Translated by Rikko of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
With his hand gripping his handphone tightly, Zhou Du took a deep breath before calling Xia Yao. Presently, Xia Yao had just reached the school gates. As he viewed the incoming call from his handphone screen, his brows furrowed slightly. Still, he picked it up.
“I’m outside your dorm room,” Zhou Du sounded cold. Xia Yao froze in an instant.
Once Xia Yao rushed back to the first floor of his dorm, he noticed Zhou Du standing by the stairs, beside the bulletin board in front of the dorm. Zhou Du looked at Xia Yao expressionlessly with his hands tucked into his pockets.
Xia Yao walked to Zhou Du, asking after long hesitation, “Why did you come to my school at such a late hour?”
The rage burning in Zhou Du’s heart almost made his lost his senses. However, recalling the promise he made to Xia Yao, he swallowed down the hurtful words threatening to spill from his mouth. “It’s your birthday today,” he opened his mouth slowly to speak.
Xia Yao only came back to reality after a stun. “Zhou Du,” panic grew inside Xia Yao suddenly due to the curious gazes at Zhou Du and him from the students passing by. “I…” never did Xia Yao expect Zhou Du to catch him red-handed going back late. Nonetheless, it wasn’t the place for them to talk, so he had no choice but to whisper, “let’s message each other later.”
Zhou Du was fuming. He skipped his class at night and traveled from one end of the city to Xia Yao’s school joyfully just to give Xia Yao a surprise on his birthday. Although he knew he should be rational and believe in Xia Yao, in his heart, he still wished for an immediate explanation from Xia Yao. However, Xia Yao told him to discuss it later.
“Fine,” he spat out a one-word answer through his gritted teeth before storming off Xia Yao’s school without turning back.
Xia Yao fixed his gaze on Zhou Du’s back. In truth, he was exhausted after working to the bone at night. It wasn’t his intention to keep his part-time job a secret from Zhou Du; he just didn’t have the chance to tell him. However, after looking at Zhou Du’s lonely walk away from him, he hesitated a little before chasing him recklessly. He didn’t want any more misunderstandings to derail his relationship with Zhou Du, not even a bit.
After catching up to Zhou Du, Xia Yao touched Zhou Du’s arms as whispered, “Zhou Du, are you angry?”
Zhou Du’s face was devoid of expression, “What would I be angry about?”
Xia Yao nodded, “Well, that means you are angry.”
Zhou Du was already pissed then; Xia Yao’s answer just added fuel to the fire raging in him. He hastened his steps, walking in a brisk pace to the school gates. Xia Yao simply followed behind him.
By the time both of them reached the school gates, it was about 10 p.m., an hour before the dorm curfew. Even if Zhou Du traveled back to his school now, he probably wouldn’t be able to get into his dorm. Nevertheless, he headed towards the bus stop. Fortunately, there weren’t many people outside the school then.
Xia Yao clutched Zhou Du’s arm abruptly, “It’s late now; are you still planning to go back?” Zhou Du ignored his grip and turned his head away, refusing to look at him. Xia Yao softened his tone, “Why not we get a room somewhere near tonight? You can head back tomorrow.”
Pleased by the ‘we’ Xia Yao used, Zhou Du turned his head back to Xia Yao and responded, “Whatever.” Xia Yao knew from Zhou Du’s reply that he consented, so he brought Zhou Du to a small hotel nearby.
After checking in, Xia Yao took a quick shower and lay on the bed. He forced his eyelids open, not allowing himself doze off. Only when Zhou Du finished his shower did he sit up and look at Zhou Du, “I got a job at the city.”
Following a pause, Zhou Du sat beside Xia Yao and raised his head to stare at Xia Yao, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“About what?”
“You can tell me about whatever problems you face.”
Seeing how serious Zhou Du was, Xia Yao couldn’t help himself from getting serious too, “Zhou Du, your family is indeed more financially capable than mine, but I can’t rely on you forever. I…”
“Why can’t you rely on me forever?” Zhou Du was irked.
Xia Yao went silent for quite some time before asking Zhou Du, “If I ask for your help now, the one I’m relying on won’t be you, but your parents. They don’t have any obligation to do that.” He focused his eyes on Zhou Du.
Zhou Du was dumbfounded. Only then did he understand Xia Yao’s reasoning. That’s right. Currently, what capabilities did he have that could allow Xia Yao to rely on him without any worries? “I get you,” Zhou Du’s mood dampened.
Noticing how dispirited Zhou Du was, Xia Yao hugged Zhou Du’s waist unconsciously, set his chin onto his shoulder, and inched close to his ear, “Zhou Du, we aren’t children anymore. We have to be independent.”
Zhou Du held his hands out and embraced Xia Yao the moment Xia Yao snuggled him. Upon hearing what Xia Yao said, it finally dawned on him that his views were too simplistic. The only thing he had in mind was to be with Xia Yao. However, never did he even think about how they were going to live together in the future.
“I got it,” Zhou Du replied, his voice lowered, “I will become a responsible boyfriend. Wait for me, Xia Yao.”
Xia Yao fluttered his eyes shut, a smile forming on his face. He shifted his head towards Zhou Du’s ear and gave him a kiss, “Let’s sleep.”
Euphoria engulfed Zhou Du’s heart at once. He swiftly pinned Xia Yao down onto the bed, his hands moving down to pull Xia Yao’s pants away. Xia Yao desperately tugged his pants up, “This isn’t what I meant when I said ‘sleep’!”
Zhou Du stopped and looked at Xia Yao with puppy eyes, “You just said that we aren’t children anymore.” His hand crept into Xia Yao’s flimsy clothing, inching upwards.
Xia Yao’s face grew crimson as he grabbed Zhou Du’s mischievous hand, “I’m too tired today. Maybe next time, okay?”
Seeing that Xia Yao didn’t look well, Zhou Du had his hand retreat from Xia Yao’s clothes despite his inability to hold it in. He lay on the bed, hugging Xia Yao’s waist tightly, “Let sleep!” Xia Yao pursed his lips up, chuckling. Following a kiss on Zhou Du’s lips, he shut his eyes.
Zhou Du turned off all the lights, before muttering into Xia Yao’s ears in the dark, “You only know how to tease me.” With that, the couple nestled together as they slept through the night.
Xia Yao didn’t have any lessons the next day. Only when he woke up did he realize Zhou Du still had his arms around him. Shocked, he yelled at Zhou Du to wake him up, “Wake up! Don’t you have to go to your class?”
Zhou Du woke up groggily. He picked his handphone up for a look while yawning, “The first lesson in the afternoon is already over.”
Xia Yao panicked, “What should you do then?”
“It’s alright. I’ve already skipped the first lesson anyway. There is not much difference in skipping a class or two.”
Upon hearing that, Xia Yao shot a glare at him, “Did you skip class yesterday too?” Zhou Du nodded his head honestly. Xia Yao was riddled with guilt. Zhou Du skipped his class to celebrate his birthday, but he… “Sorry,” the more Xia Yao thought about it, the more he felt himself letting Zhou Du down.
After glancing at Xia Yao sheepish face, Zhou Du shifted towards Xia Yao, “I’ll forgive you if you give me a kiss.” Without any delay, Xia Yao gave him a peck on his lips. Zhou Du froze momentarily, before coming back to his senses and pushed Xia Yao onto the bed.
“Mmh,” Xia Yao smacked Zhou Du’s shoulders in desperation, “I haven’t brush my teeth.”
“I don’t mind.”
The two of them engaged in a morning exercise in a small room of the hotel. A tint of red was still evident on Xia Yao’s face when he checked out of the room. Completely satisfied, Zhou Du was about to walk out with his hand holding onto Xia Yao’s. Xia Yao struggled a little, but it only made Zhou Du’s grasp tighter. The lady boss of the hotel didn’t care at all; she continued gnawing on melon seeds while watching her soap opera.
As it was school time, only Zhou Du and Xia Yao were at the bus stop near the school. Xia Yao’s school was situated in the suburbs. Behind the bus stop was a large tree. It was about to be 10 a.m. then. Under the shade of the tree, the bus stop was rather cool.
On cloud nine, Zhou Du continued holding onto Xia Yao’s hand, refusing to let go. “Enough. I have to go to school,” Xia Yao wanted to retrieve his hand from Zhou Du’s grasp.
However, Zhou Du teased Xia Yao shamelessly, “Sure. Just give me another kiss, and I will let you go.”
“Hey Zhou Du, stop it,” the tip of Xia Yao’s ears blushed red. He used all his might to struggle free from Zhou Du’s hand. “I’ll be going,” Xia Yao took a step back. Zhou Du took a step forward in response. Amused by Zhou Du’s actions, Xia Yao surveyed the surrounding to ensure no one was around before kissing on Zhou Du’s lips swiftly. He was about to leave when Zhou Du pulled him back to his side to give him an aggressive kiss before letting him go.
The two of them locked their eyes onto each other, their longing gaze as sweet as honey. They weren’t willing to part, but unfortunately, the killjoy bus was already at the bus stop.
“Go on,” Xia Yao waved his hand at him. Only then did Zhou Du board the bus reluctantly. After watching the bus until it was out of his sight, Xia Yao headed back to school.
A black BMW was on the other side of the road. A middle-aged man in his 40s who wore a fitting suit was in it. He gazed out of half-opened car window with his lips pursed wordlessly, having a full view of the scene in the bus stop. Closer scrutiny of the man’s appearance would reveal the resemblance between his eyebrows and Xia Yao’s.
The driver observed the man at the back seat cautiously. After some deliberation, he asked, “Chairman Zhao, are we… still going into the school?”
Not a trace of emotion was on Zhao WenHua’s face as he kept silent. The driver kept his mouth shut as well, tactful about the situation. Only after a long while did Zhao WenHua open up his mouth to speak, his voice deep, “Go home.” He tilted his head to one side, a flicker of revulsion flashing in his eyes. How could Xia LiChun raise his son into a person like that? That was something he could never tolerate.
Translated by Rikko of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
With his hand gripping his handphone tightly, Zhou Du took a deep breath before calling Xia Yao. Presently, Xia Yao had just reached the school gates. As he viewed the incoming call from his handphone screen, his brows furrowed slightly. Still, he picked it up.
“I’m outside your dorm room,” Zhou Du sounded cold. Xia Yao froze in an instant.
Once Xia Yao rushed back to the first floor of his dorm, he noticed Zhou Du standing by the stairs, beside the bulletin board in front of the dorm. Zhou Du looked at Xia Yao expressionlessly with his hands tucked into his pockets.
Xia Yao walked to Zhou Du, asking after long hesitation, “Why did you come to my school at such a late hour?”
The rage burning in Zhou Du’s heart almost made his lost his senses. However, recalling the promise he made to Xia Yao, he swallowed down the hurtful words threatening to spill from his mouth. “It’s your birthday today,” he opened his mouth slowly to speak.
Xia Yao only came back to reality after a stun. “Zhou Du,” panic grew inside Xia Yao suddenly due to the curious gazes at Zhou Du and him from the students passing by. “I…” never did Xia Yao expect Zhou Du to catch him red-handed going back late. Nonetheless, it wasn’t the place for them to talk, so he had no choice but to whisper, “let’s message each other later.”
Zhou Du was fuming. He skipped his class at night and traveled from one end of the city to Xia Yao’s school joyfully just to give Xia Yao a surprise on his birthday. Although he knew he should be rational and believe in Xia Yao, in his heart, he still wished for an immediate explanation from Xia Yao. However, Xia Yao told him to discuss it later.
“Fine,” he spat out a one-word answer through his gritted teeth before storming off Xia Yao’s school without turning back.
Xia Yao fixed his gaze on Zhou Du’s back. In truth, he was exhausted after working to the bone at night. It wasn’t his intention to keep his part-time job a secret from Zhou Du; he just didn’t have the chance to tell him. However, after looking at Zhou Du’s lonely walk away from him, he hesitated a little before chasing him recklessly. He didn’t want any more misunderstandings to derail his relationship with Zhou Du, not even a bit.
After catching up to Zhou Du, Xia Yao touched Zhou Du’s arms as whispered, “Zhou Du, are you angry?”
Zhou Du’s face was devoid of expression, “What would I be angry about?”
Xia Yao nodded, “Well, that means you are angry.”
Zhou Du was already pissed then; Xia Yao’s answer just added fuel to the fire raging in him. He hastened his steps, walking in a brisk pace to the school gates. Xia Yao simply followed behind him.
By the time both of them reached the school gates, it was about 10 p.m., an hour before the dorm curfew. Even if Zhou Du traveled back to his school now, he probably wouldn’t be able to get into his dorm. Nevertheless, he headed towards the bus stop. Fortunately, there weren’t many people outside the school then.
Xia Yao clutched Zhou Du’s arm abruptly, “It’s late now; are you still planning to go back?” Zhou Du ignored his grip and turned his head away, refusing to look at him. Xia Yao softened his tone, “Why not we get a room somewhere near tonight? You can head back tomorrow.”
Pleased by the ‘we’ Xia Yao used, Zhou Du turned his head back to Xia Yao and responded, “Whatever.” Xia Yao knew from Zhou Du’s reply that he consented, so he brought Zhou Du to a small hotel nearby.
After checking in, Xia Yao took a quick shower and lay on the bed. He forced his eyelids open, not allowing himself doze off. Only when Zhou Du finished his shower did he sit up and look at Zhou Du, “I got a job at the city.”
Following a pause, Zhou Du sat beside Xia Yao and raised his head to stare at Xia Yao, “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“About what?”
“You can tell me about whatever problems you face.”
Seeing how serious Zhou Du was, Xia Yao couldn’t help himself from getting serious too, “Zhou Du, your family is indeed more financially capable than mine, but I can’t rely on you forever. I…”
“Why can’t you rely on me forever?” Zhou Du was irked.
Xia Yao went silent for quite some time before asking Zhou Du, “If I ask for your help now, the one I’m relying on won’t be you, but your parents. They don’t have any obligation to do that.” He focused his eyes on Zhou Du.
Zhou Du was dumbfounded. Only then did he understand Xia Yao’s reasoning. That’s right. Currently, what capabilities did he have that could allow Xia Yao to rely on him without any worries? “I get you,” Zhou Du’s mood dampened.
Noticing how dispirited Zhou Du was, Xia Yao hugged Zhou Du’s waist unconsciously, set his chin onto his shoulder, and inched close to his ear, “Zhou Du, we aren’t children anymore. We have to be independent.”
Zhou Du held his hands out and embraced Xia Yao the moment Xia Yao snuggled him. Upon hearing what Xia Yao said, it finally dawned on him that his views were too simplistic. The only thing he had in mind was to be with Xia Yao. However, never did he even think about how they were going to live together in the future.
“I got it,” Zhou Du replied, his voice lowered, “I will become a responsible boyfriend. Wait for me, Xia Yao.”
Xia Yao fluttered his eyes shut, a smile forming on his face. He shifted his head towards Zhou Du’s ear and gave him a kiss, “Let’s sleep.”
Euphoria engulfed Zhou Du’s heart at once. He swiftly pinned Xia Yao down onto the bed, his hands moving down to pull Xia Yao’s pants away. Xia Yao desperately tugged his pants up, “This isn’t what I meant when I said ‘sleep’!”
Zhou Du stopped and looked at Xia Yao with puppy eyes, “You just said that we aren’t children anymore.” His hand crept into Xia Yao’s flimsy clothing, inching upwards.
Xia Yao’s face grew crimson as he grabbed Zhou Du’s mischievous hand, “I’m too tired today. Maybe next time, okay?”
Seeing that Xia Yao didn’t look well, Zhou Du had his hand retreat from Xia Yao’s clothes despite his inability to hold it in. He lay on the bed, hugging Xia Yao’s waist tightly, “Let sleep!” Xia Yao pursed his lips up, chuckling. Following a kiss on Zhou Du’s lips, he shut his eyes.
Zhou Du turned off all the lights, before muttering into Xia Yao’s ears in the dark, “You only know how to tease me.” With that, the couple nestled together as they slept through the night.
Xia Yao didn’t have any lessons the next day. Only when he woke up did he realize Zhou Du still had his arms around him. Shocked, he yelled at Zhou Du to wake him up, “Wake up! Don’t you have to go to your class?”
Zhou Du woke up groggily. He picked his handphone up for a look while yawning, “The first lesson in the afternoon is already over.”
Xia Yao panicked, “What should you do then?”
“It’s alright. I’ve already skipped the first lesson anyway. There is not much difference in skipping a class or two.”
Upon hearing that, Xia Yao shot a glare at him, “Did you skip class yesterday too?” Zhou Du nodded his head honestly. Xia Yao was riddled with guilt. Zhou Du skipped his class to celebrate his birthday, but he… “Sorry,” the more Xia Yao thought about it, the more he felt himself letting Zhou Du down.
After glancing at Xia Yao sheepish face, Zhou Du shifted towards Xia Yao, “I’ll forgive you if you give me a kiss.” Without any delay, Xia Yao gave him a peck on his lips. Zhou Du froze momentarily, before coming back to his senses and pushed Xia Yao onto the bed.
“Mmh,” Xia Yao smacked Zhou Du’s shoulders in desperation, “I haven’t brush my teeth.”
“I don’t mind.”
The two of them engaged in a morning exercise in a small room of the hotel. A tint of red was still evident on Xia Yao’s face when he checked out of the room. Completely satisfied, Zhou Du was about to walk out with his hand holding onto Xia Yao’s. Xia Yao struggled a little, but it only made Zhou Du’s grasp tighter. The lady boss of the hotel didn’t care at all; she continued gnawing on melon seeds while watching her soap opera.
As it was school time, only Zhou Du and Xia Yao were at the bus stop near the school. Xia Yao’s school was situated in the suburbs. Behind the bus stop was a large tree. It was about to be 10 a.m. then. Under the shade of the tree, the bus stop was rather cool.
On cloud nine, Zhou Du continued holding onto Xia Yao’s hand, refusing to let go. “Enough. I have to go to school,” Xia Yao wanted to retrieve his hand from Zhou Du’s grasp.
However, Zhou Du teased Xia Yao shamelessly, “Sure. Just give me another kiss, and I will let you go.”
“Hey Zhou Du, stop it,” the tip of Xia Yao’s ears blushed red. He used all his might to struggle free from Zhou Du’s hand. “I’ll be going,” Xia Yao took a step back. Zhou Du took a step forward in response. Amused by Zhou Du’s actions, Xia Yao surveyed the surrounding to ensure no one was around before kissing on Zhou Du’s lips swiftly. He was about to leave when Zhou Du pulled him back to his side to give him an aggressive kiss before letting him go.
The two of them locked their eyes onto each other, their longing gaze as sweet as honey. They weren’t willing to part, but unfortunately, the killjoy bus was already at the bus stop.
“Go on,” Xia Yao waved his hand at him. Only then did Zhou Du board the bus reluctantly. After watching the bus until it was out of his sight, Xia Yao headed back to school.
A black BMW was on the other side of the road. A middle-aged man in his 40s who wore a fitting suit was in it. He gazed out of half-opened car window with his lips pursed wordlessly, having a full view of the scene in the bus stop. Closer scrutiny of the man’s appearance would reveal the resemblance between his eyebrows and Xia Yao’s.
The driver observed the man at the back seat cautiously. After some deliberation, he asked, “Chairman Zhao, are we… still going into the school?”
Not a trace of emotion was on Zhao WenHua’s face as he kept silent. The driver kept his mouth shut as well, tactful about the situation. Only after a long while did Zhao WenHua open up his mouth to speak, his voice deep, “Go home.” He tilted his head to one side, a flicker of revulsion flashing in his eyes. How could Xia LiChun raise his son into a person like that? That was something he could never tolerate.
