“Good morning, senior.” A clear, crisp greeting rang out.
“Good morning.” Jiang Chi responded gently.
“Good morning, Senior Jiang.” Another sweet voice followed.
“You too.” Jiang Chi turned his head with a smile in reply.
“Hey, school heartthrob, why aren’t you wearing a mask today?” A senior from a higher grade, just watching the fun, teased.
“Because I have a girlfriend now. Unlike you, who’s been single for eighteen years just for studying.” Jiang Chi laughed.
“Ha ha ha…” Laughter immediately erupted around them, all good-natured.
The senior’s face instantly flushed red, and he hurriedly made a clumsy retreat.
Today, Jiang Chi seemed like a different person. Usually, when younger students greeted him, he would just nod slightly in response.
But now, not only did he turn his head to return the greeting for the first time, he even learned how to tease back.
Under the slightly surprised gazes of the crowd, Jiang Chi quickly walked to the classroom of his own class.
He found a seat in the front row, took out his books from the shoulder bag he always carried, adjusted his posture, and quietly waited for class to begin.
At that moment, faint voices came from the back row of the classroom. Listening closely, it sounded like Su Tian was talking with members of the basketball team in the class.
“Su bro, it’s been a week, why hasn’t Ji come back? Everyone misses him so much.”
“Seems like something’s going on at home. He’s still resting there.”
“Without Ji, the basketball team’s really suffering. The second class’s Xiong Yibo has been absolutely crushing us all week. Everyone’s numb.”
“Basketball’s all about skill; you have to be strong yourself…”
The speaker didn’t mean much, but the listener was attentive.
Suddenly, the pen in Jiang Chi’s hand slipped to the floor.
He didn’t seem to notice at all. Instead, a thought popped into his mind.
At the last cultural performance evening, he heard Qing Chan say it was Ji Yue Nian who asked her to be a substitute player.
If that’s the case, then maybe Ji Yue Nian might have Qing Chan Ji’s home address.
Thinking this, Jiang Chi bent down to pick up the pen from the floor, his deep blue eyes flashing a barely noticeable glimmer of excitement.
He had made up his mind—to ask for leave this afternoon and pay Ji Yue Nian a visit.
*****
Wanqing City, Zhang Clinic.
Inside the archives room stacked with paper documents, a small boy wearing an oversized artist’s beret flipped through files repeatedly but couldn’t find what he was looking for.
Finally, with a bitter expression, he ran to the clinic’s reception.
“Teacher, teacher, still haven’t found it, meow~”
“No luck?” Zhang Junfang, dressed in a white coat, leisurely lounged in a chair, holding a thermos cup brewing red dates and goji berries.
After hearing the boy, he stroked his chin and murmured, “That can’t be. Based on the timeline, the follow-up check’s data should have been faxed by now. Could it be that Junior Jiang didn’t go for the exam?”
OCD is a psychological disorder but also a trigger for other mental illnesses.
People who are insecure, sensitive, or mentally fragile may develop twisted psyches after a severe blow.
One or two months ago, Zhang Junfang had advised Jiang Chi to register as a psychiatric patient, going for check-ups every one or two weeks, then having the hospital fax the records so Zhang could prescribe medication accordingly.
“Meow meow~ Teacher, is mental illness really that serious? I see Sister Xu enjoying herself. She even called me last time, saying Brother Zhao is very nice.” The small head approached Zhang Junfang, big round black eyes blinking curiously.
Zhang Junfang poked the soft flesh on his cheek and smiled, “That’s because she’s mentally ill too. Birds of a feather flock together.”
“The last time I went to Binhai City for her follow-up, guess what? A big group of beautiful girls were having a party in the villa. If the final results hadn’t been normal, I would have suspected she was schizophrenic.”
“As for your Brother Zhao, don’t learn from him. He’s a blatant possessive yandere pervert. Legally speaking, what he’s done deserves at least two and a half hours of execution.”
Hearing this, Yan Qing nodded in semi-understanding, then suddenly patted his head with a worried look.
“Teacher, do you think Brother Jiang will also become mentally ill? Like Brother Zhao, a total psycho?”
“I think Brother Jiang is a good person. He even gives me chicken drumsticks for free…”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Junfang was silent for a moment, then rubbed the boy’s head thoughtfully before speaking.
“Theoretically, it’s possible, but in reality, unless he suffers a major life blow… and judging from his family background, that’s unlikely. He’s not only a rich second-generation but also an only child. Who would worry? It’s a direct win.”
“Actually, compared to Junior Jiang, I’m more worried that Junior Ji might suffer psychological distortion and become mentally ill.”
“Ji bro is a pervert?” Yan Qing’s eyes widened, then he puffed out his cheeks. “No wonder Ji bro was so bad last time. He even ate my midnight snack.”
Looking at the little boy’s puffy, grumpy face like a blowfish, Zhang Junfang couldn’t help but laugh, pulling him into his arms and rubbing his cheeks hard.
“He’s not mentally ill right now, but his transvestism could very likely develop into mental illness — maybe even more so than OCD.”
“I’ve seen quite a few cases, some involving gender dysphoria. Many people with gender dysphoria start out with small psychological conditions like transvestism.”
“Can only say, students today really have huge pressure.”
*****
At the same time, inside a certain residential building.
On the living room sofa, a boy with short hair draped over his shoulders lay in the classic “Ge You recline” pose, utterly relaxed.
In his left hand was a bag of potato chips, in the right a soda can, his mouth continuously munching.
He was the typical shut-in.
Ji Yue Nian had been holed up at home for an entire week.
He didn’t even know why he stayed inside—he just wanted to be a homebody, didn’t want to go out, didn’t want to socialize, and most of all didn’t want to see a certain someone.
For this abnormal skipping of classes, Huang Qingchuan only said a few words, then took parental authority to get him a leave of absence.
But lately, Ji Yue Nian always felt his mother looked at him strangely and treated him extra carefully, making whatever he wanted to eat.
It was as if he were about to die any day.
As thoughts surged like a tide, Ji Yue Nian snapped back to reality and subconsciously pursed his lips.
A faint scent of lily flowers lingered between his mouth and nose, as if that person’s unique fragrance still remained.
One week ago, at the amusement park— that kiss.
Whenever Ji Yue Nian recalled the scene, an odd phantom sensation surfaced at his lips—warm, burning, and… disgusting.
Yes, disgusting!
Being kissed by Jiang Chi.
Being kissed by a man.
Being kissed by a man full of affection.
How could Ji Yue Nian possibly accept it?
So he ran.
Before running, he even smashed the bouquet of flowers onto Jiang Chi’s face, and then didn’t reply to any of Jiang Chi’s messages for a whole week.
Ji Yue Nian didn’t understand what had come over him back then. It was just an abnormal mix of anger and disgust, with one thought burning in his mind:
Damn it! That pretty boy Jiang Chi actually dared to kiss me! How disgusting! My first kiss!!
Knock knock knock!
A sudden knock on the door interrupted Ji Yue Nian’s thoughts.
He quickly got up, went to the door, and opened it, muttering, “Mom, you’re home so early? I was planning to have spicy crayfish for lunch… Hm? Jiang Chi?!”
At the door stood a blue-eyed youth carrying a shoulder bag.
The moment he saw the short-haired boy opening the door, a vague silhouette overlapping with one in his heart flickered.
A sentence slipped out instinctively.
“Qing… Qing Chan?”
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