Song Zhuoran quieted down for a few days, refraining from going to Class Seven. Still, over the weekend he still made his way to watch the basketball team in action while using his crutch.
His determination persisted even with his body disabled. His gaze burning with unwavering resolve.
Guo Jingyu saw him several times and his gaze couldn’t help but be drawn to Class monitor Song’s bandaged ankle, thinking that this man is really persistent.
Li Tongzhou called out to him, “Jingyu!”
Guo Jingyu turned around as a basketball flew from Li Tongzhou’s direction. “The coach told me to partner up with you,” he said.
“Alright,” Guo Jingyu replied.
Li Tongzhou adapted well within the school team, or rather, those who trained alongside him had been honed by his influence. His face conveyed an air of honesty and straightforwardness, but on the court, his style was extremely cunning. When playing, he has the ability to see any opening, instantly transforming it into a scoring opportunity.
On the contrary, Guo Jingyu, usually carefree with mischievous eyes that hinted at mischief, preferred charging headlong like a little cannonball, brimming with explosive energy.
While Li Tongzhou plays for endurance, Guo Jingyu thrived in output. The two work together very well.
He Xiangyang was panting from exhaustion as he played with them. He thought, ‘Luckily they are my teammates.’
Their Yu Ge, with his ever-smiling boyish face that never deceived, and Li Tongzhou, the serious one whose poker face was truly deceiving, played in a way that caught them off guard, proving too much for this group to handle. It was really unexpected.
For the first time, He Xiangyang was duped by someone serious, casting a shadow in his heart.
After the training session, when Guo Jingyu glanced back, Song Zhuoran had already left at some point, unbeknownst to anyone.
The coach blew the whistle, signaling a break for a few of them. Guo Jingyu paired up with Li Tongzhou. Li Tongzhou started by helping him relax, and Guo Jingyu lay there comfortably, letting out a satisfied hum. Li Tongzhou crouched down and asked, “Was that too much pressure?”
Guo Jingyu replied, “Nah, it was just right.”
Li Tongzhou knelt beside him, massaging his shoulder. Guo Jingyu let out a long sigh, “For days like this, I wouldn’t trade it for the emperor.”
Li Tongzhou quipped, “Emperors don’t play basketball.”
“True, emperors play polo. Oh, right! My uncle called yesterday. He mentioned that if we have time during winter break, we could go play in the mountains, near my grandma’s place. There’s a stable nearby with a batch of short ponies, really beautiful! And there’s a ski resort in the provincial capital. I’ll teach you how to ski… Hey, easy there,” Guo Jingyu grumbled, “When we’re on break, will you come play with me?”
Li Tongzhou asked him, “When did you learn to ski?”
Guo Jingyu replied vaguely, “Just picked it up randomly from watching TV. The moves seemed quite simple, and my cousin demonstrated for me.” This was something they had planned to do together before, but Li Tongzhou had broken the promise. Guo Jingyu went to the best ski resort alone, fell a few times, got up on his own, rode the cable car to the mountaintop alone, and after several attempts, finally learned how to ski.
He accomplished many tasks alone, but his thoughts lingered on another person’s shadow.
Guo Jingyu lay on the mat, tilting his head and chuckling softly. “Li Tongzhou, if you’re going away, I’ll tell you something.”
Li Tongzhou asked, “Is it good news or bad news?”
“How could that be? If I ask beforehand, where’s the surprise?”
“Most of what you give belongs to startling surprises.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Xeb Alcuse atbeuta obg j wbwfca, offilcu abb fwyjggjrrfv ab jguef. “Ktlr alwf, la’r j ubbv atlcu. Tbe’ii rff ktfc atf alwf mbwfr.”
Li Tongzhou agreed.
When it was Li Tongzhou’s turn, Guo Jingyu pressed forcefully, but Li Tongzhou never called to stop him. At first, Guo Jingyu thought Li Tongzhou hadn’t relaxed his muscles, so he continued applying more force for a while, only to see the other person tense his shoulders without a word, showing no other reaction.
Guo Jingyu asked in confusion, “Li Tongzhou, are you okay now?”
“…No.”
Guo Jingyu remarked, “Why do you enjoy this so much? You’re too delicate.”
He said so, but he didn’t stop. Li Tongzhou kept delaying until it was almost late, and only then did they both head to the bathroom.
As usual, they were the last ones to shower. Guo Jingyu heard the sound of water and shouted to Li Tongzhou from a distance, “Every time it’s the last one, and the water’s already gone cold!”
After a while, Li Tongzhou said, “I’m ready to go home.”
Guo Jingyu usually acted this way, but he felt he should maintain some decorum in front of his younger boyfriend. Apologetically and resolutely, he said, “I’m not done yet, I’ll return after I finish washing up.”
Guo Jingyu, enjoying his vanity, was shampooing his hair when he faintly caught sight of a figure passing by. There were no outsiders in the bathroom at that time. He subconsciously asked, “Li Tongzhou, are you done showering?”
The figure passing by paused briefly, then quickly walked out, “Yeah.”
While rinsing off the lather from his hair, Guo Jingyu called out, “Wait for me outside, I’ll be done in a moment!”
When Guo Jingyu finished showering and changed into fresh clothes, Li Tongzhou was waiting outside, even holding his bag. His gaze fell on Guo Jingyu’s face, then slightly shifted upward, “Your hair’s still wet.”
Guo Jingyu shook his head like a playful puppy and cheerfully said, “It’s fine, it’ll dry soon.”
Li Tongzhou disagreed, taking out one of his own jackets from his backpack and placing it on Guo Jingyu’s head. “It will be cooler today. Be careful not to catch a cold.”
Guo Jingyu felt it wasn’t too flattering, but then he thought, “Who could recognize me all covered up like this?” So, he obediently kept the jacket on.
Even when they got into the car, Guo Jingyu still wore Li Tongzhou’s jacket, with the sleeves hanging down on both sides, resembling an Egyptian pharaoh. It was a bit comical.
Li Tongzhou’s lips curved slightly as he leaned closer to ask, “Why are you so obedient today?”
Guo Jingyu, wearing his clothes, lazily replied, “Don’t want to catch a cold. Catch a cold, and I’ll have to take leave. Taking leave means not coming to school.” And that meant not seeing his younger boyfriend.
Li Tongzhou observed him for a moment then suddenly said, “I’ll help you with some solid revision.”
Guo Jingyu didn’t quite catch it, “Huh?”
Li Tongzhou continued, “I promise you’ll improve several ranks this time. In the winter break, you can go horse riding and skiing.”
Guo Jingyu laughed and didn’t elaborate further, just nodded in agreement.
He just loved watching Li Tongzhou diligently busy himself for his sake. The words of an honest person were the most touching. With just a glance, he could see himself reflected in Li Tongzhou’s eyes, as if he couldn’t afford to miss even the smallest detail.
During the Monday flag-raising ceremony, a student representative was selected to deliver a speech. For this week, it was the turn of the seniors in high school. Typically, the top-ranking students took charge of such dignified tasks. ButLi Tongzhou wasn’t fond of participating in these events. This time, the responsibility fell upon the class monitor of Class One, Song Zhuoran.
Song Zhuoran was already used at this task, reciting his speech flawlessly. His gaze was fixed on Class Seven of the high second grade, where he directed his address.
Several times, Guo Jingyu felt something wasn’t quite right. Every time he looked up, he seemed to meet Song Zhuoran’s gaze. But the class monitor’s look appeared particularly sincere, giving no indication of any hidden meaning. This left Guo Jingyu a bit puzzled for a moment.
During lunchtime, Guo Jingyu spotted Song Zhuoran on duty in the distance wearing a red armband for monitoring and recording. After seeing them approach, Song Zhuoran smiled and waved, exuding a particularly warm attitude.
Guo Jingyu was solely focused on observing his crutch and missed everything else. It was He Xiangyang who remarked, “Jingyu, why is Song Zhuoran wearing the same clothes as you again?”
Guo Jingyu was baffled, “Nonsense, the whole school wears the same uniform. How can he be the same as me?”
“No, look at his shirt and sweater vest inside. They’re just like yours, hey.”
At this moment, Guo Jingyu didn’t have many clothing options. He was wearing his cousin Gu Yu’s old school uniform. Uncle Gu had spent quite a sum sending his son to a private high school. The school uniforms were all tailored, quite expensive, and changed multiple times a year. When Gu Yu had a growth spurt, the winter uniforms became small before he could wear them. As the clothes were all made of pure wool, handcrafted, Uncle Gu sent them to Guo Jingyu to wear.
This kind of collegiate-style clothing wasn’t common at this moment.
Given the reminder, Guo Jingyu looked up and indeed noticed that Song Zhuoran was wearing something similar to his own attire, but his was in dark blue, while Song Zhuoran was black, with slight style variations.
Guo Jingyu furrowed his brow, saying, “It might be a coincidence.”
Li Tongzhou added, “Last time at the gym, he was wearing the same sportswear as you.”
With Li Tongzhou’s remark, Guo Jingyu began to pay attention. It seemed that Song Zhuoran was really mirroring his clothing choices.
Guo Jingyu deliberately wore a bold black T-shirt covered in jumbled English letters. The next day, Song Zhuoran appeared in a similar one.
And it wasn’t just Song Zhuoran. Sometimes, when Guo Jingyu woke up early and went to Li Tongzhou’s house to cook him some dumplings, Li Tongzhou, after glimpsing the color of the sweater Guo Jingyu was wearing, would return to his room and change into a similar one.
If the three of them bumped into each other at school, Song Zhuoran was fine with it and would even offer a friendly greeting, while Li Tongzhou maintained his serious expression. Only Guo Jingyu was extremely embarrassed.
Guo Jingyu had never imagined a day where he’d feel so awkward about unintentionally matching clothes that he wouldn’t want to go to school.
Guo Jingyu had never thought that one day he’d feel so awkward about unintentionally matching clothes that he’d want to skip school.
“What’s going on here? Are we triplets?”
On Tuesday, the art students returned from their training outside the city.
The school’s disciplinary office became quite busy for a while. Many of the art students who had been away for more than two months had expressed their individuality with dyed or styled hair, painted nails, or pierced ears. The teachers from the disciplinary office had dark expressions and individually brought them over, regardless of gender. They provided nail polish remover for the painted nails, instructing them to clean their nails. For those with pierced ears, there was little to be done as the flesh wouldn’t grow back, so they were ordered not to wear jewelry. As for those who had dyed or styled hair, they were all taken to a small barbershop near the school gate and made to undergo a transformation for $5, turning their hair into the standard student look.
Guo Jingyu enrolled in the art class and headed to the art studio.
The school allocated two classrooms specifically for the art students. Guo Jingyu paid for the art materials and received tools like an easel and drawing board. As he stepped out, he bumped into Song Zhuoran.
Song Zhuoran seemed somewhat surprised but didn’t initiate conversation for the first time, just limping along quietly beside him.
Guo Jingyu felt a bit uneasy. Back when he was studying at the art academy, there were two foreign students who pursued him. They were adults, the type that seemed more into playing around than seeking serious relationships. He had declined their advances, and that was that. Now, to see someone as dedicated as Song Zhuoran suddenly expressing such deep emotions without saying a word… Guo Jingyu couldn’t quite wrap his head around it.
They’ve only met a few times, right?
Why did he take a liking to him?
Guo Jingyu couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. When someone pursues you, the look in their eyes isn’t like this. Without going into details, his true love was with Li Tongzhou. Even through a crowd, they could spot each other at first glance, as if they had installed radar. Their connection was undeniable.
This was obviously not the case, but Song Zhuoran was really observing him.
Following him all the way, Guo Jingyu couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked, “Class Monitor Song, are you also heading to the art studio?”
Song Zhuoran replied, “Yes, I’m going to the art studio.”
Guo Jingyu chuckled, “Oh, really? That’s quite a coincidence.”
After a while, Song Zhuoran suddenly said, “I’m quite familiar with your neighborhood. I used to live in the neighborhood opposite yours.”
“Really?”
Guo Jingyu thought to himself that he had never once seen Song Zhuoran, not even a chance encounter on the bus.
“I saw you twice at the bus stop,” Song Zhuoran smiled, “were you curious why you never saw me? I used to arrive early in the morning for an hour of self-study. I leave early and even study during the evening self-study sessions.”
Guo Jingyu replied, “Awesome! Setting such strict standards for yourself in senior year, time will definitely reward your efforts.”
Song Zhuoran smiled and looked at him, saying, “He said the same thing.”
Guo Jingyu felt a bit uncomfortable. His lingering suspicion hadn’t faded. Most of his shared topics with Li Tongzhou stemmed from life experiences they had accumulated over the years. But when it came to the subjects Li Tongzhou was fond of, Guo Jingyu always felt that the Class Monitor, being a model student, could engage in those conversations more. The competitions and scientific topics Li Tongzhou enjoyed were things Guo Jingyu didn’t quite understand.
Guo Jingyu unconsciously compared himself to Song Zhuoran.
The more he compared, the more bitter he felt.
Song Zhuoran took him to see the classrooms, taking a stroll together. He said, “The spot by the window is great. You can soak up the sun while painting. It should be very comfortable.”
Guo Jingyu deliberately spoke in opposition, casually propping the easel in a corner. “It’s okay, but I’m afraid of getting tanned.”
For the first time, Song Zhuoran heard such a comment and was a bit surprised. “But your skin is very fair… People with fair skin are afraid of getting tanned?”
Guo Jingyu said, “That’s right.”
Right now, he relied on this face.
He might be a scumbag student, but when it came to appearance, he had never feared anyone!
K: Hello everyone! I really apologize for what happened TT <(_ _)> A lot of things happened back at home, translating/editing became was the least I could think of (｡>﹏<) (╥ᆺ╥；) but all is good now ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧ !!
Chapters will be released normally (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶) Thaank you all for understanding (๑´>᎑<)~*
The chapter is blank? Or is it only not working for me? :(((
It happens to me too :((
K, happy new year to you too! 😘
Is the text for the “Zhuang Shirt” chapter gonna be added at some later point? 🤔 Or did you just troll us? 🤣🤣😭
Dear K, welcome back! Thank you for the chapter; now the text is visible! Hope everything is fine now and the rest of the year will be smooth sailing for you 😘