42 4.4 (2/2)
At last, he gave up on his revenge, he directly tapped out.
The class instructor wasn't too displeased with his students, one had struggled persistently against a far more dominant opponent, the other had humanely spared his peer. Therefore, he granted an early end to the class, sending Ding Bo to the infirmary.
The rest of the audience wasn't as satisfied, this was a rare arena fight but it wasn't even that bloody. Still, the knowledge that they had such an impressive senior was quite heartening, so they left without a fuss.
As soon as Chen Yu stepped out of the arena, Murong Wen gratefully shook Jin Yongguang's hand. Regardless of their different backgrounds or strength, Yongguang was a good friend. Look at how he'd risked his reputation to defend him, he couldn't be ungrateful and envy him. Chen Yu was slightly surprised by Murong Wen's resolution, but he didn't put much faith in it. Once a weak relationship like this had a crack, it would be almost impossible to recover.
Hou Yi also congratulated him, warmly praising, ”That was well done of you, Yongguang.”
Chen Yu laughed, ”Ah Yi, then you have to keep your promise, you have to!”
Hou Yi smiled, agreeing to meet in the exercise room after dinner. As if suddenly remembering, Chen Yu turned around toward Murong Wen, asking, ”Ah Wen, why don't you come as well?”
Murong Wen jerked the corners of his lips up at this invitation. What would he even do there, marvel at their talent? A pang of resentment flashed through his heart at how clueless Jin Yongguang was, at how he could afford to be so naïve. But all he said was, ”No, you go ahead, I'll train on my own for a while and catch up, okay?”
Jin Yongguang reluctantly nodded, then proposed to meet at dinner, only for Murong Wen to refuse that as well, claiming that he needed to study and would eat in his room.
Walking away, Hou Yi studied Jin Yongguang's expression. Besides some confusion, there wasn't any sadness or disappointment, so he probed, ”Ah Guang, are you alright?”
Chen Yu hummed at the abruptly affectionate form of address, wondering what Hou Yi was planning to do by pretending to be so friendly. Nevertheless, he dutifully responded, ”I wasn't hit during the fight.”
Chucking, Hou Yi clarified, ”No, I mean, about Murong Wen.”
”Ah Wen? What about him?”
Although Hou Yi was skeptical that the other boy's alienation had escaped Guang's notice, examining that puzzled face, he explained, ”You guys are usually close friends, aren't you hurt that he distanced himself a bit just now?”
Chen Yu combed his hand through his hair, which had been disturbed when he was running around, absentmindedly replying, ”En...Ah Wen and I like to spar together, but I've recently advanced a lot after getting some tips from an expert. He must have become motivated to improve as well. It'll be fine, he'll tell me when he's ready to train with me again.”
Hou Yi paused. Had he overthought their relationship? Since he'd decided to be close to Ah Guang, he'd intended to learn more about the people around him, but apparently Murong Wen wasn't an important figure anyway, if he posed a threat, he could get rid of him at any time.
Aware that the boy truly believed it was so simple, he didn't question further. Instead, he grasped his shoulder, pulled him to a stop, and naturally sorted out the unruly strands of hair. Chen Yu didn't mind, only thinking that the action felt oddly familiar to him.
When Hou Yi pronounced that he was done, the two resumed their walk silently, each with their own speculations, while behind his back, Hou Yi unconsciously rubbed his fingers against his thumb, savoring the soft feeling.
Since Chen Yu hadn't sweated from the fight at all, he joined Hou Yi for an early lunch then separated, one heading early to his afternoon class and the other to his dorm room.
As the best student of the academy, Hou Yi's schedule was largely kept obscure, he could drop in to attend any class he chose or receive private tutoring from any of the teachers. Of course, Chen Yu could have hacked into the academy mainframe to find out what he was up to, but there was no reason to bother. So when he entered his login pod, he forgot about the boy, focused on confirming that Jin Zhong planned to contact Murong Wen this afternoon. Satisfied that his parents had managed to arrange matters, he turned to practicing mecha control again.
The day passed as usual, except that this time, Chen Yu ate dinner with Hou Yi instead of Murong Wen. Looking at that even more refined dining style, he sighed silently, lamenting the original owner's lack of elegance, then resumed stuffing himself. What could he do? This body was a growing boy, alright? It really required a lot of energy, alright?
While the students around the two gaped at the black hole of a stomach Jin Yongguang had, Hou Yi took it in stride, giving him his dessert once he'd discerned that Ah Guang seemed to like sweets. When he noticed that Ah Guang had finished his drink, he was about to push over his cup of water, but instinctively paused, getting up to fetch a cup of hot chocolate instead. After finishing his meal, he good-naturedly waited, tapping his fingers and occasionally wiping off the stains around Ah Guang's mouth. Naturally, this was faithfully recorded by those rotten admirers of theirs.
These indulgent actions, however, finally allowed Chen Yu to grasp what he'd been reminded of after the arena fight. The tapping fingers, hands-on maintenance, showering him with sweets, everything brought to mind how Lu Guanting had treated him during his little shows of doting.
No, Chen Yu thought, Lu Guanting, Feng Kuo, Zhao Cui, they all shared these quirks. Were they...Chen Yu narrowed his eyes, scanning Hou Yi up and down. Probably the only distinct trait was that neck fetish of his, but it was a bit awkward to just roll in bed as a verification test, moreover he didn't tend to eat minors. Besides, how could his lover have followed him, he wasn't like Chen Yu, who could transfer between worlds...
Still, he mused, this was worth considering, he'd keep an eye on Hou Yi.