CH 27

“What is wrong with you two?” Xu Zhifan looked at them after he finished laughing. “If you’re that desperate then go get a girlfriend. Huo Ran, the love letters you got last semester are still in my desk, wanna take a look?”

“Fuck off.” Huo Ran answered simply. 

He looked calm on the outside, but on the inside, an one thousand six hundred metre tsunami was raging.

He couldn’t recover from the shock that came from doing such a stupid thing in broad daylight.

Since when did he become a mental case like Kou Chen? And he was completely oblivious to the change.

Terrifying. 

He glanced at Kou Chen.

What a silent killer…

Kou Chen was still laughing, completely unfazed. Huo Ran turned his head and spat. He felt like he kissed him a bit too hard, he might’ve licked his face.

“What?” Kou Chen stopped laughing, “I just washed my face, seriously?”

“Here,” Huo Ran gave him a wet wipe, “Take your revenge.”

Kou Chen took the wet wipe and wiped his face sloppily: “Forget it, I can’t be bothered.”

The restaurant wasn’t far from them, and they soon arrived. Although they couldn’t smell it, they could see plates upon plates of different meats through the window. It finally brought back their lost appetites from the past few days. 

They didn’t even sit down, rushing back out to get their food after dropping their coats off in the room. They were all very efficient in their work, and returned with their plates not long after.

Huo Ran felt a bit down last night, so he didn’t eat much. Now he felt like he could eat all the meat raw.

“Sports day is this month.” Jiang Lei said as he grilled the meat. “The last event this year, right?”

“New Year’s doesn’t count?” Wei Chaoren said. 

“Obviously not, that’s on January first, what’s wrong with you?” Jiang Lei was concerned. “Even humanities would be too hard on your brain.”

“Don’t look down on the humanities.” Xu Zhifan said.

“Exactly,” Xu Chuan said. “The pretty girls are all in humanities.”

“And what does that have to do with you?” Huo Ran spoke as he ate a piece of meat that might not have been completely cooked. “Not even your deskmate is a girl.” 

They all started laughing, before lamenting over the fact that they only had half as many girls in their class as Humanities 3, it was way too unfair.

“You got a bunch of love letters?” Kou Chen put a chicken wing in Huo Ran’s bowl as he asked quietly, “From who?”

“Don’t remember.” Huo Ran ate the chicken wing.

“Come on,” Kou Chen was a bit unhappy, “Scared I’ll steal them from you?” 

“Nope,” Huo Ran looked at him, “Isn’t that stuff private? I shouldn’t be telling you.”

Kou Chen thought about it before saying: “You have a point… I’ve never thought about it like that.”

“I don’t really know either, it just feels like it.” Huo Ran said.

“I’m just asking,” Kou Chen explained quietly, “I’m not trying to pry into anyone’s lives, I really didn’t mean it that way. I’m not trying to laugh at anyone or anything either.” 

Huo Ran laughed: “I know.”

“Ah,” Kou Chen sighed and leaned back into his chair. “I’m suddenly very confident about you telling my dad about all that stuff.”

“So you better not piss me off,” Huo Ran said. “And you might need to beg me for favors in the future, so don’t burn your bridges.”

“Fuck.” Kou Chen looked at him. “Nobody has ever talked to me like that before.” 

“If they’re not close to you they wouldn’t dare.” Huo Ran put the chicken bone into Kou Chen’s spare plate, so that it lay neatly next to Kou Chen’s bone.

“Come, you’re the only one here that would dare.” Kou Chen frowned, looking at the two chicken bones on his plate. “What are you doing?”

“I like even numbers.” Huo Ran said. “OCD. If I eat another one I’ll take it back.”

“…Then I’ll end up with an odd number?” Kou Chen said. 

“Pa’r cba ilxf P mjc rff la.” Leb Ejc rjlv.

Bbe Jtfc vlvc’a rjs jcsatlcu, bcis ulnlcu tlw j atewyr eq.

Coafg vlccfg, Bbe Jtfc kjcafv ab ub vb xjgjbxf, yea Leb Ejc vlvc’a kjccj ub. Lf vlvc’a ilxf rlculcu. Po atfs kfgf ublcu ab ub qijs yjrxfayjii bg rbwfatlcu atfc wjsyf tf kbeiv mbcrlvfg la. 

“You’re really not coming?” Kou Chen poked his head out the taxi window.

“Nope.” Huo Ran said. “It’s not like I know how to sing anything anyways.”

“You can listen to me sing.” Kou Chen said.

“…No thanks.” Huo Ran yawned. 

“Why are you so fucking boring?” Kou Chen was unhappy.

“Mind your words now,” Huo Ran said. “When do you need me to talk to your dad?”

“Go home then,” Kou Chen changed his tone, “Stay safe, goodnight.”

“Goodnight.” Huo Ran smiled. 

As for calling their parents to school, Huo Ran wasn’t worried. His mom and dad were patient people, they would listen to his explanation as to why he got into a fight.

Kou Chen’s parents were another story.

Right after he said the teachers wanted to have a chat with them, Kou Chen’s dad leaped up. 

No wonder Kou Chen went to hide out in the neighbourhood garden. He probably wouldn’t be able to dodge his dad otherwise.

“Did he get into another fight?” Kou Chen’s dad asked calmly.

Kou Chen was very like his dad in that aspect. Even if they looked calm, you could feel the murderous air around them.

Huo Ran didn’t say anything. 

“Yes or no?” Kou Chen’s dad asked.

“Please sit down first.” Huo Ran cleared his throat, petting the fur on Shauishuai’s neck. He tried his best to steel himself against his dad’s ‘I will kill Kou Chen’ aura. “Or else it feels like you’re about to hit me.”

“Ranran isn’t Kou Chen.” Kou Chen’s mom said. “Are you gonna hit Ranran because you can’t hit your own son?”

“How many years has it been since I’ve hit him?” Kou Chen’s dad sat back down and looked at Huo Ran. “Okay, why did he do it?” 

Huo Ran tried his best to explain it simply. Afraid that he didn’t get the point across, he even summed it up in the end: “Anyways, he was trying to help a student that was being bullied. Our teacher said that he had good intentions, but went about it the wrong way.”

Kou Chen’s dad looked a lot more amicable now, and he snorted: “It wouldn’t be him if he went about it the right way.”

“So they want to talk to our parents in person. They haven’t decided on the punishment yet either.” Huo Ran breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing Shuaishuai’s head. Shuaishuai turned his head and started licking his hand.

“Okay, I’ll go.” Kou Chen’s dad nodded, before his face went dark again. “Let me see who dares to punish my son!” 

“Uncle Kou,” Hearing that, Huo Ran held his breath again, “It’s just, if you’re going then I think…”

“Stop that,” Kou Chen’s mom tsked, “They just want to talk to you, why are you trying to start trouble with the teacher? Your son was the one that started a fight, the teacher didn’t hit him, who knows what you’re thinking.”

“Okay, I got it.” Kou Chen’s dad waved her off.

When Huo Ran found Kou Chen in the neighbourhood garden, he was sitting on the swing with one leg bent, and the other kicking the ground softly as he swayed back and forth.

“How is it?” Seeing him, Kou Chen asked with a smile.

“It’s fine now, but your dad…” Huo Ran was cut off before he could finish.

“I mean how’s my legs?” Kou Chen asked. 

Huo Ran started, but out of curiosity, he still took a step back and studied Kou Chen’s legs. Separately first, and then together.

He really didn’t know why he felt the need to ask that.

“They’re straight.” He could only say.

“Fuck,” Kou Chen was disappointed, “A little girl was just here and she said my legs were long.” 

Huo Ran had no words, only clasping a fist in one hand for him.

“Are they?” Kou Chen stretched them out.

“Mhm.” Huo Ran sat on the swing beside him. “How old was the kid?”

“Four,” Kou Chen laughed, “She’s pretty cute, if you came a minute earlier you would’ve ran into her… How did it go with my dad?” 

“It’s fine now, he said he’ll go when we go back to school.” Huo Ran looked at him. “Have you never helped anyone before? Your dad looked pretty happy.”

“It’s good enough that I don’t beat people up, what do you mean help people?” Kou Chen said. “What’s so good about helping people? You’re the one that keeps going on about justice and whatever.”

“Really?” Huo Ran smiled, “Then why did you keep going to look for He Hua? Did you not feel anything when He Hua stopped getting bullied? Like happy, or proud, or anything?”

Kou Chen tsked, not saying anything. 

The two of them swung back and forth on the swings.

When classes started the second day back at school, Kou Chen kept looking over at Old Yuan’s office. He ended up shooing Xu Zhifan out of his seat and sat down beside Huo Ran to continue looking over.

“Is that your dad?” He whispered, “I can see him.” 

“Mhm,” Huo Ran looked over, seeing that there were a bunch of their parents there and Old Yuan was saying something to them, with the Dean there too.

“My dad’s not here yet.” Kou Chen frowned. “Why can’t he be on time? Is he preparing for a grand entrance or what?!”

“How come the dean is there too?” Jiang Lei turned around and whispered, “Didn’t they say it wasn’t that serious, that Old Yuan just need to have a few words?”

“That you don’t know, do you?” Wei Chaoren laid on his desk happily on the other side of the aisle. “He’s not there because of us, it’s because of Old Li’s class.” 

“What?” Huo Ran couldn’t help but ask.

Old Li was one of the third years’ teachers, he sat across from Old Yuan. He was a serious old man that had never laughed in his life. His students never called him Old Li, instead his nickname was Thousand Years. They said it was because he was very traditional, and compared to open-minded teachers like Old Yuan, it was like he had lived for thousands of years.

“Two people in his class,” Wei Chaoren’s eyebrows were about to fly into Xu Chuan sitting in front of him. “Last night at the Lover’s Tree behind the field… they were making out, and they got caught.”

“Their parents were called?” Jiang Lei asked. 

“Yeah, they’re all here at the same time.” Xu Chuan said. “I guess they gotta wait in line now…”

“Xu Chuan.” At the front of the class, Mr. Yang adjusted his glasses.

“Here.” Xu Chuan said.

“Go take a break outside the classroom.” Mr. Yang said. 

Everyone snickered quietly.

“Alrighty.” Xu Chuan stood up, standing outside the door.

“The third years are all 18, right?” Kou Chen whispered. “They’re of age, who cares if they hug or kiss?”

“They’re still high schoolers.” Huo Ran said. “University entrance exams are in half a year, I bet those two are in trouble now.” 

“Punishing the lovebirds, huh?” Kou Chen frowned, a bit unhappy about it.

“If it were our class, Old Yang would’ve dealt with it.” Huo Ran glanced over at the office. “But it’s in Old Li’s hands. Forget about breaking the lovebirds up, he’s gonna break their wings.”

“How tragic.” Kou Chen rubbed his shoulder.

“What does that have to do with you?” Huo Ran looked at him. “What is a single bird like you self-inserting for?” 

Kou Chen laughed, “Good for you, it took me a second to figure out which one of them is male.”

“Kou Chen.” Mr. Yang adjusted his glasses again.

Kou Chen didn’t say anything. He immediately wiped the smile off his face and went out to stand beside Xu Chuan.

Mr. Yang didn’t continue his lecture, his gaze landing on Huo Ran. 

Huo Ran hesitated before sighing and standing up as well, taking his place beside the two of them.

“Focus.” Mr. Yang said. “Your parents are right over there, I could very easily take this up with them.”

“My dad’s here.” Kou Chen whispered. “Chuan-ge, hide me, if he looks over here I’m dead.”

Xu Chuan moved over and hid him from view. 

Two classes later, most of the parents had already left. The third class was Old Yuan’s but the always early Old Yuan was still in his office.

The only people in the office now were the dean, Old Yuan, Thousand Years, and the two lovebirds’ parents. It shouldn’t have anything to do with Old Yuan but he was still talking to Thousand Years.

“What’s Old Yuan doing?” Someone asked, “Class rep, wanna go take a look?” 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, go listen!” Everyone nodded.

“Is Old Yuan gonna speak for those two?” Xu Zhifan and Kou Chen squeezed themselves in front of the window.

“Maybe, he’s a good person like that.” Someone said.

Xu Zhifan looked at Kou Chen: “Are you still gonna sit in my seat?” 

“Mhm.” Kou Chen nodded.

“Don’t want Xu Chuan anymore?” Xu Zhifan laughed.

“Nope,” Kou Chen said. “I want Huo Ran.”

“Fuck off.” Huo Ran was squeezed away to a desk at the back of the room by the two of them. 

The bell rang, and Thousand Years was still angrily saying something, but Old Yuan had gotten away and was preparing his things for class.

Thousand Years went over to his desk and smacked it as he said something.

Old Yuan looked up and threw his books down onto the table with a bang, loud enough for them to hear through the window. 

“Let me reiterate. There’s no such thing as premature love. Love is love, there is no early or late, no right or wrong. The focus is on guiding them in the right direction!”

“Holy shit!” Someone yelled.

“What is it, what is it?!” Someone didn’t hear what was just said.

“Love is love, there is no early or late!” Someone repeated Old Yuan’s words. 

Everyone started cheering. The girls clapped and the boys rushed to the window and yelled: “Old Yuan! We’re cheering for you!”

The dean stomped over and opened the window, pointing at them: “What’s going on?! Go back to your seats, did you not hear the bell just now?!”

They persisted for a couple more seconds before returning to their seats, but their classroom was like a movie theatre at the end of a movie, becoming noisy after a moment of silence.

“Good for Old Yuan,” Kou Chen said. “Actually in my old school, they didn’t really care if you dated anyone or not as long as it wasn’t too outrageous. But this is still the first time I’ve heard a teacher say something like that.” 

“That’s how Old Yuan always is.” Huo Ran glanced over. The dean was still standing there watching them as he shut the blinds.

“That just triggered something in me.” Kou Chen said.

“Hm?” Huo Ran looked at him.

Kou Chen smacked his thigh: “I want a relationship.” 

“…With who?” Huo Ran asked.

“Dunno, doesn’t matter.” Kou Chen smacked his thigh again. “I want a relationship.”

“It’s time to take your medicine.” Huo Ran lay down on his desk and sighed.

“Never.” Kou Chen said.