ATIBESLM 14

The moment Fei Lan said this, Ye Lingwei and Gao Linhao’s reactions were completely different.

Gao Linhao slapped the table twice and leaned in excitedly toward Ye Lingwei. “You call him Gege? How can you call him Gege? So if you called him that, did he give you a red envelope¹In Chinese culture, calling someone “Brother” or “Uncle” formally often implies a relationship where the senior bestows gifts (money in red envelopes) upon the junior, especially during New Year.?”

“No,” Ye Lingwei said. He glanced at Fei Lan, who had already retreated to his own seat. The latter’s gaze was indifferent, completely different from his joking demeanor just moments ago. Ye Lingwei felt more and more that Fei Lan was an unfathomable person. He clearly knew who Ye Lingwei was, yet he could still chat and laugh with him so casually.

His heart must be dispassionate and cold, Ye Lingwei thought.

Unless absolutely necessary, Ye Lingwei would not engage in any head-on conflict with Fei Lan. Even if he could win, he likely wouldn’t come out of it unscathed. Ye Lingwei had this intuition.

Pretending? Who didn’t know how to do that? He was the expert at it.

—

High schools had mandatory inter-class exercises²A staple of Chinese education. Students line up on the field and perform synchronized calisthenics to broadcast music.. Except for the third year who needed to prepare for the college entrance exam, every class in the other two grades had to use the break time after the second period to go to the sports field for calisthenics.

Usually at this time, the third year classrooms wouldn’t be very quiet either. A small minority would be studying, but the majority would take advantage of this time to secretly rest or play for a while.

Ye Lingwei turned a page of his test paper, when a hand suddenly appeared before his eyes and swiped away the paper he had just finished. A voice exclaimed from above his head, “Wow, you know how to do this problem? I just asked class monitor, and he hasn’t even reached this point yet.”

Before Ye Lingwei had a chance to respond, Gao Linhao looked up and said snidely, “Xiao Chengzi, don’t be fooled. Class monitor is the fastest test-taker in our class. He probably just doesn’t know how to do it.”

Xiao Chengzi stared wide-eyed. “How is that possible?”

Ye Lingwei looked up at the Xiao Chengzi Gao Linhao had mentioned. She was a petite girl, with big eyes and short hair with inward-curled ends. She was very cute.

However, she seemed to trust Lin Chudong a lot. Lin Chudong’s popularity in the class stemmed from his lofty and condescending attitude of self-righteously thinking he was saving other people’s lives.

Xiao Chengzi’s voice was bright and carrying; Lin Chudong heard it. Ye Lingwei glanced at his back. He knew that for someone of Lin Chudong’s ilk³The type of people or things similar to those already referred to. In modern usage, ilk is used in phrases such as ‘of his ilk’ and ‘of that ilk’ to mean ‘type’ or ‘sort.’, being surpassed by someone like himself was nothing short of the ultimate insult.

Xiao Chengzi couldn’t bear to hear the class monitor being slandered. She handed the test paper back to Ye Lingwei, not forgetting to drop a parting shot, “You definitely got it wrong.”

She couldn’t be bothered to deal with Gao Linhao. She brushed back her hair and turned to leave.

She hadn’t even fully completed her turn when she saw the boy who had been sitting quietly without making a sound raise his head. He looked at her, his tone a faint command. “Put it back properly.”

Xiao Chengzi froze. “What did you say?”

Ye Lingwei glanced at the test paper that had been carelessly tossed onto the desk. “Put the test paper back properly for me.”

Gao Linhao looked at Ye Lingwei in astonishment.

Xiao Chengzi was actually quite popular in the class; she was cute, lively, and cheerful. Most of the boys pampered her like a little sister. Basically no one ever spoke to her with such a cold and detached tone as Ye Lingwei just did.

Several girls nearby looked over curiously. At the same time she felt humiliated, her composure completely snapped.

“Fine, I’ll put it back.” She said, “What’s the big deal? You definitely got it wrong anyway.”

Ye Lingwei rested his chin in his hand and softly replied, “Still better than your class monitor not being able to do it at all.”

Xiao Chengzi: “…”

Xiao Chengzi stomped off in a huff. Gao Linhao lay on the table, gloating, “You’re done for. That girl takes things very seriously. Now that you’ve offended her, a lot of people in the class won’t like you.”

Ye Lingwei sighed. “She’s probably going to be disappointed then—I don’t care.”

I don’t care who likes me or who doesn’t.

Were there few people who disliked the original host? A dozen or so more wouldn’t make a difference.

After hearing this, Gao Linhao stared at Ye Lingwei for a long while and then mumbled hesitantly, “Ye Lingwei, you’re so pitiful.”

Ye Lingwei froze for two seconds. He then looked at Gao Linhao with amusement. “Why do you say that?”

“You have a heart condition.” Gao Linhao asked, “This illness, does it kill?”

He had seen it on TV—heart condition killed people very easily. Sometimes, just seeing Ye Lingwei’s face turn pale from exhaustion during class was enough to make him feel a surge of alarm.

Yet what about him? Why did he look completely unafraid?

Ye Lingwei let out an “ah,” lazily resting his chin on his dictionary. He slowly and unhurriedly said, “It won’t kill me for now. When the time is right, surgery can still cure it.”

After all, heart condition was the best tool available for him to exploit.

“However, if you could give me that quinoa yogurt on your desk, I’d probably feel a bit better.” Ye Lingwei’s gaze fell upon the yogurt Gao Linhao had bought that morning but hadn’t drunk yet. He suddenly felt a craving for it.

“…” Gao Linhao scoffed. He slid the yogurt onto Ye Lingwei’s desk. “I bought the wrong one anyway. I don’t like this flavor. If you want it, take it.”

Ye Lingwei peeled off the yogurt lid. Seeing a bit stuck to the underside, he extended the tip of his tongue to lick it off. Gao Linhao originally thought watching people eat was quite interesting. Moreover, watching Ye Lingwei eat was a visual delight—until he saw Ye Lingwei licking the yogurt lid.

“…”

Gao Linhao covered his eyes and reached out to slap Fei Lan’s shoulder. “Lan-ge, look at Ye Lingwei! He’s seducing me!”

Fei Lan had been playing on his phone. When Gao Linhao called his attention to Ye Lingwei, the latter was still licking away with meticulous care. The tip of his tongue was slender and delicate, pink as soft spongy flower petals, curling the scattered white droplets into his throat.

He probably wasn’t trying to seduce Gao Linhao; it was just that Ye Lingwei himself had no idea how he looked right now.

Fei Lan cast a glance at Gao Linhao, who was still covering his face and whining “wuwuwu” like a virtuous maiden who had been taken advantage of. The latter’s ear tips were red. He really had been flustered by Ye Lingwei.

Ye Lingwei was completely oblivious, narrowing his eyes as he fed a large spoonful of yogurt into his mouth.

—

Lunch break was only forty minutes long. Most people chose to order meals from the cafeteria and have them delivered to the classroom, fighting a quick battle to finish eating, refusing to waste even a single minute of study time.

Ye Lingwei was different from the rest. The cafeteria food was hard for him to swallow. After the housekeeper found out a few days ago that Ye Lingwei couldn’t get used to the school meals, she had been cooking at home and delivering it to him every day.

Yet today, it wasn’t the housekeeper who made the delivery.

Ye Lingwei looked at the group of unfamiliar young men before him, and the racing cars with their dazzling, eye-catching red and blue paint parked not far away. One of the young men, holding a sky-blue lunchbox in his hand, was clad in a navy blue racing suit. He wasn’t wearing a helmet and his tall boots made his legs look exceptionally long. He stared at Ye Lingwei expressionlessly.

“Auntie⁴The housekeeper. isn’t feeling well today, so she went to the hospital.” Ye Xuan frowned. “You never used to be a picky eater, did you?”

The moment these words came out, Ye Lingwei roughly guessed the person’s identity. It had to be the original host’s second older brother, an amateur racing driver currently in his third year of college—Ye Xuan.

Compared to Ye Cen, Ye Xuan was much simpler. Of course, he also displayed his likes and dislikes much more blatantly. At the very least, looking at his face, Ye Lingwei couldn’t see a trace of brotherly affection for a younger sibling.

Ye Xuan did not like this younger brother. It was because of giving birth to Ye Lingwei that their mother became depressed and unhappy. If not for that, how could their mother have left them? They had already lost their father.

Facts had proven that Ye Lingwei was indeed unlikable. He was taciturn and had zero presence at home. It would have been fine if it was just his poor grades, but his personality was also gloomy. There wasn’t a single thing about him that resembled a member of the Ye family.

This was the first time Ye Xuan had seen Ye Lingwei this year. The last time they met was merely a hurried glance during the Lunar New Year. Ye Lingwei had been eating at the dinner table; hearing that his second brother was leaving, he hadn’t even lifted his head. At that moment, Ye Xuan’s disgust for this younger brother had only deepened.

Being summoned to deliver a meal was completely unexpected. Although Ye Lingwei wasn’t liked by the brothers, the housekeeper, who had taken care of them since childhood, treated all three of them exactly the same.

Ye Xuan had heard that the housekeeper was ill. Since he happened to be back in Shencheng for a race, he took advantage of a rest day during the competition to visit her at the hospital. Unexpectedly, before they had barely exchanged two sentences, the housekeeper had sent him off to deliver a meal to Ye Lingwei.

Deliver a meal? What meal?

The housekeeper said Ye Lingwei could no longer stomach the cafeteria food. Ye Xuan immediately felt this was preposterous. He could eat it before—why was it suddenly inedible now?

Upon arrival, Ye Xuan had deliberately intended to vent his frustration on Ye Lingwei.

Ye Lingwei was shoved back a step by the forceful impact of the lunchbox. He called out in a daze, “Er-ge⁵It means Second Brother/Second Older Brother…”

It had to be said, in that very instant, Ye Xuan’s heart turned as soft as cotton. He was only three years older than Ye Lingwei. Aside from when they were little and Ye Lingwei would tug at the hem of his shirt calling for his ‘Er-ge,’ ever since Ye Xuan had warned him never to call him that in public again, Ye Lingwei had truly stopped calling him brother, no matter the time or place.

Ye Xuan looked at the boy before him. He was thin—so thin that the vertebrae at the back of his neck protruded. His chin was pointed like that of a little fox. He was better looking than before; his features must have finally bloomed.

Ye Xuan had noticed that as Ye Lingwei walked over, quite a few people were casting subtle and lingering glances his way.

Look, look, look. What is there to see?

“What are you doing, Ye Xuan? Little Brother is so well-behaved, why are you being so rough?” A tall guy who had been standing next to Ye Xuan the whole time pulled a pack of fruit candies from his pocket and stuffed it into Ye Lingwei’s arms. “We came in a rush, so I didn’t bring anything. Gege will make it up to you next time, okay?”

Ye Lingwei said thank you.

Ye Xuan huffed. He would never admit it, but seeing Ye Lingwei being praised by his best friends, he actually felt a little proud inside.

His gaze landed on the pile of snacks in Ye Lingwei’s arms, so full he could barely hold them. Ye Xuan shoved aside the few people surrounding Ye Lingwei and coldly said, “You just take whatever strangers give you?”

Ye Lingwei blinked his eyes. “Well, it’s not like you gave me anything, Er-ge…”

Ye Xuan: “…”

It seemed that what his eldest brother had said on the phone about Ye Lingwei entering his rebellious phase was no lie.

Up in the classroom, Gao Linhao leaned over the windowsill, watching the scene unfold at the school gates below. Absent-mindedly toying with the tree leaves, he asked Fei Lan, “How many gege does Ye Lingwei have?”

Fei Lan was just there for some fresh air. As for Ye Xuan, he had merely glanced at him a couple of times without paying much attention, but regarding how many brothers Ye Lingwei had, he was very clear on that.

“A lot,” Fei Lan said.

He has two biological brothers, plus a host of paternal and maternal cousins.

Gao Linhao let out a “wow.” Seeing one of the young men down below ruffle Ye Lingwei’s hair, he exclaimed, “True enough. After all, when Ye Lingwei is happy, he calls just about anyone Ge.”

“Lan-ge, aren’t you one of his Gege too?”

• 1
  In Chinese culture, calling someone “Brother” or “Uncle” formally often implies a relationship where the senior bestows gifts (money in red envelopes) upon the junior, especially during New Year.
• 2
  A staple of Chinese education. Students line up on the field and perform synchronized calisthenics to broadcast music.
• 3
  The type of people or things similar to those already referred to. In modern usage, ilk is used in phrases such as ‘of his ilk’ and ‘of that ilk’ to mean ‘type’ or ‘sort.’
• 4
  The housekeeper.
• 5
  It means Second Brother/Second Older Brother