I can still salvage it chapter 15
The time to leave was approaching, Pei Zhiyi didn’t have time to say anything else to Shen Mian. He carried his luggage downstairs, and Shen Mian followed him down, accompanying him all the way to the bus.
There were already two or three students on the bus, coincidentally all familiar with Shen Mian. They leaned out of the window and greeted him.
Shen Mian said hi to them and gave candy to others. He was like a kindergarten child, always carrying snacks in his pocket. He was good at food-related socializing and would give snacks to anyone he liked.
After Shen Mian finished giving out snacks, he realized it was time for evening self-study. He couldn’t stick around Pei Zhiyi any longer, feeling a bit regretful. He could only hurriedly run over and hug Pei Zhiyi briefly, saying, “Brother, see you next week.”
Pei Zhiyi hugged him back.
In full view of everyone, that hug was as light as water, restrained and modest, but it still made the students by the window cheer. There were only three people on the bus, but it felt like a spring outing. They tapped on the window and said, “Shen Mian, you’re biased. Why only hug Pei Zhiyi? We want hugs too!”
Shen Mian swiftly ran away while saying, “You’re dreaming. You’re not my brother.”
Pei Zhiyi’s lips curved into a smile. He lifted his luggage and got on the bus only when Shen Mian was out of sight.
Shen Mian rushed to the classroom, and Mr. Ding was already sitting at the front. When he saw Shen Mian rushing over, he didn’t say anything, just reminded him not to be late the next time.
Shen Mian whispered an assurance and tried to slip into his seat unnoticed.
That evening self-study was no different from usual. Shen Mian obediently finished all the homework and left the challenging questions blank.
At the end of class, Shen Mian went to have supper with Han Chao and Xu Jing. It was the same restaurant he often went to with Pei Zhiyi, and the owner smiled and asked, “Is Pei Zhiyi not coming today?”
Shen Mian answered while sipping his fruit tea, “He’s participating in a competition and will be back in a week.”
The owner handed the cake to Shen Mian and said, “He must be very talented if he’s participating in a math competition. Good at studying.”
Shen Mian smiled proudly and heard the owner say, “But I’m used to seeing both of you together. Now I only see you alone, and it feels strange.”
Shen Mian scratched his face and bit the straw, “It’s not a big deal. It’s nothing.”
He didn’t think it was a big deal that Pei Zhiyi left him behind. He was reluctant, but he knew that one day Pei Zhiyi would be separated from him.
When he was younger, he always thought that Pei Zhiyi belonged to him alone, that they would always live together in his small room. Pei Zhiyi would warm his hands in winter and eat ice cream with him in summer. But then Pei Zhiyi was taken away by his father, and no matter how much he cried and threw tantrums, it was useless. That’s when he realized that Pei Zhiyi didn’t belong to him.
He only temporarily occupied a period of time with Pei Zhiyi.
After buying the cake, Shen Mian returned to the room. He brought the cake to Xu Jing’s room and played cards for a while. There were five people in total, so they couldn’t play the “Landlord” game, and they started playing “Fight the Landlord” instead.
Shen Mian was not doing well, both in terms of luck and his mindset. He constantly lost that he almost lost his pants.
Xu Jing burst into laughter and said, “Without Pei Zhiyi here, there’s no one to vent for you, Shen Shen. Looks like you might not even be able to keep your underwear today.”
Shen Mian did not plan on giving up and said, “No way, let’s go again. I guarantee I can turn the cards around.”
When Lin Jia heard Pei Zhiyi’s name, he curiously asked, “Pei Zhiyi participated in this math competition, right? If he ranks first, it seems like he could receive internal bonus points for University A. Will he consider applying to University A in the future?”
He asked this purely out of idle chat, without any jealousy. His own grades were also good, but he wasn’t particularly strong in math, so he didn’t participate in that competition at all.
Shen Mian hesitated for a moment with the cards in his hand, then shook his head and said, “I don’t really know. He hasn’t told me.”
Lin Jia replied, “Oh, I see. He has many options, so he doesn’t necessarily have to decide now.”
Xu Jing discarded the cards and asked Shen Mian, “What about you? Have you thought about which university to apply to? We, a group of academic underachievers, should also plan ahead you know.”
Shen Mian felt even more at a loss. He had never thought about that. When it came to academics, he always followed Pei Zhiyi’s lead. Whatever plan Pei Zhiyi made, he would follow.
But Pei Zhiyi hadn’t told him which university he should consider for his senior year.
Holding the cards in his hand, Shen Mian felt a sudden heaviness in his heart.
He suddenly thought that with Pei Zhiyi’s grades, he might not even be able to attend the same university as him, let alone be in the same city. After getting into college, Pei Zhiyi would meet more people, and there would be more people who wanted to rely on him. As Pei Zhiyi’s childhood friend, he might have to wait in line just to see Pei Zhiyi.
Thinking about this, Shen Mian felt that the small cake in his mouth no longer tasted good.
He had never thought that it was such a disadvantage to rank low in studies before. Regardless, there had to be fools like him in the world to highlight the brilliance of geniuses.
But now he was thinking, if he were a little smarter, would he have the chance to go to the same university as Pei Zhiyi? Even if Pei Zhiyi ranked first in the grade, he wouldn’t mind being last.
That way, even if the day to part ways with Pei Zhiyi came, it would come a little later.
He played cards absentmindedly and, as expected, lost again.
Taking the opportunity, Shen Mian stood up and put the cards back. He said, “I’m done playing. I’m going back to sleep.”
Xu Jing teased him, “You’re running away just because you lost a few times. You don’t usually go to bed this early.”
Ignoring Xu Jing’s comment, Shen Mian walked out of the room without a word.
When he returned to his own room, he didn’t actually go to sleep. After taking a shower, he lay on the bed and read a novel. After a while, he heard 007’s voice say, “Random task: Host Shen Mian, sleep in Pei Zhiyi’s bed tonight, worth 3 points.”
Shen Mian had already given up resisting the strange tasks given by 007. Hearing this request didn’t surprise him much, but he sat there blankly for a while, still holding his face.
He thought for a moment and sent a text message to Pei Zhiyi, asking, “Bro, can I sleep in your bed?”
When Pei Zhiyi received Shen Mian’s message, he initially thought he had read it wrong. He even suspected that Shen Mian was playing Truth or Dare with someone.
Fortunately, another text message from Shen Mian arrived soon after.
“It’s a task from 007, asking me to sleep in your bed.”
Pei Zhiyi then realized the situation and replied briefly.
“Go ahead.”
But shortly after, Shen Mian sent another message, taking advantage of the situation, “Can I eat snacks on your bed too?”
Pei Zhiyi could almost imagine the look on Shen Mian’s face when he sent that message. He was definitely smiling, his eyes squinted.
He was quite a clean freak himself and never ate snacks on the bed or let dust settle on his bed.
But he didn’t mind Shen Mian messing up his bed.
“Go ahead,” he replied with two words.
Shen Mian smiled when he saw Pei Zhiyi’s response. He intentionally provoked Pei Zhiyi, and as expected, Pei Zhiyi indulged him.
“Tricked you,” Shen Mian continued typing, “I took a shower before getting on your bed, so it’s clean.”
After saying that, Shen Mian didn’t want to bother Pei Zhiyi any further. After all, it was a competition, and he figured Pei Zhiyi needed rest too.
“Bro, you go to sleep. I’m going to sleep too.”
Pei Zhiyi replied, “Alright.”
It was already eleven o’clock , and Shen Mian put down his phone and crawled into bed.
Pei Zhiyi’s bed was very clean, as it had just been washed a couple of days ago. However, Pei Zhiyi didn’t like strong-smelling laundry detergent, so the sheets didn’t have a gentle floral scent, only a fresh and clean fragrance.
Shen Mian rubbed his face against the bedding, not knowing why his heart was beating fast. He always felt as if Pei Zhiyi’s presence lingered in the sheets, as if Pei Zhiyi were still by his side.