“What’s this?”
The next morning, as Chen Nan entered the classroom, he noticed a neatly packed box of sushi rolls—about ten of them—on Lu Jingran’s desk.
“Wow, Brother Lu, you ordered takeout this early?” Chen Nan asked.
Lu Jingran, with a single-strap backpack slung over his shoulder, glanced at the unfamiliar food box. Suddenly remembering something, he looked up and met Zhou Le’s gaze from the back of the classroom.
Zhou Le didn’t look away but pointed to the box, as if to say, I brought it especially for you. Give it a try.
Watching the two exchange silent messages, Chen Nan couldn’t help but ask, “What’s going on with you two?”
Sheng Qian, hands in his pockets, noticed the hint of softness in Lu Jingran’s gaze and smirked. “Looks like you two have some silent understanding going on. Good thing you haven’t had breakfast yet.”
Lu Jingran knew Zhou Le brought the food for him, but he didn’t keep it to himself and left it on the desk to share.
Initially, Chen Nan hesitated—he was used to fresh, high-end sushi.
This sushi, with its small bits of octopus leg on top, didn’t look all that appetizing or luxurious.
But seeing Lu Jingran eat a piece, he decided to try one too.
To his surprise, it tasted quite good. There was kimchi and pickled radish inside, adding layers of flavor, and the octopus didn’t have any strange taste—it was actually delicious.
Chen Nan started eating more and couldn’t stop.
Meanwhile, Lu Jingran was quietly doing homework and would occasionally reach for a piece, but suddenly, he couldn’t find any left.
He looked up to see Chen Nan munching on the last piece, a stray bit of seaweed stuck to his cheek.
Lu Jingran: “…”
Chen Nan: “? What’s up, Brother Lu?”
“…”
Lu Jingran didn’t say a word, only stared at him.
Chen Nan suddenly felt that he was in danger, thinking, It’s hard to hide when someone really wants to stab you.
But then he thought again, “It’s just one sushi. I’ll buy you more, okay Brother Lu?”
Ignoring him, Lu Jingran returned his attention to his studies.
Behind them, Sheng Qian made a “tsk tsk tsk” sound.
Chen Nan looked around, confused. “What’s going on? I don’t get it.”
The silence was making him anxious.
—
Zhou Le felt a sense of relief, thinking he’d repaid his debt to Lu Jingran.
He didn’t want to owe him anything. Ideally, he’d prefer not to have any involvement with the group of Alphas that surrounded Lu Jingran.
Maintaining just a surface-level relationship would be best. Standing next to such high-quality Alphas made him feel pressured.
Even though he hadn’t fully differentiated yet, he instinctively wanted to keep his distance, someone like Xia Linchuan—would be an Alpha who felt more dependable.
Little Xia: Don’t underestimate us Alphas! I’m warning you!
Just as Zhou Le was feeling content, the next moment, Chen Nan cornered him against the hallway wall.
At that moment, the Alpha’s scent washed over him, and instinctively, Zhou Le prepared to kick him away.
But when he met Chen Nan’s slightly narrowed, inquisitive gaze, he froze.
“You… what do you want?”
It was strange—both were Alphas, and both had been close to him, but Lu Jingran’s scent felt entirely different from Chen Nan’s. Lu Jingran’s made him feel a strange sense of closeness, while Chen Nan’s made him want to lash out.
Chen Nan demanded, “Where’d you get the sushi this morning? Give me the address.”
Zhou Le: “?”
Impatient, Chen Nan snapped, “What are you staring at? I said the address! Are you deaf?”
Zhou Le hesitated, “It’s not from any store. My mom made it.”
This time, it was Chen Nan’s turn to freeze.
He looked Zhou Le up and down, as if questioning the truth of his words.
Finally, he dismissed it and said, “Whatever. Just make sure to get me a few of the most expensive ones. Tomorrow morning, I want to see them on my desk, got it?”
Chen Nan’s tone was tough, like a small-time thug.
Zhou Le wanted to refuse but didn’t dare. After all, the other was an Alpha, and he looked like he had a short temper.
“Oh… got it,” he muttered.
Only then did Chen Nan walk away, satisfied.
With the Alpha’s presence gone, Zhou Le let out a long breath, but he felt bitter.
Chen Nan clearly wasn’t planning on paying for the sushi, and Zhou Le… didn’t dare ask him for it.
Who knew how many errands he’d have to run later to make up the cost?
“What’s with you? You look so down.” Lin Xiaoxiao, who was swooning over a picture of Lu Jingran on her phone, asked him.
“It’s nothing…” Zhou Le replied weakly.
That night, he told his mom about what happened.
“Really?” Cheng Ying smiled brightly. “Did your classmates really say your sushi was delicious? Did they compliment you?”
As a mother, there was nothing more rewarding than seeing her child happy. Cheng Ying didn’t have much to offer, but she cherished every bit of praise that helped her feel fulfilled as a mother.
Seeing her joy, Zhou Le held back his disappointment. “Uh… yeah, they really liked it and asked if they could have more.”
“Mom, I can make their portion. You’ve already made so many today; just rest after you’re done. I’ll prepare them after delivering food to Uncle Zhou.”
“No need, just a few boxes; I can handle it,” Cheng Ying insisted. “This time, I’ll make it even better, maybe with some tuna. We still have some left from what you brought back last time.”
Tuna?
That was expensive.
Zhou Le’s heart ached, feeling like he was bleeding inside. But when he thought about Chen Nan’s attitude, he resigned himself to it.
Early the next morning, Zhou Le placed three boxes of sushi on Chen Nan’s desk.
As he set them down, he muttered under his breath: May you never find a seasoning packet in your instant noodles, choke on water, and trip on flat ground.
He didn’t dare curse Chen Nan directly, so he vented all his frustration silently.
Still, it hurt to think about the tuna they had used. Boxes like this weren’t something they usually made—each one cost a pretty penny, and now he’d brought three at once.
Zhou Le’s heart: bleeding again.
—-
When Lu Jingran arrived at his desk, he saw the three boxes of sushi neatly arranged on Chen Nan’s desk—the same packaging as yesterday’s.
Lu Jingran glanced back and locked eyes with Zhou Le’s pitiful gaze.
Zhou Le looked more miserable than the day before, his brows furrowed as if in agony.
“Wow, not bad at all.” Chen Nan had just arrived, glancing at the three boxes and arranging them. “Nice, hope they taste good.”
With that, he handed a box each to Lu Jingran and Shen Qianan. “Here, try it—Zhou Le’s family made it.”
“Brother Lu, didn’t you say you didn’t get enough yesterday? Now you can eat to your heart’s content.”
Shen Qianan didn’t take his, instead glancing at Lu Jingran.
Lu Jingran also hesitated, looking down at the box of sushi Chen Nan was handing him.
Noticing the strange atmosphere, Chen Nan asked, “What’s wrong, Brother Lu?”
Lu Jingran looked up and asked softly, “How much did you pay?”
Chen Nan looked blank. “Huh?”
Pay?
Pay for what?
Among their friends, they never worried about who paid for what. A treat here and there was no big deal, right? And besides, how much could it really cost?
But for Zhou Le, it was different. For him, they counted every cent—they were barely scraping by, and this sushi was probably close to a week’s worth of living expenses.
“Uh, Brother Lu, I…,” Chen Nan stammered, meeting Lu Jingran’s calm but firm gaze.
Suddenly realizing his mistake, he saw how unfairly he’d acted, like a bully.
Chen Nan wasn’t one to lord his privilege over others, even though he could be hot-headed.
“Got it, Brother Lu.”
Turning, he walked over to Zhou Le.
Waving the sushi box, Chen Nan asked, “How much do these cost?”
Zhou Le: “?”
He hadn’t heard the conversation up front, so he was totally lost.
Chen Nan clicked his tongue impatiently, “What’s with the ‘huh’? I’m asking how much the three sushi boxes cost!”
“Don’t make me look like that idiot in Class 7. Hurry up, how much? No nonsense.”
Xiao Lan from Class 7 was a notorious bully—many people in the school despised him, mentioning him with disdain.
Chen Nan had no liking for him and didn’t want to leave the same kind of reputation behind.
Hearing this, Zhou Le looked over at Lu Jingran in front of him.
Lu Jingran looked back at him, his gaze steady.
Suddenly feeling a surge of courage, Zhou Le said, “S-Sixty. Just give me sixty.”
Chen Nan frowned. “What do you mean, ‘just sixty’? Are you giving me a discount?”
Who was he trying to mock?
Chen Nan, visibly annoyed, slapped three hundred-yuan bills on Zhou Le’s desk. “Three hundred, no bargaining.”
Zhou Le: “…”
In the distance, Shen Qian chuckled helplessly.
Zhou Le hesitated to take the money, instinctively looking over at Lu Jingran.
Lu Jingran said nothing, seeming to approve of Chen Nan’s action. He set down his bag and returned to his seat.
Zhou Le stared at the bills on his desk for a long time before finally daring to pick them up.
Even holding them, it didn’t feel real.
