Chapter 64 (Extra 4)
Lu Yao arrived at the hospital and found that Yu Le had finished half of the IV drip. The allergy on his neck and arms had improved somewhat due to the medication, but there was still noticeable redness and swelling extending beyond his clothing.
Fortunately, his body temperature had returned to normal, and his face looked pale and pitiful.
Lu Yao took the medication and said, “I’m taking him home.”
“Take him home?” The dormitory supervisor frowned in disagreement, “That’s not appropriate. If I brought him out, I should be the one to take him back.”
“How is it not appropriate?” One of Yu Le’s roommates pointed at him and said, “Look at my classmate’s condition. What if he has another allergic reaction on the way back? It could end up being an ambulance that brings him to the hospital next time!”
The argument made sense, and the dormitory supervisor hesitated, “But this is against the rules. How can you take someone from the school in the middle of the night? According to the procedures, you should apply first and wait for the teacher’s approval.”
The roommates groaned and pleaded, “But the teacher has already left for the day and might be asleep by now.”
Lu Yao said, “I’m his relative. Isn’t it alright for me to take him home when he’s sick?”
The dormitory supervisor asked, “Aren’t you classmates?”
Lu Yao remained calm, “I’m his older brother.”
The dormitory supervisor was skeptical but turned to Yu Le, who nodded in agreement, “Yes, he’s my real brother.”
The roommates nodded vigorously, “Same mother, so it’s real! No, actually, it’s very real!”
The dormitory supervisor said, “Well, since you’ve put it that way…”
After a pause, he conceded, “Fine, leave a contact number for your guardian and you can take him. Remember to inform your class teacher tomorrow and complete the application.”
Lu Yao replied, “Thank you for your trouble.”
The supervisor waved his hand, “It’s nothing. As long as he’s alright.”
A driver was waiting outside the hospital, and Lu Yao took Yu Le to the car. Less than twenty minutes later, they arrived at a villa and stopped in front of the gate.
The villa’s living room lights were on, but once they entered, Yu Le realized it was just the two of them—no one else was around.
“Aren’t Uncle and Auntie home?” Yu Le asked as he changed his shoes in the foyer.
Lu Yao placed the keys on a nearby cabinet, “They have something to do and will be back later.”
Yu Le asked, “How did Auntie know about you going to the hospital?”
Lu Yao replied, “Just in case, I informed her beforehand.”
Yu Le felt even more admiration for him, “Lu Yao, you really are thoughtful, as expected of a top student.”
After the sudden allergic reaction and the IV drip, Yu Le’s already poor state was even worse now. Exhaustion was written all over his face, and he couldn’t help but yawn after a few words.
Lu Yao initially wanted to say something but, seeing his condition, decided against it. He led Yu Le to the bedroom and found a set of his own pajamas for him. “Go take a shower first, and then we’ll apply the medicine.”
This was Yu Le’s second shower of the night. It seemed that Lu Yao had just showered before going to pick him up. The bathroom tiles were still wet, and the water temperature was just right. The gentle flow of water felt so good that he almost fell asleep.
Fortunately, there was no bathtub, or he might have ended up falling asleep until the next morning.
Yu Le emerged from the bathroom to find Lu Yao in different pajamas of the same style but a different color. Yu Le laughed, shaking the hem of his pajamas, “Lu Yao, don’t we look like the Black and White Impermanence?”
Lu Yao ignored the remark and was unwrapping the medicine. He tilted his chin toward the bed. “Take off your shirt and lie down so we can finish applying the medicine quickly.”
Yu Le unbuttoned his shirt, “But I have it on my neck and also here on the collarbone.” He pointed to his shoulder, trying to recall the name of that area, then corrected himself, “I mean the collarbone area.”
Lu Yao sighed in exasperation, “The collarbone. Just sit down and we’ll apply it to the front first.”
Yu Le complied and sat down, tilting his neck.
This was the first time he had to undress in front of someone else, and it was a bit embarrassing. However, considering that the person was also a male, it felt less awkward.
He was quite thin, and although his height was not short, his smaller frame made him appear frail. His skin was pale and delicate, with pronounced shoulder blades and a slender waist.
The allergy’s red patches, blooming like flowers on his back, added a touch of tragic beauty.
Lu Yao’s gaze, hidden beneath his long lashes, wandered from Yu Le’s slender neck down to his waist. He gently applied the ointment, ensuring that he didn’t cause any pain.
Lu Yao asked casually, “Do you know what caused the allergy?”
Yu Le replied, “I don’t know. I was just lying on the bed playing games, and I didn’t do anything else.”
Lu Yao supported his chin with one hand to keep his head tilted back. He frowned slightly and asked, “Do you know if you’re allergic to anything?”
Yu Le said, “I do. I’m allergic to latex, gasoline, peach fuzz, lavender, and peanut butter… Is there a problem?”
He looked at Lu Yao’s puzzled expression and asked earnestly, “Is there an issue?”
Lu Yao didn’t answer and continued applying the ointment, “All done. Lie on your stomach so we can do your back.”
Yu Le climbed onto Lu Yao’s bed and lay on his stomach. Lu Yao, worried that Yu Le might rub the ointment off, brought over a pillow for him to rest his chest on.
Yu Le said, “Lu Yao, your bed is so comfortable.”
He closed his eyes and smelled the clean scent of laundry detergent. “I’m about to fall asleep.”
Lu Yao replied, “Go ahead and sleep.”
Yu Le looked back, “Am I sleeping here tonight?”
Lu Yao answered, “The guest room isn’t prepared.”
Yu Le lay back down, “Alright then.”
The bed sheets were black and gray, and the matching pillows and blankets made Yu Le’s pale skin stand out even more. His shoulders were narrow, and his waist was slim, with two dimples and a shallow groove along his spine.
He looked beautiful, with a youthful charm, and the red patches from the allergy only added to his tragic beauty.
Lu Yao’s eyes remained lowered, his long lashes casting shadows, as he scanned Yu Le’s slender form from his neck to his waist. He gently touched the sensitive areas, his fingers still feeling the cool, delicate touch of the skin.
Lu Yao asked casually, “If anyone had come to pick you up, would you have gone with them too?”
Yu Le denied, “Of course not. It depends on the person. I’m not a three-year-old who can be easily distracted with candy. Oh, wait, even kids these days are more alert. One piece of candy probably wouldn’t work.”
He continued, “Only for you. I’d definitely prefer to stay in the dormitory if it were someone else. It’s not that I don’t trust them, but it feels awkward to go home with someone I don’t know well.”
Lu Yao simply nodded, continuing to apply the ointment on Yu Le’s back.
While speaking, Yu Le remembered the conversation he had with his desk partner during the evening self-study session. He smiled, tilting his head and asked Lu Yao, “Lu Ge, are we considered close now?”
Lu Yao replied, “Haven’t you even called me ‘Mom’ before?”
Yu Le was taken aback, then reacted with a grin, “The way you say it, it sounds like I’m a newlywed bride in your family.”
Lu Yao glanced at him with half-lidded eyes. Yu Le, with his eyes closed, had a relaxed expression on his face. Even the shadows cast by his eyelashes were soft, looking like a pretty long-haired kitten. Despite doing nothing, he still seemed to exude a certain charm.
The kitten murmured, “Lu Ge, you’re really a nice person. I felt that way since we first met. You’ve even made me view school bullies through a filter. But then, when I saw those warm and fuzzy students at our school, I was disillusioned.”
“You’re better than anyone else. You’re unique, a model among bullies, deserving of being celebrated and remembered throughout the ages. Of course, aside from fighting, which disqualifies you from the top ten students in China, and no awards…”
Someone who was drowsy lost their logical thinking.
The slightly ajar door was pushed open, but no one was visible entering. The patter of footsteps circled around the foot of the bed, and a fluffy Samoyed came wagging its tail. It approached Lu Yao’s feet and, noticing a stranger on the bed, curiously tried to reach the edge of the bed to investigate.
Lu Yao gently pushed the dog back, and the Samoyed, understanding, obediently lay down in place.
The medicated areas felt pleasantly cool, and when the sensation faded, Yu Le’s heavy eyelids opened a slit, noticing Lu Yao putting away the medicine and preparing to leave.
“Lu Ge, aren’t you going to sleep?” Yu Le asked drowsily, his voice mumbled.
Lu Yao replied, “You sleep. I’ll sleep on the sofa.”
“Huh?” Yu Le tried hard to open his eyes, “Aren’t we sleeping together?”
Lu Yao asked, “Together?”
Yu Le, yawning and confused, said, “Yeah, I’m not a little girl. Why can’t two grown men sleep together?”
Lu Yao responded, “Yu Le, I don’t like little girls.”
“?” Yu Le didn’t immediately understand his meaning.
When his mind slowly processed it, he was bewildered and shocked. Unfortunately, his current drowsy state couldn’t support such a complex emotion. Supporting himself on the pillow, he thought, “It’s fine. I have self-awareness and won’t overthink things…”
Is that so? Lu Yao thought not.
“Alright then.”
He pulled up the blanket, carefully avoiding the medicated areas, and covered Yu Le, pressing his head back onto the pillow with his palm, and lightly rubbed it a couple of times, “Go to sleep quickly.”
Yu Le, already very tired, fell asleep immediately with the soothing motions and tone of voice.
As expected, his hair was incredibly soft, causing Lu Yao to pause for two seconds before withdrawing his hand.
He found the remote and turned the air conditioning up by two degrees, then, after ushering the Samoyed out of the room, he took a thin cool blanket from the wardrobe and went to the single sofa by the window.
—
When Yu Le woke up in the morning, he was a bit disoriented in the unfamiliar room.
He wondered if it was a dream. Throughout the night, he felt someone occasionally touch his forehead very lightly, not enough to wake him, and he slept soundly until dawn.
He had been wearing pajamas when he was taken to the hospital yesterday, so today, he had no choice but to wear Lu Yao’s clothes. Lu Yao had an extra school uniform jacket at home, which fit him just right.
Though it didn’t fit perfectly.
Lu Yao was taller and broader than him. The shoulder line of Lu Yao’s clothes slid down his arms, and the collar was loose, exposing faint red allergy marks on his collarbone.
The fabric was very comfortable against his skin, and loose clothing in summer was really comfortable. The sleeves, hem, and pants all allowed for ventilation, making walking feel cool.
He decided that from now on, he would buy clothes a size bigger.
When he went downstairs, his lower leg was suddenly bumped by a white, fluffy mass. Yu Le looked down in surprise and exclaimed, “So big, so white, so cute!”
Lu Yao: “…”
Lu Yao moved the dog away from his feet, commanding it to sit a meter away from Yu Le, the little dog still wagging its tail happily, not understanding the rejection.
Yu Le’s hand, which had been reaching out to pet the dog, hovered in the air. He looked blankly, as if struck: “Is it that I’m not worthy? But I just washed my hands, I won’t get him dirty.”
Lu Yao asked, “Aren’t you allergic to dog hair?”
Yu Le replied, “No.”
Lu Yao said, “Not easy.” He gently kicked the dog’s rear with his toes, “Go on.”
The Samoyed immediately stood up and trotted over to Yu Le, rubbing against his leg and circling around him. Yu Le felt something was off with Lu Yao’s words, but once he squatted down to pet the dog, he forgot everything.
So soft, so nice to pet!
When they finished breakfast and were about to go to school, a woman in a qipao, with a young girl with pigtails, came downstairs from the second-floor room.
“My mom.” Lu Yao glanced at them, then looked down to change his shoes, “The little one is my sister, Lu Xingxing.”
Yu Le immediately said, “Hello, Auntie.”
“Oh, Yu Le, right? Hello, hello.” Mrs. Lu smiled at him, “How did you sleep last night? Is your allergy better?”
Yu Le answered obediently, “Much better. I slept well. Thank you for everything last night, Auntie.”
Mrs. Lu said, “That’s good. Don’t be polite. You’re welcome to come over often… Lu Xingxing! Come down the stairs slowly, don’t fall again!”
Lu Xingxing ran up to Yu Le, looking up at him with intense curiosity.
Yu Le, puzzled, asked, “What’s up?”
Lu Xingxing, with a serious face, said, “Hmm, you look good enough to be my brother.”
It was amusing to hear a child under ten say such “bossy” lines.
Yu Le laughed, but before he could say anything, the little girl spoke again, “But why did you call Mom yesterday and Auntie today? It doesn’t matter, though, I don’t mind such small details. When are you planning to move in with us?”
—
Yu Le had stayed up until midnight and woke up early, so during morning self-study, his brain was overtaken by sleepiness within five minutes. The English book was filled with squirming earthworms, and he couldn’t spell out a single word from start to finish.
“Lu Ge, aren’t you sleepy?” He rubbed his face vigorously, trying to wake up his brain.
Lu Yao glanced at the faint redness at the corners of his eyes and casually said, “Not sleepy.”
“But we slept together, didn’t we? I’m so sleepy…” Yu Le started rubbing his eyes, but these physical methods had no effect on his sleepiness.
Seeing Yu Le’s eyelids growing heavier and his head drooping lower, Lu Yao reached out to support him.
Yu Le not only didn’t wake up but also tilted his head and rested it on Lu Yao’s palm, falling asleep.
Lu Yao raised an eyebrow.
The English after-class exercises were being handed out.
Yu Le’s desk partner turned around and saw Yu Le sleeping with his head tilted on the desk, while their capable Lu Ge was rotating a pen in one hand and letting his desk partner rest his face on his other hand as a cushion?
!
What kind of magical scene is this?
When did the school bully become so patient with others?
Has their desk partnership progressed this rapidly?
During the big break, Yu Le was called to the office by Old Liu.
“I’ve understood what happened last night. Yu Le, do you want to change dormitories or something?”
Old Liu asked for his opinion, “It’s best if we can find out what’s causing the allergy, but if it’s not possible right now, my suggestion is to change dormitories first or contact your parents to see how they want to handle it. This matter needs to be resolved quickly. We can’t afford to delay classes in senior year.”
Yu Le felt changing dormitories might not be very useful and could trouble others, but there had to be a solution. He was uncertain: “Thank you, Teacher. I’ll think about it.”
When he returned to the classroom, he told Lu Yao what Old Liu said. Lu Yao asked, “What’s your preferred solution?”
Yu Le hesitated for a long time between the two options, “Tell my parents?”
Lu Yao asked, “And then? What will they do?”
Yu Le replied, “Maybe they’ll rent an apartment near the school?”
Lu Yao gently tapped the table, seeming to help him decide what to do.
Yu Le added, “Of course, they might directly move me back to Jiacheng, since it’s only the beginning of the school year…”
Lu Yao’s finger stopped tapping the table, and he said, “How about staying
at my place?”
Yu Le was surprised, “Huh?”
Lu Yao looked at him with a neutral tone, “My home is relatively close to the school, making commuting convenient. You’ve already slept in the bed there, and nothing went wrong. We have a dog and a primary school student. You can play with either. What do you think?”
What do you mean, “play with either”?!
…But the temptation of the dog is really strong.
Yu Le felt both anxious and tempted, “This… isn’t it inappropriate?”
Lu Yao replied, “It’s not inappropriate. Cotton and Lu Xingxing both like you, and it’s clear my mom does too. You won’t be mistreated at my place.”
“If you think it’s difficult to explain to your parents, call them. I’ll talk to them.”
—
