Chapter 6

Hou Yi and Chang'e sit underneath the bulletin board, panting for air.

"My lungs are desperate for air right now," Chang'e breathes, fanning herself with one hand.

"Mine aren't," Hou Yi brags, even though he's gulping for air as well. "Loser," he adds.

"Man, I can't believe I lost."

"Well, you better believe it because it's true~" sings Hou Yi in that same teasing tune he loves to use whenever he scores higher than her on a test.

Chang'e sighs, resting her head against the wall. "So, where to?"

"Have you heard of the dessert place by the road behind school?"

"The bingsu place?"

"No, no. The tanghulu one," corrects Hou Yi.

"I don't think so, but yeah, we can go there," permits Chang'e.

"I wasn't asking for your permission."

"Mhm," Chang'e stands up, taking her phone out of her pocket, "Mind if I invite Feng Mei?"

"Not at all."

Chang'e opens her phone to call Feng Mei. It rings a couple of times before her friend's cheerful voice crackles through. "Chang'e? What's up?"

"Wanna go with me and Hou Yi to the tanghulu place.." she trails off, trying to recall where it was.

"By the road behind school," Hou Yi fills in.

"By the road behind school," she repeats, speaking into the phone's microphone.

"Omigosh, really? I've wanted to go there for some time! Count me in, bestie," Feng Mei gushes, "But wait, with Hou Yi? Is this because test results are out?"

"Yeah—" Chang'e is cut off by Feng Mei's exaggerated gasp.

"NO WAY! I'm? Invited? You always run off with Hou Yi when test results come out," chatters Feng Mei, "But yes. I'll see you there?"

"Yup, we're heading there in a while. See you!" Chang'e ends the call just as the first bits of Feng Mei's signature goodbye kisses make it through.

Ting. A message notification from bunny bun.

"Bunny bun?" Hou Yi asks, leaning over to see Chang'e phone.

"That's Feng Mei," she explains. Chang'e clicks on the notification which brings her to their Messenger chat.

> You didn't give back my goodbye kisses?! >:(

Chang'e smiles as her fingers fly over the keyboard.

< Sorry.. :( Chu <3

"You type your kisses as chu? I was thinking it sounded more like a mwa," Hou Yi says, kissing the air as demonstration.

"It does, but chu looks cuter," Chang'e pockets her phone and the two of them start to walk towards the school's main doors, "You can't change my mind about that." Hou Yi hums in reply.

The school's doors open to the outside world, revealing a hot sun beating down on them. A wave of warm air engulfs their bodies and it makes Chang'e feel sticky like honey.

"And to think it was just raining yesterday," Hou Yi grumbles as he reaches over to his backpack for his fan, before realizing his backpack is still in his classroom and his fan is nowhere in his reach. "Oh, crap. I forgot my fan."

"You hate the sun that much, huh? Couldn't be me." And her statement is made more true when she spins around, revelling in the warmth of the sun's rays.

"I wish to be freed from this torture," he sighs, trudging forward as if a ball and chain was attached to his ankle. Chang'e laughs, catching up with him.

"It's not that hot."

"It is," groans Hou Yi. Chang'e laughter rings out again, clearly taking entertainment from his suffering.

"You're so evil, Chang Chang," Hou Yi jokes as he glances at her and smiles. "Oh, don't call me that," scoffs Chang'e.

She looks at him once. Twice. Thrice. And then takes pity on the poor man because he seems to be shrivelling by the second.

Chang'e grabs his arm, willing the two of them to stop walking. "Here," she whispers softly as she goes closer to his face to blow some cool air on his cheek.

"Oh, uhm," Hou Yi's startled, cheeks reddening with the distance between their faces—or the absence of it. "Thanks," he breathes out slowly.

"You're welcome," Chang'e mumbles.

The hot sun has always made her feel like honey, but right now, everything around her looks like honey too. Everything except for Hou Yi. 'And he's the only thing in my gaze that seems to be so ridiculously clear,' she curses in her mind, 'Ridiculously clear and absurdly attractive.'

It doesn't help that Hou Yi's eyes flicker down to her lips because, like a siren spell, that just makes her look at his lips too. 'Stupid Hou Yi.' He has a way with that, charming her to do things she wouldn't. 'Part-siren?' she thinks with her honey-coated mind, 'that must be why he looks so hot right now.'

"Chang'e! Hou Yi!" someone calls out to them from across the street. Feng Mei. The two of them jump away from each other, like repelling magnets. "What's taking you guys so long?"

"I—" the wheels in Chang'e's brain are forced to crank out some kind of response. 'Quick, think,' she warns herself. "Hou Yi walks slowly," she sputters out.

"I do not!" Hou Yi protests indignantly, the redness in his cheeks from their previous interaction fading.

Feng Mei snorts, beckoning them over. They cross the street with combined caution, checking left and right for cars repeatedly.

"Hey!" Feng Mei greets them when they finally reach the other side, "Chang'e," she says as she embraces Chang'e in a bone-crushing hug.

"And what about me?" sniffs Hou Yi with his arms crossed.

"Hello, Grandmother Hou Yi," mocks Feng Mei, extending an arm as one would to an elderly to help stabilize them. Hou Yi tsks, turning his nose up as he struts to the dessert shop. Feng Mei and Chang'e laugh at the sight before following in his footsteps.

In truth, the dessert shop was more of a street-side stall. Menus displaying various desserts hang from the roof of the cart parked outside the restaurant, although it functions more as a kitchen than a dining place. The actual dining place is situated outside, with plastic chairs and tables scattered on the wide sidewalk.

"Oh, they also sell almond tofu," Chang'e notes, looking at the menus as they take a table.

"That might be more fitting for our weather," Hou Yi huffs. Chang'e can see him attempt to glare at the sun, but the sun glares back so he diverts his gaze to the lady in the stall instead. "Feng Mei, what's your order?" he asks. Hou Yi nearly pulls out his wallet until he realizes that Chang'e will pay for him.

"Three pieces of you tiao please!" Feng Mei replies while she takes out a notebook and a pencil.

"How about you?" Chang'e asks, standing up from her chair and walking towards Hou Yi.

"Strawberry tanghulu," he answers as he points to the drawing on the menu.

"I'll go order," Chang'e takes out her wallet, unzipping it but keeping it closed so that no one could see how much she had inside.

"I'll come with you."

"Hello, A Yi," she greets, bowing her head in respect. The lady seems to perk up at that, pleased with Chang'e's usage of A Yi, which means auntie in Chinese.

"Wah," praises the lady before ripping a piece of paper from her order form pad, "What do you want to order?"

"Tanghulu, three pieces of you tiao, and almond tofu please," Chang'e lists from the top of her head. Hou Yi nods for extra confirmation.

"Ok, 26 RMB," the lady counts. Chang'e takes out a twenty, a five, and a one. She hands it to the lady, who double checks the amount before stuffing it inside her drawer. The lady, in turn, hands her a handwritten receipt. "Food will come out soon."

"Thank you!" Chang'e takes the receipt and walks back to the table, Hou Yi following closely behind.

"Ah, the star students of our class," Feng Mei hails, arms pointing to each of them.

"Feng, I know that line," Chang'e warns as she drags a plastic seat toward her with a sritch-sratch, "Are you planning on interviewing us?"

"You got me," Feng Mei concedes, brandishing the notepad and pen in front of Chang'e, "Can I? For the newspaper?"

Hou Yi volunteers, "I don't mind," at which Feng Mei grins at Chang'e. "But my bestest best friend won't?" she pouts and makes a crying action with her fists raised to her eyes.

"Fine," Chang'e surrenders. Feng Mei cheers, and with that, her inner journalist has been activated.

"I'm gonna pretend to not know anything, 'kay?" briefs Feng Mei. She receives head nods as a reply.

"Chang'e, why aren't you planning to join the math contest this year? You've joined the one before, and the one before that."

"Hou Yi and I came to an agreement. I suppose he can't handle another loss so he struck up a deal with me," Chang'e answers nonchalantly,

"I won last year," Hou Yi reminds her. She mutters jokingly, "Whatever you say."

"And Hou Yi," Feng Mei, "I heard from Mr. Melanay that you're not running in the art competition. Why is that so?"

"The agreement with Chang'e," Hou Yi smirks, "She just knew she couldn't win if I was participating."

"I wouldn't be able to win if you were participating because I would drop dead the moment I saw your work," Chang'e sticks her tongue out, "It would be that horrible."

"It would not," Hou Yi stares straight into her eyes, as if challenging her.

"Okay, you two, I'm down to the juiciest piece of gossip I've heard so far," hushes Feng Mei. That seems to catch Hou Yi's attention. Though Chang'e never took him for a gossip kind of man.

"I've heard from some informants of mine," Feng Mei starts mysteriously. Hou Yi glances at her questioningly, and Chang'e tries to tell him with her eyes that 'Feng Mei's just being Feng Mei. She likes getting all mysterious and detective-like for this.' He seems to get it though, because he nods and doesn't question with his eyes anymore.

"I've heard that the teachers are betting on whether or not you guys end up as friends—or even lovers."

Chang'e recalls movie scenes where people spit out the water they were drinking. That would be her right now, if she had water in her mouth. Then she remembers what had happened a while ago on the sidewalk. 'No way. There's just no way.'

On the other hand, Hou Yi seems unfazed, but from her view, Chang'e's can see that the tips of his ears are red.

"What's your take on that?" Feng Mei continues, basking in the minor chaos she has incited.

"In their dreams," scowls Chang'e, desperately trying to keep a roller coaster feeling from bubbling up in her throat and onto her face. 'Shock? Anxiety? Disgust? Definitely disgust,' she concludes with a little bit of doubt as she swallows it back down.

"Chang'e and I? Friends? Psh," Hou Yi strains, "Barely. What more lovers?"

"Enemies to—," taunts Feng Mei, but she's cut off by Hou Yi coughing and the desserts being served.

"Enjoy," the lady says with a kind smile on her face. Chang'e thanks the lady before quickly placing the you tiao in front of Feng Mei. 'That should be enough to distract her.'

"Wahh, it's here, my babies," she says, sniffing the fried dough sticks, also known as Chinese churros.

Chang'e takes her almond tofu from the tray, along with a soup spoon, while Hou Yi picks up his candied strawberry.

"This almond tofu is so good," Chang'e mumbles through her mouthful of silky tofu before gulping it down, "I'm coming back here again that's for sure."

"Right?! Their you tiao is so perfectly crispy. I'm literally dying in heaven over here."

"Guys, guys. You're welcome. Your gratitude for my recommendation is flattering," Hou Yi crunches through another strawberry, "There's no need to repay me."

"Great, 'cause I wasn't planning to." Feng Mei dips another you tiao into the sauce dish filled with condensed milk.

"Oh guys, we still have to go back to school," reminds Chang'e, slurping the last of her tofu. Hou Yi and Feng Mei certainly have forgotten about it, because they panic and scarf down their desserts at lightning speed.

"We better go," Feng Mei suggests as she eyes the gradually appearing wisps of pink and purple in the sky. Chang'e thanks the lady again, and the three of them head back to school.