Love Me, Please Look - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Unspoken Words

Zhang Shixu supported the limping boy all the way to the campus clinic.

The silence between them felt a bit too heavy, so Zhang Shixu, not one to enjoy awkward quiet, tried to start a conversation.

“Hey, watch your step next time,” he said, adjusting his grip. “Are you a freshman?”

The boy looked down at him, meeting Zhang Shixu’s gaze for a brief moment before quickly turning away, clearly flustered. After a pause, he nodded.

“You’re really quiet,” Zhang Shixu added with a smirk, amused by the boy’s shy demeanor.

As he said that, he felt the boy tense slightly under his arm.

The boy awkwardly gestured toward his mouth and shook his head.

“You… can’t talk?” Zhang Shixu asked, his voice softening as he realized what the boy was trying to say.

The boy bit his lip, clearly a little embarrassed.

“It’s okay,” Zhang Shixu reassured him quickly. “I know sign language. I can understand you.”

That seemed to surprise the boy. His eyes lit up, as if a memory had surfaced. He stared at Zhang Shixu for a beat longer, searching his face for something familiar.

“We’re here,” Zhang Shixu said, pointing to the clinic door ahead.

Once inside, he helped the boy settle onto the waiting room couch.

“Wait here—I’ll find the doctor.”

Just as Zhang Shixu stepped out, he nearly bumped into the school doctor returning with a cup of water.

“Auntie, there’s a student inside who twisted his ankle. Could you take a look?” he said.

The doctor’s face grew serious. She set the cup down and followed him inside, asking questions along the way. “Was it bad?”

“It looked pretty swollen,” Zhang Shixu replied. “Probably slipped on the wet pavement.”

Back inside, Qi Junhe had just sent a quick message to his mom when the door opened again.

The doctor crouched in front of him, carefully removing his shoe and sock. His ankle was swollen and red, standing out sharply against the rest of his pale foot.

Zhang Shixu winced in sympathy.

The doctor inspected the injury, then nodded. “Nothing’s broken. A bad sprain, but manageable.”

She went to grab an ice pack from the fridge while Zhang Shixu sat down and offered to help, gently pressing the cold pack against Qi Junhe’s ankle.

“What’s your name?” the doctor asked, pulling out a medical form.

Qi Junhe pulled out his phone to type, but before he could finish, the doctor looked impatient. Zhang Shixu stepped in quickly.

“He’s mute.”

The doctor blinked in realization. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

Qi Junhe smiled politely and showed her his name on the phone screen.

“Qi Junhe,” the doctor repeated aloud as she scribbled it down.

Zhang Shixu peeked at the name. It sounded elegant, almost poetic.

“Alpha?” the doctor asked next, looking up.

Qi Junhe glanced at Zhang Shixu before nodding slowly, a little reluctant.

“Alright,” the doctor said, handing him the completed form. “Here’s your medical slip.”

With that, she left, and the room was quiet again.

Qi Junhe looked at Zhang Shixu with a sheepish, apologetic expression.

Zhang Shixu felt the silence pressing down again and decided to break it.

“That’s your excuse slip,” he explained. “If you’ve got gym class or anything that’s physically demanding, just upload a picture of it on the school system and request a leave.”

Qi Junhe nodded, then smiled and gave him a thumbs-up—his way of saying thank you.

Zhang Shixu laughed. “You’re welcome, Qi Junhe.”

Qi Junhe’s eyes sparkled. He looked genuinely happy that Zhang Shixu could understand him without needing words.

Just as the mood relaxed, the door flew open.

A woman burst in, flanked by two bodyguards.

“Junhe! What happened? Are you okay?” Her voice rang out before she was even through the door.

It was his mother—Xu Xinyi.

She rushed straight to him, clutching her heart as she saw his swollen ankle.

“Oh, sweetheart, how did this happen?”

She blurted the nickname out instinctively—sweetheart—forgetting that Qi Junhe had begged her not to use it at school.

Zhang Shixu blinked. This woman was far more dramatic than he was prepared for.

“Um, ma’am, are you alright?” he asked, concerned that she might faint on the spot.

Her bodyguards quickly steadied her, clearly used to this level of theatrics.

Zhang Shixu hurried back with the ice pack, unsure whether to laugh or call an ambulance.

Xu Xinyi finally calmed down once she saw her son wasn’t gravely injured.

Then her eyes landed on Zhang Shixu.

“You must be the one who helped Junhe,” she said warmly, grabbing his hands and tossing the ice pack aside. “What a kind boy you are!”

Zhang Shixu wasn’t used to this kind of maternal warmth. His own mother was distant—polite, but not particularly affectionate.

“It was nothing, really,” he said, trying gently to free his hands, but Xu Xinyi had a firm grip.

“What’s your name, darling? You’re so pretty—almost like a porcelain doll!”

She plopped down on the couch and pulled Zhang Shixu with her, completely ignoring her son, who now looked like a storm cloud.

“Zhang Shixu,” he replied politely. “Shixu, as in time and sequence.”

Xu Xinyi beamed. “Such a lovely name!”

She didn’t seem to notice the Beta sticker on his neck, nor did she pick up on his scent—probably assuming he was Beta by default.

Qi Junhe tapped her shoulder, silently begging for rescue with his eyes.

She turned to him with mock annoyance. “What now?”

Please stop scaring people away, Qi Junhe signed.

But her expression only turned more dramatic.

“If you’d just stayed at home instead of living in the dorms, this wouldn’t have happened!” she scolded. “Didn’t I tell you Uncle He could drive you every day? But nooo, you had to be independent!”

She poked his forehead with a well-manicured finger.

Qi Junhe sighed. His forehead now matched his ankle in redness.

Turning back to Zhang Shixu, Xu Xinyi grinned again. “Shixu, come over to our house for dinner next weekend. You must let us thank you properly!”

She didn’t look a day over 30 despite being 38—clearly someone who took good care of herself.

Zhang Shixu couldn’t help but compare her beauty to her son’s. They were both striking, but Junhe’s was more subtle, more ethereal.

Caught off guard by her sudden warmth, he stumbled through a response.

“Uh, yes—I mean, sure. No—I mean… Auntie, really, it’s okay…”

But Xu Xinyi wasn’t having it. She patted his shoulder decisively. “Settled, then. Junhe will come pick you up.”

Zhang Shixu: “…”

Qi Junhe: “…”

This was officially the most intense dinner invitation Zhang Shixu had ever received.

Zhang Shixu supported the limping boy all the way to the campus clinic.

The silence between them felt a bit too heavy, so Zhang Shixu, not one to enjoy awkward quiet, tried to start a conversation.

“Hey, watch your step next time,” he said, adjusting his grip. “Are you a freshman?”

The boy looked down at him, meeting Zhang Shixu’s gaze for a brief moment before quickly turning away, clearly flustered. After a pause, he nodded.

“You’re really quiet,” Zhang Shixu added with a smirk, amused by the boy’s shy demeanor.

As he said that, he felt the boy tense slightly under his arm.

The boy awkwardly gestured toward his mouth and shook his head.

“You… can’t talk?” Zhang Shixu asked, his voice softening as he realized what the boy was trying to say.

The boy bit his lip, clearly a little embarrassed.

“It’s okay,” Zhang Shixu reassured him quickly. “I know sign language. I can understand you.”

That seemed to surprise the boy. His eyes lit up, as if a memory had surfaced. He stared at Zhang Shixu for a beat longer, searching his face for something familiar.

“We’re here,” Zhang Shixu said, pointing to the clinic door ahead.

Once inside, he helped the boy settle onto the waiting room couch.

“Wait here—I’ll find the doctor.”

Just as Zhang Shixu stepped out, he nearly bumped into the school doctor returning with a cup of water.

“Auntie, there’s a student inside who twisted his ankle. Could you take a look?” he said.

The doctor’s face grew serious. She set the cup down and followed him inside, asking questions along the way. “Was it bad?”

“It looked pretty swollen,” Zhang Shixu replied. “Probably slipped on the wet pavement.”

Back inside, Qi Junhe had just sent a quick message to his mom when the door opened again.

The doctor crouched in front of him, carefully removing his shoe and sock. His ankle was swollen and red, standing out sharply against the rest of his pale foot.

Zhang Shixu winced in sympathy.

The doctor inspected the injury, then nodded. “Nothing’s broken. A bad sprain, but manageable.”

She went to grab an ice pack from the fridge while Zhang Shixu sat down and offered to help, gently pressing the cold pack against Qi Junhe’s ankle.

“What’s your name?” the doctor asked, pulling out a medical form.

Qi Junhe pulled out his phone to type, but before he could finish, the doctor looked impatient. Zhang Shixu stepped in quickly.

“He’s mute.”

The doctor blinked in realization. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

Qi Junhe smiled politely and showed her his name on the phone screen.

“Qi Junhe,” the doctor repeated aloud as she scribbled it down.

Zhang Shixu peeked at the name. It sounded elegant, almost poetic.

“Alpha?” the doctor asked next, looking up.

Qi Junhe glanced at Zhang Shixu before nodding slowly, a little reluctant.

“Alright,” the doctor said, handing him the completed form. “Here’s your medical slip.”

With that, she left, and the room was quiet again.

Qi Junhe looked at Zhang Shixu with a sheepish, apologetic expression.

Zhang Shixu felt the silence pressing down again and decided to break it.

“That’s your excuse slip,” he explained. “If you’ve got gym class or anything that’s physically demanding, just upload a picture of it on the school system and request a leave.”

Qi Junhe nodded, then smiled and gave him a thumbs-up—his way of saying thank you.

Zhang Shixu laughed. “You’re welcome, Qi Junhe.”

Qi Junhe’s eyes sparkled. He looked genuinely happy that Zhang Shixu could understand him without needing words.

Just as the mood relaxed, the door flew open.

A woman burst in, flanked by two bodyguards.

“Junhe! What happened? Are you okay?” Her voice rang out before she was even through the door.

It was his mother—Xu Xinyi.

She rushed straight to him, clutching her heart as she saw his swollen ankle.

“Oh, sweetheart, how did this happen?”

She blurted the nickname out instinctively—sweetheart—forgetting that Qi Junhe had begged her not to use it at school.

Zhang Shixu blinked. This woman was far more dramatic than he was prepared for.

“Um, ma’am, are you alright?” he asked, concerned that she might faint on the spot.

Her bodyguards quickly steadied her, clearly used to this level of theatrics.

Zhang Shixu hurried back with the ice pack, unsure whether to laugh or call an ambulance.

Xu Xinyi finally calmed down once she saw her son wasn’t gravely injured.

Then her eyes landed on Zhang Shixu.

“You must be the one who helped Junhe,” she said warmly, grabbing his hands and tossing the ice pack aside. “What a kind boy you are!”

Zhang Shixu wasn’t used to this kind of maternal warmth. His own mother was distant—polite, but not particularly affectionate.

“It was nothing, really,” he said, trying gently to free his hands, but Xu Xinyi had a firm grip.

“What’s your name, darling? You’re so pretty—almost like a porcelain doll!”

She plopped down on the couch and pulled Zhang Shixu with her, completely ignoring her son, who now looked like a storm cloud.

“Zhang Shixu,” he replied politely. “Shixu, as in time and sequence.”

Xu Xinyi beamed. “Such a lovely name!”

She didn’t seem to notice the Beta sticker on his neck, nor did she pick up on his scent—probably assuming he was Beta by default.

Qi Junhe tapped her shoulder, silently begging for rescue with his eyes.

She turned to him with mock annoyance. “What now?”

Please stop scaring people away, Qi Junhe signed.

But her expression only turned more dramatic.

“If you’d just stayed at home instead of living in the dorms, this wouldn’t have happened!” she scolded. “Didn’t I tell you Uncle He could drive you every day? But nooo, you had to be independent!”

She poked his forehead with a well-manicured finger.

Qi Junhe sighed. His forehead now matched his ankle in redness.

Turning back to Zhang Shixu, Xu Xinyi grinned again. “Shixu, come over to our house for dinner next weekend. You must let us thank you properly!”

She didn’t look a day over 30 despite being 38—clearly someone who took good care of herself.

Zhang Shixu couldn’t help but compare her beauty to her son’s. They were both striking, but Junhe’s was more subtle, more ethereal.

Caught off guard by her sudden warmth, he stumbled through a response.

“Uh, yes—I mean, sure. No—I mean… Auntie, really, it’s okay…”

But Xu Xinyi wasn’t having it. She patted his shoulder decisively. “Settled, then. Junhe will come pick you up.”

Zhang Shixu: “…”

Qi Junhe: “…”

This was officially the most intense dinner invitation Zhang Shixu had ever received.