"I Don't Like Boys"

Besides Qiao An'an, the person visiting the sickroom was Lin Jianshan.

When she arrived, Qiao An'an hadn't left yet. They were talking about a classmate of hers named Xingxing. That girl was originally very timid and quiet, not liking to go out and chat with others during recess, but recently she had suddenly joined Qiao An'an's group of friends. Qiao An'an had noticed her and realized that every time she looked down from the corridor, she happened to catch Ying Huai passing by below.

Having said this, the meaning was very clear. She subtly asked Xie Zhilan what kind of girls Ying Huai liked.

"Are you guys interested in him?" Xie Zhilan said with his usual smile, his amber peach-blossom eyes sparkling slightly. He deliberately asked Qiao An'an, "Is it Xingxing who likes Ying Huai, or is it An'an who likes Ying Huai?"

Qiao An'an slapped his arm: "What? Don't joke around, be serious!"

If he had to be serious... Xie Zhilan pulled back his smile: "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Qiao An'an asked, puzzled. "Aren't you two good brothers?"

"Even good brothers don't know everything."

In Xie Zhilan's impression, perhaps due to his family's influence, Ying Huai had very shallow emotional needs. His parents didn't come home, and he didn't care. When the nanny who had raised him since childhood was replaced, he didn't show any attachment either.

Although there were quite a few things he liked, with his family background, he could easily get whatever he wanted, and once he had it, he would quickly lose interest. Coupled with his smart brain and good physical condition, the sports he was interested in always started very quickly. However, his enthusiasm faded just as fast.

Xie Zhilan had known him for so long and had never seen him maintain enthusiasm for any person or thing for a long time, let alone girls.

Xie Zhilan thought for a moment and told Qiao An'an, "I think he has no interest in girls."

Qiao An'an widened her eyes: "So he likes boys?"

This struck Xie Zhilan's funny bone. He suddenly burst into laughter, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably, his peach-blossom eyes sparkling with light as if he had just discovered some wicked and interesting secret.

"Brother Lan, stop laughing!"

Only then did Xie Zhilan stop laughing and say seriously, "I really don't know about that. Ying Huai doesn't like anyone."

Qiao An'an asked, "Has he never loved anyone? Neither male nor female? Not even a crush?"

"No. Who could he possibly crush on? He finds other people's crushes on him annoying. It's probably not a matter of male or female; he's just not interested in people. He'd rather like a dog than a person. So—"

Xie Zhilan looked at her and said, "Xingxing has no chance. Tell her to switch to someone else."

"It's rare for someone to truly have no one they like. Maybe he's just a bit slow to realize?" Around Qiao An'an, everyone's relationship history started back in kindergarten or elementary school, beginning with pulling a girl's hair or stealing someone's eraser; at first, no one realized that was liking. Qiao An'an speculated seriously, "Maybe he already has someone, he just hasn't realized it himself."

"I already said no, yet you keep asking. Why won't you give up?" Xie Zhilan leaned in close, squinting his eyes with a smile, "Is it really Xingxing who likes him, or is it you?"

He stood too close, the distance between them so small they could clearly hear each other's breathing.

Qiao An'an was easily dazed by his bright eyes. Her cheeks warmed slightly, and just as she wanted to ask him, "Are you jealous?", Xie Zhilan suddenly backed away and said casually, "What you said is possible. If it's a girl, it would probably be Lin Jianshan. Ying Huai once praised her cooking, saying it's getting better and better."

This went back to a charity sale in elementary school. Lin Jianshan had used the two of them as the "face" of the stall to sell her homemade cookies. Ying Huai's exact words back then were: "Lin Jianshan's skills have really improved. Before, she couldn't even fry an egg properly and would get angry if we didn't eat it. Now, people are actually buying her stuff."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Jianshan heard him and threw a few gingerbread pieces at the back of Ying Huai's head, telling him to shut up.

Qiao An'an asked without thinking, "What about boys?"

Xie Zhilan curved his eyes, pointing at himself: "Me?"

Qiao An'an let out a long "Aaaa..." Xie Zhilan's attitude was too relaxed and casual, making it impossible for her to tell when he was being serious and when he was just joking.

Ying Huai suddenly walked in, followed by Xie Qizhi with a gloomy face.

Xie Qizhi blinked, stopping at the door, and called out, "Brother."

"Qiqi, don't come close." Xie Zhilan's first reaction upon hearing his voice was to put on his mask. However, when his gaze swept down to the rolled-up pant leg, the scrape on the knee looking pitiful and glaring, he still couldn't help but question Ying Huai with an indifferent face: "I told you to take him to eat, but you took him to fight instead?"

Ying Huai tilted his head to drink water. His Adam's apple bobbed a few times as he swallowed, and after tightening the bottle cap, he glanced at Xie Qizhi: "You've got it backward. He wanted to take me to fight."

Hearing this, Xie Qizhi blinked a few times, facing them with an innocent expression.

Xie Zhilan was stunned: "Is that true?"

Ying Huai was too lazy to explain. He placed both the antiseptic bottle and Xie Qizhi's packet of Banlangen on Xie Zhilan's desk: "Ask him for the details. I have something to do this afternoon, so I'll be leaving soon."

"Do you have a proper reason?" Xie Zhilan asked. "You had insomnia again last night. Are you going home to catch up on sleep?"

"My mother is back in the country and wants me to pick her up," Ying Huai said casually. "By the way, I'm going with her to get a divorce. Does that count as a proper reason?"

Xie Zhilan had a premonition that this matter was bigger and not as simple as Ying Huai made it sound. But the classroom wasn't the place to discuss such things, so he didn't press further.

It was just that Qiao An'an, having just gossiped about others, had been caught red-handed. Her face was slightly hot as she asked Ying Huai, "Did you hear everything we just said?"

"What were you saying?" Ying Huai turned his head. He was friendly toward people he knew, but his tone was much colder toward those he wasn't close to. "Did I hear you say someone likes me, or that I'm gay?"

Qiao An'an froze, choked up by his blunt tone and unable to say anything.

Ying Huai didn't look at her, gathering a few textbooks and his fountain pen from the desk into his drawer. He leaned over slightly, his black hair obscuring his eyes. When he stood straight, his shadow fell on the blackboard behind him, like a sturdy bamboo in the wind, tough and unyielding.

"Are you guys that curious about this?" he asked, and without waiting for Qiao An'an to answer, he gave a straightforward reply, "I don't like boys, I don't like Lin Jianshan, and I don't like you either."

He casually glanced at Xie Zhilan. This guy was much thicker-skinned and didn't embarrass easily like Qiao An'an. He still curved his eyes at Ying Huai as usual, his smile deepening, and asked with mock surprise, "You like me?"

Ying Huai replied curtly, "Get lost."

Lin Jianshan appeared at this exact moment. Xie Qizhi caught a sweet, crisp scent of cookies.

A clear female voice rang out from behind, saying in surprise, "So many people. Did I come at a bad time?"

Xie Zhilan suddenly looked up, greeting her: "Good afternoon, Shanshan."

Lin Jianshan smiled, mimicking his tone: "Good afternoon, Lanlan."

She observed Xie Zhilan's face: "I heard you were sick? You look like you're in great spirits. Having a pretty girl care for you really makes a difference."

Xie Zhilan looked up at her: "Having a beautiful older sister care for me makes me happy too."

Lin Jianshan tapped his head: "Cut the smooth talk."

She didn't say much, placing a neatly wrapped blue patterned box on their desk: "I came to visit you, and also to thank Ying Huai for helping me this morning."

Xie Zhilan pretended to be disappointed: "So you didn't come just to visit me."

Lin Jianshan caught Qiao An'an's unhappy expression and warned him, "Think carefully before you speak." Then she waved, her high ponytail swaying gently behind her, "Alright, I'm off."

Xie Qizhi stepped back to make way for her. Seeing him, Lin Jianshan smiled in surprise.

She was an incredibly beautiful girl, completely different from Qiao An'an. She was tall, neither weak nor arrogant. Her delicate face had a classical beauty to her eyes.

Even after witnessing Ying Huai coldly rejecting someone, she could still act naturally and properly, as if she hadn't heard anything. She won thoroughly on all fronts, which explained why Qiao An'an glared at Xie Zhilan and left in a huff.

Xie Zhilan didn't chase after her.

He turned his head and saw Qiao An'an walking in the corridor, avoiding the sunlight but not completely. Her short hair brushed against her fair neck, illuminated by the sun like honey. That appearance, which he had found so cute before, making him want to reach out and caress it, now quickly felt tedious and boring.

Ying Huai glanced at him mockingly: "Scumbag."

Xie Zhilan curved his eyes: "Blockhead."

Ying Huai didn't bother with him, taking the small box of cookies Lin Jianshan had brought and casually stuffing it into Xie Qizhi's hands: "Take it and eat."

Xie Qizhi obediently took it, letting out an "Oh."

Ying Huai pressed lightly on the top of his head, said nothing more, and walked straight out.

Xie Qizhi turned his head and saw him walking under the sunlight. The brilliant light of the sky cast a halo over his tall back.

Xie Qizhi called out, "Brother."

Xie Zhilan took out a bottle of hand sanitizer from his desk drawer, put on his mask, and washed his hands before holding Xie Qizhi's hand. He looked at his scraped palm with heartache, asking, "How did this happen?"

Xie Qizhi whispered, "I accidentally fell."

He stared at his brother's desk drawer, feeling that he and Ying Huai were indeed two completely different types of people. Even their desk drawers were different; his brother's drawer was like Doraemon's magic pocket, capable of producing anything.

Lost in thought, he forgot what he was about to say. He dazed for a few seconds before looking up at his brother. His brother seemed to realize he wasn't telling the truth but didn't press: "Have you eaten?"

Xie Qizhi shook his head, hugging the cookie box and saying, "I'm hungry."