03 : Are we that familiar?

 Chen Zhoumu led them to a dumpling restaurant in a small alley not far from the school. The owner, a woman, was very welcoming as soon as Chen Zhoumu and his companion entered.

"Xiao Mu, you're here!" She wiped her still-wet hands on her apron, her gait slightly limping.

"Aunt Chang, the usual, two extra bowls this time." Chen Zhoumu looked at them: "Any dietary restrictions?"

Song Shi shook his head, and Tang Ze didn't either.

"Alright, just a moment!" Aunt Chang walked towards the steaming kitchen.

This wonton shop was quite small, but both the tables and the floor were very clean. Song Shi rarely ate in such small shops, but he wasn't averse to it.

"You two southerners must try the special snacks of Xiacheng No. 1 High School. They're delicious, you'll definitely want to come back again." Chen Zhoumu warmed a cup for Song Shi and poured him some water.

"How can I call this a specialty?" Aunt Chang placed the finished wontons on the table, their aroma filling the air.

Song Shi, who hadn't eaten breakfast, was genuinely whetted of his appetite.

"If Aunt Chang's food wasn't good, we wouldn't be coming so often," He Xi said, helping to remove the bowl from the plate.

Aunt Chang placed the condiments on the table, then noticed two unfamiliar faces: "These are...new students?"

"Yes, Aunt Chang, we're new transfer students," Tang Ze mimicked their greeting.

"Why are you so thin!" She looked at Song Shi and Tang Ze sitting opposite him.

"Eat well, make sure you're full! If you're not, Aunt Chang says there'll be plenty!" Aunt Chang laughed heartily.

Song Shi looked at the dumplings on the table. Since he arrived in this city, everyone had been like this—cheerful and positive. Jiang Man was right; Xia City had no shortage of enthusiasm.

Although he rarely ate food from small shops like this, he wasn't some pampered young master.

He picked up a spoon from the bowl and put it in his mouth. He had to admit, it was delicious—thin skin, generous filling, and the perfect texture.

Sitting opposite, Tang Ze exaggeratedly gestured with his hands, "Delicious!"

Aunt Chang was even happier upon hearing this, then waved her hand, "As long as it suits your taste."

Song Shi was indeed hungry and was engrossed in eating when he looked up and saw a little girl peeking out from the corner of the kitchen not far away. She had two braids on her head, which tilted downwards because of the tilt of her head.

The next second, the girl walked straight towards them. She looked only seven or eight years old and was wearing a pink dress.

Song Shi watched as she stopped beside him. He put down his spoon, and before he could speak, the little girl handed him something.

In her small hand was a small piece of candy. She looked up at Song Shi, her toothless mouth curving into a smile, "Here, handsome...handsome brother."

Song Shi was momentarily stunned. Aunt Chang, standing not far away, called out, "Xiao Yuan, don't disturb the brothers' meal."

She gently touched his leg; there was a piece of candy on it.

The little girl whose name was called ran up to Aunt Chang, peering at them sideways through Aunt Chang's skirt.

Song Shi took the candy from his lap, and Chen Zhoumu, watching from beside him, laughed out loud, saying to the little girl hiding behind Aunt Chang, "Yuan Yiyi, you little ingrate, you've seen a new brother and forgotten your old one?"

The girl blinked and grinned, then ran up to Chen Zhoumu, "Brother...brother."

Chen Zhoumu reached out and pinched her cheek, "Have you grown taller again?"

He Xi, opposite them, straightened Yuan Yiyi's slightly disheveled braid, "Not only taller but also fatter. Looks like that scumbag hasn't come looking for you lately."

Chen Zhoumu's eyes turned cold, "There are too many people near Xiacheng No. 1 Middle School, that guy wouldn't dare come."

"If he dares to come, I'll beat him every time I see him," He Xi said fiercely.

"What? Beat who?" Tang Ze looked up from his bowl at the two who were talking.

"Nobody's here, just enjoy your food." He Xi placed the remaining condiments next to Tang Ze.

Song Shi listened to their conversation thoughtfully. Chen Zhoumu, who was sitting next to her, got up and took Yuan Yiyi's hand to pay the bill.

He Xi then explained in a low voice, "Aunt Chang isn't a local. She married into Xia City from another place. Her husband, who is also Xiao Yuan's father, cheated on her and was abusive. He ran away with all the family's savings. The money to open this shop and to heal Aunt Chang's leg was all paid for by Brother Mu."

"Don't let Brother Mu's fierce appearance fool you; he's actually the kindest person on the inside."

Looking at the familiar group of people not far away, it seemed that this guy did indeed often come here to patronize Aunt Chang's business.

Forgive him for his occasional lapses in judgment, Song Shi thought.

*

After returning to school, most of the students in the class had already returned. Chen Zhoumu was called away by Jiang Man before he even entered the classroom.

Tang Ze hadn't returned to Class 4 yet. He sat down opposite Song Shi, since his deskmate in front of him wasn't attending evening self-study that night.

Just as he sat down, his phone rang. It was a notification that money had been deposited into his account. Song Shi opened his phone and transferred all the money Song Wenwan had just deposited into another card.

That card had a large balance, a world of difference compared to his main card, he knew that.

Zhang Wenwan had no obligation to treat him this way; he was simply his mother's only surviving child, so he saved all the money, intending to return it intact someday.

Tang Ze glanced at his phone screen: "Not going to use it again? Do you have enough money? If not, I have more."

"No need," Song Shi replied, exiting the page.

Before his mother, Zhang Shu, left, he never felt short of money. Although she was rarely around, he was never lacking in material things.

Tang Ze also knew a little about Song Shi's family situation; his father often suspended his credit card payments, trying to restrict Song Shi in this way. Fortunately, Song Shi had an online part-time job.

It seemed to be game companionship; the earnings weren't much, but they covered his daily expenses. Although his skills were excellent, the main problem was that he rarely chatted.

He was quiet, so he often received complaints, but his skills were excellent, so the shop owner couldn't bear to fire him.

Song Shi rarely did that kind of escort work unless it was the last resort.

"You're still being polite with me? We're practically family." Tang Ze said, about to transfer money to Song Shi.

"We'll talk about it when there's really no other way." Song Shi looked up at him helplessly.

"Okay."

After the bell rang for class, Tang Ze reluctantly left Class One.

A little while later, Chen Zhoumu returned and sat down, whispering, "Do you know what Mantou told me?"

Song Shi looked at the book in his hand. The teaching here was a little faster than in Yangcheng, and he had to learn the later stuff on his own, so he didn't look up: "What?"

"He said he wanted me to take care of this weak and helpless academic genius next to me." Chen Zhoumu leaned a little close, close enough for Song Shi to smell the gardenia-scented laundry detergent on him.

Song Shi turned his head and reached out to push the person who was about to lean on him away: "I politely decline, I don't need it."

The man, pushed away, didn't make any further move, just propped his head up and looked at Song Shi. His deskmate was kind-hearted, but cold-hearted and a bit short-tempered, and liked boxing.

But it's okay, he's hot enough, Chen Zhoumu thought.

He Xi turned his head and saw his brother turned sideways towards his new deskmate, a strange smile on his lips, making He Xi feel nauseous: "Brother, what are you looking at?"

Chen Zhoumu didn't turn his head, just casually said in that position, "Looking at the top student."

"Your smile is disgusting, I thought you were looking at your boyfriend." He Xi frowned and blurted out.

"?"

This time, Song Shi's pen came out first, the black pen hitting He Xi's forehead directly and then landing on Chen Zhoumu's desk: "If you can't speak properly, shut up."

He Xi looked at the expressionless Song Shi, startled, and quickly turned around, not daring to say anything more after being hit.

Song Shi lowered his head to read again, but now he couldn't concentrate on a single word. His palms unconsciously clenched. He had always known he liked boys, but he hadn't told anyone.

Not even Tang Ze.

So he always maintained a cold demeanor; he didn't want his feelings to be discovered. But Chen Zhoumu, that stupid straight man, was always so inconsiderate. He didn't like being touched, especially by men; he was disgusted by it, and even more so by himself.

He felt like an outsider.

So he had never revealed it, nor dared to.

As Song Shi forced himself to read again, he caught a glimpse of Chen Zhoumu's face out of the corner of his eye. Chen Zhoumu's head was pressed against the table as he looked at him: "Are you really angry? Your ears are all red."

"..."

"Don't be angry, I'll apologize, okay?" Chen Zhoumu persisted.

He placed the black pen back on Song Shi's desk.

A sudden surge of irritation rose in Song Shi's heart. Before Chen Zhoumu could say anything more, he turned to look at him: "Who do you think you are? Do we know each other that well?"

"Don't come near me, don't stick to me, it's annoying, you know?"

He felt the person next to him catch their breath. After saying that, Song Shi felt even more frustrated. He hoped Chen Zhoumu would stop following him and stay far away from him.

Whatever, he was always disliked anyway. He didn't have many friends, except for Tang Ze and one other person he hadn't contacted in a long time.

No one answered, only the sound of shallow breathing. Song Shi's shoulders slowly relaxed. This was good, it was good to go back to the beginning when no one knew each other.

"That won't do. Mantou said I should take good care of you. Besides, aren't we familiar enough? We've been chatting for ages and we're not familiar enough?" Song Shi looked at the other person clinging to his shoulders, their breath hitting his head.

"Don't be angry. Just because you don't feel close yet doesn't mean you won't be in the future. I promise we'll be really close by then." Chen Zhoumu watched his deskmate's ears slowly turn red.

Song Shi looked at the other's face and realized his anger was inexplicable. He shouldn't have taken it out on him for no reason. He decided to forgive him, as a favor to Wonton, he thought.

*

Finally, evening self-study ended. Anyway, the students in the classroom had long since wandered off somewhere else.

This time, Tang Ze was waiting for Song Shi at the door of Class 1. The crowd was dense, and he squeezed into Class 1 against the flow of people. He saw Song Shi's face from afar, which seemed even more sour.

"Who upset you?" Tang Ze asked.

"Nothing." Song Shi neatly put all the books on his desk into the drawer.

Tang Ze leaned against his desk: "My new deskmate is just like yours, both are so cold."

"Let's go."

Song Shi had been listening to Tang Ze complain about the people in their class the whole way, mainly about his cold-faced deskmate.

"You have no idea, she's even harder to get along with than you. She's practically deaf to people; she acts like she doesn't hear you when you ask her to move aside."

"And the people here are all so tall! She's half a head taller than me! It's outrageous!"

Song Shi entered the dormitory. The double rooms weren't with the other rooms; they were located in the faculty area. Tang Ze had a single room in the same building as him, but they separated on the third floor.

The hallway was relatively clean and quiet. Song Shi opened the door to room 306 and turned on the wall light. It was clean inside with a bunk bed and two tables opposite it.

There was a separate bathroom.

The lower bunk was already occupied; the blankets were neatly arranged on the bed, and there was no trash around. It seemed like a clean roommate, which reassured Song Shi for a moment.

He picked up the things piled up by the door.

Song Shi didn't have much stuff—a suitcase and a bag of blankets, nothing else.

He dragged the blankets inside, but before he'd taken a few steps, the door behind him opened.

A familiar voice came in, and Song Shi's eyebrows twitched. Could it be such a coincidence?

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