HCILH Ch. 136

Chapter 136: Guaranteed Admission

At the airport, as they waited for their flight, Coach Wang was too excited to stay still. He paced around the players with a cheerful grin, his mouth never closing for long.

He looked like a melon farmer admiring a bountiful harvest, thoroughly pleased with himself.

The players had already calmed down from the excitement, and now it seemed like Coach Wang was the one who couldn’t contain himself.

Hou Mo, however, wore a sour expression, his phone lighting up with teasing messages from Liu Mo:

Liu Mo: “Holding hands with your boyfriend at the front desk? You’ve really set a historical precedent!”

Liu Mo: “Watching you look so dumb at the counter makes me embarrassed to admit I’ve ever lost to you.”

Liu Mo: “OMG, I’m dying of laughter. What an idiot.”

Hou Mo held up his phone to complain to Sui Houyu: “Look at this! He’s bullying me!”

“I’ll help you beat him up when we get back.”

“I’ll help you too! He’s big, not easy to fight.”

“No problem.”

Hou Mo, now emboldened, replied to Liu Mo: “My Brother Yu said he’ll help me beat you up.”

Liu Mo: “You can come by yourself and beat me up. He’ll just break his own arms and legs trying.”

Hou Mo turned to Sui Houyu again, pointing at his phone: “Brother Yu, look! He’s underestimating you!”

Sui Houyu, barely keeping his eyes open, glanced at the phone and muttered: “Change his contact name to something insulting.”

“What should I change it to?”

“Big Dumb Brown Bear.”

“Got it.”

Just then, Coach Wang approached to discuss the upcoming university interviews.

Sang Xian suddenly asked: “Where was my application submitted?”

“To Huazhong University.” Coach Wang replied quickly.

Sang Xian frowned slightly and pointed at Hou Mo: “I don’t want to go to the same school as him. If I submit my application now, can I still go to the same interview?”

This statement surprised everyone present.

Sang Xian had been following Hou Mo around for years. Hou Mo had tried countless times to shake him off but had never succeeded. Sang Xian’s persistence was almost pathological, something that had troubled Hou Mo for years.

But now, he suddenly seemed to have had a change of heart, no longer wanting to attend the same school.

Hou Mo looked at Sang Xian in surprise. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw Sang Xian’s indifferent appearance.

It was as if a massive weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

Coach Wang, though taken aback, quickly picked up his phone: “I’ll check if Peking University is an option. We haven’t reached out to them before. Are there any other schools you’d consider?”

Sang Xian replied: “Beijing Sport University is also worth a try, and there’s international schools as well. If that doesn’t work, I can always take the college entrance exam normally.”

“Got it. Let me make some calls.” Coach Wang immediately started dialing international numbers.

Deng Yiheng couldn’t help but ask: “Ran Shu, did you talk him into this?”

Ran Shu grinned smugly: “Of course it was me! Who else could it be? Why would he cling to someone else when he’s got me?”

Sang Xian, without even looking up from his book, asked: “Aren’t we broken up right now?”

Ran Shu froze for a moment, then quickly grabbed his bag and moved to sit beside Sui Houyu.

Deng Yiheng, meanwhile, started rambling: “I’m starting to get nervous, too. Shen Junjing and I submitted our applications to Dongti University ages ago, but there’s still no news. I can’t sleep at night!”

Shen Junjing, who rarely spoke, finally chimed in: “You seem to sleep just fine, though…”

“Well… yeah, pretty much.”

Dating someone in the same field had its perks—Lu Yanxin and Deng Yiheng often ended up competing at the same events.

In fact, during this last competition, they even stayed in the same room, while Shen Junjing was left wandering around alone.

This time, with a king-sized bed in the room, Deng Yiheng never even went back to his own. He stayed with Lu Yanxin every night and didn’t even show up during the day, except for Hou Mo’s match.

The others didn’t say anything, but it left Deng Yiheng blushing for ages, unable to defend himself.

*

After returning to the country, Sui Sui Houyu went back to his original Qingyu High School and stayed in the dormitory alone.

His daily routine was simple: sleep, study, eat, repeat.

But now, there was a twist—every mealtime, he had to video call Hou Mo. Hou Mo wouldn’t let him off the hook until he ate enough to satisfy him.

Hou Mo had painstakingly helped him reach 120 pounds, but he had already lost 5 pounds again, much to Hou Mo’s chagrin.

Initially, Ran Shu and Su Anyi would join Sui Houyu for meals. But over time, they stopped.

Hou Mo would pester Sui Houyu during every video call, asking a hundred times if he missed him. Somehow, Sui Houyu remained patient, but the others couldn’t handle it anymore.

After one such meal, Ran Shu propped his chin on his hand, watching Sui Houyu: “Is this a boyfriend or a grandmother? A nagging grandma of a boyfriend—so annoying. If Sang Xian were like this, I’d roast him alive.”

“Well, a tortoise meets a green bean; you two are a perfect match!”

Ignoring Ran Shu, Sui Houyu headed out of the cafeteria.

Ran Shu cheerfully followed behind him, adjusting his hood as they walked out the door.

Autumn in the northeast came with biting winds, often accompanied by dusty days, which were particularly torturous for Ran Shu, who wore a hood.

After enduring it for a while, Ran Shu couldn’t help but ask: “Can you ask Hou Mo how my ex-boyfriend’s interview went?”

Sui Houyu didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to Ran Shu and asked: “Shouldn’t you be heading to your training camp?”

“I can’t make it in time. They’re already preparing for the art exam. Do you think the art exam is a joke?”

“Try it for a year, gain some experience. Who knows? You might pass.”

Ran Shu pouted for a while before giving in: “Fine, I’ll go. But help me ask about my ex-boyfriend’s interview.”

Just as he looked up, he saw Sui Houyu holding up his phone, pressing the voice message button. The moment Ran Shu finished speaking, Sui Houyu sent the recording.

Ran Shu froze in place.

After a while, Sui Houyu received a reply. He played the voice message for Ran Shu. It was a low, resonant voice with just one sentence, but the speaker was unmistakable: “The interview has been scheduled, but the results are unknown.”

After hearing the message, Ran Shu looked at Sui Houyu and suddenly started bouncing up and down, dramatically announcing their friendship was over. He then stormed off towards the school gate, seemingly ready to head to the training camp.

Sui Houyu didn’t stop him, instead calling after him: “I’ll ship your luggage to the training camp.”

“Thanks a lot!”

“Do you need more hoods? I can buy you a few more.”

“No need! After our friendship ends, I wish you good health and all the best!”

“Thanks. Same to you.”

Sui Houyu returned to the classroom, taking a seat in the back row.

He had arrived late, leaving only the back seats available. On his desk was a pile of practice books and test papers that he used frequently, keeping them within easy reach.

Beside his feet was a storage bin containing textbooks. His desk drawers were filled with little trinkets he’d use to counteract his distractibility.

However, he hadn’t used them in a long time. He’d improved significantly, and his tendency to zone out had almost disappeared.

Taking out the notes Hou Mo’s mom had prepared for him, he studied them carefully, trying to recall the formulas he had forgotten.

After undergoing four rounds of electroconvulsive therapy, he had spent nearly a month recovering, yet his memory hadn’t returned to its previous level. This likely had something to do with his constant traveling and lack of proper rest.

Shortly after his return, he took a midterm exam. His performance was dismal.

Previously, he could secure first place in the grade, but this time, he ranked 57th. He had forgotten so much that it would take a considerable effort to regain his former standing.

If he only wanted to get into a decent university, his current efforts would suffice.

But he wanted to attend the same school as Hou Mo, which meant he had to push himself to the limit.

After all, his boyfriend was extraordinarily outstanding.

Su Anyi, sitting in front of Sui Houyu, tilted her chair back and remarked: “Ran Shu made it to the dance studio.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t stress too much. There’s still time.”

“Mm.”

“How did Hou Mo’s interview go?”

“Not great. The institution mostly recruits retired athletes who’ve competed on the national team and won world championships. He still needs a backup plan—he might have to take the college entrance exam.”

“Oh… Let’s work hard together. You’ll both make it.”

“Mm.”

During the evening self-study session, Sui Houyu worked through an entire set of questions.

After finishing, he stared at the paper in silence before grabbing his notes to review. Despite studying the formulas earlier, he had forgotten them by the time he started solving problems.

His current situation was like this:

Before solving problems: Got it, I remember now.

While solving problems: Wait, what was that again?

Reviewing notes again: Oh, now I’ve got it for sure.

Switching to another subject and then trying to recall: What was that formula again?

Frustrated, he flipped through his notes repeatedly, unable to recall the formula he had just studied.

Feeling defeated, he slumped over his desk in despair. After sulking for about ten minutes, he straightened up and decided to reread everything. If he couldn’t remember one, he’d just review them all.

From then on, whenever he encountered something he couldn’t remember, he’d write it on his arm. Once his arm was full, he’d roll up his pant leg and jot it down on his calf for easy reference.

*

Meanwhile, Hou Mo continued training at the original Fenghua campus after returning from Beijing.

The long-distance relationship between him and Sui Houyu remained unchanged.

What frustrated him was that, recently, whenever Sui Houyu returned on weekends, they no longer spent the entire two days glued together. Most of Sui Houyu’s time was spent studying on apps, learning independently, or consulting his mom.

The phrase he heard most often was: “Don’t bother me.”

He just wanted to kiss Sui Houyu!!!

Feeling dejected, Hou Mo sat at the desk opposite Sui Houyu, resting his chin on his arms as he watched him. After a while, he got up, took off his shirt, and began tidying up the already neat room, flaunting his fair skin as he moved around.

Sui Houyu didn’t spare him a glance.

Looking at the clock on the wall, Hou Mo noticed it was already 1 a.m. He walked over and said: “Brother Yu, let’s go shower.”

Still focused on his studies, Sui Houyu replied in a detached tone: “I’ll finish this set of questions first.”

“It’s too late. Staying up will hurt your memory.” Hou Mo coaxed.

“Ugh—” Sui Houyu shot him an annoyed look. “Why are you so annoying? If you’re tired, go to bed. If the light bothers you, head upstairs. I’ve been sleeping fine on my own at school.”

Hou Mo stared at him for a while before quietly heading to wash up, not daring to provoke Sui Houyu again

He laid down on the bed and read for a while, but after tossing and turning for two hours and realizing it was almost 3 a.m., he got up and walked over:  “Brother Yu, you really need to sleep. You’re overdoing it, and your body can’t handle it!”

Sui Houyu felt a sudden wave of irritation.

He had actually been about to sleep after finishing the last few problems, but Hou Mo’s urging at this moment triggered a rebellious streak, making him not want to sleep anymore.

He was aware of his limits, but he disliked being pushed.

Ignoring Hou Mo, he continued reading.

Hou Mo tried coaxing him again: “Brother Yu, you don’t have to shower today. Let’s just sleep, okay?”

“No.”

Hou Mo’s rare loss of patience showed: “Don’t you know your own physical condition? Can’t you take care of yourself? I know you’re not in great shape—we haven’t even done anything for two months! But you? You’re just wrecking yourself!”

Hou Mo’s nagging got under Sui Houyu’s skin. He threw his pen onto the desk in frustration and sat silently, visibly annoyed.

Hou Mo persisted: “I get that you’re anxious, but we need to pace ourselves—”

“Can you stop already?!” Sui Houyu finally snapped. “All day, your mouth just keeps going on and on! Don’t you find it annoying?!”

Hou Mo stared at him for a moment, then chuckled angrily: “Sui Houyu, have I been spoiling you too much? Do you think I have no temper?”

“What, you want to fight me?”

“No, I’m done being nice. If you don’t care about yourself, why should I? Tonight, I’ll take you right here in front of my love rival.” As Hou Mo spoke, he stepped toward him.

Caught off guard, Sui Houyu asked: “Your love rival? Who?”

“Thia!” Hou Mo pointed at the workbook, then at the laptop beside it: “And that!”

Sui Houyu turned to look, feeling exasperated: “Fine, let’s sleep. I’ll go wash up…”

Hou Mo wasn’t listening anymore and pulled him into a kiss.

When it came to physical fights, Hou Mo wasn’t his match, but Hou Mo excelled at pinning people down.

Sui Houyu had always been a willing participant in the past. This time, his resistance only made him realize how skilled Hou Mo was at subduing someone, especially when being forceful. He had no chance to fight back.

Hou Mo pinned Sui Houyu’s hands behind his back, pressing him down against the desk. Beneath him were his workbook and laptop, digging uncomfortably into him.

Hou Mo didn’t hold back, and it had been a while since they’d last been intimate. This time was rough, with no preparation, an awkward position, and enough pain to make Sui Houyu cry.

Seeing him cry, Hou Mo panicked, quickly releasing his hands and holding him close, kissing and soothing him. “Brother Yu, don’t cry… I was wrong, okay? I’m sorry.”

Sui Houyu buried his head, sobbing silently.

Hou Mo pulled him onto the desk, cupping his face to kiss away his tears: “Brother Yu, I was just so worried seeing you push yourself like this. It hurts me, and you wouldn’t listen.”

“I’m afraid I won’t pass the exam… I’m anxious…” Sui Houyu choked out, holding Hou Mo’s shoulders.

This one sentence struck Hou Mo’s nerves, and he started crying harder than Sui Houyu: “Brother Yu, don’t be like this… It’s okay. Wherever you go, I’ll go too… It breaks my heart… wuwu…”

Seeing Hou Mo cry even harder than him, Sui Houyu’s tears stopped out of sheer incredulity.

Wiping his face with the back of his hand, he couldn’t help but laugh at Hou Mo’s pitiful appearance.

How had he ended up with someone like this?

And why the hell had he let Hou Mo take the lead?

He raised his hand, wrapping it around Hou Mo’s shoulders, and whispered in his ear: “Come on, let’s do it in front of your love rival. I’ll make sure it hears me.”

Hou Mo couldn’t take it anymore, immediately giving in.

“Okay…” he agreed, his voice thick with emotion.

This wasn’t their first time, but there was something different about seeing his boyfriend crying while they were at it.

Afterward, Sui Houyu stood by the desk, looking at his crumpled notebook pages and smoothing them out as best he could.

Hou Mo stood to the side like he was in time-out, nervously reminding him: “You, um, should shower. It’s dripping…”

Sui Houyu shot him a glare and walked into the bathroom.

Hou Mo followed behind, cleaning the floor as he went.

*

Later in class, as Hou Mo leaned back in his chair reading, Ouyang Ge walked in and stood at the podium, watching them.

Hou Mo glanced up: “Wow, rare sight. You’re staying late for night study?”

It was their break, with no competitions and lighter training schedules, so they could return to the classroom for self-study.

As the disciplinary officer, Ouyang Ge was always the first to leave after hours unless it was his turn to supervise. He wouldn’t stay otherwise.

“Just keeping an eye on you.” Ouyang Ge replied.

Hou Mo shrugged and returned to his book.

Ouyang Ge suddenly approached him, looking displeased: “Can’t you sit properly when you’re reading?”

Hou Mo coughed and straightened up in his chair.

Ouyang Ge stared at him for a while longer before snapping: “You’ve been sitting here forever without writing a single word. No summaries?”

“I… I have a good memory! I don’t need to!”

“Ha! You think you’re exceptional? If you took a mock exam, you wouldn’t even beat the students at Qingyu Campus!”

“…” Hou Mo had no idea what he’d done to provoke Ouyang Ge, who seemed intent on berating him.

Defeated, he started searching his desk for a pen, fumbling around awkwardly.

Before he could find one, Ouyang Ge suddenly said: “Alright, I’m done looking at you. Pack your things and leave.”

“Huh?” Hou Mo hesitated, standing halfway up. “Detention? Or back to the dorm?”

“Home.” Ouyang Ge replied, placing a folder in front of him. “Your Huazhong University admission documents are in here, along with your transfer to Qingyu Campus.”

Hou Mo’s face lit up as he opened the folder, grinning like an idiot.

The other students, who had been eavesdropping, immediately broke into cheers upon hearing the news.

“Is the admission confirmed?”

“Looks like it!”

A group of them swarmed Hou Mo, celebrating noisily until he hurriedly stashed the folder into his desk.

Even Ouyang Ge, who usually scolded them for being too rowdy, didn’t intervene, just watching with a rare smile.

After the chaos subsided, Ouyang Ge reminded him: “Coach Wang asked me to remind you to maintain your training. You still have the July competition.”

“Got it!” Hou Mo replied cheerfully.

Ouyang Ge patted him on the shoulder: “Well, off you go. I’ll miss scolding you. It’s been fun.”

“No worries, I’ll text you for a scolding anytime!” Hou Mo quipped, quickly packing his belongings. Not being much of a student had its perks—everything fit into one bag.

As he dashed out, he stopped midway, turned back, and said to Sang Xian: “Get me a car to Qingyu Campus.”

He didn’t linger a moment longer.

Sang Xian begrudgingly nodded, clearly annoyed.

When Deng Yiheng and the others returned to their dorm after the evening self-study session, they discovered that Hou Mo had indeed left in the middle of the night to transfer to the Qingyu campus.

Deng Yiheng shook his head and sighed: “A father too accomplished to stay home…”

Shen Junjing leaned on the bed frame, sharing the sentiment: “From a lively six-person dorm to just the three of us.”

Suddenly, Deng Yiheng chuckled: “Yeah, once upon a time, our dorm was the most enviable, with everyone paired up. And now…”

Sang Xian, currently “single,” scowled and pulled out his phone. Seeing that Ran Shu still hadn’t replied to his messages, he threw the phone onto the desk in frustration and went to wash up.

When he came back, he checked his phone again. This time, there was a message from the contact marked as “Ex-Boyfriend”: “Has your guaranteed admission gone through yet?”

Looking at the message, Sang Xian smirked and quickly typed a response: “Each school has its own approval speed.”

Ex-Boyfriend: “Thanks for replying after ten minutes. I thought you’d died of jealousy over someone else’s success.”

S.X.: “I miss you. Are you tired from training?”

Ex-Boyfriend: “Tired. My legs are all bruised. Look.”

Ex-Boyfriend: [Image]

Sang Xian opened the picture. It showed Ran Shu’s legs, covered in bruises. But his attention wandered elsewhere—to the waistband of Ran Shu’s underwear. He licked his lips before typing: “Why am I kind of excited seeing these injuries?”

Ex-Boyfriend: “You pervert!”

S.X.: “Take a photo that goes a bit higher.”

Ex-Boyfriend: [Image]

Ex-Boyfriend: “Like this?”

The photo showed Ran Shu lifting his shirt slightly, revealing a slender waist and part of his legs.

Just as Sang Xian was about to type a response, Ran Shu retracted the message.

Sang Xian sat on the bed, replying: “Can we meet this weekend?”

Ex-Boyfriend: “What for?”

S.X.: “To do you.”

Ex-Boyfriend: “Not happening.”

Sang Xian began transferring money to Ran Shu—around 200,000 yuan in total—before Ran Shu finally replied: “Fine.”

S.X.: “Good boy.”

*

Meanwhile…

Sui Houyu paced back and forth near the campus gate, glancing down at his flip-flops and regretting not wearing sneakers. At least then his ankles wouldn’t be cold.

He had been so overjoyed by the news of Hou Mo’s guaranteed admission that he had rushed out without thinking. Now, the chilly wind sobered him up quickly.

Hou Mo had succeeded, but Sui Houyu still had to keep working hard.

After waiting for a while, a car finally pulled up nearby. Soon, Hou Mo stepped out, dragging his suitcase and hurrying toward him.

Sui Houyu’s mood lifted instantly. He opened his arms, wanting to hug Hou Mo through the gate to celebrate. But just as he stretched out his arms, Hou Mo shoved the suitcase over the fence, leaving Sui Houyu to catch it with both hands.

Their lack of coordination as a couple was almost comedic.

After steadying the suitcase, Sui Houyu looked up to see Hou Mo deftly climbing over the fence like a monkey. Once he landed, he walked over and embraced Sui Houyu: “Brother Yu! My life as your live-in study companion begins now!”

With no need to take the college entrance exams for sports students and with relaxed training schedules, Hou Mo could now focus on academic studies at the Qingyu campus. Other sports students had to return to their schools to prepare for half a year after the sports exams, but Hou Mo was ahead of the game.

Since he had already secured his admission, even skipping classes would probably go unnoticed.

Yet here he was, on the Qingyu campus, ready to stay with Sui Houyu until the very end.

“Congratulations.” Sui Houyu replied with a smile.

Hou Mo suddenly leaned in, cupping Sui Houyu’s face and giving him a big kiss: “I’m so happy!”

In an equally good mood, Sui Houyu leaned forward and kissed Hou Mo back: “I’m really happy too.”

As they were chatting, a sudden voice interrupted, full of disdain: “Ugh! Disgusting gay couple.”

They turned to see Ai Mengtian standing by the gate with a friend, clearly having witnessed their intimate moment.

Hou Mo didn’t seem embarrassed at all. With a grin, he asked: “Sister Tian, what are you up to?”

As long as he wasn’t embarrassed, the awkwardness fell on others.

“Studying late made me hungry, so I’m waiting for a food delivery!” Ai Mengtian replied irritably.

Hou Mo, as shameless as ever, continued chatting: “You guys left the Fenghua campus a while ago. I haven’t been spat on in ages—I kinda missed it.”

Ai Mengtian rolled her eyes dramatically, unwilling to engage further.

But Hou Mo couldn’t leave it at that. Picking up his suitcase, he added: “Oh, by the way, Sister Tian, I got a guaranteed admission.”

“Oh, congratulations—” she said with mock enthusiasm, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

“Thanks.” Hou Mo grinned as he walked past her.

Sui Houyu followed closely behind, holding Hou Mo’s suitcase.

Ai Mengtian kept glancing back at them, suddenly regretting her decision to mention food delivery.

Sure enough, Hou Mo shamelessly took half of her order, complaining as he picked through it: “Always ordering fried food—it’s unhealthy. Look at this; Brother Yu and I can only eat this much.”

Ai Mengtian was livid: “So you’re just taking what you can eat?!”

“Of course not!” Hou Mo said, pulling two bananas from his bag and handing them to her. Then, the two boys walked away with their haul.

Fuming, Ai Mengtian stomped her foot before retreating to the dorm with what was left of her food.

These two annoying boys were unbearable!

Omake:

Ai Mengtian has stolen their food before, so it’s mutual. Don’t be mad!

Hou Mo: Crying won’t work on me! Because I’ll cry harder than you!