Chapter 56
Liu Zhengnian, who was sitting across from them and happily devouring meat, noticed the looks exchanged between Lin Huaixi and Qi Wang and turned to look as well.
As the campus know-it-all, with eyes in every direction and ears tuned to everything, he recognized Zhong Chongqiu at a glance even though they had never formally met. “Isn’t that the president of the Astronomy Club?”
Liu Zhengnian waved at him familiarly. “Hello, Senior.”
Zhong Chongqiu gave a very aloof nod. Then his gaze fell back onto Lin Huaixi, as if he could only come over after receiving Lin Huaixi’s permission.
Lin Huaixi pressed his lips together, his feelings complicated.
Zhong Chongqiu had a fierce face and a powerful presence, but every now and then, Lin Huaixi would catch a faintly goofy air from him, and even a touch of clumsiness.
Even if he was a scum gong and might hurt Qi Wang in the future, he had done nothing wrong yet and shouldn’t be rejected for no reason… As the thought turned over in his mind, Lin Huaixi smiled and waved at him. “Hello, Senior.”
Zhong Chongqiu lowered his eyes slightly and walked over with his tray. With his height and long legs, every step covered twice the distance of an ordinary person’s, and within a few breaths he was standing beside them.
The direction Zhong Chongqiu had approached from placed him close to Qi Wang. Terrified that the two of them sitting together might spark some unnecessary friction, Lin Huaixi’s pupils tightened and he quickly said, “Senior, sit beside me.”
Zhong Chongqiu paused, lifted his eyes to look at Lin Huaixi as though he could hardly believe it, then after a few slow seconds, answered softly and sat down in silence beside him.
With Qi Wang on his left and Zhong Chongqiu on his right, Lin Huaixi found himself trapped between two completely different but equally overwhelming presences. Even breathing became a little difficult. He lowered his head and ate in small bites.
Out of everyone present, Zhong Chongqiu only knew Lin Huaixi. Lin Huaixi should have served as the bridge between him and the others, but he did not take up that responsibility and instead left him hanging there. Combined with the fact that Zhong Chongqiu himself was also a man of few words, no one spoke, and the atmosphere became somewhat stiff.
Fortunately, Liu Zhengnian had maxed out his social skills from birth.
“Senior, I was too busy before and missed recruitment. Is your Astronomy Club still taking people? I really like looking at the stars too,” Liu Zhengnian said with a smile.
Zhong Chongqiu could not distinguish whether he was being sincere or joking, so he answered in a strictly businesslike tone, “Sorry, there’s no chance this year. Every recruitment cycle, we don’t only recruit freshmen—we also recruit second- and third-year students. You can come try next year.”
Liu Zhengnian nodded, then let his eyes sweep over Zhong Chongqiu from head to toe. “Senior, your physique is amazing. Can you share some tips? How do you train yourself into looking like this?”
Li Fengnian also got interested and leaned over, and the two of them looked at Zhong Chongqiu with eager eyes, like two baby birds waiting to be fed.
“I… I…” Zhong Chongqiu suddenly began to speak haltingly. “Basketball, running… liking sports.”
Liu Zhengnian and Zhang Yunqiu nodded thoughtfully. Their fluffy heads huddled together as they launched into a heated discussion, even passionately setting future workout plans on the spot.
Zhong Chongqiu’s expression did not change much. He only blinked a little more slowly. After confirming that the two of them were no longer looking at him, he subconsciously turned his head and rubbed his face lightly against his own arm.
The moment he lifted his head, he met Lin Huaixi’s gaze.
Lin Huaixi was staring at him without blinking, his clear, clean eyes like a pool of water reflecting only him.
Zhong Chongqiu froze completely. The sharp, resolute lines of his features became even stiffer. In that instant, he forgot how to blink and breathe, and all that was left in him was the panic of being found out.
“…”
Lin Huaixi smiled at him, then deliberately turned away as if nothing had happened, so as not to give Zhong Chongqiu any more stimulation.
This was already the third time they had met, and from all the little details, Lin Huaixi had discovered something remarkable.
Zhong Chongqiu seemed to have a very thin skin. He embarrassed easily. The proof was in how his gaze kept dodging, how he would rub his face against his own arm, and how the tips of his ears would sometimes flush red.
The book had not described him in detail. In its early stages, Zhong Chongqiu’s characterization matched the objective impression given by his appearance. Lin Huaixi felt that this discovery was yet another sign that he really could change the plot. A small sense of achievement rose in his chest, and the corners of his lips curved up of their own accord.
Zhong Chongqiu stared blankly, then after a few seconds, he too unconsciously grew happier, as though he were not the one whose secret had just been seen through.
Across from them, Liu Zhengnian and Zhang Yunqiu had already come to a conclusion and looked at Zhong Chongqiu with excitement. “Senior, we heard you’re the basketball team captain. Do you think the two of us could join the school team?”
Zhong Chongqiu had always been conscientious. “To join the school team, you have to pass multiple rounds of selection. I can’t directly give you an answer. But personally, I think your height fits the requirements. If you really love basketball and you play well, you can go try.”
The two of them spent fourteen hours a day sitting at desks studying, with useless limbs and no practical skills to speak of, but for some reason they had plenty of confidence. They instantly got excited, as though the basketball team were already waving them in.
“Huaxi, do you want to give it a try too?” Liu Zhengnian asked in passing.
Lin Huaixi’s appearance was cute and harmless, like a soft little rabbit. Anyone who did not know him would easily be misled by that exterior.
On top of that, his skin was very fair, and he did not look at all like someone who often played outdoor sports. Liu Zhengnian underestimated him, and there was encouragement in his tone. “You should try too. There are two basketball competitions every year, and all the teachers and students in the school come watch. It’s super cool. If you play well, you can even go compete at the provincial level.”
With the campus know-it-all present, even Zhong Chongqiu, the actual team captain, seemed unnecessary. He only gave a nod.
Lin Huaixi did not answer. Out of habit, he turned to look at Qi Wang. “Do you want to join?”
Qi Wang had said nothing up to this point, but his presence had never been weak. He slowly set down his chopsticks. Before answering, he glanced at Zhong Chongqiu, then smiled at Lin Huaixi and said, “We can try.”
Only then did Lin Huaixi give his answer. “Okay, let’s do it together.”
Everyone present treated it as a small side topic and did not take it seriously.
Only Zhong Chongqiu felt every inch of exposed skin on his body go tense. From the hostility in Qi Wang’s eyes, he understood the warning.
Every beast had its own territory and its own possessions.
Just now had been a warning to an outsider.
But next time, it would not stop at a warning.
From appearances alone, Qi Wang seemed colder and more distant, as though nothing could truly move him. But inwardly, the two were the exact opposite. Qi Wang was actually the more aggressive one. Zhong Chongqiu slowly lowered his eyes. But he did not give up. Instead, as though making some kind of decision, he lifted his gaze back to Lin Huaixi and took the initiative to invite him. “We practice on the basketball court every evening on our own. Even if you don’t join the school team, you can still come practice with us.”
Before Lin Huaixi could answer, Liu Zhengnian cut in first. “Really? That’s great! Senior, you’re completely different from the rumors. You’re especially warm and friendly.”
Friendly, perhaps. Warm was another matter entirely.
Lin Huaixi imagined the contrast and could not help laughing.
Zhong Chongqiu had been a little nervous, his voice dry, but that laugh from Lin Huaixi was like encouragement to him. He straightened up at once, like a little blade of grass watered by sweet rain, and finally said the thing that had been hidden in his heart for a long time. “Lin Huaixi, add me on contact. If you want to come, tell me in advance. I’ll help you find a team.”
Lin Huaixi was still thinking about it when Liu Zhengnian nearly sprang up from gratitude and excitement, his eyes shining as he urged Lin Huaixi with his gaze.
Lin Huaixi also thought this sounded like a good idea. He subconsciously took out his phone.
But just as the two of them were about to exchange contact information, Qi Wang said lightly, “Let me do it instead. Xixi always forgets things easily.”
Lin Huaixi did have prior offenses in that regard. He was not especially detail-oriented, and his thinking often came in fragments, so mistakes happened all the time. Qi Wang was his complete opposite.
Qi Wang truly was the better candidate. Lin Huaixi nodded and set his phone down on the table.
He was sitting in the middle, watching the two men on either side silently exchange contact information, when suddenly the string in his mind was plucked.
Ahhh! How could he have forgotten?! No matter how indifferent or cold Qi Wang and Zhong Chongqiu acted, they were still the protagonist and a scum gong!
If they exchanged contact information, then their future interactions would definitely increase…
This was way too dangerous!!!
Lin Huaixi slapped the table and shot to his feet, but it was too late. With a cheerful notification sound, the two had already added each other.
Lin Huaixi’s face turned white, then red, then green. He was the only one standing while everyone else looked up at him with different expressions. Just as Liu Zhengnian was about to ask what was wrong, Lin Huaixi spoke first.
“Um, my mouth feels a little dry. I want to go buy some drinks.”
“Huaxi, you’re so thoughtful,” Zhang Yunqiu immediately chimed in. “I’ll come with you. I want iced soy milk.”
“…” Forget it. I just want to be alone.
“I can get it for you,” Lin Huaixi said, doing his best to suppress the storm of emotion inside him while keeping a fake smile on his face. “What does everyone want?”
After going around the table asking everyone, Lin Huaixi left quickly, wanting to find an empty place where he could explode in peace and sort through his thoughts.
Qi Wang watched his retreating back with unreadable eyes, then slowly withdrew his gaze and picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks.
Liu Zhengnian’s pupils tightened the moment he noticed the cilantro stuck to the side of the meat. He instinctively reached out, wanting to stop him, but Qi Wang had already placed it into his mouth, his expression calm, not even frowning.
“Y-you… don’t you hate cilantro the most?” Liu Zhengnian asked in shock.
“I don’t hate it.” Qi Wang waited until he had swallowed before replying in his usual unhurried tone. “Xixi is very sentimental. He always wants to repay other people. If I only pick the fish bones out for him, he’ll feel psychological pressure. I don’t want him to feel that way, so I pretend not to like cilantro.”
Zhang Yunqiu suddenly understood and rushed to say, “So then it becomes you two helping each other!”
Qi Wang nodded.
Under his subtle guidance, Liu Zhengnian turned into the classic NPC from a romance novel and delivered the fixed line right on cue. “Qi Wang, you’re so good to Huaxi. I’m jealous. I want a childhood sweetheart too.”
Qi Wang gave no response.
He only smiled lightly. His eyes looked like inorganic glass beads, showing no emotion at all, yet beneath them dark currents rolled and churned.
He looked at Zhong Chongqiu, who had been naturally excluded from the conversation, then lifted the corner of his lips and spoke in an easy tone, as though he were stating some ordinary everyday fact.
“Yes. We grew up together from childhood. We’re very close.”
