Chapter 12
Editor: Princess
Who could’ve guessed that right after swallowing a mouthful of tea, Yu Pei’s face would scrunch up, “Wow, so bitter!”
Luo Changzhou: “…”
What he had meant was that if Yu Pei also wanted tea, he had some tea leaves stashed in his desk drawer that he could share, so Yu Pei could brew himself a cup to try. But he never expected Yu Pei to just go ahead and drink straight from his cup!
“This tea is so bitter.” Yu Pei, who couldn’t stand anything bitter, really couldn’t handle it—even though there was a hint of sweetness that lingered after that initial bitterness faded, he still found it unbearable. He couldn’t figure out how Luo Changzhou could drink this bitter tea as easily as if it were plain water.
Luo Changzhou looked at the light-colored tea in the white porcelain cup, stayed silent for a moment, then placed the cup back on the desk. “This kind of tea is indeed quite bitter.” He said to Yu Pei. “I have other teas at home that aren’t as bitter. If you want, I can bring some for you next week.”
Luo Changzhou’s comment reminded Yu Pei that today was already Friday, and their school didn’t have weekend classes in the first semester of senior year, so the next time he’d see Luo Changzhou would be next week.
But waiting until next week was fine with Yu Pei, so the moment Luo Changzhou finished saying this, he nodded enthusiastically, “Alright, that sounds good.”
Luo Changzhou also nodded, indicating he’d bring the tea, then turned back to his homework. However halfway through, as if suddenly remembering something, he turned to Yu Pei again and said, “By the way, I just saw that it’s our turn to be on duty after school today, so don’t leave right away afterward.”
“Huh? It’s our turn to be on duty?” Yu Pei turned around immediately and looked at the duty roster on the backboard. And sure enough, he saw the class hygiene monitor erase the names of the two students who had been on duty yesterday and write down his and Luo Changzhou’s names.
After finishing, the hygiene monitor even walked over and told them, “Yu Pei, Luo Changzhou, it’s your turn to be on duty today. So you two will be in charge of wiping the blackboard after the last class.”
Yu Pei replied quickly, “Oh, okay.”
Although he was a bit sensitive to dust and didn’t love it, being on duty only came around once in a long while, and every time it was his turn, he still did what needed to be done, so he didn’t have much to say about it. However when the bell finally rang for the end of class, before he could even get up from his seat, Luo Changzhou was already on his way to the podium. He looked up, stunned for a moment, sitting frozen in his chair.
**
Qi Wenqiang, who was copying the teacher’s PPT on the podium was a bit surprised to see Luo Changzhou approaching. When he stepped around her to grab an eraser, she realized why and smiled, greeting him, “Luo Changzhou, you’re on duty today?”
“Mhm.” Luo Changzhou, with his long arms and legs, had no trouble reaching the high spots on the blackboard that were hard for the girls to reach. He quickly finished half the board, and hearing Qi Wenqiang’s question, he just gave a calm acknowledgment without saying more.
“Oh, you’re on duty with Yu Pei, huh?” Qi Wenqiang, unfazed by his indifference, glanced at the duty roster on the backboard and added, “No wonder it’s you doing the board.”
Luo Changzhou paused for a moment, but after a few seconds, he continued wiping without responding.
Qi Wenqiang wanted to chat with him, but when she started a conversation, Luo Changzhou didn’t pick it up. And realizing he probably had no interest in talking to her, she pouted a little, took her USB, and left.
After wiping down the blackboard, Luo Changzhou headed to the restroom to wash his hands, made sure to pat off all the chalk dust from his clothes, then returned to his seat. And no sooner had he sat down than Yu Pei asked him, “Changzhou, are you planning to wipe the blackboard?”
Most students on duty actually disliked wiping the blackboard, especially the girls, since once chalk dust got on their hair, it was hard to clean off and could even look like dandruff if they weren’t careful. But usually, the duties were split evenly—each person would clean half the classroom, then divide up tasks like wiping the blackboard or taking out the trash.
Their classroom was on the first floor, so taking out the trash was pretty easy and convenient— everyone preferred to handle that job. However, since Yu Pei had asthma, his duty partner usually ended up doing the blackboard while he occasionally took out the trash. And because of this, people didn’t exactly line up to pair with him for duty.
Since Luo Changzhou was new to Nan Hua High School, he didn’t yet know about this unspoken rule among the senior science students. He just assumed Yu Pei was just asking casually, so he answered without thinking much, “En, I’m sitting on the outside, so it’s easier for me to get up. I’ll do it.”
“Then I’ll handle the trash after school.” Yu Pei agreed, realizing that it did make sense, because with Luo Changzhou sitting on the outside, it was indeed easier for him to get up, what’s more him getting in and out of his seat would disturb him. Since Changzhou was willing to take care of the blackboard, he figured he could sweep a bit more of the classroom and handle the trash.
Luo Changzhou nodded, opening his physics book for a bit of next-class prep.
Even though he had already reviewed this unit at home, he needed something to distract himself, because homework wasn’t helping, and even reading seemed to be ineffective right now.
However the culprit causing all this restlessness was sitting right next to him, unwrapping a piece of candy with dedication.
Hearing the soft crinkling as the teenager unwrapped it, Luo Changzhou couldn’t help but glance over. Yu Pei, oblivious to his gaze, was fully focused on peeling away the wrapper.
His fingers were slim and pale, almost silky-looking, with a faint pinkish tint at the fingertips from the blood beneath, which contrasted beautifully with the deep red of the candy. His hands looked so refined, as if he was a delicate young master raised in a high tower, one who was never exposed to the world outside—someone who was born to be cherished.
Watching Yu Pei place the candy in his mouth, Luo Changzhou suddenly found himself craving something sweet too, so fishing a piece of candy that Yu Pei had given him out of his pocket, he unwrapped it and popped it in his mouth. Yet, no matter how long he let it sit on his tongue, he still couldn’t quite get used to the overwhelming sweetness, so he finally reached for his cup to drink some tea to wash the taste down.
However the moment his hand touched the smooth porcelain handle of his cup, he was reminded, for some reason, of the brief moment when their hands brushed as Yu Pei handed him the candy. It felt almost like he was holding Yu Pei’s hand, not a cup.
And then there was the fact that Yu Pei had actually drunk from this very cup earlier. Even though they hadn’t drunk from the exact same spot, the image of Yu Pei’s soft lips pressing against the rim of the cup lingered in his mind stubbornly. Even after draining the entire cup, Luo Changzhou felt like his restless thirst hadn’t been quenched at all.
So putting the empty cup down, he looked at the words printed starkly in black ink on white paper in his textbook, however no matter how hard he tried, they didn’t seem to sink into his mind.
He couldn’t help but wonder: why did Yu Pei send him a goodnight text every day, and in such a familiar tone at that? Could it be that Yu Pei really did know him from somewhere, and only he didn’t remember having met Yu Pei?
But he’d never even lived in South City before, so there was no reason for Yu Pei to have known him.
Logically, Luo Changzhou told himself that it was most likely just a misunderstanding, however his personality kept him from asking Yu Pei about it directly. He pinched the bridge of his nose, telling himself that it didn’t really matter either way. It wasn’t like it would change anything in his life. His parents had already decided they’d settle down in South City for good, so he’d be staying here for high school and university, living his life here.
He couldn’t deny that he felt drawn to Yu Pei—ever since the first time he’d laid eyes on him.
Everyone was drawn to beautiful people, and just like how so many girls at school liked him, he was just like everyone else, attracted to fine features, graceful forms and interesting souls. The only difference between him and most people was that he only liked guys. He was born that way.
If….. if Yu Pei happened to be like him.
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, he couldn’t resist glancing over at Yu Pei. And the teenager, noticing his gaze, looking straight back at him.
Those light tea-colored eyes held nothing but a faint curiosity, nothing else. Luo Changzhou couldn’t read anything deeper from them, so he looked away hurriedly.
Yu Pei didn’t think much of the look from Luo Changzhou. After all, he sometimes snuck glances at him too, so it was only natural for Luo Changzhou to look at him every now and then.
Since it was Friday, students left quickly after school, and within about ten minutes, the classroom was nearly empty.
It was sunset, and the warm, orange light filtered through the windows, filling every corner of the room gently. Yu Pei started from the back row, turning his classmates’ chairs upside down onto the desks quietly while Luo Changzhou was at the blackboard, wiping it down, his figure tall and slender against the glow of the sunset. Yu Pei looked at him for a moment, then walked to the storage room at the back of the classroom to grab a broom and dustpan.
However the moment he returned, he saw Luo Changzhou brushing chalk dust off his shoulder and coming straight toward him. Then he took the broom and dustpan from his hands without a word, leaving him a bit stunned before he turned back to get another broom.
When Luo Changzhou saw the broom in his hands, he frowned and said, “One broom is enough. Why did you grab two? I can’t sweep with both brooms at the same time.”
Yu Pei looked even more confused. “This is my broom.”
Luo Changzhou gave him a look, his deep blue eyes catching the warm glow of the sunset in an oddly mesmerizing way. He asked, “Didn’t you say you’d take out the trash?”
It was only then that Yu Pei understood what Luo Changzhou meant. He was planning to handle both the blackboard and the sweeping of the entire classroom, while he only needed to take out the trash at the end.
“But the classroom’s so big, how can I let you sweep it all by yourself?” Yu Pei gripped the broom tightly.
“You’re sensitive to dust.” Without giving him a chance to argue, Luo Changzhou took the broom from him. “I do this all the time at home. Just wait a bit and take out the trash when I’m done.”
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