October 21, 1993, Thursday. Guan Xuchen stood at the podium leading the English morning reading, but his mind was elsewhere. From time to time, he glanced at Gao Xinglang's empty seat, mispronouncing several words in the textbook. Some students followed suit, while others snickered below.
"Hello, everyone," a familiar voice came from the classroom door. There stood Gao Xinglang, leaning on a crutch with his left hand, accompanied by his head teacher, Miss Wang Yuemei (pron.: wang yoo-eh may), and a tall, sturdy middle-aged man.
When Guan Xuchen saw Gao Xinglang's left foot heavily bandaged, his heart skipped a beat. He quickly put down his textbook and walked over to support Gao Xinglang, asking with genuine concern, "Lang, what happened?"
"It's nothing, just a minor injury." Gao Xinglang shrugged it off and turned to the man, saying, "Dad, you may want to go to work now, or you'll be late. You or Mom doesn't need to pick me up after school. I can walk back slowly on my own."
"Really?" Mr. Gao hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Alright, be careful then."
Gao Xinglang nodded, "Mmm, I'll take care of myself. Don't worry. Go to work now, Dad."
Standing at the doorway, Mr. Gao watched Guan Xuchen help his son walk slowly to the seat. Then he turned to Miss Wang with sincerity, "Miss Wang, I'll leave Xinglang in your care."
Miss Wang pushed up her glasses and smiled, "Not a problem at all. It's what we should do. Mr. Gao, please don't worry. We'll take good care of Gao Xinglang."
"Thank you." Mr. Gao glanced inside once more, seeing Gao Xinglang waving to him with a smile. He waved back with a smile and then hurried away.
After watching his father leave, Gao Xinglang joked with Guan Xuchen, who was about to speak, "English Rep., get back up there and lead the reading, or they'll fire you!"
Guan Xuchen looked up, embarrassed to find Miss Wang and the entire class watching him and Gao Xinglang. He quickly walked back to the podium, picked up his textbook, and said loudly, "Alright, let's continue. Please turn to page 36. Read after me...."
Guan Xuchen led the reading of the English text, but his mind wandered. Peeking up at Gao Xinglang seated at the back, he caught sight of Miss Wang entering the classroom for a round, passing in front of the podium. So he quickly redirected his gaze back to his textbook.
After the morning reading, Guan Xuchen quickly packed up his textbook and approached Gao Xinglang's seat, once again inquiring with concern, "Lang, what happened to your foot? Are you alright?"
"It's fine," Gao Xinglang feigned a sigh and replied, "Don't mention it. Just bad luck. I accidentally got my foot caught in the bike wheel while riding on Sunday..."
Before he could continue, Ao Feifan and a few other boys crowded around to check on Gao Xinglang.
"I wondered why the 'Little Basketball Prince' wasn't in class for days. Turns out you hurt your foot. Can you still walk? Need me to accompany you to the restroom after class?" Ao Feifan was still garrulous even after losing eight ice cream cones last time.
With those words, he and the boys burst into laughter.
Gao Xinglang quickly retorted, "Nah, I don't need you. Who knows if you might push me into the pit? I'd rather ask Soupy for help. Is that right, Soupy?"
Those boys and the boys dissolved into laughter again. Guan Xuchen blushed slightly and said softly, "I'm glad you're alright. Let me know if you need any help." Then he returned to his seat.
After school, Ao Feifan approached Gao Xinglang, "Prince Lang, you probably won't be playing today. Want to come and watch us? I've been practicing hard; I'm better than you now."
YOU ARE READING
Love Me in Another Universe
Fiksi UmumIt was such a long time ago that you don't even remember why you fell for that person in the first place. You just remember stubbornly that you were once deeply in love with someone with that name... It's a story about the bond between two Chinese b...
