At the beginning of the new semester, the group reunited in the cafeteria.
Wu Mabo, Wen Dong, and Wang Yu were sitting together when they saw Zhi Xian and Tong Xiaosong approaching. Before they even settled down, Wang Yu, like he was scalded, hurriedly stood up, one hand holding a cup of bubble tea and the other carrying a tray, ready to excuse himself.
Before he could leave, Wu Mabo grabbed him and said with a mischievous grin, “Sit down, Zhi Xian won’t eat you.”
Wang Yu was about to retort, but Zhi Xian and Tong Xiaosong had already seated themselves across from them. He could only obediently lower his head, feeling uncomfortable and restless, not daring to look directly at them.
Wen Dong was amazed as they glanced at Tong Xiaosong sitting opposite.
After the holiday, Tong Xiaosong had grown taller, with a well-proportioned figure and slender limbs. Wearing well-fitted clothes, he now looked even more like a noble young gentleman than before.
Wu Mabo was astonished, saying, “Holy shit, your transformation is unbelievable. You don’t look as weak anymore…”
Tong Xiaosong smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed as he said, “Zhi Xian took good care of me.”
With that, he took out many candies from his bag and placed them on the table, saying, “These are our wedding candies, spreading some joy to you all.”
“Wedding candies?” Wu Mabo exclaimed, “You two got married?”
“We paid respects to heaven and earth,” Tong Xiaosong’s voice was filled with overflowing happiness. “I never dared to hope that one day we could really hold a ceremony in front of our families. Zhi Xian saw through my thoughts and secretly prepared many things for me, giving me a big surprise.”
“Congratulations,” Wen Dong said as he opened one and popped it into his mouth, hinting at something, “Hmm, this candy is really sweet, Da Bo, give it a try.”
Wu Mabo ate a piece, making an exaggerated expression, “Oh… it’s so sweet it’s giving me a toothache.”
Zhi Xian wore a faint smile on his face, knowing that these two were doing it on purpose.
Tong Xiaosong, however, took it seriously, surprised, “Is it really that sweet? But… didn’t you both eat the chocolate-flavored ones? I remember they were a bit bitter…”
“It’s true!” Wu Mabo nodded earnestly, hooking his arm around Wang Yu’s neck, squeezing a candy into his mouth, and said, “Try it, is it sweet?”
“You motherfu… mmm!” Wang Yu, with the candy in his mouth, felt bitterness deep in his heart. Inside, he cursed this teasing friend a thousand times over. Sensing Zhi Xian’s chilling gaze falling on him, he was startled and quickly forced out a smile, “Sweet! Very sweet! Congratulations…”
Tong Xiaosong began to doubt his own sense of taste. He picked up a candy from the table, opened it, and put it in his mouth. A faint bitterness spread from the tip of his tongue, followed by a hint of rich sweetness.
“…Is this what you call sweet?” Tong Xiaosong couldn’t agree with it.
Wu Mabo and Wen Dong wore meaningful smiles on their faces, remaining silent.
Zhi Xian’s gaze remained fixed on Wang Yu. Wang Yu felt that gaze was sharper than a knife’s edge, almost making him want to cry.
Tong Xiaosong glanced at everyone, then followed Zhi Xian’s gaze to look at Wang Yu.
Under such pressure, Wang Yu couldn’t bear it anymore and hurriedly spoke up, “I’m sorry, I was immature before. Please forgive my past foolishness, Zhi Xian-ge! I was wrong…”
Zhi Xian smiled faintly, “What are you saying? I’m just curious about this candy… Is it really sweet?”
Wang Yu: sigh
Even Tong Xiaosong could tell that Zhi Xian was deliberately intimidating Wang Yu.
Wu Mabo and Wen Dong stood by, suppressing their laughter as accomplices.
Wang Yu felt so wronged that he was almost in tears. He didn’t dare to say it was sweet, nor could he say it was bitter. He wanted to run away, but his teasing friends were holding him back.
He pursed his lips and forcefully tasted the candy on his tongue, unable to come up with an answer no matter how hard he tried.
Wen Dong chuckled, “Alright, stop teasing him. He’s already traumatized.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Wanna hear something funny? Let me tell you,” Wu Mabo said with a smile. “During the break, he had a crush on a girl and was about to confess to her. Just as he was about to, another guy came over and stood next to the girl. He got so startled and blurted out to the girl, ‘Would you like to buy insurance?’ Hahaha! Both Dongzi and I were there, and we almost died laughing. Later, we found out that guy was the girl’s brother.”
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Wen Dong said with a smile, “The girl wasn’t interested in him, but her brother seemed to have a good impression of him. He turned around and confessed to him instead.”
Tong Xiaosong asked in confusion, “What’s so funny?”
It didn’t seem like something to laugh about…
While pounding the table with laughter, Wu Mabo said, “The girl’s brother, he’s into bodybuilding, hahaha, those muscles…” He gestured with his hands to indicate a huge area, “His whole body is covered in muscles this big, and he’s 1.89 meters tall! One punch could knock out ten Wang Yus.”
Wang Yu felt the bitterness in his mouth intensify. “…Stop it.”
Wu Mabo insisted on continuing, “Even if Wang Yu liked guys, it would have to be a handsome young man, so he definitely wouldn’t agree. That guy launched a desperate pursuit, appearing suddenly in front of him alot, taking off his shirt, and showing off those explosive muscles in various bodybuilding poses… plus that strong smell of sweat, hahaha.”
Tong Xiaosong: “…Heh, it’s a bit funny.”
Even if he tried to remain serious by tightly pursing his lips, he couldn’t hold back the gradually contorting smile on his face.
Wang Yu, in despair, banged his head on the table, feeling hopeless, “Laugh if you want…”
“There’s nothing to laugh about,” Zhi Xian said lightly.
Wang Yu seemed to see a glimmer of hope and suddenly lifted his head.
Tong Xiaosong thought to himself: “Indeed, Zhi Xian is so gentle.”
Unexpectedly, Zhi Xian’s next words were: “Don’t waste the other person’s sincerity. Since they like you so much, why not just agree?”
Tong Xiaosong: “…”
Wu Mabo suddenly burst into louder laughter.
Wang Yu was almost in tears. The other party was like a persistent pest, constantly pestering them. If Zhi Xian forced them to be together, would he still have a way out?!
“Xiao Yu!”
A somewhat rough voice rang out.
Wen Dong whispered softly, “He’s here.”
Tong Xiaosong looked up and saw a tall and sturdy man walking towards them not far away.
The man didn’t look like a student at all. His muscles were knotted, and his clothes were stretched tight, as if they might burst at any moment.
When he was three meters away from them, an uncomfortable sour smell wafted over.
Tong Xiaosong originally thought the other party just had a strong body odor, but as the person approached, he noticed that their clothes were yellowed with stains and dried sweat, giving the impression that he hadn’t changed clothes in a long time.
The man walked over and hugged Wang Yu from behind, almost enveloping him in his bulging muscles.
Tong Xiaosong noticed that the man’s hands around Wang Yu weren’t behaving properly; they seemed to slither down towards Wang Yu’s clothes.
“Let go!” Wu Mabo, who had been joking about Wang Yu just moments ago, immediately turned cold, stood up, and snatched Wang Yu away. “We’ve already said he doesn’t like you! Why are you still pestering him?!”
Wen Dong’s expression also turned stern. “I thought we made it clear before, he’s not interested.”
The man looked somewhat disdainful. “This is between him and me. What business is it of yours? He might not agree now, but who’s to say he won’t agree after I pursue him for a while…”
Tong Xiaosong: …
He didn’t know whether to sympathize with Wang Yu. This person’s pursuit was exactly the same as Wang Yu’s initial approach, completely disregarding the wishes of the pursued, adopting a relentless and forceful manner.
Wang Yu felt utterly overwhelmed, on the verge of tears as he pleaded, “Please, just leave me alone. You’re like my fucking retribution…”
The man retorted, “I don’t care. I like you anyway. If anyone has a problem with that, they can come and fight me. If they win, I’ll back off. If they lose, then you have no right to stop me from pursuing him.”
He glanced at Wu Mabo and Wen Dong, sneering, “As for you two, you’re just a couple of losers.”
His gaze then shifted to Tong Xiaosong and Zhi Xian, contemptuously asking, “How about you two? Want to give it a try?”
Tong Xiaosong: …
This is bullying, isn’t it? With such strong muscles, who could possibly beat him?
Wu Mabo retorted angrily, “Why should we have to beat you? This is a society governed by law. If you dare to act tough, we’ll call the police!”
“Cowards,” the man sneered. “What good will it do to call the police? I’m just pursuing true love.”
Zhi Xian let out a cold laugh and stood up, saying, “Then let’s find a secluded place and give it a try.”
Tong Xiaosong looked at Zhi Xian in surprise, feeling a bit uncertain.
Zhi Xian was indeed skilled in fighting, but compared to the man, he seemed a bit shorter, and his usually tall and sturdy figure now appeared somewhat fragile.
At this moment, Ke Lin, who hadn’t been seen for a long time, drifted over, with the same kind of candy in his mouth, “Oh? Did I come just in time for some excitement?” He glanced at Tong Xiaosong and said, “Got the candy, congratulations.”
Wu Mabo and Wen Dong looked towards Ke Lin, while Wang Yu couldn’t see but felt the sidelong glances from the others. He looked in the direction they were staring and asked, puzzled, “What’s wrong over there? Is something wrong?”
No one paid attention to Wang Yu.
Zhi Xian took the lead and walked outside the cafeteria, followed by the man.
Seeing this, Tong Xiaosong hurriedly followed.
Wu Mabo and Wang Yu walked side by side.
Wen Dong walked behind and quietly explained the situation to Ke Lin.
Wang Yu turned back suspiciously, his heart pounding, “Who is he talking to?”
Wu Mabo replied, “Talking to ghosts. What’s the matter? You want to take a look?”
Wang Yu shuddered and dared not ask anything more.
After hearing the whole story, Ke Lin burst into laughter and exclaimed, “Fighting with Zhi Xian? Isn’t that seeking death? I think unless it’s a mass attack, otherwise…”
Before he could finish his sentence, with a loud bang, the man who had been persistently pursuing Wang Yu had already smashed into the wall.
Everyone looked at Zhi Xian in astonishment.
Zhi Xian casually lowered his leg, as if he had just kicked away some trash, and sneered, “Frail and feeble, all those muscles are just for show.”
Tong Xiaosong breathed a sigh of relief. After calming down, he looked at Zhi Xian, who had just intervened with righteousness, feeling that he looked even more handsome than usual!
The man, clutching his stomach with a shocked expression, took a few seconds to recover. He struggled to stand up and said, “I wasn’t prepared just now! Come on again!”
Wu Mabo angrily said, “Have you no shame? You threw punches just now…”
Before he could finish his sentence, there was another loud bang, even louder than before.
The man clutched his stomach, his face contorted in pain. It was evident that he was in extreme agony, yet he couldn’t even utter a cry of pain.
After a minute passed, the man still hadn’t gotten up.
Something seemed wrong. Wu Mabo observed for a few seconds and exclaimed, “Fuck! It looks like his pectoral muscles are cramping! Hurry, hurry, help him! Otherwise, he won’t be able to catch his breath and might die!”
Ke Lin, standing aside with a piece of candy in his mouth, made a sarcastic remark, “Serves him right…”
Wu Mabo, Wen Dong, and Wang Yu hurriedly stepped forward, clumsily massaging and kneading the muscles on the man’s chest.
After a few seconds, the man finally cried out in pain.
After two minutes, the man’s cramp subsided, but he was left lying on the ground with only enough strength to gasp for air.
Wu Mabo, looking down on him with a gloating expression, said, “Still want to pester our Wang Yu? Let me tell you, if you bother Wang Yu again, our master here will knock you out without batting an eye.”
The man, unwilling to give up, glared at Wang Yu and asked, “You really can’t accept me?”
Wang Yu sighed, squatting down sincerely, “I really can’t accept you. I’m sorry. I used to be like you, not considering the other person’s feelings and persistently pestering them. It’s not right. Meeting you feels like karma. You made me feel that awful feeling. I know you may not understand now, but please, if you really like me, let me go. Please stop annoying me.”
The man, still unwilling to accept it, wanted to say more, but his gaze shifted and he saw Zhi Xian standing nearby.
He touched his stomach, still feeling the pain, and instantly lost his courage.
“Since you put it that way, I won’t bother you anymore. It’s pointless…”
Wu Mabo sighed, “Non-violent non-cooperation. When we advised you initially, why didn’t you have this realization?”
With the trouble resolved, everyone returned to the cafeteria.
Looking at the clean table, Wu Mabo askd, “Where’s my meal? And the candies?”
Wang Yu hurriedly said, “Let’s reorder, my treat!”
Tong Xiaosong then took out some more candies, saying, “There’s still plenty here. If you like them, I’ll bring some unopened ones for you tomorrow.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Yu looked at Tong Xiaosong. He took a deep breath, approached Tong Xiaosong and Zhi Xian, and whispered, “I’m sorry for causing you trouble initially. Thank you for not holding it against me and for helping me all along…”
Tong Xiaosong pursed his lips. He wasn’t good at expressing himself, and he hadn’t blamed Wang Yu for anything in the first place. It was Zhi Xian who felt jealous. If Wang Yu wanted forgiveness, it had to come from Zhi Xian, not him.
Wang Yu glanced at Zhi Xian, seeing his indifferent expression, he shrank back, intimidated by Zhi Xian’s strength.
“Um… I won’t dare ask for your forgiveness, but I know I was wrong. I promise I won’t do such things again. I’m sorry. Let me go order the dishes for you!” With that, Wang Yu turned around and ran off.
Wu Mabo, who had a good relationship with Wang Yu, cautiously observed Zhi Xian’s expression.
Zhi Xian smiled as if nothing had happened and said, “Please, take a seat.”
After that, Zhi Xian never brought up the matter again. Although he wasn’t particularly warm towards Wang Yu, he didn’t treat him overly coldly either.
Tong Xiaosong understood Zhi Xian’s attitude. It was probably a matter of letting go, but he would never forgive what had happened initially.
After all, actions taken cannot be erased, and not all apologies necessarily deserve forgiveness.
He felt that Zhi Xian’s willingness to let go was already the greatest form of kindness.
