Chapter 99: The Two of Them Heating Up
When a mid-tier student tutors a low-tier one, it’s considered a great success if they can just pull the latter up to a near-average level.
You couldn’t really hope for much more.
It was thanks to Ling Yudie that Lin Yu’an could barely keep up with his classes.
She also gave him the courage to attend school.
But after he started school, whether it was elementary or middle school, nothing seemed to change.
It got to the point where Lin Yu’an developed an aversion to school on several occasions, wanting to run away.
That was, until the person he considered the sun of his life appeared in his world.
It was thanks to Chen Mo that Lin Yu’an found the courage to step onto campus, along with a sliver of hope.
He deeply envied those who could be friends with Chen Mo and joke around with him freely.
If he could, he wanted to be one of them too.
His heart yearned for the chance to laugh and mess around with friends on campus.
But it was just a thought.
He had such low self-esteem that he felt unworthy of even approaching someone like that.
The prejudice he’d seen in others’ eyes since he was young had distorted his own self-perception.
’I’m just a maggot in the crowd, unworthy of getting close to the most dazzling person here. Just being near him is an insult, a defilement.’
This was why Lin Yu’an had visibly flinched the several times Chen Mo had touched him.
In his eyes, if Chen Mo touched him, it meant he was making Chen Mo dirty.
He had been so crushed by the prejudice in people’s hearts that he could no longer see his own worth.
But no matter how suppressed one’s self is, it still has its own beliefs and desires.
He couldn’t get close, but he was content just to see him from a distance.
Anyone who didn’t know might assume Lin Yu’an was gay. In reality, his longing for Chen Mo was simply a desire to be friends.
It was just that, in his own mind, this desire was him aiming far too high.
It also created a huge internal conflict.
He didn’t dare take the initiative to overcome the self-loathing that walled him off.
Yet, at the same time, he passively yearned for more contact and interaction from Chen Mo.
It was a concept similar to divine grace.
A god doesn’t care if you are filthy or pure; they treat everyone equally.
That was also why, when Chen Mo had patted his younger brother, Lin Yuxi, before, a fanatical look had appeared in Lin Yu’an’s eyes.
Because he, too, yearned to be touched by Chen Mo, just like his brother had been.
Every one of those touches felt like it would wipe away a layer of his inner filth.
Every time Chen Mo touched him, he felt he had been elevated, that his own filth was diminishing.
’I’m not worthy of your touch, but I long for you to touch me, to purify me.’ This was Lin Yu’an’s truest hope regarding Chen Mo.
Once Lin Yu’an was back in his seat and the others had stopped blaming him, Chen Mo finally turned back around.
He began to think. Lin Yu’an wasn’t inherently unapproachable or impossible to talk to. He’d interacted with him before, so he knew.
There were many reasons why he seemed to keep everyone at arm’s length now.
’If I can get him to change this habit of keeping people away, it might help him in his future interactions.’
’But these things can’t be changed overnight.’
Many people’s problems start in childhood, accumulating from issues within their family of origin.
Chen Mo wasn’t a god. He couldn’t solve every problem or help every person.
But for the people he knew, he felt that since he had returned, perhaps fate had given him a certain responsibility.
Besides enjoying his youth again, he found a certain satisfaction in the idea of fixing as many of this period’s regrets as he could.
「Soon, the class bell rang.」
Everyone acted as if nothing had happened and began listening to the lecture as usual.
Su Yuqing also lifted her head, her eyes still drowsy.
"Yuqing, what time did you go to bed last night? You’re still so out of it," Zhao Yuanyuan said, looking at Su Yuqing in surprise.
The question made her recall the amorous feeling from the night before, and her face flushed slightly. "I forget. I had a little trouble sleeping, so I went to bed late."
Zhao Yuanyuan didn’t have an imagination as vivid as Huang Mao’s, so she didn’t have much of a reaction to this answer.
Although she hadn’t slept well, she’d taken a nap at lunch, so Su Yuqing was still very attentive during her afternoon classes.
Chen Mo’s group of four had also entered serious study mode.
Even Huang Mao had started listening attentively; their foursome was really getting its act together.
Days spent focused on studying were always uneventful.
「Time flew by.」
When school let out that afternoon, Chen Mo and Su Yuqing went out to eat again.
After all, there was nothing ready to eat at home, unless they wanted a quick bowl of noodles.
Since he was already taking the easy way out today, Chen Mo decided to go all out for the meal.
As students gradually left, Zhou Hao slowly ambled over to the front of Class One’s classroom.
Inside, Qu Danwan was eating a packed lunch at her desk, as her leg hadn’t fully healed yet.
Zhou Hao had bought a drink for her. He delivered it and left without lingering.
Watching Zhou Hao shyly hand her the drink, stammer a few times without managing a complete sentence, and then run off, Qu Danwan couldn’t help but break into a sweet smile.
In just a few short days, her perception of the boy had changed dramatically.
When she first learned he was the school bully, she had been full of prejudice against him.
Later, when she discovered he was always following her, she grew even more frightened.
But after their confrontation, she found out he just wanted to thank her. He acted with a surprising innocence that didn’t match his tall frame, which made Qu Danwan think he was rather interesting.
And then, in her most helpless moment after she was injured, this big guy had appeared by her side at just the right time to help her out of her predicament.
In that moment, Qu Danwan had been a little moved by him.
But it was just a flutter of the heart, something like the suspension bridge effect.
After that day, Qu Danwan still felt that she and Zhou Hao were from two different worlds and didn’t give their relationship any deeper thought.
However, Zhou Hao’s constant visits to check on her over the past two days had shown Qu Danwan his persistence and thoughtfulness, and she also saw his excellent character.
He got close, but never overstepped his bounds.
He longed for contact, but never forced his way closer.
He longed to talk, but never forced a conversation.
If he couldn’t get the words out, he would just leave. If there was no need for physical help, he automatically kept his distance, not daring to make any careless contact.
Qu Danwan saw and took to heart every one of his actions.
Her fondness for him was, imperceptibly, beginning to grow.