Chapter 14 After Class, Come Into My Arms (12)

Although the boy addressed him as Yu, his expression was a muddled blend of fear, disdain, and disgust. Even the classmates’ gazes toward Asi had changed, their faces now carrying a look of sympathy, as if mourning for her.

Asi was puzzled. She stepped outside and saw the boy leaning against the wall. His faded sneakers lightly tapped the ground, and the blue-and-white school uniform traced out a sense of youthful innocence on his slender frame. He turned his head; the sharpness between his brows instantly softened the moment his gaze met Asi’s, leaving only gentleness behind.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, looking at him, unable to understand why he had suddenly sought her out.

The girl before him was still lost in confusion, her dark eyes shimmering with unshed tears, full lips tinged with a healthy flush and slightly upturned. Lu Yu felt as though the strings of his heart were being plucked again and again. The darkness in his eyes deepened. He tugged at the corner of his mouth, intending to give a charming smile, but the motion pulled at the wound on his cheek, and pain twisted his expression.

Asi’s gaze flickered as she saw him grimace in pain. She pressed her lips together, then her soft, pale hand gently grasped Lu Yu’s wrist. “Why aren’t you going to the infirmary? Your face is all swollen, and you must have many other injuries, right?” she said, pulling him along as she walked, asking as they went.

He responded absentmindedly, but his eyes remained fixed on their intertwined hands. His heart had been brimming with delight, yet her words about his swollen face made it suddenly sink.

So… in Asi’s eyes, did he look like some swollen-faced ghoul?

Lu Yu stopped in his tracks and looked at Asi with a strange expression. Asi had just led him down the stairs; the infirmary was about five minutes’ walk from the second-year building. She assumed he couldn’t walk any farther—after all, he had just been surrounded and beaten by a group of boys.

So she asked with concern, “We’re almost at the infirmary. It’s not far.”

He paused, looking into the girl’s eyes, filled with worry. His heart tightened. For a moment, he wanted to lean down to get closer to her, but remembering her comment about his swollen face, he stayed standing straight. “Do I look very ugly now?” he asked.

The boy in front of her had exquisite features, a hint of suppressed fierceness between his brows. Even with the bruises marring his face, they couldn’t conceal his striking looks; in fact, the roughness added a rugged charm.

Asi reached out with her delicate fingertips, rose up on tiptoe, and poked his face. Lu Yu’s expression instantly shifted, a stifled sound escaping his throat as he struggled to endure the pain.

“You’re hurting this much, and you still have time to worry about whether you look ugly?” she chided gently.

She released his wrist without answering, and walked straight toward the infirmary.

Lu Yu stood there, stunned for a long moment, his heart bursting.

Was she… was she worried about him just now? Otherwise, why would her tone be so gentle, her gaze so caring? Lu Yu dared not think further; even just that realization was enough to fill the hollowness in his chest.

Yet he found himself unaccustomed to the absence of that warm touch around his wrist.

He quickly caught up, reaching out his hand. “I feel a bit… tired. How much farther is it?” With one hand, he feigned rubbing his forehead, while the other hovered before Asi, as if asking for support.

Asi turned to glance at him: his face was indeed pale, the bruises on his delicate features lending a fierce, almost frightening edge. She didn’t think too much about it, simply reached out and naturally took hold of his wrist again, slowing her pace.

“We’re almost there,” she said softly.