The Long Night - Chapter 4

Two days of the new semester passed in the blink of an eye. The third-year students only had one physical education class per week, and it was a joint class with three different classes.

After having them run 800 meters and do a few sets of sit-ups, the PE teacher blew a whistle, announcing they were free to do as they pleased. Usually, the class athletic committee member would be responsible for cleaning up the mats, but since Lu Xiao’s arm was broken, he had to ask Tang Shaocheng and two other boys to help him.

The winter sky was desolate and distant. Some boys were playing ball on the field, but more people were walking or sitting and reading on the outer track. Laughter and shouts occasionally rose from the crowd.

Tang Shaocheng was the last to leave the sports equipment room. He looked up and saw a familiar figure: Yan Liao holding two new badminton rackets. Yan Liao greeted him as if it were a chance encounter.

“Want to play a game together?”

Seeing his upright, tall, and energetic appearance, Tang Shaocheng was subconsciously startled, and a slight, almost imperceptible pang of sadness rose within him.

Tang Shaocheng nodded. “Okay.”

They walked towards the field, one after the other. Before they could turn the corner, they heard a sudden, hurried sound of footsteps behind them, accompanied by a few inexplicable jeers and shouts.

Yan Liao suddenly grabbed Tang Shaocheng’s shirt. “Wait a second.”

Tang Shaocheng looked down and saw the prominent knuckles on his hand. “What’s wrong?”

“That sound is…” Yan Liao frowned, then suddenly dropped the rackets and shouted towards the back building. “Ge Dong-lin!”

“Yan Liao! Yan Liao!”

Ge Dong-lin was wearing a heavy down jacket and ran clumsily and desperately, as if he had just seen a savior. He waved his hands and ran towards them, kicking up a cloud of dust. Five or six boys followed him. As they were about to catch up, they deliberately slowed down, looked at each other, and smirked. They seemed to be in a good mood, as if toying with their prey.

The equipment room was in a quiet, secluded back building of the school where few people passed by. Tang Shaocheng thought a fight was about to happen, but Yan Liao grabbed Ge Dong-lin with one hand and Tang Shaocheng’s wrist with the other, taking off at a sprint.

The three of them ran, gasping for air. Tang Shaocheng wanted to stop several times, but the other two seemed to be in an immersive game of Temple Run. They turned left and right, running straight to the school’s back building.

They could vaguely hear a few annoyed curses behind them.

“Up to the rooftop! To the rooftop!” Yan Liao panted as he pushed open the rusty door, shoving Ge Dong-lin inside first. Tang Shaocheng followed closely. Tang Shaocheng understood and didn’t forget to lock the door.

The moment he locked the door, he saw the group of boys ferociously chasing after them. They looked familiar, like students from his own class.

They went up the stairs and heard a furious kicking of the door below.

“Damn it, they got away.”

“Let’s see you run next time!”

The final angry curse was directed at the two boys who had interfered. “Stay with people who are full of negative energy, and be careful of ghosts getting attached to you!”

Ge Dong-lin climbed the stairs and slumped to the ground in a state of disarray, panting as if he was about to cough up a lung. Yan Liao stood in front of him, leaning over and holding his knees. His thin back rose and fell slightly; he was also exhausted. He straightened up, wiped the cold sweat from his black hair, and turned his pale, slightly flushed face to look down. “It’s safe now.”

Tang Shaocheng hadn’t yet recovered from his rapid heartbeat, but his heart softened abruptly when he heard that.

Although the Yan Liao in high school was fierce and seemed like an undisciplined kid, his character was fundamentally kind. He would protect bullied classmates.

In his previous life, the police never found out who the kidnappers were. They could only tell from the dense wounds on his hands that it was a targeted kidnapping.

How could such a good kid offend anyone?

Yan Liao didn’t know that he already had a towering image in Tang Shaocheng’s eyes. When he turned back, he frowned. “You run so slowly. A resurrected zombie would jump faster than you.” He firmly pressed down on Ge Dong-lin’s shoulders, kindly and thoughtfully instructing, “Today is fine, but remember to pretend you don’t know me at school in the future. Don’t get me into any trouble.”

…Tang Shaocheng felt a headache coming on and raised his hand to rub his temples.

“I didn’t mean to call you,” Ge Dong-lin stood up slowly, a large patch of his blue and white school uniform was dirty, and there was a complete black shoe print on his chest. He acted as if he didn’t see these things, only focusing on apologizing sincerely. “I can handle it myself. If I run to the field, there will be teachers.”

“You can handle it? Bullshit. You just run when you see them, you can’t fight, and if you tell the teachers, they won’t do anything.” Yan Liao scared him. “They’ll catch you, put you in a sack, and throw you into the sea to feed the sharks.”

“How can I feed sharks in a sack?” Ge Dong-lin looked confused, as if this was the question that concerned him the most.

“Stupid,” Yan Liao said. “Sharks don’t know they can’t eat sacks.”

Ge Dong-lin nodded in admiration. “You’re right.” He then turned his head, feeling a little flustered, not knowing who the stranger next to him was.

Tang Shaocheng said his name. Ge Dong-lin thanked him repeatedly. He still looked a little scared and stammered. “Let’s go back.”

“Let’s wait until the bell rings. What if they’re blocking the door?” Yan Liao was very loyal and didn’t leave him alone. “I’ll accompany you to your classroom when class starts.”

Tang Shaocheng stood by the wall, the lines of his jaw hidden in the shadows. Since a student jumped off here a few years ago, the rooftop walls were built very high. It was a good place to escape the heat in summer, but a bit cold in winter.

The biting wind cut across his cheek. Low, dark clouds floated in the gray sky. The sunset was motionless, like a heart that had stopped beating.

Tang Shaocheng lowered his eyes, looking thoughtfully at Ge Dong-lin. This shouldn’t be the first time he’s experienced this.

He had never heard of any serious incidents happening in high school when he was a student, but he had handled many similar cases at work.

Since both parties were minors, it was difficult to determine fault. Sometimes, schools would not cooperate with the investigation and would deliberately suppress the incidents.

Unless the victim had a major injury, they would usually choose to settle the case midway through the process, accepting an apology, transferring schools, or moving. As a lawyer, he was powerless.

Tang Shaocheng asked, “When was the first time they chased you?”

Ge Dong-lin raised his hand and scratched his forehead. “Ah… in the first year of high school, I don’t remember, and it’s not just them.”

Yan Liao leaned against the railing and yawned. “Don’t make him think about it. The story will never end. A year has 365 sunrises; he gets blocked 365 times a year.”

Tang Shaocheng’s eyes darkened, and he asked again, “Where do these incidents usually happen? Are there any witnesses who can testify? Or cameras, teachers, classmates?”

“No one would admit to seeing it… and the cameras are broken.” Ge Dong-lin’s expression was hesitant, and he pulled at the corner of his shirt, at a loss.

Tang Shaocheng was silent for a moment, his brows slightly furrowed, and he asked, “Have you been to the hospital? Do you have any diagnostic reports?”

Ge Dong-lin shook his head like a rattle. “No, I haven’t been to the hospital. I’ve bought medicine.”

“Have you told the teachers or your parents about this? What was their reaction?” Tang Shaocheng noticed the panic and evasion in Ge Dong-lin’s eyes and changed to a gentler tone. “The fault lies with them,” he paused. “You don’t need to blame yourself.”

His voice was gentle yet serious, instilling trust in people for no reason, like he was handing them a strong rope. As long as they held on tight, they could climb to a bright place.

Yan Liao stared at the slowly sinking sun in the distance, but a numb electric current passed through his spine. He clenched his fingers, turned his head, and stared at Tang Shaocheng, suddenly feeling a little upset. “You’ve never talked that much to me.”

The afterglow outlined a fluffy halo on his face. Ge Dong-lin’s eyes flickered between them, and he gave an awkward laugh. “Never mind, it’s fine,” his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and his voice was suddenly filled with hope. “Besides, we’ll be graduating soon.”

That afternoon, Tang Shaocheng walked to the office and raised his hand to knock on the door.

All the class academic committee members had to come and collect the unified assignments for the third-year students before the evening self-study session. Only Teacher Wang was in the office. His eyes lit up when he saw Tang Shaocheng, and he immediately put down his steaming thermos.

“Xiao Tang is here.” He was so enthusiastic he almost stood up to greet him. “These are our class’s papers. I’ve counted them all. Take them back and hand them out.”

Tang Shaocheng took the heavy stack of papers. After thanking him, he didn’t leave right away.

“Teacher, I saw someone bullying a classmate today. They’re from our class…”

Teacher Wang’s eyes widened before he could finish, and he interrupted him hurriedly. “Our classmate was beaten?”

“…No.”

Teacher Wang instantly breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, boys just play around, it’s inevitable. The pressure is high in the third year,” he laughed as he said. “Letting off some steam occasionally is good for their physical and mental health.”

Tang Shaocheng frowned, and his voice sank. “So you’re not going to do anything?”

“What can I do? There’s no evidence for this kind of thing. It takes two to tango.”

Teacher Wang picked up his thermos and slowly took another sip, spitting out two reddish wolfberries. A small piece of red date skin was stuck to his teeth, like a piece of congealed blood that he hadn’t swallowed.

Tang Shaocheng’s eyelashes were lowered, and his voice was calm. “…Without physical evidence, you can also have the bullied student identify them.”

“Why are you focusing your energy on this? Even their parents haven’t said anything. If the school gets involved, it will be a thankless job,” Teacher Wang pushed the glasses that had slipped down his nose. He was being very candid with Tang Shao-cheng. “Xiao Tang, you’re not in the same world as them. I know your family situation is special. Study hard and strive to be the top scorer in the province. Then your mother will be proud, and I can be proud along with you.”

Tang Shaocheng pursed his lips, picked up the thick stack of papers on the desk, turned, and left without a word.

When he returned to the classroom, Lu Xiao was lying on his desk reading. A classmate happened to come over and ask him curiously what happened to his arm, but Lu Xiao impatiently shooed him away.

He saw Tang Shaocheng enter with the papers. Lu Xiao wanted to help but couldn’t, so he raised his other hand and greeted him. “You’re finally back. I’ve been asked about it all afternoon, it’s so annoying.”

“Your arm…” Tang Shaocheng’s gaze fixed on his cast arm. He narrowed his eyes, suddenly thinking of something. “No one knows how you got hurt?”

Lu Xiao shook his head nonchalantly. “No. It’s such an embarrassing thing, how could I say it?”

“Then do me a favor.”

Tang Shaocheng sat back down and motioned to him. Lu Xiao implicitly leaned in, bringing an ear closer.