Peng Zige had just stuck his head out the classroom door to look for Li Erqin when Li Erqin and Rong Si finally returned, walking side by side. As they drew close, he noticed that Li Erqin kept her head down and seemed to be unexpectedly blushing.
At once, he charged forward, jumping in front of them, “How come you guys are together?”
“We just happened to meet up.” Rong Si chose not to elaborate further and stepped around Peng Zige to enter the classroom.
Peng Zige could only grab Li Erqin and ask, “Really? Hey, why is your face so red?”
“It’s hot.” Li Erqin calmly looked at Peng Zige, using her hands to pinch her cheeks, which helped her complexion recover quickly.
“It’s not hot.” Peng Zige was suspicious.
“I feel hot.”
“I don’t feel anything.”
Peng Zige followed Li Erqin back into class.  Right as Li Erqin sat down, he asked: “What were you up to this afternoon?  You left in such a hurry.”
“I went to the riverside.”
Peng Zige seemed to understand a little now: “Oh.”
He stopped asking.
Just then, the afternoon bell went off. Li Erqin checked what she had written in her notebook, took some deep breaths to boost her confidence and then turned back and bid her leave of Rong Si. “I’ll be going now.”
“Sure, go then Off you go then.” Rong Si lifted his head as his crystal clear eyes connected with hers, “You can do it!”
The blush that Li Erqin had banished with great difficulty made a roaring comeback. She forced a laugh, “It’s so hot.  Thanks,  I’m off.”
With that, Li Erqin vanished out of the classroom like a wisp of smoke.  Peng Zige didn’t even have time to get a word out, much less ask her about what was going on.  Li Erqin was in such a rush that she didn’t even tuck in her blouse properly.
However, it seemed that Rong Si and Li Erqin had unknowingly developed a special bond that Peng Zige was not a part of. Just thinking about it made him frustrated. He didn’t even know why he was getting all worked up, but his mood suddenly plummeted to an all-time low.
Peng Zige got bored after working midway through his geography assignment. Dropping his pen, he sprawled over his workbook and tucked his head in his folded arms. His mind was in a state of confusion.
Rong Si stopped writing and eyed him for a while without saying a word.
Peng Zige laid sprawled for a time before turning his head towards Rong Si, “Are you guys dating?”
This question totally blindsided Rong Si, who counter questioned:  “WHAT?”
(Minodayz Blurb : I could so picture his expression : SAY WHAT? Lol – totally sideswipe here!)
“Both of you seem to be harboring some secret together.”
Helplessly Rong Si replied, “Are you missing some brain cells or do you have too many muscles in there?” (Literal : has more tendons/muscle ~ possibly meaning more muscle than brain!)
Peng Zige was in a fit: “ You’re the one who’s missing brain cells.”
“We happened to walk by the school noticeboard and she spotted the advert from the broadcasting club for new members. So she went for the interview. That’s all.”
“Li Erqin went for an interview with the broadcasting club?” Peng Zige asked again “Her brain is wired differently from most people. Would the stress and questions cause her to burst out laughing?”
(Minodayz blurb : Man alive… can he get any more cuter! He just pegged her! Lol )
Rong Si was totally stumped and did not know how to respond.
“Then again she does have a lovely voice. If she became the school’s broadcast host, that wouldn’t be so bad.”
Rong Si shook his head and continued with his work.
Peng Zige also resumed his geography assignment, but he had only written two words when he suddenly put his pen down, sighed and in a soft voice started muttering to himself, “What is wrong with me?”
When Li Erqin returned from her interview with the broadcasting club, Peng Zige was fast asleep on his desk. She quietly slipped into the classroom from the back door and just as noiselessly made her way to her seat without alerting her classmates.
Rong Si stopped writing to look at her when he was aware that she had returned to her seat.  Li Erqin  opened her bottle of mineral water and took a sip. Turning back towards Rong Si, she gestured with her hand the “yea!” sign ().
Rong Si quietly smiled and, taking up his pen, resumed answering the assessment questions.
Li Erqin also took out her assignments and began working diligently .
Their entire exchange happened wordlessly, and the complete and mutual understanding that ensued formed a rapport that even they were not aware of. Since Rong Si did not pick up on it, obviously Li Erqin was oblivious to it too.
Peng Zige was woken by the bell, signaling the end of the first period of the afternoon sessions. Barely opening his sleepy eyes, he lifted his head from the crook of his arms and asked Rong Si, “Ah Si, what class is it now?
“Chemistry.”
Peng Zige closed his eyes as he dug out a textbook, and, still barely awake, he let out a massive yawn. Mid-yawn, he suddenly stopped, reached over and tapped Li Erqin on the back, “Hey, Li Erqin.”
Li Erqin looked back.
“You… how was it?
Li Erqin tilted her head and looked at him.
“The broadcasting club.” (He elaborated)
”It went well,” Li Erqin answered honestly, before turning back to tidy her textbooks. She stopped after a few seconds, then grabbed her bag and began rummaging through, shaking her head as she spoke to Peng Zige, “Looks like the English vocabulary words are stuck to your face.”
Peng Zige immediately wiped the left side of his face, “Here?”
Li Erqin placed a mirror on Peng Zige’s desk. “Look at it yourself.”
“Thanks.”
Peng Zige opened the compact mirror but couldn’t see any English words written on his face.  He took a closer look, but it wasn’t long before he heard a loud shout from the front of the class. “Peng Zige! How long are you planning to stare into that mirror? Even if they’re beautiful, young ladies aren’t as vain as you!”
Peng Zige froze in mid-air, still holding up the mirror, and found himself unable to make a comeback.
“Are you still looking at that mirror!” shouted the chemistry teacher.
Obediently, Peng Zige put the mirror down. Then, looking at the innocent looking Li Erqin, he instinctively muttered, “Unbelievable.”
“Hahahaha hahahaha!”
The whole class erupted in raucous laughter.
A fuming Peng Zige returned the mirror to Li Erqin and with a heartbroken look lamented, “Corrupted! Utterly corrupted! Where did she learn this from!…. really….”
Midway through his lament, he was further interrupted by a shout from the front: ”You’re even still bothering the female classmate in front!”
Suffice to say, a totally innocent Peng Zige was no longer in a state of drowsiness and was now completely awake.
(MInodayz blurb: awwww… poor puppy PZG!)
Tuesday afternoon fourth period was the mandatory PE class for the whole school. Â Both middle and high school students participated, and everyone had to run two compulsory laps around the track before they could choose from a range of sports activities.
Lots of students looked forward to this class because of the freedom.  Even though there were the two laps to run, because there was no teacher supervision, everyone just ran at a leisurely pace. Many a male student would run for a bit and then deliberately slow down. Casually making their way next to the girl they were keen on, they would jog alongside as if to say, “What a coincidence – fancy meeting you here!”
Then there was Rong Si and Peng Zige, who were running at a decent pace before they realized that only female students were around them; not a single male student was in sight. Â Even Li Erqin, who had initially ran and chatted along with them, had vanished too.
Peng Zige turned his head left and right and, unable to find a trace of Li Erqin, asked dubiously, “Where did she go?”
Rong Si had a dark look on his face, as if he were in a bad mood, and did not reply.
Peng Zige ceased his chatter and continued running with Rong Si. Â After a while, he started to perspire. Using his arm, he wiped the sweat off his face and once again looked back, scanning the distance in hopes of catching sight of Li Erqin.
Instead, he heard a girl from behind making snicker.
He gave her a puzzled look.
Soon after, he realized that he was constantly surrounded by these “puchi” snickering sounds.
He turned to Rong Si and asked, “Is there something drawn on my face?”
Rong Si gave him a cool look and grabbed Peng Zige’s arm to stop him. He took him out from the masses and led him towards the wash basins. (Literal translation : pool or pond, but I think it’s more like those outdoor basins/sinks)
“What’s the matter?”
Rong Si took a silent breath before saying, “Your face is dirty.”
“Dirty?” He rubbed his face another time and checked his arm. There was a faint layer of black. ”What in the world is this?”
“Probably the English vocab,” Rong Si replied, leaning on the side of the wash basins and causally looking towards the sky.
“Sure enough.” Peng Zige turned on the tap and bent down to wash his face.
Sensing that Rong Si had straightened up, he turned and followed Rong Si’s line of sight. Then he spotted Li Erqin on the steps of the third floor Laboratory.
Autumn was gradually creeping in, and the sycamore trees by the classroom stairs were a stunning burst of yellow hues.
During that fourth period class, the sun had slid into its late afternoon 4pm position. The gentle breeze that brushed past had the refreshing coolness of 4pm, and the setting sun gave a 4pm kind of gentle warmth.
Li Erqin was alone at the corner of the stair landing. She was leaning against the balustrade and using her fair left arm to shade herself from the sunlight. Â Her lone figure was half in the shade and half in the sunlight, and the skirt of her uniform was swirling about her slender legs under the direction of the autumn breeze.
Peng Zige wiped the water from his face.
Another gentle breeze blew past.
The fragrance of the osmanthus flowers was rich and heady, and the scent of the sycamore trees was light and sweet. Then there was a sense of having had something but nothing was there; what could it be?
Peng Zige tried, with all his might, to grasp this feeling, and when he couldn’t, he suddenly felt as if he had lost something.
Rong Si didn’t wait for Peng Zige to open his mouth. He started to walk towards Li Erqin.
Peng Zige meant to follow suit when he suddenly, without rhyme or reason and unbeknownst even to him, stopped in his tracks. He watched Rong Si ascend the stairs step by step towards Li Erqin and noted Rong Si’s tall and erect back, his lanky physique and the unhurried manner in which Rong Si approached Li Erqin and stopped just three steps shy of her.
Rong Si said something
Li Erqin lowered her arm and turned her head….
1 second…
2 seconds….
3 seconds…
She burst out laughing.
All the surrounding colours seemed to fade out, leaving behind the brilliance of her smiling face. Her shining eyes held the glimmer of all the stars in the sky as they beamed right at Rong Si.
Peng Zige shook his head vigorously and then took off running in the opposite direction.
(Minodayz : my poor puppy PZG…i feel for you!)
When Li Erqin and Rong Si found Peng Zige, he was sitting on a horizontal monkey bar and eating an ice cream. He looked completely bored to death as he watched the people playing soccer on the field.
Li Erqin tiptoed quietly to his side before pouncing in front of him with a “Hey!”
Peng Zige looked at her with mock contempt and said, “what a pathetic attempt! … did you think it was that easy to frighten this young master?”
“Why are you hiding here all by yourself and eating ice cream?” Li Erqin pulled at him, “Rong Si and I have been looking for you for a long time.”
Peng Zige held the ice cream in front of her face saying, “ Sigh! Have some.”
Li Erqin used her strength to jump and pulled at him… leaped up and swiped at him, “Are you looking for death?” (literal – looking to die – to go looking for trouble)
Peng Zige laughed out loud. He jumped down from the monkey bar and said to Li Erqin, “Today, you’ve actually snuck off to hide and not run!”
“That’s because the weather was too nice.”
“What kind of logic is that?”
Li Erqin looked at him with contempt.
“Wanna go to the rooftop to get some sun?” Rong Si suddenly interrupted.
“The rooftop access is locked,” said Li Erqin.
Rong Si replied, “I have the keys.”
Li Erqin’s eyes lit up in delight. “You coming, Peng Zige?”
“Definitely,” Peng Zige smiled. “Let’s go get some snacks first.”
After making their purchases, the trio leisurely headed towards the laboratory stairs. Â On their way, they chanced upon Su Zi, who was alone, and simply invited her up too. Â Thus the trio became a foursome. However they realized that they were short a bottle of drink.
Rong Si found a spot around the corner that wasn’t too sunny and plonked himself down.  He offered his bottle of coke to Su Zi.
Su Zi accepted the bottle with a smile and then naturally sat herself down by Rong Si. “The weather feels so great!”
On the other side, Li Erqin had just opened a packet of chips and asked, “Su Zi, it’s BBQ flavor, wanna try some?”
Before Su Zi could reply, Li Erqin’s packet of chips was snatched away by Peng Zige.
Li Erqin glared at him: “ YOU!”
A smug Peng Zige took out a chip and put it in his mouth, a sense of karma righting itself, and laughed as he spoke to Li Erqin:   “In your heart, what am I to you?”
Li Erqin didn’t even bother with a reply. She simply looked in the snack bag, took out a marshmallow candy and popped it into her mouth.
A depressed Peng Zige looked at her and then stood up and went over to where Rong Si was sitting. “Want some?”
Rong Si declined with a shake of his head. Peng Zige then asked Su Zi, “You want some?”
“Yes, please!” Su Zi happily replied.
“Here, enjoy.” Peng Zige cheerfully handed Su Zi the whole packet of chips and then opened his bottle of drink to take a couple of swigs.. He found his eyes involuntarily tracking Li Erqin again. Realizing his own unusual behavior, he gave a couple fake coughs and then lay down.