Chapter 6 Cake If I were with the president, would Xu not…

In the infirmary, the young man sat on the hospital bed, his ankle wrapped in thick bandages, still wearing a gentle smile on his lips. Sunlight fell on his delicate face, like an angel.

“It’s alright, you didn’t mean it. I don’t blame you.”

The three girls who came to apologize were touched and fascinated. As expected of their school’s heartthrob – good at studying, good-tempered, and so handsome. It’s hard not to like him. “Um… Xu classmate, is there anything you want to eat? I’ll buy it for you! Do you want a drink or milk?”

“I’ll ask my uncle to make some bone soup for you tomorrow to help you recover!”

The last girl pushed the other two aside, smiling like a fawning dog, “Just call me if you need anything. I’ll do anything to help you!”

The three of them vied to express their feelings.

Qin Shaoqing came in with hot water and saw them making a racket. Unable to bear it anymore, he said, “What are you three arguing about! Can’t you see Muzhou needs to rest!? Get out quickly!”

After the three troublemakers left, the infirmary finally quieted down. Qin Shaoqing put the water on the table beside the bed and complained to the young man, “You’re too good-tempered. If it were me, I definitely wouldn’t let those three idiots off.”

Xu Muzhou carefully picked up the hot water cup and took a small sip. His thick eyelashes lowered slightly, “They didn’t mean it. There’s no need to make a big deal out of it.”

“That’s why I said you’re too good-tempered!”

The boy kept complaining, but Xu Muzhou seemed used to it. He didn’t respond, his gaze quietly falling on the water cup, as if listening.

There was a knock on the infirmary door. They both looked over and found that the visitor was actually Jiang Luoyu from their class.

Qin Shaoqing was a bit puzzled, “Why are you here? Dr. Liu is out. If you’re not feeling well, come back later.”

Jiang Luoyu pressed his lips together, his gaze floating from his face to the young man sitting on the hospital bed, and said softly, “I came to see Xu classmate.”

Qin Shaoqing found it even stranger. In class, they hardly ever spoke two words to each other, just ordinary classmates. When did they become so close?

Xu Muzhou also showed slight surprise on his face, then seemed a bit embarrassed, shyly curling up a smile, “I’m fine. Dr. Liu said I’ll recover quickly after a few days of rest.”

“I see…”

Jiang Luoyu seemed to want to say something but couldn’t because of the presence of others.

“Is something wrong, Jiang classmate?” Xu Muzhou asked gently.

The boy bit his lower lip, “I… have something I want to say to you privately.”

They both turned their gaze to the “extra” person in the infirmary. Qin Shaoqing was a bit unwilling, “What is it that I can’t hear?”

Neither of them spoke, which made Qin Shaoqing even more unwilling to leave. After all, he wasn’t close to them, why should he leave? “If you have something to say, just say it. If you don’t want to say it, forget it.”

The Qin family was not someone Jiang Luoyu could afford to offend. Qin Shaoqing was almost disdainful of everyone in school, so he couldn’t directly ask him to leave. He could only turn his gaze to the young man who looked so good-tempered.

Xu Muzhou smiled slightly, “I just borrowed a book from the library earlier, it’s on the left side of the desk, the third book from top to bottom. Ah Qing, could you get it for me? I’d like to read it this afternoon to pass the time.”

This was clearly meant to send him away. Qin Shaoqing felt a bit gloomy and reluctantly got up to leave the infirmary.

Soon there were only the two of them left in the infirmary. Xu Muzhou still wore a smile on his face and said good-naturedly, “What did Jiang classmate want to say?”

Jiang Luoyu lightly bit his lower lip, raised his eyes to meet his gaze, and after a while, slowly opened his mouth, “You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Hmm?”

“I saw… it was you who tripped them.”

The young man with a slightly sickly appearance tilted his head slightly, his beautiful eyes a bit confused, “Why would I do that?”

Then he chuckled lightly, “Would I deliberately hurt my own foot?”

The young man’s honey-colored eyes carried a gentle smile, his expression so sincere that Jiang Luoyu couldn’t help but doubt himself. Was he overthinking it?

The infirmary fell into a brief silence. About ten seconds later, Jiang Luoyu seemed to have made up his mind. He sat down on the chair beside the hospital bed and looked worriedly at the young man’s injured foot, “Is it serious?”

“It’s fine, nothing to worry about.”

They weren’t usually familiar with each other, and the sudden concern felt a bit fake. Xu Muzhou’s expression remained unchanged, his peaceful tone not making anyone feel awkward.

Jiang Luoyu didn’t leave for a long time. Finally, Xu Muzhou asked first, “Is there something else you want to say?”

Jiang Luoyu pressed his lips together and asked tentatively, “Xu classmate… do you like the president?”

The young man was a bit surprised, “Why do you ask that?”

Jiang Luoyu didn’t answer him, just slightly lowered his eyes, the tips of his ears turning red, completely the image of a person experiencing first love, “I really like the president…”

He paused, then looked up, “If I were with the president, would Xu classmate be upset?”

“Why would I be?” Xu Muzhou’s expression remained gentle from beginning to end, the smile on his face didn’t even fade a bit, like a mask, making people unable to see through, “But isn’t it too early for Jiang classmate to talk about these things? It might affect your studies.”

Jiang Luoyu couldn’t tell if this indifference was real or fake. Just then, the class bell rang. As he got up to leave, before closing the door, he couldn’t help but look at the young man’s gentle and harmless face one last time, feeling that there was a hint of creepiness in that smile.

…

When Fang Chuning, who left late after school, happened to see the young man limping down the stairs, she was very surprised, thinking he should have been picked up earlier.

The young man held onto the handrail of the stairs and walked very slowly. Fang Chuning followed slowly behind him. Suddenly, he seemed to accidentally bump his injured foot, letting out a low, muffled groan, his back stiffening as he stopped.

Fang Chuning heard his unsteady breathing due to the pain.

She quickly walked down, “Why don’t I carry you on my back?”

Xu Muzhou seemed to have just noticed she was behind him. He slightly turned his face away and continued limping down the stairs, but after just two steps, he bumped his injured foot again, the pain making his face turn pale.

“At this rate, your foot will definitely be ruined.”

Fang Chuning reminded him.

“Even if it’s ruined, it’s none of your business,” Xu Muzhou’s words carried an unconscious petulance.

Fang Chuning didn’t catch it at all, shocked that he would rather have his foot disabled than let her carry him. She couldn’t help but doubt herself again, wondering what on earth she had done to make him dislike her so much.

The young man was still persisting, but it was obvious he was in so much pain he could barely stand.

“Do you want me to carry you or not?”

The young man pressed his lips tightly together and didn’t make a sound.

“Then I’m leaving.” With that, Fang Chuning really started walking down the stairs in big steps. Even when she reached the first floor, she didn’t hear him call out to stop her.

She stood quietly on the first floor for a while, then heard a muffled sound of someone falling from upstairs. She quickly ran up, taking several steps at a time, only to see the young man sitting on the ground, in so much pain that his eyes were red.

Seeing his pitiful appearance, Fang Chuning swallowed the words “You deserve it” and felt a bit unwilling, but still wanted him to speak up, “Do you want me to carry you or not?”

Xu Muzhou turned his face away, biting his pale lips tightly. The pain must have been severe, as that usually cold and aloof flower was now silently shedding tears, his frail body also trembling slightly.

The sight of a beauty in tears, looking so pitiful and moving, would make anyone unable to say harsh words. Fang Chuning stared at him for a while, then finally turned her back to him and squatted down in front of him, “Hurry up and get on, or I’m really leaving this time.”

It was quiet behind her for quite a while. Just as she was about to get impatient, a pair of slender, beautiful hands climbed onto her shoulders, and a warm body pressed against her back.

Since it was on the way anyway, Fang Chuning decided to do a good deed to the end and carried him directly to the school gate.

“Today…” the person on her back suddenly spoke, but she didn’t hear clearly.

“What?”

Xu Muzhou lightly curled a few strands of her hair around his fingers. In a place where she couldn’t see, he made no effort to hide the jealousy and possessiveness on his face, but his voice remained gentle and soft, “Today I accidentally ruined the cake Jiang classmate gave you. Was he very angry?”

Fang Chuning’s first reaction was, how did he know the cake was from Jiang Luoyu? But then she thought, Jiang Luoyu had given it to her in front of everyone, so it was normal for him to know.

“He probably wasn’t. Besides, it wasn’t really your fault, it was those three troublemakers’ fault.”

Xu Muzhou curled his lips, “But Jiang classmate came to find me today… Why don’t you help me ask him how much the cake cost? I’ll compensate him later.”

He didn’t say what Jiang Luoyu came to find him for. The words that followed seemed to imply that Jiang Luoyu had come to him because of a cake, and even blamed him, a bedridden injured person, for the cake being ruined.

Fang Chuning was a bit uncertain, “It’s just a cake, it shouldn’t be that serious, right? If it really comes to that, I’ll buy him another one later.”

The fingers playing with her curled hair paused, then forcefully pulled out one of her hairs.

“Ah!” Fang Chuning cried out in pain.

The person on her back said flatly, “Sorry, I accidentally pressed on it.”

Fang Chuning believed his lie.

Outside the school, there were only two cars parked now, one was hers and the other was naturally the one coming to pick up Xu Muzhou. She carried him all the way to the car before putting him down.

“How about this,” the young man suddenly spoke softly, raising his hand to push up his gold-rimmed glasses, looking at her seriously and suggesting, “I’ll make a cake tomorrow to compensate Jiang classmate. That seems more sincere.”

Fang Chuning didn’t suspect anything and nodded in agreement.

…

The next day, after a class, Jiang Luoyu was writing down the last bit of notes on the blackboard when a beautiful box was suddenly placed gently on his desk. He frowned slightly.

From above came the young man’s guilty voice: “I’m sorry, Jiang classmate. It’s my fault that yesterday’s cake was ruined. I made this myself this morning as compensation. Please don’t be angry, okay?”

The young man’s tone carried a hint of caution. Although his voice wasn’t loud, his actions successfully drew the attention of others in the class.

Jiang Luoyu scanned the surroundings and saw that the person he liked had also turned to look at him. The confusion in his heart instantly disappeared. He looked up and stared at the young man, “I’m not angry.”

The young man’s face showed delight, his smile brighter than the first ray of dawn, as if unable to hide his happiness, “Really? That’s great. I was worried you’d be upset and couldn’t sleep all night yesterday. Jiang classmate, you’re really kind.”

Jiang Luoyu smiled forcedly, the discomfort in his heart reaching its peak from the strange gazes constantly gathering on him.