TL: Hua
Shen Boyan never expected that the biggest difficulty he faced in bringing Xia Shu’an home would come from himself.
When Shen Boyan was once again pulled to sit at the review table, his eyes were filled with pain and his expression was almost twisted. However, this time Xia Shu’an did not compromise; he had his persistence:
“When you go back home, if your parents find that your grades have worsened after being with me, they will definitely think that I have led you astray.”
“They will hate me.”
Xia Shu’an looked very cute when he said this, with a pure white light in his pupils, reflecting the shadow of Shen Boyan. Shen Boyan had no way to deal with this kind of Xia Shu’an, so he could only force himself to work hard to improve Xia Shu’an’s favorability with his parents.
Xia Shu’an was very moved to see how hard he worked—he would give Shen Boyan an apple every morning so that he could supplement vitamins.
Time passed little by little; December came, mid-December passed, and Christmas was coming soon.
The day before Christmas, Xia Shu’an suddenly said, “I won’t be back for dinner tonight.”
Shen Boyan frowned and looked unhappy: Huh? What’s going on?
Xia Shu’an explained, “I’m going to my uncle’s house for dinner.”
Shen Boyan knew that Xia Shu’an had relatives in Changning, but they were not close and had little contact; otherwise, they wouldn’t have let Xia Shu’an live in Shen Boyan’s house. However, Shen Boyan claimed to be an open-minded friend and did not stop Xia Shu’an from attending the family dinner. He also enthusiastically sent him to the gate of his relatives’ community.
“Call me after dinner; I’ll come to pick you up.” He urged earnestly.
“No need.”
The boy insisted, “I’ll pick you up.”
“Okay.” Xia Shu’an walked into the community and waved vigorously to the boy at the entrance before turning the corner.
Shen Boyan watched him disappear from his sight and suddenly felt the pain of sending his child to school on the first day. After a while, he turned around and walked back slowly.
While waiting impatiently and expectantly, counting the time with his fingers, nighttime finally arrived.
As soon as Shen Boyan received Xia Shu’an’s text message “I’ve finished my meal,” he excitedly went to pick him up. He stood at the entrance of the convenience store across from the community, and after impatiently seeing off a pair of passersby, he finally saw the figure he wanted to see.
Xia Shu’an walked with his relatives, and they separated only when they reached the entrance of the community. The time was still early, so people were still out and about. Nearby, a couple in their teens accompanied an elderly person, chatting and laughing, with a bouncing little girl in front of them.
The little girl was walking the fastest, and when she reached the traffic light, she suddenly stopped, turned around, and held the old man’s hand obediently. She raised her face and said something, and the man and the woman laughed together.
Under the warm yellow light, this scene was very warm, making passersby smile knowingly, and a warm feeling surged in their hearts.
However, Shen Boyan’s eyes were fixed on the boy who had not walked far at another intersection. He half turned his face and looked at the other side, which was less than ten meters away. The lonely shadow was dragged on the ground by the streetlight. His expression was dazed, and it was hard to tell whether it was envy or loneliness.
Shen Boyan’s heart seemed to be pricked by a hedgehog, and he immediately ran out of the convenience store. When the traffic lights at the intersection changed color, Xia Shu’an was about to step out when a boy ran from the opposite side to him, holding his hand and dragging him in the opposite direction of the intersection.
Xia Shu’an was at a loss, shouting, “What are you doing?”
Shen Boyan turned around and shouted excitedly to him, “I just checked on my phone that there is an arcade nearby. Come on, let’s go play while we still have time today!”
The boy slowly smiled and shouted back, “Okay, let’s hurry up.”
After Christmas, it was New Year’s Day, and soon it was the end of the semester. Shen Boyan was in high school after all. The atmosphere in the classroom became increasingly solemn. Even Shen Boyan was a little nervous—after all, his grades were related to Xia Shu’an’s status in his parents’ hearts.
That day, he walked into the classroom and felt that the atmosphere in the classroom was a little unusual. The people inside turned their heads to look at him. Shen Boyan hadn’t received such an eager gaze for a long time, and it was quite refreshing.
He grabbed a person at random and asked, “What happened today?”
The deskmate showed a hesitant look, and seeing Shen Boyan’s impatient expression, he hurriedly said:
“Have you heard about it?”
Shen Boyan: “What?”
The deskmate whispered, “Xia Shu’an’s father is a murderer.”
Shen Boyan’s eyes fixed: “Who told you that?”
“Everyone is talking about it.”
The boy smiled: “So, who told you that?”
“Lu Jia from Class 8 of Grade 2 went back to his hometown and met Xia Shu’an’s past classmate and heard him say that.”
Shen Boyan sneered, “Whatever he said is what it is?”
The student knew that he had a good relationship with Xia Shu’an and didn’t dare to offend him, so he muttered and remained silent. Shen Boyan let go of his hand impatiently and began to worry about Xia Shu’an. As soon as the morning reading was over, he went to Xia Shu’an’s class. Before he stepped into the classroom, he heard the noisy sound inside.
A girl’s voice was particularly loud in the crowd:
“Are you sick, Zhu Xingze? We are all here to study. Why do you care about other people’s family affairs?”
“Why are you so anxious? Do you like Xia Shu’an?” Several boys laughed.
The boy named Zhu Xingze said in a loud voice, “And this is not a family matter; this is a criminal case. One of my classmates is the son of a murderer. I’m afraid, can’t I ask?”
The girl shouted at the top of her lungs, “You are sick!”
Seeing that the two sides were about to quarrel, the class monitor stood up and said, “Stop quarreling!”
No one listened to him. In the crowd, the boy who was the focus of the topic did not say a word. There was no expression on his beautiful and cold face. His eyelids were slightly closed, and he looked cold as ice.
When the defenders, the provocateurs, and the peacemakers were about to quarrel, the boy suddenly said, “My father is not a murderer.”
The whole classroom was silent.
The boy named Zhu Xingze sneered, “If you say he’s not, then he’s not?”
Xia Shu’an said calmly:
“Because my story has caused trouble for everyone, I will explain it here once. My father owed money and injured someone with a knife during a fight. He himself was stabbed and sent to the hospital, where he failed to be rescued. He did a lot of bad things, but he is not a murderer. If you have any more questions, you can ask the teacher, and the teacher will ask me. In the future, I will no longer be responsible for answering your questions except for studying.”
Boys of this age are the most likely to bully the weak and fear the strong. Seeing Xia Shu’an’s strong response, he also fell silent. At this time, the teacher also walked in. Seeing the scene inside, he said sternly:
“What are you doing? Sit down, class is starting!”
The people in the classroom sat down sparsely. Shen Boyan looked deeply at the boy through the window and walked back.
Xia Shu’an has a good reputation, with many people speaking up for him. His other classmates were worried that people from other classes would cause trouble for him, so he was always accompanied by someone when he went out. This matter didn’t seem to have much impact on him.
Of course, it was just an appearance.
After two evening self-study sessions, Shen Boyan came to pick him up. Xia Shu’an was much quieter than usual, lowering his head and not speaking. Shen Boyan was hesitant, and his eyes were complicated.
The two walked to a streetlamp one after the other.
Xia Shu’an suddenly looked back: “Do you want to ask about my father?”
Shen Boyan stepped forward: “No, I—”
“Ask, and I’ll tell you if you ask.”
Although he said this, the person who wanted to get the words out seemed to be him.
Shen Boyan swallowed his words silently.
“What’s wrong with your father?”
The boy’s calm face suddenly twisted: “He is a scumbag, a trash bag, addicted to alcohol and gambling, and committed domestic violence. He forced my mother away and beat me up. If it weren’t for the teachers and neighbors who protected me before, I might not be able to go to school. I hate him so much, and I wish he would die. I dream every day that he offended someone outside and couldn’t come back. I was really happy when he died!”
Every word seemed to be chewed up and then spat out; anger was vented from every word he abhorred. Shen Boyan looked at the hysterical teenager in front of him with only heartache in his eyes.
He didn’t care if that man died or not, but after he died, the people who Xia Shu’an could call mom and dad were gone, and from then on, he was the lone person who didn’t even have the company to walk through the traffic light after dinner.
A strong urge quickly rushed from the boy’s agitated chest to his throat. Shen Boyan didn’t suppress it and blurted out, “I’ll take you away.”
“What?”
Shen Boyan stared at Xia Shu’an’s eyes and said word by word.
“I said, I want to take you away; from now on, I will be with you.”
The boy’s solemn expression surprised Xia Shu’an. He didn’t know whether he understood or not, but he suddenly fell silent.
The wind was chilly on the night of January. Several passersby tightened their coats and walked quickly in the cold wind.
Shen Boyan’s chest gradually cooled down.
“But—”
Xia Shu’an tilted his head and looked at Shen Boyan; his shining eyes seemed innocent and cunning:
“But I can’t fall in love before I graduate from college.”
Shen Boyan: “Ah?”
Xia Shu’an looked at him straight and said clearly, “Didn’t you say that I can’t fall in love before I graduate from college?”
Shen Boyan gasped.
Boomerang?!!!
The tall boy’s expression was shaken for a moment, and his body shivered. After a long time, he barely stabilized and asked in a low voice:
“Then can we kiss?”
Xia Shu’an couldn’t help laughing.
“No.”
—
When they came out of the examination room, both of them were very satisfied with their performance.
Xia Shu’an: I will definitely be among the top of the grade.
Shen Boyan: I will definitely be out of the last place in the class.
It was another lively scene to sort out clothes before going home. By the bed, Shen Boyan was folding the clothes he was going to take back quickly. Xia Shu’an sat next to him, supporting his chin with his palm, blinking his beautiful eyes at him.
Unable to keep up, Shen Boyan glared at him angrily and said, “You’re not even here to help.”
Xia Shu’an looked innocent: “Didn’t you push me away because I was troublesome?”
“Then you can also give me some spiritual encouragement.”
After saying that, he pouted his lips. The implication was very clear, worthy of him.
Xia Shu’an made an expression of “I really can’t do anything with you,” leaned forward slightly, and smacked his lips.
On the day Shen Boyan returned, Shen’s parents had been waiting at home for a long time. Shen Boyan told them in advance that he would bring a friend back, and the two old people estimated that it was the friend who was at their son’s house that day.
The two were very nervous, just like the parents who went to the kindergarten and heard that their kid had made friends. Except that the kid was a little older, there was no difference in other aspects!
At this moment, they would never have thought that when they finally waited for their son and his friend to come home, their good son, who had grown a lot taller, would push out the beautiful and gentle boy next to him and then say shamelessly:
“This is my boyfriend.”
The two elders: !!!
The young man was also startled and turned back to stare at him.
Shen Boyan probably knew that his big talk scared people, so he changed his words:
“Okay, I’ll take that back.”
The two elders: Ah, he’s probably joking. (How can someone’s sexual orientation change after leaving home for half a year at such a young age?)
Shen Boyan: “Well, it’s not until four years in college that we become official, so let me introduce you again; this is my future boyfriend in five years.”
The two elders: ?
!!!!!!
Hua: This reverse saga ends here. The next extra will be about their previous life but happy ending (｡•́︿•̀｡)
