HTC 6

The entire music room suddenly fell silent.

All eyes fell on Xiong Qiqi.

Xiong Qiqi lifted her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear, completely unfazed by their stares. “What are you all looking at? I just enjoy watching foreign movies and TV shows, so I know a few words.”

“Then what language is this?” someone asked.

“French,” Xiong Qiqi said, “Je t’aime means ‘I love you’ in French.”

Xie Huai’s gaze swiftly turned towards Jiang Xu, but Jiang Xu’s expression remained calm, giving away no hint of any issue.

“What does it mean?”

“Doesn’t mean anything.”

Xie Huai kept repeating this conversation between him and Jiang Xu in his mind.

Didn’t Jiang Xu say…it doesn’t mean anything?

If it really meant this, then why did Jiang Xu play this piece for him that day?

Could it be that Jiang Xu…

Xie Huai shook his head as if trying to clear his mind. He silently slapped himself mentally. He felt like he was going crazy. How could he entertain such absurd thoughts? Besides, Jiang Xu hadn’t only played this piece that day. It just happened that the song had this name.

Maybe Jiang Xu didn’t even think that deeply about it while playing. It could be that this piece was just convenient at that moment. Otherwise, why would Jiang Xu take so long to respond when he asked for the name of the song?

Jiang Xu must have been thinking about the name of the song.

Yeah, that must be it. Xie Huai convinced himself.

But once he settled on this explanation, why did he still feel a bit uncomfortable?

Suddenly, Hao Xuexi blurted out, “Oh my god, does the Class Monitor have a crush in the class?”

Xie Huai pressed the joints of his right index finger, feeling a sense of irritation.

Lu Yi spoke at this time. He looked at Yao Wenjing who was standing beside him, and smiled: “Probably not, it’s just a song title. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”

Even if there was something, it couldn’t be spoken aloud. Their homeroom teacher was standing right there, not just for show.

Lu Yi looked at Hao Xuexi as if he was a fool, shaking his head a few times.

Jiang Xu stood up and walked back to his seat. He sat down next to Xie Huai, sensing clearly that Xie Huai was in a somewhat foul mood.

After the performances were over, they began to play games. They played musical chairs. Each team sent three students, and the last one sitting in a chair represented their team.

Neither Xie Huai nor Jiang Xu participated in the game. They sat in their seats, leaning against their chairs. No one spoke.

The others moved to the front to play the game, creating a lively scene. Only this small corner where Jiang Xu and Xie Huai remained strangely quiet, and the atmosphere didn’t feel awkward.

Jiang Xu’s peripheral vision caught Xie Huai bowing his head, lost in thought.

Xie Huai’s long and distinct eyelashes fluttered slightly when he blinked.

“What’s wrong?”

In the end, it was Jiang Xu who spoke first.

Xie Huai took out the dolphin candy from his school uniform pocket, tore off the wrapping paper, and put it in his mouth.

“Do you have someone you like?” Xie Huai’s voice was low, and it sounded like he felt aggrieved.

Jiang Xu knew it was his own illusion, but he didn’t understand how Xie Huai would think so.

“There is one.” Jiang Xu said.

“I have confessed to him since the first day of junior high school.”

“Since the first year…” Xie Huai clenched his fingers. There had to be something wrong with his heart. Otherwise, why would he feel so uncomfortable?

Xie Huai didn’t want to hear any more from Jiang Xu. He hastily stood up, spoke a few words to Yao Wenjing, and left first.

Jiang Xu watched Xie Huai’s retreating figure and felt somewhat powerless. He actually wanted to confess his feelings to Xie Huai directly. Even if he got rejected, it wouldn’t matter. However, he was afraid that his actions might cast a shadow and cause harm to Xie Huai.

In this society, not everyone accepts homosexuality. Although some people might offer their blessings when they see same-sex couples and even read novels and watch animations on this topic, they might feel disgusted and unable to accept it when such a situation involves them personally.

By the time the party ended, it was almost 8:30 PM.

Jiang Xu with earphones on, walked alone along a path bordered by yellowhorn trees. The chirping of cicadas was blocked by the headphones. The gentle breeze of early autumn blew by, rustling the leaves and creating a faint sound.

Especially in the summer, this path was popular among some students. The dense foliage of the yellowhorn trees shielded them from the scorching sunlight, providing a cool and comfortable environment. Moreover, this path led to the school gate, so many students chose to take this route.

Even at night, this path wasn’t dark. Small lamps stood on the ground every few steps, casting a soft white glow, illuminating the path brightly.

Jiang Xu walked with his head down. Whenever his mood was a bit off, he would silently count in his mind. He realized there were 268 small lamps on this path as he approached the school gate, just after finishing his count.

He took off the earphones and put them in his pocket. The light from the incandescent lamp in the security room shone on his face, making his already fair skin appear even paler.

Having finished signing his name, Jiang Xu left through the school gate. He had initially planned to head straight home, but he noticed Xie Huai squatting by the side of the gate. His position was hard to spot; if Jiang Xu hadn’t turned his head, he wouldn’t have noticed anyone there at all.

Xie Huai was still here.

Jiang Xu approached Xie Huai. He could only see his squatting figure. Jiang Xu wondered why Xie Huai was alone here.

He intentionally made some noise as he approached, mainly to avoid startling Xie Huai if he suddenly spoke.

Xie Huai clearly heard it. He only turned his head to see the person’s shoes, and then turned back to what he was doing, reassured.

“Xie Huai, what are you doing?” Jiang Xu had already reached Xie Huai’s side.

Xie Huai tugged at the hem of Jiang Xu’s school uniform, indicating for him to squat down beside him.

Seeing no response from the other side, Xie Huai exerted a bit more force. In the end, with a sense of helplessness, Jiang Xu squatted down next to Xie Huai.

“Look,” Xie Huai pointed at the lawn.

Jiang Xu followed his gaze and noticed a small black dog. It was so black that it seemed to blend into the darkness behind it. That’s why Jiang Xu hadn’t noticed it at first. The dog looked to be about half a month old and was eating something that someone had given it.

That “someone” was undoubtedly Xie Huai.

“I saw it as soon as I came out,” Xie Huai said. “It looked quite thin, so I went to the security guard and got a cup of powdered sheep milk for it.”

“Do you want to keep it?” Jiang Xu asked.

Xie Huai didn’t deny it. “It’s such a cute little dog, of course I want to. Anyway, let’s take it back first and then decide.”

Saying this, he picked up the little dog and held it tightly in his arms, as if afraid it might fall.

Jiang Xu looked at this harmonious scene. Then he glanced at the little black dog in Xie Huai’s arms. The dog bared its teeth at him, almost like it was threatening him.

Jiang Xu couldn’t help but mutter a curse. He had never envied anyone in his life, but now he found himself somewhat jealous of that dog…

As if knowing what Jiang Xu was thinking, the little black dog turned around in Xie Huai’s arms and presented its rear end to Jiang Xu, wagging its tail.

Jiang Xu: “…”

He was a human being, yet this dog was really acting like a “dog.”

Xie Huai slowed down and walked alongside Jiang Xu. He asked, “Is there anything you like to eat?”

Jiang Xu raised an eyebrow. “Why are you asking this?”

“Forget it if you don’t want to say,” Xie Huai said indifferently.

Jiang Xu: “I like whatever you like to eat.”

Xie Huai was confused: “??”

What did he mean by saying that he liked whatever Xie Huai liked?!

“Alright.” Xie Huai’s ears reddened slightly. He cleared his throat. Thankfully, it was nighttime, and no one could see anyone clearly.

The events at the Mid-Autumn Festival party seemed to have been swept under the rug. No one brought it up again, and no one seemed to dwell on it. But in reality, Xie Huai had many questions he wanted to ask Jiang Xu. However, he couldn’t bring himself to ask, so he acted as if nothing had happened.

The two parted ways at the entrance of the residential area. Xie Huai carried his little black dog back home.

The next morning, before Xie Huai woke up, his phone started ringing, and the notification sound echoed through the entire bedroom.

Annoyed, Xie Huai scratched his hair, sat up, and his arm felt a bit weak. It was throbbing slightly. This wasn’t the first or second time this had happened recently. Xie Huai was starting to suspect he might have arthritis.

He planned to go to the hospital for a check-up soon.

Xie Huai reached for the phone on his bedside table. The messages in the class group chat were already over 99+. Xie Huai doubted whether these people even slept. What time was it? Six o’clock in the morning! They were ruining his sleep!

Xie Huai grumbled inwardly.

He wasn’t used to sleeping with his phone on silent mode. He was afraid he might miss important calls or messages. The class group chat had to stay off “Do Not Disturb” mode because important school announcements were shared there. Although Jiang Xu always forwarded those announcements to him, Xie Huai didn’t want to keep bothering him.

Xie Huai left the bedroom. There was a small nest next to the bedroom door, and he saw the little dog sleeping soundly in it. He lightly tapped the dog’s tail, then stood up and went back to the bedroom to freshen up.

The gathering was planned at Times Square. It would take only half an hour by bus from Xie Huai’s place.

Xie Huai prepared a simple breakfast for himself and mixed some powdered sheep milk for the little dog. By the time they were done, it was already past seven.

He picked up his phone and messaged Jiang Xu.

Xie Huai: When are you leaving?

Jiang Xu replied quickly: When are you going to leave?

This question came back to Xie Huai.

After pondering for a moment, Xie Huai replied: “Nine o’clock, I guess.”

Jiang Xu responded: “Okay, nine o’clock it is.”

Xie Huai’s lips curled up slightly, and his mood brightened.

At nine o’clock, Xie Huai left his house on time. Before leaving, he mixed some powdered goat milk for the little dog and left it on the side. Once the little dog grew a bit bigger, it could eat other types of food.

When he and Jiang Xu arrived at the meeting place, there were still a dozen people missing.

Their group planned to have lunch and then go for a barbecue in the evening.

Their homeroom teacher, Yao Wenjing, wasn’t there. It was their first gathering, so they were all carefree. The table was filled with beer. The ten girls happened to sit at one table.

This kind of class gathering was a novelty for them, as it was their first time. Some of the male classmates had low alcohol tolerance and got drunk, falling asleep on the couch.

A few guys rested their heads against each other’s and even embraced each other. Some were still rambling drunkenly, which made others burst into laughter. They took out their phones and recorded these moments, intending to show them to the guys once they woke up.

In the afternoon, some classmates left due to various reasons—some had something come up, and some were still asleep due to drinking too much.

The barbecue restaurant was owned by Lu Yi’s family, part of a nationwide chain. Rumor had it they were making good money.

“Brother Huai and Brother Xu, don’t you guys drink beer?” Lu Yi asked them. “Then, what will you drink? We have everything here; just pick whatever you like.”

“What kind of drink is that? Drinking alcohol is bad for your health, you know?” Xie Huai spoke like an elder, looking at Lu Yi with a serious expression. “Look at you, you’re not even 6 feet tall yet. Now is the time for you to grow taller. It’s better to stay away from alcohol. When you’re older, there will be plenty of alcohol for you to drink.”

Lu Yi was stunned by Xie Huai’s words. He thought, Wow, Xie Huai sounds like a mom..

No, no, no, it should be. Wow, Xie Huai’s words sound just like what my mom would say.

Xie Huai was about to turn to Jiang Xu and ask what he’d like to drink, but when he saw Jiang Xu’s expression, he forgot what he was about to say.

Jiang Xu was wearing a white shirt today, exactly the same as the day Xie Huai had taken him to listen to him play the piano at his house. He looked especially refreshing. The lower part of the white shirt was tucked into his pants, accentuating Jiang Xu’s slim waist.

Xie Huai’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. He averted his gaze from looking down, picked up a skewer of green beans, took a bite, and suppressed his shock. Xie Huai now felt like he was turning into a pervert.

This was bad. He seemed to genuinely have feelings for Jiang Xu now.

If Jiang Xu found out, would he get beaten to death? Probably… not, right?

“Xie Huai, what would you like to drink?” Jiang Xu asked him suddenly.

Xie Huai came back to his senses, recalling that he had wanted to ask Jiang Xu what he wanted to drink. Without even realizing it, he blurted out, “You…”

Jiang Xu: “?”