HCILH Ch. 24

Chapter 24: Reversal

The next day.

After the rain, the sky cleared up, and the sun shone brightly.

The sky, washed clean by yesterday’s rain, was a bright blue with soft, fluffy clouds, resembling a scene from an animation.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps between the leaves outside the window, casting a mottled pattern on the desks and chairs.

The sound of cicadas made this summer feel especially prolonged.

The wind gently swayed the white curtains in the classroom, fluttering around Sui Houyu.

As he read, he needed to press down on a corner of the book to keep the pages from flipping. His right hand spun a pen as he focused intently on the book, chewing gum and occasionally blowing a bubble.

The athletes had gathered their things, and as they were leaving, Deng Yiheng turned back to call out to Sui Houyu, “Brother Yu, want to go together?”

Sui Houyu looked up and replied: “No. I messaged Coach Wang. I won’t be joining the tennis team.”

“You guys have each other’s WeChat IDs?” Deng Yiheng said, a bit surprised, as he walked over to Sui Houyu, “I don’t have you as a friend yet. Add me.”

Sui Houyu didn’t refuse, taking out his phone to scan Deng Yiheng’s QR code.

It was Coach Wang who took the initiative to add him, making it easier to encourage Sui Houyu to join the tennis team.

Deng Yiheng, still not giving up, asked, “Really not joining? I think you play pretty well. You don’t have to partner with Senior Brother; you might do well on your own.”

“Not joining. I don’t seem to be that interested in tennis,” Sui Houyu replied as he lowered his head to add Deng Yiheng as a friend.

Deng Yiheng didn’t press further, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he left.

Once outside the classroom, he noticed Hou Mo waiting for him and immediately walked over, sighing: “I think Brother Yu plays well. With that light-as-a-feather style, it’s a shame he’s not playing tennis.”

“I talked to him yesterday and told him not to continue.”

“You advised him?!” Deng Yiheng was surprised.

“Yeah, he initially trained because of me, but if he doesn’t want to join the tennis team, then he shouldn’t waste Coach Wang’s time. I don’t want to continue teaching him either.”

“Right, he was just unwilling to lose to you and learned for a while.”

“I might be the troublemaker here.”

Deng Yiheng looked at Hou Mo several times, noticing his self-satisfied demeanor, and couldn’t help but wonder if Hou Mo was misinterpreting the situation.

Having known each other since middle school, Deng Yiheng understood Hou Mo well.

Seeing Hou Mo sigh and look a bit dreamy, he couldn’t help but ask: “Senior Brother, you don’t think Brother Yu has a crush on you, do you?”

“Huh? You noticed that too?”

“Ugh—” Deng Yiheng felt a sudden pain in his molars, then shook his head, “No, no, no. You’re misunderstanding. Brother Yu looks at Ran Shu and Su Anyi much more gently than he does at you. That’s definitely not the gaze of someone with a crush.”

Hou Mo was unconvinced and retorted: “If he doesn’t like me, why did he sleep next to me?”

“I really don’t understand that, but it doesn’t seem like he’s trying to seduce you; otherwise, he wouldn’t be wearing that outfit.”

“And he always looks at me in class.”

“I look at you a lot too. I’m just curious how you always manage to fall asleep in such difficult positions?”

Hou Mo still felt it was nonsense.

He was sure he wasn’t mistaken; Sui Houyu definitely had feelings for him. However, after being rejected, he didn’t want to pursue him anymore, hence the decision to stop training.

Moreover, Sui Houyu was indeed very down yesterday.

At this moment, Deng Yiheng continued, “If he really wants a girlfriend, Xu Youyi is quite pretty.”

“Who’s Xu Youyi?”

“Little Daiyu, from Class One of the first year. She’s beautiful, a top student, and has a particularly gentle personality. I heard everyone wants to choose her as the school flower!” Deng Yiheng had a clear understanding of the school’s beauties.

“…” Hou Mo stared at the sky and didn’t respond.

“Also, Su Anyi is so close to Brother Yu that they’ll probably end up together soon. At worst, Ran Shu is also a good option; he’s nice to look at as long as he doesn’t speak, as for liking you?”

“Shut up!” Hou Mo angrily walked a few steps ahead, regretting waiting for Deng Yiheng.

“Based on my years of experience yearning for love, there’s no spark between you two.”

“That counts as experience?”

“Cherish it. I’m the only person you’re familiar with who can talk to you about relationship issues.” After thinking for a moment, Deng Yiheng added, “Senior brother, don’t go blabbing to Brother Yu! Otherwise, you might get beaten up.”

“Get lost!”

*

Sui Houyu thought Hou Mo was right; if he didn’t want to join the tennis team, he shouldn’t waste Coach Wang’s enthusiasm.

He actually had a good impression of Coach Wang, feeling that he was an enthusiastic person who treated him well.

He thought about how the tennis team would be participating in a national competition during the recent season over the National Day holiday, so he wouldn’t disturb them for now.

Moreover, with the monthly exam coming up soon, he should focus on studying.

He was especially competitive, not wanting to lose to Hou Mo since he knew how well Hou Mo studied.

In addition, he had a heavy curiosity, was easily angered, and often distracted.

He was always very excited and severely insomnia-prone.

When he was younger, he was always cheerful, chatting incessantly with those around him. After being discharged from the hospital, he smiled much less and stopped talking as much.

Now, he just wanted to study seriously.

He knew that if he couldn’t beat Hou Mo in the exams, he might become anxious again until he surpassed Hou Mo; otherwise, he wouldn’t find peace.

It was similar to how he still felt angry with Hou Mo after losing to him in tennis.

After working on some problems for a while, Ouyang Ge walked into the classroom and said to Sui Houyu: “Here’s the seating chart for the monthly exam. Later, you’ll post it on the blackboard and notify the athletes about the exam time. I’ve been a bit busy these days, so please help me with this.”

Sui Houyu took it, glanced at it, and replied: “Okay.”

“Do we have a class group chat yet?”

“Uh, do we need one?”

After thinking for a moment, Ouyang Ge said: “Let’s create one before National Day for notifications, but it’s not urgent.”

“Sure.”

Once Ouyang Ge left, Ran Shu immediately turned to check the seating chart and was shocked after reading it, “Students from one class are assigned to four different exam rooms, and they’re interspersed. No classmates are sitting next to each other. The school really is bold.”

Ran Shu searched around and sighed in relief: “Fortunately, I’m in the same exam room as you, and Su Anyi is also here.”

Sui Houyu responded, “It seems like the exam rooms are assigned based on classroom seating, so we’re all in the same room with those athletes.”

They both fell silent upon seeing a certain name.

They couldn’t figure out how the seating was arranged, but Xu Youyi was also in this exam room.

Sui Houyu sighed and pinned the four seating charts to the blackboard, securing them with magnets, and then told the class: “Take a look at the seating chart; just head to the exam room directly tomorrow when it’s time for the exam.”

“The text is too small; can the class monitor read it out?” someone suggested.

Sui Houyu didn’t have the patience for that. He looked down at the class, raised his hand, and pointed at the four sheets of paper, “Honestly, if I didn’t know the class number, I wouldn’t recognize which names belong to our class.”

Even now, Sui Houyu still hadn’t memorized everyone in the class.

The person who made the suggestion immediately gave up.

*

Hou Mo was quite proactive during the exam.

He brought his own stationery and arrived early at the exam room.

The seating chart was also posted on the blackboard in the exam classroom. Hou Mo double-checked and found his seat before sitting down.

After confirming their seats, Deng Yiheng and the others gathered around Hou Mo to chat.

During the National Day holiday, their team had a national competition, so most of their conversation revolved around the opponents they would soon face.

As Hou Mo spoke, he noticed Xu Youyi walking into the classroom. After finding a seat, she sat down all alone, looking isolated.

There were other girls nearby, seemingly from Class One of the first year, but they only occasionally spoke to Xu Youyi, ignoring her for the most part.

Hou Mo glanced at Xu Youyi a couple of times before continuing his conversation with his teammates.

In the classroom, some first-year girls noticed Hou Mo and couldn’t help but whisper: “Who is he? So handsome!”

“Can you still dye your hair at school?”

“Aren’t they also undergoing military training? How is he still so fair?”

“It seems to be Hou Mo, an athlete from the tennis team.”

“Ah… then he probably doesn’t do well in studies.”

At that moment, a few boys walked into the classroom. One boy approached Xu Youyi’s desk, leaning on the edge and asking, “Why didn’t you reply to my message?”

Xu Youyi seemed unwilling to engage, quietly responding, “I was reading, si I didn’t see it…”

She didn’t dare to meet his gaze and looked down at the desk, her delicate figure enhancing her fragile appearance.

The boy moved closer, asking, “Just answer me directly, do you want to go out to play during the holiday?”

“I have classes to make up during the holiday,” Xu Youyi turned her face away, trying to avoid his breath.

“Where do you live? I can pick you up.”

“No need, I’m not going.”

“Tsk.” The boy grew impatient. “You look so weak, it’s really annoying. You better come out during the holiday, you hear me? Otherwise, I won’t be polite.”

Xu Youyi bit her lip and didn’t respond, clearly unwilling.

Deng Yiheng looked back and couldn’t help but scold, “Is there any need to treat a girl like that? Enough already.”

He stood up, ready to intervene.

However, someone was quicker. They stepped beside the boy and, just as he reached out to push Xu Youyi’s shoulder, grabbed his hand and twisted it painfully, causing the boy to cry out in surprise.

Sui Houyu held the boy’s hand with one hand, casting a cold glare at him, then asked, “What do you mean by not being polite?”

“F*ck, who are you?” the boy shouted angrily.

“I’m asking you a question.” Sui Houyu twisted the boy’s hand with more force, speaking in a low voice.

“You have no right to control me!”

“I do have that right.” After saying that, Sui Houyu kicked the boy away, then leaned against the table, saying, “Try to touch her, and I won’t be polite either.”

The boy chasing Xu Youyi was a first-year student.

First-year students often feel restless, eager to assert dominance and pursue the prettiest girls.

These boys often harassed Xu Youyi, and many students in the class kept their distance, even unwilling to befriend her. After all, if Xu Youyi didn’t reply to messages, they’d be harassed too.

Xu Youyi had never had anyone to protect her, making these boys even more audacious.

Ran Shu and Su Anyi stood nearby, seemingly unfazed by the boys, watching calmly.

“Who are you?” the boy persisted with the question.

“Sui Houyu.”

Ran Shu added, “Ask students from Qingyu; you’ll gradually become familiar with this name.”

The boys exchanged glances, as if someone had heard of Sui Houyu, and quickly left.

As they reached the door, one of them said, “Sui Houyu seems a bit crazy; when he gets angry, he fights like it’s nothing to him. Nobody can stop him, and his family has money… basically, he’s a lunatic.”

Sui Houyu—known in Qingyu High School as the infamous lunatic.

Once they left, Sui Houyu turned to look at Xu Youyi, his eyes filled with helplessness: “How long have you been bullied?”

“Are you finally willing to talk to me?!” Xu Youyi asked excitedly.

Sui Houyu was so angry he gritted his teeth.

He was still furious, wishing Xu Youyi would disappear in front of him.

But she was like his little sister, whom he had spent years with, and he couldn’t just ignore her troubles.

He spoke again, “If anything like this happens in the future, tell me. I’ll help you deal with it.”

“Can you add me back? I can’t even call you.”

Sui Houyu thought for a moment and finally took out his phone to remove Xu Youyi from the blocklist.

Ran Shu held a pile of food, mostly from Sui Houyu, as he always needed something to eat to ease his mood.

He took a sandwich from the bag and handed it to Xu Youyi. “Did you eat breakfast? This is from Brother Yu, it’s for you.”

“Thank you, Brother Ran.” Xu Youyi accepted it with a smile.

Sui Houyu glanced at them but didn’t say anything further and returned to his seat.

Xu Youyi carried the sandwich to his desk and asked, “Can I come see you during the holiday?”

“Do you have something to discuss?”

“No… just to hang out.”

“Then don’t come.”

“How about helping me with my homework?”

“If you have questions, message me on WeChat.”

Even so, Xu Youyi felt satisfied and happily returned to her seat.

Witnessing the entire scene, Deng Yiheng leaned closer to Hou Mo, whispering, “Did you see that? The boyfriend is really protective.”

Hou Mo didn’t respond.

Deng Yiheng continued, “Look, if he doesn’t like a pretty and soft girl like that, how could he like you? You really think too much…”

Hou Mo frowned, feeling annoyed, and said, “Why are you talking so much? Go back to your seat.”

Sitting in his seat waiting for the papers to be distributed, Hou Mo’s eyes inadvertently glanced toward Sui Houyu in the corner of his eye.

Sui Houyu was on the other side of the classroom, in front of him, and if he turned around, he would definitely notice.

Today, Sui Houyu didn’t look back at him.

Was he completely giving up?

*

During the lunch break, after finishing their meal, Deng Yiheng and the others approached Ran Shu, inquiring about Sui Houyu. “Brother Yu used to be quite wild? I can’t tell at all!”

Deng Yiheng had interacted with Sui Houyu for a while and didn’t see any signs of him being wild, which seemed different from the rumors.

At least he didn’t appear to be someone anyone would dislike.

Ran Shu was still focused on his game, eyes glued to the screen, casually replying: “It’s not really that wild; Brother Yu didn’t aim to be a school bully. It’s a bit middle school-esque, but he ended up being one unintentionally.”

Deng Yiheng probed further: “How did that happen?”

“The previous school bully chased after Brother Yu, who found it annoying and ended up beating him up, sending him to the hospital. After defeating the previous bully, Brother Yu became the new one.”

Deng Yiheng processed this information for a moment before looking at Hou Mo.

Clearly, Hou Mo also caught on to the hint and asked, “Was the previous bully a guy or a girl?”

If it were a girl, it wouldn’t make sense for them to fight, right?

Ran Shu answered, “A guy.”

After finishing a round, Ran Shu put down his phone and continued, “Brother Yu is straight and is a little homophobic. Generally speaking, he doesn’t say much about others being gay since it’s their choice. But he’s not gay himself and has made that clear. That senior kept pursuing him, which really annoyed Brother Yu. He hates it when people get too close to him, and when that senior tried to hold his hand, Brother Yu ended up sending him to the hospital.”

The silence that followed was palpable.

Deng Yiheng looked at Hou Mo and patted him on the shoulder.

Hou Mo was still confused. If Sui Houyu didn’t like him, why had he been so depressed just a couple of days ago?

At that moment, Sui Houyu returned from the restroom and walked over to Hou Mo, saying: “What did you mean the day before yesterday? I thought about it for a long time after you left and still couldn’t figure it out.”

The last shred of hope in Hou Mo’s mind faded away. He forced himself to look up at Sui Houyu and quietly explained: “I… I’m sorry. I don’t think before I speak; I just rambled nonsense. Please don’t take it to heart.”

“With your inability to express yourself like this, how do you write essays? I occasionally watch you and noticed your study habits seem off. I’m a bit puzzled about how you manage to pass.”

“…” Hou Mo didn’t want to answer; he just wanted to go downstairs right now and run ten or eight hundred meters instead.

Omake:

Hou Mo cried out like a pig.

Hou Mo: I’m straight, but I’m pretending.