SWTHTC - 22

Chapter 22: “...Hmm.”

Hou Zihao was mentally exhausted, but he didn’t dare outright refuse her offer. Drawing on his wisdom—once the top student in his grade, now second—he carefully considered and came up with a compromise. “My dad definitely wouldn’t agree to take this money. If I accept it, I’ll be stuck between a rock and a hard place. How about this—you treat me to meals for an entire semester instead.”

Brilliant, as expected of him.

This solution not only allowed her to pay in installments but also cleverly created opportunities for them to spend time together out of thin air.

Genius.

Zhou Leqi hadn’t expected Hou Zihao to come up with such a suggestion. She was momentarily speechless before firmly refusing. “No.”

Of course not. If they started eating together every day, what would Teacher Pan think? She had just been called in for a talk with him recently.

Hou Zihao shrugged, having anticipated her refusal. “That’s the only payment method I’ll accept. You’re the one who said no.”

Perfect. He didn’t want to take her money anyway.

Caught off guard by his response, Zhou Leqi didn’t know whether to laugh or to feel annoyed. She fell silent again. Hou Zihao glanced at her under the dim light of his phone, thought for a moment, and then proposed another idea. “Or how about this—you sell me your desk-mate’s seat for 2,000 yuan. We’ll call it even, no cash transaction involved. Deal?”

Zhou Leqi: ?

In the end, she couldn’t help but laugh at his antics.

The night was dark, the residential pathways narrow and oppressive, her life cramped and difficult… yet, at this moment, she laughed—a pure and simple joy.

She heard him laugh too, and he asked, “So, is it a deal or not?”

Unable to hold back her smile, she replied, “What deal? No deal.”

He chuckled and scratched his nose. The tall boy walked steadily beside her, listening to whatever she said, always calm and never losing his temper.

They finally reached her building.

Hou Zihao looked up at the pitch-black stairwell and then turned to her. “I’ll walk you upstairs.”

Zhou Leqi shook her head. “No need, I can go up by myself.”

Truthfully, Zhou Leqi was a little scared to go upstairs alone so late at night. But she wasn’t used to relying on others, especially not Hou Zihao—a boy younger than her whom she barely knew.

However, this time, he didn’t listen to her.

Before she realized it, he had already taken her wrist and stepped into the darkness of the stairwell. He checked the shadows for anything unusual and then led her up the stairs.

The lights on each floor gradually brightened as he approached.

She felt an unprecedented sense of safety.

They walked in silence, one behind the other, like strangers with no connection. Yet there was a connection—he was gently holding her hand, his gesture filled with protective intent.

Until they reached her door.

The motion-sensor lights in the old building didn’t stay on for long—they turned off quickly to save power. Before Zhou Leqi could even say “goodbye” to Hou Zihao, they were plunged into darkness once more.

The narrow stairwell was small, and with the tall boy standing there, the space between them seemed even closer. Zhou Leqi didn’t dare make a loud noise to trigger the lights, fearing it might wake Yu Qing, who had likely already gone to bed. So they remained in the darkness.

It was only a few seconds, but the subtle atmosphere brought by the darkness began to spread quietly.

She wanted to avoid this unfamiliar feeling, so she started rummaging in her pocket for her keys and softly said to him, “Thank you for today… see you tomorrow.”

As she turned to open the door, she realized he still hadn’t let go of her hand. He was very close, his voice low as he said, “See you tomorrow.”

But he didn’t release her hand.

She pursed her lips and lightly pushed him. Only then did he realize he was still holding her. He quickly let go, apologized, and then softly asked, “Want to ride together tomorrow? To see if that guy shows up again?”

Zhou Leqi looked up at him. Because they were so close, she became more aware of his height. In the moonlight streaming through the window, she could only see his jawline.

Her palms felt slightly damp, especially where he had held her hand—it still felt warm.

But she didn’t need to feel flustered in front of him because he was always more flustered than her. Being so close, she could even hear his rapid heartbeat.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Her sense of security grew stronger.

In that fleeting moment of impulse, she nodded inappropriately, giving him the only affirmative answer of the night.

“Okay,” she said. “Thank you.”

She heard his heartbeat quicken even more.

For some reason—perhaps influenced by him—she felt her own heartbeat accelerating as well.

Strange.

She needed to leave, but after turning around, he called her back and asked, “What about today’s homework? I haven’t even started.”

Right, tomorrow was Friday, and they still had to turn in their assignments.

After a moment of thought, Zhou Leqi said, “I’ve finished math and physics. You can copy them tomorrow.”

He agreed and added, “Let’s divide the rest of the subjects. You pick?”

Zhou Leqi didn’t hesitate. She really couldn’t finish all the remaining homework by herself tonight, so dividing it was necessary. “I’ll do Chinese and biology. You do English and chemistry?”

“Deal,” he immediately agreed.

She nodded and turned to open the door for the third time—but for the third time, he stopped her.

She secretly smiled in the darkness, her mood inexplicably continuing to improve. She tried to sound serious, at least hiding the fact that she was smiling, and asked, “What now?”

He was very close, the bright moonlight behind him casting a warm presence around her—just right.

She heard him ask, “Can we… consider ourselves friends now?”

You don’t have to like me, and I can continue my one-sided affection that has lasted for two years.

But if you’re no longer mad at me, can you at least accept me as your friend?

Once again, he was handing over all the control to her.

Zhou Leqi felt the corners of her mouth involuntarily lifting, though she couldn’t quite figure out why. After a long pause—long enough for him to nervously ask again, “Can we?”—she finally answered.

“...Hmm.”

The door closed.

She had already gone inside, her figure disappearing behind the door. But that faint “hmm” still lingered in his ears, along with the sweet scent of her presence seemingly hanging in the small, confined space.

It left him shaken.

And more shaken than his feelings were his father Hou Feng’s eyes.

That wasn’t just shaking—it was pupil-dilating shock.

As soon as Hou Zihao got in the car, Hou Feng couldn’t help but ask, “Hou Zihao, are you dating someone?”

Hou Zihao: ?

While buckling his seatbelt, he casually replied, “No.”

“No?” His father pressed on relentlessly. “Following a girl home, getting into a fight for her, spending twenty minutes dawdling while walking her upstairs—how is that not dating?”

Hou Zihao was speechless. “I wish I were dating.”

Hou Feng: ?

“It’s not like I have a chance,” he added.

Hou Feng: ...

So, unrequited love. Rejected.

Hou Feng was also momentarily speechless. While driving, he couldn’t help but glance at his son a couple of times. After much thought, he said, “If you ask me, you should behave yourself and stop bothering her.”

Hou Zihao frowned at these words.

“Why?” he asked.

Hou Feng kept his eyes on the road as he drove. “There’s truth to the idea that early romance affects studies. Even if nothing happens to you, what if you fail your exams? Our family can send you abroad to study, but what about the girl?”

Hou Feng didn’t spell out the rest: He had seen Zhou Leqi’s family situation and guessed they wouldn’t have the means to send her abroad.

The college entrance exam was her only path.

Though Hou Zihao showed no outward reaction, his heart sank a little. After a moment of silence, he said, “Don’t worry, she studies better than me.”

This shocked Hou Feng. He knew Hou Zihao had suddenly become motivated in his second year of high school, studying like crazy and maintaining the top spot in his grade ever since. And now this girl was supposedly better than him?

Hou Feng stroked his chin and asked his son, “What was your ranking this time?”

Hou Zihao: ...

Though Hou Zihao had grown up with a laissez-faire upbringing, he still found it exasperating that his parents paid zero attention to his grades. He wanted to roll his eyes but remembered he’d need his dad to cover for him when they got home. So he decided to tread carefully.

“Second,” he replied hurriedly, then began subtly hinting to Hou Feng, “Dad, what should I say if Mom asks where I went tonight?”

Could Hou Feng not see through his son’s intentions? This child had always been like this—when something good happened, he’d tell his mom first; only when he got into trouble would he come to him. Today, Hou Feng was supposed to be on duty at the hospital, but he had swapped shifts to bail his son out of the police station, racking up another favor in the process.

Hou Feng sighed inwardly and said irritably, “Tell her the truth—say you got caught dating and ended up at the police station.”

Hou Zihao: ?

As it turned out, Hou Feng was a good father.

Though he had been harsh in the car, when they got home and faced Su Ruini, he dutifully covered for his son. He told her that Hou Zihao had come to the hospital to see him, and they had dinner together. Then he took the brunt of his wife’s scolding.

It was almost midnight, and Su Ruini still hadn’t rested. After yelling at her husband, she went to her study to attend a video conference. Hou Feng sent Hou Zihao to his room and then diligently poured water for his wife. Carefully, while she was berating her subordinates on mute, he placed the cup next to her.

“When will the issue with Fengyuan’s land be resolved?” Su Ruini was fuming at her executives on the other side of the screen. “The problem with those stubborn holdouts has dragged on for months. If we don’t start construction soon, who will bear the losses? Can you handle it? Or will you explain it to President Yuan and the other shareholders?”

Fearless as ever.

After half an hour of venting, Su Ruini finally slammed her laptop shut, but her anger hadn’t subsided. She sat at her desk, arms crossed, stewing in silence.

Hou Feng knew it was his time to step up. He quickly moved to massage her shoulders and back. A doctor’s hands always knew just the right pressure, and Su Ruini relaxed immensely.

Seeing her expression soften, he seized the opportunity to comfort her. First, he told her not to stress over work and to take care of her health. Then he admitted he had made a mistake earlier and promised that if their child came to the hospital to see him in the future, he would remember to call her in advance.

Su Ruini shot him a glare and complained, “Coming home after midnight! It’s like neither of you cares anymore. You make me angry, and so do the people at the company. Might as well just kill me with frustration!”

It sounded reasonable… but also somewhat unreasonable.

Then again, even Su Ruini, who was sharp and decisive in front of her subordinates, sometimes needed comforting. Her relationship with Hou Feng was strong, and they were still sweet after all these years. Hou Feng, with his easygoing nature, was always happy to accommodate his beautiful wife’s occasional tantrums.

He continued to console her, taking a long time to soothe her mood. Finally, Su Ruini kissed her husband’s cheek, got up, and went to the bathroom to freshen up.

Watching her weary figure after a long day’s work, Hou Feng thought to himself: Forget it… I’ll tell her about the kid’s crush another time.

Author’s Note:

The Difficult Farewell Phenomenon: Specifically refers to the mysterious behavior of needing to say goodbye three or more times before leaving.

Little Hou: ? Just report my ID number while you’re at it.

P.S.: Humble Little Hou has to clamp down tomorrow, so there will be a pause in updates. However, Monday will make up for it—there will be an update! Thank you to all the angels accompanying Little Zhou and Little Hou!! Bowing deeply to everyone!!