Sharing the Dorm with the Enemy from Previous Life

That voice was light and clear with a pleasant youthful tone, and he confidently asked beside his ear, “It was bitten by a viper, right? There?”

Inside the dream, the same voice spoke with astonishment, “Tch, Qin-shaoxia was too careless.

Don’t you know there are numerous insects and poisons inside a place like this, and you need to be exceptionally careful? All my things have fallen, and there isn’t any antivenom to save you.”

He couldn’t see anything in the dream. He only faintly felt that the wound on his chest became more numb and his vision became fuzzier. His nose took in the scent of decaying leaves and the distinct smell of grass of a mountain.

After a while, that young man spoke again. “Although we’re arch-enemy, I’m a benevolent person and can’t bear seeing you suffering from poison like this. Or else –”

He faintly approached and spoke frivolously, “I could simply kill you.”

……

“Uncle Yan, can you turn back to the school gate?” Qin Yuan suddenly spoke.

Uncle Yan was stumped, “Oh, okay. Is something the matter?”

Qin Yuan hesitated for a while and whispered, “There was a student…seemed like he couldn’t get a taxi.”

Uncle Yan repeatedly responded, “Okay, okay. We’ll give your friend a ride, sure thing!”

He felt really happy. Watching Qin Yuan from childhood, he was more aware than anyone that this kid didn’t like to make friends. From these trips of picking up and dropping him off, he had never taken the initiative to invite any student for a ride.

But in this world, was there any kid who didn’t like having a friend their age?

The black Audi quickly turned around the intersection and headed toward Experimental No. 3 High School.

But once he arrived there, the newly-enlarged school gate was empty. The boy propped on crutches had gone. Only a shining iron door reflected the sunlight and flashed a dazzling light.

“He must have gotten a taxi.” Uncle Yan spoke with regret, but he quickly became happy again. “Next time, next time, remember to invite your friend for a ride, and we will send him.

Oh right, where does he live?”

Qin Yuan leaned on the back seat and indifferently answered after a long time. “No need for that. I don’t know him at all.”

It was only because seeing his leg was inconvenient.

The August wind carried a hot feeling when it blew against the face.

Ruan Qingmu sat on the pillion of Fang Li’s bicycle. One of his hands grabbed on the pair of crutches, and the other held on the pitifully lean waist of this boy in front with difficulty.

“Hey, thanks!” He raised his voice to shout.

If Fang Li hadn’t turned back to pick him up, he wouldn’t know how much longer he would need to stand in front of the school gate.

In fact, he had made a decision one minute before Fang Li came. If he still couldn’t get a taxi, he would turn back and wait in the classroom. Then when the sun had set, he would come out to try again.

Even if he wasn’t the easy type to sweat, this effort had drenched his cloth in sweats. He was roasted into a small dried fish!

Fang Li strenuously pedaled and spoke quietly, “Don’t mention it. I rode forward along the road but didn’t see any vacant taxis, so I thought you probably haven’t found one.”

Fortunately, he didn’t ride a mountain bike, which didn’t have a pillion, and instead rode an outdated 26 inch women’s bike3 that could carry people.

Ruan Qingmu tilted his head and poked Fang Li. “You were smashed by the crutches back then. Were you injured?”

Fang Li shook his head in fear. “No, no.”

Ruan Qingmu lazily said, “In the future, tell me if Liu Jun and his gang still come to trouble you. I’ll cover you.”

Fang Li strenuously pedaled the bike in silence. “….”

How could he reply to this speech?

Previously, weren’t they being bullied together by Liu Jun and his gang? They were ordered to get food at the canteen and buy drinks, forced to be the ball boys and collect shuttlecocks during physical education class, and both of them were even called “sissy” in front of the whole class. 

Why did he suddenly become domineering after the summer break?

Ruan Qingmu’s house wasn’t very far from Experimental No. 3 High School. According to his guidance, Fang Li pedaled for about half an hour and finally turned into an alley in the old district.

Over the years, several new districts had been built, and all of them had skyscrapers rising to the sky, spacious roads, and also neat and verdant landscaping.

But no matter how bright and beautiful the new districts were, the old district in the eastern part was more neglected and desolate.

The road was narrow and chaotic, the old-fashioned pipeline was intricate; the residents’ incomes were low, and demolition was complicated.

Not all of the road’s surface was flat. Fang Li was born thinner than ordinary boys, and with this uphill and downhill journey, his back had already been drenched since earlier.

Fang Li rode carefully while detouring the potholes. He finally stopped the bike in front of a store along the street and hesitatingly lifted his head.

“Beautiful Blind’s Massage.”

“Providing whole-body massage, tui na4, gua sha5, cupping therapy6, foot bath, oil back massage”

….

Ruan Qingmu moved from the pillion and confidently pointed at the massage store’s door.

“This is my house; we’ve arrived.”

Fang Li hurriedly withdrew his hesitating gaze and let out an “oh.”

“Let’s go in and take a seat. Do you want to drink some water?” Ruan Qingmu propped on the crutches, walked in front of the door, turned back, and asked him.

As soon as the heavy door screen was lifted, a middle-aged woman wearing a short floral skirt walked out. There were already little crow’s feet on the corners of her eyes, but her appearance was still beautiful. One could see that she must’ve been graceful and pretty in her youth.

Upon seeing Ruan Qingmu in front of the door, she asked, “Already back? We’re waiting for you to eat! It must be hot on the road. Did you get a taxi smoothly?”

Once she saw Fang Li, there was pleasant surprise on her face. “Aiya, this must be Mumu’s7 classmate, right? Come, come, quickly come in and have a seat.”

Ruan Qingmu replied, “The day was too hot. I couldn’t get a taxi, so my classmate sent me back. He’s the classmate who sits in front of me, Fang Li.”

After that, he tilted his head and introduced to Fang Li. “This is my mother.”

The middle-aged woman’s face appeared to be grateful. She politely approached and tugged Fang Li. “Then many thanks for Student Fang. You must’ve been tired, carrying someone on this hot day? Come in, come in, and eat some light meal first!”

Fang Li’s face was thoroughly red. He pushed the big black-rimmed glasses in a daze. “No need, no need. My family is also waiting for me to go back and eat. Thank you, auntie.”

He waved at Ruan Qingmu, rode on his bike, and quickly ran away.

Ruan Qingmu’s mother was still passionately shouting at his back, and her voice was high-spirited. “Come to play next time! Aunty will give you a whole-body massage. I guarantee that it’s refreshing and comfortable!”

The faraway Fang Li fled in panic, and he pedaled even quicker.

…..

The author has something to say:

Qin Yuan: Smiling while sitting on others’ bicycles? I will ask you to cry in my BMW in the future!

Footnote:

3 A common model for women’s bike, usually about the size of 24 or 26 inch and has a light weight.

4 Tui na: a method of applying specific manipulations or physical activities on the meridians, acupoints and certain parts of the human body for health care and treatment.

5 Gua sha: use certain tools, such as spoons with smooth edges , copper coins , coins or more professional scraping boards, together with some lubricants to treat the patient’s body. 

6 Cupping therapy: an alternative therapy that generates negative pressure through a heated “pot”, which is absorbed on the local skin, causing congestion, blood stasis or swelling.

7 Ruan Qingmu’s nickname