Chapter 23: Ill carry the both of you. (1/2)

You Liangxing reflected on it for a full second before he replied: — En.

The reaction was rather bland but it made You Liangxing’s heart settle down all of the sudden.

Games were very good at affecting the emotions of others and You Liangxing was not an exception to it. During the minute when his connection broke, he had been very anxious and it had carried forward until the present moment. He let out a breath of relief, and it was like a large stone had finally fallen to the ground.

Simultaneously, he also felt some shock. Even when one of his teammates had suddenly disconnected in a decisive battle, and trapped in a one against four situation, this person had remained undaunted in the face of death, and attained victory alone.

You Liangxing hesitated for a moment. Then, he typed a ‘Thank you’ in the dialog box and he was about to send it when the other party abruptly said: — I’m free after 10:30 tonight.

Even though no preamble or denouement was provided, the meaning behind his words not difficult to comprehend: He was making an appointment for more games.

Since his own itinerary was not set in stone, You Liangxing could only reply: — Rain check?

The other party replied: — Okay.

The conversation ended there and You Liangxing exited the chat interface for friends. As he was doing so, something flashed at the periphery of his vision.

The flash of white light in the space subconsciously made him tilt his head and subsequently, he raised his eyes. Opposite of him, the boy who had been staring at him was holding onto his phone, looking somewhat embarrassed and awkward.

Although the boy tried to pass off a natural outlook, the phone was still in his hands and he had not kept his incriminating evidence because he was not fast enough. It was apparent from his expression that he had… sneaked a picture.

You Liangxing stilled, opening his mouth to say: “You’re sneaking a photo and you still dare to turn on your flash?”

The instances where You Liangxing opened his mouth to speak were infrequent, and the times where he taken the initiative to speak without being asked a question first did not even need to be mentioned. Just looking at his appearance alone, it was easy to guess that his emotional capacity was unusually full, and it was under this condition that he reflexively spoke.

A soft voice that was completely inconsistent with You Liangxing’s upright and handsome appearance came out, causing the boy to freeze.

It seemed like the boy had intended to say something more, but he had choked on it due to his shock. For a time, his thoughts were in chaos and his resulting words were incomprehensible. “Yi? You, your voice, you, did you just speak? Ah? Can you say something else?”

You Liangxing lowered his eyes and his eyebrows started wrinkling. His expression, one that spoke of his exercise in restraint to tamp down the rising flames of fury within him, sobered the boy in an instant. He covered his mouth, struggling to maintain a serious appearance as he tried to suppress his smile.

“No, I’m sorry, I have no experience when it comes to taking a photo in secret because this is my first time. Sorry, I apologise, I will pay attention to it the next time.”

Because the other party admitted it so frankly, You Liangxing felt stuck. He never had the intention to educate the other to begin with, and he was obviously surprised by the boy’s reaction.

This brazen attitude of his felt strangely familiar.

Despite being caught in the act of sneaking a photo on site, the embarrassment on the boy’s face only lasted for a short time. The scrutiny in You Liangxing’s gaze had yet to dissipate when the boy recovered his animated bearing, and he eagerly said: “Don’t misunderstand, I don’t have any ill-intentions, I won’t even show the photo to anyone, for real! I just thought that you were really handsome so I couldn’t resist taking a few.”

When a man tells another man that they could not resist taking a few pictures, it was really difficult for others to not misconstrue it.

When it came to using You Liangxing’s appearance as a reason for such actions, the subject in question actually did not care too much about it and he was frequently photographed in secret in school. However, when someone blatantly used flash right in front of his face, he could not even pretend to ignore it, let alone allow it to continue to develop after the other party’s utterance.

If it was a normal situation, the person who had been secretly photograph should have a lot to say, However, as You Liangxing tried to open his mouth to speak, every cell in his body was expressing a strong rejection.

…. He did not want to speak.

You Liangxing went straight for the boy’s phone and pointed at the password input box above.

The boy said: “3320, ah, wait!”

Before the voice could finish, You Liangxing had already deleted the photo. Since there was only one of him in the album, the deletion occurred very quickly. When the boy took back his phone, he was only in time to make a cry of regret.

“It’s gone.” The boy had a face full of heartache. After being sorrowful for a while, he regained his spirits and told You Liangxing: “Honestly, I only think that you look really handsome, you have to believe me.”

After he finished speaking, he paused, and he seemed to realise how strange his words sounded. It was like he had woken up to reality all of a sudden when he reacted: “Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t mean it that way, I just, I’m just particularly envious of someone like you!”

The latter half of the boy’s words seemed like something he spat out from gritted teeth. Previously, when he had been caught red handed for sneaking a photo, he had been candid and fluttery about it. However, who knew why he was being shy at the stage where he had to talk about it.

“If you look at my height, you should roughly understand. I’m short, and I… am a little cute. It was fine in junior high school because I always thought that I would grow more in high school. But now that even high school is over, I’m still the same, and how does a boy live with an appearance like mine? How can I not feel anxious when I’m about to attend university soon? And that’s why a person who is as tall and handsome as you is basically my dream.”

“No, it’s not a dream, you are my tomorrow! I will definitely grow up!”

The air was extremely quiet.

You Liangxing did not move at all.

The boy’s expression seemed to be stricken with more and more embarrassment. Face flushed, he urged: “Say something.”

You Liangxing paused before he opened his mouth to speak: “You’re not that cute, you’re rather ordinary.”

The boy: “…..”

The boy’s outlook collapsed, and he cried without tears. “What kind of main takeaway is that? I just praised you for being tall and handsome! Furthermore, how am I not cute? Everyone praises me for being cute!”

With such a huge reaction, You Liangxing didn’t know whether the boy wanted to grow taller or he wanted to stay the same.

In just one simple exchange, the distance between the boy and You Liangxing suddenly drew closer. Even if You Liangxing did not speak, the boy was already familiar enough with him to strike up a conversation. “Older brother, are you a university student? Which university are you from?”

While waiting for You Liangxing to answer, the boy’s eyes brightened because You Liangxing’s voice was too special. Not only did the intriguing combination not disappoint the boy, he seemed to empathise, as if they were fellow sufferers commiserating with one another.

The more he looked, the more he felt that he was suitable for being his idol.

You Liangxing seldom took the initiative to speak, but when other ask him a question, he would generally answer those questions out of politeness. Thus, he replied: “A University.”

Since You Liangxing and the boy had boarded together at A City’s train station, he did not think that the boy would be unfamiliar with the university. And sure enough, the boy was extremely familiar with it. “A University! How coincidental, my sister is also in A University, and in a few days, I will be reporting my entrance examinations results to A University too.”

A University was a famous university; even within the entire country, it was still a first-rate university. If You Liangxing hadn’t remembered incorrectly, the bottom line for the necessary score to apply for A University had broken a record high this year and it was very difficult to enter.

“Older brother, what are you studying?”

You Liangxing said: “Finance.”

The boy sighed, “Ai, I’m studying literature and my sister is also studying literature, so I’m entering the Liberal Arts College without a doubt.” Having said that, he was at a loss but he roused himself. “That means once school starts in September, you and I will be school mates. That’s nice.”

His way of calling him ‘older brother’ was extremely intimate, and You Liangxing was not fed up with his inherent ingratiating appearance in the least.

There was still a certain duration before they reached the capital by train, and during this time, You Liangxing simply conversed with the boy for the sake of conversing.

“My home is in City A, but I came out this time around to travel after graduating for high school. How about you?”

“I have some matters to attend to, but I’m taking a look around while it is convenient.”

The boy was somewhat excited, “For real? Why don’t we travel together? I’m a little scared to be by myself.”