“Mainly because it’s simple.” Wen Yu didn’t look up.
“…”
On the same math paper, Fu Yuhan spent twenty minutes on two major problems while Wen Yu was almost finished, and then this person even said, “Too simple.”
Fu Yuhan seriously asked: “Are you looking for a beating?”
Wen Yu burst out laughing: “Want to arrange another ‘fight’ at the old time and place?”
His eyes were still on the paper as he wrote, the corners crinkling into subtle curves from smiling. Fu Yuhan looked at him and suddenly sighed: “Really, when you don’t talk, you don’t seem as annoying.”
“Then you should keep hating me. I think you’re more interesting when you hate me.”
While speaking, Wen Yu reached the last problem. He paused briefly, the pen between his fingers slowly spinning once, then began writing the formula.
Fu Yuhan had stared at that last problem for ten minutes at dawn without any clue, so seeing Wen Yu’s speed made him feel an indescribable envy.
“Is the last problem simple too?” he said softly.
“Mm, it’s a problem type we practiced two weeks ago, just with a slightly different approach. More or less the same.” Wen Yu glanced at him. “Can’t you solve it?”
“…” Fu Yuhan paused. “No.”
“If you beg me, I might explain it to you.” Wen Yu asked with a smile. “Or you could use that favor from this morning?”
Fu Yuhan’s response was a contemptuous “tch.”
The math teacher didn’t like collecting homework—papers given one day were explained in class the next. He’d have to be brain-damaged to ask Wen Yu for help.
Wen Yu chuckled: “Suit yourself.”
In less than half an hour, he finished the math paper and pulled out a physics one.
He did physics even faster than math, followed by chemistry.
Fu Yuhan sat in the VIP viewing seat, watching up close as he finished four papers before morning self-study ended, then listened to lectures while doing homework during first period math class, completing all three days’ worth of assignments by the end of first period.
So strong it left him speechless.
For the first time, Fu Yuhan had a direct understanding of Wen Yu’s 731-point monthly exam score that dominated the entire grade.
Since talking with the art teacher that day, he’d had the idea of picking up his textbooks again. And at this moment, seeing Wen Yu easily finish all his homework, his competitive spirit was suddenly ignited.
“I was once excellent too.” Fu Yuhan looked at his half-blank math paper filled with correction notes and thought silently, “Take it slow, I can do this.”
Although art students had lower cultural course score requirements, to get into good schools, grades couldn’t be too poor, especially with Chinese and English single-subject cutoff lines.
He wanted to do better so he wouldn’t feel guilty when asking his parents for money.
Having slept only three hours, Fu Yuhan forced himself to listen to classes all morning, taking notes on all the problems he couldn’t solve.
As soon as the fourth period dismissal bell rang, the exhausted Fu Yuhan collapsed onto his desk.
“Brother Fu?” Sun Wenrui stood up and asked. “Aren’t you going to eat?”
“Not eating, I’m sleepy.” Fu Yuhan could barely keep his eyes open.
Fang Jiayuan said: “Should I bring you a bowl of instant noodles? Old Sun’s foot isn’t better yet so he can’t walk. I’m bringing him bread.”
“Then bring me some bread too. I’ll eat it during afternoon class,” Fu Yuhan mumbled. “I need to sleep.”
He didn’t hear Fang Jiayuan’s response clearly as his consciousness had already slipped into dreamland.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when something warm was suddenly pressed against his forehead.
Fu Yuhan initially didn’t want to move, but soon felt someone pinching his nose. If he didn’t open his eyes, he’d suffocate.
“Damn, Wen Yu.” Unsurprisingly, when he opened his eyes it was indeed him. Fu Yuhan glared at him with morning grumpiness. “Are your hands itchy or what?”
“You ‘treated’ me to breakfast so I’m returning the favor with cafeteria seafood fried noodles.” Wen Yu shook the bag. “Very sleepy?”
“I didn’t sleep until 2 AM yesterday.” Fu Yuhan said coldly. “What do you think?”
Who knows who said he could sleep until 6:45, yet woke him up at 5:20.
“It’s my fault, but I refuse to apologize.” Wen Yu smiled. “Stop sleeping, get up and eat something.”
The cafeteria’s seafood fried noodles were very good, a daily hot item that was extremely hard to get. He didn’t know how Wen Yu managed to buy it, but anyway, for the sake of the seafood fried noodles, Fu Yuhan still sat up.
As soon as he raised his head, he saw Sun Wenrui in the front row looking at him like he’d seen a ghost. Fu Yuhan paused: “What?”
Sun Wenrui looked at one, then the other, leaned close to Fu Yuhan and lowered his voice: “Brother Fu, did you really make up with him?”
“How is that possible?” Fu Yuhan scoffed. He and Wen Yu had fundamental conflicts of interest—how could they just make up like that?
“That’s good.” Sun Wenrui clutched his heart. “You scared me to death.”
Apart from this seafood fried noodles, the two didn’t have much more interaction, which let Sun Wenrui’s anxious heart settle down a bit.
But this peace of mind only lasted until before school ended.
Third High’s evening self-study ended at 22:10. As soon as the bell rang, countless students from various classrooms surged toward the school gate.
Sun Wenrui’s foot injury hadn’t healed yet, so instead of leaving hurriedly as usual after school, he sat in his seat waiting for family to pick him up.
So he heard Wen Yu, who had finished packing his bag and stood up, turn back and ask: “Are you coming to my place again today?”
Who was he asking?
Sun Wenrui turned his head with a ghostly expression, looking at Brother Fu who had sworn to him that they “hadn’t made up” answer softly: “Forget it.”
…
Sun Wenrui felt like the sky was falling.
“I see.” Wen Yu only asked once. “Then I’m leaving.”
“Mm.”
Fu Yuhan waited until Wen Yu left before starting to pack his things.
He actually still had nowhere to go and didn’t want to go home, but he didn’t plan to disturb Wen Yu for a second night.
Since he had nothing else to do anyway, he decided to do something more meaningful—like going out to look for part-time work.
The biggest problem for senior students looking for part-time jobs was actually insufficient time. He only had weekends and evenings, and even if he skipped all evening self-study to free up time, it still wouldn’t be enough.
After wandering around all evening, Fu Yuhan came up empty-handed.
He spent the night sitting on a park bench.
This was tiring and not as comfortable as lying on his desk in the classroom, so Fu Yuhan went to school even earlier the next day. At 5:30 AM, even the security guard at the gate hadn’t reached shift change time yet. The night shift guard who was dozing was nearly driven crazy by him and asked him to try coming later in the future.
This was really asking too much.
If he had a place to sleep, he wouldn’t want to disturb the guard’s sleep either.
After several days, when Wen Yu stepped into the classroom and again saw Fu Yuhan curled up sleeping in his seat, he had a momentary illusion of being in another lifetime.
His hands were itchy as he pushed the person awake: “Where did you sleep last night?”
“…” Fu Yuhan’s eyes were full of bloodshot veins. “Bro, don’t you know that disturbing someone’s sleep is like murder and robbery?”
“I only know you’re going to have trouble.” Wen Yu said. “I just came from the office. Zhou Wenkang will probably be looking for you soon.”
“What does he want with me?”
Wen Yu made an acknowledging sound, his expression probing. “How would I know?”
Fu Yuhan looked suspicious.
His prediction wasn’t wrong. Before long, Zhou Wenkang came to the classroom to call for him. Class 6 was practicing English listening during morning self-study that day, so a chemistry teacher appearing could only mean something had happened.
“Do you know why I called you over?” Zhou Wenkang brought Fu Yuhan to the office doorway without going inside.
There were quite a few people in the office at this time—he wanted to talk privately.
Fu Yuhan shook his head.
“Your mother called me this morning.”
Fu Yuhan’s eyelids drooped—as expected.
“You’re old enough that not going home shouldn’t cause any danger, but in parents’ eyes, children are always children no matter how old they are.” Zhou Wenkang’s tone was very calm, without complaints or lecturing. “She told me she’s been looking for you for two days.”
“She wouldn’t.”
“Don’t be so absolute.”
“It’s not being absolute. She doesn’t usually care much about me—all her energy goes to my half-sister from the same mother.” Fu Yuhan paused, probably feeling his words were a bit too bitter. “…My sister has congenital heart disease and her health has never been good.”
Zhou Wenkang listened quietly and nodded.
“Has she not cared about you since you were little?” he asked.
Fu Yuhan opened his mouth.
To be fair, saying his mother didn’t care about him at all seemed a bit harsh. After his parents’ divorce, his family’s economic situation indeed wasn’t as good as before, but He Yan had never let Fu Yuhan lack food or clothing.
She just didn’t understand him, and seemed to have no desire to understand him either.
“If she hasn’t neglected you since childhood, then what could make a mother change her attitude?”
Zhou Wenkang’s tone was very sincere, as if he was genuinely curious rather than questioning. Fu Yuhan wasn’t angry. He tried to recall the past but couldn’t think of any useful information.
“Maybe it was… because my sister was born?”
Zhou Wenkang nodded: “That could be a reason.”
Fu Yuhan was silent for a long time.
There were some things he hadn’t thought about. For a teenager to not think about fighting the whole world could already be considered having a gentle personality.
“She actually hasn’t changed, has she?” Fu Yuhan suddenly said.
“I don’t blame her for caring about my sister, but she doesn’t understand what I want, and…” He licked his lips.
The words that followed were too pretentious—he didn’t plan to say them.
“Fu Yuhan, do you think you’re a stubborn person?”
“…Maybe a little.”
“Parents have lived decades longer than children. They’ve been facing the world with that behavioral pattern for so long, they might be even more stubborn than you.” Zhou Wenkang said. “Communication is very important. Although communication requires effort from both sides, if even you don’t try to change, your mother will be even less likely to change. Try to shift your mindset.”
“…Mm.”
“Then teacher wants to ask you a question.” Zhou Wenkang looked at him. “You haven’t been home these past two days. Where have you been spending the nights?”
“…”
“Hmm?”
“At…” Fu Yuhan bit his lip and decisively decided to sell out his desk mate. “Wen Yu’s house.”
Zhou Wenkang was somewhat surprised: “Your relationship has gotten that good?”
As a homeroom teacher, he wasn’t deaf or blind—he knew about the conflict between the two troublemakers in his class.
Fu Yuhan was struck speechless by the question.
“No, we haven’t…” Fu Yuhan was rarely embarrassed, scratching his head. “That day I originally wanted to spend the night at a mutual friend’s place, then, then… just… uh…”
Zhou Wenkang: “The situation seems complicated.”
His ear tips suddenly hurt like needle pricks. Fu Yuhan suspected they had turned red.
“Forget it, you have your own situation. Teacher won’t ask anymore. Staying overnight at Wen Yu’s house is better than wandering around outside.” Zhou Wenkang patted his shoulder. “Your mom originally wanted to come to school directly, but I told her I’d try to persuade you first and have her come this afternoon instead. Promise me you’ll try to be patient and have a good talk with her when the time comes, okay?”
His gaze was gentle and kind, and the hand patting Fu Yuhan’s shoulder felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.
Fu Yuhan couldn’t stand such expectant eyes.
He steeled himself and nodded: “…Alright.”
##
(advanced chapters available on kofi)
