Chapter 8: Unconsciousness

“Lu Yu?” As the two were walking toward the teaching building, a sweet, lingering female voice suddenly called out from behind.

Lu Yu recognized it instantly and turned around. It was indeed someone he knew—the girl who had spoken up for him that very morning, Shen Miaomiao.

“Hello, Shen Miaomiao!” Grateful for her help earlier, Lu Yu greeted her with a warm, sincere smile.

Shen Miaomiao was exceptionally beautiful, delicate like a doll displayed in a shop window. Even in her school uniform, she could not hide her unique aura.

She waved at Lu Yu, then glanced at Song Jianli beside him before casually asking, “Song Jianli, are you here for PE class too?”

Song Jianli’s attitude toward someone Lu Yu knew depended entirely on how Lu Yu felt about them.

Seeing Lu Yu’s bright smile, Song Jianli returned a polite, refined smile, his demeanor gentle and elegant. “No, I’m not. Do you know me?”

Shen Miaomiao covered her mouth, letting out a tinkling laugh like silver bells, slightly shy. “You can’t be unaware of how famous you are in our other classes, right?”

“You’re exaggerating,” Song Jianli replied in his usual calm and detached tone.

Shen Miaomiao introduced herself openly, “I’m Shen Miaomiao, Lu Yu’s classmate. Nice to meet you.”

Her frank and confident demeanor left Lu Yu puzzled about why she had suddenly greeted him so warmly.

Song Jianli glanced at her briefly, then nodded. “Hello.”

His cool, aloof attitude seemed to be exactly what Shen Miaomiao expected; she wasn’t fazed. Turning back to Lu Yu, she said, “Lu, I saw everything earlier. If Zhou Mingze comes looking for you again, just come tell me.”

Shen Miaomiao seemed like a guardian angel watching over her classmates, her voice clear and pleasant. No wonder she had so many friends.

Lu Yu’s expression grew a bit strange. Noticing Song Jianli glancing sideways at him, Lu Yu pressed his lips together and nodded. “Okay, thank you.”

“No problem, aren’t we classmates? I won’t bother you two any longer.” Shen Miaomiao smiled at Lu Yu once more before turning away, not forgetting to wave at Song Jianli as she left.

Watching her retreating figure, Song Jianli asked, “Are you close with Sang Sang?”

Lu Yu shook his head honestly. Remembering Shen Miaomiao’s help that morning, he added, “Just ordinary classmates, but she’s a good girl.”

“Just now she mentioned Zhou Ming… Ze.” Song Jianli deliberately paused, noticing Lu Yu’s discomfort before continuing, “Who is he?”

Song Jianli hadn’t expected Shen Miaomiao to bring up Zhou Mingze’s matter suddenly, but it saved him some effort.

He asked, hoping to hear the truth from Lu Yu’s own mouth; he didn’t want him to hide anything.

Lu Yu hadn’t anticipated this turn of events either. The matter he intended to keep secret had been exposed so unguardedly.

But he didn’t know how to explain it to Song Jianli.

Song Jianli was so kind to him, so he definitely would seek out Zhou Mingze. But Zhou Mingze had a bad temper; if they clashed…

And it was all because of him…

Lu Yu didn’t dare even imagine how his teachers and parents would see him then.

They’d probably think someone like him didn’t deserve such a good relationship with Song Jianli—that he had led Song Jianli astray.

Lu Yu pressed his lips tightly and looked up into Song Jianli’s eyes. “Jian Ge, I... it’s nothing.”

Song Jianli felt uneasy too but sensed a pleading look in Lu Yu’s eyes.

He hoped he wouldn’t dig deeper.

Should Song Jianli make Lu Yu tell him everything? he wondered silently.

Noticing Song Jianli’s brief silence, Lu Yu added, “I don’t really want to talk about it.”

You shouldn’t, because Lu Yu doesn’t intend to tell you, Song Jianli thought.

“Sigh.” Song Jianli sighed heavily, reaching out to touch the top of Lu Yu’s head. Lu Yu habitually lowered his head.

A warm, large palm covered his head, and then Song Jianli asked, “Did he bully you?”

Lu Yu shook his head, “No.”

“Good. Since Sang Sang doesn’t want to say, then don’t say it.” Song Jianli’s tone sounded like a compromise, though Lu Yu guessed he might be upset.

He reached out and grabbed Song Jianli’s hand resting on his head, then looked up cautiously into his eyes and asked, “Jian Ge, are you angry?”

Looking so obedient, Song Jianli’s anger melted away under Lu Yu’s clear, expressive gaze.

Besides, those who made Song Jianli angry were others. For Lu Yu, he only felt sorrow.

Sorrow that in Lu Yu’s small world, there was still no place for him.

“Sang Sang, don’t be so obedient,” Song Jianli’s eyes darkened slightly, his voice hoarse. “You’ll get bullied.”

---

“Don’t worry, no one’s bullying me.” Lu Yu didn’t understand, but what he said was true. At least the kind of school violence reported in the news hadn’t happened to him.

Of course, no one bullied Lu Yu because Song Jianli would never allow it. The ‘being bullied’ Song Jianli mentioned meant something else.

Linqi No. 1 Middle School was the largest in Linqi City, with an expansive campus.

Wutong Avenue cut across the school grounds, but the most beautiful spot was the cherry blossom path near the west gate.

Late April was when the cherry blossoms bloomed most profusely.

Neither spoke as they walked side by side from the east gate along Wutong Avenue to the cherry blossom path by the west gate. Petals drifted down gently, settling on Lu Yu’s head.

Song Jianli stopped him to brush the petals off his shoulder. Lu Yu seemed a little drowsy, his eyelids drooping, looking listless—somewhat like a lop-eared rabbit.

“Let’s go sit for a while,” Song Jianli whispered.

Lu Yu nodded sleepily.

They found a secluded, shady bench and sat close together.

Song Jianli took out his phone and connected to Bluetooth.

He handed one earbud to Lu Yu.

“What do you want to listen to?” Song Jianli’s slender fingers casually swiped the screen.

Lu Yu yawned and replied lazily, “Anything’s fine. I’ll listen to whatever you choose, Jian Ge.”

Song Jianli selected a Korean song—it had a lively rhythm and sounded cheerful.

They chatted casually in bits and pieces, mostly Lu Yu asking about Song Jianli’s future plans.

But Song Jianli’s answers were vague, often turning the conversation back to Lu Yu.

“What major do you want to study, Jian Ge?”

“Haven’t decided yet. What about you, Sang Sang?”

“I don’t know either. It’s a pity my mom won’t let me study art, and my family wouldn’t support me,” Lu Yu said, referring to his relatives.

A breeze blew from behind them, billowing Lu Yu’s shirt.

Song Jianli said, “If you like it, give it a try. At least I’ll always support you. The most important thing is not to have regrets.”

Lu Yu sighed, his face almost scrunched in worry. “I can’t be selfish, or else… never mind, let’s not talk about this.”

“Okay, then we won’t.”

“Shall we talk about something else?”

“Sure.”

...

The sunlight was just right, dappled shadows danced beneath the trees, and cicadas sang intermittently. By the time Song Jianli finished answering Lu Yu, his shoulder suddenly felt heavy.

He turned his head to see Lu Yu had fallen asleep leaning against his shoulder.

The Korean song had just reached the final line of the lyrics:

(I’ve said all I wanted to say, the rest is a secret.)

The mottled light played across Lu Yu’s face, which had grown so thin it seemed almost unrecognizable. How was it possible he couldn’t gain weight?

Lu Yu, how could you not gain weight?

—

The class bell rang throughout the campus. Lu Yu slowly opened his eyes, dazed for two seconds before sitting upright.

“Awake?” Song Jianli smiled softly at his sleepy face.

Lu Yu rubbed his eyes. “How did I fall asleep?”

“Doesn’t matter. When you’re tired, just sleep. No one will blame you,” Song Jianli smoothed down the little tuft of hair that stuck up.

But the stubborn hair had its own mind; the moment Song Jianli’s hand withdrew, it popped right back up. Song Jianli’s lips curved into a gentle smile.

“It’s just that Jian Ge won’t say anything,” Lu Yu said. If his mom knew he dozed off during class instead of studying, she’d be furious.

Song Jianli understood what he meant, and his expression darkened slightly, though Lu Yu didn’t dwell on it.

He stood, stretching lazily. His short shirt rode up naturally, revealing his slender waist.

Quickly, Song Jianli tugged his shirt down.

“Don’t let your navel catch the wind,” Song Jianli said earnestly, though he looked a little uncomfortable.

Lu Yu laughed aloud. “Jian Ge, you still believe in that?”

“Hmm.” Song Jianli nodded seriously.

Lu Yu couldn’t tell if he was joking. After a pause, he zipped up his school jacket. “Okay, I’ll remember!”

After bidding farewell to Song Jianli, Lu Yu walked slowly toward the classroom. Once apart, his mind turned to another troubling matter.

Zhou Mingze.

That was truly a headache.

His face tightened with worry. The classroom was still mostly empty; many students were resting their heads on their desks.

Lu Yu moved quietly back to his seat.

His deskmate was a pretty girl with short hair and glasses. Once Lu Yu sat down, she leaned over and asked, “Lu Yu, what did Zhou Mingze want from you during PE today?”

Lu Yu’s fingers stiffened, forcing a smile. “Why?”

“They said Zhou Mingze is going to beat you up,” Su Xiaohui whispered, her tone serious without a hint of jest.

Lu Yu suddenly stood up with a loud noise, drawing the attention of everyone in the class.

He wished he could disappear into the floor.

Su Xiaohui motioned for him to sit down. “Don’t get worked up.”

Lu Yu slowly sat back down.

“Who told you that?” Although Lu Yu suspected Zhou Mingze’s intentions weren’t good when he sought him out earlier, hearing this accusation firsthand still made him uneasy.

Was it just because of what happened this morning? Or had Zhou Mingze long disliked him? There had always been signs—since Lu Yu joined this class, Zhou Mingze and the boys in the back row had deliberately excluded him.

“I just heard it. Didn’t he come looking for you alone during PE?”

“Yes…” Lu Yu fiddled with his knees.

Su Xiaohui snapped her fingers. “See? He even asked me if I’d seen you.”

Lu Yu’s vision suddenly darkened. Cold sweat broke out from his temples, trickling down his sideburns.

It reminded him of an incident in elementary school.

That person had left a permanent scar on his temple, yet his mother and teachers said, “Why does he only bully you and not others?”

What would he do if it happened again now? He had no protector.

No one would stand by him. His head spun.

“Hey, Lu Yu, are you okay? I’m just guessing, and besides, in front of everyone…” Su Xiaohui hadn’t finished when a loud bang sounded at the classroom door.

Everyone turned to look, seeing Zhou Mingze step in with his hands in his pockets, chin raised slightly, eyelids lowered, silently staring at Lu Yu.

He crossed the threshold with an unruly air, as if coldness spread wherever he stepped. Lu Yu shivered.

“Lu Yu.” Zhou Mingze called out.

Lu Yu’s eyes filled with tears; panicked, he looked up at him like a frightened rabbit.

When Zhou Mingze was only two meters away, Lu Yu’s breathing suddenly grew short.

“Come out with me,” Zhou Mingze said.

Lu Yu shook his head fiercely to refuse. Zhou Mingze clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Fine, then here in the classroom.” But Zhou Mingze quickly shifted his tone. Before he could even apologize—

“Lu Yu!”

“Ah!”

“Lu Yu!!”

...

A sudden commotion broke out.

The frail-looking boy closed his heavy eyelids and collapsed in his seat, losing balance. His head struck the edge of the desk behind him with a harsh thud.

He fell into unconsciousness.