Chapter 34 (2/2)

He Zhao said, ”One What about it?”

Xie Yu said, ”Nothing I thought that the way you are you ht have repeated three”

He Zhao was irked by these words ”What do you mean, the way I am? Aren't you the sarades before talking?”

The dis

Everyone cheered, and Wan Da stood on his chair and waved his exa Sen cut off mid-lecture, shook his head, stood up, and left one last line: ”Student on duty today, please clean the classroos to pack up and He Zhao was staying in school over the weekend so he stayed in his chair and kept rocking He even leaned back and waved: ”Little friend, bye-bye”

Xie Yu didn't reply As he passed behind He Zhao, he kicked him, simple and clean ”Call me that one more time and see what happens”

He Zhao instantly lost his balance Seeing he was about to fall backward, chair and all, he fortunately reacted quickly and fell with theout one hand toward the ground to support his weight ”fuck it”

The chair fell alongside hi

Wan Da waved the exam paper for a while, then on impulse, folded it into a paper airplane, put it to his mouth and blew on it ”—Go forth! Fly free, little bird”

Liu Cunhao saw him, and folded up the math paper on the desk ”Dda, I'll show you an even otten to the door and the class was already in an uproar He put both hands behind his back, holding hispeople really are hot-blooded”

Xie Yu didn't take anything with hihts before co back to school

Gu Xuelan, on the other hand, was attentive ”Just bring a bag and your ho else at home”

”Got it I knohat to do” All Xie Yu had on him, aside fron the school gates andin a luxury car at the gates, Xie Yu walked toward the bus station

”It's so hot but you refused to let anyone co with people under the hot sun,” Gu Xuelan said ”Be careful on the road”

Xie Yuup

Xie Yu didn't have s on the subject of birthdays In his recollections, there were no birthday cakes, happy surprises, or scares It wasn'thot noodles

To save money, Madam Gu didn't celebrate her own birthday, but every year on Xie Yu's birthday Mada it, he'd feel warm all over He couldn't say why, but he felt that it war Jie, on the other hand, came back on weekends In university, he either stayed in school or acco Guofei to the office as an assistant Very soon, he would take over the co fa He was quiet, and everyone understood that he was aJie disliked him, but was also secretly soh the door, Zhong Jie asked in an odd way, ”I heard you did quite well on your exaed his shoes, one hand supporting his weight against the shoe rack He looked down so his expression couldn't be made out ”That's tooroo Jie was there, too, so she had done the cooking herself and made many dishes ”Food is ready Quick, co Jie sat on the sofa and sneered Who knehat he was laughing about

Maybe it was He Zhao's influence, but Xie Yu found that his teotten ry, but I' Jie found that Xie Yu had beco at a touch, retaliating with cold words' to 'ignoring hi him like air'

After the meal, Gu Xuelan took Xie Yu toupstairs for them to eat

Xie Yu washed the fruits with her The two of the on his hands was cold

They didn't talk much A question here, an answer there, and then they sank into silence

Xie Yu washed the last apple and handed it to Mada,” Gu Xuelan said ”He's been especially busy with co back, he only eats a fewJie was also in the study on the second floor When Xie Yu got to the doorway, he heard heated quarrelling inside—especially Zhong Guofei's somewhat muffled helpless and frustrated voice

”I do everything for your sake, but what about you?! Can you spare a thought for rateful to her”

Then ca Jie's hoarse words: ”Then what about one? In this household, what is she, and what aain Three years and it still went on

Xie Yu thought their conversation noisy He looked down, speared a small piece of apple with a toothpick, and put it in his mouth It tasted a little sour

Gu Xuelan heard the sounds of quarrelling from upstairs She didn't even wait to wipe off her hands before heading upstairs to o” Xie Yu stood in the doorway to the study, the plate of fruit in one hand, the other holding Gu Xuelan's arht all they want”

How could Gu Xuelan just leave it be? She hurriedly pushed open the door and went in

It would be another night without peace

Xie Yu stood under the showerhead, soaked to the skin He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the noise from outside

He lifted a hand and wiped his face, then turned off the water, pulled open the shower door and walked out Water slid down his hair and over his back then landed on the tiled floor The refraction of light froave it a splash of color

Before tossing his dirty clothes in the laundry haotten out of habit He touched a piece of paper folded into a square

On it was He Zhao's higgledy-piggledy scrawl, as if the pen nib was about to fly off Words he'd never be able to find in the wild

Xie Yu looked at it for a long tile word

He flipped the piece of paper over and discovered a smiley face drawn on the back The curved mouth tailed off in an upward stroke and looked rather rascally

Xie Yu looked a ainst the wall beside the bathtub and smiled

Translation notes:

[1] the word for 'younger' that He Zhao uses here is the sah school': slang for ‘gotten into high school'