Chapter 70 - Do You Like Me That Much?
“Not letting you go.” He Cheng Ming said childishly.
Both his hands held tightly onto Ji Liao’s waist under the thin blanket and he crossed his long legs over him, gripping him firmly.
He couldn’t run now.
Ji Liao found it funny but at the same time, said helplessly, “My mom will be worried.”
He blinked and his tone was slightly reluctant, but he had to return home. Xu Ai Wen had finally accepted his relationship with difficulty and now wasn’t the time to screw up.
“Then let me tell you everything first.” He Cheng Ming raised his chin and propped it on Ji Liao’s head. He clearly and calmly revealed everything about his stock speculation, Zhao Mei Lan giving him the medicine and He Mu Sheng usurping the throne.
He said it simply, lightly summing up the hardships and difficulties of the past three years. When Ji Liao heard about the medicine, his body gave an obvious shudder. He Cheng Ming patted his back immediately and pacified him gently, “It’s okay. Don’t worry.”
Ji Liao felt like his internal organs had been fried and his hands gripped the other boy’s shirt tightly. How could his mother bear to lock up such a brilliant person and force medicine on him?!
Ji Liao’s heart ached and he clenched his jaw tightly. He looked at He Cheng Ming with eyes that were watery as if tears would fall at any moment.
School bully He was deeply moved by this look of tolerance and love. He lowered his head to kiss his beautiful eyes and hugged him. “Baby, it’s all over. In future, treat your hubby well and he’ll be happy.”
Choked up with emotion, Ji Liao nodded. His previous doubts and anger disappeared. Now, he only wanted to make it up to him and make him happy.
“I’m not going back. I’ll stay to accompany you.” Ji Liao said firmly, burrowing into He Cheng Ming’s arms like a kitten.
“Your mom will get angry.” Although it was an enticing suggestion, he had better think twice for the sake of the future.
Ji Liao had finally made up his mind with difficulty but with these words, he wavered again. He struggled free from He Cheng Ming’s legs and turned to straddle him, transforming from a kitten to a tiger. Glaring at him, he said, “Stop talking.”
His words were making him hesitate!
He Cheng Ming sat up abruptly and the two of them suddenly got closer. Ji Liao fell back with a push, felt both his hands held in the palms of the other boy being slowly raised up and pressed above his head. He had nowhere to hide with his back pressed against the headboard.
“Do you like me that much?” He Cheng Ming asked flirtatiously into his ear, a sea of flowers blooming in his heart. He turned his head and sucked a small hickey into his neck.
Why was his darling so good? So good that he felt inferior.
“Don’t you like me a lot as well?!” Ji Liao’s tone was slightly haughty, his eyes wanting to look at him but at the same time not daring to.
“Yes.” He Cheng Ming kissed his mouth as if it was a reward. “Very much.”
In seventeen years, after meeting so many people, only you have let me sample bitterness and also feel a rich aftertaste.
“Good boy. In a short while, I have to go to the hospital. I’ll send you home first.”
He didn’t want to offend his future mother-in-law. Xu Ai Wen had a strong personality and couldn’t be provoked.
With that, he hugged Ji Liao. Ji Liao got out of bed to put on his shoes and heard the other boy say, “I’ll still need to request for two days off. When I go back, I’ll charge my phone. You can call me if you want, okay?”
Ji Liao nodded obediently.
The two of them left the room and went to check out at the front desk.
To one side, the lady boss who was eating melon seeds couldn’t help sizing them up with her eyes. When the two of them left, she immediately said to the young lady at the front desk, “Those two kids can really mess around. It’s been almost three hours, right?”
The young lady at the front desk blushed and only felt that the tall one was quite handsome!
When He Cheng Ming was done sending Ji Liao home, he went back to the hospital and asked the nurse if Zhao Mei Lan had woken up.
It was easy for one to get out of shape when they reached middle age. To keep herself slim, Zhao Mei Lan had been in the habit of dieting. Recently, because of the falling out with He Yue Jin, she had gone on a hunger strike. In addition, she had been caught in the rain, causing a high fever which had led to hospital admission.
Before other conditions could be checked, she had entered the emergency room that night because of acute peritonitis. The diagnosis showed that it was gastric perforation and urgent surgery was carried out. After that, she had a fever and a rapid pulse. He Cheng Ming didn’t dare to leave, taking care of her day and night. Today was the third day.
Zhao Mei Lan woke on the fourth day and felt like she had returned from the dead. The feeling of the tear on her abdomen made cold sweat break out on her forehead and she was unable to move. She could only call out weakly, “Xiao Ming.”
She knew that her son had accompanied her all along.
He Cheng Ming saw that she was awake and his heart finally settled. When he heard that Zhao Mei Lan was sent to the emergency department, his mind went blank. In the end, he was still a child. Half an hour earlier, she had been fine but in a flash, she was down, making him feel confused and powerless.
“Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?” He questioned lightly, his tone unable to conceal his care.
It had been a long time since Zhao Mei Lan had heard her son speaking to her so gently. From her impression, He Cheng Ming had always been taciturn and standoffish toward her. Later on, when he spoke more, every statement was a cold warning or a fierce argument.
Zhao Mei Lan shook her head, a tear falling from the corner of her eye.
The results of the midterm exam came out in two days. Due to He Cheng Ming’s absence, Gu Ming Ren, the one who was forever second, finally reached the top and enjoyed the honour of being the first in science.
Ji Liao was also checking the bulletin board in the crowd and found his name in the liberal arts section. He was currently ranked thirty-nine. Compared to the last exam, there was a lot of progress!
He happily sent a message to He Cheng Ming to share the good news.
The other boy very quickly replied: That’s great. I miss you, baby. Kiss.
Ji Liao blushed but his lips quirked. Beside him, Xu Xiao Jing saw his results and clapped him on the shoulder to congratulate him. “Well done, Ji Liao. You’re soaring into the sky now and will be shoulder-to-shoulder with He Cheng Ming soon!”
That was too much of an exaggeration. He was still far behind!
But he was a step closer to his goal.
Ji Liao was very contented and returned to cla.s.s with Xu Xiao Jing.
On the way, they b.u.mped into Li You Xin and Chen Li Wen. Chen Li Wen’s nose was bruised and his face was swollen as if he had just fought with someone. He was hanging his head.
Ji Liao asked them nervously, “What happened?”
Li You Xin spat and cursed. “That Gao Sheng from cla.s.s six! Do you remember when he challenged us for the court around the time of last year’s basketball match, then later got beaten up by He Cheng Ming? He had been as quiet as a chicken for half a year. Now, I don’t know what made him crazy, suddenly turning around to cause trouble for us. Li Wen was just blocked by him in the toilet and beaten up.”
Xu Xiao Jing was still nearby. After all, she was a girl and Chen Li Wen had to regain some respect, so he added, “There were three of them! What can one of me do against three of them? Anyway, that dog Gao Sheng was kicked in the a.s.s by me!”
The implication was that he hadn’t done too badly either.
Ji Liao saw that the condition of his face was quite serious and knew that this couldn’t be hidden from the teacher.
Sure enough, Chen Li Wen’s parents came down in the afternoon and made a big fuss in the office. Their child was beaten up like this in school. Mother Chen questioned the princ.i.p.al, was this a school or the underworld?!
Gao Sheng had no one at home. He was an abandoned baby and had been with his grandmother since young. Her health wasn’t good and the teachers knew the situation. They didn’t dare to disturb her and could only cooperate to get the fastest possible resolution.
The next day, Gao Sheng was expelled by the school because that was his third disciplinary record.
Ji Liao kept hearing about Gao Sheng’s family situation and he couldn’t help sighing. But he couldn’t sympathise. Poverty wasn’t an excuse for doing evil. His grandmother provided for him to go to school but he used the time to bully his schoolmates. This wasn’t right.
He Cheng Ming was very annoyed in the hospital. When He Yue Jin later learned of the situation, he arranged for a healthcare worker to come over. He Cheng Ming thought he could go but Zhao Mei Lan refused, pestering him to accompany her. If he didn’t, she would make a fuss, causing the hospital to be abuzz.
d.a.m.n it, he couldn’t even go to school!
He Cheng Ming gave the room door a kick and scared the pa.s.sing nurse.
Zhao Mei Lan knew that he was restraining fire in his heart so she didn’t dare to provoke him. She sat on the bed and sipped on her liquid food.
When she finished her lunch, the healthcare worker took the food table away. Then, in a voice dripping with sarcasm, Zhao Mei Lan said, “Don’t you just want to go and see that person?!”
She had originally wanted to say little male vixen but was afraid that He Cheng Ming would wash his hands of her and leave, so she immediately changed it to that person.
He Cheng Ming didn’t make a sound, lowering his head to send a message to Ji Liao: Have you eaten? Baby.
Ji Liao replied: Yeah, I’ve eaten.
He Cheng Ming asked again: What did you eat?
Ji Liao smiled: Do you need to care about what I eat?
He Cheng Ming said: Then you ask me what I ate.
Ji Liao: I’m not asking.
He Cheng Ming showed an aggrieved expression: You don’t care about me!
It was just some small talk but he just wanted to chat with the other boy. Like this, it was as if Ji Liao was in front of him.
Suddenly, a long voice message came over and Zhao Mei Lan’s gaze fixed on him. He Cheng Ming went outside to listen to it and after hearing that Gao Sheng had been expelled, his brows creased immediately. Gao Sheng was someone with a strong sense of revenge and he was afraid that the boy would cause trouble for Ji Liao.
He Cheng Ming called Ji Liao and asked him to be careful when he went home. If that wasn’t possible, he was to leave together with Lin Jiang.
Ji Liao felt that he was making too big a deal out of it but still agreed to him verbally.
The two of them chatted for a while, the content of their conversation nothing more than school bully He’s lovesickness and needing a kiss from adorable Ji to make it right.
After hanging up the phone, Ji Liao returned to his seat. There was no one in cla.s.s at the moment so he quickly took a picture and sent it to the other boy.
When He Cheng Ming received it, he felt his heart being further captured and set it as his lock screen.
This led him to swipe his phone every few minutes to look at it with foolish happiness.
Zhao Mei Lan had never seen her son look like he was having an out-of-body experience. At once, she felt that Ji Liao was an evil spirit who had cleanly eaten away at her son!
Zhao Mei Lan’s theatrics flared up. She covered her abdomen and cried out in pain, causing the healthcare worker to run for the doctor. At first, He Cheng Ming moved closer nervously but after seeing the hint of a smile in Zhao Mei Lan’s triumphant eyes, his expression cooled and he asked with disgust, “Was that meaningful?”
Zhao Mei Lan felt that it was. Being able to make her son put his phone down showed that she was more important than that little male vixen!
She had nothing now. Knowing that she was in the hospital, He Yue Jin had only sent a healthcare worker over. It showed that their long relationship was weak. Now, the only thing she could rely on was her son, He Cheng Ming.
“Let me tell you that you don’t have to try. You’re not as important as him.” He Cheng Ming said this without the least bit of hesitation. What he felt toward Zhao Mei Lan was more of an obligation. There were some feelings, but they weren’t deep. If she wanted to be compared with Ji Liao, she couldn’t even compare with a strand of his hair.
Zhao Mei Lan’s face was pale, then it reddened. After that, it turned pale again. Movement due to her anger tore the wound and she cried out in pain. He Cheng Ming didn’t go over to help. Instead, he waited for the healthcare worker to return to help her lie down.