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Chapter 4: The Gecko on the Wall
2026/10/09 17:09
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Chapter 4: The Gecko on the Wall
16. An Invitation Beneath the Trees
In the early evening, the garden walkway between the Colleges of Law and Commerce was bathed in a soft golden glow from the setting sun. The trees on either side swayed gently in the evening breeze. The crowds of students leaving their classes had gradually dispersed, leaving only small groups heading toward the cafeteria or the dormitories.
Cai Shinan and Chen Junsheng walked side by side along the walkway, chatting about what to have for dinner, when they encountered Li Chunmei, the deputy class representative, and Shao Xin coming toward them.
Li Chunmei stopped and smiled at Chen Junsheng. “Junsheng, you're in charge of leading our class in the opening dance at this Friday evening's freshman welcome party. Remember to arrive at the venue early.”
Chen Junsheng patted his chest, looking thoroughly confident. “No problem. I've already prepared the music.”
Li Chunmei nodded, then glanced at Shao Xin beside her. “You and Shao Xin are the male and female hosts for the party. Why don't you find some time to rehearse?”
“Sure,” Chen Junsheng replied readily. He then suggested, “Why don't we go out to eat together? We can talk while we eat and finalize the program at the same time.”
Only then did Shao Xin notice Cai Shinan standing to one side. She smiled and asked, “Is your roommate coming with us?”
Shinan was momentarily taken aback, then shook his head. “You guys go ahead. I want to go to the library and look for a few books.” His tone was casual, and there was even a faint smile on his face.
Chen Junsheng patted him on the shoulder and laughed. “Sorry for ditching you, roommate!”
With that, he followed Li Chunmei and Shao Xin toward the cafeteria.
The laughter and conversation of the three gradually faded into the distance. Shinan stood where he was, watching them walk away, and a bitter smile slowly appeared at the corners of his mouth.
Actually, he was already used to it. From high school until now, he always seemed to be the person others easily overlooked. His appearance was nothing special, and he was not particularly good at making himself likable when he spoke. His classmates had even given him the nickname “Red-Haired Orangutan.” Whenever people teased him, he rarely took it to heart. Over time, everyone had come to take his silence for granted.
Just as Shinan was about to turn and leave, he suddenly noticed Zhou Cuihua standing beneath the trees a short distance away, waving at him.
“Cai Shinan!”
He froze for a moment, then walked over.
When he came closer, Cuihua folded her arms across her chest and tilted her head, studying him.
“Watching you just now, you looked like a life-size cardboard cutout. They acted as if you didn't even exist. Aren't you angry at all?”
Shinan stared at her for a few seconds, then unexpectedly broke into a foolish grin.
“Not really. I'm used to it.”
Cuihua frowned, a hint of indignation showing in her eyes on his behalf.
“Judging people by their looks is awful! Do you know what nickname your classmates gave you?”
“Red-Haired Orangutan!”
Shinan answered so naturally that Cuihua was taken aback.
“So you already knew?”
Shinan nodded. “Yeah! That nickname has followed me around since high school.”
Looking at his completely unconcerned expression, Cuihua could not help sighing.
“I give up! You're so easygoing that you just let people pick on you?”
Shinan glanced up at the treetops. The setting sun filtered through the gaps between the leaves and fell across his face. His expression was calm, without resentment or hurt.
“I honestly don't care that much. Everyone has their own way of living. I'm not alive to please anyone.”
Cuihua stared at him in a daze. She had originally thought Shinan was merely honest and awkward, but she had never expected that this boy, who always seemed to be grinning foolishly, had his own standards and principles.
She shook her head with a wry smile.
“People treat you like a ghost, and you can still take it so lightly?”
Shinan grinned.
“Being a ghost isn't so bad! Nobody comes looking for me to join strange activities, and I get to enjoy some peace and quiet.”
Cuihua could not help laughing when she heard that.
“Well, that's true, too!”
She paused, and then her eyes suddenly brightened.
“By the way, it's my birthday this weekend. Will you come?”
“You've invited me, of course I'll come,” Shinan answered without hesitation.
Cuihua's lips curved into a smile, and she seemed quite pleased with his response.
“It'll just be me and my Emei School gang of female oddballs: Yu Xiaoshan, Tang Wanjun, and Lü Zhixin. We'll meet at Wangfu Slope in the early evening. The only guys invited are you and Pei Yuan.”
Shinan nodded. “Okay.”
“See you tomorrow, then. Bye!”
Cuihua waved at him and turned to leave along the garden walkway.
Shinan remained beneath the trees, watching her walk away. The sun had already sunk behind the campus buildings, and the girl's figure gradually disappeared into the dusk.
Just then, a loud rumbling sound came from his stomach.
Shinan lowered his head and rubbed his belly, finally remembering that he had not eaten dinner yet.
“I'd better head to the cafeteria first,” he said with a smile and a shake of his head, turning toward the dining hall.
The slight disappointment he had felt at being overlooked earlier gradually faded in the evening breeze.
17. The Springtime of Life
The afternoon sunlight slanted across Wangfu Slope, the small hill between the Colleges of Law and Commerce. The grass glowed a vivid green beneath the sun, while several large trees along the edge of the slope cast broad patches of shade. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, and laughter from students could occasionally be heard in the distance. The entire campus was filled with the relaxed atmosphere unique to a weekend.
Cai Shinan arrived at Wangfu Slope as promised. Carrying a large bag of drinks in one hand, he spotted Zhou Cuihua, Yu Xiaoshan, Tang Wanjun, and Lü Zhixin sitting on the grass chatting in the distance.
The moment Cuihua saw him, she stood up and hurried over.
“Shinan, you're here!”
She took the drinks from his hand and glanced down at them, a delighted smile appearing on her face.
“Thank you.”
Shinan scratched his head and smiled somewhat shyly.
“It's your birthday. I couldn't exactly show up empty-handed.”
The two walked together to the spot where everyone was gathered. A birthday cake had already been placed in the middle of the grass, surrounded by more than a dozen kinds of snacks and an assortment of drinks. A guitar lay nearby.
Pei Yuan was sitting off to one side, adjusting the strings and occasionally plucking a few to check their tuning.
Shinan found a place to sit. Cuihua looked at her friends, her eyes filled with unmistakable emotion.
“Thank you, all my wonderful classmates and friends, for coming to celebrate my birthday. Turning eighteen feels especially warm and meaningful because all of you are here to share it with me.”
As she spoke, her gaze slowly swept across the group. When her eyes fell on Cai Shinan, she paused for a moment, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously lifted.
Noticing her gaze, Shinan quickly lowered his head and pretended to rearrange the drinks in his hands.
Lü Zhixin glanced at the cake and suddenly pulled out a lighter.
“All right, birthday girl, enough with the sentimental stuff. I'll light the candles, and everyone can sing 'Happy Birthday' together!”
She lit the candles with a practiced flick. The orange-yellow flames swayed gently in the breeze, illuminating Cuihua's youthful face.
Pei Yuan picked up his guitar and played the familiar melody. Everyone joined in.
“Happy birthday to you...”
Their voices spread across the grassy slope. Some sang earnestly, while others deliberately sang off-key, with bursts of laughter occasionally mingling with the music.
Then Pei Yuan began playing the English version of the birthday song.
“Happy birthday to you...”
Cuihua looked at her friends, her eyes glistening slightly.
Eighteen.
For her, this was more than just a birthday. It felt like a threshold opening onto a new stage of life. She had no idea whom she would meet or what experiences lay ahead.
When the song ended, she clasped her hands together and closed her eyes.
Everyone fell silent as well.
Cuihua silently made a wish. She did not say it aloud. She only hoped that, in the coming year, she would meet someone truly worth cherishing and experience a romantic relationship of her own.
A few seconds later, she opened her eyes and blew out the candles with all her might.
Whoosh!
The flames went out one by one, and everyone immediately burst into applause and cheers.
Lü Zhixin leaned toward her and deliberately widened her eyes.
“Cuihua, what did you wish for?”
Cuihua's face flushed slightly. Embarrassed, she lowered her head and gently fiddled with the hem of her skirt. After a moment of silence, she finally whispered, “I hope I'll find the springtime of life in the coming year.”
Lü Zhixin had been smiling, but after hearing this, she suddenly straightened her face and turned toward the boys present, adopting an unusually solemn tone.
“Well, since the birthday girl has made such a wish, I hereby ask the two gentlemen present to seriously consider exercising their friendship as classmates and helping Cuihua find the springtime of life!”
As soon as she finished speaking, the girls burst into laughter.
Embarrassed and annoyed, Cuihua gave Lü Zhixin a shove.
“Stop making things up!”
Pei Yuan was initially taken aback, but he quickly understood what she meant and gave a couple of awkward laughs.
Cai Shinan finally understood, too. He looked at Cuihua, then at Pei Yuan, and the smile on his face suddenly became rather stiff. All he could do was join in with a couple of forced chuckles.
“Heh, heh... heh, heh...”
Cuihua noticed his expression and laughed even harder.
“Why do you sound so reluctant to laugh?”
Shinan quickly shook his head.
“No, not at all. I just... think today's cake must be really delicious.”
Everyone burst out laughing again.
Only Shinan himself knew that, for one brief moment, he had felt an inexplicable nervousness inside.
He secretly glanced at Zhou Cuihua. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell directly across her face. The eighteen-year-old girl smiled so radiantly that he suddenly had no idea whether he should take her wish for the “springtime of life” as a birthday joke or a sincere hope.
For the time being, he had no answer.
18. An Invitation to the Dance
The library stacks were very quiet that afternoon. Rows of tall bookshelves stretched toward the walls, and the air was filled with the distinctive scent of paper and book pages. Sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a soft glow across the long wooden tables.
Cai Shinan sat at a table with a pile of books on civil law, constitutional law, and other legal subjects stacked in front of him. With his head lowered, he was reorganizing his classroom notes into a clear, orderly format.
For Shinan, the library was the most comfortable place in the world. There were no noisy crowds and no social occasions that required him to make small talk. As long as he could read quietly, he felt that his time was being put to good use.
Just then, Zhou Cuihua and Yu Xiaoshan walked over from between the bookshelves. They sat down opposite him, one after the other.
Shinan sensed someone approaching but did not immediately look up. Only when he heard two light taps on the tabletop did he raise his head.
Knock, knock.
Zhou Cuihua had tapped the table with her fingers.
Seeing the two girls, Shinan looked at them in surprise.
Cuihua leaned forward slightly.
“Shinan, are you going to the freshman welcome dance tonight?”
Shinan froze.
A dance?
Just thinking about the crowded venue, the music, and a group of unfamiliar classmates made his scalp tingle. He lowered his head and unconsciously squeezed the pen in his fingers.
“I... don't know how to dance.”
Yu Xiaoshan smiled and immediately chimed in. “I can show you how.”
Shinan looked up at her, his expression becoming even more troubled.
It was not that he did not want to socialize with his classmates. It was just that in lively gatherings like that, he never knew what to do with his hands and feet. Besides, he did not even know the most basic dance steps. If he embarrassed himself in front of everyone, he would probably become the target of their teasing all over again.
“I... think I'd better not go.”
Seeing him trying to back out again, Cuihua immediately frowned.
“Just come with us! Have a cocktail, eat some snacks, and see what it's like. College life isn't just about studying.”
Shinan looked at her earnest expression and remained silent for a moment. He knew Cuihua was sincerely inviting him rather than making fun of him. The refusal had almost reached his lips, but in the end, he swallowed it back.
“All right.”
Cuihua immediately smiled.
“That's more like it!”
Yu Xiaoshan also smiled as she glanced at the books on the table. She casually flipped through the thick stack of notes and could not help shaking her head.
“What are you working on? You bookworm!”
Shinan rubbed the back of his head and gave his trademark goofy grin.
“Organizing my notes!”
“So many?” Yu Xiaoshan flipped through a few pages and discovered that his notes were densely packed with writing. She could not help admiring how seriously he took his studies.
Cuihua glanced at her watch and stood up.
“Then let's meet at seven tonight, outside Zhongmei Hall, okay?”
“Okay.” Shinan nodded.
Yu Xiaoshan put the notes back on the table and smiled.
“Once you're done organizing them, I'll borrow them from you.”
Shinan smiled and nodded.
The two girls turned and slowly walked away along the narrow passage between the bookshelves.
Shinan did not immediately lower his head again. He watched them walk away, his pen suspended in midair.
So he really was going to the dance tonight.
The thought filled him with both anticipation and uneasiness. He looked down at the law notes on his desk, then thought about the dance floor he would soon have to face, and could not help letting out a quiet sigh.
For Cai Shinan, understanding a law textbook seemed far easier than learning how to dance.
19. Ninety-Nine Points
In the classroom of the Matteo Ricci Building, the atmosphere was a little more relaxed than usual after the midterm exams.
Sunlight streamed brightly through the windows, yet the classroom was filled with the tension of waiting for the grades to be announced. Professor Chu Chien-hung stood at the front of the classroom, holding a stack of Criminal Law exams he had finished grading. Li Chu-liang, the class representative, walked up to the podium, took the exams, and began handing them out one by one according to seat numbers.
“Cai Shinan.”
Shinan reached out and took his exam. He glanced down at it without showing any particular expression, then folded it in half and put it in his schoolbag.
Chen Junsheng, sitting beside him, had been looking through his own exam when the corner of his eye caught a glimpse of Shinan’s answer sheet. His eyes widened instantly. “Whoa! Shinan, you’re practically a computer!”
Shinan merely gave a faint smile and said nothing. His calm expression only made Junsheng more curious. Just how many points had this guy scored?
At the podium, Professor Chu Chien-hung cleared his throat, and the classroom gradually quieted down.
“On your first midterm exam, several students in this class did very well. Of course, a few of you failed to grasp the key points when answering the questions. As time goes on, you will gradually become accustomed to the way university midterm exams are designed.”
The professor spoke with a strong regional accent, but his tone was very serious.
Li Chun-mei flipped through the exam in her hands and could not resist raising her hand. “Professor, you graded our exams so strictly! You even pointed out mistakes in our punctuation.”
Professor Chu smiled slightly. “Of course! All of you will eventually take the civil service judicial officer or bar examinations. You must be capable of drafting indictments and judicial opinions. Since that is the case, your professors have to hold you to high standards starting in your freshman year.”
After hearing this, Li Chun-mei could only look down at her exam and purse her lips in resignation.
Behind her, Chen Junsheng sneaked a glance at his own score and could not help grimacing. He muttered under his breath, “I barely scraped by. How embarrassing!” He quickly shoved his exam under his textbook, afraid that the person sitting next to him might see it.
Just then, Professor Chu suddenly raised his head and scanned the classroom. “Which one of you is Cai Shinan?”
The classroom fell silent. The next second, almost everyone turned toward Shinan at once. Someone could not resist pointing at him.
“That’s him.”
“Shinan, the one who lives in his room!”
Shinan had not expected the professor to call his name so suddenly, and a trace of embarrassment immediately appeared on his face.
He slowly raised his hand. “Professor, that’s me.”
Professor Chu looked at him with a pleased smile. “Shinan, your answers are clearly organized, logically structured, and very well reasoned. Excellent work.”
As soon as those words fell, a faint stir swept through the classroom.
Shinan’s face turned red. He lowered his head and placed both hands on his desk, unsure where to look. Since high school, he had long been accustomed to being the target of his classmates’ teasing. Red-Haired Orangutan, Shinan the Recluse—these nicknames always seemed easier for people to remember than his actual name. Yet today, in front of the entire class, the professor had praised his ability to answer exam questions. For a moment, he genuinely did not know how to react.
Li Chun-mei quietly turned around, tapped the desktop with her fingers, and signaled to Chen Junsheng. Lowering her voice, she asked, “Junsheng, how many points did Shinan actually get?”
Chen Junsheng glanced at her and deliberately gave her a mysterious smile. He picked up a blank sheet of paper, quickly wrote down two digits, and discreetly slid it in front of Li Chun-mei.
99.
When Li Chun-mei saw the number, her mouth fell slightly open, and she could not help clicking her tongue. “Whoa…”
She turned to look at Shinan. Her expression was no longer merely curious; she was clearly astonished. “A computer geek?”
Chen Junsheng hurriedly covered his mouth, nearly bursting out laughing.
Although Shinan had not heard their whispered conversation, he vaguely sensed his classmates looking in his direction. He simply kept his head lowered, a shy smile playing at the corners of his mouth. To him, ninety-nine points was nothing worth bragging about. What truly surprised him was that, for the first time, someone had told him in front of the entire class that there was something about him worth noticing.
20. The Gecko on the Wall
After freshman year began, the students in the class quickly settled into their own routines. Some took part-time jobs during their free time, others were busy taking on private tutoring assignments, and still others moved between club activities and various social gatherings. As soon as the class bell rang, only a scattered few remained in the classroom. Most of the students had already made plans to go out for a meal, shop, or attend some activity.
Cai Shinan, however, seemed to be following an entirely different path. For him, the most important thing about university life was studying hard. Every day after class, he either returned to his dormitory or headed straight to the library. The towering bookshelves, the neatly arranged law books, and the quiet reading rooms, where the only sound was the turning of pages, made him feel at ease. While others searched for the joys of youth amid the excitement of campus life, he built his own world within the pages of books.
He was not particularly close to most of his classmates. The only two with whom he regularly discussed academic matters were Zhou Cuihua and Yu Xiaoshan. Neither girl was among the most conspicuous students in the class. Both were single, and neither attracted much attention from the boys. The male students privately nicknamed them the “Emei Sect,” joking that all they ever did was attend classes, study, and chat, with seemingly little interest in romantic relationships.
Sometimes the three of them discussed their coursework in the library.
Holding her notebook, Yu Xiaoshan frowned and asked Shinan, “How would you solve this problem?”
Shinan pushed his book toward her and patiently explained his reasoning.
Zhou Cuihua would sometimes join them, spreading out her own notes. “Shinan, didn’t you leave out a case here?”
Shinan looked at the page for a moment and nodded. “You’re right. I’ll add it when I get back.”
The three of them studied together and exchanged notes. There was nothing particularly romantic about their relationship, but they got along naturally.
After the midterm exams ended, the grades were announced. To everyone’s surprise, Cai Shinan ranked first in the class. Especially after he scored ninety-nine on the Criminal Law exam, classmates who had barely noticed him before began to see him in a new light.
Whenever someone saw him entering the classroom with a stack of law books in his arms, they would deliberately press their palms together and bow to him.
“Good morning, Father.”
Another classmate immediately chimed in. “Father, have you started hearing your classmates’ confessions lately?”
The classroom erupted in laughter.
Shinan knew they were joking. He could only smile helplessly as he carried his books back to his seat. “I’m not a priest.”
“If you study this much every day, what else could you be?”
Shinan offered no further defense. In truth, he did lead a life almost like that of a Puritan. While others dated, he studied. While others went out to have fun, he studied. While others stayed up late attending parties, he was still studying in the library.
Strangely enough, although he had no experience with romantic relationships, he gradually became the person many classmates turned to when they needed to unload their troubles. Someone who had just gone through a breakup would come looking for him. Someone who had quarreled with a friend would sit beside him and complain for ages. Even some of the girls occasionally confided their worries in him. Shinan usually asked few questions and simply listened in silence.
“So what is hurting you the most right now?” Only after the other person had finished speaking would he respond in his calm, understated manner.
“If you already know the answer, there’s no need to keep blaming yourself.”
Sometimes, words like these were more effective than a long-winded attempt at consolation.
Yet one thing never changed. The girls never considered Cai Shinan a potential romantic partner. In their eyes, he was not a boy waiting to be discovered but more like a gecko clinging to the classroom wall, quietly occupying his own little spot every day and coolly observing everything happening around him.
The only difference was that this gecko never suddenly let out a shrill, mocking laugh, nor did he deliberately stir up conversation to attract the attention of those “Emei Sect nuns.” Shinan understood one thing very clearly: if trouble was unnecessary, there was no reason to go looking for it. So whenever someone asked why he never dated, he would simply smile without giving a definite answer.
During that first year as a college freshman, he was actually quite satisfied with his life. Every day, he had books to read and classes to attend. Occasionally, he discussed coursework with Cuihua and Xiaoshan, and in the evenings, he returned to his dormitory to rest quietly.
As for romance? He had never seriously considered it. In his view, it was still too early to start dating. He had not even thought about following the latest trend of finding a partner and then, like an ox or a horse, allowing himself to be tethered to the harness of marriage, spending the rest of his life pulling the cart.
Thinking about this, Shinan could not help smiling to himself. He opened the law book on his desk and lowered his head to continue reading.
Outside the window, the campus was bustling with activity. His youth, meanwhile, remained temporarily quiet, filled with nothing but the sound of turning pages.
自訂分類：〈愛情孤鳥〉中篇愛情小說
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