Deeply Affectionate Male Supporting Character Topped the Protagonist 89

Chapter 89: Back to Sixteen (3)

Are we considered friends now?

Until Friday.

Xi Leng, after a week of diligent studying, finally couldn’t take it anymore, and for the first time, fell asleep at his desk during lunch break.

Min Zhi, previously drowsy, instantly became alert.

He had a premonition that he wouldn’t be staying in Xi Leng’s 16-year-old world for long. If he didn’t act quickly, he would run out of time, definitely not because he wanted to do anything to the teenage Xi Leng.

The current Xi Leng couldn’t face his past trauma at all, always wearing turtlenecks, covering himself tightly. Although not as prickly and aggressive as a hedgehog, he was still like a cold, hard block of ice.

Even sleeping, he hid his face completely, his arms wrapped around his head, his medium-long hair covering the side of his face.

But it wasn’t a problem; as his deskmate, Min Zhi had the advantage of time and place.

Min Zhi observed him for a while, then lowered his head, all the way below the desk.

Then peeked at the boy’s face from below.

Just looking wasn’t enough, and he couldn’t help but reach out, his hand stopping midway, pulled back by reason.

Touching his face would definitely wake Xi Leng up, he thought for a moment, settling for the throat covered by the turtleneck, lightly touching it through the fabric…

A jolt!

Not only did Xi Leng wake up, his reaction was far more violent than he had anticipated.

He was slammed against the wall, his head hitting it with a loud bang, not even noticing the cut on his hand from the windowsill.

The two froze, their eyes locked.

Xi Leng, jolted awake, instinctively shoved Min Zhi against the wall, tilting the desk, the loud noise startling half the classroom, their sleepy classmates all looking over.

Now, Xi Leng was truly awake, pulled out of his nightmare, his mind working again.

Those gazes he had always ignored, suddenly turned into sharp needles, piercing him from all directions,

He looked at Min Zhi, who was holding onto the windowsill with a look of disbelief, wanting to say something,

The 22-year-old him wasn’t good with words, let alone his 16-year-old self,

He couldn’t even sort out his emotions, an intense shame and desire to escape overwhelming him, so he made the most cowardly choice, turning and running without a word,

not even an explanation.

His mind in turmoil, he walked down the empty corridor, and his deskmate, slowly recovering, his heart free of resentment, only thinking of something Xi Leng would never guess—

How could this little penguin be such a little hedgehog?

“Hiss.”

Min Zhi belatedly gasped, turning his wrist to examine the small cut,

Xi Leng’s sudden departure left his seat empty, and the nearby classmates, no longer holding back, flocked over, chattering and expressing their concern,

“Min Zhi, are you okay?”
“Why did Rong Zhao hit you?”
“Didn’t you know? His family situation is complicated, his mother died early, no one to take care of him, I heard his father is also abusive…”
“Like father, like son. You should change your seat, don’t associate with him anymore.”

Min Zhi, after processing this for a few seconds, realized that the stranger they were describing was his beloved,

He hadn’t even said anything yet,

and these clueless people were already judging him? So certain,

Min Zhi, never one to tolerate such things, immediately grabbed the fat kid who had been the most vocal, his hand gripping the boy’s collar, shoving him forcefully against the lockers at the back of the classroom, a loud bang echoing,

Although having traveled back from the age of 26, Min Zhi at this moment looked just like any other 16-year-old, impulsive and easily angered, fighting with his classmates over a seemingly trivial matter, the girls screaming,

Only he knew that this was no trivial matter,

“If you ever talk about him like that again, I’ll beat you up every single time.”

Victoriously, he stood up languidly, dusting off his hands with a disdainful and provocative air,

His arrogance made those bullies cower, scrambling back to their seats,

Xi Leng returned just before the afternoon classes ended, very few people were sleeping, yet the entire classroom was eerily quiet,

some even glancing up at him before quickly averting their gaze.

Xi Leng frowned slightly.

But he didn’t have time to dwell on this anomaly, just some more gossip, he had more pressing matters, that was… Min Zhi sitting in the corner,

He hesitated, biting his lip, until he couldn’t stand that burning gaze any longer, and finally walked over.

His heart pounding, he calmly sat down, his ears perked up, listening for any sounds from Min Zhi beside him.

Min Zhi didn’t say anything, he didn’t seem angry, but he also wasn’t chattering around him like before.

Xi Leng fidgeted nervously, finally, just before the bell rang, taking out the band-aids he bought from the infirmary and pushing them across the desk,

“…Hm?”

Min Zhi finally made a sound,

His gaze, fixed on the band-aids, then on Xi Leng.

“…For me?”

Xi Leng hummed in affirmation,

“You’re the one who got me injured,” Min Zhi took his hand, feigning a cold and stern expression, “You have to help me put them on.”

“…”

Xi Leng, knowing he was at fault, obediently lowered his head, his movements practiced and efficient.

“It was my fault,” After tending to the wound, Xi Leng, still not looking up, said softly, “Next time… try not to touch me while I’m sleeping.”

“So that means…” Min Zhi, always twisting words to his advantage, “It’s okay when you’re not sleeping.”

Xi Leng was speechless.

Min Zhi smiled, looking quite pleased.

Xi Leng finally relaxed completely, the tension in his delicate features easing.

During the weekend, Xi Leng spent his time at the art studio, working part-time as an assistant while practicing his painting, earning money, the studio, although without any famous teachers, didn’t charge him tuition, and his other expenses were covered by his night shift at the convenience store,

This part-time work and study life was tiring, but Xi Leng was used to it, after all, there was something far more terrifying waiting for him at home, the place that should have been his sanctuary,

He’d rather work several jobs.

Min Zhi followed him for two days. Giving him money directly was out of the question, it would hurt his pride, and Xi Leng was too perceptive, an artist’s observation skills too sharp, Min Zhi didn’t even dare enter the convenience store, afraid of being discovered, only able to wander around outside, secretly observing,

This 16-year-old lover was truly hard to handle,

He let out his eighth sigh of the day.

Monday arrived,

At noon, Min Zhi went to get the fresh lunch delivered by his housekeeper, excitedly returning to the classroom, preparing to invite his deskmate,

only to find him gone?

That feeling was like seeing a slow snail suddenly abandon its shell and fly away,

He hurriedly asked around, “Where’s Rong Zhao?”

No one knew, and no one cared.

Min Zhi waited for ten minutes, Xi Leng didn’t return, he clearly wasn’t just in the restroom, he asked the students returning from the cafeteria, but no one had seen him either.

He naturally wouldn’t just wait, picking up the lunch boxes and going to look for him himself.

First ruling out crowded places, then less crowded places… he casually asked passersby, completely ignoring their starstruck expressions, only taking in the information he needed,

He heard that there was a rooftop on the science building, seven floors with no elevator, almost no one went there except during lab classes.

Min Zhi, carrying two lunch boxes, started his climbing exercise on an empty stomach,

Thankfully, his efforts were rewarded. Xi Leng appeared, unexpectedly standing at the other end of the rooftop, his medium-long hair tucked behind his ears, his entire face revealed,

He was enjoying the empty rooftop, a cigarette between his fingers.

Min Zhi thought, so that was why he was so skilled at smoking and drinking at 22, it had been a long-time habit.

“Found you.”

Xi Leng was startled.

Min Zhi walked over aggressively, “Smoking, huh…”

Seeing that the newcomer was only his deskmate, not a teacher, Xi Leng was unfazed, but the cigarette in his hand had already been extinguished, lighting another one would be a waste.

“Tutor me, don’t worry, I won’t take advantage of you, I’ll pay you the market rate, and also cover your meals.” Min Zhi raised his hands. “Come on, here’s a meal in advance.”

Xi Leng said hesitantly: “…I’m an art student.”

Min Zhi’s words were smooth, “Art is the best form of character education.”

Xi Leng: “…?”

Min Zhi, using both hard and soft tactics, said, “If you don’t tutor me, I’ll tell the teacher you’re smoking, you have no choice.”

Xi Leng still hesitated, then suddenly lowered his head, took out another cigarette from his pack, and handed it to Min Zhi.

Min Zhi instinctively took it with a practiced motion, only stopping when the cigarette reached his chin.

Xi Leng looked at him, saying nothing.

His gaze clearly saying, Stop pretending.

Min Zhi simply raised an eyebrow, making his request without any hesitation, “Hey, a light?”

A moment of silence.

The two teenagers smiled at each other, the tension between them dissipating.

“I caused you to be injured,” Xi Leng brought up the past incident again, “I’ll do my best to help you with your studies.”

Min Zhi thought, his words were perfectly timed.

A little later, and that small cut wouldn’t even leave a mark.

Tutoring sessions after class were successfully scheduled, and going home together was only natural.

Although they didn’t live in the same direction, but whether they did or not was up to Min Zhi.

Xi Leng didn’t question him, only thinking that his flamboyant deskmate didn’t seem like someone who would take a crowded bus.

They were lucky enough to get seats, in the back row by the window, Then, as evening self-study ended, students flooded in, quickly filling the empty bus, a noisy wall separating them from the front.

Xi Leng silently put on his earphones, blocking out the noise, Wired earphones were still popular back then, easily tangling into a mess. His earphones were old, the wires slightly curled, a bit like his hair,

He had just finished listening to a song when one of his earphones was removed by the person beside him, without a hint of courtesy,

Min Zhi expertly put the earphone in his own ear, a curled wire connecting them, then asked: “Where do you get off?”

Xi Leng always avoided talking about his family, answering with a question: “What about you?”

Min Zhi’s answer was clearly insincere, “Same as you.”

“…” Xi Leng paused, “I get off at Beizheng Street.”

Min Zhi glanced at the route map, according to the information he effortlessly obtained from the school, Beizheng Street was the stop before Xi Leng’s.

Clearly not wanting to be followed home,

Min Zhi clicked his tongue, considerately respecting the teenager’s privacy, saying with a hint of regret: “Me too then.”

Xi Leng: “…” This person’s words had no credibility.

But Min Zhi, true to his word, got off with Xi Leng at Beizheng Street. The remote suburb, 10:30 pm, the nearby buses had stopped running. Xi Leng highly doubted how this liar was planning to get home.

Min Zhi, however, wasn’t worried at all, following Xi Leng, even claiming to be walking him home,

“…” Xi Leng remained silent, deliberately taking detours,

Eleven o’clock, it was about time to let the little hedgehog go home, Min Zhi was afraid he would be scolded for wasting Xi Leng’s time.

The quiet street, ten years ago, the atmosphere just right, before parting, Min Zhi, seizing the opportunity, asked for his contact information.

“Are we considered friends now?”

Xi Leng didn’t respond, continuing to walk.

“If you answer, we are,” Min Zhi, prepared for this, smiled brightly, his trap laid, “If you don’t, it means… there’s potential for further development.”

Xi Leng tightened his grip on his backpack strap, quickening his pace.

His silence gave Min Zhi the most satisfying answer. A strange chuckle came from behind him, one after another, drawing closer.

Xi Leng wouldn’t have dreamed that someone could be so happy because of his silence.

To the point that even he was affected, like the spread of a virus.

His head was still lowered, hidden behind his slightly curled black hair, but the corners of his lips couldn’t help but curve upwards.