Bite Your Fingertips

9th -【Punished to stand】

Chu Yu slept terribly all night.

His whole body felt uncomfortable and he continued to have the same dream over and over again. He could always smell the enticing scent which caused him to search the dormitory inch by inch in the middle of the night, but he still couldn’t find the source of smell, making him bite his pillow in annoyance!

After lying groggily in bed for half an hour, Chu Yu headed to class. He’d already missed the morning self-study session.

Seeing Chu Yu sit down, Zhang Yueshan turned to talk to him. “Last night during self-study, the English teacher came over and saw that your seat was empty so he asked me what was wrong. I said you weren’t feeling well so you went back first.”

Chu Yu, with a pale complexion, yawned lazily. “Class monitor, nice work!”

“Although I made an excuse for you, I noticed the teacher’s expression looked pretty bad.” After Zhang Yueshan finished, he became a little worried about Chu Yu.

With his hand supporting his chin, Chu Yu tilted his head and tried to recall. “Our English teacher… who is it?”

“…”

Zhang Yueshan helplessly responded, “You must’ve been asleep during English class yesterday afternoon. The English teacher’s surname is Wang, Wang Lilin and she’s a woman whose most distinctive feature is her flaming red lipstick. She also wears gold-rimmed glasses when looking at the computer.”

He saw Chu Yu’s pale face. “But, are you ill? Are you still unwell? Do you want to visit the infirmary again to lie down?”

“No.” Chu Yu languishingly lay on the table, not wanting to move. “It’s no use even if I go. They can’t figure out what’s wrong with me. Besides, I can sleep anywhere and I don’t feel like walking that far.”

Zhang Yueshan had heard a lot of rumors regarding Chu Yu before. Supposedly, his family had bought the whole school with a swipe of a pen in order to let him happily study. When the first year of high school started, the dishes in the cafeteria weren’t to his liking so the school changed several chefs that very night. To put it simply, many children from wealthy families attended Jianing Private, and if they were divided into tiers, Chu Yu would be at the tip of the pyramid.

However, after associating with Chu Yu over the past two days, Zhang Yueshan felt that not only did he look good, but he also possessed a good temper. His only shortcomings – which were hardly shortcomings – were that he didn’t like to study and was a little delicate.

But with such a face, Zhang Yueshan felt that even if he was a little delicate and also a bit squeamish, it was like… there was no sense of irregularity?

Zhang Yueshan belonged to the enthusiastic and helpful archetype, and now that he was occupying the position of class monitor, he had a sense of responsibility. He didn’t attempt to persuade him anymore. “In any case, don’t force yourself if you’re unwell. Just say so if you need help.”

Chu Yu hummed twice in response. “Thank you, class rep.”

After lying on the table for a while, he recalled the dream that had haunted him last night and was suddenly curious about what the boy sitting behind him was doing.

But it would be too obvious to just turn around and look.

After ruminating for two seconds, Chu Yu looked for his square eraser and quietly dropped it on the ground before pretending to be puzzled. “Yi, why did my eraser fall on the ground?”

Afterwards, he turned, bowed his head, bent over, picked up the eraser, and got back up; he took the opportunity to glance at Lu Shi from the corner of his eyes at the same time.

Chu Yu coincidentally met Lu Shi’s sight.

Lu Shi’s beautifully-contoured hand held a pencil that was neither long nor short, his knuckles flexed to an arc as he went through a book of questions with a thickness that gave Chu Yu a headache when he looked at it.

His fringe covered half of his eyebrows and his eyes were a deep black.

His features were still as handsome and impactful as before.

Chu Yu often stared at his reflection in the mirror and so his standards had been elevated by the level of his own appearance. He wouldn’t easily think that anyone looked good.

But in his opinion, Lu Shi was truly, very much a handsome guy.

Breaking from each other’s gaze, Chu Yu quickly turned around and sat properly.

Oh shit, will he think I was purposely watching him?

No, but I really do seem to be purposely watching him?

No, rather, why am I purposely watching him?

After a while, Chu Yu wasn’t able to dwell on it much anymore; the feeling of heat in his body had come up in waves and he went back to weakly slumping down on the desk. He noticed his nails had grown a bit longer and it was time to cut them— again.

Second period was English.

Chu Yu couldn’t sleep, his whole body was feverish and he felt dizzy. He wasn’t in the mood to eat candy or read manga and only held a fruit candy in his hand, turning and rolling it inside his palm, in a trance.

The English teacher came in, looked around, and pointedly asked, “Is everyone present?”

Some eyes quietly turned to Chu Yu’s seat.

Wang Lilin put down her lesson plan, greeted them in English as usual, and then began class. She was in her thirties, wearing office attire with her hair neatly tied up; subscribing to an intellectual aesthetic.

“This question is similar to the ones that came out at the end of last semester. Speaking of which, I spent several days analyzing your scores from last semester’s final exam and found many problems. Some students, in particular, are dragging down the class average.”

Wang Lilin’s brows had creased when she first took over Second Year Class A. She didn’t like to take this type of class with both rich children and top students mixed up. If it weren’t for the high salary and bonus given by Jianing Private School, she wouldn’t accommodate such students at this kind of school.

“What I disapprove of most are these insects! You believe that if you have some money at home, you will also have money for life! I have been teaching at this school for many years and to countless students. Siblings who have been cast out from their homes, those who have suffered a reversal of fortune and fallen into debt, I have seen it all before!”

Chu Yu listened and thought in his heart; English teachers who were like this, he’d also seen them all before.

In the next second, with a ‘thump’, a piece of chalk hit Chu Yu’s arm, leaving behind a cloud of chalk dust.

“Student Chu Yu who is peacefully sleeping, tell me, what is the answer for this question?”

Chu Yu wasn’t actually sleeping. He stood up and quickly swept his gaze over the question and options on the projection screen. “It’s D.”

He had poor grades, but before coming to Jianing, he’d attended international schools throughout elementary and junior high. He wasn’t good at any other subjects, but English was the exception.

After saying the answer, he went to sit back down, but Wang Lilin coldly sneered, “Some people are really lucky. Their grades are a mess, yet when they are randomly asked a question in class, someone gives them the answer.”

Chu Yu’s voice was weak. He respected teachers, but he couldn’t be wronged in vain. “Miss, no one passed me the answer, and even if they wanted to, they would’ve been too late.”

Such as Zhang Yueshan.

Having been rebutted, Wang Lilin tightly pressed her lips together and said nothing.

Suddenly, she grabbed a whole piece of chalk from the blackboard slot, broke it into three pieces, and threw them towards Chu Yu.

Chu Yu didn’t duck because he realized the chalk flew right past him and hit the table behind him instead.

“Some students seem to think that if they have good grades, they can act proud and full of themselves. They no longer know their place, they sleep in class and do not study seriously! Come third year, they will not be able to maintain their grades anymore, they can only cry and regret! I have seen a lot of students like this!”

Chu Yu blinked, then followed his classmates’ actions and also looked back. He found Lu Shi actually sleeping on the desk behind him!

Lu Shi was probably awakened by the noise as his expression was a bit cold.

“Chu Yu and Lu Shi, stand outside if you are going to sleep!”

Lu Shi was indifferent, his expression didn’t fluctuate as he got up and walked out.

His figure was slim, tall and straight in his white shirt and black school pants. From behind, he had a beautiful silhouette.

Chu Yu wasn’t sure if this teacher held prejudice against him and Lu Shi, or if she was simply irascible. He thought of how fresh the air outside was, and also went out after him.

All the students in the class followed them with their eyes. Zhang Yueshan was tangled— Lu-Shen and Chu Yu couldn’t stand each other. Would one of them stand at the front door and the other at the back?

The gentleman is at the head of the Yangtze River, I am at its end?1The real line of the poem is: “I live at the head of the Yangtze River, the gentleman lives at the tail of the Yangtze River.” Zhang Yueshan reversed it. And like what you probably guessed, this is a poem about endless love of two people amidst separation. But contrary to Chu Yu and Lu Shi’s relationship, this poem is now used to convey China and Myanmar’s camaraderie and friendship.

In the hallway, because classes were still conducting, there was no one in sight. Chu Yu stood without really standingStanding without a care for image. Usually meaning bad posture.; he lazily leaned against the brick wall while sticking the back of his arm across it, trying to cool his temperature down.

As expected, it had no effect.

But this burning heat, he felt as if he was getting used to it.

Wasn’t it just burning and surging blood contained within the body of a young man?

Lu Shi’s hands were casually inserted in the pockets of his black uniform pants. The contrast between his cold, white skin and the color of the fabric was distinct.

The wind blew past. No one spoke so it was quiet.

Lu Shi broke the silence. “Shouldn’t you go to the infirmary?”

Infirmary?

Lu Shi probably overheard the conversation between him and the class rep. Chu Yu shook his head. “Too far, too lazy to walk.”

Lu Shi glanced at him and said nothing.

Chu Yu constantly felt like the look in his eyes… seemed a little complicated?

The topic came to an end.

The two people standing were bored so Chu Yu searched for another topic. “Why were you also sleeping? Isn’t the god of study meant to be very serious in class?”

Lu Shi’s voice was a little hoarse after just waking up, and talking so close, he sounded a bit like a subwoofer. “Already learnt it, it’s boring and I didn’t sleep much last night.”

Chu Yu nodded. “You might not believe me, but I’ve learnt it all too. Even the English teacher’s pronunciation is below my standard.”

Another topic came to an end.

Two sparrows perched on the railing, chirped, and then flew away.

Lu Shi raised an argument. “Then how did you manage to pull down the class average on your own?”

“Oh, that,” Chu Yu recalled, “I had stayed up late reading a manga and dozed off in the morning. Originally, I had planned to nap for ten minutes and then start working on the questions, but I didn’t expect that when I woke up, there would only be ten minutes remaining. So, I just filled in the scantron sheet with all C.”

“Why all C?”

Chu Yu’s eyes carried a hint of disdain as he explained, “Don’t you know the ultimate rules? Three long options and one short, pick the shortest; three short options and one long, pick the longest. If you don’t know, choose C!”

Lu Shi: “…”

After standing for a while, Chu Yu suddenly smelled a faint fragrance.

He wrinkled his nose as his line of sight floated around until it finally landed on Lu Shi. His eyes faintly gleamed. “You really don’t have anything delicious on you?”

Lu Shi’s eyes darkened.

He denied it. “No.”

Then he asked, “What do you smell?”

“I’ve been sick recently and the doctor diagnosed it as a neurological dysfunction. Anyway, I couldn’t taste anything when I ate and I’d vomit after eating more than two mouthfuls, it was miserable. But you smell delicious; it’s so fragrant, it’s making me hungry!”

Chu Yu had his palm against the cold wall. He turned it over and pressed the back of his hand instead.

Lu Shi asked him, “It’s on me?”

“Yeah, I’ve only smelled this scent a few times.” Chu Yu felt annoyed just talking about it. “But I caught a whiff of it in the middle of the night last night. I don’t know if it was a hallucination caused by waking up in a daze because even though I looked for a long time, I couldn’t find the source.”

{Midnight.

Lu Shi glanced at the watch on his left wrist.}{ } is a scene flash. Lu Shi recalled what happened last night at midnight, or should I say, what happened last chapter. 

Chu Yu probably forgot that he’d asked this same question before.

At the beef house on Qingchuan Road, Chu Yu had pounced on him and questioned him vaguely, What delicious thing are you hiding? It smells good.

His train of thought was interrupted.

Lu Shi looked up and saw Chu Yu’s stretched out hand. A fruit candy lay on his palm, its wrapping wrinkled and crumpled.

Chu Yu had fine, white skin and neatly trimmed nails with a small, white semi-circular arc at the end.

“I can’t taste any of the candy I’ve eaten in the past two days. It’d be a waste if I eat it so I’m giving it to you.”

Lu Shi didn’t move for five seconds.

Chu Yu was about to take it back.

Maybe he was too reckless.

His thoughts were actually very simple. Since the beginning, Lu Shi couldn’t understand him, and he couldn’t understand Lu Shi, but some facts remained true for everyone; nice tasting candy should be eaten by nice looking people, and he thought this gangster was very nice looking. Moreover, after being sent out by a grumpy English teacher and punished to stand, they could be considered to have shared adversity.

But the other party didn’t seem to appreciate it.

However, before Chu Yu could withdraw his hand, the fruit candy in his palm was taken away by Lu Shi.

Lu Shi peeled off the wrapper, put the candy in his mouth, and tasted it carefully. “Very sweet. Strawberry flavor. Tastes good.”

Ah?

Why the heck did you have to say that it’s sweet and tasty?

Chu Yu was pissed off!

• 1The real line of the poem is: “I live at the head of the Yangtze River, the gentleman lives at the tail of the Yangtze River.” Zhang Yueshan reversed it. And like what you probably guessed, this is a poem about endless love of two people amidst separation. But contrary to Chu Yu and Lu Shi’s relationship, this poem is now used to convey China and Myanmar’s camaraderie and friendship.
• 2Standing without a care for image. Usually meaning bad posture.
• 3{ } is a scene flash. Lu Shi recalled what happened last night at midnight, or should I say, what happened last chapter.