I Heard You're Hard To Chase - Chapter 19
Xie Huai was startled by Jiang Xu’s unexpected comment.
His face was full of disbelief: “Jiang Xu, what kind of pornographic topic are you talking about?”
Jiang Xu raised his eyebrows slightly: “I’m just telling the truth.”
Xie Huai blushed for a moment, then turned and walked away. Jiang Xu wanted to reach out and hold Xie Huai’s hand but was thwarted as Xie Huai swatted it away.
“Have you finished your National Day homework?” Jiang Xu asked in a light tone as he stood behind Xie Huai.
Xie Huai hesitated for a moment, then turned back to flash a fake smile at Jiang Xu. “Homework? Who cares.”
Jiang Xu lowered his eyes and chuckled: “You really don’t want to do it?”
Xie Huai walked into the bedroom and said without looking back: “I won’t do it.”
Their homework during this National Day break was particularly daunting, especially for the Chinese class. They were required to copy all the ancient poems they had learned five times and transcribe the original text three times, followed by three translations. The workload was immense.
Liu Yi had complained in their private class group chat, saying that with only a seven-day break for National Day, they might as well be asked to die with such an assignment.
He received a flurry of “+1” and “+10086” responses from their classmates.
In addition to assignments from other subjects, they estimated it would take them at least five to six days to finish everything.
It’s been two days now.
However, Xie Huai had started working on his homework in the afternoon. Since entering high school, Jiang Xu had been sitting beside him, writing alongside him.
They wrote from the afternoon until evening, and the sun was only half-visible, casting its warm glow over the entire city of Jiang. When viewed from afar through the window, it resembled a boiled salted duck egg.
They slept together in the evening.
The lights were turned off, so they couldn’t see each other.
After a while, Jiang Xu heard Xie Huai whisper: “Jiang Xu, hug me.”
Jiang Xu was stunned for half a second, as if he didn’t expect Xie Huai to say this suddenly. His Adam’s apple moved, and he slowly turned sideways, reaching out and hugging Xie Huai from behind.
Xie Huai just snuggled into Jiang Xu’s arms.
Feeling Jiang Xu’s warmth, Xie Huai’s eyes gradually welled up with tears. They rolled down his cheeks and fell onto the pillow.
He always thought that he and Jiang Xu could be together forever. It was originally possible, but for him now, everything was impossible.
He was destined to die and leave Jiang Xu.
Xie Huai held Jiang Xu’s hand, it was so warm.
No matter how uneasy or uncomfortable he felt, Xie Huai could sleep peacefully as long as Jiang Xu was by his side.
In the next few days, Xie Huai would stick to Jiang Xu every day. He would go wherever Jiang Xu went, and he would be hugged by Jiang Xu to sleep every night.
It wasn’t that he insisted on being held; it was just that he couldn’t fall asleep without it.
Xie Huai couldn’t help but think to himself that he had said Jiang Xu was clingy before, but compared to himself, Jiang Xu’s clinginess was nothing.
Jiang Xu sensed something was wrong with Xie Huai from the very beginning.
He knew what Xie Huai’s personality was like. Even after being with him, Xie Huai had never been like this before.
Jiang Xu didn’t mind Xie Huai being clingy; in fact, he wished Xie Huai would cling to him more. But he also knew that given Xie Huai’s personality, it was impossible for him to act this way.
It was almost as if he was afraid that there wouldn’t be another chance in the future.
As soon as this idea came up, Jiang Xu immediately dismissed it. He frowned slightly, hoping that it was just his imagination
During these days, the two of them spent their days working on their homework. Xie Huai complained that each subject seemed to have more assignments than the last. He never stopped writing, and the prolonged hours of sitting at his desk caused his shoulders and joints to ache. He had to sneak into the bathroom to take a slow-release ibuprofen capsule every time Jiang Xu left to get some water.
The National Day holiday was almost over, and Xie Huai received a call from Ms. Zhao Li.
Zhao Li sounded worried and anxious: “Huaihuai, how have you been these days?”
Xie Huai put his hands on the balcony railing, lowered his head and said, “Mom, I’m fine. I also took the medicine on time.”
“The doctor said you should go to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible,” Zhao Li’s nose felt sore and she tried hard not to lose her composure in front of Xie Huai, “otherwise…”
Xie Huai clenched his fingertips, his throat tightened slightly, and he said, “I know.”
“Are you still with Xiao Jiang?” Zhao Li asked.
“Yes,” Xie Huai let go of his hand, his fingertips were clenched so hard that they turned white, “I don’t know…how to tell him.”
Zhao Li felt extremely distressed. She took the tissue handed to her by Xie Nian and wiped away her tears.
When she learned from Jiang Xu’s mother that Jiang Xu had liked Xie Huai for four years, she was shocked. After all, how could someone persist for four years if it wasn’t genuine love?
So, when she found out that her son and Jiang Xu were together, she didn’t oppose it in the slightest.
But now… Zhao Li felt that she should have stopped it. The current outcome was cruel for everyone involved.
She told Xie Huai, “Huaihuai, if you are afraid that classmate Xiao Jiang will be sad, you should tell him now.”
Xie Huai understood this logic as well.
If he told Jiang Xu now, at least Jiang Xu would have some psychological preparation. If he waited until… until he passed away, and then told Jiang Xu, Jiang Xu would probably be unable to handle it and might do something reckless.
Xie Huai’s chest felt tight. After a few seconds of silence, he exhaled heavily and replied, “I will find time to talk to him.”
After hanging up the phone and returning to the living room, Xie Huai saw Jiang Xu standing by the water dispenser, holding a cup with half a lemon pattern on it. Next to it was another cup with the other half of the lemon.
It was obviously a couple’s cup.
Xie Huai picked it up when he and Jiang Xu went to the supermarket to buy groceries.
“What are you doing?” Xie Huai walked towards Jiang Xu and took a closer look.
Xie Huai saw it clearly and said, “Lemon tea?”
“Yeah, with sugar.” Jiang Xu handed the cup of lemon tea in his hand to Xie Huai, and after seeing Xie Huai go and sit down on the sofa, he then made himself a cup as well.
He didn’t put sugar in his cup, so it was a little sour and a little astringent when he drank it.
Jiang Xu walked over and sat down beside him. The TV was still playing the anime they hadn’t finished watching last time. It seemed like quite a long series, with over two hundred episodes and still not completed.
Jiang Xu’s gaze lingered on Xie Huai’s lips. Xie Huai had just taken a sip, and there were still some tea stains on the corner of his mouth.
After staring at it for a while, Jiang Xu leaned in closer to Xie Huai, moved to his lips, and kissed him gently at the corner of his mouth, tasting a hint of sweetness.
Jiang Xu’s actions caught Xie Huai off guard at first, but he quickly closed his eyes and responded, slightly parting his lips to let Jiang Xu claim his breath.
When their tongues met, Xie Huai’s long and thick eyelashes trembled slightly. Jiang Xu held Xie Huai’s hand tightly, his fingertips slipping through the gaps between his fingers, firmly clasping Xie Huai’s hand to prevent him from pulling away.
Jiang Xu only stepped away slightly, and was kissed back by Xie Huai.
Jiang Xu’s eyes became as dark as a deep pool of water. He held Xie Huai tighter, and their kiss grew more passionate.
After a long time, Jiang Xu let go of Xie Huai.
Xie Huai had improved in controlling his breath now, but he still couldn’t resist Jiang Xu’s intensity. It felt like having his throat gripped by a fierce beast, almost suffocating.
“So sweet,” Jiang Xu said, looking at Xie Huai.
After the National Day holiday, they had to go to class for seven consecutive days. Many students complained that they would have been better off without the break.
When Xie Huai and Jiang Xu entered the classroom, they found a bunch of students sleeping with their heads on their desks. Even though the first morning class had already begun, not a single student had awakened.
When Lu Yi came to Xie Huai with dark circles under his eyes, Xie Huai was startled.
“Holy shit,” Xie Huai was stunned for a moment,”what happened to you?”
Lu Yi looked utterly defeated, his eyes half-opened. “What else can I do? I stayed up all night to finish my homework, sniffle, sniffle.”
There were two kinds of students during the holiday break: those who finished their homework first and then played, and those who played first and then wrote their homework. Lu Yi and the students sleeping on their desks belonged to the second category.
“Is it really necessary?” Xie Huai turned the pen in his hand, showing a touch of sympathy in his gaze. “Is homework so exhausting?”
“Brother Huai, have you finished it?” Lu Yi asked.
He just didn’t believe that Xie Huai could finish writing.
Xie Huai shrugged and said indifferently, “Well, finished it.”
Lu Yi: “…”
“It’s simply…” Lu Yi held it in for a long time and couldn’t say a word. A thousand words finally formed four words, “Inhumane!”
Xie Huai: “?”
After Lu Yi finished speaking, he ran away as if he had been bullied. Xie Huai shook his head and sighed. He wanted to say a few more words or something.
However, he still had to thank Jiang Xu for finishing his homework. Many of the questions were not answered by Jiang Xu.
He tilted his head, his eyes slowly moved downward from the disheveled hair on Jiang Xu’s forehead, and finally landed on Jiang Xu’s eyes.
Jiang Xu raised his eyes leisurely.
Xie Huai couldn’t help but think of that summer vacation. Jiang Xu who used to share a hospital room with him. Back then, the look in Jiang Xu’s eyes had been completely devoid of warmth, even scaring him a little. But now…
Every gaze directed at him was filled with tenderness and affection.
Today was Saturday, and the classes had started from the previous Monday.
Yao Wenjing walked into the classroom with her textbook as usual. She first scanned the room and then focused her attention on those students who had slept through the entire morning.
Yao Wenjing was known for her good temper, but at this moment, she was starting to lose her patience.
She knocked on the blackboard hard, causing the students who had been dozing off to sit up straight.
Some, mistaking her for calling the start of the class, sleepily stood up and greeted, “Good morning, teacher.”
The remaining students, afraid of provoking Yao Wenjing’s anger—because they had heard that when generally good-tempered teachers got angry, their expressions turned even worse than those of strict teachers—so they all tried their best to suppress their laughter.
“Good what good!” Yao Wenjing laughed in anger, “Sit up straight, all of you! Look at yourselves, coming back from the break like this. Have you forgotten you’re students? What kind of appearance is this?”
“Those of you standing, go out and wash your faces to wake up from your sleepiness. Once you’ve washed your faces, line up properly in the corridor.”
Yao Wenjing didn’t want to get too angry with them, especially since she had built a rapport with her students after teaching for so long.
“Xie Huai, I heard from the class monitor that your composition this time is quite good. Can you read it aloud for everyone?” Yao Wenjing asked slowly.
Xie Huai’s expression froze for a moment. He couldn’t believe that the class monitor had read his composition. He mentally rewound hundreds of years and couldn’t figure out when the class monitor had done that.
The corner of his mouth twitched, and his head turned mechanically to his deskmate. Damn, did his boyfriend sell him out???
The worst part was that this guy looked completely innocent!
Yao Wenjing was urging him to read, so Xie Huai had no choice but to take a deep breath and pick up his composition notebook. He walked to the front of the class, opened it, and found the title…
Xie Huai closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them, gritting his teeth as he began to read the first sentence: “My desk mate… is incredibly handsome, unbelievably handsome.”
Yao Wenjing: “?”
Storyteller Springforyou's Words
Hello, Spring here to springkle some BL energy~ Please refrain from Re-posting/Sharing it on any other platform/Social Media as you risk it being taken down!
Comments for chapter "Chapter 19"
NOVEL DISCUSSION
Support Site
"We require funds to enhance and develop additional features for the site! If you'd like to show your support, consider buying us a Ko-fi. Additionally, explore our more affordable subscription tiers for novels under the Teamaster's name."