Chapter 109

In the end, Jiang Zhihuo couldn’t escape the boys’ interrogation. Even after faking pain to the point of fainting and being escorted home, the boys could still frantically tag him in the class group chat.

@Huo-ge

@Huo-ge, what’s going on! Hurry up and tell us!

-My god, what happened in the group?

-Didn’t we see the news today and rush to the hospital to see Huo-ge? But then we heard Yun Xiaoxu call him ‘Ge‘!

-[Web Link] A netizen analyzed the whole story today, everyone take a look?

-Holy shit, a switched-at-birth case? Is this something a human would do?

-So, Yun Xiaoxu is calling him Huo-ge…

-No way? Isn’t Huo-ge Senior Mu He’s younger brother?

Back then, only partial details of the case had been released. Speculation was rampant online, but due to official protection, netizens only knew that Yun Xiaoxu had an older brother who might have been the switched child. But as for who this “older brother” was, and whether he was really the one who had been switched, no one could say for sure.

Therefore, the boys could only make wild guesses and tag Jiang Zhihuo for an answer.

Jiang Zhihuo’s mind usually worked fast, but right now, he had no idea how to reply. He stared at his phone for a long time as it buzzed nonstop with notifications, but he couldn’t type a single word. In the end, it was Yan Mu who pulled the phone from his hand and replied using Jiang Zhihuo’s account.

Jiang Zhihuo: No, we just know each other. I rushed in to save the hostage, and we became sworn brothers in the hospital.

-Then why did you go save the hostage, Huo-ge? How did you know Yun Xiaoxu was there?! I heard it was pretty dangerous this time!

Jiang Zhihuo: Just happened to be passing by.

Jiang Zhihuo: I’ve signed the agreement. Can’t talk about the other details. Have to wait for the official announcement.

Jiang Zhihuo: Stop asking.

“…” Jiang Zhihuo watched, wide-eyed, as Yan Mu spouted a stream of nonsense, perfectly mimicking his tone. The boys were instantly convinced.

-Oh, oh, oh, so that’s how it is.

-I knew it. Even if it were a real switched-at-birth case, it couldn’t possibly happen to someone we know.

-Besides, Huo-ge is Senior Mu He’s younger brother, right? No wonder.

-But seeing that picture in the news report, just thinking about it is so cool! Huo-ge saved Yun Xiaoxu a second before the explosion! Badass!!

Yan Mu continued typing: Let’s end the topic here. Hope you guys don’t spread this around, ha!

He even added a final sentence: As for me, I just want to focus on studying for the college entrance exams now.

Jiang Zhihuo: “…”

To be fair, Yan-ge‘s impression of him was on spot.

Jiang Zhihuo patted Yan Mu’s expressionless face and gave his cheek a hard squeeze. “God of Learning, you’re not being honest.”

Yan Mu turned off the screen as if nothing had happened, took Jiang Zhihuo’s hand, and turned his head to press a kiss to his palm. “I’ll digest this sadness for you. I don’t want others to know.”

As he spoke, his warm breath touched Jiang Zhihuo’s palm, a ticklish caress.

Jiang Zhihuo couldn’t help but raise his hand and pat Yan Mu on the head.

Yan Mu would occasionally reveal a very childish side. When the corners of his eyes drooped slightly, his features would soften, becoming impossibly gentle.

“Time to change your dressing,” Yan Mu reminded him, seeing him staring and grinning foolishly.

“Oh.” Jiang Zhihuo turned onto his side. Yan Mu placed a pillow under him, and Jiang Zhihuo shifted into a comfortable position before lifting the hem of his shirt.

His injuries weren’t severe, but the bruised areas on his waist, back, and arms were red and swollen.

The swelling hadn’t been obvious in the morning, but it was all visible now, looking particularly conspicuous on his waist.

Yan Mu frowned, picking up the medicinal lotion from the nightstand and pouring it onto his hand.

Jiang Zhihuo enjoyed Yan-ge‘s massage service, lying on his stomach and playing on his phone. A warm palm covered the injury, followed by a gentle but firm pressure as it was massaged.

Yan Mu: “Is the pressure okay?”

Jiang Zhihuo: “Feels good.”

Yan Mu hummed in acknowledgment. “Good.”

Yan-ge‘s technique was indeed excellent. Jiang Zhihuo put down his phone, closed his eyes, and let Yan Mu knead his injuries over and over.

“Yan-ge is the best,” Jiang Zhihuo praised sincerely.

“Am I?” Yan Mu asked in return.

Jiang Zhihuo was about to reply with a “yes,” but a sudden sense of foreboding sprouted in his heart. He snapped his eyes open, only to see Yan Mu setting aside the used lotion bottle, leaning over, and pinching the nape of his neck, his thumb stroking dangerously near his gland.

Jiang Zhihuo: “!”

His fingers were still slick with lotion, and the touch on his gland was both stinging and hot.

Yan Mu: “Xiao Zhou, do we have something we haven’t finished talking about?”

Jiang Zhihuo: “…”

As expected of the adaptable Study God Yan, his temper could be reined in and unleashed at will.

Jiang Zhihuo shrank his neck, tilting his head to clamp down on Yan Mu’s hand. Then, he carefully lifted it with two fingers, pressed a kiss to the back of the hand where there was no lotion, and, before Yan Mu could speak, proactively admitted his mistake. “Yan-ge, I was wrong, I was really wrong! I won’t do it again!!”

Yan Mu showed no reaction, just continued to watch him with a heavy gaze.

Jiang Zhihuo resigned himself to his fate. The last time he’d been stabbed at the club, the two of them weren’t in a relationship, so Yan Mu had no standing to lecture him. This time, he had jumped from an exploding building right in front of him. The fact that Yan Mu hadn’t lost his temper on the spot was a testament to the depths of his love.

Jiang Zhihuo sat up straight, trying to justify his impulsive actions. “Yan-ge, think about it. Why did I tell Miaomiao-jie through you? It was so you could look at my plan, because I didn’t want you to worry! You knew what I was capable of, and you arranged for the fire cushion in time. There was no way I would’ve gotten hurt, right, Yan-ge?”

Yan Mu snorted coldly. “Wrong.”

Jiang Zhihuo: “…”

He even scoffed. This time, he really couldn’t be coaxed.

Jiang Zhihuo opened his mouth, wanting to say a few more words in his defense, but one look at Yan Mu’s implacable expression told him it was useless.

So, Jiang Zhihuo changed tactics and simply threw his arms around Yan Mu.

His arms shot up suddenly, and with no support behind him, Jiang Zhihuo pulled Yan Mu down with him. They tumbled onto the bed together.

Jiang Zhihuo knew his boyfriend best. He nipped and suckled at his lips, deliberately letting out a small sound from his throat. In only a few moments, he had stirred Yan Mu’s emotions. Seeing the tips of Yan Mu’s ears turn red, he lightly bit his earlobe and gave it a suck.

Then, he deliberately lowered his voice and whispered in his ear, “Want to?”

Yan Mu held him down. “Wait. Right now, you need to tell me what you plan to do, Xiao Zhou.”

Jiang Zhihuo: “…”

“Go, go, go!” Jiang Zhihuo pried Yan Mu’s hands off, scrambled back several steps, and his expression changed in a second. “Have some humanity! You’re still asking me what to do! Yan-ge, did you run out of ideas and want me to think of something for you?!”

Yan Mu’s expression didn’t change; he just stared at him.

Then, Yan Mu seemed to sigh in resignation.

“It was too dangerous,” he said. “What if I hadn’t seen it? What if there wasn’t enough time? You were too impulsive, Xiao Zhou.”

Those two sentences shattered the bravado of Jiang Zhihuo, who had been planning to bluff his way through with specious arguments. He slowly leaned in and hugged Yan Mu. “I know, Yan-ge. I’m sorry. Can you let me off the hook this once?”

Yan Mu bit his shoulder. “If I let you get away with it this time, what about next time?”

“There won’t be a next time!” Jiang Zhihuo held up four fingers. “No next time, I swear!”

“Okay,” Yan Mu agreed, taking a step back and looking at Jiang Zhihuo expectantly. “So, tell me now. What’s the plan?”

Jiang Zhihuo: “…”

He still had to say it?!

Damn! You! Yan! Mu!

“……”

“…”

Thanks to the authorities’ prompt handling and the production team’s cooperation in getting Yun Xiaoxu on camera, the kidnapping incident was quickly resolved. The fan meeting that had been abruptly interrupted might have to be held in a different format; the production team was still discussing the specific plan.

Yun Xiaoxu returned to the show the next day and participated in the instance livestream that night. When netizens saw the ligature marks on his hands, their hearts ached for him, and they flooded the screen with gifts. Yun Xiaoxu’s eyes widened at the screen full of glittering gift effects, and he quickly said, “I’m really fine, everyone, stop sending gifts! Wouldn’t it be better to save your money for a midnight snack?! Hey, stop sending them! If you keep sending, I’ll have to put on a jacket! It’s so hot, I’ll get heatstroke!”

Seeing Yun Xiaoxu, though shaken, still caring for his fans and focusing on the competition, the fans were deeply moved. The major fan groups all started spending money, determined to ensure their little brother debuted in a high rank.

That night, Yun Xiaoxu’s statistics soared once again.

After the livestream, the production team began recording the third ranking announcement. After that, the contestants would prepare for the finale in two weeks.

Before handing over his phone, Yun Xiaoxu sent a message to Jiang Zhihuo.

Yun Xiaoxu: You have to come!! If you run away, I’ll go to your school!!

Jiang Zhihuo: …

Jiang Zhihuo: How did you get my WeChat?

Yun Xiaoxu: I asked. That pretty police officer sister. She’s so pretty, nice, and cool.

Yun Xiaoxu: By the way, does she have a boyfriend?

Jiang Zhihuo: [Screenshot]

Jiang Zhihuo: I’m going to get you canceled.

Yun Xiaoxu pretended not to see it: Aiya, gotta go, I’m handing in my phone. You have to watch the competition! Vote for me! VOTE! FOR! ME!

Jiang Zhihuo: I know, I know!

Yun Xiaoxu didn’t reply after that. Jiang Zhihuo switched out of the chat interface, his gaze landing on two other newly added profile pictures.

After adding Jiang Zhihuo, Yun Xiaoxu had shared the contacts of Father and Mother Yun, insisting he add them back: Add them. You have to. If you ever want to avoid me and delete me, I can still have Mom and Dad find you. There’s no way you’d delete Mom and Dad!

Jiang Zhihuo couldn’t help but laugh.

He hadn’t seen the two professors since that day. More than a decade was too long a time. Rather than meeting immediately, it was better to give each other some time to process.

For the next two weeks, Yun Xiaoxu went into lockdown to record the third ranking announcement and prepare for the finale, while Jiang Zhihuo threw himself back into the life of a third-year high school student. With the college entrance exams drawing closer, the top students were cramming nonstop, as if their lives depended on it. At two in the morning, there were still people checking in on the group chat.

When Ding Jianhui woke up the next day and saw the check-in message from the middle of the night, followed by the same student checking in again at six in the morning to memorize texts, he was shocked. He immediately put a stop to this unhealthy study method in class.

“I know you students are working incredibly hard, but you must rest properly!”

Ding Jianhui even gave an example to illustrate the importance of rest. “A certain researcher from Qhua University once spoke about the secret to his success at a freshman orientation ceremony…” Ding Jianhui paused. The top students were quite eager to hear what he would say next, but to their surprise, Ding Jianhui took a turn. “It wasn’t EQ, nor was it opportunity. It was because he lived longer than his peers!”

Everyone: “?????”

Ding Jianhui said earnestly, “So, students, take care of your health and get enough rest. Your body is the means for your revolution!”

Other schools were hounding their students to study, canceling PE and art classes whenever possible. Only No. 1 High School had a unique style. They had a fixed PE class every week, and the principal had a strict rule that no other teacher could take it over. When he learned that a student was sleeping less than four hours a day, he had a banner hung up the next day: “The you of tomorrow will thank the you of today for getting a full seven hours of sleep.”

That night, when Wen Da saw the banner from No. 1 High School, he immediately sought out Yan Mu. In the middle of doing practice problems, he let out a sound of extreme envy.

Wen Da: Look at that! Is this the world of top students?

Wen Da: Our teacher tells us that in our third-years should sleep less. No need for long sleep before you die, you’ll sleep for an eternity after. Four or five hours a day is considered a lot.

Wen Da: And you guys! You guys! How are you supposed to take the college entrance exams like this!!

Even the young masters who disliked studying had no choice but to bury their heads in books and pull all-nighters with the college entrance exams looming.

Yan Mu couldn’t reply. He was helping Jiang Zhihuo apply medicine, so Jiang Zhihuo took the phone and analyzed the reason for Wen Da: With studying, it’s not about the duration, it’s about efficiency. The reason top students are top students is that they can learn in two hours what a normal person takes four hours to achieve. Isn’t it reasonable for them to use the extra two hours to sleep?

Jiang Zhihuo: Also, think about it. The top students already score better than you. If they study for the same amount of time as you, or even longer, their scores will only get even better. It’s an arms race, an arms race so intense your own mother won’t recognize you!

Wen Da: …I’m going to study. Goodbye.

After replying to Wen Da, Jiang Zhihuo handed the phone back to Yan Mu. He had just settled back onto his stomach when a text message notification chimed. Yan Mu glanced down at it and said, “I passed.”

“Pass what?” Jiang Zhihuo asked.

He was currently sending a message to Li Muhe.

Li-ge had been in isolation for a while. When he came out, he saw that Jiang Zhihuo had gotten into trouble again. The rarely angry Li Muhe was furious. He sent a voice message, his tone so heavy it almost stunned Jiang Zhihuo.

Seeing that Jiang Zhihuo hadn’t reacted, Yan Mu repeated, “I passed.”

Jiang Zhihuo: “It’s not bad, pretty light and comfortable.”

Yan Mu saw the profile picture on the screen, took a deep breath, and snatched the phone from Jiang Zhihuo’s hand. “The B University’s early admission threshold. I passed it.”