Chapter 58: Want to Go or Not

The guy looked completely bewildered. “It wasn’t me.”

Lin Hexi also spoke up, “It has nothing to do with them.”

After hearing this, You Chong finally dismissed the group surrounding them and turned to Lin Hexi, frowning as he asked, “What happened to your face?”

Lin Hexi slowly countered, “Is what happened really that important to you?”

You Chong was taken aback. “What?”

Lin Hexi said, “Didn’t you say I’m not your friend? So why would what happened to my face be important to you?”

You Chong was silent for two seconds before responding without thinking, “I’m just angry.”

Lin Hexi looked surprised. “What are you angry about?”

You Chong furrowed his brows and didn’t speak for a long moment.

In truth, even he couldn’t quite understand what he was angry about at the time. The anger had flared up and vanished in an instant, and now You Chong himself couldn’t trace the origins of his emotional shift in that moment.

In the end, the conversation went nowhere. You Chong returned to the court to play the game, while Lin Hexi didn’t go back to the stands but instead sat down directly in their resting area.

In the second half of the game, the opposing team started to catch up, but they had missed the best window to close the gap, and the distance between the two teams gradually widened. When the referee blew the whistle, the entire friendly match ended with a victory for the Polytechnic Institute.

Cheers erupted from the Polytechnic Institute’s stands, and the boys who had been playing returned to the resting area to drink water and wipe off their sweat.

The few who had witnessed You Chong getting angry for Lin Hexi stood slightly behind, and frequently glanced back at Lin Hexi, who was seated on the bench, feeling both confused and awed.

Noticing their strange behavior, Zhou Xuan walked over and gave each of them a light smack on the back of the head. “What are you all sneakily standing here looking at?”

The guy who You Chong mistakenly thought had injured Lin Hexi’s face stepped forward and quickly explained the incident that had occurred during the halftime break in a few words. He ended, still puzzled, by asking, “So what’s going on with Brother Chong and Lin Hexi now? Are they planning to bury the hatchet and become friends?”

“Bury the hatchet?” Zhou Xuan scoffed lightly, looking at the group of second-year juniors in front of him. “Lin Hexi is a year ahead of you guys. From now on, don’t call him by name in front of You Chong.”

The juniors all nodded in understanding. “Senior Lin Hexi.”

Zhou Xuan neither confirmed nor denied this, turning to search the crowd for You Chong. He happened to catch sight of You Chong crouching in front of Lin Hexi, holding Lin Hexi’s chin as he checked his wound.

Zhou Xuan scoffed again, deciding to see his good deed for his longtime friend through to the end. He turned back, and said blankly, “Also, don’t call him ‘Senior.’”

The juniors humbly asked for guidance, “Then what should we call him?”

Zhou Xuan replied coldly, “Call him ‘Sister-in-law.’”

You Chong, crouching in front of Lin Hexi, lifted his face to take a closer look at the wound.

The cut wasn’t deep or long, but You Chong still frowned and said, “Go to the school clinic and get it treated.”

Lin Hexi was nonchalant. “I’ll just disinfect it when I get back and put a band-aid on.”

You Chong insisted, “Then go to the school clinic now for disinfection.”

Lin Hexi raised his eyebrow slightly, and said with a playful tone, “Will you go with me?”

You Chong stood up and, before leaving, instructed Lin Hexi, “Stay here and don’t move. Wait for me for two minutes.”

Lin Hexi was slightly stunned but then replied, “Alright.”

The basketball team was planning to go to the KTV next to the school for a singing and dinner party. You Chong found Zhou Xuan and said, “You guys go ahead. I’m taking Lin Hexi to the school clinic.”

Zhou Xuan clicked his tongue. “The others still need to pack up and change. If you go to the clinic now and then come back to the gym, you’ll still have time. We’ll wait for you here.”

You Chong responded, “Then we’ll keep in touch by phone.”

Zhou Xuan nodded, “Alright.”

You Chong went to change his clothes first, then returned to his original spot to call Lin Hexi.

The two of them left through the main entrance of the gymnasium and headed towards the school clinic located behind the gym.

The two buildings weren’t very far apart, about a ten-minute walk. The doctor at the school clinic examined the wound on Lin Hexi’s face and also said it wasn’t serious; disinfecting it and applying gauze would be enough.

Lin Hexi, however, found the gauze too unsightly and refused to wear it.

The doctor, amused but helpless, said, “A band-aid will do as well.”

Only then did Lin Hexi nod and agree.

Lin Hexi went to the downstairs window to buy iodine and band-aids, then sat down in the lobby. You Chong tore open the packaging of the cotton swab, dipped it in iodine, and began to clean the wound on Lin Hexi’s face.

The iodine stung slightly as it touched the wound, and Lin Hexi instinctively squinted his left eye.

You Chong glanced up and asked, “Does it hurt?”

Lin Hexi answered honestly, “A little.”

You Chong replied, “Then bear with it.”

Lin Hexi was momentarily speechless and muttered under his breath, “Can’t you be a little gentler?”

You Chong’s hand abruptly paused, and he slowly narrowed his eyes. “Tell me how you got the wound, and I’ll be gentler.”

Lin Hexi responded concisely, “I got scratched by a fruit knife by my roommate.”

You Chong put down the cotton swab and iodine, tore open a band-aid, and pressed it onto Lin Hexi’s cheek. His expression was intensely grim. “Where is he now?”

Lin Hexi chuckled, “I beat him up and sent him to the school clinic.”

You Chong paused, his dark eyes looking at Lin Hexi with an unclear emotion. “Is that the only thing that happened?”

Lin Hexi’s smile stiffened slightly. “What?”

You Chong asked, “Was getting your face scratched by a fruit knife the only thing that happened?”

The smile on Lin Hexi’s face completely disappeared. He was silent for a moment before finally saying, “It wasn’t the only thing.”

You Chong pressed, “What else happened?”

Lin Hexi looked at him silently.

He felt that he had never been the type to open up or confide in others, so he thought he shouldn’t just lay everything bare to You Chong. Yet, when he met You Chong’s gaze, Lin Hexi felt as if he was losing control, starting to feel unlike his usual self.

As he counting on his fingers, he began listing things to You Chong, “They changed the door lock of the dorm, ate hot pot inside the room, messed up my desk, and used my hot water card to take showers without permission.”

“These are all small things, really.” Lin Hexi’s expression turned somewhat nonchalant, and he even avoided making eye contact with You Chong. “At least compared to getting my face scratched, these don’t really matter—”

He didn’t even get the chance to finish his sentence.

Without any warning, You Chong reached out and hugged him.

It wasn’t the kind of shoulder and waist grab they had done for show on the dance floor of the bar, nor was it like the time they pressed chest to back under the eaves, hiding from the rain at night. It was just a simple, face-to-face embrace.

You Chong’s arms were wrapped tightly around Lin Hexi’s back, and Lin Hexi’s chin rested gently on You Chong’s shoulder. The steady rhythm of their heartbeats overlapped and merged together.

The bottle of iodine, caught between them, was pushed off the chair and rolled farther away on the floor.

Lin Hexi, coming back to his senses slightly, moved his chin slightly against You Chong’s shoulder and couldn’t help but remind him, “Something fell—”

But You Chong interrupted him, “This is not a small matter.” He emphasized in a low voice, “To anyone who cares about you, none of this is small.”

Lin Hexi took a moment to digest the meaning of his words.

He wasn’t sure if he had misinterpreted or overanalyzed You Chong’s words, but the moment his thoughts became entirely clear, he could distinctly feel his heart begin to race uncontrollably.

The sound was rapid and strong, vibrating against his eardrums, causing a faint tickling sensation.

His lips were dry and tense, and the words he wanted to say hovered on the tip of his tongue several times before finally emerging in a clear voice, “Then you—”

At the same moment, You Chong also spoke, “You—”

Their voices collided, leaving only fragmented syllables scattered in the air.

After a brief pause, You Chong’s voice sounded again, close and clear, “What did you want to say?”

Lin Hexi’s composure returned, and he replied calmly, “Nothing.”

Without pressing further, You Chong released him, gazing deeply into his eyes. “Do you want to go to the beach to watch the tide?”

Lin Hexi was startled for a moment. “Right now?”

You Chong nodded, “Right now.”

Lin Hexi hesitated. “We have classes tomorrow, and aren’t you supposed to go to the dinner party?”

Without answering his question, You Chong lightly curled his lips. “This is a one-time offer. It won’t wait.”

Lin Hexi froze for a moment.

The next second, he looked up and smiled. “Go.”

As if worried that You Chong might change his mind at any moment, he repeated clearly, “I’ll go.”