MM | Chapter 12

Easing Up

Early in the morning, the classroom was filled with the smell of food.

The class committee rep finished the last two math problems and sniffed around, “Who shamelessly smuggled fried chicken in here? How are we supposed to study in peace? Gao Tianyang, was it you?”

Gao Tianyang grinned mischievously and pulled out a whole box of fried chicken from his desk, “Hungry? Want some? Trade me your English practice sheets.”

“Damn!” A chorus of complaints erupted around him, “I almost forgot about the English homework!”

“Quick, someone help!”

Yesterday, Teacher Yang Jing had given them three practice sheets as homework, totaling 150 multiple-choice questions. Many had fallen asleep before finishing, and this morning was filled with wailing.

“I knew you guys wouldn’t finish it,” Gao Tianyang said, hugging the box. “And I know our handsome Sheng Wang is so good at English, he must have finished it. So I even prepared a bribe.”

He turned around, only to see Sheng Wang at the back desk, slumped over. His usual rolled-up sleeves were down to his wrists.

Most of the class was frantically copying homework, but he seemed to be asleep.

“Hey?” Gao Tianyang waved the fried chicken box around Sheng Wang, “Ge? The morning class hasn’t started yet. How are you tired already? Save me first, then nap?”

Sheng Wang remained slumped, but he reached out to his desk and pulled out three sheets, slapping them onto the desk.

“Thank you, kind sir.” Gao Tianyang placed the fried chicken box on his desk, “This is a humble offering for breakfast. Want to try some?”

Sheng Wang mumbled, “I’m full.”

“Why do you sound so nasal?” Gao Tianyang imitated Old Wu, speaking slowly and in a high-pitched voice, “Are you crying?” He even pointed a finger at Sheng Wang.

Sheng Wang raised his head, expressionless, “Cry your grandma.”

As he looked up, Gao Tianyang retracted his playful finger, “Whoa? You look awful, are you sick?”

“Maybe a little, forgot to adjust the air conditioning last night.”

“You call this ‘maybe’? It’s written all over your face. Do you need to go to the infirmary for some medicine?”

“Where’s the infirmary?” Sheng Wang asked.

The classroom was crowded, and the air conditioning was always on high. He had felt unwell since leaving home, and lying here only made it worse. His voice was hoarse and lazy.

Gao Tianyang said, “There’s a slope by the west gate of the school, follow the steps up to the infirmary.”

Sheng Wang asked, “Which way is west?”

“…”

Gao Tianyang scratched his head, spotting someone passing by, and grabbed them, “Tian, which way is west?”

It was common for Jiang Tian to be summoned to the office before morning class. Many teachers sought him out, and everyone was used to it. He placed a stack of papers from the office on the class rep’s desk and turned to ask Gao Tianyang, “What’s this about west?”

Sheng Wang glanced at him, coincidentally meeting Jiang Tian’s gaze. Maybe influenced by the morning incident, their eyes quickly averted.

Gao Tianyang, oblivious to the subtle detail, continued talking to Jiang Tian, “West, as in directions. I was telling Sheng Wang about the west gate, and he asked me where west is, which stumped me.”

Sheng Wang didn’t look up again, his eyelids drooping in a sleepy manner. Sick people are often low-spirited, and this was especially true for him.

Thunder rumbled outside, and the sky was dark. Inside, the classroom lights were on, casting Jiang Tian’s shadow on Sheng Wang’s desk in overlapping dark gray.

“West is—” Gao Tianyang extended his hand, trying to point in the right direction.

Before he could find it, Sheng Wang heard Jiang Tian say, “The gate by Xi Le.”

He spoke in a low, steady tone, the remnants of a changing voice period, falling from above.

Sheng Wang nodded in acknowledgment, “Oh.”

Gao Tianyang didn’t immediately catch on, “What’s Xi Le?”

A few seconds later, he had an epiphany, “Oh, right, the convenience store by the west gate is called Xi Le. I don’t go there often, just grab water during PE since it’s closer to the field. You know it?”

Sheng Wang seemed about to fall asleep again, taking a few seconds to respond, “Ate there once.”

“It serves food? How did I not know?” As the sports committee member, Gao Tianyang was always quick on his feet. Despite often complaining about the freshmen crowding the cafeteria, he always managed to snag food and never experienced the hardship of being pushed to the convenience store.

“Yeah,” Sheng Wang replied.

Even Gao Tianyang, with his thick nerves, sensed something was off.

He took advantage of Sheng Wang’s lowered head to silently point at it, exaggerating his mouth movements to silently tell Jiang Tian: Seems like he’s in a bad mood, wonder which idiot upset him.

After speaking, he noticed Jiang Tian wasn’t interested in miming back, just looking at him expressionlessly.

Gao Tianyang exaggeratedly “said”: Why the long face? Was my miming too ugly?

Before Jiang Tian could react, a sudden realization struck him: Could it be… you upset him?

Oh no, he just called Jiang Tian an idiot.

Gao Tianyang’s expression immediately became colorful. He cautiously observed Jiang Tian’s face, testing, “Was it really you?”

Knowing Jiang Tian, if it was him, he would nod. If not, he’d say, “What’s it got to do with me?”

But this time, Jiang Tian just looked at Sheng Wang without a word.

What the heck!

Gao Tianyang grumbled, not daring to say more.

He poked the drowsy Sheng Wang again, “Now that you know where the west gate is, why not drop by the infirmary?”

“Too far, not going.” Sheng Wang sniffed, the blocked feeling making him frown irritably.

He flipped up his uniform collar, pulling the front open and zipping it all the way up.

The collar of the Affiliated High School uniform was dark blue, and when fully up, it covered the lower half of his face, making his skin look even paler.

He bit the zipper pull, pulled his sleeves down, and slumped back onto the desk, mumbling, “Wake me when class starts.”

However, those two jerks, Gao Tianyang and Jiang Tian, didn’t wake him.

The first two periods were English, covering last night’s 150 practice questions. Teacher Yang Jing, already tall, liked to wear high heels. Standing on the podium, she could see all forty-plus students’ every move.

She spotted Sheng Wang immediately, tapping the podium with her finger, “What are you doing? Just because you’re good at English, you think you can slack off?”

At her words, all the students looked over.

Gao Tianyang raised his hand amid countless stares. Yang Jing nodded at him, “Speak.”

“He’s sick,” Gao Tianyang explained.

“Oh,” Yang Jing nodded, “Alright, let him rest. When he wakes up, tell him to come see me during lunch.”

Gao Tianyang: “…”

A meeting with Yang Jing? What a joke! When this lady gets angry, even the principal is scared.

A couple of weeks ago, during the weekly exam, the broadcast malfunctioned during the English listening test, wasting twenty minutes of students’ time. The vice principal and Director Xu from the Political and Educational Office were patrolling the second year. These two middle-aged men were blocked by Yang Jing in the hallway and scolded for ten minutes straight, unable to get a word in. They were sweating and had to borrow tissues from the class monitor of Class A by the window.

Gao Tianyang regretted it, “Maybe we should wake him up.”

Yang Jing raised an eyebrow, “You dare?”

Gao Tianyang shrank into his uniform, “Never mind.”

Sister Jing’s temper was always unpredictable. Class A students both feared and loved her, no one dared to mess with her.

Yang Jing extended her hand to a boy in the front row, “Hand me the papers.”

The boy, Qi Jiahao, was the English class rep for Class A. He was tall and strong, definitely not meant for the front row. But his eyesight was so poor, he negotiated with the homeroom teacher for a month to finally sit in the first row.

Yang Jing didn’t like using sample papers for class reviews. She always used the class rep’s papers, which Class A was used to.

For Qi Jiahao, having his paper used by Yang Jing was both thrilling and nerve-wracking. All his mistakes would be exposed under her scrutiny, and she’d scold him without mercy. But on the other hand, he felt special treatment, and couldn’t help feeling a bit proud.

Qi Jiahao handed over his paper, and Yang Jing glanced at it before changing her mind, “Forget it, I’ll let you off today. Let’s use someone else’s.”

Everyone’s scalp tingled, and they all lowered their heads, fearing Sister Jing would glance their way.

This lady always pointed out mistakes in tough questions, making Qi Jiahao stand up to be scolded. Not satisfied with just him, she’d call on others to explain grammar and thought processes. If they couldn’t, they’d stand. Out of forty-plus students, over thirty would be standing in her class. Who wouldn’t be scared?

Her gaze lingered around Sheng Wang before settling on the desk behind him, “Jiang Tian.”

The class collectively sighed in relief, then all looked over.

Jiang Tian always kept the same expression, unfazed. He picked up the paper on his desk, ready to step forward, when Yang Jing said, “Hand me the paper of the person in front of you.”

Jiang Tian glanced at the top of Sheng Wang’s head, “The paper’s in the desk, and he’s blocking it.”

Yang Jing said, “Oh, just reach in and get it.”

“…”

Jiang Tian wasn’t from the Political and Educational Office, he wasn’t trained to rummage through desks. He propped himself on the desk, looking at the oblivious person in front of him, feeling a bit headache.

He glanced at Yang Jing, then reached into Sheng Wang’s desk.

Sheng Wang’s uniform seemed tightly covered but was actually loose at the edges. As Jiang Tian’s arm brushed against the fabric, a random thought popped into his head—

This guy is really thin.

He found the three sheets in the desk and was about to pull them out when someone grabbed his wrist.

The person slumped on the desk moved, lifting their head from their right elbow. His hair was slightly messy, his eyes half-open, holding a shallow gleam.

“What are you doing?” Sheng Wang asked, his hoarse, sleepy voice tinged with impatience at being woken.

Jiang Tian’s fingers curled slightly.

He glanced at Yang Jing on the podium and whispered to Sheng Wang, “Class has started.”

Then he pulled his hand back, stood up, and handed the papers to Yang Jing.

Sheng Wang lay there for three seconds before suddenly sitting up, covering his face with one hand and leaning against the desk behind him, mumbling, “How long has it been?”

Jiang Tian’s voice came from behind, cold even when lowered, “40 minutes.”

Sheng Wang looked bewildered, “???”

Until Yang Jing shook his papers, saying, “Usually, the class rep makes 4 to 5 mistakes on this practice sheet. I wonder if Student Sheng Wang can match that.”

Qi Jiahao glanced over in this direction.

Yang Jing said, “Alright, let’s look at the first question.”

Sheng Wang took a while to process, finally realizing it meant class had just started.

He sat there with a tense face for a moment, then pulled out his phone from the desk, opened Jiang Tian’s WeChat, and sent him 50 eye-roll emojis.

Canned: Aren’t you asking for a beating???