Summer Camp friendships

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/43600563.

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: F/M
Fandom: 山河令 | Word of Honor (TV 2021), 天涯客 | Faraway Wanderers -
priest
Relationship: Cao Weining/Gu Xiang
Character: Cao Weining, Gu Xiang (Faraway Wanderers), Zhou Zishu, Zhang
Chengling, Gao Xiaolian
Additional Tags: High School, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Alternate Universe -
Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - High School, Bullying, Enemies to
Friends, Happy Ending, Fluff
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2022-12-13 Words: 1175

Summer Camp friendships

by WuxiaHiraeth

Summary

Modern AU high school fic for reddit user u/TikiTif

Trigger warnings – mild bullying
This part of the secret shanren exchange on the r/wordofhonor

Protagonists Gu Xiang (GX) and Cao Wei Ning (CWN) go to the same high school and
meet at summer camp. Gu Xiang is a bit of a bully and not very nice to Cao Wei Ning.

Will she ever change her ways?

Summer camp fic

Modern AU high school fic for reddit user r/TikiTif
Trigger warnings – mild bullying
This part of the secret shanren exchange on the r/wordofhonor
Protagonists Gu Xiang (GX) and Cao Wei Ning (CWN).
Other characters: Zhang Chengling (ZCL) and Gao Xiaolian (GXL).

It was another hot summer and Gu Xiang (GX) was chronically annoyed, as usual. Why did she
have to go yet another stupid summer camp instead of bumming around at home, online shopping
for lilac clothes, hanging with her gal pals, throwing knives at the tree stumps in her back yard and
snacking on woolong nuts whilst watching yet another episode of Gossip Girl.
But whilst she was financially dependent on her big brother, and he had to work (something about
serious corporate business with his husband) she couldn’t argue. At least it was the last one before
university.
She kicks a rogue stone at the entrance of the camp, straightens her dress and plasters a whimsical
smile on her face as she walks into the communal room. GX spots Gao Xiaolian (GXL) and slides
towards her on the bench and whispers, “who is that looser again?” as she spots a guy across the
room in neat but unfashionable clothing.
GXL patiently replies, “It’s Cao Wei Ning, he’s in my lab class. He’s a really nice guy and his
family are super rich.”
Cao Wei Ning (CWN) is indeed from a wealthy family but they are strict on rules and do not allow
the children to wear sporty or modern fashionable clothing, so he dresses in formal trousers and a
shirt, looking out of place from his peers in their hoodies and skater shoes.
“It’s a shame money cant buy taste.” GX mouths off bitterly.
She totters over to CWN who is sitting with her bothers, husband’s ward, Zhang Chengling (ZCL).
GX: “Chengling, what’s the plan for this summer? Are you going to hang with him or are you
going to help me smuggle some alcohol into the halls later?”
CWN: “Hi GX, you look really pretty in that dress.”
GX: “...”
ZCL: “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, if Uncle Zishu finds out I’ll be in serious trouble.”
GX: “You’re so wet behind the ears why do I bother?” and she storms off.

Later that week, the teenagers camp are competing in various sporting competitions and GX is
incredibly bored. She likes running but hates high jump. She sees the boys approaching the high
jump area and a wicked thought crosses her mind. “What if…?”
She discreetly lays a thin rope across the approach of the high jump. As CWN begins his run up,
she pulls the rope and his leg gets trapped and he falls flat on his face, grazing his chin. He looks
close to tears and GX is howling with laughter.
No one else finds the incident funny and GX is banned from sports for the week and put on
cleaning duty due to her misdemeanour. She does not apologise to CWN even when she sees the
plaster on his chin at dinner time. His eyes follow her but they do not seem angry.
GXL: “That was kind of mean of you GX, why are you being so nasty to him? He’s a decent guy
and you shouldn’t pick on him. Don’t be a bully.”
GX: “I’m not a bully, I just..I just…”
GXL:: “You what??”
GX: “…”

The following day after GX completed her evening cleaning punishment duties, she takes her
clothes to the laundry. CWN is exiting after putting his clothes onto a low heat drying cycle.
CWN: “Hey GX how are you?”
GX: “umm…”
CWN: “The washing powder is in the top draw. See you later.”
GX: “…”
GX loads her washing and sits down. She only has a short cycle to wash and dry so she waits.
Before she leaves she looks at CWN’s washing and sees there is still an hour left on his dry cycle.
She turns the heat up to max, takes her washing and leaves.

The next day at breakfast CWN is wearing ZCL clothes which are a little bit too small.
GX: “What happened to your clothes looser?”
CWN: “A laundry accident” he says gently, without any accusation is his voice. But GX knows
that he knows it was her. She feels conflicted. She thought he would fight back. Everyone always
fights back. What is wrong with him?
The majority of the summer camp passes without much incident. GX is bored and sneaks alcohol
into the camp and hosts small parties for the girls in their rooms. They all play mild humoured
pranks on each other.

In the final week there is a running competition. GX has been preparing for this. She has trained
every evening and the other teenagers know she is fierce competition. She is likely to win. CWN is
the second favourite to win. He is quick and athletic.
They all line up at the start line and the gun shot begins their race. GX and CWN are running neck
to neck, leaving everyone else behind and about 1 km before the finish line, GX twists her ankle
and falls. CWN runs past and then suddenly realises GX has fallen and turn back to her.
CWN: “Hey GX are you okay, what’s happened?”
GX, crying: “It’s my ankle it’s given way.”
CWN helps her up to her feet, picks her up in his arms and carries her all the way back to the
medics cabin. Others have overtaken them by this time.
As the medic is tending to GX foot she enquires: “Why did you give up your race to help me?”
CWN: “Why wouldn’t I?”
GX: “But I’ve always been so nasty to you, I’ve done so many bad things, I’m barely even
human.” At this point she begins to sob on his shoulder, partly from the pain and partly from the
shame.
CWN: “There there it will be okay.”

Later that day CWN brings GX soup and sits on the edge of her bed.
GX: “You brought me soup? Why? I haven’t ever treated you well and you are being so nice to
me. I don’t understand.”
CWN: “When we were 8, there was a small playground in the north of the village with the curved
red slide. Do you remember it?”
GX: “Yeah, big brother used to take me to play there all the time.”
CWN: “One day there was a girl who played there too, with two pig tails who fell over and scraped
her knee. I picked her up and wiped her tears and she gave me a stone and kissed my cheek.”
CWN produces a small stone from his pocket and holds it in his palm for GX to examine.
GX begins to tear up: “That was you??”
CWN: “I always remembered you, even when you forgot me. Whatever happened since, I never
forgot that 8 year old girl.”
GX leans in towards CWN and kisses him gently on the cheek as she whispers: “I’m sorry.”

The end.

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