This kiss was the only one that truly counted.
"OK."
The outdoor wind was a bit chilly, and Lin Shih-jen's long hair was blown by the wind. She was wearing a black coat, which made her face look even whiter. In the distance, there were noisy sounds of goals being scored from the stadium, and everyone's eyes were on her.
"If Zhou Lin asks, what should I say? Who gave it to me?"
Xu Yiqiao, standing behind Ruan Ya, heard her ask a question she already knew the answer to, and walked forward with her arms crossed: "No one gave it to him, so I'll treat you to this coffee."
Lin Shiren could tell whether it was genuine or feigned. She smiled and said, "Thank you, but I can't drink coffee at night; it makes me have trouble sleeping."
After hearing this, Ruan Ya really didn't know how to smooth things over. She separated the two cups of coffee in her hands, one in each hand, and slowly walked over, saying again, "We bought too much coffee. If you want to drink it, drink it; if you don't want to, give it to Zhou Lin. Qiao Qiao feels bad about giving it to him, so just consider it a favor."
When she mentioned Xu Yiqiao's name, she deliberately lowered her voice to give her best friend face.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Lin Shiren had no reason to refuse. She took the coffee from Ruan Ya's hand, her long eyelashes lowered, and said, "Well, I'll pass it on to him for you."
As she was going up the stairs, someone tapped her on the left shoulder from behind, and Lin Shih-jen immediately turned around.
Shen Xuqing smiled and went around to the other side, playing a prank that boys often play on her.
The moment their eyes met, she instinctively wanted to run away. She didn't know when it started, but it seemed she no longer looked forward to meeting him, and even felt a bit repulsed by him.
Shen Xuqing took long strides and caught up with her in just two steps. His gaze fell on her hand, and he quickly recognized that it was the same coffee as the one in his hand. He smiled and said, "What a coincidence, you also ordered takeout from this company."
Lin Shiren didn't want to explain that the coffee was a gift from his goddess to his rival, so he simply hummed in agreement.
Have you eaten matsutake mushrooms?
The topic was changed at just the right time.
"I ate it," she replied. "My mom fried it with butter, and it tasted great."
Shen Xuqing: "Actually, the best-tasting mushroom in Yunnan is the Boletus luridus, but it can be highly poisonous if not handled properly."
Lin Shih-ren suddenly remembered: "I heard that in Yunnan, if you are eating at a restaurant and find a lizard running out of the kitchen, don't be afraid, just call 120 immediately."
Shen Xuqing smiled and said, "Yes, don't panic if you go to the hospital and find out the doctor who gave you the injection is a frog..."
The two were carrying the same brand of coffee, walking at the same pace, and both were smiling, so they stood out when they walked together.
Five meters away, on the crowded stairs, Song Ci turned up with a basketball between his legs, and Zhou Lin walked behind him. The two had just finished playing basketball, their foreheads were sweaty, their breathing uneven, and even their steps were lazy.
Song Ci called out to her: "Lin Shiren".
But the corridor was very noisy, so Lin Shiren didn't turn around. She spoke in a low voice, and Shen Xuqing lowered his body towards her. As the group brushed past each other at the corner of the stairs, Zhou Lin saw a smile in the corner of her eyes.
The two were engrossed in their conversation. They passed each other three times on the fourth floor, but Lin Shih-jen never noticed her.
Upon reaching the fourth floor, Song Ci keenly noticed that Zhou Lin's walking speed had suddenly increased. When passing the two people in front of him, he didn't stop at all, but inexplicably cut in between them as if he had just passed two roadblocks.
Caught off guard, Shen Xuqing nearly spilled his coffee. He clicked his tongue in confusion but received no apology.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
Lin Shiren stared at Zhou Lin's back for two seconds, then shook his head: "It's nothing."
...
After a while, Lin Shiren returned to her seat and placed the coffee on Zhou Lin's table.
Zhou Lin didn't look at her; his gaze remained fixed on the cup of coffee. His voice was cold and clear: "What do you mean?"
Was it the coffee you drank with Shen Xuqing? Why did you give it to him? Zhou Lin was a little confused, and didn't even know how to react.
A surge of anger welled up in Lin Shiren's chest. She didn't know why she was angry, but her tone was quite harsh: "Xu Yiqiao bought you coffee."
After that sentence, both of them fell silent, and a silent standoff spread between them.
The classroom was noisy, but the atmosphere here was a bit tense. Song Ci's attention was always on the two of them. She came over under the pretense of explaining a problem. Zhou Lin kept glancing to the side while explaining, looking absent-minded. And he really was absent-minded. He explained a problem very quickly, and Song Ci couldn't understand it.
However, he wasn't paying attention. He was so anxious he was practically fuming. He lowered his voice and reminded her, "Watch your attitude. Girls need to be coaxed, or they'll really run off with Shen Xuqing."
Song Ci left, but Lin Shiren still hadn't turned the page of the book in front of her. She propped her head up and stared blankly for a long time, lost in thought.
Zhou Lin finally looked at her: "I don't want the coffee, can you return it to her for me?"
Lin Shih-jen's heart skipped a beat: "If you want to pay it back, you pay it back yourself. I'm not here to run errands."
Why did you help her with this?
Lin Shih-jen didn't answer, but instead asked, "Why shouldn't I help her with this?"
Do you want me to accept this cup of coffee?
That's your problem.
Amidst the surrounding noise, Zhou Lin stared at her for a long time: "Do you know what she thinks of me?"
Lin Shiren didn't want to talk to him anymore. She tore open the plastic film of the straw and stuck it into the yogurt seal with a "plop," her actions filled with strong emotions.
Just as the atmosphere became tense, the school bell rang.
They didn't say a word during the entire evening self-study session. The cup of coffee was placed precisely in the middle of their desks, without any deviation. Even Shao Xiaxuan, sitting behind them, could sense the tension in their silence.
After finally getting through the school day, Lin Shiren didn't rush home. Instead, she started organizing her books in a huff. Before, because Zhou Lin didn't have to take the college entrance exam, her desk and study room were empty. She had left her rarely used books and workbooks with him, but now she moved them all back to her own desk.
As Zhou Lin watched the mountain of books piled higher and higher in front of her, he felt a sense of déjà vu, like his wife packing her bags and heading back to her parents' home in a fit of anger. The corners of his lips involuntarily turned up.
Seeing the top book about to slip, he reached out to stop it, but Lin Shiren slapped it away, saying with disdain, "Don't touch my books."
Are timid girls easy to mess with? It seems not necessarily.
Lin Shih-jen has a gentle personality but a strong sense of justice. He was initially seen as a "scumbag" and posted about him on the campus forum with a sense of righteousness. Now that he's angry, he's only throwing things around, which is already quite polite.
He was more afraid of her having no emotions than of her throwing a tantrum, because that would truly mean there was no hope left.
People left the classroom one after another. Even Song Ci, being perceptive, left first. Zhou Lin rested his elbow on the table, occasionally observing her and occasionally chuckling. Lin Shiren didn't find anything funny and gave him a cold look throughout.
Finally, she finished packing, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and left the classroom, with Zhou Lin following behind as if nothing had happened.
Unbeknownst to them, gossip had already quietly spread.
The firsthand information, of course, came from Shao Xiaxuan: "I would call it a bloodbath triggered by a cup of coffee."
Friend 1: "Whose coffee was it? What bloodshed did it cause? Stop keeping us in suspense, give us the details!"
Shao Xiaxuan: "The coffee Lin Shiren brought back, I don't know if it didn't suit Zhou Lin's taste or what, but in the end neither of them drank it, and it seems like they were giving each other the cold shoulder."
Friend 1: "It's definitely not Americano. People who drink Americano don't cause trouble for no reason."
Friend 2: "Love can take its time, but coffee must be drunk immediately. If they don't want it, give it to me."
Shao Xiaxuan: "Can you guys focus on the key point? Why are they having this cold war?"
Friend 1: "What else could a cold war between a boy and a girl be about? It's nothing more than jealousy and tantrums."
Friend 2: "I just don't know if Zhou Lin is jealous or Lin Shiren is jealous..."
The temperature difference between day and night in Huaicheng is large, and the temperature at night is close to zero degrees. The two left late, and the school was already deserted.
Lin Shih-ren wrapped her scarf tighter and walked past the streetlights along the tree-lined avenue. Two shadows were cast into the night. She stopped and asked, "Why are you following me?"
Although he took the initiative to speak, he still had an icy expression. Zhou Lin moved closer to her, the curve of his lips carrying a hint of allure: "There's only one road out of the school gate. If I don't follow you, where else can I go?"
Lin Shiren chuckled and stepped away from him, saying, "Fine, you go first."
Zhou Lin smiled, his eyes sparkling: "No, I'm scared with people following me."
What are you laughing at? Do you think you're the only one with white teeth?
Lin Shiren was so angry he couldn't speak, his hands trembling: "What exactly do you want?"
Zhou Lin stared into her eyes: "Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
Lin Shiren's shoulders twitched, and he looked away: "I don't understand what you mean."
He gripped the back of her neck, forcing her to look him in the eye: "If you have no feelings for me, why are you angry today?"
They were so close, their breaths mingling. Lin Shiren's thoughts were in turmoil, and her eyes welled up with tears: "I didn't..."
Before her last word was even finished, it was swallowed between his lips and teeth, and a scent carrying male hormones enveloped him.
It was cold, but his lips were warm, enveloping her tightly from the corners of her mouth to her cupid's bow. Her breath and heartbeat were in disarray. Lin Shiren wanted to push her away, but found that her bones seemed to have melted, and she had no strength at all.
Fearing she couldn't handle it, Zhou Lin only took a small bite. The moment their lips parted, they both trembled involuntarily.
Unlike that accidental kiss, this was a real kiss.
Lin Shiren's eyes were red, and she tried to control her emotions by sobbing, but tears still fell to the ground with a "plop". Zhou Lin did not allow her to back down, but bent down and pressed her forehead against his own, his voice hoarse as if it had been soaked in tobacco and alcohol.
"If you really hate me, slap me right now."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Oh my gosh, this is so sweet it's giving me a heart attack! Why aren't you giving me some nutrient solution yet?
50 red envelopes~
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