Hell High School (4): Only you

After yelling, Tan Xiao calmed down. He reached out with both hands and firmly pressed Wen Yi’s shoulders: “Wen Yi, don’t move, look at me.”

This action made Wen Yi stop his mind from wandering. He instinctively followed the other person’s words and looked up at Tan Xiao.

The two people’s eyes met, and the air seemed to crackle with electricity.

Tan Xiao’s expression and voice were quite serious. He opened his mouth, appearing somewhat hesitant to speak.

This young and handsome face, alternating between green and pale, with the complexion changing back and forth, finally prepared himself mentally to speak.

Tan Xiao’s gaze, like a laser, pierced through Wen Yi’s face, not letting go of even the slightest change in his expression. He emphasized his tone, “Wen Yi, tell me honestly, did someone else ask you to do that kind of mutual help just now?”

Wen Yi, who was immersed in his own delusions of being a stand-in, was stunned and a bit taken aback.

Tan Xiao saw Wen Yi’s silence and took it as an acknowledgment of his words. With a heart full of concern, he said, “Wen Yi, do you know that boys need to protect themselves well when they’re out? You can’t just help with these kinds of things casually. If someone asks you to do this, they’re not a normal person; that’s harassment, do you understand?!”

In Tan Xiao’s view, Wen Yi was just a poor kid who let others bully and isolate him. The child was young, usually just buried in books, had never seen much of the world, and was easily deceived by those with ulterior motives. He could be sold and still count the money for others.

Tan Xiao naturally had its reasons for thinking this way. It was only the first day he met Wen Yi, and after just a little display of kindness, without doing anything special, Wen Yi immediately became a hardworking and loyal little follower.

Not only did he muster the courage to persuade him to stay, but he also followed him step by step, like a little tail, showing a considerable dependence on him.

What did this mean? It meant that Wen Yi was particularly easy to deceive and very simple and lacking in love!

If he were a black-hearted, rotten person, Wen Yi would have been tricked into losing even his underwear by now.

But Tan Xiao was a genuinely serious person. He liked Wen Yi and wanted to establish a healthy, long-lasting relationship with him, one where they could grow together, rather than just being attracted to his youthful and delicate body.

Wen Yi finally realized that Tan Xiao had misunderstood something. Looking at the mix of anger and concern in his eyes, combined with Tan Xiao’s indignant tone, he understood that the new transfer student was not rejecting him but was simply thinking of him.

He instantly concluded an important piece of information: Tan Xiao was clearly a genuinely upright and good student, a person of solid character, and would never treat him as a substitute!

However, the more it was like this, the harder Wen Yi found it to let go of Tan Xiao.

To be precise, he never wanted to be a substitute; he just wanted Tan Xiao to fall in love with him!

Perhaps this was a bit despicable, but that so-called Dr. Wen was just an old man who had been through the grind of society, completely unsuitable for Tan Xiao!

He raised his head, the corners of his eyes slightly reddened: “No one else, only you.”

He had to say, the hairstyle he helped Wen Yi with yesterday looked really good. When the other person looked at him with such a pitiful expression, his heart raced wildly, feeling like his heart was soaking in a lemon water with a lot of honey added to it. It was a bit sour, but more sweet and refreshing.

Everyone has a bit of vanity, and Tan Xiao was no exception. When he heard that he was the only one, he felt a peculiar joy as if he had won a grand prize.

The boy with curly hair instinctively licked his lips, feeling his throat was somewhat dry: “Wen Yi, what did you mean by what you just said? What do you mean by ‘only me’?”

Wen Yi shot him an angry glare: “I just want to help you.”

He looked at Tan Xiao with a reproachful gaze, his eyes, starkly black and white, clearly conveying everything: he wouldn’t help anyone else with such things; other people’s stuff, to him, were just disgusting, filthy things.

Wen Yi emphasized again: “No one dares.”

He made a snapping gesture with his index and middle fingers, indicating that if anyone dared to do that, he would castrate them.

Although he had thought about pretending to be pitiful and selling his misery, Wen Yi would never lie about such matters.

Tan Xiao watched as Wen Yi showed a fierce expression, like a soft little kitten extending its paw, then sharp claws popping out from the pads, the cuteness directly striking his heart!

He naturally believed what Wen Yi said, and after confirming that the other person’s expression showed no signs of trouble, he breathed a sigh of relief: “It’s my fault, I overthought things. As long as there are no bad people trying to deceive you.”

Tan Xiao naturally hoped that it was just his misunderstanding, and that nothing truly terrible had happened to Wen Yi.

However, even though he was happy about his specialness, there were some things he had to say.

He joked, “Even if it’s me, you can’t help like this. I just transferred to the school yesterday, and we’ve only been desk mates for a day. It’s not even been 24 hours yet. There might be other people who will be your desk mates in the future, so are you going to offer this so-called help to other classmates too?”

Although he had fallen for Wen Yi at first sight, this pace was a bit too fast.

In his mind, he was already a competent adult, but back in the second semester of senior year, he was still three months away from turning 18.

And Wen Yi looked even younger than him, so he should still be a minor, probably only 16 years old.

If he were to have an intimate relationship with his sixteen-year-old boyfriend, there would be a subtle sense of guilt in Tan Xiao.

The early love he imagined involved tight hugs, maybe sneaking kisses in a dimly lit grove behind the teacher’s back, but definitely not this kind of special “mutual help.” Even if they didn’t go all the way, this was just too wild.

Besides, they weren’t even boyfriends yet; they were just classmates who had known each other for less than twenty-four hours.

“There won’t be anyone else!”

From this sentence, Tan Xiao sensed Wen Yi’s feelings. He thought that he wasn’t the only one with a crush; it was very likely that his new deskmate had also fallen for him at first sight. It was just that the other person’s introverted nature made his feelings less obvious.

In a few days, he would pick a suitable day to confess to Wen Yi! After all, he believed that a confession shouldn’t be too hasty; it needed to be prepared with a truly romantic gesture.

However, before that, he felt that Wen Yi had some misconceptions that needed to be corrected promptly.

Tan Xiao earnestly advised his future boyfriend, “We’re still young, we can’t do things like this before we’re of age!”

Wen Yi blurted out, “I’m already of age!”

He had been trapped here for so many years, and even if he was a child, he would have been of age for a long time.

Tan Xiao looked at him with skepticism, “Really? If you’re of age, do you have an ID?”

He still had three months until he turned 18. If Wen Yi was older than him, wouldn’t he have to call the other person “brother”? For some reason, Tan Xiao felt inexplicably annoyed.

Fortunately, he remembered that the campus card had detailed personal information: “Show me your campus card!”

To be fair, Tan Xiao took out his campus card from his down jacket first.

“Look, my birthday is March 25, and I’ll be an adult in just over two months. You look much younger than me.”

Wen Yi took out a campus card that showed he was exactly two months older than Tan Xiao. Although he hadn’t turned eighteen yet, today is January 16th, which meant Wen Yi will be an adult in nine days.

Tan Xiao found it hard to believe: why wasn’t he two months older than Wen Yi? That way, he could confidently have Wen Yi call him “Brother Tan Xiao.”

But since the two were only two months apart, he would never take the initiative to call Wen Yi “Brother.” After all, they were the same age, so it was better to just call each other by their names.

Wen Yi said, “I’ll be an adult in nine days. Can I help you in nine days?”

He quickly changed the subject, “Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore. It’s not about being an adult or not. Hurry back to room 521 and change your clothes. We still have morning self-study today.”

Tan Xiao had always been a good student during his time studying. Since he had just transferred, he should leave a good impression on the teachers and not be late or leave early.

Wen Yi looked down at the blanket and hesitantly asked, “Do you really not need my help?”

Tan Xiao’s ears turned completely red. He repeatedly emphasized, “No need to help, this is a normal physiological phenomenon, it will subside on its own!”

He was not an animal, and besides, if it was too much, he could always take a cold shower to calm down.

Forget it, winter was still too cold, a slightly warm shower would do.

Wen Yi couldn’t help but ask, “So, will you let that Dr. Wen help?”

Tan Xiao paused for a moment: “What Dr. Wen?”

The dream began to blur. He didn’t associate Dr. Wen mentioned by Wen Yi with the dream, after all, it was just Wen Yi. He thought he had just had a rather romantic spring dream.

“Why would I let a doctor do such a thing for me? They said it’s a normal reaction, not a disease!”

He bashfully and angrily urged Wen Yi to leave: “Alright, if we don’t go out soon, we’ll be late.”

The annoyance in his words was noticed by Wen Yi, who took it as Tan Xiao defending that shameless, deceitful person.

Wen Yi, exuding a sense of frustration, floated back to his room with a cold face. If he ever caught that doctor Wen, he would definitely turn him into a puppet!

Thanks to his strong self-control, Tan Xiao managed to calm himself down after Wen Yi left.

Fortunately, Wen Yi simply sat on his own bed without twisting and rubbing against him; otherwise, he might have really had to take a cold shower.

When they were leaving, Tan Xiao couldn’t help but frown again, “Why are you wearing such a thin school uniform jacket?”

Yuying High School was also a public school, so the uniforms were  not fashionable or beautiful. They were designed for convenience and uniformity, with loose-fitting sportswear for both boys and girls.

Yesterday, he hadn’t noticed this and thought Wen Yi was wearing a lot of clothes under the uniform. But then he found out that Wen Yi could take a cold shower in the middle of winter, and Tan Xiao seriously doubted Wen Yi’s ability to take care of himself.

“Wait a minute.” Tan Xiao directly unzipped his school uniform, and then saw that Wen Yi was only wearing a thin white shirt under his school uniform jacket.

To be honest, the thin shirt looked great on Wen Yi. Paired with his clean and obedient face, he was like a heartthrob, the perfect school prince. This was definitely not just Tan Xiao’s lover’s filter.

In his eyes, he, the transfer student, was the most handsome person in the class, and Wen Yi was the second most handsome, only slightly less so than him.

Of course, Wen Yi’s features weren’t particularly outstanding, unlike Tan Xiao’s strikingly bold features. He gave off the impression of a black-and-white landscape painting, with an aura that adds extra points, belonging to the type of handsome guy who becomes more attractive the more you look at him.

“Even if the white shirt looks good, you can’t prioritize style over warmth on a day like this!”

At this moment, Tan Xiao showed his domineering side: “Let me check your closet. Don’t you have a single thick piece of clothing?”

When he entered room 521, he realized that Wen Yi’s personal belongings were pitifully few. There were only three sets of clothes in the closet: two sets for summer, two sets of school uniforms for autumn, and then there was a white shirt.

Actually, this was quite normal. When Wen Yi died, he was wearing a white shirt, and after his death, his clothes wouldn’t have changed at all. The dormitory he lived in had been dealt with by someone, and all the belongings left behind in room 404 were burned along with his body.

If it weren’t for Tan Xiao’s sudden appearance, Wen Yi wouldn’t even consider the issue of changing clothes.

Tan Xiao looked quite angry: “Wen Yi, where are your parents? How can they not even give you clothes! Are they even human?”

Although his mom suddenly became a bit disdainful of him, she didn’t skimp on the material conditions she provided.

With just this little, Wen Yi could survive in winter, which shows his tenacity! No wonder the other person was so frail and had such a gloomy personality; he must have been through a lot of hardship.

Wen Yi blinked: “They’re gone.”

He had been dead for so many years, of course his parents were gone.

Tan Xiao’s conscience immediately ached, he really should be dead! His voice suddenly carried a deep sense of guilt, and he sincerely and straightforwardly apologized: “I’m sorry, I didn’t know, I didn’t mean to offend them.”

“It’s okay.” Wen Yi generously forgave Tan Xiao, since he didn’t have any feelings for his so-called parents anyway.

Tan Xiao cautiously asked, “So what about your tuition and living expenses?”

Wen Yi paused for a moment, “I can earn bonuses from exams, and if I rank in the top few, I can get a waiver on tuition and fees.”

Tan Xiao regarded Wen Yi as a special admit, but he controlled his emotions well and didn’t show any so-called sympathy.

He knew that special enrollment students like this often had very proud personalities. They had excellent grades, and their self-esteem was stronger than most people’s.

The fact that Wen Yi could smoothly attend the third year of high school at this school indicated that he must have always been at the top of his class. He didn’t need anyone’s sympathy or pity.

But Tan Xiao couldn’t just sit by and do nothing knowing that Wen Yi was struggling.

He opened his wardrobe; there were many sets of clothes delivered yesterday, covering all seasons—spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Some had been organized and hung up, while many others were still unpacked.

Tan Xiao took out a set of thermal underwear and then grabbed a cashmere sweater. “You can wear this first.”

He said, “This sweater is too small; the neckline feels a bit tight on me. I think it’s a waste to throw it away.”

After saying this, he carefully observed Wen Yi’s expression, making sure he hadn’t hurt the other’s self-esteem.

Wen Yi was not the sensitive and fragile little bunny that Tan Xiao thought he was. He looked at the other set of clothes in Tan Xiao’s closet: “I want this dark gray one.”

Tan Xiao had given him a navy blue one, which was different from the one he was wearing now.

If he wanted to win over that Dr. Wen, he should start subtly by wearing couple outfits together.

“Then I’ll give you both sets together.” Tan Xiao planned to wait until he returned at noon today; he still needed to organize more things for Wen Yi.

It would be even better if he was willing to accept them openly. Tan Xiao didn’t think there was anything wrong with his new deskmate; on the contrary, he found the straightforwardness of the other person quite genuine and endearing.

If Small Freckles knew about his mental activity, he would definitely scold the transfer student for having a problem with his eyes: “Where is 14 cute? You must be wearing an 800-meter filter to say such disgusting things!”

The two walked side by side to the classroom, chatting and greeting people enthusiastically. However, for some reason, as soon as many of them looked up, they acted as if they had seen a plague god, directly pretending not to see them and quickly running away.

Of course, Tan Xiao didn’t think this was his problem. Just yesterday, these classmates could still communicate normally. The only change was that today, he had an extra Wen Yi by his side.

He was very angry: he was right, Wen Yi was being ostracized and isolated in this school!

Not only the students, but even the teachers were like this; Tan Xiao didn’t expect to rely on the teachers to solve this problem.

Feeling like a mature adult, Tan Xiao said, “It’s okay, it’s just a few months. By then, we will definitely live better and be more outstanding than them. There’s no need to care about these insignificant people.”

As a transfer student, he naturally didn’t have much of a bond with these new classmates. Wen Yi was his deskmate, his friend, and his crush. In the future, he would become his boyfriend, and even his lifelong partner. Of course, he would unhesitatingly choose to stand by Wen Yi’s side.

However, as long as the classmates didn’t do anything excessively humiliating with their words, Tan Xiao didn’t intend to do anything to them.

He took the initiative to grab Wen Yi’s hand: “Let’s go to the classroom together.”

This was a statement to everyone that no one was willing to deal with Wen Yi, but Tan Xiao was.

—The transfer student was really crazy!!! He actually dared to hold Number 14’s hand today!

When the classmates in the classroom saw the two people walking in, they couldn’t help but cast admiring glances at the transfer student: the transfer student was a true warrior, indeed with a strong background, seriously holding Number 14’s hand, without any issue.

Only the Small Freckles sitting at the back of the two people felt that something was off: the collar of 14 was usually a white shirt, but today it was replaced with a dark gray cashmere sweater.

The thin cashmere sweater was very warm, and its fluffy texture softened the slightly cold aura around Wen Yi.

The Small Freckles’s eyes suddenly became sharp: this new piece of clothing on Wen Yi was exactly the same as the transfer student!

Could it be that the transfer student who supposedly appeared out of nowhere didn’t exist at all? The new handsome transfer student was just a new trick concocted by 14, a puppet made by the other party!