Seizing Dreams

Ch70 – Silk Banner

“Yu Hao, is Kaikai wooing you?” Fu Liqun asked.

“What?” Yu Hao took off his earphones with an irascible expression. After hearing it clearly, he said, “He’s wooing me in your dreams!”

Fu Liqun, “Don’t copy the way Zhou Sheng speaks.”

“I’m going crazy!” Yu Hao cried, “These scripts are due on 19th July! If I don’t hand it in by then, I need to pay a penalty!”

“It’s just a contract.” Fu Liqun said, “There are plenty of people who drag out the deadline. Your sis-in-law knows a scriptwriter who usually delays handing in the script until a whole row of producers have dried up from hanging outside the house.”

“How could that be done; we need to uphold the spirit of fulfilling the contract!” Yu Hao said, “Chen Laoshi’s not wooing me, don’t mention that anymore or else Zhou Sheng will explode again.”

“In any case, don’t accept him if he’s wooing you.” Fu Liqun said.

“I won’t.”

Fu Liqun, “Then we can have an endless supply of cakes……”

Yu Hao, “……”

Fu Liqun said, “Summer vacation will start in 15 days. Yu Hao, I will remember these days where we shared good and hard times together for the rest of my life……”

Yu Hao suddenly remembered something, “Gege, after finals are over, can you help me with something after I get paid for my scripts ba?”

Fu Liqun, “?”

Their final examinations arrived as scheduled. Ying city was bombarded with continuous torrential rainstorms. Water flooded the college until it almost reached people’s thighs, and tables on the first floor drifted about. Yu Hao breathed a sigh of relief when he finished his last paper. He then hurried back to finish translating the last three reports, and handed in his scripts!

“I’m done translating! Hallelujah——!” Now the only thing Yu Hao wanted to do was throw Fu Liqun’s laptop down the building.

Chen Yekai called Yu Hao, “Didn’t I tell you to just translate as much as you could? You finished translating everything?”

Yu Hao, “Yeah!”

Chen Yekai said, “Wait……how much time did you take? It didn’t affect your exams ba?”

Yu Hao wasn’t sure about how much time it had taken either. These days, as long as Zhou Sheng went to train, he would be translating. Chen Yekai said, “I’ll discuss with Party A, they need to give you more money in this case.”

“No, no need!” Yu Hao quickly said, “7,000 is good enough, really!”

Chen Yekai hung up. In the end, Yu Hao got 13,000 in his account.

Yu Hao, “……”

Chen Yekai said, “Party A thinks highly of the quality of your translations. You’ve worked hard.”

Yu Hao quickly said, “I’ll treat you to dinner!”

But Chen Yekai laughed, “Didn’t we just eat together the day before? You want to eat with me that much?”

Zhou Sheng had an exam the day before yesterday, and Yu Hao did run into Chen Yekai in the canteen at noon. The times the two of them ate together would always be coincidental. Yu Hao instantly felt awkward, and Chen Yekai said, “I was joking. Zhou Sheng’s going to compete soon ba? Let’s get together as a group after it ends? Invite Huang Ting, Liqun, and Cen Shan too; get everyone to come to my house to hang out. I’ll cook for you guys, I’ve been learning how to recently.”

Yu Hao planned to ask Fu Liqun and Zhou Sheng after he returned. There were no issues after he submitted his scripts, and he could finally return the laptop to Fu Liqun. Fu Liqun’s laptop was practically monopolized by Yu Hao during this period; he couldn’t watch his American shows or play any games, so he could only revise.

“I’ll give you the laptop bei.” Fu Liqun said.

“No no.” Yu Hao felt quite moved, “Thank you, I survived this period all thanks to this.”

Yu Hao thought that Fu Liqun was really too good of a person. When he borrowed his laptop, Fu Liqun never asked him to return it. Neither was it passed back and forth between them, and just like that, he had allowed Yu Hao to use it for more than two months.

“Then I’ll leave it on the table.” Fu Liqun said, “You can use it whenever you want.”

Was he joking?! Fu Liqun’s about to start his summer vacation, who would still want that laptop! Hurry and go to your girlfriend!

Zhou Sheng seldom shows up in the dormitory these days. He spent most of his time practicing under his teacher’s guidance and didn’t even smoke anymore. It was Yu Hao’s first time seeing Zhou Sheng this serious, as if he had turned into a completely different person. He wanted to accompany him in the training hall, but Zhou Sheng asked Yu Hao not to come. He just put his earphones on and earnestly trained.

Yu Hao had finished all his work, and could finally go watch Zhou Sheng practice, bringing two bottles of water for him along the way. It was the last week of Zhou Sheng’s training plan; after going through the phase of intensive training, the intensity will be gradually reduced and the focus of his training will change to building up endurance.

Zhou Sheng wasn’t in the training hall. Yu Hao asked a teacher and the answer he received was that Zhou Sheng didn’t come today as he wanted to rest. Yu Hao had a lot of doubts as he waited for the entire afternoon before Zhou Sheng returned to the training hall.

“Where have you been?” Yu Hao asked.

“Went out to do something.” Zhou Sheng said casually, “Why do you care about where I go? Are you my Mum? Let’s go ba, basketball?”

After the final examinations, many students fled once their summer vacations started. Only Zhou Sheng and Yu Hao remained on the basketball court to shoot hoops, and Zhou Sheng even helped Yu Hao adjust his shooting posture.

“It’ll be your birthday soon right?” Yu Hao couldn’t help but look at Zhou Sheng, “You’re a Cancer.”

“Yeah.” Zhou Sheng seemed to be in a very good mood. He walked like a crab for a few steps beside Yu Hao and clamped him with his scissor hands, then said in a completely serious tone, “Look at the backboard! What’re you looking at me for? Be careful not to lean forward. What do you want to eat the day after the competition?”

“How could I make you cook on your birthday?!” Yu Hao said.

“Who said I’m cooking!” Zhou Sheng said, “Where’s the face? Pick it up quick! We’re going out to eat!”

Yu Hao shot and missed. Zhou Sheng dribbled the ball a few times, then pulled a layup shot. He turned and said to Yu Hao, “Learn a little.”

Yu Hao said, “What kind of birthday gift does our young master want?”

Zhou Sheng thought about it, then passed the ball to Yu Hao, “Record a song for me ba? I’m sick of hearing《Perfect》.”

Yu Hao, “That’s fine. You just want a song? Don’t you want anything else?”

Zhou Sheng, “……”

Yu Hao, “??”

“Right.” Zhou Sheng remembered, “Gege’s birthday is in August. He’ll be in Japan by then, so let’s buy him something in advance? Most of my money’s with you, think of what we can get him together ba.”

Yu Hao said, “Okay, that’s what I was thinking too.”

Zhou Sheng, “Gege is everyone’s Gege, we can buy him something a little more expensive.”

Yu Hao, “How expensive?”

Zhou Sheng didn’t quote a price, “Up to you ba.”

Yu Hao responded with an “un”. Zhou Sheng continued, “You even used his laptop for two months.”

Yu Hao, “I know! I was planning on buying him a present anyway.”

Yu Hao had planned to buy a birthday gift for Fu Liqun with the money earnt from his part-time work. He will never forget the memory of Fu Liqun carrying him to the hospital for the rest of his life.

“Oh?” Zhou Sheng said sourly, “You were?”

Yu Hao looked at Zhou Sheng. At this moment, Zhou Sheng’s phone rang. He took out his phone and talked for awhile with a strange expression on his face. He looked at Yu Hao after hanging up, “Xue Long’s looking for me.”

“Ah?” Yu Hao thought, it’s never good whenever that counsellor comes looking for us; he had better not make an issue with the bicycle race again this time ba.

In the office, Zhou Sheng’s and Yu Hao’s ‘returned the money that was found’ silk banner hung on the wall. Xue Long looked at Yu Hao, who was standing outside, “You came at just the right time.”

Zhou Sheng looked at the counsellor warily. Xue Long flipped through a report card and said, “Zhou Sheng, do you know why I’m looking for you?”

Zhou Sheng, “How would I know? It’s not like I’m a roundworm in your stomach.”

Yu Hao couldn’t help but want to laugh. Xue Long took a deep breath and said, “Take a look at your results yourself?”

Yu Hao, “!!!”

Zhou Sheng, “Oh.”

Zhou Sheng was ranked second in the whole cohort!

Yu Hao was dumbstruck and looked at Zhou Sheng. Xue Long said, “Zhou Sheng.”

Zhou Sheng said, “You suspect I cheated?”

Xue Long immediately said, “Of course not, how could Laoshi think that way? I called you over to praise you. Yu Hao did pretty well too, keep it up.”

Yu Hao flipped through his report card. He was ranked third in his class.

“Do you want to apply for a scholarship next semester?” Xue Long said, “Both of you have a chance.”

Zhou Sheng said coldly, “Yeah, why not apply?”

Xue Long said, “Yu Hao can, of course, it’s just that Zhou Sheng you……”

“What about me?” Zhou Sheng asked.

Xue Long said to Yu Hao, “What about this, Yu Hao, I’ll apply for you ba. Fill in the form and hand it to me after school resumes. Zhou Sheng, look at who the fourth place is.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Zhou Sheng said, “Oh him, I know his family’s not doing too well.”

Yu Hao didn’t take the form. Xue Long said, “You received two Notices of Criticism this semester: one for hitting Shi Ni’s parent and another for the group fight. It is possible for me to not approve this scholarship for either of you.”

Yu Hao couldn’t endure it anymore, “What the fuck has that got to do with me again? I didn’t get a Notice of Criticism.”

Zhou Sheng suddenly burst out into laughter. Yu Hao had a bewildered expression on his face, Zhou Sheng laughed so hard he almost cried, “You actually know how to curse?”

Yu Hao understood Xue Long’s intention and only felt incomparable anger. Xue Long wanted to get Zhou Sheng to forfeit his scholarship to the fourth place scorer. In fact, Xue Long has the means to do so. He would be able to prevent Zhou Sheng from getting the scholarship as long as he wrote about his problematic moral behaviour this semester in his evaluation.

Yu Hao was on the brink of exploding from anger, but his anger instantly dissipated because of Zhou Sheng’s laughter.

“Aren’t I discussing it with you two right now?” Xue Long was clearly very unhappy now. He handed the form to Yu Hao. He couldn’t brazenly say whatever he wanted now because Chen Yekai had returned to the college, “Zhou Sheng, give it some more thought after you go back ba. Your family’s doing pretty well, so I suggest you……”

“I don’t want the form.” Yu Hao refused to take it and said coldly, “Keep it for yourself ba, and give it to whoever you want. Looks like you can even do that too now.”

“Why are you so prickly? Yu Hao!” Xue Long almost couldn’t recognise Yu Hao anymore.

Zhou Sheng, “Why don’t you want it! Of course you do! Let’s go! I’ll fill it in for you!” The moment he took the scholarship application form, someone knocked on the office door. Chen Yekai’s voice could be heard as he asked, “Xue Laoshi, are you in?”

“Chen Laoshi?” Xue Long immediately shrank. How could the news be leaked so quickly? It shouldn’t have ba?

Zhou Sheng and Yu Hao were also a bit bewildered. Zhou Sheng immediately said, “He’s in, Kaikai, what’re you doing? Hurry in and take a seat!”

Xue Long, “……”

“I did want to come in and take a seat.”

Chen Yekai pushed the door open and entered. Behind him was Huang Ting and a female reporter that Yu Hao and Zhou Sheng had seen once before. The female reporter sat down, crossing her legs confidently, as if she was a born socializer. She smiled, “Ai, it’s good that I made it in time. Your college would be empty in just two days!”

Huang Ting said, “What a coincidence, I’m here on behalf of my station to send a silk banner to these two students.”

Chen Yekai said, “Let’s hang it in the office during summer vacation first, then we can take it back when school resumes?”

“Hang it, hang it!” Zhou Sheng said, “And there are two? Who wrote these?”

Both banners were created to thank Zhou Sheng and Yu Hao.

The first silk banner came from the police station of Fengyang District’s Tong County: acting courageously for the sake of justice.

The second banner came from Ying city’s Public Security Bureau: Fighting Evildoers with Wits.

Xue Long, “……………………”

“I’d like to interview these two handsome men too.” The female reporter said, “I’m called Junjun, you can just call me Jun Jie.”

Chen Yekai noticed the meaningful look Yu Hao gave him, and understood it in a second, “Oh right, what are you guys doing here?”

“To get the scholarship form.” Zhou Sheng answered, “We just got Yu Hao’s, and we were about to get mine.”

“Yo! Not bad ma!” Junjun said, “Are you inviting people out to eat after you get your scholarship?”

“Certainly!” Yu Hao immediately said.

Xue Long was completely baffled. Three silk banners were hung up, and Yu Hao said, “I’m not going home during the summer vacation, can I take it back to hang in the dorm?”

Because the previous “returned the money that was found” was created by Chen Yekai, Yu Hao asked him to hang it in the office. Now that Chen Yekai moved to Liang Jinmin’s office and was no longer their form teacher, they could now remove it. Zhou Sheng thought the same. Since that was the case, then they might as well go all the way and he told Xue Long, “Then we’ll take the silk banners back now.”

“I’ll begin the interview.” Junjun turned on a recording pen, and Chen Yekai prompted, “Xue Laoshi?”

“With honour! With honour!” Xue Long changed his tune quicker than he flipped through books and immediately handed Zhou Sheng’s form to him, “These two students are among the best in terms of their studies too!”

Yu Hao thought, Xue Long is so disgusting that it has reached a whole new level of its own, and now it even had a strange sense of beauty to it.

After the interview, the three of them heard Yu Hao’s indignant accusations of the injustice outside, and immediately started laughing until they could barely stand up straight. Chen Yekai wanted to treat them to a meal, but Zhou Sheng had to pay special attention to his diet as his competition was next week. So they arranged to meet up after his competition.

In the dormitory.

“Could you call me once in awhile when you’re committing brave acts in the name of justice?” When Fu Liqun saw the silk banner, his heart felt really empty, “Are we still dorm mates?”

Zhou Sheng said, “I’ll remember to inform them next time to add your name to the silk banner. You just need to lie down in the dormitory.”

Fu Liqun was rather straightforward as he said, “That’s even better, then I wouldn’t be scolded by your sis-in-law the whole day for staying in the dormitory all the time.”

Yu Hao, “……”

The next day, Zhou Sheng went to train as usual. Yu Hao suspected Zhou Sheng of going outside of college premises because he had recently been acting so secretively. Coincidentally, Fu Liqun was going home that night, so Yu Hao asked, “Gege, accompany me to go buy Zhou Sheng’s birthday present ba?”

“What do you want to buy?” Fu Liqun asked, “I was just thinking about that too, I need to buy one as well.”

“Buy a cake for him then ba.” Yu Hao said, “I haven’t decided yet, but I’ve already prepared the money.”

Fu Liqun agreed. He slung a sports bag over his shoulder, stuffed both hands in his pockets, and went shopping with Yu Hao. Whenever he went out with Fu Liqun, Yu Hao could always feel the gazes cast at them by all the surrounding girls. It seemed like this was the case when he was out with Chen Yekai too. But he wouldn’t notice this at all when he was with Zhou Sheng……but Zhou Sheng clearly looks very handsome too ah!

“What’s your budget?” Fu Liqun stood in the shopping mall and said, “Gege will help you choose.”

Yu Hao said, “8……9,000 ba? No more than 10,000, I need to save some for next semester’s living expenses. I already took out a student loan to pay for tuition, and it’s not like I can cancel it. Do you think it’s ok to buy a phone?”

Fu Liqun smiled as he said, “Damn it.”

Yu Hao, “??”

Fu Liqun said, “The most expensive thing your sis-in-law got for me was at most over 10,000.”

Yu Hao said, “I haven’t spent 10,000 yet.”

Fu Liqun, “Your sis-in-law’s credit card limit is 300,000, so she can spend however much she wants. But how much do you have on your card? That should be everything you earned from working for the past two months ba!”

“You can’t compare it like that.” Yu Hao smiled, “Sis-in-law’s afraid that you’d feel pressured. I want to buy a phone and buy him a pair of shoes that are a little more expensive……”

“What phone do you want to buy?” Fu Liqun said, “Gege will take you to go buy shoes!”

“Hold on……” Yu Hao suddenly noticed Zhou Sheng standing on an escalator going to the second floor of the shopping mall, “Zhou Sheng isn’t training. So why is he outside?”

Zhou Sheng was still his usual slovenly self. He looked at the dogs at a pet shop for awhile, then turned into one of the corridors of the mall and walked along some crafts stores.

“Oh?” Fu Liqun looked at him doubtfully, “Follow him?”

Yu Hao hadn’t snapped out of his daze when Fu Liqun continued, “Are we still going? That shop’s going to close soon. If you want to know something, just ask him directly ah. It’s not as if he’ll hide something from you with how close the two of you are?”

Yu Hao thought, forget it, give Zhou Sheng some personal space. Don’t ask him so many questions. Perhaps he was feeling stressed out, so he’s out for a walk to relax? If he didn’t want to tell me, then he must have his reasons for doing so. Yu Hao changed his mind and said to Fu Liqun, “Let’s go ba, to the shop.”

—