Chapter 46
Back in the classroom, Yu Chen sat down in his chair and lightly picked up the project proposal.
Li Ye was their group leader and was assigning everyone their tasks.
“Yu Chen, you’ll be in charge of researching saffron extract. You’ll need to borrow the science lab from the teacher.”
Yu Chen: “Mm, got it.”
After Yu Chen came back, Xiao Yu noticed he seemed down and curiously leaned over to ask, “You went to see He Zhen?”
The fingers holding Yu Chen’s pen trembled slightly. He answered vaguely, “They were busy.”
Xiao Yu pressed on. “What about Lin Yiyi?”
Yu Chen frowned a little and said quietly, “Xiao Yu, the group leader is assigning tasks. Listen carefully.”
Seeing how much Yu Chen was avoiding Lin Yiyi, Xiao Yu gradually began forming his own suspicions.
Just then, there was a knock at the classroom door.
Standing at the podium, Li Ye saw that it was He Zhen and asked, “Need something?”
He Zhen said, “I need to borrow Yu Chen for five minutes. I want to ask him something.”
Li Ye nodded at Yu Chen and went on discussing how to structure the project.
Seeing that He Zhen had suddenly come, Yu Chen grew nervous. After stepping out of the classroom, he lowered his eyes and did not dare look at He Zhen for quite a while.
“Chen Ru said you came by with coffee just now. I had my earphones in, so I didn’t hear.” He Zhen explained first. “Next time just poke me directly.”
Yu Chen let out a slow little sound of acknowledgment. In his clean eyes flickered traces of embarrassment and avoidance.
“I was afraid of disturbing you. I waited for a while, but you kept not finishing, so I left.”
Yu Chen kept his head half-lowered, his bangs partly covering his expression, and He Zhen could not see his face clearly.
He Zhen nodded. “The teacher made me group leader. Over the weekend we assigned tasks in advance, and everyone had a lot of questions. It was hard to explain over the phone, so just now we went through them one by one.”
“So that’s what happened.” Only then did Yu Chen finally raise his head, his eyes cautiously fixed on He Zhen. “Then you must be really tired.”
“I’m not tired. It’s just troublesome.” He Zhen raised a hand and gently pulled Yu Chen a little closer, helping him tidy the loose hair in front of his forehead. “You know I don’t like interacting with people I’m not familiar with, but the teacher gave me this responsibility, and I want to do it well.”
He Zhen’s fingertips were slightly cool as they brushed against Yu Chen’s skin.
The touch made Yu Chen feel strangely ticklish.
“I believe in you.”
The brightness returned to Yu Chen’s brows, along with his smile. “If I’d known, I would’ve joined your group too. There’s meat to eat when you hug the group leader’s thigh.”
Staring at the smile in Yu Chen’s eyes, He Zhen suddenly asked, “Yu Chencheng.”
“Mm?” Yu Chen looked at him curiously.
“Chen Ru said you were upset. I wanted to ask why.” He Zhen voiced his guess first. “Was it because I didn’t hear you talking to me?”
Yu Chen instinctively looked away, a little tense.
“I wasn’t upset. I was just a little disappointed that I didn’t get to talk to you.” Yu Chen rubbed his head awkwardly, the small tip of his nose wrinkling slightly. “I called you several times, but all you cared about was helping her.”
By the time he reached the end, Yu Chen’s voice had grown quieter and quieter.
He Zhen froze for a second, then suddenly bent down and tilted his head to study Yu Chen. Startled, Yu Chen immediately took a step back, his hands fumbling here and there, the rims of his ears burning red, his whole body visibly uncomfortable.
“So you are…”
“I’m not!”
Yu Chen denied it at once, his eyes darting everywhere like a startled little deer. “Boss, hurry up and go study.”
He Zhen looked at him deeply, his brows carrying both hesitation and speculation.
“I’m going to study too, so hurry up and leave.”
Yu Chen panicked and slipped back into the classroom in such a rush that he nearly ran into a desk before making it back to his seat.
He Zhen stood outside the classroom and watched Yu Chen for a moment longer. A faint smile lingered at the corner of his lips. Only when Yu Chen noticed him standing there and waved hard at him did He Zhen finally turn and leave.
Yu Chen’s face was burning hot.
Actually, what he had wanted to express was very simple, but saying it out loud somehow made it awkward, almost like he was acting spoiled and trying to fight for favor.
When he was little, he had also gotten upset with He Zhen over this sort of thing. The only difference was that back then the other person had been He Congxing, while now it was He Zhen’s rumored female lead.
Resting his chin in his hand, Yu Chen’s mind was in complete chaos.
Once the project session ended, He Zhen packed up his textbooks and deliberately thanked Chen Ru. “If you hadn’t told me Yu Chen came by, I never would’ve known.”
Lin Yiyi, who had been about to ask He Zhen to discuss things in more detail again that evening, suddenly felt awkward after hearing what He Zhen had said to Chen Ru.
She took the initiative to explain, “Because you were doing real-time translation at the time, your younger brother and I didn’t dare interrupt you.”
He Zhen nodded and slung on his backpack. “Everyone remember to finish your homework on time. The teacher’s coming next week to hear our report.”
Taking the chance, Lin Yiyi said, “He Zhen, can I borrow a few minutes of your time tonight? I want to go over my assignment with you again.”
“I don’t have time tonight.” He Zhen posted the WeChat ID of the teacher guiding their group into the group chat. “You can ask the teacher.”
Chen Ru asked, “He Zhen, I remember you have a lot of extracurricular classes. Do you end up sleeping really late?”
He Zhen replied, “Extracurricular classes are usually on weekends. After I finish my homework at night, I still have to spend time with Yu Chen and Grandpa.”
Chen Ru sighed, “That’s really tough.”
He Zhen nodded to him. “I’m heading out first.”
Chen Ru: “Bye.”
The moment He Zhen stepped out, he hurried toward Yu Chen’s classroom. When he reached the door and saw that Yu Chen had not left yet, he felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
The second Xiao Yu saw He Zhen, he could not help turning sarcastic. “Well, look who it is—Leader He. Don’t need to tutor Lin Yiyi anymore?”
Yu Chen, who had been packing up his bag, panicked immediately and tugged at Xiao Yu. “Hey, don’t say it like that.”
Xiao Yu paid no attention to Yu Chen trying to stop him and showed no fear whatsoever. “Everyone says you added Lin Yiyi on WeChat over the weekend and were chatting with her. Back in middle school, didn’t you refuse to add anybody?”
Walking over to Yu Chen’s side, He Zhen’s gaze landed on Yu Chen’s back.
Yu Chen kept his head lowered desperately, hiding the ears that had gone completely red, his brows filled with distress and conflict.
“I’m in the same project group as her. I’m the group leader, that’s why I added her on WeChat.”
Xiao Yu frowned. “What about that mountain trek? Everybody else left her behind, but you were the one who went down to help her. Those rumors about you aren’t unfair at all.”
At that moment Fang Jingrao came to drag Xiao Yu home. Seeing Xiao Yu question He Zhen like this, he was afraid He Zhen would hold it against him, so he quickly rushed over to smooth things over. “Brother Zhen, Xiao Yu didn’t mean it that way.”
He anxiously signaled Xiao Yu to stop talking, practically ready to clamp a hand over his mouth.
But to his surprise, He Zhen was not angry at all. Instead, he explained in an especially gentle tone, “When I went down, she was the only one who hadn’t come back up. I helped her, and that had nothing to do with who she was. I didn’t even know who Lin Yiyi was. It was a matter of responsibility. Since I promised the teacher I’d help classmates down the mountain, then I had to finish that responsibility.”
This time Xiao Yu was left speechless. He angrily slapped Yu Chen on the shoulder. “Chubby Chencheng, I already asked for you. Stop feeling miserable now.”
Yu Chen had been planning to fade into the background and, if possible, slip away entirely. Who knew Xiao Yu would suddenly dump the situation on him like that? He stiffened right there in his chair.
Fang Jingrao quickly dragged Xiao Yu away. “Then we’re leaving. You two be careful on the way home.”
He Zhen replied, “Mm, same to you.”
Once the two of them left, only Yu Chen and He Zhen remained in the classroom.
Holding his backpack against his chest, Yu Chen’s fingers tightened lightly around it. The flicker in his eyes betrayed how uneasy he was. He did not dare meet He Zhen’s gaze at all.
He knew Xiao Yu had meant well, but once it was spoken aloud like that, it really did sound like he had been secretly feeling jealous.
A flush slowly climbed up Yu Chen’s cheeks. His lips pressed together faintly. He was a little afraid He Zhen would get angry and think he was being petty.
Especially when He Zhen had already explained himself to him just before.
“Boss… I…” Yu Chen gripped the strap of his backpack, his eyes shifting restlessly.
“It’s my fault.” He Zhen raised a hand and rubbed Yu Chen’s hair. “I should’ve explained it to you first.”
“No, that’s not it, Boss. I didn’t mean to blame you.” Because he was so anxious to explain himself, Yu Chen started stumbling over his words. “Xiao Yu didn’t mean to blame you either. He’s just blunt and says whatever comes to mind. Don’t be mad at him.”
“I’m not mad at him.” He Zhen noticed that Yu Chen’s shoelace had come loose, so he crouched down to tie it again. “If not for him, I wouldn’t have known that you cared this much about this.”
Lifting his eyes, He Zhen looked directly into Yu Chen’s still-unsettled gaze. A slight smile rose on his lips, carrying a hint of deeper meaning.
At that moment, a trace of embarrassed urgency flickered in Yu Chen’s eyes, like he was desperate to explain himself. He lowered his head and watched the shoelace He Zhen had just fixed.
“Let’s go. They made your favorite plum-blossom ribs at home today. Don’t keep Grandpa and Uncle waiting too long.”
“Mm.”
Suddenly the backpack in Yu Chen’s arms disappeared.
He Zhen had taken it up naturally and slung it over his own shoulder. “Come on.”
Yu Chen followed beside He Zhen, feeling oddly awkward.
This was not even the first time He Zhen had carried his bag for him, yet this time it made him feel strangely uncomfortable.
His hands curled slightly as his gaze secretly drifted to He Zhen’s neck. His own neck felt burning hot.
He felt like he was the one in the wrong about this whole matter.
Only a few days ago, he had confidently declared that he would respect He Zhen’s preferences and be willing to let him go find his own happiness.
But after making a scene like this today, he had no idea what He Zhen must think of him.
Along the way, they ran into many familiar faces from middle school. He Zhen looked perfectly normal, greeting them politely as always. But Yu Chen was clearly tense, constantly feeling as though the way everyone looked at them was somehow off.
By the time they got home, dinner was already ready.
Old Master He was unusually dining with the two children tonight, so the kitchen had prepared an especially lavish meal. Ever since the two boys started school, they had evening self-study every day, and Old Master He went to bed early. Normally it was only Li Huan waiting to eat dinner with them.
“Li Huan, sit down and eat with us today too.”
Old Master He had just finished reviewing Hefeng Group’s newest quarterly report that afternoon and was fairly satisfied, so he was in especially good spirits.
Li Huan nodded. He first served food to Old Master He, and only then sat down himself.
“Xiao Zhen, Chencheng, aren’t your placement exams in a few days?” Old Master He had heard that the top scorer from the middle school entrance exam was also at Hongwen High, so he was paying rather close attention to the upcoming placement exam. After all, He Zhen had been burning with fever during those exam days and could be said to have underperformed.
“That’s right.” He Zhen did not rush to eat. Instead, he slowly peeled a botan shrimp, set it on a small plate, and passed it to Old Master He.
Old Master He smiled. “I wonder what rank Xiao Zhen will get this time.”
Lowering his eyes, He Zhen continued peeling shrimp. “I’ll do my best.”
“Grandpa, you really don’t need to worry about Brother’s grades at all.” The botan shrimp in Yu Chen’s bowl had all been peeled by He Zhen, more than he could even finish eating. “Brother is the project group leader. The teacher said he was outstanding, that’s why he was chosen.”
“Is that so?” Old Master He looked at He Zhen. “How come I haven’t heard you mention that?”
He Zhen replied in a low voice, “I wanted to produce results first before telling you.”
Old Master He smiled with satisfaction. “Participating more in these kinds of activities is useful. In the future, when you apply to Harvard, you won’t have to worry about recommendation letters, but they place a lot of importance on this sort of thinking and research-based activity.”
He Zhen hesitated a little. “Grandpa, it would be fine for me to study in China too. There’s no need to insist on me going abroad.”
Old Master He gave him a look that brooked no refusal. “That won’t do. If we’re going, we’re going to the best schools.”
He Zhen tightened his chopsticks slightly. “I’ll work hard.”
Old Master He then looked toward Yu Chen. “Chencheng, do you want to go study in America with your brother?”
Yu Chen set down his bowl and chopsticks and nodded seriously. “I do.”
Old Master He felt deeply gratified. “Then you have to work hard too, especially on your spoken English. And the GPA and ACT requirements are both very high.”
Yu Chen smiled at Old Master He. “I’ll work hard and try to get in together with Brother.”
Seeing Yu Chen nod, Li Huan quietly let out a breath of relief. He picked up a piece of plum-blossom ribs for Yu Chen and encouraged him. “Chencheng, if you can place in the top twenty of your grade on this placement exam, Dad will give you a reward.”
The moment Yu Chen heard the word reward, he perked right up. “Don’t worry. I’ll definitely do well.”
Old Master He had always admired Yu Chen. He felt that this child had spirit, and more importantly, good character. He was filial too. Old Master He would feel at ease if Yu Chen could go abroad with He Zhen.
Abroad, ideas were much more open, and the laws were different from those at home as well. A friend of his had a grandson who went abroad to study and ended up hanging around with all those rich second-generation students in the study-abroad circle, drinking and fooling around. Not only did he come back full of illnesses, he also became an addict, leaving the entire family in complete turmoil.
After dinner, Yu Chen helped Li Huan with various small chores while Old Master He sat in the living room chatting with He Zhen.
“Xiao Zhen, if you get first place, Grandpa has a reward for you too.”
He Zhen pressed his lips together. “Don’t worry, Grandpa, I’ll work hard to get first place. As for the reward, forget it.”
Old Master He found that strange. “Why?”
He Zhen looked at Old Master He. “Everything I want, I already have right now. I don’t need anything else.”
Old Master He laughed. “Not long ago, An’an did pretty well on his middle school entrance exams and asked me for a sports car. Even back then, you said you wanted nothing. You really don’t like those kinds of things?”
He Zhen shook his head. “I don’t.”
Old Master He thought about it carefully and realized that his own grandson did indeed have rather little material desire. He rarely ever asked for anything, unlike those useless rich brats in his friends’ families who, at such a young age, had already picked up terrible habits of comparison and showing off their wealth.
“That’s alright. If you come across something you like later, just tell Grandpa.”
“Grandpa, really?” A trace of complex emotion flashed through He Zhen’s deep gaze, faintly hidden beneath it a bit of planning.
Old Master He smiled. “Of course.”
Seeing that it was getting late, He Zhen stood and pushed Old Master He’s wheelchair. “Then I’ll thank you in advance, Grandpa. It’s late today, so let me take you to rest first.”
“Alright.” Old Master He patted He Zhen’s arm. “I truly hope you can grow up soon. Then I can retire in peace.”
He Zhen lowered his eyes. “You’ve worked hard for the sake of the group.”
“It’s not hard. I’ve got you urging me on.” The more Old Master He looked at his grandson, the more excellent he found him. “You absolutely must make me proud.”
He Zhen answered, “I will.”
Before bed that night, after showering, Yu Chen stood in front of the sink drying his hair. In the past, when he was feeling lazy, he would naturally call for He Zhen to help him, but tonight he felt a little too embarrassed to open his mouth.
Ever since coming back from Old Master He’s room, He Zhen had been rather quiet.
Yu Chen had been waiting for a suitable chance to ask about it. He sighed, lifted his damp lashes, and suddenly spotted a figure standing behind him in the mirror.
“You scared me to death.”
Yu Chen punched him in dissatisfaction. “You don’t make any sound when you walk.”
“What were you thinking about?” He Zhen took the hairdryer out of Yu Chen’s hand, his right hand threading through Yu Chen’s soft hair. “Why didn’t you call me to help dry it?”
Yu Chen replied softly, “Because I felt like you were in a bad mood.”
“No, it’s just that I’m under a bit of pressure.” He Zhen’s eyes were dark, his black pupils carrying a trace of helplessness. “I’m worried I’ll disappoint Grandpa.”
Yu Chen understood that Old Master He had overly high expectations for He Zhen, and he understood He Zhen’s difficulties even more. Feeling the warm hand on top of his head, he half-lowered his clean eyes and murmured, “I’m not as good at studying as you, so I can’t really help you with much. But whenever you’re unhappy or want to relax, you can talk to me.”
A faint smile surfaced on He Zhen’s face. “Alright.”
When Yu Chen’s hair was fully dry, he still did not move away, standing there with his back to He Zhen. Through the mirror, he watched He Zhen’s eyes, then secretly lowered his gaze again, looking very much like he had something weighing on his mind.
“Is there something you want to tell me?”
“Mm.” Yu Chen clasped his hands together in front of him, fingers bent, and only after a long while did he finally speak. “Boss, about the Lin Yiyi thing today… do you think I’m being really strange?”
“Why would you say that?” He Zhen watched Yu Chen’s troubled expression and quietly waited for him to explain.
“Because that day during military training, I said all those things to you in front of the dorm building, but then today I acted like this.”
What Yu Chen had always been tangled up in was precisely this point. He had not expected himself to care this much about He Zhen ignoring him because of someone else.
“What did you say? I forgot.”
“Huh? You can even forget something like that?” The fingers hanging at Yu Chen’s side curled slightly, and a trace of shame flashed through his eyes. “I said that before we’re twenty-two, if you wanted to fall in love, you could go ahead.”
“Did you say that? I only remember the part about twenty-two.” He Zhen took his hand and led him out of the bathroom. “It’s past eleven. Time to sleep.”
“You really forgot?” Yu Chen’s eyes flickered. Biting his lip, he said, “If you forgot, then fine.”
Turning his back to him, He Zhen was faintly smiling.
After the lights were turned off, Yu Chen climbed under the covers, but he could not fall asleep no matter what.
In the quiet bedroom, He Zhen suddenly asked, “Yu Chencheng.”
Yu Chen: “Mm?”
“Are you really willing to go study in America with me?”
“Of course I am. Didn’t you see how proud my dad looked?”
“But if you really decide to do it, it’ll be very hard.”
He Zhen gently took hold of Yu Chen’s hand. “After that, you won’t have any time left to play.”
“That’s okay. I’m not afraid.”
“Anyway, as long as you’re with me.”
He Zhen gave a quiet “mm” and began calculating the exact schedules for all the major exams in his mind.
Forget Yu Chen, even he himself felt immense pressure.
“Boss, I know I’m not some genius prodigy. I secretly looked it up—last year Harvard only admitted five high school students from all of China. I know my chances of getting in aren’t high, but I’m willing to work hard with you so I won’t regret it in the future. The road of study is a hard one. If I’m with you, then you won’t be lonely either.”
He Zhen turned onto his side and looked at Yu Chen. “I didn’t expect Grandpa to be this determined about studying abroad. Have you ever thought about what we’ll do if we don’t get into the same university?”
Yu Chen let out a little “mm.” “That’s okay. The internet is so developed now. I can go abroad to see you once in a while, and you can come back to see me too. After graduation, we can still be together.”
“Boss, you absolutely mustn’t give up a school that good because of me. If that happened, I’d feel guilty.”
He Zhen was silent for a moment. “But I don’t want to be apart from you.”
Wrapped in his silk quilt, Yu Chen finally asked a question he had been wanting to ask for a long time. “Boss, we’ve already been together for more than ten years. Aren’t you tired of me?”
He Zhen could tell that Yu Chen’s bright black eyes were secretly peeking at him.
So he deliberately answered this way: “A human life is about a hundred years. More than ten years is only one-eighth of that. If I’m already tired now, what happens later?”
Yu Chen said nothing more. Wrapping himself tighter in the blanket, he quietly turned over so that his back faced He Zhen.
Looking at the round back of Yu Chen’s head, He Zhen curled his lips slightly. “Good night, Yu Chencheng.”
“Good night, He Zhenzhen.”
Time passed slowly, and there was still one week left until the first placement exam.
Lately, everyone had been especially hardworking during evening self-study. Nearly the whole class kept their heads down studying, and even during the breaks, the sounds of joking and fooling around had grown much quieter.
Today Yu Chen had reserved one hour of equipment time in the biology lab. Last week Li Ye had assigned him a task. He needed to go dissect saffron together with two students from the class next door and record some experimental data.
During the long break, he went to the neighboring class to make plans with the other two, but both of them said today’s homework was a bit too difficult and that they could not go during evening self-study.
Yu Chen felt troubled too. That meant he would be the only one left.
Before leaving, the two of them even tried to persuade him further, saying that while project activities did indeed help with learning, in the end they mostly boosted the group leader’s achievements. Once honors were awarded, wasn’t it always the group leader who got the biggest credit? For ordinary students like them, it was still better to focus mainly on subject grades.
Yu Chen did not argue. He only let out a soft sigh.
It looked like he would be the only one going to the lab tonight.
Someone had to finish the task.
Right before evening self-study, He Zhen prepared snacks and milk for him and reminded him to eat if he got hungry while doing the experiment.
Seeing the bag stuffed full of snacks, Xiao Yu could not help complaining, “He Zhen, are you sending him on a spring outing? If he keeps eating like this, he’s going to get fat again like when he was little.”
Ignoring Xiao Yu, He Zhen continued, “Do you want me to come get you after evening self-study?”
“No need. You just wait here for me.” Yu Chen hugged his notebook and picked up the snacks. “I might be back very soon.”
He Zhen asked, “The two people from Class Two are going with you too, right?”
That was a bit of a long story, and Yu Chen had no time to explain it to He Zhen. “I’ll tell you when I get back.”
He Zhen nodded. “Alright.”
The biology lab was in the Science Practice Building on the south side of the school. Yu Chen had reserved Room 10-05, and at this hour, there were probably only a few lit rooms in the whole building.
Hongwen High was actually quite flexible about this sort of thing. If students had a real need and had gotten teacher approval, they were allowed to participate in other kinds of study during evening self-study hours.
Before going in, Yu Chen counted. There were only four classrooms with lights on in the whole building, but the entire tenth floor was pitch black.
After Yu Chen left, He Zhen began organizing his schoolbag for him, so that when Yu Chen came back, the two of them could leave straight away.
Suddenly he noticed a sheet of blue letter paper tucked inside Yu Chen’s notebook. After hesitating for two seconds, he still put it back where it was.
Resting his chin in his hand, Xiao Yu stared at He Zhen in his usual half-slouched way. Together with He Zhi’an, he had secretly given He Zhen a new nickname—the river snail maiden.
He Zhi’an covered his mouth, laughing like a cat that had stolen cream.
At the end of the first evening self-study period, He Zhen used going to the bathroom as an excuse to head to the top floor of the teaching building and look out toward the distant laboratory building.
Only one classroom on the tenth floor had its light on. That should be Yu Chen’s.
On his way back downstairs, he unexpectedly ran into the two students who were supposed to be doing the experiment with Yu Chen, and frowned. “Didn’t you go to the lab building?”
The two students from Class Two replied, “We had too much homework today. Yu Chen went by himself.”
He Zhen said nothing. He only nodded and walked away.
By the time the second evening self-study period began, it was already fully dark outside.
A lot of the students in class were complaining that first-year evening self-study lasted too long. If they did not eat dinner at school, then by the time they got home and actually sat down to eat, it would be very late.
After finishing his homework, He Zhen put on his earphones and started listening practice. But during the latter half of class, he felt increasingly uneasy and simply could not focus.
Even if Yu Chen was alone, this was still school. Nothing should happen, right?
At that moment, He Zhi’an tapped him. “Brother Zhen, explain this physics problem to me.”
Just as He Zhen was about to turn around, the classroom lights suddenly went out.
“Holy crap? What happened?”
“It’s not just our class. The lights in the class next door went out too!”
“The computers lost power too! Is it a blackout?”
“Ahhhhhh! Does that mean we can go home?”
In an instant, the entire teaching building erupted into cheers.
“Oh! Vacation time!”
“Damn! Those bastards in Class Two already have some people running out with their backpacks!”
“Brother Zhen! Brother Zhen? Xiao Yu, I think He Zhen just ran off.”
The corridors were jam-packed with students holding phones. Everyone had turned on their flashlight functions, leaning against windows and singing all kinds of pop songs.
Suddenly, the dean’s voice came over the campus broadcast, informing everyone that a power circuit in the nearby area had malfunctioned, causing the temporary outage. The school was preparing to start the backup generators and asked everyone to remain calm.
“Director! In my opinion, just let the day students go home!”
“Exactly! How long will it take to get the backup generators going?”
Plenty of students who loved stirring things up sang the opposite tune. Every classroom was in chaos. Some couples were even secretly taking the chance to hold hands and hug.
In the crowded corridor, a tall figure anxiously pushed through the crowd. In barely two seconds, he had already run from one side to the other, his footsteps pounding loudly on the stairs.
Once He Zhen rushed out of the teaching building, he sped up even more. His breathing grew increasingly rapid. Nearly all the strength in his body poured into the quick swing of his arms and long legs. His heart pounded faster and faster, and even the wind around him seemed to grow hot.
Bursting into the lab building, He Zhen switched on the flashlight on his phone and felt his way through the darkness until he found the stairwell entrance.
The elevator was dead, so he had no choice but to run all the way up to the tenth floor.
When he reached the fifth floor, he could faintly hear crying and shouting coming from somewhere inside.
That only made He Zhen more anxious, terrified that Yu Chen might be crying like that too.
The whole building was so empty that every little sound felt terrifying, let alone the fact that this place was so remote and dark it felt like a sealed black tower, nothing like the lively teaching building.
The more He Zhen thought about it, the more frantic he became, even though he was already running as fast as he could.
Yu Chen was so timid. All alone in that laboratory, he must be terrified.
What was more, Yu Chen had a heart condition to begin with.
By the time he reached the eighth floor, he had to bend over and gasp for air.
After resting for three seconds, he forced himself to steady his breathing. Grabbing the railing with his right hand, he drove himself upward with all his strength and finally made it to the tenth floor in one breath.
Inside the laboratory, Yu Chen sat alone on a chair, cold sweat constantly forming on his forehead. The school broadcast had just said they were preparing to start the backup generators, but no one knew how long it would take before the lights came back. He had not brought his phone, so if he wanted to go downstairs, he would have to feel his way through the darkness.
He looked at his watch and realized the power had only been out for around three minutes.
But it would probably still take a long time before things returned to normal.
Beside the laboratory building was the administrative building still under construction. There was not a single sound, and the silence all around the building was frightening.
Fear surged over his heart like a tide. Scenes from horror novels began popping uncontrollably into his mind. His face went pale, and he was completely swallowed by the darkness and terror of the atmosphere.
He really was so unlucky—of all days, it had to be today, when he was doing an experiment, and all alone at that.
He had no phone, so he had no idea what things were like on the teaching building side. There were so many people in class—He Zhen and the others probably weren’t scared.
Then all of a sudden, hurried footsteps sounded out in the corridor.
Clutching at his heart, Yu Chen forced himself to control his breathing. He immediately ran to the wall, crouching down against it. He could not understand why someone would suddenly be in the corridor.
He wanted so badly to call He Zhen.
Even just hearing his voice would be enough.
The footsteps stopped right outside his classroom door.
Yu Chen was terrified. His breathing had gone uneven from panic, his damp lashes trembling, his wet palms pressed hard over his mouth.
“Yu Chen, are you in there?”
“Boss?”
“Boss!”
A flicker of surprise shot through Yu Chen’s eyes.
He wasn’t dreaming, was he?
Almost forgetting all the desks and chairs around him, Yu Chen stumbled forward in a rush. “Boss! I’m here! I’m here!”
He Zhen pushed open the door, and in the next instant, a familiar scent rushed straight into his arms.
Yu Chen’s body was trembling as he clung tightly around He Zhen’s waist.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
Holding back his own ragged breathing, He Zhen pulled Yu Chen hard into his embrace.
