ATIBESLM 22

Li Lan had almost never noticed the existence of Fei Lan. With so many students in the school, the only ones she knew or remembered were the batch with top grades.

Indeed, it was never said that borrowing someone else’s school uniform was not allowed.

The hand Li Lan used to grip her pointer was trembling with rage. She was a grown adult, yet she was being angered to this extent by a few teenagers and was completely helpless to do anything about it… She took a deep breath and shot a vicious glare at Ye Lingwei. Without saying a word, she stormed off.

Just as she turned around, Ye Lingwei lifted the school uniform, revealing his face. He turned his head to say to Fei Lan, “Thanks.”

The face that had been covered by the dark red uniform was breathtakingly magnificent.

Fei Lan gave Ye Lingwei a deep, searching look. He was just about to say you’re welcome when he saw Ye Lingwei take the uniform. He cupped it against his face and gave it a gentle sniff. His face then completely fell.

“…”

“You drink alcohol?”

One could say the only thing missing was the word disgust written across his face.

Fei Lan, without saying a word, stared at Ye Lingwei.

After a long silence, he said, “Are you going to wear it or not?”

Ye Lingwei blinked, clearly in protest. He held Fei Lan’s uniform gingerly by the tips of his fingers, his tone slow and languid. “Beg me. If you beg me to wear it, then I might…”

Before he could even finish speaking, he was yanked forward by Fei Lan, who was standing right in front of him. After staggering a couple of steps and finding his footing, Fei Lan snatched the uniform straight out of his hand. He captured his wrist and shoved it directly into the sleeve.

Ye Lingwei felt a pressure on his shoulder as he was spun around.

With the uniform now on, Fei Lan lowered his head to help Ye Lingwei pull up the zipper. Ye Lingwei shook out the sleeves, tilting his face up to expose his neck, making it easier for Fei Lan to zip it all the way to the top, while muttering under his breath, “You really should have just begged me instead.”

That Fei Lan would actually help him get dressed was something Ye Lingwei hadn’t expected.

It was at this exact moment that he realized, at the very least, the gap between him and Fei Lan wasn’t just in capability, but even more so in physical strength. When the other boy had gripped his wrist, he had clamped down dead tight.

After struggling a few times without breaking free, he just let Fei Lan do whatever he wanted.

Gao Linhao looked at Ye Lingwei, who was too lazy to even lift a hand, and remained speechless for a long while. He then said, “No, wait, Ye Lingwei, you’ve gone too far here. What do you take Lan-ge for?”

Ye Lingwei tilted his head sideways, giving Gao Linhao a cool and indifferent glance. “Why don’t you ask him? Is he doing this voluntarily?”

“I’m the one being forced here,” Ye Lingwei added.

Gao Linhao: “…”

You damn well just stood there holding the uniform yapping, refusing to put it on for the life of you, just waiting for someone to wait on you hand and foot. Gao Linhao inexplicably felt that he had stepped into a bottomless pit.

Fei Lan gave Ye Lingwei’s collar a tug—neither too light nor too heavy. He really hadn’t noticed before that this kid had become completely lawless. As long as he was happy, he would toy with whoever he caught.

It wasn’t as if Fei Lan hadn’t dressed Ye Lingwei before. Although it was said that Ye Lingwei wasn’t favored at home, he lacked none of the luxuries afforded to a young master of the Ye family. Deep down, Ye Lingwei remained picky and delicate. Coupled with his poor health, if he hadn’t deliberately suppressed his own presence, hiding silently and humbly in the shadows, he would have been exactly like this since childhood.

It’s not because of some so-called rebellious phase.

When Fei Lan used to visit the Ye home as a guest, there was one time Ye Lingwei hadn’t gotten out of bed yet. It happened to be winter, and Ye Lingwei, having a cold constitution, was terrified of the freezing temperature. He stuck his hand out of the duvet only to shrink it back in. He sat up groggily, not yet fully awake. He simply reached out, letting Fei Lan, who had come up to call him for dinner, dress him.

Gao Linhao looked at Ye Lingwei, whose uniform was now worn neatly and properly. He shook his head, helplessly saying, “If you act like this in the future, how are you ever going to find a partner?”

Ye Lingwei thought for a moment. “I’ll just find someone who is willing to treat me well.”

Gao Linhao: “…” That isn’t just seeking someone to treat you well. You need someone who is filthy rich, who is absolutely dead set on you, and who is willingly compliant enough to wait on you hand and foot¹The literal translation is “Clothes come, extend hand; Food comes, open mouth.” It is the ultimate idiom for describing someone who is extremely spoiled, lazy, or dependent on others for basic survival tasks..

Forget about searching with a lantern²A common Chinese saying implies that something is so rare, you couldn’t find it even if you went out searching with a light.—you wouldn’t find someone like that even if you strapped a high-beam miner’s lamp to your forehead.

Gao Linhao’s gaze landed on his Brother Lan. Without thinking, he blurted out, “Ye Lingwei, why don’t you and Lan-ge just make a go of it? You two are a pretty good match.”

Spoken like a true sucker for visuals. They were both good-looking.

Ye Lingwei froze for a second, then his pupils dilated slightly, putting on a look of mild surprise. “But Fei Lan is my Gege.”

Fei Lan watched Ye Lingwei’s restless, fluttering eyelashes. He was a master of expressions; he knew exactly what face to make to melt someone’s heart, and he knew exactly how to anger someone into cardiac arrest—just like right now.

Gao Linhao was thoroughly amused. “Lan-ge, are you really Ye Lingwei’s Gege?”

How many times was this now? Was he really committing to the title?

Fei Lan gave a hum of affirmation and raised an eyebrow. “What else would I be?”

He knew Ye Lingwei was good-looking—the boy had pale skin and a delicate temperament, but Fei Lan held no improper thoughts toward him. In his memory, Ye Lingwei was still that little boy hiding behind the crowd, timidly calling him ‘Gege.’

Gao Linhao let out a wail. “Then I’ll call you Gege too! Why do I not get cake? Why do you not dress me?”

Ye Lingwei squinted at Gao Linhao. He couldn’t quite picture the scene of Fei Lan dressing someone as hulking and massive as Gao Linhao. Leaving the visuals aside, the probability of Fei Lan punching Gao Linhao was significantly higher.

Fei Lan was clearly too lazy to even dignify Gao Linhao with a response. 

A mentally unstable younger brother covered in blubber—whoever wants him can have him.

—

Lin Chudong clutched the disciplinary logbook in his hand. He was inspecting another class, but his mind was elsewhere. In reality, regarding the things Ye Lingwei had said, the crowd wouldn’t actually take them seriously. They were just surprised at the moment; once they calmed down, no one would truly believe it.

They just felt that woman, Li Lan, was going crazy again. Sure, Lin Chudong was indeed excellent but he wasn’t a universal heartthrob. There were plenty of people who didn’t like his type. Teacher Li was really just being overly paranoid.

Besides, Ye Lingwei was so good-looking and his family was wealthy—rumor had it even his fountain pen cost tens of thousands. Lin Chudong and him… didn’t exactly seem like a match.

As Lin Chudong listened to these ‘comforting’ words that felt more like stabs to the lungs, his face instantly turned cold.

His expression remained indifferent, but inside, he felt a crushing sense of humiliation.

On what grounds? Just because you say we aren’t a match, does that make it true? Lin Chudong’s gaze pierced through the lines of several classes, locating Ye Lingwei. Standing beside him were several boys, all quite tall, yet all of them were leaning down slightly.

It was obvious that Ye Lingwei was the center of their attention.

Ye Lingwei wasn’t as tall as any of them. Afraid they wouldn’t hear him clearly if he spoke and feeling that it was unfair for him to have to strain his neck to look up at them, they all accommodated him.

These people around Fei Lan, with the exception of Gao Linhao, were famous in the grade for their excellent grades and popularity. However, one thing that intrigued those who paid attention was that it seemed they all deferred to Fei Lan.

Lin Chudong looked down at the school uniform he was wearing. Even though Ye Lingwei had pushed him out so mercilessly in that moment, making him furious, subconsciously, he actually found himself wanting to go give his uniform to Ye Lingwei.

However, seeing Li Lan’s face, which was already twisted with rage, he hesitated. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he backed down.

It was at that exact moment that he watched helplessly as Fei Lan took off his own school uniform and tossed it to Ye Lingwei.

Every movement appeared so natural and fluid, as if it were the only logical thing to do.

Ye Lingwei was still wearing Fei Lan’s uniform right now. He looked good—beautiful, even. Red suited him.

“Ye Lingwei, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Li Jing. Perhaps you have heard of my name, but that is of no import. From this moment on, the one you know will be the true me.” Li Jing held a handful of melon seeds. He would crack a seed, then speak a sentence.

Gao Linhao: “…”

“I seriously can’t stand you. I beg you, hurry up and publish a book so you can go and inflict this on someone else.” Chen Fengbao shoved him aside with disdain. He then turned to look at Ye Lingwei, smiling brilliantly. “I’m Chen Fengbao, a friend of Lan-ge. You can call me Baobao.”

Gao Linhao: “…”

These two were standing way too close when they spoke. Just as Ye Lingwei was about to take two steps back, he was yanked back two steps by Fei Lan, who reached out from beside him. Fei Lan looked at Chen Fengbao. “Don’t know how to speak properly?”

“Fine, then you can call me Fengbao-ge.” Chen Fengbao’s scalp went numb from Fei Lan’s icy demeanor. He immediately chickened out, tucking his tail between his legs.

Fei Lan: “…”

Gao Linhao burst out laughing, laughing so hard that crow’s feet appeared at the corners of his eyes. “Why do I feel like your name sounds exactly like a manure collector’s³In older rural China, night soil (human waste) was collected manually for fertilizer. Gao Linhao thinks the name “Fengbao” (which means Abundant Treasure) sounds rustic and earthy, associating it with this dirty, low-status job.? Hahahahahahahaha.”

Ye Lingwei didn’t laugh. He was too polite to mock others. “I’m Ye Lingwei, and I sell sweet potatoes.”

Gao Linhao froze for a moment, then exploded with laughter again.

“Ye Lingwei, hahahaha, you don’t need to give Chen Fengbao so much face just to play along with him! He might actually end up collecting manure in the future.” Gao Linhao said, trying to suppress his laughter, “But you definitely won’t be selling roasted sweet potatoes.”

Ye Lingwei gave a small smile.

Fei Lan never participated in this kind of horseplay. He raised a hand and swatted the back of Ye Lingwei’s head. “Speak properly.”

He knew Ye Lingwei was clever, now more than ever. He had hit Gao Linhao with a stick only to turn around and give him a sweet date, making Gao Linhao completely devoted to him. When Gao Linhao was roasting Chen Fengbao, afraid Chen would be embarrassed, Ye Lingwei didn’t hesitate to joke at his own expense.

One could tell just by the tone Chen Fengbao used when speaking to Ye Lingwei afterwards.

Chen Fengbao had also fallen right into the palm of Ye Lingwei’s hand.

Gao Linhao laughed for a while, then suddenly remembered something and asked Li Jing, “Didn’t you say you dyed your hair a few days ago? Why does it still look like black to me?”

Li Jing said that people in the creative arts must possess not only sorrowful eyes but also a desolate hair color. He wanted to go dye his hair a gloomy, melancholic platinum blonde.

Li Jing smiled without saying a word, and instead, brushed aside his hair.

Underneath a thin layer of black hair was an extremely blinding platinum blonde.

!!!!!

Gao Linhao let out a curse. “You m*therfucker, you actually… Pay up! Or I’m reporting you!”

Ye Lingwei watched as they started fighting, and then tilted his face up to look at Fei Lan. “I want to dye mine too.”

Fei Lan glanced at him. “Platinum too?”

Ye Lingwei shook his head. “I want to dye it pink.”

Fei Lan: “…”

Failing to get Fei Lan’s approval, Ye Lingwei tugged on Gao Linhao. “I want to dye my hair too. Pink.”

Gao Linhao didn’t even think before replying, “Dye it for what? That dye stuff is terrible for your body. Li Jing only went and did it because he thinks he’s got too much time left to live—he’s definitely cutting his lifespan short. If you don’t believe me, let’s…”

Before he could finish his sentence, he was punched silly by Li Jing.

Ye Lingwei hurriedly retreated from the battlefield.

—

They were let out particularly early that Saturday; school ended at 5:30 PM, with Sunday off as well. Having just gone through the inspection, they were listless even as they walked out the school gates. Many of the boys had their bangs chopped so badly they looked like they had been chewed by dogs, and they had been ordered to swap out the flashy sneakers on their feet.

Everyone bolted the moment the break started, leaving Ye Lingwei alone, slowly and leisurely packing his schoolbag. With his head lowered, he looked so harmless that when Lin Chudong saw him, he would always fall into a momentary trance. It seemed as if those humiliating events couldn’t possibly have been done by the boy before his eyes.

There was a voice constantly whispering in Lin Chudong’s heart, trying to whitewash⁴In internet slang and pop culture, this refers to trying to fix a character’s reputation, usually by making excuses for their bad behavior or giving them a tragic backstory.  Ye Lingwei: He definitely didn’t want to do this himself.

He has his own unspeakable difficulties.

Ye Lingwei picked up his bag, and as soon as he looked up, he saw Lin Chudong standing in the hallway. Having been caught red-handed staring, the other boy immediately became frantic and panic-stricken.

“…”

Ye Lingwei was baffled. He hadn’t said a thing nor had he done anything yet, so what was Lin Chudong doing?

However, Ye Lingwei had no intention of engaging with Lin Chudong. In Ye Lingwei’s mind, even Yuan Song was better than Lin Chudong. A person is either good or bad. If you are good, be openly and uprightly good; if you are bad, be unapologetically and candidly bad. People like Lin Chudong, who drag their feet and waffle indecisively, were thoroughly disgusting.

He would end up ruining a lot of people.

The original host was not the first to be deceived by this behavior of Lin Chudong’s. Lin Chudong always gave people the illusion of—‘If I just persist a little longer, I’ll have a chance.’

Lin Chudong didn’t know what was going through Ye Lingwei’s mind. He stepped forward, and said, finding the words difficult to utter, “I actually… I wanted to give you my uniform earlier too.”

Only then did Ye Lingwei spare him another glance. He was indeed wearing the school uniform jacket.

However, what about underneath?

Ye Lingwei put on a curious expression and asked him, “What about yourself then?”

Being looked at by Ye Lingwei like this, Lin Chudong felt once again that the other boy might still have feelings for him. He said in a fluster, “I don’t matter, it’s fine, I…”

“Aren’t you afraid of Teacher Li? If you get a disciplinary mark on your record, you won’t be able to participate in the competition, you know. Moreover, you will have to write a self-criticism.” Ye Lingwei kindly reminded him. He didn’t know what Lin Chudong was trying to do right now.

As for that, perhaps even Lin Chudong himself didn’t know.

Lin Chudong’s voice came to an abrupt halt.

If he couldn’t participate in the competition, there would be no chance for guaranteed admission. Shen University, Jing University…

He hesitated.

Ye Lingwei let out a laugh. His voice was exceptionally soft. Lin Chudong failed to catch the underlying meaning of that laugh; his heart just pounded in his chest.

“Disciplinary action… I’m not afraid of disciplinary action!” Lin Chudong said, gritting his teeth.

Ye Lingwei had had his fun; the smile on his face gradually faded. He looked at Lin Chudong and said softly, “I don’t need it. You’re actually quite annoying. Just stay away from me, and that will be enough.”

Lin Chudong watched helplessly as Ye Lingwei walked out of the classroom and into the corridor. He followed after him, still refusing to believe it. “Last month you still said you li…”

Liked me… liked me…

While Lin Chudong was speaking, he was swept by a cold glance from Ye Lingwei. It happened very fast—so fast, he almost thought the sudden chill that ran through his whole body was just an illusion.

“Lin Chudong, I don’t dare to like you anymore.” A layer of white and misty fog covered Ye Lingwei’s eyes, looking so soft and fragile that it made one want to rip their very heart out just to comfort him.

Ye Lingwei pretended not to see Lin Chudong’s regret and apology, then continued saying in a low voice, “I probably won’t live too long, anyway. You know I have a heart condition. I just want to live a little happier. I don’t want to do unhappy things anymore. I’m letting you go. Let’s leave it at that.”

As if bewitched, Lin Chudong kept watching Ye Lingwei walk down the stairs. The boy’s thin and frail silhouette was carved deeply into his heart, filling him with an instant, overwhelming despair.

He had completely forgotten that just moments ago, Ye Lingwei had smiled and called him disgusting, trampling his self-esteem underfoot.

Now, he was filled to the brim with regret. If only, back then, he hadn’t deliberately played hot and cold with Ye Lingwei.

—

In the stairwell, Ye Lingwei slowed his pace and finally came to a complete stop. He lowered his eyes to look at Fei Lan, who was standing below him. The expression of cold mockery and vindictive pleasure on his face hadn’t yet been retracted when he was caught red-handed by the other.

“Happy?” Fei Lan asked him.

“Happy, yeah.” Ye Lingwei didn’t lie; he admitted it openly and generously. He then asked Fei Lan in return, “Were you eavesdropping?”

Fei Lan hooked the corner of his lips. “When the little brother is dating and the gege helps screen the candidates, it doesn’t count as eavesdropping.”

Dating? With Lin Chudong?

Ye Lingwei furrowed his brows. He simply skirted around Fei Lan on his own accord and continued walking down. “I don’t like him.”

He could turn unhappy at the drop of a hat, immediately flashing an attitude.

Ye Lingwei hadn’t taken more than a few steps before he retreated. He leaned in close to Fei Lan’s shoulder, trying to nuzzle into his neck again. Fei Lan reached out, gently pressing a hand against Ye Lingwei’s forehead to hold him back. “Are you a puppy?”

“Why is there a scent of blood on you?” Ye Lingwei was particularly sensitive to odors. The metallic tang of blood was a scent rarely encountered in daily life, so it was easy to distinguish.

Fei Lan’s tone was indifferent as he pushed the overly sensitive kid away. “I ran into someone slaughtering pigs on the way here.”

Ye Lingwei: “…” He felt this excuse was a stretch—flimsy to the point of absurdity.

However, since Fei Lan wasn’t willing to talk, Ye Lingwei didn’t make a habit of prying. After all, it was the other person’s private business.

Fei Lan had forgotten his phone in the classroom and had come back to retrieve it. As he went upstairs, he bumped right into Lin Chudong, who was rushing over clutching his schoolbag. Lin Chudong didn’t care much for Fei Lan right now, but he still offered an apology.

Fei Lan gave a faint, it’s fine.

Lin Chudong ran down a few steps, then ran back up, catching up to Fei Lan, panting heavily. “Can you… can you please stay away from Ye Lingwei? I… I like him.”

The moment he said it, he felt his cheeks burn. Although he was nervous and felt that he was actually being unreasonable, he wanted Ye Lingwei to feel that he truly liked him.

Besides, this feeling of being open and honest felt good.

Fei Lan paused for a second, then smiled. “Do you know who I am to him?”

Lin Chudong stammered, “Who?”

“I’m his ge.” Fei Lan said.

Fei Lan felt a headache coming on. Ye Lingwei had acted on a whim, charming Lin Chudong until the boy was completely dizzy and bewildered, unable to tell North from South. Now, the other party viewed him as a potential enemy too.

Although, in a certain sense, he indeed was Lin Chudong’s enemy.

Lin Chudong was the class monitor and had a general impression of his classmates’ background information. He had secretly paid special attention to Ye Lingwei’s file. Aside from two biological older brothers, Ye Lingwei had a whole slew of cousins. Lin Chudong was literal-minded; he actually believed Fei Lan had some familial relation to Ye Lingwei.

Lin Chudong instantly became respectful and cautious, yet he didn’t forget to ask Fei Lan, “Um, excuse me, could I ask… exactly which gege of Ye Lingwei’s are you?”

Fei Lan: “…”

• 1
  The literal translation is “Clothes come, extend hand; Food comes, open mouth.” It is the ultimate idiom for describing someone who is extremely spoiled, lazy, or dependent on others for basic survival tasks.
• 2
  A common Chinese saying implies that something is so rare, you couldn’t find it even if you went out searching with a light.
• 3
  In older rural China, night soil (human waste) was collected manually for fertilizer. Gao Linhao thinks the name “Fengbao” (which means Abundant Treasure) sounds rustic and earthy, associating it with this dirty, low-status job.
• 4
  In internet slang and pop culture, this refers to trying to fix a character’s reputation, usually by making excuses for their bad behavior or giving them a tragic backstory.