Fleeting Midsummer Chapter 18 (1/2)
Chapter 18: Returning Home (3)
The Farce of the Elite a.s.sociation.
The next time I met Fang Yu Ke was at the meeting of the elite a.s.sociation of students.
Even though I had racked my brain- even considering breaking my arms and legs in order to formulate an excuse to skip the gathering, I had no idea where my mother had gotten ahold of the fact that this gathering was happening. She escorted me to the school entrance without explanation before releasing me.
As I walked into school, I used the shortcuts I was familiar with, pa.s.sing all the popular people. The popular people from my school were like a few big pieces of stone- each and every one of their names had tested into the big schools like Peking University and Tsinghua University. Their head busts could even be carved in stone. This time, Fang Yu Ke and my head could be added to the stone. Actually, I never understood why they wanted to use this kind of a method to encourage their younger cla.s.smates. If you looked at it in a particular way, it was like these were columns of shame. We had been stiffly nailed upon these columns of shame; and if you looked at it for what it was, they really resembled tombstones. See, they distorted my face until I looked like the mother of stinky fried tofu everywhere. When I first tested into Peking University, I decided that I would never come back to my old school. This was because I wanted to avoid having to witness this kind of scene. Ugh. These celebrities who threw you away after using you really encouraged one to forget one’s roots.
A total of 40 students had all arrived, including the top 20 students of the liberal arts cla.s.s. Everyone was in the living room. Besides Cla.s.s Chairman Fang Ying Yi and Fang Yu Ke, I didn’t know any of the 37 people even though I did have some impressions of some of their faces. I felt extremely embarra.s.sed because I heard that the top twenty students would often meet up and were extremely close. This was probably also the reason why Fang Yu Ke was suspicious about my intelligence on the first day that he met me.
Fang Yu Ke and I were different as he was the champion of Science while I was the champion of Liberal Arts. While we were eating, we were asked to say a few words. Principle Fang, who was also Fang Yu Ke’s grandfather spoke in an extremely loving tone to Fang Yu Ke: “You both belong to the same school, and usually you always take care of Zhou Lin Lin. But this time let the ladies take priority. Let Zhou Lin Lin speak first.”
I hated these kind of situation. I hadn’t even eaten but I had gotten hit with such a stroke of bad luck that took away my appet.i.te. I bit the bullet** and stood up, facing the 4 tables of elites. Then, I cleared my throat and said: “Since Principle Fang has let me say a few things, I’ll say a few things. First: everyone should eat well. Second: everyone should play well. Third: I’m done.”
(**bit the bullet- Endured
I sat down, drank a mouthful of water and waited for Fang Yu Ke to make a long speech. A few people already began to laugh at the side, especially a comrade whose face was full of pimples.
He laughed until his shoulders trembled.
Laugh? What are you laughing at? This is a gathering. Shouldn’t you eat and play well?!
Fang Yu Ke stood up and there was a thunderous applause from the 4 tables of elites. A few ladies even shamelessly kept glancing at him, secretly tidying themselves up, pretentiously showing off. Life is cruel!
“What I want to say is, after you have all eaten, there are activities going on in the Chess Room. Everyone come buy my thin noodles, you definitely have to partic.i.p.ate. I’ll treat.”
Everyone applauded even more excitedly.
Only I became increasingly bored. I thought it was only going to be an hour long meeting but I didn’t expect that the time would be extended.
After drinking 3 rounds of wine, every shy and bold elite quite gratefully toasted Principle Fang. Principle Fang could no longer handle his alcohol and retired first, leaving the naughty group of elites behind.
The comrade whose face was full of pimples walked over and said to me: “Zhou Lin lin, I am Yan Shou. I messed up during the university entrance exams and didn’t manage to enter the same school as you. It’s really a pity.”
I hurriedly stood up and said: “That’s way too bad. However my sudden achievement was quite abnormal, otherwise we really might really have went to the same school.”
This time, Yan Shou could not control himself and his shoulders began to shake. He immediately laughed heartily: “Zhou Lin Lin, you are too humorous.”
As he laughed, the pimples on his face began to pop.
From the table, Yan Shou was the only one who bothered himself with me. Even if the cla.s.s president was around, we were only mere acquaintances who would nod at each other if we met and nothing else. None of the 37 cla.s.smates were interested in getting to know me, and neither did I have any plans to get to know them. I only hoped that the time would pa.s.s by peacefully. After that, I would find a reason to flee for my life.
I didn’t expect that my plans would be so subject to change. Fang Yu Ke pulled me to every table to toast our wine, meaning that I should finish it all. Strangely, while raising the cup of wine, I felt that I was too submissive. The moment Fang Yu Ke gave an order, I would follow without error. No matter what I should rebel, ah. If not, I couldn’t live up to my t.i.tle of the Peerless King Kong Beautiful Maiden.