My Brother's Arranged Marriage Partner Is My Boyfriend - Chapter 10

Zhou Lin left immediately after delivering the message.

He didn’t specify exactly why Mo Leyang was looking for him; it seemed more like a whim on Mo Leyang’s part to have him come and pass along a word.

But regardless of whether it was or wasn’t, Bai Nanxing had to make a trip to the dormitory rooftop.

“I’m going out for a bit; I’ll be back soon.”

Yan Mo saw that he hadn’t changed his clothes and pointed a finger, reminding him: “Nanxing, you’re wearing pajamas…”

Bai Nanxing knew. He felt it was too much trouble to specifically change clothes just to go to the rooftop. “It’s fine, I’ll be right back.”

Passing through the dim stairwell and the noisy crowds, he headed up to the rooftop of the entire dormitory building.

Usually, almost no one went up there. When the school built it, it was intended for students to hang clothes and air out quilts during bad weather, but since the dormitory balconies provided enough space, the rooftop was empty most of the time.

Occasionally, some couples might go up to look at the moon, which was no longer a strange sight.

Bai Nanxing cautiously pushed open the rooftop door. Sure enough, there were quite a few couples up there. He scanned the surroundings but saw no sign of Mo Leyang.

Just as he was about to turn around and head back downstairs, a hand suddenly reached out from behind the door and yanked him back.

Thud—

Bai Nanxing didn’t react in time; he stumbled backward and realized he had bumped into something quite solid.

Looking up, he saw it was Mo Leyang’s chest.

In a panic, he quickly tried to break free from Mo Leyang’s grasp.

Instead, he heard Mo Leyang laughing. “Little junior, am I really that scary?”

Bai Nanxing didn’t respond to that. He asked directly, “Senior, is there something you wanted me for? If there’s nothing, I’m going back to study.”

Mo Leyang was determined not to let him down, blocking the rooftop entrance with his entire body. “Little junior, I hadn’t even finished what I was saying this afternoon before you ran off. Shouldn’t you give me an explanation?”

He actually dared to bring up the afternoon. Bai Nanxing looked up. “Why did you do that?”

They had no relationship; they were as ordinary as two strangers could be.

Mo Leyang thought the question was laughable, but the more Bai Nanxing showed that expression, the happier he felt. “I answered that question for you before: there is no ‘why’.”

Bai Nanxing didn’t believe him.

It was just that Mo Leyang refused to say, and it was futile to waste energy asking, so he simply shut his mouth.

“If Senior has nothing else, please move out of the way.”

Mo Leyang remained unmoved.

Bai Nanxing knew from the incident in the equipment room that his strength was no match for Mo Leyang’s. Trying to force his way through would only be asking for humiliation, so he simply leaned against the rooftop wall and started playing with his phone.

Mo Leyang originally thought Bai Nanxing would get flustered and exasperated, then continue to beg for mercy; this reaction was quite unexpected.

He shifted his steps and leaned against the wall as well, bracing one hand above Bai Nanxing’s shoulder. From another angle, it looked as if he was pinning the person against the wall, appearing somewhat intimate.

However, the rooftop was empty now. Most couples took advantage of the weekend to go out on dates or shopping. Right now, there were only the two of them on the roof, so there was no need to worry about being seen.

“Little junior, that friend of yours is interested in me. I’m right, aren’t I?”

Bai Nanxing’s hand stopped abruptly.

This reaction made Mo Leyang even more certain that he hadn’t guessed wrong. His lips curled into a smirk as he said, “If I agreed to be with him, little junior, what would you do?”

Mo Leyang leaned down to look at Bai Nanxing, but Bai Nanxing was like a monk in meditation, completely unmoved.

When he got a bit closer, Bai Nanxing ducked down, trying to slip out from under his arm.

But Mo Leyang’s reaction speed was very fast—he must have been trained. The moment Bai Nanxing tried to rush out, he was grabbed from behind by Mo Leyang and pinned back against the wall.

“Little junior, when a senior is talking, you should stand still and listen properly.”

Bai Nanxing furrowed his brows in pain. Mo Leyang’s grip was incredibly strong, as if he were about to crush his bones. “It hurts! Let go!”

Mo Leyang released him with an air of “gentlemanliness,” though his expression didn’t match his actions. He lowered his head and warned Bai Nanxing: “Little junior, if you do this again next time, don’t blame your senior for being heavy-handed.”

After saying this, he maintained a smiling face.

It was as if the person who did the previous act and the person standing there now were not the same.

Bai Nanxing looked at him helplessly, wanting to flee but unable to, like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered, looking piteous.

However, Mo Leyang didn’t see it that way. Someone who was so easily bullied and didn’t even know how to resist only made him feel more bored. “Little junior, don’t be like that. If someone sees us, they’ll misunderstand.”

Perhaps finding this version of Bai Nanxing truly boring, Mo Leyang didn’t continue. He lowered his head, whispered a few words into his ear, and then went downstairs.

Bai Nanxing acted as if he hadn’t heard anything. He rubbed his still-aching arm and, after a while, followed him down.

Yan Mo saw that the look in his eyes wasn’t right when he returned and asked with concern, “What’s wrong? Did he bully you?”

“It’s nothing, I just accidentally hit a wall.” Bai Nanxing felt his arm still throbbing and cursed Mo Leyang fiercely in his heart.

Yan Mo got him some medicine for the bruise and even thoughtfully opened it for him. “You should be more careful. A light in the dormitory hallway is broken. Someone reported it to the dorm manager to have someone fix it, but so far, let alone a repair, not even a shadow of a person has been seen.”

Bai Nanxing gave a half-hearted “mm.”

Yan Mo’s curiosity spiked again, and he leaned over to ask, “Was that guy a student from our year? A guy that handsome, I shouldn’t have missed him! Did he come in from outside?”

“No.”

That person, if Bai Nanxing guessed correctly, should be Mo Leyang’s friend and also a student at this school. But as Yan Mo said, no handsome guy in school could escape his notice; logically, it was impossible for there to be someone Yan Mo didn’t know.

Is he a new transfer too?

Together with Mo Leyang?

That would explain it.

Bai Nanxing rolled up his sleeve and found that the spot where Mo Leyang had gripped him forcefully had already turned bruised, looking as if he had been beaten.

However, his constitution had been like this since he was a child—he bruised easily from the slightest bump, and even a small pinch would leave a large red mark. Coupled with his fair skin, any mark became particularly obvious.

Yan Mo had thought he just bumped it slightly, but seeing the dark bruise, he felt a phantom pain. “Heavens, what kind of wall did you hit? Why is your arm so black and blue?! Did you fall? But it hasn’t rained lately, the ground is dry. Did you roll down the stairs?”

“That doesn’t seem right either.”

Yan Mo looked him up and down and didn’t see any dirt on Bai Nanxing’s clothes; he probably hadn’t fallen.

“I say, baby, where exactly did you hit yourself?”

“I forgot.”

“You can even forget that?!”

“I was too busy looking at my phone.”

Yan Mo could barely believe this reason, since he had had similar experiences. “Next time, don’t look at your phone while walking at night. It’s a good thing you’re on campus; if you were outside, you’d probably fall into a ditch!”

Bai Nanxing listened to him nag patiently without feeling any annoyance. After the medicine was applied, worried that the white clothes would be stained by the color of the ointment, Bai Nanxing didn’t roll his sleeve down immediately.

Once it was mostly dry, Bai Nanxing thought about going to bed to rest. Having been tossed around by Mo Leyang for half the day, he was exhausted both mentally and physically.

But as he lay his head on the pillow, his phone screen lit up.

Bai Nanxing tapped it to check; it was a message from the bar owner.

Little Star, two big clients are coming tomorrow night. Do you want to come? If so, I’ll save the spots for you.

He had to accompany Bai Yi to the Mo family over the weekend, and he wasn’t sure if he could make it back that day. Bai Nanxing could only reluctantly decline.

I have family matters tomorrow, I can’t come.

What about the day after?

Not sure yet. If I have time, I’ll go.

Alright, let me know in advance then, and I’ll save a spot for you.

Thanks, Boss.

Bai Nanxing tossed his phone beside his pillow. He felt his head throbbing as if it were about to explode, and he felt a bit dizzy. He reached up to feel his forehead; it was somewhat hot.

A fever…

Was it from the wind on the rooftop?

Bai Nanxing was too lazy to get out of bed to prepare a drink, but if he didn’t take medicine, he might burn himself into an idiot by night. After hesitating repeatedly, Bai Nanxing finally climbed down from the bed.

Yan Mo was already in bed as well. Seeing him get up to rummage through the medicine box, he leaned halfway out from his bunk and asked, “Nanxing, what are you looking for?”

“Fever medicine.”

“You have a fever?!”

Bai Nanxing gave an “mm” and found a packet of fever granules in the medicine box. There was no hot water in the dorm, only a water dispenser. After pouring the fever granules into his cup, Bai Nanxing turned on the heating switch of the dispenser.

He still had to wait a while.

With a throbbing headache, he leaned against the desk to check his phone.

The red notification dots on WeChat were all messages from Bai Yi. He didn’t know what they were about, probably concerning the trip to the Mo family tomorrow. Bai Nanxing was too lazy to look, so he simply didn’t check or reply. In any case, even if Bai Yi called, he would just hang up.

Since high school, he had stopped living according to Bai Yi’s requirements, choosing instead to live however made him comfortable. If Bai Yi didn’t give him money, he would earn it himself. Over these years, Bai Yi’s presence in his life had been nearly zero.

If the school held parent-teacher meetings, he wouldn’t tell Bai Yi. There are always a few lies in life that must be told, and his necessary lie was—that Bai Yi himself was unwilling to come, that he had already asked but Bai Yi didn’t want to attend.

And this trick worked every time, because Bai Yi himself knew that whether he was told or not, he could never lower himself to attend a parent-teacher meeting for an illegitimate son. To Bai Yi, he was a lifelong shame; the only reason he was allowed to live was because he still had a tiny bit of use.

Therefore, Bai Nanxing’s hatred for Bai Yi started from a very young age. From the moment he knew his existence was only to pave the way for Bai Ruoning, Bai Yi’s role as a father had been completely extinguished in his heart.

Gurgle—

The purified water made a boiling sound.

Dragging his feverish body, Bai Nanxing poured a cup of boiling water. After the medicine was completely dissolved, he blew on it a few times until the water reached a normal temperature. He drank it all in one gulp, then climbed back into bed and closed his eyes to sleep.