Chapter Forty-Nine: Li Bufan’s Secret Laughter

Wei Xiaoping and Wei Xiaofan returned to their dormitory.

“Xiaofan, my old friend, did something happen?” Wei Xiaoping asked.

Wei Xiaofan recounted the incident on the road when he was bumped into by that woman.

Afterward, he also told how Li Chaoqian had paid the woman on his behalf.

“It was clearly that woman who bumped into you! And as for Li Chaoqian, why didn’t he ask for your opinion before paying for the medicine?” Wei Xiaoping said.

“I’m annoyed by Li Chaoqian’s behavior too!” Wei Xiaofan replied, a trace of anger in his voice.

“Are you really going to pay Li Chaoqian back those ten yuan?”

“Of course. Seeing him with Li Bufan, I can’t imagine Li Chaoqian is much better! At best, he’s not as bad, but certainly not good either!”

“I support your decision. I don’t like accepting favors from people like that either,” Wei Xiaoping said, pulling a ten-yuan note from his pocket and handing it to Wei Xiaofan. “Next time you see Li Chaoqian, just give it back to him.”

Seeing this, Wei Xiaofan pushed Wei Xiaoping’s hand away. “No need, I still have over twenty yuan left from the thirty auntie gave me! Ever since we started having meals together, you’ve always bought the groceries, so I’ve barely used that money.”

“Haha, I forgot myself for your sake! It’s your turn to buy next time, that’ll put your mind at ease.”

“Oh, come on! Don’t say such cheesy things, ‘forgetting yourself for me.’ Next time, I’ll buy the groceries; after all, the money in my hand is from your family anyway. Even the rice, oil, and salt come from your household!”

“Don’t say ‘your family’ or ‘my family,’ all right? We’ve become brothers now; from now on, we’re basically one family. It sounds so distant otherwise.”

“Well, even if we are brothers from now on, there will always be some distinction! And we’re not a hundred percent brothers yet, are we?”

“Ah, you stubborn fellow! By the way, you scored much higher than Zhang Liying in the competition. Did you expect such a high score?”

“I had an estimate, but it’s not always accurate. I didn’t expect Zhang Liying to score nearly ten points less than me—I thought she’d do better! As for you, I thought our scores would be very close, maybe you’d be two or three points ahead, or I would. I never imagined you’d be all the way down in sixth place!”

“I think our scores for the main subjects were about the same; the difference must have been in those five essays. You probably got higher marks there than me and Zhang Liying.”

“That must be it. And Li Chaoqian did quite well too—just two points behind Zhang Liying!”

“Yes, Li Chaoqian is impressive. I heard he’s always first or second in his class. If that’s true, his result isn’t surprising. But still, the top two in our grade are you and our class monitor. He’s behind the monitor, so it doesn’t matter. Aren’t there only a champion and a runner-up in each grade?”

Hearing this, Wei Xiaofan remembered what their homeroom teacher, Wu Wenbin, had said: only two awards are given in each grade—the champion and the runner-up. The champion receives one thousand yuan and a certificate; the runner-up gets eight hundred yuan and a certificate. Now, in our third-year class, my total score is first—which means the championship is mine! If that’s really the case…

Wei Xiaofan felt a surge of pride at the thought, though he kept his face composed.

In the afternoon, at around 1:40, the school bell rang, signaling the end of the lunch break and reminding everyone to return to their classrooms.

Wei Xiaofan and Wei Xiaoping brushed their teeth, washed their faces, and headed for class.

On the way, Wei Xiaofan once again felt the admiring—or envious—gazes of his classmates.

By the time they reached the classroom, many students were already there.

As soon as Wei Xiaofan and Wei Xiaoping entered, every student in the room turned their gaze on Wei Xiaofan, each with a different expression.

“Wei Xiaofan, well done! You’ve brought honor to our class!”

“Impressive, Wei Xiaofan!”

“Hey, Wei Xiaofan, you’ve never been this good in regular tests. Usually, your scores are below Wei Xiaoping and our class monitor, Zhang Liying. But in this tough competition, you ranked first in the entire grade! You’ve improved so much!” Zhang Xiaoyan exclaimed.

After Wei Xiaofan and Wei Xiaoping took their seats, Zhang Liying and Zhang Xiaoyan came over.

“That’s right, Wei Xiaofan, what happened this time? You beat me by more than nine points! In usual tests, are you holding back for everyone’s sake?” Zhang Liying teased with a smile.

“Of course not. I guess this paper just happened to suit me. The real star is you, monitor,” Wei Xiaofan replied modestly.

“You’re really the type who remains silent until you stun everyone! Now the whole school knows your name!” Zhang Xiaoyan said.

Wei Xiaoping laughed as well, “Wei Xiaofan’s performance in this competition surprised everyone! Maybe you really were holding back before.”

“Oh come on, Xiaoping, it’s one thing for them to say that, but you too? Exam results aren’t something you can just hold back on. You know exactly how I usually do,” Wei Xiaofan said, giving Wei Xiaoping a gentle nudge.

Not far away, Li Bufan watched as Zhang Liying and Zhang Xiaoyan praised Wei Xiaofan. His face showed alternating hints of disdain and smugness, as if he thought little of Wei Xiaofan’s achievements.

“Wei Xiaofan, congratulations on your excellent results!” Li Bufan walked over. “Just now, I passed the bulletin board with my friend Li Chaoqian and saw your name at the very top. Li Chaoqian was full of admiration for you and asked me to convey his respect.”

“Thank you, Li Bufan!” Wei Xiaofan replied, glancing at Li Bufan and recalling the incident at the school gate at noon. “Thank you and Li Chaoqian for your help earlier. You both left so quickly at noon, I didn’t have a chance to thank him. If you see him, please pass on my thanks!”

“Of course! You’re friends with Li Chaoqian now, so there’s no need to be so formal. Otherwise, it sounds too distant!” Li Bufan said, then returned to his desk to chat and laugh with his group of friends.

As they talked, Li Bufan and his friends would occasionally glance over at Wei Xiaofan and Wei Xiaoping, laughing behind their hands as if sharing some private joke.

Wei Xiaoping, remembering what Wei Xiaofan had told him at noon about Li Bufan and Li Chaoqian paying the woman for the medicine without Wei Xiaofan’s consent, felt certain their actions were not sincere.

Now, seeing Li Bufan congratulate Wei Xiaofan and then return to chat with his friends, who kept glancing over and snickering, Wei Xiaoping thought to himself: their laughter is definitely not well-intentioned.