On Monday, Tang Mo returned to Jingda University for classes.
Wang Shu leaned over and asked him, “Brother Mo, you must have had a very satisfying weekend, right?”
He had only just finished saying this when he noticed that Tang Mo’s expression was quite poor, looking as if he hadn’t slept well all night.
Could it be.
“Brother Mo, you weren’t… drained of all your energy these past two days, were you?”
Wang Shu asked this somewhat cautiously; he knew that people who had been “milked dry” of their spirit and energy often looked exactly like this.
Listless, hollow-eyed, and despondent…
Wang Shu searched his limited vocabulary, and almost every word matched Tang Mo’s current state.
He subconsciously shuddered.
Was it really that terrifying?
Tang Mo looked over with a heavy gaze, and Wang Shu felt as if he saw a cold, murderous intent flickering in the depths of his eyes.
And that murderous intent seemed to be aimed right at him?
WHAT?
Wang Shu’s brain twitched, and he immediately changed his tune: “I get it! You must have been at the hospital accompanying your big brother, right?”
“You really are an unparalleled good brother.”
“If it were me, my brother would definitely kick me out the moment he saw me.”
He was speaking somewhat incoherently, and the more he spoke, the uglier Tang Mo’s face became.
“Shut up.” Tang Mo, irritated, reached out and pinched Wang Shu’s yapping mouth shut.
“Given my personality, what do you think I would do if I were at the hospital accompanying my brother?”
Wang Shu pursed his lips: You’re holding my life-gate; I can’t answer.
Only then did Tang Mo magnanimously let go.
Wang Shu peered at him cautiously. “Brother Mo, you would definitely pull your brother’s oxygen plug.”
“Don’t let me hear such disgusting things ever again,” Tang Mo glared at him crossly.
Wang Shu chuckled sheepishly. “Of course I know you wouldn’t be so kind as to stay by your brother’s bedside.”
“Wasn’t I just trying to provoke an emotional reaction because you weren’t responding?”
“Were you really with your Great Beauty the whole time these past two days?” Wang Shu, his heart for gossip still unquenched, continued to ask curiously.
Thinking back to what happened yesterday, Tang Mo suddenly slumped onto the desk listlessly. Seeing him look like a wilted puppy, Wang Shu wondered if another accident had occurred.
Once he finished listening to Tang Mo’s explanation, Wang Shu was left speechless.
“You mean the Great Beauty thinks there’s something going on between you and Jiang Baiyu, and he got so angry he kicked you out?”
Wang Shu pondered for a moment; it didn’t seem like a bad thing.
He shared his thoughts with Tang Mo. “I think the Great Beauty is definitely jealous. Think about it your big brother and Jiang Baiyu are sneaking around together, so isn’t it natural for the Great Beauty to be angry?”
Tang Mo recalled the scene. “He seemed very angry, but then again, he didn’t seem that angry.”
Tang Mo could tell that Su Chengning was somewhat indifferent toward his brother. Even when his brother was hospitalized after a car accident, Su Chengning only went to the hospital to confirm his status and didn’t show much worry.
Wang Shu: “…”
This is freaking hard to talk about.
“Let’s try a different perspective.” He pulled Tang Mo’s attention back. “You and Jiang Baiyu are just classmates at most. But the Great Beauty kicked you out, which means he definitely feels your relationship is more than just ordinary classmates.”
“Isn’t this like a current partner getting jealous over an ex?”
Tang Mo had intended to listen to his analysis seriously, but he didn’t expect such “dog-mouth” nonsense.
“To hell with ‘exes’.”
He only acknowledged a “current,” and had never had an “ex.”
If Su Chengning knew what he was thinking, he would probably want to question him: When did I ever become your ‘current’?
“It’s just an analogy.” Wang Shu signaled for him to stay calm and reached a conclusion. “In short, the Great Beauty is jealous. You should be happy.”
“I’m not happy at all listening to this groundless analysis of yours.”
Tang Mo turned the back of his head toward him, refusing to listen to any more of this vapid reasoning.
Monday’s classes were few. By the afternoon, Wang Shu stealthily said to him again, “Jiang Baiyu didn’t come to class at all today. Where do you think he went?”
Tang Mo scanned the messages on his phone. “He’s at the hospital.”
There were people arranged by his father guarding the hospital. With Jiang Baiyu’s status, it was impossible for him to get near his brother’s ward.
He was afraid that this display of deep affection was being performed for the blind.
Wang Shu leaned over to look. “So that’s how it is.”
“Did he really develop feelings for your brother?” Wang Shu felt that he didn’t even believe his own words. “Jiang Baiyu’s face is indeed quite good; otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many people in school who like him.”
After all, many of those who liked him were students from ordinary families. With Jiang Baiyu’s vain personality, he naturally wouldn’t look twice at them.
“I remember that at the very beginning, he really seemed to like you quite a bit.”
Hearing this, Tang Mo gave him a cold look. “Which eye of yours saw him liking me?”
“Actually, everyone gossips about it privately,” Wang Shu said in a lowered voice. “Have you forgotten? He would show up at every one of your matches and was especially enthusiastic about handing you water and towels.”
Among Tang Mo’s few hobbies, one was basketball.
Occasionally, he would participate in the college basketball tournament.
Whenever he played, the crowd was always exceptionally large.
The basketball team members treated him like a “prized treasure.” As long as Tang Mo was there, many girls would show up, and the team members would play with extra vigor.
“I never accepted anything.”
Tang Mo never accepted things from others, but it was precisely because of his cold and unsympathetic rejections that more girls flocked to him.
Even some of the younger boys felt their hearts stir.
“We know you maintain your ‘male virtue’.”
As if your Great Beauty knows.
“However, you were cold and harsh every time you saw him, never giving him a good look. It’s no wonder he switched targets.”
Tang Mo snorted coldly. “I wish he would just stick with my brother.”
How could Wang Shu not know what he was thinking? “That way, no one will compete with you for the Great Beauty, right?”
Tang Mo stayed at school for a week without Su Chengning reaching out to him, and he was starting to feel a bit panicked.
If he hadn’t known that Su Chengning hadn’t gone to the hospital to see Tang Chen either, he probably wouldn’t have been able to focus on his classes.
After finishing classes this day, Tang Mo decided to take the initiative to find Su Chengning, but he was pulled toward the basketball gym by members of the team.
“Tang Mo, what have you been busy with lately? We haven’t seen you come to play.”
The basketball team captain was a tall guy standing 1.95 meters tall. He was a sports major, and his robust physique gave off a sense of pressure whenever he stood in a crowd.
Tang Mo gave a few impatient, perfunctory replies, standing by the edge of the gym with little interest.
Seeing him appear, other training team members came over one after another to greet him.
“Tang Mo, you haven’t been here for so long; we all missed you.”
“Of course, the one who missed you most must be Jiang Bai.”
“Right, Jiang Bai?”
Someone winked at Jiang Bai, who was walking at the very back of the group. Jiang Bai’s face turned red from their teasing.
“You guys are talking nonsense again.” Jiang Bai’s eyes reddened slightly as he glared at them in mock anger. “Clearly, it’s you guys who feel that no girls have come to watch you play lately, so you’ve all been hoping for Tang Mo to come.”
The team members laughed. “Actually, Jiang Bai looks quite good too. It’s just a pity he’s too short; otherwise, he’d definitely be as popular as Tang Mo.”
The basketball captain even went as far as to compare Jiang Bai’s height which didn’t even reach his shoulder with a look full of teasing.
Jiang Bai was so angry he tried to kick him, but the captain easily dodged.
“Did you need something from me?” Tang Mo glanced at the captain teasing Jiang Bai, his tone indifferent.
Unable to hit anyone, Jiang Bai bit his lip and walked back somewhat huffily.
Standing next to Tang Mo, the stark height difference made Jiang Bai look tiny.
Jiang Bai looked up at him and explained, “There’s a match next week. They’re afraid they won’t win, so they want you to play as a starter.”
“Who said we couldn’t win?” the team members protested one after another.
Jiang Bai snapped, “You guys said it yourselves!”
“Jiang Bai is angry, we’re so scared!” Several team members close to him teased jokingly.
Jiang Bai no longer wanted to pay them any mind and continued to Tang Mo, “The match is next weekend. You only need to participate in one game to ensure the team advances.”
Once serious matters were discussed, the other teammates also became professional.
The match wasn’t difficult, and after thinking it over, Tang Mo agreed.
“Your jersey was torn last time. I originally wanted to mend it for you, but I was afraid you’d dislike it, so I ordered a new one for you. Do you want to go try it on?” Jiang Bai said to him with a smile.
He was a clean-cut and delicate person, and when he smiled, he looked particularly cute.
When those clear eyes looked at someone, it was very hard to refuse.
On the way to the locker room, Jiang Bai chattered about recent events in the team, and Tang Mo occasionally offered a brief response.
Jiang Bai seemed very used to his cold demeanor and even specifically explained, “Are you bothered by everyone’s jokes just now?”
Receiving no answer from Tang Mo, he turned to look at him, only to see him looking down at his phone, sending a message.
“I know you have someone you like, and I’ve explained it to everyone—” As Jiang Bai was speaking, he saw a faint smile flash across Tang Mo’s stern face.
He was momentarily stunned. Seeing Tang Mo so focused on sending the message, he chose not to speak further.
Su Chengning had just finished a meeting and felt somewhat exhausted.
After several department managers finished reporting on follow-up matters, they were sent out of the office.
Assistant Qiu brought in a cup of tea. “President Su, you’ve been busy all week. Why don’t you take a break tomorrow?”
“Working overtime for a whole week is indeed quite tiring.”
Su Chengning leaned back in his chair, his expression somewhat listless.
He glanced at the calendar on the desk; it was already the weekend.
When a message from Tang Mo popped up, a spark of energy returned to his eyes.
Tang Mo: Brother Chengning, I haven’t seen you for several days. Do you miss me!
Su Chengning: Who is this?
Tang Mo: Huh?
Su Chengning: Don’t ‘huh’ me. If you don’t say who it is, I’ll block you.
Tang Mo was startled and replied immediately.
Tang Mo: Brother, I am your Xiao Mo.
Su Chengning laughed and signaled for Assistant Qiu to leave.
Su Chengning: Which Xiao Mo?
Tang Mo: Your dearest Xiao Mo.
Thick-skinned brat.
Su Chengning: My dearest Xiao Mo is waiting for me at home, isn’t he?
When Tang Mo saw this message, he was stunned for a second, then immediately reacted, his eyes filling with surprise.
This definitely meant he should wait at home.
It had to be.
Tang Mo was so happy he could practically fly.
After joyfully replying to Su Chengning, he turned to Jiang Bai and said, “I won’t try the jersey. I have something to do; I’m leaving now.”