Ye Qingyang recited classical poems with everyone, did the morning exercises, and then sat through a math class.
When Chinese class came, the Chinese teacher told everyone to take out their workbooks. Today they were going over the exercises in them.
That made things awkward.
The two books Ye Hong had torn up—one was a math guidebook, and the other was the Chinese workbook.
Ye Qingyang didn’t have one, so he planned to sleep.
But before he even had the chance, the Chinese teacher had already stepped down from the podium and started checking whether everyone had completed the exercises in their workbooks.
Ye Qingyang: …
Now this was even more awkward.
The teacher moved quickly. In no time at all, she reached Ye Qingyang’s desk.
Seeing that he only had his Chinese textbook open, she asked, “Where’s your workbook?”
Ye Qingyang put on a sorrowful expression and sighed. “The day before yesterday my aunt and uncle suddenly got into a fight for some reason. They smashed whatever they could at home and tore up whatever they could tear. I happened to be working on my workbook at the time. When they saw it, they grabbed it and ripped it apart. They even said my grades were so bad that writing in it was pointless anyway.”
As he spoke, he looked somewhat guilty, somewhat hurt, and a little embarrassed. He lowered his head quietly.
“I’m sorry, teacher. It’s my fault. I’ll buy another copy as soon as possible.”
The Chinese teacher shared an office with their homeroom teacher and knew a bit about his situation.
Thinking about how he was an orphan living with his aunt and uncle now, she knew that no matter how close relatives were, he was still living under someone else’s roof.
His aunt and uncle might not truly treat him well, and he could not speak up for himself the way a child in a normal family could.
Her heart softened for a moment. “All right then. But you need to buy a new one as soon as possible. If you still don’t have a workbook tomorrow, I’ll have to punish you.”
Ye Qingyang nodded. “Thank you, teacher.”
Lu Jingcheng listened to all this and could not help frowning.
It was one thing if Ye Qingyang’s aunt and uncle refused to give him money, but how could they tear up his workbook too?
And even say things like that!
No wonder Ye Qingyang’s grades were always near the bottom of the class. In an environment like that, how could he possibly study well?
Lu Jingcheng felt irritated. Those relatives of his were really awful!
Seeing that the teacher had let him off and moved on to check other students, Ye Qingyang finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Still, it looked like he would have to find time to go to the bookstore and buy another workbook. Hopefully they still had some in stock.
When the class ended, the Chinese teacher left the classroom.
Ye Qingyang stood up as well, preparing to go to the restroom.
When Lu Jingcheng saw him leave, he dug his old phone out of his backpack and hurried after him.
Running into Lu Jingcheng in the restroom had already become normal for Ye Qingyang. In fact, after washing his hands, he even took the initiative to wait outside the door for him.
When Lu Jingcheng came out after finishing, he saw that Ye Qingyang was indeed standing there obediently waiting. His eyes brightened a little.
“Come here.”
He glanced at Ye Qingyang and walked over to the railing where the two of them had talked before.
As soon as Ye Qingyang stopped beside him, he saw Lu Jingcheng pull a phone out of his pocket.
“Here.”
Ye Qingyang looked at the phone in his hand. He had not expected Lu Jingcheng to act so quickly.
Yesterday he had only said he would go look for one when he got home, yet today he had already brought it straight to him.
He hesitated as he looked at the phone. “This phone still looks pretty new.”
Seeing him hesitate, Lu Jingcheng simply grabbed his hand and placed the phone in it.
“Of course it does. I used it for less than half a month.”
This counted as an old phone???
Ye Qingyang felt that Lu Jingcheng’s idea of “old” was clearly very different from his own.
“So… you’re giving it to me?”
“I’m not using it now anyway,” Lu Jingcheng said matter-of-factly.
Ye Qingyang looked down at the phone in his hand. The more he looked at it, the more familiar it seemed.
“Isn’t this the same model as the one you use?”
This was obviously a newly released model!
Lu Jingcheng nodded calmly. “I like this brand, so whenever a new model comes out, I buy it. At the time, this model didn’t come in black yet, so I reluctantly bought the white one. Then less than half a month later, the black version came out, so I bought that too and just left this one in my drawer.”
Ye Qingyang: ???
You could do that?
Ye Qingyang really didn’t understand. Once you put a case on it, was there even a difference between black and white?
Wouldn’t it just be whatever color case you liked?
But Lu Jingcheng obviously did not see it that way.
He was different from Ye Qingyang. He was not only picky about food—he was picky about many things, including phones.
Lu Jingcheng cared about the brand, the performance, the color, and even the sound quality.
Like many boys, he was interested in electronic gadgets and liked collecting them.
For the few brands he liked, whenever they released something new, he would pick the versions he liked and buy them.
As for the ones he had used before, he would put them into different drawers and keep them as part of his collection.
The one in Ye Qingyang’s hand was one of those.
As far as Lu Jingcheng was concerned, if he was going to give something to someone, then of course it should be the best in terms of functionality. Otherwise, why would he give it to Ye Qingyang at all?
To keep it as part of a collection like he did?
“I’m giving you the phone, so stop using that broken thing of yours. It takes you forever just to scan a QR code. Are your eyes going bad already?”
“But this phone is way too valuable.”
Even secondhand, it would still sell for around five thousand yuan.
“I can’t accept it.” Ye Qingyang said this as he tried to hand the phone back.
Lu Jingcheng immediately became unhappy. “I’m giving it to you and you won’t take it?”
He stared at Ye Qingyang in disbelief. Shouldn’t he be overjoyed and deeply moved?
Why was he refusing it?!
“Say that again!”
Even if he said it ten times, Ye Qingyang still would not dare accept it.
“This phone is too expensive. Even if you sold it secondhand, it would still be worth around five thousand. I couldn’t afford to buy it myself, let alone take it for free.”
Lu Jingcheng felt like he was about to explode.
“We already agreed I’d give you a phone. Now you’re talking to me about money. Do you think I care about money?”
“That’s not the point.” Ye Qingyang grabbed his hand, trying to put the phone back into it.
But Lu Jingcheng immediately clenched his hand into a fist, clearly saying, “Let’s see how you manage that.”
Ye Qingyang: …
He thought Lu Jingcheng was a bit childish—but also a little cute.
“If I’m giving it to you, then I’m giving it to you. Just take it properly,” Lu Jingcheng said impatiently.
Ye Qingyang tried to explain. “It’s not that I don’t want it. It’s that I can’t accept it.”
“What do you mean you can’t? If I say you can, then you can. Are you trying to refuse me?”
Lu Jingcheng spoke confidently. “Didn’t you say you wanted to be friends with me? I don’t make friends with people whose phones can’t even scan QR codes. If you don’t take this phone, then stay away from me from now on.”
Ye Qingyang: …You could do that?
Seeing that he had gone quiet, Lu Jingcheng proudly lifted his head, even raising his chin slightly.
“I kindly give you a phone and this is what you say to me?”
Lu Jingcheng lectured him. “Do you think what you’re doing is appropriate?”
Honestly… it seemed pretty appropriate.
They were not even really friends yet. How could he have the nerve to accept something so expensive from Lu Jingcheng?
But seeing the dissatisfaction in Lu Jingcheng’s eyes, Ye Qingyang still obediently asked with a humble attitude, “So what would you like me to do?”
You still have to ask me that?!
Lu Jingcheng almost wanted to knock hard on his head.
After secretly liking someone for so long, he had finally received the first thing ever given to him by the person he liked.
Shouldn’t you be thrilled beyond words?!
Overwhelmed with emotion, stirred with passion, wanting to compose a poem and sing about your feelings?!
And you need someone to teach you how to react?!
What a blockhead!
So slow!
So dense!
Idiot!
Lu Jingcheng snorted. “I’m not asking you to do anything. I’m going back.”
Seeing that he had become embarrassed and angry, Ye Qingyang quickly grabbed him.
Lu Jingcheng turned around. “What?”
Ye Qingyang looked at him and thought that if he really refused to accept it, then with Lu Jingcheng’s temper he would probably sulk the entire morning.
Maybe even the whole afternoon.
That would be unnecessary.
Lu Jingcheng was giving him the phone for his own good. If it ended up making him angry because Ye Qingyang refused it, then that would truly be Ye Qingyang’s fault.
“Then I’ll accept it for now. Thank you. In the future I’ll give you an even better phone.”
“With the little money you make selling things during breaks? You’d better keep it for yourself,” Lu Jingcheng scoffed.
Ye Qingyang smiled faintly, thinking that the money would grow eventually. One day he would be able to afford buying Lu Jingcheng a phone.
“I’ll work hard and earn more.”
When he said this, his eyes sparkled, as though light had shone into them—or perhaps as though light had always been hidden there.
Lu Jingcheng looked at him and for a moment could not look away.
Only after a long time did he turn his head aside and ask, “You’re going to work hard just to buy me a phone?”
Of course not entirely.
But it was his first small goal.
Earn some money, pay back what he owed Lu Jingcheng, and then buy him a phone.
“Yeah.” Ye Qingyang nodded.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Jingcheng glanced at him. He felt that Ye Qingyang really was foolish. He did not lack a phone at all—why would he need Ye Qingyang to earn money to buy him one?
Besides, what kind of relationship did they even have? If Ye Qingyang made money and then bought him a phone, what would that even mean?
He might as well keep the money and buy himself a better phone!
Did he like him that much?
Couldn’t he think about himself first?
Idiot!
No wonder he couldn’t even do well in his studies!
Lu Jingcheng’s heart softened instantly. His anger disappeared, and he pretended not to care as he said, “Then good luck.”
“Okay.”
“It takes a lot of money to buy me a phone.”
“I’ll slowly earn a lot of money.”
Lu Jingcheng smiled, then quickly hid it. “Let go. I’m going back.”
Ye Qingyang released his hand.
Lu Jingcheng walked forward a couple of steps. When he realized Ye Qingyang had not followed, he turned around and saw him still standing there stiffly.
“What are you standing there for? Let’s go back.”
“Oh.” Ye Qingyang hurried after him.
When Lu Jingcheng saw him walking beside him, he finally felt satisfied. As if casually, he asked with concern,
“Was that workbook really torn up by your aunt?”