Pay Attention To Me

Chapter 66

Yin Che attended Sunday's evening self-study as usual.

In any case, he couldn't just drop out of school because of this.

When he broke up, he'd confidently spoken as if breaking all ties, as if their dealings were already old and dead. But just one day later, they still had to meet in school. This was basically the most awkward part of campus relationships.

Fortunately, Jiang Yao didn't come, which delayed the awkwardness for a day.

-

That night, Zhang Ke asked in the class group chat: [Yao Gege, you alright? Yesterday's hangover not wear off yet?]

Jiang Yao didn't reply and the group chat soon switched to discussion of other topics.

Is it because you don't dare to face me? Are you never coming to school again?

However, for morning self-study the next day, Jiang Yao showed up.

Proof that it was just my wishful thinking¹.

"Morning."

Jiang Yao was wearing a formal white shirt today, looking upright and neat. He smiled and greeted Zhang Ke, then walked to his seat like usual and put down his schoolbag.

"Yao Ge, why didn't you come last night? You didn't reply to my ping either." Zhang Ke felt very wounded.

"I didn't feel well last night, so I asked Laoshi for a leave of absence." Jiang Yao sat down and naturally said to the other person beside him, "Morning."

Yin Che remained silent for half a second before replying, "Morning."

"You eat breakfast yet?"

"I've eaten."

"Mmm."

Then there was no more dialogue.

Zhang Ke looked at them with suspicion. "Why are you two being so courteous today?"

Yin Che wasn't very good at lying, so he didn't speak up.

But Jiang Yao was very good at it. "How? We're just fine. Go copy your homework."

The whole morning passed and the atmosphere was calmer than he'd expected.

During class, they both listened to the lecture conscientiously, not whispering to each other and also not making any little movements under the desk. When class ended, Yin Che lay down to sleep, not listening to anything from beside him.

Though they were deskmates, they could do that without interacting at all.

Jiang Yao didn't seem to have any intention of interacting with him. He didn't look for him to eat together for lunch, leaving first on his own. When Yin Che was holding his tray and looking for a seat in the cafeteria, he caught sight of Jiang Yao sitting and laughing with a few students from Class 5, with Bai YuWei beside him.

The people passing by probably took them to be a couple.

Yin Che ate a few mouthfuls of greens and rice and then threw out the rest.

During evening self-study, Jiang Yao also left alone.

After Yin Che finished his homework, he lay down on his desk and folded stars. Han Meng walked over with an anxious expression and said in a low voice, "Che Ge, I've come to tattle. I just caught sight of your guy chatting with a girl in the doorway of Class 5. He's courting trouble. You want to beat him up? I'll help you."

"No need, he isn't mine anymore."

Han Meng didn't comprehend his meaning at first, but after a moment, he reacted, jumping in shock as his face went pale. "You two???"

"Mhm."

"Is it because of Saturday night? Don't tell me...... Did I say something wrong that night?"

"It doesn't involve you, don't ask." Yin Che tossed a star into his pencil case and stood up. "I'm going for a walk."

Just as he walked to the door, he ran into another person coming to ask questions.

"Can't you control your boyfriend?" Yin Ze spat out in anger, "Why did he go to Bai YuWei?"

Han Meng came over. "I just saw them at the doorway of Class 5."

"I also heard about that, but they were already gone by the time I got there. What do the two of them even have to talk about?" Yin Ze looked at his brother and thought Yin Che should know.

But Yin Che just smiled at him, "A-Ze, let's celebrate your birthday in advance this year, okay?"

Yin Ze's expression went strange. "Three months in advance? Are you crazy?"

Yin Che pulled him outside, to avoid Han Meng. "Ge might be going abroad next semester. I'm afraid I won't be back for your birthday in September."

"I know. Didn't I hear about it that day at the dinner table? For some bizarre reason, you suddenly want to switch schools." Yin Ze shook his hand off.

"Don't pretend to care about me. If you really wanted to celebrate my birthday, the hell with a transfer. You're almost in the third year of senior high school, wouldn't it be better to just apply directly to a foreign university after graduation?

"My grades are average, so I won't be able to do very well on the domestic examination, it's better to go abroad to adapt first."

"That all sounds good, but don't you actually just want to escape? The one thing you're good at." Yin Ze sneered. "I don't need you to celebrate my birthday. Just control your boyfriend, okay? You've already failed so much at being a gege, plus being in a relationship like this, don't you think you're pathetic?"

Pathetic? Actually, it's not bad.

-

After evening self-study ended, he returned to the dorm and washed up. Then, Yin Che lay down on the bed to think.

At the very least, Jiang Yao sincerely likes me.

No, that should be *liked*.

The class group was very lively that night. Zhang Ke posted a few screenshots from the school forum, persistently pinging Jiang Yao: [Yao brother, look, tonight everyone is discussing how you went looking for Bai YuWei. Have you two finally gone public?]

This time, Jiang Yao replied quickly: [No comment.]

In an instant, the group was boiling:

[Fucking tacit agreement?!]

[I believe in love again!]

[Then the next time I see Bai YuWei, do I have to call her Saozi²?]

......

The lights in the dorm building had already been shut off. Yin Che lay in the dark watching the group excitedly and happily chat, the light from the screen making his eyes ache a little.

So he turned off the phone and threw it onto his pillow. With wide open eyes, he stared at the bed board in a daze.

When he dated that same exact person, that person had told him, "My dad forbade me from dating in high school, let's go public after graduation." But with a certain someone, he calmly and confidently went public.

Jiang Yao really was good at pampering his partners.

He'd thought that he'd already been pampered beyond belief. Turned out that there was someone who was more spoiled than him now.

Jiang Yao had only given him a part of himself, but he'd been ready to risk everything and give up his whole self.

Just like a fool.

—
The author has something to say:
Sorry, I have a confession to make, I didn't write these chapters, they were written by Yin Ze
—

Footnotes:
1. Wishful thinking (自作多情): idiom, to flatter oneself, can also mean, to imagine that one's affection is reciprocated ↩
2. Saozi (嫂子): older brother's wife, since they call him Ge! ↩

—

Agony~~~ [insert ChrisPineRippingOpenShirt.gif here]