CH 26

Chapter 26 Stroking

The results of the student union selection were posted on the bulletin board two days later. Jian Chi stopped and searched through it for two rounds. Bai Xiyu’s name was not on the 

list. 

Expected result.

The soft water wrapped around his body and dispelled the exhaustion of the morning. Gao Yan was away today, and the substitute teacher urged several students who were chatting together on the shore to swim. Jian Chi wanted to be lazy, and slowly paddled through the water, feeling the buoyancy. 

After taking a shower and changing clothes, Jian Chi habitually left early. When he walked out of the swimming pool, he encountered a figure at the corner and was about to avoid him, but the other party moved and stood in front of him. 

Jian Chi raised his head, his mind blank for a few seconds. 

Wen Chuan’s long wet hair was draped behind him, and his nearly perfect facial features were enlarged in front of him as if he when he had fell the other day. His eyes were so cold that he could not see any excess emotions. Jian Chi held his breath and took a step back, “…is there something wrong?” 

After a few seconds of silence, Wen Chuan’s thin lips moved, and he spat out a sentence: “Mr. Gao asked me to tell you that the registration for the swimming competition will close in two days.” 

The voice fell in his ears and Jian Chi’s heart was put back little by little, “I have already told Teacher Gao I’m not going to participate.” 

Wen Chuan didn’t speak, and Jian Chi asked tentatively, “I’m leaving first, okay?”

He didn’t know why, when facing Wen Chuan, Jian Chi always had an inexplicable guilty conscience. Maybe he couldn’t help but recall the situation when Wen Chuan fainted on him that day and the misunderstanding in the infirmary. But before Jian Chi could continue to think about it, he heard Wen Chuan ask, “Why won’t you participate?” 

Jian Chi thought he had hallucinated and was stunned for a while. 

“…because there is no interest.” 

Wen Chuan opened his eyes lightly, “I thought you wanted to avoid me that’s why you refused.” 

Jian Chi’s temples twitched, and he wondered if Wen Chuan in front of him had been substituted. Looking back at the past, there were only a handful of conversations between them, and Wen Chuan had always been outrageously indifferent. The sudden attention made Jian Chi have to take precautions, but ‘avoid’ was not a complete lie. 

Was he that obvious? 

“You’re not the reason. If there is nothing else, I’ll go first.” 

Wen Chuan pursed his lips and his eyes were stained with a slight color. He didn’t move and whispered: “Ointment.” 

Jian Chi felt that it was extremely difficult to communicate with him, “What?” 

“Didn’t you say I could get ointment from you?” 

Wen Chuan’s voice and expression were cold and hard when he said this. If he ignored the content of the words, Jian Chi would have thought that he had done something wrong and he was here for revenge. But in the end, it was just for a tube of ointment? 

For a moment, Jian Chi suspected that Teacher Gao’s words were just the Wen Chuan’s cover. He had already rejected him once and Gao Yan never mentioned it again after that. How could he let Wen Chuan, who was not familiar with him at all, speak up?

Countless thoughts were entangled into a ball, but Jian Chi didn’t say it directly. He took out the ointment he brought with him from his bag and handed it to Wen Chuan, “You can use it, you don’t need to return it.” 

There was no other way, these words were indeed said to Wen Chuan himself when he did not know anything before. Instead of abruptly refusing that may arouse Wen Chuan’s suspicion, Jian Chi chose to use the ointment to escape. 

“I will pay you back.” Wen Chuan said. 

They had been standing here for too long and someone would come out of the swimming pool in a few minutes. If they see him talking to Wen Chuan, they will inevitably be rumored again. Jian Chi left a ‘no need’ and walked quickly towards the direction of departure. 

Naturally, he didn’t notice Wen Chuan’s following gaze. 

This subtle episode didn’t make Jian Chi entangled as before, maybe because there were too many variables, he didn’t even feel the entanglement. Compared to this, what he cared more about was that tomorrow was Saturday. 

In the empty corridor, there was only a melodious piano sound from the classroom at the end. Jian Chi stood at the door and dawdled for a while. The door in front of his was suddenly opened from the inside. Shao Hang leaned against the door and smiled lazily, “Aren’t you coming in?” 

Jian Chi had no choice but to follow in. 

In fact, he didn’t know what he needed to do here at all. Shao Hang probably just wanted a toy that could be ravaged at will, as a pastime when he was bored. Jian Chi couldn’t help sighing in the bottom of his heart, and walked to the piano resignedly. 

After sitting down, Shao Hang glanced at him, “Why are you standing so upright? I didn’t ask you to come over and be a sculpture.” 

After saying that, he hooked his fingers. Jian Chi hesitated for a moment, then took a step forward. Who would have expected that Shao Hang would pull him to the chair in the next second, and he hit the other party’s chest unprepared. Jian Chi hurriedly straightened up and sat a little to the side. 

“Have you played the piano before?” Shao Hang asked casually, not caring about his vigilance. 

Jian Chi shook his head stiffly, “No.” 

“Do you want to learn?” Shao Hang leaned closer to the piano, with a funny smile on his lips, “The rest is too difficult, but twinkle twinkle little star is easy to learn, do you want to try?” 

Jian Chi didn’t think that what he said last time when he was joking would turn out to be serious. He said uncertainly: “No need.” 

Shao Hang seemed to not understand the rejection at all, so he grabbed Jian Chi’s wrist and placed each finger on the correct key. His arms naturally wrapped around his body, his broad palm covered the back of his hand, pressing down the first note.

With their hands touching each other without any space between, Jian Chi wanted to withdraw, but he couldn’t get rid of Shao Hang’s strength, so he was forced to play the notes one by one. 

He could feel Shao Hang’s body leaning very close, his chest next to his back rising and falling slightly with his breathing, including the heat blowing in his ears, which belonged to Shao Hang’s domineering aura. 

Jian Chi had never been so close to anyone and every cell in his body was expelling rejection. He wanted to dodge to the side, but Shao Hang suddenly tightened his hand, and his casual voice was mixed with a faint indifference: “Concentrate.” 

What is the difference between his concentration and his inattentiveness? It wasn’t him who played the piano anyway. 

At the end of the song, Shao Hang looked unfulfilled and smiled, “Do it again?” 

Jian Chi withdrew his hot hand, “No.” 

“How can you learn to play the piano by just playing once?” Shao Hang said, “I’m teaching someone to play the piano for the first time, aren’t you happy?” 

“Should I be happy?” 

Jian Chi couldn’t bear it any longer and said word by word, “Can you first distinguish the difference between teaching and harassment?” 

“Is that right?” 

Shao Hang was still smiling, but Jian Chi felt an unspeakable danger looming over him. His tailbone seemed to have a tingling electric current, and he sat back, “Didn’t you say last time not to make a move as much as possible?” 

“Did I say that?” Shao Hang raised his eyebrows, his smile mixed with a hint of playfulness, “I did say it, but I said ‘try my best’, and now I’m taking it back.” 

Jian Chi was pulled over by surprise, his back touched the keys, and the chaotic piano sound rang out from under his body. Shao Hang supported Jian Chi’s lower back with one hand, rubbed the uniform for a moment inadvertently, and leaned close to him, his lips almost touching his earlobe, “This is considered harassment.” 

“Shao Hang, let go.” Jian Chi, who lost his focus, could only hold his shoulders and say stiffly.

“I am here.” 

Laughter sounded in his ears. Being in a weak position made Jian Chi feel a little ashamed from the bottom of his heart. He barely suppressed the trembling in his voice and asked, “Aren’t you always with Bai Xiyu? Why don’t you go to him now?” 

“Are you angry?” Shao Hang chuckled in a low voice, “It was really interesting to see his frantic expression at first, but it’s too easy to get bored. In comparison…” 

His warm finger pressed against Jian Chi’s cheek. The force was a little heavy, slightly painful, accompanied by a voice that was deeper and more pleasant than the sound of the piano: “It’s more interesting to see the way you get angry and dare not say it every time.” 

Gets bored is a too general statement. Jian Chi couldn’t guess what Shao Hang was thinking, and asked weakly, “Didn’t you say I was boring?” 

“Boring is boring, but it’s not without merit.” 

After saying that, the light in Shao Hang’s eyes dimmed for a while. His fingers brushed away Jian Chi’s hair, rubbing the skin under his left eye lightly as if he had discovered some interesting secret. He said in a low voice, “So there’s a mole hidden here.” 

The slow movement brought a hint of indescribable ambiguity and Jian Chi felt that piece of skin became hot. 

The encroachment in Shao Hang’s eyes was too clear, as if he wanted to strip off his coat and see through it from the inside out. Jian Chi got up quickly, the foot of the chair made a harsh sound on the floor, and he turned and left. He ignored the pleasant laughter behind him. 

“I’ll stop teasing you,” Shao Hang’s voice came. “Come back, I’ll take you to a fun place.”