Chapter Nineteen: The Narrow Bridge

"Teacher, what’s going on here?" The boy with the wide eyes couldn’t help but ask.

It was clear he was directing his question to the counselor, who had already communicated with Kang Ge and the others. Neither side was willing to reveal the fact that Xu Wenrui had died, so when faced with the students’ inquiries, the counselor hesitated briefly, then adopted Kang Ge’s earlier approach and replied, "Xu Wenrui has encountered a bit of a situation. These two are police officers, here to learn about what’s been happening."

"You all live with Xu Wenrui day in and day out, so you must know something about him. Let’s do this: please introduce yourselves, and help these officers understand Xu Wenrui’s recent circumstances."

"Oh, alright, I’ll go first!" The wide-eyed boy responded readily to the counselor’s request. "My name is Niu Kaiyuan, I share a dorm with Xu Wenrui, though he’s always busy, so we’re not very familiar with each other!"

The counselor was quite pleased with his initiative, but his expression changed slightly upon hearing the latter half.

"My name is Yu Xingwu, and I also live in this dorm," the tall, thin boy spoke up timidly, glancing furtively at the counselor, "I… I’m not very close with Xu Wenrui either."

The counselor shot him a look, and Yu Xingwu shrank back, falling silent.

"Are you two nervous because we’re police officers?" Kang Ge, cheerful as ever, spoke without the slightest air of authority, seeming even more easygoing than the counselor. "There’s no need! We’re just following procedure, trying to understand Xu Wenrui’s situation at school. Mainly, it’s his family’s request; after all, you guys know him far better than they do."

When he said "you guys who spend every day together," Niu Kaiyuan’s mouth twisted to the side, not dramatically, but unmistakably mocking.

Kang Ge pretended not to notice, gesturing for them to speak.

Niu Kaiyuan and Yu Xingwu exchanged glances, with Yu Xingwu repeatedly signaling to Niu Kaiyuan.

Reluctantly, Niu Kaiyuan began, "Honestly, we don’t know much about him either. Our dorm has him and another guy named Zhuang Fukai—two big shots, not really our crowd. Me and Xiao Wu are just getting by; we don’t aim for fame or fortune, just hoping not to fail any courses, graduate, and find a job. Those two, though, one’s a minor celebrity on campus, the other’s the teachers’ favorite top student. The first has participated in every event under the sun, practically popular enough to debut as a star, and the other is about to secure a spot for graduate studies. Both are busy with their own affairs; the dorm is pretty much just a place for them to sleep."

"So if you ask us about Xu Wenrui, we really can’t tell you much. But if you want to know about each other, we could go on for ages."

"Exactly, that’s how it is," Yu Xingwu quickly chimed in. "They’re always busy—studying, getting certifications, joining activities, dating, always with something important on their plates. We’re nothing like them. Aside from classes, it’s just games and sports for us; we really don’t have much in common, so we barely talk, and honestly don’t know much about him."

"You two like playing ball as well? I heard Xu Wenrui is fond of basketball," Yan Xue recalled someone mentioning Xu Wenrui’s basketball skills.

"We haven’t played together much," Niu Kaiyuan waved his hand, laughing. "We play for the game itself—sweaty, shirts wrinkled and covered in handprints, no concern for appearances, but it’s got its own charm. Xu Wenrui, though, is different. He plays like a superstar: the accuracy doesn’t matter, as long as the pose looks good, the T-shirt is pristine, the sneakers flashy, and the girls watching want to scream!"

His words were neither quite praise nor criticism, and the counselor could only follow suit. "Yes, Xu Wenrui does get along well with people. From what I know, quite a few girls are interested in him. But being clean isn’t a bad thing, and it’s normal for girls to like his type. After all, who likes a guy reeking of sweat, with stains running down his face? Wouldn’t you agree?"

"From my perspective, students like Xu Wenrui make life as a counselor easy. Give me fifty, a hundred like him, and I wouldn’t worry at all—he’s ambitious, motivated, and never causes trouble."

"If I had to point out a shortcoming, it’s that he does take part in far more extracurricular activities than most, which drains his energy and affects his studies. Otherwise, given his intellect, his grades would be even better."

"So are you saying that compared to academics, Xu Wenrui is more passionate about extracurriculars?" Yan Xue found the counselor’s words rather diplomatic.

With her "translation," the counselor couldn’t deny it and could only nod with an awkward smile.

"Since he’s not invested in his studies, does he have any thoughts about pursuing graduate school?" Kang Ge asked.

The counselor was momentarily stunned, his expression perplexed. Yu Xingwu couldn’t hold back and let out a snicker, then hurriedly covered his mouth, pretending it was a sneeze.

"Graduate school… I really haven’t heard anything about that," the counselor cast a dissatisfied glance at Yu Xingwu, then addressed Kang Ge. "As I said, Xu Wenrui never really focused on his studies, so I don’t think he ever considered graduate school. Zhuang Fukai, on the other hand, is definitely aiming for it. Xu Wenrui isn’t on that path—he doesn’t qualify for direct admission, and even the exams would be tough for him. But there are many roads to success, not just graduate school. With his talent and abilities, he’ll do fine after graduation, no need to squeeze through that narrow gate."

"Yes, you’re absolutely right," Kang Ge nodded in agreement.