DBTHDCAR Chapter 61

Ding Zheyang and Chang Leyun have gotten unusually close.

This was the conclusion Fan Xia reached after observing them.

After a week of military training, Chang Leyun returned home to the fourth floor.

Fan Xia, propped up on his crutches, leaned over the second-floor corridor to look down. When he saw Chang Leyun completely tanned, like a different person, he laughed so loudly that the dog next door started barking like crazy.

Chang Leyun was back, and so was the sound of the violin.

The whole block of residents got a free dose of art again; even the quarrels between couples and the scolding during children’s homework tutoring seemed softer, permeated with an air of elegance everywhere.

The violin music had returned, and naturally, so had the boy who stood among the flowers.

“I saw it with my own eyes. Just last Saturday, in the greenery of the compound, the two of them were whispering under a tree, They weren’t even afraid of the mosquitoes. Lele’s usually so fierce with me, she beats me up even when I’m disabled, but when she talks to Ding Zheyang, she actually blushes…”

Fan Xia said this with animated excitement, eyebrows dancing. If he hadn’t been leaning on his crutch, he’d probably have thrown in some flashy hand gestures. “And when she laughs, she even covers her mouth. Tsk tsk, putting on that gentle lady act again to fool people.”

Well, let her fool him. It was Ding Zheyang she was fooling anyway, those two were about the same.

“You’re jealous?”

Ning Xiaobei’s tone carried a hint of sourness.

“Are you sick? Jealous of who? Lele’s my bro.”

Fan Xia scoffed.

Even though one of them was a girl and the other a total bootlicker, they still barely counted as his bros. Why would he get jealous over a bro?

“Don’t go telling anyone,”

Ning Xiaobei warned, giving him a sideways look.

Lele had been pretty kind to him. That day, when his prayer beads scattered all over the ground by the wall, Chang Leyun had helped pick them up one by one, even bought new elastic string and restrung them before returning them to him. He didn’t want her relationship with Ding Zheyang to be exposed and get her criticized.

“Please, do I look like someone who snitches?”

Fan Xia mimed zipping his lips. With Ning Xiaobei’s support, he hobbled over to sit in the shade, watching others attend PE class.

By September, school had officially started. Even though their injuries hadn’t fully healed, they had no choice but to return.

Ning Xiaobei was lucky it was his left hand was injured, as it didn’t affect him much.

Fan Xia, on the other hand, had it rough. As the saying goes, ‘It takes a hundred days to recover from injured muscles and bones’, and his splint would need at least another month before it could be removed. The school’s academic building had elevators, sure, but the dorm building didn’t. Their dorm was on the fourth floor, so every day he had to hop up and down the stairs like a one-legged kangaroo.

The worst part was using the bathroom. The academic building only had squat toilets, no seated ones. Fan Xia had to make Ning Xiaobei stand behind him so he could lean back against him and relieve himself. As for number two, he had to hold it in and go back to the dorm.

Bathing was another issue. He needed Ning Xiaobei’s help for that too. Even with skin as thick as Fan Xia’s, he felt embarrassed. In front of Ning Xiaobei, he practically had no privacy left.

“If I were a girl, I’d be marrying you right about now…”

Fan Xia suddenly spoke up.

“Reading a few fewer martial arts novels won’t kill you.”¹

Ning Xiaobei shot him a look, then lowered his head to his textbook.

Since he couldn’t attend PE class, he might as well study on his own.

As soon as high school started, the difficulty and intensity of the coursework had clearly increased. In the last monthly exam, Ning Xiaobei had, for the first time ever, placed second in the entire grade.

Even though his dad and Fan Xia had comforted him, saying he’d hit his head and wasn’t feeling well so his performance slipped, and besides, there’s no such thing as an invincible general, so an occasional drop in grades was normal…

Ning Xiaobei knew very well in his heart that this wasn’t a one-off slip. This was his real level.

He wasn’t actually a genius. He had only managed to coast through the relatively easy primary and middle school curriculum thanks to the foundation he’d built in a parallel world. High school coursework wasn’t something you could just muddle through.

The Affiliated High School was full of hidden talents; outstanding students were everywhere. There was even a saying circulating in the school: Only the worst students here go on to attend this school’s own university.

That left Ning Xiaobei, who had actually been admitted to X University in the real world, feeling pretty speechless.

So he didn’t dare relax for even a moment, seizing every bit of time to study.

“Hey, boss, I’m asking you something, so say something already.”

Ning Xiaobei was lost in his thoughts and didn’t hear Fan Xia’s nagging beside him. Fan Xia couldn’t help but give him a push, unfortunately hitting his injury. Only then did Ning Xiaobei snap back to his senses and look at him.

“What did you ask?”

“I…”

Fan Xia glanced around cautiously. After confirming that no one was nearby, he leaned in close to Ning Xiaobei’s ear and whispered, a little embarrassed,

“What kind of girl do you like?”

Ning Xiaobei’s eyes widened as he stared at him, as if stars were sparkling in them. Seeing that, Fan Xia’s dark face flushed red.

“W-why are you looking at me like that?”

“Fan Xia, you’re actually asking this kind of question… you really have grown up.”

Ning Xiaobei said with a sigh of emotion.

High school students really were different. Before, this guy only cared about what to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. As for romance, love between men and women, moonlit dates and all that, none of it was as interesting to him as the European football stars plastered all over his room.

“Then what kind of girl do you like?”

Ning Xiaobei put down his book and asked with interest.

“Hey, are you the one asking me, or am I asking you?”

“Come on, you go first. After you finish, I’ll tell you mine.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Tricking a kid doesn’t cost anything.

“I like… someone good-looking.”

Fan Xia scratched his head. “Smart, gentle, and the kind who understands everything.”

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Ning Xiaobei’s profile.

If that girl looked about the same as his boss and had a similar temperament, then that would be perfect.

Ning Xiaobei ran through the faces of the girls in their class in his mind. There were actually quite a few who fit the description. He just didn’t know which one Fan Xia liked.

He felt a bit sour inside, like the black-haired piglet he had raised with so much effort was finally ready to be sent off to market.

Even though, in the real world, Fan Xia was already that old and still unmarried, that didn’t mean he didn’t have a love life.

Chang Leyun was just one of them.

Someone as outstanding as him, with such a chivalrous heart, would surely have plenty of girls who admired heroes falling for him. And besides, he had been a little flirt since he was young. He couldn’t even walk straight when he saw pretty older girls or ladies. He must’ve had quite a few girlfriends, maybe even older ones.

Ning Xiaobei’s mouth turned downward.

“Hey, where are you going?”

Fan Xia had been waiting for Ning Xiaobei to exchange intel about what kind of girl he liked, but who knew he’d suddenly stand up, almost making him lose his balance.

“To the bathroom.”

“Wait, I’m going too.”

There had been too many people in the restroom during break earlier, and he didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of others. He’d been planning to sneak over during PE class when no one was around.

“Just hold it!”

Ning Xiaobei stormed off, even though he himself didn’t know what he was angry about.

“Your menopause is coming way too early!”

Fan Xia shouted.

After hopping his way out of the first-floor restroom alone and heading back toward the field, he suddenly noticed what seemed like two figures, a boy and a girl, talking quietly behind the rose trellis in the small garden.

This period seemed to have only their class doing PE, so who could be over there?

Curiosity piqued, Fan Xia limped closer, trying to keep his footsteps light, afraid of being discovered.

Fortunately, although it wasn’t May, when the roses bloomed at their fullest, it was still lush with greenery. The vines climbed thickly over the trellis, dotted here and there with small blossoms of varying shades. They weren’t as dazzling as in spring, but somehow even more delicate and endearing.

Behind the dense shade, a boy and girl in blue-and-white school uniforms were whispering softly.

That boy, head slightly lowered, smiling so gently. Wasn’t it Ning Xiaobei, who had just been talking to him moments ago?

Fan Xia’s eyes darted.

As for the girl, it was Tan Ruirui, the vice class monitor of Class Four.

In the last monthly exam, she had taken first place, surpassing Xiaobei.

How did those two end up together?

He didn’t dare get too close, so he couldn’t hear what they were saying. But the scene before him was just too beautiful, even someone as rough and unrefined as him, could tell how well-matched the two of them looked.

Ning Xiaobei was naturally good-looking. Fan Xia had never seen a boy more handsome than him. Even those so-called idol stars couldn’t compare.

As for Tan Ruirui, she was currently one of the top contenders for class beauty in Class 4, also among the prettiest girls.

The other was Chang Leyun.

As for who exactly deserved the title of class beauty, the boys had split into two camps and were arguing heatedly about it. Fan Xia, of course, privately thought his own buddy’s side was the best. After all, they both came from the same workers’ housing blocks. Forget choosing a class beauty, even if they were picking a morning glory, he’d still support his own people. So he enthusiastically cast his vote for Chang Leyun.

If Chang Leyun, like her mother, Aunt Wang, was a talented, bright-eyed, lively red rose, then Tan Ruirui was a white rose: gentle, graceful, and delicately poised.

Look at her now, the way she gazed at Xiaobei — head slightly tilted, her fair, soft hand brushing the strands of hair by her small, delicate ear. So full of tenderness, so moving that anyone who saw her would feel protective.

A rose-pink blossom landed on the girl’s shining long hair. Ning Xiaobei reached out, plucked the shy little bud, and placed it into her palm.

The girl smiled radiantly, outshining the flowers of spring.

As for what happened after that, Fan Xia didn’t know.

Leaning on his crutch, he limped away from the garden.

The leg in its splint dragged along the ground, making a shasha sound, as if a little ghost were chasing after him from behind.

Lele and Yangyang were together now.

And Xiaobei seemed to have someone he liked too…

Then what did that make him?

A song he had heard as a child suddenly surfaced in his mind—

≈≈≈ Dad has his own family, Mom has her own family, and I’m left alone… like I’m extra ≈≈≈

Back when his dad and mom remarried, he hadn’t felt this way. So why did he suddenly feel so down today…

Fan Xia rested his head on the handle of his crutch, staring blankly at the endless blue sky.

“Hey, for a cripple, you sure can run fast!”

Footsteps hurried up the stairs. Ning Xiaobei pushed open the door to the rooftop and spotted Fan Xia’s back by the water tank, sitting on a concrete block. Only then did he finally let out a long breath of relief.

After PE class ended, Ning Xiaobei had searched the entire field but couldn’t find him. He checked the classroom and the dorm too, no sign of him anywhere. It had scared him badly, worried Fan Xia might have fallen somewhere alone with no one noticing.

After thinking for quite a while, he finally remembered this place.

A few days ago, they had discovered that the lock on the door leading from the dorm building to the rooftop had somehow broken, one light push and it would open.

Even in September, the weather was still unbearably hot. The lousy fan in the dorm was useless. After showering, he, Fan Xia, and Ding Zheyang would each tuck a rolled-up bamboo mat under their arm and come up here to cool off.

They’d switch on a flashlight, light a mosquito coil, look up at a sky full of stars you’d never see in the city, and feel the gentle breeze. Wasn’t that a hundred times better than being stuck in the dorm?

And ever since Jiang Nan had been expelled, there were only three people left in their dorm. Aside from themselves, no one knew about this place, so the rooftop had become their secret base.

Honestly, what was with Fan Xia, running up here in broad daylight? Wasn’t he afraid of the sun?

“Here. Pick one.”

Ning Xiaobei only had one free hand right now. After buying drinks from the school shop, he had stuffed them into his shirt. He’d just run around looking for Fan Xia, and the condensation on the cans had soaked his white school uniform half-wet.

Fan Xia turned back and took a can of cola.

Under the sunlight, a strip of Ning Xiaobei’s pale, dazzling waist was exposed.

Unlike himself, a fitness nut, Ning Xiaobei still had a boyish physique. His waist was supple, but not boneless like a girl’s. It was more like a willow branch in spring; peel back the tender green outer layer, and inside was a pale, resilient core.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing him just holding the drink without drinking, Ning Xiaobei lowered his head and looked around, but didn’t spot anything unusual on the ground.

He tucked the mineral water bottle into the crook of his right elbow and tried to twist it open with his left hand.

Without a word, Fan Xia snatched the bottle, twisted off the red cap, and handed it back to him.

“Good, good, practice more now, so when you’re opening bottle caps for your girlfriend in the future, you’ll be a pro at it.”

Ning Xiaobei said it half-jokingly.

“Girlfriend? You’re the one who has a girlfriend.”

Fan Xia couldn’t laugh at all. He casually pulled open the tab on his can.

With a pssh, foam suddenly burst out.

With that pent-up frustration still stuck in his chest, he wasn’t paying attention, and the sudden spray of cola splashed straight into his nose and all over his face.

The white foam turned back to its original brown the moment it touched the skin. Unlike the refreshing feeling when you drank it, the sticky liquid carried an overly sweet smell that rushed straight to the head, almost making one frown.

Not only did that gulp fail to wash away the heaviness in Fan Xia’s chest, it made his mood even more depressed, like the sugary liquid clinging to his hands, leaving him feeling sticky and uncomfortable.

“Oh no, it got on your clothes too. What should we do? Hurry and go downstairs to change.”

Ning Xiaobei thought it was probably because he had been stuffing the cola into his shirt and running around earlier.

Fortunately, PE was the last class of the morning, and lunch break was coming up. If they went now while the washroom was empty, they could still wash the clothes.

Fan Xia tilted his head back and poured the last mouthful of cola into his mouth, then wiped his chin.

“Boss…”

He wasn’t the type to bottle things up, especially when it came to Ning Xiaobei. He didn’t want there to be secrets between them.

“You and Tan Ruirui… do you like her?”

As he spoke, he squeezed the aluminum can flat with one hand.

“Oh… so that was you outside just now.”

Ning Xiaobei realized he had noticed someone passing by outside the trellis earlier. He’d even worried that if it got reported to a teacher, it’d be trouble. After all, he was supposed to be a good student, he couldn’t keep getting tied to questionable situations.

Looking at Fan Xia’s gloomy expression, then glancing at the poor crushed can, Ning Xiaobei felt like this little dark-skinned one was overreacting a bit today.

Wait…

Pretty girl, smart, gentle—

“Fan Xia, you… don’t tell me the person you like is Tan Ruirui?”

Ning Xiaobei blurted out in shock.

……………… 

Author’s Note:

Fan Xia: Nonsense!

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