NASAY CH 9

Luo Xing was stunned. He followed Huo Xingzhou’s gaze and quickly hid his hand behind his back. 

“No, it’s nothing.”

“Nothing? How did it get so swollen? Give it to me.”

“It’s not that swollen, just a little. Don’t look.” Luo Xing pursed his lips.

 “It looks ugly.”

“Ugly? You think I care? If you don’t show it to me, I’ll take it by force.” 

Huo Xingzhou’s face darkened as he reached out his hand. 

“Give it here.”

His raised voice startled everyone in the classroom.

 The students who had been chattering all turned to look at them. Huo Xingzhou stood there, glaring coldly at Luo Xing, demanding something, while Luo Xing looked anxious and dodged him, refusing to hand it over.

The onlookers began to whisper.

“He’s only been in class for three days and already dares to steal from Huo Xingzhou? He must have a death wish.”

“No wonder Zhang Xuan doesn’t like him. Taking other people’s things is stealing. If it were me, I wouldn’t like him either. I’d make sure to lock up my stuff.”

Hu Jiawen glanced at Luo Xing and saw his face flush red. He kept his head down, looking like a child caught doing something wrong.

Could it be that he really stole something?

Huo Xingzhou heard the whispers too. His eyes turned icy as he glanced around.

 “What did you just say? Repeat it so I can hear it.”

The students shrank back, feeling his anger and no longer daring to speak.

“Focus on your books and exercises during morning study! What’s all this noise?” 

Teacher Cheng Limin stood at the front door and coughed heavily. 

“If you’ve got so much energy, go run ten laps outside!”

The students quickly turned back to their books, pretending to study. Hu Jiawen cast one last glance before looking away.

Luo Xing breathed a sigh of relief, glad he didn’t have to keep arguing with Huo Xingzhou. He softly reminded him, “The teacher’s here.”

But Huo Xingzhou wasn’t one to be intimidated. His face darkened further, and he reached out under the desk. 

“If you don’t mind me holding your hand in front of Teacher Cheng, feel free to keep hiding it.”

Luo Xing glanced at his larger hand with faint calluses and long, clean fingers. Resigned, he bit his lip and carefully placed his hand in Huo Xingzhou’s palm under the desk.

Huo Xingzhou took one look at it and cursed internally. Is this even a hand anymore?

“I’m taking you to the hospital,”

 Huo Xingzhou stood up. “Teacher—”

“What now?”

Luo Xing tugged on his sleeve gently and whispered, “It’s really nothing serious. I’ll be fine. There’s no need to tell the teacher, and we don’t have to go to the hospital.”

Huo Xingzhou looked down at him.

“I’m fine, really. I accidentally bumped it yesterday. It’ll be better tomorrow,”

 Luo Xing said softly. 

“I don’t want to go to the hospital.”

His voice was soft and anxious. A faint blush spread across his cheeks, reaching all the way to his neck and ears. His eyes pleaded with him.

“What is it now?”

 Teacher Cheng grew impatient, seeing Huo Xingzhou standing there like a wooden post. 

“If you’ve lost something, just look for it yourself. Don’t disturb the class.”

Teacher Cheng suddenly remembered that he had once asked Luo Xing to subtly influence Huo Xingzhou’s studies. This arrangement could save him the trouble of rearranging seats. He nodded and let them sit together.

The other students thought to themselves, What nonsense. Huo Xingzhou doesn’t even listen to class. What could Luo Xing possibly learn from him—how to mock people?

Teacher Cheng cleared his throat and even added, “You two should study hard together.”

Luo Xing nodded and sat down. Teacher Cheng continued talking about school discipline: no dyed hair, no long hairstyles, skirts shouldn’t be too short, and students should focus on their studies and not fall into early romance.

As the teacher lectured, Huo Xingzhou held Luo Xing’s wrist under the desk, questioning him. The dual pressure made Luo Xing so nervous he didn’t even notice when Teacher Cheng left.

His left hand remained awkwardly trapped in Huo Xingzhou’s grip. His heart was pounding so hard he thought it might jump out of his chest.

Luckily, they were sitting in the last row, with the desk and books shielding them from view.

“Can you let go? I want to do my homework,” 

Luo Xing whispered, lowering his head and using his book to cover himself. 

He couldn’t calm down with Huo Xingzhou holding his hand like this.

His heart was beating wildly. He couldn’t hear it himself, but he wondered if Huo Xingzhou could hear it since he was sitting so close.

He must have heard it.

Huo Xingzhou didn’t move. Luo Xing gently tried to pull his hand away, then turned to the side, refusing to look at him.

Huo Xingzhou frowned, got up, and left the classroom. Luo Xing watched his cold figure retreat and panicked slightly. Did he… make him angry?

He had only been trying to help, yet he acted so ungrateful.

The bathrooms in the school building were all at the far left end. When Luo Xing was walking over, he overheard some gossip:

“I heard that Huo Xingzhou has been attending school every day recently. He hasn’t skipped class to hang out. Could he actually be dating someone?”

Another girl with a side braid sounded a bit confused,

 “Hasn’t he always been dating their class monitor?”

“Who told you that? Although they’ve been childhood friends, Ye Qiaoqiao seems to be dating Lu Qinghe from Class 11. I once saw them having a meal together, and Lu Qinghe even wiped her mouth for her.”

“I’m not sure about that. But remember when Ye Zhu confessed to Huo Xingzhou? He said that if he ever dated anyone before graduating high school, he’d sing Conquer under the flagpole.”

Luo Xing paused, his eyes subconsciously drifting toward the chatting girls, drawn in by their conversation.

Just then, Hu Jiawen came out of the restroom and patted him on the shoulder, “What are you thinking about?”

Luo Xing shook his head.

By the time he came out of the restroom, the girls were already gone. When he returned to the classroom, he noticed that Huo Xingzhou still hadn’t come back.

He flicked the water off his hands, took out his phone, and prepared to reply to Yan Ran’s message. 

His hand injury meant he wouldn’t be able to work on any translations for a while, which could delay the manuscript submission.

Luo Xing zoned out, worrying about whether a delay in submission would affect his living expenses for next month. He could only hope his hand healed quickly so he could catch up in time.

Yan Ran, ever straightforward, immediately sent him a red envelope after hearing about his injury. 

“I can’t visit you, but take this and buy yourself something nice. It’s not much, just a small token from our studio.”

Luo Xing didn’t accept it and instead thanked her, “It’s not a big deal. Thank you, Yan-jie. I’ll try my best to submit the manuscript on time.”

Yan Ran replied with a cute sticker, telling him it was okay to be a little late and to focus on healing properly to avoid any long-term issues.

Luo Xing checked the time—class was about to start. He put his phone back in the desk and looked at the empty seat next to him. Huo Xingzhou still hadn’t returned.

Is he really mad at me?

Luo Xing carefully tore a piece of paper from his notebook with his uninjured hand and quickly wrote a few words on it. 

Acting like a thief, he slipped it into Huo Xingzhou’s textbook and swiftly withdrew his hand. The book, as always, was perfectly clean, without a single word written in it.

Luo Xing couldn’t help but feel worried. He remembered what Teacher Cheng had asked him to do—to influence Huo Xingzhou’s studies a bit. But it had been days, and there was no progress at all.

If he brought it up directly, Huo Xingzhou might ignore him in the future. But he really wished Huo Xingzhou would study seriously. Maybe they could even apply to the same university secretly.

It would be so nice if they could be in the same university, maybe even the same class and dorm. Spending so many years together, he would never get tired of it.

Luo Xing stared at Huo Xingzhou’s seat in a daze, not even noticing when the class bell rang. 

It wasn’t until Zhang Xuan turned around and asked him to help throw out the trash that he snapped back to reality.

This period was English class, taught by Teacher Liao. It was Luo Xing’s first time attending her class since she had taken a few days off recently. Known for being strict and uncompromising, she had no tolerance for slacking.

As he was thinking about this, the sound of steady high-heeled footsteps echoed in the hallway. 

Luo Xing looked up to see a very young-looking female teacher, no older than thirty. She wore glasses and had short, neatly cut hair, giving off a sharp and capable vibe.

“Class begins,” she said.

Luo Xing opened his English textbook to page 17, as instructed. The classroom was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Teacher Liao leaned on the podium and began teaching in an organized, methodical manner.

Since Luo Xing had already self-studied these lessons, he didn’t listen too carefully. Teacher Liao seemed to notice, calling on him to answer questions a few times during the class.

He answered them all correctly, leaving her with no choice but to remind him to focus and stop daydreaming.

Luo Xing sat back down but couldn’t stop himself from glancing at the empty seat beside him, lost in thought.

When the bell rang, Zhang Xuan stood up, stretching, and noticed Luo Xing staring at Huo Xingzhou’s desk. 

“Don’t bother waiting for him. He only comes to class when he feels like it. He might not show up all day today. Having him as a desk partner is the same as not having one.”

Luo Xing took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He had thought being at the same school as him would mean he’d get to see him more often.

“If you’re looking for him, check the basketball court or the Wen De Building. He’s either playing games or sleeping there,” 

Zhang Xuan said while opening his game app to continue playing.

“Who said that?”

Luo Xing looked up and saw Huo Xingzhou standing at the back door, holding a rather heavy-looking package. He shot a cool glance at Zhang Xuan but didn’t say anything else. Instead, he walked straight to his seat.

The package was placed on the ground, and Huo Xingzhou took out a wet tissue to wipe his hands before pulling a chair to sit directly facing Luo Xing. 

Without saying a word, he reached out his hand.

Luo Xing looked at him nervously. Was he… not angry?

Huo Xingzhou’s expression was unreadable, and Luo Xing couldn’t figure out his current mood. He asked hesitantly in a soft voice, “You…”

“Give me your hand.” 

Huo Xingzhou pulled out a tube of ointment from his pocket and opened it. Seeing Luo Xing still sitting there dazed, he frowned, 

“Be good.”

Be good.

His voice was neither too high nor too low, but it was gentle, like coaxing an unruly child. There was a slight hint of softness, almost seductive.

Luo Xing blushed from the words and, as if under a spell, obediently extended his hand.

Huo Xingzhou squeezed some ointment onto the back of his hand, rubbed it evenly, and carefully applied it to Luo Xing’s injured finger, blowing on it lightly as he did. 

“If it hurts, don’t bear it. Tell me, and I’ll be more gentle.”

Luo Xing lowered his eyes, biting his tongue to suppress the sudden sting in his eyes. His fingertips tingled slightly.

He’s applying medicine for me.

He wasn’t angry during the last class. He had gone out specifically to buy medicine for him and was now applying it with his own hands.

“It doesn’t hurt,”

 Luo Xing said softly, but his voice was shaky. Realizing how weak he sounded, he bit his lip and swallowed the rest of his words.

Huo Xingzhou’s fingers moved with a gentle touch, softly blowing on the wound.

 “How could it not hurt? It’s so swollen. Your voice is trembling, yet you’re lying. Say it again—does it hurt or not?”

“A… a little.” 

Luo Xing’s injury really didn’t hurt much, but having his hand held like this while being treated had already made him feel numb and giddy. He felt like he was floating.

He always knew that although Huo Xingzhou seemed cold and distant on the surface, he was actually very kind.

“Done.” 

Huo Xingzhou finished applying the ointment, screwed the cap back on, and placed the tube in his desk. 

“The doctor said not to carry things with this hand or move it around. Even if it itches, don’t scratch it.”

Luo Xing thought it wasn’t that serious.

But Huo Xingzhou must have guessed what he was thinking. After wiping his fingers clean with a tissue, he lightly flicked Luo Xing’s forehead and said, 

“If I catch you disobeying the doctor, I’ll tie your hand up, and you won’t even be able to go to the bathroom.”

Startled, Luo Xing shook his head. 

“I-I won’t move it.”

Satisfied, Huo Xingzhou rubbed Luo Xing’s head. 

“If you need anything, just call me. Apply this ointment three times a day, and remember to come find me.”

Luo Xing paused, glancing at the ointment in the desk before cautiously asking, 

“Find you…”

Huo Xingzhou raised his eyebrows. 

“What? You don’t want me to help?”

Luo Xing shook his head hurriedly. 

“No, it’s not that.”

“Good.” 

Huo Xingzhou leaned back.

 “Since it was my fault you got hurt, I’ll take responsibility until you’re healed.”

 As he spoke, something seemed to occur to him, and he hooked the heavy package on the floor with his foot and dragged it over.

“Someone sent this to you. I heard them at the door, so I brought it in for you.”

 Huo Xingzhou looked at his hand and asked, 

“Want me to open it for you?”

Luo Xing glanced at the sender’s name on the delivery label, and his eyes lit up instantly. He looked up excitedly. 

“Zhao Zhao! Thank you!”

Huo Xingzhou frowned. What kind of package could make him so happy? He crouched slightly, carefully using a utility knife to open the box, revealing a stack of pristine books inside—all signed copies from Huo Yansheng.

Luo Xing’s eyes sparkled as he gazed at the books in the box, touching them gently like a treasure.

 “There are signatures inside!”

“Want me to open more?”

Huo Xingzhou asked.

“No, no!” 

Luo Xing shook his head quickly, reluctant to unseal the books. He lovingly touched them before carefully putting them back in the box.

It was the first time Huo Xingzhou had seen him smile like this. His eyes curved like two crescent moons, soft and warm, making one want to pull him into a hug and ruffle his hair.

However, as soon as Luo Xing saw the books, he seemed to forget about everything else, which made Huo Xingzhou feel slightly jealous.

He snorted coldly. 

“What’s so great about those books? Two-thirds of the words are useless filler. Don’t read too much, or you might damage your brain.”

Luo Xing was still immersed in the joy of receiving signed copies, but the cold remark hit him like a bucket of cold water, freezing the smile on his face.

“You don’t like his books? Then I’ll put them away.”

 Feeling awkward, Luo Xing pressed his hands on the edge of the box.

Looking at his expression, Huo Xingzhou’s sharp retort made a U-turn in his throat. 

“No, they’re quite good. I have a few at home too—something called Blood in the Wind or whatever. I even used it to prop up my desk.”

Hearing that, Luo Xing’s eyes lit up with admiration.

Blood in the Wind had only been published once, twenty years ago, and had never been reprinted. It was incredibly hard to find a copy now.

Guessing what Luo Xing was thinking, Huo Xingzhou smirked. 

“Want it?”

Luo Xing nodded, nervously rubbing the hem of his shirt. 

“C-can I?”

Huo Xingzhou beckoned with his finger, and Luo Xing leaned closer, not realizing the height difference made him seem like he was almost in Huo Xingzhou’s arms.

“Call me brother, and I’ll give it to you.”

—

Author’s Note:

Progress so far:

Step 1: Holding hands.

Step 2: Getting jealous of a book.

Don’t be too hard on Ye Qiaoqiao! She and Huo Xingzhou are childhood friends, and it’s purely a sibling relationship. The misunderstanding that they’re dating is just a wild guess by others!