The next morning, Chi Han, with two dark circles under his eyes and feeling dizzy, squatted in front of the box. He leaned in to look inside and saw a pair of bright black little eyes staring at him.
“Woof!”
The little dirty dog had its two paws on the edge of the box, excitedly sticking out its tongue.
Chi Han smiled and reached out to rub the dog’s head. Only then did he notice that all the milk and canned meat inside the box had been replaced with new ones.
Maybe the butler got up and changed them?
Chi Han rubbed his hair and stood up, just in time to catch the eye of Rong Xu, who was sitting in a wheelchair, preparing to enter the kitchen.
To be precise, it was the milk carton in Rong Xu’s hand that hadn’t yet been put back.
Chi Han: “…”
Was he still dreaming? Rong Xu clearly disliked this little dirty dog just yesterday, didn’t he?
Rong Xu’s hand controlling the wheelchair froze for a moment, his expression blank for an instant. He had a sudden feeling of being caught doing something wrong, but the next second, he regained control and looked calmly at him: “What’s up?”
In Chi Han’s eyes, this was exactly the expression of someone who clearly likes small animals but is too shy to admit it because of pride.
What’s wrong with a kid liking a puppy!
Hey! Let him feed it!
Chi Han’s eyes were full of understanding: “It’s nothing. How about I bring it over for you to hold?”
Rong Xu instinctively looked at the cardboard box behind Chi Han. A scruffy dog head was trying hard to stick out, accidentally slipping and whining as it scrambled.
Rong Xu: “…”
He would have to be out of his mind to actually hold it.
Chi Han just took it as Rong Xu feeling embarrassed. After going upstairs to wash up, he came down to the dining room to get ready to eat.
Rong Xu tilted his head to look at him for a while, then put down the small bowl and plate in his hand, his voice slightly low: “You didn’t sleep well last night?”
Chi Han was stunned for a moment, his fingertips touching the faint dark circles under his eyes. Thinking of what happened with Song Yao last night, his chest tightened again.
He deliberately acted casual and said, “It’s nothing, probably because I kept dreaming. I’ll just sleep earlier tonight.”
Rong Xu pressed his lips together, not asking further.
“By the way,” Chi Han swallowed a bite of fried egg and looked at Rong Xu, “are you busy going out today?”
Rong Xu raised his hand to brush Chi Han’s mouth corner, as lightly as a feather.
The morning light outside was just right.
Suddenly, Rong Xu smiled. The ice in his eyes silently melted away, revealing a gentle and lingering warmth inside, though that trace of bitterness was firmly hidden.
“Only one last thing left.”
Chi Han looked at him deeply, feeling like this kind of smile was something he would remember for a lifetime.
He nodded, smiling with the same firmness and brightness: “Okay, go do it with peace of mind. I’ll always be here.”
…
Time seemed to go back to the very beginning. Rong Xu was once again Chi Han’s deskmate.
For this, the happiest person was Geng Xue. She finally didn’t have to keep using a microscope to pick apart old sweet memories anymore!
Geng Xue rolled up her sleeves and, holding back tears, angrily powered through three sets of practice papers. Her deskmate, Gui Gaojie, was so startled that he double-checked the exam schedule multiple times.
He was scared to death. He thought the monthly exam had been moved up!
After bathing and burning incense, Geng Xue solemnly wrote her name on the papers with devout reverence. She glanced at her deskmate and, with a face full of divine radiance, said, “You don’t understand. I once made a vow: if the CP I ship gets back together, I, a faithful believer, will repay it by doing three full sets of papers!”
Gui Gaojie: “……”
Gui Gaojie: “By the way, do you realize that what we bought this time is a full set? One set is an entire book.”
Geng Xue: “???”
Gui Gaojie: “But it’s fine, really. Just a hundred pages or so. Your CP’s happiness now all depends on you. Good luck!”
Geng Xue: “……………Tell me, when it comes to making wishes… does it come with a seven-day no-reason return policy?”
Gui Gaojie paused for a moment, then nodded seriously. “You can try filing a complaint and see if any customer service responds. But… are you sure you want to file a complaint against the heavens?”
Geng Xue let out a loud “Woof!” and cried like a dumb dog.
Thanks to Geng Xue’s influence, the study fervor in the surrounding area reached an unprecedented high. The homeroom teacher couldn’t stop smiling every time they saw it.
Chi Han also threw himself into studying with all his might, while in comparison, Rong Xu appeared especially relaxed.
He had taken over all the little tasks like feeding Chi Han snacks, fetching water, and wiping the desk.
Chi Han, worried that it might be inconvenient for Rong Xu to go out and get water in his wheelchair, voiced his objections several times. But every time those deep, ink-black eyes of Rong Xu stared at him for long enough, Chi Han would go quiet on his own.
Forget it, forget it. It’s only a few steps to the water station. Maybe he’d even get a chance to make some new friends out there.
Throughout the day, aside from occasionally glancing at those dense and difficult economics books, Rong Xu spent most of his time—either intentionally or unintentionally—watching Chi Han.
At first, Chi Han felt a little embarrassed, but later on, he completely let go.
Watch all you want! It’s not like you’re showing it to someone else anyway!
As long as Rong Xu is happy.
Class had just ended when Chi Han rushed over, dragging his paper over to Rong Xu in a panic:
“Quick, quick, Rong Xu, help me look at this question. Why do I keep getting this answer?”
Rong Xu lowered his eyes and glanced at it—he already had the answer in mind. But when his gaze fell on Chi Han’s face, a few little sparks suddenly rose from the cracks in his heart.
“I can explain it,” Rong Xu tilted his head slightly, leaning in closer to Chi Han and said softly, “but what are you going to give me in return?”
Chi Han froze, then immediately reached out to scratch at the cover of Rong Xu’s economics book on the desk.
He had every reason to suspect that this book had been secretly swapped out for «The Dominant CEO Pursues His Delicate Wife»!
Who corrupted his sweet little Rong Xu?!
Rong Xu looked at the now nearly-peeled book cover, his cool, clear eyes flashing with a trace of confusion.
What is he doing?
Chi Han awkwardly withdrew his hand and coughed, doing his best to cooperate with the scene. Putting on a deliberately shy and indignant act, he said, “Fine, what do you want? I’ll give it to you!”
Rong Xu raised a hand and placed it on Chi Han’s shoulder, then tossed his unlocked phone to Geng Xue in the front row.
It wasn’t until Geng Xue raised the phone and pointed it at them that Chi Han realized. Rong Xu just wanted to take a photo.
“Aiya, Chi Han, smile a little, will you? Your expression is way too serious!”
Geng Xue adjusted the lighting, frowning slightly as she voiced her mild disapproval.
Being a coward at heart, she only dared to gesture and complain at Chi Han. As for Rong Xu?
He was already smiling!
If she didn’t see it, that had to be a problem with her own eyes!
After a few minutes of fussing around, Chi Han finally resorted to his secret weapon—the Scissors Technique. He quietly reached out and held his hand above Rong Xu’s head, making a bunny ear gesture. Just imagining Rong Xu’s reaction when he saw the photo later made him burst out laughing.
“Hey hey hey, yes, just like that, don’t move!”
Geng Xue’s eyes lit up as she got ready to press the shutter.
Just then, a breeze blew in from outside the window, making the curtain flutter gently.
Maybe it was to dodge the curtain, but Rong Xu suddenly tilted his head to the side, his nose brushing against Chi Han’s cheek. His half-lidded eyes carried a trace of emotion he couldn’t hide—soft and deeply affectionate.
And in the camera’s frame, Chi Han was smiling warmly.
Geng Xue’s eyes suddenly felt hot, and a quiet sadness welled up in her heart.
If only everyone could stay in this moment of carefree youth forever.
She thought of the people she had occasionally seen on the street—those in wheelchairs or walking with crutches. More or less, there was always a thread of loneliness tangled up in their lives.
She was afraid that one day, she might never see such pure, unfiltered feelings again.
……
Chi Han took the phone and used the back of his hand to rub his cheek.
Geng Xue had used burst mode when taking the photo. In the first few shots, both of them were looking at the camera. But as the series went on, it became Chi Han looking straight ahead, and Rong Xu turning his head to look at Chi Han.
As Chi Han flipped through them, for some reason, the tips of his ears turned red.
He glanced left and right—everywhere except at Rong Xu. “Why did you suddenly lean in just now? You startled me.”
Rong Xu quietly observed Chi Han’s reaction. Seeing how he avoided eye contact, Rong Xu eventually looked away and calmly replied, “The wind picked up. There was dust on the curtain.”
“Oh…”
Chi Han scratched his head, feeling a bit inexplicably disappointed.
He grabbed his practice paper and poked at it a couple of times in frustration, grumbling, “Let’s go over the question, let’s go, we can do it now, right?”
Before Rong Xu could pick up his pen, Chi Han tilted his head back and waved his hand like a little boss: “Wait, send me the photos first! I’m clearly an important participant in the shoot!”
Rong Xu chuckled softly and opened WeChat. He had just sent over one picture when a mosquito-like whisper came from beside him: “T-the last few… send those too.”
Chi Han stared back with defiant confidence, even though his reasoning wasn’t exactly solid.
What? What’s the problem?!
And then, his ears turned even redder.
