The gentle, lingering call of “Ning Ning” echoed clearly in Cheng Shuoning’s ears, disrupting all his thoughts.
His mind seemed to slow down by tens of times, unable to react to Xu Wangzhi’s words. As he felt the hot breath approaching, his heart lost its rhythm, almost leaping out of his throat.
Cheng Shuoning, bewildered and dazed, repeated, “You want… to kiss me?”
“Yes.” Xu Wangzhi moved even closer, his fingers gently caressing the smooth, tender skin of the young man’s cheek, each touch restraining the overwhelming impulse within him.
‘Are you scared?’
Hearing the voice in his heart, Cheng Shuoning suddenly snapped back to reality, meeting those deep, ink-black eyes that made his heart tremble, his breath catching.
He felt as if Xu Wangzhi wanted to devour him, his gaze extremely dangerous.
At that moment, Cheng Shuoning belatedly realized just how close Xu Wangzhi was.
Close enough that a slight move forward would make their noses touch.
Xu Wangzhi said he liked him, wanted to kiss him.
Cheng Shuoning’s gaze involuntarily fell on Xu Wangzhi’s attractive thin lips, and he felt his mouth go dry.
What should he say?
No, is this the time to think about what to say?
The broken thread in his mind reconnected, and Cheng Shuoning’s cheeks turned crimson at an alarming speed. In his excitement as he stood up, he knocked over the water cup beside him.
Cheng Shuoning hurried to catch it, but a hand reached out before him, causing his hand to land directly on top of that hand instead of the cup.
The sensation of knuckles against his palm made Cheng Shuoning freeze, his barely stabilized mind once again thrown into chaos. He could only grasp a sliver of clarity from the mess in his head—thankfully, the cup was empty.
“Ning Ning.” Xu Wangzhi softly called, seeing the young man’s stunned expression.
“Yes.” Cheng Shuoning responded instinctively, suddenly remembering what he was doing, and quickly withdrew his hand.
His palm was sweaty, and he wasn’t sure if Xu Wangzhi had noticed. Looking down, he stammered, “It’s… late. I should, should go to bed. Thank you!”
Then he turned and ran, forgetting to take his test paper with him.
Xu Wangzhi placed the cup back in its original position, looking at the test paper on the table, still unfinished.
Ning Ning.
He called softly, his tone indulgent, repeating it over and over, as if he could never say it enough.
“I’m not scared.” His phone chimed with a message, “It’s just… too sudden.”
…
Cheng Shuoning stood at the door, taking deep breaths of fresh air.
The cold wind cooled the heat on his face, gradually calming him down.
Suddenly recalling Xu Wangzhi’s face, his cheeks burned again. Cheng Shuoning waved a hand over his face, “I can’t think about it, can’t think about it.”
His phone vibrated, and Cheng Shuoning quickly picked it up.
Xu Wangzhi: “Good night.”
Then another message followed, “Ning Ning.”
Through the screen, Cheng Shuoning could almost hear Xu Wangzhi’s husky voice calling him “Ning Ning,” and he felt like he was about to explode.
He touched his burning face, returned to his room, and after washing up, lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
Cheng Shuoning pulled the blanket over himself, trying to count sheep to fall asleep.
But Xu Wangzhi’s voice kept echoing in his ears, interrupting his counting.
He didn’t know how he eventually fell asleep, only waking up from a chaotic, embarrassing dream to see the bright full moon through the window.
Cheng Shuoning got up to close the curtains.
Waves of drowsiness washed over him, making his eyelids heavy. He returned to bed, closed his eyes, and drifted back to sleep, not dwelling on the absurd dream he had just had.
Perhaps due to the excitement of the previous night, Cheng Shuoning’s eyes felt sore when he woke up the next morning.
Squinting, he walked into the bathroom to wash up.
Once dressed, he glanced at the tightly closed door next to him, hesitated for a couple of seconds, then looked away and went to the breakfast shop alone.
Should he wait for Xu Wangzhi to go to school together?
Cheng Shuoning took a bite of his fried bun, looking at the phone on the table.
It remained silent, with no messages.
He picked up the soy milk, intending to take a sip, when his phone suddenly chimed, grabbing all his attention. Cheng Shuoning immediately put down the soy milk and checked his phone.
It was a message from a food channel he followed, not from Xu Wangzhi.
His emotions were complicated, not sure if he felt disappointed or something else. Cheng Shuoning shook his head, pushed aside those thoughts, finished his breakfast, and took the bus to school.
He arrived at school just as the clock struck seven, and many students were already there.
As he was going upstairs, someone bumped into him from behind. He managed to grab the wall in time to avoid falling.
The person who bumped into him muttered an apology and hurried upstairs.
Cheng Shuoning straightened up, feeling someone’s gaze on him. He looked up.
Han Tian stood not far away, staring at him with a blank expression, his gaze cold and sharp, as if he didn’t recognize him.
“Legs weak? Need me to carry you up?” Han Tian asked, but didn’t move, as if he was just there to watch the show.
“No need.” Cheng Shuoning replied calmly.
“I know you want to agree, but you’re just too proud to admit it, pretending to be strong here.” Han Tian slowly approached, turned his back to Cheng Shuoning, and squatted down, “Come on, I’ll carry you up.”
He added, “Without us, what would you do…”
A long, indescribable sigh made Cheng Shuoning take a step back. He ignored Han Tian and turned to leave via another staircase.
Han Tian quickly felt a weight on his back. He had intended to lift Cheng Shuoning and then drop him, but found him too heavy to lift.
This left him speechless, so he simply stopped trying, pushed Cheng Shuoning away, and sneered, “Ha, I knew you wanted me to carry you. But too bad, I suddenly don’t feel like it. Walk up yourself.”
He had been looking for a chance to make Cheng Shuoning regret not having him around, and today he finally got it. He thought Cheng Shuoning would be hurt and sad by his attitude.
That’s the effect he wanted. He could already imagine Cheng Shuoning’s pitiful expression, and it made him feel good.
“What nonsense are you spouting?” Li Shengfei, who had been pushed aside by him and nearly fell, raised an eyebrow and kicked him in the backside, “You almost made me fall. What’s wrong with you?”
“Damn, why is it you? Where’s Ning Ning?” Han Tian turned around in surprise, realizing Cheng Shuoning had already gone up the other staircase, and cursed.
“So you wanted to carry Ning Ning? I thought you were waiting for me here, and I was a bit touched for a moment.” Li Shengfei laughed until his stomach hurt, guessing what Han Tian was thinking.
Han Tian, embarrassed and angry, pushed Li Shengfei aside and headed upstairs.
He had thought he finally had a chance to mock Cheng Shuoning and make him see reality, but Cheng Shuoning completely ignored him.
Had his charm diminished?
Han Tian looked at himself in the mirror in the hallway, striking a handsome pose, feeling perfect from every angle.
So it must be Cheng Shuoning’s problem.
He was determined to make Cheng Shuoning return to his previous attitude toward him, and then, mimicking Cheng Shuoning’s inexplicable coldness now, push him away and let him taste his current feelings.
“What are you preening for?” Li Shengfei mocked as he passed by, “Ning Ning won’t change his mind. Haven’t you noticed that after pushing us away, he’s been very close to that Xu Wangzhi? Maybe he’s already fallen for someone else and left you behind.”
“Impossible.” Han Tian frowned, refusing to believe it, “He liked me so much before. It’s impossible for him to stop liking me just like that. He pushed us away only because we’re close to Cheng Meng. I’ll just stay away from Cheng Meng. I don’t believe Ning Ning will still be cold to me.”
“Tsk, can you bear to leave Cheng Meng?” Li Shengfei asked, rubbing his chin.
“What’s there to bear? We were just playing around. You know that well, don’t you? Unless you really like him?” Han Tian thought of something and gave Li Shengfei a sidelong glance.
Li Shengfei uncharacteristically fell silent.
This gave Han Tian an opening. He grabbed Li Shengfei’s shoulder and leaned in, “Do you really like him? Then stop thinking about Ning Ning and get together with him.”
Li Shengfei ignored him, brushed his hand off, and turned to go upstairs.
When he reached the second floor, he stopped, not looking back, but with a smirk, “Isn’t Cheng Meng quite cute? It’s normal for me to like him. Compared to Cheng Shuoning, he indeed treats us better, taking care of us in every way, doesn’t he?”
“He’s just okay.” Han Tian had only enjoyed the attention before, but now he realized there wasn’t much he liked about Cheng Meng.
He didn’t rush into the classroom, standing in the hallway with a yawn, suddenly noticing Cheng Meng heading toward the teaching building below. He called out, “Cheng Meng.”
The person below looked up at the sound, unusually not smiling, but giving Han Tian a cold look before continuing forward.
This surprised Han Tian, and he turned to Li Shengfei, “What’s his deal?”
“Probably in a bad mood.” Li Shengfei didn’t care, “Everyone has bad days.”
“Have you ever thought about why Ning Ning has changed so much? Sometimes I feel like he knows exactly what I’m thinking. Do you think he might really know what we’re thinking? Is that why he’s like this with us now?”
“Who knows.” Han Tian’s words were too far-fetched for Li Shengfei to take seriously. His attention was entirely on the unusual Cheng Meng, and he eventually turned to find Cheng Meng.
He had thought it over. Since Cheng Shuoning already knew about his and Cheng Meng’s relationship, there was no need to hide anything at school.
If he had to choose between the two, he now wanted to choose Cheng Meng. As for Cheng Shuoning, since he wasn’t paying attention to him, there was no need for him to approach.
“You don’t look well. Did you stay up late?” Li Shengfei asked as he ran into Cheng Meng on his way downstairs, offering to carry his bag.
Cheng Meng avoided him, his attitude cold, “Weren’t you hiding it before? What are you doing now? Aren’t you afraid Cheng Shuoning will find out?”
“No need anymore.” Li Shengfei said, “Ning Ning already knows about us.”
Cheng Meng said nothing, bypassing him and leaving. His unusually cold attitude made Li Shengfei raise an eyebrow, feeling a bit uneasy.
*
The classroom was already filled with many people. Cheng Shuoning sat at his desk, rubbing his temples.
Zhang Xiuli from the back row suddenly leaned over, suspiciously asking, “Why are your dark circles so bad? What did you do last night?”
It wasn’t surprising that Zhang Xiuli was curious. Cheng Shuoning’s fair skin made any dark circles stand out, making him look a bit listless.
Cheng Shuoning paused and said, “I had a bit of insomnia.”
Just as he said this, Xu Wangzhi walked into the classroom.
Their eyes met in the air, and Cheng Shuoning wasn’t sure if Xu Wangzhi had heard his response to Zhang Xiuli.
His back stiffened as he looked away, fiddling with the pen in his hand.
Xu Wangzhi slowly walked over and sat down beside him.
Zhang Xiuli glanced at one, then the other, scratching her head, “You two are strange. Both have such heavy dark circles. Did you have insomnia at the same time?”
“Seems like it.” Zhang Xiuli’s deskmate chimed in, “I’ve never seen you guys with dark circles before.”
Their words were like stones thrown into a lake, creating ripples.
Cheng Shuoning’s heart skipped a beat, the events of last night replaying in his mind, causing his ears to turn a subtle shade of red.
“Hey, classmate.” Someone knocked on the window.
Cheng Shuoning reflexively turned to look, meeting a pair of beautiful almond-shaped eyes.
The girl with long black hair smiled gently at him, dimples appearing, “I’m from the next class. I have something to talk to you about. Can you come out for a moment?”
Cheng Shuoning didn’t recognize her.
He barely interacted with his classmates, let alone those from the next class, so he couldn’t guess why the girl was looking for him.
“You can say it here.”
“I…” The girl’s eyes darted around, her face turning red, “I’m a bit embarrassed, so could you please come out? It won’t take long, really, just five minutes.”
Cheng Shuoning got up and left the classroom.
The two of them stood face to face in the hallway, the girl talking all the while. Her face grew redder, and she eventually lowered her head shyly.
Zhang Xiuli suddenly said, “That girl seems to be holding a letter. It looks like one. Do you think she’s confessing to Cheng Shuoning?”
“That’s exciting!” Her deskmate instantly became interested, “Confessing so early in the morning, she must really like Cheng Shuoning. Can you hear what they’re saying?”
Zhang Xiuli replied, “How could I hear that? But seeing how shy the girl looks, they must be having a good conversation, right? But she’s from the next class, and we don’t have much contact with them. Why did she suddenly come to confess to Cheng Shuoning? Love at first sight?”
Xu Wangzhi pursed his lips slightly, glancing out the window to see the girl indeed handing a letter to Cheng Shuoning.
The young man stood straight, his figure bathed in the light of the rising sun, looking somewhat indescribably thin.
Compared to the blushing, shy girl, his expression was quite indifferent. He didn’t take the letter but suddenly turned to look at Xu Wangzhi, his gaze holding an indescribable peculiarity.