HSS CH30

Chapter 30: Why Should I Care?

That day in class, Lin Miao’s mind was preoccupied with Huo Yuchuan’s word “wife,” which buzzed incessantly in his ears, drowning out everything else. The text in his textbook seemed like a swarm of ants, densely packed and indecipherable. He turned his face and glared at the culprit.

Huo Yuchuan, however, acted as if nothing had happened. He casually took Lin Miao’s pen and wrote on his notebook, “Pay attention in class.” Lin Miao was furious and snatched the pen back, scribbling “big jerk” several times on the page. Huo Yuchuan didn’t seem upset at all; instead, he moved his lips slightly, mouthing something silently. For some reason, Lin Miao understood him.

Huo Yuchuan said, “Your handwriting is quite cute.”

Lin Miao’s face flushed again. He flipped past the messy page and focused on the lecture, taking notes diligently, ignoring Huo Yuchuan. The teacher’s voice came from the podium, and bright light streamed in through the windows—it was a fine day.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lin Miao saw Huo Yuchuan, as if hypnotized, leaning his head on his arms and resting on the desk. He waited for a while before turning to see Huo Yuchuan with his eyes closed, his nose straight and sharp. It was unclear whether he was truly asleep or pretending. It reminded Lin Miao of their junior high days when Huo Yuchuan never seemed to wake up in class.

The first time Lin Miao had urged Huo Yuchuan to hand in his homework, he had been a bit scared. But later, when Huo Yuchuan took him to buy antiseptic and band-aids after he fell and helped him get home, Lin Miao realized that Huo Yuchuan was just stern-looking but actually a good person. Good people shouldn’t be scolded by teachers, so Lin Miao began to pester Huo Yuchuan to do his homework. Every afternoon after school, he would stay a bit longer in the classroom, helping Huo Yuchuan with his homework or explaining problems he didn’t understand. Huo Yuchuan would then ride his bike to take Lin Miao home. Although he still spoke very little, Lin Miao felt they had become good friends.

The bike suddenly jolted, probably hitting a rock. Lin Miao, caught off guard, instinctively grabbed Huo Yuchuan’s waist, pressing his face against Huo Yuchuan’s back. Huo Yuchuan seemed to stiffen for a moment, and the bike wobbled. Lin Miao closed his eyes tightly and held on even tighter.

“Huo Yuchuan, steady the bike!” Lin Miao shouted.

Huo Yuchuan didn’t say anything. After dropping Lin Miao off at his building, he turned around and left without a word. Lin Miao didn’t pay much attention and hurried upstairs. As soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by the smell of food. His parents were cooking in the kitchen, and his mother called out for him to wash his hands. Her voice was gentle and filled with warmth. At that time, his mother hadn’t fallen ill yet, and his father wasn’t constantly preoccupied with money. The three of them lived a simple and happy life.

The next day, after school, Lin Miao stayed in the classroom as usual to do homework with Huo Yuchuan. Seeing that Huo Yuchuan seemed almost done, he wanted to take a look. The desk wasn’t very big, and their heads were close together, making each other’s heartbeats and breaths seem almost audible…

Suddenly, Huo Yuchuan pulled away.

Lin Miao looked puzzled and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Huo Yuchuan averted his gaze and said, “I’m afraid you’ll hit my head.”

Lin Miao touched his own head and said, “My head isn’t hard.”

Huo Yuchuan: “I don’t believe you.”

He stood up, grabbed his school bag, and walked away, saying, “I’m not doing homework anymore.”

Lin Miao quickly packed his things and chased after him, “But you haven’t finished yet, Huo Yuchuan…”

Huo Yuchuan reached the place where his bike was parked, paused for a moment, and then said without turning around, “I’m not doing it anymore.”

Lin Miao was shocked and confused. Huo Yuchuan walked away without another word, leaving Lin Miao standing there.

Lin Miao was furious. How could he be so rude? He thought to himself that Huo Yuchuan would have to do double the homework the next day if he wanted to be forgiven.

However, Huo Yuchuan didn’t stay after school anymore. He left as soon as class ended, and Lin Miao couldn’t catch up to him. Days passed, and Lin Miao finally cornered Huo Yuchuan in the hallway.

“Why don’t you wait for me after school?!” Lin Miao demanded.

Huo Yuchuan slung his school bag over his shoulder and retorted, “Why should I wait for you?”

Lin Miao was taken aback and muttered, “To do homework…”

Huo Yuchuan shook his head, “I’m not doing it.”

Lin Miao frowned and insisted, “You have to!”

Huo Yuchuan looked at him coldly and said, “Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?”

Lin Miao opened his mouth to respond, “I’m the class monitor.”

Huo Yuchuan scoffed, “My parents don’t even control me. What makes you think you can?”

Lin Miao was left speechless. Huo Yuchuan walked past him and went downstairs. Lin Miao was upset for several days. Every afternoon after school, he would see the empty seat where Huo Yuchuan used to sit, and it felt like a void had opened up inside him.

He walked home alone every day, always unconsciously looking for the figure riding a bike. When it rained, he would watch one bike after another rush through the downpour. One day, as he was walking home with his large blue umbrella, he heard noises from an alleyway nearby. Out of curiosity, he went to see what was happening.

In the misty rain, he saw several people fighting. One of them was Huo Yuchuan.

Lin Miao’s heart tightened. He ran over and shouted, “Stop hitting him!”

The others, who seemed to be a group, ignored Lin Miao and continued to target Huo Yuchuan. Although they were more in number, they couldn’t overpower him and ended up shouting in pain. Lin Miao, who didn’t know how to fight, paced anxiously and finally yelled, “I’ve called the police! If you don’t leave, they’ll arrest all of you!”

The group, not wanting to deal with the police, grumbled and left. Huo Yuchuan was drenched, with a few cuts on his face seeping blood. He sat on the ground, wiping the water from his face.

“Are you okay?” Lin Miao asked, shielding him from the rain and scolding, “Ganging up on one person—how shameless!”

He touched Huo Yuchuan’s soaked clothes and frowned. “Come to my place and change into dry clothes,” he said.

Huo Yuchuan looked down, rainwater dripping from his chin. He stood up and started pushing his bike, heading in the opposite direction of Lin Miao’s home.

“Huo Yuchuan!” Lin Miao ran over and stopped him, saying sternly, “You’re coming home with me.”

Without giving Huo Yuchuan a chance to argue, Lin Miao dragged him along. Huo Yuchuan was taken aback, looking down at Lin Miao’s hand tightly gripping his wrist, wet from the rain.

When they arrived at Lin Miao’s home, Lin Miao’s mother was startled. “Why are you both so wet?” she asked.

Lin Miao didn’t mention the fight, saying instead that their umbrella had been blown away by the wind and they had chased after it. His mother quickly prepared hot water for them. “Go take a shower and change into dry clothes,” she urged.

This was Huo Yuchuan’s first time in Lin Miao’s home. He had dropped Lin Miao off at the building many times but had never come up before. After his shower, he wore one of Lin Miao’s pajamas, which were a bit short but very comfortable, with a faint, pleasant scent.

He sat on Lin Miao’s bed, looking around the sparsely furnished room with a few goofy plush toys piled at the head of the bed. Lin Miao came in, drying his hair, and seeing Huo Yuchuan’s damp hair, he grabbed a towel and started drying it for him. Huo Yuchuan let him, the room filled with the steam from their showers.

Suddenly, Lin Miao stopped drying his hair and said, “Huo Yuchuan, you need to apologize to me.”

After a moment of silence, Huo Yuchuan reached out, wrapped his arms around Lin Miao, and pressed his face against his stomach, whispering softly, “I’m sorry.”

Lin Miao huffed but seemed to accept the apology. Huo Yuchuan tightened his hold, hesitating for a moment before starting to say something. Lin Miao interrupted him, slapping his forehead and exclaiming, “Oh right! The teacher is collecting homework tomorrow. You need to finish it now!”

Huo Yuchuan: “……”