MM | Chapter 42

Deserve a Beating

As soon as class ended, almost the entire class gathered around.

“1, 2, 3—” Song Sirui, like a band conductor, snapped his fingers and tossed his head, leading everyone to chant in unison, “Treat us! Treat us! Treat us!”

“Are you seriously counting beats?” Sheng Wang almost choked on his water.

“Yeah, it sounds more powerful when it’s in sync.” Song Sirui kept gesturing to the rhythm, while Gao Tianyang was laughing hysterically beside him.

“Are they always this ridiculous?” Sheng Wang turned to Jiang Tian, “Did they do this when you won awards too?”

Jiang Tian said, “Depends.”

“Depends on what?” Sheng Wang asked.

Two guys nearby laughed and said, “Depends on whether Old Gao is afraid of dying. If he’s not afraid and shouts for a treat, we follow. If he is, we just shout for Tian-ge.”

“???” Sheng Wang glared at them, “Then why are you so bold today?”

“Because you’re here!”

“Wow, picking the easy target, huh?” Sheng Wang said.

Song Sirui ignored everything and started chanting, “Sheng-ge—”

Everyone else chimed in, “Handsome!”

Song Sirui: “Tian-ge—”

Everyone: “Cool!”

Song Sirui: “Sheng-ge—”

“Awesome!”

“Tian-ge—”

“Cheater!”

“…”

What the heck, these lunatics!!!

People from downstairs in the hallway came up to watch, and Sheng Wang quickly grabbed a book to cover his face, “Alright, alright, I’ll treat, just stop shouting.”

“You’re really treating?” Gao Tianyang laughed so hard he almost passed out, then came back to life, saying, “Didn’t you notice how practiced they are at this chant? It’s a routine; you’re the only one who takes them seriously!”

“I give up, I have some dignity.” Sheng Wang raised his hand with a smile, “After this week’s exams, Those Years BBQ at the school gate, my treat. Let’s eat the boss out of business!”

A large group of people cheered, shouting, “Eat Lin-ge out of business! Eat Xi-ge out of business! Eat the whole place out!”

“You won’t survive it!” Xiao Lajiao or someone else laughed and cursed.

It was Sheng Wang’s first time encountering such a crazy group of classmates, but he was really starting to like this class. No, he liked most of the people in this class. He had said he was small-minded and held grudges, so being magnanimous was impossible. Those who had wronged him were still idiots in his eyes.

While others laughed and joked, all crowding in the back row, only Qi Jiahao sat outside the group.

He had said he had poor eyesight and had negotiated with the homeroom teacher for a front-row seat. Recently, the seating was rearranged, and he moved to the fifth group while Sheng Wang and the others were in the first group.

He was diagonally across from the excitement, the farthest distance in the classroom.

He remembered the day he fought his way from Class 5 to Class A, the classroom was just as lively, with a group of half-familiar classmates surrounding him, urging him to treat.

Before that, he had only seen Class A people in the hallways and on the playground, barely exchanged words, let alone knew them, but he could call out their names because each one was a target he wanted to surpass.

So when he was urged to treat, he felt half timid, half proud, both fearful and pleased. By the time he struggled out of his emotions to agree, the crowd had already laughed and dispersed.

After that day, Qi Jiahao became Old Qi of Class A.

He found that people in this class were naturally friendly, as if they could become friends with anyone they wanted with just a word.

He felt a bit envious, sometimes even jealous. Jealous of their innate confidence, why? They were probably raised with praise.

Unlike him, with a father who was all talk and no achievements, and a mother who, having not attended a good school herself, dumped all the pressure on him. When he scored well, his mom would even cut fruit and feed him. When he failed, she could say the most cutting things.

Relatives said he had two swirls on his head, which meant he was smart. But he knew only one was real; the other was a scar from when his mom hit him with a clothes rod for skipping tutoring in elementary school.

Sometimes he felt like a snake that had sneaked into a group of dragons. Other times he felt like a lone dragon-slaying knight, waiting for hard work to pay off.

He started mimicking Class A people, pretending to be naturally friendly, calling friends, as if he were genuinely enthusiastic. But there were many people he didn’t like.

He didn’t like Jiang Tian, who could easily score full marks and effortlessly stay at the top. He didn’t like Gao Tianyang, who, despite being at the bottom of Class A, could buddy up with anyone. And Xu Tianshu, if his dad weren’t the director of the Political and Educational Office, how could someone so mediocre have today’s grades?

…

But the one he disliked most was Sheng Wang.

Clearly someone who joined halfway, with scores miles behind everyone else, he hadn’t even tried to be enthusiastic, yet the class easily accepted him. Why? Why didn’t he have to work hard to have the same or even greater confidence than others in Class A?

Qi Jiahao felt overshadowed in every way, except for English. Only in Yang Jing’s class was he truly a Class A student. He never worried about being called on; he even hoped for it. His papers were almost standard answers, his notes were eagerly copied by others, even Jiang Tian had to concede to him.

But then Sheng Wang came along and turned all his “almosts” into “definitelys.”

In Class A, in English, Sheng Wang was the standard answer, and Jiang Tian had to concede to him.

How could Qi Jiahao possibly like someone like that?

He sat quietly, flattening the new certificate, carefully tucking it into a large workbook, and putting it in his backpack, waiting to show his parents after evening self-study. Since he lost the City Top Three Students award, his mom hadn’t shown him a good face.

Other classmates were still chatting with Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian. If it weren’t for that incident, he would have been part of the group too.

He felt a bit regretful, a bit sour and wronged, thinking that Class A’s friendships were just like that.

Everyone makes mistakes; he just made one. Since then, the excitement had nothing to do with him, the cheers had nothing to do with him, and the honor had nothing to do with him. Was it worth it?

He was still in Class A, yet it felt like he had been eliminated.

…

*

On Friday morning, Jiang Tian called Zhao Xi. He was worried the hungry wolves in the class would really eat the BBQ place out of business, so he wanted to give the owner a heads-up.

Sheng Wang sat backward on his chair, chin resting on the backrest, half-listening, while Gao Tianyang and the others, eager for food, were stretching their ears while comparing answers, but the more they listened, the more it seemed off.

“Wasn’t it Xi-ge?” Sheng Wang asked as soon as Jiang Tian hung up.

“No,” Jiang Tian said, putting his phone back in his backpack. “Lin-ge answered. They went to Beijing for something, and Xi-ge’s phone is with him.”

“Beijing? What for?” Sheng Wang was curious.

“Not sure, just said they had something to do.” Jiang Tian recalled, the other end wasn’t quiet, Lin Beiting seemed to be in a noisy public place, with computer sounds calling numbers, “Probably at a bank or hospital.”

Sheng Wang: “Hospital???”

Jiang Tian said, “Uncle Zhao had surgery before, occasionally goes for check-ups, probably took him to Beijing. Didn’t see him at Xi Le yesterday.”

“What illness?”

“Stomach cancer.”

Sheng Wang was stunned.

He suddenly remembered the first time he saw Boss Zhao, thinking he looked like a big mantis, with slightly protruding eyes, indeed a bit too thin. Maybe because of a close relative’s passing, Sheng Wang was sensitive to matters of life and death.

Jiang Tian paused and added, “The surgery was seven or eight years ago.”

Sheng Wang didn’t react: “Seven or eight years, so what?”

“The doctor said if there’s no recurrence five years after surgery, there’s usually no big problem, just routine check-ups,” Jiang Tian said.

Sheng Wang was dazed for a moment, then thought about how, aside from his appearance, Boss Zhao didn’t seem like a patient at all, full of energy in his laughter and scolding, and finally relaxed. Just as he came back to his senses, he met Jiang Tian’s gaze. Maybe because of the lowered angle, it seemed a bit gentle.

“Why are you looking at me?” Sheng Wang touched the back of his neck and sat up straight.

Jiang Tian’s eyebrows quickly furrowed and then relaxed, his expression returning to normal. He took a sip from his water bottle and said, “Is your face a tourist spot? Need a ticket to look?”

Sheng Wang let out a cold laugh and glanced under the table. Jiang Tian’s basketball shoes were white today. Without a word, he stepped on them.

Jiang Tian: “…”

Being guys, they knew what would hurt the most.

Gao Tianyang turned around and announced Zhao Xi and Lin Beiting’s absence, causing a wave of groans.

Class A’s competition class had been going on for a while, and both of them had been invited to teach. When they first came, a few students from other classes who came to audit were shocked: “Isn’t that the BBQ shop owner outside the school gate? Who let a BBQ guy teach us physics?”

At that time, He Jin was holding a notebook, entering from the back door to listen to the class, and sternly replied, “I invited them.”

Scared those students almost turned back the way they came.

When the physics class rep projected the prepared PPT introduction, Zhao Xi and Lin Beiting’s impressive resumes were displayed, and those students were silenced with a gasp of “Wow.”

Zhao Xi joked when he got on stage, saying, “When Teacher He talked to me about this, Linzi and I were still abroad, hadn’t yet taken the BBQ path. Don’t be fooled by her stern face now; she’s regretting it.”

He Jin laughed and scolded from the back, “Get lost.”

“See, she’s already emotional,” Zhao Xi said.

His voice wasn’t loud but clear, with a hint of roguishness and calm. He said, “Don’t worry, Linzi and I are just here to give you a taste of what physics could be like if you keep studying it. It’s essentially a chat, won’t mess up the physics framework in your heads.”

Lin Beiting was more serious, but he also made a small joke at the end of the class. He pointed at Zhao Xi, who had returned to the back of the classroom, and said, “Also, to clarify, studying this won’t necessarily make you bald, as long as you don’t do it in the UK.”

After that, the whole grade knew that Class A’s competition class had two handsome teachers as guides, one of whom was an alumnus of the Affiliated High School, which meant they could call him senior.

Other classes were like that, and Class A even more so. Everyone liked them. The treat was supposed to be for BBQ, but it was really an excuse to have a meal with Zhao Xi and Lin Beiting. With them not around, the meal wouldn’t be as enjoyable.

Lin Beiting said they’d be back after National Day, so Sheng Wang’s treat was postponed.

The weather turned cooler all of a sudden, and at the end of September, the Affiliated High School’s sports meet arrived first.

Gao Tianyang finally showed some class committee spirit, running around the classroom during every break to rally the troops.

Class A students weren’t very interested in the sports meet, mainly because the events were so ridiculous.

“What’s an 8×200 mixed relay?” Sheng Wang asked.

Gao Tianyang, this beast, relying on his good relationship, risked his life to sign Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian up for several events, including this one.

“Mixed relay, 4 boys and 4 girls, order is flexible, tests both stamina and strategy,” Gao Tianyang said mysteriously.

Test your dad.

Sheng Wang looked desperate.

There were only 8 girls in Class A, and only one, Pepper, could run. The others, every single one, had thrown up after 800 meters, and three didn’t even pass. Who was this trying to kill?

Sheng Wang looked at Jiang Tian and said, “Is it too late for me to jump off the top bunk and break my leg tonight?”

Jiang Tian said, “I could break it faster.”

Sheng Wang: “…”