Chapter 31: CH 31

Do I look like I lack money?

Xia Zhiye originally felt that Song Yan liking him was just Shen Jiayan thinking too much, but this time, the situation with the basketball shoes basically made him feel it was most likely true.

If not, then Song Yan had no reason to suddenly send him a pair of basketball shoes after knowing he played amazingly in the basketball competition.

There was less reason why the other had to hide the fact that he sent the shoes.

There was even less reason why the other said that a person who had a crush on him sent it when Xia Zhiye asked.

No wonder he was so unhappy.

If he sent a gift to Song Yan, but Song Yan tossed it to the lost and found without even looking at it, then he would definitely also feel unhappy in his heart, not to mention that Song Yan had the temperament of a young master that couldn’t bear feeling wronged.

Fortunately, due to an unexpected turn of events, he discovered it in time, and for the time being, he still had time to fix it.

As Xia Zhiye thought this, he pushed open the door to the student union office.

The person in charge of the lost and found in the student union office could be considered Xia Zhiye’s old acquaintance. Seeing Xia Zhiye enter, he couldn’t help but mock: “What good things did our Ye ge receive that he wants to give us this time?”

Xia Zhiye was in a good mood, and didn’t argue with him. He walked in front of the shelf that held lost items, and swept his gaze over it: “Where are the shoes that Kong Xiaoxiao brought yesterday?”

“Here.” The person in charge brought out a shopping bag from under the table, “What about it? It’s yours?”

“Mhm.”

The person in charge directly grew speechless: “It’s yours but you still had someone send it over to me? Is it that you think I’m too idle while sitting in the student union office all day?”

Yet Xia Zhiye was carelessly justified: “Yesterday I also didn’t know this was mine.”

The person in charge couldn’t understand: “What do you mean?”

Xia Zhiye: “Nothing, just that someone sent it to me, but yesterday I didn’t know that that person sent it to me.”

“Then you figured it out today?”

“Mhm.”

“So you decided to pick it up?”

“Mhm.”

“Fuck, Lord Xia, something’s up!”

The person in charge excitedly slapped his thighs.

He has known Xia Zhiye for so long, and it was the first time he saw Xia Zhiye accept a gift with ambiguous intentions. He dragged his chair over and moved closer towards Xia Zhiye, winking his eyes to gossip with the other: “Can you reveal which fairy managed to pluck a Gaoling flower1 such as you. I’ll announce it later, and make the girls in my class give up on their feelings.”

Xia Zhiye warned the other with a look: “Stop making it a big deal, haven’t been plucked yet.”

“If you haven’t been plucked, why are you accepting someone’s gift?” The person in charge’s face looked as if he were looking at a scumbag.

Xia Zhiye carelessly replied: “It’s that I haven’t plucked him2 yet.”

“??” The person in charge looked as if he couldn’t believe it, “No way, Lord Xia, you can’t even pluck them, what kind of worldly fairy is this person?”

“A worldly fairy who’s beautiful, has a good heart, a thin waist, long legs, and a wealthy family.”

“……”

“Are you envious?”

“Envious.”

“Don’t be envious.”

“?”

“You can buy a limited-edition sneaker, but one can only serendipitously meet a fairy who will gift you a limited edition sneaker. So this is the lot in life that’s already been decided for you. You can be envious, but you might as well restrain your grief earlier. See you later.”

After saying this, Xia Zhiye picked up that pair of limited edition basketball shoes, then slowly swaggered out of the office.

The person in charge who had suffered a critical hit and was left behind: “……”

If it were not that he couldn’t win against the other, Xia Zhiye wouldn’t be able to walk out of this door alive today.

.

Song Yan slept dizzily, and while half conscious, his throat tightened and his mouth felt incredibly dry. He wanted to drink water, yet didn’t want to budge, and subconsciously withdrew into his blanket while habitually calling out: “Xia Zhiye.”

Then after a long moment, he didn’t hear that familiar “What’s wrong, Song Daxi”.

Song Yan frowned, then strenuously raised his eyelids. He saw the white as snow bedsheets, and only then remembered he was in the nurse’s office.

Xia Zhiye wasn’t there, and if he wanted to drink water, he had to get it himself.

Song Yan suddenly felt a bit agitated.

He unbearably supported his body, and just as he prepared to get up, a cup of warm water appeared in front of him.

Song Yan raised his head and saw the doctor. A hint of disappointment flit past in his heart, but he took the cup, and lowly replied: “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” The school doctor was a young, handsome ge. He pulled away his hand, and stuffed it into the pocket of his white coat. While looking, he smiled as he said: “Just now you were calling that classmate, right?”

Song Yan raised his eyebrows slightly, as if he were suspicious.

The school doctor laughed as he turned to the window and gestured with his chin: “There, that handsome brother. You stayed here for an IV transfusion for two hours, and he pestered my coworker for half an hour. If he continues to pester my coworker, he might collapse.”

Song Yan followed his line of sight and turned to look over outside the window, and indeed saw Xia Zhiye leaning against the wall as he lazily laughed while saying something. In front of him was a male doctor with hair that could be counted on one’s fingers, whose face looked as if he were at the end of his patience and was ready to go for a long walk.

Recalling that Xia Zhiye usually didn’t go for the orthodox route, Song Yan asked: “How did he pester you.”

“He didn’t really pester much, just that he got a cup of hot water, then stuck it against his forehead for two minutes to try to pretend as if he developed a fever so he could come in and accompany you while you isolated.”

“Then?”

“Then he was caught.”

“?”

“He stuck it on for too long, and when the thermometer scanned his forehead, it showed 52.8°C, and my coworker wanted to call 1193 on the spot.”

“……”

Xia Zhiye, that big idiot.

The school doctor smiled as he asked: “So do you want to let him come in?”

Song Yan’s fingers holding the cup moved slightly.

The school doctor once again smiled as he asked: “You just have a common infection caused by low immunity. The fever occurs only after an increase of leukocytes and neutrophils in your body and it won’t infect others. Now you had an IV transfusion, and your fever has nearly subsided, and he can come in to take you back.”

“……”

Song Yan recalled the princess carry that Xia Zhiye had sent him here with, and coldly turned away: “No need.”

School doctor: “Oh.”

Then he turned and opened the door: “Classmate Xia, come in, classmate Song said he needs you.”

Song Yan: “?”

The school doctor turned and smiled while saying: “Little classmate, being insincere isn’t a good habit to have.”

Song Yan: “……”

Without waiting for him to reply, Xia Zhiye had already arrived in front of him, who then reached out to rub his head: “How come it’s still a bit hot?”

“How could he get better that quickly? He’ll be fine if he goes to the hospital tomorrow for another day of IV transfusions. If his leukocyte levels grow unstable, he might develop a fever again at night, so you have to pay attention at all times.” The school doctor automatically took Xia Zhiye, this roommate, as his relative, and began to educate him.

Xia Zhiye also had a great self awareness of being a relative: “Is there anything else I have to pay attention to?”

“There’s nothing else, just that he is seriously underweight. You should ordinarily have him eat a lot and sleep a lot, or else he’ll have low immunity and easily get sick.”

“Okay, thank you doctor.”

“No problem, hurry and take your little desk mate away, I also have to get off work.” After he said this, the school doctor entered an adjacent room, and closed the door.

Xia Zhiye reached out to support Song Yan: “I’ll carry you back.”

“No need, I can walk by myself.” Song Yan planned to get up, but from the corner of his eyes, glanced at the bag in Xia Zhiye’s hand and raised his eyebrows, “You brought it back?”

“Mhm, I specifically went to the lost and found office to get it back.”

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t accept gifts with unknown origins?”

Song Yan turned his head slightly, raised the tip of his eyebrow, his entire face looking as if he was holding a grudge.

Xia Zhiye stared at the other’s little expression, then bent his eyebrows and eyes as he laughed: “I felt what you said was right. It might have been sent by someone who has a crush on me, so I can’t betray other people’s intentions.”

Then he’ll turn around and confess to someone else on Christmas eve.

Ah, scumbag.

Song Yan one handedly pushed aside Xia Zhiye, then coldly snatched his phone from the other’s hand, and walked out of the office without looking back.

Xia Zhiye only took it as the other feeling embarrassed, and smiled as he followed along.

Seems like it would be better not to puncture the facade of Song Yan secretly sending him a pair of basketball shoes for the time being.

Or else Song Yan, this little tsundere with thin skin, would be unable to withstand the shame and ignore him for several days.

Also he should have been the one to take the initiative.

Song Yan, this kind of beautiful, kind hearted, long-legged, fairy with a wealthy family, should proudly wait to be loved by others.

.

Song Yan’s low grade fever didn’t disappear, and tomorrow morning, he still had to go to the hospital for another infusion. Now he was in the susceptible period, and due to consideration for all parties, Ruan Tian simply allowed Song Yan to take half a day off.

In the end when Xia Zhiye was in a good mood, he would grow thick skinned, and once he grew thick skinned, then that pair of peach blossom eyes that carried a smile and that mouth with red lips and white teeth would be completely able to coax others.

After a few sentences, he made Ruan Tian feel that if Song Yan, this pitiful, lonely, wanderer away from home didn’t have Xia Zhiye’s company, he would burn up in illness and grow melancholy until the end. As a result, after an unexplained event, she approved Xia Zhiye’s leave of absence along with Song Yan’s.

By the time she realized something was wrong, Xia Zhiye had already swaggered out with Song Yan and brought him back to Wine alley.

Song Yan was still wearing Xia Zhiye’s big jacket, and wrapped it around himself. He moodily asked: “Why are you taking me back to your place.”

Xia Zhiye zipped up the jacket for the other: “I told grandma about your illness, and grandma insisted I take you home, said she wanted to help patch you up.”

“Why’d you have to go off and tell her.”

Song Yan discontentedly raised his eyes.

Xia Zhiye was self confident: “If you’re sick, who are you going to tell if not your guardian?”

“……”

That’s your guardian, not mine. Anyway I don’t have any guardians at all.

Song Yan thought this as he smoothly pulled the zipper up to the very top, then lowered his head to tuck his chin in, as if he wanted to avoid this problem.

Xia Zhiye stared at the other’s appearance, and seemed to have guessed something. He reached out to place a hand on the other’s head, and lightly rubbed it: “Grandma is very worried about you. Once she received the news earlier this afternoon, she began to cook a sick meal for you.”

Song Yan slapped the other’s hand away: “I’m not hungry.”

“She’s old, you have to eat a bit more.”

“……” Song Yan really had no appetite, “Just a little.”

“Mhm, just a little bit4.”

Just a little bit, just a little bit.

When grandma Liu saw Song Yan’s deathly pale little face, she immediately grew distressed and stuffed him into a bed, wrapped him in blankets, then placed a small table covered with food on top of him, telling him he could not get out of bed no matter what.

Song Yan stared at the pot full of spare ribs, bamboo shoot soup, a large bowl of soft porridge, a small cup of rock candy snow pear, and pursed his lips without speaking.

Grandma Liu thought he felt disdainful of the food, and she hurried to say: “The spare ribs are to nourish you and the bamboo shoots are to improve your immunity. I bought the freshest ingredients, and removed the fatty parts so it won’t be greasy. I added vegetables, mushrooms, and ham to the porridge, and cooked it for two hours so it’s easy to digest. For the rock candy snow pears, I heard from Xiao Ye that your mouth feels bitter, so I added a bit more rock candy to make it sweeter. It definitely isn’t as good as the food you eat at home, but a child like you is skinny to this extent, let’s not be picky and eat more, okay?”

Grandma Liu said this both anxiously and worriedly.

Song Yan hugged the bowl, and lowered his head: “No, it’s much better than the food I usually eat at home.”

“That’s good, that’s good. Then eat more, got it? Look at you, a child as skinny as you, you’re just skin and bones. Your face is also so pale, your parents must feel so distressed when they look at you.” Grandma Liu was really distressed, and directly picked out a huge piece of spare ribs and stuffed it into his bowl, “Eat more meat, don’t be picky.”

He didn’t know when, but little mahjong had ran over while hugging her little wooden bowl and climbed onto the bed, and sat herself across Song Yan: “That’s right, the kindergarten teacher said that little friends can’t be picky, so that means big friends also can’t be picky.”

As she said this, she picked up the fried egg in her bowl and shakily placed it into Song Yan’s bowl: “Little mahjong will give her favorite fried egg to pretty gege, so pretty gege will feel better faster.”

Song Yan lowered his head and stared at that fried egg in the shape of a heart in his bowl, and dully ‘mm’ed: “Okay.”

It was a very mild word, as if he didn’t care at all.

But he kept his head lowered, as if he didn’t dare look at anyone.

Xia Zhiye watched the other’s behavior, and understood it clearly in his heart. He reached out his hand and grabbed little mahjong, who was a natural face-con and wanted to exert all her strength to rub against this pretty gege, and pushed her into grandma Liu’s arms: “Okay that’s enough. Grandma, take little mahjong to eat dinner first. Song Yan is shy, and if you stare at him, he won’t be able to digest it easily.”

This child really did look quite shy.

Grandma Liu uneasily replied: “Then you definitely have to watch over him and make sure he finishes it all.”

“Sure, not even a single grain of rice will be left over.” Xia Zhiye nodded, “But the problem is where’s my dinner?”

Grandma Liu derisively frowned: “You have hands and feet, can’t you get a bowl of noodles yourself?”

“……You really forgot about your old grandson as soon as you got a new grandson.” Xia Zhiye good-naturedly smiled as he walked grandma Liu and little mahjong out, “You’re old so walk carefully, it’s fine if you just remember to leave some noodles for me.”

After closing the door and returning to his seat next to the bed, he gazed at Song Yan who unhurriedly ate, then smiled and lowered his voice to ask, “What’s wrong, is our Yan ge moved?”

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about.”

Song Yan responded without even a hint of hesitation.

Xia Zhiye grinned lightly, fine, you’re not moved.

Whatever the little tsundere says is right.

He asked again: “How’s the taste?”

Song Yan didn’t say anything, just nodded.

Xia Zhiye felt at ease: “That’s good. Then tomorrow I’ll let grandma cook again using these flavors.”

“No need.”

“Why?”

Song Yan lowered his head: “There’s no need to make old people spend money and time on me.”

Even though Song Yan was completely clueless about the labors of life, he had also seen what grandma Liu and little mahjong usually ate at home.

It was no more than just a few simple dishes.

For example, things like spare ribs, bamboo shoots, ham, even though they weren’t extremely valuable, it very clearly exceeded their usual level of consumption.

Just thinking of grandma Liu who usually found it unbearable to fry another egg for herself, Song Yan felt a hint of acid surge up in his heart.

Xia Zhiye unexpectedly didn’t think the other would answer in this way, after all, in his heart, Song Yan had always been a little young master that placed himself above the common populace, and never would have thought that the other would unexpectedly think such things in his heart.

Thinking this, he felt that Song Yan grew even cuter, and his smile grew warmer: “Don’t worry, I gave grandma the money, it won’t cost her anything.”

Song Yan heard this and raised his head, his eyebrows furrowed: “Where’d you get the money?”

His tone of voice was as if he were an interrogator.

Xia Zhiye raised his eyebrow: “Do I look like I have no money?”

Song Yan: “……”

You really do look like you don’t have much money.

But he once again thought to yesterday night, when his learning materials with a small audience could sell for more than 1000 yuan in one night. Xia Zhiye’s audience was much larger than his, he also marketed his miserable story, had a huge discount, and he could definitely sell his materials for a total of 3000 or 4000 yuan. So he probably wasn’t lacking money for the time being.

So he once again lowered his head: “If you have money you should also save it. It’s not easy for grandma to raise little mahjong. I just saw that she had a hole at her shoulder in her sweater, if you have money you should buy her some new clothes.”

“……”

Xia Zhiye himself hadn’t realized this matter. He would never have thought that Song Yan, who looked like a bad-tempered young master, was much more thoughtful than others.

Some people really looked like a big hard-shelled nut on the outside, but as long as you found the seam, and lightly pried it open, then you would find both soft and sweet coconut milk on the inside. The more you touch it, the lovelier it becomes.

Xia Zhiye lightly laughed: “Mm, later let’s go together to choose a new sweater for grandma. But you also have to eat well. Anyway, your Ye ge is multi-talented. There’s no need to mention getting filthy rich, but you guys definitely won’t go hungry. So you can rest easy at home and get better, grandma and little mahjong both really like you.”

What fucking Ye gege.

Who’s your family.

Song Yan lowered his head, and ate a spoonful of porridge.

In actuality, he didn’t know if this could be considered a good bowl of sick porridge.

Because this was the first time in his more than ten years of life, that someone cooked him a bowl of porridge when he was ill.

1. Gaoling flower (lit. high mountain flower) refers to something/someone who is unattainable/out of reach.

2. In Chinese, him/her/it all sound the same (ta) but when written out, they are all different (他, 她, 它). Because of this, when XZY says ‘him’ it actually sounds like it could be a her/him (in Chinese).

3. 119 = 911 in the states; aka the police/general number for emergencies

4. Author uses a play on words here. SY says 一点 (yidian) first, which does mean ‘a little bit’. But when XZY says it, he says 亿点 (yidian), which is a homophone to ‘a little bit’. In actuality, the differing character 一 vs 亿, is a difference in number, 一 = one, whereas 亿 = 100million. In essence, XZY hopes SY will eat a bit more than ‘just a little bit.’ This carries on into the next line.