Chapter 138

When Mo Yin passed by the back entrance of Class 1 after the experiment, he habitually glanced inside. He arrived early, and many students from Class 1 were already there; most seats were occupied, but Mo Yin didn’t see Li Xiu. He walked forward and glanced back again, but there was still no sign of Li Xiu in the row of seats by the wall.

During morning reading class, Mo Yin went to the corridor to get water. Still, he didn’t see Li Xiu. Twisting the bottle cap as he returned to the classroom, he thought to himself, “Li Xiu has gotten arrogant; he doesn’t even come to morning reading anymore.”

Back at his seat, Mo Yin thought that Li Xiu wasn’t that kind of person. He speculated that Li Xiu might be sick or something might be going on at home. However, thinking of Li Xiu’s family, there wasn’t a ticking time bomb like Mo Xuemin there. Last night, he watched the very respectable middle-aged couple with Li Xiu, seeming like the epitome of the perfect family.

Mo Yin didn’t envy them, but he also didn’t curse Li Xiu to die in his heart, like he used to.

He hoped Li Xiu would return to school soon; otherwise, he feared he would fight unfairly in the mid-term exams.

On this day, Mo Yin only thought about Li Xiu in the morning. During class in the day, he didn’t think about Li Xiu anymore. By the time he went to bed at night, he thought about Li Xiu again, but it was brief, and he quickly stopped thinking about it.

By the second and third days that Li Xiu hadn’t come to school, Mo Yin started to genuinely miss Li Xiu.

What illness did Li Xiu have, exactly? Mo Yin lay on his bed, not only missing Li Xiu a bit but also thinking about Li Xiu’s medication because he couldn’t sleep. However, this was paradoxical. If Li Xiu were with him, he probably wouldn’t have trouble sleeping. Because Li Xiu wasn’t there, he was a little annoyed and couldn’t sleep.

On the fourth day Li Xiu didn’t come to school, the school held mid-term exams. Mo Yin took the exam seriously, but because Li Xiu didn’t come, after the exam, although he felt he did well, he wasn’t very happy.

After the exam, there was a day off, and Mo Yin packed up his backpack and returned to the dormitory. He looked at his phone a few times on the way. Li Xiu hadn’t sent him a text message or called him for a few days, and he hadn’t contacted Li Xiu either. He hadn’t actively contacted anyone for a long time; the last one was Zhou Ren, to trick him out of his money.

Mo Yin hesitated for half an hour and still didn’t actively contact Li Xiu. He always felt that if he actively contacted Li Xiu, it seemed like he was admitting defeat.

*

The phone was placed on the table, and Li Qing said lightly, “You said you were in love. You haven’t been to school for four days, and he hasn’t sent you a text message or called you. Li Xiu, do you think I can believe you?”

Li Xiu calmly said, “That’s just his personality.”

Li Qing said, “You understand others’ personalities so well. Do you understand yourself equally well?”

Father and son had a very calm conversation, because in the past few days, they had already had several intense “discussions.”

That morning, Li Xiu found that his phone was missing and the door was locked, quickly realizing that something must have happened to make his parents suddenly take such extreme measures. Without a doubt, there was only one thing.

They had been found out, him and Mo Yin.

Li Xiu wasn’t particularly panicked. He sat back on the bed, turned on the music, and quietly awaited judgment. During the wait, he kept thinking about Mo Yin. He wondered if Mo Yin hadn’t seen him at school, would Mo Yin also think about him?

When the door opened, it was already noon. The sunlight poured fiercely through the windows into the room. After hearing the door open, Li Xiu turned back. Li Qing walked in swiftly, and the eyes of father and son met. Without saying a word, Li Qing strode up and gave Li Xiu a resounding slap that echoed through the bedroom.

“Li Xiu, you’ve disappointed me too much.”

Li Qing’s voice was calm but carried an underlying tone of clenched teeth anger.

Li Xiu’s cheek, hit askew, quickly filled with a searing pain. There was a taste of blood from his cracked lip. He turned his head to look at Li Qing. There was no hint of resentment or shame in his eyes. “You know now.”

“Good, very good,” Li Qing nodded as he spoke. “It seems you were well prepared.” Li Qing’s face was grim, and his palm tingled from the slap he had given his son. “Do you know you almost ruined yourself?!”

Li Xiu slowly stood up. He was taller than his father. Despite his injury, he didn’t look like a rebellious child. He looked cultured and refined. “I’m just in love. Does that mean I’ve ruined myself?”

“In love?”

Li Qing, infuriated but laughing, said, “Is this about love? Come out and face me—”

In the living room, the throw pillows that should have been on the sofa were strewn haphazardly on the floor. Even in his rage, his parents managed to maintain a relative sense of reason, choosing their targets wisely when throwing things. Li Xiu had always been disciplined in this direction, constantly controlling his emotions. However, he had often wanted to tell his parents that they needn’t bother educating him; he was originally an emotional freak.

Li Qing sat down on the main seat of the sofa, his eyes red and sore. Last night, when the phone rang late into the night, he had answered it straight from bed. Shao Yunxin woke up, pulling on his arm to eavesdrop. She couldn’t hear very clearly and didn’t dare to ask. After her husband hung up, she asked, “What’s wrong? Is there an emergency? Do you have to leave?”

Li Qing shook his head slowly. “My mother had a heart attack last night,” he said calmly, suppressing his anger with all his might. “She’s resting in the hospital now.”

Li Xiu stood by the sofa, feeling a bit uncomfortable, but only a bit. He felt he should be sad, and ashamed of his disobedience, but it was difficult. This slight discomfort surprised him a little. He had indeed changed somewhat, but it clearly wasn’t the right time to talk about his progress.

Exercising all the patience and self-control he had cultivated over his lifetime, Li Qing said, “Open your eyes wide and look carefully. Think about what we felt when we saw it yesterday.”

The pitch-black TV turned on, and the screen showed Mo Yin.

Mo Yin was squatting by the bedside, packing his luggage.

Li Xiu suddenly turned to look at his father. Li Qing had watched it countless times already, his expression now indifferent, showing no reaction.

The camera seemed to be positioned in a hotel TV, and soon Li Xiu appeared on screen as well. He hugged someone from behind, the camera unable to capture the front, only showing Li Xiu completely covering Mo Yin.

His face was slightly turned, appearing affectionate toward Mo Yin, who remained motionless. When Mo Yin finally moved, his first action was to push Li Xiu away.

Li Xiu persisted, lowering his head to look at Mo Yin again. Mo Yin pushed him once more, then stood up with an expression that hinted at annoyance.

Next, Li Xiu completely blocked Mo Yin again, now kissing him.

Mo Yin seemed to hold onto Li Xiu’s waist, perhaps resisting, as Li Xiu continued to kiss him relentlessly. Even when Mo Yin tried to push Li Xiu’s shoulder away, Li Xiu forcibly held it up.

With such a visible difference in size between them, it looked as if Li Xiu was unilaterally forcing and bullying Mo Yin.

Mo Yin pushed Li Xiu away again, and it was clear from his lowered head that he said something. Then Li Xiu pulled Mo Yin toward the bathroom.

At this point, the video was clearly edited with a jump.

Mo Yin and Li Xiu walked out of the bathroom, their steps awkward, indicating something had happened in there. Li Xiu ruffled his hair, showing a cheerful smile, while Mo Yin slapped his hand away with a weary expression.

Li Xiu hugged him, then was pushed away again. Both started packing their bags as if nothing had happened. When it came time to push the luggage, Mo Yin refused Li Xiu with a very cold expression, while Li Xiu kept staring at him, pulling Mo Yin close and kissing his face. The video froze on Mo Yin’s reluctant face.

The entire video was no more than about seven minutes long.

Li Xiu didn’t interrupt because he had a premonition he might not see Mo Yin for a while, so he cherished every frame.

Mo Yin’s cold and proud expression on his face made his heart beat faster. He remembered how Mo Yin’s breath became hurried and erratic every time he made a certain expression. Thinking back now, it still felt sweet.

The living room fell into extreme silence. Li Xiu said, “Where did this come from?”

Like an explosion, Li Qing grabbed the remote control and hurled it towards Li Xiu. The remote struck him on the forehead, blood streaming down. Li Qing’s face twisted in fury as he said, “How dare you ask me where this came from?” He stood up, marched over, and grabbed Li Xiu by the collar, shouting coldly and angrily, “If it weren’t for the fact that the person handling this case happens to be a friend of mine, your luck would have run out and this would have been uploaded online! Where do you think your future lies?!”

Unable to contain his anger, Li Qing slapped Li Xiu again. “Do you have any idea how big a favor I owe because of this? Huh?!”

“I really didn’t think you would have the guts. I always thought you were a sensible child. You should know what’s right and wrong without me teaching you. Luckily, there’s no surveillance in the bathroom. If there had been, no favor would have saved you. Your life would have been ruined—”

Li Qing shoved Li Xiu forward harshly, unable to express his feelings adequately.

“It’s not our fault we were secretly filmed…” Li Xiu said calmly.

“Shut up—”

Li Qing loosened his tie, sweat breaking out on his forehead, panting heavily. “I don’t want to discuss this with you right now. I’m asking you, what’s the deal with this kid? You better confess honestly!”

Li Xiu wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand and looked up. “We’re in a relationship.”

Li Qing’s expression was as if he had heard a ridiculous joke.

Father and son stared at each other for what felt like half a minute. Li Qing gestured outward with both hands in the air, picked up the remote control from the floor, and pressed buttons. The remote was broken, so he operated the TV directly, pointing at the screen. “Look, look at this—”

The following surveillance footage was more conventional, just hotel corridor surveillance.

Mo Yin, dressed in school uniform, head down with a backpack held to his chest, walked out of the elevator and used his room card to enter the hotel room.

The video skipped again.

A well-dressed man with a frivolous demeanor knocked on the door Mo Yin had just entered.

The door opened, and the man’s face showed a clear smile as he entered the room.

The video skipped again, showing Mo Yin exiting the room. He looked uncomfortable and unnatural, one hand carrying his backpack and the other pressed against his stomach.

“Come,” Li Qing stared at Li Xiu with bloodshot eyes. “I want you to tell me the truth now. What’s the deal with you and this kid? Did you initiate it, or did he? Was there any financial transaction involved? I want you to tell me every detail truthfully, not a single lie. Otherwise, you’re really trying to ruin yourself!”

Li Xiu recognized Zhou Ren’s face from the surveillance.

Outside the high-speed railway station, Zhou Ren treated Mo Yin with the same frivolous and strange attitude, claiming to be Mo Yin’s relative and saying that Mo Yin helped him conceal something in the past. After that, everything fell silent. He didn’t ask, and Mo Yin didn’t bring it up again.

Then, Li Xiu suddenly noticed the date on the surveillance.

It was the day they first met outside the school.

“We’re in a relationship,” Li Xiu said.

Just as Li Qing was about to roar in anger, the words that had risen in his throat suddenly choked back down.

Li Xiu cried.

He slapped Li Xiu twice, blood flowing from his forehead and mouth, but Li Xiu had no reaction. Now, however, Li Xiu suddenly started crying.

“We’re in a relationship,” Li Xiu repeated for the third time, calmly, tears falling unnoticed. “I liked him first, and he likes me too. That’s it.”