Meng Zhe Zhe was absolutely furious, yelling into the phone: “Yu Jiang Hao, are you going to agree or not?!”
On the other end of the line, there was a cacophony of muffled noises, like someone carrying their phone while passing through multiple doors. Amid the commotion, his voice finally came through, mixed with the rumbling sound of a car engine: “I’m really busy today!”
“You’re busy?” Her tone suddenly softened, becoming sweet and gentle. “Oh dear, I’m so sorry, Minister Yu.”
Yu Jiang Hao drew in a sharp breath. “Zhe Zhe, don’t be like this. I’m about to head out to the countryside. Can I call you back later?”
“No way!” she snapped, her voice icy. “I’m even busier than you.”
With that, she angrily hung up the phone, feeling utterly exhausted. They’d known each other for twenty years, and yet they still fought like this, bickering fiercely without ever resolving anything. It was ironic because, as children, they had been so united and harmonious. Even at ten years old, they’d been partners in crime, sneaking off together to steal loquats from the trees behind the garage. But once they entered middle school, the boys and girls had drawn clear boundaries, refusing to talk to each other. He and she, however, were exceptions.
When they crossed paths in the cafeteria in the morning, he would unapologetically yell at her from across the line: “Meng Zhe Zhe, get me two buns!” After school, if she spotted him walking ahead in the distance, she’d brazenly call out, “Yu Jiang Hao, let me see your math homework!”
“What do you mean ‘see it’? You mean ‘copy it,’” he retorted irritably, exposing her lies. He’d stop in the middle of the street, open his backpack with a huff, and rummage through it messily until he found his workbook. She’d take it with a wide grin and tuck it into her own bag. “Copying won’t cost you a piece of flesh. Don’t be so stingy,” she’d say cheekily.
In high school, their camaraderie remained the same, though they were now in different academic tracks—she was in the science stream, and he was in the arts, a complete reversal of their strengths. His math skills were so outstanding they seemed almost criminal, while her language scores were the stuff of despair.
When Lunar New Year came around, their families exchanged visits. While their parents exchanged pleasantries in the living room, he and she would chat idly in the study.
“Now this is what I call an advantage,” he said smugly, stretching out his long legs. “If I were in the science stream, everyone would think it’s natural for me to excel at math. But now, the head teacher treats me like a rare treasure.”
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