On the way over, Xu Yi couldn’t shake the unease from his recent phone call, though he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong.
When he knocked on the door and entered the house, the strange feeling intensified as he saw Doctor Ji sitting on the couch reading a book.
Xu Yi: “Doctor Ji?”
Doctor Ji responded with a small nod.
Xu Yi pondered the situation but eventually concluded that he was probably overthinking things.
Initially, he had assumed that the person Bo Xinghang mentioned was a male classmate he knew fairly well. However, seeing Doctor Ji there, Xu Yi realized that it all made sense. Doctor Ji had attended a parent-teacher meeting for Hang-ge before, and now, seeing them together, their relationship seemed even closer than Xu Yi had imagined.
Xu Yi sat down next to Doctor Ji and glanced up at Bo Xinghang, who had followed him in. “I thought it was someone I didn’t know. If it was Doctor Ji, you could have told me earlier.” He sighed lightly after speaking.
He had even entertained some unrealistic thoughts before, but thankfully, he hadn’t voiced them. Otherwise, not only would Hang-ge have been unable to tolerate such a joke, but Doctor Ji wouldn’t have found it funny either.
“I forgot,” Bo Xinghang replied casually as he walked over. He had no idea what Xu Yi was thinking and raised an eyebrow. “Sit somewhere else.”
He wanted to sit next to Doctor Ji.
Xu Yi was unaware of the situation and felt innocent. “Why? I came all the way here in the rain, and this is how you treat me!”
Bo Xinghang’s gaze flicked to the spot next to Doctor Ji, but he didn’t respond.
“…” Xu Yi took the hint, fell silent, and chose a smaller sofa on the side. As he stood up, he glanced at Hang-ge’s mouth and asked in confusion, “Huh? What’s wrong with your mouth?” It was unusually red, and his lower lip seemed slightly cut.
What Xu Yi didn’t say was that Hang-ge looked as if he had been… mistreated.
Doctor Ji, who had been silent, turned his head to look. Bo Xinghang, who was about to sit down, suddenly froze. The emotions he had just managed to suppress surged back, and the earlier scene flashed vividly in his mind.
Bo Xinghang coughed a few times and quickly came up with an excuse from the phone call. “I accidentally bit it while eating strawberries earlier.”
Of course, he thought, it was from “eating strawberries” and “biting.” Bo Xinghang’s cheeks flushed as he sensed Doctor Ji’s gaze and deliberately avoided looking at him.
“Hang-ge, you’re too careless.” Xu Yi noticed the large red strawberries on the table and muttered, “But do strawberries have a lip-staining effect?”
His voice was too low for Bo Xinghang to hear.
Xu Yi’s thoughts came and went quickly. Soon, he forgot about the previous topic and opened the backpack he had casually set aside, pulling out several books filled with practice questions for the college entrance exam.
Bo Xinghang raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You’re serious?”
Previously, Xu Yi had only contacted him when he wanted to hang out, so Bo Xinghang had assumed this visit was no different, with “homework” just an excuse. Who would have thought that Xu Yi would pull out several books with such a serious expression?
Looking at Xu Yi’s well-protected backpack, with not a single drop of rain on the books inside, and then at Xu Yi himself, with his sleeves and back soaked, Bo Xinghang suddenly realized that Xu Yi had carried his backpack in his arms when he entered the house.
Bo Xinghang’s gaze softened, and his tone grew more serious. “Have you reviewed the questions?”
“I looked at them last night,” Xu Yi replied, a bit embarrassed. “…I tried doing them myself, but I got a lot wrong.”
Bo Xinghang could relate and briefly glanced at Doctor Ji beside him. “That’s normal. I was the same way at first.”
He remembered a time when he’d gotten the same multiple-choice question wrong three times in a row.
“Really?” Xu Yi looked at Bo Xinghang skeptically. But when he noticed that Bo Xinghang wasn’t paying much attention to him, something suddenly clicked. “Oh~~ I see!”
“…What?”
Xu Yi, as if uncovering a secret, spoke quickly. “So, after Doctor Ji attended the parent-teacher meeting and saw your zero score, he decided to help you. After going through all sorts of difficulties together, you finally became a god!”
In an instant, everything made sense to Xu Yi—why Hang-ge and Doctor Ji’s relationship had suddenly become so close, and why they even met on a rainy day.
It was all for the sake of studying!
Xu Yi was amazed that, despite Hang-ge’s seemingly careless attitude at school, he had put so much effort into his studies. He choked up, “Hang-ge, you’re my role model! Don’t worry, I’ll study hard and become a pillar of the nation!”
Bo Xinghang: “…” ?
He had no idea why Xu Yi was suddenly saying such things.
Understanding that Xu Yi’s thought processes were a bit different from others, Bo Xinghang decided to ignore his odd reaction and asked quietly, “Doctor Ji, do you have work this afternoon?”
He remembered that yesterday was a morning shift, so today should be an afternoon one.
As expected, Doctor Ji nodded, his eyes briefly flicking to the injury on Bo Xinghang’s lower lip, and replied calmly, “Mm.”
“Oh.” Although Bo Xinghang already knew the answer, he still felt disappointed. He couldn’t resist asking, “What time will you be back? I’ll come pick you up.”
“No need,” Doctor Ji responded with a smile, leaning in closer. “You and your friend should focus on studying. I’ll make some fish for dinner to boost your brainpower.”
Bo Xinghang’s ears tingled as he whispered back, “Doctor Ji, don’t believe in those medical tips from public accounts.”
Doctor Ji’s smile remained as he gently countered, “I didn’t get it from a public account.”
“Oh? Then where?” Bo Xinghang’s ears burned, the heat spreading to one side of his face as he tried to act nonchalant.
“I just felt like making it for you.”
Bo Xinghang was stunned.
Doctor Ji had a way of saying the most straightforward things in the coldest tone. Even though it wasn’t a typical romantic line, it was enough to make anyone’s heart skip a beat.
Not only was half of Bo Xinghang’s face burning, but his entire face felt as if it were ablaze.
But there were still people around. He took a deep breath and subtly shifted his body away from the familiar scent. Finally, he said, “…I’ll wait for you at home then.”
Seeing his evasive gaze, Doctor Ji stood up and ruffled his hair. “Okay.”
It took a while for Bo Xinghang to feel the heat in his face subside.
He picked up an exercise book and flipped through a few pages before suddenly realizing that Big Mouth Xu had gone quiet. He looked up and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.” Xu Yi’s expression was a bit unnatural, as if he thought Hang-ge and Doctor Ji had been sitting too close just now…
He didn’t say anything and, noticing Doctor Ji putting on his coat, asked, “Is Doctor Ji heading out?”
“Yeah, he has work this afternoon.” Suddenly remembering something, Bo Xinghang glanced toward the entrance and called out, “Doctor Ji, I forgot to mention—I left the umbrella on the balcony!”
Doctor Ji raised his hand, buttoning his coat as he asked, “Are both umbrellas out there?”
They had left the umbrellas open on the balcony to dry after yesterday’s rain, but today’s downpour was even heavier. Feeling a bit guilty, Bo Xinghang replied, “Yeah, they might not be usable now.”
Xu Yi quickly offered, “You can use mine. I’ll take it back later tonight after you return.”
Doctor Ji noticed the crooked umbrella by the door, its edges dripping water while the inside was dry. He glanced at his watch, thought for a moment, and then nodded in thanks. “Sorry for the trouble.”
“It’s no trouble at all.” Xu Yi was so used to Hang-ge’s teasing that he wasn’t quite sure how to handle someone being polite to him. He waved his hand with a silly grin.
After Doctor Ji left, Xu Yi turned around, his playful smile gone, and spoke in a rare serious tone.
He nudged Hang-ge with his elbow. “I just want to ask something—don’t overthink it.”
Bo Xinghang looked up. “Hmm? Ask what?”
Xu Yi swallowed, leaning in close and lowering his voice. “Why do I feel like there’s something weird between you two? I felt it during the phone call too… I know you, and I can’t believe you’d willingly let Doctor Ji tutor you.”
The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.
Bo Xinghang’s eyelid twitched.
He felt a headache coming on and wasn’t sure how to respond.
He didn’t feel the need to hide his relationship with Doctor Ji. If Xu Yi had asked a few weeks ago, he would have answered without hesitation.
But now… with just over a month until the college entrance exam and Xu Yi finally motivated to study, it didn’t seem wise to shock him.
Bo Xinghang grabbed a practice book and tapped Xu Yi on the head with it. “Doctor Ji is taking time out of his busy schedule to tutor me without charging any fees. Isn’t it normal for me to be willing?”
Xu Yi rubbed his head in pain. “Stop hitting me, stop hitting me, or I’ll really turn stupid.”
Bo Xinghang sneered. “At least you’re aware of it. I suggest you focus more on your studies. Those exam papers are waiting for you.”
Mentioning the papers made Xu Yi scrunch up his face. “Ah! I don’t want to hear it, I don’t want to hear it.”
Despite his words, Xu Yi obediently pulled out the papers. Since there were so many, the class representatives had stapled them together by subject. Resigned, Xu Yi took them out, sorted them by subject, and then randomly picked one, frowning as he buried himself in the questions.
Bo Xinghang, having already completed his own papers, went to his room to get his notebook of his past mistakes. He sat beside Xu Yi, silently reviewing alongside him.
After spending so much time studying, Bo Xinghang had made significant progress. If he was lucky, he could score in the 60th percentile on a full set of practice exams.
Aside from mandatory homework, most of his time was now spent working through past exam papers and top-notch practice exams from various provinces. He compiled his biggest mistakes into the notebook for further review.
When you’re absorbed in studying, time seems to slip away unnoticed. By the time Bo Xinghang was explaining a problem to Xu Yi, the sound of keys turning in the lock came from the entrance.
Bo Xinghang looked up, spotting the figure at the door, and couldn’t help the joy that crept into his voice. “You’re back!”
Xu Yi, though interrupted, wasn’t annoyed. He cheerfully greeted, “Doctor Ji.”
Ji Wenzhen placed the groceries in the kitchen before walking over at a leisurely pace and sitting next to Bo Xinghang.
With one hand resting on the table, subtly hidden from view, he used his pinky finger to gently hook Bo Xinghang’s. He intended to stop there, but Bo Xinghang quickly grasped his entire hand.
Ji Wenzhen was slightly surprised and tightened his grip.
“Hmm?” he asked with his eyes.
Bo Xinghang observed Xu Yi concentrating on the questions, then slightly turned to explain, “He can’t see us.”
If Xu Yi couldn’t see, then they could hold hands.
Ji Wenzhen’s heart melted completely, and he felt the urge to kiss Bo Xinghang.
“So, if he can’t see…” Ji Wenzhen’s voice dropped to a husky whisper as his Adam’s apple bobbed, “Can I kiss you?”
Author’s note:
Can.
