Chapter 62
Note: not proofreaded
Zhen Yuanbai was very happy in his heart.
Shi Bufan was the one who couldn’t hold in the urge to talk to him first, so he must like himself a lot. That’s why he admitted defeat.
In the end, Shi Bufan agreed to attend the sports competition, but the precondition was that Zhen Yuanbai would come and train with him every day after school. Shi Bufan had already admitted defeat, so Zhen Yuanbai was going to be generous and look past everything. Therefore, they made up. It felt as if Song Mo had eaten a tree full of lemons and he was very jealous of Shi Bufan.
With Zhen Yuanbai’s help, Song Mo felt as if it would be very difficult to keep his second place.
Zhen Yuanbai was well-behaved and practiced long-distance running with Shi Bugan. When the latter came back panting, Zhen Yuanbai delivered the towel and warm bottle of water to him. After Shi Bufan took a sip, he knitted his eyebrows and asked, “why is it a bit warm?”
“It’s warm.” Zhen Yuanbai explained and said, “It’s not good to drink too much cold water.”
Shi Bufan glanced at his water bottle and then at Zhen Yuanbai’s water bottle. It felt as if he had received a token of kindness. Right then, he was in a better mood and said, “Cheer for me when the time comes and I’ll get first place for you.”
Zhen Yuanbai nodded his head firmly.
Qiu Jing watched as Shi Bufan followed Zhen Yuanbai around like a shadow and received a look of pity. Zhen Yuanbai also noticed that Ming Mai and Qiu Jing had been looking at him strangely. He turned around confusedly and the two immediately shifted their gazes up until Shi Bufan started walking towards the track that one of them came over and asked, “You made up with Brother Shi?”
Zhen Yuanbai hummed in agreement, a bit embarrassed.
Ming Mai said, “You found Brother Shi first?”
Zhen Yuanbai really wanted to retort and say no, but after thinking about it, he considered leaving face for Shi Bufan in front of his friends. Therefore, he nodded gently and said, “Aren’t you guys going to practice?”
“We’re going to rest for a bit.”
After Qiu Jing finished, he pushed Ming Mai and said, “Let’s go over there and wash our faces.”
The two left together and Zhen Yuanbai looked down to see the towel that Shi Bufan used. He looked up at the young man soaring through the field and thought that since he wouldn’t finish running anytime soon, he decided to follow the boys to prepare a towel.
By the sink, Qiu Jing splashed water on his face and didn’t care that he got his T-shirt wet either. “The more I think about it, the more pitiful I think our class monitor is.”
Ming Mai said, “Brother Shi is really inhumane. Only the two of us know about this. Otherwise, if someone else finds out, who knows what they’ll call Brother Shi.”
“Who knows? It seems like Brother Shi did care when the class monitor came to visit us the other day. Even though he’s a replacement, maybe one day Brother Shi might really care for him.”
“It’s not like Brother Shi’s crush died, so how can a replacement take over the weight of the crush in Brother Shi’s heart? If his crush takes notice of him one day, heh. Watch. Brother Shi will definitely mention breaking up with him.”
“If it were up to me… Brother Shi used to hate him in the past, but he suddenly likes him now… tsk, as expected. He harbors bad intentions.”
They packed up and prepared to leave when they saw Zhen Yuanbai standing there confusedly and in a daze while looking at them.
He always had a question in his heart. Why did he hate him so much and then suddenly like him?… So this was the reason?
Seeing that no one was around, Qiu Jing hurriedly walked over and said, “Class monitor, don’t listen to the crap we’re saying. We…”
Zhen Yuanbai left without saying anything.
Qiu Jing and Ming Mai stared at each other and the latter muttered softly, “It’s a good thing if he finds out anyway. After all, Brother Shi doesn’t have good intentions. It’s better off that they break off their relations…”
When he finished talking, he felt a bit guilty.
Zhen Yuanbai carried the towel back to the sports field and placed the towel on the ground. He grabbed his water bottle and turned around, leaving. He felt as if he was dreaming and that everything felt like an illusion.
What is a replacement? Although he didn’t really read novels, he had read a few heartbreaking books that social media have recommended. He suddenly lowered his head, feeling heavy. He was thinking about this strange name and before he walked home, he received Shi Bufan’s call.
Zhen Yuanbai hesitated before answering it and placing the phone to her ears, hearing Shi Bufan say, “Why did you disappear?”
We don’t go home the same way.
Zhen Yuanbai opened his mouth and suddenly felt that everything ahead was blurry. He rubbed his eyes and helplessly hung up on the call. He sniffled hard and then wiped his face repeatedly and firmly. He then reluctantly was able to see the road ahead.
He knew that Shi Bufan didn’t have any good intentions and he had done a lot of unforgivable things to him. Therefore, how could he easily let him go? As it turned out, Shi Bufan was waiting for him here. In the beginning, he must’ve been thinking about abandoning him after he got him to like him, but how come he still liked him in the end?
When he returned home, it was empty and he was the only one home. Zhen Youxiu lived in his dorms because he was busy with his studies. He only returned home once every two weeks. His parents weren’t home from work yet. Zhen Yuanbai locked himself in his room and then lied in bed, feeling sad for a while.
Shi Bufan had called multiple times, but Zhen Yuanbai pretended he didn’t hear.
He decided to not talk to Shi Bufan anymore. He can’t talk to Sih Bufan ever again. He was a super duper big bully.
He cried for a while and even the pillows got wet. Then, he blacklisted Shi Bufan’s phone number and deleted him on WeChat.
From the start, Shi Bufan didn’t like him, so there was no need for him to continue liking him.
Qin Ying returned not long later and after cleaning up things, she called Zhen Yuanbai over to eat. Zhen Yuanbai adjusted his voice and said, “I’m not eating.”
From the tone of his voice, it was very clear what happened. Qin Ying knocked on the door and said worriedly, “What’s the matter? Someone bullied you? Did Shi Bufan bully you? Fanfan?”
Zhen Yuanbai wiped his tears as he choked out the words, “No, it’s not him. I just don’t know how to solve a question. It’s fine.”
“Look at you…” Qin Ying said helplessly, “Why do you have to cry over this? If you can’t solve it, go rest for a bit and then solve it tomorrow. If you really can’t ask your father, ok? You need to eat. I’ll bring the food over.”
Shi Bufan glanced at his phone. It says that the call was busy and that he was deleted from WeChat. This made him worried.
F*ck.
He wondered what he had done wrong.
The next day was the weekend. Zhen Pingjin got out of bed early and said, “Congming, your mother and I need to bring your grandma to her checkup. Whenever you wake up, go out and buy breakfast for yourself, ok?”
Zhen Yuanbai didn’t sleep until very late last night, so he hummed, still in a daze. Qin Ying called a few times before he snapped out his daze and said loudly, “I know.”
“We might not be back until this evening. Are you sure you don’t want to go as well?”
She didn’t receive an answer even after a while, so she placed the money by the entrance hall and said while changing her shoes, “I wonder who this child acts like. He even cried over a question. It seems like if he doesn’t solve the question today, he won’t give up.”
“He’s like you. Both stubborn.”
The parents closed the door and left while Zhen Yuanbai fell back asleep. He didn’t sleep for long when he heard his phone ringing, still half asleep. It was an unfamiliar number, so he picked it up and answered, “Hello?”
“Yuanyuan.” It was Shi Bufan. “I’ll come find you at your house, ok?”
Zhen Yuanbai was confused for two seconds before he hung up without another word, blacklisting this number while he was at it too.
Shi Bufan was speechless.
Zhen Yuanbai seemed soft and weak normally, but he was really harsh at the right moment. He completely deleted any ways of contacting him.
Shi Bufan felt as though his heart had been boiling in the pot. He couldn’t understand how he had offended Zhen Yuanai.
Today was a cloudy day and it was dark out. Zhen Yuanbai’s room was very quiet and he seemed to be asleep, but in reality he didn’t. His head and body felt heavy. He was a bit hungry, but he didn’t want to move at all.
It was very fortunate that today was the weekend, so he could allow himself to adjust for a day before meeting Shi Bufan. Otherwise, he was scared that he might become a joke in front of Shi Bufan.
He rubbed his face and spent the rest of the day in bed, in a daze. He finally left the house at five in the afternoon with an umbrella, searching for food. The weather was cold from the rain. Zhen Yuanbai kept his head down and trudged as he walked towards the convenience store in the rain, grabbing three buckets of instant noodles from the shelf. He suddenly heard a voice from the counter, saying, “This.”
“Do you want the candy?”
After a short silence, the voice said, “Yes.”
Zhen Yuanbai peeked over from behind and saw the familiar figure walking out with an umbrella and then walking towards a tree a bit far from here.
Zhen Yuanbai carried the buckets of instant noodles out and the elder brother at the cashier counter shifted his gaze away, snorting. “Could this boy have broken up with his partner again?”
Zhen Yuanbai had heard of people talking to themselves frequently, but he was curious this time. “He…also broke up with someone before?”
The elder brother recognized him and hearing his question, he smiled and said, “That’s right. Last year, the boy… wait no, it started from the year before. He frequently came here. Do you see the tree over there? He frequently smoked under there and when he did, he smoked the entire night. Then, after a while, I hadn’t seen him here. He even bragged to me saying that he got the person he liked. Now, he started standing under the tree again. It seems like his girlfriend broke up with him.”
Zhen Yuanbai was a bit confused and he asked, “He frequently comes here… to pursue his girlfriend in the past?”
“I don’t know about that, but he frequently gazes at that neighborhood. He might not be pursuing the person, since he secretly comes over. He might have a crush…oh, I remember that you guys are from the same school. Do you know who he is after?”
“I don’t know.” Zhen Yuanbai said a bit unhappily, and the elder brother didn’t ask anymore. He casually found a bag to put the things in and then said, “Your parents aren’t home right? Kids like you guys… you guys only dare to eat junk food when your parents aren’t home. Your parents will definitely find out since the room will be full of this smell.”
Zhen Yuanbai grabbed the bag and walked out with his umbrella when he suddenly heard thunder.
He clutched his bag and stared at the guy under the tree. The black umbrella only covered the top half of his body, but he casually leaned against the tree.
Zhen Yuanbai wanted to rush home, but he suddenly couldn’t bear to. He turned around and slowly walked over, tapping the umbrella with his and saying, “Aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning standing under the tree?”
The black umbrella was suddenly lifted up. Shi Bufan ate a piece of candy and after he saw Zhen Yuanbai, he walked over with large strides and held onto Zhen Yuanbai’s wrist. He knitted his eyebrows and asked, “Why did you suddenly ignore me?”
Zhen Yuanbai pursed his lips and he started crying. Shi Bufan was confused for two seconds as he watched as Zhen Yuanbai wiped his face with his sleeves. He choked out the words, “Who am I a replacement for?”
“Who said that? What is this nonsense?”
“Your good friend told me that!” As Zhen Yuanbai cried, he said, “They said that you had a crush on someone who looked similar to me. You couldn’t obtain them, so you took me as their replace…”
“Replacement my ass.” Shi Bufan wanted to kick his so-called good friend’s head and he said, “I’ve always had a crush on you! Did Ye Lian, that boy, tell you this?! He’s just a bastard! He just doesn’t want to see me happy!”
Zhen Yuanbai’s face was still covered in tears. Shi Bufan reached over and wiped his face, saying, “Why is your face so warm? Do you have a fever?”
Hearing him say this, Zhen Yuanbai just noticed that he indeed felt a bit light-weighted. Shi Bufan grabbed his hands and said, “Let’s head to your house first.”
“I don’t want you…”
“I already said that I like you and there are no fricking replacements. Can’t you understand me?” Shi Bufan said with a gloomy face, “If you say another word, I’ll carry you inside.”
“If you like me, you shouldn’t threat…”
“So what if I threaten you?” Shi Bufan pulled Zhen Yuanbai ahead and said in a rough voice, “You dare to listen a bastard’s words and sentenced me the death penalty, and you dare to say that you’re reasonable?”
“He’s not a bastard.”
“You feel bad that I’m insulting him? Why are you feeling bad for him?” Shi Bufan stopped and his gaze felt like he was going to eat Zhen Yuanbai alive. The latter trembled and pursed his lips, saying, “It’s two bastards.”
Shi Bufan placed his fierce look away and tugged Zhen Yuanbai inside. After closing his umbrella, he snatched the other umbrella over and held it in his hands, asking, “Who else?”
“It wasn’t Ye Lian.”
“Qiu Jing and Ming Mai?” Shi Bufan pushed him into the elevator and said, “Ok, three bastards. I’ll beat them all up tomorrow that they’ll have to be hospitalized in the hospital!”
Zhen Yuanbai’s eyes were slightly swollen from crying. He probably thought it was a bit cold outside, so he wore a thin jacket while coming out. Shi Bufan held onto Zhen Yuanbai’s cold hands and asked, “Did you eat lunch?”
Zhen Yuanbai was upset again and he said, “I didn’t even eat breakfast yet.”
Shi Bufan was mute for a second before he tugged him home, pressing Zhen Yuanbai against the bed and covering him with blankets. “Let me see what you guys have at home and I’ll cook some noodles for you guys.”
“I don’t like to eat noodles.”
“Then order takeout?”
Zhen Yuanbai nodded and Shi Bufan took out his phone to order lean meat porridge as well as other delicious food. He asked, “Your mother is a doctor, so there should be a first-aid kit right?”
Zhen Yuanbai nodded and pointed at the direction. Shi Bufan rummaged through and found antipyretic. He poured some warm water for Zhen Yuanbai to take it with. Watching his teary eyes, he said, “Because of the three stupid bastards, you thought that I was lying to you?”
“I originally found it weird that you like me anyway.” Zhen Yuanbai lifted his hands to wipe his tears. Shi Bufan was helpless and he said, “Why was it weird? How many times have I told you this? Why won’t you believe me?”
“Then what you mean by that you were crushing on me…” Zhen Yuanbai glanced at him with puppy eyes. Shi Bufan was blabbering on before, but now he acted mute.
Ye Lian, that stupid boy.
He kicked Ye Lian’s head to outer space in his mind, but said nothing for a while as he kept a straight face.
Zhen Yuanbai pursed his lips and said, “You still want to lie to me. You…”
“I didn’t.” Shi Bufan said with an unwell expression, “I’ve liked you since sophomore year.”
“You’re joking…” Zhen Yuanbai held in his words and said, “You’re lying.”
“…” Shi Bufan’s expression was one as if he had swallowed feces. He couldn’t muster a single word for a while. How come in TV shows, whenever someone mentions crushes, a friend would talk on their behalf and secretly make the crush touched? How come when it was his turn, he needed to talk about each one of the shameful and humiliating things he had done?
Seeing that Shi Bufan hadn’t said anything for a while but saw that the tip of his ears were red, Zhen Yuanbai started to believe in his words. “What evidence do you have to prove that you’ve liked me since sophomore year?”
“…What evidence would I have to prove that I was crushing on you? Does pictures that I’ve secretly taken of you count?” It felt as if Shi Bufan was going to explode any time. He looked around and Zhen Yuanbai shivered from the gaze. He said, “The elder brother from the convenience store said that you frequently come to my house… to look for me?”
“Why else?”
Zhen Yuanbai sat up and said unbelievably, “You really went to my house in the middle of the night just so you can see me?”
“Is that very funny?” Shi Bufan said with a cool voice. Zhen Yuanbai originally thought it was cold and now he thought it was colder. He wrapped himself in the blankets and murmured, “That’s right. That’s pretty dumb.”
Shi Bufan tilted his head and suddenly hovered over Zhen Yuanbai, making the latter scared and pulled the covers over his head. The doorbell saved him and Shi Bufan expressionlessly stood up and walked out to get the takeout.
Zhen Yuanbai peeked out and kicked the blanket, sitting by the side of the bed and cupping his porridge. He said softly, “Do you find it shameful that you like me?”
“What do you think?”
Zhen Yuanbai pursed his lips and smiled, “You can be shy too…”
“You really…”
Shi Bufan was about to threaten him when he felt a pair of soft lips on him. Zhen Yuanbai quickly pulled away and said, “I was really upset.”
He looked down and said softly, “When I thought of you liking someone else, I was really upset. Really really upset.”
Shi Bufan said, “…Then why didn’t you ask me? You didn’t even ask me before you deleted my contacts. No hesitation at all? Hm?”
“I won’t continue to like someone who doesn’t like me.”
“…” Shi Bufan felt a stab on his heart and Zhen Yuanbai glanced at him and said, “Now, I’m in trouble.”
“?”
Zhen Yuanbai scooped the porridge and said in a low voice, distressed. “How do I need to say it for you to understand?”
“I really can’t bear to stop liking you.”