Chapter 34

A few days later, Lu Yao's cold finally recovered.

In the classroom, the teacher at the podium was writing notes on the blackboard with a piece of chalk.

Lu Yao sat by the window, his eyes lowered, his feather-like lashes lightly veiling them as his fair, slender fingers idly flipped through the detective novel on his desk.

Thinking of what he had overheard that morning, he furrowed his brows in distress. Lu Qi lacked nothing, so what would be an appropriate birthday gift for him?

This Saturday was Lu Qi's birthday. Lu Qi had no plans to hold a birthday party; he only wanted the family to have a simple meal together.

Lu Yao's long fingers gently turned another page. When he saw a plot involving pottery, his eyes flickered as an idea suddenly came to him.

Thinking that Jiang Bai might know quite a bit about pottery, Lu Yao decided to ask him about it.

After class.

To keep Lu Qi, who sat behind them, from overhearing his conversation with Jiang Bai, Lu Yao nudged Jiang Bai's elbow, suddenly leaned close to his ear, and murmured a few words in a lowered voice.

Before Jiang Bai could react, he felt Lu Yao's breath brush against his ear as he spoke. Catching the cool, faint scent of mint that surrounded Lu Yao, Jiang Bai's face instantly flushed hot.

This was the closest they had ever been.

Realizing that, Jiang Bai's breathing faltered for a moment. By the time he finally steadied himself and listened carefully, Lu Yao had already finished what he wanted to say.

Jiang Bai pressed his thin lips together and clenched his hand. Pretending to be calm but not daring to look directly at Lu Yao, he said quietly, "Lu Yao, say that again. I... I didn't seem to hear you clearly just now."

Huh? Had he spoken too softly?

Lu Yao blinked in confusion, but did not think much of it. He leaned close to Jiang Bai's ear and repeated himself.

This time, Jiang Bai did his utmost to compose himself and finally heard what Lu Yao had said.

His ear tips red, he slowly said with feigned composure, "I know a suitable place. I'll go with you after school."

After school.

Looking at the building before him, which exuded an Eastern Zen-like charm, Lu Yao turned to Jiang Bai, surprise in his voice. "This is the pottery studio you mentioned?"

He had only wanted to make a small clay sculpture for Lu Qi himself.

He had assumed the place Jiang Bai mentioned would be an ordinary pottery studio, but the building before him was far too grand. It looked more like a high-end exhibition hall.

Lu Yao thought so, and said so as well.

"It looks a little like an art gallery."

"You're not wrong."

Hearing a woman's voice from behind him, Lu Yao turned around.

The woman was around twenty-six or twenty-seven, with beautiful long hair and a simple, elegant dress.

Smiling, she took the initiative to extend a hand to Lu Yao. "Hello. You must be Lu Yao, the one Jiang Bai mentioned. I'm Jiang Bai's cousin, He Su. You can just call me Sister He."

Lu Yao shook her hand. "Hello. Sorry for the trouble today."

He Su waved casually. "It's nothing. I'm only lending you the space, so it's not worth mentioning. Come on, I'll take you inside."

Only then did Lu Yao learn that He Su was a rather renowned young ceramic artist. The pottery hall before them was a studio she had established herself, and she occasionally used it to hold exhibitions of her work.

Lu Yao and Jiang Bai followed He Su into the pottery hall.

Many of He Su's previous works were displayed inside. When Jiang Bai saw a sunflower-shaped ceramic piece among them, his brows lifted slightly as if he had thought of something.

He Su turned back with a smile and teased Jiang Bai, "When I received your message, I was wondering why you, with such a serious cleanliness obsession, suddenly wanted to come here. You used to complain that playing with clay would dirty your hands. Now it seems you haven't changed at all."

He Su had assumed Jiang Bai was merely accompanying Lu Yao and did not intend to make anything himself.

Jiang Bai said, "That was the plan, but I changed my mind. I'm making a clay sculpture today too."

He Su's surprised voice rose several decibels. "Huh? That doesn't sound like you! Does your cleanliness obsession work only sometimes? I invited you here so many times before, and you always said you weren't interested. Why did you suddenly change your mind today?"

Jiang Bai secretly glanced at Lu Yao from the corner of his eye.

"Why does there have to be a reason? I just suddenly got inspired."

Worried that his cousin would keep questioning him, Jiang Bai smoothly changed the subject.

He Su had other matters to attend to, so after bringing Lu Yao and Jiang Bai into the studio and handing them over to one of her female assistants, she soon left.

After teaching Lu Yao and Jiang Bai some pottery basics, the assistant sat off to the side and let them work on their own.

Neither Lu Yao nor Jiang Bai had any pottery experience, so they chose the beginner-friendly hand-building method to make the shapes they wanted.

Although Jiang Bai had never made a ceramic piece himself before, he had picked up some knowledge from He Su and a few other relatives.

Before Lu Yao had finished shaping his piece, Jiang Bai had already completed the form he wanted.

Seeing that Jiang Bai was done, the assistant stood up curiously to take a look.

The assistant said, "Hm? Did you make a Marguerite flower? Is it for someone?"

Jiang Bai gave a calm "Mm."

"Good luck."

Jiang Bai's dark eyes abruptly lifted to look at her. The assistant smiled knowingly, then returned to her chair.

Jiang Bai discreetly glanced at Lu Yao, who was focused intently on making his own piece in the distance. Seeing that Lu Yao seemed completely unaware of their conversation, he secretly let out a breath, and his gaze softened.

By the time Lu Yao finished his piece, the sky had already grown dark.

Seeing the shape of Jiang Bai's ceramic piece, Lu Yao could not help saying, "You really like this kind of flower."

He rarely looked into flowers and plants, so he had only recognized it by its appearance.

If he remembered correctly, the potted flower Jiang Bai had given him before was the same type as the ceramic piece he had made now.

Jiang Bai also remembered the potted plant he had given Lu Yao. Seeing that Lu Yao still remembered it, a gentle smile appeared in his eyes.

Jiang Bai knew that Lu Yao intended to give his piece to Lu Qi as a birthday gift. When he saw the final shape of Lu Yao's work, he said with a smile in his voice, "This shape suits Lu Qi's image quite well."

Lu Yao lowered his eyes to look at the piece in his hands and could not help laughing softly.

Perhaps because Lu Qi's usual impression on Lu Yao had been too deeply ingrained, the husky clay sculpture Lu Yao made was already incredibly lifelike despite not yet being painted.

Considering Lu Qi's love of sports, Lu Yao had also cleverly added a basketball beneath the husky's paw.

Although they had finished shaping their works, clay sculptures needed time to air-dry and set before they could be painted, so Lu Yao and the others would have to wait two days.

When Lu Yao returned home, Lu Qi was sitting in the living room.

Seeing that Lu Yao had finally returned, Lu Qi casually asked, "Didn't you leave early? Why are you only back this late? It's already eight."

Not wanting Lu Qi to know that he had gone to make pottery, Lu Yao casually made up an excuse. "Club team-building."

Lu Qi said, "..."

He really could not be blamed for being speechless every time he heard an excuse like this. What kind of club dinner or team-building only involved two people?!

Soon, the day came for painting their pieces.

Lu Yao's and Jiang Bai's works each had several different colors, so they had to use glaze painting, applying color bit by bit with brushes.

By the time they finished painting, it was dark again. After glazing, the pieces still needed several hours of high-temperature firing before they were completely finished. Therefore, Lu Yao and Jiang Bai could only come pick them up after school the next day.

When Lu Yao returned home, Lu Qi had already been waiting in the living room for quite some time.

Lu Qi sat back on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, his arms folded across his chest.

"Why are you back so late again today? Don't tell me your club had another team-building event?!"

Lu Qi watched Lu Yao glance at him without saying anything, yet wear an expression that clearly meant agreement. He rolled his eyes speechlessly.

"What kind of team-building keeps you out this late every day?! Isn't your club just you and Jiang Bai? Our houses are so close, and we've got everything at home. Can't you suggest coming here for your team-building?"

Lu Qi paused. "Come to think of it, what exactly do you do for these team-building events? I want to see what kind of incredible activity keeps making you come home this late."

Seeing Lu Qi practically hopping mad, Lu Yao curled his lips and slowly uttered two words: "Se-cret!"

With that, he stood, slung his schoolbag over his shoulder, and headed upstairs.

Hearing Lu Qi's exasperated voice from the living room, a faint smile appeared in Lu Yao's eyes.

What a foolish older brother.

The next day after school, Lu Qi saw Lu Yao and Jiang Bai once again silently pick up their schoolbags in perfect sync, clearly intending to leave the classroom together, and hurriedly reached out to stop them.

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Lu Qi said, "Jiang Bai, what have you two been doing these past few days? Why are you being so mysterious?"

Jiang Bai turned to look at Lu Yao. Seeing Lu Yao signal for him not to say anything, he looked back at Lu Qi, who was blocking his path.

His voice was calm. "Secret."

Being turned down twice in less than twenty-four hours with the excuse of "secret," Lu Qi was nearly driven crazy with frustration.

Lu Yao and Jiang Bai walked around Lu Qi and left the classroom.

As they were about to leave, Lu Yao suddenly turned around and added, "Lu Qi, you wouldn't do something as childish as following us, would you?"

Lu Qi's eyes widened guiltily. Lacking confidence, he loudly retorted, "I-I wouldn't do something that childish!"

Lu Yao raised a brow and laughed. "Good."

Watching their retreating backs, Lu Qi felt curiosity scratch at his heart like a cat's claws.

He had actually been planning to wait until they left, then drag Ye Muqing along to secretly follow them and find out what they were up to and why they had been so mysterious these past few days. But remembering the bold words he had just spoken, Lu Qi regretted it so much that he kept pounding the desk.

Watching Lu Qi's ever-changing expressions, Ye Muqing silently sighed to himself. Hopeless little-brother fanatic. No cure for him.

The pottery hall.

Seeing Jiang Bai's finished piece, Lu Yao could not help marveling at Jiang Bai's artistic talent. Perhaps art was universal, and Jiang Bai was also someone who loved flowers, so although it was a beginner's work, his ceramic piece beautifully captured the delicate allure of a Marguerite flower.

He Su had thoughtfully prepared an exquisite gift box for each of them to hold their ceramic pieces.

Finally receiving the finished products they had put so much effort into, Lu Yao and Jiang Bai exchanged a glance as they left the pottery hall, then both smiled.

Carrying their respective gift boxes down the street, Lu Yao turned to Jiang Bai and asked curiously, "Jiang Bai, have you decided what to do with your piece? Are you going to keep it in your room as a decoration?"

Looking down at the gift box in his hands, Jiang Bai's eyes were gentle and affectionate as he answered softly, "No. I want to give it to someone important."

As if he had suddenly remembered something, Jiang Bai's voice became low. "But maybe the day I give it to that person will never come. Thinking about it that way, perhaps you were right about it becoming a room decoration."

Lu Yao asked, "Why do you say that?"

Not wanting his emotions to affect Lu Yao, Jiang Bai forced a smile. "It's nothing. Maybe I've just been too anxious about gain and loss lately. Who can say what will happen in the future?"

Jiang Bai quickly changed the subject.

Although Lu Yao felt a little puzzled, he could tell Jiang Bai did not want to talk about it, so he thoughtfully followed his lead and began discussing something else.

"Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Hearing an angry dog's barking from behind them, and realizing it was getting closer, Jiang Bai turned around. His eyes widened in shock.

A feral dog, about as tall as a person and off its leash, was charging viciously in their direction.

Pedestrians along the street hurriedly scattered out of the way.

The fierce dog barreled forward wildly, knocking down anyone who failed to avoid it onto the sidewalk.

It was moving at tremendous speed. Before Jiang Bai could react and tell Lu Yao to move aside, it had already reached them from behind.

In that split second, Jiang Bai did not care about the gift box containing his ceramic piece. He grabbed Lu Yao's wrist and yanked hard, pulling the still-unreacting Lu Yao into his arms.

The next second, the mad dog swept past the spot where Lu Yao had just been standing like a hurricane.

Crashing into Jiang Bai's arms, Lu Yao lowered his eyes in surprise. Feeling Jiang Bai's breath brush against his cheek, he looked at Jiang Bai's delicate features so close before him, at his feather-like lashes trembling lightly, and felt as though a kitten had suddenly scratched his heart with a paw—not painful, but faintly itchy.

His sense of smell was especially sensitive, and at that moment, his breath was filled entirely with Jiang Bai's elegant, faint fragrance.

Jiang Bai slightly raised his eyes and met Lu Yao's deep gaze. He froze for a moment, then took a flustered step back, hurriedly releasing the arm he had wrapped around Lu Yao and hiding his hand behind his back.

As the silence stretched on, the two seemed to fall into an awkward atmosphere tinged with the slightest hint of ambiguity.

Remembering that he seemed to have heard a crack from Jiang Bai's ankle when Jiang Bai pulled him over, Lu Yao was about to ask whether he was hurt when Jiang Bai furrowed his brows and asked worriedly, "Is your gift okay?"

Lu Yao froze at the question, then rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"Are you an idiot? How could an object be more important than a person! What you should be worried about is whether your ankle is okay. I heard something twist in your bones just now."

If Lu Yao had not mentioned it, Jiang Bai would not even have noticed. Only then did he feel a piercing pain shoot through his right ankle. Enduring the pain, he smiled. "I think I really sprained it."

When he had violently pulled Lu Yao over, the force of that sudden motion had probably been too great, causing him to twist his ankle.

Seeing Jiang Bai's face turn several shades paler, Lu Yao's brows knitted tightly. "I'll help you to the hospital. Bear with it for now."

Seeing Lu Yao worry about him, Jiang Bai answered with a smile in his eyes, "Mm."

Lu Yao said, "..."

Did his injured foot not hurt? How could he still smile?

Just as Lu Yao was about to step forward to support Jiang Bai, the corner of his eye caught sight of the ground.

Jiang Bai's gift box had visibly been smashed. Lu Yao frowned and bent down to pick it up.

The beautiful, delicate ceramic piece inside had shattered into pieces, reduced to several fragments.

Thinking of the smile that had appeared on Jiang Bai's face when he saw his Marguerite-shaped ceramic piece come out of the kiln at the pottery hall, Lu Yao lowered his eyes, his heart aching.

If it had not been for him, the piece Jiang Bai had painstakingly made would not have been ruined like this.

Jiang Bai naturally saw the miserable state of his work too, and noticed that Lu Yao seemed to be upset because of it.

Jiang Bai pressed his lips together. Looking at the fragments, a faint chill appeared in his eyes. He had not made this piece to make Lu Yao sad.

Jiang Bai's voice was gentle. "It's okay. It broke, so it broke. The person I wanted to give it to has already seen it, so let's just consider it given."

Lu Yao looked up at Jiang Bai in confusion. "Did you take a picture and show him?"

Jiang Bai only smiled, neither confirming nor denying it.

Lu Yao frowned slightly and stubbornly said, "I'll go make another one with you."

Jiang Bai smiled. "It really doesn't matter."

A blessing in disguise. Perhaps he had already received a better gift.

Seeing that Lu Yao still seemed unable to let it go, Jiang Bai directly changed the subject. "Let's go to the hospital first."

Hearing Jiang Bai say that, Lu Yao hurried forward to support him.

Vehicles were prohibited from entering this stretch of road, so they still had to walk quite a distance before they could hail a taxi.

Seeing Jiang Bai's brows tighten in pain as he walked, Lu Yao pressed his lips together. He cleared his throat awkwardly and said quietly, "Want me to carry you?"

Jiang Bai said, "Hm?"

Lu Yao said, "Get on. I'll carry you on my back. It'll be faster."

Lying on Lu Yao's back, Jiang Bai lowered his eyes slightly. The corners of his lips slowly rose, and a deep joy gradually filled his expression.

Although he had not given away his gift, it seemed he had truly received a better return gift.

The next morning, seeing that Lu Yao had unusually not ridden his bicycle to school and had instead chosen to ride in the car with him, Lu Qi's happiness was practically overflowing.

When Lu Yao got into the car, Lu Qi was so happy that he began humming a cheerful tune to himself.

Lu Yao said, "Driver, please head north first. We need to pick someone up in the northern district."

Hearing Lu Yao's instruction, Lu Qi scratched his head in confusion. North? Jiang Bai's house?!

Lu Qi's voice was full of surprise. "You're going to pick Jiang Bai up for school?!"

"Mm."

Lu Qi said anxiously, "No way. It's either him or me!"

Lu Yao nodded. "Got it."

Lu Qi looked at Lu Yao in surprise. Lu Yao was actually listening to his older brother so obediently today?!

Before Lu Qi could show a smug smile, Lu Yao spoke blandly. "Then just drop me off at Jiang Bai's door. I can take Jiang Bai's family car to school too."

Jiang Bai would need crutches for a while because of his right leg, and their classroom was on the second floor. Since Jiang Bai had injured his ankle saving him, Lu Yao had taken the initiative last night to offer to escort Jiang Bai up and down the stairs during this time.

After pretending to decline a few times, Jiang Bai gladly accepted Lu Yao's arrangement.

Hearing Lu Yao's words, Lu Qi instantly wilted.

Well, never mind. Thinking about it carefully, going to school in the same car as Jiang Bai did not seem so hard to accept.

When he saw Jiang Bai appear before him on crutches, Lu Qi immediately understood Lu Yao's intentions, and the last trace of dissatisfaction in his heart vanished completely.