MNL Chapter 62
by VolareChapter 62: Change – I’m not…
Chapter 62: Change – I’m not…
With a combination of gentle and firm approaches, along with tireless tutoring, Xu Jing’s English grades had indeed improved. However, exams were not so easily conquered, especially the recent midterm. With an average score of 115, Xu Jing only managed a 95, barely scraping the passing mark.
Every time grades were released, there were those who rejoiced and those who grieved. Class Four had performed well overall this time. Throughout the day, Xu Jing’s silence stood out against the backdrop of lively chatter.
On the way home from school, the two remained silent. The surroundings were so quiet that one could almost hear the sound of flowering crabapples. Shen Yan turned to look at Xu Jing, only catching a glimpse of his pale neck and downcast eyes. Before he could speak, a muffled voice came, “Go ahead and mock me.”
Hearing this, Shen Yan raised an eyebrow and said, “Who dares to mock you? I’ll beat up anyone who does.”
Xu Jing knew Shen Yan was joking, but he wasn’t in the mood to respond.
“Exam results are not only a reflection of ability but are also influenced by your state of mind, magnetic field, and even luck. So, what can a single ordinary exam prove?”
Xu Jing’s tone was a little stiff. “I just feel… really sorry for you.”
“Sorry for me?” Shen Yan pondered for a few seconds before saying, “You think you’ve wasted my time?”
After a long silence, Xu Jing hummed in agreement.
Hearing this, Shen Yan put his arm around Xu Jing’s shoulder and laughed, “Why so formal with your boyfriend?”
Xu Jing lowered his eyes and said nothing.
“Then you really don’t need to take it to heart. My time is your time.” Shen Yan stopped and turned to kiss Xu Jing on the forehead, his tone gentle, as if coaxing a child, “You don’t need to doubt yourself either, because our Xiao Jing is the smartest.”
Xu Jing was somewhat dazed by Shen Yan’s coaxing.
“Really?”
“Of course, you’re the second smartest person I’ve ever met.” Shen Yan’s tone was very sincere.
Xu Jing looked up, a little annoyed, and asked, “Why second?”
Shen Yan smiled and said, “Because I’m first, of course.”
“…”
Xu Jing was no longer dazed.
But after the joke, he did feel a lot better.
Shen Yan knew that when Xu Jing was in a bad mood, he wanted to be alone for a while, so forced company would be useless. That night, they both returned to their own rooms.
Xu Jing felt tired when he got home and was about to take a shower when the sudden appearance of a voice startled him, chilling him to the bone.
“You’re back?”
“Mom… Why are you here?”
Qin Xin took Xu Jing’s backpack, puzzled. “I came to see you. I’ve been too busy with school lately and haven’t been here for two weeks. What’s wrong? Why are you so jumpy?”
Almost instantly, Xu Jing began to replay the recent evenings he’d spent with Shen Yan in his chaotic mind. He had been sleeping at Shen Yan’s place lately. There shouldn’t be anything amiss in his apartment now. He had only said goodnight to Shen Yan at the door, and nothing else. Besides, the door was locked. Qin Xin definitely couldn’t have heard anything. Even if she did, it didn’t matter; it was just a goodnight.
After reviewing everything and confirming that there were no problems, Xu Jing gradually calmed down.
“Nothing’s wrong.”
“Have you been getting tutoring from Xiao Yan recently?”
“Yeah, there’s a comprehensive skills competition in the city that requires English.”
Qin Xin nodded and said, “It’s good that you’re willing to learn, but Xiao Yan has his own things to do. Won’t it be too much trouble to ask him for tutoring so often?”
Hearing this, Xu Jing immediately felt uneasy. Qin Xin’s words were loaded with meaning, as if she were testing him.
Xu Jing thought for a moment and said, “I paid him. He’s not tutoring for free.”
Qin Xin was silent for a while, then said, “That’s okay then. Although you and Xiao Yan have a good relationship, friends should still have their boundaries. It’s not good to bother people too often.”
Xu Jing hummed in agreement, absentmindedly saying, “I know.”
“Alright, I just cleaned up here. Get some rest, I have some things to do at school, so I’ll leave first. Remember to call your mom.”
“Okay, be careful on the way.”
As soon as the door closed, Xu Jing walked into the bedroom and looked around. The arrangement of the room hadn’t changed at all. He reviewed everything he had done recently to make sure Qin Xin wouldn’t find anything suspicious when she was cleaning, then he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, just as he was about to leave, Xu Jing suddenly stopped, staring stiffly at the head of the bed, his blood turning to ice. A few days ago, he had brought his pillow to Shen Yan’s house because he couldn’t sleep comfortably without it. Now, the pillow on this bed was brand new, obviously something Qin Xin had just taken out of the closet.
So, when Qin Xin was cleaning the room, what would she think when she saw this bed without a pillow, only a neatly folded blanket? And remembering what Qin Xin had said in the hospital last time, Xu Jing was instantly in turmoil, hoping that he was just being paranoid and overthinking things.
·
Every year in mid-May, Linhe No.1 High School holds an adulthood ceremony for the graduating seniors. Especially in recent years, since a young new principal took over, the school’s activities have become noticeably more interesting. This year, the ceremony invited the popular band Chrysalis Puppet, and the news set the entire school abuzz.
Chrysalis Puppet became an overnight sensation with their original rock song “Vanishing Night,” which went viral within three days. In addition, the band members were all incredibly good-looking. Now, everyone was discussing this during breaks, and students from neighboring schools were envious, regretting not having been able to get into Linhe No.1 High School.
“I think the guitarist Jian Mo and the drummer Baron in Chrysalis Puppet are definitely a thing. I’ve almost worn out all their material.”
“No kidding, the way Baron looks at Jian Mo is so tender it’s practically drowning.”
“Didn’t someone take a picture of them holding hands?”
“Really? Oh my god, I knew the CP I was shipping was real!”
After handing in the English homework for Shen Yan, Cha Fei’ang stayed with a group of girls for a few minutes, then frowned and asked the question that was on his mind, “What are you talking about? Are you saying these two handsome guys are a couple?”
Wen Yi raised her voice, “Is there a problem with that?”
The girls nearby also immediately stopped smiling and stared at Cha Fei’ang with judgmental expressions.
Cha Fei’ang weakly said, “But they’re both guys.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
Cha Fei’ang immediately chickened out and quickly said, “No problem, no problem. Whatever you say is what it is. You can even say our Jing-ge and Yan-shen are a couple.”
“Get lost.” Hearing Xu Jing’s name, Wen Yi’s expression instantly became a little unnatural.
Cha Fei’ang quickly fled this dangerous territory, returning to his seat and complaining to the people around him, “You see everything as gay. The girls in our class are too scary.”
Zheng Tong waved his hand and said, “It’s not just our class, the girls in the entire grade are discussing this.”
“No, how can two guys be together? Ugh, that’s so disgusting. It’s scary just thinking about it.” As Cha Fei’ang spoke, he noticed two gazes behind him, and his heart instantly panicked.
“I was just joking over there. Jing-ge, Yan-shen, there’s no way you two are those kinds of people, right? Just kidding, don’t take it to heart.”
“What kind of people?” Xu Jing asked.
“Well… gay.”
At this moment, a boy suddenly appeared, hooking his arm around Cha Fei’ang’s shoulder and jokingly shouting, “What? Gay? Cha Fei’ang, you little guy, you’re gay?”
In response, the boys in the class all erupted in cheers and said, “Wow, you’re really hiding something.”
“You better stay away from me in the future. I’m homophobic.”
“Don’t say anymore, I’m getting goosebumps all over.”
“I really can’t accept this. If there were people like that around me, I’d probably stay far away.” Zheng Tong rarely participated in this kind of chat, but now he frowned with a look of disgust, as if he couldn’t bear it any longer and had to express his opinion.
Cha Fei’ang was anxious and cursed, “Are you sick? I would castrate myself before doing something so disgusting. If my parents found out, they would kill me.”
The laughter in the class was like a tide, repeatedly overwhelming Xu Jing’s thoughts.
Shen Yan was twirling a pen in his hand, staring at a problem for several minutes without taking it in. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Xu Jing was still looking at his English book, his expression strangely unreadable. So he reached out his hand under the table, but as soon as he touched the school pants, Xu Jing reacted as if facing a formidable enemy, instinctively recoiling to the other side.
Shen Yan was stunned in place. Although it was already summer, he felt an immense chill at that moment.
“I’m not…” Xu Jing turned his head to explain, but at the moment he met Shen Yan’s eyes, he suddenly became speechless. He irritably scratched his head, picked up his water cup, and got up to leave.
Shen Yan stared at the doorway for a long time. When he came back to his senses, his eyes were filled with gloom.
Finally, the day of the adulthood ceremony arrived. Knowing that Chrysalis Puppet would be performing that night, not to mention the students in other grades, even the graduating seniors couldn’t contain their excitement. Before the performance even started, the venue was filled with students, the discussions exceptionally lively.
“This Chrysalis Puppet band is really amazing, especially the lead singer Aiden. That face, those legs, she’s practically my goddess.” Cha Fei’ang had a dazed smile on his face, as if he had already imagined the goddess standing in front of him.
“Hopeless.”
“Stop pretending. I saw you staring at Aiden’s poster and drooling in the dormitory a few days ago.”
“Damn, I was… admiring her talent! It wasn’t as perverted as you’re saying.” Zheng Tong retorted, his face flushed red.
In the back of the auditorium stood two boys, their faces devoid of any expression. They seemed to be surrounded by a layer of ice, forming a sharp contrast with the liveliness around them.
At first glance, everyone else was there to show their support, while the two of them seemed like enemies come to make trouble.
At six o’clock, Chrysalis Puppet finally took the stage. The curtain fell, the stage lights suddenly came on, and the appearance of the five people reignited the passion of the audience. One had blond hair and blue eyes, skin as white as snow, and features as delicate as a doll. One had cold eyes and thin, tightly pressed lips, exuding a detachment that kept people at arm’s length. One had deep, masculine features, broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and strong muscles. One had a face like jade, with gentle, quiet eyes. And standing in front of these four handsome guys, Aiden wore a red dress, her lips as red as rouge, her eyes bright, and her smile as fiery and radiant as the sun.
“Love rises and falls, but music never fades. Hello, everyone, we are Chrysalis Puppet from tomorrow. My name is Aiden.”
“Ahhh, Goddess!!”
“Aiden, I love you!!”
“Chrysalis Puppet, you’re the best!!”
The heat of the spotlights seared the stage, and the screams swept through the entire auditorium like a surging tide. In order to see more clearly, everyone scrambled to stand up, pushing and shoving, and the scene became chaotic.
“First, we’ll bring you our band’s first song, ‘Light·Riot’.” Aiden took the microphone down, and the next second, the passionate and flamboyant sound slammed into the audience, “Are you here to stand at attention?! Get hyped up!!”
The enthusiasm was reignited, and the atmosphere at the venue was extremely active.
Xu Jing was so bothered by the noise that his ears hurt. He was just about to leave when he was violently bumped by someone, sending him crashing into Shen Yan’s arms.
Those hands reached out faster than anyone else’s. Shen Yan caught Xu Jing in a full embrace. Xu Jing froze, not reacting. At this moment, everyone’s attention was focused on the front. Shen Yan wrapped one arm around his waist and, where no one could see, rubbed his palm against Xu Jing’s.
“Careful.”
The movement was light, and so was the voice, as if trying to please him.
Xu Jing: “…”