NASAY CH 35

Huo Xingzhou knew Luo Xing had a soft and gentle personality, easily embarrassed to the point of blushing at just a word. But no matter how shy he got, he would usually just blush and tell him to stop or awkwardly respond while holding back his embarrassment.

This was the first time he’d cried so much from just a single sentence.

Feeling flustered, Huo Xingzhou gently patted Luo Xing’s back to calm him down, whispering, 

“Alright, don’t cry. I won’t take you to my house, okay?”

Luo Xing wiped his tears with his hand, took a few deep breaths to steady himself, then slowly raised his head and looked at him.

 “I… I want to get down.”

Huo Xingzhou was startled for a moment. He quickly responded with an “Oh” and gently helped him down from the desk. Seeing Luo Xing’s red nose made his heart ache. He almost couldn’t resist asking about what was happening at Luo Xing’s home, but he feared it would make him cry again, so he held back in the end.

“Sigh…” 

Huo Xingzhou let out a low sigh, realizing that when it came to Luo Xing, he always ended up compromising. He couldn’t bear to push him at all.

Luo Xing stiffened at the sound and instinctively looked up at Huo Xingzhou’s slightly frustrated expression. Not daring to speak, he thought to himself—did Huo Xingzhou think it was shameful for a guy to cry? Feeling more embarrassed, he clenched his fingers tightly and bit his lip, wanting to apologize but not knowing what to say.

After thinking for a long time, he whispered, “I’m sorry.” 

His voice was hoarse, and he looked away, awkwardly explaining, 

“I don’t usually cry… it’s just…”

“I know,” 

Huo Xingzhou interrupted, raising his hand to gently pat Luo Xing’s head. His tone softened as he coaxed,

 “It’s my fault. I promise I won’t force you again. You can come if you want, and if you don’t want to, that’s fine too. Just don’t be mad at me.”

“I’m not… I’m not mad. It’s just… I’m not in a convenient situation.”

 Luo Xing didn’t know how to explain it without mentioning his mother’s situation. He shook his head anxiously and said, 

“I’ll tell you later, okay?”

Huo Xingzhou paused, noticing Luo Xing’s willingness to promise him something. He suppressed the joy in his heart and pretended to stay calm as he hummed in agreement.

He pulled out a tissue to wipe Luo Xing’s tears and said, 

“When you get home, remember to send me a message. Tell me what time you got up, what you had for breakfast, and even what dreams you had at night. Don’t miss a single detail.”

Luo Xing chuckled, unable to hold back. 

“Why do you need to know all that?”

Huo Xingzhou snorted coldly. He pinched Luo Xing’s waist, pressing his thumb firmly in a circle as he threatened, 

“Because I want to know. Are you going to tell me or not?”

“I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you!” 

Luo Xing tried to dodge his hand, but every time Huo Xingzhou pinched his waist, it left him weak in the knees. Out of breath, he pleaded, 

“Let go of me!”

“What’s wrong?” 

Huo Xingzhou stopped teasing him when he heard his breathing become uneven. Thinking he was uncomfortable, he frowned with concern and asked,

 “Are you feeling unwell?”

“It’s… it’s ticklish.” 

Luo Xing blinked, his face turning red as he confessed in a small voice.

“Where?” 

Huo Xingzhou relaxed a little, but instead of letting go, he deliberately teased him even more. His hand slid to Luo Xing’s waistline, rubbing it harder. Luo Xing bent forward, clutching his sleeve with trembling hands as he begged for mercy.

“My waist… my waist!” 

Luo Xing tried to push his hand away, but he was too weak. He tugged and pleaded, 

“Please let go…”

“Still crying?” 

Huo Xingzhou continued to push him.

“No more crying! I won’t cry!” 

Luo Xing shook his head frantically, panting as he gasped, 

“Let go…”

Huo Xingzhou finally released him and leaned against the desk, watching Luo Xing’s flushed face. He couldn’t help but think, He’s crying this much already, and nothing serious has even happened yet. If I confess my feelings, how badly will he cry?

A sense of melancholy washed over him.

“Wipe your face,” 

Huo Xingzhou said, handing him another tissue.

Luo Xing took it and carelessly wiped his face before throwing it into the trash. He had mostly calmed down by then. The dormitory fell silent, leaving only their breathing in the air, making the atmosphere tense once again.

Huo Xingzhou kept staring at him without speaking, lost in thought. The longer he stared, the more nervous Luo Xing became.

“Did I not clean my face properly?” 

Luo Xing said as he prepared to head to the bathroom to check the mirror, but Huo Xingzhou grabbed his wrist. Luo Xing turned back in confusion, 

“W-what’s wrong?”

Huo Xingzhou was used to mocking people, but comforting someone was a first for him—especially a soft, gentle boy like Luo Xing. Unlike Feng Jia, with whom he could exchange barbed remarks, Luo Xing made him cautious with every move, afraid of scaring him away.

The more he worried, the harder it became for him to find the right words.

“Forget it, it’s nothing,”

 Huo Xingzhou said, letting go of his hand. 

“Go take a shower. I’ll check the Christmas gift you gave me. If it’s not good, I’ll make you replace it.”

Luo Xing hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded and headed to the bathroom after being urged by Huo Xingzhou.

Sitting at the desk, Huo Xingzhou picked up the small box, which was palm-sized and not very heavy. He couldn’t guess what was inside.

After a brief pause, he pulled out his phone, snapped a picture of the gift, and posted it on his social media with the caption: A Christmas gift from a little one—so thoughtful.

His comment section exploded almost immediately, dozens of responses popping up in no time. Everyone was shocked that he actually posted on social media and, even more so, that he was showing off a gift.

Li Lefan: “Did the sun rise in the west today?”

Feng Jia: “WTF, you got a Christmas gift? Did you steal it? Shameless!”

Lu Qinghe: “LOL.”

Huo Xingzhou scrolled through the comments, chuckled, and replied to them collectively: “Jealous much? I can smell the sourness.”

Once he finished responding, he started opening the box. It took him just a few moments to unpack it, revealing a delicately crafted model ship, complete with masts and sails.

He glanced at the bathroom door as the sound of running water filled the air. He couldn’t help but wonder, What does this mean? Is it supposed to symbolize smooth sailing?

His fingers accidentally brushed against something, and suddenly a soft voice began playing from the gift—a gentle, whispered recitation in what seemed like French.

But what was it saying? He couldn’t understand a word.

Holding the gift, bored and a little amused, he suddenly recalled that time he made Luo Xing recite and translate French for him. Luo Xing’s sweet, soft voice had been so cloying, it almost made him laugh at the time.

Did he really not understand, or was he pretending?

From elementary school to high school, Huo Xingzhou had always been popular. He’d seen all types of girls—innocent, seductive, and even some boys who’d written him love letters. But he’d never cared about any of them.

He had never met anyone like Luo Xing—so pure and shy on the surface, yet with an inexplicable allure that seemed to come from deep within.

In his mind, he suddenly pictured Luo Xing nervously holding the waistband of his pants, tentatively sticking out the tip of his tongue, or whispering “Brother Xingzhou” in his ear with an embarrassed, almost unbearable expression.

Unconsciously, Huo Xingzhou spun the gift in his hand, thinking, Honestly, Luo Xing doesn’t even need to do anything. To me, he’s deadly enough just being himself.

He thought about Luo Xing’s birthday, the three flags he had sworn to himself back then, and then looked back at the Christmas gift.

It’s true—never say never.

In the days following Christmas, New Year’s break was just around the corner, and the students remained restless and distracted.

During the morning class, Cheng Limin came in to announce the holiday schedule and also mentioned a new rule change.

“As third-years, you shouldn’t be getting this many holidays. However, since our school’s rating evaluation just got submitted, we’ll give you a two-and-a-half-day break this time.”

“Your holiday starts this afternoon. Come back for evening self-study on Tuesday. While at home, study hard and don’t go out to play. There’s only one month left in the semester. Don’t slack off just because of the break.”

“And one more thing about the new rule,” 

Cheng Limin slapped the desk and roared in his rough voice, 

“Are you going to listen to me or keep talking?”

The classroom instantly fell silent.

“There’s one more thing. In previous years, the physical examination for the college entrance exam was held in March or April. This year, it’s been moved earlier—to late February. The school will organize it right before the winter break. You’ll need to pay the fee to the class monitor.”

The students started whispering again. Cheng Limin heard the quiet murmurs, frowned, but let it slide. 

“The physical exam is just to check your health and determine whether you’re eligible to apply for certain university programs. Don’t be too nervous. Stop taking any medications or health supplements beforehand to avoid skewed results, which could affect your physical examination.”

“If there’s any deviation in results due to nervousness, you can request a retest from the school. No cheating or finding someone to take the test for you. Understood?”

“Alright then, enjoy your holiday.”

Enjoy your holiday… Luo Xing stared at his cramped, narrow room, two-thirds of which was piled with textbooks and study guides. Only a small space on the narrow bed was clear.

He didn’t like holidays at all, nor did he like this so-called “home.” He wished he could attend classes every day—that way, he could be with him every day.

His phone screen lit up. He glanced down and saw it was a message from Ye Qiaoqiao with details about the physical exam schedule, precautions, and the required fee.

The physical exam…

Luo Xing stared at the phone, wishing he could burn a hole through the screen.

Why did they have to change the rules now? If he could report directly to the hospital himself, he could avoid Huo Xingzhou. But now that the school was organizing it, they’d have to go together.

If Huo Xingzhou found out… if he found out about his disability…

Would he… would he look down on him and not want to be friends anymore?

The more Luo Xing thought about it, the more anxious he became. His left fingertips dug into his palm so hard that they turned red and swollen, but his heart just sank deeper and deeper.

He hadn’t had any friends for years. His relationship with his mother wasn’t even as good as her relationship with her cat. But he had never thought of himself as suffering. Instead, he felt so happy inside because he had a Huo Xingzhou—a secret treasure only he knew about.

He wasn’t lonely at all. He always had someone by his side. But if that person left him… he would completely fall apart.

He had never lost anything in his life, but just the thought of losing Huo Xingzhou made him feel unbearable. His eyes began to redden, and he blinked furiously, scolding himself for being useless.

It’s just one person…

Huo Xingzhou couldn’t stay with him forever. One day, he would find a girlfriend, get married, have kids, and forget all about him.

Luo Xing despised himself for being so selfish. But he couldn’t help it—he wanted to keep Huo Xingzhou all to himself, forever. He didn’t want him to marry anyone else. He just wanted him to stay with him.

I’ll treat him well… really well. No one in the world will treat him better than I will.

But now…

Dingdong.

A new WeChat notification popped up on his phone. Feeling the vibration, Luo Xing glanced down and saw it was a voice message from Huo Xingzhou. He put on his earphones and clicked to listen.

“Little bunny, open the door… Hurry and open it, I want to come in…” 

The voice paused, as if he’d forgotten the lyrics, then after a moment, continued singing, 

“With your pretty red eyes, your long ears, and your short little tail…”

Luo Xing’s fingers froze. His phone slipped from his hand and fell to the floor with a clatter. His heart trembled violently, and he stood there in a daze for a few seconds. Without picking up the phone, he opened the door and ran out.