HCILH Ch. 96

Chapter 96: Helping Each Other

When Sui Houyu and Hou Mo returned to the cafeteria, there was a bit of awkwardness.

The kiss had been passionate, but afterward, Sui Houyu had pushed Hou Mo away and stood up to shake the snow off himself.

Once Hou Mo had tidied up, he came over to help brush the snow off Sui Houyu’s head, but Sui Houyu slapped his hand away.

Then, he headed straight for the cafeteria.

Hou Mo followed him closely.

It wasn’t that Sui Houyu was angry; he was just embarrassed.

They weren’t even officially together yet, and somehow he had been more invested in the kiss than Hou Mo was. What was that all about?

How was he supposed to explain it to Hou Mo later?

Was it just that he wouldn’t refuse anyone?

Was it just a casual kiss? Should he just tell Hou Mo not to take it seriously?

Thinking this made Sui Houyu feel even more frustrated. He couldn’t help but think Hou Mo was making things difficult for him. Something that could have been resolved simply had turned into a problem he had to deal with alone.

Hou Mo didn’t ask any questions. Instead, he acted as if he had done something wrong, behaving very obediently. When they entered the cafeteria, he told Sui Houyu to sit down while he went to get breakfast for him.

By now, the two were familiar enough that Hou Mo knew what Sui Houyu liked to eat, so he didn’t need to ask. He brought their breakfast over quickly, perfectly suited to both their preferences.

Sui Houyu drank his soy milk while Hou Mo peeled the shell off a boiled egg.

They ate breakfast in silence, then walked back to the classroom in silence and sat next to each other to catch up on homework in silence.

Because of the snowball fight, Sui Houyu’s hands were cold and uncomfortable when he held his pen. Hou Mo noticed this and wanted to help warm his hands, but Sui Houyu pulled away: “No need.”

“Oh…” Hou Mo glanced at him secretly and continued with his homework.

Hou Mo understood that Sui Houyu had probably realized something and was starting to want to agree to be with him.

He figured that once Sui Houyu had calmed down, he’d become aware of how unusual it felt to be with another guy and had gotten defensive again. Hou Mo knew he’d have to keep waiting until Sui Houyu was completely ready to accept it.

For a straight guy, this definitely required a process.

He’d just have to keep trying for a while longer to show his sincerity.

By the afternoon, both Sui Houyu and Hou Mo started to have runny noses.

They took turns blowing their noses, sounding like a duet from the back row.

Ran Shu turned around with a look of disgust and whispered: “Serves you right! As romantic as it was before, now it’s just as embarrassing!”

Hou Mo noticed that Ran Shu never stuttered when scolding him.

At some point, he had also become one of Ran Shu’s practice partners for speaking.

By the time school ended that afternoon, they both confirmed that they had caught colds.

They sat there with their noses red, looking at each other, both a bit helpless.

It was the prime of their youth, and they were both in good shape, but lying in the snow and kissing for over ten minutes had been too much.

It was really a little embarrassing.

When they returned home in the van, Hou Mo said as he got out: “Wait for me. I’m going to buy some masks. My mom’s health isn’t great, and her immune system is weak. I don’t want to pass this to her.”

“Can regular colds be contagious?” Sui Houyu asked, standing in place.

“Just to be safe. Her body can’t handle this.”

“Okay, go ahead.”

Not long after, Hou Mo came back out and handed Sui Houyu a disposable medical mask.

Hou Mo wore one as well, but because his nose was quite prominent, there were big gaps when he put it on, and he spent a while adjusting the metal strip at the bridge of his nose.

Sui Houyu turned to look at him and muttered: “Big nose, big Adam’s apple…”

As he spoke, his gaze swept over Hou Mo’s crotch.

Hou Mo laughed when he noticed and leaned in closer to reply: “That’s big too.”

Sui Houyu didn’t respond, pursing his lips as he continued walking ahead, frowning slightly as he started pondering the logistics of future intimate moments.

*

After school in the afternoon, Sang Xian was carrying his bag out to find his family’s car when Ran Shu jogged up to him.

“Let m-me get a ride!” Ran Shu panted, holding onto Sang Xian’s arm as he spoke.

“Your family didn’t come to pick you up?”

“D-Don’t even get me started. Not only did they not come, but they also told me not to come home. If BrotherYu finds out I’m staying at school, it’s over for me. I need to find a place to stay.”

“You really put up with a lot for him.”

Ran Shu waved it off, looking as if he didn’t want to talk about it, and pointed at the Maybach in front of them: “Your car’s over there.”

“You even recognize it?”

“Yeah.” He had even looked up the car’s specifications.

Ran Shu followed Sang Xian to the car and opened the back door, only to see a fashionable lady sitting inside.

This lady appeared to be Sang Xian’s mother.

Sang Xian’s mother looked surprised to see Ran Shu, so Sang Xian explained: “A friend, hitching a ride.”

Mother Sang immediately understood and got out to move to the front passenger seat.

Once inside the car, Ran Shu greeted her: “Hello, should I call you ‘sister’ or ‘aunt’? If Sang Xian doesn’t mind, I’d like to call you ‘sister’.”

The glass partition between the front and back seats was lowered, so Mother Sang could hear and see him.

Mother Sang chuckled at his words, laughing lightly: “This young man is quite amusing, sweet-talking like that.”

Ran Shu smiled and said: “N-No, I’m serious. You really are beautiful, very European and American chic.”

Mother Sang burst out laughing again and said to Sang Xian: “This friend of yours is definitely the most charming one.”

Ran Shu was a bit puzzled: “Isn’t Hou Mo also good at sweet-talking?”

At the mention of Hou Mo, Mother Sang’s smile faded a bit, and she sighed: “Hou Mo has always been polite with our family. I wish he would be closer to us.”

“Oh…” Ran Shu didn’t press further.

Once Sang Xian was seated, he looked down at his phone and asked: “Where do you want to go?”

Ran Shu thought for a moment and replied: “When we reach the city, just stop in front of a hotel. I’ll stay there for two days.”

Mother Sang quickly interjected: “Oh, it’s New Year’s Eve, staying at a hotel alone? That’s too lonely. Come stay at our place.”

Ran Shu’s eyes lit up instantly: “Sure!”

He had always been curious about Sang Xian’s family background and now had a chance to see it for himself.

Ran Shu had imagined they would head to a fancy residential area with luxury amenities and exclusive facilities.

Instead, they drove out to a secluded area.

The Sang family had bought their own piece of land and built a house there, complete with their own landscaped garden.

As the car drove through the main gate, Mother Sang pointed to several buildings on the hill and said: “That building is Sang Xian’s, that one’s ours, and further away is his grandparents’ house…”

Ran Shu remained silent as he took it all in, internally amazed: Wow.

Mother Sang didn’t mind Ran Shu’s stuttering and chatted with him for a while.

When she learned that Ran Shu was Sang Xian’s doubles partner, she became curious: “Will you pursue a career as an athlete in the future?”

Ran Shu shook his head: “Actually, if I didn’t stutter, I-I’d want to be an idol, singing and dancing and such. If I could enter a talent show, even if I didn’t debut as the center, I’d still make it into the debut lineup.”

Mother Sang asked in surprise: “You’re that talented?”

“Not really, it’s mostly because my family has money.”

Mother Sang laughed heartily.

Ran Shu continued: “When I was s-six, I was already acting with financial backing, playing the childhood version of the male lead. The director praised my acting and said I had talent. But then I started stuttering, so I never acted again.”

“Was the stutter developed later?”

Ran Shu gave a bitter smile. It was a topic he couldn’t talk about, so he didn’t answer.

Mother Sang didn’t press further.

As they continued talking, Mother Sang learned that Ran Shu was from the Ran family and exclaimed, “What a coincidence! Our families were sworn brothers in the past, went into business together, and even defended against bandits. They were quite prominent back then. But over the generations, the relationship faded, and we lost touch.”

Ran Shu was surprised: “So our families knew each other?”

“Exactly! I should check the genealogy records when we get back. You and Sang Xian might even be uncle-nephew brothers or something.”

Ran Shu, feeling a bit dazed, followed Mother Sang to the main villa.

Sang Xian initially intended to head to his own villa but reconsidered and went along with Ran Shu.

Mother Sang enthusiastically brought out the genealogy records and started tracing the family lines. After some calculating, she found it strange: “Wait… this can’t be right. The gap is this big?”

The Sang and Ran families were quite different.

The Sang family had children late and only one per generation, so Sang Xian’s rank in the family was very senior.

The Ran family, on the other hand, had many children in quick succession. By the time Ran Shu’s grandfather’s generation came around, early marriages and children were common. Ran Shu’s father had him at 22.

After working it out, it turned out that Sang Xian was actually Ran Shu’s great-grandfather.

Ran Shu stared at the result in silence.

This was one relationship better left unrecognized.

While Mother Sang recalculated, Ran Shu whispered to Sang Xian: “With your seniority, you shouldn’t even be alive. You should be resting in peace, in a little box where you truly belong!”

Sang Xian wasn’t planning on acknowledging any familial connection with Ran Shu and only glanced briefly before saying: “The connection between the two families has long faded, and this generational status no longer holds meaning.”

“True…” Mother Sang gave up on calculating further, stood up, and asked: “Little Ran, what would you like to eat? I’ll ask the housekeeper to make it.”

“Anything’s fine!”

After Mother Sang left, Ran Shu took a photo of the family genealogy and sent it to Sui Houyu, typing: “Help me figure out the generational hierarchy. Am I really Sang Xian’s great-grandson?”

Clearly, he was dwelling on it.

However, there was no response from Sui Houyu for a long time.

*

At that moment, Sui Houyu and Hou Mo were sitting side by side as Mother Hou checked their foreheads.

Mother Hou covered both boys’ foreheads with her hands to check their temperatures, then extended her hand to Hou Mo. He obediently handed her the thermometer from under his arm.

After looking at the temperature, Mother Hou frowned in concern, shook the thermometer, and handed it to Sui Houyu. He took it obediently and placed it under his arm.

Both boys remained silent, as if they were waiting for a reprimand after doing something wrong.

After observing them for a while, Mother Hou reached out and touched the older one’s back before saying: “It’s fine to play in the snow for a while, but there are limits. Catching a cold now could affect your final exams, couldn’t it?”

Hou Mo quickly responded: “It’s just a minor illness, no problem.”

Sui Houyu added: “My head’s still clear.”

Mother Hou, unable to scold them further, asked: “Do you still want tutoring today?”

Both boys shook their heads simultaneously, afraid of passing the illness to her.

Sui Houyu pointed to his phone and said: “I have a membership with a learning app; I can watch videos to study.”

Mother Hou didn’t press the issue further and said: “Alright, head downstairs. I’ll bring breakfast to you both in the morning. Use the holiday to get more rest.”

Hou Mo quickly got up, while Sui Houyu handed the thermometer back to Mother Hou and intended to carry his older brother back.

Mother Hou stopped him and said: “Meow Mimi will disturb your studies. Focus on revising during finals.”

“Oh.” Sui Houyu put his brother down and walked downstairs with Hou Mo.

Once outside, both of them let out a sigh of relief at the same time.

They were afraid of Mother Hou, not because she was harsh, but because they didn’t want to worry her.

Who would have thought that these two fearless figures at school would one day cower like quails in front of a gentle woman?

Downstairs, Sui Houyu lay down on his bed and didn’t feel like getting up.

Hou Mo, after tidying up the room a bit, asked: “Brother Yu, are you going to shower first, or should I?”

“I don’t feel like it…” Sui Houyu said, lazy as ever, lying on his bed unmoving.

“Come on, wash up. You’ve got snow on you; it’s better to wash it off. Plus, taking a hot shower after catching a cold helps sweat it out.”

Sui Houyu rolled over and continued being stubborn: “I don’t want to…”

Hou Mo had realized that Sui Houyu had days every week where he just didn’t feel like showering.

He walked over and tugged at him: “Brother Yu! Get up! Or I’ll call my mom.”

“Don’t use Auntie to threaten me!” Sui Houyu shouted at him, then reluctantly got up. While grabbing his change of clothes, he was clearly annoyed, making quite the noise as he stomped off to the bathroom, slamming the door dramatically.

Using his mom as leverage worked really well…

Hou Mo, after taking his shower and tidying up the bathroom, washed the clothes they had changed out of before going to bed.

Sui Houyu, still on his phone, noticed Hou Mo coming over and turning on the speaker mode: “Do you want to listen?” 

“Get some sleep; you’ll recover faster.” Hou Mo took Sui Houyu’s phone, turned it off, set it to charge, and tucked them in.

He suddenly chuckled and said: “Ran Shu just messaged me. It turns out his family and Sang Xian’s were relatives in the past, and Sang Xian is like his great-grandfather’s generation.”

Hou Mo’s tone was briefly amused: “Wow, that’s quite the generational gap.”

“Yeah, Ran Shu’s probably fuming.”

“I can picture him stomping around in anger.”

Hou Mo reached out to check Sui Houyu’s forehead again, sighing: “What do I do? My hand’s warm too, so I can’t tell your temperature accurately.”

Sui Houyu adjusted the blanket snugly around himself and said: “Time to sweat it out. Sleep. Goodnight.”

After Hou Mo turned off the lights, he lay on his back for a while, then suddenly turned on his side, resting his arm under his head as he looked at him and asked: “Brother Yu, I’ve been spending all my time with you, even cleaning your place now and then. But I haven’t noticed any tissues being used often. Don’t you… relieve yourself?”

Caught off guard, Sui Houyu froze, turning his head to look at Hou Mo, unable to make out his expression in the dark: “Why?” he asked.

“I’m just curious. You have cyclothymia, so your physical needs are probably higher than normal, right? Isn’t it hard to hold it in? Won’t it worsen your symptoms?”

“Boring.”

“I take care of it sometimes, or it’s really unbearable. At school, I just use the locker room. It’s usually just me there…”

Sui Houyu suddenly realized his imagination was too vivid.

He found himself picturing what Hou Mo looked like unclothed and what expression he’d have during those moments.

He quickly reined in his thoughts and replied: “Oh, impressive.”

His response was perfunctory.

“Brother Yu, do you…?”

“Do what?”

“If you don’t, I can help you.”

Startled, Sui Houyu finally understood what Hou Mo meant. He shifted to the side, eyeing Hou Mo warily: “What are you planning?”

Hou Mo spoke in a relaxed tone, smiling as he said: “You’ve got a cold, right? Sweating helps expel toxins. Maybe… this would help clear out those toxins and improve your cold?”

“What kind of joke is that?!” Sui Houyu kicked Hou Mo under the covers.

In response, Hou Mo pulled him into his arms, hands gripping his waist, and whispered by his ear: “Brother Yu, let me help you. It’s not healthy to hold it in all the time, really…”

“No need! Let go of me, are you looking for a beating?” Sui Houyu struggled and even tried to get out of bed.

Hou Mo didn’t let go, holding him from behind and calling out again: “Brother Yu.”

Sui Houyu stopped struggling. Hou Mo knew he had given in once more.

Hou Mo understood him well; he had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, fierce with words but easily yielding.

This was Sui Houyu’s first time being helped.

At first, he felt completely out of sorts, but as embarrassment overtook him, he simply raised an arm to cover his face, wishing he could bury himself in the pillow.

Especially when he realized that he actually liked it—it only made him feel more mortified…