pingyang’s focus wasn’t even on the noodles this time. After saying this, he took out something else from the desk, “This item was found in your possession, a transformer. Hasn’t the school already told you at the beginning of the semester that using unauthorized electrical appliances is prohibited? Forgetful, aren’t you? The purpose of coming to university is to study and learn, not to blow up the dormitories!”
“If last night’s alarm hadn’t gone off in time, do you know what could have happened? You would have ended up on the school’s bulletin board at the entrance, with all of your black-and-white photos and the headline in big letters: Obituary.”
“Under the headline, the text would read: Deeply mourn the loss of six students from our school!”
Yun Ci: “…”
Now he understood what happened with the alarm last night.
So, aside from him, everyone else on this wall should be Yu Xun’s roommates. It was too dark after the lights out last night, so he hadn’t met the other four.
“The reason why the school doesn’t allow students to use high-power electrical appliances is to protect you. Using unauthorized electrical appliances privately will result in a demerit, and if you cause serious consequences, it will be a severe demerit.”
“Who is the dormitory monitor?” Gao Pingyang said, “We’ll start with the dormitory monitor.”
Yu Xun took a step forward: “Me.”
Gao Pingyang: “Is there anything else you want to defend?”
Yu Xun: “No, there’s no way to argue. I didn’t supervise properly, so I should be disciplined.”
As for the culprit himself, Liu Zi had nothing more to say.
The others went to receive their disciplinary actions, leaving only Yun Ci standing against the wall. As the only person from a different dormitory, he couldn’t understand why he had to stand with Yu Xun’s dormitory the whole time.
Just as he was standing there, contemplating that he should be able to leave soon, Gao Pingyang called his name again.
“Yun Ci.”
“You stay.” Gao Pingyang paused for a moment before saying, “Isn’t your dormitory composed of five people? You have an extra bed, right?”
Yun Ci’s right eyelid twitched. “What’s going on?”
Gao Pingyang: “Their dormitory used unauthorized electrical appliances last night, and the entire dormitory’s wiring burned out. It’ll take a while to fix, and the dormitory is too smoky to stay in. They need to be reassigned to new dorms.”
Yun Ci: “…”
Not only was his eyelid acting up now, but his heart also seemed to skip a beat.
Gao Pingyang: “The other five members of their dormitory have already been assigned to new dorms. There’s one left, and he can stay in your dorm. You can take him over there later.”
In an instant, Yun Ci felt his throat go dry. “Who?”
Gao Pingyang pointed to the person standing in the middle of the group, surrounded by others. “The one you visited last night, Yu Xun.”
Silence.
A long silence.
Yun Ci’s heart stopped for a few seconds, and his breathing began to falter. A brief lack of oxygen made his head spin. “He and I, in the same dormitory?”
“Teacher Gao, didn’t I just say, I went there last night because I wanted to beat him up,” Yun Ci paused for a moment, “If he moves in with me, we really will fight.”
Having experienced Liu Zi’s earlier nonsense, Gao Pingyang no longer believed the words coming out of these people’s mouths. Plus, with the list of disciplinary actions he’d already handed out at the beginning of the school year, he calmly said, “Then you two can fight. If you both get injured, I’ll call two ambulances to take you both to the hospital. One for each of you, I’ll call two.”
“…”
Gao Pingyang waved his hand. “I remember you’re the dormitory monitor. Anyway, take him to your dormitory and report. Fill out an information form. Now go, hurry up; I want some peace and quiet. Seeing you bunch gives me a headache.”
Outside the office in the corridor, Yun Ci crossed his arms, assuming a defensive posture, and leaned against the wall, waiting for the others.
One by one, the group that had been leaning against the wall in the office came out, with Yu Xun being the last.
Yun Ci, unusually, took the initiative to speak to him. “Let’s talk.”
During their three years of high school, Yun Ci probably hadn’t initiated a conversation with him as many times as he had since entering university. Their interactions were sparse.
Many unexpected events had occurred, complicating the connection between the two.
Yu Xun asked, “Talk about what?”
Yun Ci said, “About what just happened. Let’s discuss it. There were six people in your dormitory, find someone to switch with.”
When he said this, he added very reluctantly, “Even if it means swapping with that junkie who sells garbage.”
“It’s the only solution. Teacher Gao won’t budge, and you wouldn’t want to live in the same…” dormitory with me.
He couldn’t finish his sentence.
Because Yu Xun interrupted, “Finding someone to switch is easy. I’m fine with switching with any of the other five.”
Yun Ci breathed a sigh of relief.
But he didn’t expect Yu Xun’s sentence to be incomplete.
“However—”
Yu Xun’s military training jacket was open, and as he stood in front of Yun Ci, his Adam’s apple bobbed as he spoke, “Who said I wanted to switch dormitories?”
“?”
Yun Ci’s relief was short-lived as he was once again filled with uncertainty.
“I think your dormitory is pretty good. I’m a responsible and obedient person. I like to follow the teacher’s arrangements.” Yu Xun’s mood unexpectedly seemed good, sharply contrasting with Yun Ci’s increasingly darkening face, “I don’t really want to switch.”
Yun Ci: “…”
You’re obedient. Your dormitory uses unauthorized electrical appliances. Your dormitory sells instant noodles.
Yun Ci, using the last shreds of his sanity, attempted to reason with him, “Switching dormitories isn’t as simple as you think. Living together for a long time is a big deal. You don’t need to put yourself in trouble just to prove a point.”
But that remaining shred of sanity also told him: Yu Xun probably wouldn’t comply with his wishes.
There was a bit of self-destructive tendency in his personality.
To make things difficult for himself, this person might be willing to endure living with him for an extended period.
Sometimes Yun Ci had to admit, he had an extraordinary understanding of Yu Xun. Sure enough, Yu Xun stared at him for a moment before saying, “Putting myself in trouble isn’t a bad idea.”
He adjusted his collar with a slight tug, then tilted his head, saying:
“How do we go? Kindly lead the way, Dormitory Monitor.”
Yun Ci’s mind entertained a tempting idea: Why not just go buy a transformer and blow up Room 608 too?
…
Whoever wants to lead the way can lead. He wasn’t going to serve anyone.
Yun Ci was about to leave when his phone vibrated a few times.
Dad: [Did you violate school rules?]
Dad: [I’ll be going to class in a bit, I’ll call you after school on Friday. Wait for me.]
Aside from his dad’s message, there was also one from Gao Pingyang.
Short and firm, having five words.
Gao Pingyang: [Lead the way for him.]
Before Yun Ci could send out his question mark, Gao Pingyang sent another message.
Gao Pingyang: [You were talking so loudly at the door, I could hear everything.]
Yun Ci: “…”
Yun Ci didn’t respond anymore. He put away his phone, but as he raised his eyes, he sensed something was off and glanced again at where Yu Xun was standing.
It was very close to the teacher’s office.
And the door was open.
It seemed too convenient, making one suspect if this was intentional.
