BACKFLIP 1

Chapter 1

Translator: Abo Dammen

1.

September still carried the lingering heat of midsummer, especially at noon, when even the leaves on campus curled up under the scorching sun. The cafeteria was packed, a few degrees hotter than outside. Everyone grumbled about how inhumane it was for the school to turn off the AC so early while craning their necks to scout for empty seats.

"Hey, that table's got just one person!" Someone noticed a corner and was about to nudge their friend, but after a closer look, they hesitated. "Uh… wait, never mind. That’s Xu Zhou sitting there." 

The group that had been ready to head over froze mid-step and collectively took half a step back.

2.

Xu Zhou, ironically, was nothing like his name. While "Zhou" meant "daylight," he had zero connection to warmth, cheerfulness, or sunshine. Instead, he resembled some nocturnal creature that shunned the light.

His oversized school uniform made him look even thinner, his complexion so pale it bordered on sickly. His jet-black hair was a little too long for a guy and not particularly neat, with messy bangs always covering half his eyes. He often kept his head down, revealing only tightly pressed lips and a sharp chin. Anyone who’d seen Xu Zhou had no doubt that if this guy appeared in an anime, he’d be permanently shrouded in a dark blue-black aura, accompanied by eerie, ominous background music. He was the textbook definition of ghost-core.

People instinctively avoided what unsettled them, especially in a crowd of lively, energetic high schoolers. A misfit like Xu Zhou wasn’t exactly the type people were dying to befriend. So Xu Zhou always did things alone like going to and from school, eating, walking. Always solo.

Occasionally, some kind-hearted classmate would take pity and try to strike up a conversation, only to be met with Xu Zhou’s indifferent, stranger-like stare and stiff, monosyllabic replies. Over time, everyone started whispering behind his back about what a weird, antisocial loner he was, and soon, no one wanted anything to do with him.

3.

The group hunting for seats eventually got lucky and found an empty table not far from Xu Zhou. As they ate, they chatted about him, sneaking glances his way now and then. But Xu Zhou, the subject of their gossip, remained oblivious. He was locked in an intense battle with the braised shrimp on his plate.

After struggling to peel off the shell, the so-called cold and gloomy teen silently mouthed, "What the fuck."

Is this shrimp wearing armor or a bodysuit? Why is it so hard to peel? And why does it also taste so bad? And even if it tastes bad, at least cook it properly. After a whole morning of classes, he still had to eat this? This was straight-up psychological and physical abuse. Did the cafeteria aunties and uncles manning the kitchen commit some heinous culinary crime? A perfectly decent shrimp died in vain, unless… Wait, maybe this was their way of doing a good deed? Like “releasing” the shrimp… into a vat of oil? Amitabha. Next time, let them swim in that wok a little longer, okay?

If his internal monologue could materialize as text, Xu Zhou’s world would be drowning in a flood of subtitles.

He stared at the tray with a deadpan expression for a few seconds, then finally gave up on the few miserable braised shrimp. He quietly started picking at the greens instead, while thinking about next week’s hiking trip.

4.

The autumn outing was a long-standing tradition at No. 1 High. During Monday’s assembly, the dean had passionately hyped up the event’s history and significance, urging everyone to embrace the golden autumn and strive to be outstanding youths.

But Xu Zhou wasn’t planning to go.  Not because he didn’t want to be an "outstanding youth". It was just that the trip required teams of four, and he didn’t have a single friend in school. If he wanted to join, that meant finding a group, initiating conversation, introducing himself, and forcing a friendly smile…

Just thinking about it made Xu Zhou feel like he couldn’t breathe. If that day ever came, he’d probably bolt like a lizard scalded by 70-degree desert sand. And waiting around for someone to invite him? Yeah, also not happening. Everyone pretty much treated him like a ghost anyway.

Xu Zhou slowly chewed on a piece of bok choy, thinking the odds of someone actually asking him to join their group were about the same as the odds of him suddenly deciding to eat the rest of that tray of tragic braised shrimp.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, a shadow suddenly loomed over him.

Xu Zhou looked up, bewildered, to see a brawny, fierce-looking guy looming over him, arms crossed.

"Hey, you. Join our team for the trip!"

5.

Xu Zhou: ?

Did the shrimp just answer my prayers?

6.

Li Ji thought to himself: If we weren’t desperate for a fourth member, there’s no way I’d ever talk to this gloomy, sickly-looking guy. Let alone invite him to join their group.

But desperate times called for desperate measures. After sitting at the table and stress-eating two fennel twist breadsticks, Li Ji finally swallowed his pride and reluctantly decided to ask Xu Zhou.

“Did you hear me or not?”

Seeing that Xu Zhou still hadn’t said a word, Li Ji slapped a piece of paper down on the table with a loud smack, then glanced impatiently at his wrist. "Hurry up and fill this out. I’ve got places to be—gotta stop by the station later." Xu Zhou’s eyes shifted down to the guy’s wrist, then subtly twitched at the corner of his mouth.

…Was his watch drawn on?

And was that a Ferrari logo???

He then looked down at the paper: Autumn Outing Group Application Form.

Xu Zhou fell into deep contemplation. Does this count as an invitation? Like, really? It technically counted, right? Probably? Maybe? Sure, the guy in front of him didn’t seem entirely… normal. But hey, it was still a classmate reaching out you know, kinda like an olive branch. Granted, it was the kind of olive branch that looked like it got snapped off a tree growing at a 45-degree tilt… Then again, beggars can’t be choosers. Besides, he didn’t have plans for the next few days, and he’d heard the trip was to a wildlife park, which sounded fun. Might as well say yes.

After mentally drafting a 5,000-word essay on the pros and cons of going, Xu Zhou took a subtle deep breath, nodded expressionlessly, and signed his name with a flourish. "Okay." Then, gripping his pen, he figured he should at least try to be friendly to his new teammate, so he forced out with great difficulty, "Uh… classmate, you are?"

7.

Li Ji stared at Xu Zhou like he’d just personally insulted his entire bloodline.

Three years. From freshman year to now, they had been in the same class for three entire years.

And Xu Zhou… didn’t know who he was?!

Li Ji was outraged. "Look at this physique! Look at this face! Even male celebs in their prime could only dream of matching me! And you don’t know my name?!"

8.

Xu Zhou studied him apologetically for a moment before concluding that the "male celeb" Li Ji was referring to… was probably GG Bond. Still, Xu Zhou admitted it was his fault for not recognizing a classmate. He was chronically face-blind, and to make matters worse, every student in this school wore the exact same uniform. They basically looked like they’d rolled off the same factory assembly line, only differentiated by varying levels of eye bags and trauma.

So, when the self-declared male celebrity finally huffed out his name which was Li Ji, Xu Zhou quietly resumed his war with the tragic braised shrimp, repeating the name to himself in his head like a monk chanting a mantra.

Li Ji… Li Ji… Piggy Hero Li Ji… Got it.

9.

Still sulking, Li Ji stuffed the form into his pocket and headed for the restroom. Halfway there, he suddenly remembered they hadn’t exchanged contact info or set a meetup spot. Crap. He turned back. "Hey, meet us at the west-side convenience store by the school gate at noon the day after tomorrow."

Xu Zhou looked up blankly from his shrimp.

"Classmate, you are?"

10.

Li Ji: ???

Li Ji: !!!

11.

Damn this godforsaken face blindness.

After the second painfully awkward exchange, Xu Zhou sighed deeply, cursing the world as seen through his eyes. He had no energy left for the undercooked shrimp and decided to follow the cafeteria aunties’ example by "setting them free" into the trash.

But as he washed his hands and prepared to leave, a familiar name caught his ear from the surrounding chatter. "Hey, who’s that at the entrance? Jiang Ling?"

Xu Zhou’s head snapped up toward the cafeteria doors, and there, crashing into his vision, was a figure etched into his mind a thousand times over. The noise around him faded, the world slowing down until all that remained was the steady, heavy thump of his heartbeat.

Turns out, there were some faces he’d never forget.