“Oh, by the way.” Bai Muyang was unable to resist his professional curiosity when he saw Bo Xinghang grab a band-aid, and asked, “Why did you buy band-aids? Did you get injured? Let me take a look and see if it’s serious.”
Bo Xinghang immediately stepped back, covering the hickey on his neck and meeting Bai Muyang’s gaze.
I’d rather not.
His tone was cold and distant as he replied, “No, thank you.”
Though he wasn’t usually nervous around strangers, this was his first encounter with one of Doctor Ji’s friends. Despite his calm appearance, he was secretly quite anxious.
His nervousness manifested in extreme aloofness.
Bai Muyang observed him, noting how Bo Xinghang’s demeanor mirrored Doctor Ji’s. It made sense that they were brothers. Used to such behavior, Bai Muyang didn’t find it awkward at all. With a cheerful smile, he said, “If you have time, you can come hang out in the infirmary! I’m the only one here right now!”
…Who would hang out in an infirmary for fun?
Bo Xinghang gave a polite smile and declined. “Forget it.”
Bai Muyang, intrigued by Senior Ji’s brother, looked at him as if he were a treasure. Assuming Bo Xinghang was just shy, Bai Muyang patted him on the back. “Don’t worry, we’re all family here! No need to be polite!”
Who’s family with you?
Bo Xinghang found Bai Muyang’s way of speaking odd, so he lowered his gaze to check his phone. Noting that class was about to start, he said, “Class is starting soon. I’ll be punished if I’m late, so I need to go.”
In reality, he wasn’t too concerned about being late. With the college entrance exams approaching, teachers rarely used time-wasting methods to punish students. He just needed an excuse to leave.
Reluctantly, Bai Muyang let him go. Before Bo Xinghang left, he stubbornly added, “If you get tired of studying, you can always come by. I’ll be waiting for you!”
Bo Xinghang nodded but had no intention of returning.
He didn’t expect to eat his words so soon.
Enduring the pain in his arm, Bo Xinghang sat on a stool in the infirmary, watching as Bai Muyang rummaged through the medicine bottles in the cabinet.
Bai Muyang then sat down in front of him and carefully disinfected the wound with an iodine-soaked cotton swab.
Bo Xinghang’s skin was already pale, and the slightest pressure caused it to redden, let alone a cut. The wound on his arm wasn’t deep, but it was long, spanning a full ten centimeters.
The contrast between his fair skin and the dark red gash was striking to Bai Muyang when he looked down.
They had barely been apart before Bo Xinghang got injured. Bai Muyang considered Senior Ji’s brother as his own, and seeing “his own little brother” hurt made him frown deeply.
“How did this happen?”
Bo Xinghang didn’t want to explain. He watched Bai Muyang apply the iodine and replied casually, “I got it by accident.”
“…Accident?” Bai Muyang glanced at the group of anxious-looking classmates nearby, then leaned in close and whispered mischievously, “You’d better tell me the truth, or I’ll tell Senior Ji.”
That was clearly his weak spot.
“…”
“It’s up to you whether you want to talk. I can’t force you.”
“…”
Damn it.
And you say you’re not forcing me?
Bo Xinghang couldn’t tolerate being pressured with words. In any other situation, he would have coldly told the person to “get lost.” But with the mention of Doctor Ji, his patience was pushed to the limit.
He furrowed his elegant brows and reluctantly explained, “Tsk, it’s really nothing, just an accident…”
“No, no, it wasn’t an accident.”
The sports representative, fearing Bai Muyang might misunderstand, quickly stepped forward and said nervously, “Teacher, he didn’t start the fight on purpose. It was because of me… I mean… uh…”
The earlier incident was difficult to explain, and the sports representative stammered, making little sense. Nevertheless, Bai Muyang filled in the gaps with his imagination.
Bai Muyang looked back and forth between him and the sports representative with a knowing expression and said in a playful tone, “Oh~~ So it was a hero rescuing a damsel in distress~~”
Bo Xinghang’s eyebrows twitched, sensing trouble.
Sure enough, Bai Muyang couldn’t resist stirring the pot. “This isn’t a trivial matter. I’m going to tell Senior Ji about your—”
“…Don’t you dare start spreading nonsense!”
Bo Xinghang sprang to his feet without thinking. His arm was still being treated, and the sudden movement caused a sharp pain that made him grimace.
Bai Muyang was startled by the abrupt action. His mouth fell open in surprise, and before he could stop himself, he blurted out, “…puppy love.”
Xu Yi quickly supported Bo Xinghang and became anxious when he heard the words “puppy love.” “Hey, Teacher, don’t say things like that! This isn’t a joking matter!”
It might have been acceptable to joke about this kind of thing before, but it was different now!
Hang-ge had a little wife he was hiding! They were in the midst of a passionate romance, and he cherished it so much that he hadn’t even told his best friend. There was no way he’d take such a joke lightly!
Seeing Bo Xinghang’s displeased expression, Xu Yi hurried to explain the situation to the teacher.
The whole incident was indeed an accident. To put it bluntly, it was a classic case of… the hero saving the damsel.
–
Bo Xinghang walked from the North Campus to the South Campus. The bell hadn’t rung yet, so he stood calmly by the mirror in the hallway, trying to conceal the red mark on his neck.
Just as he finished, loud laughter erupted nearby. The voices were completely unrestrained, and every comment was met with mocking laughter that sounded particularly harsh.
Bo Xinghang turned his head in annoyance.
Several boys surrounded the sports representative, smirking as they spoke to her with their arms crossed.
Though the sports representative was an athlete and taller than most girls, she still appeared small among the boys. From a distance, she looked as though she were being bullied.
Bo Xinghang instinctively frowned and glanced at the boys surrounding her.
He recognized their faces; they were from the neighboring class. Their features were so distinctly ugly that a single glance left a lasting impression.
These boys had once jokingly cornered the sports representative in the hallway, confessing their feelings in front of everyone. The sports representative had been so angry she almost cried.
After being predictably rejected, they often showed up in groups to bother her.
They were petty as hell.
In the past, the boys would often run into the sports representative, make a few snide remarks, and then laugh as they walked away. But today was different. Bo Xinghang walked from the mirror to the back door, and their taunting hadn’t stopped.
The boys were so loud it was hard to ignore them. As he walked past, he could hear taunts like, “Don’t you like him?” and “Stop pretending.”
Their tone was vile.
Bo Xinghang’s eyes darkened. Unable to tolerate it any longer, he scowled, rolled up his sleeves, and charged over.
Though he had promised Doctor Ji he wouldn’t smoke, drink, or fight anymore, he felt if he didn’t fight at this time, he wouldn’t be a fucking man.
In a few swift strides, he reached the back door. He crossed his arms, glared at the boys, and said sharply, “With the college entrance exams coming up, can’t you focus on studying instead of harassing my classmate?”
“Harass? Did he just say we’re harassing?” One of the boys turned to the others, “Is that what we’re doing?”
“Of course not, haha. We’re just building friendly relations with a classmate from the next class. Isn’t that right? Hahaha…”
“Using the college entrance exam as an excuse, but we all know what you’re really thinking! What a load of crap.”
…His thoughts?
Bo Xinghang’s fingers cracked loudly as he clenched his fists. He glared at them, not quite understanding their implications.
Before he could think it through, one of the boys suddenly turned to the sports representative with a sneer and said, “You like him so much? Let’s help you get close~”
With that, they shoved her toward Bo Xinghang.
Crash—
It was the sound of glass shattering.
The boys had deliberately pushed the sports representative toward Bo Xinghang. Behind him was the back door, and between them was a pane of glass used by teachers to monitor students.
The force of the push made Bo Xinghang instinctively shield the sports representative. Though he managed to catch her, the momentum sent him toppling backward.
He fell against the shattered glass of the back door.
–
Bai Muyang frowned even more after hearing the story. He glanced at the cut on Bo Xinghang’s arm and then at his face. “It’s a good thing you only cut your arm. What if the glass had cut your face?”
Leaning closer, he examined Bo Xinghang’s handsome features and, the more he looked, the more relieved he felt. He clicked his tongue twice and said, “Luckily… your strikingly handsome face is intact.”
Bo Xinghang shot him a cold look. “I’d still be handsome even with a cut.”
“Yes, yes, that’s true…” Bai Muyang nodded, thoroughly agreeing with him. Then he laughed, “You’re quite the narcissist for a kid. Does Senior Ji know about this?”
Bai Muyang was particularly curious about Senior Ji and his younger brother’s daily lives. Despite knowing Senior Ji for so long, he had never known he had a brother!
Now that he had discovered this secret, his curiosity was overwhelming.
Unfortunately, Bo Xinghang didn’t want to entertain him. After Bai Muyang finished applying the medicine and wrapping the bandage, Bo Xinghang stood up to leave.
“Hey!” Bai Muyang called out from behind, “Come by whenever you have time!”
“…”
Bo Xinghang turned around, holding his bandaged arm, and asked coldly, “Oh, are you cursing me?”
This time, Bai Muyang was left speechless: “…”
Indeed, after inviting Bo Xinghang to come back “when he had time,” Bo Xinghang had ended up getting injured.
Though there was no malice in the comment, Bai Muyang gave a dry laugh and quickly amended, “Let’s go out for a meal together sometime! And bring Senior Ji along!”
Bring Doctor Ji along?
Bo Xinghang raised an eyebrow. Now that was more appealing.
The injury was on his left hand, so it didn’t affect his writing. During class, the homeroom teacher noticed it, offered a few words of caution, and continued with the lesson, not wanting to waste any more class time.
The day passed quickly, and by the time school ended in the afternoon, Bo Xinghang was the only one to leave the classroom.
Previously, some of his classmates had gone home after school, but following the last parent-teacher conference, all the parents had decided to keep their children for evening study to prepare for the upcoming college entrance exams.
Bo Xinghang used to work in the evenings and had no time for late study sessions. Now, he had to go home each evening to review key points with Doctor Ji whenever he was available.
Carrying his backpack, Bo Xinghang walked out of the school gates. Since Doctor Ji’s house was nearby, he usually walked home unless something urgent came up.
As Bo Xinghang lowered his eyes and pulled out his earphones, preparing to listen to music, a black car suddenly blocked his path.
Irritated, he looked up and saw the driver’s side window slowly lowering, revealing Doctor Ji’s handsome but unusually cold face.
As soon as the window was down, a wave of cold air seemed to emanate from the car, making Bo Xinghang shiver instinctively. Then he heard Doctor Ji ask, “How did you hurt your hand?”
With his earphones still in, Bo Xinghang hadn’t clearly heard Doctor Ji’s question. Following Doctor Ji’s gaze, he noticed that he was staring at the injury on his arm, his brow slightly furrowed.
Bo Xinghang took off his earphones, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “Doctor Ji… what did you say?”
“…” Doctor Ji’s black eyes swept over the earphone cord, as if finding Bo Xinghang’s appearance both amusing and irritating. His voice was deep as he replied, “Nothing. Let’s go home.”
Author’s note:
Thank you everyone for your support~ It really means a lot to me! Bow
