Chapter 46

Xiao Jian deliberately said, "I've been having a bit of trouble lately—well, maybe it shouldn't count as trouble, but it is to me. Do you want to hear about it?"

Lin Xiaoxin retorted irritably, "Are you reciting a tongue-twister? I'm completely confused. Can't you speak like a normal person?"

"Here is how it is," Xiao Jian said, turning serious. "Lately, I've fallen for someone. I've been harboring a secret crush on her without expressing my feelings, afraid that once she finds out I'm disabled, she'll keep her distance."

The words were false, but Lin Xiaoxin took them completely to heart. Hearing that Xiao Jian had someone he liked felt like a thunderbolt striking her mind. When had this happened, and why had she known nothing about it? He had been staying at her house for the past month—how could he possibly have developed feelings for someone?

Seeing Lin Xiaoxin's look of dismay, Xiao Jian chuckled inwardly. Why was this foolish girl so easy to trick? He continued, "Recently, after finding out I'm disabled, instead of hating me, she thought I was cute and said she'd find time to visit me at the hospital. I'm really looking forward to her coming."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Xiaoxin grabbed his shoulders and asked anxiously, "Who is that person? Tell me, I want to have a little chat with her later."

"What's got into you, Lin Xiaoxin? I've never seen you make such a big fuss," Xiao Jian replied, playing along with her previous statement. It had been a long time since he had joked around with someone like this; as a team captain, he always had to maintain strict authority so that others would obey his commands.

Lin Xiaoxin, looking thoroughly flustered, pressed on, "I don't care, I don't care! Just hurry up and tell me who it is, or you'll be sorry!"

"Sorry in what way?" Xiao Jian asked.

Lin Xiaoxin was stumped by the question. She couldn't possibly bully a disabled person, could she? This Xiao Jian was simply too shameless.

"Are you going to tell me or not?" Lin Xiaoxin refused to give up.

"What does this have to do with you anyway? Why should my affairs be any of your concern?" Xiao Jian seemed to realize something, though he wasn't entirely certain. He continued, "The way you're panicking and worrying over me doesn't look like mere concern; it feels like something else. Could you possibly—" Before he could finish, Lin Xiaoxin clapped a hand over his mouth.

Lin Xiaoxin hurriedly explained, "It's not what you think! Do you think I have that kind of feeling for you? I just like you purely as a friend!" Words spoken were like water poured out; they could not be taken back, and Xiao Jian had heard every single one.

"Ah?! This isn't what I thought at all!" Xiao Jian's own train of thought was completely different from what was actually happening, leaving him utterly bewildered as well.

Lin Xiaoxin now had no idea how to face Xiao Jian. Xiao Jian looked at her and sighed, "And here I was wondering if you were treating me like some pet you raised! But then you tell me this—what am I supposed to do with you?"

"Who told you to say things like that!" Lin Xiaoxin's face turned beet red. "You are simply the worst! I don't understand you at all, how was I supposed to know what you were thinking? If I had known, I wouldn't have bothered coming to find you and just let you take a walk with that nurse from earlier."

Xiao Jian shook his head. With his myasthenia gravis, the only part of his body he could move was his head; if he could use his hands, he would have shrugged. "There's no changing it now, complaining is useless. Tell me, what did you mean by that remark earlier? I just heard you say something about liking me?"

***

"Did I? I don't remember," Lin Xiaoxin replied evasively.

"Good enough. Let me tell you, I'm really looking forward to meeting that person tonight. Should I pay attention to my appearance?" Xiao Jian asked.

Lin Xiaoxin covered her face with her hands. "Ugh, I don't know how to answer you. My head hurts." She clutched her temples, while Xiao Jian thoroughly enjoyed watching people rendered completely helpless by him.

Still, perhaps this was for the best. As his life was drawing to its close, having someone by his side was a comfort. The only regret was that Yu Xingyue wasn't here. Trying to hold on until Yu Xingyue returned would be a very difficult feat—it was probably an impossible occurrence that would only break down his body further and severely hasten his death.

Xiao Jian said, "Let's stop here for today. I've had enough fresh air, wheel me back to my hospital room."

Coming back to her senses, Lin Xiaoxin nodded and pushed the wheelchair back toward the ward. The two of them remained silent all the way, neither having recovered from the previous conversation, still immersed in the lingering atmosphere.

***

School ended as usual, and Yu Xingyue had already prepared himself. When the time came to face them, his tone had to be fierce; he hadn't completely forgiven her yet. Keeping his worries to himself instead of letting her remain oblivious, exposing her true nature—what Yu Xingyue pursued above all was raw human authenticity.

Wang Tianqi followed close behind him. In truth, she was just lingering around for the spectacle, wanting to see how Yu Xingyue would handle the confrontation. They were walking down the same familiar street. Honda Haoyun had suffered heavy blows and wouldn't show up again, but lingering fear still gripped Yu Xingyue's heart. From time to time, he glanced left and right, terrified that someone might suddenly lurch out of the shadows, drag him away, and thoroughly "mug" him.

"Calm down, calm down. Honda Haoyun was severely beaten by Zhilong and won't appear," Yu Xingyue reassured himself, convincing himself that Honda Haoyun had been arrested and detained, keeping him out of sight for the time being.

Just then, his phone rang. Yu Xingyue answered it, "Who is this?"

"What's wrong with you? Can't even recognize my voice anymore?" came the irritated voice from the other end.

The voice sounded very familiar. Yu Xingyue tried to recall where he had heard it, but the caller lacked the patience to wait and offered a prompt: "Remember the coffee shop?"

The mention of the coffee shop instantly jogged Yu Xingyue's memory. He exclaimed, "Oh! So it's you, Song Haicheng! No wonder your voice sounded so familiar."

Hearing that it was Song Haicheng rather than a harassing call put Yu Xingyue at ease. Over the phone, Song Haicheng laughed self-deprecatingly, "What do you mean 'so it's you, Song Haicheng'? My name is Song Haicheng. Have you really managed to forget me after just a few days?"

"Sorry, I've had a lot on my mind lately and haven't had time to contact you," Yu Xingyue explained.

"There's one thing I found quite surprising. Turns out my younger brother is a friend of yours as well—I only just found out today." Song Haicheng was currently in Song Shanglian's room, checking his phone and happening to stumble upon the chat history between him and Yu Xingyue.

***

"You mean Song Shanglian?" Yu Xingyue pondered. Song Shanglian and Song Haicheng—so that was how they were related.

"Let's not talk about that right now, I have business to take care of back at the internet café." Mentioning the internet café reminded Song Haicheng of something else.

"I said before that I'd visit you at the internet café. If you hadn't brought it up, I almost forgot I had things to do. I'll leave it at that for now, I need to go get dressed up. You'd better be ready tonight." With that, Song Haicheng hung up. Yu Xingyue wondered why not a single word he had said made any sense. Was his comprehension skills really that poor?

Wang Tianqi caught up and walked alongside Yu Xingyue, complaining irritably, "I must say, Yu Xingyue, you walk way too fast. Can't you wait for me?"

Yu Xingyue turned his head, too lazy to engage with Wang Tianqi, yet out of courtesy replied, "I walk at my own pace, how did I offend you? Or are all rich girls as high-maintenance as you?"

"How can you have the conscience to leave a girl walking behind you?" Wang Tianqi demanded.

"That phrasing of yours is fine, but if it were the other way around and I were trailing behind you, wouldn't that make me a creep?" Yu Xingyue retorted.

"So how do you plan to face them when you go back today?" At Wang Tianqi's words, Yu Xingyue's face darkened. He answered blandly, "I've already figured out what to think. Or are you some kind of spy sent by them to keep tabs on me?"

"No way! Who would bother keeping tabs on you when they have nothing better to do?" Wang Tianqi said outwardly, while feeling a wave of panic inside. She had never been honest with him about having bodyguards monitor his every move.

"I hope you aren't that kind of person." Yu Xingyue decided to trust Wang Tianqi for the time being, though he had never truly believed a single honest word out of her mouth and remained constantly on guard against her.

Wang Tianqi continued, "I'm going over there to take a look too. After all, I barely know you. Even though you're the team doctor for the Tianyuan Team, how many people actually understand who you are?"

"If you want to understand me, just say so directly. Why beat around the bush?" Yu Xingyue said flatly.

Wang Tianqi huffed petulantly, "Who told you to be so elusive normally? The only place I can ever see you is in the Tianyuan Team's training room. Any other time, you vanish without a trace like a ghost."

Listening to her complaints, Yu Xingyue realized she wasn't entirely wrong. As soon as training ended, he would leave immediately; apart from Xiao Jian and Lin Zimo watching him go, everyone else was usually left lying flat on the floor staring at the ceiling.

"That just proves I'm a lightning-fast runner—here one second, gone the next," Yu Xingyue joked about himself.