No One Else Will Do But You - Chapter 90

The final year of high school was a repetitive, suffocating cycle of study. For Shu Luo, the pressure felt like a beautiful cage. While the school boasted a 90% university acceptance rate, the price was the “burning of youth.”

Shu Luo began cutting class toward the end of the first semester. He couldn’t stand being a study machine. What frustrated him most was seeing Jiang Mu—who seemed to sleep through everything—still excelling effortlessly.

Shu Luo’s sanctuary was the school rooftop. He had learned how to pick the lock (thanks to TV and the internet), and he loved watching the cherry blossom trees—transplanted from Japan—scattering their petals over the elite campus.

One day, while leaning against the safety fence, a familiar broad chest pressed against his back. The scent was unmistakable.

“Brother, are you cutting class too?” Shu Luo asked with a grin, not needing to turn around.

“What are you doing up here?” Jiang Mu asked, resting a hand on Shu Luo’s head. “How many times have you skipped this week?”

“I just needed air,” Shu Luo shrugged. “Look at the school; it’s actually beautiful from up here.”

Jiang Mu wrapped an arm around Shu Luo’s shoulder, pulling him close. Shu Luo felt his heart rate suddenly spike. What is this feeling?

“If the view is this good, why didn’t you invite me?” Jiang Mu’s magnetic voice vibrated near Shu Luo’s ear, sending a shiver down his spine.

Shu Luo flashed back to a week ago. He had been napping at his desk when he felt a soft pressure on his lips. He had kept his eyes shut, trembling with nerves. He knew it was Jiang Mu. It wasn’t the first time he’d caught Jiang Mu “stealing” a kiss while he pretended to sleep.

The realization was terrifying: His best friend was gay, and he liked him.

Back on the rooftop, the tension was thick. “Are you annoyed by the studying,” Jiang Mu asked, his grip tightening slightly, “or are you annoyed by me?”

“I haven’t said anything! Don’t squeeze so hard,” Shu Luo grumbled, trying to push him away.

“Tell me what you think,” Jiang Mu whispered, his gaze fixed on Shu Luo’s pale earlobe. “Tell me your thoughts on me.”

“Thoughts? On my best friend liking me?” Shu Luo bit his lip. “I’m not gay, Jiang Mu.”

“I know,” Jiang Mu replied calmly.

“I know what the next line is,” Shu Luo cut in. “‘But you just happen to be the one I love,’ right?”

The silence that followed was heavy. Shu Luo patted Jiang Mu’s hand. “Look, I’m surprised. I’m still processing this. I’m sorry.” Then he changed the subject. “Why did I choose medicine? I told you, I’m interested in it.”

“Liar,” Jiang Mu smiled, kissing his earlobe. “You chose it for me.”

Shu Luo exploded, pushing him away and stuttering in indignation. But as he looked at Jiang Mu standing there in his school uniform, bathed in the afternoon light, he couldn’t help but think: Damn, he’s handsome.

A week later, the school was in “free review” mode for the mock exams. Most students were in the dormitory study area. Shu Luo and Jiang Mu were alone in their dorm room.

Shu Luo was trying to focus on a practice test, but he kept glancing at Jiang Mu, who was lazily reading a magazine. Why isn’t he leaving? Is he going to study here?

At 9:00 PM, Shu Luo finally drifted off, face-down on his desk. Jiang Mu stood up to drape a coat over him. Just as he leaned in, Shu Luo snapped his head up.

“Aha! Caught you! Trying to steal a kiss again? No way, I—”

Jiang Mu didn’t wait. He cupped the back of Shu Luo’s neck and kissed him deeply.

Shu Luo’s heart hammered so loudly he thought it would burst. “Breathe, you idiot,” Jiang Mu whispered, pulling back with a smirk.

Enraged and flustered, Shu Luo stood on his tiptoes and bit Jiang Mu’s lip. The shock in Jiang Mu’s eyes quickly turned to mischief. He pulled Shu Luo into a firm embrace and kissed him back even harder.

“Breathe,” Jiang Mu murmured again.

Shu Luo stepped back, accidentally knocking his diary off the desk. It fell open to a specific page. Jiang Mu’s laughter filled the room as he read the entry:

I made a wish: to help you achieve your dream. I hope you can be happy; then I will be happy too.

“So you like me this much? Achieving my dreams for me?” Jiang Mu teased.

Shu Luo scrambled to snatch the diary back, shoving it into a drawer. “It wasn’t about you!”

“Not me? Then who? Wang Kai? Li Xing? Zhang Feiyang?”

Footsteps approached the door. With practiced precision, the two sat back in their seats, looking perfectly “normal” just as Wang Kai walked in.

Wang Kai looked at their stiff postures. “Fighting again?”

“We weren’t fighting!” Shu Luo snapped.

“Really?” Wang Kai looked at their beds. “You two haven’t shared a bed in three weeks. If it’s not a fight, what is it?”

Shu Luo’s face went black. Shared a bed?!