Guardian: Returns

4

The following days at school were quite similar to the first two. The more twins tried to keep to themselves, the more intrusive Luo Fei became. He would grab Feng by the sleeve and whisper that they had a secret mission of finding his lost didi. Sometimes, he would appear, all of a sudden, pretending to be Zhao Yunlan and bossing everyone around. His charisma was, for some strange reason, quite addictive. Quite often, kids from different classes would often join in the crazy adventures of Luo Fei and his vivid imagination.

It was the end of the second week at the new school, and Xin Bai was waiting for his brother at the school gate. He straightened, seeing the familiar silhouette of Feng, then he tilted his head curiously. While Jiang Feng was beaming with joy and talking animatedly, Luo Fei was dragging slightly behind him, head lowered, a frown visible on his handsome face. Xin Bai started walking towards them.

"... and find some pinecones. I will also buy a cauliflower. Hmm, I wonder if we'll be able to find a sunflower. It would be the most perfect example of- Hello, Didi. How was your day?"

"Boring. But you seem happy? What happened?" he tossed a glance towards Luo, who was fidgeting, trying to take a cigarette out of his pocket without drawing attention.

"I have my first project!" Feng blinked happily.

"What do you mean: first?" Luo Fei finally opened his mouth.

"Um, we went only to private schools before. The focus there was more on cramming rather than collaboration between students. We were more like enemies than friends with other classmates. This is the first time we actually attend a normal school."

"And how is it?" a knowing smile finally appeared on Fei's face. Xin Bai cleared his throat.

"Let's just say that we had to re-define our understanding of the word: normal," he said. Luo Fei's hand patted his shoulder several times, and he looked at it with horror and indignation. How dared he...

"You're doing great," Luo commented. "I, on the other hand, may die if I'm forced to prep another boring presentation. The only reason I agreed to do it is that Mr Enthusiastic here was pulling my sleeve so hard, I feared for the integrity of my shirt."

Jiang Feng lowered his head. "The teacher said it's pairwork," he mumbled. "If you don't want to, I'll do everything on my own."

"Are you nuts? I already agreed. We're doing it together. Ugh, I really don't get why we need to waste time on presentations from maths. Maths should be simple and useful. That's why I chose this class. As long as you memorise the formula and understand what it is that you're doing, you should be good to go. I leave all the talking and cramming to the rest. No offence," he turned to Xin Bai again.

"None was taken," answered the boy, nodding. His understanding of maths was similar. "I also believe in the simplicity of the subject."

"Right? I was called the King of Maths when I proved that the surface of two large pizzas is bigger than four medium ones during the last party. That's maths! Ok, so are you coming to my place?" Luo looked at Feng expectantly.

"Wh- what?"

"To work on the project."

Feng looked for help from his brother.

"You too are invited, of course, Xin Bai. You can just chill or play some games." The intrusive hand was back on his shoulder, and Xin Bai couldn't decide between strangling and stabbing its owner with a pen. He moved away.

"Sorry, I don't have the time for that. But my brother is free today, so I guess you can start right away.

Jang Feng looked at his twin with scared eyes.