After finishing that meal, Cheng Yue found himself not seeing Ji Xu for an extended period.
That night, after returning home with Ji Xu, Cheng Yue was worried that Ji Xu would want to massage him again. To avoid that, he took an early shower and went to bed. However, Ji Xu simply said goodnight and went to sleep as well.
The next morning, Cheng Yue discovered a note left on the dining table:
[I’ve been very busy these days. Call me if you need anything.]
He woke up every day around six and went to bed at ten, but Ji Xu often came home in the middle of the night or didn’t come home at all. In these three days, Cheng Yue had seen Ji Xu fewer than five times.
“What are you thinking about?” Chen Zong asked, running up with his shuttlecock from the back seat. “Want to play a game of shuttlecock?”
“No, thanks.” Cheng Yue held his phone, contemplating whether he should message Ji Xu to ask if he would come to pick him up after school.
“You…” Chen Zong was about to say something when he was interrupted by Jiang Gezi, who was standing on the podium with a stack of documents.
“Everyone quiet down!” Jiang Gezi shouted with a commanding tone.
The whole class instantly fell silent.
Jiang Gezi then smiled shyly, holding up the documents and beginning to announce in a soft voice: “Our school’s annual fundraising event will be held as scheduled. Please use your creativity to help raise more funds for our donation target. The event will take place this Saturday, organized by each class. This year’s donation target is the disabled children at Nanshan Welfare Institute.”
“I… damn it…” Chen Zong cursed softly. “Here we go again.”
Cheng Yue glanced at his expression and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Last time they held this event, Gezi made our class perform martial arts and break bricks in Bruce Lee costumes on the street,” Chen Zong recalled with a shudder. “But our class did raise the most funds in the whole school.”
While Cheng Yue was listening, his phone suddenly vibrated. He quickly looked down.
It was a message from Ji Xu.
Ji Xu: [I’ll come pick you up after school.]
Cheng Yue’s eyes lit up, and he quickly replied.
Cheng Yue: [Want to have dinner together?]
The reply from Ji Xu came quickly.
Ji Xu: [Sure, what do you want to eat?]
The message was accompanied by a photo of a report card with failing grades in every subject.
Cheng Yue stared at the signature on the report card, puzzled. How did Ji Xu know about his grades?
“I discussed with the class committee members, and we decided that our class will perform gender-swapped acts and showcase talents to attract donations,” Jiang Gezi dropped a bombshell, specifically pointing at Chen Zong.
“We’ve already bought the dresses, and they should arrive tomorrow. Remember to have the boys try them on.”
Chen Zong: “!”
Cheng Yue didn’t hear the gasps of amazement around him; his whole attention was fixed on Ji Xu’s latest message, which left him frozen.
Ji Xu: [By the way, how are your injuries?]
When Cheng Yue saw Ji Xu’s inquiry about his injuries, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
Chen Zong, watching Jiang Gezi step down from the podium with a firm demeanor, sighed deeply and elbowed Cheng Yue beside him. “Jiang Gezi’s simply not normal.”
“Not normal?” Cheng Yue replied casually, then looked at his phone, thinking about how to respond.
“Isn’t what she said abnormal?” Chen Zong raged.
Cheng Yue looked up at Jiang Gezi, who was on the podium announcing the event details, and said with confusion, “It seems normal to me.”
“You…” Chen Zong seemed at a loss for words and then gave Cheng Yue a thumbs-up with a serious look. “The important task is now in your hands!”
Cheng Yue looked at him speechlessly, then slowly typed and deleted on his phone, finally sending a simple four-character message.
Cheng Yue: [It’s already healed.]
He anxiously waited for five minutes, but there was no reply from Ji Xu.
Feeling a bit of regret, Cheng Yue lifted his t-shirt and looked at his abdomen. The bruise was gone, leaving only a faint discoloration.
He gritted his teeth, poked his abdomen, and soon it turned red.
Seeing the small red mark, Cheng Yue smiled happily and sent another message to Ji Xu.
Cheng Yue: [It seems like it hasn’t healed yet.]
This time, Ji Xu’s response was quick.
Ji Xu: [I left the medicine I used to treat you at home. Didn’t I tell you to apply it yourself? How come it’s still not healed?]
Cheng Yue looked at the message, deep in thought. Was Ji Xu hoping for him to get better or not?
Seeing that there was no further reply from Cheng Yue, Ji Xu put his phone down on the desk and looked up at Tang Jing, who was standing at the front with his belly out, enthusiastically speaking to the class.
“Tomorrow is the court hearing! Everyone, make sure your documents are sorted and your information is organized!” Tang Jing rallied the morale, puffing out his belly more and more.
“This is a war without gunfire! The courtroom is our battlefield! Our words will be our sharpest weapon! Show your teeth!”
In the meeting room of five people, everyone except Ji Xu had their teeth bared.
“Meeting dismissed!” Tang Jing waved his arm, and everyone filed out of the room.
Only Ji Xu remained, reclining slightly in his chair, fingers lightly tapping on the desk. He lowered his eyes and said, “Someone passed a message down that Xingchen will be sending a lawyer for tomorrow.”
Tang Jing was initially stunned, then furrowed his brows in confusion. “Why would Xingchen take on this case?”
Xingchen Law Firm was as well-known as their Hengyi Law Firm, but Xingchen was an old-established firm while Hengyi was a rising star, having surpassed Xingchen several times to solidify its position.
Tang Jing hadn’t expected Xingchen to take on a case that seemed almost one-sided. In such a high-profile case with widespread media coverage and clear distinctions, having Xingchen as the defense lawyer seemed like self-sabotage.
“Not sure. Better be cautious.” Ji Xu glanced at the time, pushed his chair back, and stood up. “I’m going to pick Cheng Yue up from school.”
Tang Jing looked at him with concern. “You haven’t slept for a day and night. You should go get some rest.”
Ji Xu nodded, took the keys from the desk, and left the meeting room. While heading downstairs to his car, he texted Mu Jia with the specific court time before driving to Cheng Yue’s school.
When Ji Xu arrived at the school, it was just after class had ended. He sent Cheng Yue a message saying he had arrived and then looked out the window at the crowded school entrance.
Soon, Ji Xu’s wandering gaze locked onto Cheng Yue, who was squeezing through the crowd and running towards his car.
Seeing Ji Xu’s car parked on the side of the road, Cheng Yue immediately jumped up and waved with a smile.
Ji Xu’s mood, which had been heavy all day, noticeably lifted at the sight of Cheng Yue’s smile.
Cheng Yue quickly squeezed his way over, breathless, and smiled at the car window. He said loudly, “Why did you come so early?”
“Why are you all sweaty?” Ji Xu handed him a handkerchief from his pocket. “Get in the car first.”
“Tomorrow is Saturday. Our class has an event outside to raise funds for the welfare children. We’ll be doing things like breaking bricks and martial arts. I saw them practicing with nunchucks too, and they taught me how to use them.” Cheng Yue demonstrated a few moves and then asked, “Do you want to come?”
“When?” Ji Xu glanced at the traffic ahead.
“In the afternoon?” Cheng Yue wasn’t sure.
“Let’s see how it goes.” Ji Xu replied.
“Okay.” Cheng Yue nodded, then turned to look out the window. After a while, he quietly turned back to look at Ji Xu, who was focused on driving.
Even though he hadn’t seen Ji Xu for just over a day, it felt much longer.
Ji Xu’s face was expressionless, his smooth profile looking quite indifferent. Although Ji Xu usually didn’t show much emotion, Cheng Yue could sensitively tell if he was happy or not.
Right now, Ji Xu wasn’t happy.
Cheng Yue recalled when Ji Xu had been happy last time, and it seemed to be… that night when Ji Xu was pressing on his injury.
Cheng Yue swallowed, thought for a moment, and then pinched his arm.
Seeing the large red mark quickly appearing, Cheng Yue nervously extended his arm toward Ji Xu.
“Huh?” Ji Xu was surprised.
“Can you help me with this?”
Cheng Yue, lying, instinctively touched his nose and spoke hesitantly. “I got hit by nunchucks while playing, and the last time you pressed it was… quite comfortable.”
Ji Xu looked at the small white arm Cheng Yue had offered and suddenly raised an eyebrow. “Do you think I’m a pervert?”
Cheng Yue: “……”
