Getting a leave note was easy. Li Yun had signed a stack of them for Jiang Wan last semester—just fill in the time and name, and it was ready to use.
“Lu Xingxing.” The others in the classroom were still studying on their own, and Jiang Wan kept his voice very low. “Can you make it back before the dormitory curfew?”
Lu Xingheng frowned. “You’re not coming?”
“Huh?”
Lu Xingheng: “It’s mainly for you.”
Jiang Wan lowered his eyes and only spoke after signing the note: “I can’t get away. I have to monitor the discipline.”
Lu Xingheng’s lips tightened, his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, and he simply replied with a faint “Mm.”
“Done.” Jiang Wan handed the leave note to Lu Xingheng. “Just show it to the guard later.”
“What happened to your hand?” Lu Xingheng suddenly grabbed Jiang Wan’s wrist.
There was a small patch of redness and swelling on the back of Jiang Wan’s hand, with his veins visibly bluish.
“Got scratched by my brother.” Jiang Wan pulled his hand back and nudged Lu Xingheng’s back lightly. “Hurry up, Wen Yi is still waiting.”
“Do you want to spray something on it?”
“What?”
Lu Xingheng turned around and pulled a small bottle from under the desk. “Spray.”
“Yunnan Baiyao…” Jiang Wan propped his chin on his hand and looked at him. “Lu Xingxing, where did you get all these random medicines?”
“The doctor said this one doesn’t sting.” Lu Xingheng stuffed the medicine into Jiang Wan’s palm, his brow still furrowed. “It’s all bruised.”
Jiang Wan pursed his lips lightly. As Lu Xingheng was leaving, he suddenly reached out, barely grazing the tips of Lu Xingheng’s fingers.
Lu Xingheng: “Hmm?”
Jiang Wan didn’t look at him again. “Give my regards to Wen Yi for me.”
The test paper spread out on the desk remained unturned for a long while. Only after some time did Jiang Wan pick up his pen and erase the wrong answers he had absentmindedly chosen earlier.
——oo——
“Where’s the little darling?”
Wen Qian sat on a stone bench beside He’an Lake, the hem of her skirt swaying gently in the breeze, her fingertips covered in paint. Lu Xingheng took out a wet wipe and carefully cleaned them for her.
Lu Xingheng: “What are you painting?”
Wen Qian didn’t answer, still standing on tiptoe to look ahead. “Xingheng, where’s the little darling?”
“He didn’t come.”
Wen Qian looked a bit disappointed. “Did I seem like a weird auntie earlier?”
Lu Xingheng shook his head. “No.”
“I just feel…” Lu Xingheng paused and didn’t continue.
“What?” Wen Qian smeared the paint from her palm onto Lu Xingheng’s hand, threatening, “Are you going to tell me or not?”
“Don’t move around.” Lu Xingheng said. “It won’t come off later.”
“Fine.” Wen Qian obediently spread her hands open.
“Mom.”
Wen Qian looked up. Lu Xingheng’s emotions were written all over his face—right now, his brow was furrowed, and he was clearly in a bad mood.
“He… might be missing his mom?”
Wen Qian fell silent for a moment. Only after the paint on her hands was completely wiped clean did she speak softly, “Should we try to cheer him up?”
Lu Xingheng muttered, “How?”
“Buy some sweets, like little cakes or fruits… or maybe some milk. He’s so thin—he should’ve been nourished long ago.”
Lu Xingheng said abruptly, “Mom, is the house all settled?”
They had been living in Suzhou before but had moved here recently due to some personal matters.
Wen Qian nodded. “Just a few pieces of furniture left. Don’t want to stay in the dorm anymore?”
“No.” Lu Xingheng recalled, “I remember you had an oil painting of Jiang Wan when he was little. Is it still around?”
Mentioning these oil paintings, Wen Qian lit up with enthusiasm. “It’s still here… There’s also one of you when you were little, riding a bicycle with Bunny!”
“Mm.” Lu Xingheng, “Can you give it to me?”
“If it’s for Bunny, then yes!” Wen Qian took out his phone to send a text, “I’ll have the housekeeper bring it over right now.”
The infirmary didn’t have many types of medicine, just the same few over and over. Lu Xingheng went to the central hospital and bought several kinds of painkillers.
Jiang Tutu, you little fool, how dare you take medicine when you’re allergic.
Lu Xingheng returned much earlier than Jiang Wan had expected. He was quietly discussing a chemistry problem with Jiang Wenyan when someone gently tapped the back of his left hand.
Only when Jiang Wan looked up at him did Lu Xingheng speak. “Is your hand feeling better?”
Jiang Wan pursed his dry lips and didn’t say anything, just extended his left hand, palm down.
Lu Xingheng examined it carefully. The swelling on Jiang Wan’s hand had gone down quite a bit. “Remember to spray it again before bed.”
Jiang Wenyan tugged on Jiang Wan’s sleeve. “Brother, there’s no reducing agent…”
He trailed off halfway, muttering quietly, “What bad luck.”
Lu Xingheng didn’t think much of it.
Jiang Wan circled a key part of the question with his pen. “Pay attention to what the question is asking.”
Jiang Wenyan: “I didn’t notice it earlier.”
“Little brother, do you have some misunderstanding about Lu Xingheng?”
Jiang Wenyan’s voice was stiff. “No.”
After a moment, he added resentfully, “He bullied you last time and even took your medicine.”
Wanting to mediate, Jiang Wan turned around and lightly tapped Lu Xingheng’s desk with a bent index finger.
“Lu Xingxing, why did you take my medicine last time?”
Lu Xingheng’s voice was cold and distant. “Didn’t want you to take it.”
Jiang Wan: “…Say it properly.”
Jiang Wenyan didn’t even turn around, flipping his workbook loudly to express his current irritable mood.
Jiang Wan couldn’t understand. “Are you really that eager to pick a fight with little brother?”
Lu Xingheng marked a multiple-choice question and didn’t respond.
“If you’re going to be like this, I’m going into power-saving mode too.” Jiang Wan.
This time, Lu Xingheng responded quickly. “No.”
Lu Xingheng wasn’t good at socializing, especially pointless socializing. He ran through every polite phrase he could think of before finally calling out to Jiang Wenyan.
Jiang Wenyan looked aloof.
Lu Xingheng was like a block of wood.
Jiang Wan was stuck between the wood and the ice. After about ten seconds, the wood spoke first.
Lu Xingheng: “I’m sorry.”
Jiang Wan: “”
Jiang Wenyan held back a curse, yanking his chair hard with a loud clatter. He instantly became even more agitated.
Jiang Wan found it somewhat amusing. “You didn’t do anything wrong, why are you apologizing?”
Lu the block of wood: “”
Jiang Wan: “Lu Xingxing, if you ignore people again, I’m going into power-saving mode.”
“I’m here.” Lu Xingheng, “I have a gift for you after class.”
Jiang Wan was curious. “What gift?”
Lu Xingheng: “From my mom.”
…
Jiang Wan glanced at the clock. Seeing it was about time, he lightly tapped the side of the desk with his textbook. “For the opening ceremony, does anyone want to volunteer to perform a talent?”
“No talents here, Class President.”
Xu Yichen said foolishly, “Class President, how about you just stand on stage for half an hour doing nothing? I bet plenty of people would cheer you on anyway. As the saying goes, good looks are justice.”
“That’s not a saying.” Jiang Wan retorted.
“Class President, if no one signs up, I can do a poetry recitation.” Liang Min said quietly.
Jiang Wan remembered her—a girl who transferred into the Advanced Class in the second semester of freshman year due to outstanding grades. He had even bought her stomach medicine once. She always wore her hair in twin braids, a very cute girl.
“Sure.” Jiang Wan led the applause, and a sparse smattering of clapping echoed through the classroom.
Once the room quieted down, Jiang Wan gently said to Liang Min, “If you’re really scared, you don’t have to force yourself.”
“How about I perform solving a math problem instead,” a boy shouted.
“Damn, that kind of thing depends on the person. Probably only the class monitor would have people watching, since he’s handsome—good-looking enough to look good even in a sack.”
“I still remember a few days ago at the start of the semester, the class monitor’s desk drawer was full of love letters. Some of the envelopes were even blue!”
Lu Xingheng paused his writing.
“Look at you, so uncultured!” Xu Yichen cut in. “My childhood friend has even received green envelopes!”
“Damn, I don’t even help old ladies, but I bow to you. I declare Xu Yichen the class monitor’s biggest anti-fan!”