Ji Leyu entered the classroom in a relaxed mood, with Lin Fei’s words “do things as you like” echoing in his mind.
Sure enough, no matter when, Lin Fei always cares the most about him.
He couldn’t help but sneak a glance at Lin Fei, and another, continuing until Lin Fei looked somewhat helpless. “You haven’t finished your math paper today.”
“Oh,” Ji Leyu obediently replied.
Rarely did he feign ignorance or act contrary; instead, he obediently took out the notebook Lin Fei had bought for him earlier, selected a sheet, and began writing.
But as he wrote, he couldn’t help but sneak glances at Lin Fei.
He’s really handsome, Ji Leyu thought, his brother is really cool!
The second class in the afternoon was physical education.
Just as the PE teacher had finished announcing free activities, Jiang Jingshuo was about to ask Lin Fei what he wanted to do when Ji Leyu hugged his shoulder.
“Do you play basketball?” Ji Leyu smiled broadly. “We’re going to play basketball, want to join us?”
Jiang Jingshuo thought he meant “we” as in Ji Leyu and Lin Fei, and immediately agreed, “Sure.”
It wasn’t until they reached the court that he realized Ji Leyu’s “we” referred to him and his other friends, not including Lin Fei.
Lin Fei hadn’t even come to the court with them; he went to the parallel bars area.
“Isn’t Lin Fei coming with us?” he asked Ji Leyu.
Ji Leyu shook his head gently, tender and sincere. “He wants to study.”
Unexpected yet understandable, Jiang Jingshuo nodded. He didn’t want to suddenly back out at this point, so he took the ball and joined Ji Leyu and his friends in the game.
Ji Leyu played with them for a while, watching as Jiang Jingshuo quickly joined Shi Qi and others, laughing and running around the court, a faint smile in his eyes.
With this connection established, whether tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, or every day in the future, when Shi Qi asked him out to eat, it would naturally fall into place.
He turned to a nearby classmate and said, “I’m going to take a break, could you take over for me?”
“Sure,” the classmate agreed.
Ji Leyu turned and walked towards Lin Fei.
Reaching the parallel bars, he leaned against them and sat down.
A breeze passed by, and Ji Leyu lifted his chin slightly, feeling inexplicably relaxed and at ease.
Casually, he glanced towards the nearby basketball court where Jiang Jingshuo was still playing.
A hint of disdain flickered in Ji Leyu’s eyes, but he concealed it well.
He tilted his head, leaning on Lin Fei’s shoulder, a smile playing on his lips with ambiguous meaning.
People always enjoy liveliness and prefer others to take the initiative with them.
Gentleness is more appealing than indifference, and noise is more charming than silence.
No one wants to stay in one place, waiting only for occasional glances from the other.
Therefore, he just needs to be a little warmer, appear a bit friendlier, and Jiang Jingshuo will come to his side and focus his attention on him.
Then, he won’t cling to Lin Fei anymore.
Gambling on stones is a skill, but most people lack this skill. They can’t tell which stone is ordinary and which hides priceless jade. Thus, they can never possess jade, let alone glimpse its precious flawlessness.
Of course, they don’t deserve it.
Ji Leyu smiled, turned his head, and rested his chin on Lin Fei’s shoulder. “I’m thirsty.”
He said, “Brother, will you accompany me to buy some water?”
When Jiang Jingshuo successfully dunked and turned around to get some water, he noticed Lin Fei and Ji Leyu walking away towards the edge of the playground.
He paused slightly, realizing only then that Ji Leyu had already left at some point.
“He’s not playing anymore?” he asked Shi Qi beside him.
Taking a sip of water, Shi Qi chuckled, “He never plays the whole game. Once he’s had enough, he goes to find Lin Fei.”
“What does he do with Lin Fei?”
“Buys water, talks, chats, you know.” Shi Qi screwed the cap back on his mineral water bottle. “Unless Lin Fei joins us to play, he’ll just hang around for the fun.”
“Let’s go then.” Shi Qi hadn’t forgotten Ji Leyu’s instructions. “Let’s continue.”
Jiang Jingshuo nodded without refusal.
In this new and unfamiliar environment, Jiang Jingshuo genuinely wanted to get along well with everyone and naturally wouldn’t refuse others’ invitations at such times.
After buying water and returning, Ji Leyu glanced over from afar and saw Jiang Jingshuo still playing with Shi Qi, feeling even more disdainful.
Soon, Jiang Jingshuo will no longer be a thorn in his side.
For Ji Leyu, winning others’ favor was a simple matter. He was naturally handsome, with features like those from a painting, and his amber eyes were clear and pure like a summer stream.
Moreover, he loved to smile, always with a gentle tone in his speech, like an unopened flower bud, tender and delicate. A little pressure might break his fragile stem, causing everyone who faced him to unconsciously lower their guard, only seeing his surface of innocent beauty, without noticing the thorns hidden in the dark.
Jiang Jingshuo was clearly no exception.
Ji Leyu quickly became familiar with him.
He would take a detour to Jiang Jingshuo’s seat to chat after class, invite him to buy things together after class, and pull him along during free activities in physical education class.
Before long, Song Qiang noticed that Jiang Jingshuo, who was supposed to be friends with Lin Fei, seemed to be getting closer to Ji Leyu.
Song Qiang looked bewildered and confused. What is going on?
The relationships between these people are so messy!
How could you be friends with Ji Leyu?
Your friend is Lin Fei, not him!
Don’t just fall for Ji Leyu’s beautiful appearance!
You need to see through appearances and understand the essence!
Lin Fei is the person you should be associating with, do you understand?!
She was so angry she wanted to march over and grab Jiang Jingshuo by the collar, telling him, ‘Your friend is not Ji Leyu, it’s Lin Fei. Don’t be deceived by his gentle appearance. The more handsome a man looks, the more likely he is to deceive! There’s still time to turn back!’
Unfortunately, she was left with thoughts but no actions — even if she did say these things to Jiang Jingshuo, would he believe her? Would he even be willing to listen?
One can’t force friendships. If Jiang Jingshuo preferred being friends with Ji Leyu and ignored Lin Fei, there was nothing she could do to change his mind.
Song Qiang glared angrily at Jiang Jingshuo, feeling he might as well not be around to avoid getting herself upset like this.
She slumped over her desk, unsure of what to do.
Ji Leyu finished school with a happy mood and returned home.
Lin Fei’s new books had arrived, and he planned to organize his bookshelf today. Ji Leyu took the initiative to help him carry a stack of books, smiling, “Need any help?”
“No need,” Lin Fei replied flatly. “You should go do your homework.”
Ji Leyu: …
“Can’t we talk about something other than homework?”
Lin Fei turned to look at him. “So you want to write study notes?”
Ji Leyu: … Fine, he should focus on his homework.
Just as he was thinking this, he felt his phone vibrate a few times in his pocket.
Ji Leyu ignored it, carrying the books with Lin Fei to his study.
He didn’t take out his phone until he had placed the books in the spot Lin Fei designated. There, he saw a WeChat message from Shi Qi.
[Jiang Jingshuo said he won’t join me for lunch tomorrow.]
Ji Leyu instantly became alert.
[What’s going on?] he asked.
Shi Qi replied, [He said he’s busy tomorrow, and he might not be able to join for lunch the day after either.]
Ji Leyu couldn’t help but find him annoying. Busy with what exactly? Having lunch with Lin Fei?
He is still thinking about Lin Fei!
Just as Lin Fei turned around, he saw Ji Leyu looking down at his phone. His face showed no expression, his long and curled eyelashes like raven feathers, dense and layered, making it hard to read his expression.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
[Shi Qi has something going on], Ji Leyu replied calmly.
“You go ahead and organize the books first. I’ll handle Shi Qi’s matter and then do my homework.”
“Okay,” Lin Fei agreed.
Ji Leyu turned and walked out, simultaneously messaging Shi Qi: [How did he say it to you? Was it just casually mentioned or did he specifically tell you?]
[He just mentioned it casually, right after school this afternoon], Shi Qi replied.
[Have you been getting along well lately?] Ji Leyu asked.
[Yeah, pretty well. We even had lunch together today], Shi Qi responded.
Why is it like this then? Ji Leyu walked into his bedroom, sat down in a chair, his eyes clouded with uncertainty.
Could it be that he’s finally figured it out?
Lin Fei shouldn’t really be so foolish as to associate with just anyone willing to befriend him.
But what does he mean now?
Is he planning to approach Lin Fei again, to establish a closer relationship than before, to become his true friend, to walk beside him, eat together, go to school together, and do other things together?
Ji Leyu suddenly slammed his fist on the table, his eyes filled with bitterness. He is like a toad lusting after swan’s flesh, thinking he is worthy!
He sat quietly, feeling the anger burning inside him.
After a while, Ji Leyu finally calmed his temper, took out the unfinished test paper, and started writing slowly.
He wrote slowly, his mind unsettled and unfocused.
With a “snap,” Ji Leyu put down his pen and stood up to leave.
Lin Fei’s study was spacious, meticulously designed. It was a gift from Lin Luoqing during his childhood, the one that had surprised and pleased Lin Fei the most at that time.
Back then, Lin Fei had Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night” specially painted on the ceiling of his study. Sometimes, he would gaze up at this painting, and the young Ji Leyu would join him to look at it together.
Ji Leyu never liked reading since he was young, but he always enjoyed being with Lin Fei.
While Lin Fei read, he watched Lin Fei. Books were Lin Fei’s preference, and Lin Fei was his preference.
Ji Leyu stood at the doorway, quietly watching Lin Fei.
Why can’t he belong only to me? he thought.
But he quickly overturned his selfish thoughts in a panic.
Lin Fei rarely wanted to make a friend. This was his rare desire for friendship over the years, and Ji Leyu couldn’t prevent it.
Lin Fei already cares about him a lot, he already pampers and indulges him a lot, he cannot deprive Lin Fei of the right to make friends.
But why Jiang Jingshuo?
What does Jiang Jingshuo have that’s so good?
What can Jiang Jingshuo do that he can’t?
Is it because he can’t accompany Lin Fei in discussing those profound subjects like literature, philosophy, science, and mathematics?
For the first time in his life, Ji Leyu hated himself for not reading properly all these years.
If he also enjoyed reading, he could accompany Lin Fei from astronomy to literature and science fiction, preventing Jiang Jingshuo from having a chance to appear.
Why couldn’t he just read more books?
“If you have nothing else to do, bring your homework here and work on it,” Lin Fei adjusted the books on the shelf, his tone calm.
Ji Leyu remained silent.
He walked into Lin Fei’s study, looking at the neatly arranged and vast collection of books before him, murmuring softly, “It seems like I may never read this many books in my whole life.”
He can never provide the companionship Lin Fei needs in those areas, but Jiang Jingshuo can. Therefore, he can’t forbid Lin Fei from interacting with Jiang Jingshuo.
He needs to acknowledge Jiang Jingshuo’s presence, accept him, and allow him to get closer to Lin Fei.
Allowing someone else to be close to Lin Fei.
His first friend.
His new friend.
“I just came to see you, I’ll leave after a quick look,” Ji Leyu said lightly.
Without lingering, he swiftly walked out, closing the study door behind him.
Leaning against the door, he stood alone, like a quiet vine, cautiously refraining from extending its branches.
He has to accept Jiang Jingshuo, he has to accept him.
Ji Leyu didn’t return to his own bedroom. Instead, he went upstairs to the room where they usually trained.
Despite having made the decision to accept Jiang Jingshuo’s presence and the fact that he would soon be close to Lin Fei, he still felt restless and uneasy about it.
He couldn’t sustain this mood indefinitely, or Lin Fei would surely notice and be troubled by him.
He didn’t want to trouble Lin Fei, so he needed to vent his restlessness before Lin Fei noticed.
Ji Leyu put on his gloves, looked at the punching bag in front of him, and started hitting it fiercely.
The more he hit, the fiercer his gaze became, filled with a menacing intensity.
It was as if he was looking at Jiang Jingshuo, or perhaps Jiang Jingshuo was right in front of him.
Slowly, Jiang Jingshuo’s figure began to emerge in his eyes, his face becoming clearer.
Ji Leyu didn’t hide his hatred, even wishing that Jiang Jingshuo were right there in front of him.
Why does he have to transfer here?
Why does he have to appear in front of Lin Fei?
Can’t he just live forever online?
Why can’t he quietly, as he wishes, slowly take his gaze away from Lin Fei?
He should just disappear!
Completely disappear from Lin Fei’s world!
He might as well be dead!
Ji Leyu threw a punch “bang” into the punching bag, and sand spilled out, trickling down to the floor and splashing onto his feet.
Standing in front of the punching bag, he looked sinister, like a ferocious beast lurking in the dark night.
If only Jiang Jingshuo were dead, that would be better.
Author’s note:
Jiang Jingshuo: [shivering.jpg]
Jiang Jingshuo: I’m sorry for being alive.