Chapter 45
Back in the dorm, Yu Chen swiftly stripped off his clothes and climbed onto He Zhen’s bed to rest. It was lunchtime now, and there were still two hours before the afternoon training. He could squeeze in a nap.
After taking his temperature, He Zhen sat on the lower bunk with the thermometer in hand, lost in thought, still mulling over the conversation they had just had.
“Chubby Chenchen, how are you feeling now?”
After hearing from one of the students in the sick ward that Yu Chen had returned to the dorm, Xiao Yu hurried in. When he saw He Zhen, he rose on tiptoe and clung to the top bunk, lowering his voice. “He’s asleep?”
He Zhen handed the grilled sausages Yu Chen had bought to Xiao Yu. “He Zhi’an’s and Fang Jingrao’s are in there too. Split them up for them.”
For once, Xiao Yu actually felt a bit guilty, thinking maybe he had gone a little too far bossing around a sick person. Yu Chen was already like this, and he had still made him queue up to buy sausages.
“How did he get sick?” Xiao Yu muttered. “He was fine yesterday.”
He Zhen said, “He was splashing water over himself in the bathroom last night to wash up. He caught a chill.”
“Seriously impressive. If the showers were closed, he should’ve just skipped it. It’s not like he’s a clean freak like you.” Xiao Yu teased, “Don’t tell me he washed up just so he could sleep with you?”
Xiao Yu already knew that even now, Yu Chen still shared a bedroom with He Zhen. In his eyes, that sort of thing had long since become completely normal.
So with He Zhen being obsessed with cleanliness, and Yu Chen going out of his way to humor him by dousing himself with water, it sounded entirely possible.
A slight crease appeared between He Zhen’s brows. “I don’t know.”
Xiao Yu shrugged. Before leaving, he waved the sausages at him. “Help me thank Chubby Chenchen.”
He Zhen gave a quiet “mm,” then stood and gazed at Yu Chen’s aggrieved sleeping face.
The day after tomorrow there was a ten-kilometer weighted march. With Yu Chen’s condition, even if he recovered, he would probably collapse again from the strain.
By the morning of the day after next, He Zhen had gotten up early and gone downstairs to fetch hot water.
There was only one water heater in the entire building, and if you wanted warm water in the morning, you had to queue for it.
He Zhen woke early, so there was still no one by the heater. For some reason, the water at the military training grounds was especially cold. The first time Yu Chen washed his face in the morning, he had shivered from the freezing water. It was a little exaggerated, but since Yu Chen had a cold these past two days, He Zhen had tried his best to keep him from touching cold water.
As expected, Yu Chen was the last one in the dorm to get up.
By now, He Zhen and Yu Chen had developed a routine: Yu Chen handled washing up, while He Zhen folded his quilt and tidied up his bedding.
“Does your head still hurt?”
Ever since yesterday, Yu Chen had recovered his energy. Although his nose was still a little stuffed, he was lively and full of spirit again. That afternoon, he had already gone back to the training grounds and resumed military training as usual.
He Zhen had asked him why he did not rest for half a day longer, especially since the teacher had not urged him to come back and he could have taken more time to recover.
For once, Yu Chen had actually felt a little embarrassed. Being stuck in a room full of sick students made him feel particularly out of place.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore. I’ll be fine for the weighted march today.”
Looking at Yu Chen’s confident expression, He Zhen reminded him to eat more breakfast and tuck a piece of chocolate into his bag so he would not run out of energy midway.
Yu Chen was very obedient. He nodded and did exactly as told.
This time, the load for the march was not considered too heavy: eight kilograms for boys, five kilograms for girls. But before setting out, everyone checked each other’s backpacks and put in the necessary bottles of mineral water, making the packs noticeably heavier.
“Ten kilometers. I seriously think I’m going to end up crippled.” Xiao Yu grumbled softly to Fang Jingrao. “I heard there wasn’t supposed to be any field march in this training camp, but in the end we still couldn’t escape it.”
Fang Jingrao took the water bottles from Xiao Yu’s bag and put them into his own, trying to ease his mind. “Field marches are supposed to toughen your willpower. Let’s just grit our teeth and get through it.”
Pouting, Xiao Yu’s gaze drifted over to Yu Chen and He Zhen.
He Zhen was busy checking Yu Chen’s pockets, moving all of Yu Chen’s loose belongings into his own bag. At this point, the only thing left was probably to hoist Yu Chen onto his back too.
“Boss, split two bottles of water with me.”
Afraid Yu Chen would get thirsty on the road, He Zhen had stuffed a full six bottles of water into his bag. Combined with all the other odds and ends, the total weight had to be over twenty pounds.
“It’s too heavy if you carry it all yourself.”
“It’s not.” He Zhen refused Yu Chen and lowered his head to inspect his shoes. “Did you put in the insoles I bought you?”
After hearing there would be marching in military training, He Zhen had worried Yu Chen’s shoes would not fit well, so he had specifically bought a pile of soft cotton insoles. They were comfortable underfoot and prevented chafing.
“I did.”
Yu Chen tightened his belt and put on his camouflage cap. “Boss, if you get tired, tell me. I’ll carry your bag.”
Not wanting Yu Chen to keep nagging, He Zhen nodded.
The march began, and all the first-year students set off in grand formation by class.
The destination this time was the back mountain behind the training grounds. Part of the route involved climbing uphill. The air was very humid today, and when they moved through the mountain forest, the pressure felt low. Yu Chen’s chest felt stuffy and faintly uncomfortable.
The march was organized by class, with six school doctors accompanying them to provide emergency medical assistance if needed. If someone’s body really could not handle it, they could raise their hand and indicate they wanted to return by car. But if that happened, the class would have no hope of winning the award for the most united class group.
“Students, this march isn’t only about tempering your willpower and ability to endure hardship—it’s also a test of our class unity. I hope everyone can uphold the virtue of teamwork and mutual help, so that not a single one of us in Class One of Grade Ten gets left behind!”
The homeroom teacher kept cheering them on from the side.
Half an hour later, everyone reached the foot of the mountain and prepared to start climbing.
Because there were so many people, they had to queue up.
Taking advantage of this time, He Zhen moved to the front of Yu Chen’s line and asked, “Are you thirsty?”
Yu Chen nodded. “I am.”
He Zhen twisted open a bottle and handed it to him. “If you feel unwell, you absolutely have to say something. Don’t just endure it.”
Even though Yu Chen’s heart disease had already been cured for five or six years, He Zhen still could not quite relax. He always worried that Yu Chen’s body was still a bit weaker than most people’s.
“I’m fine. I definitely won’t drag everyone down.”
Yu Chen gulped down half the bottle and wiped his mouth. “Boss, why aren’t you drinking?”
He Zhen said, “If I finish your bottle, then we can throw the empty bottle away.”
Yu Chen felt a little awkward. “If you’d said so earlier, I would’ve let you drink first.”
He Zhen asked back, “Would that make any difference?”
Yu Chen smiled and shook his head, taking the chance to loosen up his waist and legs and prepare for the climb ahead.
Xiao Yu had been watching the whole thing and teased them, “Does this count as an indirect kiss?”
In a perfectly serious tone, Yu Chen answered, “It does.” Then he turned to He Zhen. “Boss, I specifically checked during our high school entrance physical—I don’t have H. pylori, so you can rest assured.”
Taking advantage of his height, He Zhen flicked him lightly on the forehead. “I’m going back to the end of the line.”
“Bye-bye, I’ll miss you.” Yu Chen deliberately put on a clingy, reluctant look, so mushy that Xiao Yu found him unbearable.
“Chubby Chenchen, why don’t you just get together with your Boss already?” Xiao Yu strolled along with his hands behind his back. “The two of you are pretty well matched, and anyway, boys can already marry boys now, you know that, right?”
“I know…” Yu Chen touched his nose awkwardly. “But we’re still students. Right now, the most important thing is studying.”
“You’re pretty positive-minded.” Xiao Yu raised a brow.
Yu Chen said, “My Boss studies so well. I can’t be too lousy compared to him. And he already said he wants us to go to the same university, so I still want to work hard and aim for Tsinghua or Peking University.”
That He Zhen was a top student was something everyone could see.
Xiao Yu asked, “Isn’t he supposed to study abroad?” His dad had said that families like He Zhen’s usually would not even bother with the college entrance exam and would just send their kid straight to a world-class university, where the future prospects would be much better.
“Grandpa He wants him to go, but he doesn’t want to study overseas.” Yu Chen thought it over. “Actually, if you really can get into the best universities, the kind of knowledge and perspective you gain would definitely be different.”
Xiao Yu analyzed objectively, “Then you two might end up separated.”
“If Boss studies abroad, then I’ll go abroad too. Even if I can’t get into a top-three university, I should at least be able to make it into one in the same country.” Yu Chen had thought very rationally about this. “That is, if Boss needs me.”
Xiao Yu asked again, “Do you want to work abroad in the future?”
“No.” Yu Chen answered with absolute certainty. “I plan to work in Hai City, so it’ll be easier to look after my dad.”
Knowing roughly what Yu Chen’s family situation was like, Xiao Yu gave him a friendly reminder. “Studying abroad—especially in the U.S.—is not cheap.”
“I’ve heard my dad mention that when he chats with people.”
Just then a whistle sounded, signaling that their class was about to start the climb.
Yu Chen told Xiao Yu, “I used to worry about money too, but my dad told me he has a lot of it, so I shouldn’t worry.”
Xiao Yu knew that even the butler at his house made an annual salary of 400,000, and he figured the staff in He Zhen’s household probably earned even more.
“Well then that’s fine. Of course you should try your best for the best university you can get.”
“But I want my dad to find a companion.” Yu Chen looked a bit guilty. “I’m worried that for the sake of my education, he’ll spend all his marriage savings. So if I really do go abroad, I’ll probably have to work part-time.”
“You think way too much.” Xiao Yu patted his shoulder. “Come on. We should get moving.”
“I don’t think it’s too much.”
Ever since starting high school, Yu Chen had seriously planned out his future life.
He Zhen’s two uncles no longer had any chance to stir up trouble, and his own heart condition had been cured. There was absolutely no need to worry about the tragic ending from the novel anymore.
His biggest task now was simply to study in peace, get into a good university in the future, make a lot of money, and be filial to both his dad and his big brother.
Of course, Grandpa He could not be forgotten either. If Grandpa He had not brought in top cardiac specialists from abroad for him, then his heart condition might have flared up at any moment, and he might have just died on the spot.
The road up the mountain was far from easy. Before long, Yu Chen’s whole back was soaked in sweat and his shirt was half damp.
Everyone was climbing in class formation, and as they went higher, Yu Chen noticed quite a few classmates lagging behind ahead of him, sitting on rocks and panting heavily.
Xiao Yu was already so tired he could hardly catch his breath, but his mouth still never stopped, continuing to gripe to Yu Chen about all the long and short troubles at home.
“Chubby Chenchen… I really can’t walk anymore…”
Yu Chen’s forehead was covered in sweat too, and he replied honestly, “If you… keep talking… you’ll have even less strength…”
“Give me your bag.” By now the class formation had completely broken apart, and He Zhen seized the chance to catch up and take Yu Chen’s backpack. “There are still three kilometers left. Do you need to sit down and rest?”
Yu Chen’s back instantly felt lighter. He glanced behind him. “If I sit down, won’t I fall behind?”
“No. There are still plenty of people behind us.” He Zhen found a clean, smooth rock and led him over to sit down, taking out a bottle of water from the bag. “What are you and Xiao Yu talking about so happily?”
Throwing his head back, Yu Chen gulped down water, smiling brightly. “Talking about life plans and ideals.”
He Zhen sat down beside him. “Why haven’t you ever shared your life plans with me?”
“Haven’t I?” Yu Chen handed the half-finished bottle to He Zhen. “Basically, studying hard and going to the same university as you.”
He Zhen smiled lightly and took the bottle, finishing the rest of the water.
“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely get into a good university. I won’t drag you down.”
Yu Chen gestured happily. “And then I’ll make lots of money.”
“Little money grubber.” He Zhen tidied up both of their backpacks, ready to set off again. “How much have you saved in your little treasury by now?”
Over the years, the amount in Yu Chen’s piggy bank had become quite impressive. Not only did Li Huan give him allowance and New Year’s money, Old Master He never once forgot his red envelopes each year either. Every now and then, when he ran into He Jinglin or other members of the He family, the red envelopes Yu Chen got were no less than He Zhen’s.
And of course, most importantly, there was the one-of-a-kind New Year’s money that came from He Zhen.
Every New Year’s Eve, He Zhen would secretly tuck a red envelope under Yu Chen’s pillow. The thing Yu Chen looked forward to most when he woke up the next morning was seeing how much money was inside.
“I’m not telling you.”
Yu Chen grinned as he tried to snatch back his backpack. “Boss, let me carry it. I’ve got my strength back now.”
He Zhen dodged slightly. “No need. I’ll carry it.”
These past few years, Yu Chen had had almost no opportunities to spend money. He Zhen had even taken him to get a bank card so he could keep all his money in there.
When they went to get the card, Yu Chen had guarded the balance secretly with both hands, terrified that if He Zhen saw it, he’d start controlling his allowance again like back in elementary school.
“I’ll just hold on to you.”
He Zhen clasped Yu Chen’s hand and teased him on purpose. “I bet you’ve definitely become a little rich man by now. Next New Year’s Eve, I won’t give you any lucky money anymore.”
Yu Chen didn’t get upset in the least. Sweetly, he said, “Fine, then I’ll be the one to give you some instead. I’ll keep giving it to you until you’re eighty.”
He Zhen lifted the corners of his lips. “Then my red envelopes better be thick.”
Yu Chen arched a brow generously. “No problem. If I’m not spending my money on you, who else would I spend it on?”
He Zhen had long since seen through Yu Chen’s sweet talk, yet he always fell for it anyway. He was willing to listen to Yu Chen say these things to him, willing to let Yu Chen put in the effort to coax him happy.
With He Zhen accompanying him, Yu Chen walked quickly. Without the burden of a backpack, he and He Zhen became the first pair in the class to reach the top.
When the homeroom teacher saw them, he smiled approvingly. “You two rest first. There are still a lot of students who haven’t made it up yet.”
Yu Chen was drenched in sweat, sitting on a rock and breathing heavily. “Boss, your stamina is way too good. How have you barely even broken a sweat?”
Pulling out a tissue, He Zhen gently wiped his face for him. “That’s because you never like exercising.”
Yu Chen narrowed his eyes and obediently let him. “Way to poke me exactly where it hurts.”
The corners of He Zhen’s lips curved very slightly. After wiping Yu Chen’s face and neck, he also dried the sweat from his hair.
The homeroom teacher had long since heard that the two “brothers” were close, but he had never expected they’d be this close.
“Class One, gather here!”
“Any student who still has energy can head back down and help the classmates who need it, so we can get the whole class up here as quickly as possible!”
“Got it, teacher!” Liu Chong had just arrived at the top. His face was shining from the sun, and when he saw Yu Chen there too, he flashed a brilliant grin. “Yu Chen, you’re amazing. I can’t believe you made it up here this fast.”
Yu Chen gave an awkward little laugh, somehow feeling like that compliment carried a faint trace of hidden meaning.
When he saw Liu Chong throw down his bag and immediately start heading back downhill to look for classmates, Yu Chen said, “Boss, let’s go too.”
He Zhen hesitated a little. “I’ll go. You wait here.”
Yu Chen started to get up. “I’ll go with you.”
“You stay here and sit properly. You still have to go back down later—you need to save your strength.”
This time Yu Chen obediently nodded. “Okay. Be careful.”
He Zhen rubbed at his soft earlobe, then quickly ran back downhill.
Half an hour later, Xiao Yu and Fang Jingrao, dragging each other by the arms, finally made it up to Yu Chen.
Yu Chen hurried to make room for them. “Quick, sit down.”
Xiao Yu was so tired his face had gone pale. “Chubby Chenchen, you’ve really got no sense of loyalty. The moment He Zhen showed up, you just went zooming straight uphill with him. I called your name forever.”
“Huh? I didn’t hear you.” Yu Chen pressed his lips together guiltily.
“Your voice was too soft. It’s not Chenchen’s fault.” Fang Jingrao took water out of his bag and deliberately unscrewed it for Xiao Yu. “Drink.”
Xiao Yu gulped down a huge mouthful and said, “He Zhen went down to help people again.”
Yu Chen handed him a tissue. “How long until he comes back up?”
Fang Jingrao answered, “Just now I saw him find the class beauty. The two of them were talking. Her foot seems to be bothering her.”
“Who’s the class beauty?” Yu Chen asked curiously.
“Do you seriously only have He Zhen in your eyes?” Xiao Yu complained. “The class beauty is the one who danced K-pop at the arts performance.”
“Oh, right, I remember now.” Yu Chen ran over to the mountain steps and looked around anxiously for a long time, but still couldn’t spot He Zhen.
“Xiao Yu, did my Boss go with her to see the doctor? Pretty much everyone’s already up here, and only the two of them still haven’t come up.” Feeling a little worried, Yu Chen happened to see Lin Jiashu and ran over to ask, “Jiashu, have you seen my Boss?”
Looking at Yu Chen’s anxious expression, Lin Jiashu held his water bottle and smiled gently. “Your Boss is with a girl from class. She twisted her ankle, so they’ll probably come up a bit later.”
Yu Chen gave an “oh.” “Then I’m relieved.”
Lin Jiashu asked, “Do you want some water? Your face is covered in sweat.”
“No thanks, I’ve got water.” Yu Chen returned to the side of the stairs again, staring at the scattered students still coming up. “Jiashu, if her foot’s injured, can she even make it up?”
Lin Jiashu said, “If He Zhen helps her along, she should be able to.”
“If he’s just helping her walk, that’s fine. But if he has to carry her, then my Boss will definitely be super tired.” Yu Chen sat on the steps, quiet as some stone statue waiting for his husband. After waiting for a long time, he finally caught sight of He Zhen.
“Teacher, He Zhen and Lin Yiyi are coming up.”
Seeing that the two of them had safely arrived, the homeroom teacher let out a sigh of relief.
Because Lin Yiyi’s leg was bothering her, she moved rather slowly. He Zhen walked in front, carrying her bag and pausing every now and then to wait for her.
By now, quite a few students in the class had already started making teasing noises.
“So many people needed help, but He Zhen only helped Lin Yiyi.”
“Do you think He Zhen likes her?”
“Honestly, the two of them look pretty well matched.”
“I’ve been classmates with He Zhen for three years. This is the first time I’ve ever seen him take such good care of a girl.”
Yu Chen hurried forward and took He Zhen’s backpack from him. “Are you two alright? You were taking so long to get up here that I was worried sick.”
This time, fine beads of sweat hung at both sides of He Zhen’s forehead, and his stamina was obviously much worse than the first time. He looked back to make sure Lin Yiyi was following, then took Yu Chen’s hand. “Has everyone else arrived?”
“Yeah, only you two were left.” Turning back, Yu Chen asked Lin Yiyi, “Is your leg any better?”
Lin Yiyi looked a little pained. “No. It hurts more and more.”
Yu Chen said, “I’ve got medicine in my kit for sprains. If you need it, you can come ask me.”
Lin Yiyi smiled gratefully at him. “Thank you.”
After carefully examining Lin Yiyi’s injury, the homeroom teacher assigned He Zhen to count the class and then led the main group back downhill.
Lin Yiyi was still considered to have successfully completed the challenge, and she only had to wait for the school doctor’s car to take her back down the mountain.
Back in the dorm, after hearing the whole story from He Zhen, Yu Chen felt terribly sorry for him. Lin Yiyi had already been unable to walk halfway up the mountain, and none of the other classmates had wanted to go back down to get her, so He Zhen had had no choice but to walk a very long distance to bring her up.
“How many kilometers did that make you walk?”
As he rambled on and kneaded He Zhen’s shoulders, Yu Chen said, “I think the teacher should give you a commendation banner. If they won’t give you one, then when I get home, I’ll make one for you myself.”
Chen Ru, having witnessed the whole process of He Zhen helping Lin Yiyi, couldn’t help complaining too. “Everyone told her to just go back down with the school doctor, but she refused. And whenever someone else wanted to help her, she kept dragging her feet and refusing to move. But the moment He Zhen came down, she immediately followed him.”
“Why?” Yu Chen guessed, “Maybe she really felt bad then, and only after resting a little was she able to walk?”
When Lin Jiashu heard Yu Chen say that, he couldn’t help smiling.
Yu Chen looked at him blankly and tilted his head.
“I don’t know the whole backstory. Someone just told me she was the only one left, so I went down to get her.” He Zhen caught Yu Chen’s hand. “Enough, let’s go shower and sleep.”
“Mm.” This time Yu Chen was especially enthusiastic. He pulled out the suitcase and prepared the towels and washbasins they’d need for bathing.
After the two left, Chen Ru quietly whispered to Lin Jiashu, “Did you see it? Lin Yiyi wanted He Zhen to hold her hand.”
Lin Jiashu nodded. “I did.”
Chen Ru snorted. “I think she was deliberately choosing the handsome one.”
Lin Jiashu smiled at him gently. “You’re handsome too.”
Chen Ru’s face instantly turned red. “I’m alright, I guess.”
Two more days passed after the field march, and then the entire group finally returned home.
The joy on Yu Chen’s face was impossible to hide. This meant he was about to be reunited with braised chicken wings and giant pork knuckles.
When Li Huan saw him, he studied him for quite a while. “Our Chenchen doesn’t seem to have gotten any darker.”
Yu Chen curled his lips proudly. “Boss made sure I put on sunscreen every day. Sometimes when he thought I was too slow, he even applied it for me himself.”
Li Huan gave a hum. “I’m telling you, someday when your brother’s not around, what are you going to do?”
“There won’t be such a day.” The silent He Zhen suddenly spoke up.
Li Huan smiled and didn’t take it seriously. “Xiao Zhen, I heard you got the award for outstanding individual in military training?”
“Of course! My Boss was amazing!” Yu Chen launched right into a long-winded account of He Zhen’s performance. “In the push-up competition, he did eighty in one go!”
Li Huan nodded approvingly. “That’s our Xiao Zhen for you.”
Yu Chen grinned and echoed, “That’s my Boss for you.”
He Zhen looked at Yu Chen, and a smile reached the depths of his eyes.
After two days’ rest once military training ended, classes officially began.
Hongwen High School’s academic model was half traditional domestic education and half PBL—project-based learning. Every week, the school arranged three project sessions, mixing up the classes and allowing students to freely join project groups they found interesting in order to do research.
Actually, this model had already been piloted back in Hongwen Middle School. But at the time, only the top students from each class participated. Someone like He Zhen, over the three years of middle school, had already completed four research projects and even won the individual gold prize in the Hai City Youth Science and Technology Innovation Competition.
“Boss, what project theme did you pick again?”
The topics for the project had already been finalized before military training. Yu Chen wasn’t interested in math, so his was on the sleep-aiding properties of saffron.
“I picked Mathematicians and Functions.”
Yu Chen gave an “mm” and sighed. “Then we’ll be split up next class.”
He Zhen said, “See you after school.”
As the class bell rang, Yu Chen went to Class Two’s classroom to meet the members of his project-based learning group. The moment he saw Xiao Yu, he excitedly waved and walked over to joke around. “Little Fishy, we really are fated.”
Xiao Yu raised a brow lightly. “If I were you, I wouldn’t be able to laugh.”
Yu Chen’s face immediately turned serious. “What’s wrong?”
With a meaningful look, Xiao Yu said, “You don’t know that Lin Yiyi’s in the same project group as He Zhen?”
“I didn’t know.” Yu Chen thought it over carefully. “What does that have to do with Lin Yiyi?”
Xiao Yu asked, “Then do you know that He Zhen and Lin Yiyi added each other on WeChat over the weekend?” Xiao Yu was a born information broker. No matter what was happening around them, he knew about it.
Yu Chen objected, “Why would I need to know that? Isn’t that just normal socializing?”
Wearing a look of disappointment, Xiao Yu said, “Lin Yiyi definitely likes He Zhen. That day during the field march, countless boys wanted to help her, and she turned them all down. She only said yes to He Zhen.”
Yu Chen muttered, “That… actually is possible. After all, my Boss is just that outstanding.”
Xiao Yu was about ready to die of frustration from Yu Chen’s blockhead brain. “Chubby Chenchen, if your Boss really gets into a relationship, where’s he going to find time to stay with you?”
“That’s true, but…” Yu Chen scratched at his ear, thinking back to his own heroic declaration from before.
He had said he wouldn’t interfere with He Zhen making friends.
If He Zhen really wanted to date, he couldn’t exactly stop him.
But he hadn’t expected that possibility to come so quickly.
“At that point, all of He Zhen’s time will be taken up by Lin Yiyi. He won’t play games with you, won’t go out to eat with you, won’t help tutor you, and no matter how bad your stomach feels, she’ll probably ignore you anyway.”
Xiao Yu’s tone was extremely leading, and in just a few short sentences, Yu Chen instantly put himself into the scenario.
Xiao Yu had his own selfish motive in saying this.
That day during the field march, Fang Jingrao had kindly wanted to help Lin Yiyi carry her bag, but she had refused him very rudely.
“No, Boss would never treat me like that.” Yu Chen tried hard to argue back. “We’ve been brothers for so many years. I know him very well.”
At that moment, Xiao Yu’s phone suddenly lit up.
He held out the WeChat chat record for Yu Chen to see. “Look, people in their project group are saying that He Zhen is helping Lin Yiyi with her project report right now.”
Yu Chen leaned in to look, then curiously asked, “Why are you in so many group chats?”
“You’re focusing on entirely the wrong thing here.” Xiao Yu shoved his phone back into his pocket. “That’s all I’m saying. Figure it out yourself.”
Yu Chen felt deeply conflicted now. He was still holding onto the promise he’d made before. If He Zhen and Lin Yiyi being together really made He Zhen happy, then he should be happy for him. But after hearing Xiao Yu’s little hypothetical scenarios just now, he realized he simply couldn’t accept it at all.
“I’ll go take a look during break.”
His mind was in complete chaos, and he barely absorbed half of what was said during the entire class period—even though he’d been forcing himself to focus.
At long last, the break came. He rushed to the little shop, bought a bottle of the coffee He Zhen always drank, and hurried back in a panic.
He only had five minutes to see He Zhen.
The moment he ran into Grade Ten, Class Six’s classroom, Yu Chen saw He Zhen sitting with Lin Yiyi at a glance.
What surprised him, though, was that the two of them weren’t talking at all. He Zhen was writing something with his head lowered, while Lin Yiyi sat quietly beside him. The atmosphere between them felt inexplicably harmonious.
Clutching the coffee tighter, Yu Chen slowly walked over toward He Zhen.
“Boss… I brought you coffee.” Because he had run too fast, his throat felt dry. “What are you doing?”
What shocked Yu Chen was that He Zhen didn’t even look up.
Lin Yiyi smiled and pointed to her ear, signaling that He Zhen was wearing earphones and couldn’t hear him.
Pressing his lips together, Yu Chen quietly placed the coffee by He Zhen’s hand.
He thought He Zhen would notice it, but He Zhen still didn’t look up at all, his fountain pen moving rapidly as he wrote down something in English.
The other members of the group were all focused on He Zhen too. From the looks of it, He Zhen was busy with the project. What he was listening to through the earphones was probably something like English source material, and he was extracting key information from it.
Yu Chen sat quietly to one side, staring at Lin Yiyi.
If they were just busy with project work, then why were they sitting so close?
Lowering his eyes, Yu Chen wrinkled his nose slightly.
He suddenly felt that he was terribly hypocritical.
He kept saying out loud that as long as He Zhen was happy, then that was enough.
But if He Zhen really did like Lin Yiyi, then in his heart, he wasn’t truly happy for him at all.
There was only one minute left before the second round of group work was about to begin.
Yu Chen tried calling again. “Boss.”
This time, He Zhen still didn’t respond.
Yu Chen didn’t know what was wrong with him, but all of a sudden, he felt especially miserable.
He knew He Zhen wasn’t deliberately ignoring him. But even something as small as this still made him feel so bad he could hardly bear it.
From childhood until now, it had always felt like He Zhen’s attention was entirely on him.
Yu Chen didn’t know how to describe the heaviness filling his chest. With his head lowered, he quietly got up and left.
As the final English word was written down, He Zhen set aside his pen and took off his earphones. “That should be about everything. Take it and go look through it.”
When Lin Yiyi smiled, she looked very pretty. Gratefully, she said, “Thank you, group leader.”
“No need. This was the task the teacher gave me. I’m obligated to finish it.” He Zhen’s tone was polite but distant as he looked around at everyone. “Next.”
Chen Ru came over carrying his own question and sat down in the seat Lin Yiyi had just vacated, handing the material to He Zhen. “This is the source material I collected, but I think it conflicts with what’s recorded in that book by Carl B.”
He Zhen said, “Let me take a look.”
Chen Ru nodded. He genuinely felt He Zhen had it pretty hard. Since He Zhen already had experience with project-based learning, the teacher had made him the leader of this group. Over the weekend, He Zhen had created the project group chat, assigned tasks in it, and then individually communicated the details with everyone.
“Oh, right—” Chen Ru suddenly added, “your little brother came just now to bring you coffee. You were too focused and didn’t notice. But I think he looked kind of upset.”
“Yu Chen came?” He Zhen’s fingers paused. He got up in a hurry and headed outside. “You guys discuss it first. I’m going out for a moment.”
