Chapter 15 | 🔱 Contents 🛡️ | Chapter 17
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Translator: Silvery
PR: Decadence
Jin Linkun stands at the podium for no more than 10 minutes before he wraps up before the stupefied eyes of the academic tyrants. Putting down the piece of chalk without so much as a backward glance, he struts back to his seat.
He was born with the innate ability to be eye-catching. Adding that to his aura which is a stark contrast from that of a high schooler, the short stretch of road from the podium to the chair seems to become a runway walk. Not a single pair of eyes was able to break away from his form.
Yu Sheng can’t be bothered to look at him. Folding his arms on the table, he cushions his head with them and scrolls through his phone, searching for nearby stores where he can purchase some clothes and daily necessities.
N Uni and Central Third aren’t quite the same.
Since the school campus is humongous, the students have to take a bus whenever they are leaving the school compound. And though there are the necessary restaurants, malls, bookshops, and supermarkets on school compound, it is vacation right now, so the vast majority have closed their doors.
If one wants to buy anything, they can only do so by taking two buses to downtown.
The connection in the Recreation Centre is weak. Every page he taps on requires a couple of turns of the throbber. Yu Sheng buries his head deeper into the crook of his arm as he waits for the GPS to finish loading. Upon hearing that guy pull the chair out at his side, he moves his arm away to give him some room.
In the next second, his shoulders suddenly gain an arm around them.
Yu Sheng instantly hisses, head whopping up as he drops his phone.
“Ssss—”
Jin Linkun’s arm doesn’t budge, but the hand on his shoulder does pat twice. He whispers softly:
“Your stomach hurts. I’ve got to show some concern for you.”
……
Only then does Yu Sheng recall the shitty excuse he made to take his place onstage.
Yu Sheng isn’t too well-versed in this kind of friendly interaction between guys, nor does he know if this arm-slinging-over-shoulders thing is a norm these days. Nevertheless, he puts up with it and refrains from immediately throwing this guy over the shoulder to put his head through the desk:
“You done showing your concern?”
“Nope.” Jin Linkun replies with a practiced confidence that comes off slightly stupid. He directs him with absolute certainty, “Raise your head a little.”
Yu Sheng scowls, but does so the next second.
Jin Linkun follows suit and turns to face him. He raises a hand, fully absorbed in his act and he places it on his forehead.
Yu Sheng’s shoulders jolt subconsciously.
The touch of that hand on his forehead is featherlight. Palm dry, with a temperature marginally higher than his own, the gentle warmth covers his forehead.
This is a sensation that has nearly fled his memories.
Yu Sheng stiffens briefly, his eyes fluttering shut without making a sound.
Jin Linkun meets his new roomie’s re-opened eyes, freezes for three seconds, and he timingly retracts his hand, narrowly dodging the hand which shoots out to snap his wrist in half.
Turning his head, he runs his eyes over the academic tyrants who look away hastily. He pats Yu Sheng’s shoulder with quite the amount of confidence:
“We’re good. They’ve bought it.”
“……”
Yu Sheng really thinks he might be feeling a bit sick now. Inhaling deeply, he pries off the hand on his shoulder emotionlessly and sinks back down on the table.
The showdown is exactly what it is.
Especially when they even tagged on a “Champion” to that.
Just by being christened this name alone, this competition is already destined to become a gripping head-to-head clash of domineering titans.
Even if you tag on “Grammar” to that, it is still the same.
The innocent Academic Tycoons who had been submitted to Jin Linkun’s bulldozing explanations take a breather before pulling themselves back together. Under Teacher Wan’s directions, they briskly separate into multiple study groups and begin the bloodthirsty, intense PK* via exercise books.
(*PK: Player Kill)
Jin Linkun perks up in interest. Turning his head to look, he nudges Yu Sheng with his elbow:
“Friend, do you have any intere—”
Yu Sheng doesn’t even look at him:
“Nope.”
……
Jin Linkun is mild-tempered. Even if his words are cut off by him, he doesn’t show any reaction. Leaning back in his seat, he props himself back on the chair’s hind legs and rocks unsteadily, taking the question paper again to flip through it.
Yu Sheng pillows his head with his arms and continues to scour through the map. Seeing that throbber take even more turns to load, he completely gives up at last and flings his phone back in the table storage.
Propping himself up with his palm, he rests his forehead against his forearm to calm himself when his gaze lands on that pair of frustratingly long legs.
It is only now then that Yu Sheng abruptly realizes. Jin Linkun took a year’s leave of absence from school, so he is most likely the same as him, not recognizing a single face in the crowd here.
His classmates should all have finished their exams. Finally securing their freedom from the hellish claws of their Finals, they should be letting loose and running wild to their hearts’ content, as well as preparing fervently for their upcoming university life.
Province Point has a teaching block for each year of students. The time at which they end their classes are all segregated too. Most of the time, there isn’t any interaction between them. Now, with this batch of 2nd-going-3rd Years, even if they are from the same school, he is most likely unfamiliar with them.
Yu Sheng lays for a while before cocking his head:
“Why did you get suspended back then?”
Yu Sheng is making conversation with him for once. Seemingly dumbstruck, Jin Linkun looks behind himself.
Every participant had come prepared for this clash of the titans. Set after set of 《Grammar Drills》 and 《Secrets to Unravelling Long Sentences》flung continuously onto the desk, the resultant bang, bang, bang! comes seamlessly.
The academic tyrants all seem lit. They are on a warpath, and they are picking out rivals to go toe to toe with them in a death match.
Teacher Wan has his back curved as he stands by a desk, patiently consoling Vice-Captain Student Kong.
……
“Ah.”
Jin Linkun turns back to face him. He retracts one foot and the chair lands flat on all fours. He smiles:
“Something cropped up.”
He puts down his paper, the dark eyes behind his spectacles curving upwards as he pats Yu Sheng’s shoulder generously:
“Tired? Take a nap. I’ll keep on a lookout for you.”
Yu Sheng frowns.
He can’t think of anything that might make Jin Linkun take a LOA.
The exam is clearly like a game to this person. Even if something really cropped up, he could have still casually taken a couple hours to drop by the exam hall and come back with a satisfactory score.
But with that said, he can tell Jin Linkun doesn’t want to answer this question.
Everyone has one or two things they don’t want to talk about. Yu Sheng doesn’t intend to trace down the root of the matter either. Seeing as if his question’s met with no answers, he decides not to give a damn and flops back down on the desk.
The classroom is a place very suitable for sleeping in.
Especially when it is a classroom enveloped in the overfilling passions of these students.
Yu Sheng is deadbeat. He has slept at 4 and woken up at 7 these past two days. The only nap he took to make up for that was yesterday’s afternoon, and the resultant severe sleep deprivation causes his temples to pulse profusely.
His initial plan had been to hold out till he’s back in the dorm room to knock himself out. But now that Jin Linkun brought up that topic, the lethargy rushing back to him becomes impossible to ignore.
“Save it.”
In the midst of the throbbing migraine, Yu Sheng hears himself say:
“It’s just a nap. No need to watch over me.”
The words are slightly curt. Pillowing his head with his arms, several moments later, he shifts sluggishly and forces out that overly Chuuni activity name:
“Go – Go settle your showdown. My tummy doesn’t hurt anymore.”
Saying this, without waiting for Jin Linkun’s response, he drops his head back in his arms and he closes his eyes.
……
The Summer Camp aka. Gathering of Academic Tyrants does not require a teacher’s supervision and is more about promoting a student’s independence. Even for a mildly above-average student, each individual has their own way of studying.
Some may improve themselves through interactions of this sort. Others may need to burrow themselves in a mountain of books. Then, there are those who grimly stay out without flipping a page, waiting till they are home alone before desperately running through drills as if Satan himself is on their heels.
Youths possess a particular competitiveness and fragile self-esteem that are unique to them. When these are combined, a lot of the times, the things they feel obstinately about are, actually, a little bit childish. But as the years pass, the feelings they hold in that moment of time shall metamorphosize, eventually becoming a vibrant stroke in their memories.
Having led many batches of Third-Years and seen all kinds of students, Wan Yongming is open-minded with an accepting heart. Full of smiles as he wanders about with his hands folded behind his back, he occasionally drops a bit of advice to groups who are at a standstill. He does not interfere with anyone’s way of doing things.
Even so, the two evenly-matched No. 2 in the corner of the last row still seize the attention of Team 7’s students without question.
What Yu Sheng doesn’t know is this: In the “🔱 Allied League for Defence against Study God’s Pomposity 🛡️” chat group which once roped him in then kicked him out in the dark, the academic tyrants who are gleefully duelling it out are also currently double-tasking and going super Saiyan, spamming the group chat at breakneck pace as though they’ve grown another pair of hands.
【I_Love_Chemistry🧪: ? ? Are you sure Old Kong didn’t hear it wrongly? Answering with a finger to the wrist… What dat? Isn’t he just taking his pulse?】
【Dreaming-of-Being-Provincial-NO.1: It must be a way to slow himself down. That freaking sadistic exam. I had to redo a whole page of questions if I was even a sec too fast. It pissed me off so much, I nearly put my fist through the PC.】
【Undefeated-Not-Swordsman: …I give. I didn’t even know there existed a bug like answering too fast.】
【Studying_Makes_Me_Happy: We sure let our guard down! Initially, I still thought he was an ally who kicked the Study God off his throne. Then, it turns out he’s a fellow dogfighter of the Elite Club who’s far outta my reach.】
【HELPMESTUDYGODSBEHINDME: Please…cansomeonepleasehelpmesee. Are they ripping each others’ throats out behind me?】
In a blink of an eye, the entire classroom becomes hushed. Eyes everywhere flick soundlessly in the same direction, looking over to the last row closest to the door.
Though the two Boss Bros from the Elite Club don’t look like they get along well with the crowd at all, they are surprisingly well-matched.
That Boss Bro who punched a guy is currently sleeping on the desk. His sleeves rolled back up and his face stuffed in the bend of his arm, he looks abnormally used to doing this.
That Boss Bro who got punched is seated at his side. The top two buttons of his dress shirt are casually set loose. He is currently cradling a TEM-8 PYP Editing Exercise Book*, lazily flipping through it while balancing on the hind legs of his chair. The stack of papers in his other hand is used to fan himself.
(*Test for English Major Band 8: highest level for English major students | Past Year Paper)
The classroom has the air-con turned on, but with some hundred people in the room, and mostly youths who are at the age where their temperature is just as heated as their passion for studying, it inevitably still gets a bit warm.
Jin Linkun angles his body slightly, propping his book carelessly on his lap. Fanning the question paper indolently, he creates a breeze that just so happens to caress both parties from that angle.
……
【Studying_Makes_Me_Happy: Couples’—Blouse?】
【Studying_Makes_Me_Happy: Fuck. Whyisitsohard to put in words?】
Yu Sheng is quite sensitive to the gazes on him. Even if he is making up for lost sleep, he can still feel it. Faintly detecting the increasing number of stares on him, his shoulders shift, and he scrunches his brows, ready to get up.
Jin Linkun treats the matter of accommodating his tablemate quite seriously. He raises that book just in time, completely shielding Yu Sheng’s forehead from view:
“We’re safe. The teacher hasn’t come yet.”
Yu Sheng: “……”
Most people do not flaunt it so brazenly when they are on lookout duty, but he does not inform him of that. Yu Sheng fends off that book with a hand, pushing himself up by the edge of the desk. His eyes sweep through the entire classroom.
The academic tyrants recollect their gazes as one. The chanting of English under their breaths amplifies threefold in a heartbeat.
……
Yu Sheng is dizzied by the swarm of earnest passion for studying. He rubs his head and pulls out his phone to look at the time.
Actually, he didn’t think he would fall asleep for real. But maybe it’s because of the air-con that’s set just right, or maybe, it could be due to that overly comforting breeze. In the end, he couldn’t hold on and still took a short nap.
Perhaps it’s due to the atmosphere around him. He had a brief dream during his nap.
That was also English. It was the Provincial Public Speaking Competition. In the training period before the said event, the classroom was buzzing with excitement, each and everyone doing their best to follow the recording and eliminate what little Chinese accent remained in their tone.
He was slumped on the desk. Under his arm was a script that came from half a month of torture by the teacher, as well as countless rounds of modifications and improvements made in the dorms and computer room. There he was, catching every second of sleep he could.
The teacher was quite indulgent. Patting him on the shoulder with a smile and waking him up, she told him his mother is here to see him. That she is right outside the door.
The light outside the door was so bright, it was dazzling. There was someone beside the familiar figure. A family of two adults and one child, they were standing affectionately together.
The man who was a bit of a stranger bent down. Donning his glasses, he patted his shoulder warmly.
“Lil’ Sheng, your younger brother is going overseas soon. This competition will be crucial for his portfolio. Can you lend him your speech for reference?”
******
Silvery:
Decadence: Some people need conscious minds.
Next Time on DTTM!
Chapter 17: <Had a nightmare?>
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Chapter 15 | 🔱 Contents 🛡️ | Chapter 17
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Thank you for updating!!!!
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Oh, is that dog parents?
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Thank you for the chapter!
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