Elite: Ch 8 — An Ordinary Special Admission Student VIII

The next day, Ning Song went out with dark circles under his eyes.

The guys upstairs were really something, making a racket from twelve to one, and then starting again at two.

Great…great stamina!

He slung his backpack on and locked the door. Suddenly, he heard a loud bang from upstairs, followed by someone complaining, "It's all your fault! I'm going to be late!"

He immediately leaned over and looked upstairs.

It was the couple he had seen in the library.

It was the bronzed athlete and his artistic wife.

When they met downstairs, the art student whispered, "The new guy..."

Ning Song noticed that the art student had a white nameplate, the same as him.

But the bronzed athlete had a prestigious black nameplate.

So he had come to stay here because of his wife.

The bronzed athlete glanced at him indifferently, then put his arm around his wife's shoulders and left. The art student, however, looked back at him one more time.

They were both white-badged special enrollees, but the art student seemed much more like the male protagonist in a novel than him.

As soon as he entered the school, he ran into a real-life love story.

On his second day at his new school, the amount of attention he got was much lower.

It seemed that a nobody like him could only cause a ripple in this school.

A day's worth of attention was all the attraction he could get.

By the third day, his presence was even lower, and the guys who had chased him back to the dorm on the first day didn't bother him anymore, as if they had suddenly lost interest in him.

He felt like an insignificant pebble tossed into the great lake of Easton Boys' School, creating a tiny ripple that disappeared with a puff of wind.

But his chances of stumbling upon romantic scenes between handsome guys seemed a bit too high.

For example, he met Li You and Lin Li and even interacted with them.

Then there were two main characters in his class, Pu Yu and Tang Zhenzhen.

Coincidentally, there was a sports student and an art student living above him, and he even became part of their little scene in the library!

Even Qiao Qiao, who he thought was like him, seemed to have a childhood sweetheart.

Yesterday, when he was taking a shower in the dormitory, he saw two pairs of feet below the shower curtain opposite to him, sometimes both tiptoeing, sometimes one tiptoeing and one flat-footed.

And then today...

He went to the library again, and there, he ran into Pu Yu.

And with him was an incredibly cute boy.

He had never seen such a cute boy before. He was the embodiment of the word "cute".

The little cutie stammered, "Is that okay?"

He couldn't see Pu Yu's face because the young master had his back to him.

It was only natural for a guy with such a great family background, excellent grades and good looks to receive a love confession.

Ning Song didn't hear what the young master said, probably because his voice was too low.

After a while, the young master pulled a book off the shelf and walked over with a bookmark.

Ning Song didn't have time to dodge and met his gaze.

Pu Yu was startled for a moment, then sat down where Ning Song had put his bag.

Ning Song wanted to greet him, after all, they had met several times.

But Pu Yu seemed to have forgotten him. He didn't greet him, nor did he look at him.

So he just kept walking forward.

Pu Yu looked up and opened his book.

The little cutie was still standing there, head hung low, looking quite heartbroken. Ning Song passed by him, feeling a pang of sympathy for the boy’s situation.

Actually, he thought the little cutie had the potential to be the male lead in a BL novel. He was really pretty.

But it wasn’t his business.

He was just playing the role of a random classmate who happened to stumble upon the main characters confessing their love, right?

Given how often he ran into these boys' love stories, and considering his unremarkable appearance, he had a reasonable suspicion that his character was a common tool used in these protagonists' love stories.

Sometimes he was a background character in those love stories, sometimes he was a cannon fodder friend, and other times, in some more stimulating scenes, he was part of their secret play behind their classmates' backs.

It was quite a heavy task.

The little cutie quietly left, and Ning Song tiptoed to reach the topmost magazine.

It was still too high for him to reach, so he used a bookmark to mark the magazine he wanted to read, then jumped up and grabbed it.

As he landed, he saw Pu Yu looking at him through the gap in the bookshelf, so he smiled at Pu Yu.

This time he didn't go to sit by Pu Yu, but went to another reading area inside, where there was  no one sitting. He found a window seat and sat down.

He loved reading these gaming magazines.

Whenever he saw a new game, he'd take out his phone and play it. There were many games in this world that didn’t exist in the real world, and they gave him a lot of enrichment. He was so immersed in them that by the time he started on his second magazine, Pu Yu had already left.

He stayed in the library until closing time, feeling like his heart was so full it was about to float away. He quickly logged onto the forum, ready to chat with his online friends.

Opening the forum, he found a message from vegancat: "A healthy body is the foundation of revolution."

He sent vegancat an emoji, then started a new post on the forum.

Vegancat didn't reply to him privately this time but commented on his new post several times. Many people asked him about his new job, and Ning Song answered casually.

Even though they were just online strangers, everyone was very enthusiastic.

After chatting on the forum, he found that the hot water in his kettle was gone. He took the kettle and went to the hot water dispenser on the first floor stairs to fill it up, and saw his class monitor, Chen Mo, coming over with a briefcase.

He had a good impression of his class monitor and greeted him with a smile: "Class Monitor."

He had only found out yesterday that Chen Mo also lived in the Fourth Tower.

But Chen Mo wasn't a white nameplate bearer; he had a gold nameplate, and he was the most outstanding of all the special admission students at Easton Boys' School. It was said that he had transferred in his sophomore year, and within a year, he had quickly climbed to the gold nameplate level, became the class monitor and joined the student council.

This was very rare at Easton Boys' School, because the points system at Easton Boys' School was not friendly to transfer students. It wasn't enough to just have good grades. He heard from Qiao Qiao that Chen Mo was from an ordinary working-class family on Radiapearl Island.

Even after his level increased, he didn't move out; he continued to live in the Fourth Tower, supposedly because he liked single dorms.

The Second and Third Towers weren't strictly single dorms; they were all three-person suites, but the facilities were better.

His class monitor was a loner and seemed a bit cold.

Chen Mo nodded at him and asked, "You still haven’t slept?"

It was rare to see their class monitor so gentle; he was usually very businesslike.

Ning Song smiled. "I'm going to bed soon. Just got back?"

Chen Mo murmured in response and went upstairs with his bag, as if the warmth he'd shown just a moment ago had been an illusion.

"Oh, right."

Ning Song had just put down the kettle when he heard Chen Mo speak again. "There's something I forgot to tell you."

Ning Song turned around and saw Chen Mo standing on the stairs. The light was a bit dim there, and he couldn't see his face very clearly. Chen Mo’s voice sounded deeper and more magnetic as he said, "Springfest is coming up in half a month. Every class has to put on a performance. You're new here, and you've never participated before, so Mr. Jiang said you have to sign up this year."

"Huh?"

Springfest? What was that?

Chen Mo said, "This is tied to your credits, and it counts as part of your artistic activities. You'd better participate."

What talent did he have?

He could play the cello, but did anyone want to listen to him?

"What if I don't have any talents?" Ning Song asked.

Chen Mo was silent for a moment, then finally suggested with an unyielding expression, "I can add you to our class's play. That's our class's group performance this year. A lot of people are participating, and you can play a small role in it."

He could definitely be an extra.

"You can think about it some more. If you have other ideas, you can tell me — singing, dancing, poetry recitation, instruments, martial arts, anything."

"I'll just be an extra," Ning Song quickly said.

Chen Mo nodded and said nothing more, and went upstairs with his bag.

Ning Song filled his kettle with water and went upstairs, texting Qiao Qiao about Springfest as he walked.

Suddenly, he felt like someone was watching him.

He glanced outside. The Fourth Tower was old and surrounded by lush greenery. At night, it was dark and gloomy. He had previously thought that this kind of environment might be suitable for couples to date in, but now he felt like anyone could be hiding anywhere.

Because he didn't see anyone, only the wind shaking the branches.

When he went upstairs and looked down from the top, he nearly got goosebumps.

Because he really did see someone standing under a tree, looking at him.

With just a brief glance, the person disappeared into the darkness.

He wondered if it was just his imagination.

But when he went to sleep, he was cautious and covered the window with his clothes.

His first week at Easton Boys’ School passed quickly.

Ning Song's parents were too busy this week. With Easton Province hosting an economic forum, the Pu family had many banquets to attend. Consequently, his parents would be very busy for the next half month and wouldn't have time to spare.

So he stayed at school.

Coincidentally, Qiao Qiao's family was also away, so he stayed at school to keep him company.

Although he got along well with his classmates, Qiao Qiao was really the only one who genuinely cared about him.

At first, Ning Song was a little wary of Qiao Qiao. After all, in this kind of environment, when someone suddenly became so familiar with him, he had to suspect there was something behind it.

In fact, there was a little bit of truth to that. Qiao Qiao said that he had also transferred to Easton Boys’ School in middle school. At that time, he was just like Ning Song, skinny and friendless. He said that as soon as he saw Ning Song, he felt a deep connection and couldn't bear the thought of letting someone else experience the loneliness he had felt.

He was simply a shining little angel.

Qiao Qiao couldn't stay in school.

He wanted to take Ning Song out to play and help him get along with his other friends.

So Ning Song changed into casual clothes and went to the nearby amusement park with Qiao Qiao.

As soon as they went out, he saw what a real aristocratic school was like.

Paganis, Koenigseggs, Maybachs, Audis, Bentleys...

The luxury cars were no longer the most surprising thing. What surprised him most was that there were nannies, drivers, or bodyguards in professional attire standing outside many of the cars.

He saw Tang Zhenzhen at the entrance.

He was standing alone at the roadside with his backpack, looking down at his toes like a porcelain doll.

For some reason, it made him worried, afraid that he would be bullied.

He saw a few boys looking at him, whispering to each other and occasionally breaking out in ambiguous laughter.

So he stopped and stood there for a while.

Then he saw someone running through the traffic towards Tang Zhenzhen.

It was a young guy, probably just starting university. Tang Zhenzhen smiled when he saw him, took off his backpack and gave it to him.

The guy took Tang Zhenzhen's hand and they walked through the traffic together.

He tsked. He was once again an extra witnessing the love of the protagonists.

Qiao Qiao took him to meet some of his friends. Most of his friends were from other schools and they were all rich kids. After dinner, they went to a KTV called Starjoy on Radiapearl Island to sing.

In terms of facilities, it was quite ordinary and a rather old KTV, but in terms of reputation, no one in Radiapearl Island dared to claim a place above it. It was incredibly famous and occupied the best location on the island.

Ning Song thought his singing was bad enough, but Qiao Qiao and his friends sang even worse.

The howling made his head throb. Leaning over to Qiao Qiao, he said, "I'm going out for some air."

Qiao Qiao immediately put down the microphone. "I'll come with you."

"No need," Ning Song held him back. "I'll just go up to the terrace and get some fresh air."

When he came, he had noticed that this KTV was right next to the estuary where the river met the sea, and there was a scenic terrace overlooking the landscape.

He left the private room and breathed in the fresh outdoor air, which made him feel a little better. He took the elevator up. It was a weekend, and there were a lot of people, so the elevator took a while to arrive. When the elevator arrived, a few fat and big-eared men came out, "Damn, are the waiters at Starjoy all this good-looking now? Long legs and a curvy butt."

"If Young Master Wang likes him, we can order him to serve us drinks later."

"That kid doesn't seem easy to mess with. I touched his hand just now, and his eyes could kill a man."

"What's there to be afraid of? As long as you give enough money, you can stuff anything into his mouth!"

"Yeah, that waiter last time was so fierce, he even wanted to call the police. In the end, what happened? He just took the money and kept quiet."

"I can be gentler with this one. He's so beautiful, I can keep him for a month."

The men burst into laughter.

The group of greasy men, reeking of alcohol, entered the next private room.

Ning Song stood in the dim corridor for a while after watching the elevator doors close, feeling like he was minding his own business.

But the other boy was a student, and he didn't know what these people would do to him.

He decided to just remind him.

He waited for a while and sure enough, he saw a waiter coming up with two bottles of wine.

He was stunned when he saw who it was.

The other boy’s thick white hair was too eye-catching.

It was Sheng Yan.

It seemed that he had passed by the male leads’ film set again.

Sheng Yan was wearing the KTV uniform, and as those greasy men had said, he had long legs, a curvy ass and a face so handsome that it was dazzling.

The two of them were like two extremes: he was sickly and colorless, while Sheng Yan's skin was glowing, full of youthful vitality.

Sheng Yan glanced at him, carrying the wine to the door of the next private room.

Ning Song thought for a moment, then called out to him, "Hey..."

Sheng Yan turned to look at him, his eyelashes long and thick, casting shadows under his eyes.

"Can I help you with something?" he asked.

He had a pleasant male voice, holding a hint of a smile.

Having lived in a society governed by the rule of law for so long, Ning Song was still not quite used to this fucked-up world.

In order to ease his conscience, Ning Song said, "I heard what those guys were saying just now...be careful. They seem to have some ideas about you."

Sheng Yan smiled. "You stayed behind to remind me?"

Ning Song nodded.

"Thanks, I got it." Sheng Yan's reply was a little casual, and with a smile, he pushed open the door and went in.

Ning Song watched the heavy door close, feeling like he had indeed gone overboard.

He pressed the elevator button again and while waiting, he continued to look at that private room.

If it had been anyone else, not Sheng Yan, he would definitely have stayed to see what happened. If he had heard any noise, he would have helped the other person, would at least have called for someone from the KTV.

Was it because it was Sheng Yan, and he would probably be fine, that he was treating him differently?

The elevator arrived at that moment. He stepped inside, cursed under his breath and stepped out of the elevator again.

Damn it.

He couldn't just leave, after all.

Maybe the reason he had passed by in Sheng Yan's story was to give him a heads up?

He decided to listen for any noise. If nothing was happening, that would be best; but if something was, he would help out by calling someone.

But the soundproofing of the private room was too high. Even if he could hear something, it was only loud music. He walked to the door of the private room, tiptoed and peered through the glass window at the top. He only saw a staggering figure, and then the door of the private room was pulled open and Sheng Yan bumped right into him.

Being thin, he was almost knocked to the ground, but Sheng Yan caught him. As the door closed, he saw several greasy men inside, stumbling and falling, and a pool of something on the floor that was either blood or spilled liquor.

Sheng Yan looked down at him, the ferocity in his face dissipating. "You were waiting for me?"

Ning Song stood up straight and pulled away from his arm. "Are you okay?"

Since things had turned out this way, he might as well do someone a favor.

Sheng Yan smiled. "I'm fine."

Then he picked up the microphone at his collar and said, "Cousin, I've gotten myself into a little trouble. Could you come take a look? Room 306."

Seeing that Sheng Yan was fine, Ning Song walked towards the elevator. Coincidentally, the elevator had just arrived, and after he got in, Sheng Yan followed and entered the elevator as well.

He reached the rooftop, and Sheng Yan followed him out there.

He looked at Sheng Yan warily. Sheng Yan smiled. "Want a smoke?"

He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his uniform pocket, and only then did Ning Song notice the blood on his fingers.

Lighting the cigarette, the other boy was truly handsome, his phoenix eyes slightly lowered. The shimmering light on the sea surface was his backdrop.

Sheng Yan took two puffs and then threw the pack of cigarettes and lighter into the nearby trash can. He also extinguished the cigarette in his hand and asked, "Are you from Easton Boys' School? I think I've seen you before, the new kid?"

Ning Song nodded.

Sheng Yan frowned, and even from a meter away, Ning Song could hear someone’s angry shout through the boy’s earphones.

Sheng Yan sighed and went back down.

Ning Song let out a long breath.

Looking out from the rooftop, he could see the Lower Harbor across the sea.

The Lower Harbor, where more people lived, seemed pitch black in contrast to Radiapearl Island at night. Even its scattered lights seemed dark and damp. Radiapearl Island, on the other hand, was ablaze with lights. The narrow stretch of water seemed to divide the world in two.

The wind up here was too strong and cold. After standing for a while, he was chilled to the bone. Just as he was about to go back down, he saw Qiao Qiao coming up to find him.

“Were we too loud?” Qiao Qiao asked him.

Ning Song shook his head. “No, I came out to look at the night view. It’s the first time I’ve seen the Lower Harbor from this angle.”

As he spoke, he sneezed.

Qiao Qiao said, “Let’s go down. With your constitution, you can’t catch a cold.”

The two of them went down from the rooftop together. Qiao Qiao said, “It seems like there was a fight in the next room. I just saw Liu-ge and the others carrying someone out. It was pretty bloody.”

When they returned to the third floor, they only saw two cleaning people mopping the floor.

Ning Song and Qiao Qiao returned to their private room, and soon a waiter knocked on the door. A young man, also looking like a student, came in pushing a trolley with drinks, snacks, and a few large fruit platters.

Qiao Qiao said, “You must have delivered this to the wrong room. We didn’t order this.”

He had worked part-time in this KTV before, and even though he was a young master, he thought the drinks and fruit platters here were ridiculously expensive and offered terrible value!

They weren’t going to pay for this!

But the other party smiled and said, “This is a complimentary gift from our manager. Please enjoy.”

A few people exchanged puzzled glances.

Ning Song turned away and coughed a couple times.

After the waiter left, he told Qiao Qiao about running into Sheng Yan earlier.

Qiao Qiao’s eyes widened. “He’s working here?”

Ning Song said, “I guess he’s experiencing life.”

“I thought only my dad would cut off my allowance and force me to experience life,” Qiao Qiao said. “Those guys were lucky they weren’t Sheng Yan’s opponent. If they had done anything to Sheng Yan, they’d all be swimming with the fishes tomorrow.”

…Was he really that scary?

This world was crazy.

They had to return to school, so they left the KTV around nine. They hadn’t had enough fun, so they made plans to go to Queen’s Road the next day.

As they passed through the lobby on the first floor, they saw Sheng Yan being scolded. His white hair glowed softly under the lights. With his hands in his pockets, he looked indifferent. When his gaze fell on their group, he tilted his head and waved to Ning Song. The manager slapped his hand and he stuffed it back into his pocket helplessly.

“Damn, that waiter is so handsome,” the chubby guy in their group said.

“Damn your eyesight. You didn’t even recognize Qiao Qiao’s school’s great heartthrob, Sheng Yan.”

Sheng Yan’s beauty was famous throughout the entire Easton High School circle.

“Why is he working here as a waiter? His family’s rich.”

“I heard he wants to enter the entertainment industry, but his family doesn’t agree. They cut off his credit card and told him to earn his own money if he wants to sing.”

After leaving the KTV, they happened to pass by an old market street. Even though it was late at night, there were a lot of tourists. Ning Song bought new curtains, and seeing as there was a plant shop next door, he picked out a jasmine vine.

It wasn’t a rose or a lily or a tulip, but a very ordinary jasmine vine.

Just like him.

He really had no idea that it would become the cover of an album much later.

Everyone would know the line:

“They say jasmine is more beautiful on rainy days.”

***

The author has something to say:

Easter egg: 

The underground boxing ring was crowded. Sheng Yan was pulling Ning Song away when a boxing glove suddenly landed in Ning Song's arms. Li You leaned against the railing, watching them with an amused expression. Sheng Yan didn't say anything, just smiled and threw the glove back.

***

cela’s notes:

41 minutes, for a total of 6 hours and 20 minutes for this novel. 

I'm dropping this novel because the rating is too low on Novel Updates 😕

If you like this translation, please consider encouraging me on Ko-fi! Extra chapter for every ko-fi 💛

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