Xie Ruan fought back the urge to throw a punch. Face darkening, he snapped, “Are you going to die if you’re not obnoxious?”
“Obnoxious?” Bo Jin, completely unfazed, replied, “I’m just telling it like it is.”
Xie Ruan: “…”
To h*ll with ‘telling it like it is’! If he couldn’t beat him, he could at least try to avoid him!
He exhaled and tried to walk around him.
But of course, Bo Jin didn’t let him go that easily.
When Xie Ruan moved right, Bo Jin stepped to the right; when he moved left, Bo Jin followed, blocking his way at every turn.
The two of them looked like bickering lovers, one dodging while the other kept blocking, drawing plenty of amused glances.
And, just then, some bystander, apparently not above it all, even whistled at them.
Bo Jin, unbothered, even smiled a little. But Xie Ruan wasn’t so carefree. He stopped, glaring at Bo Jin. “What exactly do you want?”
“Nothing much,” Bo Jin chuckled, hooking his arm over Xie Ruan’s shoulder. “Just wanted to invite you to lunch.”
“No thanks,” Xie Ruan refused immediately. “I already have plans with a friend.”
“Song Xinghe?” Bo Jin asked.
Xie Ruan looked at him, surprised. “How’d you know?”
“I guessed.” Bo Jin took a step closer, walking alongside him. “Let him come too.”
Before Xie Ruan could refuse again, Bo Jin added, “There’s a Cantonese place in an alley nearby that makes incredible soy sauce chicken. Their sauce is especially rich; you can’t get it anywhere else. The char siu is also delicious, with edges that are a little crispy.”
Xie Ruan couldn’t help swallowing.
He was a sucker for good food, though he rarely found places that did it well.
“Uh…” Xie Ruan hesitated. “He… might not want to join.”
While Song Xinghe was outgoing, he might not be thrilled about eating with a bunch of strangers.
“Strange,” Bo Jin raised a brow. “Is there actually someone at this school who doesn’t want to eat with me?”
Xie Ruan couldn’t help himself. Looking up, he retorted, “Yes, yes, you’re like money—everyone loves you.”
He thought Bo Jin would back down, but he had clearly underestimated him. Bo Jin smiled. “So you think I’m as desirable as money, huh?”
Xie Ruan: “…”
He turned to leave.
“Alright, no more jokes.” Bo Jin blocked him and pulled him back. “Text your friend. It’s my treat today. Sun Haoxiang and the others are coming too, so one more won’t matter.”
“You’re treating? What’s the occasion?” Xie Ruan asked while texting Song Xinghe.
Bo Jin paused, then smirked. “No reason, just felt like it.”
Xie Ruan didn’t think too much of it, muttering, “Must be nice to be rich.”
Bo Jin ruffled Xie Ruan’s hair, turning it into a messy nest. “Did you ask?”
Xie Ruan sulked, “He said he’s coming.”
Xie Ruan had originally hoped that Song Xinghe would stand up for him and firmly refuse this meal, so he could put Bo Jin in his place a bit.
But as soon as Song Xinghe saw the words “have a meal with Bo Jin,” he practically lost his mind, completely forgetting any sense of restraint. If Xie Ruan hadn’t firmly refused, Song Xinghe would have called right away.
“Alright then,” Bo Jin said, stepping to the side to shield Xie Ruan behind him, blocking a passing teacher’s view of his phone. “Tell him to meet us at the school gate after class.”
“Alright.”
And so, the plan was set.
After the fourth class ended, Xie Ruan and Bo Jin quickly made their way to the gate since the teacher didn’t hold them back. He thought they’d have to wait for Song Xinghe, but they found him already there.
Since they got out at the same time, Xie Ruan wondered how he got there so fast.
He introduced them briefly.
Before meeting Bo Jin, Song Xinghe had been excited. But now, face-to-face, he hesitated, giving only a polite greeting before hurrying over to join Sun Haoxiang’s group.
Xie Ruan figured it was the “study god filter” at work.
He’d felt that way himself, but after a day with Bo Jin, the charm had faded to nothing.
Song Xinghe quickly hit it off with Sun Haoxiang’s group, leaving Xie Ruan on his own.
It was lunchtime, and the street was packed with students. As Xie Ruan walked along, he suddenly heard someone shout from behind, “Shen Xingyun!”
Xie Ruan froze for a moment and cursed his luck. Just when he thought he could avoid him, he ran into him again.
He turned around to tell Bo Jin to hurry up, only to find that Bo Jin had already stopped, glancing back.
Xie Ruan found it strange, but before he could ask, Sun Haoxiang pointed at Bo Jin and laughed as he said to He Mingjie, “See? I knew Brother Bo would look back.”
“Seriously, Brother Bo,” He Mingjie asked, puzzled, “Why do you turn around every time someone calls for Shen Xingyun?”
He Mingjie laughed, oblivious. “Anyone who doesn’t know might think you have the same name as him, haha.”
Bo Jin stayed silent, lowering his eyes to hide his emotions.
“What’s the story here?” He Mingjie, not reading the room, kept pressing, “Do you know him?”
He’d been curious about this for a while, but this was the first opportunity to ask.
“No, I don’t,” Bo Jin replied, instinctively reaching for a cigarette before realizing they were in a public place and stopping himself. “Just watching the ‘campus celebrity’ from afar—is that a problem?”
“No problem at all.” Although He Mingjie was usually clueless, he sensed something intimidating about Bo Jin’s demeanor and decided not to press further.
But inwardly, he couldn’t help wondering. He was convinced that Bo Jin knew Shen Xingyun—maybe even disliked him.
He’d noticed before that Bo Jin never interacted with people close to Shen Xingyun or joined in any conversations related to him.
Except for Xie Ruan, of course.
He Mingjie shook his head, dismissing the thought. If Bo Jin ever needed his help to beat up Shen Xingyun, he’d be on board in a heartbeat. But if Bo Jin didn’t say anything, it probably hadn’t reached that point.
Feeling carefree again, He Mingjie ran up ahead to chat with new friends.
He might not have given it a second thought, but Xie Ruan was paying close attention. Something felt off. Sure, Shen Xingyun was the center of attention around campus, but Bo Jin’s reaction didn’t seem like idle curiosity.
Especially since Bo Jin usually filled every silence with jokes, but now he was uncharacteristically quiet.
Xie Ruan thought about asking, but after seeing how dismissive Bo Jin had been with He Mingjie, he hesitated and changed the subject instead. “Is that restaurant you mentioned far from here?”
After a moment, Bo Jin replied, “Not far.” He looked up, back to his usual casual manner, and said, “It’s just up ahead.”
“That close?” Xie Ruan was surprised. “How come I’ve never heard of it?”
“It’s not well-known,” Bo Jin explained as he led him across the crosswalk, glancing at the traffic light. “The owner isn’t in it for the money. They only open when they feel like it. Sometimes they’re closed for days. They cook when they’re in the mood, and don’t when they aren’t.”
Seriously? Xie Ruan’s interest was piqued. “How did you even find it?”
Bo Jin looked at his bright eyes and smiled. “I followed the smell.”
“Oh, this person….” Xie Ruan assumed he was joking. “Are there any other places like that around school?”
“There are,” Bo Jin teased, deliberately withholding more details until Xie Ruan grew impatient. Then he added, “But they’re in hard-to-find spots. Without someone to lead you, you’d never find them.”
Without thinking, Xie Ruan said, “Then take me there!”
He paused, realizing he sounded a bit presumptuous, and awkwardly added, “I mean, if you want?”
Bo Jin chuckled. “How could I say no when you ask so nicely?”
Xie Ruan wanted to deny he was asking so nicely, but he held back, realizing he’d probably rely on Bo Jin to show him more good places to eat.
They continued talking, Bo Jin sharing his impressive knowledge of food, and Xie Ruan was so engrossed that he didn’t even notice where they were.
When he finally looked up and saw the steep pedestrian bridge ahead, he was stunned. “We have to cross that?”
He hadn’t mentally prepared for such a climb!
“Yep.” Up ahead, Sun Haoxiang overheard and, thinking he was worried about the distance, reassured him, “Don’t worry, it’s not far. The restaurant is just down the second alley after the bridge.”
Xie Ruan swallowed, feeling like his feet were glued to the ground, unable to move.
What should he do? Was he really going to cross it? If he ended up halfway across and his legs gave out, wouldn’t everyone know he was afraid of heights? But after coming this far, it felt awkward to back out.
“What’s wrong?” Sun Haoxiang turned back halfway across the bridge, urging him, “Come on.”
With that, everyone turned to look at Xie Ruan, four pairs of curious eyes urging him forward.
Xie Ruan took a deep breath, clenched his fists, and told himself to go.
It was just a bridge; he couldn’t avoid it forever. He just had to walk slowly and keep his expression in check. It would be fine.
Bracing himself, Xie Ruan took a step up.
But thinking about it and actually doing it were two different things.
As soon as he started climbing, he felt his heart racing, his vision blurring, and his legs going weak, almost like noodles. Just as he was about to give up and turn back, a hand suddenly took hold of his.
Startled, Xie Ruan looked up.
Bo Jin had reached out, interlacing his fingers with Xie Ruan’s, holding his hand with a firm grip. “Come on.”
