Not long after they started walking, Xufang let go of Lin Xiche’s wrist and continued walking ahead on his own. It seemed like he was frustrated with her slow pace, so he turned back and grabbed her to hurry her along.
Lin Xiche was significantly shorter than him, and her legs were also shorter, so she ended up almost running behind him.
Eventually, it seemed like Xufang noticed her struggling to keep up. He turned to look at her, furrowing his brow, and asked, “Why are you running?”
Lin Xiche, catching her breath, looked at him with a strange expression, then smiled faintly, “I’m exercising, you know.”
Xufang stared at her for a moment, raised an eyebrow, and simply said, “Oh,” without further comment. He turned his head back and continued walking at the same brisk pace.
His speed didn’t waver.
Lin Xiche muttered, “…”
There was a community hospital just outside the campus, and it took about ten minutes by car to get there. Both of them were in a hurry and hadn’t brought their ID cards, but fortunately, community hospitals didn’t require ID cards; they just needed to provide their ID numbers.
Xufang went to register Lin Xiche.
While the wound wasn’t particularly deep, injuries on an artificial grass field could be prone to infection due to the abundance of bacteria. To be on the safe side, Xufang insisted on Lin Xiche getting a tetanus shot.
Before leaving, the doctor prescribed some ointment for the wound and advised her to avoid spicy and irritating foods.
Lin Xiche looked down at the bandage on her elbow and suggested with excitement, “Since we’re already out, let’s go have some spicy hotpot.”
Xufang followed beside her and casually replied, “Sure.”
“Great!”
Hearing his affirmative response, Lin Xiche started listing the dishes she wanted while counting on her fingers, “So, we should order three plates of fatty beef… Oh, you’re having some too, so make it four plates. I also want scallops, shrimp, and…”
Before she could finish, Xufang turned a corner and entered a restaurant.
Lin Xiche stopped in her tracks, and her train of thought derailed. She stared at the sign in front of her.
It read: “Fujian Clay Pot Congee.”
“…”
Lin Xiche’s previously high spirits instantly deflated, and she resignedly entered the restaurant.
The interior was decorated in a traditional Chinese style, with wooden walls adorned with watercolor paintings and calligraphy. The marble floor was a beige color, and there was a large marble structure in the middle with various potted plants on top.
Further inside, there were two separate glass-enclosed booths.
The two of them casually found a spot in the main dining area.
“A pot of congee here costs a hundred yuan,” Lin Xiche flipped through the menu. “Going next door for spicy hotpot is three hundred yuan. I get it now; you want to save those two hundred yuan.”
Xufang couldn’t be bothered to lift his eyes.
“Because of these two hundred yuan,” Lin Xiche’s expression turned serious as she continued, “you might lose a good friend who’d stick with you through thick and thin.”
“…”
“Do you think it’s worth it?”
“Yep.”
“…” Lin Xiche remained silent.
The clay pot congee arrived in one large pot, and to cool it down, they stirred it with a spoon. Lin Xiche seemed quite satisfied with this dinner, and her eyes lit up.
Observing her expression, Xufang’s lips curled up slightly.
After a while, Xufang suddenly remembered something and calmly said, “I might need to go home tomorrow afternoon. Do you want to come along?”
Hearing this, Lin Xiche raised her head and asked, “Huh? Why are you going home?”
Xufang looked at her expressionlessly and explained, “My mom has been calling me ten times a day because she thinks the injury at the corner of my eye is serious enough to require stitches.”
“…”
“And Monday is the Mid-Autumn Festival.” Seeing her lack of reaction, Xufang asked again, “So, are you coming or not?”
Lin Xiche lowered her head to sip her congee and mumbled, “I guess not.”
He didn’t say anything more, just gazed at her with his deep, dark eyes and said lightly, “Okay.”
There were two English classes in a week, so the next afternoon was Yan Zhibin’s class. Since they had fixed seats, Lin Xiche didn’t rush to leave. On the other hand, Xindan had already packed her things and was waiting for her.
Lin Xiche didn’t want to make her wait, so she quickly grabbed her books, and the two of them left the dormitory together.
As they walked side by side, Xindan suddenly remembered something and asked in a low voice, “By the way, Xiche, I heard you mention that you also live in Xicheng, right?”
Lin Xiche nodded, “Yes.”
“Are you going home later?”
“No,” Lin Xiche quickly made up an excuse, “I have some department matters to attend to.”
Xindan paused and smiled, “So you and your friends aren’t going home for the Mid-Autumn Festival?”
“It’s not like that,” Lin Xiche replied, “Niejue is going back tomorrow, and my friend is leaving after class today.”
“Niejue is going back tomorrow, but your friend?”
Lin Xiche thought for a moment, not entirely sure, and replied, “I think they’ll leave after class… Why do you ask?”
Xindan’s eyes curved as she replied, “Just curious.”
Lin Xiche didn’t press further.
They arrived early, and there were very few people in the classroom, even the lecturer’s desk was empty.
The teacher hadn’t arrived yet.
However, Ye Shaowen, who was sitting in front of Lin Xiche, was already there, wearing a bright red short-sleeved shirt. He was now slumped over his desk, seemingly asleep.
Upon hearing some noise, he quickly sat up, turned around, and greeted Lin Xiche with enthusiasm. Then he looked at Xindan, winked playfully with his left eye, and said, “Hello there, fellow student.”
Lin Xiche had met him several times and occasionally chatted with him in the WeChat group, so she was quite familiar with his quirky personality. He was the epitome of a “silly sweet” character. But she had a good impression of him, so she greeted him back.
Xindan blushed and replied softly, “Hello.”
Ye Shaowen turned his head back and said to Lin Xiche, “By the way, let’s go to the tent outside the supermarket later. I’ve already coordinated with the sports departments of other faculties. We should meet there at 3:40, and we’ll draw lots to determine the order of the matches.”
Lin Xiche nodded and said, “Sure.”
Other students began to enter the classroom one after another, mostly before the bell rang for class to start.
This time, Xufang arrived early, not rushing in when the bell rang as he used to. He glanced around the classroom and saw Ye Shaowen turning to talk to Lin Xiche. Xufang continued walking calmly.
Xufang placed his textbook on the desk, raised his eyelashes to glance at Lin Xiche, and greeted her with a nod.
On the other hand, Ye Shaowen was exceptionally enthusiastic. He leaned in closer to Xufang’s face and said, “Hi! My friend!”
Xufang kept his eyes on his phone and ignored him.
Ye Shaowen continued, “I saw you at the sports field last time, and when you refused the girl who wanted your WeChat, your expression was so handsome. I want to learn it too.”
Lin Xiche: “…”
Ye Shaowen seemed eager, “Can you teach me?”
Upon hearing this, Xufang raised his eyes, looked at him with a calm and serious expression, and said, “No one will ask for yours.”
“…”
Xufang added, “So there’s no need to learn.”
“…”
Ye Shaowen turned away without saying another word.
Seeing this, Lin Xiche leaned on her desk, blinked her eyes, and curiously looked at Ye Shaowen. She wondered what Ye Shaowen had done to provoke Xufang.
After the class started, Lin Xiche put on her glasses, took out a bundle of pens of different colors, and gave a few to Xufang. She told him to pay attention to the class and then turned her attention to the teacher.
Lin Xiche had injured her left elbow yesterday, which happened to be on the side facing Xufang. Her writing posture involved sitting up straight, placing her left upper arm parallel to the desk, and slightly bending her other hand while holding the pen.
As a result, her injured area occasionally touched Xufang’s elbow. Through the layer of gauze, she didn’t feel anything, and she didn’t intentionally avoid it.
However, after a while, Xufang seemed to have not held a pen for a long time, and his hand began to feel sore as he wrote. He raised his hand to shake it, trying to relieve the stiffness.
Then his elbow accidentally pressed hard against Lin Xiche’s wound when he raised his hand.
Lin Xiche wasn’t prepared for this, and she let out a soft groan, immediately putting down her pen and covering the injured area with her right hand. She stared at him incredulously.
Xufang also froze, his gaze shifting from her eyes to the location of her elbow. His Adam’s apple rolled, and for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.
Lin Xiche stared at him and said firmly, “You did that on purpose.”
Xufang glanced at her but didn’t say anything.
Lin Xiche continued, “You’re really wicked.”
Xufang: “…”
After scolding him, Lin Xiche felt relieved and continued to take notes. After writing for a while, she suddenly felt uncomfortable. She hadn’t touched Xufang’s elbow with her injured area since the incident.
Thinking about it, Lin Xiche turned her head and looked over.
At this moment, Xufang was only sitting on the left half of his chair, and his right arm was intentionally pulled inward while writing. He had a very unpleasant expression. When he noticed Lin Xiche’s gaze, he glanced at her.
Xufang snorted and said nothing, but continued to focus on taking notes.
After class, Lin Xiche bid farewell to Xufang and Xindan, then walked down the left side stairs with Ye Shaowen.
Xufang packed up his things, checked the time, and then walked out.
It was the time after class when the area was bustling with students. The crowded hallway made it necessary to wait for the people in front to move before one could continue.
Xufang didn’t rush, and he walked out of the classroom leisurely.
There was a path leading from the East Building to outside the campus, surrounded by many trees providing cool shade. The air carried a faint scent of gardenia flowers.
Xufang walked ahead.
Suddenly, he heard a slightly timid female voice calling him from behind, “Xufang…”
Xufang turned around.
It was a petite girl with shoulder-length black hair, a small face, bright and expressive black eyes, and a slight blush on her cheeks.
For a moment, Xufang couldn’t remember who she was, and he looked at her with curiosity.
The girl bit her lip and whispered, “Lin Xiche told me…”
Oh, Lin Xiche’s roommate.
“Is your home also in Xicheng?” The girl raised her eyes, looking at him expectantly, and stammered, “I was originally going home with Xiche, but she suddenly changed her mind… Since you’re also going home, she asked me to go with you…”
Xufang looked at her in silence.
The prolonged silence made Xindan very nervous, and she added, “I’m not very sure how to get there…”
“Wait a moment,” Xufang finally spoke, picked up his phone, and said softly, “Let me check.”
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