The midsummer air was sizzling hot. The electric fans inside the classroom continued to make flapping sounds and brought up a gust of hot wind.
Experimental No. 3 High School, Second year, Class 9.
The second year’s dog didn’t have the qualifications to enjoy a full summer vacation, and classes had already begun since mid-August. Today was the first day of returning to school.
A crowd of male students created an uproar in the back. The class monitor’s voice was feeble, and it was almost pushed down until it was inaudible. “Be a little quiet ah. The following is the class elective form. Everyone please pass it along to the back and look at it first…”
“Ahhh, I’m going to die. Who has finished the summer vacation’s homework for English? Can you take it here to contribute once?”
“I have the full set here. The source is from the Excellent1 Class 2’s Yuan Jingxue. Twenty on a single subject and a hundred on the full set.” A boy with a small stature shouted out with a loud voice. “Who wants the full set? I guarantee that you won’t suffer losses nor be duped if you buy it.”
The boy behind him kicked his chair and bellowed. “Big cheapskate, why don’t you go rob the bank!”
“Yes, before the holiday didn’t we agree on fifteen on a subject, but you’re now doing some price gouging!” Someone complained.
The one who peddled homework was called Bai Jing. His fingers were typing rapidly, simultaneously sending out the peddled information across the group with 500 people in all classes.
He didn’t even raise his head. “Nonsense. This is the homework of the second rank in the whole grade. I have a cheaper one here, last semester’s nineteenth rank in the whole grade. Eighty-eight on a full set, want it?”
“Then, I want the nineteenth rank’s one. Give me the physics subject. With my grades, it will be awkward if I copy it too perfectly.”
The other boy also didn’t avoid and moved closer to discuss with him. “I want to buy the mathematics’ one, and then can we both share it?”
“Alright, let’s do it like that.” That classmate looked at the scene of Bai Jing’s handphone and cried out. “My god, Xiao2-bai, your business is bustling ah!”
“Don’t flatter, don’t flatter. It was a one-off short-sighted deal.” Bai Jing struggled to make a modest smile. “I still need to share the profit with the source’s provider and can’t prevent data-sharing cheapskates like you guys. I can only make a little money.”
Little class monitor took the few remaining sheets of elective form and walked to the several back rows. “Anyone hasn’t gotten it yet? If there is, raise your hand ah…”
“Got it, got, the class monitor has worked hard.” The boys answered with mischievous smiles.
The little class monitor of Class 9 was called Tang Tiantian. She usually has a soft voice and gentle temperament with a few lovely little freckles on her cheeks; thus she looked quite attractive to the male students. Although those boys didn’t like to listen to commands, they all still quite respect her.
Among the noisy surroundings, a boy on the last row by the window motionlessly leaned on the desk.
The electric fan’s wind blew his semi-long hair, which was soft and shiny black. The dazzling sunlight shone through from behind the fluttering window curtains, painting a faint golden light between his hairs.
On a hot day, other people wore short-sleeves, only he wore a light blue long-sleeved shirt. But the sleeves were rolled up carelessly, revealing a fair wrist.
At a glance, that wrist was astonishingly white under the sunlight. The slender fingers curled up and the light blue-green veins were faintly discernible on the cold tone skin arm as if it was transparent.
A pair of steel crutches were placed beside his desk.
Little class monitor hesitated for a while, gently tapping the boy’s desk. “Ruan Qingmu? Wake up, there’s a form to be filled.”
The boy leaning on the desk moved a little and produced a vague nasal voice, it was languid and loose.
The moment he raised his head, a pair of dazed half-narrowed eyes looked up. The corner of his eyes carried a dubious hint of red and he dazedly looked at her.
—
In the past, Ruan Qingmu died tragically in the spring. Grass grew long, orioles flew, and flowers bloomed everywhere. His blood dyed the entire peach blossom tree, soaking into the peach blossom tree’s trunk and branches.
But in a blink, he arrived at this inexplicable strange world. At this side, it was early summer, with ripped green plums, and the remnants of spring flowers.
And he changed from the infamous young master of the Demonic Sect, Ruan Qingmu, into a senior high school youth with the same surname, given name, age, and appearance.
He woke up at the intensive care unit. The previous host’s heart had stopped beating, while his brain suffered heavy damages.
Later after inexplicably getting better, nobody noticed that the soul inside this body had died and changed into another one.
The memories of the previous host were all present. After entering for the whole summer vacation, it didn’t seem too difficult to accept.
But every time during the night, he would still dream about the past life. Dreamt about those after-death days when his soul drifted around, and also about the appearance of that person soaked all over in blood and collapsed in grief.
He couldn’t understand.
That person who had a bright future and long-term reputation, Qin-shaoxia, obviously took him as an enemy. Both of them fought each other for their lives. The times they opposed each other weren’t only once or twice – but when he died, he chased after the murderer and avenged him. In the end, what was actually going on?
Even if that person really believed he was innocent or he discovered those people had distorted the truths, confusing right and wrong; surely he knew how to think for the long run and planned slowly?
But, he insisted on killing those few people in front of the whole world. Finally, his blood dropped on the yellow sand, exhausted his strength, and died.
At the last moment, he had gathered his last breath, pierced the heart, and also chopped off both legs of the second young master of Suzhong Tang Sect.
Although he didn’t want to be sentimental, Ruan Qingmu still felt that this person’s heavy actions towards the second young master of Tang Sect were eight or nine times out of ten for him.
Because the moment he died, he had previously suffered from Tang Sect’s poison. Both of his knees had also been forcibly broken by the Tang Sect’s people.
Even if he didn’t groan until his death, at that time, it really felt fucking hurt ah.
The one sentence from numerous years before “If it is real, I will repay you with justice,” couldn’t even be counted as a vow. It was as light as a feather, like the occasional words that everyone from those prestigious righteous sects would say. Was it really worth it to take your own life?
At this point, he couldn’t manage to understand even to his death.
Footnote:
1 The class system is categorized into; (1) excellent class: consists of top 100 students with the best overall grades. They are usually divided into 2 classes ( Excellent class 1 and 2); (2) regular class: consist of students with average grades; (3) poor class: consists of 50 students with the lowest grades
2 小 – : prefix used in front a person’s name as a form of endearment