HTC 2

Thinking of the action of sniffing his clothes just now, Xie Huai’s face turned slightly warm.

He glanced towards Jiang Xu several times, wondering why Jiang Xu had draped his school uniform jacket over him.

Finally, unable to resist, he sat up, propping one hand on the desk, his head resting on it. Then, he voiced his question to Jiang Xu, “Why did you drape your own jacket over me?”

Jiang Xu paused his pen and looked at Xie Huai. Slowly, he uttered a few words, “Afraid you’d get cold.”

Xie Huai almost suspected he was hearing things, “Afraid I’d get cold?”

“Yeah.”

After answering, Jiang Xu lowered his head and resumed working on his paper.

Xie Huai was about to say something more when he saw the English teacher walking in with the textbook, so he swallowed what he wanted to say.

No wonder he didn’t feel very cold after sleeping in class. It turned out that Jiang Xu gave him the school uniform jacket.

“Thank you.” Xie Huai lowered his voice and thanked Jiang Xu.

After speaking, he turned his head away, avoiding Jiang Xu’s gaze, fearing the other boy might notice his slightly flushed face.

Indeed, Xie Huai was feeling a bit embarrassed. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of Jiang Xu.

That’s why he didn’t see the faint upward curve of Jiang Xu’s lips.

“You’re welcome.”

In the next few classes, Xie Huai rarely slept. He wrote everything that needed to be written, and took good notes. Although Xie Huai’s academic performance wasn’t exceptional, he did have a neat handwriting. Passing teachers would occasionally compliment him.

Perhaps due to this, no teacher would disturb him when they saw him sleeping in class. Xie Huai even suspected that his parents might have talked to the school, asking them not to bother him anymore. Otherwise, why would they allow him to sleep during class? Although Yao Wenjing had talked to him privately a few times, she eventually stopped.

It wasn’t until noon dismissal that Xie Huai realized he was currently wearing Jiang Xu’s school uniform jacket. Not only that, but he was also sitting at Jiang Xu’s desk.

The classmates in the classroom have almost left now, only him and Jiang Xu were left.

“Hey, aren’t you going to the cafeteria?” Xie Huai took off the school uniform and handed it to Jiang Xu.

Jiang Xu stood up, took the uniform from Xie Huai’s hand, and then spoke, “Go to the cafeteria at this time?”

Xie Huai thought for a moment and realized that Jiang Xu was right. Going to the cafeteria now would mean encountering a crowd, and they might not even get much food left if they waited in line.

After Jiang Xu finished speaking, he walked past Xie Huai to the front door of the classroom.

He stopped at the door, turned his head and said to Xie Huai, “Wait for a few minutes.”

Watching Jiang Xu disappear at the classroom door, Xie Huai didn’t mind and just sat back down, leaning on the desk. He wasn’t actually going to sleep; he was just lost in thought. Since when did Jiang Xu care about him so much?

Reflecting on the year of being Jiang Xu’s desk mate, Xie Huai realized that Jiang Xu’s attitude towards him did seem somewhat different from others.

At the beginning, when Jiang Xu suggested they become desk mates, Xie Huai was quite surprised. He thought that someone like Jiang Xu, who had good grades, would probably choose another high-achieving student as a desk mate, not someone like him, who was struggling academically.

But Jiang Xu just chose him.

Jiang Xu had a notebook that no one was allowed to touch, not even friends. However, Xie Huai could touch it. But he had never actually flipped through that notebook, so he had no idea what was written inside.

Jiang Xu seemed difficult to approach, giving off an air of aloofness and indifference. But Xie Huai remembered that at the beginning of their first year, he had asked Jiang Xu to wake him up for every class since there were times when he needed to listen to the lessons even if he couldn’t stay awake.

Back then, Jiang Xu hadn’t agreed. However, after that day, he did wake Xie Huai up for each class, and it had become a habit by now.

Xie Huai knew very well that he wasn’t actually trying to skip class. Yet, every Monday, he still managed to skip one class, and Jiang Xu always caught him. In reality, all Xie Huai had to do was arrive a bit earlier or simply not come to school, and there would be no way for Jiang Xu to catch him.

It was almost like Jiang Xu was playing along with him.

And he didn’t mind that at all.

He had accompanied him in playing for a whole year.

Xie Huai’s thoughts drifted farther and farther, and he didn’t even know when Jiang Xu had entered the classroom.

When he came back to his senses, Jiang Xu had already put the things in front of him.

Raising his head, Xie Huai seemed to have confusion in his eyes. Jiang Xu explained, “It’s food.”

Only then did Xie Huai open it and take a look. The whole box was very delicately packaged. The school doesn’t have this kind of thing, and it doesn’t look like a takeaway.

“My mom brought it for me just now. I asked her to get an extra portion,” Jiang Xu explained as he sat down and handed Xie Huai a pair of disposable chopsticks.

“Oh, thank you,” Xie Huai took the chopsticks, bit his lip, pondered for a moment, and asked, “How much does it cost?”

He didn’t want to take things for free from others.

Jiang Xu remained silent for a while, seemingly somewhat speechless.

“It’s okay,” he sighed silently, “I won’t take your money.”

Not taking… my money?

Xie Huai knew he should just start eating his own food now, but he couldn’t help himself and continued, “But you’d take money from others?”

This time, Jiang Xu didn’t hesitate, “There’s no one else’s portion, so there wouldn’t be any.”

No one else’s portion, but he has one.

After hearing this, Xie Huai felt somewhat pleased, but he didn’t want to show it in front of Jiang Xu. So he restrained himself as much as he could and secretly felt happy in his heart.

Jiang Xu truly treated him differently from others.

Xie Huai thought while eating. He had to say that Jiang Xu’s mother’s food was really delicious, and it was all his favorite food. In no time, the two of them had finished their meal.

Jiang Xu intended to take Xie Huai’s portion outside and dispose of it, but Xie Huai didn’t agree.

“My legs and hands aren’t broken. I’ll go with you,” Xie Huai insisted.

The two of them didn’t talk along the way. Xie Huai thought he had a lot to say, but he and Jiang Xu really had nothing to talk about. If he got good grades, he could chat with Jiang Xu about his studies, but unfortunately, he was one grade below.

Walking a few steps ahead of Jiang Xu, Xie Huai turned around and walked backward. He looked at Jiang Xu, struggling to find something to say: “Hey, Jiang Xu, why are you so nice to me?”

Jiang Xu said slowly: “What do you mean by ‘nice’?”

“You gave me your school uniform, brought me food,” Xie Huai added, though he couldn’t remember the rest, “and I feel like you treat me differently from others.”

“Is that what you call ‘nice’?” After hearing Xie Huai’s words, Jiang Xu couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, I do treat you differently from others.”

Xie Huai asked, “Why?”

Jiang Xu didn’t know how Xie Huai managed to have so many “whys,” but he patiently explained, “Because I…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Jiang Xu’s expression suddenly changed slightly.

In the next second, Xie Huai was pulled into Jiang Xu’s arms.

Xie Huai’s heart skipped a beat, but he hadn’t realized what happened yet.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

He had just ridden his bike in through the back door. Unfortunately, his shoelace got caught in the pedals. He bent down to untangle it and didn’t notice someone in front of him. By the time he realized it, the bike was about to collide, and he didn’t have time to brake.

If Jiang Xu hadn’t pulled Xie Huai over, Xie Huai would have been hit now.

“I really didn’t mean to. I was untangling my shoelace just now and didn’t see someone in front of me. I’m sorry…” The guy’s voice became softer as he spoke, and he looked like he was about to cry.

Jiang Xu frowned, sensing Xie Huai’s discomfort, and released his hold on him, saying, “You don’t know that biking isn’t allowed on school grounds?”

“I thought there was no one here…” The boy lowered his head.

Xie Huai held Jiang Xu back: “Forget it, let’s go back to the classroom.”

Jiang Xu paused for a moment, then ignored the guy and pulled Xie Huai along.

Xie Huai could feel that Jiang Xu’s mood wasn’t right.

Back in the classroom, many students had already returned after lunch.

Xie Huai didn’t sit in Jiang Xu’s seat this time; he returned to his own seat, and Jiang Xu sat next to him.

“Jiang Xu, are you angry?” Xie Huai cautiously asked.

Jiang Xu said he wasn’t angry, but that was clearly not true. If the bike had hit Xie Huai just now, at that speed, Xie Huai would likely have had to go to the hospital.

But he had no right to be angry.

He answered, “No.”

Clearly, he was.

Xie Huai thought to himself.

“Don’t be angry anymore. I’m fine, and besides, you were there just now,” Xie Huai said, tapping his left hand on Jiang Xu’s desk.

Jiang Xu’s mood suddenly improved when Xie Huai said this.

So he asked, “Yeah, so how do you plan to repay me?”

“…,” Xie Huai paused for a second, “Offer myself?”

Xie Huai was just making a joke, but Jiang Xu actually nodded.

Jiang Xu said, “Sure.”

Xie Huai: “?????”

No way, how did Jiang Xu say this word in a serious manner?

Xie Huai couldn’t help but choke up: “…I’ll have to think about it.”

The person sitting in front of them, who had heard their entire conversation, couldn’t help turning his head, “Hey, don’t you guys think you sound like you’re negotiating some kind of inappropriate relationship?”

Xie Huai didn’t understand, “What do you mean?”

“Uh…” the person in front tried to find the right words and straightforwardly explained, “Don’t you feel that your conversation right now sounds quite ambiguous, like you two are a couple?”

After giving it some thought, Xie Huai realized it did sound a bit that way, but he and Jiang Xu were just joking around, there was no other meaning to it.

Xie Huai tapped the hand that was placed on his desk by the person in front, and the person winced in pain, quickly pulling it back.

“Tsk, Hao Xuexi, what’s been going on in your head all day? You even said my desk partner and I have that kind of relationship. You’ve insulted our pure and friendly brotherly relationship, haven’t you, desk partner?”

Jiang Xu: “…”

The good mood that had just returned seemed to vanish.

His tone turned cold, “Yeah, a pure and friendly brotherly relationship.”

Hao Xuexi closed his mouth sheepishly, turned away, and didn’t speak again.

Xie Huai was about to continue chatting with Jiang Xu when he noticed that Jiang Xu’s expression wasn’t right again. Was Jiang Xu angry again?

“Desk partner, what’s wrong with you again?”

Jiang Xu ignored him.

“Class Monitor?”

Jiang Xu took out a book.

Xie Huai called out again, “Jiang Xu.”

The other party was indifferent.

Xie Huai tugged at Jiang Xu’s school uniform and lowered his voice, “Jiang Xu.”

Jiang Xu’s hand, flipping through the book, paused for a moment. His eyes deepened slightly, and then he seemed to be suppressing something as he closed his eyes, only to open them again without showing any emotion.

“Xie Huai, are you trying to drive me crazy?”

Xie Huai thought, finally he’s speaking.

“Why would I want to drive you crazy? Am I trying to inherit your legacy?” Xie Huai said, “My family is wealthy, I don’t need that.”

Jiang Xu: “…”

Jiang Xu waited for a while, wanting to see if Xie Huai had anything else to say. After waiting for a long time and seeing no response from him, Jiang Xu turned his head to take a look. He saw that Xie Huai was already sleeping with his head on the desk.

Xie Huai’s school uniform jacket was still not on, and it was stuffed inside the table, and he couldn’t pull it out. Jiang Xu suspected that Xie Huai did it on purpose.

Feeling a bit helpless, Jiang Xu took off his own school uniform and gently draped it over Xie Huai’s back.

“Little heartless guy, falls asleep right after flirting.” Jiang Xu muttered softly while looking at the back of Xie Huai’s head.

After school in the afternoon, Xie Huai and Jiang Xu walked home together. They both lived off-campus since their homes were nearby. They resided in the same residential area, so whenever they had no other commitments, they would walk back home together.

Xie Huai’s parents seldom go home because of their busy work, but Xie Huai found that in the past year, his parents have gone home much more often and stayed longer than before.

Just as Xie Huai arrived home, he spotted Mrs. Zhao busy in the kitchen.

“Mom?” Xie Huai was a bit surprised, “You’re back so early?”

Mrs. Zhao turned and glanced at Xie Huai with a gentle tone, “Yes, I’ve stewed some soup for you and prepared your favorite dishes.”

“No wonder I could smell the aroma from a mile away,” Xie Huai chuckled.

Mrs. Zhao turned off the stove and snorted, “Stop flattering. Go call your dad for dinner.”

“Understood.”

Once all the dishes were placed on the table, the family sat down together. Nobody spoke, but it was evident that they were all happy, enjoying each other’s company.

After finishing the meal, Mrs. Zhao asked Xie Huai about his school day as usual.

Xie Huai replied, “Everything is going well, not much different from before.”

Mrs. Zhao continued, “Is there anything uncomfortable in your body?”

Mr. Xie gave Mrs. Zhao a look and then shook his head.

Mrs. Zhao understood.

Unaware of his parents’ subtle gestures, Xie Huai continued, “No, everything is fine.”

“Good to hear that,” Mrs. Zhao smiled.

After Xie Huai finished his shower and came out of the bathroom, he opened his phone to find a text message from Jiang Xu that had been sent five minutes ago.

Jiang Xu: We have diagnostic exams on Thursday and Friday. I’ve compiled some summaries here, take a look when you have time. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me.

Below the message was an attached file. Xie Huai tapped on it, and to his surprise, he was taken aback by what he saw.

Seven subjects, totaling over seven hundred pages. So much content?

Xie Huai was astonished for a while before replying to Jiang Xu.

Xie Huai: Did you compile all of this?

Jiang Xu: Yeah, it might not be complete.

Over seven hundred pages and it might not be complete? If he remembered correctly, they were only in their sophomore year. Were there really this many pages?

The world of a top student was truly beyond the comprehension of someone like him who struggled academically.

Xie Huai: Thanks.

After sending that, he felt like he might come across as having a bad attitude, so he followed up with an emoji of [bowing to a master].

Xie Huai: I will definitely study it carefully.

Jiang Xu: You better be.

Upon reading Jiang Xu’s reply, Xie Huai somehow felt like Jiang Xu had seen through everything.

But considering that Jiang Xu had typed these messages out word by word, Xie Huai didn’t want to waste Jiang Xu’s effort. So, he really did study it seriously for over an hour.

Perhaps due to exhaustion from studying, Xie Huai had an unprecedented dream that night—a rather vivid dream…

“Oh my god.” The next morning, Xie Huai was dumbstruck.

“I kissed my desk mate?!”