Our Entire Family Has Secrets [Transmigrated] - Chapter 25
Zhang Shu was late.
Originally, Yuan Bozhu planned to go to the library at three o’clock, but Zhang Shu didn’t call him until three-thirty.
Zhang Shu’s voice sounded very pitiful, with a hint of nasal congestion, as if she had been crying.
Zhang Shu’s voice sounded very pitiful, with a faint nasal sound, as if she was crying.
Yuan Bozhu was waiting for her at the school gate and frowned when he heard her voice.
“A car accident? Was it serious?”
“Serious! Super serious! A ten-car pile-up, one of the cars even had its door knocked off—”
Yuan Bozhu’s heart skipped a beat. “Where are you? I’ll come find you.”
“Why would you come find me?”
“To go to the hospital.”
“I’m not going to the hospital.” Zhang Shu took a deep breath before explaining, “It wasn’t me in the accident, Mom was just watching the commotion on the side.”
“…” Yuan Bozhu was silent for a moment before struggling to get the words out, “Hanging up now.”
Two minutes later, Zhang Shu finally arrived.
Seeing her simple attire, Yuan Bozhu breathed a sigh of relief.
However, Zhang Shu’s beauty was still striking.
When she walked to the classroom door, all the parents thought she was an older sister standing in for a parent at the parent-teacher conference.
Until the teacher said, “Yuan Bozhu’s mom is here? Come in quickly, we are already halfway through.”
Immediately, the parents began whispering among themselves, discussing how this overly young-looking mother managed to maintain her looks.
Zhang Shu walked in with her head held high, calmly accepting all the gazes. After all, she spent so much money at the beauty salon to look this good, didn’t she?
People’s compliments were the only respect for her spent money.
Zhang Shu sat down, not paying attention to what the teacher was doing. The first thing she did was message Yuan Jilang.
[Successfully arrived!]
Yuan Jilang replied: [Mission critical, don’t let your guard down.]
Zhang Shu: [You just focus on your work, leave this to me!]
Yuan Jilang: [Remember to send me pictures.]
Zhang Shu: [No problem, today, I must see my future daughter-in-law’s face.]
Yuan Jilang: [Good luck, my love.]
Yuan Bozhu knew nothing about this.
He was late to the library, but fortunately, there were still seats available. He sat down and began his weekend homework.
Lin Shuanghuai didn’t come.
Or maybe she had come, didn’t see him, and left.
Yuan Bozhu didn’t know, and he wouldn’t ask.
Otherwise, it would seem as if he had made plans with Lin Shuanghuai.
In fact, Yuan Bozhu had intended to come here alone from the beginning.
Whether Lin Shuanghuai was there or not didn’t affect his original plan.
But this kind of uncertainty was unpleasant.
Because he wasn’t sure if Lin Shuanghuai would come or when she would come, Yuan Bozhu kept glancing towards the door every so often—
Of course, he wasn’t waiting for Lin Shuanghuai.
It was just that, without being in the plan, he couldn’t determine when Lin Shuanghuai would show up.
If Lin Shuanghuai suddenly came and patted his shoulder, or sat next to him, it would disturb his homework.
So Yuan Bozhu felt uneasy.
At four o’clock, he glanced at his phone.
Lin Shuanghuai loved messaging him; if he wasn’t coming, he would have told Yuan Bozhu.
Even though Yuan Bozhu didn’t want to know, Lin Shuanghuai had a talent for being thorough in such matters.
She would definitely send a message explaining why she wasn’t coming.
But until Yuan Bozhu finished his homework, there was no such message.
A classmate next to him suddenly stood up and quietly said to another, “Our class group has a notice, saying we should go back to the classroom now.”
“So early?” The other also checked their phone. “Oh, it’s already four-thirty, I guess I’ll be next.”
Yuan Bozhu glanced at the time; it was indeed almost time to go back to class.
However, he didn’t move.
Since there was no notification yet, perhaps the teacher hadn’t finished speaking.
So, there was no rush.
Yuan Bozhu continued to study, reviewing the key points for the monthly exam.
Ten minutes later, messages from their class group and a text from Zhang Shu arrived simultaneously, calling him back.
Next would be a presentation with parents, followed by a commemorative photo.
Other students also started getting up, packing their things.
Yuan Bozhu moved slowly, maybe to avoid disturbing the library’s quiet.
He carefully and slowly packed his notebooks, organizing them neatly.
About ten minutes later, most of the students had left, and Yuan Bozhu also picked up his books and walked out.
Just as he was leaving the library, he saw Lin Shuanghuai rushing in.
Lin Shuanghuai was running so fast he almost bumped into someone. He finally reached the library entrance, saw Yuan Bozhu, and stopped, bending over, hands on his knees, panting heavily.
His damp hair was pushed back, revealing a clean and delicate face.
His eyes fluttered with his rapid breaths, nostrils flaring as he took deep breaths.
Yuan Bozhu stopped in front of him.
Technically, Yuan Bozhu had no obligation to question Lin Shuanghuai since he hadn’t waited for him.
But he still asked, “Why were you running?”
“My… phone ran out of battery…” Lin Shuanghuai caught his breath, straightened up, and apologized guiltily, “I’m sorry! I was called to the rehearsal at the venue. I wanted to borrow a charger, but no one had one. I thought I could come over after playing my piece, but today’s event was important, the vice-principal came to watch the rehearsal, and I couldn’t leave…”
He explained everything in one go, then apologized to Yuan Bozhu, “Sorry, I didn’t have time to tell you. You’ve been waiting for a long time, haven’t you?”
Yuan Bozhu looked at him for a moment and said calmly, “I was doing homework, not waiting for you.”
“That’s true.” Lin Shuanghuai wasn’t embarrassed and looked at him with a smile, “Of course, you wouldn’t wait for me. We didn’t agree to meet. I came on my own.”
Many students were heading from the playground and library towards the teaching building.
Some were complaining, while others were extremely excited.
The mix of voices irritated Yuan Bozhu.
Suddenly, Lin Shuanghuai also seemed noisy to him.
He was always saying things that had no point and required no response.
Yuan Bozhu didn’t want to continue the conversation, so he said, “Let’s go.”
Then he brushed past Lin Shuanghuai’s shoulder, following the crowd towards the teaching building. Lin Shuanghui didn’t follow. Realizing this, Yuan Bozhu slowed his steps and looked back at Lin Shuanghuai in confusion. Although they weren’t on the same floor, they were in the same building. Lin Shuanghuai clearly wanted to follow him but now wasn’t moving. Why? It was like he was throwing a tantrum. But what reason did he have to be upset? Yuan Bozhu hadn’t provoked him.
“Bye!” Lin Shuanghuai waved at him with a smile, not seeming upset.
“Aren’t you coming?” Yuan Bozhu asked.
“No, I’m not going,” Lin Shuanghuai unconsciously tugged at the corner of his shirt.
Yuan Bozhu didn’t understand. Taking a group photo at the parent-teacher meeting was an old tradition at Qiancheng No. 1 High School.
The school updated the information of each grade every year, storing these photos in the archives as a memento. Even if he didn’t join the photo, he would still need to attend the presentation. Students and parents would listen together, then sign a postcard to prove their attendance. This was another old tradition, one that even Yuan Bozhu couldn’t avoid.
Why wouldn’t Lin Shuanghuai go?
Perhaps seeing Yuan Bozhu’s confusion, Lin Shuanghuai explained, “I have to hurry back to the venue and clean up the backstage.”
Then Lin Shuanghuai exclaimed and took out a ticket for the evening event from his pocket, running up to hand it to Yuan Bozhu, “I almost forgot again. I kept saying I’d give it to you, but every time I saw you, I got distracted… This is the ticket for tonight. If you have time, come and watch.”
Yuan Bozhu didn’t immediately accept the ticket and said honestly, “I might not be able to come.”
This had to be clearly communicated to Lin Shuanghuai.
The tickets for the welcome party were in high demand, and Yuan Bozhu wasn’t particularly interested in the event.
Giving him a ticket would be a waste.
Lin Shuanghuai said, “I know.”
He acted nonchalant, as if it didn’t matter whether Yuan Bozhu came or not.
Yuan Bozhu took the ticket, and Lin Shuanghuai clapped his hands happily,
“Then I hope you’re free tonight. Bye!”
After saying this, he ran towards the venue.
Perhaps cleaning the backstage was indeed important, so Lin Shuanghuai ran quickly.
Yuan Bozhu stood there watching him for a while, then looked away and walked towards the teaching building.
He tucked the ticket into his book.
Although he accepted it, Yuan Bozhu felt he probably wouldn’t be able to attend.
The pre-show started at 7:30 PM and the event officially began at 8:00 PM. Yuan Bozhu planned to go home with Zhang Shu for a meal, which would already take him past 7:00 PM.
If anything unexpected happened with Yuan Qifeng, he definitely wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else.
“Was that Lin Shuanghuai who just ran by?”
“Probably.”
“I’m so envious. His parents never come to school.”
“Yeah, never having to worry about the homeroom teacher telling scary stories at parent-teacher conferences, and no risk of getting scolded at home! So jealous!”
“But… never attending parent-teacher conferences at all is a bit extreme. What do his parents do?”
“Who knows? He often wears expensive shoes, so they probably run a big business and are always traveling. Not coming is normal.”
Indeed, wherever Lin Shuanghuai was, discussions about him were inevitable.
But there wasn’t much talk, just those few sentences.
Yuan Bozhu passed by them expressionlessly.
“One thousand one hundred sixty-eight, one thousand one hundred sixty-nine…”
Lin Shuanghuai was sticking big red flowers on the gift bags. The repetitive work was really boring.
He yawned.
The large performance venue was now empty of performers, as they had all gone to take photos and attend briefings.
Only he was left.
After sticking the last few big red flowers, Lin Shuanghuai stretched and walked to the storage room to find the broom hidden at the bottom.
He actually didn’t need to do this.
The student council members would return after the parent-teacher conference and handle these trivial tasks.
But Lin Shuanghuai didn’t find it fun not to keep himself busy.
The broom was stuck in a tight corner, and Lin Shuanghuai struggled for a while to get it out.
His gaze suddenly fell on the back of his hand.
There was a scar there from when he had been hit by an advertising board at the fire scene.
Lin Shuanghuai’s healing ability was beyond his imagination. The doctor had bandaged it just the other day, but in just two nights, it had already scabbed over.
Anyone else would be extremely surprised to know this.
But Yuan Bozhu hadn’t asked him about it in the past two days.
Lin Shuanghuai suddenly felt very happy.
Inexplicably happy.
Yuan Bozhu, as he had imagined, gave him the greatest sense of security.
No matter what happened, no matter how much he embarrassed himself or made mistakes in front of him, Lin Shuanghuai didn’t have to worry about scaring Yuan Bozhu.
Yuan Bozhu was a very steady classmate.
His steadiness included not only a calm temperament but also his indifference.
Because he didn’t care, he wasn’t curious.
If one day, Yuan Bozhu was willing to be good friends with him and listen to him, Lin Shuanghuai would definitely tell Yuan Bozhu a big secret.
This secret could only be heard by Yuan Bozhu.
Because Yuan Bozhu wouldn’t be afraid of him or look at him with disgust.
No matter who Lin Shuanghuai was, Yuan Bozhu’s expression was always indifferent.
Lin Shuanghuai thought this was great.
Super cool.
“Ah… hss!”
While he was lost in his thoughts, his hand suddenly lost strength, and the barbed edge of the broom sliced a large gash into his palm.
As his skin split open, blood gushed out immediately.
The pain numbed his brain, and he hurriedly looked around for paper.
But ordinary paper obviously couldn’t stop the bleeding.
In a panic, Lin Shuanghuai grabbed a piece of cloth, wrapped it around his hand, and ran to the infirmary.
The infirmary teacher wasn’t there, and the door was locked.
Lin Shuanghuai, both in pain and anxious, was afraid he might bleed to death.
But as he looked at the blood-soaked cloth on his hand, he suddenly paused.
Would he die?
He probably wouldn’t die.
Lin Shuanghuai tentatively and slowly removed the cloth from his wound.
The blood was still flowing, the wound was still horrific, but he wasn’t as scared anymore.
He glanced at the tightly closed infirmary door, thought for a moment, and then turned and headed to the bathroom.
He turned on the water and rinsed his wound.
It hurt.
But Lin Shuanghuai didn’t pull back his hand, watching the blood dilute into a light red in the water.
Lin Shuanghuai was afraid of many things.
He was afraid of cats, dogs, the dark, pain, loneliness, dying, and living like a monster.
But since he never said anything, he seemed fearless. He knew how to act cute, but there was no one he could act cute with.
If he fell, he had to deal with the wound himself; no one would say, “Let me put a band-aid on for my good boy.”
He knew it wasn’t necessary, so he wasn’t particularly insistent on it.
Just a pity.
He wouldn’t be able to play the piano today because the injury was right on his palm.
Lin Shuanghuai’s phone had shut down automatically, so he couldn’t call the student council members right away. He could only wait backstage at the venue and discuss with them later how to resolve this issue.
After rinsing for a long time, the blood was still flowing.
It seemed his body wasn’t as strong as he imagined, and his self-healing ability was limited.
But the cold water soothed the pain, and Lin Shuanghuai could somewhat tolerate the level of pain now.
He turned off the tap and wrapped his hand again with the dirty cloth.
Lin Shuanghuai went back to the backstage area and waited alone for a long time, but no one came.
He looked at the clock on the wall—it was already 5:30.
The parent-teacher conference should have ended by now; why was no one here yet?
He waited until 6:00.
Lin Shuanghuai was very good at waiting alone.
He had many ways to pass the time, like counting his fingerprints or reciting the digits of pi.
Finally, after he read the ingredient list of a box of expired snacks three times, someone came.
“Huige, why are you here alone!” A junior member of the student council was very surprised.
Lin Shuanghuai asked, “Where is everyone else?”
“The parent-teacher conference ended, and they all went to eat with their parents. They’ll be back after they finish eating!”
Only then did Lin Shuanghuai remember that he hadn’t eaten all day either.
He told the junior about his hand injury, and the junior was very surprised and concerned, wanting to take him to the hospital.
Lin Shuanghuai said there was no need.
He couldn’t perform his piano piece anymore and needed to find a last-minute replacement. That was the main reason he’d waited so long.
The junior waved his hand and said, “What’s the big deal? Just cancel one program, it won’t cause any problems!”
Lin Shuanghuai was stunned for a moment before responding, “Oh, oh…”
“Hui Ge, you should go to the hospital and get checked out, don’t get infected.”
“Okay, got it. Thanks for your hard work. I’ll head off now.”
As Lin Shuanghuai left, his head felt heavy, and he didn’t know why, but he just couldn’t muster any energy.
The only thing he could think of was to tell Yuan Bozhu that he wouldn’t be on stage tonight.
Unfortunately, his phone was dead.
Luckily, the students of Class 7 in Senior Year 3 stayed late, and as Lin Shuanghuai walked out, he happened to see his classmates.
He stood at the door for a while and actually spotted Yuan Bozhu.
Lin Shuanghuai thought for a moment but didn’t go up to greet him.
Yuan Bozhu was with a family member.
Though it was unclear if it was his mother or sister, it was definitely a relative.
Lin Shuanghuai glanced at them silently, then turned and left.
He didn’t know why he left.
Perhaps he felt that Yuan Bozhu wouldn’t like him greeting him in front of his family.
Lin Shuanghuai didn’t notice that blood had soaked through the cloth and dripped on the ground.
No one else noticed either.
In fact, Yuan Bozhu wasn’t the first to notice it.
It was Zhang Shu who saw it first.
Zhang Shu seemed very sensitive to bloodstains and pulled Yuan Bozhu’s hand, whispering in his ear, “Sweetie, look, that student over there is bleeding!”
Yuan Bozhu looked up in Lin Shuanghuai’s direction, but by then, he had already turned and run to a quiet corner.
Lin Shuanghuai began to space out again—this was part of his repetitive and meaningless life.
Since he was very young, Lin Shuanghuai had been like this.
He would space out in every corner of the big house, waiting for the nanny to bring meals, waiting for his father’s phone calls, waiting for someone to ask him, “What’s wrong?” and waiting for the day he could go home.
He was used to it.
But today, the waiting time was too long, and Lin Shuanghuai began to get restless.
He stared at the ground, letting his mind wander.
He thought about guaranteed admission, the fire, the golden egg, Yuan Bozhu, and a pair of shoes—
Ah, no.
There was a pair of shoes in front of him.
Lin Shuanghuai was startled and looked up, too scared to speak clearly, “Ah?”
Yuan Bozhu stood in front of him, still expressionless, but Lin Shuanghuai felt he seemed a bit angry.
Yuan Bozhu’s gaze fell on the now blood-soaked rag, frowning.
This was a rare occasion where Yuan Bozhu didn’t passively wait for Lin Shuanghuai to speak.
He said, “Get up.”
Lin Shuanghuai dazedly stood up.
Yuan Bozhu glanced at Lin Shuanghuai’s injured hand, with blood dripping down his fingers.
He couldn’t understand how Lin Shuanghuai managed to completely ignore it.
Of course, there were many things about Lin Shuanghuai that he didn’t understand.
“Can you walk?”
“… Yes.”
It was his hand that was injured, not his foot, so of course he could walk.
Yuan Bozhu said, “Good.”
Then he grabbed Lin Shuanghuai’s uninjured hand and led him to the infirmary. Lin Shuanghuai stared at the place where Yuan Bozhu held him, followed for a few steps, and said, “Yuan, the infirmary is closed.”
Yuan Bozhu: “I know.”
But he kept walking, not intending to stop.
“Yuan, where are your parents? Will they delay you?”
“No.”
“Yuan, I can’t perform tonight.”
“Got it.”
…
Five minutes later.
In the infirmary, Yuan Bozhu was helping Lin Shuanghuai treat his wound. Lin Shuanghuai probably didn’t like awkward silences, so he started talking:
“Yuan, you kicked open the infirmary door, you might get punished.” “Mm.”
“But I can tell the teacher you did it for me. Just punish me instead.” Yuan Bozhu cut open the bandage with scissors without saying a word.
“Why don’t you ask me how I got hurt?” Lin Shuanghuai said, “Most people would ask.”
Yuan Bozhu actually took the hint and asked, “How did you get hurt?”
“I accidentally scraped it while getting something.”
Yuan Bozhu just said, “Be careful next time.”
The sun was probably setting.
The light coming in from the window was particularly red.
Lin Shuanghuai’s skin also had a faint reddish glow.
His eye corners, nose tip, and ear edges were all colored by the sunset.
Who knows why, but Lin Shuanghuai suddenly said to Yuan Bozhu, “…I want a band-aid.”
“The wound is too big for a band-aid.”
“Oh.” Lin Shuanghuai lowered his eyes, not insisting, just staring blankly at something.
When Yuan Bozhu finished bandaging him, he was about to stand up and say, “Thank you.”
But before he could finish, a band-aid was stuck on top of the bandage.
Lin Shuanghuai froze and looked up at Yuan Bozhu.
Yuan Bozhu’s expression remained indifferent, revealing no emotions.
“Yuan, is there a special meaning to sticking a band-aid on the bandage?”
Yuan Bozhu glanced at him, his voice calm and emotionless, “Not everything has to have a meaning, as you said.”
With that, he picked up his backpack and stood up, “Let’s go.”
Lin Shuanghuai lowered his head, carefully touching the meaningless band-aid, and slowly nodded.
He stood up in a daze, followed Yuan Bozhu out in a daze, and stared blankly at Yuan Bozhu’s shadow.
It wasn’t until Yuan Bozhu closed the infirmary door that Lin Shuanghuai seemed to regain control of his limbs and brain.
He wanted to smile.
He wanted to give Yuan Bozhu the best and most perfect smile and say thank you.
But he couldn’t smile at all.
Lin Shuanghuai finally discovered something novel, something he experienced for the first time in his life—
It turns out that when a person is really, really happy, they don’t smile.
Instead, they really want to cry.