Wei Zhi was highly intelligent and odd by nature. Even though Jiang University had already accepted her early, she still went to Xinghua High School to spend her senior year as a visiting student.
An unwelcome guest at an elite school, an unbeatable top student, an antisocial weirdo: these labels made her controversial and earned her plenty of cold stares.
Wei Zhi couldn't care less. The rich kids at school thought she was crazy, and she thought they were crazy, too.
The craziest one of all was her deskmate, who thought he was a beloved sun capable of lighting up the entire universe.
But to Wei Zhi, he was a spinning disco ball at a karaoke club: gaudy, bright, loud, and oblivious to it all.
It had barely been a few days since school started, and she'd already heard her deskmate go from talking about which model of plane was best to fly to asking whose house they should visit to see the sharks.
Wei Zhi's head was about to explode. At last, she couldn't take it anymore. She pulled off her headphones and turned to demand, "Lu Jiangli, can you stop talking?"
The disco ball himself looked surprised. "The genius can talk? I thought you were mute."
Wei Zhi promptly hurled her physics textbook at his face.
Lu Jiangli was dumb, stupid, clueless, incapable of understanding plain speech, hyperactive, and a chatterbox, but his temper was unpredictable.
Wei Zhi had already smacked him in the face with her math, English, physics, and economics textbooks in turn. He'd only ever threatened to get back at her, then and there, but never actually caused her any trouble.
For once, Wei Zhi thought maybe he wasn't completely without redeeming qualities.
Then one day, their homeroom teacher called her in with a grave expression. Wei Zhi thought her father had finally died.
Instead, the teacher pushed up his glasses. "Wei Zhi, Lu Jiangli told me that you always bully him when you're together. I'd like you two to communicate more kindly as deskmates."
After her first-ever lecture on morality, Wei Zhi left the office and, just as she'd expected, found Lu Jiangli eavesdropping outside.
Lu the Disco Ball was grinning from ear to ear.
Wei Zhi began to question her life. "Lu Jiangli, are you insane?"
-
The year she spent matching wits with a lunatic passed in a flash. After graduating, Wei Zhi changed all her contact information. Instead of going to Jiang University as promised, she headed abroad.
They could each go their own way. They belonged to different worlds, and she never wanted anything to do with anyone from Xinghua again.
But just two years later, Lu Jiangli tracked down her research institute by turning over every stone. Wearing a designer suit, he blocked her doorway like a thug.
Wei Zhi hadn't been this furious in ages. She laughed in disbelief and asked the same question again.
"Hey, are you insane?"
Lu Jiangli bent down and kissed the corner of her mouth. As she stared at him in shock, he gave her a wicked grin. "Not only am I insane, it's contagious."
-
Theme: Respect others.
