Yang Shuhuan was taller than him, and was pulled so hard that he lost his balance and stumbled a few times. He was so angry that he wanted to hit him: "Damn it, are you taking advantage of me?"
"Hey, it dodged! I can't hit it!"
The two chased each other and started fighting in the street, then disappeared after running a distance.
With his hands in his pockets and half his face hidden under his collar, Xiang Yu pointed in the direction the two men had disappeared as they ran away. "They ran away. Are they alright?"
Gu Chen had just learned that Xiang Yu had transferred from the neighboring city of B, and was currently busy showing him around the area. Hearing this, he glanced at the sign and said, "It's okay, they live over there, in the same building, one apartment per floor." He continued, "The shops here don't open until 6 PM, so the hygiene is good and the food is delicious. I highly recommend that local hot pot restaurant up ahead; the food is amazing. The halal restaurant next door is also good; their mutton soup smells amazing for miles around, and..."
Xiang Yu ate his fill, but the surrounding environment was noisy and chaotic, and with the constant chatter in his ears, he couldn't help but yawn.
His face was gentle, and he looked refined from the front, but his profile gave him a cute look. Despite being a white tiger, he yawned like a kitten. The bright streetlights illuminated his face. Xiang Yu used his slightly bent index finger to wipe away the tears that had welled up in his eyes from the yawn, and then a napkin was handed to him.
"Thank you." Xiang Yu took it, and when she used it to wipe her tears, she smelled a light fragrance, which smelled quite nice.
"No need to thank me, you're being too polite." Gu Chen stretched and stopped talking about his food. He was quiet for a while, but occasionally glanced to the side.
For some reason, the two of them felt uneasy when things quieted down. Xiang Yu attributed this to his lack of interaction and companionship with others, plus Gu Chen's frequent glances in their direction, which made him feel uncomfortable.
My tendency to feel awkward has resurfaced.
He lowered his head, looked down at his feet, and secretly adjusted his breathing. After taking only a few steps, he was suddenly pulled to the side.
Her mind went blank for a moment, and she had no idea what had happened. She looked up and met Gu Chen's questioning gaze. Gu Chen spoke up with a smile, "Little classmate, what are you thinking about without watching where you're going?"
On the other side was a telephone pole; if Gu Chen hadn't pulled him, he would have crashed headfirst into it.
Xiang Yu was about to thank him as was his habit, but the other person spoke first, saying, "Don't thank me, I know you're a polite little classmate."
Gu Chen grinned, his smile deepening. "You've been so busy thanking me all day."
Xiang Yu pursed his lips, pondered for two seconds, took out his phone, opened WeChat, and scanned a QR code, saying, "How much was lunch? I'll scan your code." He had just remembered this; he couldn't owe anyone anything.
"Hey." Gu Chen chuckled. "Giving money without saying thank you is too formal."
Xiang Yu was quite stubborn in this regard, holding her phone with no intention of putting it down. After a few seconds of stalemate, Gu Chen took the initiative, touching Xiang Yu's fingertips and turning off the phone screen through them.
"No need to pay, just come back next time." As he let go, he rubbed his hand against hers and said, "Your fingertips are so cold, you should keep them warm."
Xiang Yu had never seen him like this before. Taking advantage of the moment when he put his phone back, he kept his hand in his pocket and didn't take it out again. He rubbed the spot where his fingertip had been rubbed with his thumb, and a layer of goosebumps rose up along his forearm.
He couldn't accept physical contact with anyone other than family members, which he found strange. Although he wasn't sure if it was, he categorized this reaction as social anxiety.
Gu Chen didn't notice anything amiss with the other person. He saw Wang Zehao and Yang Shuhuan waiting for him at the fork in the road ahead, waved in their direction, and asked, "Which direction do you live in, classmate? Are we going the same way?"
He shook his head and pointed to the opposite side of the fork in the road.
"Alright then." Gu Chen waved to him. "See you tomorrow."
I don't know if it's just my imagination, but the other person seemed less energetic and less happy when they said that.
I can't understand it, I can't see through it.
Xiang Yu was too lazy to think about interpersonal relationships. Seeing that the three of them had met up, he followed the path that Li Yifan had shown him and went home.
He didn't have his keys, so he stood at the door and called Li Yifan. The other party answered quickly, and almost at the same time, Xiang Yu heard the sound of slippers clattering inside the door. The door opened.
"Cousin, you're back." Li Yifan had already changed into his pajamas and was planning to go to sleep, but when he thought that Xiang Yu might not have the key and had stayed up until now, he yawned with his eyes half closed.
"Your night run lasted way too long."
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Xiang Yu didn't intend to tell him that he had been to the police station again, for fear that the other party would be alarmed and ask him to get to the bottom of things.
As Xiang Yu entered, he was suddenly grabbed as he passed by Li Yifan.
"Wait a minute," the other person said, not giving him a chance to refuse, and sniffed closer. "You went out for barbecue?! You said you went for a night run, and you actually went out for barbecue?!"
The sound grew louder and louder, and with Li Yifan's expression as if he had been struck by lightning, Xiang Yu was a little unsure whether he had just eaten a regular barbecue.
"That's too much!" Li Yifan exclaimed with a bitter face, "Your dear cousin ate a simple instant noodle at home without even ham or eggs, and you actually used a night run as an excuse to sneak out and eat barbecue!"
"...I ran into a classmate while jogging at night, and we had a meal together." At least half of what Xiang Yu said is credible.
"Oh, I see." Li Yifan was still unhappy. "Then next time you treat me, I want to eat too."
Li Yifan's words sounded like he was pouting at his elders. Xiang Yu remembered that when his aunt came to help him transfer schools, she said that her cousin was sometimes quite lonely at home and wished he had a brother or sister to keep him company.
This is also why Xiang Yu could have moved to his parents' house in City X, but chose to come here instead.
"Okay." Xiang Yu patted the other person on the shoulder to reassure him.
After saying that, he went to wash up, leaving Li Yifan standing there happily.
It was late at night. When Xiang Yu returned to his room after washing up, the light in the next room was already off. He was wearing gray pajamas, drying the water from his hair with a towel, and sitting down to check his phone.
It was almost midnight, quite late. He planned to look at some English words before bed and wait for his hair to dry before going to sleep.
As I was thinking this, a dialog box popped up on my phone.
[Gu Chen] invites you to join the [Extraordinary] group chat.
? ? ?
Xiang Yu clicked in and found out that Gu Chen had invited him to the class WeChat group.
When I joined the group, no one was talking. At this hour, everyone was probably asleep.
Gu Chen was the same; he hadn't slept well last night, and after inviting people, he was just about to go to sleep when the other person joined the group instantly.
I'm all energized now.
Gu Chen: Desk mate, aren't you asleep yet?
Seeing that Gu Chen was messaging him privately, he replied with a few taps of his finger.
-East corner: immediately.
The other party replied instantly, and Gu Chen became happy again.
Gu Chen: Okay.
-Gu Chen: Classmate, your online name is really nice.
-Gu Chen: The dean just talked about "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng" last time. The east corner is where the sun rises, which has the meaning of new life.
After three messages in a row, if Xiang Yu hadn't already gotten to know his deskmate, he would have thought the last two sentences were a deliberate attempt to get closer to him.
Gu Chen is different; even roadside signs can become topics of conversation for him, so asking this question is not surprising to him.
Xiang Yu didn't like her name very much. When she learned that '隅' meant corner of a wall, she didn't understand why her parents would give her such a name.
He turned to the corner and faced the wall to reflect on his actions; no wonder he was socially awkward.
He did indeed like the word 'East Corner'. Just like Gu Chen said, East Corner is where the sun rises, and for him it represents new life.
He never changed this username after he bound himself to the system. When he was thirteen, he suffered a sudden heart attack and was on the verge of death when the system approached him. The system cured his heart disease, and his life changed as a result.
If it weren't for the system, he might not have discovered that he was so strong in combat. He might still be that gentle but cowardly boy with a heart condition.
My thoughts wander to a corner.
'Buzz'
The vibration on his hand brought him back to his thoughts, which had been adrift in a corner. Gu Chen had sent him a bunch of messages, about all sorts of things. He didn't reply immediately, and the other person said goodnight after a while.
Gu Chen: Goodnight, deskmate.
Xiang Yu felt a little embarrassed by the many unanswered messages. To be honest, his deskmate was a really good person, just as the dean had said—warm-hearted and kind.
Thinking that the other person had sent another message, a goodnight emoji.
Gu Chen: [Goodnight].jpg
Against a black background, lotus flowers with scattered stars shimmer on top of the words "Goodnight," giving off a distinctly tacky vibe.
Xiang Yu: "..."
...He's warm-hearted and kind, but he doesn't seem to be very bright.
[Author's Note: Later, Gu Chen waved at Xiang Yu while holding the class report card.]
He said, "My deskmate, you're first and I'm third. You're very smart, and I'm just a little smart!"
Please comment and favorite this post, mwah~~
Chapter Eight: Gu Chen, you're too thin, eat more!
Chapter Eight Gu Chen: You're too thin, eat more
It rained last night, and the temperature dropped several degrees when I woke up this morning.
Li Yifan rode his bike all the way in the cool breeze, shivering in his short-sleeved shirt, and shielded Xiang Yu, who was sitting behind him, from the wind the whole way.
"This awful weather," Li Yifan muttered. He reached the school gate, pushed his electric scooter, sneezed, and sniffled, saying, "Cousin, I'm going to park in the bike shed. You go ahead."
Xiang Yu frowned, took out a small half-pack of tissues from his pocket, handed it to him, and left.
There's a distance between the school gate and the teaching building, so Xiang Yu strolled along leisurely without rushing. There were few people on the road, and at this time, the boarding students had just gotten up.
"My deskmate!"
The voice was so familiar. Xiang Yu turned his head and saw Gu Chen waving at him from afar as he stepped into the campus. He waited for a moment, and the other person ran up and casually put his arm around his neck.
Gu Chen greeted him warmly, "Good morning, my deskmate!"
Gu Chen, wearing a dark blue hoodie, his strong forearms wrapped in soft cotton fabric, pressed against Xiang Yu's neck, and he could even feel the other's body temperature.
Xiang Yu felt extremely uncomfortable and tried to break free of the restraints, but failed.
It's quite powerful.
Xiang Yu glanced at him, stopped struggling, let him hold her, and said, "Good morning."
Gu Chen seemed to be in a good mood. It seemed like he was in a good mood every day; at least, he always had a smiling face whenever he saw him.
Gu Chen asked, "Have you eaten?"
Xiang Yu: "No."
To be honest, since they hadn't eaten anything after getting up early in the morning, Li Yifan put a carton of milk in each of their bags.
He's lactose intolerant and can't drink this stuff.
"What a coincidence." Gu Chen put his arm around him and changed direction. "I haven't eaten either. Let's go to the cafeteria."
Their attitude was so assertive that they brooked no refusal.