The bell rang for the end of class, and the beautiful teacher with golden curls didn’t delay, and the students began to pack up and leave one after another.

Yu Guang wasn’t in a hurry. He slowly tucked the paper with the portrait of himself into his book, treasuring it.

He remembered that Ye Si had also given him a sketch last time, a peach blossom. They could be put together.

“Do you like it?” Ye Si’s question sounded in Yu Guang’s ears.

Slightly taken aback, he pursed his lips and nodded, whispering, “Yes, I do.”

Silence hung in the air for a moment, Yu Guang seemed to hesitate, and it took him a while before he continued, “Actually, from childhood until now… I’ve rarely received gifts… So, so to receive Senior’s drawing, I’m really happy!”

In his words, he seemed excited yet restrained, lifting his head slightly, his tousled hair swept aside to reveal sparkling eyes.

He looked very much like a cute little brother next door.

The corners of Ye Si’s eyes curved upwards as he reached out to tousle the fluffy hair on his head, his nostrils flaring.

“Did you eat some candy? I seem to smell the scent of strawberry candy.”

“Uh…” Yu Guang hesitated, suddenly remembering the strawberry bubblegum he chewed during break to cover up the smell after sneaking a smoke in the restroom.

But he didn’t want Ye Si to discover his smoking habit or any other undesirable aspect of him, so he just nodded in agreement, “Um, yes, the candy you gave me last time was very sweet, so I bought something similar.”

“Do you like it?”

Before Yu Guang could answer, Ye Si didn’t wait, flipping his hand over to reveal a strawberry hard candy in his palm.

“For me…?”

“Do you think there’s anyone else here?”

Yu Guang looked up and saw that the classroom was already empty, leaving only the two of them.

He hadn’t noticed when someone turned off the lights as they left. The dim daylight outside made the whole classroom look dim, like the onset of an impending stormy evening.

Then, as if from nowhere, Ye Si produced a cup of drink and placed it on his desk.

The packaging resembled that of a milk tea shop-style thick paper cup, sealed at the top, but without any logo on the cup.

“Drink it while it’s hot,” Ye Si said lightly.

There was a brief blank in his mind. Yu Guang didn’t have time to think about where Ye Si got the drink from and how it could still be warm after two classes, or what harm such a drink of unknown origin could pose. He just took it and took a sip with the straw.

The heavy sweetness of brown sugar, but after a few sips, there was a strange rusty taste that made the back of his tongue bitter.

“What kind of drink is this?” It didn’t quite suit his taste, and Yu Guang frowned slightly, but he kept his head down so Ye Si wouldn’t see.

“It’s brown sugar water.”

“It tastes a bit strange…” Yu Guang whispered.

Ye Si didn’t respond to that, his brows furrowing slightly, appearing somewhat serious.

“Finish it,” he said.

“Oh…”

Ye Si’s occasional seriousness was quite intimidating. His already indifferent features seemed even sharper, and Yu Guang timidly lowered his eyelashes, quietly sipping the brown sugar water.

The strange rusty taste wasn’t just his imagination.

With each gulp of the brown sugar water, the peculiar taste of fishy sweetness grew stronger.

The warm water warmed his entire body, especially his stomach, accumulating a sense of dry heat for no reason.

But he indeed had a kind of blind, unconditional obedience to Ye Si.

After gulping down the strange brown sugar water, Yu Guang licked his lips and lifted his head.

“Finished,” his voice soft.

Ye Si nodded at him. “Let’s go.”

“Uh…?” Yu Guang was puzzled by Ye Si’s meaning.

“Isn’t the next class calligraphy? Let’s go together.”

Yu Guang then remembered that Ye Si was already a senior tutor for calligraphy class, and they were heading to the same classroom.

He nodded hurriedly, fearing to delay, quickly packed his bag, and followed behind Ye Si, feeling apprehensive.

As they walked side by side in the corridor, the damp wind lifted the corners of Ye Si’s clothes and tossed his tousled hair.

He caught a whiff of pinewood wrapped in invisible mist.

But he really didn’t want to go to calligraphy class, let alone see that old man with so many wrinkles on his face.

Unconsciously, he had already arrived at the door of the calligraphy classroom, where many students had already arrived, each spreading out their rice paper and preparing their ink brushes.

Chen Zhongguo came surprisingly early this time, bowing and smiling beside Ye Si, his wrinkled face crumpled up like a piece of grass paper rubbed on a table, or like a flattering dog begging for food.

Yu Guang hid to the side, bursting out a dry heave, then tucking more stray hair in front of his eyes, before pushing the door open and entering.

Ye Si was looking at him, luckily, Chen Zhongguo had returned to the podium, not standing beside Ye Si.

“Come here,” Ye Si stared into his eyes and said.

As soon as the words fell, Yu Guang felt several pairs of eyes on him, one of them particularly sticky.

Without thinking, he knew whose gaze it was.

Yu Guang stiffened for half a second, mechanically walking towards Ye Si.

Chen Zhongguo was respectful and fearful towards Ye Si, and after he came to Ye Si’s side, that sticky feeling gradually disappeared.

A certain thought flashed through Yu Guang’s mind, and he lowered his head, moving closer to Ye Si like a small animal seeking warmth in the cold.

This method indeed worked, and after calligraphy class, Chen Zhongguo didn’t ask him to stay behind again.

The back door of the classroom was locked at some point, so they needed to go out through the front row,

Yu Guang followed silently behind Ye Si, walking with the crowd, but felt a hand discreetly touch his butt as they passed by Chen Zhongguo.

He shuddered as if electrified, quickened his pace, and accidentally bumped into Ye Si’s back in front of him.

Stunned for a moment, Yu Guang apologized, holding his head.

But before he could lift his head, Ye Si had already pulled him into a hug, pulling him down in front of him.

Yu Guang naturally didn’t see Ye Si’s sudden darkening expression and the fierce gaze directed at Chen Zhongguo.

This time, the little guy was truly timid, not pretending.

Ye Si was well-versed in human nature and naturally wouldn’t fail to notice these subtle changes. It seemed that something had happened right under his nose, but he hadn’t realized it in time…

Yu Guang’s body trembled, like a showered little beast.

Ye Si turned his head again, lowering his brows, scanning Chen Zhongguo inch by inch.

There were a few startled whispers and sniffles from the students around.

Chen Zhongguo was scared out of his wits.

Ye Si hugged Yu Guang and walked out of the classroom, through the rusty door.

Amidst the chaotic overlapping light, faint murmurs could be heard—

“What’s that smell?”

“It stinks, like toilet urine, doesn’t it?”

“Oh my… look at Teacher Chen’s pants! This…”

Following Chen Zhongguo’s pants leg, there was a puddle of water on the floor tiles.

After all, he was a teacher who controlled students’ grades, so the murmurs gradually faded away, and the students hastened their steps out of the classroom.

The gloomy sky of the morning had unexpectedly cleared up, and the suspended sun peeked through the gaps in the clouds, casting its gaze.

Yu Guang looked up and met the eyes peeking through the gaps, feeling a sting from the sun and quickly looking away.

“Senior Ye Si… I want to wash my hands,” he muttered, only darting off to the restroom at the end of the corridor after receiving permission.

The school restroom had a large mirror on one side, engraved with silver characters: ‘A bronze mirror reflects your appearance; history reflects rise and fall; people reflect gains and losses.’

Yu Guang stared at the three lines of text for a long time before finally chuckling from his throat.

The Yu Guang in the mirror looked cold and even sinister, with narrowed peach blossom eyes sharper than blades, a stark contrast to his demeanor in front of Ye Si just now.

He turned on the tap, letting the cold water pour over the back of his hand.

The flowing water couldn’t wash away the sticky feeling of the touch, even after rubbing several times until the back of his hand turned red, and the chill spread from his fingertips to his arms, Yu Guang suddenly turned off the tap.

He shook off the sticky water on his hands and walked out slowly.

To his surprise, Ye Si hadn’t left.

He was leaning against the railing of the corridor, smoking a cigarette, his thin lips exhaling wisps of smoke, blurring his face, giving it a hazy, mesmerizing feeling.

Yu Guang was momentarily stunned in place.

He didn’t expect Ye Si to wait for him, nor did he know that Ye Si also smoked.

Ye Si quickly noticed him standing dumbly by the corridor, then extinguished the half-burnt cigarette.

Yu Guang’s gaze fixed on the bright red glow that extinguished, then suddenly remembered something and hastily reached into his pocket.

Nothing.

The slim cigarette between Ye Si’s fingertips… seemed to be the strawberry bubble gum he had just bought.

His heart was suddenly squeezed by an invisible hand, and he couldn’t find the words for a moment.

He was afraid that Ye Si would discover the rotten soul beneath his innocent facade and fear that Ye Si would be disgusted with him.

If Ye Si really hated him, it would rain in his heart forever.

Although they were only ten steps apart at the moment, Yu Guang didn’t dare to take another step forward.

Nervously swallowing, he stood still, beads of sweat gradually forming on his forehead.

Ye Si flicked his finger, and the cigarette butt flew into the nearby open trash can.

“Aren’t you coming over?”

“Ah… coming.”

Yu Guang ran over with a stiff scalp.

But Ye Si didn’t mention the strawberry cigarette. Instead, he hugged Yu Guang’s shoulder like before and pushed him towards the staircase.

Earlier in the classroom, he couldn’t speak because he was disgusted by the touch on his butt didn’t have the mind to think about it more.

But now, the force of Ye Si’s hand on his shoulder became particularly clear.

Although the other party was only lightly resting his hand, Yu Guang felt a confusing sense of being held tightly by the other person.

That day, he wore a slightly thicker windbreaker, and Ye Si’s body temperature couldn’t pass through the fabric. Yu Guang couldn’t help feeling a little annoyed and cursed himself silently in his heart.

Suddenly, the hand resting on his shoulder tightened.

Yu Guang was unprepared and stumbled half a step before being pulled into Ye Si’s arms, the strong arm feeling like a heavy iron chain.

Someone brushed past them.

It was difficult for Yu Guang to turn his head to look, but the stench from the person’s body hit his nose, making him involuntarily wrinkle it.

It was Chen Zhongguo.

Thinking of the other’s embarrassed appearance, Yu Guang’s eyes flickered, unable to resist pushing away the chilly hand resting on his shoulder.

Ye Si looked down at him, loosening his grip slightly. Taking advantage of this, Yu Guang turned his head and saw Chen Zhongguo’s embarrassed figure disappearing from view.

Clearly, the other party had tidied up, holding pieces of dark and light pants in his hand, as if he had just come out of another restroom after tidying up.

For an old man like him, dignity was paramount. Wetting his pants in front of students was undoubtedly the most embarrassing thing.

Although Yu Guang didn’t know why Chen Zhongguo, a proud old man, would embarrass himself in front of everyone, it didn’t stop him from feeling a bit of schadenfreude.

The rising satisfaction surged like a tsunami, quickly enveloping his entire heart.

He had to clench his fists tightly, using the sharp pain to calm his restlessness and rapid breathing.

Amidst the increasingly intense thumping of the left ventricle, a sudden thought flashed through his mind—

Why did Ye Si suddenly hug him out of the classroom? Why had he been waiting for him in the corridor?

Gulp—

The nervous swallowing sound echoed in Yu Guang’s ears, and a faint possibility flashed through his mind.

As if being submerged by a huge wave, the suffocating feeling of being overwhelmed by the sea and the salty taste merged, creating a hallucinatory confusion.

Suddenly, his head was rubbed, and Ye Si’s cool palm held his face and turned his head back. Chen Zhongguo’s figure disappeared from his view.

Then, Ye Si suddenly asked an unrelated question—

“Do you know your blood type?”