Chapter 59: Anticipating Every Second

Wen Xiao held the card in his hand and frowned slightly.

Although it consisted of only four characters, the meaning behind them was already quite clear, giving Wen Xiao an inexplicable sense of bizarre unease.

*You are mine.*

Could this be considered a confession of love? Or was the person who wrote this card simply giving it to the wrong person?

Wen Xiao's thoughts drifted back to earlier today in the library, where he had witnessed a young man confessing his feelings to someone who looked suspiciously like Song Jingbai.

He also recalled what Song Jingbai had told him yesterday when they walked through the small garden—that some male students would sneak into the garden at night for secret trysts.

The things he had encountered and heard about lately were all shattering his worldview. There seemed to be quite a few homosexuals around him, more than he had previously imagined.

The handwriting on the card was neat, rendered in a copied regular script that made it impossible to identify the writer. It was written very rigidly, yet every final stroke possessed an extraordinary sharpness, betraying the underlying aggressiveness of the card's owner.

The semester had just begun, and he had attended a total of only three classes, all of which were different subjects. Apart from resting on his desk, his books had been entirely out of reach of anyone else.

The only exception was when he occasionally visited the restroom during breaks.

During recess, everyone was busy with their own affairs. If someone happened to walk down the aisle and quietly slip a card into his textbook, it was entirely possible that no one would have noticed.

Wen Xiao placed the card back on his desk. Before he could figure out how to deal with it, a video call notification popped up on his phone.

Glancing at the caller ID, Wen Xiao swiped up and answered immediately.

"Xiaoxiao, are you doing well at school? Did classes start yesterday?"

Wen Yu's figure appeared on the screen. He was wearing a shirt, and his hair was still slightly damp, making it look as though he had just finished working out and taken a shower upon returning.

"Brother, did you just go out for a run?" Wen Xiao looked at him as he pulled out his chair and sat down. "Our semester started yesterday. Everything is fine at school, you don't need to worry."

Wen Yu nodded. "I went out for a few laps when I woke up this morning."

"I was too busy yesterday and didn't get a chance to call you."

Wen Yu's expression was somewhat tense and appeared quite serious, though Wen Xiao had long since learned to detect a subtle undertone of regret and guilt beneath that stern look.

He soothed, "Yesterday was the first day of school, and I had a lot on my plate as well. Just hearing from you, Brother, makes me very happy."

Hearing this, Wen Yu's brows relaxed slightly. He recalled how, the moment the video connection had opened, Xiaoxiao's mood had seemed less than ideal, as if he had encountered some troublesome matter.

"Xiaoxiao, what were you looking at just now?"

Wen Xiao was momentarily startled and instinctively replied, "Nothing..."

At the same time, he wondered how Wen Yu could possibly have noticed. If he were to show Wen Yu that deep purple card, he feared his brother might take a leave of absence just to rush over and hunt down the person who had slipped it to him.

After all, this was his own private affair, and he didn't want to burden Wen Yu with worry.

If Wen Yu found out that in an all-boys school, someone was secretly slipping such strange little cards to him, his brother's reaction would undoubtedly be far more intense than his own.

"Brother, you really don't need to worry about me."

Wen Yu did not pursue the matter further. Instead, he changed the subject and asked, "I heard Leng Shucheng has returned to the country. Has he been giving you a hard time?"

Wen Xiao couldn't help laughing, blinking at Wen Yu. "How could Leng Shucheng possibly bully me?"

Wen Yu let out a cold snort. "Bullying isn't just about throwing punches or shouting; the silent treatment counts too."

"Everyone outside says that Leng Shucheng has a cold and arrogant temperament, that he looks down on everyone, and his former classmates' evaluations of him are a mixed bag. If he dares to give you attitude, we won't be afraid of him."

The mere thought that his most cherished younger brother might be subjected to the cold shoulder, ignored, or given the cold treatment by Leng Shucheng at school made Wen Yu want to fly back immediately so he could shield his brother under his own wing.

"Leng Shucheng has been very nice to me. Yesterday, he even played the piano for me and gave me flowers..." Wen Xiao abruptly cut himself off mid-sentence, suddenly realizing that phrasing it that way sounded somewhat ambiguous.

"Making romance?" Wen Yu's expression shifted slightly. "He started making romance with you the moment he returned to the country?"

Wen Xiao tilted his head in bewilderment, unsure why Wen Yu had reacted so strongly. He nodded in a daze, "I mean he played the piano."

"I knew Western countries were more open..." Wen Yu sneered. "As expected, all those external rumors are fake. They all say Leng Shucheng is so aloof, yet here he is trying to romance someone the second he steps back into the country."

And worse, it was directed at his younger brother—that was the one thing he absolutely could not tolerate. If it were anyone else, he wouldn't even bother to care.

Hearing this, the fair-skinned face of Wen Xiao instantly flushed with a hint of red. Unable to help himself, he raised a hand to cover his face and whispered, "Brother, I meant he played the *piano*."

Wen Yu: "..."

Wen Yu gave a soft cough, struggling to maintain his composure, though his face remained somewhat strained. Still, he spoke to Wen Xiao in an earnest tone, "Playing the piano isn't right either, and giving flowers... In short, none of that is right."

Since when did teenage boys play music and give flowers to other boys?

Just imagining the scene made Wen Yu certain that Leng Shucheng must be harboring some ulterior motives.

If it were anyone else, they might dismiss his concerns as whimsical and far-fetched, especially considering the status and power of the four major families, whose heirs could have whatever they wanted.

Yet in his eyes, Xiaoxiao was simply the best, and anyone else who fancied Xiaoxiao would be punching above their weight class.

Seeing Wen Xiao frown with a look of helpless distress, Wen Yu reminded himself that Xiaoxiao was not even seventeen yet and remained relatively naive and innocent.

Precisely because he was so innocent, Wen Yu constantly worried that Xiaoxiao might be deceived by some cunning man.

"Did that kid Huo Zhanyuan give you any trouble? How about Wei Nanxing? I remember that child has loved clinging to you since he was little. He's seventeen now—he isn't going to keep clinging to you after he reaches adulthood, is he?"

"Xiaoxiao, you can't just spend all your time on them; you need to have your own space and life as well," Wen Yu said with a straight face.

Fearing that his expression was too severe and might frighten Xiaoxiao, he softened his tone toward the end.

"And what about Song Jingbai..." Mentioning Song Jingbai last, Wen Yu furrowed his brows deeply.

He always felt that Song Jingbai possessed a fox-like, cunning temperament, yet by comparison, Song Jingbai was indeed more reliable than the others.

Which also meant he was the most difficult to deal with.

"Xiaoxiao, now that you're all growing up, you need to maintain a sense of distance in your daily interactions." Wen Yu pondered for a moment before adding, "Xiaoxiao, your brother thinks you should try making some new friends."

Ever since Xiaoxiao first entered Slanelt School to study, a full decade had already passed.

If things continued this way, wouldn't Xiaoxiao be bound to those rotten kids for the rest of his life?

Since Xiaoxiao hadn't thought about it, he, as an older brother, had to plan ahead for him.

Wen Xiao obediently nodded. "Mm, Brother, I understand."

"It's not that your brother wants to infringe upon your right to make friends, I just..." Seeing this expression on Wen Xiao's face, Wen Yu inexplicably felt a pang of distress.

He felt as though, in an invisible way, he was once again imposing his own will onto Xiaoxiao.

In truth, he desperately wanted to admit that he was simply driven by an overwhelming sense of insecurity, which made him urgently wish to keep Xiaoxiao away from those few individuals. Or perhaps, it was all just his overactive imagination.

Having graduated from Slanelt School, he had gone abroad to study and had been away for four years. During those four years, returning home had been a rare occurrence, and video calls with Xiaoxiao were his only lifeline.

Separated by vast oceans, unable to see him with his own eyes, unable to ask him in person whether he was doing well or if anyone was bullying him at school, he always felt profoundly unsettled, as though a vital piece of his life was missing.

Besides, if Xiaoxiao only ever befriended those few, wouldn't he miss out on the wider world beyond?

Xiaoxiao deserved to witness more of the world's beauty and forge connections with truly wonderful people.

Wen Xiao offered a gentle smile and murmured, "Brother, I know you care about me. I will go out and make more friends."

Wen Yu had a lecture starting soon, so after offering a few more words of caution, he hung up the phone. Before the call disconnected, however, Wen Xiao couldn't help but call out to him.

"Brother."

Wen Yu paused and looked at him.

"Be careful abroad as well. Are you coming home for the New Year?" Wen Xiao gazed at him with expectant eyes once he finished speaking. He kept reminding Wen Yu to be cautious simply out of fear that the events of his past life might replay themselves.

If the diving accident was replaced by some other catastrophe instead?

Even though he had been reborn, he couldn't even trace the origin of the disaster. He felt like a traveler walking on thin ice, treading carefully with every single step.

For now, he could only hope that the butterfly effect of his rebirth would prevent those tragic events from ever happening again.

"I'll definitely be back. Xiaoxiao, remember to eat well. If I come back and see that you've lost weight, your brother won't be happy." Only after receiving Wen Xiao's promise did Wen Yu finally disconnect the call.

Wen Xiao put down his phone and placed the mysterious card into his drawer.

He had originally intended to throw it away, but he figured it might be best to keep it; it could potentially serve as a clue or evidence later on.

He had a premonition that this would not be the last one.

Wen Xiao went ahead and joined the course group chats he hadn't had time to add earlier. The group chat announcement boards contained homework notifications, along with schedules for classes and examinations.

After giving them a cursory glance, he closed the app. Heading downstairs and passing through the lobby kitchen, he saw the dormitory administrator standing inside looking deeply puzzled.

Wen Xiao walked over, took a glance, and asked with some confusion, "Uncle Tao, what's wrong?"

The man he addressed as Uncle Tao was in his early thirties and was responsible for the daily management and equipment maintenance of their building.

Whenever lights, power sockets, or bathroom showerheads broke, students could always turn to him for repairs. He was also in charge of locking the doors and monitoring student traffic, occasionally blocking unfamiliar faces from entering.

"Ah, it's Xiaoxiao. That blonde kid—what's his name again, Leng something?—was baking cookies here earlier. He baked them and didn't even eat them; just left them sitting here without taking them away."

Uncle Tao clicked his tongue, finding it rather wasteful. "You tell me, isn't this something to waste?"

Stepping into the kitchen, Wen Xiao looked over and saw that a tray of freshly baked cookies was indeed resting on the table.

Moreover, the cookies had a very distinctive shape: the centers were slightly depressed, cradling a soft, white, square marshmallow.

Melted chocolate had been used to draw smiling faces onto the marshmallows, making them look delightfully cute, reminiscent of little snowmen in winter.

"You're saying Leng Shucheng baked these cookies?" Wen Xiao leaned closer to inspect the small tray of pastries.

"So that blonde kid's name is Leng Shucheng. He just moved in at the start of the semester, but I can never seem to remember names." The middle-aged man patted his own head and let out a helpless laugh.