NASAY CH 33

Luo Xing’s feet suddenly left the ground, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around Huo Xingzhou’s neck, his trembling voice barely audible, 

“Don’t go… don’t go.”

Huo Xingzhou initially planned to carry him back to the dorm, but when he heard that shaky voice, his heart clenched painfully. He stopped in his tracks, turned around, and sat back down in the chair, placing Luo Xing on his lap and holding him tight.

“Okay, I won’t go, I won’t go,” 

Huo Xingzhou gently comforted him.

 “Let’s stay here for a while, alright? Don’t be scared.”

The classroom was almost empty. Ye Qiaoqiao was about to lock the door when she suddenly heard voices behind her. She took a few steps forward to check.

Lu Qinghe stood behind her. .“What’s wrong?”

“Hmm…”

 Ye Qiaoqiao raised her hand to cover Lu Qinghe’s mouth and whispered softly in his ear, 

“Huo Xingzhou and Luo Xing are still at the back. Let’s go.”

Lu Qinghe nodded, took her hand, and walked downstairs together.

In the classroom, Huo Xingzhou raised his hand to cover Luo Xing’s ears. Feeling him shiver slightly, Huo Xingzhou’s heart ached even more. He pulled him into his arms and gently patted his back over and over again, whispering, 

“Don’t be scared… don’t be scared.”

The classroom was eerily quiet, making Luo Xing’s rapid, shallow breaths sound exceptionally loud—desperate and ragged, like a fish struggling to breathe in a world without water.

Clutching his fingers helplessly, Luo Xing’s faint gasps pierced Huo Xingzhou’s heart. He leaned closer to his ear and softly asked, 

“Luo Xing, are you afraid of the dark?”

“You’re holding my hand. There’s nothing scary about the dark. My Luo Xing is the brightest light in the world—there’s no need to fear the dark.”

Huo Xingzhou released his hands, leaned in, and gently kissed his ear. He then held Luo Xing’s hand in his palm, tracing it again and again. 

“Don’t be afraid.”

Luo Xing kept trembling, his breathing chaotic and erratic.

The bitterness in Huo Xingzhou’s heart grew stronger and stronger. Even if Luo Xing couldn’t hear well, he shouldn’t be this terrified. Just a power outage had frightened him to this extent!

Suddenly, Huo Xingzhou remembered that every night before bed, there was always a faint light from Luo Xing’s phone near his pillow. He had thought several times that Luo Xing was secretly playing on his phone late at night, but when he called him softly, there was never a response.

What else did he experience when he was little?!

What did that woman do to him?!

In the darkness, Huo Xingzhou was filled with fury, an overwhelming desire to destroy anyone who had hurt Luo Xing. The thought of Luo Xing losing his hearing, learning to read lips in helplessness, made him wish he could repay that pain a thousandfold to those responsible.

This child—his precious treasure—he wanted to spoil him endlessly, yet someone had been cruel enough to harm him so deeply.

If she didn’t cherish him, if she abandoned him, then Huo Xingzhou would take over.

For the rest of her life, she would never be allowed near Luo Xing again!

“Huo Xingzhou…” 

Luo Xing’s soft voice sounded weak but clear from his arms, deeply shaking Huo Xingzhou. He immediately cupped his face. 

“I’m here.”

Perhaps it was the repeated reassurances or the comfort of Huo Xingzhou’s embrace, but Luo Xing slowly calmed down. His hearing seemed to recover slightly, and he could make out faint sounds.

“I just…” 

Luo Xing began to speak, but Huo Xingzhou cut him off with a teasing tone.

“Those idiots out there, the moment they heard self-study was canceled, they started yelling like crazy. They were so loud, I couldn’t even hear what you were saying. What were you trying to tell me just now?”

Luo Xing hesitated. He didn’t want to say it—if he didn’t say it, then Huo Xingzhou wouldn’t know.

Luo Xing is healthy. Healthier than anyone else.

“I-I didn’t say anything.” 

Luo Xing bit his lip and buried himself in Huo Xingzhou’s arms, exhaling softly as he tried to control his ragged breathing.

Luo Xing breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, Huo Xingzhou didn’t notice anything unusual about him.

Huo Xingzhou gently pinched the soft area between Luo Xing’s thumb and index finger, massaging it twice, and let him lean against his chest. He pretended to be angry.

 “Were you secretly badmouthing me while I wasn’t paying attention? No lying.”

“N-No, I wasn’t.”

“Really?”

With Huo Xingzhou’s hand at his waist, Luo Xing was so nervous he didn’t dare move. 

“Really… I didn’t.”

 Luckily it was dark, or Huo Xingzhou would have seen how pale his face was, drenched in cold sweat.

The more Huo Xingzhou thought about it, the more distressed he felt. He wanted to wrap Luo Xing up, melt him, and tuck him into his heart so no one could ever hurt him again.

He worried that Luo Xing wasn’t adjusting well to the darkness and might be suffering in silence, too stubborn to say anything.

“The whole school’s out of power. The dorm probably doesn’t have electricity either. How about I take you out for a walk?” 

Huo Xingzhou set him down from his lap, holding his hand before Luo Xing could react, and led him toward the back door. 

“Want to eat something?”

There were quite a few restaurants nearby. Huo Xingzhou figured he’d take Luo Xing out for some food and fun, then bring him back to sleep once he was tired.

“Anything’s fine,” 

Luo Xing said, though he wasn’t hungry. He just nodded along.

“Let’s decide when we get to the gate.”

There were lots of people around campus. Some students, who couldn’t meet openly during the day, were now walking around the track, hand in hand. No matter where you looked, there was someone around.

Occasionally, couples could be seen kissing and hugging without a care in the world. Huo Xingzhou chuckled. 

“Tsk, it’s like they’ve never done it before. Shameless.”

“What?” 

Luo Xing didn’t hear him clearly and tilted his head in confusion, unconsciously tightening his grip on Huo Xingzhou’s hand.

Feeling the softness of Luo Xing’s palm, Huo Xingzhou’s thoughts stirred. He stopped walking toward the gate and turned into a quiet corner on the field.

“Aren’t we going to eat?” 

Luo Xing asked.

“Later.” 

Huo Xingzhou smiled, ruffling Luo Xing’s hair before pulling him into his embrace. Leaning close to his ear, he whispered, 

“Look to your left. See those two people kissing?”

Luo Xing instinctively followed his direction. Two shadowy figures were pressed together, their heads overlapping slightly. As they turned under the moonlight, their outlines became faintly visible.

The couple kissed without a care in the world, lost in their own moment. But Luo Xing, who was watching, blushed, his chest heating up. 

“That’s so…”

“So what?” 

Huo Xingzhou teased.

Luo Xing couldn’t find the words. His hearing seemed unusually sharp all of a sudden. He could even hear the faint sound of their lips parting and joining, which made him blush even more.

“There are so many people here… Aren’t they afraid of being seen?” 

Luo Xing lowered his voice, whispering softly. 

“What if someone recognizes them?”

Huo Xingzhou noticed that Luo Xing had finally adjusted to the darkness and felt relieved. It seemed that what helped him forget his fear was… shyness?

What a treasure.

“Let’s stop watching and go.” 

Luo Xing tugged at Huo Xingzhou’s sleeve gently, his tone soft.

 “It’s not nice to peek… What if they catch us?”

“I-I didn’t say anything.”

 Luo Xing bit his lip and buried himself in Huo Xingzhou’s arms, exhaling softly as he tried to control his ragged breathing.

Luo Xing breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily, Huo Xingzhou didn’t notice anything unusual about him.

Huo Xingzhou gently pinched the soft area between Luo Xing’s thumb and index finger, massaging it twice, and let him lean against his chest. He pretended to be angry.

 “Were you secretly badmouthing me while I wasn’t paying attention? No lying.”

“N-No, I wasn’t.”

“Really?”

With Huo Xingzhou’s hand at his waist, Luo Xing was so nervous he didn’t dare move. “Really… I didn’t.” Luckily it was dark, or Huo Xingzhou would have seen how pale his face was, drenched in cold sweat.

The more Huo Xingzhou thought about it, the more distressed he felt. He wanted to wrap Luo Xing up, melt him, and tuck him into his heart so no one could ever hurt him again.

He worried that Luo Xing wasn’t adjusting well to the darkness and might be suffering in silence, too stubborn to say anything.

“The whole school’s out of power. The dorm probably doesn’t have electricity either. How about I take you out for a walk?” Huo Xingzhou set him down from his lap, holding his hand before Luo Xing could react, and led him toward the back door. “Want to eat something?”

There were quite a few restaurants nearby. Huo Xingzhou figured he’d take Luo Xing out for some food and fun, then bring him back to sleep once he was tired.

“Anything’s fine,” Luo Xing said, though he wasn’t hungry. He just nodded along.

“Let’s decide when we get to the gate.”

There were lots of people around campus. Some students, who couldn’t meet openly during the day, were now walking around the track, hand in hand. No matter where you looked, there was someone around.

Occasionally, couples could be seen kissing and hugging without a care in the world. Huo Xingzhou chuckled. 

“Tsk, it’s like they’ve never done it before. Shameless.”

“What?” Luo Xing didn’t hear him clearly and tilted his head in confusion, unconsciously tightening his grip on Huo Xingzhou’s hand.

Feeling the softness of Luo Xing’s palm, Huo Xingzhou’s thoughts stirred. He stopped walking toward the gate and turned into a quiet corner on the field.

“Aren’t we going to eat?” Luo Xing asked.

“Later.” Huo Xingzhou smiled, ruffling Luo Xing’s hair before pulling him into his embrace. Leaning close to his ear, he whispered,

 “Look to your left. See those two people kissing?”

Luo Xing instinctively followed his direction. Two shadowy figures were pressed together, their heads overlapping slightly. As they turned under the moonlight, their outlines became faintly visible.

The couple kissed without a care in the world, lost in their own moment. But Luo Xing, who was watching, blushed, his chest heating up. “That’s so…”

“So what?” Huo Xingzhou teased.

Luo Xing couldn’t find the words. His hearing seemed unusually sharp all of a sudden. He could even hear the faint sound of their lips parting and joining, which made him blush even more.

“There are so many people here… Aren’t they afraid of being seen?” Luo Xing lowered his voice, whispering softly. “What if someone recognizes them?”

Huo Xingzhou noticed that Luo Xing had finally adjusted to the darkness and felt relieved. It seemed that what helped him forget his fear was… shyness?

What a treasure.

“Let’s stop watching and go.”

 Luo Xing tugged at Huo Xingzhou’s sleeve gently, his tone soft.

 “It’s not nice to peek… What if they catch us?”

“If you like someone, what’s there to fear about people knowing? If I were in a relationship, I’d kiss that person in front of the whole world so everyone knows I like him and want to spoil him.”

 Huo Xingzhou’s words took a sudden turn as he asked, 

“What about you?”

“Huh?” 

The question caught Luo Xing off guard.

“If the person you like asked you to kiss him in front of the whole world, would you dare?” 

Huo Xingzhou tightened his hold on Luo Xing’s waist, pulling him closer without drawing attention to himself, and leaned in slightly, brushing against the soft skin on Luo Xing’s neck.

Luo Xing stood there blankly, letting Huo Xingzhou hold him, not realizing anything was wrong. Instead, he closed his eyes and thought about it. If he were with Huo Xing, and Huo Xing asked him to kiss him in front of the whole world…

Everyone would be watching them.

Luo Xing’s face turned bright red. His breath brushed softly against Huo Xingzhou’s chest as he felt a surge of heat just from the thought. Shyly, he nodded gently. 

“Mhm.”

Huo Xingzhou smiled with satisfaction and flicked Luo Xing’s forehead. He thought to himself: Such a good boy. One day, I’ll kiss you in front of the whole school.

“Huo Xingzhou, let’s go,” 

Luo Xing tugged on his sleeve, unable to stand it any longer. His mind was full of images of Huo Xing kissing him, his heart racing and legs going weak. Feeling uncomfortable, he mumbled, 

“I… I’m hungry.”

“Hungry? Then let’s go eat.” 

Huo Xingzhou held his hand and led him toward the school gate. When they reached a restaurant, he suddenly stopped.

Luo Xing turned his head in confusion, only to see Huo Xingzhou casually open his coat. 

“Come here.”

Without understanding what was happening, Luo Xing walked over, and Huo Xingzhou pulled him into his coat, holding him tightly to his chest. The clean scent of laundry detergent filled Luo Xing’s nose, and the warmth of Huo Xingzhou’s body instantly drove away the cold.

“Huo Xingzhou?”

Huo Xingzhou’s hands slipped down to hold Luo Xing’s waist, wrapping him completely in his oversized coat. Luo Xing managed to peek his head out of the coat, blinking in confusion as he looked up at him.

“Let go… there are so many people here,” 

Luo Xing stammered, too shy to look around. His ears burned as he kept urging him, 

“Let me go… People are watching.”

Huo Xingzhou chuckled, raising a hand to point at a sign nearby. 

“Look, this place doesn’t allow pets inside. You’d better hide, or they’ll find you.”

Hearing his low voice, Luo Xing’s face turned even redder. He pushed him hard. 

“You’re the pet!”

“Fine, fine. I’m the pet. But this pet still needs an owner. Want to adopt me?” 

Huo Xingzhou lowered his head, gently brushing his nose against Luo Xing’s, his warm breath tickling Luo Xing’s skin. 

“If you do, I’ll let you stamp me as yours. No one else can ever take me. Do you want me?”

Luo Xing looked into his eyes, listening to his serious words. Somehow, he both understood and didn’t. Every word made sense on its own, but when pieced together, the meaning felt so deep that it left him unsure.

Was Huo Xingzhou really saying what he thought he was? Or was he just teasing him?

He didn’t dare to take the risk. If Huo Xingzhou wasn’t serious and was just playing around, admitting his feelings would ruin everything.

What if Huo Xingzhou didn’t want to be friends anymore? They had promised to take the college entrance exam together. What if Huo Xingzhou decided not to go with him anymore?

He couldn’t act impulsively.

While he was lost in thought, his phone suddenly chimed, startling him. He quickly pushed Huo Xingzhou away.

 “I-I need to check a message.”

Huo Xingzhou watched Luo Xing hurriedly escape from his arms, clenching his teeth in frustration. Whoever sent that message is dead.