Watching the Setting Sun Along the Same Path - Chapter 7

The weather had been quite mild lately, so Lin Yuzhu switched breakfast from steaming hot millet porridge to warm soy milk. Fei Dean complained that it didn’t stick to the stomach, yet kept ladling himself another bowl.

“By the way, it’s been half a month and I haven’t asked you yet—are you getting along with your classmates?”

Fei Yuan was already wearing a short-sleeved shirt. “It’s fine. If not, I’ll just beat them up. Don’t worry about it.”

Luckily, Lin Yuzhu didn’t hear him, or she would have nagged him until he left. After finishing breakfast, he put on his jacket, hooked his car keys on his finger, and headed off to school. He had already scoped out the perfect parking spot—right in front of the convenience store across from the school.

Shen Duoyi heard Fei Yuan leaving from inside the house, but the old man ate slowly. By the time he hurriedly finished washing the dishes, Fei Yuan had already ridden off on his bike and disappeared from sight.

The driver was getting fed up with Lu Ketong’s constant back-and-forth—sometimes asking to be picked up, sometimes not, with no discernible pattern. When they arrived at school, Lu Ketong solemnly declared once more that from now on, he only needed to be dropped off, not picked up.

“Are you planning to go play after school again?”

“Because you can’t go play before school’s out, right?” Lu Ketong replied matter-of-factly, then slung his backpack over his shoulder and got out of the car.

He wasn’t on duty this week, nor did he have any makeup homework. Entering through the back door, he saw Fei Yuan was already there. Tiptoeing up behind him, he slapped Fei Yuan’s shoulder with extra enthusiasm and chirped, “Fei Yuan! Good morning!”

Fei Yuan didn’t even turn his head, waiting until Lu Ketong had taken his seat before replying, “Not calling me ‘boss’ anymore?”

Lu Ketong twisted around to lean over Fei Yuan’s desk. “Nope, didn’t I already say so, right?”

“Right what right.” Fei Yuan couldn’t be bothered to tease the kid so early in the morning, so he kicked Lu Ketong’s chair to make him turn back around. Lu Ketong spun around but then leaned back, resting the back of his head against the edge of his desk.

Fei Yuan placed a pen right under Lu Ketong’s nose, causing him to pout his lips and clamp the pen between them. The class monitor walked past them down the aisle after checking the classroom’s cleanliness and remarked, “We’re in our second year of high school—did you two skip straight here from kindergarten?”

Fourth period was math, and Lu Ketong had been looking forward to it all morning. After all, he had just invested two thousand yuan. The bell rang, but the teacher hadn’t arrived yet. After a minute, they heard the click of high heels.

The English teacher walked in with a book tucked under her arm. “The math teacher has something to attend to, so we’re swapping classes. If she still can’t make it this afternoon, you’ll have a math test.”

“We haven’t even gone over the assigned test papers yet—what’s the point of testing now?”

“We’ll review them together after the test, don’t worry.”

“You’re ranked first in math, of course you’re not worried.”

Lu Ketong’s grades were average. If the bottom few students were absent due to stomach issues, he’d rank slightly lower; if the top few were absent, he’d rank slightly higher. Whenever complaints filled the air, he remained perfectly calm and composed.

As soon as class ended, he asked Fei Yuan, “Do you have any questions about the assigned test papers? I worked on them really carefully. If you have any, let me explain them to you, okay? Maybe they’ll even show up on the afternoon test.”

Seeing his earnest expression, Fei Yuan relented. He tucked the test papers into his notebook, resigning himself to sacrificing his lunch break.

The noodle shop near the school was always bustling, packed every day like a class reunion. But after about half an hour, it usually emptied out—lunch break was tight, and if you wasted time, you wouldn’t make it back to school in time.

Lu Ketong ordered a large bowl of bamboo shoot and shredded chicken noodles, plus a large chicken cutlet and iced milk. Fei Yuan thought to himself, This little sapling is really growing—he eats so much. He asked, “How much milk do you drink in a day?”

“At least three cups. I need to grow to 185 centimeters fast so I can join the school basketball team.”

Fei Yuan hadn’t realized he had such ambitions. “Keep it up—you’re only ten centimeters short.”

Lu Ketong took a big gulp of milk and said angrily, “Nine centimeters! I measure it every day!”

By the time they finished eating, there were hardly any people left around. Only two students in school uniforms remained in the corner—one had already finished, while the other was still eating, though they were too far away to see clearly.

Lu Ketong began explaining the problem to Fei Yuan. He was delighted whenever he saw a circled question, as if he had spotted money. Setting aside the scratch paper and notebook, he first read the problem aloud, then solved it step by step.

Imitating the tone of an online celebrity tutor, he asked, “Oh, which formula should we use for this step?”

Fei Yuan couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing. Lu Ketong slapped the table, mimicking their math teacher: “What are you laughing at? Can’t solve it and still laughing? Anyone who’s bad at math is a fool!”

Fei Yuan couldn’t take it anymore. He ruffled Lu Ketong’s hair with his big hand and said, “I think you’re the fool here.”

The interruption made them lose their train of thought. Lu Ketong stared at the test paper, trying hard to remember, but nothing came to mind. In the silence, his face flushed with embarrassment.

“Keep going,” Fei Yuan teased him on purpose.

“…I need to use the restroom. Drank too much milk!”

In the restroom, he washed his face and checked himself in the mirror, but he still couldn’t recall how to solve the problem. Lu Ketong took out his phone and dialed Qiu Luomin’s help hotline, thinking that if Qiu Luomin couldn’t remember either, he’d cut ties with him.

“Lulu, good afternoon.”

“Just great. I was just wondering, during that math class the other day, how did the teacher explain the last example problem?”

“How would I remember that?”

“Stupid Qiu, I don’t like you anymore.”

Half a minute after hanging up, Qiu Luomin sent a message with the step-by-step solution to the problem. At the end, it read: “As if I like you either.”

On his way out of the restroom, Lu Ketong stole a glance at the two people in the corner. From the tops of their heads, he couldn’t tell what grade they were in, but no matter what grade, they were older than him.

“How come you’re still eating? You’re too slow.”

“You didn’t wait for me, and now you have the nerve to complain? And you’re disliking me?”

Lu Ketong rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, “Stop acting cute.”

By the time they finished going over the problem, it was almost time for class. Lu Ketong silently prayed that there would be similar problems in the afternoon. That way, Fei Yuan would definitely think of him right away—maybe even draw a heart on his back.

That would count as hands-on teaching, guaranteed to make him understand.

After school, Fei Yuan packed up and left through the back door. When Lu Ketong turned around and saw the empty seat, he quickly grabbed his backpack and ran after him, catching up just before the school gate.

“I’m walking with you today. I got a bus card!”

Fei Yuan didn’t stop. As they passed the bus stop sign, he gently pushed Lu Ketong aside and crossed the street. Lu Ketong stood there in a daze, watching Fei Yuan retrieve his motorcycle from outside the convenience store across the street.

A loud roar erupted from the engine, drawing the attention of passing students. Fei Yuan rode the motorcycle over, stopping with one long leg propped on the ground.

Lu Ketong asked with a disappointed look, “You’re not taking the bus anymore?”

“Nope.” Fei Yuan took out a pack of gum, shook out two pieces, ate one himself, and then held the other up to Lu Ketong’s mouth. “Open up.”

Lu Ketong was fed a piece of peach-flavored gum, but it still felt bitter in his heart.

After dinner, Fei Yuan went to play basketball at a nearby square. Even though the night was cool, he still worked up a sweat. The paint on the bench was a bit worn and peeling, but it felt cool and comfortable to lean against.

Dozens of messages popped up on his phone, all from the guys’ group chat. He often wondered why the boys in this class were so chatty.

“Wanna play soccer on Saturday? Huh? My feet are itching!”

“Planning for Saturday on a Monday? If your feet itch, just scratch them.”

“The swimming pool at the sports center opens this week. Wanna swim? Huh? I’m itching all over!”

Fei Yuan, sweaty and uncomfortable, replied, “Swim.”

Almost at the same time, Lu Ketong replied in the group, “Not swimming.” Fei Yuan sent another message, “Swim.”

This was awkward. Lu Ketong pouted at his phone. This guy, well, sometimes he was actually pretty nice to him, but other times he was utterly ruthless, never accommodating anyone, as if the kindness he showed was just an illusion.

Fei Yuan gulped down a bottle of mineral water and nearly spat it out when he checked his phone again. Lu Ketong had replied in the group, “Fuck, I don’t know how to swim.”

“Lulu, I’ll teach you.”

“I’ll teach you. I’ll turn around for you.”

“Pick me, pick me, pick me!”

Lu Ketong gritted his teeth and agreed, telling himself it was for the sake of class unity and brotherhood. But Fei Yuan didn’t say a word—what a jerk. After all, Lu Ketong had even acted as his lackey for a few days.

When Saturday morning arrived, the group took over the swimming pool. The indoor temperature was controlled, so it wasn’t cold, but the initial plunge into the water could make you shiver.

Lu Ketong wore his own little swim trunks, his slender legs and waist pale and delicate. Holding his goggles, he headed to the 1.3-meter pool to practice holding his breath. But as he reached the edge, he felt too embarrassed. The pool was filled with elementary school kids playing on the slide.

“Lulu, over here!”

Following the voice, he saw the shameless bunch in the 1.8-meter pool. Since he couldn’t float, going in there would be suicide. With a sullen face, he sat by the edge, treating it as a foot soak.

A figure swam over from a distance, staying submerged and unclear. Lu Ketong felt someone grab his ankle and was about to kick when his calf was restrained.

With a splash, Fei Yuan emerged from the water and asked, “Weren’t they supposed to teach you? Where are they?”

Lu Ketong looked utterly defeated. “Probably drowned.”

“Come with me.” Fei Yuan pushed himself out of the water, took his hand, and led him outside. When they reached the shop at the entrance, he said, “Pick one.”

Lu Ketong frowned and stayed silent. Fei Yuan simply told the shopkeeper, “The blue one.”

When they returned, Lu Ketong was carrying a Doraemon floatie, looking so miserable he was on the verge of tears.

He put on the floatie, got into the water, and flopped around on it, barely moving half a meter after all that effort. He missed the leisure time he spent surfing the internet at the cybercafé with Qiu Luomin—it was practically heaven on earth.

The other boys were fiercely competing as if training for the next Olympics. Exhausted from flopping around, Lu Ketong just floated, picking at the Doraemon on his floatie. Half an hour later, everyone started climbing out of the pool, probably tired from swimming.

“I can’t take it anymore. I need some chocolate.”

“I’m having instant noodles. Where’s Fei Yuan?”

“Fei Yuan’s probably still swimming. I’m done for sure.”

Lu Ketong tried to swim toward the edge, wanting to grab a snack too, but he couldn’t move an inch. Just as he was getting frustrated, someone swam swiftly underwater and surfaced right in front of him. Fei Yuan slicked his hair back, water dripping down his cheeks. The muscles on his arms and chest were wet and cool.

He spun Lu Ketong’s floatie around and said, “Are you here for a bath?”

Lu Ketong didn’t have the energy to speak, but Fei Yuan didn’t expect him to anyway. Holding onto the swim ring, Fei Yuan pushed him forward through the water. “Oh my god!” Lu Ketong exclaimed, realizing this was what it felt like.

Weightless, rising and falling, the water flowing past on both sides—it felt like soaring through the sky.

When they reached the end, Fei Yuan shook his hair and scooped up a handful of water to splash on Lu Ketong’s face. The water shimmered blue, blending with the lights in a dazzling glow. Lu Ketong stared into Fei Yuan’s eyes, forgetting to wipe the water from his face.

“Having fun?”

He nodded dazedly, like a puppy recognizing its owner for the first time.

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