Chapter 40: His Gaze

Lin Hexi quickly came to his senses and, looking somewhat embarrassed, propped himself up against the wall to stand.

You Chong was still staring at him. Seeing this, he sneered and said, “Did you really think I wouldn’t know that the whole scene at Ning Nan was aimed at you? Only an idiot like Zhou Xuan wouldn’t see it.”

Lin Hexi was at a loss for words.

However, the other party didn’t seem to be angry. After mocking him, he took the initiative to move on from the topic: “Since there’s nothing else, let’s go.”

Only then did Lin Hexi snap out of it and follow him, taking quick steps to catch up.

The next day, when Lin Hexi returned to school for classes, he received a text message from Fang Qingning. She said she hadn’t had the chance to thank him for helping her when she got drunk last time and wanted to treat him to a meal.

Lin Hexi agreed.

Fang Qingning then asked him what he wanted to eat.

Lin Hexi casually typed the word “cafeteria” and sent it.

Perhaps it was too unexpected, as Fang Qingning’s response was noticeably slower. After a long while, she sent another message to confirm with him.

Lin Hexi once again gave a definite answer.

They arranged to meet at noon at the entrance of the main cafeteria.

The school had several cafeterias, with the one at the main campus known for having the best reputation and highest ratings, and it also had the highest prices.

It was the peak lunchtime, and students from the main campus were bustling in and out of the cafeteria. Fang Qingning, who was strikingly attractive, stood alone outside waiting, drawing the attention of many male students who turned their heads to look at her.

Lin Hexi approached her, and with a slight smile on his lips, he said, “Aren’t you afraid of being seen by people you know since you’re meeting me here?”

Fang Qingning looked up at him and shook her head, saying, “I’m not afraid.”

Lin Hexi chuckled again and was the first to push the door open to enter the cafeteria.

The main campus cafeteria had three floors. The first floor was a regular student cafeteria, the second floor had a buffet, and the third floor featured small stir-fry dishes with booth seating.

They took the stairs up to the third floor of the cafeteria.

Contrary to the steadily increasing prices, as you go up from the first floor, the number of students and the crowdedness of the dining areas visibly decrease. The booth seating on the third floor could even be described as quiet and desolate.

The two of them sat down in a corner towards the back of the dining area and used their phones to scan the QR code attached to the corner of the table to place their order.

After ordering, Fang Qingning explained apologetically, “I was actually going to reach out to you last week, but I was so overwhelmed with assignments.”

“It’s fine.” Lin Hexi wasn’t too concerned and naturally shifted the topic, “What assignments were you busy with?”

Fang Qingning earnestly and attentively began talking to him about her assignments.

Lin Hexi listened for a while and suddenly noticed the sound of new footsteps coming from the staircase.

He couldn’t help but turn his head slightly.

The sounds that reached his ears were disorganized and occasionally overlapped, making it seem like there were several people. 

The footsteps grew closer, heading straight in their direction, and finally stopped very near him. Two seconds later, he heard the faint sound of the sofa behind him sinking slightly as they sat down and began ordering food.

Lin Hexi turned his head slightly, discreetly listening to their conversation, and then curved his lips into a smile.

The one asking obediently and politely if anyone had any dietary restrictions was Yang Juan.

The one with no dietary restrictions was probably Zhao Du.

Zhou Xuan was the one who didn’t eat cilantro.

You Chong was the one who didn’t eat celery.

Lin Hexi lightly curled the index finger of his right hand, letting his fingertip hang down as he casually tapped the table.

When he heard Zhou Xuan’s comment, he frowned disapprovingly. But when he heard You Chong’s words, he nodded with satisfaction and approval.

Judging by the proximity of their voices, he could even guess that You Chong and Yang Juan were sitting behind him, while Zhou Xuan and Zhao Du were sitting across from them.

Fang Qingning had already finished speaking and looked at him in confusion, asking, “What are you listening to?”

The tapping on the table abruptly stopped. Lin Hexi raised that index finger and gently pressed it to his lips, his eyes showing a faint smile. “Shh.”

Fang Qingning immediately closed her mouth obediently.

The voices of the four people behind them became clearer as they continued to talk.

After ordering, their conversation suddenly shifted to the topic of Ning Nan.

That night, they watched the person drink that glass of wine before letting them go. Reflecting on it afterward, Zhou Xuan still felt unsatisfied. So, he called a few more people, intercepted the person outside the school, and gave him a good beating.

After saying that, he looked at You Chong again, his words carrying an obvious hint of something unspoken, “Isn’t he on the same side as Lin Hexi? Or,” Zhou Xuan sneered openly, “are they playing internal division?”

Before You Chong could respond, Zhao Du, who was sitting opposite, cut in, “There seems to be a rumor going around the International College that says…”

He looked hesitant.

Zhou Xuan placed a hand on his shoulder and urged, “What does it say?”

Zhao Du continued, “It says that Lin Hexi has been cozying up to you and You Chong behind the scenes, which is why he split with Ning Nan.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xuan’s tone shifted abruptly to one of disbelief. “Cozying up to me and You Chong?” Convinced that Lin Hexi himself had deliberately spread the rumor, he furrowed his brows and sneered, “He should take a good look in the mirror; his face is thicker than grapefruit skin.”

You Chong’s brows furrowed slightly as he glanced at Zhou Xuan.

After meeting his gaze, Zhou Xuan started to feel a bit uneasy. “What? Did I say something wrong?”

You Chong didn’t respond, and just then, the cafeteria lady came over with their dishes.

She served the dishes to both Lin Hexi’s table and You Chong’s table.

Recalling the insults Zhou Xuan had made behind his back, Lin Hexi let out a light chuckle. He quietly called the cafeteria lady back as she was about to leave after serving the dishes, whispered a few words into her ear, and then took out his phone to scan the QR code to place a second order.

A few minutes later, the cafeteria lady returned to You Chong’s table with more food.

After setting down all the stir-fry dishes they had ordered, the cafeteria lady stood still without leaving. “Which one of you is Zhou Xuan?” she asked.

Zhou Xuan answered with a strange expression, “I am.”

The cafeteria lady nodded, then placed three cups of milk tea in front of the other three.

Yang Juan looked up, puzzled and bewildered. “We didn’t order milk tea.”

The cafeteria lady said, “Someone ordered them for you.”

Yang Juan glanced at the empty space on the table in front of Zhou Xuan. “Doesn’t he have one?”

The cafeteria lady replied, “He does.”

She then precisely placed the last remaining dish, a plate of cilantro beef, right under Zhou Xuan’s nose.

Zhou Xuan stared at the plate of cilantro beef, his face faintly turning green.

Worried that Zhou Xuan might lose his temper, Yang Juan quickly moved the cilantro beef away from in front of him and nervously tried to change the subject. “Weren’t you guys talking about going to the beach yesterday? I saw some group deals online for hotel stays.”

You Chong asked, “Which hotel?”

“The one near the beach that you guys mentioned. But,” he frowned, his delicate brows knitted in worry, “the group deal requires six people to book, and with the four of us plus Lin Tong, that’s only five.”

Yang Juan’s concern wasn’t really a concern for You Chong and Zhou Xuan.

In fact, given their family situations, they certainly wouldn’t care about saving the small amount offered by the online group deal. However, considering Yang Juan and Zhao Du’s monthly living expenses, they were willing to go along with Yang Juan’s idea to buy the hotel group deal online.

“I’ll find someone else to join us,” Zhou Xuan, successfully distracted, took out his phone and began scrolling through his contact list.

You Chong pressed down on his phone. “No need to look.”

Zhou Xuan responded a beat later, “What?”

You Chong said, “No need to look, I’ve got someone.”

Zhou Xuan asked, “Who?”

You Chong raised his eyes and casually uttered three words: “Lin Hexi.”

Stunned, Zhou Xuan looked at him in shock.

You Chong remained expressionless, allowing Zhou Xuan to scrutinize him.

After steadying himself a bit, Zhou Xuan immediately spoke in a mocking tone, “You want to invite him, but he’s probably too busy spending his weekend juggling dates with his girlfriends. He might not have time to go.”

Before he could finish speaking, a familiar voice suddenly sounded above them, “How could I not have time? Of course, I have time.”

Everyone looked up in unison toward the source of the voice.

Lin Hexi had his hands on the top of the sofa on his side, leaning forward with a cheerful smile as he looked at You Chong. His tone was pleasant and light: “Besides, if it’s You Chong asking me out, even if I didn’t have time, I’d definitely make time. Don’t you think so?”

Smiling broadly, his eyes glimmered with a hint of mischief as he playfully winked at You Chong.

You Chong’s expression paused slightly as his gaze briefly swept over Lin Hexi’s smiling, dark eyes.

When he retracted his gaze, his mind involuntarily conjured up the image of Lin Hexi’s face, which, with that wink, made his features appear even more vivid and attractive.

In that moment, he couldn’t help but internally acknowledge that Lin Hexi possessed an indescribable liveliness and striking charm.

Of course, it was just for that moment.

Quickly pulling back his wandering thoughts, You Chong frowned in displeasure and glanced at him. “Since when did it become just me inviting you? Lin Hexi, don’t push your luck.”

“Alright, alright.” Lin Hexi didn’t get upset at all and went along, his bright eyes curving slightly as he looked at You Chong with undivided attention. “It’s not just you inviting me; it’s you and your friends inviting me. Is that better?”

As expected, You Chong didn’t say anything further.

While the two of them were talking, Fang Qingning sat quietly on the sofa opposite, watching him.

From her angle, she could only see the side profile of Lin Hexi and the slight curve at the corner of his lips.

Her gaze gradually filled with confusion.

The way Lin Hexi looked at You Chong felt both unfamiliar and familiar to her.

This was her first time seeing You Chong.

Yet many years later, when she would inadvertently recall You Chong, this moment would become the most vivid and unforgettable image in her memory.

It was also much later that she finally understood: that half-familiar, half-strange feeling she had back then stemmed from the fact that she had never seen Lin Hexi like that before.

The familiar part was because the way Lin Hexi looked at You Chong reminded her of how, in old photographs, she had seen herself look at Xia Chengfeng.