Chapter 18

At the desk, Song Wenzhou swapped out the finished math test and pulled out a blank English test.

“Hey.” Mu Chi squeezed in beside Song Wenzhou, one hand propping up his chin, the other spinning a pen rapidly, sighing every few minutes.

At first, Song Wenzhou would turn to ask him what was wrong, but after several times, he grew too lazy to respond—Mu Chi was probably just being “moody” again.

Mu Chi stared at the indifferent Song Wenzhou, leaning his whole upper body onto the desk, and sighed louder, “Hey…”

Song Wenzhou didn’t even glance at him, tuning him out completely.

“Hey~” Mu Chi reached out and grabbed Song Wenzhou’s pen, “Are you seriously going to just study like this?”

Song Wenzhou tugged at the pen, but couldn’t pull it away. He turned to him and said, “Didn’t you say you were here to study?”

“Didn’t you see that I wasn’t serious about that?” Mu Chi pouted.

Song Wenzhou, feeling that Mu Chi was being overly dramatic, helplessly asked, “Then what do you really want to do?”

“I don’t know,” Mu Chi said, resting his head on the desk, “I’m just really bored.”

Song Wenzhou furrowed his brows. If Mu Chi was feeling bored at his house, then it meant he, as the host, hadn’t been attentive enough.

Indeed, he’d been so focused on his homework that he hadn’t paid attention to Mu Chi.

So, Song Wenzhou put down his pen, closed the test paper, and turned to face Mu Chi. He thought about Mu Chi’s interests and suggested, “How about I play a game with you?”

To his surprise, Mu Chi flatly rejected, “I don’t want to play. Every weekend when I was home alone, I’d play games, and I almost got sick of it.”

This…

Song Wenzhou remembered Mu Chi’s earlier comment about seeing his parents only a few times a year, and that he probably didn’t talk much with his grandparents either. He also recalled that when Mu Chi came over on weekends to chat, it seemed like he was always alone at home, which could definitely get boring.

Mu Chi had once mistakenly thought that Song Wenzhou’s quietness meant he was lonely. In reality, it was Mu Chi himself who felt lonely. What he assumed was Song Wenzhou’s inner world had actually been his own reflection.

No wonder he talked so much at school, both in class and out of class—he probably had so much bottled up from being alone at home.

Song Wenzhou gave Mu Chi a deep look and unconsciously softened his tone. “I won’t ignore you again.”

“?” Mu Chi was confused as to why Song Wenzhou had suddenly become so gentle, but he enjoyed the attention. “Then let’s chat.”

“Alright,” Song Wenzhou nodded. “What do you want to talk about?”

Mu Chi gave him a look that said, “You wouldn’t understand.” “Talking doesn’t have a set topic. We’ll just chat randomly, talk about whatever comes to mind.”

Song Wenzhou thought for a moment, casually tossing a piece of fruit into his mouth.

“Actually, I really envy you,” Mu Chi suddenly said.

Song Wenzhou, chewing on a piece of fruit, asked with a muffled voice, “Why?”

“Because you have such a great desk mate like me,” Mu Chi said proudly. “I don’t have anyone like that.”

Song Wenzhou resisted rolling his eyes. “Am I not good enough?”

“Well… you’re pretty good,” Mu Chi said, holding up his pinky finger. “But just a tiny bit worse than me.”

Song Wenzhou snorted. “Narcissistic.”

Mu Chi chuckled for a while before calming down and seriously saying, “To be honest, I really envy how your mom always looks after you, not letting you eat this or that. It’s not just for your health; it’s the feeling of having someone take care of you. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that.”

Song Wenzhou paused for a moment and then softly said, “Ah,” not sure of how to respond, only pushing the fruit plate a little closer to Mu Chi.

“I grew up being let loose,” Mu Chi said, spearing a piece of banana but not eating it, instead offering it to Song Wenzhou. “My parents went abroad to work when I was really young, and my grandparents… maybe because they were more indulgent, they were never strict with me.”

Song Wenzhou listened attentively, taking the banana and chewing it. He hadn’t expected Mu Chi’s parents to be overseas, which explained why Mu Chi couldn’t see them often.

Mu Chi lowered his gaze and sighed, continuing, “A few years ago, my grandpa passed away after being sick, and my grandma isn’t as strong as she used to be. Now, I take care of most of the things at home, and there’s no way I can have her take care of me anymore.”

Song Wenzhou paused for a moment, a little heartbroken.

He wasn’t very good at comforting others, so he wondered if Mu Chi would feel better if his own situation was worse than Mu Chi’s.

After swallowing the banana, Song Wenzhou said, “Both my grandparents and my maternal grandparents have passed away. When I was young, they treated me so well. I always thought that when I grew up, I’d take good care of them, but… I never got the chance.”

His intention was to comfort Mu Chi, but as he spoke, Song Wenzhou honestly felt sad himself. “Sometimes, I really miss them.”

“They’ll know your feelings,” Mu Chi patted Song Wenzhou’s shoulder and said. “Whenever you miss them, you can come over to my house to hang out. I’m sure my grandma would like you.”

“Okay,” Song Wenzhou smiled, “I’ll definitely visit when I get the chance.”

Mu Chi, trying to lighten the mood, raised an eyebrow. “Do you know that ‘when I get the chance’ is just a polite way of saying ‘not anytime soon’? So, when exactly is ‘the chance’?”

Song Wenzhou helplessly replied, “Maybe during winter break. I’ll visit your house for the New Year.”

But Mu Chi started to look troubled. “Can’t it be earlier? During the holidays, I’m going abroad with my grandma. We go every year to stay with my parents, and we probably won’t be back until school starts.”

“Mm?” Song Wenzhou asked, puzzled. “I thought there was some reason your parents couldn’t take you abroad. If you’re staying there for so long, why don’t you just study abroad?”

“Because I was too young when my parents wanted to take me, and my grandparents wouldn’t let me.”

Mu Chi’s grandparents believed that the environment abroad was too different from home, and they worried that Mu Chi might forget his roots. They insisted on keeping him in China to study, wanting him to learn more about local culture before forming his worldview, and not allowing him to study abroad until he was older.

Song Wenzhou was genuinely impressed by Mu Chi’s grandparents’ reasoning.

Then, he thought of another question. “So now that you’re older, your grandma probably won’t stop you anymore, right? Does that mean you’ll study abroad in the future?”

After asking, Song Wenzhou felt his question might have been unnecessary. Mu Chi’s parents were living abroad, and it seemed like they had no plans to return to China. Plus, Mu Chi didn’t seem to have any siblings, so he’d probably end up going abroad himself.

Mu Chi didn’t answer directly but asked with a mischievous grin, “Zhouzhou, are you going to miss me?”

Mu Chi had expected Song Wenzhou to coldly tell him to “get lost,” but to his surprise, Song Wenzhou generously nodded and said, “Yes.”

“You’re the first and best friend I’ve made since coming here,” Song Wenzhou said sincerely, “Is it so strange that I’d miss you?”

Mu Chi stared at Song Wenzhou for a long while, then softly said, “Not strange.”

“So, are you going to leave?” Song Wenzhou asked again, not ready to give up.

“Unless something unexpected happens…”

Just then, Ren Suyi knocked on the door and called, “Zhouzhou, Mu, dinner’s ready.”

Mu Chi’s sentence was interrupted. Song Wenzhou smiled, and for some reason, he no longer felt as curious about the answer. He said, “Let’s go eat.”

Song Chenglang had already gone out for a dinner gathering, so it was just Song Wenzhou, his mother, and Mu Chi having dinner together. Most of the conversation was about Mu Chi, and most of the laughter was directed at Ren Suyi. Song Wenzhou felt inexplicably frustrated and only spoke a few words here and there.

After dinner, Ren Suyi had her usual Saturday evening gossip session with her old friends. Before heading back to her room, she told them that they’d worked hard and should play for a while, leaving Song Wenzhou to entertain Mu Chi.

Song Wenzhou didn’t feel like talking to Mu Chi anymore, so he just dragged him into a game, not caring whether Mu Chi would end up sick of it.

After an unknown amount of time, the sky had fully darkened. As another round of the game ended, Ren Suyi knocked on the door and told them she was going out to pick up Song Chenglang, who had been drinking.

Mu Chi quickly and sweetly said, “Auntie, drive safely.”

“Okay,” Ren Suyi smiled, “Your Uncle Song already took the car, so I can’t give you a ride back. Be careful on your way home. If it gets too late and you don’t want to go back, you can sleep here.”

She then turned to Song Wenzhou and added, “Make sure to tidy up the guest room. If you’re tired, you can sleep first, don’t wait for your dad and me.”

Song Wenzhou nodded.

Mu Chi waved his hand from the side and said, “Actually, it’s not necessary. I can just sleep in the same bed with Song Wenzhou.”

Song Wenzhou: “?”

Did you ask him first?

“We always sleep in the same bed in the dorm,” Mu Chi added.

Ren Suyi exclaimed, “You two are that close?”

Song Wenzhou calmly explained, “It’s a bunk bed.”

Ren Suyi suddenly burst into laughter, and the smile stayed on her face all the way until she left.

After watching Ren Suyi leave, Song Wenzhou and Mu Chi continued playing for a while. As the night got later, Song Wenzhou casually asked, “Are you sure you want to sleep here?”

“Why?” Mu Chi replied with a cheeky smile, “You don’t want me to stay? Should I leave?”

Song Wenzhou looked at him seriously, “I’m asking you seriously. If you want to sleep, I’ll go tidy up your room.”

“Can’t I sleep with you?” Mu Chi pouted, “I wanted to talk to you all night.”

Song Wenzhou rejected him outright, “No.”

Mu Chi could feel the disdain in his tone and asked sadly, “Why?”

Song Wenzhou had already thought of the perfect excuse and said, “Because you like to sleep naked, and… I’m not used to it.”

“That’s true,” Mu Chi stroked his chin thoughtfully, almost forgetting about that detail.

“I’ll go tidy up your room,” Song Wenzhou said, getting ready to stand up.

“Forget it,” Mu Chi pulled on his sleeve, “If I can’t sleep in the same bed with you, it’s no different from going home to sleep.”

Song Wenzhou said “Oh” and replied, “Then let’s go. I’ll walk you.”

“No,” Mu Chi said, laughing and crying at the same time, “Let’s not even talk about me staying, but why do I feel like you’re rushing me to leave?”

Song Wenzhou avoided his gaze, “Your illusion.”

“Fine,” Mu Chi walked over to the desk and picked up his backpack, “Since you’re saying it like that, I guess I’ll have to trouble you to walk me.”

By this time, the last bus had already left. Song Wenzhou walked Mu Chi to the entrance of the neighborhood and flagged down a taxi. Before Mu Chi got in, he told him to send a message once he got home.

Mu Chi nodded, got into the car, told the driver the address, and then asked the driver to wait for a moment.

“Come here a bit.” Mu Chi leaned against the window and beckoned with his finger.

Confused, Song Wenzhou walked over. Mu Chi tilted his head and said something to him, then didn’t wait for a response and told the driver to drive off.

Song Wenzhou stood there, staring blankly at the taxi as it disappeared, before he turned around and headed home.

Mu Chi had said, “Although you’re a bit heartless, I still have to tell you, unless something unexpected happens, I definitely won’t be going abroad. I’ve gotten used to living here.”