CH 26
To Burn On Touch
Translation checker: Rin
Editor: Junyans
âYu Ran, wait a minute.â Cui He stopped him and trotted a few steps to keep up. âItâs better if you donât interfere in girlsâ affairs. Iâll go and discuss it with the Youth League Committee member.â
Yu Ran nodded and stopped outside the classroom with Fang Zhao. The two boys began to think about how to comfort Ye Xi later. As they were talking, they found that Chu Mian had brought Ye Xi around from the corridor. The girlâs head was lowered, her eyes were red, and her voice was heavily nasal when she greeted them.
Yu Ran hurriedly pulled Chu Mian aside and asked him in a low voice, âYou, did you beat her?â
Chu Mian didnât understand how Yu Ran had arrived at that conclusion, so he hammered his forehead lightly, âDonât just leave because you want to in the future.â
Yu Ran still wanted to ask about Ye Xi, but Chu Mian covered his mouth, dragged him aside, and told him âdonât worryâ.
When they returned to the class after the bell rang, the situation had already changed.
Yu Ran sent a QQ message to Cui He: âWhy did you beat the Youth League Committee member to tears?â
[Whale Song.]: Why, in your world, as long as someone cries, they must have been beaten?
[Whale Song.]: I didnât do much. I just calmly educated her and told her not to steep so low from now on.
Yu Ran was not used to hearing girls using mean words and advised Cui He: âDonât go so far, just tell her not to vie for the directorâs position.â
However, Cui He replied: âThis matter isnât serious. I was looking for her for something else. Have you noticed? Bian Tingting and the girls who hang out with her always go to the back of the classroom after the class is over, pretending to read the blackboard newspapers or looking out the window. Whatâs so fucking interesting there to see? Do they think that they could be liked by Chu Mian if they stayed in the back for a few more minutes?â
Yu Ran didnât understand the logical relationship in her words, let alone why she suddenly mentioned Chu Mian, and only asked, âThen did she agree to return the position of director to Ye Xi?â
âIf she had dared to say that she wouldnât return it, Iâd have pulled all her hair out.â Cui He sneered while typing. âI knew that she wasnât fast-talking Ye Xi for the stage drama.â
Yu Ran was curious: âAh? Then what was she doing it for?â
[Whale Song.]: Did you fucking read the messages I just sent? Forget it, even if I explain it to you, you wonât understand. Donât get involved in adultsâ business.
[The Wolf Hid the Dog Radical]: Oh
Now that the directorâs position had been returned to the original owner, Yu Ran was also relieved. But he was still curious about why Ye Xi had been crying, so he turned around and lay on Chu Mianâs desk. He grabbed Chu Mianâs pen when he was in the midst of writing, obstructing his study.
Chu Mian sighed. âIâve already told you, sheâs fine.â
âThen, why was she crying?â
Chu Mian felt that even if he told the truth about why Ye Xi was crying, Yu Ran would definitely not be able to understand that sentiment.
So he lowered his head and looked at Yu Ranâs bright eyes, and hesitatingly said one word: âPeriod.â
Yu Ran was taken aback for a moment, then retracted quickly, âOh⦠being a girl is so tiring.â
After a few seconds, Yu Ran turned around again and asked in a low voice, âWhy donât boys have periods?â
Chu Mian raised his eyes to glance at him, raised his eyebrows and asked back, âDo you want to discharge blood for a few days every month?â
âFuck, arenât you curious?â Yu Ran felt that this topic was rather secret, so he deliberately stretched out his palm to put over his mouth. âI saw blood in my familyâs toilet when I was a kid, it really scared me to death! I thought my mom had killed my dad, because my dad hadnât come home for a few days at that time. Fortunately, I found out laterââ
Chu Mian thought he was going to say âthat my mom was on her periodâ next, but Yu Ran laughed out loud and said, âthat my dad wasnât killed, it just happened that he had been having an affair in those few days hahahahaha!â
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âNow, count the number of props, spindles, cradles, swordsâ¦â Ye Xi took the form to confirm everything one by one, and suddenly she was startled. âItâs bad, I only remembered to bring the flower that awakens the Sleeping Beauty, but forgot to prepare more to lay on the bed. Now itâll look empty when Chu Mian is lying on it.â
Cui He took out her cell phone to check the time. âItâs okay, itâs not 7:30 yet. Yu Ran canât come so early, so letâs ask him to go to the flower shop in front of the school to buy it.â
Ye Xi nodded. âMm, now the props are all ready, thenâ¦â
The two girls turned to look at Chu Mian in unison.
âPut it on.â Fang Zhao patted Chu Mian on the shoulder sympathetically, and handed over the bright pink dress.
Chu Mianâs eyes darkened.
If it was a princess dress, Chu Mian would reluctantly give up a little bit of dignity to wear it. But Chu Mian thought that it was a cruel and inhumane abuse of aesthetics for him to wear a rose-red dress decorated with fluffy white patterns of flowers and butterflies and covered with a layer of mesh.
âThis is already the most suitable one I can borrow,â Ye Xi said sincerely, âThe cosplay club didnât have anything that matched the style of fairy tales.â
Chu Mian grabbed the white prince suit Ye Xi had prepared for Yu Ran, and asked, âThen why is his costume so normal?â
âOh, didnât the princess in the original work sleep for a hundred years before she was kissed awake by the prince?â Cui He walked over and pushed him into the dressing room. âThe styles popular in her time will be old-fashioned in a hundred years. Weâve to pay attention to details.â
Chu Mian reluctantly went in to change his clothes, and only after he put the dress on did he realize that he had been annoyed too early.
He directly kicked open the door of the dressing room. When the three people outside saw him for the first time, they all let out an uncharacteristically exclaimed in unison: âWowââ
Chu Mianâs expression was so cold that it looked like it had just been taken out of the ice cellar.
Let alone the fact that the combination of elements on this dress violated human reason, it even had an off-the-shoulder style, which exposed the teenagerâs chiseled collarbone and his eye-catching shoulder line.
Cui He handed Chu Mian two cotton balls.
âWhat for?â
âFor you to pad your chest.â
ââ¦Get lost.â Chu Mian shot daggers at her, lifted his skirt and opened his legs before sitting straight on the prop bed.
Cui He shook her head and said to him sharply: âHey, girls canât separate their legs so widely like this!â
Chu Mian grabbed the two cotton balls from her hand and smashed them directly on her head.
Cui He laughed till she trembled. At this moment, Yu Ran finally arrived at school with a bag of flowers in a rush. As soon as he entered the backstage of the auditorium, he introduced himself loudly: âThe main character is here!â
The next second, he met the eyes of the bare-shouldered Chu Mian and the air froze instantly.
Yu Ran was so surprised that he stood frozen in place, and after blanking out briefly, he blew a loud whistle at Chu Mian.
In order to prevent them from staging the scene of âthe princess turned into a spiteful queen and beat the little princeâ, Ye Xi quickly stood up and changed the subject: âDid you bring the flowers for making the bed?â
âOf course!â Yu Ran placed the huge black plastic bag he had brought on the ground, untied the rubber band, and took out the pure white and flawless chrysanthemums, which were all freshly cut. They seemed fresh and clean and exuded a light fragrance.
âYu Ran, Iâm going to criticize you,â Fang Zhao said, âItâs all white flowers, their symbolic meaning isn't good.â
âWho said itâs all white,â Yu Ran retorted, and smoothly took out two golden yellow chrysanthemums from the bag. âHow wonderful and big are these flowers! The boss even gave me two of them.â
With arms crossed in front of his chest, Chu Mian sneered at Yu Ran, âDo you want me to have a public funeral?â
Cui He comforted him: âForget it, forget it. With Yu Ranâs IQ, itâs already good that he didnât bring a wreath for you to wear.â
Together, the few people spread the flowers that Yu Ran had brought on the prop bed and let Chu Mian lie down to try after finishing the arrangement. As soon as he closed his eyes, the whole scene became solemn and somber, which looked exactly like a scene of everyone working together to bury the princess.
âItâll be our groupâs turn soon.â Ye Xi couldnât help but feel a little nervous. âYu Ran, do you remember all your lines?â
âYeap.â
The person who played young Sleeping Beauty was an extra, so Chu Mian only needed to lie on the bed from the moment he appeared on the stage, waiting for Yu Ran to put a rose on his lips. Only then would he wake up to read a few lines. He did not wear a wig. After all, it was only the first round. Being willing to wear a dress was already his biggest concession.
After the extra actorâs part at the beginning of the play was over, Chu Mian went to the stage and slept with his eyes closed. He quietly listened to Yu Ran reciting his lines in an exaggerated tone next to him, and it didnât take long before the key moment of awakening Sleeping Beauty with roses arrived.
âLet me save herâ¦â Yu Ran began to sound gentle and soft, and he paced to Chu Mianâs side with a rose in his hand.
According to the script, Yu Ran now only needed to take off a petal and gently place it on Chu Mianâs lips. But as he leaned over, he suddenly realized that Chu Mian was probably really asleep now. If he didnât wake up after putting on the petals, wouldnât it be embarrassing?
So, in order to confirm that Chu Mian was still awake, Yu Ran deliberately recited the lines he had already recited once again: âOh my God, Iâve never seen such a beautiful girlâ¦â
Yu Ran thought that with their tacit understanding, Chu Mian would frown after hearing the repeated lines. That way he could continue to perform with a peace of mind.
However, to the surprise of everyone present, as soon as Yu Ranâs voice fell, a bright red blood slowly flowed from his nose, snaked down his chin, and finally dripped on the white chrysanthemum petals.
âHoly shit.â Yu Ranâs expletive instantly spread to the stage through the microphone.
Chu Mian immediately opened his eyes, got up without thinking, grabbed Yu Ranâs arm, and pulled him backstage to wash his face.
Yu Ran was very confused. While splashing the bridge of his nose with cold water, he glanced at Chu Mian in the mirror, and tentatively asked, âDid I screw it up?â
âYou stop the bleeding first.â Chu Mian asked him to raise his head and plugged his nose with a tissue. âGo back and drink plenty of water.â
When the blood had temporarily clotted, Yu Ran tilted his neck and was taken out of the bathroom by Chu Mian. As soon as he went out, he heard Cui He laugh as she told him, âYouâre really something. From yesterday to until now, there have been a total of eight people acting as princes, and youâre the most useless one.â
When Yu Ran looked up, he could only see Chu Mianâs face. âItâs not because of him.â
âBut doesnât the line you read mean that you got a nosebleed out of excitement after seeing Chu Mian?â
Yu Ran stopped talking and stared blankly at Chu Mianâs jaw.
âGo back and change clothes,â Chu Mian said.
Outside the locker room, there were actors from other classes lined up. Chu Mian didnât have the patience to wait, so he took him to his lounge.
Yu Ran sat leaning against the wall, raising his head to adjust the position of the tissue.
Chu Mian turned his back to him and untied the belt around his waist. Before taking off his dress, Chu Mian quietly turned his head to confirm that Yu Ran was still raising his face and couldnât see his body from his angle.
He pulled off the zipper with his mind at ease and the loose dress immediately fell to the ground.
Yu Ran felt that the blood had almost stopped now, so he lowered his head and moved his neck. As a result, Chu Mianâs smooth back appeared in his field of vision and he subconsciously pressed his head against the wall.
But Yu Ran quickly calmed down. He had seen so many many boysâ naked bodies during military training, and Chu Mianâs back was alsoâ¦
â No.
â Chu Mianâs back looked much better than the backs of that group of boys.
After Yu Ran realized this difference, he suddenly felt that his nose started to bleed again.
âNo wonder you refused to shower with everyone during military training.â
When Yu Ranâs voice sounded from behind, Chu Mian turned his head vigilantly and found that the other partyâs head had returned to its normal angle at some time.
âYour backâ¦â Yu Ran smiled. âDo you charge for a glance?â
Without saying a word, Chu Mian grabbed his school uniform and put it on, ordering Yu Ran not to stare at him while he was changing clothes.
âOkay, okay, okay I wonât look.â Yu Ran closed his eyes obediently.
Chu Mianâs ears were hot, and while putting on his clothes, he looked back to check whether Yu Ran had quietly opened his eyes. He almost put on the shirt inside out. He quickly sorted his clothes and threw the key of the lounge on the table. âIâm going back to the classroom first. Remember to lock the door when youâre done changing your clothes.â
He had just taken two steps when he felt the bulge on the pockets on both sides of his pants. His hands reached in and grabbed out a lot of rose petals.
âYou stuffed them in?â Chu Mian turned back and faced Yu Ran.
Yu Ran didnât answer but just smiled at him as if he had succeeded in his prank.
Chu Mian expressionlessly raised his hand and sprinkled all the rose petals on top of Yu Ranâs head.
Yu Ran did not like the smell of roses, but when he gazed at Chu Mian, the smell of the petals slowly turned into a smell he felt comfortable with.
The air between the two was scented with flowers. Yu Ran suddenly sat upright, smiled with shining eyes, grabbed Chu Mianâs wrist, and called out to him: âHoly shit, Chu Mianâ¦â
âWhat?â
âIt felt as if I was taking a shower just now!â
Chu Mian frowned, not understanding what Yu Ran was blabbing about again.
âSeriously, fuck.â Yu Ran got excited but unfortunately, he was too poor at organizing words and phrases and didnât know how to accurately describe to Chu Mian the magical feeling of a warm current passing through his body just now. âThat is, there seems to be a mysterious power in my body which is just about to awaken! It happened when you threw the flower petals at me just now.â
He shook Chu Mianâs arm and said earnestly: âThrow it at me once more.â
Chu Mian reached into his pocket with his other hand, took out a bunch of wrinkled rose petals, and gently placed them on Yu Ranâs brown hair.
It was a pity that Yu Ran didnât feel anything strange this time. He let go of Chu Mianâs wrist in disappointment, and said, âHeyâ¦your magic power is too weak.â
Chu Mian regretted cooperating with Yu Ran, so he immediately threw out an evaluation: âMuggle.â
He took out all the petals left in his pocket and threw them on the other party without leaving a single piece.
When Chu Mian left and walked a long away, Yu Ran touched the top of his rose-scented head and muttered.
âI can take a hot shower out of thin air.â