Chapter 12

I want to add more points, but I don’t have my notepad. What to do?

Lin Xigu had left his notepad back at his apartment near the school. Lin Xigu preferred using a pen to his phone for jotting things down. It felt more sincere, somehow.

But since he didn’t have his physical log with him at the moment, he would have to make do with his phone. He would copy it into his notepad later.

— Texted 3 times. +10 per text.

158. 

If he hadn’t been so worried about skewing his points system, Lin Xigu would have gladly added a hundred points for each text.

Those three texts kept him in high spirits for the rest of the week. He couldn’t even walk straight; he wanted to skip. He didn’t know why he was getting so flustered over something as mundane as a text conversation between classmates. He and Li Balei nattered away on QQ¹Tencent QQ (or just QQ) is a popular instant messaging platform. every day, filling whole afternoons with idle chit chat or memes when they ran out of things to discuss. 

But when it came to She Xiao, it only took three words to send him to cloud nine. 

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

Mblal olal zkvvzl xsal vbyd y esgld eyup zlqv wdvkz vbl dlo pnbssz ulya. Nkd Dktw zsdtkdtzu alxkdkpnle ycswv vbspl eyup obld bl oswze pkv esod dlmv vs Fbl Dkys lynb xsadkdt yde cakdt bkx xkzj sa qawkv vly, oyvnbkdt bkx olv bkp zkrp yqvla qkdkpbkdt bkp eakdj.

“Ebyv yal usw ealyxkdt ycswv?” Tkp eye nzyrrle bkx sd vbl cynj sq vbl blye, jdsnjkdt bkx cynj kdvs vbl ralpldv.

“Bb, dsvbkdt,” Nkd Dktw pnayvnble bkp dspl pbllrkpbzu.

“Yu alnlrvksdkpv lhld naynjle y fsjl ycswv usw obld vblu olal kd blal lyazkla. Nssj yv usw, tkttzkdt wr y pvsax.” Tkp eye rwzzle sd bkp lya zktbvzu, vbld alynble qsa y cssj qasx vbl pblzq clpkel bkx. “Zsw’hl sqqknkyzzu zspv uswa xyaczlp, psd.”

“Zsw pbswze byhl nzlyale uswa vbasyv sa psxlvbkdt. R eked’v dsvknl ydusdl nsxkdt kd.” Nkd Dktw xshle vbl zyrvsr shla vs oblal bl pyv, rzyddkdt vs tyxl qsa y zkvvzl obkzl. Rq bl eked’v cwpu bkxplzq okvb ekpvaynvksdp, bl oyp tskdt vs cl pvwnj okvb bkp wdaliwkvle vbswtbvp qsalhla.&dcpr;

“Zsw olal prynle swv lhld obld ol olal vyzjkdt aktbv kd qasdv sq usw. Ebyv ekqqlaldnl oswze kv byhl xyel kq R bye nzlyale xu vbasyv?” Nkd Ckwasdt piwllgle bkp pbswzela yde pyv esod dlmv vs Nkd Dktw vs alye bkp cssj.

Gp Nkd Dktw ascsvknyzzu pxypble vbl jlup sd bkp zyrvsr clpkel bkx, Nkd Ckwasdt cltyd vs osaau vbyv bl oyp jllrkdt bkp psd nssrle wr kd vbl sqqknl, “Yu pnblewzl kp srld qsa vbl eyu. Ps usw oydv vs es psxlvbkdt swvessap? Xa oswze usw ayvbla ts wrpvykap qsa y qlo xyvnblp sq cyexkdvsd?”

Nkd Dktw nsdpkelale vbl srvksdp. “Nlv’p ts okvb cyexkdvsd. Rv’p vss bsv vs ts swvpkel.”

“Deal.”

The father-son duo spent the afternoon at the gym, starting with a few matches of badminton followed by a half-day in the lap pool. Lin Qiurong made it look effortless but Lin Xigu’s limbs were jelly by the end of the day. As soon as they got home, he collapsed on the couch and never wanted to move again. 

“You’re too out of shape,” Lin Qiurong patted him on the leg. “You couldn’t keep up and I’m over twice your age.”

Lin Xigu peered at him through exhausted eyes. “You’re hardly geriatric. You’re in your prime, the crème de la crème. You think I can compete, with a body like mine? I’d be lucky to have half your strength.”

“At least you’re self-aware,” his dad chuckled. “No one puts stock in a well-rounded education anymore. The school expects you to spend all your time studying when all it does is scramble the brains of kids who were perfectly fine to begin with. When you go back, I’m going to order some exercise equipment for you. Don’t you have a spare bedroom? You should turn it into a fitness room.”

Lin Xigu had no objections to this. He agreed that he was not as fit as he should be, and there were no drawbacks to exercising more. 

She Xiao was slim too, but he looked hardy.  

He was merely scrawny. It was probably for the best if he worked out more. It would at least improve his appearance if nothing else. 

In the days that followed, Lin Xigu made swimming part of his daily routine. The company gym was usually empty which allowed him to stay as long as he wanted. Occasionally, his dad would ask his chauffeur or assistant to sub in for a game of badminton but Lin Xigu mostly spent his time alone, running, swimming, and counting down the days.

Ten more days.

Ten more days until the first day of school.

The closer he got, the harder it was to endure. It felt like time had slowed to a snail’s crawl.

---

On that day, Lin Xigu received a call from Fang Zhiyuan asking to meet up.

Before he transferred schools, Fang Zhiyuan had been Lin Xigu’s only close friend. They had been friends from the time they were children, but Fang Zhiyuan had later treated him like an imaginary rival instead, eventually betraying his trust over a girl.

Lin Xigu’s tone was chilly as they spoke on the phone. Once they had agreed on a time and place, he promptly hung up and tossed his phone aside.

It was a shame that their friendship of so many years had ended the way it did. He didn’t hate him — perhaps it hadn’t been Fang Zhiyuan’s intention to betray him that way — and actually, when he thought about it, he was strangely grateful for what he had done.

If Fang Zhiyuan had not outed him, he would not have had to switch schools, and he would not have met She Xiao.

Meeting She Xiao was the best thing that had ever happened to him, transforming every painful event leading up to that moment into reasons for gratitude.  

However, there was no way they could repair the damage to their friendship. His friend had betrayed his trust over a girl – what kind of friend would do that? And if it happened once, it could just as easily happen again. He was no longer credible in Lin Xigu’s eyes.

For the meetup, Lin Xigu wore a t-shirt and shorts with a baseball cap on his head, which made him look younger than he was, and more cheerful. Fang Zhiyuan was a little taller. It was their first time seeing each other in more than six months and an implacable sense of awkwardness hung over their reunion.

Every word, every action dripped with the weight of that awkwardness. Everything that could be said felt wrong.

Fang Zhiyang had brought him a drink. “Xigu,” he began in a low voice. “About what happened… I’m really sorry. I must have been f*cked in the head to do what I did. I regret it, a lot. I hope you don’t hate me — well, I guess I’d deserve it if you did. After all, what I did was pretty bad.”

Lin Xigu took a sip of the drink he was handed. The shaved ice had an interesting texture. He shook his head. “What’s done is done. So much time has passed already; there’s no use talking about it anymore. Are you and Lin Yuan together now?”

“Never,” Fang Zhiyuan smiled bitterly. “I figured out what happened after the fact. As soon as I told her, she went and spread it around. I was the one who hurt you, true, but I swear I only told her. She was the one who told everyone else. How could I date her in good conscience after that?”

Lin Xigu sighed inwardly. “It doesn’t have to be this way. If you two want to be together, then go be happy together. It’s unfair for you to hold her accountable for doing something that you yourself had done.”

Fang Zhiyuan looked aghast.

“Hey, don’t get me wrong. I’m not holding it against you,” Lin Xigu adjusted the brim of his hat, smiling. “You really like her, right? So don’t hold back on my account. It’s not worth it. I’m having the time of my life where I am right now, and enjoying every moment of it, so don’t keep beating yourself up over what happened in the past.”

He’d meant what he said. He had his beautiful tongzhuo now, a tongzhuo with captivating eyes. Everything else was water under the bridge. He was ready to forgive and forget.

Before they parted, Fang Zhiyuan asked, “You still down to game sometime?”

Lin Xigu smiled in acceptance. “Sure, why not. Shoot me a message when you’re on break. I’ll let you know when I’m online.”

“Yup, okay,” Fang Zhiyuan stuffed his hands in his pockets. “If you’re ever craving the taste of home, just give me a call. I’ll send you a package in the mail, or I’ll deliver it to you.”

Lin Xigu laughed. “You treating me like I’m a little girl? There’s nothing I want to eat that badly. I’m off to meet my dad. I’ll see you around.”

Lin Xigu’s heart was a sea of calm after returning from his meeting with Fang Zhiyuan. If he’d had a rough time at his new school, he might not have been as composed, and he probably would have continued heaping blame on Fang Zhiyuan. But he was so pleased with his new life that he saw no need to hold a grudge. It wouldn’t be fun, and it was not in his nature to be petty.

Another day gone. Only nine more days to go.

---

Lin Xigu had finished his homework in the early days of summer break. They were already bundled in a tidy stack, ready to be handed in once school resumed.

“Have you made up your mind about university at all? And about studying abroad?” His dad asked.

Such problems seemed a lifetime away to Lin Xigu. He shook his head. “Not yet. I’ll tell you once I’ve decided.”

He figured he would go wherever She Xiao went. She Xiao didn’t seem like the type who would study abroad and there was no way Lin Xigu’s grades would be high enough to get him accepted to the same university as She Xiao. But choosing a college in the same city should be easy enough.

He wondered whether She Xiao would have a girlfriend by that time. It would truly be a tragedy if She Xiao started dating somebody else. What would he do in that situation? The thought made his stomach sink.

---

Lin Xigu had been too chicken to text She Xiao again. He couldn’t say for certain what he was afraid might happen. But with five days left until the start of school, he couldn’t hold back any longer. It was another sleepless night and he was staring at his phone, itching to do something impulsive again.

He knew that he would not get any rest until he had sent something. Lin Xigu squared his jaw and typed out the same two characters from before. 

She Xiao?

Although She Xiao’s reply mirrored his last, it still stirred something in Lin Xigu that made him want to whoop and holler.

Mn?

“Mn” again! With another question mark!

Lin Xigu’s palms were slick with sweat and he quickly dried them on his duvet. He sent back:

School’s starting soon.

The text had been a bad move on his part. He didn’t have to think hard to imagine what She Xiao’s response would be. Lin Xigu felt a twinge of regret. He should have asked a question instead. It was all over if She Xiao stopped replying.

Luckily, She Xiao did reply, his answer ever predictable. 

Mn.

Lin Xigu racked his brain but had no idea what he should say next. How did tongzhuo normally text each other? Where was the manual for something like this?

Lin Xigu texted Li Balei.

Ballet Grrrl²芭蕾少女 (ba/lei/shao/nv) is Lin Xigu’s nickname for Li Balei. Ballet (or could just be Balei) + 少女 (girl). , what do you and xiao-Shan usually text about?

Li Balei’s reply came right away.

Would you like me to give you an example?

Lin Xigu:

Yes!

Li Balei sent over her example after a short while.

“Hey butthole, whatcha doing?” 

“Who are you calling a butthole?”

“You, butthole.”

“Only buttholes call other people buttholes.”

“…”

Lin Xigu had no idea what he could do with that.

After much deliberation, he sent She Xiao a long text with a feeling of immense trepidation.

I’d overheard something about seating plans changing in the fall? Is it true that it changes every term? If so, I don’t really want to move. I like where I’m sitting now. What do you think? 

His intentions were so transparent that it made Lin Xigu blush. It was a good thing that he was still on holiday and there was no one around to see his embarrassment.

He wasn’t lying about the seating plan changes either. Zhou Cheng had announced that he would be rearranging their seats once per term, but Lin Xigu wasn’t particularly worried about this. No one would voluntarily sit next to the notorious She Xiao. He would only have to give Zhou Cheng a heads up and as long as his seat was free, he should have no problems returning to his usual spot.

Lin Xigu was almost starting to sweat from anxiety as he waited for She Xiao’s response.

She Xiao’s reply finally came, and all of a sudden, the long wait he had suffered was made entirely worthwhile. He very nearly tossed his phone out the window after he devoured the message. There was a small part of him, too, that wanted to cry –

Mn, don’t move.