Chapter 2: Accompanying the Peak Is Not Mad

"Banfeng, save me!"

A cry for help reached his ears, and Li Banfeng, who had been sound asleep, abruptly sat up.

Who was speaking?

All the beds were empty; only He Jiaqing was squatting on the floor, packing his luggage.

He Jiaqing looked up and said, "Are you awake?"

Li Banfeng looked at He Jiaqing. "Was that you just now, asking me to save you?"

He Jiaqing frowned. "Are you still half asleep? Help me pack; we're running out of time."

He Jiaqing was leaving; his train was tonight. Throughout their four years of university, he had been Li Banfeng's best friend.

Li Banfeng checked his phone; it was already half past three. After a meal together, it would be time to see him off at the station.

Li Banfeng jumped off his bed and helped He Jiaqing pack a pile of miscellaneous items.

"Do you want your toothpaste?"

"Yes!"

Li Banfeng accurately tossed the toothpaste into He Jiaqing's suitcase.

"Your meal card?"

"It's yours."

Li Banfeng accurately tossed the meal card into his own drawer. Within a five-meter radius, Li Banfeng never missed when throwing something.

"Your graduation certificate?"

"No."

Li Banfeng accurately tossed the graduation certificate into the wastebasket three meters away.

He Jiaqing admired Li Banfeng's carefree attitude. He didn't even ask why He Jiaqing didn't want his graduation certificate; he just casually tossed it. If he wanted it, he wanted it; if he didn't, he didn't. The logic was that simple. Li Banfeng never complicated simple matters.

Throughout his four years of university, He Jiaqing had only Li Banfeng as a friend, because he admired Li Banfeng's temperament. Li Banfeng also had only He Jiaqing as a friend, because Li Banfeng had a history of mental illness, and people who knew him generally wouldn't get close to him.

Li Banfeng opened a cardboard box, which was filled with envelopes, each containing dozens of photos. He Jiaqing loved photography; he preferred using a film camera and always rented a darkroom to develop his photos himself after shooting. He had accumulated a whole box of photos from his four years of university.

"Do you still want these photos?"

He Jiaqing hesitated. "Pick out a few good ones to take with you; you can discard the ones that didn't turn out."

Li Banfeng selected a few envelopes and handed them to He Jiaqing. "These are all good."

He Jiaqing didn't check them and put them into his suitcase.

Li Banfeng then picked out a few more envelopes. "These are photos of your girlfriend. They all turned out badly, so just throw them away."

He Jiaqing was startled. "They all turned out badly?"

Li Banfeng nodded. "She's not even wearing clothes; they definitely turned out badly."

He Jiaqing snatched the photos and put them into his suitcase.

***

At the barbecue restaurant near the campus gate.

He Jiaqing poured Li Banfeng a glass of wine. "For four years of university, there's something I've always wanted to ask you, but I never could."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I don't like men."

He Jiaqing choked on the liquor and coughed for a moment. "That's not what I was going to ask. I meant your name, 'Banfeng.' Why is it Banfeng? Does it have any special meaning?"

Hearing this question, Li Banfeng's brows relaxed, and the corners of his mouth turned upward, revealing a slightly stiff-looking smile. If it were anyone else, they would try to stay far away from Li Banfeng at this moment, as this was a sign of his emotional instability. But He Jiaqing wasn't worried. Li Banfeng would smile when he was emotionally unstable, but he would also show the same smile when he was in a good mood.

He was in a very good mood now and said with interest, "This goes back to Grandma Wu at our orphanage. Grandma Wu was the most cultured person in our orphanage. She had seven children under her care, and she named all seven of us. The seven names were Banshan, Banluan, Banling, Banyai, Bangang, Banyue, and Banfeng. As you know, among mountains, the peak is the highest. I was the most outstanding among the seven, so Grandma Wu gave me the name Banfeng."

He Jiaqing thought for a moment and said, "I've met this Grandma Wu. She visited you when you were hospitalized. She didn't seem to call you Li Banfeng; she called you Li Baisha."

Li Banfeng nodded. "Because she always asked me to buy her cigarettes. During that period, she liked to smoke Baisha, so she called me Li Baisha. Before that, she called me Li Hongmei, and even before that, Li Yingchun. For a while, when times were good and she smoked good cigarettes, she called me Li Furong."

He Jiaqing picked up a skewer of lamb kidney. "Then why is your surname Li?"

Li Banfeng replied, "Because the gatekeeper at the orphanage was named Li."

He Jiaqing nodded. "Then he must have been a highly respected person."

Li Banfeng shook his head. "He was Grandma Wu's husband. He liked to smoke foreign cigarettes, so he called me Li Luotuo."

***

At dusk, the two walked out of the barbecue restaurant.

Li Banfeng held a napkin in his hand, wiped his mouth, and accurately threw it into a trash can four or five meters away.

He Jiaqing exclaimed in admiration, "Never a miss within five meters! We've been brothers for four years, how come I never learned that skill from you?"

Li Banfeng looked at the trash can and said, "Mindset. Mindset is important. As long as your mindset is steady..."

Li Banfeng shifted his gaze to the distance, where a woman in her early thirties, wearing a gray skirt suit, was walking towards them with a smile. Teacher Song.

The two quickly greeted her. Teacher Song was a mathematics teacher in the Faculty of Science. Her ear-length hair framed a round, fair face, and beneath her round-rimmed glasses were a pair of intelligent, deep-set beautiful eyes. Seeing the two students, Teacher Song's lips curved upward into a smile, and two sweet dimples appeared on her cheeks. Those two dimples became the fantasy etched on the napkins of countless male students in the Faculty of Science. She was as beautiful as the morning sun! Full of vitality and a sense of security.

Li Banfeng was still watching Teacher Song's retreating back when He Jiaqing lowered his voice and said, "She has a walnut-shaped birthmark on her left breast!"

Li Banfeng was stunned. "You've seen it?"

He Jiaqing gave a proud burp. "Advanced Math, Linear Algebra, Probability Theory – when have I ever failed a course? And look at the way Teacher Song looks at me during class. Is it the same?"

"I didn't notice her gaze," Li Banfeng's eyes narrowed, and he said seriously, "But the birthmark you mentioned, I remember it being on the right."

"How could it be on the right? You must be mistaken..." He Jiaqing was also stunned. "You've seen it too?"

Li Banfeng shook his head repeatedly. "I'm a proper person."

He Jiaqing was unconvinced. "You've seen Teacher Song's breasts, so how can you still claim to be a proper person?"

Li Banfeng was very serious. "I looked at it properly, so I am a proper person!"

He Jiaqing was a bit disappointed. "How could it be on the right..." He hadn't seen Teacher Song's breasts; the birthmark detail was something his girlfriend, Lu Xiaolan, had told him. Lu Xiaolan had seen it herself in the changing room.

"Did Lu Xiaolan lie to me, or did I remember it wrong?" He Jiaqing looked at Li Banfeng very seriously; he was truly disappointed. "I think she lied to me. She's been lying to me."

***

Chatting as they walked, the two arrived at the girls' dormitory building and met He Jiaqing's girlfriend, Lu Xiaolan. Lu Xiaolan wore a ponytail, which perfectly showcased her delicate features and youthful innocence. Just like the tight dress she wore today, which also highlighted her dainty and exquisite figure. She was considered the most beautiful girl in the Faculty of Science, a title acknowledged by eighty percent of the male students there.

Although they knew each other well, He Jiaqing couldn't help but show off to Li Banfeng, "Look at my wife; she's like a beauty straight out of an old calendar print."

"Calendar print? What an old-fashioned reference!"

He Jiaqing always had a special affection for old things. But Li Banfeng felt nothing for Lu Xiaolan and didn't even bother to glance at her.

"Honestly, I still prefer Teacher Song's figure," Li Banfeng said, looking seriously at He Jiaqing.

"Honestly, my wife also has a good conscience, and conscience isn't just about size; you have to consider the overall picture..." He Jiaqing said, looking at Lu Xiaolan as she emerged from the dormitory building, trying hard to defend his girlfriend.

The three of them took a taxi together to Yuezhou East Station. At the station, Li Banfeng walked He Jiaqing to the ticket barrier; the time for parting had arrived.

He Jiaqing said to Li Banfeng, "Brother, you've had quite a bit to drink. Call me when you get back to the dorm."

Li Banfeng laughed. "Why would I call you? Are you worried I'll get lost?"

He Jiaqing shook his head. "I'm not worried you'll get lost. I've also had a lot to drink, and I'm afraid I'll fall asleep on the train. Remind me to go pee."

Li Banfeng didn't understand. "You need me to remind you to pee?"

He Jiaqing said very seriously, "What if I wet my pants!"

Li Banfeng still didn't understand. "With your wife there, she'd let you wet your pants?"

He Jiaqing shook his head. "She sleeps more soundly than I do, sleeps like a log. She wouldn't even wake up if the train derailed!"

Lu Xiaolan looked annoyed and punched He Jiaqing.

Li Banfeng also complained, "You're about to board the train; why talk about derailment? It's bad luck."

After chatting for a bit longer, an announcement echoed on the platform: "Train 1160 is about to begin boarding. Passengers, please ensure you have all your luggage and proceed to waiting room number ninety-six."

He Jiaqing looked at Li Banfeng. "I'm leaving."

Li Banfeng let out a sob, as if on the verge of tears.

He Jiaqing shook his head. "Stop faking it. It doesn't look real at all. You can't cry."

Throughout his four years of university, Li Banfeng had cried many times, using his tears to gain sympathy from his counselor and trust from the academic affairs office. But He Jiaqing knew that Li Banfeng was faking it every time. He was right; Li Banfeng couldn't truly cry.

Li Banfeng also felt that faking tears was inappropriate, but as He Jiaqing's best friend, he should say a few more words at this moment. After a moment of silence, Li Banfeng simply said, "Take care."

"You too." He Jiaqing picked up his suitcase and, with Lu Xiaolan, passed through the barrier.

Lu Xiaolan casually asked, "Why did you ask Li Banfeng to call you?"

He Jiaqing smirked. "Are you jealous?"

Lu Xiaolan snorted. "Get lost! Marry him and live with him instead!"

He Jiaqing gently squeezed Lu Xiaolan's nose. "Don't be angry. You know he has a mental illness. He drank so much tonight, and I'm a bit worried about him going back alone."

Lu Xiaolan linked her arm through He Jiaqing's and whispered, "Actually, Li Banfeng isn't bad; it's just that his erratic behavior can be scary."

He Jiaqing said with a serious expression, "Banfeng isn't crazy. I went with him to the psychiatry department at the Third Hospital, and Dr. Wang said it doesn't count as crazy. He was discharged after just a week."

Lu Xiaolan was amused and followed He Jiaqing towards the boarding gate.

He Jiaqing repeated again, "Banfeng really isn't crazy; you must remember that."

P.S. Shala isn't crazy either. My dear readers, please remember that.