Desk-mate, Do You Like Me? - Chapter 85

Chapter 85

The voice on the phone was like a rusty key, abruptly turning in the lock of the past that Xu Qing was trying to seal away. Bai Sheng. The name carried the damp, gloomy air of his middle school days, instantly pulling him back to those deliberately forgotten corners—Bai Sheng’s mocking gaze, Bai Ziqi’s sneering encouragement from the side, and his own foolish, first crush that had been trampled for being worthless.

Xu Qing’s knuckles instantly turned white. The cool evening breeze on the balcony hit his face, but instead of bringing relief, it acted like a catalyst, fueling an unnamable fire from the depths of his heart.

He could almost picture Yu Wenxiu, after putting down her coffee cup, with a knowing, even implicitly triumphant expression, casually handing over his contact information and the past he wished to avoid to Bai Sheng. This was a warning, and even more, a humiliation.

“What is there to talk about between us?” Xu Qing’s voice was cold as ice, struggling to suppress the churning emotions.

Bai Sheng let out a slight laugh on the other end of the phone. The laugh carried no warmth, but a complex, needling curiosity: “Don’t be so standoffish, old classmate. I heard you are… with Li Mo now?”

He paused, a trace of an emotion—perhaps jealousy, perhaps something else—creeping into his tone: “I really didn’t expect that. I just thought, since we’re both in Beijing, some things… maybe should be cleared up? After all, we used to…”

“The past is long gone,” Xu Qing cut him off sharply, unwilling to hear him utter any word related to “past.” “I don’t want to bring it up, and there’s no need to meet.”

“Is that so?” Bai Sheng’s voice also deepened, the feigned casualness gone. “Xu Qing, what are you afraid of? Afraid of seeing me, or afraid of remembering how you used to be like a…”

“Bai Sheng!” Xu Qing stopped him with a sharp rebuke, his chest heaving violently. He closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down. He could no longer let Bai Sheng manipulate his emotions, nor fall into the opponent’s usual trap of degradation and control. “I don’t want to waste words with you. If you called just to say this, then we have nothing to talk about.”

He was about to hang up.

“Wait!” Bai Sheng quickly called out, his voice tinged with urgency, and even a hint of… an emotion Xu Qing had never heard from Bai Sheng before, akin to remorse. “Xu Qing, I… I know some things in the past were my fault.”

This statement caused Xu Qing’s finger, poised over the hang-up button, to freeze. He almost thought he misheard. Bai Sheng apologizing? The arrogant and self-important Bai Sheng who always enjoyed trampling on others’ feelings?

There was a moment of silence on the other end, as if Bai Sheng was choosing his words carefully. His voice was lowered, carrying an awkward stiffness: “I was young and ignorant back then… said some despicable things and did some… excessive things. I heard you and Li Mo are doing well now. I… I just thought, maybe we can… let bygones be bygones?”

Let bygones be bygones? Xu Qing sneered inwardly. How could those deep-seated humiliations and hurts be simply erased with a light “young and ignorant”? Furthermore, Bai Sheng’s “apology” at this moment sounded completely insincere, more like a prelude to achieving some goal. Was it because of Li Mo?

Because he found out the Xu Qing he could casually look down upon was now with Li Mo, whom he might have once looked up to?

“I’ve received your ‘apology’,” Xu Qing’s voice was devoid of any warmth. “But there’s no need to meet. We are not on coffee-drinking terms. Please don’t contact me again in the future.”

He didn’t give Bai Sheng another chance to speak, immediately hanging up and efficiently blocking the number.

Having done all this, he leaned against the cool balcony railing, taking a deep breath. The evening breeze finally seemed to bring a little coolness, extinguishing the fire in his heart. He looked up at the night sky, which was reddened by the city lights, his mood complex and hard to describe.

Bai Sheng’s appearance was like a stone thrown into a lake, inevitably creating ripples. These ripples were not just about the pain of the past, but also about the present.

Yu Wenxiu’s move was precise and vicious.

She not only investigated his past but also brought the person he least wanted to see right in front of him. This was a reminder that his past was not “clean,” that his world contained “stains” like Bai Sheng, and that these could all become “unstable factors” affecting Li Mo.

He returned to the living room. Li Mo was coming out of the study with a glass of water. Seeing him on the balcony, he asked with concern: “Whose call was that? You were on the phone for so long?”

Xu Qing looked into Li Mo’s clear, worried eyes. The name “Bai Sheng” tumbled in his throat, but was ultimately swallowed.

He didn’t want to disturb Li Mo with this frustrating matter at this time, and even less did he want to explain the past he considered a humiliation. He managed a smile that wasn’t quite natural: “Nothing, a sales call. Very persistent. I blocked the number.”

Li Mo walked over, looked closely at his complexion, and reached out to touch his cheek: “Why is your face a little pale? Did you catch a chill from the wind?”

“Maybe,” Xu Qing leaned into his arms, soaking up the reassuring warmth from his body. “It’s fine, I’ll be better in a moment.”

Li Mo hugged him tightly, rubbing his chin against the top of his head, whispering: “You have to tell me if anything is wrong. Don’t carry things by yourself, okay?”

“Mhm,” Xu Qing responded muffledly, his heart heavy. He didn’t want to hide anything from Li Mo, but at this moment, he needed time to process this sudden shock alone and figure out how to counter Yu Wenxiu’s hidden move.

He knew Bai Sheng wouldn’t give up so easily. And Yu Wenxiu was quietly standing behind the scenes, waiting to see how this variable, personally introduced by her, would stir up the game between her and Xu Qing.

…

Li Mo was going to A-University, and Xu Qing to Peking University.

The start of the academic year was approaching, which meant the two would begin a long-distance relationship.

From a week before the start of the semester until now, as he sat in the car heading to A-University, Li Mo still felt a sense of unreality.

Just weeks ago, he was interning at a company, and in the blink of an eye, he was going to university.

“Qing Qing, I really don’t want to leave you,” Li Mo said, practically leaning his entire body on Xu Qing.

Xu Qing’s semester started a little later, giving him time to see Li Mo off.

Xu Qing was merciless: “Deal with it.”

“Qing Qing, if you keep this up, do you believe I’ll… do you believe I’ll…” Li Mo made a show of raising his fist, but delayed the action.

Xu Qing couldn’t be bothered with his childish tricks.

“Do you believe I’ll… kiss you to death?” The next second, Li Mo hugged Xu Qing tightly and planted several kisses on his face.

Liu Lan, sitting in the passenger seat, couldn’t help but laugh.

Xu Qing was blushing furiously, pushing the shameless man clinging to him away.

Li Mo and Yu Wenxiu’s relationship was still in an awkward, strange phase. Ye Zhong was too busy with work to accompany him, so Chen Zewei and Liu Lan happily took on the task.

To them, Li Mo was already considered their “son-in-law.”

Upon arrival at A-University, the school gate was jam-packed, with horns blaring and shouts rising and falling.

The school’s accommodation fee included bed sheets, bedding, and pillows. Li Mo didn’t bring much luggage, only some daily necessities and clothes.

Since he was in A City, he could conveniently stay at Yu Wencheng’s place on the weekends.

By the time all the enrollment procedures were completed and the dorm room was tidied, it was already noon.

The two young men had been busy all morning and were sweaty and tired. Liu Lan and Chen Zewei hadn’t been able to help much, so they went to buy water for the two overheated boys.

Li Mo and Xu Qing sat side by side in the shade of a tree, watching students drag their suitcases past.

The shadows of the trees danced, and light spots flickered on their bodies. In the brief silence, the sadness of parting quietly spread again.

Li Mo turned his head, looking at Xu Qing’s sweat-dampened temples and his slightly furrowed brow. His heart was a mess of tenderness and unspeakable sourness. He quietly stretched out his hand, hooked Xu Qing’s pinky finger, which was hanging by his side, and gently shook it.

“Qing Qing,” his voice was very low, with a subtle hint of reliance. “I’ll be here alone from now on.”

Xu Qing had been staring into the bustling crowd, lost in thought. Feeling the touch of his finger and the loneliness in Li Mo’s words, his heart tightened. He flipped his hand over, gripping Li Mo’s hand with some force, as if to transmit some kind of strength through the action.

“You’re not alone,” he turned his head, looking at Li Mo with calm and firm eyes. “If you miss me… you can call.”

He paused, remembering Bai Sheng’s irritating face and Yu Wenxiu’s cold scrutiny, his eyes darkening a few shades: “You take good care of yourself here. Don’t… don’t pay attention to irrelevant people or matters.”

He still couldn’t bring himself to mention Bai Sheng directly, only offering this vague reminder. He trusted Li Mo, but he didn’t trust Bai Sheng. That person was like an unstable bomb, unpredictable in when or how he would appear to disrupt everything.

Li Mo keenly caught the subtle tension in his words, connecting it to the earlier “sales call” that had made his face pale. His suspicion deepened. But he didn’t press for answers. He just held Xu Qing’s hand tighter, nodding solemnly: “I know. You, too, don’t overwork yourself. Take it slow with your projects; your health is most important.”

Just then, a female voice interrupted them: “Um… that… could I have your contact information?”

Looking up, the girl was wearing a cute JK uniform and a neat bob haircut. Her face was flushed with shyness. Any other man would have instantly succumbed.

But Li Mo was not “any other man.”

Li Mo was taken aback, and stated bluntly: “I don’t sign up for membership cards.”

“…”

The girl was visibly stunned by the answer.

She gathered her courage, raised her phone again, and asked: “Um… I’m not…”

Li Mo continued: “I’m not signing up for campus cards or haircut cards. Miss, you should try someone else. Sorry about that.”

“…”

The girl looked about to cry. She covered her face and ran away.

Xu Qing held his forehead.

This way of thinking no longer belonged in the category of straight man.

Was this even the thought process of a normal person?