NASAY CH 25

Luo Xing’s heart tightened, and he immediately pulled his hand back, his face turning red as he stammered, 

“N-no, that’s not okay. Choose something else… something different.”

His head lowered further and further, his face blushing so hard it seemed like it might explode into fireworks. 

He unconsciously took a step back. Afraid he’d fall off the chair, Huo Xingzhou reached out and pulled him into his arms, purposely trying to scare him.

Luo Xing’s ears turned red in panic as he raised his voice, 

“Don’t look!”

“Okay, okay, I won’t look.” 

Huo Xingzhou quickly pulled his hand back.

Knowing how easily Luo Xing got shy, Huo couldn’t help but chuckle and ruffle his hair. 

“Don’t be scared. I was just joking. There’s no way I got everything right. I probably messed up most of it.”

“All wrong?” 

Luo Xing lifted his head. 

“You can’t just scribble answers randomly! These questions are meant to help you understand your mistakes. You need to take it seriously!”

Huo Xingzhou smiled, let him go, and picked up the test paper, shaking it twice. 

“Here, you can grade it first and see if you need to punish me later. I’m open to being disciplined.”

Luo Xing glanced at the paper, and to his surprise, the problem-solving steps were all clear.

He glanced sideways at Huo Xingzhou, who was propping his head on his hand with a sly smile.

 Only then did Luo Xing realize he’d been tricked. Annoyed, he gave him a little shove and sat upright.

Huo Xingzhou resisted the urge to touch him, rubbing his warm hands together and adjusting his posture. He rested his chin on his hand and watched Luo Xing seriously grade the paper. 

Luo Xing had a habit of pressing his lips into a thin line while concentrating, holding his pen tightly as he carefully checked each answer. His long eyelashes gently drooped, and the veins on his neck stood out under his delicate skin.

Huo Xingzhou suddenly thought, No wonder vampires like biting necks. The skin there looks soft… and tender.

He also wanted to bite it.

After a while, Luo Xing’s pen paused. He finished grading the last question, stared blankly for a few seconds, and then looked up in surprise.

He had gotten everything… correct!

Luo Xing was shocked. He had only explained these types of questions once, and they were intentionally made harder. Yet, Huo Xingzhou got them all right!

Huo Xingzhou noticed his expression and smiled.

 “Well, Teacher Luo, did I get them all right?”

“All correct.” 

Luo Xing hesitated, looking at him in disbelief. Was this really the same guy who spent two years playing games and sleeping in class?

If he hadn’t made the test himself, he would’ve suspected Huo Xingzhou had cheated.

Teacher Cheng once said he had a high IQ, but Luo Xing had assumed it just meant he was slightly smarter than average. He never expected him to be the kind of person who could master things after hearing them once!

“You’re amazing!” 

Luo Xing excitedly flipped through the test, pointing out each question. 

“This one is actually a bit advanced. I thought you might get it wrong, but you got it right!”

Huo Xingzhou stood up, stretched lazily, and then leaned back down to meet his eyes. 

“Since there’s no reward, I’ll go take a shower.”

As he turned to leave, Luo Xing suddenly grabbed his hand. Huo Xingzhou glanced back.

 “What’s wrong?”

Luo Xing stood up, bit his lip, and blinked nervously, not daring to meet his gaze. 

“I… I’ll show you.”

“Hmm?” 

Huo Xingzhou raised an eyebrow.

Luo Xing tightened his grip on his shirt and struggled for a moment. His first two attempts failed due to nerves, but on the third try, he lifted the back of his shirt.

Turning his back to him, Luo Xing felt the scorching gaze behind him, making his legs weak.

Huo Xingzhou froze, staring at Luo Xing as he shyly pulled up his shirt, determined to show him despite how embarrassed he felt—all because Huo had gotten everything right.

Looking at his thin, soft waist, Huo Xingzhou deliberately teased,

 “I can’t see it. Pull your pants down a bit.”

Luo Xing’s body stiffened. 

Seeing that he might actually comply, Huo Xingzhou decided he’d teased him enough and was about to stop him when Luo Xing hooked his fingers around his waistband and tugged it down slightly.

“Is… is it okay?” 

Luo Xing’s voice trembled uncontrollably. Huo Xingzhou’s heart heated up, and his breathing quickened.

This kid… really knows how to test his limits.

Even though Huo wasn’t exactly known for his self-restraint, seeing the person he liked act like this made him feel a bit guilty. He walked over, gently removed Luo Xing’s hand, and pulled his shirt back down.

Luo Xing stood frozen, his fingers numb from tension. He noticed that Huo didn’t make any further moves and instead helped him adjust his clothes. Luo Xing blinked in confusion. 

“Did… did you finish looking?”

Huo didn’t respond immediately.

Luo Xing grew more anxious. Huo Xingzhou was standing so close behind him, and since he couldn’t hear him, his nerves tightened further. His heart thumped wildly in his chest as his breathing became shallow, his face growing pale from the overwhelming tension.

“Huo Xingzhou?” 

Luo Xing called softly.

Huo snapped back to reality. 

“Hmm?”

“Did… did you finish looking?”

Huo Xingzhou hadn’t really paid attention at first; he had only meant to tease him. But Luo Xing actually let him look, which made him feel both happy and heartache.

Seeing Luo Xing’s delicate fingers carefully tugging at his waistband earlier, Huo Xingzhou thought that if Luo Xing asked him to jump off a cliff right now, he would probably do it without hesitation.

“You do whatever I tell you, huh? Why are you so obedient?” 

Huo Xingzhou leaned closer, flicking his forehead lightly.

Luo Xing blushed even harder, avoiding his gaze. He muttered,

 “You got all the questions right, so… a reward.”

“What?” 

Huo Xingzhou didn’t catch it.

“A reward,”

 Luo Xing repeated, raising his head before quickly lowering it again, his voice slightly louder.

Just as Huo was about to respond, a sudden thought struck him—there was still someone else in Luo Xing’s heart. His chest tightened with jealousy. He frowned and said, 

“Don’t do this again, understand?”

“Hmm?” 

Luo Xing didn’t hear him clearly.

“Hmm, what? Say you understand,” 

Huo Xingzhou ordered.

Luo Xing, still lost in his embarrassment, hadn’t fully registered what he was agreeing to. Blushing, he nodded. 

“I understand.”

Huo Xingzhou finished adjusting his clothes, ruffled his hair, and smiled as he saw Luo Xing staring blankly at him.

 “Call me gege.”

“Gege.”

“Ah.” 

Huo Xingzhou chuckled, unable to resist smiling at how obedient Luo Xing was. He was truly a treasure.

Suddenly, Luo Xing realized what he had just done. His face turned red again. 

“You—”

Before he could finish, Huo Xingzhou turned and walked toward the bathroom. He grabbed his shirt and glanced back with a mischievous smirk.

 “Teacher Luo, do you want to watch?”

Luo Xing’s face burned even more as he turned his head away.

 “N-no!”

“You sure? You won’t lose anything by taking a peek. Other people would love the chance, but I’m giving you my first time,”

 Huo Xingzhou teased as he stepped closer. 

“Really not going to watch?”

“No!” 

Luo Xing pushed him. 

“Go shower quickly. The teacher will come to check the dorms soon.”

Huo Xingzhou laughed and walked into the bathroom, his mood lifted. Luo Xing took a deep breath, covering his face with his hands. He couldn’t help but touch his lower back.

Huo’s low chuckle seemed to linger in his ears, making his heart tingle. He realized that Huo Xingzhou had already let him off the hook earlier, yet he had still… voluntarily shown him.

Luo Xing suddenly felt a little shameless. He bit his lip and glanced at the bathroom door. Huo’s silhouette was faintly visible through the frosted glass.

Luo Xing quickly lowered his head.

…

He probably didn’t notice, right?

…

Actually, he had done it on purpose.

***

During Monday’s early morning study session, Teacher Cheng Limin entered the classroom to make an announcement. Since the midterm exams had just finished, the academic committee would be coming to conduct an inspection.

No 2 High school was up for a school evaluation this year, so the administration took this inspection very seriously. Teacher Cheng repeatedly warned the troublemakers to behave and not cause any trouble at such a critical time.

“Huo Xingzhou, stop staring at Luo Xing! Look at me!”

Calling him out in front of the entire class didn’t faze Huo Xingzhou in the slightest. He lazily lifted his eyelids and looked at Teacher Cheng with a relaxed expression.

The whole class turned to look at him, especially Feng Jia, who stared at him with a curious expression, as if deep in thought.

Huo Xingzhou stretched his long legs, resting one foot on the desk rail, and smiled. 

“Teacher, I’ve been behaving lately. I haven’t even stepped out of my dorm. If you’re looking for trouble, you won’t find it with me.”

“You, behaving? I haven’t even begun to settle the score with you!” 

Teacher Cheng scoffed and shot him a sharp glare.

Ding Chao was clearly in the wrong for tattling, and a punishment had already been decided. But before the matter could be discussed with the principal, Huo Xingzhou had gone ahead and resolved it his way.

Ding Chao had stormed into the principal’s office, his face and mouth covered in mud, crying as he accused Huo Xingzhou of assaulting and threatening him. He even spat out two mouthfuls of mud in front of the principal.

If this got to the academic committee, it would surely stir up another storm that could impact the school’s rating. 

For now, they had to suppress the incident and bring in Huo Xingzhou, his parents, Ding Chao, and the principal to see if an apology could resolve things privately.

“I’ll deal with you later,” 

Teacher Cheng Liming said, glaring at Huo Xingzhou again before continuing, 

“This week, the district leaders will be visiting for an inspection. All of you better behave. No playing on your phones, no sleeping in class, no sneaking off to play video games. Just be good for a few days—it won’t kill you.”

The class tensed.

Luo Xing glanced worriedly at Huo Xingzhou. He had been staying in class recently, except for… that incident with Ding Chao. He shouldn’t have caused any trouble otherwise.

“One more thing,” 

Cheng Liming said, scanning the room before his gaze landed on Luo Xing. 

“There’s a citywide math group competition, and every school needs to send five students. Luo Xing, you and Ye Qiaoqiao will go.”

Cheng’s voice wasn’t loud, and Luo Xing, lost in thought, didn’t hear him.

The students all turned to look at Luo Xing.

Huo Xingzhou tapped his arm lightly and whispered, 

“The teacher said you and Ye Qiaoqiao will participate in the math competition.”

Luo Xing looked up as Cheng continued, 

“Besides you two, Xue Jian and Lu Qinghe from Class 11 and Jiang Xu from Class 8 will join as part of No 2 High’s team.”

“You’ll be away for about three days, and a special bus will come to pick you up. After morning study ends, go back to the dorms to pack your things. Gather at the school gate by ten o’clock.

“This competition includes students from high schools all over the city. It’s an opportunity to bring glory to our school. I hope you two will give it your all.” Cheng’s raspy voice tried to sound inspirational.

Three days?

That meant Luo Xing wouldn’t see Huo Xingzhou for three whole days—a long time.

Luo Xing stared at Cheng Limin’s lips as they moved. He had heard similar speeches countless times since elementary school. As a student representative and top performer, he was always chosen to compete and bring honor to the school.

For the first time, he wanted to tell the teacher he didn’t want to go.

He didn’t care about the glory or the praise. He just wanted to explain problems to Huo Xingzhou, to hear his random questions that always left him flustered.

“What are you thinking about?”

Cheng Limin had left a while ago, but Luo Xing was still lost in thought. 

Huo Xingzhou noticed something was off and tapped his wrist.

Luo Xing looked up, pressed his lips together, and then lowered his eyes. 

“N-nothing.”

“Open your mouth.”

“Huh?” 

Luo Xing looked up, and before he could react, a candy was popped into his mouth. It tasted sweet and fruity.

He froze, staring blankly at Huo Xingzhou as he crumpled the candy wrapper into a small ball and tossed it into the trash can.

“Be honest. What were you thinking about?”

Luo Xing glanced at the trash can, tempted to pick up the candy wrapper, but he held himself back and shifted his gaze. Sucking on the candy, he mumbled softly, 

“I’m going to the competition. You need to stay in school and study hard. Don’t go out and play.”

Huo Xingzhou chuckled at his nagging.

 “The way you’re talking, you sound just like those bossy wives in TV dramas who tell their husbands, ‘While I’m away, behave yourself and don’t go out partying.'”

Luo Xing’s face turned bright red, and he nearly choked on the candy. He coughed a few times. 

“S-stop talking nonsense!”

Huo Xingzhou patted his back to help him catch his breath, just as the class bell rang.

A tall, slender woman with a refined appearance stood at the front door. She knocked on the doorframe and said,

 “Huo Xingzhou, come out.”