July 1st.
Shanghai.
The air conditioning in the university auditorium was blasting.
A smooth, red banner was stretched above the stage.
The speaker on stage turned a page of his speech, followed by more dry, formulaic platitudes.
Chen Zhuo leaned back in his seat.
His gaze drifted over the sea of dark-haired heads in the rows before him, landing on a potted plant at the edge of the stage.
The hotel had been a bit noisy last night, and he hadn’t slept well.
Beside him, Lin Yi’s head was bobbing, dipping lower and lower.
She tried to force her eyes open a few times, but they would inevitably droop shut again.
Finally, she gave up the fight.
She pulled her oversized jacket over her head and slumped forward, resting on the back of the seat in front of her.
Her breathing quickly evened out.
The opening ceremony lasted two hours; she slept for an hour and a half of it.
Zhou Kai sat on Lin Yi’s other side.
He held a capped black gel pen in his hand.
He spun it round and round on his fingertips.
His eyes were unfocused, staring at the back of the chair in front of him. He was lost in a long state of meditation—or what passed for it, anyway.
The three newcomers sitting in front of them were in a completely different state.
Zhang Bai sat bolt upright.
His eyes, behind black-framed glasses, were fixed on the stage, as if he were listening intently.
But his right hand rested on his lap, his fingers unconsciously folding and refolding the edge of a blank sheet of scratch paper.
Li Nanbai had a thin booklet propped on his knees.
He would occasionally glance down at the formulas inside, then quickly look up again, pretending to watch the speaker.
Mo Xiaoyu was picking at her fingers, pulling at a small hangnail before pressing it back down.
Time seemed to stretch on endlessly inside the sealed auditorium.
"I wish this competition a complete success."
As the closing words were spoken,
the indicator light on the stage microphone flickered once and went out.
A sparse, scattered applause rose from the audience, quickly swelling into a solid round of applause.
Chen Zhuo stood up.
He reached out and gently poked Lin Yi’s jacket-covered head twice.
"Wake up."
Lin Yi stirred.
She pulled the jacket off, rubbed her eyes, and let out a long yawn, her eyelids still drooping.
Zhou Kai put his gel pen into his pencil case and zipped up his backpack.
In the row ahead, Zhang Bai, Mo Xiaoyu, and Li Nanbai also scrambled to their feet.
They stuffed their booklets and scratch paper into their bags, double-checking that the zippers were securely closed.
Coach Xu walked over from the aisle in front of them.
He was holding that slightly worn stainless steel thermos of his.
"Alright, let’s go. Stick with me, don’t get separated."
The six of them shouldered their backpacks.
Following behind Coach Xu, they shuffled along with the crowded stream of people, inching their way toward the auditorium exit.
The moment they stepped through the main doors,
the indoor air conditioning vanished completely.
The early July Shanghai weather hit them full in the face.
The sky was a grayish-white, the clouds hanging so low the sun was nowhere to be seen.
The air was thick with humidity, and even the wind was still.
It was like having a warm, damp towel thrown over your head.
"Let’s get some food."
Coach Xu glanced at the sky.
"We’re not eating the committee’s boxed lunches. It’s all just boiled vegetables. Let’s find a restaurant outside."
The group followed the street leading away from the university.
In the small lanes of Shanghai, both sides were lined with old plane trees. (Seriously, why do so many cities love planting plane trees?)
Their large canopies covered most of the sky.
After walking for about ten minutes,
Coach Xu found a small restaurant on a street corner.
The storefront was small, and the characters on the sign were a bit faded.
Inside, it was already filled with people.
Two air conditioners were running in the main dining area, and several ceiling fans were whirring overhead.
The sounds of stir-frying and clattering dishes mingled in the air.
The entire place was brimming with the raw, lively energy of everyday life.
The restaurant owner had a towel draped over his shoulder.
He wiped his hands and waved the group over to a round table in the middle of the dining room.
Everyone pulled out their chairs and sat down.
Zhang Bai, Mo Xiaoyu, and Li Nanbai placed their backpacks, full of reference materials, by their feet.
Zhou Kai pulled out a couple of tissues and wiped away the residual water spots in front of him on the table.
Lin Yi found a random spot and flopped back in her chair, waiting for the food to arrive.
Chen Zhuo sat next to Zhou Kai.
A waiter came over with a menu.
Coach Xu ordered a few of their signature dishes.
Sizzling Eel Slivers, Braised Pork Belly, Sweet and Sour Spareribs, and Stir-fried Shrimp.
He also ordered a large tureen of Tomato and Sparerib Soup.
While they waited for the food,
a waiter brought over a large teapot.
He poured everyone a cup of barley tea.
Soon, the dishes began to arrive.
The restaurant’s kitchen was impressively fast.
A platter of Braised Pork Belly, glistening in a rich, dark sauce, was set on the table, releasing a sweet and savory aroma.
Lin Yi immediately sat up straight, picked up her chopsticks, and deftly plucked a piece of the braised pork, popping it into her mouth.
Her cheeks puffed out as she began to chew away contentedly.
Sweet or salty, it didn’t matter—her main priority right now was to fill her stomach and go back to sleep.
Li Nanbai picked up his chopsticks as well.
He took some of the Sizzling Eel Slivers, mixed them into his rice, and shoveled a large mouthful in.
He chewed twice.
Then Li Nanbai froze.
His brow gradually furrowed, and his chewing slowed.
He struggled to swallow the food in his mouth.
He reached out his chopsticks again and tentatively picked up a piece of the braised pork.
He took a small bite.
Li Nanbai’s face scrunched up in a grimace.
He put down his chopsticks, grabbed the cup of barley tea beside him, and took a huge gulp.
"This pork..."
Li Nanbai looked at the dishes on the lazy Susan, then turned to Zhang Bai with a pained expression.
"Did they dump half a jar of sugar in this? My teeth feel like they’re going to rot from the sweetness."
Zhang Bai had just stuffed a mouthful of stir-fried greens into his mouth.
Hearing this, he chewed a couple of times, and his expression changed too.

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