Massage

Jiang Hao had told him to speak up if he felt unwell.

Ji Ze firmly believed he knew his own body best; this level of exercise should have posed no problem.

Yet, he had utterly failed to anticipate what was about to unfold.

The technique required leaning back and arching his body like an inverted bow, maximizing explosive power for the throw.

But now, with the shot put held behind his head, Ji Ze remained in that deeply awkward, back-arched position, utterly rigid.

After a moment, Jiang Hao noticed Ji Ze hadn’t thrown the ball.

A hint of confusion touched his voice.

“What’s wrong?”

Ji Ze was mortified!

Perhaps it was due to his prolonged lack of exercise, but he had apparently strained his back.

The pain was like an electric shock!

How could he possibly reveal such a ridiculous reason?

Ji Ze struggled to maintain his composure.

“Nothing.”

At the same time, he tried to steel himself, attempting to slowly straighten up, but found it utterly impossible.

Observing Ji Ze’s strange movements, Jiang Hao, being an active person, keenly sensed his predicament.

“Did you strain your back?” he blurted out.

Ji Ze’s face instantly stiffened.

He wanted to deny it, but his awkward posture clearly betrayed him.

He could only purse his lips in vexation, remaining silent.

Jiang Hao struggled to suppress a laugh, covering his mouth with a fisted hand as he cleared his throat.

“Ahem, I bear some responsibility too; I forgot you rarely exercise.”

“You’ll have trouble walking like this.”

“How about I carry you to the school infirmary?”

As he spoke, he squatted down in front of Ji Ze.

Seeing his decisive back, Ji Ze immediately waved his hands in refusal.

“No need!”

Jiang Hao tried to persuade him a couple of times to no avail, then stood up.

Before Ji Ze could even sigh in relief, Jiang Hao astonishingly hooked one arm around Ji Ze’s shoulder and the other beneath his knees, effortlessly lifting him.

It was the most humiliating princess carry!

Ji Ze froze completely.

His face flushed crimson.

“Put me down!”

Jiang Hao chuckled nonchalantly.

“Don’t worry, I’m very strong.”

“I won’t drop you.”

“That’s not the point!” Ji Ze clutched at his clothes, his voice a low growl.

“Jiang Hao, are you truly devoid of emotional intelligence?”

Jiang Hao, however, merely stated, “I know, but if you won’t let me carry you on my back, this is the only way.”

He even shrugged innocently.

Ji Ze was speechless once more.

Yu Huageng, who had been occasionally glancing their way, noticed the commotion and ran over, asking, “What happened?”

“He…” Jiang Hao, still holding Ji Ze, was about to explain when he suddenly felt a pinch on his waist.

He instantly reacted, changing his words.

“He twisted his ankle.”

Yu Huageng looked worried.

“Ah?”

“In that case, I’ll go with A’Ze to the school infirmary.”

Ji Ze, naturally, didn’t want more people to know about his embarrassing situation.

He quickly waved his hands.

“No need for so many people.”

“Jiang Hao can just take me.”

“You all continue practicing.”

He then frantically patted Jiang Hao’s arm, urging him to put him down.

Seeing his struggle, Jiang Hao, fearing he might injure himself further, carefully placed him on the ground, but his hand remained protectively on Ji Ze.

Fearing Yu Huageng would insist on accompanying them, Ji Ze proactively draped himself onto Jiang Hao’s back, appearing perfectly comfortable and trusting of him.

He curled his lips into a smile.

“He can just carry me.”

“Really.”

“Yes, that’s right, Jiang Hao, let’s go quickly.”

Jiang Hao stifled a laugh, nodding.

“Alright, don’t worry, everyone.”

“I’ll take good care of the Class Monitor.”

The two departed swiftly, leaving Yu Huageng standing in place, slightly bewildered.

When had their relationship become so close?

Normally, Ji Ze’s complexion was often pale due to his poor health, and his quiet demeanor made people worry.

But ever since he gained a deskmate, his emotions had become much more vibrant.

Sometimes he would even be flushed with anger, just like earlier, when a faint pink glow appeared on his fair skin, making him look healthy and energetic.

Initially, Yu Huageng had been concerned that excessive emotional fluctuations might negatively impact Ji Ze’s health.

She had specifically asked the homeroom teacher to move her seat in front of Ji Ze’s.

However, after more interaction, she discovered that while Jiang Hao might seem unreliable, he was very good at controlling the situation.

Because of him, Ji Ze had displayed many expressions different from his usual ones; even fuming with anger, he seemed spirited.

Consequently, Yu Huageng began to hesitate.

Yu Huageng scowled, crossing her arms over her chest, and huffed in displeasure.

“I’m not happy.”

“A’Ze wants him to accompany him, not me.”

Liang Zhuo watched, both helpless and amused.

“If Ji Ze needed your help, he would say so.”

“He probably wants to make more friends, and last time when the seats were rearranged, he didn’t ask to move Jiang Hao, did he?”

“I know!” Yu Huageng puffed out her cheeks.

“But I just have this nagging feeling, like my carefully nurtured cabbage has been trampled by a pig!”

Liang Zhuo found it amusing.

He reached out to pinch her ‘bun face’.

“Come on, I’ll treat you to something delicious.”

Yu Huageng still grumbled in annoyance, but when the biscuit was offered to her mouth, she unreservedly opened it and took a bite, munching away while maintaining her disgruntled expression.

Inside the school infirmary.

Ji Ze sat on an empty sickbed.

When the school doctor asked what was wrong, he felt too embarrassed to speak.

Jiang Hao, standing nearby, cleared his throat.

“He felt a pain in his back while throwing the shot put just now.”

“Strained your back?”

The school doctor was a straightforward person, blurting it out directly.

In her view, a strained back was never exclusively for the elderly; despite appearing resilient, the lower back was actually quite fragile and could be sprained with a moment’s inattention.

The school doctor had Ji Ze lie prone on the sickbed, diagnosing his back by pressing and kneading it.

She then took out medicinal oil and massaged him for a while.

Suddenly, the landline rang.

The school doctor went to answer it and said, “Alright, I’ll be right there.”

Hanging up, the school doctor turned and said, “I have to go out for a bit.”

“You, young man over there, you saw my massage technique just now, didn’t you?”

“I can tell you’re athletic, so you should understand this.”

“I’ll leave him to you.”

“Massage for another fifteen minutes.”

“For this level of injury, it’ll be better in less than a week.”

“Be careful during this time, don’t lift heavy objects, and he’ll recover quickly.”

In the brief pause of her words, she had already grabbed a first-aid kit and rushed out the door.

“…”

Ji Ze lay prone on the sickbed, his shirt lifted to reveal a stretch of fair, lean waist, emanating a faint scent of medicinal oil.

He instinctively turned his head to look at Jiang Hao.

The room was silent, the atmosphere subtly tense.

Neither spoke.

After a long moment, Jiang Hao finally turned to wash his hands at the corner sink, then picked up the medicinal oil the school doctor had left aside.

Ji Ze’s face was buried in his elbow.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jiang Hao’s actions and instantly tensed up.

He instinctively wanted to refuse, but couldn’t find any compelling reason.

He pursed his lips, still saying nothing, which could be taken as tacit agreement.

Jiang Hao, usually carefree, talkative, and infuriating, was also uncharacteristically quiet at this moment.

He skillfully poured the medicinal oil and began to slowly spread it over Ji Ze’s waist, massaging the acupoints.

Due to his frequent exercise, his fingertips were somewhat rough, warm, and pressing against the skin, creating a very complex sensation.

Ji Ze buried his face in the crook of his arm, a constant needle-like pain radiating from his lumbar spine.

He bit his lip to keep from crying out, and thin beads of sweat slowly seeped from his forehead.

“It’ll hurt a bit.”

“Relax.”

“After a thorough massage, it will heal quickly.”

The familiar deep voice drifted down from above.

Ji Ze gritted his teeth, his mind momentarily wandering.

‘Is this guy trying to comfort me?’

‘It’s just a little pain; I can bear it…’

‘Holy hell!’

‘Is he doing this on purpose?!’

‘It hurts like crazy!’

He silently gnashed his teeth but still relaxed his tensed body as instructed.

The pain was intense, but after the massage, his lower back felt sore and numb, and the medicinal oil radiated warmth, making him feel somewhat better.

He wouldn’t feel like he was being electrocuted with a stun gun every time he moved, a pain so unbearable it made him wish for death.

To apply more leverage, Jiang Hao had been standing by the bed, leaning over and carefully observing Ji Ze’s back.

He noticed even more clearly that Ji Ze’s figure was slender with no excess fat, his legs long and straight, and his proportions exceptionally good, making him pleasing to the eye.

The dimples on his lower back, which he had glimpsed before, were now even more distinct, prompting him to marvel, ‘No wonder these two small hollows are called the eyes of sexiness.’

Fifteen minutes later, Ji Ze’s skin on his waist was faintly red and sufficiently warm.

Jiang Hao stopped, pulled his shirt down to cover him, and said, “Done.”

Ji Ze supported himself with his hands on the bed, slowly sat up, and looked up at him, a genuine gratitude mixed with embarrassment in his gaze.

“Thank you.”

Jiang Hao offered a casual smile.

“No problem.”

“I also massage myself when I sprain something; I’m quite experienced.”

Ji Ze offered a faint smile.

In fact, he had been smiling much more lately than before.

Usually, it was just a gentle curve of his lips, but now his smiles were more genuine and joyful.

His beautiful features, combined with such a radiant smile, were as dazzling as summer sunshine.

Jiang Hao paused, his gaze involuntarily softening.

He suddenly understood why everyone in Class Five protected him like a younger brother.

In that instant, even he wanted to pamper Ji Ze, feeling blindly, ‘Ah, whatever you say is right.’

Under this illusion, he noticed the sweat on Ji Ze’s forehead.

He naturally picked up a tissue from the table and wiped it away for him.

Through the thin layer of tissue, the warmth from his hand still clearly transferred.

Ji Ze was startled by this sudden intimate gesture.

He looked up at Jiang Hao, appearing utterly dazed, with a tuft of hair sticking up on his head.

Jiang Hao couldn’t resist the urge to ruffle it.

Thinking this, he actually reached out and did it.

Ji Ze remained stunned for a while before instinctively flinching back, yelping in pain as he pulled at his strained back.

He covered his head, staring warily at Jiang Hao like a startled small animal.

With those bright, round eyes fixed on him, Jiang Hao, for some unknown reason, involuntarily averted his gaze, clearing his throat to cover his embarrassment.

He then turned to wash his hands at the sink, still maintaining a calm, unconcerned demeanor.

However, his earlobes were uncontrollably flushed red.

‘Damn, he’s so incredibly cute.’

This was Jiang Hao’s first outwardly revealed moment of vulnerability.

Ji Ze could have seen it earlier, but he was secretly pressing his waist and silently wincing in pain, perfectly missing it.

However, even if he had seen it, he would probably only have wondered—’A straight man just touched another guy’s face; what’s there to be embarrassed about?’