“Alright.”
Xia Yu cleared his throat, worried that his voice might betray him, so he decided to speak as little as possible today.
It was his own desk, and he simply returned to his seat, but now every step forward felt like a struggle, every move forward weighed down by pressure.
Before he even reached his desk, the girls around him saw the dark expression on his face and instinctively gave him some space, each stepping away quietly, leaving a calm silence around.
Only one person kept staring at him.
Their eyes met, forcing Xia Yu to recall the scene at the café last night and the final words exchanged.
“If we can’t be lovers, then being deskmates and brothers is still fine.”
Mo Yidong gave a soft
“Hmm.”
“Morning.”
Seeing Xia Yu’s face pale and his expression fierce, as if ready to devour someone, no one dared come close.
“Morning.”
As soon as Xia Yu sat down, he quickly fished out some medicine from his bag and took it.
Just as he swallowed, a gaze lingered on both him and the pills in his hand.
“Still taking medicine?”
“Mm…”
“What kind of medicine?”
“Just common cold medicine.”
Xia Yu noticed Mo Yidong intently staring at the pills, seemingly trying to read the name, so he hurriedly tucked them back into his bag.
“If you’re not feeling well, just ask to take a leave and rest. Don’t push yourself.”
“Mm…”
The sudden concern stunned Xia Yu for a few seconds.
Was it an illusion?
Since they made things clear, Mo Yidong seemed to talk more than before.
“It’s nothing.”
Xia Yu treated it as brotherly concern, and after finishing his medicine, he lay his head on the desk, before the teacher even arrived.
His headache was so bad that he gave up thinking and fell into a deep sleep, like a corpse.
The bell rang over and over, but he didn’t even notice.
“Yu-ge, what are you having for lunch? Wait… why are you still sleeping?”
Near lunchtime, Mu Yiqiu turned around and saw Xia Yu hadn’t moved from his position.
From the moment he entered, he noticed Xia Yu’s complexion was off.
During that time, Mo Yidong had sent away the girls who came looking for him to chat, letting Xia Yu rest peacefully.
It had been a long time since he’d slept so comfortably—no dreams, just straight through until now.
Xia Yu was woken by a delicious meaty aroma—a first for him to wake up hungry.
He sat up and saw a bowl of packed soup dumplings and plain rice porridge placed in front of him.
Wondering who was kind enough to bring his lunch, he turned his head to find Mo Yidong reading a copy of Five Years Gaokao, Three Years Simulation Physics with intense focus.
“Feeling better?”
“Yeah.”
“Did Mu Yiqiu bring this?”
Trying not to let Mo Yidong notice how unwell he still felt, Xia Yu lowered his voice.
“I brought it.”
“How much?”
“I don’t need it. It’s cheap.”
“No way. Even brothers need clear accounts. If you don’t take the money, I won’t eat.”
“Twelve in total.”
After sitting in one position so long, his hands had gone numb and were slow to respond.
Once sensation returned, Xia Yu picked up a dumpling and took a few bites.
At this time, most students were either playing ball or hanging out in club rooms.
Few were studying seriously during lunch break like Mo Yidong.
Previously, Mo Yidong said he came looking for someone; now that he had found him, what was his next move?
How much longer would their days together last?
Watching him study intently while munching on the dumplings, Xia Yu found himself staring absentmindedly.
“What’s up? Want to learn? I can teach you.”
Xia Yu shook his head.
Even if he taught him, Mo Yidong wouldn’t understand.
His foundation since middle school was poor; passing exams was already hard enough.
He just wanted to barely scrape through and get his diploma.
“Still here after all.”
Finishing his food quickly, the voice outside made both of them turn toward three unfamiliar people entering.
“Our Brother Yao wants you to come with us.”
“Brother Yao?”
Xia Yu blinked, not good at remembering faces or names, and with his foggy head today, he couldn’t recall who that was.
“Who?”
“Mo Yaofei, Class 2-3. Forgot?”
“Oh! That Mo Yao-fei…”
Calling three people deliberately to find someone rarely meant a simple “talk.”
“Got it.”
Xia Yu stood up, wobbling slightly.
Straightening his posture, he dragged his heavy body toward the door.
His body still felt sluggish.
If a fight broke out today, he figured he’d only suffer some surface injuries, but could still hold the upper hand.
“Wanna come with me?”
“They’re looking for me. What do you have to go for?”
Someone was being a little over-concerned…
Xia Yu walked slowly behind the three, thinking over Mo Yidong’s various gestures of care, feeling restless inside.
Halfway there, Xia Yu suddenly stopped.
His heart clenched sharply, and the situation felt very bad.
He recognized this feeling clearly.
His chest started to swell painfully.
Turning around, clutching his stomach, he grimaced at the three in front.
“You guys go ahead. I’ll just go to the bathroom and catch up.”
One of the boys raised his brow, seeing Xia Yu’s pale face and clutching his stomach, like he’d eaten something bad, sneered.
“Don’t tell me you’re trying to run?”
“Ha…,”
Xia Yu forced a smile,
“Why don’t you come with me and smell my stink?”
“Go, go, go. Hurry back after you’re done.”
Xia Yu rushed to the boys’ bathroom, quickly found a stall, locked the door, and leaned back against it, sweat beading on his forehead.
Looking down, his chest was visibly rising and falling.
Anxiety gnawed at him.
This was bad…
“Where’s Xia Yu?”
“He said he was going to the bathroom, but he’s nowhere to be found there.”
“Could he have run off? The school bully scared of a little thing like that?”
“Keep looking! He definitely hasn’t left the school!”
Voices in the hallway caught Mo Yidong’s attention.
He unconsciously stopped writing, then left the classroom alone.
He also felt a growing unease.
With his weak frame, the guy who was pretending to be strong could be lying on the floor anywhere.
A girl walking briskly toward him caught Mo Yidong’s notice.
Silver hair swayed past him.
Instinctively, Mo Yidong grabbed the slender wrist of the girl.
Her silky long hair draped over her shoulders.
She had a delicate, doll-like face, pale and tender skin glistening with a few beads of sweat.
The girl was panting heavily.
Beneath sparse bangs, ruby-like eyes showed panic and discomfort, like a sick person running around.
Her thin frame wore a boy’s school uniform far too large for her, the loose short-sleeved shirt emphasizing a slightly protruding small belly.
He wasn’t sure, but it seemed like she wasn’t wearing anything underneath…
No, Mo Yidong quickly withdrew his gaze.
He firmly believed any corner of the school this girl appeared would instantly catch everyone’s attention.
With her foreign bloodline, she looked like a campus belle at first glance.
Although grabbing a stranger’s wrist was impolite, his intuition told him that if he didn’t hold her now, he might miss something important.
Mo Yidong narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing the girl carefully, then politely asked,
“Which class are you in, student?”
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