HSS CH39
by InterstellarSnakeChapter 39: Don’t Hate Me
Lin Miao stood under the teaching building, looking at Li Wenyao, whose face was bruised and swollen. He blinked in surprise and asked uncertainly, “Did I… did I do this to your face yesterday?” Am I really that strong?
“No,” Li Wenyao winced with pain as he spoke, tears almost welling up in his eyes. He forced out the words one by one, “I’m sorry. I was out of line yesterday.”
“I shouldn’t have said those things about you. I apologize.”
Lin Miao scratched the strap of his school bag and walked around him. “I don’t want to see you.”
Huo Yuchuan stood at the corner of the teaching building, watching Lin Miao’s retreating figure until it disappeared from sight. He took out his phone, opened the chat with Lin Miao, and stared at it for a long time before finally typing.
Halfway through his walk, Lin Miao heard his phone chime. He took it out and saw Huo Yuchuan’s message: “Can we meet up?”
Lin Miao stared at the message for a while but didn’t reply.
Huo Yuchuan sent another message: “How about meeting Little Zheng? I have something to tell you.”
Lin Miao pursed his lips and finally replied: “Where?”
Huo Yuchuan said: “At the school gate.”
When Lin Miao arrived at the school gate, he saw Little Zheng standing there with a file folder in hand. The car was parked a bit farther away, and Lin Miao didn’t know if anyone was inside.
Without looking at the car, Lin Miao asked Little Zheng, “What’s this about?”
Little Zheng handed him the file folder. “This is the agreement you signed earlier. There are three copies here.”
Lin Miao was confused. “Why are you giving it to me?” He already had a copy.
“Mr. Huo said to give it to you to deal with,” Little Zheng explained. “You can tear it up or burn it. From now on, you don’t owe Mr. Huo any money.”
Lin Miao was taken aback. “But I still owe him over six hundred thousand…”
“Mr. Huo never wanted you to pay him back,” Little Zheng said.
Lin Miao lowered his eyes, staring at his white sneakers. “No, I’ll pay him back. I don’t like owing people money.”
“Mr. Huo doesn’t want it,” Little Zheng insisted.
“I don’t care if he wants it or not,” Lin Miao said. “I don’t like being in debt.”
Suddenly, Little Zheng took out a mask and put it on.
Lin Miao: “Why are you putting on a mask?”
Little Zheng replied, “The lines I’m about to say are a bit embarrassing.”
Before Lin Miao could react, Little Zheng continued, “Mr. Huo said he never wanted the money.”
“He just wants you.”
Lin Miao froze, his cheeks heating up, but he still said, “I told you, I don’t like men.”
Just thinking about last night, how that person had leaned in, made his stomach churn and want to vomit. He hated being so close to others; how could he possibly like men?
“Alright,” Little Zheng took out a notebook and pen and jotted down, “Mr. Huo can’t be a man.”
Lin Miao: “……”
Lin Miao sighed, “What else is he supposed to be if he’s not a man?”
Little Zheng: “I don’t know.”
Lin Miao stuffed the file folder back into Little Zheng’s hands. “Anyway, I’ll pay him back. You can give this back to him.”
With that, he turned and walked away.
Back in the car, Little Zheng reported to Huo Yuchuan in the back seat, “Mr. Lin doesn’t want it.”
Huo Yuchuan stared out the car window at the school gate for a long time before turning his face away and saying, “Back to the company.”
Seeing the dark circles under his eyes, Little Zheng asked, “Sir, you haven’t slept all night. Shouldn’t you go home and rest first?”
Huo Yuchuan’s throat felt dry, and he coughed. After a moment, he said, “No, let’s go back to the company.”
Two days later, Lin Miao saw Little Zheng again at the entrance.
“Mr. Lin,” Little Zheng said, “Mr. Huo has a fever.”
Lin Miao’s heart tightened. “What?”
Instinctively, he reached for his phone to call Huo Yuchuan. But he stopped himself, bit his lip, and said, “Then he should see a doctor.”
Little Zheng: “Mr. Huo refuses to go.”
“Then call a doctor to come to him,” Lin Miao frowned. “Doesn’t he have a family doctor?”
Little Zheng: “Mr. Huo won’t allow it.”
Lin Miao: “Why not?”
Little Zheng: “He said he’d rather burn to death.”
Lin Miao: “……”
Lin Miao was furious. “Then let him burn to death! It’s none of my business!”
Five minutes later, Lin Miao sat in the car, clutching his school bag strap and thinking angrily that he would punch Huo Yuchuan when he saw him.
But when he saw Huo Yuchuan half-dead, lying in the bed, looking dazed and feverish, all thoughts of hitting him flew out of his mind.
He touched Huo Yuchuan’s forehead, which was scorching hot. “You’re burning up like this and still won’t see a doctor?! Do you enjoy being sick?!”
Huo Yuchuan: “……”
Huo Yuchuan grabbed his hand, lifted his heavy eyelids, and croaked, “Uncomfortable.”
Lin Miao: “Then see a doctor!”
Huo Yuchuan stubbornly said: “No.”
Lin Miao really wanted to hit him. “Huo Yuchuan, are you crazy?!”
Huo Yuchuan: “I’m sick.”
Lin Miao was speechless for a moment, then scared him by saying, “You’ll become an idiot if you keep burning like this!”
Huo Yuchuan: “Oh.”
Lin Miao ignored him and said to Little Zheng, “Call a doctor over.”
Seeing that Huo Yuchuan didn’t object, Little Zheng made the call.
Huo Yuchuan was listless, his hand hot as he held Lin Miao’s. He spoke slowly, “After the doctor comes, you’ll leave, right?”
Lin Miao tried to pull his hand back but gave up after a moment. He turned his face away and said, “I don’t know.”
Huo Yuchuan was quiet for a while, then spoke softly: “I’m sorry.”
He said, “Lin Miao, don’t hate me.”
When the doctor rushed over, he saw Lin Miao standing by the bed, holding Huo Yuchuan’s hand, and they seemed to be talking about something.
The doctor quickly walked over, grabbed both their hands, checked the pulse, then released Lin Miao and said, “This one’s fine.”
Huo Yuchuan and Lin Miao: “……”
Seeing the doctor arrive, Lin Miao left the room first. As soon as he stepped out, he was stopped by Aunt Chen.
Aunt Chen beamed with joy, “Good, good, you’re back.”
Lin Miao: “No, I just……”
Aunt Chen: “Aunt Chen will make lobster for you tonight.”
Lin Miao swallowed hard.
So, during dinner, Huo Yuchuan lay in bed with an IV drip, while Lin Miao brought a stool and sat by his bedside, holding a succulent lobster and eating it.
Lin Miao: “You must be so jealous!”
Huo Yuchuan watched him eat, his lips stained red with sauce, glistening under the light. He stared motionlessly and simply “hmm”-ed.
Lin Miao probably felt a bit cruel and muttered, “You’ll be able to eat it once you get better.”
Huo Yuchuan said, “I won’t be able to.”
Lin Miao: “Why not?” Isn’t it because Aunt Chen won’t buy you lobster?
Huo Yuchuan didn’t answer.
Lin Miao, annoyed, puffed out his cheeks, “Why aren’t you talking?”
Huo Yuchuan replied, “I’m afraid you’ll get angry.”
Lin Miao’s cheeks puffed up even more, “I’m already angry!” I wouldn’t be angry if I hadn’t come to see you!
But Huo Yuchuan still didn’t say anything, and Lin Miao couldn’t figure it out. It’s not like I’m the one not letting you eat lobster. The doctor said you can’t eat it.
Huo Yuchuan said, “It’s not about the lobster.”
Lin Miao: “Then what is it?”
Eat my lips.
Huo Yuchuan thought silently.