Desk-mate, Do You Like Me? - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Early autumn, the weather was still a little stuffy and hot.

“Xin Jiao Street reached. Passengers getting off, please exit through the rear door.”

With a jolt, the bus smoothly stopped in front of the station platform.

Li Mo was sitting in the back, his baseball cap pulled low. Waking up with a bit of a morning grump, he narrowed his eyes and slowly got off the bus.

Just as his feet hit the ground, his phone rang.

Caller ID: Mom.

After two seconds of silence, Li Mo pressed the answer button.

Once the call connected, there was a very noisy background on the other end, followed by a gentle voice: “Hello, Mo Mo, have you arrived?”

“Yep, just got here,” Li Mo’s voice was muffled behind his mask.

“Didn’t lose anything, did you? I sent you your uncle’s address. Do you want me to ask your uncle to pick you up?”

“No need.” Li Mo pulled down his mask and shoved it into his pocket. “You go enjoy celebrating my brother’s birthday. I can manage on my own. I’m not a kid anymore.”

The other side was silent for a moment before continuing: “Mo Mo, you can attend the key high school over there. Naturally, you’ll get a good education, and your uncle is there. Didn’t you like being with your uncle the most when you were little?”

Hearing his mother about to start on old stories, Li Mo interrupted, “Ah, ah—I know, Mom. I’m eighteen this year. You don’t have to nag so much.”

“What eighteen? You’re only seventeen by whole years. Stop pretending to be an adult in front of your mother. You must be tired from getting off the bus. I won’t say more. Find your uncle soon and get some good rest.”

After a few more nagging remarks, the phone finally hung up.

Li Mo took off his hat and fanned himself. He was only wearing a black short-sleeved shirt, carrying a large, matching black backpack, and dragging a big suitcase with a Spongebob-like Patrick Star pattern on it.

Although City C and City A were far apart, the temperature difference was too great. City A was so hot that people felt like running around naked.

Li Mo stood under the station platform, cooling off for a bit. He took out his phone again, opened WeChat, and found the location information his mother, Yu Wenxiu, had sent the day before.

His uncle’s home was a distance away, in the city center.

Li Mo yawned, dragging his suitcase as he slowly walked down the street.

A week before the start of school, Li Mo was doing fine in City C when Ms. Yu Wenxiu delivered a shock: “You’re transferring to Huaying No. 1 High School in City A for the new semester. The paperwork is already done. In a few days, you’ll go straight to City A to find your uncle.”

Li Mo was first shocked, then quickly accepted reality: “Oh. Who’s paying for the travel expenses?”

Yu Wenxiu pouted: “Aren’t you going to ask why? Fine, I’ll pay, alright? It’s not like I’d make a student pay.”

“Why else? Besides my little brother…” Li Mo didn’t finish the rest of the sentence, swallowing his words. He just said, “I’m totally OK with it.”

Whether he was home or not made no difference to Li Mo. Wherever he was, he’d still breathe with two nostrils and eat with one mouth.

Leaving home also meant he wouldn’t have to constantly endure his parents’ favoritism toward his younger brother. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

It was past noon, around 12 o’clock. The sun was scorching, yet the streets were still full of people coming and going, talking and laughing.

Li Mo dragged his large suitcase for half an hour. He checked the map and found that he was somehow getting farther and farther away from his uncle’s house.

“Damn, what’s wrong with this crappy navigation?” He tapped the screen repeatedly, and a high-temperature warning popped up, followed by the screen going black. Li Mo scratched his head in frustration: “It overheated and crashed.”

Li Mo looked up at his surroundings. This area seemed to be an old residential district. The walls were grey and worn. In front of a few buildings, old men and women were lying on rocking chairs, fanning themselves with large cattail fans, drowsily taking their afternoon naps.

…Seriously, how did the navigation guide him to such an old community?!

Li Mo, utterly resigned, pulled his hat lower and searched for a way out of the neighborhood.

Although the complex looked old and run-down, it was surprisingly large. Li Mo walked around inside for nearly an hour and still hadn’t found the exit.

He didn’t find the exit, but he did find a small corner store.

Li Mo bought a small pudding ice cream bar and sat on a small stool by the door, chatting with the owner while eating his treat.

“Boss, how many years have you been working here?”

The store was small. A few small stools were placed in front of the door, and a squeaky old electric fan rotated nearby, blowing a gentle breeze.

The owner was lying on a rocking chair with half-closed eyes: “Many, many years. My dad opened this place when I was still in school. Counting it up, it’s been about twenty-something years.”

Li Mo acknowledged this: “Oh. So this complex must be pretty old, right? Are there many residents?”

The owner chuckled twice: “Heh heh… Young man, you’re not from around here, are you?”

“Oh, you can tell that?” Li Mo bit off a large piece of ice cream, the coldness instantly filling his mouth. “I just arrived today. Came here for school.”

“Came for school, huh… Hmm, then you must be going to Huaying No. 1 High School?”

“You can even tell that, Boss. You’re something else.”

“Ah, there are kids in this neighborhood who go there, too.” The owner rocked his chair. The old wooden rocking chair squeaked. “I remember a kid over in Building 8. He’s going to be in the second year of high school this year. He’s an excellent student, really smart. My son used to be in the same class as him. Oh, that kid, he was the top student in the grade, top in the class, all sorts of first places since he was little.”

“Wow, what a coincidence. I’m starting the second year of high school too.”

Li Mo quickly finished the rest of his pudding ice cream, tossed the stick into the trash can next to him, and clapped his hands. “Well, it’s getting late. I need to hurry and find my uncle. Hey Boss, do you know the way to the Golden Rose Community?”

“Golden Rose? Yes, I do. It’s right in the city center area. Come here, young man, let me show you.”

The owner was very helpful. Not only did he give directions, but he also gave Li Mo another small pudding ice cream for free.

Eating his ice cream and following the directions, Li Mo felt incredibly relaxed.

Turning the corner, he was out of the back of the old complex and facing a small alley. Following the owner’s instructions, he just had to walk straight ahead to reach the main street.

The alley was cramped, piled high with all sorts of junk. Clotheslines were stretched across the middle, and several large, colorful quilts hanging to dry further blocked the view.

After walking for a while in the alley, he could already see the bustling city center ahead.

On the right, there was a small path, from which sounds of crying drifted out.

Li Mo paused, thinking he might have imagined it, but as he was about to leave, another cry rang out.

“Please… please just let me go…”

Out of curiosity, Li Mo walked down the path. In the deepest corner, he saw an incredibly shocking scene:

A girl was cornered against the wall, crying hysterically, continuously begging the man in front of her for mercy.

The man showed no pity, grabbing the girl’s hair and cursing: “You bitch! My pursuing you is a blessing you earned in several lifetimes! Don’t you dare refuse me!”

Oh, come on! How could someone do such a shameless thing in broad daylight?!

Li Mo couldn’t stand it.

“Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?”

The man froze, stopping his actions, and turned back with a look of utter impatience.

Li Mo was wearing a mask and a hat, so his face was completely obscured.

Seeing the man glare at him, Li Mo rolled his eyes: “Got an eye problem? Who are you glaring at?”

The man spat: “Buddy, I advise you not to meddle in other people’s business.”

“I just can’t stand scum like you. So what? Come on, if you’ve got guts, come and beat me to death.” With that, Li Mo stretched out his pale, slender neck and even gave it a provocative tap.

The man was instantly enraged. Mumbling curses, he threw a punch at Li Mo.

Li Mo sidestepped, grabbed the man’s wrist, and twisted it backward forcefully. With a crack, the man cried out in pain and fell to the ground, his arm twisted unnaturally.

“Oh, is that all you’ve got, big brother?” Li Mo crouched in front of the man. Even with only his eyes visible, you could imagine his delighted smirk. “My hitting you is a blessing you earned in several lifetimes.”

“…Shit!” The man roared, suddenly got up, and charged head-first toward Li Mo.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, you’re a big black ox, aren’t you?” Li Mo chuckled easily. Just as the man was about to ram into him, Li Mo took a big step aside and tripped him with his foot.

The man landed spread-eagled on a pile of discarded junk, looking completely miserable.

“I… I already called the police!” The bullied girl hid behind, her phone-gripping hand still trembling.

Hearing “police,” the man tried to get up and run, but Li Mo, whose eyes were quick, instantly caught him: “Hey! You bastard, you did something bad and thought you could run?”

Unsurprisingly, Li Mo, the man, and the girl were all taken back to the police station.

After giving his statement, although Li Mo’s chivalrous act was commendable, his impulsive action of injuring someone—especially as a minor—meant he was bound to be held back for a round of moral education.

After listening to the core socialist values for over half an hour, the police asked him to call his family to come and pick him up.

Li Mo only had his uncle in the city, and despite his strong reluctance, he called him.

“Uncle.” When the call connected, Li Mo found it a little hard to speak. “Uncle… I’m at the police station. I need you to come over.”

When Yu Wencheng rushed to the police station, his first sight of Li Mo made him want to kick him a few times right in front of the officer.

Suppressing his anger, he took Li Mo away. As soon as they stepped out of the station, Yu Wencheng kicked Li Mo, sending him from the station entrance to the car door.

“You brat! You cause trouble for your uncle the minute you arrive, huh!” Yu Wencheng cursed while kicking him.

Li Mo dodged while grinning: “Aiya, Uncle, you’re a teacher, you shouldn’t be so violent! Didn’t you hear what the officer just said? I was acting righteously!”

Yu Wencheng calmed down but still glared at Li Mo: “You brat. While acting righteously is good, you’re a little kid going up against an adult man. Aren’t you afraid he’d beat you to death?”

“Uncle, don’t you know me? When have I ever lost a fight since I was little?” Li Mo laughed.

Yu Wencheng rolled his eyes, opened the car door, and got in: “Hurry up and get in the car. We’re going home. Stop embarrassing yourself out here.”

…

The Golden Rose Community—it sounded wealthy, just from the name.

The community was located in the city center, highly accessible, with all kinds of shops and restaurants nearby. The facilities within the complex were also comprehensive.

Yu Wencheng lived on the third floor. There were five units per floor, and Yu Wencheng was in the middle.

When Li Mo was little, Yu Wencheng had already graduated from college and was interning at Huaying No. 1 High School. Since then, he had settled in City A, bought a house, and a car.

The home had two bedrooms, two living rooms, and two bathrooms. The bedrooms and bathrooms were diagonally opposite each other, so Yu Wencheng and Li Mo would each have their own space and wouldn’t bother each other much.

Li Mo’s room had been prepared in advance. It wasn’t small and faced the sun. Besides the bed, wardrobe, and desk, there was also a large bookshelf filled with various novels.

“Whoa, Uncle, you really are my favorite uncle!”

Yu Wencheng was slightly displeased: “I am your only uncle!”

“This room is nice, isn’t it? Tell me if you’re missing anything. Don’t be shy with your uncle,” Yu Wencheng leaned against the door. At only thirty, he maintained a great physique, with handsome features, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses resting on his nose—a classic handsome look.

“This room is great. I love it so much!” Li Mo’s exaggeration didn’t seem faked at all. “Uncle, how did you know I love reading novels?”

“I asked your mom, of course.”

Yu Wencheng adjusted his glasses: “Go and unpack for now. When you’re done, I’ll take you out to eat. You’re starting your new school in a few days. Get yourself in shape, alright?”

Li Mo lay sprawled on the bed, lazily replying: “Okaay—”