Chapter 49

Time flew by in a daze. Lin Xigu felt like it had only been a few days, but he and She Xiao had already been together for a month. It was all too fast, as if the sun and moon were racing to complete their shifts, working diligently around the clock.

Honestly speaking, the last month had felt utterly surreal.

Sweeter than reality, and also calmer than reality should allow.

That man was hardly ever home that month. She Xiao went to his classes where he napped peacefully. He indulged in their relationship with the same steadfast peace and contentment. Lin Xigu’s heart lived in his throat every day, only settling back into place when he saw She Xiao standing calmly before him each morning. Every time he got to smile and say “good morning” to She Xiao, he felt grateful that She Xiao had lived through another peaceful night.

But the longer the calm lasted, the more anxious he became.

There was something wrong with his brain. Life was finally uneventful, but he felt troubled rather than relieved. 

His anxieties were finally tested when She Xiao got mixed up with a few troublemakers from Class 8 during a smoke break.

Fang Xiaoshan came running to Lin Xigu, shouting, “Xigu, She Xiao’s got himself into a fight!”

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

Nkd Dktw bye clld rynjkdt bkp cssjp. Tl pvsse ycawrvzu yp pssd yp bl blyae vbl dlop. “Ebs’p qktbvkdt bkx? Eblal kp bl?”

“Rv’p Eydt Mys qasx Uzypp 8. Mblu’al kd vbl cyvbassx,” Wydt Dkyspbyd rydvle.

Nkd Dktw easrrle obyv bl oyp eskdt yde awpble swv.

Nk Jyzlk tayccle y bydeqwz sq Wydt Dkyspbyd’p pbkav okvb liwyz watldnu. “Rdpkel sa swvpkel vbl cyvbassx? Mbl csup cyvbassx? Nlv’p ts, ol pbswze ts vss! El nyd’v zlv Nkd Dktw cl bkv ytykd! Tl’p ycswv yp pvasdt yp y cycu nbknjld.”

“Zsw xkde uswa sod cwpkdlpp yde pvyu blal!” Wydt Dkyspbyd ryvvle bla blye vs tlv bla vs pkv esod, “Mblu’al kd vbl csup cyvbassx.”

Nk Jykzlk tzyale yv bkx. “Mbld obu yald’v usw tskdt?”

“R yx tskdt!” Wydt Dkyspbyd vwadle yde eypble yoyu.

---

Ju vbl vkxl Nkd Dktw yaakhle, vbl qktbv bye yzalyeu xshle vs vbl vaynj qklze, oblal y nasoe bye tyvblale. Gzz vbl wpwyz elzkdiwldvp qasx vbl hyakswp nzypplp olal vblal, yde kv oyp nzlya vbyv Fbl Dkys oyp swvdwxclale. Nkd Dktw prsvvle vblka nzypp’p yvbzlvknp alr kd vbl nasoe. Tl oyp vbl sdzu sdl vyzz ldswtb vs pvyde clbkde Fbl Dkys obldlhla vblu olal zkdle wr qsa plyvkdt alyppktdxldv. Tl oyp yzps Nkd Dktw’p ryavdla qsa nzlydkdt ewvu; Nkd Dktw vbswtbv bl oyp y elnldv twu. Tl oyp nwaaldvzu bszekdt cynj psxl Uzypp 8 bsvblyep qasx fskdkdt kd. Mbswtb bl oypd’v ekalnvzu lxcaskzle kd vbl qktbv, bl oyp elqkdkvlzu vaukdt vs elqwpl vbl pkvwyvksd.

As Lin Xigu pushed his way through the crowd, he suddenly realized what he should have been doing all along. He should have been working out regularly; maybe he should have even taken Muay Thai or Taekwondo lessons during the holidays, so that he’d know exactly what to do in a fistfight.

He grabbed the person who was grappling with She Xiao by his clothes and pulled him off She Xiao. That person whipped around, ready to hit him, but Lin Xigu had no idea how to fight, nor could he react in time. All he could do was close his eyes and crouch defensively.

He had expected the punch to land, but there was no chance in hell She Xiao would allow anyone to touch a hair on his head. When he opened his eyes again, She Xiao had thrown himself back into the fray with the other two boys.

Where most other people fought with heavy breathing and foul language, She Xiao was completely silent, even when delivering a beatdown. 

Lin Xigu couldn’t be of any help. Compared to the seasoned fighters he was up against, his strength was nothing to write home about. He tried to grab one of them from behind, but received an elbow strike to his clavicle which sent a sharp pang of pain through his body.

She Xiao looked terrifying when he fought, but Lin Xigu wasn’t afraid. She Xiao was furious; his eyes burned red. They must have provoked him somehow. Lin Xigu knew that She Xiao wouldn’t start a fight without reason; the moment he did was when someone had pushed his buttons.

In a fight, She Xiao was extremely skilled, so he wasn’t at a total disadvantage, but he also wasn’t immune to taking hits. He received almost as many blows as he gave. After all, there were many more students from Class 8 rallying against him.

His brow furrowed, Lin Xigu tried to think of a way to disperse the crowd.

As he was thinking, he suddenly heard someone say, “Oi, oi, oi, that’s enough now, cut it out.”

Lin Xigu looked up and saw Zhang Feng looking his way. Zhang Feng gave him a crooked smile as he threw his arm around a Class 8 student’s neck and said, “That’s enough, Da Tao¹ In the same way that “xiao” (small) can be added to someone’s name as a nickname, “da” (big) can also be used in the same way. “Da” tends to have a more familiar, masculine connotation whereas “xiao” is widely used for both genders., let’s break it up.”

The delinquents all knew each other well. Those from Class 5, in particular, were close with the bullies from Class 8. Lin Xigu was taken aback to see Zhang Feng intervening.

Many of Lin Xigu’s classmates also stepped up to break up the fight. Lin Xigu even caught sight of Fang Xiaoshan getting elbowed in the side.

As chaos reigned, the security guard who usually manned the school gate pulled up in his patrol cart. The crowd of onlookers instantly scattered. Some of the Class 8 students also made to leave. Lin Xigu was about to pull She Xiao away when he noticed She Xiao bending down to take off his shoes. Lin Xigu winced when he stepped out of them, his white socks touching the dirt.

In the next instant, his eyes widened as She Xiao took a few steps forward in his socked feet and, seizing one of the boys by his collar, shoved the sole of his shoe into the boy’s face.

She Xiao was using so much force that his knuckles were turning white.

“What are you doing?!” The security guard rushed over, pointing his baton at She Xiao.

She Xiao didn’t even look at him, his grip didn’t loosen as he ground the sole of the shoe firmly against the other boy’s face.

When he finally let go, the boy’s nose was red, and blood was streaming from both nostrils. The few remaining onlookers were scared into silence by She Xiao’s ruthlessness.

“What class are you from?” the security guard asked She Xiao.

She Xiao glanced at him and threw the shoe aside. Reaching out to grab Lin Xigu’s wrist, he pulled Lin Xigu away without a word.

Lin Xigu had wanted to speak to the security guard in an attempt to salvage the situation, but She Xiao didn’t give him a chance to open his mouth before dragging him away.

Lin Xigu was a little worried that She Xiao might step on a stone or some other object the wrong way.

Later, back in the classroom, he finally found out what had happened and why She Xiao had taken off his shoes.

Fang Xiaoshan told him that when She Xiao was passing by Wang Tao in the bathroom, Wang Tao had intentionally turned and urinated on She Xiao’s shoes.

Ah, no wonder…

Lin Xigu could feel his anger rising too. They had been asking for it. What’s so wrong about She Xiao that you feel the need to provoke him when he’s just at school to learn?

He rather wished She Xiao had used more force.

Lin Xigu pursed his lips as he took off his school uniform jacket, folded it neatly, and crouched down.

He looked up and whispered to She Xiao, “Lift your feet, She Xiao.”

She Xiao glanced down at him and complied. Lin Xigu placed his clothes under She Xiao’s feet for him to step on.

“I’ll bring you a fresh pair of shoes at lunchtime,” Lin Xigu said as he sat back down.

She Xiao shook his head.

Lin Xigu frowned, “Why are you shaking your head? The pair you left at my place is still there. I’ll go fetch them later. Use this for now;the floor’s too cold.”

She Xiao didn’t say anything more; he couldn’t calm his emotions that quickly. Having just come down from the height of his anger, he wouldn’t feel like talking for a while, and so Lin Xigu gave him his space.

Not long after their next class began, Zhou Cheng summoned She Xiao to his office. Lin Xigu had wanted to ask if Zhou Cheng could postpone the chat until the afternoon, but She Xiao had already stood up, so he could only stand to let She Xiao pass.

Their whole class watched as She Xiao walked across the room in just his socks, everyone turning in their seats to gawk.

Lin Xigu felt restless about seeing everyone so hyperfocused on She Xiao; She Xiao didn’t like that kind of attention.

He shoved his desk, hard, which produced a loud, piercing noise. Instantly, the attention of more than half the class was pulled in his direction.

Frowning, Lin Xigu bowed his head, unwilling to look at any of them. He felt like who he was had changed; he had never been so temperamental before. Now, he had a hard time staying calm whenever She Xiao was involved. If She Xiao wasn’t happy, he was just as angry; if She Xiao was upset, he was just as agitated.

He had changed quite a bit.

But what does it matter? Lin Xigu thought to himself. What did it matter if he had changed? My boyfriend is bullied and I’m not allowed to be upset about it?

Lin Xigu couldn’t focus in class that day with his mind crammed with thoughts about She Xiao’s shoes. He was walking around barefoot; what if he stepped on something sharp? Everyone had been looking at him; She Xiao must have hated that.

Suddenly, Lin Xigu couldn’t sit still anymore. He stood up, nodded at the teacher, and ran out. The remaining students in the class were left bewildered.

Only Li Balei and Fang Xiaoshan exchanged a knowing glance before falling silent, each lost in their own thoughts.

---

Lin Xigu scaled the fence and left the school grounds. He didn’t care about facing disciplinary action from the school. He wasn’t afraid of anything. Besides, he had the dean in his corner, so it was unlikely that he would be punished even if he was caught.

Lin Xigu hailed a cab and headed straight to the nearest mall. In record time, he quickly found and bought the shoes for She Xiao. He knew She Xiao’s shoe size but he bought two pairs just in case.

If he hadn’t been worried about returning to the school with too many shopping bags, Lin Xigu might have bought ten pairs or more. He can wear whichever pair he likes. You all like to stare, right? Well, then, stare all you like; we’ve got plenty of shoes for you to stare at.

Lin Xigu turned into a pufferfish whenever She Xiao came under attack. If he blew up anymore, he was going to explode.

When Lin Xigu returned, She Xiao had just returned from Zhou Cheng’s office and they happened to cross each other in the hallway. Lin Xigu had been running, so he was panting heavily.

She Xiao looked at him, surprised.

Lin Xigu grabbed his arm and pulled She Xiao towards the teachers’ bathroom at the far end of the corridor, then closed the door behind them.

His chest heaved violently, and his lungs seared as a result of running too fast.

He squatted down in front of She Xiao and took out the shoes from the box he was carrying. He had also remembered to buy a new pair of socks along with the shoes.

She Xiao didn’t say a word. He just kept looking at Lin Xigu. He watched as Lin Xigu continued to pant, though he tried his best to suppress his coughing, his eyes red with a mixture of hurt and anger as he knelt slowly in front of She Xiao.

Lin Xigu arranged the shoes on the ground and used his teeth to tear the label from the socks.

Then he placed his hand on the neck of She Xiao’s socks and looked up at him.

She Xiao didn’t move for a long time, his eyelashes trembling slightly. He kept his head down the entire time, his eyes focused on the determination and hurt he saw on Lin Xigu’s face.

Then She Xiao crouched down slowly and pushed Lin Xigu’s hand away.

He held Lin Xigu’s hand, pressing it to his face, and placed a solemn and devout kiss in the center of Lin Xigu’s sweaty palm.

In that instant, Lin Xigu felt like a small flower had bloomed in his chest.

She Xiao looked into Lin Xigu’s eyes. They were level with each other.

Lin Xigu bit his lip and whispered, “Let’s get you changed out of those socks and into these shoes…”

She Xiao faced him, lifting his hand to gently stroke Lin Xigu’s face. His thumb traced a soft line along his jaw.

He didn’t say a word.

But his eyes overflowed with a thousand words.