Desk-mate, Do You Like Me? - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

There was a narrow section of the mountain path where the railing was hollowed out. A quick glance revealed the dense, mist-shrouded forest below.

A girl was huddled in her boyfriend’s arms, crying and screaming: “Ah, I’m so scared.”

Could their way of flirting be any more unusual?

Li Mo walked a couple of steps forward and looked back to see Xu Qing still standing in place.

“Xu Qing~” Li Mo swayed over to him. “What’s wrong? You’re not… hungry, are you?”

Xu Qing rolled his eyes, his voice a little weak: “I’m fine… just don’t want to move anymore. You should hurry and catch up with them.”

“Jian Anxun already dragged Shen Shuyi far away.” Li Mo scoffed, criticizing his upperclassman’s preference for romance over friendship.

“You…”

Xu Qing lowered his head, his pale hands clutching the mountain wall fiercely, his fingertips turning white from the force.

Li Mo froze for two seconds, then realized: “Xu Qing, are you… afraid of heights?”

Although he really didn’t want to admit it, Xu Qing’s face was pale, and he nodded: “Mhm…”

He had expected the other person to seize the opportunity to mock him, but instead, Li Mo took his hand, wrapping it tightly in his palm.

“Close your eyes. It’ll be fine if I lead you.”

Xu Qing closed his eyes, feeling his hand enveloped by a warmer palm, leading him forward at a steady pace.

“Li Mo.”

“Mhm?”

Xu Qing was silent for a moment, then spoke on a whim: “Nothing, my mouth just cramped up suddenly.”

Li Mo chuckled: “Your mouth cramps up and you call my name?”

“You don’t want me to? Then I won’t call your name anymore.”

“No, no, no, I never said I didn’t want you to.”

What is this sense of déjà vu with the flirting?!

Li Mo hadn’t noticed while they were talking, but now that he thought about it, his cheeks were burning hot, and his heart was racing, feeling like it was about to burst out of his chest.

Is this what they call a fluttering heart? Li Mo subconsciously tightened his grip.

Xu Qing’s fingers curled. The two were holding hands, just like the couples passing by, crossing the wooden bridge slowly.

Feeling a slight chill on the back of his hand, Li Mo suddenly gasped several times like an ox.

Passersby looked at him, thinking he was having some kind of episode. Xu Qing also found it strange: “Do you have asthma?”

“No… no.” Li Mo stammered. “It’s just… a throat cramp.”

“…”

“Lunatic.” Xu Qing cursed, but his tone carried a hint of a smile.

Li Mo also laughed: “If you say so, then it is.”

Not far away, Jian Anxun, who once again witnessed the entire flirting process of the junior students, sighed: “The world is cold and indifferent…”

Shen Shuyi’s expression was complicated: “So are they really a couple?”

“They probably haven’t confessed yet, right? They’re both too shy. They need a little push.”

“What are you planning to do now?” Shen Shuyi looked at Jian Anxun. Given this person’s bizarre thought process, who knew what trouble he might stir up.

Jian Anxun seriously considered it: “How about bungee jumping?”

Shen Shuyi: “Are you insane?”

Jian Anxun: “I was just kidding.”

It was nearing noon when the group finally reached the summit.

The view from the top of the mountain was excellent, with a wide vista. They could see large patches of trees below, shrouded in mist, and the distant towns, which looked magnified a hundred times, with houses crowded together.

Looking down from the viewing platform, they could clearly see the Light of Love Square. Li Mo was surprised to find that the Tree of Love looked heart-shaped from above.

The sacred place of love truly lived up to its reputation.

Li Mo was about to call Xu Qing over to look, but he turned around and saw Xu Qing sitting on a chair in the middle, his eyes slightly closed, looking like he hadn’t fully recovered from his fear of heights.

I almost forgot Xu Qing is afraid of heights… Li Mo took out his phone and took many photos, sending them all to Xu Qing one by one.

“Junior~” Jian Anxun sidled over cheekily. “Do you need your upperclassman to help you strategize about confessing?”

Li Mo gave him a disdainful look: “What could you possibly come up with? ‘If love had a shape, it would surely be your appearance’?”

Jian Anxun exclaimed: “Junior, you know a lot!”

Li Mo: “…” Die, non-mainstream.

Seeing Li Mo’s indifferent attitude, and how he even had the leisure to look at a drifting cloud, Jian Anxun said: “Junior, you don’t seem worried at all.”

“What’s there to worry about? We’re still far from death. Take it slow.”

“That’s true. You’ll still see each other every day.”

Realizing he had hit a nerve with his upperclassman, Li Mo asked: “When is your flight?”

“Tomorrow morning. I leave at nine.”

“That fast?”

“I’m an entrepreneur, of course, I’m eager to go over and talk business.”

Li Mo patted Jian Anxun’s shoulder, shaking his head and sighing: “Upperclassman, take care.”

Jian Anxun played along: “Alas, my heart is in such pain. It’s bleeding, it’s moaning, oh no~”

“Oh~ Upperclassman~ No~”

The two drama kings acted out a scene of brotherly affection for a while before turning to walk back leisurely.

“Xu~ Qing~” Li Mo sat down next to Xu Qing, resting his head on Xu Qing’s shoulder. “Are you hungry? I kind of miss the hand-grabbed pancake at the school gate.”

Xu Qing said flatly: “They sell ‘Love Pancakes’ at the foot of the mountain. The recipe is similar.”

“They’re not made by the same person. It’s not the same.”

“You’re so picky. Eat it or don’t.”

“Be gentle with your good deskmate.”

It was almost evening when they came down the mountain.

The distance between the two places was a bit far. Considering Jian Anxun had to catch a flight tomorrow morning, they didn’t linger and set off for home that evening.

The car was very quiet, with only the sound of the wind blowing outside the window and the occasional car horn.

The long holiday was a good time for travel. There were far more cars on the highway than on the way there, even though it was already past nine in the evening.

Li Mo leaned his head back, sleeping in the middle seat. With Xu Qing leaning on his left and Jian Anxun pressing on his right, he slept very soundly.

The quiet atmosphere was broken by a phone ringing.

Li Mo didn’t even open his eyes, reaching out to feel for his phone.

Today, he and Jian Anxun ran around everywhere like they were on stimulants. In Xu Qing’s words: Like wild monkeys returning to the mountain. Now he was exhausted.

“Stop feeling around, lunatic…” Xu Qing cursed, swatting away Li Mo’s hand that was wandering over his body. He took his phone from his pocket and threw it onto Li Mo’s lap.

Li Mo answered the call while opening his eyes: “Hello, who is this?”

“Momo.”

It was Ye Zhong.

Li Mo instantly woke up: “Ah… Dad… Dad, what’s wrong?”

Ye Zhong sighed on the other end: “If you’re not used to calling me that, you don’t have to force yourself. Momo, did you go out with your classmates?”

“I went yesterday. We’re on our way back now.”

“Why didn’t you play for a few more days?”

“I have other things to do tomorrow.” Li Mo lowered his gaze, his fingers tightly gripping the phone. “What about you?”

“We arrived in Norway this morning. Your brother has been asking to see the Northern Lights.” Ye Zhong paused. “Your mother said you’ve always wanted to see them. Since you’re with your classmates this time, I’ll take you again during the Chinese New Year.”

Li Mo flatly refused: “No need for all that trouble. You’ve already been once, so you don’t need to go again just for me.”

Ye Zhong’s call this time was entirely out of concern. He had been busy helping with luggage and the flight yesterday. They had only arrived in Norway this morning and he had been attending to Ye Jinlun all day. He only had time to call Li Mo now.

After a few more pleasantries, the sound of Ye Jinlun’s fussing came through, and the call was quickly ended.

Putting down the phone, Li Mo leaned against the back of the seat, lost in thought.

“Junior, you’re so sensible.” Next to him, Jian Anxun had woken up at some point and seemed to have heard the entire phone call. “Why didn’t you tell me your family was going on a trip?”

Li Mo opened his mouth: “I didn’t want to go.”

Xu Qing lifted his eyelids and spoke bluntly: “Your relationship with your family doesn’t seem very good.”

“It’s not that it’s bad. I just didn’t want to go.”

Seeing the atmosphere getting a little tense, Li Mo cleared his throat and suddenly clapped Jian Anxun: “Besides, how could I pass up the opportunity to sponge off the richest upperclassman?”

Knowing it was a forced topic change, no one called him out. Jian Anxun feigned anger: “You child, you don’t care about your upperclassman at all.”

“Do you really need me to care about you?”

After some playful banter, everyone started to feel tired.

Li Mo had lost his sleepiness. He picked up his phone and scrolled aimlessly.

A message popped up on WeChat.

[x.: Are you okay?]

Li Mo looked up. Xu Qing was leaning against the car window, looking down at his phone.

[Handsome Li Mo: I’m fine. I feel a little embarrassed by your sudden concern.]

[x.: Stop it. I was afraid you’d suddenly lose it and jump out of the car, and I’d need a human shield.]

[Handsome Li Mo: You underestimate your deskmate’s mental fortitude too much.]

[x.: Oh.]

When Li Mo looked up again, Xu Qing had already turned off his phone and closed his eyes.

Li Mo scrolled on his phone for a while out of boredom. Sleepiness washed over him. He turned off his phone and fell asleep leaning on Xu Qing.

The strange thing was that Xu Qing didn’t push him away.

“Junior~ Junior~”

Li Mo was woken up by Jian Anxun.

A gust of warm air hit his ear, tingling. Li Mo dodged backward as he opened his eyes.

The car had stopped. Jian Anxun said: “We’re home. Xu Qing already got off.”

“Ah… that fast.” Li Mo yawned as he got out of the car, waving goodbye to Jian Anxun and the others.

The night sky was low, and only a few scattered lights were on in the residential complex.

It was already October, and the evening wind was still a bit chilly.

Li Mo pulled at his jacket and quickened his steps home.

It was past midnight when he arrived home. The lights were off, and the house was quiet.

Li Mo walked into his room, flopped onto the bed like a ragdoll, and scrolled through WeChat Moments on his phone.

The Moments were full of photos of relatives and friends traveling, including a post from Yu Wenxiu—a happy family of three with the beautiful Northern Lights behind them.

The relatives in the comments were all praising “how warm,” “how happy,” and “how blissful.”

Even without Li Mo, one of the family members, in the photo, no one seemed to care where he was.

Li Mo had been naughty and mischievous since he was a child, the opposite of the “other people’s children” that relatives often mentioned. He was intentionally or unintentionally categorized with his biological father’s kind of people, unpopular in the family circle.

Li Mo liked the post and continued scrolling through other content.

Thinking about the five days of free time he had left, Li Mo felt bored. Especially now, having just returned from out of town and sleeping all night in the car, he was wide awake.

He even felt like going to the airport early in the morning with a banner to send off Jian Anxun.

Unfortunately, he only knew the time of Jian Anxun’s flight, not which airport he was flying from.

Life was just two words: Boring.