SW - 58

Though Tang Yin had no choice but to drink porridge, the entire private room was filled with the enticing aroma of barbecue. She sniffed the air a few times before obediently drinking her porridge under Lu Chi’s watchful eye.

She reached for the spoon but then withdrew her hand halfway.

Tang Yin suddenly said, “Feed me. My hand hurts.”

Lu Chi’s eyes dropped to her hand. He knew full well that she was poked in the left hand and used her right hand to eat.

Catching his gaze, Tang Yin lied without batting an eyelash. “I’m left-handed.”

Lu Chi: “…”

He sighed, moved closer, sat beside her, took the spoon, scooped some porridge, swirled it gently, and carefully brought it to her lips.

Tang Yin swallowed with a bright smile.

A bowl of porridge wasn’t much, and it didn’t take long for it to be finished. Once done, Lu Chi stopped feeding her and tidied up, placing everything back into the bag.

Tang Yin leaned over and whispered softly, “Actually, just looking at you fills me up.”

Lu Chi glanced at her, calmly proceeding to clean up.

If not for his reddening ear tips, Tang Yin might have thought he’d grown indifferent—perhaps he had learned to hide his shyness?

Some of the rowdy crowd nearby chuckled as they glanced over.

The oblivious Yu Chun, drunk on alcohol, stumbled over. Seeing the name of the porridge shop printed on the bag, he teased, “Ine Sister, how could your life be so miserable? Lu Chi, is this how you take care of her?”

Tang Yin kicked him away. “Go drink your alcohol.”

Yu Chun’s endless chatter was truly ruining their alone time.

She turned to Lu Chi. “Ignore him.”

Lu Chi thought to himself, With you acting like this, I want to ignore you even more.

One of the boys ran over, dragging Yu Chun away while shouting, “Ine Sister has it so bad!” Clearly, he had a death wish.

Yu Chun probably hadn’t expected things to escalate like this.

The gathering lasted until after ten o’clock at night. Tang Yin wanted to go home early to sleep; her whole body felt weak.

She had never suffered from gastritis before, and this bout had taught her its severity—especially the nausea and dry heaving. At one point, she wished she could claw out what little she had eaten.

It was truly unbearable. Though she had joked about craving barbecue, she dared not try anything like that for now.

Lu Chi accompanied her partway to her doorstep but didn’t go further.

Tang Yin asked him to walk a bit more, but he refused.

Under the lamplight, she quietly asked, “Are you still thinking about what happened last time?”

Could he have really developed a trauma? If so, she’d have to beat up Tang Yun later.

Lu Chi shook his head and replied, “You should go back soon. Rest early.”

Tang Yin didn’t push further and obediently turned to leave.

After watching her enter the gate, Lu Chi silently turned and walked away, his figure gradually disappearing into the darkness.

Upon entering, Tang Yin noticed how quiet the house was.

Jiang Qiuhuan and Tang Youwei were sitting on the sofa, both lost in thought, staring blankly.

Casually, she asked, “Are you two cultivating immortality?”

Seeing her return, Jiang Qiuhuan and Tang Youwei exchanged glances.

Tang Yin found this odd and pondered for a moment. Recalling her mother’s expression earlier that afternoon, she wondered if they were worried she had bombed the exam.

Before she could say anything, Tang Youwei spoke. “Life isn’t defined by just the college entrance exam. There are many paths ahead.”

Jiang Qiuhuan chimed in, “Your father’s right. Education is important, but it’s not the only thing that matters. Your future is in your own hands. Look at all those successful people who only have high school or middle school diplomas.”

The two took turns spouting grand principles. Tang Yin found it amusing and didn’t stop them, curious to see how long they would go on.

After a full half-hour, Jiang Qiuhuan took a sip of water and noticed her daughter’s strange expression. Feeling awkward, she asked, “Yin Yin, do you want to go traveling for a while?”

Tang Youwei added, “Yes, for three months.”

Tang Yin finally couldn’t hold back and laughed. “Do you think I failed the exam?”

Jiang Qiuhuan widened her eyes. “Isn’t that so? You looked so miserable this afternoon...”

Tang Yin held out her hand, showing the needle mark. “I had acute gastritis. Weren’t you two rehearsing this double act?”

Jiang Qiuhuan let out a sigh of relief. “You scared me to death. I’m going to bed.”

Without hesitation, she left, abandoning her husband and daughter and heading upstairs.

“Such heartlessness,” Tang Yin remarked.

Tang Youwei had returned home alarmed by Jiang Qiuhuan, fearing their daughter had failed the college entrance exam. Now that it was clear she hadn’t, he said, “Tomorrow the school will release the answers. Do you want to check them?”

Tang Yin flatly rejected the idea. “No, the scores will be released on the 23rd. Why bother checking the answers?”

She didn’t want to dwell on the answers, oscillating between hope and fear. Instead of wasting time, she preferred to go out and play—but with the weather so hot, staying home was more comfortable.

Tang Youwei didn’t press further and dropped the topic.

________________________________________

The next evening, Class Zero held their gathering.

Compared to Class Fourteen, Class Zero was far more excited. After three years buried in books with no entertainment, they were eager to let loose.

Tang Yin could only eat bland food for now, so she avoided tempting herself by planning to join later in the evening.

The boys, starved of fun, thankfully refrained from bringing strong liquor, opting instead for beer. They drank cup after cup.

Gathered around a small table, they played Truth or Dare. When it was the girls’ turn, some drank directly, while others had close male friends drink on their behalf. The atmosphere was lively and chaotic.

Zhao Rubin sat in the corner, munching on sunflower seeds, completely unaffected.

Lu Ye tried calling her once midway but was met with cold dismissal. No other boys dared approach her afterward.

Tang Yin arrived at the private room at eight o’clock.

She glanced around but didn’t see Lu Chi, instantly losing half her interest. She found a corner seat and started playing on her phone.

Tang Ming came over to call her. “Tang Yin, come join us! It’s boring sitting there alone. There are so many people here tonight.”

Tang Yin waved him off. “I just finished my IV. You guys go ahead and have fun.”

Seeing her genuinely uninterested and listless, Tang Ming didn’t insist further and returned to the group.

After a while, Tang Yin put down her phone.

Her eyes darted around, and she beckoned Lu Ye over. “I’ve got a task for you.”

Lu Ye, dragged out and reeking of alcohol, slurred, “What task? Leave it to me—I’ll make sure you’re satisfied!”

Tang Yin said, “When Lu Chi arrives, find a way to make him drink a little. Not much, just a small amount.”

The last time, even a tiny sip had made him dizzy.

Lu Ye seemed to catch on to something and grinned mischievously, thumping his chest dramatically. “Leave it to me! Whether he wants to or not, I’ll make him drink!”

“Alright, go have fun,” Tang Yin nodded satisfactorily.

Lu Ye returned to the circle, joining the chaos. The private room was filled with cheers and music, incredibly lively.

Zhao Rubin, sitting nearby, suddenly spoke up. “Why are you making Lu Chi drink?”

She couldn’t understand Tang Yin’s intentions. Based on past events, shouldn’t she be treating Lu Chi like a precious gem? Yet here she was, getting others to pressure him into drinking.

Tang Yin glanced at her. From the moment she entered, Zhao Rubin hadn’t spoken to her until now, when it concerned Lu Chi.

She replied indifferently, “I have my reasons.”

Zhao Rubin didn’t say more and resumed munching on her sunflower seeds.

Over the course of the semester, she had witnessed plenty. Forget Tang Yin’s treatment of Lu Chi—even Lu Chi’s actions alone were enough to make anyone envious. Their relationship was out in the open, unbothered by others. The incident with the detention still stood out vividly in Zhao Rubin’s mind. She couldn’t help but wonder why no one had ever done such things for her.

Lu Ye slipped out of the circle and sent Lu Chi a message asking when he’d arrive.

Coincidentally, Lu Chi had just arrived outside and replied immediately.

Lu Ye rushed to the door. As soon as he opened it, Lu Chi was standing there with his hand extended. Lu Ye’s eyes lit up, and he pulled him in. “Everyone who comes in has to drink a cup first, or no entry!”

Bolstered by alcohol, Lu Ye was far bolder than usual. He led Lu Chi straight to the table.

The group around the table parted slightly, and the boys cheered, “Drink up! Drink up!”

Lu Ye grinned. “No drinking, no passing through. Tang Yin’s sitting over there.”

Lu Chi turned to look. Sure enough, Tang Yin was sitting there, waving at him with an excited flush on her face.

Following Tang Yin’s instructions, Lu Ye poured only half a cup of beer and handed it over. “I can tell you don’t usually drink, so just half a cup will do!”

Lu Chi frowned. “Must I drink?”

The boys resolutely nodded and egged him on. “Of course! Absolutely necessary! No drinking, no passing through!”

After hesitating for a moment, Lu Chi slowly drank the half-cup of beer.

Aside from the time Lu Yu forced him to drink, he had never touched alcohol before. This was only his second time.

“I’m… done.” He turned the cup upside down.

Lu Ye took it and said, “Alright, alright, go keep Tang Yin company.”

Though he didn’t know why Tang Yin had asked him to do this, it surely wasn’t for any good reason. Either Lu Chi would get drunk and do something outrageous, or…

Tang Yin eagerly waited, but Lu Chi walked painfully slowly toward her.

When Lu Chi finally sat down beside her, she held her breath and waved her fingers in front of his face, expectantly observing.

Lu Chi’s eyes flickered, and he reached out to pinch her fingers, asking, “What… are you doing?”

Tang Yin was a little disappointed. Was beer not enough to get him drunk?

She pouted. “Nothing, just waving.”

Lu Chi found it strange and tilted his head, his clear eyes shimmering in the flashing lights of the private room.

Sigh, Tang Yin thought. He really is handsome.

Still holding onto hope, she grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and started munching. Lu Chi also reached for some, peeling them with his hands though he didn’t eat any himself.

After a while, he handed the peeled kernels to Tang Yin.

Zhao Rubin, who had been munching nonstop and whose tongue was starting to feel numb, couldn’t help but huff indignantly. Watching the two of them eating sunflower seeds together so earnestly infuriated her.

They went at it with great determination, and by the time the table was devoid of sunflower seeds, over half an hour had passed.

Tang Yin snapped out of her sunflower seed haze and turned to call, “Lu Chi.”

Lu Chi turned his head, his sparkling eyes fixed on her, silent.

She didn’t find this unusual—he was always a man of few words. She called again, but Lu Chi still didn’t speak, only staring intently at her.

This time, Tang Yin finally sensed something was off. Leaning closer to observe him, she noticed his cheeks were slightly flushed, and his quiet demeanor resembled how he had looked the last time he was drunk.

Tang Yin reached out to wave her hand in front of him. Lu Chi’s gaze followed, his eyes moving along with her fingers.

So he’s not licking my fingers this time? Tang Yin wondered.

Just as she was unsure how to test him further, Lu Chi suddenly spoke. “Tang Yin.”

Tang Yin responded, “Hmm?”

Lu Chi pursed his lips and said, “I… I…”

After stuttering twice, he struggled to get the words out, his face scrunching up in frustration.

Poor thing, Tang Yin coaxed. “What do you want to say? Take your time.”

Lu Chi calmed down and tried again. “Tang Yin.”

Tang Yin sighed, rubbing her forehead, and responded again.

Lu Chi fell silent, but not long after, he called out again, “Tang Yin, Tang Yin, Tang Yin.”

Tang Yin was almost driven mad. How could he call her name repeatedly without saying anything else? Though his voice was pleasant, this was getting ridiculous.

She threatened, “What do you want to say? Hurry up, or I’ll hit you.”

Lu Chi looked pitiful, his wide eyes resembling a frightened deer as he slowly opened his mouth. “I… I like you.”

Afraid she might hit him, he quickly added, “I… I really, really like you.”