48 Hours a Day

The weekend was nigh, and the classroom was in a much more relaxed atmosphere than before. Monday was the day that everyone hated the most, as if the day the students had to face down their worst enemies. Everyone just wished that they could get over Monday as soon as possible. At the moment, though, everyone was in a lighter mood, and more people talked and laughed in the front and back rows.

If one ranked the emotional values of high school students for a week, Monday was probably the day they felt least motivated since the new week was about to begin. The thought of having had to spend another five days in school was downright depressing. Tuesday was only slightly better than Monday. On Wednesday, students began to see a slight glimpse of hope. By then, they should be a lot more elated than they were since the weekend was just beyond the horizon.

Upon Thursday’s arrival, many students would start thinking about where they would spend their weekend and what activities they could do. Come Friday; the weekend was finally within grasp. Their endorphins were at their highest, very much akin to the first and second days of an adult’s payday. Saturday, on the other hand, wasn’t as exciting as Friday. That was because the weekend was half gone, and when the realization hit them, a student’s happiness would start to drop. Lastly, on Sunday, the students would enjoy the last day of the weekend, their joy diminished even further. While they enjoyed the last remnants of the weekends, they began to dread the next day since it would be Monday all too soon.

Today, Bai Qing changed into a short dress that Zhang Heng had never seen before. With her crop cut, she gave off the impression of a girl in the sparkling summer sunshine. She looked more mature in her outfit, too, instead of the regular jeans she’d wear outside. “Hmm.”

When Zhang Heng came to the classroom, he saw Bai Qing looking at him. “Something wrong?” “This dress suits you well.” “Thank you...” Zhang Heng’s compliment had left Bai Qing abashed. She immediately buried her face in the textbook. After a while, she muttered, “You look good too.”

“Really?” Zhang Heng looked at his attire and felt no different from the clothing he wore on average days.

“I invited Chi Jia to come with me. Is that fine with you?” Bai Qing asked quickly afterward, changing the topic and pretending as if nothing happened.

“It’s totally fine. You can bring whoever you want with you. I invited my childhood friend as well.”

Zhang Heng knew how active Chi Jia was, and if memory served him right, she lived very close to Bai Qing’s house. The two would often go home together, and Qin Zhen would surely feel relieved if she tagged along. Although Chi Jia was not exceptionally gorgeous, she was prettier than most of her counterparts, probably having something to do with her active lifestyle. She was well-toned and slim, not to mention how tall she was as well. In fact, she would pair up nicely with Qin Zhen, himself a big basketball fan.

Bai Qing talked to Zhang Heng quite often, but on this occasion, she was at a loss for words after speaking only a few sentences to him.

Fortunately, the morning’s self-study bell rang amid the awkward moment. The class teacher strode into the classroom, glared at all the students, and snorted, “It’s not the weekend yet! Can’t you guys hang on for one more day? I believe I should be handing you guys more homework this weekend.”

As soon as she said that, the whole classroom erupted into groans and wails.

“If you are told to memorize words or texts, you should do it now. Stop talking to each other.”

Immediately, all the students started to put on their serious looks and began studying. Zhang Heng took the workbook secretly handed by Bai Qing from below and continued to copy the unfinished homework.

Friday was probably the most chaotic day of the week.

During the second half of the last class of the day, probably only top students like Bai Qing would concentrate on the lesson. This time though, Bai Qing looked distracted, constantly looking at her watch several times.

The male physics teacher realized that no one was paying any more attention to his class. Seeing that there were only three minutes left before the class was over, everyone was allowed to pack up after he gave a few final words. When the bell rang, he shook his head and walked out of the classroom textbook in hand.

“What now? Do you know where we’ll be heading to tonight?” Chi Jia couldn’t sit still, even before the physics teacher asked them to pack their bags. She was already packed and ready to leave, with only a single workbook left on her desk. After the physics teacher left the class, she quickly ran to Bai Qing’s desk.

After Chi Jia asked the question, Bai Qing looked at Zhang Heng.

Chi Jia pouted, “You better make sure nothing bad happens to her!”

“You’ll be there with her,” Zhang Heng said.

“That’s what I’d like to hear. The reason why Bai Qing thrives is that she’s been under my great care!” Chi Jia stretched out her hand and squeezed Bai Qing’s face as she talked. “Stop fooling around,” Bai Qing broke free from Chi Jia’s claws and growled sternly, “I believe in Zhang Heng’s character.” “Oh, women. The species that ignores a similarly gendered friend once they become attached with the opposite sex.” Chi Jia let out a long sigh.

All of a sudden, Zhang Heng produced two concert tickets from his pocket, “I’m sorry that I had to wait until now to tell you because I wasn’t sure if I could get my hands on these.”

“Concert?” Chi Jia was bewildered. She then saw the name of the celebrity on the ticket and screamed in shock. Those who hadn’t yet left the class all turned toward her. “It’s GEM’s concert, and you even got the VIP seats?! Chi Jia, how did you become so rich all of a sudden?” someone asked.

“Get lost!” Chi Jia said, “I didn’t buy the tickets, Zhang Heng gave it...” she blurted out without much thought. When she saw Bai Qing’s flushing face, she finally realized something was going on between her and Zhang Heng. Shen then quickly stopped the rest of the words from pouring out from her mouth.

“I asked a ticket reseller to help me buy them.” Zhang Heng interrupted the conversation in time.

One should never underestimate how fast rumors spread among high school students. If Zhang Heng had told the others that he invited Bai Qing to GEM’s concert, the whole class would think that Zhang Heng and Bai Qing were in a relationship. It would then be followed by Bai Qing getting summoned by the teacher for a “personal talk.”

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“Still, you’re quite rich yourself, Chi Jia. Tsk... Tsk... Never judge a book by its cover.” A boy who was closer to Chi Jia teased her. “Get the hell out of my hair. What do you mean by don’t judge a book by its cover? Stop talking if you don’t know what the hell are you talking about. Do I look like a poor ass to you?” “I don’t know if you are a poor ass. I thought you spent all your money on Honor of Kings?” The boy laughed, “Where did you get the money to buy concert tickets. Chi Jia, you’ve become so rich that I don’t even recognize you anymore.” “Can you get lost? Bai Qing helped me pay for the tickets first! If I fail to pay her back, I will sell myself to pay off my debt.”

“Yes. I heard that the price of pork had increased recently.” Chi Jia was furious when she heard what he said. And she wanted to kick the boy. Fortunately, the boy ran away before she could do that.

Others gathered around her to look at the concert tickets for a while, and they all left after expressing their envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Zhang Heng saw that Bai Qing was relieved. He then picked up his schoolbag and said, “I’ll make a move first. Let’s meet at the bus station at 102-Street later.”

“Okay,” Bai Qing nodded.