Chapter 91
IF HE LEFT the money saved in Gu Fei’s account, Jiang Cheng thought, then if Gu Fei needed money in the future, he could say, “Why don’t you use that first?” It would go over smoother than saying, “Here, take my money,” and it’d be easier for Gu Fei to accept.
Jiang Cheng had enough left in his own account for this last year of high school tuition, study materials, and living expenses, as well as what he’d need for the first year of university. He could give the rest to Gu Fei.
But as soon as he opened his mouth, Gu Fei had seen right through him. Gu Fei didn’t expose him, but he didn’t continue the conversation, either, so Jiang Cheng didn’t know how to bring it up again.
Gu Fei had some photo editing to do that evening, so he couldn’t join him in his apartment to keep him company while he studied. Jiang Cheng stood at the intersection, his mind wandering as he watched Gu Fei walk away, with Gu Miao rolling along on her skateboard beside him.
Everybody had their own story, whether it was happy, sad, or long-suffering. Without knowing someone on a deeper level, it was impossible to tell what every passing person carried in their deepest of hearts, or whether every lit window concealed a sad sigh.
Gu Fei turned back several times and waved at him, indicating that Jiang Cheng could end his watch and go, but still, he remained where he stood.
Finally, Gu Fei called him on the phone. “Did you hurt your back or something?”
“Nah.” Jiang Cheng laughed. “Aren’t I allowed to watch for a while?”
“I can hardly walk straight with all your staring,” said Gu Fei. “Go home already. Don’t you still have to study?”
Jiang Cheng sighed. “Hearing you bring it up suddenly makes me feel anxious.”
“Then I won’t,” Gu Fei said. “You can keep watching for a little longer. I’ll be making a turn in sixteen feet.”
After hanging up, Jiang Cheng laughed and kept watching Gu Fei’s receding figure, already blurry in the distance. Gu Fei waved and blew a kiss at him before he turned onto the side street.
Jiang Cheng checked that there was no one around, then waved his arm to blow a kiss back.
✦ ✦ ✦
Back in his apartment, Jiang Cheng felt like a robot on autopilot. He showered, tidied up, and sat down at the desk to finish his homework. Then, he started to study, following the plan in his head.
Unlike some people, he didn’t write out his study plan on paper. The books he had to read, question banks he had to get through—he kept track of all of it in his head. What he wanted to get done daily, what he went through yesterday, where the tough spots were, what he wanted to do today, and what could be left until tomorrow… The different colored lines across the pages of his textbooks were like a secret code that he alone knew how to break. And then there were his notebooks.
Jiang Cheng opened one of them. He always took very brief notes, just a short prompt for each point, since he knew that was enough for him to recall the whole thing once he saw the prompt. And combined with his handwriting… He figured nobody would want his notes after he graduated, not even for free. This was truly an esoteric text from the gods.
Ahhh, this handwriting of mine…
Jiang Cheng scribbled away as he started memorizing passages, jotting down a few key words and phrases to practice his handwriting.
Speaking of which, he had seen some improvements lately. He could at least hold himself back from writing in cursive, which only added to the indecipherable hideousness. Writing one stroke at a time, as ugly as it was, at least made it possible to make out the words.
On the desk was a notebook that the good student Gu Fei had left behind. Jiang Cheng picked it up and flipped through it. This so-called “notebook” was basically blank—as good as new. He put the same one on top of his desk in every class as a front, like a cursory display of respect for the teachers.
If Jiang Cheng remembered correctly, Gu Fei had been using this notebook since last semester, and since then…he’d only used about eight pages in total, and each of those pages was only half filled.
Jiang Cheng had never looked through Gu Fei’s notebook before, and this was the first time he saw what Gu Fei had been writing in there. He laughed out loud at the first sentence.
Lao-Lu’s booming voice is a more effective alarm than the bell.
Sleepy.
Very very very very very very very very sleepy.
Can’t get past this level.
Li Yan is 12 levels past me. Scumbag.
Forgot to bring my power bank.
Going to eat meat pies.
I don’t want noodles! No noodles noooo noodles no.
Population regeneration, the renewal of generations of population, births, deaths.
Jiang Cheng’s brows arced briefly. He was a little surprised to see content related to actual classes. He figured it was probably written down when Gu Fei was bored and hunching over the desk with nothing better to do. But it really was just that one row. It was followed by a tangled ball of scribbly lines, definitely the subconscious product of a wandering mind.
After he finished admiring Gu Fei’s notes, Jiang Cheng stretched and continued memorizing passages.
He should encourage Gu Fei to make more of those notes, he thought. Reading them had given him a tangible lift in his mood and energy. If he glanced at them a few times during his study breaks, he could probably sit there and study until three a.m.