Chen Lin: “Probably not. I think it doesn’t lock until noon. What’s up?”
Lin Zhexia: “…I might need to go down for a bit.”
After saying this, she got up, changed her clothes, took her phone, and very quietly pushed open the dormitory door like a thief, leaving with a parting sentence: “Comrades, if I don’t make it back, remember, the murderer is Chi Yao from Class One, Year One.”
At this hour, neither the building corridors nor the lobby downstairs had lights on; only a few street lamps outside were lit, their faint light illuminating the surroundings of the building.
Lin Zhexia was wearing loose-fitting pajamas with blue-green baggy shorts.
This outfit was completely unpretentious, very casual.
After going outside, she looked around but couldn’t see anyone.
The rubber walkway in front of the dormitory building was empty, and the boys’ dormitory next door also had its lights off. There was nobody around-
You’d better-
Not messing with me-
Or you’re dead
Lin Zhexia crouched down, jabbing each word viciously into her phone screen-
I’ll make sure you don’t see tomorrow’s sun-
I will kill someone-
I! Really!! Will kill someone!!!
She didn’t dare get too close to the light sources, fearing that patrolling teachers might see her, so she could only crouch at the side of the building.
It was dark all around, with insects everywhere.
After she crouched there and killed two mosquitoes, Chi Yao replied.
This time, it was again a brief two words:-
Turn around
Behind the dormitory building was a wall that surrounded the entire military training base.
Lin Zhexia stared at these words, “Turn around,” paused, and an almost unbelievable guess emerged.
She turned around and, in the darkness, saw an indistinct figure climbing over the wall from outside the training base. The figure stepped on the edge of the wall and, in the next second, effortlessly landed thanks to his height advantage.
When the person came closer.
She could finally see clearly that he was carrying a plastic bag.
“…Chi Yao?”
“How did you climb over the wall to get in?” Lin Zhexia had never imagined Chi Yao would appear before her in this way. She maintained her crouching position, looking up at him in shock, “Did you sneak out to… hang out with someone?”
The night breeze was different from the daytime, carrying a slight chill.
Chi Yao made an “mm” sound: “I went out to fight.”
“Bad mood, itchy fists, just wanted to find someone to beat up.”
Lin Zhexia’s mouth hung open: “How many people did you fight?”
Chi Yao said casually: “Three or four, I guess.”
Lin Zhexia: “Did you win?”
Chi Yao: “If I hadn’t won, I’d be in the hospital right now.”
“Even if you won, you shouldn’t be here,” Lin Zhexia, despite her shock, still had some remaining rationality. “You should be in jail.”
Chi Yao didn’t continue this topic with her. He almost condescendingly tossed the plastic bag he was carrying to her.
Lin Zhexia nearly caught it with her face, ending up with the fully packed plastic bag in her arms.
It was too dark, and Chi Yao’s entrance had been so unusual that she hadn’t paid attention to the bag, much less seen what was inside.
Now, holding the bag, she could finally see clearly.
It was filled with food—her favorite milk-flavored cookies, milk bread, two bags of candy, and most prominently, several cups of braised beef noodles that would probably only appear in her dreams.
Lin Zhexia, hugging this pile of food, asked: “I thought you went to fight?”
“Halfway through the fight, someone begged me to let them go,” Chi Yao said, “They bribed me with a bunch of useless things.”
Even Lin Zhexia, slow as she might be, realized that Chi Yao’s story about “fighting” was a lie.
She felt a dizzying sense of happiness that came too suddenly.
Looking at Chi Yao, she found him particularly pleasing to the eye today.
Lin Zhexia didn’t hold back her praise: “I apologize for what I said a few days ago. You’re as handsome as Pan An. Your handsome face makes heaven and earth change color. One could say it’s earth-shattering and makes ghosts and gods weep. I only said you were average-looking because I was too jealous of you.”
“The day I went crazy complimenting you as a handsome guy, I was expressing my true feelings, but was too embarrassed to admit it.”
As she spoke, she gave Chi Yao a thumbs-up.
“Jealousy is my highest form of praise for you.”
Chi Yao: “Continue.”
Lin Zhexia was in a very good mood now. Forget a string of flattery; she’d be willing to praise him all night if asked.
“I can also switch to English.”
The street lamp stretched its shadows long against each other.
Lin Zhexia laboriously and haltingly began speaking in English: “I’m sorry about… uh, I say you ugly.”
Chi Yao: “Your grammar is wrong.”
Lin Zhexia: “Oh, my English isn’t very good, so let’s just…”
She wanted to say, since you don’t want to hear it, let’s end the English version here.
However, Chi Yao wouldn’t let her off so easily: “Since you can’t contain your admiration for me—”
“After we get back, write an English essay of no less than three hundred words and send it to me.”
Lin Zhexia: “…”
How could there be someone who,
accepts an essay praising their appearance,
so calmly???