Lu YunFei gave him a side eye and thought internally that he wouldn’t argue with him on this point. Who was it who always used English to make things difficult for him? Who made him sing English songs whenever he lost an argument? Was it you, classmate Bian?
He opened up his bag and took out an English paper, and then thought of something before saying, “Let’s swap.”
“Huh?” Bian JinYuan couldn’t understand this train of thought.
Lu YunFei added purposely, “It’s just nice that we both despise our Tmall Genie. We could swap, didn’t you say that your Tmall Genie doesn’t have a good grasp of English? Mine does, so let’s swap. How about it?”
This was a life or death question.
Bian JinYuan looked at Lu YunFei’s harmless serene smile, and somehow felt like he was testing the boundaries of danger.
“Forget it.”
“Nope, look at how your Tmall Genie can’t even understand English, it’s too dumb. Let’s swap, mine can, other than it acting up, it doesn’t have many flaws. Really, if you don’t believe me you can try it, it’s definitely more entertaining. How about you bring it home to try it out, and if you like it, we could swap?”
Bian JinYuan: …
Lu YunFei was still sporting that serene expression, only that Bian JinYuan felt more uneasy the more he looked at him.
“Take it home to try it out?” Lu YunFei intentionally egged on.
“Do you dislike your Tmall Genie that much?”
“Not exactly, it respects teachers and education. It’s a good device, it would be nice for teacher Bian to try it out.”
Bian JinYuan: …
“Let’s forget about it,” Bian JinYuan said, “I already have one.”
“Different Tmall Genies have different personalities, perhaps mine would be more entertaining.”
Then I’m doomed, Bian JinYuan thought, his Tmall Genie would sing 《Unforgiveable》✤ once more then. The song suddenly popped into Bian JinYuan’s mind. It was too scary, it was unbearable to recall.
“No need, I still prefer mine.”
“Really?” Lu YunFei changed his pose, “You think that yours is better?”
Bian JinYuan nodded.
“How is it better?” Lu YunFei asked.
“Caring, cute, obedient, if only the song selection was better it would be great.”
Lu YunFei: … Not forgetting to diss me while praising me! Is my song selection not good? I think it’s quite good! Mood-appropriate and logical! You truly don’t know how to appreciate it! Lack of good taste!
Lu YunFei, “Mine has a good song selection, you can try mine.”
“No, I’m used to it already.”
Lu YunFei: … Then it must be so hard on you~
“Then you must have had a hard time.”
Bian JinYuan, “Can’t be helped that the artificial intelligence nowadays are mostly artificial un-intelligence.”
You’re dead! Lu YunFei said inwardly, you just wait when I ignore you tonight, artificial un-intelligence! I’ll have you know what’s really arificial un-intelligence!
“However even though it’s a bit stupid, it’s still quite cute.”
Too late, it’s no use calling me cute, you’ve already been banished to the cold palace my dear#~ sit properly on the cold bench⧗ my dear~
“Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. What didn’t you understand about the exam paper, have you gone through it yet?”
Lu YunFei: …
Bian JinYuan moved closer to see clearly, and noticed that it was still a blank sheet. He looked at Lu YunFei, “Go on, I’ll help you to mark it when you’re done.”
Lu YunFei instantly deflated. He sprawled flat on his desk as he worked on the English paper weakly. It was obvious that even after Bian JinYuan had been banished to the cold palace, he was still able to do a lot more to him,
Lu YunFei initially wanted to let Bian JinYuan go home at 8pm, but it was already 8.20pm by the time he had explained the last question. Lu YunFei saw him off at uncle Li’s car and said, “See you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Just as he did the last time with Li Cheng, Bian JinYuan asked uncle Li to drop him off at a train station close to his house. Uncle Li opened up the car boot and helped him to take his bicycle out, “Be careful on the road, ride slowly.”
“Okay, thank you.”
Bian JinYuan took his bicycle and thanked him politely before riding off.
It was 9pm when he arrived home. Lu YunFei saw him just as he opened his eyes, and he thought that it was nice that he arrived home around the same time as when he worked at his part-time job.
“Have you eaten?” Bian Jie asked as she sewed her clothes.
“I’ve eaten,” Bian JinYuan said. He dropped his bag on the sofa and took out a booklet and a pen.
As he worked on his homework, he seemed to have thought of something, and began to draw slowly on the back of the paper. He drew slowly, silently, with each stroke a gentle quietness.
Shuang Shuang came over in curiosity and exclaimed, “Gege are you drawing?”
Bian JinYuan gave an “Mmm” in reply.
Bian Jie heard this and also put down her sewing work, as she went over to his side to take a look, “Is this a castle?”
Lu YunFei stretched his neck, hating that he couldn’t turn into a giraffe. Let me see, let me look at it too. Bian JinYuan can also draw? And a castle at that, he had such a young girl’s heart?
But even as he stretched his neck, he still wasn’t able to see anything.
After Bian JinYuan completed the castle, he drew a little prince sitting in it.
He paused, looked at the drawing, and lapsed into silence.
Bian Jie asked, “What’s wrong?”
Bian JinYuan shook his head.
It was just that he had suddenly felt a bit helpless. He felt that Lu YunFei was just like the little prince in his drawing, he had a castle, household helpers, and had innumerable roses and treasures. As for himself, he wasn’t in the picture.
Shuang Shuang leaned against him and looked at his drawing on the paper, exclaiming, “Wow, gege’s drawing is so awesome.”
He asked Bian JinYuan, “Can you give it to me gege?”
“No can do,” Bian JinYuan ruffled his head, “Gege will draw one specially for you next time alright? I can’t give you this piece.”
Shuang Shuang amiably agreed.
Lu YunFei was dying of curiosity. Just what kind of drawing was this that he couldn’t even give it to Shuang Shuang, he also wants to take a look at it! It was too bad that both Shuang Shuang and Bian JinYuan didn’t play with him today. Before he could attempt to banish Bian JinYuan to the cold palace, Bian JinYuan had first made him sit on a cold bench!
Lu YunFei was dispirited. Bian JinYuan tore the piece of paper out and wrote the word ‘Bian’ on the bottom right corner, before storing the drawing in his file case. Even though the little prince had a castle, household helpers, treasures and roses, a little prince was still just a little prince, and deserved to be treasured.
And so, Bian JinYuan chose to hide him away.
On Wednesday, Lu YunFei went to the hospital to remove his cast. Bian JinYuan and uncle Li accompanied him there, while Li Cheng gave him a video call to personally make sure that he was really alright.
Lu YunFei pressed his weight on a table as he stood up, and slowly placed his foot on the ground. However as he started to walk, he felt his left foot crumple under him and stumbled. Bian JinYuan quickly caught him.
“That’s normal,” the doctor said, “You haven’t walked on this foot for half a month. When you go home, try practising while supporting yourself on a wall or on your crutch.”
“Alright, thank you.”
“You’re welcome, give me a call if you have any questions.”
Lu YunFei nodded and left under the support of Bian JinYuan and uncle Li.
When they arrived home, Lu YunFei had a meal and practised walking around the house with Bian JinYuan, and finally began to find his rhythm. He let Bian JinYuan tutor him, and seeing that it was already 8.15pm, asked uncle Li to send him home, before practising his walking some more on his own.
It was probably due to his healthy constitution that he was able to walk normally before he went to bed. The Lu parents came home earlier than usual, before 9pm. Lu YunFei walked up and down the living room as he asked his parents, “How is it? I’m not lame right?”
“Nope, can’t see anything out of the ordinary. Stop moving about, you’re blocking the television,” Father Lu complained.
Lu YunFei turned back to give his father a look and thought that he probably wasn’t his birth father.
News of Lu YunFei’s healed foot traveled throughout the school as if on wings the very next day. However, news of the monthly exam results spread even faster.
The first paper to be handed back to students was Mathematics. When the Mathematics representative handed Lu YunFei his paper, his face was an expression of shock, “Fuck, 149, Lu YunFei you’re the real Mathematics representative!”
Lu YunFei humbly smiled, “Don’t worry, I’m not interested in your position.”
The Mathematics representative felt that he didn’t deserve his position. Compared to others, his results were only slightly above average. Now that he was placed in class one, Bian JinYuan flanked to the left while Lu YunFei was on the right. The pressure was unbearable for him.
The Mathematics representative handed out the exam papers while checking out the scores. When he came to Bian JinYuan’s paper, he looked at the three numbers in bright red and felt that he simply didn’t deserve his position at all! It was time to resign!
Lu YunFei was happily looking at his Mathematics paper while wondering about how he probably scored better than Bian JinYuan with 149, or at the very least they would both tie at first place.
“How do you think I fared?” He asked Bian JinYuan.
Bian JinYuan glanced at his paper, “It’s quite good.”
“What about you?”
“I’ve not gotten mine back yet.”
“Then how do you think you scored?”
“Probably average,” Bian JinYuan said calmly.
Average? Lu YunFei felt bad, “Was it because the time you spent helping me to revise for English this month hindered your studies?”
“No.”
“It definitely did,” Lu YunFei refuted, “If you really don’t have the time, then please stop spending energy on me. I can’t have my grades get pulled up at the expense of yours.”
“No need,” Bian JinYuan thought that he worried too much.
“Need,” Lu YunFei was prepared to dole out advice when he saw the Mathematics representative head over, his face red, with an indescribable complicated expression.
“Your paper,” the Mathematics representative handed it over to Bian JinYuan. As Bian JinYuan reached out to take it, the Mathematics representative looked between Bian JinYuan and Lu YunFei. Lu YunFei was confused, “What sort of look is that?”
“It’s an expression of abdication,” the Mathematics representative lamented, “The both of you should discuss between yourselves as to who should be the Mathematics representative next semester.”
Lu YunFei smiled as he shook his head, “Forget it, I don’t like being a class representative.”
The Mathematics representative then looked at Bian JinYuan, whose head had not once lifted as he worked on his papers. As expected, it was more unreliable to pin his hopes on this person. The Mathematics representative sighed sadly and continued handing out papers to the others.
Lu YunFei saw how Bian JinYuan had merely given his paper a glance before placing it on some books, and reached out to pick it up, “Let me see your…”
He didn’t get a chance to utter his last word “score”, because of the bright red 150 against the unmarred paper, which completely blinded Lu YunFei’s eyes.
Lu YunFei looked at his deskmate in disbelief, “Scored average?”