[162] Du Mu Is a Beast

"Ring, ring!"

At 8:50, the evening self-study session ended as usual. Wu Di, sitting this time in the fourth row against the wall—which was directly behind and to the left of Fang Chang'an—walked over and asked, "Monitor, are you heading out?"

Fang Chang'an replied, "You go ahead, I'll leave a bit later."

"So eager to study?"

Wu Di muttered and left first. Fang Chang'an continued reading his book. Sitting at the desk in front of him were Feng Yanyan and Kan Xi, both day students, but since they both used the outer aisle, he could just stay put in his seat.

Wang Ke glanced at him, turned around, and asked Liu Bei, "Are you still going running tonight?"

Liu Bei thought for a moment and asked, "What time are you guys going?"

Wang Ke replied, "A bit earlier, I suppose."

Liu Bei considered this and said, "Then I'll join you guys tonight. I probably won't go tomorrow."

She needed to keep up with her reading. If she went running early, she would have to come back into the classroom afterward, so she might as well not go at all. However, school hadn't officially started yet, there was no homework to write, and they hadn't bought any exercise books or reference materials yet. There wasn't much to do, so returning to the classroom early was a viable option.

Knowing Wang Ke's concern was about getting home too late, Fang Chang'an smiled and said, "It's fine, later is fine."

Wang Yuwei, sitting in Wang Ke's original seat, turned around and asked, "Are you all going for a run? Where are you running?"

Liu Bei answered, "The playground, of course. Doesn't the high school entrance examination have a physical education test? We're practicing in advance."

Wang Yuwei thought for a moment and asked, "What time are you going? Can I go with you?"

Liu Bei looked at Wang Ke, and Wang Ke looked at Fang Chang'an. Fang Chang'an said, "Around 9:20, I guess."

Liu Bei had no objection, and neither did the others. They went back to reading or chatting. Neither Fang Chang'an nor Wang Ke had listened to music during the last two periods of evening self-study. He nudged her arm and asked, "Are you going to listen tonight? I need to take it back to charge tomorrow night."

Wang Ke thought about it and didn't stand on ceremony with him; she reached out and took it. Behind them, Liu Bei asked, "Is this an MP3 player?"

Wang Ke nodded and pointed at Fang Chang'an, saying, "It's his."

"Can I listen to it?"

Wang Ke handed the iPod to Liu Bei, taught her how to use it, and turned around to chat with Liu Bei and Wang Sha. Quietly, Fang Chang'an slipped a small box into the desk cubby, pushing it all the way to the back just in case, before quickly pulling his hand back and sitting properly.

Until it was time to go running together, Wang Ke hadn't noticed a thing.

Seeing Wang Ke joining the run, Zheng Lili asked with surprise, "Weren't you supposed to go straight home?"

Wang Yuwei smiled and said, "Yeah, but isn't Fang Chang'an going back too? I'll be going back with him later."

Zheng Lili looked at Wang Ke, but Wang Ke acted as if she didn't see.

As usual, Fang Chang'an warmed up first and then jogged a lap. Although he wasn't going all out, he felt his physical stamina had improved significantly. Jogging a lap didn't put much pressure on him, and he felt the day of "washing away his shame" was not far off.

Since it was the first workout of the semester and there was no pressure from homework, Wang Ke and the girls wanted to do the long jump after running.

There was no such thing as holding back or going all out in the long jump since doing your best wouldn't exhaust you. Fang Chang'an jumped twice, both around 1.85 meters, clearing the 1.8-meter passing line.

Wang Ke landed slightly shorter than him, but she still cleared 1.8 meters, which was more than enough for a full score by girls' standards.

After exchanging a few more laughs, Fang Chang'an and Wang Yuwei headed home together. She had brought her bicycle, but instead of riding it, she pushed it alongside Fang Chang'an as they walked back. She pointed out a shortcut to him: instead of passing by the lighthouse, they turned east onto the cement road from the gravel path in front of the school gate. When Fang Lusheng came to pick her up on the first weekend of the semester last year, she had ridden her bicycle home via this very route, which saved three to four hundred meters on a single trip.

The road was lined with residential houses and was quite quiet by nearly ten o'clock. Many households had already turned off their lights. The two of them walked slowly back. After some casual chatting, Wang Yuwei suddenly asked, "What did you just put into Wang Ke's desk?"

Not expecting her to have seen it, Fang Chang'an casually replied, "Just something Wang Ke asked me to buy for her."

Wang Yuwei turned her head to look at him. The courtyard gate of a nearby house was open, and light spilling from inside illuminated her fair, white face, revealing a hint of a teasing smile. "You still trying to trick me? I saw it, it was a packaged box."

"Right, like I said, Wang Ke asked me to bring it for her."

"Are you afraid I'll go around spreading rumors?"

Wang Yuwei cast a charming, sidelong glance at him and said, "Don't worry, I won't talk."

As they stepped into the darkness, she lowered her voice and asked with a mischievous chuckle, "Monitor, do you like Wang Ke?"

"Nonsense! How can you make baseless accusations and smear an innocent person's reputation out of thin air?"

"I originally thought you liked Shen Mo. I didn't expect that as soon as Shen Mo transferred away, you started getting cozy with Wang Ke..."

Wang Yuwei gave a soft huff and continued, "If you really like her, I can help you, you know."

"Hey, hey, hey! How old are you? We're students; we should put all our energy into our studies instead of having these kinds of thoughts all day."

There was no way Fang Chang'an would let anything slip. He maintained a righteous and stern demeanor, saying, "As the monitor, it is my duty to correct this unhealthy mindset of yours and help you keep your focus on your studies."

Wang Yuwei turned her head to look at him, her smile in the dim light as bright as a flower. "How are you going to help me?"

"I'll find your parents next time I see them and tell them you have a tendency toward puppy love so they can discipline you strictly."

The smile on Wang Yuwei's face dimmed a little, and she said softly, "I don't have a dad. It's just my mom and me."

"Uh... sorry about that," Fang Chang'an apologized, feeling a bit awkward.

"It's fine. It's not like you're the one who made my parents divorce."

Wang Yuwei tossed her hair and smiled again. "Don't think you can change the subject. Do you like Wang Ke?"

"As the monitor, I like everyone in our class. I like everyone like they're my own brothers and sisters—including you."

"I don't care for that at all."

Wang Yuwei curled her lips, tilted her head to eye him sideways with an inscrutable smile. "It would be different if you only liked me. But liking everyone... who cares about that!"

Fang Chang_an almost suspected that the girl in front of him was also a time-traveler, because he couldn't fathom what she was getting at. Wasn't she way too precocious?

When they reached East Town Road in front of their homes, they walked slowly toward their front doors. Wang Yuwei asked, "Are you going to tell me or not? If you don't, I'm going to ask Wang Ke tomorrow."

"Didn't I already tell you? Wang Ke asked me to buy something for her. She paid for it, and I just brought it back for her. I didn't give it to her as a gift."

"Fine, let's assume she gave you money to bring it back. What on earth is it?"

"That involves personal privacy. Wouldn't it be inappropriate for me to tell you without her permission?"

"Then I'll ask her myself tomorrow."

Fang Chang'an was left speechless, deeply missing the polite and distant Wang Yuwei from the past half-year. Why was she meddling so much?

If it were just himself, he wouldn't care what Wang Yuwei thought, but he worried she might stir up trouble behind the scenes. If rumors really started flying, the one who would undoubtedly get hurt was Wang Ke.

At this age, malice and kindness alike were born of innocence and ignorance; many people had no idea how their actions could impact others.

"Fine. It's a fountain pen inside."

"Lying. How could a fountain pen possibly fit in that little box? It's not that long."

Wang Yuwei instantly pierced his lie and playfully scolded, "Should I swear an oath to you that I definitely won't tell anyone? Just tell me!"

"Alright, alright, it's ink."

Wang Yuwei glared at him, straddled her bicycle, and rode ahead. "I'm not asking you anymore. I'll ask Wang Ke myself tomorrow."

"Hey, hey, hey! Listen to me."

Only then did Wang Yuwei stop, resting one foot on the ground, and looked back at him. "What?"

"A bracelet."

Wang Yuwei thought for a moment, likely finding this more believable, and tilted her head to look at him. "And you still say you don't like her?"

Fang Chang'an spread his hands. "I told you, she bought it herself. It's not a gift."

Wang Yuwei gave a knowing smile. "And what about that little stone?"

"Seriously, don't you focus on your classes instead of always watching what other people are doing?"

"I wasn't always watching. I just happened to see it."

Wang Yuwei smiled, her lips pursed. "That one was definitely a gift from you, right?"

"I picked it up at the beach. It's not worth anything."

"Then why didn't you pick one for me?"

"I didn't know you wanted one."

"You didn't tell me you were going to the beach either."

"Why would I tell you?"

Fang Chang'an had a fair understanding of her personality and knew she wouldn't get angry over such a remark, so he didn't hold back.

Wang Yuwei smiled brightly and asked, "Then why did you tell Wang Ke?"

Fang Chang'an rolled his eyes. "Can't be bothered with you."

Wang Yuwei pushed her bicycle alongside him again. "How many did you pick? Give me one."

"It's nothing special. Why would you want it?"

"I like it. I've never seen the ocean before."

"There was only one."

"I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want."

"At least two. Wang Ke has one, what about Shen Mo's? She's not even here, give me hers."

"There was only one."

No matter what, he wouldn't budge. Afraid of annoying him too much, Wang Yuwei compromised, "Fine then. Are you going again next year? If you go, pick one for me too."

"Alright, if I go."

"It's a deal. Don't you dare lie to me!"

As the two of them walked through the large courtyard gate, Fang Chang'an headed toward his own house. Wang Yuwei parked her bicycle outside and followed him in. Fang Chang'an turned to look at her, and she whispered, "I should at least greet Auntie, right?"

Hearing the movement, Cong Rong emerged from the living room. Looking from the bright area into the dimness, she didn't recognize who was behind her son at first glance. Wang Yuwei had already walked forward, waving and greeting, "Auntie, it's me. Do you remember me?"

Having gone on all three of the "excursions" organized by Fang Chang'an, Cong Rong naturally remembered her—especially since her impression of Wang Yuwei was particularly vivid from her first visit to the house at the start of last year. Hurriedly smiling, Cong Rong greeted her, "Of course I remember. What brings you here? Come, come on in and sit down."

Wang Yuwei smiled and said, "No need, Auntie. My home is right next door, I can come over anytime from now on. I just wanted to come and say hello."

Cong Rong paused in surprise and asked, "Do you live here now?"

"Yeah, my house is number seventy, just a couple of doors down."

Only then did Cong Rong realize, "I just saw your mom earlier today, and she mentioned you were also at No. 2 Middle School. I just didn't expect it to be you."

"It's fate, isn't it?"

Wang Yuwei chatted for a bit before taking her leave. Cong Rong closed the door, walked back into the living room, and remarked, "What a coincidence. That's Wang Yuwei, right? It seems like she's grown taller again."

Fang Chang'an smiled. "Why do you care whether she grew taller or not?"

"Just making conversation. I was talking with her mom earlier this evening. She seems like a very nice person, and the girl is so pretty." Cong Rong clearly had a favorable impression of Wang Yuwei's mother.

Fang Changming and Fang Yanran had already gone to sleep. Fang Chang'an didn't eat anything else, washed up, drank a little water, read for a bit, and went to bed.

The next morning, Fang Chang'an was woken up by his alarm at 5:40. After washing up, he found that Cong Rong was already awake. Fang Chang'an reminded her, "Start breakfast a bit early, Uncle Shen should be here shortly after seven."

Since it was the first day for Fang Changming and Fang Yanran at school, and Cong Rong didn't know anyone over there, Shen Chengoyan had volunteered to drive them to school today.

Fang Chang'an had been somewhat worried that Wang Yuwei might tag along with him to school again, but fortunately, he didn't see her and breathed a silent sigh of relief.

After a year of getting along, his impression of Wang Yuwei wasn't bad, but they weren't kindred spirits. Keeping her at a respectful distance was best—not out of a desire to alienate her, but to maintain proper boundaries.

Walking back to the classroom, Fang Chang'an secretly looked forward to when Wang Ke would discover the real surprise, wondering if he should give her a subtle hint if she still hadn't noticed by today.

To his surprise, upon entering the classroom, Wang Ke—who over the past year had always arrived later than him—was already sitting at her desk reading. And on her left wrist, she was wearing the bracelet he had hidden as a surprise.

Fang Chang'an froze for a moment, almost suspecting his eyes were playing tricks on him. Walking closer, he saw a delicate silver chain with a deer antler charm—the exact one he had traveled far out of his way to pick out in the intense summer heat!

He tapped the desk beside her wrist. Wang Ke glanced up at him, stood up to let him pass, and maintained a calm expression as if nothing had happened.

Sitting down in his seat, Fang Chang'an turned to look at Wang Ke. The young girl sat back down and continued calmly memorizing vocabulary words. Fang Chang'an didn't say a word, just staring at her to see how long she could keep up the act.

Clearly aware of his gaze, the young girl focused intently on her vocabulary, silently mouthing the words. Before she had even muttered three or four of them, a sweet smile broke out at the corners of her mouth. She bit her lip, quickly forced her expression neutral, and then, less than two seconds later, failed to hold back and stole another peek with a secret smile.

Feeling a bit shy perhaps, she raised her head and glared playfully at Fang Chang'an, biting back her sweet smile, and feigned annoyance as she asked, "What are you looking at?"

Fang Chang'an answered irrelevantly, "Looking at something pretty!"

She gave a soft huff, straightened up, and went back to reading. After reciting just a few words, she smiled secretly again, quickly suppressed it, and tried hard to focus on memorizing her vocabulary. Before long, she couldn't help but steal another smile.

Probably feeling that it was ruining her enthusiasm for serious studying, she quietly kicked him under the table with her foot. Fang Chang'an turned around with an innocent look on his face.

The young girl still wore a puffed-up, indignant expression—still childish, yet already showing the subtle shyness of a young maiden. She shot him a glare with her bright, sparkling eyes, her voice sweet and petulant as she scolded, "Hateful!"

Fang Chang'an rolled his eyes, opened his English textbook, and started memorizing words too: "A few! Some, a small amount! A few! A lot! Many, a large quantity, a lot! About... Du Mu was truly a beast..."

Otherwise, how could anyone write poetry like "Slender and graceful, thirteen and more, like the early second-month bud on the tip of a cardamom branch"? And to write it so well—he definitely must have done some shameless things in his life!