CH 72.2

The Same Group of People (2)

When they almost arrived in front of the dormitory building, Ruan Qingmu suddenly shouted in a soft voice amidst the sounds of fallen rain. “Oh, right, Dr. Gong!”

Qin Yuan indifferently asked, “What’s wrong?”

“W-Why was he there?”

Qin Yuan helplessly looked at him. His eyes had a weird expression.

“Is there a problem? It’s his private time after getting off work.”

Ruan Qingmu was a little embarrassed. “O-Of course. But…”

He suddenly recalled something in his mind. That day during the supervision, the pornographic picture on that cold-blooded school doctor’s phone showed the naked torso of a man!

“But what?” Qin Yuan asked.

Ruan Qingmu shook his head in distress. How could he say this out loud? Should he say that a comrade school doctor could be a gay man behind everyone’s back?

He whispered, “So, he took a picture of Fang Li in a gay bar and felt slightly worried. That’s why he asked you for confirmation, right?”

“It’s obviously like that.”

Ruan Qingmu secretly glanced at Qin Yuan’s cold side profile, feeling slightly frantic.

***

Ahhh. Why didn’t this person look surprised at all when he heard Fang Li and Dr. Gong were at a gay bar?

Gong Sinian was sitting in the bar, looking at the rain that had become heavier outside. He suddenly stood up and pushed the door to leave the bar.

Li Yuan called out for him in shock from behind. “A-Nian, where are you going? Don’t you want to listen to my new song tonight?”

Gong Sinian waved his hand behind him. “Go home tonight and sing it to me in bed.”

There was a roar of laughter behind him, mixed with Li Yuan’s resentful shout, “Fuck! Gong Sinian, you stood me up again. I’m going to be angry!”

Gong Sinian held an umbrella and searched at each shop along the nearby streets, but there was no sign of that boy’s shadow amidst the feasting and pleasure-seeking.

After searching for a while, the rain had become increasingly heavy and one side of his body was already slightly drenched. As he was about to return in despair, a cowering dark figure under the eaves of a small shop on the road suddenly caught his eye.

Fang Li was crouching under the eaves, holding a small bag in his arms. The eaves only partially covered the rain and he pressed his back against the wall, but the slanting rain still pelted the corners of his eyes and eyebrows.

He extended his hand to cover his head and made up his mind, planning to rush out to a distant bus stop. Suddenly, an umbrella was placed over his head.

He blankly raised his head and looked at the person under the light from the bar’s window, suddenly feeling startled.

“T-Teacher…” He stuttered, “No, no. Dr. Gong…”

Gong Sinian grabbed his shoulder hard and covered him under the umbrella, pulling him to the side of the street.

Someone just happened to stop and come out of a taxi nearby. Gong Sinian clutched Fang Li and got into the cab with him. “Experimental No. 3 High School, thank you.”

The driver responded and turned around toward his destination. In the car’s back seat, Gong Sinian put away his umbrella and turned his head to look at the drenched young boy beside him.

“You’re from sophomore year Class 9, aren’t you?”

It didn’t sound like a question, more like a statement.

Fang Li’s body slightly shook and he pursed his lips, face deathly pale.

“I happened to be in that bar just now, so I saw you.” Gong Sinian took a deep breath. “But you don’t need to be afraid.”

Fang Li glanced at him in alarm before swiftly lowering his head.

“I’m a school doctor and am also certified as a counselor.” Gong Sinian’s tone was different from the usual sharp one he used at the infirmary. His expression was still indifferent, but it carried a touch of reassurance.

“You can talk to me. I will abide by professional ethics and never tell anyone, including your teachers and classmates.” Gong Sinian said solemnly, “If you aren’t willing to talk to me, that’s also ok. I’ll treat you as someone in the same group as me.”

The same group? Fang Li looked at him in disbelief, not daring to ask the question that was on his mind.

“I heard the boss said you wanted to dance there and didn’t want to go to school.” Gong Sinian took off his gold-rimmed spectacles, pulled out the tissue provided in the car, and wiped the messy raindrops off of it.

Fang Li desperately shut his mouth. Did that boss really tell him everything?

“Are you in such a difficult situation that you can’t make ends meet and need to go out and make money? If it’s like this, I will go talk to your class teacher.” Gong Sinian said gently, “Don’t worry. I won’t tell him about the other things and only discuss your economic situation. The school will do its best to aid its students that are in need.”

Fang Li shook his head vigorously in horror. “No, no, don’t… My mom has a minor illness, but she has a salary. We’re not considered a special needs family.”

“So, you’re not so poor that you need to make money. The main reason is that you don’t want to go to school?” Gong Sinian indifferently said, “It won’t do. You’re not allowed to do that, understand?”

Fang Li blankly looked at him. After a while, he turned his head and softly said in a hoarse voice, “Why can’t I?”

“It’s not something you’ll be able to deal with.” Gong Sinian said word by word, “At your age, you’re not of sound mind and don’t understand the dangers of this world.”

Fang Li listened to him in a daze and smiled at him. “Doctor, what if… there’s nothing on the campus to hold me there?”

“It’s still better than this place.” Gong Sinian repeated, “I don’t know what you came across at school, but I can reasonably tell you that those matters on the campus can’t even be compared with those tha you’ll be facing out in society.”

He took a tissue paper from the tissue box and pressed it hard on Fang Li’s head, helping him to wipe the rainwater off his head.