That afternoon, after teaching my last class, I left school as the sun was setting. Exhausted, I stretched and muttered to myself that standing in front of the class for hours was no different from strenuous exercise.
The familiar road was unusually quiet today.
After walking a short distance, my pace slowed.
Under the shade of a tree by the roadside, a figure was crouching, back hunched, head bowed so low it almost touched his knees.
At first, I only glanced at him. But for some reason, a feeling of unease welled up inside me.
I looked closer.
My heart tightened.
"Han Yuqi…?"
I hurried towards him.
He didn't move.
The afternoon breeze stirred his uniform, revealing the dust clinging to his elbows. When I bent down, the bruises on his cheeks and the corners of his mouth were clearly visible.
"A Qi?"
I gently shook his shoulder.
His body was leaning heavily forward.
That's when I truly panicked.
"Yu Qi!"
I supported him, checking his breathing. His breathing was steady, but his face was frighteningly pale.
He wasn't just tired.
He had fainted.
I clenched my jaw. A simmering anger rose in my chest, but this wasn't the time to think too much.
I carefully lifted him up. The teenager's body was lighter than I expected, but the hand on my shoulder was so cold it made me shiver slightly.
On the way home, I didn't say anything. I just felt my heart sink.
When we got home, I laid him on the bed, used a warm towel to wipe away the dust and treat the small wounds on his face.
When I touched the corner of his torn lip, my hand froze.
He had clearly been beaten.
I took a deep breath.
"What exactly happened…?"
That evening, after cooking the porridge and preparing the medicine, I returned to the room.
The bedside lamp cast a soft light on his face. His eyelashes trembled slightly, then slowly opened.
I unconsciously called out:
"A Qi…"
I stopped short, changing my words.
"…Yu Qi. You're awake? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
He looked at me for a few seconds, his eyes still hazy with fatigue, but quickly turned cold.
"I don't need you to worry."
His voice was hoarse, but clear enough to push me away.
I didn't react immediately. I just put the bowl of porridge down.
"It's not pity," I said slowly. "If he's my student, I can't ignore him."
He turned his face away.
"My affairs are none of your business."
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became heavy.
I gazed at his pale face for a long time, then softly asked,
"Were you beaten?"
He paused slightly.
A moment of silence followed.
Then a sarcastic laugh.
"Think whatever you want."
I didn't press the matter further.
I simply pushed the bowl of porridge toward him.
"Eat it. Then take your medicine."
"I'm not hungry."
I looked at him for a few more seconds, then stood up.
"Then leave it there. Eat it whenever you want."
After saying that, I left the room.
More than an hour later, when I returned, the room was completely silent.
The bowl of porridge was almost empty. The medicine was gone too.
Han Yuqi lay on his side, his eyes closed.
I walked over, pulled the blanket up a little higher, and gently adjusted the messy hair on his forehead.
I didn't know if he was really asleep or just pretending.
I turned off the light.
The door closed very softly.
In the darkness, those eyes, which had been closed, slowly opened.
The gaze was no longer as cold as before.
It was just… complicated.