In the blink of an eye, the short vacation days quickly passed, and Guo Jingyu and Li Tongzhou each returned to their respective homes.
Guo Jingyu continued to study with his private tutor. On the other hand, Li Tongzhou was occupied with his own affairs. Despite his excellent academic performance, the expectations from his family were even higher. The time he dedicated to his studies was no less than that of Guo Jingyu.
Li Tongzhou would occasionally make a phone call to check in, but most of the time, the two communicated through text messages. He didn’t particularly send a lot of texts, keeping the frequency to three to five messages a day. On the contrary, Guo Jingyu wanted to engage in more conversation, and found himself longing for a bit of a chat. But the focused study at his home left him with little moment to catch his breath or even take a sip of water without feeling the pressure of time ticking away.
After the Chinese New Year, school started.
Guo Jingyu signed up for an art class that involved an off-campus study program, which would require him to undergo several months of intensive training.
Before leaving, he went to find He Xiangyang and his group. One purpose was to instruct them to diligently focus on their studies, and the other was to ask them to look out for Li Tongzhou while he was at school.
He Xiangyang said, “Yu Ge, do we really need to watch out for him? Last time during gym training, he tried to snatch the ball from me, and his strength was even greater than mine.”
Guo Jingyu retorted, “Nonsense. He’s just a scholarly type, always buried in books. How could he be stronger than you?”
He Xiangyang was unconvinced. “Don’t believe me? Give it a try later!”
Guo Jingyu simply didn’t buy it. The moment he laid eyes on Li Tongzhou, his protective instincts kicked in. He showered Li Tongzhou with everything good, and he wasn’t too pleased when He Xiangyang brought up any objections. “Hey, can’t you handle such a small task? Why waste words on it?”
He Xiangyang found himself scolded by his senior once again, this time over Li Tongzhou. He rubbed his nose, reluctantly agreeing.
Guo Jingyu gave clear instructions and emphasized the need for them to stick with Li Tongzhou over the next two months. “Don’t let him go out alone. If anything comes up, ask him more questions, and help out whenever you can.”
“We got it, Yu Ge.”
Guo Jingyu couldn’t recall exactly when it happened. All he remembered was that it was shortly after he and Li Tongzhou had started dating. At that time, he had returned from the art studio and noticed a slight injury on Li Tongzhou’s arm. When questioned, Li Tongzhou casually brushed it off as a minor accidental scrape. Li Tongzhou was a person who followed routines meticulously, even sticking to the same bus route for years without any surprises.
Despite his concerns, Guo Jingyu had no choice but to head to the art studio first, hoping to quickly wrap up his tasks and return as soon as possible.
Having given his instructions and just about to leave when Guo Jingyu was stopped by a call from He Xiangyang.
He Xiangyang scratched his head and handed over a stack of pink letters. “Yu Ge, these were sent by a girl. I didn’t have the heart to refuse…”
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.
Xeb Alcuse kjr qehhifv. “Qtja lr atlr?”
“Obnf ifaafgr.”
Xeb Alcuse lwwfvljafis gfmblifv tlr tjcv, cba vjglcu ab abemt atfw. Lf uijgfv ja Lf Wljcusjcu. “Tbe vlvc’a tjnf atf tfjga ab gfoerf, yea sbe tjnf atf cfgnf ab yglcu atfw ab wf?”
Lf Wljcusjcu kjr qehhifv. “Qtja’r atf wjaafg? Glvc’a sbe gfmflnf delaf j ofk lc sbeg ogfrtwjc sfjg?”
Guo Jingyu: “…”
Guo Jingyu with a stern expression, said, “Those were from my younger, more naive days. I don’t accept them now. Take them away. From now on, I’m steering clear of romantic distractions and focusing solely on my studies!”
He Xiangyang hesitated. “Just like that, you’re sending them back?”
“Yes.”
He Xiangyang acknowledged with a sound and turned to leave.
Guo Jingyu called after him, “Wait, there’s a message to pass along.”
He Xiangyang inquired, “What message?”
“Advise them to focus on their studies, to put aside such matters. Education is more important than anything!” After a moment’s thought, Guo Jingyu added, “If they don’t listen, tell them I’m already in a relationship.”
He Xiangyang was shocked. “Yu Ge, when did you start dating?”
“Mind your own business. Anyway, I am in a serious relationship now, planning to get married in the future. I’m fully committed to my studies, aiming to enter a prestigious university and be closer to him.”
He Xiangyang and his gang of troublemakers were even more gossipy than those female classmates. They abandoned their books and revision, instead gathering around Guo Jingyu, wanting to learn more about the future sister-in-law. He Xiangyang’s eyes sparkled as he eagerly inquired, “Yu Ge, just give us some details. When they ask, I can be more specific, so everyone can stop bothering you and focus on studying!”
Guo Jingyu replied, “Just make up anything you want.”
“You can’t just make it up casually.”
“In that case, make it up like it’s with Li Tongzhou.”
Guo Jingyu put his foot down, forbidding them from bringing up the matter again. He grabbed each one and started a homework inspection. Those who showed improvement received two pieces of candy from Xu Fuji. For those who clearly hadn’t studied well over the winter break, they were dragged out for a kick from Sun Hua. Sun Hua was happy, thinking that being a monitor was a pretty good position. He has a power and he could even kick a few vice monitors’ butts!
He Xiangyang barely passed in math, but he got a kick for English. He had a thick skin and didn’t mind it much. Seizing the opportunity when Guo Jingyu was teaching him English, he leaned in and whispered, “Yu Ge, did you really find someone? Actually, I think Fan Jiali is quite good-looking…”
Guo Jingyu took the opportunity to clarify the situation, his face stern. “I have nothing to do with Fan Jiali. Don’t spread baseless rumors. She’s a good girl. Why ruin her reputation?”
“But several people from Class Ten saw Fan Jiali going to the residential area to look for you. I heard it from them, and they even discussed it. I tried to stop them,” He Xiangyang, an honest person, added, thinking that Fan Jiali might be a potential sister-in-law and wanted to lend a hand.
Guo Jingyu said, “She has relatives living there. The gossip from Class Ten is baseless. If you hear such rumors again, go report it to the Class Monitor Song Zhuoran.”
He Xiangyang was honest and nodded earnestly, agreeing. As he was about to leave, Guo Jingyu called him back.
Guo Jingyu narrowed his eyes and lifted his head and called out to Sun Hua, the monitor executing the orders, “Sun Hua, come here. He Xiangyang is slacking off, not staying focused. Give him another kick!”
Sun Hua came over with great enthusiasm, “Sure thing!”
He Xiangyang returned to the classroom with a pants leg full of shoe marks, looking disgruntled.
Guo Jingyu didn’t even touch those love letters. He had He Xiangyang return each one, and whenever someone asked, He Xiangyang repeated exactly what Guo Jingyu had instructed.
One spread ten, ten spread a hundred, also do not know where to start to add oil and vinegar, processing to the end has changed beyond recognition.
One story led to ten, and ten stories multiplied into a hundred. Somewhere along the way, embellishments and vivid details were added, transforming the tale beyond recognition. By the time it reached its final iteration, it had taken on a life of its own, a distorted reflection of its humble origins.
By the time it reached Guo Jingyu’s ears, Guo Jingyu, who had become the school bully of Class 7, had found a particularly beautiful girlfriend. She had white skin, beautiful appearance and long legs. She was as pure and desirable as the flower of Kaolin. Her family was well off and her study was good. She had a tight grip on Guo Jingyu. It is said that they have met their parents and plan to live together after they go to college, preferably get married while at school.
Guo Jingyu buried his head in the desk, so embarrassed that he could feel his toes curling.
Li Tongzhou repeated the question, and the messenger turned out to be Song Zhuoran. With a curious look, Monitor Song rushed over to ask in person. Li Tongzhou asked again, and with enthusiasm, he turned to Guo Jingyu and asked, “By the way, I heard from others that the girl is a bit older than you. They say you’re really into her, planning to get married during university, becoming a newbie dad with a baby on the way. Is that true?”
Guo Jingyu was infuriated and embarrassed. He quickly retorted, “Mind your own business… What’s it to you!”
Song Zhuoran responded, “Of course, it concerns me. As you know, I want to study law. Let me tell you, the legal marriage age for men in our country is 22. According to Article 6 of the Marriage Law, men are not allowed to marry before the age of 22. If you have a child in college, that falls under non-marital childbirth. Moreover, the government now encourages late marriage and late childbirth…”
Guo Jingyu shoved him out, saying, “Go, don’t come to our class.”
Song Zhuoran replied, “Aren’t we good friends? I came here specifically to enlighten you about the law!”
Guo Jingyu annoyedly retorted, “Mind your own business!”
Shoving Monitor Song out, Guo Jingyu returned to his seat to continue packing his things. He planned to bring some textbooks and exercise books for the upcoming training outside.
Li Tongzhou helped him tidy up and, incidentally, handed him a freshly compiled set of error notes. “I sorted this out last night, went through it based on the questions from your last exam. All the similar ones are grouped together here. Remember to take it with you for a joint review.”
Guo Jingyu looked at him suspiciously. After all that Song Zhuoran had just said, Li Tongzhou should have figured it out by now, shouldn’t he?
Li Tongzhou’s expression remained as usual as he helped him pack his backpack.
In the evening, when they headed back, Guo Jingyu, feeling guilty inside, didn’t have the heart to ask Li Tongzhou to carry his backpack. Instead, he held it against his chest.
Li Tongzhou stood behind him and reached out. At first, Guo Jingyu thought he was going to help carry the backpack. But he quickly realized his mistake when the other’s hand landed on his lower abdomen, giving it a gentle pat. Following that, a soft chuckle reached his ears.
Guo Jingyu was confused, “What are you doing?”
Li Tongzhou whispered in his ear, “I might not be up for it. How about you try later?”
Guo Jingyu blinked, only then realizing, and his entire ear instantly turned crimson. He nudged him with his elbow, saying, “Li Tongzhou, that’s enough. Do you believe that silly stuff like Song Zhuoran does?!”
The person behind laughed once again, in a very good mood.
The author has something to say:
A serious nonsense episode in the small theater:
Li Tongzhou: I believe in the miracles of medicine.
Xiao : … I believe in your nonsense =皿=!
K: Dirty miind! HAHAHAHA
And we’re halfway done !
Thank you for the chapter 🤗