HCILH Ch. 128

Chapter 128: Stand-In

Sui Houyu was woken up by his phone vibrating. He reached for it with annoyance, answered, and hoarsely asked: “What’s up?”

On the other end, Ran Shu asked pitifully: “Brother Yu, a-are you busy?”

“I’m sleeping.”

“Sleeping at 3 in the afternoon? What kind of sleep is that?”

“I don’t know… didn’t sleep much last night. What’s going on?”

This weekend, Sui Houyu and Hou Mo’s routine had pretty much been: eat, s*x, sleep, s*x, shower, s*x, nap, s*x.

Now, Sui Houyu was still a bit groggy, confused about how many times they’d done it or which round they were in—he was simply trying to catch up on sleep.

It was the middle of a break, but sadly, he was disturbed.

Ran Shu suddenly started crying on the phone: “I-I want to break up with Sang Xian. For real this time.”

“What’s going on now?” Sui Houyu asked in frustration. The first time he heard this, he might have taken it seriously, but now it just annoyed him.

At this point, he didn’t care whether Ran Shu was crying or not; he was numb to it by now.

“I realized I’m just a stand-in!”

“Who are you standing in for? Aren’t you his first love?”

“He showed me a picture yesterday and said I reminded him of a dog he used to have. When he first saw me, he thought of that dog—it was a f*cking Chihuahua. So tell me, does he think I’m just a stand-in?”

Sui Houyu lay on the bed, silent as he stared at his phone.

Ran Shu was now cursing: “Ugh, he’s such an idiot. He’s bringing his stand-in sh*t onto me!”

“You should break up with Sang Xian right now. Do it in person.” Sui Houyu instructed.

“Okay, then what?”

“Then you’ll have nothing else to say. I’m tired. I’m going back to sleep. Bye.”

After hanging up, Sui Houyu tossed his phone aside, almost wanting to block Ran Shu.

Hou Mo reached over and pulled him into his arms, clearly awake as Sui Houyu was, then asked with a smile: “Another breakup drama?”

“Yeah.” Sui Houyu sighed helplessly, “They’ve been at it three times this week. Nothing’s changed, and it’s only gotten worse.”

Sang Xian never mentioned these things, so Hou Mo didn’t know how chaotic things were with Ran Shu.

He asked: “What happened?”

“The first time was because Sang Xian didn’t say good night on WeChat before sleeping. The second time was because Ran Shu told him a lot of stuff, and Sang Xian just replied with ‘oh.’ Ran Shu thought Sang Xian didn’t like him anymore, that he was tired of him, and that he was being cold, so he had to break up to avoid looking too passive.”

Hou Mo, after hearing this, couldn’t help but laugh. Sang Xian was someone who wouldn’t even kick up a fuss about things. A single “oh” was already a lot. If he really didn’t want to deal with someone, he wouldn’t even reply.

He smiled for a while and then said: “What a mindset.”

Sui Houyu couldn’t understand either: “Ran Shu used to be normal. How did he become like this once he fell in love?”

“You’re the same,” Hou Mo teased.

“What’s wrong with me?”

“Before, I thought you were so cold, but after falling in love, you’re just as bad.”

Sui Houyu climbed on top of Hou Mo, leaning down to ask: “What? You don’t like it? You’re tired of me? Should I be more proactive and handle our relationship, so I don’t seem so passive?”

“I’m not tired of you, and you’re not passive. You’re just getting f*cked.”

Sui Houyu looked at Hou Mo, annoyed but couldn’t resist leaning down and kissing him passionately.

They stayed in bed longer on Sunday night, not leaving until Monday morning when they planned to head to school separately.

The next morning, Sui Houyu turned off his 4 a.m. alarm, sluggishly got up, and walked to the bathroom, moving slowly as he washed up.

While he was washing his face, Hou Mo came in behind him, hugging his waist and burying his head in his back, sniffing his scent. He murmured: “I don’t want you to leave.”

“If we don’t leave now, we’ll both be drained.”

“Not yet. I still have some left. Let me feed you.” Hou Mo said as he moved closer to Sui Houyu again.

……

From supporting himself on the sink to leaning against it, and then both of them heading to the shower.

Sui Houyu held Hou Mo as they rested, feeling his legs shaking.

Thankfully, he wasn’t training anymore.

He had always thought his body was more resilient than most, but after meeting Hou Mo, he had to admit defeat.

Hou Mo had better stamina than his manic energy. So was Hou Mo a brute?

*

By the time Hou Mo got to school, he was also exhausted, mainly because he hadn’t slept much for three nights, which was a major issue for someone like him who could never get enough sleep.

He sat in class and took out his U-shaped pillow.

This pillow had been used by Sui Houyu before, but after their school merged, Hou Mo had less interest in sleeping during class and spent more time staring at Sui Houyu, so the pillow had been left unused for a while.

Now it had made a comeback.

Hou Mo closed his eyes from the beginning of morning self-study, only to be woken up at noon by Deng Yiheng.

He grabbed his U-shaped pillow, yawning, and followed him to the cafeteria.

On the way, Deng Yiheng sighed: “Senior Brother, do you know how pale you are?”

“Yeah…” Hou Mo nodded, occasionally checking himself in the mirror.

“So, those dark circles really do make you look like a panda.”

Hou Mo wearily replied: “It’s worth it for Brother Yu.”

“What the f*ck.” x3.

The other three kept their distance from him.

Just then, a group of first-year girls approached, calling out to Hou Mo: “Senior! Hello!”

“Mm?” Hou Mo looked over at them.

“I’ve been noticing you for a while. You’re really handsome. Um… can you give us your WeChat?”

Hou Mo, clearly in the mood, took out his phone.

The girls were ecstatic, thinking he was about to give them his WeChat code, but instead, Hou Mo held up his phone.

On the phone case were two guys’ photos: one was Hou Mo, and the other was a handsome boy with curly hair and a striking face.

Hou Mo pointed to the other boy and said: “Isn’t he handsome? He’s my boyfriend.”

“Ah… oh, okay.” The girls froze in place for a moment.

Hou Mo grinned as he continued walking toward the cafeteria, murmuring: “Brother Yu is really handsome.”

Once in the cafeteria, Deng Yiheng and the others went to get food, while Hou Mo borrowed chalk from the cafeteria auntie and wrote three words on the back of his black sportswear: Has a boyfriend.

Afterward, Hou Mo asked Sang Xian: “Want to write? I charge five bucks per word!”

Sang Xian pointed to the hickey on his neck.

Hou Mo reminded him kindly: “Watch out for your carotid artery!”

“I like it.”

“I don’t care.” Hou Mo rolled his eyes, then whispered, “Give me another batch of condoms.”

Before, Sang Xian had hoped Hou Mo would ask him for something.

Now that Hou Mo actually needed something, all he cared about was this.

Sang Xian was confused: “Aren’t there still a dozen left from the batch you bought earlier?”

After a pause, he asked again: “Wait, is it really you two?”

Hou Mo snapped: “What’s with all the questions? Is this something you need to ask? Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you should give up your private life.”

Sang Xian fell silent.

Previously, Hou Mo had envied how fast Sang Xian was, wrapping things up quickly after getting what he wanted.

Now, Sang Xian was the one envious of Hou Mo. After just two rounds, Ran Shu was crying and begging for mercy, saying no more.

Sang Xian, with his domineering CEO image, had to settle for a week of just two sessions.

But for Hou Mo and Sui Houyu…

It seemed like the sound of singing was coming from beside Sang Xian’s ear: What use do I have for this iron rod?

Hou Mo received a message from Coach Wang while having his meal, asking him to go to his office during the lunch break.

He went with Sang Xian. Upon entering the office, Coach Wang threw a form to both Hou Mo and Sang Xian: “Fill out the information.”

Hou Mo glanced at it, and seeing all the English text, he thought it might have been a form for the international class by mistake. But when he looked closer, he laughed: “Global Youth Tournament?”

“Yeah, participate. If you can get a good ranking, when you come back, I’ll buy the high-speed train tickets and take you to Huazhong University for the school selection; we’ll get you a spot for direct admission.” Coach Wang said.

Hou Mo flipped through the form and asked: “Can Brother Yu participate? For doubles?”

“Ask him. If he’s afraid it’ll delay his studies, then forget it. If not, the competition period is 20 days. It’s still an honor. He can come back and practice here for a while. As for Deng Yiheng and Shen Junqing, I can’t be bothered to ask them. They have to go. I’ll get the English teacher to fill out the forms for them.” Coach Wang answered with a smile.

Given that Sui Houyu’s points weren’t enough, it would be hard for him to get direct admission through this tournament. They had also canceled the additional points for sports, so if Sui Houyu were to participate, it would just be for the honor and the sentiment.

Hou Mo was quite excited, holding the form as he said: “I’ll ask Brother Yu tonight and fill it out tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

Sang Xian took a look at the form and left with it.

There was no need to ask about Ran Shu’s level. When the international competition happened, he’d likely be away for over twenty days, not seeing Ran Shu.

Coach Wang looked at them leave, pleased, and boasted to Ouyang Ge: “Last time, Hou Mo was only 16 and was playing against a bunch of 17-18-year-olds. Even though he didn’t make it to the finals, his performance was impressive. Now, he’s at the peak age for teenagers. Who knows, he might even secure a decent world ranking. Then our school will shine, and Hou Mo will get famous.”

Ouyang Ge, who was rummaging through the fridge looking for snacks, noticed that his snack game had weakened since Ran Shu and Su Anyi left the campus.

He turned and looked at Coach Wang, saying: “You’ll miss Hou Mo when he graduates, won’t you?”

“I’d love for him to become successful. Then I can go around bragging that I taught this kid.”

*

That night, Hou Mo video-called Sui Houyu. He mentioned the competition, and Sui Houyu seemed interested: “Where’s the competition?”

“It hasn’t been decided yet, but it might be in Brisbane, Sydney, or Melbourne. If you come, we’ll be on a sponsored trip.” Hou Mo waved the registration form in the video.

Hou Mo naturally wanted Sui Houyu to participate so they could spend those twenty days together.

Sui Houyu glanced at his notes and then at Hou Mo in the video. After thinking for a moment, he decided to join: “Okay, I’ll go with you.”

“Then I’ll fill out the form for you.” Hou Mo, excited, grabbed the form and began filling it out carefully, even completing Sui Houyu’s form.

As Hou Mo was filling out the form, Sui Houyu began to consider his situation. If he worked harder, he could catch up on the study progress over those twenty-plus days.

If he didn’t go, Hou Mo would be very disappointed, right?

Just as he was thinking, there was a quick knock at his dorm door. The sound of knocking was urgent, and the force and frequency of it showed that the person was in a hurry.

He got up to open the door. The person outside urgently said: “Brother Yu, Ran Shu’s father has come to school, and he’s dragging him out.”

Sui Houyu immediately panicked. He didn’t have time to say goodbye to Hou Mo and ran straight to Ran Shu’s dorm.

Ran Shu’s dorm was in the same building as his, but on a different floor.

He quickly went upstairs and saw Ran Shu’s father pulling Ran Shu out, cursing as he did. Ran Shu was very unwilling and kept struggling. When he saw Sui Houyu, he immediately shouted: “Brother Yu! Brother Yu!”

Sui Houyu quickly stopped Ran Shu’s father: saying: “Uncle, let’s talk calmly. What happened?”

Ran Shu’s father, seeing Sui Houyu, became upset and coldly replied: “What’s the problem?! He’s run away from home for so long, and now you ask what’s wrong?”

“Run away from home?” Sui Houyu was surprised and looked at Ran Shu.

Ran Shu didn’t know how to explain, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Ran Shu’s father, who already disliked Sui Houyu, was even angrier now. He sneered: “Don’t stand in front of me. I get angry just looking at you. You and your mother are no good. Ran Shu’s gone down the wrong path, and you’re to blame.”

Sui Houyu felt uncomfortable being scolded directly.

But he remained calm. He had to stop Ran Shu’s father from taking Ran Shu: “Please, let go of him. Can’t we talk somewhere else?”

“F*cking f*ck off!” Ran Shu’s father kicked at Sui Houyu, trying to get him out of the way.

Sui Houyu staggered from the kick, wincing in pain as he furrowed his brows and glared fiercely at Ran Shu’s father.

Ran Shu’s father was still Ran Shu’s father; and he was somewhat considerate, mostly because of his son’s presence.

However, deep down, he had a fiery temperament, and when truly provoked, he would lose his temper with anyone.

He couldn’t control his anger anymore.

Ran Shu saw Sui Houyu’s clenched fists, as though ready to fight his father, and after some hesitation, stepped forward to calm Sui Houyu down: “Brother Yu, forget it. He wants to take me for a paternity test. If he wants to, let him. It’s something that will happen eventually.”

Sui Houyu, still angry, couldn’t find the right words. He just held onto Ran Shu’s wrist, unwilling to let go.

He could take a kick from Ran Shu’s father, he could tolerate being insulted, but he could not accept Ran Shu being taken away.

Ran Shu’s father, enraged by the look in Sui Houyu’s eyes, cursed and kicked him a few more times: “Let go! What are you grabbing onto him for? You’re crazy. You’re always hanging around with him. What’s wrong with your eyes? You wanna fight with elders? You should be locked in a mental hospital!”

Ran Shu blocked his father’s way: “What are you hitting him for? If you have a problem, come at me!”

Ran Shu’s father turned to him and snapped: “You still dare to push me?!”

As soon as Ran Shu’s father raised his hand, he was grabbed by Sui Houyu, who even lifted him up like a chicken.

He could tolerate being kicked, but he couldn’t allow anyone to touch Ran Shu.

Ran Shu’s father froze, suddenly afraid. Despite his anger, he was intimidated by Sui Houyu’s strength.

Ran Shu, seeing the scene and fearing his father might let slip about his mental health issues, quietly whispered: “Brother Yu, don’t do anything. It’s okay. I’ll be careful. If he tries to take me away, I’ll find a chance to run away. If worse comes to worst, I’ll disrupt the airport’s order, and they’ll lock me up. Then I won’t be able to catch the flight.”

Sui Houyu, unwilling to give up, saw that Ran Shu was about to cry and finally let go: “Remember to contact me if anything happens.”

“Okay.” Ran Shu, as he left with his father, turned and told Sui Houyu’s friends: “Find Su Anyi and have her keep an eye on Brother Yu.”

Ran Shu eventually left with his father.

Once in the car, Ran Shu’s father continued to scold: “That b*tch Yang Xiangyu helped your mother cheat. What do you expect her son to be like? He’s a lunatic, and that’s your karma! You still hang out with him, don’t you know how bad that makes you look? What were you thinking…”

Ran Shu leaned against the car seat, staring out the window, not wanting to listen to his father.

He wasn’t stupid; he knew who really cared for him and who didn’t.

He knew exactly how his parents treated him—they didn’t care half as much as Sui Houyu did. His bond with Sui Houyu was based on mutual trust and companionship through the darkest times.

A fair-weather friend can always be discarded, but those who endure hardship together are the most precious.

The stutter that he had? He could “thank” his father for it.

If it weren’t for all the family problems, he wouldn’t have ended up like this.

“And you, stop pretending like I don’t know about you and that kid from the Sang family. The city’s circle is small. You two are always together, people are talking. I’ve heard everything. Look at what you’ve learned from hanging out with Sui Houyu? You’ve turned into a homosexual.”

Ran Shu was shocked. He didn’t expect his father to know about this.

When Ran Shu was about to speak, his father stopped him: “ You better keep your mouth shut. That stuttering voice of yours irritates me even more.”

Ran Shu closed his mouth again, secretly took out his phone, and the chat interface happened to be with Sui Houyu.

Earlier, when his father came over, he had wanted to send a message to Sui Houyu, but the situation didn’t allow it, so the message hadn’t been sent.

Now, he could only type with trembling fingers: “It’s over, this time we’re really breaking up.”

Ran Shu’s father turned his head to look at Ran Shu, and seeing that he was still chatting on his phone, immediately reached out to snatch it away. He quickly glanced at the phone’s screen, then opened the car window and threw Ran Shu’s phone out.

Ran Shu leaned forward to look, watching helplessly as his phone hit the road and was crushed by an oncoming vehicle.

His heart sank completely. Without his phone, how could he contact them?

Ran Shu’s father looked at Ran Shu’s disheartened expression and sneered: “I only care about you because you’re my son. Otherwise, I wouldn’t bother. Do whatever you want, I couldn’t care less!”

“I’ve been away from home for almost a year, and you didn’t care about me, but now you want to do a paternity test? What’s wrong with me being in a relationship with that kid from the Sang family? Wouldn’t that bring you closer to them? Selling your son’s dignity as a business, shouldn’t you be happy about it?”

Hearing Ran Shu’s sharp retort, Ran Shu’s father’s anger flared. The veins on his forehead bulged, and he raised his hand, slapping Ran Shu across the face.

Ran Shu staggered from the blow, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and tasted the salty, metallic taste of blood.

Omake:

Sang Xian: ???

Ran Shu: sobbing

Sang Xian: ??????

Ran Shu: You don’t love me.

Sang Xian: ??????

Important notes from the author:

The World Championship won’t be written in detail, just a brief mention.