Ah, love…
In middle school, Bai Yao had been very envious of the little couples in his class who secretly dated.
They were always stuck together like glue, even if their love back then was a bit childish.
But right now, setting aside the dilemma of being haunted by the system, his financial situation simply wouldn’t allow it.
A monthly allowance of 1,500 yuan was enough for himself, but if he were to date, he would probably have to eat instant noodles for every meal.
Certainly, even though he thought that way, he still looked forward to having a wonderful first love.
‘If only it were a petite, cute, and clingy little girl…’
Bai Yao glanced at Qiu Ye beside him.
‘Regardless, it definitely can’t be a man! And it’s even more impossible for me to be the petite and cute little girl!’
As for the confession task?
‘Just ignore it!’
At 12:00 PM, class ended right on time.
The two of them handed their textbooks to Chen Zhilong and departed from the Teaching Building together, heading toward the spot where Qiu Ye had previously tripped and broken his bone.
Even now, Bai Yao found it hard to understand how a single fall could cause Qiu Ye a fracture.
He was clearly tall and sturdy, looking quite robust.
When he was looking after him in the hospital, Bai Yao had been a reliable man.
But now that Qiu Ye was discharged and his right hand was mostly fine and didn’t need much care, Bai Yao had reverted to his former weak, little boy self.
He habitually trailed half a step behind Qiu Ye.
Looking at someone else’s back rather than walking in the lead made him feel more at ease.
This time, Qiu Ye didn’t have any objections.
He specifically turned his head back while speaking.
“Where exactly did I fall? I can’t remember clearly.”
“After the bridge, there’s a roadside billboard.”
Even during the day, once they left the bustling student street, there weren’t many pedestrians to be seen on the suburban streets, though vehicles passed by in an endless stream.
Bai Yao glanced at his phone from time to time, his face maintaining a cold, aloof expression.
“Still waiting for that girl to contact you?”
“No…”
He did have some small expectations, after all!
Although Gu Wanwan wasn’t his ideal petite and cute type, if he could actually be liked by a girl, Bai Yao would be happy for quite a while.
“You have to take the initiative — “
Qiu Ye lectured Bai Yao, acting like a veteran of the dating scene.
“When you see a girl you like, go after her bravely. There’s bound to be one or two with unique tastes.”
“???”
What the hell did he mean by unique tastes?
But in truth, Bai Yao was completely uninterested in the girls in his class.
Previously, he might have had some thoughts about the Class Beauty… men, after all, liked pretty things.
But now, when he saw the Class Beauty again, he didn’t seem to feel any impulse to date.
Lately, he had even been scrolling through suggestive videos on Douying less often, feeling somewhat like a monk with few desires.
Bai Yao asked curiously, “Don’t you want to date? Girls should be chasing you, right? University is so relaxed.”
Qiu Ye was quite handsome.
It was said that among handsome men and beautiful women, the proportion of the latter being in relationships might even be higher.
Moreover, he had an outgoing and cheerful personality.
Although he had the face of a delinquent, he was still handsome.
Qiu Ye thought for a moment.
“I feel like women are such a hassle. I’m busy enough as it is every day; I don’t have the time to go looking for more trouble for myself.”
Busy?
He had classes in the mornings and afternoons, but during this guy’s break time, he was either playing Monster Hunter or eating snacks.
Occasionally, he would go out to play ball, have a group meal, or stay up late reading webnovels before bed…
Now that his arm was broken, his games had changed to Mahjong Soul and Auto Chess, which could be played with one hand.
He stopped going to ball games and group dinners, opting to squat in the dormitory to catch up on anime instead.
“I feel like I’m not that interested in girls anymore…”
Bai Yao couldn’t help but complain.
Qiu Ye turned back and looked at Bai Yao, clutching his chest in mock horror as his face turned pale.
“You like men?!”
Bai Yao didn’t even want to acknowledge him.
He quickened his pace to pass him, heading straight toward the bushes along the non-motorized vehicle lane.
They had reached the spot where Qiu Ye had fallen.
It had been pitch black that night, and he hadn’t known what exactly happened to Qiu Ye.
Now that he was by the bushes, he saw a massive concrete block at a glance.
There were still small, scattered bloodstains on that block.
“Here.”
Qiu Ye leaned over to take a look and felt a bit lucky.
“Good thing I didn’t hit my head. I must have subconsciously used my arm to block it back then?”
“Maybe?”
Although he already knew that Qiu Ye had tripped and hit the concrete block, seeing the actual object made Bai Yao feel that Qiu Ye’s luck was truly good.
He actually managed not to break his head; he only fractured his left arm and scraped his nose, causing it to bleed.
By today, the scab on Qiu Ye’s nose was almost healed.
“You two are here?”
A hearty call came from behind them.
Turning around, they saw a pot-bellied Middle-aged Uncle standing at the entrance of a Fried Chicken Shop.
Bai Yao looked closely, but well, he didn’t recognize him.
He was a bit face-blind, and it had been dark and terrifying that night, so he hadn’t had the chance to carefully examine the appearance of the kind-hearted people who helped.
Qiu Ye, however, stepped forward enthusiastically.
“Uncle! Thanks for your help back then!”
Bai Yao followed with small steps, lowering his voice.
“You recognized him?”
“Anyway, he recognizes us.”
Qiu Ye explained in a low voice, then looked back at the Middle-aged Uncle with a beaming smile and extended his hand.
“Thank you, Uncle! Thank you so much! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known what to do!”
“I just happened to see it, that’s all.”
The Middle-aged Uncle chuckled.
“I was sitting at the entrance to enjoy the cool air when I saw you trip into the greenery and fail to get up for a long time.”
He then looked at Bai Yao, who was hiding behind Qiu Ye, and smiled even wider.
“He probably thought it was a scam back then. He didn’t even believe me when I called him.”
“Uh… yeah, that’s true.”
Bai Yao scratched his head awkwardly.
“Come, come, come inside and sit. This Fried Chicken Shop is mine. Do you want to try some?”
“We’ll try it, definitely! I’ll even recommend your shop to my classmates and have them all come to eat!”
Qiu Ye followed the Middle-aged Uncle into the shop and found a random seat.
“It just so happens we haven’t had lunch yet.”
Seeing the Middle-aged Uncle sit across from them, Bai Yao sat stiffly next to Qiu Ye.
He lowered his head and fiddled with his nails, feeling an anxious urge to bite them, but he felt embarrassed doing so in front of someone else.
Instead, he just rested his hands flat on his thighs with his shoulders hunched inward, his eyes darting around nervously.
Qiu Ye chatted happily with the Middle-aged Uncle, moving from the situation that night to Bai Yao’s arrival, and then from the hospital’s diagnosis to the current situation.
Seeing how stiff Bai Yao was, the Middle-aged Uncle said, “If you want to eat something, just scan the code to order.”
“Okay.”
Bai Yao scanned the QR code on the table and looked at the menu, unsure of what to eat.
He didn’t really like Korean-style fried chicken.
Most of them had a thick layer of batter and rich sauces, neither of which he enjoyed.
The Middle-aged Uncle looked Bai Yao over a few times and praised him to Qiu Ye.
“This classmate of yours is truly a good person. He sent you to the hospital and even stayed with you for several days.”
“Of course! He’s a good brother!”
Qiu Ye threw an arm around Bai Yao’s shoulder.
Bai Yao silently rolled his eyes.
‘Remembering to pay me back sooner is better than anything else! Not just calling me a brother!’
“It was dark back then, and I almost mistook him for a girl.”
Actually, even in the daylight, he looked like a young girl with short hair, especially with that short ponytail.
His introverted and quiet personality made the resemblance even stronger…
The Middle-aged Uncle even felt that the two in front of him were quite a good match.
“He just has delicate features. He’s actually quite manly.”
Hearing Qiu Ye’s words, Bai Yao almost failed to suppress the upward curl of his lips.
‘At least he knows to say good things about me. Those days I spent in the hospital weren’t for nothing!’