Chapter 34

The sun shone fiercely on the ground.

Wei Jing’an put on her mask, covering half of her face. She hid under the shade of a tree, waiting for Li Jingjing to come out of the bathroom. They linked arms and walked towards the cafeteria.

Li Jingjing walked on the outer edge, concerned: “Jingjing, you can’t keep doing this. I’ll go with you to the school clinic for a checkup. It’s only been two weeks since school started, and you’ve already fainted three times. When we were running, I saw you standing under the shade of a tree. Your face was as white as paper!”

Li Jingjing was from Qingcheng. Being a local student seemed to give her a greater sense of belonging than the out-of-town students. Plus, she was the dorm leader and took extra care of Wei Jing’an.

A few weeks ago, when school started, Li Jingjing had already made her bed and waited for her roommates to arrive. Wei Jing’an was the last one to arrive. She was dragging a large woven bag from the school. Against the blue bag, she looked thin and pitiful. She took off her mask, revealing a pale face. She looked at her roommates, who were looking at her, with a shy and nervous smile.

Beautiful, shy, and thin.

That was everyone’s first impression of her.

The things that happened later were indeed consistent with the impression Wei Jing’an gave others.

She was used to her body often getting sick. A comforting smile appeared on her pale face: “I’m fine.”

Li Jingjing wanted to say more, but Wei Jing’an raised her hand to brush away the strands of hair on her forehead. She looked up at the dazzling sunlight. Her pupils were a beautiful amber color in the sunlight. She quickly lowered her head and quickened her pace: “Let’s go. We’ll be late for the cafeteria.”

They linked arms and jogged.

When they arrived at the cafeteria, Wei Jing’an was sweating. The doctor had advised her not to do strenuous exercise. The distance wasn’t that far, and they weren’t running very fast, but her legs were already a bit shaky.

She ignored the burning, suffocating feeling in her chest and looked around. Finally, she locked onto her target. She gently tugged on Li Jingjing’s sleeve, licked her slightly pale lips, and said in a voice like a kitten: “…I want to eat the food there.”

Li Jingjing looked in the direction of her gaze: “Are you serious?”

The third floor of the cafeteria was mostly home-style dishes, served as a set meal.

For eight yuan, you could get two vegetables, one meat dish, and a bowl of porridge.

They had just finished their PE class. The distance from the sports field to the cafeteria was farther than from the teaching building. Normally, there wouldn’t be so many people lining up at this time.

But today was an exception.

Lin Yan Zhou was at the cafeteria.

He was Qingda’s perennial top-ranked school hunk. From his freshman year to his senior year, no one had ever overshadowed him. When the freshmen started school, posts about Lin Yan Zhou were once again pushed to the top.

There were pictures of him wearing a white shirt, reading under the shade of a tree. There were pictures of him playing basketball on the court… There were even pictures of him shirtless in his dorm room.

That had happened during his freshman year. He had caused a sensation right after starting school. Then, the incident of the student who had taken those pictures and used them to earn money from his fans happened. The student was expelled.

Then everyone knew that Lin Yan Zhou was not only handsome but also had a prestigious family background.

Lin Yan Zhou himself was very low-key. He never participated in school activities, including the various interest clubs that freshmen joined at the beginning of the school year. He was a loner. His brows and eyes always had a hint of gloomy coldness. He was indifferent to everything, as if he was distant from everything, like a mist shrouding green mountains.

His classmates all said that Lin Yan Zhou’s personality was very kind.

It’s just that he had his own things to do, so he rarely participated in group activities.

To put it simply, Lin Yan Zhou didn’t fit in.

It wasn’t that he was introverted. It was that he had a maturity and steadiness that was different from his peers. While others were relaxing and having fun after the end of the college entrance exam, he was already capable of taking charge of a company.

His appearance, his family background, his abilities.

They were beyond the reach of his peers.

By his senior year, Lin Yan Zhou was rarely seen on campus. But in recent days, he had been appearing on campus more frequently than he had in the previous three years.

Everyone desperately tried to find out where he was.

The line on the third floor of the cafeteria was because of him. It was as grand as the crowds during the Spring Festival travel rush.

Lin Yan Zhou stood straight by the window. His white shirt was unbuttoned to the second button, revealing the smooth lines of his chest. His profile was sharp, his brows and eyes lowered.

He had a hint of icy coldness.

He didn’t say a word. He just glanced at the people crowded around him. They instantly fell silent.

Everyone was watching, but no one dared to stand behind him.

No one had the courage to meet his gaze. They only dared to crowd around him with the crowd.

Wei Jing’an pulled Li Jingjing through the crowd. She glanced around at the long lines and discreetly looked at the tall, handsome man’s back in front of her.

It was sunny outside, and the air conditioning was on inside, creating a cool breeze around her. Wei Jing’an walked forward. She shivered involuntarily. The closer she got, the faster her heart beat. Fortunately, she was wearing a mask. She could feel her cheeks burning red.

Until she stood behind Lin Yan Zhou, Wei Jing’an couldn’t even control her breathing.

She maintained a distance of two steps from him.

Wei Jing’an lowered her head, staring at his ankle, which was exposed. The prominent bone joints were cold white, just like the feeling he gave her. Blue veins crawled up his leg and disappeared into his light-colored pants.

She took a barely audible breath. She regretted wearing a mask.

She couldn’t smell his scent.

Li Jingjing clung to her, leaning close to her ear: “I can’t believe it, Jingjing. You’re so bold. You just stood behind Lin Yan Zhou. Didn’t you see that no one else is standing here?”

Wei Jing’an looked away: “There are fewer people here. We can eat earlier.”

Li Jingjing was immediately distracted. She stood on tiptoe and looked ahead: “The meat dishes for lunch are poached chicken, cold pig liver, and a big chicken leg. Jingjing, what do you want to eat? You almost fainted during PE class.”

“Anything.”

Li Jingjing didn’t bother her anymore. She planned what to eat.

When it was Lin Yan Zhou’s turn, the cafeteria lady said: “You’re lucky, classmate. This is the last chicken leg. I’ll serve it to you.”

Lin Yan Zhou said: “I don’t want it. Two vegetable dishes.”

Wei Jing’an raised her eyes. He walked past her. She quietly took off her mask, revealing her nose, and smelled Lin Yan Zhou’s scent.

There was no perfume to cover it. It was a direct, damp, and cool smell.

It was like a hidden wave during the day, but when night came, it surged up, creating towering waves that mercilessly swept all creatures on the surface into the depths of the sea.

Fierce, ruthless, and merciless.

But it also seemed to have a faint sweetness, like cotton candy.

Li Jingjing nudged her with her elbow: “Jingjing, what are you thinking about? The lady is asking you what you want to eat.”

Wei Jing’an came to her senses and quickly apologized. The chicken leg that Lin Yan Zhou had rejected ended up on her plate.

She ordered two vegetable dishes, one meat dish, and half a bowl of rice. She carried her tray to a table and sat down, two tables away from Lin Yan Zhou.

This was a safe distance to ensure that she wouldn’t be unable to eat because her heart was beating too fast.

Li Jingjing ate and talked about the funny things that had happened in the morning: “The teacher knows you can’t run, but then a few other girls asked the teacher for permission to skip it. There were too many people, so the teacher just said no to everyone. Who would have thought that we’d have to run 800 meters in college? It’s so tragic!”

Wei Jing’an didn’t have the habit of talking while eating. She cherished every bite and ate slowly, chewing each mouthful of rice for over ten times before swallowing. She occasionally responded with a few words.

Li Jingjing: “Oh, right. There’s a lecture in a few days. Do you want to go?”

Wei Jing’an swallowed the food in her mouth and raised her eyes: “Are you going?”

Li Jingjing: “Let’s go listen. They’re giving out gifts to people who attend!”

Wei Jing’an nodded: “Okay, I’ll go too.” She picked up her chopsticks and continued to eat.

She finished all the vegetables and saved the chicken leg for last. She slowly used her chopsticks to separate the stewed chicken leg meat from the bone. She picked up the bone first. The chicken legs that the cafeteria lady cooked were not only flavorful but also tender. The bone at the top could be bitten into pieces.

Wei Jing’an carefully ate all the meat off the bone. Her face, which was no longer overly thin, was still pale, but because of her round face, she had a natural baby fat.

Her lips were inevitably stained with the sauce from the chicken leg.

Her tongue poked out from her lips. The slightly red tip licked the sweet sauce from her lips, seemingly oblivious to her surroundings. As it was about to retract, its owner seemed startled. Her body became stiff, making her movements slower. It seemed to curiously linger outside, unwilling to go back in. But soon, her lips closed.

It was forced to retreat into her mouth.

Wei Jing’an’s eyelashes trembled. She tightly gripped her chopsticks. Her slender knuckles turned white. After only a few seconds, she dared to raise her head and look towards Lin Yan Zhou.

He had already put down his chopsticks. He sat straight in his chair.

His gaze fell upon her. It seemed like it was just a coincidence. After all, Wei Jing’an was right in front of him. He could see her just by raising his head.

His face was still sharp, his brows and eyes cold. He had finished all the vegetables on his plate. He didn’t seem full. His eyes pierced through the void and landed on her face, specifically, her licked lips.

His shirt was unbuttoned, revealing his white neck.

He stared at her and slowly swallowed.

Wei Jing’an felt like she was nailed to the chair. Her body became stiff and unresponsive.

The cool air from the air conditioner vent above her head blew, making the temperature in the cafeteria pleasantly cool compared to the scorching sun outside.

Lin Yan Zhou lowered his eyes. The woman’s tongue, which had darted out, remained in his mind. He tugged at his collar, a deeper gloom emanating from the corners of his eyes. After a while, he looked at her again.

Wei Jing’an sat obediently in her seat, lowering her head, not daring to look around. The corners of her mouth were wiped clean, and her plate was empty. She had carefully eaten everything she had ordered.

She always ate seriously.

She chewed slowly and never wasted any food in front of her.

The expression in Lin Yan Zhou’s eyes became more intense, like heavy dark clouds rolling across the sky, blocking the dazzling sunlight. The sky turned dark. He retracted his gaze. The tongue hidden in his mouth, without any outward sign, licked his slightly sharp teeth—

He really wanted to know what she tasted like.

Was she as sweet and tempting as she looked?