HSS CH6

Chapter 6: Why Didn’t You Call?

When they arrived at the school entrance, Little Zheng gave Lin Miao Huo Yuchuan’s phone number, instructing him to call Huo Yuchuan after class.

Lin Miao was taken aback. “Why do I need to call him?” Do I need to report in after every class?

Little Zheng explained, “Mr. Huo will notify me to pick you up.”

Lin Miao countered, “Then can’t I just call you directly?” Huo Yuchuan is so busy; he probably won’t even have time to answer.

But Little Zheng insisted, “Please call Mr. Huo.”

“…Alright,” Lin Miao said, puzzled. “Is there some kind of non-negotiable procedure you guys have?”

Little Zheng replied, “No.”

Why do I have to call Huo Yuchuan then? Lin Miao got out of the car, still confused. As soon as he entered the school gate, Jiang Leming hooked his neck, with He Yu, who was also carrying a school bag, standing beside him.

“Even have a chauffeur service?” Jiang Leming watched as Little Zheng drove away. “Is that your old classmate?”

“No,” Lin Miao said. “He’s his driver, bodyguard, assistant, butler, gardener, electrician, plumber, family doctor……”

“Huh?” Jiang Leming stretched his neck in surprise. “Were there that many people in the car?”

He Yu pushed his head back with one hand. “There was only one person in the car.”

“One person?” Jiang Leming was even more shocked. “Is he some kind of octopus?”

He looked at Lin Miao suspiciously. “Does your old classmate really live in Shengting?” Such a huge villa district, so wealthy, yet he only has one person working for him?

Lin Miao nodded.

Jiang Leming immediately condemned the “evil capitalist.” “So what did he have you do? Is he exploiting you like this too?!”

Lin Miao shook his head. “I’m not as capable as him; I can’t do everything. I can’t even drive.”

He didn’t tell Jiang Leming and the others about Huo Yuchuan’s insomnia, only mentioning that the part-time job was very simple, didn’t require staying up late, and even left him feeling refreshed in the morning.

Jiang Leming and He Yu: “……” Are you really working?

In the evening, after class, Lin Miao went back to the dormitory to pack a few clothes. He thought he couldn’t keep wearing Huo Yuchuan’s pajamas, so he brought his own.

After packing, he sent a message to Huo Yuchuan: “I’m done with class.”

After a long while, Huo Yuchuan didn’t reply.

Thinking he might be busy, Lin Miao called Little Zheng.

As soon as Little Zheng answered, he said, “Please call Mr. Huo.”

And then he hung up.

Lin Miao didn’t even have time to say a word.

At that moment, Huo Yuchuan replied with a message: “Okay.”

Then he sent another message: “Is the phone bill that expensive?”

Lin Miao: “Huh?”

Huo Yuchuan: “Why didn’t you call?”

Lin Miao was stunned for a moment, then replied to the previous message, “Yes, it’s expensive.”

Huo Yuchuan: “Then don’t call Xiao Zheng in the future either.”

Lin Miao: “……”

In the following days, Lin Miao spent his days at school and his nights at Huo Yuchuan’s place, dutifully serving as a “sleep aid.”

Huo Yuchuan always woke up earlier than him. Every morning when Lin Miao came downstairs, he would see Huo Yuchuan already neatly dressed, wearing a white shirt and a dark tie, his hair perfectly groomed, looking like a male model ready to walk the runway at any moment.

One morning, Lin Miao couldn’t help but ask Huo Yuchuan, “What time did you wake up?”

Huo Yuchuan, eating breakfast, replied indifferently, “Four a.m.”

“Four a.m.?” Lin Miao was shocked. “Why do you wake up so early?”

Huo Yuchuan: “To count sheep.”

Lin Miao: “Huh?”

Lin Miao finally realized that Huo Yuchuan had insomnia again.

“Did you not fall back asleep after waking up?”

Huo Yuchuan: “Mm.”

In just a few days, had his “sleep aid” effect already worn off? Lin Miao’s brows furrowed, worried that Huo Yuchuan would ask him for compensation.

So that night, Lin Miao’s hand moved under the blanket, reaching out to grasp Huo Yuchuan’s warm palm.

Huo Yuchuan glanced at him.

Lin Miao’s hair fell over his forehead, his eyes dark and bright, as he whispered, “Will this… help you sleep better?”

Huo Yuchuan looked at him for a moment before saying, “Let’s see.”

The next morning, Lin Miao saw him sitting at the dining table again, dressed in a shirt and tie.

Lin Miao: “Did you still wake up at four?”

Huo Yuchuan: “No.”

Before Lin Miao could feel relieved, he added, “Five a.m.”

Lin Miao: “……”

“It’s still an extra hour,” Lin Miao tried to comfort himself. “So it’s working a bit, right?”

Huo Yuchuan nodded slightly and said, “I fell asleep at three.”

Lin Miao: “……”

Lin Miao felt that his job might not be secure anymore.

Fortunately, Huo Yuchuan didn’t ask him to pack his bags and leave. Maybe even though he slept less, it was still better than the previous days when he couldn’t sleep at all for three or two days.

Every night, Lin Miao still held his hand. The palm under the blanket was always warm. Whether Huo Yuchuan was asleep or not, Lin Miao himself would quickly fall asleep.

In a daze, he felt his face being pinched.

He opened his eyes groggily and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Huo Yuchuan withdrew his hand and said, “Can’t sleep.”

Lin Miao rubbed his eyes and mumbled, “So what do we do?”

Huo Yuchuan released his hand from under the blanket and whispered, “Come closer.”

Lin Miao, still in a fog, obediently moved closer.

Huo Yuchuan said, “A little closer.”

Lin Miao moved a bit more.

Suddenly, Huo Yuchuan lifted his arm and pulled him into his embrace.

Lin Miao collided with his chest, the warmth seeping through his thin pajamas, dry and comforting.

Huo Yuchuan rested his chin on his soft hair and tightened his arms.

In that moment, it felt as if they had truly reunited after all these years.

Lin Miao lifted his head groggily and asked, “Does it feel better when I’m held like this?”

Huo Yuchuan didn’t reply.

“But…” Lin Miao grumbled petulantly, “You’re holding me a bit too tight; I can’t breathe.”

Huo Yuchuan loosened his grip slightly, paused, and said, “You’re too thin; it’s uncomfortable.”

Lin Miao, almost too sleepy to keep his eyes open, mumbled, “Then I’ll eat more tomorrow……”

That night, he dreamed that he ate two bowls of rice, and Huo Yuchuan complained, “Why did you eat so much?”

He retorted unhappily, “So what if I ate a lot? It’s not like I’m eating your rice.”

Huo Yuchuan replied, “The rice you’re eating is from my house.”

Lin Miao: “……”

So, as Huo Yuchuan was about to fall asleep while holding him, the first murmur he heard was “miser.”