NASAY CH 19

Huo Xingzhou withdrew his gaze and looked at Feng Jia. 

“Keep this to yourself. Ask around quietly.”

Feng Jia leaned in with a mischievous smile.

 “Why are you paying so much attention to Luo Xing? Buying him milk tea, giving him your dad’s signed books, inviting him to watch your basketball game… I even heard you stood up for him and the class monitor that day. Spill it!”

Huo Xingzhou raised an eyebrow. 

“Spill what?”

“Tell me what your motive is,” 

Feng Jia said as if it were obvious.

“We’re both guys. What motive could I possibly have?” 

Huo Xingzhou gave him a look like he was crazy, then added, 

“Also, stop eating grilled lamb kidneys. Try grilled brain instead.”

Feng Jia blinked in confusion.

 “Why?”

“Because you are what you eat.”

“You bastard! I’m going to tear your mouth off! Can you not mock me for once?”

 Feng Jia lunged at him.

Huo Xingzhou didn’t even flinch, just looked at him with a half-smile. 

Feng Jia gritted his teeth but ultimately held back. He knew he couldn’t win in a fight, and besides, if he hit Huo Xingzhou, who else would treat him to barbecue?

“Don’t deny it. I suspect you like Luo Xing.”

“Like, my ass. I just get annoyed seeing him sitting next to me looking all pitiful.”

Huo Xingzhou scoffed. He didn’t even have an official status yet—how could he admit anything? 

What was he supposed to say? That he’s still figuring out how to fight some random guy for Luo Xing?

Feng Jia laughed twice before adding, 

“Lately, you’ve stopped skipping class. What’s your deal? Spill!”

Even Huo Xingzhou paused for a second. His eyes drifted back to the classroom, where Luo Xing was working quietly. 

Only then did he realize that ever since he made that deal—exchanging class attendance for Luo Xing’s promise to watch his game—he’d been pushing the boundaries a little too much.

Every time he thought about skipping, Luo Xing would ask, 

“Where are you going?” 

If he said he was going back to sleep or to play games, Luo Xing would reply with a soft but firm “No.”

And it wasn’t the harsh kind of refusal—it was gentle, almost like it was scratching at his heart. If he ignored it, Luo Xing would pout and look at him with a sad expression.

Huo Xingzhou couldn’t stand that, so he stayed.

And he’d been staying… for almost a month now.

Snapping back to reality, Huo Xingzhou flicked Feng Jia’s hand away. 

“What deal? I’m studying, you idiot. You wouldn’t understand.”

Feng Jia grinned and threw an arm around his shoulder. 

“We agreed, remember? If you date early, you have to sing ‘Conquer’ under the national flag. If Luo Xing ever dominates you, you owe me a month’s worth of barbecue, plus you have to jump off the clock tower.”

“…” Huo Xingzhou paused for a moment. 

“Keep dreaming. Not happening.”

Luo Xing was busy grading papers. When he saw Huo Xingzhou return, he pulled out a finished paper and gently tugged at his sleeve. 

“You improved by five points this time!” he said happily.

Huo Xingzhou sat down and leaned over to look at the paper. There were a few questions circled in red and a neat little “72” written in the score column.

Luo Xing looked up at him, his eyes full of joy.

“Is there a reward for improving?” 

Huo Xingzhou rested his head on his hand, noticing how meticulously Luo Xing had graded his paper. Every mistake was circled, with the correct answers written beside them in neat handwriting.

He couldn’t let all that effort go to waste.

Study? Fine. He’d study.

“What reward do you want?” 

Luo Xing asked.

Huo Xingzhou thought for a moment. If he were to follow his true thoughts, he’d want Luo Xing to kiss him, but that condition was obviously out of the question.

After thinking it over, he asked, 

“I heard someone confessed to you at the stairs last time.”

Luo Xing quickly shook his head. 

“I didn’t agree!”

Huo Xingzhou tilted his head and smiled at him. 

“I know you didn’t agree. That’s not what I’m asking. I’m asking if you already have someone you like. Who is it?”

The tip of Luo Xing’s pen slipped, leaving a long mark across the notebook. His expression was almost identical to the day he scratched his chair when they first met. Luo Xing panicked and denied it. 

“I-I don’t have anyone I like. You must’ve heard wrong.”

Huo Xingzhou frowned slightly. So, there really was someone who stole Luo Xing’s heart first. He pulled at Luo Xing’s worksheet and asked, 

“Is the person you like good-looking?”

Luo Xing bit his lip, unsure how to answer. If he said the person was good-looking, wouldn’t that be admitting he had a crush?

“I really don’t have anyone I like,” 

he muttered. Lying was hard for him, especially when it was to Huo Xingzhou. His voice dropped to a whisper. 

“Besides, didn’t you say I’m not allowed to date early?”

…Was he throwing the ball back to him now?

Huo Xingzhou scoffed internally. What kind of bastard was he protecting like this? His face was already hurt, yet that wild guy didn’t even protect him properly. How was he worthy?

Luo Xing was afraid Huo Xingzhou would keep pressing him, so he hurriedly changed the subject. 

“What do you want as a reward, anyway?”

Huo Xingzhou thought for a moment, then said, 

“Teach me yesterday’s problem set again.”

Hearing how eager Huo Xingzhou was to study, Luo Xing happily pulled out the test paper and began explaining the steps one by one. He didn’t even notice when his hand was held firmly in Huo Xingzhou’s palm.

Huo Xingzhou tilted his head, watching his soft lips move as he spoke, his slightly lowered eyes, and the delicate white fingertips.

So cute.

Luo Xing’s voice was soft when he explained, completely different from the stern tone of their teachers. After explaining for a while, he would look up and ask.

“Did you get it?” If something wasn’t clear, he’d patiently explain it again.

Huo Xingzhou wasn’t listening at all. He hummed something vague, then pointed at another question. 

“I don’t get this one either.”

“You can’t be distracted. Focus on one problem at a time. Don’t look over there, look at this problem,”

 Luo Xing scolded gently.

“Teacher Luo.”

Luo Xing’s heart skipped a beat. 

“W-what?”

Huo Xingzhou leaned in close, his voice deliberately low and teasing in Luo Xing’s ear. 

“How do you say ‘big brother’ in French?”

“Mon frère,”

 Luo Xing answered without thinking. Then he realized what he’d said and blushed instantly. 

“Y-you… why are you—”

Huo Xingzhou lightly pinched his wrist and gently rubbed the bones with his fingers. 

“Why what?”

Heat spread from where his fingers touched, tingling all the way to Luo Xing’s fingertips. Panicked, Luo Xing pulled his hand back. 

“You… you try doing it yourself first. I’ll help you later.”

“Teacher Luo, but I don’t know how to do so many of them. I need you to explain them now.”

Luo Xing was so flustered his face turned bright red. His heart was pounding wildly, his ears buzzing, and his voice barely audible. 

“Don’t call me teacher.”

Huo Xingzhou grinned and followed up smoothly. 

“But you’ve taught me so much. If I can’t call you teacher, what should I call you?”

Luo Xing’s face was completely red, his breath catching in his chest. His heart felt like it was about to burst. 

“Just call me by my name. If someone hears you, the teachers will say something.”

He was sitting in a spot near the wall, leaving him nowhere to escape as he faced Huo Xingzhou. He didn’t dare look away, not even for a second.

He anxiously wanted to hide but couldn’t bear to do so. He was caught in an internal struggle, going back and forth until his eyes turned red.

“Then I won’t let others hear, nor will I let the teacher hear. Will you let me call you that?”

 Huo Xingzhou naturally took his hand and gently pinched it twice, raising his eyebrows and saying self-deprecatingly, 

“Or do you dislike me and think I’m not worthy of being your student?”

“No!” 

Luo Xing quickly explained, 

“Don’t say that about yourself. I’ll agree, but you can’t call me that in front of others. Only in private, okay”

Huo Xingzhou lowered his head and chuckled to himself, thinking that this kid was too easy to fool—hadn’t even been offered any candy and was already counting money for others.

If he really gave him candy, he’d probably sell himself too.

“Okay, I’ll do it secretly. No one will know.”

After the morning class ended, Hu Jiawen came to find Luo Xing for lunch. Before he could even speak, Huo Xingzhou, without lifting his head, said, 

“He’s not eating with you.”

“Huh?”

“Not just today, but from now on.”

Huo Xingzhou always thought Luo Xing was too skinny. He’d invited him to eat together several times, but Luo Xing refused, preferring to eat with Hu Jiawen rather than with him.

The cafeteria food—was that even edible?

After thinking about it, Huo Xingzhou decided not to eat out anymore either. He’d order takeout instead so he could keep an eye on how much Luo Xing ate every day and ensure he at least got enough nutrition.

“Why?” 

Hu Jiawen looked at Luo Xing. They hadn’t had a fight or anything, right?

Luo Xing was also at a loss about where this conclusion came from. The two stared at each other in confusion before Huo Xingzhou’s phone rang.

Luo Xing, standing nearby, saw that the caller ID showed a takeout delivery.

Huo Xingzhou answered with a couple of words and hung up, saying, 

“Wait for me in the classroom. I’ll go down and get the food.”

“Uh… okay,”

 Luo Xing nodded blankly.

Huo Xingzhou then looked at Hu Jiawen. 

“You stay and eat with us too.”

Hu Jiawen, who had always been timid, considered it a big deal to even speak a few words to Huo Xingzhou. Upon hearing this, he quickly waved his hands,

 “No, no, I’ll eat at the cafeteria instead.”

The classroom was empty. Luo Xing sat in his seat, dazed for a few seconds, when his phone suddenly rang with a Weibo notification.

@BuYuanXing has followed you.

Luo Xing glanced at it and casually swiped the notification away. He stood up, filled his cup with hot water, and returned to his seat to review last night’s test.

Huo Xingzhou had made several mistakes, all in the same step. Luo Xing marked the errors with a note and added a star next to them, planning to explain them in detail later. Just as he was focused on his work, someone knocked on the front door.

He looked up.

A boy was standing at the door. He looked unfamiliar, but that was normal—Luo Xing rarely paid attention to anyone other than Huo Xingzhou.

The boy had pale skin, black eyes behind his glasses, and slender fingers resting lightly on the door.

He was very good-looking.

“Are you Luo Xing?”

 The boy walked in.

 “I’ve heard of you. You transferred here from Fourth High, right?”

His voice was calm, without a hint of emotion. There was a slight, formulaic smile on his face, making it difficult to tell whether it was friendly or not.

Although Luo Xing had always been sensitive to others’ emotions, he couldn’t guess this boy’s intentions or understand what his sudden greeting meant.

“I’m Luo Xing. May I ask who you are…?”

The boy stood next to Huo Xingzhou’s desk, resting his left hand lightly on the back of the chair. Tilting his head slightly, he said,

 “My name is Xue Jian. I just transferred back from No. 1 High School.”

Luo Xing was stunned.

He remembered the name Xue Jian, not just because Feng Jia mentioned it on the phone while they were eating barbecue that day.

The first time he came across this name was on the city’s list of outstanding students for the high school entrance exams.

At that time, Luo Xing ranked first, followed by Ye Qiaoqiao in second, Lu Qinghe in third, and Xue Jian in fourth.

All of them had scores high enough to attend No. 1 High School. However, Luo Xing transferred to No. 4 High School due to Zhao Jiulan’s influence. He wasn’t sure why Ye Qiaoqiao and Lu Qinghe went to No. 2 High School.

But since Xue Jian was already at No. 1 High School, why did he transfer back?

“I heard that you’re close to Huo Xingzhou. Last time, when someone falsely accused you and Ye Qiaoqiao of cheating, he even…”

Before he could finish speaking—

“What are you doing here?”

Huo Xingzhou stood at the back door with takeout in hand, his expression cold as he stared at Xue Jian. The icy look in his eyes could freeze a person on the spot. His whole body exuded a suppressive hostility.

It was the first time Luo Xing had seen this side of Huo Xingzhou—cold and chilling.

Xue Jian turned slightly, as though there was no animosity between them. Instead, he extended his hand with a smile, as if they were old friends meeting again. 

“Long time no see, Xingzhou.”

Luo Xing didn’t know the complicated history between them but sensed it wasn’t the right time for him to be there. He stood up and said, 

“Maybe I should go to the bathroom.”

Huo Xingzhou softened his tone, gently ruffled Luo Xing’s hair, and said in a low voice, 

“Go ahead. Wash your hands and come back for lunch.”

Luo Xing left, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

Xue Jian smiled. 

“It seems you’re not too happy to see me back.”

Huo Xingzhou placed the takeout on the table, nudged a chair with his foot, sat down, and crossed his long legs casually. He glanced at Xue Jian coldly. 

“Do you think you deserve it?”

Xue Jian’s smile froze for a second but quickly returned to normal. 

“I know you all blame me, but…”

Before he could finish, Huo Xingzhou kicked the desk, causing a harsh screech as it scraped across the floor.

He stood up and walked up to Xue Jian, speaking almost word by word.

“But what? You want to say you didn’t mean to get someone killed? Or that you didn’t mean to take her to that kind of place?”

Xue Jian was silent for a moment, then suddenly exploded like a firecracker, his voice full of agitation. 

“How could I have known that would happen?!”

Huo Xingzhou looked at him with a cold smile. 

“Why are you explaining to me? If you were really sincere, you’d go tell her in person. Don’t you just want someone to tell you it’s not your fault, to comfort you, to say you’re innocent? That life goes on and that Min yao wouldn’t want you to feel sad so you can live happily even while stepping on her corpse?”

He leaned closer, his voice like ice. 

“Not a chance. Carry your guilt with you and live a long life.”

Xue Jian clenched his fists, his face pale and his teeth grinding audibly. 

“If you all cared so much, why didn’t you save her? What’s the point of blaming me? Can she come back to life?!”

“No,” Huo Xingzhou said flatly.

Xue Jian’s chest heaved as he slammed his fist onto the desk.

 “Don’t you have any responsibility? I didn’t kill Min yao on purpose! I was drunk too!”

“I do have responsibility,”

 Huo Xingzhou said, slowly walking up to him. He looked straight into Xue Jian’s eyes with an icy gaze that made Xue Jian shiver.

“My responsibility is to honor Minyao’s request… by not killing you.”

“You!” 

Xue Jian’s eyes turned red with anger, filled with hatred as though Huo Xingzhou were the one who had taken a life.

After a long pause, he turned and walked out of the classroom.

At the doorway, Huo Xingzhou called after him, 

“Wait.”

Xue Jian turned back.

“Don’t show up in front of Luo Xing again. I find you disgusting.”

—————

Author’s note:”Is my monthly visitor^[1]/about to arrive?”