Chapter 236: IF Route 8 (Extra 10)
That day, the couple Wu Shiming and Zeng Like did not leave the school immediately. Instead, they turned to the teachers’ office and asked around before finally finding out who Wu Heng’s homeroom teacher was, which office he was in, and what he looked like.
The homeroom teacher poured hot tea for the two people he had never met before. When he heard that they wanted to transfer Wu Heng to another school, he sat down in shock. “At a time like this? A transfer?”
There was less than a month left until the college entrance exam. Regardless of whether his grades were good or bad, what was the point of transferring now?
But the two of them insisted.
The homeroom teacher had no choice but to say nothing.
“Have you asked the child what he wants?” the teacher could only say. He was certain Wu Heng would not agree to their request, nor would he submit obediently—because Wu Heng had already been led astray by that little brat, Xie Chongyi.
Zeng Like smiled very politely. “Something as big as a transfer—what use is a child’s opinion? A few drinking buddies are enough to make him reluctant to leave?”
The teacher’s expression grew serious as he shook his head. “That’s not how it should be said.”
“You mean…”
“I can’t allow Wu Heng to transfer at this time. The college entrance exam is almost here. Whatever urgent matters there are, they should wait until after the exams.” After a pause, he continued, “That said, honoring one’s parents comes first among all virtues. If there’s going to be a funeral at home, as his teacher I will of course help persuade Wu Heng.”
Zeng Like’s mouth slowly fell open. What kind of thing was that to say?
Half an hour later, they found the principal and complained that Wu Heng’s homeroom teacher had cursed their family to have a death.
Another half hour later, Wu Heng’s classmates all saw their homeroom teacher solemnly bowing at a ninety-degree angle to that couple.
There was nothing that could be done. That was how the world was.
However, judging from the malicious look on Wu Shiming and Zeng Like as they left, their wish had likely not been fulfilled. In any case, the students could at least take the exams smoothly.
This was also when Wu Heng finally came to understand what their homeroom teacher had always been saying:
“We are one body. No matter where we go, we must help one another. That is what friendship among classmates is. I love you all. I should love you all, so there is no friendship between us. I have a duty to love you. I was born to love you all. Don’t include me in your moral obligations.”
As the fog cleared and dispersed, Wu Heng saw a vast, lush forest—and he himself was just one of the trees within it.
Because of this, many students in the class started talking about celebrating.
They had always seen posts online about “escaping one’s family of origin,” but this was the first time they had encountered someone in real life whose parents truly seemed intent on destroying their child’s future—and they had actually helped make the escape happen. Of course it was worth celebrating properly.
“But Wu Heng, if you’ve fallen out with your family now, where are you going to live?” a girl named Dou Lu asked, tapping her head with her pen, unable to figure it out.
Wu Heng wasn’t good at socializing, so Xie Chongyi stepped in. “He’s staying at my place right now.”
“Wow, class monitor is so responsible! If I argue with my parents in the future, can I also go to your house?”
“No.”
Someone else said, “Idiot! If you go bothering the class monitor over everything, are you turning his home into a shelter for stray people?”
The always-silent Xue Shen spoke up then. “I don’t want to dampen the mood, but I still suggest we put the gathering on hold and wait until after the exams.”
Everyone agreed with that suggestion.
As the small class meeting was about to end, Wu Heng said softly, “I’ll treat everyone then.”
Xie Chongyi was standing not too far away from him, glanced over, and said in a tone that was neither warm nor cold:
“Don’t. They’ll eat your wallet clean. Just buy some drinks. I remember there’s still a lot of class funds left—either we use that, or we split it and share the cost later.”
The others didn’t detect any sense of favoritism. Instead, they all thought the class monitor was being thorough and considerate. As expected of the class monitor—this job really wasn’t something just anyone could handle.
—
In the evening after school, Xie Chongyi and Wu Heng went to buy ice cream outside the school gate.
“I’ll treat you,” Wu Heng said.
Xie Chongyi picked the cheapest popsicle.
Wu Heng glanced at him quietly and said, “Mom likes fish tails, right?”
Xie Chongyi laughed and lightly patted the back of his head. “You’re overthinking it. Everything I eat tastes the same to me anyway—just sweet.”
But Wu Heng could still taste the differences, so he picked a red bean ice cream instead.
On the way home, they kept buying snacks and drinks, because there was almost nothing at home. Occasionally, if they saw a small toy they liked, they would think of the parrot at home and buy it to bring back for it.
That day, unusually, Xie Chongyi stopped in front of a pharmacy.
He bit into his popsicle, narrowed his eyes, and held Wu Heng’s cool, soft fingers in his other hand, his expression unreadable.
Wu Heng, completely unaware, thought they were just waiting for the traffic light.
But when the light turned green, the person holding his hand still didn’t move. Only then did he turn back and look at Xie Chongyi in confusion.
Xie Chongyi let go of his hand. “Wait for me.”
He quickly came out of the pharmacy.
Under the tree, the two of them stood there. One of them opened both sides of a paper medicine bag, exposing the items inside to the other boy’s eyes. The orange-red glow of the sunset suddenly spilled across Wu Heng’s face. He was still biting his red bean ice cream, which melted faster and faster in his mouth.
“If you agree, we’ll do it; if not, never mind,” Xie Chongyi said.
Wu Heng asked, looking confused, “I thought you didn’t want to?”
“?”
For the rest of the ride, they said nothing, their hands clasped tightly together like two veins twisted tightly around each other, oozing a liquid that was either blood or sweat.
The elevator moved much, much slower than usual. Xie Chongyi leaned against the wall of the cabin, tilted his head back to look at the light above, and exhaled softly.
Halfway up, he turned his head to look at Wu Heng. Wu Heng stood perfectly straight, the popsicle stick still being chewed over and over in his mouth, the sound of wood shavings crunching.
Xie Chongyi took the wooden stick out of his mouth.
“Ding”
The elevator doors opened just then. Xie Chongyi pulled Wu Heng out, casually tossing the chewed-up stick aside. As he walked toward the entrance, he turned his head and kissed Wu Heng. Both of them stumbled slightly; Wu Heng was pressed against the door. After the sound of the fingerprint lock unlocking, his body was pushed inside.
They often acted like this at home. Boys at this age always had boundless energy, but their previous actions had been aimless—driven solely by the desire to get closer, even closer. So once that need was satisfied, they would naturally stop.
But today, they knew exactly what they were doing and where they were headed.
Wu Heng had washed up and was lying face-down on the bed.
Xie Chongyi stood behind him and unscrewed a small bottle of something oily and slippery.
“I told her it was for my boyfriend, and she said we should use this to avoid you getting hurt.”
But even with it, it still hurt.
Xie Chongyi looked at the tears glistening in Wu Heng’s eyes and almost couldn’t bear to continue.
But he still pressed down on Wu Heng’s slender back, preventing him from crawling away, and thrust all the way in.
The boy’s cries were somewhere between a moan and a whimper, yet they didn’t betray his nature; his voice was low and pitiful.
Xie Chongyi kissed his sweat-drenched back, waiting for him to adjust and accept it. He called him “baby,” told him not to cry, until his heart was softened and shattered by his tears.
Wu Heng couldn’t remember how he’d managed to sleep through that night—or perhaps he’d simply passed out. During it all, he felt as though he’d been tossed into an alchemical furnace like a monkey; the pain was unbearable, yet he’d gained something from it.
Xie Chongyi had never spoken to him so gently and soothingly before, but his actions and tone were moving in completely opposite directions. Having gotten a taste for it, he had no intention of stopping.
The next day, Wu Heng didn’t go to class because he had a low-grade fever.
This broke Xie Chongyi’s heart and filled him with guilt, even though he had actually been very careful.
Xie Chongyi called in sick for Wu Heng, but after making sure Wu Heng was settled, he went to school himself. Although he didn’t need to study, Wu Heng still did.
“If there’s anything you want to eat, give me a call. I’ll bring it to you after school,” Xie Chongyi said as he left.
Wu Heng curled up under the covers, her cheeks slightly flushed, but her lips pale, making her dark eyes stand out even more. “Bye.”
The parrot mimicked Wu Heng’s voice, saying “bye” in a sweet, high-pitched tone, earning a roll of the eyes from Xie Chongyi.
He dozed off for a while, then another, then another—his sleep was fitful. The medicine he’d taken that morning had made him break out in a sweat, so he got up to take a shower. His fever had clearly gone down, but after the shower, it spiked again.
But he couldn’t fall back asleep. He took two books from Xie Chongyi’s bookshelf, read them while leaning against the headboard, then got up to grab some snacks from the cabinet and eat them. Finally, he lay on the sofa watching TV.
His life had always been like this. It was the quiet life he’d once longed for—one where no one would suddenly punch him—but now he found it a bit boring.
He fell asleep again, or perhaps he didn’t. In any case, if Xie Chongyi came back, he’d know.
—
Teachers were very understanding about Wu Heng’s leave of absence. They believed he must have been deeply hurt by his parents’ harshness, which was why he needed a day to rest.
The teachers also sent him quite a lot of study materials, while classmates brought him food, hoping he would recover quickly and not be affected in his condition before the exams.
Xie Chongyi accepted all of it without the slightest hint of guilt.
“He’ll get better soon. Thank you all for your concern.”
After school, Xie Chongyi first went to the shopping mall, then to a restaurant, and only returned home at nightfall, carrying several large bags.
The entryway was completely dark. He paused for a moment before putting the bags down. After closing the door, he turned and found the person he was looking for in the living room—Wu Heng was curled up on the sofa watching TV. The flickering light from the screen fell across his face. Because he was ill, his complexion was poor, making him look almost ghostly.
“You’re back late,” Wu Heng said. “Did the teacher keep class overtime?”
Xie Chongyi walked over and pressed his forehead against his. “I bought you some clothes.”
“I already have clothes,” Wu Heng said, tilting his head back slightly.
“But a lot of them don’t fit you anymore.” Xie Chongyi placed a hand on his stomach, his expression shifting slightly. “How many snacks did you eat?”
When Wu Heng didn’t answer, he ruffled his hair into a mess.
“I put the phone numbers of a few food delivery places by your bed before I left. Just call them and they’ll deliver meals. I already paid.”
“I didn’t notice.”
That made it impossible for Xie Chongyi to scold him. To be honest, no matter what Wu Heng did wrong, he could never find a reason to blame him—because there was always a reason strong enough to forgive him.
“Come eat first. I brought food.”
What Xie Chongyi brought were mostly light, mild dishes. Wu Heng liked them very much and ate heartily, finishing about two-thirds.
That night, the two of them did nothing and fell asleep in each other’s arms.
The bite marks and kiss marks on Wu Heng’s body took at least a week to fade, and he didn’t go to school for that entire week. Every day after school, Xie Chongyi would come back and “feed” him the things he had learned at school.
At the monthly exam half a month later, Wu Heng finally appeared at school. Teachers and classmates all said he seemed to have gained a little weight. A bit more flesh looked better on him—before, his face had always been deathly pale, but now there was finally some color to it.
In this exam, Wu Heng suddenly surged into the top ten of the grade, which truly made everyone except Xie Chongyi take a sharp breath.
So it turned out it had really been his family holding him back—his foundation was genuinely strong.
Praise continued nonstop, while Xie Chongyi still sat far away from Wu Heng as usual, though every so often a faint, proud smile would appear on his face.
—
On the day of the exam, it was Xie Chongyi who sent Wu Heng to the exam center. He wasn’t wearing a school uniform, but still looked like a student. Some parents even asked why he wasn’t going in—whether he had been expelled or something. Xie Chongyi replied that he already had a guaranteed admission, earning himself a disgruntled “how annoying.”
Wu Heng had once treated the exam as extremely important, as if it were the only path he had, with cliffs on all sides.
Now, however, he had relaxed. One path, many paths—there were plenty of ways forward.
During the exam days, the city was under clear, blazing sunshine, and the temperature kept rising. But the students weren’t tired, and neither were the parents waiting outside.
After the exams ended, both students and parents collectively slept very well.
After a few days of rest, the students arranged a gathering time. That morning, the door to Xie Chongyi’s house was knocked on. The first group outside chattered nonstop. After a while, someone finally opened the door, and before the boy inside could even see who had arrived, several gusts of wind rushed past him.
“Holy crap, class monitor, your house is huge—it could fit a football field!”
“I need to pee, where’s the bathroom?”
“I can’t believe it, I love this TV. This must cost tens of thousands!”
The noise from them made Xie Chongyi’s eardrums ache. And not everyone who said they were coming had arrived yet.
The one looking for the bathroom ended up finding their bedroom instead. “Hey, isn’t this Wu Heng? He’s still asleep? It’s almost noon…”
They looked around the house as if they were touring a place, and in the end realized there was only one bedroom that was actually being used.
“You two are already this grown up, but still sharing a room. Is that even convenient?”
Xie Chongyi didn’t answer. Wu Heng was asleep and wouldn’t respond either. The person who asked didn’t think much of it anyway—the focus today was eating, drinking, and having fun.
Boxes of food and drinks were carried upstairs. Everyone had their roles: some picked vegetables, some chopped, some washed fruit. Those who had nothing to do either squeezed in front of the TV so they wouldn’t get in the way, or stood around the workers and chimed in like commentators.
In an instant, the house was bustling, lively—but not cramped.
Lin Mengzhi also came today, and he was in charge of cooking. Clever and socially skilled from years of experience in the outside world, he knew exactly how to talk to people. He made the girls laugh nonstop, and the boys quickly called him “bro.” At a glance, no one would even notice he didn’t really belong to their group.
Xue Shen arrived last. Xue Qi followed behind him carrying a box of alcohol. He reminded Xue Qi to change into slippers, then leaned back on the sofa and mocked Xie Chongyi, who was casually cracking sunflower seeds.
“Been friends for years and I still never got to come over and have a drink. Looks like I finally got lucky today.”
He scanned the room but didn’t see Wu Heng. “Did you kidnap and imprison him?” he asked.
Xie Chongyi didn’t even bother responding.
At this moment, Wu Heng was lying in a fully air-conditioned room. He was covered with a blanket and having a long dream.
He dreamed of the apocalypse arriving—strange and terrifying creatures appearing around him, countless people dying. The whole world seemed infected by a virus: mutation, decay, madness. He and a group of others set out on a journey to survive. Together they wandered, together they reached a new place—a peaceful haven where people could finally live without hunger.
In the dream, the class monitor had always been by his side.
And the versions of himself and the class monitor that appeared in the dream were exactly the same as the two young men who had once appeared in his home months earlier.
His long-haired self. His green-eyed self. And that parrot—the one that could grow very large—was the same one outside.
The curtains stirred. Someone approached the bed and pulled them open slightly. Midday light poured in. Wu Heng woke up, his half-open eyes only able to see the silhouette of the person coming closer.
“Lunch is ready. Get up and eat,” the boy’s voice was unusually gentle.
Wu Heng wasn’t unwilling to get up—he just hadn’t fully come back to himself yet, his gaze still a little blank.
The other person slid an arm beneath his back.
“Baby, eat first, then go back to sleep, okay?”
The boy was helped up. His chin rested on the other’s shoulder. Through the gap between the curtains, he saw the bright daylight outside, like falling snow.
(IF Route End)
