Chapter 41: The Aloof God Is Unattainable (16)
Mei Heng’s knee fracture wasn’t serious, but if he moved carelessly, it could worsen. Given the Mei family’s pampering of their precious son, they naturally arranged for him to take a long leave and rest in bed.
Therefore, Mei Heng didn’t come to school after the basketball game.
Huo Xian expected the Mei family to come and “talk” to him about Mei Heng’s injury, but unexpectedly, no one from the Mei family contacted him. The last month of the first semester of high school was peaceful.
After the final exams, Huo Xian had a 28-day winter vacation.
On the first day back to school, he met He Wenqu and You Zi’an in the bicycle shed. You Zi’an was taking off his scarf to put it around He Wenqu’s neck. They were laughing and talking, but when they saw him, He Wenqu’s expression changed slightly. He immediately avoided You Zi’an’s hand, looking “innocent.”
You Zi’an’s expression also cooled down with He Wenqu’s actions.
In the original owner’s past life, You Zi’an had become disheartened because of He Wenqu’s lingering feelings for the original owner. This led to a series of events that caused He Wenqu to “realize” his true feelings and become a devoted follower.
Huo Xian wasn’t interested in the development of their relationship, and he and He Wenqu had already “fallen out,” so he didn’t even greet them, locking his bike and leaving.
Watching his unhesitating departure, a look of disappointment crossed He Wenqu’s eyes. He didn’t understand—really didn’t understand—why, after they had seemingly “broken the ice” and played together in the basketball game, even winning first place, Huo Xian still treated him as if he didn’t exist, not even willing to exchange a single word?
Even if Huo Xian knew he liked him, even if Huo Xian hated him… He didn’t ask for Huo Xian to accept him, but didn’t they even have a chance to be friends? Could Huo Xian really be that cold-hearted?
If Huo Xian knew his thoughts, he would have replied: “No. Yes.”
Watching He Wenqu gaze at the spot where Huo Xian disappeared, unable to recover, You Zi’an’s initially fiery heart seemed to cool down with the winter chill, covered in frost.
…
“[Huo Xian, congratulations, you’re the top student in the whole school!]” Huo Yuan immediately went online to congratulate him after receiving the report cards.
Compared to the mid-term exams where he was just 7 points short of a perfect score, Huo Xian’s final exam score was 1048 out of 1050, only losing 2 points on the Chinese composition. His unbelievable score was unattainable for others.
“[Thank you],” Huo Xian replied.
“[Huo Xian, do you want to know You Zi’an’s score?]” Huo Yuan asked excitedly.
Huo Xian raised an eyebrow, “[You know?]” Don’t tell me you used points again!
“[Huh, didn’t I tell you? My manager can connect to the network without consuming points.]” Huo Yuan was clearly excited because it didn’t cost points.
Huo Xian thought, You really didn’t tell me. I only knew you could access the internet, the kind that can bypass age restrictions on websites.
Since there was no threat of points being deducted, Huo Xian was curious to see how much the system had improved You Zi’an.
“[116 in Chinese, 121 in Math… Total score 842, 8th in the class, 96th in the grade.]” Huo Yuan detailed You Zi’an’s scores.
Huo Xian tilted his head, “[His scores were only average when he enrolled, but now he’s in the top 100 of the grade, and his total score is excellent, with no significant weaknesses in any subject. It seems his system is pretty good.]”
Huo Yuan listened attentively at first, but when he heard Huo Xian praise the mechanical life, he became unhappy, “[It tried to steal your luck before!]” It’s not a good system at all!
Noticing his displeasure, Huo Xian subtly curved his lips and followed his words, “[Yes, I remember.]”
“[It’s okay if you forget, I remember it. I’ll get revenge on him later!]” Huo Yuan clenched his fists.
They chatted casually, and the class meeting ended with the distribution of report cards and awards.
As the top student in the grade and the undisputed class monitor, Huo Xian received four awards: Outstanding Student, Progress Star, Three Good Student, and Learning Role Model. The other students were incredibly envious and admired him.
Huo Xian himself, however, was speechless. Li Libai, a 30-year-old teacher, openly favored Huo Xian. Before the mid-term exams, he showed indifference towards Huo Xian, but after seeing his grades, he became overly flattering. Now, he was openly showing favoritism during the award ceremony, making sure everyone knew that Class 9 had a top student in the grade, and ensuring that other students were envious.
“Huo Xian!” As Huo Xian left the classroom after the class meeting, he was called.
He Wenqu quickly walked to him, blocking his path, and said sincerely, “Can I take a few minutes of your time? I have something to tell you.” His eyes were filled with anxiety, but before Huo Xian could speak, he interrupted, “Don’t refuse yet, I promise, it’ll be five minutes at most, and I won’t bother you after that, please.”
“[Huo Xian, don’t go, he’s definitely going to confess!]” Huo Yuan urged anxiously. He’d seen plenty of such scenes in the dramas he watched!
“[Don’t worry],” Huo Xian reassured him, “[If He Wenqu confesses, I’ll knock out one of his teeth.]”
“[Need my help?]” Huo Yuan was immediately eager.
Huo Xian: “[…]” Why did Huo Yuan suddenly seem a little violent?
“[Gift, do you still want it?]” Huo Xian asked softly.
Huo Yuan: “[…]”
Today was the last day of the month, marking the deadline for the gift Huo Xian promised him on the day of the basketball game.
“[……Huo Xian, good luck.]” Huo Yuan wanted the gift and had been looking forward to the one Huo Xian personally prepared for him for a whole month.
…
Standing in front of Huo Xian, He Wenqu found himself speechless.
He didn’t speak, and neither did Huo Xian. Huo Xian had to suppress his laughter… Huo Yuan was counting down. He Wenqu said five minutes, which is 300 seconds. Huo Yuan reported every 10 seconds, wishing the 300 seconds would pass instantly.
After more than two minutes, He Wenqu finally spoke, “Huo Xian, do you really hate me that much?”
“[Does this guy watch too many ancient romance dramas?]” Huo Yuan whispered.
Huo Xian almost lost his composure and communicated with Huo Yuan, “[Don’t speak yet, be good.]”
Huo Yuan let out a small hum in response.
“No,” Huo Xian replied calmly.
He Wenqu’s eyes lit up. Before he could speak again, Huo Xian poured a bucket of cold water on him: “I don’t hate you, but I don’t have any good feelings for you either. Don’t flatter yourself.”
A bucket of cold water? A bucket of ice water would be a more accurate description.
He Wenqu’s eyes immediately welled up. Huo Xian’s thoughts drifted to the protagonists in those ancient romance dramas Huo Yuan mentioned, who would do anything for love. His thoughts strayed.
“Why?” He Wenqu asked through gritted teeth.
Huo Xian asked in return, “Why what?”
“Why… no good feelings? Not even a little?” He Wenqu’s face was slightly pale; his last sentence held a hint of expectation.
Huo Xian frowned slightly, his voice indifferent, “No, not at all.” He paused, then asked, “Did you get the answer you wanted? If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving…”
“Don’t leave!” He Wenqu raised his voice, his expression momentarily contorted from the effort, taking a big step forward to block his path.
Seeing this, Huo Xian’s expression turned cold. He raised his hand to stop him, warning, “He Wenqu, don’t force me to use force.”
He Wenqu’s face changed, eventually taking a half-step back, but his eyes remained fixed on Huo Xian, countless questions wanting to be asked. He had been outgoing and popular since childhood, getting along with people of all ages. He could even play with a baby still in its mother’s arms. But his popularity stopped at Huo Xian. Huo Xian was like the biggest setback in his sixteen years of life, making him uncomfortable and at a loss, with a hint of unwillingness, wanting to get to the bottom of it.
Moreover, the adolescent boy’s heart throbbed unexpectedly, so he couldn’t help but get into a rut.
“If…” He deliberated, finally speaking again, but was interrupted.
“There are no ifs,” Huo Xian said coldly.
He Wenqu was stunned, feeling wronged. He hadn’t even said anything yet.
Huo Xian continued, “He Wenqu, this is the first and last time I’m telling you this. Listen carefully.”
Seeing Huo Xian’s serious attitude, he straightened up.
Huo Xian’s tone was calm but retained his usual coldness, “Whatever feelings you have for me, that’s your business. I won’t stop you, nor will I dislike or despise you for your feelings. However,” he changed his tone when He Wenqu’s eyes lit up, “the premise is that you must keep your distance from me, don’t interfere with even a sliver of my life. I hate trouble, even your gaze bothers me. You should understand what I mean.”
He Wenqu opened his mouth, but his throat felt blocked. Yes, Huo Xian was an exceptionally perceptive person, and after realizing his feelings for Huo Xian, his gaze often lingered on him… It wasn’t that Huo Xian didn’t notice or feel bothered?
“Since you say you won’t stop me, then my feelings for you…” He Wenqu’s voice was hoarse, his gaze focused and passionate, “Are included, right?”
“[Huo Xian, beat him up!]” Before Huo Xian could answer, Huo Yuan rushed online to urge him.
Huo Xian: “[…]” He wanted to facepalm.
“Suit yourself,” Huo Xian said indifferently.
However, his answer didn’t make He Wenqu overjoyed. Instead, He Wenqu’s face was filled with gloom. He looked at Huo Xian’s calm face and said self-deprecatingly, “In your eyes, are my feelings the same as everyone else who likes you?”
Huo Xian raised an eyelid and asked, “Otherwise?”
He Wenqu’s breath hitched. The fist at his side clenched, his self-deprecating expression deepened, “From the beginning, just like everyone else around you, I’ve never caught your eye, have I?”
“Why do you think you’re different in my eyes?” Huo Xian asked.
He Wenqu’s heart and breathing stopped. He had always been unwilling to admit one thing—what made him think he was different in Huo Xian’s eyes?
It was all just his wishful thinking!
The truth was brutal and humiliating, a little bit of unwillingness. He didn’t believe that a person could be so cold and emotionless from the core.
“Can’t I be the one who’s different in your eyes?” In a burst of heat, he blurted out the words buried in his heart, his gaze focused. His heart beat like a drum; he had given up everything; at worst, he’d get a beating!
Huo Xian’s eyes were deep, his lips parted, spitting out four words: “Delusional thinking.”
Just four words, yet they were like countless blades piercing He Wenqu’s heart, leaving him momentarily stunned, his face drained of color, his tall figure swaying, almost falling.
After saying those four words, Huo Xian left without hesitation, glancing unintentionally at the magnolia tree behind him before leaving as if nothing had happened.
Author’s Note: Thank you to the little fairies “Tang Zhang” for watering the nutrient solution +5, and “Si Wu” for watering the nutrient solution +1, love you, mwah =3=