Chapter 74: Not Sincere

Lin Hexi took out his phone to call someone from the Art College’s Youth League Committee, but before he could, You Chong’s call came in first.

You Chong had already returned to school and was inviting him to eat hotpot.

Lin Hexi asked where they should meet.

You Chong replied directly over the phone, “I’m waiting for you at the south gate of the school.”

Lin Hexi hung up the phone and turned to head back the way he came, temporarily putting the matter of the missing painting aside.

Zhao Du and Yang Juan were also joining them.

Zhao Du had been thinking about how You Chong had promised to treat him to a meal, and upon hearing that You Chong was back at school, he suggested they go to an old, well-known hotpot restaurant in University Town.

It just so happened that Zhou Xuan had something to do and wasn’t at school, so only the four of them went for hotpot.

When Lin Hexi and You Chong arrived, Zhao Du and Yang Juan had just gotten their number called and were already seated, waiting for them.

The four of them scanned the QR code to order their dishes. Lin Hexi then got up to head to the self-service area to prepare the dipping sauces.

The area was a bit crowded, so he waited for a while before finally grabbing a bowl and spoon.

A moment later, as he was walking back with two bowls of dipping sauce in hand, he noticed someone sitting down with their back to him in the empty seat next to You Chong.

Lin Hexi immediately recognized the familiar figure—it was his half-brother, Lin Tong.

While carrying the dipping sauces, he approached just in time to hear Lin Tong asking, “Brother Chong, did you guys come to eat hotpot with Brother Xuan?”

You Chong responded briefly, “No.”

Lin Tong continued to ask, “Then who are you with? Do I know them?”

Before anyone at the table could reply, a voice from above Lin Tong answered, “Yes, you know them.”

Lin Tong, still unaware of the situation, instinctively felt the voice was familiar and turned his head to ask, “Who is it?”

Lin Hexi set the dipping sauces down beside Lin Tong and calmly said, “It’s me.”

Only then did Lin Tong realize, jumping up from his seat, and his eyes widened in frustration, “Why is it you again?”

“And why can’t it be me?” Lin Hexi responded leisurely, standing by the table and looking back at him. “How long do you plan to occupy my seat?”

Lin Tong’s face turned sour as he struggled to suppress his anger, glancing over at You Chong, who was sitting nearby.

You Chong, in a calm tone, said, “Weren’t you here with your classmates for hotpot? You should head back to them now.”

Lin Tong had no choice but to reluctantly give up the seat to Lin Hexi, moving forward slowly with obvious reluctance. However, he couldn’t resist turning back to glance at Lin Hexi.

What he saw surprised him even more—after Lin Hexi sat down, he naturally picked up the glass of water You Chong had been drinking from and casually took a sip from it.

You Chong, clearly aware of Lin Hexi’s actions, said nothing. His expression remained calm as he took the glass back from Lin Hexi’s hand and placed it beside himself.

Lin Tong’s steps halted, and a strange, subtle feeling stirred within him.

He walked back over to Lin Hexi, his expression hard to read, and stared at him intently.

Under Lin Tong’s gaze, Lin Hexi slowly looked up and spoke in a somewhat careless tone, “Anything else?”

Withdrawing his scrutinizing stare, Lin Tong, now wearing a cold expression, said, “Give me a glass of water, I’m thirsty.”

Lin Hexi glanced around the table and lazily replied, “There aren’t any new glasses.”

Already expecting this response, Lin Tong’s gaze went straight to the water glass beside You Chong. “I can use that one.”

Hearing this, Lin Hexi’s lips curled slightly. “That’s You Chong’s glass. You’ll have to ask him if he’s okay with it.”

Lin Tong looked eagerly at You Chong.

You Chong didn’t move, merely lifting his eyes to glance at Lin Tong and calmly saying, “I don’t have the habit of sharing cups with others.”

Lin Tong’s expression grew even more peculiar.

In truth, even without asking You Chong, having known him for so long, Lin Tong was well aware that You Chong indeed never shared cups or utensils with anyone.

And yet, he had just witnessed Lin Hexi drink from You Chong’s cup.

If You Chong didn’t share cups with others, then what exactly did Lin Hexi mean to him?

Lin Tong, suppressing the urge to say something, left with a strange expression.

Once he was sure Lin Tong was far enough away, Zhao Du looked at Lin Hexi with a complicated expression and reminded him, “You just drank from You Chong’s cup. I think Lin Tong noticed.”

“We’re dating, not having an affair,” Lin Hexi replied with an unconcerned smile. “There’s nothing to hide.”

Same-sex relationships were still relatively uncommon in real life, so Zhao Du was left speechless for a while, shocked by Lin Hexi’s openness and boldness.

Yang Juan, on the other hand, grew more puzzled. “Then why did you hide it from us before?”

Lin Hexi looked even more confused than him. “When did I ever hide it from you? Didn’t I tell you guys the next day?”

Yang Juan seriously recalled for a moment, “Last time Zhou Xuan took me to You Chong’s place to borrow a suit, you were hiding in the wardrobe and told me not to make a sound.”

Zhao Du promptly adopted a look of “I’ve missed too much,” with an expression of astonishment.

Now it was Lin Hexi and You Chong’s turn to be speechless.

You Chong asked him, “When did Zhou Xuan find out?”

Yang Juan replied honestly, “The night we went hiking.”

Before the two involved could respond, Zhao Du, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, exclaimed, “So you two were together back then? You hid it pretty well!”

Lin Hexi’s expression grew even more speechless and complicated.

The hotpot dinner ended around seven, with You Chong getting up first to settle the bill, leaving Lin Hexi and the other two trailing behind at a leisurely pace.

Partway through, Lin Hexi wanted to check his phone, but after searching all his pockets and not finding it, he remembered that he had likely left it on the table. He turned back to the table to retrieve his phone.

When he arrived at the cashier counter with his phone, only You Chong was there waiting for him.

Lin Hexi walked with him toward the exit. “Where did the other two go?”

You Chong stopped on the sidewalk outside and pointed across the street. “They went to buy bubble tea.”

Lin Hexi nodded and stood with You Chong under the broken streetlight, waiting for the others.

A delivery motorcycle sped by, skimming close to the sidewalk, and You Chong reached out, wrapping his arm around Lin Hexi’s neck, pulling him back a step.

As the motorcycle quickly disappeared into the distance, You Chong’s arm remained around Lin Hexi’s neck. He lowered his head, sniffing near Lin Hexi’s neck, and teased lightly, “You smell like hotpot.”

Hearing that, Lin Hexi turned his face and sniffed You Chong in return, then slowly raised his eyebrow. “You’re no different.”

You Chong’s arm around his neck tightened slightly, and his tone lifted with a subtle inflection, “I’m the same?”

Lin Hexi didn’t reply, instead glancing around the street. No one seemed to notice the two of them standing in the dim light.

Lin Hexi leaned in, about to kiss You Chong, but just as their lips were about to touch, You Chong’s phone rang.

Startled, Lin Hexi pulled back, watching as You Chong took out his phone to answer the call.

It was Zhao Du, calling to ask about Lin Hexi’s preferred bubble tea flavor. Without hesitation, Lin Hexi took the phone from You Chong’s hand and said directly to Yang Juan, “I’ll come over now.”

Yang Juan responded with an “Okay” on the other end.

Lin Hexi hung up, handed the phone back to You Chong, and then crossed the street, heading towards the bubble tea shop.

Inside the hotpot restaurant behind You Chong, Lin Tong stood frozen by the window, his gaze fixed intently on Lin Hexi’s retreating figure. His mind was consumed by the image of Lin Hexi leaning in to kiss You Chong, who neither dodged nor resisted.

The explanations for their mall trip and the shared water glass suddenly made sense, and Lin Tong’s expression was a mixture of shock and frustration.

His classmate, who had already walked some distance ahead, noticed something was off and came back, looking slightly puzzled. “What are you looking at?”

Lin Tong snapped out of his thoughts, replying absentmindedly, “Nothing.”

The classmate pulled him forward, and as they approached the others waiting by the entrance, the group excitedly began suggesting where to go next.

The group hesitated for a moment, unsure of where to go, and finally, they all turned to Lin Tong, “What do you think?”

Lin Tong remained quiet for a few seconds before suddenly pushing them aside and quickly striding toward You Chong, who was standing by the roadside waiting. He struggled to contain his anger as he asked, “Brother Chong, are you and Lin Hexi together?”

You Chong turned around, frowning slightly as he looked at Lin Tong. “Yes.”

Upon hearing that, Lin Tong, already furious, could no longer hold back and blurted out, “He’s not sincere! He’s only with you because he made a bet with me!”