CH 28.2

Owe You A Life  (2) – unedited

Ruan Qingmu rolled over, sat up, and looked at the unplugged desk lamp that could still be lit, feeling slightly curious. “Hey, it still has battery storage?”

“Mm. It can be powered using the USB, so it can be used for emergencies when there’s no power.”

Ruan Qingmu clicked his tongue. “Why do you have this? I thought you don’t need to light a lamp and read at night.”

Qin Yuan faintly answered. “There’s no such thing as understanding something after only reading it once. Everyone has to work hard.”

Ruan Qingmu’s bright eyes looked at him. “Liars.”

Qin Yuan raised his head, and his expression was serious. “It’s a fact. I also have to do a lot of questions and prepare for a lesson in advance. Before the exam, I will also secretly turn on the light and review in the middle of the night. So…..”

“So, I don’t need to be ashamed of my poor grades, right?” Ruan Qingmu raised the corner of his mouth; the pale pink colour of his lips was slightly moist under the small light on the bedside.

“I don’t mean it like that.”

“You are. But you’re already smarter than everyone else.”

“No, I work hard for it. You can also do it if you work hard.”

“Save it.” Under the small patch of light, Ruan Qingmu’s expression was slightly proud with a different spirit. “I don’t need to be comforted.”

Qin Yuan silently looked at him. There was a fleet of confusion in his expression for a split second.

That was also true. This person seemed mentally stronger than anyone else.

The two people leaned against the wall together and started to look at their own things. After a while, Qin Yuan suddenly said again in a seemingly casual manner. “If you have any questions, you can ask me.”

Ruan Qingmu raised his head and smirked at him. “Oh, thank you. But nobody can help me with something like memorising words.”

Qin Yuan was silent for a moment and still said, “There are still some tricks for it. Different nature of words has different importance in the exams. For example, preposition = verb > non-proper noun…..”

Ruan Qingmu didn’t say anything. He propped his arm on his knee, tilted his head and quietly looked at Qin Yuan.

When Qin Yuan raised his head, his face was a little stiffened. “Forget about it if you don’t want to listen.”

Ruan Qingmu hurriedly gave him a thumb up. “No, no, I’m listening. Your summary is very good.”

Tch, tch. He was still so cold-faced and warm-hearted. All that was left was for him was to express his sincerity and enthusiasm in front of others.

Qin Yuan opened his mouth and was about to speak when a yell suddenly sounded from outside

the window. “106, what are you doing inside?!”

The two people suddenly raised their heads and looked at the window in horror: What happened? Weren’t the window curtains closed?

The dormitory-administrator uncle’s voice was loud and clear as he proudly knocked on the window frame. “I saw the light coming from the crack of the window. Little brat, do you think you can conceal it from my old eyes? If you don’t sleep, I will go in to beat you guys!”

“……”

Both of them reached out at the same time and quickly pressed the small desklamp’s button.

The light went out, and their hands touched each other.

It was unknown whose fingertips were slightly cool and whose palms were warm. It was also unknown whose bones pressed against whose hands and who moved away first.

A rustling sound rang out, and they rolled over to lie down.

After a long time, Qin Yuan’s voice could be heard. “I want to ask you something.”

“Huh?”

“Why did you…..say that I was bitten by a snake?”

Ruan Qingmu’s body shook slightly.

After a long time, he rambled. “Why are you asking this? I’ve said it before, and you won’t believe in me too.”

Qin Yuan softly replied, “How do you know I won’t believe in it if you don’t say it?”

Ruan Qingmu widened his eyes. He looked at the ceiling and silently laughed.

Qin Yuan, this guy, would be crazy if he believed in it.

This was a world that believed in materialism. He also knew that Qin-shaoxia always got high scores in the politics exam.

“I only casually said that. The shape is a little similar.” He closed his bright eyes. “Go to sleep.”

Qin Yuan didn’t say anything anymore. There was unknown anxiety that came to his mind.

It was impossible to continue asking it.

If he told Ruan Qingmu that he always had the same dream and there was a voice similar to his saying strange things in his dream, Ruan Qingmu would probably laugh to death, right?

But that dream felt too real.

Every time, the cause was the same, but the aftermath slowly advanced little by little. It was like the stingy serial drama that would only give out one episode every week and left a hook at the end, making him feel anxious and confused.

Furthermore, although his voice was exactly the same, he always couldn’t clearly see the youth’s face.

……The smell of dry grass inside the cave and the gradual light from the mountains shone in from outside.

The heat finally subsided a little from his body. He sat up dizzily and touched his chest; the place being bitten by the viper didn’t feel itch and numb anymore.

He was stunned on the spot as he recalled the sensation of the snake venom being sucked last night.

……There was nobody beside him, and the hay mattress beside him was messy. The youth from last night was already gone.

Even if it was in the dreamland, he could clearly feel a trace of unspeakable disappointment in his heart.

After a long time, he tried to support himself up by the stone wall of the cave, but there was sudden darkness in front of his eyes.

A tall and lean figure stood in front of the cave, blocking the faint morning light from outside.

“Hey, you’re awake?” That person had his back against the light, and his face still couldn’t be seen clearly. He could only hear his teasing tone. “Tch, truly such good luck.”

Afterwards, he asked with a deep voice in his dream. “Did you save me?”

“Heh, of course not.” The youth bent down and entered the cave. His tone was sarcastic as he said, “It must be the mountain spirits and monsters who felt that you, Qin-shaoxia, shouldn’t die yet or the female beasts in the forest who loved your handsome look and changed into a human form to save you.”

He seemed to be silent for a while before he asked in a hoarse voice. “Why didn’t you kill me? You clearly knew that I would still want to kill after getting well.”

That youth snorted and threw a lump of thing at him from afar. “Survive first before saying that!”

He silently picked up the lump of black thing.

A bunch of herbs.

They were precisely the ones easily found in the mountains. Although they couldn’t be considered the antivenom, at least they could reduce the swelling and poison, promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis.

“I owe you a life; I will remember this.” He raised his head and stubbornly looked at that dark figure. “But you have slaughtered so many innocent and good people, and I can’t turn a blind eye.”

That youth suddenly snorted several times as if hearing a big joke.

His leisure figure suddenly flashed and strode away.  His clear voice drifted from far away and echoed in the uninhabited mountains and fields. “Qin-shaoxia, you have to keep your promise. I will wait for you to continue the endless pursue!”

……