MASG chapter 121

 

Chen Minghao hadn’t figured out what was happening when he was already flying.

The spacious, bright corridor became slicker than a slide. Physical friction disappeared in that instant, and more than one person slid along with him. It wasn’t until he crashed into the wall that Chen Minghao could clearly see who the other two people were.

One was Du Meng, famous throughout the grade as the king of lying flat. The other was Mo An, famous throughout the grade as the top scorer in English.

“Mo An!” Xia Yu recognized him immediately. Even though he had dyed his hair black, making it less identifiable than his usual silver hair, Xia Yu could still recognize his younger brother at first glance. His heart was always tied to him.

Xia Yu found this surprising, too, as if the two had met before and lived together for a long time. The field was huge, filled with people. Eight senior classes stood together, but Mo An wasn’t particularly tall or distinctive. Yet, every time Xia Yu turned around, he could find Mo An.

Xia Yu was in Class 3 and Mo An was in Class 6. During the turning movements of the exercise break, however, it was as if there were a special segment just for the two of them. Every time Xia Yu turned around, he could see Mo An, half a beat slower, looking over this way. He looked kind of pitiful, as if he wanted to come over and exercise with Xia Yu’s class.

Xia Yu didn’t understand how this feeling came to be, but that didn’t stop him from thinking it was wonderful and interesting. Now, however, all he had left was panic. He dropped the mop and ran to the other end of the corridor, pulling Mo An up from the ground.

“Is everyone okay?” Xia Yu immediately went to help Chen Minghao.

Chen Minghao saw stars in front of his eyes. It was comparable to being knocked down by more than a dozen people while playing basketball. He even felt a recoil. He wobbled as he stood up, shook his head, and waved his hand. “I’m fine. It’s just a bit—”

“Boss, what’s going on with you?” Du Meng, who hadn’t been helped, climbed up by himself, completely confused. “You were running just fine. How did you fall?”

“This…maybe it’s because there’s water on the ground. It’s too slippery.” Mo An also had a hard time explaining it and could only blame the wet floor. He really hadn’t meant to knock Chen Minghao down, though. They had never spoken before, and he wouldn’t put someone in danger just because they liked Xia Yu.

Liking Xia Yu was very normal, as normal as breathing.

It was his body’s reaction at fault. Seeing the long corridor, his trained muscles demanded acceleration, causing him to reach them in the fastest, albeit abnormal, way. Now, holding Chen Minghao, his mind was filled with thoughts of homeroom teacher Chen Ailu scolding him for accidentally injuring a top candidate for the college entrance exam.

Wait, why was he worrying about this? Why was he, like Lao Gui, allowing irrelevant events and people to enter his awareness? Regardless of Chen Ailu’s anger or the exam’s difficulty, it wasn’t his concern. He would leave with Xia Yu eventually; these people were just data.

“It’s fine, just a sprained ankle.” Chen Minghao wasn’t angry. “You’re Mo An, right? I’ve heard of you for a long time; I just never had a chance to talk to you. I even wanted to borrow your English monthly exam paper to take a look. Teacher Wang said your English essay was especially well-written, like prose poetry…”

“Teacher Wang said that?” Mo An asked. Why did everyone in the virtual world have so many sides? Weren’t they supposed to have only one?

“Yes, she was very happy and wanted you to represent the school in the English competition next semester.” Chen Minghao took two more sharp breaths. “Actually, I might need to go to the school infirmary. My ankle hurts a little.”

“Huh? Let me see.” He was the one who had sent the person flying. Mo An immediately squatted down to check it out. Chen Minghao was wearing long school uniform pants. He rolled up the pant leg and skillfully grabbed the ankle, which was wrapped in a sock. The whole process was clean and decisive—even more precise than the school nurse’s.

“It’s indeed a bit serious…” After checking, Mo An confirmed it. He often dealt with injuries, and this was definitely a soft tissue contusion. “Du Meng.”

“What? What is it?” Du Meng leaned over.

“Squat down.” Mo An directed his little follower. After Du Meng squatted obediently, Mo An directed Chen Minghao. “Climb up. We’ll take you to the infirmary.”

“No need…” Chen Minghao glanced at Xia Yu, not wanting to embarrass himself in front of his crush. “I can walk there myself.”

“Don’t walk. You can’t move an injury. Even if you go by yourself, you’ll have to hop. If it gets worse, it’ll be trouble.” Mo An couldn’t stand to see someone who was injured dawdling around. In the real world, hesitating for even a second could get you killed by machines. “Hurry up!”

So, Chen Minghao was forced onto Du Meng’s shoulders. The grade’s number one carried by the grade’s last place, rushing like a whirlwind to the infirmary. Mo An followed closely behind, calling to Xia Yu as well. Xia Yu blinked. “Oh, oh, I’m coming.”

He moved the mop away and placed the “Caution: Slippery Floor” sign in the most obvious spot. Then, he followed Mo An, his head full of confusion. It was strange, too strange. Why were Mo An’s movements when checking injuries so smooth and practiced? From the slide tackle to standing back up, the whole process flowed seamlessly, without any hint of an accident.

Mo An looked like someone who had undergone special training. At that moment, he didn’t look like a high school student. What did he do before in Qingyao City?

When the bell rang clearly in the corridor, Xia Yu looked at Mo An’s tall back once more, confused.

Bad news always came quickly. Chen Minghao’s ankle was really injured. Although the school nurse said he would only need to use crutches for a month, many people were still worried. After all, at the end of October, Chen Minghao was supposed to represent the school in a swimming competition. He was competing in the 1500-meter freestyle, and there was no one at the school who could replace him.

On the way home, Mo An stayed silent the whole time, too embarrassed to look at Xia Yu and Xia Xiaoxiao. Without realizing it, he had messed something up again.

After dinner that night, Mo An went alone to the fish pond once again. Lao Gui and Wang Ming were drinking beer. They sat on small stools eating edamame and laughing loudly.

“You really caught a bluefin tuna before? That’s no small thing.” Lao Gui poured him a beer. The foam overflowed the cup, exuding vitality.

Wang Ming laughed so hard that he leaned back and forth. When he saw Mo An come over, he greeted him, too. “Have a drink together?”

“Sigh, all right.” Mo An dejectedly sat down on a small stool. When he lowered his head, he noticed that they were both wearing identical holey clogs, which made him even more worried. Lao Gui had already been assimilated by Wang Ming. Wang Ming opened a new bottle of beer for him and pushed it over. “At your age, you really shouldn’t worry. Are you stressed out because of the exams?”

Mo An rarely drank alcohol in the real world. Not only was beer hard to buy, but drinking could also mess things up. Here, however, he learned how to drink freely, downing half a bottle in one go. “It’s not about studying. After all, I’m not taking the college entrance exam here.”

“You’re really funny. If you’re not taking it here, are you going back to a school in Qingyao City to take it?” Wang Ming guessed. “Did the homeroom teacher criticize you?”

“No, Teacher Chen is very nice. She always encourages me.” Mo An thought to himself that he would definitely go back to Qingyao City—the real one. “I think I caused trouble today.”

“Trouble is trouble. Lao Gui and I caused plenty of trouble when we were kids. These past few days, when we talk about it, the stupid things we did back then never end.” Wang Ming was very understanding and immediately guessed in another direction. “Hmm… At your age, if you’re not worried about studying, then you must be worried about a secret crush, right?”

Lao Gui had been snickering the whole time, neither interrupting Wang Ming nor defending Mo An. He was just enjoying this moment, staring deeply at them, wanting to remember every minute and every second.

Mo An was hit right in the heart. He quietly shelled an edamame. “Yes, I have a secret crush. What should I do?”

“Who are you crushing on?” Wang Ming was obviously a gossip. “Don’t tell me you like Xia Xiaoxiao?”

“How could that be!” Mo An denied it decisively. “Xiaoxiao and I are siblings. She’s my nominal older sister, even though she’s not much older than me.”

“Then it must be…that brother of yours?” Wang Ming guessed right.

Lao Gui covered his mouth and laughed even harder, startling Mo An. “Don’t talk nonsense…”

“Eh, what’s the big deal? Love can’t be hidden. You can’t stop glancing at his window every time you talk. Isn’t that an obvious clue?” Wang Ming casually punched Mo An’s shoulder. “But I won’t tell anyone. You can keep secretly liking him.”

Mo An scratched his head and looked at Lao Gui. Only then did Lao Gui speak. “If you cause trouble, think about how to make it up. Don’t always ask us. You only live once. Cherish the things that are important to you. Don’t wait until you lose that person to regret it.”

After hearing Lao Gui’s words, Mo An finished the beer in his cup. He reflected on Lao Gui’s words again, feeling that the advice spoken in the sea breeze wasn’t only meant for him, but also something Lao Gui was saying to himself. When the heat on his face finally faded, Mo An returned alone to the top floor. He sat blankly at his desk for half an hour, then opened the window decisively and climbed down the ladder outside to the second floor.

On this side of the second floor was Xia Xiaoxiao’s room. Mo An crawled past Xia Xiaoxiao’s window like a gecko and finally reached Xia Yu’s side.

Xia Yu was reading when he suddenly heard thumping sounds right in front of him. He looked up and was almost scared out of his soul. He immediately opened the window. “Mo An? Are you crazy? What are you doing—?”

“Sorry, I want to apologize to Chen Minghao, but I don’t have his contact information. Could you help me send him a message?” Mo An said while hanging outside the window.

“You could’ve just told me this in person. Why are you outside?” Xia Yu put down his book. “I’ll send it to him later. You should hurry back.”

“If I go look for you, I’ll have to pass by Xiaoxiao’s room. I’m afraid she’ll say I’m delaying your studying again.” Mo An really didn’t dare anymore. She was the real guardian of the household. “Also, could you spare some time to teach me how to swim? I want to… replace Chen Minghao and compete for the school.”

Xia Yu grabbed his wrist, afraid he might fall. “We can talk about these things slowly. You should hurry back.”

“As long as I learn how to breathe properly and float, I’ll be able to swim very fast. I won’t embarrass the school.” Mo An was reluctant to leave and spoke in a clingy way. “There’s one more thing. I’m doing psychological rehabilitation this weekend. Can you go with me?”

Xia Yu hesitated.

“Oh… I get it. It’s okay.” Mo An had already guessed the answer. Although he was disappointed, he chose to respect Xia Yu’s wishes. Lao Gui was right—just because Xia Yu was only with him in the real world didn’t mean Mo An could take possession of him as a matter of course. “Then I’ll head back. Remember to tell Chen Minghao for me.”

“Okay, be careful going back.” Xia Yu let go of his hand, ready to watch Mo An climb back up. But just then, a gust of wind arose. The deep blue sky was suddenly covered with thick, dark clouds. Waves rolled in again, and the gentle sea breeze changed.

Before lightning could strike, a raindrop the size of a bean smashed onto Mo An’s face.

“Wait!” Xia Yu blurted out.

“Huh?” Mo An stopped and waited for him.

“It’s raining. Come into my room first. You can go back later.” Xia Yu couldn’t bear it anymore, like pulling Romeo in through the window. Mo An didn’t hesitate either. As soon as he heard that, he jumped neatly into the bedroom, his clothes half-wet and his body full of moisture.

“Slow down.” Xia Yu gave him a hand, touching his wet, solid, rock-hard wrist. “I’ll go get you a towel first. Dry your hair. Don’t mess around like this again.”

“Mm, I… thanks.” Mo An’s heart pounded like a drum. Had he known that climbing through the window would get him inside so easily, he would have done it earlier. Even thunder and lightning wouldn’t have been a problem. But just as Xia Yu turned around, there was a knock on the bedroom door—thump, thump, thump—and Xia Xiaoxiao’s voice came from outside.

“Bro! There’s a problem I don’t know how to solve. I’m coming in!” Xia Xiaoxiao said as she pushed the door open.

“Come in, just…” Xia Yu was about to say that Mo An was here too. But when he turned his head, Mo An was already gone. Following the water traces on the floor, Xia Yu looked under the bed and saw Mo An lying flat on the ground. He fit in perfectly and was hiding naturally and casually.

Now it was Xia Yu’s turn to have his heart pound. It would have been better not to hide. Once he hid, it felt wrong, as if the two of them were really doing something in the room.

But we clearly didn’t do anything. In an instant, Xia Yu’s face turned red. What was wrong with him?