The Fleeting Youth of Those Years

Bai Qi noticed my hair and looked at it like he had just discovered some fascinating unknown object. Bending down and leaning closer, he said, “Qin Kai, what happened to you?” He reached out and brushed his hand over my short hair. I could feel my hair prickling his hand, but he didn’t seem to mind.

I stood up and moved Bai Qi’s hand off my head. Running my own hand through my hair, I said, “A man’s gotta start being handsome from the top, right?”

Bai Qi’s mouth twisted into a wide grin, almost crooked with amusement. He stared at my hair and said, “You do look kind of handsome, actually. I used to get my hair cut short like that too-are you trying to copy me?”

“No way, your haircut looked way worse than this,” I retorted dismissively.

Laughing, Bai Qi walked away. Just as he left, Wang Bo walked in. He strutted toward me with exaggerated movements, emphasizing the bowlegged weirdness of his stride. Grinning so widely that saliva had begun to froth at the corners of his mouth, he seemed ready to deploy one of his infamous spittle-laden jabs. But I was fully prepared. In my mind, I’d already adopted a strategy-if someone insulted me, I’d insult them right back; if a dog bit me, I’d bite it back.

“Qin Kai, this hairstyle of yours is amazing. How much was it per jin¹, and where’d you buy it?” Wang Bo drawled as his perpetually drooping eyebrows slanted even further due to his laughter, nearly forming a 45-degree angle with the ground.

“Hell, wasn’t your head a special deal at the wet market before? Mine’s from the supermarket-better quality, cleaner, and totally pesticide-free,” I shot back without hesitation. There was no way I’d let him make me lose face in front of the whole class.

“You’ve got such a sharp tongue, you must poison a lot of people with it,” Wang Bo muttered in a low voice as he leaned closer to my ear. Then, before I could retaliate, he shoved my head hard with his hand and darted away before I could land a punch on him.

What could I do about someone like Wang Bo, who always took advantage and then ran off? I could only sigh in exasperation. It reminded me of an incident back in our first year of high school. Wang Bo and I used to mess around a lot, and I often got the upper hand. But Wang Bo always managed to find a way to get back at me. Once, he did something truly disgusting-he spit at me. The stench of his saliva drove me over the edge, and I kicked him in response. When he tried to kick me back, I grabbed his pant leg and swept his feet out from under him. He fell flat on the ground that time and ended up crying. After that, he avoided me for a while. Since then, I decided not to bother holding grudges over trivial things with him. Of course, he also stopped trying to take advantage of me as often as he used to.

I could only give a wry smile and let it go, but deep down, I was secretly thrilled-because I saw Wen Youhan. She was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans, a red short-sleeved shirt, and spotless white sneakers. She looked so radiant, so captivating. With both arms wrapped around a very large backpack, she walked straight to my desk and plopped the bag down in front of me. She didn’t seem to notice that my hair had been cut extremely short. Beads of sweat occasionally dripped down her cheeks.

I wanted so badly to reach out and gently wipe the sweat off her face, but my hands stayed hidden behind her backpack. I couldn’t summon the courage to bring them out and do what they really wanted to do.

“I’ll just leave this here for now while I find my seat,” Wen Youhan said. Her voice was as sweet and melodic as ever, like an immortal from another realm had just played a soothing tune that banished all the heat and restlessness of summer.

“Mm,” I managed to mumble. That was all I could say. Was it because I was too nervous, or simply too happy to find the words?

Wen Youhan walked around the classroom, but she couldn’t find her seat. Eventually, she settled down in the row behind me, sitting next to another girl in our class. That’s when I overheard them talking about me.

“Qin Kai got a haircut,” the girl said.

“Mm, it’s really short,” Wen Youhan replied softly. I didn’t look back, but I could tell it was her voice. I recognized it instantly.

“Honestly, I think this hairstyle looks way better on him than before,” the girl said, complimenting me in front of Wen Youhan. I was so grateful I could’ve hugged her.

“Ha-ha… yeah, not bad,” Wen Youhan said with a cheerful laugh.

After a while, Wen Youhan got up, walked over to the front of the classroom, and placed her backpack inside the cabinet underneath the TV. Then she turned around, looked at me, and said, “Keep an eye on it for me, okay?”

“Where are you going?” I asked as I stood up. Deep inside, I didn’t want her to leave the classroom. As long as she stayed in the room, no matter where she was, I would always be able to see her-and that alone would make me happy.

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