Time Has Grown Dim, And Evening Has Already Fallen - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The students had already begun reviewing for the small quiz in a week. Cheng Xun had been in a foul mood all day and lacked the motivation to even solve a single problem. Eventually, in a fit of self-abandonment, he simply collapsed onto his desk and fell asleep.

He was caught red-handed by the homeroom teacher during a patrol, nearly scaring Yao Xiaotian to death.

Cheng Xun received a harsh lecture. He wasn’t sleepy anymore, but he felt completely wilted, like a plant hit by frost. Even though they had been seatmates for less than a day, Yao Xiaotian kindly checked in on him: “What’s up with you?”

Cheng Xun wasn’t in the mood to talk and simply shook his head. “I’m fine.”

If you’re fine, then I’m a ghost, Yao Xiaotian grumbled inwardly.

Cheng Xun finally took a proper look at his round-faced little seatmate and thanked him for the concern. “Really, I’m fine. I just had a fight with a friend.”

“Oh,” Yao Xiaotian said, being blunt as usual. “Boyfriend or girlfriend?”

Cheng Xun: “…?”

“Hahaha, just kidding!” The round-faced boy laughed, making his cheeks look even plumper. “Seeing how conflicted you are, I thought you’d gone through a breakup.”

“No,” Cheng Xun replied listlessly.

As expected, Cheng Xun failed to intercept Lu Xingchu after evening self-study. When he tried calling, the phone was turned off.

Cheng Xun felt he should be angry about being stood up, but instead of anger, a profound sense of loss occupied his heart.

He returned home with a sour expression, only to find Grandma waiting for him at the door, looking equally confused. He bit his lip and said nothing, skillfully helping her pull down the rolling shutter and lock the main gate.

“Did you fight with Xiao Shu?”

Cheng Xun shook his head, thought for a moment, and replied, “I made him angry.”

“That’s strange,” Grandma said. “Xiao Shu actually gets angry with you?”

Cheng Xun was completely drained of spirit. He gave a few distracted hums and headed up to the second floor. Passing the bathroom, he heard the sound of running water—it looked like Lu Xingchu was using it.

Cheng Xun stood outside the bathroom door for a while and cursed under his breath, “Bastard.”

They lived in the same room; did this guy really plan to treat him like thin air forever?

His backpack was heavy today. He had slept through most of evening self-study, so his homework wasn’t finished, let alone any review. It looked like he’d have to burn the midnight oil tonight.

Cheng Xun had been working on his practice papers for a while before Lu Xingchu finally emerged from the bathroom, his hair already blown dry. The moment he came out, Cheng Xun turned his head to glare at him. If glares could kill, Lu Xingchu would have been riddled with bullet holes by now.

Lu Xingchu, however, wasn’t affected by the stare. He naturally lowered his eyes, pulled back his swivel chair, and sat down with an infuriating amount of composure.

Now, Cheng Xun was truly fuming.

“Lu Xingchu, did you see the messages I sent you?” “Didn’t I already apologize?” “Why did you turn off your phone?” “You really don’t want to eat with me anymore, do you?” “Leaving early tonight without telling me… did you just want to see me wait for nothing?”

But no matter how angry he got or what he said, Lu Xingchu didn’t respond. He wasn’t even wearing headphones to block him out; he was simply ignoring him.

Cheng Xun was so mad he wanted to reach out and shove him or pinch his face to force an answer, but it remained just a thought. It didn’t feel like their relationship allowed for that level of physical confrontation anymore.

“Fine! Don’t ever speak to me again if you’re so capable!” Cheng Xun stood up abruptly, fuming. “As if I care about talking to you!”

He stormed off to the bathroom to shower, cursing Lu Xingchu as a “bastard” countless times in his head.

When he returned, he saw that the guy was already lying flat on his bed. He was sleeping on his side, facing the wall. Cheng Xun glared at his back and adjusted the desk lamp to its brightest setting.

Since I’m staying up all night anyway, you can forget about sleeping well.

Little did he know, Lu Xingchu simply pulled the covers up and over his head.

Lu Xingchu ignored Cheng Xun, and Cheng Xun refused to acknowledge him. Consequently, this inexplicably started cold war lasted for quite a while.

It lasted until the first small quiz of senior year began. They still hadn’t reconciled, hadn’t spoken a word, and hadn’t sent a single text. Even though they shared a room, they acted like total strangers.

No more going to school together, no more coming home together, no more eating together, no more studying together.

Cheng Xun felt miserable, but once his stubborn streak was triggered, he refused to admit defeat.

He was almost getting used to eating with “Round-face Junior”—his seatmate, Yao Xiaotian. This kid was two years younger than Cheng Xun; apparently, he had skipped grades after kindergarten and started primary school early, so he was the youngest in the class. He was the type of person who believed “heaven rewards the diligent,” only for heaven to forget he existed. His grades were about on par with Cheng Xun’s, but his effort level was worth two and a half Cheng Xuns.

Given Cheng Xun’s mental state, it was a miracle he could absorb any review material. Furthermore, this “back-to-school” test was designed to crush the students’ spirits; the teachers spent class time teaching new material rather than reviewing.

When the test was over, he knew he had likely tanked it.

In just one week of school, he had been flagged by the homeroom teacher several times. His teacher, Ms. Bai, likely had a terrible impression of him, viewing him as an “unstable element” in the class. To be fair, aside from a few lapses in concentration, he hadn’t really done anything wrong.

The teachers graded the small quizzes quickly. The students accepted their dismal scores under a cloud of low pressure. The questions were difficult, and people had naturally slackened over the summer; Cheng Xun wasn’t the only one who did poorly.

However, Cheng Xun’s decline was particularly severe. Ms. Bai was a stylish, beautiful woman who taught English and was strictly serious about her work. Cheng Xun was summoned to her office for a ten-minute lecture. The theme was his declining grades: if he performed like this on the monthly exams, he’d be moved to a “foundation” class in two months.

“I saw that you wrote ‘S Normal University’ as your target. Based on your current grades, I advise you to stop dreaming about first-tier universities,” Ms. Bai said bluntly. “It’s only the start of the term, so it’s not too late. But if you continue to be this distracted and inattentive in class, even a god couldn’t save you. Go back and think it over.”

At the start of the term, the teacher had everyone write down their goals. Many students had no idea and just filled it in randomly, but Cheng Xun was serious. Looking at his current score, he felt ashamed and heartbroken.

At lunch, he rejected Yao Xiaotian’s invitation. He lay on his desk in a daze, his mind blank. Remembering a carton of milk he bought at breakfast in his drawer, he grabbed it and walked out of the classroom with lowered eyes.

The iron gate leading to the roof of the senior building was locked tight, but the old sophomore building was different. It was in such disrepair that the door could be kicked open.

Cheng Xun sat in a relatively clean corner of the rooftop, drinking his milk while lost in thought. As the cold milk went down, his stomach began to ache. He scrolled through his WeChat chat history, his finger pausing on Lu Xingchu’s name.

He tapped in and sent two messages:

I’m on the roof of the sophomore building. Come if you want. Or don’t.

This time, he really wanted to settle things once and for all.