Chapter 68: Summer Gathering Preparations

At half past six in the evening, the conference room of Taisan High School’s Music Building buzzed with activity.

This expansive conference room, typically reserved for the student council, had been sectioned into various areas for department recruitment, each designated as a venue for interviewing prospective new members.

The Literature Club, functioning as both a club and a department, also secured a small space for its interviews.

The Literature Club President, Li Jianren, and Bai Ruijin formed the trio of interviewers for this recruitment drive.

Before them, approximately forty students waited with bated breath.

Li Jianren cleared his throat with a resonant ‘Cough!’ and announced loudly, “The Literature Club interviews are now officially underway! The three of us interviewers will each pose a few questions, and your responses will determine your eligibility. It’s quite straightforward!”

“The rules are fairly simple,” the Literature Club President added, “We haven’t set a specific order for appearances. If you’re ready, simply step forward and announce your name.”

Her declaration immediately sparked a murmur of discussion among the students.

The prospect of volunteering to go first, a true test of both ability and confidence, understandably caused some unease among the crowd.

A moment later, the first student stepped forward to face the trio.

“Greetings, seniors. My name is Ye Shou. I am sixteen years old and a student here.”

The Literature Club President quickly assessed him with a glance, then subtly gestured to her two companions to commence their questioning.

Li Jianren was the first to pose a question. “Tell me,” he began, “how much time do you typically dedicate to reading books each week?”

The student, Ye Shou, paused to consider, covering his mouth thoughtfully. “Hmm… I can’t pinpoint an exact number of times, but it’s certainly quite frequent.”

“And when was your most recent read?”

“Just… three days ago, I believe.”

“Have you ever visited the library?”

“I have.”

“What genres of books do you find yourself most drawn to?”

“Well, when it comes down to it… I suppose I’m still most fond of mainstream adventure light novels.”

“Such novels tend to be rather costly, don’t they?”

“Not overly so, I’d say…”

‘How did this become a casual chat…?’

With the two of them engaging in such a back-and-forth, Bai Ruijin found herself utterly unable to interject with a question.

“Alright, I’ll pose the final question,” the President interjected, cutting short their conversation, which had begun to stray significantly. “Tell me, do you genuinely enjoy reading?”

“Absolutely,” the young man before them responded without hesitation. “I love it, I truly do.”

“Very well, next please.”

****

During the evening self-study session, Zhong Tian was engrossed in sketching out her manga drafts.

The manga adaptation of Su Linxi’s novel had already begun its online serialization. Thanks to Mantang’s effective promotional efforts, coupled with Su Linxi’s and Zhong Tian’s established reputations within the ACG community, it swiftly became Mantang’s latest sensation.

However, this particular manga was an exclusive release on the Mantang APP, with no concurrent serialization in print magazines.

‘Hmm… are physical publications truly destined to fade from this era…?’

She recalled her elementary school days vividly: every week, pocket money in hand, she and Li Jianren would race to the newsstand to procure the latest manga magazine. Returning home, she would pore over it several times with relish before carefully placing it on her bookshelf, brimming with anticipation for the next week’s new issue.

It was during that nostalgic period that Zhong Tian’s passion for manga first ignited.

As she reminisced, Zhong Tian’s heart swelled, almost overflowing with the bittersweet joy of nostalgia and a subtle pang of sadness for the passage of time.

Now, whether in Taisan City or Haibin City, not only were manga magazines a rarity, but even newsstands themselves had become scarce. The quaint little newsstand that once stood beneath the banyan tree by the roadside had vanished, replaced by newly paved roads and even more luxuriant banyan trees.

A fresh wave of melancholy washed over Zhong Tian’s heart.

‘Indeed, the cherished beauty of the past is utterly irreplaceable.’

It seems to be a universal human experience: one suddenly finds themselves reminiscing about beautiful bygone moments, then becoming enveloped in an inexplicable sadness or profound emotion.

In that moment, Zhong Tian yearned intensely to revisit her old manga magazines, to seek out a bygone newsstand, and, cradling a cherished issue, to spend an entire afternoon reading on a bench beneath a banyan tree.

‘Right, I should arrange a time to return to Haibin City with Ren!’

She pondered this idea seriously, her thoughts drifting to the approaching National Day holiday.

‘National Day it is, then!’

With this thought, Zhong Tian glanced up at the classroom clock, verifying the current time.

It was currently eight o’clock. Evening self-study would conclude at eight-thirty, leaving her just twenty more minutes to draw before she packed up and prepared for home.

Such was her current plan.

Beside her, a dark blue, furry mass silently drew near to Zhong Tian, then, with a sudden whoosh, it leaped, unfurling its four paws mid-air.

Even though Zhong Tian had caught a glimpse of the lurking Cat Class Monitor in her peripheral vision, she was still startled by its sudden pounce, her cowlick practically springing to attention.

The Cat Class Monitor landed heavily on Zhong Tian’s thigh, bouncing with surprising elasticity before instantly curling itself into a tight ball once more.

Gazing down at the large, warm bundle nestled on her leg, Zhong Tian was momentarily speechless. She resignedly set aside her drafts ahead of schedule, mentally preparing herself to give the Cat Class Monitor a massage.

‘You have your own cushion, yet you choose not to sleep on it. Instead, you deliberately seek out someone else’s lap, and you persistently target mine! What exactly is your problem?!’

Zhong Tian began to gently rub the Cat Class Monitor’s face, her intention being to keep it awake as a form of playful revenge.

“Meow—”

The Cat Class Monitor let out a displeased ‘Meow—’, yet it made no move to extend its claws and swat away Zhong Tian’s hand. Evidently, Zhong Tian’s ministrations were quite comfortable, offering no discernible harm apart from preventing sleep.

Thus, it clung to Zhong Tian’s skirt—a silent protest against being picked up—and, with a comically grumpy feline expression, continued to luxuriate in Zhong Tian’s gentle kneading.

While Zhong Tian was preoccupied with petting the feline, Li Jianren, having concluded the recruitment interviews, made his way back to the classroom. His immediate action upon entering was to swivel his head towards the blackboard, scrutinizing the assigned homework.

“Oh, for crying out loud.”

Li Jianren found himself momentarily dumbfounded.

Indeed, the amount of homework assigned for the day was considerable.

Li Jianren had departed for the recruitment interviews at five o’clock, yet it was now eight. Could the interviews possibly have stretched on for so long?

A flicker of suspicion arose in Zhong Tian’s mind, leading her to wonder if he had perhaps snuck off to slack somewhere after the recruitment interviews concluded.

Li Jianren returned to his seat and, with furtive movements, switched on his phone.

At Taisan High School, activating mobile phones within the teaching building was strictly prohibited.

Discovery would result in the school ‘managing’ the device on the student’s behalf, a euphemism for confiscation.

Observing him brave the risk to power on his phone, Zhong Tian surmised his intent. She, too, activated her phone and opened WeChat.

Unsurprisingly, a message from Li Jianren promptly appeared on her screen.

It contained a single word.

[Dad!!!!]

[Trying to copy homework?]

[Help!]

[Come get it after school. You can write it back in your dorm room.]

[Thanks!]

Such ‘Ren-speak’… it was likely only Zhong Tian who could instantly decipher Li Jianren’s true meaning.

She put away her phone, simultaneously organizing her own homework to set aside. After tucking her drafts into her canvas bag, she resumed petting the Cat Class Monitor.

****

Half an hour vanished in a flash. The Cat Class Monitor, upon hearing the bell, sprang from Zhong Tian’s lap and swiftly departed along the windowsill with a rustle.

She and Li Jianren, sharing an unspoken understanding, waited for a moment in the classroom. Only after most of their classmates had departed did Li Jianren finally rise from his seat, retrieving the neatly stacked homework from Zhong Tian’s desk.

“The interviews dragged on until this late hour?”

“Hmm… well, not exactly,” Li Jianren admitted, scratching his head. “Mostly, I was feeling a bit peckish at the time, and the President suggested we grab some snacks and drinks from the convenience store and sit for a while. We ended up just staying there until now…”

“Only you and the President, then?”

“Oh, no, not at all,” Li Jianren clarified. “There was another club member present – you know her, the girl named Bai Ruijin.”

So that was it. The Literature Club President, Zhong Tian recalled, was also Bai Ruijin’s designated wingman in matters of romance. Clearly, this was an attempt to engineer an opportunity for them.

She had initially intended to inquire about their conversation or his impressions of Bai Ruijin, but sensing it might appear too obvious, she ultimately decided against it.

“Then I’ll head back now.”

“Mm.”

‘I should schedule another strategy meeting soon.’

‘Oh, right, tomorrow is Saturday.’

‘The summer gathering!’

Zhong Tian suddenly remembered the event and decided to send Li Jianren’s home address to a few people.

‘I wonder if they’ve made any preparations.’

‘I should ask Bai Ruijin first.’

This so-called gathering was, after all, primarily orchestrated to create an opportunity for Bai Ruijin to make a move on Li Jianren, so confirming her readiness was paramount.

****

Having just boarded the bus, Bai Ruijin was engrossed in her phone, her mind still replaying the moments with Li Jianren outside the convenience store.

The President had left shortly after arriving, fabricating an excuse. Then, Li Jianren and she had purchased some snacks and drinks, settling down at a small table.

She had just mustered the courage to speak to Li Jianren when he suddenly stood up, told her to “Wait a moment,” and then rushed back to his dorm…

He then returned, cradling a bowl of rice, and began to devour it with gusto.

Bai Ruijin was utterly bewildered, yet profoundly shaken.

In the end, the two of them hadn’t exchanged a single word…

Her emotions were now a complex tangle; even while playing on her phone, she couldn’t shake the image of Li Jianren voraciously consuming his meal.

Ding—

A message arrived on WeChat.

It was from Zhong Tian.

[Tomorrow is Saturday. We’re going to Li Jianren’s house for the beach gathering. Have you made the necessary preparations?]

Upon seeing the message, Bai Ruijin initially froze, then came to a sudden realization.

[I… forgot.]

There was a long silence from the other end.

[You should get up early tomorrow and make some preparations…]

Only now did Bai Ruijin begin to consider what she needed to prepare for tomorrow.

Sunscreen, a sun hat, a change of clothes, a swimsuit… Wait, did she even own a swimsuit?

She pondered for a long time, realizing the last time she had worn a swimsuit to the beach was in her first year of middle school… That swimsuit would certainly no longer fit.

The bus reached her stop, and Bai Ruijin disembarked, returning home to rummage through her wardrobe.

…There truly wasn’t one.

Bai Ruijin sat on her bed, opened WeChat, and sent a message to Zhong Tian.

[Um, do you have time tomorrow morning?]

[Could you come with me to buy a swimsuit?]

[I’d like you to help me choose one…]

****

Zhong Tian read Bai Ruijin’s message, her heart filled with understanding.

‘She wants to appeal to Li Jianren’s aesthetic, of course.’

Zhong Tian was intimately familiar with Li Jianren’s preferences; asking her for help was indeed asking the right person.

[Okay.]

Zhong Tian agreed, and after arranging a time with her, also left the school.

****

Yu Yinlian awoke on her dorm bed.

‘Ah… I accidentally fell asleep earlier.’

‘What time is it now?’

She picked up her phone from the bed.

‘It’s almost nine o’clock already…’

‘Evening self-study must have ended long ago.’

‘Well, I’ll just have to talk to Zhong Tian tomorrow then…’

Yu Yinlian carefully checked today’s date.

‘Wait, tomorrow is Saturday.’

‘Ah, if only I had added her on WeChat earlier, I could have at least chatted with her for ten minutes.’

Yu Yinlian felt she had miscalculated but, finding no solution, decided to give up, eat something quickly, and go to bed.