Li Hao was walking behind Yuhan when his eyes suddenly caught sight of Wang Lai and Zixuan heading toward the orphanage entrance and panic struck him instantly.
Without a word, he sprang forward and latched onto Yuhan's back like a frightened cat. "Yuhan! Shield me!" he hissed, tugging hard at his shirt.
Before Yuhan could protest, Li Hao spun him around and used his own behind to bump the door open. The two of them stumbled into the orphanage, Li Hao still clinging for dear life.
They walked quickly down the hall, Li Hao half-hiding, half-pushing Yuhan like he was his personal barricade. Then, spotting a door to the side, Li Hao didn't think twice,.he shoved it open and dragged them both inside.
For a split second, he breathed in relief thinking they were safe.
"Li Hao…" Yuhan tapped li Hao shoulder who was busy looking through the glass on the door.
Li Hao turned around giving a double gaze before he froze again.
Dozens of children stared at them from their desks. The teacher blinked in confusion.
Li Hao and Yuhan gave identical awkward grins, shuffling in place. "Uh… hello there…" Yuhan muttered, already reaching for the handle to leave.
But just then, Assistant Wu opened the door walked in startling them. When assistant Wu saw them his face lit up.
"Mr. Liang, Mr. Li! You kept your promise and came. Wonderful!"
Li Hao's smile faltered. He tried to slide further behind Yuhan, but it was too late, Assistant Wu was already waving them forward.
"Since you're here, perhaps you can help. The teacher has to leave for another engagement, and I'm tied up too, one of our VIPs just arrived." He gestured toward the doorway.
There stood Wang Lai and Zixuan, watching.
Li Hao nearly leapt straight behind Yuhan again, fingers clutching the back of his shirt. Yuhan forced a stiff smile at Zixuan, who met his eyes briefly before looking away.
The teacher gave them a pleading look. Yuhan sighed in defeat. "Fine. What subject?"
"English," Wu said before ushering the teacher out.
Yuhan and Li Hao turned to each other with plastered-on smiles that screamed panic.
Reluctantly, Yuhan trudged to the front of the classroom. He flashed a bright grin at the kids, picked up the textbook, and flipped to the marked page.
"Th-th… thuhhh…" he stuttered, trying to pronounce a word.
"Duhh...doguuu," he stuttered again.
The kids blinked. The twins in the front row exchanged a look, then burst into giggles. Li Hao didn't hold back either, laughing so hard he nearly slid off his chair.
"You sound worse than me!" he cackled, marching up to high-five the twins.
Yuhan's face turned red as he pouted, glaring at him. He wanted to snap at Li Hao, but with the children watching, he swallowed it down.
One of the twins piped up, pronouncing the word perfectly. The other joined in, and Li Hao laughed even harder, cheering them on.
Yuhan threw up his hands. "I don't even see the importance of English anyway!" he muttered, sulking as the class erupted in laughter.
That evening, back at their small apartment, Li Hao was sprawled on the bed laughing so hard his belly hurt.
"So you finally agree I shouldn't tag along with you?" he teased, kicking his feet in triumph.
Yuhan rolled his eyes but smiled faintly. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get too excited. I've got it all planned."
Li Hao sat up, curious. "Planned? What, like a military schedule?"
"Exactly," Yuhan said seriously, sitting on the edge of the bed. "Two weeks in, one week out."
Li Hao blinked. "What does that even mean?"
"It means," Yuhan explained patiently, "for two weeks, I'll be fully involved with zixuan's life, my life, every day together. Then for one week, I'll withdraw a bit. I need breathing room. If I'm going to be his assistant, I need time to study, prepare. And don't forget I still have to work at the night market."
Li Hao nodded slowly, still grinning. "Sounds like you've thought this through."
"I have," Yuhan said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Well, fair enough," Li Hao said with a shrug. "At least you remembered you're human. But don't forget, the interview is on the first of next month. That gives you like what, two weeks before this month runs out."
Yuhan groaned and flopped back on the bed. Li Hao leaned over him with a mischievous grin. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't slack off. If you fail, then I'll fail too, and that's not happening."
Yuhan let out a small laugh despite himself.