Lamentoso: lamenting, mournfully.
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The next morning, Zhou Yongliang entered his classroom with a bright smile on his handsome face.
Everything went well yesterday. Yang Liu sent him home, even had time to stop by his residence to wait for their work shift at the convenience store. They then walked to the store together and also worked together there.
Yang Liu was still cold and rude to him, but he could feel the progress of their relationship. The black-haired student even let him sit on his seat when they were in the subway. Remembering that moment made him blush slightly.
He was happy that Yang Liu seemed to be able to accept his presence. Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid of standing still[1].
"Good morning, Weisheng gege," he greeted the only student in the class before sitting down on his chair.
The bell wouldn't ring in half an hour, so it was only natural that the classroom was still quiet.
"Morning."
Ren Weisheng's brief reply made Zhou Yongliang frown. The tall student turned his chair so he could face Ren Weisheng, who was sitting behind him.
"Weisheng gege, are you okay?"
Ren Weisheng just stared at Zhou Yongliang dryly. It took a long time for those eyes to sink into Zhou Yongliang's round eyes.
The taller student couldn't define the gaze. Ren Weisheng looked different this morning. He was not sure, but the chubby-cheeked student looked gloomy. It contrasted with his usual bright character.
"Where did you go with Yang Liu yesterday?"
Zhou Yongliang now understood. Ren Weisheng was acting weird because he saw him leaving the school with Yang Liu yesterday. He just realized that he left his friends without saying anything yesterday. It wasn't his intention, but Yang Liu didn't give him a chance to do so.
"Yesterday he took me home, ge," he finally answered. " Are you angry because I came home with Yang Liu?"
Ren Weisheng sighed at Zhou Yongliang's question. "I am not angry." He looked at Zhou Yongliang wistfully. "I'm only worried about you, Zhou Yongliang. Yang Liu is not a good person. Trust me."
"I don't understand, ge. What did Yang Liu ever do to you that you hate him so much?"
The shorter boy looked away. His eyes wandered upwards. The pair of clear beads were veiled by transparent liquid. The sight made Zhou Yongliang frown.
"One week after I officially became a student in this school, I accidentally ran into Yang Liu on a quiet street not far from my house. The street was very quiet, maybe only one or two vehicles passed. At that time, a car was passing by. It was moving very fast and hit a small child who was crossing. I panicked, and I immediately ran to the victim of the hit and run."
The brown-haired student gave his full attention to Ren Weisheng. He carefully stared at the other boy's expression that looked very heartbroken.
"At that time, there were only me, Yang Liu, and an elderly grandmother at the scene. But, only me and the grandmother approached the victim, who was covered in blood. I wanted to call an ambulance, but I didn't bring my cell phone back then. Unfortunately, the grandmother who was with me also didn't bring a cell phone."
The bronze-haired boy's expression turned more languid than before as he continued his story.
"I had no other choice, so I finally ran after Yang Liu, who at that time started walking away. I just wanted to borrow his cellphone to call an ambulance, but without saying a word, he pushed me and ran from the scene. I shouted for him, but he didn't say anything. In the end, the kid died because he did not get help immediately."
Zhou Yongliang felt his chest tighten as he watched Ren Weisheng crying. He knew that the boy he called 'gege' felt very guilty for not having succeeded in saving the life of the innocent kid. After all, Zhou Yongliang knew that Ren Weisheng actually had a soft heart and would feel guilty easily.
And now he also understood Ren Weisheng's reason for firmly refusing his relationship with Yang Liu from the start. He thought that Ren Weisheng was just jealous, but he was totally wrong. He felt bad for thinking that way about the kind-hearted boy.
The reason might also be what Hwang Jihyuk meant some time ago. Hwang Jihyuk might also know about the accident, and that was why he said that Yang Liu was not the right person for him.
Memories of Yang Liu were unforgettable. One memory that turned out to be suffocating.
"Yang Liu is not a human, Zhou Yongliang. Which human would have the heart to let another human die even though he had the opportunity to help? He has no heart! I don't want you to be with a human who has no heart like him!"
Ren Weisheng's cry grew louder, and Zhou Yongliang couldn't bear to look at him. The brown-haired student immediately got up from his seat and hugged Ren Weisheng, who was still lamenting.
"I'm sorry, ge." He stroked Ren Weisheng's back lightly. "I really didn't know that you experienced something suffocating like that. I'm really sorry."
Zhou Yongliang felt so bad. He didn't see things from a wider perspective before. He was upset with the shorter boy without understanding the real situation. He even snapped at him and acted coldly toward the innocent boy. Zhou Yongliang felt like he was the villain here.
Ren Weisheng shook his head in Zhou Yongliang's embrace. He knew that none of this was Zhou Yongliang's fault. The boy with such a slender body did not even know anything.
Without the two of them knowing, since a few minutes ago, Yang Liu stood by the classroom door and heard everything.
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Footnote:
[1] Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid of standing still: from the Chinese proverbs "Bù pà màn, jiù pà zhàn" that means "It's better to make slow progress than no progress at all."