As they walked out, they passed a bookstore. Bo Xinghang didn’t even glance at it and kept walking, but Ji Wenzhen stopped to look inside.
Bo Xinghang took a few more steps before noticing the lack of movement behind him. He turned his head with suspicion and asked, “Doctor Ji, why did you stop?”
“Do you want to go inside?” Ji Wenzhen, who rarely lied, came up with a flimsy excuse. “…Come with me to look at some medical books.”
“Oh.”
Sure, let’s go look.
Bo Xinghang studied Doctor Ji’s expression but was unable to decipher it, so he agreed. He didn’t often visit bookstores, but he was happy to do anything with Doctor Ji.
…More or less.
Once inside, Doctor Ji looked at the floor directory and headed upstairs without hesitation. Naively, Bo Xinghang thought they were going to the medical books section. When he looked up, damn… Why did he see the words “third year in high school”?
Fuck.
Bo Xinghang instantly glanced at Doctor Ji.
Doctor Ji’s expression remained calm as he scanned the bookshelves. He grabbed a shopping basket and began piling in thick practice exams as if he were having a big sale. The basket quickly filled up.
Bo Xinghang looked at his actions in shock, stammering in disbelief. “Doctor Ji! Please explain what you’re doing!!”
Doctor Ji placed another book inside and tilted his head to look at him. The movement highlighted his chiseled jawline, creating an image that was both austere and alluring.
“I’m also picking out some practice books for you.”
“Some books?!” Looking at the full basket, Bo Xinghang’s voice trembled. “Are you sure this is just a few?!”
Brutal, too brutal.
Not only did he want to murder him, but he also added slow suicide to the mix.
After a moment of silence, he suddenly said, “Doctor Ji, your technique is too advanced.”
Ji Wenzhen: “?”
In the end, Doctor Ji, who had come to look at “medical books,” walked out with two bags full of essential mock exams for the college entrance exam. He left the bookstore fully satisfied.
Meanwhile, Bo Xinghang, trailing behind, felt disoriented and lost all interest in their next stop.
After his buzz cut, Bo Xinghang looked like a fierce and wild hunting dog. But now he hung his head low, his long, thick eyelashes drooping like a little puppy caught stealing food.
The little puppy felt dejected, and even if his owner offered the food again, he didn’t want to eat.
Seeing how pitiful Bo Xinghang looked, as if he had suffered a massive blow, Ji Wenzhen couldn’t bear it. He tapped the dining table with his fingers. “…I didn’t ask you to finish them all at once. Eat your meal first.”
Bo Xinghang didn’t believe him and looked at Doctor Ji with a feeling of injustice. “I’ve lost my appetite.”
Doctor Ji was amused by his expression and spoke with a hint of indulgence in his voice. “Then what do you want to do?”
A few books had put the boy off his food. If Ji Wenzhen had known it would lead to this, he wouldn’t have bought so many practice exams.
Maybe he would have bought fewer.
Bo Xinghang stared at Doctor Ji’s face, as if something suddenly came to mind, then averted his gaze with a guilty conscience. “…I haven’t decided yet. You owe me one.”
He said it with righteous confidence.
But Doctor Ji had no temper with him. He just raised an eyebrow and nodded, “Alright, then eat your food like a good boy.”
“…Oh, okay.”
Bo Xinghang, like a domesticated canine, let his ears droop and obediently pressed against his head, looking unbelievably docile.
Seeing this made Ji Wenzhen’s heart itch. Even though Bo Xinghang looked handsome and cool with his new buzz cut, to him, he was still a slightly rebellious and willful kid.
Ji Wenzhen sighed and gently explained, “I talked to your homeroom teacher during the last parent-teacher meeting.”
“…Oh.” Bo Xinghang paused mid-bite but resumed eating in just a second. He responded nonchalantly, yet his heart raced.
“I also saw your test papers.” Doctor Ji added, “I reviewed them carefully.”
“…So?”
Bo Xinghang stopped eating, setting his chopsticks aside. His throat tightened with nerves.
He was well aware of his abysmal scores.
Zeros, zeros—every score was a damn zero.
To other low-performing students, his record might seem impressive, but to Doctor Ji, it was embarrassing.
He wasn’t sure if Doctor Ji would see it that way.
He swore he had never cared so much about his grades since starting high school, nor had he ever desired good results this much.
He even regretted his rebellious decisions from back then.
Bo Xinghang asked, “…Are you disappointed?”
“Why would I be disappointed?” Ji Wenzhen shook his head, his long lashes lowered. His voice was as calm as a clear mountain spring. “I was just surprised because I know you can do better.”
Do better.
He used the word “better.”
Bo Xinghang lifted his eyes in surprise, trying to ensure he hadn’t misheard.
He asked, “…What do you mean?”
“Do you remember when I first told you that the character ‘Hang’ in your name means ‘a reed can sail’?” Doctor Ji continued, his voice soft. “Your small strength is enough to navigate through challenges. To you, everything is just a ripple on the sea.”
Everything is just a ripple on the sea.
Young man, you can ride the wind and waves.
This was what Doctor Ji wanted to convey.
The words that Doctor Ji had said so casually before felt completely different this time. Bo Xinghang’s heart churned with countless waves, unable to calm, like a fire burning in his chest.
Suddenly, Bo Xinghang felt ashamed. He hadn’t said anything to Doctor Ji, yet Doctor Ji was so gentle and thoughtful toward him.
His nose tingled with emotion, and he blinked to clear his dry eyes, turning his head away. Doctor Ji treated him so well that he started to wonder who wouldn’t like such a person.
Doctor Ji was still gently coaxing, “So, don’t be angry, okay?”
“…”
He really couldn’t resist anything Doctor Ji did.
Feeling awkward, Bo Xinghang couldn’t bring himself to look at him. “I’m not angry.”
“I know.” Doctor Ji rested his knuckles on his chin and looked at him with his black eyes. “But I wanted to say it anyway.”
Bo Xinghang: “…”
Doctor Ji’s gaze flickered slightly from the corners of his eyes as he calmly looked at him, making Bo Xinghang suspect that Doctor Ji was deliberately teasing him.
Bo Xinghang lowered his head to hide his feelings, quickly shoveling food into his mouth. He coughed twice and mumbled, “Okay, I get it. Let’s just eat.”
“Alright.”
After finishing the meal, Bo Xinghang felt much better. He pulled Doctor Ji by the arm and went outside, looking around. He noticed that most shops had signs reading “Closed until April 6th.” He fell silent.
…Right.
Who would be crazy enough to go out during the Qingming Festival?
Bo Xinghang passed the decision to Doctor Ji, turning to ask, “Doctor Ji, where should we go next? You decide.”
“Sure.” Doctor Ji lifted his wrist slightly and narrowed his eyes, as if offering a perfectly ordinary suggestion. “How about we go back and study?”
Bo Xinghang: “…”
He shouldn’t have asked Doctor Ji.
The worst part was he seriously considered the possibility.
He hesitantly asked, “…Can I even do it?”
A barely perceptible smile flashed across Ji Wenzhen’s face as his slender fingers slid across the test paper. One sentence gave Bo Xinghang all the confidence he needed.
“I’ll teach you.”
Since starting high school, Bo Xinghang hadn’t looked directly at an exam paper. He didn’t bother listening in class and spent his breaks napping at his desk, showing none of the typical vitality of a high school student.
In the beginning, Xu Yi had asked him, “Hang-ge, your grades weren’t bad before, unlike mine. Why are you slacking off and becoming a bottom student?”
How had he answered back then?
He raised an eyebrow, looking both handsome and cool, with a nonchalant expression on his face. “Screw being a bottom student. Can you say something nicer? Grandpa calls this doing whatever I want.”
“Yes, yes, doing whatever you want.”
The more rebellious he was back then, the harder it hit him in the face now.
After picking the wrong answer for the third time, Bo Xinghang began questioning his life choices. “Doctor Ji… I have a feeling I’ll get it right next time.”
Ji Wenzhen lowered his eyes, staring at the A, B, C, and D options on the paper, and said calmly, “Yeah, I have that feeling too.”
The atmosphere was subtle.
With a serious look on his face, Bo Xinghang asked, “…Doctor Ji, is there any hope for me?”
He had spent a good part of the day thinking through an ordinary English multiple-choice question. In the end, after three attempts, he had successfully avoided the correct answer.
He was doomed.
Bo Xinghang stared blankly, feeling like the world was against him.
“Don’t worry.” Doctor Ji pointed at the question with his pen and said patiently, “Let’s start with this one.”
Bo Xinghang naturally had no objections.
So, when the two of them sat cross-legged at the desk and Doctor Ji leaned toward him, Bo Xinghang lowered his head. Although he appeared to be listening attentively, his mind had already started wandering.
Doctor Ji tapped the desk with his long fingers and asked, “Did you understand?”
Bo Xinghang was stunned.
The kid’s thoughts were written all over his face, making it easy to understand. Ji Wenzhen pinched the bridge of his nose helplessly.
“Kid, can you try to focus?”
“Okay.” For some reason, Bo Xinghang felt a hint of restlessness in the air and nodded. “I’m listening carefully.”
The English test wasn’t particularly difficult. It didn’t have many vocabulary words, and most were very basic grammar questions. It was just that Bo Xinghang hadn’t listened in class for so long that he had forgotten the little vocabulary he had learned in middle school, which made it difficult for him now.
—It’s actually really simple.
This was what Doctor Ji had said most often that day.
Doctor Ji’s voice was pleasant to listen to. Because of his profession, he spoke calmly and steadily, as if it were second nature.
Initially, Bo Xinghang only listened for the sake of Doctor Ji, but as Doctor Ji continued speaking in his unhurried tone, Bo Xinghang ended up actually absorbing quite a lot.
After finishing the English test, Doctor Ji checked the time and realized it was still early. “Shall we look at some math?”
“Doctor Ji.”
Bo Xinghang suddenly called out.
Ji Wenzhen lifted his eyes slightly, waiting for him to continue.
“I…”
Bo Xinghang set his pen down and took a deep breath, sitting up straight out of tension. “Today is the Qingming Festival, which is supposed to be a day to remember my dad.” When he mentioned the word “dad,” he had to suppress his nausea, as he didn’t want to acknowledge… that kind of person.
As the young man began to speak, Doctor Ji’s breathing also eased. His expression remained unchanged, but his eyes stayed focused.
Bo Xinghang had always had too much family drama and never discussed it with anyone else, nor did he see the point in doing so. When Xu Yi asked him back then, he had merely laughed it off with a few jokes.
He thought he’d never bring it up until he met Doctor Ji.
He was willing to reveal his scars and present his true self to Doctor Ji.