Xie Lan carried the sticky note in his pocket like a piece of burning coal, the kind that could burn his hands and cause blisters. Whenever a classmate greeted him on the street, he would just nod stupidly, clutching the culprit tightly in his pocket, fearing that he would be discovered.
—My superficial Chinese sense does not prevent me from noticing the dark atmosphere revealed in this Chinese love words.
Other people's love words may attract love, but this one can only attract forensic medicine.
There were still two classes playing basketball on the small playground. Class 4 didn't go to school today. One side of the court was Class 12. Xie Lan didn't recognize the other side, but from the way they dressed, almost everyone could be classified as the same team as Class 12's Cao Ge. He walked around and took a few casual glances. Class 12 had a strong sense of being a sniper. Every shot was blocked with a bang. The physical education teacher asked for leave today. No one scored or blew the whistle in this game. There were random physical conflicts, and the audience on the sidelines collectively "whooped" when they were not happy.
In contrast, the owls in Class 4 had a completely different style. No one went to the stadium to join in the fun. Everyone held an ice cream in their hands, and groups of three walked in circles nearby.
Xie Lan walked along the tree-lined path next to the restaurant and finally found Dou Sheng. He was sitting on the cement slope in front of the cafeteria, holding an ice cream in his hand, his long legs flexing and stretching in a state of relaxation.
Seeing Xie Lan, he smiled and patted the empty space around him.
"I've been waiting for you for so long that the ice is about to melt." Dou Sheng handed over one of the purple-wrapped "grape ices". Xie Lan thanked him, tore open the package and took a bite.
Pure ice, no milk at all. I have never eaten ice cream without milk in the UK. It is very refreshing and a bit addictive.
Dou Sheng's expression was normal, as if nothing had happened. He looked at the game not far away with a smile on his face, and then he said, "Something is wrong. There seems to be something going on between Class 12 and Class 9 of Arts."
story
Xie Lan followed the look and just happened to see Chen Ge bumping into a big boy.
Chen Ge looked thin, but he was the kind of lean body that comes from regular exercise, and he didn't suffer any loss under the crushing weight of his body size, and he sat back and supported himself with his hands. But the opponent was in a more miserable state, sliding out sideways, his arm rubbed red, and there was another round of boos from the sidelines.
Xie Lan looked a little distressed, but Dou Sheng just looked away calmly and yawned while holding the ice cream.
"Have you returned to the classroom?" Dou Sheng asked.
Xie Lan hesitated for a few seconds after hearing this, then took out the ridiculous sticky note and pressed it against his leg.
Dou Sheng was stunned, but couldn't help laughing, "You really went back to the classroom? You were found out so quickly, I didn't have time to record your reaction."
Xie Lan glanced at him and said, "Hu Xiujie agreed to leave the self-review with me. I was going back to deliver something, but when I saw that there was no one in the classroom, I was shocked. I forgot that there was a physical education class today."
I feel that this explanation is good. The context is not deliberate, and it won't make Dou Sheng think too much.
Dou Sheng just nodded and said with a smile, "Isn't this to demonstrate the correct way to play a prank with love words? You've learned it, right? The words you translated don't have any mental attack power at all. Only earthy love words are the strongest."
Corny love talk.
The Chinese language is so insightful. These four simple words sum up the complex emotions that Xie Lan felt when he saw those few lines of small words.
He was speechless for a while before he said, "Can you make something less tacky?"
Dou Sheng smiled faintly, "It's to break your mental comfort zone, otherwise how can we do the hardcore high school reality show?"
"Do you want to put this material into the final video?"
"Yeah, otherwise why would I do it?"
"..." Xie Lan said expressionlessly, "The video has gone viral, remember to send me some money."
"They're all yours." Dou Sheng said with a smile.
Dou Sheng lay back and closed his eyes comfortably. The sunlight shone through the leaves of the sycamore tree at the entrance of the cafeteria, casting a bright spot on his face. After a long while, he asked in a low voice, "Are you tired? You've worked hard all day. Go back home and go to bed early tonight."
Xie Lan hummed and couldn't help but yawn.
Just as she was about to lie down with Dou Sheng, an earphone was suddenly stuffed into her right ear.
It's a lawn symphony video. It just played the song "My Neighbor Totoro". It's leisurely and cheerful, very relaxing.
Dou Sheng wore the other earphone in his left ear and said with his eyes closed, "I'm so sleepy, let's sleep together for a while."
"Um."
Xie Lan listened to the sound of the violin in the headphones, and vaguely distinguished the lonely notes belonging to Dou Sheng. He leaned back and lay beside Dou Sheng. For some reason, he suddenly thought of the two cats lying together in the sun in the summer.
Big cat, second cat, this was just a metaphor Dou Sheng made up casually, but it was quite vivid.
Xie Lan suddenly felt less agitated, as long as she stopped thinking about what Dou Sheng had just said, "I have someone I like."
The sun made me feel warm, and my mouth, which had just eaten some ice cream, felt cool with a slight sweet aftertaste.
"Xie Lan."
Dou Sheng suddenly spoke and called his name in a low voice.
Xie Lan opened his eyes, "Hmm?"
The sunlight that shone through the leaves was a bit blinding, and he tilted his head to look at Dou Sheng's profile. Dou Sheng had a handsome figure with clear lines, and his skin was glowing white, which made his black eyes look serene and deep.
Dou Sheng looked up and said softly, "Feng Miao's note is unsigned, but this shouldn't be the first time. I kept finding cookies and other things in the study hall in the past week, and it was probably her. So I just made it clear to her. She's quite cheerful, so she shouldn't be awkward for too long."
Xie Lan was stunned for a moment before he said "oh" blankly.
Why are you telling me this
I think Dou Sheng is a strange person. He is open with me, but he never mentions the things before junior high school to me—the past of "hitting the bottom and rebounding" that Dai You and Che Ziming all know. But he treats me as just an ordinary friend, but he always takes me with him in everything. Xie Lan even feels that Dou Sheng spends much more time with me than with Che Ziming and others.
"If you see people passing notes, love letters, gifts, or anything like that again, please help me throw it away."
Dou Sheng closed his eyes again and said, "It's really troublesome. Out of sight, out of mind. Thanks."
Xie Lan was stunned for a moment, "Are you serious? You don't even consider who gave it to you?"
"I won't consider it." Dou Sheng refused decisively. After a pause, he said, "I think I already have someone I like. Apart from you, I won't consider anyone else."
Xie Lan's heart skipped a beat.
I could hear myself swallowing nervously.
"Who is it? What do I see?"
"Maybe." Dou Sheng suddenly raised the corners of his lips, but the smile only lasted for a moment. He quickly hid it carefully and said lightly: "A little-known public figure, maybe he has faded out of the public eye a long time ago. You may not remember him even if I tell you."
"?"
Xie Lan sat up suddenly, "The person you really like, the one you rejected all confessions for, is a celebrity?"
Dou Sheng opened his mouth and said, "Ah. Maybe I can't be considered a star, but I do have works, and they are very good works."
Xie Lan felt that his face had instantly turned into a small TV, with question marks floating in a line on the screen.
It's poisonous.
Depend on.
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "What kind of love is this?"
"Yes." Dou Sheng closed his eyes, his voice low but firm.
This might be the most serious sentence Xie Lan had heard him say since he had known him for so long.
"I just felt a spiritual bond before, but now I am more and more certain of it. I like it very much."
Xie Lan: “…”
Whatever, there is no way to communicate.
He angrily lay back on the concrete floor, and when he was about to hit the ground he suddenly realized that something was wrong. He had acted too violently and the back of his head might be hurt.
However, no, he braked back and landed on the ground. Dou Sheng reached out and cushioned the back of his head with his palm.
Dou Sheng's palms are large in proportion to his height. He looks thin when lying down, but feels soft when he lies down.
He could clearly feel Dou Sheng’s five fingers on the back of his head.
Dou Sheng smiled faintly and said, "You won't understand even if I tell you, but don't look down on my love, otherwise I will be a little unhappy."
Xie Lan was stunned for a moment, "Then do you think there is a chance between you and her?"
This time Dou Sheng was silent for a long time.
After a long time, Xie Lan thought that he was unwilling to answer the question, so he whispered, "I personally think that you have a little possibility, but you haven't shown a big possibility at the moment. But how should I put it, I think I am also a very likable person. Maybe one day, a gust of wind will suddenly blow away the clouds, and people will look up at the moon, and find that the moon is also leaning down to look at people."
Xie Lan was silent for a moment, "Speak human language."
Dou Sheng said: "You will also fall deeply in love with me."
Xie Lan: "...Oh. Good luck to you."
For some reason, after hearing Dou Sheng say that the person he liked was a celebrity, Xie Lan suddenly felt less anxious.
The key is that it is unrealistic. Dou Sheng is a person who can be described in two words from head to toe - outrageous.
There was a gentle breeze, and Xie Lan closed his eyes, as if he had really fallen asleep for a while.
I was woken up by the sudden shouting and cursing on the field. When I opened my eyes, the light didn't change much. I guess I just fell asleep for a few minutes.
Dou Sheng's hand was even placed under his head without being retracted, but Dou Sheng had already sat up, with his hand resting on his head. He didn't sit up very straight, and looked at the basketball court with a frown.
On the basketball court, a group of boys from Class 12 and Class 9 of Arts started fighting. The game was suspended and the whole class was shouting foul language. The scene was quite spectacular.
The ones playing basketball were hitting and kicking, while the rest were pulling their classmates from their own class. Brother Cao was the one being pulled the most, with his shoulders being held down and dragged backwards, but his lower body was flying in the air, and he kicked the center of the ninth class of the liberal arts department with his feet, and he couldn't be held down.
Chen Ge was also inside and was also held down, but he didn't struggle too much, as if he was just a tool being dominated, and he couldn't wait to get his salary and go home early.
Xie Lan was confused for a while by the battle situation on the playground, and subconsciously turned his head to look at Dou Sheng.
Dou Sheng remained calm, and didn't seem to want to go up. A few boys from Class 4 were standing on the tree-lined road next to him, and one of them was typing on his phone.
After a while, Wen Zisen trotted Hu Xiujie away, followed by four security guards.
"Stop!"
"Stop! Stop it!"
"Get down! Hold your head!"
These shouts were not from Hu Xiujie, but from the group of security guards. They pushed the crowd apart with batons in hand. The roars of the grown men soon quieted the scene, and then the ones from Class 9 and Class 12 who were leading the riot squatted down.
The security guard shouted, "What are you doing! You are students! Are there any laws for fighting on campus?"
A girl shouted from the sidelines, "Speak some sense, Wenjiu is playing dirty!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she was "whooped" by a group of men and women from Class 9.
"Who is playing dirty? He wants to win at all costs. Should we check the campus surveillance?"
"You science majors are just lying with your eyes open."
A girl from Class 9 of the Arts Department ran out to explain to Hu Xiujie, but Hu Xiujie listened with a stern face and did not respond to her.
After a long while, Hu Xiujie stretched out her hand and pointed at a few people. All the players from the entire class, including the three or four boys who had just started, were pointed at by her.
Naturally, this also includes Chen Ge.
A group of people followed Hu Xiujie in a scattered manner. One security guard followed him, and another security guard shouted at the students who were watching to disperse.
Xie Lan was almost stunned, and only came back to his senses when Dou Sheng gently pinched her wrist.
Dou Sheng sighed, "Don't look at it. High school is a period where it is easy to go astray. Even the best schools will always have people like this and classes like this."
Xie Lan was stunned and said, "Isn't Yingzhong one of the best high schools?"
"The polarization is quite serious." Dou Sheng said calmly, "In our city, the transition from primary school to junior high school is not entirely based on grades. The school district plays a major role. Many students who live nearby go directly to the junior high school of Yingzhong. After finishing junior high school, it is easier to go directly to the high school of our school than to get in from outside, so the source of students is a bit mixed. And it's not entirely a problem of student quality. Basketball games are prone to quarrels. Hu Xiujie has always advocated the cancellation of basketball games, which is actually not unreasonable."
Xie Lan heard the general idea, but saw it clearly.
Hu Xiujie was much more silent than usual towards Cao Ge's gang. Usually she was as fierce as the King of Hell when she scolded her students, but this time she was just doing her job. Only when Chen Ge walked beside her did she show some expression and pushed him angrily.
Dou Sheng sighed softly, "Not everyone can make money, and everyone knows it."
Before the evening self-study class, Dai You said in a low voice, "It's over. Remember this."
Dou Sheng paused while solving a math problem and raised his eyes nonchalantly, "Does everyone remember the fight?"
"I'm not sure, but I heard that the Political and Educational Department did make a list, so it should be quite a lot."
Che Ziming sighed and said anxiously, "What should we do? Chen Ge is really a jerk. Why is he mixing with that group of scum? Does he have any evidence against him?"
Wang Gou also whispered, "I don't think you're very enthusiastic about fighting. If you're remembered, won't you be the scapegoat?"
Xie Lan put down his pen and asked, "What is the note?"
Dai You said, "All domestic students have files. A bad record will be in your file for the rest of your life, affecting your further studies and employment. Some students may be forced to repeat a grade if the punishment is too severe."
As soon as he finished speaking, the self-study bell rang. Everyone returned to their seats immediately and Hu Xiujie pushed his way in.
She stood up on the podium with no expression on her face and knocked lightly on the table to get everyone's attention.
"Please convey something to Lao Ma. The provincial math training camp has been arranged. It will be a fourteen-day closed camp training during the summer vacation, every Saturday you are present, starting from this Saturday." Hu Xiujie turned around and wrote down the time and place on the blackboard, and glanced at Xie Lan. "Xie Lan, cancel your basic Chinese class on Saturday. Teacher Qin said she would recommend a few more suitable extracurricular tutoring classes for you. Consider the time next Saturday night or Sunday."
After the teacher said this, Xie Lan could only agree and said thank you.
As usual, after handing in the work, Hu Xiujie should let everyone lower their heads to study on their own.
But this time she didn't respond for a long time, just stood there, as if she had something to say.
The owls lowered their heads, wrote a few words, and then looked up at her.
There was a tacit silence in the class. The doors were closed in front and back, and only people from the class were in the enclosed space.
Hu Xiujie sighed softly, "Today's basketball game is about to start. Our class has an old rule: play the game in a Buddha-like manner. Don't fight or grab anything. Ensure safety."
The students nodded one after another.
She paused for a moment and then whispered, "If anyone is close to Chen Ge, please give him a word of advice so that he doesn't go too far."
There was silence all around. Hu Xiujie waved his hand to continue studying and walked to the window to empty his mind.
Xie Lan lowered her head to solve a difficult problem, and when she looked up again, she saw Hu Xiujie standing there. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but the figure seemed a little lonely, completely different from her vigorous and fierce appearance during the day. After a while, Hu Xiujie turned her back to the class and looked at the report card posted next to the blackboard.
Next to the blackboard of Class 4 was a list of the class from the first year of high school onwards. After the class division, it was not torn up. Dou Sheng's name was at the top of the list, with a high-profile line drawn across the neatly pasted transcript. In the first few exams of the first year of high school, Chen Ge was also ranked second, and a high-profile line was drawn across his name, but the line stopped abruptly halfway through.
Hu Xiujie looked at it for a long time, then went out with the cup of water.
The next day, the disciplinary notice was posted behind a glass bulletin board, with a document stamped with an official seal and six names.
When Xie Lan followed the car to check, his heart was in his throat. It was not until he glanced at all the people on the paper and didn't see Chen Ge that he breathed a sigh of relief.
Dai You said thoughtfully, "There are at least eight or nine people who took action. Old Hu should have let go of those who were not involved in minor crimes."
Yu Fei frowned and glanced at the paper again, "Outrageous, you can't even do this for a ball game, you're fired."
Although he said this, Xie Lan obviously felt that everyone was relieved. After returning, the haze was finally cleared and he started joking. Although Dou Sheng had not said anything before, his mood was obviously better.
After returning to his seat, Xie Lan opened the planning book and discussed the idea of the next video with Dou Sheng.
I have two plans here. One is to try to make learning content, such as opening an online math competition study room every Friday night. The other is my old profession, music. I want to go to a zoo during the May Day holiday, film the reactions of wild animals to music, and edit a small musical starring the animals.
The driver of the car was collecting the math homework. Xie Lan took the exercise paper out from a pile of materials without even looking up. Just as he was about to hand it to her, his eyes suddenly fixed on her.
He suddenly pulled the paper back.
Che Ziming stared: "I saw it! What is that pink thing!"
Xie Lan almost fainted, but fortunately everyone around was making a fuss and few people were paying attention to this.
Only Dou Sheng nearly choked on a mouthful of mineral water, and then he laughed quietly, and his laughter never stopped.
Xie Lan's pupils trembled, and he tore off the sticky note with trembling hands.
—He who keeps company with red becomes red, and he who keeps company with you becomes sweet.
He took a deep breath and grabbed Dou Sheng's clothes, "Are you done yet?"
The fist hardened.
Che Ziming looked at Dou Sheng in shock, "Brother, what are you doing? This is not the way to bully a young overseas returnee. This is mental poisoning."
"Go away." Dou Sheng laughed so hard that he choked. "It's none of your business if we're just joking. Just collect your homework."
Che Ziming rolled his eyes and took Xie Lan's paper away. "I don't care. It's an eyesore."
After the car left, Xie Lan let go of Dou Sheng and wordlessly stuffed the sticky note into his pencil case.
"Your ears are a little red." Dou Sheng said in a low voice, "To be honest, as someone whose Chinese is not very good, how do you really feel when you see such cheesy love words?"
Xie Lan stared at him and said, "I want to kill you."
"You don't like this kind of thing, but I think the imagery is very euphemistic and the wording is beautiful, like the one written by Feng Miao. You can't understand it either."
Dou Sheng sighed, and suddenly asked, "What kind do you like?"
He casually tore off a piece of paper and wrote down a line of English fluently:
whatever our souls are made of, yours and mine are the same.
"Such?"
Xie Lan looked at the jargon and finally felt that the world was a little more normal.
But it's just a little.
Confused, "Why do you want to do this?"
The more he thought about it, the more he hated himself. If he had not misunderstood Feng Miao's words, he might not have turned on the strange switch in that person.
Dou Sheng pulled him down and sat down. "I just want to know what kind of words are romantic to you, a person like you who has a messy Chinese system."
Xie Lan frowned and thought for a full ten seconds.
Suddenly, he was startled, glanced around, and whispered, "The one you like, isn't it a foreign star?"
Dou Sheng hummed, "It can be considered as such."
"Keep a low profile." He immediately added, "No one knows about the car."
Xie Lan looked at Dou Sheng with a sudden sympathy in his eyes.
It was getting more and more outrageous, so outrageous that it made people feel sad. The harder Dou Sheng tried to prepare, the sadder he felt.
She felt mixed emotions for a long time, then gently stroked Dou Sheng's back.
"Don't worry, I'll help you think about it."
Xie Lan opened his phone and searched for a collection of cheesy love words.
He paused and said, "Let me find a few sentences that I think are good. Can you take a look at them?"
Dou Sheng nodded immediately, "Okay."
Xie Lan tore a piece of paper and read from the first line.
"This one is pretty good." He found one and quickly copied it down on paper.
I am nine and you are three, except you, the only one left is you.
The smile on Dou Sheng's face suddenly froze.
It was a little unbelievable. "So you like this?"
Xie Lan hummed, "It's pretty good, at least it has a bit of mathematical brilliance, and it looks rational and not tacky."
A rare question mark appeared on Dou Shengshuai's face.
Xie Lan ignored him and continued to copy down on the paper—
This is the back of my hand, this is the back of my foot, you are my baby
"I want to buy a piece of land." "What land?" "Your unwavering love."
As he wrote, he said, "I think all of these are fine. What should this be called? Homophone? Homophone? Anyway, this kind of word, I think it can reflect the beauty of the Chinese language."
Dou Sheng seemed to have frozen in thought, and after a long while he murmured, "Then what I did last time, don't complain, hug me, wasn't it the same thing?"
"It's different." Xie Lan shook his head firmly. "Yours is too perfunctory. If you want to go for the clever route, you should go to the extreme, or have a little sense of rhythm. I think parallelism is good. Chinese parallelism is very powerful."
As he was talking, he saw a good one and copied it as he read it: "Having you in my dreams is extremely sweet; having you in my heart is extremely fulfilling; having you by my side is extremely happy."
Dou Sheng opened his mouth several times but didn't utter a single word.
“Fuck.”
Yu Fei, who was lying on the table, suddenly turned over and muttered, "What the hell did I do to get struck by lightning for taking a nap during class."
He collapsed and took out his earplugs and said, "You two should just be together and stop causing trouble to this poor guy."