Essay (2)

Everyone turned to the brave soul who dared to take on Feng Qi and they saw it was Jun Yang who had his hand in the air. People were stunned and they did not know how to respond.

This came as a complete surprise to Pei Ling because this girl who was almost never flustered in her life, stammered, "What… what are you saying, Jun Yang? You… you are already my group member…"

Feng Qi who had been observing the event with a detached gaze suddenly grinned greatly like he had just won the lottery. Prior to this, it appeared as if he was a complete outsider, segregated from what was happening in class. He did not care about the assignment or the pairing method until Jun Yang threw himself into the fray.

Just as things were about to get interesting, the bell rang to announce the end of the class. The shrill sound was like a cure that jostled people out of their stunned state.

Mr. Sam gathered up his books and said, "Well, it seems like everyone has already found their groups. I'll see the rest of you on Monday. Have a great weekend but don't forget about the assignment."

Then, he escaped the classroom in a hurry. Earlier, he was really caught between a rock and a hard place. Since Jun Yang had showed up to resolve the conundrum, then Mr. Sam decided to accept the kindness from his student. If he stayed any longer, it might lead to another altercation and he really did not want to end up being the middleman. Many of his students came from a powerful and influential background, so one wrong step and he could get fired. That was one of the downsides for working at a prestigious school. Pay was good but dealing with students was like walking on thin ice, when in reality, the teachers were supposed to hold power over them. It was a sensitive balance of power that could be toppled over easily.

After Mr. Sam made his exit, instead of scurrying away like they usually would, the rest of the class stayed behind to observe the rest of the show. They sat with their ears turned towards Jun Yang's side of the class, trying to make it not so obvious that they were eavesdropping.

"Jun Yang, I know you're a kind-hearted person but you have to at least consult me before you ask another person to join our group." Pei Ling had regained her composure somewhat. She phrased it in a way that sounded like Feng Qi was the third wheel instead of Jun Yang switching her out for Feng Qi. At least this way, it would not appear like she was abandoned and replaced.

Jun Yang looked quite confused himself when a pair of hands pushed through the space behind them. Pei Ling was gently but firmly nudged away and Feng Qi stepped forward.

"Please, we are in the middle of a discussion. Would you please show some respect…" Pei Ling argued but Feng Qi interrupted her by putting his hand over Jun Yang's shoulders and said, "Come on, let's get this assignment started." Then, he turned to wink at Jun Yang with a smile. "Partner."

Jun Yang looked away to hide his embarrassment and Feng Qi took this opening to drag his catch away. He pulled Jun Yang away from his seat, grabbed his schoolbag and they went out the classroom door. Feng Qi's series of action was so smooth and fast that Pei Ling barely had the time to react. Plus, she did not expect that someone would be so brash to cut her off.

When the classroom door closed with a click following the duo's departure, Pei Ling finally came to. She wanted to say something to stop them but Feng Qi and Jun Yang had already left. All she could do was to stand where she was and fume.

Since the show was already over, the rest of the class packed up their stuff silently and removed themselves from the class lest they wanted to be scorched by Pei Ling's flame.

…

After Jun Yang was pulled a distance away from Xing Ming Academy, he finally regained enough senses to shrug off Feng Qi's grab over his wrist. Honestly, Jun Yang did not know what came over him back at the classroom. When he saw the girls ganging up on Feng Qi, there was something within him that compelled him to come to the young man's rescue.

Before he even realized what was happening, his hand was already in the air. Jun Yang was as surprised as everyone else at the words that escaped from his lips.

Then again, looking at the young man standing before him, Jun Yang'd supposed things ended up not so bad after all.

Feng Qi regarded Jun Yang with a mixture of patience and confusion. Under his scrutiny, Jun Yang said softly, "Where, where are you taking me?"

It was a perfectly innocent question but the way Jun Yang uttered and phrased it made the young man feel weirdly embarrassed, like he was implying Feng Qi was taking him away to do some less than honorable things. Ever since the movie date at the mall, Jun Yang felt the atmosphere when he was around Feng Qi to be suffused with this romantic and prurient ambiguity.

Feng Qi raised his eyes at the question. A mysterious smile appeared on his face and this made Jun Yang's heart flutter and the embarrassment that he felt grew.

Thankfully, Feng Qi did not torture him for too long this time. The young man took one step towards Jun Yang and said in a voice that was audible only for the two of them, "We're just going to the Mist Café to finish the assignment."

Jun Yang's heart tensed from the close proximity. Regardless, he forced himself to be calm as he nodded and said, "Yes, we should definitely focus on finishing the school work."

As if doing it on purpose, Feng Qi chose that moment to add, "Then, we'll see what else we can do after that." He even coupled it with a sinister smile that made Jun Yang's heart skip a beat.