Epilogue (3)
Epilogue (3)
Teacher Lee and the students clapped as they turned to look at the male student standing on the podium. The student named Chen Ge had an average appearance. He carried a large backpack, and a handmade and ugly ragdoll was tied to his bag.
"You can take that empty seat." Teacher Lee pointed at the corner near the back. There were two seats there, probably meant for the most unpopular student in the class. Chen Ge picked a random seat. He removed his bag, pulled open the zipper, and a broken arm fell out. It had the perfect cross-section and authentic musculature that wasn't possible without years of butchering experience.
"Did something inappropriate fall out of his bag?"
"I don't think so."
Chen Ge silently shoved the broken arm back into his back. He didn't explain himself. As he tried to put his back into the drawer, he noticed the drawer was already filled with textbooks.
"I'm sorry for being late!" The backdoor of the classroom opened. A girl appeared at the door. She was wearing the standard school uniform, but it looked amazing on her. She had a perfect figure and a sculpted face. Chen Ge wasn't one to believe in something like a school belle, but when he saw this girl, he understood what beauty meant.
The girl had been running, so her cheeks were ruddy.
"Zhang Ya, how come you're always late when you're all from the same hostel?" Teacher Lee glared at the girl. "Get to your seat."
Ever since the girl entered the class, the atmosphere had chilled. For some reason, people didn't like this pretty girl. The girl seemed to be used to this. She carried her bag and walked to the last row. She looked at Chen Ge in surprise and whispered, "This is my seat…"
"I'm sorry. I just transferred here today." Chen Ge quickly moved to the other empty seat.
"It's alright," The girl smiled at Chen Ge. She was kind and gentle.
"Already going after boys, I see." A tall girl with pierced ears in the second back row glanced at Zhang Ya with disdain. "What a slut."
Zhang Ya lowered her head. She didn't like to have conflict. She returned to her seat quickly as if worried that she'd create trouble for Chen Ge.
"If you're talking about her, I hope you'd apologize." Chen Ge stared at the girl with the pierced ears.
"I didn't mention anyone by name, but I'm sure that she knows she's a slut." The girl turned around with annoyance.
"It's time for class! Shush!" Teacher Lee knocked on the board and started the first class of the day.
Chen Ge opened his textbook and focused on the lesson. He wanted to get into Xin Hai University to study toy design. He wanted to use his two hands to make toys for the world. Zhang Ya looked at her book, but then her eyes slowly moved. For some reason, her gaze eventually landed on Chen Ge. When she was ostracized by the whole class, Chen Ge was the first person to speak up for her.
Zhang Ya's hand that held the pen tightened. She was reminded of some unhappy things. She studied dance and was a very good student. She was pretty and hardworking. It was hard for people not to focus on her. On the day she was accepted into the school dance troupe and became the prima donna, various rumors about her floated around the school. Someone said she was the headmaster's illegitimate daughter, and others said her mother was someone's mistress. There was even a rumor that claimed that she had sex with the teachers at school.
Zhang Ya couldn't focus and she felt so helpless. It was like she had been sucked into a whirlpool and couldn't escape. The first class soon ended. After the bell rang, the girl who sat in the first row walked over to apologize, "I didn't mean to splash the soymilk on your new uniform. Someone… pushed me."
"It's fine."
"Zhang Ya, are we still friends?" The bespectacled girl looked at Zhang Ya. She once had a good relationship with Zhang Ya. But once the rumors began, she distanced herself from Zhang Ya.
"Of course." Zhang Ya forced a smile. "I know you didn't mean any harm."
"Monitor, the teacher is looking for you." A few girls surrounded the bespectacled girl. They walked out of the classroom, laughing and chatting like how real friends should.
"This world is very unfair. It is always cruelest towards gentle people. Your tolerance will only make them think that you're easy to bully." Chen Ge took out a paintbrush and a palette from his bag.
"It'll be over when I graduate." Zhang Ya looked at Chen Ge in confusion. "What are you doing? Painting?"
"I accidentally broke my mom's collection, so I need to repair it as soon as possible."
"Collection?" Zhang Ya glanced into Chen Ge's bag. Her beautiful eyes saw a bloody head and a broken arm. Her face paled. She closed her mouth so she wouldn't scream.
"They're all fake. They are models made by a coroner." Chen Ge gripped the fake head by its head and showed it to Zhang Ya. Zhang Ya was so scared that she leaned back against the wall.
"I'm sorry. I just want to show it to you," Chen Ge quickly apologized.
"Who would place a decapitated head on his classmate's table? And this is our first time meeting!"
"Perhaps this is why I was forced to move to another school." Chen Ge felt like he was being hated again. "That's why I want to learn how to design toys. I want to make cute and warm toys so I can become someone popular." Chen Ge picked up the brush and started to fill in the blood vessels and muscles.
Zhang Ya closed her eyes with her hands. The head was too real. She didn't imagine that while she was sitting in class, there'd be another classmate painting a human head next to her.
She peered through the gap in her fingers. Zhang Ya told herself that she needed to learn to accept her classmate's quirks. After a few classes, Zhang Ya's impression of Chen Ge changed. This young man was very attentive. Be it taking notes, listening to lectures or repairing the fake head, he was always in his own world and wouldn't be affected by the external stimulants. Zhang Ya was suddenly envious of Chen Ge. Even though she tried to show that she didn't care, when she was reminded of certain things, she'd still feel sad.
When the afternoon class was almost over, Zhang Ya gave Chen Ge a piece of candy, "I was being too harsh earlier. All hobbies should be respected. I hope you'll get into your dream university and become the world's best toy designer."
Chen Ge looked at the candy sitting in Zhang Ya's palm. And then he looked at her face. The sun shone down on her hair. She represented the world's kindness and beauty.
"So sweet." Chen Ge mumbled as he chewed on the candy. Then, catching himself, he added, "I mean the candy."
…
"School is over. Aren't you going to the canteen?" To not scare the other students, Chen Ge stuffed the head back into his head.
"I prefer to go when there are fewer people." Zhang Ya pretended not to hear Chen Ge as she focused on her open book. "Actually, I hate staying at crowded places." The school canteen was outsourced to a catering company. The food was expensive and not delicious. The workers were very rude too.
Chen Ge glanced at the long queues and turned to the convenience store to buy some stuff, and headed back to class. When he reached the door, he saw there was a man about 30 at his seat. He was slightly rotund. He was happily describing something to Zhang Ya, but Zhang Ya was clearly nervous and afraid of him.
"Your teacher's wife should have prepared the food already. She likes you a lot. She thinks you have the body for dance. Come. You should have lunch with me."
"There's really no need." Zhang Ya waved her hands. "I've already eaten."
"How long since the bell rang? You don't need to go on a diet. Your body is developing. You need to eat more." The man said salaciously.
Chen Ge shoved the door open and paused beside the man. He placed his bag on the table. "Sir, do you mind moving? This is my seat."
"Your seat?" The adult was angry to be interrupted, but he quickly piled on the smiles. "Are you the new transfer student? I hear Teacher Lee mention you earlier. She was looking for you. She wanted you to go to the office to help her fill in some forms."
"Doesn't she have hands?"
When Chen Ge said that, both the man and Zhang Ya were stunned.
"You're an interesting kid." The man stood up and patted Chen Ge's shoulders with fake kindness. Then, he turned to Zhang Ya. "Then, I'll go first."
The door closed, but the man didn't move away.
"Who is that? How shameless." Chen Ge placed his stuff on the table and asked.
"He's the school gym teacher. He's also the son of our school headmaster. I hear he's a good person, but occasionally, he can get a bit too passionate." Zhang Ya glanced at the clock on the wall. If the man didn't leave, she wouldn't get to the canteen in time.
Chen Ge started to eat. He enjoyed his meal.
Zhang Ya sneaked a glance at Chen Ge and then forced herself to focus on her study.
"Aren't you going back to the dorm in the afternoon?"
"I don't have that habit. What about you?"
"I'm not a stayed-in student. So I'll stay in class in the afternoon." Chen Ge replied casually. He ate and did some revisions. He really wanted to get into Xin Hai University. The clock ticked. Zhang Ya didn't have the time to get breakfast because she had to stay back to clean the soymilk from her uniform. She glanced outside the classroom window. She was worried she'd run into the gym teacher again. Everyone said the man was a good teacher, but she caught some weird vibes from him. He kept looking at her in strange ways. Zhang Ya shivered just thinking about it.
"Do you have more candies? I'll trade my bun and drinks for them." Chen Ge handed over the new bun. "I bought too much on accident."
After a long hesitation, Zhang Ya agreed. Her new classmate was rather strange, but she didn't find him repulsive. Zhang Ya ate the bun and kept sneaking glances at Chen Ge. She felt like she had seen him before.
Chen Ge turned a page and looked up. Their eyes met.
Zhang Ya turned away out of embarrassment, but Chen Ge moved over with his book.
"You…"
"The dilution rates of potassium nitrate and sodium chloride are shown here. They will reach maximum capacity within a solvent of 60 degrees. But what is their crystallization compound at sub-zero temperature?" Chen Ge studied chemistry papers. "I can't remember. I always get them mixed. Whenever I sit for an exam, I'd wish I had a Pen Spirit with me. That way, it'll be much easier to get into a good university."
"Instead of believing in a Pen Spirit, you better believe in yourself." Zhang Ya patiently explained the formula.
"Aren't you a dance major? Why are you so knowledgeable about the sciences?" Chen Ge was very impressed. Zhang Ya managed to answer every question he had. Eventually, they got closer and started to chat more. Of course, Chen Ge, who loved to study, chatted with Zhang Ya mostly about the lessons and classes. He was a very studious person. Once he decided on his goal, it would rarely change. The birds outside the window kept chirping. The sunlight filtered into the room. The two lonely worlds subtly collided, and everything had color again. Time passed by slowly. Anticipation appeared on dull days, and the appearance of someone special made it so that all the difficulties didn't appear that scary anymore.
…
Five months later.
In that same class and the same back row, Zhang Ya sneaked another glance at Chen Ge. Her classmate didn't stray away from her due to the rumors. This transfer student didn't care about the 'stories' that circulated about her. He would always be there for her. They were both eighteen, and it was the brightest moment of their lives. Zhang Ya didn't have any specific intention in mind, but her eyes kept wandering over to look at Chen Ge.
After spending five months together, Zhang Ya knew that Chen Ge wasn't strange as the other students said. In fact, she believed Chen Ge was more brilliant than most of their classmates. The semester was coming to an end, but Zhang Ya had to stay behind at school with the other girls because she was a dance major. The school would be the same, but everything became so unfamiliar due to the absence of one person.
The pen went back and forth, and Zhang Ya suddenly whispered, "Chen Ge, has someone confessed their feelings to you before?" Then, Zhang Ya's heart raced. She realized she had asked a stupid and strange question.
"No one has ever liked me. I have never received a single love letter in my life." Chen Ge, who was studying trigonometry, shook his head. "Actually, I do want to be in a relationship. I don't think I'm ugly, but no one likes me."
Zhang Ya saw the frowning Chen Ge and smiled. "After the finals are over, I'm going to watch my favorite movie. Do you want to come with me?"
"I can't. I've enrolled in an add-math class." Chen Ge said seriously.
"Do you have to be so hardworking?"
"If I don't, I'll have to inherit my parent's haunted house in the future." Chen Ge slumped on the table weakly.
"Isn't that quite nice?" Zhang Ya was quite interested in the haunted house.
"My dream is to bring people joy and not to scare them." Chen Ge said sincerely. "Furthermore, my family's haunted house is almost closing down. My parents are paying out of their pockets to keep it running. If I don't work hard, we won't even have food to eat in the future."
The bell rang. Chen Ge stretched and took out a human head from his drawer.
"Why did you bring it back? Did you break it again?" Zhang Ya was already used to the many things Chen Ge would whip out of his drawer.
"yesterday night, a stray cat got into the haunted house. To chase it away, I accidentally bumped into another one of my mother's collections." Chen Ge shook his head. "Our classmates say that I'm crazy and aloof, but I was so gentle when I was dealing with the cat yesterday night."
"Ignore them. Let's go. It's time to eat." Zhang Ya and Chen Ge stood up together. They moved out of the classroom. Facing the crowd, Zhang Ya followed Chen Ge. She felt safe, looking at his back. She raised her slender fingers. Just as she was about to touch the corner of Chen Ge's shirt, a female voice came from the roadside tennis court.
"Friend, can you help? Our shuttlecock got stuck on the tree." Two girls from the tennis club leaned on the fence. Because it was summer, they wore short exercise pants. The scenery was beautiful. Zhang Ya slowly put her hand down when she saw that Chen Ge had stopped. The shuttlecock landed very high on the tree. It was stuck between the branches. Chen Ge looked around before taking out the bloody head from his bag. He targeted the shuttlecock and then tossed the head!
The leaves fell. The shuttlecock landed, but this time, it was the human head that was stuck in the tree.
"This…" Chen Ge frowned, and Zhang Ya stood beside him. The six eyes looked at each other, not knowing what to do.
"If someone saw this at night, they'd be so scared." Chen Ge was worried.
"Have some confidence. Even if someone saw this during the day, they'd be scared witless too." Zhang Ya looked between Chen Ge and the head. Eventually, she burst out laughing.
"I just wanted to help." Chen Ge picked up the shuttlecock, but when he turned around, the two students had already long gone. "Don't they want their shuttlecock back?"
"You should keep it. You can return it to them tomorrow." Zhang Ya smiled.
"It feels like I've done something wrong again. What does it feel like to be loved? How come other people manage to get into a relationship so easily?" Chen Ge took out a white paper and wrote on it, "There's a human head on the tree. Be mindful!" He posted the paper on the trunk so that the passing students wouldn't be scared.
"I haven't been in any relationship. I used to be very afraid of those things." Zhang Ya sidled close to Chen Ge. "But I think I've changed my mind now."
"Good." Chen Ge picked up his bag, and then he remembered something. He turned to Zhang Ya. "It's Thursday today! It's 50 percent off on fried chicken! We need to go!" Due to the urgency, he grabbed Zhang Ya by her wrist without thinking, and the two ran toward the canteen.
0…
When you like a person, will you be inexplicably happy even when you just hear her voice?
The finals were over, and Chen Ge walked out of the exam hall with his bag. With Zhang Ya's help, he had confidence that his results would improve a lot.
"I really need to thank her." Chen Ge thought of Zhang Ya. "She's so pretty, clever, kind, and so good at dancing…"
In Chen Ge's eyes, Zhang Ya had no flaw. No matter how rational he tried to dissect this, Zhang Ya was perfect in his eyes.
"I wonder which lucky bastard will end up with her in the future." Chen Ge was wandering around aimlessly when he felt a pat on his shoulder. He turned around to see Zhang Ya.
"How do you think of the exam?" Zhang Ya smiled a lot more than she did in the future. All the flowers were there to shine on her beauty.
"The questions were difficult, but I think I got everything thanks to your help." Chen Ge was very happy. "I was just thinking about how to repay you. Do you have any present that you want?"
"What kind of person would ask a question like that directly?" Zhang Ya walked beside Chen Ge. Then, she asked, "By the way, what kind of movies do you like?"
"Horror movies. The scarier, the better," Chen Ge answered honestly.
"I've been meaning to watch one. Since the finals are over and we have nothing to do tomorrow…" Zhang Ya's voice dwindled. Her heart pounded.
"I'd advise you not to do anything crazy. It's two completely different experiences watching a horror movie at the cinema and on your phone." Chen Ge said seriously.
"That's not the main issue. The main issue is whether both of us have time tomorrow." Zhang Ya blushed. "I'll wait for you outside the school gate tomorrow afternoon."
Before Chen Ge could answer, Zhang Ya ran away.
"Is she… really that interested in horror movies?"
…