Yu Chengfeng.
Seeing him notch a second arrow, Yu Tingzheng instinctively wanted to hide, but he had no idea how to make the horse run. He tried shouting “Giddy up!” a few times, but the horse remained in place, leisurely flicking its tail.
A moment later, an arrow whistled through the wind. Yu Tingzheng’s eyes widened; he wanted to lean to the side to dodge it but was terrified of falling off the horse. He gripped the reins tightly, his heart leaping into his throat.
However, the arrow did not strike him; it was knocked away mid-air by an arrow fired from another direction. Turning his head, he saw the teacher lowering his bow and saying calmly, “Anyone who intentionally harms a classmate will have their examination qualification revoked.”
Pei Qingyu stood beside the teacher, his gaze drifting over with a faint expression. Catching his eye, Yu Tingzheng felt a surge of complex emotions: grievance, panic, and a touch of embarrassment.
The horse-archery exam consisted of three rounds. After all, three, Yu Tingzheng’s arrows hadn’t even grazed the edge of the targets, earning him zero points. Yu Chengfeng, however, was disqualified for his attempt to harm a classmate. He shot Yu Tingzheng a hateful look before leaving with his friends.
Yu Tingzheng felt an instinctive surge of fear, but a moment later, he realized he was no longer at the Yu house and didn’t have to endure his bullying anymore. His spirits rose, and he straightened his chest, thinking that next time, he would certainly pay him back.
Suddenly, he saw Pei Qingyu take a bow from the rack, test its weight, and notch two arrows, aiming directly at Yu Chengfeng’s back. Yu Tingzheng’s eyes widened, his lips trembling, but before he could speak, the other let go.
The two arrows shot through the air, heading straight for the retreating figure.
“Why did you strike him on the field? You’ve wasted your exam for nothing,” a classmate said, patting Yu Chengfeng’s shoulder with a sympathetic sigh.
Yu Chengfeng lowered his eyes. The thought of the change in Yu Tingzheng made him gnash his teeth. “I just couldn’t stand the sight of him”
Hardly had the words left his mouth when a scream rang out. Just as he was about to turn his head, two arrows struck him in the back. Before he could react, his body hit the ground with a loud thud.
The crowd moved aside in shock, creating a path as everyone looked toward the source of the arrows. When they saw who it was, they were left dumbfounded.
Receiving Yu Chengfeng’s glare, Pei Qingyu tilted his chin and looked back with a slight arch of his brow. He flicked his sleeve and hung the bow back on the wooden rack, then tapped Yu Tingzheng’s head. “What are you dazed for? Hurry up and let’s go.”
“Yu… Yu’er…” After they had walked a good distance away, Yu Tingzheng finally managed to exclaim, “Yu’er is… too amazing!”
Pei Qingyu gave a cold huff. “It’s just drawing a bow and shooting an arrow; a mere trick. You should learn it well in the future.”
Yu Chengfeng was naturally one to bully the weak while fearing the strong. Coupled with Pei Qingyu’s high status, he didn’t dare make a scene. He silently endured the pain of the two arrows, transferring all his hatred onto Yu Tingzheng, shooting him a venomous look as they entered the gate.
When school let out and they returned home, Yu Tingzheng was pulled into the room by Pei Qingyu. He was pressed down onto the daybed and had the clothes pulled away from his shoulder.
His skin, which hadn’t been tanned by the sun, was pale and smooth, making the circular bruise on his shoulder blade especially prominent. With just a touch, the person beneath him began to grimace in pain.
“Yu’er, it hurts… hiss…”
Pei Qingyu gnashed his teeth, thinking that those two arrows had been too light; he really should have given that man a proper beating.
A-Tong brought over some medicinal ointment, muttering about how the Young Master was at odds with someone again, making enemies of two people so soon after joining the academy. Pei Qingyu took the ointment and sent him away. With a solemn expression, he spread the salve on his palm, let it warm, and then pressed his hand against the bruise on Yu Tingzheng’s shoulder, gently massaging it.
Despite his movements being so light, Yu Tingzheng continued to whimper and groan. Hearing it made Pei Qingyu’s ears turn hot. “You can’t even stand this bit of pain? Are you perhaps made of steamed buns?”
Huh? How could he be made of steamed buns?
Yu Tingzheng turned his head to look at him and retorted seriously: “I am… not made… of steamed buns.”
“You are.” Pei Qingyu pinched his cheek and gave it a squeeze. “Since you are so soft, you must be made of steamed buns.”
Yu Tingzheng was about to argue further when he was suddenly pressed on the small of his back. His strength vanished, and his body slumped onto the daybed.
Pei Qingyu’s lips curled into a successful smirk. Without helping him fix his clothes, he stood up and walked out as if nothing had happened, urging him to get up for dinner.
“Oh… coming… coming.” Yu Tingzheng scrambled up and fixed his clothes. The small of his back still felt tingly, as if fingers were still pressing there; it was a very strange feeling.
Days at the academy were exceptionally dull. Throughout the day, Pei Qingyu read books or played Go, but he still found it boring. The person beside him was the most diligent listener, sitting with his back perfectly straight. Although he couldn’t recognize many characters, his notes were quite neat.
Occasionally, Pei Qingyu would get mischievous, reaching out to snatch his brush to play with, or using the tip of his shoe to nudge the boy’s foot under the table. When a breeze blew by, he would use the boy’s sleeve to block the wind. When he grew tired, he would pull the boy’s arm over to use as a pillow while he slept.
The teacher would take one look and then continue with the lesson.
Yu Tingzheng was not annoyed; instead, a faint joy bubbled in his heart. He wanted Pei Qingyu to keep using his arm as a pillow, and he wondered what the boy would think when he woke up and saw whose arm he was on. Since Pei Qingyu had started bothering him, he had lost the will to listen to the lesson anyway; he was only pretending.
While the other boy slept, he would steal occasional glances at him, sometimes worrying if he would catch a chill, other times wondering if his own arm was too hard. The teacher looked at him several times, as did Wei Zijing; the more the teacher looked, the more Wei Zijing’s irritation grew.
By the time Pei Qingyu woke up, school had already let out and the classroom was in an uproar. Just as he was about to see what Yu Tingzheng was doing, a wave of dizziness washed over him, and he leaned his head against the boy’s shoulder.
Yu Tingzheng trembled, his eyes widening as he turned his head. “Yu… Yu… Yu’er?”
After a moment of recovery, a pale-faced Pei Qingyu looked up and met his eyes. He pursed his light-colored lips and sat back up. He didn’t say anything, but Yu Tingzheng could sense his low spirits.
“Yu’er… what’s wrong?” Yu Tingzheng moved closer in a panic. “Is your body… unwell?”
Pei Qingyu looked at him with drooping eyelids. “I’m dizzy.”
“Dizzy?”
Yu Tingzheng blinked, then suddenly remembered something. With an “Oh!”, he began rummaging through his book box. He pulled out a paper packet of sweets, opened it, and took out a piece to feed to Pei Qingyu.
Pei Qingyu was stunned for a moment, then gave a huff and opened his mouth to eat it. Once finished, he said, “You certainly are thoughtful.”
Seeing his complexion improve, Yu Tingzheng laughed. “A-Tong told me, to keep them ready.”
Pei Qingyu’s face immediately fell, and he let out another huff. However, A-Tong was the most aware of his frequent dizziness due to anemia; he always prepared sweets for him. Yu Tingzheng hadn’t known this before, so it wasn’t his fault. Moreover, the fact that he had prepared them and even fed him personally meant he was doing quite well.
Thinking of this, his expression softened. “I want another one.”
Yu Tingzheng fed him another piece. This was the first time he had ever allowed someone to feed him sweets; when A-Tong was around, the boy would simply hand them over for him to eat himself.
Pei Qingyu thought about it and reached a conclusion: The two of them are different. Yu Tingzheng is my wife; naturally, A-Tong cannot compare to him.
His heart felt as if it were being warmed by something. The tips of Pei Qingyu’s ears turned slightly hot as he said awkwardly, “I want more.”
Unexpectedly, Yu Tingzheng closed the book box and said seriously, “Yu’er… cannot eat, any more.” He spoke with the air of an elder: “A-Tong said… too much sugar… is not good.”
Pei Qingyu curled his lip. “You’re trying to manage me?”
Yu Tingzheng blinked his eyes wide. “I… I can’t… manage Yu’er?”
“I suppose you can.” Pei Qingyu’s face heated up, and he raised his hand to push the boy’s face away. “You are not allowed to look at me like that.”
Yu Tingzheng’s face also heated up. He wrapped the sweets back up and tucked them away in his book box.