He can't drink ice.
The pedestrian street outside the west gate of Jiangcheng University belongs to the night.
As the sky darkened, this alley that seemed a bit shabby during the day seemed to be cast under a spell. Various neon signs lit up one after another, and the smoky smell from the barbecue stalls mixed with the aroma of spicy hot pot, weaving an airtight net in the air.
"Brother Lu, let me tell you, this street outside the west gate is the holy place of our Jiangda!" Fat Jiang walked in front, like an experienced tour guide, and said mysteriously.
"Holy Land?" Lu Yu raised his eyebrows. "Isn't it just a snack street?"
"Superficial, isn't it?" Fat Jiang shook his chubby fingers, looking pretentious. "Its real name is 'Ximen Commercial Street,' but we Jiangda students respectfully call it Fallen Street."
As soon as this name came out, even Shi Guang, who had been silent all the time, couldn't help but look up at him.
"Fallen Street?" Lu Yu laughed even more. "Why does this name sound a bit unrespectable?"
"Hey, you don't know this." Fatty Jiang cleared his throat and began his popular science explanation. "It's called Fallen Street because it's a place where you can completely 'fall'."
He stretched out a chubby finger and shook it. "First, it's a culinary abyss. From south to north, from east to west, there's barbecue, hot pot, malatang, crayfish, teppanyaki, milk tea, desserts...any junk food you can imagine is there. Once you step in, all healthy eating and weight loss plans will be put aside. Your body will be completely degraded here!"
He extended a second finger, his expression becoming even more obscene. "Secondly, it's a black hole of time. Internet cafes, KTVs, board game stores, script-killing games, escape rooms—everything is available. How many heroes have simply wanted to relax, only to look up and see it's already daybreak. Your will will be completely corrupted here!"
Finally, he extended his third finger and lowered his voice, as if to reveal a shocking secret: "Most importantly, it's the grave of your GPA! Think about it, when you're addicted to food and entertainment, will you still have time to go to the library? Will you still have the energy to stay up late to review? No! You don't! Your GPA will plummet from 4.0 to failing the course! Your soul will be completely captured by the devil here!"
Fat Jiang spread his arms and concluded in an aria-like tone, "So, this street is the land of comfort and heroism where countless Jiang University students' youth, time, and GPAs have been buried. We call it 'Degenerate Street.' Isn't that reasonable and appropriate?"
These words were spoken with great emotion and were very moving.
Lu Yu nearly collapsed from laughter. Even Sun Rui, standing next to him, couldn't help but push up his glasses, his lips twitching slightly. He then calmly commented, "From a sociological perspective, this is a typical subculture phenomenon that uses exaggerated naming to deconstruct academic pressure and foster group identity."
"Yes, yes, yes! What Brother Sun said is right!" Fat Jiang nodded vigorously, although he didn't understand a word.
Lu Yu smiled and subconsciously looked at Shi Guang's reaction.
He found that Shi Guang was tilting his head, listening carefully to Jiang Xiaopang's nonsense. His eyes, which were always clear and cold, were now stained with a very faint curiosity like ripples on the water.
Lu Yu felt that this kind of time was much more lively and lovely than when he had a stern face and pretended to be indifferent.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Lu Yu smiled, put his arm around Fatty Jiang's shoulders, and strode forward. "Today, let the four of us gloriously degenerate once on this degenerate street!"
Not long after, Lu Yu and his friends found the busiest-looking open-air barbecue stall, with four plastic stools and a greasy folding square table. This was the first formal dinner of their college life.
Jiang Xiaopang was the undisputed leader of the atmosphere team. He held the menu in one hand and waved his hand with the other, enthusiastically recommending which roasted chicken wings were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, or which roasted eggplant had the fragrant garlic aroma. Sun Rui pulled out his phone and opened his calculator, seemingly meticulously calculating the average cost per person tonight.
As for Lu Yu, most of his attention was actually focused on Shi Guang, who was sitting diagonally across from him.
This was his first time observing his new roommate so closely outside the dorm. Shi Guang seemed ill-adapted to the clamor. He sat bolt upright, his back as straight as a poplar, his hands neatly placed on his knees, a subtle hint of wariness and bewilderment in his eyes, like an elf that had strayed into a human party.
"Shi Guang, what would you like to drink?" Lu Yu took the initiative to speak, trying to break the other party's barrier.
Shi Guang raised his head, seemed to think for a moment, and then whispered, "...water will do."
"No, you can't just drink water when you're out for dinner." Fat Jiang pulled his head away from the menu and waved his hand, "Boss! Four bottles of iced Coke first!"
"He can't drink it cold."
Three words blurted out from Lu Yu's mouth.
The moment the words fell, not only Fat Jiang and Sun Rui, but even Shi Guang himself was stunned and looked at him in unison.
Lu Yu himself was stunned for a moment. He had only subconsciously recalled Shi Guang's words in the dormitory that afternoon, "I can't drink ice cold." He hadn't expected to remember it so clearly, and to even say it in front of everyone.
The atmosphere suddenly became a little subtle.
Fat Jiang's gossip radar buzzed. He looked at Lu Yu, then at Shi Guang, and a lewd smile of "I've hit you" appeared on his face.
"Oh... oh yes," Lu Yu cleared his throat, trying to cover up his awkwardness with an exaggerated smile, "I have a good memory. I heard Shi Guang mention it this afternoon. Boss, give him a bottle of room temperature orange juice."
The barbecue was served soon, and the sizzling barbecue and rich aroma of spices temporarily dispelled the awkwardness in the air.
Fatty Jiang pounced on his food like a hungry tiger, while Sun Rui ate methodically. Lu Yu ate while observing the time calmly.
He found that Shi Guang ate very slowly and was very picky. He didn't eat onions, garlic, or cilantro, and whenever a skewer was stained with these, he would just politely pick it up and put it aside.
Lu Yu saw it all, but said nothing. He silently pushed the plate of grilled chicken wings in front of him, which had no seasoning and only a little salt, to the center of the table, where Shi Guang could reach it with just a stretch of his hand.
He did it so naturally, as if he was just putting it there casually.
Shi Guang paused. He glanced up at Lu Yu, who was chatting with Fatty Jiang, seemingly oblivious to their presence. He glanced at the clean plate of grilled chicken wings, remained silent for a few seconds, and finally reached out his chopsticks to pick up a piece.
The meal ended with Jiang Xiaopang's jokes and Sun Rui's punctual time announcement.
At 7:25, Sun Rui stood up on time: "I have to go back. I'm going to be late for the hearing."
"Let's go, let's go back." Lu Yu also stood up.
On the way back to the dormitory, the four of them walked in the long shadows cast by the streetlights. Jiang Xiaopang and Lu Yu walked in front, still discussing the value for money of the store they had just visited.
Time walks in the middle, keeping a distance from everyone, neither far nor near.
He lowered his head, looking at the tips of his shoes, taking each step seriously. Suddenly, the phone in his pocket vibrated.
He took it out and saw a new message popped up in the dormitory group that Lu Yu had just added.
It was sent by Lu Yu.
[@时光, the grilled chicken wings at that shop were pretty good. I'll go there again next time.]
The pace of time suddenly stopped.
He raised his head and looked at the tall figure walking in front of him. The other person was laughing and joking with Jiang Xiaopang, and it seemed that he was just sending a message.
He knew that the plate of chicken wings was ordered specially for him.
He also knew that this message was sent specifically for him.
This person...
Shi Guang's fingertips gripping the phone tightened slightly. A strange emotion that he could not define was like a stone thrown into a lake, stirring up a circle of tiny ripples in his heart that had been calm for eighteen years, which he himself had not even noticed.
After returning to the dormitory, Jiang Xiaopang rushed to his combat base immediately, and Sun Rui put on headphones and entered the English world.
Lu Yu came out of the shower and walked to Shi Guang's desk while drying his hair.
"By the way, have you applied for your meal card? You'll be eating in the cafeteria starting tomorrow."
Shi Guang was about to go wash up when he heard the words and turned back: "Not yet."
"I've got it done for you." Lu Yu pulled out a brand new campus card from his pocket like magic and handed it over. "When you went to pick up your textbooks, I filled out a form for you. The photo is the electronic photo you took when you reported. Take a look."
In the center of the card is Shi Guang’s expressionless ID photo.
Shi Guang looked at the card, then looked up at Lu Yu. Lu Yu's hair was still dripping with water, his body was filled with the refreshing scent of shower gel, and his face was filled with the kind of bright smile that was taken for granted and did not ask for anything in return.
"...Why?" Shi Guang's voice was very soft, almost a murmur.
"Why?" Lu Yu was puzzled. "I saw that you didn't seem to like going out much, so I did it for you. We're roommates, why be polite?"
After he finished speaking, he stuffed the card into Shi Guang's hand and turned to go to the balcony to hang clothes. Shi Guang was left alone, standing there, holding the campus card that still had the other person's body temperature in his hand, without moving for a long time.
That night, at 11 o'clock, the lights in the dormitory were turned off on time.
In the darkness, the only sounds were Fat Jiang's keyboard and Sun Rui's steady breathing.
Lu Yu lay in bed, tossing and turning, his mind a mess, filled with memories of his day with Shi Guang. He felt that this new roommate was a mystery, a mystery that he couldn't help but want to solve.
He took out his phone and clicked on the □□ space on Jiangda's confession wall, and the latest pinned update came into view.
[Topic: Freshman Looks Report! Two Stunningly Handsome Men Appear at the School of Cultural Heritage!]
Two blurry, candid photos follow: one shows Lu Yu's profile as he moves his luggage downstairs in the dormitory building, and the other shows Shi Guang walking alone on the tree-lined avenue.
The comment section has already been filled with a lot of comments.
"Is that Lu Yu in the white T-shirt? Damn, he's a million times more handsome in person than in the photo!"
"The little brother in the second picture has such a great temperament! He looks so cool and fragile, I love him!"
"I just heard from their classmates at the academy that they both live in the same dormitory!"
"What the hell! What kind of magical dormitory is this? I want to move in right now!"
"Anyone want to try it? A sunny and cheerful school idol gong x a cold and abstinent academic shou. I could imagine a hundred thousand words for this setting!"
Lu Yu looked at the last comment and couldn't help but burst out laughing.
He rolled over, his face tilted upwards to face Shi Guang's bed next to him. There was only a narrow gap between his and Shi Guang's beds, and he could almost feel the other person's breath in the air. He turned his phone sideways, the screen light facing the person next to him, and lowered his voice, like a mischievous child sharing a secret.
"Hey, Shi Guang, are you asleep?"
It was quiet next door, with only the faint chirping of insects outside the window.
Lu Yu thought he was asleep and was about to put his phone away, but in the darkness, a hoarse and muffled voice came from the pillow next to him.
"……No."
Lu Yu's mouth curled up in the darkness. He moved his phone closer to the gap between them, allowing the light from the screen to shine onto the other person's quilt.
"Look at this," he whispered, his tone full of laughter. "They said we could make a good couple. It's quite imaginative."
The silence next door lasted so long that Lu Yu thought he wouldn't answer. He could even hear the rustling of fabric rubbing against each other, as if time had turned over.
Just when Lu Yu was about to give up, the voice of time sounded again, more muffled than before, with a hint of tension that he himself was not aware of.
"……boring."
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