MM | Chapter 61

The Gift

Old Man Ding had a phone for the elderly, with fonts as big as copper bells. It was said that Jiang Tian initially wanted to buy him a regular smartphone, patiently promising to teach him until he could use it. But the old man refused, claiming his eyesight was too poor to see anything on those smart screens.

The old man was stubborn, threatening to sell it immediately if he got one. Jiang Tian knew he wasn’t bluffing, so he had no choice but to buy a special phone for him. What kids didn’t like, the old man loved, and once he got it, he never let it out of his sight.

Jiang Tian was awkward about it, and the old man loved teasing him. He often showed off, saying, “Xiao Tian bought this for me,” even to Sheng Wang. At that time, Jiang Tian was eating beside him, his face growing more expressionless, until he finally stuffed a big chicken leg into the old man’s bowl, saying, “Eat and don’t talk.”

The old man, holding his chopsticks, was about to hit him, saying he was rude and had a bad temper, which made Sheng Wang laugh.

The phone could be set with family numbers for convenience and emergencies. Jiang Tian was number 1, and the old man said that was enough. Later, Jiang Tian added Boss Zhao’s number after a word with Xi Le. When Sheng Wang came, he moved things around a bit, taking the second spot, and Boss Zhao became the third.

Normally, Old Man Ding only called Jiang Tian, so Sheng Wang was a bit surprised to receive the call.

The old man said, “Ji Huanyu is bothering me again. Take Xiao Tian somewhere else to eat, don’t let him come over.”

This was strange, and Sheng Wang was puzzled. “Grandpa, you mean not to tell him Ji Huanyu is here?”

“Of course, otherwise I’d call him directly,” the old man replied grumpily.

Old Man Ding was always obvious when lying over the phone. Afraid of being questioned, he would deliberately sound fierce and hang up quickly, not giving anyone a chance to speak.

Even Jiang Tian could tell, and so could Sheng Wang.

Sheng Wang just said, “Oh.”

The old man added, “I’m afraid if he hears Ji Huanyu’s name, he’ll be upset again.”

That was true. Sheng Wang had seen Jiang Tian’s mood change. When Jiang Ou mentioned it once, his mood visibly worsened.

It was strange, and Sheng Wang couldn’t figure it out.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Grandpa, why does Jiang Tian dislike him so much?”

At first, the old man didn’t understand and said matter-of-factly, “Ji Huanyu is no good. What’s the difference if he’s a father or not? It’s normal to dislike him.”

“I know,” Sheng Wang considered his words. “But if it’s about neglect, from what you’ve told me…”

Actually, Jiang Ou and Ji Huanyu were both equally neglectful of Jiang Tian when he was young. The difference was that Jiang Ou had no choice, while Ji Huanyu was naturally like that.

But Jiang Tian’s attitude was vastly different. He wasn’t as close to Jiang Ou as a typical mother and son, but he was protective, caring, and soft-hearted. Towards Ji Huanyu, he was extremely averse, unwilling to even look at him or speak a word.

Hearing Old Man Ding talk about Jiang Tian’s childhood, Sheng Wang had wondered if Ji Huanyu had ever hit him, but later dismissed it because Jiang Tian wasn’t afraid of Ji Huanyu at all.

When the father and son were together, it was Ji Huanyu who seemed more cautious. Not openly, but as if he was afraid of saying something that would trigger Jiang Tian. Jiang Tian, on the other hand, wasn’t afraid of him in the slightest—only annoyed.

To put it more seriously, he was disgusted.

Old Man Ding couldn’t explain it over the phone. After all, he hadn’t been inside Jiang Tian’s home during those years and didn’t know what specific grievances existed between the father and son. Like Sheng Wang, he could only guess.

But Jiang Tian was too hard to guess…

Sheng Wang thought.

“Then why is he visiting you?” Sheng Wang asked.

The old man snorted, “What else? He knows Xiao Tian doesn’t mind this old man and is closer to me, so he’s trying to use me as a mediator. Maybe he thinks I’m old and senile, easy to fool. He acts all proper, hoping I’ll see him as a good person. Or maybe he thinks if he shows some filial piety, Xiao Tian won’t dislike him as much.”

Sheng Wang found it amusing that a father had to rely on pleasing an old neighbor to get closer to his son. That was a talent in itself.

“What kind of mediator does he want you to be?”

“A peacemaker,” the old man sighed. “A man in his forties suddenly remembers he has a son and wants to reconcile with Xiao Tian.”

“Wasn’t he abroad before?” Sheng Wang asked.

“Yes, I heard a friend or classmate of his got seriously ill, maybe cancer or something. He probably got scared. At this age, people start thinking about things they didn’t care about when they were young. Now he regrets it. Seeing others get sick, he thinks about what if it happens to him one day, and there’s no one close around. That’s pretty miserable.”

But when Jiang Tian was young, he didn’t have anyone close either.

Sheng Wang countered in his mind.

The old man clicked his tongue, complaining, “Even raising a cat or dog takes time to build a relationship. But he, after all these years, doesn’t know how much Xiao Tian dislikes him. He thinks a bit of sweet talk will fix everything. What a dream. He even wants to take him abroad—ha!”

The old man snorted coldly, “I’m the first to disagree!”

Even after hanging up, Sheng Wang’s mind echoed with “wants to take him abroad.” Although he knew Jiang Tian wouldn’t pay attention to Ji Huanyu, he still cared a bit.

That evening, they ate in the cafeteria.

Thanks to Gao Tianyang, who entered the cafeteria with such reckless steps, he accidentally stepped on a cleaning cloth full of foam and slid several meters after falling on his butt.

All the classmates following him burst into laughter.

Sheng Wang, who was initially a bit down, couldn’t help but laugh, bending over for a long time before realizing he was habitually leaning on Jiang Tian’s shoulder, who was also laughing.

Gao Tianyang sat on the ground, rolling his eyes, and extended his hand, “Laugh all you want, but can someone help me up? At least I brought some brief joy to your repressed lives. You’re really ungrateful!”

Song Sirui was laughing so hard he almost fell over. Sheng Wang went over to help, and everyone pitched in to pull him up.

“Hey, are my pants wet?” Gao Tianyang turned to check his back.

“They’re fine, not much pee,” Song Sirui said.

“Damn, I’ll pull your pants down and swap them, believe it or not?” Gao Tianyang retorted angrily.

“I don’t believe it, you can’t fit into mine.”

“I—”

Gao Tianyang was frustrated, covering his butt as he sat down with everyone. He said, “Sheng-ge, I know you’re kind. I want sweet and sour ribs, curry beef, and spicy chicken from window 8. Can you get them for me? If I don’t eat them, I’ll die of pain today.”

“???”

Sheng Wang turned to look at the long line that twisted around two corners and reached the cafeteria door, incredulous. “Why do I like you so much?”

Gao Tianyang blew him a kiss, “I’m just that charming.”

As soon as he finished, his campus card was snatched away.

Jiang Tian held his card between two fingers, waved it, and calmly asked, “I’ll buy it. What do you want again?”

Gao Tianyang: “…”

He said, “I want green vegetables, steamed eggs, and pork chops from window 3.”

Jiang Tian said, “Wait here.”

Everyone burst into laughter again.

Except for the most popular window 8, the other windows were also crowded. Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian lined up at the end of window 3, with Song Sirui and the others following, laughing and joking.

The line wasn’t crowded, but the presence of the person behind him was strong. Sheng Wang absentmindedly fanned himself with the corner of his campus card, and suddenly heard Jiang Tian ask, “Are you hot?”

“…”

What a way to start a conversation.

Sheng Wang paused, put the campus card back in his pocket, and the presence of a certain someone became even stronger.

“How’s the teacher’s lecture?” Jiang Tian’s low voice sounded again, calm, not as sharp as before in Wutongwai.

“It’s good,” Sheng Wang replied.

After saying that, he felt the answer was a bit dry and added, “A bit simple, but still good.”

After a while, he heard Jiang Tian respond, “Hmm.”

A meal doesn’t take long. Gao Tianyang and the others were the wolfing-down type, and even if Sheng Wang was more refined, he couldn’t drag it out too long.

They returned to Mingli Building and parted ways at the third-floor staircase. When Sheng Wang entered Class B, he felt his heart slowly sinking again, like a hot air balloon after the fire goes out.

Only then did he realize how happy he had been.

Happiness lasted only a short while, and then he had to spend the entire evening self-study or even longer to calm down.

Five minutes for five hours, one hour for a whole day, and every day after was this process, over and over.

Unknowingly, his meal times grew shorter, and his return to the dorm after self-study got later.

In the entire grade, only Class A had the privilege to stay in their classroom for self-study. Other classes had to gather in the lecture hall.

Initially, when Sheng Wang left with his backpack, there were still more than half the people in the classroom packing up. The next day, it was half, then a few, and finally, only he was left.

When he returned to the dorm, it was often close to lights out. After a few words, the whole dorm would fall silent with the lights-out signal.

He would lie there, listening to the sounds from the lower bunk, tossing and turning until he fell asleep unknowingly.

Even though he kept telling himself he didn’t want to have a cold war or distance himself from Jiang Tian, just a brief struggle with himself.

But it was almost an inevitable process. Despite not wanting to admit it, he and Jiang Tian were inevitably drifting apart.

This week’s weekly exam at the Affiliated High was temporarily canceled due to the city’s elite teacher classes. Several classes from the second year were selected to record classes on Saturday and Sunday, while others continued with self-study.

Sheng Wang, as usual, pulled out a pile of question banks, brushing through them from the moment he opened his eyes until nightfall. When he carried a new advanced English competition tutorial into the lecture hall, Shi Yu couldn’t help but say, “Wow, this is the third one, right?”

“What third one?” Sheng Wang asked as he sat in the back corner, pulling out his books.

“This week, I saw you finish two thick competition question banks. This is the third one. Aren’t you tired?” Shi Yu felt a headache just watching.

Sheng Wang paused, “Really?”

“Don’t you know how many questions you’ve done?”

“Not really paying attention.”

Not only was he not paying attention, but he didn’t even care about the quality of the question banks. As long as he could fill his free time, the busier, the better.

Shi Yu’s mouth twitched, giving him a thumbs-up. Recently, Sheng Wang had been terrifying. Even chatting on WeChat beside him felt awkward, and he inexplicably started brushing up on questions himself.

It was scary. He had finished half a book, unprecedentedly diligent.

“If the weekly exam wasn’t canceled, I feel like I could jump up a few places,” he said, half-proud, half-humble, but got no response.

Sheng Wang had already put on his headphones and started on the questions.

He watched for a while, feeling the other’s state was strange. Seemingly focused, yet absent-minded.

…

The bell for the end of evening self-study rang on time. Shi Yu and Qiu Wenbin packed their bags, used to Sheng Wang’s late returns, and greeted him before heading back to the dorm.

The large classroom slowly became empty again.

His headphones switched to an old English song, the singer’s hoarse voice low and gentle. Sheng Wang paused, remembering he had taken this song from Jiang Tian’s playlist.

Perhaps it was unfortunate timing. Every time this song played before, it was during the day, surrounded by noise, making it seem too quiet and dull. Only at this moment did he realize it was truly beautiful.

Sheng Wang sat for a while, scribbled a few words, and finally stopped again. Outside the window, voices suddenly arose as two boys passed by, playing with a basketball, their laughter echoing in the corridor.

A passing teacher shouted angrily, and the two obediently ran off with the ball, their laughter still audible from afar.

Sheng Wang withdrew his gaze, suddenly took off his headphones, and quickly packed his pencil case and books. He didn’t know why, but at that moment, he suddenly wanted to go back.

So he slung his backpack over his shoulder and ran towards the dormitory building.

Sheng Wang reached the sixth floor at 10:45, much earlier than the previous days. When he opened the dormitory door, he was met with his roommates’ surprised looks.

Qiu Wenbin asked in confusion, “What’s up, Sheng-ge? Why are you in such a hurry?”

Shi Yu said, “So early today?”

Sheng Wang didn’t respond to either. His gaze swept over the lower bunk, desk, even the washbasin and bathroom, but he didn’t see the other person.

He leaned against the door to catch his breath, placed his backpack on the desk, and casually asked, “Where’s Jiang Tian?”

“He hasn’t come back,” Qiu Wenbin said. “Doesn’t he usually come back around 11?”

Sheng Wang was taken aback.

Qiu Wenbin then realized, “Oh right, you used to be a minute or two later than him, so it’s normal not to know.”

At that moment, Sheng Wang couldn’t describe his feelings. He was dazed for a few seconds, feeling as if something lightly yet heavily pricked his heart.

At some point, he didn’t even know Jiang Tian’s schedule anymore.

“Is he…” Due to running, his voice was a bit hoarse. After a pause, he said, “Is he also staying late, studying hard?”

“Not sure, seems like he’s preparing for a competition?” Qiu Wenbin said honestly. “I’ve seen him copying something recently, seems like notes and questions.”

Sheng Wang nodded.

He stood by the desk for a while, feeling a bit uninterested. After a couple of turns, he grabbed his collar and said, “I’m going to the balcony for some air, running back made me hot.”

“Oh,” Qiu Wenbin said. “Watch the time, Sheng-ge, lights out soon.”

“Got it.”

The balcony had a sink for washing large items like clothes and bedding, and some dorms used it for mopping and fetching water.

Sheng Wang closed the balcony door, fanned himself, then leaned against the edge of the sink, resting his head on the white porcelain surface.

He was too tired from running and wanted to rest, to catch his breath.

After a long while, he heard muffled voices from the dorm, and a moment later, the balcony door clicked open as someone entered.

Sheng Wang kept his head down. He knew who it was, but he didn’t have the energy to smile. He felt a bit uncomfortable.

For no reason.

Jiang Tian didn’t ask what was wrong or why he was sitting there.

The balcony was quiet. Jiang Tian just stood in front of Sheng Wang, probably looking down at him as usual.

After a long time, Sheng Wang pursed his lips, adjusted his expression, and tried to joke, “I’m catching some air here, why are you blocking it?”

But then he saw Jiang Tian holding a thick leather-bound notebook.

“I’ve been blocking it for a while,” Jiang Tian said, placing the thick notebook beside him, tapping the cover with his finger. “This is for you.”

“What is it?” Sheng Wang was puzzled. He opened the notebook and flipped through a couple of pages, then found it hard to continue.

He had seen something like this before. When he was bored at home with a sprained ankle, Jiang Tian had gone through various books and compiled a bunch of interesting questions for him.

That stuff was like this, with book titles, page numbers, and question numbers marked, explaining why the questions were special and worth looking at.

But this time, it was different. The contents were more detailed. He didn’t have to search for anything; the questions were neatly cut out and pasted in the notebook, categorized, with notes on their special features and advantages.

The latter half even had corresponding answers and explanations, matching each question.

Jiang Tian said, “You said the teacher didn’t dig deep enough. With these, it should be enough.”

He had picked each question himself, covering math, physics, and chemistry. Whatever level he could reach, Sheng Wang could too. It might be a simple gift.

He wouldn’t take anything from others; he only gave. He would pick and choose from himself, offering whatever he could to those he cared about.

Sheng Wang said he did poorly, so he would help. Sheng Wang said the teacher’s lessons were too simple, so he would supplement them.

This was the most practical thing he could think of.

So…

Jiang Tian looked at him and asked, “Can you get your grades back up?”