Chapter 4
The young man was dressed in a shirt and jeans, looking clean and fresh. He carried a black backpack, and his short hair, illuminated by the neon lights, didn’t quite reach his eyebrows. His eyes were a light, clear color, and a flash of surprise crossed his face when he recognized him.
“Lu… Ze?”
Lu Ze smiled. “It seems Senior and I are truly fated to meet, even here.” He asked, “Is Senior heading back to school?”
Lin Zhiyan hesitated for a moment before nodding. “Yes.”
Lu Ze said, “It’s on the way. Senior, why don’t you join me?”
Lin Zhiyan opened his mouth. He wasn’t good at accepting favors from others. If it were anyone else, he might have refused directly, but with Lu Ze…
“…Wouldn’t it be too much trouble for you?”
Lu Ze chuckled softly, opened the car door, and stepped out. He looked down at the young man before him, a hint of inexplicable sadness in his expression. “I thought Senior and I were friends. Between friends, what’s so troublesome about something that’s on the way?”
Lin Zhiyan looked up, his face delicate and clean under the streetlights. His eyelashes trembled, and he spoke, somewhat at a loss, “Sorry, I didn’t…”
Lu Ze interrupted him, “I understand what Senior means.” The corners of his mouth curved up, and he leaned a little closer, his smile helpless. “It’s just that the dorms are closing soon. Is Senior planning to stay out tonight?”
Lin Zhiyan pressed his lips together, his clear, cat-like eyes blinking, before he slowly said, “Then… thank you.”
Lu Ze lowered his eyes in a light smile and moved aside to open the car door for him. “After you, Senior.”
Lin Zhiyan’s movements were inevitably reserved, but he obediently got in.
The car started moving slowly, the designated driver driving smoothly and steadily.
Lu Ze glanced at the person beside him. The young man’s hands were clasped together on his lap, his posture looking exceptionally well-behaved.
He said, “Senior is coming back so late. Do you have a job outside?”
Lin Zhiyan nodded. “Yes, I tutor high school students at a tutoring center.”
“Senior is really amazing. I’ve already forgotten most of my high school knowledge,” Lu Ze praised, his eyes full of smiles as he looked at him.
Lin Zhiyan only glanced at him for a moment and felt as if he had been scorched. He tightened his clasped hands and said in a low voice, “It’s just because I use it often, so I remember it more firmly.”
Lu Ze smiled gently and looked out the car window. The streetlights on both sides of the road were bright. The city, which was bustling with traffic during the day, was now quiet, with few people or cars in sight.
He asked, “Does Senior usually come back this late?”
Lin Zhiyan shook his head. “No, it’s just that a student had a lot of questions today, so I stayed a bit longer.”
As he spoke, his nose twitched slightly. A faint, subtle scent was particularly noticeable in the enclosed car.
It smelled like alcohol.
Lu Ze seemed to notice his movement and looked back at him. “What’s wrong?”
Lin Zhiyan paused, then said, “Did you drink?”
“Senior smelled it?” Lu Ze lifted his arm and sniffed. “I was just with some friends and had a little. Does Senior dislike the smell?”
“No.” Lin Zhiyan shook his head. After a moment’s hesitation, he still said, “If you’ve been drinking, you should be a little more careful at night.”
Lu Ze’s eyes curved slightly. “Is Senior concerned about me?”
Lin Zhiyan found the question strangely odd, but upon reflection, there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with it. He was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded and added, “There have been incidents like that at school before. It’s better to be careful.”
Lu Ze was clearly in a very good mood. “Don’t worry, Senior, I only had a little.” He looked at Lin Zhiyan, his eyes gentle. “If Senior doesn’t like it, I won’t drink anymore in the future.”
Lin Zhiyan’s fingers twitched. He felt there was something indescribable about Lu Ze’s words.
What does it matter if I like it or not…
“I don’t dislike it. You can do as you please,” he said dryly. “It’s fine to have a little occasionally.”
He was telling the truth. The other roommates in his dorm would occasionally go out for dinner and drinks. Lin Zhiyan usually declined such activities, but he often saw them return to the dorm drunk, so his impression of it wasn’t particularly good. But with Lu Ze, perhaps because he didn’t have the sloppy feeling of a typical guy—though he smelled of alcohol, he was still clean and fresh overall—Lin Zhiyan felt it was fine.
Lu Ze said, “As long as Senior doesn’t mind.”
Lin Zhiyan pursed his lips and looked out the window in silence.
He had always had a quiet personality, and he knew it. Usually, he spent most of his day focused on research and had no interest in initiating conversations with others. But today, in the same car, this quiet atmosphere was, for the first time, a little hard for him to bear. Yet even if he wanted to speak, he didn’t know where to start.
After all, they had only met a few times and had barely exchanged a few words.
The car soon entered the campus. The daytime hustle and bustle seemed like another world. Except for the occasional long meow of a cat from somewhere, there was only the dim yellow glow cast by the streetlights.
Lu Ze had the driver park the car in the nearest parking lot, and the two of them walked towards the dormitory building together.
The dorms were about to be locked, and there were very few students lingering outside at this hour. The autumn wind rustled the treetops, leaving a cold, rustling sound on the ground.
Lu Ze walked Lin Zhiyan to the entrance of his building. Seeing his lips move slightly as if he wanted to say something, he spoke first, “Is Senior going to say thank you to me?”
The words Lin Zhiyan had been about to say got stuck in his throat. Interrupted like that, he stared at him for a long time, not knowing what to say.
Lu Ze smiled helplessly. “Senior has been apologizing and thanking me all the way. Anyone who didn’t know would think I’d done you a huge favor. When will Senior stop being so polite with me?”
Lin Zhiyan’s eyelids trembled. He almost blurted out an apology, but remembering his words, he managed to hold it back.
He was silent for a moment, then awkwardly tried to find the right words. “Then, I… I… I’ll treat you to a meal!”
For Lu Ze, it might have been a casual act that took no effort, but for Lin Zhiyan, it was a genuine convenience. His upbringing made it impossible for him to accept favors from others with a clear conscience.
Since saying too much would seem too distant, he would do something instead. Lin Zhiyan rarely ate out with others, but he often saw people repaying favors by treating someone to a meal. In fact, quite a few people had made such offers to him after he had helped them, but Lin Zhiyan had never paid them any mind and had refused them all.
Now, facing Lu Ze, he could put what he had learned into practice.
Lu Ze was a little surprised, then smiled. “Alright.”
Lin Zhiyan composed himself and asked for his opinion, “Are you free tomorrow afternoon? Can we have dinner together tomorrow afternoon?”
Lu Ze said, “I have a basketball game at 4:30 tomorrow afternoon, which should end around 5:30. If Senior is interested, why don’t you come and watch? We can go for dinner right after it ends.”
Lin Zhiyan thought about his own schedule and said with some hesitation, “I should be able to make it, but I might be a little late and miss the whole thing.”
Lu Ze: “That’s fine. I’ll be happy just to have Senior there.”
Lin Zhiyan met his gaze, then uncomfortably looked away. “It’s getting late. You should head back. The dorms are about to be locked.” He paused, then added a reminder, “Drink some water when you get back. It might help.”
“Thank you for your concern, Senior.” Lu Ze took a step back, his eyes shining with light, reflecting his handsome face that had shed its immaturity for a touch of maturity. He looked quietly at the person in front of him. “See you tomorrow, Senior.”
Lin Zhiyan’s fingers, hanging by his side, twitched slightly. “See you tomorrow.”
After his figure disappeared, the voice of the dorm auntie sounded from behind the door, “Student, are you from this dorm? I’m locking up if you don’t come in now.”
Lin Zhiyan snapped back to reality and quickly slipped into the dormitory building. “Sorry, Auntie.”
By the time he reached the stairs, the sound of the dorm auntie locking the door echoed behind him. Lin Zhiyan subconsciously glanced back. There was no one outside anymore.
His heart paused for a moment, and he continued up the stairs.
The corridor was long and deep, and quiet at this time. Just as Lin Zhiyan was about to reach his dorm room, the door of a nearby room suddenly opened.
“Zhiyan?” The person’s voice held a note of surprise.
Lin Zhiyan stopped and gave a polite nod after recognizing the person in front of him. “Senior Qin.”
Qin Yize smiled and gave him a subtle once-over. “I was on the balcony just now and saw two people downstairs. I thought one of them looked like you. I didn’t expect it really was you.”
Lin Zhiyan didn’t know what to say to him, so he just nodded in response.
But Qin Yize clearly had no intention of letting him go easily. He asked again, “Coming back so late, were you working part-time again?”
Lin Zhiyan said, “Yes.”
Qin Yize narrowed his eyes. “With that friend of yours?”
Lin Zhiyan said, “We just happened to run into each other on the way. He gave me a ride back.”
Qin Yize breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He leaned against the door, his gaze slowly softening as he looked at him, a barely perceptible hint of heartache in his eyes. His tone was helpless. “You get a lot from scholarships every semester. If you’re still short on money, you can just borrow from me. Why do you have to work so hard at a part-time job? You don’t earn much, and it just makes people worry.”
Lin Zhiyan’s brow furrowed imperceptibly. His tone was polite but distant. “Senior Qin must be joking. We’re not related in any way. How could I borrow money from you?”
The smile on Qin Yize’s face froze. “Zhiyan, what are you saying? We’re in the same lab. How are we not related?”
But Lin Zhiyan was not receptive to his kindness at all. “There are many students in the same lab. That’s no reason to casually borrow money.”
“And Senior Qin, the money I earn may not be much, but it’s more than enough to cover my daily expenses. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Qin Yize’s expression slowly darkened. He paused, then said, “My mistake, my mistake. I was just worried seeing you come back so late. Don’t be angry with me, Zhiyan.”
“Senior Qin is overstating things,” Lin Zhiyan said flatly. “If there’s nothing else, Senior Qin, I’ll be heading back. I still have things to do.”
“Wait!” Qin Yize called out quickly, about to reach for his shoulder. Lin Zhiyan took a step back, putting two people’s distance between them, and looked at him with a cold gaze. “Is there anything else, Senior Qin?”
Qin Yize’s face stiffened slightly. “Well, our department has a basketball game tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be playing. Does Zhiyan want to come and watch?”
Lin Zhiyan refused directly, “Sorry, Senior Qin, I’m probably not free.”
Qin Yize frowned. “Not free? I remember you don’t have any classes or lab work tomorrow afternoon.”
Lin Zhiyan took a deep breath. “I have plans with someone.”
Qin Yize’s lips tightened. “Plans with someone? Who?!”
Lin Zhiyan said, “That shouldn’t have anything to do with Senior Qin.”
“Zhiyan—”
Qin Yize was about to say more, but Lin Zhiyan had already started walking towards his own dorm room.
Watching him open the door and return to his room, Qin Yize’s face was grim as he paced back and forth in the corridor.
Plans with someone? Who? That person from downstairs just now?
Lin Zhiyan has always been so aloof. How did he suddenly make plans with someone else?
Lin Zhiyan was naturally unaware of Qin Yize’s inner turmoil. To him, he was just a senior he knew from the lab, not particularly close. It was just those inexplicable words that had annoyed him.
After rushing to finish his shower and completing some finishing touches on his work, it was already past twelve when Lin Zhiyan got into bed.
Everyone else in the dorm was already asleep. Lin Zhiyan moved quietly. Just as he was about to close his eyes, his phone suddenly vibrated.
Lin Zhiyan’s heart stirred slightly. He opened his messages. As expected, it was from Lu Ze.
【Just had a glass of water, getting ready for bed. Goodnight, Senior.】
Lin Zhiyan had never exchanged “goodnight” messages with anyone before, but he had to admit, the feeling was indeed a bit novel.
He caressed his phone, the faint light from the screen illuminating his face as he typed seriously:
【Goodnight.】
