Chapter 17: Wang Zhenqiu: Borrow and Return
It was nearing nine o’clock. People were leaving the cafeteria in trickles. Students who had finished breakfast poured leftover soup and water into the swill buckets, the stacking of trays making ping pang ping pang sounds.
Chi Wu slid his hair tie off. His shoulder-length short hair fell down, framing his face.
Following Chi Wu’s action, a few strands of hair floated messily. Due to static electricity from his movement, a few strands even stuck upwards.
“You tie mine.” Chi Wu generally didn’t tie his hair.
Tying his hair made his scalp tight, and it would hurt for a while after letting it down at night before recovering. However, to prevent hair strands from sneaking into his mouth while eating, he had gradually developed the habit of wearing a rubber band on his wrist.
“That would be embarrassing.” Wang Zhenqiu said he was embarrassed, but his hand had already reached out to catch it. He quickly gathered his meticulously cared-for hair and tied a low ponytail.
“Since you insist on giving it to me, I’ll accept it. I’ll return it another day.”
“Giving it to you.” Chi Wu instinctively sensed danger and didn’t want too much contact.
“How could I accept that?” Wang Zhenqiu bared his teeth, his eyes flashing with a shrewd light.
He wasn’t someone who would stop just because he was satisfied with a single rubber band.
Wang Zhenqiu suddenly reached out, seemingly wanting to tuck Chi Wu’s hair behind his ear.
“If there is borrowing and returning, it’s not hard to borrow again.”
Chi Wu leaned back with a swish, no longer engaging with him. He quickly used the rubber band belonging to Zhang Chulan to tie his own ponytail after handing over his own.
Wang Zhenqiu’s eyes flashed with a malicious light. “Wubao, you really are…”
Although he wasn’t particularly interested in this kind of domestic small pet, this version of Chi Wu was truly appetizing.
Simply… a bit too cute.
He sized up Chi Wu while tying his ponytail, the corners of his mouth curving up wider and wider.
How to describe Chi Wu with his hair down?
That face, which usually carried a sense of distance, looked a size smaller and much softer. Like a kitten that didn’t like being close to people suddenly revealing its belly to you. This freshness made Wang Zhenqiu feel very delighted.
Even if it was a flash in the pan.
But what if, through his efforts, every time the flower bloomed, it was for him?
Tsk tsk.
That scene… A strange but arguably joyous satisfaction rose in Wang Zhenqiu’s heart.
Chi Wu ate his noodles not slowly, but because Wang Zhenqiu sat opposite him like a silent urge, his speed increased a bit.
When Chi Wu finished the noodles, he found Wang Zhenqiu hadn’t touched his chopsticks yet. It was as if the bowl of noodles was just a cover for the other party to approach him from the start.
When Chi Wu wiped his mouth with a tissue, he glanced inadvertently but didn’t meddle by saying “wasting is shameful.”
Just a bowl of noodles.
If Wang Zhenqiu didn’t eat this bowl of noodles, it would go into the swill bucket. Feeding pigs then couldn’t be counted as waste. Even poured onto the ground, ants and various microorganisms would decompose it.
Most importantly, he didn’t want to get serious with Wang Zhenqiu.
This was an animal’s instinct for danger, and also because he really was a person who disliked trouble.
Most of the time, he didn’t want others to give him advice or chatter, so he didn’t want to guide others or nag them either.
“Ran really fast…” Wang Zhenqiu’s expression carried a hint of indescribable meaning, seemingly a bit pitying, yet somewhat amused.
He twitched the corner of his mouth, thinking of how Chi Wu looked eating just now, and picked up his chopsticks to start eating the bowl of noodles that had already become soggy.
“Terrible.” He evaluated.
In that case, Chi Wu was really easy to raise. Oh, his interest grew even stronger.
If he was too hard to raise, he couldn’t guarantee he’d have enough patience.
There were no students left in the cafeteria, only Wang Zhenqiu. The uncle pushing the cart shouted at Wang Zhenqiu.
“Student, hurry up and eat, I’m busy.”
Wang Zhenqiu put down his chopsticks. Finding he had no tissue on him, he licked his lips directly, stood up, and carried the bowl to the swill bucket.
Splash—
“Ei, didn’t you not eat it yet?” The uncle scratched the back of his head awkwardly, very embarrassed that his urging led to this result.
Seeing Wang Zhenqiu looking at him, he thought the kid was blaming him and couldn’t help defending himself.
“I just rushed you, I didn’t tell you to dump it. Isn’t this wasting money and food?”
Wang Zhenqiu sneered. He didn’t explain that he gave up on the noodles because they tasted too bad, or that the bowl of noodles had lost its value after Chi Wu left.
Why explain to these middle-aged people who liked to dictate things?
Everyone lived in their own world. He didn’t know why they liked to dictate others’ actions so much, always standing on the high ground as if they could never be wrong.
Wang Zhenqiu thought for a moment, said nothing, and walked out. He plucked a leaf outside to casually wipe the bit of grease on his hand.
“Wubao is still more fun.” Wang Zhenqiu squinted at the not-so-bright sun in the sky.
“At least he doesn’t meddle.”
“Mn, cute. Want him.”
After muttering this evaluation to himself, he walked toward the school gate with hands in his pockets, swaying as he went.
Chi Wu left the cafeteria and went to the monitor’s building to get the leave slip. He bought bread and milk at the small supermarket, then thought about it and went back through the rear door of the dorm.
Five trash cans stood at the rear of the dorms—red, green, blue, black, blue—each full to the brim, smelling foul.
Inside the C-shaped dormitory building, the rear door area naturally formed a square.
The flower beds had small vegetables planted by the dorm aunties. Beside them, stainless steel drying racks flashed blindingly, holding sparse clothing.
Boys mostly lived rough, so there weren’t as many washed clothes as on the girls’ side.
Or rather, they wouldn’t run to the first floor just to let their clothes see the sun and get exposed, since in this weather, they would dry just fine hanging on the balcony.
Wang Yuechu was rinsing his mouth. Hearing the door push open, he took the toothbrush out, spat out the foam, and greeted him.
“Brother Wu is back?”
Chi Wu hummed an “Mn” in response, then looked up at Zhang Chulan’s bed.
No one there.
“Brother Lan and Brother Hui went out together. They said they were going for breakfast. You didn’t run into them?”
“No.”
Chi Wu’s mouth line flattened. Sensing that Zhang Chulan was still unwilling to make up, he put the things in his hand on Wang Yuechu’s desk.
“You haven’t had breakfast, right? Eat this.”
“Sure, I was just too lazy to run out and planned to eat instant noodles.” Wang Yuechu accepted, then realized this was probably bought for Zhang Chulan.
But the words were already spoken. Going back on them now wouldn’t be good; it would seem like Chi Wu’s breakfast was unwanted trash.
“Thanks, Brother Wu. I’ll treat you another day.”
“Okay.” Chi Wu nodded, then took out his phone to reply to Wang Ye’s message.
Wang Ye replied with “Okay, I’ll wait a bit longer.” Chi Wu didn’t reply again.
Having obtained the teacher’s approval and the leave slip, he could have left immediately. Even after receiving the urge, Chi Wu continued to attend class.
However, Zhang Chulan no longer went with him.
This “not going with him” wasn’t just literal; they didn’t go to the classroom together, didn’t sit together, and didn’t go to the cafeteria together for meals.
Something was just different.
And on the third day, Zhang Chulan disappeared.
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