Chapter 15

The black car drove away from the school and merged into the evening traffic. Ling Yao still kept his forehead pressed against the car window, eyes closed, the bitten piece of rice cake in his palm still retaining a hint of warmth.

That simple sweetness was like a pebble thrown into a deep pool, stirring up circle after circle of unquenchable ripples in the cold ruins of his heart.

He had never tasted anything like it. It wasn't the elaborately plated desserts of Michelin restaurants, nor was it a snack prepared by a chef at home with meticulously balanced nutritional profiles. It was simply a simple rice cake, sweet and straightforward, even a little sticky.

But with a kind of clumsy, unreserved warmth.

It was completely different from his mother's venomous words, the ulterior motive flattery from those around him, and the indifferent ridicule from Azhe and the others.

"Brother Yao, are you going home directly?" the driver in front asked cautiously.

Ling Yao suddenly opened his eyes, the brief confusion and fragility in his eyes instantly disappearing. He sat up straight, looking at the rice cake in his hand, which had been slightly deformed by being squeezed. He hesitated for a moment, but did not throw it away, instead carefully rewrapping it.

His movements were somewhat unfamiliar, and even carried a certain degree of caution that he himself hadn't noticed.

The next day at school, Ling Yao was still the same Ling Yao who was always the center of attention, as if everything that happened in the office yesterday was just an insignificant farce.

But something was definitely different between him and Su Rui.

During the break, Ling Yao stood at the front of the team, his eyes subconsciously searching for the thin figure in the crowd. He saw Su Rui standing at the end of the class team, head lowered, her right foot seemed to be a little uncomfortable, and her movements were slightly sluggish.

Ling Yao's brows knitted slightly.

After school, Ling Yao deliberately lingered for a while. When Su Rui, carrying her schoolbag, slowly moved out of the classroom, he stood up as if unintentionally and followed her in a few steps.

In a less crowded part of the corridor, he called out to him in a moderate voice: "Hey."

Su Rui's back stiffened, and she slowly turned around, with obvious tension on her face, as if she was afraid that he would say something hurtful again.

Ling Yao was a little annoyed by his defensive look. He looked away and said in a hard tone, even more aggressive than usual: "Is your leg okay? Stop looking like you're lame all day and getting in the way."

It still sounded harsh.

But Su Rui's eyes widened slightly. He keenly caught the extremely obscure and awkward... concern beneath that layer of bad packaging?

He lowered his head, looked at the tip of his shoe, and whispered, "...It's almost done."

"Tsk." Ling Yao uttered an impatient syllable, as if he didn't know what to say next. He was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly pulled out a small imported muscle pain relief spray from his trouser pocket and stuffed it into Su Rui's hand.

"Take it. It'll save you from walking unsteadily and annoying people." He spoke quickly, as if he was doing something extremely embarrassing. After stuffing it in, he immediately put his hands back in his pockets and looked at the wall in the distance.

Su Rui held the cold little bottle, which seemed to still retain the other person's body temperature.

He recognized the brand; it specialized in treating injuries from falls.

My heart felt like it was hit gently by something, and it felt sore and numb.

He raised his head and looked at Ling Yao's tense profile and slightly red ears. Suddenly, the grievance and fear he felt yesterday disappeared.

He mustered up his courage and spoke softly, with a barely perceptible hint of probing in his voice: "How are you feeling..."

Ling Yao's body seemed to stiffen for a moment. He turned his head abruptly and glared at Su Rui. His eyes were a little fierce, and his ears were redder. "This is so disgusting! Who told you to meddle in other people's business?"

After saying this, he seemed unable to endure this strange conversation any longer and strode away almost in panic.

Su Rui stood there, looking at his disheveled back, but slowly began to laugh.

The sunlight filtered through the corridor window and fell into his smiling eyes, sparkling.

He knew. He ate the rice cake.

And he likes