Chapter 67 (Extra 7)
Yu Le truly hated math to the core. Even with a different “teacher,” the only change was extending the hypnotic effect from three minutes to five minutes.
After five minutes, he couldn’t take it anymore.
Lu Yao propped up his chin with the tip of his pen. “Keep your eyes open.”
Yu Le tried hard: “They’re open. I’m not asleep.”
Lu Yao: “If you’re not asleep, finish this problem.”
Yu Le let his head flop onto the workbook.
He was then lifted by Lu Yao, who pinched the back of his neck: “Not asleep?”
Yu Le: “Help!”
Is anyone this exhausted?
He felt like he might set a new record for exhaustion.
A hint of a smile flickered in Lu Yao’s eyes as he let go, lazily saying, “Alright, go take a shower.”
Yu Le’s spirits lifted a little. “So I don’t have to do it?”
Lu Yao: “After you shower and feel more awake, come back and continue.”
Yu Le: “……”
As he rubbed his eyes and got up, he angrily complained, “Next time, don’t drag me along when you skip class. Let me fend for myself in the classroom; the sooner I die, the sooner I’ll be reborn…”
Lu Yao flipped through the remaining content and took the opportunity to take a shower as well.
After he finished, the person next door still hadn’t come back. Just then, someone posted a link in the group. Lu Yao clicked on it and found a freshly posted thread.
The good bro kept his word and, as expected, started a thread to complain.
He criticized Lu Yao for not following the rules of the gaming world, monopolizing the healer role, and even dragging the damage dealer along, never considering the teammates’ feelings, which led to a terrible gaming experience for the team.
1l: [I’ll go first! KDLKDL!]
2l: [Never leaving his side? Let’s take a closer look.]
3l: [Any screenshots? One would be nice, otherwise, it feels a bit bland.]
4l: [I sense a bit of possessiveness here. Family, tell me I’m not alone.]
5l: [You’re half a person.]
6l: [You’re a ghost.]
7l: [Is this going to turn into a bromance?]
8l: [No need for a bromance; just go straight to the wedding.]
9l: [Get some candy, so sweet~]
10l: [Ahhh, they’re so sweet!]
11l: [More of this, I love watching it!]
12l: [Is it possible that the original poster’s intention is to have us condemn the gaming bully’s behavior?]
13l: [Max-level boss and his silly little wife, oooohhh boop boop boop!]
14l: [A sweeping counterattack to protect the little healer is so awesome!]
15l: […Forget it, so handsome!]
…
Lu Yao liked each of these comments one by one.
Yu Le returned from the shower and didn’t seem any more awake. The thought of all the math homework still waiting made him feel less than cheerful.
“It’s now 9:30.” Lu Yao put down his phone and pointed to the workbook with his left hand, “Finish these two problems before 10, and tonight’s tutoring will be over.”
Yu Le: “Just these two?”
Lu Yao nodded.
Yu Le: “So I don’t have to do anything else?”
Lu Yao: “Correct.”
Feeling relieved, Yu Le wiped his face, rolled up his sleeves, and got to work.
The two problems Lu Yao picked were quite representative and mentally taxing. With Lu Yao’s help and hints, Yu Le managed to solve them. The time on the clock had surpassed eleven and was about to point to six.
He handed the workbook to Lu Yao, and in the two minutes Lu Yao took to check it, Yu Le had already yawned a hundred times.
“All done.” After confirming the work was correct, Lu Yao closed the workbook.
Yu Le felt like he’d received a de facto sleep command and immediately got up, unable to return to his own room, and collapsed onto Lu Yao’s bed.
“I’m done. I’m just going to sleep here tonight.”
He buried his head in the pillow, speaking muffled: “You can sleep in my room, or we can sleep together. I just can’t move anymore…”
His speech grew slower and more slurred until his voice completely faded away and he fell asleep.
Lu Yao tidied up the desk, then walked to the bed, pulled the blanket out from under Yu Le, and covered him properly. After a few seconds of watching his sleeping face, Lu Yao lifted the blanket and got into bed.
The autumn weather was cool and didn’t require air conditioning, making it very comfortable.
Lu Yao gently hooked his arm, and Yu Le, completely unguarded, rolled over to him, facing him with a long, trusting breath.
When Lu Yao felt the warmth from Yu Le’s body beside him and instinctively reached out to hold him, he gently smiled and silently allowed Yu Le’s actions. He closed his eyes and followed Yu Le’s rhythm into sleep.
—
In the morning, Yu Le woke up first and stared at the close-up sleeping face in front of him, still a bit dazed.
After half a minute, he gradually regained his senses, and, remembering what had happened, tried to retract his limbs, which had wrapped around Lu Yao like an octopus.
He not only occupied half of Lu Yao’s bed but also used him as a pillow all night.
He felt a bit embarrassed but not too much. He’d do it again tonight, hehe.
He didn’t know if he had been too restless last night, but as soon as his hand was halfway retracted, Lu Yao, still half-asleep, grasped his wrist.
Then he felt the weight on him increase.
Lu Yao turned his hand to hold Yu Le’s wrist on the pillow and pressed down on him, burying his head in Yu Le’s neck. The warm breath made Yu Le’s sensitive skin break out in goosebumps.
“What’s all this commotion so early?”
His voice was low and hoarse, tinged with the grogginess of just waking up and a hint of displeasure at being disturbed from a sweet dream. It felt like it could directly resonate with his brain.
Yu Le stared at the ceiling. After a brief moment of daze, his head felt like it exploded, and he felt like a shrimp just pulled out of boiling water, especially his ears, which were turning red.
“Brother, do you have a morning grump too…”
He stumbled over his words, almost biting his own tongue.
Lu Yao said nothing, and Yu Le genuinely worried that he might just lie on top of him and go back to sleep. He struggled to free himself, “Don’t go back to sleep. Get up, Brother Lu, or we’ll be late.”
Lu Yao’s free hand wrapped around Yu Le’s waist, “Don’t move.”
Yu Le stopped moving, but his heart was racing uncontrollably.
As if disturbed by his heartbeat, Lu Yao raised his head, looked at the boy beneath him for a while, and said in a calm, slightly teasing tone, “Why are you blushing?”
His question was lazy and casual, with a hint of teasing. The hand still holding Yu Le’s wrist didn’t loosen. The fingertip gently stroked, seemingly feeling the faint pulse beneath the skin.
His wrist was so slender; he could hold two of them with one hand.
“It might be because the room isn’t ventilated, so there’s a bit of oxygen shortage…”
Yu Le’s nonsense lasted less than ten seconds before he admitted honestly, “Alright, actually, I’m just a bit embarrassed. Can you get up first? It’s making me so shy…”
As soon as he finished speaking, the weight on him disappeared.
There seemed to be a brief, light laugh, but it was too fleeting to be sure.
Lu Yao got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, “Go back to your room to wash up. Wait for me downstairs later.”
Yu Le responded with a dry “okay,” maintaining his position lying on his back. As soon as he heard the bathroom door close, he turned over and buried his face in the pillow, slowly pinching his earlobe.
When Lu Yao spoke earlier, it felt like his lips touched…
—
As soon as they arrived at school, both were promptly dragged into the office.
Yesterday, someone from the Discipline Inspection Department recognized Yu Le but couldn’t catch him, so they reported to Old Liu.
One was skipping class before even getting used to the new environment, and the other knowingly breaking the rules by dragging a new student into it. Both had serious offenses and were each given a written self-criticism under the national flag.
But Old Liu also imposed an additional condition that Yu Le found hard to accept—if his midterm exam grades dropped, they wouldn’t be allowed to sit together anymore.
One would have to sit near the front door and the other at the back by the window, the farthest diagonal!
Yu Le felt it was unacceptable.
Embarrassment was one thing, but losing his desk partner was absolutely out of the question!
Without Lu Yao, where would he find such a considerate desk partner again?
“Brother Lu, let’s discuss something.” After leaving the office, Yu Le grabbed Lu Yao and said seriously: “How about we stop skipping classes from now on?”
Lu Yao: “You can choose not to skip classes.”
Yu Le emphasized: “I mean us.”
Lu Yao, relaxed and unperturbed: “Why?”
Yu Le: “When you skip classes, there’s no one to supervise me, and I end up sleeping through the whole class. If I can’t study properly, my grades will drop in no time!”
Lu Yao: “Oh.”
“Oh? If my grades drop, we’ll have to separate!” Yu Le widened his eyes: “Don’t you want to continue being desk partners, Brother Lu?”
Lu Yao: “Do you really want that?”
Yu Le firmly replied: “Of course. I only recognize you as my desk partner, no one else.”
Lu Yao smiled, his eyebrows relaxed and lazy, with a light smile at the corners of his mouth. He seemed in a very good mood.
“Alright.” He turned Yu Le’s head to face forward: “Let’s go back to the classroom.”
Yu Le, persistently glancing at him: “So are you agreeing or not?”
Lu Yao: “Hmm.”
Yu Le: “Hmm, what does that mean? Don’t be ambiguous, Brother Lu. Just a friendly reminder, only scumbags play this game.”
“Agreed.”
Lu Yao put his hands in his school uniform pockets: “Just a quick question, how does Yu Le plan to study hard?”
This was a thought-provoking question. Yu Le pondered seriously and, once back in the classroom, gave his careful answer: “First, I need to quit relying on you.”
Lu Yao: “?”
Yu Le rummaged through the drawer for some stationery, used for self-reflections: “You’re like a universal question bank search engine, and I’ve gotten so used to finding answers from you that I need to develop the habit of thinking independently.”
He concluded: “To study hard, it starts with thinking things through on my own.”
Lu Yao found this reasonable and expressed his support: “Good luck.”
“Good luck, good luck.” Yu Le was satisfied with his initial plan and picked out the pen that felt the best to start writing his reflection.
Half a minute later—
“Desk partner, how do I start the reflection essay?”
Yu Le had never written a self-reflection essay before, so this was both new and mentally taxing for him. After two class breaks, he hadn’t managed to write much.
So, after more thoughtful consideration, he decided to ask Lu Yao for advice that evening in his room.
Dinner was hotpot at home. After finishing, Lu Yao took on the responsibility of cleaning up, and without a second thought, Yu Le joined in to help.
And then there was Lu Xingxing.
However, the latter clearly wasn’t much help and was merely there to add to the commotion.
The dishwasher was broken and hadn’t been repaired yet. Lu Yao was washing the dishes, Yu Le was rinsing off the foam, and in between, Lu Xingxing was standing on a small stool, watching them work.
After supervising the dishwashing for a while, Lu Xingxing found no fault. She huffed and pouted, took a handful of foam from the sink, and carefully shaped it into a heart next to Yu Le, proudly declaring: “Look, brother. Even washing dishes is shaped with love for you.”
The next second, her smile froze on her face.
Her heart-shaped foam was washed away by a bowl of water!
“Brother Lu!” The little girl was furiously indignant.
Lu Yao wiped off the water, placed the washed dishes into the sink in front of Yu Le, and glanced at Lu Xingxing, “Keep it down. If you can’t help, get out of the way and don’t be a hindrance.”
The siblings seemed like they must have been enemies in a past life, causing chaos even while washing dishes. Yu Le found it awkward to help either side, so he simply dragged Lu Yao back to his room to work on the reflection essay.
“1500 words, just two essays.” Yu Le counted on his fingers: “With four days until next Monday, I need to write 400 words a day… seems like no big deal.”
Lu Yao pressed the power button on the computer. “You’re right.”
Yu Le: “But I have no inspiration right now. How should I write this reflection? Lu Yao, aren’t you experienced with this? Any tips?”
Lu Yao typed a keyword into the search box: “Typing speed.”
Yu Le: “Huh? But if my brain can’t keep up, what good is fast typing?”
Lu Yao hit enter: “No need for a brain, just need eyes.”
Yu Le: “?”
One second, he didn’t understand Lu Yao’s words; the next second, he was stunned by the scene in front of him.
“This can be copied directly???” He pointed at the computer screen, which displayed a meticulously selected high school student reflection essay, even thoughtfully labeled as “Truancy Edition.”
Lu Yao: “Remember to change the personal address.”
Yu Le: “……”
As his old desk partner was poking him, Yu Le’s hand grew sore from copying and was distracted while petting the dog.
Desk Partner: [Where’s the photo?]
Yu Le: [What photo?]
Desk Partner: [What else? It’s definitely the photo of your new desk partner! You said you weren’t familiar last time. You should be by now, right?]
Oh right, Yu Le remembered.
He had forgotten about it, but it seemed his old desk partner was still interested. What’s this, some strange competitive streak between men?
Yu Le: [Hold on.]
He opened his phone camera, adjusted the settings, aimed at Lu Yao’s profile, and took a picture. Lu Yao glanced lazily over.
Yu Le was caught in the act and boldly met his gaze.
Lu Yao clearly noticed he was taking a photo but, surprisingly, didn’t say anything. He simply turned his gaze back and continued copying the unfinished reflection essay, his attitude clearly permissive: take as many photos as you like.
Yu Le grinned and took photos openly.
Lu Yao’s face was truly a masterpiece, flawless from every angle, and even his profile was pleasing to the eye.
Yu Le snapped many pictures, then, on a whim, downloaded a photo editing app and added bunny ears to Lu Yao’s photo. Though the addition slightly clashed with his overall aura, it was irresistibly cute.
Oh, little bunny!
Yu Le admired the photo from every angle, becoming more enamored with it the more he looked.
It’s incredible, how can Brother Lu be so adorable!
Desk Partner: [Where are you???]
Desk Partner: [Where’s the photo?]
Desk Partner: [Hey, why hasn’t it come yet?]
Yu Le glanced at the pop-up messages and then at the photos, suddenly feeling reluctant to send them out.
Yu Le: [Not enough storage space to take more photos.]
Desk Partner: [???]
Yu Le saved the photos in his album.
He secretly kept the little bunny Lu Yao photo on his phone, only for himself to see.
