Chapter 71
Night comes in the blink of an eye.
Chu Yu stood under the only broken street lamp outside the cafeteria, trying to shrink into an invisible ball with the darkness.
Luo Jiayu went to buy pancakes for two people, leaving him alone to wander around and pick and choose, and finally chose the one next to the most inconspicuous bush.
The light was dim, and the darkness cast a protective shield over him, so he didn't have to see the other person clearly, nor did he have to face himself. It was just two simple voices communicating.
Luo Jiayu came out very quickly. His figure was very conspicuous whether he was inside or outside the camp. He was holding two freshly packed plastic bags and two bottles of sparkling water in his hands. He looked around at the canteen door and quickly locked onto his target and walked towards him.
"Choose this place?" Luo Jiayu walked over and looked up at the completely dim streetlight above him. "Aren't you afraid of accidentally eating the pancake on your face?"
"No." Chu Yu replied, "I have a special way of eating pancakes."
"Okay." Luo Jiayu handed him his portion of pancakes, then leisurely leaned against the streetlight, still holding the plastic bag, and chatted casually, "Do you remember when we set up a pancake stall together in high school?"
"Remember."
The two people have some connection with Jianbingguozi.
At that time, the two of them skipped evening self-study and went to sell pancakes near the school. Luo Jiayu saw a business opportunity in it, saying that everyone would be very hungry after school, and the income would surely come in continuously. Later, the business was indeed very popular, but the customers were all girls from the same school. Luo Jiayu still thought that this was a business opportunity earned by his good skills and good brains, but in fact, the students only looked at their faces.
There were two handsome guys, one was making pancakes quickly and the other was handing out crackers to people. Luo Jiayu's pancake-making skills were honed to perfection in that month. He was more than ten times more skilled than the plainclothes police. He felt that even if his family went bankrupt in the future, he could still set up a stall to sell pancakes. He would never starve to death and could also support his brothers, killing two birds with one stone.
Because Chu Yu couldn't learn how to make pancakes at that time, he could only sit next to his childhood friend and timidly pass things to him. While Luo Jiayu was making the pancakes, he would curse from time to time, saying, "You handed me the wrong thing! This is ketchup, not hot sauce!"
Although he did not do any work and only relied on his good looks to attract customers for his boss, in the end most of the money he earned was given to Chu Yu by Luo Jiayu. In fact, it was just an excuse to give money to his bankrupt family.
After they finished their business and waited for everyone to leave school, they packed up their stall and went to a street food shop to buy some fried pork ribs and beer. Then they sat on the curb and started chatting about everything under the sun.
"What did I tell you then? You were so drunk you forgot."
Recalling this, Luo Jiayu smiled and turned to look at his childhood friend beside him, still untouched by the pancake in his hand.
Chu Yu slowly untied the knot of the plastic bag in his hand and continued:
"You said you'd make a million a year selling Jianbing Guozi at a stall. Then you could open a world-class chain store, from the Louvre all the way to the Sydney Opera House. The aroma of your Jianbing Guozi would fill the air around the world. I admire your ambition."
"Indeed, it's not too far-fetched." Luo Jiayu nodded in agreement, tutted his words, and turned back, adding intentionally or unintentionally:
"I even said I'd give you a singing spot next to the stall. You love singing, don't you? I could also help you find a job as a university graduate. We could split the profits, and if I make money, you won't starve."
Chu Yu quickly curled the corners of his mouth, then remembered that his classmates at that time said that they ran a husband-and-wife shop. When they saw Young Master Luo selling pancakes, they would call him "Boss Luo", and when they saw him, they would add "Madam Boss". The curve of his mouth disappeared again.
I didn’t think there was anything wrong with it before, but now when I think about it, when a certain young master replied very naturally, “It’s just a husband-and-wife shop, so what?”, it seemed like he was not just joking.
"Why are you taking so long to untie this knot? It's getting tighter and tighter." Luo Jiayu said as he was about to start, "Let me help you."
The touch of his fingers was particularly clear in the dark night, warm and hot. Chu Yu's hand trembled as if burned, and then he met the same eyes as during the day, and heard a soft question:
"So what happened?"
Chu Yu squatted on the small bench on the balcony during the day, basking in the sun with Luo Jiayu's quilt while thinking about his words. In the end, he decided to be honest, which was more sincere and direct than any other seemingly beautiful lie.
"I accepted a side quest, and now I can see how much you like me." Chu Yu told the truth.
"What's the mission?"
“…” Chu Yu took a deep breath, then realized that he didn’t have enough nerve or courage, so he took another deep breath.
Then he closed his eyes and whispered quickly, "To make you like me."
Luo Jiayu was speechless for several seconds, during which neither of them spoke. He stared blankly at the person in front of him, and it took a long time before he found his voice again:
"When did it happen?"
"A few days ago."
"A few days ago?"
"On the day of the second public ranking." Chu Yu noticed his silent gaze and turned her head away unnaturally.
No wonder his childhood friend looked particularly strange that day.
At that time, he thought that the other party had finally come to his senses, and he was happy for a long time in vain.
Luo Jiayu controlled his declining mood, took a sip of water, and jumped back to the original topic: "So, what does this have to do with what happened today?"
"...After waking up from my nap at noon, the favorability system gave me a report."
"What was reported?"
"My favorability has increased a lot." Chu Yu's voice became increasingly hoarse as he spoke, even though he had prepared these words during the day. "I also explained the reason for the increase in favorability."
"Is that so?" Luo Jiayu nodded thoughtfully. After finishing his glass of sparkling water, he twisted the cap and said nonchalantly, "So, my kissing you was also reported?"
Chu Yu's ears flushed red, but the conversation so far was all within his expectations. He feigned composure and nodded, "Yeah."
"How was it reported?" Luo Jiayu even sounded a little curious.
"First report the event that increased your favorability, then report the value of the increase. For example, if you kissed my forehead, your favorability towards me would increase by one point."
The two people discussed the favorability mechanism of this side quest as if they were discussing an academic issue, and Chu Yu's wording even sounded a bit rigorous.
Even though his ears were burning.
"I see. I remember I kissed you about five or six times. Did the system report all of that?"
"Um."
"So you looked so nervous during the day because you heard the report?" Luo Jiayu followed suit, and his clever little brain connected the clues in no time.
"Um!"
After talking it out and clearing up the misunderstanding, Chu Yu breathed a sigh of relief at an inopportune moment.
He was still not used to having things hidden between the two of them. Secrets were like small bumps. Even if they were not very noticeable, they were still annoying.
Luo Jiayu was no different from the way they usually were when they were having dinner or taking a walk together. He chatted with him casually. Chu Yu gradually relaxed in this atmosphere, as if they were just talking about some trivial and ordinary things.
"Why did you suddenly think of taking this task?"
"There's no penalty for not completing the side quest, so it would be a waste not to take it. But I only found out what the quest was after I took it."
"The mission was specifically written to capture me, then I'm quite special in the eyes of the system."
"No, I chose any character in the book to conquer. I chose you."
"...I see. Are there specific relationship requirements for the quest?"
"Yes, if you add 100 points, the mission will be considered successful."
Luo Jiayu asked casually, "I think I'm pretty easy to conquer, right?"
"Well, that's enough. Your impression of me increases faster than others."
"How fast?"
"I slept with you in my arms, and gained more than ten points of favorability."
"How do you add more? One more kiss?"
"……almost."
"Where did I kiss you?"
"Hair, forehead, ears and..." Chu Yu answered here and then realized that there was something wrong in the other party's words. When he reacted, the person had already come in front of him, and there was no smile in his eyes.
His voice became increasingly hoarse, and his eyes wandered around, but he still stubbornly uttered the last two words: "The corner of the eye."
Luo Jiayu lowered his eyes and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "So you know everything?"
"Um."
"You also know that I like you?"
Chu Yu didn't respond for a long time, but the temperature on his face was getting hotter and hotter. He wanted to hide, but he couldn't move.
He could only watch Luo Jiayu's face getting closer and closer in the silence, so close that he could feel the hot breath on his face. Luo Jiayu turned his head slightly, half-closed his eyes, and wanted to touch his childhood friend's slightly open lips.
They were so close that they were just a little bit away from kissing. Chu Yu finally reacted and stepped back as if he had been electrocuted. As a result, he bumped into the lamppost with a bang, and his vision went black for a moment.
Luo Jiayu subconsciously wanted to pull him, pull him into his arms and rub his head, but when he came to his senses, he did nothing. He didn't know what the point of doing these actions was in this situation.
It hurts. Chu Yu closed his eyes tightly and took two deep breaths. He rested there for a while. He didn't hear any movement from the other side for a long time. When he opened his eyes again, he saw his childhood friend with his eyes lowered, motionless, with a trace of uncontrollable loss in his eyes.
His heart tightened and he subconsciously wanted to grab the other person's wrist, but his hand stopped halfway. He didn't know what the point of holding hands was in this situation.
A silent and awkward atmosphere permeated between the two of them, and the air around them became increasingly heavy, as if the momentary relief just now was just an illusion.
It was Luo Jiayu's voice that finally broke the silence. He took a half step back to restore the distance between the two of them, then asked lightly in a joking tone:
"You really don't have any feelings for me at all?"
“…”
Chu Yu was speechless.
About a century passed, so long that Luo Jiayu felt like a believer waiting for the final judgment, waiting and waiting, but never getting the slightest answer.
He thought that this question would also end in vain along with his secret love, but at this time the other party spoke, but rather than being certain, he was more confused.
"I have no idea."
Luo Jiayu stared at him for a long while.
"I don't know." He repeated the answer of the person in front of him, and then asked softly, "Do you hate me kissing you?"
This question can be answered.
Chu Yu heard himself say, "I don't hate it."
He saw the gloom in his childhood friend's eyes gradually dissipate, and then he smiled.
He heard the other person speaking softly in his ear, the tone sounding almost coaxing:
"If you don't know and don't mind it, you can actually try it with me."
After Luo Jiayu finished speaking, he tentatively put his arm around the person's shoulders. Chu Yu was held in his arms. Perhaps because the action was very gentle, he did not retreat in response.
And putting aside those complicated emotions, he actually liked Luo Jiayu hugging him.
He likes the familiarity and warmth that comes from being together, which makes him feel at ease.
He could feel that Luo Jiayu was trying her best to comfort him, not touching any of his sensitive parts, but simply hugging him, then putting her hand against his forehead and carefully touching his hair.
They also did these actions when they were friends. Chu Yu did not struggle to break free until the end of the hug, but when he took a step closer, he hesitated.
While he was hesitating, he felt the other person kiss the corner of his mouth, lightly and then withdrawn. After the kiss, she secretly observed his reaction.
This was the first time that my childhood friend kissed him while they were both awake. It felt wonderful, like a cloud softly touching another sleeping cloud. Because the person who kissed him had just drunk sparkling water, the cloud had a faint scent of lemon mint when it floated over.
But a second later, his face and ears were still burning red. He pushed Luo Jiayu away with rapid breathing and adjusted his breathing frequency for a long time to avoid being disturbed by the beating of his heart.
Luo Jiayu looked at him quietly, waiting for his reply.
Chu Yu closed his eyes and said in a stagnant voice, "Give me a little more time."
"good."
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