The moral high ground rarely wins against shameless persistence.
After a moment’s silence, Sun Fuan looked over at Xie Ruan, who didn’t appear resistant, and decided to let it go.
Fine, let the kids work it out themselves. It wouldn’t take long to complete the board, and it was a way for them to decompress.
Clearing his throat, Sun Fuan put on a stern face. “Do it, but don’t stay too late. We don’t want it impacting classes the next day.”
Bo Jin nodded, “Understood.”
Sun Fuan gave a few more instructions, then, spotting a few students trying to sneak snacks into class, delivered an impromptu lecture before leaving.
After he was gone, Xie Ruan brushed off Bo Jin’s hand with a complex expression.
It seemed, he thought, that he’d probably, maybe… misunderstood. Judging from Bo Jin’s words and actions, he didn’t seem like someone struggling with depression at all.
Earlier, he had crammed some information about depression.
He knew that the main characteristics of depression were feeling dazed and uninterested in everything. But after observing Bo Jin for so long, he seemed to have none of these traits.
Not only was he constantly checking recipes, but he also managed to slip in flirtatious remarks here and there, appearing far more lively than Xie Ruan himself.
If he wasn’t depressed, then why would he attempt suicide?
Xie Ruan couldn’t understand.
He looked up at Bo Jin.
The boy had a high, straight nose and a calm expression. Sensing Xie Ruan’s gaze, he raised an eyebrow and gave a smile, roguish yet charming.
Xie Ruan suddenly felt a pang of discomfort, his chest tightening as if pressed by a damp cloth, making it hard to breathe.
Bo Jin should have had a bright future, adorned with accolades and admired by all. Instead, like in the book, he didn’t even make it to the college entrance exams and ended his short life.
When he first became aware of Bo Jin’s death, he only felt regret and pity. But now, just thinking about that ending made it hard for him to breathe.
He took a deep breath and resolved to find an opportunity to test Bo Jin’s mood in the coming days.
Even though he was seventy to eighty percent sure of his observations, this was a matter of life and death, and he couldn’t afford any negligence.
With this in mind, he looked up and asked Bo Jin, “How late are you planning to work tonight?”
Bo Jin replied with a question, “What’s the latest you usually go to bed?”
The reason he involved Xie Ruan was to spend more time with him, not to disrupt his sleep schedule.
“Not past midnight,” Xie Ruan answered casually. “Why?”
“Then 11:30,” Bo Jin set the time decisively.
Thirty minutes would be enough to head back to the dorm and get ready for bed.
He didn’t think much of this task; a few famous quotes would do. On the other hand, it was Xie Ruan’s first time participating in a class project, so he hesitated, “Is that enough time? Shouldn’t we go a bit later?”
“Later?” Bo Jin chuckled.
He raised an eyebrow, grinning as he looked at Xie Ruan, “What, you want to spend more time with me?”
Xie Ruan: “…”
The way he could flirt at any moment was something Xie Ruan felt he could never match.
Just as Xie Ruan was about to respond, the front door suddenly swung open, and He Mingjie walked in, carrying a large bag of snacks.
“That was close,” he patted his chest, visibly relieved. “Good thing I ducked into Class Two just in time, or Old Sun would’ve caught me red-handed.”
Getting scolded wouldn’t have bothered him—he was used to it and didn’t care at all. But if Sun Fuan confiscated his snacks, that would have been a tragedy. He had been craving these for days and couldn’t bear to wait any longer.
He reached into his bag, took out several snacks, and handed them to Bo Jin and Xie Ruan, “Here you go—whoever’s here gets some.”
Bo Jin glanced at the spicy strips on Xie Ruan’s desk and threw them back to He Mingjie. “Give me something sweet instead.”
He Mingjie was momentarily stunned. As he rummaged through his bag, he muttered, “Since when do you like sweet things, Bo Jin?”
It was surprising, given that Bo Jin was usually so easygoing about food—he’d eat anything without complaint, even the raw ginger in stir-fries. This was the first time He Mingjie had seen him show such a clear preference.
Sun Haoxiang and Pan Yu instinctively looked over, clearly sharing the same thoughts as He Mingjie.
Bo Jin said, “I don’t like it.”
If he didn’t like it, why ask for it? Just as He Mingjie wondered about this, Bo Jin continued, “Xie Ruan likes it.”
He Mingjie, Sun Haoxiang, and Pan Yu: “…”
D*mn, another day they should have spent under their desks.
He Mingjie felt momentarily choked, handing over several egg yolk pastries without expression. After distributing all the snacks in the bag, he returned to his seat.
“What’s up with you today,” Sun Haoxiang munched on a crunchy cracker, teasing him. “Hit the jackpot?”
He Mingjie was generous by nature, but his family was strict. His parents gave him a monthly allowance carefully calculated to be enough for decent food and clothing, without much left over to splurge.
At the mention, He Mingjie grinned, clearly pleased, “I scored well on this test, so my mom gave me an extra 500 for the month.”
He added excitedly, “She even said that if I score above 600 for the finals, she’ll take me to the north to see the snow!”
“That’s awesome!” Sun Haoxiang, who also loved snow, immediately replied, “I’ll study hard and raise my scores too. If my mom sees improvement, she’ll agree to anything.”
“Wow, your mom’s like mine, always tying things to scores. I swear, the pressure sometimes…”
“Not for me, I let it go in one ear and out the other, haha.”
The two were seated behind Xie Ruan, and even without trying to listen, their conversation reached him.
Xie Ruan’s smile gradually faded.
The exam results had been posted to the parents’ group, but his mother still hadn’t asked him about them.
He lowered his gaze. Maybe she didn’t care, or maybe she had muted the group and hadn’t seen the message—who knew?
Next to him, Bo Jin had been observing the changes in his expression, and after listening to Sun Haoxiang and He Mingjie’s conversation, he remembered how withdrawn Xie Ruan had been during the school break and quickly pieced things together.
“Sun Haoxiang,” Bo Jin spoke, cutting him off mid-chatter, “Old Sun said he’d return your phone next week.”
“Really?” Sun Haoxiang sprang up instantly, excited enough to do backflips, and eagerly shouted, “Thank you, Brother Bo! You’re the best!”
Ignoring his antics, Bo Jin opened the packaging on an egg yolk pastry and handed it to Xie Ruan, “Want to try? This brand makes great pastries—flavorful but not too greasy, and the egg yolk is rich.”
Xie Ruan took it, biting into it.
“Do you like the taste? If you do, next time I’ll take you to Uncle Wang’s. He’s a master at making pastries. In his younger days, he was the pastry chef at a hotel, catering to foreign guests.”
“Serving foreign guests?” Xie Ruan asked, curious.
“Yes, back when the country first opened up…”
Gradually, Xie Ruan was drawn into tales of Boss Wang’s illustrious past, completely forgetting about his own family issues.
Later that night, after the second evening study session, everyone packed up their bags to head to the dorms. But Xie Ruan and Bo Jin did the opposite, leaving the small classroom and returning to the main class.
The blackboard had been meticulously cleaned by Pan Yu, with colored chalk neatly lined up on the desk—thoughtful preparations, to say the least.
Xie Ruan set his bag down on a chair, rolled up his sleeves, and looked at Bo Jin. “Let’s split the tasks. What do I do?”
Bo Jin found his enthusiasm amusing and pretended to ponder. “You? Let me think…”
After leaving him in suspense, Bo Jin slowly pulled out a new English worksheet and said, “Do the reading comprehension and cloze test.”
Xie Ruan: “???”
Xie Ruan stared in disbelief. “That’s it?”
He couldn’t understand. “If you don’t need my help, why’d you ask me to come?”
Bo Jin held back a laugh. “To keep me company?”
Xie Ruan: “…”
Bo Jin cleared his throat, afraid he’d drive him away, and explained, “It’s not time to color in yet. You work on the worksheet, and I’ll call you when I need you.”
Fine, at least he made some sense. Xie Ruan spread out the English sheet and started on the tasks.
Meanwhile, Bo Jin picked up the colored chalk and headed to the back of the classroom.
He already had a layout in mind, and since Teacher Sun wasn’t picky about aesthetics, he quickly mapped out sections.
The two focused quietly on their work, the room silent except for the soft tapping of chalk on the blackboard.
After a while, Xie Ruan finished his reading comprehension and cloze test. Just as he was about to tackle the multiple-choice questions, Bo Jin called from behind him, “Xie Ruan, come over and give it a stamp.”
“Stamp? What for?”
Puzzled, Xie Ruan walked over and looked up at the half-finished board display. He had to admit that some people really did have a gift for certain things.
He’d thought Bo Jin’s penmanship was already impressive, but his chalkboard writing was even better.
No wonder Teacher Sun asked him to handle the board. Even without fancy designs, just his lettering alone made people want to take a closer look.
But—
He pointed at the bottom right of the board, at the two conspicuous surnames. “Why’d you write both our names?”
He looked more closely, then smirked like he’d discovered a flaw. “Ha, you’re so sloppy you even left out a stroke in your own surname!”
Bo Jin put a piece of colored chalk in his hand and said, “It’s not wrong.”
Refusing to admit a mistake, Xie Ruan sighed, about to pull him closer for a better look, when he suddenly realized Bo Jin was standing right behind him.
They were so close that Xie Ruan almost felt as if he were being held.
Before he could move away, Bo Jin had already grabbed his hand with the chalk in it, guiding him to complete the final stroke of the character.
Then Bo Jin’s voice came softly by his ear, amused. “Stamping each our names means we’re each other’s person.”
Xie Ruan turned around slowly. What…what did he mean by that?
Recalling their previous interactions, Bo Jin laughed and asked, “So, do you have clearance to access the group data now?”
The sudden reference caught Xie Ruan off guard. Even though it had been a while, he still felt the same secondhand embarrassment.
Assuming Bo Jin was just trying to tease him, he replied, annoyed, “Why?”
Bo Jin chuckled. “Looks like you did. Then you must know I grew up in an orphanage.”
Xie Ruan paused, then, after a moment, nodded cautiously, observing Bo Jin’s expression.
“It’s okay,” Bo Jin said, both amused and touched by Xie Ruan’s careful response. “I don’t mind. It’s alright being on my own. Some people are just fated to be distant from family—can’t be helped.”
He lowered his gaze, meeting Xie Ruan’s eyes with sincerity. “So don’t let things you can’t change get to you. If they treat you well, appreciate it; if not, don’t bend over backwards for them.”
Then, after a pause, he reached over and ruffled Xie Ruan’s hair. “If you’re ever feeling down or need some encouragement, aren’t I your ‘person’ now?”
Finally, it dawned on Xie Ruan.
Bo Jin must have noticed his mood earlier and was now sharing his own story to comfort him.
He always thought he was helping Bo Jin, but since they’d met, it was clear that Bo Jin had been the one supporting him.
Xie Ruan felt warmth spread in his chest and swallowed hard, struggling to find the right words, only managing a quiet “Mm.”
Every kindness Bo Jin showed, he remembered. And even if it cost him his life, he wouldn’t let him meet the fate written in that story.
The next morning, Teacher Sun arrived early in the classroom.
Just as he was about to mentally praise Bo Jin for the nearly finished board, he noticed the two large names in the bottom corner.
Sun Fuan: “…”
Of course, it was just the sort of thing he’d expect from Bo Jin—he wasn’t even surprised.
Sun Fuan walked up to Bo Jin, raised an eyebrow, and said, “Putting your names on it, huh? What, afraid no one will know you did the work?”
Bo Jin didn’t respond, just leaned back in his chair with a lazy grin, looking at Xie Ruan.
Xie Ruan, flustered by his stare, looked up to scold him, but ended up smiling instead.
Thanks to Bo Jin’s endless stream of antics, this little episode didn’t bother Sun Fuan, nor did it seem to interest their classmates.
And so, their names stayed there, untouched.
Every time Xie Ruan entered the room, every glance back, every casual look, he would see it.
It was like Bo Jin was silently telling him, again and again, that no matter what, he still had Bo Jin by his side.
That deep-seated desire to earn his family’s approval gradually faded because the happiness he’d been missing had slowly been filled by another person.
