I didn’t want to listen any longer.
Xia Yu covered his ears, but the various noisy voices from afar still filtered through.
He didn’t want to know what they were saying, and even less wanted to hear the answer Mo Yidong gave.
“That’s not the case.”
No matter what people around said, Zhang Wenshan only trusted what he saw with his own eyes, and so did Mo Yidong.
Instead of listening to others, it was better to experience things firsthand.
Faced with the calm Mo Yidong, it seemed he had long known about these matters.
“Yu-ge, I brought you your meal.”
Mu Yiqiu entered the classroom carrying a packed lunch and saw Xia Yu sitting upright, dazed, his expression seemingly unhappy.
The moment Xia Yu opened his eyes, all the outside noises vanished.
But the last thing he heard was:
“Xia Yu… at least, he’s not bad.”
The conversation about Xia Yu continued between the two.
“You think so too, right?”
“Mm.”
Zhang Wenshan had accompanied his parents to many social occasions and met all sorts of strange people.
He was all too familiar with Xia Yu’s situation.
After briefly chatting with Xia Yu, Zhang Wenshan felt he wasn’t like what the other classmates had said.
“Someone’s definitely spreading rumors, but it’s not anyone from this class.”
Xia Yu himself didn’t even know about it.
“Are you going to help him? Find his Black Fans.”
“I’ve only been his deskmate for a few days. We’re not that close.”
Xia Yu would definitely refuse Mo Yidong’s involvement in such things, and Mo Yidong had no reason to get involved either.
Zhang Wenshan, on the other hand, didn’t seem to be here for studying but to join a crusade against villains—as if he wanted to be a righteous hero.
Mo Yidong finished packing the meal and found a random spot.
The two casually sat down.
To keep Zhang Wenshan from meddling too much, Mo Yidong dismissed his plans before he even started discussing strategy.
“Mind your own business.”
After finishing their meal, on the way back to class.
Since Zhang Wenshan appeared at Xuanwu, the Mo Family had surely already informed the Zhang Family to attend this gathering, Mo Yidong just mentioned it casually.
“There’s a family gathering this weekend. Remember to come.”
“I got the notice. I’ll definitely be there.”
After Zhang Wenshan readily agreed, he suddenly thought of someone and casually added:
“Why don’t you bring that little sister along?”
Seeing Mo Yidong slow down suddenly, Zhang Wenshan hesitated for a moment.
“Nah, we just met. Not close.”
“You’ll get close if you talk more.”
Zhang Wenshan leaned closer, noticing Mo Yidong’s slightly nervous expression.
He smelled some gossip—clearly there was more to this.
“Which school is that sister from? Did you ask? If it’s nearby, we could hang out after school.”
“Didn’t ask.”
This was the topic Mo Yidong least wanted to bring up, and the last thing he wanted to discuss in front of Zhang Wenshan.
“Have you talked to her?”
“No.”
All lies.
In truth, Mo Yidong had followed his sister home last night and made a new discovery about the Blood Clan.
Besides feeding on blood, they injected something that heightened hormones.
That night nearly went wrong.
If only Zhang Wenshan had progressed a bit faster, he might have gotten the Silver-haired Girl’s contact to help push their relationship along.
But since Mo Yidong was so reluctant to bring his sister to the gathering, there was definitely something wrong with the weekend party!
“Are you going to bring another girl to your family gathering?”
Zhang Wenshan’s instincts were sharp.
Mo Yidong answered truthfully.
“I told my family I was here to look for someone, so I’m bringing my ex-girlfriend home.”
Suddenly, Mo Yidong no longer wanted Zhang Wenshan showing up at his house that weekend.
“Hmm!?”
Zhang Wenshan was stunned and even wondered if he heard wrong, so he asked again.
“Bro, are you serious?”
Mo Yidong smiled awkwardly,
“Just acting. Bro, you have to play along.”
“Bro… you’re really harsh on yourself.”
This performance was extremely dramatic.
Mo Yidong couldn’t guarantee whether, at the gathering, Zhang Wenshan would see the Silver-haired Girl attending as his ex, or his deskmate cross-dressing as a girl.
Because the power to change was in Xia Yu’s hands.
Thinking of this made Mo Yidong’s head start to hurt.
The afternoon was swimming class, and Xia Yu really didn’t want to go.
Because water would soak his wig, making his head feel heavy.
With classmates around, he couldn’t just take off the wig to dry it.
After some thought, Xia Yu chose to skip class altogether.
Just as he reached the door, the swimming teacher walked in holding the Student Roster, stern and serious, breaking Xia Yu’s plan.
“Today is the Swimming Test. Those who fail will have to take the Make-up Exam next week. Those who don’t participate will be assigned to clean the pool for a month.”
Cleaning the pool in summer was torture.
Clenching his fists quietly, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and take the test.
“You’ve lost weight.”
Compared to the first time they met in the changing room, Xia Yu’s bones seemed to have shrunk a bit.
If it was the blood-drinking causing changes in his eyes and body, Mo Yidong felt partly responsible.
“Huh? What did you say?”
The changing room was too noisy, so Xia Yu didn’t hear clearly.
“Nothing.”
No matter what was asked, Xia Yu definitely wouldn’t answer.
He looked at Mo Yidong with a puzzled expression, hesitant to speak, seemingly sensing Mo Yidong also had something to say.
Before saying anything, Xia Yu opened the locker, took out waterproof bandages, and handed one over.
“Yours isn’t waterproof. Use this.”
“Thanks.”
Seeing Mo Yidong tear open the bandage and stare at the four small marks on his arm, the bites were almost healed.
Xia Yu just wanted to see what the places he had pierced looked like.
“Why do you have four more marks on your arm?”
This scene was just spotted by Zhang Wenshan, who stood curiously between them, looking at Mo Yidong’s arm.
“Mosquito bites from yesterday.”
“Mosquitoes that bite you are lucky.”
“What do you mean?”
Though the description made Xia Yu somewhat uncomfortable, it seemed he had gleaned some untold secret.
“His blood is just really precious.”
“Have you changed your clothes yet?”
Seeing Mo Yidong’s face darken, Zhang Wenshan was quickly dismissed after his comment.
Only Xia Yu looked up at Mo Yidong, curiosity written all over his face.
“Don’t listen to him.”
Saying this, seeing Xia Yu still confused, Mo Yidong assured him seriously:
“Really no poison.”
Once Mo Yidong left the changing room, he immediately attracted the attention of many girls.
No choice—having a good figure was just different.
After leaving the changing room, Xia Yu quickly found a shady spot to curl up.
Looking up at the sky outside the sunshade, he felt the sun was growing fiercer by the day.
Just sitting in the shade was unbearable.
He really wanted to finish the test quickly and go back.
Ever since Zhang Wenshan appeared, their group time had decreased.
Xia Yu sat alone in the corner, far away from the crowd.
Watching Zhang Wenshan chatting endlessly with Mo Yidong and other classmates—that was Mo Yidong’s normal life.
There was too much distance between him and Xia Yu.
According to the overall ranking, Xia Yu was scheduled to take the test last, along with two new students, so he would be testing alongside Mo Yidong and Zhang Wenshan.
The five students stood at the edge of the pool’s diving platform, waiting for the teacher’s whistle.
“Mo Yidong, don’t go too fast.”
“I know.”
Only Zhang Wenshan knew that Mo Yidong was like an underwater tyrant—no one could swim faster than him.
With the whistle’s blow, all five jumped into the water simultaneously.
Xia Yu watched as someone in the lane beside him shot forward like a swordfish, overtaking four classmates in an instant.
It was the first time Xia Yu had seen anyone swim so fast.
He tried to catch up with all his might but couldn’t.
Suddenly, his calf cramped, his body lost control, and he started sinking.
At that moment, a classmate on the shore shouted:
“Teacher! Xia Yu is drowning!”