HCILH Ch. 42

Chapter 42: Losing Weight

Hou Mo was quite famous at Dongti Affiliated High School.

To the point where he was a nightmare for them, casting a shadow over the entire school.

There were two reasons for his fame. First, Hou Mo was outrageously annoying, driving everyone at East Sports mad.

The second was his undeniable talent—he possessed extraordinary calculation skills and predictive abilities. Playing one-on-one against him felt like he had the entire game under control, as if the opponent was just a pawn in his plans. It was humiliating.

After a match with him, frustration was inevitable.

To the students at Dongti, Hou Mo was a thorn in their side.

They hated him, but they couldn’t beat him.

The girl in front of them was from the women’s tennis team and had heard a bit about him. 

The rumors painted Hou Mo as annoying and provocative, stirring up trouble wherever he went, earning him plenty of enemies.

In her imagination, he was probably some cocky guy, standing at 188 cm with a dark tan and an obnoxious attitude. But looking at him now… Why was he so pale?

And, surprisingly, kind of handsome?

Hou Mo collapsed into his chair, still shaken, covering his face with one hand.

Meanwhile, Sui Houyu quickly checked their bag to ensure nothing had happened to their beloved cat, “Da Ge,” worried that Hou Mo might have squashed him when he sat down.

Disgusted by Hou Mo’s sudden closeness, Sui Houyu looked like he was about to kick him away.

Hou Mo glanced at the girl and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Albino-looking, with blond hair and big European-style eyes—yep, it’s you.” The girl looked at the description on the phone, then looked at Hou Mo in front of her, and confirmed it.

Hou Mo bristled at her description. “I don’t have big European-style eyes! It’s deep eye sockets! And this isn’t blond—it’s flax!”

As for being pale… well, there was no arguing with that.

Hou Mo’s fair skin was a constant source of trouble. It was sensitive to sunlight, forcing him to religiously apply sunscreen. Despite never using whitening products, his skin was still inexplicably pale.

He’d even considered getting a tan to look less ghostly. But could a tan even stick to him?

The girl, unconcerned about these details, curiously asked: “Why are you so pale? It doesn’t make sense.”

Deng Yiheng chimed in: “His DNA is just… weird. Most people spend all winter trying to get their tan back. He? Two weeks, tops. This is actually him with a tan.”

As he spoke, Deng Yiheng tugged on Hou Mo’s sleeve, revealing his shoulder” “See? This is his real skin color. Pretty pale, huh?”

The girl’s eyes widened in disbelief: “Even my baby pictures aren’t that white.”

Deng Yiheng waved her off. “He and Brother Yu are a different breed. Brother Yu’s hair is naturally curly, can you tell? When they play doubles, they’re like a walking ad for ‘bleach, dye, and perm.’”

Both Sui Houyu and Hou Mo shot Deng Yiheng with identical hostile looks, as if mentally eviscerating him for running his mouth. 

Sensing danger, Deng immediately shut up.

The girl burst out laughing and introduced herself: “I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Lu Yanxin. I switched from badminton to tennis, though I’ve only been playing for about a year. Nice to meet you.”

Noticing the restaurant owner bringing their food, Hou Mo gave a cold response: “Just get to know those two.”

With that, he got up to help carry the food.

He meant Deng Yiheng and Shen Junjing, deliberately excluding Sui Houyu from the conversation.

Meanwhile, Sui Houyu sat scrolling through WeChat, converting voice messages from Ran Shu into text.

The message spanned two entire screens—just typical chatter from Ran Shu, nothing serious. A one-word reply would keep the conversation going.

Sui Houyu sent a simple: Oh.

Lü Yanxin wasn’t bothered by Hou Mo’s indifference. After all, Hou Mo was a legendary figure. She muttered, “Kinda cool… Oh, and hey, handsome, you look thinner.”

She was speaking to Sui Houyu.

Sui Houyu glanced up, “Me? Really?”

“Yeah. You were slim the last time I saw you, but now you’ve lost even more weight.”

Hou Mo returned with their food, set everything on the table, and grabbed Sui Houyu’s arm, inspecting it closely.

They were always together, so Hou Mo hadn’t noticed any change. But since Lu Yanxin was seeing him after more than a month, she could tell.

Hou Mo asked: “Have you weighed yourself recently?”

“No.”

“Do you even have a scale at home?” Hou Mo answered his own question before Sui Houyu could. “Oh, right—you don’t.”

Sui Houyu: “…”

“We’ll check at school. I think you’ve really lost weight.”

Sui Houyu responded half-heartedly, but when he looked at the food in front of him, his expression instantly turned mournful, and he didn’t touch it for a long time.

Plain noodles in a light broth, two eggs, and a plate of greens. It was his first time encountering a salad with broccoli mixed in.

Hou Mo, sitting beside him, said: “You have to eat. If it’s not enough, I’ll get you two more eggs. Otherwise, your body won’t hold up.”

Sui Houyu picked up his chopsticks and began eating the noodles in silence, but after finishing half the bowl, he didn’t feel like continuing.

By then, Hou Mo had already peeled three eggs and placed them in front of him. Sui Houyu grimaced as he drank the noodle broth and ate the eggs, occasionally glancing at his phone.

At this point, he reluctantly listened to a voice message from Ran Shu. When converted into text, it didn’t quite make sense, so he played the audio. He heard Ran Shu eating while talking with his mouth full.

He typed a reply: “What are you eating?”

Ran Shu: [Image]

When Sui Houyu opened the image, he saw Ran Shu having hot pot.

He glanced at the plain noodles before him, then at the hot pot in Ran Shu’s picture. A wave of resentment washed over him.

Hou Mo noticed his phone too and pointed at a plate in the picture, saying, “Is that red meat?”

“He’s not planning to compete, so he’s not watching his diet.” 

“He doesn’t have big ambitions, and we can’t control that.” Hou Mo said, then gestured at the greens. “Eat some vegetables.”

Sui Houyu reluctantly ate two bites, but soon put down his chopsticks and went back to scrolling on his phone.

The restaurant owner came over and glanced at his plate. “This doesn’t look like your usual appetite. Does it not taste good?”

Hou Mo stepped in to explain: “He’s just started eating meals like this, so he’s not used to it.”

Then he turned to Sui Houyu and urged: “Come on, eat a bit more.”

Sui Houyu flatly refused: “No.”

Hou Mo grabbed a clean pair of chopsticks, picked up some vegetables, and brought them to Sui Houyu’s mouth, cupping his other hand under it to catch any drips: “Come on, open wide. Ah—”

Sui Houyu glared at him, but since the food was already at his lips, he had no choice but to open his mouth and eat.

“Have another bite. Come on.” Hou Mo offered another mouthful.

Sui Houyu looked deeply reluctant, his expression twisted as if he might bite someone at any moment. 

Yet, after some hesitation, he ate the food.

The restaurant owner and three other onlookers witnessed this scene unfold: Granny Hou feeding someone, and the fiercest-looking yet most obedient child being spoon-fed.

Finally, Hou Mo fished the last noodle from the bowl and fed it to Sui Houyu, satisfied at last.

After the meal, the group went their separate ways.

Hou Mo and Sui Houyu walked home together. On the way, Sui Houyu carried the cat bag on his chest, with his fingers teasing the cat through the arched window of the bag.

Hou Mo loosened his shoulders as he walked beside him. Whenever they encountered uneven ground, he would grab Sui Houyu’s arm and steer him to a safer path.

Sui Houyu didn’t react to being pulled, as if he trusted Hou Mo completely to guide him safely. Once firmly back on even ground, he bowed down his head and resumed teasing the cat while walking.

“Can I borrow your electric scooter?” Hou Mo suddenly asked.

“Sure, are you replacing the wiring?”

“No. My mom’s going to the office for accounting work tomorrow. She usually rides her bike, but the autumn wind is too strong, and it’s tiring.”

Sui Houyu pulled out his keys from his pocket and tossed them to Hou Mo: “Take it.”

“Thanks.”

After walking a few more steps, Sui Houyu asked: “Does your mom go often?”

“Occasionally. She visits each company once a week—three times a week, since there are several companies.”

“My scooter sits in the school parking lot for a week anyway. She can just use it.”

“That’s not necessary.”

“I’m not being polite.”

“Oh…” Hou Mo put the keys in his pocket and smiled, his eyes curving like crescent moons, as if fireworks were blooming in them. “Thanks a lot.”

*

It turns out that quitting milk tea and fried food really does make you lose weight.

Even someone who was already in good shape can still lose weight.

Fengyu High School’s infirmary had a scale, and the sports students often stopped by, so they were familiar with the place. On Monday, Hou Mo took Sui Houyu there.

Sui Houyu stepped on the scale, and the two of them stared at the dial in disbelief.

Sui Houyu had really lost weight—five pounds in just a week, dropping from 118 to 113 pounds.

He was already skinny, and now this was just adding insult to injury.

Sui Houyu couldn’t believe it and stepped on the scale a few more times, but the numbers didn’t change.

Hou Mo also stepped on the scale to check, and it read 144 pounds, the same as before.

Looking back and forth between the scale and Sui Houyu, Hou Mo couldn’t help but exclaim: “Isn’t it too outrageous?!”

Among the student athletes, Hou Mo was already considered slim.

But now with Sui Houyu here, it was like breaking records. Probably only the high jumpers on the track team could compete with him in terms of thinness.

This was just an old mechanical scale—if they checked Sui Houyu’s body fat percentage, Hou Mo might actually cry.

Unwilling to give up, Hou Mo dragged Sui Houyu to the training grounds. He rummaged through the storage room and finally found an electronic scale. After changing the batteries, he stepped on it—144 pounds, just like before.

He placed the electronic scale on the floor and motioned to Sui Houyu: “Give it a try.”

Sui Houyu took off his shoes and stepped on it. The screen displayed 56.5 kg—113 pounds.

Hou Mo never imagined that a guy over 180 cm tall could have a weight starting with a five.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Hou Mo stayed silent for a moment before saying: “Maybe the scale is off? Try again.”

Sui Houyu cautiously got back on the scale. This time, it showed 56.4 kg.

He’d lost 0.1 kg just from standing there for a moment?!

“Some people gain weight just by drinking water, but you… you lose weight just by breathing?” Hou Mo sat on the floor, patting the spot next to him. “Come, sit down. Slowly now—if you sit too fast and lose another pound, I don’t think I can handle the shock.”

Sui Houyu sat down beside him and said, “It’s partly because I’ve been avoiding certain foods recently…”

“More like restricting and being picky!”

“Yeah, I haven’t had sweets in a long time.”

“If pig farmers dealt with someone like you, they’d go bankrupt.”

Sui Houyu shot Hou Mo a glare and continued, “Also, I’ve been working out a lot recently.”

“That can’t be it. You’ve been getting plenty of sleep too, right?”

“Insomnia can lead to weight gain.”

“You used to have insomnia, snack on sweets in the middle of the night, and drink milk tea every day, and yet you still stayed skinny. Now that you’ve dropped those bad habits, you’re turning into a skeleton? Maybe you should stop going to the bathroom twice a day—hold it in, and maybe you’ll gain a pound or two.”

Sui Houyu completely ignored him.

Hou Mo, still spiraling, said, “You lost more than five pounds in a week! What if you keep losing weight? This is terrifying. Right now, you look like a walking stick! If you were just attending classes, it wouldn’t matter. But you’re an athlete! What if you break your arm playing tennis?”

“Would gaining two pounds prevent a fracture?”

“This is seriously alarming.”

They both sat on the floor, feeling a bit lost.

Sui Houyu suggested: “Should I try some muscle gain powder?”

“What, you want to become a King Kong Barbie?”

“…”

“You’ve got muscle—it’s just that you have no fat.” Hou Mo sighed again. “I’ll talk to Coach Wang and see what we can do.”

*

After confirming that Sui Houyu had really lost weight, Hou Mo started acting like Grandma Hou.

He kept a close watch over Sui Houyu’s three meals a day. If Sui Houyu didn’t eat, Hou Mo would pester him endlessly, coaxing and cajoling him into eating.

Whenever Sui Houyu ate a lot, Hou Mo would praise him: “You ate really well today, good job!”

Without exception, Sui Houyu would shoot him a glare in response.

In the past, after training, Hou Mo would bring Sui Houyu inside to draw court diagrams and explain strategies.

But now things had completely changed.

When they finished training, Hou Mo would rush over to support Sui Houyu like he was caring for a pregnant woman, carefully helping him sit on a bench.

Once Sui Houyu was seated, Hou Mo would run back inside to fetch a small chalkboard and drag it outside, setting it up in front of Sui Houyu to draw diagrams. Since it was dark and the court lights didn’t reach their spot, Sui Houyu struggled to see the drawings and tried to stand up. But Hou Mo pressed him back down, saying” “No, stay seated. Don’t stand up and lose another pound. I’ll draw bigger and use my phone’s flashlight so you can see.”

“You’re being ridiculous.”

“No, what’s ridiculous is your weight! Playing doubles with me looks like you’re being tortured. If you get down to 110 pounds, I swear I’ll jump into the river.”

Sui Houyu leaned back against the bench, unwilling to say anything.

Hou Mo finished drawing the court map, marking the routes, and then turned around to explain. Seeing that Sui Houyu was still sulking, he said nothing more and gently ruffled Sui Houyu’s hair before continuing his explanation.

Although annoyed, Sui Houyu eventually pulled out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and carefully studied the chalkboard to understand Hou Mo’s strategy.

Coach Wang’s goal for both of them was to become all-round players.

Becoming well-rounded was about building up tactical knowledge. At this point, they were like two top students, quickly mastering strategies.

Despite being new to it, Sui Houyu absorbed everything immediately. His learning ability and growth rate were astonishing, so Hou Mo didn’t even need to explain things in detail.

*

Back at the dorm that night, Sui Houyu stepped on the scale again.

After getting permission from Coach Wang, Hou Mo had brought the electronic scale to their dorm, checking Sui Houyu’s weight constantly, as if he were ready to call an ambulance the moment Sui Houyu lost any more weight.

As soon as Sui Houyu stepped on the scale, everyone in the dorm crowded around. Seeing that it still showed 113 pounds, they all let out a sigh of relief.

As long as he hadn’t lost more weight, it was fine.

After Sui Houyu stepped off, Ran Shu took a turn on the scale, which read 115 pounds.

Ran Shu looked at Sui Houyu and mumbled: “Brother Yu, I’m already skinny enough.”

With all this fuss, even Sui Houyu was starting to feel anxious. He stood there with his hands on his hips, staring at the scale in silence.

Lately, he had been lying down after meals, hoping it would help him gain some weight, but all it did was keep his weight stable. He was starting to feel lost—how could he gain weight?

He changed into his pajamas and lay on the bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Glancing toward the door, he realized Hou Mo still wasn’t back.

After training, Hou Mo had left with Coach Wang. At first, Sui Houyu didn’t think much of it, but now it was already 11 PM, and Hou Mo was still nowhere to be seen. For some reason, a knot formed in his throat, making it hard to swallow or breathe.

Was he… worried?

He pulled out his phone and opened his chat with Hou Mo, hesitating to send a message.

Just as he was about to type, a message from Hou Mo popped up: “Come to the fifth floor. Alone.”

Sui Houyu immediately got out of bed, slipped on his flip-flops, and walked out of the dorm. At the stairwell, he spotted Hou Mo waiting for him, motioning for him to follow.

Without explaining anything, Hou Mo led him into one of the fifth-floor dorm rooms.

As they entered, a wave of heat hit them.

Looking around, Sui Houyu saw a small hotpot set up on the floor, along with some vegetables and meat.

“What’s this?” Sui Houyu asked, surprised.

“A late-night snack.”

Hou Mo squatted beside the pot and said, “There are no chairs, so let’s just sit on the floor. I went to the cafeteria to mix the dipping sauce myself—Hou’s secret recipe. Try it later.”

“We’re allowed to eat meat?”

“It’s beef from the canteen—the same one that prepares our boxed meals. Coach Wang helped me buy it, and I cut it myself. My main task today was waiting for the meat to thaw.”

Sui Houyu glanced around. There wasn’t much food—just enough for one person.

But he realized that for someone as frugal as Hou Mo, even this was a splurge.

The thought gave Sui Houyu a twinge of guilt.

Hou Mo was incredibly capable. For a high schooler, earning 200,000 yuan a year was exceptional. But his family was still drowning in debt, and it was only last year that most of it was paid off with Hou Mo’s prize money. There was still some debt left unpaid.

Under these circumstances, how could Hou Mo afford to treat him?

“How much was all this? I’ll pay you back.” Sui Houyu said, pulling out his phone to transfer money to Hou Mo.

“No need, it’s my treat.”

“Your treat? You even charged me for disposable underwear before. Hurry up, let me transfer the money.”

“That’s different! Ever heard of someone treating a friend to underwear? Makes no sense. Underwear is underwear, food is food.”

Sui Houyu had been quite serious just now, but he couldn’t help bursting out in laughter.

Then, realizing that his laugh sounded a bit too girlish, he instinctively covered his mouth with his phone, trying to suppress it.

Hou Mo kept watching him the entire time. Seeing Sui Houyu’s changing expressions, he felt his heart tingle—it was too cute.