Chapter 6

Lin Xigu’s weekends were typically dull as he rarely had outside plans and mostly spent them playing video games at home. The housekeeper arrived at noon to cook and had brought with her a bushel of fruit which she washed and cut up into pieces before placing in a bowl by Lin Xigu.

“Thank you, Zhou-ayi¹阿姨 (ayi): Honorific used to address older women. Literally “Auntie”. Also a term for domestic workers.,” Lin Xigu smiled sweetly. “You’ve worked hard.”

“Not at all. Have more fruit; you’re much too thin. I’ll whip you up a stew for lunch.” Zhou-ayi’s own child was already in their twenties and engaged. Without a child at home for so long, she always doted on Lin Xigu, ever the pampering grandmother whenever she cooked for him or assisted with the housecleaning.

Lin Xigu smiled. “That’s too much work. Let’s just keep it simple. I don’t eat much anyways.”

“How can I? You’re a growing boy, and you’re not done growing just yet,” Zhou-ayi collected Lin Xigu’s uniform to wash later and reminded him, “Eat your fruit.”

Lin Xigu nodded. “I will.”

Zhou-ayi finished cooking, tidied up, and left, mentioning that she would be back for dinner. Lin Xigu took a nap and was just about to leave for a stroll when he heard a knock on the door.

“Who is it?”

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Every weekend, pedestrian-friendly haunts always came alive with people ready to enjoy them. Lin Xigu was one of them, wandering aimlessly with one hand in his pocket and his earphones in. He lived quite close to the city core, in an area typically considered to be an affluent neighbourhood. Not too far from his place was a road lined with sycamore trees, their branches lush, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Lin Xigu really liked this street. Looking up, the trees provided dense coverage, allowing only glimpses of the fragmented sky through the cracks of their canopies. Although it was situated in a bustling area, it exuded an antiquated charm reminiscent of a heritage street due to the presence of these old trees.

He found this street particularly beautiful.

He finished walking the length of the street and made a stop at the supermarket where he bought three bags’ worth of snacks and pop. He liked the feeling of stocking up on provisions. He was not particularly fond of eating, but he liked seeing them there within arm’s reach, liked the act of hoarding. 

Night had fallen by the time Xie Yang appeared again with the borrowed chairs. Lin Xigu had just stepped out of the shower, his hair undried. He answered the door in a baggy t-shirt and shorts. Xie Yang had the airs of someone who had been drinking; his cheeks were flushed and his eyes were red.

“Erm, I brought the chairs down for you. I’ve wiped them all down already, don’t worry.” He set the chairs down on the welcome mat and held out a small, ceramic jug. “Here, my friend’s family made it themselves. I don’t know if you drink but it’s not that strong. It’s actually very sweet.”

Lin Xigu accepted the gift, smiling. “Thank you. We’re all neighbours here. No need to be so polite.”

Xie Yang scratched his head again and blurted, “Oh right, I’m Xie Yang by the way. “Yang” as in “flight”²Xie Yang is telling Li Xigu the Chinese characters that are used in his name. The character for ‘Yang’ is the same as the second character of the word for taking flight or letting something fly free: “飞扬”.. Do you also go to SY High? I’ve seen you in your uniform. I’m in my second senior year³Equivalent to Grade 11, Class 2. Come find me if you need anything.”

Lin Xigu nodded. “So we do go to the same school after all. I just transferred here not too long ago. You want to come in?”

“That’s okay, we still have guests at home,” Xie Yang grinned and scampered into the stairwell. Lin Xigu smiled as he moved the chairs in and closed the door behind him.

He twisted off the cap on the small jug of wine and caught a whiff of sweet cherries. He’d wanted to taste test it but he had already brushed his teeth, so he replaced the cap and put the wine away in the fridge with the intention of trying it later.

The wine lay forgotten in the fridge where it would not be remembered for a long time.

---

Before going to bed on Sunday night, Lin Xigu suddenly remembered that Monday was right around the corner.

She Xiao had mentioned that he would be coming back to school this week. Thinking this, he couldn’t help but recall that one precious, hard-earned syllable. Even now, the memory still stirred up feelings of excitement within him. That response held so much meaning. It was he who had insisted on sitting beside She Xiao without his consent; She Xiao had clearly been resistant to the idea.

Which meant that She Xiao’s response, no matter how trivial, was indicative of him finally starting to accept Lin Xigu as his tongzhuo. 

At least all that time I spent organising his desk wasn’t for nothing.

Lin Xigu drifted off to sleep with that as his last thought. The next day, he was up as soon as his alarm sounded, eager to get to school and worried about She Xiao not being there.

He had been so eager to leave that he forgot his homework at home and had to turn back halfway to retrieve it. By the time he arrived in class, there were only five minutes to go until the first bell. She Xiao was still not there.

“Why are you so late today?” Li Balei turned and asked quietly.

“I left the house late. Is She Xiao here?”

Li Balei gave a forceful nod, swelling with the excitement of fresh gossip. “He’s here, he’s here! I saw him at the front gates this morning. His neck was all bandaged up. Only he was whisked away by Zhou Cheng before he made it to class. I think he’s in his office right now. Crap, that’s right, let me copy your bio homework! Hurry, I forgot to do it!”

Lin Xigu relaxed after hearing that She Xiao had come back to school. Suppressing the urge to leap for joy, he handed his biology homework to Li Balei.

Could it be true? Would he really be able to see She Xiao every day again?

He no longer had to look at Ma Fei from across the aisle whenever he turned his head? Ma Fei was always greasy… like he never washed his hair.

Although She Xiao’s face was always expressionless, Lin Xi rather preferred having him as a neighbour. There was at least always a cute boy in his peripheral vision when he looked up at the board. Good-looking, fair, and clean.

The thought alone was wonderful to him. One week without She Xiao and he already missed him dearly.

Lin Xigu waited in anticipation for two whole classes. His wishes were at last answered after they breaked for third period. She Xiao trudged in, carrying his backpack in one hand as he seated himself next to Lin Xigu. He smelled faintly of laundry detergent.

Lin Xigu had to take a deep breath to steady himself before he felt ready to speak. He turned. “You came.”

She Xiao glanced at him and said nothing.

“I took notes on everything you missed last week. Do you want to see? Granted, they might be a little convoluted, but if you need them, I can give them to you.” Lin Xigu babbled in a small voice. He had been holding the words in for so long that he felt elated to be talking again. “Midterms are next week. Maybe you should take a look at them?”

She Xiao turned off his phone and blinked, his head bowed. “No need,” he answered quietly, without affect. 

That lazy blink nearly made Lin Xigu short-circuit. She Xiao’s eyelashes were long and slightly curled at the ends, and Lin Xigu found himself unable to snap out of it.

Attractive people were captivating no matter what they did.

“If there’s no need then… I guess, forget about it.” Lin Xigu didn’t know why his cheeks were hot. He was only blinking. Why are you blushing? What does his blinking have to do with you? What are you blushing for?

Lin Xigu felt like he was beyond help, a lost cause.

He finally realised halfway through the class that She Xiao had spoken to him again. And it wasn’t a monosyllabic response this time; he had given him two full words. Although the words were said in rejection, they still mattered. He couldn’t believe that he had been too busy blushing and losing himself in She Xiao’s blinking instead.

Normally, Lin Xigu would have asked She Xiao about the bandage on his neck, but knowing that She Xiao had actually replied to his previous question, he now felt too embarrassed to ask about it.

During his lesson, Zhou Cheng made a point to speak out about the recent incident involving She Xiao. “I’ve noticed that the students of our class have exceptionally loud mouths. With that kind of talent, you should be reciting classical poetry! With that kind of time, you should be practising math questions so you don’t embarrass me again with your test scores! The affairs of others have nothing to do with you, so stop snooping from class to class like a village busybody. How old are you? Do you want me to treat you like the little squirts you are?

“I’ve said my piece. Spare me all the useless chatter and rein in your fraternising with the other classes. Your main focus right now is to study, study, study. If I hear anyone talking nonsense again, they’ll be sorry to learn what I have in store for them. Try me if you don’t believe me.”

Lin Xigu knew that he meant to quash the buzz around She Xiao’s suspension. The rumours had gotten out of hand recently. In times like these, Lin Xigu thought that Zhou Cheng cut a particularly gallant figure. Of course, his image would be greatly improved if he could replace that old-fashioned bicycle of his.

His bike was not so cool.

She Xiao did not even bother lifting his head, his hand relentlessly spinning out calculation after calculation until his writing had filled the whole page. Watching She Xiao do math was an enjoyable pastime, Lin Xigu thought.

The knuckles of his hands were distinct, his fingers long and fair. The only blemish was a scar on the back of his hand, near his wrist, that was round in shape, resembling a cigarette burn.

He already knew that She Xiao was a smoker but it was regrettable that he had seemingly put out a cigarette on himself. Why would such a handsome young man have such rebellious instincts?

Lin Xigu sighed. Ever since She Xiao first entered the room that morning, he had been unable to resist stealing glances at him. He had enjoyed looking at him before, although it’d been a compulsion that he had been able to keep under control. 

But now, that control was lost.