Room 608 after lights out.
After Luo Sifang carried Yu Xun to his bed, there was no more movement.
This guy was really drunk, and Yun Ci lay in the upper bunk for a long time without hearing any other sounds, only the sound of deep breathing.
Concerned about dorm harmony, Luo Sifang asked softly, “Ci-ge, are you asleep?”
Yun Ci replied with his eyes open, “Yeah, sound asleep.”
Luo Sifang: “…”
Yun Ci did want to sleep, but he just couldn’t.
In his many years of battling with Yu Xun, he had experienced a lot of emotions.
But among all those emotions, for the first time, he felt at a loss.
A sudden kind of at a loss, where he didn’t know where to put his hands and feet.
He lay in bed for a long time and rarely posted a moment on WeChat, with just a few words, concise and clear: [Might as well quit school.]
Li Yan was the first to comment: [Your mental state is really a case of either not making any noise or making a shocking one.]
Zhou Wenyu: [No… it’s not that serious, bro, just endure for four years, four years will fly by!]
Other old classmates started chatting under his post: [What did I say? I bet on Ci-ge, he’s already at his breaking point and will soon kick Yu Xun out of the dorm.]
[+1, I bet on Ci-ge too, put up a month’s living expenses.]
[What? They’re in the same dorm?]
[You’re a bit late, hurry up and place your bets, there’s still time.]
[It seems like there’s no reaction from Yu Xun’s side.]
[That’s not no reaction, that’s called an undercurrent.]
Among a bunch of comments, there was also the counselor he forgot to block.
Gao Pingyang: […?]
–
Monday, P.E. class.
They had two or three P.E. classes every week. With so many freshmen, P.E. classes were always combined with several classes together. The two law classes were separated, but this day his class and Li Yan’s class ran the 1000 meters together.
“Starting the semester with a 1000-meter test,” Li Yan ran to the second lap, then crossed over to Yun Ci’s side, hanging on him and trying to get him to carry him, “I thought having classes at 8 AM was bad enough for my mental state.”
Yun Ci was running in front but slowed down by half because of him. He said coolly, “How about I carry you?”
Li Yan: “Can you?”
“…” Yun Ci shook him off and ran ahead.
At the finish line, Gao Pingyang stood with his hands behind his back, looking straight ahead, quietly waiting for him.
Gao Pingyang: “Finished? Come, let’s talk after you finish.”
Yun Ci: “…”
Gao Pingyang didn’t understand that young people sometimes just vent their emotions temporarily on social media and don’t really mean it. He took it seriously and asked, “Why do you want to quit school?”
Yun Ci replied casually, “I’m a bit dissatisfied with the school.”
Gao Pingyang: “?”
Yun Ci continued to joke, “Nanyang University doesn’t really suit me.”
Gao Pingyang said gently, “Are you encountering any difficulties in your studies? Is it that you have issues with the way the teachers conduct their classes, or are you dissatisfied with the course arrangements? Our university, in terms of teaching staff, is absolutely top-notch. Perhaps since it’s just the beginning of the semester, you need some time to adapt…”
Seeing Gao Pingyang being so serious, Yun Ci couldn’t continue with his nonsense.
“No,” he said. “I was talking nonsense.”
Then Yun Ci added, “But there is one thing that’s indeed troubling me. Can I change dorm rooms?”
So, Gao Pingyang stopped mid-sentence: “Okay, I understand. You posted that on your Moments just to change dorm rooms, right?” Then, he calmly said, “Then you should just drop out.”
Yun Ci: “…”
Yun Ci asked again, “What about becoming a day student?”
Gao Pingyang: “Starting from sophomore year, you can apply. Freshmen are required to live on campus.”
This conversation ultimately ended with Gao Pingyang successfully defending the university’s rules and regulations.
In the latter half of the class, Yun Ci and Li Yan sat in the stands, scrolling through their phones. After a while, Zhou Wenyu also came over, “We have a small quiz next week. Do you guys have any exams?”
Yun Ci thought for a moment, “We have one.”
Their course had a teacher who liked to conduct periodic assessments of their learning outcomes, so they had a small in-class test scheduled, probably just a one-page quiz to consolidate knowledge points before class.
Although Zhou Wenyu mentioned the quiz, he showed no intention of preparing for it: “But I think these small quizzes are harmless. Probably no one will study for them, right?”
Li Yan pointed at Yun Ci: “There is. This guy.”
Zhou Wenyu: “?”
Li Yan continued playing his mobile game, “Go and see what kind of dirty stuff is on his phone screen.”
Zhou Wenyu glanced over and saw a bunch of knowledge points marked with red lines: “…So dirty.”
Li Yan was used to it: “Their Class 1 and Class 2 are taking the test together, and the teacher will announce the scores on the spot. Think about who the class monitor of Class 1 is, and when his score and that guy with the surname Yu’s score are read out together—this isn’t just an ordinary quiz, it’s my uncle’s battlefield. Don’t disturb him, let him prepare.”
Yun Ci neither agreed nor disagreed.
The result of this test was indeed very important to him.
He couldn’t score lower than Yu Xun.
As if following some kind of effect, as soon as someone was mentioned, their message arrived.
While Yun Ci was reviewing, his phone alerted him to a new WeChat message. He opened it and saw a black avatar.
yx: [Drank too much yesterday.]
The next message came a long time after the first.
Yun Ci noticed that the “typing…” indicator at the top lasted for a long time, intermittently.
After a few minutes, the black avatar sent the next message.
yx: [Did I say anything last night?]
Yun Ci stared at the avatar, realizing that this already somewhat unusual avatar had become even more subtle at this moment.
Yun Ci recited in his mind.
Black and white are irreconcilable.
Black and white are irreconcilable.
Black and…
Damn.
Who on earth would use their archenemy’s birthday as their phone password?
Although it wasn’t surprising that Yu Xun knew his birthday, back in their high school days, there was a year when their classes had a commotion over his birthday.
The year before, when it was Yu Xun’s birthday, his lackeys made a big scene, putting up banners, and specially hung the game duel scores between him and Yun Ci at the classroom door to celebrate. They even spent a lot of money printing out the highlights of Yun Ci being killed. This banner and game screenshot hung in Class 7 for half a day, attracting everyone’s attention.
So when it was Yun Ci’s birthday, Li Yan celebrated for him at school, with special attention to the spectacle.
Li Yan led the class behind the scenes planning: “November 20th, this special day. Our display has to be grander than Class Seven’s. They celebrated with a big cake, banners, and game screenshots, right? We have to broadcast it! Make it known to the whole school, let them know what real influence is.”
On Yun Ci’s birthday, he ate a bowl of plain noodles made by Yan Yue at home in the morning, then calmly took the bus and walked into the class. But shortly after sitting down, the school broadcast blared:
“Warm congratulations to Yun Ci from Class 2 for his birthday~~~ Next, we’ll lovingly dedicate a song ‘Big Brother’ to Yun Ci, wishing him the same joy every year. Let the music begin—.”
“…………”
After that birthday, it led to many students from other classes saying, whenever they saw him, “Isn’t this the ‘Big Brother’?”
He generally didn’t want to recall this part of his past.
So why would Yu Xun use his birthday as his phone password?
…
But no matter the reason, this person clearly didn’t remember what he had said. Yun Ci couldn’t repeat it back; he couldn’t possibly say, “Last night you told me your phone password is my birthday.”
That wouldn’t be appropriate.
In the end, Yun Ci typed a single word: [No.]
After that, the black avatar didn’t reply.
Even though it was an ordinary chat box, and everything seemed the same, the few lines of conversation lying there created a strange sense of silence. It was a bit awkward and somewhat oppressive, as if something was scratching at him, making him feel like he needed to say something to break this feeling.
So Yun Ci sent another message.
yc: [But you were so drunk, you kneeled down and kowtowed to me.]
This time, Yu Xun replied quickly.
yx: [Oh, did you record it? I want to see how I kowtowed.]
“……”
Crazy.
The familiar atmosphere returned a bit.
Yun Ci didn’t reply and exited WeChat.
But he still couldn’t focus on his revision. The knowledge points marked on his phone screen all turned into a string of six-digit numbers in his eyes. He took a deep breath and suddenly put down his phone.
Li Yan glanced at him: “Finished preparing for the battle? Feeling confident now?”
Confident, my ass. He hadn’t absorbed a single word.
Yun Ci answered indirectly, suddenly asking him, “What’s your phone password?”
Li Yan: “Huh?”
Yun Ci repeated, “Your phone password.”
Li Yan: “……That’s not quite appropriate, even though we’re buddies, sharing phone passwords is still a bit…” Halfway through his sentence, Li Yan saw Yun Ci crack his knuckles and sensibly changed his tune, “Alright, it’s my goddess’s birthday, you know, that actress in the black dress, the mature one you always say isn’t pretty.”
Yun Ci was silent for a moment, then asked, “Why do you use her birthday?”
Li Yan: “Because I like her, why else. Phone passwords are usually dates that are significant to you, like the birthday of someone important, or other meaningful dates.”
Like.
This word silently exploded in Yun Ci’s ears.
But Yu Xun likes him?
…
Yu, Xun, Likes, Him. He knew every single word, but together they made him doubt his understanding of Chinese characters.
How could he have such an absurd guess?
Could it be that the alcohol from last night didn’t affect his face or head, but it messed with his mind?
He felt like he was having a mental breakdown from drinking.
After Li Yan finished speaking, he looked at him strangely again: “Why are your ears red? It’s been a while since you finished running, still feeling hot?”
“……”
“If you hate someone, it might be the same,” after a long time, Yun Ci pursed his lips, “If you really hate someone to the bone, it’s not impossible to use their birthday as your phone password.”
Li Yan’s game started another round. He didn’t take this topic seriously, casually nodding: “That’s possible too.”
“For example, Yu Xun,” he gave an offhand example, “if he uses your birthday as his phone password, it’s definitely to remind himself every day that his lifelong enemy was born on this day, such a historic, memorable day.”
“……”
–
The time for the in-class test was approaching.
Ever since high school, every exam between Yun Ci and Yu Xun had been highly anticipated.
The news of this in-class test spread quickly, even to the old group from their high school, who were eagerly awaiting the results.
[When’s the test?]
[I bet our class monitor Yun Ci is already staying up late cramming.]
[I should have applied to Nanyang University. Since leaving high school, I’ve missed many of their battles.]
[……]
Although the reality was quite similar to what these old classmates imagined, they forgot the unexpected twist of the two being in the same dorm. So now the situation had become Yun Ci and Yu Xun sitting in the dorm, one by the door, one by the balcony, sharing a long desk, studying their knowledge points together in the same room.
Yun Ci twirled his pen. As soon as he looked up, he could see the person across the desk.
Yu Xun had just taken a shower, wearing a jacket that looked very much like their old high school uniform. At first glance, he seemed like his high school self, except he had grown taller and broader, with more defined features and eyes.
The notes Yu Xun was flipping through were still the ones Yun Ci had copied for him back then.
After a while, Yu Xun moved.
He picked up his phone, unlocked the screen, and replied to a message.
Seeing Yu Xun’s unlocking motion, Yun Ci felt that itching sensation all over his body again, making it impossible to focus on his notes.
He messaged Li Yan.
yc: [Clear off the table, make some space for me.]
Just after Yun Ci sent it, he added: [If you can’t, I’ll sit on the floor.]
He stared at his phone screen. After typing the last word, he noticed some movement beside him.
The chair next to him was pulled out, and then the scent of shower gel drifted over. When he looked up again, Yu Xun was already sitting beside him.
“?”
Yu Xun: “Let’s study together.”
Yun Ci put away his phone: “You introverts should avoid studying with others; it affects efficiency.”
Yu Xun didn’t mind. He propped his chin on one hand, looking at him: “Learning requires overcoming some difficulties.”
“……”
“I don’t quite understand a knowledge point,” Yu Xun added, “I slept through the last class and missed it.”
He really had slept through it.
This person works night shifts, returning very late four or five days a week. During daytime classes, he often sleeps in the back corner and is frequently called out by the teacher.
So Yun Ci directly reported a string of numbers.
Yu Xun raised an eyebrow, “What?”
Yun Ci said, “It’s the phone number of our major course teacher.”
Yu Xun responded with an “Oh,” then gripped the phone with a few fingers, waving it in front of Yun Ci, “My phone is out of credit, can’t make calls.”
Now whenever Yun Ci sees his phone, his heart tightens.
Feeling a bit flustered, he wanted to quickly end the topic. Without waiting for Li Yan’s reply, he started packing up to leave, “Ask someone else, I’m busy.”
“Not teaching me,” Yu Xun said calmly, “are you afraid I’ll perform better than you in the exams?”
He thought Yun Ci would be provoked to set aside everything and sit down to explain the key points to him, just like back in the internet cafe days.
However, this time, Yun Ci’s reaction was unexpected to him.
Yun Ci swiftly packed up without pause, even faster than before.
“Yes.”
Without looking at him or his phone, Yun Ci lowered his gaze, with a wooden expression, “….That’s just how malicious I am.”
