Yu Ting let go, and then suddenly flicked Lu Jue on the neck.
“Tsk!”
This time it really hurt. Lu Jue couldn’t hold back the sound. It wasn’t loud, but in the quiet classroom, it was enough to make the students in the front rows turn around.
The homeroom teacher also looked up and swept her gaze down. “Focus on your books. Monthly exams are next week. Don’t disturb the other students.”
Yu Ting looked completely unruffled. He took an automatic pencil from his pencil case. Lu Jue’s eye was still twitching from the pain. He propped himself up on an arm, still not sitting up properly, and was just about to speak when a neatly cut piece of scratch paper was pushed over.
The youth’s handwriting was elegant and neat, stunning no matter how many times you saw it.
The surface of the scratch paper faintly retained old writing marks; it had been reused many times. Even though it had been carefully erased, there were still imprints.
Lu Jue read the words “Who hit you?” several times, then reached a hand out towards Yu Ting, a smile in his eyes. “Pen.”
He didn’t even bring a pen to class… Yu Ting paused, then placed the pen in Lu Jue’s hand.
A residual warmth from Yu Ting’s fingertips still lingered on the slender pen body. Lu Jue held it, rubbing it for a few seconds before writing below Yu Ting’s three-word question. “My father. Found out I came back to Jing City.”
Lu Jue only pushed the paper back.
Yu Ting reached for it. Lu Jue raised an eyebrow. “You only have one pen?”
“…”
Better than having none at all.
Yu Ting paused, then picked up his pencil case and opened it to show Lu Jue. He had other pens—gel pens, fountain pens—but only one pencil.
Lu Jue gave a simple “Oh” and finally returned the pen.
Yu Ting wrote: “Didn’t apply ointment.”
It wasn’t a question, but a statement.
Covered by clothing, it was hard to see clearly, but the few exposed welts didn’t look like they had been treated.
Lu Jue took the pen back and wrote along the bottom edge: “My hands are long, but not that long.”
Yu Ting, “…”
He held the pen, ready to write, but paused for a second and gave up. Putting the pen down, he stood up, asked the teacher for permission, and left the classroom.
The school infirmary was small and could only handle minor issues. They only had one type of ointment for external wounds. Estimating the extent of Lu Jue’s injuries, Yu Ting bought two tubes.
The problem was finding a place to apply it.
If anyone saw, who knew what strange rumors might start.
Putting the ointment into his pocket, Yu Ting thought about it all the way back to the classroom. Finally, he came up with a relatively safe place.
The Sports Equipment Room.
No one went to the sports equipment room at night, and while the Sports Representative held one key, Yu Ting also had one.
Back in the classroom, Yu Ting wrote, “After class, go to the Sports Equipment Room to apply the ointment.”
Lu Jue’s brow moved slightly. He replied: “Okay.”
Yu Ting didn’t write any further, picking up the eraser and completely wiping away their conversation.
No. 2 High School had three teaching buildings. Grade 11 Class 3 was in Building 1, and the Sports Equipment Room was on the first floor of Building 1. However, the room was behind the teaching building, so you had to exit the main entrance and walk around to the back.
After leaving the building, Yu Ting first observed the basketball court nearby.
The basketball court was very quiet, with no sign of anyone.
Making a final confirmation, Yu Ting was reassured. He took out his key and pushed open the equipment room door. He didn’t turn on the light, closing the door but not locking it.
If someone still came, a locked door would be harder to explain.
The equipment room was one large open space, divided into several smaller sections by multi-tier shelving units, storing all kinds of sports equipment.
Yu Ting remembered the gym mats were stacked in the very back.
The class that had last used the mats hadn’t put them back properly. A stack of gym mats was piled haphazardly on the floor.
This actually made it convenient for Yu Ting and Lu Jue.
Lu Jue took off his school uniform jacket but didn’t take off his T-shirt. He pulled the T-shirt up and draped it over his shoulder, turning his back to Yu Ting. He paused for a second, then still said, “It’ll really hurt. Be gentle.”
When Yu Ting got mischievous, he could really be bad.
Yu Ting didn’t reply. There was a small, high window on the upper part of the back wall. It was only a tiny square, letting in a sliver of light, dimming the room by several shades.
Yet even in the dimness, it couldn’t hide Lu Jue’s blood-red back.
Dense and numerous, like welts from a thin, long rattan cane.
Yu Ting lowered his eyes and quietly unscrewed the ointment cap. He took a few cotton swabs, squeezed out a large amount of ointment, and applied it with both hands simultaneously.
His touch was extremely gentle.
“Your father chased you to Lingjiang?” Yu Ting asked.
“Didn’t chase me. He arrived first, was waiting at home to ambush me… Hiss!”
The ointment brushed over a patch of raw skin. Every muscle in Lu Jue’s back trembled with pain, and a thin layer of cold sweat immediately beaded on his forehead.
“…Sorry.” Yu Ting coughed lightly. “This time, it really wasn’t on purpose.”
“Hiss—” Lu Jue gasped sharply. “Maybe… stop for a moment?”
He pressed his tongue against his back teeth. “Let me catch my breath.”
Class was about to start soon. Yu Ting thought for a moment, then pulled out his phone and sent a message with his head down.
[Teacher Yang, I need to take one period off. My stomach is upset. Lu Jue escorted me to the infirmary.]
“You know that when you lie…” Hot breath suddenly puffed against the back of his left ear. “This mole gets even redder, right?”
Just then, the homeroom teacher replied to Yu Ting, “Is it serious? Do you need to go home early to rest?”
Yu Ting had to reply to the homeroom teacher first. “No need, but someone needs to stay and observe me. Lu Jue also needs to take one period off.”
“No problem. If it gets worse, contact me immediately.”
Yu Ting thanked the homeroom teacher and put his phone away.
“I don’t know,” he replied to Lu Jue. “But if you keep moving around, I know those scabbed-over cuts of yours will split open again.”
As he spoke, he shifted his rear over to a mat further away.
Lu Jue chuckled. “Fine, I won’t move. Whatever you say.”
For the rest of the ointment application, Lu Jue honestly stayed still and didn’t even hiss in pain anymore.
The two tubes of ointment weren’t fully used up; half a tube was left. Yu Ting put the used, empty one with its packaging box in his left pocket, and the remaining half tube in his right pocket.
“It’ll take a few minutes to fully absorb,” Yu Ting said. “Don’t put your shirt down yet.”
Lu Jue’s motion of pulling his T-shirt up paused. “I’m fine if you don’t find it awkward.”
Yu Ting was a little puzzled. “What?”
Lu Jue turned around. The light fell into his eyes, so deep the bottom couldn’t be seen, then vanished completely. “I’m homosexual. And you just moved away, didn’t you.”
“…” Yu Ting pressed his lips together.
His action earlier had been instinctive. It wasn’t that he minded Lu Jue being too close. It was that…
The skin there was naturally sensitive. Sometimes even washing it in the shower made his whole body itch.
But explaining it that way was worse than not explaining at all.
Yu Ting was silent for two seconds, then spoke. “In my middle school, there was a physics teacher who was also homosexual. After he was discovered, he was expelled. But to this day, my favorite physics teacher is still him.”
“I don’t reject homosexuality. Even liking a tree, or an object, is all a matter of personal choice and freedom. So—” he said, “Whether you like the same sex or something else, it won’t change the fact that we’re friends.”
His back was still damp with ointment, but Lu Jue pulled his T-shirt down. “That’s good.” He let out a low laugh. “I thought I’d been abandoned again.”
Yu Ting was stunned. “Again?”
“My mom. My dad.” Lu Jue listed them. “The Conch…”
“The Conch?”
“A grass carp I raised when I was three.”
“…”
The two chatted as they headed back towards the door. Just as they were about to reach it, a sudden burst of chaotic footsteps and overlapping voices.
And the sound of a key being inserted into the lock.
In an instant, Yu Ting pulled Lu Jue and ducked into the aisle between the third and fourth rows of shelving.
Creak!
At the same moment, the equipment room door opened.
The lights came on.
Through the basketballs placed on the shelves, strands of white light fell on Yu Ting’s face. He held his breath, observing the situation outside.
Seven or eight boys had arrived, wearing soccer jerseys. Several of them were holding soccer balls.
“…”
He’d forgotten about the soccer team.
The boys from the soccer team put their balls back, but showed no intention of leaving. They closed the door and started changing their clothes right there.
All the while chatting.
“Hey, have you guys heard? The School Beauty has publicly announced she’s going to chase after the new Transfer Student in Grade 11 Class 3!”
Yu Ting’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. He turned his head a fraction and unexpectedly met Lu Jue’s gaze.
Lu Jue didn’t look away either, the corner of his mouth curving up as he silently mouthed, “Why are we hiding?”
Yu Ting was suddenly speechless.
Yeah, why were they hiding?
Two boys showing up in the equipment room was a perfectly normal thing. He could say he was returning equipment, or not explain at all.
He was the one who had made assumptions. Knowing Lu Jue was homosexual, he had arrogantly assumed others would misunderstand.
But it was too late to walk out now.
“I’m sorry.” Yu Ting admitted his mistake readily.
Lu Jue flicked Yu Ting’s forehead, a touch light as a feather. “Dummy.”
Outside, another boy said, “Didn’t the School Beauty also chase after Yu Ting, the Academic Genius in Class 3? Damn, I should transfer to Class 3.”
“Wake up, man. The School Beauty likes handsome guys, not that she’s gone blind.”
“That Transfer Student seems pretty awesome. That Rolls-Royce Phantom that came to school last time is his family’s car!”
“Whoa, that car’s got to be over ten million, right?”
“Awesome, loaded!”
“Rich and handsome. Are we even allowed to live?”
“Tsk tsk, life’s so damn unfair! Brother Dog, move a bit, let me grab a basketball for tomorrow.”
One boy, pulling on his school uniform, headed towards the third row of shelving.
“Hey, Brother Dog, are the basketballs in the back newer?”
“Yeah, they’re the new balls from last week!”
The footsteps were about to pass the third row. Yu Ting’s expression changed slightly. Almost instantly, Lu Jue’s arm swept across his back, pulling him directly into—a narrow sliver of a gap between the shelving unit and the wall.
The two were squeezed perfectly into the cramped space. Yu Ting was held face-to-face by Lu Jue, his entire body completely encased in Lu Jue’s embrace.
Lu Jue’s back was against the shelving unit, facing the wall, one arm tightly around Yu Ting, the other holding up his school blazer.
Yu Ting was lifted a few centimeters by Lu Jue, his chin resting in the hollow of Lu Jue’s shoulder, his chest pressed tightly against Lu Jue’s chest. Both their hearts were beating fast and urgent.
Half of his face was submerged in Lu Jue’s hair. His own hair was relatively soft; Lu Jue’s was much coarser, scratching against his skin, a little itchy and a little prickly.
Yu Ting didn’t dare to move, his eyes staring straight ahead.
Less than half a meter away, the boy stopped right where they had just been standing, picking through the basketballs.
“Brother Dog, they’re all old balls! Where are the new ones? You must be messing with me!”
“Messing my ass. The PE teacher had me put them here last week. Look properly, the clean-colored ones are definitely the new balls.”
“I’ll look again!”
The footsteps shuffled closer and closer.
Yu Ting’s heart jumped right into his throat, his hands instinctively clutching the fabric of Lu Jue’s T-shirt.
Suddenly, he remembered something.
He moved his head. “I’m pressing on your back!”
Lu Jue’s entire body jolted violently. His features, every inch of skin on his body, softened instantly at those five words from Yu Ting.
He raised his blazer higher, covering Yu Ting’s head completely and securely, and laughed softly by Yu Ting’s ear.
“Don’t be afraid. If we’re discovered, just say I forced you.”
