Chapter 25
On the afternoon of April 13th, the overcast skies that had lingered over City B for most of April finally cleared.
As the last lone cloud disappeared, sunlight poured down uninhibitedly.
The afternoon drowsiness hadn’t yet faded, so Jian Wu hopped around in the corridor, trying to wake himself up. After a few large gulps of ice-cold cola, his mind finally began to revive.
He stretched towards the sun and walked into the classroom just as the bell rang. Before he could even put down his water bottle and start his opening remarks, the children, who usually dragged their feet getting up, all stood up in unison, like bamboo shoots after the rain.
Jian Wu, who had been half-asleep, instantly woke up: “What are you doing?”
The youthful children just smiled at him, not saying a word. Jian Wu glanced at the classroom door number, puzzled: “I didn’t go to the wrong classroom.”
Just as he finished speaking, the class leader suddenly shouted: “One, two–”
“Happy birthday, Teacher Jian!”
The unified voices suddenly echoed in the classroom, their faces beaming at Jian Wu, brighter than the sunlight outside.
Jian Wu was stunned for a moment before realizing what was happening.
He couldn’t help but smile, raising his hand slightly: “Thank you, everyone, please sit down.”
“You’re all so punctual today,” Jian Wu put down his lesson plan and looked at them, “Did you rehearse?”
The students giggled, not explaining.
Jian Wu decided to find the answer himself. He looked back at the timetable written on the left side of the blackboard. His class was preceded by a PE class.
Jian Wu immediately understood and asked them with a smile: “Did Teacher He tell you?”
Seeing that he had figured it out, some of them, unable to contain themselves, started confessing: “Teacher He said it’s your birthday today and told us to wish you a happy birthday!”
Someone else added: “Teacher He even made us practice several times, saying we could run two fewer laps in the next PE class if we were synchronized!”
Jian Wu chuckled, amused that He Yong used reducing laps as an incentive.
After class, he didn’t even need to look for He Yong to express his gratitude. The enthusiastic Teacher He came to his office, accompanied by Ling Meng.
He Yong, like a customer service representative seeking a five-star review, immediately asked: “How was it, Jian Ge? Happy? What’s your rating?”
Jian Wu looked at the two and asked He Yong: “Was this your guys’ idea?”
“Of course it was my idea,” Ling Meng said, raising an eyebrow proudly, “Could He Yong be this thoughtful?”
Jian Wu smiled at them: “Thanks.”
“So, are you touched?” Ling Meng asked.
“Touched,” Jian Wu said sincerely, “So touched I could die.”
“There’s something even more touching,” He Yong said, “Meng Meng and I are treating you to dinner tonight, the barbecue place next door?”
Jian Wu, who hadn’t properly celebrated his birthday in years, was completely stunned: “Ah?”
“Jian Wu, we’ve actually noticed,” Ling Meng said, “You seem to have been quite down lately.”
“No, I haven’t.”
Jian Wu retorted, then, as if afraid it wasn’t convincing enough, added: “You’re overthinking it.”
Seeing the disbelief on Ling Meng and He Yong’s faces, Jian Wu racked his brain for an excuse: “Maybe it’s… the constant rain, the bad weather, the low air pressure, or maybe my horoscope is bad, changes in the sun’s magnetic field? Anyway, I’m really not unhappy.”
“Alright, stop pretending with us,” Ling Meng said, “Anyway, no matter what happened, forget about it for now. I ordered two buckets of beer today, you’re not leaving until you finish them.”
The birthday party Ling Meng and He Yong organized for Jian Wu was quite elaborate. The small private room in the barbecue restaurant was decorated with balloons and ribbons, looking very festive.
Jian Wu hadn’t celebrated his birthday like this in years. He was momentarily blinded by the flashing ribbons as he entered.
Perhaps determined to make Jian Wu forget his troubles, Ling Meng immediately poured him a glass of beer: “Bottoms up.”
Jian Wu took the glass and said doubtfully: “If I remember correctly, tomorrow is a workday, right?”
Just as he finished speaking, Ling Meng handed him a skewer of pineapple and meat — this restaurant’s pineapple and meat skewers were exceptional. After Jian Wu brought them here once, it became their favorite barbecue place for gatherings.
“Don’t worry,” Ling Meng said reassuringly, “I’ll bring you breakfast tomorrow.”
Jian Wu held the ice-cold beer in his left hand and the steaming pineapple and meat skewer in his right. The aroma of fruit and meat blended perfectly, along with the fragrance of the wine, which should have been appetizing, if He Yong hadn’t “thoughtfully” added:
“Jian Ge, after hearing what Professor Song said last time, I specifically ordered the non-spicy pineapple and meat skewers this time! Try it, is it good?”
Jian Wu was speechless.
Was everyone assigned a KPI to mention Song Shuci in front of him?
He went to Cheng Xian and heard him talk about Song Shuci, and now, having dinner with colleagues, he still had to talk about Song Shuci.
Ling Meng, as if she had coordinated with He Yong, chimed in: “Speaking of Professor Song, I actually wanted to invite him–” She stopped mid-sentence, remembering the incident on the bus, and quickly added: “I originally wanted to ask you if you wanted to invite him.”
She glanced at He Yong, “I heard from He Yong that you two get along well and even made plans to play basketball together. And doesn’t Professor Song also like pineapple and meat skewers?”
Jian Wu said with lingering fear: “You didn’t invite him, did you?”
“I swear, I didn’t make the decision for you this time,” Ling Meng waved her hands repeatedly, “I did want to discuss it with you, but before I could ask, I heard from my dad that Professor Song went back to America.”
“Ah?” He Yong was surprised, “He went back to America again? Why? What does that mean?”
Ling Meng looked around, confirming there were no acquaintances nearby, then lowered her voice and leaned closer to the two: “Let me tell you two something secretly.”
He Yong took a beer and asked: “What?”
“I think Professor Song might be standing my dad up.”
The beer in the large bucket was golden, the tiny bubbles shimmering like gold dust under the light. Jian Wu had a high tolerance for alcohol, but for some reason, staring at the rising bubbles, he suddenly felt dizzy.
The alcohol spread through his bloodstream, making him feel slightly disoriented.
Before he could speak, He Yong asked for him: “What do you mean?”
“Professor Song was introduced by a friend of my dad’s,” Ling Meng said, “My dad said that friend told him Professor Song’s supervisor in America didn’t recommend him to come to B Medical University, saying he should try applying for an assistant professorship. If he couldn’t get it, he should stay in America for a few more years as a postdoc and apply again.”
“What’s an assistant professor?” He Yong didn’t quite understand, “Sounds pretty average.”
“Their assistant professor isn’t the same as our ‘teaching assistant’,” Ling Meng thought for a moment, trying to explain, “It’s somewhat similar to our lecturer position. But it seems like their assistant professors can be independent PIs, and it’s very possible to eventually become a tenured professor. I heard assistant professors at Professor Song’s university can earn over $100,000 a year.”
“That much?”
“Yes, and my dad told me that our university’s platform isn’t good enough. Although Professor Song verbally agreed, he didn’t have high hopes. After all, if Professor Song wanted to come back to China, with his qualifications, he could get a good teaching position at his alma mater, A Medical University, and the benefits wouldn’t be worse than ours.”
“Holy crap,” He Yong was clearly surprised, “Professor Song is that amazing?”
Although he had some understanding, their job evaluation systems were different, so He Yong wasn’t clear about Song Shuci’s actual level. Hearing this, he realized Song Shuci seemed to be much more outstanding than he had imagined.
But after listening for so long, Jian Wu only said: “Oh.”
“Jian Ge, why are you so calm?” He Yong asked.
“He’s always been amazing,” Jian Wu took a sip of beer.
He wondered if the restaurant had secretly changed suppliers, the beer today tasted a bit too fermented, bitter.
He put down his glass, hesitated briefly between speaking and not speaking, then said: “He was the second highest scorer in our city in the college entrance exam.”
This time, it was Ling Meng’s turn to be shocked: “Second in the whole city?”
“Mm,” Jian Wu said, “He was my senior in high school, one year older than me.”
“Right,” He Yong also remembered, “You seemed to have mentioned it last time when we were playing basketball, that you both went to No. 6 Middle School.”
“He did his bachelor’s and master’s at A Medical University, so I figured he must be academically gifted, but I didn’t expect him to be this amazing.” Ling Meng sighed, then suddenly realized something and questioned Jian Wu, “Then when I asked you at my dad’s office if you knew Professor Song, you said you didn’t. I knew your reaction seemed off.”
Ling Meng almost blurted out “Did you two date in school?”, but seeing He Yong there, she swallowed her words.
She and Jian Wu knew each other’s sexual orientation, but He Yong… it was better not to involve straight men in this complicated world.
“Ah?” He Yong asked, confused, “What’s going on?”
Ling Meng pushed his curious head down and handed him some barbecue: “It’s nothing, just eat.”
So, for the rest of the dinner, Jian Wu could feel Ling Meng’s gossipy gaze fixed on him, full of eager anticipation, like a mischievous melon thief darting running around a melon field.
Jian Wu endured the intense gaze until the end of the dinner.
Ling Meng nudged him with her elbow: “Let’s talk?”
Jian Wu politely declined: “Another time, I have a headache today.”
Ling Meng looked at him with surprise: “What’s wrong with your alcohol tolerance? It’s much worse than before.”
Jian Wu made an excuse: “Maybe it’s because I’ve been staying up late too much.”
However, under the pressure of the workday tomorrow and having to wake up early, Ling Meng didn’t press further. The extra dinner had already made it past eight o’clock. She needed to go back, shower, and play on her phone in bed before going to sleep.
As for a working person’s worries, they were only meant to be discussed on weekends.
Because he had been drinking, Jian Wu walked home.
His home wasn’t too far from the restaurant. Riding his motorcycle would be perfect, taking a taxi was a bit expensive, and walking would take about half an hour.
The spring night breeze was gentle.
Such a mild day was perfect for a walk.
After strolling home under the streetlights and playing with the cats and dogs downstairs for a while, it was almost ten o’clock. But he was still wide awake, wondering if the restaurant’s new beer contained caffeine.
He patted the cat hair off his hands, waved goodbye to the kittens downstairs, and, half-drunk, made a promise he didn’t intend to keep: “After I give my bird away, I’ll take you all home.”
Then, amidst the kittens’ soft meows, he walked into the building, feeling lightheaded.
But as soon as he opened the door, his parrot, as if catching him cheating, started scolding him. It pecked at the cat hair on his clothes and slapped him with its wings.
Perhaps human language wasn’t enough to express its anger, it occasionally threw in some bird language, as if wanting to banish him, the traitor who had been seduced by outside temptations.
The university student renting his apartment was also there. Seeing him return, he greeted him enthusiastically: “Jian Ge, you’re back!”
Jian Wu pulled the flapping bird off him, put it on its perch, and, observing his expression, asked: “Why are you so happy today?”
“Jian Ge,” Lou Xi squeezed the game controller in his hand, trying to appear calm, but he couldn’t suppress the smile on his lips, “I have good news, I passed my postgraduate entrance interview!”
“Really!?” Jian Wu said with surprise, “Congratulations!”
“Thank you!” Lou Xi stood up and handed him a blue bag, “Happy birthday, Jian Ge! This is for you, green tea freshly picked from my family’s tea plantation.”
Jian Wu took the bag with a surprised expression and said: “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome, Jian Ge,” Lou Xi smiled shyly, “I should thank you for taking care of me during the past six months of my exam preparation.”
“Don’t mention it,” Jian Wu said as he walked towards his bedroom, “Come here, I have a gift for you too.”
Lou Xi followed him and saw Jian Wu take a black notebook from the top of the bookshelf: “This is a collection of all the fun places and good restaurants I’ve found in City A over the years, it’s for you.”
The university Lou Xi was going to attend for his postgraduate studies was also in City A, where Jian Wu had gone to university, so the guide was perfect for him.
“But the addresses in here are quite old, some are eight or nine years old,” Jian Wu reminded him, “Remember to check online before you go, don’t be misled and go to the wrong place.”
“Thank you, Jian Ge!” Lou Xi held the notebook, his eyes filled with gratitude.
“Don’t mention it,” Jian Wu smiled.
“Jian Ge…” Lou Xi hesitated, then said shyly, “There’s something else I want to discuss with you.”
“What is it?”
Lou Xi said hesitantly: “My postgraduate advisor asked me to pack up and go to City A early to study. I might have to move out next week.”
Jian Wu frowned slightly: “Next week?”
Lou Xi hummed in agreement: “My advisor said integrating into the research group early would be beneficial for my future progress.”
Jian Wu couldn’t help but complain inwardly: “Birds of a feather flock together.”
Postgraduate advisors liking to call their students over early to work had become an unspoken rule in medical schools, especially for academic master’s students. They called it “familiarizing yourself with the lab” in advance, but it was actually just getting them to do chores early, as there was always endless work in the lab.
Refusing would offend the advisor, and not refusing would mean several months of free labor.
But looking at the bright light in Lou Xi’s eyes, Jian Wu chose to remain silent and not dampen his enthusiasm.
He said considerately: “Then I’ll return your deposit later.”
“No need, no need,” Lou Xi was even more polite, “I’m breaking the contract by moving out early, and I didn’t even give you a month’s notice. Actually, I wasn’t expecting to get the full deposit back, I just wanted to ask if I could get half of it back.”
Jian Wu smiled and asked him: “How much is your advisor’s subsidy?”
Lou Xi answered honestly: “2,000 yuan for rent.”
“Dormitories in City A are always tight, you definitely won’t have a dorm if you go early. 2,000 yuan isn’t even enough to rent a single room in City A, at most, you can rent a bed, and you still have to eat.”
Jian Wu’s tone sounded very familiar with the rental market in City A. Lou Xi asked curiously: “Jian Ge, have you rented an apartment in City A before?”
Jian Wu hummed in agreement.
Lou Xi was a little puzzled: “Didn’t you come back right after graduating from university?”
“I did come back… but I rented a place there for a year later.” Jian Wu didn’t seem to want to elaborate on this topic. As he spoke, he took out his phone and transferred Lou Xi some money.
Lou Xi, looking at the amount, was successfully distracted.
“Jian Ge,” he said honestly, “My deposit wasn’t this much, you transferred me an extra 1,000 yuan.”
“Keep it, life in City A and postgraduate studies are both tough. Consider it a red envelope from me, congratulating you on getting into graduate school,” Jian Wu patted his shoulder, “If you want to thank me, ask your classmates if anyone is looking for a place to rent and help me find a new tenant.”
“Okay! Thank you, Jian Ge,” Lou Xi, staring at the extra 1,000 yuan, patted his chest gratefully, “I’ll definitely find you a good tenant.”
Jian Wu smiled and nodded. He opened the blue bag Lou Xi had given him, took out the tea leaves, and put them in the fridge, then asked curiously: “Speaking of which, how did you know it’s my birthday today?”
“Oh, I almost forgot if you didn’t mention it,” Lou Xi slapped his forehead and handed him a package, explaining, “Someone delivered this this afternoon, it seems to be from a courier service. They said it was a birthday gift from your friend, so I knew it was your birthday.”
Jian Wu examined the small package in his hand. He couldn’t tell what was inside.
“Didn’t they say who it was from?”
“No, they just said to open it when you’re alone,” Lou Xi gossiped, “Sounds quite romantic.”
Jian Wu took out a pair of scissors, puzzled: “What could be so mysterious?”
He opened the package. Inside was a white box. The outer packaging didn’t reveal much information. He shook the box, but there was no sound.
He was certain none of his friends were the romantic type. Hearing such a description, his first reaction was that it contained a prank item, so he didn’t try to hide it from Lou Xi and directly opened the box.
Unexpectedly, there were no fake spiders popping out, or silly water-squirting toys.
There was only a white, oval-shaped object in the center of the plastic wrapping, with a wire attached to its end, and a small remote control beside it.
Jian Wu immediately recognized what it was.
