Christmas Present
Xie Yi’s too cool! He’s just too cool!

Before Christmas, Pang Qian, w.a.n.g Tingting and Zhang Wei went to the stationary store to buy Christmas cards. Each of the card booths were piled high with a hill of cards. The three girls crowded around, carefully picking out cards.

w.a.n.g Tingting asked Pang Qian, “Crab, how many are you planning to send?”

Pang Qian said, “I’m sending one to all the girls, but for the ones I’m not close with, I’ll just send them 50 cent ones.” She picked up a really nice looking Korean greeting card and looked at the price sticker. She pointed it out to w.a.n.g Tingting, “This one’s 2 dollars, I’ll just send it to you guys.”

Zhang Wei said, “That’s what I’m thinking too. Oh yeah, Crab, are you sending any to the boys?”

Pang Qian thought for a moment, then said, “I’ll probably buy a few. At the least, I have to send one to Gu Mingxi.”

w.a.n.g Tingting and Zhang Wei laughed. Pang Qian glared at them, “What are you laughing at?!”

Zhang Wei pulled Pang Qian’s hand and asked, “Crab, does Gu Mingxi like you?”

“No way!” Pang Qian said, taking offense. “He and I are neighbors. His parents and my parents are coworkers. We just grew up together.”

“Then you already knew him before he lost his arms?” Zhang Wei was Pang Qian’s good friend who she met in junior high. She didn’t understand the history of Pang Qian and Gu Mingxi, so she was still very curious about him.

Pang Qian nodded her head after a moment, “Mm.”

“Oh?” Zhang Wei asked excitedly, “Then, before he lost his arms, what was he like? I heard that his arms were destroyed by an electrical transformer. How can a transformer be that powerful?! Oh, and when he lost his arms, did you see it? Was he in a lot of pain? Did he cry?”

Pang Qian was a bit unhappy, and with a m.u.f.fled voice, “I’ve forgotten.”

Zhang Wei was going to continue asking, but she was stopped by w.a.n.g Tingting. w.a.n.g Tingting said, “Don’t talk about Gu Mingxi anymore. Let’s hurry and pick out our cards. Ah, Zhang Wei, didn’t you say that you were going to buy a really pretty card for Xie Yi?”

Zhang Wei blushed and said, “Mm. Aside from Xie Yi, I also have to buy a nice one for Gu Mingxi. Crab, do you know what kind of card Gu Mingxi would like?”

Pang Qian, “…”

Zhang Wei asked again, “Do you know what color he likes?”

Of course Pang Qian knew. Gu Mingxi’s favorite color is blue, that kind of pure and deep blue, as deep as the vast ocean. He also liked light yellow. The cup he drank from was that kind of light yellow. Pang Qian even made fun of him, saying it was girly.

Not entirely sure of her own intent, Pang Qian said to Zhang Wei, “Gu Mingxi’s favorite color is black. He thinks the color’s really cool.”

Oh! G.o.d in heaven above, please forgive her for lying.

Black was the color Gu Mingxi disliked the most. He once told Pang Qian that the color black puts him in a very bad mood.

After hearing Pang Qian’s response, Zhang Wei was a little uncertain. “Where would I be able to buy a black card?”

Pang Qian shrugged, “You can buy something else. Red or green would both be fine.”

On Christmas day, when Pang Qian arrived at school, she gave out a card to each girl in her cla.s.s. After seeing Pang Qian make her way around the cla.s.s and back to her seat, Gu Mingxi was so excited that his face was completely flushed.

A bit later, Zhang Wei walked over to their desk, with her hands behind her back. From behind her, she pulled out a card for Pang Qian, “Crab, Merry Christmas.”

“Thanks!” Pang Qian happily accepted it. She saw that Zhang Wei was still standing there, twisting back and forth a little. And from behind her again, she pulled out a card to give to Gu Mingxi, “Gu Mingxi, Merry Christmas.”

Gu Mingxi was a bit surprised, and hesitated for a moment. Zhang Wei looked at Gu Mingxi’s legs resting on his desk, and then saw the sleeves hanging from his shoulders. A bit embarra.s.sed, she placed the card onto his desk, and then ran off with a red face.

Zhang Wei really had some kind of magic power. That card was actually black. With some guilt, Pang Qian laid on her desk, secretly looking at Gu Mingxi. But Gu Mingxi calmly used his foot to put the card into his backpack, not even opening it to see inside.

And then, one after another, seven or eight girls also came to give Gu Mingxi a card. Pang Qian was stunned. Looking at the envelopes of the card, you could already tell that they weren’t cheap.

She suddenly realized that Gu Mingxi was actually pretty popular.

Pang Qian wasn’t being idle either. During the cla.s.s break, she pulled out a card from her backpack to give to Xie Yi. She’d been watching, and a lot of girls had already given Xie Yi a card, so another one from her wasn’t a bit deal.

She ducked under her desk and pulled out her card, checking it once more to make sure she didn’t misspell any words. After she put the card back into its envelope, she turned and saw a deep stare from her deskmate.

Gu Mingxi’s expression was very strange! Pang Qian looked at him a bit guiltily and without a sound, she stood up and lightly stepped around the room to Xie Yi’s desk.

Xie Yi was chatting with the boy behind him. When he heard Pang Qian call him, he turned around, his expression the same.

“Xie-xie Yi.” Pang Qian stuttered and blushed as she handed her card to him, “Me-merry Christmas.”

The boy beside him let out a jeer. Xie Yi graciously accepted her card with a smile, “Thanks, Crab.”

Pang Qian scratched her head and gathered her courage to ask, “Xie Yi, are you going to perform your violin at the arts concert in a few days?”

“Huh?” Xie Yi chuckled as he looked at her, and then asked, “Why do you ask?”

“I saw all of your performances in elementary school. It always sounded really nice, oh oh oohh.” Pang Qian smiled foolishly. “If you were to perform this year, our cla.s.s would definitely win first place.”

Xie Yi stood up, leaning on his desk, spinning a pen in his hands. Lazily, he said, “I don’t play violin to win first place. I really like to play violin.”

“Ah…” Pang Qian nodded. “I like to listen to you play too. I think you’re really good at it!”

“Have you learned it before?”

Pang Qian shook her head, “No.”

Xie Yi smiled again and said, “A few days ago, Teacher Cao asked me about it, if I’d be willing to partic.i.p.ate. I thought it wasn’t good for me to always take the cla.s.s’ chance to perform, so I rejected.”

Pang Qian felt it was such a shame, “Then…”

Xie Yi suddenly winked at her, smiling, “But, if you want to listen to it, I’ll ask Teacher Cao about it again and see if I can be added. It’s just a few minutes of time, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Pang Qian was all excited, “Really?!”

“Mm.” The way Xie Yi held his arm, leaning against his desk, looked especially chic. “My violin teacher said that playing the violin for a good friend, when someone wants to hear it, it makes the violin happy.”

When Pang Qian returned to her seat, her whole person felt like it was floating. She happily prepared for her next cla.s.s, even humming along to a song. Gu Mingxi kept silent the whole time. Even when he turned to look at her, she didn’t notice. He finally turned back and pulled out a math workbook with his foot, silently doing math problems.

After enjoying herself for awhile, Pang Qian poked Gu Mingxi’s leg with her pen. “What are you doing?”

“Math.” He turned in avoidance and answered quietly.

“Hey, Gu Mingxi, give me your pencil box.”

“Why?”

Pang Qian already bent over and grabbed his pencil case near his feet. The contents of Gu Mingxi’s pencil case were very simple. There wasn’t any fancy stationary. Pang Qian looked at this and then that, and finally returned his case.

Gu Mingxi asked her, “What are you looking at?”

“Nothing.” Pang Qian rested her chin in her hands and smiled at him. Her eyes and her smile made it clear that she was in a very good mood.

Gu Mingxi’s mood, on the other hand, turned a bit sour. But he didn’t say anything, only turning away again.

Up until school ended, Gu Mingxi still hadn’t received Pang Qian’s card. He felt a bit disappointed, but didn’t let it show in his expression. He tidied his bag and got ready to go home. He pulled out a small box from his inside his backpack, and pushed it in front of Pang Qian.

“I didn’t buy you a card. Here’s a small present. Pang Pang, Merry Christmas.”

Pang Qian was pleasantly surprised, but when she opened the box, her whole body froze, looking at it.

Gu Mingxi seeing her strange reaction, asked, “You don’t like it?”

“…” Pang Qian giggled. “No, I like it. Thank you.”

That evening, when Pang Qian brought her homework over to Gu Mingxi’s house, he finally found out why she had such a strange reaction to his present in the afternoon.

Because Pang Qian brought over a small, wrapped up box and gave it to Gu Mingxi. Sitting cross-legged at his desk, he unfolded his legs and opened the box with his feet. He was surprised to find that inside the box, there was a deep blue Hero fountain pen.

He had also gifted Pang Qian a fountain pen. Other than it being red, the style, brand, and packaging was exactly the same as the pen that Pang Qian had given him.

He lifted his head and looked at her suspiciously. Pang Qian said, somewhat downcast, “I didn’t buy you a card either. I thought it didn’t hold much meaning. My dad brought this pen back a few days ago, and he said it was pretty expensive. You can’t buy it anywhere either. I pleaded with him for days before I got it. I wanted to give it to you as a Christmas present, since you love using fountain pens. And then I was in such a rush this morning… I forgot it.”

Gu Mingxi, “…”

Pang Qian said anxiously, “I really had it prepared in advance. Look, I already wrapped it a few days ago. I personally wrapped it! When I first saw the present you gave me, I was really shocked. I kept thinking about there could be such a coincidence.”

“It’s not a coincidence,” Gu Mingxi said. “These pens were specially ordered by the metals company to give out to clients for their 30th anniversary. The company’s logo is engraved on the pen too, but you probably didn’t notice. My dad has one that he uses. I tried it out and it was pretty nice, so I asked him to help bring another one back. To give to you.”

Pang Qian, “…”

Gu Mingxi looked down at the pen between his toes, thinking, so there was a blue one too. He rubbed the fountain pen with his big toe. He lifted his head, and suddenly a smile broke out. “Pang Pang, thank you for your present. I really like it.”

It was still early when they finished their homework. Gu Mingxi and Pang Qian talked for awhile about the recently popular cartoons and TV series. Gu Mingxi’s eyes were focused on the pen again. He suddenly asked Pang Qian, “Pang Pang, did you know that the factory is moving?”

Pang Qian didn’t know at all. Surprised, she looked up at him, “Ah?! Where is it moving to?”

“West of the city. It’s pretty far away, about an hour and a half away by car.” Gu Mingxi said, “My dad has already gone there to see. Starting next year, he’s going to work there. In about two years, the whole factory will be moved there.”

“What about this place then?” Pang Qian was eating a lollipop as she asked, “It’s so far! How can my parents go to work?”

“I don’t know either,” Gu Mingxi shook his head. “My dad said that when the factory was being built here, this was still considered the suburbs. But the city slowly developed and got bigger. Now we’re at the center of the city, so it’s not that appropriate to have the factory here.”

He paused for a moment, and then said hesitantly, “There’s something else… Pang Pang, I heard my dad say that they’re putting up a new dorm near the new factory. It will have elevators, and the houses will be much bigger than here. I’m probably going to have to move later.”
—

Before New Year’s, the Origin of Flight’s New Year’s performance show was held in their school auditorium.

Before the performance started, Pang Qian went to the washroom. In the corridor outside the auditorium, she ran into Xie Yi and their head teacher, Teacher Cao. They were in the midst of a dispute. Curious, Pang Qian involuntarily walked past them.

Teacher Cao was holding a white suit in his hands. Xie Yi was carrying his violin case, strongly speaking to Teacher Cao about something.

When Pang Qian walked closer to them, she heard him say, “I’m definitely not going to wear this! I can’t wear this kind of clothes to play violin!”

Teacher Cao said, “Then why didn’t you prepare your own suit! Did you really plan to perform in your down jacket?”

Xie Yi responded loudly, “Why can’t I?!”

“Then why can’t you wear this white suit?”

“I’ll look like a clown if I wear that! A laughable clown!” Xie Yi stepped back and waved his hands at Teacher Cao. “If I have to wear that suit, then I can’t perform!”

When Pang Qian returned to the auditorium, her heart was beating nonstop.

The scene she just saw left her very shocked. Although Pang Qian wasn’t an honor student, she was respectful and listened to the teacher. This was even more true of Gu Mingxi. He was always an obedient kid, and never brought any troubles to the teachers.

Pang Qian never knew that there would be someone who dared to rebel against their teacher, speaking back so loudly to them.

When it was Xie Yi’s turn to perform, Pang Qian grew very anxious, wondering whether or not Xie Yi would put on the white suit. Actually, Pang Qian wasn’t sure why he was so adamant against wearing the suit. She only saw that the there was some gold pattern on the hem and cuffs. It would look nice, wouldn’t it?

In the midst of the audience’s applause, a youth carried a violin and walked slowly onto the stage. The stage lights were all focused on him. Pang Qian felt that her heart was about to jump out of her throat.

Xi Yi was wearing his own black down jacket. You could see his fluffy collar. Under that, he was wearing dark blue jeans and sneakers.

With a kind of grace, he lifted the violin to his shoulder. He raised his bow, and then it was like his fingers were dancing. And a melodious song flowed out.

Pang Qian subconsciously started tugging at Gu Mingxi’s sleeve beside her. She pulled tightly, murmuring, “Gu Mingxi, Gu Mingxi! Xie Yi’s too cool, too cool! He’s just too cool!”