Chapter 28 – So Trusting

Li Tang was unperturbed. “Your victory is your own, but how could I lose… I’m not even participating in a boxing match.”

Jiang Lou added a condition. “If we were on the same stage, competing in the same match.”

Li Tang pondered it over. “Then I’d avoid it, not compete against you in the same match.”

“What if you couldn’t avoid it?”

“There’s always a way to avoid it, feign illness and withdraw from the competition or something.”

Jiang Lou let out a snorting laugh, seemingly at a loss for words in the face of his stubbornness.

Li Tang followed with a chuckle, thinking about other joyful matters. “The month after next, winter camp.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ve been cast in the New Year’s Eve gala, so I can go with you.”

“Oh.”

“…Don’t tell me you’re not going.”

“Of course I’m going, why wouldn’t I?”

“But you don’t seem too happy about it?”

“How do you know I’m not happy?”

“Intuition.”

“You’re wrong.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes, you are.”

“It’s impossible for me to be wrong.”

“Li Tang.” Jiang Lou suddenly called his name with a hint of seriousness, “Have you been drinking?”

Li Tang held up his beverage cup. “No way, Zhou Dongze didn’t mention anything about alcohol when he gave it to me.”

Jiang Lou responded with an “oh”: “Zhou Dongze.”

“Hold on,” Li Tang suddenly became unusually perceptive, “Are you jealous?”

Jiang Lou cut him off decisively. “No.”

Li Tang retorted just as firmly. “I don’t believe you.”

Jiang Lou sighed. “Forget it, you should head back early.”

Li Tang channeled his inner Detective Conan. “See, you’re changing the subject again!”

“…”

Fortunately, it was only a slight intoxication, and a good night’s sleep cleared his head.

After returning to school following the New Year’s break, Li Tang asked Li Zichu if he had made a fool of himself that New Year’s Eve. Li Zichu spoke cryptically. “Not exactly made a fool of yourself, but rather, you became more spirited and clever, you could say.”

“How so?”

“When we were leaving, I offered to send you home, and you said, ‘There’s no need to send me; I know you want to leave with Huo Xichen.'”

Li Tang had a vague recollection but couldn’t recall clearly. “And then what happened?”

“Since you saw through it, what was the point of pretending? Of course, I threw you into a taxi.”

“…” Li Tang felt a little annoyed, “Who’s the one prioritizing romance over friendship here.”

This year, Chinese New Year fell on February 4th of the Gregorian calendar. After New Year’s Day, there was only the final exam before the winter vacation.

An unusually grueling month, all the students buckled down to study, especially those in the three key classes. Rumor had it that they would be reorganized based on the results of this final exam.

On weekends, they gathered at Tree House, a student-initiated study group. Jiang Lou taught math, Li Zichu taught Chinese, and although Li Tang’s overall scores were average, his proficiency in English stood out, making him the natural choice to teach the subject without objections.

For other subjects, they studied independently, primarily consulting Jiang Lou. His rare appearances at Tree House, originally a small gathering for Class 1 students, soon attracted several students from Class 2, mostly girls, who somehow caught wind of it.

Su Qinhan also came, but this time, she truly came to study. Her father, the principal, had warned her that if she didn’t place in the top three of the class in this exam, he would transfer her to a regular class.

Li Tang wasn’t moved by the principal’s boldness but was surprised instead. “So you actually have great grades.”

Su Qinhan raised her eyebrows. “How so, sis smokes and dances, can’t she still be a top student?”

Certainly.

In fact, the ones under the most pressure for this exam were those who had entered through the back door, such as Li Tang and Huo Xichen.

The two occupied the front row of Jiang Lou’s math class and, after a test, found themselves at the bottom of the class, the weakest link, assigned to work together at a table. Both felt too ashamed to lift their heads.

But they still had the energy to chat.

Huo Xichen nudged the person beside him with his elbow. “Hey.”

Li Tang paused his writing. “?”

Looking around furtively, Huo Xichen lowered his voice to ask, “How far have you gone with Brother Jiang?”

Li Tang: “…??”

“Hurry up and answer,” Huo Xichen urged.

“What do you mean, how far…”

“Don’t play dumb.”

Li Tang’s face slowly turned red. “…How did you find out?”

“I’m not an idiot,” Huo Xichen rolled his eyes, “Brother Jiang hasn’t walked home with me after school for a long time now.”

Li Tang was puzzled. “But how did you know it was with me…”

“Have you forgotten that our houses are close?” Huo Xichen pointed out, “I haven’t bumped into you on the way home for a long time now.”

That’s how campus romances worked. Once two people disappeared simultaneously, it was easy for others to pick up on the clues and trace them back to the truth.

As Li Tang contemplated the need to be more cautious in the future, he was puzzled by how the guy in front of him didn’t seem as dumb as Li Zichu had described.

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Huo Xichen tried to steer the conversation back on track.

“What?” This time, Li Tang really was playing dumb, “Then you and the class monitor, how far have you gone?”

Huo Xichen was taken aback. “How did you know…”

Caught in the trap.

Li Tang continued to spin his tale. “I saw him force a kiss on you.”

“No,” Huo Xichen quickly corrected, “It was me who forced a kiss on him.”

Li Tang pretended to be surprised. “But I thought you liked girls?”

“I do like girls, but I, I also…” Huo Xichen tugged at his hair, “I don’t know anymore…”

“You like him.”

As if struck by lightning, Huo Xichen looked shocked. “How, how could that be possible.”

“Just think about it, when you kissed him, didn’t your body act on its own, completely forgetting that he was a guy just like you?”

“…It seems to be true.”

“Love is like this. Action precedes thought, emotion overrides reason.”

After listening to Huo Xichen’s explanation, he fell into deep contemplation.

Li Tang continued working on his problems, his pen dancing across the scratch paper, while silently retracting his earlier assessment.

This guy was indeed quite dumb.

Yet Li Tang, who seemed to have a clear understanding of emotional relationships, was still in the stage of viewing things through a fog.

When the study group disbanded in the afternoon, Li Tang followed Jiang Lou home, ostensibly begging him for extra tutoring, but in reality, it was to spend more time with his lover.

Frowning as if suffering from indigestion, Li Tang glanced over at Jiang Lou, who remained composed, even with one earbud in, tackling his least proficient skill—listening exercises.

That single glance relaxed Li Tang’s tense nerves, allowing stray thoughts to seep in.

He bit the cap of his pen, melancholically pondering, Jiang Lou has never told me he likes me.

Of course, Li Tang hadn’t told Jiang Lou either.

But he had shown it, in every attentive gaze.

Having finished writing the letter A next to the last listening question, Jiang Lou put down his pen and removed the headphones. “Finished?”

Li Tang immediately looked down. “Not yet.”

Ten minutes later, Li Tang handed the completed test to Jiang Lou, pursing his lips nervously, as if awaiting judgment.

Jiang Lou gave it a quick scan, drawing a large checkmark on it.

Li Tang was delighted; these were last year’s college entrance exam questions.

His confidence was awakened, and he showed a rare streak of arrogance, asking Jiang Lou for a reward.

Jiang Lou remained calm. “It’s too early to give you a reward now, let’s talk about it after the final exams.”

Li Tang, eager, started planning ahead. “If I rank within the top hundred, can I get a reward?”

Last month, Li Tang’s school ranking had just cracked the top two hundred. To improve by a hundred places in just one month was quite challenging.

But it wasn’t entirely impossible.

Jiang Lou also wanted to see how far Li Tang could push himself, so he agreed, smilingly asking him, “What reward do you want? I’ll prepare it in advance.”

He knew Li Tang wouldn’t give him a hard time, wouldn’t ask for something unrealistic, so he asked casually.

What Li Tang wanted as a reward was indeed as simple as Jiang Lou had guessed. “I want to eat a meal cooked by you, even a bowl of noodles would do.”

In late January, the final exams for Xucheng No.1 High School were held as scheduled.

Unlike the monthly exams, which were rushed, the exams for various subjects were spread out over two days. After finishing the last exam and exiting the testing room, Li Tang twisted his neck and took a deep breath, feeling a sense of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

The scores were released the next day. On the day the results were announced, Li Tang stood on the balcony at home, clasped his hands, closed his eyes, and prayed. An aunt passing by pointed out with a smile, “To pray, you should face east.”

Li Tang hurriedly changed positions and repeated the prayer.

Upon entering the classroom at school, he encountered his homeroom teacher. Teacher Liu smiled at him kindly, a rarity. “You did well this time, continue working hard next semester.”

Therefore, Li Tang felt extremely confident. When he received his score sheet, he was completely stunned, unable to believe his eyes.

—His school ranking was 101, just one place short of entering the top hundred.

The 100th place went to Huo Xichen.

That noon, everyone gathered in the cafeteria for their last meal of the semester at school. Li Tang stared at Huo Xichen from across several tables, making him feel uneasy and restless, prompting him to ask Li Zichu, “What’s up with your deskmate, isn’t he afraid his eyeballs might pop out?”

Before the end-of-term ceremony in the afternoon, Li Zichu sought Li Tang out for a heart-to-heart talk. “You did pretty well this time, why do you look so angry?”

Li Tang explained about the reward for ranking in the top hundred, and Li Zichu suddenly understood, expressing deep sympathy. “I understand you. If it were me, I might have beaten up the person in front of me.”

Li Tang didn’t believe he would be willing to hit Huo Xichen. “How would you beat him, with your tongue?”

This time, it was Li Zichu’s turn to widen his eyes like saucers. “Li Tang, you’ve changed again, becoming so direct, so wild.”

Li Tang felt embarrassed only after he spoke, trying to cover up. “I was just kidding…”

Li Zichu immediately followed up. “But I like it.”

“…”

Arriving at school with high spirits, leaving with a dejected demeanor.

The end-of-term ceremony ended at four-thirty in the afternoon. Li Tang was the last to leave the classroom, his schoolbag weighing a thousand pounds in his hand.

He habitually headed for the bus stop, only to abruptly remember he should return home, his expression turning even grimmer.

Turning around, he saw Jiang Lou walking toward him.

Li Tang had already informed Jiang Lou of his scores via WeChat and hadn’t received a response.

Perhaps he was secretly rejoicing that he didn’t have to give a reward.

Li Tang’s shoulders slumped, and he slowly veered away, passing by Jiang Lou’s side.

In that instant of passing each other, his hand lightened as Jiang Lou took his schoolbag.

Confused, he turned around, watching as Jiang Lou walked toward the bus stop without looking back. “Do you want some noodles?”

Li Tang was first stunned, then struck by a tremendous surprise.

He caught up, still somewhat disbelieving. “But I didn’t make it into the top hundred…”

Jiang Lou glanced at him. “One hundred and one, rounded off equals one hundred.”

Li Tang had never been so happy over a meal.

He and Jiang Lou went to the market together, purchasing two pounds of noodles, eggs, tomatoes, and fresh shrimp.

While handling the ingredients, Li Tang attempted to help but was frightened by the lively jumping shrimp, leaping a yard away. In the end, it was Jiang Lou who stepped in, peeling the shrimp, removing the veins, chopping the tomatoes, cracking the eggs… everything was carried out in a systematic and practiced manner.

They used an induction stove. After stir-frying and boiling the tomatoes until soft, they added the noodles and other ingredients, covering it to simmer.

Afraid of affecting the chef’s performance, Li Tang waited until now to speak. “I didn’t know you were so skilled at cooking.”

Jiang Lou replied, “When I was young, living at my aunt’s house, I often cooked noodles myself.”

Li Tang remembered that harsh and domineering aunt, knowing that this was certainly not a pleasant memory.

So he immediately changed the subject. “Should we add some vinegar and chili to the noodles?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Aren’t you not fond of spicy food?”

“But you like it.”

“I can add it separately.”

Dinner was served at six o’clock in the evening. The rich tomato broth was bright in color, the egg yolks golden, and the shrimp plump and succulent, stimulating the appetite.

Li Tang, who usually ate less, had a rare appetite and had a second bowl after finishing the first, as if he hadn’t eaten for days.

After finishing, he tossed aside his chopsticks, rubbing his belly in reflection. “It’s really not comparable to instant noodles.”

Jiang Lou chuckled. “A bowl of noodles is enough to satisfy you.”

Li Tang shook his head, serious. “No, it’s two bowls.”

Humans are never content animals. After eating their fill, Li Tang had new ideas.

“It would be great if we had a bottle of beer right now.”

Jiang Lou looked at him. “Still want to drink?”

“Li Zichu said I become smarter after drinking.”

“Do you believe that?”

“Why not believe it? Maybe after drinking, I can see through you.”

After a moment of silence, Jiang Lou smiled. “Ask for something practical.”

Though Li Tang was pushing his luck, he also knew when to stop. “Then I’ll take a dessert after the meal, something from the convenience store will do.”

Jiang Lou went to the convenience store and not only brought back cat ears but also a pack of rose petal pastries.

Li Tang had a keen nose and sniffed at the rose petal pastries, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

Taking a bite filled his mouth with floral fragrance. Li Tang’s stomach seemed to have space for another portion as he ate and asked, “Is this pastry only made with roses?”

Jiang Lou, facing away from him, washed the dishes. “There are also varieties made with jasmine, osmanthus, and magnolia.”

Li Tang glanced at the box, on which all six rose petal pastries bore the label “rose.”

“So why did you buy all the rose ones?”

“Don’t you like them?”

Li Tang took a big bite of the rose petal pastry, his eyes crinkling into two slits from laughter.

The reason he wanted to eat a meal cooked by Jiang Lou was that he felt the scenes of two people cooking and eating together on TV were very warm. Although instant noodles weren’t bad, they lacked the cozy atmosphere of a home-cooked meal.

Unexpectedly, there were additional benefits.

Even though Jiang Lou still hadn’t said he liked him, knowing that he knew what he liked was enough.

In the evening, Li Tang sat on Jiang Lou’s bed, scrolling through his phone, taking advantage of the fact that delivery services were still operational to purchase items needed for the winter camp.

This time, the winter camp for the sophomore grade was arranged to go mountain climbing and camping in a neighboring city. Even in a southern city, the temperature on the mountain was lower than on the plains. Li Tang selected a set of windbreaker jackets for himself and Jiang Lou, and also bought a box of heat packs.

He was just a little worried that Jiang Lou wouldn’t accept his goodwill. Last time, he had seen a coat online that suited Jiang Lou perfectly. He sent him the picture, asking if he liked it, but Jiang Lou replied, “Don’t buy it for me, I don’t need it.”

Li Tang began considering whether to reveal the price of the windbreaker jackets once they arrived, or to remove the price tags and claim they were discounted items. While he was lost in thought, his head tilted to the side, and he buried it in the pillow.

For some reason, he felt that Jiang Lou’s pillows and bedding were more comfortable than those on his own bed.

When Jiang Lou entered the room, he saw Li Tang lying on his bed in a relaxed position.

Putting down the stack of test papers and textbooks he had brought back from school on the table, he sorted them one by one. Before he was even halfway through tidying up, Jiang Lou turned to face the bed and took the phone from Li Tang’s hands. “Sit up and play.”

Li Tang was a little confused. “Does lying down and playing hurt your eyes too?”

Still, he sat up, crossing his legs and continued browsing his phone. Whenever he came across an interesting video, he leaned over to show it to Jiang Lou. “Quick, look at this, it’s hilarious.”

Gradually moving closer, he eventually leaned almost against Jiang Lou. His posture became increasingly casual, legs hooked, stretching his waist, causing his pants to slip down slightly, revealing a white and slender section of his waist as his shirt rode up.

Jiang Lou dropped the book in his hands, creating a noticeable sound.

Li Tang was just starting to feel puzzled when he suddenly sensed a shadow looming overhead. It was Jiang Lou leaning over, pressing his shoulder.

And his shoulder had exposed half of itself in the previous wriggling, allowing Jiang Lou to easily see his distinct collarbone through the wide-open neckline.

“This is my house, my bed,” Jiang Lou asked, “So trusting?”

Li Tang didn’t understand at first, tilting his face upward. “…What?”

He had been to this house before, and it wasn’t the first time he had lain on this bed. What was there not to trust?

Looking at Li Tang’s bewildered face, Jiang Lou exhaled deeply, both in exasperation and as a warning.

“Do you really think I won’t do anything to you?”