Chapter 5
Editor: Princess
Luo Changzhou just looked at him without saying anything, but then the next moment, a faint smile crept onto his face.
Yu Pei stared in a daze as Luo Changzhou’s lips curved up, his profile outlined in dark shadows by the sunlight. The blue in his eyes became even deeper under the sun, like meticulously cut blue gemstones. Any faint glimmer of light falling on those facets would reflect a dazzling spark, bright enough to pierce into someone’s heart.
His smile wasn’t wide—just a slight press of his lips, as if merely responding to Yu Pei’s somewhat silly grin. Then, with a touch of helplessness, he raised his right hand and gave Yu Pei a small wave.
The next second, the red light suddenly turned off, switching to the green go signal.
Luo Changzhou looked away and rode off ahead, while Yu Pei, along with Zhang Geng, turned into a street on the left.
Yu Pei leaned against the window, lowering his gaze to his hands.
Zhang Geng asked, “Little Young Master, that classmate of yours—he’s mixed, right? His eyes are stunning.”
“Mm.” Yu Pei nodded and thought back to what Luo Changzhou had said during his introduction, then repeated it to Zhang Geng. “He mentioned that his grandmother is British, which is why he has blue eyes.”
“So, it’s a case of skipping generations.”
“Yes.”
Zhang Geng kept chatting with Yu Pei here and there along the way, and Yu Pei would chime in from time to time. He knew why Zhang Geng was doing this. It wasn’t just Zhang Geng— everyone at home had been treating him this way lately. But Yu Pei felt like it wasn’t much different from before. It’s just that back then, the person he had most wanted to hear concern from wasn’t Zhang Geng or Uncle Zhuang, so he’d ignored all the care and love others had showed him.
When they arrived home, Yu Pei noticed a new black Bentley parked in the spot that had been empty yesterday. Suppressing the excitement bubbling in his chest, he picked up his pace, running into the foyer. It was no surprise when he saw a man sitting by the dining table, his face strikingly handsome and bearing a six-to-seven resemblance to his own.
The man’s expression softened the moment he saw him come in, his usually stern and serious face brightening with a gentle smile as he greeted him, “Ah Pei, you’re back.”
Yu Pei beamed in return, but when he noticed the dark circles under his big brother’s eyes and the tired look on his face, the joy in his heart was suddenly mixed with a bit of heartache. Slowing his steps, he walked over and sat down next to him. “Big brother…”
Yu Qing grabbed an empty bowl and ladled some soup into it, placing it in front of him, explaining why he hadn’t come home last night as he did so, “There was a lot going on at the company yesterday, so I was swamped and slept directly at the office, that’s why I didn’t come back to see you.”
“It’s fine.” Yu Pei smiled as he took the soup ladle and filled a bowl for Yu Qing. “But big brother, you don’t look too great. You didn’t have to wait around to have lunch with me, you should’ve gone to rest earlier.”
Yu Qing froze for a moment when he heard this. Even though he said he’d slept at the office, he hadn’t slept at all. And after getting home this morning, he didn’t rest either. He’d been waiting for Yu Pei to come back from school so they’d have lunch together.
But the truth he’d tried to hide had been seen right through by his little brother. Yu Qing looked at the teenager and saw that there wasn’t the slightest hint of complaint or disappointment on his face. His happiness was real, and so was his concern.
Yet, looking at this sensible Yu Pei, Yu Qing felt more heartache than comfort. He suddenly realized that he missed the old Yu Pei—the one who’d sulk and throw a fit when he broke a promise—much more than this version of Yu Pei, who seemed to have grown up overnight and become more obedient than anyone else.
“Ah Pei’s all grown up now.” Yu Qing took a sip of the hot soup and sighed softly, his voice hoarse. “Did you take your medicine this morning?”
The moment Yu Pei heard this, his gaze shifted away from Yu Qing’s face and fixed on the side dishes on the table. His hand, holding the bowl, started tapping the rim of the bowl unconsciously. “I did.”
Seeing the little gesture, Yu Qing knew right away that he was lying. He let out a faint hum and shook his head, his originally gentle voice turning a bit more serious. “Why didn’t you take it?”
“The medicine makes me really sleepy, and then I can’t focus in class. If the teacher noticed, they’d call you to the school, and you’re so busy…” Yu Pei, realizing he couldn’t lie his way out, confessed honestly. “Besides, I haven’t had an episode in a long time.”
“And what exactly counts as a long time? A month? Two?” The smile on Yu Qing’s face faded, and his voice was also light but it made Yu Pei unable to say a word. “Does that count as long? You should know that the reason you haven’t had an episode is because of the medication. Skipping it like this is going to make everyone worried.”
Yu Pei knew Yu Qing was scared he’d end up like their father, whose condition spiraled out of control without proper treatment, putting his life in danger, so he didn’t argue anymore and replied obediently, “Okay, I’ll take the medicine after lunch.”
Hearing his promise, Yu Qing finally smiled again and placed a serving of vegetables onto his plate. “Eat up, and then take a nap after.”
Yu Pei nodded obediently, and after finishing lunch, he took his medicine and went to lie down for a nap.
But after tossing and turning on the soft bed for over ten minutes without falling asleep, he realized half the rest period had already passed. Thinking he might not get enough sleep at this rate, he decided to just get up and do something else. So, he grabbed his phone and the little notebook where he kept his classmates’ contact info, adding all of them on QQ.
Then he spent the rest of the time browsing through their updates—mostly selfies or homework answers, exam tips, those kinds of things. He scrolled through them all, not really caring whether he understood what he was looking at, and passed the whole afternoon just playing on his phone.
Of course, not napping during lunch had its consequences.
When Yu Pei went to class in the afternoon, he was already struggling to keep his eyes open before even getting out of Zhang Geng’s car. His steps were wobbly, his figure swaying as if he might just pass out any second.
Half-squinting, he trudged along when suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a familiar shade of blue. Lifting his head, he saw Luo Changzhou walking just ahead, wearing that dark blue backpack. He didn’t seem to be running late like he was that morning, which meant that they both tended to arrive at school around the same time.
Yu Pei didn’t call out to him. He just followed a few steps behind him leisurely, his eyes downcast, watching the ground as he shuffled toward the classroom. So naturally, he missed the glance Luo Changzhou threw his way.
When they reached the classroom, Luo Changzhou slowed down as he neared his desk, but Yu Pei didn’t think much of it. He hurried to his seat and was just about to lay his head down for a nap when he noticed something that shouldn’t have been there. Something stood out against the light brown of Luo Changzhou’s desk, catching his attention.
It was a pretty bottle of Aoki soda. The top half was a vibrant green, while the bottom was a nearly clear amber color. Yu Pei had tried it before—it was delicious and super popular among their classmates, although it wasn’t exactly cheap, so not every student could afford it. Next to the soda was a pale pink letter, and from just one look, Yu Pei could tell that some love-struck girl had left both the soda and the note for Luo Changzhou.
Since they weren’t meant for him, he didn’t pay much attention. The guy in front of him, Tan Qiming, greeted him with a smile. Yu Pei mumbled a half-asleep response and started pulling more books from his desk, planning to hide behind them and nap through class.
Tan Qiming, seeing him barely able to keep his eyes open, shook his head and turned to Luo Changzhou, who had just walked in. He pointed to the soda and teased, “Hey, Luo Changzhou, someone left you an Aoki soda!”
Luo Changzhou didn’t even show any reaction. He just stared at the soda and letter for a few seconds before turning to Tan Qiming and asking, “What’s this? Is it good? You like it?”
“Of course!” Tan Qiming slapped his thigh. “That’s Aoki soda! It’s from Yutang Sugar, their most famous drink. There’s probably no one at our school who doesn’t love it, right?”
“I’ve only been at Nanhua for a short time, so I haven’t tried it yet.” Luo Changzhou nodded then glanced at Tan Qiming. “I don’t like green—it’s unlucky. Do you want it?”
Tan Qiming blinked in confusion when he heard him say that the color green was unlucky, but then laughed and said, “But a girl gave it to you! Don’t you want to at least try it?“
Luo Changzhou, however picked the soda up immediately and handed it to him, “You just said you like it. If you like it, it’s yours. I don’t.”
He didn’t say whether it was the Aoki soda he disliked or if it was the fact that it came from a girl.
As for the pink letter, he didn’t even bother to read it—he just crumpled it in his hand and tossed it into the trash can outside the classroom, along with the wet napkin he’d used to wipe the condensation from the desk.
Tan Qiming stood there, stunned by his whole string of actions, holding the soda in his hands, unsure whether to drink it or not. He had no idea who’d put the soda and letter on Luo Changzhou’s desk since they had already been there when he arrived. His desk mate hadn’t shown up yet, and only Yu Pei and Luo Changzhou were around. He turned back, wanting to ask Yu Pei, but noticed that he was already fast asleep, his head buried under his arms, with only a small sliver of his pale neck visible.
Figuring that he rarely had the money to buy Aoki soda himself, Tan Qiming shrugged and decided to just drink it since Luo Changzhou had given it to him.
Meanwhile, Yu Pei slept right through two entire classes. Those two periods were language class, and their language teacher was an elderly gentleman who was extremely dedicated but had poor eyesight. The students loved to mess around during his classes, and so he didn’t notice that Yu Pei was asleep the whole time. By the time Yu Pei woke up, it was already the long afternoon break.
Most of the students would go out for a walk during the break or go to the cafeteria to grab something to eat, usually snacking on their way back, so the classroom was mostly empty and it was unusually quiet.
It was so quiet that Yu Pei could clearly hear the soft scratch of Luo Changzhou’s black ink pen moving across paper as he sat beside him, writing. At the same time, the afternoon broadcast started up, playing light and soothing music that filled the room.
Listening to the music, Yu Pei felt himself getting sleepy again.
He shifted positions, ready to doze off once more when he heard footsteps approaching. The next moment, a clear, somewhat familiar female voice rang out nearby, calling his new desk mate’s name: “Luo Changzhou—”
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