Gu Chen frowned and asked, "My deskmate was expelled?"
"No, Yu'er transferred schools voluntarily." Xu Lin said, annoyed, and stubbed out his cigarette. "The school said they would be lenient and allow Yu'er to transfer schools on his own, and they even said they wouldn't record it in his file for his future!"
Getting more and more agitated, he kicked the nearby trash can, yelling, "Go to hell with not keeping a record of this!"
The trash can tipped over and rolled around, but fortunately the garbage inside had already been removed by the cleaners before the two arrived, so only the can tipped over and the area wasn't left in a mess.
The loud noise startled everyone around them, and all was quiet except for them.
"What kind of manners is that?" someone muttered in dissatisfaction.
Xu Lin's fierce gaze swept over, and the man and his companion lowered their heads. The others around them continued doing what they were doing, afraid of provoking him.
Gu Chen took out a piece of paper from his pocket and used it to straighten the trash can. Xu Lin clicked his tongue in disdain when he saw this.
“That bespectacled guy was probably from Yu’er’s old class, or maybe from the class next door,” Xu Lin said. “Yu’er was in the top class because of her good grades. The teacher Zhao who got beaten up was the Chinese teacher of the top class. He was only promoted to a special-grade teacher in the first year of high school.”
"Only his classmates adore him." Xu Lin cursed, "I'm going to find that bastard when school starts."
"Violence cannot solve problems." Even though both involve violence, Gu Chen dislikes this kind of behavior of actively picking fights with others, unlike his deskmate.
Every time Xiang Yu hits someone, he gives off the feeling of "If I don't show my power, you think I'm some kind of Hello Kitty?"
"I'll go back and ask my deskmate; I believe him."
"Do you even need to tell me? Of course I believe Yu'er too!" Xu Lin said, "How many times have I asked him? Don't waste your energy. What's my relationship with him, and what's your relationship with him?"
Upon hearing the word 'relationship', Gu Chen's eyes flickered slightly. He and Xiang Yu were currently just deskmates, but after clearly understanding his feelings during the day, he wanted more than just to be deskmates with her.
I want to go one step further, to gain more.
Gu Chen was unwilling to be outdone by the other party in this regard, and smiled at Xu Lin: "Maybe he'll be willing to tell me."
The conversation ended there; Xu Lin was on the open-air terrace, letting out the smoke, while Gu Chen prepared to go back to his seat in the theater.
Just as he reached the theater entrance, someone pushed the door open and came out. Gu Chen smiled when he saw the person: "Classmate? The movie's over?"
Xiang Yu shook his head: "It's not interesting to watch."
"Sigh." Gu Chen said, "If it's not interesting, we won't watch it. Let's go home after my cousin finishes watching it." He then habitually reached out to put his arm around the other person's neck, but as soon as he reached out, he felt uncomfortable thinking about what happened during the day. He patted Xiang Yu's shoulder and put his hand back in his pocket.
Xiang Yu glanced at him, wondering when the other person had changed and learned to walk properly.
Li Yifan couldn't get into the movie. When he went to the restroom, he happened to see the two people sitting in the lobby. In the end, the four of them gathered before the movie ended and headed home. When they got back, it was past nine o'clock and Grandma Hou had already gone to bed. Xu Lin didn't go in with them, saying that he was going home first. Before leaving, he patted Xiang Yu on the shoulder and said, "Yu'er, don't worry, I'll find that guy with glasses at school and beat him up."
"Don't." Xiang Yu frowned at him. "I've already transferred, so none of this matters to me."
Xu Lin didn't believe it; how could he be indifferent?
Yes, how could I not care?
Before going to bed, Xiang Yu had no interest in doing his homework. After washing up, he lay in bed staring blankly at the ceiling.
He could even recall the details of what happened that day. He had burned the blood-stained clothes, but the memory still made him feel nauseous.
"Classmate? What's wrong?" Gu Chen came in after washing up and saw that his classmate hadn't done any homework and was already lying on the bed. He was about to turn off the light when he saw the other person's expression and paused. He walked over and asked without turning off the light.
"It's nothing." Xiang Yu glanced at him. "Turn off the lights and go to sleep."
With the lights off, the room went dark. Xiang Yu lay on the bed, unable to sleep, tossing and turning. He had thought this matter was a thing of the past, but being brought up again still made him feel bad.
Was he right to do that?
After the incident, he asked the system, and the system told him to follow his heart.
He chose to transfer schools to avoid further trouble.
Perhaps the initial choice was wrong?
"Hey deskmate, if you have something on your mind, you can talk to me about it."
Suddenly someone spoke in the quiet room. Xiang Yu froze halfway through turning over, assuming the other person was asleep since they were all quiet.
As if he could hear Gu Chen's thoughts, Gu Chen said, "I can't sleep either."
After saying that, he continued, "Classmate, if you have anything on your mind, you can tell me. If I can help you, I definitely will."
Gu Chen turned over, and in the darkness, Xiang Yu seemed to be able to see the other person facing him.
Xiang Yu hesitated. Apart from him, the parties involved, and the school, no one else knew the details of this matter. Even his aunt and grandmother only vaguely knew some rumors.
He could tell Xu Lin, but Xu Lin is the type who can't keep secrets. If the other party finds out the truth, he might just grab a chair and smash the school leaders' door.
Li Yifan couldn't say it; he didn't know the other person well enough. If he accidentally let slip and his aunt found out, it could easily get back to his parents and cause endless trouble.
As for the person in front of him, Xiang Yu didn't know why, but he felt that Gu Chen could give him a sense of security.
Can I trust you?
Xiang Yu asked in the darkness, "There is no moonlight tonight, and the darkness in front of me seems like nothingness."
"Absolutely."
Upon receiving the reply, Xiang Yu's lips curled into a smile.
The matter is actually not that complicated, and Xiang Yu does not regret making such a move at the time.
Just as decisively he answered the bespectacled man.
It should have been a quiet time for him, but as he returned to school to retrieve something, he overheard some noises while passing by the office.
In the end, the girl grabbed his arm and forced him to stop.
"Stop, stop hitting me."
He remembered the girl; she had taken the exam in the same room as him, and even given a speech as a student representative during the day, wearing the same black school uniform skirt. But now, her skirt was on that teacher's desk, and her shirt was half-unbuttoned up to her chest. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, her voice hoarse, and she clung to his arm, begging him to stop, "You'll beat him to death."
He called 120, and when the ambulance arrived at the gate, the security guard informed a school leader.
The teacher was taken to the hospital, while he and the girl were called to the office.
This teacher was poached by the school from elsewhere. They knew he had an improper private life, but he was a highly skilled teacher with excellent academic results, and he taught their top-performing class.
But he only just found out that the teacher, who was so gentle and kind in class, also had such a beastly side in private.
The school leaders glanced at him, then at the girl, poured them water, and invited them to sit on the leather sofa to talk to them.
He didn't agree to any of the conditions, but the girl was different. Her family was not well-off, and her parents were not going to support her studies at this age. However, the No. 2 Middle School offered good conditions for exemption from tuition and scholarships.
The matter of assault was not over, but the school gave them two options.
One option was that both of them were expelled. The truth didn't matter what they said; the result was obvious. He didn't choose one option. To be precise, the girl cried so miserably and tragically that he gave in.
This was the first time Xiang Yu had spoken so much; he was like a machine recounting everything without any emotion.
What is said without intention may be taken to heart by the listener.
“Classmate, you did the right thing!” Gu Chen suppressed his voice and hugged him tightly. “You’ve been wronged.”
Both of them were lying flat on the bed. Gu Chen moved and forced Xiang Yu to press his hand against the other's chest, his head being held in his arms. The smell of laundry detergent on his pajamas and a unique male hormone kept wafting into his nose.
"Phew—" Unexpectedly, the other person was so excited. Xiang Yu felt a little uncomfortable being hugged like this. She put her hand on the other person's back and patted him: "It's all in the past. I don't care anymore."
"How can I not care!"
The other person's voice was a little hoarse. Xiang Yu reached out and touched the other person's cheek, touching the corner of their eye.
“…You.” Xiang Yu rubbed his fingertips, which were damp, and coughed twice. “Don’t cry.”
"I didn't cry." Gu Chen wiped away the tears welling up in his eyes and said in a hoarse voice.
"..." Xiang Yu was telling the story, and no matter how calm his tone was, he still had feelings in his heart. But now the other party's reaction was even more excited than his, and he couldn't help but chuckle.
"I'm fine, really." Xiang Yu suddenly felt that her choice back then wasn't so bad after all; at least she met Gu Chen when she transferred schools.
Gu Chen calmed down by now. This was the first time he had listened to such a real-life incident. "What about that teacher? Did they let him go?"
"I don't know." Xiang Yu heard the man's eyes dim and his upturned lips fell back. "I heard that the boy was just discharged from the hospital tonight. He should have learned his lesson."
"But he's still a teacher." Gu Chen had never hit anyone before, but he couldn't help clenching his fist: "He doesn't deserve it, we can't let this go."
"Yes, I know." Xiang Yu saw his angry and aggrieved look and tried to soothe him: "Now is not the time."
"I should be able to try to help." Gu Chen's father's generation all worked in education. His father, Gu Wenshi, was a literature professor at a top-tier university in X City. His two aunts were a staff member of the X City Education Bureau and a senior high school English teacher at No. 1 Middle School, respectively. Education is a field, and he could help those he could.
Gu Chen wanted to back out but wouldn't allow it: "Now is not the time. You just said that I can trust you."
Gu Chen perked up immediately upon hearing this and said, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, deskmate. I'll definitely keep my promise. As Gorky once said, honesty is always the most important thing in life—"
"I'm going to sleep." Xiang Yu didn't intend to listen to his long-winded explanation at this point, so she yawned and said, "Let me go."
"Huh." Gu Chen had just been aroused and only now realized how close the two of them were. He suddenly pulled back and almost fell off the bed, but luckily Xiang Yu pulled him up.
"Go to sleep, goodnight." Xiang Yu felt relieved after confiding in him, let go of his hand, and turned her back.
Now it was Gu Chen's turn to toss and turn, unable to sleep, thinking about his deskmate and what his deskmate had told him.
This matter is very important. My deskmate said he is the only person besides those directly involved who knows the truth.
His deskmate really trusted him.
Gu Chen turned over to face the back of Xiang Yu's head and thought.
Not only does she pay attention to what she avoids in her daily diet, but she also has such faith in herself.
They pay attention to me and trust me.
Gu Chen suddenly sat up.
If you pay attention and believe, wouldn't rounding up equal liking?
My deskmate likes me too?
As Gu Chen watched the other person's retreating figure, recalling everything that had happened, he became increasingly convinced that this was indeed the case.
At that moment, Gu Chen was overjoyed.
Could this be what mutual affection feels like?
Gu Chen lay back on the bed, too excited to sleep. He reached for his phone on the bedside table and posted a picture of himself crying.jpg, followed by a post on his WeChat Moments.
Gu Chen: [Fireworks] .jpg
After posting on WeChat Moments, I calmed down and thought about what to do next.
And then what? What should we do next? Should we just get together? Should I confess? But my deskmate is quiet and shy, so would it be better for him to take the initiative? Even though they like each other, won't he think I'm being too hasty and casual if we move so quickly? Should I pursue him for a while first? But he has no experience, and we're both guys, how does a guy pursue someone? Should I ask my female friends for advice?
"Buzz—" The sudden vibration of his phone startled Gu Chen, who quickly switched the phone to silent mode and opened it to check.