HCILH Ch. 66

Chapter 66: All Smoothed Out

Early morning.

A bright light seeped through the gap in the curtains that were not completely closed, growing stronger and stronger. Sui Houyu, facing the window, frowned slightly from the sunlight.

He opened his eyes to find Da Ge still sleeping in his arms, and an arm draped over his waist.

He was hugging the cat, while Hou Mo was hugging him from behind.

Sui Houyu moved Hou Mo’s arm aside, not bothering to be gentle. Hou Mo, who slept like a rock, didn’t wake up.

He checked the time on his phone and was startled—How is it already 9 AM?!

He quickly reached over to wake Hou Mo.

Hou Mo groggily opened his eyes, glanced around, and asked: “It’s morning already?”

“It’s nine. Get up quickly.”

“F*ck!” Hou Mo sprang up instantly, wide awake as soon as he saw the time.

He jumped off the bed, then remembered he had no toiletries here, and rushed out in his slippers to the upper floor.

Sui Houyu was also flustered. He quickly freshened up and grabbed his shoes, heading out the door just as Hou Mo came running downstairs.

“I asked the uncle downstairs to give us a ride to school.”

“Alright.”

The car they called was old and worn—like a ninth-hand Alto.

But hey, it was better than no ride at all.

Sitting in the car, Hou Mo confessed: “It’s my fault. I was worried the alarm would wake you, so I turned it off the day before yesterday… and forgot to turn it back on yesterday.”

Sui Houyu checked his phone as well: “I didn’t set it either… But why didn’t anyone call us?”

“Maybe they thought we’d make it to class just on time. Then, once class started, they couldn’t take their phones out to call us.”

“Even Ran Shu didn’t message me.”

Sui Houyu texted Ran Shu: “Did Gege notice Hou Mo and I were late?”

A red exclamation mark popped up beside the message.

“What the… Did Ran Shu block me?” he exclaimed, surprised.

Hou Mo snickered but kept quiet.

After the sports season ended, the tennis team got a few days off, pausing morning practice.

Sui Houyu and Hou Mo had planned to attend class on time since it was close by, but they overslept until nine o’clock. When they arrived at school, it was already ten o’clock in the morning.

They stayed calm on the way, and by the time they got off the car, they were no longer in a rush. Leisurely, they strolled into school with their bags slung over their shoulders.

It was break time, and the playground and hallways were filled with students. Some gathered by the windows to look outside, and others opened the windows to shout: “Brother Yu! Senior Brother!”

Sui Houyu ignored them.

In contrast, Hou Mo waved and greeted them, turning their late arrival into a runway walk, exuding a bit of star-like presence.

Sui Houyu was truly impressed.

When they reached the classroom, Deng Yiheng peeked his head out and teased: “Finally acting like the school bullies for once.”

Hou Mo shrugged helplessly: “Cut it out. Stop forcing this persona on me. Do I look like that kind of person? I’m a diligent student with aspirations. You guys just love making things up. I was simply late today.”

Sui Houyu asked: “Is Gege here?”

Deng Yiheng nodded: “Not only is he here, but he’s been sitting in your seat all morning.”

Sui Houyu’s mood darkened instantly.

As soon as he entered the classroom, he spotted Ran Shu glaring at him.

Sui Houyu walked over and asked: “What are you doing?”

Ran Shu, still fuming, replied, “I-I just wanted to see how long it’d take for you to realize your life doesn’t need me.”

“Then what?”

“And then you’d realize how important I am, regret ditching me for someone new, and reflect on your scumbag ways.”

Sui Houyu, now inexplicably labeled as a “heartbreaker,” sat down helplessly: “Why are you even comparing yourself with him?”

Hou Mo, overhearing this, chuckled but was silenced by Sui Houyu’s next words: “He’s not even in the same league as you. I always feel like punching him, but have I ever said a harsh word to you?”

Hou Mo instantly deflated and angrily slammed his book on the desk.

Ran Shu, however, was all smiles and gleefully added Sui Houyu back on his phone, waving it in front of him triumphantly.

Just then, Ouyang Ge walked into the classroom. Seeing the two latecomers, he crooked a finger at them.

The two immediately understood and stood up to follow him out.

The teacher was already preparing to start the lesson, but Sui Houyu and Hou Mo were left standing in the hallway.

Ouyang Ge asked: “Heard you two performed well. So now you’re skipping class too?”

Hou Mo muttered: “We just overslept.”

Ouyang Ge sneered: “Overslept together? How convenient. You guys are really in sync.”

Hou Mo replied unhappily: “Not as much as he is with Ran Shu. I can’t compete with that.”

Ouyang Ge dismissed them: “Stand at the door so everyone can admire our champion and runner-up duo.”

They stood by the classroom door listening to the lecture, while Ouyang Ge went straight to Sui Houyu’s seat and sat down. In truth, Ouyang Ge wasn’t much better than the students—he fell asleep shortly after entering the room, providing no leadership whatsoever, though he dutifully remained in the classroom without leaving.

As Ouyang Ge’s desk mate, Sui Houyu was utterly helpless.

Hou Mo, meanwhile, was frustrated throughout the class. Even during the punishment of standing outside, he stayed far away from Sui Houyu, as if a river ran between them—boiling hot, forcing them to keep their distance.

At lunchtime, Hou Mo ignored Sui Houyu completely.

If Sui Houyu wants to eat, he can eat. If he wants to be picky, let him be picky. Let Ran Shu feed him—Hou Mo doesn’t care anymore!

Sui Houyu noticed, but there was nothing he could do.

He didn’t know how to appease others, especially not someone like Hou Mo, who was taller and stronger than him.

This cold war lasted until they returned to the dormitory at night. Upon entering, Sui Houyu saw that each bed now had a curtain being installed.

Deng Yiheng turned and explained to Sui Houyu: “Sang Xian ordered them in bulk. The materials are excellent—no odor and completely blackout. We won’t see anything when you sleep.”

Perhaps to avoid making Sui Houyu’s bed look out of place, Sang Xian had ordered matching curtains for everyone in the dorm, so every bed could be fully enclosed.

At this point, saying no or offering to pay would only feel pretentious. Sui Houyu knew that Sang Xian was merely looking out for Hou Mo, and he understood.

Hou Mo entered behind Sui Houyu, threw his things on his bed, and turned to leave.

Deng Yiheng followed him out to ask where he was going and Huo Mo replied: “Shower.” 

Sui Houyu remained clueless about how to make up with Hou Mo, and felt a bit conflicted.

Meanwhile, Ran Shu was in a great mood. He ran to the door and shouted outside: “Oh, going all by yourself? How pitiful!”

He then turned back and mockingly asked Sang Xian: “Sang Xian, a-aren’t you going to accompany him?”

Sang Xian glanced at Ran Shu coldly and replied flatly: “Do you need someone to accompany you when you shower?

Ran Shu sighed dramatically: “Right, you’re all lone wolves.”

Hou Mo stood alone in the hallway. After seeing Ran Shu return to the dorm, he realized no one was going to care about him.

He stood there, hands on his hips, fuming for a while before heading to the shower alone.

His footsteps were heavy as he descended the stairs, as if he were carrying a thousand-pound weight.

*

It was nighttime.

Sui Houyu and Ran Shu returned to the dorm, mainly because Ran Shu had been chatting with Sui Houyu about Mother Sui.

Whenever his mother was mentioned, Sui Houyu felt irritated, and all Ran Shu could do was try his best to console him. 

After a while, Sui Houyu still refused to go home. Ran Shu understood and took out his phone to type a message to his own mom, explaining the situation and covering for Sui Houyu.

By the time they got back to the dorm, the lights were already off.

Sui Houyu lifted the curtain around his bed, but Hou Mo wasn’t inside.

As he changed into his pajamas, Deng Yiheng poked his head out and silently mouthed: “He’s in his own bed.”

“Oh.” Sui Houyu responded.

After changing, he slipped under his curtain and lay down. The bed curtain created a tightly enclosed space that made him feel uncomfortable.

He didn’t like the sense of confinement, but he knew that Sang Xian had the best intentions by ordering these, offering both privacy and comfort.

Still, he couldn’t sleep…

He tossed and turned, and when he checked his phone again, it was already one o’clock in the morning.

Should he go talk to Hou Mo?

But he hadn’t even said anything wrong. Did Hou Mo really need him to spell out how irritating he was? Shouldn’t Hou Mo be aware of that himself?

Getting upset over this? 

When did Hou Mo have such a bad temper?

He rolled over again, and just then, he heard the sound of someone shifting on a bed. A moment later, Hou Mo pulled back the curtain and, with a move like a backflip, jumped onto Sui Houyu’s bed.

Sui Houyu quickly made room for him. Hou Mo lay down, turned his back toward Sui Houyu, and said nothing, just lying there.

Even his posture radiated frustration.

Sui Houyu lay on his back for a while, tilting his eyes to try to glimpse Hou Mo’s back without moving his head.

He couldn’t figure anything out.

After some thought, he tugged the blanket over Hou Mo, but Hou Mo didn’t respond.

Sui Houyu then scooted closer, but still, Hou Mo didn’t move.

Finally, Sui Houyu turned to face him, reaching out with his index and middle fingers. He walked them playfully along Hou Mo’s arm, up to his neck, and finally to his cheek, where the two fingers bent as if kneeling.

Almost instantly, he heard Hou Mo chuckle, his shoulders shaking lightly with laughter.

Sui Houyu quickly retracted his hand and lay back down.

Hou Mo eventually rolled over to face him, whispering: “Goodnight.”

The way he said it was soft, lingering in the air, right by Sui Houyu’s ear, gentle and tender, making Sui Houyu’s eardrum tingle.

Sui Houyu thought about rubbing his earlobe but gave up halfway.

He only gave a brief response: “Oh.”

Hou Mo adjusted the blanket, as Sui Houyu’s earlier attempt had been sloppy. After making sure both sides were properly covered, Hou Mo finally settled in.

Not long after, Hou Mo draped a hand over Sui Houyu’s waist.

Sui Houyu immediately reached down and removed it.

Hou Mo didn’t try again.

He seemed lost in thought, taking even longer to fall asleep than Sui Houyu.

Hou Mo opened his eyes to study Sui Houyu’s profile. As he lay there, Sui’s hair fanned out above his head, framing his perfectly sculpted face.

He looked so damn good.

How did he grow up looking like this?

Hou Mo stared at him for a long time before finally closing his eyes, ready to sleep.

Sui Houyu moved again in his sleep, reaching out to touch him, which left Hou Mo feeling quite puzzled.

When his hand was grabbed and placed on Sui Houyu’s body, Sui Houyu finally stopped moving.

As Hou Mo hesitated about whether to pull his hand back, Sui Houyu turned again, facing him and burrowing into his arms. As he lowered his head, Sui Houyu’s forehead brushed against Hou Mo’s lips before settling down.

Thump, thump, thump.

Hou Mo bit his lip, his heart pounding like a drum in his chest.

F*ck.