Chapter 2

The Witch’s Deception

What’s it like having a female classmate who’s been with you since kindergarten?

Wei Lai felt that, if possible, he never wanted to find out.

On the wooden desk between them lay a demarcation line left by their predecessors – a sacred and inviolable boundary.

As Qing Ting put it, during the first math class of the day, his beloved eraser ventured into the territory of a wicked witch and was never seen again.

(I got this question wrong again; I want to correct it, but the eraser on my pencil is completely worn down.)

The first period was math. After the lesson, Wei Lai started working on his math homework.

Perhaps it was intentionally planned by the teacher: the forty-minute lecture ended with homework that could be completed within the subsequent ten-minute break, leaving ample time for restroom visits as well.

Normally, he would have finished his math homework quickly, but due to excessive wear on the pencil’s eraser, he couldn’t fix two incorrectly solved problems. These errors felt like thorns piercing his heart, causing immense discomfort.

“Do you want to borrow my eraser?”

Qing Ting leaned over her desk, placing her eraser near the demarcation line, and gazed at Wei Lai with clear, beautiful eyes, blinking innocently.

From her eyes’ reflection, Wei Lai could see his own disheveled hair, resembling a messy bird’s nest.

(She caught me looking foolish again; how embarrassing.)

“No thanks, I can finish and correct them at home.”

“Alright then. I’m going to take a quick nap. Don’t disturb me.” 

Qing Ting turned away, allowing her jet-black hair to fall over the shoulder that faced Wei Lai. Without glancing at him or the eraser, she seemed genuinely intent on resting during the break.

Wei Lai lowered his head to continue working, stealing a furtive glance at Qing Ting as another scene unfolded before his eyes.

Instantly, Wei Lai’s eyes lit up.

In a moment, the sleeping Qing Ting would accidentally nudge the eraser back towards him.

According to the ’38th parallel rule’, his eraser would rightfully return to his possession.

All he needed to do was wait.

With knowledge of what was about to happen, Wei Lai felt reinvigorated and continued solving problems.

As soon as he finished the last question, the eraser bumped against his elbow from the push.

(Finally, back where it belongs.)

Overjoyed, Wei Lai swiftly grabbed the eraser, erased the incorrect answers, and wrote down the right ones.

Just as he completed writing the correct solutions, Qing Ting woke up next to him.

Her arms, as smooth and white as lotus roots, stretched upwards. Delicate fingers gently tapped her soft palm, loosening up their joints.

After resting for only a brief moment, Qing Ting seemed rejuvenated as if she had slept for hours. She extended her arms, massaged her fair nape, and brushed aside her loose hair, scanning the table with her eyes.

“Hmm, where’s my eraser?”

“You accidentally moved it over your boundary earlier, so now it belongs to me again.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” Wei Lai affirmed confidently, holding the eraser. As a goldfish, he vividly recalled that just before class ended, the eraser was still rightfully his.

“But why does your eraser have my name on it?” Qing Ting asked, her face displaying the languidness of someone freshly awoken, yawning with half-closed eyes.

“How could it…? That’s impossible!” Wei Lai, completely disbelieving, tried to prove his point by pushing aside the paper wrapper on the eraser. To his surprise, ‘Qing Ting’ was clearly written on the white rubber surface.

“I’ve already told you, I lent you this eraser; naturally, it’s mine.” Qing Ting casually smoothed her hair,reaching into her desk drawer to retrieve the recently confiscated “prisoner”.

“But since you like my eraser so much, I’ll give it to you.”

(So sneaky! She secretly switched the erasers while pretending to sleep.)

Hearing Wei Lai’s thoughts and seeing the embarrassed flush on his face, Qing Ting’s expression radiated satisfaction.

“You can write your name on it now and then erase mine later.”

(That’s right, why didn’t I think of that? If she took my eraser, taking hers would make it even.)

Realizing this, Wei Lai eagerly picked up a pencil and wrote his name on the other side of the eraser.

Then, using the side with Qing Ting’s name, he began wiping at a blank space in his notebook.

However, after several attempts, the writing wouldn’t budge, and just as he tried again, the school bell rang.

Before each class, there was a designated eye exercise break. As soon as the bell sounded, Qing Ting placed her thumbs beneath her eyebrows, ready for the upcoming exercises.

Just before the broadcast started, she turned and whispered softly to Wei Lai:

“Oh, I forgot to tell you, I used a black ink pen to write my name. Over time, it might have seeped into the eraser, making it impossible to remove.”

Stunned, Wei Lai still wanted to give it another try, but the radio announcement began playing in his ears.

“To protect vision for the revolution, prevent nearsightedness, eye exercises will now begin. Close your eyes…”

Adults can be truly despicable! Not only do they skip doing eye exercises themselves, but they also appoint certain students to avoid them too. Twice daily during designated exercise times, these chosen ones patrol classrooms to check and score compliance.

They attempt to coerce participation by using the weekly Floating Red Flag awards.

After completing his eye exercises, Wei Lai quickly covered the eraser with its casing to prevent others from seeing the two names inscribed on it. Internally, he felt deeply resentful.

(Surely no one will look at my eraser, right?)

Due to the names written on the eraser, Wei Lai found himself frequently stealing glances at it throughout class, unable to ignore the nagging thought.

Qing Ting, sensing his thoughts, cheerfully reached into her desk drawer, pulled out her black ink pen, and began writing her name on today’s ‘captive’.

***

At noon, school let out for lunch.

As third graders, they were allowed to ride bicycles to and from school. The two-hour break provided ample time to travel home, eat a satisfying meal, and return before classes resumed.

For those living close or unconcerned about oversleeping during their nap, it also offered an opportunity to rest at home.

Both Wei Lai’s and Qing Ting’s homes were not far from the school, allowing them to walk together for a significant portion of the journey.

In mid-September, the noon sun still blazed high in the sky, its rays intense and unrelenting.

While traversing a stretch devoid of shade, Qing Ting shielded her eyes with both pale hands, attempting to block the sunlight streaming down from above.

(She seems so bothered by the sun; why doesn’t she bring an umbrella to school?)

Wei Lai’s thought served as a reminder to Qing Ting. Spotting shadows cast by nearby houses ahead, she suddenly grabbed Wei Lai’s hand and sprinted towards the shaded area.

“Hey, what are you doing?!”

“Avoiding the sun.”

The wind from their sprint lifted Qing Ting’s hair as she glanced back at Wei Lai.

Despite her delicate face showing no obvious expression, Wei Lai felt like she was smiling, slightly dazzling him.

Once under the shadow of buildings, Qing Ting sighed with relief and slowed down her pace.

“Wei Lai, do you think I should bring an umbrella?”

“If you want to, go ahead. As a girl, carrying an umbrella won’t draw any criticism.”

“What about you?”

“I’m a guy; I don’t need things like that.”

Qing Ting feared the sun, but he didn’t. Feeling triumphant for once, Wei Lai proudly raised his head. To emphasize his point, he deliberately stepped out of the shade into the sunlight.

“See? It doesn’t bother me at all.”

“Yes, then I’ll just bring my own umbrella.”

Nodding, Qing Ting looked up towards the sky within the building’s shadow, reflecting its fluffy white clouds in her eyes.

She couldn’t wait to see Wei Lai’s expression after school this afternoon.

*****

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