I Don't Want To Be Hated By Everyone. - Chapter 3

Han Tian did not notice anyone standing behind him and kept chatting with the person on the other end of the line. The person eventually interrupted him: “Alright, you should go back now. Do not let him find out. You would not be able to handle the drama, and it would also break my heart to see you upset.”

Noticing that Cheng Meng was unhappy, Han Tian coaxed him, “Be good, do not be angry. I will bring you your favorite food later.”

Cheng Meng scoffed, finding Han Tian’s words ridiculous, and stated bluntly, “I am not angry. There is no need for that.”

Cheng Shuoning turned and walked away, the conversation between the two constantly echoing in his ears. Based on that chat, Han Tian and Cheng Meng were not the distant strangers they pretended to be in public; they were actually very intimate. Moreover, this was not something that had happened overnight; it seemed to have been going on for a long time.

Recalling the disgust Han Tian had shown whenever he mentioned Cheng Meng, Cheng Shuoning felt a stifling tightness in his chest. Did Han Tian love Cheng Meng? Or was he like he was with him, treating him well on the surface while being filled with loathing inside?

How many more things is he hiding from me?

A sense of powerlessness washed over him. Cheng Shuoning did not know how he ended up in the restroom. The mirror above the sink reflected his face, which was white to the point of being translucent.

He looked miserable. But having secretly loved Han Tian for so long and having expressed his feelings multiple times, he felt even more pathetic.

Cheng Shuoning carefully avoided his wounds while washing his face. The freezing water stimulated him into feeling incredibly clear-headed. When he looked up, he suddenly saw someone else in the mirror.

A youth in a black shirt stood expressionless behind him. There were slight bruises on his face, and his right arm was wrapped in bandages, looking as if he had just gotten into a fight. Xu Wangzhi did not seem like the type to fight anyone.

Cheng Shuoning stared at the youth in the mirror, unable to snap out of it.

‘Scared?’

‘Why is your face so pale?’

‘Does your head hurt?’

‘Do I look good?’

The few sentences startled Cheng Shuoning, who subconsciously replied, “A little. It does not hurt anymore. You look good.”

He immediately realized that Xu Wangzhi had not opened his mouth at all; those were all his inner thoughts. Did someone who barely spoke at school think so much in his head? He even cared about others.

Because of the extreme contrast regarding Xu Wangzhi, Cheng Shuoning suddenly became unsure if he could truly hear people’s inner thoughts. He looked away, pretending to wash his hands while actually sneaking glances at the person in the mirror.

The youth, whose features appeared cold and distant, seemed uninterested in what Cheng Shuoning had just said and only remarked, “Move aside.”

Cheng Shuoning realized he wanted to wash his hands and immediately stepped aside. As he prepared to leave, his gaze fell on Xu Wangzhi’s arm, and he could not help but ask, “What happened to your arm?”

There were only the two of them in the restroom. Aside from the sound of running water, there was only an endless silence. Cheng Shuoning felt his question would not be answered and turned to walk away, but then he heard Xu Wangzhi say three words: “I bumped it.”

His tone was cold and devoid of any emotion, exactly the same as when they were forced to communicate at school. The faucet was immediately turned off, making the restroom even quieter.

For some reason, Cheng Shuoning remembered the earlier question, “Does your head hurt?” He wanted to ask Xu Wangzhi about it, but fearing he was overthinking, he vaguely said, “Oh, then you should get some good rest.”

He did not want to return to the hospital room. After leaving the restroom, he sat on a chair in the corridor, watching the people passing by, wanting to test if he could only hear inner thoughts when making eye contact.

Not far away, a little girl in a dress was on the phone, crying with a tear-streaked face. Noticing Cheng Shuoning, she stared at him and said into the phone, “Mm, I will not cry. I will not cry.”

‘That big brother is so pretty. Why is he staring at me? Is it because I look too ugly when I cry? Then I will not cry anymore.’

A young man pushing a wheelchair was comforting an elderly person sitting in it: “Dad, just rest easy and stay in the hospital. Do not worry about the money.” Because the wheelchair nearly bumped into Cheng Shuoning’s foot, the young man looked at him and smiled apologetically.

‘Even if I have to sell the house and the car, I will pay for your treatment. Please do not worry.’

A woman with curly hair walked by and suddenly turned to look at Cheng Shuoning.

‘Such a handsome little brother? Does he have a girlfriend? Little brother, do you like older women? Shall we have a May-December romance? Little brother is looking at me. He is so cute. Look at me one more time, little brother.’

Cheng Shuoning looked at other people who were talking but could not hear their inner thoughts, so the trigger condition was indeed eye contact.

His phone rang; it was a call from Han Tian, who must have returned to the room and not found him. Cheng Shuoning got up and returned to the room.

After calling three times with no answer, Han Tian was about to go look for him. Seeing Cheng Shuoning return, he stepped forward, anxious: “Ningning, where did you go? I was worried to death.”

Cheng Shuoning poured himself a glass of water and asked instead of answering, “Why do you hate Cheng Meng?”

Han Tian’s eyelids twitched. Not knowing why he brought up Cheng Meng again, he smiled, “Hate is hate. Do I need a reason? I just cannot stand the sight of him.”

“Really?” Cheng Shuoning stared at him.

The youth’s lips, just moistened by water, glistened slightly. Han Tian had an urge to kiss them and swallowed hard.

‘If I kiss him now, Ningning probably will not be angry, right?’

Cheng Shuoning’s hand holding the cup paused, and he frowned in displeasure. “Han Tian?”

“Really,” Han Tian replied, regaining his composure.

‘That is obviously a lie. I find him very pleasing to the eye right now; the more I look at him, the cuter he is.’

“It is one thing that he has no manners, but he also inexplicably hates you and targets you. I definitely do not like him. I like Ningning the most,” Han Tian said as he hugged Cheng Shuoning, rubbed his head, and whispered in his ear, “So Ningning, please do not ignore me like you did this morning, okay? I was worried to the point of going crazy.”

Cheng Shuoning pushed him away and placed the cup on the table. “I know.”

The ambiguous response made Han Tian freeze. He understood Cheng Shuoning’s personality very clearly: obedient and sensible, rarely angry, and occasionally acting spoiled. Their daily interaction usually involved him smiling all the time, warm like the sun. So, receiving such a reply, he could instantly feel the difference.

He was being very cold to him, lacking his usual enthusiasm and even acting distant. Han Tian felt incredibly uncomfortable. He pinched Cheng Shuoning’s cheek and teased him with a smile, “Ningning, smile. I want to see you smile; you look very cute.”

Cheng Shuoning removed his hand. “I am a bit tired.”

This time it was Han Tian’s turn to lose his smile. “Ningning, did I do something to make you unhappy? If that is the case, can you tell me? You can hit me or scold me, but please do not just sulk by yourself. It breaks my heart.”

Cheng Shuoning could guess how much of that was genuine, so he replied calmly, “Thank you for feeling heartbroken for me.”

He lay down on the bed, covered himself with the blanket, and closed his eyes.

Han Tian had no choice but to shut up and sit by the bedside. Watching Cheng Shuoning with his back to him, he took out his phone.

The phone vibrated a few times. Cheng Shuoning opened it to see an apology from Han Tian, along with many stickers. Seeing those pitiful, cute rabbit stickers, the corners of his mouth lifted subconsciously. Realizing this, he pursed his lips and hit the back button.

Just at that moment, Cheng Meng sent a message: “Heard you were hospitalized? Do you need me to come visit you?”

The highly unfriendly emoji made Cheng Shuoning pause. He typed a reply: “No need.”

“I am your brother, after all. I should visit you when something happens to you, otherwise, people will say I am heartless.”

“Then I will come visit you tomorrow.”

“Do not worry, I will bring gifts when I come to visit you.”

Cheng Shuoning ignored his sarcastic words and did not even reply to Han Tian’s messages before falling asleep.

When he woke up the next day, the sky was just barely brightening. Cheng Shuoning pulled back the covers to get out of bed to wash up and was surprised to find Han Tian sitting on a chair, lost in thought. There were obvious dark circles under his eyes, and he looked exhausted, as if he had not slept at all.

Seeing Cheng Shuoning wake up, Han Tian smiled, “Ningning, hurry up and wash up so you can eat. You did not eat dinner last night, so you must be hungry. I just went to buy this porridge; it is very delicious.”

As he spoke, he opened the thermos he had been holding, poured the porridge into a bowl, placed it on the table beside the bed, and then sat back in his previous chair, keeping his distance from Cheng Shuoning.

The sight made Cheng Shuoning’s heart ache slightly. “Did you not sleep all night?”

“I was afraid you might be hungry or uncomfortable in the night, so I did not dare sleep. But do not worry, I have a strong constitution. Even if I have not slept all night, I am still very energetic,” Han Tian said, looking at him tenderly.

‘Feel sorry for me, feel sorry for me. Now you should finally feel sorry for me and make up with me voluntarily. I really do not want to see that face without a smile anymore. Just smile at me right now, and I will not hold your previous inexplicable behavior against you.’

Cheng Shuoning silently got out of bed, washed up, changed into a new set of clothes, moved the porridge to the side, and made room for Han Tian. “You should lie down and sleep for a while. Do not collapse.”

“No need, I am fine.” Han Tian chuckled lightly. “Do not worry about me, Ningning. Hurry and eat.”

He stood up and walked over to Cheng Shuoning, reaching for the bowl. “Let me feed you.”

“No need.” Cheng Shuoning dodged his hand, appearing very resistant. “I have hands; I can eat by myself. I will not trouble you.”

Han Tian said dejectedly, “Ningning, you let me feed you before…”

Cheng Shuoning pretended not to hear him, and Han Tian had no choice but to go eat as well.

Halfway through the meal, the door was pushed open, and Cheng Meng, dressed entirely in black, walked in. He held a white flower in his hand, and the pattern printed on his short-sleeved shirt was also a white flower. With a smile on his face, he walked over and stood in front of Cheng Shuoning.

“Why are you here?” Han Tian stood up, looking extremely displeased.

“I came to see my little brother,” Cheng Meng said with a smile, placing the flower on the table. “A flower for you; I hope you like it.”

Up close, Cheng Shuoning saw clearly that the white flower was a chrysanthemum, and the pattern on Cheng Meng’s shirt was also white chrysanthemums. His gaze turned cold.

Cheng Meng’s smile widened. “Do you not like the gift I brought? Little brother? I passed by a flower shop and saw this flower and thought it suited you, so I bought it.”

“Cheng Meng, you have gone too far! What is the meaning of buying this flower?” Han Tian picked up the flower from the table, threw it on the floor, and crushed it with his shoe, glaring at Cheng Meng with full-blown anger. This time, his anger was genuine; he felt Cheng Meng was being too reckless.

“I really do not mean anything by it. Is it not customary to bring flowers when visiting a patient in the hospital? What other meaning could I possibly have?”

He finished speaking with a look of feigned innocence. Then, as if he had just remembered something, he looked at Cheng Shuoning with a realization. “Ah, I remember now. These white chrysanthemums seem to imply they are for the dead. Little brother, you do not think I sent you this flower on purpose, do you? Sorry, I really did not have any other meaning. I just felt that this flower was pure and clean, just like you, so I bought it to give to you. You will not be angry or blame me, will you?”