Chapter 4

“The great river flows eastward...” A vibration and ringing from beneath my pillow jolted me awake from my sleep. I frowned in discomfort, reached out, and turned off the alarm on my phone.

It was already seven in the morning. As usual, I propped myself up, planning to shake off the drowsiness before getting dressed.

Glancing down at the lower bunk, I intended to wake Sam up for morning self-study at school. Instead, I saw the light gray thin blanket covering him kicked aside by his feet, leaving him completely naked. Looking further down, his thick, long penis lay limp against his lower abdomen. A piece of white fabric was tucked under his butt—the white underwear he had worn after showering last night.

Was Sam sleeping naked?

Perhaps, unable to adjust to the time difference after arriving in Linhai City from South Africa, Sam had stayed awake late into the night. While I was deep asleep, he might have taken off his underwear for some relief and finally drifted off peacefully.

Though we were both just sixteen-year-old boys, his sudden habit of sleeping naked made me somewhat uncomfortable.

Watching his steady breathing, I felt a bit annoyed. After all, this was my home, and I thought Sam was being a bit too casual.

“Sam, get up for morning self-study, or we’ll be late,” I said, seeing him sound asleep. I quickly called out to wake him. “Ah, Zihan, are we late?” Sam opened his eyes wide, sat up straight, and looked panicked. His reaction satisfied me.

“Not yet, but you will be if you keep sleeping,” I replied, looking at him. “Oh, sorry, Zihan. I couldn’t sleep last night. Did I disturb you?” Sam bent down, picked up the white underwear from under the bed, and casually put it back on. “No, it’s fine. But, Sam, do you usually sleep naked?” I stood up and started getting dressed. “Sleep naked? You mean without clothes? I always sleep without clothes at home. I can’t fall asleep if I’m wearing anything,” Sam said, now fully dressed, his big eyes looking at me. “Sam, in China, especially at home, boys are expected to wear underwear when sleeping. It’s fine if I see it, but if my mom catches you naked in the house, well...” I smirked at him. “Ah, Mom! Okay, Zihan, I understand. I won’t do it again,” Sam said, looking terrified at the mention of my mom, speeding up as he dressed. “Haha, yeah. You should look up Chinese etiquette online more often, or you’ll have a hard time with my mom,” I chuckled, opening the bedroom door and heading to the bathroom with Sam to wash up. “Okay, Zihan. I’ll learn Chinese etiquette well so Mom will like me,” Sam said, clenching his fists, looking as if he had been successfully brainwashed.

After washing up, we both shouldered our backpacks and headed toward the neighborhood gate. Along the way, people occasionally glanced at Sam, who didn’t seem embarrassed at all. He grinned and waved his dark, shiny hand at anyone who looked his way, young or old.

I followed him all the way to school. The stares made me uncomfortable, but Sam seemed to enjoy it, happily chatting with me about this and that, occasionally blurting out, “Hello everyone, I love China!”—making my lips twitch and leaving me utterly embarrassed.

After buying steamed buns and soy milk, I arrived at the classroom. Sam and I finished our breakfast and began our morning self-study session. When Zhang Min came to check on the class, she stood on the podium, a faint smile lingering at the corner of her mouth. She looked at Sam and me with satisfaction. “Teacher Zhang, I have a question for you,” Sam said, noticing Zhang Min’s gaze and surprisingly striking up a conversation with her.

“What is it, Sam?” Zhang Min walked over to us, smiling.

“In China, is it okay to hug girls? In South Africa, it’s fine, but yesterday Zihan’s mom said it doesn’t align with Chinese etiquette.”

Sam spoke earnestly, gesturing animatedly with his dark hands.

“Sam, in China, you really shouldn’t hug girls randomly. Also, Sam, during class in China, don’t ask questions unrelated to the textbook.” Zhang Min’s smile remained on her face.

Today, Zhang Min was wearing a long-sleeved white blouse, paired with a flesh-toned bodycon skirt that revealed her fair thighs in full view. On her feet were a pair of white canvas shoes. Beautiful, youthful, and vibrant, she didn’t look like the strict homeroom teacher of the key class at Linhai No. 1 High School’s senior division. Instead, she gave me the impression of being quite gentle.

“Okay, thank you, teacher. You look really beautiful today!” Sam flashed a gentlemanly smile as he looked at the homeroom teacher. “Um ... let’s get back to self-study,” Zhang Min awkwardly walked toward the back of the classroom.

“Giggle, giggle...” I heard the class monitor, Li Xiaojun, laughing softly behind me.

“Zihan, did I say something wrong?” Sam grinned and looked at me. “No, let’s focus on self-study,” I replied, worried that Teacher Zhang might get angry if she saw us still talking.

Sam glanced back at Zhang Min and then winked at the class monitor.

The last class of the afternoon was physical education. I was playing badminton with my classmates, while Sam said he preferred basketball and joined the boys playing on the basketball court.

Laughter echoed from the basketball court, drawing me over.

On the court, it turned out everyone was amazed by Sam’s basketball skills.

The seemingly clumsy Sam deftly maneuvered past the boys defending him, executed a three-step layup, and sent the basketball swishing through the hoop with a “clang.”

Sam’s astonishing jumping ability left the surrounding students in awe. The boys in our class who played basketball gave him thumbs-up and exclaimed, “Awesome, Sam!”

I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of envy. How great it would be if I could move as freely on the basketball court as Sam did. The girls nearby would surely scream in excitement for me.