Wen Qing was yanked by the arm and slammed against the wall, his forehead colliding with the surface. The wound mixed with dirt, sending waves of continuous pain. He was ready to take a beating.

Before the punches landed, he heard Zou Hui’s angry shout, followed by Yuan Hao’s righteous voice.

“Timing couldn’t be better, Yuan Hao is here, and I won’t sit by and watch such despicable acts!”

Wen Qing struggled hard, wanting to tell Yuan Hao to leave, but the two men Zou Hui brought were too strong, and he couldn’t move an inch.

Soon, the sound of fists and kicks hitting a body, along with wails, filled the air. Yuan Hao’s cries were truly pitiful, as if he’d lost half his life.

Unable to bear the sounds from not far away, Wen Qing struggled even harder. This time, he easily broke free from the restraint. Instinctively looking back at the voice, he realized it was Yuan Hao who said it,

“Stop! Wen Qing is my sweetheart!”

Zou Hui and his two lackeys, along with the newly famous Longyang, Wen Qing, were all stunned on the spot.

Wen Qing doubted his ears, and clearly, so did Zou Hui. His expression was like he’d eaten rotten salted fish, asking, “What… did you just say?”

“I and Wen Qing, we are sweethearts, Longyang, bunny boys…”

“Stop, stop, stop!” Zou Hui’s expression now was like he’d eaten rotten dog poop, “Are you disgusting? Saying such things to avoid a beating!”

“I’m telling the truth. I’m also a scholar, I care about my reputation. Would I make up such things just to avoid a beating?”

“Such things, others avoid like the plague, and when discovered, they still deny it. Have you ever seen anyone admit it willingly?”

“I truly feel sorry, I can’t bear to see Wen Qing suffer, that’s why I admitted it. Why don’t you believe me?”

Yuan Hao looked deeply aggrieved, and Zou Hui somewhat believed him, turning back to look at Wen Qing.

Wen Qing: …

Zou Hui finally found salvation, “Look! Look at him, he just found out too, right?”

Yuan Hao showed a heart-wrenching expression, “That’s because my dear A Qing was scared, he’s always been timid.”

Ignoring Zou Hui, Yuan Hao quickly walked to Wen Qing’s side, checking his injuries, “A Qing, how are you, anywhere uncomfortable?”

Wen Qing: …

Zou Hui: …

Yuan Hao disregarded the surrounding gazes, half-hugging Wen Qing, gently patting his shoulder, their heads leaning together as if whispering sweet nothings between lovers.

“Halfway through the act, bro, say something! Do I look like I want to be gay?”

Wen Qing: …Yes.

Zou Hui: ?

Wen Qing: We… are close, won’t have any thoughts about Miss Kong.

“A Qing,” Yuan Hao said affectionately, “I won’t let you down.”

Zou Hui: …

Zou Hui was beyond furious, feeling irritable, embarrassed, and itchy all over, like stepping on dog poop but unable to retaliate. He vented his anger on a small tree nearby, breaking it in half with a kick, then his anger subsided a bit, and he called his men to leave.

The two of them, Yuan and Wen, still maintained their half-hugging posture. Yuan Hao muttered softly, “What a bullheaded guy, lucky I didn’t go head-to-head, or we’d have to start over.”

“What?” Wen Qing didn’t quite understand.

Yuan Hao didn’t reply, letting go of Wen Qing, exhaling a long breath.

Wen Qing stood awkwardly to the side, whispering, “Thank you.”

Yuan Hao took a few steps back, squatting by the small stream running through the academy, pulling out a clean handkerchief from his sleeve, wetting it in the stream, and called Wen Qing, “Come here, I’ll help you clean your wound.”

Wen Qing was a bit flustered, then hesitated before squatting next to Yuan Hao.

Yuan Hao didn’t mind his awkwardness, directly using the wet handkerchief to clean the blood and dirt from Wen Qing’s forehead.

“Hiss!”

“Hurts?”

“…Yeah.”

“If it hurts, bear with it. You’re really stubborn, even wanting to take a beating.” Yuan Hao mercilessly mocked.

“Thank you.” Wen Qing weakly thanked again.

“Got it.” Yuan Hao pulled out a bag from his pocket, loosened the mouth, reached in, and found a herb.

He rewashed the handkerchief in the stream, cleaned the herb, then wrapped it in the wet handkerchief, rubbing it hard until green juice came out.

Yuan Hao pressed the herb pack on Wen Qing’s forehead, explaining, “This is Tong grass, it can stop bleeding. Let’s see if it works.”

He pressed the herb pack, and the two were only an arm’s length apart, really close. Wen Qing awkwardly averted his gaze, then gathered courage to look back, softly asking, “Are you really fond of Longyang?”

Yuan Hao was first stunned, then jumped back in place, stumbling several steps before regaining balance. “Who!? Me??? I was just helping you, I’m not into Longyang, I’m not, I’m not!”

Wen Qing was startled by the sudden change, not squatting properly, sitting directly on the grass, one hand supporting the ground to keep balance, the other still holding the herb pack on his forehead, even in such a mess, he didn’t forget to reply, “Okay, okay, you’re not.”

This only made Yuan Hao more agitated, “I’m really not!”

“It’s okay, I don’t mind these things, I’ll keep your secret.”

“No need to keep a secret, I have no secret, I’m not into Longyang, not!”

“Okay, okay, not.”

Yuan Hao continued to press aggressively, asking, “Not what?”

Wen Qing immediately replied, “Not into Longyang.”

“Hmph, that’s more like it.” Yuan Hao sulked, squatting to the side, looking at stones instead of Wen Qing.

The atmosphere was awkward, Wen Qing held the herb pack with one hand, plucking grass with the other, suddenly remembering he hadn’t asked about Yuan Hao’s well-being, “Were you hurt just now?” He couldn’t turn back when he was held down, but he heard Yuan Hao’s cries.

“No.” A dry two-word reply.

“These… these herbs, did you gather them yourself?” Wen Qing started to make small talk.

“Yes.” A dry one-word reply.

“Then… can I take a look?”

“Go ahead.” Still a dry two-word reply.

Wen Qing felt embarrassed, freeing a hand to look at the herb bag, struggling to open it. Yuan Hao, awkward for a while, couldn’t stand it, coming over to show him the herbs one by one.

“The wound on your forehead needs to be applied for two or three days, these are Tong grass, take a few back. This one isn’t, it’s called…”

“White Wei Zi!” Wen Qing hurriedly moved closer to look, forgetting to hold the herb pack, Yuan Hao quickly pressed it for him.

“How do you have White Wei Zi!?” Wen Qing stared at the herb without blinking.

“Of course, I found it on the mountain.”

“You gathered it yourself? You know how to gather herbs… which mountain, is it easy to find? Can you take me there, can you sell this to me, I’ll pay 50 coins!”

Wen Qing grabbed Yuan Hao’s arm, looking at him urgently and pleadingly, afraid he’d say no.

“…Why do you need White Wei Zi?”

“My mother has an old illness, needs long-term medication, White Wei Zi is an essential herb, but the pharmacy here rarely has it, buying from afar, they’re all dried and transported, not potent enough.” Wen Qing said, his tone gradually lowering.

“I go to the mountains to gather herbs because my mother is also ill, she needs Golden Teng Flower, even harder to find, not even dried ones available. We’re in the same situation, I understand, this White Wei Zi is yours.”

Wen Qing gratefully accepted the herb, he should insist on giving some money, or continue expressing gratitude, but the rare opportunity and worry for his mother overrode politeness, making him continue to push his luck, “…Will you continue gathering herbs in the future?”

“I will.”

“Can you take me with you?”

Yuan Hao laughed, “You have no experience, it’ll be a waste of effort.”

“Then…” Wen Qing internally struggled, harshly questioning himself how he could say such things, the other was for his mother’s illness, yet he wanted him to be distracted.

He felt guilty, eyes reddening, but still tremblingly continued, “If, just by chance, you find White Wei Zi, could you, give it to me.”

“I can pay a lot of money for it.” He quickly added in a small voice.

“No need for money, if I find it, I’ll give it to you.”

Only then did Wen Qing dare to look at Yuan Hao’s face, since Yuan Hao was still holding the herb pack for him, they were very close, Wen Qing looked into those black eyes, as if seeing Yuan Hao’s sincere soul. Yuan Hao looked at him, without a hint of impatience, as if any request would be agreed to.

“How long do you think it will take to find one?” Wen Qing heard himself asking.

“Oh, pushing your luck?”

Wen Qing immediately shut his mouth.

“Depends on the situation, if I find it, I’ll bring it to you right away.” Yuan Hao teased but still answered.

Wen Qing nodded, then suddenly thought of something, asking, “Will it delay your studies?”

He didn’t give Yuan Hao time to answer, immediately offering a solution, “You can come to my house to study, I have a private library, not as vast as the academy’s library, but quite a collection.”

“Really let me go?” Yuan Hao leaned closer, the distance between them less than half a foot.

“Yes!” Wen Qing nodded affirmatively.

Yuan Hao laughed, “Any snacks?”

“Yes!”

“Deal~”

The scent of the herb pack, slightly bitter and herbal, lingered in the air, and in front of him was Yuan Hao’s smiling eyes filled with his reflection. Wen Qing’s heart stopped for a moment, then began to beat wildly again.

Thump, thump, thump.

A nameless, unfamiliar emotion quietly sprouted in his heart.