Chapter 19: Every Time He Sees Two People Being Affectionate...

The porcelain spoon spun rapidly on the table, and then… it flew off the edge, almost sacrificing itself under Hang Xia’s hand. In mid-air, it was caught by Lu Liu, who was quick enough to save it.

The scene became extremely awkward.

Hang Xia: “…Nice move.”

Lu Liu was silent for a moment, casually applying pressure with three fingers to make the spoon spin in a clockwise direction.

The spoon steadily spun within a fixed circle, and after ten seconds, its speed gradually slowed, finally trembling to a stop with the handle pointing at Lin Zhi.

Lin Zhi wasn’t surprised at all. Ever since his rebirth, strange and improbable things happening to him had become normal.

Generally speaking, the rule of the game was that the person who spun the spoon would ask the person it pointed to a question or give them a dare. Lu Liu’s personality likely wouldn’t make things difficult for others, so Lin Zhi, without hesitation, said, “Truth.”

They were all 17 or 18-year-old teenagers. Despite saying the game was old-fashioned, the truth was they loved causing a ruckus when they gathered, and now their eyes were filled with curiosity and gossip, eagerly awaiting Lu Liu’s shocking question.

Lu Liu’s lips curled up as he pretended to seriously think, keeping everyone on edge.

“Today is Qixi,” who would’ve expected Lu Liu to pick up the spoon, place it down carefully, and seriously look into Lin Zhi’s eyes before asking, “Do you ever envy those couples outside?”

“Yeah,” Lin Zhi answered without hesitation. He didn’t just envy them today—he envied anyone who showed affection toward another.

He used to be someone with a boyfriend too…

“Tch,” Hang Xia said disappointedly. “As expected of Lu Liu, always kind and lacking in any interesting twists.”

Lu Liu didn’t even give Hang Xia a glance. He had already received the answer he wanted and was secretly pleased.

After playing two more rounds, the game finally came to an end, and the food was brought to the table.

The six tall young men were sitting around the table eating. Hang Xia ordered a lot of food, and the table was filled with platters of cooked food and grilled meats.

Yao Wenjing couldn’t help but worry about his wallet.

After the meal, Lu Liu and the others had other plans, and Lin Zhi and Yao Wenjing didn’t want to join in. After leaving the barbecue restaurant, the two groups went their separate ways, with Lin Zhi and Yao Wenjing heading back in the direction they came from.

“Xiao Zhi,” Yao Wenjing hesitated, “Should we send our share of the money to Hang Xia?”

Hang Xia had placed the order through his phone, and they didn’t know how much the total cost was. He had said he was treating, so it was likely he wouldn’t ask for the money, but…

Lin Zhi: “I’ll ask Lu Liu later.”

He rarely went out with people from school to eat when he was in college. He had neither the time nor the interest. But he had heard, or seen online, about many situations where relationships soured because of a meal together.

“Yeah,” Yao Wenjing nodded. “Let me know once you ask, and if he doesn’t want it, you can’t secretly transfer the money and tell me he refused.”

“Okay,” Lin Zhi smiled. Yao Wenjing understood him quite well. But in reality, Lin Zhi wasn’t wealthy either, especially since Lin Qingye had mentioned that their family might not have any income for a while.

“By the way,” Lin Zhi thought for a moment and then said, “When you go back, your dad won’t make things difficult for you, right?”

“No,” Yao Wenjing raised his chin. “I’ve grown up now. Even though he hasn’t changed much, he’s a bit scared of me.”

“…You’re really getting too cocky.” Lin Zhi sighed. “I was worried that if we went against him today, he might get mad and make things worse when you’re alone with him.”

After hearing Lin Zhi’s words, Yao Wenjing wasn’t so sure anymore. “He shouldn’t, right?”

“Let’s hope so,” Lin Zhi added. “If anything happens, you must call me. If your dad hits or scolds you because of today, I…”

“Xiao Zhi,” Yao Wenjing quickly understood what Lin Zhi was thinking and couldn’t help but interrupt, “No matter what happens, I won’t blame you, really. I’m really happy you stood up for me. If it weren’t for you, I’d have foolishly agreed to pay for my tuition. I didn’t think things through as well as you did. You saved me a lot of trouble, and I really appreciate it. It means a lot to me.”