Chapter 33

Chen Jingshen applied some force, but not much.

The spot being pulled had a faint, subtle ache, but nothing unbearable.

The last person who touched Yu Fan's hair still takes a detour whenever he sees Nancheng No.7 Middle School.

Yu Fan had few taboos when fighting, except he hated people touching his head. A stick was fine, but direct contact was not. If anyone grabbed at his head, he could pick them out from a crowd and retaliate hard.

But now, Yu Fan sat on the sandy ground, mouth slightly open, breathing lightly as he looked at Chen Jingshen, unmoving for a long time.

He was too tired. Having his hair pulled didn't feel repulsive; instead, there was a hint of relaxation, even a strange urge to put all his weight into that hand—

Until something was stuck to the corner of his mouth.

Yu Fan snapped back to reality, belatedly realizing he should slap this person's hand away and then break it.

What 'won't you learn'?

Who the hell wants to be good?

The grip on him suddenly vanished, and the chaotic thoughts floating in Yu Fan's head stopped instantly.

Chen Jingshen's fingers loosely gathered in his hair, gave a gentle rub, then pulled away.

The backpack was tossed carelessly onto the ground, the bottom covered in sand. Chen Jingshen casually crumpled the band-aid wrapper, tilted his head, pulled open the side pocket of the backpack, and threw it in.

Yu Fan stared at the blood just smeared on his fingers, and suddenly couldn't be bothered to curse.

So Yu Fan let go of his tension and leaned back against the wall.

'Why do you carry band-aids around? How lame is that?' he said lazily, picking a fight.

Who's the one always getting hurt?

Chen Jingshen glanced at him, then quickly looked away, saying nothing.

What an attitude.

Yu Fan stretched his foot over and nudged Chen Jingshen's shoe. He was about to say something when a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

What time is it?

He immediately took out his Mobile Phone and found a bunch of missed calls and messages. He'd set it to silent for the exam, so he hadn't heard anything before.

15:27.

He quickly typed 'I'm fine' in the group chat, then grabbed Chen Jingshen's sleeve and gave it a hard tug.

'What?' Chen Jingshen asked.

'What do you think?' Yu Fan said. 'The exam!'

'The school gate is closed.'

'I can get us in.' Yu Fan pushed himself up against the wall, turned to look at the person still organizing his backpack, and frowned impatiently. 'Get up.'

'If you're more than fifteen minutes late, they won't let you into the exam hall.'

'...'

Yu Fan vaguely remembered that there really was such a rule.

His eyelid twitched. He stood there, face cold, and started thinking about how to trick the proctor out so Chen Jingshen could sneak in.

Getting in was easy, but Chen Jingshen sat at the first desk—too conspicuous. The teacher would spot him the moment they returned.

Maybe tie up the proctor...

The person beside him picked up his backpack and stood. Yu Fan looked over while still thinking.

Chen Jingshen's uniform shirt had gotten dirty in the dark alley, his collar was messy, and there was a long gray streak on his left sleeve.

Chen Jingshen slung his backpack over his shoulder. He was about to say something when his arm was pulled over and his sleeve was roughly pushed up.

He looked down and saw a bruise on his left hand and a bloody scratch on his wrist. Some unhygienic thug must have kept long nails.

Yu Fan stared at his injury for two seconds, remembering the stick that had been swung but hadn't landed, and couldn't help clicking his tongue.

He grabbed Chen Jingshen's arm, trying to pull him away.

He couldn't budge him.

Chen Jingshen stood steady. 'Where to?'

'The hospital,' Yu Fan said. 'Get a tetanus shot.'

'It's not that serious.'

'Just get it done,' Yu Fan frowned. 'I'll pay, you just show up. Stop talking.'

Chen Jingshen still didn't move, casually making an excuse. 'No, I don't want to smell disinfectant.'

'Why weren't you this fussy when you took me to the hospital last time?'

Chen Jingshen lowered his eyes, raised an eyebrow without much emotion, as if asking 'What do you think?'

Yu Fan: '...'

Yu Fan: 'Then cover your nose and go in.'

'I also faint at needles.'

Can you be any more delicate?

Yu Fan had limited patience. Normally, he would have already left the person behind.

He stared coldly at Chen Jingshen in a silent standoff for a while, then gritted his teeth and asked, 'Do you faint at slums?'

-

The taxi stopped at the Residential Complex Entrance of the Rundown Neighborhood.

Chen Jingshen looked around. It was an old block, with tangled utility poles overhead, mottled residential building exteriors, and fruit vendors with carts on both sides of the narrow street.

Yu Fan rarely took taxis; he usually walked or took the bus.

He paid and led the person out of the car.

Really led him—standing at the complex entrance, he was still holding onto Chen Jingshen's backpack strap.

Chen Jingshen: 'You've lived here since you were a kid?'

The person beside him gave a perfunctory 'mm,' not moving for a long time.

Yu Fan tilted his head up slightly, as if confirming something.

Chen Jingshen followed his gaze and only saw a closed window on the second floor.

Confirming no one was home, Yu Fan tugged his backpack. 'Let's go.'

The stairwell was narrow; two boys almost filled it. Yu Fan took out his keys to unlock the door, gently pushing it open with his foot.

A smell of alcohol wafted out, worse than the disinfectant at the hospital.

The place wasn't big—a sofa, TV, and mahjong table filled the living room. Many empty beer bottles lay on the floor, and there was a plate of leftover peanuts and chicken feet on the table.

Chen Jingshen felt his backpack being tugged. He withdrew his gaze and let Yu Fan lead him.

The boy's face was cold, as if accustomed to this scene.

Yu Fan's room was separately locked; you needed a key to get in.

Opening the door, Yu Fan pushed the person inside, tossed out a 'Have a seat,' and turned back to the living room.

Yu Fan's room had the window wide open, letting in air. It was clean and odorless.

Chen Jingshen stood still, silently surveying.

The room was very small: a wooden bed, an old wardrobe, and a desk and chair. No other furniture.

The desk was covered in marks of time—stubborn stickers, ballpoint pen scribbles, knife scars, and dents from unknown causes.

On the wall above the bed were certificates. Those at the bottom were mostly torn to just corners, but some at the top still had a few legible words.

His gaze focused on a spot, and Chen Jingshen paused slightly.

When Yu Fan entered the room, Chen Jingshen was already sitting on the chair.

He locked the door, tossed the chair he'd just fetched next to Chen Jingshen, then bent down to open the first drawer on the right—

Chen Jingshen saw a drawer full of emergency medical supplies.

Calling them medical supplies was generous; it was really just disinfectant, bandages, band-aids—stuff to patch things up. There was also a transparent glass jar without a label, containing a dark red liquid.

Yu Fan picked out a few things and put them on the desk, then rolled up his sleeve. 'Give me your hand.'

Chen Jingshen opened his hand and placed it in Yu Fan's.

From downstairs came the horn of a scrap collector, occasional car horns, and since the floor was low, even the sound of mahjong tiles hitting the table could be heard.

Chen Jingshen sat casually on the chair, quietly watching the person with a bruised face carefully disinfect his small wound with a cotton swab.

The phone in his pocket vibrated. Chen Jingshen's fingers curled slightly.

Yu Fan immediately stopped. 'Does it hurt?'

Chen Jingshen was silent for two seconds, then pressed his lips together. 'Very painful.'

It hurts just from disinfecting??

'If you're afraid of pain, why did you come? Couldn't you have just stayed in the classroom and taken your exam?' Yu Fan frowned in disgust, but his touch became gentler.

Chen Jingshen looked at the crown of his head and suddenly asked, 'Are those all your certificates on the wall?'

'No.'

'Dear little friend Yu Fan, congratulations on your outstanding performance at the Fito Student Summer Camp, earning the title of Most Enthusiastic Little Friend...' Chen Jingshen read aloud. 'What did the little friend do?'

'...'

Yu Fan looked up at the wall and indeed saw that certificate.

'Who remembers,' Yu Fan said. 'Keep talking, and I'll stuff that certificate in your mouth.'

Chen Jingshen blinked lightly, somehow looking eager to try.

After tending to the wound, Yu Fan opened the glass jar, and a strong, somewhat pungent smell came out.

'What is it?' Chen Jingshen asked.

'Medicinal liquor, left by my grandfather.' Yu Fan remembered how delicate this deskmate was, and the cotton swab dipped in the liquor paused midair. 'But it stinks. Do you want it or not?'

Chen Jingshen didn't answer, just raised his hand and pressed the bruised area against the cotton swab.

After applying the liquor to the skin, Yu Fan tossed the swab aside and pressed his thumb lightly against the spot a couple of times.

He pressed while saying, 'Bear with it. I need to press for a bit so it absorbs.'

After pressing, Yu Fan let go of his hand.

Then he took out a new cotton swab to disinfect himself.

Chen Jingshen sat watching him. 'Want me to help?'

Yu Fan expertly pressed the swab onto his wound without even frowning. 'No, my hands aren't broken.'

A few minutes later.

Yu Fan struggled to reach his hand behind his back, poking the cotton swab into his collar, trying to find the painful spot.

Damn, what kind of idiot jumps up and elbows someone in the back of the neck??

Chen Jingshen stood up. 'Let me.'

Yu Fan: 'No...' The cotton swab was taken from his hand.

Chen Jingshen walked behind his chair and looked into his collar.

From below the neck to the shoulder, it was a mass of purple bruises.

Chen Jingshen's gaze darkened. He was about to touch the swab to it.

The person sitting in front suddenly unbuttoned one button of his uniform shirt, then casually pulled his collar back, exposing a large area of skin.

'Hurry up.' Yu Fan pulled Chen Jingshen's chair over, propped his elbows on the backrest, and rested his head on his arms. 'Just smear it on casually.'

Normally, it would be much easier to take off his shirt to apply the medicine, but today, with Chen Jingshen here, he somehow didn't want to undress, which was why he'd been fumbling for so long.

Pulling the collar a bit was fine...

Bullshit.

Yu Fan's neck was straight and slender. When Chen Jingshen pressed his fingers on it to apply the medicinal liquor, he unconsciously measured it.

Yu Fan sucked in a breath.

'Does it hurt?' Chen Jingshen asked.

Yu Fan said stiffly, 'No.'

'Then why are you trembling?'

'...Who the hell is trembling?' Yu Fan said, enunciating each word. 'Alright... stop pressing.'

He tried to get up as he spoke, but Chen Jingshen held his neck, preventing him from moving.

'Wait, it hasn't absorbed yet,' Chen Jingshen said.

'...'

Yu Fan regretted it.

He should have waited until Chen Jingshen left to apply the medicine.

As soon as Chen Jingshen said 'Done,' Yu Fan immediately sat up straight and yanked his collar back into place, fastening it.

He grabbed the items and stuffed them messily back into the drawer. The phone on the desk buzzed.

Zuo Kuan was very agitated on the phone. 'Damn. I skipped the exam to come save you, but I got caught by Panghu while climbing the wall, and he made me stand in his office until now! Fuck, are you okay?!'

Yu Fan stood up, leaning against the windowsill. 'I'm fine.'

'What happened? Did you really get ambushed?'

'Yeah.'

'How many people came? Why didn't you call us before you went?'

'Quite a few,' Yu Fan said. 'They got Ding Xiao to lure me out. I thought it was just him.'

One-on-one would have been quick. He could take Ding Xiao down in a couple of moves, definitely in time to get back for the exam.

He didn't expect that idiot to know people from another school.

He glanced back and saw Chen Jingshen also taking out his phone, sitting on the chair silently scrolling through messages.

Zuo Kuan rambled on for a while before hanging up.

Yu Fan put down his phone and turned around, just as Chen Jingshen picked up his backpack and stood.

Chen Jingshen shoved his phone, screen full of unread messages, into his pocket. 'I'm going back.'

After seeing him downstairs, Chen Jingshen hailed a taxi, then asked as if remembering something.

'Can we video call at nine tonight?'

Yu Fan stood with his hands in his pockets, startled by the question. '...Mm.'

'We'll go over physics tonight.' Chen Jingshen hooked his thumb under his backpack strap, then changed the subject. 'You only scored 9 points on last semester's math final.'

Yu Fan: '?'

'So missing this exam doesn't matter. You just need to score high on the other subjects.'

Yu Fan was about to say that if he couldn't make conversation he should shut up, but the moment he opened his mouth, he fell silent.

Chen Jingshen briefly touched his head, gave a casual ruffle, and said flatly, 'I'm off. Talk tonight.'

The car's rear disappeared around the traffic light corner.

Yu Fan stood there, not moving for a long time, until another traffic light cycle passed before he snapped back—

Wait?

Did Chen Jingshen just put his hand on his head again??

Yu Fan, hands still in his pockets, turned around stiffly and walked back slowly, his expression alternating between cold and fierce.

Chen Jingshen had touched his head twice today.

He was going to cut off two of Chen Jingshen's fingers.

How dare Chen Jingshen? Why were his hands so restless? Were they that close for him to just reach out?

Yu Fan grabbed his own hair, thinking he had to give a warning.

When the video call started tonight, he'd throw a knife on the table and make him apologize a hundred times first.

In the evening, Yu Fan absentmindedly played a round of the long-missed Snake Game.

At nine, the video call came right on time. Yu Fan picked up the fruit knife he'd used to peel an apple, answered with a blank face, and was about to speak—

'Hold your phone higher,' Chen Jingshen said, glancing at the screen.

'What for?'

'Higher.'

What's the fuss?

Yu Fan frowned, raised his hand with the knife to scare him.

'Alright.' Chen Jingshen opened his problem set. 'I couldn't see you just now.'

'...'

Yu Fan stared expressionlessly at his own scowling face in the small screen window for a while, then put the knife down.