3.10: A Conversation in Autumn

Chengdu High School, 5 years ago.

Autumn has an earthiness scent to it, both musky and sweet. Some leaves are like visitors that passes by before drifting away, while some hunkered down to form piles of red and orange on the school's rooftop.

The only sound other than the rustling of leaves is the sound of pencil scratching against paper. For Hao Junli it was one of the rare moments of peace he could steal for himself.

This ethereal tranquil would make people reluctant to disturb. Most people anyway.

The rooftop's door slammed open and its' knob hit the wall forcefully. Hao Junli didn't have to look up to know who it was.

"Hao Junli! Wei, did you pick a fight with Shishi High's tyrant?"

Feng Mian threw her school backpack carelessly against the roof rails and plopped down in front of Hao Junli.

"Your bicycle's tire was busted when I came in from the school gate. That's when I saw some bastards wearing the Shishi school uniform taking a run for it. This sister had to chase for two blocks and hold one hostage before they admitted that An Changming set them up for it. What'd you do, ah?"

Hao Junli's pupil shifted upwards slightly from his sketch. "Did you fight him?"

"No, I just beat him." Feng Mian let out a carefree smirk. It could be considered a fight if they hit back, but she hadn't given them the chance to retaliate.

The wind was getting stronger. Hao Junli slid out a melon juice box from his bag, punched the straw in and handed it over to Feng Mian.

"So, what'd you do?" Feng Mian sipped the juice that came with a free service.

"I didn't do anything." His voice was quiet but Feng Mian had been able to pick out his words from the bustling wind.

"Ahhh… So his girlfriend left him for you. That's why." It wasn't the first time that a neighbour school tyrant had a bone to pick with their school tyrant.

"... I called him ugly," Hao Junli admitted.

Feng Mian, "...."

"An ugly twat that god accidentally sculpted using his left foot while playing Candy Crush."

His schoolmate chuckled all too knowingly. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You like to hit low classmate Hao, why would you comment on a person's appearance? You don't tell a girl she's fat or too short, you don't say to a guy that he's ugly. Let alone to his face."

"But he really was ugly."

"You don't say it to his face. And An Changming isn't that ugly, his face is… proportionately sized to his body."

Hao Junli gave her a deadpanned look.

"Fine, fine I know. The number one most good looking person in Chengdu, no, in the whole of China is Hao Junli. The second is also Hao Junli. The third person could only be Hao Junli."

The most handsome person's lips rose into a near grin. "Good that you know. I have no complaints about the first position, but the second position… I'll reluctantly hand it over to you, classmate Feng. Reluctantly."

It was unwonted that Hao Junli would crack a joke, but Feng Mian took the reel and said jestingly, "Then who's third?"

"There's no third, fourth, or fifth. Besides you and me, they're all ugly."

Feng Mian scrutinised the face in front of her closely. No matter in which angle she looked, he seemed to be flawless everywhere. Tch, Hao Junli only had his face to blame for attracting bees and butterflies.

"What are you looking at?" Hao Junli grew uncomfortable under her stare.

"Hey, do you want to consider becoming a superstar for your future career? You can make money and I can latch on to your thighs as your agent and roll in money."

Hao Junli's laughter rang in the autumn air. "You want to become an agent? Since when?"

"Hmmm, just considering ba. But I'll be a senior next year while you'll be taking your entrance examination. Fighting is fighting ba, but unemployment is scary. Do you know where you're going?"

Strands of her hair were caught in the breeze, and she shrugged to keep them off her eyes.

"Don't move," Hao Junli said swiftly.

His hand continued sketching the lines of a figure on the washed-out drawing pad. Feng Mian curiously moved to his side to watch.

"Are you drawing me?"

Hao Junli hummed conscientiously.

Feng Mian admired the detailed artwork before her and let out an impressed shout of Woah.

"You're really good at this Hao Junli! Forget what I said earlier about becoming a star, you should consider taking art! This sister can see that you're a natural. Wah, you're simply good at everything, aren't you? God had really been biased when he made you."

Hao Junli snickered. "I don't want to hear that from the student who ranked 6th in the national exam."

"All those extra classes and tuition, if I didn't make top ten, my mother would skewer me alive. You don't know ah, she threatened me with the 12-inch pan."

"Does your mother know you beat the school neighbour's bully until he couldn't even recognise daylight from dusk?"

"What do you think? Why are you bringing that shortie up? If you hadn't provoked him and his entire gang, would I have to bring backup? I was in the middle of solving a maths question."

"Fine, blame me."

Feng Mian rolled her eyes and shifted back to her question. "You didn't say, where are you going to apply for college?"

Hao Junli's hands stopped and he set his book aside. He clasped both of his hands on his pants and directed the question back to her.

"Where are you applying?"

"Me?"

He waited for her to answer, and she had not noticed how his fingers fidgeted restlessly.

Feng Mian contemplated seriously. "Peking University most likely."

"Oh."

"I think I'll apply for law."

"Why?"

"After these short years of being the school's tyrant right-hand person, I've realised something."

Hao Junli lifted a quizzical brow.

"I'm really good at arguing. Remember that time when Han Donghai brought his father to school to lecture you? Wasn't it me that convinced him that it was his son who was the bad egg and picked a fight for no good reason?"

Hao Junli: 'You mean the time when you made a call to your father, President Feng, and then his secretary called Director Han's secretary, which led Director Han to directly apologise without hearing the whole story?'

He even had his son send over a fruit basket the very next day.

"I think being a lawyer is my calling."

Hao Junli was at a loss of what to say and could only encourage. "I think you'll do well."

Even Feng Mian felt that her reason was a bit comical. But after she thought through it earnestly, the prospect of being a lawyer doesn't seem too bad. Her memory was also quite good and memorising the law is not impossible.

"Hey, why do you keep dodging the question? I asked you first where you're applying."

Hao Junli got up and threw the finished box of melon juice in the bin. He turned around to face her.

The tresses of his hair was caressed by the strong wind and obscured his eyes.

"Coincidentally, I'm also thinking of applying to Peking University."