Chapter Twenty-Two: Xiao Lin vs. Gao Zheng

Innovation High School was alive with excitement. Students were engaged in snowball fights, rolling snowballs, and skiing, each immersed in the pure joy of winter play. If a parent were to walk in now, they might mistake the scene for a kindergarten, watching groups of teenagers revel in childlike games.

The teachers, meanwhile, sat comfortably in their offices, enjoying the warmth of the air conditioning and sipping hot tea as they watched the students frolic outside. Their thoughts inevitably drifted to their own youth, recalling snowy games and the innocence of childhood.

Xiao Lin and his friends eventually tired of their snowball fight—more accurately, Xiao Lin could no longer endure the barrage of attacks from all sides. Soaked from head to toe, he finally raised his hands in surrender. Shivering from the cold, he made his way back to the dormitory to change clothes. The dormitory attendant, an auntie from the northeast, looked at him in astonishment, wondering if he had fallen into a snow pit. Of course, Beijing had no such pits, but the auntie, accustomed to her hometown’s winters, imagined the snow here might be similar.

She kindly asked Xiao Lin if he’d like a cup of ginger tea to warm up, offering to prepare it. Xiao Lin thanked her, assuring her that he was young and full of energy, and that the cold was nothing to him. With a sigh, the auntie remarked that kids nowadays didn’t take care of themselves, but let Xiao Lin be.

After changing, Xiao Lin returned to his friends, who were eager to try a new game: a snowman-building contest, dividing into two teams to see who could build the fastest and best snowman.

Wang Yuqing, Tan Linlin, and Yuan Weiye formed one team. Originally, Wang Yuqing wanted Xiao Lin to join her, but Tan Linlin insisted on competing against Xu Tong, declaring that if she won, Xu Tong would treat her to dinner. So Xu Tong pulled Xiao Lin in to help. Yuan Weiye, determined to be on Wang Yuqing’s team, managed to stay by her side. Tan Linlin, realizing she needed muscle to roll the snowballs, kept Yuan Weiye, sending him off to do the heavy lifting, which he did with a silly grin.

Thus, Wang Yuqing, Tan Linlin, and Yuan Weiye made up one team, and Xiao Lin, Xu Tong, and Wang Tao formed the other. Lin Xudong and the doctoral student took on the role of judges.

With teams settled, everyone got busy building their snowmen. Before long, both groups had finished. Lin Xudong approached to inspect, first looking at Xiao Lin’s team’s creation. It resembled the typical snowmen children build: two snowballs, one large and one small—the small as the head, the large as the body. Two broken branches served as arms, a dark brick was the nose, and red ink from Wang Tao marked the eyes. A coffee-colored hat, courtesy of Xiao Lin, adorned the head. With Xiao Lin’s design skills, the snowman could have been much better, but Wang Tao and Xu Tong spent three minutes arguing over the approach, and with only ten minutes left before class, they hurriedly finished.

Turning to Wang Yuqing’s team, Lin Xudong saw an adorable snow bunny. Its long ears were fashioned from black rubber bands for eyes, and thin strips of black paper were pasted beneath, giving the bunny a shy expression. They hollowed out the bunny’s belly, placing several tiny snow bunnies inside. Finally, Wang Yuqing wrapped her bright red scarf around the bunny’s neck, the scarf fluttering gently in the breeze—utterly charming.

Lin Xudong compared the two creations. “There’s really no contest; the winner is obvious.”

Tan Linlin looked smugly at Xu Tong. “A feast at Pizza Hut.”

“Oh my! My allowance!” Xu Tong howled in mock agony.

Everyone laughed at Xu Tong’s dramatic display.

A discordant voice came from behind, “Hey, what’s everyone so happy about? Tell us so we can join in the fun!”

Everyone frowned, turning to see who had spoken so inappropriately. It was a thin boy in a brown jacket. Wang Tao muttered under his breath, “Wearing a jacket in this weather, trying to act cool—why isn’t he frozen yet?”

“Zhao Mingliang, watch your mouth,” a clear voice interjected. It was none other than Gao Zheng.

“Hmph, so it’s White Sweet Potato!” Tan Linlin snorted.

“Ha! That name—White Sweet Potato,” Xu Tong chuckled.

Gao Zheng ignored Tan Linlin’s jab, smiling at Wang Yuqing. “Yuqing, what’s everyone doing? Looks like you’re having a good time.”

“Just finished building snowmen. Didn’t you join the snowball fight?” Wang Yuqing replied with a gentle smile.

Before Gao Zheng could answer, Zhao Mingliang jumped in, “Games for kids—how could my young master stoop to that?”

Gao Zheng raised his hand to silence Zhao Mingliang, stepped forward, and caught sight of the rather ugly snowman. He paused.

“Uh, Yuqing, did you make this snowman?”

Wang Yuqing laughed, “No, that’s Xiao Lin’s team’s work. Ours is this one,” she said, pointing to the snow bunny.

Gao Zheng admired the cute snow bunny. “I thought so. No way would Yuqing make that kind of snowman.”

Xiao Lin watched Gao Zheng, furrowing his brow and muttering, “Gao Zheng.” He hadn’t paid much attention to this boy during the last class.

Wang Tao overheard Xiao Lin, leaned in, and whispered, “Gao Zheng—for real, rich, handsome, and from a prominent family.”

Xiao Lin wasn’t fazed by the first part, but when he heard “prominent family,” a flicker of coldness flashed in his eyes. He had grown wary of privileged children.

Xu Tong, displeased by Gao Zheng’s comment, retorted, “What’s wrong with our snowman?”

“Look, it’s ugly—how could you be proud of it? If it were me, I’d ram my head into the snow and die of shame!” Zhao Mingliang sneered.

“Hey, kid, you looking for a fight?” Xu Tong’s anger flared as he rolled up his sleeves, ready to hit back.

Lin Xudong quickly held him back.

Wang Yuqing was also upset. After all, Xu Tong was her friend, and the snowman was Xiao Lin’s work; Zhao Mingliang’s remark had insulted both. To her, anyone who criticized Xiao Lin was criticizing her, and she couldn’t stand it.

Gao Zheng, however, ignored Xu Tong, turning instead toward Xiao Lin. Xiao Lin, dressed in a black coat and scarf, thick athletic pants, his face resolute, eyes deep, brows sharp, and nose high, caught Gao Zheng’s attention. Gao Zheng couldn’t help but think, “This is a boy with real character.”

“What is it?” Xiao Lin and Yuqing asked calmly.

“Nothing, just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Gao Zheng, class president of Class Two,” Gao Zheng said, extending his hand with a smile.

Xiao Lin was puzzled by the gesture, but since Gao Zheng had reached out, Xiao Lin, despite his reservations, remembered the saying: “Never strike a smiling face.” So he grasped Gao Zheng’s hand.

Gao Zheng smiled inwardly as Xiao Lin took his hand. “Let’s see how you handle this,” he thought, gripping Xiao Lin’s palm firmly—his strength honed by years of taekwondo.

Feeling the pressure, Xiao Lin furrowed his brow, unsure why Gao Zheng was doing this. But since Gao Zheng had made his move, Xiao Lin responded in kind, matching his grip. “So you want to play this game? You’ve picked the wrong person,” he thought, squeezing back.

Gao Zheng intended to humble Xiao Lin, having heard plenty of rumors about Xiao Lin and Wang Yuqing lately, which had unsettled him. But Xiao Lin was not one to back down.

The two exchanged silent blows, while the others watched, puzzled as to why the handshake was taking so long between the two boys.

Ding ding—the school bell rang, signaling the start of class. Finally, they released their hands, each shaking them in pain.