Chapter 8 (1/2)

“The clownfish is able to help the sea anemone remove dead tissues and various other parasites, whilst the clownfish is itself able to remove the parasites and bacteria growing on its very own body through the constant contact with the sea anemone’s tentacles.”

As Chen Nian entered into the final two months of revision, she commonly encountered questions similar to the ones she had previously done, and could answer such questions without any difficulty. However, the teachers often emphasised that the examination setters enjoyed putting a new spin on old questions, and warned the students against being overconfident in their abilities.

Having completed the exam scripts Li Xiang had previously pa.s.sed to her, she carefully compared her answers with Xiao Mi’s. The two close friends quietly discussed the questions which they had answered wrongly; by the time they completed their a.n.a.lysis of the papers, the school bell had begun to ring, signalling the end of cla.s.s.

Chen Nian felt satisfied.

Chen Nian slowly stretched out her arms, and pointed to the corridor with her jaw, indicating to Xiao Mi that they ought to head out for a short breather. Standing in the corridor, the two close friends leaned against the railing and looked at the azure blue sky. As the rainy season had arrived, there was torrential rain every single night. However, the days still remained bright and sunny.

Xiao Mi piped up, “Chen Nian, ever since you returned from the Public Safety Beareau, you seem to be more relaxed than before.”

Chen Nian replied, “I did……something which I ought……ought to have done earlier……and managed…..to achieve……an acceptable result.”

Xiao Mi understood what Chen Nian was referring to, and gave her an encouraging smile in response. However, Xiao Mi’s smile faltered after a few minutes. Curious, Chen Nian turned to see what had caught Xiao Mi’s attention – Zeng Hao had appeared at the school gates. Her parents had arrived to pick her up from school, and seemed to be persistently nagging at her.

After looking at Zeng Hao for some time, Chen Nian averted her gaze. As her gaze swept across the faraway field, she caught a glimpse of a group of youths walking past the school gates, all of them donning similar white t-s.h.i.+rts. Before she could take a closer look, however, the group of youths had already disappeared. None of them tried to enter the school compound by climbing up the high school gates.

Somehow, Chen Nian managed to learn bits and pieces about the story of that youth. Many years ago, a prost.i.tute had alerted the police, reporting that she had been raped. The male was sentenced to imprisonment, pa.s.sing away from an illness thereafter. Meanwhile, the prost.i.tute continued on in her line of work, and simply left the child to fend for himself at the welfare centre.

Subsequently, that child managed to successfully grow into a youth. However, despite his complicated background, this youth wasn’t even the least bit threatening – in fact, Chen Nian never ever felt a single ounce of fear whenever she faced him.

Chen Nian’s train of thought was suddenly interrupted by Xiao Mi. “Chen Nian, sometimes I reflect upon the entire incident, and I wonder – were you truly the only person who saw Hu Xiao Die being bullied by Wei Cai and her group of friends?”

Chen Nian didn’t respond, and simply looked at Xiao Mi silently.

Xiao Mi began to explain herself, “I’m not chiding you. If I were in your shoes and had witnessed the bullying, I’d be afraid too. I’d be afraid that Wei Cai would unleash her anger on me if I tattled on her. There’s a high chance that I would have kept mum about the bullying incidents, because n.o.body could have expected Hu Xiao Die to commit suicide. If Xiao Die hadn’t died, the entire bullying incident wouldn’t even be worth mentioning; however, Xiao Die died, and as a result, the entire bullying incident takes on a more serious tone.”

“I’ve thought…….thought about these matters……too.” Chen Nian began to rub her palms together subconsciously. “I’ve always focused on…..leaving as soon as possible……I wasn’t concerned…….about anything else, I didn’t…….didn’t want any trouble. However, I……I also didn’t want to…….to transform into the type of person……person I hated.”

Xiao Mi continued, “That’s why you made a correct final decision, and spilt the beans.”

Chen Nian responded, “But, choosing……choosing the right path……generally isn’t accompanied……by any benefits……only problems.”

Chen Nian gently lowered her eyelids. She was truly feeling rather lost.

Xiao Mi c.o.c.ked her head to the side, and let out a long sigh, “I don’t understand either.”

The two close friends furrowed their brows, remaining silent and contemplative.

“No. Choosing the right path doesn’t only entail negative consequences.” Xiao Mi suddenly spoke up, “Whenever somebody does the right thing or the wrong thing, his or her actions would definitely influence the people surrounding him or her. It’s like the law on energy transfer, there’d always be a chain effect. I hope that the world would always maintain its goodness, and not transform into something which I hate. I believe that every single person on Earth has the power to change the world, so we just need to start by consistently being good people. Even if it’s of minimal effect. Chen Nian,” Xiao Mi paused, turning to flash a bright smile at her before enthusiastically voicing out, “Let’s always be good people, shall we?”

Xiao Mi raised her arm in mid-air. Chen Nian saw the sunlight stream through the gaps in Xiao Mi’s fingers, the reddish glow of the sunlight gradually filling her with a huge sense of hope.

In that very moment, Chen Nian felt at peace. For once, the constant urge to leave and escape from this small school compound receded into the background.

On innumerable occasions, youths would stand by the railings and stare into the vast expanse of the sky, their brains frequently filled with endless questions which appeared to be unanswerable no matter how hard they thought about it. Day after day, year after year, these youths would contemplate the puzzling mysteries of society, the complicated interpersonal relations.h.i.+ps, the meaning of right and wrong, the meaning of life, and the difference between kindness and evil.

When one is still a student, one would often feel that the pa.s.sage of time is arduous and slow. Thus, one is often able to expend huge amounts of time to contemplate numerous things. However, as one grows up and gradually gets busier – as doctors, teachers, police officers, and owners of bread shops, one would be constantly preoccupied with making a living, and can no longer expend the same amount of time contemplating the very same issues that bothered them in their youth.

Perhaps, cracking one’s head over unsolvable problems is the true meaning of being a student.

Chen Nian turned back, only to see Zeng Hao on her way to cla.s.s .

Her gaze collided with Zeng Hao’s. Without a single expression etched on her face, Chen Nian turned away, and walked into the cla.s.sroom by herself. Retrieving a book from her desk, she lowered her head and continued her revision.

—

Once again, it was time for Physical Education. Chen Nian was feeling tired and sweaty from having played badminton with Li Xiang. As Li Xiang had huge amounts of energy, he continued playing badminton with his other male friends whilst Chen Nian returned to the cla.s.sroom to rest.

In order to avoid the blazing sun, Chen Nian ran up to her cla.s.sroom. As she casually trailed past the trees, numerous shadowy figures who had been waiting beneath the trees caught her attention.

Chen Nian’s heart dropped.

Wei Cai’s tall and slim figure was especially conspicuous at the head of the pack, the murderous hate in her eyes brutal and undisguised.

Chen Nian was stunned – she had a.s.sumed that Wei Cai and her group of friends would be placed under supervision! An overwhelming sense of fear and panic overcame Chen Nian in that very instant, causing Chen Nian to remain frozen on the spot.

“Well, well. Did you enjoy badminton?” Wei Cai sneered.

They began walking towards Chen Nian whilst Chen Nian remained rooted to her original spot. Chen Nian felt like a small rat which had been trapped by a mousetrap: at the brink of death, and yet unable to do anything to turn the situation around.

Chen Nian felt a harsh slap sear across her face. Li Xiang, Hu Xiao Die; Wei Cai now had a new vengeance against her in addition to the old, existing grudges. Her ears rang from the force of the slap.

Wei Cai gestured to her group of friends. Within moments, a group of two to three girls began pulling and tugging at Chen Nian. Despite her attempts to resist Wei Cai and her friends, Chen Nian’s efforts proved ineffectual; instead, she was rewarded with a few tight slaps. Just as Chen Nian was about to get dragged off by Wei Cai and her group of friends, an angry voice rang out, “What on earth are you guys doing?!”

Hugging her head tightly, Chen Nian obstinately refused to raise her head.

“Wei Cai! Luo Ting! And the rest of you! Are you all looking to fail graduation?!” The form teacher was enraged beyond words.

“Who allowed you guys to enter the school compound, huh?!” The furious form teacher continued chiding Wei Cai and her friends. However, Wei Cai and her friends paid no heed to the form teacher, none of them bothering to answer his stream of questions. Evidently, they were not in the least bit intimidated by the form teacher. Rolling their eyes at his incessant nagging, Wei Cai and her group of friends gradually began to disperse from the scene.

Just as Wei Cai strolled past Chen Nian, she gave Chen Nian a small, inconspicuous shove . Staring into Chen Nian’s eyes, a cold smile formed on Wei Cai’s lips, “Just you wait.”

Chen Nian’s heart contracted sharply.