Fever Break - Chapter 9

The club is filled with young people, so meetings won’t involve long-winded speeches.

A few people who are going to perform at the school anniversary celebration gathered together to chat. The president is a senior who sent a message to Lu Wuke, reminding them to practice more and said she would take them out for dinner afterward. As night fell, the temperature dropped a few degrees. Someone suggested that hot pot would be perfect for this kind of weather, and a few of them decided to go out together.

There’s a hot pot restaurant near the west gate of the school, which is always packed. The senior had someone reserve a spot for them there.

Before long, the sky turned dark. The streetlights were rusty, and the light filtered through the treetops, casting mottled shadows on the ground, while the traffic flowed like a flood.

Lu Wuke walked behind the senior, who asked her, “Wuke, didn’t you used to work part-time? Do you still have a job this semester?”

Aside from being busy with club activities, university clubs are filled with endless gatherings. When Lu Wuke first joined the club, they had gatherings every few days, which often clashed with her work schedule, so she hadn’t attended many. Everyone in the club knew she had a job.

Lu Wuke nodded, “I still have a part-time job this semester.”

Hearing this, the senior thought there might be a chance for her to offer Lu Wuke a job and asked, “Do you want to take on a job?”

Lu Wuke neither accepted nor declined.

She shifted her gaze from a sweet potato cart not far away to the senior and asked, “What kind of job?”

The senior brushed her long hair back and explained, “So, I have a friend who partnered up to open a bar. Business is pretty good, but they’re short-staffed lately, so he asked me to help find a college student. I saw that they’re offering decent pay, so I thought of you. It’s better to keep the good opportunities within our circle.”

Lu Wuke wouldn’t turn down a chance for money, so she asked, “Where is it located?”

The senior replied that it was in the southern part of the city, not too far, and that transportation costs could be reimbursed. This was indeed a job without any drawbacks.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Wuke nodded, “Okay.”

Usually, dinner could be sorted in half an hour, but with more people, it could stretch to two hours. Lu Wuke returned just in time for the evening class, which was an elective with no restrictions on which major could choose it.

Ah Shi was in the same class as her, and when Lu Wuke arrived at the classroom, Ah Shi had already saved a spot for her. As Lu Wuke approached, Ah Shi moved her bag from the desk to make space and asked, “Good thing you guys ate quickly; the teacher just announced that attendance will be checked in this class.”

In another minute or two, the class bell would ring, but students were still trickling into the classroom. It was clear that someone had warned them about the attendance check, causing a bit of a rush.

Lu Wuke sat down by the window in the aisle.

This elective class was on Greek culture, a rather dull class where Ah Shi was just there to slack off. Before the class bell even rang, she had already stretched her hand under the desk to play games.

Lu Wuke took out her book and realized she hadn’t brought a pen.

She asked Ah Shi for a pen: “Did you bring a pen?”

Ah Shi was so engrossed in her game that she didn’t even look away from the screen. She tossed her bag to Lu Wuke: “You can look for it.”

Lu Wuke pulled her bag over and searched through it, but she couldn’t find a single pen.

She was speechless: “Xu Wanrou, are you here to play games?”

Ah Shi only remembered that she had complained about not bringing her textbooks when she left the house; she hadn’t even brought a book, let alone a pen.

She started rambling: “I’m practicing minimalism, okay? I think no one understands the situation better than I do. I can’t possibly listen to the class or take notes, so why bother dragging them along just to stress myself out? Protecting my spine is important.”

The person in front seemed to have heard what Ah Shi said, then suddenly, a pen rolled and fell to the ground.

Lu Wu Kuo slapped Ah Shi on the back while she was hunched over playing games, startling Ah Shi so much that she almost threw her phone away.

“I swear, you scared me to death, Lu Wuke.”

Lu Wuke replied seriously, “I’m helping you protect your spine.”

If it weren’t for Ah Shi knowing Lu Wuke so well, she would have believed her with that serious face saying such things. Ah Shi was forced to straighten her back, wanting to tickle Lu Wuke, but was afraid that she might accidentally die in the game.

“Damn it, Lu Wuke, just wait for me. Go ahead and bully me all you want.”

Lu Wuke couldn’t help but laugh, withdrew her hand, and went back to reading.

Ah Shi was playing her game quite quickly. After finishing, she tossed her phone onto the table and poked the back of the classmate in front of her: “Hey there, classmate.”

The person in front was a clean-cut boy wearing glasses. He turned around.

Ah Shi was momentarily stunned: “It’s you.”

The boy looked very studious, the type who probably buried himself in books all the time, not very good at socializing. Talking to people might be more painful for him than memorizing a hundred English essays. He just responded awkwardly. Ah Shi didn’t mind that he was like this; not everyone could chatter as much as she did.

She asked to borrow a pen: “Can I borrow a pen? I’ll return it after class.”

The boy, perhaps afraid that Ah Shi would say even one more word, quickly rummaged through his pencil case and placed a pen on their table. Ah Shi took the pen and felt the need to thank him even as he turned away.

Lu Wuke rested her chin on her hand, obediently watching the show from the side. When it was over, she asked Ah Shi, “Is he in your class?”

Ah Shi handed her a pen, “Yeah.”

Lu Wuke stared at the person’s back for a moment and suddenly asked Ah Shi, “He likes you?”

Ah Shi was drinking water when she heard this, and she nearly choked, almost coughing up her lungs.

The professor at the podium glanced over, “Calm down, classmate. There’s nothing to get too excited about in this lesson.”

The whole class burst into laughter.

This helped Ah Shi ease her embarrassment, and she quickly regained her composure, asking Lu Wuke, “Were you serious just now?”

Lu Wuke looked puzzled, “Why weren’t I?”

Ah Shi was speechless, “Don’t you think it’s strange for you to ask that?”

“You’re someone with this face who hasn’t even experienced early romance. No, not even early romance; you don’t even have a crush on anyone right now. It’d be strange if I believed your assumption.”

Lu Wuke snatched the pen from her hand: “Oh, if you don’t believe it, then don’t.”

Ah Shi leaned over to whisper to her: “Let me tell you, people like this bookworm won’t like anyone; they’ll just devour books, treating them like their girlfriends. They’re nothing like someone with a romantic brain like Shen Yixi.”

Lu Wuke felt that this name had been mentioned more frequently around her lately, aside from pure gossipers like Ah Shi’s.

Ah Shi nudged her arm and whispered, “I heard Shen Yixi seems to have broken up with his girlfriend.”

Lu Wuke was doodling in her textbook and, upon hearing the words, simply said, “Really?”

Ah Shi leaned over and asked her, “Aren’t you curious when he’ll have his next girlfriend?”

Lu Wuke felt a bit like having some milk. Whenever she was bored, she craved milk; rather than listening to Ah Shi’s nonsense, she would prefer to sip it alone.

Ah Shi didn’t care if Lu Wuke was listening; she just kept talking. “I bet within a week, a beautiful girl will show up by his side. What do you think?”

Lu Wuke looked at her: “Will this bet winner get money?”

“Damn it, you money addict.”

Lu Wuke asked her, “Are you in or not?”

Ah Shi thought for a moment and reluctantly agreed to play with her, saying, “Let’s play, who knows who might win.”

Lu Wuke poked at the desk, seemingly just following along with the conversation, “It’s longer than any of the previous gaps.”

Ah Shi touched her forehead and said, “Lu Wuke, are you out of your mind? Shen Yixi, how could he possibly be single for that long?”

Lu Wuke couldn’t be bothered to respond, propping her chin up and listening to the teacher’s lecture.

=

The next day, the sky wore a gray face again. For the past few days, Ah Shi had been waking up every morning to curse the weather of the month, complaining that it was driving people into depression.

After class in the morning, Lu Wuke was called to the office by her professor. The professor, Xu Zhiyi, was in his thirties but had been in this position for a while. He was well-spoken, warm in personality, and had no airs about him, making him quite popular among the students.

Recently, the professor had been delayed by some matters abroad, causing him to miss two weeks of classes after the semester started, and he planned to make up for it soon.

Lu Wuke had previously submitted an English paper to his email, and the professor had called her to the office to discuss it. Lu Wuke’s writing had always been free of major flaws; it was logically sound and grammatically proficient, the kind of work that teachers would print out for the whole class to read back in high school. This time was no exception; there wasn’t anything particularly serious.

After Xu Zhiyi explained a few points that needed attention to Lu Wuke, he let her leave.

Lu Wuke thanked him softly, and as she turned around, she heard the professor’s office door being knocked twice casually with knuckles. She looked up and saw Shen Yixi leaning against the door with his hands in his pockets. In such a serious and formal place, the greatest respect he could show was not lighting the cigarette he held between his fingers.

Yet, this little restraint couldn’t hide the wild and unruly aura that surrounded him even a bit.

Shen Yixi’s brows and eyes were tinged with a lazy drowsiness, his head slightly lowered as he held the cigarette in his hand. When Lu Wuke glanced at him, he happened to look up at her at the same time.

It was unintentional, yet subtle.

He might have been bored with nothing else to do, his eyes resting on her, too lazy to move, just staring at her.

Lu Wuke held her gaze for a few seconds before she was the first to lower her eyes.

Even so, that invisible gaze still had an extremely strong presence.

The tall boy blocked more than half the door. He showed no intention of letting her pass, standing there unreasonably and domineeringly. He didn’t say anything or do anything; just standing there made him an undeniable presence.

As Lu Wuke passed by him, she could even feel his breath brushing against the top of her head, causing her fingertips, which were holding the book, to tremble slightly.

She left Xu Zhiyi’s office.

Once Lu Wuke was gone, Xu Zhiyi leaned back in her chair and smiled as he teased him, “Always picking on little girls.”

Shen Yixi didn’t respond, finally using a bit of strength to get up.

He put his hands in his pockets and casually asked,”Top of the class?”

This question caught Xu Zhiyi a bit off guard; he raised an eyebrow and replied, “Oh, what’s this? Are you interested in her?”

Shen Yixi didn’t refute this remark. He leisurely pulled out the chair opposite Xu Zhiyi’s desk and sat down.

Xu Zhiyi sorted through some documents he had accumulated during his absence, glancing up at him, “You also know that she is one of the top of the class.”

He lowered his gaze again, placing a document aside, and said, “She is my student; you shouldn’t have any funny ideas. It’s rare for me to have such a promising student under me, so don’t lead them astray.”

Shen Yixi sat casually, legs crossed, looking rather nonchalant.

He didn’t seem angry at the disparaging remark, idly swaying his toes and replied, “You’re a teacher; why you not lead them on the path of knowledge?”

Xu Zhiyi said, “A person with talent doesn’t need my guidance. You, however, I might consider.”

“Fuck,” Shen Yixi chuckled softly.

“But don’t say that; I’m really not much of a good person.”

Shen Yixi, completely relaxed, teased him with a smile, “What kind of teacher can pick up a drunk girl in a bar?”

Xu Zhiyi smiled at the memory of that girl and asked, “No classes this morning?”

Shen Yixi looked at him as if he had heard something extraordinary, raising his eyebrows, “Do you think I would know about that?”

He let out a few laughs from his chest, “I just got up early today to give you face and to welcome you.”

Xu Zhiyi, who was nearly a decade older than Shen Yixi, had been friends with him for many years, and can even be said to be a childhood friend. Xu Zhiyi was a favored student of Shen Yixi’s mother, who treated him like a son, so naturally, Xu Zhiyi became quite familiar with Shen Yixi.

Shen Yixi was mature for his age but still carried the recklessness of youth, which surprisingly matched Xu Zhiyi, a person who is unhurried and steady. The two of them are partners on the racetrack—one is reckless, the other is composed, and they truly enhance each other. Xu Zhiyi is also into cars; he usually sits in the passenger seat of Shen Yixi’s racing car, providing him with reminders and data analysis—professionally speaking, he’s the navigator.

For the past two months, Xu Zhiyi has been on a business trip abroad, and Shen Yixi hasn’t had the chance to enjoy racing freely. He tossed the car keys onto the office desk and said, “Find a place to have some fun later.”

“Sure, you go ahead,” Xu Zhiyi gestured to the pile of documents on the desk, “I’ll handle these first.”

Shen Yixi felt the urge to smoke and got up to lean by the window.

The campus might have a slightly shabby teacher’s office, but this office building was newly renovated two years ago, making it stand out among the old buildings on campus. Behind the three buildings is a small grove of trees, and downstairs there are a few ping pong tables, with the cement floor stained dark brown from years of heavy rain.

Shen Yixi leaned against the window, wanting to light a cigarette.

At this hour, it was class time, and the path downstairs wasn’t the main school route, so there weren’t many people around.

He put the cigarette in his mouth and took out a lighter, just about to lower his head to light it. But as soon as he bent down, he spotted a certain professor’s recently praised student by the wall.

The lighter flickered, its flame mingling with the daylight reflecting in his deep, narrow eyes.

He stared at the person below, showing no intention of looking away.

Lu Wuke stood in the corner by the wall, looking like a good girl, her innocent face making it seem like quite a scene.

She was holding something in her hand that was hard to identify.

But Shen Yixi recognized it at a glance.

It was a Marlboro pack she was holding. And it was the kind that looked quite bold when pulled out.

Shen Yixi raised an eyebrow. Feeling intrigued, he lit the cigarette he had in his mouth and stuffed the lighter into his pocket. He took a deep drag on the cigarette.

With a squint, he watched the top student below to see what she would do.