“Xiang Chi, are you insane? You insist on getting hit? Want me to give you one? Can’t you see Lin Le doesn’t want to?”
Hearing the voice, Lin Le turned back. Han Jinyan had followed them.
His drawn-out, leisurely tone made it obvious he was being sarcastic.
Xiang Chi’s expression changed instantly. He looked straight at Han Jinyan and answered just as rudely. “What’s it got to do with you?”
Han Jinyan walked over with a scoff. “We live in a society ruled by law. Forcing people isn’t acceptable.”
Xiang Chi said nothing, his gaze hostile as he stared at Han Jinyan.
Lin Le sensed that the atmosphere between them was wrong and spoke softly. “Xiang Chi didn’t do anything.”
Han Jinyan said, “He hasn’t done anything yet. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to.”
Lin Le understood that too. Zhou Zhongshe and Fu Ji had already scared him with this. If Xiang Chi started doing the same, Lin Le really would think there was something mentally wrong with all three of them.
Lin Le said, “Xiang Chi, don’t say things like that anymore either. It really isn’t good.”
Xiang Chi was silent for several seconds before saying, “Okay. I understand.”
In truth, he was still a little unhappy. Why were Zhou Zhongshe and Fu Ji allowed to be hit, but not him?
Han Jinyan could tell from Xiang Chi’s expression exactly what he was thinking. The corner of his mouth lifted mockingly, but he did not say anything.
“Let’s go, Lin Le. I’ll take you back to the classroom. Xiang Chi still has something to deal with.”
Lin Le was puzzled. “Hm? What does he have to deal with?”
There was no way Xiang Chi would let Han Jinyan take Lin Le away. “Nothing. He’s talking nonsense. Let’s go.”
Compared with Han Jinyan, Lin Le was more familiar with Xiang Chi, so he nodded and followed him.
Han Jinyan watched the two of them walk away together, and the smile on his face slowly faded.
When they returned to the classroom, class had not started yet. Lin Le breathed out in relief. Good, he was not late.
Seeing that the two had taken so long to come back, Zhou Zhongshe asked, “Why did you take so long?”
Lin Le turned his head. “Hm? N-Nothing.”
He did not dare mention the embarrassing misunderstanding from earlier. It was too humiliating. He reached out and grabbed Xiang Chi’s arm, clearly signaling for him not to say anything.
Lin Le thought he was being subtle, completely unaware that in Fu Ji and Zhou Zhongshe’s eyes, his gesture was blatantly obvious.
Xiang Chi said, “It’s a secret between us.”
It was not much of a secret, but the feeling that only he and Lin Le knew about it was rather nice.
Han Jinyan was not human, so he did not count.
Zhou Zhongshe’s gaze shifted. He murmured softly, “A secret, huh.”
Fu Ji said nothing, his expression remaining cold and hard.
After the final class ended, Lin Le slowly packed away his books, feeling the titles on their covers before placing them in his bag.
The teacher assigned homework. Lin Le’s situation was different from everyone else’s, so his homework was relatively easier.
Because Zhou Zhongshe had promised to buy dinner for him, Lin Le held his meal card in his hand. The moment he heard movement behind him, he immediately turned around. “Zhou Zhongshe, my card is here.”
He handed over the card. Zhou Zhongshe took it. “Okay. Go back to the dorm and wait for me.”
Lin Le hummed twice and stood with his white cane.
The exchange caught Xiang Chi and Fu Ji’s attention. Xiang Chi directly asked, “Zhou Zhongshe, why are you taking Lin Le’s meal card?”
Zhou Zhongshe said, “I’m getting food for Lin Le.”
Fu Ji’s brows drew together slightly. “Why is he asking you to get food for him?”
Zhou Zhongshe smiled. “Secret.”
That single word shut down both Xiang Chi’s and Fu Ji’s questions. Lin Le tilted his head, assuming Zhou Zhongshe thought buying food for him was embarrassing, and that was why he called it a secret. To protect Zhou Zhongshe’s pride, Lin Le nodded seriously too. “Secret.”
Zhou Zhongshe went to buy food. Fu Ji and Xiang Chi wanted him to buy theirs as well, but Zhou Zhongshe refused. The three stood there in silence. Lin Le had no idea what was happening. When he heard no one speaking, he asked, “What happened? What’s wrong?”
Zhou Zhongshe said, “I only promised to buy food for Lin Le. I never promised to buy yours.”
Xiang Chi said, “It’s no trouble. You’re already going.”
Fu Ji said, “Mm.”
Lin Le understood now. So they were arguing over Zhou Zhongshe going to buy food for him. He immediately said, “Then let’s all go eat together. I want to try going too.”
And just like that, Lin Le’s words ended the battle. As they walked, Zhou Zhongshe was still unhappy. A gentle smile remained on his face, but it did not reach his eyes.
On the way to the cafeteria, Xiang Chi kept pestering Lin Le to tell him what the secret was. Lin Le kept his mouth firmly shut. When Xiang Chi pressed too hard, Lin Le grew annoyed and said, “I already told you it’s a secret. How can a secret be told to other people?”
Those words stabbed straight through Xiang Chi’s heart. The tiny person inside him collapsed to the ground with a bang.
He wilted and lowered his head. “Oh.”
Hearing the unhappiness in Xiang Chi’s voice, Lin Le did not understand it, but he still said, “Zhou Zhongshe and I have a secret, but you and I have one too. I didn’t tell anyone our secret, so of course I can’t tell anyone Zhou Zhongshe and I’s secret either.”
Although in Lin Le’s mind, neither of them counted as any great secret.
Lin Le’s words instantly improved Xiang Chi’s mood. That was right. Zhou Zhongshe might have a secret with Lin Le, but Xiang Chi had one too.
That meant the two of them were equal!
Now only Fu Ji was left out. Xiang Chi immediately felt balanced again. He glanced sideways at Fu Ji and gave him a mocking smile.
Fu Ji’s expression looked perfectly normal. If one ignored his tightly clenched jaw, one might even think nothing was wrong with him at all.
For some reason, a feeling of being excluded rose inside Fu Ji, and his heart immediately sank.
Zhou Zhongshe also let out a muffled laugh, and much of his bad mood faded.
The group arrived at the cafeteria together. By then, it was already packed. Xiang Chi and the others looked around but could not find any empty seats. “Lin Le, there aren’t any seats left on the first floor. Should we go upstairs and take a look?”
Lin Le was fine eating anywhere. He had never gone upstairs before, so trying it seemed fine too.
Lin Le was not very familiar with the route to the second floor. As he climbed, he had to carefully tap ahead with his white cane before daring to take each step.
Seeing how cautious Lin Le was, Zhou Zhongshe considerately walked over. “I’ll hold your hand and take you up.”
Lin Le quickly waved his hands in refusal. He wanted to walk around on his own and familiarize himself with the route. If he never learned it, he would never know how to walk this way by himself.
“No need. I’ll walk around and get used to it myself. I’m being very careful.”
Lin Le gripped his white cane in one hand and held the handrail with the other, carefully making his way upstairs one step at a time.
A student behind him grew impatient, thinking Lin Le was blocking the way, and snapped viciously from behind, “Can you walk faster? You’re so slow, and you’re still standing in the way.”
Xiang Chi glanced at the wide stretch of empty stairs on the right, his expression unfriendly. “There’s such a wide path over here and you can’t see it? Are you blind?”
Xiang Chi was tall and broad, and his features already looked somewhat fierce. With his face cold as he spoke now, he looked even more intimidating. The student who had been looking for trouble glanced at Xiang Chi and silently walked away.
The group went to eat on the second floor. The second floor was a buffet; it was a little more expensive than the first floor, but the food was very good. Lin Le had never been there before and did not know what to choose.
Xiang Chi, on the other hand, ate there most often, so Lin Le was promptly led away by him.
Zhou Zhongshe and Fu Ji, who rarely ate this kind of food, could only watch the two of them walk off together, talking as they went.
Lin Le smelled the aromas in the air and listened as Xiang Chi introduced the dishes one by one. Saliva unconsciously began to gather in his mouth.
After following Xiang Chi’s suggestions and taking several dishes, Lin Le felt the weight of his plate and hurriedly said, “That’s enough, that’s enough. Thank you, Xiang Chi. I have plenty.”
Xiang Chi stared at the tiny amount of food on Lin Le’s plate in disbelief. “You’re only eating this much?”
Lin Le said, “Mm-hm. This is enough for me. Thank you for introducing everything.”
Xiang Chi chuckled foolishly a few times. “It’s nothing. But will that really fill you up? The food here is all really cheap. It’s fine to take more.”
Lin Le pursed his lips into a small smile. “It’ll fill me up. I don’t have a big appetite. Thank you.”
Xiang Chi took plenty of food for himself as well, then led Lin Le over to pay.
Lin Le held out his own card. Xiang Chi took it from the side, pretending he was the staff member accepting it, then handed over his own card and mouthed, “Use mine.”
The staff member looked at Lin Le, who clearly had no idea what was happening, and said nothing. They took Xiang Chi’s card, tapped it a few times, then returned it. “All done. Next student.”
Lin Le took back his card and asked in confusion, “Why didn’t I hear how much this meal cost?”
Lin Le’s meal money was government-subsidized, with one thousand yuan deposited onto his meal card each month. He had already planned out how much he could spend every day. He absolutely could not go over budget.
Xiang Chi said, “It didn’t cost much. Don’t worry. The food here is really cheap.”
Lin Le still was not reassured, but he did not dare ask Xiang Chi, so he secretly asked the System, 【Mr. System, did you see how much it cost?】
The System said, 【Not much. Just a few yuan.】
Since even the System said so, Lin Le had no reason not to believe it. He breathed a sigh of relief. 【Good thing I controlled myself. Mr. System, we really can’t spend recklessly right now. We have to be careful. Please help me check prices from now on.】
The System, suddenly entrusted with an important responsibility, felt guilty. 【Ah, mm. All right.】
Lin Le and Xiang Chi found seats. Fu Ji and Zhou Zhongshe had finished getting their food as well.
Lin Le ate very slowly, chewing every bite carefully, because he firmly believed that eating slowly made you feel fuller.
Xiang Chi, meanwhile, ate quickly, sweeping through his food like a storm. After just a few large mouthfuls, there was barely anything left.
When he finished, he looked at the other three, especially Lin Le. Lin Le’s food looked as though it had not been touched at all.
Xiang Chi: “?…”
He looked around, wondering whether time had somehow stopped.
But when he saw Lin Le eating at his unhurried pace, he could not help asking, “Lin Le, are you actually eating?”
Lin Le raised his head, still holding rice in his mouth. “Huh? I am.”
Xiang Chi said, “Why does it look like your rice and dishes haven’t moved at all?”
Lin Le swallowed before answering, “I eat a little slowly. Are you finished? You can go back first. I’ll go back after I finish.”
Xiang Chi said, “Oh, no need. I’ll wait and go back with all of you.”
Zhou Zhongshe had finished too. He wiped his mouth with a tissue. “There’s nothing wrong with eating slowly. Chewing thoroughly is good for your stomach and your brain. It keeps you from ending up like a certain someone—all brawn and no brains.”
Xiang Chi did not realize Zhou Zhongshe was talking about him until he saw Lin Le’s eyes curve with laughter and his white teeth show.
Xiang Chi looked impatient and did not respond to Zhou Zhongshe.
Lin Le knew they were all waiting for him, so he sped up. His cheeks puffed out, stuffed full of food. With the final mouthful still in his mouth, he stood. Because his mouth was so full, his words came out indistinct. “All done! Let’s go.”
Zhou Zhongshe handed Lin Le a tissue. “There’s no rush. Wipe around your mouth.”
Lin Le looked embarrassed. “Did I get food on it? I ate too fast.”
After they finished eating, they walked back toward the dorm. By then, the sky had grown somewhat dark, and the campus streetlights had come on.
Everything around them was quiet. Only their footsteps and breathing remained.
Feeling the night breeze brush past him, Lin Le asked, “Is there a moon tonight?”
All three looked up at the same time. The sky was not completely dark yet, and only the moon’s vague outline could be seen.
Three voices of different timbres answered at once, “Yes.”
Lin Le said, “Wow. I wish I could see what tonight’s moon looks like.”
Lin Le’s words made all three hearts pound heavily, and their gazes involuntarily settled on his eyes.
Each of them had different thoughts.
Was there anything that could cure Lin Le’s eyes?
Was there some kind of machine that could help Lin Le?
What could I do to let Lin Le see again?
None of the three spoke, but the questions running through their minds were more or less the same.
Lin Le had not meant anything by it. After asking, he immediately tossed the matter out of his mind. What he was thinking about now was that when he got back, he needed to shower first, and he also had to remember to wash Xiang Chi’s clothes.
Would Xiang Chi’s clothes smell after Lin Le had worn them?
Worried, Lin Le secretly lifted his sleeve and sniffed it. Then he breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there was no particular smell.
He had only worn the clothes for a short while. Even if he himself had some kind of smell, it would not transfer onto Xiang Chi’s clothes that quickly.
Lin Le reminded himself that he absolutely had to remember to wash Xiang Chi’s jacket
