Desk-mate, Do You Like Me? - Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Li Mo didn’t sleep all night.

At seven in the morning, a noise came from the living room.

Li Mo pushed the door open and came out, making eye contact with Yu Wencheng.

Yu Wencheng was startled: “When did you get back?!”

“Last night.” Li Mo paused, scrutinizing Yu Wencheng. “Uncle, are you going on a blind date dressed so formally?”

Yu Wencheng sighed: “What blind date? I’m going out of town for a meeting.”

“A meeting during National Day?”

“Yes. You behave while I’m not home these two days.”

Yu Wencheng gave a few more instructions, picked up his backpack, and left.

Wearing a suit and carrying a hiking backpack…

It was still early. Li Mo was too lazy to eat breakfast and went back to his bedroom to lie down.

Class 4 had a small group chat, with everyone except the teachers.

[Lin Yi: Brothers participating in the sports meet are in luck. It will be cloudy and only eight degrees on the day of the meet.]

[Tang Dawei: Is it too late to drop out now?]

[Lin Yi: Show some loyalty.]

[Yang Di: I’m more concerned about Brother Mo.]

Followed by over ten mentions of Li Mo.

Li Mo, who had been lurking, typed: A mere eight degrees is nothing to worry about.

[Lin Yi: We’re mandatory to wear short sleeves!!]

[Li Mo: Damn it, is the school crazy?]

[Ji Lin: Brother Mo is thick-skinned and not afraid of the cold.]

[Tang Dawei: I’m so delicate and weak. I’m scared.]

[Li Mo: ? You’re bigger than me, and you’re saying that.]

The group was lively for a while, discussing the sports meet, then homework, then travel, and then back to homework.

The class group chat had just posted a notice about the sports meet.

The time was set for the afternoon of the second day after school started, and athletes were mandatory to wear summer school uniforms.

That meant they would have to wear short sleeves and expose their arms to shed sweat and blood on the sports field in eight-degree weather.

Shed blood and sweat, my foot.

After reading the notice, Li Mo felt a cold draft on his arms.

One word: Cold.

Li Mo went back to the small group to rant: Isn’t the school afraid of me freezing to death?

[Xu Qing: Did you forget you’ve already paid for insurance?]

The whole group burst into laughter at this comment.

[Lin Yi: Brother Qing is right.]

[Li Mo: Right about what.]

[Li Mo: @Xu Qing You don’t care about me at all.]

[Xu Qing: Did you laugh when you typed that?]

After chatting in the group for a while, Li Mo suddenly remembered that the giveaway Xu Qing posted on that app should have ended by now.

He exited WeChat and switched to the other app. The perpetually silent notification area showed a few unread messages.

[“Qingping_X” is now following you~]

Private message: Congratulations, you’ve been selected! Please send me your OC and the desired content!

What a robotic reply.

Li Mo didn’t have an OC. He typed back: What if I don’t have an OC?

He truly hadn’t expected to be chosen, given his luck of always getting the wrong draw.

Qingping replied: You can just send me a reference.

Li Mo rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, and typed: Can you draw a real person? I have someone I’ve liked for a long time…

Of course, this eight-hundred-word, youthful, bitter secret crush story was completely fabricated on the spot, vividly described and full of emotion.

Qingping: Yes, just send me the photo.

Li Mo carefully selected one of his handsome photos and sent it over.

Yes, the secret crush in the story was himself.

Li Mo had seen Xu Qing’s drawing skills. He wasn’t going to let such a beautiful art style go to waste.

Qingping was silent for a long time.

Xu Qing, wearing an apron and leaning against the spotlessly clean stove, tightened the fingers holding his phone, trying hard to suppress his laughter.

After seeing that the secret crush was Li Mo, Xu Qing knew that this person was Li Mo himself.

Such a self-obsessed, utterly arrogant username and secret crush story were exactly the kind of thing Li Mo would do.

[ID Cosmic Invincible Mr. Handsome] asked: Is it not possible?

[Qingping]: It is.

The handsome photo Li Mo sent was taken by someone else when Li Mo started high school in C City. He was wearing the newly acquired black and blue school uniform, his back to the sunset, smiling lazily at the camera.

He thought this picture was genuinely handsome, or at least had a great atmosphere.

Qingping sent another message, stating that he would draw based on this picture, but it would take some time as he was busy recently.

Busy with what? Busy with homework?

Li Mo honestly couldn’t think of any other reason.

He didn’t know that after this, neither “Qingping” nor Xu Qing would log in or appear online for a long time, as if they had disappeared.

The sun was high in the sky, and Li Mo was starving.

There were only frozen dumplings in the fridge, and they were the Di San Xian (three treasures from the earth) filling, which he disliked the most.

Li Mo got dressed and went downstairs with his phone.

The noodle shop on the corner was still open. It had been renamed “Sister Liu’s Noodle Shop,” and the customer traffic was as high as before.

Li Mo entered the shop and saw many familiar faces. After greeting them one by one, he found a corner to sit in. Sister Liu was still busy in the back kitchen, and steam billowed from the window.

Sister Liu hurriedly delivered two bowls of noodles to a customer’s table, wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, and looked back to see Li Mo. She smiled and said: “Xiao Mo, why didn’t you say anything when you arrived?”

Sister Liu looked more energetic than before, radiant and full of energy for her work, always smiling.

While waiting for his noodles, Li Mo struck up a conversation with the people at the next table: “What’s the situation here?”

The person at that table gave an “Oh” and explained: “After Sister Liu and them went to the police station last time, those two beasts quieted down, and Sister Liu’s injuries became less frequent. Plus, her sensible younger son is home for the holiday and is helping out in the back kitchen.”

Huh? Li Mo remembered that Sister Liu’s younger son had always been indifferent to the family. How could he suddenly become sensible enough to help his mother?

“Xiao Mo, here are your Zha Jiang Mian (noodles with savory minced pork sauce).” Sister Liu placed a large bowl of noodles on the table, grabbed the towel hanging around her neck, and wiped her sweat. “This was made by my younger son. His skills are almost better than mine, an old thing.”

“Is it really that good? I have to try it then.”

Li Mo picked up his chopsticks, mixed the noodles and sauce evenly, picked up a few strands, and slurped them into his mouth. The noodles were springy, and the sauce was perfectly salted. It was genuinely delicious.

“Oh my, the skills are truly excellent.”

“The two of you are about the same age. If the kid wasn’t so shy, I would have introduced you two.”

“Maybe another time.”

More customers came in. Sister Liu quickly got up and continued bustling about.

Li Mo glanced toward the back kitchen, only able to see a small part of the cooking area through the window, and the continuous steam.

After finishing his noodles, Li Mo paid and left, wandering aimlessly down the street.

Unconsciously, he walked to the old, dilapidated neighborhood—the one he got lost in on his first day in A City.

The convenience store owner was still lying on the rocking chair at the door, sunbathing with his eyes squinted, sleeping.

Li Mo walked in, grabbed a bottle of mineral water, and gently kicked the rocking chair with his toe: “Boss, how much?”

The owner glanced at him, too lazy to even lift his eyes: “Two kuai.”

“Hey, don’t you think I look familiar?” Li Mo asked while scanning the payment.

“Lots of people come here every day. How would I remember everyone?”

Li Mo laughed, took the mineral water, and sat down on the curb: “You mentioned before… there’s a top student living in this neighborhood, from Huaying No. 1 High School. What’s his name?”

The convenience store owner finally lifted his eyes, finding Li Mo vaguely familiar: “Aren’t you that lost idiot from before?”

“…” Li Mo pointed to himself. “Do I look like an idiot?”

The convenience store owner scrutinized him and said seriously: “You don’t look very bright.”

“How can you talk to people like that?” Li Mo pouted, taking a sip of water. “Tell me about him, that top student.”

“The kid is named Xu Qing. He’s been super smart since he was little. Ever since he started school, he’s been bringing home all sorts of first-place awards and prizes, like they were wholesale goods,” the convenience store owner said enthusiastically. “That kid was watched by us old folks as he grew up. He’s also fair-skinned and used to be very likable when he was little. I don’t know why, but the older he got, the quieter he became. Since he started boarding, we see even less of him.”

Li Mo was stunned.

Xu… Qing…?

The convenience store owner was still chatting away: “But you can’t blame him. Growing up in a family like that, it’s a miracle Xu Qing hasn’t become depressed.”

“A family like that… what kind of family?”

“Li Mo.”

Just as the owner was about to speak, a cold, clear voice devoid of any warmth came through.

Li Mo turned his head to see Xu Qing standing in the shadow, holding a plastic bag, his gaze fixed directly on Li Mo.

Li Mo stiffened all over, feeling an ominous sense of doom: “Yo… yo, what a coincidence, Xu Qing…”

“Ah, Xiao Xu is back.” The convenience store owner got up from the rocking chair, went into the store to grab a bottle of milk, and handed it to Xu Qing with a smile. “Here, take this. Get some extra nutrition.”

Xu Qing took the milk, glanced at Li Mo: “What are you doing here?”

Li Mo scratched his head and said: “Came to get some water…”

The convenience store owner’s eyes went back and forth between the two: “So you two know each other.”

“Mhm… Mhm, we’re classmates,” To prevent Li Mo’s overly social nature from asking anything else, Xu Qing immediately pulled Li Mo away.

“Hey, hey, I wasn’t finished talking to him.” Li Mo’s wrist was held tightly, and he realized that Xu Qing was surprisingly strong.

Only after they entered the elevator did Xu Qing release his hand, leaning against the wall and looking at Li Mo, complex emotions hidden in his dark pupils.

Li Mo raised both hands, confessing: “I’m sorry, my bad.”

Xu Qing frowned: “What are you apologizing for?”

“Shouldn’t I apologize? Then I take back what I just said.”

“…”

There must be something wrong with this person’s brain.

Xu Qing put his hands in his pockets, his face cold: “Why are you here?”

“Just strolling around, strolling around… and ended up here,” Li Mo paused. “And when I first arrived in A City, I got lost and ended up here too.”

Xu Qing glanced at him: “Idiot.”

“I’m not an idiot. The navigation was broken.”

With a “ding,” the elevator door slowly opened.

This neighborhood wasn’t just dilapidated from the outside; the unit building was even more rundown. The paint on the walls had largely peeled off, making it dark and damp. The doorways of every household were cluttered with miscellaneous items, making the already narrow corridor even more crowded.

Xu Qing walked straight out of the elevator. Seeing Li Mo still standing there stunned, he was momentarily speechless: “You only get one chance to visit my home.”

“Coming, coming.”

Li Mo snapped out of it and walked out.