NASAY CH 65

Cheng Limin looked at him, moved his lips but didn’t say anything for a long time. Just as Huo Xingzhou frowned, he finally spoke:

“You are already an adult, legally responsible for every action you take. Even if something isn’t against the law, you must always be clear about what you truly want. Don’t act on impulse and end up making both of you regret it, causing pain to many others. Do you understand?”

Huo Xingzhou looked at him and nodded. “I understand.”

Cheng Limin nodded and let out a long sigh. “Luo Xing comes from a family like that, which makes him more fragile than most. If he had never seen the sunlight, it would be one thing. But if someone pulls him into the light, only to throw him back into the darkness, that would be far more cruel.”

“If you can’t promise him a future, don’t make promises to him now.”

At first, Huo Xingzhou thought he was being scolded, that Cheng Limin was telling him to recognize his place. He was about to brush it off with a perfunctory response, but when he heard the last part, he finally understood.

Cheng Limin was actually giving his silent approval—as long as they didn’t cause trouble or ruin their future, he was allowing them to be together in secret.

“Thank you, Teacher Cheng.” Huo Xingzhou bowed deeply. Even when facing his parents or kneeling before his grandfather, he had never felt this sincerely grateful.

Those people were his family; respecting them was his duty, and no matter what, they wouldn’t truly harm him.

But Teacher Cheng, who had no relation to him, still cared for them this much.

Huo Xingzhou suddenly recalled his first two years of high school when Cheng Limin had scolded him so harshly. Thinking back now, it didn’t seem so unbearable.

“Go on then. Study hard and try to get into the same university as Luo Xing. Don’t always make him accommodate you,” Cheng Limin said tiredly, waving him away.

Huo Xingzhou replied with a soft “Mm” and was about to leave when he suddenly paused and pointed at a photo on the desk. “Teacher, can I have this?”

Cheng Limin opened his eyes, followed his gaze, and hesitated for a few seconds before saying, “Take it.”

—

“Hey, bro, you trying to be a lovesick statue or something?” Feng Jia grinned as he walked over, pulling a few chocolates from his pocket and handing them to Luo Xing. “Snatched these from Li Lefan. That guy actually got a confession this semester.”

Luo Xing looked puzzled. “What?”

Before Feng Jia could explain, Li Lefan lunged over and smacked him on the forehead at lightning speed. “Say one more word and I’ll rip your damn mouth off. Might as well poison you to death while I’m at it, idiot.”

Luo Xing laughed and dodged, while Feng Jia ducked under his arm and said, “Listen, when I got here today, I saw a girl from Class 13 confessing to him. Damn, a miracle—an iron tree finally bloomed! Never thought I’d see the day.”

Luo Xing widened his eyes slightly and looked at Li Lefan’s devastated expression, cautiously asking, “Is that true?”

“He’s full of crap. That girl gave the chocolate to the wrong person. It wasn’t meant for me,” Li Lefan shot Luo Xing a glare and kicked Feng Jia. “Move it.”

“Bullshit. How do you even give chocolate to the wrong person? You think the girl’s blind? I was right there and heard you say you didn’t like her, yet you still accepted her chocolate. No shame at all.” Feng Jia spoke while stuffing chocolate into his mouth. “Trying to fool me? Not happening.”

Not wanting to continue the conversation, Li Lefan moved his desk to sit in front of Luo Xing. But Feng Jia refused to let it go, grabbing a book and squeezing onto the same desk. “Come on, Lefan, tell me. Don’t be shy, man. It’s not embarrassing.”

Li Lefan shivered at his teasing, shooting him a side glance. “Are you sick? Speak properly, damn it.”

Feng Jia just laughed, and instead of stopping, he leaned in and hugged Li Lefan’s arm, rubbing his face against his shoulder. “Nooo~”

Li Lefan, unable to take it anymore, kicked him away in rage. “I told you, it wasn’t for me! It was for Huo Xing. Eat it if you want, choke on it for all I care.”

Feng Jia, who had fallen to the ground, lay there with his mouth slightly open, looking dazed. “Huh?”

Li Lefan raised an eyebrow at him. “Go on, laugh now. That chocolate? She asked me to pass it to Huo Xingzhou. If you’ve already eaten it, you better be ready to pay her back with your life.”

“No, wait… If it was for Zhou-ge, why the hell did she give it to you? And why the hell did you accept it?” Feng Jia immediately turned to Luo Xing, clutching his wrist. “Bro, you’re okay with this?”

Luo Xing blinked, still processing, and stammered, “Uh… it’s… it’s fine, I guess…”

Li Lefan scoffed. “I accepted it? Think carefully—who was it that snatched the chocolate from her while I was turning her down? Who was it that said, ‘He actually likes you, he’s just shy and won’t admit it. I’ll take this for him, so this is settled—you’re his girlfriend now’? Who said that? You got goldfish memory or what?”

Then, as if enjoying the chaos, Li Lefan glanced back and forth between Luo Xing and Feng Jia with a smirk that practically said, You’re screwed now. Good luck.

Feng Jia froze, the chocolate in his mouth suddenly tasting bitter. Tears welled up in his eyes as he begged, “Bro… I messed up. Hit me.”

“It’s… it’s fine,” Luo Xing said, glancing toward the classroom door and quickly trying to reassure him. Seeing Feng Jia nearly collapse onto the desk in fear, he added, “I really don’t mind. Really.”

“Then… can you not tell Zhou-ge?” Feng Jia batted his eyes, trying to look pitiful. “Please, good bro?”

“Don’t shout!” Luo Xing hurriedly hushed, afraid that others might hear. The fact that Teacher Cheng had called him over already made him anxious—if the whole class found out, he had no idea how he’d handle the situation.

Feng Jia let out a deep sigh, then suddenly slammed the desk, startling both Luo Xing and Li Lefan. “Are you insane?”

“This is all Huo Xingzhou’s fault.”

“You accepted the chocolates yourself, and now you’re blaming Xingzhou? Seriously? You got scolded in the office, but the blame gets shifted to your best friend? Unlucky.” Li Lefan sighed in amazement and even gave Feng Jia a formal bow. “Shameless? No, no—Young Master Feng, you take the crown for that.”

Feng Jia pointed viciously in the direction of the clock tower and the sports field. “If he had just climbed the clock tower sooner to declare his conquest, would anyone have given him chocolates? And when I was accepting them, why didn’t you stop me? Are you even my friend?”

“Oh, so now it’s my fault?”

“Of course, it’s your fault! If Huo Xingzhou silences me for this, the first thing I’ll do as a ghost is haunt you.”

“Oh? Haunting, huh?” A voice suddenly chimed in from the back door. Huo Xingzhou had just walked in and happened to hear the last sentence. He smirked. “Show me how you plan to do that.”

Feng Jia nearly jumped out of his skin, leaping to his feet in shock. “When did you get back?!”

Huo Xingzhou narrowed his eyes. “What does it matter when I got back? Why are you so nervous? Were you talking bad about me?”

“No! Not at all!” Feng Jia frantically shook his head, then threw Li Lefan a desperate look: If you dare say a word, I’ll strangle you.

Li Lefan cleared his throat, grinning as he prepared to snitch. But before he could get a word out, Feng Jia ruthlessly kicked him under the desk. Li Lefan winced in pain and quickly changed his tune. “Never mind.”

Feng Jia immediately leaned down and whispered, “I’ll stream whatever you want for a whole month—please, Brother Fan, I’m begging you. QAQ.”

“Add a week of being my personal servant. If I tell you to go east, you can’t go west. If I tell you to act like a dog, you can’t pretend to be a chicken. Deal?”

Feng Jia looked up at Huo Xingzhou’s smirking face, then gritted his teeth and muttered, “Deal, deal. Shameless bastard, pushing your luck.”

Huo Xingzhou glanced at the two of them huddled together, exuding such an overwhelmingly suspicious energy that he couldn’t bear to look directly at them. He sat down next to Luo Xing and pulled out a stack of photos from his pocket.

“You got them back!” Luo Xing’s eyes widened in surprise. He had been worrying that Teacher Cheng might give him trouble over the photos, but now they were safely returned.

Huo Xingzhou nodded. “Put them away. You actually look pretty good in them. Later, buy some frames so we can hang them up at home.”

“…You’re joking, right?” Luo Xing carefully took the photos. He had been so anxious about the situation spiraling out of control, afraid that the whole school would find out.

Huo Xingzhou chuckled and, under the desk, boldly squeezed his hand. Resting his chin on one hand, he gazed at Luo Xing. “Not joking. I’m serious.”

“Serious about what?” Feng Jia turned around and caught a glimpse of the photos. He let out a dramatic gasp. “Damn, this isn’t fair, Brother Zhou! We were all there, but you only took pictures of you two? That’s not right!”

“Look at you, already acting dramatic.” Huo Xingzhou tapped the desk with his knuckles and raised an eyebrow. “Both of us are in the photos. What, do you think I have the ability to duplicate myself?”

Feng Jia thought about it for a second—fair point. He grabbed the photos and studied them closely. Flipping to the back, he suddenly burst out laughing.

“Oh wow, oh wow! Look at this! ‘A real man kneels to no one—except his future wife.’ Lefan, come check this out! Hahaha! Brother Zhou, you’re on another level! You actually kneeled in the mall? That’s next-level smooth!”

Luo Xing anxiously glanced around the classroom, then whispered, “Keep your voice down.”

“Ohhh, I get it now, Sister-in-law.” Feng Jia smirked and kept flipping through the photos—until Huo Xingzhou swiftly snatched them back and shoved them into Luo Xing’s hands. “Keep them safe.”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Feng Jia reached out to grab them back, but Huo Xingzhou kicked his chair. With a half-smile and narrowed eyes, he warned, “I’ll give you three seconds—do you want to keep your head or your mouth?”

Feng Jia immediately spun around and sat up straight, pretending to study with Li Lefan. “So, about this question type… uh, why the hell can’t I understand it?”

Luo Xing couldn’t hold back his laughter. Seeing him laugh, Feng Jia and Li Lefan dropped the act and tossed their textbooks aside, pulling out their phones to play games instead.

Luo Xing carefully placed the photos into his backpack, double-checked that no one else was paying attention, and then quietly asked, “Did Teacher Cheng say anything to you?”

“He did.”

Luo Xing instantly tensed up, furrowing his brows. “What… did he say?”

Huo Xingzhou leaned in close, trapping Luo Xing between his arms and the wall. Feeling Luo Xing freeze up and stare at him anxiously, he suddenly broke into a smile.

“He told me to treat you well. If I ever make you cry, I should get lost.”

“But what?” Luo Xing swallowed nervously, not daring to blink, afraid he’d miss a single word.

Huo Xingzhou lowered his eyes with a smile and mouthed, “In the future, I’ll definitely make you cry. What should we do?”

Luo Xing’s heart sank. His fingers tensed up instantly as he grasped his chest and asked with difficulty, “W-what do you mean?”

“Baby…” Huo Xingzhou lightly tapped his lips and blinked. “Crying from pleasure still counts as crying, doesn’t it?”

Luo Xing’s mind exploded like a massive firework, shattering his rationality into countless dazzling sparks. His face and ears burned up completely.

“How can you… say something like that in the classroom…” Luo Xing was so embarrassed he nearly buried his head under the desk, murmuring in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s.

“I was asking you seriously.”

Unconvinced, Huo Xingzhou reached out and scratched Luo Xing’s palm. “I’m being serious too. If you don’t believe me, why don’t we try it someday? Just don’t end up crying and begging me to stop.”

Luo Xing bit his lip, struggling to suppress the images that Huo Xingzhou’s words brought to mind. He quickly turned his head away.

“What’s wrong? Did the big bad wolf eat your tongue?” Huo Xingzhou chuckled as he pinched Luo Xing’s burning-red earlobe, playfully toying with it.

Looking at Huo Xingzhou’s teasing smile, Luo Xing felt like there was an underlying meaning to the “big bad wolf” metaphor. He couldn’t take it anymore and covered Huo Xingzhou’s mouth, taking deep, steadying breaths before saying, “If you don’t get serious, I’m going to be mad.”

He had been worried sick, yet Huo Xingzhou kept joking around!

“Alright, alright, I won’t joke anymore.” Huo Xingzhou’s fingers slid down to Luo Xing’s nape, scratching lightly. Feeling Luo Xing tremble slightly, he finally withdrew his hand and spoke calmly. “Teacher Cheng just asked if I could take responsibility for you in the future. He also asked if you could tell the difference between gratitude and love.”

Luo Xing’s heart clenched. Afraid that Huo Xingzhou might misunderstand, he quickly said, “I really like you. It’s not because of grat… Although that piece of candy was the beginning, it’s because you gave it to me. It’s not—”

“Shh… I know.” Huo Xingzhou cut him off, patting his hand reassuringly. “You don’t have to explain. It’s nothing serious. I got the photos back.”

Luo Xing nodded, but after a while, something occurred to him. “There’s probably more than one copy of the photos, right? Should we talk to him?”

“Oh? My little cutie already figured out who took them?” Huo Xingzhou teased.

He had actually known at first glance, but he hadn’t planned on telling Luo Xing. Now it seemed like the kid had changed—he was sharper than before.

“That day, Feng Jia said he saw Xue Jian outside. It was probably him who took them.” Luo Xing bit his lip and hesitated before adding in a small voice, “I… I told him before that you’re mine. He must be holding a grudge.”

“Oh my, my dear, what exactly did you tell him?” Huo Xingzhou lifted Luo Xing’s chin and blinked playfully. “Say it again. Whose am I?”

Luo Xing ignored his teasing and suddenly furrowed his brows as a thought struck him. “Does he know that he likes you?”

Huo Xingzhou paused, then after a moment, nodded slightly. “He knows.”

“You knew?” Luo Xing’s brows furrowed deeper, a slight sourness welling up in his heart. He bit his tongue, feeling an acidic sensation spreading from the tip of his tongue to his chest, making him extremely uncomfortable.

He didn’t want to be this petty, but… just thinking about how Huo Xingzhou had remained so close to Xue Jian even after knowing his feelings made him jealous.

Xue Jian had said they used to be very close—they ate together, played basketball together, even lived together. Was all of that true?

“Luo Xing.” Seeing the disappointment in Luo Xing’s expression, Huo Xingzhou immediately realized he had misunderstood. He quickly grabbed Luo Xing’s hand and explained, “I only found out during winter break. Lu Qinghe told me. Before that, I really didn’t know.”

Luo Xing swallowed softly, gripping his sleeve tightly. He bit his lip and said, “Sorry… I know, and I trust you, but I just…”
“What is it?”

Luo Xing turned his head away awkwardly, his voice barely audible as if it was buried in his chest. “I just get jealous. I don’t want you to be so close to others. Don’t live with anyone else. Just hold me and kiss me.”

Huo Xingzhou’s heart melted instantly.
When Luo Xing said those words, he didn’t carry the obvious desire that Huo Xingzhou often had, but instead, it was a pure and straightforward wish. That sincerity was even more alluring, a kind of unintentional seduction that was more effective than any deliberate charm.

“In my life, I’ve only ever held you, only ever been with you. I’ve never held or been with anyone else, and in the future…” Huo Xingzhou paused, then reached out his index finger and wrote three characters in Luo Xing’s palm.

When he finished writing, Luo Xing’s palm stiffened, trembling slightly as he withdrew his hand behind his back.
“As for Xue Jian, do you want to come with me to talk to him tonight?”

Luo Xing thought for a moment. In the past, he had believed that whatever existed between Huo Xingzhou and Xue Jian was just a misunderstanding, and as an outsider, he had no place to interfere. So he had always held back and given space.

But now that Xue Jian had made it clear that he wanted to destroy the relationship between him and Huo Xingzhou, there was no reason to hold back anymore.
“Okay.”

Huo Xingzhou also responded with a soft hum. At that moment, his phone buzzed with a notification from Wu Suyan on WeChat.

—Tell Luo Luo, Luo Zhiyuan’s surgery was very successful, and there’s no sign of rejection. He just needs to stay in the hospital for observation a bit longer before he can be discharged and return home.

He moved his fingers and replied with a simple “Got it,” then relayed the message to Luo Xing. Seeing him finally breathe a sigh of relief, Huo Xingzhou smiled and didn’t say much.
That weight on his heart had finally been lifted.

—Oh, by the way, the doctor I scheduled will be back next Saturday. Let him do a full check-up on your little treasure’s ears to see if anything can still be done. I’ll send you the pre-exam instructions. Take good care of him.
—Read each word carefully, don’t skim through it.

Huo Xingzhou was silent for a moment before replying coldly: “Oh.”

It was the first day of school, and most students hadn’t fully adjusted back yet, making the classes a mess.
Luo Xing, unable to hear, wasn’t affected. Huo Xingzhou, on the other hand, had to prove himself not just to Luo Xing but also to everyone who believed he could provide Luo Xing with a future.

He couldn’t let them think Luo Xing had chosen the wrong person.
The English teacher noticed how seriously he was paying attention in class and was so shocked that it felt like a miracle. After repeatedly calling on him seven or eight times, the teacher finally confirmed that he was truly listening.

Soon, the entire senior-year teachers’ office was buzzing with rumors about Huo Xingzhou’s sudden transformation into a model student.
A few teachers even joked with Cheng Limin, asking what kind of magic he used to turn such a delinquent into a role model.
Cheng Limin simply smiled mysteriously and said, “With love.”

Meanwhile, Huo Xingzhou was buried in test papers. Thanks to Luo Xing’s guidance, he wasn’t rusty after the long winter break. In fact, he was doing surprisingly well.

Luo Xing had pinpointed key knowledge areas for him, and his notes were concise and precise. Back in middle school, he had been a top student, even on par with Xue Jian, but after that incident in freshman year, he had let his studies fall apart.

Most of the time, he had slept in class—not because he was tired but because he simply hadn’t wanted to bother.

But with Luo Xing’s patient tutoring, his old knowledge resurfaced. Combined with his naturally sharp mind, he was progressing fast.
Whenever Luo Xing checked his work, he left small annotations and had him review his mistakes before rewriting them for extra practice. This method cut down on unnecessary detours, and Luo Xing was quite satisfied with the results.

“Why are there so many exercises on the first day of school? Are you trying to kill me?” Huo Xingzhou had just finished one set when Luo Xing handed him another notebook, making him want to throw his pen away.

“There are still ten minutes left in class. Just do a bit more,” Luo Xing whispered. “If you get them right… I’ll give you a reward.”

Huo Xingzhou immediately perked up. “What kind of reward? Will you finally show me what’s in that little box?”

“You said you didn’t care about it…” Luo Xing hesitated, clearly reluctant to let him see what was inside. It was just too embarrassing.

“Who said I didn’t care? So, I have to admit I want to see it before you’ll show me?” Huo Xingzhou narrowed his eyes at him. “You took advantage of me when I was drunk and kissed me, and I still haven’t settled that score with you!”

Luo Xing’s face changed instantly. He swallowed nervously. “You… when did you find out?”

“Still trying to keep it a secret, huh, little perv?” Huo Xingzhou put down his pen, rubbing his sore wrist. Instead of answering, he asked, “Would you call that one of your treasures?”

“You still haven’t said when you found out… I set a password on my phone.” Luo Xing’s voice grew smaller and smaller until it was barely a whisper. “I shouldn’t have shown you voluntarily…”

“It was the day we had the barbecue at your place over winter break. You fell asleep upstairs, and your phone was right next to your face. Were you sleeping while kissing my picture?”
Huo Xingzhou pinched his cheek and then playfully tapped his lips.

Luo Xing’s face turned completely red, and he nodded shyly.

Holy—!
He actually…

Huo Xingzhou felt a surge of heat in his chest. He wanted to grab Luo Xing right then and there, crush him into his arms, and kiss him senseless for daring to seduce him like this—without even realizing it!

Just then, the school bell rang. Class was over.
Huo Xingzhou let out a long breath, watching as students rushed out to grab lunch.

Neither of them liked pushing through crowds, so they usually waited for the rush to die down before heading to the cafeteria. Luo Xing wasn’t in a hurry and calmly tidied up his desk, while Huo Xingzhou tried to suppress the heat in his body.

Afraid that his self-control might break, he ignored Luo Xing and silently opened a game on his phone to cool off.
The match was intense. The opponents were tough, and ten minutes in, the game was still ongoing.

Luo Xing glanced at him, unsure if he was upset, and hesitantly tapped his arm.
Huo Xingzhou’s hand slipped, causing his character to miss a critical move and get instantly killed.
He threw his phone onto the desk and gritted his teeth. “Come here.”

Luo Xing shrank back, shaking his head slightly. In a soft voice, he said, “We should go eat now.”
Huo Xingzhou narrowed his eyes at him, his tone icy. “You didn’t listen just now. Come here. Now.”