On the first day back at school, Guo Jingyu dragged the top student of the grade to stand outside, causing quite a stir.
There are many classes in the third year of senior high school, and there is only one thing that can make everyone happy.
Quickly, the news spread throughout the entire senior high school building.
Guo Jingyu was stretching in the corridor during break when he was surrounded by several people led by He Xiangyang. He Xiangyang’s face lit up with excitement as he said, “Yu ge! You’re back and you didn’t even say hi to us. Tonight, we’re treating you to barbecue to welcome you back!”
Guo Jingyu asked, “Why tonight?”
“We have remedial classes at noon,” He Xiangyang honestly replied, “Li Tongzhou has been teaching us in your absence, so we haven’t skipped any classes at noon.”
Guo Jingyu was somewhat surprised. Not until noon passed and he glanced over to the rooftop did he realize that what He Xiangyang said was true.
Over there, Li Tongzhou held test papers and books, giving supplementary lessons to this group of people. His expression was faint, devoid of much emotion, and his tone of speech hardly considered polite. But the surrounding few people obediently buried themselves in study and no one dared to challenge his words.
On the rooftop, the study support group unexpectedly persisted. He Xiangyang and their few companions managed to hold on. Although there were occasional late arrivals each day. Regardless, someone always showed up. They treated this as a commitment, something to be guarded together. Li Tongzhou took over tutoring duties from Guo Jingyu. The group’s academic performance improved, and their attitude toward Li Tongzhou became much more respectful than before.
As Guo Jingyu approached, Li Tongzhou made some space beside him and looked up at him. “Jingyu, here.”
Guo Jingyu couldn’t just pass by. He sat down next to him, book in hand, joining in the studying session.
Li Tongzhou allowed a five-minute break every twenty minutes. Just as this group of people exchanged a few words with Guo Jingyu, Li Tongzhou on the side checked his watch and said, “Five minutes are up, let’s continue. Next, we’ll do listening comprehension. Prepare a sheet for your answers.”
A few of them groaned in unison, collectively turning their pitiful gazes towards Guo Jingyu.
Amused, Guo Jingyu stifled a laugh, feeling that these youngsters, apart from growing taller, hadn’t matured one bit mentally. They reminded him of his own childhood, when he’d been scolded by his mother and then went to beg his father.
Guo Jingyu cleared his throat but didn’t lend a hand. “Get ready, hurry up, didn’t you hear him?”
He Xiangyang’s group could only begin their tasks with mournful faces.
There was no one on the rooftop. Li Tongzhou inserted the English listening tape into the cassette player, turning up the volume a bit for them to listen on their own. He then took his textbook and went aside to give Guo Jingyu private tutoring.
Guo Jingyu fell behind by half a semester in his studies, his progress not aligning with the rest. Li Tongzhou patiently guided him through.
Sitting side by side in the cool shade at the back, they watched as a row of underperforming students sat in front, each one scratching their heads while writing their answers to the listening comprehension. Guo Jingyu couldn’t help but find it amusing how he and Li Tongzhou resembled invigilating teachers.
Li Tongzhou glanced at him, a little confused.
Guo Jingyu lightly nudged him with his arm and whispered in his ear, “When I’m not around, who do you hang out with in class?”
“No one.”
“And do you eat alone in the cafeteria at noon too?”
“En.”
Guo Jingyu immediately raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t He Xiangyang and the others prepare lunch for you?” He had specifically instructed them before leaving.
Li Tongzhou shook his head. “I’m not used to it. He did it a few times, but I didn’t let him anymore.”
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.
Guo Jingyu said, “What’s there not to get used to? We’re all here to help each other out. Look, you’ve been helping them for over half a year now. In the future, we will interact more often, we’ll naturally become closer.”
Ol Kbcuhtbe mbcalcefv ab ibbx ja tlw, tlr fsfr ilcufglcu bc Xeb Alcuse’r ojmf obg j wbwfca yfobgf delmxis rtloalcu vbkc ab tlr afzaybbx. “Alcuse, P’w cba erfv ab lcafgjmalcu klat batfg qfbqif.”
Xeb Alcuse kbcvfgfv, “Qts? Cgfc’a sbe vblcu olcf cbk?”
“Pa’r yfmjerf sbe’gf cba tfgf. P’w pera vblcu ktja P mjc ab tfiq sbe,” Ol Kbcuhtbe fzqijlcfv. “Qtfc sbe mbwf yjmx, P kjca ab obmer wbgf bc aeabglcu sbe.”
Guo Jingyu nudged him again with his arm, lowering his voice as he chuckled, “Well, you’ll have to learn to adapt gradually. When we’re together in the future, I plan to host a banquet, invite many people, and collect lots of betrothal gifts… Oh, you don’t know, do you? The thing newlyweds look forward to most is counting the betrothal gifts together on their wedding night.”
Li Tongzhou remained silent, only reaching out his hand to quietly intertwine it with Guo Jingyu’s.
As the noon tutoring session ended, Guo Jingyu and Li Tongzhou returned to the classroom together. Their classmates were all busy with their own tasks, and few people were talking. Some even started reciting the afternoon’s lesson in advance.
Guo Jingyu’s textbooks were brand new as they arrived. He followed his classmates and flipped through them for a while, preparing ahead of time.
When Li Tongzhou once again pushed the gobang over, Guo Jingyu sternly declined.
He wasn’t joking. He didn’t want to provoke the head teacher again. Getting caught a second time might lead to the head teacher eating him alive!
Guo Jingyu attended class alongside the others, and Li Tongzhou also handed him his notes, asking him to follow along. Surprisingly, Guo Jingyu managed to keep up with the pace.
It’s just in the afternoon, drowsiness easily sets in. The warm rays of the sun made Guo Jingyu feel like dozing off, his chin resting on his hand.
He squinted as he glanced at the classmates beside him. Many of them were also struggling with drowsiness, but one of them took a more drastic approach. They had a small compass ready and would prick themselves whenever they felt drowsy, doing so with a resolute hand, even drawing blood. Guo Jingyu winced just watching it, instantly feeling more awake.
Li Tongzhou nudged his arm. “Jingyu, look at the notes.”
Guo Jingyu redirected his gaze back to the board, but soon found himself drifting off again. He stared at the blackboard, deeply reflecting on himself. Were these all the questions he used to know? How did he have no recollection whatsoever? How did he even manage to get into university in the first place?!
Li Tongzhou had been keeping an eye on him. Whenever Guo Jingyu started to space out, Li Tongzhou would reach out and place his hand on Guo Jingyu’s leg, whispering softly, “Focus.”
Guo Jingyu: “!!”
Guo Jingyu’s attention instantly became fully concentrated. While he read his book, he found himself drawn to the hand on his leg. With a slight movement, he realized that Li Tongzhou had actually pinched him. Guo Jingyu bit his lip to stifle any reaction.
Li Tongzhou remained composed, his expression serious as he studied and took notes, behaving just like usual.
The only time his hand would momentarily leave Guo Jingyu’s leg was when the teacher called after him to answer a question. But as soon as he sat back down, his hand would return to its place on Guo Jingyu’s leg, fitting there almost too naturally.
Guo Jingyu’s face flushed with heat. At this moment, he was genuinely not sleepy anymore. His school uniform was loose, conveniently hiding Li Tongzhou’s hand, which was just too stimulating.
When class ended, he immediately got up and headed outside, going to the restroom to splash his face with cold water to cool down.
In the evening after school, He Xiangyang and the others dragged Guo Jingyu along to eat barbecue, at the same old place, Li’s Barbecue Shop at the school gate. Not only He Xiangyang’s group, but also many members of the school basketball team joined in, making for a lively gathering.
He Xiangyang cracked open a can of beer. When Guo Jingyu glanced at him, He Xiangyang innocently explained, “Yu Ge, I turned 18 last week. It was my birthday.”
Guo Jingyu approved, “Oh, in that case, it’s fine.”
Li Tongzhou interjected, “We have self-study sessions tonight. Students shouldn’t drink.”
Guo Jingyu immediately changed his stance, “Right, listen to him. What am I doing? Hurry up and change it!”
He Xiangyang quickly swapped his just-opened beer for a Sprite, sitting in Li’s Barbecue Shop with a somewhat sheepish demeanor, looking particularly obedient.
With many people around, the atmosphere was lively. He Xiangyang sat beside Guo Jingyu and didn’t miss the chance to praise Li Tongzhou. “He’s really good to us. Whenever any of us don’t understand something, he’s always there to teach us.”
“Is he patient when teaching?”
“Not patient at all, always looking at us like that,” He Xiangyang gestured with a puzzled expression, raising his eyebrows with his fingers. “It’s like he can’t understand why we can’t get it right even when we have a pen in our hands.”
Guo Jingyu almost sprayed his juice, patting He Xiangyang on the shoulder and leaning in close to whisper, “He’s not very good at interacting with people, but he has a good heart. You’ll see once you get to know him.”
He Xiangyang chuckled, “I know. Everyone else thinks we’re no good, that we’re worthless, but Yu Ge and Li Tongzhou are different. You’re really kind to us.”
Guo Jingyu looked at him with a hint of surprise. “Oh, you’ve really grown up and become more sensible.”
He Xiangyang rubbed his nose and pointed to Sun Hua, who was queuing up at the front to get some grilled chicken wings. “Yu Ge, Sun Hua’s dad made some money in the stock market and now he’s into transportation. Their family’s conditions have improved a lot. They even bought a cassette player for everyone to share and listen to listening exercises together. My family is doing well too. My dad opened a new store. He said if I get into university, he’ll reward me with a trip abroad…” He Xiangyang mentioned several people in succession. Whether it was individuals or their families, there had been some changes, mostly for the better. He whispered softly, “Actually, everyone appreciates and likes you guys in their hearts, but they’re too shy to say it.”
Guo Jingyu retorted, “You’re shameless, always saying you like people. I already have someone I like, so don’t confess to me.”
True to his thick skin, He Xiangyang immediately raised the beverage in his hand. “Cheers to Yu Ge and his wife-to-be. Here’s to a lifetime of happiness together!”
Guo Jingyu clinked his cup with He Xiangyang’s, and Li Tongzhou beside them also raised his cup, joining in the toast.
In the evening, there was still a night self-study session. Soon, the group dispersed, and the money for the barbecue skewers was pooled together by Sun Hua and his friends. They claimed it was a celebration, then the rascals all paid and quickly ran away.
Guo Jingyu only managed to catch He Xiangyang alone. He pulled him aside and whispered for a while. Before leaving, he reminded He Xiangyang’s group to take care of Li Tongzhou, expressing his concern as he had doubts returning this time, asking a few more questions.
He Xiangyang replied, “We’re all looking out for each other. There’s nothing else, just following a strict routine every day, either at school or going home.”
Guo Jingyu was still uneasy and asked a few more questions, but He Xiangyang only followed him on the way home after school. He didn’t know about anything else.
As they talked, Li Tongzhou stood nearby with his bag on his back, checking his watch.
Guo Jingyu noticed and patted He Xiangyang on the shoulder. “Alright, I got it. Thanks.”
He Xiangyang smiled, waved at him, and left first.
In the evening self-study session for the third year, although it was said to be voluntary, in reality, no one left early.
As they reached the final sprint, regardless of their grades, everyone had to give it their all. The blackboard displayed the countdown to the decisive day of the college entrance examination, the countdown erased and rewritten every day. It was as if an invisible spell had been cast, driving countless individuals to push forward with determination.
Teacher Jin helped Guo Jingyu get permission, and for the three evening self-study sessions, Guo Jingyu would go to the art studio to paint. Teacher Jin arranged a still life setup specifically for him, carefully crafted a schedule, alternating between sketching and watercolor painting, with a complete painting due every two days.
Sometimes, Guo Jingyu would get so engrossed in his painting that he would stay a bit longer, and Li Tongzhou would come over to keep him company.
Guo Jingyu twirled the pencil in his hand and asked Li Tongzhou to be his model.
Li Tongzhou inquired, “What should I do?”
Guo Jingyu replied, “Just do as you usually do, sit there and read.”
It was Li Tongzhou’s first time modeling, and he did quite well, maintaining the same pose for an hour. Later, Guo Jingyu felt sorry for him and didn’t let him pose for sketching anymore. Instead, he asked him to switch to gesture modeling, which was much faster. With a new pose every five minutes, it was much easier.
After Li Tongzhou had posed for gesture modeling several times, Guo Jingyu came over to adjust his posture. Suddenly, Li Tongzhou reached out and hugged him.
Guo Jingyu almost stumbled and ended up chuckling as he leaned into the embrace. “What are you doing? Let go, I still have one last painting to finish. Once it’s done, we can go home.”
But Li Tongzhou didn’t release his hold. He looked at Guo Jingyu for a moment, then leaned in closer, as if wanting to kiss him.
Guo Jingyu managed to dodge in time, but being held in place, he couldn’t escape the embrace. The kiss landed on his cheek.
Guo Jingyu raised his hand and pushed Li Tongzhou’s chin away. “Hey, you’re being cheeky. We had an agreement, remember?”
Li Tongzhou loosened his grip slightly, his hand moving to caress Guo Jingyu’s chin. As he rubbed it, he kept his gaze fixed on him, not saying a word. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and his eyes were dark, as if he were restraining something.
Guo Jingyu was feeling incredibly stirred up by Li Tongzhou’s actions, almost losing his resolve.
In the end, it was Li Tongzhou who let go first, his voice hoarse as he said, “I understand.”
When they returned home in the evening, Li Tongzhou insisted on walking Guo Jingyu downstairs. Guo Jingyu couldn’t help but think of the poses Li Tongzhou had struck in the studio that night. In his mind, it was as if he had won the lottery several times over. But those seemingly useless poses turned into sweet moments when Li Tongzhou was around. His touch transformed them into something similar to honey, sticky and sweet. It felt like a single embrace would be enough.
Li Tongzhou gently hugged him and whispered “good night” in his ear.
As Guo Jingyu went upstairs, his steps felt light, and he couldn’t help but smile. He thought to himself, “No wonder I chose him as my boyfriend. He has such a sweet mouth.”
At home, Father Guo prepared some late-night snacks for him and even cut up a fruit platter, waiting for him to come back for an extra meal.
Guo Jingyu studied hard at school, and his confidence during meals was evident. He ate heartily before saying, “Dad, can we buy another salted chicken tomorrow? We have exams next Monday, and I want to eat chicken legs.”
Father Guo immediately agreed and asked, “Is one enough?”
Guo Jingyu thought for a moment before replying, “Let’s buy two, and also make some extra sweet and sour sauce. I’ll bring it to Li Tongzhou later, so we can share it together.”
Father Guo nodded in agreement, casually asking about Li Tongzhou’s family situation. After hearing that his parents were still not often at home, he remarked, “Your classmate’s family is quite strange too. The parents are always busy with their own work. They can be hardly seen throughout the year. It’s as if they have another family outside.”
Although spoken casually, the words carried weight.
Guo Jingyu paused with his chopsticks for a moment, then resumed eating as if nothing had happened after a while.
The next day, Guo Jingyu sought out He Xiangyang and called him over to the corridor, whispering, “Xiao He, does your dad happen to know some friends?”
He Xiangyang didn’t quite understand. “What friends?”
“I mean friends who can help with investigations.”
“…He knows a few. Yu ge, what do you want to investigate?”
“You don’t need to worry about it. Just give me a contact information, and I’ll talk to them,” Guo Jingyu vaguely replied. “There are some family matters that I can’t discuss openly.”
He Xiangyang was very obedient. He provided the contact information on the same day. After receiving it, Guo Jingyu asked for leave from Teacher Jin for the evening self-study and went out to talk to the person. He still had a lot of money in his pocket. At first, he had withdrawn fifty thousand from Wu Xiajun’s side but had only used twenty thousand. The remaining money was enough for expenses. He spent some of the money to hire someone to follow Li Tongzhou’s parents. He had some doubts before. The reactions of Li Tongzhou’s parents back then were somewhat strange.
Since he couldn’t ask Li Tongzhou directly for the time being, he had to make second-hand preparations.
K: Raise your hand if you just want to hug them both especially LTZ 🙋🏽♀️
I want I want 🙋🏽
His parents really are very strange. There’s something there