A male teacher, in his thirties with a ruddy complexion and a receding hairline, entered the classroom. He carried a thick stack of test papers in his hand. This was our homeroom teacher, Teacher Cangsong. Of course, privately, we all referred to him as Teacher Cang.
Teacher Cang was actually a very kind person, the most popular among all the teachers.
“Oh? There’s a girl?” This girl had short silver hair and, judging by her appearance, looked very much like a mixed-race individual. Her eyes were deeper set than ours, larger, and her pupils were a striking golden color.
What surprised me was the unhealthy pallor of her facial skin. Below her neck, her skin was a vivid red, making her appear like a beautiful woman carved from red jade.
Large obsidian earrings, the size of walnuts, dangled from her earlobes. For some reason, I worried the heavy ornaments might damage her ears.
She wore a simple, short gray T-shirt, an unremarkable garment—neither flashy nor eccentric. It looked like something any Chinese girl might wear, yet the impressive 36D bust beneath it was impossible for any student, male or female, to ignore.
Even with my limited life experience, it was the first time I had witnessed such a magnificent sight. Her figure alone was enough to earn her a spot on the school beauty rankings. Perhaps because she was mixed-race, I found myself constantly comparing her to other girls.
She wore a white plaid maxi skirt that reached her ankles, paired with pristine white shoes. This outfit was quite ordinary and conservative, yet for some reason, it looked incredibly fashionable on her. It had a… I wasn’t sure how to describe the style, so I tentatively labeled it ‘mixed-race chic’.
I felt as if I had seen this girl somewhere before, but I couldn’t recall where. While many international students came to China, it was still rare to see them in our school.
Anyone with a mixed-race friend like her would surely draw a lot of attention. I shook my head, dismissing such impractical fantasies. A girl this beautiful, and from abroad no less, would surely be a priority for the teacher. She would undoubtedly be placed in the front row to ensure she paid attention in class. Those of us lounging in the back rows shouldn’t even dream of a romance with her.
If this girl were to fall in love with me, I would firmly object. Our relationship would become like that of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl; once separated, who knew when we would meet again? I knew visas had time limits, so she couldn’t stay by my side forever. I was just an ordinary person, and ordinary people often fantasize about popular celebrities becoming their significant others.
“Students, allow me to introduce a new exchange student. This is from Washington State, USA…”
“Teacher, I’m Chinese, I’m Chinese. My father is Chinese, my mother is American, and I was born in China but grew up abroad, so I am Chinese. My name is Chenxi.” The exchange student’s sudden interjection cut short the homeroom teacher’s rambling introduction.
All the students inwardly cheered for this new classmate, for while Teacher Cang excelled in every other aspect, his tendency to ramble was incurable.
Whenever I thought of our homeroom teacher being such a chatterbox, I couldn’t help but smile. Ma Chao once said that when he grew up, he wanted to be a doctor, solely to cure Teacher Cang of his long-standing garrulousness.
“My apologies, Chenxi. Feel free to choose any seat you like.” The homeroom teacher stood ramrod straight, gesturing towards the seated students below with the air of a grand strategist.
“I… I want to sit…”
Chenxi extended her delicate, rosy arm, pointing across the thirty-plus students, her finger finally settling on a seat in the back row of the second group.
“Him!”
“Excellent. Ma Chao, please clear all the books from your desk within ten seconds and go sit by the trash can.” The homeroom teacher’s smile was cunning.
Ma Chao shot up, protesting, “Teacher, you can’t treat a ‘three-bad’ student like this! Aside from not submitting homework, being late for class, and loving wuxia novels, I haven’t committed any heinous crimes. Besides, I bring you tea and water every week and clean the office. How can you condemn a founding hero of our class? It’s unfair, utterly unfair!”
“You have the nerve to say that? How did I end up with such a lazy student? You’re late for class for a year straight, you read extracurricular books during lessons, and you don’t turn in homework. Your persistence is admirable. But Ma Chao, don’t twist the facts; this is merely banishment,” the homeroom teacher declared with righteous indignation.
The spot Teacher Cang referred to was right next to the trash can. Anyone sent there would be forced to share a desk with it. And that trash can, filled with expired and rotting waste, would surely undergo chemical reactions over time, potentially leading to poisoning. This was no small matter.
As Ma Chao’s accomplice, I felt it was my duty to stand up for my friend. Our students’ freedom must not be trampled by teachers.
I sprang to my feet, my hand raised high. “Teacher, I object! Teacher, this is unfair! The trash can is filthy. As our homeroom teacher, you mustn’t dishearten your students! This isn’t the Teacher Cang we know, this isn’t…”
As these words left my mouth, the boys in the classroom stared, their eyes wide. I suspected if they didn’t have eye sockets, their eyeballs would have shot out like cannonballs. I thought they understood my meaning, that they resonated with my protest.
Only later did I realize they were merely reacting to the phrase, ‘This isn’t the Teacher Cang we know.’
With that statement, the teacher fell silent, and both male and female students seemed to freeze, leaving only Ma Chao and me standing amidst the brewing storm. I felt dark clouds gathering in the classroom, thunder rumbling. ‘I… perhaps I shouldn’t have said that…’ We were isolated, vulnerable, and at any moment, Teacher Cang could engulf us in towering waves.
“Teacher, it’s not Ma Chao, it’s the student to his right…” Chenxi, realizing the teacher had misunderstood, quickly clarified.
Teacher Cang, feeling his authority challenged, yet also finding some merit in Chirp’s suggestion, cast a glance of approval before slamming his palm forcefully onto the podium.
Bang!
Ma Chao and I, like fragile boats caught in a colossal wave, were utterly shattered by Teacher Cang’s thunderous strike. We instantly slumped onto our stools, our faces pale, our limbs weak, completely devoid of any fight left.
Defying the heavens always invites divine retribution. Though we had failed, we believed that in countless other planes and regions, there were still many students who dared to challenge the established order. They were destined for an endless struggle against fate. Meanwhile, many onlookers silently watched, neither expressing an opinion nor speaking, simply waiting for the thunderous tribulation to dissipate.
“Very well, Chirp, I commend your courage. For the sake of your classmates and friends, you bravely stood up to your teacher. Excellent. Therefore, I offer you two choices: first, to be desk mates with the trash can. Second, you may choose any student to sit with. Given your tender age, I’ll grant you special permission to sit with a female student you like.”
Indeed, a homeroom teacher is a homeroom teacher. Teacher Cang was still Teacher Cang. With just a few words, he dissected my privacy like a glass specimen. Chew on that, truly chew on it. Although Teacher Cang gave me two choices, one was the trash can, clearly indicating his anger towards me. The other option, to squeeze into a seat with any student, even specifying a ‘female student you like’.
This was his cunning. If I were to sit with… for example, Izumi. Wouldn’t my feelings for Izumi become known to the entire class? Not only would I be expelled, but I would also implicate Izumi. If she were expelled because of me, I wouldn’t know how to make it up to her.
Don’t think that sitting with a female student I disliked would solve anything. On the contrary, it would create even bigger problems. To be accused of a baseless crime, despite having no feelings, would be impossible to clear, even if I jumped into the Yellow River. This meant I couldn’t sit with any girl in the class; I could only choose a male student.
My gaze drifted to Ma Chao. Predictably, he beckoned to me, his meaning unmistakable. That idiot. If I sat with him, rumors of our ‘bromance’ would spread like wildfire throughout the school. Girls on campus would surely label Chao and me as gay.
In class, we would become targets for all the teachers, as both of our grades were poor. Sitting together would only make things worse, wouldn’t it? Other students might claim that two negatives make a positive, but I really wanted to roll my eyes at that. A pile of trash plus another pile of trash doesn’t become art; it just becomes a massive heap of garbage. It would only hasten the arrival of the sanitation workers to incinerate it.
Yamashita Izumi’s eyes were filled with excitement. Teachers never lied. Now that Chirp had the power to choose, she only needed to extend an olive branch to get Chirp into her bed… *cough, cough*… onto her boat.
“Chirp, Chirp…” Yamashita Izumi called out softly, her small hand tugging at Chirp’s clothes.
At this moment, I was caught between a wolf chasing me and a tiger biting from behind, truly stuck between a rock and a hard place. Yet, neither my best friend Ma Chao nor Izumi, who liked me, saw through Teacher Cang’s scheme. Just as I was about to apologize to the teacher, a melodious, bird-like voice rang out again.
“Teacher, may I share a desk with Chirp? Besides, all the seats in the classroom are full. If I cause friction between you and another student, I’ll become the culprit. We are all Chinese; we should help each other, shouldn’t we?” Chenxi spoke up at the opportune moment, having naturally noticed the subtle tension between the teacher and the students.
“Excellent, everyone should learn from Chenxi. To integrate into the class, she has even sacrificed herself for righteousness. However, our class has a rule: any transfer student or exchange student entering our class must regularly take out the trash. Do you accept this condition?” Teacher Cang, whether intentionally or not, casually tossed out an RPG.
Chenxi said nothing, but walked with light steps towards Chirp, answering the teacher’s question with her actions.
I was stunned, Ma Chao was dumbfounded, and Yamashita Izumi was utterly bewildered. The entire class looked at Teacher Cang in confusion. What kind of rule was this? They had never heard of it. Clearly, Teacher Cang had just made it up on the spot. But why would Teacher Cang try to make things difficult for Chenxi?
Setting aside Chenxi sharing a desk with me, just consider the task of taking out the trash. That trash can was no ordinary bin; it was a massive container that could hold two adult men, plus a salted fish. With Chenxi’s small frame, there was no way she could kick it, let alone lift it.
Regardless, Chenxi had certainly rescued me from a dire situation. I was grateful to her. As she approached, I instinctively stood up.
“Hello, Chenxi. We’re classmates now.” I glanced at Chenxi, then quickly lowered my head. I found it impossible to look at her with the same composure I had with other girls; every part of her body stirred a boy’s impulse within me.
“Not good,” Chenxi’s lips twitched, and she brazenly sat down on Chirp’s stool.
I looked at the stool; it was almost completely occupied, leaving only five centimeters of space. That was roughly the length of a thumb. I was dumbfounded. I had intended to leave half the stool for Chenxi, but reality clashed with my plan. I hadn’t even considered whether the stool was long enough to accommodate two growing adolescents.
My stool was 45 centimeters long, and now only 5 centimeters remained. This meant Chenxi’s hip length was… In fact, that hip length was quite small, but squeezing two people onto one stool was clearly insufficient.
Unless… if my hip length was 30 centimeters, plus Chenxi’s, that would be 70. How could a 70-centimeter object sit on a 45-centimeter stool? At first thought, simply sitting down shouldn’t be a problem. As long as the center was supported, the sides wouldn’t fall off.
In a fleeting moment, I applied pi, aerodynamics, fluid dynamics, and the B-substance bending method, ultimately arriving at one conclusion: boys and girls are different.