Forty Thousand Yuan
Chen Yiyang signed the subject selection form himself, writing Chen Jici's name.
He mimicked it so well that when Zhou Shihui saw the signature, it was almost perfect.
Zhou Shihui stood by the window with his arms crossed, lowering his eyes. "Really going your own way like this?"
"What do you mean by going my own way?" Chen Yiyang thought Zhou Shihui understood him. He looked up at him and said, "This is called seeking what one wants."
Zhou Shihui let out a helpless laugh.
He felt a hint of envy toward Chen Yiyang—a rather complex emotion.
Before moving into Xingfuli, Chen Yiyang lived in the Affiliated Hospital's family quarters. Both their grandmothers were medical staff at the hospital.
They were born in the same delivery room, grew up in the same compound, and competed all the way until they were sixteen. Zhou Shihui had never won. Some people taunted him as the "eternal second," never expecting Chen Yiyang to leave the arena first.
After the school celebration, Class One students either went home or went to celebrate. In the classroom, even on this corridor, there were only the two of them.
Zhou Shihui had sat in the celebration venue all afternoon, his bones aching with exhaustion. He stretched lazily and then expressed his concern, "What if you get caught? I won't be able to save you."
Chen Yiyang packed his schoolbag and slung it casually over his right shoulder, glancing at Zhou Shihui with a cool expression.
As he walked out of the classroom, he said, "Just don't stand in my way."
It wasn't even five o'clock yet. Chen Yiyang and Zhou Shihui rode their bikes out of school.
The scenery along the way was pleasant.
Yun Mi thought she had just spotted Chen Yiyang riding his bike.
The boy leaned slightly forward, his back forming a clean and relaxed arc. The evening breeze lifted the hem of his jacket as he weaved through the crowded streets.
Yun Mi glanced at the back of her burned hand. It didn't hurt anymore.
As the saying goes, pain is soon forgotten once the wound heals.
Now, all she remembered was the look Chen Yiyang had shot her.
Cool yet carrying a hint of a smile.
Yun Mi thought for a long time but couldn't find a suitable excuse to get more contact with Chen Yiyang.
So she simply sent a message: Brother, are you coming to pick me up? I heard they bought alcohol. I'm afraid I'll get drunk and can't find my way home.
After they all crossed the road, Chen Yiyang finally replied.
y2: What alcohol?
Grow Up Well: It's called Rio.
y2: ...
y2: Tipsy?
y2: Can't find your way home?
The questions were plain, but Yun Mi could imagine the teasing tone in Chen Yiyang's voice when he said them.
Damn it.
Yun Mi put her phone away without looking at it.
Ding Yuan had won a "second prize" and was still grumbling. "The school must have rigged it."
Yun Mi pursed her lips and said, "The three first prizes were about praising Shanfu, praising Shancheng, and praising great China. Tell me, if you were the school leader, who would you choose?"
Ding Yuan said indignantly, "Ours was good too!"
Yun Mi replied, "Oh, it was good. Praising chestnuts?"
Ding Yuan was choked.
Outside the school, next to the snack street, there was a row of cheap eateries.
The Scholar Restaurant was among them.
Xu Zhiyu carefully wiped the grease off the table with a tissue and invited everyone to sit down.
The group gathered around the round table, cheerfully discussing how nervous they had been today.
Some were still rubbing their sweaty palms.
"Too bad Brother Yang didn't come..." someone mentioned.
A few boys, with hidden intentions, whispered, "What do you want? To watch the two rumored girlfriends duke it out?"
"Am I that bored?"
"Then why are you talking?"
"I just want to see where he'll step."
The sarcastic remarks were probably about the poor environment. Ding Yuan heard them and kicked the plastic stool of the guy who spoke, saying coldly, "If you don't want to eat, get lost."
"..."
Xu Zhiyu went to settle the bill. Twelve people had ordered eight dishes, costing over two hundred yuan total.