Chapter 68

67. Being brothers, in our hearts? (4k3) "Mu Feng!! Go for it!!!" "One lap left! One lap left!!" Xia Yan shouted loudly to Mu Feng, who was on the verge of death below, causing Liu Ruoyun, who was in the distance, to occasionally glance at him. That look... tsk, it had an indescribable meaning. Control? Victory in hand? More like a yandere? (frightened). As for Lin Qingyu... she was doing warm-up exercises on the playground, waiting for the next round of the women's 1500-meter event, her exposed skin was very eye-catching. However, at this moment, the girl no longer had the initial hostility towards them. Instead, she had a rather pitiful feeling? After all, they had unknowingly acquired a pure natural hat on their heads, and it could be seen from the previous time in the infirmary that Xia Yan had indeed been intentionally keeping his distance. Exercise... is really scary... Hua Xin looked at Mu Feng's zombie-like running posture, and simply tilted her head and leaned against the corner of the wall, her eyes involuntarily looking at Xia Yan, who was looking happy beside her. He didn't seem bothered or angry at all about yesterday's events. The girl pouted slightly, a flash of displeasure crossing her eyes. Then she remembered Xia Yan's expression when he spoke earlier. His eyelids drooped slightly. It was a... very happy feeling, or rather, not just happiness, but also a deep, genuine love, an undeniable, heartfelt love. Although she had never experienced it herself, she had seen this feeling of happiness in many people when she was young. Perhaps even Xia Yan himself didn't realize the obvious look in his expression when he mentioned his relationship. But who... could this girl be? Hua Xin looked suspiciously at the pebbles on the ground. First of all, Lin Qingyu and Liu Ruoyun, the two most likely candidates, were ruled out. Given her current relationship with Xia Yan, there was no reason for her to lie to her. Then who could it be?! A classmate? The girl remembered the girls who had cornered Xia Yan after class. She remembered one of them being a bit of a mature Mature Sister type... but that was unlikely. Could it be...?! Hua Xin's heart skipped a beat. Could Xia Yan be... having a forbidden love with his teacher??... The girl immediately extinguished the thought. Most of their teachers were old men; there weren't any young men who could rival Lin Liu and her friend... Oh well. Since Xia Yan already had his plans and wanted to keep it a secret, what else could she say? Even the best of friends need a certain distance. Although she was curious, she was already content to have Xia Yan as a good friend. Hua Xin gently stretched out her foot and kicked a pebble with her still-white shoe. She was already satisfied. What more could she hope for? Didn't Xia Yan always say that men should be strong? Wishing her good brother and his girlfriend happiness... A sense of relief welled up inside her, and the girl quietly watched Mu Feng, who was barely holding on to his last breath, cross the finish line. He persevered to the finish line... She smiled. Full of bitterness and confusion. My finish line seems to be getting closer and closer without me even having to run. I'm sorry. These three words of apology weren't for Xia Yan, nor for the girl herself. But it was a warm soul that had long since departed. ———————— Five o'clock in the afternoon. Mu Feng achieved a commendable last place in the 1500-meter race. Xiang Guan, on the other hand, won second place in both the high jump and long jump. All the events of the sports meet had ended. After the closing ceremony, which was held as usual, Xia Yan, who had nothing to do, returned to the dormitory with the energetic Xiang Guan and the half-dead Mu Feng. Mu Feng lay on the bed, still wearing his shoes, coughing weakly from time to time. His voice was sorrowful and desolate, as if he had seen through the coldness and warmth of human relationships. He said intermittently, "Yan... Brother Yan... I want to kill, kill..." Xia Yan gently applied iodine to the unscabbed edges of the wound on his leg, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes. "I'll treat you to dinner. Let me think... how about hot pot?" "Kill those two cerebral palsy patients?" Upon hearing this, Xiang Guan also put down his water glass and snorted coldly. "They did it on purpose, like professional 100-meter sprinters falling?" "If you ask me, Brother Yan, you shouldn't let it go like this." Xia Yan paused, then looked up helplessly and said, "What if we make a big fuss? They've already said it was an accident and apologized, what else can we do? Rush up and beat them up?" "Director Li has been very busy lately, it's better for everyone to be on good terms." "Speaking of which..." Mu Feng, who had been lying on the bed like a corpse, came to his senses and slowly sat up in pain, his lungs struggling to breathe: "Where's Brother Hua?" "I wanted to take her home..." "... She probably thought my leg was inconvenient, so she went back by herself." "What happened?" Mu Feng took a sip of Binglu, feeling much better in his throat, and his tone was very agreeable and serious: "Maybe you didn't see it..." "Weren't there people stopping Xiang Guan and Black Dog and White Dog the whole time? Brother Yan had just been injured then too, so why did they suddenly yell and then stop yelling, clutching their groins?" "That's true..." Xiang Guan also looked puzzled. Obviously, he was in a fit of anger and hadn't noticed this, thinking the two of them had cramped up, and was gloating about how to kick them a couple of times. Mu Feng proudly raised his head. "Was it Hua Ge who did it?" "I saw her sneak in, that's why I kept provoking them to draw their attention." "To be honest, Hua Ge is really a good guy, he used a lot of force and ran fast enough. Although we all get along well usually, how many people would dare to stand up for their brothers like that?" Mu Feng curled his lip, "Those girls were still standing by and showing concern, and the guys were either blocking the way or watching the show. How many of them actually confronted those two bastards?" Xia Yan was stunned for a moment, then laughed happily. Unlike his usual formulaic smile, this was a genuine smile of joy and emotion. He realized that his attitude towards girls was always changing. Friendship wasn't something he initially wanted to care for Hua Xin, look after Hua Xin, or use Hua Xin to save her and his former self. Nor was it about being cautious about Hua Xin's social plans like a child after revealing his thoughts and intentions. It wasn't that standing up for him made them good friends. Instead, it was she, who had always been withdrawn and afraid of social interaction and crowds, who had managed to muster the courage to truly take action against something she disliked. And this action happened to be standing up for herself after being bullied... Xia Yan 'Xia Yan lips involuntarily curled up. "I told you, Hua Hua is a very good person, she's just not good at socializing." Friends... some people need skills to be made. And some people need to be made with your heart. Xia Yan leaned back in his chair, unlocked his phone, and looked at the wallpaper. It was still that stunningly beautiful woman, but... those eyes... made him involuntarily think of that night at the welcome party. Putting the phone down, Xia Yan suddenly remembered his transformation plan for Hua Xin. The first few steps had been completed step by step; she could go out alone and talk to strangers.