217 For Wha (1/2)
A bored youth sat in a quiet little courtyard in the corner of the academy. He sat on the bench where the two first met, lazily basking in the sun, humming softly and waiting silently. Hearing the footsteps in the distance, he raised his head and smiled.
”Did you finish educating the kid?” Ye Qingxuan, looking at the newcomer, expression sympathetic. ”You must be tired.”
Gavin sat beside him, sighing wearily as if he was tired. After a long time, he asked quietly, ”Did you guess it?”
The youth nodded. He raised his finger and gesticulated. ”Just a little bit, like the bench you pretended to be.”
”I...What’s the flaw? I paid so much attention to everything.”
”No, your disguise was perfect from beginning to end. I could not figure out your true identity until you uncovered your head. Unfortunately, you’re too strong. Sometimes I couldn’t see through you at all. There are few people in this school who can give me such feeling.”
”Just because of that?”
”Moreover, I can tell that you have brilliant attainments in Modifications, but there’s no one like you in Modifications. Therefore I thought that maybe you just minored in it. The majority of the people who minor in Modifications are from the School of Royalty. Only they study two departments before becoming a musician...”
Hearing this, Gavin looked bitter. ”And I’m the most famous one among them.”
”Yes, you haven't appeared all along, right? They said that you’re too proud to compete with other students, but I thought...there must be another reason.”
Gavin sighed. The two of them basked in the sun without speaking. It was a long silence, but it was made from tacit agreement.
-
After a long time, Ye Qingxuan had enough of sunbathing and asked, ”The second day, was it you who made us come up empty? The student council has this right, but, generally speaking, shouldn’t the student council’s president be the school board's pet?”
”You should always set your sights further. Sometimes if you see far enough, you’ll find that it’s very stupid for the school board to only put their efforts into the school. ”
Ye Qingxuan was amused, ”You aren’t afraid that they’ll give you a hard time?”
Gavin shrugged. ”I’ve already graduated. What could the school board do to me?”
”Did you sneak into the history department just to slap your brother?”
”I just want to know more about you.”
”...Me?” Ye Qingxuan was stunned. ”How am I worthy of the student council president’s interest?”
”Don't underestimate yourself. It’s only been three or four months since you started school, isn't it? But you’ve become everyone’s nightmare, the Eastern demon, the disgrace of the academy...As a good brother, I have to at least make some preparations for my brother when he enters the school after I leave.”
”So you came to me just to be a good brother?” Ye Qingxuan shook his head, totally not believing it. ”There must be another reason, right? Is it necessary for you to lie in front of the disgrace of the academy? Or did you really do all this for your brother?”
Gavin was silent. His steel gray eyes were troubled and filled with self-deprecation. ”If there's any other reason, it's probably because...you live freely?” Gavin looked up at him. ”To tell you the truth, when I first saw you from the podium, I was very envious...because sometimes I really want to live like you.”
”What's so good about this kind of life?” Ye Qingxuan rolled his eyes. ”You said before that, as the disgrace of the academy college, the Eastern demon, I would be challenged wherever I go. Moreover, the school board sees me as an eyesore...It’s horrible, alright?”
”Would you like to switch with me then?”
”No.” Ye Qingxuan shook his head resolutely without any hesitation.
”Exactly.” Gavin arched an eyebrow and chuckled. ”There’s nothing good about being the student council’s president, right?”
”No, no, no. You’ve done well as the student council’s president. Everyone can see that. Unfortunately, you may not be able to be a ‘good brother’ anymore.”
Hearing his words, Gavin's expression immediately became melancholy. ”You and Banner actually could have been friends. I've arranged so many opportunities...if only he was friendlier...”
”To be honest, you overthink.”
”Perhaps.” Gavin smiled bitterly. ”At least, don't hate him. Banner isn’t bad in nature...He's just stupid.”
”I know.” Ye Qingxuan nodded, ”A priest once told me that no one wants to be bad. That's true, isn't it?”
Gavin nodded. ”But if everyone in the world wants to be a good person, then why is there so much misery?”
Ye Qingxuan understood Gavin, so he asked directly, ”The promise you want from me is that you hope I won’t make things harder for your brother, isn’t it?”
Gavin nodded. His expression grew powerless. ”But now, I’m ashamed to say so.”